explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

User talk:Ilios2357

2026-04-27T10:59:17Z

Ilios2357:

Would you like to keep this user page? If you do not wish to continue using this username, feel free to create a new account (and let me know so that I can appropriately mark down your user page). [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 03:03, 27 April 2026 (UTC)

you can do that? yeah, sure! [[User:Ilios2357|Cain-In-Vain]] ([[User talk:Ilios2357|talk]]) 10:59, 27 April 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3237: Husband and Wife

2026-04-26T06:36:55Z

Ilios2357:

As a UKian, the most obvious reference here is Papa Lazarou in The League of Gentlemen. I assume that's not what Randall has in mind though (is LoG even a thing in the US?), and I have no idea what he might be thinking of. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:37, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
: Ah, you beat me to it. XKCD's been updating quite late in the day recently, so I thought I was safe not checking for a new strip until now - only to find that apparently it's been up for hours, and the ExplainXKCD comments have likewise. Yes, Papa Lazarou was my first thought. "You're my wife now!" :) [[Special:Contributions/50.45.232.78|50.45.232.78]] 20:31, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
: Hello Dave! You want to buy some pegs [[Special:Contributions/2A02:C7C:AD6D:1900:643A:9B89:E674:2F22|2A02:C7C:AD6D:1900:643A:9B89:E674:2F22]] 17:42, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
:It's in the title text: the movie "Borat". The title character's way of saying "my wife" became an earworm. Google it. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 15:43, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
:: Ah - OK - don't think the title text was appearing when I was initially looking at it. Found it now. Doesn't mean anything to me. Papa Lazarou is still more salient, and ''much'' worse. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:46, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
: I immediately thought of Kimura-sensei from Azumanga Daioh. [[Special:Contributions/70.40.121.82|70.40.121.82]] 16:03, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
Out of curiosity, does anyone actually use 'my wife/husband'? I've never heard about it before. Is it an American thing or something? [[User:GSLikesCats307|GSLikesCats307]] ([[User talk:GSLikesCats307|talk]]) 18:41, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
:: In the UK it's more normal to use expressions such as "my better half" when talking about your spouse to somebody that doesn't know them, other than in that role [[Special:Contributions/2A02:C7C:AD6D:1900:643A:9B89:E674:2F22|2A02:C7C:AD6D:1900:643A:9B89:E674:2F22]] 17:45, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
:::"My better half" can be said with genuine feeling or sarcasm, either way. Then there's "my other half", "(him/her) indoors", occasionally "my spouse", "my partner" (downplays the possibility of there being an actual full marriage/similar), "the first Mrs Surname" (usually for men who think it's funny to joke about a long-time relationship maybe ending one day), "the latest Mrs Surname" (for those, again, as well as any who have gone through that at least once), and "Mr" versions of those last two (on occasions). Also "the old man" (or lady/girl/lass, etc, to suit) and other regional variations. Rhyming slang versions include "the Trouble" (and Strife, ie. 'wife'), "pot" (and pan, 'old man'), even "Danger" (mouse, 'spouse') etc... [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 19:48, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
::::You forgot SWMBO, "She Who Must Be Obeyed" - from an old Edgar Rice Burroughs story, I believe (Edit: I was wrong. It's H. Rider Haggard.), and popularised by Rumpole the defence lawyer in the books/TV show. [[Special:Contributions/50.45.232.78|50.45.232.78]] 20:31, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

::::"...''anyone actually use 'my wife/husband'?''" I have been her 'starter husband' for 47 years now. OTOH, I was talking to a contractor and said 'Let's ask my Boss'...' Instantly understood. --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 05:44, 26 April 2026 (UTC)

:: To me (an American), the phrases "my husband" and "my wife" are so common and ordinary that I'm surprised to hear someone say they've never heard them before. Out of curiosity, where is it that people ''don't'' say things like "I went to that restaurant with my wife once," and what do they say instead (assuming that the person being spoken to doesn't know the wife's name)? --
::: Same (as an Australian). It's so normal that 1. I can't understand anyone having an issue with it, and 2. I can't think of any other way to refer to them that doesn't sound MUCH weirder. [[Special:Contributions/2400:EC40:1112:6A00:593D:B855:D8E0:1CBE|2400:EC40:1112:6A00:593D:B855:D8E0:1CBE]] 03:09, 26 April 2026 (UTC)
[[Special:Contributions/2601:404:C300:8040:7A4A:8D8C:3378:DA33|2601:404:C300:8040:7A4A:8D8C:3378:DA33]] 19:35, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

