explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2586: Greek Letters

2022-02-27T16:11:46Z

Kazzie: Respond to criticism of capacitor/farad description

Pi also shows up in lots of extremely advanced equations as pi, not as something else, adding edit. 123.456.7890

zeta_0 is also used for the first transfinite ordinal that is unreachable through addition, multiplication, exponentiation, and epsilons subscripting. EDIT: phi is used for the Veblen hierachy. [[User:GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e|GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e]] ([[User talk:GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e|talk]]) 05:11, 26 February 2022 (UTC)

Don't you have an English saying: '''simple/easy as π'''? [[User:Nukio|Nukio]] ([[User talk:Nukio|talk]]) 05:51, 26 February 2022 (UTC)
:the saying is '''easy as pie''' as in the dessert. sometimes we write it '''easy as π''' as a nerdy joke. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.230|162.158.107.230]] 08:08, 26 February 2022 (UTC)

Related: https://xkcd.com/2520/ [[Special:Contributions/162.158.103.224|162.158.103.224]] 08:59, 26 February 2022 (UTC)

I've found a use for capital Xi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harish-Chandra%27s_%CE%9E_function that seems to be from the field of Harmonic Analysis. [[User:Douira|Douira]] ([[User talk:Douira|talk]]) 14:50, 26 February 2022 (UTC)

The part that says the farad is "unusually large" is incredibly biased IMO. On the scale of planets its "unusually small", In fact, on the scale of EV's its even pretty normal. The writer is only considering small electronic circuits. Also the Henry is very well scaled to the Farad so how "unusual" is it really? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.33|108.162.241.33]] 17:13, 26 February 2022 (UTC)

:Apologies for the incredible bias. You're right in saying that I'm only considering small electronic circuits; I haven't worked on power distribution systems or applications with large capacitor banks, so my only hands-on experience of components measured in whole farads would be supercapacitors. In consumer electronics, where capacitors are typically labelled in pico, nano or microfarads, the whole farad is rarely encountered. I do still think that capacitors are a good counter-example of items using Mu that you can see and touch, in so many modern electronic devices. But as my previous use of language was so divisive, I'll let someone else attempt to reintegrate the point, if they feel it's useful. [[User:Kazzie|Kazzie]] ([[User talk:Kazzie|talk]]) 16:11, 27 February 2022 (UTC)

Isn't the ''capital'' psi used for the wavefunction? [[User:GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e|GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e]] ([[User talk:GcGYSF(asterisk)P(vertical line)e|talk]]) 19:35, 26 February 2022 (UTC)
:Yes, but rarely. The lowercase ψ is much more common (AFAIK it dates back to [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grave_Schroedinger_(detail).png Schrödinger himself].

How sad that there is no '''η'''! Missed chance to blame steam machine engineers for not trying harder to invent the perpetuum mobile. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.242.177|172.70.242.177]] 20:01, 26 February 2022 (UTC)

The lowercase epsilon is used much more often for something else - usually to denote that the "variable" on the lefthanded side is a member of the "set" of the righthanded side of the lowercase epsilon. Of course, this is totally unimportant ;-).
:You are referring to the "element of" sign, which is distinct from lowercase epsilon (although based on it).

I highly doubt that the use of Ξ has anything to do with it "looking like a UFO." Rather, I'd suggest it's because it's essentially never used, at least among the English speaking mathematicians in the US, and probably Europe. [[User:Douira|Douira]] went out of their way to find an example, and found something increadibly obscure, which supports the point. ''Why'' Ξ is rarely used is another question. Maybe because it could easily be confused for an E or Sigma, with lazy handwritting? Maybe because it's a Greek letter without a direct Latin counterpart, so doesn't correspond with the first letter of any common words? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.49|162.158.63.49]] 22:50, 26 February 2022 (UTC)som

In my experience lower case eta, zeta, (and xi) most commonly show up as dummy variable in an integral. Any two may be used for a double integral and all three for a triple. Double and triple integrals are often quite terrifying, particularly when somebody cannot write all three symbols consistently and distinctly, so many integrals become "integral squiggle squiggle dee squiggle dee squiggle".[[Special:Contributions/172.70.174.219|172.70.174.219]] 10:10, 27 February 2022 (UTC)

π is also commonly used as the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime-counting_function prime-counting] function in number theory. Most problems regarding primes are usually considered hard, like the twin prime conjecture.

2586: Greek Letters

2022-02-26T16:10:04Z

Kazzie: /* Explanation */ Capacitnace and microfarads

{{comic
| number = 2586
| date = February 25, 2022
| title = Greek Letters
| image = greek_letters.png
| titletext = If you ever see someone using a capital xi in an equation, just observe them quietly to learn as much as you can before they return to their home planet.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by '''''O R B S''''' PRO®- Missing explanations for some letters. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Mathematics uses lots of Greek letters, typically using {{w|Greek_letters_used_in_mathematics,_science,_and_engineering|the same letter consistently}} to represent a particular constant or type of variable.
This comic gives a (non-)explanation of what they typically mean.

The letters are:

* '''π (lower-case pi)''' — Typically used to refer to the constant ratio between a circle’s circumference and its diameter (approximately 3.14). This usage of pi commonly applies to equations in introductory geometry classes, which would be considered "simple" by advanced mathematicians. However, pi also shows up seemingly randomly in extremely advanced and complicated equations (that have nothing to do with a circle), as part of the solution to an infinite series or whatnot. (There are also {{w|Pi_(letter)#Lowercase_Pi|several advanced equations}} which use pi to represent variables other than the ratio of the circumference to the diameter.)

* '''Δ (capital delta)''' — Typically used to refer to a change in quantity.

* '''δ (lower-case delta)''' — Also typically used to refer to a change in quantity, but unlike the capital delta, this is only for infinitesimal changes and is used in derivative and integration expressions in mathematics hence the text's reference to "a mathematician's fault".

* '''θ (lower-case theta)''' — Typically used to refer to an angle, and is notably used in the polar coordinate system. The text refers to its close relationship with circles, on which the polar coordinate system is based.

* '''Φ (lower-case phi)''' — Typically used to refer to another angle other than one referred to by theta. It's used in spherical coordinates, and the text refers to how spheres, or orbs, are important in spherical coordinates.

* '''ϵ (lower-case lunate epsilon)''' — Epsilon is typically used to refer to very small quantities which go to zero in the limit. In this interpretation, the comic suggests that because these quantities are very small, they are unimportant, when in reality the study of quantities that go to zero gives rise to limits and calculus. It is also used for the series of transfinite numbers that are unreachable from ω (see below) using addition, multiplication, and exponentiation. Also used in statistical modelling to denote observational noise.

* '''υ,ν (lower-case upsilon and lower-case nu)''' — If these are being used it implies that the normal u & v characters are already assigned as constants or variables, and thus the math is probably of a higher level. Common in college level physics and engineering equations.

* '''μ (lower-case mu)''' — The SI prefix for "micro" = 10<sup>-6</sup>, representing very small quantities: a micrometer (μm) is tens of times smaller than the width of a human hair, a microgram (μg) is one single fine speck of flour, both of which are barely visible with the bare human eye nor feelable through the skin. In electronics, the unit for capacity (farad) is unusually large, so the microfarad is a commonly used unit of capacitance. a [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Capacitors_electrolytic.jpg 10μF capacitor] is therefore a counter-example of something you ''could'' see and touch.

