explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:977: Map Projections

2024-05-08T15:15:15Z

Esogalt: Shorten "loose references" section title, as it was making the TOC overly wide.

I have a Plate Carrée hanging on my wall myself. Never failed me yet. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:05, 2 February 2013 (UTC)

I like the Azimuthal Equidistant (equatorial aspect) the best. - not Pennpenn. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.43|108.162.221.43]] 01:15, 17 December 2015 (UTC)

You can explore and compare different map projections and their distortions (using Tissot’s indicatrix and triangulation of sphere) in an interactive blog post '''[http://mjmdavis.com/showing/2017/05/16/how-to-read-maps.html The problem with maps]''' by Michael Davis --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 14:58, 26 May 2017 (UTC)

Go check out that site carefully though most of the data is accurate, some of the media is not, for example the two side by side Google maps satellite images of cars and the text saying how a map projection changes the apparent size of the cars. Well if you open up both links you will see they are at different zoom levels, one at a scale of 50 feet per unit and the other at 100 feet so yes being twice the zoom the cars are going to appear larger then the image right next to it. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.231|162.158.62.231]] 12:04, 23 August 2017 (UTC)

Btw, this comic is given in ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lR7s1Y6Zig What Does Earth Look Like?]'' of Vsause where these projections are discussed. --[[User:Ата|Ата]] [[User talk:Ата|(talk)]] 10:38, 3 September 2017 (UTC)

;Dymaxion
Dymaxion is clearly the best. There's nothing like a map made out of an unfolded d20. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 19:43, 23 February 2013 (UTC)

: Makes you wonder what if a dodecahedron had been used instead of an icosahedron. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 18:02, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

::Here you go: http://www.progonos.com/furuti/MapProj/Normal/ProjPoly/Foldout/Dodecahedron/dodecahedron.html - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 16:40, 23 July 2015 (UTC)

::Oh noes, Progonos map site has shut down. Alternatives: http://www.csiss.org/map-projections/Miscellaneous.html and https://lynceans.org/all-posts/polyhedral-projections-improve-the-accurately-of-mapping-the-earth-on-a-2d-surface/ - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 23:14, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

;Quincunx
Peirce Quincuncial has 4 non-conformal points, but not the 4 corners, which are the south pole, but instead are the 4 midpoints of the sides. These are on the equator and seem to be 90 degrees apart.--DrMath 06:30, 30 August 2013 (UTC)
: I love Peirce Quincuncial, yet I slept throughout that "Inception". [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.228|141.101.99.228]] 11:36, 27 January 2014 (UTC)
: I'm surprised nobody thought of "''really'' looking at your hands" as a hint that person that likes this projection is under influence of LSD or similar drug. As this surely is a thing that you do. (and you'll think of it next time you smoke your joint - inception!) --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.137|108.162.254.137]] 17:29, 7 December 2014 (UTC)

Plus it has a picture of a man looking at his hand and a man looking at the man looking at his hand.[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 14:39, 22 January 2015 (UTC)

xkcd 1051's title text - "meta lucid dreaming". I really got excited that there was an article about and ironically, it leads to meta and lucid dreaming separately. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.67|173.245.55.67]] 21:23, 25 March 2014 (UTC)BK201

The common video game trope of "the far east of the world is connected to the far west, and the far north likewise to the far south" is popularly resolved by saying that those game worlds are toroidal shapes. (For a particular reference, I am thinking of the SNES and PSX era Final Fantasy games (4-9.)) But sometime in the last year, I got the idea that you could also resolve that geographical conflict (and claim they are spherical) by the logic that the "world map" you see in those games (where they have one) is a Peirce Qunincuncial map. Is my logic sound? [[User:Boct1584|Boct1584]] ([[User talk:Boct1584|talk]]) 15:31, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

The explanation for the Peirce Quincuncial seems to miss the fact that Randall is implying that anyone who likes this map is most likely high. Getting lost in deep thought over things like your hands, or sitting in a dark theater for 6 hours to wrap your head around Inception...these are all very stereotypical "has smoke a lot of marijuana" behaviors. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.21}}

The Quincuncial map is one of few maps that can tile infinite plane such that any 2 arbitrarily close points on the plane correspond to 2 arbitrarily close points on globe and vice versa.

;Waterman

In actual fact, the Waterman butterfly map used a truncated octahedron based upon the mathematics of close packing of spheres and is not at all based upon any of CaHill's work/math.
-- steve waterman {{unsigned ip|65.92.20.61}}
:Perhaps the explanation should mention that Waterman himself signed up at forum.xkcd.com and vigorously denied that his map has anything to do with Cahill. At the time, it was unclear whether the account was really Waterman, or just a troll trying to make him look bad. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 21:39, 25 March 2014 (UTC)

What makes the Waterman butterfly map better than the Goode Homolosine map? The downsides of the Goode Homolosine map listed can both apply to the Waterman map: the oceans are all cut up in both of them, and while Greenland is safe in the Waterman butterfly, the edge of Asia gets sent over to North America’s wing. [[User:Tsuchinoko|tsuchinoko real]] ([[User talk:Tsuchinoko|talk]]) 02:57, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

;Kavrayskiy VII
Kavrayskiy is the best projection, despite being so far out of the mainstream that no-one west of Ukraine has seen one for the past 20 years. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.64}}
:Wow, I looked into it and it really seems like an excellent projection. It's been a while since I've looked at projections but I think it's my new favourite as it has everything that I've been looking for in a projection. It's a more accurate (in extremes) and more pleasing Robinson projection that still has a reasonable amount cut off the top. Also, the indicatrix for it is very simple, as is the formula, and simple things please simple minds (like mine, apparently) -- without taking it to an extreme like the equirectangular projection does. I swear I've come across it before, but then again I grew up in a country which wasn't far from the Eastern Bloc. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.214|141.101.98.214]] 14:51, 5 November 2014 (UTC)

;Sphere
To be fair, what is drawn is an orthographic azimuthal projection.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.153|108.162.216.153]] 18:59, 14 December 2014 (UTC)

GLOBES ARE THE BEST although my enormous Winkel Tripel hasn't done too bad. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.9}}

Airline food is never microwaved, and is chilled rather than frozen. Also the problems aren't limited to storage and re-heating, there are technical considerations with low air pressure, dehydrated air etc. and concerns over strong smells. I edited the relevant section. [[User:AmbroseChapel|AmbroseChapel]] ([[User talk:AmbroseChapel|talk]]) 07:00, 11 September 2017 (UTC)

"Here is what it says about you" is a common phrase in online personality quizzes, pages and other things. {{unsigned ip|162.158.167.234}}

Randall Hates New Zealand. [[User:Koro Neil|Koro Neil]] ([[User talk:Koro Neil|talk]]) 03:40, 7 January 2019 (UTC)

Isn't the "skeleton inside" thing a reference to Ray Bradbury's "The Skeleton" [[User:Shadowsapex|Shadowsapex]] ([[User talk:Shadowsapex|talk]]) 08:32, 27 January 2019 (UTC)

== Wording disagreement ==

Loodog and I disagree about the wording of the Peters map explanation.

The previous version of the text (written by LCarsos in 2012):
: ''Anyone who loves such a politically charged map that has become popular by way of marketing stunts, Randall would rather not have anything to do with.''
Loodog's version of the text:
: ''The implication is that the fans of this map are pompously concerned with social justice, and willing either to lie or convey marketing mistruths to promote that cause.''

I believe Loodog's wording is excessively non-neutral, and the old wording should be restored. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 19:29, 20 November 2019 (UTC)

: FWIW, I disagree that Peters fans are "pompously concerned with social justice". IMO, they are just assholes who enjoy using the terminology of social justice as their cudgel. People who genuinely care about social justice don't use Peters.

: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Organization for Migration are three of the world's largest social justice organizations. Each of them has been described as "pompous" by detractors. <ref>https://www.google.com/search?q=%22amnesty+international%22+pompous</ref> <ref>https://www.google.com/search?q=%22human+rights+watch%22+pompous</ref> <ref>https://www.google.com/search?q=IOM+~migration+pompous</ref> None of them use Peters map projection. <ref>https://www.google.com/search?q=world+map+site:amnesty.org&tbm=isch</ref> <ref>https://www.google.com/search?q=world+map+site:hrw.org&tbm=isch</ref> <ref>https://www.google.com/search?q=world+map+site:iom.int&tbm=isch</ref> AI & HRW use a mix of Hobo-Dyer, Equirectangular, and probably Mercator. IOM uses something rounded (probably Robinson or W-T), Equirectangular, and Mercator. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 19:34, 20 November 2019 (UTC)
::I'm inclined to agree; certainly we should be careful about calling people "pompous" in the article voice. I went back to the older wording but added "...and false claims..." after marketing stunts, which seems to have been the main thing that the person who changed it objected to and which can be stated more neutrally like that. --[[User:Aquillion|Aquillion]] ([[User talk:Aquillion|talk]]) 07:13, 9 January 2023 (UTC)

== Hemispheric Interrupted Mollweide ==

Still disappointed that Randall didn't include the '''BEST''' projection: Interrupted Mollweide Hemispheres. It combines key aspects from the clean math of Equirectangular, the values of Hobo-Dyer, the circularity of Van Der Grinten, the flattening of Homolosine, and the hipness of Winkel Tripel. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 15:09, 31 October 2022 (UTC)
:Maybe next time [[User:While False|While False]] ([[User:While False/explain xkcd museum|'''museum''']] | [[User talk:While False|talk]] | [[special:Contributions/While_False|contributions]] | [[special:Log/While_False|logs]] | [[Special:UserRights/While_False|rights]]) 19:00, 31 October 2022 (UTC)

i like peirce quincuncial and plate carree (bonus points the fact it's the oldest one). mercator is a bit meh, but let's give it credit for being one of the first projections (in fact it is the second oldest projection). gall-peters is the ugliest projection i've seen, and hobo-dyer is second ugliest. the butterfly one is also good but a bit weird, and the ichosaedron one that i forgot the name is... weird. like, wtf is that, it doesn't even look like a map, idk, where's europe there [[User:An user who has no account yet|An user who has no account yet]] ([[User talk:An user who has no account yet|talk]]) 18:31, 6 September 2023 (UTC)
:For the "icosahedron one", you mean the Dymaxion? In which case, Europe is in the topmost trapezoid (left, as opposed to the two triangles top-right). See Africa (Madagascar crossing an edge) in one corner, see the 'squiggle' of the Med and then Europe (rotated maybe 150 degrees over) crammed in the right of the extrusion. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.76|172.71.242.76]] 21:47, 6 September 2023 (UTC)

== Projection ==
It should maybe be explained that the concept of determining what someone's personality is like by what map they prefer is itself ''{{w|Social projection|projection}}'' {{unsigned|Mesoseven|05:20, 3 January 2024}}
:Might be worth disambiguating/adding to the {{w|projection (psychology)}} link in the '''Title Text''' section. I mean, they're not totally the same thing, but could be dealt with together with the right wording. (PS, I shuffled/reformatted your contribution. You did 'sign', but not ''sign'', and you can check the layout of the handy wikilink template we use here if you read how I've made your link; and my own without any replacement text. Welcome to the wiki, and if you have any questions...) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.173|172.70.90.173]] 07:30, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

==(Loose references)==

Talk:2910: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

2024-03-23T09:28:10Z

Esogalt:

well ''that'' was early. [[user talk:lettherebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 11:47, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

This singer is a bit fast and loose with the rhyme-scheme; aAbCd(?D)eC with the "dD", especially, being Go+Most, Tune+Words(!), ¿This/As?+Words and Crimes+Time. And scansion is potentially off (mid-line endings definitely are). I would hope that another shipwreck wouldn't happen until this new guy has tightened up his own art a little. (But once he gets good enough, fair enough!) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.161|172.71.242.161]] 12:57, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

:"For it's challenging trying to write good" [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 14:00, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

:"This singer is a bit fast and loose..." This is Gordon and his First Draft. Just strumming to see if the song has legs (fins?). We know Gordon could fiddle the rhyme and line-breaks as good as anybody. But prolly not on a dock on Lake Superior in November. (OTOH Sittin' on The Dock of the Bay, Otis Redding wrote in August on a rented houseboat in Sausalito, California; a much nicer workplace.) --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 23:05, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

Is the Cameron accusation also suggesting that he has actual time travel technology, as shown in his Terminator movies? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:19, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

How long should we wait before using peoples' deaths as entertainment? Relatives and friends of the crew are still alive. Are the terrorist attacks of 2001 open yet for parody? ...or wait another decade or two? Please consider others. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.214.108|172.69.214.108]] 14:26, 22 March 2024 (UTC)
: Given that the original song turned it into entertainment less than a year after, and it's been widely parodied pretty much ever since, I think you may, if you'll pardon the phrase, have missed the boat on that one.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.53|141.101.98.53]] 14:59, 22 March 2024 (UTC)
::Although it was performed as entertainment, the song was written as a kind of memorial or tribute. That's quite different from using the accident as fodder for a joke. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:38, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

: It's important to consider sides. Like, deaths of Russian soldiers in Ukraine are open to parody immediately because they are enemies. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 18:39, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

: I have some bad news for you about the prevalence of 9/11 jokes. [[424: Security Holes|Within xkcd itself]], no less! [[User:Esogalt|Esogalt]] ([[User talk:Esogalt|talk]]) 09:28, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

What if Cueball bribed Gordon Lightfoot to bribe the mechanic so he could write a song about Lightfoot bribing the mechanic to write a song? [[User:AoPS is superior|AoPS is superior]] ([[User talk:AoPS is superior|talk]]) 00:24, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Was it rammed by the Cat Stevens? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.144|172.70.211.144]] 04:57, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

The flags on the upside down eighth notes are backwards [[Special:Contributions/172.71.146.211|172.71.146.211]] 06:21, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

2712: Gravity

2022-12-18T08:06:52Z

Esogalt: /* Ships */ Typo "availanle" -> "available".

{{comic
| number = 2712
| date = December 16, 2022
| title = Gravity
| image = gravity_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x700px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's a long way down.
}}

*To experience the interactivity, visit the [http://xkcd.com/2712/ original comic].
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE UNIVERSE FROM A PIECE OF FAIRY CAKE- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this interactive comic, the viewer pilots a small spaceship throughout a vast area in space. The viewer is capable of exploring various bodies and planets within the play area, many containing easter eggs alluding to the book What If? 2 and previous xkcd comics. The flight mechanics are largely, if not entirely, Newtonian, so the vessel is capable of using the gravity of planets to alter its trajectory or even enter orbit. The spaceship has several indicator circles around it which appear when a gravitational body comes into range, showing the direction towards their center of gravity and the size of the body.

The arrow keys rotate the spaceship and accelerate it forward and backward. On mobile the comic will full screen, pressing either side of the center rotates the spaceship, and pressing in the center accelerates it forward. There is no way to accelerate backward on mobile.

It is fairly easy to fly between planets as long as you pay attention to orbital mechanics don't just floor the accelerator. The background stars show your velocity and orientation relative to the nearest gravity well. If you are having difficulties navigating space, point towards a gravity orb and accelerate for only a few seconds. Wait until the background stars spin wildly, and then reduce your velocity to 0 before gently accelerating towards to object.

There is no "universal" point of view — the bottom of the window, "down", is oriented towards the object exerting the most gravity upon the player. Multiple things found in this comic draw attention to this, such as how on Earth Ponytail says to White Hat, "I checked downforeveryoneorjustme.com and it says just me", and he replies "Yeah, I guess down isn't down for everyone."

Throughout the play area are coins that change the spaceship into different rockets and non-space based vehicles, including humans.

The comic promotes Randall's new book [https://xkcd.com/what-if-2/ What If? 2], which was released in September and is available for purchase. Many of the planets contain references to various What If? articles.

The comic is similar to [[1608: Hoverboard]], which celebrated Thing Explainer instead.

===Celestial Bodies===

The following is an incomplete table of features:

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!
!
!
!
! colspan="4"|References
!
|-
! ID
! Description
! Transcript
! Tiles (X, Y)
! What If
! XKCD
! Movies
! Other
! Explanation
|-
|<code>origin</code>
|'''Starting planet'''
|
|(0, 0)
|
|
|
|
|The starting planet. The player begins on the launch pad in a landed position. Collecting the orbiting cannonball will transform you into a more advanced rocket.
|-
|<code>earth</code>
|'''Earth'''
|
|(27867,-35648)
|
|
|
|
|A planet with among other things; a crane dropping a comet onto a dinosaur, unusually high speed squirrels, Megan inviting Cueball into a pool, a region where the frame rate is intentionally limited, a flagpole, a literal rabbithole referencing the figuratively speaking rabbit hole, someone aiming at a satellite with an arrow, a lake with an eel, the earth-moon firepole, a volcano, two figures being attacked by a third with a sword, two kids playing soccer (Catching the ball will turn the ship into a soccer ball), a farmer on a tractor being stuck in what seems elastic earth, a banana pile, Megan and Cueball digging a hole (in the center of this planet is the "earth's core" referenced below, the Niagara Falls water being redirected into the LHC, Japan(?) leaving earth, a tube to the bottom of the ocean and a reference to everyoneorjustme.com
|-
|
|Earth's core
|
|
|
|
|
|
|[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] floating in a small space in the center of the planet in inverted rotations. Can be legally accessed using a high velocity collision onto the surface of the planet, although requires tapping the up arrow afterwards many, many times.
|-
|<code>europa</code>
|'''Europa'''
|
|(13180, -2540)
|
|
|
|
|Europa, one of Jupiter's many moons (in real life). A broken, icy crust has a single path into its core.
|-
|
|Europa's crust
|"It's so unfair we don't get to compete in EuroVision."
"The region of the solar system where liquid water can exist on the surface is the habitable zone, and the region where it can exist beneath the surface of moons is the Eurozone."

"WHIRRRR"
|
|Y
|
|
|
|Europa's crust, with a single entrance into the core demarcated by an octopus leaving a hole.
Cueball states that Europa is in the Eurozone, a pun on the ''other'' Eurozone, with liquid underneath its surface.

A roomba whirs across the icy crust.

Cueball has a hairdryer and is melting the surface of the crust. A direct reference to [https://what-if.xkcd.com/35/ What If's Hairdryer].
|-
|
|Europa's core
|"We've always used neutrinos for astronomy, but if we place my 'optical telescope' in orbit above the kryosphere, we could potentially observe the universe using electromagnetic waves. Who knows what else there is out there besides stars! There could be other worlds!"
"Hi, I'm Annie. Welcome to the depths of Europa. There's some weird stuff down here."
"We were caught in a powerful November gale on the Great Lakes outside Whitefish Bay. Our ship foundered and sank here." "This is Jupiter's moon Europa." "It was a REALLY powerful gale."
"Does our book club really need this much secrecy?" "That sounds like a question a SPY would ask."
|
|
|
|
|
|A watery ocean with octopi looking out into the great unknown using telescopes. This is a reference to octopus's intelligence here on earth! There's also a secret path leading to a book club, through the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
|-
|<code>b612</code>
|'''B-612'''
|"Asteroid deflection mission to earth. The package is delivered. Commencing planetary threat neutralization."
|(2610,3700)
|
|Y
|
|
|A reference to [https://xkcd.com/618/ Asteroid]. The little prince is having his asteroid blown up as it was heading towards Earth, apparently.
|-
|<code>dogplanet</code>
|'''Dog park planet'''
|
|(1240, 11230)
|
|
|
|
|A planet with a dog park. Covered in dogs, along with dog walkers and some fences. There's a hole being dug by two dogs and a dog bone empty space in the center.
|-
| <code>goodhart</code>
|'''What If? 2 scenario planet'''
|
|(-13300,-3260)
|
|
|
| Y
| Contains a reference to Kerbal Space Program, whimsically referring to the launchpad as the Vehicle Disassembly Building.

Contains a figure in a cave saying "MMM SPIDERS HOMF NOMF", which may be a reference to the [https://reallyreallyreallytrying.tumblr.com/post/40033025233/average-person-eats-3-spiders-a-year-factoid Spiders Georg] meme.
|-
|<code>sun</code>
|'''The Sun'''
|
|(-14950, 12080)
|
|
|
|
|Difficult to escape from if you hit the core.
|-
|
|Sun's core
|
|
|Y
|
|
|
|Difficult to escape from. Can be escaped by rotating around the sun until an escape-like velocity could be reached.
|-
|<code>soupiter</code>
|'''Soupiter'''
|"I think it's chicken noodle? Hard to tell."
|(-800, -9040)
|Y
|
|
|
|A planet made of soup, with a core. As commented by Cueball, noodle soup. Has several small versions of other planets floating around it.
|-
|<code>nojapan</code>
|'''Earth without Japan'''
|"Something is missing."
|(-7680, -5850)
|Y
|
|
|
|Earth, except it's missing japan.
|-
|<code>japanmoon</code>
|'''Just Japan'''
|
|(-5930, -5800)
|Y
|
|
|
|A moon with water surrounding... just Japan.
|-
|<code>pigeons</code>
|'''A blob labeled "Pigeons"'''
|
|(-9020, -2490)
|Y
|
|
|
|A reference to Chapter 6 of What If? 2, where it would take 1.6 x 10^25 pigeons to lift you and a chair up to the halfway point of Australia's Q1 skyscraper.
|-
|<code>enterprise</code>
|'''Starship Enterprise'''
|
|
|
|
|Y
|
|Star Trek reference: The Enterprise-C, yes 2344,commanded by Captain Garrett's. While defending a Klingon outpost, the weapons discharges resulted in the creation of a temporal rift, through which the badly damaged Enterprise drifted. In the comic, there is a large, invisible gravity distortion near the Enterprise-C
|-
|<code>qwantz</code>
|'''Dinosaur planet'''
|"Welcome... to Jurassic Park."
| (20403,-49559)
|
|
|Y
|
|An homage to [https://www.qwantz.com/ Dinosaur Comics], a webcomic Randall has mentioned several times before. All the dinosaurs on the planet are black-and-white versions of the clip art dinosaurs in that comic. Also references the Jurassic Park movies, with CEO John Hammond welcoming paleontologists Dr. Sattler and Dr. Grant to the planet. The long grass depicted is a plot point in later films.
|-
|
|'''What If? 1 scenario planet'''
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|<code>roads</code>
|'''Cat blocking traffic flowing through portals'''
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|<code>outside</code>
|'''Edge of the Universe'''
|
| ( 6081, 26138 )
|
|
|
|
|It looks like a planet labeled "edge of the universe". Outside the universe, so inside the "edge of the universe planet", is another universe, the bubble universe. Hidden entrance is between 10 and 11 'o clock.
|-
|<code>roads</code>
|'''A tree larger than the planet it's growing on'''
|
|
|
|Y
|
|
|May be a reference to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2:_Petit_Trees_(sketch) Petit Trees]. More probably, a reference to ''The Little Prince'', a french children's novel about a traveler from a distant asteroid. In the novel, baobab trees are a serious threat to the Prince's home asteroid, as they are so large that their roots would engulf the asteroid entirely. Randall has alluded to The Little Prince numerous times before, especially in what-if articles.
|-
|<code>outside</code>
|'''Milliways'''
|
| in code: <code>[0,-14500]</code> in game: <code>[0,29000]</code>
|
|
|Y
|Y
|A reference to Milliways, the Restaurant at the End of the Universe from ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. On one side of the planet, Ponytail, Cueball, Megan, and other characters gather on the patio of the Milliways restaurant; on the other side, the Sojourner rover examines a rock.
|-
|<code>greatattractor</code>
|'''The Great Attractor'''
|
|
|
|Y
|
|
|Beret Guy stands on the surface of a large ball labeled "The Great Attractor". Gravity is so strong that escaping is impossible.
|-
|<code>present</code>
|'''Present'''
|"I didn't do any of my Christmas shopping yet because I was too busy drawing tiny planets."
"I'm done with my shopping! I got everyone What if? 2"

"...You got me my own book?"

