explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1125: Objects In Mirror

2016-02-24T08:54:29Z

Danshoham:

Anyone else think that the smallness of this comic is unusual? I can barely read the mirror. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:41, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
:Agreed. The key part of the "punchline" is the word "bluer", and it's '''really''' hard to read. [[Special:Contributions/67.51.59.66|67.51.59.66]] 18:43, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

:The drawing has a different feel too. It seems to have been done with a pressure sensitive pen. Maybe Randall is trying out a new method. A galaxy note maybe? [[User:Fanboix|Fanboix]] ([[User talk:Fanboix|talk]]) 19:40, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

:Text on the mirror is larger than it appears.

:It's probably from the viewpoint of the driver.--[[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 16:49, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

I think title text refers to the expansion of the universe and the speed of light. The observable universe is viewed from light that originated in the past. The further away the object, the further back in time we observe it. In an expanding universe, the universe we observe today is actually how it looked in the past (smaller) and we are unable to observe it's present size (larger) due to the great distances and the time it takes for the light to arrive. Thus, the universe is larger than it appears, no matter if you view it traveling towards or away from any object. --[[User:Bpiltz|Bpiltz]] ([[User talk:Bpiltz|talk]]) 15:47, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

If the object in the mirror were another car overtaking this one, it would actually be redder than it appears. --[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 17:51, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

My first thought was that the title text refers to the fact that objects appear to be in different directions, as well as colors, from a moving viewpoint. So objects in front of a moving car will appear to be closer together than if the car were stopped.
See http://www.fourmilab.ch/cship/aberration.html
But objects seen in the rear-view mirror will appear more spread out, so maybe not.
 [[Special:Contributions/75.36.234.236|75.36.234.236]] 18:58, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
: Naw, you're thinking too much about this. Randall is just commenting that the universe, (as visible through the relatively small aperature of a windshield or mirror) is much bigger than it appears in either viewport. "There are more things in heaven and earth than are visible through your view-portal, Horatio!" (to paraphrase the Bard.) If that's what he was trying to say in Click and Drag, too, so be it. -- [[Special:Contributions/207.225.239.130|207.225.239.130]] 21:44, 24 October 2012 (UTC)
::That would be "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than..." but the point is apt. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:21, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

I agree, I reckon it just means there is whole lot of universe out there that you can't see, regardless of what direction you're looking or what you're looking at it through. [[User:Brendan|Brendan]] ([[User talk:Brendan|talk]]) 05:57, 25 October 2012 (UTC) BK

One thing confuses me: isn't the point that the scenery in the mirror is moving AWAY from the viewer - and hence would be red-shifted?? --[[User:Brahmafear|Brahmafear]] ([[User talk:Brahmafear|talk]]) 13:31, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

:If he were moving quite fast, the scenery in the mirror '''WOULD''' be red-shifted. But since he's not moving very fast, he doesn't see the expected red-shift, and thus things look bluer than they normally would.--[[User:Joehammer79|Joehammer79]] ([[User talk:Joehammer79|talk]]) 14:54, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

:That's a good question. He does appear to be in the passing lane (dashed lane to the right, unless he's driving on the wrong side of the road ;p but it wouldn't make sense to have a right-hand drive car with the warning on the driver side mirror), so he would ostensibly be going faster than slower traffic. Interesting conundrum. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 15:21, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

:The scenery is red shifted and as such appears red, but is truly bluer than it currently appears in the mirror. This is just like the actual safety warning that the mirror makes things appear smaller (farther away) than if you were looking at them directly (I suspect this is to increase the field of view), so the objects are actually closer than they appear in the mirror. --[[User:Chexwarrior|Chexwarrior]] ([[User talk:Chexwarrior|talk]]) 20:38, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

::Ah! I thought he was making a "Objects in mirror are losing" joke. But he's just going with a relativistic interpretation of objects being closer than they appear. Good catch. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 20:44, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

::The passenger-side mirror on cars is slightly convex in order to increase the field of view (and hence decrease the size of the blind spot). The side effect of this is printed on the mirror. The driver-side mirror is flat, however. [[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 20:55, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objects_in_the_Rear_View_Mirror_May_Appear_Closer_than_They_Are Objects in the Rear View Mirror May Appear Closer than They Are], anyone? --[[Special:Contributions/137.132.22.191|137.132.22.191]] 07:42, 25 October 2012 (UTC)
:Commenting the same legal notice. There are several pop-culture references to objects-in-mirror. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 04:33, 25 October 2012 (UTC)
:: "Squares may look distant in her rear view mirror but they're actual size as she drives away" -- They Might Be Giants, "She's Actual Size" --[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 11:08, 25 October 2012 (UTC)

This comic has bothered me considerably. You'd need extreme speed to notice any doppler shifting of light, but you'd still get substantial color distortion from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atmospheric_scattering Atmospheric Scattering], which causes far-away objects to turn ''blue''—so objects in the mirror are almost certainly less blue than they appear. --[[User:Tofudragon7|Tofudragon7]] ([[User talk:Tofudragon7|talk]]) 06:06, 9 November 2012 (UTC)

Approaching objects are redder than they appear. {{unsigned|204.191.29.154}}

Astrophysics major here.

The ACTUAL reason he says "Universe is larger than it appears" is because Edwin Hubble was part of the "Great Debate", which was a scientific conundrum in the early 20th century about whether the universe contained multiple galaxies or merely the Milky Way. Scientists were uncertain which theory was correct until Hubble's data, which conclusively showed, via observations of Cepheid variable stars, that galaxies such as Andromeda are located much too far away (about 2 million light years) to be located within our own galaxy. Consequently, the universe is much larger than it might originally appear to be.

[[Special:Contributions/71.167.97.24|71.167.97.24]] 15:51, 26 October 2012 (UTC)

I thought the image text refers to space contraction when travelling at speeds close to the speed of light... Since the car moves, the driver sees the "rest of the universe", aka ouside, (barely) smaller than it really is. {{unsigned|178.192.228.170}}

kinda strange warning, considering that the only objects behind you that you care about are usually those faster than you. maybe the sticker should read "beware of objects that are redder than they appear"? still a good one unless you think too much about it. i'd put one on my mirror anytime! --[[Special:Contributions/83.64.13.238|83.64.13.238]] 09:21, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

Objects in the mirror are [younger, lighter, prettier] than they appear. (Because of light travel time, relativistic mass dilation, distance). [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 08:54, 24 February 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1097: A Hypochondriac's Nightmare

2016-02-16T05:28:21Z

Danshoham:

*I am not sure that hypochondriac is spelled hypochrondiac. According to the dictionary it is hypochondriac. I wonder if RM will fix this.  [[User:Grep|grep]][[User_talk:Grep|talk]]
**I think hypochondriac is the right spelling (according to Google and Wikipedia)
**Is it possible that the spelling of hypo'''chron'''diac is on purpose? The timing of the banana and jet engine versus the death mites? [[User:Altor|Altor]] ([[User talk:Altor|talk]]) 12:46, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
*** I doubt that it was intended, as I would think there would still be the r in driac. It has not been changed as of now, so I can't be sure. #TEBOWTIME 14:19, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
****Corrected to proper spelling by RM as of 9/21/12 [http://www.xkcd.com/1097/]Maybe we should as well. --[[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 17:32, 21 August 2012 (UTC)
***Moved page and 1097 redirect to new spelling...--[[User:Bpothier|B. P.]] ([[User talk:Bpothier|talk]]) 22:40, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

*What are "death mites"?
** A {{W|Mite}} is a small arthropod that aren't particularly dangerous to humans, at worst causing allergic reactions. I guess "death mites" is another joke on hypochondriacs. [[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 11:11, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

*I feel like a Hypochondriac's nightmare would be dying from a disease that they detected at the earilest stage, but could do absolutely nothing about. #TEBOWTIME 10:33, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

*Don't you think the Title Text is more suggesting that Randal has a rash and he made the comic to calm himself down, but then it turns out that he has death mites in real life?
** Using the context clues, it's safe to assume that Cueball is thinking the title-text. #TEBOWTIME 13:24, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
* Note that banana peels aren't actually slippery (though they are portrayed as such in media), and haven't been since the Gros Michel cultivar (think "breed") was wiped out (by Panama Disease, a fungus) and replaced with the Cavendish. [[Special:Contributions/75.103.23.206|75.103.23.206]] 22:50, 26 December 2012 (UTC)

Banana peels are slippery if you crush them, like by stepping on them. [[Special:Contributions/184.66.160.91|184.66.160.91]] 01:56, 28 August 2013 (UTC)

What's Cue ball doing in front of a jet engine in the first place? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.182|141.101.98.182]] 06:26, 24 April 2015 (UTC)

I have an obsessive fear of slipping on a banana peel in front of a jet engine. I know its irrational and that it keeps me from paying attention to my health. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 05:28, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1095: Crazy Straws

2016-02-16T04:50:46Z

Danshoham:

Compare [[915:_Connoisseur|xkcd.com/915]]. [[User:Arlo James Barnes|Arlo James Barnes]] ([[User talk:Arlo James Barnes|talk]]) 10:06, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

*"Subcultures" is misspelled in the comic. Perhaps Randall will fix it and reupload? [[User:Erenan|Erenan]] ([[User talk:Erenan|talk]]) 15:17, 15 August 2012 (UTC)
**Randall has corrected the mistake, but the image on this page is still the old one. Would we want to keep both versions of the image in the interest of completeness? [[User:Erenan|Erenan]] ([[User talk:Erenan|talk]]) 00:02, 16 August 2012 (UTC)

* Have to admit, this one went a bit over my head. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 20:38, 15 August 2012 (UTC)

*Fractals not only have an unlimited level of detail; they are (most times) self-similar in the sense that you'll find the same pattern on every level of detail. Just like finding the equivalent of finding the "Paris hilton of the plastic straw subcultures' hobbyists' splinter group." [[User:BKA|BKA]] ([[User talk:BKA|talk]]) 09:06, 16 August 2012 (UTC)

*I think we should get the corrected comic, but note that it was originally misspelled in the explanation. Tebow Time, Twice a Day. 17:19, 16 August 2012 (UTC) ([[User talk:jjhuddle|talk]])

*It's a mistake to think the every-pickier level of detail is a flaw in these interest subcultures. Smaller and smaller levels of study are what flesh out our knowledge of the world. And myriad small subgroups of shared interests allow many people to achieve excellence and status, not just in their minds but in an (admittedly small) range of reality. Examples: the people who maintain and improve the Kennedy line of Boston Terriers; people whose specialty is tooth wear in prehuman hominids; people who parse xkcd comics.
** This comment was mine, attribution corrected.[[User:Noni Mausa|Noni Mausa]] ([[User talk:Noni Mausa|talk]]) 12:39, 19 August 2012 (UTC)

* I don't think that the comic means it as a flaw, I think it's a just a (humourous) observation, not a negative critisism.

