explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3031: Time Capsule Instructions

2024-12-31T03:45:42Z

Jaap-Jan:

Neither date has a calender suffix, which allows the finder to assume it to be a BC date, which would render the issue… moot.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.102.192|172.71.102.192]] 22:45, 30 December 2024 (UTC)

The answer is simple! Open the box after 2025 (Vikram Samvat calendar) and before 2024 (gregorian) [[User:Nerd1729|Nerd1729]] ([[User talk:Nerd1729|talk]]) 22:49, 30 December 2024 (UTC)

1: Open first box in a GMT+X tz, where is already 2025; 2: Travel to tz GMT+X-Y, where is still 2024, remove second box from inside first box and open it; 3: Wait for the year to turn 2025, close the first box and open it again; 4: Now both first and second boxes were open in the same tz and you can open the third one. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.49.76|162.158.49.76]] 22:50, 30 December 2024 (UTC) auroralimin
:you have overthought this so much but it works surprisingly [[User:Nerd1729|Nerd1729]] ([[User talk:Nerd1729|talk]]) 23:16, 30 December 2024 (UTC)

Open it standing next to a border between time zones, step across, then stand in both?

The third box can be defeated by being at one of the two geographic poles, which have no time zones (or at least, which can't be said to be in any time zone). [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 03:23, 31 December 2024 (UTC)

"WHAT'S IN THE BOX?!" (sorry folks) [[User:Jaap-Jan|Jaap-Jan]] ([[User talk:Jaap-Jan|talk]])

Talk:2962: President Venn Diagram

2024-07-23T07:19:46Z

Jaap-Jan:

Another really timely comic. Biden just dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris yesterday. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 01:58, 23 July 2024 (UTC)

Forget Biden, Hillary and Obama. This is the endorsement that counts. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.23.199|172.68.23.199]] 01:58, 23 July 2024 (UTC)

I suppose no one is allowed to say that the upper right circle is mislabeled. It was supposed to say incompetent, dishonest and despicable. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.25|162.158.90.25]] 02:07, 23 July 2024 (UTC)
:You're allowed to say it, but then we're allowed to suggest (with rather more emperical proof) that her presumptive opponent better fits your rewording. How about we all just don't try to re-run the old arguments (or pre-run the upcoming election) in that sort of tone, eh?
:(To be clear, Randall has made positive comments to his favoured candidate, rather than stooping to arbitrarily attacking their opponent. If you can't at least be as positive in your own convictions then it's really not going to help your cause.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.6|172.69.195.6]] 04:10, 23 July 2024 (UTC)
::First, Harris has more than one opponent, not just within her own party, but in the general election to follow if she’s nominated. Second, the many good qualities of my favo[u]red candidate are irrelevant to this comic, so I didn’t mention ''her''. Third, I didn’t start this political discussion; Randall did, by making a refutable claim in his comic. Lastly, there’s nothing arbitrary about a resident of California pointing out facts about the former attorney general of California that people in other states, such as Massachusetts, might be completely ignorant of. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.253|162.158.186.253]] 05:45, 23 July 2024 (UTC)
: You could say it, but then the box which says 'Kamala Harris' is mislabeled and 'Donald Trump' should be placed in the box above the middle one. [[User:Jaap-Jan|Jaap-Jan]] ([[User talk:Jaap-Jan|talk]]) 07:19, 23 July 2024 (UTC)

Well Kamala, you had a good run. Randall has the touch of death when it comes to picking political candidates. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.39|162.158.154.39]] 03:02, 23 July 2024 (UTC)
:You mean that no candidate endorsed by XKCD has ever won? ;) https://xkcd.com/2383/ [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 04:35, 23 July 2024 (UTC)

Randall angling for VP? [[User:Alcatraz ii|Alcatraz ii]] ([[User talk:Alcatraz ii|talk]]) 02:59, 23 July 2024 (UTC)

I think Randall would be good president. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 03:52, 23 July 2024 (UTC)
:Meh, he seems to at least not be good at public speaking. And from what he says about himself, he would be distracted way too easily. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 04:35, 23 July 2024 (UTC)

The layout of this Venn diagram reminds me of https://xkcd.com/112/ {{unsigned ip|162.158.166.234|03:04, 23 July 2024}}

I think I would probably swap the two. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.174.23|162.158.174.23]] 04:03, 23 July 2024 (UTC)

I would be very interested in which non-Politicians Randall would put into the top middle section. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 04:35, 23 July 2024 (UTC)

I guess Munroe has no issues with questions about ongoing U.S. backed genocides shrugged off with "shrimp and grits!"? {{unsigned|Markifi}}

What really strikes me is that the USA have a (de facto) 2-Party system and still go so much into personal attacks and endorsements, etc. which in my mind could be the decision-making bit between 2 similiar parties in a multi-party system, or 2 equally sympathic parties to me. But in my mind a 2-party system should at least have the upside of actually discussing policy, and voters deciding based on that... --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:30, 23 July 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2951: Bad Map Projection: Exterior Kansas

2024-06-27T07:44:52Z

Jaap-Jan:

Seems weird that it's just the contiguous US, with "hints" about what lies within. I hope Randall will release another version with the rest of the world included.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.61|162.158.158.61]] 03:20, 27 June 2024 (UTC)

Would the center be both poles ''and'' Kansas's antipode? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.27.150|172.68.27.150]] 03:58, 27 June 2024 (UTC)

Including Hawaii would have been the cherry on the cake. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.174|198.41.242.174]] 05:42, 27 June 2024 (UTC)

: As the center of the map corresponds to Kansas' antipode (Kerguelen in the Indian Ocean https://www.geodatos.net/en/antipodes/united-states/kansas-city), Hawaii isn't really "near the center", but rather to the right of the center (in the direction of the "Pacific Ocean" tag). --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.100|162.158.86.100]] 05:58, 27 June 2024 (UTC)

:: Admittedly, I guessed where they would be. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.174.139|172.71.174.139]] 06:09, 27 June 2024 (UTC)

I don't think the middle part is meant to be seen as 'water', just 'out of scope'. [[User:Jaap-Jan|Jaap-Jan]] ([[User talk:Jaap-Jan|talk]]) 07:44, 27 June 2024 (UTC)

== How would the rest of the world look? ==

Currently the center is all water. If I understand correctly the rest of the world could be added, but how would it look? For example, would Europe and Asia cover a good part of the water or would they be tiny specs in the middle (almost making this a world map already)

2746: Launch Window

2023-03-07T07:29:12Z

Jaap-Jan:

{{comic
| number = 2746
| date = March 6, 2023
| title = Launch Window
| image = launch_window_2x.png
| imagesize = 501x256px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "Confirmed, we have to scrub." "Ugh, okay. I'll get the bucket and sponge."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WINDEX-SCRUBBED LAUNCH WINDOW - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A {{w|Launch window}} is a brief period of time in which a spacecraft can be launched from Earth's surface such that the spacecraft can reach its destination with the minimal amount (or an amount lower than a threshhold of acceptance) of energy expenditure.

This comic takes the concept of a "launch window" in a more literal direction, implying that they have an actual (glass?) window that is only open at certain times. One character suggests moving the rocket outside in order to avoid issues that arise from dealing with the window, but gets pushback because moving the rocket outside would cause them to have to deal with more (again, literal) bugs.

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

[First panel: Ponytail and Hairy can be seen sitting behind a console]

Ponytail: The launch window will only be open for another 90 minutes. We may have to scrub.

[Second panel: Slightly zoomed out, left from Ponytail and Hairy, Cueball can be seen behind a console as well]

Cueball: You know, given all our issues with the launch window,

[Third panel: Cueball turns around, facing the others]

Cueball: Have we thought abot moving the rocket outside?

Ponytail: Ugh, no. It's so sunny out.

Hairy: And there are bugs.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Hairy]]

2746: Launch Window

2023-03-07T07:28:55Z

Jaap-Jan:

{{comic
| number = 2746
| date = March 6, 2023
| title = Launch Window
| image = launch_window_2x.png
| imagesize = 501x256px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "Confirmed, we have to scrub." "Ugh, okay. I'll get the bucket and sponge."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WINDEX-SCRUBBED LAUNCH WINDOW - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A {{w|Launch window}} is a brief period of time in which a spacecraft can be launched from Earth's surface such that the spacecraft can reach its destination with the minimal amount (or an amount lower than a threshhold of acceptance) of energy expenditure.

This comic takes the concept of a "launch window" in a more literal direction, implying that they have an actual (glass?) window that is only open at certain times. One character suggests moving the rocket outside in order to avoid issues that arise from dealing with the window, but gets pushback because moving the rocket outside would cause them to have to deal with more (again, literal) bugs.

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

[First panel: Ponytail and Hairy can be seen sitting behind a console]

Ponytail: The launch window will only be open for another 90 minutes. We may have to scrub.

[Second panel: Slightly zoomed out, left from Ponytail and Hairy, Cueball can be seen behind a console as well]

Cueball: You know, given all our issues with the launch window,

[Third panel, Cueball turns around, facing the others]

Cueball: Have we thought abot moving the rocket outside?

Ponytail: Ugh, no. It's so sunny out.

Hairy: And there are bugs.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Hairy]]

2746: Launch Window

2023-03-07T07:27:59Z

Jaap-Jan: Transcript added

{{comic
| number = 2746
| date = March 6, 2023
| title = Launch Window
| image = launch_window_2x.png
| imagesize = 501x256px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "Confirmed, we have to scrub." "Ugh, okay. I'll get the bucket and sponge."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WINDEX-SCRUBBED LAUNCH WINDOW - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A {{w|Launch window}} is a brief period of time in which a spacecraft can be launched from Earth's surface such that the spacecraft can reach its destination with the minimal amount (or an amount lower than a threshhold of acceptance) of energy expenditure.

This comic takes the concept of a "launch window" in a more literal direction, implying that they have an actual (glass?) window that is only open at certain times. One character suggests moving the rocket outside in order to avoid issues that arise from dealing with the window, but gets pushback because moving the rocket outside would cause them to have to deal with more (again, literal) bugs.

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

[First panel: Ponytail and Hairy can be seen sitting behind a console]

Ponytail: The launch window will only be open for another 90 minutes. We may have to scrub.

[Second panel: Slightly zoomed out, left from Ponytail and Hairy, Cueball can be seen behind a console as well]

Cueball: You know, given all our issues with the launch window

[Third panel, Cueball turns around, facing the others]

Cueball: Have we thought abot moving the rocket outside?

Ponytail: Ugh, no. It's so sunny out.

Hairy: And there are bugs.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Hairy]]

2714: Cold Complaints

2022-12-22T07:55:51Z

Jaap-Jan: Undo revision 302986 by CobsonTheGemson (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2714
| date = December 21, 2022
| title = Cold Complaints
| image =
| imagesize = 740x254px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Our investigation into whining-based remedies became the first study to be halted by the IRB on the grounds that the treatment group was 'too annoying.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GIGANTIC WHINING BABY - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

When people are ill, they will often complain about the symptoms that they're suffering from. A common stereotype is that men will revert to infantile behavior when miserably sick. This can be annoying to the people around them, but they typically tolerate such behavior out of compassion. The joke in this comic is that [[Hairy]] spoke via a {{w|telemedicine}} appointment to [[Ponytail]], a medical professional who explicitly advised him to act out, since his condition has no effective medical treatment. He takes her advice to, "act like you're the first person ever to have a cold," literally, stating it specifically when his companion asks about it.