"Yeah! I figured that since you wrote it, it must be right up your alley."

"It does make a good gift, though. You can get it at xkcd.com/whatif2"

"I got you this present!"

"Is it an angry bobcat?"

"It might not be."
|in code: <code>[22820,-18920]</code> in game: <code>[45640,37840]</code>
|
|Y
|
|
|The XKCD cast react to giving each other What if 2? as a present. Gravity at the bottom of the missing quarter of the planet is inescapable. Black Hat gives Cueball a "gift" which he claims "might not be a bobcat", a reference to [[A-Minus-Minus]]
|-
|<code>maw1</code>, <code>maw2</code>, ... <code>maw14</code>
|'''Black hole cluster'''
|
|
|
|
|
|
|A cluster of black holes with extremely high gravitational strength, set to the maximum of 2048. Not particularly easy to land on with multiple conflicting gravitational fields, but once landed on, rather difficult to escape.
|-
|<code>remnant</code>
|'''Remnant'''
|"All right, that's close enough"
"Oh no"

{{w|Walkin' on the Sun|"So don't delay, act now, supplies are running out"}}

"In 5 billion years, the Sun will run out of fuel and suffer gigennial burnout."

"The immense gravity of the sun's remnant means that this is the tallest possible skyscraper."
|(19620, 3800)
|
|
|
|
|A stellar remnant, with high gravity (making it difficult to escape, although it's possible to achieve escape velocity by flying sideways). Has various small landmarks, including a "skyscraper" and suspension bridge. There are bombs being dropped from above the planet, with one that seems to be sledding on the planet.
|-
|<code>steerswoman</code>
|'''Steerswoman Planet'''
|"As a Steerswoman, I have to answer any question anyone asks me, or I'm expelled from the order."
"What's one question that you would be unwilling to answer?"
"Oh no."

"Handle this artifact with great care. It contains a magical wizard's potion which the ancients called 'trinitrotoluene'"
|(-35070,-2500)
|
|
|
|
|A reference to the Steerswoman series of books by Rosemary Kirstein. Includes a number of references to the series, including a group of people observing a small object orbiting the planet.

Trinitrotoluene is better known as {{w|TNT}}, a powerful explosive.
|-
|<code>peeler</code>
|'''Peeler'''
|
|(-9270, 620)
|
|
|
|
|A reference to the question posed by "What If 2: Lose Weight the Slow and Incredibly Difficult Way". A large potato peeler is seen removing the earth's crust.
|}

===Ships===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name
! Description
! Location
! Filename
! Image
|-
|Default
|The starting ship.
|It is possible to change back to this ship by collecting a dot located within the Black Hole cluster
|ship2
|
|-
| Tintin
|
| On the starting planet; can be obtained by collecting the cannonball in orbit
| ship-tintin
|
|-
| Figure
|Stick figure
|On Goodhart, atop the mountain up which Sisyphus is pushing his boulder.
|ship-figure
|
|-
| Soccer ball
| Soccer ball shaped ship
| On Earth, between two figures playing ball
|ship-soccer
|
|-
|Alternative Ship
|Slightly thicker version of default ship
|Only available by using console to change Comic.ship
|ship1
|}

==Data Dump==

extracted from a JSON blob near the bottom of <code>https://xkcd.com/2712/comic.js</code>.
I believe this to be all the data but i'm not sure. this should probably be on a different page but i'll leave that up to the smart people
<pre style="height:10em;overflow-y:scroll;">
{
"items": {
"coin-cannonball": {
"consumable": "yes",
"effect": "transformship|ship-tintin",
"image": "coin",
"loc": [
359,
-815
],
"size": [
40,
40
]
},
"coin-figure": {
"consumable": "yes",
"effect": "transformship|ship-figure",
"image": "figure",
"loc": [
-15050,
-2984
],
"size": [
40,
40
]
},
"coin-regular": {
"consumable": "yes",
"effect": "transformship|ship2",
"image": "regular",
"loc": [
-29976,
-8077
],
"size": [
40,
40
]
},
"coin-soccerball": {
"consumable": "yes",
"effect": "transformship|ship-soccer",
"image": "soccerball",
"loc": [
15293,
11140
],
"size": [
40,
40
]
}
},
"locations": {
"b612": {
"gravity": 60,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
2610,
3700
],
"radius": 82,
"width": 2048
},
"dogplanet": {
"gravity": 300,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
1240,
11230
],
"radius": 337,
"width": 2048
},
"earth": {
"gravity": 21000,
"height": 16384,
"loc": [
14360,
14360
],
"radius": 3275,
"width": 16384
},
"enterprise": {
"gravity": 200,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
1010,
30440
],
"radius": 160,
"width": 2048
},
"europa": {
"gravity": 5000,
"height": 8192,
"loc": [
13180,
-2540
],
"radius": 1625,
"width": 8192
},
"goodhart": {
"gravity": 5000,
"height": 8192,
"loc": [
-13300,
-3260
],
"radius": 1625,
"width": 8192
},
"greatattractor": {
"gravity": 450000,
"height": 4096,
"loc": [
-297000,
-125000
],
"radius": 800,
"width": 4096
},
"japanmoon": {
"gravity": 50,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-5930,
-5800
],
"radius": 67,
"width": 2048
},
"maw1": {
"gravity": 2000,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-31576,
-9077
],
"radius": 18,
"width": 2048
},
"maw10": {
"gravity": 2000,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-29516,
-6321
],
"radius": 15,
"width": 2048
},
"maw11": {
"gravity": 2000,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-29381,
-6248
],
"radius": 12,
"width": 2048
},
"maw12": {
"gravity": 2000,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-26832,
-5928
],
"radius": 18,
"width": 2048
},
"maw13": {
"gravity": 2000,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-31743,
-4724
],
"radius": 18,
"width": 2048
},
"maw14": {
"gravity": 2000,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-26071,
-10824
],
"radius": 18,
"width": 2048
},
"maw2": {
"gravity": 2000,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-30211,
-8831
],
"radius": 18,
"width": 2048
},
"maw3": {
"gravity": 2000,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-27975,
-8266
],
"radius": 18,
"width": 2048
},
"maw4": {
"gravity": 2000,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-29546,
-7971
],
"radius": 18,
"width": 2048
},
"maw5": {
"gravity": 2000,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-29791,
-7631
],
"radius": 18,
"width": 2048
},
"maw6": {
"gravity": 2000,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-29328,
-7575
],
"radius": 18,
"width": 2048
},
"maw7": {
"gravity": 2000,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-29700,
-7426
],
"radius": 18,
"width": 2048
},
"maw8": {
"gravity": 2000,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-29165,
-7160
],
"radius": 18,
"width": 2048
},
"maw9": {
"gravity": 2000,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-30772,
-6910
],
"radius": 18,
"width": 2048
},
"nojapan": {
"gravity": 80,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-7680,
-5850
],
"radius": 200,
"width": 2048
},
"origin": {
"gravity": 1500,
"height": 4096,
"loc": [
0,
0
],
"radius": 630,
"width": 4096
},
"outside": {
"gravity": 200,
"height": 16384,
"loc": [
0,
-14500
],
"radius": 125,
"width": 16384
},
"peeler": {
"gravity": 50,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-9270,
620
],
"radius": 40,
"width": 2048
},
"pigeons": {
"gravity": 100,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
-9020,
-2490
],
"radius": 160,
"width": 2048
},
"present": {
"gravity": 300,
"height": 2048,
"loc": [
22820,
-18920
],
"radius": 195,
"width": 2048
},
"qwantz": {
"gravity": 1400,
"height": 4096,
"loc": [
11060,
24870
],
"radius": 850,
"width": 4096
},
"remnant": {
"gravity": 9000,
"height": 4096,
"loc": [
19620,
3800
],
"radius": 537,
"width": 4096
},
"roads": {
"gravity": 40,
"height": 16384,
"loc": [
13240,
-11510
],
"radius": 30,
"width": 16384
},
"soupiter": {
"gravity": 1300,
"height": 4096,
"loc": [
-8000,
-9040
],
"radius": 812,
"width": 4096
},
"steerswoman": {
"gravity": 600,
"height": 4096,
"loc": [
-35070,
-2500
],
"radius": 520,
"width": 4096
},
"sun": {
"gravity": 9000,
"height": 16384,
"loc": [
-14950,
12080
],
"radius": 540,
"width": 16384
}
},
"player": {
"animation": "player.png",
"animcount": 4,
"startloc": [
0,
750
],
"targetheight": 59
},
"tile_height": 1024,
"tile_source": "tile",
"tile_width": 1024
}

</pre>

==Hacks==
Various modes and hacks have been found or developed by the community, and can be activated by opening the Javascript Console (F12 [Or Command-Alt-I in most browsers under Mac OS X] to open Developer Tools, then Console tab) and writing corresponding commands. 
'''Click to expand:''' 

<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">
 
*'''Speedhack:''' <code>ship.engines = "warp"</code> - Speed hacking, sets speed to 1.4x. set to "standard" to reset to normal speed
*'''Teleport to planet:''' <code>[Comic.voyager.pos.x, Comic.voyager.pos.y] = Comic.planetRects.'''''origin'''''.slice(0,2)</code> - teleport near a planet, in this example near earth. You'll still have to fly a bit towards the nearest planet to reach it. Replace '''''origin''''' with the ID of the planet you want to go to, from the table above.
*'''Teleport to coordinate:''' <code>[Comic.voyager.pos.x, Comic.voyager.pos.y] = '''''[0, -2000]'''''</code> - teleport to an exact coordinate. <code>[0, -2000]</code> happens to take you to the starting area.
*'''Chaos Mode:''' <code>ship.engines="infinite improbability drive"</code> - Seems to randomly teleports the ship. A reference to it's namesake in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
*'''Insta Death:''' <code>ship.shields = false</code> - Kill the player if they land on a planet, the code never sets it to false, so it seems to be always true.
*'''No Clip:''' <code>noclip = true</code> - Enables noclip.
*'''Select ship:''' <code>Comic.ship = "ship-tintin"</code> - Select ship (use filename from list of ships)
*'''Autorotate:''' <code>Comic.cameraRotation = false</code> - View does not rotate with ship)
*'''Goggles:''' <code>ze.goggles()</code> - returns a warning: "they do nothing!". This is a reference to Hoverboard, where ''ze.goggles()'' would give you the ability to see false walls. Which itself is most likely a reference to the Simpsons where Radioactive man complains that his safety goggles do nothing against a deluge of acid.
</div>
 

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Welcome!

To celebrate the world of what if? 2, here is your very own planet to explore!

Give someone the science question-and-answer book what if? 2 for Christmas:
xkcd.com/whatif2

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Book promotion]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Bobcats]]

2712: Gravity

2022-12-17T06:22:29Z

Esogalt: /* Spoiler Alert! */ Probably also referencing JP.

2712: Gravity

2022-12-17T06:18:26Z

Esogalt: /* Spoiler Alert! */ Dinosaur planet is an homage to Dinosaur Comics.

2699: Feature Comparison

2022-11-19T12:00:42Z

Esogalt: Undo self-undo of image update. I'm tired ok.

{{comic
| number = 2699
| date = November 16, 2022
| title = Feature Comparison
| image = feature_comparison_v3.png
| imagesize =
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Below the Web, and the Dark Web, a shadowy parallel world of Cybiko users trade messages on the Translucent Neon Plastic Web.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MULTIHOMED MESH NODE. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic compares different remote communication services, including the relatively well-known {{w|Twitter}}, {{w|Discord}}, {{w|Mastodon (software)|Mastodon}}, {{w|Facebook}} (FB), {{w|Slack (software)|Slack}}, {{w|Signal (software)|Signal}}, {{w|Internet Relay Chat}} (IRC), {{w|Tumblr}}, {{w|Reddit}}, and {{w|SMS}} mobile telephone text messages. It also includes the less well-known {{w|Cybiko}}® wireless handheld computer for teens. For each of these, it purports to indicate which of various features they support. The comic illustrates how feature comparison charts and infographics can be abused by sellers who are trying to make their products look better than they really are, compared to their competitors. The comic was likely inspired by the recent news coverage of Twitter's purchase by {{w|Elon Musk}}, and the subsequent mass firings and resignation of its staff, causing many users to start looking for alternatives.

The Cybiko was a handheld computer designed for teens and released in 2000, which featured its own two-way radio text messaging capabilities along with built-in games and a music player. Additional information about it is available at [http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php/Cybiko the Dead Media Archive], as the device has not been manufactured since 2003. The chart suggests that the Cybiko has an advantage over all of the other listed communication services, as it is capable of all eight of the table's listed features listed, with none of the others being close.

The features compared are {{w|Private message|direct messaging}}, {{w|group chat}}s, {{w|file transfer}}, built-in {{w|video game|games}}, instances of the software run by individual users instead of the corporation producing it, lack of a {{w|Server (computing)|central server}} requirement, {{w|mesh networking}}, and wireless message delivery without an active internet connection.

Mesh networking is a form of connectivity that reduces or removes the need for a centralized server or predefined gateways to a communications 'backbone'. Nodes communicate directly with any nodes that happen to be contactable, and from there may connect through to whatever nodes are in mutual contact, or to be found further afield, either in real-time or asynchronously. The Cybiko has this ability, as well as wireless message delivery because it communicates directly to other devices via radio, hence the ability to operate without any internet connectivity at all. There are several {{w|Comparison of software and protocols for distributed social networking|ongoing projects for distributed social networking}}, but all of these additionally require a hardware layer to provide signalling via their respective protocols. The Cybiko provides such via its decentralized radio capabilities.

The comic does not mention the downsides of the Cybiko, that being purchasing and finding friends who own one can be its own challenge, as it was discontinued nearly 20 years ago. Additionally, the comparison can be considered apples to oranges, since Cybiko is a ''device'' rather than a ''service''; a fairer comparison would be to a modern {{w|smartphone}}, which can provide most of these features via multiple apps, including ones written especially for such rival services. Even ignoring the above, some of the Cybiko's "advantages" come with their own drawbacks: while not requiring a central server nor the Internet, for example, is touted as a plus, the Cybiko instead relies on having other devices in proximity to relay messages, meaning unless the person you are sending to is nearby it will not function, which is not an issue of any of the other options.

This comic contains several errors. Mastodon doesn't support file transfer. Discord does not provide for user-run instances itself, only user-moderated and administrated instances. (There are two third party Discord server implementations, but it is unclear whether those could be counted as run by users.) Slack does not provide for user-run instances itself. Reddit does not provide for user-run instances at all, only user moderation and administration. IRC does require at least one central server,[https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1459.html] and relegates file transfer support to the domain of client extensions. Signal is heavily used in user-run instances via a diverse ecosystem of code forks; many of these don't require a central server, a couple use mesh networking. Reddit occasionally does have built-in games. Finally, Tumblr and SMS both have a form of group chats.

The comic has been updated twice to fix some of these errors. The first version suggested Mastodon did not support user-run instances and required a central server, and that Reddit supported file transfer. This was changed once shortly after publication to add a check mark under "Mastodon" for "User-Run Instances". A second change was made some time later to check "Doesn't Require Central Server" for Mastodon and uncheck "File Transfer" for Reddit.

The title text refers to the translucent plastic covers that were popular in the late 1990s and early 200xs.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[A table with checkmarks to indicate which features various messaging services have. Each column is labeled with a service name and its logo beneath, except that for the last column, the device's longer name is written higher than all the other services' names, with an arrow pointing to a drawing of the device below it.]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! Twitter
! Discord
! Mastodon
! FB
! Slack
! Signal
! IRC
! Tumblr
! Reddit
! SMS
! Cybiko® wireless handheld computer for teens (2000)
|-
! Direct messages
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
! Group chats
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! File transfer
| || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || || || || ✓
|-
! Built-in games
| || ✓ || || ✓ || || || || || || || ✓
|-
! User-run instances
| || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! Doesn't require central server
| || || ✓ || || || || ✓ || || || || ✓
|-
! Mesh networking
| || || || || || || || || || || ✓
|-
! Wireless message delivery works without internet
| || || || || || || || || || ✓ || ✓
|-
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

2699: Feature Comparison

2022-11-19T11:56:16Z

Esogalt: /* Transcript */ Update transcript to reflect newest comic version.

{{comic
| number = 2699
| date = November 16, 2022
| title = Feature Comparison
| image = feature_comparison_v2.png
| imagesize =
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Below the Web, and the Dark Web, a shadowy parallel world of Cybiko users trade messages on the Translucent Neon Plastic Web.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MULTIHOMED MESH NODE. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic compares different remote communication services, including the relatively well-known {{w|Twitter}}, {{w|Discord}}, {{w|Mastodon (software)|Mastodon}}, {{w|Facebook}} (FB), {{w|Slack (software)|Slack}}, {{w|Signal (software)|Signal}}, {{w|Internet Relay Chat}} (IRC), {{w|Tumblr}}, {{w|Reddit}}, and {{w|SMS}} mobile telephone text messages. It also includes the less well-known {{w|Cybiko}}® wireless handheld computer for teens. For each of these, it purports to indicate which of various features they support. The comic illustrates how feature comparison charts and infographics can be abused by sellers who are trying to make their products look better than they really are, compared to their competitors. The comic was likely inspired by the recent news coverage of Twitter's purchase by {{w|Elon Musk}}, and the subsequent mass firings and resignation of its staff, causing many users to start looking for alternatives.

The Cybiko was a handheld computer designed for teens and released in 2000, which featured its own two-way radio text messaging capabilities along with built-in games and a music player. Additional information about it is available at [http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php/Cybiko the Dead Media Archive], as the device has not been manufactured since 2003. The chart suggests that the Cybiko has an advantage over all of the other listed communication services, as it is capable of all eight of the table's listed features listed, with none of the others being close.

The features compared are {{w|Private message|direct messaging}}, {{w|group chat}}s, {{w|file transfer}}, built-in {{w|video game|games}}, instances of the software run by individual users instead of the corporation producing it, lack of a {{w|Server (computing)|central server}} requirement, {{w|mesh networking}}, and wireless message delivery without an active internet connection.

Mesh networking is a form of connectivity that reduces or removes the need for a centralized server or predefined gateways to a communications 'backbone'. Nodes communicate directly with any nodes that happen to be contactable, and from there may connect through to whatever nodes are in mutual contact, or to be found further afield, either in real-time or asynchronously. The Cybiko has this ability, as well as wireless message delivery because it communicates directly to other devices via radio, hence the ability to operate without any internet connectivity at all. There are several {{w|Comparison of software and protocols for distributed social networking|ongoing projects for distributed social networking}}, but all of these additionally require a hardware layer to provide signalling via their respective protocols. The Cybiko provides such via its decentralized radio capabilities.

The comic does not mention the downsides of the Cybiko, that being purchasing and finding friends who own one can be its own challenge, as it was discontinued nearly 20 years ago. Additionally, the comparison can be considered apples to oranges, since Cybiko is a ''device'' rather than a ''service''; a fairer comparison would be to a modern {{w|smartphone}}, which can provide most of these features via multiple apps, including ones written especially for such rival services. Even ignoring the above, some of the Cybiko's "advantages" come with their own drawbacks: while not requiring a central server nor the Internet, for example, is touted as a plus, the Cybiko instead relies on having other devices in proximity to relay messages, meaning unless the person you are sending to is nearby it will not function, which is not an issue of any of the other options.

This comic contains several errors. Mastodon doesn't support file transfer. Discord does not provide for user-run instances itself, only user-moderated and administrated instances. (There are two third party Discord server implementations, but it is unclear whether those could be counted as run by users.) Slack does not provide for user-run instances itself. Reddit does not provide for user-run instances at all, only user moderation and administration. IRC does require at least one central server,[https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1459.html] and relegates file transfer support to the domain of client extensions. Signal is heavily used in user-run instances via a diverse ecosystem of code forks; many of these don't require a central server, a couple use mesh networking. Reddit occasionally does have built-in games. Finally, Tumblr and SMS both have a form of group chats.

The comic has been updated twice to fix some of these errors. The first version suggested Mastodon did not support user-run instances and required a central server, and that Reddit supported file transfer. This was changed once shortly after publication to add a check mark under "Mastodon" for "User-Run Instances". A second change was made some time later to check "Doesn't Require Central Server" for Mastodon and uncheck "File Transfer" for Reddit.

The title text refers to the translucent plastic covers that were popular in the late 1990s and early 200xs.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[A table with checkmarks to indicate which features various messaging services have. Each column is labeled with a service name and its logo beneath, except that for the last column, the device's longer name is written higher than all the other services' names, with an arrow pointing to a drawing of the device below it.]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! Twitter
! Discord
! Mastodon
! FB
! Slack
! Signal
! IRC
! Tumblr
! Reddit
! SMS
! Cybiko® wireless handheld computer for teens (2000)
|-
! Direct messages
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
! Group chats
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! File transfer
| || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || || || || ✓
|-
! Built-in games
| || ✓ || || ✓ || || || || || || || ✓
|-
! User-run instances
| || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! Doesn't require central server
| || || ✓ || || || || ✓ || || || || ✓
|-
! Mesh networking
| || || || || || || || || || || ✓
|-
! Wireless message delivery works without internet
| || || || || || || || || || ✓ || ✓
|-
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

2699: Feature Comparison

2022-11-19T11:54:32Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Update explanation to reflect newest image version.

{{comic
| number = 2699
| date = November 16, 2022
| title = Feature Comparison
| image = feature_comparison_v2.png
| imagesize =
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Below the Web, and the Dark Web, a shadowy parallel world of Cybiko users trade messages on the Translucent Neon Plastic Web.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MULTIHOMED MESH NODE. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic compares different remote communication services, including the relatively well-known {{w|Twitter}}, {{w|Discord}}, {{w|Mastodon (software)|Mastodon}}, {{w|Facebook}} (FB), {{w|Slack (software)|Slack}}, {{w|Signal (software)|Signal}}, {{w|Internet Relay Chat}} (IRC), {{w|Tumblr}}, {{w|Reddit}}, and {{w|SMS}} mobile telephone text messages. It also includes the less well-known {{w|Cybiko}}® wireless handheld computer for teens. For each of these, it purports to indicate which of various features they support. The comic illustrates how feature comparison charts and infographics can be abused by sellers who are trying to make their products look better than they really are, compared to their competitors. The comic was likely inspired by the recent news coverage of Twitter's purchase by {{w|Elon Musk}}, and the subsequent mass firings and resignation of its staff, causing many users to start looking for alternatives.