* Agreed, and it even goes on here (just drop in on the community portal, to see tempests in a tea pot such as whether he's [[Cueball]] or [[Rob]]...) I couldn't help but think that RM poked his head in on this site and came up with this comic as a response. (Of course, that would be greatly overestimating our importance in the grand scheme of things, but we are all entitled to our little fantasies of grandeur, no?) Ah, well... it seemed perfect timing nonetheless. '''By the way, folks: please sign your posts.''' Four tildes, a la <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>, is all it takes... -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:30, 16 August 2012 (UTC)

* I don't think the fractal analogy holds because human subcultures cannot be nested infinitely deep. At some point, subcultures will come down to individual humans, who aren't also (infinitely deep) subcultures. [[Special:Contributions/70.31.155.184|70.31.155.184]] 15:06, 16 August 2012 (UTC)
** Randall is using the term hyperbolically — his point is that subcultures have ludicrous amounts of detail, not necessarily infinite. [[Special:Contributions/108.233.253.211|108.233.253.211]] 18:26, 16 August 2012 (UTC)
*** Half of me disagrees with you, with the other half in an argument with itself over from which crazy straw will Paris Hilton look best drinking. [[Special:Contributions/146.186.149.47|146.186.149.47]] 18:49, 16 August 2012 (UTC)
**** Still, even people so crazy they are kept in straitjacket all the time can have only several dozens of personalities ... there's not enough space in brain for infinite. -- [[Special:Contributions/89.177.52.2|89.177.52.2]] 09:36, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
** I still believe Randall's point was not the infinite detail, but self-similarity. Regardless on whether you look at something very popular or a niche - you'll always find exactly the same social structures. [[User:BKA|BKA]] ([[User talk:BKA|talk]]) 06:05, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
** Funny, I was just reading the article http://www.economist.com/node/21560559 -- And while they're not infinite, there's a damn lot of (microbial) subcultures within a human too!

* Isn't there any reference to the [http://www.blinkenlights.com/classiccmp/gateswhine.html Open Letter to Hobbyists] and the famous hacker Eric Raymond?
** I keep coming back to this page to see who "Eric" is. I don't think it's Eric Raymond (no apparent connection, from what I can see). Any insights? [[User:Zelmo|Zelmo]] ([[User talk:Zelmo|talk]]) 03:56, 18 August 2012 (UTC)
*** "Eric" isn't an uncommon name, and in fact, there's a well documented "[http://www.catb.org/esr/ecsl/ Eric Conspiracy]" out there. While ESR is a prominent Eric, I see nothing to tie the Eric in this comic to ESR specifically. For that matter, I'd be hard pressed to see a reference to Bill Gate's "Open Letter to Hobbyists", either. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 17:54, 19 August 2012 (UTC)
*** I wonder if the comic is making an oblique reference to String theory and Loop Quantum Gravity. There was (and still is, in some places) a lot of hostility between the two camps, most easily visible in the articles and comments of various physics blogs. This would kind of tie in with the 'fractal' comment, since you see this same division into strings (or wiggly crazy straws) and loops - it's a pattern that repeats when you look at physics groups or crazy straw groups. In that case, the Eric would be "[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Verlinde Erik Verlinde]". I know it's a bit of a stretch, but what do you think? [[User:Slouchingtb|Slouchingtb]] ([[User talk:Slouchingtb|talk]]) 01:56, 20 August 2012 (UTC)
**** Okay, at this point the depth of the discussion has just corroborated the point of the comic. Good job, everyone, pack it up. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.236|141.101.99.236]] 17:44, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

* IMO [[Kim Kardashian]] is a much better example of someone who is famous (just) for being famous. Hilton hotel scion etc. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.34|173.245.54.34]] 09:51, 27 January 2014 (UTC)

Is it just me, or are the crazy straws themselves examples of something that would work just fine as a straight line, but are much more interesting with fractal-like complexity (subject to the practical limits of a physical object)? [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 04:50, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1074: Moon Landing

2016-02-11T03:40:29Z

Danshoham:

The distance from Earth to Moon (the farthest we have gone away from earth) is twenty four times the diameter of Earth. If the Earth was a Basketball, the farther we have gone would be three meters from it, as the basketball is about 12 cm. The Randall statement is either wrong or purposely wrong. [[Special:Contributions/189.60.126.96|189.60.126.96]] 00:55, 28 September 2012 (UTC)

:The previous comment is wrong because the title text says that "[...]if the Earth were a basketball, in 40 years no human's been more than half an inch from the surface." Randall said "in 40 years" not the life of human space travel as a whole.
::Further clarification: The last manned moon landing was in 1972, 40 years ago. Since then, no human has traveled past close Earth orbit. A regulation men's basketball is 29.5 inches in circumference, or roughly 9.4 inches (~21cm) in diameter. Using the basketball as a model for the Earth, half an inch off the surface of the basketball is about 340km from the surface of the Earth - a decent approximation for the average orbital distance of the International Space Station and other recent targets of human spaceflight. [[Special:Contributions/72.169.224.103|72.169.224.103]] 19:29, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

Removed text that reads like a personal comment in the Title Text section: "And that is terrible to hear in the image text that we haven't been more than half an inch from the surface of the Earth if it were the size of a basketball. Personally, I'm putting most of my hope in Space X. With most of the NASA layoffs, a lot of the people went over to Space X. (A private company dedicated to space travel founded by former eBay founder Elon Musk.) I think they (or another private company) are the only hope of getting back into space and permanently this time." [[User:Frijole|Frijole]] ([[User talk:Frijole|talk]]) 21:30, 10 September 2013 (UTC)
:How can one be a FORMER eBay founder? Once you've done something, such as founding a company, you always will have done it.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.174|173.245.50.174]] 19:20, 7 September 2015 (UTC)

It's January 2015 and somewhere in Los Angeles, the Tyrell Corporation are developing the Replicants that die in 2019. Sometime in the next four years someone is going to be off the shoulder of Orion. I have no idea what the hell this comic is alluding.[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 19:18, 21 January 2015 (UTC)

Why the ch*rp isn't this comic in [[:Category:Space]]? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.75|141.101.104.75]] 16:23, 20 June 2015 (UTC)
:Done... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:27, 20 June 2015 (UTC)

Basketball is a peaceful planet, we have no weapons -- Hardware Wars. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 03:40, 11 February 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1018: Good Cop, Dadaist Cop

2016-01-29T22:17:32Z

Danshoham:

A comment from the blog that is quite on and off (you'll get the joke) the topic:

:I took a class in college, in French, and we studied (insofar as one can) dadaism, surrealism, and existentialism.
:One day, the girl next to me raised her hand and started out, “This is off the subject, but..”… Professor La Charité interrupted immediately, with, “It’s ''*never*'' off the subject. Continue.”
:We all felt we learned something that day. Giraffe. - E

Hope that explains some things. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:40, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

;Explanation
I think the above explanation is lacking. What's bones got to do with it? How about the language stuff? AND A Mexican bandit robbed a bank. The sheriff and his bilingual deputy captured him, and the sheriff, who couldn't speak Spanish, asked him where he'd hidden the money. "No se nada," said the bandit.
The sheriff put a gun to the bandit's head and said to his deputy: "Tell him, if he doesn't tell us where the money is, I'll blow his brains out."
Upon receiving the translation, the bandit became very animated. "Ya me acuerdo! Tienen que caminar tres cuadradas hasta ese gran arbol. Debajo del arbol, alli esta el dinero."
The sheriff leaned forward. "Yeah? Well..?"
The deputy replied: "He says he wants to die like a man." {{unsigned ip| 122.61.61.161}}
:It's Dadaism. It means unrelated random stuff. AND nice story =) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.206|108.162.212.206]] 19:26, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

What's incomplete about this? [[User:MrGameZone|0100011101100001011011010110010101011010011011110110111001100101]] ([[User talk:MrGameZone|talk page]]) 05:37, 2 August 2014 (UTC)
:If you twisted my arm, I'd have to guess that my phone is ringing off the salmon. That's all I can remember at this indication, though. -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 11:48, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Has Mark Zuckerberg ever HAD a mortgage?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.164|108.162.219.164]], 27 Dec 1014

Well interesting fact about ponytail then, her bones are small!
--[[User:Dalonacueball|Dalonacueball]] ([[User talk:Dalonacueball|talk]]) 12:48, 24 March 2015 (UTC) 13:35 3/24/2015

The implication, in the explanation text, that wealthy individuals, such as Zukerberg, wouldn't take a mortgage is flawed. Wealthy individuals usually do take out mortgages because they have the ability to generate a higher rate of return from the freed capital than the cost of the interest on the mortgage. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 22:17, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

Talk:947: Investing

2016-01-19T11:50:19Z

Danshoham:

Accounting for inflation, you'll probably end up losing money if you're just relying on bank interest for income. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 10:04, 9 October 2012 (UTC)
:Losing money compared to what? Even if inflation is 3%, getting 2% interest in a bank is better than getting 0% interest under your mattress... [[Special:Contributions/72.169.224.98|72.169.224.98]] 14:09, 6 December 2012 (UTC)

::Losing money compared to $1 spending power from the start date to $1 spending power at the end date, regardless of how much interest is earned, you still can't buy the same amount of stuff. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:00, 6 December 2012 (UTC)

:::Actually, putting money in the bank, you lose more in inflation than you gain in interest. It's really a scam. However, by putting it under your mattress, you're taking it out of circulation and, in effect, increasing its value through deflation. It really IS a better alternative. At least until you put it back into circulation, then the deflation is undone but, by then, it's no longer in your hands so what the hell do you care?[[Special:Contributions/76.29.225.28|76.29.225.28]] 06:01, 8 July 2013 (UTC)

:::: Unless you own a bank, it's unlikely that the quantity of money you're able to store in your mattress will have any effect on the rate of inflation. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.61|173.245.56.61]] 20:38, 19 November 2013 (UTC)

::An alternative to investing in a bank account is to do with your money what the bank intends to do with your money, which is to loan it to other people at a higher interest rate, higher than the rate of inflation. Of course, some fraction of these loans will never be repaid, and you can't simply withdraw your money whenever you feel like it, so this type of scheme works better if you have tons of money to begin with-- more than just a thousand dollars seed money.[[Special:Contributions/63.155.139.54|63.155.139.54]] 14:39, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