This comic was published during a "tripledemic" in the U.S., involving {{w|COVID-19}}, {{w|influenza}}, and {{w|respiratory syncytial virus}} (RSV, a frequent cause of common colds) infections, the latter of which have no cure other than to wait them out with plenty of rest and fluids. It expounds on the finding that, "talking about troublesome events, including events with which one is dissatisfied, may ... result in improved physiological health." (Kowalski, R.M. (2002) [http://people.uncw.edu/hakanr/documents/whining.pdf "Whining, griping, and complaining: positivity in the negativity"] ''Journal of Clinical Psychology'' '''58'''(9):1023-35.)

The title text describes a similar study, but where the {{w|institutional review board}} (IRB) halted the study because the participants were too annoying. This is ironic since they would be expected to whine annoyingly. IRBs are expected to review the ethics of a research project. Whining is not usually considered dangerous,{{citation needed}} but in this case, it was presumably so intolerable that they had to put a stop to it.

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

:[Hairy sitting on a chair in front of a computer screen. There is an image of Ponytail on the screen speaking.]
:Ponytail: Well, it's not COVID or flu. Probably one of the other viruses.
:Hairy: Ughh

:[A zoomed out version of the image, Ponytail cannot be seen]
:Ponytail: There's not much you can do to speed up recovery other than rest, hydrate, and whine and complain and be a gigantic baby about it.

:[Same as previous panel]
:Hairy: Whine and complain?
:Ponytail: Yeah. You need to act like you're the first person ever to have a cold.

:[Hairy lying on a couch wrapped in a blanket, with a lot of paper tissues around]
:Off-screen voice: Are you '''''sure''''' that's what she said?
:Hairy: Unbelievable. Here I am, the only person ever to feel bad, and you're '''''doubting''''' me?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Doctor Ponytail]]
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]

2714: Cold Complaints

2022-12-22T07:53:54Z

Jaap-Jan: Undo revision 302983 by CobsonTheGemson (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2714
| date = December 21, 2022
| title = Cold Complaints
| image =
| imagesize = 740x254px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Our investigation into whining-based remedies became the first study to be halted by the IRB on the grounds that the treatment group was 'too annoying.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GIGANTIC WHINING BABY - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

When people are ill, they will often complain about the symptoms that they're suffering from. A common sterotype is that men will revert to infantile behavior when miserably sick. This can be annoying to the people around them, but they typically tolerate such behavior out of compassion. The joke in this comic is that [[Hairy]] spoke via a {{w|telemedicine}} appointment to [[Ponytail]], a medical professional who explicitly advised him to act out, since his condition has no effective medical treatment. He takes her advice to, "act like you're the first person ever to have a cold," literally, stating it specifically when his companion asks about it.

This comic was published during a "tripledemic" in the U.S., involving {{w|COVID-19}}, {{w|influenza}}, and {{w|respiratory syncytial virus}} (RSV, a frequent cause of common colds) infections, the latter of which have no cure other than to wait them out with plenty of rest and fluids. It expounds on the finding that, "talking about troublesome events, including events with which one is dissatisfied, may ... result in improved physiological health." (Kowalski, R.M. (2002) [http://people.uncw.edu/hakanr/documents/whining.pdf "Whining, griping, and complaining: positivity in the negativity"] ''Journal of Clinical Psychology'' '''58'''(9):1023-35.)

The title text describes a similar study, but where the {{w|institutional review board}} (IRB) halted the study because the participants were too annoying. This is ironic since they would be expected to whine annoyingly. IRBs are expected to review the ethics of a research project. Whining is not usually considered dangerous,{{citation needed}} but in this case it was presumably so intolerable that they had to put a stop to it.

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

:[Hairy sitting on a chair in front of a computer screen. There is an image of Ponytail on the screen speaking.]
:Ponytail: Well, it's not COVID or flu. Probably one of the other viruses.
:Hairy: Ughh

:[A zoomed out version of the image, Ponytail cannot be seen]
:Ponytail: There's not much you can do to speed up recovery other than rest, hydrate, and whine and complain and be a gigantic baby about it.

:[Same as previous panel]
:Hairy: Whine and complain?
:Ponytail: Yeah. You need to act like you're the first person ever to have a cold.

:[Hairy lying on a couch wrapped in a blanket, with a lot of paper tissues around]
:Off-screen voice: Are you '''''sure''''' that's what she said?
:Hairy: Unbelievable. Here I am, the only person ever to feel bad, and you're '''''doubting''''' me?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Doctor Ponytail]]
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]

2714: Cold Complaints

2022-12-22T07:53:01Z

Jaap-Jan: Undo revision 302981 by CobsonTheGemson (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2714
| date = December 21, 2022
| title = Cold Complaints
| image =
| imagesize = 740x254px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Our investigation into whining-based remedies became the first study to be halted by the IRB on the grounds that the treatment group was 'too annoying.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GIGANTIC WHINING BABY - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

When people are ill, they will often complain about the symptoms that they're suffering from. A common sterotype is that men will revert to infantile behavior when miserably sick. This can be annoying to the people around them, but they typically tolerate such behavior out of compassion. The joke in this comic is that [[Hairy]] spoke via a {{w|telemedicine}} appointment to [[Ponytail]], a medical professional who explicitly advised him to act out, since his condition has no effective medical treatment. He takes her advice to, "act like you're the first person ever to have a cold," literally, stating it specifically when his companion asks about it.

This comic was published during a "tripledemic" in the U.S., involving {{w|COVID-19}}, {{w|influenza}}, and {{w|respiratory syncytial virus}} (RSV, a frequent cause of common colds) infections, the latter of which have no cure other than to wait them out with plenty of rest and fluids. It expounds on the finding that, "talking about troublesome events, including events with which one is dissatisfied, may ... result in improved physiological health." (Kowalski, R.M. (2002) [http://people.uncw.edu/hakanr/documents/whining.pdf "Whining, griping, and complaining: positivity in the negativity"] ''Journal of Clinical Psychology'' '''58'''(9):1023-35.)

The title text describes a similar study, but where the {{w|institutional review board}} (IRB) halted the study because the participants were too annoying. This is ironic since they would be expected to whine annoyingly. IRBs are expected to review the ethics of a research project. Whining is not usually considered dangerous,{{citation needed}} but in this case it was presumably so intolerable that they had to put a stop to it.

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

:[Hairy sitting on a chair in front of a computer screen. There is an image of Ponytail on the screen speaking.]
:Ponytail: Well, it's not COVID or flu. Probably one of the other viruses.
:Hairy: Ughh

:[A zoomed out version of the image, Ponytail cannot be seen]
:Ponytail: There's not much you can do to speed up recovery other than rest, hydrate, and whine and complain and be a gigantic baby about it.

:[Same as previous panel]
:Hairy: Whine and complain?
:Ponytail: Yeah. You need to act like you're the first person ever to have a cold.

:[Hairy lying on a couch wrapped in a blanket, with a lot of paper tissues around]
:Off-screen voice: Are you '''''sure''''' that's what she said?
:Hairy: Unbelievable. Here I am, the only person ever to feel bad, and you're '''''doubting''''' me?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Doctor Ponytail]]
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]

2714: Cold Complaints

2022-12-22T07:50:54Z

Jaap-Jan:

{{comic
| number = 2714
| date = December 21, 2022
| title = Cold Complaints
| image =
| imagesize = 740x254px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Our investigation into whining-based remedies became the first study to be halted by the IRB on the grounds that the treatment group was 'too annoying.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GIGANTIC WHINING BABY - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

When people are ill, they will often complain about the symptoms that they're suffering from. A common sterotype is that men will revert to infantile behavior when miserably sick. This can be annoying to the people around them, but they typically tolerate such behavior out of compassion. The joke in this comic is that [[Hairy]] spoke via a {{w|telemedicine}} appointment to [[Ponytail]], a medical professional who explicitly advised him to act out, since his condition has no effective medical treatment. He takes her advice to, "act like you're the first person ever to have a cold," literally, stating it specifically when his companion asks about it.

This comic was published during a "tripledemic" in the U.S., involving {{w|COVID-19}}, {{w|influenza}}, and {{w|respiratory syncytial virus}} (RSV, a frequent cause of common colds) infections, the latter of which have no cure other than to wait them out with plenty of rest and fluids. It expounds on the finding that, "talking about troublesome events, including events with which one is dissatisfied, may ... result in improved physiological health." (Kowalski, R.M. (2002) [http://people.uncw.edu/hakanr/documents/whining.pdf "Whining, griping, and complaining: positivity in the negativity"] ''Journal of Clinical Psychology'' '''58'''(9):1023-35.)

The title text describes a similar study, but where the {{w|institutional review board}} (IRB) halted the study because the participants were too annoying. This is ironic since they would be expected to whine annoyingly. IRBs are expected to review the ethics of a research project. Whining is not usually considered dangerous,{{citation needed}} but in this case it was presumably so intolerable that they had to put a stop to it.

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

:[Hairy sitting on a chair in front of a computer screen. There is an image of Ponytail on the screen speaking.]
:Ponytail: Well, it's not COVID or flu. Probably one of the other viruses.
:Hairy: Ughh

:[A zoomed out version of the image, Ponytail cannot be seen]
:Ponytail: There's not much you can do to speed up recovery other than rest, hydrate, and whine and complain and be a gigantic baby about it.

:[Same as previous panel]
:Hairy: Whine and complain?
:Ponytail: Yeah. You need to act like you're the first person ever to have a cold.

:[Hairy lying on a couch wrapped in a blanket, with a lot of paper tissues around]
:Off-screen voice: Are you '''''sure''''' that's what she said?
:Hairy: Unbelievable. Here I am, the only person ever to feel bad, and you're '''''doubting''''' me?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Doctor Ponytail]]
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]

2714: Cold Complaints

2022-12-22T07:46:18Z

Jaap-Jan: Undo revision 302966 by CobsonTheGemson (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2714
| date = December 21, 2022
| title = Cold Complaints
| image = cold_complaints.png
| imagesize = 740x254px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Our investigation into whining-based remedies became the first study to be halted by the IRB on the grounds that the treatment group was 'too annoying.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GIGANTIC WHINING BABY - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

When people are ill, they will often complain about the symptoms that they're suffering from. A common sterotype is that men will revert to infantile behavior when miserably sick. This can be annoying to the people around them, but they typically tolerate such behavior out of compassion. The joke in this comic is that [[Hairy]] spoke via a {{w|telemedicine}} appointment to [[Ponytail]], a medical professional who explicitly advised him to act out, since his condition has no effective medical treatment. He takes her advice to, "act like you're the first person ever to have a cold," literally, stating it specifically when his companion asks about it.