The Cybiko was a handheld computer designed for teens and released in 2000, which featured its own two-way radio text messaging capabilities along with built-in games and a music player. Additional information about it is available at [http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php/Cybiko the Dead Media Archive], as the device has not been manufactured since 2003. The chart suggests that the Cybiko has an advantage over all of the other listed communication services, as it is capable of all eight of the table's listed features listed, with none of the others being close.

The features compared are {{w|Private message|direct messaging}}, {{w|group chat}}s, {{w|file transfer}}, built-in {{w|video game|games}}, instances of the software run by individual users instead of the corporation producing it, lack of a {{w|Server (computing)|central server}} requirement, {{w|mesh networking}}, and wireless message delivery without an active internet connection.

Mesh networking is a form of connectivity that reduces or removes the need for a centralized server or predefined gateways to a communications 'backbone'. Nodes communicate directly with any nodes that happen to be contactable, and from there may connect through to whatever nodes are in mutual contact, or to be found further afield, either in real-time or asynchronously. The Cybiko has this ability, as well as wireless message delivery because it communicates directly to other devices via radio, hence the ability to operate without any internet connectivity at all. There are several {{w|Comparison of software and protocols for distributed social networking|ongoing projects for distributed social networking}}, but all of these additionally require a hardware layer to provide signalling via their respective protocols. The Cybiko provides such via its decentralized radio capabilities.

The comic does not mention the downsides of the Cybiko, that being purchasing and finding friends who own one can be its own challenge, as it was discontinued nearly 20 years ago. Additionally, the comparison can be considered apples to oranges, since Cybiko is a ''device'' rather than a ''service''; a fairer comparison would be to a modern {{w|smartphone}}, which can provide most of these features via multiple apps, including ones written especially for such rival services. Even ignoring the above, some of the Cybiko's "advantages" come with their own drawbacks: while not requiring a central server nor the Internet, for example, is touted as a plus, the Cybiko instead relies on having other devices in proximity to relay messages, meaning unless the person you are sending to is nearby it will not function, which is not an issue of any of the other options.

This comic contains several errors. Mastodon doesn't support file transfer. Discord does not provide for user-run instances itself, only user-moderated and administrated instances. (There are two third party Discord server implementations, but it is unclear whether those could be counted as run by users.) Slack does not provide for user-run instances itself. Reddit does not provide for user-run instances at all, only user moderation and administration. IRC does require at least one central server,[https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1459.html] and relegates file transfer support to the domain of client extensions. Signal is heavily used in user-run instances via a diverse ecosystem of code forks; many of these don't require a central server, a couple use mesh networking. Reddit occasionally does have built-in games. Finally, Tumblr and SMS both have a form of group chats.

The comic has been updated twice to fix some of these errors. The first version suggested Mastodon did not support user-run instances and required a central server, and that Reddit supported file transfer. This was changed once shortly after publication to add a check mark under "Mastodon" for "User-Run Instances". A second change was made some time later to check "Doesn't Require Central Server" for Mastodon and uncheck "File Transfer" for Reddit.

The title text refers to the translucent plastic covers that were popular in the late 1990s and early 200xs.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[A table with checkmarks to indicate which features various messaging services have. Each column is labeled with a service name and its logo beneath, except that for the last column, the device's longer name is written higher than all the other services' names, with an arrow pointing to a drawing of the device below it.]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! Twitter
! Discord
! Mastodon
! FB
! Slack
! Signal
! IRC
! Tumblr
! Reddit
! SMS
! Cybiko® wireless handheld computer for teens (2000)
|-
! Direct messages
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
! Group chats
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! File transfer
| || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! Built-in games
| || ✓ || || ✓ || || || || || || || ✓
|-
! User-run instances
| || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! Doesn't require central server
| || || || || || || ✓ || || || || ✓
|-
! Mesh networking
| || || || || || || || || || || ✓
|-
! Wireless message delivery works without internet
| || || || || || || || || || ✓ || ✓
|-
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

Talk:2699: Feature Comparison

2022-11-19T11:45:27Z

Esogalt:

Is there something we can do about the trolls? people keep making nonsense edits and adding weird images that have nothing to do with the comic. [[User:(insert name here)|(insert name here)]] ([[User talk:(insert name here)|talk]]) 19:56, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

The image has changed. Now Mastodon includes USER-RUN INSTANCES (though I believe it should also have a check next to DOESN'T REQUIRE CENTRAL SERVER).

I tried googling "wikipedia feature comparison chart". Instead of finding a page explaining how these charts work, I got a chart comparing different wiki softwares. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:22, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

Of course, it wouldn't be hard to make apps on smartphones support mesh networks ... however, the manufacturers and app developers prefer to work hard to make sure they don't work without being connected to internet and serving advertisement. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi_Direct Although ...] -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:25, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
:Actually, nearly all smartphones use radio chipsets running proprietary firmware with little to no mesh support; WiFi Direct depends upon protocol support from these chipsets, & specifically precludes relaying from device-to-device-to-device in a "decentralized mesh" fashion. DD-WRT & OpenWRT protocols support this kind of wireless decentralized mesh, but are not supported by the radio firmware present on consumer smartphones. Devices supporting these wireless mesh protocols do exist, but a lack of other nearby devices supporting those protocols, precludes relayed communication over multiple until such devices are deployed throughout the distance between a sender & recipient. In the US, there's only a couple bands allocated by the FCC which permit ciphered digital transmissions without a broadcast license, & the lineup of cellular handsets featuring radios for these bands can be counted on a few fingers.
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:55, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

There seems to be a lot of wrongness about this matrix. Besides that mastodon instances can be run by user (which is fixed):
* Mastodon does not support file transfer. You can only upload images, and ''not'' even all image formats—webp is not supported. Some other ActivityPub servers support file upload, but then it's not Mastodon.
* IRC also doesn't support file transfer afaik.
* Mastodon and SMS don't require a central server
* Discord, Reddit, and Slack doesn't have user-run instances
* Discord doesn't have builtin games last time I checked. The games are by the bots,

I don't know about Slack, but pretty much all of Discord and Reddit is user-run/moderated instances.
:That slash is doing a lot of work there. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.31|172.69.34.31]] 06:57, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
:Your definition for "instance" must be very different from mine then. For me, "instance" refer to the server software's instance; that is, the user must be able to run the server software on their own to qualify this. If you consider subreddits and discord chat rooms (I refuse to call them "servers", because that's not what they are) as "user-run instances", then so are Facebook groups, right? Those are not instances; they're just communities or groups moderated by some selected people. --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.215.3|172.71.215.3]] 12:55, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
:webp support was added in Mastodon 4.0. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.124|162.158.222.124]] 08:38, 18 November 2022 (UTC)
:discord did recently add official built-in games in the form of [https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/4422142836759-Activities-on-Discord "activities"] in voice chat [[User:Sobsz|Sobsz]] ([[User talk:Sobsz|talk]]) 09:40, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

"IRC itself is a teleconferencing system, which (through the use of the client-server model) is well-suited to running on many machines in a distributed fashion. A typical setup involves a single process '''(the server) forming a central point''' for clients (or other servers) to connect to, performing the required message delivery/multiplexing and other functions." – J. Oikarinen, D. Reed; Internet Relay Chat Protocol; RFC 1459; May 1993. Emphasis added. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.158|172.71.154.158]] 01:45, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Notably, Mastodon ''eschews'' file transfer - audio specifically - for fear of enabling piracy (issue #7495). Tumblr would have a more comprehensive version of file transfer.
[[Special:Contributions/172.71.146.136|172.71.146.136]] 03:17, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

IRC has (X)DCC for File Transfers and for it's centralisation it depends on the deployment, the original network that became EFNet (Eris-Free Network) doesn't have a central server, but things like Libera and OFTC have centralised services for authentication and servers maintained by only one organisation. Btw for games on the fediverse (which Mastodon is part of) Misskey includes some, sadly they're centralised. [[User:Lanodan|Lanodan]] ([[User talk:Lanodan|talk]]) 03:40, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Tumblr does have group chats. They're publicly viewable by anyone, but only people in the group can send messages, so I think they still count as group chats.

It appears we are all having a [[386]] moment watching Randall finally be wrong about something. How dare he?! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.111.30|172.70.111.30]] 05:37, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
: Nobody wants to put this train wreck into the explanation, but someone has to. I'm guessing we're waiting for further corrections just in case.
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.31|ki172.69.34.31]] 06:57, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Discord did add games recently: https://discord.com/blog/server-activities-games-voice-watch-together
[[User:Spenc|Spenc]] ([[User talk:Spenc|talk]]) 07:28, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

He also just left out Matrix entirely, y'know I'm starting to think this isn't a serious comparison. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.250.193|172.70.250.193]] 07:42, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
: He forgot to include humans, too, which support all of the features listed. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.12|141.101.99.12]] 10:23, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

Not sure what built-in would mean, but Slack has plenty of games you can install on it as an admin (Similar to Discord) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.223|172.70.162.223]] 09:52, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Also on April fool's days Tumblr occasionally have some sort of built-in game [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.46|172.70.162.46]] 09:54, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
:xkcd has those too :p --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.215.3|172.71.215.3]] 12:55, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

I'm wondering if we shouldn't include in the explanation, besides (on instead of) the link to {{Wikipedia|Mesh networking}}, also a link to {{Wikipedia|Comparison of software and protocols for distributed social networking}}. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 10:34, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

I can't help to notice phpBB is so dead it's not even on this chart. -- Shirluban [[Special:Contributions/172.71.122.79|172.71.122.79]] 10:37, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

I agree that the table is riddled with a surprising number of errors, but if the conspiracy theory that Randall has been replaced by another, evil cartoonist (as I write, the head of this explanation) is meant to be funny ... it didn't seem amusing to this particular explainer. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 12:55, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
: It wasn't meant to be funny, it was meant to explain the comic. How much fake news about fake news about fake news do we need before we talk about it? It's clear to anybody who can tell how severe the mistakes are, that this is what the comic is about. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.111.29|172.70.111.29]] 15:10, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

While I'm sure this could start a holy war in its own right, if you include MMS under the umbrella of SMS, you get sort-of file transfers and also group chats. [[User:Jpatterson|Jpatterson]] ([[User talk:Jpatterson|talk]]) 14:12, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

If you think about the difference between user *run* instances vs user *hosted* instances, that might explain why Discord, Reddit, and Slack all have that check. However, I can't think of a possible reason why Mastodon is missing "Doesn't require central server" when that is its main selling point. :shrug: [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.67|108.162.246.67]] 14:59, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Somebody reverted my change that IRC does not require a central server, but it doesn't. The protocol has clients connecting to _one_ server among a _network_ of interconnected servers, where anybody can run such a network. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.111.29|172.70.111.29]] 15:10, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
: There's still going to be centralization of administration even among federated nets of IRC servers, unlike USENET for example. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.168|172.69.33.168]] 15:31, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Are we encountering a new kind of vandalism where plausible edits are made introducing terrible prose, typos, and falsehoods? I noticed something similar happened with the recent Y2K comic. I really don't like to log in because we usually show we can do good work with most people logged out and IP's CDN-obfusticated for actual mass anonymity, but I will absolutely log in and push for page protection if vandals start trying to get insidious with subterfuge. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.168|172.69.33.168]] 15:31, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
:I don't know what vandalisms you're referring to. I've been adding the "Intermediate Edits", mostly behind HTML comments while fine-tuning so as not to make it look awful during the time I know it'll be half-completed (or less!).
:As to terrible prose, I cannot refute the possibility that I'm guilty of that. I do my best, but genuine typos or personal proclivities for purple prose may indeed creep in.
:With falsehoods, nothing I have added (or changed) is deliberately wrong, but may be not the same interpretation as someone else. I'm somewhat handicapped by not being a (regular/registered) user of most of the services (and may understand, e.g., Mesh Networking only in a form that a modern re-envisaging of it has moved drastically away from), but I've been taking my cues from only the very best external references (or Wikipedia!) and trying to boil down the supernumary technicalities to a more Explainxkcd-friendly format.
:As always, another editor with a genuinely better idea (in all those aspects) can refine things. As, I notice, has already been started. Didn't get an Edit Conflict, which I put down to being short and sharp in my insertions, and hope I caused not too many for others. - Taking a break from imposing my own edits, now. I shall deal with any further changes (or reversions) in good heart when I get the time again, later. Good luck and good editing to those who wish to pick up any of the work (or rework it) in the meantime. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.53|172.70.91.53]] 15:58, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

I think some of you missed the forest for the trees. The point of the comic is to illustrate how feature comparison charts, which are very common sales tools, might be abused to show that the seller's product looks better than it really is. That should be in the explanation of the comic. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.243|172.70.210.243]] 17:27, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
: Agreed, there are a lot of the points that could be debated. Is "central server" meant a server not controlled by you? What is a user-run instance? As twitter has several clients available but is listed without "User-run instances". I bet cybiko is trending on google search right now. [[User:Harald|Harald]] ([[User talk:Harald|talk]]) 17:33, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
::Sort of https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=now%207-d&q=cybiko [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.38|172.71.154.38]] 19:13, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
: Even though a line about this has now been added, it still seems like it's slightly missing the point, in that it doesn't mention that while the Cybiko may support all those features, that doesn't mean (as the chart implies) that it supports them in a way that is comparatively useful to most users as the other options listed. I feel like the explanation should focus on how the Cybiko supports each of the features in turn, and why that's not a sensible comparison to make to the other options. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.12|141.101.99.12]] 10:35, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

;Proposal
Instead of trying to describe all the common platforms and features, as the HTML comments editor plans, why not just link to their Wikipedia articles and discuss the edge cases, like what counts as group chat or file transfer? Most people will understand the general terms. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.252|172.70.214.252]] 19:41, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
:I see it as a handy summary that the respective Wikilink (which could still be followed) discusses at length, with history, CEOs, controversies, etc that we don't (normally, except maybe Twitter – for obvious current reasons/inspiration). Enough to brief the slightly adrift user (I have no idea how Discord works, I thought it was like Zoom!) or to clarify the tech used (the Mesh concept was backboneless self-organising swarm-communication, in my day, but is it possibly like Torrenting, according to one version of explanation?) without copypastaing absolutely everything.
:Plus the extensive "this is wrong, that is wrong..." can be quickly folded into a caveat (as one comment says) rather than the current clump edited in at the end, where it's a pain to read and I'm not sure I even read it thoroughly anyway. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.2|172.70.90.2]] 21:19, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Outlining in HTML comments was a terrible idea with the opposite intended effect, so I am moving them all here:

:Services
:<!- to be populated
:;Twitter
:A short-form 'microblogging' platform, originally based upon the use of SMS model (see below) for publishing a limited amount of text, with the option to directed towards named recipients and/or to highlight a topical subject by means of the much publicized 'hashtag'. It allows account-holders to read and respond to most of the global messages posted by other users, with some restrictions and only limited read access by those not subscribed.
:Twitter has recently been in the news due to its long-winded purchase by {{w|Elon Musk}} and the subsequent mass-firings/reorganization of its staff, causing much turmoil within its userbase and others with an interest in its use.
:As such, Twitter is capable of Direct Messaging (DMs) and a Group Chat that defaults to being one universal talking-shop limited only by the reader's ability to discover and follow any particular person or subject of interest.
:;Discord
:Built as a platform for those involved in social gaming, it combines audio ({{w|VOIP}}) and text-messaging access through thematic chat rooms with a primarily invite-led mechanism to participate in those relevant to a given interest or activity.
:The capabilities of DMs, Group Chats, File Transfers, Built-in Games and User-Run Instances are noted.
:* Although Discord apparently does not provide for user-run instances itself. There are two third-party Discord server implementations, but it is unclear whether those could be counted as user-run instances of Discord.
:;Mastodon

:;Facebook (FB)

:;Slack

:;Signal

:;Internet Relay Chat (IRC)

:;Tumblr

:;Reddit

:;Short Messaging Service (SMS)
:-- yet to be populated -->
:...
:<!- Also need to explain features: *DONE*Direct messages*DONE*, Group chats, File transfer, Built-in games, User-run instances, Doesn't require central server, *DONE*Mesh networking*DONE*, Wireless message delivery (without internet) -->
:...
:<!- The following can be shuffled into :*bulletpoints against the Services header, once populated, I hope... -->
:...
:<!- Probably two individual tables, or ;headered itemized lists, but not a single table as per comic (and as per Transcript) as fitting description text in place of ticks (or lack of them?) would look *awful*... -->
:<!- ...these comments as placeholder, or checklist for each item needing commenting, depending on how the next active editor directs things... -->

Valiant effort, questionable implementation, terrible follow-through. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.158.90|172.71.158.90]] 18:05, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

"Reddit does not provide for user-run instances at all": Reddit wasn't open-source? https://github.com/reddit-archive/reddit/ Maybe Randall considers one taking the old 2017 code and running it as being an user-run instance. Do anyone do that? There are thousands of forks, but seems no one is maintained. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.105.176|172.70.105.176]] 18:08, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

The image was updated again, I uploaded the new one as feature_comparison_v3.png rather than a new version of the current image, as that's what the last person did when it changed the first time. [[User:Esogalt|Esogalt]] ([[User talk:Esogalt|talk]]) 11:45, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

== Mastodon ==

"Mastodon doesn't require central servers" - This one seems like splitting hairs. It still uses servers, it's just that it goes for many small servers instead of a few big ones. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.214.55|172.71.214.55]] 19:13, 18 November 2022 (UTC)

== Elon Musk ==

: ''"The comic was likely inspired by the recent news coverage of Twitter's purchase by Elon Musk, and the subsequent mass firings and resignation of its staff, causing many users to start looking for alternatives."''

I don't see any real connection here. Other than the fact that Twitter is the first column, and the fact that recent events occurred recently and the comic was also released recently. Correlation =/= Causation. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.210.41|172.68.210.41]] 20:07, 18 November 2022 (UTC)
:I'm persuaded, because of the prominence of Mastodon, where most of the people I am following on Twitter are attempting to migrate. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.145|172.70.211.145]] 03:13, 19 November 2022 (UTC)

2699: Feature Comparison

2022-11-19T11:43:27Z

Esogalt: Erm, don't ask how I did that.

{{comic
| number = 2699
| date = November 16, 2022
| title = Feature Comparison
| image = feature_comparison_v2.png
| imagesize =
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Below the Web, and the Dark Web, a shadowy parallel world of Cybiko users trade messages on the Translucent Neon Plastic Web.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MULTIHOMED MESH NODE. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic compares different remote communication services, including the relatively well-known {{w|Twitter}}, {{w|Discord}}, {{w|Mastodon (software)|Mastodon}}, {{w|Facebook}} (FB), {{w|Slack (software)|Slack}}, {{w|Signal (software)|Signal}}, {{w|Internet Relay Chat}} (IRC), {{w|Tumblr}}, {{w|Reddit}}, and {{w|SMS}} mobile telephone text messages. It also includes the less well-known {{w|Cybiko}}® wireless handheld computer for teens. For each of these, it purports to indicate which of various features they support. The comic illustrates how feature comparison charts and infographics can be abused by sellers who are trying to make their products look better than they really are, compared to their competitors. The comic was likely inspired by the recent news coverage of Twitter's purchase by {{w|Elon Musk}}, and the subsequent mass firings and resignation of its staff, causing many users to start looking for alternatives.

The Cybiko was a handheld computer designed for teens and released in 2000, which featured its own two-way radio text messaging capabilities along with built-in games and a music player. Additional information about it is available at [http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php/Cybiko the Dead Media Archive], as the device has not been manufactured since 2003. The chart suggests that the Cybiko has an advantage over all of the other listed communication services, as it is capable of all eight of the table's listed features listed, with none of the others being close.

The features compared are {{w|Private message|direct messaging}}, {{w|group chat}}s, {{w|file transfer}}, built-in {{w|video game|games}}, instances of the software run by individual users instead of the corporation producing it, lack of a {{w|Server (computing)|central server}} requirement, {{w|mesh networking}}, and wireless message delivery without an active internet connection.

Mesh networking is a form of connectivity that reduces or removes the need for a centralized server or predefined gateways to a communications 'backbone'. Nodes communicate directly with any nodes that happen to be contactable, and from there may connect through to whatever nodes are in mutual contact, or to be found further afield, either in real-time or asynchronously. The Cybiko has this ability, as well as wireless message delivery because it communicates directly to other devices via radio, hence the ability to operate without any internet connectivity at all. There are several {{w|Comparison of software and protocols for distributed social networking|ongoing projects for distributed social networking}}, but all of these additionally require a hardware layer to provide signalling via their respective protocols. The Cybiko provides such via its decentralized radio capabilities.

The comic does not mention the downsides of the Cybiko, that being purchasing and finding friends who own one can be its own challenge, as it was discontinued nearly 20 years ago. Additionally, the comparison can be considered apples to oranges, since Cybiko is a ''device'' rather than a ''service''; a fairer comparison would be to a modern {{w|smartphone}}, which can provide most of these features via multiple apps, including ones written especially for such rival services. Even ignoring the above, some of the Cybiko's "advantages" come with their own drawbacks: while not requiring a central server nor the Internet, for example, is touted as a plus, the Cybiko instead relies on having other devices in proximity to relay messages, meaning unless the person you are sending to is nearby it will not function, which is not an issue of any of the other options.

This comic contains several errors. Mastodon doesn't require a central server, or support file transfer. Discord does not provide for user-run instances itself, only user-moderated and administrated instances. (There are two third party Discord server implementations, but it is unclear whether those could be counted as run by users.) Slack does not provide for user-run instances itself. Reddit does not provide for user-run instances at all, only user moderation and administration. IRC does require at least one central server,[https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1459.html] and relegates file transfer support to the domain of client extensions. Signal is heavily used in user-run instances via a diverse ecosystem of code forks; many of these don't require a central server, a couple use mesh networking. Reddit occasionally does have built-in games. Finally, Tumblr and SMS both have a form of group chats. An earlier version of the comic suggesting that Mastodon has no user-run instances was corrected by [[Randall]] shortly after publication of the original.

The title text refers to the translucent plastic covers that were popular in the late 1990s and early 200xs.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[A table with checkmarks to indicate which features various messaging services have. Each column is labeled with a service name and its logo beneath, except that for the last column, the device's longer name is written higher than all the other services' names, with an arrow pointing to a drawing of the device below it.]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! Twitter
! Discord
! Mastodon
! FB
! Slack
! Signal
! IRC
! Tumblr
! Reddit
! SMS
! Cybiko® wireless handheld computer for teens (2000)
|-
! Direct messages
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
! Group chats
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! File transfer
| || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! Built-in games
| || ✓ || || ✓ || || || || || || || ✓
|-
! User-run instances
| || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! Doesn't require central server
| || || || || || || ✓ || || || || ✓
|-
! Mesh networking
| || || || || || || || || || || ✓
|-
! Wireless message delivery works without internet
| || || || || || || || || || ✓ || ✓
|-
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

2699: Feature Comparison

2022-11-19T11:41:26Z

Esogalt: Replace image with new version from xkcd.com.