* '''Σ (capital sigma)''' — Typically used as a symbol for summation of a series of numbers.

* '''Π (capital pi)''' — Typically used as a symbol for multiplication of a series of numbers.

* '''ζ (lower-case zeta)''' — Frequently used with number theory, in particular the {{w|Riemann zeta function}}, which is a the focus of a famously unsolved problem in highly advanced mathematics.

* '''β (lower-case beta)''' — This could be a reference to the typical usage of beta to represent coefficients of independent variables in the {{w|Ordinary_least_squares#Linear_model|ordinary least squares regression model}}. Regression can potentially have a large number of independent variables, hence potentially many different betas (differentiated by subscript, or compacted into matrix notation) would be used. Alternatively, the comic might suggest whatever source this equation is from has run out of Latin letters to use as symbols, and is now going through the Greek letters.

* '''α (lower-case alpha)''' — Possibly referring to the {{w|fine-structure constant}} which shows up in high energy physics, atomics physics, quantum electrodynamics, and at least [https://xkcd.com/1047/ one other xkcd comic]. Could also refer to {{w| alpha radiation}} or {{w| alpha particles}}, which could kill someone, but could also be blocked by ordinary sheets of paper. Alpha could also refer to {{w|angular acceleration}}, or the acceleration of spinning systems, which are capable of killing people in a number of [https://xkcd.com/123/ interesting ways]...

* '''Ω (capital omega)''' — Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet, and thus often seen as momentous (the end, the final word, death). This symbol has been used for a {{w|Omega_function|variety of mathematical functions}}. Also used for the symbol for {{w|ohms}}, a unit for electrical resistance, and for the first uncountable ordinal.

* '''ω (lower-case omega)''' — Lower-case omega is used for the {{w|Transfinite_number|lowest transfinite ordinal number}}, a specific way of referring to a type of infinity in a mathematically robust way. The line about dying here among the transfinite equations may be in reference to the literally infinite scope of the branch of mathematics. It is also used in physics and electrical engineering for angular frequency, equal to 2πf.

* '''σ (lower-case sigma)''' — In statistics, commonly refers to the standard deviation of a distribution. Statistics often attempts to use simplified models to explain real-world phenomena.

* '''ξ (lower-case xi)''' — Randall comments that this looks like a strand of curly hair. Xi is used in the {{w|Riemann Xi function}}.

* '''γ (lower-case gamma)''' — Gamma ray is the most powerful classification of electromagnetic radiation AKA "light", and powerful lights are frequently associated with high-tech, futuristic devices and weapons, hence "space noises". Alternatively, this might be a reference to the Lorentz factor, an important variable in special relativity calculations.

* '''ρ (lower-case rho)''' — often used to measure density, such as air density that a wing might be travelling through.

* '''Ξ (capital xi)''' — Resembles the icon of some {{w|Stack Exchange}} [https://stackexchange.com/sites# sites]. This character is also identical to Besh, the second letter of the {{w|Aurebesh}} alphabet [https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Aurebesh] used in ''Star Wars.'' According to the comic, anyone using this letter is likely a being from another planet.

* '''ψ (lower-case psi)''' — Psi looks exactly like a trident. In quantum mechanics it's used to describe the wave function of a particle, leading to a bad pun. (Psi is also used in mathematics to represent the sum of the inverse of the Fibonacci numbers, the division polynomials, and the supergolden ratio.)

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

:[Header:]
:What Greek letters mean in equations

:[What follows is a list of Greek letters, with explanations next to them.]
:π This math is either very simple or impossible.
:Δ Something has changed.
:δ Something has changed and it's a mathematician's fault.
:θ Circles!
:Φ '''''O R B S'''''
:ϵ Not important, don't worry about it.
:υ,ν Is that a V or a U? Or...oh no, it's one of ''those''.
:μ This math is cool but it's not about anything that you will ever see or touch, so whatever.
:Σ Thank you for purchasing ''Addition Pro''®!
:Π ...and the ''Multiplication''® expansion pack!
:ζ This math will only lead to more math.
:β There are just too many coefficients.
:α Oh boy, now '''''this''''' is math about something real. This is math that could '''''kill''''' someone.
:Ω Oooh, ''some'' mathematician thinks their function is cool and important.
:ω A lot of work went into these equations and you are going to die here among them.
:σ Some poor soul is trying to apply this math to real life and it's not working.
:ξ Either this is terrifying mathematics or there was a hair on the scanned page.
:γ ''Zoom'' pew pew pew [space noises] ''zoooom!''
:ρ Unfortunately, the test vehicle suffered an unexpected wing separation event.
:Ξ Greetings! We hope to learn a great deal by exchanging knowledge with your Earth mathematicians.
:ψ You have entered the domain of King Triton, ruler of the waves.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Language]]

Talk:2101: Technical Analysis

2019-01-21T12:00:30Z

Kazzie: Allegro by Mozart

The Tobin citation comes from James Tobin's Fred Hirsch Memorial Lecture "On the Efficiency of the Financial System" in 1984 [https://economicsociologydotorg.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/tobin-on-the-efficiency-of-the-financial-system.pdf].

The explanation says “allego” and “prologue“ are “musical terms such as may be used in the introduction of a performed piece”. That may be true of “prologue” but “allegro”, according to Wikipedia, is “a tempo marking indicate to play fast, quickly and bright”. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 11:40, 21 January 2019 (UTC)

:And, derived from this, a movement of a piece that is performed quickly may be referred to as an allegro. It can also be used to refer to an entire piece, such as this piece by Mozart: [https://www.pianostreet.com/mozart-sheet-music/allegro-k-1-f-major.htm] [[User:Kazzie|Kazzie]] ([[User talk:Kazzie|talk]]) 12:00, 21 January 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2100: Models of the Atom

2019-01-18T10:16:09Z

Kazzie: Acorn Atom

No mention of the Platonic solid model? [[User:DanielLC|DanielLC]] ([[User talk:DanielLC|talk]]) 05:56, 18 January 2019 (UTC)

Not yet. My favorite of those 5 is the double cube, AKA the Octahedron. [[User:Haph|Haph]] ([[User talk:Haph|talk]]) 06:35, 18 January 2019 (UTC)

:My good sir DanielLC: I presume that Randall neglected to mention it because the first evidence-based atom theory didn't come until 1810 and John Dalton. The atom theories of the ancient Greeks were mostly philosophical posturing, in my opinion.

