explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3212: Little Red Dots

2026-02-26T14:49:39Z

GreyFox: added comment

Everyone why is absolutely nothing here yet [[User:Ehogin|Ehogin]] ([[User talk:Ehogin|talk]]) 03:08, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
:Because this comic came out like 2 hours ago. [[User:Xkdvd|Xkdvd]] ([[User talk:Xkdvd|talk]]) 04:17, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
::Yeah by the amount of people who read xkcd you would think at least 100 people saw this and did not do anything for ''two hours'' [[User:Ehogin|Ehogin]] ([[User talk:Ehogin|talk]]) 04:45, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Its not a question of how many people read xkcd, its how many people use explain xkcd, and edit, and know what to put here. EDIT: forgot my signature. oops. [[User:Xkdvd|Xkdvd]] ([[User talk:Xkdvd|talk]]) 04:51, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
:OK, we want something here? I get [https://www.google.com/search?q=clover+mites Clover Mites] a lot. On the patio table, on the deck chairs. On the car, but I fooled them this time: I got a cherry-red car. Maybe they got into the JWST? --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 05:32, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

Current title text explanation seems like a bit of a stretch to me; see [[2359]] for a more refined take on explaining a very a similar joke. [[Special:Contributions/204.77.3.72|204.77.3.72]] 08:32, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
:Sure, whatever you say Father Dougal. --[[Special:Contributions/2A10:D586:3E93:0:21B8:BB66:6F56:9A06|2A10:D586:3E93:0:21B8:BB66:6F56:9A06]] 08:53, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

TV criminologists: a pattern centered on the killer's home. [[Special:Contributions/194.75.188.171|194.75.188.171]] 11:15, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

I don't know if it is "nitpicking" per se (though admittedly that is a clever pun, even though nits are generally brown and are rarely red). It could be that the graphic designer is genuinely interested in helping identify the color. [[User:Cwallenpoole|Cwallenpoole]] ([[User talk:Cwallenpoole|talk]]) 12:41, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

My complements to whomever added the color dots; nicely done. -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 12:54, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

I've added a link to the oldest (so far) black hole discovery -- dww-uk

Small red arachnids... [[:Category:Red Spiders|seem familiar to anyone else?]] [[User:GreyFox|GreyFox]] ([[User talk:GreyFox|talk]]) 14:49, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

User talk:DollarStoreBa'al

2025-11-24T17:25:17Z

GreyFox: /* User rights */ new section

Speak through the interdimentional portal

[[User:DollarStoreBa'al/Mistakes|My mistakes]]

==General Chitchat and such==
Hey, as per your comment on [[Main Page#Create my user page]], I created your pages. Welcome to the wiki! Please always remember to sign your comments with <nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki>, and ask in the [[explain xkcd:Community portal|Community portal]] if you don't know something. If you want, you can read the [[explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ#Why_can.27t_I_upload_pictures_or_create_pages.3F|the Editor FAQ]]! Welcome. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:02, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

:Thanks! [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 19:11, 25 February 2025 (UTC)

:hi btw :) [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:11, 27 February 2025 (UTC)
::hello, how are you doing this fine morning, my dear fellow? [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 16:03, 27 February 2025 (UTC)

==Hiyo==
:I'm trying to lurk less and be friendly so I just thought I'd ah drop in :) [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:53, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
:: Bello. me editor guy who edit much. edit fun! [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 17:00, 3 March 2025 (UTC)
:::hahahahaha edit fun indeed. [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 15:20, 4 March 2025 (UTC)
::::Question: How do you add those user boxes that you have on your page? Those would be nice to have. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 16:52, 6 March 2025 (UTC)
:::::copy and paste this and remove the nowiki tag:

<nowiki>{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = alastor jumpscare | info = [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|This user has a pet cannibal deer.]] | float = left}}</nowiki> and replace it with what you desire, for example:

<nowiki>{{Userbox | border-c = #255 | border-s = 1 | info-s = 9 | id = ;) | info = [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|This user _____ ]] | float = left}}</nowiki>

[[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:50, 11 March 2025 (UTC)

::::::Dude thanks! [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 13:48, 17 March 2025 (UTC)
:::::::You're very welcome dear. WEE WOO [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:18, 19 March 2025 (UTC)

==Wow==
Am I so cool that I got a mention on your user page just because I showed you how to make userboxes? I mean, if I am... thanks. [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:44, 25 March 2025 (UTC)
:Yes. Yes you are. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 15:43, 25 March 2025 (UTC)
::YAY TYSM i will get you free jambalaya for you immediately due to that (if you're into that) [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:19, 28 March 2025 (UTC)

::: No need. Also, I see you're from Louisiana. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 03:44, 29 March 2025 (UTC)]]
::::Haha or maybe I just like jambalaya :). Also you are not 4029 hHHA [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:17, 8 April 2025 (UTC)

==The 5s and Es and Os==
Reply to this if you've figured out what the meaning of the thingy on my user page is.
:it's base 3 [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 09:07, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
:: :O [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:31, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
:: Nope! I'll give you a hint: talk to sam. [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 14:33, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
https://voca.ro/1Akmh0zRqa8Q [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 16:02, 9 April 2025 (UTC)
:uhhh...[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 20:41, 11 April 2025 (UTC)
::sorry, that's not it. Don't know what to say to that.[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 17:54, 14 April 2025 (UTC)

You have one week! Hint: beep boooop --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 16:30, 6 May 2025 (UTC)

:Morse code? [[User:BobcatInABox|BobcatInABox]] ([[User talk:BobcatInABox|talk]]) 19:33, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

::Morse code of what? You are very, very close.--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 20:47, 8 May 2025 (UTC)

Time's up! If you put this into [https://morsecode.world/international/translator.html/] and click play, you get the intro to Bad Apple. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 14:44, 13 May 2025 (UTC)

:It's better than [[2869: Puzzles]] [[User:BobcatInABox|BobcatInABox]] ([[User talk:BobcatInABox|talk]]) 11:11, 14 May 2025 (UTC)

== Want to do some repetitive work? ==

Hey dollar, I noticed you're very active here! I don't have a ton of time, but I recently overhauled the template {{tl|comic}} to add many new features. While we figure out [[Header text]], would you be interested in editing the contents of about 50 pages (the early xkcd comics) to make these new features work? It's a lot of repetitive work, you'd just need to make the same small edits on 50 pages. (If you're interested in why the OG comics were in a different order, see [[LiveJournal]]). Just let me know and I'll finish the documentation for the template! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 17:13, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

:What exactly would I be doing to get these features to work? [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 17:18, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

::If it isn't super-complex wikitext things I can totally help! --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]] 19:21, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

Right so you'd just need to move things around and remove some useless code. This process adds a second white navigation bar at the bottom to browse the OG comics in the original order.
[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1:_Barrel_-_Part_1&diff=374851&oldid=373457 You can follow this example]. The steps are:

Start from [[4|comic number 4]]:
#Based on the short sentence written above the explanation, add "ognumber =", "ogprev =", and "ognext =" (so the navbar can work)
#Add "oglink =", and move ONLY the link from "before" to "oglink" (so from HTTPS://..... until the end of the link, move that to "oglink")
#Now, from the edit preview, copy the original title.
#Delete everything in "before =" now that you moved the link
#Add "ogtitle =" and paste the original title that you copied.
#Finally, in "titletext", add two couples of apostrophes (<nowiki>''</nowiki>) in these places: https://imgur.com/a/BewKKr1
#Now save the changes, and click the new white "Next >" button you just created to go to the next one!
And you're done! It's much simpler when you try it. Of course you don't have to do it, feel free to work on the header text! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:41, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

me am do. --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]][https://www.explainxkcd.--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 11:05, 26 April 2025 (UTC)com/wiki/index.php/S--[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 11:05, 26 April 2025 (UTC)pecial:Contributions/DollarStoreBa%27al My life choices] 20:51, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

:Oh and I added friendly errors for when you forget to add one of the "og" labels. Just note that if you don't provide "ognumber", the cool white navbar won't show up. Remember to always insert a pipe before a label, like this "'''|''' ognumber =". And once you get to comic 55 you're done! That's the last one --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:58, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

Hey, I don't really understand where I'm supposed to put these. --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]][https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa%27al My life choices] 21:01, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

Nevermind, I got this. --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]][https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa%27al My life choices] 21:05, 24 April 2025 (UTC)
:Erm nope the OGnumber, OGprev, and OGnext you should take from the first sentence above the explanation. For example [[24]] says it's sixth. Anyways, I found a pretty big bug in the template, so I guess we should stop until it's fixed. The Original title doesn't show up! Arghhh! I'll fix it.
:I'll let you know when you can continue. Thanks! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 21:18, 24 April 2025 (UTC)

alright, sounds good! Dang tho. Let me know and I'll get right back to it. --[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al | Converse]][https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa%27al My life choices] 13:45, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

:Hey, I, um, undid all your edits because they broke the template haha. I guess this was more complex that I thought! Don't worry, I'll finish them myself over time. I'm more experienced than I thought it seems! Thanks for trying to help anyways! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:52, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
::Reviewing them, it seems you were not isolating the link correctly and leaving there some HTML elements that closed other open HTML elements that weren't finished! It did look, interesting, at least! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:55, 25 April 2025 (UTC)
:::So sorry about that, I noticed those random Html elements. Thought they were part of the bug. oops. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 22:45, 25 April 2025 (UTC)

::::No worries! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 11:05, 26 April 2025 (UTC)

==excuse me==

but it appears you have discovered that I was a spammer in a past account or maybe this account. who's to say anymore? anyway i'm trying to fix that hehe [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 14:02, 7 May 2025 (UTC)

==template==

What is a template? What’s a {{Trout}} and {{Whale}}?
 
If it looks weird, click edit [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!| Aprilfoolsupdate!]]([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 12:20, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

: I'm assuming you're asking what a template is and not about sea life. Templates are basically shortcuts that we use for commonly used things. For example, <nowiki>{{cn}}</nowiki> creates {{cn}}. You can create one pretty easily. I made those because they're commonly used on Wikipedia, and wanted to transfer them here. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 13:41, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

::how can I create one? [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!| Aprilfoolsupdate!]]([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 13:21, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

:::Here's something that may be able to help: {{AprilFoolsHelp}} --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 13:43, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

::::thxxxxxxxxx [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!| Aprilfoolsupdate!]]([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 13:46, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::You are very welcome! I hope you are excited to start contributing to the wiki! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 13:46, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

::::::By the way, please don't be afraid to ask me any questions at all. If I can, I will help! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 13:48, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

:::::::Thanks [[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]], which is <nowiki>{{Thx$store}}</nowiki> (if I can call you that)

==Template Tips==
Ok. Sorry, needed to get that out of my system. Thank you for the supplement. Truly. It's a good warning. Just please don't start randomly insulting people towards the end. This is a wiki. Speak the facts, and nothing more. In this case, the facts are:
*Templates are easy to create.
*It's useful to learn from other templates.
Those are the facts. Now, you're done. Don't go on to insult them about how they're too stupid to do something useful.
:No insult intended, no mention at all of stupidity, just the obvious eagerness. Tried only to give caution not to run before you've learnt how (and, ideally, where) to walk. All edits show up, to anyone looking. The initial query had not been answered, when I started the reply, and I had to hastily rewrite things to fit back in on the end.
:To the above, I'd add:
:*Know what purpose your template will have.
:That way you're less likely to create something that you later regret, give or take a rename/delete. (If you want anything totally deleted, it may take a long time, a meanwhile you can only edit it 'clear', but still findable and the history checkable.) Most templates are ''not'' there to add pictures of sealife, but to grease the wheels of common (or not so common) Explanation page scenarios. And we might even thank you for a good shortcut for something we maybe never realised was needed before.
:For a more technical 'manual', {{w|Help:A quick guide to templates}} might be a useful next read, and from there jump around into other Help: items. There's a lot you ''can'' do, though you certainly won't want to use it all right from the start. Take your time and know ''why'' you're doing something, as well as ''what'.
:Good luck for the future, I've probably said as much as you need me to say for now. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.73|82.132.246.73]] 17:39, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

:While this is very useful, it would be nice if you posted this on [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!]]'s talk page. He's the one learning the ropes, and it would probably be very useful to him. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 17:47, 7 August 2025 (UTC)

==Requests/favors==
If you need anything done, reach out to me! I'll let you know what I can do to help you! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 19:49, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

Hi [[User:DollarStoreBa'al | DollarStoreBa'al]], are you good enough to have the link to my user page? [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!| Aprilfoolsupdate!]]([[User talk:Aprilfoolsupdate!|talk]]) 01:57, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

:Done! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 15:56, 18 August 2025 (UTC)

==Hello again Darling :D==
I'm back after the summer hello sir O) [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 13:59, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

:A fellow school-based follower of the truth, I see! Welcome back, and I wish thee well on your adventures. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 14:00, 26 August 2025 (UTC) P.S. I use monobook style now.

==Category thing==
Hey, can someone tell me why my talk page is on 'pages to delete?' {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|18:08, 27 August 2025 (UTC)}}
:I have tracked it down to {{diff|383609|this edit}} by [[User:Aprilfoolsupdate!]], where they used a (fairly useless and unnecessary) template (that they created themselves) called <nowiki>Template:Thx$store</nowiki> to thank you for helping to teach them the process of creating a new template. Since I marked that template for deletion, when the comment calls for the template, it also marks your talk page for deletion. I have changed it so that the template is replaced with the text that it would substitute in and your page is no longer marked for deletion. Also signed off your unsigned comment. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 18:30, 27 August 2025 (UTC)
::When someone says "I have tracked it down" you know they mean business. Thanks, that's quite reassuring. Another mystery IP (not sure if it's the same guy as today) did warn him not to make meaningless templates. Of course, I also made a meaningless template, so.... --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 18:33, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

== {{w|Wikipedia:Sockpuppet investigations/ltbdl}} ==

they think we're the same person, ha. [[user:lett‪herebedarklight|raeb]] 02:29, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

:I did not think this is what I would come back to. That's wild and hilarious.

:They are raeb

:And I am Dollar

:And we are not the same person

--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 13:42, 3 September 2025 (UTC)

::OMG THEY BANNED YOU WTF? I've pleaded your case, but idk if they'll respond. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 13:49, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
:::Okay, wait a second. A checkuser does checks on User IPs. If you were found guilty, that means that you were editing under the same IP as me. By any chance, do you go to school in Lincoln, NE? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 14:04, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
::::one, revert your case pleading, it's silly and won't help, and two, we're "very unlikely" to be the same person according to checkuser, don't panic. maybe link them here. (i don't go to school in lincoln.) [[user:lett‪herebedarklight|raeb]] 15:00, 3 September 2025 (UTC)
:::::Ok, now it's weird. I didn't know you couldn't have alt accounts, even if you explicitly stated that they were, indeed, alt accounts. Seems a bit strict if you ask me. Also, 1+1=Window, not Yes. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|'''''converse''''']] 22:53, 3 September 2025 (UTC)

==Can you please help me==
I helped you with the userboxes. Now I need your help. How do I get my sig to be something besides what it is now? [[User:Definitely Bill Cipher|⯅A dream demon⯅]] ([[User talk:Definitely Bill Cipher|talk]]) 19:34, 9 September 2025 (UTC)
:Hi there, Tori here. If you want to change your signature, go to your preferences page on the top right of the website (it's next to your Talk page and Watchlist). Scroll down until you see the signatures section and change it. If you need help figuring out wikitext, feel free to shoot me a message on my [[user talk:42.book.addict|talk page]]! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 01:32, 10 September 2025 (UTC)

== Template:what if? chapters ==

Sorry, but what's the point of creating a template for what if chapters? What do you intend to use it for? '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:28, 3 October 2025 (UTC)
:I intended it as a workaround in order to edit two pages at once. (those being the blog page and the chapters page). I noticed there was a discrepancy between the tables on the two pages, and I created a workaround for it. Also, it's faster than copy-pasting, now that the load times are astronomical. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|converse]] 16:30, 3 October 2025 (UTC)
::Sounds good! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 16:40, 3 October 2025 (UTC)
Ok I'm sorry but I had to change it back. Here are a few drawbacks:
#Now people reading our summaries can't edit them directly.
#The history is gone. You should've moved the page, not copy and paste. Both for copyright attribution (see {{w|WP:CWW}}) and for maintenance, to see when and why something was added.
#Now we need to transclude the table on 1 more page (servers!), and the pages that were already transcluding the page (except [[what if? (blog)]]) now are transcluding both the page AND the template.
And most importantly: there wasn't any discrepancy between the pages that transcluded the pages, just as there is no discrepancy now. The table was the exact same.

Could you explain what discrepancy you saw? The code and text behind the original [[What If? Chapters]] page, the blog page, the new template you created, and any other pages transcluding [[What If? Chapters]] was truly identical (and still is, just with the added issues listed above.).

Also; templates are not supposed to be edited frequently. A template is created in order to save time writing the same code on dozens or hundreds of pages. The table both needs to be edited and is only transcluded on a few pages. These are the pages in which the page was transcluded: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/What_If%3F_chapters&hidelinks=1&hideredirs=1] --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 10:04, 4 October 2025 (UTC)
:There were just some chapter summaries I saw that were different between the blog page and the chapters page. I'm not angry about this, thanks for bringing up the points which I am not advanced enough to see. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User_talk:DollarStoreBa'al|converse]] 12:55, 6 October 2025 (UTC)
::Huh, that's odd. The only difference between the two is that the last header cell on the left becomes highlighted in yellow when transcluded. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 19:16, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

== Current signature. ==

I've noticed that your signature does <all the fancy stuff><NEWLINE><space><timestamp>. Might be a good idea to remove the <NEWLINE> before the (presumably auto-appended) <space><timestamp> as it currently puts your
timestamp like this.

Which is ''probably'' not what you'd intended. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.74|82.132.245.74]] 20:47, 4 November 2025 (UTC)
:......Nope, didn't intend that. I'll see if I can fix it. (not signing this because... well, you know) --DSB {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|21:12, 4 November 2025 (UTC)}}
::I've found the issue. I was trying to make my signature in times new roman using [[Template:TNR]]. This template uses div for it's styling. For some reason, it's inserting <nowiki></div></nowiki> between the signature and timestamp rather than after. Is there a way to get the <nowiki></div></nowiki> to go after the timestamp rather than before (which is what I was intending)? Thanks! --DSB {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|21:18, 4 November 2025 (UTC)}}
:::Standard advice is to not use div-tags in your custom .sig, for exactly this reason. You should be able to do the same (except for the undesired newline-forcing) with span-tagging where you invoked div-tags.
:::The way it rendered (must basically have been subst:ed between what you used and how it renders), I didn't know you'd used the TNR template. If that's for character-length reasons then a "TNRspan" template (or something ''not'' four characters longer, if you're extremely tight for space) would have to be used.
:::Or change the TNR so <code><nowiki>{{TNR|span=yes}}</nowiki></code> will specially 'return' you your no-Div version (that's the nice-looking version; you could also have it do something like responding to <code><nowiki>{{{1}}}</nowiki></code> being "s" or "1", if you can only afford to extend by two extra characters). That makes the one template dual-use, instead of making another template.
:::TIMTOWTDI. But you'll know what you want to do, I can only give vague pointers. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.74|82.132.245.74]] 22:22, 4 November 2025 (UTC)
::::Weird. I changed the TNR template to <nowiki></nowiki> instead of <nowiki><div></nowiki>, but upon testing it's still doing that weird newline thing. {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|14:11, 5 November 2025 (UTC)}}
:::::Finally fixed. I can't get the timestamp to also be TNR, but at least it doesn't auto-newline. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:15, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
::::::That looks not too bad, though the timestamp is sans-serif again. Though ''might' in part be browser-dependant as to how it looks (mine may react only to the 'serif' and not the full 'Times New Roman', giving a TNR''-like'' serif-font that works good adjacent to the non-specific choice of sans-serif font. Also, at first glance, there's a mystery as to why the timestamp is '''''BOLD+ITALIC''' (or maybe STRONG+EMPHASIS, for the pedants).
::::::The structure is probably as follows, rewritten just for visual representation/explanation. Formatting that you do is in ()s, my explanatory notes are in ** and * pairs:
**start of 'fixed text' signature insertion**
(SPANopen style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16px;")
--
(BOLD+ITALICstart)
(LINKpage)User:DollarStoreBa'al
(LINKtext)
(SPANopen style="color:#E3C6BE")
DollarStoreBa'al
(SPANclose, i.e. end:style="color:#E3C6BE")
(LINKclose)
(SUPERSCRIPTopen)
(LINKpage)User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al
(LINKtext)
(SPANopen style="color:#CC9A8B")
Converse
(SPANclose, i.e. end:style="color:#CC9A8B")
(LINKclose)
(SUPERSCRIPTclose)
*expected to be an /implied/ (BOLD+ITALICSclose), here*
*check HTML source for why not?*
(SPANclose, i.e. end: style="font-family: Times New Roman...etc")
**end of 'fixed text' signature insertion**
**start of 'timestamp' signature insertion**
*BOLD+ITALICS is still active?*
*but all /other/ formats ended by the most recent (SPANclose)*
14:15, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
**end of 'timestamp' signature insertion**
::::::Without looking at exactly what you're doing behind the scenes, I'm not ''entirely'' sure, but I think the {{template|TNR}} includes a close-Span tag, preventing that from 'rolling on' into the timestamp bit.
::::::Exactly how the '''''BOLD+ITALIC''''' rolls on, I don't know without checking the HTML source. Might be an intentional function of the wikimarkup-to-HTML conversion that 'remembers' that formatting and reapplies it as necessary, at least until a 'forced' end-of-scope (end of a Div or P tag, a Br/Hr monotag, new ordered/unordered list item (or changing the list-level), table cell/row transitions, and then there's the next (same/different) ":"-prepended indented follow-up lines and (of course) double-newlines) to force even no-prefix lines into paragraph-breaks. All of these (and other less obvious wikimarkup scenarios) probably translate to a hard /div closure in the HTML.
::::::Does {{template|TNR}} currently close its own Span? Does removing that Span-end let it 'roll on' over the timestamp? If you do that, does the insert-signature process close off all remaining Spans ''after'' the timestamp? (Normally, a signature is followed by a newline+newline or at least a newline+:nextlinehasindents, but if you add a P.S. comment after a timestamp that benefits from an unclosed formatting rlling through, does anything add a closure to stop it rolling through onto the P.S...? Can't test this, myself, directly, but it'd be interesting to find out!)
::::::Note that I don't know if you intended TNR to be used anywhere else. But by changing it from Div-based to Span-based it changes how it looks if I "{{TNR|use it here}}", and if you then make it so that it open-Spans but never close-Spans then it would change the appearance of this paragraph even further.
::::::...ouch. Actually, I had assumed it would currently (as 'span-only', opening and closing) not linefeed, browserside, but currently it adds a forced break, and doesn't even have any way of knowing how many indents (if any) to add before the continuation text.
::::::Though if nobody else is using it for ''anything else'', it shouldn't matter. Just pointing out that (''if they are'') changes you make to fine-tune your signature ''could'' have collateral effects for other people who use TNR when it does one thing but then find that it's doing another thing.
::::::Creating a template 'just for your own use' is Ok-ish, but you might just want to note its purpose and (current) peculiarities in case someone thinks that it's intended for a more general purpose, and in a more logical manner than you've had to make it 'work' just for you.
::::::It's also known for templates to contain imbalanced markup, with either how it is used or the presence of a second 'closing' template (see {{template|cot}} and {{template|cob}}, that mark the 't'op and 'b'ottom of a 'co'llapsable area) making the final result properly balanced in the end. But mostly you'd expect internal closure of anything the template started, whether Spanny or Divvy in nature, or justify it and make it obvious without digging through the actual template-code itself.
::::::But I don't know how useful all of this is, to you or those coming along afterwards (before or after further template tweaks, etc). I'm just trying to pass on everything I think could be helpful, knowing that a lot of it could be 'beyond helpful', i.e. actually quite irrelevent. If not incomprehsible. (If not wrong, given I can't even test many assumptions, directly!) But here it is, anyway. HTH, HAND. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.89|82.132.244.89]] 16:24, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::::I'm using the TNR template because it looks cool, but it also does have a purpose. It's used in early Taglines and header texts. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 16:53, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::::Having tried many things, I've found that including the TNR template at all is messing up the timestamp. I'll see if there's another way to include the template without that, but idk if there is a way. In the meantime, here's my new Sig: --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 17:25, 5 November 2025 (UTC)

:{{outdent|:::::}}
:((I researched,cchecked and wrote the following followup whilst you were replying, just aboce. You've answered some of my points, plus seem happy with as it is now, but still posting it given the thought I put into it... ;) Not that I actually think that it's necessary as helpful as I might have hoped it to be, in the end! Absolutely no reply expected, if you're happy to say nothing more.))
:Ok, actually looked at the HTML source, now, neutering the 'raw' markup, whitespacing it and adding **commentary**:
**start signature, fixed text**
**default formatting**
<nowiki><</nowiki>span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16px;">
**formatting is now TNR**
--
<nowiki><</nowiki>b>
**formatting is TNR+Bold**
<nowiki><</nowiki>i>
**formatting is TNR+Bold+Italics**
<nowiki><</nowiki>a href="/wiki/index.php/User:DollarStoreBa%27al" title="User:DollarStoreBa'al">
**formatting is TNR+B+I and a link..**
<nowiki><</nowiki>span style="color:#E3C6BE">
**...which is coloured**
DollarStoreBa'al
<nowiki><</nowiki>/span>
**back to TNR+B+I link, no colour**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/a>
**back to TNR+B+I, no link
<nowiki><</nowiki>sup>
**TNR+B+I+Superscript**
<nowiki><</nowiki>a class="mw-selflink selflink">
**TNR+B++Sup and a link (to this page, in this specific instance)**
<nowiki><</nowiki>span style="color:#CC9A8B">
**TNR+B+I+Sup link is coloured**
Converse
<nowiki><</nowiki>/span>
**TNR+B+I+Sup link, no colour**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/a>
**TNR+B+I+Sup, no link**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/sup>
**TNR+B+I, normal-script again**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/span>
**this should have removed TNR, *and* the 'inner' B+I too...**
** (Although this is not what you wanted, it's what you should get!) **
**...but apparently we're now just with B+I**
** (This might be my own browser's interpretation, not everyone's.) **
**this is the inbuilt transition between fixed-sig and time-sig**
**a space is here, then...**
14:15, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
<nowiki><</nowiki>/i> ** (Your signature markup does not ask for this!) **
**just Boldness left**
<nowiki><</nowiki>/b> ** (Your signature markup does not ask for this!) **
**neutral format again**
**end of signature**
:What goes with the "TNR+B+I" going to "B+I", I don't know. Unless they've changed the HTML spec regarding this in the last decade or three.
:The wiki-server back end was smart enough to add the close-Italics and close-Bold, at the end of the signature (''perhaps'', knowing that these were imminent a 'smart' error-checking by the browser's HTML-renderer let their formats persist, when otherwise they would not have? ...odd, but possible). Possibly it would have also closed the TNR-span, after the B-closure,cif not already asked to do so by the end of the TNR-template?
:...so...
:#First 'fix', remove the <code><nowiki><</nowiki>/span></code> from TNR. See how that affects any newly applied signatures (it won't change old ones).
:#Also see how/if it changes the indent-loss above my "...ouch" line, above.
:#''Also'' also chase down if TNR gets used ''anywhere else'' in this wiki, at the moment, and check that you've not broken anything else that other people might have used it for.
:If the first fix works and the third thing isn't a problem (ignore the second issue, I'm happy for it to change), then you're sorted. Otherwise (no fix, or even further broken in ways that aren't any good for anyone) reverse the change to where it works best for everyone and accept it not working precisely how you think you want it.
:If it fixes, as suggested, I'd also be interested how signing with <code><nowiki>~~~~ and more text</nowiki></code> works. (i.e. does it TNR the "and more text"?) Not that it's important, just my own curiosity.
:And think about a more advanced explanation on TNR's page, if it's going to be 'an odd template' in any way, like being Span-opener without being a Span-closer.
:That's all. Over to you, nothing more I can do (I could change TNR's code, but not then test it with your signature), but ''maybe'' I've done enough to help. Without too much confusion. I'll let you sort the rest out on your own, unless there's anything specific that arises to follow-up with. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.131|82.132.246.131]] 17:45, 5 November 2025 (UTC)
::tbh I'm good. Besides, I have no clue how to convert that raw HTML into usable wikitext (idk how to code, planning to learn someday). Either way, works fine. Also, you commentary has made me realize how complex my sig actually is. Times New Roman+Bold+Italics, which is a link which is colored. {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|19:21, 5 November 2025 (UTC)}} 

Ummm... Do you know that your current signature is sort of 'unmunged'? As in, you're making the markup show by 'escaping' the markup characters entirely so they don't (properly) act as markup, but as literal text. (You had it working ok(ish), not sure when it went wrong, without scrolling through your Talk contributions.) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.186|82.132.236.186]] 17:34, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
:Addendum - had a deeper look, it was broken for 14:00, 20 November 2025, for [[Talk:3170: Service Outage]], but had worked until 20:27, 19 November 2025, for [[Talk:3168: Beam Dump]]. Whatever you did to your profile, between those two times, maybe undo it? Wasn't caused by any public page edit (like the TNR-template), nor can I think of how you'd break that without being obvious. Anyway, FYI.
:(My guess is that you copied it out to somewhere, to edit, that thing auto-obfuscated the markup for its own visual reasons, then the copy back was done of the 'ruined' markup version. I haven't gone through it with a toothcomb, to see what your intended hanges may have been. And maybe you even intended ''this''... Until I read a page 'normally', not just zourcewise, I hadn't spotted that your long signature-markup was now so... 'literal'. And can't imagine it should be. ) 17:57, 22 November 2025 (UTC)
::I may or may not have INTENTIONALLY unchecked 'treat above as wikitext', simply to confuse people :) [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]]]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 00:08, 23 November 2025 (UTC)
:::"Complicated signatures contain a lot of code ("markup") that is revealed in the edit window, and can take up unnecessary amounts of narrative space, which can make both reading and editing harder." -{{w|WP:SIG#Guidelines and policies|WP:SIG}} '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 02:10, 23 November 2025 (UTC)

== {{w|WP:REDIRECT}} ==
As per {{w|WP:REDIRECT#Purposes of redirects|Wikipedia policy}}, redirects are only to be made for typos that are "likely misspellings (for example, Condoleeza Rice redirects to Condoleezza Rice). Note: this criterion typically does not apply to redirects from typos in the template namespace; consensus is that such typos, unless they are very common, should remain as red links until they are fixed." '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 03:19, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
:Ahhhhhhh. Alright, noted. {{unsigned|DollarStoreBa'al|14:17, 11 November 2025 (UTC)}}
::GOD DAMMIT!!!! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 19:05, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
:::Easily done. Don't worry. I nearly intervened myself, but thought you might fix it yourself soon enough.
:::it also makes me wonder if you have any opinions about [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Additional templates to complement 'unsigned' ones|this recent idea]] that you reminded me of, if you/42 would consider it useful in such situations. It's not had any other input beyond the fellow anonIP originator, but (wordiness/edit-errors aside) I like what was said. It's a pity that nobody's even said they don't like it. Or don't understand it. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.151|82.132.246.151]] 20:14, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
::::I did skim through it a bit the other day when it was posted, but it was so dense that I probably only remember/understand 50% of it. The IP editor made some pretty good points, but it's not like I'm very good at making templates either. Maybe [[User:FaviFake]] or [[User:Lettherebedarklight]] can do something about it. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 20:34, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::I'm not actually too sure about this. How would be let newer users (who may not know about the template) to retrosign? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 20:37, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
::::::Well, those who don't know how to (or that they have to) sign probably aren't the target audience. ;) There are plenty of templates that even I probably wouldn't remember until I went looking for what's there, or found out about by someone else using it. (It's how I know about {{template|outdent}}, for example.)
::::::But the principle's simple enough. Duplicate the unsigned templates as retrosigned ones, and remove the nagging bit. Favi or Darklight could do it simply enough, if they think there's reason to. I could do it, except for the little matter of not being allowed to. Also, I'm not the one trying to sell the idea, just seemed an apt de-stresing comment for the circumstance we had. (Nice though this conversation is, it really needs the propsal(s) to be replied to, if anything.) I'm just hoping you feel calmer, now, Ba'al... :p [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.237|82.132.245.237]] 03:42, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
{{outdent|::::::}}
Wait was that proposal written by you, IP? The format seemed AI-generated but i really did not read it for more than 10 seconds. [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 18:38, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
:Having read it..... yeah, that's about as far from AI generated as you can get. I've seen IP use that format in the past, and the content is very explainxkcd-term heavy. I don't think AI would be able to generate the words 'unsigned templates as retrosigned'. Nobody except us understands what that means. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 18:52, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
::Not me-IP (the IP in the above bit), but probably one of the other long-standing-if-occasional-IPs that there must be.
::Also very much me-''like'', so the linguistic flourishes mesh well with what I understand/might write myself.
::In lieu of them saying anything more, themselves, I've already decided to do my bit to try to 'translate' the core idea to Muggle-speak. If I'm able to bridge the gap without being wrong about either/both! [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.30|82.132.244.30]] 19:25, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
==3==
vv4dh<iwumbd i7rig s9 vddr aowe

BAABBABBABABABABAABBABABBAABAABABBBAABAABAAAAABBABABBABABBAAAABAAABBABABBAAAABAABABBBAABAABAAAAABBABABBABABBAAAABAABAABABABAAABBABBABBBAABAABAAAAABBABABABBABAAAABBAABAABB BAAABAABABABBABBAABBBAAAAAAAAAABABAABABAAAABAAAAAAABBBA

USETHEVISIONFROMYOURCHILDSEYE {{unsigned ip|204.137.100.1|08:19, 13 November 2025 (UTC)}}
:Oh, hello there! what do you have for us today, codeman? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:22, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
::Starting from scratch, and dismissing (for the moment) the possibility of it being the 'cluetext' as a rotating key, the first looks polymorphic, in some manner, as the obvious repeat-letters that the known plaintext will have aren't all repeated in the ciphertext (and repeats in the ciphertext aren't matches in the known plaintext. It's also ''perhaps'' not subject to the main fatal flaw in Enigma (''other'' than the "the message-senders use predictable original plaintext" thing) that means that a character never maps to itself, as there are indeed (at least) two same->SAME mappings.
::Though given it is mapped to a changed-case (compared to what we expect from code#1) and includes alphabetic-to-punctuation-via-numeric transitions, my first assessment is that (with the exception of spaces being preserved/specially treated, as per usual) it also maps between A-Z input and a wider output.
::The most obvious idea is an XOR-based progression (prior code/plain character v.s. each subsequent one), but if done straight from ASCII codes that's going to give you far more weirdness than lower-cass-plus-occasional-punctuation. Which suggests perhaps a more proprietry enumeration/de-enumeration (it's not a shifted-6-bit output, so I won't try a shifted 5-bit input).
::...back to the cluetext. It's not the same-length as the ciphered phrase (if it had, I'd have assumed it was concocted as the "one time pad"), either with or without counting the spaces. But ''perhaps'' it's a Playfair cipher (less obvious than "PASSWORDPASWORDPASSWORD...", when analysing for patterns), but I haven't got time to check that properly, right now, and I still think there's a non-linear (but trivial) relationship. Perhaps simpler than what I've already thought of.
::The 'As and Bs' I haven't yet really looked into, beyond ruling out that it's a direct binary expansion (at least in 8-bits, 28 characters of that, and one spare bit, ignoring the space, or 32x 7-bits plus 1). It seems to be 225 A+Bs (3x3x5x5; so 3x75, 5x45, 9x25 and 15x15 (square, which ''might' be significant) are the main splits), if I'm not barking up the wrong tree. But I have other things to do right now, so the next flash of inspiration will have to wait. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.231.193|82.132.231.193]] 18:03, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
:::"Agreed. Let's reset. The previous codes both started with 'Transmission X of four'. This looks similar, so it's safe to assume that 'ds4cdebsjbsx u;g6w hf whyb' equals 'transmission three of four'. This is actually very good for us, because we can map each number to their translated version:
*d=t
*s=r
*4=a
*c=n
*d=s (perhaps a mistake)
*e=m
*b=i
*j=s (wait...)
*b=s???????????????? 
Cool, that didn't work at all. It's probably double-encoded, or it's using a very strong code (maybe a vigenere?). Whatever it is, substitution doesn't work on it. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 19:05, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
::That was my first-g [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.151|82.132.245.151]] 21:40, 13 November 2025 (UTC)