[[File:[[File:Example.jpg]][[File:
----
Example.jpg
----
]]]]{{comic
| number = 2699
| date = November 16, 2022
| title = Feature Comparison
| image = feature_comparison_v3.png
| imagesize =
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Below the Web, and the Dark Web, a shadowy parallel world of Cybiko users trade messages on the Translucent Neon Plastic Web.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MULTIHOMED MESH NODE. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic compares different remote communication services, including the relatively well-known {{w|Twitter}}, {{w|Discord}}, {{w|Mastodon (software)|Mastodon}}, {{w|Facebook}} (FB), {{w|Slack (software)|Slack}}, {{w|Signal (software)|Signal}}, {{w|Internet Relay Chat}} (IRC), {{w|Tumblr}}, {{w|Reddit}}, and {{w|SMS}} mobile telephone text messages. It also includes the less well-known {{w|Cybiko}}® wireless handheld computer for teens. For each of these, it purports to indicate which of various features they support. The comic illustrates how feature comparison charts and infographics can be abused by sellers who are trying to make their products look better than they really are, compared to their competitors. The comic was likely inspired by the recent news coverage of Twitter's purchase by {{w|Elon Musk}}, and the subsequent mass firings and resignation of its staff, causing many users to start looking for alternatives.

The Cybiko was a handheld computer designed for teens and released in 2000, which featured its own two-way radio text messaging capabilities along with built-in games and a music player. Additional information about it is available at [http://cultureandcommunication.org/deadmedia/index.php/Cybiko the Dead Media Archive], as the device has not been manufactured since 2003. The chart suggests that the Cybiko has an advantage over all of the other listed communication services, as it is capable of all eight of the table's listed features listed, with none of the others being close.

The features compared are {{w|Private message|direct messaging}}, {{w|group chat}}s, {{w|file transfer}}, built-in {{w|video game|games}}, instances of the software run by individual users instead of the corporation producing it, lack of a {{w|Server (computing)|central server}} requirement, {{w|mesh networking}}, and wireless message delivery without an active internet connection.

Mesh networking is a form of connectivity that reduces or removes the need for a centralized server or predefined gateways to a communications 'backbone'. Nodes communicate directly with any nodes that happen to be contactable, and from there may connect through to whatever nodes are in mutual contact, or to be found further afield, either in real-time or asynchronously. The Cybiko has this ability, as well as wireless message delivery because it communicates directly to other devices via radio, hence the ability to operate without any internet connectivity at all. There are several {{w|Comparison of software and protocols for distributed social networking|ongoing projects for distributed social networking}}, but all of these additionally require a hardware layer to provide signalling via their respective protocols. The Cybiko provides such via its decentralized radio capabilities.

The comic does not mention the downsides of the Cybiko, that being purchasing and finding friends who own one can be its own challenge, as it was discontinued nearly 20 years ago. Additionally, the comparison can be considered apples to oranges, since Cybiko is a ''device'' rather than a ''service''; a fairer comparison would be to a modern {{w|smartphone}}, which can provide most of these features via multiple apps, including ones written especially for such rival services. Even ignoring the above, some of the Cybiko's "advantages" come with their own drawbacks: while not requiring a central server nor the Internet, for example, is touted as a plus, the Cybiko instead relies on having other devices in proximity to relay messages, meaning unless the person you are sending to is nearby it will not function, which is not an issue of any of the other options.

This comic contains several errors. Mastodon doesn't require a central server, or support file transfer. Discord does not provide for user-run instances itself, only user-moderated and administrated instances. (There are two third party Discord server implementations, but it is unclear whether those could be counted as run by users.) Slack does not provide for user-run instances itself. Reddit does not provide for user-run instances at all, only user moderation and administration. IRC does require at least one central server,[https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc1459.html] and relegates file transfer support to the domain of client extensions. Signal is heavily used in user-run instances via a diverse ecosystem of code forks; many of these don't require a central server, a couple use mesh networking. Reddit occasionally does have built-in games. Finally, Tumblr and SMS both have a form of group chats. An earlier version of the comic suggesting that Mastodon has no user-run instances was corrected by [[Randall]] shortly after publication of the original.

The title text refers to the translucent plastic covers that were popular in the late 1990s and early 200xs.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[A table with checkmarks to indicate which features various messaging services have. Each column is labeled with a service name and its logo beneath, except that for the last column, the device's longer name is written higher than all the other services' names, with an arrow pointing to a drawing of the device below it.]

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! Twitter
! Discord
! Mastodon
! FB
! Slack
! Signal
! IRC
! Tumblr
! Reddit
! SMS
! Cybiko® wireless handheld computer for teens (2000)
|-
! Direct messages
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓
|-
! Group chats
| ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! File transfer
| || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! Built-in games
| || ✓ || || ✓ || || || || || || || ✓
|-
! User-run instances
| || ✓ || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓ || || ✓
|-
! Doesn't require central server
| || || || || || || ✓ || || || || ✓
|-
! Mesh networking
| || || || || || || || || || || ✓
|-
! Wireless message delivery works without internet
| || || || || || || || || || ✓ || ✓
|-
|}

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

File:feature comparison v3.png

2022-11-19T11:40:50Z

Esogalt: Newer version of feature_comparison_v2.png, original changed at xkcd.com.

== Summary ==
Newer version of feature_comparison_v2.png, original changed at xkcd.com.
== Licensing ==
{{XKCD file}}

2672: What If? 2 Flowchart

2022-09-14T07:16:45Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Introduce table slightly more.

{{comic
| number = 2672
| date = September 13, 2022
| title = What If? 2 Flowchart
| image = what_if_2_flowchart_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x729px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Don't worry, the dogs are all fine. That's actually kind of the problem.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an EARTH-DESTROYING FLOWCHART - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Announcing that his '''What If? 2''' book is [https://xkcd.com/whatif2 finally out], Randall gives us a flowchart we can follow to find the page numbers of explanations of various different scenarios.

The flowchart questions and their possible answers are described in the following table:

{| class="wikitable"
! Text
! Connected
|-
| Congratulations, you have acquired a copy of ''What if? 2!'' (out today, [xkcd.com/whatif2])
| What do you want to do today?
|-
| rowspan="3" | What do you want to do today?
| I don't know: Reflect on your life
|-
| Go to neighborhood party: Do you like your neighbor?
|-
| Brunch: Where do you go?
|-
| rowspan="2" | Do you like your neighbor?
| Yes: '''Page 78'''
|-
| No: What do you want to bring?
|-
| rowspan="4" | What do you want to bring?
| Jupiter: '''Page 70'''
|-
| Iron vapor: '''Page 18'''
|-
| Weird Opinions: Do you think bugs should get paid?
|-
| My fake identity: Have you committed any crimes?
|-
| rowspan="2" | Do you think bugs should get paid?
| Yes: '''Page 96'''
|-
| No: Reflect on your life
|-
| rowspan="2" | Where do you go?
| The sun: Are you wearing sunscreen?
|-
| A diner: How do you get there?
|-
| rowspan="2" | Are you wearing sunscreen?
| Yes: '''Page 319'''
|-
| No: How do you want to visit?
|-
| rowspan="2" | How do you want to visit?
| Briefly, via teleporter: '''Page 314'''
|-
| I want to land a probe on the surface: '''Page 323'''
|-
| rowspan="3" | How do you get there?
| Helicopter: Where do you sit in the helicopter?
|-
| Plane: '''Page 83''', Are you flying near any strong magnets?
|-
| Car: How do you want to drive?
|-
| rowspan="2" | Where do you sit in the helicopter?
| On the rotor: '''Page 6'''
|-
| Inside: Are you flying near any strong magnets?
|-
| rowspan="2" | Are you flying near any strong magnets?
| Yes: '''Page 171'''
|-
| No: Okay, there's the diner!
|-
| rowspan="2" | Okay, there's the diner!
| Keep driving forever: '''Page 128'''
|-
| Stop: What food do you order?
|-
| rowspan="5" | What food do you order?
| The sun: '''Page 303'''
|-
| Breadsticks: '''Page 299'''
|-
| Ammonia: '''Page 284'''
|-
| A cloud: '''Page 195'''
|-
| Soup: How much soup?
|-
| rowspan="2" | How much soup?
| 1 bowl: '''Page 197'''
|-
| 1040 bowls: '''Page 1'''
|-
| rowspan="3" | How do you want to drive?
| Fast: '''Page 180'''
|-
| With a bird: '''Page 171'''
|-
| Normal: Does this road lead to Rome?
|-
| rowspan="3" | Does this road lead to Rome?
| Yes: Pick a different road
|-
| No, but it should: '''Page 154'''
|-
| No: Okay, there's the diner!
|-
| Pick a different road
| Does this road lead to Rome?
|-
| Okay, there's the diner!
| Keep driving forever: '''Page 128'''
|-
| rowspan="3" | What do you really want to do?
| I want to shoot a laser at a sorceress: '''Page 43'''
|-
| I want to tell people things about eggs: What kinds of things about eggs?
|-
| I want a dog: Get a dog
|-
| rowspan="2" | What kinds of things about eggs?
| True things: '''Page 300'''
|-
| False things: '''Page 258'''
|-
| Get a dog
| Are you satisfied?
|-
| rowspan="2" | Are you satisfied?
| Yes: '''Fulfillment!'''
|-
| No, I think we need more dogs: Get more dogs
|-
| Get more dogs
| Enough? (1)
|-
| rowspan="2" | Enough? (1)
| Yes: '''Fulfillment!'''
|-
| No. You can never have too many dogs: More dogs
|-
| More dogs
| Enough? (2)
|-
| rowspan="2" | Enough? (2)
| Yes: Fulfillment!
|-
| No. You can literally never have too many dogs. We should not stop until all that exists in the cosmos has been consumed by a happy, barking mass: '''Page 308'''
|-
| rowspan="3" | Have you committed any crimes?
| Not sure: '''Page 255'''
|-
| Yes: Travel back in time to undo your crimes
|-
| No: Do you want to?
|-
| rowspan="2" | Do you want to?
| No: '''Page 255'''
|-
| Yes: '''Page 258'''
|-
| Travel back in time to undo your crimes
| '''Page 277'''
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[A large flowchart, with the first box in the top left corner.]

:Box 1: Congratulations, you have acquired a copy of '''''What if? 2!''''' (out today, xkcd.com/whatif2)
::[Arrow to Box 2]
:Box 2: What do you want to do today?
::[Arrow to Box 3] I don't know
::[Arrow to Box 4] Go to neighborhood party
::[Arrow to Box 5] Brunch
:Box 3: Reflect on your life
::[Arrow to Box 6]
:Box 4: Do you like your neighbor?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 78'] Yes
::[Arrow to Box 7] No
:Box 5: Where do you go?
::[Arrow to Box 8] The Sun
::[Arrow to Box 9] A diner
:Box 6: What do you really want to do?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 43'] I want to shoot a laser at a sorceress
::[Arrow to Box 10] I want a dog
::[Arrow to Box 11] I want to tell people things about eggs
:Box 7: What do you want to bring?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 70'] Jupiter
::[Arrow to Box 12] Weird opinions
::[Arrow to Box 13] My fake identity
:Box 8: Are you wearing sunscreen?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 319'] Yes
::[Arrow to Box 14] No
:Box 9: How do you get there?
::[Arrow to Box 15] Helicopter
::[Arrow to Box 16 with the words 'page 83'] Plane
::[Arrow to Box 17] Car
:Box 10: Get a dog
::[Arrow to Box 18]
:Box 11: What kinds of things about eggs?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 300'] True things
::[Arrow to the words 'page 258', same words as from Box 19] False things
:Box 12: Do you think bugs should get paid?
::[Arrow to Box 3] No
::[Arrow to the words 'page 96'] Yes
:Box 13: Have you commited any crimes?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 255', same words as from Box 19] Not sure
::[Arrow to Box 19] No
::[Arrow to Box 20] Yes
:Box 14: How do you want to visit?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 314'] Briefly, via teleporter
::[Arrow to the words 'page 323'] I want to land a probe on the surface
:Box 15: Where do you sit in the helicopter?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 6'] On the rotor
::[Arrow to Box 16] Inside
:Box 16: Are you flying near any strong magnets?
::[Arrow to Box 21] No
::[Arrow to the words 'page 171'] Yes
:Box 17: How fast do you want to drive?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 180'] Fast
::[Arrow to Box 22] Normal
::[Arrow to the words 'page 176'] With a bird
:Box 18: Are you satisfied?
::[Arrow to the word 'Fulfillment!', same word as from Boxes 26 and 29]
::[Arrow to Box 23] No. I think we need more dogs.
:Box 19: Do you want to?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 255', same words as from Box 13] No
::[Arrow to the words 'page 258', same words as from Box 11] Yes
:Box 20: Travel back in time to undo your crimes
::[Arrow to to the words 'page 277']
:Box 21: Okay, there's the diner!
::[Arrow to the words 'page 128'] Keep driving forever
::[Arrow to Box 24] Stop
:Box 22: Does this road lead to Rome?
::[Arrow to Box 25] Yes
::[Arrow to the words 'page 154'] No, but it should
::[Arrow to Box 21] No
:Box 23: Get more dogs
::[Arrow to Box 26]
:Box 24: What food do you order?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 303'] The Sun
::[Arrow to the words 'page 299'] Breadsticks
::[Arrow to Box 27] Soup
::[Arrow to the words 'page 284'] Ammonia
::[Arrow to the words 'page 195'] A cloud
:Box 25: Pick a different road
::[Arrow to Box 22]
:Box 26: Enough?
::[Arrow to the word 'Fulfillment!', same word as from Boxes 18 and 29] Yes
::[Arrow to Box 28] No. You can never have too many dogs.
:Box 27: How much soup?
::[Arrow to the words 'page 197'] 1 bowl
::[Arrow to the words 'page 1'] 1040 bowls
:Box 28: More dogs
::[Arrow to Box 29]
:Box 29: Enough?
::[Arrow to the word 'Fulfillment!', same word as from Boxes 18 and 26]
::[Arrow to the words 'page 308] No. You can literally never have too many dogs. We should not stop until all that exists has been consumed by a happy, barking mass.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Flowcharts]]
[[Category:Book promotion]]

2009: Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram

2022-06-07T01:15:59Z

Esogalt: /* Table */ Typo.

{{comic
| number = 2009
| date = June 20, 2018
| title = Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
| image = hertzsprung_russell_diagram.png
| titletext = The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram is located in its own lower right corner, unless you're viewing it on an unusually big screen.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by BUMPF - The title text needs to be put in the table! Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The {{w|Hertzsprung–Russell diagram}} is a scatterplot showing absolute luminosities of stars against its effective temperature or color. It's generally used to understand a star's age.

The axes are labeled in {{w|Kelvin}} (degrees {{w|Celsius}} above {{w|absolute zero}}) for {{w|effective temperature}} and, unlike many Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams, {{w|Watts}} for {{w|luminosity}}. While most Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams are labelled in units of {{w|solar luminosity}} or {{w|absolute magnitude}}, all three are perfectly valid measures of {{w|luminosity}}, which refers to the total power emitted by the star (or other body). {{w|Effective temperature}} refers to temperature of a blackbody with the same surface area and luminosity. This is meant to provide an estimate of the surface temperature of the object.

Roughly speaking, the luminosity (i.e. total power radiated) by an object is proportional to (1) the total surface area of the object, multiplied by (2) the (absolute) temperature raised to the fourth power. So a high luminosity generally results from either a very hot or a very large object, or a combination of the two. The surface-area dependence explains why the whale and the cruise ship are more luminous than the hotter campfire.

Regular Hertzsprung–Russell diagrams cover ranges of about 1,000K to 30,000K, and what is labeled on this diagram as 1021 to 1033 watts—i.e. the upper-left corner. Extended diagrams increase the luminosity range only to include the "Brown Dwarfs". This diagram has been extended to much lower magnitudes on both axes. The joke comes from the absurdity of a diagram meant for stars including much smaller objects, such as planets ... and astronomers.

Though not included in the diagram, the title text notes that the diagram itself would probably be plotted somewhere in the lower right corner due to its (relatively) low power output and temperature. On its face this is nonsensical - the diagram itself, being mere information, possesses neither power output nor temperature - but one can read this as the power output and temperature of a typical screen displaying the diagram. Bigger screens have a higher total output (in terms of luminosity) and are thus positioned further towards the diagram's top. An "unusually big screen" would have to be something like a JumboTron or a projector for its luminosity or temperature to put it outside of the lower right corner.

==Table==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!style="width:10%"|Item
!style="width:10%"|Effective Temperature
!style="width:10%"|Luminosity
!style="width:70%"|Explanation
|-
|{{w|Main sequence}}
|2500 K-45,000 K
|6.1 × 1021 W-8.4 × 1031 W
|Most stars lie along the main sequence, one of several labelled regions in a typical {{w|Hertzsprung–Russell diagram|Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram}}, and are thus classified as main sequence stars. Progressing from the lower-right toward the upper-left end of the main sequence, stars become more massive, hotter, and more luminous. The HR diagram in this comic includes three main sequence stars.
|-
|{{w|Giant star|Giants}}
|2700 K-6000 K
|1.6 × 1031 W
|A giant star is larger and more luminous than a main sequence star of the same temperature. The HR diagram in this comic does not specifically include any giant stars.
|-
|{{w|Supergiant star|Supergiants}}
|3450-20,000 K
|2.2 × 1029 W+
|Supergiant stars are among the largest and most luminous stars that exist. The HR diagram in this comic includes the supergiant star Betelgeuse.
|-
|{{w|White dwarf|White dwarfs}}
|10,000K
|5.0 × 1022 W
|In a white dwarf star, nuclear fusion has ceased. A white dwarf still radiates energy due to stored heat that was generated from fusion earlier in the star's life, but white dwarfs are much less luminous than stars that are still undergoing fusion. The HR diagram in this comic does not specifically include any white dwarf stars.
|-
|{{w|Brown dwarf|Brown dwarfs}}
|2200 K
|5.4 × 1022 W
|Brown dwarfs are too small to be classified as stars, but are larger than planets. The HR diagram in this comic does not specifically include any brown dwarfs.
|-
|{{w|Betelgeuse}}
|3200 K
|1.6 × 1031 W
|Betelgeuse is a red supergiant star. At 3200 K, it is cooler than the sun but has a higher luminosity owing to its larger size.
|-
|{{w|Vega}}
|10,000 K
|1.8 × 1028 W
|Vega is a main sequence star that is both hotter and more luminous than the sun.
|-
|{{w|Sun}}
|5800 K
|3.6 × 1026 W
|The sun is a main sequence star. On a typical {{w|Hertzsprung–Russell diagram|HR diagram}}, the luminosity of the sun is usually the basis of the luminosity scale, i.e. the sun is at "1" or 100 on the diagram's vertical scale.
|-
|{{w|Proxima Centauri}}
|2700 K
|2.0 × 1023 W
|Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the sun, is a main sequence star that is both cooler and less luminous than the sun.
|-
|{{w|HD 189733 b}}
|2100 K
|4.8 × 1021 W
|This is an exoplanet discovered in 2005. It is comparable in size to Jupiter, but hotter and more luminous owing to its close proximity to its own sun.
|-
|Interior of a {{w|Thermonuclear weapon|hydrogen bomb}} during detonation
|~108 K
|~1020 W
|This is the area where the fusion of hydrogen started and where the bomb is hottest and brightest.
|-
|{{w|Jupiter}}
|285 K
|1.2 × 1018 W
|Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a giant planet with a mass one-thousandth that of the Sun, but two-and-a-half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined.
|-
|{{w|Venus}}
|330 K
|5.0 × 1017 W
|Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. It has the longest rotation period (243 days) of any planet in the Solar System and rotates in the opposite direction to most other planets (meaning the Sun would rise in the west and set in the east).
|-
|{{w|Earth}}
|300 K
|3.0 × 1017 W
|Non-luminous objects on Earth are typically the same temperature as Earth, around 300 K. As shown in the diagram, Earth-based objects like France, the cruise ship, the blue whale, and the astronomer all have temperatures in the vicinity of 300 K.
|-
|{{w|Mars}}
|255 K
|2.0 × 1016 W
|Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System after Mercury.
|-
|{{w|Moon}}
|300 K
|1.2 × 1016 W
|The Moon is an astronomical body that orbits planet Earth and is Earth's only permanent natural satellite.
|-
|Nuclear Fireball
|8000 K
|2.0 × 1014 W
|The glowing, rising mass of air that appears just after a nuclear bomb is detonated.
|-
|{{w|France}}
|300 K
|2.0 × 1014 W
|This is part of Earth (and more precisely a part of Europe), the same temperature as Earth, but less luminous in proportion to its surface area. Including this may be a joke referencing the two possible meanings of ‘Europa’ (see the next entry). [https://goo.gl/images/H8Dmu3 France emits less light at night than neighbouring countries], perhaps due to lower population density.
|-
|{{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}
|90 K
|3.5 × 1014 W
|While this term could refer to Europe (a part of Earth, of which France (the previous entry) is a further part), the temperature and luminosity are both too small for that, so it must refer to the moon of Jupiter instead.
|-
|Lightning Bolt
|30,000 K
|30 GW
|The area where the bolt strikes.
|-
|{{w|Ivanpah Solar Power Facility|Ivanpah Solar Plant}} Salt Tank
|1200 K
|1.2 GW
|The {{w|Ivanpah Solar Power Facility}} is a large solar power generator in the Californian Mojave desert. It concentrates sunlight from 173,500 reflectors onto three water-boiler towers. Randall appears to have mistakenly confused this power plant with the nearby {{w|Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project}}, which uses tanks of molten salt to store energy. https://insideclimatenews.org/news/16012018/csp-concentrated-solar-molten-salt-storage-24-hour-renewable-energy-crescent-dunes-nevada
|-
|Medium-sized Lava Lake
|800 K
|32 MW
|Lava lakes are large volumes of molten lava, usually basaltic, contained in a volcanic vent, crater, or broad depression.
|-
|Cruise Ship
|325 K
|30 MW
|A cruise ship is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, when the voyage itself, the ship's amenities, and sometimes the different destinations along the way (i.e., ports of call), are part of the experience.
|-
|Campfire
|870 K
|7.0 kW
|A campfire is a fire at a campsite that provides light and warmth, and heat for cooking.
|-
|{{w|Blue whale}}
|280 K
|78 kW
|Must be average surface temperature as whales are warm-blooded at 37 °C internally, interestingly this and the cruise ship may be the only entries where a significant amount of power produced is conducted away rather than radiated. Also the power seems high compared to what I can find. [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321972840/figure/fig1/AS:574004013604864@1513864629274/Visible-and-infrared-spectrum-images-of-various-humpback-whale-surfacing-features.png These images] suggest a surface temperature around 295K - 300K for a Humpback whale when surfacing
|-
|{{w|Arc lamp}}
|6500 K
|150 W
|A light source that passes an electrical current through a gas (as in a mercury or sodium vapor lamp) rather than a solid filament (as in a standard incandescent lightbulb) or a semiconductor (as in an LED).
|-
|Lightbulb
|4800 K
|75 W
|The temperature value here refers to colour temperature, which for an incandescent bulb is the same as the filament temperature. However tungsten filament lights, commonly referred to as "bulbs", have a colour temperature of between 2400 and 3600 K, and tungsten melts at 3695 K.
|-
|LED Bulb
|5800 K
|8 W
|The temperature value here refers to colour temperature, not physical temperature. Color temperature is a better match to effective temperature than physical temperature. As typical semiconductors might be rated for a maximum of 150 °C or about 420 K, the physical temperature of an LED Bulb is considerably lower than its colour temperature.
|-
|Astronomer
|310 K
|100 W
| The body temperature of a human (astronomer or otherwise) is about 310 K (37 °C). Skin surface temperature (which would fit the meaning of effective temperature better) is typically 31–35 °C. An astronomer standing outside in a thick coat on a cold night would have a much lower surface temperature.