This comic was published during a "tripledemic" in the U.S., involving {{w|COVID-19}}, {{w|influenza}}, and {{w|respiratory syncytial virus}} (RSV, a frequent cause of common colds) infections, the latter of which have no cure other than to wait them out with plenty of rest and fluids. It expounds on the finding that, "talking about troublesome events, including events with which one is dissatisfied, may ... result in improved physiological health." (Kowalski, R.M. (2002) [http://people.uncw.edu/hakanr/documents/whining.pdf "Whining, griping, and complaining: positivity in the negativity"] ''Journal of Clinical Psychology'' '''58'''(9):1023-35.)

The title text describes a similar study, but where the {{w|institutional review board}} (IRB) halted the study because the participants were too annoying. This is ironic since they would be expected to whine annoyingly. IRBs are expected to review the ethics of a research project. Whining is not usually considered dangerous,{{citation needed}} but in this case it was presumably so intolerable that they had to put a stop to it.

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

:[Hairy sitting on a chair in front of a computer screen. There is an image of Ponytail on the screen speaking.]
:Ponytail: Well, it's not COVID or flu. Probably one of the other viruses.
:Hairy: Ughh

:[A zoomed out version of the image, Ponytail cannot be seen]
:Ponytail: There's not much you can do to speed up recovery other than rest, hydrate, and whine and complain and be a gigantic baby about it.

:[Same as previous panel]
:Hairy: Whine and complain?
:Ponytail: Yeah. You need to act like you're the first person ever to have a cold.

:[Hairy lying on a couch wrapped in a blanket, with a lot of paper tissues around]
:Off-screen voice: Are you '''''sure''''' that's what she said?
:Hairy: Unbelievable. Here I am, the only person ever to feel bad, and you're '''''doubting''''' me?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Doctor Ponytail]]
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]

2714: Cold Complaints

2022-12-22T07:45:50Z

Jaap-Jan: Undo revision 302962 by CobsonTheGemson (talk)

2714: Cold Complaints

2022-12-22T07:45:14Z

Jaap-Jan: Undo revision 302959 by CobsonTheGemson (talk)

2714: Cold Complaints

2022-12-22T07:44:26Z

Jaap-Jan: Undo revision 302955 by CobsonTheGemson (talk)

2714: Cold Complaints

2022-12-22T07:29:37Z

Jaap-Jan: Undo revision 302923 by Jaap-Jan (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2714
| date = December 21, 2022
| title = Cold Complaints
| image =
| imagesize = 740x254px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Our investigation into whining-based remedies became the first study to be halted by the IRB on the grounds that the treatment group was 'too annoying.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GIGANTIC WHINING BABY - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

When people are ill, they will often complain about the symptoms that they're suffering from. A common sterotype is that men will revert to infantile behavior when miserably sick. This can be annoying to the people around them, but they typically tolerate such behavior out of compassion. The joke in this comic is that [[Hairy]] spoke via a {{w|telemedicine}} appointment to [[Ponytail]], a medical professional who explicitly advised him to act out, since his condition has no effective medical treatment. He takes her advice to, "act like you're the first person ever to have a cold," literally, stating it specifically when his companion asks about it.

This comic was published during a "tripledemic" in the U.S., involving {{w|COVID-19}}, {{w|influenza}}, and {{w|respiratory syncytial virus}} (RSV, a frequent cause of common colds) infections, the latter of which have no cure other than to wait them out with plenty of rest and fluids. It expounds on the finding that, "talking about troublesome events, including events with which one is dissatisfied, may ... result in improved physiological health." (Kowalski, R.M. (2002) [http://people.uncw.edu/hakanr/documents/whining.pdf "Whining, griping, and complaining: positivity in the negativity"] ''Journal of Clinical Psychology'' '''58'''(9):1023-35.)

The title text describes a similar study, but where the {{w|institutional review board}} (IRB) halted the study because the participants were too annoying. This is ironic since they would be expected to whine annoyingly. IRBs are expected to review the ethics of a research project. Whining is not usually considered dangerous,{{citation needed}} but in this case it was presumably so intolerable that they had to put a stop to it.

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

:[Hairy sitting on a chair in front of a computer screen. There is an image of Ponytail on the screen speaking.]
:Ponytail: Well, it's not COVID or flu. Probably one of the other viruses.
:Hairy: Ughh

:[A zoomed out version of the image, Ponytail cannot be seen]
:Ponytail: There's not much you can do to speed up recovery other than rest, hydrate, and whine and complain and be a gigantic baby about it.

:[Same as previous panel]
:Hairy: Whine and complain?
:Ponytail: Yeah. You need to act like you're the first person ever to have a cold.

:[Hairy lying on a couch wrapped in a blanket, with a lot of paper tissues around]
:Off-screen voice: Are you '''''sure''''' that's what she said?
:Hairy: Unbelievable. Here I am, the only person ever to feel bad, and you're '''''doubting''''' me?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Doctor Ponytail]]
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]

2714: Cold Complaints

2022-12-22T07:29:18Z

Jaap-Jan:

2656: Scientific Field Prefixes

2022-08-09T08:24:48Z

Jaap-Jan: Fix case

{{comic
| number = 2656
| date = August 8, 2022
| title = Scientific Field Prefixes
| image = scientific_field_prefixes.png
| titletext = Massage: Theoretical (10), Quantum (6), High-energy (2), Computational (1), Marine (1), Astro- (None)
}}

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

Google Scholar allows searches for both an unquoted and quoted string (e.g. [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=marine+dentistry marine dentistry] vs [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=%22marine+dentistry%22 "marine dentistry"]). In the former case only entries with those exact words in that order will be returned (ignoring capitalization and punctuation marks), in the latter any entry with both of those words somewhere. While this gave opportunities for the humorous point it was not the ideal strategy for actually finding relevant articles. For example the less limited [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=marine+dentistry marine dentistry] search gave over 100 k results, ranging from a book chapter on [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781119545804.ch11 marine mammal dentisty] by way of dental procedures on Marine Corps personnel to uses of the "marine polymer chitosan" in dentistry. And the search for [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=high-energy+theology high-energy theology] give over 15000 entries. Admittedly, most of those only use "high energy" as a generic reinforcement term, but the book "[https://books.google.se/books?hl=en&lr=&id=34YHCAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=high-energy+theology&ots=tI3TtCfBPK&sig=YmnqNK3IXV8sqDtt44tE877cm7k&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=high-energy%20theology&f=false Cosmology, History, and Theology]" actually looks like it could be pertinent to the topic. There is even a paper titled [https://www.proquest.com/openview/8446d9a14d81424f1dfd09615852b5f5/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1819044 " Battlestar Gallactica" and Mormon Theology] which I, in the name of preserving my few remaining SAN points, will not attempt to obtain.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Number of search results on Google Scholar

[ Table containing the results of combining the term on the left with a term on the top]

Theoretical Physics: 3.990.000 
Theoretical Chemistry: 445.000 
Theoretical Biology: 553.000 
Theoretical Engineering: 2.460 
Theoretical Phychology: 15.500 
Theoretical Theology: 726 
Theoretical Dentistry: 41 
Quantum Physics: 478.000 
Quantum Chemistry: 740.000 
Quantum Biology: 7.620 
Quantum Engineering: 21.100 
Quantum Phychology: 699 
Quantum Theology: 447 
Quantum Dentistry: NONE 
High-Energy Physics: 844.000 
High-Energy Chemistry: 9.600 
High-Energy Biology: 3 
High-Energy Engineering: 119 
High-Energy Phychology: 1 
High-Energy Theology: NONE 
High-Energy Dentistry: NONE 
Computational Physics: 510.000 
Computational Chemistry: 599.000 
Computational Biology: 2.910.000 
Computational Engineering: 67.400 
Computational Phychology: 4.620 
Computational Theology: 40 
Computational Dentistry: 11 
Marine Physics: 3.920 
Marine Chemistry: 136.000 
Marine Biology: 945.000 
Marine Engineering: 108.000 
Marine Phychology: 35 
Marine Theology: 6 
Marine Dentistry: 1 
Astrophysics: 2.010.000 
Astrochemistry: 20.600 
Astrobiology: 226.000 
Astroengineering: 430 
Astrophychology: 64 
Astrotheology: 580 
Astrodentistry: NONE 

Potential research opportunities: Quantum Dentistry, High-Energy Dentistry, Astrodentistry and High-Energy Theology

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Engineering]]
[[Category:Psychology]]
[[Category:Scientific research]]

2656: Scientific Field Prefixes

2022-08-09T07:58:55Z

Jaap-Jan: Don't use a table in the transcript

{{comic
| number = 2656
| date = August 8, 2022
| title = Scientific Field Prefixes
| image = scientific_field_prefixes.png
| titletext = Massage: Theoretical (10), Quantum (6), High-energy (2), Computational (1), Marine (1), Astro- (None)
}}

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

Google Scholar allows searches for both an unquoted and quoted string (e.g. [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=marine+dentistry marine dentistry] vs [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=%22marine+dentistry%22 "marine dentistry"]). In the former case only entries with those exact words in that order will be returned (ignoring capitalization and punctuation marks), in the latter any entry with both of those words somewhere. While this gave opportunities for the humorous point it was not the ideal strategy for actually finding relevant articles. For example the less limited [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=marine+dentistry marine dentistry] search gave over 100 k results, ranging from a book chapter on [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781119545804.ch11 marine mammal dentisty] by way of dental procedures on Marine Corps personnel to uses of the "marine polymer chitosan" in dentistry. And the search for [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=high-energy+theology high-energy theology] give over 15000 entries. Admittedly, most of those only use "high energy" as a generic reinforcement term, but the book "[https://books.google.se/books?hl=en&lr=&id=34YHCAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=high-energy+theology&ots=tI3TtCfBPK&sig=YmnqNK3IXV8sqDtt44tE877cm7k&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=high-energy%20theology&f=false Cosmology, History, and Theology]" actually looks like it could be pertinent to the topic. There is even a paper titled [https://www.proquest.com/openview/8446d9a14d81424f1dfd09615852b5f5/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1819044 " Battlestar Gallactica" and Mormon Theology] which I, in the name of preserving my few remaining SAN points, will not attempt to obtain.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Number of search results on Google Scholar

[ Table containing the results of combining the term on the left with a term on the top]

Theoretical Physics: 3.990.000 
Theoretical Chemistry: 445.000 
Theoretical Biology: 553.000 
Theoretical Engineering: 2.460 
Theoretical Phychology: 15.500 
Theoretical Theology: 726 
Theoretical Dentistry: 41 
Quantum Physics: 478.000 
Quantum Chemistry: 740.000 
Quantum Biology: 7.620 
Quantum Engineering: 21.100 
Quantum Phychology: 699 
Quantum Theology: 447 
Quantum Dentistry: NONE 
High-Energy Physics: 844.000 
High-Energy Chemistry: 9.600 
High-Energy Biology: 3 
High-Energy Engineering: 119 
High-Energy Phychology: 1 
High-Energy Theology: NONE 
High-Energy Dentistry: NONE 
Computational Physics: 510.000 
Computational Chemistry: 599.000 
Computational Biology: 2.910.000 
Computational Engineering: 67.400 
Computational Phychology: 4.620 
Computational Theology: 40 
Computational Dentistry: 11 
Marine Physics: 3.920 
Marine Chemistry: 136.000 
Marine Biology: 945.000 
Marine Engineering: 108.000 
Marine Phychology: 35 
Marine Theology: 6 
Marine Dentistry: 1 
Astrophysics: 2.010.000 
Astrochemistry: 20.600 
Astrobiology: 226.000 
Astroengineering: 430 
astrophychology: 64 
astrotheology: 580 
Astrodentistry: NONE 