:We seem to be missing the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acorn_Atom| Acorm Atom]] as well. [[User:Kazzie|Kazzie]] ([[User talk:Kazzie|talk]]) 10:16, 18 January 2019 (UTC)

According to [[https://www.ast.cam.ac.uk/~trentham/cosmology/lec6.pdf|cosmology lecture notes by the astronomer Neil Trentham]], mass in the universe ist 75% H (mostly 1p+0n=1) and 25% He (mostly 2p+2n=4). As He is 4 times as heavy and 3 times as seldom, there is 12 times more H than He => The ratio n/p is 1/7.
We can assume that in the 538 model the statistics was done on atoms comprising few Hydrogene, e.g. only the earth's mantle. In heavier elements the ratio n/p > 1. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.70|172.68.110.70]] 07:39, 18 January 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2019: An Apple for a Dollar

2018-07-17T09:00:38Z

Kazzie: /* Anecdote */ new section

Is this a reference to how shops in America don't include VAT in price labels?
(It's my first time trying to contribute to this so sorry if I get some format stuff wrong){{unsigned ip|141.101.107.132}}

:Yeah, Randall would love it in Europe! (you should sign your posts with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> though) --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.22|172.68.51.22]] 15:53, 13 July 2018 (UTC)

:It is a commentary on overly complex taxes and fees on things that really shouldn't have fees applied (I can think of hardly anything that really should have a fee applied, or be taxed really, but that's a political-philosophical discussion for another space-time coordinate) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.239|172.69.70.239]] 16:18, 13 July 2018 (UTC) Sam

:We call it sales tax, and it doesn't have the chaining-effect on every stage of production that VAT does, but yeah. It's rarely calculated into the sticker price. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.246|162.158.106.246]] 16:27, 13 July 2018 (UTC)

Is food taxed where Randall lives? It's not where I live and I was under the impression that it's not in most of the US. It's not uncommon for me to go to a store after working out and buying a protein bar for exactly $1. {{unsigned ip|162.158.63.22}}

:Living smack-dab in the center of the US and I can tell you that pretty much everything has a sales tax. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.239|172.69.70.239]] 16:18, 13 July 2018 (UTC) Sam
::Groceries, such as apples, should not be taxed, but I believe that processed foods are taxed. Actually, nevermind, this is state dependent: [https://blog.taxjar.com/states-grocery-items-tax-exempt/] [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.137|172.68.46.137]] 16:27, 13 July 2018 (UTC)

:In my experience food is indeed taxed like everything else, but businesses will sometimes set the actual price of the item slightly below $1, such that the tax makes it cost exactly $1. The example that comes to mind is the soft-serve ice cream at IKEA. [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 16:31, 13 July 2018 (UTC)
::That has been my experience as well, although it varies by region. — AfroThundr <sup>([[User:AfroThundr3007730|u]] · [[User talk:AfroThundr3007730|t]] · [[Special:Contributions/AfroThundr3007730|c]])</sup> 16:37, 13 July 2018 (UTC)
: In Germany we have two types of VAT. General rule of thumb 7% for food and print media and 19% for more or less everything else. It's a rule of thumb, because there are exemptions to the 7% stuff which suddenly are taxed 19%. But in either case it's included on the price tag. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:45, 16 July 2018 (UTC)

The closest thing this can relate to a for a European is buying dinners or hotel rooms if you come from a corrupt East or Southern European country where "tourists tax" is a real thing and added out of nowhere on top of the regular price, because the regular price only have to include regular taxes.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.58|162.158.202.58]] 16:39, 13 July 2018 (UTC)

I'm thinking on the analysis I tentatively added to the explanation above. I assumed Megan was an engineer, but re-reading the comic ("Should I solve for something ??") I think it's more possible she no longer has to do math in her career, and is being portrayed as having a flashback to school again when she encounters a similar situation to her education. The examples are common in math and physics in grade school. It's hard for me to figure out in my head how to combine all the different interpretations, or which ones are likely wrong; it would be great if somebody could clean it up. If not, it's just a tiny wiki on the internet. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.160|172.68.54.160]] 18:25, 13 July 2018 (UTC)

Is this really a grocery store? I thought of it more as a coffee shop. Minimalist decor and whatnot. It's also one of those places where you would explain introductorily that you want just the apple. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.130|108.162.237.130]] 18:15, 14 July 2018 (UTC)

The exact fraction of an apple needed to spend exactly $1.00 is 0.46082949308. [[User:meunstercheese|MuensterCheese]] misspelled their username. [[User_talk:Meunstercheese|Chat \o]] 19:23, 14 July 2018 (UTC)

"it seems the cashier is unable to figure out how to handle it" for me it feels like the cashier gets the customers "needs" very fast and responds in a very clever and symbiotic way that benefits both parties.

One could also interpret this as an analogy of Randall's first experiences with cryptocurrencies (to avoid naming any specific one), which makes transactions as simple as possible without any tricks. The title text then suggests that it's possible in this scenario to send fractions of a unit in cryptocurrencies. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.142|108.162.241.142]] 20:09, 14 July 2018 (UTC)

"I'd like 0.4608 apples, please" - "Thank you, that will be $0.999936" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.165|162.158.74.165]] 08:54, 16 July 2018 (UTC)
:This would be 0.460829495 to be exactly $1, but thats going to be onerous to chop accurately... and say. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.136|141.101.98.136]] 13:12, 16 July 2018 (UTC)Sedontane

== The real joke I think is over paying for an apple ==

I'm pretty sure $1 is over priced for an apple... $2.17 criminally so

:Maybe it's big and heavy apple? ... but the issue might be more that apples are almost always sold by weight, and the weight multiplied by unit price is very unlikely to produce round number for price unless you are VERY lucky. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:00, 15 July 2018 (UTC)

:Depends on where she's buying them. If it's a grocery store, where apples are usually sold in bulk, then $1 per apple is high. If it's a mini mart (like 7/11) or a coffee shop/fast food place, where apples are sold individually as a side, then $1 per apple is pretty reasonable.

It depends on how far away you are from where the apples are grown, and the location you're in (rural versus urban) and what sort of establishment it is; "ready to eat" at a kiosk is going to be more than at a grocery store. It also depends on the size and type of apple. For common apples it's about $1.00 to $2.00 a pound in bulk, say Red Delicious at $1.40 a pound average price. So it's easy to pay $2.17 for a larger more desirable apple type, especially at a retail non-grocery location in a big city. [[User:Jefe9247|Jefe9247]] ([[User talk:Jefe9247|talk]]) 15:30, 16 July 2018 (UTC)

:But at the end you're talking about per pound, not per apple. Most apples don't weigh a pound -- though the record has been over 4 pounds for one apple -- instead most varieties are about 3 apples per pound. You can't compare apples to apple. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 18:53, 16 July 2018 (UTC)

== Anecdote ==

I was raised in the UK, but have visited Canada on several occasions, where I'd find that sales tax (GST and PST) had to be added on to the advertised price. On one occasion, I was shopping at Bulk Barn, where most things are sold by weight, but I was only buying a few items of candy at a fixed price. I added the 15% tax in my head, and had the correct money ready as I went to the checkout. The cashier was thoroughly confused that I had the exact change in my hand before she'd told me what the total would be! [[User:Kazzie|Kazzie]] ([[User talk:Kazzie|talk]]) 09:00, 17 July 2018 (UTC)

1994: Repairs

2018-05-25T10:19:30Z

Kazzie: /* Explanation */ Trash: disassemble for recycling?

{{comic
| number = 1994
| date = May 16, 2018
| title = Repairs
| image = repairs.png
| titletext = I was just disassembling it over the course of five hours so it would fit in the trash more efficiently.
}}

==Explanation==
This graph depicts the sentiment created by the act of repairing something, depending on the time it took (x-axis) and ensuing result (y-axis). The degree of triumph and exultation (expressed in sentences in quotes inside the graph) is strongly enhanced by the time the operation takes, and is also positively correlated with the result (if any). Actions during the repair process are described in sentences without quotes.
The conclusions are rather optimistic; the most negative feeling expressed (after the maximum time of repair with minimum degree of success) is a threat against other objects that might have plans to break.