Where does it say Megan is concerned with "My" because it's possessive? I think she's just commenting on how fancy and formal it sounds. Also, I don't see how the comic age plays into anything. I do think there is definitely a nod to the ghost in #1108 though. [[Special:Contributions/170.187.32.34|170.187.32.34]] 17:50, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
:I agree, it doesn't seem to be related to the possessive pronoun, but with the title "husband", which is deeply rooted in how traditional heteronormative families are constructed.
:I also strongly doubt this is what concerns Megan. To me it's just the connotations to traditional, since outdated, family values that worries her. (This is probably why in the UK people appear to have stopped using the term, which must be an old thing as my parents who emigrated in the 80s also do it.)
Randall is a young pup. When someone says "my wife", the first thing I thought of wasn't Borat; it was Henny Youngman. [[Special:Contributions/136.226.20.200|136.226.20.200]] 19:33, 24 April 2026 (UTC)
:When I hear the phrase "my wife" I always end up finishing it with "Morgan Fairchild ... whom I've slept with" [[Special:Contributions/66.212.184.170|66.212.184.170]] 20:05, 24 April 2026 (UTC)'
There are a few questions about usage. Just to clarify, most (many?) Americans say "''My wife, Alice is... She likes... Alice does....''" Americans tend to say "my wife" *once* in a conversation to make the listener familiar with the relationship. I've known very few people who *never* use the spouse's name, but who consistently say "''My wife is... she likes... My wife does...''". The last person I heard doing it was a xennial from South Africa, maybe 20 years ago. That feels extremely possessive and insecure to me, particularly given that I was friends with his wife. Still, I think the comic is only commenting on one-off usage, not this insecure, possessive usage. I haven't heard any slang for "spouse" ("better half", "ball and chain") from anyone born after 1960. [[Special:Contributions/84.233.216.250|84.233.216.250]] 23:10, 24 April 2026 (UTC)

Am I in the minority? When referring to spouses, especially the 1st time, I usually say "[your|my|their|the] [Mrs|Mr]" as a noun, not including any surname @ all. Avoids this whole thing neatly, while being utterly clear & a bit ''(intentionally)'' corny. --[[User:TPS|TPS]] ([[User talk:TPS|talk]]) 03:39, 25 April 2026 (UTC)
: Did you mean "not including any ''given'' name" (first name)? "Mr." and "Mrs. are normally followed by the surname (family name). [[Special:Contributions/191.101.157.28|191.101.157.28]] 19:20, 25 April 2026 (UTC)
: Whoops, never mind. I re-read your post. [[Special:Contributions/191.101.157.28|191.101.157.28]] 19:23, 25 April 2026 (UTC)
I was just around a bunch of colleagues (in America) in social settings (meals, driving around) and "my wife"/"my husband" was used frequently. Not necessarily only once per person per conversation. Though we often *did* throw in the spouses' names in too, for variety. On the question whether Megan was concerned about the possessive or the formality of "husband", it's definitely the latter. Complaining about the supposed possessive is just being dense or juvenile about language. Using the phrase when you're recently married is awkward for almost everyone. [[User:Gvanrossum|Gvanrossum]] ([[User talk:Gvanrossum|talk]]) 03:55, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

And I feel unaccustomed to call my mom "Mom" while speaking to her [[User:Cream Starlight|Cream S.L.]] ([[User talk:Cream Starlight|talk]] / [[Special:Contributions/Cream_Starlight|contribs]]) 04:56, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

This comic is *very nice* [[Special:Contributions/99.10.82.184|99.10.82.184]] 05:06, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

