explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2003: Presidential Succession

2018-06-06T05:18:54Z

Dilophosaurus: /* Explanation */ rephrased sentence about Bill Pullmant

{{comic
| number = 2003
| date = June 6, 2018
| title = Presidential Succession
| image = presidential_succession.png
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is an order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent president is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. This is another comic in the continuing line of comics about American politics, especially after the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016.

The full text of the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission can be found here: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf

# President
# Vice president
# Secretary of State
# Secretary of Defense
# Secretary of Homeland Security
# Attorney General
# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, Nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate
# Tom Hanks
# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census
# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor
# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar
# Kate McKinnon, if available
# Billboard year-end hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)
# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time
# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)
# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs
# '''Bill Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture'''. Bill Pullman is an American actor, known among other roles for playing President Thomas J. Whitmore in Independence Day. Absolute primogeniture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant receives the title.
# The entire line of succession to the British throne
# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest
# '''All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament.''' Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals, although an additional round can be added should the population grow further.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
: A proposal for a new presidential line of succession
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The presidential succession act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.
: (for more, see the surprisingly gripping second report of the continuity of government, June 2009).
: Proposed line of succession:
:# President
:# Vice president
:# Secretary of State
:# Secretary of Defense
:# Secretary of Homeland Security
:# Attorney General
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, Nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate
:# Tom Hanks
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar
:# Kate McKinnon, if available
:# Billboard year-end hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture
:# The entire line of succession to the British throne
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament.

: Title text: Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.

{{comic discussion}}

2003: Presidential Succession

2018-06-06T05:17:36Z

Dilophosaurus: /* Explanation */ Added a url for the full text of the report, corrected spellings, capitalisations, and grammar

{{comic
| number = 2003
| date = June 6, 2018
| title = Presidential Succession
| image = presidential_succession.png
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is an order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent president is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. This is another comic in the continuing line of comics about American politics, especially after the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016.

The full text of the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission can be found here: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf

# President
# Vice president
# Secretary of State
# Secretary of Defense
# Secretary of Homeland Security
# Attorney General
# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, Nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate
# Tom Hanks
# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census
# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor
# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar
# Kate McKinnon, if available
# Billboard year-end hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)
# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time
# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)
# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs
# '''Bill Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture'''. Bill Pullman is an American actor, known for playing Independence Day as President Thomas J. Whitmore. Absolute primogeniture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant receives the title.
# The entire line of succession to the British throne
# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest
# '''All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament.''' Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals, although an additional round can be added should the population grow further.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
: A proposal for a new presidential line of succession
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The presidential succession act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.
: (for more, see the surprisingly gripping second report of the continuity of government, June 2009).
: Proposed line of succession:
:# President
:# Vice president
:# Secretary of State
:# Secretary of Defense
:# Secretary of Homeland Security
:# Attorney General
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, Nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate
:# Tom Hanks
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar
:# Kate McKinnon, if available
:# Billboard year-end hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture
:# The entire line of succession to the British throne
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament.

: Title text: Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.

{{comic discussion}}

886: Craigslist Apartments

2018-03-09T05:46:26Z

Dilophosaurus: /* Explanation */ added mention of possibility of "no pets" for sex ad referring to STDs

{{comic
| number = 886
| date = April 15, 2011
| title = Craigslist Apartments
| image = craigslist apartments.png
| titletext = $1600 / 1386153BR 3BATH, MODERN SLIDING DOORS, GUEST ROOMS, GARBAGE DISPOSAL. FREE MANDATORY PARKING (ENFORCED). CONVENIENT TO ALDERAAN.
}}

==Explanation==
This is a comic about the potential pitfalls in finding an apartment on {{w|Craigslist}}. Just as in Craigslist, some of the posts are re-posted several times. Additionally, lots of posts use lots of tildes, exclamation points or asterisks as above to set their posts apart from others.

'''BR''' means bedroom, e.g. 3BR means that apartment has 3 bedrooms (common measurement of apartment size).