The graph shows a main path most of his fixes apparently usually take (solid line) along with some variations they sometimes take (dotted lines). Projects usually start out with items that mostly work, but have minor problems. Occasionally they just need a cleaning (first dotted line). If that doesn't work, he takes them partly apart, and then there are times he's able to put them back together and get them to either work completely (one branch of a dotted line) or get it back to the condition it started out in (other branch of a dotted line), at which point he doesn't tempt fate by continuing, knowing what's likely to happen if he continues messing with it. When it's still not working, he takes it apart more completely, starts doing less reversible things like cutting wires, and finally starts watching {{w|YouTube}} videos hopefully showing the right way to fix it, or at least how others fixed it. This takes it to a state just one step above "Will never work again", after which there can be several results: One dotted line shows it's restored to being fully fixed and he feels victorious and proud that all the hard work payed off, and he thinks he deserves a {{w|Nobel Prize}} for his efforts. The next dotted line is when he gets it partially working again, and gives up, satisfied to at least not have completely destroyed it even though it's a little worse than before. The third, main path result is total failure, which he could take as a personal failure but to which he instead responds with humor by admonishing the rest of his possessions not to develop minor problems otherwise the same total destruction might happen to them. This path ends up a partial step below "Will never work again" so it's unclear what that state is... maybe that's the "throw it away" state.

The title text shows another excuse for failure. Nobody would spend five hours being a trash compactor. One could however claim to be separating the different parts for sorting into recycling bins.

A similar sentiment was expressed in [[349: Success]]. However, in [[349: Success]] the computer would keep developing new problems and putting Cueball in worse and worse situations while in this comic it is just that Randall has increasing trouble fixing the issue as time wears on.

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the diagram:]
:'''<big>How well something works</big>'''
:After I decide to fix it

:[The comic shows a graph with a solid curve that decreases in 8 different sized steps from the top left to the bottom right. The X-axis shows time passes and gives the time from zero to five hours with 6 ticks with labels beneath. The Y-axis shows how well something works with 8 ticks, but only four of them labeled.]

:Works great
:Has minor problems
:Doesn't work

:Will never work again

:0 hours   1 hour   2 hours   3 hours   4 hours   5 hours

:[The solid line has six labels with eight arrow pointing to different sections, two times the same label has two arrows pointing to different sections the first two places where the lines takes a step down, and the second to two plateaus on either side of a step. In total the arrows point four times on both steps and plateaus. Both the first and final plateau has a dot has added to the line, and the arrows point to those. Above the solid line there are three dotted lines going up from three plateaus just before the solid line takes a step down, the last two of these lines split up in two, with one going higher. At the end of each of these five dotted lines there is a sentence spoken. The solid line begins at the 2nd tick on the Y-Axis and finishes at the last. The three dotted lines going up ends up at the 1. tick on the Y-axis, for the last two there are also a line ending at the 2nd tick and 3rd tick respectively. Only the first label being above the first tick on the X-axis but the last three labels are all above the last tick on the X-Axis. Here is a list of all the labels in chronological order according to the position on the X-axis. For those that has the same time stamp the top one will be mentioned first. Those at the end of a line are indented:]
:I start trying to fix it
::"It just needed cleaning!"
:Take it apart
::"Fixed it!"
::"Well, at least it's not ''more'' broken than when I started."
:Take it apart more
:Watch YouTube instructional videos
:Take a deep breath and cut wires
::"That was heroic and I deserve a Nobel prize."
::"Well, it ''sort'' of works now."
:(Turn to other possessions)
::"...And let that be a lesson to you."

==Trivia==
*The initial version of the normal sized image at [[xkcd]] was [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/d/de/20180516052839%21repairs.png broken]. This was later repaired.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Line graphs]]

1997: Business Update

2018-05-25T10:12:52Z

Kazzie: /* Explanation */ Kitchen sink original content: backed up drains?

{{comic
| number = 1997
| date = May 23, 2018
| title = Business Update
| image = business_update.png
| titletext = Our customers keep sending us their personal information, even though we've repeatedly asked them to stop. The EU told me I'm the heir to some ancient European throne that makes me exempt from the GDPR, but we should probably still try to fix that.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE KITCHEN SINK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic shows a meeting at [[Beret Guy]]'s business (as seen in [[:Category:Beret Guy's Business|these other comics]]). As usual, those in the business demonstrate a misuse of business terminology and take strange happenings within the business in stride.

Though maintaining a semblance of business-savviness through the use of many corporate buzzwords, it becomes clear that what is normally metaphorical in a usual boardroom meeting is here quite likely meant literally. The Quarterly Reports, described as "looking good," may be literally physically attractive (rather than recording successful business dealings). Knowing Beret Guy, it seems likely that the office is full of coins or dollar bills, and not simply economically well-off.

Stocks (as in the stock market, a.k.a. shares) are being manufactured. Stocks are valuable, so from an outside perspective making more of them would create value. However, the humor of this situation is that in real life, creating shares from nothing would reduce the value of existing shares (as the combined value of stocks should add up to the total value of the company... so creating more stocks means each has to be worth less to make the addition balance out). This is ironic in that typically stocks represent the value of the company, rather than being the product being created.

Alternatively, the company may be producing the leg restraints known as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stocks stocks]. It's unlikely that there would be many people wishing to buy these stocks.

Individual customers are experiencing physical growth, though most businesses would be more concerned with a growth in the number of customers supporting the business. If the customers are not children they are likely very concerned by this rapid growth.{{Citation needed|date=May 2018}}

Assets "liquidated" in a thermostat glitch may have been literally melted ("turned into liquid"). It could also mean that their infrastructure is so hilariously messed up that a simple glitch in a thermostat somehow resulted in the loss of a large amount of the company's assets. Note that this type of thing is not entirely unheard of, as shown by [https://thehackernews.com/2018/04/iot-hacking-thermometer.html a hack of a thermostat in a casino that led to massive data loss in 2017].

The kitchen sink producing original content was not generating unique ideas or its own TV shows (commonly called original content), but instead leaking from the faucet, or backing up from the drains.

It is also worth noting that the "largest source of revenue" may not be producing much if any revenue at all; it can still be the biggest if there are no others. On the other hand, past experience with Beret Guy's business would indicate that this company is [[1032: Networking|making plenty of money]], though they aren't necessarily sure [[1493: Meeting|how]].

Transmuting lead into gold was a {{w|Nuclear transmutation#Alchemy|goal of alchemists}} for many centuries. With modern nuclear technology, it is actually now possible to accomplish transmutation of lead into gold, and gold into lead. While the expense far exceeds the value of the gold produced by such methods, it seems plausible that, given Beret Guy's surpassing strangeness, his company may be successfully and cheaply transmuting large quantities of lead into gold and back again. Since gold is worth much more than lead in today's market, the first transmutation could indeed result in major profit, while the reverse would obviously result in major losses, and be a rather pointless undertaking for a typical, profit-oriented business.

In the last panel, "the girl from ''The Ring''" refers to Sadako Yamamura, the antagonist of {{w|The Ring (film series)|the ''Ring'' series by Koji Suzuki}}, who has been referenced by xkcd several times in the past as in [[396: The Ring]]. Beret Guy claims she has made several appearances in their video conferences, which may be possible if someone has hacked their video feed to play footage from the 2002 movie. However, some of Beret Guy's employees then proceed to remark that she has made contributions to the meetings in question, implying that the image of Yamamura is not only alive but sentient and communicating with the employees, a possibility that, if accurate, is accepted with surprising nonchalance by Beret Guy's employees. It's also possible that Yamamura is simply the recording from the series, and her contributions are just in keeping with the general tone of the company's video conferences. Either way, it would appear that Beret Guy's sheer eccentricity has affected his staff to the point that a digital spectre would not be an abnormal employee.