In summary, it seems Randall is vastly overestimating how many people have seen and remember Borat. Really, the "most salient cultural reference"? --[[User:Coconut Galaxy|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy|talk]]) 06:34, 25 April 2026 (UTC)
:Indeed, I've never seen Borat. (And being British, I always called my mother "mum".) {{unsigned ip|2a00:23cc:d248:8901:94bc:c8d7:48aa:c9cb|08:42, 25 April 2026}}
::Yeah, also British and never particularly a fan of such 'character comedy' (his Borat/Ali G/etc, Trigger Happy TV, even back to Beadles About and its prank-type TV), though of course admire the chutzpah behind them (the whole "Cake drug" setup from Chris Morris/Brass Eye, the 'snail' using the zebra crossing, getting someone to ask an 'alien' if it would like some tea). So the specific Borat quote-reference passed me by (thank the non-existant pantheon of deities that explainxkcd was here to fill me in).
::My mum's also always been called "Mum" (well, since I stopped using "Mummy!", that is), too. "Husband"s can also be "hubbie"s (not sure that the obvious counterpart of "wifey" gets so much use, but then that isn't a vocal contraction, perhaps "the missis" (however you'd spell it) is the more used direct return-term by said hubbie), as in "your hubbie, my hubbie, their hubbie, all our hubbies...".
::: Re: ''And being British, I always called my mother "mum".'', I was reading a novel that took place in Birmingham, England, (IIRC) and was surprised to see the characters refer to their mother as "mom". So I suppose "being British" is factually correct, but not explanatory. [[Special:Contributions/191.101.157.97|191.101.157.97]] 22:14, 25 April 2026 (UTC)
::Having "my" imply ownership, as suggested, is not particularly well founded, considering "my slave" (definite ownership, of the target referred to) and "my master (definite ownership, ''by '' the target referred to) but between there's everything else ("my replacement", "my opponent", "my ex", "my most distantly known relative") between where it's a matter of mere association, at best.
::If I have any insight into the popular use of "husband" and "wife", it's just that marriage isn't what it used to be. Both the potential transience of such partnerships (though many aren't, those for whom it is might repeat the transience with someone else later, upping the perceived occurances) and the rising tendency of 'mere' co-habiting (at least for a while ...I've been to weddings where the couple's kids take part as page-boys/girls, ring-bearers, etc) makes marriage neither the solid default option nor an easily assumed relationship (it used, at one point, to be that the more common variation was "Yes, lovely couple, I know them well... Of ''course'' they are both married, just not to each other...")
::It seems to imply a earlier-age formality (like the comic says). If a woman talks of "my wife" or a man talks of "my husband", it's to me not really more a shock to hear ''that'' than just have a heteronormative relationship pressed home accordingly. Maybe at most introduce "this is Jack... he's my husband..." or "my wife, Jill, will be along shortly/can't be here today" then refer to Jack/Jill by name only.
::The exception might be on TV, etc, by personalities, perhaps using "husband"/"wife" (then "they"ing them) in any statements they decide to avoid any greater detail (than their respective gender) being 'outed'. Even if said partner (and the doubly-ambiguous "partner" usage seems to be less, without any rise at all in the singly-ambiguous "spouse") is also a personality, likely already well known enough. Actually ''name-checking'' the partner (first name, never mind full name) is rare except for 'celebrity couples' who lean on that relationship consciously. And bear in mind that in such marital partnerships, likely both parties have retained their professional (if not legal) surnames, so Mr Abraham Smith is probably married to Mr/Mrs/implicitly-''Miss'' Betty Jones, and all the extra reverse combinations. David and Victoria Beckham is one exception, but then "Posh Spice" was not really going to hold as much kudos for her post-Spice pursuits. The ''other'' obvious David and Victoria (Mitchell and 'Coren Mitchell' neé Coren) did it by a sort of double barelling, in her case, which seems nust traditional enough but flexible enough to have worked well for them both.
::It's become rare to the point of near-extinction for the wife to have called herself "Mrs Arthur Brown", having only technically become "Amelia Brown (neé Green)". The most you hear of it is for those in the throws of considering such a marriage ("...if I play my cards right, I shall be Mrs Humphrey Basingstoke within the year!") or on the day of any such wedding itself. I don't think there's any real tendency to go any further than changing their surname (if they even do that!), nor much practical need to present themself (factually or as a 'front') as being a 'properly kept wife' for the purposes of mortgages or other business interests that at one time were tricky to maintain without such official marital 'sponsorship').
::...but how much of this is implicit to the comic's intended meaning is... debatable. ;) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.85|82.132.236.85]] 16:19, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