A human being generating 100 W for 24 hours needs 2065 kcal or 8.64 MJ. According to the UN FAO this is e.g. the typical daily energy output of women with weight 55 kg between 18 and 59 years having a light activity lifestyle of 1.55 times the BMR (basic metabolic rate).
|-
|{{w|Hertzsprung–Russell diagram}} (title text)
|(insert)
|(insert)
|Described in the title text, (insert).

|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Expanded Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
:[A scatter plot is shown, with the x-axis labeled Effective Temperature (in kelvins), and the y-axis Luminosity (watts).]
:[Circled items in the top left (high temperature and high luminosity):]
:Supergiants
:Giants
:Main sequence
:White dwarfs
:Brown dwarfs
:[Items shown as points and their values:]
:Betelgeuse: 3200 K, 1.6 × 1031 W
:Vega: 10,000 K, 1.8 × 1028 W
:Sun: 5800 K, 3.6 × 1026 W
:Proxima Centauri: 2700 K, 2.0 × 1023 W
:HD 189733 b: 2100 K, 4.8 × 1021 W
:Interior of a hydrogen bomb during detonation: ~108 K, ~1020 W
:Jupiter: 285 K, 1.2 × 1018 W
:Venus: 330 K, 5.0 × 1017 W
:Earth: 300 K, 3.0 × 1017 W
:Mars: 255 K, 2.0 × 1016 W
:Moon: 300 K, 1.2 × 1016 W
:Nuclear Fireball: 8000 K, 2.0 × 1014 W
:France: 300 K, 2.0 × 1014 W
:Europa: 90 K, 3.5 × 1014 W
:Lightning Bolt: 30,000 K, 30 GW
:Ivanpah Solar Plant Salt Tank: 1200 K, 1.2 GW
:Medium-sized Lava Lake: 800 K, 32 MW
:Cruise Ship: 325 K, 30 MW
:Campfire: 870 K, 7.0 kW
:Blue whale: 280 K, 78 kW
:Arc lamp: 6500 K, 150 W
:Lightbulb: 4800 K, 75 W
:LED Bulb: 5800 K, 8 W
:Astronomer: 310 K, 100 W

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Scatter plots]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

1795: All You Can Eat

2022-06-05T05:24:25Z

Esogalt: /* Kevin */ Possessive's, consistent line endings.

{{comic
| number = 1795
| date = February 6, 2017
| title = All You Can Eat
| image = all_you_can_eat.png
| titletext = After my absent-mindedness resulted in a bad posterboard-related stomachache, I learned to do the sign-making place last.
}}

==Explanation==
An all-you-can-eat {{w|buffet}} is when a restaurant will charge you once for entry and then continuously serve you more food at no additional cost until you have eaten all-you-can-eat. Part of the "[[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]]" series, this comic shows [[Randall]] wishes to pre-pend "all-you-can-eat" to random stores.

With the exception of the pet store, which sells pet food, these stores do not sell food, so the very idea of eating their product would be ridiculous for most humans. However, this is what Randall's stunt makes the stores he defaces seem to advertise. Most people would not seriously consider eating the products these stores sell{{Citation needed}} even with the signs suggesting they should, as they sell {{w|tires}}, {{w|hair cuts}}, {{w|lumber}} and {{w|flooring}} and {{w|pets}}.

The "all-you-can-eat" signs obscured the top line for three of the four shops signs. It is not really possible to read the obscured part of the first two signs, although it is likely that the first and last letters in the first sign are A and K. And also since the A is taller than the white sign, this first letter must be larger than the others which do not show above the white sign. There could be room for anything from 8 to many more letters hidden as it can be seen in the second line below that the I's take up much less space than the other letters. But from the letters below it seems likely there were 9 (maybe including a space) if no I's were used resulting in a word or two like this "A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ K". All letters in the comic seems to be capital, but Randall sometimes use small caps, where the first capital letter is larger than the others. This would fit with this sign.

The third sign is fully visible, and it makes sense as it is not a name in the top line but part of the description of what the store provides.

The last sign is though clearly readable even though the white sign covers the name at the top, and it says "Kevin's Pet Store". There actually exists a [http://kevinspetshopcom.weebly.com/ web page with the name "Kevin's Pet Shop"], supposedly located in Texas, but there is very limited information on the page. See more about the use of Kevin in xkcd in the [[#Kevin|trivia]] below.

In the title text, Randall seems to have fallen for his own prank. After he puts the "all-you-can-eat" sign onto the signmakers' place, he proceeds to heed his own sign literally and eat the posterboards that he is supposed to make signs from. To remind himself not to make the same mistake again, he tells himself to "do the sign-making place last."

It should also be noted that sometimes "all-you-can-eat" is used to mean "unlimited usage". An all-you-can-eat data plan, for example, is another way to say unlimited data. If this definition of the word were used, all-you-can-eat would mean "unlimited copies of our product for a one time fee". A {{w|kapsalon}} can, arguably, also be called an all-you-can-eat hair salon.

Note that some pets are considered food in some cultures; rabbits are commonly kept as pets as well as served as food, dogs are consumed in some areas in eastern Asia, guinea pigs in South America and Africa, and [http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/alf/images/9/92/Cat_sandwich.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110128060130 some fictional characters] are known for eating cat. Even more normally, a cat owner that wants to buy an "all you can eat" bird feast for their cat would be happy with this last store.

Aside from pets, pet stores also sell pet food, and while frowned upon by some, it is common practice to give human nutrition supplements to pets and vice versa. Some animal snacks are considered very tasty by many people, and there even exist several brands of snacks designed to be eaten both by people and their pets so that the owners could feel somehow closer to their beloved companion. Premium pet foods are made to standards that are no worse than standards for human food, so eating them poses no health risks in the short term - long term, most pet diets would fail to deliver the right balance of nutrients needed by humans.

==Transcript==
:[The comic shows the facades of four stores next to each other on a street, with the sidewalk shown in front of them. To the top of each store's name there has been appended white signs. Three of the white signs partially cover the name part of the sign above three of the stores, but the fourth sign is placed entirely above the text of the third store. Thus that white sign's top is higher up than the building's.]

:[First store from the left. The top line of two on the store's sign is obscured by the white sign:]
:White sign: All-you-can-eat
:Store sign: Discount Tires

:[Second store from the left. The top line of two on the store's sign is obscured by the white sign:]
:White sign: All-you-can-eat
:Store sign: Hair Salon

:[Third store from the left. The white sign on this store is slightly tilted, and most of it is above the top of the store completely above the store sign:]
:White sign: All-you-can-eat
:Store sign: Lumber and
:Store sign: Flooring Depot

:[Fourth store from the left. The top line of two on the store's sign is obscured by the white sign. However, the name can still be deduced, and the top line says "Kevin's".]
:White sign: All-you-can-eat
:Store sign: Pet Store

:[Caption below the frame:]
:My hobby: Going out at night and adding "all-you-can-eat" to every store's sign

*'''Click''' to expand for a more detailed image description without any more text:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">
 
:[First store from the left has one small rectangular section next to the door and then a larger window. The first section may be a poster with information about the store. It could also be a small window. Through the large window (or on it) two rectangular signs can be seen with unreadable text. There are also three half circles at the bottom of the large window, possibly chairs or tires on display. On the normal sized door there hangs an open/closed sign, but no text is visible. On the stores sign the top line of text, likely with the name of the store, is obscured by the white sign so most of the letters are completely covered. Less than half of the first capital letter and ditto for the last letter is visible. It looks like the first letter is an "A", and the last a "k".]

:[Second store from the left has two posters over each other, the top one with unreadable text, the bottom a picture of a person with messy black hair, seen from the torso and up. Next to this is a double door with large windows from below the middle and up near the top. Next to the door there is a small window. On the stores sign the top line of text, likely with the name of the store, is completely obscured by the white sign. This line is shorter than the white sign, but the letters are taller, so top and bottom of the letters can be seen. But it is not easy to guess any letters.]

:[Third store from the left has two posters over each other, but the lower poster is smaller and more to the right. Both has unreadable text, and the top one also some kind of image with two tilted rectangles. Similarly there are three signs above each other with different size and text on the right side of the store. Between them is a large open door. Wider than the double doors of store two, but there is no sign of the doors. Inside the store there are two signs, one hanging down from two rods from the ceiling, both with unreadable text. The one from the ceiling is in the center the other is partly obscured by the door frame to the left. Left and right there are two rectangular structures, which both goes behind the frame. The left is taller. In the middle there is one broad but low rectangular structure with another higher rectangle on top, which does not go to either side of the one below. The white sign on this store is slightly tilted, and most of it is above the top of the store, and thus also almost completely above the store sign. Only the top of the first and last letter in the last word in the top line is touched by the sign.]

:[Fourth store from the left has a window to the left. Behind the window is a flat surface on which two rectangular structures are standing on their long sides. Over the lowest to the left there is sign with unreadable text. Below the window there is a thin sign with more text. The normal sized door has a window from below the middle and up. There are three several signs up the left sign, and possible another three small signs at the bottom of the window. The top right corner has a curved line around the corner. No text is visible on the door. Next to the door is another square. It could be a window of a place to post things. There are one large posters to the left with unreadable text and to the top right another smaller white rectangle. Below along the bottom of the square there are three small rectangles shown in full, and two more is only partly shown, which could indicate that it is a window and that they are inside the store. On the stores sign the top line of text, with the name of the store, is obscured by the white sign. The name is just a bit longer than the white sign, and as the letters are a bit higher than in store two it can be deduced that it says "Kevin's".]
</div>
 

==Trivia==
===Kevin===
*The name Kevin has been used twice before this comic and quite recently.
**That makes this comic the third with a Kevin in only 77 comics:
***In [[1719: Superzoom]], Kevin worked in a shop that sold superzoom cameras.
***In [[1729: Migrating Geese]], Kevin was the different goose.
***In [[1795: All You Can Eat]] (this one), Kevin has a pet shop, with his name in the shop's name.
**In the previous 1718 comics there seems to have been no use of Kevin except when referring to real persons like:
***Actors [[1412: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles|Kevin]] [[599: Apocalypse|Bacon]] or [[1555: Exoplanet Names 2|Costner]].
***[[1392: Dominant Players|Chess players]] Gariett and Durant.
**So maybe Kevin is Randall's new go to name when he just needs one!
***This has also been discussed in the Geese comic, see the last entry in the [[1729:_Migrating_Geese#Table of labels|table]].
**After this comic it took half a year and 78 comics before the next Kevin appeared but still a short span compared to before the three others:
***In [[1873: Email Reply]], Kevin is addressed in an e-mail by [[Cueball]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Food]]

2623: Goofs

2022-05-23T17:13:01Z

Esogalt: /* Transcript */ Typos, captialisation.

{{comic
| number = 2623
| date = May 23, 2022
| title = Goofs
| image = goofs.png
| titletext = The film is set in 2018, but when Commander Bremberly chases the hologram through Times Square, there's a billboard for Avengers: Age of Ultron. Depending on the date, that billboard would have been advertising either Infinity War or this movie.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WILLING SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
IMDb is the {{w|Internet Movie Database}}, a web site that contains detailed information about movies and TV shows. One of the sections in many entries is "Goofs". This may list bloopers, inconsistencies, implausible actions, anachronisms, etc. in the movie. The comic makes fun of this with several goofs that simply point out differences between something in the movie and reality; but since the movie is fiction, it's not expected to exactly mirror reality.

In the first goof, the street doesn't actually exist in the city in which the movie is set. Unless the address is important to the plot (Manhattan has a number of streets with well known character, e.g. the main theatre district is on Broadway, Fifth Avenue is a major shopping district), screenwriters often just make up street names.

In the second example, they point out that there's no real harpoon store at the location where the characters buy a harpoon in the movie, and the nearest actual harpoon store doesn't have a display window like the one in the movie. Movies usually take liberties with details like this for plot expediency, it's not considered a goof. The text's reference to the "nearest harpoon store" may also be a mistake in itself; when I try googling "Manhattan harpoon stores", all I get are links related to {{w|Harpoon_Brewery}} -- breweries and taprooms that serve this beer.

In the third example, the background of a scene is actually a view of Downtown Vancouver. For financial reasons, many movies are not filmed in the same location where they're set, and Vancouver frequently stands in for many cities.

===Goofs===
There is no entry for a film featuring an agent Glennifer on IMDB. Randall is clearly failing to do basic research.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Web page showing a list of goofs. Each has some small illegible text below it, and every second has a faint yellow tinted background.]
:[Heading:]
:Goofs (78)
:[List:]
:The space detective's office is on chestnut ave, but Lower Manhattan has no street by that name. Agent Glennifer pursues the cybernetic dog onto what is clearly Ludlow Street.
:The agents destroy the blimp drones in Union Square with harpoons from a store display rack. The nearest harpoon store is several blocks away and has no outdoor displays.
:[The last item is only partially visible at the bottom of the "screen".]
:The apartment in the background of the hologram kissing scene actually exists in downtown Vancouver. We called the owners, who confirmed they had no residents named [...]
:[Caption below panel:]
:Sometimes the IMDB "Goofs" section really seems to struggle with the whole premise of fiction.

{{comic discussion}}

2623: Goofs

2022-05-23T17:10:11Z

Esogalt: /* Transcript */ Formatting and descriptive text.

{{comic
| number = 2623
| date = May 23, 2022
| title = Goofs
| image = goofs.png
| titletext = The film is set in 2018, but when Commander Bremberly chases the hologram through Times Square, there's a billboard for Avengers: Age of Ultron. Depending on the date, that billboard would have been advertising either Infinity War or this movie.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WILLING SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
IMDb is the {{w|Internet Movie Database}}, a web site that contains detailed information about movies and TV shows. One of the sections in many entries is "Goofs". This may list bloopers, inconsistencies, implausible actions, anachronisms, etc. in the movie. The comic makes fun of this with several goofs that simply point out differences between something in the movie and reality; but since the movie is fiction, it's not expected to exactly mirror reality.

In the first goof, the street doesn't actually exist in the city in which the movie is set. Unless the address is important to the plot (Manhattan has a number of streets with well known character, e.g. the main theatre district is on Broadway, Fifth Avenue is a major shopping district), screenwriters often just make up street names.

In the second example, they point out that there's no real harpoon store at the location where the characters buy a harpoon in the movie, and the nearest actual harpoon store doesn't have a display window like the one in the movie. Movies usually take liberties with details like this for plot expediency, it's not considered a goof. The text's reference to the "nearest harpoon store" may also be a mistake in itself; when I try googling "Manhattan harpoon stores", all I get are links related to {{w|Harpoon_Brewery}} -- breweries and taprooms that serve this beer.

In the third example, the background of a scene is actually a view of Downtown Vancouver. For financial reasons, many movies are not filmed in the same location where they're set, and Vancouver frequently stands in for many cities.

===Goofs===
There is no entry for a film featuring an agent Glennifer on IMDB. Randall is clearly failing to do basic research.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Web page showing a list of goofs. Each has some small illegible text below it, and every second has a faint yellow tinted background.]
:[Heading:]
:Goofs (78)
:[List:]
:The space detective's office is on chestnut ave, but Lower Manhattan has no street by that name. Agent Gelennifer pursues the cybernetic dog onto what is clearly Ludlow Street.
:The agents destroy the blimp drones in union square with harpoons from a store display rack. The nearest harpoon store is several blocks away and has no outdoor displays.
:[The last item is only partially visible at the bottom of the "screen".]
:The apartment in the background of the hologram kissing scene actually exists in downtown Vancouver. We called te owners, who confirmed they had no residents named [...]
:[Caption below panel:]
:Sometimes the IMDB "Goofs" section really seems to struggle with the whole premise of fiction.

{{comic discussion}}

2544: Heart-Stopping Texts

2021-11-20T04:45:27Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Grammar.

{{comic
| number = 2544
| date = November 19, 2021
| title = Heart-Stopping Texts
| image = heart_stopping_texts.png
| titletext = Was this your car? [looping 'image loading' animation]
}}

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

Text messages have become a ubiquitous form of communication in most countries, and have become a basic part of many people's everyday lives. Conversations over text frequently jump straight to the purpose of the communication, without salutation or prelude. Some texts, particularly when delivered without context, can carry implications that cause immediate anxiety.

"Out of the blue" is an English expression meaning "to appear in a sudden and unexpected fashion". 'The blue' alludes to the clear daylight sky. Something arriving/appearing/dropping/flying "out of the blue" has done so not just without warning, but without a reason for you not to have seen it (e.g. looming out of a foggy night), which implies that it's not just a surprise, but even the fact that you are getting surprised by something is surprising.

This comic lists texts that would be worrying to receive with no context, for a variety of reasons. It seems to suggest that sending these is a good way to prank someone; particularly the title text, where deliberately sending an animated loading icon seems like it couldn't be intended for any other purpose. The different messages are explained below.

==== Did you forget what day it is? ====
This implies that the recipient forgot some important event happening today. This could be an important day to a spouse or friend, and a relationship can be damaged by the recipient having forgotten. Or it could mean that the recipient failed to deliver on an important commitment scheduled for that day, which can create a variety of other problems.

==== I bet you're probably getting bombarded with texts right now, huh? ====
This implies that something of major significance has happened, that would make many people want to get in touch with the recipient. There are a lot of possibilities, many of which are negative. The non-specific nature of the text leaves the recipient wondering what has happened, and how bad it is.

==== Did you mean to post that to everyone? ====
Implies that the recipient has made a public post (presumably on some social network) that was offensive or otherwise inappropriate to post publicly; so much so that the text sender is asking if they perhaps meant it to be forwarded to a more contained group or possibly not even revealed to anyone at all. This is a common occurrence as on many platforms it can be easy to accidentally post something with the wrong visibility or mis-click something private into a media post.

==== Is this your house? ====
{{w|CNN}} is a popular news outlet in the United States. This text implies that the recipient's house has for some reason been mentioned (or probably photographed) in a CNN article. This would mean that a newsworthy event has occurred there, or at least nearby. Many newsworthy events are upsetting, possibly dangerous (eg. a fire, a natural disaster, a violent crime, etc). This might also imply a violation of privacy, as many people would not want to have a picture of their house on national news.

==== You didn't click on any weird emails recently, did you? ====
{{w|Phishing}} is the practice of sending fraudulent messages to someone in order to steal information (credentials, etc.) from them, infect them with {{w|malware}}, or otherwise perform some undesirable action. One overwhelmingly common form of this is getting people to click on {{w|hyperlink|hyperlinks}} in emails, which generally purport to lead somewhere reputable but instead lead to somewhere controlled by the sender.

This text implies something makes the sender think that the recipient has fallen victim to such an attack. It's common for the victim of such an attack to not be the first to discover it. For example, some attacks hijack the victim's email, and use it to bombard everyone in their contact list with further phishing attempts. If the sender of this text had received such an email, they might suspect an attack. If this has already happened, it's likely to cause major problems.

==== Can I call? ====
While this is a seemingly benign and simple request, texting someone to ask if you can call is usually a sign that the conversation will be long and serious, and the sender wants to ensure that the other party is available for such a discussion. Many such situations are negative (ranging from a breakup to the death of a loved one), and there's a great deal of tension in knowing that something is serious, but not knowing what it is.

==== Wait, do you know Joe Rogan? How does he know your name? ====
{{w|Joe Rogan}} is a public personality, best known for his podcast {{w|The Joe Rogan Experience}}. This message implies that the recipient has been discussed by Rogan for some reason. Similarly to the CNN case, this is likely to cause worry about what possible circumstances would prompt this.

Joe Rogan has recently been in the news for his anti vaccine stance so some people may not want to be associated with him.

==== Why are you trending on Twitter? ====
{{w|Twitter}} is a social network, which – among other features – tracks and shows topics that are currently being discussed by a large number of users on the platform, or "trending". An individual trending across the entire network (unless that person is a public figure) is usually either because they're connected with a news story, or because something they did or wrote has gone viral. There are sufficiently many negative things that can cause such unexpected fame that hearing about it would be worrying..

Twitter in particular is known for frequently involving very heated discussion, and often even the targeting of individuals by mobs who perceive them to have done something wrong.

==== Was this your car? [looping 'image loading' animation] ====
(title text) The past tense ('was') implies that your car no longer exists, with the animation additionally implying an image or a video of it being damaged or destroyed. In addition, it might take a long time for the receiver to realize that the media will never load, during which they will be worried about their car without knowing what happened to it.

==Transcript==

:[Comic heading:]
:Most heart-stopping texts to receive out of the blue

:[A collection of light gray text bubbles in two columns:]

:Did you forget what day it is?

:I bet you're probably getting bombarded with texts right now, huh?

:Did you mean to post that to everyone?

:Is this your house? cnn.com/2021/11/19/S...

:You didn't click on any weird emails recently, did you?

:Can I call?

:Wait, do you know Joe Rogan? How does he know your name?

:Why are you trending on Twitter?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Phones]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

2544: Heart-Stopping Texts

2021-11-20T01:43:02Z

Esogalt: Undo revision 221069 by 108.162.246.220 (talk) I agree but this is needlessly opinionated.

{{comic
| number = 2544
| date = November 19, 2021
| title = Heart-Stopping Texts
| image = heart_stopping_texts.png
| titletext = Was this your car? [looping 'image loading' animation]
}}

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

Text messages have become a ubiquitous form of communication in most countries, and have become a basic part of many peoples' everyday lives. Conversations over text frequently jump straight to the purpose of the communication, without salutation or prelude. Certain texts, particularly when delivered without context, can carry implications that cause immediate anxiety.

"Out of the blue" is an English expression meaning to appear in a sudden and unexpected fashion. 'The blue' alludes to the clear daylight sky. Something arriving/appearing/dropping/flying "out of the blue" has appeared not just without warning, but there's no reason for you not to have seen it (e.g. looming out of a foggy night), which sort of implies that it's not just a surprise, but even the fact that you are getting surprised by something is surprising.

This comic lists texts that would be extremely worrying to receive with no context, for a variety of reasons. It seems to suggest that sending these is a good way to prank someone; particularly the title text, where deliberately sending an animated loading icon seems like it couldn't be intended for any other purpose. The different messages are explained below.

==== Did you forget what day it is? ====
This implies that the recipient has forgotten some important event happening today. This could be an important day to a spouse or friend, and a relationship can be damaged by the recipient having forgotten. Or it could mean that the recipient has failed to deliver on an important commitment scheduled for that day, which can create a variety of other problems.