:::You don't really have to have the money. You just have to be buddy-buddy with the Fed. Banks are allowed to lend out ten times more money than they actually have.[[Special:Contributions/76.29.225.28|76.29.225.28]] 06:01, 8 July 2013 (UTC)

:::I see! So in order to avoid having to use a bank, you should... become a bank! ...oh.--[[Special:Contributions/199.244.214.110|199.244.214.110]] 20:42, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

::::Banks don't have the luxury of being able to put all their money in insured term deposits. [[User:Promethean|Promethean]] ([[User talk:Promethean|talk]]) 03:08, 3 May 2013 (UTC)

Compound interest is actually extremely powerful, if you have enough interest and enough time. 10% interest (like what you'd get from a good mutual fund) over 30 years (a little under the length of an average working career) gives a pretty impressive return. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.47}}
:Exactly. The only reason the return here is unimpressive is the ridiculously low interest rate that won't even outpace inflation. With a good rate of return (10-15%), compound interest can work for you. I don't like Randall's implication that compound interest is over-hyped; it's not magical, but it is extremely powerful. [[User:NealCruco|NealCruco]] ([[User talk:NealCruco|talk]]) 16:14, 29 April 2014 (UTC)
::I assume it may differ from country to country but currently most banks here offer even less than 2%. It's a bit depressing when I think it was double that about 5 years ago. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 01:35, 14 July 2014 (UTC)

Banks are not typically places one would look for investment purposes. Sure, it's fine to squirrel some money away in a savings account or other high(er)-liquidity vehicle. The point here is that if you are going to invest in any meaningful way, then you have to resign yourself to the fact that your money will become more illiquid, and therefore less accessible. So, investing in a mutual fund or workplace-friendly 401(k) is actually a really great way to tap into the "power" of compound interest. Start off investing in high-risk index funds (usually tracking the S&P 500 or other small-to-medium sized business aggregator). You should be making something like 10-15% y-o-y at least. Then move into bonds and treasury bills (lower return but safer) as you get closer to retirement. [[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 13:43, 30 July 2014 (UTC)

I don't know if Einstein did or did not say that statement; but I always found it more profound than a mere personal finance exhortation. Compound Interest is a long-term exponential growth force. To my knowledge, there are no such forces in physical systems (there are long-term exponential decay forces, such as nuclear decay and absorption by extended partially transparent media; and short-term exponential growth phenomena -- rapidly limited by fuel -- such as supernovae, but no sustained exponential growth phenomena I can think of). Biological systems, in contrast, are largely defined by the interactions of competing exponential growth forces. Economic forces, created by living organisms, but limited by the capacity of said organisms to transform their physical surroundings, give the appearance of a long-term exponential growth force (which is really a physics impossibility). Hence, if it is really as described (and there are no hidden risk factors or sustainability limits), then compound interest, really, is the most powerful force in the universe. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 11:50, 19 January 2016 (UTC)

Talk:871: Charity

2016-01-06T03:46:56Z

Danshoham:

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

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

How much do the directors of the charity get paid?

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 00:17, 24 January 2015 (UTC)

Randall is sexist :P [[User:Vctr|Vctr]] ([[User talk:Vctr|talk]]) 21:06, 18 April 2015 (UTC) Vctr

'''sorry, but they destroy all fish's life''': see NY times etc.: [http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/25/world/africa/mosquito-nets-for-malaria-spawn-new-epidemic-overfishing.html?_r=0 mosquito-nets-for-malaria-spawn-new-epidemic-overfishing] -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.17|162.158.92.17]] 12:07, 6 October 2015 (UTC)

My favorite whine is about celebrities endorsing 'causes'. They are essentially saying something like 'I have millions of dollars, and this cause is close to my heart. However, I won't give any of my money. Rather, I'll sing a beautiful song. And then you, wage-earner with modest disposable income, should donate money to the cause; while I get honors and recognition for all the money I raised." [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 03:46, 6 January 2016 (UTC)

Talk:871: Charity

2016-01-06T03:45:40Z

Danshoham:

Talk:870: Advertising

2016-01-06T03:33:00Z

Danshoham:

But the Geico commercial doesn't say up to, it says 15% or more... ~Jfreund
:That may depend on your region. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.30|108.162.216.30]] 03:24, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
:Saying that something "could save you 15% or more" and saying it "could save you ''up to'' 15% or more" are the same thing. Both statements take into account the very real possibility that some percentage less than 15 could be saved.[[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 13:37, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

Not to mention that Geico says "'''Could''' save you..." (In combination with "up to", the "could" should be "will".) [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 03:09, 18 June 2014 (UTC)

A justification for "The more you buy, the more you save" is that the more discounted products you buy, the more money you save as opposed to buying them at list price. For things we will buy anyway (e.g. food), it may be true. --[[User:Troy0|Troy0]] ([[User talk:Troy0|talk]]) 20:01, 6 July 2014 (UTC)
:Added to the article. --[[User:Troy0|Troy0]] ([[User talk:Troy0|talk]]) 04:10, 25 July 2014 (UTC)
::It doesn't work when the items can expire. [[User:Cflare|Cflare]] ([[User talk:Cflare|talk]]) 14:38, 14 August 2014 (UTC)
:::it does to a certain point- my family can eat a lot of food before it expires, especially if it's something we like. {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.163}}

Brilliant comic Randall. I wonder what your next one is about.

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 00:20, 24 January 2015 (UTC)

Doesn't the title text imply that Randall realised nothing is truly free and concluded that Santa wanted something from him, prompting his parents to reveal the big secret? (I conclude this based on Randall claiming that these two events are related) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.49|141.101.104.49]] 21:16, 25 April 2015 (UTC)

Given that "up to x or more" must necessarily be true, how can it be "construed as false advertising?" Meaningless advertising, yes; false, no.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.174|173.245.50.174]] 04:22, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

I just spent 2% of my life looking for the fine print to that FREE* drink
(* given during time of kidney-harvesting scam test. Limit one per customer. No purchase necessary to win. Please see rules to apply.)[[User:Beastachu|Beastachu]] ([[User talk:Beastachu|talk]]) 10:33, 13 September 2015 (UTC)

Shouldn't the expression in panel 2 be (x+1)/n, not x/(n+1)? If we define Y as how much each person pays, then the company would earn $YN. YN > X ---> YN = X + 1 ---> Y = (X + 1)/N.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.144|162.158.255.144]] 03:26, 18 October 2015 (UTC)
:Randall defines N as the number of people ''other than you'' who read the flier. Therefore the total number of people who got the flier is N+1. The advertiser spent $X to produce the flier and assuming that it wants to make a profit on the advertisement, it needs to make at least X/(N+1) on average for each person that gets the flier. Given this your equation should be $Y(N+1) > X not $YN > X because the total number of people is N+1. Obviously Y(N+1) > X ---> Y > X/(N+1), which is exactly what we already found out. I'm not really clear on how you get the transformation YN > X ---> YN = X + 1.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.60.11|162.158.60.11]] 15:19, 11 November 2015 (UTC)

I've always been "mathematically annoyed" by 'X% off' signs (like "40% off"). OFF from what? From the price they asked for beforehand? But they couldn't sell this particular unit for that price; maybe they didn't even sell any unit at that price (and, even if they did, they clearly got more units to sell than available buyers at that price). So, the X% off is from a meaningless seller-wishful-thinking number, not anything resembling a fair market value (where willing sellers and willing buyers meet). [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 03:32, 6 January 2016 (UTC)

Talk:843: Misconceptions

2016-01-04T17:55:10Z

Danshoham:

:''Note:'' The [[xkcd forums]] contain a great [http://forums.xkcd.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=67352 discussion] of this comic.

When I took Calculus-based Physics in college (2003), my professor taught us that glass was an "extremely viscous fluid." When was glass reclassified as an amorphous solid?
 [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]])
Your professor was simply incorrect. Glass never was, and has never been, an "extremely viscous fluid". Molten glass is a "molecular liquid" where the viscosity depends on temperature. [[Special:Contributions/75.103.23.206|75.103.23.206]] 22:14, 13 December 2012 (UTC)
 "Extremely viscous fluid" is just another way to describe an amorphous solid (as opposed to the crystallic solid). There is no sharp cut-off between these states. Just at some point it starts feeling solid enough, so it gets called a solid. See the Pitch Drop Experiment [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch_drop_experiment] for an example (though glass is obviously harder than pitch). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.11|108.162.246.11]] 19:21, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

I had a chemistry professor in 2011 tell me that glass flowed, even citing old buildings with thicker glass on the bottom. I tried to argue against it, but I was interrupting a lecture. I discussed it with some students later, though. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.64|108.162.237.64]] 00:49, 1 February 2014 (UTC)
:If you think you had a problem, try convincing anyone that weather turns into seismic activity and vice versa.

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 19:53, 24 January 2015 (UTC)

Is there really a law or custom about the first Tuesday in February?, or is that just a misconception? [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 17:55, 4 January 2016 (UTC)

Talk:827: My Business Idea

2016-01-02T09:09:05Z

Danshoham:

The delivery address is to Ash Tree Lane. As shown in [[472]], Randall knows how to mess with people who've read House of Leaves. Subtle references are probably worse (better?) than the blatant, full-fat parody of 472. [[Special:Contributions/80.42.206.232|80.42.206.232]] 23:46, 23 July 2013 (UTC)

As I read it, the idea is to have a website where people who claim to have thought of something first would be able to submit 'claims' (for whatever they are worth, if anything). Cueball would get rich monetizing this sure-to-be-a-hit website. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 09:09, 2 January 2016 (UTC)

Talk:811: Starlight

2016-01-01T23:41:49Z

Danshoham:

I thought that was a picture frame, a mirror makes more sense. [[Special:Contributions/184.66.160.91|184.66.160.91]] 08:40, 17 July 2013 (UTC)

From the light's point of view, EVERYTHING is in the same place. The whole universe in one point. {{unsigned
ip|108.162.238.114}}
:Actually, I think that the universe would be a solitary plane. Since light moves only in one straight line. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.204|173.245.54.204]] 02:14, 5 March 2015 (UTC)

I still think it's a picture frame. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.118|108.162.215.118]] 00:50, 6 August 2014 (UTC)

It's a mirror, you can see the reflection of his arms. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.77|141.101.75.77]] 18:35, 27 March 2015 (UTC)

I am still of the opinion, sort of, that it is a picture frame. It seems like beret guy to make art of things we consider simple, because of the actually extraordinary circumstances that happened to make it so. [[User:YourLifeisaLie|The Goyim]] ([[User talk:YourLifeisaLie|talk]]) 23:35, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

It's a mirror. Picture frame makes no sense. It's a mirror. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 06:41, 10 August 2015 (UTC)

This is pushing into areas beyond my expertise, but I question the validity of the assertion that the light particle will experience no time between departing the star and arriving at the planet. From what I understand, One of the pillars of relativity is that from ALL reference frames the speed of light is constant. So when we discuss things "from the point of view of a light particle" most of what we say is basically conjecture. It is impossible to have a valid reference frame moving along with a photon. To say that from the photon's point of view no time passes is to assume a reference point where the speed of light is no longer constant, but instead photons have the ability to be stationary. A stationary photon can never be observed in any valid reference frame. It is fair to say that a particle traveling at a speed infinitesimally less than the speed of light will experience almost no time between locations, but time dilation follows a curve that is only valid for speeds approaching but not including the speed of light.