The title text refers to the May 25 deadline to implement the European Union's {{w|GDPR|General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)}}; this comic parodies a business meeting about what the company is doing to prepare for it. However, while normally the problem would be how to handle the customers' personal information that the company requires to retain in order to do business, in this case it seems the company does not require personal information at all, and instead, customers are sending them theirs on their own (and they refuse to stop doing it!). Even more bizarrely, Beret Guy was told by the EU (or at least he thinks he was told by the EU) that he is exempt because he is royalty of some kind (though, of course, such exemption is not a real part of GDPR), but he wants to fix this problem anyway, just to be on the safe side.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy, Ponytail, Hairy, Hairbun and Megan sit around a table, left to right. Beret Guy and Megan are sitting on chairs at the ends. All others are behind the table with no visible chairs. All characters face Beret Guy.]
:Beret Guy: Quarterly reports are looking good.
:Beret Guy: Our office is full of cash, we're producing stocks faster than ever before, and our customers are experiencing rapid growth.
:Beret Guy: Any updates?

:[Closeup on Ponytail, facing left.]
:Ponytail: Bad news: many of our assets were liquidated this morning due to a thermostat glitch.
:Ponytail: Good news: the sink in the kitchen has stopped producing original content.

:[Same as panel one, but characters are facing Megan.]
:Beret Guy: How are our finances?
:Megan: Our biggest source of revenue is our ongoing project to transmute lead into gold.
:Megan: Our biggest expense is our project to transmute it back.

:[Closeup on Beret Guy, facing right, offset to the left of the panel. Two characters speak from off-panel right.]
:Beret Guy: Lastly, any luck getting the girl from ''The Ring'' to stop showing up in our video conferences?
:Off-panel person 1: No, but honestly, she's made some good contributions.
:Off-panel person 2: Yeah, I think we should hire her.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Beret Guy's Business]]

1997: Business Update

2018-05-25T09:10:29Z

Kazzie: /* Explanation */ typo correction

{{comic
| number = 1997
| date = May 23, 2018
| title = Business Update
| image = business_update.png
| titletext = Our customers keep sending us their personal information, even though we've repeatedly asked them to stop. The EU told me I'm the heir to some ancient European throne that makes me exempt from the GDPR, but we should probably still try to fix that.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE KITCHEN SINK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic shows a meeting at [[Beret Guy]]'s business (as seen in [[:Category:Beret Guy's Business|these other comics]]). As usual, those in the business demonstrate a misuse of business terminology and take strange happenings within the business in stride.

Though maintaining a semblance of business-savviness through the use of many corporate buzzwords, it becomes clear that what is normally metaphorical in a usual boardroom meeting is here quite likely meant literally. The Quarterly Reports, described as "looking good," may be literally physically attractive (rather than recording successful business dealings). Knowing Beret Guy, it seems likely that the office is full of coins or dollar bills, and not simply economically well-off.

Stocks (as in the stock market, a.k.a. shares) are being manufactured. Stocks are valuable, so from an outside perspective making more of them would create value. However, the humor of this situation is that in real life, creating shares from nothing would reduce the value of existing shares (as the combined value of stocks should add up to the total value of the company... so creating more stocks means each has to be worth less to make the addition balance out). This is ironic in that typically stocks represent the value of the company, rather than being the product being created.

Alternatively, the company may be producing the leg restraints known as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stocks stocks]. It's unlikely that there would be many people wishing to buy these stocks.

Individual customers are experiencing physical growth, though most businesses would be more concerned with a growth in the number of customers supporting the business. If the customers are not children they are likely very concerned by this rapid growth.{{Citation needed|date=May 2018}}

Assets "liquidated" in a thermostat glitch may have been literally melted ("turned into liquid"). It could also mean that their infrastructure is so hilariously messed up that a simple glitch in a thermostat somehow resulted in the loss of a large amount of the company's assets. Note that this type of thing is not entirely unheard of, as shown by [https://thehackernews.com/2018/04/iot-hacking-thermometer.html a hack of a thermostat in a casino that led to massive data loss in 2017].

The kitchen sink producing original content was not generating unique ideas or its own TV shows (commonly called original content), but instead leaking from the faucet.

It is also worth noting that the "largest source of revenue" may not be producing much if any revenue at all; it can still be the biggest if there are no others. On the other hand, past experience with Beret Guy's business would indicate that this company is [[1032: Networking|making plenty of money]], though they aren't necessarily sure [[1493: Meeting|how]].

Transmuting lead into gold was a {{w|Nuclear transmutation#Alchemy|goal of alchemists}} for many centuries. With modern nuclear technology, it is actually now possible to accomplish transmutation of lead into gold, and gold into lead. While the expense far exceeds the value of the gold produced by such methods, it seems plausible that, given Beret Guy's surpassing strangeness, his company may be successfully and cheaply transmuting large quantities of lead into gold and back again. Since gold is worth much more than lead in today's market, the first transmutation could indeed result in major profit, while the reverse would obviously result in major losses, and be a rather pointless undertaking for a typical, profit-oriented business.

In the last panel, "the girl from ''The Ring''" refers to Sadako Yamamura, the antagonist of {{w|The Ring (film series)|the ''Ring'' series by Koji Suzuki}}, who has been referenced by xkcd several times in the past as in [[396: The Ring]]. Beret Guy claims she has made several appearances in their video conferences, which may be possible if someone has hacked their video feed to play footage from the 2002 movie. However, some of Beret Guy's employees then proceed to remark that she has made contributions to the meetings in question, implying that the image of Yamamura is not only alive but sentient and communicating with the employees, a possibility that, if accurate, is accepted with surprising nonchalance by Beret Guy's employees. It's also possible that Yamamura is simply the recording from the series, and her contributions are just in keeping with the general tone of the company's video conferences. Either way, it would appear that Beret Guy's sheer eccentricity has affected his staff to the point that a digital spectre would not be an abnormal employee.

The title text refers to the May 25 deadline to implement the European Union's {{w|GDPR|General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)}}; this comic parodies a business meeting about what the company is doing to prepare for it. However, while normally the problem would be how to handle the customers' personal information that the company requires to retain in order to do business, in this case it seems the company does not require personal information at all, and instead, customers are sending them theirs on their own (and they refuse to stop doing it!). Even more bizarrely, Beret Guy was told by the EU (or at least he thinks he was told by the EU) that he is exempt because he is royalty of some kind (though, of course, such exemption is not a real part of GDPR), but he wants to fix this problem anyway, just to be on the safe side.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy, Ponytail, Hairy, Hairbun and Megan sit around a table, left to right. Beret Guy and Megan are sitting on chairs at the ends. All others are behind the table with no visible chairs. All characters face Beret Guy.]
:Beret Guy: Quarterly reports are looking good.
:Beret Guy: Our office is full of cash, we're producing stocks faster than ever before, and our customers are experiencing rapid growth.
:Beret Guy: Any updates?

:[Closeup on Ponytail, facing left.]
:Ponytail: Bad news: many of our assets were liquidated this morning due to a thermostat glitch.
:Ponytail: Good news: the sink in the kitchen has stopped producing original content.