*'''$1600 / 2BR <nowiki>~~~</nowiki> Hardwood floors, utilities included. Cats OK, limit one per square foot.'''
:This ad is aimed at "crazy cat ladies/bachelors" who compulsively keep a number of animals much greater than is appropriate to the living space.

*'''$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****'''
:This is the first repetition of an entry that appears multiple times. It is also extremely generic, telling the reader little useful about the house. The square house might be a garage, or just a regular square house. Beside that, most houses have a door in front, there's nothing special about a door.

*'''$2300 / 3BR !!!!!!!! Elegant apartment permanently lit by strobe light!!!! No floor.'''
:A strobe light is a very bright light that, instead of remaining on, flashes very quickly. It's frequently used in parties. A constant strobe light and the stated lack of a floor would probably make living in the apartment somewhat difficult.

*'''$980 / 1BR New "hammock"-style dwelling. Water and heat free from same dispenser. Viking landlord.'''
: This is a post to live as an oarsman on a {{w|Viking ship}}. The water and heat presumably both come from the sky, in the form of rain and sunlight.

*'''$1550 / 2BR (one inside the other). Has running water, in a sense. Free heat in short, intense bursts. Klein stairs.'''
: This is a completely alien landscape, meant to be unimaginable and maddening. Possibly this represents some "other universe" or an extraterrestrial living space. Clearly this is unlivable, for humans at least. Short, intense bursts of heat disturb if not kill. Stairs that do not have a clear top or bottom and rooms that can be seen as inside of each other would be confusing and impractical if not impossible to navigate. Water that runs 'in a sense' is disturbingly vague. Seems to be on a planet with a quick rotation, also close to a star, hence the "short, intense bursts" of heat.
:(Alternatively, the house could have a {{w|geyser}} inside, which would explain both the 'free heat in short, intense bursts', along with the 'water that runs in a sense'.) A {{w|Klein bottle}} is a surface which has no difference between "inside" and "outside", so essentially if you own a Klein bottle all the universe is inside it (and at the same time it is outside). It is physically impossible to build a Klein bottle in a three-dimensional space. A "Klein stair" is possibly a stair connecting a BR to itself. This is why the 2BR in this ad are "one inside the other".

*'''$3200 / 1BR W/trimmed carpet and pert fixtures. Previous tenants clean. Call now, want you inside. $120/night (no animals)'''
:This is a disguised "adult services" (sex) posting, with references to trimmed pubic hair, an attractive body, and a lack of {{w|Sexually transmitted disease|STD}}s. Craigslist no longer allows posts for this, because prostitution is illegal in most places in the US. This post tries to evade the adult services ban by pretending to be something else. "No animals" would normally be assumed to mean "no pets", but in this context probably refers to STDs (possibly {{w|Pediculosis pubis|crabs}} or {{w|scabies}}) or {{w|bestiality}}.

*'''$2100 / 3BR on scenic Ash Tree Lane. Builder unknown; house has always existed. Walls shift; center of house may contain minotaur.'''
: This {{w|Minotaur}} house is an ad for the house in the novel ''{{w|House of Leaves}}''. It may also refer to the Labyrinth in Ancient Greek mythology.

*'''$600 / 5BR Three floors w/pool, rooftop garden, beautiful glass facade, no catch, 5-min drive to historic Pripyat.'''
:This is an ad for a residence in the {{w|Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant}}, located near to the town of {{w|Pripyat}}, in northern Ukraine. The NPP is a 3-level structure, and contains a pool for temporary spent nuclear fuel storage. The rooftop now has plants growing on it after years of neglect, and the glass facade references radioactive glassy minerals created by the explosion. Pripyat was founded in 1970 to serve the power plant, so is only 'historic' in the sense that it is associated with the Chernobyl disaster.