I think the possessive pronouns is unlikely to be the issue presented. In Hebrew, the very word "husband" means "owner of", and it's become quite common for young people to shun it for feministic reasons.
In English that's much less prevalent though, so it's probably just how marriage is sometimes seen as an outdated, oldish, formal concept (a family consisting of a "husband and wife" does negate other forms of families). [[Special:Contributions/62.56.234.252|62.56.234.252]] 09:03, 25 April 2026 (UTC)
: Do you mean "possessive adjectives" rather than "possessive pronouns"? Possessive adjectives precede a noun: "Alex is her husband"; possessive pronouns stand on their own ("the car is hers"). Possessive adjectives include "my", "your", and "their", while possessive pronouns include "mine", "yours", and "theirs". [[Special:Contributions/191.101.157.28|191.101.157.28]] 19:20, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

Is this comic political or something? What's wrong with being called a wife? [[Special:Contributions/109.86.171.138|109.86.171.138]] 14:06, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

: No, it's a reference to usage in the film ''Borat''. [[Special:Contributions/191.101.157.28|191.101.157.28]] 19:23, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

The most salient cultural reference to "my wife" for me was uttered by Will Smith at the academy awards in 2022. But now I am going to suffer through Borat to hear Randall's meaning. Thanks? [[User:SeanNerd|SeanNerd]] ([[User talk:SeanNerd|talk]]) 14:22, 25 April 2026 (UTC)
:It wasn't really my cup of tea, but the film won many awards and is is on many lists of funniest movies of the 21st century. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 00:00, 26 April 2026 (UTC)

''Borat'' didn't come to mind at all. I saw that movie once, when it was in theaters, didn't like it, and never thought about it again until now. Although it's not "the most salient" cultural reference, the first thing that came to my mind with the phrase "my wife" was The Who's song, ''My Wife''. About a guy who gets drunk in a bar and spends the night in jail and is now afraid to go home because his wife will assume he's been cheating on her and will react with extreme violence. Not a funny topic, but John Entwistle's lyrics do make it into a humorous story. [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 16:32, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

Showing my age, I thought the "most salient cultural reference was the condescending tag line, "My Wife. I think I'll keep her!" from the Geritol commercial in the 1970s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lNfpQ_8tEw , referenced ironically in the 1990's Mary Chapin Carpenter song, "He thinks he'll keep her.").
[[Special:Contributions/2600:4040:5B41:7F00:D446:3D5D:F35D:E282|2600:4040:5B41:7F00:D446:3D5D:F35D:E282]]
:Not quite that long ago ('80s? '90s?) but "...and a fillet of fish for my wife" from a Mcdonalds ad is my equivalent of that, I think. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 18:29, 25 April 2026 (UTC)

I honestly thought this was something else, but then again, I've not watched Borat. (was sorta thinking it was the ASDFmovie 16 thing with Alex Rochon. dunno why.) [[User:Ilios2357|Cain-In-Vain]] ([[User talk:Ilios2357|talk]]) 06:36, 26 April 2026 (UTC)

User:Ilios2357

2026-04-26T06:34:59Z

Ilios2357:

'''Hey! My name is Cain.'''

I have no preference on pronouns.
The username is old, and a deadname. Please do not refer to me as Ilios.

You’re welcome (in advance)! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 01:20, 5 March 2024 (UTC)
[[Category:Pages to delete]]

User:Ilios2357

2026-04-26T06:27:19Z

Ilios2357: /* Hey! My name is Cain. */

'''Hey! My name is Cain.'''

I have no preference on pronouns.

You’re welcome (in advance)! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 01:20, 5 March 2024 (UTC)
[[Category:Pages to delete]]

User:Ilios2357

2026-04-26T06:26:46Z

Ilios2357:

== Hey! My name is Cain. ==

I have no preference on pronouns.

You’re welcome (in advance)! [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 01:20, 5 March 2024 (UTC)
[[Category:Pages to delete]]

Talk:1037: Umwelt

2024-03-04T21:37:57Z

Ilios2357:

Strange, im seeing the aurora one, but im in NC... [[User:Ilios2357|Ilios2357]] ([[User talk:Ilios2357|talk]]) 21:37, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

For the Israel comic, it's not just that interfaith marriage is culturally frowned upon, Israel in fact does not legally recognise interfaith marriages. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.170.65|162.158.170.65]] 11:30, 12 August 2022 (UTC)

I'm surprised nobody mentioned yet that "Umwelt" is the German word for "environment" - both in the sense of "someone's surroundings" as well as in the sense of "nature/ecology".
[[User:Dermaniac|Dermaniac]] ([[User talk:Dermaniac|talk]]) 13:38, 7 June 2022 (UTC)