Potential research opportunities: Quantum Dentistry, High-Energy Dentistry, Astrodentistry and High-Energy Theology

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Engineering]]
[[Category:Psychology]]
[[Category:Scientific research]]

2656: Scientific Field Prefixes

2022-08-09T07:57:18Z

Jaap-Jan: Don't use a table for the transcript

{{comic
| number = 2656
| date = August 8, 2022
| title = Scientific Field Prefixes
| image = scientific_field_prefixes.png
| titletext = Massage: Theoretical (10), Quantum (6), High-energy (2), Computational (1), Marine (1), Astro- (None)
}}

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

Google Scholar allows searches for both an unquoted and quoted string (e.g. [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=marine+dentistry marine dentistry] vs [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=%22marine+dentistry%22 "marine dentistry"]). In the former case only entries with those exact words in that order will be returned (ignoring capitalization and punctuation marks), in the latter any entry with both of those words somewhere. While this gave opportunities for the humorous point it was not the ideal strategy for actually finding relevant articles. For example the less limited [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=marine+dentistry marine dentistry] search gave over 100 k results, ranging from a book chapter on [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781119545804.ch11 marine mammal dentisty] by way of dental procedures on Marine Corps personnel to uses of the "marine polymer chitosan" in dentistry. And the search for [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=high-energy+theology high-energy theology] give over 15000 entries. Admittedly, most of those only use "high energy" as a generic reinforcement term, but the book "[https://books.google.se/books?hl=en&lr=&id=34YHCAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=high-energy+theology&ots=tI3TtCfBPK&sig=YmnqNK3IXV8sqDtt44tE877cm7k&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=high-energy%20theology&f=false Cosmology, History, and Theology]" actually looks like it could be pertinent to the topic. There is even a paper titled [https://www.proquest.com/openview/8446d9a14d81424f1dfd09615852b5f5/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1819044 " Battlestar Gallactica" and Mormon Theology] which I, in the name of preserving my few remaining SAN points, will not attempt to obtain.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Number of search results on Google Scholar

[ Table containing the results of combining the term on the left with a term on the top]

Theoretical Physics: 3.990.000
Theoretical Chemistry: 445.000
Theoretical Biology: 553.000
Theoretical Engineering: 2.460
Theoretical Phychology: 15.500
Theoretical Theology: 726
Theoretical Dentistry: 41
Quantum Physics: 478.000
Quantum Chemistry: 740.000
Quantum Biology: 7.620
Quantum Engineering: 21.100
Quantum Phychology: 699
Quantum Theology: 447
Quantum Dentistry: NONE
High-Energy Physics: 844.000
High-Energy Chemistry: 9.600
High-Energy Biology: 3
High-Energy Engineering: 119
High-Energy Phychology: 1
High-Energy Theology: NONE
High-Energy Dentistry: NONE
Computational Physics: 510.000
Computational Chemistry: 599.000
Computational Biology: 2.910.000
Computational Engineering: 67.400
Computational Phychology: 4.620
Computational Theology: 40
Computational Dentistry: 11
Marine Physics: 3.920
Marine Chemistry: 136.000
Marine Biology: 945.000
Marine Engineering: 108.000
Marine Phychology: 35
Marine Theology: 6
Marine Dentistry: 1
Astrophysics: 2.010.000
Astrochemistry: 20.600
Astrobiology: 226.000
Astroengineering: 430
astrophychology: 64
astrotheology: 580
Astrodentistry: NONE

Potential research opportunities: Quantum Dentistry, High-Energy Dentistry, Astrodentistry and High-Energy Theology

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Engineering]]
[[Category:Psychology]]
[[Category:Scientific research]]

2656: Scientific Field Prefixes

2022-08-09T07:43:43Z

Jaap-Jan: Add transcript

{{comic
| number = 2656
| date = August 8, 2022
| title = Scientific Field Prefixes
| image = scientific_field_prefixes.png
| titletext = Massage: Theoretical (10), Quantum (6), High-energy (2), Computational (1), Marine (1), Astro- (None)
}}

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

Google Scholar allows searches for both an unquoted and quoted string (e.g. [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=marine+dentistry marine dentistry] vs [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=%22marine+dentistry%22 "marine dentistry"]). In the former case only entries with those exact words in that order will be returned (ignoring capitalization and punctuation marks), in the latter any entry with both of those words somewhere. While this gave opportunities for the humorous point it was not the ideal strategy for actually finding relevant articles. For example the less limited [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=marine+dentistry marine dentistry] search gave over 100 k results, ranging from a book chapter on [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781119545804.ch11 marine mammal dentisty] by way of dental procedures on Marine Corps personnel to uses of the "marine polymer chitosan" in dentistry. And the search for [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%252C5&q=high-energy+theology high-energy theology] give over 15000 entries. Admittedly, most of those only use "high energy" as a generic reinforcement term, but the book "[https://books.google.se/books?hl=en&lr=&id=34YHCAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=high-energy+theology&ots=tI3TtCfBPK&sig=YmnqNK3IXV8sqDtt44tE877cm7k&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=high-energy%20theology&f=false Cosmology, History, and Theology]" actually looks like it could be pertinent to the topic. There is even a paper titled [https://www.proquest.com/openview/8446d9a14d81424f1dfd09615852b5f5/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=1819044 " Battlestar Gallactica" and Mormon Theology] which I, in the name of preserving my few remaining SAN points, will not attempt to obtain.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Content is a table. Its title is "Number of search results on Google Scholar". The column headings are "Physics", "Chemistry", "Biology", "Engineering", "Psychology", "Theology", and "Dentistry", row headings are "Theoretical", "Quantum", "High-Energy", "Computational", "Marine", and "Astro-".

Number of search results on Google Scholar

[ Table containing the results of combining the term on the left with a term on the top]

{| class="wikitable"
! !! Physics !! Chemistry !! Biology !! Engineering !! Psychology !! Theology !! Dentistry
|-
| Theoretical || 3990000 || 445000 || 553000 || 2460 || 15500 || 726 || 41
|-
| Quantum || 478000 || 740000 || 7620 || 21100 || 699 || 447 || NONE
|-
| High-Energy || 844000 || 9600 || 3 || 119 || 1 || NONE || NONE
|-
| Computational || 510000 || 599000 || 2910000 || 67400 || 4620 || 40 || 11
|-
| Marine || 3920 || 136000 || 945000 || 108000 || 35 || 6 || 1
|-
| Astro- || 2010000 || 20600 || 226000 || 430 || 64 || 580 || NONE
|-
|}

Potential research opportunities: Quantum Dentistry, High-Energy Dentistry, Astrodentistry and High-Energy Theology

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Engineering]]
[[Category:Psychology]]
[[Category:Scientific research]]

2649: Physics Cost-Saving Tips

2022-07-24T06:16:26Z

Jaap-Jan: Undo revision 290405 by Theusaf hates niggers (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2649
| date = July 22, 2022
| title = Physics Cost-Saving Tips
| image = physics_cost_saving_tips.png
| titletext = I got banned from the county fair for handing out Helium-2 balloons. Apparently the instant massive plasma explosions violated some local ordinance or something.
}}

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

This comic is another one of [[Randall|Randall's]] [[:Category:Tips|Tips]], this time to reduce costs or provide something for free for physicists to save money on their research. None of them would provide any real advantages, even when possible to implement. It continues the previous [[2648: Chemicals]] comic's jocular theme of tricks to supposedly save money based on misinterpretations of science. Saving money from science experiments was also described in [[2007: Brookhaven RHIC]].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" |Cost-Saving Tip
! scope="col" |Explanation
|-
|Try replacing regular vectors with pseudovectors whenever possible
|The prefix "pseudo-" refers to an inauthentic variation of something. Fakes are usually cheaper than their original brand-name product, while often working just as well, so the comic implies a {{w|pseudovector}} could be a less expensive substitute for a regular vector. On the contrary, pseudovectors, or axial vectors, are distinct alternatives to regular {{w|Euclidean vector}}s, the former usually being involved with rotation or physical effects that share properties with rotation, similar to the relationship between angles and lengths. Pseudovectors are formed from the {{w|cross product}}s of Euclidean vectors, and while similar to Euclidean vectors, there is no physical meaning to their specific direction, only their magnitude and portions of their position. For example, {{w|angular momentum}} is described by a pseudovector (labeled 'L' in the comic) {{w|Normal (geometry)|normal}} to the {{w|plane of rotation}}, originating from the center of rotation, with magnitude proportional to the angular velocity ('ω') of rotation multiplied by the {{w|moment of inertia}} (‘I’).
|-
|A square wave can be broken down into an infinite supply of valuable sine waves
|{{w|Fourier analysis}} can decompose any periodic function into a series of {{w|sine wave}}s. A {{w|square wave}} can thereby be represented as the sum of an infinite series of sine waves. However, the sine waves are not removed or separated individually, so such a {{w|Fourier transform}} does not produce a "supply" of sine waves for practical use in any tasks other than analysis, and as abstract mathematical objects exempt from the laws of supply and demand, their value is similarly limited.
|-
|Cut waste by buying lighter isotopes that don't have any dead-weight neutrons
|Chemical elements are identified by the number of protons in each atomic nucleus, equal to the number of electrons in their shell (unless the atom is ionized), which dictates most of their chemical behavior. {{w|Isotopes}} are variants of the element with different numbers of neutrons in the nucleus, among which chemical behavior is usually nearly identical. The comic suggests that the neutrons don't serve any useful purpose, so, in theory, if purchasing an element by weight, and its isotopes have the same price per unit weight, then you can save money by buying isotopes with no neutrons at all. In reality, the cost per unit weight for material containing a larger concentration of normally rare isotopes, such as {{w|heavy water}} or {{w|enriched uranium}}, is much higher than the cost of material containing isotopes in their ordinary proportions. (An exception is {{w|depleted uranium}}, which costs less than regular uranium because it is a byproduct of the production of enriched uranium.) In addition, a certain range of neutron quantity is needed to keep atoms stable, as atoms with too many or too few neutrons will decay more quickly than the common isotopes. The image shown is helium-2, an {{w|Isotopes of helium|isotope of helium}} which has a half-life of less than a nanosecond. It decays into two protons, releasing a large amount of energy—hence the explosion mentioned in the title text.
|-
|Conductors are a great source of free electrons (may carry charges)
|{{w|Charge carrier|Free}} {{w|electron}}s are electrons that are not tightly bound to specific atoms so they can move freely, such as in {{w|conduction band}}s of the {{w|metallic bond}}s throughout the iron ingot depicted in the comic. Randall interprets "free" in a different sense, meaning no cost. The charges free electrons carry are electric, not monetary as implied by the pun.
|}

In the title text [[Randall]] claims to have been banned from the county fair for handing out helium-2 balloons, presumably because of the massive explosions caused by its immediate radioactive decay. He jokes that this, "violated some local ordinance or something." Helium balloons are often given out at county fairs and similar events, but they are filled with helium-4, and therefore inert. If a balloon was filled with helium-2 as the title text suggests, the results would be instantly explosive, comparable to 2,000 kg of {{w|TNT}}. Handing out what are effectively atomic bombs at a county fair would not go down well with any surviving local authorities, so merely being banned is a very mild punishment. Criminal charges such as mass murder and terrorism would be more likely, if it weren't for the sub-nanosecond fuse length rendering the scenario absurdly impossible. For comparison, the {{w|AIR-2 Genie}} nuclear air-to-ground rocket was equivalent to 1.5 kilotons of TNT, {{w|Little Boy|the bomb dropped on Hiroshima}} was about 15 kilotons, and the {{w|2020 Beirut explosion}} was equivalent to between 0.3 and 1.1 kilotons.

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

:[Title]
:Physics Cost-Saving Tips

:[A diagramatical spinning disc, at an angle]
:[It is identified with an 'I', with a dotted axial arrow labelled 'L' and a rotational movement labelled 'ω' (small omega)]
:[It sits on the left, and to the right of this is text...]
:Try replacing regular vectors with pseudovectors whenever possible

:[A square wave with three maxima (between four minima), and arrows pointing down into a collection of five sine waves of different wavelengths]
:[One of the waves having the same frequency as the square wave and the rest of them are of shorter lengths with more peaks and troughs]
:[It sits on the right, and to the left of this is text...]
:A square wave can be broken down into an infinite supply of valuable sine waves

:[Two atomic models]
:[The left containing two protons (white with a "+" sign), two neutrons (black) and orbited by two electrons (small outlines, dotted orbits/movement lines), labelled below with the text of superscript atomic weight and element symbol]
:4He
:[The right model has just the two protons and the two electrons, labelled below with the text of an atomic weight and elemental symbol, and some subtext within brackets]
:2He
:(Decays fast - use quickly)
:[Both models sit on the left of the comic, and to the right is text...]
:Cut waste by buying lighter isotopes that don't have any dead-weight neutrons

:[A flat rectangular bar, drawn in perspective with a scattering of dots/small circles on the top face and on the forward-facing one the label]
:Iron
:[An arrow points to the dots, from the text...]
:Free electrons
:[It sits to the right, and there is text to the left...]
:Conductors are a great source of free electrons
:(May carry charges)

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Tips]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]

List of all comics (3000-3500)

2022-06-15T12:47:03Z

Jaap-Jan: Can't seem to upload file, so remove this and just wait for someone who can

This is the list of comics from '''2501 to {{LATESTCOMIC}}'''.
:For the first 500 comics, see [[List of all comics (1-500)]].
:For comics 501-1000, see [[List of all comics (501-1000)]].
:For comics 1001-1500, see [[List of all comics (1001-1500)]].
:For comics 1501-2000, see [[List of all comics (1501-2000)]].
:For comics 2001-2500, see [[List of all comics (2001-2500)]].
: The whole list is available at [[List of all comics (full)]].

You may also see the list of comics in the order they appeared at the [https://xkcd.com/archive/ xkcd archive].

{| class="wikitable sortable plainlinks table-padding"
|-
!xkcd
!Title
!Talk
!Image
!Date<onlyinclude>
{{comicsrow|2632|2022-06-13|Greatest Scientist|Greatest Scientist.png}}
{{comicsrow|2631|2022-06-10|Exercise Progression|exercise progression.png}}
{{comicsrow|2630|2022-06-08|Shuttle Skeleton|shuttle skeleton.png}}
{{comicsrow|2629|2022-06-06|Or Whatever|or whatever.png}}
{{comicsrow|2628|2022-06-03|Motion Blur|motion blur.png}}
{{comicsrow|2627|2022-06-01|Types of Scopes|types of scopes.png}}
{{comicsrow|2626|2022-05-30|d65536|d65536.png}}
{{comicsrow|2625|2022-05-27|Field Topology|field topology.png}}
{{comicsrow|2624|2022-05-25|Voyager Wires|voyager wires.png}}
{{comicsrow|2623|2022-05-23|Goofs|goofs.png}}
{{comicsrow|2622|2022-05-20|Angular Diameter Turnaround|angular diameter turnaround.png}}
{{comicsrow|2621|2022-05-18|Mainly Known For|mainly known for.png}}
{{comicsrow|2620|2022-05-16|Health Data|health data.png}}
{{comicsrow|2619|2022-05-13|Crêpe|crepe.png}}
{{comicsrow|2618|2022-05-11|Selection Bias|selection bias.png}}
{{comicsrow|2617|2022-05-09|Maps|maps.png}}
{{comicsrow|2616|2022-05-06|Deep End|deep_end.png}}
{{comicsrow|2615|2022-05-04|Welcome Back|welcome_back.png}}
{{comicsrow|2614|2022-05-02|2|2.png}}
{{comicsrow|2613|2022-03-29|Bad Map Projection: Madagascator|bad map projection madagascator.png}}
{{comicsrow|2612|2022-04-27|Lightsabers|lightsabers.png}}
{{comicsrow|2611|2022-04-25|Cutest-Sounding Scientific Effects|cutest sounding scientific effects.png}}
{{comicsrow|2610|2022-04-22|Assigning Numbers|assigning numbers.png}}
{{comicsrow|2609|2022-04-20|Entwives|entwives.png}}
{{comicsrow|2608|2022-04-18|Family Reunion|family reunion.png}}
{{comicsrow|2607|2022-04-15|Geiger Counter|geiger counter.png}}
{{comicsrow|2606|2022-04-13|Weird Unicode Math Symbols|weird unicode math symbols.png}}
{{comicsrow|2605|2022-04-11|Taylor Series|taylor series.png}}
{{comicsrow|2604|2022-04-08|Frankenstein Captcha|frankenstein captcha.png}}
{{comicsrow|2603|2022-04-06|Childhood Toys|childhood toys.png}}
{{comicsrow|2602|2022-04-04|Linguistics Degree|linguistics degree.png}}
{{comicsrow|2601|2022-04-01|Instructions|instructions.png}}
{{comicsrow|2600|2022-03-30|Rejected Question Categories|rejected question categories.png}}
{{comicsrow|2599|2022-03-28|Spacecraft Debris Odds Ratio|spacecraft debris odds ratio.png}}
{{comicsrow|2598|2022-03-25|Graphic Designers|graphic designers.png}}
{{comicsrow|2597|2022-03-23|Salary Negotiation|salary negotiation.png}}
{{comicsrow|2596|2022-03-21|Galaxies|galaxies.png}}
{{comicsrow|2595|2022-03-18|Advanced Techniques|advanced techniques.png}}
{{comicsrow|2594|2022-03-16|Consensus Time|consensus time.png}}
{{comicsrow|2593|2022-03-14|Deviled Eggs|deviled eggs.png}}
{{comicsrow|2592|2022-03-11|False Dichotomy|false dichotomy.png}}
{{comicsrow|2591|2022-03-09|Qua|qua.png}}
{{comicsrow|2590|2022-03-07|I Shouldn't Complain|i shouldnt complain.png}}
{{comicsrow|2589|2022-03-04|Outlet Denier|outlet denier.png}}
{{comicsrow|2588|2022-03-02|Party Quadrants|party quadrants.png}}
{{comicsrow|2587|2022-02-28|For the Sake of Simplicity|for the sake of simplicity.png}}
{{comicsrow|2586|2022-02-25|Greek Letters|greek letters.png}}
{{comicsrow|2585|2022-02-23|Rounding|rounding.png}}
{{comicsrow|2584|2022-02-21|Headline Words|headline words.png}}
{{comicsrow|2583|2022-02-18|Chorded Keyboard|chorded keyboard.png}}
{{comicsrow|2582|2022-02-16|Data Trap|data trap.png}}
{{comicsrow|2581|2022-02-14|Health Stats|health stats.png}}
{{comicsrow|2580|2022-02-11|Rest and Fluids|rest and fluids.png}}
{{comicsrow|2579|2022-02-09|Tractor Beam|tractor beam.png}}
{{comicsrow|2578|2022-02-07|Sword Pull|sword pull.png}}
{{comicsrow|2577|2022-02-04|Sea Chase|sea chase.png}}
{{comicsrow|2576|2022-02-02|Control Group|control group.png}}
{{comicsrow|2575|2022-01-31|What If? 2|what if 2.png}}
{{comicsrow|2574|2022-01-28|Autoresponder|autoresponder.png}}
{{comicsrow|2573|2022-01-26|Alien Mission|alien mission.png}}
{{comicsrow|2572|2022-01-24|Alien Observers|alien observers.png}}
{{comicsrow|2571|2022-01-21|Hydraulic Analogy|hydraulic analogy.png}}
{{comicsrow|2570|2022-01-19|Captain Picard Tea Order|captain picard tea order.png}}
{{comicsrow|2569|2022-01-17|Hypothesis Generation|hypothesis generation.png}}
{{comicsrow|2568|2022-01-14|Spinthariscope|spinthariscope.png}}
{{comicsrow|2567|2022-01-12|Language Development|language development.png}}
{{comicsrow|2566|2022-01-10|Decorative Constants|decorative constants.png}}
{{comicsrow|2565|2022-01-07|Latency|latency.png}}
{{comicsrow|2564|2022-01-05|Sunshield|sunshield.png}}
{{comicsrow|2563|2022-01-03|Throat and Nasal Passages|throat and nasal passages.png}}
{{comicsrow|2562|2021-12-31|Formatting Meeting|formatting meeting.png}}
{{comicsrow|2561|2021-12-29|Moonfall|moonfall.png}}
{{comicsrow|2560|2021-12-27|Confounding Variables|confounding variables.png}}
{{comicsrow|2559|2021-12-24|December 25th Launch|december 25th launch.png}}
{{comicsrow|2558|2021-12-22|Rapid Test Results|rapid test results.png}}
{{comicsrow|2557|2021-12-20|Immunity|immunity.png}}
{{comicsrow|2556|2021-12-17|Turing Complete|turing complete.png}}
{{comicsrow|2555|2021-12-15|Notifications|notifications.png}}
{{comicsrow|2554|2021-12-13|Gift Exchange|gift exchange.png}}
{{comicsrow|2553|2021-12-10|Incident Report|incident report.png}}
{{comicsrow|2552|2021-12-08|The Last Molecule|the last molecule.png}}
{{comicsrow|2551|2021-12-06|Debunking|debunking.png}}
{{comicsrow|2550|2021-12-03|Webb|webb.png}}
{{comicsrow|2549|2021-12-01|Edge Cake|edge cake.png}}
{{comicsrow|2548|2021-11-29|Awful People|awful people.png}}
{{comicsrow|2547|2021-11-26|Siren|siren.png}}
{{comicsrow|2546|2021-11-24|Fiction vs Nonfiction|fiction vs nonfiction.png}}
{{comicsrow|2545|2021-11-22|Bayes' Theorem|bayes theorem.png}}
{{comicsrow|2544|2021-11-19|Heart-Stopping Texts|heart stopping texts.png}}
{{comicsrow|2543|2021-11-17|Never Told Anyone|never told anyone.png}}
{{comicsrow|2542|2021-11-15|Daylight Calendar|daylight calendar.png}}
{{comicsrow|2541|2021-11-12|Occam|occam.png}}
{{comicsrow|2540|2021-11-10|TTSLTSWBD|ttsltswbd.png}}
{{comicsrow|2539|2021-11-08|Flinch|flinch.png}}
{{comicsrow|2538|2021-11-05|Snack|snack.png}}
{{comicsrow|2537|2021-11-03|Painbow Award|painbow award.png}}
{{comicsrow|2536|2021-11-01|Wirecutter|wirecutter.png}}
{{comicsrow|2535|2021-10-29|Common Cold Viruses|common cold viruses.png}}
{{comicsrow|2534|2021-10-27|Retractable Rocket|retractable rocket.png}}
{{comicsrow|2533|2021-10-25|Slope Hypothesis Testing|slope hypothesis testing.png}}
{{comicsrow|2532|2021-10-22|Censored Vaccine Card|censored vaccine card.png}}
{{comicsrow|2531|2021-10-20|Dark Arts|dark arts.png}}
{{comicsrow|2530|2021-10-18|Clinical Trials|clinical trials.png}}
{{comicsrow|2529|2021-10-15|Unsolved Math Problems|unsolved math problems.png}}
{{comicsrow|2528|2021-10-13|Flag Map Sabotage|flag map sabotage.png}}
{{comicsrow|2527|2021-10-11|New Nobel Prizes|new nobel prizes.png}}
{{comicsrow|2526|2021-10-08|TSP vs TBSP|tsp vs tbsp.png}}
{{comicsrow|2525|2021-10-06|Air Travel Packing List|air travel packing list.png}}
{{comicsrow|2524|2021-10-04|Comet Visitor|comet visitor.png}}
{{comicsrow|2523|2021-10-01|Endangered|endangered.png}}
{{comicsrow|2522|2021-09-29|Two-Factor Security Key|two factor security key.png}}
{{comicsrow|2521|2021-09-27|Toothpaste|toothpaste.png}}
{{comicsrow|2520|2021-09-24|Symbols|symbols.png}}
{{comicsrow|2519|2021-09-22|Sloped Border|sloped border.png}}
{{comicsrow|2518|2021-09-20|Lumpers and Splitters|lumpers and splitters.png}}
{{comicsrow|2517|2021-09-17|Rover Replies|rover replies.png}}
{{comicsrow|2516|2021-09-15|Hubble Tension|hubble tension.png}}
{{comicsrow|2515|2021-09-13|Vaccine Research|vaccine research.png}}
{{comicsrow|2514|2021-09-10|Lab Equipment|lab equipment.png}}
{{comicsrow|2513|2021-09-08|Saturn Hexagon|saturn hexagon.png}}
{{comicsrow|2512|2021-09-06|Revelation|revelation.png}}
{{comicsrow|2511|2021-09-03|Recreate the Conditions|recreate the conditions.png}}
{{comicsrow|2510|2021-09-01|Modern Tools|modern tools.png}}
{{comicsrow|2509|2021-08-30|Useful Geometry Formulas|useful geometry formulas.png}}
{{comicsrow|2508|2021-08-27|Circumappendiceal Somectomy|circumappendiceal somectomy.png}}
{{comicsrow|2507|2021-08-25|USV-C|usv c.png}}
{{comicsrow|2506|2021-08-23|Projecting|projecting.png}}
{{comicsrow|2505|2021-08-20|News Story Reaction|news story reaction.png}}
{{comicsrow|2504|2021-08-18|Fissile Raspberry Isotopes|fissile raspberry isotopes 2x.png}}
{{comicsrow|2503|2021-08-16|Memo Spike Connector|memo spike connector.png}}
{{comicsrow|2502|2021-08-13|Every Data Table|every data table.png}}
{{comicsrow|2501|2021-08-11|Average Familiarity|average familiarity.png}}</onlyinclude>
|}

[[Category:Comics| ]]

2613: Bad Map Projection: Madagascator

2022-05-08T06:52:14Z

Jaap-Jan: Undo revision 265045 by 162.158.107.142 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2613
| date = April 29, 2022
| title = Bad Map Projection: Madagascator
| image = bad_map_projection_madagascator.png
| titletext = The projection's north pole is in a small lake on the island of Mahé in the Seychelles, which is off the top of the map and larger than the rest of the Earth's land area combined.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the fifth comic in the series of [[:Category:Bad Map Projections|Bad Map Projections]] displaying Bad Map Projection #248: Madagascator. It came about 10 months after the fourth [[2489: Bad Map Projection: The Greenland Special ]] (#299).

This time, [[Randall]] used the classic {{w|Mercator projection}} but instead of placing the North Pole on top and the South Pole on the bottom it is oriented so that the top is the island of {{w|Mahé, Seychelles|Mahé}}. The map projection is technically a {{w|Oblique Mercator projection}}, with an unusual choice of the cylinder's axis. Since the Mercator projection tends to visually distort areas near the top and bottom of the resulting map, this gives some areas, notably Madagascar, very unusual shapes, hence the name the ''Madagascator'' — a portmanteau of "Madagascar" and "Mercator"!

The Mercator projection became the standard projection for world maps during the 1800s, because a straight line (or {{w|rhumb line}}) in a Mercator map represents a constant bearing relative to true north. Historically, when navigation was performed by compass, this was a very valuable feature, since one (adjusting for the differences between true and magnetic north) could plot a constant-bearing course between two locations by simply looking at their relative direction on the map.

However, in the mid-20th century, the Mercator was {{w|Mercator_projection#Criticism|criticized}} because it causes distortion near the north and south poles of the map, giving an inaccurate impression of relative sizes. The most commonly given example of this is the size of Greenland — although on the Mercator it appears to be larger than Africa in area, Africa in reality covers an area 14 times that of Greenland.

Randall turns this example on its head by making Madagascar, rather than Greenland, appear larger in the ''Madagascator'' than in reality. By contrast with Greenland, the world's largest non-continent island, Madagascar is only the fourth-largest island in the world, behind Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo.

To accomplish this, instead of placing the north pole of the map at the geographic North Pole, Randall places the north pole of the map on the island of Mahé in Seychelles. As Madagascar is relatively close to Mahé (around 650 mi (1050 km) distant), placing the north pole of the Mercator projection at Mahé significantly distorts the size of Madagascar, making it appear comparable in size to Europe on the map.

But this distortion is even more pronounced when it comes to the island of Mahé itself, as Randall notes in the title text.
Although Mahé, the largest island in Seychelles with an area of 60.7 square mi (157.2 square km), is minuscule even compared to Madagascar, the claim in the title text that it appears "larger than the rest of the Earth's land area combined" is an understatement.

No part of Mahé is visible in the comic, but clicking on the actual comic will open a website that displays Mercator projections with a pole in any chosen location, with the location of the one opened set to Mahé. The chosen pole is (infinitely far to) the right of the screen, while its {{w|antipodes|antipode}} is on the left. With this, it is possible to see that the island is indeed larger than the rest of the map's land area combined. A single national park within the island rivals Africa in size, and the narrow dirt road closest to the pole appears thicker than Panama. This also reveals that the location of the map's north pole (the "small lake" mentioned by Randall) is the lake impounded by the Rochon Dam, a popular tourist location in Mahé.

Unlike previous Bad Map Projections, Morocco and Western Sahara are drawn as one unlabelled country.

===Comparison of actual/mapped areas===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Landmass
! Status
! data-sort-type="number"|Actual Area<ref name="act">Major contiguous land areas that should exclude all islands, ''especially'' major ones, '''''especially''''' especially those listed separately</ref> (Millions of Km²)
! data-sort-type="number"|Proportion Land Area
! data-sort-type="number"|Proportion Image Area<ref name="pri">Of only these listed areas listed</ref>
! data-sort-type="number"|Distortion<ref name="dis">NB. Difference between percentages, rather than percentage difference</ref>
|-
| Africa<ref name="suez">Edge at Suez Canal</ref> || data-sort-value="C2"|Continent 2nd largest || 29.7 || 19.95% || 35% || +15.1%
|-
| Eurasia<ref name="suez" /> || data-sort-value="C1"|Continent Largest || 53.4 || 35.83% || 30% || -5.83%
|-
| North America<ref name="pan">Edge at Panama Canal</ref> || data-sort-value="C3"|Continent 3rd largest || 19.3 || 12.96% || 15% || +2.04%
|-
| South America<ref name="pan" /> || data-sort-value="C4"|Continent 4th largest || 17.8 || 11.96% || 7.8% || -4.16%
|-
| Antarctica<ref name="ice">Significant ice-sheets may complicate mapped/actual 'land' areas</ref> || data-sort-value="C5"|Continent 5th largest || 14.2 || 9.53% || 5.3% || -4.23%
|-
| Madagascar || data-sort-value="I04"|Island 4th largest || 0.592 || 0.40% || 2.9% || +2.50%
|-
| Australia || data-sort-value="C7"|Continent Smallest || 7.55 || 5.07% || 2.5% || -2.57%
|-
| Greenland<ref name="ice" /> || data-sort-value="I01"|Island Largest || 2.17 || 1.45% || 0.87% || -0.58%
|-
| Borneo || data-sort-value="I03"|Island 3rd largest || 0.749 || 0.50% || 0.37% || -0.13%
|-
| New Guinea || data-sort-value="I02"|Island 2nd largest || 0.786 || 0.53% || 0.32% || -0.21%
|-
| Japan<ref name="hon">Honshu only</ref> || data-sort-value="I07"|Island 7th largest || 0.228 || 0.15% || 0.10% || -0.05%
|-
| Mainland Britain || data-sort-value="I09"|Island 9th largest || 0.209 || 0.14% || 0.10% || -0.04%
|-
| Island of Ireland || data-sort-value="I20"|Island 20th largest || 0.082 || 0.05% || 0.03% || -0.02%
|}

<references/>

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Bad map projection #248: Madagascator

Mercator projection but with the North Pole in the Indian Ocean so it exaggerates the size of Madagascar instead of Greenland. Various countries and oceans are labeled, and country borders are shown.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Bad Map Projections]]

2613: Bad Map Projection: Madagascator

2022-05-02T21:18:58Z

Jaap-Jan: Undo revision 231897 by The author of xkcd (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2613
| date = April 29, 2022
| title = Bad Map Projection: Madagascator
| image = bad_map_projection_madagascator.png
| titletext = The projection's north pole is in a small lake on the island of Mahé in the Seychelles, which is off the top of the map and larger than the rest of the Earth's land area combined.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the fifth comic in the series of [[:Category:Bad Map Projections|Bad Map Projections]] displaying Bad Map Projection #248: Madagascator. It came about 10 months after the fourth [[2489: Bad Map Projection: The Greenland Special ]] (#299).

This time, [[Randall]] used the classic {{w|Mercator projection}} but instead of placing the North Pole on top and the South Pole on the bottom it is oriented so that the top is the island of {{w|Mahé, Seychelles|Mahé}}. The map projection is technically a {{w|Oblique Mercator projection}}, with an unusual choice of the cylinder's axis. Since the Mercator projection tends to visually distort areas near the top and bottom of the resulting map, this gives some areas, notably Madagascar, very unusual shapes, hence the name the ''Madagascator''!

The Mercator projection became the standard projection for world maps during the 1800s because it is ''conformal of normal aspect'': a {{w|rhumb line}} is displayed as a straight line in a Mercator map. A rhumb line is roughly a straight line near the equator, but is very curved near the poles. During the age of sail, when navigation was performed by compass - this was a very valuable feature, since one could plot a course between two locations by measuring the direction from one to another on the map and then accounting for the difference between the magnetic and actual north poles to determine which rhumb should be taken. In the mid-20th century this trend was {{w|Mercator_projection#Criticism|criticized}} because the distortion towards the north and south poles gave an inaccurate impression of relative sizes. The most common example given of this distortion is that on a Mercator map of the world Greenland looks to have more area than Africa, when in real life Africa covers 14 times that of Greenland. Thus the reference to making Madagascar larger in this projection. Madagascar is a large island off the south east coast of the main African continent, but has only a quarter the coverage of Greenland. Greenland is often listed as the largest island in the world (which excludes continents in their own right, e.g. Australia) followed by New Guinea, Borneo and then Madagascar in fourth place.

Mahé, mentioned in the title text as the north pole's new location, is the largest island in Seychelles, with an area of 60.7 square miles. The claim in the title text that it is "larger than the rest of the Earth's land area combined", is an understatement, since the poles in the Mercator projection are infinitely far away the area occupied by Mahé in this projection is infinite. However no part of Mahé is visible on the comic.

Clicking on the actual comic will open a website that displays Mercator projections with a pole in any chosen location, with the location of the one opened set to Mahé. The chosen pole is (infinitely far to) the right of the screen, while its {{w|antipodes|antipode}} is on the left. With this, it is possible to see that the island is indeed larger than the rest of the map's land area combined, with a single national park within the island rivalling Africa in size, and at the site's cut-off point reaching a scale of distortion where a road is thicker than Panama. This also reveals that the location of the North Pole, the lake mentioned by Randall, is the Rochon Dam.

Unlike previous Bad Map Projections, Morocco and Western Sahara are drawn as one unlabelled country.

===Comparison of actual/mapped areas===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Landmass
! Status
! data-sort-type="number"|Actual Area<ref name="act">Major contiguous land areas that should exclude all islands, ''especially'' major ones, '''''especially''''' especially those listed separately</ref> (Millions of Km²)
! data-sort-type="number"|Proportion Land Area
! data-sort-type="number"|Proportion Image Area<ref name="pri">Of only these listed areas listed</ref>
! data-sort-type="number"|Distortion<ref name="dis">NB. Difference between percentages, rather than percentage difference</ref>
|-
| Africa<ref name="suez">Edge at Suez Canal</ref> || data-sort-value="C2"|Continent 2nd largest || 29.7 || 19.95% || 35% || +15.1%
|-
| Eurasia<ref name="suez" /> || data-sort-value="C1"|Continent Largest || 53.4 || 35.83% || 30% || -5.83%
|-
| North America<ref name="pan">Edge at Panama Canal</ref> || data-sort-value="C3"|Continent 3rd largest || 19.3 || 12.96% || 15% || +2.04%
|-
| South America<ref name="pan" /> || data-sort-value="C4"|Continent 4th largest || 17.8 || 11.96% || 7.8% || -4.16%
|-
| Antarctica<ref name="ice">Significant ice-sheets may complicate mapped/actual 'land' areas</ref> || data-sort-value="C5"|Continent 5th largest || 14.2 || 9.53% || 5.3% || -4.23%
|-
| Madagascar || data-sort-value="I04"|Island 4th largest || 0.592 || 0.40% || 2.9% || +2.50%
|-
| Australia || data-sort-value="C7"|Continent Smallest || 7.55 || 5.07% || 2.5% || -2.57%
|-
| Greenland<ref name="ice" /> || data-sort-value="I01"|Island Largest || 2.17 || 1.45% || 0.87% || -0.58%
|-
| Borneo || data-sort-value="I03"|Island 3rd largest || 0.749 || 0.50% || 0.37% || -0.13%
|-
| New Guinea || data-sort-value="I02"|Island 2nd largest || 0.786 || 0.53% || 0.32% || -0.21%
|-
| Japan<ref name="hon">Honshu only</ref> || data-sort-value="I07"|Island 7th largest || 0.228 || 0.15% || 0.10% || -0.05%
|-
| Mainland Britain || data-sort-value="I09"|Island 9th largest || 0.209 || 0.14% || 0.10% || -0.04%
|-
| Island of Ireland || data-sort-value="I20"|Island 20th largest || 0.082 || 0.05% || 0.03% || -0.02%
|}

<references/>

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Bad map projection #248: Madagascator

Mercator projection but with the North Pole in the Indian Ocean so it exaggerates the size of Madagascar instead of Greenland. Various countries and oceans are labeled, and country borders are shown.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Bad Map Projections]]

2371: Election Screen Time

2020-10-13T11:07:18Z

Jaap-Jan: /* Transcript */ Add space between bar and time

{{comic
| number = 2371
| date = October 12, 2020
| title = Election Screen Time
| image = election_screen_time.png
| titletext = Feels like I picked a bad year to try to start having a healthy relationship with political news.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A SCREEN TIME REPORT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Cueball has an app on his phone which informs him of the time spent staying informed about politics compared to the time he has spent reading election updates. The comic reflects that most people spend a lot of time consuming news speculating about who will win the upcoming election, even though reading these "updates" will have no impact on the election because people are unlikely to change their minds because of them. People spend very little time researching information that will allow them to make informed decisions about voting, which is an important civic duty. In addition, a recent article in the Atlantic says that "[https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/10/reading-too-much-political-news-bad-happiness/616651/ Reading Too Much Political News Is Bad for Your Well-Being]".

The title text suggests regret about the time spent consuming political news, possibly reflecting the sentiment that the {{w|2020 United States presidential election}} has been especially divisive with little productive dialogue.

==Transcript==

[Cueball is looking at his phone screen time report. The screen appears above his head]

Screen Time Report
:Staying informed about politics like a good civic-minded person
:.. 26m
 
:Reading election updates that won't affect your actions in any way but slightly improve your knowledge about what's going to happen in a few weeks
:................................................. 9h14m

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Phones]]

1180: Virus Venn Diagram

2013-03-04T10:24:45Z

Jaap-Jan: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1180
| date = March 1, 2013
| title = Virus Venn Diagram
| image = virus venn diagram.png
| titletext = Within five minutes of the Singularity appearing, somebody will suggest defragging it.
}}

==Explanation==
Randall uses an {{w|Euler diagram}} (technically not a {{w|Venn diagram}}) to make fun of clueless computer users. A common response to any computer problem is: "Maybe it has a {{w|Computer virus|virus}}?". The circles in the Euler diagram don't overlap (like they usually do), meaning: 1) Problems that people suspect are virus-caused are never virus-caused. 2) Problems that are actually virus-caused are never suspected by people to be caused by a virus.

The title text refers to the {{w|technological singularity}}, a hypothetical point in the future when {{w|superintelligence}} emerges in computers, so that they can build new computers with ever increasing intelligence. It is seen as impossible to predict what would happen beyond this point; hence the term "singularity". ([[1084: Server Problem]] makes a joke on this.)

"Defragging" is short for {{w|disk defragmentation}}, an easy, user-friendly action that PC users can undertake to supposedly make their computers run faster. It is therefore a common all-round recommendation to do this, regardless of the problem. [[Randall]] suggests the same clueless users would encounter the singularity and attempt defragging. It probably won't help much.

==Transcript==
:[Venn diagram with two circles that don't intersect.]
:Green circle: Computer problems that make people say, "Maybe it has a virus?"
:Blue circle: Computer problems caused by viruses

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Computers]]

Talk:1178: Pickup Artists

2013-02-25T16:57:38Z

Jaap-Jan:

Oh my God, this one's brilliant. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 06:53, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
:I did not get it. Waiting for explanation. [[Special:Contributions/95.35.63.243|95.35.63.243]] 07:43, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
:See also comic #1027 [[Special:Contributions/65.49.14.70|65.49.14.70]] 10:47, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
Added an explanation for the title text, but it's probably too wordy and not very clear. Anyone have any suggestions? [[User:Cornarias|Cornarias]] ([[User talk:Cornarias|talk]]) 11:07, 25 February 2013 (UTC)

Umm... "The pun lies in the fact that a pickup basketball player becomes skilled at basketball."
I thought the pun was on the word "artist" meaning someone that does...art. The same goes with the "friend zone" explanation. It doesn't seem like disbelief, but rather that there is a "place to meet friends" or "a place that friends go to hang out" (in other words, "a zone of friends"). So the joke is that the world seems happier because you think the words are describing subjectively better things than they actually are. But that's just my take on the comic. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 11:11, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
:P.S. This is a Saturday comic? [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 11:19, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
::Not anymore. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:21, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
:Al right, just change it then. :) [[User:Jaap-Jan|Jaap-Jan]] ([[User talk:Jaap-Jan|talk]]) 14:33, 25 February 2013 (UTC)

I think it's time we give the other guy a name. What about Sleezy Guy? [[User:ChrisFortyTwo|ChrisFortyTwo]] ([[User talk:ChrisFortyTwo|talk]])
:Seconded. I remember he's been named Harry in the past. A quick search brings up [[1028]]. He's appeared quite a bit now, and he probably should be named. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 12:54, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
::Thirded. But maybe something a bit nicer sounding. [[User:Cornarias|Cornarias]] ([[User talk:Cornarias|talk]]) 13:49, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
:::Fourthed. And changed to 'Harry'. Should we add a tag as well? [[User:Jaap-Jan|Jaap-Jan]] ([[User talk:Jaap-Jan|talk]]) 14:33, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
::::That would probably have to go through due process via [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals]], but it should go through quickly enough, given how often Harry appears. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:42, 25 February 2013 (UTC)

Beret Guy is right, a day of Pickup Art sounds like a lot of fun. Everybody pack their sketchbooks, pastels and watercolours, wander around town till they find interesting vignettes or vistas, everyone sketch and paint without showing each other till picnic time. At PT, all pull out their packed lunches and eat and enjoy each other's efforts. He'll, this sounds 1000% better than almost every pub outing I have ever had.[[Special:Contributions/24.79.11.46|24.79.11.46]] 13:00, 25 February 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1178: Pickup Artists

2013-02-25T14:33:32Z

Jaap-Jan:

Oh my God, this one's brilliant. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 06:53, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
:I did not get it. Waiting for explanation. [[Special:Contributions/95.35.63.243|95.35.63.243]] 07:43, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
:See also comic #1027 [[Special:Contributions/65.49.14.70|65.49.14.70]] 10:47, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
Added an explanation for the title text, but it's probably too wordy and not very clear. Anyone have any suggestions? [[User:Cornarias|Cornarias]] ([[User talk:Cornarias|talk]]) 11:07, 25 February 2013 (UTC)

Umm... "The pun lies in the fact that a pickup basketball player becomes skilled at basketball."
I thought the pun was on the word "artist" meaning someone that does...art. The same goes with the "friend zone" explanation. It doesn't seem like disbelief, but rather that there is a "place to meet friends" or "a place that friends go to hang out" (in other words, "a zone of friends"). So the joke is that the world seems happier because you think the words are describing subjectively better things than they actually are. But that's just my take on the comic. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 11:11, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
:P.S. This is a Saturday comic? [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 11:19, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
:Al right, just change it then. :) [[User:Jaap-Jan|Jaap-Jan]] ([[User talk:Jaap-Jan|talk]]) 14:33, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
::Not anymore. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:21, 25 February 2013 (UTC)

I think it's time we give the other guy a name. What about Sleezy Guy? [[User:ChrisFortyTwo|ChrisFortyTwo]] ([[User talk:ChrisFortyTwo|talk]])
:Seconded. I remember he's been named Harry in the past. A quick search brings up [[1028]]. He's appeared quite a bit now, and he probably should be named. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 12:54, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
::Thirded. But maybe something a bit nicer sounding. [[User:Cornarias|Cornarias]] ([[User talk:Cornarias|talk]]) 13:49, 25 February 2013 (UTC)
:::Fourthed. And changed to 'Harry'. Should we add a tag as well? [[User:Jaap-Jan|Jaap-Jan]] ([[User talk:Jaap-Jan|talk]]) 14:33, 25 February 2013 (UTC)

Beret Guy is right, a day of Pickup Art sounds like a lot of fun. Everybody pack their sketchbooks, pastels and watercolours, wander around town till they find interesting vignettes or vistas, everyone sketch and paint without showing each other till picnic time. At PT, all pull out their packed lunches and eat and enjoy each other's efforts. He'll, this sounds 1000% better than almost every pub outing I have ever had.[[Special:Contributions/24.79.11.46|24.79.11.46]] 13:00, 25 February 2013 (UTC)

1178: Pickup Artists

2013-02-25T14:30:52Z

Jaap-Jan: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1178
| date = February 25, 2013
| title = Pickup Artists
| image = pickup artists.png
| titletext = It sounds like a great way to make friends! Is it near that Friend Zone you keep talking about? I wanna go!
}}

==Explanation==
A {{w|pickup artist}} is a person who considers himself skilled at at picking up (finding, attracting and seducing) women, through various psychological tactics and tricks. [[Randall]] clearly does not see this as a healthy attitude towards women, something he elaborated on in [[1027: Pickup Artist]]. The character with the hair is also featured in this comic.

Pickup basketball is like regular basketball, the difference being that in pickup basketball, two team captains pick the players they want as their team members. It's the way a basketball game can start on a local playground or at school.

A pickup basketball player becomes good at basketball. Maybe Beret Guy thinks (or wants to think) that pickup artists likewise becomes skilled at {{w|art|artistry}}, like the {{w|visual arts}}.

The title text also shows Beret Guy's (pretended?) belief that the "{{w|friend zone}}" is a physical place. The "friend zone" refers to the state of a relationship in which one part has romantic interests, but the other person only wants to be friends. Once the friend zone is established, it is said to be difficult to try to move beyond that point into a romantic relationship, because one doesn't want to ruin the friendship.

==Transcript==
:Beret Guy: What've you been up to lately?
:Harry: I've been hanging out with some pickup artists. I'm learning a lot!
:Beret Guy: Oh, that sounds like fun!

:The world seems like a happier place if you think "pickup artist" is like "pickup basketball player".

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]

1178: Pickup Artists

2013-02-25T10:04:12Z

Jaap-Jan: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1178
| date = February 25, 2012
| title = Pickup Artists
| image = pickup artists.png
| titletext = It sounds like a great way to make friends! Is it near that Friend Zone you keep talking about? I wanna go!
}}

==Explanation==
A {{w|Pickup artist}} is a person who is skilled at picking up (find, attracting and seducing) women. A pickup artist takes time for his looks, has good social skills and has knowledge of routines which help to make the artist come across as attractive. Sometimes pickup artists teach other persons how to become better skilled at pickup up women themselves. However, there is a lot of negativity from the general public towards pickup artist. They are perceived as being immoral, sexist and self-centered.

Pickup basketball is like regular basketball, the difference being that in pickup basketball, two team captains pick the players they want as their team members. It's the way a basketball game starts on a local playground or at school. The other difference between pickup basketball and regular basketball is that there is no referee, so a player calls his own fouls.

The pun lies in the fact that a pickup basketball player becomes skilled at basketball and a person who takes lessons from a pickup artist becomes skilled at picking up women. But pickup basketball isn't as contriversial as pickup artists, so Beret Guy has found a way to make something positive about something considered negative.

==Transcript==
:Beret Guy: What've you been up to lately?
:Person 2: I've been hanging out with some pickup artists. I'm learning a lot!
:Beret Guy: Oh, that sounds like fun!

:The world seems like a happier place if you think "pickup artist" is like "pickup basketball player".

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]

1178: Pickup Artists

2013-02-25T09:55:20Z

Jaap-Jan: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1178
| date = February 25, 2012
| title = Pickup Artists
| image = pickup artists.png
| titletext = It sounds like a great way to make friends! Is it near that Friend Zone you keep talking about? I wanna go!
}}

==Explanation==
A {{w|Pickup artist}} is a person who is skilled at picking up (find, attracting and seducing) women. A pickup artist takes time for his looks, has good social skills and has knowledge of routines which help to make the artist come across as attractive. Sometimes pickup artists teach other persons how to become better skilled at pickup up women themselves. However, there is a lot of negativity from the general public towards pickup artist. They are perceived as being immoral, sexist and self-centered.

Pickup basketball is like regular basketball, the difference is that in pickup basketball two team captains pick the players they want as their team members. It's the way a basketball game start on a local playground or at school. The other difference between pickup basketball and regular basketball is that there is no referee, so a player calls his own fouls.

The pun lies in the fact that a pickup basketball player becomes skilled at basketball and a person who takes lessons from a pickup artist becomes skilled at picking up women.

==Transcript==
:Beret Guy: What've you been up to lately?
:Person 2: I've been hanging out with some pickup artists. I'm learning a lot!
:Beret Guy: Oh, that sounds like fun!

:Caption: The world seems like a happier place if you think "pickup artist" is like "pickup basketball player".

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]

1178: Pickup Artists

2013-02-25T09:26:04Z

Jaap-Jan: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1178
| date = February 25, 2012
| title = Pickup Artists
| image = pickup artists.png
| titletext = It sounds like a great way to make friends! Is it near that Friend Zone you keep talking about? I wanna go!
}}

==Explanation==

==Transcript==
:Beret Guy: What've you been up to lately?
:Person 2: I've been hanging out with some pickup artists. I'm learning a lot!
:Beret Guy: Oh, that sounds like fun!

:Caption: The world seems like a happier place if you think "pickup artist" is like "pickup basketball player".

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]

1178: Pickup Artists

2013-02-25T09:25:52Z

Jaap-Jan: /* Explanation */

1178: Pickup Artists

2013-02-25T09:24:03Z

Jaap-Jan: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1178
| date = February 25, 2012
| title = Pickup Artists
| image = pickup artists.png
| titletext = It sounds like a great way to make friends! Is it near that Friend Zone you keep talking about? I wanna go!
}}

==Explanation==
:Beret Guy: What've you been up to lately?
:Person 2: I've been hanging out with some pickup artists. I'm learning a lot!
:Beret Guy: Oh, that sounds like fun!

:Caption: The world seems like a happier place if you think "pickup artist" is like "pickup basketball player".

==Transcript==
:

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]

Talk:1173: Steroids

2013-02-13T12:13:54Z

Jaap-Jan:

Does anyone know what that 'something' is? That's what I came here to find out... :/ --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 11:57, 13 February 2013 (UTC)

:I had a lot of ideas, but I don't know. It might be a molecule, some sort of portal transmitting sound, a star, a future life form.
:--[[User:Jaap-Jan|Jaap-Jan]] ([[User talk:Jaap-Jan|talk]]) 12:13, 13 February 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1173: Steroids

2013-02-13T12:13:24Z

Jaap-Jan:

Does anyone know what that 'something' is? That's what I came here to find out... :/ --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 11:57, 13 February 2013 (UTC)

:I had a lot of ideas, but I don't know. It might be a molecule, some sort of portal transmitting sound, a star, a future life form.
[[User:Jaap-Jan|Jaap-Jan]] ([[User talk:Jaap-Jan|talk]]) 12:13, 13 February 2013 (UTC)

1173

2013-02-13T10:42:29Z

Jaap-Jan: Redirected page to 1173: Steroids

#REDIRECT [[1173: Steroids]]

1173: Steroids

2013-02-13T10:41:41Z

Jaap-Jan: Created page with "{{comic | number = 1173 | date = February 13, 2013 | title = Steroids | image = steroids.png | titletext = A human is a system for converting dust billions of ..."

{{comic
| number = 1173
| date = February 13, 2013
| title = Steroids
| image = steroids.png
| titletext = A human is a system for converting dust billions of years ago into dust billions of years from now via a roundabout process which involves checking email a lot.
}}

==Explanation==
:This comic is about doping usage to enhance one's performance. Possibly relating to {{w|Lance Armstrong}}, which has recently confessed his doping usage on television to {{w|Oprah Winfrey}}.
:The comic states that humans are essentially chemicals, which need other chemicals to survive. Humans also have a need for competition to find out which person is the fastest and strongest. But there also is an artificial boundary about which chemicals humans may or may not take in to be the strongest or fastest.

==Transcript==
[Megan is talking to something which has a black spot in the center and six rays in a star- shaped form]
:Something: Explain to me this "steroid scandal."
:Megan: Well, uh... We humans are sacks of chemicals which stay alive by finding other chemicals and putting them inside us.
:Megan: We hold contests to see which humans are fastest and strongest.
:Megan: But some humans eat chemicals that make then ''too'' fast and strong.
:Megan: And they '''win contests'''!
:Something: That does sound bad.
:Megan: It's awful!
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Biology]]

1173

2013-02-13T10:39:27Z

Jaap-Jan: Created page with "{{comic | number = 1173 | date = February 13, 2013 | title = Steroids | image = steroids.png | titletext = A human is a system for converting dust billions of ..."

File:steroids.png

2013-02-13T10:03:37Z

Jaap-Jan:

== Licensing ==
{{XKCD file}}

1123: The Universal Label

2012-10-19T07:20:15Z

Jaap-Jan:

{{comic
| number = 1123
| date = October 19, 2012
| title = The Universal Label
| image = the universal label.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Works for any grocery or non-grocery. Even thyme is just H and time.
}}

==Explanation==
All matter in the universe was created through nuclear fusion of hydrogen atoms over billions of years. In many countries, food products must have their ingredients displayed somewhere on their packaging. Because all matter was originally created from hydrogen over time, any food item can technically include hydrogen and time on their ingredients list.

The title text is a pun on the words thyme and time, as the two words are homophones. Also, the H is the chemical symbol of hydrogen.

==Transcript==
:'''Ingredients:'''
:Hydrogen, Time

{{comic discussion}}