:[Same as panel one, but characters are facing Megan.]
:Beret Guy: How are our finances?
:Megan: Our biggest source of revenue is our ongoing project to transmute lead into gold.
:Megan: Our biggest expense is our project to transmute it back.

:[Closeup on Beret Guy, facing right, offset to the left of the panel. Two characters speak from off-panel right.]
:Beret Guy: Lastly, any luck getting the girl from ''The Ring'' to stop showing up in our video conferences?
:Off-panel person 1: No, but honestly, she's made some good contributions.
:Off-panel person 2: Yeah, I think we should hire her.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Beret Guy's Business]]

1997: Business Update

2018-05-25T09:10:00Z

Kazzie: /* Explanation */ Stocks as in the old leg restraints

{{comic
| number = 1997
| date = May 23, 2018
| title = Business Update
| image = business_update.png
| titletext = Our customers keep sending us their personal information, even though we've repeatedly asked them to stop. The EU told me I'm the heir to some ancient European throne that makes me exempt from the GDPR, but we should probably still try to fix that.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE KITCHEN SINK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic shows a meeting at [[Beret Guy]]'s business (as seen in [[:Category:Beret Guy's Business|these other comics]]). As usual, those in the business demonstrate a misuse of business terminology and take strange happenings within the business in stride.

Though maintaining a semblance of business-savviness through the use of many corporate buzzwords, it becomes clear that what is normally metaphorical in a usual boardroom meeting is here quite likely meant literally. The Quarterly Reports, described as "looking good," may be literally physically attractive (rather than recording successful business dealings). Knowing Beret Guy, it seems likely that the office is full of coins or dollar bills, and not simply economically well-off.

Stocks (as in the stock market, a.k.a. shares) are being manufactured. Stocks are valuable, so from an outside perspective making more of them would create value. However, the humor of this situation is that in real life, creating shares from nothing would reduce the value of existing shares (as the combined value of stocks should add up to the total value of the company... so creating more stocks means each has to be worth less to make the addition balance out). This is ironic in that typically stocks represent the value of the company, rather than being the product being created.

Alternatively, the company may be producing the leg restraints known as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stocks stocks]. It's unlikely that here would be many people wishing to buy these stocks.

Individual customers are experiencing physical growth, though most businesses would be more concerned with a growth in the number of customers supporting the business. If the customers are not children they are likely very concerned by this rapid growth.{{Citation needed|date=May 2018}}

Assets "liquidated" in a thermostat glitch may have been literally melted ("turned into liquid"). It could also mean that their infrastructure is so hilariously messed up that a simple glitch in a thermostat somehow resulted in the loss of a large amount of the company's assets. Note that this type of thing is not entirely unheard of, as shown by [https://thehackernews.com/2018/04/iot-hacking-thermometer.html a hack of a thermostat in a casino that led to massive data loss in 2017].

The kitchen sink producing original content was not generating unique ideas or its own TV shows (commonly called original content), but instead leaking from the faucet.

It is also worth noting that the "largest source of revenue" may not be producing much if any revenue at all; it can still be the biggest if there are no others. On the other hand, past experience with Beret Guy's business would indicate that this company is [[1032: Networking|making plenty of money]], though they aren't necessarily sure [[1493: Meeting|how]].

Transmuting lead into gold was a {{w|Nuclear transmutation#Alchemy|goal of alchemists}} for many centuries. With modern nuclear technology, it is actually now possible to accomplish transmutation of lead into gold, and gold into lead. While the expense far exceeds the value of the gold produced by such methods, it seems plausible that, given Beret Guy's surpassing strangeness, his company may be successfully and cheaply transmuting large quantities of lead into gold and back again. Since gold is worth much more than lead in today's market, the first transmutation could indeed result in major profit, while the reverse would obviously result in major losses, and be a rather pointless undertaking for a typical, profit-oriented business.

In the last panel, "the girl from ''The Ring''" refers to Sadako Yamamura, the antagonist of {{w|The Ring (film series)|the ''Ring'' series by Koji Suzuki}}, who has been referenced by xkcd several times in the past as in [[396: The Ring]]. Beret Guy claims she has made several appearances in their video conferences, which may be possible if someone has hacked their video feed to play footage from the 2002 movie. However, some of Beret Guy's employees then proceed to remark that she has made contributions to the meetings in question, implying that the image of Yamamura is not only alive but sentient and communicating with the employees, a possibility that, if accurate, is accepted with surprising nonchalance by Beret Guy's employees. It's also possible that Yamamura is simply the recording from the series, and her contributions are just in keeping with the general tone of the company's video conferences. Either way, it would appear that Beret Guy's sheer eccentricity has affected his staff to the point that a digital spectre would not be an abnormal employee.

The title text refers to the May 25 deadline to implement the European Union's {{w|GDPR|General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)}}; this comic parodies a business meeting about what the company is doing to prepare for it. However, while normally the problem would be how to handle the customers' personal information that the company requires to retain in order to do business, in this case it seems the company does not require personal information at all, and instead, customers are sending them theirs on their own (and they refuse to stop doing it!). Even more bizarrely, Beret Guy was told by the EU (or at least he thinks he was told by the EU) that he is exempt because he is royalty of some kind (though, of course, such exemption is not a real part of GDPR), but he wants to fix this problem anyway, just to be on the safe side.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy, Ponytail, Hairy, Hairbun and Megan sit around a table, left to right. Beret Guy and Megan are sitting on chairs at the ends. All others are behind the table with no visible chairs. All characters face Beret Guy.]
:Beret Guy: Quarterly reports are looking good.
:Beret Guy: Our office is full of cash, we're producing stocks faster than ever before, and our customers are experiencing rapid growth.
:Beret Guy: Any updates?

:[Closeup on Ponytail, facing left.]
:Ponytail: Bad news: many of our assets were liquidated this morning due to a thermostat glitch.
:Ponytail: Good news: the sink in the kitchen has stopped producing original content.

:[Same as panel one, but characters are facing Megan.]
:Beret Guy: How are our finances?
:Megan: Our biggest source of revenue is our ongoing project to transmute lead into gold.
:Megan: Our biggest expense is our project to transmute it back.

:[Closeup on Beret Guy, facing right, offset to the left of the panel. Two characters speak from off-panel right.]
:Beret Guy: Lastly, any luck getting the girl from ''The Ring'' to stop showing up in our video conferences?
:Off-panel person 1: No, but honestly, she's made some good contributions.
:Off-panel person 2: Yeah, I think we should hire her.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Beret Guy's Business]]

Talk:1986: River Border

2018-04-30T05:48:33Z

Kazzie: Head of Vecna

The title text doesn't have a typo.
[[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:06, 27 April 2018 (UTC)

"It then occurred to Megan that she could break Nebraska state laws and the police couldn't catch her (because the river was in the way)."
:I ''think'' it might actually be because Megan is under the mistaken impression that it's neither Nebraskan nor Missourian territory, so neither set of cops actually have jurisdiction (similar to that thing where apparently there's an area of [https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinandrews/2017/11/26/icymi-you-can-get-away-with-murder-in-part-of-yellowstone-national-park/ Yellowstone] where no one has jurisdiction).
::I believe you're right. The title text seems to confirm this.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.172|162.158.255.172]] 20:03, 27 April 2018 (UTC)
:I'd edit it myself, but I'm not entirely sure if I'm right. Thought I'd bring up the possibility so others could decide. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.24|172.68.47.24]] 16:33, 27 April 2018 (UTC)

