explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2122: Size Venn Diagram

2019-03-24T01:33:26Z

KieferSkunk:

The word league is in a diamond-shaped region, which probably connotes to the baseball diamond.

I think Randall kind of missed an opportunity with the title text: he should have used the new terms as a way to fill the blank areas in the diagram, for instance 'Great Emerald' for the currently empty set Great+Small+Little+Large.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.221|141.101.99.221]] 14:31, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
:No, I think the diagram itself is meant to be completely correct. But I didn't check all 100+ combinations. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 14:57, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
::Yes, I believe the diagram is correct now, but as per the title text Randall will start using new combinations of terms, probably to get their usage mainstream and move the location of the words in the diagram. I'm saying he should have created terms that would fill some blank areas. For instance, his Large Dipper would make Dipper appear in the Big+Little+Large area where we already have League.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.95|141.101.99.95]] 15:16, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
:::I understood what you said (the first time around) and agree. Randall's title text is to acknowledge or engage the patterns he's discovered in the comic (as usual), and he could do that more thoroughly by making up words that would make the chart more balanced. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.100|162.158.78.100]] 16:27, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
::::I think his choices ''are'' an attempt to complete the table: Large Orphan Annie fills in the triangle-ish at one o'clock, Large Dipper fills in the rectangle-ish area at one o'clock, though he seems to have failed to fill in the rectangle-ish area at six-o'clock [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.63|162.158.62.63]] 19:45, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
:He could also have placed “man” between “little” and “big” just to reference the movie ☺

Any such diagram will inevitably have small lacunae. But "Friendly Giant" is a particularly large one. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.172|162.158.63.172]] 15:21, 11 March 2019 (UTC)

Endian? Scott? Tits?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.112|108.162.219.112]] 15:23, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
:Yeah, what about Little Endian? It's missing! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.143.156|172.68.143.156]] 19:28, 11 March 2019 (UT
:: "Endian" would go in the "Big/Little" area, which already has "Dipper", "Lies", "Planet" and "Sister"; no room...

Besides the transcript of what's in each category, what about a table to explain ''why'' the items categorized as they are, like:
{| class="wikitable"
!Item
!Big
!Great
!Large
!Little
!Small
|-
|Island
|Hawaii
|Cork Harbor, Ireland
|Antilles
|movie
|novel, movie
|-
|Pox
|n/a
|syphilis
|n/a
|n/a
|disease
|-
|White
|BC ski resort
|shark
|pig
|n/a
|butterfly
|}
{Unsigned|172.69.62.160}
:Yeah, it seems reasonable, I like it. Add it [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 15:57, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
::Second but leave the unused cells blank dont put N/A in the cell. [[User:M|M]] ([[User talk:M|talk]]) 16:15, 11 March 2019 (UTC)

I don't know why, but the shape of this diagram feels really satisfying to me. [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 16:29, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
:For me it’s just hard to look at. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 16:41, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
:Came here to say exactly that. The symmetry is really pleasing. I've been considering how effective adding colours would be as well. [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 17:55, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
:: I beg to differ. xkcd finally went pear-shaped. (runs for his life) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.223|162.158.89.223]] 11:44, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
::It looks like these style Venn diagrams are generated by http://bioinformatics.psb.ugent.be/webtools/Venn/ ... haven't tried it myself. Don't know if they invented it or took it from elsewhere. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.149|162.158.79.149]] 21:17, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
:::This particular geometric configuration for five category Venn diagrams was popularized by [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/32440128/nice-looking-five-sets-venn-diagrams Adrian Dusa's venn package for R]. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.179|172.68.142.179]] 17:55, 12 March 2019 (UTC)
::I would expect color to help a lot. I'm somewhere in between Netherin and Hawthorn's opinion. There is definite elegance to the shapes and their interaction, but trying to figure out which three pears overlap a word box can go crosseyed really fast.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.46.58|172.69.46.58]] 17:20, 13 March 2019 (UTC)

:Could it be because they look like eggplants? Kind of like the eggplant emojis? [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 15:45, 12 March 2019 (UTC)

Again I wonder if he does these sorts of comics just to see how far we'll take it [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 16:51, 11 March 2019 (UTC)

Uhhh...isn’t the bottom part just the transcript?[[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 17:08, 11 March 2019 (UTC)

Shouldn't this go in the Venn Diagram category? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.95|172.68.132.95]] 00:10, 12 March 2019 (UTC)
:Done. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.182.154|172.68.182.154]] 17:58, 12 March 2019 (UTC)

Can anyone make the table's cells be more regular in size across columns? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.95|172.68.132.95]] 00:54, 12 March 2019 (UTC)
:Done [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.35|141.101.104.35]] 15:28, 12 March 2019 (UTC)

I am disappointed that he only referenced the "little big planet" game but not the "little big adventure" one. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.187|141.101.96.187]] 08:04, 12 March 2019 (UTC)

Large Frog is an [https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/8743/large-frog-new-version artwork], apparently. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.200|162.158.155.200]] 22:56, 12 March 2019 (UTC)

Why Are we so sure that planet being in both the little and big categories is a reference to the game? [[User:V|V]] ([[User talk:V|talk]]) 01:23, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
:It's a good point; I can find plausible Wikipedia entries for {{w|Little planet}} and {{w|Big Planet}} but not for any of the others. [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 14:22, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
:It’s more likely a very popular video game that seems a lot like Randall’s taste than a photography thing. It should at least be included. If anyone wants to put in the link for both I’m okay with that. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 14:27, 13 March 2019 (UTC)

Big Blue is also a thing in F-Zero. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.126|162.158.126.126]] 15:15, 13 March 2019 (UTC)

You could fill the empty great/large/small field with: man. And the empty great/large/little with lady [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.59|162.158.91.59]] 12:06, 18 March 2019 (UTC)

I had a great time looking over the diagram, but through this I discovered that it's not correct ;) --[[User:Lordyoyo|Lordyoyo]] ([[User talk:Lordyoyo|talk]]) 14:25, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

'''Enchilada'''

Is there a reason why "enchilada" appears in two rows in the table? One is capitalized, the other is not; both have similar "big" descriptions. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 05:26, 23 March 2019 (UTC)
:Sorry, I added the second one in the correct alphabetical location, but didn't see the first one. I've removed the first one and transferred the Wiktionary link to the second version. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 01:33, 24 March 2019 (UTC)

2122: Size Venn Diagram

2019-03-24T01:32:00Z

KieferSkunk: rm duplicate Enchilada which was not in alphabetical order

{{comic
| number = 2122
| date = March 11, 2019
| title = Size Venn Diagram
| image = size_venn_diagram.png
| titletext = Terms I'm going to start using: The Large Dipper, great potatoes, the Big Hadron Collider, and Large Orphan Annie.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Large Terror. The table needs to be filled in. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[File:Symmetrical_5-set_Venn_diagram.svg|thumb|upright=0.5|{{w|Branko Grünbaum}}'s multi-set Venn diagram strategy from 1975, less symmetric than Randall's.]]
This comic is a {{w|Venn diagram}} illustrating the complete set of possible intersections of five different size adjectives: "little", "large", "small", "great" and “big”. Each unique intersection contains a short list of nouns that can be preceded by each of its intersecting adjectives.

For example, "flying fox" (a type of bat) appears at the intersection of "large", "small", and "great", because the species {{w|large flying fox}}, {{w|small flying fox}}, and {{w|great flying fox}} all exist, but there is no such species as a "big flying fox" or a "little flying fox". Similarly, humans have organs named the {{w|small intestine}} and {{w|large intestine}}, but no "little intestine", "great intestine", or "big intestine".

Some descriptors are applied in combination to their noun, rather than individually; for example, "planet" is placed in both the "little" and "big" groups in reference to the 2008 video game ''{{w|Little Big Planet}}''.

In the title text, [[Randall]] declares that he will start intentionally using term combinations that don't appear in the above diagram, presumably to ensure every intersection contains at least one term.

A similar concept can be seen in [[181: Interblag]], but in a tabular form rather than a Venn diagram.

===List of items in the diagram===
The following table lists all size/noun combinations that the Venn diagram can generate, with a description of each.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Item
!Big !! Great !! Large !! Little !! Small
|-
|width=10%|'''Aunt'''
|width=18%|
|width=18%| [[wiktionary:great-aunt|sister of one's grandparent]]
|width=18%|
|width=18%|
|width=18%|
|-
|'''Bang Theory'''
|currently-accepted {{w|Big Bang|scientific theory}} that explains the origin of the universe; also a {{w|The Big Bang Theory|TV sitcom}}|| || || ||
|-
|'''Barrier Reef'''
|
|{{w|Great Barrier Reef|world's largest coral reef system}}, off the coast of Australia
|
|
|
|-
|'''Bear Lake'''
|a {{w|Big Bear Lake, California|lake and surrounding community in California}}, in the mountains
|a {{w|Great Bear Lake|lake in Canada}}, in the Northwest Territories -- the largest lake entirely in Canada, and the fourth-largest in North America
|
|
|
|-
|'''Bend'''
| {{w|Big Bend|several geographic locations}}, including a {{w|Big Bend National Park|US National Park}} in Texas
| {{w|Great Bend (disambiguation)|several geographic locations}}, including a {{w|Great Bend, Kansas|city in Kansas}} and the description of the S-shaped curving of the {{w|Nile River}} in Egypt and Sudan
|
|
|
|-
|'''Billed Seed Finch'''
|
|{{w|Great-billed seed finch|species of finch}}, described in 1851
|{{w|Large-billed seed finch|species of finch}}, described in 1789
|
|
|-
|'''Blue'''
|nickname for [https://www.ibm.com IBM] and the {{w|New York Giants}}, also [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095250 a movie] and a stage in {{w|F-Zero}} and borrowed into Mario Kart
|
|{{w|large blue|various different butterflies}}
|
|{{w|small blue|butterfly}}, smallest found in the UK
|-
|'''Blue Heron'''
|
|{{w|Great Blue Heron|species of heron}} that measures 91–137 cm (36–54 in) long
|
|{{w|Little Blue Heron|species of heron}} that measures about 60 cm (24 in) long
|
|-
|'''Board'''
| nickname for the {{w|New York Stock Exchange}} || || || ||
|-
|'''Cardiac Vein'''
|
|{{w|Great cardiac vein|left coronary vein}}
|
|
|{{w|Small cardiac vein|heart vein on the right side}}
|-
|'''Circle'''
|
|{{w|Great circle|largest possible circle}} that can be drawn on a sphere; the {{w|equator}} is an example of one on the Earth
|
|The {{w|Little_Circle|Little Circle}}, a group of political reformists based in Manchester, UK in the early 1800s
|{{w|Circle_of_a_sphere|a circle that lies on a sphere}} without passing through its center (which would make it a great circle)
|-
|'''Claims Court'''
|
|
|
|
|{{w|Small claims court|judicial court}} that handles cases involving only relatively small amounts of money
|-
|'''Depression'''
|
|{{w|Great Depression|period of prolonged economic downturn}} that affected the world economy in the 1930's
|
|
|
|-
|'''Dipper'''
|{{w|Big Dipper|subset collection of stars}} in the constellation {{w|Ursa Major}}
|
|
|name for the constellation {{w|Ursa Minor}}
|
|-
|'''Emerald'''
|
|
|{{w|Large_emerald|Geometra papilionaria}}, a bright green moth of the family {{w|Geometer_moth|Geometridae}}
|{{w|Jodis_lactearia|Jodis lactearia}}, a light green or white moth of the family {{w|Geometer_moth|Geometridae}}
|{{w|Hemistola_chrysoprasaria|Hemistola chrysoprasaria}}, a light green or yellow-white moth of the family {{w|Geometer_moth|Geometridae}}
|-
|'''Enchilada'''
|The term "[[wiktionary:big enchilada|Big Enchilada]]" means a person or thing of great importance.
|
|
|
|-
|'''End'''
|The {{w|Crankpin|bearing}} connecting a connecting rod to the crank shaft of a reciprocating engine.
| {{w|Great End|Mountain in England}}
|
|
|The {{w|Crankpin|bearing}} connecting a connecting rod to the gudgeon pin and hence the piston in a reciprocating engine.
|-
|'''Eyed Conger'''
|{{w|Sea conger|type of eel}}, found in the western Pacific Ocean
|
|{{w|Large-eye conger|type of eel}}, found in the northwestern and eastern central Pacific Ocean
|
|{{w|Smalleye conger|type of eel}}, found in the eastern Indian Ocean
|-
|'''Flying Fox'''
|
|{{w|Great flying fox}}
|{{w|Large flying fox}}
|
|{{w|Small flying fox}}
|-
|'''Foot'''
|The well known folk-lore monster ''{{w|Bigfoot}}''
|
|
|{{w|List_of_The_Land_Before_Time_characters#Littlefoot|Main character}} in the ''{{w|Land Before Time}}'' film series
|''{{w|Smallfoot (film)|Smallfoot}}'' is an animated film that inverts the Bigfoot legend, focusing on a group of yetis that tell stories about humans.
|-
|'''Forest Bat'''
|
|
|A common {{w|Large forest bat|bat}} found in Southeastern Australia
|A related {{w|Little forest bat|bat}} also found in Southeastern Australia
|
|-
|'''Format'''
|
|
|{{w|Large format|anything larger than 4x5 inches in photography}}
|
|
|-
|'''Foundation'''
|The BIG Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit charity
|May be a reference to Asimov’s Greater Foundation
|?
|
|
|-
|'''Frog'''
|Refers to someone who is important but only in a small group (Big frog in a small pond)
|
|?
|children's book [https://smile.amazon.com/Little-Frog-Crista-R-Stewart/dp/1616638702/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g5171374337?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&ie=UTF8 "The Little Frog"] by Crista R. Stewart
|{{w|Small frog|An Australian frog species}}
|-
|'''Game'''
|Large animals hunted for sport or food, usually referring to the African {{w|big five game}} (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, cape buffalo); can also refer to the NFL's {{w|Super Bowl}}
|{{w|Great Game|19th Century geopolitical competition}} between the British and Russian Empires over control of Afghanistan
|{{w|Game (hunting)|Large animals}} hunted for sport or food, such as bears or moose
|
|{{w|Game (hunting)|Small animals}} hunted for sport or food, such as rabbits or ducks
|-
|'''Hadron Collider'''
|
|
|{{w|Large Hadron Collider|particle accelerator}}
|
|
|-
|'''Hearted'''
|[[wiktionary:bighearted|kind, generous, selfless, noble]]
|[[wiktionary:greathearted|generous, selfless, noble]]
|[[wiktionary:largehearted|generous, benevolent, noble]]
|
|
|-
|'''House on the Prairie'''
|
|
|
|{{w|Little House on the Prairie|novel}} (later made into a TV show)
|
|-
|'''Intestine'''
|
|
|The {{w|Large Intestine}} or colon is the last part of the digestive system.
|
|The {{w|Small Intestine}} is the part of the gastrointestinal tract (gut) immediately after the stomach, where most absorption of nutrients takes place
|-
|'''Island'''
|{{w|Hawaii (island)|largest island in Hawaii}}, or numerous other islands: {{w|Big Island}}
|{{w|Great Island|in Cork Harbour, Ireland}}
|{{w|Large Island|island in the Antilles, owned by Grenada}}
|{{w|Little Island|several islands named such}}, plus a song in ''{{w|Randy Newman's Faust}}''
|{{w|Small Island (novel)|novel which was made into a movie}}
|-
|'''League'''
|Nickname for top-level competition
|One of the leagues in Pokemon Go
|
|{{w|Little League Baseball|Youth baseball organization}}
|
|-
|'''Lies'''
|''{{w|Big Little Lies (TV series)|Big Little Lies}}'', a novel made into a TV series; also a [[wiktionary:big lie|form of propaganda]]
|
|
|''{{w|Big Little Lies (TV series)|Big Little Lies}}'', a novel made into a TV series; also a {{w|Little Lies|Fleetwood Mac song}}
|
|-
|'''Magellanic Cloud'''
|
|
|A {{w|Large Magellanic Cloud|satellite galaxy}} of the Milky Way
|
|Another {{w|Small Magellanic Cloud|satellite galaxy}} of the Milky Way
|-
|'''Millimeter Telescope'''
|
|
|{{w|Large Millimeter Telescope|radio telescope}}
|
|
|-
|'''One'''
|Nickname for any large natural disaster that is expected to happen in the future, such as a tsunami or an earthquake in California
|Nickname for {{w|Wayne Gretzky}}, considered by many to be the greatest ice hockey player of all time, also comedian {{w|Jackie Gleason}} and many other people ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_One Wikipedia disambiguation page]).
|
|affectionate term for a small person
|{{w|The Small One|A Disney animated short directed by Don Bluth}}
|-
|'''Orphan Annie'''
|
|
|
|{{w|Little Orphan Annie|comic strip}}
|
|-
|'''Planet'''
|Part of the video game ''{{w|Little Big Planet}}''
|
|
|Part of the video game ''{{w|Little Big Planet}}''
|
|-
|'''Potatoes'''
|
|
|
|
|[[wiktionary:small potatoes|something relatively unimportant]]
|-
|'''Pox'''
|
|an old name for {{w|syphilis}}
|
|
|{{w|smallpox|a deadly disease}} which was effectively eradicated by 1977
|-
|'''Professor'''
|
|
|{{w|Large Professor|rap artist}}
|{{w|Little Professor|educational math toy}} (also "Little Professor Syndrome", an informal name for autism)
|
|-
|'''Richard'''
|
|
|
|{{w|Little Richard|musician}}
|
|-
|'''Room'''
|
|{{w|Great room|a McMansion's signature space}}
|
|{{w|White_Blood_Cells_(album)#Track_listing|Track 6}} on "White Blood Cells," the third album by {{w|The_White_Stripes|The White Stripes}}
|{{w|May Sarton|"The Small Room", a novel by May Sarton}}, also various songs: {{w|Small Room}}
|-
|'''Screen'''
|[[wiktionary:big screen|another name for movies]]
|
|
|
|[[wiktionary:small screen|another name for TV]]
|-
|'''Sister'''
|[[wiktionary:big sister|older female sibling]]; also [https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/Little_Sister a character from the influential video game Bioshock]
|
|
|[[wiktionary:little sister|younger female sibling]]; also [https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/Big_Sister another character from the influential video game Bioshock]
|
|-
|'''Soldiers'''
|
|
|
|{{w|Little Soldiers|1996 Telugu drama film}}
|{{w|Small Soldiers|1998 movie}} about sentient animated toys at war
|-
|'''Sur'''
|{{w|Big Sur|coastal region of California}} famed for its mountain scenery
|
|
|
|
|-
|'''Terror'''
|
|{{w|Great Terror|One of two periods of violent political repression}}; one during {{w|Reign of Terror|the French Revolution}} between 1793 and 1794, the other in {{w|Great Purge|the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin}} between 1936 and 1938
|
|
|
|-
|'''Time'''
|[[wiktionary:big time|major]], the highest level of a field
|
|
|
|[[wiktionary:small time|minor]], or modest, level of achievement
|-
|'''Toothed Aspen'''
|A {{w|Populus grandidentata|tree}} native to North America
|
|Another name for the same tree
|
|
|-
|'''Wall of China'''
|
|{{w|Great Wall of China|Series of fortifications}} over 13,000 miles long that served to protect various Chinese empires from raids and invasion from their north
|
|
|
|-
|'''White'''
|{{w|Big White Ski Resort|ski resort in British Columbia}}
|{{w|Great white shark|species of shark}} or a {{w|Great White|rock band}}
|{{w|Pieris brassicae|a butterfly}} or {{w|Large White pig|a common breed of pig}}
|
|{{w|Dixeia|multiple species}} of {{w|Pieris rapae|butterflies}} are known as small whites
|-
|'''Wonder'''
|
|
|
|{{w|Little Wonder|"Little Wonder" is a song and single by David Bowie, from the 1997 album Earthling.}}
|{{w|Small Wonder (TV series)|American sitcom}}
|-
|'''World'''
|Australian company {{w|BigWorld|BigWorld}} which develops development tools for MMOs; also {{w|Big_World|a 1986 live album by Joe Jackson}}.
|Reference to either {{w|Great World City|Great World City}} or {{w|Great World Amusement Park|Great World Amusement Park}}, a Chinese shopping mall or amusement park, respectively
|
|A {{w|Little World|2013 Catalan documentary film}}
|{{w|Small_World_(board_game)|Board game by Days of Wonder}}, {{w|It's a Small World|ride at Disney parks}}, type of {{w|Small-world_network|mathematical graph.}}
|-
!Item !! Big !! Great !! Large !! Little !! Small
|}

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


[A Venn diagram with five sets titled 'Big', 'Little', 'Large', 'Small' and 'Great'. Various words which can be prefixed by these titles are shown in the relevant segment.]

:Big: Bang Theory, Enchilada, Board, Sur
:Little: Orphan Annie, House on the Prairie, Richard
:Large: format, Millimeter Telescope, Hadron Collider
:Small: claims court, potatoes
:Great: Barrier Reef, Wall of China, Depression, Terror, aunt

:Big/Great: Bend, Bear Lake
:Big/Small: time, screen
:Big/Little: Dipper, Planet, lies, sister
:Little/Great: Blue Heron
:Little/Large: Professor, Forest Bat
:Big/Large: Toothed Aspen
:Large/Small: intestine, Magellanic Cloud
:Little/Small: wonder, soldiers
:Small/Great: pox, cardiac vein
:Large/Great: Billed Seed Finch

:Big/Large/Great: hearted
:Big/Small/Great: end
:Big/Little/Small: foot
:Big/Little/Great: league
:Little/Large/Great: (none)
:Big/Little/Large: foundation
:Big/Large/Small: Eyed Conger, Blue
:Little/Large/Small: emerald
:Little/Small/Great: circle, room
:Large/Small/Great: flying fox

:Big/Large/Small/Great: game, white
:Big/Little/Small/Great : world, one
:Big/Little/Large/Great : (none)
:Big/Little/Large/Small : frog
:Little/Large/Small/Great : (none)

:Big/Little/Large/Small/Great: Island

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Venn diagrams]]
[[Category:Language]]

2122: Size Venn Diagram

2019-03-19T19:21:26Z

KieferSkunk: /* List of items in the diagram */ +Enchilada

{{comic
| number = 2122
| date = March 11, 2019
| title = Size Venn Diagram
| image = size_venn_diagram.png
| titletext = Terms I'm going to start using: The Large Dipper, great potatoes, the Big Hadron Collider, and Large Orphan Annie.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Large Terror. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[File:Symmetrical_5-set_Venn_diagram.svg|thumb|upright=0.5|{{w|Branko Grünbaum}}'s multi-set Venn diagram strategy from 1975, less symmetric than Randall's.]]
This comic is a {{w|Venn diagram}} illustrating the complete set of possible intersections of five different size adjectives: "little", "large", "small", "great" and “big”. Each unique intersection contains a short list of nouns that can be preceded by each of its intersecting adjectives.

For example, "flying fox" (a type of bat) appears at the intersection of "large", "small", and "great", because the species {{w|large flying fox}}, {{w|small flying fox}}, and {{w|great flying fox}} all exist, but there is no such species as a "big flying fox" or a "little flying fox". Similarly, humans have organs named the {{w|small intestine}} and {{w|large intestine}}, but no "little intestine", "great intestine", or "big intestine".

Some descriptors are applied in combination to their noun, rather than individually; for example, "planet" is placed in both the "little" and "big" groups in reference to the 2008 video game ''{{w|Little Big Planet}}''.

In the title text, [[Randall]] declares that he will start intentionally using term combinations that don't appear in the above diagram, presumably to entertain himself while confusing people.

A similar concept can be seen in [[181: Interblag]], but in a tabular form rather than a Venn diagram.

===List of items in the diagram===
The following table lists all size/noun combinations that the Venn diagram can generate, with a description of each.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Item
!Big !! Great !! Large !! Little !! Small
|-
|width=10%|'''Aunt'''
|width=18%|
|width=18%| [[wiktionary:great-aunt|sister of one's grandparent]]
|width=18%|
|width=18%|
|width=18%|
|-
|'''Bang Theory'''
|currently-accepted {{w|Big Bang|scientific theory}} that explains the origin of the universe; also a {{w|The Big Bang Theory|TV sitcom}}|| || || ||
|-
|'''Barrier Reef'''
|
|{{w|Great Barrier Reef|world's largest coral reef system}}, off the coast of Australia
|
|
|
|-
|'''Bear Lake'''
|a {{w|Big Bear Lake, California|lake and surrounding community in California}}, in the mountains
|a {{w|Great Bear Lake|lake in Canada}}, in the Northwest Territories -- the largest lake entirely in Canada, and the fourth-largest in North America
|
|
|
|-
|'''Bend'''
| {{w|Big Bend|several geographic locations}}, including a {{w|Big Bend National Park|US National Park}} in Texas
| {{w|Great Bend (disambiguation)|several geographic locations}}, including a {{w|Great Bend, Kansas|city in Kansas}} and the description of the S-shaped curving of the {{w|Nile River}} in Egypt and Sudan
|
|
|
|-
|'''Billed Seed Finch'''
|
|{{w|Great-billed seed finch|species of finch}}, described in 1851
|{{w|Large-billed seed finch|species of finch}}, described in 1789
|
|
|-
|'''Blue'''
|nickname for [https://www.ibm.com IBM] and the {{w|New York Giants}}, also [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095250 a movie] and a stage in {{w|F-Zero}} and borrowed into Mario Kart
|
|{{w|large blue|various different butterflies}}
|
|{{w|small blue|butterfly}}, smallest found in the UK
|-
|'''Blue Heron'''
|
|{{w|Great Blue Heron|species of heron}} that measures 91–137 cm (36–54 in) long
|
|{{w|Little Blue Heron|species of heron}} that measures about 60 cm (24 in) long
|
|-
|'''Board'''
| nickname for the {{w|New York Stock Exchange}} || || || ||
|-
|'''Cardiac Vein'''
|
|{{w|Great cardiac vein|left coronary vein}}
|
|
|{{w|Small cardiac vein|heart vein on the right side}}
|-
|'''Circle'''
|
|{{w|Great circle|largest possible circle}} that can be drawn on a sphere; the {{w|equator}} is an example of one on the Earth
|
|The {{w|Little_Circle|Little Circle}}, a group of political reformists based in Manchester, UK in the early 1800s
|{{w|Circle_of_a_sphere|a circle that lies on a sphere}} without passing through its center (which would make it a great circle)
|-
|'''Claims Court'''
|
|
|
|
|{{w|Small claims court|judicial court}} that handles cases involving only relatively small amounts of money
|-
|'''enchilada'''
|[[wiktionary:big enchilada|important person]] || || || ||
|-
|'''Depression'''
|
|{{w|Great Depression|period of prolonged economic downturn}} that affected the world economy in the 1930's
|
|
|
|-
|'''Dipper'''
|{{w|Big Dipper|subset collection of stars}} in the constellation {{w|Ursa Major}}
|
|
|name for the constellation {{w|Ursa Minor}}
|
|-
|'''Emerald'''
|
|
|{{w|Large_emerald|Geometra papilionaria}}, a bright green moth of the family {{w|Geometer_moth|Geometridae}}
|{{w|Jodis_lactearia|Jodis lactearia}}, a light green or white moth of the family {{w|Geometer_moth|Geometridae}}
|{{w|Hemistola_chrysoprasaria|Hemistola chrysoprasaria}}, a light green or yellow-white moth of the family {{w|Geometer_moth|Geometridae}}
|-
|'''Enchilada'''
|The term "Big Enchilada" means a person or thing of great importance.
|
|
|
|-
|'''End'''
|The {{w|Crankpin|bearing}} connecting a connecting rod to the crank shaft of a reciprocating engine.
| {{w|Great End|Mountain in England}}
|
|
|The {{w|Crankpin|bearing}} connecting a connecting rod to the gudgeon pin and hence the piston in a reciprocating engine.
|-
|'''Eyed Conger'''
|{{w|Sea conger|type of eel}}, found in the western Pacific Ocean
|
|{{w|Large-eye conger|type of eel}}, found in the northwestern and eastern central Pacific Ocean
|
|{{w|Smalleye conger|type of eel}}, found in the eastern Indian Ocean
|-
|'''Flying Fox'''
|
|{{w|Great flying fox}}
|{{w|Large flying fox}}
|
|{{w|Small flying fox}}
|-
|'''Foot'''
|The well known folk-lore monster ''{{w|Bigfoot}}''
|
|
|{{w|List_of_The_Land_Before_Time_characters#Littlefoot|Main character}} in the ''{{w|Land Before Time}}'' film series
|''{{w|Smallfoot (film)|Smallfoot}}'' is an animated film that inverts the Bigfoot legend, focusing on a group of yetis that tell stories about humans.
|-
|'''Forest Bat'''
|
|
|A common {{w|Large forest bat|bat}} found in Southeastern Australia
|A related {{w|Little forest bat|bat}} also found in Southeastern Australia
|
|-
|'''Format'''
|
|
|{{w|Large format|anything larger than 4x5 inches in photography}}
|
|
|-
|'''Foundation'''
|The BIG Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit charity
|May be a reference to Asimov’s Greater Foundation
|?
|
|
|-
|'''Frog'''
|Refers to someone who is important but only in a small group (Big frog in a small pond)
|
|?
|children's book [https://smile.amazon.com/Little-Frog-Crista-R-Stewart/dp/1616638702/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g5171374337?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&ie=UTF8 "The Little Frog"] by Crista R. Stewart
|{{w|Small frog|An Australian frog species}}
|-
|'''Game'''
|Large animals hunted for sport or food, usually referring to the African {{w|big five game}} (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, cape buffalo); can also refer to the NFL's {{w|Super Bowl}}
|{{w|Great Game|19th Century geopolitical competition}} between the British and Russian Empires over control of Afghanistan
|{{w|Game (hunting)|Large animals}} hunted for sport or food, such as bears or moose
|
|{{w|Game (hunting)|Small animals}} hunted for sport or food, such as rabbits or ducks
|-
|'''Hadron Collider'''
|
|
|{{w|Large Hadron Collider|particle accelerator}}
|
|
|-
|'''Hearted'''
|[[wiktionary:bighearted|kind, generous, selfless, noble]]
|[[wiktionary:greathearted|generous, selfless, noble]]
|[[wiktionary:largehearted|generous, benevolent, noble]]
|
|
|-
|'''House on the Prairie'''
|
|
|
|{{w|Little House on the Prairie|novel}} (later made into a TV show)
|
|-
|'''Intestine'''
|
|
|The {{w|Large Intestine}} or colon is the last part of the digestive system.
|
|The {{w|Small Intestine}} is the part of the gastrointestinal tract (gut) immediately after the stomach, where most absorption of nutrients takes place
|-
|'''Island'''
|{{w|Hawaii (island)|largest island in Hawaii}}, or numerous other islands: {{w|Big Island}}
|{{w|Great Island|in Cork Harbour, Ireland}}
|{{w|Large Island|island in the Antilles, owned by Grenada}}
|{{w|Little Island|several islands named such}}, plus a song in ''{{w|Randy Newman's Faust}}''
|{{w|Small Island (novel)|novel which was made into a movie}}
|-
|'''League'''
|Nickname for top-level competition
|One of the leagues in Pokemon Go
|
|{{w|Little League Baseball|Youth baseball organization}}
|
|-
|'''Lies'''
|''{{w|Big Little Lies (TV series)|Big Little Lies}}'', a novel made into a TV series; also a [[wiktionary:big lie|form of propaganda]]
|
|
|''{{w|Big Little Lies (TV series)|Big Little Lies}}'', a novel made into a TV series; also a {{w|Little Lies|Fleetwood Mac song}}
|
|-
|'''Magellanic Cloud'''
|
|
|A {{w|Large Magellanic Cloud|satellite galaxy}} of the Milky Way
|
|Another {{w|Small Magellanic Cloud|satellite galaxy}} of the Milky Way
|-
|'''Millimeter Telescope'''
|
|
|{{w|Large Millimeter Telescope|radio telescope}}
|
|
|-
|'''One'''
|Nickname for any large natural disaster that is expected to happen in the future, such as a tsunami or an earthquake in California
|Nickname for {{w|Wayne Gretzky}}, considered by many to be the greatest ice hockey player of all time, also comedian {{w|Jackie Gleason}} and many other people ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_One Wikipedia disambiguation page]).
|
|affectionate term for a small person
|{{w|The Small One|A Disney animated short directed by Don Bluth}}
|-
|'''Orphan Annie'''
|
|
|
|{{w|Little Orphan Annie|comic strip}}
|
|-
|'''Planet'''
|Part of the video game ''{{w|Little Big Planet}}''
|
|
|Part of the video game ''{{w|Little Big Planet}}''
|
|-
|'''Potatoes'''
|
|
|
|
|[[wiktionary:small potatoes|something relatively unimportant]]
|-
|'''Pox'''
|
|an old name for {{w|syphilis}}
|
|
|{{w|smallpox|a deadly disease}} which was effectively eradicated by 1977
|-
|'''Professor'''
|
|
|{{w|Large Professor|rap artist}}
|{{w|Little Professor|educational math toy}} (also "Little Professor Syndrome", an informal name for autism)
|
|-
|'''Richard'''
|
|
|
|{{w|Little Richard|musician}}
|
|-
|'''Room'''
|
|{{w|Great room|a McMansion's signature space}}
|
|{{w|White_Blood_Cells_(album)#Track_listing|Track 6}} on "White Blood Cells," the third album by {{w|The_White_Stripes|The White Stripes}}
|{{w|May Sarton|"The Small Room", a novel by May Sarton}}, also various songs: {{w|Small Room}}
|-
|'''Screen'''
|[[wiktionary:big screen|another name for movies]]
|
|
|
|[[wiktionary:small screen|another name for TV]]
|-
|'''Sister'''
|[[wiktionary:big sister|older female sibling]]; also [https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/Little_Sister a character from the influential video game Bioshock]
|
|
|[[wiktionary:little sister|younger female sibling]]; also [https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/Big_Sister another character from the influential video game Bioshock]
|
|-
|'''Soldiers'''
|
|
|
|{{w|Little Soldiers|1996 Telugu drama film}}
|{{w|Small Soldiers|1998 movie}} about sentient animated toys at war
|-
|'''Sur'''
|{{w|Big Sur|coastal region of California}} famed for its mountain scenery
|
|
|
|
|-
|'''Terror'''
|
|{{w|Great Terror|One of two periods of violent political repression}}; one during {{w|Reign of Terror|the French Revolution}} between 1793 and 1794, the other in {{w|Great Purge|the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin}} between 1936 and 1938
|
|
|
|-
|'''Time'''
|[[wiktionary:big time|major]], the highest level of a field
|
|
|
|[[wiktionary:small time|minor]], or modest, level of achievement
|-
|'''Toothed Aspen'''
|A {{w|Populus grandidentata|tree}} native to North America
|
|Another name for the same tree
|
|
|-
|'''Wall of China'''
|
|{{w|Great Wall of China|Series of fortifications}} over 13,000 miles long that served to protect various Chinese empires from raids and invasion from their north
|
|
|
|-
|'''White'''
|{{w|Big White Ski Resort|ski resort in British Columbia}}
|{{w|Great white shark|species of shark}} or a {{w|Great White|rock band}}
|{{w|Pieris brassicae|a butterfly}} or {{w|Large White pig|a common breed of pig}}
|
|{{w|Dixeia|multiple species}} of {{w|Pieris rapae|butterflies}} are known as small whites
|-
|'''Wonder'''
|
|
|
|{{w|Little Wonder|"Little Wonder" is a song and single by David Bowie, from the 1997 album Earthling.}}
|{{w|Small Wonder (TV series)|American sitcom}}
|-
|'''World'''
|Australian company {{w|BigWorld|BigWorld}} which develops development tools for MMOs; also {{w|Big_World|a 1986 live album by Joe Jackson}}.
|Reference to either {{w|Great World City|Great World City}} or {{w|Great World Amusement Park|Great World Amusement Park}}, a Chinese shopping mall or amusement park, respectively
|
|A {{w|Little World|2013 Catalan documentary film}}
|{{w|Small_World_(board_game)|Board game by Days of Wonder}}, {{w|It's a Small World|ride at Disney parks}}, type of {{w|Small-world_network|mathematical graph.}}
|-
!Item !! Big !! Great !! Large !! Little !! Small
|}