==== I bet you're probably getting bombarded with texts right now, huh? ====
This implies that something of major significance has happened, that would make many people want to get in touch with the recipient. There are a lot of possibilities, many of which are negative. The non-specific nature of the text leaves the recipient wondering what has happened, and how bad it is.

==== Did you mean to post that to everyone? ====
Implies that the recipient has made a public post (presumably on some form of social network) that was offensive or otherwise inappropriate to post publicly; so much so that the text sender is asking if they perhaps meant it to be forwarded to a more contained group or possibly not even revealed to anyone else out there at all. This is not an uncommon occurrence as on many platforms it can be easy to accidentally post something with the wrong visibility or mis-click something private into a media post.

==== Is this your house? ====
{{w|CNN}} is a popular news outlet in the United States. This text implies that the recipient's house has for some reason been mentioned (or probably photographed) in a CNN article. This would mean that a newsworthy event has occurred there, or at least very nearby. Many newsworthy events are upsetting, possibly dangerous (eg. a fire, a natural disaster, a violent crime, etc).

==== You didn't click on any weird emails recently, did you? ====
{{w|Phishing}} is the practice of sending fraudulent messages to someone in order to steal information (credentials, etc.), infect them with {{w|malware}}, or otherwise perform some undesirable action. One overwhelmingly common form of this is getting people to click on {{w|hyperlink|hyperlinks}} in emails, which generally purport to lead somewhere reputable but instead lead to somewhere controlled by the sender.

This text implies something makes the sender think the recipient has fallen victim to such an attack. It's not uncommon for the victim of such an attack to not be the first to discover it. For example, some attacks hijack the victim's email, and use it to bombard everyone in their contact list with further phishing attempts. If the sender of this text had received such an email, they might suspect an attack. If this has already happened, it's likely to cause major problems.

==== Can I call? ====
While this is a seemingly benign and simple request, contacting someone by text to ask whether you can call is usually a sign that they expect the conversation to be long and serious, and want to ensure that the other party is available for such a discussion. Many such situations are negative (ranging from a breakup to the death of a loved one), and there's a great deal of tension in knowing that something is serious, but not knowing what it is.

==== Wait, do you know Joe Rogan? How does he know your name? ====
{{w|Joe Rogan}} is a public personality, best known for his podcast {{w|The Joe Rogan Experience}}. This message implies that the recipient has been discussed by Rogan for some reason. Similarly to the CNN case, this is likely to cause worry about what possible circumstances would prompt this.

Joe Rogan has recently been in the news for his anti vaccine stance so people may not want to be associated with him.

==== Why are you trending on Twitter? ====
{{w|Twitter}} is a social network, which – among other features – tracks and shows topics that are currently being discussed by a large number of users on the platform, or "trending". An individual trending across the entire network (unless that person is a public figure) is usually either because they're connected with a news story, or because something they did or wrote has gone viral. There are sufficiently many negative things that can cause such unexpected fame that hearing about it would be worrying..

Twitter in particular is known for frequently involving very heated discussion, and often even the targeting of individuals by mobs who perceive them to have done something wrong.

==== Was this your car? [looping 'image loading' animation] ====
(title text) The past tense ('was') implies that your car no longer exists, with the animation additionally implying a video of it being damaged or destroyed somehow.

==Transcript==

:[Comic heading:]
:Most heart-stopping texts to receive out of the blue

:[A collection of light gray text bubbles in two columns:]

:Did you forget what day it is?

:I bet you're probably getting bombarded with texts right now, huh?

:Did you mean to post that to everyone?

:Is this your house? cnn.com/2021/11/19/S...

:You didn't click on any weird emails recently, did you?

:Can I call?

:Wait, do you know Joe Rogan? How does he know your name?

:Why are you trending on Twitter?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Phones]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

2544: Heart-Stopping Texts

2021-11-20T00:23:28Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Explain "out of the blue", prankishness.

{{comic
| number = 2544
| date = November 19, 2021
| title = Heart-Stopping Texts
| image = heart_stopping_texts.png
| titletext = Was this your car? [looping 'image loading' animation]
}}

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

Text messages have become a ubiquitous form of communication in most countries, and have become a basic part of many peoples' everyday lived experience. Conversations over text frequently jump straight to the purpose of the communication, without salutation or prelude. Certain texts, particularly when delivered without context, can carry implications that cause immediate anxiety.

"Out of the blue" is an English expression meaning to appear in a sudden and unexpected fashion. 'The blue' alludes to the clear daylight sky. Something arriving/appearing/dropping/flying "out of the blue" has appeared not just without warning, but there's no reason for you not to have seen it (e.g. looming out of a foggy night), which sort of implies that it's not just a surprise, but even the fact that you are getting surprised by something is surprising.

This comic lists texts that would be extremely worrying to receive with no context, for a variety of reasons. It seems to suggest that sending these is a good way to prank someone; particularly the title text, where deliberately sending an animated loading icon seems like it couldn't be intended for any other purpose. The different messages are explained below.

==== Did you forget what day it is? ====
This implies that the recipient has forgotten some important event happening today. This could be an important day to a spouse or friend, and a relationship can be damaged by the recipient having forgotten. Or it could mean that the recipient has failed to deliver on an important commitment scheduled for that day, which can create a variety of other problems.

==== I bet you're probably getting bombarded with texts right now, huh? ====
This implies that something of major significance has happened, that would make many people want to get in touch with the recipient. There are a lot of possibilities, many of which are negative. The non-specific nature of the text leaves the recipient wondering what has happened, and how bad it is.

==== Did you mean to post that to everyone? ====
Implies that the recipient has made a public post (presumably on some form of social network) that was offensive or otherwise inappropriate to post publicly; so much so that the text sender is asking if they perhaps meant it to be forwarded to a more contained group or possibly not even revealed to anyone else out there at all. This is not an uncommon occurrence as on many platforms it can be easy to accidentally post something with the wrong visibility or mis-click something private into a media post.

==== Is this your house? ====
{{w|CNN}} is a popular news outlet in the United States. This text implies that the recipient's house has for some reason been mentioned (or probably photographed) in a CNN article. This would mean that a newsworthy event has occurred there, or at least very nearby. Many newsworthy events are upsetting, possibly dangerous (eg. a fire, a natural disaster, a violent crime, etc).

==== You didn't click on any weird emails recently, did you? ====
{{w|Phishing}} is the practice of sending fraudulent messages to someone in order to steal information (credentials, etc.), infect them with {{w|malware}}, or otherwise perform some undesirable action. One overwhelmingly common form of this is getting people to click on {{w|hyperlink|hyperlinks}} in emails, which generally purport to lead somewhere reputable but instead lead to somewhere controlled by the sender.

This text implies something makes the sender think the recipient has fallen victim to such an attack. It's not uncommon for the victim of such an attack to not be the first to discover it. For example, some attacks hijack the victim's email, and use it to bombard everyone in their contact list with further phishing attempts. If the sender of this text had received such an email, they might suspect an attack. If this has already happened, it's likely to cause major problems.

==== Can I call? ====
While this is a seemingly benign and simple request, contacting someone by text to ask whether you can call is usually a sign that they expect the conversation to be long and serious, and want to ensure that the other party is available for such a discussion. Many such situations are negative (ranging from a breakup to the death of a loved one), and there's a great deal of tension in knowing that something is serious, but not knowing what it is.

==== Wait, do you know Joe Rogan? How does he know your name? ====
{{w|Joe Rogan}} is a public personality, best known for his podcast {{w|The Joe Rogan Experience}}. This message implies that the recipient has been discussed by Rogan for some reason. Similarly to the CNN case, this is likely to cause worry about what possible circumstances would prompt this.

Joe Rogan has recently been in the news for his anti vaccine stance so people may not want to be associated with him.

==== Why are you trending on Twitter? ====
{{w|Twitter}} is a social network, which – among other features – tracks and shows topics that are currently being discussed by a large number of users on the platform, or "trending". An individual trending across the entire network (unless that person is a public figure) is usually either because they're connected with a news story, or because something they did or wrote has gone viral. There are sufficiently many negative things that can cause such unexpected fame that hearing about it would be worrying..

Twitter in particular is known for frequently involving very heated discussion, and often even the targeting of individuals by mobs who perceive them to have done something wrong.

==== Was this your car? [looping 'image loading' animation] ====
(title text) The past tense ('was') implies that your car no longer exists, with the animation additionally implying a video of it being damaged or destroyed somehow.

==Transcript==

:[Comic heading:]
:Most heart-stopping texts to receive out of the blue

:[A collection of light gray text bubbles in two columns:]

:Did you forget what day it is?

:I bet you're probably getting bombarded with texts right now, huh?

:Did you mean to post that to everyone?

:Is this your house? cnn.com/2021/11/19/S...

:You didn't click on any weird emails recently, did you?

:Can I call?

:Wait, do you know Joe Rogan? How does he know your name?

:Why are you trending on Twitter?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Phones]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

Talk:2544: Heart-Stopping Texts

2021-11-19T19:47:33Z

Esogalt:

I've done a brief explanation of each message -- sorry if I've edit-conflicted anyone! I'm not at all familiar with Joe Rogan, so I might have missed some significance there. [[User:Esogalt|Esogalt]] ([[User talk:Esogalt|talk]]) 19:47, 19 November 2021 (UTC)

2544: Heart-Stopping Texts

2021-11-19T19:44:27Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Change H3s to H4s.

2544: Heart-Stopping Texts

2021-11-19T19:40:36Z

Esogalt: /* Transcript */ Title text should not be included in transcript.

2544: Heart-Stopping Texts

2021-11-19T19:40:01Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Brief explanation of each message.

2544: Heart-Stopping Texts

2021-11-19T19:03:33Z

Esogalt: /* Transcript */ Improve.

2540: TTSLTSWBD

2021-11-12T15:48:17Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Typo.

{{comic
| number = 2540
| date = November 10, 2021
| title = TTSLTSWBD
| image = ttsltswbd.png
| titletext = Tomorrow's sessions will be entirely devoted to sewing machine rotary hooks.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an EXCESSIVELY LONG ACRONYM THAT SEEMS LIKE IT SHOULD WORK BUT DOESN'T. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Cueball]] is standing at a lectern on a [[1661: Podium|podium]], addressing a large crowd. He is describing the program of some event, listing the different topics that will be covered. These appear to be random, but the caption gives the punchline: it is a conference on things that seem like they shouldn't work but do.

By "things that seem like they shouldn't work", it means things that the average person would have some intuitive sense that the function of thing was impossible, and yet ample real-world experience shows that they do, and may become a routine function that people depend upon. TTSLTSWBD in the title and the banner is the abbreviation for "Things That Seem Like They Shouldn't Work, But Do".

{{w|Organ transplantation}}, where a functioning organ is cut out of one person (possibly a dead person) and put into another person where it will continue to operate. Given the very complex and delicate nature of living tissue, it's rather surprising that this could work at all. In reality, it's not a simple process, and a lot of things could go wrong, but modern medicine is advanced enough that organ transplantation is widely accepted and regularly practiced, usually functioning well enough to extend life.

{{w|Airship|Airships}}, or dirigibles, are [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Giant_Aircraft_Comparison.svg 1 huge]], rigid structures which are filled with bags of lighter-than-air gas, which causes the entire structure to float, and could carry both passengers and significant loads. The idea of such a huge vessel traveling, able to both move rapidly and float in place, would be hard to imagine if it didn't exist, yet zeppelins functioned and were a practical mode of transportation for a time. Unlike the other things mentioned, airships are largely obsolete (having lost favor due to {{w|Hindenburg_disaster|safety concerns}} and surpassed by other technologies)

{{w|Lunch|Lunch}} is listed as if it was another topic of the TTSLTSWBD, but it actually just means that after discussing airships, the conference will take a break to eat lunch, as many [[1530:_Keyboard_Mash|humans]] usually do.[[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]] Because lunch is a relatively modern construction, filling a niche that grew after dinner shifted later into the day, it may defy one's intuition. In this sense, a three-meal day may seem like it shouldn't work, but most who observe all three meals on schedule would likely argue that it does.

{{w|Gyroscope|Gyroscopes}} are simple devices consisting of a spinning disc mounted inside three concentric {{w|Gimbal|gimbals}}. The rotational inertia of the disc resists change in orientation, and the gimbals allow it to remain in a single orientation, even when it's mounted to something that's moving. The notion that a disc can remain steady, even when everything around it is moving can be counterintuitive even to those who understand the physical principles. This weirdness has been previously referenced in [[332: Gyroscopes]].

{{w|Butterfly|Butterflies}} fly with an unusual fluttering pattern, which works in part due to the {{w|Ornithopter#Aerodynamics|notoriously complex principles of fluid dynamics}} that may look like uncontrolled fluttering but yet somehow allows the creature to land directly on specific flowerheads to feed. This is not as intuitively understandable as the flight of larger creatures such as birds.

The title text refers to {{w|Rotary hook|rotary hooks}} on sewing machines, which are a complicated (and complicated looking) mechanism whose purpose is to feed one thread in a loop around a whole spool of another thread, and are apparently counterintuitive enough that the conference feels they need a whole day to cover them.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball stands at a lectern gesturing with one hand held out, speaking to an audience. A banner hangs on the wall with the acronym "TTSLTSWBD" displayed in large text, with illegible smaller text under it.]
:Cueball: Next we have a session on organ transplants and another on airships.
:Cueball: Then lunch, then we'll have one on gyroscopes and one on butterflies.
:[Caption below panel:]
:The first annual conference on Things That Seem Like They Shouldn't Work But Do

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Animals]]

Talk:2540: TTSLTSWBD

2021-11-11T10:33:09Z

Esogalt:

XKCD 332 should be referenced here. Gyroscopes are not only directly referenced but also the similar observation that they should not work. I am being careful not to edit this page at the moment since it's probably very active. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.38|162.158.62.38]] 04:46, 11 November 2021 (UTC)
: Done! :D [[User:Esogalt|Esogalt]] ([[User talk:Esogalt|talk]]) 06:10, 11 November 2021 (UTC)
"FIRST ANNUAL"?? How does one know that it will be an annual event until the second one takes place??? <PET PEEVE> [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.195|172.70.126.195]] 10:14, 11 November 2021 (UTC)
: Planning is a thing? [[User:Esogalt|Esogalt]] ([[User talk:Esogalt|talk]]) 10:33, 11 November 2021 (UTC)

2540: TTSLTSWBD

2021-11-11T07:13:29Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Lectern thing is barely relevant; shouldn't take up 50% of the leading sentence. Also merge first two paragraphs.

2540: TTSLTSWBD

2021-11-11T06:15:17Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ IMO the apparent randomness is important to the humour.

Talk:2540: TTSLTSWBD

2021-11-11T06:10:22Z

Esogalt:

2540: TTSLTSWBD

2021-11-11T06:09:59Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Reference 332.

2540: TTSLTSWBD

2021-11-11T05:33:05Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Grammar, wlinks, butterflies. Organ transplantation from a perfectly healthy or perfectly dead person is probably more common than from a near-dead person.

2540: TTSLTSWBD

2021-11-11T04:14:21Z

Esogalt: /* Transcript */ "Standing at a lectern with one hand raised" is just Hitler isn't it?

2540: TTSLTSWBD

2021-11-11T04:10:23Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Hopefully the sewing machines haven't gained enough sentience to convene. *Really* hopefully organ transplants haven't.

2540: TTSLTSWBD

2021-11-11T04:06:40Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Initial explanation.

2540: TTSLTSWBD

2021-11-11T04:02:08Z

Esogalt: /* Transcript */ Initial transcript.

{{comic
| number = 2540
| date = November 10, 2021
| title = TTSLTSWBD
| image = ttsltswbd.png
| titletext = Tomorrow's sessions will be entirely devoted to sewing machine rotary hooks.
}}

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

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball stands at a lectern, speaking to a seated audience. A banner hangs on the wall with the acronym "TTSLTSWBD" displayed in large text, with illegible smaller text under it.]
:Cueball: Next we have a session on organ transplants and another on airships.
:Cueball: Then lunch, then we'll have one on gyroscopes and one on butterflies.
:[Caption below panel:]
:The first annual conference on things that seem like they shouldn't work but do

{{comic discussion}}

Facebook

2021-11-10T13:08:27Z

Esogalt: - spam.

#REDIRECT [[300: Facebook]]

1132: Frequentists vs. Bayesians

2021-11-10T05:49:25Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Remove significant whitespace from wlink.

{{comic
| number = 1132
| date = November 9, 2012
| title = Frequentists vs. Bayesians
| image = frequentists_vs_bayesians.png
| titletext = 'Detector! What would the Bayesian statistician say if I asked him whether the--' [roll] 'I AM A NEUTRINO DETECTOR, NOT A LABYRINTH GUARD. SERIOUSLY, DID YOUR BRAIN FALL OUT?' [roll] '... yes.'}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a joke about jumping to conclusions based on a simplistic understanding of probability. The "{{w|base rate fallacy}}" is a mistake where an unlikely explanation is dismissed, even though the alternative is even less likely. In the comic, a device tests for the (highly unlikely) event that the sun has exploded. A degree of random error is introduced, by rolling two {{w|dice}} and lying if the result is double sixes. Double sixes are unlikely (1 in 36, or about 3% likely), so the statistician on the left dismisses it. The statistician on the right has (we assume) correctly reasoned that the sun exploding is ''far more'' unlikely, and so is willing to stake money on his interpretation.

The labels given to the two statisticians, in their panels and in the comic's title, are not particularly fair or accurate, a fact which [[Randall]] has acknowledged:<ref name="munroe-on-gelman">[http://web.archive.org/web/20130117080920/http://andrewgelman.com/2012/11/16808/#comment-109366 Comment by Randall Munroe] to "I don’t like this cartoon", blog post by Andrew Gelman in ''Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science''. Archived Jan 17 2013 by the Wayback Machine.</ref>
<blockquote>I seem to have stepped on a hornet’s nest, though, by adding “Frequentist” and “Bayesian” titles to the panels. This came as a surprise to me, in part because I actually added them as an afterthought, along with the final punchline. … The truth is, I genuinely didn’t realize Frequentists and Bayesians were actual camps of people—all of whom are now emailing me. I thought they were loosely-applied labels—perhaps just labels appropriated by the books I had happened to read recently—for the standard textbook approach we learned in science class versus an approach which more carefully incorporates the ideas of prior probabilities.</blockquote>

The "{{w|Frequentist inference|frequentist}}" statistician is (mis)applying the common standard of "{{w|P-value|p}}<0.05". In a scientific study, a result is presumed to provide strong evidence if, given that the {{w|null hypothesis}}, a default position that the observations are unrelated (in this case, that the sun has ''not'' gone nova), there is less than a 5% chance that the result was merely random. (The null hypothesis was also referenced in [[892: Null Hypothesis]].)

Since the likelihood of rolling double sixes is below this 5% threshold, the "frequentist" decides (by this rule of thumb) to accept the detector's output as correct. The "{{w|Bayesian statistics|Bayesian}}" statistician has, instead, applied at least a small measure of probabilistic reasoning ({{w|Bayesian inference}}) to determine that the unlikeliness of the detector lying is greatly outweighed by the unlikeliness of the sun exploding. Therefore, he concludes that the sun has ''not'' exploded and the detector is lying.

A real statistician (frequentist or Bayesian) would probably demand a lower ''p''-value before concluding that a test shows the Sun has exploded; physicists tend to use 5 sigma, or about 1 in 3.5 million, as the standard before declaring major results, like discovering new particles. This would be equivalent to rolling between eight and nine dice and getting all sixes, although this is still not "very good" compared to the actual expected likelihood of the Sun spontaneously going nova, as discussed below.

The line, "Bet you $50 it hasn't", is a reference to the approach of a leading Bayesian scholar, {{w|Bruno de Finetti}}, who made extensive use of bets in his examples and thought experiments. See {{w|Coherence (philosophical gambling strategy)}} for more information on his work. In this case, however, the bet is also a joke because we would all be dead if the sun exploded. If the Bayesian wins the bet, he gets money, and if he loses, they'll both be dead before money can be paid. This underlines the absurdity of the premise and emphasizes the need to consider context when examining probability.

It is also possible that the use of the sun is a reference to Laplace's {{w|Sunrise problem}}.

The title text refers to a classic series of logic puzzles known as {{w|Knights and Knaves#Fork in the road|Knights and Knaves}}, where there are two guards in front of two exit doors, one of which is real and the other leads to death. One guard is a liar and the other tells the truth. The visitor doesn't know which is which, and is allowed to ask one question to one guard. The solution is to ask either guard what the other one would say is the real exit, then choose the opposite. Two such guards were featured in the 1986 Jim Henson movie ''{{w|Labyrinth (1986 film)|Labyrinth}}'', hence the mention of "A LABYRINTH GUARD" here. A labyrinth was also mentioned in [[246: Labyrinth Puzzle]].

===Further a less serious mathematical exploration===
As mentioned, this is an instance of the {{w|base rate fallacy}}. If we treat the "truth or lie" setup as simply modelling an inaccurate test, then it is also specifically an illustration of the {{w|false positive paradox}}: A test that is rarely wrong, but which tests for an event that is even rarer, will be more often wrong than right when it says that the event has occurred.

The test, in this case, is a neutrino detector. It relies on the fact that neutrinos can pass through the earth, so a neutrino detector would detect neutrinos from the sun at all times, day and night. The detector is stated to give false results ("lie") 1/36th of the time.

There is no record of any star ever spontaneously exploding—they always show signs of deterioration long before their explosion—so the probability is near zero. For the sake of a number, though, consider that the sun's estimated lifespan is 10 billion years. Let's say the test is run every hour, twelve hours a day (at night time). This gives us a probability of the Sun exploding at one in 4.38×10-13. Assuming this detector is otherwise reliable, when the detector reports a solar explosion, there are two possibilities:
# The sun '''has''' exploded (one in 4.38×10-13) and the detector '''is''' telling the truth (35 in 36). This event has a total probability of about 1/(4.38×10-13) × 35/36 or about one in 4.50×10-13
# The sun '''hasn't''' exploded (4.38×10-13 − 1 in 4.38×10-13) and the detector '''is not''' telling the truth (1 in 36). This event has a total probability of about (4.38×10-13 − 1) / 4.38×10-13 × 1/36 or about one in 36

Clearly the sun exploding is not the most likely option. Indeed, Bayes' theorem can be used to find the probability that the Sun has exploded, given a result of "yes" and the prior probability given above:

: <math>
\begin{align}
P(\text{exploded}\,|\,\text{yes})&=\frac{P(\text{yes}\,|\,\text{exploded})P(\text{exploded})}{P(\text{yes})}\\
&=\frac{P(\text{exploded})(1-P(\text{lie}))}{P(\text{exploded})(1-P(\text{lie}))+P(\text{lie})(1-P(\text{exploded}))}\\
&\approx\frac1{1.25226\times10^{12}}
\end{align}
</math>

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the first panel:]
:<big>Did the sun just explode?</big>
:(It's night, so we're not sure)

:[Two Cueball-like guys stand on either side of a small table with a small black device on it. The device has white lines (ventilation) and two small antennas and a button on top. When the device speaks it uses in Westminster typeface. The Guy on the left, called Frequentist Statistician in the 2nd panel, points to the device. The guy on the right, called Bayesian Statistician in the 3rd panel, is just looking at the device. Above the spoken word from the device is a sound.]
:Frequentist Statistician: This neutrino detector measures whether the sun has gone nova.
:Bayesian Statistician: Then, it rolls two dice. If they both come up as six, it lies to us. Otherwise, it tells the truth.
:Frequentist Statistician: Let's try. ''Detector! Has the sun gone nova?''
:Sound:''Roll''
:Device: <big>YES.</big>

:[Two panels side by side are beneath the first panel. together they are broader than the top panel. Above each panel is a caption. In the left panel only the left statistician is shown with the device on the table. And in the right panel only the right statistician is shown with the device on the table. both are just looking at the device.]
:Frequentist Statistician:
:Frequentist Statistician: The probability of this result happening by chance is 1/36=0.027. Since p<0.05, I conclude that the sun has exploded.