---I'm not a physicist, but I'm fairly certain you can have a valid light-speed frame of reference. As I recall, that's part of the explanation for how the weak force can distinguish left-handed particles from right-handed ones. This makes no sense at first blush, because whether a particle is spinning left or right depends upon the position of the viewer. You could have one person observe a left handed particle decay while an observer at a different angle observes a right handed particle do nothing. The answer is that if the particle has no intrinsic mass, all observers would agree that it is traveling at the speed of light, and that there is a well-defined left and right (with respect to the direction of the particle's motion). This becomes immensely more complicated because it applies to particles that have no intrinsic mass, but nonetheless obtain effective mass through the Higgs mechanism (for instance, leptons). [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.165|173.245.56.165]] 18:16, 11 September 2015 (UTC) - NotaphysicistbutIplayoneontheinternet

There is also the obvious futility of the exercise: only a tiny fraction of the photons emanating from a star will reach the mirror and, even if the mirror is held at the perfect orientation, with dispersion (even if the mirror is perfectly smooth, the atmosphere is not) the probability that even one photon will make it back 'home' is effectively nil.
Maybe off-topic, but this reminds me of the occasional media circus event when some random marine mammal is beached and then a massive rescue effort is affected to 'save' it). [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 23:41, 1 January 2016 (UTC)

Talk:809: Los Alamos

2016-01-01T23:10:36Z

Danshoham:

How does trigonometry come into it?

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 00:40, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

I think the joke of the title text lies in the word "spoiler alert".--[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.169|199.27.128.169]] 02:32, 6 March 2015 (UTC)

Removed the following sentence from the explanation. ''Also, Steve says that he is 99% sure that it is "SOH CAH TOA, or COH SAH TOA," he is asking a question that doesn't work, since you can't be 99% sure that it is SOH CAH TOH or COH SAH TOA.''
It seems to stem from the explainer not understanding the comic. The "Although I'm 99% sure" is not a part of the question that follows, although it is part of the same sentence. Dashes are used to insert one sentence into another--like this--without changing the original sentence's meaning.
Steve's comment could be rephrased as "I have a question, although I'm 99% certain that I know the answer. Is it SOH CAH TOA, or COH SAH TOA? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.97|173.245.48.97]] 08:29, 28 May 2015 (UTC)

The comic also might be referencing a legend about how Trinity scientists came to Oppenheimer with their concern that the bomb might explode the world. He told them to run the math and if probability of destruction was under 1% they should still do the test (it was.) The comic implies then that the 1% probability has nothing to do with physics and is simply based on Steve's certainty about what Sine is.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.224|141.101.88.224]] 12:57, 1 June 2015 (UTC)

I feel that the comment is both about Steve being "99% sure" of the SOHCAHTOA, and the test being "99% sure" of not destroying the world, since Steve seems to be a mathematician behind the explosion size and effects of "The Gadget". [[User:Drcrazy102|Drcrazy102]] ([[User talk:Drcrazy102|talk]]) 00:09, 3 June 2015 (UTC)

I'd say that destroying the world is more of a 'make us as god' action than just making a big bomb. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 23:10, 1 January 2016 (UTC)

Talk:796: Bad Ex

2015-12-30T03:47:04Z

Danshoham:

Interestingly, the Abstruse Goose webcomic (which is fairly similar to xkcd) also published a comic regarding a similar idea, called [http://abstrusegoose.com/114 iScreener]. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 11:41, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

Who's to say the last panel ''is'' imaginary? Anonymous 01:21, 5 December 2013 (UTC)

The 1987 spoof movie "Amazon Women on the Moon," had a sketch where Steve Gutenberg tries to date Rosanna Arquette who then uses a service similar to a credit report where his prior dates have posted derogatory information about him -- for example, not calling back after his date had sex with him. Not a bad bit of foresight for a 1980's film! [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 03:47, 30 December 2015 (UTC)

Talk:747: Geeks and Nerds

2015-12-23T00:49:34Z

Danshoham:

If you look at the etymology of the words it is pretty easy to figure out what they mean. Or maybe used to mean, people have the annoying habit of changing the meaning of words. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 02:03, 23 May 2014 (UTC)
:No, a geek is Glenn's word for a zombie. A nerd is one pieces in the candy box of Nerds. [[User:Cflare|Cflare]] ([[User talk:Cflare|talk]]) 14:58, 6 August 2014 (UTC)
Doesn't the title text show Randall has a strong opinion in the distinction, and therefore qualifies as both? [[Special:Contributions/103.22.200.193|103.22.200.193]] 12:22, 5 June 2015 (UTC)
:I'm sure Randall is good enough to qualify for both distinctions, as would most of those that post anything here... But he just grew up with these definition and states that they may vary. This would not be acceptable if you had strong opinions on the subject, so I would say no to the reason you state that he should qualify. ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:33, 27 June 2015 (UTC)
The definition in the alt-text does not agree with the picture. In the picture neither geeks nor nerds are a subset of the other; in the definition being a nerd implies also being a geek. This comment might be both, but that's why we're here, isn't it? [[User:Lii|Lii]] ([[User talk:Lii|talk]]) 18:12, 16 November 2015 (UTC)

I see the joke as implying that those who have a strong opinion would likely think of themselves as belonging to one category, and would be offended by those who fail to see much difference and would apply the other label just the same. Randal is joyfully thus offending them by saying that the other label would apply to them in any event.
Furthermore, as the sets are labelled, the *only* people who are both nerds and geeks are those who think the two categories are different. Consequently, those who actually do belong to only one of the two groups; are the ones who do not have a strong opinion that there is a difference. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 00:49, 23 December 2015 (UTC)

Talk:744: Walkthrough

2015-12-22T22:02:44Z

Danshoham:

Or it refers to physical speed instead of temporal quickness, in which case his date is "walking" around with severe bruising to her... soft areas.{{unsigned ip|‎108.162.250.223}}
I took it mean that in a real date, there is a lot of seduction and foreplay slowly transitioning (if one is lucky) into sex. The walkthrough video, presumably skipped those activities and went straight to business. Consequently, relative to how the guy was expected to behave on his date, the video was a 'run;' undoubtably, to the chagrin of his date. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 22:02, 22 December 2015 (UTC)

Talk:698: You Hang Up First

2015-12-18T03:58:43Z

Danshoham: Created page with "Of course, even after they broke up, neither will hang up. ~~~~"

Of course, even after they broke up, neither will hang up. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 03:58, 18 December 2015 (UTC)

Talk:687: Dimensional Analysis

2015-12-17T04:01:39Z

Danshoham:

{{cot}}
Is it customary to just slap a new contributor after 5 minutes because the page was not done perfectly on the first editing? Now I will NOT research and add the actual numbers you would have to plug into the equation and I will leave this to Dave22. Genius. [[User:Stamfest|Stamfest]] ([[User talk:Stamfest|talk]]) 09:36, 1 April 2013 (UTC)
:We do put those fields there for a reason. Most editors just make a page and leave them incomplete with fields deleted or blank, oftentimes leaving admins with heaps of maintenance work to deal with. I probably *should* have waited for you to finish, but prior experience and me being busy with two simultaneous continuously updating comics led me to treat it like most other incomplete pages. Will wait in the future though, since I know how you edit now. Discussion hidden, as it covers matters outside of the comic. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:01, 1 April 2013 (UTC)
::And I added the comment of a (very) initial explanation to the initial version. If you only want immediately perfect content, then just say so at page creation-time. This is totally against all wiki rules I have ever experienced. It is also against basic netiquette to call new contributors names upon their first submission. You might consider to change your attitude if you run or are involved with such a project. OTOH, if this is YOUR project, you are free to treat contributors all the way you want, but do not expect them to add more content if you behave like that. But the good thing is: your reaction shifted my attention back to work. Thanks for that. This won't help the page, though. Bad luck, I guess. Also, I only found out now that it is not possible to delete accounts on a wikimedia wiki... [[User:Stamfest|Stamfest]] ([[User talk:Stamfest|talk]]) 13:10, 1 April 2013 (UTC)
This comments should be removed from this topic. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:22, 14 May 2013 (UTC)
I am not sure if this is relevant but I laughed more reading Stamfest vs Daviddy22 then Randall :D but Dgbrt may have a point of removing it. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.62.83|173.245.62.83]]ck
{{cob}}

:Someone posted that I've been wasting electrons on here. I didn't quite know how to take that, it being true and all. I had the impression that it was the whole point of comics that you waste time on them. Some of us just have too many electrons; obviously.

