1068: Swiftkey

2012-08-03T21:09:27Z

Dimimimimon4:

{{ComicHeader|1068|June 13, 2012}}

[[File:Swiftkey.png]]

== Image Text ==
Although the Markov chain-style text model is still rudimentary; it recently gave me "Massachusetts Institute of America". Although I have to admit it sounds prestigious.

== Description ==
Swiftkey is a product that is installable only on Android-based phones and tablets. Swiftkey has noticed their inclusion in XKCD and have created a blog post for other users to comment with their default phrase when they hit the "central prediction key". The results are pretty funny. [http://www.swiftkey.net/swiftkey-on-xkcd]

In the image text, the Markov chain is a reference to: (via wikipedia) "A Markov chain, named after Andrey Markov, is a mathematical system that undergoes transitions from one state to another, between a finite or countable number of possible states. It is a random process characterized as memoryless: the next state depends only on the current state and not on the sequence of events that preceded it. This specific kind of "memorylessness" is called the Markov property. Markov chains have many applications as statistical models of real-world processes."

So, that makes sense because Swiftkey only looks at the previous word, not the sequence of words that preceded that word.

And of course the "I am so sorry - that's never happened before" is a sexual reference as that is something a guy would say after a particularly unsatisfying sexual encounter. And of course that is funny because it is his typical sentence, so he is texting that phrase over and over again.

Massachusetts Institute of America is an unlikely name because it shows two different locations. It is an amalgamation of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and [field] Institute of America (e.g. Mining)

1055: Kickstarter

2012-08-03T21:03:16Z

Dimimimimon4:

This is comic number 1055. This comic was posted on May 14, 2012.
[[1054|Previous]] [[1056|Next]]

[[File:Kickstarter.png|If you pledge more than $50 you'll get on the VIP list and have first dibs on a slot on ANY of the pledge levels in the actual campaign.]]

== Image Text ==
If you pledge more than $50 you'll get on the VIP list and have first dibs on a slot on ANY of the pledge levels in the actual campaign.

== Description ==
If you are not familiar with Kickstarter, it is (in their own words) a platform for funding creative projects in which anyone can give money at any level of funding starting usually as low as $10. Funding at different levels gets you different perks.

In this comic, [[Black Hat]] is attempting to game the system by raising money to work on the perfect Kickstarter pitch. He appears to have gained no money, but has only started the scheme that day. The irony of the image text is that you do not need to be on any VIP list to have dibs on the pledge levels. Anyone can give any amount of money. That is the goal of Kickstarter and it has been wildly successful.

[[Category:Comics|1055]]

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1068: Swiftkey

1055: Kickstarter