:Bayesian Statistician:
:Bayesian Statistician: Bet you $50 it hasn't.

==Trivia==
* The Sun will never explode as a supernova, because it does not have enough mass to undergo core collapse and also does not have a companion star
*In the same blog comment as cited above<ref name="munroe-on-gelman"/>, Randall explains that he chose the "sun exploding" scenario as a more clearly absurd example than those usually used:
<blockquote>…I realized that in the common examples used to illustrate this sort of error, like the cancer screening/drug test false positive ones, the correct result is surprising or unintuitive. So I came up with the sun-explosion example, to illustrate a case where naïve application of that significance test can give a result that’s obviously nonsense.</blockquote>
*"Bayesian" statistics is named for Thomas Bayes, who studied conditional probability — the likelihood that one event is true when given information about some other related event. From {{w|Bayes Theorem|Wikipedia}}: "Bayesian interpretation expresses how a subjective degree of belief should rationally change to account for evidence".
* The "frequentist" says that 1/36 = 0.027. It's actually 0.02777…, which should round to 0.028.
* Using neutrino detectors to get an advance warning of a supernova is possible, and the {{w|Supernova Early Warning System}} does just this. The neutrinos arrive ahead of the photons, because they can escape from the core of the star before the supernova explosion reaches the mantle.

==References==
<references/>

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]

1847: Dubious Study

2021-11-10T05:41:59Z

Esogalt: /* Discussion */ <ref> goes inside parentheses.

{{comic
| number = 1847
| date = June 7, 2017
| title = Dubious Study
| image = dubious_study.png
| titletext = Sounds fine. I looked up the Academy, and it says on their MySpace page that their journal is peer-viewed and downloaded biannually.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic alludes to the growing industry in {{w|Predatory open access publishing|disreputable academic journals}}, many of whom accept articles of dubious merit for publication without rigorous peer review upon payment of a fee. In an attempt to sound legitimate (and thus attract submissions), many such publishers publish journals whose names sound intentionally similar to (if not identical to) established titles. Here, the ''National Academy of Proceedings'' is a meaningless title that sounds similar to the highly regarded academic title {{w|Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America|''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA''}}.

In the caption, Randall points out that even he is sometimes fooled into believing a study is serious because it is well-formatted and looks professional, at least at first. Even though he eventually realizes the study is dubious, sometimes it's only after reading a significant portion of the paper. A possible unstated concern Randall may have is that some readers might never realize this and end up believing whatever results and conclusions are included in the paper, thereby leading to a belief in false or misleading information among some portion of the population.

The title text implies that this (at present) fictional journal has a dubious online presence in the faded internet site {{w|Myspace|MySpace}}, where the publishers make claims that may be true but are misleading: "peer-viewed" sounds similar to "{{w|peer review|peer-reviewed}}", the community-led process of establishing a paper's scientific integrity prior to publication, but in fact means only that scientists have viewed the content (as [[Cueball]] is now). Likewise, some journals might be "published biannually", whereas "downloaded biannually" implies that the journal is ''read'' only twice each year. Single articles in high-profile journals such as ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences'' would expect to receive [http://palgrave.nature.com/nchem/journal/v7/n5/nchem.2243/metrics hundreds to thousands] of views in their first year of publication. The fictional journal publisher no doubt hopes that an inexperienced scientist may mistake these claims for meaningful statements of authority, and thus submit a paper (and eventually pay a fee for its publication).

''The National Academy of Proceedings'' in fact sets itself apart from certain predatory journals by ensuring that the claims on its website are in fact factually accurate (if phrased to mislead article authors, particularly those with English as an additional language); some journals are [http://www.nature.com/news/predatory-journals-recruit-fake-editor-1.21662 openly dishonest] on their websites.

Randall also judges academic content based on superficial details in comic [[1301: File Extensions]], where he focuses on how the information is formatted (in particular if it is in TeX or with the TeX rendering-style of a scientific publication). Similarly, in [[906: Advertising Discovery]], Randall muses on how we automatically trust anything formatted in Wikipedia style. (This was later proven in a scientific study.<ref>No it wasn't. But weren't you inclined to believe it just because of the little blue "[1]"?</ref>) And on a different note, prestigious-sounding but meaningless names also appear in the title text for [[1068: Swiftkey|1068]], where {{w|SwiftKey}} suggests the phrase "Massachusetts Institute of America" to Randall.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is standing behind Cueball who is sitting at a computer desk using a laptop.]
:Megan: Are you sure this study is legit?
:Cueball: Sure, it says it was accepted for publication.
:Megan: Where?
:Cueball: Hmm... ''The National Academy of Proceedings''.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:If something is formatted like a serious scientific paper, it can take me a while to realize it isn't one.

==References==
<references/>

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Science]]

932: CIA

2021-11-10T05:33:06Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ "CIA" -> "the CIA".

{{comic
| number = 932
| date = August 1, 2011
| title = CIA
| image = cia.png
| titletext = It was their main recruiting poster, hung nearly ten feet up a wall! This means the hackers have LADDER technology! Are we headed for a future where everyone has to pay $50 for one of those locked plexiglass poster covers? More after the break...
}}

==Explanation==
[[Blondie]] as a [[:Category:News anchor|news anchor]] is reporting on a hacker attack on the {{w|Central Intelligence Agency|CIA}} (hence the title).

This comic is a reference to the attacks by a group briefly known as {{w|LulzSec}}, which was a splinter group from the internet community known as {{w|Anonymous (group)|Anonymous}}, also featured in [[834: Wikileaks]]. In the back of the news report in frame one is the logo that was used by LulzSec. The group was able to publicize several high profile attacks. They were able to briefly take down the CIA website using a DDoS attack. {{w|DDoS}} stands for Distributed Denial of Service in which the attacker uses many computers to send traffic to a host and render it incapable of answering requests from any other computer, effectively taking the site down.

This comic is pointing out the difference between what lay-people ([[Ponytail]]) and the computer expert ([[Megan]]) hear when seeing a story like this. Most people may think there is no boundary between the CIA website and its internal network, and conclude hackers compromised the USA intelligence service's most precious data, which would be an incredible display of incompetence by the CIA and would have some pretty obvious negative side effects for CIA assets around the world.

Computer experts, on the other hand, may compare the CIA website to a company's poster, so the damage done is much different and less harmful: the CIA's public relation capacities are hindered for a few hours. The damage from a DDoS is less a catastrophic compromise of valuable federal databases, and more like flash mob crowding in the lobby of the CIA offices, making life mildly inconvenient.

The title text is a transcript of a made up news report. A story similar to the attack is illustrated using old technology. This attempts to demonstrate how silly the news coverage of the real event is. The recruiting poster refers to the CIA website, as it is a PR tool with no connection to sensitive information. It being ten feet high refers to the fact that that the website is open to the public and has limited protections (as danger from a compromised site is low). The ladder technology refers to the DDoS attack, as these attacks are primitive, but possibly well coordinated. The plexiglass poster covers refer to website security tools that may be added to deter future vandalism.

==Transcript==
:[A television is showing Blondie as a news anchor. The inset picture of the news shows the logo of LulzSec, a man wearing a monocle and top hat.]
:Blondie: Hackers briefly took down the website of the CIA yesterday...

:[Ponytail, sitting in an armchair, is watching a television (seen from the side) standing on a table hearing what Blondie says as indicated with a zigzag line from the TV. Above the top part of the frame is a smaller frame with a label:]
:What people hear:
:Blondie (not shown from the TV): Someone hacked into the computers of the '''''CIA!!'''''

:[Megan, sitting in an armchair, is watching a television (seen from the side) standing on a table hearing what Blondie says as indicated with a zigzag line from the TV. Above the top part of the frame is a smaller frame with a label:]
:What computer experts hear:
:Blondie (not shown from the TV): Someone tore down a poster hung up by the '''''CIA!!'''''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:News anchor]]
[[Category:Computers]]

Talk:2538: Snack

2021-11-09T22:55:03Z

Esogalt: Please don't actually, though.

IRB is Institutional Review Board. IRB approval is needed for biomedical research involving human subjects.
https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/institutional-review-boards-frequently-asked-questions
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.91|172.69.34.91]] 20:51, 5 November 2021 (UTC)

I was wondering what the International Rugby Board had to do with the price of fish. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 22:26, 5 November 2021 (UTC)

I don't know who changed the bot's name to "Apple Cookie," but now I really want to know what that would taste like... -mezimm [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.115|108.162.221.115]] 20:52, 5 November 2021 (UTC)
: Simply Google it (or possibly your favourite alternate of Bing, DuckDuckGo, AskJeeves, AltaVista, Yahoo, whatever else is actually around and hasn't been fatally out-Googled). One of the first things I got just now suggests a 20 mins bake using Brown sugar, apple, egg, baking soda, all purpose flour... but there are several others.
:(I wasn't the Bot-changer, I must add, but I too now want some sort of apple biscuity-snack. And I only have some of the above ingredients at hand.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.185|172.70.85.185]] 21:41, 5 November 2021 (UTC)
:: Personally I'm completely OK with googling something on DuckDuckGo. I'm also ok with using escalators which are not from Otis, keeping tea in thermos not from Thermos, playing frisbee not from Wham-O, photoshoping images with Gimp, fasten clothes with velcro not from Velcro or zipper not from Universal Fastener Company, drinking Coke from Pepsi and generally with using trademarks and brands as generic words in cases where it makes the sentence more instead of less clear -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:17, 6 November 2021 (UTC)

Is altruism the only thing that psychologists study? It seems like psych students should be suspicious of just about any interactions. For instance, if they're invited to play in a game of chance, it could be a study of how they assess risk. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:11, 5 November 2021 (UTC)

I understood the comic as if he was given a choice that will reveal something about his personality instead of the altruism interpretation. The two very different options led me to this idea, that he doesn't want to choose the cookie because it seems unhealthy or whatever. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.167|108.162.237.167]] 23:04, 5 November 2021 (UTC)
:I second the idea that what he's afraid of isn't altruism but choice. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:17, 6 November 2021 (UTC)

I was given a choice of snack in one study that I participated in. But I don't know WHY. This might be too niche for me to understand.

I don't think this really has anything to do with altruism. The cookie vs apple thing is reminiscent of studies on self-control, and in general I think the idea is that a lot of psychological studies require participants to make choices, and the participants are also often not made aware of the true nature of the experiment to avoid skewing results. [[User:Esogalt|Esogalt]] ([[User talk:Esogalt|talk]]) 00:15, 6 November 2021 (UTC)
: Given a few people seem to generally agree with me, I've been bold™ and changed the explanation to relegate "altruism" to a secondary interpretation. Some examples of specific studies would be great; I'm blanking right now. [[User:Esogalt|Esogalt]] ([[User talk:Esogalt|talk]]) 01:09, 6 November 2021 (UTC)

This seems like it would be more effective on an Ayn Rand fanboy than a psych major. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 05:32, 6 November 2021 (UTC)

What if the real lesson here is that all psychologists are just over-trained to be super cautious about considering EVERYTHING to be a psych experiment that requires ethics review? Maybe if the person offering snacks were ALSO a psychologist, they ACTUALLY WOULD BE REQUIRED to undergo IRB review and experiment documentation procedures and consent requirements.... JUST TO FIND OUT, as a matter of mild personal curiosity, which snack a specific person actually happened to prefer.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.127.6|172.70.127.6]] 09:01, 8 November 2021 (UTC)

Being asked whether I consent to cookies is literally the most common question I get this entire decade so far. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.4|162.158.107.4]] 21:51, 9 November 2021 (UTC)

: With enough time and drive I'm sure we could come up with a beautifully compelling subtext for this comic involving cookies, Facebook, ambiguously ethical experimentation, Apple Inc., and the relationship therebetween. [[User:Esogalt|Esogalt]] ([[User talk:Esogalt|talk]]) 22:55, 9 November 2021 (UTC)

2532: Censored Vaccine Card

2021-11-09T21:23:31Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Wording, capitalisation.

{{comic
| number = 2532
| date = October 22, 2021
| title = Censored Vaccine Card
| image = censored_vaccine_card.png
| titletext = CVS's pharmacies are fine, but I much prefer their [censored]s.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a B?T. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is another entry in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic|2020-21 pandemic}} of the {{w|SARS-CoV-2}} virus, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}, specifically regarding the [[:Category:COVID-19 vaccine|COVID-19 vaccine]].

The comic hinges on the sharing of vaccination card photos on social media as proof that the user has been vaccinated against COVID-19 (in this case, gotten a {{w|Booster dose|booster shot}}, a third dose of the vaccine). When people in the United States first started receiving their vaccine shots, a large number of them shared photos of the CDC vaccination proof cards that they received alongside the vaccines; it was enough of a trend that the {{w|Federal Trade Commission|FTC}} released an official statement warning vaccine recipients [https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2021/02/social-media-no-place-covid-19-vaccination-cards not to share photos], due to the cards containing {{w|Personal data|personal identification}} that probably should not be made public.

The irony here is that [[Randall]] has "{{w|Sanitization (classified information)|censored}}" (redacted) some impersonal lines, such as the instructions that are identical on all vaccination cards, and many easy-to-guess lines, while not censoring any of said personal information.
Considering the date of the 3rd dose (one day prior to the comic's uploading), it is likely that the blackouts in the last line are only covering whitespace.

Another possible reference here is to the practice of filing for {{w|Freedom of Information Act (United States)|FOIA}} requests that has been getting more popular in recent years, with sites like muckrock.com developing to support it. These requests provide for citizens to view the contents of government files, but the files first go through a process of redaction via solid black rectangles. The information that is redacted can seem random, ridiculous, and frustrating, and be a source of legal action.

The caption indicates that his intention is to "seem more mysterious". This is best exemplified by the blanking of most of the word "clinician" to leave the acronym "{{w|Central Intelligence Agency|CIA}}", referring to the US government agency known for its frequently "mysterious" (classified) activity, as well as its liberal use of redaction like that in the comic.

[[File:CDC_COVID-19_Vaccination_Record_Card.jpg|thumb|300px|A real and appropriately censored CDC vaccination record.]]

The "19" in COVID-19 is systematically censored in the comic. This is humorous because currently COVID-19 is the only thing that could be meant by "COVID-[anything]", and so the redaction is pointless. This may also be intended, in the interest of mystery, to imply some future outbreak of a similar disease (given an identifier based on the year of its inception).

The sentence at the top of the card, which appears once in English and once in Spanish, has equivalent portions redacted in both languages:
* "medical information" and "the vaccines you have received" in the English version, and
* "información médica" and "las vacunas que ha recibido" in the Spanish.
This is the first comic including a sentence (or, given the censorship, at least a good portion of one) in Spanish.

{{w|CVS Pharmacy}} is a pharmacy chain in the US which provides COVID-19 vaccinations. CVS #05309 is in Pineville, LA, while Randall lives in Massachusetts; it is not clear why he would have received his first vaccine dose in Louisiana.

The title text comments on the "Provider or clinic site" of the second dose on the card. Where the word "pharmacy" appears in the previous row (and would be on a real card), it is censored in the comic. The most reasonable assumption is that the word is still "pharmacy" and that Randall has simply chosen to redact that instance for some reason, but the title text humorously implies that it was in fact some ''other'' CVS-related venture where he got his second dose, for instance a "CVS parking lot" or perhaps an {{w|anti-submarine warfare carrier}}.

CVS's parent company, {{w|CVS Health}}, does have other enterprises with compatible names: {{w|CVS Caremark}} and {{w|CVS Health#CVS Specialty|CVS Specialty}}. However, neither of these provide COVID-19 vaccinations.

===Numerical trivia===
Randall's patient number is the 2nd to 9th digits of the fractional part of the decimal expansion of {{w|pi}} inclusively: 41592653.

The lot numbers of the first and second doses allude to two numbers that appear frequently in Star Wars and other works related to George Lucas: {{w|THX 1138#Etymology and references|1138}}, and {{w|21-87#Influence on George Lucas|2187}}. The lot number of the third dose is the {{w|1729 (number)|Ramanujan-Hardy number}}.

The Clinician number for the first shot is the last 4 digits of the phone number for {{w|867-5309/Jenny|"Jenny" 867-5309}}, which has been entered into communication technology by a massive number of people.

Given the reasonable assumption{{citation needed}} that the partially censored year relates to the twentieth century, the date of birth on the card corresponds to that given in the acknowledged [[Randall_Munroe#Timeline|timeline]] for Randall. The censorship of that specific part of his date of birth might be related to the fact that the number "19" has been systematically redacted on the card. Another interpretation is that Randall is implying he is either over one hundred years old or a time traveler, although neither is likely to be true.{{citation needed}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Profile picture of a Cueball's head and shoulders, with unreadable lines of text to the right.]
:Check it out, I just got my booster!

:[Picture of the U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card attached on a media post. The card includes pre-printed information in black and handwritten information in blue, the latter indicated here by bold text. Some of the text has been blacked out, indicated here by "[censored]".]

:COVID-[censored] Vaccination record card
:[At the upper right of the card appears the logo of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a stylized eagle surrounded by the words "Department of Health & Human Services USA", although those words are not legible in this drawing. Next to that appears the logo of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a shaded box with the letters "CDC" and the words "Centers for Disease Control and [censored]" below it.]

:Please keep this record card, which includes [censored]
:about [censored].
:Por favor, guarde esta tarjeta de registro, que incluye [censored]
:[censored] sobre [censored].

:'''Munroe''' '''Randall'''
----
:Last Name First Name

:'''10-17-[censored]84''' '''41592653'''
----
:Date of birth Patient number

:[A table fills the remainder of the card. It has four columns and five rows. The first row gives the column names:]
:Vaccine. Manufacturer lot number. Date. Provider or clinic site.
:[The rest of the rows have been filled out. Each "date" cell also includes pre-printed "MM DD YY" below the line where the date is written.]
:1st dose COVID-[censored]. '''Pfizer ER1138'''. '''04'''/'''01'''/'''21'''. '''CVS Pharmacy Clinician #5309'''.
:2nd dose COVID-[censored]. '''Pfizer ES2187'''. '''04'''/'''22'''/'''21'''. '''CVS''' [censored] [censored].
:Other. '''3rd dose''' [censored] '''FH1729'''. '''10'''/'''21'''/'''21'''. [censored] [censored] [censored]'''CIA'''[censored].
:Other. [censored]. [censored]/[censored]/[censored]. [censored].

:[Caption below panel:]
:Security tip: To seem more mysterious, try censoring only ''non''-identifying information.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:COVID-19 vaccine]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]

2532: Censored Vaccine Card

2021-11-09T21:15:39Z

Esogalt: /* Transcript */ Uncensored full stops after censored phrase.

{{comic
| number = 2532
| date = October 22, 2021
| title = Censored Vaccine Card
| image = censored_vaccine_card.png
| titletext = CVS's pharmacies are fine, but I much prefer their [censored]s.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a B?T. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is another entry in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic|2020-21 pandemic}} of the {{w|SARS-CoV-2}} virus, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}, specifically regarding the [[:Category:COVID-19 vaccine|COVID-19 vaccine]].

The comic hinges on the sharing of vaccination card photos on social media as proof that the user has been vaccinated against COVID-19 (in this case, gotten a {{w|Booster dose|booster shot}}, a third dose of the vaccine). When people in the United States first started receiving their vaccine shots, a large number of them shared photos of the CDC vaccination proof cards that they received alongside the vaccines; it was enough of a trend that the {{w|Federal Trade Commission|FTC}} released an official statement warning vaccine recipients [https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2021/02/social-media-no-place-covid-19-vaccination-cards not to share photos], due to the cards containing {{w|Personal data|personal identification}} that probably should not be made public.

The irony here is that [[Randall]] has {{w|Sanitization (classified information)|"censored"}} (redacted) some impersonal lines, such as the instructions that are identical on all vaccination cards, and many easy-to-guess lines, while not censoring any of said personal information.
Considering the date of the 3rd dose (one day prior to the comic's uploading), it is likely that the blackouts in the last line are only covering whitespace.

Another possible reference here is to the practice of filing for {{w|Freedom of Information Act (United States)|FOIA}} requests that has been getting more popular in recent years, with sites like muckrock.com developing to support it. These requests provide for citizens to view the contents of government files, but the files first go through a process of redaction via solid black rectangles. The information that is redacted can seem random, ridiculous, and frustrating, and be a source of legal action.

The caption indicates that his intention is to "seem more mysterious". This is best exemplified by blanking most of the word "clinician" to leave the acronym "{{w|Central Intelligence Agency|CIA}}", referring to a US government agency known for its frequently "mysterious" (classified) activity, as well as its liberal use of redaction like that in the comic.

[[File:CDC_COVID-19_Vaccination_Record_Card.jpg|thumb|300px|A real and appropriately censored CDC vaccination record.]]

The "19" in COVID-19 is systematically censored in the comic. This is humorous because currently COVID-19 is the only thing that could be meant by "COVID-[anything]", and so the redaction is pointless. This may also be intended, in the interest of mystery, to imply some future outbreak of a similar disease (given an identifier based on the year of its inception).

The sentence at the top of the card, which appears once in English and once in Spanish, has equivalent portions redacted in both languages:
* "medical information" and "the vaccines you have received" in the English version, and
* "información médica" and "las vacunas que ha recibido" in the Spanish.
This is the first comic including a sentence (or, given the censorship, at least a good portion of one) in Spanish.

{{w|CVS Pharmacy}} is a pharmacy chain in the US which provides COVID-19 vaccinations. CVS #05309 is in Pineville, LA, while Randall lives in Massachusetts; it is not clear why he would have received his first vaccine dose in Louisiana.

The title text comments on the "Provider or clinic site" of the second dose on the card. Where the word "pharmacy" appears in the previous row (and would be on a real card), it is censored in the comic. The most reasonable assumption is that the word is still "pharmacy" and that Randall has simply chosen to redact that instance for some reason, but the title text humorously implies that it was in fact some ''other'' CVS-related venture where he got his second dose, for instance a "CVS Parking lot" or perhaps an {{w|anti-submarine warfare carrier}}.

CVS's parent company, {{w|CVS Health}}, does have other enterprises with compatible names: {{w|CVS Caremark}} and {{w|CVS Health#CVS Specialty|CVS Specialty}}. However, neither of these provide COVID-19 vaccinations.

===Numerical trivia===
Randall's patient number is the 2nd to 9th digits of the fractional part of the decimal expansion of {{w|pi}} inclusively: 41592653.