*'''$7100 / 60BR Sleek modern w/extreme running water. Previous tenants may resist entry. Contains all new wiring and is a submarine.'''
:This house is a submarine, as indicated by the advertisement, presumably operated by a navy. The "previous tenants", being members of the armed forces, would undoubtedly resist entry of someone attempting to board their submarine. The sixty bedrooms refers to the crew members' bunks on board the ship, which are in extremely tight quarters and can be very uncomfortable. This may also be a reference to [[496: Secretary: Part 3]], which makes reference to [[Black Hat]] stealing a submarine, presumably for [[405: Journal 3]] - apparently this is him trying to get rid of it.

*'''$1616 / 3BR + 2Bath, tub full of blood. Closet full of board games which play themselves. Pets OK but won't survive long.'''
: This is an ad for a house in a generic horror movie.

*'''$1600 / 1386153BR 3bath, modern sliding doors, guest rooms, garbage disposal. Free mandatory parking (enforced). Convenient to Alderaan.'''
:Appearing in the title text, this is a reference to the {{w|Death Star}} in ''Star Wars''. {{w|Alderaan}} is the home planet of {{w|Princess Leia}}, which was obliterated by the Death Star. Mandatory parking references the tractor beams used to drag nearby ships (such as the Millennium Falcon) into the base. The garbage disposal refers to an iconic scene from Star Wars aboard the Death Star involving a garbage disposal. It seems somewhat inconvenient that this "apartment" has over a million bedrooms but only three bathrooms. The guest rooms are probably the detention blocks such as [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Detention_Block_AA-23 Detention Block AA-23].

==Transcript==
:[The comic is a single panel, presented as an apartment search.]
:[Title bar.]
:All apartments
:Search for: [_______] in: All apartments ( ) Title only (*) Entire post Search
:Rent: [Min] [Max] 0+ BR [ ] Cats [ ] Dogs [ ] Has image
:[Date bar.]
:Fri Apr 15
:[Begin the apartment listings.]
:$1600 / 2BR <nowiki>~~~</nowiki> Hardwood floors, utilities included. Cats ok, limit one per square foot.
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$2300 / 3BR !!!!!!!! Elegant apartment permanently lit by strobe light!!!! No floor.
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$980 / 1BR New "hammock"-style dwelling. Water and heat free from same dispenser. Viking landlord.
:$1550 / 2BR (one inside the other). Has running water, in a sense. Free heat in short, intense bursts. Klein stairs.
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$3200 / 1BR W/trimmed carpet and pert fixtures. Previous tenants clean. Call now, want you inside. $120/night (no animals)
:$2100 / 3BR on scenic Ash Tree Lane. Builder unknown; house has always existed. Walls shift; center of house may contain minotaur.
:$1100 / **** GREAT DEAL SQUARE HOUSE DOOR IN FRONT!!! ****
:$600 / 5BR Three floors w/pool, rooftop garden, beautiful glass facade, no catch, 5-min drive to historic Pripyat.
:$7100 / 60BR Sleek modern w/extreme running water. Previous tenants may resist entry. Contains all new wiring and is a submarine.
:$1616 / 3BR + 2Bath, tub full of blood. Closet full of board games which play themselves. Pets ok but won't survive long.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]

Category:Time traveling Sphere

2016-12-10T21:14:06Z

Dilophosaurus: Added navbox-characters

In this series we are introduced to the time traveling Sphere. A floating black energy sphere from the future. It speaks fluent English and seems to come from very far into the future and it calls Earth "our planet" so seems like it did not originate on Earth (or else came back). See more about these strange things in the explanation for the comics.

A similar talking floating energy sphere was seen before in [[1173: Steroids]]. And the AI in [[1450: AI-Box Experiment]] is similar except the central part was star shaped. The Steroids sphere seems could be a different time traveler or aliens race or even AI, but the AI from the AI-Box seems unrelated to the other two spheres.

*It is a rare type of series not seen before in xkcd.
**'''Click''' to expand for a more detailed explanation:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">
<br>
==Explanation==
The two comics came out in consecutively released comics, but not two days in a row, but in the regular release schedule Monday and Wednesday, but then stopped there (it seems). Other "real" series where more than one comic in the series came out in the same week always came in groups of five with five releases in a week, one every regular weekday.