I live in New York, but I get the snake comic for some reason. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.160.136|172.69.160.136]] 18:41, 19 June 2019 (UTC)

I looked at it in Firefox, and the alt text changed from saying "web browser" to "browser window size" Should we add that?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.59|108.162.238.59]] 18:11, 14 March 2018 (UTC)

Normally I understand xkcd. But this one hurts my head. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 20:35, 15 August 2012 (UTC)
: I sorted all of them out. Phew!!! That was some work. The ones at the end have no appropriate picture in the image part. Atleast the hurricane one should be added. Please do so. [[User:TheOriginalSoni|TheOriginalSoni]] ([[User talk:TheOriginalSoni|talk]]) 11:09, 8 September 2012 (UTC)
:: I live in one of Umwelt's "hurricane areas", and that's the one I see. How do we add it? [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 06:06, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

There is a fixed image used if your browser does not support javascript, which is missing. Additionally, the alt text varies at times. [[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 20:16, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

I can't see any of them neither in Firefox nor in IE :( --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 11:32, 13 October 2012 (UTC)

This has got to be one of my favourite xkcd's! That amount of ingenuity in one edition! [[User:D3KN0W|Dean]] ([[User talk:D3KN0W|talk]]) 22:33, 01 January 2013 (UTC)

There is now also a category page for Jurassic Park, but I'm not sure how to work that into the explanation. [[User:Kaa-ching|Kaa-ching]] ([[User talk:Kaa-ching|talk]]) 09:04, 28 January 2013 (UTC)

I can't resist noting that Chrome is sadly mistaken in thinking that its puzzle piece links up to a corner piece - it would have to be an edge piece to do that. Firefox would never have that kind of issue... [[User:Natf|Natf]] ([[User talk:Natf|talk]])
: Supposedly, if there were a puzzle with inner corners, such as one with a plus cut out of it, this could link up as shown. ... I wanna make a puzzle like that now. [[Special:Contributions/99.44.200.140|99.44.200.140]] 08:00, 1 June 2013 (UTC)

It would be difficult to compile, but I think this page would benefit from having the conditions along with the image (for instance, "Displays when running Netscape:") [[Special:Contributions/24.41.66.114|24.41.66.114]] 03:27, 6 September 2013 (UTC)

Hey, um, I think there is an Animaniacs reference. Namely, the question about hot dogs resembles Yakko's question to the Wally Llama except it dealt with packages of eight and packages of ten. (I forget which is which) {{unsigned ip|71.166.47.84}}

I can see the Hurricane comic and I'm in California. Anyone else getting it from a place not mentioned in the article? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.233|172.68.142.233]] 04:33, 14 December 2018 (UTC)

I came here to seek informartion about how each strip was seen. Disappointed... Especially after seeing there is a hebrew one!?!?!?!? (number 29) Is it real? Because I assume it should be visible from Israel and I can't see it [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.228|141.101.99.228]] 22:26, 30 December 2013 (UTC)

Added two location references to the 2Fast2Furious and Snake comics, with browser references. Anyone know why I got those results? {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.77}}
: I don't, especially since I live in the UK (not Texas) and yet I see the Snake comic? [[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 14:14, 7 April 2014 (UTC)

I found a new one, it seems to display when using TOR. Should I add it? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.60|173.245.49.60]] 02:22, 7 May 2014 (UTC)
:Yes definitely. [[User:Chriswampler|Chriswampler]] ([[User talk:Chriswampler|talk]]) 16:07, 7 May 2014 (UTC)
::The Reviews comic just as appearing under TOR is actually comic #1036. Can you confirm that it is actually showing up under Umwelt? [[User:Chriswampler|Chriswampler]] ([[User talk:Chriswampler|talk]]) 20:34, 7 May 2014 (UTC)
:::Yes. I checked like ten times. I just did it again.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.153|173.245.53.153]] 20:40, 7 May 2014 (UTC)
:Honestly I can't do much explaining. Does anyone get it? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.61|108.162.219.61]] 20:54, 7 May 2014 (UTC)
:For me, using TOR, it displayed the full Aurora comic. [[User:Zorlax the Mighty|Zorlax the Mighty'); DROP TABLE users;--]] ([[User talk:Zorlax the Mighty|talk]]) 17:50, 5 June 2016 (UTC)

Has anyone tested the Steam browser, whatever it is, with this comic? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.66|108.162.219.66]] 18:50, 26 May 2014 (UTC)