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


[A Venn diagram with five sets titled 'Big', 'Little', 'Large', 'Small' and 'Great'. Various words which can be prefixed by these titles are shown in the relevant segment.]

:Big: Bang Theory, Enchilada, Board, Sur
:Little: Orphan Annie, House on the Prairie, Richard
:Large: format, Millimeter Telescope, Hadron Collider
:Small: claims court, potatoes
:Great: Barrier Reef, Wall of China, Depression, Terror, aunt

:Big/Great: Bend, Bear Lake
:Big/Small: time, screen
:Big/Little: Dipper, Planet, lies, sister
:Little/Great: Blue Heron
:Little/Large: Professor, Forest Bat
:Big/Large: Toothed Aspen
:Large/Small: intestine, Magellanic Cloud
:Little/Small: wonder, soldiers
:Small/Great: pox, cardiac vein
:Large/Great: Billed Seed Finch

:Big/Large/Great: hearted
:Big/Small/Great: end
:Big/Little/Small: foot
:Big/Little/Great: league
:Little/Large/Great: (none)
:Big/Little/Large: foundation
:Big/Large/Small: Eyed Conger, Blue
:Little/Large/Small: emerald
:Little/Small/Great: circle, room
:Large/Small/Great: flying fox

:Big/Large/Small/Great: game, white
:Big/Little/Small/Great : world, one
:Big/Little/Large/Great : (none)
:Big/Little/Large/Small : frog
:Little/Large/Small/Great : (none)

:Big/Little/Large/Small/Great: Island

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Venn diagrams]]
[[Category:Language]]

1946: Hawaii

2018-01-29T06:24:12Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1946
| date = January 24, 2018
| title = Hawaii
| image = hawaii.png
| titletext = Ok, I've got it, just need to plug in my security key. Hmm, which way does the USB go? Nope, not that way. I'll just flip it and- OH JEEZ IT FELL INTO THE VENT.
}}

==Explanation==

On January 13, 2018, the state of Hawaii sent out an emergency alert warning of an incoming ballistic missile attack. The message was specifically noted to NOT be a drill. This caused widespread panic and fear amongst the island residents, and there were follow-up confirmations from local entities who thought the original warning was real. It was eventually determined that the alert was sent in error -- the explanation being that a technician accidentally sent out the "real" version when they were supposed to be testing the system during an end-of-shift changeover -- but the fact that it took half an hour for the correction to be sent drew widespread criticism. On January 23, [http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/23/us/hawaii-governor-password-trnd/index.html it was revealed] that the governor of Hawaii knew the alert was a false alarm only two minutes after it was sent, but couldn't notify the public because he had forgotten the login information for his Twitter account.

The proliferation of online services requiring authentication, together with variations in security requirements, various flavours of {{w|Multi-factor authentication}}, a variety of password retrieval methods, and security advice not to re-use passwords across services, has resulted in the management and memorisation of passwords becoming a major headache for many people. This comic shows Cueball, representing the governor, frantically trying to retrieve his log in to Twitter and encountering a number of common frustrations:
* He has a number of passwords that he uses, likely for multiple services, but none of them seem to be working. Often people will use subtly different variations of one or more password(s) for different logins, in an attempt to keep them all unique. In a situation where they've forgotten the relevant password, this can lead to them cycling through all the possible variations, and struggling to keep track of which they have and haven't tried.
* He's requested a password reset, but doesn't know where to go to activate it. Many services allow users to reset a password using a link or information sent to them in an email. However, as many people have multiple email accounts, this can be unhelpful and frustrating if it simply indicates that 'you have been sent an email'.
* He expects the password to have been saved somewhere, but can't work out where. Many devices and browsers now have the facility to save and/or sync passwords entered through them, in an attempt to simplify their management by providing centralised storage. However, the very number of these available leads to a re-fragmentation.
Off-panel, another person is adding to the stress of his situation by screaming at him that people are beginning to panic and warning sirens are going off, underscoring the need to get the correction out as fast as possible. As the caption under the comic indicates, Randall has had a nightmare along these (very specific) lines, and is amused to find someone experiencing that nightmare in the real world.

The alt-text refers to USB security keys, physical USB devices that act as tangible 'passwords' for various accounts or devices. (A traditional key of shaped metal is literally a tangible password, with each digit of the password releasing one tumbler of a physical lock; Electronic keys replace the key-and-tumbler password system with a digital password signal.) In the context of this comic, the governor attempts to sign into his Twitter account using one such key, but can't insert it into his computer correctly (as USB devices are infamous for needing to be inserted in a particular orientation despite having a symmetrical outer appearance; also known as [https://www.google.com/search?q=usb+superposition USB superposition].) Trying to flip the key around, Cueball drops it into a vent - similar to what happens in [[1518: Typical Morning Routine]].

== Trivia ==
The Hawaii emergency agency also might have password problems. In a news article from June 2017 there was a photo showing an agency employee standing beside his own computer, which sports a password on a sticky note. [http://uk.businessinsider.com/hawaii-emergency-agency-password-discovered-in-photo-sparks-security-criticism-2018-1?utm_content=buffer1f883&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer-ti&r=US&IR=T This caused further criticism of the agency security practices].

==Transcript==

:[Cueball is at a desk with one hand on a laptop and the other holding his phone.]
:Off-screen voice: '''''Hurry!'''''
:Cueball: It keeps saying "Wrong Password!" I've tried everything it might be!
:Off-screen voice: '''''The clock is ticking!'''''
:Cueball: I requested a reset but haven't gotten it! Which email did I use?!
:Off-screen voice: '''''Sirens are going off!!'''''
:Cueball: It's not in my password manager! Is it in a browser? Which browser? Is Autofill synced to my phone??
:Off-screen voice: '''''OH MY GOD THE SCREAMING!!'''''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I feel bad for everyone in Hawaii, but when the governor couldn't get into his Twitter account, he lived out one of my very specific nightmares in real life.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

Talk:1944: The End of the Rainbow

2018-01-20T02:27:13Z

KieferSkunk: Different size quibble (sun's diameter compared to the earth's).

Hey, an early comic that I understand! Typed up a transcript (though the description of the first panel was already there, and the empty explanation already had the Incomplete Explanation set as "Created by a LEPRECHAUN"), but using an iPad and typing in Notes to avoid editing conflicts, so I can't see the comic while I'm typing. So the inherent magic of the Telephone Game comes into play, where the mind likes to summarize and put into different words, LOL! I think I managed to get it completely accurate, though. I'll see if I can come up with an explanation shortly. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 07:10, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

If you think about leprechauns while thinking about pots of gold then there will indeed be leprechauns at both ends.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.125|162.158.166.125]] 08:09, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

There is a *huge* difference between 10^-7 and 10^7... just fyi[[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.82|162.158.2.82]] 08:12, 19 January 2018 (UTC)
:This is one of those cases where the phrase "Orders Of Magnitude" comes in, LOL! Kind of glad someone else beat me to providing an explanation now, not my goof. LOL! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 08:22, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

I don't think that the part about solar gold volume is correct. The density used only applies to gold in solid state in room temperature, and the Sun is neither. In a way, gold indise Sun has the volume of the Sun itself. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.168|162.158.90.168]] 10:41, 19 January 2018 (UTC)
: Yes I realized that a few minutes after posting my original edit, and added a parenthesis to explain that I used the volume that much gold would have on Earth-like conditions. Not that the fact has any concrete application anyway, but I thought it would show that the claim that there is more gold in the Sun than water on Earth can't simply be pictured as an ocean volume of gold. Maybe there's a sea somewhere that's about the right volume and you could say "taking all the gold from the Sun would fill <that particular sea>" [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.16|141.101.88.16]] 11:21, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

:There may be more gold in the sun than water in the oceans but the oceans have a higher concentration of gold than the sun does. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.136|172.69.62.136]] 11:40, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

Leprechauns live on the night side of the Sun to avoid being incinerated, that's why we can't see them from this side.
Zetfr 12:46, 19 January 2018 (UTC)
:The night side... Of the sun... Is there a cartoon about this? I feel like there needs to be a cartoon about this. Just one observation: On the night side of the sun, there's no moon? Or if there is, what's lighting it up? ;D This is even better than the "dark" side of the Moon.
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:33, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

"far more than a [...] leprechaun's pot of gold" - I'm pretty sure a leprechaun's pot of gold is self-refilling, and therefore infinite.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.204|162.158.111.204]] 13:06, 19 January 2018 (UTC)
:Oh no, the pot is just a container they had handy; The pot of gold is the measure of their ransom. ... No idea why I feel so sure of that. I don't think I want to re-read all the lore I studied as a kid to find the source...
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:33, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

did anyone else notice that the cone from the clouds to your eye isn't actually a cone, since it's slightly truncated at the point, otherwise we'd see an ideal point (i.e. not see it.) just me, then. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.170|162.158.88.170]] 13:08, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

I think the logic of the title text is: gold is at the other end of the rainbow is there, because in that moment the person (his/her brain) is thinking about the gold. To put in a dumber way: when you think about gold, then gold is in your brain, ergo if your brain is one end of the rainbow, and you're wondering if there's gold at the end of the rainbow, then in a self-fulfilling way, it is. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.82|162.158.238.82]] 13:53, 19 January 2018 (UTC) .tnm

:I don't think the current title-text explanation makes any sense: The title-text portion of the comic doesn't seem to reference leprechauns at all. Was the comic edited after being posted?
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:33, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

:I fixed the title text explanation. Also does this comic imply that if someone thinks about carnivorous giant neon zombie tomatoes while looking at a rainbow, then they exist at one end? ;) [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 15:45, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure the numbers are completly wrong, 0.3 parts per trillion probably comes from [https://www.quora.com/Is-there-any-gold-in-the-sun-If-so-how-much-gold-could-be-contained-in-it here] (because the same article was used as a reference at some point in the history of the explanation), but I think this is the ratio of atoms, not mass. The answer on quora uses the same value of 0.3 parts per trillion but instead of 6*10^17 kg of gold, deduces from that number that there is 10^20 kg of golds. One atom of gold is ~195 times as heavy as one atom of hydrogen, and since the Sun is mostly hydrogen and also some heavier elements, the mass of gold over the average mass of atoms in the Sun should be a little below 195. The ratio between 10^20 and 6*10^17 is 167.
There's still a ratio of 20 between that value (10^20 kg) of the mass of gold on the sun and the one [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(abundance+gold+sun)+*+(mass+sun) from wolframalpha], and I'm quite expecting Randall to have used the latter, which is of 2 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_large_numbers quintillion] tons of gold on the Sun, IE "quintillions of tons" as expressed by Megan. Maybe that value is wrong, but I think it should be mentionned to show that Randall probably didn't just make up a number. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.16|141.101.88.16]] 17:42, 19 January 2018 (UTC)
:I've attempted to get to the bottom of this - Wikipedia gives limited sources. A search for [[https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=(abundance+gold+sun)|(abundance+gold+sun) on WolframAlpha]] gives 10^-7% by mass, but again, their references don't seem to support that (at least from a brief scan). Quora cites [[http://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-iarticle_query?1968PASAu...1..133A&data_type=PDF_HIGH&filetype=.pdf&type=PRINTER&whole_paper=YES|a 1968 paper] but I can't read that very well - I've attempted to analyse their data but I'm afraid I've been unable to determine how Quora reached their ".3 parts per trillion" from that paper. (I might drag out some textbooks and try again later.) In any case these two numbers are in wild disagreement, even if we assume Quora meant atomic ratios and multiply their number by 197 (atomic mass of gold; gold only has one stable isotope).
:As mentioned, WolframAlpha's number gives 2.0x10^21 kg, or 2 quintillion tonnes, whereas Quora's gives 6.0x10^17 kg, or 0.0006 quintillion tonnes (0.12 quintillion tonnes if we mutiply by 197).
:Of course, none of these results are small! I'd be happy with a pot of gold of even half a quadrillion tonnes. [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 20:26, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

How can 'more than' be off by a factor of anything, given that it's non-specific? It could be 'fractionally more than' or 'a thousand times more than'.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.204|162.158.111.204]] 18:07, 19 January 2018 (UTC)
:In this case, because the true amount is LESS than, not more than. (The author of that part of the explanation assumed the minimum amount that could be called "quintillions" is 2 quintillion, and the calculated true amount is 4000 times smaller.) [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 20:30, 19 January 2018 (UTC)

Okay, I've got a different quibble about sizes here. Despite the fact that the sun is so far away from the earth that it appears as a relatively small disk in the sky, the sun is thousands of times LARGER than our planet. As such, the longer cone in Megan's explanation is such a gross oversimplification of the way light from the sun works as to be wildly inaccurate. If anything, this cone should be reversed (larger at the sun's end) to illustrate the portion of the sun's light energy that actually hits the whole planet, let alone just the area that any person is looking at when they see a rainbow. (Granted, the angle of the cone would be extremely shallow due to the distances involved, but it would still be larger-to-smaller, not smaller-to-larger as explained here.) The cone as she describes it only makes sense if we're talking about a very small portion of the sun's surface emitting that light. It's unclear to me if this was meant to be a flawed, oversimplified or metaphorical explanation (in which case it's not very clear), or if Randall was actually attempting to explain how this works, but this particular comic feels pretty far "off" to me in that respect, compared to similar comics he's done in the past. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 02:27, 20 January 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1913: A ?

2017-11-09T22:36:25Z

KieferSkunk:

"no update can never" is logically equivalent to "any update can". Not sure if this is intentional. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.60|162.158.106.60]] 16:49, 8 November 2017 (UTC)
: Isn't it logically equivalent to "any update can ''sometimes''"? Linguistically, of course, it can be equivalent either to this, or to "no update can".[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.198|141.101.105.198]] 16:59, 8 November 2017 (UTC)
:: I think it's actually equivalent to "ALL updates can" (because if even a single update could not, the statement would be false). [[User:Jedi.jesse|Jedi.jesse]] ([[User talk:Jedi.jesse|talk]]) 05:28, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
::: But "all updates can" could imply that only applying all updates would take it away. It also doesn't deal with the temporality - "no update can never" only implies that for each update there is a point in time when it could take it away, not necessarily that any update can always take it away, nor that there is any time at which all updates could take it away. Or to summarise, trying to reduce language to terms of logic is a fool's errand. ;o)[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.198|141.101.105.198]] 09:53, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
: Or did Randall mean to type "no update can ever take this away" which makes more sense to me? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.76|172.68.54.76]] 19:08, 8 November 2017 (UTC)
: Due to the linked Wikipedia article "some dialects of English are examples of negative-concord languages", i.e. double negatives intensifies eauch other. From my experience, it isn't only some dialects but most (of American English). Same Wikipedia article also states that negative-concord are more common. (we need more mathematicians in the world.) Imho, the relevant sentence on the comic page should be deleted or strongly modified, since it's common usage. [[User:Derda17|Derda17]] ([[User talk:Derda17|talk]]) 07:05, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
:: Idiot English is a bit of stretch to call a dialect. It just happens to be how dumb people speak.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.118|162.158.202.118]] 21:57, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

Is this a comment on all those moral panics about 'the youth of today can't read or write because they're only learning to speak in emojis'? And/or about developers using 'undocumented features' in their applications, so that when they're fixed it breaks those applications?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.198|141.101.105.198]] 16:55, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

More like on how Randall appears to have strange habits. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.52|172.68.141.52]] 16:59, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

Hopefully somebody will make a full tutorial on how to accomplish the title text thing.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.241|162.158.89.241]] 19:03, 8 November 2017 (UTC)
:I could do this easily on the computer with AutoHotKey (which might be overkill), but I'm not sure about iPhones, which are likely the target for the idea. iPhones have built-in text replacement, but I think you have to follow the word to be replaced with a space for it to work, rather than it working instantly (as "mapping a key on your keyboard" implies). [[Special:Contributions/172.68.26.41|172.68.26.41]] 19:15, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

The correct url for this comic would be something like [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1913:_A_%EF%BF%BD 1913:_A_%EF%BF%BD], but that is an invalid title. It would still probably be better to change it to "A ?" with a note instead of "A_%C3%AF%C2%BF%C2%BD". —[[User:Artyer|Artyer]] <big>([[User Talk:Artyer|talk]]<big>'''|'''</big>[[Special:Contributions/Artyer|ctb]])</big> 21:03, 8 November 2017 (UTC)
: I suggest using ⍰ (U+2370) instead, as it better approximates the original iOS display. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.52|172.68.54.52]] 21:25, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

Interesting to note that the name of the posted image is i.png, which I guess DOES match the name of the comic? [[User:Alanbbent|Alanbbent]] ([[User talk:Alanbbent|talk]]) 22:35, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

Perhaps, change the strange symbol to its HTML entity, � [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.154|108.162.249.154]] 23:00, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

A lowercase i represents the square root of negative one, so let's just say that this comic is imaginary and resolve the problem that way :-)[[Special:Contributions/162.158.59.238|162.158.59.238]] 05:46, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

It is not possible to make a wiki page with � in the name so I have changed to title to "A ?" and moved both the explanation and the comment here. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:20, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

Strange that I was the first to comment on the fact that it was I not i that was changed in the comic, which acording to the current explanation is what happens with the Apple bug... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:28, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
: The expected autocorrection on typing "i" would be replacing it by "I". So usually there's no need to type "I", it should be enough to type "i" (saves you one click). --[[User:YMS|YMS]] ([[User talk:YMS|talk]]) 16:18, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
:: OK. But what about the other i in the text. Would they not trigger the error because it is inside a word? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:59, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
::: No they wouldn't, because the autocorrect is triggered by hitting space. If you use "i" in the middle of a word, the next button is a letter, not the space button, and it recognizes the rest of the word. (I don't know what it would do if you found a word ending with "i".) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.33|162.158.74.33]] 21:09, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
:::: Worth noting also that if the lower-case i is at the end of a word (e.g. "Hawaii"), this wouldn't trigger the AutoCorrect because "Hawaii" is a recognized word and wouldn't need correcting. And I assume that if you typed "hawaii" instead, it would perform a standard correction to "Hawaii". ''(Ironically, my MacBook auto-corrected my lower-case "hawaii" to "Hawaii" for me while typing this. I had to override it here. :))'' [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 22:36, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1913: A ?

2017-11-09T22:36:08Z

KieferSkunk: Re: "i" at the end of a word

"no update can never" is logically equivalent to "any update can". Not sure if this is intentional. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.60|162.158.106.60]] 16:49, 8 November 2017 (UTC)
: Isn't it logically equivalent to "any update can ''sometimes''"? Linguistically, of course, it can be equivalent either to this, or to "no update can".[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.198|141.101.105.198]] 16:59, 8 November 2017 (UTC)
:: I think it's actually equivalent to "ALL updates can" (because if even a single update could not, the statement would be false). [[User:Jedi.jesse|Jedi.jesse]] ([[User talk:Jedi.jesse|talk]]) 05:28, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
::: But "all updates can" could imply that only applying all updates would take it away. It also doesn't deal with the temporality - "no update can never" only implies that for each update there is a point in time when it could take it away, not necessarily that any update can always take it away, nor that there is any time at which all updates could take it away. Or to summarise, trying to reduce language to terms of logic is a fool's errand. ;o)[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.198|141.101.105.198]] 09:53, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
: Or did Randall mean to type "no update can ever take this away" which makes more sense to me? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.76|172.68.54.76]] 19:08, 8 November 2017 (UTC)
: Due to the linked Wikipedia article "some dialects of English are examples of negative-concord languages", i.e. double negatives intensifies eauch other. From my experience, it isn't only some dialects but most (of American English). Same Wikipedia article also states that negative-concord are more common. (we need more mathematicians in the world.) Imho, the relevant sentence on the comic page should be deleted or strongly modified, since it's common usage. [[User:Derda17|Derda17]] ([[User talk:Derda17|talk]]) 07:05, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
:: Idiot English is a bit of stretch to call a dialect. It just happens to be how dumb people speak.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.118|162.158.202.118]] 21:57, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

Is this a comment on all those moral panics about 'the youth of today can't read or write because they're only learning to speak in emojis'? And/or about developers using 'undocumented features' in their applications, so that when they're fixed it breaks those applications?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.198|141.101.105.198]] 16:55, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

More like on how Randall appears to have strange habits. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.52|172.68.141.52]] 16:59, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

Hopefully somebody will make a full tutorial on how to accomplish the title text thing.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.241|162.158.89.241]] 19:03, 8 November 2017 (UTC)
:I could do this easily on the computer with AutoHotKey (which might be overkill), but I'm not sure about iPhones, which are likely the target for the idea. iPhones have built-in text replacement, but I think you have to follow the word to be replaced with a space for it to work, rather than it working instantly (as "mapping a key on your keyboard" implies). [[Special:Contributions/172.68.26.41|172.68.26.41]] 19:15, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

The correct url for this comic would be something like [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1913:_A_%EF%BF%BD 1913:_A_%EF%BF%BD], but that is an invalid title. It would still probably be better to change it to "A ?" with a note instead of "A_%C3%AF%C2%BF%C2%BD". —[[User:Artyer|Artyer]] <big>([[User Talk:Artyer|talk]]<big>'''|'''</big>[[Special:Contributions/Artyer|ctb]])</big> 21:03, 8 November 2017 (UTC)
: I suggest using ⍰ (U+2370) instead, as it better approximates the original iOS display. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.52|172.68.54.52]] 21:25, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

Interesting to note that the name of the posted image is i.png, which I guess DOES match the name of the comic? [[User:Alanbbent|Alanbbent]] ([[User talk:Alanbbent|talk]]) 22:35, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

Perhaps, change the strange symbol to its HTML entity, � [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.154|108.162.249.154]] 23:00, 8 November 2017 (UTC)

A lowercase i represents the square root of negative one, so let's just say that this comic is imaginary and resolve the problem that way :-)[[Special:Contributions/162.158.59.238|162.158.59.238]] 05:46, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

It is not possible to make a wiki page with � in the name so I have changed to title to "A ?" and moved both the explanation and the comment here. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:20, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

Strange that I was the first to comment on the fact that it was I not i that was changed in the comic, which acording to the current explanation is what happens with the Apple bug... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:28, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
: The expected autocorrection on typing "i" would be replacing it by "I". So usually there's no need to type "I", it should be enough to type "i" (saves you one click). --[[User:YMS|YMS]] ([[User talk:YMS|talk]]) 16:18, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
:: OK. But what about the other i in the text. Would they not trigger the error because it is inside a word? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:59, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
::: No they wouldn't, because the autocorrect is triggered by hitting space. If you use "i" in the middle of a word, the next button is a letter, not the space button, and it recognizes the rest of the word. (I don't know what it would do if you found a word ending with "i".) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.33|162.158.74.33]] 21:09, 9 November 2017 (UTC)
:::: Worth noting also that if the lower-case i is at the end of a word (e.g. "Hawaii"), this wouldn't trigger the AutoCorrect because "Hawaii" is a recognized word and wouldn't need correcting. And I assume that if you typed "hawaii" instead, it would perform a standard correction to "Hawaii". ''(Ironically, my MacBook auto-corrected my lower-case "hawaii" to "Hawaii" for me while typing this. I had to override it here. :)) [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 22:36, 9 November 2017 (UTC)

1890: What to Bring

2017-09-20T04:56:19Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */ A little cleanup.

{{comic
| number = 1890
| date = September 15, 2017
| title = What to Bring
| image = what_to_bring.png
| titletext = I always figured you should never bring a gun to a gun fight because then you'll be part of a gun fight.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic consists of a table showing variations of the phrase "never bring a knife to a gun fight", an idiom usually attributed to either {{w|Elmer Keith}} or ''{{w|The Untouchables (film)|The Untouchables}}''. Each cell answers the question "Should you bring X to Y?" and illustrates the likely outcome of each combination of object and situation. Each row gives an object (X) to bring to the situation, and each column describes the situation (Y) to which the object is brought. The first two columns show an opponent holding a knife and a gun, indicating situations of conflict. The third and fourth columns describe fighting (extinguishing) two types of fire (wood and oil). Neither one should be battled with knives or guns.{{Citation needed}}

The squares in the table are highlighted in green to answer "Yes" to the question, where the specified object is appropriate or advantageous for the situation, or red to answer "No", usually because the object would not be helpful in resolving the situation. With the exception of "bringing a gun to a knife fight", these are exactly diagonally arranged from the upper-left to the lower-right, corresponding to sentences that make logical sense. In the case of the gun to a knife fight, the situation is heavily skewed in your favor.

The ultimate point of this comic may be in the title text. There is a phrase in American English, "to bring a knife to a gun fight," which means "to be so naive as to be unprepared." While Randall may be commenting specifically on managing {{w|conflict escalation}} by being adequately prepared for the situation, it is also possible that he is subtly expressing his opinion about the virtues of restraint.