::I fixed it. [[User:Grabadora304|Grabadora304]] ([[User talk:Grabadora304|talk]]) {{unsigned|Grabadora304}}
:I also read it as the river physically keeping the police out of the region so I added it back (before even reading these comments), but only as a second possibility, leaving the jurisdiction as the primary. Note that the river actually IS a physical barrier, there are no roads across the river there. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 21:07, 27 April 2018 (UTC)

This isn’t the only place in the US, or even in Nebraska, where this has happened. The town of Carter Lake, Iowa is only accessible by car by driving through Omaha.
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.143.84|172.68.143.84]] 17:08, 27 April 2018 (UTC)

'''The story of the similar situation on the Walloon (Belgian)-Dutch border, and the headless corpse.'''
There used to be a situation like this on the border between Visé, Wallonia, Belgium; and Eijsden-Margraten in the Netherlands.
The border used to follow the path of the river Maas/Meuse at the time of the Treaty of London of 1839. Between 1970 en 1979, the river was straightened, and until 2018, the border no longer followed the path of the river. That led to situations similar to the one in this comic ''on both sides of the river''. Especially the Belgian bit at the Dutch side of the river became popular for drug dealings and illicit sexual escapades. At one time, a group of Antwerpians with moustaches proclaimed the area the independent Republic of Snorravia.
In 2012, a headless corpse was discovered there. (I have heard that it was a suicide, though details are scarce.) That lead eventually to a land swap agreed in 2016–2017, effective January 1st, 2018. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/belgium-netherlands-land-swap-agreement-river-meuse-borders-a7445751.html
— [[User:Adhemar|Adhemar]] ([[User talk:Adhemar|talk]]) 21:32, 27 April 2018 (UTC)

: ''The Martian'' allusion - The joke about high seas, piracy, and maritime laws jumped out at me as echoing a joke made in ''The Martain'', which we know is xkcd-approved. Does anyone else think that it's an intentional allusion? [[User:PvOberstein|PvOberstein]] ([[User talk:PvOberstein|talk]]) 23:45, 27 April 2018 (UTC)

:How exactly can you commit suicide by beheading? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 04:46, 28 April 2018 (UTC)
::He could have committed suicide by slitting his throat, then something happened that caused his head to fall off. But who knows? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 07:30, 28 April 2018 (UTC)
:::Or by putting on the [[https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blindpanic.com%2Fhumor%2Fvecna.htm Head of Vecna]] [[User:Kazzie|Kazzie]] ([[User talk:Kazzie|talk]]) 05:48, 30 April 2018 (UTC)

Wait, so, basically, two people buy plots of land with river flowing between them, after years the river changes course, and they go to court and hire experts to find ''why'' the river changed course and, depending on the outcome, one person can win a chunk of land the other person had paid for? And this is common in 21st century law systems? That's quite depressing. [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 09:44, 28 April 2018 (UTC)

Congrats Randy, your title text made me claw my eyes out. Thankfully, I know kung-touch-typing-fu. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.11.155|172.68.11.155]] 11:29, 28 April 2018 (UTC)

I removed the incomplete because I can't imagine how this explanation could be made any more complete than it is. In fact, this is one of most complete explains I've seen. Great job everybody! [[User:Gbisaga|Gbisaga]] ([[User talk:Gbisaga|talk]]) 18:15, 28 April 2018 (UTC)

1980: Turkish Delight

2018-04-13T16:20:51Z

Kazzie: /* Explanation */ UK equivalent of cinnamon bun/Cinnabon is Chelsea Bun

{{comic
| number = 1980
| date = April 13, 2018
| title = Turkish Delight
| image = turkish_delight.png
| titletext = I take it Narnia doesn't have Cinnabons? Because if you can magic up a plate of those, I'll betray whoever.
}}

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

''{{w|The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe}}'' is a fantasy novel by British novelist {{w|C. S. Lewis}}, the first installment of the series ''{{w|The Chronicles of Narnia}}''. In it, a group of four sibling children discover another world called Narnia. At the beginning of the story, the land is in a perpetual winter caused by the {{w|White Witch}} (the antagonist of the story). One of the children, {{w|Edmund Pevensie}}, is approached by the White Witch and offered {{w|Turkish delight}}, a type of confection, in exchange for leading the other children to her.

{{w|Cinnabon}} is a popular chain restaurant in the USA which serves mostly {{w|cinnamon roll|cinnamon buns}} covered in a thick, sugary glaze. The chain is not well known in Britain, but has recently opened a [https://www.cinnabon.co.uk/store-locator/ few restaurants], mainly in the London area. (A more common UK equivalent of the cinnamon bun is the {{w|Chelsea Bun}}.) There are presumably no branches of Cinnabon in Narnia.

Turkish delight is very different from typical confections found in the modern Western world and isn't very popular in the United States. [[Randall]] comments that he was very disappointed when he tried Turkish delight, after having read in the novel about how delicious the characters considered it. If he were in Edmund's shoes, he would not have been persuaded.

The world of Narnia is a recurring theme in xkcd, with previous prominent appearances in (at least) [[665: Prudence]], [[969: Delta-P]], and [[1786: Trash]].

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

:White Witch: Have some Turkish delight. If you betray your family, there's more where that came from.

:Edmund: Wow.
:Edmund: This is ... not great.

:The ''Narnia'' books gave me a really unrealistic impression of how good Turkish delight tastes.

{{comic discussion}}

1975: Right Click

2018-04-02T09:17:14Z

Kazzie: /* Table - Main Context Menu */ Description of Mornington Crescent game

{{comic
| number = 1975
| date = April 1, 2018
| title = Right Click
| image = right_click.png
| titletext = "Right-click or long press (where supported) to save!"
}}
<div class="toclimit-3" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;">__TOC__</div>
'''NOTE: The above is the first panel of an interactive comic.'''<br>
To experience the interactive content, click [https://www.xkcd.com/1975/ here].<br>
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Please add an explanation table of all functions This is an April Fools comic, so it'll take a while to get organized and much longer to fill out. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In an additional fool it introduces the [https://uni.xkcd.com/ Unix XKCD] as a reference to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telenet Telenet]. <br>

===Table - Main Context Menu===

{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"
! # !! Menu Item !! Explanation !! Sub-Menu Items
|-
!1
| '''Save'''
| Only appears after successfully completing the ADVENT.EXE game.
| Save image> Downloads this image. [https://xkcd.com/1975/v6xso1_right_click_save.png]

|-
! 2
| '''File'''
| Normal submenu
|Close> Closes menu, does nothing.
Open: A:\, C:\, / (See more [[#Table - Filesystems Menu|below]])

Find: Where, When, How, (not usable) What, Why

|-
! 3
| '''Edit'''
| Enables a mode allowing the user to draw on the webpage. Pressing Esc asks "Aw, that looks nice though. Really delete?" and the page returns to normal if OK is clicked.
| None
|-
! 4
| '''System'''
| Normal submenu
|Shut Down> Changes the only menu option to "Power on", then once that is used, system returns to normal.

/ (See [[#Table - Filesystems Menu|below]])
|-
! 5
| '''View'''
| Normal submenu
|Cascade>Links to [http://wiki.xkcd.com/geohashing/Mt._St._Helens,_Washington]

Tile> Links to [[245: Floor Tiles]]

Minimize> Changes pointer to a smaller pointer.

