explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1290: Syllable Planning

2013-11-13T09:28:48Z

Erkurita: /* Explanation */ to -> too. Why many people get this wrong is absolu-fucking... damnit!

{{comic
| number = 1290
| date = November 13, 2013
| title = Syllable Planning
| image = syllable_planning.png
| titletext = You absolute-fucking-... shit.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}
Cueball wanted to say "ri-fucking-diculous", but he inserted the "fucking" too late in the word. Now, he has to say "ridicu-fucking-lous", which sounds ridiculous.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: Man, that is '''''RIDICU'''''—fucking—... ...Hang on, I inserted "fucking" too late and now there's just one awkward syllable left. Can I back up?
:[Cueball is standing next to Megan.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Language]]

1254: Preferred Chat System

2013-08-23T08:25:44Z

Erkurita: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1254
| date = August 21, 2013
| title = Preferred Chat System
| image = preferred chat system.png
| titletext = If you call my regular number, it just goes to my pager.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete}}

As more options become available for communication, it becomes more and more difficult to determine the social etiquette of how you choose to communicate with people. It is generally customary to return a communication from someone in the same medium that they contacted you. For example, a voicemail is generally returned with a phone call, or an email with an email, etc. However, sometimes people respond through a different channel, such as texting a response to a voicemail or emailing a reply to a text. This can create confusion that [[Randall]] is pointing out, because the recipient doesn't know whether to go back to their original communication method, or whether the response was a signal that the recipient prefers the new communication method. Similarly, it becomes commonplace for people to know which communication is preferred by the recipient or most likely to reach the recipient quickly and generate the fastest response.

Randall portrays the difficulty [[Cueball]] is facing when communicating with a seemingly irrational recipient. Today's multitude of social networks and communication systems only amplifies the problem. Cueball is leaving a voicemail for his intended recipient to clarify the best way to reach them. He is doing so, he says, because he initially tried texting the recipient which they replied to with one message on the instant-messaging service {{w|Google Talk}} (commonly called GChat). This is unusual because instant messaging services are usually used to engage in longer conversations than one message. Cueball further is confused because the recipient, although silent on Google Talk, continues responding on {{W|Internet Relay Chat|IRC}} (presumably to others or in public chat rooms). Cueball then attempted to communicate by email, but the response came on {{w|Skype}}, another instant messaging service that features voice and video chat along with text. The recipient mentions that the email "''woke [them] up''", which is generally something that might happen with a ringing phone call, but is not common with email (people generally don't set their email to to give immediate audible alarms).

Cueball clarifies that he appreciates that the recipient is very quick to respond, but his confusion stems from his inability to determine the proper medium to use. As he finishes his voicemail, an Owl flies towards him carrying a written message. This appears to be a reference to [http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Owl_post owl post], which is a form of communication in the {{w|Harry Potter}} lore which itself is presumably based on the real-world usage of {{w|Carrier pigeon|Carrier pigeons}}. The owl post message indicates that the voicemail was received, and suggests using {{w|Google Voice}} next time, which is an alternative form of voice and text to the standard telecom companies.

The owl could also be a reference to [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1149 RFC 1149 - IP over Avian Carriers], which is more in line with this comic.

The title text mentions a {{w|pager}}, a wireless telecommunications device that receives text messages. The first use was in 1950 for physicians in New York City .

==Transcript==
:[Cueball talks on a cell phone.]
:Cueball: Sorry for the voicemail, but I'm confused about how to reach you.
:Cueball: When I text you, you reply once on GChat, then go quiet, yet answer IRC right away. I emailed you, and you replied on Skype and mentioned that the email "woke you up".
:Cueball: You're very responsive - I just haven no sense of how you use technology.
:[An owl appears in the sky.].
:Cueball: ?!?
:[Cueball reads the letter brought by the owl.]
:did you try to call me? use my google voice number next time.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

Talk:1254: Preferred Chat System

2013-08-23T08:24:08Z

Erkurita:

It seems like an owl to me, a Harry Potter reference maybe.{{unsigned ip|186.56.198.178}}
:Please sign your posts with <nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki>. But you are right, it's an owl.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:12, 21 August 2013 (UTC)
::I'd like to suggest this could also be a reference to IP over Avian Carriers: http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1149 --[[User:Erkurita|Erkurita]] ([[User talk:Erkurita|talk]]) 08:24, 23 August 2013 (UTC)

Clearly that owl is a reference to the owl who carries written messages in the Harry Potter series.

Google voice bills itself as a number that is "tied to you [the user]" instead of a device [like a phone]. Cueball is operating under the assumption that like begets like; that is, if I phone you, you are on a phone. Google voice negates this because it allows the user to control how messages reach the receipient. The comic takes this a step further and applies it to any method of communication [[User:Zim|Zim]] ([[User talk:Zim|talk]]) 12:32, 21 August 2013 (UTC)zim

[[Special:Contributions/24.91.233.200|24.91.233.200]] 12:01, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

Can I coin the term "e-synaesthesia"? [[Special:Contributions/178.104.103.140|178.104.103.140]] 13:50, 21 August 2013 (UTC)
:If that were a Facebook post, I would *like* it. [[Special:Contributions/138.162.8.57|138.162.8.57]] 14:11, 22 August 2013 (UTC)

;Pricing

Cueball's friend might just be avoiding expensive mediums. Because of how cellular carriers price their services in some countries, some plans charge far more for voice or SMS than for low-bandwidth data such as IRC or VoIP. Wired ISPs in many countries even offered unmetered data or close to it (Comcast's quarter TB per month). --[[User:Tepples|Tepples]] ([[User talk:Tepples|talk]]) 14:43, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

It is quite common that my mobile phone is off and reloading in another room, while I am actively engaged on my PC and receiving email immediately. So I kind of relate to the comic. With today's notification possibilities (SMS, Email, ...) and interconnected services (e.g. receive Facebook chat messages with a personalized facebook email address and be notified to another email of yours), this gets kind of confusing what is the individual's preferred way of communication. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/178.26.45.117|178.26.45.117]] 17:19, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

When he said the email woke him up it reminded me [http://dontevenreply.com/view.php?post=99 emails from an a**hole] maybe he is a reader. [[User:Prussell84|Prussell84]] ([[User talk:Prussell84|talk]]) 20:04, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

Frame 4, amazing future tech: They know where cue ball is, then remote control the owl's brain to deliver the message. Indistinguishable from magic indeed. [[User:MarcoLinux|MarcoLinux]] ([[User talk:MarcoLinux|talk]]) 21:17, 21 August 2013 (UTC)MarcoLinux

:Nah, they simply trained the owl to go to this place. It's not like their time was limited, they already send the owl in a way it appeared just after the voicemail was sent, which suggest they send it BEFORE the voicemail started as owls are not really able to move at speed comparable to wireless signal. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 07:51, 22 August 2013 (UTC)

;Audible email

On the contrary, standard unix behaviour is to make a noise when email arrives. Only it's a single short beep of ctrl+G and computer must be running for it to be played, so it's not really probable it would wake up someone ... at least not if they are sleeping at bed. It may wake up someone dozing off while sitting at the computer. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 07:55, 22 August 2013 (UTC)

The iPhone (and I imagine any smartphone) sounds an audible tone when an email comes in, and many of us sleep with the phone very near the bed. [[User:Gardnertoo|Gardnertoo]] ([[User talk:Gardnertoo|talk]]) 16:02, 22 August 2013 (UTC)