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 16:33, 27 January 2015 (UTC)

Made a minor addition to the explanation as it relates to the "Buckingham Pi" formalization. This may be a 2nd order pun in the comic.[[User:Tardyon|Tardyon]] ([[User talk:Tardyon|talk]]) 15:05, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

The units only check out if mileage is given in the form liters/100 km. If you use miles/gallon you end up with units of length^-4.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.217.5|108.162.217.5]] 22:17, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

Or, maybe the Plank Energy will decrease... [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 04:01, 17 December 2015 (UTC)

Talk:678: Researcher Translation

2015-12-17T01:07:07Z

Danshoham:

This does explain a lot, doesn't it? --[[User:Jolbucley|Jolbucley]] ([[User talk:Jolbucley|talk]]) 03:40, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

Why is this explanation so pessimistic, I don't think this is what Randall was trying to get at. -Vctr

By 2001, we should have lunar colonies and manned missions to the outer planets... [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 01:07, 17 December 2015 (UTC)

Talk:585: Outreach

2015-12-10T06:14:08Z

Danshoham:

Did SyFy just steal this idea when they produced "[http://www.syfy.com/videos/Syfy%20Movies/Sneak%20Peek/vid:2659515 Sharknado]"?
[[Special:Contributions/72.166.146.106|72.166.146.106]] 21:16, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

We are going to need a bigger balloon... [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 06:14, 10 December 2015 (UTC)

Talk:567: Urgent Mission

2015-12-10T03:48:47Z

Danshoham:

The explanation is backwards. Current is defined as the flow of *positive* charge, thus moving from positive to negative terminals. In most cases, the current is actually electrons, which are moving from the negative terminals to the positive.
[[Special:Contributions/72.45.165.98|72.45.165.98]] 16:48, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
:Hopefully fixed. This was hard to write clearly. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 01:43, 11 January 2014 (UTC)

I might be completely mistaken but I've thought that the reason why the positive and negative terminals are assigned as they are originated from observing the electric current passing through the solutions of salt. In the said solutions the current consists of the positively charged ions that get deposited onto the negative electrode, while the positive electrode slowly dissolves. This naturally makes one think that the electric current carries the charged particles from the positive to the negative electrode. Of course it might be that I've completely forgotten what I've been taught in school and gotten everything wrong. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.5|108.162.246.5]] 01:50, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

In a circuit, it is the electrons, or the negative charges, that are actually travelling. The positive charges, the nuclei of the material carrying the current, remain fixed. This is opposite to the definition of current, which is defined as the flow of positive charge. In other words, the particles that we define as flowing in a current are not the ones that actually move. Confusing, right? I think what you may be referring to is when a salt solution undergoes electrolysis, the anions (negatively charged part of the salt) travel to the anode (positively charged electrode), and the cations (positively charged particles) travel to the cathode (negatively charged electrode). [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.196|173.245.52.196]] 06:03, 12 August 2014 (UTC)

Do the same thing with dating conventions, Venerable Bede, and 0 AD. :-) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.150|108.162.221.150]] 23:25, 24 August 2015 (UTC)

Ben Franklin just decided to call two opposing charges positive and negative. Blame the guy who decided electrons should be considered negative and protons should be considered positive.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.217.71|108.162.217.71]] 03:28, 20 August 2014 (UTC)

Up until Franklin's experiments with electricity, there was debate as to whether electricity came in two forms, vitreous, as in a glass rod rubbed with silk, and resinous, which other experiments before him was shown to be the one in the rubber rubbed with fur (or amber rubbed with fur, hence the name). Franklin felt there was a single "fluid" which flowed to produce an electric current. He felt that when an object such as the glass rod had an excess of this fluid, it was "positive", and when there was a deficiency of this fluid, the object was "negative". Current flow was the flow of a region of excess "fluid" to a region deficient in it. Unfortunately what actually flowed was electrons and the glass rod form contained excess electrons, not a deficiency of the positively charged fluid. Therefore, HE was the one who started the convention of calling electrons positive.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.196|173.245.52.196]] 03:47, 24 August 2014 (UTC)

:What we need here is a time machine so we won't waste too much time arguing. {{unsigned|Weatherlawyer}}

Wait, I interpereted it completely differently. What if Cueball thought that the Apocalyptic Inventor went evil out of rage over the charge confusion? Trying to make sure that the guy's reason for going evil counts as averting the apocalypse. -[[http://vectorlightning.tumblr.com VectorLightning the guest]]

At the risk of stating the obvious, the scene is a joke on Terminator (where a time machine was used to fight a robot apocalypse). The time-travelling cueball appears in a Terminator-like bolt. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 03:48, 10 December 2015 (UTC)

Talk:461: Google Maps

2015-11-25T11:29:48Z

Danshoham:

By the end, it's really starting to sound like a text-based fantasy adventure game, or possibly a game of D&D. This adds an additional level of humour: using Google Maps to navigate around virtual worlds.

I particularly liked the "Go pi miles", and the "Careful" instructions in the Google Maps "Action" column on the right. ''--[[User:MisterSpike|MisterSpike]] ([[User talk:MisterSpike|talk]]) 18:58, 26 June 2013 (UTC)''

:Yes it is very much like old text games. [[Special:Contributions/184.66.160.91|184.66.160.91]] 04:18, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

:To me, it actually looks like a '''walkthrough''' for an adventure game of some sort. Or possibly a hint book considering the "official-sounding" last part. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.234|108.162.231.234]] 06:38, 25 December 2013 (UTC)

The Spectral Wolf plays a role in World of Warcraft, but as I am not a WoW player, I don't feel qualified to update the explanation. Any WoWians want to add a paragraph on the Spectral Wolf?[[User:Nsimonetti|NikoNarf]] ([[User talk:Nsimonetti|talk]]) 19:17, 14 November 2013 (UTC)
:I am one, but the Reins of the Spectral Wolf were not released until the Cataclysm expansion (December 2010). Thus a WoW-related explanation for the wolf would be anachronistic. [[User:Amurfalcon|Amurfalcon]] ([[User talk:Amurfalcon|talk]]) 21:07, 10 December 2013 (UTC)
:I am one as well. There was a quest that Tauren did in their starting region, where they had to follow a spectral wolf. If I remember correctly, it was in Vanilla WoW. No anachronism here. {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.98}}

I'm not sure what is meant by the use of the term "Straw Man" instead of scarecrow or some other spooky or Halloween-themed equivalent. Perhaps it is a reference to the fallacy, but the fallacy is unassociated with "waking" unless maybe it's loosely related to the aggression that generally accompanies the attack of a straw man. {{unsigned ip|173.245.56.66}}

:"They also apparently woke the Straw Man."
I don't think there's more implied than that they lost time getting past, or detouring around, 'the Straw Man'. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.203|108.162.219.203]] 14:13, 25 December 2013 (UTC)

Looks like "Zork" to me. Anyone remember Zork? {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.229}}

The Spectral Wolf would make all of this work so worthwhile. I mean... you would be getting a SPECTRAL WOLF! I wish I had a real one. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 13:41, 3 January 2014 (UTC)

;Googles directions weren't just suboptimal in some cases they were crazy

IIRC I saw one set of directions that told the reader to "swim across the atlantic ocean" not once (well docuemnted easter egg) but twice as well as driving round most of europe to get to a destination in the same country they started in. -- plugwash [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.66|108.162.219.66]] 23:29, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

This comic describes a real place. Googling "rt-22 and lake shore road" will result in a ferry crossing in Essex, NY. Route-22 (Station ST) becomes Lake Shore road through a left turn near Pink Pig Cottage Antiques. About 300 feet from that T intersection is a small, unnamed, road on the right leading to the Essex-Charloette ferry route. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.103|173.245.52.103]] 22:34, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

:And thanks to [https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@44.310745,-73.351234,3a,75y,66.75h,75.32t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1scRAKgyvNh43nlSL6Et9CNQ!2e0 Streetview] we can see the ferry [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.99|141.101.98.99]] 21:22, 10 April 2015 (UTC).

There is the additional joke of going around the lake twice looking for a ferry. Wherever along the lake shores the ferry was going to go, they already passed by driving around the lake. Also, I think "godspeed" maybe another pun (meaning both "good luck," and implying you will travel at the speed of the gods). [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 11:29, 25 November 2015 (UTC)

Talk:402: 1,000 Miles North

2015-11-09T04:32:11Z

Danshoham:

+1 for 'a tornado that likes to chase people'
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.8|108.162.216.8]] 14:16, 24 January 2014 (UTC) marvis

. . . Years before sharknado!{{unsigned ip|173.245.54.167}}

Does the title refer to anything. I can't find any analogy such as "1000 Miles West" etc. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.107|141.101.106.107]] 19:06, 1 January 2015 (UTC)

The speed of permafrost movement is, well, glacial. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 04:32, 9 November 2015 (UTC)

Talk:397: Unscientific

2015-11-09T04:06:34Z

Danshoham:

Just appeneded a paragraph about the title-text. Also tried to word something about it starting off as refering to something from last week, then phased into next week, which is almost certainly a joke on the reversibility of time's arrow within the context of the first item mentioned, but could not get it pithy enough. Over to you to have a go (unless it's a genuine mistake in the first place). [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 13:16, 18 June 2013 (UTC)

As a slight inner joke, I just noticed that it seems quite natural that a zombie Feymann worries about a lack of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigor_mortis rigor] less than when he was alive... --[[Special:Contributions/146.48.82.79|146.48.82.79]] 18:10, 1 October 2013 (UTC)

Should it perhaps be noted that Feynman was a known philanderer, and would therefore be interested in Megan's other body parts as well, not just her brains? {{unsigned ip|81.17.27.234}}

Unmentioned, branes are generalized to a number of dimmensions P, and known as P-Branes... pun on pea-brains [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.97|108.162.216.97]] 20:59, 7 November 2014 (UTC)

The obvious joke, to me, is the existence of a zombie; exactly the kind of unscientific myth that needs busting. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 04:06, 9 November 2015 (UTC)

Talk:374: Journal

2015-10-19T19:08:14Z

Danshoham:

It seems to me that panel four is referencing the "This is why we can't have nice things" meme.--[[Special:Contributions/208.233.39.21|208.233.39.21]] 13:23, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

I interpret the title text (about how he writes nice things he would say to the girl in the journal) as part of his technique: he puts himself in the mood of being interested in the girl so that his facial and body language would convey this information as best as possible (so, for example, he will be able to generate a fake blush). [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 19:08, 19 October 2015 (UTC)

Talk:373: The Data So Far

2015-10-18T00:00:54Z

Danshoham:

The comic title "The Data So Far" could also be a reference to the television program "Supernatural" which uses the phrase "The Road So Far" to recap plot points.{{unsigned ip|‎203.4.183.34}}
:But is more likely a general reference to the use of "The Story So Far" in literally Graham's number of places. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 21:17, 3 January 2014 (UTC)

Supernatural powers are, specifically, not evidence-based. If they were, they would be measured, quantified, and our understanding of the physical universe updated to account for them. They would then be simply described as "natural." For example, the power to hypnotize may appear "super," but the phenomena is sufficiently supported by evidence that it can be quantified, studied, and reproduced. It is thus treated as a "natural" rather than "supernatural." Power. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 00:00, 18 October 2015 (UTC)

Talk:354: Startling

2015-10-13T19:03:12Z

Danshoham:

This comic isn't that simple:
*what is Cueball doing every few months?
*is 2004 correct? If yes, what does it mean?
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:09, 15 August 2013 (UTC)