The Bs and As appear to be either a bacon Cipher (UO LUM E ZERO ONE ONE ZERO ONE TWO ZERO MINUS FOUR ALL CAP) or a Caesar Cipher, though if it's the latter it would need to be double-encoded like last time, because the most coherent option it's giving me is POOP POP POP OP OP OP OOP POP OPPO OP OOP OP P POOP OOP OO OO OPPO POP POP OPPO OO OP OO OPPO POP POO OOP OOP OP P POOP OOP OO OO OPPO POP POP OPPO OO OP OOP OOP OP OP OO OPPO P POP P POOP OOP OO OO OPPO POP OPPO POO OOP POOP OOP P POO OP OOP OP OPPO P POOP P POO OO OO OO OOP OP OOP OP OO OOP OO OO OO OP P PO. Something tells me they weren't trying to make potty jokes.
:::Based on the fact that we're on this specific wiki, I'll assume that it's the first one for now. It's referencing Volume 0 (I think I know where they got the idea for this). The rest of the numbers are now 110120-4. I'll go check the page. 18:52, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
::::Page 110120 has this poem on it, in the 'cypher' section:
THE START OF THE TENTH-FAVORITE WORD USED BY BENDER 
THE TOON THAT WENT SOUTH WHILE COMMANDED BY ENDER 
THE NUMBER OF LIGHTS THAT PICARD SAID WERE ON 
AND THE CLASS OF THE PLANET WHERE KIRK SHOUTED "KHAAAN!" 
THE RINGS FOR THE MEN MINUS RINGS FOR THE ELVES 
AND THE PRODUCT MOD 10 OF A FIVESOME OF TWELVES 
THE END OF A CODE NES GAMERS KNOW 
AND THE BASE USED TO MODEL HOW QUICKLY THINGS GROW 
WHEN THEY'RE XOR'D TOGETHER THE CHECKSUM IS "E" 
WHICH WILL TELL YOU YOU'VE GOT THE PENULTIMATE KEY 
::::...This is the penultimate key, if there are four messages. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 19:05, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
:::::I've not had any further time to look at this, but:
:::::*If I were devising an actually useful secret code, the first one (which is clearly a character-to-character mapping, though not a static one) would involve a little more trickery than an 'unsalted' progression, and the second (clearly a bitwise represenation) should probably be repackaged back into a full 'alphanumeric' token set (e.g. base64 or UUEncoded 'text friendly' outputs, but perhaps rotated a bit to disguise the tell-tale signs of that kind of output.
:::::**In fact, I might have used Gray-Code tables, even a mini form of a LZW-ish token-stream compression algorithm, to further thwart analysis by making it not even a consistent change in entropy from original character to the resulting output string. With such a single short 'message', it probably could have defied any realistic form of frequency-analysis, or at least made for hypothetically 'sensible' alternative decodings emerge from parts of the data, when choosing the 'right' wrong decoding methods.
:::::*However, bear in mind that (though with greater challenges, from the #1 code to #2, so presumably even more for #3) these are codes that are ''supposed to be cracked''. Well, maybe #4 (or even the final set of 4x4 characters that's ultimately puzzle #5) will be 'fiendish'-level, but #3 shouldn't be more than 'devilishly difficult' to work out.
:::::*I didn't know "Bacon Cipher", by that name, but it looks like you've got that worked out by (assisted) brute force. I might have tripped up over the U+V and I+J equivalences, initially, but the composer has clearly used the 'classical' version in a straight manner.
:::::*Taking that as done, though, we're left with the backforming of the TRANSMISSION message, if only so we know what (different) apparent nonsense the "x@hc" should become. Where I'd focus, is on what caused "ISSI" to be "bsjb". Why, three characters later, has the encoding ended up on the same output char (could suggest a three-character Playfair key), yet the 'S' characters, positioned "S..SS" became "d..sj" (so ''not'' a 3-char key). Positioning the 'clue phrase' against the characters gives "V..I" against the "I..I"->"b..b", so it's not being the same by dint of coincidentally similar transformations from the keyphrase.
:::::But that's still an analysis that I'm doing with the presumption of it being deliberately somewhat obscure (having somehow 'discovered' part of the encoding secret). It's probably only going to be more hidden in plain sight, as part of the 'game', but still helps to know how you'd approach a more deliberately obscure method of coding. Hence how I broke the semaphor one ...well, mostly... without realising that it actually was semaphor. (If you hadn't have settled the Bacon Code solution, I might have tried looking at it being morse-based, with ambiguous character/word boundaries.)
:::::Anyway, when I pop back here and find that you/someone else has fully solved it, I'll probably kick myself for entirely missing the most obvious answer. Also I can't seem get "CE4Q60AE" (or alternatives/variations that I've tried) to give me a checksum of "E" (or 0xE?). So, if that's actually important, I might have something else wrong. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.151|82.132.245.151]] 21:40, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
::::::YOUARERIGHT {{unsigned ip|204.137.100.1|14:03, 14 November 2025 (UTC)}}
:::::::About what? What are we right about? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:04, 14 November 2025 (UTC)

== User rights ==

I noticed you created my [[User:GreyFox|user page]] but did not create my talk page or give me the rights to do so myself. Why is this the case? [[User:GreyFox|GreyFox]] ([[User talk:GreyFox|talk]]) 17:25, 24 November 2025 (UTC)

User:GreyFox

2025-11-24T17:20:07Z

GreyFox: thx

This is a user. Not much else to see here.

2456: Types of Scientific Paper

2025-11-12T17:12:28Z

GreyFox: added a tvtropes link

{{comic
| number = 2456
| date = April 28, 2021
| title = Types of Scientific Paper
| image = types_of_scientific_paper.png
| titletext = Others include "We've incrementally improved the estimate of this coefficient," "Maybe all these categories are wrong," and "We found a way to make student volunteers worse at tasks."
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, Randall satirizes scientific papers by claiming they all (or at least the large majority) fall into only a small number of categories, which he describes with somewhat humorous generalized titles. This comic may be a jab at mainstream news and their handling of scientific announcements; journalists are eager to report on what could turn out to be a scientific breakthrough even if it's very similar to stories they've already published about similar papers that turned out to be somewhat mundane. It may also relate to how some scientific findings follow certain patterns.

==Breakdown of papers==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Paper Title
!Explanation
!Visual Description
|-
!scope=row|We put a camera somewhere new
|This may involve miniaturisation or other improvements of imaging sensors, power supply, transmission or retention of data, environmental hardening and (possibly) recovery afterwards. Photographs and videos can be especially helpful in understanding what is or was going on, especially for the layman, than more limited signal traces.

Cameras have been inserted into every obvious bodily orifice (including swallowed, to be later excreted), placed in habitats to monitor wildlife, attached to wildlife to monitor habitats, sent into volcanic craters/ocean trenches/high altitudes/nuclear reactors, launched into space and sent past/round/onto several of the solar-system's more interesting bodies. This makes the "somewhere new" claim intriguing, possibly even comparable to 'clickbait'.

This could also be generalized even more by replacing "camera" with "sensor", and then going to debate the newly derived sensor data.
|Includes a large figure, likely an image captured with the camera.
|-
!scope=row|Hey, I found a trove of old records! They don't turn out to be particularly useful, but still, cool!
|Rather than starting with the aim of investigating some question, and finding some way of answering it by uncovering evidence, sometimes a writer may have stumbled upon a cache of historic documents that they then feel compelled to justify the resulting '{{tvtropes|WikiWalk|Wiki Walk}}' they may have found themselves sucked into. The author may be far more excited about this than any future reader. This could also be a paper by a historian who found out ancient records which could be useful. A similar sentiment appears in [[1979: History]].
|Small figure may show the most interesting fragment of the records.
|-
!scope=row|My colleague is wrong and I can finally prove it
|This title refers to the occasional rivalries between scientists within a field, which can push them to seek proof that they, and not their colleague, are correct. This search for vindication, rather than truth, can lead the researcher to overlook significant flaws in their research, and can also make for tedious reading. It reflects a tone of smug self-satisfaction.
|Like the two previous types, this one is laid out in two-column format with occasional section headings. Unlike those types, it has no figures.
|-
!scope=row|The immune system is at it again
|The human immune system is notoriously complex, and there are countless papers in medical fields just describing its strangeness. While it is best known for preventing and battling infections, it can also overreact or even turn against the body that it is supposed to protect. Moreover it can overreact, for instance in allergic reactions or in a potentially lethal {{w|cytokine storm}} known to occur in certain viral infections, including {{w|influenza}} and {{w|COVID-19}}. The title may convey exasperation with the amorphous nature of this study subject.
|Two-column format, no figures.
|-
!scope=row|We figured out how to make this exotic material, so email us if you need some
|Researchers often attempt to create materials despite there not being any demand, predicting that in the future their material will be game-changing without any actual applications. These researchers have created such a material, and are offering to produce it for anyone who needs it. It is couched in terms of having created an answer for which there was not yet any proper question.

Sometimes the only reason for trying to create the materials is that they are peculiar or novel in some way, with no consideration of whether they might have any use apart from demonstrating the novel property. However, some other people might find that property very useful... and may lack the ability to make the substance for themselves.

This may be also referring to the discovering/creating of elements and subatomic particles. The statement if you wish to buy it is humorous in these cases because they will decay too quickly to be purchased.
|Two-column format, no figures.
|-
!scope=row|What are fish even doing down there
|Deep sea marine biology regularly discovers [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7QXdlSBGGY strange lifeforms] in [https://www.9news.com.au/world/sharks-living-in-volcano-why-are-marine-predators-living-in-an-active-crater/db112bd9-21b2-46c2-9d58-ed07f981ae01 unexpected places], and theories explaining deep sea ecosystems are regularly confounded by new data.

Scientists may also bump into marine organisms when looking for something else. For example, one planned underwater neutrino detector [https://www.nature.com/articles/srep44938 picked up bioluminescence instead].

Whichever way, the title probably reflects a totally unexpected result that is possibly too cross-disciplinary to be properly comprehended as an actual scientific advance by the authors. However, a proper study of the species could very well be an important paper.
|This one-column paper does not appear to have any headers, implying a longer, free-flowing format.
|-
!scope=row|This task I had to do anyway turned out to be hard enough for its own paper
|There is a huge variety in the complexity and importance of subjects studied in scientific papers, and often some supposedly easy task will be sufficiently complicated as to merit its own paper. For example, as part of a {{w|materials science}} project (perhaps making the aforementioned exotic material), a scientist may have innovated on a chemical process involved in its production. Such an innovation could well be worth publishing in its own right, and might even turn out to be of more general application than the "main" project.

The author may be glad to have been able to turn mundane 'housekeeping' activities, that don't normally do much to enhance academic reputations, into an actual opportunity to be cite-worthy.
|This paper is also one-column but it contains section headers.
|-
!scope=row|Hey, at least we showed that this method can produce results! That's not nothing, right?
|One of the struggles of the scientific method is that many experiments will not produce the results scientists desired or expected. Negative or conflicting results of well-conducted research are as important as positive or dramatic ones, but are often ignored in favor of more novel findings. As a result, some journals are established specifically for negative results, reducing the bias towards only positive claims that may actually be outliers or anomalies.

In this case, the authors may otherwise have worked on their problem and been left with no citable proof of their efforts. The title perhaps reflects an attempt to present this as 'success' of a different kind, rather than a submission to such a null/negative-results platform. This may be similar to the above type of paper too.
|Two-column format, no figures.
|-
!scope=row|Check out this weird thing one of us saw while out for a walk
|This paper may be imagined as an opportunistic publication. A department or team has seen itself low down on the local 'league table' for academic output. A brainstorming session for a way of rectifying this led to desperately seizing upon the first idle comment made (in lieu of any better sounding ideas) that can somehow be shoehorned into their respective subject area, and is now being presented similar to "this one weird thing" clickbait titles that almost always oversell their content.
This also works in the context of entomology. Insects have the most species of any class of animals [https://www.si.edu/spotlight/buginfo/bugnos by a wide margin], but due to their small size, they're not easily seen. As a result, new species are constantly being discovered in places as innocuous as [https://wildlife.org/video-entomologists-discover-30-new-species-in-la-backyards/ someone's backyard].

It also works in botany, especially floristics. Papers of first records of alien plants refer to weird things botanists saw on walks. Vagrant birds, unusual animal behaviour, and strange meteorological phenomena are other subcategories.
|Two-column layout. Includes several large figures, likely close-up photographs of the weird thing. There are no headers, as the paper may have little background or methodology, just observations.
|-
!scope=row|We are 500 scientists and here's what we've been up to for the last 10 years
|Some papers summarize the work of big research teams, like those working on the [https://repositorio.uc.cl/xmlui/bitstream/handle/11534/13948/Observation%20of%20a%20new%20particle%20in%20the%20search%20for%20the%20Standard%20Model%20Higgs%20boson%20with%20the%20ATLAS%20detector%20at%20the%20LHC.pdf Higgs Boson] (list of authors starts at page 17 and goes to page 26 with foot notes about authors to page 29, and a dedication in the header would suggest that more than one other contributor died over the course of the research, which would be rather unusual for a smaller project) or LIGO. Since the discoveries which are made are a team effort, probably outlasting many of the individual tenures involved, the papers have many authors listed.
A credit for participation may not mean any particularly great contribution by each individual, but being left out (even for one summer's secondment, seven years before any results could be recorded) would be taken as a slight, and an opportunity missed to be 'citable' in the future.
|A huge portion of the page is taken up by the presumably 500 authors' names, above the main horizontal bar.
|-
!scope=row|Some thoughts on how everyone else is bad at research
|Similar to the "my colleague is wrong" paper, but in this case applied to far greater swathes of the community by the author(s) of this (possibly unfocused) tract. Usually a "systematic review", the words 'some thoughts' might indicate a meta-approach with no original research - and possibly a passive-aggressive style of assessment.
|No header sections, possibly because these particular thoughts are in the form of an essay or letter without an accompanying investigation. Formatting this article as a single column with large blocks of text could also be indicating a slightly unhinged rant by someone who—wrongly—perceives themselves as unjustly marginalized.
|-
!scope=row|We scanned some undergraduates
|Initial research is often done at universities, so when human subjects are required, recruiting undergraduate students is a common, easy, and inexpensive way to gather enough people to conduct studies or experiments. This is extremely common in psychological or sociological studies, but can involve more medical (but non-invasive) 'scans', from simple eyeball-tracking to full-body MRI. This practice is often criticized, as it introduces a selection bias, which makes the results difficult to generalize to the entire population, as university students in a given country are not necessarily a representative sample of human beings as a whole. Nonetheless, easy accessibility makes these students a source of data for many academic papers. The low-key approach to the title (concentrating blandly upon the method with no references to results) may indicate that the results obtained are very trivial and no great developments were even made in implementation. Alternately, this is a truly ground-breaking paper obscured entirely by the lead author's over-narrow professional focus and avoidance of any hype.
|Two-column format with figures.
|-
!scope=row|We've incrementally improved the estimate of this coefficient
|Often scientific research, e.g. in cosmology or physics, will work with an assumed constant value that is known to be only an 'educated guess' of the actual definite value, or an inclusive range. However accurate/certain this is, further experimentation or observation may further narrow down the uncertainty involved to a statistically significant degree. An improvement to one of these constants also improves the accuracy of every single calculation that uses it.

Even if these improvements may seem trivial to those outside the discipline (e.g. narrowing down a seemingly esoteric value from 99.99% certainty to 99.995% certainty), they are probably understood as significant achievements by those aware of the effort needed to obtain such diminishing returns, and the authors are probably very excited to have done what they did.

Another possible interpretation of this title is that it refers not to cosmological constants but to an exponent in algorithmic complexity, for example the [https://arxiv.org/abs/1401.7714 2014 paper] that proved that the complexity of matrix multiplication is at most n^2.3728639 in place of the previous upper bound n^2.3729.
|rowspan="3"|(Only referenced in Title Text)
|-
!scope=row|Maybe all these categories are wrong
|In some field that relies heavily upon classification (e.g. phylogenetic biology, or the Standard Model in physics) sometimes observations arise that cast doubt on the previously established ideas. It seems that this may have happened here, hopefully with a suggestion of how to reimagine the situation.

The article may have been written with with a sense of euphoria (the chance to present a paradigm shift in thinking, to rewrite the textbooks) or pessimism (it demonstrates only the failings in current thinking, without any obvious solution).

Alternatively, it may be a reference to the categories of papers that this comic proposes.
|-
!scope=row|We found a way to make student volunteers worse at tasks
|Possibly a psychology experiment, and maybe not even the result expected. In general, the repetition of an activity will induce greater skill/capacity in a tested individual. By accident or design, the study group in this instance has induced the opposite correlation. (There are, however, some studies that explicitly look at how e.g. lack of sleep reduces productivity.)

Exactly what emotion the title reflects might depend upon whether the worsening was an intended result, or even how the team were able to refocus and seize upon the adverse outcomes. The tone of the title could even express surprise: some senior academics may already have a generally low opinion of student volunteers (as both naïve students and ones that have no better things to do than volunteer), but then managed to inadvertently engineer a situation in which particularly inept subjects sail well under the already very low bar of expectations for the study aims.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Heading:]
:Types of Scientific Paper

:[An array of 4 rows with 3 scientific papers each, is shown. We see the first page of each paper, but only its title is legible. Headings are shown as black lines, paragraphs of text are shown as several squiggly lines and figures are shown as empty white rectangles. Titles are as follows:]
:We put a camera somewhere new
:Hey, I found a trove of old records! They don't turn out to be particularly useful, but still, cool!
:My colleague is wrong and I can finally prove it
:The immune system is at it again
:We figured out how to make this exotic material, so email us if you need some
:What are fish even doing down there
:This task I had to do anyway turned out to be hard enough for its own paper
:Hey, at least we showed that this method can produce results! That's not nothing, right?
:Check out this weird thing one of us saw while out for a walk
:We are 500 scientists and here's what we've been up to for the last 10 years
:Some thoughts on how everyone else is bad at research
:We scanned some undergraduates

==Trivia==
*Originally, this comic's title text misspelled "volunteers" as "volunters".
*Another comic, [[2012: Thorough Analysis]], similarly categorizes or mocks research papers.

==Derivatives==
The comic inspired many derivatives, changing the paper titles to be more relevant to specific fields.

The hashtag [https://twitter.com/search?q=%23TypesOfScientificPapers&src=typed_query&f=live #TypesOfScientificPapers] on Twitter includes many of these.

There is a [https://observablehq.com/@guillaume-levrier/xkcd-types-paper generator].

There is a [https://app.milanote.com/1LDuH91krMUK9z moodboard compiling hundreds of them].

Some examples include:
{| class="wikitable"
| https://twitter.com/neil_chilson/status/1388216386967715846 || Privacy Paper
|-
| https://twitter.com/SamLMontano/status/1388268078279049217 || Disaster Science Paper
|-
| https://twitter.com/jfbastien/status/1388229180211404803 || C++ Standards papers
|-
| https://twitter.com/waiterich/status/1388207060412682247 || Scientific Paper (Food, Land, and Natural Climate Solutions Version)
|-
| https://twitter.com/stefan_d_jevtic/status/1388192045920137216 || Hematology
|-
| https://twitter.com/jeffpeapod/status/1388185831140118529 || Papers for Grad Students
|-
| https://twitter.com/EdinburghKnee/status/1388069182642794496 || Ortho Paper
|-
| https://twitter.com/j_remy_green/status/1387960392954138624 || Law Paper
|-
| https://twitter.com/JavierApfeld/status/1387891336515362819 || Aging Paper
|-
| https://twitter.com/Gabeincognito/status/1387873643435216897 || Infosec Paper
|-
| https://twitter.com/acarriebear/status/1387870050581889024 || Toxicology
|-
| https://twitter.com/yesitsnicholas/status/1387865583908114432 || Neuroscience
|-
| https://twitter.com/nexel_art/status/1388263392545280009 || Archeology
|-
| https://twitter.com/skinnyfatPhD/status/1388253551013498882 || Metabolism
|-
| https://twitter.com/zamanian_/status/1388179675806158848 || Parasitology
|-
| https://twitter.com/PWGTennant/status/1387734254960975881 || Epidemiology and Public Health
|-
| https://twitter.com/DrIanKellar/status/1387760304818372620 || Health Psychology
|-
| https://twitter.com/nappqm/status/1388098251136589824 || Pest Science
|-
| https://twitter.com/theangelremiel/status/1388134620219297793 || Clinical Paper
|-
| https://twitter.com/plantspipettes/status/1387825850372997121 || Plant science
|-
| https://twitter.com/girlandkat/status/1388030240358768642 || Planetary Science
|-
| https://twitter.com/Nesquixotic/status/1387848121342853122 || History
|-
| https://twitter.com/SamLemonick/status/1388177531703070722 || How a reporter sees types of science papers
|-
| https://twitter.com/AndrewBarnas/status/1388161745684996098 || Scientific Paper PAYWALL meta-joke
|-
| https://twitter.com/ctdicanio/status/1388630827857289221 || Phonetics
|-
| https://twitter.com/ProfSimonFisher/status/1388096934343233537|| Language Research
|-
| https://twitter.com/jeanburgess/status/1388245879119781889 || Internet Studies
|-
| https://twitter.com/drzimmermann/status/1388526687814656004 || AI Ethics
|-
| https://twitter.com/ElephantEating/status/1388552610236403714 || Energy systems modelling 1
|-
| https://twitter.com/WPSchill/status/1388584606375493634 || Energy systems modelling 2
|-
| https://twitter.com/oikoweather/status/1388533147768434689 || Building energy modelling
|-
| https://twitter.com/BrynnTannehill/status/1388947303025844225 || Articles on trans people
|-
| https://twitter.com/jiaqikangjiaqi/status/1389225735202607115 || Types of diaspora writing
|-
| https://twitter.com/jdporterlive/status/1388192751653687297 || Literarcy Criticism
|-
| https://twitter.com/spiroferrer/status/1388169795674120193 || Urban planning
|-
| https://twitter.com/ChanceBonar/status/1388266744784080903 || Biblical studies
|-
| https://twitter.com/AmesCG/status/1389368675887554562 || A certain genre of center-right opinion column
|-
| https://twitter.com/jonathanagray/status/1388527626495594504 || Media studies
|-
| https://twitter.com/awaisaftab/status/1388133087356325888 || Psychiatry
|-
| https://twitter.com/OriPomson/status/1388911680277651462 || International Humanitarian Law (aka 'Law of Armed Conflicts')
|-
| https://bsky.app/profile/carbon-cyclist.bsky.social/post/3lhkha43wfc2v || Arctic-Boreal

|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Scientific research]]
[[Category:Science]]

2069: Wishlist

2025-05-21T17:47:25Z

GreyFox: added wikipedia link to steve from minecraft

{{comic
| number = 2069
| date = November 7, 2018
| title = Wishlist
| image = wishlist.png
| titletext = Disappointed that they caved to fan pressure and went with Ruth Bader Ginsburg over Elena Kagan.
}}

==Explanation==
''{{w|Super Smash Bros.}}'' (pronounced ''Super Smash Brothers'' and usually shortened to ''Smash'') is a crossover fighting game series published by {{w|Nintendo}}, with the core roster of playable characters originating from Nintendo's own franchises such as ''Super Mario'' and ''The Legend of Zelda''. At the time this comic was published, there were 77 playable characters in total across the 5 games in the series. Starting with the third game, ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'', characters from third-party franchises (non-Nintendo) have been made available, though most of them had at least made major appearances on a Nintendo system at some point. This comic is a parody of various fans' wishes for the roster of ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'', which was announced in 2018 along with multiple trailers revealing new characters to appear in the roster. In the November 1st trailer it was stated every new character in the launch version of the game had been announced, though with five more characters coming in 2019 as {{w|downloadable content}} (DLC).

Throughout the series fans have suggested new characters to add; however, developer acquiescence to these requests is rare, with only six characters out of 77 ({{w|King Dedede}}, {{w|Steve_(Minecraft)|Steve}}, {{w|Sonic the Hedgehog}}, {{w|Ryu (Street Fighter)|Ryu}}, {{w|Bayonetta (character)|Bayonetta}}, and {{w|Ridley (Metroid)|Ridley}}) having been added this way. On November 3rd, 2018, the developer studio {{w|Sora Ltd.}} made a statement on Twitter telling fans that the as-yet unrevealed DLC characters for ''Ultimate'' were already chosen and that they were not accepting further requests; all remaining characters would then be gradually released over the next three years, culminating in {{w|Sora (Kingdom Hearts)|Sora}}'s reveal in October 2021.

This comic lists 16 "characters" that Randall supposedly wishes were made available in ''Super Smash Bros.'', ranging from plausible playable characters, to the absurd.

; Mario / Luigi hybrid
: {{w|Mario}} and {{w|Luigi}} are characters in the ''{{w|Super Mario}}'' series, one of Nintendo's flagship franchises. They are both playable characters in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series. A hybrid of these two characters would be quite interesting, even though such a concept does not exist within the Super Mario series. When considering how Mario and Luigi have evolved throughout the Smash series, one could argue that {{w|Dr. Mario}} is a hybrid of these two in terms of moveset.

; The SkiFree monster
: ''{{w|SkiFree}}'' is a computer game for Windows released in 1991. The player controls a skier trying to avoid obstacles. After the end of a full run, a {{w|Yeti|white furry monster}} appears, and tries to catch the player. The ''SkiFree'' monster was a subject of the [[667: SkiFree]] comic. Unlike most of the characters on this list, the ''SkiFree'' monster at least has had an appearance on a Nintendo system, as the game had a {{w|Game Boy Color}} port as part of the "The Best of Entertainment Pack" in 2001.

; Siri
: {{w|Siri}} is the name given to Apple's personal virtual assistant for iOS, macOS, and its other operating systems. Siri is generally a voice without a visual representation, so it is unclear how Siri would be a playable character in ''Super Smash Bros.''

; Ellie from ''Up''
: Ellie is one of the characters in ''{{w|Up (2009 film)|Up}}'', a 2009 {{w|Pixar}} film. In the beginning of the film, Ellie passes away, leaving her husband Carl alone, and leading him to start his adventure in Paradise Falls. While there was a {{w|Up (video game)|tie-in video game based on the movie}} released in the same year for multiple systems (including the Wii and Nintendo DS), Ellie was not playable in it.

; Zordon
: {{w|Zordon}} is a fictional character from the ''Power Rangers'' franchise who serves as the mentor for the earlier Ranger teams. While he is technically trapped in another dimension, he is usually depicted as a blurry head in a tube. He occasionally has lightning powers, and had a robot sidekick (Alpha 5) who might be able to move him around. Alas, he is currently dead, having used his life energy to remove all evil from the galaxy at that time. While there have been many Power Rangers video games over the years, including on Nintendo platforms, Zordon would be an unlikely character not only due to his lack of extremities, but also due to the fact that the Power Rangers franchise is primarily built on stock footage of the Japanese ''Super Sentai'' series.

; Clippy
: Clippit, commonly nicknamed {{w|Clippy}}, was one of the Office Assistants for {{w|Microsoft Office}} (versions 1997 to 2003). It was an user interface with the purpose to assist users. Clippy (and the other Office Assistants) was negatively received by users, and was eventually removed in Office 2007.

; The Sarlaac [sic]
: The {{w|Sarlacc}} is an alien monster that lived in {{w|Tatooine}} in the ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' universe. It is most prominently shown in the film ''{{w|Return of the Jedi}}'', when the main heroes are sentenced to death by being dropped into the Sarlacc's mouth. Notably, the Sarlacc is a large, stationary creature embedded in the ground (essentially, a pit).
: This could be a reference to the {{w|List_of_recurring_Mario_franchise_enemies#Piranha_Plant|Piranha Plant}} being confirmed as a DLC character, as Piranha Plants are typically stationary and embedded in the ground, and also have their big, toothy mouth as a primary feature.
: While the Sarlacc was featured in 1994's ''{{w|Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi}}'' for the {{w|Super Nintendo Entertainment System}}, its lack of mobility would make it a poor choice for a character.

; InstallShield Wizard
: A ''wizard'' is a type of UI that simplifies configuration of an app or process by guiding the user through a number of screens in sequence. A user makes one decision on each screen, and the overall process puts less cognitive load on the user.
: {{w|InstallShield}} is a proprietary software tool for creating installer applications (or software packages) for Microsoft Windows. When the created package is being installed, the installer application can be shown in form of a 'standard Windows Wizard' dialog. Depending on the creativity of the user creating the package, the Wizard can display images while different stages of the installer are being executed.
: There are known instances of The InstallShield Wizard showing a wizard-like character images. Also, the standard wording of the installer text shown to the user ('software-to-be-installed is preparing the InstallShield Wizard, which will guide you through the program setup process') suggests that the Wizard is a 'real character'.

; Mr. Clean
: {{w|Mr. Clean}} is a brand and mascot for {{w|Procter & Gamble}} used for all-purpose cleaners and melamine foam cleaners.

; Comet Cursor
: {{w|Comet Cursor}} was Windows software that allowed users or websites to customise the mouse cursor. It was often installed with minimal user interaction and was accused of tracking users and being "spyware".

; Beto O'Rourke
: {{w|Beto O'Rourke}} is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. Representative for Texas's 16th congressional district since 2013. He was the nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2018 Texas U.S. Senate election (which was held the day before this comic appeared), running against Republican incumbent Ted Cruz. O'Rourke received much media attention leading up to the election, with many considering the election abnormally competitive. He ultimately did lose against Ted Cruz.
: While not a video game character, it is more than possible to create a Mii Fighter based on Beto O'Rourke in the game. However, the game does not come with a Beto O'Rourke Mii, and Nintendo has not created an official Mii of Beto O'Rourke.{{citation needed}}

; The Monopoly boot
: The "boot" is one of the classic pewter tokens from the board game ''{{w|Monopoly (game)|Monopoly}}''. Despite the absurdity of the request, the boot appeared in the 1999 ''Monopoly'' video game adaptation for the Nintendo 64. In 2017, the boot token was retired from the standard version of ''Monopoly''.

; Lot's wife
: Lot and his wife are characters from the book of Genesis in the Bible. According to the book of Genesis, Lot and his family had to {{w|Sodom_and_Gomorrah#In_the_Book_of_Genesis|flee the city of Sodom}}, which was being judged by God for its wickedness. They were commanded to flee and not look back at the city. However, Lot's wife looked back at the city and was turned into a pillar of salt. It is unclear which version of Lot's wife Randall wishes to be playable in the game.

; D.B. Cooper
: [[D. B. Cooper]] is the name popularly used to refer to an unidentified man who hijacked a Boeing 727 aircraft on November 24, 1971. He extorted $200,000 in ransom and parachuted out of the plane. His identity and whereabouts have never been discovered. D.B. Cooper was a subject of the [[1400: D.B. Cooper]] comic. As mentioned above, an enterprising player could easily make a Mii Fighter based on D.B. Cooper, though no such Mii has been provided by Nintendo.

; The Blair Witch
: The Blair Witch is the titular character of the ''{{w|The Blair Witch Project}}'', a 1999 "found footage" supernatural horror film. The film became one of the most successful independent films of all time. The witch is never actually shown in the film, making it difficult to turn into a character in the game.

; Mavis Beacon
: ''{{w|Mavis Beacon (character)|Mavis Beacon}}'' is a fictional character and the mascot of the ''{{w|Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing}}'' software series.

The title text refers to two US Supreme Court Associate Justices who were considered as additions to ''Smash''. {{w|Ruth Bader Ginsburg}} was appointed by Bill Clinton; {{w|Elena Kagan}} was appointed by Barack Obama. Both are considered to be on the "liberal" wing of the court, but Ginsburg’s forceful dissenting opinions may explain why she would have been a more popular character for Super Smash Bros. Additionally, Ginsburg has been parodied on ''{{w|Saturday Night Live}}'', adding to her popularity: [http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/cast/kate-mckinnon-15056/impersonation/ruth-bader-ginsburg-100221]

==Transcript==
:[In a frame a bullet-list is shown:]
:Mario/Luigi hybrid
:The SkiFree monster
:Siri
:Ellie from ''Up''
:Zordon
:Clippy
:The Sarlaac
:The InstallShield Wizard
:Mr. Clean
:Comet Cursor
:Beto O'Rourke
:The Monopoly boot
:Lot's wife
:D.B. Cooper
:The Blair Witch
:Mavis Beacon

:[Caption below the frame:]
:Super Smash Brothers never did end up adding anyone from my wishlist.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics featuring D. B. Cooper]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Virtual Assistants]]

Talk:13: Canyon

2025-05-20T21:26:57Z

GreyFox: comment

Lined paper, why was this comic drawn on lined paper? Blegh. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:09, 8 January 2013 (UTC)
:Most early xkcd comics were literally scans of doodles that Randall drew in his (presumably) graph paper notebook while bored in class(?). [[User:Zowayix|Zowayix]] ([[User talk:Zowayix|talk]]) 21:25, 18 January 2014 (UTC)

An often used phrase is "The future is now", in reference to futuristic gadgets etc that one can see in todays world... what more furistic is an alien-planet vista with two humans in it?[[User:Squirreltape|Squirreltape]] ([[User talk:Squirreltape|talk]]) 23:32, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

This may also refer to the problem of timekeeping on another planets. [[User:Sten|'''STEN''']] ([[User talk:Sten|talk]]) 22:59, 11 August 2014 (UTC)
:. . . Tidally locked planet, no spin, no appearence of the planet's star moving across the sky. Thus, the time, as judged by the placement of the sun in th sky, is always "Now." 13:11, 28 August 2014 (UTC)~
::Why does this sentence evoke melancholy? [[User:Psychoticpotato|Psychoticpotato]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 02:38, 18 May 2024 (UTC)

There is a [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob|community portal discussion]] of what to call Cueball and what to do in case with more than one Cueball. I have added this comic to the new Category:Multiple Cueballs. In this case there is no reason to call one Cueball and the other friend. It could easily be the other way. So I have changed to remove Cueball.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:23, 15 March 2015 (UTC)
:After having looked at several other Multiple Cueballs comics I have regretted this change as it is clear (to me now) that the one I have now, again, named Cueball is the protagonist of the story - i.e. the one with the interesting remarks. But still I make it clear that they both looks like Cueball. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:34, 24 March 2015 (UTC)

Anyone else think this looks like the alien landscape from Calvin and Hobbes? [[User:Danish|Danish]] ([[User talk:Danish|talk]]) 16:58, 30 December 2020 (UTC)
:I was just about to say that [[User:GreyFox|GreyFox]] ([[User talk:GreyFox|talk]]) 21:26, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

I love those! --[[User:Char Latte49|Char Latte49]] ([[User talk:Char Latte49|talk]]) 19:00, 11 March 2021 (UTC)

Talk:1090: Formal Languages

2025-05-20T21:21:46Z

GreyFox:

;Where to dicuss (moved from article body)
Maybe the word "Grammar" is just supposed to sound like "Ta-Da" (as in the fanfare sound made in circuses). Which - as odd as this is going to sound - is somewhat similar to how grammar is used in formal languages.

Is it possible that the word crash is some sort of play on the computer term 'crash'? I know that formal linguistics is important to computer science... Just throwing that out there.