I tested the Steam browser and got the "This plugin requires Sergey Brin's permission to run" comic, same as when I use Chrome.[[User:RobotSnake|RobotSnake]] ([[User talk:RobotSnake|talk]]) 18:16, 5 July 2014 (UTC)
:That is because the Steam browser is WebKit/Chromium-based. (Now you know something!)[[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.88|173.245.50.88]] 03:34, 2 September 2014 (UTC)

For the Yahoo Chrome one with Sergey Brin, it reminds me a bit like how German tanks were unable to be moved on D-Day because Hitler, whose order was needed to move them, slept through the first five hours of the batter. It's the same theme of failure due to having only one person able to give permission, and that person being asleep.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.188|173.245.54.188]] 14:53, 19 July 2014 (UTC)

I get Pond on both my laptop (Firefox) and iPhone 3. I live in North Holland. Hope it helps, ask some other Dutch people about it for affirmation. On Opera, I get the turtle one. I should also note that if I make my browser window smaller, the right part of it is cut off. This page is clearly incomplete... -Maplestrip

...Uhm, have you guys ever tried looking at this page in Lynx? Because, seriously, this is amazing. It's basically this entire page. The start in particular is hilarious: "<nowiki>[[two people...]]</nowiki> <<..wait.. <scrolls through a listing of everything> oh goddammit Randall. Thanks a bunch, dude. I better get a raise for typing out all of this>> [[Two people standing next to eachother..." Reading some of this, is this where you got all the transcripts for these comics from? -Maplestrip

In Ireland I get no comic strip loading at all! Just nothing in between the direction buttons, on Chrome or Safari! :/ {{unsigned ip|173.245.53.215}}

Just something I feel should be added to the "Blizzard" comic: it seems to also change the distance measurement (magnitude and system), in the last panel, depending on your location; for instance, the final panel refers to them only having [https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/22279334/Screen%20Shot%202015-03-25%20at%2010.03.06%20PM.png six more kilometres to travel] for me: fitting given that I'm located in central Ontario. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.17|108.162.216.17]] 02:23, 26 March 2015 (UTC)

I'm in Georgia but I still got the Hurricane image. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.187|108.162.238.187]] 14:12, 29 May 2015 (UTC)

I have the "Reviews" one. With Firefox/Linux without referer and without javascript, from France. With javascript I don't have any comic. Edit : I checked, it's because I have the "Reviews" one but inside a <noscript> tag, so it doesn't display when javascript is activated. [[User:Seipas|Seipas]] ([[User talk:Seipas|talk]]) 14:20, 9 December 2015 (UTC)

And now we need Randall to make an Umwelt page for Microsoft Edge.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.61|108.162.221.61]] 02:06, 26 January 2016 (UTC)

Note of interest: Windows 10, Georgia Tech campus in Atlanta, GA. Currently receiving "The Void" on both Chrome and Microsoft Edge unless Javascript is disabled. When disabled, "Reviews" is shown instead. Also: Chrome on HTC One M8 shows "Corporate Networks" with yellow triangle and Google - a combination which incidentally does not seem to be on this page. [[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 05:11, 9 February 2016 (UTC)

I'm on Windows 10 in NJ and I'm getting "Snake" instead of "Hurricane" on Opera, Chrome, Edge and Maxthon. Has this happened to other NJ users, or is "Hurricane" in only some parts on New Jersey? Maybe it's because it's on Windows 10. {{unsigned ip|69.123.50.168}}

I'm in Idaho using Firefox, and I get Reviews whenever I go to this comic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.74|108.162.246.74]] 18:41, 17 April 2016 (UTC)

Should I add to the article that I'm seeing "Snake" on Chrome version 49.0.2623.112 on Windows 8 in Massachusetts? --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.72|108.162.219.72]] 00:13, 29 April 2016 (UTC)
:I posted that comment before I had an account. Now that I'm looking back at this article a year later, I've gone ahead and done it. —[[User:CsBlastoise|CsBlastoise]] ([[User talk:CsBlastoise|talk]]) 22:28, 12 April 2017 (UTC)

I got a variant of the snake one in Ohio using Windows 7 and Google Chrome Version 49.0.2623.112 m. As of now, it should only be visible in "Texas (on Chrome Version 33.0.1750.154 m), New Jersey, California (on Chrome Version 39.0.2171.95), Maryland, Massachusetts (Safari for iOS), Connecticut (Safari for iOS)."[[User:Bbrk24|Bbrk24]] ([[User talk:Bbrk24|talk]]) 16:35, 3 May 2016 (UTC)