{| class="wikitable"
! Should you bring ... to ...
! scope="col"| a knife fight
! scope="col"| a gun fight
! scope="col"| a wood fire
! scope="col"| an oil fire
|-
! scope="row"| a knife
| Yes. If you bring a knife to a knife fight, you will be evenly matched with your opponent.
| No. If you bring a knife to a gun fight, you will be at a perilous disadvantage. (Although, at close range, a knife is considered more lethal than a firearm in certain situations, e.g. a holstered pistol)
| No. Attempting to stab a wood fire with a knife will only lead to you being burned.
| No. Attempting to stab an oil fire will only cause you to get burned and leave metallic scrapes in the pan.
|-
! scope="row"| a gun
| Yes. Bringing a gun to a knife fight will leave your opponent at a perilous disadvantage. (You may be accused of "not playing fair".)
| Yes*. Bringing a gun to a gun fight will leave you {{w|Mexican standoff|evenly matched with your opponent}}.
| colspan="2"| No. Shooting at a wood or an oil fire will not extinguish either one. Depending on the exact caliber of the bullet, you may even end up scattering the wood or oil fueling the flames, leaving you with a worse situation than before. Also, most bullets contain lead, so the heat of the fire may cause the bullet to give off toxic fumes.
|-
! scope="row"| water
| colspan="2"| No. Splashing either a knife-wielder or a gunman with water will only agitate your opponent. (However, water can disable some older guns that use gunpowder, since the gunpowder will not ignite when wet.)
| Yes. Wood fires are best extinguished with a well-aimed splash of water.
| No! Pouring water on an oil fire is notorious for creating huge fireballs and scattering the oil, making the situation even worse.
|-
! scope="row"| a lid
| colspan="2"| No. Attempting to put a lid on the head of a knife-wielder or gunman will probably not help matters, as it may only serve to agitate them. While it might momentarily confuse your opponent, it probably won't give you much of a running start. (However, a metal lid with the right sort of handle could serve as a makeshift {{w|buckler|shield}}.)
| No. Trying to put out a wood fire with a lid would usually require a lid far too large for you to carry.
| Yes. An {{w|Class B fire|oil fire}} is best extinguished by cutting it off from oxygen; stove top oil fires generally occur in cooking pans, which often come with lids suited to making an airtight seal.
|}

* While the chart states that you should bring a gun to a gun fight, the title text makes the observation that bringing a gun to a gunfight might just raise your status from 'inconsequential bystander' to 'combatant'. So perhaps you shouldn't bring a gun to a gun fight if not bringing one is a way to avoid being considered part of the fight. It probably all depends on why there is a gun fight to begin with, and why you are choosing to go to it, with or without a gun (or knife or water or lid). Or Randall may simply (and wisely) mean that you shouldn't go to a gunfight at all, which is a genuinely valid point, and not a joke.

==Transcript==

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

Text in the top-left corner of the comic reads, "Should you bring _____ to ______?"

The comic is laid out like a grid, with implements down the left-hand side (A knife / A gun / Water / A lid) and the type of "fight" across the top (A knife fight / A gun fight / A wood fire / An oil fire). The grid illustrates the "match-ups", with a green square denoting a "correct" match-up and a red square denoting a Very Bad Idea.

From the top left corner, going from left to right, top to bottom, with each first item being on its own line in the grid, the squares are as follows:

*'''A knife''' to '''A knife fight''': Green square, two combatants face off against each other with knives, equally matched.
*'''A knife''' to '''A gun fight''': Red square, a person with a knife faces off against someone with a gun, and is clearly outmatched.
*'''A knife''' to '''A wood fire''': Red square, a person holds a knife in a wood fire while saying "OW OW OW".
*'''A knife''' to '''An oil fire''': Red square, the person with the knife scrapes at the oil inside the pan that's on fire while saying "OW OW OW". The scraping accompanied by the text "SCRAPE SCRAPE".
*'''A gun''' to '''A knife fight''': Green square, the person with the gun points it at the opponent with the knife, who exclaims, "Dude!"
*'''A gun''' to '''A gun fight''': Green square, two combatants point guns at one another, equally matched.
*'''A gun''' to '''A wood fire''': Red square, the person with the gun shoots pointlessly three times at the wood fire, which carries on blazing. The shooting is accompanied by the text "BLAM BLAM BLAM".
*'''A gun''' to '''An oil fire''': Red square, the person with the gun shoots at the flaming pan, which does nothing to put it out. The shooting is accompanied by the text "BLAM".
*'''Water''' to '''A knife fight''': Red square, the person with the water throws it uselessly in the face of the person holding the knife.
*'''Water''' to '''A gun fight''': Red square, the person with the water throws it uselessly in the face of the person holding the gun.
*'''Water''' to '''A wood fire''': Green square, the person throws the water on the fire and successfully extinguishes it, which makes a "SPLOOSH" sound.
*'''Water''' to '''An oil fire''': Red square, the person is shown reeling back from the oil fire, the water glass going flying, as the oil fire explodes with a "FOOM".
*'''A lid''' to '''A knife fight''': Red square, the person with the lid comically places it on the head of the person with the knife, who stands there in confusion.
*'''A lid''' to '''A gun fight''': Red square, the person with the lid ineffectually places it on top of the gun the other person is pointing at them.
*'''A lid''' to '''A wood fire''': Red square, the person with the lid holds it near the wood fire, which does nothing to put out the fire.
*'''A lid''' to '''An oil fire''': Green square, the person places the lid on top of the oil fire, which suffocates and extinguishes it.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

1890: What to Bring

2017-09-16T01:48:52Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */

1890: What to Bring

2017-09-16T01:47:02Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */

1890: What to Bring

2017-09-16T01:43:37Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */ Some reworks in here, rm incomplete tag.

1890: What to Bring

2017-09-16T01:21:48Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1890
| date = September 15, 2017
| title = What to Bring
| image = what_to_bring.png
| titletext = I always figured you should never bring a gun to a gun fight because then you'll be part of a gun fight.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Bare necessities, could use elaboration. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A table based on variations of the phrase "never bring a knife to a gun fight", an idiom usually attributed to either {{w|Elmer Keith}} or ''{{w|The Untouchables (film)|The Untouchables}}''. The colors indicate a Yes (green) or No (red) answer.

The third and fourth columns describe fighting (extinguishing) two types of fires -- wood and oil. Neither should be battled with knives or guns.{{Citation needed}}

The last column of the table is based on reactions to an {{w|Class B fire|oil fire}}, which should be extinguished by removing the oxygen (such as by covering it with a lid). Attempting to apply water to an oil fire will result in a very large, dangerous flame.

The point of the this comic may be in the title text. There is a phrase in American English, "to bring a knife to a gun fight," which means "to be so naive as to be unprepared." Randall may be commenting on the fact that by being adequately armed, one contributes to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_escalation conflict escalation]. The green squares in the comic are all in diagonal except for "bringing a gun to a knife fight," which is clearly marked as being unreasonable in the illustration. The two last green squares are about putting ''out'' a fire, not starting a conflict. While the comic is vague and subject to interpretation, it is possible that Randall may be subtly giving his opining about the virtues of restraint.

{| class="wikitable"
! Should you bring ... to ...
! scope="col"| a knife fight
! scope="col"| a gun fight
! scope="col"| a wood fire
! scope="col"| an oil fire
|-
! scope="row"| a knife
| Yes. If you bring a knife to a knife fight, you will be evenly matched with your opponent.
| No. If you bring a knife to a gunfight, you will be at a perilous disadvantage.
| No. Attempting to fight a wood fire with a knife will lead to you being burned.
| No. Attempting to fight an oil fire will lead to you being burned, in addition to causing metallic scrapes.
|-
! scope="row"| a gun
| Yes. Bringing a gun to a knife fight will leave your opponent at a perilous disadvantage. (You may be accused of "not playing fair".)
| Yes*. Bringing a gun to a gunfight will leave you {{w|Mexican standoff|evenly matched with your opponent}}.
| colspan="2"| No. Shooting either a wood or an oil fire is an ineffective way of extinguishing them.{{Citation needed}}
|-
! scope="row"| water
| colspan="2"| No. Splashing either a knife-wielder or a gunman† with water will serve only to agitate your opponent.
| Yes. Wood fires are best extinguished with a well-aimed splash of water.
| No! Pouring water on an oil fire is notorious for creating huge fireballs, aggravating the situation even more.
|-
! scope="row"| a lid
| colspan="2"| No. Attempting to put a lid on the head of a knife-wielder or gunman will probably not help matters, as it may only serve to agitate said knife-wielder. There's a possibility that your attacker may be momentarily stunned by the surrealism of the situation, but even that will only buy you about a ten-foot running start. Though a metal lid with the right sort of handle could be a {{w|buckler}} used as a defence.
| No. Trying to put out a wood fire with a lid would usually require a lid far too large for you to carry.
| Yes. An oil fire is best extinguished by cutting it off from oxygen; stovetop oil fires generally spawn in cooking pans, which often come with lids suited to making an airtight seal.
|}

* While the chart states you should bring a gun to a gun fight, the title text makes the observation that bringing a gun to a gunfight might just raise your status from 'inconsequential bystander' to 'combatant'. So perhaps you shouldn't bring a gun to a gun fight if not bringing one is a way to avoid being considered part of the fight. It probably all depends on why there is a gun fight to begin with, and why you are choosing to go to it, with or without a gun (or knife or water or lid).

† This may actually work with some older guns, if you use enough water, due to the fact that their gunpowder won't explode after being wet.

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

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

1890: What to Bring

2017-09-16T01:20:15Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1890
| date = September 15, 2017
| title = What to Bring
| image = what_to_bring.png
| titletext = I always figured you should never bring a gun to a gun fight because then you'll be part of a gun fight.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Bare necessities, could use elaboration. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

A table based on variations of the phrase "never bring a knife to a gun fight", an idiom usually attributed to either {{w|Elmer Keith}} or ''{{w|The Untouchables (film)|The Untouchables}}''. The colors indicate a Yes (green) or No (red) answer.

The third and fourth columns describe fighting (extinguishing) two types of fires -- wood and oil. Neither should be battled with knives or guns.{{Citation needed}}

The last column of the table is based on reactions to an {{w|Class B fire|oil fire}}, which should be extinguished by removing the oxygen (such as by covering it with a lid). Attempting to apply water to an oil fire will result in a very large, dangerous flame.

The point of the this comic may be in the title text. There is a phrase in American English, "to bring a knife to a gun fight," which means "to be so naive as to be unprepared." Randall may be commenting on the fact that by being adequately armed, one contributes to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_escalation conflict escalation]. The green squares in the comic are all in diagonal except for "bringing a gun to a knife fight," which is clearly marked as being unreasonable in the illustration. The two last green squares are about putting ''out'' a fire, not starting a conflict. While the comic is vague and subject to interpretation, it is possible that Randall may be subtly giving his opining about the virtues of restraint.

{| class="wikitable"
! Should you bring ... to ...
! scope="col"| a knife fight
! scope="col"| a gun fight
! scope="col"| a wood fire
! scope="col"| an oil fire
|-
! scope="row"| a knife
| Yes. If you bring a knife to a knife fight, you will be evenly matched with your opponent.
| No. If you bring a knife to a gunfight, you will be at a perilous disadvantage.
| No. Attempting to fight a wood fire with a knife will lead to you being burned.
| No. Attempting to fight an oil fire will lead to you being burned, in addition to causing metallic scrapes.
|-
! scope="row"| a gun
| Yes. Bringing a gun to a knife fight will leave your opponent at a perilous disadvantage. (though may be unfair to the opponent)
| Yes*. Bringing a gun to a gunfight will leave you {{w|Mexican standoff|evenly matched with your opponent}}.
| colspan="2"| No. Shooting either a wood or an oil fire is an ineffective way of extinguishing them.{{Citation needed}}
|-
! scope="row"| water
| colspan="2"| No. Splashing either a knife-wielder or a gunman† with water will serve only to agitate your opponent.
| Yes. Wood fires are best extinguished with a well-aimed splash of water.
| No! Pouring water on an oil fire is notorious for creating huge fireballs, aggravating the situation even more.
|-
! scope="row"| a lid
| colspan="2"| No. Attempting to put a lid on the head of a knife-wielder or gunman will probably not help matters, as it may only serve to agitate said knife-wielder. There's a possibility that your attacker may be momentarily stunned by the surrealism of the situation, but even that will only buy you about a ten-foot running start. Though a metal lid with the right sort of handle could be a {{w|buckler}} used as a defence.
| No. Trying to put out a wood fire with a lid would usually require a lid far too large for you to carry.
| Yes. An oil fire is best extinguished by cutting it off from oxygen; stovetop oil fires generally spawn in cooking pans, which often come with lids suited to making an airtight seal.
|}

* While the chart states you should bring a gun to a gun fight, the title text makes the observation that bringing a gun to a gunfight might just raise your status from 'inconsequential bystander' to 'combatant'. So perhaps you shouldn't bring a gun to a gun fight if not bringing one is a way to avoid being considered part of the fight. It probably all depends on why there is a gun fight to begin with, and why you are choosing to go to it, with or without a gun (or knife or water or lid).

† This may actually work with some older guns, if you use enough water, due to the fact that their gunpowder won't explode after being wet.

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

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

1878: Earth Orbital Diagram

2017-08-21T20:40:17Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1878
| date = August 18, 2017
| title = Earth Orbital Diagram
| image = earth_orbital_diagram.png
| titletext = You shouldn't look directly at a partial eclipse because of the damage that can be caused by improperly aligning the solar-lunar orbital plane with the orbital bones around your eye.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is the third consecutive comic published in the week before the {{w|solar eclipse}} occurring on Monday, {{w|Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017|August 21, 2017}} which is a total solar eclipse and visible in totality within a band across the {{w|contiguous United States}} from west to east. The other comics are [[1876: Eclipse Searches]] and [[1877: Eclipse Science]]. The trend continued on the day of the eclipse with [[1879: Eclipse Birds]].

The comic claims that the reason that eclipses don't happen every month is simple to understand by looking at an orbital diagram. Ironically, the cartoon has so many parts and labels that it is far more difficult to understand than is implied. While the graph itself is based on {{w|Orbital elements|astronomical definitions}}, all the labels are nonsense in this context. In effect, the comic is a new take on a common joke in which a person asks a scientist a question, the scientist begins by saying "It's really quite simple", then proceeds to give a very lengthy and highly technical explanation that non-scientists would not be expected to understand.

All of the labels in the diagram are complicated words or phrases. Some are related to orbital mechanics (e.g. "equinox" and "perihelion"), while others are wholly unrelated or even made up. Each label is nonsensical in its place in the diagram. Compare/contrast with the standard {{w|Kepler orbit|Kepler Orbit}} diagram.

The title text references warnings to not look directly into the sun, but parodies those warnings by referring to 'orbit', the anatomical term for the eye socket.

===Labels and Their Astronomical Meanings===

;Arctangent
*{{w|Arctangent}} is the inverse function of the tangent function of trigonometry. You can determine a non-right angle of a right triangle by taking the arctangent of the length of the opposite side divided by the length of the adjacent side.
*The angle shown in the comic has no astronomical meaning.

;Astral plane
*The {{w|Astral plane}} is a plane of existence in various esoteric theories. It features prominently in Dungeons and Dragons cosmology, connecting the various other planes of existence.
*The picture shows the {{w|Orbit_of_the_Moon|lunar orbital plane}}, the plane in which the Moon orbits the Earth, tilted about 5.1 degrees from the ecliptic.

;Declension
*{{w|Declension}} is the inflection of nouns in a language. In this comic, it might be a portmanteau of declination and (right) ascension.
*In astronomy, the {{w|Declination|declination}} is one of the two angles that locate a point on the celestial sphere in the equatorial coordinate system. It is measured north or south of the celestial equator, like the geographical latitude on Earth. But in the picture the label is at the angle for the axial tilt of the Earth.
*And the {{w|Right_ascension|right ascension}} is the angular distance measured eastward along the celestial equator from the vernal equinox to the hour circle of the point in question.

;Determinant of the date of Easter
*In Western Christianity {{w|Easter}} always falls on the first Sunday after the first ecclesiastical full moon after the beginning of spring (equinox). The ecclesiastical full moon is determined by a calendar that approximates the actual time of the full moon, Thus the date of easter is defined by a combination of a solar and a lunar calendar. The position of that angle isn't that bad but it should be not more than 30 degrees (slightly more than one month.)
*In mathematics, the determinant is a function of numerical matrices. In this context, however, it apparently refers to something that directly determines the date of Easter.

;Dimples of Venus
*The {{w|Dimples of Venus}} are indentations sometimes visible on the human lower back.
*In astronomy the {{w|Belt of Venus}} is a shadow cast by the Earth visible in its atmosphere.

;Enceliopsis
*{{w|Enceliopsis}} are small genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, appropriately known as "sunrays".
*In astronomy this point has also no specific meaning. But {{w|Enceladus}} is a moon around {{w|Saturn}}.

;Equinox / Solstice
{{w|Equinox}} and {{w|Solstice}} have very different meanings:
*An Equinox is one of two instants in the year when the sun is exactly over the equator; the length of day and night are very nearly equal that day at all locations on the planet, and (in the United States) it is the first day of Spring or Autumn, depending on the time of year.
*A Solstice is one of two instants in the year when the sun's angle is maximally far from Earth's equator; when one occurs, the length of the day or night is shortest or longest (depending on whether one is in the northern or southern hemisphere), and (in the United States) it marks the first day of summer or winter.

Both types occur because the Earth's rotation axis is tilted (at 23.4 degrees) from its orbital plane (ecliptic) about the Sun.

Jokingly insisting that two different terms are American/British variants of the same word has been the topic of [[1677: Contrails]].

;Hypothecate
*{{w|Hypothecate}} is a legal verb that means something similar to "make a mortgage".
*The {{w|hypotenuse}} is the longest side of a right-angled triangle. Here it is an unrelated length, approximately equal to the diameter of the sun (half the angular size of the sun times twice the distance to it).

;Obsequity
*Obsequity means the state of being obsequious (showing an indecorous willingness to obey or serve, or "sucking up").
*In astronomy the correct word is {{w|Obliquity}}, meaning an axial tilt.

;Perihelix
*This is a portmanteau of helix and perihelion.
*The {{w|perihelion}} is the point in a elliptical solar orbit that is closest to the Sun.

;Prolapse
*A {{w|Prolapse}} is a medical condition in which an internal organ is slipped forward or down.
*{{w|Retrograde and prograde motion}} are terms used to describe the apparent motion of celestial objects through the sky.

;Sagittal plane
*The {{w|Sagittal plane}} is an anatomical plane, dividing the body in left and right.
*The correct label in the picture would be the {{w|Ecliptic plane}}. The plane the Earth orbits the Sun.
*{{w|Sagittarius (constellation)|Sagittarius}} is one of the stellar constellations of the Zodiac. The center of the Milky Way lies in this constellation.

;Solar plexus
*The {{w|Solar plexus}} is a network of nerves located in the abdomen. It was the name of [[64: Solar Plexus]].
*{{w|Solar}} is an adjective referring to the Sun, the star in our solar system.

;Tropopause
*The {{w|Tropopause}} is the boundary in our atmosphere between the troposphere and stratosphere, defined as the boundary where air ceases to cool with increasing elevation. It is 9-17 km above sea level, not the thousands of kilometers as depicted here.
*The label appears to point at the orbit of the moon.

;Angle between the Astral and the Sagittal Planes
* The angle depicted is the inclination of the moon orbit. The planes are marked with the symbol for the Capricorn zodiac sign and the symbol of The Goddess; the angle is marked with the greek letter ''phi'' (ϕ), except with two vertical lines (as if it was a currency unit, similarly to the euro sign).

;Errata
* Errata are corrections in a published text (e.g. a newspaper article) issued after the publication.
* The angle depicted as errata is half the angular size of the sun, which has to match the lunar angular size to cause a solar total eclipse.

==Explanation for "Why isn't there a (solar) eclipse every month?"==

If the plane of where the Earth orbits the Sun and where the Moon orbits the Earth were completely aligned, then there would be a solar eclipse at every new moon (once every {{w|Orbit_of_the_Moon#Lunar_periods| 29.5 days}}) and a lunar eclipse at every full moon (half a lunar period about 14.7 days after a New Moon). However, the plane in which the Moon orbits the Earth is tilted with an inclination of 5 degrees relative to that of the ecliptic plane (the plane defined by the Earth's orbit around the Sun). Eclipses are only possible during two eclipse seasons each year (half a year apart) where for a period of 31 to 37 days the Sun is nearly aligned with the two points in the tilted Earth-Moon plane where the Moon crosses the ecliptic plane. During an eclipse season at the time of a new moon there will be solar eclipses visible from certain locations and during full moons there will be lunar eclipses.

[[Image:Eclipse_Diagram.jpg]]

The real explanation of eclipses is evident from this xkcd comic, but is labeled with a fictional character similar to a Greek phi but with two vertical lines; the remaining labels also do not contribute to this explanation and exist only to distract or misinform or entertain the reader.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[An orbital map of the Earth is shown. The Sun is in the center, the Earth is at the right bottom, and the Moon is left below the Earth.]
:'''Why isn't there an eclipse every month?'''
:This is a common question! The answer is made clear by a quick look at the Earth's orbital diagram:

:[Label Sun:]
:Solar plexus

:[Label on the Earth's plane:]
:Sagittal plane

:[Labels on Earth's orbit (beginning at the Earth counterclockwise):]
:Perihelix, Declension, Obsequity, Hypothecate, Enceliopsis, Equinox (''Solstice'' in British English)

:[Two angles in the plane are labeled as:]
:Determinant of the date of Easter, Arctangent

:[The plane of the Moon is pictured in a small angle to the Earth's plane and named Astral Plane. The angle is presented between two lines (Greek Nu or Gamma and a double Greek Chi) and identified by a "Game Of Thrones" 'O' (a character that looks similar to a Greek Phi but with two vertical lines).]
:[The labels at the Moon's path are:]
:Tropopause, Prolapse, Errata.

:[An arrow points to the Earth at the zero meridian on the equator. The label reads:]
:Dimples of Venus

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Astronomy]]

1878: Earth Orbital Diagram

2017-08-19T01:08:05Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */ One addition, some fixes

{{comic
| number = 1878
| date = August 18, 2017
| title = Earth Orbital Diagram
| image = earth_orbital_diagram.png
| titletext = You shouldn't look directly at a partial eclipse because of the damage that can be caused by improperly aligning the solar-lunar orbital plane with the orbital bones around your eye.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is the third consecutive comic published in the week before the {{w|solar eclipse}} occurring on Monday, {{w|Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017|August 21, 2017}} which is a total solar eclipse and visible in totality within a band across the {{w|contiguous United States}} from west to east. The other comics are [[1876: Eclipse Searches]] and [[1877: Eclipse Science]].

The comic claims that the reason that eclipses don't happen every month is simple to understand by looking at an orbital diagram. Ironically, the cartoon has so many parts and labels that it is far more difficult to understand than is implied. While the graph itself is based on {{w|Orbital elements|astronomical definitions}} all the labels are nonsense in this context. In effect, the comic is a parody of a common joke in which a person asks a scientist a question, the scientist begins by saying "It's really quite simple", then proceeds to give a very lengthy and highly technical explanation that non-scientists would not be expected to understand.

All of the labels in the diagram are complicated words or phrases. Some are related to orbital mechanics (e.g. "equinox" and "perihelion"), while others are wholly unrelated or even made up. Each label is nonsensical in its place in the diagram. Compare/contrast with the standard {{w|Kepler orbit|Kepler Orbit}} diagram.

The title text references warnings to not look directly into the sun, but parodies those warnings by referring to 'orbit', the anatomical term for the eye socket.

===Labels and Their Astronomical Meanings===

;Arctangent
*{{w|Arctangent}} is the inverse function of the tangent function of trigonometry. You can determine a non-right angle of a right triangle by taking the arctangent of the length of the opposite side divided by the length of the adjacent side.
*The angle shown in the comic has no astronomical meaning.

;Astral plane
*The {{w|Astral plane}} is a plane of existence in various esoteric theories. Also used in fictional fantasy context.
*The picture shows the {{w|Orbit_of_the_Moon|lunar orbital plane}}, the plane in which the Moon orbits the Earth, tilted about 5.1 degrees from the ecliptic.

;Declension
*{{w|Declension}} is the inflection of nouns in a language.
*In astronomy, the {{w|Declination|declination}} is one of the two angles that locate a point on the celestial sphere in the equatorial coordinate system. It is measured north or south of the celestial equator, like the geographical latitude on Earth. But in the picture the label is at the angle for the axial tilt of the Earth.

;Determinant of the date of Easter
*In Western Christianity {{w|Easter}} always falls on the first Sunday after the first astronomical full moon after the beginning of spring (equinox). Thus it is defined by a combination of a solar and a moon calendar. The position of that angle isn't that bad but it should be not more than 30 degrees (slightly more than one month.)
*In mathematics, the determinant is a function of numerical matrices. In this context, however, it apparently refers to something that directly determines the date of Easter.

;Dimples of Venus
*The {{w|Dimples of Venus}} are indentations sometimes visible on the human lower back.
*In astronomy the {{w|Belt of Venus}} is a shadow cast by the Earth visible in its atmosphere.

;Enceliopsis
*{{w|Enceliopsis}} are small genus of flowering plants in the daisy family, appropriately known as "sunrays".
*In astronomy this point has also no specific meaning. But {{w|Enceladus}} is a moon around {{w|Saturn}}.

;Equinox / Solstice
{{w|Equinox}} and {{w|Solstice}} have very different meanings:
*An Equinox is one of two instants in the year when the sun is exactly over the equator; the length of day and night are very nearly equal that day at all locations on the planet, and it is the first day of Spring or Autumn, depending on the time of year.
*A Solstice is one of two instants in the year when the sun's angle is maximally far from Earth's equator; when one occurs, the length of the day or night is shortest or longest (depending on whether one is in the northern or southern hemisphere), and it marks the first day of summer or winter.

Both types occur because the Earth's rotation axis is tilted (at 23.4 degrees) from its orbital plane (ecliptic) about the Sun.

Jokingly insisting that two different terms are American/British variants of the same word has been the topic of [[1677: Contrails]].

;Hypothecate
*{{w|Hypothecate}} is a legal verb that means something similar to "make a mortgage".
*The depicted angle has no meaning, but a {{w|Hypotenuse}} is the longest side of a right-angled triangle. Here it is the shortest side on a non right-angled triangle.

;Obsequity
*Obsequity means the state of being obsequious (showing an indecorous willingness to obey or serve, or "sucking up").
*In astronomy the correct word is {{w|Obliquity}}, meaning an axial tilt.

;Perihelix
*This is a portmanteau of helix and perihelion.
*The {{w|perihelion}} is the point in a elliptical solar orbit that is closest to the Sun.

;Prolapse
*A {{w|Prolapse}} is a medical condition in which an internal organ is slipped forward or down.
*{{w|Retrograde and prograde motion}} are terms used to describe the apparent motion of celestial objects through the sky.

;Sagittal plane
*The {{w|Sagittal plane}} is an anatomical plane, dividing the body in left and right.
*The correct label in the picture would be the {{w|Ecliptic plane}}. The plane the Earth orbits the Sun.
*{{w|Sagittarius (constellation)|Sagittarius}} is one of the stellar constellations of the Zodiac. The center of the Milky Way lies in this constellation.

;Solar plexus
*The {{w|Solar plexus}} is a network of nerves located in the abdomen.
*{{w|Solar}} is an adjective referring to the Sun, the star in our solar system.

;Tropopause
*The {{w|Tropopause}} is the boundary in our atmosphere between the troposphere and stratosphere, defined as the boundary where air ceases to cool with increasing elevation. It is 9-17 km above sea level, not the thousands of kilometers as depicted here.

;Angle between the Astral and the Sagittal Planes
* The angle depicted is the inclination of the moon orbit. The planes are marked with greeks letter, the angle is marked with a symbol resembling the greek ''phi'' (ϕ).

;Errata
* Errata are corrections in a published text (e.g. a newspaper article) issued after the publication.
* The angle depicted as errata is half the angular size of the sun, which has to match the lunar angular size to cause a solar total eclipse.

==Explanation for "Why isn't there a (solar) eclipse every month?"==

If the plane of where the Earth orbits the Sun and where the Moon orbits the Earth were completely aligned, then there would be a solar eclipse at every new moon (once every {{w|Orbit_of_the_Moon#Lunar_periods| 29.5 days}}) and a lunar eclipse at every full moon (half a lunar period about 14.7 days after a New Moon). However, the plane in which the Moon orbits the Earth is tilted with an inclination of 5 degrees relative to that of the ecliptic plane (the plane defined by the Earth's orbit around the Sun). Eclipses are only possible during two eclipse seasons each year (half a year apart) where for a period of 31 to 37 days the Sun is nearly aligned with the two points in the tilted Earth-Moon plane where the Moon crosses the ecliptic plane. During an eclipse season at the time of a new moon there will be solar eclipses visible from certain locations and during full moons there will be lunar eclipses.

[[Image:Eclipse_Diagram.jpg]]

The real explanation of eclipses is evident from this xkcd comic, but is labeled with a fictional character similar to a Greek phi but with two vertical lines; the remaining labels also do not contribute to this explanation and exist only to distract or misinform the reader.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[An orbital map of the Earth is shown. The Sun is in the center, the Earth is at the right bottom, and the Moon is left below the Earth.]
:'''Why isn't there an eclipse every month?'''
:This is a common question! The answer is made clear by a quick look at the Earth's orbital diagram:

:[Label Sun:]
:Solar plexus

:[Label on the Earth's plane:]
:Sagittal plane

:[Labels on Earth's orbit (beginning at the Earth counterclockwise):]
:Perihelix, Declension, Obsequity, Hypothecate, Enceliopsis, Equinox (''Solstice'' in British English)

:[Two angles in the plane are labeled as:]
:Determinant of the date of Easter, Arctangent

:[The plane of the Moon is pictured in a small angle to the Earth's plane and named Astral Plane. The angle is presented between two lines (Greek Nu or Gamma and a double Greek Chi) and identified by a character that looks similar to a Greek Phi but with two vertical lines.]
:[The labels at the Moon's path are:]
:Tropopause, Prolapse, Errata.

:[An arrow points to the Earth at the zero meridian on the equator. The label reads:]
:Dimples of Venus

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Astronomy]]

1870: Emoji Movie Reviews

2017-08-02T05:47:34Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */ A little more on the near-miss for 0% on RottenTomatoes

{{comic
| number = 1870
| date = July 31, 2017
| title = Emoji Movie Reviews
| image = emoji_movie_reviews.png
| titletext = There's this idea that emoji are bad for communication because they replace ambiguity and nuance with a limited set of preselected emotions, but it doesn't really survive a collision with real-world usage of the thinking face or upside-down smiley.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Need to discuss title text and the signifigance of Wikipedia plotpoint and why it's ridiculous.}}

This comic discusses ''{{w|The Emoji Movie}}'' between the cynical, Internet-equipped point of view of Megan and Cueball's language-enthusiasm. They ultimately agree the movie is bad.

''{{w|The Emoji Movie}}'' was released to theaters in July 2017, and received nearly universally-negative reviews. It is particularly notable for having just ''barely'' avoided a 0% rating on review aggregator site [http://www.RottenTomatoes.com Rotten Tomatoes], which would have classified it there as one of the worst movies of all time. Many critics of movie point to superficial problems like the subject matter and the product placement. Here, that train of thought is articulated a bit more, and ultimately it's argued that the real reason the film is bad is because the creators cashed in on a trend without doing any research into it.