You know, either:

a) I'm REALLY dumb (98% probability) and I simply can't find the comments on this comic (or any other for that matter now "it's come to this" (the Wiki). Or...

b) (2% probablity) nobody else has managed to work out how to comment yet either. Is this the way to do it? (seems logical) or is option a) corect? In which case, can someone give me a Noddy's Guide to how to find the comments and add them, please?
(Obviously kindly delete this if option a) is indeed correct!) Steve B. -- ''The explaination is up now. Basically it's a big play on the words 'context free grammar' ''

If only there were some sort of Discussion page where comics could be discussed. There could be a convenient link at the top of the page right next to a link back to the comic page itself. Maybe it could be colored red to stand out from the rest of the page. ''-- It's a blue button next to "Prev"''

;Formal Language
Because the conference heading implies it is about formal programming languages.
Grammar is about the correct for of language and it's formality and rules (which I break all the time).
It's a pun.

[[Special:Contributions/202.167.15.165|202.167.15.165]] 06:21, 21 November 2012 (UTC)beany
:Formal language is a much broader concept than just programming languages. [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 15:37, 23 November 2012 (UTC)

;Formal Language
I'm thinking the page needs a brief description of what a "formal language" is. I linked to the wikipedia article on formal languages, but we should probably add a summary relevant to the comic here. --[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 10:39, 3 August 2012 (EDT)

^
|
'''"Formal languages"''' in a formal language, is '''"Formal languages"'''.

;Norvig vs. Chomsky
It may be related to this news: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/06/norvig-vs-chomsky-and-the-fight-for-the-future-of-ai

;Grammar vs Language
The pun seems clearly to be related to the difference between a formal language and a formal grammar. A language X is the set of all it's valid statements. On the other hand, a grammar for a language X is a description that can be used produce every single valid statement in the language X, even if it's a language with infinite valid statements. So him shouting "''GRAMMAR''" in a formal ''languages'' forum is most likely meant to be as if he said in a shorthand way everything there was to be said about (the) language. {{unsigned ip|108.162.212.51}}

Someone please fix the explanation, I cant because A) I know nothing about this and B) As my age is every time I try to learn this I fall asleep.[[User:Dontknow|Dontknow]] ([[User talk:Dontknow|talk]]) 04:08, 13 May 2017 (UTC)

;Why do we need to define context-free grammar?

cant you just say that its a thing that exists and be done with it? it certainly doesnt add to the joke to know the definition
[[User:TheJonyMyster|TheJonyMyster]] ([[User talk:TheJonyMyster|talk]]) 21:46, 10 June 2017 (UTC)

:I agree. I have added a sentence though, as I've encountered quite a bit of uproar about removing incompleteness notifications willy-nilly. <gir> 20:55, 28 June 2017 (UTC)

Since the man bursts in from the left, is the podium an LL(1) parser? {{unsigned ip|172.70.174.227|19:57, 17 July 2024}}

[[3003:_Sandwich_Helix|Sandwich helix]]. [[User:GreyFox|GreyFox]] ([[User talk:GreyFox|talk]]) 21:20, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

Talk:1090: Formal Languages

2025-05-20T21:20:46Z

GreyFox:

;Where to dicuss (moved from article body)
Maybe the word "Grammar" is just supposed to sound like "Ta-Da" (as in the fanfare sound made in circuses). Which - as odd as this is going to sound - is somewhat similar to how grammar is used in formal languages.

Is it possible that the word crash is some sort of play on the computer term 'crash'? I know that formal linguistics is important to computer science... Just throwing that out there.

You know, either:

a) I'm REALLY dumb (98% probability) and I simply can't find the comments on this comic (or any other for that matter now "it's come to this" (the Wiki). Or...

b) (2% probablity) nobody else has managed to work out how to comment yet either. Is this the way to do it? (seems logical) or is option a) corect? In which case, can someone give me a Noddy's Guide to how to find the comments and add them, please?
(Obviously kindly delete this if option a) is indeed correct!) Steve B. -- ''The explaination is up now. Basically it's a big play on the words 'context free grammar' ''

If only there were some sort of Discussion page where comics could be discussed. There could be a convenient link at the top of the page right next to a link back to the comic page itself. Maybe it could be colored red to stand out from the rest of the page. ''-- It's a blue button next to "Prev"''

;Formal Language
Because the conference heading implies it is about formal programming languages.
Grammar is about the correct for of language and it's formality and rules (which I break all the time).
It's a pun.

[[Special:Contributions/202.167.15.165|202.167.15.165]] 06:21, 21 November 2012 (UTC)beany
:Formal language is a much broader concept than just programming languages. [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 15:37, 23 November 2012 (UTC)

;Formal Language
I'm thinking the page needs a brief description of what a "formal language" is. I linked to the wikipedia article on formal languages, but we should probably add a summary relevant to the comic here. --[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 10:39, 3 August 2012 (EDT)

^
|
'''"Formal languages"''' in a formal language, is '''"Formal languages"'''.

;Norvig vs. Chomsky
It may be related to this news: http://www.tor.com/blogs/2011/06/norvig-vs-chomsky-and-the-fight-for-the-future-of-ai

;Grammar vs Language
The pun seems clearly to be related to the difference between a formal language and a formal grammar. A language X is the set of all it's valid statements. On the other hand, a grammar for a language X is a description that can be used produce every single valid statement in the language X, even if it's a language with infinite valid statements. So him shouting "''GRAMMAR''" in a formal ''languages'' forum is most likely meant to be as if he said in a shorthand way everything there was to be said about (the) language. {{unsigned ip|108.162.212.51}}

Someone please fix the explanation, I cant because A) I know nothing about this and B) As my age is every time I try to learn this I fall asleep.[[User:Dontknow|Dontknow]] ([[User talk:Dontknow|talk]]) 04:08, 13 May 2017 (UTC)

;Why do we need to define context-free grammar?

cant you just say that its a thing that exists and be done with it? it certainly doesnt add to the joke to know the definition
[[User:TheJonyMyster|TheJonyMyster]] ([[User talk:TheJonyMyster|talk]]) 21:46, 10 June 2017 (UTC)

:I agree. I have added a sentence though, as I've encountered quite a bit of uproar about removing incompleteness notifications willy-nilly. <gir> 20:55, 28 June 2017 (UTC)

Since the man bursts in from the left, is the podium an LL(1) parser? {{unsigned ip|172.70.174.227|19:57, 17 July 2024}}

[[Sandwich helix]]. [[User:GreyFox|GreyFox]] ([[User talk:GreyFox|talk]]) 21:20, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3080: Tennis Balls

2025-04-23T23:53:39Z

GreyFox:

feels more like a macroscope to me [[User:GreyFox|GreyFox]] ([[User talk:GreyFox|talk]]) 23:53, 23 April 2025 (UTC)

2243: Star Wars Spoiler Generator

2025-03-27T20:30:44Z

GreyFox: relinked "the child" to his official name, grogu

{{comic
| number = 2243
| date = December 18, 2019
| title = Star Wars Spoiler Generator
| image = star wars spoiler generator.png
| titletext = The heroes seem to be gaining the upper hand until Darth Juul manages to flip the switch on the car wash control panel from 'REGULAR' to 'PREMIUM.'
}}

==Explanation==
On December 20, 2019 (2 days after the publication of this comic), the final movie of the "Skywalker saga" of ''Star Wars'' films, ''{{w|Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker}}'', was officially released to the US. It received a world premiere in Los Angeles on December 16, so there are lots of spoilers online, and also lots of people who want to avoid spoilers. [[Randall]] has created a flowchart that generates "spoilers" to the film, but as he probably has not seen the film (or, if he has, he doesn't actually want to spoil it for us), all of the so-called spoilers are nonsensical.

The formula for each spoiler is as follows: "In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain '''[villain name]''' with help from their new friend '''[friend name]'''. Rey builds a new lightsaber with a '''[color]''' blade, and they head out to confront the First Order's new superweapon, the '''[superweapon name]''', a space station capable of '''[evil plan]'''. They unexpectedly join forces with their old enemy '''[character]''' and destroy the superweapon in a battle featuring '''[strange event]'''. P.S. Rey's parents are '''[character]''' and '''[character]'''".

The {{w|First Order (Star Wars)|First Order}} is the main antagonist group in the ''Star Wars'' {{w|Star Wars sequel trilogy|sequel trilogy}} series (episodes VII, VIII, and IX). In ''{{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}}'', they use a superweapon in their base, {{w|Death_Star#Starkiller_Base|Starkiller Base}}, to destroy the planetary system housing the headquarters of the {{w|New Republic (Star Wars)|New Republic}}, the democratic government which was formed after the {{w|Galactic Empire (Star Wars)|Empire}}'s defeat in ''{{w|Return of the Jedi}}''.

"Building a {{w|lightsaber}}" is one of the rites of passage for becoming a {{w|Jedi}} Knight. In the {{w|Star Wars prequel trilogy|prequel trilogy}} (episodes I, II, and III), new Jedi build lightsabers as an official part of the journey towards Knighthood, and in the {{w|Star Wars Trilogy|original trilogy}} (episodes IV, V, and VI), {{w|Luke Skywalker}} builds a lightsaber between ''{{w|The Empire Strikes Back}}'' and ''Return of the Jedi'' as part of his training with {{w|Yoda}}. {{w|Rey (Star Wars)|Rey}} has used the lightsaber that {{w|Darth Vader|Anakin Skywalker}} made and used (which Luke also used when he was a new Jedi) for the first two movies of the sequel trilogy, and so it would be thematically appropriate for her to build her own prior to the trilogy's final entry. Most Jedi lightsabers are either blue or green, with a few notable exceptions (e.g., {{w|Mace Windu}}'s purple lightsaber, which was chosen because purple is a cool color). {{w|Lightsaber|Kyber crystals}} are aligned with the Light Side of {{w|the Force}}, so {{w|Sith}} must overpower and "bleed" their crystals before they will function for them, causing their distinctive red color. Having a lightsaber of a color other than blue, green, or red is often seen in the ''Star Wars'' fandom as a sign of being a "{{tvtropes|MarySue|Mary Sue}}", an accusation which has been made of Rey.<ref>Though often disputed. See [https://collider.com/rey-not-mary-sue-star-wars/ this article] for more information on both viewpoints.</ref>

Another common plot point in ''Star Wars'' media is the construction, use, and destruction of a {{tvtropes|superweapon}}. These are inspired by stories and media of {{w|World War II}}, in which militaries rapidly developed novel technologies and weapons (including {{w|Wunderwaffe|"wonder-weapons"}}), while also launching massive operations to find, attack, and destroy critical elements of their enemies' resources and infrastructure, and constructing elaborate defenses for their own. The attack on the {{w|Death Star}} in particular is inspired by {{w|Operation Chastise}}, the "bouncing bomb" attack on Germany's hydroelectric power plants; Operation Chastise was dramatized in the {{w|The Dam Busters (book)|1951 book}} and {{w|The Dam Busters (film)|1955 film}} ''The Dam Busters'', which was [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNdb03Hw18M very thoroughly homaged] by ''A New Hope''. The original trilogy of movies had only two Death Stars, but superweapons quickly became a staple of the {{w|Star Wars expanded to other media|Expanded Universe}} fiction, to the point that one book had {{w|Han Solo}} make fun of the Empire's tendency towards building superweapons, proposing such ridiculous names as "Galaxy Destructor" and "Nostril of Palpatine". Superweapons are also common in superhero stories.

Redemption and making allies of old enemies is also a common plot point in ''Star Wars''. Anakin Skywalker fell to the Dark Side and became Darth Vader, but eventually returned to the Light Side to protect his son, and Han Solo was initially a morally ambiguous character who was eventually convinced to join the {{w|Rebel Alliance}}.

Rey, one of the main characters in the sequel trilogy series, is an orphan left behind on the planet {{w|Jakku}} as a child. As Rey is {{w|The Force|Force-sensitive}} and adept at using a lightsaber, there is much speculation among Star Wars fans as to the identity of her parents. Many major characters in ''Star Wars'' have unexpected heritages of great portent, most famously Luke, who was very distressed to learn that Darth Vader did not ''kill'' his father, as Obi-Wan had told him, but ''is'' his father. In ''{{w|Star Wars: The Last Jedi}}'', villain {{w|Kylo Ren}} tells Rey that she is the child of "filthy junk traders", but many fans speculate that he was lying to her.

The title text refers to the bottom option of the [strange event in battle] section. Apparently Lord Juul (or Darth Juul) is fighting the heroes in the Sith car wash. It is unclear what "flipping the switch" from Regular to Premium would do, but it seems to be beneficial to Darth Juul. A "premium" car wash usually has more features than a regular car wash, such as more cleaning brushes, waxing the car, cleaning the tires, etc., so perhaps the premium mode activates additional lightsabers.

This is the second false-fact-generating comic, after [[1930: Calendar Facts]].

==Table==
{| class="wikitable"
! Entry
! Explanation
|-
! colspan="2" | New villain
|-
| Kyle Ren
| Kyle Ren is one letter away from {{w|Kylo Ren|''Kylo'' Ren}}, the adopted "Sith name" of Ben Solo, son of Han and Leia Solo. Kylo is one of the antagonists in all three movies in the sequel trilogy, but there's nobody in the films named "Kyle". (There are a handful of ''Legends'' characters named Kyle, most famously Kyle Katarn, protagonist of the ''Star Wars: Jedi Knight'' video game series.)
|-
| {{w|Malloc}}
| Malloc is a function used in the C programming language for '''m'''emory '''alloc'''ation in the running of a program. Malloc may sound similar to {{w|Darth Malak|Malak}}, the antagonist of the ''{{w|Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic}}'' video game, and/or be the shortened form of [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Kardue%27sai%27Malloc Kardue'sai'Malloc], an extremely minor background character in the New Hope cantina scene.
|-
| Darth Sebelius
| {{w|Sebelius}} is the last name of several people.
* {{w|Kathleen Sebelius}} is a former state representative and governor of Kansas who was Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services under {{w|Barack Obama|President Obama}}. Sebelius was the named party in a {{w|National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius|Supreme Court case}} that upheld the provisions of the {{w|Affordable Care Act}} ("Obamacare"). The naming of Sebelius as a villain may reference the fact that the ACA has been controversial among certain groups.
* {{w|Jean Sibelius}} is a renowned Finnish composer. {{w|Sibelius (scorewriter)|Sibelius}} is also the name of a piece of music software.
Randall may have chosen this surname as it sounds similar to {{w|Darth Sidious}}, the overarching villain in the first six Star Wars films, who returned in ''The Rise of Skywalker'' as Palpatine.
|-
| {{w|Theranos}}
| Theranos was a medical technology company founded by {{w|Elizabeth Holmes}} which claimed to have developed revolutionary blood tests that could produce more data from limited volumes of blood than ever before. They were eventually found to have engaged in fraudulent activity, having tricked investors into thinking their technology was performing better than it actually was or ever could, which resulted in the bankruptcy of Theranos and fines and prison sentences (served from 2023 on) for Holmes and Theranos president {{w|Ramesh Balwani}}. Theranos also sounds similar to {{w|Thanos}}, the main villain of the {{w|Infinity Saga}} in the {{w|Marvel Cinematic Universe}}.
|-
| Lord Juul
| {{w|Juul}} is a brand of e-cigarettes. In addition to the broader controversy surrounding electronic cigarettes, Juul has been investigated for its sale of flavored additives for their cigarettes, which are alleged to be particularly attractive to minors. Juul is reminiscent of the "uu" in the names for clones {{w|Joruus C'baoth}} and {{w|Luuke Skywalker}} in {{w|Star Wars Legends|''Star Wars'' Legends}} stories, thus implying Lord Juul is a clone of a character named Jul. ''{{w|Yule|Jul}}'' is the Scandinavian name for the midwinter holidays, which fits as the comic appeared within the Yule season of 2019.
|-
! colspan="2" | New friend
|-
| Kim Spacemeasurer
| May be a parody of the name {{w|Luke Skywalker}}, one of the main characters in the original trilogy of films. Other "Nounverber" names in ''Star Wars'' include Starkiller, Luke's original last name that was later applied to Starkiller Base in ''The Force Awakens'', and {{w|Biggs Darklighter}}, Luke's childhood friend and fellow {{w|Rebel Alliance|Rebel}} pilot who died in the attack on the original Death Star. Another Star Wars comic posted a few weeks before this one, [[2229: Rey and Kylo]], shows those characters actually deciding to measure properties of space.
|-
| Teen Yoda
| {{w|Grogu}}, commonly called "Baby Yoda" by fans and the media, is a breakout character from the Disney+ series ''{{w|The Mandalorian}}''. Randall parodies this with a teenage version of the character teaming up with the main characters. This may be in analogy to {{w|Groot}} in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, who appeared as an adult, then child, then teen, or other adaptations of original characters like the {{w|Teen Titans}}.
|-
| Dab Tweetdeck
| A {{w|Dab (dance)|dab}} is a dance move which is many decades old but was made popular by that name in the late 2010's. {{w|TweetDeck}} is an application for managing Twitter accounts. Taken together, "Dab Tweetdeck" could be a character name proposed by clueless Disney executives to attract "the kids" to see ''The Rise of Skywalker'', although one would think that this name would be heavily promoted and thus not a spoiler in that case.
Tweetdeck sounds similar to {{w|List_of_Star_Wars_species_(P–T)#Twi'lek|Twi'lek}}, one of the humanoid alien races in Star Wars, who often appear as dancers.
|-
| Yaz Progestin
| Yaz sounds like the first name of {{w|Maz Kanata}}, a supporting protagonist in the sequel trilogy. Yaz is a medication which contains {{w|Progestin}}, which imitates the effects of {{w|progesterone}}, a female sex hormone. It is used for purposes including birth control and acne treatment.
|-
| TI-83
| Droids in the Star Wars universe typically have names with letters and numbers, such as R2-D2, C-3PO, BB-8, etc. Randall has created a new character called "TI-83". In real life, the {{w|TI-83}} was a model of graphing calculator manufactured by {{w|Texas Instruments}} that was commonly used in American high schools. This mirrors the origin of the name "R2-D2", which was inspired when Lucas was working on ''{{w|American Graffiti}}'' and was asked for Reel 2, Dialog Track 2, which was abbreviated "R-2-D-2". He remarked that it would be a "great name" and included it in his then-in-development script for ''Star Wars''.
|-
! colspan="2" | Lightsaber colors
|-
| beige/ochre/mauve/aquamarine/taupe
| These are different colors, none of which is a traditional color for a lightsaber. {{w|Beige}} is a pale-grayish yellow. {{w|Ochre}} is a clay earth pigment ranging from yellow to deep orange or brown. {{w|Mauve}} is a pale purple color; purple has been used for a lightsaber in the prequel trilogy series, by Jedi Master {{w|Mace Windu}}. {{w|Aquamarine (color)|Aquamarine}} is a blueish green color. {{w|Taupe}} is a dark brown color between brown and gray.
|-
! colspan="2" | Superweapon names
|-
| Sun Obliterator
| There was an {{w|Star Wars Expanded Universe}} superweapon called the "Sun Crusher", which would infiltrate a star system and shoot a special torpedo into the star to make it go supernova. May also be a reference to one of the doodles from ''[[What If?]]''.
|-
| Moonsquisher
| There were no ''Star Wars'' superweapons with the word "Moon" in their title (or "squisher"), but in the no-longer-canon ''New Jedi Order'' series, Chewbacca was squished ''by'' a moon that was intentionally de-orbited by invading Yuuzhan Vong.
|-
| World Eater
| Possibly a reference to {{w|Alduin}}, the main villain of the popular game {{w|The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim}}. In the Expanded Universe, the Empire used World Devastators, massive machines that would strip-mine planets with tractor beams and make weapons and spacecraft from the extracted resources. Another possible reference is to the {{w|The Doomsday Machine (Star_Trek: The Original Series)|Planet Eater}} doomsday machine from the original Star Trek series. A further possible reference is to the World Eaters space marine legion from {{w|Warhammer 40,000}} franchise. Or a world eater redstone contraption from Minecraft. Or the [https://terraria.wiki.gg/wiki/Eater_of_Worlds boss for the Corruption biome] in Terraria. Or Jörmungandr. There are a lot of things that this could be referring to.
|-
| Planet Zester
| A {{w|zester}} is a cooking tool for zesting citrus fruit, that is, scraping off the outer layer of a citrus fruit to obtain the flavorful outer layer of its skin. Zesting a planet would be devastating to anything built or living on its surface.
|-
| Superconducting supercollider
| A {{w|supercollider}}, or particle accelerator, is a machine used to accelerate charged particles to very high speeds, for testing in particle physics. The {{w|Superconducting Super Collider}} was a proposed accelerator which was to be constructed in Texas, but was cancelled partway through construction. There has been some minor controversy over the {{w|safety of high-energy particle collision experiments}}, which could theoretically produce black holes, {{w|strangelets}}, or other doomsday scenarios, but all scientific examination of the energies involved has shown that all currently-existing and planned particle accelerators pose no threats. So far, the Earth has not been destroyed by any particle accelerator.{{Citation needed}}
|-
! colspan="2" | Station capabilities
|-
| blowing up a planet with a bunch of beams of energy that combine into one
| This is how the {{w|Death Star}} was depicted in ''{{w|Star Wars: A New Hope}}''. Many beams converged together to form one energy beam. The superweapon was used to destroy the planet Alderaan, as a way to intimidate Princess Leia.
|-
| blowing up a bunch of planets with one beam of energy that splits into many
| This is how the superweapon on Starkiller Base was depicted in ''{{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}}''. A single energy beam split into several beams, allowing it to attack many planets. The superweapon was used to destroy the planets in the Hosnian system, the headquarters of the New Republic.
|-
| cutting a planet in half and smashing the halves together like two cymbals
| Jango Fett's "seismic charge" weapon, which he used in a dogfight against Obi-Wan Kenobi in ''Attack of the Clones'', produced a plane wave that cut asteroids in half; presumably a larger weapon of this kind could do the same to a planet.
|-
| increasing the CO2 levels in a planet's atmosphere, causing rapid heating
| This is a reference to {{w|climate change}} currently occurring on planet Earth. The {{w|Scientific consensus on climate change|overwhelming consensus among climate scientists}} is that this is that this shift is caused by human factors, such as the burning of fossil fuels releasing ancient carbon sources into the air as carbon dioxide, and mass deforestation reducing the number of trees converting the carbon dioxide into sugars and cellulose. Climate change has been addressed repeatedly by the comic before, including [[164: Playing Devil's Advocate to Win]], [[1321: Cold]], [[1379: 4.5 Degrees]], and [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]].
This seems to have occurred on the planet {{w|Venus}}. Venus' atmosphere is 97% carbon dioxide, and it is also the hottest planet in the Solar System, due to a greenhouse effect, preventing the planet from cooling.
|-
| triggering the end credits before the movie is done
| The {{w|closing credits}} or end credits of a film is the list of cast and crew who were involved in the making of the film. It would be quite strange to show the end credits of the film before it has concluded, although it is one of the {{tvtropes|CreditsGag|types of credits gag}} used in other media. This entry is considerably less damaging to a planet{{Citation needed}} than the other 4 entries in this section, but if early audiences are left unsatisfied by the movie, they might tell everyone else not to see it, which would put the ''Star Wars'' franchise in a perilous financial situation. This would negatively impact the villains as well as the heroes, but they might consider this a worthwhile trade if it is their best option at harming the heroes. This option may be a reference to exploiting a glitch to trigger a [https://youtu.be/Jf9i7MjViCE credit warp] in games such as Super Mario World. This may also be a reference to the Netflix interactive movie "Bandersnatch" in which certain choices triggered the end of the movie and caused it to start the credits.
|-
! colspan="2" | Old enemy/new friend
|-
| {{w|Boba Fett}}
| Boba Fett is a famous bounty hunter introduced in the ''{{w|Star Wars Holiday Special}}'' and made popular by ''{{w|The Empire Strikes Back}}''. On the Empire's orders, he helped capture Han Solo as part of a plot to capture Luke Skywalker. He later tried to prevent Luke from rescuing Han, but was knocked into a sarlacc pit, where he was presumed eaten. In the Expanded Universe, he survived and did eventually join the protagonists against extragalactic invaders; his survival has not been confirmed by Disney's new canon, but he would be a plausible character to bring back in ''The Rise of Skywalker''. A Mandalorian (not Boba Fett, but a bounty hunter using body-armour  from the same planet) is featured in the new Disney+ series, ''The Mandalorian''.
|-
| [[wikia:w:c:starwars:Salacious B. Crumb|Salacious Crumb]]
| Salacious B. Crumb is a Kowakian monkey-lizard who was Jabba the Hutt's jester. He wasn't exactly a major adversary, but he did pull one of C-3PO's eyes out. He was last seen on Jabba the Hutt's sail barge, which was made to explode after Han, Luke, and the rest of the heroes escaped from it, and is presumed dead.
|-
| [[wikia:w:c:starwars:Exogorth|The Space Slug]]
| In ''The Empire Strikes Back'', Han Solo pilots the Millennium Falcon into a giant cave to evade pursuit and get time to effect repairs. He is interrupted when the cave turns out to be the mouth of a giant space slug, which the Falcon barely escapes. A giant space slug might be a powerful ally in a battle against a giant space station.
|-
| The bottom half of {{w|Darth Maul}}
| Darth Maul was cut in half by Obi-Wan Kenobi at the end of ''The Phantom Menace''. His "upper half", attached to mechanical legs, has returned as a villain in the ''Clone Wars'' TV series and ''{{w|Solo: A Star Wars Story|Solo}}''. Given that Maul was a Sith and Kenobi a Jedi, who trained Luke, who trained Rey, it would be extremely unexpected for his "bottom half" to join forces with the heroes, although presumably his bottom half would have to be attached to something, which might be better disposed towards Jedi.
If Darth Maul's bottom half did join the heroes, they might aid the heroes by using [[wikia:w:c:starwars:Force kick|force kicks]].
|-
| YouTube commenters
| The sequel trilogy has received more mixed reviews from watchers than Disney might like, and many vocal non-fans have taken to commenting on YouTube (via videos and comments) on what they don't like about the new movies and new characters. If ''The Rise of Skywalker'' fully wins the crowd, an alliance between the heroes and their former critics would be extremely powerful, but with Rotten Tomatoes showing a critics' aggregate score of [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_the_rise_of_skywalker/ less than 60%] ("rotten"), it's going to be an uphill battle.
|-
! colspan="2" | Battle feature
|-
| a bow that shoots little lightsaber-headed arrows
| May be a reference to the [[wikia:w:c:starwars:Bowcaster|bowcaster]], a laser crossbow weapon used by the Wookie {{w|Chewbacca}}. It is unclear if the lightsaber-headed arrows are actually lightsabers in itself, as they would seem difficult to produce (as opposed to the Death Star, or even a bunch of sword versions of the arrow).
|-
| X-Wings and TIE fighters dodging the giant letters of the opening crawl
| The {{w|Star Wars opening crawl|"opening crawl"}} is a signature motif used in all the main Star Wars films, to explain the backstory and context of each film. {{w|X-Wing}}s and {{w|TIE fighter}}s are fighter-type spaceships used by the Rebels (and Resistance later on) and the Empire (and First Order), respectively. A dogfight scene during the opening crawl would involve {{w|Fourth wall|breaking the fourth wall}}, as the opening crawl is not presumed to be part of the universe of the films (except when so parodied, such as in {{w|Airplane II: The Sequel}}).
|-
| a Sith educational display that uses Force lightning to demonstrate the dielectric breakdown of air
| [[wikia:w:c:starwars:Force lightning|Force lightning]] is a power that Force users can use to generate electric energy from the user's hands. It was first used in ''Return of the Jedi'' by Emperor Palpatine (Darth Sidious) when Luke Skywalker refuses to give in to the dark side of the Force. Palpatine attempts to kill Luke with Force lightning, but Darth Vader saves Luke by throwing Palpatine down a reactor chute. Palpatine also used Force Lightning on Mace Windu and Yoda during their battles at the end of ''Revenge of the Sith''. None of these uses of Sith lightning were intended to be educational on the nature of {{w|lightning}}, although they could have been very educational on the pain, cruelty, and "unlimited power!" offered by the Dark Side of the Force. This might also be a reference to [[wikia:w:c:starwars:Sith holocron|Sith holocron]] — a device to store Force-related information and secrets, possibly. Possibly also a reference to [[2229: Rey and Kylo]]
|-
| Kylo Ren putting on another helmet over his smaller one
| Kylo Ren is famous for wearing his helmet in ''The Force Awakens'', which he styled after Darth Vader's helmet. Putting on another helmet over it would require a comically large helmet that might be compared to Dark Helmet, a character from the parody film ''{{w|Spaceballs}}'' who parodies Darth Vader.
|-
| a Sith car wash where the bristles on the brushes are little lightsabers
| This may be a reference to some reactions to Kylo Ren's "lightcrossguards". In-universe, his lightsaber is said to contain a Kyber crystal of unusual power and instability, which produces excess energy that must be vented through side channels. However, many watchers found it ridiculous to present a lightsaber that appeared to have little lightsabers sticking out of it, and produced [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/crossguard-lightsaber fanart] accordingly.
While an unexpected car wash finale scene seems unlikely, it is not without precedent in cinema; ''{{w|Adolescence of Utena}}'' featured the title character unexpectedly entering a car wash and transforming into a car (followed by a segue into a car race sequence).
George Lucas, the originator of Star Wars also wrote the movie "American Graffiti," which featured cars prominently. A subsequent movie "Car Wash," has been seen as a commentary on or imitation of "American Graffiti." Including a Sith car wash might reference the relation between these two films.[https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/25/movies/streaming-car-wash.html ‘Car Wash,’ a Raunchy 1970s Comedy Brimming With Meta and Mayhem].
|-
! colspan="2" | Rey's parent #1
|-
| {{w|Luke Skywalker|Luke}}
| Luke Skywalker is the main character of the original Star Wars films. Of all of the characters presented here, he is the one with the greatest likelihood of being Rey's father. When Maz gave Rey Luke's lightsaber, she said "[t]hat lightsaber was Luke's, and his father's before him, and now, it calls to you." Luke does not seem to recognize Rey as his child (or as anybody in particular), but Darth Vader did not recognize Luke or Leia as his children -- and indeed did not know that he had any living children -- until they were grown. However, unlike Anakin Skywalker, or the Luke Skywalker from the pre-Disney Expanded Universe, no canon materials have presented anyone with whom Luke has fallen in love or fathered a child.
|-
| {{w|Princess Leia|Leia}} and {{w|Han Solo|Han}}
| Princess Leia and Han Solo are the other main characters of the original Star Wars films. It is unlikely that Leia or Han are Rey's parents as they did not seem to recognize Rey in any of the sequel trilogy films, nor is there any indication that they have had more than one child (Ben Solo, AKA Kylo Ren).
|-
| {{w|Obi-Wan Kenobi|Obi-Wan}}
| Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the main characters in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. He, along with Qui-Gon Jinn, discovered Anakin Skywalker, who later became Darth Vader. Kenobi dies at the second act of ''Star Wars: A New Hope'', sacrificing himself to allow Luke, Leia, and Han to escape the Death Star. Marriage and parenthood were forbidden by the Jedi Order, and Obi-Wan generally adhered to the Order's rules more closely than Anakin did; Obi-Wan did feel some mutual romantic attraction with Duchess Satine of Mandalore, but they both chose to remain in their respective organizations rather than pursue a relationship. Also, Obi-Wan stopped having a physical form decade before Rey was conceived.
|-
| a random junk trader
| This is who Kylo Ren claims that Rey is descended from: worthless, random junk traders.
|-
! colspan="2" | Rey's parent #2
|-
| {{w|Poe Dameron|Poe}}
| Poe Dameron is one of the main characters of the Star Wars sequel trilogy. He is a pilot in the Resistance. He is only 13 years older than Rey, and thus is most likely not her father.
|-
| {{w|BB-8}}
| BB-8 is an astromech droid owned by Poe Dameron. It is unlikely that Rey is descended from a (non-living) droid, [https://youtu.be/aanyjLmB1Bs?t=1810 Alan Dean Foster's treatment of Episode IX aside].
|-
| [ {{w|Amilyn Holdo}} /{{w|Laura Dern}}]
| Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, portrayed by Laura Dern, was a leader in the Resistance. She dies at the end of ''The Last Jedi'', sacrificing herself by jumping to light speed straight into the First Order's pursuing starship. Randall presents both Admiral Holdo, the character, and Laura Dern, the actress, as separate options for Rey's mother, but the former is not supported by any story material and the latter is impossible (Dern is alive here and now, not "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away").
|-
| a random junk trader
| (see above)
|-
| that one droid from the Jawa Sandcrawler that says ''Gonk''
| This is [[wikia:w:c:starwars:GNK power droid|a droid]] from ''Star Wars: A New Hope'' that says "Gonk". As in the BB-8 entry, it is unlikely that Rey is descended from a droid.
|-
|}

Following the release of ''The Rise of Skywalker'', we can conclude that the correct version of the spoiler would read as follows:

In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain... '''Darth Sidious''' (i.e., Emperor Palpatine, who is said to have "somehow" returned) ...with help from their new friend... '''D-O''' (a droid who turns out to have vital information). Rey builds a new lightsaber with a... '''yellow''' blade (although this blade is not actually completed until the end of the movie), and they head out to confront the First Order's new superweapon, the... '''Final Order''' ...a ''fleet of spacecraft'' capable of... '''blowing up a bunch of planets with a bunch of beams of energy''' (one from each Star Destroyer). They unexpectedly join forces with their old enemy... '''General Armitage Hux and Kylo Ren/Ben Solo''' ...and destroy the superweapon in a battle featuring... '''a storm of Force lightning'''. P.S. Rey's parents are... '''a random junk trader''' ...and... '''a random junk trader, who is a clone-son of Emperor Palpatine'''.

==Transcript==
:<big>Star Wars Spoiler Generator</big>

:[Shown below is a branching flowchart of sorts that begins at the phrase "In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain...", then flows through various paths to build up a story.]

