https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Fabbe 2026-04-18T18:38:18Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.30.0 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=204:_America&diff=123244 2016-07-12T14:35:25Z

<p>Fabbe: /* Explanation */ The rabbit incident is also referenced in 1688: Map Age Guide.</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number =204<br /> | date =January 1, 2007<br /> | title =America<br /> | image =america.png<br /> | titletext =The younger folk in the audience think this is a joke.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> On April 20, 1979, U.S. President {{w|Jimmy Carter}} was allegedly &quot;{{w|Jimmy_Carter_rabbit_incident|attacked by a giant swimming rabbit}}&quot;, while solo-fishing on a boat in his hometown. The reality is a little more nuanced: According to Carter, the rabbit had actually been chased into the water by some hounds and swam near his boat. Carter splashed some water on it to compel the rabbit not to come any closer.<br /> <br /> Nevertheless, the newspapers ate it up, with respected paper ''{{w|The Washington Post}}'' putting the story &quot;President Attacked by Rabbit&quot; on the front page. Since the White House refused to release the photograph, the paper created a cartoon parody of the rabbit, calling it PAWS, in reference to the blockbuster film ''{{w|Jaws (film)|JAWS}},'' about a killer shark. Carter's opponents used it as fodder for their arguments that Carter's presidency was weak and ineffectual, and basically, the whole thing was blown way out of proportion by the American media, as so often happens with goofy events such as this.<br /> <br /> This comic treats the Killer Rabbit attack as a dark day for the United States, and uses the phrase &quot;America Must Never Forget&quot;, which usually applies to days like the {{w|Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor attack}} or {{w|September 11 attacks|9/11}}. It essentially shows that, for the entire history of the United States (which starts with the signing of the {{w|Declaration of Independence}}), it is the only event worth remembering.<br /> <br /> The rabbit incident is also referenced in [[1688: Map Age Guide]].<br /> <br /> The title text is an assumption that the event has not been remembered in the way the comic jokes that it should have been, and as a result, younger readers will think he is kidding when he says Carter was attacked by a rabbit.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[A timeline with only three ticks with years noted. Each tick is labeled with a line going to the tick. The second tick is much closer to the last on the right and has it's year written below the line the other two has it above the line and vice versa with the labels. Below in the middle there is a caption.]<br /> :1776<br /> ::Declaration of independence<br /> :1979<br /> ::Jimmy Carter attacked by giant swimming rabbit.<br /> :2007<br /> ::Present day<br /> <br /> :[Caption:]<br /> :America must never forget.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Timelines]]<br /> [[Category:Politics]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring politicians]] &lt;!-- Jimmy Carter --&gt;<br /> [[Category:Animals]] &lt;!-- Rabbit --&gt;</div>

Fabbe https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=201:_Christmas_GPS&diff=123200 2016-07-11T08:21:22Z

<p>Fabbe: /* Explanation */ It exists more than one date format.</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 201<br /> | date = December 25, 2006<br /> | title = Christmas GPS<br /> | image = christmas gps.png<br /> | titletext = If it's over water, and you can't get a boat or revise the rules to preserve the makeout, there is no helping you.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> In the comic Cueball has gotten a GPS and asks Megan what to do with it. She suggest that they take their current coordinates and modify the latitude and longitude with a simple function based on their birthdays, thereby pointing to an arbitrary, non-random location. For example, if Cueball was born on let's say April 1, 1986 and Megan on August 12, 1988 and they are somewhere in New York ([https://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?pagename=New%20York%20City&amp;params=40.768062_N_-73.98468_E_type:landmark 40.768062,-73.98468]), the coordinate they type could make ([https://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?params=40.040186_N_-73.081288_E_type:landmark 40.040186, -73.081288]) (assuming US date format), or ([https://toolserver.org/~geohack/geohack.php?params=40.860401_N_-73.880812_E_type:landmark 40.860401, -73.880812]) (assuming following [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601| ISO 8601]). The good thing about keeping the number before the decimal point is that the distance is still realistic to get to by car. Megan suggests to make out in this place. This procedure is somewhat of a precursor to [[Geohashing]].<br /> <br /> The comic is a Christmas comic, since it came online on Christmas Day 2006.<br /> <br /> The title text suggests if the location you make for yourselves is over water (which the example above happens to be), you either need to find a boat or find some rule that you can preserve the promise of making out, and if you can't do either, then there is no way you'd get to make out.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :Cueball: Check it out-I got a GPS receiver for Christmas! What should we do with it?<br /> <br /> :Megan: Let's take our latitude &amp; longitude, put our birthdays after the decimal points, then go to that spot and make out.<br /> <br /> :[Cueball is in love.]<br /> <br /> :Merry Christmas from XKCD{{sic}}<br /> :[Car driving off in to the distance.]<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Comics with color]]<br /> [[Category:Christmas]]<br /> [[Category:Romance]]</div>

Fabbe