When [[Megan]] first mentions movie's negative reviews, [[Cueball]] initially accuses the audience of being overly judgmental of the subject matter. He further expresses his fondness for {{w|emoji}} as an interesting and quirky part of language.

Cueball offers an early defense of ''The Emoji Movie'' by comparing it to ''{{w|The Lego Movie}}'', which – despite effectively being an entire movie of {{w|product placement}} for {{w|Lego}} – received generally positive reviews.

They start talking about a "Meh" emoji, who is the main character of the movie. The idea of "{{w|meh}}" as an emoji is actually ambiguous, as various emoji can be used to describe being unimpressed or neutral towards something. As given in examples from comic those are 😒 (U+1F612 Unamused face), 😐 (U+1F610 Neutral face) or 😕 (U+1F615 Confused face). The selection of a less identifiable emoji for the leading role also contrasts with the fact that the movie also features more iconic emojis.

Megan mentions that one of the attempted jokes in the film is a room full of emojis that are unpopular. Bizarrely, the eggplant emoji (🍆, U+1F346 Aubergine) is featured among them. This is a clear sign that the creative team in charge of this movie had limited first-hand experience with SMS messaging; as any millennial will tell you, the 🍆 is a sly stand-in for a penis, due to its similar shape. [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/eggplant-emoji-%F0%9F%8D%86] Cueball's reaction is to ask whether the creators of this film might be trying to be controversial on purpose, as it is popular lately (like for example in film {{w|Sausage Party}})

The line from the Wikipedia plot summary was a {{w|Special:Permalink/793251548|direct quote from Wikipedia}}. The sentence was introduced to the article by editor {{w|User:Voicebox64|Voicebox64}} on {{w|Special:Diff/792689187|July 28, 2017}}, and the exact phrasing quoted in the comic came from editor {{w|User:SubZeroSilver|SubZeroSilver}} on {{w|Special:Diff/793088884|July 30}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete|Could someone check if the emojis are all correct? Thanks in advance.}}
:[Cueball and Megan are walking. Megan is checking her phone.]
:Megan: Reviews for The Emoji Movie are... not good.
:Cueball: People are just snobs about emoji. I like them! Language is cool and weird.

:[Zoom on Megan; Cueball is outside of the frame.]
:Megan: It's apparently 80% product placement.
:Cueball (off-screen): Whatever. So was The Lego Movie, and I liked ''that''.

:[Zoom out; Cueball looks at Megan's phone.]
:Megan: It features the emoji we all know and love - with a "Meh" emoji in the starring role!
:Cueball: Wait... a "Meh" emoji?
:Megan: I wondered about that, too; the others are all familiar. Do they mean 😒? Or 😐 or 😕?
:Cueball: That's a little confusing...

:[Zoom in on both heads; Megan is looking at her phone.]
:Megan: There's a joke in the movie about the "emoji that no one uses" that includes the eggplant emoji.
:Cueball: ...was that on purpose? Or did they not run the script by enough people?

:[Megan and Cueball continue walking.]
:Megan: Here's a line from the Wikipedia plot summary:
:Megan: ''Gene and Hi-5 come to a piracy app where they meet the hacker emoji Jailbreak, who wants to reach Dropbox so that she can live in the cloud.''
:Cueball: Okay.
:Cueball: It's possible this movie is bad.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Emoji]]

1870: Emoji Movie Reviews

2017-08-02T05:45:05Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */ More minor fixes

{{comic
| number = 1870
| date = July 31, 2017
| title = Emoji Movie Reviews
| image = emoji_movie_reviews.png
| titletext = There's this idea that emoji are bad for communication because they replace ambiguity and nuance with a limited set of preselected emotions, but it doesn't really survive a collision with real-world usage of the thinking face or upside-down smiley.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Need to discuss title text and the signifigance of Wikipedia plotpoint and why it's ridiculous.}}

This comic discusses ''{{w|The Emoji Movie}}'' between the cynical, Internet-equipped point of view of Megan and Cueball's language-enthusiasm. They ultimately agree the movie is bad.

''{{w|The Emoji Movie}}'' was released to theaters in July 2017, and received nearly universally-negative reviews. It is particularly notable for having just ''barely'' avoided a 0% rating on review aggregator site [http://www.RottenTomatoes.com RottenTomatoes]. Many critics of movie point to superficial problems like the subject matter and the product placement. Here, that train of thought is articulated a bit more, and ultimately it's argued that the real reason the film is bad is because the creators cashed in on a trend without doing any research into it.

When [[Megan]] first mentions movie's negative reviews, [[Cueball]] initially accuses the audience of being overly judgmental of the subject matter. He further expresses his fondness for {{w|emoji}} as an interesting and quirky part of language.

Cueball offers an early defense of ''The Emoji Movie'' by comparing it to ''{{w|The Lego Movie}}'', which – despite effectively being an entire movie of {{w|product placement}} for {{w|Lego}} – received generally positive reviews.

They start talking about a "Meh" emoji, who is the main character of the movie. The idea of "{{w|meh}}" as an emoji is actually ambiguous, as various emoji can be used to describe being unimpressed or neutral towards something. As given in examples from comic those are 😒 (U+1F612 Unamused face), 😐 (U+1F610 Neutral face) or 😕 (U+1F615 Confused face). The selection of a less identifiable emoji for the leading role also contrasts with the fact that the movie also features more iconic emojis.

Megan mentions that one of the attempted jokes in the film is a room full of emojis that are unpopular. Bizarrely, the eggplant emoji (🍆, U+1F346 Aubergine) is featured among them. This is a clear sign that the creative team in charge of this movie had limited first-hand experience with SMS messaging; as any millennial will tell you, the 🍆 is a sly stand-in for a penis, due to its similar shape. [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/eggplant-emoji-%F0%9F%8D%86] Cueball's reaction is to ask whether the creators of this film might be trying to be controversial on purpose, as it is popular lately (like for example in film {{w|Sausage Party}})

The line from the Wikipedia plot summary was a {{w|Special:Permalink/793251548|direct quote from Wikipedia}}. The sentence was introduced to the article by editor {{w|User:Voicebox64|Voicebox64}} on {{w|Special:Diff/792689187|July 28, 2017}}, and the exact phrasing quoted in the comic came from editor {{w|User:SubZeroSilver|SubZeroSilver}} on {{w|Special:Diff/793088884|July 30}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete|Could someone check if the emojis are all correct? Thanks in advance.}}
:[Cueball and Megan are walking. Megan is checking her phone.]
:Megan: Reviews for The Emoji Movie are... not good.
:Cueball: People are just snobs about emoji. I like them! Language is cool and weird.

:[Zoom on Megan; Cueball is outside of the frame.]
:Megan: It's apparently 80% product placement.
:Cueball (off-screen): Whatever. So was The Lego Movie, and I liked ''that''.

:[Zoom out; Cueball looks at Megan's phone.]
:Megan: It features the emoji we all know and love - with a "Meh" emoji in the starring role!
:Cueball: Wait... a "Meh" emoji?
:Megan: I wondered about that, too; the others are all familiar. Do they mean 😒? Or 😐 or 😕?
:Cueball: That's a little confusing...

:[Zoom in on both heads; Megan is looking at her phone.]
:Megan: There's a joke in the movie about the "emoji that no one uses" that includes the eggplant emoji.
:Cueball: ...was that on purpose? Or did they not run the script by enough people?

:[Megan and Cueball continue walking.]
:Megan: Here's a line from the Wikipedia plot summary:
:Megan: ''Gene and Hi-5 come to a piracy app where they meet the hacker emoji Jailbreak, who wants to reach Dropbox so that she can live in the cloud.''
:Cueball: Okay.
:Cueball: It's possible this movie is bad.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Emoji]]

1870: Emoji Movie Reviews

2017-08-02T05:42:21Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1870
| date = July 31, 2017
| title = Emoji Movie Reviews
| image = emoji_movie_reviews.png
| titletext = There's this idea that emoji are bad for communication because they replace ambiguity and nuance with a limited set of preselected emotions, but it doesn't really survive a collision with real-world usage of the thinking face or upside-down smiley.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Need to discuss title text and the signifigance of Wikipedia plotpoint and why it's ridiculous.}}

This comic discusses {{w|The Emoji Movie}} between the cynical, Internet-equipped point of view of Megan and Cueball's language-enthusiasm. They ultimately agree the movie is bad.

{{w|The Emoji Movie}} was released to theaters in July 2017, and received nearly universally-negative reviews. It is particularly notable for having just ''barely'' avoided a 0% rating on review aggregator site [http://www.RottenTomatoes.com RottenTomatoes]. Many critics of movie point to superficial problems like the subject matter and the product placement. Here, that train of thought is articulated a bit more, and ultimately it's argued that the real reason the film is bad is because the creators cashed in on a trend without doing any research into it.

When [[Megan]] first mentions The Emoji Movie's panned reviews, [[Cueball]] initially accuses the audience of being overly judgemental of the subject matter. He further expresses his fondness for {{w|emoji}} as an interesting and quirky part of language.

Cueball offers an early defense of ''The Emoji Movie'' by comparing it to ''{{w|The Lego Movie}}'', which – despite effectively being an entire movie of {{w|product placement}} for {{w|Lego}} – received generally positive reviews.

They start talking about a "Meh" emoji, who is the main character of the movie. The idea of "{{w|meh}}" as an emoji is actually ambiguous, as various emoji can be used to describe being unimpressed or neutral towards something. As given in examples from comic those are 😒 (U+1F612 Unamused face), 😐 (U+1F610 Neutral face) or 😕 (U+1F615 Confused face). The selection of a less identifiable emoji for the leading role also contrasts with the fact that the movie also features more iconic emojis.

Megan mentions that one of the attempted jokes in the film is a room full of emojis that are unpopular. Bizarrely, the eggplant emoji (🍆, U+1F346 Aubergine) is featured among them. This is a clear sign that the creative team in charge of this movie had limited first-hand experience with SMS messaging; as any millennial will tell you, the 🍆 is a sly stand-in for a penis, due to its similar shape. [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/eggplant-emoji-%F0%9F%8D%86] Cueball's reaction is to ask whether the creators of this film might be trying to be controversial on purpose, as it is popular lately (like for example in film {{w|Sausage Party}})

The line from the Wikipedia plot summary was a {{w|Special:Permalink/793251548|direct quote from Wikipedia}}. The sentence was introduced to the article by editor {{w|User:Voicebox64|Voicebox64}} on {{w|Special:Diff/792689187|July 28, 2017}}, and the exact phrasing quoted in the comic came from editor {{w|User:SubZeroSilver|SubZeroSilver}} on {{w|Special:Diff/793088884|July 30}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete|Could someone check if the emojis are all correct? Thanks in advance.}}
:[Cueball and Megan are walking. Megan is checking her phone.]
:Megan: Reviews for The Emoji Movie are... not good.
:Cueball: People are just snobs about emoji. I like them! Language is cool and weird.

:[Zoom on Megan; Cueball is outside of the frame.]
:Megan: It's apparently 80% product placement.
:Cueball (off-screen): Whatever. So was The Lego Movie, and I liked ''that''.

:[Zoom out; Cueball looks at Megan's phone.]
:Megan: It features the emoji we all know and love - with a "Meh" emoji in the starring role!
:Cueball: Wait... a "Meh" emoji?
:Megan: I wondered about that, too; the others are all familiar. Do they mean 😒? Or 😐 or 😕?
:Cueball: That's a little confusing...

:[Zoom in on both heads; Megan is looking at her phone.]
:Megan: There's a joke in the movie about the "emoji that no one uses" that includes the eggplant emoji.
:Cueball: ...was that on purpose? Or did they not run the script by enough people?

:[Megan and Cueball continue walking.]
:Megan: Here's a line from the Wikipedia plot summary:
:Megan: ''Gene and Hi-5 come to a piracy app where they meet the hacker emoji Jailbreak, who wants to reach Dropbox so that she can live in the cloud.''
:Cueball: Okay.
:Cueball: It's possible this movie is bad.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Emoji]]

1870: Emoji Movie Reviews

2017-08-02T05:40:56Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */ Expound/explain extent of negative reviews for the movie.

{{comic
| number = 1870
| date = July 31, 2017
| title = Emoji Movie Reviews
| image = emoji_movie_reviews.png
| titletext = There's this idea that emoji are bad for communication because they replace ambiguity and nuance with a limited set of preselected emotions, but it doesn't really survive a collision with real-world usage of the thinking face or upside-down smiley.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Need to discuss title text and the signifigance of Wikipedia plotpoint and why it's ridiculous.}}

This comic discusses {{w|The Emoji Movie}} between the cynical, Internet-equipped point of view of Megan and Cueball's language-enthusiasm. They ultimately agree the movie is bad.

{{w|The Emoji Movie}} was released to theaters in July 2017, and received nearly universally-negative reviews. It is particularly notable for having just ''barely'' avoided a 0% rating on review aggregator site [RottenTomatoes.com]. Many critics of movie point to superficial problems like the subject matter and the product placement. Here, that train of thought is articulated a bit more, and ultimately it's argued that the real reason the film is bad is because the creators cashed in on a trend without doing any research into it.

When [[Megan]] first mentions The Emoji Movie's panned reviews, [[Cueball]] initially accuses the audience of being overly judgemental of the subject matter. He further expresses his fondness for {{w|emoji}} as an interesting and quirky part of language.

Cueball offers an early defense of ''The Emoji Movie'' by comparing it to ''{{w|The Lego Movie}}'', which – despite effectively being an entire movie of {{w|product placement}} for {{w|Lego}} – received generally positive reviews.

They start talking about a "Meh" emoji, who is the main character of the movie. The idea of "{{w|meh}}" as an emoji is actually ambiguous, as various emoji can be used to describe being unimpressed or neutral towards something. As given in examples from comic those are 😒 (U+1F612 Unamused face), 😐 (U+1F610 Neutral face) or 😕 (U+1F615 Confused face). The selection of a less identifiable emoji for the leading role also contrasts with the fact that the movie also features more iconic emojis.

Megan mentions that one of the attempted jokes in the film is a room full of emojis that are unpopular. Bizarrely, the eggplant emoji (🍆, U+1F346 Aubergine) is featured among them. This is a clear sign that the creative team in charge of this movie had limited first-hand experience with SMS messaging; as any millennial will tell you, the 🍆 is a sly stand-in for a penis, due to its similar shape. [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/eggplant-emoji-%F0%9F%8D%86] Cueball's reaction is to ask whether the creators of this film might be trying to be controversial on purpose, as it is popular lately (like for example in film {{w|Sausage Party}})

The line from the Wikipedia plot summary was a {{w|Special:Permalink/793251548|direct quote from Wikipedia}}. The sentence was introduced to the article by editor {{w|User:Voicebox64|Voicebox64}} on {{w|Special:Diff/792689187|July 28, 2017}}, and the exact phrasing quoted in the comic came from editor {{w|User:SubZeroSilver|SubZeroSilver}} on {{w|Special:Diff/793088884|July 30}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete|Could someone check if the emojis are all correct? Thanks in advance.}}
:[Cueball and Megan are walking. Megan is checking her phone.]
:Megan: Reviews for The Emoji Movie are... not good.
:Cueball: People are just snobs about emoji. I like them! Language is cool and weird.

:[Zoom on Megan; Cueball is outside of the frame.]
:Megan: It's apparently 80% product placement.
:Cueball (off-screen): Whatever. So was The Lego Movie, and I liked ''that''.

:[Zoom out; Cueball looks at Megan's phone.]
:Megan: It features the emoji we all know and love - with a "Meh" emoji in the starring role!
:Cueball: Wait... a "Meh" emoji?
:Megan: I wondered about that, too; the others are all familiar. Do they mean 😒? Or 😐 or 😕?
:Cueball: That's a little confusing...

:[Zoom in on both heads; Megan is looking at her phone.]
:Megan: There's a joke in the movie about the "emoji that no one uses" that includes the eggplant emoji.
:Cueball: ...was that on purpose? Or did they not run the script by enough people?

:[Megan and Cueball continue walking.]
:Megan: Here's a line from the Wikipedia plot summary:
:Megan: ''Gene and Hi-5 come to a piracy app where they meet the hacker emoji Jailbreak, who wants to reach Dropbox so that she can live in the cloud.''
:Cueball: Okay.
:Cueball: It's possible this movie is bad.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Emoji]]

Talk:1814: Color Pattern

2017-03-25T01:21:33Z

KieferSkunk:

This link, note 1, may help whomever is going to be editing the comic explanation, I don't have time this morning. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moir%C3%A9_pattern] [[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 13:40, 22 March 2017 (UTC)

May help '''''whoever is going to be editing ...'''''

Did a quick google and copy/pasted from the Wikipedia page on Moiré patterns. [[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 13:51, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
:This is a copyright infringement. The contents of Wikipedia are not in the {{w|public domain}}. When using text from Wikipedia anywhere, you must indicate the license (CC-BY-SA 3.0).--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.150.82|162.158.150.82]] 13:58, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
::This is fine. Wikipedia text is licensed for re-use by anybody, provided the original is referenced; Xseo referenced the source material in his comment above, and an explicit link is given in the article; furthermore, this entire website is CC-BY-SA 3.0, as indicated in the footer on every page. [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 15:16, 22 March 2017 (UTC)

I can't be the only one for whom the note emoji are not showing up.
:I don't see them either. I'm running Chrome 48 Portable. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.225|162.158.62.225]] 14:18, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
::Running Chrome 57, Chromium 53, and Firefox 52; the note emoji doesn't work on any of these (Linux Mint 17.3 64-bit). I wonder why? [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 15:19, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
::: Works for me, Firefox 52. Bring up the menu bar (Alt or F10), "View > Text Encoding > Unicode". If you still don't see the notes, it may be an issue with the font settings. You could try to fiddle with "Tools > Options > Content > Default Font". Instead of using the menu, you can bring up "Options" by entering "about:preferences" in the address bar. If that doesn't work, you need professional help. ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.106|162.158.114.106]] 06:23, 23 March 2017 (UTC)
::Chrome 56 for Android, they display for me. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 10:24, 23 March 2017 (UTC)

AFAIK moiree patterns would not show up on an image that have been *properly* sampled, such moiree patterns are IIRC a byproduct of poorly sampled digital images. See WP for "aliasing" and "digital sampling" for reference. My two cents... [[User:Todor|Todor]] ([[User talk:Todor|talk]]) 14:31, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
:Good Lord. 24 hours! If any of you guys are actual engineers you should be ashamed of yourselves! I am not an engineer, but I do know a a tiny bit about signal theory, hence the tip. But then again this just shows how cheap shit chinese gizmos proliferate. Quality just cost too much, haha! Just need the looks, not the brainz! Only the zombies loves them BRAINZZZZZ! hurr hurr. [[User:Todor|Todor]] ([[User talk:Todor|talk]]) 19:17, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
::What are you trying to say with 24 hours. At this moment the comic has been up for 6 hours... If you think the explanation could be improved this is luckily a wiki, so you could just improve instead of rant ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:55, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
:::Did I say that too early? Well it certainly is 24+ hours now and you guys still don't know where the dart target is. :D The comic suggests some matches of geometry in the digital age are highly prone to distortions. That's interesting in it's own, but feel free to ignore it. As I hinted the real issue here relates to digital sampling and aliasing problems related to this. There are more than one way to fix artifacts in images, but one method involves oversampling at about twice the nyquist frequency and running the signal through a band-pass filter. That's fairly common, but I think that will only solve aliasing related to sampling not moiree patterns occurring naturally due to geometry. I suspect a digital photo of a digital screen might be one such case, of "naturally" occurring distortion patterns. [[User:Todor|Todor]] ([[User talk:Todor|talk]]) 18:08, 23 March 2017 (UTC)
::::I cannot see this has anything to do with the explanation. Cueball has a moiré pattern on his picture of his lap top screen as taken by the phone, which obviously do not sample properly. I have seen the same using my phone and camera. This comic explains in a song why a moiré patterns forms, and the explanation above explains why such a pattern occurs. I cannot see any connection with what you write. But if you think it is relevant feel free to try and include a paragraph on the subject, it is a wiki. In case it does make sense, then it is probably just me that do not understand what you write, but hey I'm not an engineer so... ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:51, 24 March 2017 (UTC)

The Dean Martin version, which likely is the only version anyone younger than I has heard goes like this- When the moon hits your eye -
like a bigga pizza pie -
That's amore - -
When the world seems to shine -
like you've had too much wine -
That's amore [[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 04:25, 23 March 2017 (UTC)
: At first I thought Russell was alluding to [[wikipedia:Tom Lehrer|Tom Lehrer's]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7VQFfusQJk "That's Mathematics"]. :D [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.106|162.158.114.106]] 06:23, 23 March 2017 (UTC)

"Amore" is pronounces as /aˈmɔːrɛ/ in Italian. The initial vowel is a clean open "a" and there's no final "ei" but rather a clean open "e". Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Italian (Not counting I am Italian myself!)

Sorry, I can't help myself, but... If it's swimming in the sea and it's long and slippery, that's a moray [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.150|141.101.107.150]] 07:54, 23 March 2017 (UTC)

: "When you try write a song, but the rhythm is wrong, that's a pity... (but still witty)" ^_^ [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.180|141.101.107.180]] 10:28, 23 March 2017 (UTC)

: When it's sometimes quite slow but on average it goes, that's amor...tized
: If your alphabet soup is tied up like a sloop, that's a mored A
: (This nonsense definitely not by [[User:Quantum7|Quantum7]] ([[User talk:Quantum7|talk]]) 10:23, 23 March 2017 (UTC))
: If a diet's your wish, but you can't avoid the dish, that's a moreish [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.150|141.101.107.150]] 12:10, 23 March 2017 (UTC)

Is it bad I came to the talk page specifically for more song lyrics? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.30|172.68.65.30]] 05:29, 24 March 2017 (UTC)
: Then you'll be happy to hear that Jamie Zawinski and Michael Bayne wrote another verse for their [https://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/screenshots/ Moiré screensaver]:
:: ''When the lines on the screen''
:: ''Make more lines in between,''
:: ''That's a moiré!'' [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.167|162.158.91.167]] 07:18, 24 March 2017 (UTC)
:::Now I'm happy ;-) I have also added this to the list of songs that precedes Randall's. Wonder if he knew about this, or got the idea by himself independently? I think (and hope) he did. He has before [[1723:_Meteorite_Identification#Trivia|given credit]] on xkcd to one that had made a similar joke to his before him. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:51, 24 March 2017 (UTC)
:"When you've stopped for the night,"
: "and the dock's not in sight,"
: "That's a mooring!"
:"When the anchor's in view"
: "And there's nothing to do"
: "That's a mooring!"
:--[[User:Mlv|Mlv]] ([[User talk:Mlv|talk]]) 19:18, 24 March 2017 (UTC)

Does anybody else think that the title text may just as well refer to "amore" as to "a moire"? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.209|162.158.91.209]] 15:40, 23 March 2017 (UTC)
:Yes I think that is relevant. Have added it to the title text explanation. Thanks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:51, 24 March 2017 (UTC)
::Hmmm... the explanation would also be valid the other way round. Cause (amore) and effect (tight spacing) ... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.209|162.158.91.209]] 11:15, 24 March 2017 (UTC)

"When an eel bites your toe, and he just won't let go, that's a moray..." [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 01:21, 25 March 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1814: Color Pattern

2017-03-25T01:21:15Z

KieferSkunk:

This link, note 1, may help whomever is going to be editing the comic explanation, I don't have time this morning. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moir%C3%A9_pattern] [[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 13:40, 22 March 2017 (UTC)

May help '''''whoever is going to be editing ...'''''

Did a quick google and copy/pasted from the Wikipedia page on Moiré patterns. [[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 13:51, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
:This is a copyright infringement. The contents of Wikipedia are not in the {{w|public domain}}. When using text from Wikipedia anywhere, you must indicate the license (CC-BY-SA 3.0).--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.150.82|162.158.150.82]] 13:58, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
::This is fine. Wikipedia text is licensed for re-use by anybody, provided the original is referenced; Xseo referenced the source material in his comment above, and an explicit link is given in the article; furthermore, this entire website is CC-BY-SA 3.0, as indicated in the footer on every page. [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 15:16, 22 March 2017 (UTC)

I can't be the only one for whom the note emoji are not showing up.
:I don't see them either. I'm running Chrome 48 Portable. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.225|162.158.62.225]] 14:18, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
::Running Chrome 57, Chromium 53, and Firefox 52; the note emoji doesn't work on any of these (Linux Mint 17.3 64-bit). I wonder why? [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 15:19, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
::: Works for me, Firefox 52. Bring up the menu bar (Alt or F10), "View > Text Encoding > Unicode". If you still don't see the notes, it may be an issue with the font settings. You could try to fiddle with "Tools > Options > Content > Default Font". Instead of using the menu, you can bring up "Options" by entering "about:preferences" in the address bar. If that doesn't work, you need professional help. ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.106|162.158.114.106]] 06:23, 23 March 2017 (UTC)
::Chrome 56 for Android, they display for me. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 10:24, 23 March 2017 (UTC)

AFAIK moiree patterns would not show up on an image that have been *properly* sampled, such moiree patterns are IIRC a byproduct of poorly sampled digital images. See WP for "aliasing" and "digital sampling" for reference. My two cents... [[User:Todor|Todor]] ([[User talk:Todor|talk]]) 14:31, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
:Good Lord. 24 hours! If any of you guys are actual engineers you should be ashamed of yourselves! I am not an engineer, but I do know a a tiny bit about signal theory, hence the tip. But then again this just shows how cheap shit chinese gizmos proliferate. Quality just cost too much, haha! Just need the looks, not the brainz! Only the zombies loves them BRAINZZZZZ! hurr hurr. [[User:Todor|Todor]] ([[User talk:Todor|talk]]) 19:17, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
::What are you trying to say with 24 hours. At this moment the comic has been up for 6 hours... If you think the explanation could be improved this is luckily a wiki, so you could just improve instead of rant ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:55, 22 March 2017 (UTC)
:::Did I say that too early? Well it certainly is 24+ hours now and you guys still don't know where the dart target is. :D The comic suggests some matches of geometry in the digital age are highly prone to distortions. That's interesting in it's own, but feel free to ignore it. As I hinted the real issue here relates to digital sampling and aliasing problems related to this. There are more than one way to fix artifacts in images, but one method involves oversampling at about twice the nyquist frequency and running the signal through a band-pass filter. That's fairly common, but I think that will only solve aliasing related to sampling not moiree patterns occurring naturally due to geometry. I suspect a digital photo of a digital screen might be one such case, of "naturally" occurring distortion patterns. [[User:Todor|Todor]] ([[User talk:Todor|talk]]) 18:08, 23 March 2017 (UTC)
::::I cannot see this has anything to do with the explanation. Cueball has a moiré pattern on his picture of his lap top screen as taken by the phone, which obviously do not sample properly. I have seen the same using my phone and camera. This comic explains in a song why a moiré patterns forms, and the explanation above explains why such a pattern occurs. I cannot see any connection with what you write. But if you think it is relevant feel free to try and include a paragraph on the subject, it is a wiki. In case it does make sense, then it is probably just me that do not understand what you write, but hey I'm not an engineer so... ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:51, 24 March 2017 (UTC)

The Dean Martin version, which likely is the only version anyone younger than I has heard goes like this- When the moon hits your eye -
like a bigga pizza pie -
That's amore - -
When the world seems to shine -
like you've had too much wine -
That's amore [[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 04:25, 23 March 2017 (UTC)
: At first I thought Russell was alluding to [[wikipedia:Tom Lehrer|Tom Lehrer's]] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7VQFfusQJk "That's Mathematics"]. :D [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.106|162.158.114.106]] 06:23, 23 March 2017 (UTC)

"Amore" is pronounces as /aˈmɔːrɛ/ in Italian. The initial vowel is a clean open "a" and there's no final "ei" but rather a clean open "e". Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA_for_Italian (Not counting I am Italian myself!)

