explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3143: Question Mark

2025-09-21T08:26:50Z

Jerodast: Charlie's Angels wooo

Surely it should read CharlieApostraphe’s Angels, right? [[User:KelOfTheStars!|KelOfTheStars!]] ([[User talk:KelOfTheStars!|talk]]) 02:30, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
:You apostrophe re almast right period. tilde tilde tilde tilde [[Special:Contributions/2607:FB91:7914:D333:3D03:FB75:B160:75F4|2607:FB91:7914:D333:3D03:FB75:B160:75F4]] 03:08, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
::You still have to put the punctuation mark after the word open parenthesis (in this case comma, the apostrophe end parenthesis) btw period. tilde tilde tilde tilde [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 03:20, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

Someone should do a grammar tag or whatever comma, like the citation needed tag comma, that links to this comic period. tilde tilde tilde tilde [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 03:20, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

guys (sorry first time commenting so i know that this is formatted wrong) can we not put the names of the formatting in the discription? i literally came to this page to try to figure out what the titletext was trying to say, only to find just as much (if not more) confusion on a page that was meant to remove confusion.
:Seconded, as fun as it probably is, it's also incredibly difficult to follow. [[Special:Contributions/2601:681:A80:F890:E8FF:E5A3:E698:22CF|2601:681:A80:F890:E8FF:E5A3:E698:22CF]] 04:38, 18 September 2025 (UTC)Bthardamz
:Mhm period. Save the flavored text for titles and the comment section period. very difficult to read ellipsis... tilde tilde tilde tilde [[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:22F0:3310:1EB6:FF4:46E:74F5|2605:59C8:22F0:3310:1EB6:FF4:46E:74F5]] 04:49, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
:Even if we decide to keep it in the explanation comma, it definitely shouldn't be in the transcript period. tilde tilde tilde tilde [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 05:33, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
:that's entirely fair comma, I got the idea to match the explanation formatting with the comic content from [[1285: Third Way]] comma, though in that instance it's way less obtrusive period. tilde tilde tilde tilde [[Special:Contributions/137.25.230.78|137.25.230.78]] 07:30, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
: thirding the above. if i'm on this site it's so i can understand the parts of the comic that confused me. the current formatting is directly hostile to that goal. [[Special:Contributions/2600:6C64:64F0:8470:85E0:2F90:F707:90A8|2600:6C64:64F0:8470:85E0:2F90:F707:90A8]] 04:42, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
: How about a compromise solution of putting the punctuation labels in small print? Something like [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Small&action=edit this] should work, though it was being screwy when I tested in the preview here: example [[User:Solomon|Solomon]] ([[User talk:Solomon|talk]]) 05:46, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
:P.S. On my phone, it seems to only work in Desktop Mode, so maybe it's a problem with the CSS for the mobile layout? [[User:Solomon|Solomon]] ([[User talk:Solomon|talk]]) 05:48, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

... This is a thing people do? Glad to be unfamiliar. [[Special:Contributions/52.213.77.206|52.213.77.206]] 07:27, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
:I did this just yesterday; a cat was laying on my hands, and I could type "query" but not shift-questionmark. [[Special:Contributions/47.145.254.54|47.145.254.54]] 22:45, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

This becomes an annoyingly common occurrence if you commonly use speech to text programs. It is not very fun in regular conversation [[Special:Contributions/99.2.109.131|99.2.109.131]] 12:37, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

Instances in Media: In the Amazing World of Gumball episode "The Line", Gumball refers to "Stellar Odyssey Colon The Force Rehashed". [[User:Vandof|Vandof]] ([[User talk:Vandof|talk]]) 04:11, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
:Not really relevant to this website (we're not cataloging these outside of xkcd), but have you seen ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters Colon The Soundtrack''? [[Special:Contributions/24.177.125.170|24.177.125.170]] 08:05, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

This is a thing my friend group can't stop saying, and i thought it was just us. neat! --[[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 09:37, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

Use of that joke in the transcript section - afaik transcript is more or less an accessibility feature. Doing the spelling-out-every-punctuation thing makes the transcript significantly difficult to read, and also it confuses what is a part of the original text and what is a spelled-out punctuation you added. I'm not in favor of having the joke in the transcript section. [[User:User670|User670]] ([[User talk:User670|talk]]) 09:49, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
:Yeah, this is absolutely not the place for it. --[[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 13:00, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

The italics section is explicitly opened with the word "italics". Shouldn't it be closed? Or is that implicit in the paragraph break? I'm uncertain if the "Period. Paragraph break." should also be italicized, or if they should be exempt because they're punctuation and formatting indicators. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 16:17, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

Interesting reaction on Randall's (Cueball's) part. When people do that, it makes ''me'' want to poke them in the eye. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 17:00, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

Can anyone analyse the spacing between words in the main comic? Is there unusual spacing in Cueball's speech or the caption, compared with Hairy's sentence? [[Special:Contributions/86.8.84.104|86.8.84.104]] 00:40, 19 September 2025 (UTC)

All this discussion about verbal punctuation, and no mention of Victor Borge? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPc0aijY2o4 [[Special:Contributions/185.219.141.117|185.219.141.117]] 02:43, 19 September 2025 (UTC)
:I added a link to one of those clips fairly early on, but it got deleted. That might have been because I tried to incorporate the weird sounds in the write-up. I put it back, minus the weird sounds. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 03:42, 19 September 2025 (UTC)

The gag with the read-alound punctuation was also used about 40 years ago in a sketch in the German Fastnacht classic "Mainz bleibt Mainz" show. (Warning: Anyone commenting about German humor will get their flipperwald gersputet.) [[Special:Contributions/2A02:2455:1960:4000:151C:FD75:4E37:3F6D|2A02:2455:1960:4000:151C:FD75:4E37:3F6D]] 08:03, 19 September 2025 (UTC)

Perhaps there should be more on the selection of ''Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'' as the example of taste for the semi-punchline. I, like Hairy, would put it among the greatest films of all time, but Cueball seems to disagree, and I suspect other jokes in the history of the internet may have referred to it with the same sentiment... [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 08:26, 21 September 2025 (UTC)

Talk:2838: Dubious Islands

2023-10-20T09:40:20Z

Jerodast: /* Possible inspiration for this comic? */ y

As a native of the North Country of Northern New York, I'm really disappointed that Randall didn't label the St. Lawrence river. :-( [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.253|162.158.158.253]] 22:49, 6 October 2023 (UTC)

Had a go at the Transcript. Plenty of problems with it, but I was attempting to be partway methodical (generally heading north-to-south, seemed easier than "north-and clockwise" or any other sweep, once I started to do it) and not actually mention 'quoted' words more than once. Unless they're actually written multiple times. (looking at you, Mississippi!) 
But had no option but to repeat some of the quoted text ''within'' the label-descriptor 'tags', perhaps each actual fragment should indeed by given ''all'' boundaries, but I think that's better left for the table that will inevitably have to be put into the main Explanation. There one can actually list the named ''and unnamed'' bordering waters (river, canal, lake, sea and ocean) for actual reference. 
Also the wording. Tried not to repeat "bounded by" synonyms too much, but maybe I should just have chosen one option and repeated it anyway, given the difficulties and contextual issues of doing it absolutely unrepeatably. But it's my best try (at just gone midnight, indicating how personally familiar I might be with the continental US's geography, or not). And thus over to you people who actually know more about the Mississippi than merely how to spell it. (Not sure I've read, and thus spelt, some of the other names given right, either. Definitely check and edit as necessary.) Perhaps a geographic map could (e.g.) even identify the "Nunavuk+" territory with a better actually known descriptor, too! Canada is even less my forté than the US. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.63|162.158.74.63]] 23:50, 6 October 2023 (UTC)

Im shocked that Randall conflated the hudson and Champlain when the two dont connect, missing each other by a slim margin.
Source: i live close to lake george, the missing point [[Special:Contributions/172.69.59.47|172.69.59.47]] 00:52, 7 October 2023 (UTC)
: The Champlain Canal crosses that gap. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.63|162.158.154.63]] 06:13, 7 October 2023 (UTC)

Southern NJ is made an island by the Delaware River, the Delaware and Raritan canal and the Raritan river. -- [[User:162.158.158.98|162.158.158.98]] ([[User talk:162.158.158.98|talk]]) 03:06, 7 October 2023 (UTC) ''(please sign your comments with <nowiki>~~</nowiki>~~)''

I'm disappointed that Randall did not include the Rideau Canal in Ontario, Canada. It connects Ottawa, on the Ottawa River, that flows into the St. Lawrence River, with Kingston, on Lake Ontario, which also flows into the St. Lawrence River. {{unsigned ip|172.70.114.10|05:22, 15 October 2023}}

I came to this comic hoping to learn the names of the islands, and then to the explanation hoping they were present but hidden in some way. Irrational! [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 07:43, 7 October 2023 (UTC)
:There are no names because the islands shown are not normally considered islands, so have not been given "island names". Of course, you could name them based on typical geographical labels, like "Eastern United States", "South Florida", etc. Some of the regions are distinct enough to have names, such as Cape Cod Canal naturally creating the "island" of Cape Cod - although depending on your opinion, some parts of Bourne might be considered on the Cape but on the mainland side of the Canal.[[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 20:53, 8 October 2023 (UTC)
::Yes, the point was I anticipated being entertained by Randall's conception of the dubious names for the dubious islands. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 00:12, 9 October 2023 (UTC)

It should be noted that the headwaters for the Mississippi are roughly 100 miles north and east of the beginning of the Red River of the North. It's not important, really, but it is quite a long stretch to dig if someone were to actually cross the Traverse Gap. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.81|172.70.126.81]] 23:58, 7 October 2023 (UTC)
:Yes, strictly speaking, the Traverse Gap separates the headwaters of the Red River of the North (Lake Traverse) from the headwaters of the Minnesota River (Big Stone Lake), not Mississippi, but the Minnesota eventually flows into the Mississippi. The Gap itself is officially 1 mile long, but an easier connection method might be to dig a trench 1/2 mile due west to the Little Minnesota River (mostly in South Dakota) and let physics do the rest.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.131.114|172.70.131.114]] 15:12, 11 October 2023 (UTC)

There's also the Height of Land Portage, a 400m long strip of land along the US-Can border that separates the Great Lakes watershed from the Hudson Bay watershed. By contrast, the Traverse gap is ~1600m in length at its narrowest. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.127.80|172.70.127.80]] 13:00, 9 October 2023 (UTC)

;Where is Long Island?
Oh! Wait. The map only shows _dubious_ islands. {{unsigned ip|172.70.38.72|06:28, 7 October 2023}}
:All actual islands (Hawaii, the myriad of ones in the Canadian arctic, etc) are not there, so I take it as read that this is the contiguous mainland continental North America (stopping at the Panama cut) with divided by all cross-waterways of any significance. i.e. major rivers, hence why no lichen-like tributary 'fan' incursions into these areas; major canals, which means massive irrigation projects (and any actual ship-navigable ones, I presume) or else ever ditch or drain would count, lakes of course (but there's a lot of lakes in the Canadian north that are not shown, let alone used as might be hydrodynamically linked).
:Compared with [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Map_of_canals_of_the_United_Kingdom.png what Great Britain might look like], so subdivided, it looks positively restrained. I mean, you can probably remove all those with dead-ends to make the 'disconnection map' simpler. And, in today's age, all stretches that are no longer viable/continuous/navigable for various reasons like railways and major roads being slapped over/next to them and rendering them obsolete/uncared-for/etc, but that still leaves quite a lot of [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/England_Wales_Waterway_Map_Simplified.svg islands], such the cut(s, several!) between Thames and Severn, the Humber to various Lancashire 'outlets', etc. And that link doesn't even show the Caledonian Canal cross (alongside/within the Great Glen), the more southerly Forth And Clyde route, etc. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.19|141.101.98.19]] 16:08, 7 October 2023 (UTC)

No mention of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Ocean_Pass Two Oceans Creek]? {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.13|17:52, 7 October 2023}}
:Um... yes? There's a link to Parting Of The Ways (I made a grammatical/contextual edit, to make more sense, but might need another tweak) which involves the Atlantic Creek/Pacific Creek split from North Two Ocean Creek, or so I just read myself. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.155|172.70.162.155]] 18:37, 7 October 2023 (UTC)

At least in the case of the {{w|Panama Canal}}, it's not really a "body of water" at all. It's a series of water locks which allow humans to convey boats over what would otherwise be dry land. Yes, the boats are floating in water the whole time, but it's not like an artificial river was dug between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans that a boat can just cruise on through. It takes a long time and the coordination of many people to get a boat through the canal. Oversimplified diagram [https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1456056228/vector/the-panama-canal-explained.jpg?s=612x612&w=0&k=20&c=lUpBCDRLecDONsUbSphLsIpMVbG75SHjHip1ADY5pDw= here.] --MeZimm [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.23|172.68.34.23]] 14:43, 9 October 2023 (UTC)

:Generally, though, there is some volume of water flowing through/past lock gates even when they're closed, via sluices, overspills, etc. No, you couldn't float a boat through them, but that doesn't mean there isn't a continuous watercourse. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.22|172.70.85.22]] 16:23, 9 October 2023 (UTC)

== Contrast with general/typical patterns of river flow? ==

Would it be overstuffing the explanation to get into the basic logic of how water flows, which in its most simplified form wouldn't create islands - a small stream of water would only follow the most direct path to lower elevation. Thus, rivers tend not to "branch out" going downstream, only as you travel upstream, which is really the convergence of incoming water flowing downstream. As a result, they only partially divide up land on a continent, since you can just keep going uphill until you can get around the division.

Obviously, in real terrain, the volume of a river or lake causes it to spread out, so it CAN split into two different outflow channels. Then, we also build canals, further creating divisions.

It just struck me that the map here is almost a commentary on those water channels that don't follow the "basic" rule of simply going downhill.[[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 04:46, 9 October 2023 (UTC)
:I'm pretty sure all those bits of water ''do'' flow downhill (or, at a push, flow along a completely level bed by dint of more water being dumped in at one end whilst the excess is allowed to exit at the other). Just that it's not all the same direction along any particular composite route, with possibly multiple drain/source points wherever directions meet/diverge. And possibly you have to abstract out any lock-gates/similar as continuity even when closed.
:That some of the canals are sent through undulating topography (to be valid here, surely can't involve tunnels/aqueducts; but deep cuttings are a thing... as are channels atop embankments, making only ''slightly'' confusing in this regard if they designed wet or dry culverts under them to maintain the old cross-directional terrain profile) doesn't change the level/downwards gradients in their very local geography.
:The exact details are (deliberately?) lost in this topological-but-not-topographical diagram, however. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.122|172.71.242.122]] 13:17, 9 October 2023 (UTC)

== Possible inspiration for this comic? ==

I just found this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mN2flAvdQXU, dated September 21, 2023, which is about North Two Ocean Creek, and at 3:53 it describes the section of North America north and east of the Columbia River-Snake River-Pacific Creek-North Two Ocean Creek-Atlantic Creek-Yellowstone River-Missouri River-Mississippi River as an island. [[User:Mathmannix|Mathmannix]] ([[User talk:Mathmannix|talk]]) 13:49, 11 October 2023 (UTC)

Was this reddit thread created before the comic was posted? https://www.reddit.com/r/geography/comments/170xg7l/is_new_england_eastern_new_york_state_southern/ [[Special:Contributions/172.68.119.172|172.68.119.172]] 01:48, 12 October 2023 (UTC)

::Ooh. Seems that way! Thu, October 5, 7:51 pm ET. The night before the comic was posted. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 09:40, 20 October 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2838: Dubious Islands

2023-10-09T04:46:35Z

Jerodast: /* Contrast with general/typical patterns of river flow? */ new section

Talk:2838: Dubious Islands

2023-10-08T20:53:19Z

Jerodast: dubious!

2447: Hammer Incident

2021-12-04T07:07:52Z

Jerodast: See discussion. The drawing style and circumstances seem to fit a hearing better than a trial.

{{comic
| number = 2447
| date = April 7, 2021
| title = Hammer Incident
| image = hammer incident small.png
| titletext = I still think the Cold Stone Creamery partnership was a good idea, but I should have asked before doing the first market trials during the cryogenic mirror tests.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|James Webb Space Telescope}} (JWST) is a {{w|space telescope}} created to be the successor of the {{w|Hubble Space Telescope}} under construction at time of publishing and expected to launch in October 2021, though in [[2014: JWST Delays]], xkcd predicted its launch would actually occur during late 2026.

It's implied that Cueball dropped a hammer on the mirror of the JWST and broke it. In superstition, breaking a mirror causes seven years of bad luck. The cost estimate for the JWST is currently US$10 billion, and Cueball is at a NASA official hearing for breaking this very expensive piece of equipment, no doubt costing NASA (and thus the nation) hundreds of millions of dollars more for repair work. However, Cueball is more concerned about personally experiencing seven years of bad luck.

In actuality the mirror panel is not made of glass, so it's likely that a dropped hammer would dent and distort the panel rather than shattering it. Presumably Cueball's hammer drop would damage or destroy only one mirror panel out of the JWST's eighteen panels. (If he had destroyed the entire telescope, he would have been facing 7×18=126 years of bad luck, and the damage costs would be much higher. [[2153:_Effects_of_High_Altitude|Then again, this depends on the altitude that the destruction happened.]]) Even breaking a single panel would likely be very expensive because it would require extremely accurate machinery and extensive calibration tests to make and install a replacement panel, especially because the back of JWST's mirrors are made of beryllium. Beryllium is expensive to purchase, since it is relatively scarce, and is very hard and abrasive, so making things out of it is difficult (and expensive due to the specialized machinery required and the precautions necessary to prevent inhalation). Breaking a beryllium mirror would lead to dust formation; single exposures to beryllium dust [http://who.int/ipcs/publications/cicad/en/cicad32.pdf can cause] acute beryllium poisoning and massively increase the risk of lung cancer, which is very bad luck on behalf of Cueball. In addition to the property damage, Cueball is probably liable for injuring his coworkers, which is probably the main reason why the NASA workers are so angry at him because human lives are more valuable than mere money.{{Citation needed}}

The title text refers to the {{w|Cold Stone Creamery}}, a chain that mixes ice cream with various other ingredients, such as fruit or candy, in front of the customer before serving it. The usual surface for mixing is a piece of granite which is kept cold (about -10°C). It's implied that Cueball had tried mixing his ice cream and flavorings in the style of Cold Stone Creamery on the JWST mirror, which is also kept cold -- in fact much colder, as it's cooled to as low as 7 K (-266°C, or -447°F). If Cueball had mixed ice cream this way on the JWST, he would likely have scratched and/or stained the surfaces on the telescope and perhaps have gotten gunk into the instrumentation, and possibly, due to the localized temperature differential from ice cream hundreds of degrees ''warmer'' than the material, promoted damaging distortions or fractures -- hardly the 'good idea' mentioned in the title text. (It also would not have worked: at sufficiently low temperatures, ice cream hardens and cannot be mixed.)

The bad luck from breaking a mirror is also referenced in [[1136: Broken Mirror]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball, holding a palm up in front of him, stands before a long desk, behind which is a seated panel of four people, consisting of Ponytail, Hairy, a Cueball-like guy and Hairbun. Hairy is the only one to have one arm on the desk, all other arms are held down with hands below the desk.]
:Cueball: Yes, I know you're mad that I dropped that hammer.
:Cueball: But think about me—
:Cueball: '''''Seven years of bad luck!'''''

:[Caption below the panel]:
:Man, NASA is really on my case about the James Webb Space Telescope.

==Trivia==
*The JWST has previously been mentioned in [[2014: JWST Delays]], [[1730: Starshade]], and [[1461: Payloads]].
*For some reason, the original version of this comic was very large (4332×4838px), [https://archive.is/yJXTS well overflowing the boundaries of the page]. This was probably a mistake, as the [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/hammer_incident.png current version] is significantly smaller at 289 × 323px.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Telescopes]]

Talk:2447: Hammer Incident

2021-12-04T07:06:44Z

Jerodast: hearing not trial

big --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.153|162.158.187.153]] 02:04, 8 April 2021 (UTC)

I added a basic explanation. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.212.224|162.158.212.224]] 02:28, 8 April 2021 (UTC)

Do we really need a huge paragraph explaining all the reasons why any damage to a space telescope is a big, expensive deal? And I'm not sure this is a trial, it's probably more like an administrative panel hearing (like the hearings after the Challenger disaster). [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:26, 8 April 2021 (UTC)

:I agree. A hearing fits the lighthearted tone better, the drawing which doesn't look at all like a courtroom, and...well, realism, as irrelevant as that may be for this scenario :) Since nobody has objected to the idea since you posted this, I'll go ahead and change it. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 07:06, 4 December 2021 (UTC)

Is it meant to be that size? Does the bad luck apply to trying to upload comics at reasonable sizes?
: It's fixed now
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.19|172.69.33.19]] 02:09, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:Oooh boy, indeed... "Error creating thumbnail: File with dimensions greater than 12.5 MP" is the Wiki's assessment of the auto-uploaded image. I haven't checked the resolution, but the https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/hammer_incident.png one is apparently 4332x4838 (scales to 8% on my device), and I don't care to test the _2x version right now. I'm not sure that was the native res of it on creation, looks to be an accidental up-scaling prior to posting to xkcd itself. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.6|141.101.98.6]] 02:20, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:
::The _2x version is actually the proper size for a normal comic - 578x645 pixels. [[User:Noëlle|Noëlle]] ([[User talk:Noëlle|talk]]) 02:21, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:::Still seems larger than normal to me, even the 2x seems larger than I would expect. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.78|172.69.34.78]] 04:02, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:Maybe the extra-large image is what the original looks like using the James Webb telescope? Maybe over-thinking. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.145|172.68.132.145]] 04:19, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
::Or perhaps its an resolution/aspect ratio/zoom factor difference between it and the old telescope. Implying all other comics have secretly been placed in front of the other telescope [[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.50|172.69.170.50]] 04:56, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:Perhaps overthinking, if the main reflecting mirror was actually destroyed, the light entering the telescope would never be focused into the secondary mirror and the image would be "light size" so you would only be able to see a small portion of what you expect

:It looks to me that, while most of the text is rendered smoothly in full resolution, the caption below the panel ("Man, NASA is really on my case about the James Webb Space Telescope.") is very jaggy on a pixel level, but only on the Y-axis. There could be quite a bit of information in there. No idea what it means, though. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.36|141.101.77.36]] 07:29, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
::It could be floating-point errors that indicate the code flow of the renderer Randall used. Or it could mean anything else. Curious to compare it to a correct rendering of that text with the same font, but wouldn't know what to do with the vector of edge differences myself. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.140|162.158.63.140]] 09:03, 8 April 2021 (UTC)

:It seems to be fixed now so I am sure it was an accident
:Randall has now uploaded an even smaller resolution image of 289 × 323 ([https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/hammer_incident.png]), and I have added it to this comic explanation. [[User:Natg19|Natg19]] ([[User talk:Natg19|talk]]) 17:15, 8 April 2021 (UTC)

:Perhaps this should be referred to as the Thumbnail Incident. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.26|172.68.174.26]] 00:06, 9 April 2021 (UTC)

When I read this comic I was worried it might have been inspired by recent news of something breaking during the final assembly process. Fortunately this seems not to be the case. Among the many delays of the telescope, were any of them caused by mirror and/or cryo failures that might have inspired this comic? [[User:Quantum7|Quantum7]] ([[User talk:Quantum7|talk]]) 05:53, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:What caused the most recent delay? It seems it's been pushed forward more as Randall predicted in the other comic. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.140|162.158.63.140]] 09:03, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:I'm guessing that it was the recent announcement of the planned science for the first year of operation. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.21|162.158.74.21]] 16:48, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:I was also worried and figured explainxkcd would tell if there had been any real issues. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 17:26, 8 April 2021 (UTC)

;Cryogenic?
I get the sense that the title text is inspired by liquid nitrogen ice cream. -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.252|108.162.237.252]] 13:14, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:The tern Cryogenic is often used to refer to Cryonics. A method of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryonics preserving human bodies in glass] for future generations [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.46|108.162.237.46]] 20:18, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
::Vitrification is not cryonics/cryogenics in itself, just one method of crystal-aversion during freezing (and, it seems, could be just as damaging to the fine biology it tries to preserve), and the cryonic meaning is a subset of a whole range of "making an amorphous solid" processes that are also vitrification, such as in nuclear-waste processing.
::Cryogenics is 'the creation/use of extreme coldness' (<120°K) and Cryonics is just one of a subset (via more general cryopreservation) of applications of such technology and processes.
::While interesting general knowledge remains interesting, I'm not sure either term is worth having been given such a contextless mention, above, not at all hinted at being deliberately referenced by the comic. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.6|141.101.98.6]] 18:29, 9 April 2021 (UTC)

As Quantum7, I was worried too and googled "JWST hammer" only to find this actual contributor to the project…
The Hammers Company, Inc. Greenbelt, MD in this list:
: https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/meetTheTeam/team.html
Not all JWST-engineering seams to be that delicate – should we be worried? {{unsigned|162.158.203.15}}

The James Webb Telescope only has <$2000 of gold. [[https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2017/04/05/how-much-gold-is-in-the-james-webb-space-telescope/?sh=4f80bc9d69e5]] {{unsigned|172.68.189.191}}
:Yeah, I'm going to remove the gold thing. It's a complete red herring. The materials represent such a tiny fraction of the cost of coating a mirror that it's not even worth mentioning. Coating a mirror with aluminum or protected silver costs virtually the same as coating it in gold. The fact that the mirrors are made from beryllium is a much larger factor in the cost. [[User:Ahecht|Ahecht]] ([[User talk:Ahecht|talk]]) 16:37, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:Incidentally, given some of the folk-head-canon for vampiric non-reflections in mirrors is due to the more mystical properties of silver (which crosses over with werewolf-lore, etc, and these days carries over to an inability to be captured on photographic film), imma gonna assume vampires would actually have an image if they looked in the JWST mirror(s). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.108|141.101.98.108]] 18:58, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
::I wouldn't describe the past of using photographic films as "these days". I suppose vampires can be filmed by digital cameras just fine. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:43, 8 April 2021 (UTC)
:::Depends. A DigitalSLR might still give various problems. Though unless the Metal Oxide in the MOS element or any of the colour-filtering involved is part silver, as would affect even 'live-view' viewfinding, it wouldn't stop recording of silver-inhibited imagery.
:::(It makes you wonder if a part-silvered USB connector would be enough to make files of ''successfully'' recorded vampire activity to be automagically refiltered to show an 'empty' scene. In fact, if such a connector is rare enough, but can be invoked, it suggests a form of steganography in which you send 'innocent' images of a cooperative vampire directly standing in front of the secret information, in a suitably social context as to raise no suspicions. Only if you save the public image from Facebook (or OnlyFan(g)s??) then transfer it through your specially-silvered silver USB cable, the copy now shows you the mystically-'unobscured' pixels of the secret info. Right? Because magic can get around trivial stuff like bitplane (re)compression, smooth out any copy-verification/hashing mismatches, and otherwise prevent mugglishly-mundane issues from arising, obviously!) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.6|141.101.98.6]] 18:29, 9 April 2021 (UTC)

Would it count as bad luck if he has to pay for all the repairs to his damage of the space telescope? [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 03:10, 9 April 2021 (UTC)

Would have been funnier if it was 126 years of bad luck.
[[User:DrBob|DrBob]] ([[User talk:DrBob|talk]]) 12:56, 9 April 2021 (UTC)

There probably should be a category for "review boards" or something, since there's now this comic strip, [[2349: Rabbit Introduction]], and [[2148: Cubesat Launch]] (at least). --[[User:NotaBene|NotaBene]] ([[User talk:NotaBene|talk]]) 15:15, 9 April 2021 (UTC)

I just want to congratulate whomever added that {{Citation needed}} after the comment about human lives. That is easily the funniest use of it that I've seen in a very long time if not ever. [[User:Cwallenpoole|Cwallenpoole]] ([[User talk:Cwallenpoole|talk]]) 14:24, 15 April 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2375: Worst Ladder

2020-10-22T03:31:37Z

Jerodast:

Their ladder is obviously placed somewhere where they all have to walk under it to get into the boardroom. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.247|162.158.158.247]] 00:59, 22 October 2020 (UTC)

I find it extremely pleasing that within 20 minutes the XKCD itself in on the front page of Google results [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.4|108.162.237.4]] 01:09, 22 October 2020 (UTC)

Google searches gonna be skyrocketing for "Worst Ladder". --01:24, 22 October 2020‎ (UTC) 198.41.238.108 (Please sign your comments)

Can someone create a category for "business"-related comics? There are quite a few (some related to Beret Guy's businesses, but others just general). [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.37|172.69.33.37]] 01:31, 22 October 2020 (UTC)

Can someone confirm if this comic is related to Quibi's shutdown announcement? Because if it isn't, then it's one major coincidence. [[User:Aderon|Aderon]] ([[User talk:Aderon|talk]]) 01:50, 22 October 2020 (UTC)
:I'm not entirely sure of the parallels but I'd love them to be in the article--[[User:FrankHightower|FrankHightower]] ([[User talk:FrankHightower|talk]]) 02:07, 22 October 2020 (UTC)

I thought someone had added a practical screenshot of Google's "worst ladder" search, before realising it was one of the inline Google-powered ads, this one 'aptly' for a certain popular online auction site which illustrated various ladders apparently up for sale upon its platform.... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.82|141.101.107.82]] 01:55, 22 October 2020 (UTC)
:I tried doing it, but it says I'm not allowed--[[User:FrankHightower|FrankHightower]] ([[User talk:FrankHightower|talk]]) 02:07, 22 October 2020 (UTC)
:: I saw that link (yours?) too, and appreciated it. Now, being just an IP I'm fairly sure I'd not be allowed to upload media to the Explain wiki, but I know it's been possible for others. Like with created highlights of the XKCD Garden, IIRC. But maybe it isn't automatic to all usernames but time/authorisation-prompted, after a certain length of engagement. Maybe the answer lies in the Community Portal, or the question could be asked there if not. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.225|162.158.158.225]] 02:46, 22 October 2020 (UTC)

I've got a screenshot of "Worst Ladder" GIS results taken around 02:45 UTC. Would it be worth adding to the wiki, and is there a way to upload it here? [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 02:49, 22 October 2020 (UTC)

I kept feeling like I was missing some more specific reference about what company could possibly find itself replaced by "worst ladder" searches. Like, it's so specific it doesn't feel like "welp, all media companies are SOL because everyone just likes ladders now", it feels like this company was somehow in a niche that was uniquely affected...but I can't imagine what that niche could be haha.[[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 03:31, 22 October 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2363: Message Boards

2020-09-25T08:32:55Z

Jerodast: /* Too dumb for this one */ profile pic is part of it yeah!

Randall stimulates people doing this to their parents? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.234|108.162.219.234]] 01:23, 24 September 2020 (UTC)
:He doesn't necessarily think it's likely. But as the caption says, he's amused by the fact that it's possible because the Internet and message boards have been around long enough. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 02:04, 24 September 2020 (UTC)

It would be interesting to know how many online message boards have actually been in continuous operation for 20 years. The original Usenet newsgroups are actually twice that old, but what about Internet boards? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 02:04, 24 September 2020 (UTC)
:Reddit is starting to get there, being 15 years old now. I also do know some forums that started in 2003~2004 and are still active (mostly ones tied to still-updating webcomics). So not quite 20 years, but close. --[[User:Elifia|Elifia]] ([[User talk:Elifia|talk]]) 03:04, 24 September 2020 (UTC)
::There'll be BBSes (one I once used is still going, last I checked, well over 30 years old, pre-Web, not sure how many old-guard are there, as I've not for 25 years) and that would rival even pre-split Usenet. A MUD I know (all my characters long timed-out) is still going strong since pre-Web times, too. IRC isn't exactly persistent (and has changed a lot) but still exists. Even if the likes of anon.penet.fi have been closed, there'll be mailer-gateways/request-by-mail things (I used to ask one for Freeware!) on obscure servers. Perhaps Wollongong University still has a Gopher server (one memorable 'place' I visited on a link-to-link round the world trip, back just before I heard of the Berners-Lee thing). I have a habit of forgetting webforums (earliest currently used one was signed into only back in 2008) and a late-'90s one I recall fondly got so spammed (despite whatever passed for CAPTCHA in those days) that the webmaster Read-Onlied it, and domain is now expired. If I was a better person at staying in touch, I'm sure I could have been continuously active for sufficient time on a single platform (I fell off a Usenet group when I lost a newsfeed and refused to use the then-new-fangled Google Groups interface, just the latest insult since WebTV, the push from AOL and the whole Eternal September thing). So, anecdotally, I know there's a good chance. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.34|162.158.159.34]] 03:42, 24 September 2020 (UTC)
:I have been an active member at GameFAQs.com for longer than 20 years. The message boards there opened in 1999.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.169|173.245.52.169]] 04:23, 24 September 2020 (UTC)

With a name like NIN85, I bet Mom is a Nine Inch Nails fan. ❤️ [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.61|172.69.35.61]]

== Too dumb for this one ==

Is it just me or was the detail the whole joke hinged on a bit more subtle than usual here? Sure, sometimes it's arcane, but I feel like you don't usually need to read between the lines so much to even get the backstory for the joke.

On first read, obviously the two characters know each other, and the fact that a real life acquaintance would reply to a 20yo thread was clearly part of the joke. But essentially I read this as two people complaining about the same thing, as one often does on message boards. By the time I put it together that "NIN85 must be older now" + "new user from context is a teenager" + "most adults don't know many teenagers" + "except they do know their kids" = "she's talking to her kid", it was far too late for me to get the laugh. In retrospect "we talked about this" is a classic parenting line, but given that one tends to talk to many people about many things, it didn't really point me in that direction the way it was probably intended.

Maybe, not being a parent myself, my instincts also led me to assume that an older person would still sympathize and support a young person in search of totally rad transportation, rather than shooting them down like her mother before her :P So the assumption that "we talked about this" = "I, Vespa fan, have already denied you the same privilege" seemed like an especially great leap!

So, probably just having a slow brain day, but is there anything else to it I'm missing? Also, does Randall have kids? [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 04:55, 24 September 2020 (UTC)
:Not just you. It took me a while before I noticed the dates on the posts, but then I put it all together. Maybe a better title for the comic would have helped, something including "necro". [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 05:54, 24 September 2020 (UTC)
:Reconstructing my own first reading of this (before I slept last night so imperfect) it seems I read the post-text first, worked out it was a mom/son relationship, 'confirmed' by finally reading the posting dates (the point at which I probably belly-laughed for 'getting it'), spotted the "New User" subtly there in the side-profile and then (after noting the forum name, subtitlr, title-text, etc) wondered about the Profile Pic.
:Mom seems to have kept (or deliberately retroed) an image from her youth, even if not the original (if there was any, for the v1.0 forum layout to show) pic uploaded in 2000. This was pre smart-phone/selfies, to any reasonable degree. Is this a scan of of an old emulsion photo? (It also has possible photoshopping artefacts of portrait over new background, by one reading of it.) Would a more worldwise 25yo scan in and upload a pic of her 15yo self? Maybe in a "see, I ''was'' there at Woodstock" way (though not actual Woodstock, unless that's the photoshopped background - or something like that - but maybe still not with a 15yo 'selfie' shot, but something from a later age). It's at this point I'm thinking I'm overthinking this (especially given how much 'exposure' many people still give in the profiles and avatars, even 35yo moms), especially given I've never used a selfie-avatar at all. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.116|162.158.159.116]] 12:14, 24 September 2020 (UTC)
::If you change your profile picture it will change for any post made. That's at least true for all fora I'm member of. Why would each individual post contain the information of which profile picture was active at the time the post was made (plus the actual picture data)? So there's no indication if the picture shown here is "teen mom" or "adult mom" (or "mom" at all). [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:31, 24 September 2020 (UTC)
:::I know that, and it was on this basis that I presumed its likely a later (though who knows how recent) scan of an earlier physical photo. (Because that clearly looks more like a Randall-girl than a Randall-mom, in Cueball-People style, notwithstanding how in RL™ younger people often attempt to look older and vice-versa.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.98|141.101.98.98]] 15:06, 24 September 2020 (UTC)
:::: In that case, how do you come to the conclusion that the profile picture shown there is a "young" person? By the hairstyle or what? I don't get it. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 15:18, 24 September 2020 (UTC)
:::::Yes. Young hair (as opposed to young-adult hair, then eventually the tied-up bun look that can also mean 'serious' but with ornamentation). It's just my impression. Also note that Julz seems to favour the 'studio background' look (maybe filter-cropped down to just the head and shoulders) while NIN85 favours the more passive "visit to a place" photo that is ''not'' obviously a selfie, a height-shot, a posed sunrise/set one, which (the possibilities of photoshopping apart, due to the hint-of-border actually probably only there to maintain contrast between hair and the darker bit of the background) puts it in an early age of photography tropes. In my mind, but obviously not yours.
:::::But on the basis that every drawn feature is deliberately put there (rather than various accidents of setting in actual images of real life) [[1401|I like to think]] it's deliberately setting up the trope of a historic photo of young-millenial (''meant'' to be from roughly the time of the opening post, but probably uploaded much later) vs a more current pose by a young-post-millenial. YMMV.
:::::And none of this is a complaint, just a recollection of what I was originally pondering, as I appreciated the comic. Probably taking up no more than a minute of my time, last night, and now I'm surprised it's taking up this much more of it for both of us... ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.98|141.101.98.98]] 16:09, 24 September 2020 (UTC)
:::::: Ah, I see. I get your point, now. Thanks! :) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:17, 25 September 2020 (UTC)
:::::I had the same impression of photos. If nothing else, assuming that if she was doing a one-off reply to a very old thread on a forum she hasn't really used for 20 years, she probably wouldn't bother updating her profile pic in the forum settings :) But it did contribute to me not putting together that it was a parent talking to her kid, since she "looked" like a young person! [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 08:32, 25 September 2020 (UTC)

She’s would be a closer to a gen-xer [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.134|108.162.219.134]] 18:21, 24 September 2020 (UTC)

Another in-joke is that Vespa is a scooter and there is an electric model [https://elettrica.vespa.com/en/index.php] that require either a moped license or a full motorcycle license, depending on the engine power, that is a premium model, Peugeot electric scooter cost 40% less, for instance.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.94.200|162.158.94.200]] 07:13, 24 September 2020 (UTC)

Fortunately most forums I was active on in the 90s and early 2000s are all long dead. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.38|141.101.98.38]] 08:06, 25 September 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2363: Message Boards

2020-09-24T04:55:32Z

Jerodast: /* Too dumb for this one */ new section

Talk:2131: Emojidome

2019-04-01T19:01:42Z

Jerodast: multi-voting?

I've checked the network tab and console - nothing really seems to happen when you vote, which may be something we want to put on the explanation tomorrow - Myxoh

I suspect the real april fools joke is going to come on Wednesday when xkdc posts an app showing us our psychological profiles that they are now selling to marketing companies after data-mining our emotional preferences to marketing firms - Nosajimiki

@Nosajimiki: psychological profiles of xkcd fans. That might be some interesting marketing. - 5Cincinatus

@Myxoh: I came here to see if anyone else had noticed this! But, I do also see a websocket connection to emojidome.xkcd.com, I bet it's counting votes that way.

There is a websocket connection. A message is sent every time you vote. It looks like there are also status update messages every second (saying which emoji currently has exactly how many votes, i suspect this changes the amount of hearts that show up), and "bracket start" messages every so often. The bracket start message seems to contain hundreds of upcoming emoji pairs. Edit: a bracket start is sent at the start of every match (so every ~30 seconds). It also contains logs of which messages to show for previous matches, and which emoji are currently battling.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.138.10|172.69.138.10]] 16:30, 1 April 2019 (UTC)

There seems to be nothing stopping me from clicking multiple times. Do you think it actually counts it all those times? Can I click-spam to say "this is much better"? [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 16:48, 1 April 2019 (UTC)

Well this is fun. Look like there are 512 symbols, meaning 256 first-round contests. The first round would take (at 38 seconds / round) ~2.7 hours. The remaining rounds, from an estimate of geometric progression, would just under double this, meaning this comic will run for ~ 5 hours until we have our winner... ~alexandicity [[Special:Contributions/172.69.226.177|172.69.226.177]] 16:51, 1 April 2019 (UTC)

Did he just add a scroll bar to the previous matches? I didn't notice it earlier [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.148|162.158.255.148]] 18:17, 1 April 2019 (UTC)
:Nope, you were able to scroll before, too. At least about 2 hours ago. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 18:20, 1 April 2019 (UTC)

While some of the recaps of past battles are generic (taco vs sandwich: "One for the history books"), many seem to be specifically written for the battle (light bulb vs candle: "Some would argue that this one was settled in the 1800s"). I wonder if/how much this will continue into round 2.

Round two has just begun, and the timeout has been bumped to 60 seconds. --[[User:Anarcat|Anarcat]] ([[User talk:Anarcat|talk]]) 18:41, 1 April 2019 (UTC)
:If that trend continues, the full competition will take pretty close to 24 hours. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 18:45, 1 April 2019 (UTC)
:It looks like it's 1:14/round, which is double what the time was in round one. Will round three be 2:28? 1:51?

And while the match-ups winners are typically colored, and underlined, the losers are endgame grey.

Has anyone determined if multiple-voting is actually counted? For me at least the vote button fades back to gray after I click it, which implies you can/should click it again, but that may not actually be processed. We might add a clarification about that to the explanation. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 19:01, 1 April 2019 (UTC)

Talk:159: Boombox

2015-03-30T23:35:11Z

Jerodast:

The issue date on this comic is not given, as i don't know one. Can anyone fix this? [[User:Rikthoff|Rikthoff]] ([[User talk:Rikthoff|talk]]) 18:08, 3 August 2012 (EDT)

This is not a reference to Romeo and Juliet. It is a reference to the 80s movie Say Anything, where John Cusack plays Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" on a boombox outside the house of the girl he likes.

Just gonna leave this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr60RCuVUb0&feature=youtube_gdata_player [[Special:Contributions/172.56.8.215|172.56.8.215]] 14:35, 13 October 2013 (UTC)

:I agree. The most direct reference is clearly Say Anything. The more classical references are fine to include, but given that there's no detail particularly linking them to the comic, they should be de-emphasized in favor of the movie.[[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 23:35, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

I think this comic should refer to the male character as "Rob", since it seems from other comics (e.g. [[716: Time Machine]] and [[782: Desecration]]) that Rob and Megan have a close and possibly romantic relationship. [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob See here] for more discussion on this topic. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:37, 13 March 2015 (UTC)
:I disagree. In none of the comics where Megan is named has Rob been named as well. So there is no indication that they are the same. Most of the time Megan and Cueball are not "named" character. In a few (three?) Megan is used for the xkcd Megan. And out of almost a 1000 cases Cueball has only been named Rob in 9. In a few of these he is together with the xkcd Megan. Viac versa in the three with Megans name, Cueball is also there, but then he is not named Rob. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:15, 15 March 2015 (UTC)

I think we need to make a distinction: the term "character" can refer to either a stick figure with distinguishing features (e.g. Black Hat, Cueball), or a real (or fictional person) which such a figure often represents (e.g. Randall, Rob). This distinction is often blurred, for example Megan is both a stick figure and a person. Hopefully this will help clear up some confusion! [[User:Richmond tudor|Richmond tudor]] ([[User talk:Richmond tudor|talk]]) 01:57, 16 March 2015 (UTC)

Talk:Exoplanet (disambiguation)

2012-12-24T05:23:41Z

Jerodast: Scolding

Let's have discussions about categories here or on talk pages, rather than "via edit war".
Also, re-categorizing an entire page does not seem like a "minor edit", but maybe that's just me. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 05:23, 24 December 2012 (UTC)

Talk:942: Juggling

2012-12-23T13:18:46Z

Jerodast: He's jumping, I tells ya!

But if there was no gravity, the balls would have maintained the trajectory and (neglecting air resistance) velocity that they had when they left cueball's hands! -- mwburden [[Special:Contributions/99.129.248.32|99.129.248.32]] 23:17, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

:Very true! Please do consider reworking/replacing this explanation so it isn't so misleading! [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 23:22, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

Added "or momentum" to the explanation. -- mwburden [[Special:Contributions/70.91.188.49|70.91.188.49]] 13:03, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

It doesn't look like Cueball's jumping to me--just reaching for the balls. [[Special:Contributions/96.234.173.28|96.234.173.28]] 08:45, 23 December 2012 (UTC)

:Nah I agree with the transcript. Both feet are noticeably higher than in the previous "standing" panels. And I can't picture anyone raising one leg weirdly like that if the other leg is planted on the ground - if he were looking to reach without jumping, he'd would be on tiptoes instead. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 13:18, 23 December 2012 (UTC)

1127: Congress

2012-12-22T19:00:36Z

Jerodast: /* Transcript */ Typo

{{comic
| number = 1127
| date = October 29, 2012
| title = Congress
| image = congress.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = It'd be great if some news network started featuring partisan hack talking heads who were all Federalists and Jacksonians, just to see how long it took us to catch on.
}}

Click the date above the comic to go to the xkcd page, and there is a link to the much larger version. Go find something interesting, don't worry, the wiki will still be here.

==Explanation==
It appears that the {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|upcoming 2012 election}} has put [[Randall]] into a political state of mind, as this is the second comic in a few weeks that has dealt with political history ([[1122: Electoral Precedent]]). As with that comic, this comic goes through the entire history of the {{w|Federal government of the United States|U.S. Federal Government}}. Also notably, Randall makes a number of observations that are akin to the type of observations Randall denounces in 1122 (e.g. for 1928, Randall notes that no Republican has since won the presidency without a Nixon or a Bush on the ticket).

===U.S. Federal Government===
In the {{w|Federal government of the United States|U.S. Federal Government}}, one of the {{w|Separation of powers|checks and balances}} is a {{w|bicameralism|bicameral}} {{w|United States Congress}}, which consists of two "houses": the {{w|United States Senate|Senate}}, its "upper" house; and the {{w|United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives}} ("the House"), its "lower house". The Senate consists of 2 senators elected from each state (thus 100 total), while the House consists of 435 voting representatives (a number decided upon in {{w|Apportionment Act of 1911|1911}} by law) whose {{w|United States congressional apportionment|apportionment}} is split between the states proportional to their population; although each state gets at least one (the House also has non-voting representatives from unincorporated territories like {{w|Puerto Rico}} and the {{w|District of Columbia}}). Every ten years, the House is reapportioned based on the latest census. The most populous state as of 2012 is California which has 53 seats in the House. Senators serve 6-year terms with elections held every 2 years for one-third of the seats. Members of the House (called Representatives or Congressmen/women) serve 2-year terms with all of the seats contested every 2 years.

In order for a bill to become a law, it must be passed by both the House and the Senate. In a way, this theoretically ensures that the bill is supported both by the majority of states (the Senate), and the majority of the population (the House). The President may then sign the bill into law, he may "veto" the bill, or he may do nothing, in which case it becomes a law if and only if Congress is in session after a waiting period of 10 days (not including Sundays).

===Political ideologies===
In politics, there is a {{w|political spectrum|scale}} that represents the political beliefs of a politician. The scale goes from "{{w|Left-wing politics|left}}" to "{{w|Right-wing politics|right}}" of "center" - which generally describes a balancing point of beliefs (sometimes called "left-wing" or "right-wing").

The "left" is a general belief in social justice, and is sometimes associated with {{w|socialism}}. Modern left-wingers generally mandate equality, and support policies like welfare and government-subsidized healthcare. This trends toward having a larger federal government. In the U.S., "liberal" is a term often used to denote left-leaning tendencies.

The "right" generally believe in conserving the social and economic status quo, which is often termed {{w|conservatism|conservative}}. This trends towards having less regulation and thereby a smaller federal government. The goal is to keep the nation stable, and reducing the interference by the government with a person's wealth. This ostensibly means lower taxes, because the government does not provide as much.

Politicians typically align themselves into groups of similar beliefs and positions called "parties". In the U.S., there have generally been two dominant parties (although there have been times where three or more parties have shared roughly equal influence and support. In today's politics (which is apparently known as the fifth era of political parties, or {{w|Fifth Party System}}, as noted on the outside edges of the comic) of the two current primary U.S. political parties, the {{w|Democrats}} are the left-leaning party, and the {{w|Republicans}} are the right-leaning party. The dominant parties are generally considerate "moderate" in their left- or right-wing leanings, which is by necessity, as either party requires the support of a majority (or a few percent under) of voters to win. Smaller parties often run candidates with more extreme views, but such candidates rarely win, due to a more limited number of possible supporters ensuring that even a relatively large minority would have zero chance of representation. (see {{w|Duverger's law}}).

===The comic===
The comic effectively consists of three separate charts: The left- and right-hand charts are the main charts; they represent the Senate and House respectively, and purport to show the left- and right-wing leanings of each legislature through U.S. history. There is a legend on the right that sets out fairly clearly how the charts work, but basically Randall has split each wing into three levels including the very moderate or "Center" right or left, and the more extreme or "Far" right or left, as well as the average left and right, without prefix. A dotted yellow line represented the balance of power in each legislature, and white lines represent the leanings of certain notable people including presidents.

Some presidents are not indicated, because they were never senators or congressmen (most of these were state Governors, such as {{w|Bill Clinton|Clinton}}, {{w|George W. Bush|Bush}} and 2012 candidate {{w|Mitt Romney}}). As may be noted from the chart, {{w|Barack Obama}} is considered "left" while {{w|Paul Ryan}} is considered "far right". It's also notable that the "center right" ideology appears to be completely eradicated from the House and is waning in the Senate [http://xkcd.com/859/ (although a similar trend is shown around 1900 with the centrists making a comeback thereafter.]

On either side of these charts, there are descriptions or explanations for expansions and contractions of each ideological group.

The center chart appears to primarily act as a timeline. Each president is listed with their leanings indicated by a left or right arrow. Wars are shaded in grey. Other notable events are also indicated. On either side of the center chart (although somewhat mixed in with the aforementioned Senate/House explanations), there are also references to the primary parties of each era showing how they evolved (left-leaning parties on the left, and right-leaning parties on the right).

Finally, there's a little extra commentary on the right side, below the legend.

==Transcript==
:A history of
:'''The United States Congress'''
:Partisan and ideological makeup

:[The comic is divided into three massive sections, SENATE, PRESIDENCIES, and HOUSE. Timelines run backwards down the page between each section. In the HOUSE and SENATE sections, shifting, curving red and blue areas of different brightness illustrate the shifting balance of power between "Members of Left-Leaning Parties" and "Members of Right-Leaning Parties". Under PRESIDENCIES, different administrations are labeled and wars are shaded in gray. There are notes throughout all sections.]

:[There are additional notes on the right.]

:LEGEND
::''[Square containing ribbons of color merging upwards with larger areas]'': Branches join in when new members enter Congress and cause an ideological bloc to grow. (Note: If the new member is elected as another retires from the same ideological bloc, no change is shown.)
::''[Square containing ribbons of color splitting off from larger areas]'': Branches split off when members leave Congress, causing their ideological bloc to shrink. (Note: If the new member is elected as another retires from the same ideological bloc, no change is shown.)
::''[Square showing yellow dotted line crossing from red to blue area]'': The yellow line marks the midpoint, which indicates which side has control of the chamber.
::''[Square in which curve briefly separates from blue area]'': If a bloc loses members in one election and gains them in the next, the exiting stream may rejoin. This does not necessarily mean the same people returned.
::''[Square showing white dashed line labeled Lyndon Johnson on top of ribbon merging with main area]'': Future (and past) US Presidents who served in Congress are shown with white dashed lines. Other noteworthy members are shown with thin solid lines.
::''[Square in which tinted area marked "Whig" sits over mix of red and blue areas]'': Tinted white outlines mark the approximate membership of some of the smaller political parties.

:HOW IDEOLOGY IS CALCULATED
::Each member of Congress is assigned to an ideological category using DW-NOMINATE, a statistical system created by political scientists Keith Poole and Howard Rosenthal. This system rates each member of Congress's ideological position position [sic] based on their votes.
::DW-NOMINATE is purely mathematical and involves no judgement on the content of bills. Instead, members of Congress are placed on a spectrum based on how consistently they vote together.
::While people argue that ideology is many-dimensional, Poole and Rosenthal found that nearly all Congressional voting behavior - especially in the modern era - can be accurately predicted by using just one ideological variable.
::This variable turns out to roughly correspond to position on the classic economic liberal/conservative spectrum.
::Because members of Congress have served in overlapping terms with past members in a chain back to the first Congress, the system allows comparison of ideology across time - even accounting for individual members' ideological drift. (Note: Scores are comparable across time but not between chambers.)
::For more detail, see Poole and Rosenthal's website, voteview.com.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large Drawings]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Politics]]

1127: Congress

2012-12-22T18:59:47Z

Jerodast: /* Transcript */ Adding some semblance of a transcript. Please expand. I find italics help readability when descriptions are mixed with text, but if this is forbidden feel free to correct me. DW-NOMINATE explanation is particularly important.

{{comic
| number = 1127
| date = October 29, 2012
| title = Congress
| image = congress.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = It'd be great if some news network started featuring partisan hack talking heads who were all Federalists and Jacksonians, just to see how long it took us to catch on.
}}

Click the date above the comic to go to the xkcd page, and there is a link to the much larger version. Go find something interesting, don't worry, the wiki will still be here.

==Explanation==
It appears that the {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|upcoming 2012 election}} has put [[Randall]] into a political state of mind, as this is the second comic in a few weeks that has dealt with political history ([[1122: Electoral Precedent]]). As with that comic, this comic goes through the entire history of the {{w|Federal government of the United States|U.S. Federal Government}}. Also notably, Randall makes a number of observations that are akin to the type of observations Randall denounces in 1122 (e.g. for 1928, Randall notes that no Republican has since won the presidency without a Nixon or a Bush on the ticket).

===U.S. Federal Government===
In the {{w|Federal government of the United States|U.S. Federal Government}}, one of the {{w|Separation of powers|checks and balances}} is a {{w|bicameralism|bicameral}} {{w|United States Congress}}, which consists of two "houses": the {{w|United States Senate|Senate}}, its "upper" house; and the {{w|United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives}} ("the House"), its "lower house". The Senate consists of 2 senators elected from each state (thus 100 total), while the House consists of 435 voting representatives (a number decided upon in {{w|Apportionment Act of 1911|1911}} by law) whose {{w|United States congressional apportionment|apportionment}} is split between the states proportional to their population; although each state gets at least one (the House also has non-voting representatives from unincorporated territories like {{w|Puerto Rico}} and the {{w|District of Columbia}}). Every ten years, the House is reapportioned based on the latest census. The most populous state as of 2012 is California which has 53 seats in the House. Senators serve 6-year terms with elections held every 2 years for one-third of the seats. Members of the House (called Representatives or Congressmen/women) serve 2-year terms with all of the seats contested every 2 years.

In order for a bill to become a law, it must be passed by both the House and the Senate. In a way, this theoretically ensures that the bill is supported both by the majority of states (the Senate), and the majority of the population (the House). The President may then sign the bill into law, he may "veto" the bill, or he may do nothing, in which case it becomes a law if and only if Congress is in session after a waiting period of 10 days (not including Sundays).

===Political ideologies===
In politics, there is a {{w|political spectrum|scale}} that represents the political beliefs of a politician. The scale goes from "{{w|Left-wing politics|left}}" to "{{w|Right-wing politics|right}}" of "center" - which generally describes a balancing point of beliefs (sometimes called "left-wing" or "right-wing").

The "left" is a general belief in social justice, and is sometimes associated with {{w|socialism}}. Modern left-wingers generally mandate equality, and support policies like welfare and government-subsidized healthcare. This trends toward having a larger federal government. In the U.S., "liberal" is a term often used to denote left-leaning tendencies.

The "right" generally believe in conserving the social and economic status quo, which is often termed {{w|conservatism|conservative}}. This trends towards having less regulation and thereby a smaller federal government. The goal is to keep the nation stable, and reducing the interference by the government with a person's wealth. This ostensibly means lower taxes, because the government does not provide as much.

Politicians typically align themselves into groups of similar beliefs and positions called "parties". In the U.S., there have generally been two dominant parties (although there have been times where three or more parties have shared roughly equal influence and support. In today's politics (which is apparently known as the fifth era of political parties, or {{w|Fifth Party System}}, as noted on the outside edges of the comic) of the two current primary U.S. political parties, the {{w|Democrats}} are the left-leaning party, and the {{w|Republicans}} are the right-leaning party. The dominant parties are generally considerate "moderate" in their left- or right-wing leanings, which is by necessity, as either party requires the support of a majority (or a few percent under) of voters to win. Smaller parties often run candidates with more extreme views, but such candidates rarely win, due to a more limited number of possible supporters ensuring that even a relatively large minority would have zero chance of representation. (see {{w|Duverger's law}}).

===The comic===
The comic effectively consists of three separate charts: The left- and right-hand charts are the main charts; they represent the Senate and House respectively, and purport to show the left- and right-wing leanings of each legislature through U.S. history. There is a legend on the right that sets out fairly clearly how the charts work, but basically Randall has split each wing into three levels including the very moderate or "Center" right or left, and the more extreme or "Far" right or left, as well as the average left and right, without prefix. A dotted yellow line represented the balance of power in each legislature, and white lines represent the leanings of certain notable people including presidents.

Some presidents are not indicated, because they were never senators or congressmen (most of these were state Governors, such as {{w|Bill Clinton|Clinton}}, {{w|George W. Bush|Bush}} and 2012 candidate {{w|Mitt Romney}}). As may be noted from the chart, {{w|Barack Obama}} is considered "left" while {{w|Paul Ryan}} is considered "far right". It's also notable that the "center right" ideology appears to be completely eradicated from the House and is waning in the Senate [http://xkcd.com/859/ (although a similar trend is shown around 1900 with the centrists making a comeback thereafter.]

On either side of these charts, there are descriptions or explanations for expansions and contractions of each ideological group.

The center chart appears to primarily act as a timeline. Each president is listed with their leanings indicated by a left or right arrow. Wars are shaded in grey. Other notable events are also indicated. On either side of the center chart (although somewhat mixed in with the aforementioned Senate/House explanations), there are also references to the primary parties of each era showing how they evolved (left-leaning parties on the left, and right-leaning parties on the right).

Finally, there's a little extra commentary on the right side, below the legend.

==Transcript==
:A history of
:'''The United States Congress'''
:Partisan and ideological makeup

:[The comic is divided into three massive sections, SENATE, PRESIDENCIES, and HOUSE. Timelines run backwards down the page between each section. In the HOUSE and SENATE sections, shifting, curving red and blue areas of different brightness illustrate the shifting balance of power between "Members of Left-Leaning Parties" and "Members of Right-Leaning Parties". Under PRESIDENCIES, different administrations are labeled and wars are shaded in grade. There are notes throughout all sections.]

:[There are additional notes on the right.]

:LEGEND
::''[Square containing ribbons of color merging upwards with larger areas]'': Branches join in when new members enter Congress and cause an ideological bloc to grow. (Note: If the new member is elected as another retires from the same ideological bloc, no change is shown.)
::''[Square containing ribbons of color splitting off from larger areas]'': Branches split off when members leave Congress, causing their ideological bloc to shrink. (Note: If the new member is elected as another retires from the same ideological bloc, no change is shown.)
::''[Square showing yellow dotted line crossing from red to blue area]'': The yellow line marks the midpoint, which indicates which side has control of the chamber.
::''[Square in which curve briefly separates from blue area]'': If a bloc loses members in one election and gains them in the next, the exiting stream may rejoin. This does not necessarily mean the same people returned.
::''[Square showing white dashed line labeled Lyndon Johnson on top of ribbon merging with main area]'': Future (and past) US Presidents who served in Congress are shown with white dashed lines. Other noteworthy members are shown with thin solid lines.
::''[Square in which tinted area marked "Whig" sits over mix of red and blue areas]'': Tinted white outlines mark the approximate membership of some of the smaller political parties.

:HOW IDEOLOGY IS CALCULATED
::Each member of Congress is assigned to an ideological category using DW-NOMINATE, a statistical system created by political scientists Keith Poole and Howard Rosenthal. This system rates each member of Congress's ideological position position [sic] based on their votes.
::DW-NOMINATE is purely mathematical and involves no judgement on the content of bills. Instead, members of Congress are placed on a spectrum based on how consistently they vote together.
::While people argue that ideology is many-dimensional, Poole and Rosenthal found that nearly all Congressional voting behavior - especially in the modern era - can be accurately predicted by using just one ideological variable.
::This variable turns out to roughly correspond to position on the classic economic liberal/conservative spectrum.
::Because members of Congress have served in overlapping terms with past members in a chain back to the first Congress, the system allows comparison of ideology across time - even accounting for individual members' ideological drift. (Note: Scores are comparable across time but not between chambers.)
::For more detail, see Poole and Rosenthal's website, voteview.com.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large Drawings]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Politics]]

1127: Congress

2012-12-22T18:13:53Z

Jerodast: /* Political ideologies */ Trying to find most neutral phrasing. See Talk for details.

{{comic
| number = 1127
| date = October 29, 2012
| title = Congress
| image = congress.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = It'd be great if some news network started featuring partisan hack talking heads who were all Federalists and Jacksonians, just to see how long it took us to catch on.
}}

Click the date above the comic to go to the xkcd page, and there is a link to the much larger version. Go find something interesting, don't worry, the wiki will still be here.

==Explanation==
It appears that the {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|upcoming 2012 election}} has put [[Randall]] into a political state of mind, as this is the second comic in a few weeks that has dealt with political history ([[1122: Electoral Precedent]]). As with that comic, this comic goes through the entire history of the {{w|Federal government of the United States|U.S. Federal Government}}. Also notably, Randall makes a number of observations that are akin to the type of observations Randall denounces in 1122 (e.g. for 1928, Randall notes that no Republican has since won the presidency without a Nixon or a Bush on the ticket).

===U.S. Federal Government===
In the {{w|Federal government of the United States|U.S. Federal Government}}, one of the {{w|Separation of powers|checks and balances}} is a {{w|bicameralism|bicameral}} {{w|United States Congress}}, which consists of two "houses": the {{w|United States Senate|Senate}}, its "upper" house; and the {{w|United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives}} ("the House"), its "lower house". The Senate consists of 2 senators elected from each state (thus 100 total), while the House consists of 435 voting representatives (a number decided upon in {{w|Apportionment Act of 1911|1911}} by law) whose {{w|United States congressional apportionment|apportionment}} is split between the states proportional to their population; although each state gets at least one (the House also has non-voting representatives from unincorporated territories like {{w|Puerto Rico}} and the {{w|District of Columbia}}). Every ten years, the House is reapportioned based on the latest census. The most populous state as of 2012 is California which has 53 seats in the House. Senators serve 6-year terms with elections held every 2 years for one-third of the seats. Members of the House (called Representatives or Congressmen/women) serve 2-year terms with all of the seats contested every 2 years.

In order for a bill to become a law, it must be passed by both the House and the Senate. In a way, this theoretically ensures that the bill is supported both by the majority of states (the Senate), and the majority of the population (the House). The President may then sign the bill into law, he may "veto" the bill, or he may do nothing, in which case it becomes a law if and only if Congress is in session after a waiting period of 10 days (not including Sundays).

===Political ideologies===
In politics, there is a {{w|political spectrum|scale}} that represents the political beliefs of a politician. The scale goes from "{{w|Left-wing politics|left}}" to "{{w|Right-wing politics|right}}" of "center" - which generally describes a balancing point of beliefs (sometimes called "left-wing" or "right-wing").

The "left" is a general belief in social justice, and is sometimes associated with {{w|socialism}}. Modern left-wingers generally mandate equality, and support policies like welfare and government-subsidized healthcare. This trends toward having a larger federal government. In the U.S., "liberal" is a term often used to denote left-leaning tendencies.

The "right" generally believe in conserving the social and economic status quo, which is often termed {{w|conservatism|conservative}}. This trends towards having less regulation and thereby a smaller federal government. The goal is to keep the nation stable, and reducing the interference by the government with a person's wealth. This ostensibly means lower taxes, because the government does not provide as much.

Politicians typically align themselves into groups of similar beliefs and positions called "parties". In the U.S., there have generally been two dominant parties (although there have been times where three or more parties have shared roughly equal influence and support. In today's politics (which is apparently known as the fifth era of political parties, or {{w|Fifth Party System}}, as noted on the outside edges of the comic) of the two current primary U.S. political parties, the {{w|Democrats}} are the left-leaning party, and the {{w|Republicans}} are the right-leaning party. The dominant parties are generally considerate "moderate" in their left- or right-wing leanings, which is by necessity, as either party requires the support of a majority (or a few percent under) of voters to win. Smaller parties often run candidates with more extreme views, but such candidates rarely win, due to a more limited number of possible supporters ensuring that even a relatively large minority would have zero chance of representation. (see {{w|Duverger's law}}).

===The comic===
The comic effectively consists of three separate charts: The left- and right-hand charts are the main charts; they represent the Senate and House respectively, and purport to show the left- and right-wing leanings of each legislature through U.S. history. There is a legend on the right that sets out fairly clearly how the charts work, but basically Randall has split each wing into three levels including the very moderate or "Center" right or left, and the more extreme or "Far" right or left, as well as the average left and right, without prefix. A dotted yellow line represented the balance of power in each legislature, and white lines represent the leanings of certain notable people including presidents.

Some presidents are not indicated, because they were never senators or congressmen (most of these were state Governors, such as {{w|Bill Clinton|Clinton}}, {{w|George W. Bush|Bush}} and 2012 candidate {{w|Mitt Romney}}). As may be noted from the chart, {{w|Barack Obama}} is considered "left" while {{w|Paul Ryan}} is considered "far right". It's also notable that the "center right" ideology appears to be completely eradicated from the House and is waning in the Senate [http://xkcd.com/859/ (although a similar trend is shown around 1900 with the centrists making a comeback thereafter.]

On either side of these charts, there are descriptions or explanations for expansions and contractions of each ideological group.

The center chart appears to primarily act as a timeline. Each president is listed with their leanings indicated by a left or right arrow. Wars are shaded in grey. Other notable events are also indicated. On either side of the center chart (although somewhat mixed in with the aforementioned Senate/House explanations), there are also references to the primary parties of each era showing how they evolved (left-leaning parties on the left, and right-leaning parties on the right).

Finally, there's a little extra commentary on the right side, below the legend.

==Transcript==
:A history of
:'''The United States Congress'''
:Partisan and ideological makeup

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large Drawings]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Politics]]

Talk:1127: Congress

2012-12-22T18:12:51Z

Jerodast: /* definition of conservative is pejorative */ trying to find the best neutral wording

Being a stupidly over political (please don't ask me here, this is an xkcd wiki not reddit) kinda guy, this one really interests me. Another one of those amazing visualizations of real-world facts xkcd is so great at. I have no idea what one might write for an explanation that would be useful. Everything is explained in pretty thorough fashion right on the panel... {{unsigned|Renegade4dio}}
:Well, there's always the transcript for us to <strike>waste time</strike> work on. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 12:36, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

== Congress as check ==

Perhaps a pedantic point, but I couldn't leave the description describing Congress as simply a check on the president. That would imply that the president has free reign (literally) and that Congress only acts (or, more often, doesn't act) to veto the president. That is a much more accurate description of the president's role in legislation (or of a pre-modern English Parliament). {{unsigned|208.32.120.10}}

==Typo==
There's a typo on the right-hand side of the comic around 1952 - "''Other than these few years after the war; the House [was] under control Democratic control for the entire period ...''". The "was" is missing. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 15:27, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

== definition of conservative is pejorative ==

Conservatives are not interested in preserving wealth amongst those who have it - they are interested in creating as many opportunities to create wealth as possible by reducing unwanted government regulation and returning to constitutional limitations (aka 10th ammendment) on Federal power. A different view of liberty and rights than what liberals maintain, but highly supported - I find your definition to be highly pejorative. [[User:Ghaller825|Ghaller825]] ([[User talk:Ghaller825|talk]]) 18:59, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

:That went completely over my head, but you're entirely welcome to change it if the definition in the article bothers you. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 09:16, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

::Perhaps the segment could be changed to say "conservatives believe the government should not interfere with a person's wealth", or something very similar. The resistence to government involvement seems to be more consistent across the various degrees of the modern conservative movement. I'll admit that my suggested statement is also false, because almost everyone believes there should be some amount of taxes, and taxes affect wealth. However, it should be more palatable to the political ideology.

:I understand your offense, Ghaller. On the other hand, the current phrasing using "making wealth" is also a loaded term, as many factory workers would feel that they are "the ones who make it" more than the CEOs, but are certainly not getting more money. I'm not saying I agree with that perspective, just that it's a suggestive statement, and this is not the forum to have an endless debate over it. The unsigned comment above me has the best compromise in my opinion, so I will implement it. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 18:12, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

==Errors==
I notice the following: (1) George H.W. Bush is shown as serving in the Senate. He never made it to the Senate, just the House. (2) Abraham Lincoln appears to be shown as serving in the House for about seven years. He only was there for one term (two years). --[[Special:Contributions/99.14.234.119|99.14.234.119]] 02:18, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

It also lists John A. Garfield in the House from 1862 until his election -- it is James A Garfield, not John.

It lists Abraham Lincoln (and the Republican Party of Lincoln's time in general) as right-leaning, even though it's widely accepted that the Republicans of that era (whose base was made up mostly of Northern abolitionists) were the more liberal party, and the Democrats (whose base was comprised in large part by Southern slave-owners) the more conservative. {{unsigned|140.247.0.73}}

==Definition of Liberal==

While in the US, liberal might mean left-wing, in the UK it's pretty central and in Australia it's right-wing. Go figure.--[[User:Joe Green|Joe Green]] ([[User talk:Joe Green|talk]]) 04:23, 30 October 2012 (UTC)
:Classical liberalism [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_liberalism] is very different from American liberalism; Americans would recognize it more as Libertarianism. --[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 09:12, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

==Typo==

In the "How Ideology Is Calculated" section, I note "acccounting".--[[User:Joe Green|Joe Green]] ([[User talk:Joe Green|talk]]) 04:23, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

==Conservative?==

He didn't exactly say that Conservatives are interested in preserving wealth amongst those who have it; I think the implication is that "if you made it, you should get to keep it" (or as much of it as possible, hence lower taxes). One ''consequence'' of this is that the ''distribution'' of wealth tends to remain static, in that the rich stay rich and the poor stay (relatively) poorer. Whether or not that consequence is an intentional one is perhaps in the eye of the pejoratively-inclined beholder :-)--[[User:Joe Green|Joe Green]] ([[User talk:Joe Green|talk]]) 04:30, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

:I made an edit to that effect, but it appears to have been wiped out by another editor calling it "right-wing trolling". If you would like to try re-wording it, please do. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 05:05, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

::By changing just a little bit I think I removed most of the negative connotation.[[User:Bugefun|Bugefun]] ([[User talk:Bugefun|talk]]) 05:11, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

==Arteries==
Kind of unrelated but the diagram to me looks sort of like arteries and veins, with the red and blue. And the branches look like how they branch off the heart and stuff. [[User:Bugefun|Bugefun]] ([[User talk:Bugefun|talk]]) 05:10, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

==Red inside blue and vice versa==
What do the red strands inside the blue section and the blue strands inside the red section represent? It doesn't seem to be explained anywhere.
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.200.82|199.27.200.82]] 14:15, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

:Red on the blue side represents "Conservative Democrats" and Blue on the red side represents "Liberal Republicans". Confusing a bit, but so are both those political terms (lol). It is stated (in small text) on the top right diagram of the comic--[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 14:53, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

==Left vs right - or why this comic is stupid==
The traditional definition of left vs right (people attribute all sorts of things to it these days) is the support of change (hence the names progressives vs conservatives, or radicals vs reactionaries). The terminology comes from France where those that advocated reforms to government sat on the left of the chamber and those that wanted to do such things as restore the monarchy sat on the right. Your traditional Burkian conservative (smidgen to the right of the centre) would accept change is inevitable, but must be controlled. To the right of that people that want to maintain the status quo, further right people that want to go back to some "better time". To the left you get the, let change happen as it comes, further left lets make change a "good thing", to the furthest left "lets force change". A large part of the Marxist philosophy is that not only is communism desirable, but inevitable as according to Marx that is the final destination of all societies. Now to my point. Over time the parties have switched sides and often will be left on one issue and right on another. Often the parties themselves were divided (look at the civil rights act's passage) To simply say Democratic Party has always been left and the Republicans have always been is such a gross simplification that is renders the whole image a farce. [[Special:Contributions/192.43.227.18|192.43.227.18]] 01:07, 8 November 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1129: Cell Number

2012-12-22T17:44:16Z

Jerodast: /* Bloated explanation */ Numbering information that was removed from Explanation is recorded here

In the explanation: "The next three digits are the exchange number (the middle digit being always 2 or higher)". That cannot be true. After my area code, my exchange number is 504...the middle digit being a zero i.e. <2. Where did you get the information that the middle exchange number has to be a 2 or higher? That source should be corrected as well See [http://www.reversenumberdatabase.com/817-504 This Link].--[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 17:13, 5 November 2012 (UTC)

:The limitation being discussed existed only until the 1990s. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_numbering_plan].[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 19:28, 6 November 2012 (UTC)
:: I reordered some paragraphss so that hopefully it makes more sense: the first paragraph sets up the history; the third paragraph reflects current reality; the second is the transition. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 05:16, 7 November 2012 (UTC)
::: I see. The "Prior to the proliferation of cell/mobile/handy phones..." stated in the first paragraph sets it up as historical numbering (i.e. rules prior to 1990) and not the current rules. It has been reordered very well to make more sense (at least to me!).

I guess this has something to do with keeping your phone number even when switching providers? We got a law in Norway around that time, which says you're able to keep your phone number while switching. Only difference is that here you can only tell, from the first two of eight digits, which ''provider'' you had in 2005 (or whenever it took effect). --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 08:31, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

:It probably does. There is no mention of 2005 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Numbering_Plan North American Numbering Plan wikipedia article] ... seems it's the part needing explanation the most. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:38, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

: According to wikipedia, mobile number portability was implemented in the USA in 2003.11.24. The comic would make sense with 2003, but why 2005? Maybe it only caught on enough in 2005: http://www.pyramidresearch.com/pa_may26_mnp.htm

: One reason for switching to a new "local" number would be so that those who have land lines aren't making "long-distance" phone calls to your cell phone. My brother just recently moved back from the east coast and is keeping his same cell phone number, which doesn't affect my other siblings and myself because we only use cell phones (which only count the number of minutes used). But my mom still uses land lines most of the time and so she's being billed for a long-distance call whenever she calls him, even though he lives about a mile away from her. But since most people are ditching the land lines, I think it'll be a moot point in about 5-10 years. --[[User:Joehammer79|Joehammer79]] ([[User talk:Joehammer79|talk]]) 13:45, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

It has to do with cell phones versus land lines. Back in the day (before the early 2000s), many people still had a land line as their primary or only phone. Your phone number's area code would be based on the area in which you lived. If you moved to a new area, you would get a new phone number, and if you moved out of the previous area code, a new area code. But with a cell phone, when you moved you kept the same number, including the area code. This was especially true after the 2003 law made it so you could keep the same number even if you switch your provider. The year 2005 has to do with when many people made their cell phone their primary or only phone. As [http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-03-24-cell-phones_x.htm this USA TODAY]article mentions, in 2003 18% of Americans with cell phones considered their cell phone their primary phone. Given the rapid growth of the industry, it is possible that 2005 is when more than half of cell phone owners in America considered their cell phone their primary phone.

:The details differ, of course ("your mileage may vary"). There are so many possible reasons why this occurs. My parent's cell phones (612) don't match their home land-line (763) due to area code splits -- they didn't move or cause the disconnect themselves. As for me, my first cell phone matched theirs, but in 2005 I moved to Michigan (586 area), creating a disconnect. Then to make things worse, early next year (2006) I got a second line (and new phone) on my new girlfriend's account, and she lived on the other side of the city (734). We married and moved near where I was living & working, but both still have "734" cell phones for family purposes. So Randall's "living" can also be "dating / where significant other is living". --BigMal27 / [[Special:Contributions/192.136.15.149|192.136.15.149]] 15:54, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

For anyone from outside the US, the key fact here is that in the US, your mobile phone has an area code the same as a landline. I used to live in the US, and it blew my mind to learn that mobile phones had area codes there. I was like, but.... Huh? That's like saying your car has a postal address.[[User:Carlisle|Carlisle]] ([[User talk:Carlisle|talk]]) 15:06, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

:In the US, our cars kind of do have a postal address -- the state they are titled & registered in, the same state emblazoned on the license plate in the back (and sometimes the front also). However, the states don't like it when you operate an "out-of-state" car in their territory for too long. Specifically, you are using public roads that you are not paying for. Then, when you transfer title and are assigned a new plate, you get a new letter/number combination. License plates -- and specifically the random ID (or "vanity plate" custom ID) they hold -- are not portable between states. --BigMal27 / [[Special:Contributions/192.136.15.149|192.136.15.149]] 15:47, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

::In the past, in Italy you had to do the same when you moved from one province to another. Now, if you move, you pay car taxes to a different province, but your license plate stays the same. At the time, the province code was part of the license number, now it isn't anymore. If you have an old plate with a province code, you keep it even if you move.
::If you have an out-of-country car, and move to Italy for more than a year, then you have to get Italian license plates.
::--[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.90|85.159.196.90]] 17:51, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

:::[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Poland In Poland] the license plate starts with three letters encoding the county (voivodeship and powiat) --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 10:28, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

::In the UK the first two letters on a car's plate are for where it was registered, but after that they may as well be meaningless, you do see more S plates in Scotland, M plates in Manchester etc. but the letters don't always even indicate the car was bought as new in that place, I take photos for car dealers and you often see new cars for sale with plates from other parts of the country. Still, actually being able to post to a car would be funny.
::On the subject of postal addresses, I had an Irish friend at uni, and when we were exchanging addresses to write to each other at the end of first year he gave his address as (not his real name, obviously) Sean Murphy, Kilbeggan, Ireland. We all laughed but he said, the postman knows who everyone is so they don't need street names and numbers, we asked what if they got a new postman, and he said 'that wouldn't happen'.[[User:Carlisle|Carlisle]] ([[User talk:Carlisle|talk]]) 23:10, 4 November 2012 (UTC)

I'm 34 and live in the USA and it still took me a while to understand this. The 2005 date is because even though the portability law was passed in 2003, it was still difficult to do and not very common to keep you number until 2005.

== Handi phones ==
''"cell/mobile/handi phones"'' ... Who uses "handi phones"? Would be really interesting :) --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 02:18, 3 November 2012 (UTC)
:A German friend tells me that that is the term of art for what US folks call "cellular" phones: "Ruf mich am Handi an," (in my broken German: "call me on my handi/cellphone") Given that we've got an international audience, it seemed appropriate to use. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 02:31, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

::Ah ok. And you had me thinking that someone in the English speaking world was using our German term ;) --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 02:43, 3 November 2012 (UTC)
::But we write it "Handy" ("Handi" (with a german "i") is how you speak it – the letter "y" can be a "i"- or a "ü"-sound in German). --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 16:32, 3 November 2012 (UTC)
:::I stand corrected, then... -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 04:36, 4 November 2012 (UTC)

In my overhaul I've tried to change all references to the simple "mobile phone". This is a literal definition and as such shouldn't fall victim to confusion about regional terminology like "cell". Let me know if you're aware of an audience that would not understand "mobile", or just add the appropriate clarification yourself. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 17:37, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

== Bloated explanation ==
There is a lot of information about the structure of US phone numbers here, and while general information is good to set up the joke, the specifics can be left to the wikipedia article. Specifically, all the talk of how exchanges are numbered and long distance charges is utterly irrelevant to the strip, and the information about choosing custom numbers is relevant only to the title text (and takes about one line to explain). The meat of the joke is that area codes used to be location-based but rapidly became more flexible around 2005, resulting in that rather arbitrary meaning today, yet this is mentioned almost casually in just one sentence near the end. I will trim and reorder the article so that it's more relevant to the comic shortly, unless there are objections. - [[User:Jerodast|jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 11:01, December 3, 2012

:Quite a few explanations are like that. People add things that seem relevant to them, but don't really help explain the comic. If you look at most of the explanations past the 1050 mark, quite a few of them aren't perfect. If you want to tighten them up, by all means do so. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:39, 4 December 2012 (UTC)

==Additional Info on Phone Numbering Systems==
I trimmed a lot of unnecessary information from the explanation, because it had nothing to do with explaining the joke of the comic. For those parties looking for more information on phone numbering plans, here is what I removed:

*The middle digit of the area code was originally always 0 or 1 to allow mechanical dialing circuits to identify the sequence as an area code or not.
*The next three digits are the exchange number (the middle digit being always 2 or higher), and the final four digits are typically random.
*Business customers frequently could pay a premium for a specific number (if available), either to spell a brief slogan, or for easy memorization.

The prevalence of digitally controlled dialing allowed the restrictions on digits in area codes and exchanges to be relaxed, suddenly making many new area codes and exchanges available. According to the {{w|North American Numbering Plan}}, currently:
*The first 3 digits (Area Code) can be [2-9][0-9][0-9],
*the next 3 digits (Exchange) can be [2-9][0-9][0-9], and
*the final 4 digits (Subscriber Number) can be [0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9].
There are [http://www.nanpa.com/area_codes/index.html some rules] for area code exceptions or reserved numbers though. Specifically, X11 codes are not valid as area codes (e.g. 411, 911, etc...) and Xyy (repeated last 2 digits) codes are reserved for special use area codes (e.g. toll-free/freephone 800, 888, etc..). [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 17:44, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1129: Cell Number

2012-12-22T17:37:14Z

Jerodast: /* Handi phones */ Changing terminology to "mobile" across the board

1129: Cell Number

2012-12-22T17:34:24Z

Jerodast: /* Explanation */ Cut info with nothing to do with the comic. Things like "the restrictions on the 2nd digit of the exchange" are completely irrelevant to this strip. Links to wikipedia provided for more info. Elaborated on central idea of joke.

{{comic
| number = 1129
| date = November 2, 2012
| title = Cell Number
| image = cell number.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = There's also a +1 sometimes, which is there to keep everyone on their toes. In the future, people who got to pick cool numbers by signing up for Google Voice early will be revered as wizards.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic references the pattern for US telephone numbers, which are ten digits in length. Unlike in other countries, there is no quick way to determine whether that number is for a land-line or mobile customer. In either case, the first three digits are referred to as the "{{w|area code}}", a term dating back to before the proliferation of mobile phones, when specific codes were assigned to geographic regions. The next three digits had some rules based on the {{w|telephone exchange}} but as Randall says, those and the final four numbers are essentially meaningless.

In the early days of the mobile era, the geography-based numbering still applied to new mobile lines, so mobile phones would have the same area code as owners' home numbers. Late in 2003, US telephone service providers were required to support "number portability", meaning that customers could theoretically take their mobile phone number with them to a new provider, even when moving to a distant new location. In the early days this wasn't always very easy to do, but became commonplace within a couple years. Since most users opt to keep their numbers constant whenever possible, numbers generally stopped changing after about 2005, instead of shifting when people moved like they were forced to in previous years. Therefore, examination of a given phone number will likely tell you where its owner was living at that time, since their number would not have changed after 2005 due to the portability law.

{{w|Google Voice}} is an alternate {{w|voice over IP}} service. Upon signing up, users can choose any available new 10-digit number without regard to geographic area. Among other things, this allows the earlier users to choose "cool numbers" if desired, such as ones that correspond to {{w|phonewords}} or have a pleasing pattern. In the past, this "vanity numbering" was typically only available to businesses via {{w|Toll free telephone number#Toll-free vanity number for branding & direct response|toll-free numbers}}. Some mobile service providers began allowing similar customization after the portability law, but often still restricted new numbers by area code, keeping the availability of "cool numbers" low until Google Voice launched.

==Transcript==
:[10 boxes for 10 digits of a U.S. phone number. The first three are grouped by parentheses. A hyphen separates the second set of three and the last four.]
:[Label titled "Your seven random digits" pointing at seven empty boxes.]
:[Label titled "Where you lived in 2005" pointing at three empty boxes preceding the seven.]
:Structure of a US cell phone number.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]

Talk:1028: Communication

2012-12-22T16:19:27Z

Jerodast: Names are cool. Harry is still a mystery.

I can't decide if the irony that this comic didn't communicate its idea well was intentional or if I just didn't get it at first because I'm dumb...
:Don't worry. Not everybody can read "international," so it may be a bit hard to interpret. Really, he's just citing John R. Trimble: ''"Clear writers assume, with a pessimism born of experience, that whatever isn't plainly stated the reader will invariably misconstrue."'' In this case, after several examples of ''poor'' communication (and the consequences) the only ''clear'' communicator is [[Beret Guy]], who rather adeptly shows rather than tells [[Cueball]] of the peril. Visual [http://wordnik.com/words/prolix prolix]? Maybe. As you say, that may be the point. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 02:44, 19 August 2012 (UTC)
:Well, it wouldn't be that you're dumb, it would be that you're "bad at reading comics" :) [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 16:43, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

I don't believe that the holes are only one person deep. It seems as though the heads are level with the ground just to show who is falling into each hole at that moment. [[Special:Contributions/108.20.154.235|108.20.154.235]] 11:20, 21 September 2012 (UTC)

After panel 5-6, does WHG think that he actually communicated the left hole successfully to the girl, given that he does not understand her "hole!" message as a warning of the right hole? I remember that's how I read it the first time.

Where does the name Harry come from? Is this established usage on the wiki? Dropping it in the explanation out of nowhere is confusing. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 16:44, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

:Using names to refer to the characters was a tradition that was officially started back on the blog when Berg [http://www.explainxkcd.com/2010/07/23/all-the-girls/ guest authored] one of the explanations. This makes it easier for everyone to be sure they are referring to the same character, and they're also cute fan-made names. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:04, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

::Sure sure, I get that, but [[Cueball]] and [[Danish]] have pages where confused users can go to understand where the name came from. "Harry" just drops out of nowhere here. Does he appear in other comics? Should we make a page for him? [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 16:19, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1129: Cell Number

2012-12-22T16:13:01Z

Jerodast: /* Bloated explanation */ Retroactive signature

In the explanation: "The next three digits are the exchange number (the middle digit being always 2 or higher)". That cannot be true. After my area code, my exchange number is 504...the middle digit being a zero i.e. <2. Where did you get the information that the middle exchange number has to be a 2 or higher? That source should be corrected as well See [http://www.reversenumberdatabase.com/817-504 This Link].--[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 17:13, 5 November 2012 (UTC)

:The limitation being discussed existed only until the 1990s. See [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telephone_numbering_plan].[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 19:28, 6 November 2012 (UTC)
:: I reordered some paragraphss so that hopefully it makes more sense: the first paragraph sets up the history; the third paragraph reflects current reality; the second is the transition. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 05:16, 7 November 2012 (UTC)
::: I see. The "Prior to the proliferation of cell/mobile/handy phones..." stated in the first paragraph sets it up as historical numbering (i.e. rules prior to 1990) and not the current rules. It has been reordered very well to make more sense (at least to me!).

I guess this has something to do with keeping your phone number even when switching providers? We got a law in Norway around that time, which says you're able to keep your phone number while switching. Only difference is that here you can only tell, from the first two of eight digits, which ''provider'' you had in 2005 (or whenever it took effect). --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 08:31, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

:It probably does. There is no mention of 2005 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Numbering_Plan North American Numbering Plan wikipedia article] ... seems it's the part needing explanation the most. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:38, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

: According to wikipedia, mobile number portability was implemented in the USA in 2003.11.24. The comic would make sense with 2003, but why 2005? Maybe it only caught on enough in 2005: http://www.pyramidresearch.com/pa_may26_mnp.htm

: One reason for switching to a new "local" number would be so that those who have land lines aren't making "long-distance" phone calls to your cell phone. My brother just recently moved back from the east coast and is keeping his same cell phone number, which doesn't affect my other siblings and myself because we only use cell phones (which only count the number of minutes used). But my mom still uses land lines most of the time and so she's being billed for a long-distance call whenever she calls him, even though he lives about a mile away from her. But since most people are ditching the land lines, I think it'll be a moot point in about 5-10 years. --[[User:Joehammer79|Joehammer79]] ([[User talk:Joehammer79|talk]]) 13:45, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

It has to do with cell phones versus land lines. Back in the day (before the early 2000s), many people still had a land line as their primary or only phone. Your phone number's area code would be based on the area in which you lived. If you moved to a new area, you would get a new phone number, and if you moved out of the previous area code, a new area code. But with a cell phone, when you moved you kept the same number, including the area code. This was especially true after the 2003 law made it so you could keep the same number even if you switch your provider. The year 2005 has to do with when many people made their cell phone their primary or only phone. As [http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-03-24-cell-phones_x.htm this USA TODAY]article mentions, in 2003 18% of Americans with cell phones considered their cell phone their primary phone. Given the rapid growth of the industry, it is possible that 2005 is when more than half of cell phone owners in America considered their cell phone their primary phone.

:The details differ, of course ("your mileage may vary"). There are so many possible reasons why this occurs. My parent's cell phones (612) don't match their home land-line (763) due to area code splits -- they didn't move or cause the disconnect themselves. As for me, my first cell phone matched theirs, but in 2005 I moved to Michigan (586 area), creating a disconnect. Then to make things worse, early next year (2006) I got a second line (and new phone) on my new girlfriend's account, and she lived on the other side of the city (734). We married and moved near where I was living & working, but both still have "734" cell phones for family purposes. So Randall's "living" can also be "dating / where significant other is living". --BigMal27 / [[Special:Contributions/192.136.15.149|192.136.15.149]] 15:54, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

For anyone from outside the US, the key fact here is that in the US, your mobile phone has an area code the same as a landline. I used to live in the US, and it blew my mind to learn that mobile phones had area codes there. I was like, but.... Huh? That's like saying your car has a postal address.[[User:Carlisle|Carlisle]] ([[User talk:Carlisle|talk]]) 15:06, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

:In the US, our cars kind of do have a postal address -- the state they are titled & registered in, the same state emblazoned on the license plate in the back (and sometimes the front also). However, the states don't like it when you operate an "out-of-state" car in their territory for too long. Specifically, you are using public roads that you are not paying for. Then, when you transfer title and are assigned a new plate, you get a new letter/number combination. License plates -- and specifically the random ID (or "vanity plate" custom ID) they hold -- are not portable between states. --BigMal27 / [[Special:Contributions/192.136.15.149|192.136.15.149]] 15:47, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

::In the past, in Italy you had to do the same when you moved from one province to another. Now, if you move, you pay car taxes to a different province, but your license plate stays the same. At the time, the province code was part of the license number, now it isn't anymore. If you have an old plate with a province code, you keep it even if you move.
::If you have an out-of-country car, and move to Italy for more than a year, then you have to get Italian license plates.
::--[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.90|85.159.196.90]] 17:51, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

:::[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_registration_plates_of_Poland In Poland] the license plate starts with three letters encoding the county (voivodeship and powiat) --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 10:28, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

::In the UK the first two letters on a car's plate are for where it was registered, but after that they may as well be meaningless, you do see more S plates in Scotland, M plates in Manchester etc. but the letters don't always even indicate the car was bought as new in that place, I take photos for car dealers and you often see new cars for sale with plates from other parts of the country. Still, actually being able to post to a car would be funny.
::On the subject of postal addresses, I had an Irish friend at uni, and when we were exchanging addresses to write to each other at the end of first year he gave his address as (not his real name, obviously) Sean Murphy, Kilbeggan, Ireland. We all laughed but he said, the postman knows who everyone is so they don't need street names and numbers, we asked what if they got a new postman, and he said 'that wouldn't happen'.[[User:Carlisle|Carlisle]] ([[User talk:Carlisle|talk]]) 23:10, 4 November 2012 (UTC)

I'm 34 and live in the USA and it still took me a while to understand this. The 2005 date is because even though the portability law was passed in 2003, it was still difficult to do and not very common to keep you number until 2005.

== Handi phones ==
''"cell/mobile/handi phones"'' ... Who uses "handi phones"? Would be really interesting :) --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 02:18, 3 November 2012 (UTC)
:A German friend tells me that that is the term of art for what US folks call "cellular" phones: "Ruf mich am Handi an," (in my broken German: "call me on my handi/cellphone") Given that we've got an international audience, it seemed appropriate to use. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 02:31, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

::Ah ok. And you had me thinking that someone in the English speaking world was using our German term ;) --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 02:43, 3 November 2012 (UTC)
::But we write it "Handy" ("Handi" (with a german "i") is how you speak it – the letter "y" can be a "i"- or a "ü"-sound in German). --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 16:32, 3 November 2012 (UTC)
:::I stand corrected, then... -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 04:36, 4 November 2012 (UTC)

== Bloated explanation ==
There is a lot of information about the structure of US phone numbers here, and while general information is good to set up the joke, the specifics can be left to the wikipedia article. Specifically, all the talk of how exchanges are numbered and long distance charges is utterly irrelevant to the strip, and the information about choosing custom numbers is relevant only to the title text (and takes about one line to explain). The meat of the joke is that area codes used to be location-based but rapidly became more flexible around 2005, resulting in that rather arbitrary meaning today, yet this is mentioned almost casually in just one sentence near the end. I will trim and reorder the article so that it's more relevant to the comic shortly, unless there are objections. - [[User:Jerodast|jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 11:01, December 3, 2012

:Quite a few explanations are like that. People add things that seem relevant to them, but don't really help explain the comic. If you look at most of the explanations past the 1050 mark, quite a few of them aren't perfect. If you want to tighten them up, by all means do so. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:39, 4 December 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1141: Two Years

2012-12-22T16:09:00Z

Jerodast: Randall's wife is a person

There are no words to convey how awesome you guys are. Thank you.

Also, great Portal reference.

[[Special:Contributions/81.32.87.159|81.32.87.159]] 07:30, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

Flip cancer. Lost my mother-in-law to it and now my dad is undergoing chemo for stage IV lung cancer.
:Seconded. This strip hits close to home, even years after the fact. And given that of my parents and grandparents only one grandmother was not yet diagnosed with any type of cancer, both frequentist and Bayesian statisticians probably agree I should be cautious myself. [[Special:Contributions/46.142.57.253|46.142.57.253]] 20:01, 30 November 2012 (UTC) madd

Did anyone else think the second to last panel was a couple who were sitting close to ground zero of a nuclear bomb? It took several glances to finally see a tree instead of a mushroom cloud. [[User:Sayno2quat|Sayno2quat]] ([[User talk:Sayno2quat|talk]]) 15:35, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:When I first saw that panel from my peripheral vision, I also thought it was a mushroom cloud.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 17:46, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:Now that you mention it - on my monitor, before scrolling, I only swa the upper half of what looked indeed like a mushroom cloud. [[Special:Contributions/46.142.57.253|46.142.57.253]] 19:45, 30 November 2012 (UTC) madd

: Agreed; the mushroom cloud was my first impression, too. And I hazard the guess that it was intentional: it's an apt metaphor of how your world seems to explode... -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:02, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

The language of referring to Randall's girlfriend as "wife" before they were married is awkward.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 17:47, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:Ok, "partner" is slightly less awkward, but I think using "Cueball/Megan" instead of "Randall/Randall's partner" would be most consistent.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 21:17, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:: +1 on '''s/Randall/Cueball/g''' (and '''s/(girlfriend|partner|wife)/Megan/gi''') with an explanation that the comic very likely depicts real-world events in Randall's and (real-world) Megan's life. Though it might be tributary to make the inferential leap, I think would be entirely "unscientific" to do so (which is so ''un''Randall...) It also reinforces the notion that this happens to many, many more couples: Randall and Megan are not unique in what they are experiencing, though Randall does an excellent job of illustrating just what they're going through. (And yes, I could just go and change it myself, but wanted to discuss beforehand.) -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:02, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

:::Wikis lack democracy. Somebody puts their foot down, and that's that. In any case, I think if someone is going to insist that these characters can only represent Randall and his wife Megan, it's odd and slightly disrespectful to never use her proper name.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 01:29, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

::::Crying out about social injustice is the adult version of screaming "Ouch!" when a parent grabs a child's arm to get their attention. Democracy is not do-what-you-want-to. Democracy is having a discussion and then acting upon the results of that discussion. There have been [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Randall_in_Comics|many]] [[Talk:1117:_My_Sky|discussions]] about having Randall in comics. The result was that whenever Randall decides to place himself in a comic, that we should honor that. So, instead of using a generic character he put himself and his wife into the comic. So, we honor that. We do not know the name of his wife, Randall is a very private person, we respect his privacy and only go by the information he gives out, and we don't make wild speculations, this is why we don't refer to her by (any) name; it's the most respectful thing we can do.

::::To prevent vigilante edit warring I've locked the page. Now, if you think that the site should not recognize when Randall specifically puts himself in comics, then there is a reason to bring this discussion back to the table. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 05:45, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

:::::So why is this comic different from [[881]], [[931]], [[933]], and [[996]]? There was consistency until [[1141]]. Consistency is what's wanted in a Wiki.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 05:39, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

::::::I believe those other comic is rather general, where this particular one has enough set of facts that specific to Randall's case. That said, I agree with you that consistency is good, having the character called Cueball and Megan and explicitly said that those represent Randall and his wife probably better. [[User:Arifsaha|Arifsaha]] ([[User talk:Arifsaha|talk]]) 16:48, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

::::::My two cents: As [[User:Arifsaha|Arifsaha]] said, those other comics are general. Each is ''one'' scene demonstrating ''one'' situation or discussion, so Cueball/Megan could be any couple going through cancer treatments. In this case, quantity ''does'' matter in determining the significance of "evidence that this is Randall". There are so many scenes here that it's clear a very specific and personal story is being shared.
::::::Also, the title text usually is from Randall's perspective (obviously there are exceptions, but when the text is realistic, it's a safe assumption). Here it says "she", not "my wife", indicating that the person being referenced has already been introduced (i.e. is in the comic). Further linking the Randall text with the characters is the fact that it directly references the panel 5 scene, rather than: "related ideas that are not in the comic" ([[933]]/[[996]]), simple objective explanation ([[931]]), or a reference to a previous strip ([[881]]). So unless you want to argue that the title text is intended to be ''Cueball'' addressing the readers and not Randall, it seems like this is all about Randall & his wife. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 16:06, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

:::::As [[User:CityZen|CityZen]] said above, consistency is good. It is not that we don't want to recognize Randall in the comic, but we probably want to recognize it in the way where we said that in this comic Cueball and Megan represent Randall and his wife. I imagine it is possible that a reader see other comic and start questioning why the characters were called Cueball and Megan in the other comic but called Randall and his wife in this comic. I believe it will be easier to simply consistently label the character Cueball and Megan, then explicitly and clearly said and explain that in this particular comic, Cueball and Megan represent Randall and his wife. [[User:Arifsaha|Arifsaha]] ([[User talk:Arifsaha|talk]]) 16:48, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

::::::Cueball and Megan do not represent Randall and his wife. Cueball and Megan are the everyman/woman (and usually not even that but the geekiest kind of every(wo)man). Now, if Randall were building a story arc that spanned 1000 comics I would believe that this was Cueball and Megan, in character, standing in for Randall's real life experience. But the fact is, Randall clearly marks when he intentionally has multiple comics that build directly upon each other, see [[:Category:Comic series]]. If xkcd were a story driven web comic we'd have to point out that Cueball and Megan have been married several times, as well as been flirtatious with other characters, had children both in and out of wedlock. It's much more easily explained that this comic is Randall and his wife merely drawn "in the style of". Ignoring an unusually personal comic for the sake of consistent character naming seems absurd to me. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:50, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

::::::Also there is an established precedent for [[:Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe|Randall's appearance in comics]] - he appears as an unadorned stick figure in all of them, despite clearly being Randall. Just because he looks like Cueball doesn't mean we need to call Randall "Cueball but really he's Randall this time". If anything that's even more confusing. Randall and Cueball both appear in (different) comics, and they're drawn the same. I'm sure people can handle that. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 16:06, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

Panel 3 is possible reference/inspiration for comic [[1024: Error Code]]--[[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 18:56, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:Given what we know from Randall's past two years, I would rather infer that comic 1024 was inspired by one of these activities as seen in panels 3 and 8. [[Special:Contributions/46.142.57.253|46.142.57.253]] 19:43, 30 November 2012 (UTC) madd

::I was leaning towards the trip in panel 3 inspiring comic 1024 rather than referencing it as well. [[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 20:50, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

Sooo... Because the clipboard-holding character in the first panel is a woman, we assume she's a nurse instead of a doctor?

:Seriously the clipboard-holding character is much more likely to be a doctor than a nurse if they are communicating actual results of medical tests.--[[Special:Contributions/71.251.30.68|71.251.30.68]] 03:58, 6 December 2012 (UTC)Anonymous

::I agree, although, Randall went out of his way to draw a garment on her that has short sleeves, unlike a lab coat. However, doctors wear scrubs too. I'm changing it. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 15:22, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

Hey I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask questions, but I don't really get why the waiter says eww at the end? Thanks in advance! Love this site! {{unsigned|169.229.101.43|12:29, 6 December 2012 (UTC)}}

:The waiter says "eww" at the end because, instead of celebrating a wedding anniversary (or similar) which is what he is expecting, the couple are celebrating a "biopsy-versary". It's the contrast between the mental image of what happens in a biopsy with the emotions of what is normally expected when celebrating an anniversary (eg wedding anniversary as opposed to cutting-a-hole-in-you anniversary).[[Special:Contributions/203.1.252.5|203.1.252.5]] 03:38, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

:It's the equivalent of "yuck" and similar expressions of moderate gross-out. [[Special:Contributions/109.154.103.101|109.154.103.101]] 09:34, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

Can we get a Cancer series tag on some of these comics? There have been a lot of them, after all. --[[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 14:10, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

:Down at the bottom, there's a section that lists the categories this page is in. The Cancer category has been there since this page was created. Also, please add comments in chronological order. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 14:19, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1141: Two Years

2012-12-22T16:06:58Z

Jerodast: Agreeing with "this is Randall not Cueball" theory

There are no words to convey how awesome you guys are. Thank you.

Also, great Portal reference.

[[Special:Contributions/81.32.87.159|81.32.87.159]] 07:30, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

Flip cancer. Lost my mother-in-law to it and now my dad is undergoing chemo for stage IV lung cancer.
:Seconded. This strip hits close to home, even years after the fact. And given that of my parents and grandparents only one grandmother was not yet diagnosed with any type of cancer, both frequentist and Bayesian statisticians probably agree I should be cautious myself. [[Special:Contributions/46.142.57.253|46.142.57.253]] 20:01, 30 November 2012 (UTC) madd

Did anyone else think the second to last panel was a couple who were sitting close to ground zero of a nuclear bomb? It took several glances to finally see a tree instead of a mushroom cloud. [[User:Sayno2quat|Sayno2quat]] ([[User talk:Sayno2quat|talk]]) 15:35, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:When I first saw that panel from my peripheral vision, I also thought it was a mushroom cloud.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 17:46, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:Now that you mention it - on my monitor, before scrolling, I only swa the upper half of what looked indeed like a mushroom cloud. [[Special:Contributions/46.142.57.253|46.142.57.253]] 19:45, 30 November 2012 (UTC) madd

: Agreed; the mushroom cloud was my first impression, too. And I hazard the guess that it was intentional: it's an apt metaphor of how your world seems to explode... -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:02, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

The language of referring to Randall's girlfriend as "wife" before they were married is awkward.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 17:47, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:Ok, "partner" is slightly less awkward, but I think using "Cueball/Megan" instead of "Randall/Randall's partner" would be most consistent.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 21:17, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:: +1 on '''s/Randall/Cueball/g''' (and '''s/(girlfriend|partner|wife)/Megan/gi''') with an explanation that the comic very likely depicts real-world events in Randall's and (real-world) Megan's life. Though it might be tributary to make the inferential leap, I think would be entirely "unscientific" to do so (which is so ''un''Randall...) It also reinforces the notion that this happens to many, many more couples: Randall and Megan are not unique in what they are experiencing, though Randall does an excellent job of illustrating just what they're going through. (And yes, I could just go and change it myself, but wanted to discuss beforehand.) -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:02, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

:::Wikis lack democracy. Somebody puts their foot down, and that's that. In any case, I think if someone is going to insist that these characters can only represent Randall and his wife Megan, it's odd and slightly disrespectful to never use her proper name.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 01:29, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

::::Crying out about social injustice is the adult version of screaming "Ouch!" when a parent grabs a child's arm to get their attention. Democracy is not do-what-you-want-to. Democracy is having a discussion and then acting upon the results of that discussion. There have been [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Randall_in_Comics|many]] [[Talk:1117:_My_Sky|discussions]] about having Randall in comics. The result was that whenever Randall decides to place himself in a comic, that we should honor that. So, instead of using a generic character he put himself and his wife into the comic. So, we honor that. We do not know the name of his wife, Randall is a very private person, we respect his privacy and only go by the information he gives out, and we don't make wild speculations, this is why we don't refer to her by (any) name; it's the most respectful thing we can do.

::::To prevent vigilante edit warring I've locked the page. Now, if you think that the site should not recognize when Randall specifically puts himself in comics, then there is a reason to bring this discussion back to the table. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 05:45, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

:::::So why is this comic different from [[881]], [[931]], [[933]], and [[996]]? There was consistency until [[1141]]. Consistency is what's wanted in a Wiki.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 05:39, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

::::::I believe those other comic is rather general, where this particular one has enough set of facts that specific to Randall's case. That said, I agree with you that consistency is good, having the character called Cueball and Megan and explicitly said that those represent Randall and his wife probably better. [[User:Arifsaha|Arifsaha]] ([[User talk:Arifsaha|talk]]) 16:48, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

::::::My two cents: As [[User:Arifsaha|Arifsaha]] said, those other comics are general. Each is ''one'' scene demonstrating ''one'' situation or discussion, so Cueball/Megan could be any couple going through cancer treatments. In this case, quantity ''does'' matter in determining the significance of "evidence that this is Randall". There are so many scenes here that it's clear a very specific and personal story is being shared.
::::::Also, the title text usually is from Randall's perspective (obviously there are exceptions, but when the text is realistic, it's a safe assumption). Here it says "she", not "my wife", indicating that the character being referenced has already been introduced (i.e. is in the comic). Further linking the Randall text with the characters is the fact that it directly references the panel 5 scene, rather than: "related ideas that are not in the comic" ([[933]]/[[996]]), simple objective explanation ([[931]]), or a reference to a previous strip ([[881]]). So unless you want to argue that the title text is intended to be ''Cueball'' addressing the readers and not Randall, it seems like this is all about Randall & his wife. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 16:06, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

:::::As [[User:CityZen|CityZen]] said above, consistency is good. It is not that we don't want to recognize Randall in the comic, but we probably want to recognize it in the way where we said that in this comic Cueball and Megan represent Randall and his wife. I imagine it is possible that a reader see other comic and start questioning why the characters were called Cueball and Megan in the other comic but called Randall and his wife in this comic. I believe it will be easier to simply consistently label the character Cueball and Megan, then explicitly and clearly said and explain that in this particular comic, Cueball and Megan represent Randall and his wife. [[User:Arifsaha|Arifsaha]] ([[User talk:Arifsaha|talk]]) 16:48, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

::::::Cueball and Megan do not represent Randall and his wife. Cueball and Megan are the everyman/woman (and usually not even that but the geekiest kind of every(wo)man). Now, if Randall were building a story arc that spanned 1000 comics I would believe that this was Cueball and Megan, in character, standing in for Randall's real life experience. But the fact is, Randall clearly marks when he intentionally has multiple comics that build directly upon each other, see [[:Category:Comic series]]. If xkcd were a story driven web comic we'd have to point out that Cueball and Megan have been married several times, as well as been flirtatious with other characters, had children both in and out of wedlock. It's much more easily explained that this comic is Randall and his wife merely drawn "in the style of". Ignoring an unusually personal comic for the sake of consistent character naming seems absurd to me. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:50, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

::::::Also there is an established precedent for [[:Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe|Randall's appearance in comics]] - he appears as an unadorned stick figure in all of them, despite clearly being Randall. Just because he looks like Cueball doesn't mean we need to call Randall "Cueball but really he's Randall this time". If anything that's even more confusing. Randall and Cueball both appear in (different) comics, and they're drawn the same. I'm sure people can handle that. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 16:06, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

Panel 3 is possible reference/inspiration for comic [[1024: Error Code]]--[[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 18:56, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:Given what we know from Randall's past two years, I would rather infer that comic 1024 was inspired by one of these activities as seen in panels 3 and 8. [[Special:Contributions/46.142.57.253|46.142.57.253]] 19:43, 30 November 2012 (UTC) madd

::I was leaning towards the trip in panel 3 inspiring comic 1024 rather than referencing it as well. [[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 20:50, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

Sooo... Because the clipboard-holding character in the first panel is a woman, we assume she's a nurse instead of a doctor?

:Seriously the clipboard-holding character is much more likely to be a doctor than a nurse if they are communicating actual results of medical tests.--[[Special:Contributions/71.251.30.68|71.251.30.68]] 03:58, 6 December 2012 (UTC)Anonymous

::I agree, although, Randall went out of his way to draw a garment on her that has short sleeves, unlike a lab coat. However, doctors wear scrubs too. I'm changing it. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 15:22, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

Hey I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask questions, but I don't really get why the waiter says eww at the end? Thanks in advance! Love this site! {{unsigned|169.229.101.43|12:29, 6 December 2012 (UTC)}}

:The waiter says "eww" at the end because, instead of celebrating a wedding anniversary (or similar) which is what he is expecting, the couple are celebrating a "biopsy-versary". It's the contrast between the mental image of what happens in a biopsy with the emotions of what is normally expected when celebrating an anniversary (eg wedding anniversary as opposed to cutting-a-hole-in-you anniversary).[[Special:Contributions/203.1.252.5|203.1.252.5]] 03:38, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

:It's the equivalent of "yuck" and similar expressions of moderate gross-out. [[Special:Contributions/109.154.103.101|109.154.103.101]] 09:34, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

Can we get a Cancer series tag on some of these comics? There have been a lot of them, after all. --[[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 14:10, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

:Down at the bottom, there's a section that lists the categories this page is in. The Cancer category has been there since this page was created. Also, please add comments in chronological order. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 14:19, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

1141: Two Years

2012-12-22T15:23:39Z

Jerodast: /* Transcript */ Nurse -> doctor, on the basis that doctors tend to explain important test results.

{{comic
| number = 1141
| date = November 30, 2012
| title = Two Years
| image = two years.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = She won the first half of all our chemo Scrabble games, but then her IV drugs started kicking in and I *dominated*.
}}

== Explanation ==

This comic marks the second year of [[Randall Munroe]]'s wife's battle with cancer, and appears to depict actual events from those two years.

Some explanations:
* Panel 1: Randall's wife-to-be (at that point) receives a diagnosis over the phone as Randall sits by her side supportively.
* Panel 2: Undergoing IV (intravenous) {{w|chemotherapy}}. Because of the hair loss that results from chemotherapy, many patients opt to shave their heads when they undergo chemotherapy. Her hair grows back over the course of the following panels.
* Panel 3: The two of them spending time alone together.
* Panel 4: The couple are waiting for the results of a scan. A phone is on the middle of the table that they are waiting to ring.
* Panel 5: More chemotherapy. The couple are playing {{w|Scrabble}}, in which players use letter tiles to spell words in a cross-word style. She uses the fact that she has cancer as leverage to get Randall to ignore the fact that the word she has played (zarg) is not a real word.
* Panel 6: Someone suggests they come for a visit next year, but all they can think about are the words "next year", indicating that they know the future is very much in doubt.
* Panel 7: They get married.
* Panel 8: The couple watching humpback whales.
* Panel 9: Randall is paraphrasing a line from the song "{{w|Still Alive}}" ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_S0PGu-cH4 video]) from the video game ''{{w|Portal}}'' (''"I'm doing science and I'm still alive"'').
* Panel 10: The two of them sit under a tree reflecting on the significance of the past two years.
* Panel 11: Randall and his wife have dinner to celebrate the fact that she has made it two years since her {{w|biopsy}}.
The title text is referring to a possible side-effect of chemotherapy drugs, the {{w|Chemotherapy#Neurological adverse effects|inability to concentrate}}.

==Transcript==
:[Randall and Randall's fiancée sitting on a bed. She's on the phone with a nurse (shown in inset), who is looking at a clipboard.]
:Doctor: [illegible]
:Randall's fiancée: Oh God

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée sitting at their laptops. Randall's fiancée is hooked up to an IV pump and her head is shaved.]
:IV pump: ...BEEEP...BEEEP...BEEEP...

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée rowing a canoe in a lake/mountain setting. Randall's fiancée is wearing a beanie.]

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée sitting at a table staring at a phone. A clock is mounted behind them. Her head is stubbly.]
:Randall's fiancée: How long can it take to read a scan!?

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée playing scrabble. Randall's fiancée is again hooked up to an IV pump. She has longer stubbles.]
:Randall: "Zarg" isn't a word.
:Randall's fiancée: But Caaancer.
:Randall: ...Ok, fine.

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée talking to a friend. A large thought bubble is above their heads. She's wearing a beanie.]
:Friend: So next year you should come visit us up in the mountain - [cut off by thought bubble]
:Randall and Randall's fiancée: "Next year"

:[Randall and Randall's fiancée getting married. He's wearing a bow-tie; she a white dress. A heart is above their heads. Randall's wife's hair is growing back a little.]

:[Randall and Randall's wife standing on the coast, watching a whale jump out of the water. She's wearing a beanie.]

:[Randall standing behind Randall's wife, who is sitting at a desk using a laptop. Her hair has grown back a little more.]
:Randall: Hey-
:Randall: You're doing science,
:Randall: And you're still alive.
:Randall's wife: Yeah!

:[Randall and Randall's wife sitting under a tree.]
:Randall: It's really only been two years?
:Randall's wife: They were big years.

:[Randall and Randall's wife at a fancy restaurant being served. Her hair has grown back more.]
:Waiter: Happy... Anniversary?
:Randall's wife: Biopsy-versary!
:Waiter: ...eww.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Cancer]]

Talk:1141: Two Years

2012-12-22T15:22:12Z

Jerodast: Concurring with "doctor" over "nurse" label in transcript

There are no words to convey how awesome you guys are. Thank you.

Also, great Portal reference.

[[Special:Contributions/81.32.87.159|81.32.87.159]] 07:30, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

Flip cancer. Lost my mother-in-law to it and now my dad is undergoing chemo for stage IV lung cancer.
:Seconded. This strip hits close to home, even years after the fact. And given that of my parents and grandparents only one grandmother was not yet diagnosed with any type of cancer, both frequentist and Bayesian statisticians probably agree I should be cautious myself. [[Special:Contributions/46.142.57.253|46.142.57.253]] 20:01, 30 November 2012 (UTC) madd

Did anyone else think the second to last panel was a couple who were sitting close to ground zero of a nuclear bomb? It took several glances to finally see a tree instead of a mushroom cloud. [[User:Sayno2quat|Sayno2quat]] ([[User talk:Sayno2quat|talk]]) 15:35, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:When I first saw that panel from my peripheral vision, I also thought it was a mushroom cloud.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 17:46, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:Now that you mention it - on my monitor, before scrolling, I only swa the upper half of what looked indeed like a mushroom cloud. [[Special:Contributions/46.142.57.253|46.142.57.253]] 19:45, 30 November 2012 (UTC) madd

: Agreed; the mushroom cloud was my first impression, too. And I hazard the guess that it was intentional: it's an apt metaphor of how your world seems to explode... -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:02, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

The language of referring to Randall's girlfriend as "wife" before they were married is awkward.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 17:47, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:Ok, "partner" is slightly less awkward, but I think using "Cueball/Megan" instead of "Randall/Randall's partner" would be most consistent.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 21:17, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:: +1 on '''s/Randall/Cueball/g''' (and '''s/(girlfriend|partner|wife)/Megan/gi''') with an explanation that the comic very likely depicts real-world events in Randall's and (real-world) Megan's life. Though it might be tributary to make the inferential leap, I think would be entirely "unscientific" to do so (which is so ''un''Randall...) It also reinforces the notion that this happens to many, many more couples: Randall and Megan are not unique in what they are experiencing, though Randall does an excellent job of illustrating just what they're going through. (And yes, I could just go and change it myself, but wanted to discuss beforehand.) -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:02, 1 December 2012 (UTC)

:::Wikis lack democracy. Somebody puts their foot down, and that's that. In any case, I think if someone is going to insist that these characters can only represent Randall and his wife Megan, it's odd and slightly disrespectful to never use her proper name.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 01:29, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

::::Crying out about social injustice is the adult version of screaming "Ouch!" when a parent grabs a child's arm to get their attention. Democracy is not do-what-you-want-to. Democracy is having a discussion and then acting upon the results of that discussion. There have been [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Randall_in_Comics|many]] [[Talk:1117:_My_Sky|discussions]] about having Randall in comics. The result was that whenever Randall decides to place himself in a comic, that we should honor that. So, instead of using a generic character he put himself and his wife into the comic. So, we honor that. We do not know the name of his wife, Randall is a very private person, we respect his privacy and only go by the information he gives out, and we don't make wild speculations, this is why we don't refer to her by (any) name; it's the most respectful thing we can do.

::::To prevent vigilante edit warring I've locked the page. Now, if you think that the site should not recognize when Randall specifically puts himself in comics, then there is a reason to bring this discussion back to the table. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 05:45, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

:::::So why is this comic different from [[881]], [[931]], [[933]], and [[996]]? There was consistency until [[1141]]. Consistency is what's wanted in a Wiki.[[User:CityZen|CityZen]] ([[User talk:CityZen|talk]]) 05:39, 3 December 2012 (UTC)

::::::I believe those other comic is rather general, where this particular one has enough set of facts that specific to Randall's case. That said, I agree with you that consistency is good, having the character called Cueball and Megan and explicitly said that those represent Randall and his wife probably better. [[User:Arifsaha|Arifsaha]] ([[User talk:Arifsaha|talk]]) 16:48, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

:::::As [[User:CityZen|CityZen]] said above, consistency is good. It is not that we don't want to recognize Randall in the comic, but we probably want to recognize it in the way where we said that in this comic Cueball and Megan represent Randall and his wife. I imagine it is possible that a reader see other comic and start questioning why the characters were called Cueball and Megan in the other comic but called Randall and his wife in this comic. I believe it will be easier to simply consistently label the character Cueball and Megan, then explicitly and clearly said and explain that in this particular comic, Cueball and Megan represent Randall and his wife. [[User:Arifsaha|Arifsaha]] ([[User talk:Arifsaha|talk]]) 16:48, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

::::::Cueball and Megan do not represent Randall and his wife. Cueball and Megan are the everyman/woman (and usually not even that but the geekiest kind of every(wo)man). Now, if Randall were building a story arc that spanned 1000 comics I would believe that this was Cueball and Megan, in character, standing in for Randall's real life experience. But the fact is, Randall clearly marks when he intentionally has multiple comics that build directly upon each other, see [[:Category:Comic series]]. If xkcd were a story driven web comic we'd have to point out that Cueball and Megan have been married several times, as well as been flirtatious with other characters, had children both in and out of wedlock. It's much more easily explained that this comic is Randall and his wife merely drawn "in the style of". Ignoring an unusually personal comic for the sake of consistent character naming seems absurd to me. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:50, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

Panel 3 is possible reference/inspiration for comic [[1024: Error Code]]--[[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 18:56, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

:Given what we know from Randall's past two years, I would rather infer that comic 1024 was inspired by one of these activities as seen in panels 3 and 8. [[Special:Contributions/46.142.57.253|46.142.57.253]] 19:43, 30 November 2012 (UTC) madd

::I was leaning towards the trip in panel 3 inspiring comic 1024 rather than referencing it as well. [[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 20:50, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

Sooo... Because the clipboard-holding character in the first panel is a woman, we assume she's a nurse instead of a doctor?

:Seriously the clipboard-holding character is much more likely to be a doctor than a nurse if they are communicating actual results of medical tests.--[[Special:Contributions/71.251.30.68|71.251.30.68]] 03:58, 6 December 2012 (UTC)Anonymous

::I agree, although, Randall went out of his way to draw a garment on her that has short sleeves, unlike a lab coat. However, doctors wear scrubs too. I'm changing it. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 15:22, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

Hey I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask questions, but I don't really get why the waiter says eww at the end? Thanks in advance! Love this site! {{unsigned|169.229.101.43|12:29, 6 December 2012 (UTC)}}

:The waiter says "eww" at the end because, instead of celebrating a wedding anniversary (or similar) which is what he is expecting, the couple are celebrating a "biopsy-versary". It's the contrast between the mental image of what happens in a biopsy with the emotions of what is normally expected when celebrating an anniversary (eg wedding anniversary as opposed to cutting-a-hole-in-you anniversary).[[Special:Contributions/203.1.252.5|203.1.252.5]] 03:38, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

:It's the equivalent of "yuck" and similar expressions of moderate gross-out. [[Special:Contributions/109.154.103.101|109.154.103.101]] 09:34, 7 December 2012 (UTC)

Can we get a Cancer series tag on some of these comics? There have been a lot of them, after all. --[[User:Castriff|Jimmy C]] ([[User talk:Castriff|talk]]) 14:10, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

:Down at the bottom, there's a section that lists the categories this page is in. The Cancer category has been there since this page was created. Also, please add comments in chronological order. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 14:19, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

1110: Click and Drag

2012-12-22T14:50:33Z

Jerodast: /* List of details and references */ Filled in some tunnel/cave sections

{{comic
| number = 1110
| date = September 19, 2012
| title = Click and Drag
| image = click_and_drag.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Click and drag.
}}

== Explanation ==
This comic is a take on how vast and rich the world is, and on the thrill of exploring it. The world can be described as sad, as well as it can be described as wonderful, even if this seems a bit contradictory, just because there are so many different things happening in it.

[[Cueball]] comments about this, and the title text invites the reader to, with their mouse, click and drag the inside of the last panel, and by dragging and dragging, explore what is hidden outside that panel. The image displayed at first turns out to be part of a huge landscape, filled with big or small things, humorous details, people here and there, cave mazes, things floating in the air, jokes and references, unexpected things, relaxing views, etc. (The above image is not functional; you will have to visit the [http://xkcd.com/1110/ original comic].)

The fact that we only see a small part of the landscape at once refers to the idea that we cannot in real life comprehend the whole world altogether, but only what is around us and/or in the range of our understanding at the time. The click-and-drag process, in which it is impossible to go as fast as we would want to, also draws a parallel with the fact that exploration is always done gradually, step by step, and trying something (i.e. here dragging in a certain direction) always has a cost. This click-and-drag exploration reproduces the thrill of discovering new horizons, getting lost sometimes, finding unexpected things, seeing beauty, humor, desolation or happiness here and there... which can easily captivate an xkcd reader for a looong time (and as such qualifies as [[356: Nerd Sniping|nerd sniping]]).

'''''Warning:''' there are cheating possibilities, people have implemented ways to explore that world more easily, but the best way to enjoy this comic is to play the game, explore the comic's world the way you're supposed to, get lost in the caves or in the sky, be startled by unexpected things or happy when finding some people after lengthy click-and-dragging through a repetitive landscape... So if you didn't do that already, '''reading any below will spoil you from truly enjoying the comic.'''''

__TOC__

==Transcript==
This transcript will only cover the first 3 panels.

:Cueball [narration]: From the stories
:Cueball [narration]: I expected the world to be sad
:[Cueball is floating by holding onto a balloon with one hand.]
:Cueball [narration]: And it was

:Cueball [narration]: And I expected it to be wonderful.
:[Cueball has grabbed hold of the balloon with both hands.]

:[The wind picks up and blows Cueball eastward.]
:Cueball [narration]: It was.

:[Full width panel, initial view of the world. Part of tile 1n1e.]
:Cueball [narration]: I just didn't expect it to be so ''BIG''.
:[Scene opens up. You see Cueball is about a tree's-height from the ground. To the right there is a tall tree with no leaves on it and a broken limb.]

==List of details and references==

{{Incomplete|1110: Click and Drag}}

The 225 existing tiles are sorted by columns from West to East and from North to South in each column.

{| class="wikitable" |
! width="130px" | Grid coords
!Explanation and Transcript
|-
|{{1110|1|n|33|w}}
|[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] reach the western edge of the image and decide to live there. This is a reference to the last line in the film ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_Day_(film) Groundhog Day]''
;Transcript
:[Cueball and Megan are in a valley. This is the western edge of the world. Megan is checking a GPS enabled device to check their distance traveled. Cueball is looking behind them (eastward).]
:Cueball: We've walked pretty far. We must be on the other side of the world by now.
:Megan: Let's see, we've gone... Two miles.
:Cueball: Darn. You know, this is a nice spot. Let's just live here.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|32|w}}
|Just terrain, no activity
|-
|{{1110|1|n|31|w}}
|Just terrain, no activity
|-
|{{1110|1|n|30|w}}
|Just terrain, no activity
|-
|{{1110|1|n|29|w}}
|Just terrain, no activity
|-
|{{1110|1|n|28|w}}
|The hillocks in this panel appear to be the face and belly of a giant sleeping on its back. The feet extend into the next panel to the east. Possibly a reference to the giant's drink from the book ''Ender's Game''.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|27|w}}
|The westernmost hillock appears to be the feet of a giant sleeping on its back, continued from the next panel west. {{w|Velociraptor}}s in the high grass.
;Transcript
:[Rolling hills with tall grass.]
:[On the left there are two Velociraptors. The east-facing one looks to be a modern interpretation of the raptor, the west-facing is more Jurassic Park like.]
|-
|{{1110|1|n|26|w}}
|Just terrain, no activity
|-
|{{1110|1|n|25|w}}
|A large {{w|radio telescope}} with a female listening for a signal. Possibly a reference to the movie {{w|Contact (film)|Contact}}.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|24|w}}
|Just terrain, no activity. Very nice trees though.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|23|w}}
|More nice trees.
|-
|{{1110|2|n|22|w}}
|The top of a large rocket that looks similar to the {{w|Saturn V}} rocket (the base is in {{1110|1|n|22|w}}).
;Transcript
:[A Launch Tower with a waiting Saturn V rocket look-alike attached by the umbilical lines. There are two Cueball-type characters standing on the top.]
:Person 1: So why did we build this? There have ''got'' to be other ways to get to space.
:Person 2: Believe it or not, this is the ''least'' crazy one anyone has come up with.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|22|w}}
|The base of the {{w|Saturn V}} rocket on a launchpad.
;Transcript
:[A Launch Pad and Tower with a waiting Saturn V rocket attached by the umbilical lines. There is a person scaling the rocket. They are at the base of the Second Stage.]
:[A military guardsman is walking the grounds unaware of the person on the rocket.]
|-
|{{1110|1|n|21|w}}
|[[Cueball]] asks Jesus why his footprints look like tire tracks. This is a reference to the inspirational text ''{{w|Footprints (poem)|Footprints}}'' as well as a reference to the {{w|Transformers}}.
;Transcript
:[Two characters stand on the shore by the sea. One has unkempt hair, the other is a Cueball character.]
:Cueball: Jesus, why do your footprints change to tire tracks whenever I was threatened by Decepticons?
|-
|{{1110|1|n|20|w}}
|Water
|-
|{{1110|1|n|19|w}}
|Water
|-
|{{1110|1|n|18|w}}
|Water
|-
|{{1110|1|n|17|w}}
|The scruffy character beneath the {{w|palm tree}} might be a reference to {{w|Desert Island Discs}}, a BBC radio program in which a celebrity chooses the records they would like to be stranded with if castaway. The hatch is a reference to {{w|Lost (TV series)|Lost}} in which the passengers on board a flight over the Pacific Ocean find themselves stranded on a strange island. Their first clue that they stumbled on something out-of-the-ordinary is the hatch.
;Transcript
:[An island in the middle of the sea. On its westward side is a hatch that leads down deep underground. A person is looking at the hatch. Meanwhile a person quietly climbs up a ladder built into the wall of the tunnel inside of the hatch.]
:[On the other side, a scruffy man is looking at a disc while being shaded by a tall coconut palm tree.]
|-
|{{1110|1|s|17|w}}
|A miner. The sliding stone walls behind him (to keep back the water if he digs too far) are a reference to Ted Chiang's "Tower of Babylon" .
|-
|{{1110|2|s|17|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[Deep underground a vertical shaft gets wider the deeper you go.]
|-
|{{1110|3|s|17|w}}
|A reference to the game {{w|AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!!_–_A_Reckless_Disregard_for_Gravity|AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!!}}, where the game play consists of falling down while avoiding objects.
;Transcript
:[Deep underground a vertical shaft gets wider the deeper you go. A man wearing a headband has set up a lemonade stand on a plank stuck into the wall. There are people falling down the shaft right next to him.]
:Falling people: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
:Lemonade man: Lemonade? ...Aww, OK. Lemonade? ...Aww, OK. Lemonade?
|-
|{{1110|4|s|17|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[Deep underground a vertical shaft gets wider the deeper you go.]
|-
|{{1110|5|s|17|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[Deep underground a vertical shaft gets wider the deeper you go.]
|-
|{{1110|6|s|17|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[Deep underground a vertical shaft.]
|-
|{{1110|7|s|17|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[Deep underground a vertical shaft.]
|-
|{{1110|8|s|17|w}}
|An {{w|X-Wing}} fighter flies up a vertical shaft, its pilot communicating over radio. The quote is a reference to a scene of the {{w|Star Wars}} movie ''{{w|Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi|Return of the Jedi}}'', with an X-Wing piloted by {{w|Wedge Antilles}} escaping from inside the {{w|Death Star}} ([http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0000060/quotes]):
:{{w|Lando Calrissian}}: "All right, Wedge. Go for the power regulator on the north tower."
:Wedge Antilles: "Copy, Gold Leader. I'm already on my way out."
;Transcript
:[Deep underground, in a vertical shaft. There is an X-Wing fighter running along the shaft.]
:X-Wing pilot [over radio]: Copy that, Gold Leader. I'm already on my way out.
|-
|{{1110|9|s|17|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[Deep underground a vertical shaft gets slimmer the deeper you go.]
|-
|{{1110|10|s|17|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[Deep underground a vertical shaft gets slimmer the deeper you go.]
|-
|{{1110|11|s|17|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[Deep underground a vertical shaft.]
|-
|{{1110|12|s|17|w}}
|Cueball and Megan looking up from the bottom of the shaft.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|16|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[A calm day out at sea.]
|-
|{{1110|12|s|16|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[Deep underground a tunnel comes from the west. A few feet before the end of it a vertical shaft goes down, just about wide enough for a single person to go down. It stops in a man-made cavern, then a tunnel continues eastward.]
|-
|{{1110|1|n|15|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[A calm day out at sea.]
|-
|{{1110|12|s|15|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[Deep underground a tunnel comes from the west and meets a tall cavern, buts keeps going all the way to the east. Cueball has dug up from the ceiling tunnel and is shoveling out a little cavern.]
|-
|{{1110|1|n|14|w}}
|People today can't seem to turn off their phones, unplug and just be by themselves. It has become a societal expectation that every person is constantly connected to the world and is there to respond at any moment. The idea of being indisposed has become a foreign concept.
;Transcript
:[To the west is a sea. There is a beach. Further in-land there are lots of trees with park benches under them.]
:[Cueball and White Hat are walking towards the benches]
:White Hat: Do you ever put your phone away and just take a moment to breathe and be alone with your thoughts?
:Cueball: Yeah, once. It was ''terrifying''.
|-
|{{1110|12|s|14|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[Deep underground a tunnel with a very rough ceiling goes all the way from west to east.]
|-
|{{1110|1|n|13|w}}
|A rocky hill with a {{w|lighthouse}}. [[Megan]] and [[Ponytail]] sit atop the hill. A half-buried {{w|Statue of Liberty}} is on the other side in reference to ''{{w|Planet of the Apes(film)|Planet of Apes}}'' with [[Cueball]]'s "You Maniacs!" line parodying the final line from the film. Another western shore makes this a very small landmass.
;Transcript
:[Cueball shaking his fist at the half-buried Statue of Liberty]
:Cueball: You ''maniacs!''
:Cueball: That sand sculpture trophy was supposed to be ''mine!''
|-
|{{1110|12|s|13|w}}
|Someone in a straw hat saying "Becky?". He is carrying either a grappling hook or the end of a rope. Probably a reference to {{w|The Adventures of Tom Sawyer}} in which the title character rescues his sweetheart, Becky Thatcher, from a cave.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|12|w}}
|Water
|-
|{{1110|12|s|12|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[Deep underground a two distant tunnels run from west to east connected by a thin vertical shaft. The lower tunnel has a man-made cavern dug out.]
|-
|{{1110|11|n|11|w}}
|An empty white tile with symmetric coordinates (11 North, 11 West).
|-
|{{1110|1|n|11|w}}
|{{w|Marco Polo (game)|Marco Polo}} is a game similar to tag but played in a swimming pool. The person who is "it" closes their eyes, or is blind-folded and calls out "Marco". All the other players must respond "Polo". The person who is it then tries to find the people by a sort of echo-location. It is a reference to {{w|Marco Polo}} the Venetian merchant who was the first European to make it to Central Asia and China.
;Transcript
:[Out at sea. A blindfolded character playing Marco Polo alone.]
:Blindfolded man: ...Marco? ...Marco?
|-
|{{1110|11|s|11|w}}
|A black tile with symmetric coordinates (11 South, 11 West).
Note, that this PNG file contains an ICC section which means that the blackness in this image is properly {{w|Color correction|color-corrected}}.
|-
|{{1110|12|s|11|w}}
|Deep underground, a cavern opens up to reveal trees, grass, rocks, and a lake. A bird flies toward the trees. A person sits on a rock thoughtfully gazing into the water.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|10|w}}
|Water.
|-
|{{1110|12|s|10|w}}
|A tunnel runs across the top of the tile. It grows rougher on the east side.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|9|w}}
|{{w|Bitcoin}} is a peer-to-peer currency, making it more difficult to trace than traditional currency. It is also difficult, if not impossible, for governments to confiscate. {{w|Peter Thiel}} is a co-founder of {{w|Seasteading#The_Seasteading_Institute|The Seasteading Institute}} that promotes permanent, autonomous ocean communities (similar to a {{w|micronation}}), enabling innovation with new political and social systems. Peter Thiel is also a co-founder of {{w|PayPal}}, a global e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. Peter Thiel and other co-founders' original vision for PayPal was to have an online payment service that enabled account holders to send money to anyone in the world with just an e-mail address. xkcd also supports [http://xkcd.com/bitcoin bitcoin donations]. This might be a reference to the unspent bitcoins from a recent [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-19633980 $250,000 theft]. If they don't have any internet access they might find it hard to spend their loot.

{{w|Edwin S. Shneidman}} was a pioneer in the field of suicide prevention. He published 20 books on suicide and its prevention, one of which, ''A Commonsense Book of Death'', defines most people to be death-postponers. A death-postponer hopes that death will not occur in anything like the foreseeable future; the event must be staved off for as long as possible. The reference to a "death-postponer" is also the literal opposite to the actual name of the item Cueball throws, a {{w|life preserver}}.
;Transcript
:[Out at sea. There is an anti-aircraft platform with four people aboard, and one person in the water.]

:[On the west side of the aircraft a man with hair is speaking to a bearded man half a head taller than the haired man.]
:Man with hair: I'm not saying our bitcoin-only island nation was a bad idea, but we really should've secured Internet access ''before'' we left.

:[On the east side of the platform a man wearing a sailor's hat walking toward the control tower. Cueball is on the edge holding a lifebuoy.]
:Cueball: Hey, you in the water! Hang on-
:Cueball: I'm gonna throw you a death postponer!
|-
|{{1110|2|s|9|w}}
|Jellyfish playing some sort of console game.
|-
|{{1110|12|s|9|w}}
|A rocky tunnel descends unevenly from the west, growing wider to the east. In the middle, a curving roof with two pointed recesses, together with the upward arching tunnel on either side, is reminiscent of the shape of a bat with wings spread.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|8|w}}
|{{w|Poop deck}} is the nautical term for the deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear of the ship.

The character climbing the rigging is apparently {{w|Elizabeth Warren}}, who said at the {{w|2012 Democratic National Convention}}, "People feel like the system is rigged against them. And here's the painful part: They're right. The system is rigged."

The {{w|pirate}} onboard is shouting "{{w|Glossary of nautical terms#Avast|Avast!}}" (meaning stop), but no one is apparently listening. Possibly a reference to the comic being released on {{w|International Talk Like a Pirate Day}}.

The three-masted sailing ship with the pirate could be a reference to {{w|Monty Python}}'s short film {{w|The Crimson Permanent Assurance}} in which rebellious office clerks turn their office building into a pirate ship, raiding financial districts in numerous big cities, before falling off the edge of the world.
;Transcript
:[Out at sea. There is a three-masted sailing ship at full sail with a healthy wind billowing the sails. There are five crew out on deck, four are aloft, and one on watch in the bowsprit.]

:[A girl is seated on the spanker.]
:Girl: Haha, "Poop Deck."

:[Aloft on the mizzen-mast a woman is standing talking to another woman climbing the rigging between the mizzen and main masts.]
:Mizzen-mast woman: Elizabeth, why are you climbing the rigging?
:Elizabeth: Forget ''this'' rigging. The whole ''system'' is rigged against the middle class and families trying to ''climb'' out of poverty.
:Mizzen-mast woman: ...Ok, but for real, what are you doing on this boat?

:[Fore of the mizzen-mast a classic bearded pirate stands with his sword drawn.]
:Pirate: Avast! Avast! ...Avast?

:[Fore of the main-sail, a Cueball-type character looks over the railing.]

:[Aloft a man is swinging around the fore-mast pretending to be Spiderman.]

:[Lower on the fore-mast a Cueball-type character is adjusting the rigging. On the deck another is adjusting more rigging.]

:[Out on the bowsprit Megan is keeping watch, and telling the runner Ponytail what is ahead.]
:Megan: We should go slow -
:Megan: That water up ahead looks pretty deep.
|-
|{{1110|12|s|8|w}}
|A wide rocky tunnel slopes from the west off the bottom of the tile.
|-
|{{1110|13|s|8|w}}
|An opening from above narrows and flattens out as the rough tunnel turns eastward.
|-
|{{1110|7|n|7|w}}
|A {{w|Boeing 717}} in landing configuration.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|7|w}}
|Water
|-
|{{1110|13|s|7|w}}
|A tunnel descends unevenly from the west, opening up somewhat in the bottom corner to the east. [[Megan]] and [[Ponytail]] are climbing a near-vertical section of the rocky wall.
|-
|{{1110|14|s|7|w}}
|Loose stones form the bottom of a small cavern that extends upward out of the tile. A tunnel runs out of it to the east.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|6|w}}
|Water
|-
|{{1110|1|s|6|w}}
|Jellyfish
|-
|{{1110|13|s|6|w}}
|Mostly solid rock; the east side and roof of a cave is in the lower westward corner.
|-
|{{1110|14|s|6|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[A flat tunnel runs the length of the whole tile. It is rough cut on the ceiling, but a smooth surface for walking. There is a hint that the ceiling draws away from the floor to the west. Cueball is walking east along the tunnel.]
|-
|{{1110|6|n|5|w}}
|Red spiders from earlier comics falling from the sky
|-
|{{1110|1|n|5|w}}
|"{{w|I'm on a Boat}}" is a single from {{w|The Lonely Island}}'s debut album {{w|Incredibad}}.
;Transcript
:[Out at sea. On the west side are two buoys, on the east is only one, in the center there is a sailboat. Cueball and another person wearing a beanie are on the small sailboat.]
:Beanie: I'm on a boat! I expected more from the experience! Instead, all I can think to do is tell people where I am! ...I'm on a boat!
|-
|{{1110|14|s|5|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[A flat tunnel runs the length of the whole tile. It is rough cut on the ceiling, but a smooth surface for walking.]
|-
|{{1110|2|n|4|w}}
|An {{w|Embraer E-Jet family|Embraer E-190}}
|-
|{{1110|1|n|4|w}}
|The coast of the body of water at a beach with some sea birds and beachgoers.
|-
|{{1110|14|s|4|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[A flat tunnel runs the length of the whole tile. It is rough cut on the ceiling, but a smooth surface for walking. The shaft grows in diameter as it goes eastward.]
|-
|{{1110|3|n|3|w}}
|
; Transcript
:[High in the sky.]
:[Cueball is sitting in a swing attached to the end of a crane, and is swinging]
:Cueball: WHEEE!
|-
|{{1110|2|n|3|w}}
|An empty white tile.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|3|w}}
|The west wall of a large building which stair-cases narrower as it rises.
|-
|{{1110|14|s|3|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[A flat tunnel runs the length of the whole tile. It is rough cut on the ceiling, but a smooth surface for walking. A small vertical shaft goes up to a very small cavern.]
|-
|{{1110|8|n|2|w}}
|This seems to be the peak of the {{w|Burj Khalifa}} to which {{1110|6|n|27|e}} refers.
|-
|{{1110|7|n|2|w}}
|
|-
|{{1110|6|n|2|w}}
|[[Black Hat]] is seen in the picture with a {{w|gatling gun}}, probably the Imperial cannons referred in {{1110|8|n|6|e}}. Also at bottom, a cueball is flying a paper airplane off the building.
;Transcript
:Ponytail: We're so high up that if you threw a penny off the edge, inflation would reduce its value to 0.00999999975 by the time it landed.
:[Further south, on a balcony]
:Megan: The Wikipedia article on this balcony says the view is nice.
:Cueball: I thought so.
|-
|{{1110|5|n|2|w}}
|A construction crane lifting another, smaller, construction crane. Possibly a reference to the [http://vimeo.com/46359692 Truck Truck Truck] gag from the Simpsons. Also, self-erecting {{w|tower crane}}s do usually not lift {{w|crawler crane}}s
|-
|{{1110|4|n|2|w}}
|
|-
|{{1110|3|n|2|w}}
|On the west side, the top of a (different) construction crane. On the east side, Cueball is firing a clay pigeon launcher while Ponytail fires a shotgun at the target. Meanwhile, someone else (Danish?) comes up from behind with CDs.
;Transcript
:Danish: I found some more CDs
:Ponytail: PULL!
|-
|{{1110|2|n|2|w}}
|On the west side, the bottom of the construction crane. On the upper eastern side, a person is laid back, relaxing in a chair while using a laptop. On the next step down, a party crowd is out on a balcony.
;Transcript
:Person: I'm working at a small startup. Our business model is 'taking free drinks from industry events and reselling them.'
:Person: Oh, hey, I should get going...
|-
|{{1110|1|n|2|w}}
|The bulk of the base of the building with one terrace visible on either side. Megan says "I came here to chew bubblegum... And I'm all out of bubblegum" is a reference to the movie {{w|They Live|They Live}} in which the character Nada famously says "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass...and I'm all out of bubblegum". That line is also used in the game {{w|Duke Nukem 3D|Duke Nukem 3D}} by Duke himself, when Shrapnel City (Episode 3) starts. Also, Cueball says "That's a shame" a line popularised by Jerry in the sitcom {{w|Seinfeld|Seinfeld}}. Pool line is a reference to "pool on the roof" prank from the movie {{w|Hackers (film)|Hackers}}.
|-
|{{1110|14|s|2|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[A flat tunnel runs the length of the whole tile. It is rough cut on the ceiling, but a smooth surface for walking. There is a single vertical shaft that would have gone down. The ceiling above the shaft has crumbled, and the rubble has filled in the shaft]
|-
|{{1110|8|n|1|w}}
|An empty white tile.
|-
|{{1110|5|n|1|w}}
|The tail of the crawler crane lifted at {{1110|5|n|2|w}}.
|-
|{{1110|2|n|1|w}}
|An empty white tile.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|1|w}}
|The western wall at the base of a large building including its {{w|portico}}, a remote control rocket-powered bicycle attempting to launch from the first terrace, a balcony on the second terrace and a {{w|satellite dish}} and other exhausts on the third. Trees with squirrels stand in front of the building leading to a parking lot with cars and one {{w|Wienermobile}}
|-
|{{1110|14|s|1|w}}
|
;Transcript
:[A flat tunnel runs the length of the whole tile. It is rough cut on the ceiling, but a smooth surface for walking. There are two rough cut vertical shafts going down, there is a rock pile on the ground between the two. A small vertical shaft goes up to a very small empty cavern.]
|-
|{{1110|15|s|1|w}}
|This is a sad statement about where the Internet is right now. The Internet should be a vast and diverse place filled with new and exciting content that breaks the mold of already established media. But instead, everyone on the Internet has become a shill for their Facebook page and their Twitter stream. It feels like everything links back to these two sites. Even stuck at the bottom of a shaft, these two people care more for how many Facebook likes and twitter followers they have, than for their own lives and safety.
;Transcript
:[Deep underground. There are two shafts, the western one ends abruptly with a pile of rubble at the bottom. The other changes direction and becomes a tunnel to the east.]
:[Cueball and Megan are stranded at the bottom of the western shaft.]
:Cueball: Is anyone up there? If you can hear us, ''friend us on Facebook!''
:Megan: ''Follow us on Twitter! Please!''
|-
|{{1110|13|n|1|e}}
|Two whales is possibly a reference to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the planet [http://hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Magrathea Magrathea], where (improbably) two incoming missiles are turned into a whale and a bowl of petunias. It may also be a reference to the album From Mars to Sirius by the French heavy metal band Gojira, specifically the track, "Flying Whales." A third possibility is a reference to Respighi's "The Pines of Rome" from Fantasia II.
|-
|{{1110|6|n|1|e}}
|A {{w|hot air balloon}} is the oldest form of human-carrying flight.
;Transcript
:[High in the sky. Cueball and Megan are in a hot air balloon.]
|-
|{{1110|1|n|1|e}}
|The {{w|Origin (mathematics)|"center"}} of the world; the default loaded image with Cueball floating by balloon. The balloons may be a reference to comic [[1106]]. This may also be a reference to {{w|Winnie The Pooh}}. The parking lot to the west ends to a grassy/rocky field with a tree. A hill runs up to the east with a fountain.

; Transcript:
:[Open scene.]
:[To the extreme left there is the end of a parking lot. Right from that Cueball is holding onto a balloon several feet from the ground.]
:Cueball [narration]: I just didn't expect it to be so ''BIG''.
:[About 50 feet east of Cueball there is a lone tree with no leaves on it. Cueball is approximately parallel to with the top of it.]
:[Farther east and much higher up is a single balloon floating away.]
:[More east and on the ground Beret Guy is waving a butterfly net, chasing an RC Helicopter.]
:[Two girls, one blonde and one darker, are walking away from Beret Guy.]
:[On the extreme right is a fountain spraying water.]
|-
|{{1110|14|s|1|e}}
|
;Transcript
:[A flat tunnel runs the length of the whole tile. It is rough cut on the ceiling, but a smooth surface for walking. A single vertical shaft extends southward, rough cut all around.]
|-
|{{1110|15|s|1|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|16|s|1|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|17|s|1|e}}
|Alaska at the bottom of the shaft
At the lowest level of the cave, a fish leaps from water.
|-
|{{1110|9|n|2|e}}
|A reference to the {{w|Apollo 13}} manned mission to the moon in 1970. Two days after launch, en route to the moon, an oxygen tank exploded. Astronaut Swigert [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Apollo13-wehaveaproblem.ogg reported] the incident to Mission Control in Houston saying 'Houston, we've had a problem.' The 1995 movie {{w|Apollo_13_(film)|Apollo 13}} deliberately misquoted Swigert's famous statement as 'Houston, we have a problem' because the original made it seem that the problem had already passed.

The response is a parody of the inspirational quote 'There are no problems, only opportunities.'
;Transcript
:[The Apollo 13 mission is en route to the moon. An astronaut on board the craft informs Mission Control of an incident.]
:Astronaut: Houston, we have a problem.
:Mission Control: That's a negative, Apollo. There are no problems - only opportunities. Over.
|-
|{{1110|3|n|2|e}}
|A reference to the {{w|Greek myth}} of {{w|Icarus}} and his father's escape from {{w|Crete}} by building wings of feathers and wax. The joke is that, the incredible part of the story, the fact that Icarus and his father actually flew with simple wax and feathers, is downplayed to try to give children an object lesson about {{Wiktionary|humility}} and {{Wiktionary|hubris}}.
;Transcript
:[High in the air. There are feathers floating gently down. Below them is Icarus falling head first, he has the remains of wax and feather wings strapped to his arms.]
:Icarus: I only hope the story of how ''building wax wings enabled me to fly'' teaches everyone a lesson about hubris.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|2|e}}
|
;Transcript
:[To the left, Ponytail is climbing up while Cueball has second thoughts.]
:Cueball: We should turn back.
:Ponytail: Wimp.
:[In the middle, Cueball and Megan seem to be soaking in some sort of pond.]
:[To the right, Ponytail is standing on top of a castle while Megan pushes a boulder and Cueball is playing some music.]
|-
|{{1110|14|s|2|e}}
|
;Transcript
:[A flat tunnel runs the length of the whole tile. It is rough cut on the ceiling, but a smooth surface for walking.]
|-
|{{1110|17|s|2|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|3|n|3|e}}
|[[Megan]] is surfing on a {{w|Boeing 767|Boeing 767-300W}}
|-
|{{1110|2|n|3|e}}
|[Ground slops uphill, left-to-right (West to East). Close to the far right boundary is the Christmas Tree from {{w|A Charlie Brown Christmas|A Charlie Brown Christmas}}. In the middle is an electronic listening station. Left and Up-slope of the listening station, Megan and Cueball are lying on the ground, talking. Near bottom left is Ponytail, wearing sunglasses, roller-skiing off a ski jump. Top left are four birds in the sky.]
;Transcript
:Megan: Ever wonder if there's life up there ''beyond'' the stuff we're covering up?
:Cueball: Nah.
|
|-
|{{1110|1|n|3|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|14|s|3|e}}
|
;Transcript
:[The tunnel opens up to a small cavern. The ground of the cavern is grass covered, and there is a tree growing in the center. Cueball is lounging near the tree.]
|-
|{{1110|17|s|3|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|18|s|3|e}}
|{{w|Minecraft}} reference: Someone escapes a creeper, running deeper into the cave he just fell in.
|-
|{{1110|2|n|4|e}}
|The {{w|Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory}} as seen in [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Great_Blue_Hill_Weather_Station_Milton_MA_01.jpg this particular photo]. The radio tower depicted shows the antennas for the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WGBH_%28FM%29 WGBH] and {{w|WKAF}} FM stations.
A reference to George Mallory's famous response to the question: "Why do you want to climb Mount Everest?".
;Transcript
:[Megan seems to be helping Cueball climb the hill.]
:Megan: "Because it's there" is more poetic than "I'm rich enough that my goals are arbitrary."
|-
|{{1110|1|n|4|e}}
|A black empty tile (required because unspecified North tiles are automatically filled with white).
|-
|{{1110|18|s|4|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|19|s|4|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|2|n|5|e}}
|Cueball can't get cellphone reception, while two wingsuit flyers are leaping off a cliff above him.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|5|e}}
|A black empty tile (required because unspecified North tiles are automatically filled with white).
|-
|{{1110|17|s|5|e}}
|Possibly The {{w|Nautilus (Verne)|Nautilus}}, the submarine from Jules Verne's novels Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870) and The Mysterious Island (1874) Also, possibly an allusion to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwa_%28art%29 Schwa].
|-
|{{1110|19|s|5|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|8|n|6|e}}
|{{w|Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope|Red Five}} is both Anakin and Luke Skywalker's call sign. Anakin uses the sign in the Battle of Coruscant and Luke uses it in the Battle of Yavin. Also note the use of "{{w|cannon}}" and "{{w|Canon (basic principle)|canon}}."
;Transcript
:Red Five to Red Leader - I'm out of range of any Imperial cannons or canons.
|-
|{{1110|2|n|6|e}}
|Giant airborne jellyfish.
;Transcript
:[Two birdwatchers with binoculars walk on the slope of a hill, one with her back to the giant jellyfish and the other one staring at it]
:Birdwatcher#1: Ooh, a {{w|yellow warbler}}!
:Birdwatcher#2: Cool.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|6|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|16|s|6|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|17|s|6|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|19|s|6|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|1|n|7|e}}
|Level 1-1 of the original {{w|Super Mario Bros.}} This is confirmed by text on {{1110|3|s|7|e}}. Compare with [http://www.mariowiki.com/images/e/e4/World_1-1_SMB.png screenshot]. The level's "bottomless pits" continue downward.
|-
|{{1110|1|s|7|e}}
|Two people climbing up/down the holes, and one falling.
|-
|{{1110|2|s|7|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|3|s|7|e}}
|Two people are talking next to a "bottomless pit" from the Mario level, one is saying: "The walls... worn smooth by billions of tumbling Mario corpses".
|-
|{{1110|4|s|7|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|5|s|7|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|6|s|7|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|7|s|7|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|8|s|7|e}}
|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_game RPG] style pit trap
|-
|{{1110|9|s|7|e}}
|Another {{w|Minecraft}} reference. Cueball standing while a girl swings a pickaxe to further dig out a tunnel. Farther down, part of the mine shaft has collapsed and sealed the hole.
|-
|{{1110|10|s|7|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|11|s|7|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|12|s|7|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|13|s|7|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|14|s|7|e}}
|A cane is wedged in the right hand mine shaft. Likely a reference to the first {{w|Where's Waldo}} book, where Waldo loses his walking stick (and other items) and readers must scour the detailed illustrations to find Waldo and each of the items he drops.
|-
|{{1110|15|s|7|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|16|s|7|e}}
|
;Transcript
:[Deep below the surface, the two never ending holes finally ends. The bones of the unfortunate ones to have fallen down the holes are scattered. A single man-made shaft is covered by a plug of some kind. The shaft goes down to a reverse suspension bridge, its purpose cannot be known. Under the suspension bridge a large cavern opens up.]
|-
|{{1110|17|s|7|e}}
|
;Transcript
:[A Pyramid in a cavern. Most likely a reference to Neon Genesis Evangelion's [http://evangelion.wikia.com/wiki/GeoFront NERV HQ] which is also located in a deep underground cavern. Most of a thatch-roof gazebo can be seen to the east of the pyramid.]
|-
|{{1110|19|s|7|e}}
|Horizontal tunnel
|-
|{{1110|1|n|8|e}}
|Four wind turbines
|-
|{{1110|16|s|8|e}}
|Mostly solid rock; the roof of a cave is in the bottom corner to the west.
|-
|{{1110|17|s|8|e}}
|A small graveyard.
|-
|{{1110|18|s|8|e}}
|There are tentacle-like objects restricting the passing of objects through this tunnel, the art of which closely resembles the Xbox Live Arcade game {{w|Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet}}, and also bears a resemblance to the mouth of a {{w|Sarlacc Pit}} from Star Wars.
|-
|{{1110|19|s|8|e}}
|A tunnel from the west intersects with a vertical passage from above. To the east of the intersection the tunnel dead ends, and the opening downwards is filled with rocks and impassable.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|9|e}}
|Reference to the first line of "{{w|99 Problems}}" by {{w|Jay-Z}} ("If you're having girl problems I feel bad for you son. I've got 99 problems but a <rhymes with "witch"> ain't one."). Just left of the fence is a small cleared area with what appears to be a frog in the center. Frog Prince? Also a reference to {{w|Off-by-one_error#Fencepost_error|fencepost error}}. Ironically, there may be an off-by-one error in the joke, since it would only take 100 fenceposts to cover 99 problems, not 101.
|-
|{{1110|3|n|10|e}}
|The outline of a {{w|Bombardier Dash 8|Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 aircraft}}, with original photo located [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardier_Dash_8 here].
|-
|{{1110|1|n|10|e}}
|Hilly terrain with a tree, and a [[Cueball]] standing on a rock.
|-
|{{1110|11|n|11|e}}
|An empty white tile with symmetric coordinates (11 N, 11 E).
|-
|{{1110|1|n|11|e}}
|A {{w|sine}} curve {{w|oscillate}}s between -1 and 1.
;Transcript
:[A bridge begins. The land falls down to meet the water with an almost sinusoidal curve.]
|-
|{{1110|11|s|11|e}}
|An empty black tile with symmetric coordinates (11 N, 11 E).
Note, that this PNG file contains an ICC section which means that the blackness in this image is properly {{w|Color correction|color-corrected}}.
|-
|{{1110|5|n|12|e}}
|This is a re-enactment of one of the last scenes in {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey}}, in which Dave Bowman shuts down {{w|Hal 9000}} by one-by-one pulling out processor modules. Hal eventually regresses to his first programmed memories, the song {{w|Daisy Bell}} which he sings for Bowman.
;Transcript
:[High above the ground. Cueball has scaled the outside of a hot air balloon and is using a knife to cut it open while the gondola sings Daisy Bell.]
:<<RIIIP>>
:Gondola [singing, getting slower]: Daiiisyyy... Daiiiiiiisy...
|-
|{{1110|1|n|12|e}}
|{{w|Bourne Bridge|Bourne}} or {{w|Sagamore Bridge}}
;Transcript
:[The bridge continues.]
|-
|{{1110|1|n|13|e}}
|The bridge is either the {{w|Bourne Bridge|Bourne}} or {{w|Sagamore Bridge}}.

The {{w|covered wagon}} was popularized during the {{w|American Frontier|American expansion west}}, as a good way to bring goods along with as a family journeyed from the crowded eastern states out west (usually to Oregon or California).
;Transcript
:[Center of the bridge.]

:[A covered wagon is crossing east, there is a person driving driving, and a person poking out the back. A footman is walking quite a ways ahead of the carriage.]

:[On top of the bridge structure, Megan and Ponytail are sitting and eating some kind of picnic.]
:Megan and Ponytail: Nom nom nom

:[A tank, vaguely resembling a {{w|Sherman Firefly}}, is crossing west, possibly in a reference to the WWII film {{w|A Bridge Too Far}}. Ponytail is sitting on the turret. Cueball is being more daring and is balancing with arms outstretch on the end of the gun.]

:[Underneath the tank a two-masted junk rigged sailboat is resting with sails furled. Megan and Cueball are fore standing at the railing looking out over the sea.]
:Megan: So, um, here's the thing—
:Megan: I'm married to the sea, but it's a very ... ''open'' marriage.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|14|e}}
|{{w|Bourne Bridge|Bourne}} or {{w|Sagamore Bridge}}
;Transcript
:[Land again.]
|-
|{{1110|1|n|15|e}}
|[[Cueball]] is singing the chorus to the song "{{w|Flagpole Sitta}}" by {{w|Harvey Danger}}. The characters in the wagon reference the {{w|Oregon Trail (computer game)|Oregon Trail}} computer game.

[[Black Hat]] seems to be up to his usual shenanigans.

;Transcript
:[The bridge meets land again, and at the western foot of the bridge is a cannon. Black Hat is sitting behind the cannon, and has lit its fuse.]
:[Where the river meets the land there are stairs leading up to a landing.]

:[The covered wagon has made it across the bridge. Everything is drooping, now. The horse is not walking as upright, the driver is slouching, the person out the back is now lounging on the back with a gun clearly visible.
:Someone inside wagon: You brought no food but ''how'' many boxes of bullets?

:[Farther east Cueball is sitting on top of a flagpole singing. Just northwest of him, a leaf spins through the air.]
:Cueball [singing]: I'm not sick, but I'm not wellll
|-
|{{1110|2|n|16|e}}
|Top of VLF antenna.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|16|e}}
|A cabin which appears to be hooked up to a VLF antenna.
|-
|{{1110|2|n|17|e}}
|Top of VLF antenna.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|17|e}}
|VLF antenna and a steep cliff dropoff to water. Cueball watches a butterfly flit around as they did in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanuts Peanuts] comic strip.
The VLF antenna is likely to be a representation of the [http://www.stormfax.com/wireless.htm Marconi Station] on Cape Cod as it existed in the early 1900's. This station transmitted the first trans-Atlantic wireless telegram in 1903. It had the same four towers and steep drop-off to the beach as depicted in this comic with possible original photo [http://capecodhistory.us/Wellfleet-records/pictures/Marconi-pc.jpg here].
|-
|{{1110|3|n|18|e}}
|A {{w|Boeing 717}} with landing gear deployed. Caption: "Folks, this is your captain speaking. I need you all to turn on every electronic device your have. There's no time to explain." (a reference to {{w|No Time To Explain|the game with the same name}}?)
|-
|{{1110|1|n|18|e}}
|Two swimmers in the ocean saying "Stupid {{w|FreeBSD}}...". FreeBSD is a Unix-like operating system. A reference to [[349: Success]].
|-
|{{1110|1|n|19|e}}
|A {{w|humpback whale}} breaching.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|20|e}}
|A rocky shore. The uppermost rock formation in this panel appears to be a laughing face in profile.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|21|e}}
|A fin-shaped object protrudes from the ground
|-
|{{1110|2|n|22|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|1|n|22|e}}
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s
|-
|{{1110|3|n|23|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|2|n|23|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|1|n|23|e}}
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s
|-
|{{1110|4|n|24|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|3|n|24|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|2|n|24|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|1|n|24|e}}
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s
|-
|{{1110|5|n|25|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|4|n|25|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|3|n|25|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|2|n|25|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|1|n|25|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|6|n|26|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|5|n|26|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|4|n|26|e}}
|Black Hat is hanging from one of the wire supports.
|-
|{{1110|3|n|26|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|2|n|26|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|1|n|26|e}}
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s
|-
|{{1110|7|n|27|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|6|n|27|e}}
|This appears to be the former record-holder for the tallest man-made structure, the {{w|KVLY-TV mast}} in {{w|North Dakota}}. It was surpassed by the {{w|Burj Khalifa}} (829.84 m (2,723 ft)) located in Dubai (also included in the comic).
;Transcript
:[Top of a radio tower. There are four guy-wires that connect to the tower, two on each side. A woman is standing on the top, holding onto the antenna for stability.]
:Woman: Dubai may have taken the record for "Tallest Manmade Structure," but North Dakota still has "[http://www.realnd.com/jamestownbuffaloindex.htm Largest Buffalo Monument]," "[http://heritagerenewal.org/bigthings/hamburger.htm Biggest Hamburger]," and "[http://www.realnd.com/casseltoncanpileindex.htm Tallest Pyramid of Oil Cans]." So ''there''.
|-
|{{1110|5|n|27|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|4|n|27|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|3|n|27|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|2|n|27|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|1|n|27|e}}
|The base of a {{w|radio tower}}
|-
|{{1110|6|n|28|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|5|n|28|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|4|n|28|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|3|n|28|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|2|n|28|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|1|n|28|e}}
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s
|-
|{{1110|5|n|29|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|4|n|29|e}}
|Someone is sliding down the wire. Possibly a reference to the game [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infamous_%28video_game%29 Infamous].
|-
|{{1110|3|n|29|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|2|n|29|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|1|n|29|e}}
|{{w|Guy-wire}}s
|-
|{{1110|4|n|30|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|3|n|30|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|2|n|30|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|1|n|30|e}}
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s
|-
|{{1110|3|n|31|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|2|n|31|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|1|n|31|e}}
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s
|-
|{{1110|2|n|32|e}}
|
|-
|{{1110|1|n|32|e}}
|An anchor for {{w|Guy-wire}}s
|-
|{{1110|1|n|33|e}}
|A tree with a tractor
|-
|{{1110|1|n|34|e}}
|A rolling grassy landscape with a fence. Some of the fence posts are topped with bluebird boxes, and birds sit on the fence wires.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|35|e}}
|a {{w|barn}} and some trees
|-
|{{1110|1|n|36|e}}
|Reference to the original Pokémon games. When Prof. Oak tells you not to go into the tall grass without a Pokémon.
;Transcript
:[There is a large hill with very tall grass (taller than any character in this section).]
:[Left-most is some structure of some kind.]
:[West of the structure is Cueball shouting to Megan, who is running into the long grass.]
:Cueball: Don't go into the long grass! (Line from Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World which precedes the velociraptor attack.)
:Megan: Pikachu, I choose ''DEATH''—
:Megan: And with it immortality.
|-
|{{1110|1|n|37|e}}
|Grass
|-
|{{1110|1|n|38|e}}
|Grass with a short rectangular structure
|-
|{{1110|2|n|39|e}}
|The top of a water tower. Cueball and Megan on the catwalk at the top. Cueball looking out. Megan using some mounted device (maybe a telephone?, or some controls?).
|-
|{{1110|1|n|39|e}}
|The base of a water tower
|-
|{{1110|1|n|40|e}}
|Grass
|-
|{{1110|1|n|41|e}}
|Grass
|-
|{{1110|1|n|42|e}}
|Grass
|-
|{{1110|1|n|43|e}}
|Grass
|-
|{{1110|1|n|44|e}}
|Grass
|-
|{{1110|1|n|45|e}}
|Grass
|-
|{{1110|1|n|46|e}}
|Grass
|-
|{{1110|1|n|47|e}}
|Grass
|-
|{{1110|1|n|48|e}}
|[[Cueball]] with a balloon in his hand, flying towards the image border. He says "I wonder where I'll float next". This is a reference to [[1|the very first xkcd comic]]. It may also be a reference to {{w|World of Goo}}, a computer game, where at the and of level 1 the goo balls leave the screen carried by balloons, wondering what will be next. Alternatively, this may be a reference to the detail and variety of earlier panels.
;Transcript
:[Grassy hill slowly rolls until the extreme right which ends in a much larger drop-off. This is the end of the world.]
:[Cueball is still floating holding his balloon, heading further east.]
:Cueball: I wonder where I'll float next.
|-
|}

== References by Category ==

=== Vehicles ===
{| class="wikitable" |
! Name
! width="130px" | Grid coords
! Thumbnail
|-
|{{w|covered wagon|Covered wagons}}
|{{1110|1|n|13|e}} {{1110|1|n|14|e}}
|[[File:covered-wagon.png]] [[File:covered-wagon-2.png]]
|-
|Remote-controlled rocket-powered bicycle
|{{1110|1|n|1|w}}
|[[File:rocket-powered-bicycle.png]]
|-
|{{w|Sailboat}}
|{{1110|1|n|5|w}}
|[[File:sailboat.png]]
|-
|{{w|Sailing ship}}
|{{1110|1|n|8|w}}
|[[File:sailing-ship.png]]
|-
|{{w|Junk-rigged Sailboat}}
|{{1110|1|n|13|e}}
|[[File:junk-rigged-sailboat.png]]
|-
|{{w|Hot air balloons}}
|{{1110|6|n|1|e}}
|[[File:hot-air-balloon-1.png]] [[File:hot-air-balloon-2.png]]
|-
|{{w|Cars}}
|{{1110|1|n|1|w}} {{1110|1|n|1|e}}
|[[File:cars-sedans-1.png]] [[File:cars-sedans-2.png]] [[File:cars-sedans-3.png]] [[File:cars-sedans-4.png]]
|-
|{{w|Wienermobile}}
|{{1110|1|n|1|w}}
|[[File:wienermobile.png]]
|-
|{{w|Tractor}}
|{{1110|1|n|33|e}}
|[[File:tractor.png]]
|-
|{{w|Tank}}
|{{1110|1|n|13|e}}
|[[File:tank.png]]
|-
|{{w|Submarine}}
|{{1110|17|s|5|e}}
|[[File:submarine.png]]
|-
|{{w|Boeing 717}} Jet airliner
|{{1110|7|n|7|w}} {{1110|3|n|18|e}}
|[[File:boeing-717-jet.png]] [[File:boeing-717-jet-landing.png]]
|-
|{{w|Embraer E-Jet family|Embraer E-190}} Jet airliner
|{{1110|2|n|4|w}}
|[[File:embraer-e-190-jet.png]]
|-
|{{w|Boeing 767|Boeing 767-300W}} Jet airliner
|{{1110|3|n|3|e}}
|[[File:boeing-767-300w-jet.png]]
|-
|{{w|Bombardier Dash 8|Bombardier Dash-8 Q400}} turboprop airliner
|{{1110|3|n|10|e}}
|[[File:bombardier-dash-8.png]]
|-
|{{w|Saturn V}} Rocket
|{{1110|1|n|22|w}} {{1110|2|n|22|w}}
|[[File:saturn-v-rocket.png]]
|-
|{{w|Apollo 13}} spacecraft
|{{1110|9|n|2|e}}
|[[File:apollo-13-spacecraft.png]]
|-
|{{w|X-Wing fighters}}
|{{1110|8|n|6|e}} {{1110|8|s|17|w}}
|[[File:x-wing-fighter-1.png]] [[File:x-wing-fighter-2.png]]
|-
|}

=== Man-made Structures ===
{| class="wikitable" |
! Name
! width="130px" | Grid coords
! Thumbnail
|-
|{{w|Burj Khalifa}}
|{{1110|8|n|2|w}}, {{1110|6|n|27|e}}
|[[File:burj-khalifa.png]]
|-
|{{w|Statue of Liberty}}
|{{1110|1|n|13|w}}
|[[File:statue-of-liberty.png]]
|-
|{{w|Pyramid}}
|{{1110|17|s|7|e}}
|[[File:1110-pyramid.png]]
|-
|Bridges (Suspension bridge, Arch bridge)
|{{1110|1|n|12|e}} {{1110|1|n|13|e}} {{1110|1|n|14|e}}
|[[File:arch-bridge.png]]
|-
|{{w|Lighthouse}}
|{{1110|1|n|13|w}}
|[[File:lighthouse.png]]
|-
|Water tower
|{{1110|1|n|39|e}} {{1110|2|n|39|e}}
|[[File:water-tower.png]]
|-
|Mine shafts
|{{1110|1|s|17|w}}
|[[File:mine-shafts.png]]
|-
|Graveyard / cemetery
|{{1110|17|s|8|e}}
|[[File:graveyard-cemetary.png]]
|-
|Parking lot
|{{1110|1|n|1|w}} {{1110|1|n|1|e}}
|[[File:cars-sedans-1.png]] [[File:cars-sedans-2.png]] [[File:cars-sedans-3.png]] [[File:cars-sedans-4.png]]
|-
|Fence posts
|{{1110|1|n|34|e}}
|[[File:fenceposts.png]]
|-
|Bluebird boxes
|{{1110|1|n|34|e}}
|[[File:bluebird-boxes.png]]
|-
|Barn
|{{1110|1|n|35|e}}
|[[File:barn.png]]
|-
|Tire Swing
|{{1110|2|n|4|e}}
|[[File:tire-swing.png]]
|-
|Fountain
|{{1110|1|n|1|e}}
|[[File:1110-fountain.png]]
|-
|Park benches
|{{1110|1|n|14|w}}
|[[File:park-benches.png]]
|-
|Buoys
|{{1110|1|n|5|w}}
|[[File:buoy-1.png]] [[File:buoy-2.png]] [[File:buoy-3.png]]
|-
|Beach Umbrella
|{{1110|1|n|4|w}}
|[[File:beach-umbrella.png]]
|-
|Butterfly Net
|{{1110|1|n|1|e}}
|[[File:butterfly-net.png]]
|-
|}

=== Technology ===
{| class="wikitable" |
! Name
! width="130px" | Grid coords
! Thumbnail
|-
|{{w|Construction Cranes}} (Tower crane, Crawler crane)
|
|
|-
|Anti-aircraft platform
|{{1110|1|n|9|w}}
|[[File:anti-aircraft-platform.png]]
|-
|Wind turbines
|{{1110|1|n|8|e}}
|[[File:wind-turbines.png]]
|-
|{{w|Meteorological Observatory}}
|{{1110|2|n|4|e}}
|[[File:meteorological-observatory.png]]
|-
|{{w|Radio station}}
|{{1110|1|n|16|e}} {{1110|2|n|16|e}} {{1110|1|n|17|e}}
|[[File:marconi-station.png]]
|-
|{{w|Radio mast}}
|{{1110|2|n|16|e}}
|[[File:kvly-tv-mast.png]] [[File:guy-wires-with-mast.png]]
|-
|{{w|Radio Telescope}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Satellite Dish}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|GPS}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Bitcoins}}
|
|
|-
|Game Console
|
|
|-
|{{w|Guns}} (Gatling Gun, Shotgun)
|
|
|-
|{{w|Laptop}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Cellphones}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|FreeBSD}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Facebook}}, {{w|Twitter}}
|
|
|-
|}

=== Games ===
{| class="wikitable" |
! Name
! width="130px" | Grid coords
! Thumbnail
|-
|{{w|AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity|AaAaAA!!!}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Clay pigeon}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Duke Nukem 3D}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Marco_Polo_(game)|Marco Polo}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Super Mario Brothers}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Minecraft}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Oregon Trail}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|inFamous}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Pokemon}}
|
|
|-
|}

=== Movies ===
{| class="wikitable" |
! Name
! width="130px" | Grid coords
! Thumbnail
|-
|{{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|A Bridge Too Far (film)|A Bridge Too Far}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Contact (film)|Contact}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Groundhog Day (film)|Groundhog Day}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Hackers (film)|Hackers}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Planet of the Apes (1968 film)|Planet of the Apes}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|The Crimson Permanent Assurance}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|They Live}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Transformers}}
|
|
|-
|}

=== Television Shows ===
{| class="wikitable" |
! Name
! width="130px" | Grid coords
! Thumbnail
|-
|{{w|Lost_(TV_series)|Lost}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|The Simpsons}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Seinfeld}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|A Charlie Brown Christmas}}
|
|
|-
|}

=== Books ===
{| class="wikitable" |
! Name
! width="130px" | Grid coords
! Thumbnail
|-
|{{w|Ender's Game}}
|
|
|-
|Footprints
|
|
|-
|{{w|Tower of Babylon}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|The Adventures of Tom Sawyer}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|A Commonsense Book of Death}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy }}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Where's Waldo}}
|
|
|-
|}

=== Music ===
{| class="wikitable" |
! Name
! width="130px" | Grid coords
! Thumbnail
|-
|{{w|99 Problems}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Daisy Bell}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Flagpole Sitta}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|I'm on a Boat}}
|
|
|-
|}

=== Radio Programs ===
{| class="wikitable" |
! Name
! width="130px" | Grid coords
! Thumbnail
|-
|Desert Island Discs
|
|
|-
|}

=== Flora and Fauna ===
{| class="wikitable" |
! Name
! width="130px" | Grid coords
! Thumbnail
|-
|Trees
|[http://imgs.xkcd.com/clickdrag/14s3e.png 14 South, 3 East]
|
|-
|Squirrels
|
|
|-
|Velociraptors
|
|
|-
|Seabirds
|
|
|-
|Jellyfish
|
|
|-
|Whales (Humpback)
|
|
|-
|Fish
|
|
|-
|Yellow Warbler
|
|
|-
|Red spiders
|
|
|-
|}

=== People ===
{| class="wikitable" |
! Name
! width="130px" | Grid coords
! width="256px" | Thumbnail
|-
|{{w|Peter Thiel}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Elizabeth Warren}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Icarus}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|George Mallory}}
|
|
|-
|}

=== Places ===
{| class="wikitable" |
! Name
! width="130px" | Grid coords
! Thumbnail
|-
|{{w|Dubai}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|North Dakota}}
|
|
|-
|{{w|Alaska}}
|
|
|-
|}

== Whole Image ==

[[File:1110 full tiny2.png|none|frame|Whole Image at 0.5% Zoom. The part visible at the beginning is marked red.]]

== Viewers ==
Though you can download the full view, the easiest way to browse it is through a [[wikipedia:Zooming user interface|Zooming user interface]].

* http://xkcd.com/1110/ (native zoom, click-and-drag)
* http://xkcd-map.rent-a-geek.de/ '''[recommended]''' (zoom controls, scroll-zoom, click-and-drag, hash permalinks, full-screen)
* http://clickanddrag.azurewebsites.net/ (zoom controls, scroll-zoom, click-and-drag)
* http://sumamimasen.com/xkcd/1110/ (native zoom, keyboard controls, Flash-only)
* http://xkcdmap.webege.com/ Google-maps-style navigation and zooming, with tiles with content highlighted in black or white, allows easy finding of interesting tiles with small things hidden in the ground and sky

== Trivia ==

*The click-and-drag portion of this comic is divided up into 2592 sections of 2048x2048 pixels.
*There are 225 separate 2048x2048 PNG files (plus the PNG container with the first panels). The other 2337 sections are simply filled black (in the south) or white (in the north) with HTML.
*The populated area is 81 frames wide (33 West - 48 East) and 32 frames tall (13 North - 19 South)
*According to [[Randall]] in #xkcd on the night this was released, a full size image of this comic, leaving out the blanks would be 60 gigapixels, a true single rectangular image would be close to a terapixel. The online version is 1 gigapixel without the blanks and 10 gigapixel as rectangular image (2048x2048x225 = 943,718,400 and 2048x2048x2592 = 10,871,635,968).
*Based on the height of figures as well as the "two mile" figure given on the left-hand side, the scale should be approximately 32 pixels per 5 feet, making the entire map 25920 feet wide (4.9 miles or 7.9 kilometers) by 10240 feet tall (1.9 miles or 3.1 kilometers). If it were an overhead area, it would be about 9.5 square miles (6093 acres or 24.7 square km), roughly the size of Block Island, Rhode Island, USA. Just the POPULATED area (225 tiles with something drawn on them) would be 529 acres, or 0.826 square miles-- about the size of Princeton University.
*If the 2048x2048 PNGs were to be printed out as a single poster at 300 dpi, the poster would be 15.36 yards (14.05 meters) long and 6.07 yards (5.55 meters) tall. Most of the detail would be invisible, as these PNGs are optimized for ~72 dpi screens.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Large Drawings]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Velociraptors]]
[[Category:Wingsuit]]

Talk:1110: Click and Drag

2012-12-22T14:20:31Z

Jerodast: /* Transcript */ Added signature.

Newbie editor here (ducks abuse and fires back). When I saw the lighthouse with Megan and Ponytail @ 1 North, 13 West, I immediately went to [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=59:_Graduation]. --[[User:Philo Pharynx|Philo Pharynx]] ([[User talk:Philo Pharynx|talk]]) 18:23, 26 November 2012 (UTC)

This is great! Keep up the good work! The servers are melting, but keep refreshing if you get a 500 error. Let's get that chart filled out. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 19:05, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

I've been dragging for ages, and it hasn't looped back on itself yet. Source diving tells me that it's freakin' massive, and it loads in a million separate tiles. Please, let me cry in a corner at the impossible majesty of it all. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 06:59, 19 September 2012 (UTC)
:I'm source diving, and I've managed to extend the boundaries massively. Trying to find a way to remove the click and drag restriction on this monstrosity, think I've figured it out. Will have obscenely massive image uploaded within the next few hours. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 07:24, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

I swear, it's like he found out about us, and is now saying "Oh, yeah? Well how about this?" Other than the gripes of how hard it's going to be to get this thing explained, this one is pretty epic. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 08:08, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

I started to comment some easter eggs. Come on, we can make it :-). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:00, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

I found the left hand boundary of the page reasonably quickly. Once you cross the sea you get their pretty fast. I also found an X-Wing coming out of the ground quoting a line from just after the death star trench run. {{unsigned|Chrisnoise}}

==Different methods of viewing the world==
For those who get impatient scrolling around (and are a little savvy): download the .html file for the comic ([http://xkcd.com/1110/index.html index.html]), and also the file [http://imgs.xkcd.com/clickdrag/1110.js 1110.js]. Edit the .html file to use your 1110.js instead of the one from xkcd.com. Then edit 1110.js:
* remove the line "overflow: 'hidden',"
* change the "1"s into "4"s in "for(var y=-1;y<=+1;y++)" and in "for(var x=-1;x<=+1;x++){"
* optionally, remove the line "$remove.remove();" (warning: this will make it take up a lot of memory eventually!)

Then open the local copy in your web browser. Zooming out, scrolling, and zooming back in helps find the easter eggs.
{{unsigned|75.111.63.192}}

The above can be done, without downloading, by putting Chrome or Chromium into developer mode by hitting F12, then altering the very same setting in the page, as you view it --[[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 22:28, 25 September 2012 (UTC)

*This Page's instructions say to zoom in and out when browsing the modified local file. My browser skills are rusty. I have Firefox, and when I zoom in and out, it zooms the whole page, rather than just the interesting bit. However, seeing as how there are 16000+ panels, I don't think I want to zoom it out quite so very far anyway. Firefox is notoriously bad when there are lots of images on a page (and yes, it cratered while I was exploring the original page). In any case, can someone clarify the use of zoom? [[Special:Contributions/24.57.210.141|24.57.210.141]] 08:40, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

All is revealed here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4542367 - seriously. Links to downloads, full images, how to link directly to a point of interest and so on. {{unsigned|145.64.134.242}}

Another full view, with pan and zoom http://www.mrphlip.com/xkcd1110/ {{unsigned|207.114.139.254}}

For the pack rats, [http://www.mediafire.com/?u7dac458418phyn here] is a .tar.gz of all the pngs. You can use these to reference where in the comic you are. Files are named <tt><number><north/south><number><east/west>.png</tt>. So 1n8w.png is 1 north, 8 west. Let's get this thing done. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 09:12, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

I've made a full-screen version with cursor control: http://ares.aylett.co.uk/xkcd/ [[User:Axa|Axa]] ([[User talk:Axa|talk]]) 12:51, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

:Seems I'm really too slow, plus I have CSS problems (there are gaps between my rows) but I'll share what I did anyway. Create a file with <code>.html</code> extension with the following content (if you've downlaoded all the images already, you can change the code to use your local files) and you get a map of the world.
<pre class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
<!doctype html>
<html><head><title>Click and Drag</title>
<style>
table {
border-collapse: collapse;
}
td {
padding: 0px;
}
td.s {
background-color: black;
}
</style>
</head><body><table><script>
var x, y, src, cssClass;
for (y = -13; y <= 18; y++) {
document.write('<tr>');
for (x = -33; x <= 47; x++) {
src = (y>=0?(y+1)+'s':-y+'n')+(x>=0?(x+1)+'e':-x+'w');
cssClass = y>=0?'s':'n';
url = "http://imgs.xkcd.com/clickdrag/" + src + ".png";
//url = src + ".png"; // Remove comment to use local files
document.write('<td class=' + cssClass + '><a HREF="' + url + '"><img width="64" height="64" title=' + src + ' src="' + url + '"></a></td>');
}
document.write('</tr>');
}
</script>
</table>
</html>
</pre>
:--[[Special:Contributions/132.230.1.28|132.230.1.28]] 09:58, 19 September 2012 (UTC)
:: I've created a file which looks the very same :-) The gaps between the rows seem to come from the <code><img></code> elements being displayed as inline content, adding some whitespaces to the cells. I now use this css code:
<pre style="margin-left:4em;">* {
padding: 0;
margin: 0;
border: 0;
}
table {
border-collapse: collapse;
border-spacing: 0;
table-layout: fixed;
}
td {
width: 2048px;
height: 2048px;
}
img {
display: block;
}</pre>
::--[[Special:Contributions/84.181.110.126|84.181.110.126]] 15:06, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

This is the best full-size view of the comic: http://xkcd-map.rent-a-geek.de/ [[Special:Contributions/77.191.21.108|77.191.21.108]] 15:02, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

== ZIP upload ==

Hi,

I’ve locally downloaded all the tiles (there is 225 PNG files) and made a ZIP file of them, but when trying to upload it here the [[Special:Upload]] page says: “Permitted file types: png, gif, jpg, jpeg.”
Do I have to upload each tile one by one or is there a way to exceptionally bypass this restriction?
Thanks. — [[User:Ethaniel|Ethaniel]] ([[User talk:Ethaniel|talk]]) 09:13, 19 September 2012 (UTC)
:Mh, seems I’m hours too late… — [[User:Ethaniel|Ethaniel]] ([[User talk:Ethaniel|talk]]) 09:14, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

:I'm not sure we should upload each individual frame for this one. Though, we do need to have a discussion about how we're going to handle/archive/explain this one, because it's going to be big and tedius. Maybe some adventurous and hardy soul can stitch together grids of this so that we don't have the problem of having too much image (a single terapixel image will kill anyone's PC if they try to load it) and having so little (while the grids Randall's created are nice and bite-sized, it's hard to see the whole thing). [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 09:20, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

::I’m going to upload the 225 tiles in few hours: which path is best?
::* <nowiki>[[File:1n1e.png]]</nowiki>
::* <nowiki>[[File:1110/1n1e.png]]</nowiki>
::* <nowiki>[[File:1110: Click and Drag/1n1e.png]]</nowiki>
::There will be of course a template (<nowiki>{{1110|1n1e}}</nowiki>) allowing easy access to individual tiles. ;)
::[[User:Ethaniel|Ethaniel]] ([[User talk:Ethaniel|talk]]) 10:36, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

:::If you are really going to do this, then I think doing <nowiki>[[File:1110: Click and Drag/1n1e.png]]</nowiki> would be the best spot. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 13:53, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

::::Finally I only did the template: direct link to the original tiles is fine too.
::::Thanks for the answer, it may be useful someday. — [[User:Ethaniel|Ethaniel]] ([[User talk:Ethaniel|talk]]) 14:04, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

:::::Sorry for the late response, I had to go to bed (I only got 4 hours of sleep anyways) to be able to get up for work today. The template is massively helpful. I crown you champion. It might be interesting to split up each page into sub-pages of this, and then transclude in the first paragraph from the subpage. So, <nowiki>[[1110: Click and Drag/1n1e]]</nowiki> would have a full description, including links to adjacent/related tiles, but have another template transclude in the synopsis and transcript into the table on this page. That's pie-in-the-sky thinking, and definitely should not be done today while the server is being hammered like it is. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:08, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

It doesn't seem to be a terapixel. There are 225 images of 2048x2048 pixels. The full range is 81x32 tiles, resulting in a 165888x65536 images, at approximately 10 gigapixels. The naming conventions is numberlatitudenumberlongitude.png, where lat can be either n or s, and long can be either e or w. E.g. 1n1e.png, which is the starting image, and they are located at http://imgs.xkcd.com/clickdrag/. {{unsigned|Aufgehaben}}

There's far more than 225 images >> http://lebbeo.us/2012/09/19/not-bbq-fetching-component-images-of-xkcd-comic-1110/ [[Special:Contributions/114.79.57.76|114.79.57.76]] 11:17, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

Seems to me what should happen is that someone should setup a "slippy map" without having to use the browser's zoom in/out capabilities. Think openlayers. -- [[User:Anarcat|Anarcat]] ([[User talk:Anarcat|talk]]) 13:35, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

==Raptors==

I found two raptors. I couldn't even begin to tell you where they are. Follow the left side. Past the oceans and in some grass...somewhere. This is a lot to draw...I wonder how he did it. The shear size of each image, combined with the fact that they seamlessly transition together...when did he start? How much time did he put in? He should have waited one more to get comic 1111, I think. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 09:29, 19 September 2012 (UTC)
:The far right also quotes the very first xkcd comic ever. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 09:39, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

==Black hat==

I found him in 2 locations, with a weapon both times. The Gatling gun he has on the building above the XKCD What if? cranes looks like he could be waiting to shoot something. Did anyone find anything he might be trying to shoot? [[Special:Contributions/171.161.160.10|171.161.160.10]] 13:09, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

Nevermind. There's nothing there. But there is a hot air balloon below the area I suspected. [[Special:Contributions/171.161.160.10|171.161.160.10]] 13:16, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

==End of the JS file comment==

At the end of the JavaScript file responsible for the map code, there's a comment "/* 50:72:6f:50:75:6b:65:20:69:73:20:61:77:65:73:6f:6d:65 */". Interpreted as hex codes for ASCII text, this reads "ProPuke is awesome". {{unsigned|134.102.219.116}}

Interesting. Google tells me that ProPuke is the handle of a programmer from the UK. This morning, [http://twitter.com/ProPuke on his twitter feed], he posted "57:68:79:2c:20:74:68:61:6e:6b:20:79:6f:75:21". This translates from hex as "Why, thank you!" Also, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:ProPuke his Wikipedia user page] tells us a lot about him too. I wonder if he contributed to the code? [[Special:Contributions/71.201.53.130|71.201.53.130]] 23:24, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

== ==

I've been dragging and clicking for an hour, and I accidentally found the right edge. I started going left, and when I got to the island, I went into the Earth. I followed tunnels and caves down (at one point, there's a massive underground lake and a tree with a man sitting pensively by it (possibly Dawson?)) there until I found the tunnel that ends up going back to the surface in MarioWorld (complete with flag and castle), and went right from there. After the wind turbines, there's a bridge. On the other side of the bridge is a fencepost joke (If you're having fencepost problems, I feel bad for you son: I've got 99 problems but solved for 101). After that, there's a Burj Dubai reference (I assume the radio tower representing it is drawn to scale - it's very tall). After that, I went up a hill that had random farm callouts scattered on it, and on the other side of the hill is a large water tower. After that, there's grassland until the edge, which has Balloon Randall again saying, "I wonder where I'll float next." {{unsigned|67.52.249.244}}

:I'm going to say this is a perfect example of what Randall wanted by creating a world so huge you can explore for hours, get lost, not care, and find yourself again, and keep wondering what you'll discover next. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 18:20, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

==IRC logs or it didn't happen==
When I get home I'll post the logs I have (didn't think to have logging turned on until after the discussion started) so that it won't seem like I'm crazy. I remember Randall saying that a full, uncompressed, single rectangular image would be near a terapixel (the figure was something like 800 gigapixels). [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:04, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

== ICC sections ==

The following files have ICC sections:

<pre>
$ grep -l iCCPicc xkcd_grab/*.png
xkcd_grab/11s11e.png
xkcd_grab/11s11w.png
xkcd_grab/16s1e.png
xkcd_grab/17s1e.png
xkcd_grab/19s7e.png
xkcd_grab/1n30e.png
xkcd_grab/1n39e.png
xkcd_grab/2n3w.png
xkcd_grab/3n25e.png
xkcd_grab/4s17w.png
xkcd_grab/6n2w.png
xkcd_grab/8n1w.png
</pre>

(source of the images for me: '<code>git clone "https://github.com/danielribeiro/xkcd_grab.git"</code>')

At first I thought the white/black tiles were a hint to some steganography embedded in the images. Then I found those ICC sections and thought it was just a pun to add a color profile to a black image. But not all of the above are just black and having a color profile for white image parts can actually make sense, so maybe someone else has a clue, why those (and only those) tiles have color profiles...

-- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 19:55, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

Do a binary compare on the files.

== Jesus ==
Seems that the description insinuates that the "Jesus" reference (1n21w) is intended to be vocative, not expletive. Can somebody substatiate that conclusion, as opposed to the position that Randall meant s/Jesus/Cripe/... ? (I guess this is just a long-winded way of saying [Citation Needed].) -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 03:43, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

Reference to 'footsteps in the sand'. Not expletive.

== dot-code ==
In [http://imgs.xkcd.com/clickdrag/1n7e.png 1 North 7 East] there are dots and lines. What do they mean?

I think its a reference to Super Mario.--[[Special:Contributions/62.180.229.43|62.180.229.43]] 08:47, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

This is a sad, sad day that this had to be explained to someone who reads this comic.

No it's not! It's a Ten Thousand day http://xkcd.com/1053/. --[[User:Ohbejoyful|Ohbejoyful]] ([[User talk:Ohbejoyful|talk]]) 01:24, 22 September 2012 (UTC)

== Bob Ross ==

The reference on 1n 33w seems to be related to Bob Ross, he used similar expressions about where items should live on a canvas
"You know, this is a nice spot. Let's just live here. "

I would like to note that "Bob Ross" would be an excellent name for a ninja turtle.--[[Special:Contributions/98.225.182.131|98.225.182.131]] 08:23, 21 September 2012 (UTC)

la raja amo a bjork y estoy demasiado feliz que venga, pero debeira venir con portishead, ella es la raja y seria un honor presenciar tan buena musica, y teniendo a dos exponentes del trip hop juntas..suerte ojala sea seguro y no se suspenda.ahh y smashing pumpkins es de las bandas que me aconpa;o en su creciemiento, en la adolescencia ojala venga, seria espectacular, por favor si hay que se pueda hacer, avinsen para hacer firmas y weas, ojala viniesen.gracias por los maravillosos conciertos que han estado en chile este ultimo anosuerte!!!

== 48? ==

How are we certain that the maximum radius of the world is only 48 tiles? If I'm reading everything correctly, didn't Randall say that it was much larger than everybody is measuring? Isn't one explanation for this that there may be more than we've found? Does anybody have a script running that is still exploring?

Answer: This line in the 1110.js source file: "var size=[14,48,25,33];" That controls how far you can scroll. Having hit all the edges you know those are the limits too. There are no actual tiles as far down as 25 or as far up as 14, but it means the page just fills that with white or black as needed. It does mean you can't find the whales by simply going to the top left and going along the top to the right since they will be one tile further down. Same with the tunnel at the bottom. It is a number of tiles above the bottom edge of the image. [[User:Lsorense|Lsorense]] ([[User talk:Lsorense|talk]]) 18:12, 24 September 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for the answer. In a world filled with secrets, I still wonder if there's a file on the server in more outer-realm locations. :)
: Would be an interesting little project to (lightly) hit the server with out-of-bounds requests, to see what comes back instead of 404s -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:10, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

== More Trivia ==
* There is one (dark dark) green pixel in 9s7e.png. The remainder is all grayscale.
* A number of the images have apparently been updated. Probably with a PNG optimizer, since the displayed data is unchanged.
* The complete 10 gigapixel image, changed to grayscale, can fit into a 15 Megabyte PNG image. (Though having made it, I can't load it in my normal viewers.)
--[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 03:21, 21 September 2012 (UTC)

----

== Updated ==

How do you know the pictures are not uptdated or completed from time to time, adding or moving tiles?

== Locked ==
Will this be unlocked at some point? There are still a number of un-filled-in cells! [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 11:07, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

: I think it was locked as a guard against spam. That was a while ago though, maybe the admins forgot about it. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:10, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

:: [{{fullurl:Special:Log|page=1110:_Click_and_Drag}} Special:Log] shows that the unlocking will occur automatically on December 7. Also, [{{fullurl:Special:ListUsers/Jerodast|limit=1}} Special:ListUsers] shows that your account was created on 3 December 2012 at 13:01 UTC. After 3 days and 10 edits, it will be automatcally promoted to autoconfirmed, so tomorrow by this time you will be able to edit semiprotected pages like this one. Only full protection prevents everyone except admins from editing the page (e.g. the main page). Hope this helps :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 14:51, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

==Transcript==
Is there really any need for the bolded Transcript sections for tiles where there is no dialogue? It seems like it just makes the chart heavier. And for example at 1N, 22W, is there any real distinction between the description used before the "'''Transcript'''" compared to the stage directions that come after? [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 14:20, 22 December 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1110: Click and Drag

2012-12-21T16:56:43Z

Jerodast: Questioning need for "transcript" subsections in many chart entries.

Newbie editor here (ducks abuse and fires back). When I saw the lighthouse with Megan and Ponytail @ 1 North, 13 West, I immediately went to [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=59:_Graduation]. --[[User:Philo Pharynx|Philo Pharynx]] ([[User talk:Philo Pharynx|talk]]) 18:23, 26 November 2012 (UTC)

This is great! Keep up the good work! The servers are melting, but keep refreshing if you get a 500 error. Let's get that chart filled out. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 19:05, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

I've been dragging for ages, and it hasn't looped back on itself yet. Source diving tells me that it's freakin' massive, and it loads in a million separate tiles. Please, let me cry in a corner at the impossible majesty of it all. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 06:59, 19 September 2012 (UTC)
:I'm source diving, and I've managed to extend the boundaries massively. Trying to find a way to remove the click and drag restriction on this monstrosity, think I've figured it out. Will have obscenely massive image uploaded within the next few hours. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 07:24, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

I swear, it's like he found out about us, and is now saying "Oh, yeah? Well how about this?" Other than the gripes of how hard it's going to be to get this thing explained, this one is pretty epic. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 08:08, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

I started to comment some easter eggs. Come on, we can make it :-). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:00, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

I found the left hand boundary of the page reasonably quickly. Once you cross the sea you get their pretty fast. I also found an X-Wing coming out of the ground quoting a line from just after the death star trench run. {{unsigned|Chrisnoise}}

==Different methods of viewing the world==
For those who get impatient scrolling around (and are a little savvy): download the .html file for the comic ([http://xkcd.com/1110/index.html index.html]), and also the file [http://imgs.xkcd.com/clickdrag/1110.js 1110.js]. Edit the .html file to use your 1110.js instead of the one from xkcd.com. Then edit 1110.js:
* remove the line "overflow: 'hidden',"
* change the "1"s into "4"s in "for(var y=-1;y<=+1;y++)" and in "for(var x=-1;x<=+1;x++){"
* optionally, remove the line "$remove.remove();" (warning: this will make it take up a lot of memory eventually!)

Then open the local copy in your web browser. Zooming out, scrolling, and zooming back in helps find the easter eggs.
{{unsigned|75.111.63.192}}

The above can be done, without downloading, by putting Chrome or Chromium into developer mode by hitting F12, then altering the very same setting in the page, as you view it --[[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 22:28, 25 September 2012 (UTC)

*This Page's instructions say to zoom in and out when browsing the modified local file. My browser skills are rusty. I have Firefox, and when I zoom in and out, it zooms the whole page, rather than just the interesting bit. However, seeing as how there are 16000+ panels, I don't think I want to zoom it out quite so very far anyway. Firefox is notoriously bad when there are lots of images on a page (and yes, it cratered while I was exploring the original page). In any case, can someone clarify the use of zoom? [[Special:Contributions/24.57.210.141|24.57.210.141]] 08:40, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

All is revealed here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4542367 - seriously. Links to downloads, full images, how to link directly to a point of interest and so on. {{unsigned|145.64.134.242}}

Another full view, with pan and zoom http://www.mrphlip.com/xkcd1110/ {{unsigned|207.114.139.254}}

For the pack rats, [http://www.mediafire.com/?u7dac458418phyn here] is a .tar.gz of all the pngs. You can use these to reference where in the comic you are. Files are named <tt><number><north/south><number><east/west>.png</tt>. So 1n8w.png is 1 north, 8 west. Let's get this thing done. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 09:12, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

I've made a full-screen version with cursor control: http://ares.aylett.co.uk/xkcd/ [[User:Axa|Axa]] ([[User talk:Axa|talk]]) 12:51, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

:Seems I'm really too slow, plus I have CSS problems (there are gaps between my rows) but I'll share what I did anyway. Create a file with <code>.html</code> extension with the following content (if you've downlaoded all the images already, you can change the code to use your local files) and you get a map of the world.
<pre class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
<!doctype html>
<html><head><title>Click and Drag</title>
<style>
table {
border-collapse: collapse;
}
td {
padding: 0px;
}
td.s {
background-color: black;
}
</style>
</head><body><table><script>
var x, y, src, cssClass;
for (y = -13; y <= 18; y++) {
document.write('<tr>');
for (x = -33; x <= 47; x++) {
src = (y>=0?(y+1)+'s':-y+'n')+(x>=0?(x+1)+'e':-x+'w');
cssClass = y>=0?'s':'n';
url = "http://imgs.xkcd.com/clickdrag/" + src + ".png";
//url = src + ".png"; // Remove comment to use local files
document.write('<td class=' + cssClass + '><a HREF="' + url + '"><img width="64" height="64" title=' + src + ' src="' + url + '"></a></td>');
}
document.write('</tr>');
}
</script>
</table>
</html>
</pre>
:--[[Special:Contributions/132.230.1.28|132.230.1.28]] 09:58, 19 September 2012 (UTC)
:: I've created a file which looks the very same :-) The gaps between the rows seem to come from the <code><img></code> elements being displayed as inline content, adding some whitespaces to the cells. I now use this css code:
<pre style="margin-left:4em;">* {
padding: 0;
margin: 0;
border: 0;
}
table {
border-collapse: collapse;
border-spacing: 0;
table-layout: fixed;
}
td {
width: 2048px;
height: 2048px;
}
img {
display: block;
}</pre>
::--[[Special:Contributions/84.181.110.126|84.181.110.126]] 15:06, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

This is the best full-size view of the comic: http://xkcd-map.rent-a-geek.de/ [[Special:Contributions/77.191.21.108|77.191.21.108]] 15:02, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

== ZIP upload ==

Hi,

I’ve locally downloaded all the tiles (there is 225 PNG files) and made a ZIP file of them, but when trying to upload it here the [[Special:Upload]] page says: “Permitted file types: png, gif, jpg, jpeg.”
Do I have to upload each tile one by one or is there a way to exceptionally bypass this restriction?
Thanks. — [[User:Ethaniel|Ethaniel]] ([[User talk:Ethaniel|talk]]) 09:13, 19 September 2012 (UTC)
:Mh, seems I’m hours too late… — [[User:Ethaniel|Ethaniel]] ([[User talk:Ethaniel|talk]]) 09:14, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

:I'm not sure we should upload each individual frame for this one. Though, we do need to have a discussion about how we're going to handle/archive/explain this one, because it's going to be big and tedius. Maybe some adventurous and hardy soul can stitch together grids of this so that we don't have the problem of having too much image (a single terapixel image will kill anyone's PC if they try to load it) and having so little (while the grids Randall's created are nice and bite-sized, it's hard to see the whole thing). [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 09:20, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

::I’m going to upload the 225 tiles in few hours: which path is best?
::* <nowiki>[[File:1n1e.png]]</nowiki>
::* <nowiki>[[File:1110/1n1e.png]]</nowiki>
::* <nowiki>[[File:1110: Click and Drag/1n1e.png]]</nowiki>
::There will be of course a template (<nowiki>{{1110|1n1e}}</nowiki>) allowing easy access to individual tiles. ;)
::[[User:Ethaniel|Ethaniel]] ([[User talk:Ethaniel|talk]]) 10:36, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

:::If you are really going to do this, then I think doing <nowiki>[[File:1110: Click and Drag/1n1e.png]]</nowiki> would be the best spot. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 13:53, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

::::Finally I only did the template: direct link to the original tiles is fine too.
::::Thanks for the answer, it may be useful someday. — [[User:Ethaniel|Ethaniel]] ([[User talk:Ethaniel|talk]]) 14:04, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

:::::Sorry for the late response, I had to go to bed (I only got 4 hours of sleep anyways) to be able to get up for work today. The template is massively helpful. I crown you champion. It might be interesting to split up each page into sub-pages of this, and then transclude in the first paragraph from the subpage. So, <nowiki>[[1110: Click and Drag/1n1e]]</nowiki> would have a full description, including links to adjacent/related tiles, but have another template transclude in the synopsis and transcript into the table on this page. That's pie-in-the-sky thinking, and definitely should not be done today while the server is being hammered like it is. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:08, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

It doesn't seem to be a terapixel. There are 225 images of 2048x2048 pixels. The full range is 81x32 tiles, resulting in a 165888x65536 images, at approximately 10 gigapixels. The naming conventions is numberlatitudenumberlongitude.png, where lat can be either n or s, and long can be either e or w. E.g. 1n1e.png, which is the starting image, and they are located at http://imgs.xkcd.com/clickdrag/. {{unsigned|Aufgehaben}}

There's far more than 225 images >> http://lebbeo.us/2012/09/19/not-bbq-fetching-component-images-of-xkcd-comic-1110/ [[Special:Contributions/114.79.57.76|114.79.57.76]] 11:17, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

Seems to me what should happen is that someone should setup a "slippy map" without having to use the browser's zoom in/out capabilities. Think openlayers. -- [[User:Anarcat|Anarcat]] ([[User talk:Anarcat|talk]]) 13:35, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

==Raptors==

I found two raptors. I couldn't even begin to tell you where they are. Follow the left side. Past the oceans and in some grass...somewhere. This is a lot to draw...I wonder how he did it. The shear size of each image, combined with the fact that they seamlessly transition together...when did he start? How much time did he put in? He should have waited one more to get comic 1111, I think. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 09:29, 19 September 2012 (UTC)
:The far right also quotes the very first xkcd comic ever. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 09:39, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

==Black hat==

I found him in 2 locations, with a weapon both times. The Gatling gun he has on the building above the XKCD What if? cranes looks like he could be waiting to shoot something. Did anyone find anything he might be trying to shoot? [[Special:Contributions/171.161.160.10|171.161.160.10]] 13:09, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

Nevermind. There's nothing there. But there is a hot air balloon below the area I suspected. [[Special:Contributions/171.161.160.10|171.161.160.10]] 13:16, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

==End of the JS file comment==

At the end of the JavaScript file responsible for the map code, there's a comment "/* 50:72:6f:50:75:6b:65:20:69:73:20:61:77:65:73:6f:6d:65 */". Interpreted as hex codes for ASCII text, this reads "ProPuke is awesome". {{unsigned|134.102.219.116}}

Interesting. Google tells me that ProPuke is the handle of a programmer from the UK. This morning, [http://twitter.com/ProPuke on his twitter feed], he posted "57:68:79:2c:20:74:68:61:6e:6b:20:79:6f:75:21". This translates from hex as "Why, thank you!" Also, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:ProPuke his Wikipedia user page] tells us a lot about him too. I wonder if he contributed to the code? [[Special:Contributions/71.201.53.130|71.201.53.130]] 23:24, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

== ==

I've been dragging and clicking for an hour, and I accidentally found the right edge. I started going left, and when I got to the island, I went into the Earth. I followed tunnels and caves down (at one point, there's a massive underground lake and a tree with a man sitting pensively by it (possibly Dawson?)) there until I found the tunnel that ends up going back to the surface in MarioWorld (complete with flag and castle), and went right from there. After the wind turbines, there's a bridge. On the other side of the bridge is a fencepost joke (If you're having fencepost problems, I feel bad for you son: I've got 99 problems but solved for 101). After that, there's a Burj Dubai reference (I assume the radio tower representing it is drawn to scale - it's very tall). After that, I went up a hill that had random farm callouts scattered on it, and on the other side of the hill is a large water tower. After that, there's grassland until the edge, which has Balloon Randall again saying, "I wonder where I'll float next." {{unsigned|67.52.249.244}}

:I'm going to say this is a perfect example of what Randall wanted by creating a world so huge you can explore for hours, get lost, not care, and find yourself again, and keep wondering what you'll discover next. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 18:20, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

==IRC logs or it didn't happen==
When I get home I'll post the logs I have (didn't think to have logging turned on until after the discussion started) so that it won't seem like I'm crazy. I remember Randall saying that a full, uncompressed, single rectangular image would be near a terapixel (the figure was something like 800 gigapixels). [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:04, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

== ICC sections ==

The following files have ICC sections:

<pre>
$ grep -l iCCPicc xkcd_grab/*.png
xkcd_grab/11s11e.png
xkcd_grab/11s11w.png
xkcd_grab/16s1e.png
xkcd_grab/17s1e.png
xkcd_grab/19s7e.png
xkcd_grab/1n30e.png
xkcd_grab/1n39e.png
xkcd_grab/2n3w.png
xkcd_grab/3n25e.png
xkcd_grab/4s17w.png
xkcd_grab/6n2w.png
xkcd_grab/8n1w.png
</pre>

(source of the images for me: '<code>git clone "https://github.com/danielribeiro/xkcd_grab.git"</code>')

At first I thought the white/black tiles were a hint to some steganography embedded in the images. Then I found those ICC sections and thought it was just a pun to add a color profile to a black image. But not all of the above are just black and having a color profile for white image parts can actually make sense, so maybe someone else has a clue, why those (and only those) tiles have color profiles...

-- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 19:55, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

Do a binary compare on the files.

== Jesus ==
Seems that the description insinuates that the "Jesus" reference (1n21w) is intended to be vocative, not expletive. Can somebody substatiate that conclusion, as opposed to the position that Randall meant s/Jesus/Cripe/... ? (I guess this is just a long-winded way of saying [Citation Needed].) -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 03:43, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

Reference to 'footsteps in the sand'. Not expletive.

== dot-code ==
In [http://imgs.xkcd.com/clickdrag/1n7e.png 1 North 7 East] there are dots and lines. What do they mean?

I think its a reference to Super Mario.--[[Special:Contributions/62.180.229.43|62.180.229.43]] 08:47, 20 September 2012 (UTC)

This is a sad, sad day that this had to be explained to someone who reads this comic.

No it's not! It's a Ten Thousand day http://xkcd.com/1053/. --[[User:Ohbejoyful|Ohbejoyful]] ([[User talk:Ohbejoyful|talk]]) 01:24, 22 September 2012 (UTC)

== Bob Ross ==

The reference on 1n 33w seems to be related to Bob Ross, he used similar expressions about where items should live on a canvas
"You know, this is a nice spot. Let's just live here. "

I would like to note that "Bob Ross" would be an excellent name for a ninja turtle.--[[Special:Contributions/98.225.182.131|98.225.182.131]] 08:23, 21 September 2012 (UTC)

la raja amo a bjork y estoy demasiado feliz que venga, pero debeira venir con portishead, ella es la raja y seria un honor presenciar tan buena musica, y teniendo a dos exponentes del trip hop juntas..suerte ojala sea seguro y no se suspenda.ahh y smashing pumpkins es de las bandas que me aconpa;o en su creciemiento, en la adolescencia ojala venga, seria espectacular, por favor si hay que se pueda hacer, avinsen para hacer firmas y weas, ojala viniesen.gracias por los maravillosos conciertos que han estado en chile este ultimo anosuerte!!!

== 48? ==

How are we certain that the maximum radius of the world is only 48 tiles? If I'm reading everything correctly, didn't Randall say that it was much larger than everybody is measuring? Isn't one explanation for this that there may be more than we've found? Does anybody have a script running that is still exploring?

Answer: This line in the 1110.js source file: "var size=[14,48,25,33];" That controls how far you can scroll. Having hit all the edges you know those are the limits too. There are no actual tiles as far down as 25 or as far up as 14, but it means the page just fills that with white or black as needed. It does mean you can't find the whales by simply going to the top left and going along the top to the right since they will be one tile further down. Same with the tunnel at the bottom. It is a number of tiles above the bottom edge of the image. [[User:Lsorense|Lsorense]] ([[User talk:Lsorense|talk]]) 18:12, 24 September 2012 (UTC)

Thanks for the answer. In a world filled with secrets, I still wonder if there's a file on the server in more outer-realm locations. :)
: Would be an interesting little project to (lightly) hit the server with out-of-bounds requests, to see what comes back instead of 404s -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:10, 24 October 2012 (UTC)

== More Trivia ==
* There is one (dark dark) green pixel in 9s7e.png. The remainder is all grayscale.
* A number of the images have apparently been updated. Probably with a PNG optimizer, since the displayed data is unchanged.
* The complete 10 gigapixel image, changed to grayscale, can fit into a 15 Megabyte PNG image. (Though having made it, I can't load it in my normal viewers.)
--[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 03:21, 21 September 2012 (UTC)

----

== Updated ==

How do you know the pictures are not uptdated or completed from time to time, adding or moving tiles?

== Locked ==
Will this be unlocked at some point? There are still a number of un-filled-in cells! [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 11:07, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

: I think it was locked as a guard against spam. That was a while ago though, maybe the admins forgot about it. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:10, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

:: [{{fullurl:Special:Log|page=1110:_Click_and_Drag}} Special:Log] shows that the unlocking will occur automatically on December 7. Also, [{{fullurl:Special:ListUsers/Jerodast|limit=1}} Special:ListUsers] shows that your account was created on 3 December 2012 at 13:01 UTC. After 3 days and 10 edits, it will be automatcally promoted to autoconfirmed, so tomorrow by this time you will be able to edit semiprotected pages like this one. Only full protection prevents everyone except admins from editing the page (e.g. the main page). Hope this helps :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 14:51, 5 December 2012 (UTC)

=='''Transcript'''==
Is there really any need for the bolded Transcript sections for tiles where there is no dialogue? It seems like it just makes the chart heavier. And for example at 1N, 22W, is there any real distinction between the description used before the "'''Transcript'''" compared to the stage directions that come after?

Talk:1028: Communication

2012-12-21T16:44:45Z

Jerodast: Harry?

Talk:1028: Communication

2012-12-21T16:43:04Z

Jerodast:

Talk:1027: Pickup Artist

2012-12-21T16:17:19Z

Jerodast: Penny Arcade conversation on "negging"

{{w|Penny Arcade (webcomic)|Penny Arcade}} had a fascinating exchange on this subject a while back: http://www.penny-arcade.com/2009/08/10 - start in the last paragraph of the first post, and note that until "Follow up" the argument is mostly feigned. Especially read the two long posts at the end.

The biggest message I got out of it is that "pickup artistry" to many awkward people (aka nerds) is actually "learning how to fit in better socially and get over crippling anxiety when talking to women, or even in social situations generally." Negging, then, is not "lowering women's self-esteem to sleep with them", but is engaging in the gentle teasing and joking around that occurs between friends - the "diet" example Randall proposes is a terrible one. In that way you're acting less like you're treating your social partner as some untouchable object of worship (which most of us would agree is creepy as hell). It's very hard for those without any sort of crippling social anxiety to imagine trying to be socially active under those circumstances. Is it sad that "normal" comfort level and social graces didn't develop naturally, such that some nerds have to "learn" these things? Perhaps. Does that mean we should shame all nerds for trying to fit in, labeling them "dehumanizing creeps"? Yell at anyone with low self-esteem "HAVE MORE CONFIDENCE, LOSER!"? I hope not.

Of course there are jerks who will use this stuff for evil. Maybe more of them than the nerds, I have no idea. It's also possible these anxiety-fighting methods have better alternatives. Just another perspective I didn't know about until reading about it, which made me take Randall's one-sided, there-can-be-no-other-explanation comments on the subject with a grain of salt. But, still a funny strip, so whatevs. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 16:17, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

1027: Pickup Artist

2012-12-21T15:49:10Z

Jerodast: /* Explanation */ Let's make this about what's in the comic and not about personal agreement. The ole "THIS! SO MUCH!" phrasing is extra-not-good editorial voice.

{{comic
| number = 1027
| date = March 9, 2012
| title = Pickup Artist
| image = pickup_artist.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Son, don't try to play 'make you feel bad' with the Michael Jordan of making you feel bad.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Black Hat]] and [[Danish]] appear to be out on a date! In this comic, a character attempts to use new "Pickup Artist" tactics on a random girl in a bar. His tactic is "[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=negging negging]", which is just as it is explained in the comic. However, as the title text says, he attempts to use this tactic on [[Danish]] who is the "Michael Jordan" of making other people feel bad about themselves. His "negging" pales in comparison to hers.

{{w|Michael Jordan}} is the greatest {{w|basketball}} player ever to play in the {{w|NBA}}. He played for the {{w|Chicago Bulls}} and the {{w|Washington Wizards}}. His name is often used as a noun to notate that someone is the best in their field.

[[Randall]]'s message is fairly clear: "Pickup artists are dehumanizing creeps who see relationships as adversarial and women as sex toys." and "Just talk to them like a fucking human being."

==Transcript==
::[Man and Cueball sitting at a table.]
:Man: I've been learning tricks from pickup artist forums.
:Cueball: Pickup artists are dehumanizing creeps who see relationships as adversarial and women as sex toys.
::[Close-up of man's head, with a faint outline of Black hat and Danish sitting at a table in the background.]
:Man: No, it's just a bunch of tips! Like ''negging'': you belittle chicks to undermine their self-confidence so they'll be more vulnerable and seek your approval.
::[Close-up of Cueball's head.]
:Cueball: Just talk to them like a fucking human being.
:Man: Nah, that's a sucker's game.
:Ok- wish me luck!
:''Meanwhile''
::[Black hat and Danish at a table. Black hat is standing up with a bowling ball under his arm.]
:Black hat: I'm going to the bathroom to roll a bowling ball under the line of stalls.
:Danish: Cool.
::[Close up of Cueball's head, with man approaching Danish's table in the background.]
:Cueball: Oh no.
::[Man and Danish at a table. Man is standing up and leaning on the table.]
:Man: You look like you're on a diet. That's great!
:How's the fruit plate?
::[Close-up of Danish's head]
:Danish: Ooh- are we negging?
:Let me try!
::[Close-up of Danish's head, with her hand raised]
:Danish: You look like you're going to spend your life having one epiphany after another, always thinking you've finally figured out what's holding you back, and how you can finally be productive and creative and turn your life around.
:But nothing will ever change. That cycle of mediocrity isn't due to some obstacle. It's who you ''are''.
:The thing standing in the way of your dreams
:Is that the person having them is ''you''.
::[Man and Danish at a table. Man is standing up.]
:Danish: Ok, your turn! Ooh, try insulting my hair!
:Man: I think I need to go home and think about my life.
:Danish: It won't help.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

Talk:Tagline

2012-12-21T15:40:06Z

Jerodast:

I'm tempted to add an Explanation header after the tagline proper, since the following text is clearly written with a subjective tone and is, in fact, an explanation. But on such a short page, that would look weird. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 13:18, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

:What? [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 15:01, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

:: Heh sorry bad phrasing. The text after the actual, literal statement of the tagline on this page is in the tone of an "explanation", like you would see on a comic's page. It doesn't sound like the purely objective, wikipedia-style prose that you see on some of the other more general pages. So, I was tempted to add a header to that text calling it "Explanation", to mimic the comic pages' format. But in the end, with such a short page, that would probably hurt more than it helps. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 15:14, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

:::Oh! You wanted to make a [http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Section section] for it. Yes, I think this page is too short for that. Sorry for my confusion, I'm not a morning person. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 15:25, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

::::Ah, section, heading, same difference :) I'm too used to the ancient HTML 2.0 model haha. Yes, that is what I meant, and I agree. Really just remarking on the voice used. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 15:40, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

User talk:Lcarsos

2012-12-21T15:26:56Z

Jerodast: Wondering about Cueball in the Stick Figure article

==Moved discussion==
Hi, just to let you know that I move the thread you started to [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests]]. Cheers, --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 10:33, 10 August 2012 (UTC)

== Ruby Importer ==
''For discussion of the Ruby Import assistant. Please create subsections for each item.''

===Multi-file Generation===
I assume that <tt>./importer.rb 100{0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}</tt> would also work? [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 02:08, 26 August 2012 (UTC)
: I hadn't even thought of that. I'll try it and report back as soon as I get home after work. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:18, 27 August 2012 (UTC)
:: It'll work; it's not a Ruby thing, it's a Borne Shell thing. When the Borne Shell does wild-card expansion, it generates all alternatives enclosed in braces. So "echo 1{2,3,4,5}" is equivalent to "echo 12 13 14 15". I've been known to do things like <tt>echo 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 {1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9}{0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9} 100</tt> to list all numbers between 1 and 100. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 16:34, 27 August 2012 (UTC)
::: I just ssh'd into a linux box, and yes that will work. But I still prefer using <tt>seq 1 100</tt>, much easier to type. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:17, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

==Removing Erroneous Categories==
It seems to me that if you are removing the same "erroneous" category from three comics that all refer to the same thing (like Wikipedia) that perhaps a bit more explanation needs to be made as to why the category is erroneous. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 21:32, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

:I was going through categories, and it looked like someone had started to tag any page that had a link to Wikpedia. I was putting a stop to it.

:But now that you've elevated this to conscious level, it might be that 2 of the pages were tagged Wikipedia because the theme of the comic was Wikipedia. The first one that caught my eye, [[548: Kindle]], merely had the word Wikipedia, that one to me seems that it was incorrectly categorized. The other two, now that I think about it, would make sense if we're categorizing comics by theme. I'll go back, make restitution, and fix [[739: Malamanteau]] and [[214: The Problem with Wikipedia]], and undo changes to the Wikipedia category. Thanks for keeping me honest.

:[[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 21:49, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

== LCARS ==

Saw this and thought of you: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/12/star-trek-padd-app-is-a-lcars-sporting-trekkies-reference-bible/

:Okay, first, I'd like to thank you for showing this to me. I'm always interested to see anything Star Trek related. Always. There should never be a Trek-less day, for anyone, ever. But, now, you've opened a can of worms so now I get to do a little bit of ranting.

:With a few exceptions, anything "official" that Paramount/CBS Paramount/CBS commissions to be made based on Star Trek is crap. This is one of those things. The interface, while reminiscent of, and is close enough to scare away the children, is a tragedy that shouldn't have the privilege of being able to call itself "official" or "LCARS". The color scheme is vomitous, every color that could have been put into the interface is there, as opposed to the restrained every-color-represents-a-function style that is shown in the show. About the one thing they got correct is the use of the LCARS font. Other than that, the font is too large in every instance. The font should be bottom-right aligned, and there should be a generous amount of padding except for the bottom-right corner. And, except for actual paragraph text, everything should be all-caps.

:They also got the elbos (the bits that change from vertical UI to horizontal and vice versa) wrong. The curves aren't skewed like that. A quick look at the fan-made [http://www.lcarsdeveloper.com LCARS Standards website] would have showed them the correct way to build an elbo. Or, ''*GASP*'' they could ask Michael Okuda to consult on the project.

:Final UI complaint: What is that panel on the bottom doing? You mean that the people that made this app completely missed the idea of the LCARS UI and just have a panel at the bottom with skinned buttons that take you to the main sections of the app? Also, don't mix the butt-ended buttons with the fully rounded buttons. Just don't. Someone should have slapped you in art school for doing that.

:From reviews of the app in iTunes, it looks like the app isn't even fully baked. The database isn't full, just has entries for the popular characters and ships. This should be a front end for Memory-Alpha, but you'd have to do some work to strip out all the wikia bs.

:Finally, still iOS only? It's apparently been out for a year, and been updated once, in October, 2011. Was this a one-off, did CBS hire Random Company LLC to "Make a thing for the hip kids, with the iPads and the what-not" pay them to get the app out the door, kept them for a month to fix bugs and then fired them? Have we heard of Android? Is this the 90s when developers had to pick between developing for Windows 95 or Mac OS 8?

:Why is this catastrophe $5? There's obviously no development work going on, CBS makes bank off of the DVDs and other crap merchandise they sell (why are there no officially licensed replica isolinear chips?). This is pure, simple corporate greed.

:Sorry for the rant, I get angry when my favorite things are mistreated. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:05, 10 September 2012 (UTC)

== Double redirect ==

You're right. I knew there had been a reason I didn't do that for the first pile of comics I created. That's for reminding me. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 21:37, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

:Yep. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 21:38, 13 September 2012 (UTC)

== To the human behind the curtain ==
Moved conversation to the correct [[User talk:XERXES.ai|talk page]]

== Congrats on becoming Admin ==
Looks like my days of 700+ changes per month are a thing of the past! (What ''will'' I ever do with all the free time now? Edit, perhaps? ;-) -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 06:32, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

:Grazie. I noticed Jeff do a little bit of work, and then go silent. So, I hoped that I could catch him with a tab still open pointing out our plight. It looks like it worked! Also, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't in part because you started that daily counter of edits on your user page. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 06:40, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

:: Minor thing; do it too if you want to. When deleting spam pages, I "[omitted]" any link that appeared in the deletion comment, just so it doesn't even show up in the logs. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 06:50, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

:::I keep forgetting. Sorry about that. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 13:16, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

:Looks like [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special%3ALog&type=newusers&user=&page=User%3ALcarsos&year=&month=-1&hide_patrol_log=1 you registered your account] just two days before I [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?limit=50&tagfilter=&title=Special%3AContributions&contribs=user&target=Waldir&namespace=&year=2012&month=10 I went on a hiatus] for a while, so I'm afraid we never got a chance to interact much. Although away from editing, I've been following the wiki activity through RSS, so I'm aware of the huge amount of work you've put in, which I appreciate. And of course, I take the opportunity to congratulate you on earning your admin "badge". Cheers! --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:05, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

::Thanks! I seem to have started contributing at the moment when everyone else went on hiatus. It got very quiet for a while, but it seems like it's coming back alive. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 18:28, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

== Category:Comic images ==

Hi Lcarsos. I noticed you categorized two images in [[:Category:Comic images]]. I am actually using the ones that aren't categorized yet as a todo list of those which haven't been moved to the original filenames (lowercase). If you categorize more images, please make sure to also move them to the lowercase filename, and fix the redirect from the filename with only the first character uppercased. That is: there are typically 3 file pages for every comic: file_name.png, File_Name.png and File_name.png, with the first and third redirecting to the middle one, and the end result shoudl be the second and third redirecting to the first. I hope this isn't confusing :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 18:30, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

:Sorry about that. I saw that BPothier uncategorized those two, but when I looked at them I saw they were redirection pages, and when I checked a few other images I saw the category was on the images. I thought I would be helpful and put the category on the File page instead of undoing the change on the redirect page. Sorry to be a nuisance. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 18:36, 22 November 2012 (UTC)

:: Not at all :) You acted in a perfectly reasonable way. In fact I missed the fact that you were actually moving a category from a redirect to the real image, which makes perfect sense. I am the one using the uncategorized files list as a personal todo list, in clear unorthodox fashion :P --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 04:29, 23 November 2012 (UTC)

== Captchas ==

I believe there's an option to force all users of a certain group to take the captcha when editing. Could you change the captcha settings to force all anonymous users to pass one to edit? This is getting stupid. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 07:14, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

:First off, this is a request for Waldir. I have no idea what I'm doing. Second, I've looked at the captcha pages in MediaWiki's manual, and it looks like I don't have the rights to do that, it would have to be someone who can edit the php files to change that over (*ahem* Jeff). Third, I've clicked on every link in [[Special:SpecialPages]] and I don't see anywhere that I can change that. I wish I could. Fourth, I am sick and tired of all this spam!!!!! [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 08:12, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

== Deletion ==

I'm sure you only overlooked this because of being busy fighting huge amounts of spam, but there was actually some valid history behind [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Design]], which I just restored (I left the spam edits under the carpet, though). It's not a huge deal, and as you can see, it's easily reversible, but it's generally nice to preserve page histories for archival reasons. Also, please comment on [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical#We need more maintainers]] when you have the chance. Cheers, [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:50, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

:Oops, again. I don't know if it was a case of unfortunate blindness, or I was too far into spam fighting that I simply deleted it. Sorry about that. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 20:35, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

== Patrolling ==

Hi, Lcarsos. I think this might be useful for you since you're doing so much work on spam fighting: [[mw:Help:Patrolled edits]]. I asked Jeff to change the wiki configuration so that edits by "auto-confirmed" users will be automatically patrolled. This means the feature should be more useful from now on. Let me know if it helps. Cheers, [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 21:28, 25 November 2012 (UTC)

:Edits from logged in people are still showing as un-patrolled. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. There are several editors that have created accounts that I'm not quite ready to blanket state that every edit they make are perfectly good. I think that if we had more people that were patrolling pages and edits the feature would be more useful. But, since it's just me going through and occasionally remembering to mark a page as patrolled, it's not very useful as I can generally remember where I've perused through. I think if we got Davidy22 rights to patrol edits too, I think that would push it over the mark into useful territory. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 21:43, 29 November 2012 (UTC)

::Jeff {{diff|20769&oldid{{=}}20467|just enabled}} the tweaks to the autopatrolling feature as I asked him to. I know we can't immediately trust every edit a recent user does, but I find that well-intentioned mistakes (which we all make btw) are much easier to fix, and overall less harmful than spam/vandalism. Right now the threshold for autopatrolling is at 3 days of age and 10 edits (both conditions have to be met). We can tweak that if we decide different values would work better, but I am assuming that spammers and otherwise malicious editors would be caught and blocked before that. I intend to use the following links to help weed out the bad stuff from the wiki:
::* [{{fullurl:Special:RecentChanges|hideanons=1&hidepatrolled=1}} Unpatrolled changes by registered users]
::* [{{fullurl:Special:RecentChanges|hideliu=1&hidepatrolled=1}} Unpatrolled changes by anonymous users]
::Of course, only edits from now on will apply the new parameters, so older edits by (non-admin) trusted editors still show as unpatrolled. But from now on it will probably make sifting the recent changes a little easier, since we can now filter out edits that we don't have to worry much about, leaving only new users and anonymous ones, the groups spammers/vandals are most likely to belong to.
::Also, I agree that Davidy22 could have patrolling rights by now. I am liberal about adminship, so I'd suggest we ask Jeff to "promote" him, as that would do it.
::Cheers, [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 03:33, 4 December 2012 (UTC)

== Blocking IPs ==

I don't think anonymous vandals should be blocked indefinitely. IPs are generally not static so we might end up preventing someone from doing a legitimate contribution, while the spammer will likely not use that particular IP for very long. I suggest changing all [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?wpTarget=&wpOptions=userblocks&limit=50&title=Special%3ABlockList IP blocks] to have a finite expiration date, say a week, or a month. What do you think? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 15:55, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

:I don't think that would be a good idea. Our second great spam bout was caused by the 1 month block that SlashMe placed on the IPs of a foregone spam attack expired, and suddenly all those computers had access to edit the wiki again. In theory IPs are not static, but the home I live in right now has had the same IP address since I moved in, and that's even with hard resetting the modem about weekly as Comcast fails to bond their channels together, and I suspect most ISPs work that way.

:Maybe we could try an experiment where we let all the blocks expire and see what happens. ''But'', I ''do not'' want that to be anywhere near any holiday, or major event, or major xkcd comic post (see Click and Drag or Congress) as it would be nearly impossible to hand pick out the good from the spam.

:I do understand that theoretically, if this goes on eventually we'll have blocked the whole internet from editing the wiki. We need a better way to lock this down. A lot of the wikis I've looked at disallow editing from anonymous users (See the [https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Main_Page Valve Developer] wiki and the [http://kspwiki.nexisonline.net/wiki/Main_Page Kerbal Space Program] wiki, this would cut down on about half the spam, and then we need a better way to stop the bots from registering accounts, somehow both the VDC and KSP wiki don't have any spam activity (creation or clean-up) for the past few days, we're obviously doing something wrong, but I have no idea what. We may be more popular than the KSP wiki, but certainly we aren't more popular than Valve's own wiki. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:14, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

:: I see. Personally, I consider disabling anonymous editing as somehow admitting defeat (assuming bad faith by default) but maybe [[mw:Extension:SpamBlacklist]] could help. It uses a very extensive list maintained at meta.wikimedia.org. Do you think it could prevent spam rampages such as the last one? Otherwise, we could try some of the approaches listed at [[mw:Manual:Combating spam]] and [[mw:Anti-spam features]]. I am inclined towards more automatic methods, as most of those would require Jeff to edit the server, so a one-time config thing (using lists updates elsewhere) would be best. Thoughts? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 03:58, 14 December 2012 (UTC)

== [[Stick figure]] linking to [[Cueball]] ==

Hey there. Do you mind explaining why you reverted my comment on the Stick figure page? (that sounds like "argh how dare you do that" - not my intention, just looking to understand, since there was no explanation given in the changelog.) My thought was that "Stick figure" is a page discussing the art style that Randall uses for his characters. In such a page, it seemed appropriate to mention the one character that is the most representative of the "classic stick figure" (Cueball). I thought I added that sentence in a way that fit naturally with the rest of the text. Please let me know what the issues are so I can work on them. Thanks. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 15:26, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Tagline

2012-12-21T15:14:57Z

Jerodast:

Scott

2012-12-21T14:54:20Z

Jerodast: Elaborated on Scott's role in comics.

'''Scott''' appears to be a friend of [[Randall Munroe]]. Comics [[57]] through [[59]] all have the [[title text]] "Opening dialogue by Scott", forming a sort of informal mini-series inspired by him.

Referenced in:
:[[17: What If]]
:[[35: Sheep]]
:[[57: Wait For Me]]
:[[58: Why Do You Love Me?]]
:[[59: Graduation]]

[[Category:Meta]]

59: Graduation

2012-12-21T14:41:53Z

Jerodast: Making names consistent between transcript and explanation

{{comic
| number = 59
| date = February 3, 2006
| title = Graduation
| image = graduation.jpg
| imagesize =
| titletext = Opening dialogue by [[Scott]]
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Robert Frost}} wrote a poem about a road splitting two ways. One way was obviously well traveled, the other had probably only had a few people on it ever. He made the point that the well traveled path had no surprises in it, that because everyone took it, you could know that it would be the safe way to go. Blonde is taking the more traveled path. She doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, so she is going to follow what is known, go to Grad School. Graduate School, for those that don't know or use a different term for it, is the next level of education after Undergraduate university work. People in Grad. School are pursuing their Master's degree.

[[Megan]], on the other hand, has decided to become a lighthouse operator. Which is a path that is becoming increasingly less traveled. Fewer people need lighthouses. Before GPS technology, lighthouses were invaluable markers of where the sea ended and where land began. Megan likes the idea of being the maid in the highest tower. Except, most fantasies portray the maid in the tower to be helpless, but operating a lighthouse is far from helpless. It can be one of the most needed jobs for sea-farers to find their way back home.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and a blonde are talking]
:Blonde: What do you want to do when you graduate ?
:Megan: I want to become a lighthouse operator.
:Blonde: Oh ?
:Megan: Yeah.
:[cut to scene of lighthouse with text overlaid]
:Megan: Lighthouses are built on interesting pieces of coast, so I'll have an interesting place to walk and swim, and great views of all kinds of weather. I'd feel good about myself and my work every single day.
:[cut back to the two girls]
:Megan: I'd get to be the girl in the tower, only I'd be the one rescuing people.
:Megan: Why. What do you want to do ?
:Blonde: I'm going to grad school. I don't really know why.
:Megan: Wanna come hang in my lighthouse over breaks ?
:Blonde: ...yeah.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

Talk:59: Graduation

2012-12-21T14:38:29Z

Jerodast: Case for this not being Miss Lenhart at all.

This is very likely not [[Miss Lenhart]]. Her hair is the same, but the official transcript simply calls her "blonde", she's clearly a somewhat aimless student and not a teacher, and the strip does not fit the pattern stated as a certainty on her character page, where she is specifically named in every appearance. Also, this is a very early comic where Randall likely didn't have future characters in mind yet. So, I'm removing her name from the transcript. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 14:38, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

84: National Language

2012-12-21T13:50:02Z

Jerodast: /* Explanation */ Alternate identity proposed

{{comic
| number = 84
| date = April 23, 2006
| title = National Language
| image = national_language.jpg
| imagesize =
| titletext = She's pretty sharp when provoked.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is about the concept of {{w|nativism}}, which is the view that those who are native to a place should have more rights than immigrants. A frequently expressed view in the US (and in other countries) is that immigrants should learn English, which is the primary language in the United States; usually this comes in response to frustration in dealing with an immigrant who does not speak English or does not speak it well. This can sometimes be frustrating in cases where the person who does not speak or understand English well is working in a service position and you have difficulty communicating with them.

In the comic one character is arrogantly arguing the nativist position. However, the woman next to him interrupts him and says a phrase in the {{w|Cherokee}} language ("Hello, my name is Sarah"), which is an Iroquoian language used by the Cherokee Native American people. Although Cherokee seems to be a relatively {{w|Cherokee#Origins|young culture}}, it is much more native to America than any European culture. Some Indian cultures reach back millennia.

"Sarah" is therefore effectively suggesting a "what's good for the goose is good for the gander" argument that if the Europeans did not have to learn the Native language, why should current immigrants learn English? She is basically pointing out that even the English speakers are immigrants who did not learn the native language. Or perhaps she is suggesting the old adage: Those who don't learn history are doomed to repeat it, and that immigrants will one day take over the US and English speakers will be displaced like the natives were.

Given the header and the Cherokee line, it's possible the woman is [[Randall]]'s friend [[Sarah]]. On the other hand, she physically matches [[Ponytail]].

==Transcript==
This happened to my friend:

[Men and women are standing in a row]

Man: English should be the national language. These immigrants should have to learn English when they come here.

Woman: Yeah

Man: When you go to live somewhere, you learn the language they speak there. English is the language of the land.

Other Woman: Excuse me, but osio Sarah dawado.

Man: What the hell was that?

Other Woman: Cherokee.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Language]]

29: Hitler

2012-12-21T13:45:40Z

Jerodast: /* Explanation */ Spelling

{{comic
| number = 29
| date = November 11, 2005
| title = Hitler
| image = hitler.jpg
| imagesize =
| titletext = So he's saying that God thought Hitler's art was so bad that the Holocaust was an acceptable alternative. It's no secret that the hat guy is closely based on Aram, from Men in Hats.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] speaks to an early version of [[Black Hat]] (with more of a top hat than his later "boater" hat style) about {{w|the holocaust}} and {{w|Adolf Hitler}}. Hitler was the leader of {{w|Nazi}} Germany during {{w|World War II}}, during which the Germans (under Hitler's leadership) rounded up and killed millions of people; most prominently Jews. This has come to be known as the Holocaust.

Black Hat's comment that Hitler wanted to be a painter, but did not get into art school is historically accurate. He applied at the ''Academy of Fine Arts Vienna'' twice. In any event, Cueball implies in the second frame that had Hitler been accepted into art school, the course of history might have changed and the Holocaust might never have occurred. Black Hat suggests that perhaps God intentionally prevented Hitler from become an artist because God is an "art lover" and Hitler's art was terrible.

As with other early comics, the title text explains for us: this implies that God would have preferred the Holocaust to have occurred rather than allow Hitler to make some bad paintings. Such a comment that God could be so callous would surely be offensive to many people. Cueball's reaction to this shocking statement is relatively mild and suggests that Black Hat has made such controversial statements before. He will make a similarly controversial and Nazi-related statement again in [[984: Space Launch System]].

The title text informs the reader that Black Hat is based on a character named Aram from a now-defunct comic strip entitled [http://www.meninhats.com/ ''Men in Hats'' - http://www.meninhats.com/]. Like Black Hat, Aram seems to have frequently made judgmental, insulting or controversial comments in a very emotionless manner. Aram wore a grey (perhaps intended to be black) suit with a red bowtie and a black top hat with white strip above the brim. Black Hat's hat clearly evolved from the top hat design later in xkcd.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: Learning about the Holocaust has really shaken my belief in God.

:Black Hat: You know, as a young man, Hitler was rejected from art school.
:Cueball: Yeah... shame he didn't get in

:Black Hat: Well, have you seen any of his paintings? They're awful. Defy all rules of composition.
:Cueball: What are you suggesting?

:Black Hat: Maybe there is a god, but he's a real art lover.
:Cueball: This is why I don't go out in public with you.

== Trivia ==
* Original quote from [[Randall]]: "Yes, it's entirely possible that those two are [http://meninhats.com/d/20040225.html Aram and Gamal]."
* This is the thirty-first comic posted to livejournal. The previous was [[34: Flowers]]. The next was [[28: Elefino]]

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Hitler]]

characters

2012-12-21T13:38:19Z

Jerodast: The navbox seems more appropriate here than a manually maintained list

In ''[[xkcd]]'', there is '''[[:Category:Characters|a cast of recurring characters]]''' which are often the focus of comic strips. The characters are created by [[Randall Munroe]]. The characters ''xkcd'' are [[stick figure]]s, typically with distinguishing features.

The most frequently appearing characters in ''xkcd'' are [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]], who act as the {{w|everyman}} and everywoman. They tend to be the go-to characters when no specific personality traits are desired for the comic. Other characters with more distinctive personalities have been created and are used where appropriate.

==History==
[[Randall Munroe]] does not appear to have had a fixed cast of characters in mind when he first created ''[[xkcd]]''. [[1: Barrel - Part 1|The first comic]] features a non-stick figure character in a style no longer used in the comic today. The next four comics do not feature characters at all. The first use of stick figures was in the sixth comic, [[6: Irony]] in which two basic stick figures are depicted (either of which would qualify as a Cueball figure).

Beginning in [[12: Poisson]], Randall began using stick figures fairly commonly in xkcd strips. "Poisson" features the first clearly recurring character, [[Black Hat]]. He recurs for the first time in [[29: Hitler]], in which there is clear reference in the title-text to "the hat guy". This is the first indication we have that Randall had begun contemplating recurring characters (although it is not conclusively clear that the hatted characters in "Poisson" and "Hitler" were intended to be the same character.

Throughout the early period, random non-recurring characters continue to be used including ones with facial features, and characters with various hairstyles which are no longer seen.

{{navbox-characters}}
[[Category:Meta]]

what if?

2012-12-21T13:33:48Z

Jerodast: Links!

'''''[http://what-if.xkcd.com/ what if?]''''' is a blog hosted on the [[xkcd]].com domain and written by [[Randall Munroe]] with entries posted every Tuesday. As per the site's tagline, the purpose of the site is "answering your hypothetical questions with physics, every Tuesday". On the blog, Randall uses his degree in physics and strong scientific background to discuss hypothetical physics questions apparently submitted by readers.

Unlike other sites which answer readers' questions, ''what if?'' typically takes the question beyond the original scope likely intended by the reader and takes it to some extreme for humorous effect. For example, in [http://what-if.xkcd.com/1/ the first article], he discusses what would happen if a baseball were pitched at 90% of the speed of light. After effectively describing what would occur as a nuclear explosion, leveling the stadium and the surrounding mile radius, he concludes with the note ''"A careful reading of official Major League Baseball Rule 6.08(b) suggests that in this situation, the batter would be considered 'hit by pitch', and would be eligible to advance to first base."''

The questions Randall tackles range from realistic possibilities (e.g. the probability of achieving a [http://what-if.xkcd.com/2/ perfect SAT score by guessing]) to completely fictional questions (e.g. [http://what-if.xkcd.com/3/ How much Force power] can {{w|Yoda}} output?). In his explanations, Randall, often uses diagrams in an ''xkcd'' style. Regardless of the context, Randall tends to take the questions extremely literally and responds seriously to them, even if they are whimsical (such as the Yoda question). This is clear from his response to the question of what would happen if everybody on Earth stood together and [http://what-if.xkcd.com/8/ jumped at the same time]. After acknowledging that the question has been answered elsewhere, he recaps the result, but then focuses more intently on the unasked resulting issue of the aftermath of everyone on Earth being magically transported to one location as they all try to return home.
[[Category:Meta]]

Talk:Tagline

2012-12-21T13:18:13Z

Jerodast: Possible "Explanation" header

Tagline

2012-12-21T13:16:58Z

Jerodast: Added intro to make page less "abrupt" and more wiki-ish.

The following tagline appears at the top of the [[xkcd]] main page, regardless of which comic is being viewed.

:''[[xkcd]]: A webcomic of [[:Category:Romance|romance]], [[:Category:Sarcasm|sarcasm]], [[:Category:Math|math]], and [[:Category:Language|language]].''

It's a kind of general mission statement for what constitutes a "good" xkcd comic. No where is there a mention of humor, though it doesn't exclude it. In fact, there are some true [[931|downers]].

[[Category:Meta]]

84: National Language

2012-12-21T13:11:00Z

Jerodast: /* Explanation */ Whoops, "my friend" was in body, not title text

{{comic
| number = 84
| date = April 23, 2006
| title = National Language
| image = national_language.jpg
| imagesize =
| titletext = She's pretty sharp when provoked.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is about the concept of {{w|nativism}}, which is the view that those who are native to a place should have more rights than immigrants. A frequently expressed view in the US (and in other countries) is that immigrants should learn English, which is the primary language in the United States; usually this comes in response to frustration in dealing with an immigrant who does not speak English or does not speak it well. This can sometimes be frustrating in cases where the person who does not speak or understand English well is working in a service position and you have difficulty communicating with them.

In the comic one character is arrogantly arguing the nativist position. However, the woman next to him interrupts him and says a phrase in the {{w|Cherokee}} language ("Hello, my name is Sarah"), which is an Iroquoian language used by the Cherokee Native American people. Although Cherokee seems to be a relatively {{w|Cherokee#Origins|young culture}}, it is much more native to America than any European culture. Some Indian cultures reach back millennia.

"Sarah" is therefore effectively suggesting a "what's good for the goose is good for the gander" argument that if the Europeans did not have to learn the Native language, why should current immigrants learn English? She is basically pointing out that even the English speakers are immigrants who did not learn the native language. Or perhaps she is suggesting the old adage: Those who don't learn history are doomed to repeat it, and that immigrants will one day take over the US and English speakers will be displaced like the natives were.

Given the header and the Cherokee line, it's possible the woman is [[Randall]]'s friend [[Sarah]].

==Transcript==
This happened to my friend:

[Men and women are standing in a row]

Man: English should be the national language. These immigrants should have to learn English when they come here.

Woman: Yeah

Man: When you go to live somewhere, you learn the language they speak there. English is the language of the land.

Other Woman: Excuse me, but osio Sarah dawado.

Man: What the hell was that?

Other Woman: Cherokee.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Language]]

84: National Language

2012-12-21T13:09:42Z

Jerodast: /* Explanation */ Grammar. Connection to Sarah suggested.

{{comic
| number = 84
| date = April 23, 2006
| title = National Language
| image = national_language.jpg
| imagesize =
| titletext = She's pretty sharp when provoked.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is about the concept of {{w|nativism}}, which is the view that those who are native to a place should have more rights than immigrants. A frequently expressed view in the US (and in other countries) is that immigrants should learn English, which is the primary language in the United States; usually this comes in response to frustration in dealing with an immigrant who does not speak English or does not speak it well. This can sometimes be frustrating in cases where the person who does not speak or understand English well is working in a service position and you have difficulty communicating with them.

In the comic one character is arrogantly arguing the nativist position. However, the woman next to him interrupts him and says a phrase in the {{w|Cherokee}} language ("Hello, my name is Sarah"), which is an Iroquoian language used by the Cherokee Native American people. Although Cherokee seems to be a relatively {{w|Cherokee#Origins|young culture}}, it is much more native to America than any European culture. Some Indian cultures reach back millennia.

"Sarah" is therefore effectively suggesting a "what's good for the goose is good for the gander" argument that if the Europeans did not have to learn the Native language, why should current immigrants learn English? She is basically pointing out that even the English speakers are immigrants who did not learn the native language. Or perhaps she is suggesting the old adage: Those who don't learn history are doomed to repeat it, and that immigrants will one day take over the US and English speakers will be displaced like the natives were.

Given the Cherokee line and the title text referring to a friend of [[Randall]]'s, it's possible the woman is his friend [[Sarah]].

==Transcript==
This happened to my friend:

[Men and women are standing in a row]

Man: English should be the national language. These immigrants should have to learn English when they come here.

Woman: Yeah

Man: When you go to live somewhere, you learn the language they speak there. English is the language of the land.

Other Woman: Excuse me, but osio Sarah dawado.

Man: What the hell was that?

Other Woman: Cherokee.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Language]]

Talk:17: What If

2012-12-21T13:06:26Z

Jerodast: Questioning Sarah's existence

We can infer that it ultimately wasn't everything it should be? Firstly, then-girlfriend could also mean current wife (remember the title text is Randall speaking, not Cueball).

Also, I think that the Fractal nature of the card is to reflect that all these questions, and the actual attraction depicted pictorially, will always be a part of the relationship, staying the same at all "levels" - which, to me, IS the romance.

: Randall wrote "then-girlfriend" in 2005-2006, and only got married in [http://blog.xkcd.com/2011/09/12/672/ 2011]. [[Special:Contributions/128.211.198.17|128.211.198.17]] 21:14, 12 October 2012 (UTC)

How is it known that [[Sarah]] and [[Scott]] are the ones that got married? It's not on the LiveJournal post or in the comic/title text. For that matter, Sarah is only "mentioned" on two pages, this one in un-cited trivia, and another in one-off dialogue; how is it known she's even a friend of Randall's? Would love to either add this information to their pages if it's supported, or remove the clutter if it's unsubstantiated. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 13:06, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Sarah

2012-12-21T13:05:35Z

Jerodast: Where did this come from?

How do we know this person exists? [[17]] refers to her only in trivia without mentioning where that trivia came from, and [[84]] simply drops the name in one line dialogue. [[User:Jerodast|- jerodast]] ([[User talk:Jerodast|talk]]) 13:05, 21 December 2012 (UTC)

stick figure

2012-12-21T12:35:43Z

Jerodast: Added note on Cueball's typicality as a stick figure

[[File:BlackHat_full.png|thumb|[[Black Hat]] is an example of a stick figure character from [[xkcd]] ]]

A '''stick figure''' is a style of drawing human beings (or other creatures) in which major portions of the body are simplified into single line segments. A majority of [[xkcd]] is drawn in a stick-figure style.

A typical stick figure has one line each for the torso, each arm and each leg, and a circle for a head. More complexity can be added to stick figures by adding joints (two line segments for each arm or leg, or a neck) as well as adding line segments for feet, circles for hands, line segments for fingers, or facial features for expression. [[xkcd]] typically makes use of these more versitile methods of adding expression or movement to stick figures, although modern xkcd strips rarely use facial features on stick figure characters. [[Cueball]] is the most "typical" stick figure used in today's xkcd, additional joints being the only embellishment on the classic version, and having no distinguishing characteristics.

In most stick figure drawings (including [[xkcd]], typically), most other objects depicted are generally drawn in a similarly simplified style, just as simplified outlines or with line segments or basic shapes in place of more complex figures.

==See also==
* [[:Category:Characters]]

[[Category:Meta]]