: Every few months, Cueball halts his work and realizes that he is in the twenty-first century. Someone who grew up in anticipation of the new millennium (and the new century along with it) may take quite a while to adjust to it. The second bullet point, however, requires some research. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 07:18, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

"in which he lives in" – this is redundant. It should be "in which he lives. This could be a reference to the song "Live and Let Die", but unless this reference is more clearly explained, it does not belong in the explanation.{{unsigned ip|75.69.96.225}}

:I would expand on this thought and state it should be altered to "in about the time in which he lives in is living in" just to clarify specifically that it's that specific time in which he specifically lives in generally. [[User:Thokling|Thokling]] ([[User talk:Thokling|talk]]) 15:06, 21 September 2013 (UTC)

I don't think the future is specifically 2004. It is unthinkable to Cueball (and hence Randall) that we are even in the twenty-first century. For him, the 21st century was "the future," a whole new millennium. I think the point of the title text isn't that the future occurred in 2004, its that we're living in "the future." [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.211|173.245.52.211]] 01:00, 3 December 2013 (UTC)

You want time-related revelation? I just realised earlier today (2015-Feb-04) that a song released in 2003 was half of my current lifespan ago. {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.240}}

I think the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey," demarcated the "Future" for many who grew up in the late 20th century. The movie provided a plausible look of what life in the "Space Age" would be like. All the technologies, economical realities, societal behavior, geopolitic, etc. appeared plausible and realistic. To many, this was the best guess as to what life in the early 21st century would be like. Of course, it didn't turn out that way (at least the central theme that space travel would be commonplace); which is why we occasionally scratch our head and ask 'what? It's the 21st century already??? (So where are all the Space cruisers we were supposed to have by now?)" [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 19:03, 13 October 2015 (UTC)

Talk:342: 1337: Part 2

2015-10-09T04:17:57Z

Danshoham:

Well, imho the reference to the master in the mountain hideaway is clearly a reference to Kill Bill, but I am not skilled enough in English to write it myself...
[[Special:Contributions/217.162.253.103|217.162.253.103]] 13:06, 6 March 2013 (UTC)
:Next time, don't be so shy! Just do the best you can and someone else can help correct it. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 00:21, 7 March 2013 (UTC)

I don't see why dijkstra's algorithm would use less memory than A*. Any ideas? [[Special:Contributions/24.18.133.138|24.18.133.138]] 01:44, 13 July 2013 (UTC)
:Dijkstra's algorithm only needs to store one distance value per node, whereas A* needs at least an additional priority queue. Sometimes A* also precalculates and stores its heuristic. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 09:42, 13 July 2013 (UTC)

The mountain hideaway is a staple of Kung Fu movies. Kill Bill was effectively spoofing the genre, and so is this cartoon (rather than specifically spoofing Kill Bill). [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 04:17, 9 October 2015 (UTC)

Talk:337: Post Office Showdown

2015-10-07T04:56:24Z

Danshoham:

One activity not, apparently, improved by "Ride of the Valkyries" is driving; supposedly, listening to it makes people more likely to crash. {{unsigned ip|‎108.162.221.64}}

I wonder if the post office setting is an allusion to the "going postal" expression?
(After some number of incidents in the 1980s and 90s, where employees started mass shootings at post offices, the expression 'going postal' entered American slang, meaning out of control anger, possibly violent, in a workplace environment.) [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 04:56, 7 October 2015 (UTC)

Talk:334: Wasteland

2015-10-07T04:30:55Z

Danshoham:

Isn't the meaning of the title text that it's so difficult to forget her that forgetting anything else is easy in comparison? {{unsigned|Bonob}}

The headline "Wasteland" may also refer to the state of the life of the speaker, wasting away. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 04:30, 7 October 2015 (UTC)

Talk:333: Getting Out of Hand

2015-10-06T17:18:25Z

Danshoham: Created page with "The headline "Getting Out of Hand" appears to be a double entendre when the word "hand" is taken literally. ~~~~"

The headline "Getting Out of Hand" appears to be a double entendre when the word "hand" is taken literally. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 17:18, 6 October 2015 (UTC)

Talk:253: Highway Engineer Pranks

2015-09-25T13:58:49Z

Danshoham:

The US-67 @ IH-20 interchange in Dallas has sort of a zero-choice interchange: If you're not already on the highway, attempting to get on the highway will take you beyond the interchange. It's a mess. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.153|108.162.221.153]] 05:38, 14 December 2014 (UTC)

From a European point of view, Boston does have a rather uniform street grid, it's not comparable to the traffic difficulties you'll get in major European cities like London, Paris, Rome, Berlin or Brussels. For many of those cities, the inner town just has to be avoided in a car. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.136|173.245.49.136]] 23:56, 10 January 2015 (UTC)

Prank 61: Canberra. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.221|108.162.249.221]] 05:27, 3 February 2015 (UTC)
: what? oh yeah - the driving on the wrong side of the road thing - that would get confusing... but seriously, it's... interesting from what I can tell by Google Maps' representation of it - assuming I could discount the side of the road I'm on, and if I get a good look at the map before going out, I don't think it looks that bad. {{unsigned ip|Brettpeirce}}
:: It's not driving on the OTHER side of the road that's the issue, it just a sort of running joke with many non-Canberran Australians visiting Canberra and complaining about the (relatively large) number of roundabouts in the city. Even Parliament House is built on a massive roundabout.-Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.155|108.162.250.155]] 03:26, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

The Supercollider has a stylized "S" inscribed in a circle, as if a logo. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 13:58, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:244: Tabletop Roleplaying

2015-09-25T04:02:10Z

Danshoham:

Maybe could have a link to [[969: Delta-P]] put in at an appropriate juncture in the explanation? [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 03:42, 21 June 2013 (UTC)

Check out https://www.google.com/#q=recursion[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.202|108.162.219.202]] 03:52, 3 January 2014 (UTC)

I may be missing something, but why are the teleportation rings given a dimension "each about two feet in diameter" in the explanation? There isn't anything in the comic. If there is a reason, please elaborate.--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 16:02, 1 September 2014 (UTC)
:Perhaps it's in reference to the apparent size of Portal gun holes? I'm not sure, anyone else have any ideas? [[User:Leafy Greens|Leafy Greens]] ([[User talk:Leafy Greens|talk]]) 02:29, 16 November 2014 (UTC)

I got Nerd sniped by the portal gun idea, and how it breaks the physics laws. If you placed one on the bottom of a lake, after an hydroelectric dam, and the other on the top of the dam, you'd have an infinite supply of energy, as you filled the dam forever and ever. A truly infinite supply, not like a star that takes billions of years to extinguish. That has to brake the laws of thermodynamics and entropy at some point.
Aligning both portals in a vaccuum on earth's gravity would allow infinite time under 1g acceleration for anything dropped between portals. Hitting the speed of light would take 1 year, give or take (if you followed Newtonian cinematics), at which point my brain BSODs on this thought experiment. It suggests that the portal consumes an infinite amount of energy to remain open and cannot exist on this universe. Otherwise, we just discovered a moto-continuum and a source for infinite energy. Edit: this comment makes sense on the Delta-P page (969), so you should follow it. [[User:Gonemad79|Gonemad79]] ([[User talk:Gonemad79|talk]]) 20:02, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

Presumably, teleportation rings do not create energy. Therefore, if the two rings are at different elevation, items put into the higher one will come out shooting from the lower one (converting the liberated potential energy into kinetic energy -- as normal falling would). Conversely, items put into the lower ring will have to be pushed very hard to make them come out through the higher one (equivalent to the pushing required to lift the passed object to the higher elevation). Hence, placing one deep in the ocean (and the other above sea level) won't cause anything dramatic to happen. The deep water will be held back by gravity and not push out through the ring. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 04:02, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:240: Dream Girl

2015-09-25T03:36:23Z

Danshoham:

Someone who was there? Want to share what happened? Also, I know it's a bad thing to do, but I just gotta say, Premiere![[Special:Contributions/121.222.232.156|121.222.232.156]] 13:02, 14 September 2013 (UTC)

"The comic was changed after the date mentioned within it; the last speech bubble was different.."
:I'm looking at it in the Wayback Machine, and it looks the same to me [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.66|199.27.128.66]] 09:44, 5 December 2013 (UTC)

Is it just me, or does the upper right panel look a lot like what happens in comic 82? {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.96}}

The instigating dream, in addition to the romantic subplot, also had an apocalypse going on. If, indeed, the dream was a premonition to the actual event, presumably, the apocalypse will have to occur as well. The joke, as I see it, has the dreamer so wishing that the girl-meeting event will transpire, that he neglects to also consider the very major downside of the end of the world... [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 03:36, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:237: Keyboards are Disgusting

2015-09-25T02:58:32Z

Danshoham:

This needs to be added to Category:Comics with color but I have no idea how. 17:01, 22 June 2013 (UTC)
:I can't see any color, am I blind?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:44, 22 June 2013 (UTC)
::Dgbrt, look at the last panel. [[Special:Contributions/131.191.68.103|131.191.68.103]] 08:10, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
:::Uhhh, the dust... so I'm blind ;) --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:31, 5 July 2013 (UTC)
::::Yeah, the dust is very slightly coloured (dark blues, greens, and browns). Unfortunately, I don't know how to add it either.[[Special:Contributions/67.188.195.182|67.188.195.182]] 22:58, 5 September 2013 (UTC)
::If anybody else can't see it, try shaking your keyboard upside down over your face. {{unsigned|‎Jolbucley}}

The eye-crossing trick has to do with the regular pattern of keys on the keyboard. By de-focusing and crossing eyes while looking at a repeated pattern (such as a keyboard), the eyes can be fooled into forming a false focus where the right and left eyes are looking at different keys, yet the brain interprets the image as if it is a stereoscopic view of the same key. Consequently, the brain's distance estimation is miscomputed and thus the keyboard appears to be vivdly focused and floating in the air above where it really is. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 02:58, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

I tried this trick with my new Netbook. The effect is actually pretty impressive (especially with the € on-key). [[Special:Contributions/67.188.195.182|67.188.195.182]] 22:58, 5 September 2013 (UTC)

Tried to see the color with by shaking keyboard upside down over face. Did not work. {{unsigned ip|108.162.245.57}}

Even though he's not shown, I think it's pretty safe to assume that Black Hat is on the other end of the chat. [[User:Leafy Greens|Leafy Greens]] ([[User talk:Leafy Greens|talk]]) 02:21, 16 November 2014 (UTC)

Talk:234: Escape Artist

2015-09-25T02:25:16Z

Danshoham:

So, I'm curious, what is the escape character's other use that wasn't discussed in the comic? [[User:Monolith|Monolith]] ([[User talk:Monolith|talk]]) 06:51, 22 September 2015 (UTC)

They are also used to add special characters or certain instructions. For example, in LaTeX (a document typesetting system) I could type "\Omega" and in the final document the Greek letter omega will be in its place. I could also type "\newline" and the final document will have a line break at that point. In either case the backslash lets the compiler know that what follows is not to be treated as ordinary text. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.180|108.162.250.180]] 08:02, 22 September 2015 (UTC)

The word "backslash" can also be meaningful in real-life escapes (assuming the escapist has a knife). [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 02:25, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:233: A New CAPTCHA Approach

2015-09-25T01:55:29Z

Danshoham:

Both of those fail against autistic people (and people who have diseases similar to autism, one example being FG syndrome). [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 17:49, 24 January 2014 (UTC)
:Or, y'know, people who haven't seen the movie/episode. --[[User:Alex|Alex]] ([[User talk:Alex|talk]]) 21:09, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

Not exactly, because kids with autistic-spectrum disorders can be more sensitive. The only pop-culture example I can think of is Sheldon Cooper's sadness when he learned of Professor Proton's passing. {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.240}}

A better example would be the dog in I Am Legend. Also, the text for the question and for the answers would both have to be distorted slightly. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.87|173.245.50.87]] 06:02, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

The obvious alusion is Deckard's empathy test on Leon in Blade Runner to determine whether he is human. {{unsigned ip|108.162.229.30}}

I don't remember crying to that scene when I was younger. I do- I mean, did cry when Optimus Prime died in the '87 Transformers movie though. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.225|108.162.249.225]] 04:25, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

The funniest thing is the Infosphere does use Fry's dog as a captcha like this. Hutc {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.193}}

This seems to be an allusion to the Voight-Kampff test in the movie Blade Runner. The test is used to distinguish humans from 'Replicas' (artificial humans) by asking questions designed to elicit an emotional response, and then monitoring biological metrics in the respondent. The idea being that replicas would be unable to maintain a convincing fakery against such a systematized methodology. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 01:55, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:233: A New CAPTCHA Approach

2015-09-25T01:52:26Z

Danshoham:

Both of those fail against autistic people (and people who have diseases similar to autism, one example being FG syndrome). [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 17:49, 24 January 2014 (UTC)
:Or, y'know, people who haven't seen the movie/episode. --[[User:Alex|Alex]] ([[User talk:Alex|talk]]) 21:09, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

Not exactly, because kids with autistic-spectrum disorders can be more sensitive. The only pop-culture example I can think of is Sheldon Cooper's sadness when he learned of Professor Proton's passing. {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.240}}

A better example would be the dog in I Am Legend. Also, the text for the question and for the answers would both have to be distorted slightly. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.87|173.245.50.87]] 06:02, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

The obvious alusion is Deckard's empathy test on Leon in Blade Runner to determine whether he is human. {{unsigned ip|108.162.229.30}}

I don't remember crying to that scene when I was younger. I do- I mean, did cry when Optimus Prime died in the '87 Transformers movie though. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.225|108.162.249.225]] 04:25, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

The funniest thing is the Infosphere does use Fry's dog as a captcha like this. Hutc {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.193}}

This seems to be an allusion to the Voight-Kampff test in the movie Blade Runner. The test is used to distinguish humans from 'rehttps://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQSnmfu3YbtHUvZIiM1ITUlbH0IxxPCbqaS11pNQ2sTaUlGlJmCplicas' (artificial humans) by asking questions designed to elicit an emotional response, and then monitoring biological metrics in the respondent. The idea being that replicas would be unable to maintain a convincing fakery against such a systematized methodology. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 01:50, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:233: A New CAPTCHA Approach

2015-09-25T01:50:56Z

Danshoham:

Both of those fail against autistic people (and people who have diseases similar to autism, one example being FG syndrome). [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 17:49, 24 January 2014 (UTC)
:Or, y'know, people who haven't seen the movie/episode. --[[User:Alex|Alex]] ([[User talk:Alex|talk]]) 21:09, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

Not exactly, because kids with autistic-spectrum disorders can be more sensitive. The only pop-culture example I can think of is Sheldon Cooper's sadness when he learned of Professor Proton's passing. {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.240}}

A better example would be the dog in I Am Legend. Also, the text for the question and for the answers would both have to be distorted slightly. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.87|173.245.50.87]] 06:02, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

The obvious alusion is Deckard's empathy test on Leon in Blade Runner to determine whether he is human. {{unsigned ip|108.162.229.30}}

I don't remember crying to that scene when I was younger. I do- I mean, did cry when Optimus Prime died in the '87 Transformers movie though. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.225|108.162.249.225]] 04:25, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

The funniest thing is the Infosphere does use Fry's dog as a captcha like this. Hutc {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.193}}

This seems to be an allusion to the Voight-Kampff test in the movie Blade Runner. The rest is used to distinguish humans from 'replicas' (artificial humans) by asking questions designed to elicit an emotional response, and then monitoring biological metrics in the respondent. The idea being that replicas would be unable to maintain a convincing fakery against such a systematized methodology. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 01:50, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:230: Hamiltonian

2015-09-25T01:28:15Z

Danshoham:

I don't agree with the title's explanation. IMO the title refers to the fact the "sudden rush of perspective" happens to Cueball also when he is making love, but starts to think about the algorithms. {{unsigned ip|‎37.128.6.132}}

Fixed. [[User:Tenrek|Tenrek]] ([[User talk:Tenrek|talk]]) 08:56, 1 January 2014 (UTC)

When in math class, he walks out, likely offending his peers, because his mind is occupied with thoughts of love. When making love, he offends his partner because his mind is occupied with math. Some perspective! [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 01:28, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:225: Open Source

2015-09-24T21:52:38Z

Danshoham:

"Richard Stallman is famous for beginning the GNU Project and is outspoken on the topic of Open Source software and Free software." Specifically, he is an outspoken critic of Open Source, and an outspoken proponent of Free Software. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 02:09, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

:Ah, thank you. That's good to note. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 05:25, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

GPL isn't a recursive abbreviation for ‘GNU Public License’, then it would have to be called ‘GPL Public License’. GNU in itself, on the other hand, ''is'' a recursive abbreviation for 'GNU's Not Unix'. --[[Special:Contributions/188.113.76.15|188.113.76.15]] 15:38, 9 March 2013 (UTC)
:{{done}} (Though I actually noted this myself and fixed it; then noticed your comment :-) ) [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 10:45, 18 April 2013 (UTC)

The pronunciation of GNU is actually "g'new" not "new". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.8|108.162.249.8]] 02:06, 29 December 2013 (UTC)

~ ~ ~ ~ Aren't ninjas supposed to be stealthy and silent? Of course, they could have been made to announce their mission to Richard before (perhaps) killing him, but still... {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.223}}
: The point is not to kill him, but to startle him into a response to an absurd situation which the pranksters find humorous. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.205|108.162.249.205]] 03:00, 15 January 2015 (UTC)

The comic isn't quite explained here. Did the ninjas kill RMS, or were they just pretend-ninjas trying to scare him? Is the blob in the last panel a blood smear or a hood being carried? {{unsigned ip|173.245.55.61}}
: Read harder, there is RMS's comment on them running away. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.154|173.245.56.154]] 21:02, 22 July 2014 (UTC)

I have a bit of an issue with calling non-free software traditional. RMS is the traditionalist here. He created GNU for that very purpose, to get back to the traditional method of being able to access and modify your source, and then share any fixes you made with the wider community. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.154|173.245.56.154]] 21:02, 22 July 2014 (UTC)

Linus Torvalds isn't "mostly harmless". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.192|108.162.237.192]] 16:25, 25 March 2015 (UTC)

There is a bit of allusion to the movie Brazil, where government goons break into people's homes, cutting through walls and ceilings, in their pursuit of idealists who provide free services -- which is incompatible with the governing economic system. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 21:52, 24 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:217: e to the pi Minus pi

2015-09-23T04:40:15Z

Danshoham:

Asserting that the programmers' algorithms truncated to three decimal digits is an unsupported and unnecessary extrapolation. Most floating-point implementations use binary, not decimal, and 19.999099979 ''looks'' very much like a rounding error in binary floating-point that has accumulated over several operations. [[User:Daddy|Daddy]] ([[User talk:Daddy|talk]]) 12:39, 29 April 2013 (UTC)
:Fixed. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 22:57, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

The third bullet-point above needs changing... (9^2+(19^2/22))=97.4090909091 which is close to pi to the fourth power, so it should be (as noted in the text) (9^2+(19^2/22))^1/4 [[User:Squirreltape|Squirreltape]] ([[User talk:Squirreltape|talk]]) 19:27, 25 February 2014 (UTC)
:Actually, in-case you didn't notice, it says "∜(9² + 19²/22)", not just the sum on its own. I checked the sum on my calculator, and it is equal to what the page is saying. "∜(9² + 19²/22)" means "4th root of (9^2+19^2/22)" (What the title text is saying), or on Windows Calculator, "(9^2+19^2/22) yroot(4)" (Basically what the sum is saying). So, the 3rd bullet point is correct. --[[User:Katavschi|Katavschi]] ([[User talk:Katavschi|talk]]) 22:48, 23 April 2014 (UTC)

It says above that (π + 20)^i ≈ -i, but this should be (π + 20)^i ≈ -1. Proof: π + 20 ≈ e^π => (π + 20)^i ≈ (e^π)^i = e^(πi) = -1.