:In this Star Wars movie, our heroes return to take on the First Order and new villain...
::Kyle Ren
::Malloc
::Darth Sebelius
::Theranos
::Lord Juul

:...with help from their new friend...
::Kim Spacemeasurer
::Teen Yoda
::Dab Tweetdeck
::Yaz Progestin
::TI-83

:Rey builds a new lightsaber with a...
::beige
::ochre
::mauve
::aquamarine
::taupe

:...blade, and they head out to confront the First Order's new superweapon, the...
::Sun Obliterator
::Moonsquisher
::World Eater
::Planet Zester
::Superconducting Supercollider

:...a space station capable of...
::blowing up a planet with a bunch of beams of energy that combine into one
::blowing up a bunch of planets with one beam of energy that splits into many
::cutting a planet in half and smashing the halves together like two cymbals
::increasing the CO2 levels in a planet's atmosphere, causing rapid heating
::triggering the end credits before the movie is done

:They unexpectedly join forces with their old enemy...
::Boba Fett
::Salacious Crumb
::The Space Slug
::the bottom half of Darth Maul
::Youtube commenters

:...and destroy the superweapon in a battle featuring
::a bow that shoots little lightsaber-headed arrows
::X-Wings and TIE fighters dodging the giant letters of the opening crawl
::a Sith educational display that uses Force Lightning to demonstrate the dielectric breakdown of air
::Kylo Ren putting on another helmet over his smaller one
::a Sith car wash where the bristles on the brushes are little lightsabers

:P.S. Rey's parents are...
::Luke
::Leia
::Han
::Obi-Wan
::a random junk trader

:...and...
::Poe
::BB-8
::Amilyn Holdo
::Laura Dern
::a random junk trader
::that one droid from the Jawa Sandcrawler that says ''Gonk''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Programming]] 
[[Category:Disney]]
[[Category:Movies]]

Talk:3062: Off By One

2025-03-12T20:01:40Z

GreyFox:

But what about floats? [[User:GreyFox|GreyFox]] ([[User talk:GreyFox|talk]]) 20:01, 12 March 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3060: Omniroll

2025-03-10T18:10:10Z

GreyFox: comment

I wonder what the filling would be... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.20.143|172.69.20.143]] 02:35, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

At some point, this explanation will be complete. Then we can say "that's a wrap!"... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.190|172.69.79.190]] 02:36, 8 March 2025 (UTC)
: Unless it just rolls on forever.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.33|172.70.85.33]] 09:18, 10 March 2025 (UTC)

The ''real'' fun would come if this became popular enough to gain its own Wikipedia page. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.33.252|162.158.33.252]] 03:13, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

People keep vandalizing it to add "Uranium Roll" and make the whole thing inedible. Not like it was getting eaten before, but still. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.159.66|172.71.159.66]] 03:20, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

This is reminiscent of the 2005 SNL skit [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evUWersr7pc Taco Town]. "''A crunchy all beef taco smothered in nacho cheese, lettuce, tomato, and special Southwestern sauce; wrapped in a soft flour tortilla with a layer of re-fried beans in between; wrapped in a savory corn tortilla with a middle layer of Monterrey jack cheese; wrapped in a deep fried gordita shell smeared with a layer of special 'guacomolito' sauce; wrapped in a corn husk filled with pico de gallo; wrapped in an authentic Parisian crepe filled with egg, gruyere, sausage and portobello mushrooms; wrapped in a Chicago-style, deep-dish, meat lover's pizza; rolled up in a blueberry pancake; dipped in batter and deep fried until it's golden brown; and served in a commemorative tote bag filled with spicy vegetarian chili.''" [[Special:Contributions/172.68.210.176|172.68.210.176]] 03:35, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:Thank you, I came here to add a comment about Taco Town and am glad to see that someone beat me to it. [[Special:Contributions/104.23.187.188|104.23.187.188]] 23:40, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:Here is a video of someone recreating and eating the Taco Town monstrosity: [https://youtu.be/UvIkojfQDxA?t=272 Binging with Babish 1 Million Subscriber Special: Taco Town & Behind the Scenes] [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 02:39, 9 March 2025 (UTC)

I was thinking more along the lines of the everything bagel in ''Everything Everywhere All at Once''. [[User:TomtheBuilder|TomtheBuilder]] ([[User talk:TomtheBuilder|talk]]) 04:32, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

I'd instead sell "Fruit by the Foot" by the meter to get to a synthesis. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.174.78|172.70.174.78]] 09:07, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

What would happen if omniroll were added to that Wikipedia page? Would we have a "set of all sets that contain themself" nonsense? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.49|162.158.155.49]] 14:51, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

:Aaaand "Omniroll" has already been added to the Wikipedia list. Good job, everyone! [[Special:Contributions/104.23.190.119|104.23.190.119]] 17:40, 8 March 2025 (UTC)
:: Oh dang, it's already been taken down. Sadge. [[Special:Contributions/104.23.187.173|104.23.187.173]] 17:47, 8 March 2025 (UTC)
::: The removal was tagged "The omniroll is not a real food, just an xkcd joke". Not with that attitude it isn't! I give us two days, and if no-one has done one in a week then I'll do it. [[User:SqueakSquawk4|SqueakSquawk4]] ([[User talk:SqueakSquawk4|talk]]) 21:02, 8 March 2025 (UTC)

Might be worth a <nowiki>[[Category:Omni]]</nowiki>, or similar. [[2653: Omnitaur]] and [[2738: Omniknot]], at least, then this. Maybe other ones might be recalled, but not right now by me. (An actual vague search seems to have the search-site really want to bring to note {{what if|12}}, as using "omnidirectional", but doesn't really count for at least three reasons.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.58.5|172.70.58.5]] 17:43, 8 March 2025 (UTC)
:I think three is to few and searching did not find any other use of omni in this meaning, only something with omni directional wheels (as in the water in the what if.) So I would say no to that category at this moment.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:00, 9 March 2025 (UTC)

I should point out that if OmniRoll is added to Wikipedia as an entry, it should also be added to the "list of rolled foods", and then the OmniRoll would have to include *itself* as one of the ingredients, and it quickly becomes turtles all the way down. Just saying... {{unsigned ip|172.68.54.69|05:08, 10 March 2025}}

Drum roll, please [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.167|172.68.54.167]] 11:46, 10 March 2025 (UTC)

As an example of why you shouldn't rely on Wikipedia for information, {{w|Pigs_in_blankets}} is included on the 'List of stuffed foods' and not on the 'List of rolled foods', which is clearly a travesty.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.70|172.70.85.70]] 14:40, 10 March 2025 (UTC)
: That article has seen a ton of edits since the xkcd was published a couple days ago, and not just joke suggestions to add Omniroll. Why not add Pigs in Blankets to the article yourself? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.33|172.70.110.33]] 14:57, 10 March 2025 (UTC)
:: Sorry - I guess I forgot to put the <humour/> tags around my comment.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.93|172.69.194.93]] 15:23, 10 March 2025 (UTC)

It makes sense not to, but why not add musician Jelly Roll to the recipe? [[User:GreyFox|GreyFox]] ([[User talk:GreyFox|talk]]) 18:10, 10 March 2025 (UTC)

Talk:2944: Magnet Fishing

2024-06-11T21:53:34Z

GreyFox: /* Title text */ forgot the sig

Isn't the solution to make the competition like skiing: The participants take turns fishing, instead of all fishing at the same time? And they're judged on how quickly they can "catch" a magnet in the water. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 15:44, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
:Same reason why (some) slalom competitions are held with two racers going downhill at the same time: it's more exciting! ;) --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.195.156|172.68.195.156]] 21:08, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

This comic made me cackle. My cat is hiding under my bed now. [[User:Psychoticpotato|Psychoticpotato]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 21:30, 10 June 2024 (UTC)

There's various degrees of what you might hope to find, when fishing, and what you [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-68798110.amp might] [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-68402798.amp find], whilst magnet-fishing... (Also note, in that first link the "groups of 50-60" who gather – maybe multiple people per magnet – and the picture of at least ''three'' magnets being simultaneously worked from the same bridge. But not to dismiss the comic's humour, of course.)
 I think the problem for the comic was siting the competition in a natural watercourse with a too obviously V-shaped bed. Everyone lowered their magnets straight down into the water, no problem, as even a powerful magnet can't overcome gravity-induced of hanging at that sort of scale of hanging. But then all magnets not already over the thalweg slide away from the bank into it, close enough to start clumping. As the 'prizes'/scorable-finds will also have probably migrated down the benthic slopes, over time, it's in everyone's personal interest to let their magnet tumble that way, if they weren't given 'pole position' directly over the (or 'a') deepest point. If the stream's cut goes significently non-perpendicular to the bridge that crosses it, or it has multiple (low-water) channels dug into its sediment, possibly sensible coordination could allow parallel fishing. Or the rules state that minimal slack be allowed when dipping the magnet-'hook' into the water, and no lateral dragging or swinging allowed, with (judged) penalties for any who cause an 'out of line' contact to occur. I think the ''second'' world championships are entirely feasible, just needs some rethinking of the setting, conditions and competition regulations. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.184|172.69.43.184]] 09:47, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

"Unfinished" text archive: "This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Created by a NONWORKING MAGNETIC FORCE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.
If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.119.21|162.158.119.21]]

== Title text ==

I believe the first "ten-way tie" refers to calling the competition a "tie" between ten competitors. It's more common in British English, but can be used as a synonym for game/match/etc. So it's saying "the ten-person match was judged a ten-way draw". {{unsigned|MightyP|16:36, 10 June 2024}}
: It's a pun on tie meaning to knot/tangle the lines, and tie in the sense of competitors finishing equally. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.134.117|172.70.134.117]] 18:29, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
:As a British Englisher(!) myself, I think "cup tie" (e.g. the final culmination of a knockout competition) tends to be what "breaks the tie" between the ''two'' teams that have each reached this stage equally successful against all other opponents. (Also "3rd/4th-place tie", etc.) You don't tend to get N-way competitions called a 'tie' (though, theoretically, a trifurcated bracketing system could bring 27 teams in nine games teams could become nine teams in three games, then three three teams producing the winner, etc).
:Tie/tangle and tie/equally-scored is going to be good enough. If Randall had thought of the "cup tie"-type usage, he could have easily made a tripled-pun version with that ''and'' the two more obvious versions. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.248|172.70.160.248]] 21:30, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
:Is it more common in British English? I'm American and I usually say "tie" to refer to a draw. I also see it be used frequently in American media. [[User:GreyFox|GreyFox]] ([[User talk:GreyFox|talk]]) 21:53, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

The prize is also a bit of wordplay. It refers to a magnetic monopole as already noted, but is also a joke, as a regular fishing pole is technically a "monopole". I've never personally seen a fishing dipole, but I suppose they could exist! {{unsigned|MightyP|16:49, 10 June 2024}}

== Triple pun for some speakers ==

I found it funny that in Austrian, monopole is "Monopol", and we use the same word for monopole and monopoly!
The prize also feels special if you have a monopoly on magnet fishing - without all the others interfering with your magnet like in the comic.

First time ever posting here. Keep up the good spirit! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.13|172.68.50.13]] 20:45, 10 June 2024 (UTC)

Quadruple pun: I (german) thought for the same reason, that the prize is the exclusive right for (magnetic) fishing at a certain (rare implies very good) spot. Indeed, that might be a very valuable entitlement and plausible prize in a fishing championship.

== Monopoles ==

If you did have a magnetic monopole... Would the field lines look a lot like the strings in this comic?

: It could in the Arctic ocean with a south monopole! Near the monopole the field lines point inward but far away they point in the direction of Earth's field. There are parts of the Arctic ocean with a 90 degree inclination and the lines are vertical instead of north-to-south. Monopoles also have two advantages: The field drops off inverse-square instead of of inverse-cube, giving the "hook" a longer range. Also, if all contestants have the same kind of monopole they will repel instead of sticking to each-other.

: [[Special:Contributions/172.70.80.121|172.70.80.121]] 00:17, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

:: If the contestans' monopoles repelled each other, things could get pretty chaotic with so many of them in close proximity. None of the monopoles would be in a stable position, so the fishing lines would tangle up even worse than if they were all dipoles attracted to each other.
:: [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.56|141.101.98.56]] 05:36, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

The picture obviously shows a Tenpole Tudor. <runs for his life> [[Special:Contributions/172.71.160.114|172.71.160.114]] 06:19, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

The magnetic field lines coming out of a magnetic monopole look very much like the fishing lines coming away from the magnets all stuck together in the comic. The first thing I thought when I saw the title and the picture was that Randell was drawing a magnetic monopole.
Warm regards, Rick. {{unsigned ip|162.158.146.33|06:50, 11 June 2024}}

If the lures are magnetic because the fish (as in commercial magnetic fishing games) contain magnets, a monopole lure only solves half the problem: The fish either need their fields to be kept separated or they need (the opposite) monopoles, too?
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:39, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2944: Magnet Fishing

2024-06-11T21:52:53Z

GreyFox: /* Title text */

Isn't the solution to make the competition like skiing: The participants take turns fishing, instead of all fishing at the same time? And they're judged on how quickly they can "catch" a magnet in the water. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 15:44, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
:Same reason why (some) slalom competitions are held with two racers going downhill at the same time: it's more exciting! ;) --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.195.156|172.68.195.156]] 21:08, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

This comic made me cackle. My cat is hiding under my bed now. [[User:Psychoticpotato|Psychoticpotato]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 21:30, 10 June 2024 (UTC)

There's various degrees of what you might hope to find, when fishing, and what you [https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-68798110.amp might] [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-68402798.amp find], whilst magnet-fishing... (Also note, in that first link the "groups of 50-60" who gather – maybe multiple people per magnet – and the picture of at least ''three'' magnets being simultaneously worked from the same bridge. But not to dismiss the comic's humour, of course.)
 I think the problem for the comic was siting the competition in a natural watercourse with a too obviously V-shaped bed. Everyone lowered their magnets straight down into the water, no problem, as even a powerful magnet can't overcome gravity-induced of hanging at that sort of scale of hanging. But then all magnets not already over the thalweg slide away from the bank into it, close enough to start clumping. As the 'prizes'/scorable-finds will also have probably migrated down the benthic slopes, over time, it's in everyone's personal interest to let their magnet tumble that way, if they weren't given 'pole position' directly over the (or 'a') deepest point. If the stream's cut goes significently non-perpendicular to the bridge that crosses it, or it has multiple (low-water) channels dug into its sediment, possibly sensible coordination could allow parallel fishing. Or the rules state that minimal slack be allowed when dipping the magnet-'hook' into the water, and no lateral dragging or swinging allowed, with (judged) penalties for any who cause an 'out of line' contact to occur. I think the ''second'' world championships are entirely feasible, just needs some rethinking of the setting, conditions and competition regulations. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.184|172.69.43.184]] 09:47, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

"Unfinished" text archive: "This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect: Created by a NONWORKING MAGNETIC FORCE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.
If you can address this issue, please edit the page! Thanks." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.119.21|162.158.119.21]]

== Title text ==

I believe the first "ten-way tie" refers to calling the competition a "tie" between ten competitors. It's more common in British English, but can be used as a synonym for game/match/etc. So it's saying "the ten-person match was judged a ten-way draw". {{unsigned|MightyP|16:36, 10 June 2024}}
: It's a pun on tie meaning to knot/tangle the lines, and tie in the sense of competitors finishing equally. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.134.117|172.70.134.117]] 18:29, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
:As a British Englisher(!) myself, I think "cup tie" (e.g. the final culmination of a knockout competition) tends to be what "breaks the tie" between the ''two'' teams that have each reached this stage equally successful against all other opponents. (Also "3rd/4th-place tie", etc.) You don't tend to get N-way competitions called a 'tie' (though, theoretically, a trifurcated bracketing system could bring 27 teams in nine games teams could become nine teams in three games, then three three teams producing the winner, etc).
:Tie/tangle and tie/equally-scored is going to be good enough. If Randall had thought of the "cup tie"-type usage, he could have easily made a tripled-pun version with that ''and'' the two more obvious versions. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.248|172.70.160.248]] 21:30, 10 June 2024 (UTC)
:(RE: IP 1) Is it more common in British English? I'm American and I usually say "tie" to refer to a draw. I also see it be used frequently in American media.

The prize is also a bit of wordplay. It refers to a magnetic monopole as already noted, but is also a joke, as a regular fishing pole is technically a "monopole". I've never personally seen a fishing dipole, but I suppose they could exist! {{unsigned|MightyP|16:49, 10 June 2024}}

== Triple pun for some speakers ==

I found it funny that in Austrian, monopole is "Monopol", and we use the same word for monopole and monopoly!
The prize also feels special if you have a monopoly on magnet fishing - without all the others interfering with your magnet like in the comic.

First time ever posting here. Keep up the good spirit! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.13|172.68.50.13]] 20:45, 10 June 2024 (UTC)

Quadruple pun: I (german) thought for the same reason, that the prize is the exclusive right for (magnetic) fishing at a certain (rare implies very good) spot. Indeed, that might be a very valuable entitlement and plausible prize in a fishing championship.

== Monopoles ==

If you did have a magnetic monopole... Would the field lines look a lot like the strings in this comic?

: It could in the Arctic ocean with a south monopole! Near the monopole the field lines point inward but far away they point in the direction of Earth's field. There are parts of the Arctic ocean with a 90 degree inclination and the lines are vertical instead of north-to-south. Monopoles also have two advantages: The field drops off inverse-square instead of of inverse-cube, giving the "hook" a longer range. Also, if all contestants have the same kind of monopole they will repel instead of sticking to each-other.

: [[Special:Contributions/172.70.80.121|172.70.80.121]] 00:17, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

:: If the contestans' monopoles repelled each other, things could get pretty chaotic with so many of them in close proximity. None of the monopoles would be in a stable position, so the fishing lines would tangle up even worse than if they were all dipoles attracted to each other.
:: [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.56|141.101.98.56]] 05:36, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

The picture obviously shows a Tenpole Tudor. <runs for his life> [[Special:Contributions/172.71.160.114|172.71.160.114]] 06:19, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

The magnetic field lines coming out of a magnetic monopole look very much like the fishing lines coming away from the magnets all stuck together in the comic. The first thing I thought when I saw the title and the picture was that Randell was drawing a magnetic monopole.
Warm regards, Rick. {{unsigned ip|162.158.146.33|06:50, 11 June 2024}}

If the lures are magnetic because the fish (as in commercial magnetic fishing games) contain magnets, a monopole lure only solves half the problem: The fish either need their fields to be kept separated or they need (the opposite) monopoles, too?
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:39, 11 June 2024 (UTC)

explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical

2024-05-16T14:27:57Z

GreyFox: /* Lack of Userpage */

<noinclude>__NEWSECTIONLINK__
{{Community links}}

{|-
|valign="top" width="100%"|[[File:Crystal Clear app package settings blue.png|left|120px]] <big><big>Technical</big></big>

Technical issues ''about'' the [[explain xkcd]] wiki, including bug reports or MediaWiki extensions requests. {{AddNewSection|Page=Explain XKCD:Community portal/Technical|Text=(+post)}}
|}
= Discussion Area =
</noinclude>

== We need more maintainers ==

:''I'm moving a thread that Davidy22 started on my talk page. The gist is, we need more people with server-side access (especially mediawiki-savvy ones) so we can properly deal with several issues that have been plaguing the wiki for a while now, most notably spam, but also the image scaling problem, a possible extension for proper comments, clean urls, etc. Below is the original thread, please comment.'' --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:56, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

Could you set the permissions so that all anon users have to pass a captcha to edit? The spam has gotten obscene, and they've stopped posting links, so our current detection mechanisms aren't working anymore. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 08:21, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

:I would love to have the ability to tweak the wiki more thoroughly, but currently Jeff's the only one with server access. To be honest, I am not terribly familiar with server-side mediawiki management, so I haven't asked Jeff for access, but it's clear we can't be dependent on a single person to do all the mediawiki config (and Jeff probably knows even less about mediawiki than I do). Are you by any chance acquainted with server-side mediawiki maintenance? I think we could present a good case for having someone else with access to a dev/prototype instance of this wiki on Jeff's server so we could at least experiment and tell him exactly what needs to be done. Thoughts? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:40, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

::I agree that we need more people that are empowered to actively fight spam. I think that we ought to promote Davidy22 to administrator also, so that he can delete pages and block spammers/vandals as he notices them rather than letting them pile up until yourself, IronyChef, or myself notice that there's work that needs done.

::What I think we should do is break out rights into more groups than simply administrator and bureaucrat. I think that's too big of a jump, and that there should be some gradiation. I think we should add a moderator (mark pages as patrolled and rollback ability (as much as it's a sledgehammer when you really only need a ball-peen hammer)) position.

::I think we also need a spam fighter position, but that might not be possible to implement. It should be a position that allows the person to delete pages with 1 or 2 edits (page creation, marked as spam, maybe as high as 3 or 4 for the bots that repeat edit certain pages) and block users with 1 or 2 edits. The real problem there is how to grant those super-powerful abilities without allowing them to lose their mind and go crazy and destroy the wiki. Of course, if we don't catch it early enough there's going to be those IPs that manage to get to six edits, and those will have to be squashed by a full admin. We will also need a way of tagging those spam accounts so when a full admin passes by they will also know to ban the IP address after a spam fighter has deleted all the pages it created.

::Finally, we also need a more active bureaucrat so that we don't have to bug Jeff to promote admin's as well as future moderators and/or spam fighters, and recognize bot accounts as bot accounts. We also should find someone knowledgeable to help Jeff (and maybe he has little helpers) to maintain the actual server. I've done some PHP work, but I've never touched anything deep inside a wiki (I like Ruby and Rails much more). This is my first time gaining admin status on a wiki, so I have no idea what the extra dials and levers do/mean. I look up on the MediaWiki manual and Wikipedia help pages things that I think should be possible, and often times pages exist in places about doing these things, but I'm nowhere near being called knowledgeable. After I finish up some IRL work I'm currently tied up in, I intend to set up a VM webserver on my computers and run a mediawiki install so I can learn how to work (and not break) things without putting explain xkcd in jeopardy.

::Another really wordy post from, [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 22:01, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

::: From what I know, a moderator user group is possible, but not the spam fighter one. Then again, too many hierarchical levels may be too much for such a small body of regulars. Implementing the moderator group is easy, [[mw:Manual:User rights]] has the details (the "ninja" example and the "list of permissions" section should be enough for putting together the configuration commands to be added to the wiki's LocalSettings.php).
::: As for bureaucrats, I think it makes sense but it seems to me that Jeff only takes longer to perform changes that affect the server, as they understandably may take longer or be more complex (or break the wiki!). Bureaucrats' only difference from admins is that they can promote/demote other users, and this Jeff has been doing without delay, so perhaps there isn't a need for more bureaucrats at the moment. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
::: We do need more sysadmins (people with access to the server), though, for sure. This is a little tricky as none of us is comfortable enough to confidently make server changes in a mediawiki install. Jeff, how about putting the wiki in source control and giving two or three people access to it, so that any wrongdoings can be easily reverted? You could setup a git repository in the server and we could fork it locally to our machines, make tests and push the commits to the server repo whenever they're ready. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:20, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

:::: This is good stuff. I'm down with promoting more admins for spam fighting. If they screw stuff up we can demote them if necessary. I really haven't found a spam fighting extension that I think will be the best possible solution. I'll keep looking as it may be a combination of things. Server access is much more complicated as it is not even my server and it is shared hosting. I think that would be best to be accessed just by me. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 19:10, 19 December 2012 (UTC)

::::: Regarding the server, I understand -- your position seems reasonable. In any case, I've been looking for extensions that may help taking some workload out of server actions and make more stuff configurable via the wiki itself. I'll report back if I find something usable.
::::: On another note, how do you feel about promoting more bureaucrats? I suggest Lcarsos who's been consistently active for the past few months. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 12:47, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

Personally I'd kind of like to go and make some changes myself. Come up with a nice short url pattern and set it up. Upgrade the wiki. etc... [[User:Dantman|Dantman]] ([[User talk:Dantman|talk]]) 02:44, 23 March 2013 (UTC)
:The shorter URL is being looked into, although Mediawiki strongly advises against it. As for upgrades to the wiki, monetary donations towards Jeff so he can buy better bit for the server would be appreciated. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:06, 23 March 2013 (UTC)
::MediaWiki does not advise against it. Half the code currently running short URLs in core was written by me. Same for the new standard for rewrite rules in the new guides. And the tool to automatically generate the config needed to apply short urls to a wiki. Short URLs are '''not''' advised against.
::We do however strongly advise against installing a wiki in <code>/wiki</code>. Because you do '''not''' want to create <code>/wiki/$1</code> style paths while your script path makes scripts look like <code>/wiki/index.php</code>.
::In this case my plan would be to move <code>/wiki</code> to <code>/w</code> then come up with some other short url pattern like <code>/e/$1</code>, some other path, or maybe <code>/$1</code>.
::And setup some 301 redirects to redirect from the old urls to the new ones.
::And upgrading the version of MediaWiki so that it doesn't have security holes doesn't require server replacement. [[User:Dantman|Dantman]] ([[User talk:Dantman|talk]]) 07:09, 23 March 2013 (UTC)
:::Ohwait, software upgrades. Uh. I knew you were talking about that. Yep. Definitely. The wiki recently had issues with running out of hard drive space, so that was all that was on my mind there.
:::Also, I thought you had been referring to [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Wiki_in_site_root_directory this]. Whoop. Well, you could leave Jeff a message at his [[user talk:Jeff|talk page]] to get server access. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:05, 23 March 2013 (UTC)
::::I strongly support this. It's been far too long since we decided we'd want the short url scheme (<code>/$1</code> seems like the best option since it would be simpler/cleaner and allow http://explainxkcd/1234 to point to the correct comic without any extra rewrite rules). While you're at it, I'm sure many would appreciate a look at the current situation with image resizing, which doesn't seem to be working for some reason. Installing [[mw:Extension:Comments|Extension:Comments]] would be awesome, too, as well as [[mw:Extension:Contribution Scores|Extension:Contribution Scores]] ([http://setiquest.org/wiki/index.php/Special:ContributionScores live example]). I'll ask Jeff to take a look at this thread. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 20:07, 23 March 2013 (UTC)
::::: [[User:Dantman|Dantman]] ([[User talk:Dantman|talk]]) email me and I'll get you set up with whatever you need. All the suggestions sound good to me. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 00:10, 24 March 2013 (UTC)
::::: Also, the [[Special:ContributionScores|Contribution Scores]] are up. I'm not even top 10 all time, I need to step up my game. Comments will take more work as it needs its own database. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 00:10, 24 March 2013 (UTC)
::::::Awesome! I did some styling changes to make it more interesting :) Let me know what you guys think about it! --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 20:32, 24 March 2013 (UTC)
:::::::Holy crud, what did you do when the wiki started to have almost double my lifetime score? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:57, 24 March 2013 (UTC)
::::::::Hahahah :P I'm pretty sure I cheated a little, IIRC there was an image renaming operation for which I used [http://github.com/btongminh/mwclient mwclient] ;) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 03:22, 25 March 2013 (UTC)

== Sort by numbers in categories ==

I noticed that in [[:Category:Comics]] all comics are sorted correctly by numbers; but not in any subcategory. (I didn't really get the explanation of how it works on the comics page.) How to fix this? -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 10:40, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

:<nowiki>The comics template uses a template called num4 that turns the number in the comic number field into a four-digit number. That's then passed as a parameter to the category link, and the comics category page sorts articles by those four-digit numbers instead of their actual names. If we wanted to do the same for other categories, we would have to type them all out as [[Category:Politics|0200]], or whatever the comic number is. I would rather wait for mediawiki to come out with an in-built feature to solve this.</nowiki> [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:28, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

::Is there a reason that the template applies that directly to [[:Category:Comics]] and not as a default sortkey via DEFAULTSORT? – ''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 12:10, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

::: Good thinking. Using DEFAULTSORT oughta make it work for all categories. I'll give it a try. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 15:37, 1 January 2013 (UTC)

== Resize ==

I haven't been here (to edit) for a while, but have we still not addressed the bug that doesn't allow image resizing? I know most of us don't have access to that kind of lower-level coding on the site, but I think it's a bit of a notable issue that we can't display comics smaller than their actual size. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:24, 21 January 2013 (UTC)

:Take it up with [[User:Jeff]], but I suspect that adding your voice to the already insistent roaring that images are broken isn't going to inspire much change. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 18:08, 23 January 2013 (UTC)

== Incidental Ads ==

as ive noticed i think you should check if someone has embeded some of your links with ads really annoying please fix

--[[User:TheWeatherMan|TheWeatherMan]] ([[User talk:TheWeatherMan|talk]]) 14:00, 23 January 2013 (UTC)TheWeatherMan

:Do you have any specific examples of this? By the way, using punctuation, capitalization, spell check, and complete sentences are more likely to get someone to help you. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 18:10, 23 January 2013 (UTC)

::There is known malware (both adware and viruses) that makes Wikipedia look like it has ads. This wiki uses the same wiki software, so perhaps that malware affects our site too? – ''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 05:42, 15 February 2013 (UTC)

==/wiki/==
Now that explainxkcd redirects straight to the wiki, could we take the /wiki/ out of the url? I'd also like the wiki's edit log to be purged to clean out the history and forget about past spam, but that's probably wishing for too much. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:06, 28 January 2013 (UTC)

:But seriously, could the /wiki/ go? It'll screw with the spammers for a day or two, at the very least. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:37, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

==Newbie questions: Comic dates, previous-and-next-comic buttons==
Just created the my first page, [[220: Philosophy]], but I could use a little guidance. How do I find the date that an ''xkcd'' comic was originally posted, and how do I rig up the previous-comic and next-comic arrows on a page? (Actually, I've noticed several pages that should have the arrows but don't.) [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 11:19, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
:Those arrows will automagically insert themselves when you make the adjacent comic explanations. There *is* a little backstage magic that needs to be taken care of, but we can do that for you. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:40, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
** OK. How about the dates? [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 11:41, 28 January 2013 (UTC)
:::Click on "All Comics" in the navbar on left-hand side of the site. The dates are in the form YYYY-MM-DD. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:56, 28 January 2013 (UTC)

:The comic template checks for the existence of the numerical redirect for the comic before and the comic after. If it finds the page to exist it will display the next/previous button as appropriate. So, by creating the redirects listed on the [[List of all comics]] (third column, only worry about the number and title links) future pages will automatically get the links created. Redirect pages look like <code><nowiki>#REDIRECT [[####: Comic Title]]</nowiki></code> and that's it ([http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1143&redirect=no here] is a link to the redirect page with redirect disabled so you can look at the source to see what I'm talking about). That's all that needs to exist on the number and title redirects. If you feel up to creating them yourself, feel free, otherwise someone else goes through occasionally and mass adds all the missing redirects. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:55, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

== Error message ==

I've been getting this error message a lot the last cup'o days. When trying to access a page; when trying to save changes on a page. Any ideas on why? I'm getting it on both chrome and firefox.
::Database error
::A database query syntax error has occurred. This may indicate a bug in the software. The last attempted database query was:
::(SQL query hidden) from within function "Revision::insertOn". Database returned error "1142: INSERT command denied to user ::'dbo423085716'@'74.208.16.155' for :table 'text' (db423085716.db.1and1.com)".
–[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 22:54, 18 March 2013 (UTC)

:Every once in a while I get a SQL error being reported, but usually I can simply F5 and the page comes up. Every once in a while it seems like the server load is just so that somebody gets lucky enough to see the server error out. I don't think there's much we can do about this, other than move the wiki onto a more powerful server. But, there are no ads on this site, there is no revenue model, just a very kind person paying for hosting that keeps this site up. I'm more than willing to overlook a few hiccups for the continuing availability of explain xkcd. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 07:12, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

::Yeah, I get those too, but St. Nerol was talking about something that happened recently with the server running out of hard drive space and throwing SQL errors every time someone tried to make large edits. I had to find Jeff on twitter because I'd get SQL errors when I tried to edit his talk page. He's looking into history deletion plugins, to clear out our vast archives of deleted spam and obsoleted prototype comic templates. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:10, 23 March 2013 (UTC)

== Install a caching reverse proxy to handle heavy load ==

According to returned headers, this server runs from Apache directly. I would recommend setting up a reverse caching proxy in front of Apache to handle high traffic load (like, e.g. current load). The one I use is nginx (http://nginx.org/) -- admins, drop me an email if you need help setting it up [[User:Fry-kun|Fry-kun]] ([[User talk:Fry-kun|talk]]) 21:38, 26 March 2013 (UTC)

:The standard software to use is either Squid or Varnish. Nginx is a bit too much of a webserver to be configured in the way MW needs iirc. Although nginx would help with serving the static assets. Unfortunately there will be a need to switch to a proper server first. The site seems to be hosted on shared hosting. [[User:Dantman|Dantman]] ([[User talk:Dantman|talk]]) 04:59, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

::I had gotten burned before with both Squid and Varnish but Nginx had always kept my systems alive. It's extremely lightweight and works great to fix these kinds of problems. But, of course if it's a shared server where you can't use it, it won't help... [[User:Fry-kun|Fry-kun]] ([[User talk:Fry-kun|talk]]) 16:35, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

:::Nginx is a great webserver. It'll serve out static pages much better than Apache. But the issue here isn't the webserver. It's PHP and all the work that the database needs to do on every request. Switching webservers won't get rid of that issue. Using squid/varnish a proper reverse proxying cache will allow complete pages to be cached and served directly to readers bypassing the webserver, php, and the database entirely on some requests. That'll reduce the load the site has to cope with. [[User:Dantman|Dantman]] ([[User talk:Dantman|talk]]) 23:47, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

== A couple of enwiki features implemented ==

I have "imported" {{tl|disambig}} and the related [[:Category:Disambiguation pages|category]] for the [[Exoplanets‎‎|one page]] it was needed for (to avoid having a page that was uncategorised :-) ).

I have also created {{tl|unsigned ip}} (and converted the one use of {{tl|unsigned}}) and applied it for a handful of existing uses of {{tl|unsigned}}. It hardly matters, but then it's also only three more characters to type for new uses.

Importantly, however, I implore you to consider including the second datestamp parameter when applying either template -- it's actually the more useful information. I know it's a pain to convert times ''back'' to UTC, but, hey, most of you don't have to deal with a half hour timezone :-) [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 16:19, 13 April 2013 (UTC)

:Urrggh, there's an option to make UTC the default display time. The template oughta be a little more automated, mebbe filling the time in automagically with five tildes if no date field is entered? The time will be a bit off when editors fill in the unsigned templates, but it'll be close enough to the actual value. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:59, 13 April 2013 (UTC)

::No, especially while there's existing templates to adjust, where the "default" datestamp would be way out. If someone wants to fix a lot of the existing usage, setting their timezone to UTC is the simplest option. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 09:14, 14 April 2013 (UTC)

== I've removed "add a comment!" from Discussion heading ==

:''This thread has been moved to [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#I've removed "add a comment!" from Discussion heading|The proposals board]].''

== Need password reset ==

Sorry to bother you all, but I seem to have lost the password to this account and don't have an email set (which requires the password). I'm still logged in thanks to the "remember me" feature but after 30 days I'll lose access. This isn't fixable at the MediaWiki level; someone with access to the server mysql or whatever will need to change something. Is there such a person I can email with? [[User:Splainr|Splainr]] ([[User talk:Splainr|talk]]) 03:05, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
:I assume your browser isn't remembering it for you? [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 03:08, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
::Oh wow that was fast. Nope, neither Firefox not OSX keychain access know what it is. [[User:Splainr|Splainr]] ([[User talk:Splainr|talk]]) 15:18, 15 April 2013 (UTC)
: I'm not sure how to solve that problem, but I know account usurpation has been done for the single-login transition in Wikimedia wikis, so technically it should be doable. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 23:04, 16 April 2013 (UTC)

See [[mw:Manual:Resetting passwords]]. --[[User:Mormegil|Mormegil]] ([[User talk:Mormegil|talk]]) 11:59, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

== Analytics ==

Recently I found out about WikiApiary, an interesting site that collects analytics from mediawiki wikis. I added explain xkcd. Check the stats that have been collected so far: http://wikiapiary.com/wiki/explain_xkcd --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 00:03, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

== "External" hotlinking enabled to confirm issue with other car.jpg ==

FYI I have [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=MediaWiki:External_image_whitelist&oldid=34582 enabled] "external" hotlinking to this wiki's own images to show [[:File:other car.jpg]] can display correctly. See further notes about that issue [[File talk:other car.jpg|here]]. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 14:32, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

:If the problem is lack of thumbnail generation, it should display correctly even without hotlinking, simply by using the original size, e.g.
:[[File:other car.jpg]]
:I'm not sure why it doesn't. In any case, this image hotlinking thing reminded me, would it be a good idea to use the images hosted at XKCD.com and only upload variants to the wiki (e.g. those at [[:Category:Helper comic images]]) and images Randall for some reason deleted from the server (e.g. images with typos)? This would reduce the load on the explainxkcd server and provide a better experience for viewers since xkcd is already optimized for high loads and actually openly provides the image urls for hotlinking. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 15:01, 21 April 2013 (UTC)

Seeing as [[User:Daddy]]'s upload has fixed the wiki always attempting to display the thumbnail version (which still don't work), I have disabled the "hotlinking" again.

[[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 11:32, 22 April 2013 (UTC)

== Redirect from explainxkcd.com/1234 ==

It would be really cool if <code>http://www.explainxkcd.com/<number></code> redirected to the explain page for that number. That would allow people to get to the correct explanation by simply adding <code>explain</code> to the comic url.