Sorry, I can't help myself, but... If it's swimming in the sea and it's long and slippery, that's a moray [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.150|141.101.107.150]] 07:54, 23 March 2017 (UTC)

: "When you try write a song, but the rhythm is wrong, that's a pity... (but still witty)" ^_^ [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.180|141.101.107.180]] 10:28, 23 March 2017 (UTC)

: When it's sometimes quite slow but on average it goes, that's amor...tized
: If your alphabet soup is tied up like a sloop, that's a mored A
: (This nonsense definitely not by [[User:Quantum7|Quantum7]] ([[User talk:Quantum7|talk]]) 10:23, 23 March 2017 (UTC))
: If a diet's your wish, but you can't avoid the dish, that's a moreish [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.150|141.101.107.150]] 12:10, 23 March 2017 (UTC)

Is it bad I came to the talk page specifically for more song lyrics? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.30|172.68.65.30]] 05:29, 24 March 2017 (UTC)
: Then you'll be happy to hear that Jamie Zawinski and Michael Bayne wrote another verse for their [https://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/screenshots/ Moiré screensaver]:
:: ''When the lines on the screen''
:: ''Make more lines in between,''
:: ''That's a moiré!'' [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.167|162.158.91.167]] 07:18, 24 March 2017 (UTC)
:::Now I'm happy ;-) I have also added this to the list of songs that precedes Randall's. Wonder if he knew about this, or got the idea by himself independently? I think (and hope) he did. He has before [[1723:_Meteorite_Identification#Trivia|given credit]] on xkcd to one that had made a similar joke to his before him. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:51, 24 March 2017 (UTC)
:"When you've stopped for the night,"
: "and the dock's not in sight,"
: "That's a mooring!"
:"When the anchor's in view"
: "And there's nothing to do"
: "That's a mooring!"
:--[[User:Mlv|Mlv]] ([[User talk:Mlv|talk]]) 19:18, 24 March 2017 (UTC)

Does anybody else think that the title text may just as well refer to "amore" as to "a moire"? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.209|162.158.91.209]] 15:40, 23 March 2017 (UTC)
:Yes I think that is relevant. Have added it to the title text explanation. Thanks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:51, 24 March 2017 (UTC)
::Hmmm... the explanation would also be valid the other way round. Cause (amore) and effect (tight spacing) ... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.209|162.158.91.209]] 11:15, 24 March 2017 (UTC)

:"When an eel bites your toe, and he just won't let go, that's a moray..." [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 01:21, 25 March 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1801: Decision Paralysis

2017-02-24T23:13:09Z

KieferSkunk:

Don't hurt me: First explanation. There's serious problems with it, I know. Be gentle. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.159|162.158.62.159]] 05:59, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

[[356: Nerd Sniping]] appears to be a practical application of this. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.16|162.158.114.16]] 09:14, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

[[309:_Shopping_Teams]] is also directly relevant. [[User:B jonas|B jonas]] ([[User talk:B jonas|talk]]) 11:26, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

Talking about Nerds: [[309: Shopping Teams]] ??? {{unsigned ip|141.101.76.250}}

Depends on what internet service you use to make your decision. I tried to compare car reviews with Amazon's Alexa and it led me to binge watching the recently concluded season of The Grand Tour. [[User:Nialpxe|Nialpxe]] ([[User talk:Nialpxe|talk]]) 13:59, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

My first reaction upon seeing the comic was: "There are two of you and two cars! Just steal each a car and whoever gets to the base first starts dealing with the bomb. (Plus, you get to find which car is faster)" [[Special:Contributions/188.114.110.178|188.114.110.178]] 14:35, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
:Good point. Of course the joke is that Cueball/Randall gets sucked into comparing. The third option might seem like a good alternative rather than risking being at the base when the bomb explodes (more likely due to the time wasted in the first place...) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:31, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

Randall has previously mentioned ways of harming him, like that one where he taught everyone to impersonate him, or trick his friends into punching him. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.100|141.101.76.100]] 19:51, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
:I guess you mean this for the impersonate: [[1121: Identity]]. I'm a bit more uncertain if the other is this one [[706: Freedom]]. But this seems more like something that could happen not something that has happened. I have included the first as I think that it relevant. Thanks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:04, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
::I meant [[1057: Klout]] for the punching one. But reading it back, I'm not so convinced anymore. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.100|141.101.76.100]] 06:51, 22 February 2017 (UTC)
:::Ah. By the way those two comics 706 and 1057 "klout" up each other, as both invites people to hit Randall so now he will not know why people do it :-) And I agree that it is not so clearly an invitation as the one about Identity or this comic --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:41, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

If the pair are, as the page asserts, standing next to the cars then megan would have said ''these cars''. also, the cars as drawn, if next to the pair, are '''very small''' and floating in space. they appear instead to be quite '''far away'''. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.18|141.101.107.18]] 12:35, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
:Agree have changed the line in the transcript. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:41, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

The title, and the comic, seem to about the well known phenomenon "Analysis Paralysis", see [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis_paralysis this page]. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.4|172.68.34.4]] 03:49, 23 February 2017 (UTC)

<s>I don't know if it's at all significant, but the car on the right is recognizably a 2016 Toyota Prius - I own one of these and the rear end of the car has a very distinctive design. The Prius does have good traction control - the 2004 model was one of the first "mid-level" (read: non-sport, non-luxury) vehicles to prominently feature Vehicle Stability Control, so while this feature is now common in most cars, the Prius still retains some notability for having it. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 23:05, 24 February 2017 (UTC)
: There's another (admittedly tenuous) link here: The advertising campaign for the 2016 Prius, introduced during the Super Bowl that year, featured a couple of bank robbers stealing a Prius and using it to evade the cops in various ways that showed off the car's features - most notably its improved performance (over older models) and its high gas mileage. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 23:08, 24 February 2017 (UTC)</s>
::The specific car model is irrelevant at this comic.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:11, 24 February 2017 (UTC)
:: '''(Edit Conflict)''' Actually, nevermind - I zoomed in and realized that the car isn't as definite as I thought. It does have the general shape of a Prius, but the features would need to be better defined. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 23:13, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1801: Decision Paralysis

2017-02-24T23:08:27Z

KieferSkunk:

Don't hurt me: First explanation. There's serious problems with it, I know. Be gentle. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.159|162.158.62.159]] 05:59, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

[[356: Nerd Sniping]] appears to be a practical application of this. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.16|162.158.114.16]] 09:14, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

[[309:_Shopping_Teams]] is also directly relevant. [[User:B jonas|B jonas]] ([[User talk:B jonas|talk]]) 11:26, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

Talking about Nerds: [[309: Shopping Teams]] ??? {{unsigned ip|141.101.76.250}}

Depends on what internet service you use to make your decision. I tried to compare car reviews with Amazon's Alexa and it led me to binge watching the recently concluded season of The Grand Tour. [[User:Nialpxe|Nialpxe]] ([[User talk:Nialpxe|talk]]) 13:59, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

My first reaction upon seeing the comic was: "There are two of you and two cars! Just steal each a car and whoever gets to the base first starts dealing with the bomb. (Plus, you get to find which car is faster)" [[Special:Contributions/188.114.110.178|188.114.110.178]] 14:35, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
:Good point. Of course the joke is that Cueball/Randall gets sucked into comparing. The third option might seem like a good alternative rather than risking being at the base when the bomb explodes (more likely due to the time wasted in the first place...) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:31, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

Randall has previously mentioned ways of harming him, like that one where he taught everyone to impersonate him, or trick his friends into punching him. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.100|141.101.76.100]] 19:51, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
:I guess you mean this for the impersonate: [[1121: Identity]]. I'm a bit more uncertain if the other is this one [[706: Freedom]]. But this seems more like something that could happen not something that has happened. I have included the first as I think that it relevant. Thanks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:04, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
::I meant [[1057: Klout]] for the punching one. But reading it back, I'm not so convinced anymore. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.100|141.101.76.100]] 06:51, 22 February 2017 (UTC)
:::Ah. By the way those two comics 706 and 1057 "klout" up each other, as both invites people to hit Randall so now he will not know why people do it :-) And I agree that it is not so clearly an invitation as the one about Identity or this comic --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:41, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

If the pair are, as the page asserts, standing next to the cars then megan would have said ''these cars''. also, the cars as drawn, if next to the pair, are '''very small''' and floating in space. they appear instead to be quite '''far away'''. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.18|141.101.107.18]] 12:35, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
:Agree have changed the line in the transcript. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:41, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

The title, and the comic, seem to about the well known phenomenon "Analysis Paralysis", see [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis_paralysis this page]. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.4|172.68.34.4]] 03:49, 23 February 2017 (UTC)

I don't know if it's at all significant, but the car on the right is recognizably a 2016 Toyota Prius - I own one of these and the rear end of the car has a very distinctive design. The Prius does have good traction control - the 2004 model was one of the first "mid-level" (read: non-sport, non-luxury) vehicles to prominently feature Vehicle Stability Control, so while this feature is now common in most cars, the Prius still retains some notability for having it. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 23:05, 24 February 2017 (UTC)
: There's another (admittedly tenuous) link here: The advertising campaign for the 2016 Prius, introduced during the Super Bowl that year, featured a couple of bank robbers stealing a Prius and using it to evade the cops in various ways that showed off the car's features - most notably its improved performance (over older models) and its high gas mileage. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 23:08, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1801: Decision Paralysis

2017-02-24T23:05:57Z

KieferSkunk:

Don't hurt me: First explanation. There's serious problems with it, I know. Be gentle. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.159|162.158.62.159]] 05:59, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

[[356: Nerd Sniping]] appears to be a practical application of this. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.16|162.158.114.16]] 09:14, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

[[309:_Shopping_Teams]] is also directly relevant. [[User:B jonas|B jonas]] ([[User talk:B jonas|talk]]) 11:26, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

Talking about Nerds: [[309: Shopping Teams]] ??? {{unsigned ip|141.101.76.250}}

Depends on what internet service you use to make your decision. I tried to compare car reviews with Amazon's Alexa and it led me to binge watching the recently concluded season of The Grand Tour. [[User:Nialpxe|Nialpxe]] ([[User talk:Nialpxe|talk]]) 13:59, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

My first reaction upon seeing the comic was: "There are two of you and two cars! Just steal each a car and whoever gets to the base first starts dealing with the bomb. (Plus, you get to find which car is faster)" [[Special:Contributions/188.114.110.178|188.114.110.178]] 14:35, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
:Good point. Of course the joke is that Cueball/Randall gets sucked into comparing. The third option might seem like a good alternative rather than risking being at the base when the bomb explodes (more likely due to the time wasted in the first place...) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:31, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

Randall has previously mentioned ways of harming him, like that one where he taught everyone to impersonate him, or trick his friends into punching him. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.100|141.101.76.100]] 19:51, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
:I guess you mean this for the impersonate: [[1121: Identity]]. I'm a bit more uncertain if the other is this one [[706: Freedom]]. But this seems more like something that could happen not something that has happened. I have included the first as I think that it relevant. Thanks. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:04, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
::I meant [[1057: Klout]] for the punching one. But reading it back, I'm not so convinced anymore. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.100|141.101.76.100]] 06:51, 22 February 2017 (UTC)
:::Ah. By the way those two comics 706 and 1057 "klout" up each other, as both invites people to hit Randall so now he will not know why people do it :-) And I agree that it is not so clearly an invitation as the one about Identity or this comic --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:41, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

If the pair are, as the page asserts, standing next to the cars then megan would have said ''these cars''. also, the cars as drawn, if next to the pair, are '''very small''' and floating in space. they appear instead to be quite '''far away'''. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.18|141.101.107.18]] 12:35, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
:Agree have changed the line in the transcript. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:41, 22 February 2017 (UTC)

The title, and the comic, seem to about the well known phenomenon "Analysis Paralysis", see [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis_paralysis this page]. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.4|172.68.34.4]] 03:49, 23 February 2017 (UTC)

I don't know if it's at all significant, but the car on the right is recognizably a 2016 Toyota Prius - I own one of these and the rear end of the car has a very distinctive design. The Prius does have good traction control - the 2004 model was one of the first "mid-level" (read: non-sport, non-luxury) vehicles to prominently feature Vehicle Stability Control, so while this feature is now common in most cars, the Prius still retains some notability for having it. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 23:05, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

1797: Stardew Valley

2017-02-12T03:46:43Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */ Reworked this a bit, per discussion

{{comic
| number = 1797
| date = February 10, 2017
| title = Stardew Valley
| image = stardew_valley.png
| titletext = I have accidentally watered virtually every person and object in Pelican Town.
}}

== Explanation ==
{{incomplete|The style of this comic is not quite as xkcd usually is. See comment at the top of the discussion about it, or read the transcript. Can anyone familiar with Stardew comment on whether it has some similarities to the game? If not, reply in the discussion. If more say it is not so, then delete this incomplete section. The differences are mentioned in the transcript.}}

''{{w|Stardew Valley}}'' is an indie farming simulation role-playing video game published by Chucklefish Games. Just as in similar games like {{w|Farmville}} and {{w|Harvest Moon (series)|Harvest Moon}}, the player takes the role of a farmer who establishes his or her own farm and performs everyday tasks such as watering plants, growing food, and tending to animals.

In this comic, Cueball begins his morning routine in a ''Stardew Valley'' session by waking up and watering some of his farm's plants. However, he then walks up to a sleeping cat, pauses for a moment, then pours water on it, startling it awake. He says "Dammit!" to this, likely indicating this isn't the first time he's made this mistake.

In the game, watering plants is an essential chore, which requires the player to "equip" a watering can. The player moves their character up to a plant and simply presses an action button (or key) to perform the watering action. The same action button is used to interact in different ways with other things, animals and people (e.g. to talk to them), so accidentally leaving the watering can equipped while trying to talk to someone can cause the player to "water" them instead. The comic illustrates how easy it is to do this in the game, as well as the comedic value of seeing this happen from the point of view of the player's character.

The title text reinforces this humor by indicating that Randall has used the watering can, probably unintentionally, on nearly every person and object in the game. It's amusing to think that he may curse each time he realizes he's still holding the can when he tries to talk to someone. (His use of the word "Dammit" in this comic also calls to mind a brief discussion on the word in [[559: No Pun Intended]].)

''Stardew Valley'' was also mentioned only two weeks prior to this comic in [[1790: Sad]].

Interestingly, this comic is drawn in a slightly unusual style for ''XKCD''. Of note is the border around the caption ("Stardew Valley Morning Routine"), the thicker-than-normal penmanship, and the use of drawn borders around the watering sound effects, Cueball's yawn, and the cat's sleeping word balloon. The cat's balloon in particular follows the visual style of the game (in which certain objects and animals may show their current emotional states with word balloons) - more generally, actions that normally occur in the game, such as the yawn and the watering action, appear to be shown in balloons while Cueball's "Dammit!" is written in the style of other XKCD comics. This likely suggests that Cueball's epithet here represents the player (Randall) actually saying this in response to the incorrect action.

== Transcript ==
:[Inside a slim frame at the top of the comic there is a caption (a rather unusual style for xkcd captions):]
:Stardew Valley morning routine

:[Below this frame there are two rows each consisting of three small panels taking up the same width as the caption panel above. In most of the panels noises are shown inside either sound bubbles or speech bubbles, which is also a rather unusual style for xkcd, especially as this ends in the last panel when the sounds are intentionally, but only then. This is likely because these sounds, occur within the game, e.g. one's avatars will always start the day with a yawn noise, the watering can makes a swish sound, etc.]

:[Cueball wakes up in a four poster bed, with round knobs at the top of each post. He sits up in bed with the pillow at his back up against the bedpost and holds a hand to his mouth, while the other hand is lying on the tight blanket covering his body. He clearly yawns as indicated with four small lines above his head above which floats a large sound bubble:]
:Cueball: '''''Yawn'''''

:[Cueball walks to the right with a small watering can held in front of him.]

:[Cueball pours water from the can over the central of three small plants growing in the grass. A line goes from the water to another bubble:]
:Water: ''Splish''

:[Cueball walks back to the left with the watering can.]

:[Cueball stops with the can right next to a sleeping cat, which has a speech bubble pointing to its head.]
:Cat: Z

:[Cueball proceeds to pour water on the cat which immediately gets up and lifts it front legs up away from Cueball as it tries to escape, with water cascading down on its back. Again there is a line from the water to a speech bubble at the top of the panel, but both the cats angry sound and Cueball's comment is in the more normal xkcd style without any bubbles around and just two lines to indicate who speaks, most likely to distinguish these as sounds never found within the game.]
:Water: ''Splish''
:Cat: ''Mrowl!!''
:Cueball: '''''–Dammit. '''''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Animals]]

Talk:1797: Stardew Valley

2017-02-12T03:19:10Z

KieferSkunk: Clarify what?

Expanded the explanation. Feel free to add on to my post. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|'''JayRules''XKCD''' ]][[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|what's up?]] 12:16, 10 February 2017 (UTC)
:OK ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:19, 10 February 2017 (UTC)

Is it just me or is Cueball drawn "fatter" than usual? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.89|162.158.91.89]] 14:00, 10 February 2017 (UTC)
:I was thinking that the whole style of this comic is rather uncharacteristically of xkcd. Maybe someone who have played the game, could confirm (or not) my suspicion that there are some of these differences that comes from him "copying" parts from the game. The first I noticed was that the caption was in a frame. This almost never happens. Either it is just above the panel below, or at the top of the panel inside it. The second was the many speech bubbles which are not used for the speech, but for sounds made by things or involuntarily (yawning, snooring and splishing). Only when the cat wakes up and mrowls and Cueballs spoken word is normal style. And yes I had not seen this but maybe the lines are in general a bit fatter, not just Cueballs. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:19, 10 February 2017 (UTC)
::Randall was probably just deciding to go for a more organized comic. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|'''JayRules''XKCD''' ]][[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|what's up?]] 18:30, 10 February 2017 (UTC)
:::I think he has done something similar before, but it is rare. And that was why I wondered if there were also such bubbles in the game, or captions etc. I do not think he tried to make it look organized. The only organized about it is the caption frame. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:41, 10 February 2017 (UTC)
::::Is it just me who thinks the style looks more like "old-timey" xkcd? [[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 13:07, 11 February 2017 (UTC)

I haven't played Stardew Valley, but it did remind me of similar situations in other video games, such as hitting a villager with a net in Animal Crossing. ...Also, "virtually"? Heh. [[User:Nyperold|Nyperold]] ([[User talk:Nyperold|talk]]) 17:47, 10 February 2017 (UTC)
:Yes I also thought about that pun. Have tried to add it into the title text explanation, but this could probably be phrased better by someone native to the English language. ;-) But usualy it is easier to make someone edit what they do not like to something better than to get them to start the explanation ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:41, 10 February 2017 (UTC)

I get the feeling Randall's feeling down at the moment, and he's using Stardew Valley as an escape, especially so soon after being mentioned in #1790. It seems like a bit of a random time to start talking about Stardew Valley. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.214|141.101.98.214]] 21:39, 10 February 2017 (UTC)

I'm not an editor here, but I do play the game. In Stardew Valley it's very easy to water people and your cat instead of speaking to them if you have your watering can equipped, and since watering the crops is the first thing you generally do in the morning, you could totally find yourself watering your cat right afterwards every day. (comment was unsigned)

==Clarify what?==
I'm not entirely sure what the request for clarification is - the text in the "incomplete section" is unclear about what needs fixing or verifying. I'm guessing by the quick discussion above that people aren't sure about the word balloons on the game's sound effects and the cat's "z" bubble? Let me see if I can help a bit.

Stardew Valley does put small word balloons over characters, animals and other things in certain situations. For example, a human NPC might show his/her emotions through a word balloon, a pet may be asleep and show a Z balloon (like the cat), and barrels and other containers show a balloon with an icon in them indicating that you can collect something from them (e.g. finished wine or honey). The game doesn't give text or icons for sound effects (e.g. the sound of watering a plant is just a sound - there's no accompanying visual for it except the animation itself) - my guess is simply that Randall was using the wavy lines around the "Plissh!" for the watering action to give a sense of it being a wet sound, since it does sound like spattering water in the game.

Overall, I'm thinking that Randall put things in word balloons to indicate that they'd happen normally in the game, but then the cat's reaction to being watered, and Cueball's "DAMMIT!", are XKCD-normal due to being abnormal events. The "DAMMIT!" would likely be the player speaking aloud, not the player's character doing something normal in-game.

Does this help? Let me know if I can answer anything more specific. Obviously, I can't speak for the border around the caption or the thicker-than-usual lines. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 03:19, 12 February 2017 (UTC)

1756: I'm With Her

2016-11-13T04:10:25Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1756
| date = November 7, 2016
| title = I'm With Her
| image = im_with_her.png
| titletext = We can do this.
}}

==Explanation==
In this serious, ''no joke'', comic released the day before the {{w|2016 United States presidential election}} (which was more contentious than most, due in part to many people finding both candidates unusually distasteful), [[Randall]] urged his American viewership to vote, and showed his {{w|Political endorsement|endorsement}} for {{w|Hillary Clinton}}, the {{w|US Democratic Party|Democratic}} nominee in the election. She was up against the {{w|US Republican Party|Republican}} nominee {{w|Donald Trump}}, who won (although Clinton electors won a slightly larger share of the aggregate of popular vote totals). There were also nominees from other parties, most prominently {{w|Green Party of the United States|Green Party}} nominee {{w|Jill Stein}}, and {{w|Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian}} nominee {{w|Gary Johnson}}. Neither was likely to become president, but there was a chance {{w|spoiler candidate|they could affect the result}} in some states (no third-party candidate has ''won'' a state since {{w|United_States_presidential_election,_1968|1968}} - and it did not occur this time either - the closest any came in 2016 was independent candidate {{w|Evan McMullin}} in Utah.)

It was the second time Randall referred to this election, the first being [[1748: Future Archaeology]] three weeks before the election, but here it was just a wish to know the result using time travel (of course he did not learn the result back then…).

The "H" with an arrow was {{w|Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016|Clinton's campaign}} logo, and '''I'm with her''' an official slogan that was widely used by her supporters, hence the title. Randall then lists tips to help you cast your vote ([[#How to help|see table below]]) suggesting a personal investment in the election. Clinton herself may be represented by [[Blondie]] sitting on top of the H looking out at the reader as the only of the 11 characters. The only type of joke in the comic is the chosen characters. Two with weapons flank the left and right side looking out ready to defend against Trump. Both are from earlier comic. Especially [Ponytail]] with her ray gun (from [[322: Pix Plz]]) for melting computers of persons that make snide remarks at women. Including her is clearly a reference to {{w|Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations|Donald Trumps sexual harassment of women}} in general and especially to his ''Grab them by the pussy'' comment. [[Cueball]] with his weapon is from [[303: Compiling]]. See more details in the [[#Character gallery|character gallery]] below.

This is the first time Randall has used a comic to directly support a presidential campaign, although he did [https://blog.xkcd.com/2008/01/28/obama/ endorse] {{w|Barack Obama}} in 2008 on his [[Blag]]. He wrote himself later that it was very controversial when he endorsed Obama, but that it was not the most [[388:_Fuck_Grapefruit#Controversy|controversial comic he had published]] at that time. This comic might take that prize now, given that this was one of the most discussed elections up to its time. This is particularly noteworthy outside the US - for example, some European leaders openly opposed Trump, while others supported him. There were also reports and rumors of Russian hackers attempting to influence the election.

Randall's support for Hillary Clinton may have been due in part to Donald Trump {{w|Donald_Trump#Healthcare.2C_education_and_environment|being a prominent}} {{w|climate change denier}}. Randall has published comics opposing climate change denial such as this: [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]], published less than two month before the election, as well as several other [[:Category:Climate change|comics on climate change]].

All the information on the bottom half of the comic includes sites, numbers, info, etc., current as of 2016, that are intended to help US voters to vote, regardless of whom they vote for. Including this information can assist voters who don't understand the process, don't feel that it's worth it, or feel intimidated or threatened. In general, these sites and numbers were likely included to help boost voter turnout.

The title text, which states that "We can do this" refers to Randall's desire to unite Democratic voters and elect Hillary Clinton to the White House instead of Trump. It is possible to [https://www.lookhuman.com/design/86542-hillary-clinton-we-can-do-it/tshirt buy t-shirts] with the famed {{w|We Can Do It!}} logo from the "Rosie the Riveter" wartime poster, but with Hillary Clinton in the famed position. However this is not quite the same "We can do this" sentence that Randall uses. "We can do this" (or in German, "[https://www.dict.cc/?s=Wir+schaffen+das+%5BAngela+Merkel%5D Wir schaffen das]") was also the catchphrase of the German Chancellor {{w|Angela Merkel}} during the recent influx of refugees from the Syrian War — like Clinton, Merkel was fighting against {{w|Pegida|a populist nativist movement}} that wanted to close the country's borders.

Unfortunately for Randall, these efforts were in vain, as {{w|Donald Trump}} was elected on Tuesday, November 8.

===How to help===
The list of things that can help is all about getting people to vote. While Randall is likely to have wanted to boost voter turnout regardless of political leanings, it's clear from his endorsement of Clinton that he believed increased turnout would have helped her win the race. There is general evidence that certain more heavily Democratic-leaning demographics are less likely to vote, and in this election in particular, the various political issues that had been raised against Hillary (such as the {{w|Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI's}} public disclosures of its investigation into her use of a private email server) were shown to have reduced enthusiasm among Democrats. But all these issues aside, both Republicans and Democrats alike agree on encouraging everyone to vote, and Randall is likely to have agreed with that sentiment as well.

Here is Randall's list of suggestions for how to help Hillary Clinton win the election:
{|class="wikitable"
!What to do
!How to do it
!Explanation
|-
|Vote
|[https://iwillvote.com/ iwillvote.com]
|A site to look up polling locations, ID requirements, etc.
|-
|Get a ride to the polls:
|[http://www.drive2vote.org/ drive2vote.org]
|For voters in Douglas and Sarpy County, Nebraska, who needed a ride to the polls from {{w|Warren Buffett}} or his friends.
|-
|If you're having problems voting
|[http://www.866ourvote.org/ 866-OUR-VOTE]
|Racism or other biases on the part of people running polling places is a real issue for minorities. Though it is illegal, people may lie or deny rights to would-be-voters who they believe will not vote for the candidate they agree with. In some instances, voters may require backup from someone with legal understanding to get to vote, which is a service this phone number provides. Since Donald Trump has suggested that unofficial {{w|poll watchers}} should patrol voting stations - which has been described as potential [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/05/election-day-violence-donald-trump-poll-watchers voter intimidation] - this has been an especially widely discussed topic in this election. The phone number written out as numbers is (866) 687-8683
|-
|Experimental social turnout project
|[http://www.civicinnovation.com/ civicinnovation.com] App Store: VoteWithMe
|An app which "gives you a list of the top 10 highest-impact potential voters in your address book to get in touch with -- based on the likelihood that they support progressive candidates, and that they live in states with the most competitive races". This app is for Android and iOS, with the App Store ID as "VoteWithMe". The "VoteWithMe" app is created by Civic Innovation Works and "uses publicly available voter records to predict which of your contacts are likely to support Democratic candidates, but might not have a plan to vote", as it says on its [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/votewithme/id1170104517/ App Store Page].
|-
|Reminder:
|If you're in line when the polls close, they have to let you vote.
|This is correct, as is printed on most election pamphlets as part of the ''Voters' Bill of Rights'', as well as being cited on numerous sources online (eg [http://votersedge.kqed.org/en/ca/ballot/election/area/42/section/voting-info?id=statewide-42-ca#section-my-rights-as-a-voter here].) Being turned down for trying to vote after the polling place is officially closed (if you were already in line ''when'' the polls closed) might be an instance where you want to use the phone number mentioned above.
|}

===Character gallery===
The comic show a gallery of 11 xkcd characters including all the main characters from xkcd (except [[Hairy]]), which stand united behind Randall and Clinton despite their lack of agreement in many other comics.

*From left to right on the left side of the H are:
**[[Ponytail]] with a ray gun (the one she also wielded in [[322: Pix Plz]], a comic where she was named Joanna). The gun it for melting computers of persons that make snide remarks at women, clearly a reference to {{w|Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations|Donald Trumps sexual harassment of women}} in general and especially to his Grab Pussy comment.
**[[Black Hat]] (who was the one introducing Joanna/Ponytail in the mentioned comic)
**[[Danish]] (Black Hat's girlfriend setting up a kite for him, although it could be Megan, but she is also shown later with her regular shorter hair). However it has mainly been Megan in comics with kites, like [[235: Kite]] and [[1614: Kites]]. Kites are a [[:Category:Kites|recurring theme]] on xkcd.
**[[White Hat]] looking at the kite.
*On top of the H are:
**[[Blondie]] (looking out at us, maybe representing Clinton herself)
**[[Megan]] (next to Cueball)
**[[Cueball]] (forming the standard couple in xkcd with Megan)
**[[Hairbun]] with glasses (so specifically not the one from the previous comic [[1755: Old Days]], but rather like in [[1637: Salt Mine]]).
*On the right side of the H are:
**[[Science Girl]] (The adult version of her, is holding her hand out towards a cute squirrel. Of course she could also be the girl from [[635: Locke and Demosthenes]] where the squirrel is poisoned...)
**[[Beret Guy]] is holding a squirrel out towards Science Girl. (The first time squirrels was mentioned was actually when Beret Guy found them in a tree in [[167: Nihilism]] and since then they have become a [[:Category:Squirrels|recurring theme]] on xkcd and a similar squirrel can for instance be seen in [[1503: Squirrel Plan]]. Beret Guy has not been seen together with a squirrel before, but has been shown to care for animals, for instance in [[614: Woodpecker]]).
**[[:Category:Multiple Cueballs|Another Cueball]] is standing on an office chair wielding a sword as he was shown in [[303: Compiling]]. (Interestingly enough the previous comic [[1755: Old Days]] was about Cueball asking Hairbun about {{w|compiling}} in the old days. Seems realistic that Randall has this comic ready for this Monday before the election for some time, and when finding this 9 year old version of Cueball in the old comics, he may have gotten inspired to make a comic about compiling in the old days).

Note that the two characters at either side of the comic wields weapons pointing out defending the other nine. Those next to the characters with weapons are doing recreational things like kiting and admiring adorable squirrels, both are recurring subjects in xkcd.

==Transcript==
:[Eleven characters are drawn left, right and on top of a huge H with an arrow as the horizontal bar connecting the two vertical towers. The arrow breaks the right part of the H. It represents the logo from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign for 2016. From left to right on the left side of the H are Ponytail with an exotic looking futuristic ray gun like weapon looking to the left away from the H and the others. Behind her is Black Hat who looks at a girl that might be Danish or Megan (but with longer hair than Megan typically has). She is setting up a kite that flies above the first two characters. Behind her and looking up at the kite is White Hat. The H is right behind him, and on top of the left tower of the H sits Blondie looking straight out at the reader with her legs dangling over the edge and her arms resting on her knees. On the arrow between the two H towers sits Megan leaning against the left H tower, also dangling her legs over the edge and arms resting on her knees. Cueball is standing to her right, just left of the right H tower. On top of the right H towers sits Hairbun with glasses looking straight right with her legs dangling over the edge one arm resting on a knee and leaning back on the other arm. On the right side of the H is an adult version of Science Girl holding a hand out towards the squirrel which Beret Guy is holding out in both arms towards her. Behind them is another Cueball standing on an office chair holding a sword high up in front of him to the right away from the others. He keeps his balance by holding his other arm out behind him. Below the H there is a large caption.]
:<big><big><big>H</big></big></big>
: <big><big>I'm with her.</big></big>

:[Below the panel there are several lines of text. The first header line refers to the next four lines with solutions to problems, title/problem on one side then a long dash and the web-link or other information on the right side of that. Below those there is a reminder.]
:<big>How to help</big>
:Vote - iwillvote.com
:Get a ride to the polls - drive2vote.org
:If you're having problems voting - 866-OUR-VOTE
:Experimental social turnout project - civicinnovation.com App Store: VoteWithMe

:<big>Reminder:</big>
:If you're in line when the polls close, they have to let you vote.

==Trivia==
*Despite securing more votes, Hillary Clinton lost the election in the {{w|Electoral college (United States)|electoral college}}. She did win in {{w|Massachusetts}} (Randall's home state), but that was never really in any doubt.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]] 
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Kites]]
[[Category:Squirrels]]

1756: I'm With Her

2016-11-13T04:06:55Z

KieferSkunk: A little rework here - now that this election is over, some of the text in here should no longer be in present tense.

{{comic
| number = 1756
| date = November 7, 2016
| title = I'm With Her
| image = im_with_her.png
| titletext = We can do this.
}}

==Explanation==
In this serious, ''no joke'', comic released the day before the {{w|2016 United States presidential election}} (which was more contentious than most, due in part to many people finding both candidates unusually distasteful), [[Randall]] urged his American viewership to vote, and showed his {{w|Political endorsement|endorsement}} for {{w|Hillary Clinton}}, the {{w|US Democratic Party|Democratic}} nominee in the election. She was up against the {{w|US Republican Party|Republican}} nominee {{w|Donald Trump}}, who won (although Clinton electors won a slightly larger share of the aggregate of popular vote totals). There were also nominees from other parties, most prominently {{w|Green Party of the United States|Green Party}} nominee {{w|Jill Stein}}, and {{w|Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian}} nominee {{w|Gary Johnson}}. Neither was likely to become president, but there was a chance {{w|spoiler candidate|they could affect the result}} in some states (no third-party candidate has ''won'' a state since {{w|United_States_presidential_election,_1968|1968}} - and it did not occur this time either - the closest any came in 2016 was independent candidate {{w|Evan McMullin}} in Utah.)

It was the second time Randall referred to this election, the first being [[1748: Future Archaeology]] three weeks before the election, but here it was just a wish to know the result using time travel (of course he did not learn the result back then…).