I'm getting Plugin Disabled in Safari, Firefox, Safari mobile, Chrome mobile, and the Google app. The only anomaly is Chrome desktop, where I'm getting Tornado (located in "the Midwest"), and I'm all out of browsers. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.72.113|162.158.72.113]] 21:37, 18 June 2016 (UTC)

I get the review strip when sharing http://xkcd.com/1037/ on FB, and the full aurora strip using chrome on my android t-mobile phone [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.89|173.245.48.89]] 17:55, 26 August 2016 (UTC)

I'm in Virginia, but when i look at umwelt in firefox, it gives me the tornado, whith ohio in the third panel, and on chrome, it does aurora, still saying ohio. {{unsigned ip|172.68.78.127}}

== Comic Might Now be Broken? ==

For some reason, this comic does not seem to be working now. It doesn't work on Chrome version 57.0.2987.133 on Windows 8 in Massachusetts, even though it worked a year ago on the very same computer with version 49.0.2623.112 of Chrome in the same location (showing "Snake" then); I tried it on Internet Explorer on the same computer (only because it's the only other browser I have on it), and it didn't work there either; my brother grudgingly agreed to try it on Firefox on his Ubuntu 14.04 machine (in the same room), and we got the same result.

No, I'm not talking about the void; here, there is absolutely no image at all. It seems to be the same as the experience that an anonymous user posted above about two and a half years ago:
<blockquote>In Ireland I get no comic strip loading at all! Just nothing in between the direction buttons, on Chrome or Safari! :/ [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.215|173.245.53.215]] 18:41, 13 November 2014 (UTC) <code>''(Comment was actually unsigned; contributor and timestamp are implied by <nowiki>{{unsigned ip}}</nowiki> template and edit history, respectively)''</code></blockquote>
Now, every time I tried on my computer, the browser said that the page was trying to load unsafe scripts. Maybe this is somehow linked to the fact that within the past few months, Randall (or more likely Davean) made all xkcd links secure (<nowiki>https://</nowiki>), and the now secure nature of the page could be blocking the location- and browser-sensing scripts in the comic itself. However, the comic still didn't work when I opted to "Load Unsafe Scripts", so maybe it isn't that simple.

Also, it might be helpful to note that [[User:Seipas|Seipas]] posted on here that he was having an issue that is probably quite similar to this one:
<blockquote>I have the "Reviews" one. With Firefox/Linux without referer and without javascript, from France. With javascript I don't have any comic. Edit : I checked, it's because I have the "Reviews" one but inside a <noscript> tag, so it doesn't display when javascript is activated. [[User:Seipas|Seipas]] ([[User talk:Seipas|talk]]) 14:20, 9 December 2015 (UTC)</blockquote>
Anyway, with all that said, is there anyone else who is having this issue and/or knows what might be causing it?

—[[User:CsBlastoise|CsBlastoise]] ([[User talk:CsBlastoise|talk]]) 23:48, 12 April 2017 (UTC)

:It has to do with the browser getting scared off by "mixed active content." Mozilla's developers discuss it in more detail here: [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Security/Mixed_content]. In Firefox at least, there's a config change you can make (security.mixed_content.block_active_content) to override this and get the comic to display. (Well, kind of. I'm still getting "The Void," but I'm working on it.) Other browsers can probably be reconfigured likewise, though you should remember to change back when you're done to avoid security problems.. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.94|108.162.216.94]] 03:28, 27 November 2017 (UTC)

when using chromium on ubuntu 16.04 32 bit (yeah yeah yeah) I get no comic loaded, there is no element present. --> http://i.imgur.com/KZwpN8y.png have fun all. -[anon]

I live in Florida and I had the "Lake Diver Killer" comic show up for me in Umwelt. Then it changed to the "Void" comic despite the fact that JavaScript was supported (it was Google Chrome) and now nothing shows up at all. I don't get it.... --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|'''JayRules''XKCD''' ]][[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|what's up?]] 12:25, 12 May 2017 (UTC)

I notified davean, since nobody said doing so. [[User:Musaran|Musaran]] ([[User talk:Musaran|talk]]) 14:26, 29 May 2017 (UTC)