Only other situation with a kind of series splitting up with a split between two releases in the same week are in [[:Category:Journal|Journal]] where the last two comics in the series where released consecutively on a Wednesday and a Friday. But that was the last two of a five comic series, where the first three was released in three different weeks over a longer period of time, and also the four last comics where numbered from 2-5. Also the three comics in the series [[:Category:Opening dialogue by Scott|Opening dialogue by Scott]], all released in the same week, with the first two released consecutively but then with a day between the last two, shares this release schedule, but they are not directly connected except for the title text which is "Opening dialogue by Scott" for all three.

Such a split did though also happened for the three (on purpose released comics) in the [[:Category:Five-minute comics|Five-minute comics]] series, but the subjects in these are also not directly related. Furthermore here the title of the comics is also the same with a part number after the title, just like all the five comics in one week series have either a number like [[:Category:1337|1337]] or a sub-title as during the [[:Category:Guest Week|Guest Week]].

The comics in the ''Time traveling Sphere'' series have titles that do not relate to each other, except the fact that both comics titles is a noun followed by a field of research that reefer to sciences that look into the past with {{w|Paleontology}} and {{w|Archaeology}}. Only other clear series with such differing names are the [[:Category:Android|Android]] series, but those two comics where not released in the same week (although within two weeks of each other), and the word Android goes again in both comics binding them together. In the ''Time traveling Sphere'' only the Sphere and the fact that [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] continues their discussion with it from the first comic in the second comic makes it clear that these two comics are a series.

It is also the first time there has not been any consecutive story continuity in xkcd since [[:Category:The Race|The Race]], which ended more than seven years before this comic (in May 2009 vs. October 2016). There where two other weeks with series in a row the first week was the five-minute comics and the week after it was Guest Week, but both of these series were posted due the crisis Randall was in with his wife's cancer, and the first series was not made for xkcd originally, and had no continuity from story to story. And the other was as it says not made by Randall at all, and also there where not relation from comic to comic. The later of these series ended in November 2010, so it is the first time in almost six years that any directly related comics came out in the same week.
</div>
<br>

{{navbox-characters}}

[[Category:Comic series]]
[[Category:Time travel]]

1754: Tornado Safety Tips

2016-11-02T14:00:40Z

Dilophosaurus: /* Explanation */ Altered wording

{{comic
| number = 1754
| date = November 2, 2016
| title = Tornado Safety Tips
| image = tornado_safety_tips.png
| titletext = It's a myth that you can never cross mountains safely, but be sure you understand how the climatic situation there will affect your parent thunderstorm.
}}

{{incomplete|Detail required for the individual points.}}
==Explanation==
There is a PSA poster with safety tips with regards to {{w|tornadoes}}. At first glance, you would think it contains information about how to avoid tornadoes, but it's actually written for tornadoes themselves on how to stay as strong as possible. This is in no way helpful if you actually experience a tornado, for obvious reason. It seems to be made by [[Black Hat]], as it includes his picture.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1754: Tornado Safety Tips

2016-11-02T13:59:17Z

Dilophosaurus: /* Explanation */ Altered wording and added content

{{comic
| number = 1754
| date = November 2, 2016
| title = Tornado Safety Tips
| image = tornado_safety_tips.png
| titletext = It's a myth that you can never cross mountains safely, but be sure you understand how the climatic situation there will affect your parent thunderstorm.
}}

{{incomplete|Detail required for the individual points.}}
==Explanation==
There is a PSA poster with safety tips with regards to {{w|tornadoes}}. At first glance, you would think it contains information about how to avoid tornadoes, but it's actually written for tornadoes themselves in a way to stay as strong as possible. This is in no way helpful if you actually experience a tornado, for obvious reason. It seems to be made by [[Black Hat]], as it includes his picture.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}