The lot numbers of the first and second doses allude to two numbers that appear frequently in Star Wars and other works related to George Lucas: {{w|THX 1138#Etymology and references|1138}}, and {{w|21-87#Influence on George Lucas|2187}}. The lot number of the third dose is the {{w|1729 (number)|Ramanujan-Hardy number}}.

The Clinician number for the first shot is the last 4 digits of the phone number for {{w|867-5309/Jenny|"Jenny" 867-5309}}, which has been entered into communication technology by a massive number of people.

Given the reasonable assumption{{citation needed}} that the partially censored year relates to the twentieth century, the date of birth on the card corresponds to that given in the acknowledged [[Randall_Munroe#Timeline|timeline]] for Randall. The censorship of that specific part of his date of birth might be related to the fact that the number "19" has been systematically redacted on the card. Another interpretation is that Randall is implying he is either over one hundred years old or a time traveler, although neither is likely to be true.{{citation needed}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Profile picture of a Cueball's head and shoulders, with unreadable lines of text to the right.]
:Check it out, I just got my booster!

:[Picture of the U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card attached on a media post. The card includes pre-printed information in black and handwritten information in blue, the latter indicated here by bold text. Some of the text has been blacked out, indicated here by "[censored]".]

:COVID-[censored] Vaccination record card
:[At the upper right of the card appears the logo of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a stylized eagle surrounded by the words "Department of Health & Human Services USA", although those words are not legible in this drawing. Next to that appears the logo of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a shaded box with the letters "CDC" and the words "Centers for Disease Control and [censored]" below it.]

:Please keep this record card, which includes [censored]
:about [censored].
:Por favor, guarde esta tarjeta de registro, que incluye [censored]
:[censored] sobre [censored].

:'''Munroe''' '''Randall'''
----
:Last Name First Name

:'''10-17-[censored]84''' '''41592653'''
----
:Date of birth Patient number

:[A table fills the remainder of the card. It has four columns and five rows. The first row gives the column names:]
:Vaccine. Manufacturer lot number. Date. Provider or clinic site.
:[The rest of the rows have been filled out. Each "date" cell also includes pre-printed "MM DD YY" below the line where the date is written.]
:1st dose COVID-[censored]. '''Pfizer ER1138'''. '''04'''/'''01'''/'''21'''. '''CVS Pharmacy Clinician #5309'''.
:2nd dose COVID-[censored]. '''Pfizer ES2187'''. '''04'''/'''22'''/'''21'''. '''CVS''' [censored] [censored].
:Other. '''3rd dose''' [censored] '''FH1729'''. '''10'''/'''21'''/'''21'''. [censored] [censored] [censored]'''CIA'''[censored].
:Other. [censored]. [censored]/[censored]/[censored]. [censored].

:[Caption below panel:]
:Security tip: To seem more mysterious, try censoring only ''non''-identifying information.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:COVID-19 vaccine]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]

2539: Flinch

2021-11-09T21:04:58Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Link first instance only.

{{comic
| number = 2539
| date = November 8, 2021
| title = Flinch
| image = flinch.png
| titletext = Premed: "Does this count for a physics credit? Can we shorten the string so I can get it done faster? And can we do one where it hits me in the face? I gotta do a thing for first aid training right after."
}}

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

[[Cueball]] is performing [https://youtu.be/4a0FbQdH3dY?t=1518 a common physics demonstration] in which a heavy ball is hung from a rope or cable. The demonstrator, or a volunteer, pulls the ball back until it's close to their face (possibly even touching it), then releases it, allowing it to swing, and then return. Due to conservation of energy, the ball cannot return any further than it's original release point, making it impossible for the person to be struck by it. Because a heavy pendulum will tend to lose little energy on each swing, it will come back very close to it's original point, so the experiment creates a conflict between the instinctive desire to escape a heavy object flying at your face, and the theoretical knowledge that it won't harm you.

[[Megan]] is a physicist, who understands the principles of the experiment and claims she won't flinch, confident that it can't harm her.

[[Hairy]] is a biologist, and implies that he has no intention of avoiding the flinch reflex, as he trusts the {{w|Reflex|automatic reflexes}} that the human body has evolved more than he trusts the premise of the experiment. In both [[755: Interdisciplinary]] and [[1670: Laws of Physics]], the same experiment is referenced. In the title text of the latter [[Randall]] makes a very similar argument as the biologist does here.

[[Ponytail]], an engineer, replies that the doesn't trust Cueball to have hung the pendulum correctly. Engineers are trained in science, but work with practical applications, and tend to be very aware that practice is rarely as simple as scientific theories might imply. Even if the physical laws are constant, the experiment might not go according to plan. For example, if the cable were to snap or come loose while swinging toward the subject, the ball could strike them in the body, or land on their feet. If the cable is more elastic than anticipated, it could stretch unpredictably, once again striking someone. If the anchor point is not stable, it could shift during the experiment, once again causing harm. Also if the ball is not released but pushed, or if the one releasing it leans forward after release they might get hit in the face.

The punch line basically makes the point that failure to trust the safety of an experiment doesn't necessarily imply a lack of scientific knowledge. If you lack confidence in the design of an experiment, then it's not safe to assume that the laws of physics will protect you.

The title text shows a pre-med student's response. {{w|Pre-medical}} university courses have a reputation for being more intense and demanding than other undergraduate degrees, so the student is portrayed as being very stressed and time-conscious; showing little interest in the experiment itself, only in how it impacts their degree.

The student first asks if participating in the demonstration will count for a physics credit, implying that they're not willing to spend time on it unless it contributes to their academic requirements. They then ask if they can shorten the string to make the demonstration go faster. Shortening a pendulum does, indeed, cause it to swing faster, but caring about the few seconds this would save is an exaggerated sense of time management. Finally, they ask to do a variant where they ''deliberately'' get struck in the face, because they have a "thing for first aid training" immediately after. This would likely injure them, but the student is apparently willing to sacrifice their own safety and well-being in service to their academic career. It's not clear how this would help, although it could potentially help ''others'' learn first aid by having them practice on the new injury.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball holds a bowling ball in both hands. It is attached to a string that goes behind him and up disappearing off panel around double his height. He is talking to Megan, Hairy, and Ponytail who is looking at him. Between Cueball and the other three is a cross in a dotted circle on the floor.]
:Cueball: If you stand with the bowling ball in front of your face and let go, will you flinch when it swings back?

:[Zoom in on Megan in a slim panel. There is a caption in a frame above her.]
:Caption: Physicist
:Megan: I won't flinch.
:Megan: I trust conservation of energy.

:[Zoom in on Hairy, in a wide panel. He has lifted arm holding his hand palm up toward Cueball (who is off-panel). There is a caption in a frame above him.]
:Caption: Biologist
:Hairy: I trust my flinch reflex, which was honed by millions of years of evolution to protect my delicate face. I'm not messing with it.

:[Zoom in on Ponytail in a slim panel. There is a caption in a frame above her.]
:Caption: Engineer
:Ponytail: I don't trust that you hung that thing up correctly.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Biology]]

2539: Flinch

2021-11-09T20:58:05Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Can't say I understand what's going on with Tromag's edits (not helped by the lack of edit summaries); in any case they lost some nuance which I think was important.

{{comic
| number = 2539
| date = November 8, 2021
| title = Flinch
| image = flinch.png
| titletext = Premed: "Does this count for a physics credit? Can we shorten the string so I can get it done faster? And can we do one where it hits me in the face? I gotta do a thing for first aid training right after."
}}

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

[[Cueball]] is performing [https://youtu.be/4a0FbQdH3dY?t=1518 a common physics demonstration] in which a heavy ball is hung from a rope or cable. The demonstrator, or a volunteer, pulls the ball back until it's close to their face (possibly even touching it), then releases it, allowing it to swing, and then return. Due to conservation of energy, the ball cannot return any further than it's original release point, making it impossible for the person to be struck by it. Because a heavy pendulum will tend to lose little energy on each swing, it will come back very close to it's original point, so the experiment creates a conflict between the instinctive desire to escape a heavy object flying at your face, and the theoretical knowledge that it won't harm you.

[[Megan]] is a physicist, who understands the principles of the experiment and claims she won't flinch, confident that it can't harm her.

[[Hairy]] is a biologist, and implies that he has no intention of avoiding the flinch reflex, as he trusts the {{w|Reflex|automatic reflexes}} that the human body has evolved more than he trusts the premise of the experiment. In both [[755: Interdisciplinary]] and [[1670: Laws of Physics]], the same experiment is referenced. In the title text of the latter [[Randall]] makes a very similar argument as the biologist does here.

[[Ponytail]], an engineer, replies that the doesn't trust [[Cueball]] to have hung the pendulum correctly. Engineers are trained in science, but work with practical applications, and tend to be very aware that practice is rarely as simple as scientific theories might imply. Even if the physical laws are constant, the experiment might not go according to plan. For example, if the cable were to snap or come loose while swinging toward the subject, the ball could strike them in the body, or land on their feet. If the cable is more elastic than anticipated, it could stretch unpredictably, once again striking someone. If the anchor point is not stable, it could shift during the experiment, once again causing harm. Also if the ball is not released but pushed, or if the one releasing it leans forward after release they might get hit in the face.

The punch line basically makes the point that failure to trust the safety of an experiment doesn't necessarily imply a lack of scientific knowledge. If you lack confidence in the design of an experiment, then it's not safe to assume that the laws of physics will protect you.

The title text shows a pre-med student's response. {{w|Pre-medical}} university courses have a reputation for being more intense and demanding than other undergraduate degrees, so the student is portrayed as being very stressed and time-conscious; showing little interest in the experiment itself, only in how it impacts their degree.

The student first asks if participating in the demonstration will count for a physics credit, implying that they're not willing to spend time on it unless it contributes to their academic requirements. They then ask if they can shorten the string to make the demonstration go faster. Shortening a pendulum does, indeed, cause it to swing faster, but caring about the few seconds this would save is an exaggerated sense of time management. Finally, they ask to do a variant where they ''deliberately'' get struck in the face, because they have a "thing for first aid training" immediately after. This would likely injure them, but the student is apparently willing to sacrifice their own safety and well-being in service to their academic career. It's not clear how this would help, although it could potentially help ''others'' learn first aid by having them practice on the new injury.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball holds a bowling ball in both hands. It is attached to a string that goes behind him and up disappearing off panel around double his height. He is talking to Megan, Hairy, and Ponytail who is looking at him. Between Cueball and the other three is a cross in a dotted circle on the floor.]
:Cueball: If you stand with the bowling ball in front of your face and let go, will you flinch when it swings back?

:[Zoom in on Megan in a slim panel. There is a caption in a frame above her.]
:Caption: Physicist
:Megan: I won't flinch.
:Megan: I trust conservation of energy.

:[Zoom in on Hairy, in a wide panel. He has lifted arm holding his hand palm up toward Cueball (who is off-panel). There is a caption in a frame above him.]
:Caption: Biologist
:Hairy: I trust my flinch reflex, which was honed by millions of years of evolution to protect my delicate face. I'm not messing with it.

:[Zoom in on Ponytail in a slim panel. There is a caption in a frame above her.]
:Caption: Engineer
:Ponytail: I don't trust that you hung that thing up correctly.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Biology]]

2539: Flinch

2021-11-09T13:27:51Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Oooh grammar.

{{comic
| number = 2539
| date = November 8, 2021
| title = Flinch
| image = flinch.png
| titletext = Premed: "Does this count for a physics credit? Can we shorten the string so I can get it done faster? And can we do one where it hits me in the face? I gotta do a thing for first aid training right after."
}}

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

[[Cueball]] is performing [https://youtu.be/4a0FbQdH3dY?t=1518 a common demonstration of conservation of energy] to a group of bystanders with different science backgrounds: A bowling ball hung on a pendulum. He asks if they'll flinch after the ball is released and swings toward them on its return arc. Black Hat sets up a bowling ball pendulum in [[1670: Laws of Physics]], but sets it up improperly on purpose in an attempt to hurt Cueball.

The first bystander, a physicist ([[Megan]]) understands the principles of the experiment and claims she won't flinch. She knows that, as long as it's just ''released'' (as opposed to being pushed) in still air, then the ball won't return further than its point of release. (If the experiment is conducted outdoors, then it is possible for a sudden wind gust to blow the ball enough for it to return further than its point of release; however, this is unlikely with a bowling ball, which has a large mass compared to its surface area.)

The second bystander, a biologist ([[Hairy]]) seems to indicate that he expects to flinch, but he feels this is natural and doesn't intend to fight it. It is natural, and in fact the body comes with many kinds of {{w|Reflex|automatic reflexes}}. In [[1670: Laws of Physics]], Randall makes a very similar comment in the title text.

The third bystander, an engineer ([[Ponytail]]), knows practice usually differs from theory. She answers Cueball's
question by declaring that she doesn't trust him. Cueball is holding the ball so the
string is visibly curved, not stretched, as when the ball pendulums back. The string and ball
thus start with greater gravitational potential energy (height) and elastic potential energy
than when the ball swings back to the same position over the floor.
The excess energy means a near even chance the ball may move past its starting point on
the first swing, and sometimes pass or not on following swings.

In the title text, a premed student tries to get course work done. {{w|Pre-medical}} university courses require students to undertake a certain amount of study in specific areas; one of those areas being physics. They also have a reputation for being more intensive than other undergraduate degrees, so the student is portrayed as being very stressed and time-conscious. They ask if participating in the demonstration will contribute towards their course credit in physics, the implication being they do not consider it worthwhile otherwise.

Shortening the string the ball is suspended from would shorten the period of the pendulum, thus reducing the time it takes to complete the demonstration. Again the student asks if this can be done to save time, although obviously the few seconds' difference made would be utterly inconsequential within the context of an entire degree.

They also ask if they can do a variant of the demonstration where they ''are'' deliberately hit in the face. This would likely injure them, but they want to use this to their advantage because they have a "thing for first aid training" after the demonstration. It's not clear how this would help, although it could potentially help ''others'' learn first aid by having them practice on the new injury.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Cueball holds a bowling ball attached to a string. He is talking to Megan, Hairy, and Ponytail. Between Cueball and the other three is a cross in a circle on the floor.]
:Cueball: If you stand with the bowling ball in front of your face and let go, will you flinch when it swings back?

:[Caption: Physicist]
:Megan: I won't flinch.
:Megan: I trust conservation of energy.

:[Caption: Biologist]
:Hairy: I trust my flinch reflex, which was honed by millions of years of evolution to protect my delicate face. I'm not messing with it.

:[Caption: Engineer]
:Ponytail: I don't trust that you hung that thing up correctly.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

Talk:2539: Flinch

2021-11-09T13:15:42Z

Esogalt: Comment, add paragraph breaks between others' comments for readability.

A follow-up joke: "Psychologist: I don't trust you not to give it a push."
[[User:Who, me?|Who, me?]] ([[User talk:Who, me?|talk]]) 02:13, 9 November 2021 (UTC)

A sudden wind guest wouldn't add much momentum to a smooth, small object like a bowling ball in one swing. Even given minimal friction losses (air resistance and the chain's internal friction) I very much doubt it would speed it up enough to cause much of an impact. Also, unless Cueball has very bad luck or precognitive powers, he's unlikely to have set up the experiment perfectly in line with the next unexpected gust of wind, meaning any velocity vector change is likely to make the bowling ball miss the target scientist or engineer, not hit harder. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 04:26, 9 November 2021 (UTC)

I disagree with the explanation's contention that the way Cueball is holding the ball means the experiment is being performed incorrectly. I think it's pretty clear he's not saying it will be released from exactly where he's holding it, since it's obviously not in front of any of their faces, and it's not yet above the mark on the floor. [[User:Esogalt|Esogalt]] ([[User talk:Esogalt|talk]]) 07:44, 9 November 2021 (UTC)

:Ditto. Although I have in mind a way in which a (passive) string support could be arranged so that upon the outward swing it unwraps a ting little bit and returns upon a marginally lower/significantly more face-ward back swing (same K+P energy totals at all points), even starting with a taut string. Or of course an active support that moves on command, but that'd be definite cheating-with-intent as opposed to an 'accident'.
:(I also imagine Randall saw the original, if not the Youtube parody, of your US Science-Explaining-Guy doing this for real. The Youtube parody had a cartoony 'face smash' edited in as the result as a (faux-?) bite back at the scientific rationalism. If I could remember the guy's name I'd have looked for video links to potentially insert, but all I'm getting is the likes of Brian Cox doing it (successfully), on a quick and broad search.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.50|172.70.91.50]] 10:05, 9 November 2021 (UTC)

: "Not hung up correctly" might also mean that the hook suddenly comes loose on the way back, in which case the ball would fly into your face, wouldn't it? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.141|172.68.110.141]] 10:58, 9 November 2021 (UTC)

::No, if the hook came loose the ball would drop to the ground. If it happened to come loose just at or very near the "closest to the target" point, it might fall on his/her foot, though. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 11:40, 9 November 2021 (UTC)

:: (Edit-conflicted by Nitpicking, who says the start of this more succinctly. Apols. for 'repeating' that as I repaste it all in again!)
:: More likely hit your chest/fall into your lower body. It would have to be set up very fine/coincidental to still be head(/chin?)height as it was now ballistic, instead of supported at the 'original' (nose?) level. I was thinking more like a small half-loop of string (an inch or two?) round the back and over of the presumed supporting rod and held under the taut cord leading to the nose-held ball with friction enough to preventing it unwrapping immediately.
:: On swinging away, the dangling cord angles off of the looped bit, the pendulum-arc lenghthens, and if this doesn't dissipate energy in too many other ways then the extra inch or so of length means that the outward swing of the ball (and, more importantly, the return one) will still get up to roughly nose-height at zero kinetic motion, but that would be several inches (assuming total pendulum arc somewhat less than 45°*2) horizontally outward from the centre.
:: (*Note: there'd be a moment of fall-and-catch with this setup, that a slightly different string-wrapping method might avoid, but this is the archetype for the principle. A more gradual slippage-event would also prevent possible catastrophic cord-snapping upon the completion of the lengthening, which would just drop the ball away from the 'experimentee' and be more dangerous to others.)
:: Perhaps the string isn't even anchored to the anchor-point, but looped over to a smaller weight that nonetheless catches or swings round like a bolas-ball, when dragged up, to prevent total unwinding beyond the 'accidental' short distance. It could look and ''feel'' like a proper hook-tied pendulum (within limits), but probably not so easy to be inadvertently arranged than an accidental twist of a cable over the support when (in 'good faith') setting up the equipment the first time. Which the engineer seems more concerned about (bridges/etc rarely collapse by design, but due to unaccounted-for technical issues/ocersights usually only blindingly obvious after seeing what went wrong) than "you set it up that way deliberately", as I read it. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.145|141.101.98.145]] 12:00, 9 November 2021 (UTC)

:::Rather than your half-loop, which might be very visible, you could use a material for the cord/chain that stretches slightly under maximum tension (inelastically), say a soft alloy chain. Wait, why am I designing booby-trapped physics demonstrations? [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 12:24, 9 November 2021 (UTC)

Ponytail hardly ignores the question: "I don't trust that you hung that thing up correctly." is her answer to the question! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.161|172.70.178.161]] 11:44, 9 November 2021 (UTC)

Not being familiar with the US university system, my knowledge of "premed" comes entirely from a brief scan of the Wikipedia article. Nonetheless I've expanded on the title text; hopefully it's not too egregiously wrong. [[User:Esogalt|Esogalt]] ([[User talk:Esogalt|talk]]) 13:15, 9 November 2021 (UTC)

2539: Flinch

2021-11-09T13:11:44Z

Esogalt: /* Explanation */ Expand on title text.

{{comic
| number = 2539
| date = November 8, 2021
| title = Flinch
| image = flinch.png
| titletext = Premed: "Does this count for a physics credit? Can we shorten the string so I can get it done faster? And can we do one where it hits me in the face? I gotta do a thing for first aid training right after."
}}

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

[[Cueball]] is performing [https://youtu.be/4a0FbQdH3dY?t=1518 a common demonstration of conservation of energy] to a group of bystanders with different science backgrounds: A bowling ball hung on a pendulum. He asks if they'll flinch after the ball is released and swings toward them on its return arc. Black Hat sets up a bowling ball pendulum in [[1670: Laws of Physics]], but sets it up improperly on purpose in an attempt to hurt Cueball.

The first bystander, a physicist ([[Megan]]) understands the principles of the experiment and claims she won't flinch. She knows that, as long as it's just ''released'' (as opposed to being pushed) in still air, then the ball won't return further than its point of release. (If the experiment is conducted outdoors, then it is possible for a sudden wind gust to blow the ball enough for it to return further than its point of release; however, this is unlikely with a bowling ball, which has a large mass compared to its surface area.)

The second bystander, a biologist ([[Hairy]]) seems to indicate that he expects to flinch, but he feels this is natural and doesn't intend to fight it. It is natural, and in fact the body comes with many kinds of {{w|Reflex|automatic reflexes}}. In [[1670: Laws of Physics]], Randall makes a very similar comment in the title text.

The third bystander, an engineer ([[Ponytail]]), knows practice usually differs from theory. She answers Cueball's
question by declaring that she doesn't trust him. Cueball is holding the ball so the
string is visibly curved, not stretched, as when the ball pendulums back. The string and ball
thus start with greater gravitational potential energy (height) and elastic potential energy
than when the ball swings back to the same position over the floor.
The excess energy means a near even chance the ball may move past its starting point on
the first swing, and sometimes pass or not on following swings.

In the title text, a premed student tries to get course work done. {{w|Pre-medical}} university courses require students to undertake a certain amount of study in specific areas; one of those areas being physics. They also have a reputation for being more intensive than other undergraduate degrees, so the student is portrayed as being very stressed and time-conscious. They ask if participating in the demonstration will contribute towards their course credit in physics, the implication being they do not consider it worthwhile otherwise.

Shortening the string the ball is suspended from would shorten the period of the pendulum, thus reducing the time it takes to complete the demonstration. Again the student asks if this can be done to save time, although obviously the few seconds difference made would be utterly inconsequential within the context of an entire degree.

They also ask if they can do a variant of the demonstration where they ''are'' deliberately hit in the face. This would likely injure them, but they want to use this to their advantage because they have a "thing for first aid training" after the demonstration. It's not clear how this would help, although it could potentially help ''others'' learn first aid by having them practice on the new injury.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Cueball holds a bowling ball attached to a string. He is talking to Megan, Hairy, and Ponytail. Between Cueball and the other three is a cross in a circle on the floor.]
:Cueball: If you stand with the bowling ball in front of your face and let go, will you flinch when it swings back?

:[Caption: Physicist]
:Megan: I won't flinch.
:Megan: I trust conservation of energy.

:[Caption: Biologist]
:Hairy: I trust my flinch reflex, which was honed by millions of years of evolution to protect my delicate face. I'm not messing with it.

:[Caption: Engineer]
:Ponytail: I don't trust that you hung that thing up correctly.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

2539: Flinch

2021-11-09T07:46:36Z

Esogalt: /* Transcript */ Note mark on floor.

Talk:2539: Flinch

2021-11-09T07:44:31Z

Esogalt: