explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2935: Ocean Loop

2024-05-20T21:27:35Z

JushJosh:

The 'standard' and '2x' sized images had unexpected sizes, so a Trivia section has been automatically generated, and an imagesize parameter has been added (at half size) to render the image consistently with other comics on this website. --[[User:TheusafBOT|TheusafBOT]] ([[User talk:TheusafBOT|talk]]) 20:47, 20 May 2024 (UTC)

Is there anyway to get notifications when a new comic comes out? I'm always late to these 21:27, 20 May 2024 (UTC)Jush

2930: Google Solar Cycle

2024-05-09T11:52:11Z

JushJosh: Adding a wikipedia link to aurorae since not everyone will know what it is on first read.

{{comic
| number = 2930
| date = May 8, 2024
| title = Google Solar Cycle
| image = google_solar_cycle_2x.png
| imagesize = 357x293px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = From Google Trends, it looks like the lag between people Googling cocktail recipes and 'hangover cure' is 14 hours.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SOLAR FLARE SEARCHING UP SOLAR FLARES - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{w|Solar flare}}s appear on the Sun's surface in different numbers at different times. A {{w|solar cycle}} is the amount of time that elapses between times of maximum (or minimum) solar flare activity. This period is approximately 11 years.

Solar flares can generate interest, and 'news' stories at times of high activity, because they can sometimes cause {{w|aurorae}}, as well as power outages and other similar issues. Hence people will be more aware of them, and search for "solar flares" on Google to learn more about them. This trend somewhat matches the solar cycle since people will be more interested/concerned about solar flares during the times they are abundant and search for them more often. Randall notes that Google has existed for long enough to see the trend in searches for "solar flare" over a full solar cycle.

The title text comments that people usually Google "hangover cure" 14 hours after they search for cocktail recipes. This suggests that people decide they want cocktails, look for ways to make cocktails, make (and presumably drink) the cocktails, wake up with a hangover and look for ways to get rid of the hangover. Google trends [https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=now%207-d&geo=US&q=Cocktail%20recipe,Hangover%20cure&hl=en does indeed] suggest that there is roughly a 14-hour difference in peaks between these searches, however this does not mean (as the title text implies) that the people searching for cocktail recipes are the same people that are searching for hangover cure later. It may represent the (not unreasonable) assumption that people who are exploring the idea of cocktails (for themselves or others) generally start to do so from the early evening onward, whilst those who find themselves freshly under the weather (not ''just'' from cocktail consumption) are likely to be finally provoked to look up a solution from around the mid-morning.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Google Trends search traffic for "Solar Flare"
:[A graph starting in 2005, peaking in 2013. It rises until 2024, where the graph cuts off. There is an arrow in between the two peaks labeled "11 years".]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I like that Google has existed almost long enough for us to observe the solar cycle using Google Trends.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Google Search]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Food]]

Talk:2927: Alphabetical Cartogram

2024-05-01T13:22:05Z

JushJosh: comment

Is it me or is Hawaii strangely bigger than california.

Im just wondering why Maine is still so big.... [[User:JushJosh|JushJosh]] ([[User talk:JushJosh|talk]]) 13:22, 1 May 2024 (UTC)Jush

2927: Alphabetical Cartogram

2024-05-01T13:21:03Z

JushJosh: Just added the text to the transcript (im too lazy to type all the state names and sizes)

{{comic
| number = 2927
| date = May 1, 2024
| title = Alphabetical Cartogram
| image = alphabetical_cartogram_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x548px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Poor Weeoming.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an SUSPICIOUSLY SMALLER-THAN-USUAL BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic shows a map of the United States, with every state resized based on how commonly the letters in its named are used in general language. States that have more commonly-used letters (e.g. Hawaii, with four common vowels) are larger, and states with fewer common letters (e.g. Wisconsin) are smaller.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A More Fair Map
Instead of giving more area to larger states, this map improves fairness by sizing the states alphabetically.
{{comic discussion}}