Developer console on Opera 46 shows this error:
GET http://umwelt.xkcd.com/story/ghenkEggov8?callback=waldoCallback&w=796&h=658…%3Dopera%26hs%3DuXE%26gbv%3D1%26sei%3Df5dkWd_9MMiGaJKyibAG&_=1499764695887 503 (Service Unavailable)
So it appears there are problems with the server.
Also, I confirm that disabling Javascript in the browser results in the reviews comic displaying. [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 09:28, 11 July 2017 (UTC)

Israel is incorrect. I ive there and I got Saturday _OHF {{unsigned ip|162.158.90.36}}

Guys it won't even load in my iPad browser, you can't even see the ring now. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 05:45, 6 April 2018 (UTC)

Two buttons and no comic on Chrome 20/10/21, Oxford UK

Istočno Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 24. 10. 2022., Firefox 103.0.2 on Arch Linux desktop - nothing, just the two layers of buttons. Same thing in Private Browsing as well as normal. Inspect [Element] does show the Reviews strip in a <noscript> tag, but nothing appears on the page. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.143|172.68.50.143]] 00:56, 24 October 2022 (UTC)

I have good news: [https://mastodon.social/@chromakode/109531309722997557 Umwelt is being fixed!]

== New location for long Too Quiet? ==

I got the long version of Too Quiet on a Chromebook in Minnesota. The long version only seems to be mentioned for Chrome in Indiana. Can anyone else verify? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.46|162.158.214.46]] 17:09, 2 October 2017 (UTC)

No one thought to mention that the "Snake" has two heads? [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 23:56, 25 September 2021 (UTC)

== accessing XKCD with Netscape Navigator ==

I cannot access XKCD from Netscape 4.7 (i.e. a version from the 1990s), it gives a messagebox "Netscape and this server cannot communicate securely because they have no common encryption algorithm(s)."

Now I can work out what's going on: XKCD is not allowing unencrypted connections / is redirecting plain HTTP requests to the HTTPS version, but the only versions of SSLTLS that NS4 supports are ancient, insecure and prudently not supported by the site itself.

Now, if we assume that it's talking about still using NS ''per se'', not 1990s NS: — the last version of Navigator was NS9, based on FF2.0. In FF2.0, I get "Firefox can't connect securely to xkcd.com because the site uses a security protocol which is not enabled." Looking in the options, it only offers two protocols (SSL 3.0 and TLS 1.0), both of which are enabled.

I therefore have reason to believe that the Navigator Umwelt phenotype can only be accessed by user-agent spoofing, as XKCD and hence Umwelt apparently cannot be accessed from Netscape due to XKCD requiring higher TLS versions than NS offers. -- [[User:HarJIT|HarJIT]] ([[User talk:HarJIT|talk]]) 15:40, 4 August 2018 (UTC)

:Yes, you're right. p.s. shortening the section header to improve the TOC. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 12:04, 20 March 2019 (UTC)

I keep trying to view the comic, but no matter what I try, it won't show me anything - [[User:AnonymousSub61|AnonymousSub61]] ([[User talk:AnonymousSub61|talk]]) 14:51, 25 April 2019 (UTC)

On the Chrome OS in Massachusetts, only two rows of navigational buttons are displayed. It may apply across every state with the chrome OS. 3 June 2021.

Can confirm chrome OS doesn't work in georgia. i think randall forgot to add a bit for browsers/states that support javascript but aren't specifically listed- [[User:Anonia|Anonia]] ([[User talk:Anonia|talk]]) 9:58 21 december 2021

I live in South Korea and use an LG U+ phone, but no comic shows up.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.62|108.162.246.62]] 15:15, 15 February 2022 (UTC)

== new location for aurora??? ==

i get the aurora one even though i'm not in any of the locations shown in that section. i live in madrid, spain

edit: also it shows me the utah version [[User:An user who has no account yet|An user who has no account yet]] ([[User talk:An user who has no account yet|talk]]) 16:34, 5 September 2023 (UTC)

is there an error with the smith college one? none of the people's hair is changed like in the wellesley one.. [[User:JLZ0kTC5|JLZ0kTC5]] ([[User talk:JLZ0kTC5|talk]]) 13:18, 6 October 2023 (UTC)

on uni.xkcd.com, trying to display this comic displays Reviews, the previous comic [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 06:14, 9 October 2023 (UTC)