If you are willing to do this, all you would need to do (assuming you run apache with mod_rewrite enabled) is put the following in <code>.htaccess</code> in your web root:

<code><pre>
RewriteEngine on
RewriteRule ^(\d+)/?$ /wiki/index.php?title=$1 [R,L]
</pre></code>

-[[User:Sionide21|Sionide21]] ([[User talk:Sionide21|talk]]) 22:28, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

::Yeah! I'm waiting for this. But admins seems to be rare here.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:44, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
::And it seems we both could help...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:47, 7 June 2013 (UTC)
:::There are several admins here (in fact, I am, too), but what you are looking for is the sysop, the one with access to the server. Admins can delete/protect/undelete pages and block users etc. [[User:Jeff|Jeff]] is the only one that can change MediaWiki configuration or url rewriting... --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 17:08, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
::::Thanks for your information, so I will try to talk to [[User:Jeff|Jeff]]. BTW: Can you edit the main page? I still miss a link to the incomplete comics on the top.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:52, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
::::: At the top of the main page, there is a section that says ''"We have collaboratively explained 1189 xkcd comics, and only 33 (3%) remain. Add yours while there's a chance!"''. The word ''remain'' is already linked to the list. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 19:16, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
::::::I was talking about the 97% comics. There are still many incomplete pages and we have a category here on that.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:36, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
:::::::Ah, I see. Just did it; everyone: feel free to change the sentence, I'm not a native speaker. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 21:07, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
::::::::THANKS! I'm also not native English, I'm German. But this wiki is a great challenge to get more practice, even much more as if talking to common English natives.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:27, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
::::::::: This is something I want to do, so I'm putting this on my page, so I remember to add it to the .htaccess. I'm not super familiar with the .htaccess rules, can I have this along with the other rules I have in my htaccess file? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:17, 22 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::: Yes, that rule will work alongside other rules --[[User:Sionide21|Sionide21]] ([[User talk:Sionide21|talk]]) 19:28, 27 October 2013 (UTC)
::::::::::: I've fixed this on our new host. (I actually had the rule in there already, I just had it in the wrong order.) I'd love to promote this feature a bunch. Any ideas how? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 02:33, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::::: A sitenotice oughta do it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:43, 30 October 2013 (UTC)
:::::::::::: Woohoo, finally!!! Now if we could just have [[#We need more maintainers|clean URLs]] too, that'd be swell! ;) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 05:02, 14 November 2013 (UTC)

== Incomplete – motivation ==

Is it possible to fix (or is there already) a way to add a motivation with the "incomplete"-tag? I tried <nowiki>{{incomplete|the title text needs explaining}}</nowiki>, which made "edit it" in the banner link to the uncreated page "the title text..."... ––[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 12:16, 10 June 2013 (UTC)

:You can use the <nowiki>{{notice|Your text...}}</nowiki> template:
{{notice|Here is my notice.}}
:--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:30, 10 June 2013 (UTC)
::Thanks! I think that ideally most incomplete-notices shold carry a note on what's missing, but we aren't there, so this'll do for now. ––[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 10:21, 11 June 2013 (UTC)

== Unable to Edit ==

I cannot edit this latest comic's page. When I hit edit a screen appears which says "This page has been protected to prevent editing." I've never edited before, but I'm annoyed by the improper use of the word candid. "It would be candid and unrealistic" would be better off in that sentence if candid was removed. How do I make it so I can edit the page, so I can remove this affront to the English language?
:I believe you are trying to edit the main page. You can click "Latest comic" in the left sidebar or the "Go to this comic" button in the top right corner of the grey box to go to the actual page for today's comic. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:42, 1 July 2013 (UTC)
::That was the problem, thanks.--[[User:Holcma01|Holcma01]] ([[User talk:Holcma01|talk]]) 17:07, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

== Banner ad placement ==

On iPad and iPhone browsers, the banner ads obscure the top of the page. This covers up some of the useful buttons up there, like LOGIN for example. The workaround is to refresh the page. Because the banner ad is the last thing to load, you have a brief window of maybe three seconds to find and click the link you need. [[User:Gardnertoo|Gardnertoo]] ([[User talk:Gardnertoo|talk]]) 20:24, 26 July 2013 (UTC)
: Fixed. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 21:12, 25 October 2013 (UTC)

== Bookmarklet for jumping to explainxkcd.com from xkcd.com ==

I wrote a short {{w|bookmarklet}} for jumping from xkcd.com to explainxkcd.com. Bookmarklet form:
<pre>
javascript:var%20match%20%3D%20window.location.href.match(%2F%5Cd%2B%2F)%3B%0Avar%20suffix%20%3D%20match%20%3F%20%27%3Ftitle%3D%27%20%2B%20match%5B0%5D%20%3A%20%27%27%3B%0Awindow.location%20%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.explainxkcd.com%2Fwiki%2Findex.php%27%20%2B%20suffix%3B
</pre>

Decoded:
<pre>
javascript:var match = window.location.href.match(/\d+/);
var suffix = match ? '?title=' + match[0] : '';
window.location ='http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php' + suffix;
</pre>

If you're on a numbered xkcd page, it will go to the accompanying explainxkcd.com page automatically. If you're on the xkcd.com home page, it goes to the explainxkcd.com wiki home page. [[User:Mattflaschen|Mattflaschen]] ([[User talk:Mattflaschen|talk]]) 17:30, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

To add this bookmarklet to your browser:

# Copy the bookmarklet javascript (*not* the decoded version)
# Using your browsers bookmark manager, create a new bookmark
# Give the bookmark a meaningful name -- e.g. ExplainXKCD
# Paste the javascript in for the bookmark URL
# Save.
({{unsigned|Tomh}})

:Thanks Mattflaschen and Tomh! I've started collecting these helpful tools on a [[Browser helpers|new page]], to hopefully make them easier for others to find. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 01:33, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

== Database Error ==

I have NO IDEA where this should go, but
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1011
has the content

Database error
A database query syntax error has occurred. This may indicate a bug in the software. The last attempted database query was:
(SQL query hidden)
from within function "SqlBagOStuff::set". Database returned error "1142: INSERT command denied to user 'dbo423085716'@'74.208.16.155' for table 'objectcache' (db423085716.db.1and1.com)".

Just thought I should report it.

OOPS forgot sig. [[Special:Contributions/67.175.58.94|67.175.58.94]] 00:13, 23 September 2013 (UTC)

Edit: This has been fixed randomly. Never mind then. :X

== [[mw:Extension:SyntaxHighlighter]] ==

Could we maybe enable this? It would be helpful for some of the programming-heavy comics' explanations, e.g. [[1270|today's one]].[[User:PinkAmpersand|PinkAmpersand]] ([[User talk:PinkAmpersand|talk]]) 17:02, 27 September 2013 (UTC)
: Done, PinkAmpersand. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 19:57, 28 September 2013 (UTC)

== It's not taking me to the main page ==

If I type explainxkcd.com, it redirects me to http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki which just shows a directory listing, rather than taking me to the main page (as I assume it's supposed to). [[User:Chridd|chridd]] ([[User talk:Chridd|talk]]) 02:07, 31 October 2013 (UTC)
:Thaat's not supposed to happen. I'm on it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:49, 31 October 2013 (UTC)
:Is it fixed for you now? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:55, 31 October 2013 (UTC)
::Yes [[User:Chridd|chridd]] ([[User talk:Chridd|talk]]) 14:46, 31 October 2013 (UTC)

== Logo in upper left corner missing ==

The logo in the upper left corner is missing, probably because of a wrong redirect. The logo should be at http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/skins/common/images/explainxkcd.png, but this link takes me to the main page. The icons in the edit toolbar are missing, too, probably the same problem. You should exclude all \.png$ queries from redirects. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.177|108.162.254.177]] 10:09, 31 October 2013 (UTC)
: Fixed that. Sorry about that, it was an overzealous htaccess. Thanks! --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:45, 31 October 2013 (UTC)

== Sidebar ad overhangs content in Firefox 25.0 ==

The sidebar ad on each page overhangs the content frame slightly when I view this site in Firefox 25.0 on a Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit pc. I have started Firefox in safe mode with all add-ons disabled and it still happens. Site looks fine in IE 11. {{unsigned ip|173.245.56.79}}
:Have you tried hitting control-shift-R, or clearing your cache? That sounds like Firefox is disregarding part of our CSS for whatever reason. I'm running a very similar setup and I'm not getting these problems. Try giving it a wee bit of time and trying again. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:27, 13 November 2013 (UTC)

:What's your monitor resolution and size of your Firefox window (maximized, 50/50 split, etc)? [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 18:24, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
::I'm really sure that scaling isn't the issue, I made the sidebar width definite. I'll check it again. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:06, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
:::The sidebar has a fixed width defined at the CSS style sheet. Press F5 or CTRL-R to reload this style sheet. This happened to me in the past too. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:14, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
::::I changed the defined width to pixels instead of em, in the annoying edge-case that a browser uses a weird default font width. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:24, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
:::::It looks fine now.--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.79|173.245.56.79]] 06:08, 18 November 2013 (UTC)
::::::Sidebar ad overhangs content in DuckDuckGo 7.67.1.2 for iOS 15.4.1, on iPhone 12. aka 'Your sidebar ad has been crushed into a cube. You have fifteen minutes to move your cube.'

== Connection problems ==

Whatever the new hoster does cost, you should get your money back. Sometimes the page doesn't load at all, or the menu is missing after the browser did finish after one or two minutes. The performance here is still annoying. That cloud seems to be a dead cloud. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:33, 11 January 2014 (UTC)
:It's easily more performant than our old service, and it holds up far better to traffic. I am inclined to say that it's a region specific issue, and I'll submit a ticket for that, but they've worked far better than flat shared hosting for the time that we've been using them. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:01, 12 January 2014 (UTC)
::More detail: The message is an Error 522 (Connection timed out).
::*You (Browser, Working) <-> Amsterdam (CloudFlare, Working) <-> <nowiki>www.explainxkcd.com</nowiki> (Host, '''Error''')
::In December the CloudFlare did belong to Frankfurt. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:35, 12 January 2014 (UTC)
:::I'm having still major problems to connect, only this this silly error message. ...and then it does work again. Still strange.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:58, 14 January 2014 (UTC)
:Today I've been getting a ''lot'' of these errors with Cloudflare. (London-based CloudFlare, in my case.) "Error 522 Ray ID: 2587581d8b8a350c • 2015-12-21 23:25:22 UTC" is just one of the IDs. Not sure if you'd prefer another bit of the page info, instead, but the Ray ID looked unique enough to pinpoint debug info in the background.) The suggestion is made that the web server is too busy at something or other. Anyway, just so you're aware.
:I had a look here, first, to see if anyone had mentioned anything (and found the above), so apologies if I'm not posting in the best bit of the best page. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.227|162.158.152.227]] 23:44, 21 December 2015 (UTC)
::It seems to be an occasional regional issue that cloudflare has with us. When I go to our server directly our site is still up, so something between us and cloudflare is failing. Not sure what though. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:40, 22 December 2015 (UTC)
:Yesterday (and day before?) Cloudflare London insisted that the server was not responding. Not sure if that was an actual explain-server issue (not seen mention of it anywhere else, in a brief dig), only Cloudflare London being refused by the server (detecting and blanket filtering rogue traffic via my gateway) or some other issue. Meant to check for update timestamps on the latest comic article that coincided with my being unable to visit the site at the time. But FYI, assuming the cause isn't already sorted out with no further actions needed and/or possible... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.92|162.158.155.92]] 16:02, 11 February 2020 (UTC)

== Wrong IP address shown ==

All [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:RecentChanges&hideliu=1 edits by IPs] (well, at least all I checked, including my own edits) are recorded using IP addresses of CloudFlare ([http://www.utrace.de/whois/108.162.238.220 108.162.192.0/18], [http://www.utrace.de/whois/173.245.50.88 173.245.48.0/20] and some other ranges), i.e., it's not the address of the client, but of the server. This seems similar to [https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=56681]. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.160|108.162.254.160]] 09:05, 29 January 2014 (UTC)
:That's something we're working on, but current limitations with our provider are making things sow for us. When they give us what we need, we can do it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:59, 29 January 2014 (UTC)
::Hmmpf! I just noticed this twelve months later and it's still the case... [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 01:59, 29 January 2015 (UTC)
:::Uurrrp a couple of holdups happened, I need to do this at some point. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:54, 29 January 2015 (UTC)

::: I just noticed it as well [[Special:Contributions/162.158.252.197|162.158.252.197]] 04:20, 24 October 2015 (UTC)

: CloudFlare is already providing the Real Ip address -- there are mods for Apache https://support.cloudflare.com/hc/en-us/articles/203656534-How-can-I-set-up-Apache-mod-CloudFlare- and Nginx https://support.cloudflare.com/hc/en-us/articles/200170706-How-do-I-restore-original-visitor-IP-with-Nginx- or you can just pull it from the X-Forwarded-For HTTP header which proxy servers (like CloudFlare) typically puts the client IP address. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.252.197|162.158.252.197]] 04:25, 24 October 2015 (UTC)

== 1337 leads to...? ===

Current and latest comic page, 1337, unusually has a "Next" before there's even any 1338 page. (It points to 1337.) As a lowly IP, I don't feel I ought to delve too deep to see if it's a page template issue (possibly because "1337" is both a past title ''and'' the current number, maybe, although not too sure if that'd work out) or just because of manual editing. But bringing it to general attention. (It may of course be an issue that does not even last beyond Wednesday, and comic number 1338's arrival, even without intervention.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.7|141.101.99.7]] 13:40, 3 March 2014 (UTC)
:D'aww, and I wanted to be lazy too. I'll get to fixing it, an IP took it to himself to add stuff to the comic template and he removed the auto-hiding buttons. Imma fixy. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:42, 3 March 2014 (UTC)
::I did revert some edits on that issue here, so for the first point it should work again. In general: The main page should not be affected like this and the test environment is called: Sandbox. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:43, 3 March 2014 (UTC)
:::The issue was fixed three hours before your autorevert. This is getting excessive. The next time you autorevert a large edit without testing or making an attempt to fix things yourself, expect a three-day ban. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:41, 3 March 2014 (UTC)

== No confirmation email? ==

I requested an email for confirmation when I registered. I got nothing, not in spam filter, not in trash, and definitely in not my inbox.

Today, I requested another confirmation email. Again, nothing has appeared.

Is it me? Is it my shampoo??? Enquiring minds want to know....
Thanks. [[User:Karenb|Karenb]] ([[User talk:Karenb|talk]]) 22:45, 20 March 2014 (UTC)
:Confirmation emails? What, are we a five-star hotel now?
:Jokes aside, is this a thing you really need? You should be autoconfirmed after editing for a while without getting blocked, but if you can put forward a good reason why we should add this in, I'll do it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:54, 21 March 2014 (UTC)
:::Not blocked! Trying to authenticate my email, which I thought was an automatic process. Does that feature not work? That would certainly explain the lack of autoresponse.... Cheers. KB [[User:Karenb|Karenb]] ([[User talk:Karenb|talk]]) 01:35, 21 March 2014 (UTC)

I'm having the same issue. I've requested several confirmation emails over the past few days. I have also tried changing and then resetting my email address. Nothing has worked so far, and it's not in any of my filtered inboxes. I can edit most pages. Will this fix itself even if I don't get an email? [[User:DownGoer|DownGoer]] ([[User talk:DownGoer|talk]]) 18:16, 26 June 2023 (UTC)

==Because the people visiting here are probably the people that should see this==
After the server upgrades mentioned in the sitenotice, de.explainxkcd.com should exist. I'm not publicizing it yet, just want to get it up and work out implementation details before it goes fully live. Pls dun test during the downtime, there'll be plenty of time for that after it's live. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:14, 21 March 2014 (UTC)
:Ok, so our server doesn't actually have the required dependencies to complete the upgrade, so that was slightly fruitless. Sorry about any downtime or inconvenience caused, I didn't add the German wiki again because I'm looking set up the parallel wikis on an up-to-date base. Sorry again for any inconvenience that may have caused, I'll make sure to be better prepared next time, and maybe actually succeed in performing the upgrade next time. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:02, 24 March 2014 (UTC)

==Does anyone have image of Black Hat saying to Cueball "It's 'cause you're dumb" ?==
Guys, does anyone has this image?
I'm hosting Russian xkcd fanpage here - vk.com/xkcdoff and if someone would post it it would be very helpful. --[[User:KOTYAR|KOTYAR]] ([[User talk:KOTYAR|talk]]) 22:40, 24 March 2014 (UTC)
:I actually can't find it either. Shame, I liked that old thumbnail. I could probably photoshop up a new version if you really want one though. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:53, 26 March 2014 (UTC)
:
::[[File:explain xkcd blog header image.png|right]] Just going to the [[explain xkcd]] page and following [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20091026122109/http://www.explainxkcd.com/2009/07/03/extrapolating/ the first historic (internet-archived) link] allowed me to extract [http://wayback.archive.org/web/20110202213753im_/http://www.explainxkcd.com/wp-content/themes/lightword/images/header-image.png the requested "header-image.png"] (the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wp-content/themes/lightword/images/header-image.png corresponding image URL on the current site] gives nothing anymore... thank you, Internet Archive!). Which I uploaded to the wiki here, for convenience and because it's part of this wiki's history, in a way, and also, cool. [[File:Face-smile.svg|20px|Smile|link=]] - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 10:39, 16 April 2014 (UTC) (PS: also, [http://www.facebook.com/explainxkcd/photos/10150144122985214 facebook.com/explainxkcd/photos/10150144122985214]; but JPEG.)

== expxkcd.com redirect not up-to-date ==

By adding "exp" at the beginning of the URL one can easily switch from [http://xkcd.com/1234 xkcd.com/1234] to [http://expxkcd.com/1234 expxkcd.com/1234], which redirects to the corresponding explanation here, and that's nice. But right now, [http://expxkcd.com expxkcd.com] redirects to [[1355]] (at least for me), instead of [[1356]], the latest comic. Wouldn't it be better if expxkcd.com redirected to the [[Main Page]] instead (as does correctly [http://explainxkcd.com explainxkcd.com])? - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 10:55, 16 April 2014 (UTC)
:expxkcd is actually a thing that user [[user:grep]] was so kind to purchase and handle for us. I can forward this on to him for him to resolve, and give him the rewrite rules we use if he needs them. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:12, 16 April 2014 (UTC)
:
::Nice, thank you for the quick forward to the right place. - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 11:31, 16 April 2014 (UTC)
:Yeah, the reason for that is that right now, I update it manually, which is obviously a really bad idea. I plan to change this pretty soon. I don't want it to go to the main page because the main page doesn't show the discussion, and comes along with all the other, regular main page stuff. Any rewrite rules wouldn't hurt, Davidy22. {{User:Grep/signature|12:04, 16 April 2014}}
::Hrm. Ours rules point towards the main page. We have no automatically updating page that always redirects to the latest comic, but you can use Mediawiki hooks to append the contents of the page [[Template:LATESTCOMIC]] to the end of our URL. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:44, 17 April 2014 (UTC)
:::Sorry, I don't understand. My BOT will upload the next comic on time, unless it's some new chaos by Randall a BOT just can't handle. The LATESTCOMIC template is updated and so it seems only be an issue on that damn Cloud Service Cache. Even Randall's pages are affected. At "What-if" I still have to use <CTRL+R> to get the latest content. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:26, 18 April 2014 (UTC)
::::We're talking about a different thing related to shortened URLs. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:24, 18 April 2014 (UTC)
:::That is an interesting idea, however I just made a script that automatically adds 1 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I could have it grab the number from your page and do this once a day at something like 00:10 EST (because Randall sometimes does things on other days), that's a possibility as well (other times / intervals may also be done if you wish/want). {{User:Grep/signature|04:34, 02 May 2014}}
::::Our LATESTCOMIC page and Randall's xkcd json page should both have up-to-date comic numbers for you to pull. Ours is probably the better one to pull since your site is linking to us. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:30, 2 May 2014 (UTC)
:::::The script now checks Template:LATESTCOMIC every 30 minutes to see if the comic has changed or not. If you wish, I might be able narrow this down to 11PM->6AM (for 30 minute checking) and then have it check every two hours at other times or something similar to that (if [http://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd.time.html systemd.time] has a way to do it) {{User:Grep/signature|12:13, 09 May 2014}}
::::::I still do not see that problems. Please touch this wiki as less as needed, this is still the best choice. But there is still a big problem on the cache, an update on a picture lasts many hours. Some statements in "LocalSettings.php" should work, if not this wiki version is buggy. Problems should be solved at the cause and not be overridden by some additional scripts. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:51, 9 May 2014 (UTC)
:::::::We have ample bandwidth for a bot that only checks once every half-hour. The image caching issue is irrelevant to the current topic. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:45, 10 May 2014 (UTC)

== Explain xkcd upgraded to version 1.19.17 ==

Woo! '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:59, 26 July 2014 (UTC)

The header seems to have broken, there is no longer a link to the explanation in it. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.154|173.245.56.154]] 22:00, 26 July 2014 (UTC)
:Which header are you talking about? All the links I can think of still seem to work. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:13, 27 July 2014 (UTC)
:: It fixed itself shortly after I mentioned it. It was the incomplete explanation, the link to 428 was bold, but not a link. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.154|173.245.56.154]] 04:48, 27 July 2014 (UTC)

One of the ads is broken.

[[File:brokenexplainxkcdad.png]]

[[User:MrGameZone|0100011101100001011011010110010101011010011011110110111001100101]] ([[User talk:MrGameZone|talk page]]) 04:33, 27 July 2014 (UTC)

:Ooh, thanks for catching that. Should be fixed now. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:08, 27 July 2014 (UTC)

Nice :) But is this update a preparation for an upcoming update to {{w|MediaWiki version history|one of the latest versions}}, or are we limited to 1.19 for some reason? I'm asking because 1.19 is only supported for {{w|mw:Version lifecycle#Version timeline|a few more months}}, and also because with newer versions we'd have access to some niceties -- for example, after version 1.20 the {{w|mw:Help:Magic words#Statistics|PAGESINCAT}} magic word accepts parameters, which would allow the count of explained comics in the main page to work using less hardcoded hacks. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 16:08, 27 July 2014 (UTC)

:Prior attempts to update the wiki have been prevented by the realization that Lunarpages doesn't give us quite as much control over our server share as we thought we had. Checking again, they seem to have upgraded the version of PHP on our server since we last attempted and failed to run one dumb update script, which should mean that it'll work next time we try it. The wiki also has quite a bit of user effort invested into it now, and I'm a little less ready to jump into .0~.3 releases than I would normally be on my own machine, so I upgraded down the LTS path that I knew would be safe. After the first ill-planned attempt, I've been eyeing the 1.23 LTS line for the next major jump, but I'm certainly not stepping into it while it's still relatively fresh. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:08, 27 July 2014 (UTC)

:: Sounds reasonable. Thanks for the details. I'll be looking forward to the next update :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 18:52, 28 July 2014 (UTC)
::Just wanting to offer, I use ARP Networks for hosting, you should check them out if you want more control. {{unsigned ip|173.245.56.154}}
:::Hum, there's an option. I'll keep that in mind. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:35, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
::::It wasn't me that posted that comment. But surprisingly enough anon and I have the same first two bytes in our IP addresses. Congrats on the version upgrade. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 05:31, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

Why does the site say I'm blocking ads when I'm not? I do use AdBlock Plus, but it's turned off for this site. Screenshot [http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj637/backagain2012/contra_zps3c6aa295.png here]. And while I'm here, that "unblock us" text has an error- the first "and" in the second sentence shouldn't be there. [[User:NealCruco|NealCruco]] ([[User talk:NealCruco|talk]]) 01:51, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
:The text only appears when the ads fail to load. The error message actually says noscript, which means that the Javascript that the ad box uses to fetch images isn't running. How long has this been happening for you? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:35, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
::It just started. I came over here as soon as I noticed it. [[User:NealCruco|NealCruco]] ([[User talk:NealCruco|talk]]) 19:07, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
:::Have you recently made any changes to your browser? Does the problem persist when you hit CTRL+SHIFT+R? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 12:43, 30 July 2014 (UTC)
::::Nope, no recent changes. And yes, the problem persists when I hit Ctrl+Shift+R. [[User:NealCruco|NealCruco]] ([[User talk:NealCruco|talk]]) 14:04, 30 July 2014 (UTC)
:::::I am genuinely puzzled. The message tells me that something is causing your browser to fail to load/run the Javascript that makes the ad render and report stats, so the problem could be anything that can cause that: noscript, outdated browser, experimentation. I don't know anything about your setup, and it works on my test machines, so I can't tell currently what's wrong. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:10, 1 August 2014 (UTC)
:Do you have privoxy installed on your machine? (this is a long shot) [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 00:24, 3 August 2014 (UTC)

== If anything broke, complain here. ==

There's a banner that says:
The wiki has been updated to stable mediawiki version 1.19.17. If anything broke, complain here.

So...

The following have broken:
Cars
My previous computer
A railroad train
Condoms
Etc.

None of which has anything to do with this website.

The banner should be made more specific before Randall sees it and does a comic mocking it.

Or not. {{unsigned ip|173.245.48.80}}
:Well, there's always that one guy. Fixed. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:05, 28 July 2014 (UTC)
::I don't see how you could have fixed that one guy. Throttled, eliminated, insulted, blocked, etc. But not fixed. [[User:Walenc|Walenc]] ([[User talk:Walenc|talk]]) 16:29, 28 July 2014 (UTC)
:::See sense 6 here: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fix#Verb :P [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.154|173.245.56.154]] 02:13, 29 July 2014 (UTC)
::::i bet you think yer so clever. just watch me take the site down. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:35, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

== Misc Request... (|< < Prev Comic Next > >| format) ==

I usually browse in a very small window and the menu buttons split kind of strangely (http://i.imgur.com/wPE7szZ.png). Would it be possible to replace the spaces with nonbreaking spaces? --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.202|173.245.56.202]] 15:13, 1 August 2014 (UTC)
:Annoyingly, the spaces that are giving you trouble can't be changed because they're text string inputs, and Mediawiki has no regular expression markup yet. Every other instance of formatting-critical spaces has been changed to non-breaking spaces though, thanks for the heads up! '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:13, 2 August 2014 (UTC)
:: I think I fixed this by adding a space between the buttons. Unfortunately, this only works as long as the comic is not as wide as the button bar. I guess this is because of the surrounding table. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 20:15, 2 August 2014 (UTC)

== Not receiving password reset emails ==

I've forgotten my password, and password reset is not working for me. I went to [[Special:PasswordReset]], and had it send me a reset email. However, I have not received the email. I am sure that I have an email associated with my account, and it's confirmed. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.174|173.245.54.174]] 08:38, 18 August 2014 (UTC)
:Tested, password reset emails seem to work for me. Have you checked your spam folder? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:04, 24 August 2014 (UTC)
::I checked in Gmail in "Mail & Spam & Trash", and it still doesn't find it. I tried a fresh reset, so we'll see if that comes through. No luck after a minute or two. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.71|108.162.216.71]] 04:59, 28 August 2014 (UTC)

==TOR Captcha==

Hi, I use TOR. To access your website, cloudfare has made it such that I have to enter a captcha. This is very inconvenient, as your site is not the only one doing this. Can you please fix this issue? You should be able to see a guide here: https://tor.stackexchange.com/questions/599/cloudflares-captcha-screen-insurmountable . Thank you for taking the time to consider this. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.60|141.101.104.60]] 11:34, 13 September 2014 (UTC)
:Is it better now? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:06, 13 September 2014 (UTC)
::Sorry, no. I still get the captcha. What did you try doing? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.87|108.162.216.87]] 22:09, 13 September 2014 (UTC)
:::Set the threat level threshold way up. Any further steps into cheap botnet territory. For your security, you may want to reconsider the nodes through which you're operating through. Also, why do you need to use Tor to visit us? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:17, 14 September 2014 (UTC)
::::Ah, okay, thanks, now I'm not getting the captcha. As for why I'm using Tor, I don't ''need'' to, but I'd rather do so just to be anonymous. I wouldn't have written if it were just your site, but since Cloudfare has made captchas the default setting for Tor, the internet is starting to become near unusable. So that everyday people aren't scared away from using Tor due to the perceived complexity of daily browsing, whenever I have to enter a captcha, I try to contact someone at the site to ask them to change the setting. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.82|108.162.216.82]] 06:52, 14 September 2014 (UTC)

== Upgrade to the latest MediaWiki version? ==

I think we should start trying to maintain a regular upgrade schedule of some sort. 6 months ago was the last time we've upgraded, and I think we should upgrade again. The impetus for this change would be for [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Translate translation] [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:TranslationNotifications features], [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Babel plus other multilinguality efforts that require the new versions of MediaWiki.] Localization efforts should be put into place, and the translate feature would work well for that. [[User:Chess|Chess]] ([[User talk:Chess|talk]]) 01:53, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:Plans to upgrade only include LTS releases. That said though, the recent and unintentional server downtime was actually the result of a setup for a coming mediawiki upgrade, among other things. The plan is to upgrade to 1.23 sometime in the coming months, during the weekend after a satisfactory number of bugfix releases. We're very interested in setting up translations, although mediawiki in it's current form already supports translation; the extensions you linked are mostly quality-of-life additions. It's been delayed because the plan is to eliminate all incomplete comics first so that translators have a solid base to work from. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:42, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
::Can I just be nitpicky and say that we last upgraded about 3.5 months ago, not 6? Thanks. [[User:NealCruco|NealCruco]] ([[User talk:NealCruco|talk]]) 03:17, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

== Fix HTTPS access ==

explain xkcd is using Cloudflare which recently enabled HTTPS for all users, but when [https://explainxkcd.com accessing it via HTTPS] it returns [https://support.cloudflare.com/hc/en-us/articles/200171916-Error-521 error 521].
In order to fix this in addiction to the solution steps proposed by CloudFlare check if SSL settings are correct. {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.138}}
:On it '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:51, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

HTTPS is working now, there just some mixed-content warnings, mostly on style tags which being active mixed content are blocked, but it's still a good improvement as it's possible to have more privacy when browsing explain xkcd.{{unsigned ip|188.114.99.35}}

: Whoever has server access, can they try changing $wgServer ([[mediawikiwiki:Manual:$wgServer|Manual:$wgServer]]) to use a protocol relative url? As the manual page says, you may also want to set $wgCanonicalServer to a fully-qualified url (hopefully defaulting to https). [[User:Behrat|Behrat]] ([[User talk:Behrat|talk]]) 04:17, 29 October 2015 (UTC)
::Done. How's it now? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:42, 31 October 2015 (UTC)
::: Much better! The styles and scripts are loaded now, and the page looks good. It's still not completely green https because it's loading some images over plain http, but my browser at least appears to be allowing them for now. If you want any more suggestions on technical issues, let me know. I currently maintain my own mediawiki installation with full https, cloudflare, and short urls. [[User:Behrat|Behrat]] ([[User talk:Behrat|talk]]) 20:27, 4 November 2015 (UTC)
::::Huh. Is it the ad images? The comic pictures *should* be also done over https, no? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:10, 5 November 2015 (UTC)
::::: Yeah, one of them is the ad images (http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/lunarpages_160x600.jpg). Most of them are from [[MediaWiki:Common.css]], so you could just change all the urls on that css page to protocol-relative. The only other one I see is http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-sa/3.0/88x31.png, which I think is set at [[mediawikiwiki:Manual:$wgFooterIcons|$wgFooterIcons]], but I'm not sure. All of them appear to be accessible over https, so just changing the links should work. [[User:Behrat|Behrat]] ([[User talk:Behrat|talk]]) 01:13, 6 November 2015 (UTC)

If I replace xkcd with explainxkcd I get a very ugly CSS-less page in Chrome on Win7. If I change the https to http, the page works [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.12|141.101.105.12]] 06:07, 3 September 2015 (UTC)
:Can you provide more information about your setup? Test a different browser? Unable to reproduce. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:56, 3 September 2015 (UTC)
:: I can reproduce in Firefox. This is due to the mixed content blocker. Usually, it should only block active content (scripts) and maybe warn about passive content (stylesheets), but at least in Firefox, it is configurable to block both. But I cannot see why the stylesheets shouldn't be served via HTTPS.
:: Currently, the styles are referenced absolutely ([http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/load.php?debug=false&lang=de&modules=site&only=styles&skin=vector&* http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/...]), but they should rather by referenced domain-relative (<code>/wiki/...</code>) or at least protocol-relative (<code>[//www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/load.php?debug=false&lang=de&modules=site&only=styles&skin=vector&* //www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/...]</code>). --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 16:29, 3 September 2015 (UTC)

== RSS feed issue ==

When attempting to access the feed for this wiki I'm told "Sorry. No feed found." Is there some way that the feed can be restored to the satisfaction of Feedly? Could it be due to some [http://validator.w3.org/feed/check.cgi?url=http%3A%2F%2Fexplainxkcd.com%2Frss.xml validation issues], or should I consider changing my news reader? [[User:Pmw57|Pmw57]] ([[User talk:Pmw57|talk]]) 23:08, 7 January 2015 (UTC)
:Huh. The feed updates automatically with a script that I wrote a while ago, I'm very sure it passed more than this the last time I checked. Fixed a few things, left the one about the date because that's a pain to fix, and one that I can't figure out for the life of me. I think I fixed the line that was causing the actual problems though. Should update on feedly now. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:52, 8 January 2015 (UTC)
::Hallelujah - the feed was mixed in with other geeky material and it only took me nearly 8 months to notice that nothing was coming through from here anymore. I'm premature with my thanks though. The [http://explainxkcd.com/rss.xml RSS link] in the navigation pane to the left still doesn't want to be understood by Feedly. By contrast, other feeds such as for latest changes can be picked up. [[User:Pmw57|Pmw57]] ([[User talk:Pmw57|talk]]) 02:04, 8 January 2015 (UTC)
:::Hrm. Sent an email to feedly about it, Just tested and I'm having similar issues with feedly. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:17, 8 January 2015 (UTC)
::::It seems it's not just Feedly. When I use Chrome's [https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-feed-reader/pnjaodmkngahhkoihejjehlcdlnohgmp/related?hl=en RSS Feed Reader], that too also tells me "No posts here yet" followed by the an ever helpful "Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp" [[User:Pmw57|Pmw57]] ([[User talk:Pmw57|talk]]) 02:33, 8 January 2015 (UTC)
::::Could it be that it's just not valid XML? I see that it ends at line 236 with </item> with no other closing tags, for example. [[User:Pmw57|Pmw57]] ([[User talk:Pmw57|talk]]) 03:18, 8 January 2015 (UTC)
:::::Ohwait a minute, the auto updater rips old entries off the bottom and that's where there's supposed to be a closing channel and RSS tag. well. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:19, 8 January 2015 (UTC)
It's good to know that the cause is now known - I'll let you (or someone else with the authority) get on with fixing things up :-) [[User:Pmw57|Pmw57]] ([[User talk:Pmw57|talk]]) 07:46, 8 January 2015 (UTC)
:[http://feedly.com/i/subscription/feed/http://www.explainxkcd.com/rss.xml Hullo.] It's not perfect that only one specific formation of the URL works, but it's a start. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:01, 8 January 2015 (UTC)
:: You sir do God's work - and that coming from a Dillahunty-following Atheist is saying something. [[User:Pmw57|Pmw57]] ([[User talk:Pmw57|talk]]) 08:11, 8 January 2015 (UTC)
My reader has been refusing to process the feed for the last few days. I finally un-busied enough to poke into why. When I looked at the source at [http://www.explainxkcd.com/rss.xml /rss.xml] I saw:
<pre>
</item>

<item>
<title>1561: Water Phase Diagram</title>
<link>http://www.explainxkcd.com/1561</link>
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Aug 2015 21:51:11 -0700</pubDate>
<guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.explainxkcd.com/1561</guid>
<description><![CDATA[<h2>1561: Water Phase Diagram</h2><a href="http://www.explainxkcd.com/1561">http://www.explainxkcd.com/1561</a>]]></description>
</item>
</pre>
I'm thinking that the script is broken. I could pro'ly come up with something workable, given the access. --[[User:Ericm301|Ericm301]] ([[User talk:Ericm301|talk]]) 16:50, 9 August 2015 (UTC)
:What on earth is happening here I don't even know. The script seems fine, I repaired the RSS file again manually. See if it malfunctions again today. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:22, 10 August 2015 (UTC)
::Script is behaving very strangely. Today's update warped the feed file in a weird way, this doesn't usually happen. I'll test it on my machine to see what's happening. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:56, 10 August 2015 (UTC)
It was fine for a minute (that must have been your edit), but now it's broke again. --[[User:Ericm301|Ericm301]] ([[User talk:Ericm301|talk]]) 19:53, 10 August 2015 (UTC)
:Alright, I figured out what was going on with the feed. There was a bit of code I had in the update script that trimmed off the last entry of the RSS file and when I recreated an empty file for the feed after the inexplicable wipe, I forgot to turn it off so it was still shaving off the end of the file. This time it should be working. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:34, 12 August 2015 (UTC)

== "Known appearances" character infobox fix? ==

Currently, "Known appearances" in the characters infobox is broken as for some pages, when the character's category serves as it's own info page. (e.g. [[:Category:Red Spiders]], [[:Category:Sharks]], [[:Category:Squirrels]], [[:Category:Barrel]] etc.) Can this be fixed?--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 11:21, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

:Fixed it myself. Just use template "Infobox character 2" instead of "Infobox character" when the character's category serves as it's own info page.--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 14:55, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

== Comic 1505 (30 March 2015) isn't properly showing up, I think? ==

Excuse me if I'm being a n00b, but [[1505]] is posted, and the page is extant, but it's not showing on the [[Main Page]] yet. Is this supposed to happen, i.e. waiting for someone to put some content on the page, or did something break somewhere...? Again, sorry if I've just committed a massive derp. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.189|173.245.56.189]] 04:38, 30 March 2015 (UTC)
:Should be showing up now. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:38, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

== rendering problem ? ==

To me, right now, with Windows Firefox 37.0.1, [[625: Collections]] looks like this:

[[File:communityportal_technical_1504_collections.png]]

There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the source text.