The "H" with an arrow was {{w|Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016|Clinton's campaign}} logo, and '''I'm with her''' an official slogan that was widely used by her supporters, hence the title. Randall then lists tips to help you cast your vote ([[#How to help|see table below]]) suggesting a personal investment in the election. Clinton herself may be represented by [[Blondie]] sitting on top of the H looking out at the reader as the only of the 11 characters. The only type of joke in the comic is the chosen characters. Two with weapons flank the left and right side looking out ready to defend against Trump. Both are from earlier comic. Especially [Ponytail]] with her ray gun (from [[322: Pix Plz]]) for melting computers of persons that make snide remarks at women. Including her is clearly a reference to {{w|Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations|Donald Trumps sexual harassment of women}} in general and especially to his ''Grab them by the pussy'' comment. [[Cueball]] with his weapon is from [[303: Compiling]]. See more details in the [[#Character gallery|character gallery]] below.

This is the first time Randall has used a comic to directly support a presidential campaign, although he did [https://blog.xkcd.com/2008/01/28/obama/ endorse] {{w|Barack Obama}} in 2008 on his [[Blag]]. He wrote himself later that it was very controversial when he endorsed Obama, but that it was not the most [[388:_Fuck_Grapefruit#Controversy|controversial comic he had published]] at that time. This comic might take that prize now, given that this is likely one of the most discussed elections up to its time, especially outside the US, where for instance some of European leaders have made it clear that they are against Trump while other endorse him.

Randall's support for Hillary Clinton may have been due in part to Donald Trump {{w|Donald_Trump#Healthcare.2C_education_and_environment|being a prominent}} {{w|climate change denier}}. Randall has published comics opposing climate change denial such as this: [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]], published less than two month before the election, as well as several other [[:Category:Climate change|comics on climate change]].

All the information on the bottom half of the comic includes sites, numbers, info, etc., current as of 2016, that are intended to help US voters to vote, regardless of whom they vote for. Including this information can assist voters who don't understand the process, don't feel that it's worth it, or feel intimidated or threatened. In general, these sites and numbers were likely included to help boost voter turnout.

The title text, which states that "We can do this" refers to Randall's desire to unite Democratic voters and elect Hillary Clinton to the White House instead of Trump. It is possible to [https://www.lookhuman.com/design/86542-hillary-clinton-we-can-do-it/tshirt buy t-shirts] with the famed {{w|We Can Do It!}} logo from the "Rosie the Riveter" wartime poster, but with Hillary Clinton in the famed position. However this is not quite the same "We can do this" sentence that Randall uses. "We can do this" (or in German, "[https://www.dict.cc/?s=Wir+schaffen+das+%5BAngela+Merkel%5D Wir schaffen das]") was also the catchphrase of the German Chancellor {{w|Angela Merkel}} during the recent influx of refugees from the Syrian War — like Clinton, Merkel was fighting against {{w|Pegida|a populist nativist movement}} that wanted to close the country's borders.

Unfortunately for Randall, these efforts were in vain, as {{w|Donald Trump}} was elected on Tuesday, November 8.

===How to help===
The list of things that can help is all about getting people to vote. While Randall is likely to have wanted to boost voter turnout regardless of political leanings, it's clear from his endorsement of Clinton that he believed increased turnout would have helped her win the race. There is general evidence that certain more heavily Democratic-leaning demographics are less likely to vote, and in this election in particular, the various political issues that had been raised against Hillary (such as the {{w|Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI's}} public disclosures of its investigation into her use of a private email server) were shown to have reduced enthusiasm among Democrats. But all these issues aside, both Republicans and Democrats alike agree on encouraging everyone to vote, and Randall is likely to have agreed with that sentiment as well.

Here is Randall's list of suggestions for how to help Hillary Clinton win the election:
{|class="wikitable"
!What to do
!How to do it
!Explanation
|-
|Vote
|[https://iwillvote.com/ iwillvote.com]
|A site to look up polling locations, ID requirements, etc.
|-
|Get a ride to the polls:
|[http://www.drive2vote.org/ drive2vote.org]
|For voters in Douglas and Sarpy County, Nebraska, who needed a ride to the polls from {{w|Warren Buffett}} or his friends.
|-
|If you're having problems voting
|[http://www.866ourvote.org/ 866-OUR-VOTE]
|Racism or other biases on the part of people running polling places is a real issue for minorities. Though it is illegal, people may lie or deny rights to would-be-voters who they believe will not vote for the candidate they agree with. In some instances, voters may require backup from someone with legal understanding to get to vote, which is a service this phone number provides. Since Donald Trump has suggested that unofficial {{w|poll watchers}} should patrol voting stations - which has been described as potential [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/05/election-day-violence-donald-trump-poll-watchers voter intimidation] - this has been an especially widely discussed topic in this election. The phone number written out as numbers is (866) 687-8683
|-
|Experimental social turnout project
|[http://www.civicinnovation.com/ civicinnovation.com] App Store: VoteWithMe
|An app which "gives you a list of the top 10 highest-impact potential voters in your address book to get in touch with -- based on the likelihood that they support progressive candidates, and that they live in states with the most competitive races". This app is for Android and iOS, with the App Store ID as "VoteWithMe". The "VoteWithMe" app is created by Civic Innovation Works and "uses publicly available voter records to predict which of your contacts are likely to support Democratic candidates, but might not have a plan to vote", as it says on its [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/votewithme/id1170104517/ App Store Page].
|-
|Reminder:
|If you're in line when the polls close, they have to let you vote.
|This is correct, as is printed on most election pamphlets as part of the ''Voters' Bill of Rights'', as well as being cited on numerous sources online (eg [http://votersedge.kqed.org/en/ca/ballot/election/area/42/section/voting-info?id=statewide-42-ca#section-my-rights-as-a-voter here].) Being turned down for trying to vote after the polling place is officially closed (if you were already in line ''when'' the polls closed) might be an instance where you want to use the phone number mentioned above.
|}

===Character gallery===
The comic show a gallery of 11 xkcd characters including all the main characters from xkcd (except [[Hairy]]), which stand united behind Randall and Clinton despite their lack of agreement in many other comics.

*From left to right on the left side of the H are:
**[[Ponytail]] with a ray gun (the one she also wielded in [[322: Pix Plz]], a comic where she was named Joanna). The gun it for melting computers of persons that make snide remarks at women, clearly a reference to {{w|Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations|Donald Trumps sexual harassment of women}} in general and especially to his Grab Pussy comment.
**[[Black Hat]] (who was the one introducing Joanna/Ponytail in the mentioned comic)
**[[Danish]] (Black Hat's girlfriend setting up a kite for him, although it could be Megan, but she is also shown later with her regular shorter hair). However it has mainly been Megan in comics with kites, like [[235: Kite]] and [[1614: Kites]]. Kites are a [[:Category:Kites|recurring theme]] on xkcd.
**[[White Hat]] looking at the kite.
*On top of the H are:
**[[Blondie]] (looking out at us, maybe representing Clinton herself)
**[[Megan]] (next to Cueball)
**[[Cueball]] (forming the standard couple in xkcd with Megan)
**[[Hairbun]] with glasses (so specifically not the one from the previous comic [[1755: Old Days]], but rather like in [[1637: Salt Mine]]).
*On the right side of the H are:
**[[Science Girl]] (The adult version of her, is holding her hand out towards a cute squirrel. Of course she could also be the girl from [[635: Locke and Demosthenes]] where the squirrel is poisoned...)
**[[Beret Guy]] is holding a squirrel out towards Science Girl. (The first time squirrels was mentioned was actually when Beret Guy found them in a tree in [[167: Nihilism]] and since then they have become a [[:Category:Squirrels|recurring theme]] on xkcd and a similar squirrel can for instance be seen in [[1503: Squirrel Plan]]. Beret Guy has not been seen together with a squirrel before, but has been shown to care for animals, for instance in [[614: Woodpecker]]).
**[[:Category:Multiple Cueballs|Another Cueball]] is standing on an office chair wielding a sword as he was shown in [[303: Compiling]]. (Interestingly enough the previous comic [[1755: Old Days]] was about Cueball asking Hairbun about {{w|compiling}} in the old days. Seems realistic that Randall has this comic ready for this Monday before the election for some time, and when finding this 9 year old version of Cueball in the old comics, he may have gotten inspired to make a comic about compiling in the old days).

Note that the two characters at either side of the comic wields weapons pointing out defending the other nine. Those next to the characters with weapons are doing recreational things like kiting and admiring adorable squirrels, both are recurring subjects in xkcd.

==Transcript==
:[Eleven characters are drawn left, right and on top of a huge H with an arrow as the horizontal bar connecting the two vertical towers. The arrow breaks the right part of the H. It represents the logo from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign for 2016. From left to right on the left side of the H are Ponytail with an exotic looking futuristic ray gun like weapon looking to the left away from the H and the others. Behind her is Black Hat who looks at a girl that might be Danish or Megan (but with longer hair than Megan typically has). She is setting up a kite that flies above the first two characters. Behind her and looking up at the kite is White Hat. The H is right behind him, and on top of the left tower of the H sits Blondie looking straight out at the reader with her legs dangling over the edge and her arms resting on her knees. On the arrow between the two H towers sits Megan leaning against the left H tower, also dangling her legs over the edge and arms resting on her knees. Cueball is standing to her right, just left of the right H tower. On top of the right H towers sits Hairbun with glasses looking straight right with her legs dangling over the edge one arm resting on a knee and leaning back on the other arm. On the right side of the H is an adult version of Science Girl holding a hand out towards the squirrel which Beret Guy is holding out in both arms towards her. Behind them is another Cueball standing on an office chair holding a sword high up in front of him to the right away from the others. He keeps his balance by holding his other arm out behind him. Below the H there is a large caption.]
:<big><big><big>H</big></big></big>
: <big><big>I'm with her.</big></big>

:[Below the panel there are several lines of text. The first header line refers to the next four lines with solutions to problems, title/problem on one side then a long dash and the web-link or other information on the right side of that. Below those there is a reminder.]
:<big>How to help</big>
:Vote - iwillvote.com
:Get a ride to the polls - drive2vote.org
:If you're having problems voting - 866-OUR-VOTE
:Experimental social turnout project - civicinnovation.com App Store: VoteWithMe

:<big>Reminder:</big>
:If you're in line when the polls close, they have to let you vote.

==Trivia==
*Despite securing more votes, Hillary Clinton lost the election in the {{w|Electoral college (United States)|electoral college}}. She did win in {{w|Massachusetts}} (Randall's home state), but that was never really in any doubt.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]] 
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Kites]]
[[Category:Squirrels]]

1756: I'm With Her

2016-11-10T04:30:42Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */ "Unfortunately" -> "Unfortunately for Randall" - hey, I'm a Hillary supporter too, but explanations should remain objective, and this statement reflects the more personal impact this election likely had on Randall.

{{comic
| number = 1756
| date = November 7, 2016
| title = I'm With Her
| image = im_with_her.png
| titletext = We can do this.
}}

==Explanation==
In this serious, ''no joke'', comic released the day before the {{w|2016 United States presidential election}} (which was more contentious than most, due in part to many people finding both candidates unusually distasteful), [[Randall]] urged his American viewership to vote, and showed his {{w|Political endorsement|endorsement}} for {{w|Hillary Clinton}}, the {{w|US Democratic Party|Democratic}} nominee in the election. She was up against the {{w|US Republican Party|Republican}} nominee {{w|Donald Trump}}, who won (although Clinton won a slightly larger share of the overall vote). There were also nominees from other parties, most prominently {{w|Green Party of the United States|Green Party}} nominee {{w|Jill Stein}}, and {{w|Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian}} nominee {{w|Gary Johnson}}. Neither was likely to become president, but {{w|spoiler candidate|there was a chance they could affect the result in some states}} (no third-party candidate has ''won'' a state since {{w|United_States_presidential_election,_1968|1968}} - the closest any came in 2016 was independent candidate {{w|Evan McMullin}} in Utah.)

The "H" with an arrow was {{w|Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016|Clinton's campaign}} logo, and '''I'm with her''' an official slogan that was widely used by her supporters. Randall then lists tips to help you cast your vote ([[#How to help|see table below]]) suggesting a personal investment in the election. Clinton herself may be represented by [[Blondie]] sitting on top of the H looking out at the reader as the only of the 11 characters (see [[#Character gallery|character gallery]] below).

It is the second time Randall refers to this election, the first being [[1748: Future Archaeology]] three weeks before the election, but here it was just a wish to know the result using time travel (of course he did not learn the result…).

This is the first time Randall has used a comic to directly support a presidential campaign, although he did [https://blog.xkcd.com/2008/01/28/obama/ endorse] {{w|Barack Obama}} in 2008 on his [[Blag]]. He wrote himself later that it was very controversial when he endorsed Obama, but that it was not the most [[388:_Fuck_Grapefruit#Controversy|controversial comic he had published]] at that time. This comic might take that prize now, given that this is likely one of the most discussed elections up to its time, especially outside the US, where for instance some of European leaders have made it clear that they are against Trump while other endorse him.

Randall's support for Hillary Clinton may be to do with Donald Trump {{w|Donald_Trump#Healthcare.2C_education_and_environment|being a prominent}} {{w|climate change denier}}. Randall has published comics opposing climate change denial such as this: [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]], published less than two month before the election, as well as several other [[:Category:Climate change|comics on climate change]].

All the information on the bottom half of the comic includes sites, numbers, info, etc. that will help US voters to vote, regardless of whom they vote for. Including this information helps voters because every election many voters don't vote because they feel they don't know how or that it isn't worth it. It seems like Randall wants to boost voter turnout.

The title text, which states that "We can do this" refers to Randall's wish that the democratic voters united can put Hillary in the White House rather than Trump. It is possible to [https://www.lookhuman.com/design/86542-hillary-clinton-we-can-do-it/tshirt buy t-shirts] with the famed {{w|We Can Do It!}} logo from the war time poster, but with Hillary Clinton in the famed position. However this is not quite the same "We can do this" sentence that Randall uses. "We can do this" (or in German, "[https://www.dict.cc/?s=Wir+schaffen+das+%5BAngela+Merkel%5D Wir schaffen das]") was also the catchphrase of the German Chancellor {{w|Angela Merkel}} during the recent influx of refugees from the Syrian War—like Clinton, Merkel was fighting against {{w|Pegida|a populist nativist movement}} that wanted to close the country's borders.

Unfortunately for Randall, these efforts were in vain, as {{w|Donald Trump}} was elected on Tuesday, November 8. Many democrats tried simply to avoid the subject in the days following the election, which may be why [[Randall]] did not post a political comic on the day following, instead posting [[1757: November 2016]].

===How to help===
The list of things that can help is all about getting people to vote. This could be interpreted as if Randall just wished for people to support the democracy and exercise their right to vote. But with the endorsement of Clinton in the main comic, there can be no doubt that he means that this advice should help Clinton. Generally there is evidence that certain more heavily Democratic-leaning demographics are less likely to vote, so increasing turnout is likely to help Clinton. In general, however, it is likely that Randall would in any case wish for more voters to support the democracy by actually voting.

Here is Randall's lists of suggestion for how to help Hillary Clinton win the election:
{|class="wikitable"
!What to do
!How to do it
!Explanation
|-
|Vote
|[https://iwillvote.com/ iwillvote.com]
|A site to look up polling location, ID requirements, etc.
|-
|Get a ride to the polls:
|[http://www.drive2vote.org/ drive2vote.org]
|For voters in Douglas or Sarpy County, Nebraska, who need a ride to the polls from {{w|Warren Buffett}} or his friends.
|-
|If you're having problems voting
|[http://www.866ourvote.org/ 866-OUR-VOTE]
|Racism or other biases on the part of people running polling places is a real issue for minorities. Though it is illegal, people may lie or deny rights to would-be-voters who they believe will not vote for the candidate they agree with. In some instances, voters may require backup from someone with legal understanding to get to vote, which is a service this phone number provides. Since Donald Trump has suggested that unofficial {{w|poll watchers}} should patrol voting stations - which has been described as potential [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/05/election-day-violence-donald-trump-poll-watchers voter intimidation] - this has been an especially widely discussed topic in this election. The phone number written out as numbers is (866) 687-8683
|-
|Experimental social turnout project
|[http://www.civicinnovation.com/ civicinnovation.com] App Store: VoteWithMe
|An app which "gives you a list of the top 10 highest-impact potential voters in your address book to get in touch with -- based on the likelihood that they support progressive candidates, and that they live in states with the most competitive races". This app is for Android and iOS, with the App Store ID as "VoteWithMe". The "VoteWithMe" app is created by Civic Innovation Works and "uses publicly available voter records to predict which of your contacts are likely to support Democratic candidates, but might not have a plan to vote", as it says on its [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/votewithme/id1170104517/ App Store Page].
|-
|Reminder:
|If you're in line when the polls close, they have to let you vote.
|This is correct, as is printed on most election pamphlets as part of the ''Voters' Bill of Rights'', as well as being cited on numerous sources online (eg [http://votersedge.kqed.org/en/ca/ballot/election/area/42/section/voting-info?id=statewide-42-ca#section-my-rights-as-a-voter here].) Being turned down for trying to vote after the polling place is officially closed (if you were already in line ''when'' the polls closed) might be an instance where you want to use the phone number mentioned above.
|}

===Character gallery===
The comic show a gallery of 11 xkcd characters including all the main characters from xkcd (except [[Hairy]]), which stand united behind Randall and Clinton despite their lack of agreement in many other comics.

*From left to right on the left side of the H are:
**[[Ponytail]] with a ray gun for melting computers a possible reference to Hillary's email wipe, (the one she also wielded in [[322: Pix Plz]], a comic where she was named Joanna)
**[[Black Hat]] (who was the one introducing Joanna/Ponytail in the mentioned comic)
**[[Danish]] (Black Hat's girlfriend setting up a kite for him, although it could be Megan, but she is also shown later with her regular shorter hair). However it has mainly been Megan in comics with kites, like [[235: Kite]] and [[1614: Kites]]. Kites are a [[:Category:Kites|recurring theme]] on xkcd.
**[[White Hat]] looking at the kite.
*On top of the H are:
**[[Blondie]] (looking out at us, maybe representing Clinton herself)
**[[Megan]] (next to Cueball)
**[[Cueball]] (forming the standard couple in xkcd with Megan)
**[[Hairbun]] with glasses (so specifically not the one from the previous comic [[1755: Old Days]], but rather like in [[1637: Salt Mine]]).
*On the right side of the H are:
**[[Science Girl]] (The adult version of her, is holding her hand out towards a cute squirrel. Of course she could also be the girl from [[635: Locke and Demosthenes]] where the squirrel is poisoned...)
**[[Beret Guy]] is holding a squirrel out towards Science Girl. (The first time squirrels was mentioned was actually when Beret Guy found them in a tree in [[167: Nihilism]] and since then they have become a [[:Category:Squirrels|recurring theme]] on xkcd and a similar squirrel can for instance be seen in [[1503: Squirrel Plan]]. Beret Guy has not been seen together with a squirrel before, but has been shown to care for animals, for instance in [[614: Woodpecker]]).
**[[:Category:Multiple Cueballs|Another Cueball]] is standing on an office chair wielding a sword as he was shown in [[303: Compiling]]. (Interestingly enough the previous comic [[1755: Old Days]] was about Cueball asking Hairbun about {{w|compiling}} in the old days. Seems realistic that Randall has this comic ready for this Monday before the election for some time, and when finding this 9 year old version of Cueball in the old comics, he may have gotten inspired to make a comic about compiling in the old days).

Note that the two characters at either side of the comic wields weapons pointing out defending the other nine. Those next to the characters with weapons are doing recreational things like kiting and admiring adorable squirrels, both are recurring subjects in xkcd.

==Trivia==
Hillary Clinton lost the election in the {{w|electoral college (United States)}}. She did win Massachusetts (Randall's home state).

==Transcript==
:[Eleven characters are drawn left, right and on top of a huge H with an arrow as the horizontal bar connecting the two vertical towers. The arrow breaks the right part of the H. It represents the logo from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign for 2016. From left to right on the left side of the H are Ponytail with an exotic looking futuristic ray gun like weapon looking to the left away from the H and the others. Behind her is Black Hat who looks at a girl that might be Danish or Megan (but with longer hair than Megan typically has). She is setting up a kite that flies above the first two characters. Behind her and looking up at the kite is White Hat. The H is right behind him, and on top of the left tower of the H sits Blondie looking straight out at the reader with her legs dangling over the edge and her arms resting on her knees. On the arrow between the two H towers sits Megan leaning against the left H tower, also dangling her legs over the edge and arms resting on her knees. Cueball is standing to her right, just left of the right H tower. On top of the right H towers sits Hairbun with glasses looking straight right with her legs dangling over the edge one arm resting on a knee and leaning back on the other arm. On the right side of the H is an adult version of Science Girl holding a hand out towards the squirrel which Beret Guy is holding out in both arms towards her. Behind them is another Cueball standing on an office chair holding a sword high up in front of him to the right away from the others. He keeps his balance by holding his other arm out behind him. Below the H there is a large caption.]
:<big><big><big>H</big></big></big>
: <big><big>I'm with her.</big></big>

:[Below the panel there are several lines of text. The first header line refers to the next four lines with solutions to problems, title/problem on one side then a long dash and the web-link or other information on the right side of that. Below those there is a reminder.]
:<big>How to help</big>
:Vote - iwillvote.com
:Get a ride to the polls - drive2vote.org
:If you're having problems voting - 866-OUR-VOTE
:Experimental social turnout project - civicinnovation.com App Store: VoteWithMe

:<big>Reminder:</big>
:If you're in line when the polls close, they have to let you vote.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]] 
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Kites]]
[[Category:Squirrels]]

Talk:1750: Life Goals

2016-10-29T16:38:33Z

KieferSkunk: I hate to be pedantic, but...

The last line is actually a real punch-line... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.201.78|162.158.201.78]] 14:51, 24 October 2016 (UTC)

With "Unfortunately (the two protobirds) lived in different time periods, so we can only speculate which one would win a fight.", as per current explanation text, I first of all thought 'the latter, as it was alive and the other had already died' (so maybe not a ''fair'' fight, but definitely indicates a survivor), but I'm not ''entirely''sure whether I'd even overcome an Australopithocus (despite the height advantage), if I ever suddenly encountered a suitably enraged (and live) one whilst not equipped with my own contemporary tools, so maybe I ought to be less certain about the other fight ''if'' it happened in sight of an artist... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.48|141.101.98.48]] 14:54, 24 October 2016 (UTC)
:I'll call John Hammond. [[User:Jacky720|Jacky720]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]]) 00:28, 25 October 2016 (UTC)
:We can easily speculate, and just as well as if they lived during the same time. We would have as little chance of guessing who would have won just because they might actually have had such a fight in reality. I think the flying petrosaurs with a wings span four times the length of the feathered (and only proto bird) would have won. The petrosaurs where not the kind that went on to becoming birds as far as I know. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:01, 24 October 2016 (UTC)

A lot of these are proper nouns and so shall not be used in scrabble. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.224|108.162.215.224]] 16:21, 24 October 2016 (UTC)BLuDgeons

A first-fight is how all Scrabble games end in languages that have composite words like Danish or German. That or knockout. Footnotefontsizeselection, quizmasterfluffer, telemarketercounterharassment... [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.104|173.245.48.104]] 17:02, 24 October 2016 (UTC)

Whoever added "you could put an E tile down upside down" should win a prize. [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 17:57, 24 October 2016 (UTC)

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say this isn't actually about the last three letters of the alphabet, but about the five "power letters" in Scrabble (hence the last line): J, K, Q, X, Z. [[User:Schiffy|Schiffy]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|Speak to me]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|What I've done]]) 18:09, 24 October 2016 (UTC)
:I would agree that there is a couple of other letters but there is hardly enough Q, K and J to make it worth mentioning... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:01, 24 October 2016 (UTC)
::But it's about Scrabble point count, not just letters toward the end of the alphabet. The fact that many rare (and thus high-ranking) tiles happen to be toward the end is irrelevant. The focus is on high-ranking Scrabble tiles, no matter where in the alphabet they are. I thought I might as well verify this, though, so I put the words (without "Mister") onto a letter frequency counter, then looked up the letter frequencies in English on Wikipedia to compare to the average frequencies. The letters that appeared at least 1% LESS often than expected were C, D, E, F, H, I, N, O, R, S, T, and W, and all of these letters are worth fewer than 5 points in Scrabble. (E, N, and S appeared more than 4% less often, and these are very common letters worth very few points.) The letters that appeared at least 1% MORE often than expected were J, K, P, Q, X, Y, and Z. All of those are worth multiple points. Only two of those (P and Y) are worth fewer than 5 points, and Y is worth 4 points, very close... and its unique position as the only vowel worth more than 1 point elevates its status somewhat. P was only slightly over 1% increased. (All tiles except X, Y, and Z have less than a 2% increase. Y has a 7.66% increase, while X and Z each have an increase of about 14%.) It's true that X, Y, and Z show the most dramatic increase (though E shows nearly as dramatic a decrease), but the analysis certainly shows that Randall might have had some bias toward using J (1.33% increased), K (1.45% increased), and Q (1.39% increased) as well as the obvious X, Y, and Z. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.79.81|172.68.79.81]] 04:26, 25 October 2016 (UTC)
:::My impression of the comic was not that it was just about Scrabble (too many words are impossible under typical Scrabble tile distributions) or specifically the last three letters of the alphabet (there's a decent amount of Qs in the comic), but the difficulty in reading/pronouncing the words. I was following along fine at first, but by the end of the comic had no phonetics in my head to describe what I was reading. I think the title-text supports that interpretation. From xkcd's [http://www.xkcd.com/about/ About page]: "It's just a word with no phonetic pronunciation". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.196|108.162.210.196]] 05:01, 25 October 2016 (UTC)
::::There are only two Q's in the comic. I have now removed the Q from the table. It is only XYZ heavy words that are used excessively. I do not think this comic is about scrabble point. It is just a way to list all these weird words Randall has found. And the to make a joke he put in the scrabble goal. (Also just fixed a problem with the post two above here, which was divided in two, and then the next post was posted in the middle of that post...) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:33, 25 October 2016 (UTC)

I didn't feel that the release schedule (or the lack of such) of the What if? mentioned is in any means important for the explanation. So I removed it... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:37, 25 October 2016 (UTC)
:Well he post a rare what if release and within a week has referenced it from the next three comics. He usually do not refer to any what if post directly although he has done so recently (but rare due to the longer and longer span of time between posts). But this is the first time he does so several comics in a row! So in that sense it was relevant that it was the first in 12 weeks. And that it is rare that he has so long spans between two releases. This was the longest this year (and the year ends within 12 weeks so it will stay the longest), and the third longest so far. But now the fact can remain here in the comment. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:38, 25 October 2016 (UTC)
:: I already noticed that you are somewhat obsessed from the release schedule. No offense, that's absolutely fine. I on the other hand tend to think that there is no release schedule anymore. So yes, I agree in saying that the references are remarkable, but no, I don't see any connection to the time of release. As the explanation here suggests I think the research for the What If? inspired this (and maybe the other) comic - not vice versa. Plus, imho the connection to the What If? described in the explanation of 1749 is a bit far fetched. "Strange records and trivia" is like saying "there are words" - especially on xkcd. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:11, 26 October 2016 (UTC)

Wow. These pages get a ton of edits in a relatively short timespan, when you see them go live, one at a time. It's awe-inspiring. [[User:Jacky720|Jacky720]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]]) 00:28, 25 October 2016 (UTC)
:The problem with making long edits is that you end up in edit conflicts, so short ones are better. Then it is also easier for others to look in the history and add their own conflicted changes to the new edits. That is why I often make a ton of edits in a short time. Have been locked in a jam of conflicts enough time with new comics editing --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:38, 25 October 2016 (UTC)

I hate to be pedantic, but the game "Zzyzzyxx" (with a clone known as "Blox") was not about navigating a labyrinth. You'd think with a name like that, it'd be something high-tech and sci-fi-ish. No. It's a little green man running back and forth through scrolling walls of bricks to pick up gifts for his girlfriend. It's really one of the dumbest games ever made, and it's hard to find (partly because it was really unpopular). [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 16:38, 29 October 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1731: Wrong

2016-09-09T19:15:50Z

KieferSkunk:

I wrote up a first explanation of the comic. Someone else also added in a sentence, which nicely merged in to the explanation. Still needs revision and links to articles, as well as an explanation of the title text [[Special:Contributions/172.68.35.81|172.68.35.81]] 04:38, 9 September 2016 (UTC)

Uh... what do you mean by "just a few sentences to kick this off"??? I don't know how to fix this because I don't understand what you mean. [[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 7:52, 9 September 2016 (EDT)
: Oh, sorry. While I was writing up an explanation, KangaroOS put in the sentence "Some people are just too prideful to admit that they are inherently fallible. White Hat is one of those people." and put in that tag. When I went to save it, it told me I had to merge our revisions, which worked fine, but I just forgot to merge the tags. [[User:Yosho27|Yosho27]] ([[User talk:Yosho27|talk]]) 13:01, 9 September 2016 (UTC)
: Also, if anyone's looking at the article history "172.68.35.81" and "Yosho27" are both me (I signed in halfway through) [[User:Yosho27|Yosho27]] ([[User talk:Yosho27|talk]]) 13:12, 9 September 2016 (UTC)

mansplaining much? --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.84|141.101.98.84]] 11:55, 9 September 2016 (UTC)
: I don't think so. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:29, 9 September 2016 (UTC)

Any reference to "Somebody's WRONG on the Internet!"? [[386: Duty Calls]] [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 18:51, 9 September 2016 (UTC)
: Went ahead and added it. :) [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 19:15, 9 September 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1731: Wrong

2016-09-09T19:12:09Z

KieferSkunk:

1731: Wrong

2016-09-09T18:55:52Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */ Reword explanation on title text, +link to "Wrong on the Internet" comic.

{{comic
| number = 1731
| date = September 9, 2016
| title = Wrong
| image = wrong.png
| titletext = Hang on, I just remembered another thing I'm right about. See...
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The new theory White Hat mentions in last panel not explained. Example of early comic with similar White Hat behavior (i.e. older than the examples below).}}

All objects on Earth are matter, meaning they are made of {{w|Atom|atoms}}, which are specifically '''not''' made up of {{w|antimatter}}. Atoms, while once (when they were named) believed to be the smallest unit of matter, are now known to be made up of {{w|Proton|protons}}, {{w|Neutron|neutrons}} and {{w|Electron|electrons}}. Protons and neutrons are in turn made up of {{w|Quark|quarks}}. Quarks come in six different "{{w|Flavour (particle physics)|flavors}}" (up, down, top, bottom, charm, and strange), with protons and neutrons being made of the first two types. Each quark also has a corresponding {{w|Antiparticle|antiparticle}}, antiquark, which would make up antiprotons and antineutrons.

