explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1715: Household Tips

2016-08-03T17:37:53Z

Hillshum: /* Explanation */ Mention the use of shower sandals

{{comic
| number = 1715
| date = August 3, 2016
| title = Household Tips
| image = household_tips.png
| titletext = To make your shoes feel more comfortable, smell better, and last longer, try taking them off before you shower.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic shows a person explaining many things one should already know and are likely already doing without needing to be told. This is a continuation of [[1567: Kitchen Tips]].

Below is a table:

'''To conserve water try turning off your shower before leaving home''': Implies that the shower would "normally" be on at all times, which would be very wasteful, since any excess water (or if the bath tub plug is not in place or in a shower stall, all water) would be drained away. The [[what if?]] article "{{what if|91|Faucet Power}}" illustrates similar wasteful and destructive water use.

'''Sick of changing those smoke detector batteries? Eliminate any fires in your home and the batteries can last for months or years!''': A smoke detector on standby consumes much less power than one constantly ringing, since standing by only requires that a detection circuit (which draws little current) be on and and an LED (which also consumes little power) flashes, while a buzzer used to sound the alarm uses much energy by comparison. Of course, keeping one's house fire-free at (mostly) all times is usually done because of other benefits than just saving on batteries, like avoiding fire damage to valuable property and making living in house safer.

'''Tired of clogged toilets? Try leaving the lid on the upper chamber and use only the lower bowl!''': The upper chamber, or water bowl, delivers plain water to the lower bowl at speed to flush the latter. As such, the pipes that direct the water down are not wide enough for waste to pass. There is typically a lid on the upper bowl because it isn't intended to be used, but access is occasionally needed to fix or replace the flushing mechanisms. The lower bowl, on the other hand, is the only one intended to receive solid waste or defecation and is connected to the plumbing by pipes wide enough for this purpose.

'''Fresh air doesn't have to be expensive. Many windows can be slid up to create a temporary hole without the usual cost and cleanup!''': This suggests that the people he appeals to typically smash a window or smash holes in their walls to get fresh air, hence the expensive clean up. Alternatively this may refer to air fresheners sold in stores, which would cost money compared to opening a window and letting in fresh air from outdoors.

The title text talks about shoes lasting longer and being more comfortable when they are not worn into a shower. People typically remove all their clothing, including and/or especially shoes (except perhaps for some lightweight sandals to protect the feet in public showers), when showering, so while it is certainly true that removing ones shoes before showering will allow them to last longer and stink less (since getting them wet without methods of getting them fully dry would produce malodorous molds), this is not in any way a novel idea.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

1707: xkcd Phone 4

2016-07-15T14:11:20Z

Hillshum: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1707
| date = July 15, 2016
| title = xkcd Phone 4
| image = xkcd_phone_4.png
| titletext = The SpaceX system carefully guides falling phones down to the surface, a process which the phones increasingly often survive without exploding.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Not everything explained}}

It's another entry in the xkcd Phone series (see [[1363: xkcd Phone]], [[1465: xkcd Phone 2]] and [[1549: XKCD Phone 3]]), and once again, the comic plays with many standard tech buzzwords to create a phone that sounds impressive but would actually be very impractical.

From the top, going clockwise:
* '''18,000 μAh (micro-Ampere hours) nickel-lithium-iron battery (non-rechargeable)''' Phone battery capacity is measured in {{w|ampere-hour}}s (which thanks to the magic of {{w|dimensional analysis}}, is just an unusual way of denoting electric charge). The SI prefix "micro-" means one millionth, or 10^-6, which means that in the more standard units, it's just 18 mAh. An iPhone 6+ by contrast has 2,750 mAh - this phone's battery is dreadful. There is no such thing as a nickel-lithium-iron battery - rather, it's a garbled version of the experimental {{w|nickel–lithium battery}} and the common {{w|lithium ion battery}} (which does not contain any iron). The {{w|nickel–iron battery}} does exist, but it's ''terrible'' and no longer used. While a typical charger draws 1Amp the phone does not, typically 0.1A, so the battery should power the phone for 11 minutes, however by doing a unit conversion the number provided is ridiculously higher than normal numbers seen, which is a common marketing ploy.
* '''Subwoofer''' - A {{w|subwoofer}} is a large bass speaker. Some phones do have high-quality speakers for playing music, but these are not placed right next to the earpiece - this would be a surefire way to deafen your users.
* '''"Dog whistle"''' - A {{w|dog whistle}} is a high-pitched whistle that humans cannot hear, but dogs can.
* '''Non-porous, washable''' - On the one hand, it's rare for a phone to be made of porous materials. On the other, there are legitimately waterproof phones that seal the speakers and ports with rubber.
* '''''WebMD'' partnership: cough-activated feature reads aloud a random diagnosis for "coughing"''' - {{w|WebMD}} is a website to help people diagnose themselves. For the vast majority of people, a cough just means an irritated throat or maybe a cold, but selecting randomly from all WebMD diagnoses gives some much more ominous - if very unlikely - ones, including {{w|ricin}} poisoning, {{w|plague}}, {{w|lung cancer}} and {{w|radiation cancer}}.
* '''Wings''' - These wings resemble the ones found on {{w|sanitary towel}}s (sometimes called "pads", making this a possible iPad pun) which attach the pad to the {{w|gusset}} and keep it in place between the woman's legs during her period.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Smartphones]]

1507: Metaball

2015-04-03T15:48:21Z

Hillshum: /* Explanation */ Add a mention to March Madness and past xkcd comics about sports

{{comic
| number = 1507
| date = April 3, 2015
| title = Metaball
| image = metaball.png
| titletext = Shoot, it landed in the golf course. Gonna be hard to get it down the--oh, never mind, it rolled onto the ice hazard. Face-off!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete | Explanation is unfinished.}}
The name "Metaball" is the combination of the prefix "{{w|meta|meta-}}" and the word "{{w|ball}}".

The gang is playing a {{w|ball game}} that incorporates the rules of many {{w|List of ball games|games that use a ball}}. Similar to [http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1990/05/27 Calvinball] from the comic strip ''{{w|Calvin and Hobbes}}'', the rules seem to be based on the location of the players and the ball. Ponytail is holding a map which divides the area into zones. Each time the ball enters a new zone, the rules change to the become the rules of the ball game represented in that zone.

[[Cueball]] is out according to the rules of baseball because the ball (initially in the {{w|Association football|soccer}} zone where [[Megan]] made a {{w|Shooting (association football)|shot}}), en route to the {{w|basketball}} hoop, clipped the corner of the baseball zone and [[Ponytail]] (presumably the adjudicator of this game) invoked the {{w|infield fly rule}}. In baseball the infield fly rule can be invoked by the {{w|umpire}}, Ponytail in this case, to prevent an {{w|infielder}} from intentionally dropping a fair ball when runners are on multiple bases, forcing the runners on base to advance and allowing the infielder's team to quickly perform a double or triple play by throwing the ball to where the runners are trying to get and performing force out on their base. The infield fly rule, once called out by the umpire, forces the batter to be out whether the infielder tries to get the batter out.

The title text presumably happens sometime later in the game. It is implied that the ball enters the {{w|golf}} section of the game, meaning that the players would have to try to hit a ball into a hole. Given that the ball is much larger than a standard golf ball, this would prove difficult. However before this situation occurs the ball rolls into a separate portion of the field, an ice {{w|Hazard (golf)|hazard}} section. This area in the field is where {{w|ice hockey}} is played, switching the rules to hockey rules and causing there to be a {{w|face-off}} (a skirmish between two players of opposing teams to restart the game).

Hockey implies that it is more than "Metaball", but "Metagame", as hockey uses a puck, not a ball in the game, so badminton, frisbee golf, etc., will have their zones also.

Randall has previously given an opinion on sports ([[904]], [[1107]], [[1408]]). Given the timing of this comic with {{w|NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|the US collegiate basketball tournament}}, we may assume he is writing as a response to that.

==Transcript==
:[Megan kicks a soccer ball. Cueball leaps to dunk the ball through (or block it from going in) a basketball hoop.]

:[Ponytail (Offscreen):] Out!

:[Cueball (Offscreen):] What do you ''mean'', out?!
:[Ponytail, consulting the rules/a map:] The ball clipped the corner of the baseball zone. Infield fly rule.
:[Cueball (Offscreen):] Aw, ''maaan''...
{{comic discussion}}


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