Here's the [[Main Page]] in Internet Explorer 8:

[[File:communityportal_technical_1504_mainpage.png]]

This is affecting everything? Or just me? [[User:Pesthouse|Pesthouse]] ([[User talk:Pesthouse|talk]]) 03:31, 6 April 2015 (UTC)

Okay, [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.140|somebody]] was messing with [[Template:w]]. I reverted it to the previous editor's version, seemed to fix things. [[User:Pesthouse|Pesthouse]] ([[User talk:Pesthouse|talk]]) 03:46, 6 April 2015 (UTC)
:On that note, they made a similar template that links to rationalwiki, but didn't use it at all in any pages. Huh. It's not even a very significant site. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:52, 6 April 2015 (UTC)

::The IP [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=301:_Limerick&oldid=84906&diff=88577 preferred the Rationalwiki article] on Poe's Law to the Wikipedia version, I guess.
::[[User:452]] did not approve. [[User:Pesthouse|Pesthouse]] ([[User talk:Pesthouse|talk]]) 07:57, 6 April 2015 (UTC)
:::Given the fact that he broke Template:W, and [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.140|didn't seem to know what he was doing]], I undid his other edits, sorry if this was inappropriate. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 17:51, 15 April 2015 (UTC)

== Main Page ==

When categories are added to the latest comic, the Main Page is also categorized in those categories.--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 13:42, 15 April 2015 (UTC)
:The most obvious solution would be to put the categories inside <nowiki><noinclude></nowiki> tags, on every page. {{unsigned|143}}
::That's ugly and labor-intensive though. I think there's something we can do with string matching to fix it in a better way. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:35, 16 April 2015 (UTC)

== #cscore doesn't work with #expr ==

I can't use cscore with expr on my userpage.--{{User:17jiangz1/signature|10:30, 01 May 2015}}

== 1545 page severely broken? ==

The very tail end of the raw page source (using Internet Explorer) is
"wgRedirectedFrom":"1545"});
}</script><script>
...and then stops, obviously unfulfilled. (I also snipped everything up until that unique-looking Redirection data, for brevity.)

Compare that with the equivalent snippet from an adjacent page:
"wgRedirectedFrom":"1544"});
}</script><script>if(window.mw){
...and then continues with a working rest of the page. (Also snipped, but this time both before ''and'' after. I've kept it short while imagining I've given enough to ID the precise breakpoint though.)

Same problem encountered when using "Next" link from 1544 or "Previous" link from 1546. Page http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/List_of_all_comics ''itself'' suffers the exact same error. (Last wgVariable listed in LoaC page is ''"wgSearchNamespaces":[0]'', instead, but still similarly ends after apparently the same close-script and open-script flagging point.)

Does ''not'' go wrong in Mozilla-based browsers also on this machine (Firefox, Seamonkey). Page sources for 1545 look exactly like the above 1544 snippet, as expected, with no obvious funny characters or 'Little Bobby Tables' anomalies, SFAICT. In case it's a spurious downloading error that has ended up being cached, I've also "shift-refreshed" in my browser to force download.

Utterly Baffling me, but FYI in case it's something someone needs to know about, although I'm hoping it's just local strangeness and not anything actually of significance.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.252|141.101.98.252]] 04:33, 5 July 2015 (UTC)
:Opened in Internet Explorer 11, it seems to appear for me. Are any site features being impacted by this bug? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:44, 5 July 2015 (UTC)
::Nothing I was previously familiar enough with to spot an adverse effect. Note that http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1545:_Strengths_and_Weaknesses - the link I tried to get from the LoaC page (but only just now tried in non-IE!) works perfectly. Even while the "/1545" (i.e. 'RedirectedFrom') version of the page ''continues'' to be truncated. I can only assume that (despite attempts to force things anew), it's buggily-cached iteration.
::Hang on, that gives me an idea. Which works. I changed the 1545 page (change labelled as "Troubleshooting" in history) and... it opens perfectly. Removed change (should probably have self-reverted, in hindesight, but suspect it'd be fixed anyway) and no further issue. "List of all Comics" page still as broken (because I haven't forced it to update, and am not inclined to 'interfere' with it), but I shall check again after 1547 forces its own changes upon it. Otherwise, consider this closed. Sorry to bother you.
::TL;DR; problem solved. Pretty much proven to be not even a site issue, I now think. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.252|141.101.98.252]] 21:38, 5 July 2015 (UTC)
::Ok, FYI, once 1547 'Solar System Questions' ''finally'' appeared, I check "List of all comics" page. First of all a lot of "Waiting for page..." (uh oh), but then force-refreshed page (in the way that didn't work previously) and it loaded correctly. C'est finis. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.252|141.101.98.252]] 15:02, 6 July 2015 (UTC)

== [[881]] loads as "database error" ==

With this content:
Database error
A database query syntax error has occurred. This may indicate a bug in the software. The last attempted database query was:
(SQL query hidden)
from within function "SqlBagOStuff::set". Database returned error "1114: The table 'objectcache' is full (db423085716.db.1and1.com)".

No other page gives me this error, just [[881]].--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.6|162.158.92.6]] 19:42, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

I just got this on 564 [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.200|141.101.98.200]] 22:44, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

== Database error ==

I can't see [[:Category:Interactive_comics]] (<tt>1114: The table 'objectcache' is full (db423085716.db.1and1.com)</tt>). [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.105|199.27.128.105]] 00:18, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

== RSS missing ==

Hey it looks like there's an issue with the rss feed, when you browse to the url on the right it just displays an empty page, not sure what's going on. [[User:Eluvatar|Eluvatar]] ([[User talk:Eluvatar|talk]]) 14:19, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
:Huh, in the last few hours the rss file was inexplicably wiped. I've restored the base of it, the bot should start populating the feed with new comics, but old ones are gone. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:49, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

== Extra Comics ==

In extra comics, the header of the comic has "Expression error: Unrecognised punctuation character "{"." such as in [[The Rise of Open Access]]. {{User:17jiangz1/signature|13:32, 13 September 2015}}
:{{done}} - It was because [[0]] was created, so the logic that #ifexist:0 should be false failed. I changed it to default to -2 when number is not present, which will work as long as no one creates [[-1]]! [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 11:15, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

== Explanations for all -4 comics! ==

The main page header now contains this text:

[http://i.imgur.com/p7VACbW.png We have an explanation for all -4 xkcd comics, and only 23 (1%) are incomplete. Help us finish them!]

I'm assuming this is a bug. {{unsigned|Okofish|01:00, 15 September 2015}}

: {{done}} It was a temporary artifact due to recent categorization changes. It's now fixed. Thanks for the quick report :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 01:14, 15 September 2015 (UTC)

== Discussion pane missing on comic 1592? ==

After checking the Discussion tab to make sure there ''was'' a Discussion, I thought that someone had removed the <nowiki>{{comic discussion}}</nowiki> tag, and went into full-page edit to put it back. But it's there. Maybe it's just me, maybe it's just temporary, but FYI in case it isn't. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.185|141.101.75.185]] 15:06, 19 October 2015 (UTC)
:Fixed. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 16:21, 19 October 2015 (UTC)

== Captcha ==

Captcha not appearing at all. Can't edit pages without turning off security settings (which were set to default). Chrome and "Edge" on Windows 10. Both yell at me about some components of the page being insecure. 15:48, 18 February 2016 (UTC)

:Same issue with other browsers. reCAPTCHA won't load from an "insecure" resource when the wiki is accessed over HTTPS. [[User:TisTheAlmondTavern|TisTheAlmondTavern]] 15:07, 6 December 2016 (UTC)
::Oooh, I see. Alright, I'll get to fixing it now I know what the problem is. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:00, 7 December 2016 (UTC)
Slight bug in the editing panel, when asked what webcomic we're talking about, it cannot be in all caps, it must be strict lowercase, despite appearances on xkcd.com. Could someone take a look at it? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.158|108.162.249.158]] 00:54, 5 November 2015 (UTC)
:It took me several months to figure out that "this wiki" is named "explain xkcd" and not "explainxkcd". I spent those months answering two questions every time the "what's this wiki's name" question appeared (when I missed the answer, a different question appeared).--[[User:Jojonete|Jojonete]] ([[User talk:Jojonete|talk]]) 09:06, 5 November 2015 (UTC)
::I was sure both answers were correct, but never attempted to type explainxkcd, just in case. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.17|108.162.221.17]] 12:44, 5 November 2015 (UTC)

== wiki server clock has drifted - about 13 minutes fast ==

As I type this, it is exactly 07:42:45 UTC. [[User:Pesthouse|Pesthouse]] ([[User talk:Pesthouse|talk]]) 07:55, 14 April 2015 (UTC)

And thus timestamps here are 12 or 13 minutes off. [[User:Pesthouse|Pesthouse]] ([[User talk:Pesthouse|talk]]) 07:59, 14 April 2015 (UTC)
:I see the same thing: 15:41:00 UTC now.... [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 15:54, 23 April 2015 (UTC)
::Huh. I'll look into it, when I get back home. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:19, 23 April 2015 (UTC)

Currently it's 20 minutes fast. It's 21:00 UTC and it shows 21:20 (UTC). [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 21:20, 14 July 2015 (UTC)
:Sorry bout the delay, was busy for a long bit, should be fixed now. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 21:44, 26 July 2015 (UTC)

Currently it's 8 minutes fast. It's 20:56:00 UTC and it shows 21:03 UTC. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.17|108.162.221.17]] 21:03, 5 November 2015 (UTC)
:do we not have ntp on the server or something, gonna reset the clock again when i get back home. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:33, 6 November 2015 (UTC)

Happening again: it's 11:33 UTC and the server has 11:48 UTC. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.161|141.101.75.161]] 11:49, 11 March 2016 (UTC)
:Fixed again, and I'm gonna have to check our NTP installation. 06:37, 18 March 2016 (UTC)
:Alright, changed some things, this shouldn't happen anymore. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:38, 18 March 2016 (UTC)

The clock is about 13-14 minutes off again. It's currently 13:49 UTC. –''TisTheAlmondTavern'', 13:36, 17 January 2017 (UTC)

== Discussion template resources apparently missing ==

As co-header (right-margin hugging text) to the Discussion section on all pages (or at least as many as I've just visited - and on multiple browsers, ''just in case''...) I'm getting the following, with the <>-tags being my own descriptive additions:
<redlink>File:comment.png</redlink> <validlink>add a comment!</validlink> ⋅ <redlink>File:Icons-mini-action refresh blue.gif</redlink> <validlink>refresh comments!Discussion</validlink>
Looks like the PNG and GIF files concerned have been removed, or the links in the Discussion template broken/incorrectly redirected.

(Sidenote: The character between the "add a comment!" and the "File: Icons-mini-action refresh blue.gif" that I've copied here verbatim (so doubtless appears correctly for everyone else who reads this) is an 'I don't have this character on my machine' character, for me, which is obviously entirely my fault for not downloading additional fonts that I'd need. From cursory investigation, it appears to be essentially the same as "·", Alt-0183, or HTML code '&middot;', which ''would'' render on my machine and yet (if changed) shouldn't break on those where it currently works. For your consideration, but not as vital.)
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.161|141.101.106.161]] 06:30, 7 November 2015 (UTC)
:ETA - Delving around further, [[:Category:Pages with broken file links]] seems to indicate it ''is'' a widespread problem at server-side, and not somehow solely my own (except for the Sidenote issue!). And suggests a simple way to check that the issue is fixed (when suddenly the category is nowhere near as 'full'), and then discover any related ones that might need fixing (like the special Star Trek Into Darkness alternate version of the Discussion template). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.161|141.101.106.161]] 06:57, 7 November 2015 (UTC)
::Huh. I have a feeling I know what caused this, I'll get right on it. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:23, 7 November 2015 (UTC)
:::I've seen some more of these cases, e.g. on [[explain xkcd:Community portal]]. I think these images are from Wikimedia Commons, maybe that integration broke somehow? --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 16:33, 7 November 2015 (UTC)
::::i don't know what is even happening, the images seem to be fine now but they still show up as broken file links '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:04, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

== Update captcha text? ==

The text above the posting captcha says “type the two words” but reCaptcha often doesn't use two, and they're often not words. Example: http://i.imgur.com/TdM5n5O.png

Maybe we could change it to something like “type the text”?

[[User:P1h3r1e3d13|P1h3r1e3d13]] ([[User talk:P1h3r1e3d13|talk]]) 23:44, 2 March 2016 (UTC)
:So, the reCAPTCHA captchas are entirely provided by Google. If there's an error in it, it's likely Google's fault and a bug report should be sent in that direction instead. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:23, 3 March 2016 (UTC)
::I noticed that before. It's not a bug in recaptcha, but rather in ConfirmEdit, file ReCaptcha/i18n/en.json to be exact. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.217|162.158.90.217]]
:::Oh huh, hadn't thought of that. I'll fix that up then. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:45, 3 March 2016 (UTC)

== Stylesheets not working? ==

It doesn't look like any of the site's CSS is loading for me. I have tried purging, adding useskins to the URL, and clearing my browser's cache, and webpage content remains in Times New Roman with no special styling. Headers and bold spans of text are bold, list items are bulleted, buttons are button-y, templates and my signature display with HTML-<tt>style</tt>-attribute-level CSS, and so on, but that's the extent of it. Is this a belated April Fools' joke, or has something gone horribly wrong between the servers and my eyes? [[User talk:AgentMuffin|~AgentMuffin]]

:I made a similar post earlier -- it seems to have vanished down a black hole. I linked these screenshots: [http://i.imgur.com/smN1a45.png] [http://i.imgur.com/qdpxhdY.png]
:Note that there are no ads either! This could get to problem-level very fast. [[User:KangaroOS|Kangaro]][[User talk:KangaroOS|OS]] 01:28, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
::There are actually still ads, they're just shoved right at the bottom of the page. mysqld is clocking in at 40% cpu load, and mediawiki seems to be going into fallback mode and skipping stylesheets which is about what I'd expect from an april fools comic. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:31, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Ah, figured it was some sort of server overslow. For a while there I was getting a 503 error. [[User:KangaroOS|Kangaro]][[User talk:KangaroOS|OS]] 01:36, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Well, perhaps you don't need another note about this, but I noted the 'stylesheetless' appearance myself, just now. Except that it ''is'' styled, partially. (When I choose to view by Style "No style", it's even more not-Styled!) Could be because a subset of styles aren't being loaded (so that the ones that ''are'' still loaded can only be identified from their enforced absence), but looks like you have this as much in hand as can be expected, so just FYI... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.137|141.101.98.137]] 04:13, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
::Have you tried switching the server off and back on ? ;-) Jokes apart, are there really so many users continuously polling ? It could be just a case of stale open connections. Really, a reboot might not hurt (although it may kill-off few sessions and you may get some angry posts, but at this point, it might be worth the try) Edit: Sorry, I was messing up the formatting while replying. I'm trying to fix it. But at this point, does it really matter? :P [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.56|162.158.255.56]] 04:21, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Alright guys, still having trouble with the load, but I've put a quick temporary hack in place to get the css working again for now. Fonts are a little off, I'll deal with that soon. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:09, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
::::Did a little more work on things, styles should be working again but it's not great on the back end. I'm going to do some rooting around to see what went wrong. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:07, 6 April 2016 (UTC)
:::::Cool.. This is pretty good. We're almost there.. The only things I can notice that are off are - (1) Category list at the end of the page (2) Contents block at the beginning of the page and (3) Edit buttons for individual sections. By the way, I'm curious, what exactly was broken ? I didn't expect you'd have to fix things here. I expected that since the issue was caused by excess server load, it would return back to normalcy automatically once things settle down a bit in couple of days after the offending comic was more or less explained. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.56|162.158.255.56]] 03:32, 6 April 2016 (UTC)
::::::A script responsible for picking user preferences and integrating css from pages like [[Mediawiki:common.css]] was failing to complete because of server load, so I gave it a helping hand and just had it insert a static stylesheet instead. I almost certainly missed a few spots though, because the wiki does not look right. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:43, 6 April 2016 (UTC)

(resetting indent) Yes, things are still off. The text "Jump to: navigation, search" is at the top of every page, but it's useless because it links to stuff already at the top of the page. Edit summaries aren't italicized, the edit boxes don't use the whole window width, links are underlined, section edit links are too big, etc. I put the Wayback Machine to good use, and found the below set of archived pages, all using the proper style. Compare them with the current appearances of the pages, and you should see most, if not all, of the issues I've seen. [http://web.archive.org/web/20160402151417/http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page Main Page] | [http://web.archive.org/web/20150326134736/http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/NealCruco My contributions] | [http://web.archive.org/web/20150326170626/http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1486:_Vacuum&action=edit The "edit" page for comic 1486] --[[User:NealCruco|NealCruco]] ([[User talk:NealCruco|talk]]) 21:50, 7 April 2016 (UTC)
::Is here nothing to be done about the missing styles? The tables still look horrible and there is not help when editing, for instance for signature etc. Colapsing of tables etc. also won't work which is a mess for some of the long explanations and tables [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:56, 18 April 2016 (UTC)
HotCat also seems to be not working for adding categories. {{User:17jiangz1/signature|13:18, 25 April 2016}}
:Yeah, load.php is failing so all gadgets and user scripts are unavailable. :-( [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 14:42, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
::Alright, figured it out. It was a deal with file permissions, not sure how those got changed on April 1st. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:59, 17 May 2016 (UTC)

== Comic navigation buttons ==

You know, the buttons that look like the ones on the xkcd site. Shouldn't they also highlight like the xkcd site? I thought maybe it was due to the above CSS issue, but the links to archive.org make it seem like it's just never worked.

It just seems to me that, if we're going to go that far in mimicking the actual buttons, we should probably also mimic their a:hover settings. Shut off the box shadow, change the background to white, and the link color to #6E7B91.

I've tested the following CSS, and it appears to work:

<nowiki>
li.plainlinks:hover, .no-link-underline > li:hover {
background-color: #FFF !important;
box-shadow: none !important;
-moz-box-shadow: none !important;
-webkit-box-shadow: none !important;
}
li.plainlinks:hover > a > span, .no-link-underline > li:hover > a > span {
color: #6E7B91 !important;
}
</nowiki>

[[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 09:14, 2 May 2016 (UTC)
:Seems like a decent addition. Thanks! '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:52, 1 June 2016 (UTC)

== Captcha trouble ==

For about an hour, I wasn't able to edit a page or create an account when I was trying to, because the captcha was missing. I'm not sure if it was problem on this site or captcha but I thought I'd mention it.
--[[User:Anqied|Anqied]] ([[User talk:Anqied|talk]]) 08:34, 11 June 2016 (UTC)
:Recaptcha appears to work for me currently. Does it work now? It seems like they may have just gone down temporarily. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:52, 11 June 2016 (UTC)
::I'm not certain this is the same issue, but I was just having a problem with the captcha for unregistered users trying to edit a page. I figured out that it's because you were trying to serve the captcha through HTTP even though the page was on HTTPS, so my browser was blocking the captcha. Changing to HTTP "fixed" the issue, but that shouldn't be the solution. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.187|108.162.215.187]] 16:45, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

== wrong IP ==

[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=632:_Suspicion&curid=3946&diff=122229&oldid=100180 My edition] was attributed to 141.101.104.60, whereas my real address is 88.156.226.213 according to [https://ipinfo.io]. Wikimedia sites (Wikipedias, Wiktionaries...) recognize my IP address properly. Someting strange is going on here. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.71|141.101.104.71]] 22:40, 21 June 2016 (UTC)

Just a heads up that your website is incorrectly identifying the IP address of visitors as being from the CloudFlare server that is serving the page content to them. It would be best practice if you could explicitly look for the field "REMOTE_ADDR" rather than "X-FORWARDED-FOR" as the former is unaffected by the use of intermediate proxies.
PS My IP address should begin with 131.111. IP addresses beginning with 141.101 belong to Cloudflare London. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.5|141.101.98.5]] 21:08, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

* This appears to still be an issue. I just [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1787:_Voice_Commands&curid=19860&diff=133917&oldid=133916 posted] from [[Special:Contributions/172.72.47.40|172.72.47.40]], my work place and it's showing as [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.11|108.162.238.11]]. Thanks.

* FYI I just created this account and the "email address confirmation" email I received said the account was created by a Cloudflare IP (162.158.107.199), not my own. [[User:ExcarnateSojourner|ExcarnateSojourner]] ([[User talk:ExcarnateSojourner|talk]]) 15:09, 4 July 2020 (UTC)

== Captcha does not appear ==

I am not a registered user (I just haven't bothered to make an account), so I have to complete a Captcha before saving any of my edits. However, I've found numerous times that the captcha does not show up when I hit [Save page]. The line of text introducing it ("To help protect against automated edit spam, please type the word you see in the box below:") shows up, but the no actual captcha and thus no saved edits. '''Is this a known issue with Chrome?''' I managed to circumvent it by using IE (I assure you, it was the only other browser available), but I would much prefer to be able to edit ''explain xkcd'' pages in Chrome, my usual browser. {{unsigned ip|108.162.220.17}}
:What plugins do you have installed on chrome? Do you have Javascript enabled? I'll see what can be done if you have them off. '''[[User:D?avidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:45, 20 July 2016 (UTC)
::I just figured out the problem and successfully edited a page. I too tried IE after Chrome but still encountered the issue... to my consternation I noticed a new icon in the address-bar, 'Blocked content'. (Apparently recaptcha is treated similarly to a pop-up.) Interacting with this new button made the captcha appear. I am in Chrome adding this comment, and after finding the similarly-functioning/corresponding button here, all is well [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.247|108.162.237.247]] 18:39, 2 August 2016 (UTC)
::Hmph, I am likely a completely different user from the foregoing, but our IP addresses are similar and both reported as from Cloudflare in TX. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.247|108.162.237.247]] 18:42, 2 August 2016 (UTC)
::I would like to address this and also point out this is the only site where I've run into this problem; other wiki-based sites can load captcha fine. According to Chrome it's blocked because it's an "unsafe script". [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.84|141.101.107.84]] 08:54, 4 March 2018 (UTC)

== Wanted files ==

[[Special:WantedFiles]]: 41 file is linked but nonexistent.

Some on talk pages, user pages and project pages, but here is a list of those in main namespace:
# File:Apatosaurus scale mmartyniuk wiki.png
# File:Apidae - Eucera sp. (male).JPG
# File:Louisae.jpg
# File:Wet kookaburra 6674 Crop Edit.jpg
# File:MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft.jpg
# File:Bee orchids, Aller Brook Local Nature Reserve - geograph.org.uk - 833516.jpg
# File:Synhalonia nest 1.jpg
# File:Butterfly Voters View.jpg
# File:Fusca estacionado.jpg
# File:Ophrys apifera flower1.jpg
# File:Galilean moon Laplace resonance animation.gif
# File:PalmCellTower.jpg
# File:746 telephone in red.JPG
# File:Candidate Higgs Events in ATLAS and CMS.png
# File:Tommy Wiseau.jpg
# File:Google maps auto.jpg
# File:Velociraptor dinoguy2.jpg
# File:Acrocanthosaurus skeleton (1).jpg
# File:Vraptor-scale.png
# File:Alces alces elan trophee chateau Tanlay.jpg
# File:DBCooper.jpg
# File:Rick Astley - Pepsifest 2009.jpg
# File:Anonymous emblem.svg
# File:Eas new.svg
# File:John Cage and Michael Bach in Assissi 1992.jpg
I could not find why they were deleted and it's hard for me to argue for their presence in the articles. Being a newbie here, I would like to ask those who knows better to either undelete files, or upload them again, or delete file mentions from the explanations. Thanks --[[User:Ата|Ата]] [[User talk:Ата|(talk)]] 15:47, 8 August 2016 (UTC)
:I tend to clean up after myself, don't recognise these file names. I believe these happen when files get moved, feel free to cut dead file links wherever you find them if you find them unnecessary.'''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:38, 10 August 2016 (UTC)

== [[827]]/[[1721]]: Business Idea ==

See [[1721#Trivia]]. Randall has accidentally named both 1721 and 827 "Business Idea". He fixed it by renaming 827 to "My Business Idea". I tried to reproduce by renaming the file and wiki page for 827, but it now shows the old comic on both pages. Maybe CloudFlare caching? And idea (that's not a business idea) to fix this? --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]])
:Cloudflare takes a little time to update changes to an image. For immediate results, you can create an image under a different name and use that while you wait for the old one to update. Otherwise, it should update within a few hours. Is it good for you now? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:48, 18 August 2016 (UTC)
::Yes, it was resolved after a few hours. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 20:25, 18 August 2016 (UTC)

== Mobile CSS ==

I've accessed this Wiki on my mobile device more often than previously and I couldn't find any discussion about this. Honestly, 50% of the reasons I'm adding this topic is about the discussion, the rest is about making it easier for people with narrower screens.
I understand that I am a new member on this Wiki and that altering [[Mediawiki:Common.css]] has site-wide effects (and I'm sure that there are some templates that won't agree with some of the options we have, even some tables, such as the one on [[893: 65 Years#Trivia]], will break a very narrow design).

OK. Let me just ramble on about this, then. =)
There are some obvious (but not necessarily easier) options for mobile devices. [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Mobiles,_tablets_and_responsive_design MediaWiki] lists a few Skins and Extensions. Not having ever had access to a Wiki's server, I have no idea how nerve-racking that is (or if it even makes sense for this Wiki). Even more obvious to some - and even harder to implement - is a mobile app (that I wouldn't use anyway).

So, to bridge the time until maybe something more effective comes along, we ''could'' try to add some CSS ourselves. I'm no expert. But here are my thoughts.
*This is about all devices with narrow screens, not just phones. Let's say anything under 600px width is considered narrow.
*Most obviously, the font size should be affected. This has negative consequences for anything with fixed font size. And anything we forget. Basically, the sidebar, the search and anything else on top of each page can be massively smaller depending on the screen and fixing that won't be as easy.
*Of course we could disregard the sidebar, or rather, push it to the bottom (which is easy, it's artificially placed on the left instead of the bottom). There are a number of reasons why a lot of people wouldn't want that. One of those reasons is that the ads would basically disappear for anyone who doesn't scroll down. We would have to figure out where else we can put it, on the top maybe. On the plus side, we could have the entire width of the screen just for the article.
*Another thing that breaks the design regularly: comic images. We could make them fit. The navigation might be more challenging.
*There's a whole lot of paddings and margins to get rid of.
*Maybe make the search box a lot bigger?

A short snippet for the comic images and for the font:

@media handheld,screen and (max-width: 600px),screen and (max-device-width: 600px){ /* because some mobile browsers like to work with a higher resolution than the resolution of the screen */

#bodyContent{
font-size:initial; /* resetting font to full size */
}

td > img{ /* maybe add a class for the table in [[Template:comic]] */
display:block;
margin:auto;
max-width:100%; /* make image fit into box */
height:auto;
}

}

I don't know... What do you think?
Oh, also, Mediawiki says this can be added to [[Mediawiki:Mobile.css]] but I guess that is for extensions? We'd probably have to add that to [[Mediawiki:Common.css]] if we ever want to add it.
[[User:Ret Samys|Ret Samys]] ([[User talk:Ret Samys|talk]]) 16:21, 15 September 2016 (UTC)
:Getting on a plane soon, but I'll take a look at this when I get off and get moved in again. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:07, 16 September 2016 (UTC)

== HTTPS Links Back to XKCD Interfere with Random Button ==

''(I've moved this from "Proposals" to here, now realising this is the proper location.)''

The Links back to the comics that are present just above the comic itself on the wiki pages (and adjacent to the next and previous links) provides an HTTPS link back to XKCD. However, this interferes with users who want to click that link, and then click <code>random</code> - because <code>c.xkcd.com</code> does NOT support HTTPS, and thus clicking <code>random</code> after returning to xkcd from explainxkcd via the button on a comic's article does not work. These links should be switched back to HTTP.

--[[User:9000 volts|9000 volts]] ([[User talk:9000 volts|talk]]) 22:53, 24 December 2016 (UTC)

:What makes you suspect <code>c.xkcd.com</code> does not support SSL? It features a perfectly valid wildcard certificate from GeoTrust (currently valid from Dec 14 00:00:00 2016 GMT, so it should already have affected you), although it's different from the multi-site certificate from Fastly used on the comic and what-if.xkcd.com and, yet again, different from the Let's Encrypt ones used on the blag and store.

:On the other hand, there is a compelling argument for HTTP links: Most interactive comics break with HTTPS. –''TisTheAlmondTavern'', 14:19, 17 January 2017 (UTC)
::I can't reproduce the issue with random comics, but the benefits of using SSL for links to a site that stores no user data probably don't outweigh the issues that some people seem to be having. Changed. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:34, 10 February 2017 (UTC)

== "Retry for a live version" and stuff not responding ==

Every now and then, I'd just be browsing around the site, then all of a sudden I'd run into an issue with it saying that there was an error with the explainxkcd.com host and that I would need to wait for the servers to restart. This is happening rather often for me, but goes away quickly. Sometimes, it happens on my own wiki pages too... weird. Other times, things would just freeze. Is it something on my end, or is it with the site? --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 14:05, 5 January 2017 (UTC)

== Support for timezones? ==

I live in the timezone PST, and because of that, the clock seems to be ahead of my time by about 7 hours and 40 minutes. Can someone add support for different timezones?
For example, at my time of posting, it is 7:56 PM on March 8, 2017. The time the wiki thinks it is is shown on my signature: [[User:625571b7-aa66-4f98-ac5c-92464cfb4ed8|625571b7-aa66-4f98-ac5c-92464cfb4ed8]] ([[User talk:625571b7-aa66-4f98-ac5c-92464cfb4ed8|talk]]) 03:40, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
:You can actually set your own time zone. Go to Preferences->Date and Time, and there should be a time offset option for you to pick your time zone. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:36, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
::The thing is, I do have my time zone set to PST, but on the wiki it is still showing up as the wrong time. [[User:625571b7-aa66-4f98-ac5c-92464cfb4ed8|625571b7-aa66-4f98-ac5c-92464cfb4ed8]] ([[User talk:625571b7-aa66-4f98-ac5c-92464cfb4ed8|talk]]) 15:24, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
:::Oh, the timestamps recorded in signatures are in UTC for everyone. That doesn't change, because it makes it easier to follow the timeline of a conversation in a talk page. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:24, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
::::Uhhh, the timestamp isn't UTC at all. My latest BOT upload was 06:02, 8 March 2017 CET or 05:02, 8 March 2017 UTC and it is recorded here as 04:45, 8 March 2017. So we still have an offset 17 minutes to the past. That's an old problem.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:33, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
:::::It is UTC, server inaccuracy doesn't change the time zone, it just makes it inaccurate. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:13, 9 March 2017 (UTC)
::::::And even if you don't like me for this: The server time is currently UTC-00:17 and not UTC. This odd offset confuses users. But I know nobody can change this.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:36, 9 March 2017 (UTC)

== Mailserver-problem ==

Hello, 
I tried to reset my password today, but there is a problem with your mail-server: The sender-adress of your password-reset-mail is expla0@vps.explainxkcd.com, but the (sub-)domain vps.explainxkcd.com does not exists, and so the eMail is rejected by my mail-server (and most others too). Could that please be fixed? Thank you very much. --DaB.

== When did InstantCommons get disabled? ==

I was just about to add some photos of the ISS transiting the sun to [[1828|today's explanation]], but saw that it's no longer possible to just enter the names of {{w|c:|Wikimedia Commons}} photos and for them to render. I know of at least one explanation—[[1400]]—that previously had such images, but now just has redlinks. I presume that at some point someone must have disabled {{w|mw:InstantCommons|$wgUseInstantCommons}} in the config settings. May I ask what the reason for that was? And is there any chance that that could be reverted? Obviously there aren't a lot of articles where it makes sense to have Commons images up, but IMHO it's a useful feature to have for the rare occasion where it makes sense, like with today's comic. [[User:PinkAmpersand|PinkAmpersand]] ([[User talk:PinkAmpersand|talk]]) 21:20, 24 April 2017 (UTC)
:'''Solved.''' You now can embed pictures from Commons like local files. The link <nowiki>[[File:DBCooper.jpg|thumb|Cooper]]</nowiki> shows the picture from Commons because it doesn't exist here. There is no need to use a template. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:57, 25 May 2018 (UTC)

== Wikipedia template stopped working ==

Some time ago the template used for links to Wikipedia stopped working correctly. If you see here link to Halloween on Wikipedia, it works again:
{{w|Halloween}}. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 22:21, 25 June 2017 (UTC)

: Known issue, there's currently an anon doing boring vandalism. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.172|108.162.241.172]] 22:37, 25 June 2017 (UTC)

== CAPTCHA does not work for HTTPS visitors ==

I am a fervent believer in encrypting everything (I am the crypto nut in [[1269: Privacy Opinions]]), and have configured the NoScript plugin to force the use of HTTPS instead of HTTP for all sites that aren't on a special list in my configs. Hence, I tend to visit sites on HTTPS that most people visit on unencrypted HTTP, discovering all the bugs in people's HTTPS implementations in the process...and this site is not exempt from the bugfinding.

In order to edit pages, you need to enter a CAPTCHA. However, the script that makes this captcha work is fetched from Google over unencrypted http (the src tag in the script specifies http: not https:). When I visit this site over HTTPS, the use of active content served over unencrypted HTTP onto an encrypted page causes Firefox to have a spasm and block the script. Since Google fully supports HTTPS, the script's src tag should just be changed to say https: instead of http:, and that SHOULD fix it. Better yet, omit the protocol at all, and do something like:

src="//www.google.com/recaptcha/(rest of url)"

Most modern browsers will interpret that as "fetch www.google.com/recaptcha/(rest of url) over the same protocol used to serve this page."