[[White Hat]] and [[Megan]] appear to be discussing the topics of {{w|Antimatter|antimatter}} and subatomic particles. White Hat makes the assertion that we (referring to people and objects) are made partially of antimatter, because, as he claims, a proton (one of the particles which makes up all matter) is made of two quarks and an antiquark. In fact, protons are made up of two up quarks and a down quark. He is making the simple mistake of mixing up the difference between flavors of quarks with the difference between particles and antiparticles. He continues to elaborate on his idea by mentioning neutrons, which are made of two down quarks and an up quark, but, by his reasoning, they would be made of two antiquarks and and a quark.

When Megan (accurately) doubts this claim, White Hat takes out his smartphone to look it up, in order to show Megan that he is correct. However, upon seeing results (from Wikipedia or another site), he realizes that he was in fact '''wrong''' (hence the title). Not wanting to be incorrect or give up his position in the discussion, he convinces himself that he wasn't actually wrong, (he mentally deletes the realization that he was wrong as shown in the next panel) and instead completely changes the topic (...) to try and re-frame it so he may in some convoluted way not be completely wrong.

It is rather common to not admit fault, the whole topic of this comic, and instead trying to maintain an air on infallibility and intelligence. Some people are just too prideful to admit that they are inherently fallible; White Hat is one of those people, as depicted in several of his earlier appearances.

Megan, however, recognizes exactly what he is trying to do, and can only sigh in response to his failed efforts.

In the title text, White Hat just remembers another thing he's right about. This shows that he is not interested in a discussion but only in being right, and he proceeds to prove his point by explaining this other topic (hinted to at the end of the title text). He most likely will simply be wrong again, as per the title of this comic.

This comic could be seen as a follow up to [[1605: DNA]]. Going back through the last White Hat appearances it turns out that DNA, 13 comics back, is actually the last where White Hat has been the fall guy. For instance he has the opposite role in [[1640: Super Bowl Context]], and he is not "the stupid guy" in the 9 comics between that and this one, but often just another guy than [[Cueball]].

Quarks are also referenced in [[1418: Horse]], [[1621: Fixion]] and the first time they were mentioned, in [[474: Turn-On]], the up and down flavor was also mentioned. Antimatter is also referenced in [[683: Science Montage]], [[826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)]] and [[1621: Fixion]] as well as being the subject of the [[what if?]] ''{{what if|114|Antimatter}}''. It was also mentioned in another ''what if?'': ''{{what if|79|Lake Tea}}''.

A similar thought process where earlier thoughts are scribbled out was used by Cueball in [[1650: Baby]], but for different reasons. It also bears some similarity to [[386: Duty Calls]], in which Cueball stays up late correcting someone on the Internet.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat is walking beside Megan, index finger extended]
:White Hat: Really, we're all made of antimatter. A proton consists of two quarks and an antiquark.
:Megan: ...I don't think that's right.

:[White Hat stops to take out his smartphone tapping on it. Megan stops and turns towards him.]
:White Hat: Sure it is. Neutrons are, too.
:Megan: Do you mean "up" and "down" quarks? I think antiquarks are a different thing.
:White Hat: No, let me show you...
:Tap
:Tap

:[Zooming in on White Hat's head, while he is holding his phone up looking at it. He is thinking as shown with a bubbly thought bubble.]
:White Hat (thinking): I'm...wrong?

:[White Hat has lowered the phone. He is still thinking the same but the text has been scribbled out.]
:White Hat (thinking): I'm...wrong?

:[White Hat purges the thought from his mind]
:White Hat (thinking): ...

:[Similar setting as in the first panel, but in a full row wide panel, and White Hat is still holding his smartphone]
:White Hat: Really, the whole idea of "particles" is inaccurate. These are abstractions arising quantum field theory, but what most people don't realize is...
:Megan: *Sigh*

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]

Talk:1731: Wrong

2016-09-09T18:51:06Z

KieferSkunk:

1728: Cron Mail

2016-09-05T07:54:37Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */ Revisions

{{comic
| number = 1728
| date = September 2, 2016
| title = Cron Mail
| image = cron_mail.png
| titletext = Take THAT, piece of 1980s-era infrastructure I've inexplicably maintained on my systems for 15 years despite never really learning how it works.
}}

==Explanation==
On {{W|Unix}}-like systems, {{W|Cron|cron}} is a system utility that runs tasks on a schedule. This program has been around since the early days of Unix and has not changed much - it is still one of the most widely used functions in modern operating systems. Many administrative tasks on servers are automated using cron, including monitoring and updates.

When a cron job produces output, cron's default behavior is to send an email to the user account under which the job ran. However, in most situations, an email address has not been set up for that user, so the email is instead written to a mailbox file. Most Unix shells will notify the user with a message like "You have new mail" when this mailbox file is updated, but if the user doesn't know how to check this mail file, they will likely just ignore the message.

In this case, Cueball has been ignoring his mailbox for fifteen years. When he finally learns where to look, he discovers more than a gigabyte worth of messages from the cron program, the vast majority of which are likely meaningless. Ponytail suggests that Cueball "fix your cron" (likely meaning to fix the task that's generating the output so that it doesn't do so), then set a parameter that tells cron to send email to an address he actually checks. (He could also opt to direct the mails to <code>/dev/null</code>, which would simply discard them). Cueball, however, interprets the tremendous amount of email as spam and decides to redirect the emails to <code>/etc/crontab</code>, the main configuration file that contains all of cron's scheduling information. He apparently believes that this will either stop the emails or cause cron to spam itself instead.

In reality, this will most likely break cron entirely, as the text output from the cron jobs is unlikely to be in the same format as a valid schedule entry in the crontab file. Invalid scheduling information will cause cron to ignore the file - this will then cause it to have no scheduled jobs at all, and it will simply do nothing after the first job that sends itself an email. Cueball will, in fact, have stopped the tide of cron spam, but will likely cause bigger problems due to the sudden lack of critical system maintenance tasks.

The title text shows that Cueball is somewhat aware of what cron does, including the fact that it's existed pretty much unchanged for several decades, but he hasn't bothered to really get into understanding it, treating it more as a foe to vanquish rather than as a tool to understand and use.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at a table in an office chair working on his laptop. Ponytail walks up to him.]
:Cueball: I've been getting these "You have new mail" UNIX notifications for like 15 years, but I've never bothered to figure out what it's talking about.

:[Ponytail has stopped behind Cueball who is typing on his laptop. When Ponytail (and later Cueball) mentions code, the text uses both small and capital letters (as opposed to only capital letters in all other text).]
:Ponytail: Look in /var/mail?
:Cueball: OK...
:Cueball: Oh, wow, there's like a gigabyte of stuff from Cron in here.

:[In a frame-less panel Ponytail is facepalming. Cueball is replying from off-panel with a starburst indicating his position.]
:Ponytail: *Sigh*
:Ponytail: You should fix your Cron, then point "MAILTO=" somewhere you actually see-
:Cueball (off-panel): Better idea:

:[Same setting as panel 2 but Cueball is visibly typing on the laptop as shown with three small curved lines over his hands on the keyboard.]
:Cueball: export MAILTO=/etc/crontab
:Cueball: There. Your move, Cron.
:Ponytail: Wow. Hardball.
:Cueball: Let's see how important it thinks that mail really is.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Computers]]

1728: Cron Mail

2016-09-05T07:48:20Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1728
| date = September 2, 2016
| title = Cron Mail
| image = cron_mail.png
| titletext = Take THAT, piece of 1980s-era infrastructure I've inexplicably maintained on my systems for 15 years despite never really learning how it works.
}}

==Explanation==
On {{W|Unix}}-like systems, {{W|Cron|cron}} is a system utility that runs tasks on a schedule. This program has been around since the early days of Unix and has not changed much - it is still one of the most widely used functions in modern operating systems. Many administrative tasks on servers are automated using cron, including monitoring and updates.

When a cron job produces output, cron's default behavior is to send an email to the user account under which the job ran. However, in most situations, an email address has not been set up for that user, so the email is instead written to a mailbox file. Most Unix shells will notify the user with a message like "You have new mail" when this mailbox file is updated, but if the user doesn't know how to check this mail file, they will likely just ignore the message.

In this case, Cueball has been ignoring his mailbox for fifteen years. When he finally learns where to look, he discovers more than a gigabyte worth of messages from the cron program, the vast majority of which are likely meaningless. Ponytail suggests "fixing the cron job" - her suggestion is likely to figure out why the job is generating output and either fix that task so it doesn't, or redirect its output to something like <code>/dev/null</code>, which simply discards the text. Cueball, however, interprets the tremendous amount of email as spam and decides to take action, redirecting the cron emails to <code>/etc/crontab</code>, the main configuration file that contains all of its scheduling information. He apparently believes that this will either break cron or cause it to spam itself with an exponentially-increasing amount of email.

In reality, the first of these options is most likely, as the text output from the cron jobs is unlikely to be in the same format as a valid schedule entry in the crontab file. Invalid scheduling information will cause cron to ignore the file - this will then cause cron to have no scheduled jobs at all, and it will simply do nothing after the first job that sends itself an email. Cueball will, in fact, have stopped the tide of cron spam, but will likely cause other problems due to the sudden lack of critical system maintenance tasks.

The title text shows that Cueball is somewhat aware of what cron does, including the fact that it's existed pretty much unchanged for several decades, but he hasn't bothered to really get into understanding it, treating it more as a foe to vanquish rather than as a tool to understand and use.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at a table in an office chair working on his laptop. Ponytail walks up to him.]
:Cueball: I've been getting these "You have new mail" UNIX notifications for like 15 years, but I've never bothered to figure out what it's talking about.

:[Ponytail has stopped behind Cueball who is typing on his laptop. When Ponytail (and later Cueball) mentions code, the text uses both small and capital letters (as opposed to only capital letters in all other text).]
:Ponytail: Look in /var/mail?
:Cueball: OK...
:Cueball: Oh, wow, there's like a gigabyte of stuff from Cron in here.

:[In a frame-less panel Ponytail is facepalming. Cueball is replying from off-panel with a starburst indicating his position.]
:Ponytail: *Sigh*
:Ponytail: You should fix your Cron, then point "MAILTO=" somewhere you actually see-
:Cueball (off-panel): Better idea:

:[Same setting as panel 2 but Cueball is visibly typing on the laptop as shown with three small curved lines over his hands on the keyboard.]
:Cueball: export MAILTO=/etc/crontab
:Cueball: There. Your move, Cron.
:Ponytail: Wow. Hardball.
:Cueball: Let's see how important it thinks that mail really is.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Computers]]

Talk:1728: Cron Mail

2016-09-05T07:47:14Z

KieferSkunk: re Elektrizikekswerk - done.

I think the "MAILTO" variable in "/etc/crontab" is meant, so only only cron-mails would go to this address, not all mails for the user

[[User:Rincewind|Rincewind]] ([[User talk:Rincewind|talk]]) 13:09, 2 September 2016 (UTC)

The huge question is whether adding an email message to crontab would result in cron producing even more mail - or whether it would cause cron to fail in some way. The latter would do damage by killing some (possibly critical) cron tasks - the former could rapidly fill up the hard drive with an exponentially-growing crontab. An intermediate situation would be that cron simply ignores the junk and continues to function as before - in which case Cueball's change will have little practical impact on disk space consumption - but probably gradually slow cron's crontab parser to a crawl, which would also have rather severe effects. On most Linux setups, the mail directories are on a different partition to /etc. There is often very little spare space on the partition with /etc on it - so it's likely that Cueball's change will eventually do terrible damage in that case too. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.69.98|162.158.69.98]] 14:42, 2 September 2016 (UTC)
:On my Mint/Ubuntu/Debian-based Linux system, adding junk to /etc/crontab put a message is /var/log/syslog about "cron[1495]: (*system*) ERROR (Syntax error, this crontab file will be ignored)". So it looks like appending garbage to the crontab will just break cron entirely (or at least those handled by /etc/crontab; it may be private cron and /etc/cron.d/* jobs may continue to run, but cron.hourly, cron.daily, and cron.weekly jobs on my system are initiated through /etc/crontab so they would not run with a broken /etc/crontab). I don't know if other non-Debian distributions have a cron that behaves differently, however. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 15:18, 2 September 2016 (UTC)
:Seems like it wouldn't break the existing stuff, they'd still get run and then cron would start parsing the noise and complaining - the "intermediate" situation, though the "export MAILTO" seems wrong. If Cueball did it in his .bashrc, it might get into some of *his* cron jobs but unless it's in /etc/crontab (and there, no "export" is needed/used), it wouldn't matter. His jobs probably wouldn't have rights to write to /etc/crontab either. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.73|173.245.48.73]] 17:09, 2 September 2016 (UTC)
:Unfortunately this huge question is undecidable (by trivial reduction to halting problem) --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.126|172.68.54.126]] 08:10, 3 September 2016 (UTC)
The current explanation misses a part of the joke present in Cueball's last statement: he is considering the cron program to be somehow sentient and able to make a decision between sending the email (is it really important?) and its self-preservation by not trashing its own config file. He is thus daring cron to continue sending emails at the risk of 'self-destruction'. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.90}}

- I also feel like the part of the joke is the cron has been sending him useless mail for 15 years. So now, he is sending cron useless mail {{unsigned ip|162.158.69.83}}
:: (Also that Cueball is evidently using a 15 year old laptop! This deepens the question because he's probably never upgraded it and therefore has 15 year old copy of cron) [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 15:20, 4 September 2016 (UTC)

This states it can be run as infrequently as once a year, however by using February 29th, you can have it run once every 4 years (exc ever 100 inc every 400). But I think you might be able to get better by also setting it to run on a day of the week. e.g. February 29th, which is a Monday, which would then (after this year) not run for another 28 years, next running on February 29th, 2044.

Should that be noted in the article or is it a needless complication? (Also, I don't know what day of the week is what for this syntax).[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.156|108.162.250.156]] 21:13, 2 September 2016 (UTC)
:That's interesting! but I don't think it's relevant to the joke. [[User:NotLock|NotLock]] ([[User talk:NotLock|talk]]) 23:13, 2 September 2016 (UTC)

:If you specify a day of week and a day of month it runs on both, so "11 59 29 2 1" would run at 11:59 on every Monday in February, as well as on February 29, not just on any February 29 that happened to be a Monday.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.11|108.162.219.11]] 05:18, 3 September 2016 (UTC)

I'm hesitant to make substantial edits as a random non-registered IP address, but I do feel like this explanation could be improved if a lot of the technical details were removed. For example, the format of a crontab file and how it is parsed distracts a bit from the joke. For a non-technical audience, it would be much more concise to simply note that the file has a specific format, and piping random emails to it would probably break all of cron. In my opinion, the current explanation loses the forest for the trees. For me, the key part of the joke is Cueball doesn't know cron, Ponytail explains it, Cueball conducts a response which is intuitive in the real world ("okay, cron, if you think it's that important then you deal with it!") which would be horrible in a computer. Ponytail's comment on it being harsh, and that it would accidentally solve the problem is the punchline. I think all the other technical details distracts from that simple explanation. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.87}}
: I would agree. Understanding how exactly cron works isn't really necessary to understand the comic and its humor. Perhaps linking to some "cron for dummies" tutorial for those interested[[Special:Contributions/141.101.91.223|141.101.91.223]] 04:03, 3 September 2016 (UTC)

What exactly does "hardball" mean? Is it a US slang term or such?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.91.223|141.101.91.223]] 04:03, 3 September 2016 (UTC)
:"Playing hardball" is an idiom, meaning "to act strong & aggressive about an issue" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.114|108.162.245.114]] 05:23, 3 September 2016 (UTC)

With "YOUR MOVE, CRON." Cueball adapts a famous movie quote ("Your move, creep.") from Robocop (1987) as if he would strike back against "the machine" from a similar age (admitted, cron is slightly older, but then again Robocop also plays 20 minutes into the future). [[User:Renormalist|Renormalist]] ([[User talk:Renormalist|talk]]) 06:35, 3 September 2016 (UTC)

Yeah, useless crap. I have smartd on my harddrives and still don't get any warnings that they are about to fail. Well except for all the cron emails I have been ignoring for a decade.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.83.240|162.158.83.240]] 09:15, 3 September 2016 (UTC)

A few corrections: (1) Setting MAILTO=/etc/crontab only affect the system-wide crontab. User crontabs will continue to run as normal. Cueball's cronjob runs under his account (we know that because "he has mail") therefore nothing will change as far as he is concerned. (2) MAILTO appends to the named file, therefore the existing lines in /etc/crontab will not be deleted and will continue to run as normal - the worse that can happen is that new, spurious, cronjobs can be introduced (3) in most modern versions of cron, you can run use a /X syntax which will cause X-1 executions to be skipped (for example 20 10 2 1/5 * will run once every 5 years - assuming the system has not been rebooted in the interim) [[User:Sysin|Sysin]] ([[User talk:Sysin|talk]]) 11:28, 3 September 2016 (UTC)

I agree that the explanation is overly technical, especially considering this Wiki exists largely as a resource to laypeople. A succinct explanation of the joke (the crux of which being that Cueball is actively trying to threaten a computer program) would be preferential to passing off a man page as an ExplainXKCD article. Although linking to a more detailed breakdown of how Cron functions isn't a bad idea at all. This is a pretty good one http://www.unixgeeks.org/security/newbie/unix/cron-1.html {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.148}}

: The joke hinges on a technical matter - and without the technical detail, this would not be an explanation.

: As is often the case with xkcd humor, this cartoon is "layered" so that people with a little knowledge get a joke - but people with deeper knowledge get a bigger joke - or possibly multiple jokes.

: At the topmost layer, Cueball takes a typically unconventional approach to computer problems and is feeding cron with it's own junk - which seems like a small victory - if only a moral victory. Good joke.

: At the second layer, if Cueball can indeed choke cron with it's own junk, then whatever important work that cron is doing will not be done, and this will have a deleterious effect on his computer - so he'll lose out by doing this...but possibly in only a very minor way. This is a better joke because we all love it when an idiotic move results in payback!

: At the third layer, the key to the humor for me is that Cueball has fired the first volley in a "war" - and it is one that he may or may not win. The outcome depends subtly on how his version of cron works...and the outcome is far from certain. If his version of cron ignores errors in the crontab file - then he may cause a violent "explosion" in the number of messages sent by the tool - resulting in his hard drive filling up with crap much more quickly than it was before he knew this was happening...and he'll open up an exploit into his system (the bad guy can send his old-school UNIX account an email containing a cron job request to do something evil (like erasing his entire hard drive, for example). On the other hand if cron refuses to do any work whatever when there is an error then cron's normal activities (mostly organizing and pruning logfiles and such) will be disabled and the hard drive will fill up with those instead. But the idea that there are multiple cron files - per user and per day/week/month - along with personal crontab files that may now fail, or may continue to spew crap, makes this a rather subtle (and DEEPLY technical) question.

: Now this isn't just a joke - it's a deep puzzle with surprising consequences...we have to work hard to decide what the outcome would be. Geeks enjoy that kind of thing - so at the third level, this is a deep and interesting question...and an even better joke for those "in the know".

: Viewed as a "war" between Cueball and cron, I very much doubt that Cueball's first shot will be sufficient to "win" - or indeed improve his situation in any useful way. But unlike most things you can do to screw up a computer, this one could take months or even years to play out...cron's revenge will likely be slow - but possibly devastating.

:* If cron dies because of crap in crontab - and if Cueball's computer doesn't do much of any importance using cron - then Cueball wins.

:* If cron merely ignores the crap at the end of the crontab - then Cueball's hard drive will still slowly fill with crap (albeit in an obscure system file rather than in an obsolete email system)...we can regard this as "draw" between Cueball and cron.

:* If cron produces more error messages because of the crap - and decides to email it to Cueball, then the hard drive may fill up at an exponential rate and cron will steal increasing amounts of CPU time until the laptop locks up and life for Cueball becomes much harder! Cron "wins" and the crowd goes wild! :-)

: But the reasons behind that are very subtle - and need to be explained. Since the role of explainxkcd is to provide these explanations to the semi-layperson - some significant amount of technical information is indeed required here in order to fully understand all of the layers of the joke.

: One often wonders whether Randall fully understands all of the layers! I've been using UNIX, then MINIX, now Linux since around 1976 - and predicting the outcome of Cueball's actions is far from obvious without diving into the manuals. (And, if I'm honest...trying it on an old Raspberry Pi that I happen to have lying around! :-)

: Another problem here is that if Cueball has been getting these messages for 15 years - then he's using a 15 year old laptop that's probably never been upgraded. Hence all discussion of what "modern" versions of cron might do could be entirely moot. What did circa 2001 versions of cron do?
: [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 15:09, 4 September 2016 (UTC)

::What makes you think he never upgraded? Lot of distributions allow to be upgraded without losing /var/spool/mail, and if the problem is caused by bad configuration, it can similarly "survive" several upgrades, especially if done by Cueball ("configuration file was changed - update? Nah ...")
::Oh, and one think cron is CERTAINLY doing is rotating log files. And because linux computer ALWAYS generates at least some log files, killing cron can still fill the disk. Only way Cueball can win is if the problematic command is in /etc/crontab, the useful commands are in /etc/cron.d/ and adding mail to /etc/crontab will make cron ignore /etc/crontab. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 21:22, 4 September 2016 (UTC)

::: I think you can explain the purpose of cron quite well without having to explain how every parameter in it works. The format of the crontab is never addressed in the comic itself, and in fact going that deep into the explanation kinda ruins the humor. You could just as easily explain the joke like this:

:::: "In Unix-based systems, the 'cron' utility is used to run system tasks on a schedule. The '/etc/crontab' file is a configuration file that specifies each scheduled job - specifically at what times the job will run, which user account under which to run the job, and the command-line for the job itself. Cueball apparently believes that sending the output of the cron program to this file will either break cron or cause it to start spamming itself with exponentially more jobs. In reality, the former would be true, as the new lines of output would not be in a format that cron understands, resulting in it ignoring the whole file."

::: People who aren't familiar with cron really only need to know what it does and its default behavior (to send mail to a file) to understand the joke. I don't think the purpose of this wiki is to reproduce man documents. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 05:25, 5 September 2016 (UTC)
:::: Agree. I - as a specimen of "People who aren't familiar with cron" - think that the syntax of cron files doesen't really matter for understanding the joke. In fact I skipped the box and the paragraph below entirely after realising there's only explanation of how a cron command is set up. And I don't feel like I've missed something. After eventually reading the paragraph I think the only part worth mentioning is the last sentence. So I vote for removing that box/paragraph or at least replacing it with your proposal. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:07, 5 September 2016 (UTC)
::::: Done. I incorporated other parts of the original explanation into what I think is a pretty complete discussion about the essence of the comic, without going too deep into the technical details. Feel free to fine-tune. :) [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 07:47, 5 September 2016 (UTC)

I like the comics about the tech-inept Cueball and the embarrassed/condescending Ponytail. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.196|108.162.210.196]] 04:26, 5 September 2016 (UTC)

1728: Cron Mail

2016-09-05T07:45:32Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */ Being bold, rewrote the explanation to cut out unnecessary tech detail (see Talk)

{{comic
| number = 1728
| date = September 2, 2016
| title = Cron Mail
| image = cron_mail.png
| titletext = Take THAT, piece of 1980s-era infrastructure I've inexplicably maintained on my systems for 15 years despite never really learning how it works.
}}

==Explanation==
On {{W|Unix}}-like systems, {{W|Cron|cron}} is a system utility that runs tasks on a schedule. This program has been around since the early days of Unix and has not changed much - it is still one of the most widely used functions in modern operating systems. Many administrative tasks on servers are automated using cron, including monitoring and updates.

When a cron job produces output, cron's default behavior is to send an email to the user account under which the job ran. However, in most situations, an email address has not been set up for that user, so the email is instead written to a mailbox file instead. Most Unix shells will notify the user with a message like "You have new mail" when this mailbox file is updated, but if the user doesn't know how to check this mail file, they will likely just ignore the message.

In this case, Cueball has been ignoring his mailbox for fifteen years. When he finally learns where to look, he discovers more than a gigabyte worth of messages from the cron program, the vast majority of which are likely meaningless. Ponytail suggests "fixing the cron job" - her suggestion is likely to figure out why the job is generating output and either fix that task so it doesn't, or redirect its output to something like <code>/dev/null</code>, which simply discards the text. Cueball, however, interprets the tremendous amount of email as spam and decides to take action, redirecting the cron emails to <code>/etc/crontab</code>, the main configuration file that contains all of its scheduling information. He apparently believes that this will either break cron or cause it to spam itself with an exponentially-increasing amount of email.

In reality, the first of these options is most likely, as the text output from the cron jobs is unlikely to be in the same format as a valid schedule entry in the crontab file. Invalid scheduling information will cause cron to ignore the file - this will then cause cron to have no scheduled jobs at all, and it will simply do nothing after the first job that sends itself an email. Cueball will, in fact, have stopped the tide of cron spam, but will likely cause other problems due to the sudden lack of critical system maintenance tasks.

The title text shows that Cueball is somewhat aware of what cron does, including the fact that it's existed pretty much unchanged for several decades, but he hasn't bothered to really get into understanding it, treating it more as a foe to vanquish rather than as a tool to understand and use.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is sitting at a table in an office chair working on his laptop. Ponytail walks up to him.]
:Cueball: I've been getting these "You have new mail" UNIX notifications for like 15 years, but I've never bothered to figure out what it's talking about.

:[Ponytail has stopped behind Cueball who is typing on his laptop. When Ponytail (and later Cueball) mentions code, the text uses both small and capital letters (as opposed to only capital letters in all other text).]
:Ponytail: Look in /var/mail?
:Cueball: OK...
:Cueball: Oh, wow, there's like a gigabyte of stuff from Cron in here.

:[In a frame-less panel Ponytail is facepalming. Cueball is replying from off-panel with a starburst indicating his position.]
:Ponytail: *Sigh*
:Ponytail: You should fix your Cron, then point "MAILTO=" somewhere you actually see-
:Cueball (off-panel): Better idea:

:[Same setting as panel 2 but Cueball is visibly typing on the laptop as shown with three small curved lines over his hands on the keyboard.]
:Cueball: export MAILTO=/etc/crontab
:Cueball: There. Your move, Cron.
:Ponytail: Wow. Hardball.
:Cueball: Let's see how important it thinks that mail really is.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Computers]]

Talk:1728: Cron Mail

2016-09-05T05:25:17Z

KieferSkunk: Suggestion for cron-tech rewrite

I think the "MAILTO" variable in "/etc/crontab" is meant, so only only cron-mails would go to this address, not all mails for the user

[[User:Rincewind|Rincewind]] ([[User talk:Rincewind|talk]]) 13:09, 2 September 2016 (UTC)

The huge question is whether adding an email message to crontab would result in cron producing even more mail - or whether it would cause cron to fail in some way. The latter would do damage by killing some (possibly critical) cron tasks - the former could rapidly fill up the hard drive with an exponentially-growing crontab. An intermediate situation would be that cron simply ignores the junk and continues to function as before - in which case Cueball's change will have little practical impact on disk space consumption - but probably gradually slow cron's crontab parser to a crawl, which would also have rather severe effects. On most Linux setups, the mail directories are on a different partition to /etc. There is often very little spare space on the partition with /etc on it - so it's likely that Cueball's change will eventually do terrible damage in that case too. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.69.98|162.158.69.98]] 14:42, 2 September 2016 (UTC)
:On my Mint/Ubuntu/Debian-based Linux system, adding junk to /etc/crontab put a message is /var/log/syslog about "cron[1495]: (*system*) ERROR (Syntax error, this crontab file will be ignored)". So it looks like appending garbage to the crontab will just break cron entirely (or at least those handled by /etc/crontab; it may be private cron and /etc/cron.d/* jobs may continue to run, but cron.hourly, cron.daily, and cron.weekly jobs on my system are initiated through /etc/crontab so they would not run with a broken /etc/crontab). I don't know if other non-Debian distributions have a cron that behaves differently, however. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 15:18, 2 September 2016 (UTC)
:Seems like it wouldn't break the existing stuff, they'd still get run and then cron would start parsing the noise and complaining - the "intermediate" situation, though the "export MAILTO" seems wrong. If Cueball did it in his .bashrc, it might get into some of *his* cron jobs but unless it's in /etc/crontab (and there, no "export" is needed/used), it wouldn't matter. His jobs probably wouldn't have rights to write to /etc/crontab either. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.73|173.245.48.73]] 17:09, 2 September 2016 (UTC)
:Unfortunately this huge question is undecidable (by trivial reduction to halting problem) --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.126|172.68.54.126]] 08:10, 3 September 2016 (UTC)
The current explanation misses a part of the joke present in Cueball's last statement: he is considering the cron program to be somehow sentient and able to make a decision between sending the email (is it really important?) and its self-preservation by not trashing its own config file. He is thus daring cron to continue sending emails at the risk of 'self-destruction'. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.90}}

- I also feel like the part of the joke is the cron has been sending him useless mail for 15 years. So now, he is sending cron useless mail {{unsigned ip|162.158.69.83}}
:: (Also that Cueball is evidently using a 15 year old laptop! This deepens the question because he's probably never upgraded it and therefore has 15 year old copy of cron) [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 15:20, 4 September 2016 (UTC)

This states it can be run as infrequently as once a year, however by using February 29th, you can have it run once every 4 years (exc ever 100 inc every 400). But I think you might be able to get better by also setting it to run on a day of the week. e.g. February 29th, which is a Monday, which would then (after this year) not run for another 28 years, next running on February 29th, 2044.