Full Screen> Enters full screen.
|-
! 6
| '''Utilities'''
| Normal submenu
|Park drives> Nothing.

Check space usage> (cannot click) Space usage: -Dark matter -Hydrogen -Helium -Scattered clumps of heavier elements -Stars -Rocks -Some space probes -Earth

Spell check> English (links to [[1069: Alphabet]]) and Colors (links to [https://blog.xkcd.com/2010/05/03/color-survey-results/])

Train AI> links to [[1838: Machine Learning]]

Identify song> opens a long word-by-word menu for song lyrics.

Advanced> several Unix commands, including that random string that breaks it for whatever reason.

'); DROP TABLE Menus;-- links to [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
|-
! 7
| '''Games'''
| Normal submenu
| Twenty Questions> A Twenty Questions interface that gets really confusing.

Rock Paper Scissors> A Rock Paper Scissors game where the computer always matches your move.

D&D> A complex Dungeons and Dragons interface. Allows you to cast various spells from D&D 5e which link to various pages.

ADVENT.EXE> A text-based game. If played correctly, you can win, unlocking 'Save'>'Save image' from the beginning menu, which links to [https://xkcd.com/1975/v6xso1_right_click_save.png]

Hoverboard> Links to [[1608: Hoverboard]].

Mornington Crescent> This is a simulation of the well-known game [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mornington_Crescent Mornington Crescent], which bears a surprising resemblance to London's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Underground Underground] railway network. Players name a station in turn, endeavouring to reach Mornington Crescent. The rules of play are very complicted and beyond the scope of this article; interested persons are referred to ''N. F. Stovold’s Mornington Crescent: Rules and Origins'' (sadly out of print). In this variation, one may reach 'Vauxhaull'>'Easter basket'>'Take egg', also allowing you to save.
|-
! 8
| '''Help'''
| Contains various submenus, all of which, barring Credits, loop back recursively to this menu:
|Tutorial
Support

Manual

Troubleshooting

FAQ

Guide

Q&A

User forums

--------------

Credits
|-
! 9
| '''Do Crimes'''
| Contains several "crimes" that can be committed. This option is unlocked by File > Open > C:\ (or /home/user) > Bookmarks/ > Secret > Enable Dark Web.
| Steal Bitcoins > Grayed out.
Say swears > Several clean swears that all link to [[771: Period Speech]].

Hack > Three sub-options that link to various related comics. (Gibson: Nothing. Election: [[1019: First Post]]. Planet: [[1337: Hack]].)

Forge a Scrabble Tile > Several sub-options that don't do anything. (U, Z, <this menu option intentionally left blank>, and two special characters, one appearing like a reversed 'E' modeled on a 'C' and the second being crossed swords)
|}

===Table - Filesystems Menu===

{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"
! Drive !! Menu Item !! Explanation !! Sub-Menu Items
|-
! A:\
| '''Insert'''
| Only appears before inserting a floppy disk.
|Floppy disk> Unlocks other options for drive A:\, which are identical to drive C:\
Chip card> A long sequence of being told 'Please wait. Authorizing...' ending in 'Chip error! REMOVE CARD NOW!'
|-
! C:\
| '''Documents/'''
| Nothing.
| None.
|-
! C:\
| '''Music/'''
| Leads into a long string of prompts for song lyrics. 'Hey now / Hey now na now / Sing "This Corrosion" to me' inverts the webpage's color.
|-
! C:\
| '''Bookmarks/'''
| Similar to Music/, Bookmarks/> Comics leads to a chain from which many comics are titled and linked. Bookmarks/> Secret> Enable Dark Web adds the 'Dark Web' option to the initial menu.
|-
! C:\
| '''Games/'''
| Same as 'Games' from the initial menu.
|-
! C:\
| '''Sequences/'''
| Fill in, I have no clue.
| After several single-option menus, it links to this Youtube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHWBEK8w_YY
|-
! /
| '''home/'''
| Nothing.
| guest> links to [//uni.xkcd.com]

user> Same files as C:\

root> Displays 'You are not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.'
|-
! /
| '''opt/'''
| Does nothing.
| None.
|-
! /
| '''sbin/'''
| Does nothing.
| None.
|-
! /
| '''usr/'''
| Opens an infinite sequence of options, each similar to the last, but replacing the previous selection with another folder.
|-
! /
| '''dev/'''
| Nothing.
|random/> links to a random xkcd comic.
urandom/> links to [[221: Random Number]]
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[Empty frame with Cueball slightly right of center.]

[Caption]

Editor's Note: Today's comic is optimized for local viewing. To see the full version, just save a copy of the image!

{{comic discussion}}

208: Regular Expressions

2018-02-01T12:46:13Z

Kazzie: /* Explanation */ Description of 1168: Tar - Tar isn't a programming language

{{comic
| number = 208
| date = January 10, 2007
| title = Regular Expressions
| image = regular_expressions.png
| titletext = Wait, forgot to escape a space. Wheeeeee[taptaptap]eeeeee!
}}

==Explanation==

The comic begins with [[Randall]] saying how every time he develops a new skill, he finds himself daydreaming about using it to save the day. Computer skills aren't usually superhero material, which lends itself to the humor of the comic.

In computing, {{w|regular expression}}s ("regex") provide a concise and flexible{{Citation needed}} means to "match" (specify and recognize) strings of text, such as particular characters, words, or patterns of characters.

Manually trying to look for a specific pattern through 200 MB of text is equivalent to looking for a needle in a haystack. But this task can be made easy by using regexes, since a script can read through text and match specific string patterns much faster than humans can achieve.

{{w|Perl}} is a popular scripting language that has [http://www.google.com/cse?cx=012652707207066138651%3Azudjtuwe28q&ie=UTF-8&q=perrl&siteurl=xkcd.com%2F&ref=&ss=1112j354976j5&oq=perrl&gs_l=partner.3...4805.5949.0.6245.5.5.0.0.0.0.316.1024.0j2j2j1.5.0.gsnos%2Cn%3D13...0.1112j354976j5..1ac.1.25.partner..3.2.276.Ewyu_zKGkDo#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=perl often been referenced] favorably in the comic. Perl is also the most acknowledged language when it comes to the performance while evaluating regular expressions.

The "PERL!" in the fifth panel is reminiscent of old superhero serials, particularly {{w|Batman (TV series)}}, in which sound effects such as "BAM!" "POW!" "ZAP!" would be displayed on screen in similar spiky bubbles. This fits with the theme of the comic, with Cueball being a "superhero" who fights crime using computer skills.

The title text refers to how sensitive regexes can be to small mistakes or missing characters. In [[1168: tar]], another potential hero fails because the syntax of some commands and programming languages are just too difficult to remember by heart.

==Transcript==
:Whenever I learn a new skill I concoct elaborate fantasy scenarios where it lets me save the day.

:Megan: Oh no! The killer must have followed her on vacation!
:[Megan points to computer.]
:Megan: But to find them we'd have to search through 200 MB of emails looking for something formatted like an address!
:Cueball: It's hopeless!

:Off-panel voice: Everybody stand back.

:Off-panel voice: I know regular expressions.

:[A man swings in on a rope, toward the computer.]

:''tap tap''
:''PERL!''

:[The man swings away, and the other characters cheer.]

==Trivia==
*This comic is featured on one of the [http://shop.xkcd.com/products/i-know-regular-expressions T-shirts] sold at the xkcd store.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Regex]]