(Sadly, NoScript is not smart enough to fix this by itself and just change the script's src to https: client-side...)

[[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.89|162.158.79.89]] 11:12, 20 August 2017 (UTC)

The CAPTCHA also doesn't work for https while using Chrome. 01 September 2017

== Deprecation of reCAPTCHA v1 ==

The wiki currently uses reCAPTCHA v1 to validate users as human, which [https://developers.google.com/recaptcha/docs/faq#what-happens-to-recaptcha-v1 beginning in November will show public deprecation notices] and stop working altogether on March 31, 2018.

Are there already plans to migrate to reCAPTCHA v2 or a different CAPTCHA algorithm? –[[User:TisTheAlmondTavern|TisTheAlmondTavern]] ([[User talk:TisTheAlmondTavern|talk]]) 20:05, 31 October 2017 (UTC) (wiki clock is several minutes late again, BTW)

:I do intend to update the CAPTCHA, I got the email notice from Google. I've been away from the site for longer than I'd like, been busy but it looks like a bunch of stuff has piled up while I was gone. I'll try to fix what I can with the time I have. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:38, 12 November 2017 (UTC)

::Any update on this? It has <6 weeks of life left, and the user messaging has just got angrier. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.26|162.158.155.26]] 09:22, 20 February 2018 (UTC)

:::10 days left. I wonder what happens then. Right now, it just says "V1 SHUTDOWN ON 2018-03-31" and expects me to type it as an answer. {{unsigned ip|172.68.110.46}}

::::You can hit the refresh button and it will display an actual catch. 4 days before they shut it down. [[User:TheMageKing|TheMageKing]] ([[User talk:TheMageKing|talk]]) 12:22, 27 March 2018 (UTC)

Either the kludge of simply typing the message about shutdown still works, or the Captcha system is just not working: I'm not autoconfirmed here but I was able to edit today, 9 days after v1 presumably went "poof". [[User:Yngvadottir|Yngvadottir]] ([[User talk:Yngvadottir|talk]]) 18:12, 9 April 2018 (UTC)

The new reCAPTCHA v2 is now online. I apologize for the delay but many updates were required and I tried to keep the server downtime as short as possible. [[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:53, 19 May 2018 (UTC)
== RSS bot stopped? ==

The master RSS feed only goes up to 1912, although the wiki is already up to 1914. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.18|141.101.105.18]] 11:20, 11 November 2017 (UTC)
:Sorry, been busy, the feed should be up and running again. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:38, 12 November 2017 (UTC)

== Captcha doesn't work on my browser ==

I can't make any edits to the comic pages because the captcha simply doesn't appear when I'm trying to edit the comic pages. {{unsigned|WilliamBrennan}}
:Please check your add blockers and activate JavaScript. [[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:53, 19 May 2018 (UTC)

Hi & Thanks heaps! I finally created an account after years of pleasurable & enlightening explanations. It took me over 5 minutes to get past the Captcha, and I've seen a few in the last week registering for sites such as XDA-developers and the like. Not sure how it all works but it feels like it's set to "ultra-difficult" or some-such...and this is the place where things are *easy* for *stupid people* like me ;) Cheers & thanks again {{unsigned|Munchywok}}
:The Captcha is from Google (Big Brother...) and based on an sophisticated software in which you sometimes even don't have to solve it at all when it is convinced that you are a human. But it depends on your browser installation, especially your add ons. My best experience is using Google Chrome without any extensions. Firefox with extensions is the hell. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 09:25, 15 August 2018 (UTC)

== New High Resolution comics ==

I've noticed Randall has been making the comics higher resolution to look good on HiDPI/Retina displays. But the copies on ExplainXKCD are the old low resolution copies.

Perhaps we'll have to go through at some point and update these? {{unsigned ip|162.158.75.58}}
:I am aware of this. Randall started to provide two different resolutions at standard comics more than a year ago, and he also provides the larger resolutions to older comics since than. Technically the image tag provides links to two pictures and the browser decides based on the screen resolution what is shown. Since this wiki is now at the latest version the use of [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:$wgResponsiveImages $wgResponsiveImages] may be possible. But this has to be tested first. Stay tuned... [[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:53, 19 May 2018 (UTC)

== Should the HTTP urls redirect to HTTPS? ==

Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but shouldn't the HTTP urls be redirecting to HTTPS? Right now, the HTTP and HTTPS endpoints seem to have different login states, which is possibly confusing. I was stumped for a long time on why I couldn't login to my account, because I kept getting the error message "There seems to be a problem with your login session; this action has been canceled as a precaution against session hijacking. Go back to the previous page, reload that page and then try again." And then I noticed the "Use secure connection" button, and when I clicked it, it took me to the HTTPS site where I was already logged in! But even now, if I go to an HTTP url, I'm still logged out there. [[User:Ahiijny|Ahiijny]] ([[User talk:Ahiijny|talk]]) 00:43, 21 August 2018 (UTC)
:Of course HTTP and HTTPS are different endpoints. Login via HTTPS and your credentials are encrypted and this will be never converted into plain text for HTTP. And I just successfully tested both connections with Google Chrome. Maybe we should redirect always to HTTPS like xkcd does, right now it's just your choice. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:46, 21 August 2018 (UTC)

::Ah, I see. If I log in from the HTTP site, I'm logged in on both the HTTP and HTTPS sites. But if I login from the HTTPS site, then I'm only logged in on the HTTPS site, and not on the HTTP site. Furthermore, if I'm logged into the HTTPS site and I try to login from the HTTP site, I get the error message that I quote from above. Fair enough.

::I guess one contribution to my confusion was the fact that the HTTPS site doesn't have the green padlock in Chrome. That would have made the difference between the HTTPS and HTTP site a bit more obvious. (I rarely type in the entire URL directly; I usually just let the Chrome address bar autocomplete do its job... and unfortunately that autocomplete takes me to the HTTP site, and I keep forgetting about that.) Right now, on any HTTPS page here, Chrome still says that it's insecure: "Attackers might be able to see the images you're looking at on this site and trick you by modifying them." Firefox says something similar: "Parts of this page are not secure (such as images)." Perhaps someone should look into that? (I think it might be the ad image.) [[User:Ahiijny|Ahiijny]] ([[User talk:Ahiijny|talk]]) 03:09, 23 August 2018 (UTC)
:::Thanks for your remarks. I'm aware of this but the site isn't insecure, only a few local images and some from wikimedia are hard coded to a http link. It's not much so I'll fix it soon.
:::In general every http request should be redirected to https, but that's not trivial at our current environment. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:35, 23 August 2018 (UTC)
::::It took some time to find all the places of hard coded images via http (insecure) but now you should see the green secure remark in your browser when logging in via https. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:50, 24 August 2018 (UTC)
:::::in my holy opinion at least the login page should only be served securely. people are notoriously bad at not-reusing-passwords. [[User:Gir|//gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 12:23, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

Just noting that basically every major site out there redirects from HTTP to HTTPS (including http://en.wikipedia.com, http://xkcd.com, http://stackoverflow.com, and even other wiki communities like http://wiki.puella-magi.net, http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Touhou_Wiki, and http://wiki.documentfoundation.org). So it would really cool if we could get that redirect action happening on this site, too :) I was browsing the site today and I was just struck once again by how odd it was that I wasn't logged in, until I remembered that I was on the HTTP site, not the HTTPS site. A real user experience annoyance, if you ask me. [[User:Ahiijny|Ahiijny]] ([[User talk:Ahiijny|talk]]) 21:34, 19 October 2018 (UTC)
:Of course you're right. I still have other issues but this will be done soon. Stay tuned... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:08, 20 October 2018 (UTC)

== Captcha too picky ==

I just had to solve the "select all street signs" Captcha at least 10 times in a row. I never know when/whether to include slivers, backs of signs, sign posts, walk/wait lights. Captcha already doesn't follow my definition of street sign (I only call the sign that has the street name a "street sign", but I realize what I call "road signs," Captcha also calls "street signs" and I can adjust for that. But I haven't figured out the other issue yet, and I suspect Captcha is dinging me on choosing slivers. But that's only a guess, since it never tells you what you got wrong, it just gives you another Captcha. {{unsigned|Thisisnotatest}}
:My advice is installing Google Chrome and it works fine. Since that Captcha software is also from Google (Big Brother...) I believe that's on purpose. Firefox is the hell as you described; I'm not sure how it works at MS IE/Edge. In general you have to select not less than three and not more than four squares. But on Firefox, even when it seems definitely to be correct, the chance of getting an error message is more than 80%. You probably use FF. Nonetheless right now there are no other adequate Captcha tools supported by Mediawiki, the software this Wiki runs on. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:57, 27 August 2018 (UTC)
:I second this. Big Brother's Captchas on Firefox are nearly unsolvable (granted, I'm browsing with JS off and blocking 3rd party cookies). And recaptcha requires 1) JavaScript and 2) a connection to google. [[User:Gir|//gir.st/]] ([[User talk:Gir|talk]]) 12:23, 10 September 2018 (UTC)

== Cannot create a user page ==

i have tried to make a user page for myself and cannot seem to do it, i'm sorry if this has been addressed already, but i couldn't find it. [[User: Nintendo Mc]] ([[User talk:Nintendo Mc|talk]]) 13:07, 28 September 2018 (UTC)
:New user don't have the rights. Do some more edits and wait a few days until you can create new pages. Your user page is created by me for now. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:00, 28 September 2018 (UTC)

::'''Good Question!''' is there some place '''that everyone''' [who is cool] '''can find,''' that explains '''how many''' edits one has to do (and/or, '''how long''' one has to wait) in order to cause the<blockquote>[...] but you do not have permission to create this page.</blockquote>
::'''[error] message''' to ... '''"no longer" appear,''' when some limitation or rule is no longer blocking or "preventing" allowing creation -- by that user -- of his own '''"User:"''' page? (OR ... of ''her'' own '''"User talk:"''' page?)

::I have done [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/Mike_Schwartz very few edits] here, but ... a couple of them were almost '''3 years ago.'''

::For what it's worth (FWIW), '''I did not plan to say much''' on my "User:" page here. Probably something like:
::::This user is not a frequent flyer here on this Wiki (at "explainxkcd"); ...but he has done [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Mike_Schwartz a 4-digit number of edits] on ''other'' Wikis ...mainly [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page English Wikipedia] ("See also" his [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Mike_Schwartz "User:" page] there.)

::<big><big>Any comments?</big></big> Thanks for listening. --[[User:Mike Schwartz|Mike Schwartz]] ([[User talk:Mike Schwartz|talk]]) 07:43, 7 April 2020 (UTC)

:::According to [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests#Permission request|here]] and [[:explain xkcd:Autoconfirmed users]], you need to accumulate 10 edits (as well as your account being active for at least 3? or 7? days), then you become an "autoconfirmed user" and gain the [[Special:ListGroupRights|right]] to create pages. – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 02:09, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

== Accessibility issues ==

[First post - hello, everyone!]

I have 15 years of experience of using MediaWiki, and have been heavily involved in some of the accessibility work on Wikipedia.

When we use colons (<code>:</code>), semicolons (<code>;</code>), and asterisks (<code>*</code>) to indent dialogue, discussions, etc we actually cause MediaWiki to generate HTML lists.

If we leave a bank line between indented lines/ paragraphs, we cause the start of a new HTML list.

Since the start of each list is read out by the kind of software used by (for example) people with severe visual impairments, this generates barrier to their use of the site.

The solution is to not leave blank lines; to always indent replies by just one step; and to maintain consistency in the type of character used.

You can see examples and more explanation at {{w|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility#Lists}}

Please consider adopting Wikipedia's recommended best practice for such lists, on this site. [[User:Pigsonthewing|Andy Mabbett]] (Pigsonthewing); [[User talk:Pigsonthewing|Talk to Andy]]; [[Special:Contributions/Pigsonthewing|Andy's edits]] 19:20, 5 November 2018 (UTC)
:Thanks for your input and welcome here. At first you should know that this Wiki doesn't follow every Wikipedia standard, but there is a --relatively new-- [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ|FAQ]] and we should talk at that discussion page about any enhancements. And please consider to keep it short, a typical editor here isn't a Wikipedean and doesn't read tons of manuals.
:There are many ugly layouts here, most written before the FAQ did exist, but when I and others see them the explanation or transcript gets an incomplete tag for that reason. And the biggest problem in the past was the use of overwhelming tables.
:BTW: Using a new-newline for each sentence isn't also a nice layout. Never mind... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:54, 5 November 2018 (UTC)

== suggest adding info to pages ==

I see "Title text" here on explainxkcd, but not on the comic itself.

Eg. https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1313:_Regex_Golf shows "Title text: /bu|[rn]t|[coy]e|[mtg]a|j|iso|n[hl]|[ae]d|lev|sh|[lnd]i|[po]o|ls/ matches the last names of elected US presidents but not their opponents."

I don't see that anywhere on https://xkcd.com/1313/ Why not? {{unsigned ip|172.68.174.106}}

:First of all: Please sign your comments
:<s>Second: I am not sure this is the right place for such a question, so please do not wonder if someone removes it.</s>
:And finally: the "title text" can be seen by hovering the mouse over the image on the "regular" xkcd page. Here it is made more visible by mentioning beneath the picture additionally. More details can be found at the page about the title text :) https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/title_text [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 15:09, 12 November 2018 (UTC)

@[[User:Lupo|Lupo]], no honest comment will be removed here, even if it should be posted at the [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Miscellaneous|Miscellaneous]] section. @IP, the proper internal link is here: [[title text]], and I see that this wiki needs a simple page to explain all the terms and characters used in a general short way. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:43, 12 November 2018 (UTC)

== Mediawiki exception on some pages ==

I get the following MedaiWiki exception on some of the pages:

<pre>MediaWiki internal error.

Original exception: [0beebcc3efaec7ded86aea14] 2018-12-05 23:25:16: Fatal exception of type "MWException"

Exception caught inside exception handler.

Set $wgShowExceptionDetails = true; at the bottom of LocalSettings.php to show detailed debugging information.</pre>

See for example sites https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2034:_Equations or https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User:Dgbrt

[[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 23:29, 5 December 2018 (UTC)

:Also having this. Seems to happen when “math” in Preferences-Appearance is set to “MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools)” [[User:DrMeepster|DrMeepster]] ([[User talk:DrMeepster|talk]]) 08:01, 8 December 2018 (UTC)

:New error: If that math option is set to “Latex source” than an error relating to the page-ruining setting replaces any latex code: Failed to parse (MathML with SVG or PNG fallback (recommended for modern browsers and accessibility tools): Invalid response ("Math extension can not find Restbase URL. Please specify $wgMathFullRestbaseURL.") from server "invalid":): <LATEX CODE HERE> [[User:DrMeepster|DrMeepster]] ([[User talk:DrMeepster|talk]]) 07:50, 11 December 2018 (UTC)

::Sorry for my late reply. I will check and solve this issue soon, right now only the plain PNG image setting does work. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:15, 15 February 2019 (UTC)

: The problem appears to not be solved. In addition to the above pages (which are still broken), I've noticed it on the following: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2292 and https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2311. The workaround of configuring my account to render math as PNG works, but someone with the knowledge and access to fix this needs to do so. [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 13:43, 3 June 2020 (UTC)

== “All 2126 Comics have an Explanation” ==

There are 2127 comics, and the main page seems to update automagically, so I’m not sure what the issue is. [[User:Netherin5|“That Guy from the Netherlands”]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 15:58, 25 March 2019 (UTC)
:I think you posted this before the "new robot" comic came up? keep in mind that the number 404 is not linked to any comic. (There is an explain page for 404, but no comic 404. Therefore it is actually 1 comic less than you might think based on the number. On the other hand there are I think 2 or 3 additional special comics (not numbered), such as the latest entry to the 5 minute comic series, or the one about open source, etc. [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]])
::I posted after it came up. I know about the unnumbered comics, so assumed they didn’t count, but I always forget about 404. Accounting for the non-comic, all seems right in the world. Thanks Lupo. [[User:Netherin5|“That Guy from the Netherlands”]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 14:01, 26 March 2019 (UTC)
:::Just checked and they just subtract 1 in the source code??????? [[User:Netherin5|“That Guy from the Netherlands”]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 16:58, 12 April 2019 (UTC)

== API ==

Hi, I'm working on a project focused on docs, and wondered if there's some API or database I can access to pinch some of the tagging info from this site?
Even something like Randall's /json.html data from each page would work. ''[[User:Toonarmycaptain]] ([[User talk:Toonarmycaptain]] forgot to sign this edit at 03:50, 14 May 2019 (UTC)''

== Unwanted Link ==

In [[1467: Email]], there are two links in the title text that should be normal text. It has happened several times in other pages, and it's annoying. How do I change links like that into regular text? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 07:41, 11 July 2019 (UTC)
:Not sure what you mean. Maybe it is a browser issue on your end? on my computer neither chrome nor internet explorer or edge interpret anything inside of "My New Year's resolution for 2014-54-12/30/14 Dec:12:1420001642 is to learn these stupid time formatting strings." as a link... [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:00, 11 July 2019 (UTC)
::Just checked. iPad misinterpreting part of them as phone numbers, appeared as link. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 09:29, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

== Captcha not working? ==

I've been experiencing some problems when trying to solve captcha when posting comments and topics. It's gotten much harder than before, I fail a lot more often, and occasionally, when I finish it, it reloads the page with an "Incorrect or Missing Captcha" error, and forces me to retry. Has anybody else experienced this problem? Am I the only one with Captcha issues? '''Has it been working properly in recent times?'''[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.244|108.162.241.244]] 18:40, 8 November 2019 (UTC)

== DgbrtBOT ==

The bot seems to have been down since December 13, 2019, and Dgbrt hasn't made a single edit since March, 2019. He hasn't responded to the comments in DgbrtBOT's talk page, either. Is there any way for an someone to contact him? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 13:12, 1 January 2020 (UTC)
:The bot has resumed its extremely helpful work again this week, but no word yet on why it was MIA for a solid month. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 14:06, 10 January 2020 (UTC)

== Google Ads appearing all over the page ==

Google seems to have changed something in AdSense again, and the ads have been appearing in random positions again since December, 2019. [https://wpadvancedads.com/adsense-in-random-positions-auto-ads/ This page] might have a solution? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 13:20, 1 January 2020 (UTC)

== Links to xkcd pages sould be withoult "www." part ==

There is an issue with loading resources on pages, that are opened with "www." part in URL.
For example commic [https://www.xkcd.com/1975/ 1975].
If viewed from https://www.xkcd.com/1975/, comic is not interactive. On the other hand, https://xkcd.com/1975/ works like a charm.

Page failes to load resorces from https://xkcd.com/1975/alto/root with error caused by CORS policy:

* Access to fetch at 'https://xkcd.com/1975/alto/root' from origin 'https://www.xkcd.com' has been blocked by CORS policy: No 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin' header is present on the requested resource. If an opaque response serves your needs, set the request's mode to 'no-cors' to fetch the resource with CORS disabled.

All links to commics in headers (button ''Comic #1975 (April 1, 2018)'') include "www." part, for example this explanation:
https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1975:_Right_Click

IMO links in headers (buttons ''Comic #xxx (date)'') should be updated to exclude "www." part.

== Can't create my userpage ==

I just registered, and can't seem to edit/create my own userpage. I've been editing MediaWiki wikis for a very long time and it's currently part of my career, so I'm pretty sure I'm doing everything right. Is there a prerequisite number of edits or something before I can create my userpage? [[User:Equazcion|Equazcion]] ([[User talk:Equazcion|talk]]) 22:18, 6 April 2020 (UTC)

:I do not know the answer to that, but ... if one of us finds out "sooner" than the other, then, let's "share" the answer. Yours might appear here, and mine ... might appear about eleven "sections" up, in this same "Technical" portal ... <s>at the URL</s> in the section "[[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Technical#Cannot_create_a_user_page|Cannot create a user page]]." (see [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd%3ACommunity_portal%2FTechnical&type=revision&diff=190166&oldid=190127 the DIFF listing]...)

:Maybe I should have "seconded the motion" '''here''', instead of adding my own question, -- which is very similar! -- to a different section, up '''there?''' Pardon me ... --[[User:Mike Schwartz|Mike Schwartz]] ([[User talk:Mike Schwartz|talk]]) 08:15, 7 April 2020 (UTC)

::[[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests#Permission_request]] might help. [[User:A(l)Chemist|AlChemist]] ([[User talk:A(l)Chemist|talk]]) 11:06, 22 June 2020 (UTC)

:::Yes, according to that page, your account must be at least one week old, AND you must have made at least 10 edits. There's a new page, [[:explain xkcd:Autoconfirmed users]], which says it's three days (rather than one week) and 10 edits – after that, you become an "autoconfirmed user", and gain the right to create pages ([[Special:ListGroupRights|among other things]]). – [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 02:01, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

== List of all comics incomplete/overflowing ==

The [[List_of_all_comics | List of all comics]] and the full list are incomplete, stopping with 2289. Taking a look at [[List_of_all_comics_(full) | List of all comics (full)]] nets that it belongs to the category 'Pages where template include size is exceeded', so I'm assuming it just hit the limit. I'm sadly not well versed in MediaWiki, so I have no idea what a workaround would look like

== 2138 page issues ==

This first came up when following a link from on of the other Code Quality pages.

when you go to https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2138:_Wanna_See_the_Code%3F you get a blank pag that says "No input file specified."

however when you go to https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2138 you get the actual page via redirect but when you reload the page it goes back to "No input file specified."

not sure what causes this but i tested in chrome (incognito mode to avoid extensions), old edge (not chromium) and chrome iOS via mobile data. all test had the same result.

sorry if this is the wrong place for this but not sure where else to put it. [[User:TomW1605|TomW1605]] ([[User talk:TomW1605|talk]]) 14:44, 21 June 2020 (UTC)

:This problem seems to be common to all comics ending with a question mark: [[2236]], [[2138]], [[2065]], [[1841]], [[1205]]. My best guess is that the url is being interpreted as a query, but since there is nothing after the question mark this results in an error. Whether this is a new error or just hasn't been noticed before I don't know. Renaming the pages without the question mark could work, but would require every reference to these comics on the wiki to be updated. [[User:A(l)Chemist|AlChemist]] ([[User talk:A(l)Chemist|talk]]) 10:07, 22 June 2020 (UTC)

::i think it is new, i recently (not sure when but after 2138 was released) went through the Code Quality series using the links and it worked fine then. i don't think it is being interpreted as a query because the question mark is encoded. i would amazed if it would still interpret this as a query because that would completely defeat the point of encoding the url in the first place. [[User:TomW1605|TomW1605]] ([[User talk:TomW1605|talk]]) 09:35, 22 June 2020 (UTC)

:::here is a full list of broken pages: [[58]], [[111]], [[259]], [[1205]], [[1705]], [[1841]], [[1913]], [[2065]], [[2138]], [[2236]]. i wrote a quick javascript to extract a full list of urls from [[List of all comics (full)]] (then added the recent ones manually, [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Technical#List_of_all_comics_incomplete.2Foverflowing|see above]]). then ran a python script to get the content of each page and check if it is broken (with a 2 sec delay to minimise server load) and saved the list if broken ones. [[User:TomW1605|TomW1605]] ([[User talk:TomW1605|talk]]) 13:34, 22 June 2020 (UTC)

:::: Note that you can view the comic by changing the URL from <code>index.php/...</code> to <code>index.php?title=...</code> ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=58:_Why_Do_You_Love_Me%3F example]). —[[User:Galaktos|Galaktos]] ([[User talk:Galaktos|talk]]) 13:03, 14 May 2021 (UTC)

== "All comics" from left sidebar is not updating ==

https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/List_of_all_comics

[https://imgur.com/a/J287JBz image]

== Attention needed to some List pages ==

I just (mis)clicked on "All Comics", and thought it looked odd.
DGBRTBot needs a prod, or something, given the current months-old state and commented prediction in https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=List_of_all_comics&action=history

(Oh, and the [[List of all comics (full)]], which I then checked has a redlinked Category of "Pages where template include size is exceeded" and seems to have been previously given a badly-included "...and everything before #501". Not sure if the first problem is easily solvable, but as I'm here I thought I'd mention it, and you could properly add 1-500 ''and'' 501-1000 to sort the Include Size issue, maybe?)

I could be way off-piste, but as it looks like nobody has noticed anything yet I thought I'd at least raise the issue, and then leave the fixing to someone with a bit more Wiki-Fu..? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.120|162.158.155.120]] 20:48, 3 August 2020 (UTC)

:For [[List of all comics]], looks like [[User:DgbrtBOT|DgbrtBOT]] is working again, and [[User:Btx40]] already went back and added the missing entries, so that should be all good now.
:For [[List of all comics (full)]], not sure if I correctly understand what you mean by "''you could properly add 1-500 ''and'' 501-1000 to sort the Include Size issue''"? But I think the "''badly-included '...and everything before #501' ''" you mentioned wasn't so much ''badly-inluded'' – its code looked correct to me – rather, the inclusion makes the page so big that it ''causes'' the page to exceed the "template include-size" limit. See the following Wikipedia articles for more about how this "template include-size" limit works in MediaWiki:
:* {{w|Wikipedia:Template limits#Post-expand include size}}
:* {{w|Wikipedia:Post-expand include size}}
:So ''as a result of'' exceeding the limit, the parser ''excludes'' the template that caused the limit to be exceeded (i.e. it excludes the 1-500 list at the bottom of the page), so as to keep the page under the size limit; and instead of the ''actual'' content, the parser just inserts a ''link'' to the content. And it so happens that in this case, the ''content'' includes the control-characters for constructing the table rows – so because those control characters are excluded along with the content, then the link shows up in the last existing cell of the table, and ''appears'' to be badly-included.
:I'm not sure how to fix it, but some options could be:
:* Somehow reduce the content of the page so that the full list of #1-to-#current doesn't exceed the limit.
:** Each "row" of the table produces about 700 characters in the resulting HTML; around 200 of that is the hidden "create" link (from [[Template:comicsrow]]) that I think ''would'' appear if the comic's page didn't exist yet. I would say that at this point, since all the comics already have pages, then that "create" link is only useful for the most recent comic, and could probably be omitted to significantly reduce the size of the page.
:*** (Actually, it looks like DgbrtBOT might automatically create the page for each new comic, so the "create" link might not be needed ''at all'' anymore.)
:** There are some other elements that could be removed from each table row to save space, such as the <code>title</code> attributes of the links, etc.
:** Not sure if all of that would create enough headroom for the 1-500 list though?
:* Increase <code>$wgMaxArticleSize</code> on the server? ([https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:$wgMaxArticleSize See here].)
:** Not sure of the risks of that; and in any case, it's only that one page that currently exceeds the limit, so may not be worth it.
:For now, I've added a note to the page explaining that 1-500 are missing and why, and I've tweaked the bottom of the table to make the link to 1-500 a bit more presentable in the meantime.
:– [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 06:41, 3 October 2020 (UTC)

== Strange error—maybe edit conflict? ==

I happened to be looking at my edit history, and I noticed that something insane happened back in June: I made an edit to [[2319: Large Number Formats]], and it somehow combined my edit with someone else's. The entirety of my edit (as I crafted it) was confined to the article's categories; I added one and put the set in alphabetical order. But the edit, {{diff|193595|as it was logged}}, is a massive alteration, with all sorts of questionable changes. It was (rightly, I think) undone by [[User:Jkrstrt|Jkrstrt]] a couple days later. Did I somehow overlook an edit-conflict error and accept some (now anonymous) users edit? I can see myself making some kind of oversight at that time of night, but it seems antithetical to the wiki process to have an edit misattributed in this way. (I certainly don't like having that change connected with my name, but I also wonder how this intersects with important issues of public ownership integral to wiki communities.) I'd appreciate any insight fellow editors could provide. [[User:Jameslucas|jameslucas]] ([[User talk:Jameslucas|" "]] / [[Special:Contributions/Jameslucas|+]]) 22:24, 3 August 2020 (UTC)
:As I'm passing through, I shall note that I'm the IP that added the "(The 1971 transition[...]" paragraph you see 'added' there. It was actually part of a larger edite that was later (than my edit, earlier than yours) understandably removed for being irrelevent. During this {{diff|193424|5-day-earlier revision}}. But I had absolutely nothing to do with pretty much every other change in your above-logged diff, SFAICS from a quick skim, so honestly don't know why it features there. But hope this info is useful. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.66|162.158.159.66]] 23:05, 3 August 2020 (UTC)
::That's actually quite helpful because it caused me to go look at older versions of the article. It looks like my edit {{diff|193595&oldid=193386|used a very early version as a starting point}} (thereby reverting all changes made later). My best guess is that I had gone back to an old version because Randall changed this comic after it was published and was trying to convince myself that I wasn't crazy. No, not crazy, but spacey. Wikipedia puts a big red warning across the page when you're ending an old version, and this wiki uses only a bit of bold text—that apparently wasn't enough to draw my attention. Thanks! [[User:Jameslucas|jameslucas]] ([[User talk:Jameslucas|" "]] / [[Special:Contributions/Jameslucas|+]]) 01:33, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

== Unable to view "what if?" page ==

The link to the page for the [[what if?]] blog displays an error: "No input file specified." [[User:JBYoshi|JBYoshi]] ([[User talk:JBYoshi|talk]]) 03:38, 21 August 2020 (UTC)

:This also happens to me on [[1205: Is It Worth the Time?]] Must be something with the ?s in the titles. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.66|172.69.22.66]] 15:46, 25 August 2020 (UTC)

::I've noticed that as well. I made a page in my userspace that redirects to the what if page, and for some reason that seems to work. ([[User:Blue screen of life/whatiflink|here is the link to the page]]) [[User:Blue screen of life|Blue screen of life]] ([[User talk:Blue screen of life|talk]]) 20:09, 31 August 2020 (UTC)

:::I have also noticed this but it is not just on pages with questions marks. Both [[259]] and [[1705]] show the same thing. A full list (as of 22 June 2020) of the ones i found is in the last reply to my report found here [[#2138_page_issues]] [[User:TomW1605|TomW1605]] ([[User talk:TomW1605|talk]]) 12:20, 22 September 2020 (UTC)

::::Both [[259]] and [[1705]] have an ({{w|E acute|e-with-accute-accent}}, Unicode U+00E9) in the URL, so for those pages, I wonder if that has anything to do with it?
::::For the "what if?" page, I had recently added a redirect from [[what if (blog)]] to get to it, and the [[What If]] disambiguation page has been updated with it, so at least we can get to it that way; and for the comic explanations, at least we can get to them by linking to their number-redirects (as [[58]] instead of [[58: Why Do You Love Me?]]); but not sure how to fix it overall. At the following page, it suggests tweaking an {{w|Apache HTTP Server|Apache}} {{w|Rewrite engine|rewrite}} directive in {{w|.htaccess}} (or a {{w|Common Gateway Interface|CGI}} setting in {{w|PHP}} if it's running on {{w|Internet Information Services|IIS}}):
::::* https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Topic:Vmaw1tu5kkhyon0n
::::So maybe something about that has changed recently? Documentation:
::::* [https://httpd.apache.org/docs/current/mod/mod_rewrite.html#rewriterule Apache mod_rewrite <code>RewriteRule</code> directive]
::::* [https://www.php.net/manual/en/ini.core.php#ini.cgi.force-redirect php.ini <code>cgi.force_redirect</code> directive]
::::Summarizing a few points from [[User talk:SlashMe#Homeopathic Wiki|this related discussion]]:
::::* Only one of the site's [https://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:ListUsers?group=sysop 10 administrators] has made recent edits ([[Special:Contributions/SlashMe|SlashMe]]).
::::* Neither of the site's [https://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:ListUsers?group=bureaucrat 2 bureaucrats] ([[Special:Contributions/Jeff|Jeff]] and [[Special:Contributions/Lcarsos|Lcarsos]]) have made any edits recently.
::::* For admin access to the ''server'' itself, my limited understanding is that [[Special:Contributions/Jeff|Jeff]] might actually own the server, but may have also given admin access to [[Special:Contributions/Dgbrt|Dgbrt]]; however, neither of them have made edits recently.
::::But "most recent edit" might not be a good indicator, so I wonder of some of these folks are still involved in the project?
::::– [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 05:10, 29 September 2020 (UTC)
: Looks like it happens for any page that has a percent-encoding in the title. [[User:PoolloverNathan|PoolloverNathan]]<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Special:Contributions/PoolloverNathan|s]][[User talk:PoolloverNathan|talk]] [[Wikipedia:WP:SEAOFBLUE|the blue seas]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> 16:32, 16 March 2021 (UTC)

=== Known broken pages ===
(Redirects work, whereas links to the actual page are broken.)

Title containing e-accute-accent:
* [[259]] ↳ [[259: Clichéd Exchanges]] ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=259:_Clich%C3%A9d_Exchanges What links here])
* [[1705]] ↳ [[1705: Pokémon Go]] ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=1705:_Pok%C3%A9mon_Go What links here])

Title ending with question mark:
* <del>[[what if (blog)]] ↳ [[what if?]] ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=What_If%3F What links here])</del> <ins>fixed – content now exists at [[what if]], and [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/what_if&limit=500 broken links] are in the process of being updated (see below)</ins>
* [[58]] ↳ [[58: Why Do You Love Me?]] ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=58:_Why_Do_You_Love_Me%3F What links here])
* [[111]] ↳ [[111: Firefox and Witchcraft - The Connection?]] ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=111:_Firefox_and_Witchcraft_-_The_Connection%3F What links here])
* [[1205]] ↳ [[1205: Is It Worth the Time?]] ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=1205:_Is_It_Worth_the_Time%3F What links here])
* [[1841]] ↳ [[1841: Who?]] ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=1841:_Who%3F What links here])
* [[1913]] ↳ [[1913: A ?]] ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=1913:_A_%3F What links here])
* [[2065]] ↳ [[2065: Who Sends the First Text?]] ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=2065:_Who_Sends_the_First_Text%3F What links here])
* [[2138]] ↳ [[2138: Wanna See the Code?]] ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=2138:_Wanna_See_the_Code%3F What links here])
* [[2236]] ↳ [[2236: Is it Christmas?]] ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=2236:_Is_it_Christmas%3F What links here])

=== Moved ===
I moved the [[what if?]] page to the [[what if (blog)]] page which I then changed to simply [[what if]] to fix this issue and because anyone new to this site would type that any way to see it. — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 06:47, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

:Still trying to wrap my head around it – so just to summarize, we currently have:
:
:* '''[[whatif]]''' ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=whatif&redirect=no no-redirect link])
:** ↳ ''redirects to'' '''[[what if?]]''' (see below)
:* '''[[What If?]]''' – page broken ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=What_If%3F&redirect=no no-redirect link]) ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=What_If%3F What links here])
:** ↳ ''also redirects to'' '''[[what if?]]''' – page broken ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=what_if%3F&redirect=no no-redirect link]) ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=what_if%3F What links here])
:*** ↳ ''redirects to'' '''[[what if]] – actual content'''
:*** ''content manually moved from'' ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=what_if%3F&diff=198070&oldid=197859 diff]) '''[[what if?]]''' ''to'' ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=what_if&diff=198071&oldid=197486 diff]) '''[[what if (blog)]]''' ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=what_if_(blog)&redirect=no no-redirect link]) (''[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=what_if%3F&action=history previous revision history] remains at'' '''[[what if?]]''')
:**** ⇒ ''moved to'' '''[[what if]] – actual content'''
:
:For completeness, we also have...
:
:* '''[[what if book]]''' ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=what_if_book&redirect=no no-redirect link])
:** ↳ ''redirects to'' '''[[what if#The book]] – actual content'''
:** Suggestion: for consistency, also add a '''[[what if (book)]]''' page that redirects here?
:
:...and the disambiguation page...
:
:* '''[[What If]]''' ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=What_If&redirect=no no-redirect link])
:** ⇒ ''moved to'' '''[[What If (disambiguation)]]''' – disambiguation page
:*** ''links to'' '''[[17: What If]]''' (↲ '''[[17]]''' redirects here ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=17&redirect=no no-redirect link]))
:*** ''links to'' '''[[what if]] – actual content'''
:*** Suggestion: mention the ''book'' here as well, and link to its section in the [[what if]] page?
:
:...and these troubleshooting pages from [[User:Blue screen of life]]:
:
:* '''[[User:Blue screen of life/redirecttest]]''' – test page ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:Blue_screen_of_life/redirecttest&redirect=no no-redirect link])
:** ⇒ ''moved to'' '''[[User:Blue screen of life/whatiflink]]''' – test page ([https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:Blue_screen_of_life/whatiflink&redirect=no no-redirect link])
:*** ↳ ''redirects to'' '''[[What If?]]''' (see above)
:
:Given that the actual content of the "what if?" article now lives at '''[[what if]]''', I've started updating pages <ins>(except for Talk pages)</ins> to link directly there instead of the other redirect pages. All that's left to do are pages that link to the '''[[what if?]]''' redirect-page (which is broken). <del>Its [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere/what_if%3F "What links here"] special page is broken too, so it's difficult to find what pages link there – but now that it redirects to the [[what if]] page, you can see them indirectly from ''that'' page's [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:WhatLinksHere/what_if&limit=500 "What links here"] special page.</del> <ins>[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:WhatLinksHere?target=what_if%3F These] are the pages that still link there.</ins> There are still a lot of them to go.
:
:Also, should the following redirect-pages be simplified to have them redirect straight to the new [[what if]] page, instead of redirecting through the intermediate '''[[what if?]]''' page (which itself redirects there anyway)?
:* '''[[whatif]]'''
:* '''[[What If?]]'''
:– [[User:Yfmcpxpj|Yfmcpxpj]] ([[User talk:Yfmcpxpj|talk]]) 17:20, 29 September 2020 (UTC)
:: Fixed the double redirects, don't ask me why we have so many pages for the same thing. [[User:PoolloverNathan|PoolloverNathan]]<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Special:Contributions/PoolloverNathan|s]][[User talk:PoolloverNathan|talk]] [[Wikipedia:WP:SEAOFBLUE|the blue seas]]<nowiki>]</nowiki> 16:29, 16 March 2021 (UTC)

== Discussion not displaying with comic ==

I am using FireFox on a Win10 machine. When I come to the site I can see the comic, explanation and transcript. But the discussion section is hidden. Even when logged in.

Any ideas?

: You say "when I come to the site". If the address bar says you are on Main_Page and you see the heading "Latest comic", then it's simply working as designed. Above the comic, click on "Go to this comic explanation" and you will see the comic plus discussion.

: Also, Steve, please sign your comments every time, with four tildes. That expands into your user name and a timestamp. Like this -- [[User:JohnB|JohnB]] ([[User talk:JohnB|talk]]) 10:10, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

== Random page sometimes takes me to an invalid address ==

Sometimes, when clicking on "Random page" in the left sidebar, the site will be blank apart from the text "No input file specified. ".

An example of such an URL is: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/111:_Firefox_and_Witchcraft_-_The_Connection%3F

:I've noticed this happens for ''all'' URLs to comics that end in a question mark (or possibly any special character). Interestingly, this doesn't happen if you go to the comic from the search bar. [[User:Danish|Danish]] ([[User talk:Danish|talk]]) 23:04, 27 January 2021 (UTC)

== Bug on the main page ==

Bug Enviroment(Might work on other enviroments):
Ubuntu 20.04LTS
Firefox85.0
2021.2.7

Bug:
The front page reads: `Welcome, Main Page, to explain xkcd!` with `Main Page` formatted as a username,can someone fix this?

[[User:Xkcdjerry|Xkcdjerry]] ([[User talk:Xkcdjerry|talk]]) 09:48, 7 February 2021 (UTC)

== Occasional error via Cloudflare ==
Just a note that I'm getting Cloudflare errors of "origin not reachable" (sounds wrong to me, in my head it should be 'destination', but never mind) three times now in the last ten to fifteen minutes - of maybe a dozen general site-requests.

I've also been getting seemingly .CSSless formatted pages over the past few days, which I've been putting down to slightly dodgy wifi at my end (not unknown) but if I'm getting Cloudflare's error cleanly then perhaps it's been entirely upstream/downstream/however-you'd-describe-the-Explain-server. (Obviously CSS resource requests, as with images, are additional HTTP calls, but I still lump it into the single site-request ''per page'' in my 'dozen' estimate above. No obviously lost images, though, in incomplete pages - not that can't be explained by .CSS non-following, anyway.)

I had copy-buffered some of the exact info, but due to incompetence I recopied over it before coming here. If it happens again, I'll try to bring it over here. But (the way these things go) maybe it won't. FYI, though. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.52|141.101.98.52]] 12:04, 5 March 2021 (UTC)
: Not a Cloudfare error (looks like an error of the actual explainxkcd server) but every now and then (like just a few minutes ago) I get an error page that generally goes away if I immediately refresh. To whit:
Service Unavailable
The server is temporarily unable to service your request due to maintenance downtime or capacity problems. Please try again later.

Additionally, a 503 Service Unavailable error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.
: Not really a problem (occasionally happened while submitting an exit, and I have to confirm to the browser that I wish to repost the data, but this particular copied instance was through a more 'read-only' link-click, like most of the instances) but... in case someone finds this to be new and useful information... here you are! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.192|141.101.98.192]] 03:45, 12 March 2021 (UTC)
:OP, here, of the above 503 error report/casual mention. Obviously this is the same message that happened for an ''extended'' period of time over a number of days, but I've only just happened to find the site responding again and have not yet looked to see if it is explained as the same or different cause to the old intermittent issues (at root). I hope things are resolved from the major outage (server quota? bill payments? renewal/reconfiguration blips?) but wonder if I should report any future minor outages? I'm still smarting from the total loss of the fora.xkcd.com platform, a few years back, and while I'm not active enough here to consider a proper login (lurking as a freeloading anon-IP is good enough, usually, for my intellectual enjoyment, with all due apologies) I did have a slight pang of emptiness while it was out-of-order. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.79|141.101.99.79]] 15:48, 16 June 2021 (UTC)

== Add TemplateData ==

Add the {{mw|Extension:TemplateData|TemplateData}} extension to allow setting data for templates. This will help editors because they will be able to see the data of templates.

== MediaWiki 1.30.0?! ==

This wiki is [[Special:Version|currently]] on [[mw:MediaWiki 1.30|MediaWiki 1.30.0]] ([[mw:Release notes/1.30|release notes]]), the first of three releases of a version of MW that reached end-of-life in June of 2019 ([[mw:Version lifecycle]]). It's thus missing multiple important security updates from 1.30.1 and 1.30.2, not to mention the two years' worth of security updates since 1.30.x reached end-of-life. Even 1.31.x will be reaching end-of-life in just over a month.

If the sysadmins here update to [[mw:MediaWiki 1.35|MediaWiki 1.35.2]] ([[mw:Release_notes/1.35|release notes]]), that version will be maintained till September of 2023, with only a few security updates in the meantime. I would '''strongly''' encourage y'all to update to 1.35.2; to promptly update if there's a .3, .4, etc.; and to make sure you switch to the next LTS release (which will presumably be 1.39) well in advance of September of '23. (Note that this will also require updating to PHP 7.3.19 or later.) [[User:PinkAmpersand|PinkAmpersand]] ([[User talk:PinkAmpersand|talk]]) 07:17, 30 April 2021 (UTC)

== Uptime ==
Did the website just go down? [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] [[User talk:Beanie|talk]] 13:06, 28 May 2021 (UTC)

It was definitely down this weekend!
https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/nxrm65
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 16:21, 15 June 2021 (UTC)

== Comic template lappend breaks for standalone comic links ==

For example, https://xkcd.com/blue_eyes.html is changed to https://xkcd.com/blue_eyes.html/ which isn't valid [[Special:Contributions/172.69.90.15|172.69.90.15]] 15:51, 13 October 2021 (UTC)

Template here, I think it needs to be changed to solve this https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Template:comic

exkcd page here https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Blue_Eyes

== May not be your problem, but FYI. ==

My typcal setup: Android tablet, with Chrome for Android (latest update), but also Firefox for Android (ditto), using default Gboard (likewise) for input.

Occasionally (notably within the last few weeks/maybe a month or so), when going in to edit an explainxkcd page through Chrome (it's how I divide up my browsing), I'm getting the cursor in the textarea box which ''can'' be used to Cut/Copy/Paste (as applicable and useful), but the on-screen keyboard isn't popping up. Page is fully loaded (can be refreshed, doesn't have the "stop loading" alternative), can go back (page viewing) and try to go back to the page editor (often to same result). Sitting and waiting doesn't pop the keyboard up, either (sat there for minutes). Happens both on home wifi and mobile connection.

If I transfer my attentions to the page to Firefox (copy URL, to use there... but I don't use that by default for expxkcd stuff) there's no problem, but then if I come back to Chrome again it seems to start working again ''anyway'' so not sure if it's just avoiding/flushing a transient problem that would also initially crop up with Firefox if I used that more.

Because editing is a different (mobile-optimised) process on Wikipedia and I can't be sure about any the equivalence of any other wiki out there (and it doesn't happen with anything else I regularly key into on Chrome) it's not something I've reproduced outwith this site, and of course desktop page-editing doesn't require touch-screen keyboard because there's a physical one.

Not getting much feedback with Chrome (really can't get on with their bugrep processes, it's too huge a project to make headway, IME), not even tried to pester the Gboard team and I've not ''seen'' anything said on here about this being a site-issue (not sure how it could be, as it's outside the remit of the core web-page rendering process and more an Android or App level of incompetence), but I thought I'd make a note of it here for future reference. Make of it what you will. Annoying but not game-breaking. And I just wanted to vent a little. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.147|172.70.162.147]] 16:54, 25 December 2021 (UTC)

== [[special:interwiki]] ==

where'd it go? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.200|172.69.68.200]] 05:07, 7 January 2022 (UTC)

== Please update MediaWiki + AbuseFilter ==

Seriously. Many scripts and such built for modern, supported versions of MW do not work here because it is so unbelievably undated. PinkAmpersand above basically covers the reason why. I also highly recommend adding the extension AbuseFilter (https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:AbuseFilter) as it immensely makes removing vandalism easier (by straight up disallowing or blocking those that do, esp if it's like the current formulaic massive-replacement vandalism.) [[User:CRLF|CRLF]] ([[User talk:CRLF|talk]]) 00:48, 21 May 2022 (UTC)

:Ditto. I feel like the main problem is that the sole person who has access to the backend either doesn't have time to update, doesn't have interest, or doesn't have the technical knowledge necessary. But yes, I agree - updating and installing an extension to help control vandalism would help this wiki tremendously. [[User:Obwankenobi|Obwankenobi]] ([[User talk:Obwankenobi|talk]]) 20:09, 9 February 2024 (UTC)

== ↑ ? ==

Why do some pages have ↑ at the very start? They can all be spotted by searching ↑
Is it a technical thing, vandalism, some sort of glitch? Maybe I'm just uninformed or being an idiot.
:Edit logs tell me that an IP user manually reverting vandalism somehow inserted one or more extra characters while manually reverting vandalism. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:59, 22 May 2022 (UTC)
::Should it be removed? It's not necessary and might be confusing for screenreaders... [[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 09:00, 23 May 2022 (UTC)
:::Maybe not en-mass, I'd say. But I've dove in to delete a rogue leading <nowiki> </nowiki> tag left from a part of a prior vandalism (likewise, just before the {{template|comic}}-element) and I've promised myself that I'll remove any more that I spot (and now that arrow) in any future whole-page edit I make. Plus a small shopping-list of inessential but useful edits like making {{template|Citation needed}}s flow better when they're mispunctuated/etc.
:::But that's my solitary opinion. I'm sure hunting out and squishing this isn't a problem at all. I'm just balancing my own peculiar brand of OCD with what is somehow my also my own version of casual apathy towards other details. (Also, it probably looks better for a named account of recognised good standing to start editing potentially hundreds of pages in a session, rather than myself... potentially indistinguishable from the IP who seems to relish worn out memes in a general page-trashing.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.121|162.158.159.121]] 12:20, 23 May 2022 (UTC)

== Is there anything else we can do to prevent vandalism? ==

There's been quite a significant uptick in vandalism recently, and I don't feel we have any effective tools to combat it. I believe one of the biggest issues here is due to the way logged-out editing works on this wiki. Blocks are completely ineffective at slowing vandals, and IP editors can vandalize with basically nothing we can do to thwart them other than revert-warring. '''Is there a better way?'''

There's been some discussion of installing AbuseFilter, but I'm not sure anything became of it. We could disable logged-out editing, but that would likely be counterproductive as we get lots of legitimate contributions from logged-out users. If there's a way to switch to location-based IPs, we could rangeblock problematic users as well as proxies. Does anyone have any ideas? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.145|162.158.78.145]] 16:11, 1 June 2022 (UTC)
:I'm sort of making server side changes via telegraph so an extension is probably going to take a while to get installed. Takes a bunch of emails and followups to get single variables changed in the mediawiki settings file. There is an email verification option, and some edit frequency variables that could be set to make spam more time consuming. Don't love range blocks but wouldn't mind getting the CDN IPs dealt with so we can actually use the IP bans again. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:16, 1 June 2022 (UTC)
::I'm very grateful that you're working on changes under the hood. What do you think is the best way to deal with disruption in the meantime? [[User:Vandalbane|Vandalbane]] ([[User talk:Vandalbane|talk]]) 17:19, 1 June 2022 (UTC)
:::Could borrow a patrol bot like the ones people on main wikipedia have, could ask around. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:53, 1 June 2022 (UTC)
::::There's not really a drop-in solution that you can use, especially since the server's MediaWiki version is not in sync with Wikipedia's (so a lot of the APIs etc have completely changed; when initially reverting vandalism I tried importing some scripts from enwiki but they failed as a result), but also because the bots have gotten pretty complex (using machine learning provided by the Wikimedia Foundation, for example). [[User:CRLF|CRLF]] ([[User talk:CRLF|talk]]) 03:56, 2 June 2022 (UTC)
:::::Oh I do notice mediawiki hasn't been upgraded in a while. Looks like new version of mediawiki should be dropping extremely imminently, would be nice timing for an upgrade '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:45, 2 June 2022 (UTC)

== Rollback ==

Does the rollback permission exist on this wiki? [[User:Vandalbane|Vandalbane]] ([[User talk:Vandalbane|talk]]) 17:00, 1 June 2022 (UTC)
:The rollback permission of course exists but there's no group called "rollbacker" like you'd find on Wikipedia (limited to admins). You'd need the sysadmin to change the configuration to add one, which as established is not really an option right now. [[User:CRLF|CRLF]] ([[User talk:CRLF|talk]]) 03:58, 2 June 2022 (UTC)

== What happened to custom JavaScript? ==

I put some code in <code>[[User:Some user/common.js]]</code>, but it is not alerting 'hi' every time I load a page. Why can't we execute JavaScript anymore? Is it in response to the [[Project:Crap|crapping]] incident? [[User:Some user|Some user]] ([[User talk:Some user|talk]]) 21:16, 27 June 2022 (UTC)
:Entirely because of that, yeah. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:51, 28 June 2022 (UTC)

== My IP ==

Why is my IP address a Cloudflare address in Norway? Is this a joke of some kind that I'm missing?

Other wikis like Wikipedia are showing me my actual IP when I go to [[Special:MyContributions]], so I suspect this is a wiki misconfiguration. It changed again while I was typing this. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.194|162.158.222.194]] 16:55, 19 November 2022 (UTC)
:All IPs (as this one will be) are from Cloudflare gateway IPs, because that's the default IP that the Wiki understands as the source. Cloudflare mediates all the traffic, and perhaps to some advantage (not being privvy to the logs, I can only guess how much it insulates the true server from extreme problems, but I bet it does in some way).
:There have been suggestions before to change some setting (in the MediaWiki implementation? ...can't recall exactly) to have it pick up and use the IP that the gateway reports (in its meta-request) was the origin, but that's not been enacted for Idunnowhat reason.
:Because the black-box that is the Cloudflare traffic shapes in various ways, you will find that a single user will jump around 'apparent' IPs, and I've also been in the relatively embarassing situation of replying to another IP's info and finding that I've registered on the exact same IP so that it looks like I'm stooging myself, or something.
:On the whole, though, it's a harmless quirk. And given the trivial nature of deliberately spoofing origins (even on top of assuming you get an effectively static NAT from your ISP in the first place) I don't personally see it as a problem to 'solve' this. But neither would I complain if the 'fix' were implemented if this query reminds someone that they ''were'' going to try and do the necessary tweak.
:As a lay-answer, I hope that fills you in a little. ''If'' those who have more knowledge/control of the process want to add anything or correct me, I'm sure they'll do so as soon as they can, but here's a reply to keep you going for now... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.24|172.70.85.24]] 01:19, 20 November 2022 (UTC)

==Main page in categories==
{{notice|'''This discussion is marked as duplicate.''' See [[#Main Page|this discussion]].}}
[[Main_Page]] was found wrongly appearing in some newly-created categories, such as [[:Category:Cosmology]]. Could you fix it? --[[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 17:49, 12 January 2023 (UTC)
:Never noticed this myself, but I'll take it as read. Before checking myself, I'm wondering if this could be when the main page 'inherits' tags from the Current Comic that it features. And thus solve itself (whilst gaining others) upon a newer Current Comic. (Must surely inherit "Monday Comics"/etc, on schedule every week.)
:If it is that, perhaps the solution lies in the details contained within https://m.mediawiki.org/wiki/Help:Categories#Categories_and_templates_(transcluded_pages)
:Or maybe I'm wrong about it. But I have no rights to edit (thus at least examine the 'code' of) the Main page, to check my snap theory, as with most people. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.46|172.70.162.46]] 19:21, 12 January 2023 (UTC)

This happened again in [[:Category:Airplane banner]]. [[User:I27.O.O.I|I27.O.O.I]] ([[User talk:I27.O.O.I|talk]]) 09:00, 28 February 2023 (UTC)
:Yes, and it lasted as long as the latest comic was still one with particular categories. I don't intend to worry about it. If someone goes to a category that interests them and looks at the main page, as temporarily advertised, they're likely to find (as part of it) a comic which is indeed in that category. Doesn't sound like a big problem to me, except for determinin why some cats (e.g. Friday Comics) ''don't'' link to the Main page when they might be expected to...
:(PS, I know for sure that I27.O.O.I isn't the same person as ColofulGalaxy (and various others, beyond even those with the bloomin' obvious "CG" initials or other recent spoofs on the RFC1918 addresses), and I don't think I mind too much, but faking disagreements between your various IDs isn't helping, anyone... smells too much of trying to establish alibis in advance of your next attempt to vandalise the site with stupid stuff. And doesn't impress me, so I doubt it impresses anyone else either. As long as you're just doing sane things, however, I'll accept your little idiosyncracies.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.32|162.158.74.32]] 19:37, 5 March 2023 (UTC)
:(PPS: You left your fingerprint on this latter attempt to 'rescue' [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2659:_Unreliable_Connection&curid=25530&diff=307289&oldid=307282 this page]. - Spammer a few minutes before midnight, my IP reversion happened shortly after. A little later "Elisabeth" then re-spammed (modified), then another IP immediately jumps on it to restore it but with the modified undo-summary line clearly indicating that some sort of a game is being played. Please don't, it's not clever.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.34|172.70.90.34]] 02:22, 7 March 2023 (UTC)

This doesn't happen to date categories, but it happens in manually added categories such as [[:Category:Statistics]]. [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 21:49, 27 March 2023 (UTC)

==Cannot create user page==
It says: There is currently no text in this page. You can search for this page title in other pages, or search the related logs, but you do not have permission to create this page. [[2659: Unreliable Connection]] ([[Talk:2659: Unreliable Connection|talk]]) 22:56, 26 March 2023 (UTC)
:(Removed alternative text in the link involved, to not hide behind trickery.) I think you know that there's no problem with [[2659: Unreliable Connection]] itself, except that it had become one of several pages targeted for spamming, the only one then locked down, then finding that the spammers just retargeted to its Talk page, etc.
:I'm torn between "not assuming bad faith" and "don't feed the trolls", as competing principles, so I'm spelling out the situation. However much a tribute you might think it could be, I don't think there's a future in having a new username that's directly referencing a comic which has become so frequently seen in the recent history of this wiki's edits.
:Obviously any genuine contributions are more than welcome. So prove me wrong, why don't you? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.151|172.70.91.151]] 03:20, 27 March 2023 (UTC)

::Could you help now? [[User:Unreliable Connection|2659: Unreliable Connection]] ([[User talk:Unreliable Connection|talk]]) 09:13, 29 March 2023 (UTC)

: I've created your talk page. I guess that what you intended is to have a backup or mirror page for comic [[2659]]. Am I right? [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 20:16, 2 April 2023 (UTC)

== Fanmade comics ==
A fanmade comic appeared on xkcd. Could you edit the template? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.23.100|172.69.23.100]] 07:21, 28 April 2023 (UTC)
:You're going to have to say more about it, at least for me. Apart from the Sandbox attempt to make a page, I haven't seen the comic you're describing anywhere. Certainly not anywhere official. Link, for our benefit? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.66|172.70.85.66]] 10:04, 28 April 2023 (UTC)

==Why doesn't this code block work?==
Does anybody know why the code block at the end of [[Transcript on xkcd|this page]] doesn't work? I've tried everything and it still looks like plain text

== Can't add RSS feed because of pubDate value on 27 Nov 2015 ==

When I try to add the RSS feed in Nextcloud News feed reader I get an error <code>Impossible to convert date : Fri, 27 Nov 2015 17:24:34 Pacific Standard Time</code>.

[https://validator.w3.org/feed/check.cgi?url=https%3A%2F%2Fexplainxkcd.com%2Frss.xml W3C Feed validation] says that <code>pubDate must be an RFC-822 date-time</code> and points "Pacific Standard Time" portion as the cause of the error: <code><pubDate>Fri, 27 Nov 2015 17:24:34 Pacific Standard Time</pubDate></code>. Can you please fix the timestap for this?

== Admin request posted here because of vandalism ==

I can not currently access the admin requests page because it has been vandalized... can someone please protect the latest comic page (2805). There is some pretty childish vandalism going on there right now. Thanks!
:It's not the latest, seems like ALL. I went back to 2804, 2803, jumped back like 15 comics, all the same thing. To me the most offensive part is doing it with a nonsensical image. And why pipe it through Archive somehow? [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 02:33, 24 July 2023 (UTC)
::UGH. the vandals are back at it again... we need to lock xkcd pages @NiceGuy [[Special:Contributions/172.70.39.2|172.70.39.2]] 00:59, 25 July 2023 (UTC)

== Way to contact the site hosters? ==

As many have pointed out the software this wiki runs on is horribly outdated. WikiEditor also isn't here for some reason. Quite a bit of messages here have seen no action. Is there some kind of contact form to reach the hosters? {{unsigned|Aaron Liu|00:36, 10 October 2023}}
: There are various levels of admin who do intervene, as and when jecessary, but I understand that the (active) ones closest to the actual hosting level of intervention are not really ready to do the (increasingly greater) degree of uprooting necessary to get a "working" system to be "marginally better working", by way of that very dangerous middle-ground of potentially being ruined entirely.
: I appreciate and anticipate the counter-arguments regarding letting it go totally unupdated, of course, just I've personally seen enough failures (participated in some, or been the actual invokee, myself) to be very sympathetic to the "if it aint (too) broke, don't fix it" tendency. But that inertia is not the only factor, of course, and the full motivations (or lack of them) of those involved is not for a lowly IP like me to explain, even if I think I know... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.42|172.69.195.42]] 01:24, 10 October 2023 (UTC)
:: Have they posted some sort of statement? It also is most definitely not “marginally” better working, compare the source editor to that of Wikipedia and look at topic subscription etc features. Not to mention a lot of security fixes haven’t been added and this version has reached EOL long ago. Updating also would not ruin this entirely…[[User:Aaron Liu|Aaron Liu]] ([[User talk:Aaron Liu|talk]]) 17:22, 12 October 2023 (UTC)
:: Some have also said that quite a bit of assistive scripts for modern versions don’t work. Visual Editor, while horrible, is still easier for new people to get started with. [[User:Aaron Liu|Aaron Liu]] ([[User talk:Aaron Liu|talk]]) 17:23, 12 October 2023 (UTC)
I've found a new reason: This wiki doesn't even allow loading userscripts! [[User:Aaron Liu|Aaron Liu]] ([[User talk:Aaron Liu|talk]]) 01:34, 9 December 2023 (UTC)
:That might actually have been a conscious decition, after a 'certain user' caused chaos here, not so long ago. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.25|162.158.74.25]] 19:01, 9 December 2023 (UTC)
::It was about a year and a half ago. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.143|172.68.174.143]] 06:41, 10 December 2023 (UTC)
::Huh? What happened? Is there a place to request gadgets then? [[User:Aaron Liu|Aaron Liu]] ([[User talk:Aaron Liu|talk]]) 02:04, 10 December 2023 (UTC)
:::"What happened" involved automated vandalism (from someone who been doing it manually, then found the "better way") though I couldn't tell you the exact details, there were automated 'unvandalism's made in response, and theusafBOT/etc does some of that still, in response to non-automated(/off-site scripted) vandalism/errors that it can actually catch before ordinary users (or IPs like me) can. But certainly a certain brand of scripting was turned off to curtail the 'high intensity' vandalism phase.
:::You're more or less in the best place to request things, right here. Whether updates, (re)adding functionalitu or tweaking site settings. Can't tell if those who ''can'' do these things can't or won't do them... Or are actually absent, instead of just not replying. The cavalry has been known to come running in when necessary (e.g. when "what happened" happened) so it could be any manner of non-response (until you get one). Not necessarily the best state of affairs, but better than being confirmed absentees.
::::I ran a bot to mass-edit pages by replacing their content with the word "crap" repeatedly. I was 15 then, and I thought it was funny. It wasn't. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.143|172.68.174.143]] 06:41, 10 December 2023 (UTC)
:::As an occasional but infrequent actual-Wikipedia editor, too, I must say that if the Visual Editor is what I currently have to use for that (at least as an anonIP when using a mobile device, which tends to be when I get the urge most) then I like the unaugmented editor here more. Straight up, honest, un'wizarded' interface, where you only have to get used to markup details and not a WYSIWYG editing environment (as well?). Not sure I'd be happy with an even ''more'' 'assistive' script imposed upon me, like I dislike modern generations of Windows (and 'user friendly' linux dists). So can I just ask that functional/visible changes of the kind you seem to be asking for, if made available, aren't overimposed/left as options rather than the default (or only) choice...? Ok, so I can (or would have to) adapt, but I'd rather not. Of course, I have no weight to pull in this matter, it's just an afterthought (even as I wish you good luck with raising an admin's eyebrow, in some useful manner). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.135|141.101.98.135]] 05:14, 10 December 2023 (UTC)
::::I am not asking for VisualEditor, which no one likes on Wikipedia either. For some blasted reason they made it edit HTML instead of Wikitext and it’s clunky and loads for a very long time.
::::I’m asking about the WikiEditor, aka Wikipedia’s source editor. In VE, click on the pen next to the publish button and click on “source editing”. That editor makes this one look like freaking Stone Age, syntax highlighting is especially a game-changer. [[User:Aaron Liu|Aaron Liu]] ([[User talk:Aaron Liu|talk]]) 16:03, 12 December 2023 (UTC)
: There’s also the annoying ReCaptcha v2 every single edit… it seems like it would be relatively easy to switch to v3 which only makes you do the challenge when you’ve visited a bit too much. [[User:Aaron Liu|Aaron Liu]] ([[User talk:Aaron Liu|talk]]) 16:32, 12 December 2023 (UTC)
:: Unfortunately, that would make things easier for someone who wanted to do mass vandalism like I did. If it didn't do it every time, someone could still edit quite quickly. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.192|172.68.174.192]] 18:32, 12 December 2023 (UTC)
::Well, I can tell you that it doesn't always demand that I fulfil more than a tickbox (most trouble I have is when it fails to connect to give me the tickbox (or respond with anything useful when I do), for which I'm forced into one or more Previews until it will. When it ''does'' ask me to do something about it, I do often get forced through two or more request to identify traffic lights, motorbikes, stairways, bridges, hills, tractors, buses, etc, etc, etc... But I think that's more the Tesla-training Algorithm being nust greedy for my attention than the Robot-sentry having a less casual attitude to my attempt to edit. (I believe I'm on a usually untroublesome source IP/Cloudflare gateway, but it could also depend on how many others try to do things via (part of) the same route. Very, very rarely I get Google Search requesting something similar of me ((It: "You have made a lot of searches", me: "Of course I'll have play your little game, but this is my first lookup today...")), which I'm sure isn't Cloudflared, so it might reach back to my ISP's gateway and what fellow users are currently getting up to.)
::As for the guy above (and you, Liu), can't speak for how well or badly others on your own 'choice' of gateways behave. Or yourselves. Luck of the draw? For the first part, at least. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.174|172.69.195.174]] 20:31, 12 December 2023 (UTC)
:::MediaWiki 1.40 automatically tags all edits that remove over 90% of page text with "mw-replaced". You could block all edits in mainspace with that tag, either if MediaWiki has it or through the AbuseFilter extension. While I can complete the CAPTCHAs, it's very annoying to need to Captcha every edit on a place where the main focus is edits. [[User:Aaron Liu|Aaron Liu]] ([[User talk:Aaron Liu|talk]]) 03:06, 13 December 2023 (UTC)
:::Plus, v3 doesn't just do nothing. It tracks how your cursor moves to see if it's robotic, while v2 annoyingly gives you the challenge every time. [[User:Aaron Liu|Aaron Liu]] ([[User talk:Aaron Liu|talk]]) 20:01, 8 January 2024 (UTC)
::::Presumably for touchscreen control (like mine, right this moment), it does something else than track a nonexistent mouse-pointer's passage across the monitored elements of the display... ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.190|172.70.90.190]] 12:26, 9 January 2024 (UTC)
::There are a few MediaWiki plugins that help keep vandalism/spam under control without requiring users to solve a Captcha every time they make an edit. I use https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:Moderation on the wiki I maintain, and it works very well. However, it does require that there be enough active moderators to approve edits, as it basically requires every single edit to be approved before it's posted. Thus, it also introduces some "lag" between when stuff is written and when it can be seen by others. I think it could work if the extension could be installed (I'm not even sure if it's supported on this version of MediaWiki) and if a good list of moderators could be put together. [[User:Obwankenobi|Obwankenobi]] ([[User talk:Obwankenobi|talk]]) 20:02, 9 February 2024 (UTC)
:::I disagree with requiring edits to be approved. Unless we have extremely high vandalism, just filtering out the above tags I mentioned and using ReCAPTCHA v3 would be enough. [[User:Aaron Liu|Aaron Liu]] ([[User talk:Aaron Liu|talk]]) 23:16, 16 February 2024 (UTC)
::::Ok, fair point. However, that wouldn't stop human vandalism, just vandalism from bots. I'm not sure how much human vandalism there is, though, so it might not even be a problem. [[User:Obwankenobi|Obwankenobi]] ([[User talk:Obwankenobi|talk]]) 12:35, 22 February 2024 (UTC)
:::::It's hard (for us 'civvies') to know how much bot-vandalism is stopped but [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:Log/newusers&offset=&limit=500&type=newusers&user= probably a lot], most of which we never see, with [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2503:_Memo_Spike_Connector&diff=335487&oldid=335486 occasional ones] we might see having be dealt with. (I'm guessing these things are rare (temporarily-)successful 'bots, because flesh-and-blood vandals wouldn't be occasionally doing essentially the same insta-reverted thing on a thematically-small set of pages, over several ''years'' without moving on. It has to be a lucky unattended script-based effort that just keeps trying the same things over and over with an easily revertible but tangible result happening only infrequently.)
:::::More obvious human vandalism tends to rumble on, with occasionally a spate of it as someone gets short-term kicks for it. Though some of them seem may repeat themself after a break. Friendly humans and friendly 'bots both tend to provide the main anti-vandalism responses fairly quickly, though, depending upon what kind of a mess they caused. I've seen worse places, definitely, and it's by no means a losing battle against chaos, just regular skermishes.
:::::Not wanting to tempt fate, of course. I guarantee that there'll be some fool that takes all this as a challenge, so I just have to trust to the Good Guys keeping on keeping on. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.71|172.70.90.71]] 14:21, 22 February 2024 (UTC)

heyo, is there a way to add actual citations to explainxkcd instead of the template citation needed? couldn't find anything, but i'm pretty new here - thanks in advance. [[User:Nigga|Nigga]] ([[User talk:Nigga|talk]]) 21:47, 17 March 2024 (UTC)
:Not that I have much faith in your usernae lasting long (you're 'that guy', aren't you? ...in which case you know anyway), but for the sake of anyone else who needs to know:
:*If you mean "add an actual 'citation needed' tag", then it's {{template|Actual citation needed}} that you'll use.
:*If you mean "add an actual citation link to somewhere", then:
:** Link to URLs with [].
:*** A link such as [<url>] will give you a superscript-number link, which isn't pretty, IMO.
:*** A link such as [<url> <text>] (that's a space between the two) will link <text> to the URL, just work it into the sentence you're writing, fairly easy
:** Link to internal (or cross-wiki) pages with [[]].
:*** [[<page title>]] will make a literal link to <page title>.
:*** [[<page title>|<text>]] (with a pipe) is how you make the <text> your link.
:** You can use the last to link specifically to wikipedia's cross-site format, but for that it's best to use {{template|w}}
:*** <nowiki>{{w|<page title>}}</nowiki> (w-pipe...) uses the page title
:**** It will use the link as if the first character is uppercase, so you don't need to capitalise that. Other case-sensitivity is preserved.
:**** <nowiki>{{w|<singular page title>}}s</nowiki> will link the obvious pluralisation of the page title, just to save you effort
:*** <nowiki>{{w|<page title>|<text>}}</nowiki> (w-pipe and pipe) lets you use entirely alternate text.
:** There's also templates that shortcut (or make easier on the eye, or add appropriate warnings) for some other commonly referenced external sites, from xkcd's own what-if to TVTropes.
:...hope that helps everyone that doesn't already know these few simple bits as relate to wikis in general or this wiki in particular. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.218|172.71.242.218]] 22:24, 17 March 2024 (UTC)

== Confirmation Email Bug ==

Hi. I've been trying to get my email confirmed so that I can get pinged when pages are edited, but I just can't find it, even after trying multiple times. I use Gmail, and yes, I have checked my spam folder. Has anyone else had this issue? EDIT: I see that others have had this issue, but the admins haven't done any action to solve it, except for one sarcastic comment by Davidy22 back in 2014. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 00:43, 12 April 2024 (UTC)

== Lack of Userpage ==

Hey, I joined a few years ago, but I still do not have a Userpage. Can you make one for me? I do not have the permission to do so. [[User:GreyFox|GreyFox]] ([[User talk:GreyFox|talk]]) 22:47, 15 May 2024 (UTC)
:This is actually your very first post, after joining a bit more than a year ago ("18:35, 14 November 2023 User account GreyFox (talk | contribs) was created"). I'm sure someone can oblige (not me, for obvious reasons), but you've not done much to contribute (at least under this account), which would have then eventually brought you to the point where you ''can'' just self-create your Userpages/etc. So your request is a bit out of the blue.
:Just so long as we all know where we stand, though. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.227|172.69.194.227]] 09:42, 16 May 2024 (UTC)
::Oh, thanks! Do you know the exact number of edits I need to create it?

explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical

2024-05-15T22:47:52Z

GreyFox: /* Lack of Userpage */ new section