The ACM competitions are famous for being under tight time pressure. Making your own team waste time would absolutely get you kicked out (and make enemies) [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 04:40, 23 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:214: The Problem with Wikipedia

2015-09-23T04:19:18Z

Danshoham:

I was unable to find the fatal hilarity link from the Batman page. I call shenanigans. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 23:16, 1 November 2012 (UTC)

:Could that be a reference to the Joker? --[[User:Bpothier|B. P.]] ([[User talk:Bpothier|talk]]) 19:35, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

This always happens to me on Wikipedia! Glad to know I'm not alone :) {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.240}}

If I had a dollar for every wiki article I read that had nothing to do with the initial reason I opened Wikipedia, I'm guessing I could buy myself that motorcycle I've always wanted.
Also, it's been a long time since I last read any Asimov, but didn't he describe, in the Foundation series if I remember correctly, something very similar to Wikipedia? I wonder if that was any inspiration to the creators of Wikipedia. [[User:Militon|Militon]] ([[User talk:Militon|talk]]) 09:22, 19 February 2014 (UTC)

That would be the "Encyclopedia Galactica." Perhaps more resembling the "Encyclopedia Britannica" than Wikipedia. The Encyclopedia project was embarked because the collapse of the Galactic Empire and consequent decline into a dark age was already too far along to avoid, but with an Encyclopedia covering all scientific knowledge, with copies in every major library in the Galaxy, science won't need to be re-discovered, and the dark age period would be shortened from 30,000 years to a mere 1000. It is subsequently revealed that the whole Encyclopedia project was a hoax designed to trick the people working on the project into being exiled to the edge of the Galaxy, where, in order to survive the growing barbarism around them, they would be forced to form a technologically advanced civilization -- the namesake Foundation -- and it is that Foundation, rather than the Encyclopedia, that would facilitate the end of the dark age within a mere 1000 years. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 04:19, 23 September 2015 (UTC)

This happens to me on explainxkcd. This should be added to explanation, which will make it self-referential comic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.67|108.162.222.67]] 15:10, 6 July 2014 (UTC)

So I thought I would try and complete the wikipath to Lesbianism in Erotica while on a break at work... Bad move, all the 'What Links Here' pages are pornography related, and my boss just happened to appear at the wrong moment. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 12:29, 2 February 2015 (UTC)

Talk:212: Brain

2015-09-22T21:48:44Z

Danshoham:

I wonder if the brain is colored blue because it contains the 'blue'print for the tree house. [[User:Biohazard|Biohazard]] ([[User talk:Biohazard|talk]]) 12:51, 3 August 2013 (UTC)

The brain is oddly shapec, but the treehouse area seem to overlap the audio cortex13:37, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

"Hey, come up to my room..." Could be a generic pickup line (probably not a very effective one, but that's part of joke.) [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 21:48, 22 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:212: Brain

2015-09-22T21:47:52Z

Danshoham:

Talk:196: Command Line Fu

2015-09-21T04:39:43Z

Danshoham:

Disagree with the "in the time that he spends trying to solve the issue" bit. Problem solved, it was the further time taken to write up the documentation (man pages?) that ruined the day(/night).

Also: "if your user interface takes as long to operate as a command line". Inconsistent with the fact that the explanation starts off by assuming it ''is'' a command-line script. Also command-lines can be very quick (when not dealing with anything more complex than the stated problem) as long as you know what you want to do, which the given Cueball obviously did. I find that most window-based analogues take far more studying, for something as simple as the original problem. But YMMV on that one. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 00:45, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

Sounds more like Cueball was still reading the documentation on HOW to script the pointer at the half hour mark. In other words, he was still researching what to do (not solved the problem yet) when she left. We don't know how long it took to actually solve the problem. [[Special:Contributions/67.110.158.162|67.110.158.162]] 19:04, 4 September 2013 (UTC)

The actual problem in the strip doesn't require the hack suggested to solve. Instead you can simply use the xset command to disable DPMS and the screensaver: xset -dpms s reset
P.S. I didn't waste time figuring that out because of the strip, I discovered it out of necessity when building a display cluster. --[[User:Lokno|Lokno]] ([[User talk:Lokno|talk]]) 20:04, 9 January 2014 (UTC)

If he was smart he could have used some simple hardware fix. Assuming the wire is too short to just bring the mouse close to you (wireless mouses also have a range) you could use anything that moves a bit/vibrate to solve the issue. A smart guy would use their two phones, putting the mouse over one of the phones and using the second one to call it when the screen turns dark again. This is completely not overkill.[[User:Meneldal|Meneldal]] ([[User talk:Meneldal|talk]]) 06:31, 11 March 2015 (UTC)meneldal

The title "Command Line Fu" deserves an explanation, re: Google Fu. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.250}}

Only a hard core geek, would be researching hacks with an already naked date next to him... [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 04:39, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:192: Working for Google

2015-09-21T02:54:50Z

Danshoham:

I honestly can't see anything incomplete about it. But then, I may be naive about it. Anonymous 04:57, 13 December 2013 (UTC)
: Neither can I, however there is a bit of irrelevant information such as, how not to pad your resume and having original ideas -- the explanation probably should be edited down to be more consisce and to the proint of what the comic is about i.e. "sour grapes" [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]])

Perhaps the cake was foreshadowing http://xkcd.com/195/, the Map of The Internet. {{unsigned ip|173.245.56.85}}

A cake that has the shape of the Internet might actually be one shaped of Internet Explorer. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 18:00, 13 December 2013 (UTC)
:No, it may not. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.223|108.162.219.223]] 19:25, 6 January 2014 (UTC)

There are some true stories of people showing up at Google interviews with gifts for the interviewers. In case if you wonder, they don't get hired. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.5|108.162.246.5]] 02:17, 29 January 2014

The cake should be created with a series of tubes.00:14, 23 September 2014 (UTC)~

There is a [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob|community portal discussion]] of what to call Cueball and what to do in case with more than one Cueball. I have added this comic to the new Category:Multiple Cueballs. In this case there is no reason to call one Cueball and the other friend. It could easily be the other way. So I have changed to remove Cueball. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:33, 15 March 2015 (UTC)

By saying he baked a "cake in the shape of the Internet," he inadvertently revealed that he has no clue what is the Internet, and that he exhibited said cluelessness openly to his interviewers -- explaining his rejection. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 02:54, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:187: The Familiar

2015-09-21T01:00:39Z

Danshoham:

Cueball is an invention by this Wiki and other sites discussing about xkcd. But he is always an active person who likes the nature. The both persons should be switched.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:10, 25 June 2013 (UTC)
:It is not possible to say what Cueball likes the best, since he is not always the same from comic to comic. See the [[Cueball]] page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:06, 15 March 2015 (UTC)

There is a [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob|community portal discussion]] of what to call Cueball and what to do in case with more than one Cueball. I have added this comic to the new Category:Multiple Cueballs. In this case there is no reason to call one Cueball and the other friend. It could easily be the other way. So I have changed to remove Cueball.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:06, 15 March 2015 (UTC)

I interpreted the 3rd panel with the unmotivated conversant alone, as indicating that his friend went without him. The addition of the 4th panel, with him still alone, implies the somewhat deflated feeling of having left behind and miss out on life because of lack of motivation. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 01:00, 21 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:182: Nash

2015-09-19T18:42:05Z

Danshoham:

This page could do with rigor. "Could do" does not mean "needs", however. It is not incomplete, just a bit threadbare. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 05:27, 24 August 2013 (UTC)

Argh! How "wrong" was the title text, anyway? What remains to be explained, or what is incorrect? --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 04:24, 25 August 2013 (UTC)

Explaining the Nash Equilibrium in the context of picking girls at a bar (as shown in the Beautiful Mind movie):
The underlying mathematical assumption is that going home with any girl is superior to going home alone, and going home with the hot girl is superior to going home with an ugly one. Furthermore, each girl can only go home with one guy and each guy can only take one girl (an assumption that is humorously violated in the third panel). Under this system, if all guys were to approach only the hot girl, only one (at best) will take her home, and the rest will go home alone. A superior strategy would be for just one guy to approach the hot girl, and for the rest to approach the ugly ones. That way, everyone gets to go home with some girl. The core question is if this is a stable arrangement. If even one party benefits from violating the arrangement -- for example by ditching the ugly girl assigned to them under the arrangement and competing for the hot one -- the arrangement is not stable. If no one can benefit from violating the arrangement, then it is stable. Stable arrangements are referred to as "Nash Equilibriums."
Whether a particular bar situation generates a Nash Equilibrium depends on the predictability of the hot girl's selection process when multiple suitors are available. If fully predictable, then an Equilibrium will exist (only the most qualified of the guys need approach the hot girl, anyone else doing so is futilely wasting their opportunity to take an ugly girl home). Of course, part of what makes a girl hot is unpredictable behavior (which causes multiple men to compete for her). If not very predictable, then its a matter of the relative benefit of the hot girl relative to the ugly ones versus the risk of going home alone. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 18:42, 19 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:180: Canada

2015-09-19T17:32:33Z

Danshoham:

Actually I suspect this comic may be referring to the propensity for video games in which you can create teams of characters which can be generally be respawned or come back to consciousness/life after levels/battles to have areas or levels where if someone is killed they die "for real"- that is they don't come back and you lose them for good. [[Special:Contributions/184.21.189.153|184.21.189.153]] 10:58, 21 September 2013 (UTC)

Couldn't this be a Matrix reference? 06:11, 1 December 2013 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.52}}

From the explanation: "Canada is arguably part of reality already." I would love to have that argument with someone. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.202}}
:Canadians don't have arguments. They would either apologize for confusing you by existing, or smack you in the head with a hockey stick. Americans tend to forget the second possibility. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.69|162.158.255.69]] 14:08, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

I feel like adding some "dubious-discuss" after the first sentence of the explanation[[User:Meneldal|Meneldal]] ([[User talk:Meneldal|talk]]) 06:54, 11 March 2015 (UTC)meneldal

Sorry for Ninja-editing/commenting, but I take it as a direct reference to the works of Philip K. Dick, especially Ubik (iirc, that is it could also be one of his other VR-related stories), where a scene that could be summarized with 'if you die in canada, you die in real life' actually takes place (in canada). Then again, this could be lucky coincidence, and xkcd might not be familiar with PKD at all. {{unsigned ip|141.101.92.37}}

Addendum to the above (↑) it most certainly is a PKD reference, also taking his biography into account. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.92.58|141.101.92.58]] 05:24, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

We might also want to mention that making fun of Canada is basically a national pasttime in the U.S. [[User:Bbruzzo|Bbruzzo]] ([[User talk:Bbruzzo|talk]]) 14:36, 25 August 2015 (UTC)

My take: "I'll move to Canada," threat has the sub-text of implying that I'm a contributing member of society (at least in my own mind) and thus the country will lose if I, and others like me, were to depart (a fitting punishment to all those wrong-headed voters on the other side who sought to harness my contributions while forcing me to play by their rules). The second panel, however, comically establishes that the complainer is, basically, a loser: no money, no job, couldn't even finish his college degrees, and choose Art for a major -- the stereotypical major for those who put personal fulfillment above financial prudence. The third panel nails it in harder by implying the complainer is a video games addict -- not clearly delineating real and virtual lives -- further accentuating that he is *not* a productive member of society. [[User:Danshoham|Mountain Hikes]] ([[User talk:Danshoham|talk]]) 17:32, 19 September 2015 (UTC)