Should that be noted in the article or is it a needless complication? (Also, I don't know what day of the week is what for this syntax).[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.156|108.162.250.156]] 21:13, 2 September 2016 (UTC)
:That's interesting! but I don't think it's relevant to the joke. [[User:NotLock|NotLock]] ([[User talk:NotLock|talk]]) 23:13, 2 September 2016 (UTC)

:If you specify a day of week and a day of month it runs on both, so "11 59 29 2 1" would run at 11:59 on every Monday in February, as well as on February 29, not just on any February 29 that happened to be a Monday.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.11|108.162.219.11]] 05:18, 3 September 2016 (UTC)

I'm hesitant to make substantial edits as a random non-registered IP address, but I do feel like this explanation could be improved if a lot of the technical details were removed. For example, the format of a crontab file and how it is parsed distracts a bit from the joke. For a non-technical audience, it would be much more concise to simply note that the file has a specific format, and piping random emails to it would probably break all of cron. In my opinion, the current explanation loses the forest for the trees. For me, the key part of the joke is Cueball doesn't know cron, Ponytail explains it, Cueball conducts a response which is intuitive in the real world ("okay, cron, if you think it's that important then you deal with it!") which would be horrible in a computer. Ponytail's comment on it being harsh, and that it would accidentally solve the problem is the punchline. I think all the other technical details distracts from that simple explanation. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.87}}
: I would agree. Understanding how exactly cron works isn't really necessary to understand the comic and its humor. Perhaps linking to some "cron for dummies" tutorial for those interested[[Special:Contributions/141.101.91.223|141.101.91.223]] 04:03, 3 September 2016 (UTC)

What exactly does "hardball" mean? Is it a US slang term or such?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.91.223|141.101.91.223]] 04:03, 3 September 2016 (UTC)
:"Playing hardball" is an idiom, meaning "to act strong & aggressive about an issue" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.114|108.162.245.114]] 05:23, 3 September 2016 (UTC)

With "YOUR MOVE, CRON." Cueball adapts a famous movie quote ("Your move, creep.") from Robocop (1987) as if he would strike back against "the machine" from a similar age (admitted, cron is slightly older, but then again Robocop also plays 20 minutes into the future). [[User:Renormalist|Renormalist]] ([[User talk:Renormalist|talk]]) 06:35, 3 September 2016 (UTC)

Yeah, useless crap. I have smartd on my harddrives and still don't get any warnings that they are about to fail. Well except for all the cron emails I have been ignoring for a decade.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.83.240|162.158.83.240]] 09:15, 3 September 2016 (UTC)

A few corrections: (1) Setting MAILTO=/etc/crontab only affect the system-wide crontab. User crontabs will continue to run as normal. Cueball's cronjob runs under his account (we know that because "he has mail") therefore nothing will change as far as he is concerned. (2) MAILTO appends to the named file, therefore the existing lines in /etc/crontab will not be deleted and will continue to run as normal - the worse that can happen is that new, spurious, cronjobs can be introduced (3) in most modern versions of cron, you can run use a /X syntax which will cause X-1 executions to be skipped (for example 20 10 2 1/5 * will run once every 5 years - assuming the system has not been rebooted in the interim) [[User:Sysin|Sysin]] ([[User talk:Sysin|talk]]) 11:28, 3 September 2016 (UTC)

I agree that the explanation is overly technical, especially considering this Wiki exists largely as a resource to laypeople. A succinct explanation of the joke (the crux of which being that Cueball is actively trying to threaten a computer program) would be preferential to passing off a man page as an ExplainXKCD article. Although linking to a more detailed breakdown of how Cron functions isn't a bad idea at all. This is a pretty good one http://www.unixgeeks.org/security/newbie/unix/cron-1.html {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.148}}

: The joke hinges on a technical matter - and without the technical detail, this would not be an explanation.

: As is often the case with xkcd humor, this cartoon is "layered" so that people with a little knowledge get a joke - but people with deeper knowledge get a bigger joke - or possibly multiple jokes.

: At the topmost layer, Cueball takes a typically unconventional approach to computer problems and is feeding cron with it's own junk - which seems like a small victory - if only a moral victory. Good joke.

: At the second layer, if Cueball can indeed choke cron with it's own junk, then whatever important work that cron is doing will not be done, and this will have a deleterious effect on his computer - so he'll lose out by doing this...but possibly in only a very minor way. This is a better joke because we all love it when an idiotic move results in payback!

: At the third layer, the key to the humor for me is that Cueball has fired the first volley in a "war" - and it is one that he may or may not win. The outcome depends subtly on how his version of cron works...and the outcome is far from certain. If his version of cron ignores errors in the crontab file - then he may cause a violent "explosion" in the number of messages sent by the tool - resulting in his hard drive filling up with crap much more quickly than it was before he knew this was happening...and he'll open up an exploit into his system (the bad guy can send his old-school UNIX account an email containing a cron job request to do something evil (like erasing his entire hard drive, for example). On the other hand if cron refuses to do any work whatever when there is an error then cron's normal activities (mostly organizing and pruning logfiles and such) will be disabled and the hard drive will fill up with those instead. But the idea that there are multiple cron files - per user and per day/week/month - along with personal crontab files that may now fail, or may continue to spew crap, makes this a rather subtle (and DEEPLY technical) question.

: Now this isn't just a joke - it's a deep puzzle with surprising consequences...we have to work hard to decide what the outcome would be. Geeks enjoy that kind of thing - so at the third level, this is a deep and interesting question...and an even better joke for those "in the know".

: Viewed as a "war" between Cueball and cron, I very much doubt that Cueball's first shot will be sufficient to "win" - or indeed improve his situation in any useful way. But unlike most things you can do to screw up a computer, this one could take months or even years to play out...cron's revenge will likely be slow - but possibly devastating.

:* If cron dies because of crap in crontab - and if Cueball's computer doesn't do much of any importance using cron - then Cueball wins.

:* If cron merely ignores the crap at the end of the crontab - then Cueball's hard drive will still slowly fill with crap (albeit in an obscure system file rather than in an obsolete email system)...we can regard this as "draw" between Cueball and cron.

:* If cron produces more error messages because of the crap - and decides to email it to Cueball, then the hard drive may fill up at an exponential rate and cron will steal increasing amounts of CPU time until the laptop locks up and life for Cueball becomes much harder! Cron "wins" and the crowd goes wild! :-)

: But the reasons behind that are very subtle - and need to be explained. Since the role of explainxkcd is to provide these explanations to the semi-layperson - some significant amount of technical information is indeed required here in order to fully understand all of the layers of the joke.

: One often wonders whether Randall fully understands all of the layers! I've been using UNIX, then MINIX, now Linux since around 1976 - and predicting the outcome of Cueball's actions is far from obvious without diving into the manuals. (And, if I'm honest...trying it on an old Raspberry Pi that I happen to have lying around! :-)

: Another problem here is that if Cueball has been getting these messages for 15 years - then he's using a 15 year old laptop that's probably never been upgraded. Hence all discussion of what "modern" versions of cron might do could be entirely moot. What did circa 2001 versions of cron do?
: [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 15:09, 4 September 2016 (UTC)

::What makes you think he never upgraded? Lot of distributions allow to be upgraded without losing /var/spool/mail, and if the problem is caused by bad configuration, it can similarly "survive" several upgrades, especially if done by Cueball ("configuration file was changed - update? Nah ...")
::Oh, and one think cron is CERTAINLY doing is rotating log files. And because linux computer ALWAYS generates at least some log files, killing cron can still fill the disk. Only way Cueball can win is if the problematic command is in /etc/crontab, the useful commands are in /etc/cron.d/ and adding mail to /etc/crontab will make cron ignore /etc/crontab. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 21:22, 4 September 2016 (UTC)

::: I think you can explain the purpose of cron quite well without having to explain how every parameter in it works. The format of the crontab is never addressed in the comic itself, and in fact going that deep into the explanation kinda ruins the humor. You could just as easily explain the joke like this:

:::: "In Unix-based systems, the 'cron' utility is used to run system tasks on a schedule. The '/etc/crontab' file is a configuration file that specifies each scheduled job - specifically at what times the job will run, which user account under which to run the job, and the command-line for the job itself. Cueball apparently believes that sending the output of the cron program to this file will either break cron or cause it to start spamming itself with exponentially more jobs. In reality, the former would be true, as the new lines of output would not be in a format that cron understands, resulting in it ignoring the whole file."

::: People who aren't familiar with cron really only need to know what it does and its default behavior (to send mail to a file) to understand the joke. I don't think the purpose of this wiki is to reproduce man documents. [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 05:25, 5 September 2016 (UTC)

I like the comics about the tech-inept Cueball and the embarrassed/condescending Ponytail. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.196|108.162.210.196]] 04:26, 5 September 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1725: Linear Regression

2016-08-26T18:06:36Z

KieferSkunk: /* Teapot */ Not sure I follow, Dkfenger

== Teapot ==

It also seems likely that the teapot refers to the Utah Teapot (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_teapot). It was one of the first complex 3D objects defined for CGI rendering, and has seen countless uses since. Notably in the Pipes screensaver, and early SIGGRAPH papers where it was rendered along side the 5 platonic solids as if it belonged with them.
[[User:Dkfenger|Dkfenger]] ([[User talk:Dkfenger|talk]]) 17:10, 26 August 2016 (UTC)
: I'm not sure I follow. How do you reach that conclusion? Given that the concept of constellations (and thus stars) is clearly shown in the comic, it seems much more likely to me that he was referring to Russell's Teapot and not to a computer rendering (if there was any reference at all). The fact that that shape could abstractly resemble a teapot may be all that there is to it. :) [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 18:06, 26 August 2016 (UTC)

1725: Linear Regression

2016-08-26T18:04:46Z

KieferSkunk: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1725
| date = August 26, 2016
| title = Linear Regression
| image = linear_regression.png
| titletext = The 95% confidence interval suggests Rexthor's dog could also be a cat, or possibly a teapot.
}}

==Explanation==

{{w|Linear regression}} is a method for modeling the relationship between two sets of data, assuming that the two have a linear correlation (as opposed to, say, a quadratic correlation or no correlation whatsoever). The model determines a "{{w|least squares|best-fit}}" line through a {{w|scatter plot}} of the datasets, together with a {{w|coefficient of determination}}, usually denoted ''r''2 or ''R''2. This is a number between 0 and 1, which indicates how close the points are to lying on a line. A value of 1 means perfect correlation, while values close to 0 indicate little or no correlation.

{{w|Constellation}}s are patterns created by linking the apparent positions of stars. One could create fake constellations by connecting assorted points.

In this comic, a set of data has had linear regression and some form of statistical analysis applied to it, indicating that there is insignificant correlation between the two. The data points are so widely scattered that (as noted in the comic) it is easier to connect the data points in a constellation-like pattern than it is to determine whether the correlation is negative or positive (without looking at the trendline, of course). Because of this, [[Randall]] suggests we should be suspicious of any conclusions drawn from this data.

The mention of a teapot may be a reference to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell%27s_teapot Russell's teapot].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[A two-panel comic with a caption underneath drawn in a combination of black and red. The two panels show an identical square of scattered black dots, with only the red additions being different. A black caption is written below, spanning both panels.

[The left panel shows a slightly rising red line drawn through the middle of the panel, passing near a few dots but not obviously related to most of them]
:R2=0.06

[The right panel shows many of the dots connected by red lines to form a stick figure of a man resembling the constellation Orion, with the hand on the reader's right raised and holding an object.]
:Rexthor, the Dog-Bearer

[The caption below is black and applies to both panels.]
:I don't trust linear regressions when it's harder to guess the direction of the correlation from the scatter plot than to find new constellations on it.

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1707: xkcd Phone 4

2016-07-26T03:11:26Z

KieferSkunk:

The current explanation seems to assume a constant current draw of 1A without explicitly stating it.
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.95.117|141.101.95.117]] 14:04, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

The 12 headphone jacks is probably referring to the rumor that the iPhone 7 may not have a headphone jack. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.90|141.101.104.90]] 14:58, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

The 12 Jacks will support Dolby Surroundissimo. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.11|162.158.86.11]] 10:57, 17 July 2016 (UTC)

Fun fact: the Walkman II (the most popular variant) had 2 headphone jacks, so that two people could listen to music at the same time, but the second jack was removed from later designs. This has a few more than that, perhaps there is one for each voice assistant to make it "usable". {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.119}}

An alternative explanation of "onboard cloud" could be a file server that serves over WIFI, Bluetooth, and NFC, turning the phone into an effective NAS sneakernet [[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 15:30, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

The "certified" feature probably refers to various certifications being used as marketing features. [[User:Joedetode|Joedetode]] ([[User talk:Joedetode|talk]]) 15:33, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

The Julian calendar is used by Orthodox Christians, but not astronomers. Astronomers use something called {{w|Julian day}}. --[[User:Mlv|Mlv]] ([[User talk:Mlv|talk]]) 16:27, 15 July 2016 (UTC)
:Its also used in banking and finance. I have to do the conversion every time we do a direct debit collection at work to verify that the dates in the file are what we need, so that switch would actually be useful to me. {{unsigned ip|141.101.70.103}}
::No, Julian dates in banking and finance (eg. day 47 being February 16) are a variation of Julian days (a serial number of days since some epoch), and has nothing to do with the Julian calendar.--[[User:Mlv|Mlv]] ([[User talk:Mlv|talk]]) 02:59, 21 July 2016 (UTC)

"Did you know '4' is 'IV' in Roman numerals?" is probably a dig on "Mac OS X", which is supposed to be pronounced "Mac OS 10". Apparently it used to annoy Steve Jobs that it was pronounced "Mac OS EX" by many people. {{unsigned ip|108.162.210.214}}

It could be also a reference to the Samsung Galaxy Smartphones, as they were called Galaxy S (1st Version), Galaxy S II (2nd Version), Galaxy S III (3rd Version) and Galaxy S4 (fourth version, which does not use Roman numerals anymore) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.249|162.158.85.249]]

"The nickel–iron battery does exist, but it's terrible for most applications. Worse, this battery is non-rechargeable, meaning that it would have to be replaced to use the phone again after it is exhausted." is not supported by the link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel%E2%80%93iron_battery. The first line of which begins "The nickel–iron battery (NiFe battery) is a rechargeable battery ... ".--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.11|108.162.219.11]] 17:11, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

The comment about the Nickel-Iron battery being non-rechargable is referring not to the Wikipedia article, but the battery annotation on the picture, which states clearly that the included battery is non-rechargable. Perhaps the explanation should be amended to clear up this ambiguity. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.132|141.101.98.132]] 18:07, 15 July 2016 (UTC)

This explanation would be easier to read if put in a table, with the term on the left and description on the right {{unsigned|4jonah}}

The drawing may be interpreted as if "software defined" applies to part of the case (or the whole case). That would be... interesting, if useless. Doable - although probably impractical and not worth the price - with e-paper for graphical motives, for actual textures or other material characteristics maybe Nobel-worthy (and still quite useless in this application). {{unsigned ip|162.158.201.6}}

The inclusion of a parallel port may be a stab at Apple products such as iPhones. Apple seems to insist on avoiding otherwise standard connectors such as Micro USB, in favor of their own proprietary ones. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.168|108.162.237.168]] 06:02, 16 July 2016 (UTC)

Note that the parallel port on image doesn't look at all like {{w|Parallel port}} (IEEE 1284). Of course, it can still be parallel port in general sense, similarly as {{w|USB}} is serial (that's what the S in USB stands for) without being {{w|Serial port}} (RS-232). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:57, 16 July 2016 (UTC)
: It does look like "micro-centronics" (IEEE 1284 type C) female connector used on some printers - my old good Laserjet 1100 has such a connector. It may indicate that XKCD Phone 4 may be used as a printer by connecting it to a (fairly old) computer. What the phone would do with the data sent to it in this way is a mystery. [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 18:28, 16 July 2016 (UTC)

Judging by the connectors present on the lower edge the xkcd Phone 4 is a fairly large device, like a tablet - 3.5 mm headphone jacks shall be spaced about 1 cm apart or a typical plugs won't fit into neighbouring jacks. This makes ~13 cm edge space. The micro-Centronics connector (parallel port) is approx. 4.5 by 1 cm. So I would say the shorter edge of the phone is at least 18 cm and the longer edge may be 24 cm or longer. {{unsigned|Malgond}}

It seems as if "Certified" may be a reference to [https://xkcd.com/1096/ #1096]
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.91.223|141.101.91.223]] 13:49, 16 July 2016 (UTC)

I'm surprised there is no mention of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel%E2%80%93cadmium_battery Nickel–cadmium] (a fairly common rechargeable type) as a possible component for the nickel-lithium-iron combination. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.88|108.162.221.88]] 17:49, 18 July 2016 (UTC)

Another possible meaning for "Software-defined" might be that the entire phone was designed entirely by a computer. Such things exist, but are uncommon and still very difficult to accomplish, but the idea is that a program is given a general guideline for a circuit or object to design, and then it comes up with all the details (including circuit layouts) on its own. A coworker of mine told me of such a program having designed a working transistor radio entirely out of a single wire trace that would have been virtually impossible to build in real life. The program determined that electrical properties in certain wire layouts with extremely precise tolerances would mimic the behavior of basic electronic components (e.g. resistors and diodes). In any event, such a thing would be pretty pointless here, as is most of this "phone". :)

1679: Substitutions 3

2016-05-16T22:03:32Z

KieferSkunk: /* Table of Substitutions */ oops, template

{{comic
| number = 1679
| date = May 11, 2016
| title = Substitutions 3
| image = substitutions_3.png
| titletext = BREAKING: Channing Tatum and his friends explore haunted city
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|just a stub. More examples from real life. Include table explaining changes, examples of sentence substitiutions, and title text explanation.}}
This is the third time [[Randall]] has suggested substitutions that will make reading the news more fun. This time it will be even '''more''' fun!{{Citation needed}} It began with [[1288: Substitutions]] which was followed more recently by [[1625: Substitutions 2]].

The title text in original form would be "Scientists explore ancient city", which most would consider a fairly bland headline. The day before this comic came out, there was news that a new, ancient city had been found by a 15 year old scientist, which may be what Randall was referencing. Imagining Channing Tatum and his "friends", and pretending that the city is haunted, provides a much more dramatic setting mirroring many episodes (and later films) of ''Scooby Doo'' featuring a gang of friends (Mysteries, Inc.).

===Table of Substitutions===
{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="4" style="border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
! Original word/phrase !! Meaning !! Substitution !! New meaning
|-
| Gaffe || A social mistake, faux pas || Magic spell || A form of sorcery
|-
| Ancient || Very old || Haunted || Occupied by ghosts, spirits, etc., spooky
|-
| Star-studded || Featuring a lot of popular celebrities || Blood-soaked ||
Full of blood, or a place where a lot of violent deaths occurred
|-
| Remains to be seen || Unknown as of yet, speculative || Will never be known || Can never be determined, final statement indicating we've given up trying to understand, etc.
|-
| Silver bullet || Perfect solution || Way to kill werewolves || In {{w|werewolf}} folklore, a {{w|silver bullet}} was usually the only way to actually kill a werewolf. The phrase "silver bullet" is usually used to mean something like "perfect solution" — this substitution suggests the more literal meaning of the phrase.
|-
| Subway system || A network of underground tunnels for commuter trains || Tunnels I found || A more personal and colloquial way to refer to underground tunnels, as though they had just been discovered for the first time.
|-
| Surprising || Unexpected || Surprising (but not to me) || The speaker/writer claims that everyone else is surprised by something, but he/she had anticipated it all along.
|-
| War of words || Public arguments, smear campaigns, etc. || Interplanetary war || A major conflict involving the civilizations of multiple planets. ({{w|Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy|"Well, that escalated quickly."}})
|-
| Tension || Anxiety, conflict between people or groups || Sexual tension || Situation in which two or more people attempt to avoid acknowledging being sexually attracted each other.
|-
| Cautiously optimistic || A guarded statement of optimism about a situation || Delusional || Firmly believing something in spite of clear evidence to the contrary
|-
| {{w|Doctor Who}} || Popular sci-fi TV series about time travel || {{w|The Big Bang Theory}} || A different TV comedy series about scientifically-gifted and socially awkward friends.
|-
| Win votes || To make a politician more popular and more likely to win an election || Find {{w|Pokémon}} || To collect virtual creatures in a popular video game series
|-
| Behind the headlines || Usually, to go into greater depth on a news story || Beyond the grave || To communicate with (or experience) life after death
|-
| Email / {{w|Facebook}} post / {{w|Twitter|Tweet}} || All forms of electronic communication. The last two are forms of social networking. || Poem || An artistic form of writing that usually involves rhyming and meter.
|-
| Facebook CEO || {{w|Mark Zuckerberg}} || This guy || Any generic person. Sometimes used in a derogatory fashion, or to refer to one's self.
|-
| Latest || The most recent in a series || Final || The last entry in a series (as in, there won't be any more).
|-
| Disrupt || Interrupt, temporarily hinder || Destroy || Make completely inoperable, remove all trace of, etc.
|-
| Meeting || A gathering of people to discuss a topic, as in business || Ménage à trois || One or more sex acts performed between three people.
|-
| Scientists || A group of people considered authorities in various scientific realms of study || {{w|Channing Tatum}} and his friends || A famous actor and a group of people closely associated with him. The name was likely chosen at random.
|-
| You won't believe || A catchphrase used in "click-bait" headlines to attract attention and traffic || I'm really sad about || A different catchphrase expressing disappointment in the topic
|}

===Real life examples===
*Remains to be seen ➜ Will never be known
**[http://english.cri.cn/12394/2016/04/30/4203s926079.htm Japan's Sincerity in Improving Bilateral Ties Will Never Be Known]
*Cautiously optimistic ➜ Delusional
**[http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14455:london-jews-cautiously-optimistic-about-first-ever-muslim-mayor&catid=106:international&Itemid=289 London Jews Delusional About First-Ever Muslim Mayor]
*Silver Bullet ➜ Way to Kill Werewolves
**[http://moneymorning.com/2016/05/10/why-no-silver-bullet-will-ever-kill-crude-oil/ Why no Way to Kill Werewolves will Kill Crude Oil]
* Tension ➜ Sexual Tension; Meeting ➜ Ménage à Trois
**[http://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2016/05/09/2016-race-roundup-tension-between-trumpryan-ahead-of-thursday-meeting-n2160407 Sexual Tension Between Trump-Ryan Ahead of Thursday Ménage à Trois]
*Gaffe ➜ Magic Spell
**[http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2016/may/11/david-cameron-corruption-remark-gaffe Was David Cameron's corruption remark really a magic spell?]
*Ancient ➜ Haunted
**[http://gizmodo.com/teen-discovers-lost-maya-city-using-ancient-star-maps-1775735999 Teen Discovers Lost Maya City Using Haunted Star Maps]
*Star-Studded ➜ Blood-Soaked
**[http://ewn.co.za/2016/05/11/Woody-Allen-tops-bill-at-star-studded-Cannes-festival Woody Allen tops bill at blood-soaked Cannes Festival]
*Subway system ➜ Tunnels I found
**[http://pix11.com/2016/05/09/dhs-releasing-harmless-gas-in-nyc-subway-system-to-test-bioterror-airflow/ DHS releasing harmless gas in NYC tunnels I found to prepare for possible attack]
*Surprising ➜ Surprising (but not to me)
**[http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/11/476198119/a-surprising-japanese-presence-in-central-ohio A Surprising (But Not to Me) Japanese Presence In Central Ohio]
*War of Words ➜ Interplanetary War
**[http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/road-caves-in-leading-to-war-of-words-between-aiadmk-and-dmk/article8577830.ece Road caves in leading to interplanetary war between AIADMK and DMK]
*Tension ➜ Sexual Tension
**[http://allafrica.com/stories/201605111244.html Uganda: Use Swearing-in to Ease Sexual Tension]
*Doctor Who ➜ The Big Bang Theory
**[http://www.themarysue.com/doctor-who-trans-identity/ On The Big Bang Theory and My Struggle With My Trans Identity]
*Win votes ➜ Find Pokémon
**[http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14479510.Jeremy_Corbyn_must_urgently_develop_strategy_to_win_votes__warns_failed_leadership_candidate_Yvette_Cooper/ Labour's Jeremy Corbyn must urgently develop strategy to find Pokémon, warns failed leadership candidate Yvette Cooper]
*Behind the headlines ➜ Beyond the grave
**[http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/411443/behind-the-headlines-the-erev-pesach-story-we-all-should-be-talking-about.html Beyond the Grave: The Erev Pesach Story We All Should Be Talking About]
*Email / Facebook Post / Tweet ➜ Poem
**[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/wtae-anchor-and-reporter-wendy-bell-apologizes-for-facebook-post-that-could-be-viewed-as-racist/ TV anchor admits poem about fatal shooting "could be viewed as racist"]
*Facebook CEO ➜ This guy
**[http://hotair.com/archives/2016/05/10/senator-thune-demands-answers-from-facebook-about-news-bias/ Senator Thune demands answers from this guy about news bias]
*Latest ➜ Final
**[http://www.engadget.com/2016/05/11/garmin-forerunner-735xt-running-watch/ Garmin's final running watch tracks your suffering]
*Disrupt ➜ Destroy
**[https://news.fastcompany.com/amazon-thinks-it-can-disrupt-youtube-4006719 Amazon thinks it can destroy YouTube]
*Scientists ➜ Channing Tatum and his friends
**[http://www.futurity.org/memory-acetylcholine-ptsd-1159862-2/ Channing Tatum and his friends test a way to erase scary memories]
*You won't believe ➜ I'm really sad about
**[http://www.komando.com/happening-now/357958/iphone-7-rumor-you-wont-believe-what-it-looks-like iPhone 7 rumor: I'm really sad about what it looks like]

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:Even More
:<big>'''Substitutions'''</big>
:That make reading the news more fun

:[A table of words/sentences on the left that change in to those on the left. Between each set of words there is an arrow pointing from right.]
:{|
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Gaffe
| ➜
| Magic spell
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Ancient
| ➜
| Haunted
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Star-Studded
| ➜
| Blood-soaked
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Remains to be seen
| ➜
| Will never be known
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Silver bullet
| ➜
| Way to kill werewolves
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Subway system
| ➜
| Tunnels I found
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Surprising
| ➜
| Surprising (but not to me)
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | War of words
| ➜
| Interplanetary war
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Tension
| ➜
| Sexual tension
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Cautiously optimistic
| ➜
| Delusional
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Doctor Who
| ➜
| The Big Bang Theory
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Win votes
| ➜
| Find Pokémon
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Behind the headlines
| ➜
| Beyond the grave
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Email \
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Facebook Post
| ➜
| Poem
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Tweet /
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Facebook CEO
| ➜
| This guy
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Latest
| ➜
| Final
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Disrupt
| ➜
| Destroy
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Meeting
| ➜
| Ménage à trois
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Scientists
| ➜
| Channing Tatum and his friends
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | You won't believe
| ➜
| I'm really sad about
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Substitutions]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Substitutions]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Pokémon]]

1679: Substitutions 3

2016-05-16T22:03:15Z

KieferSkunk: /* Table of Substitutions */

{{comic
| number = 1679
| date = May 11, 2016
| title = Substitutions 3
| image = substitutions_3.png
| titletext = BREAKING: Channing Tatum and his friends explore haunted city
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|just a stub. More examples from real life. Include table explaining changes, examples of sentence substitiutions, and title text explanation.}}
This is the third time [[Randall]] has suggested substitutions that will make reading the news more fun. This time it will be even '''more''' fun!{{Citation needed}} It began with [[1288: Substitutions]] which was followed more recently by [[1625: Substitutions 2]].

The title text in original form would be "Scientists explore ancient city", which most would consider a fairly bland headline. The day before this comic came out, there was news that a new, ancient city had been found by a 15 year old scientist, which may be what Randall was referencing. Imagining Channing Tatum and his "friends", and pretending that the city is haunted, provides a much more dramatic setting mirroring many episodes (and later films) of ''Scooby Doo'' featuring a gang of friends (Mysteries, Inc.).

===Table of Substitutions===
{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="4" style="border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
! Original word/phrase !! Meaning !! Substitution !! New meaning
|-
| Gaffe || A social mistake, faux pas || Magic spell || A form of sorcery
|-
| Ancient || Very old || Haunted || Occupied by ghosts, spirits, etc., spooky
|-
| Star-studded || Featuring a lot of popular celebrities || Blood-soaked ||
Full of blood, or a place where a lot of violent deaths occurred
|-
| Remains to be seen || Unknown as of yet, speculative || Will never be known || Can never be determined, final statement indicating we've given up trying to understand, etc.
|-
| Silver bullet || Perfect solution || Way to kill werewolves || In {{werewolf}} folklore, a {{silver bullet}} was usually the only way to actually kill a werewolf. The phrase "silver bullet" is usually used to mean something like "perfect solution" — this substitution suggests the more literal meaning of the phrase.
|-
| Subway system || A network of underground tunnels for commuter trains || Tunnels I found || A more personal and colloquial way to refer to underground tunnels, as though they had just been discovered for the first time.
|-
| Surprising || Unexpected || Surprising (but not to me) || The speaker/writer claims that everyone else is surprised by something, but he/she had anticipated it all along.
|-
| War of words || Public arguments, smear campaigns, etc. || Interplanetary war || A major conflict involving the civilizations of multiple planets. ({{w|Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy|"Well, that escalated quickly."}})
|-
| Tension || Anxiety, conflict between people or groups || Sexual tension || Situation in which two or more people attempt to avoid acknowledging being sexually attracted each other.
|-
| Cautiously optimistic || A guarded statement of optimism about a situation || Delusional || Firmly believing something in spite of clear evidence to the contrary
|-
| {{w|Doctor Who}} || Popular sci-fi TV series about time travel || {{w|The Big Bang Theory}} || A different TV comedy series about scientifically-gifted and socially awkward friends.
|-
| Win votes || To make a politician more popular and more likely to win an election || Find {{w|Pokémon}} || To collect virtual creatures in a popular video game series
|-
| Behind the headlines || Usually, to go into greater depth on a news story || Beyond the grave || To communicate with (or experience) life after death
|-
| Email / {{w|Facebook}} post / {{w|Twitter|Tweet}} || All forms of electronic communication. The last two are forms of social networking. || Poem || An artistic form of writing that usually involves rhyming and meter.
|-
| Facebook CEO || {{w|Mark Zuckerberg}} || This guy || Any generic person. Sometimes used in a derogatory fashion, or to refer to one's self.
|-
| Latest || The most recent in a series || Final || The last entry in a series (as in, there won't be any more).
|-
| Disrupt || Interrupt, temporarily hinder || Destroy || Make completely inoperable, remove all trace of, etc.
|-
| Meeting || A gathering of people to discuss a topic, as in business || Ménage à trois || One or more sex acts performed between three people.
|-
| Scientists || A group of people considered authorities in various scientific realms of study || {{w|Channing Tatum}} and his friends || A famous actor and a group of people closely associated with him. The name was likely chosen at random.
|-
| You won't believe || A catchphrase used in "click-bait" headlines to attract attention and traffic || I'm really sad about || A different catchphrase expressing disappointment in the topic
|}

===Real life examples===
*Remains to be seen ➜ Will never be known
**[http://english.cri.cn/12394/2016/04/30/4203s926079.htm Japan's Sincerity in Improving Bilateral Ties Will Never Be Known]
*Cautiously optimistic ➜ Delusional
**[http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14455:london-jews-cautiously-optimistic-about-first-ever-muslim-mayor&catid=106:international&Itemid=289 London Jews Delusional About First-Ever Muslim Mayor]
*Silver Bullet ➜ Way to Kill Werewolves
**[http://moneymorning.com/2016/05/10/why-no-silver-bullet-will-ever-kill-crude-oil/ Why no Way to Kill Werewolves will Kill Crude Oil]
* Tension ➜ Sexual Tension; Meeting ➜ Ménage à Trois
**[http://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2016/05/09/2016-race-roundup-tension-between-trumpryan-ahead-of-thursday-meeting-n2160407 Sexual Tension Between Trump-Ryan Ahead of Thursday Ménage à Trois]
*Gaffe ➜ Magic Spell
**[http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2016/may/11/david-cameron-corruption-remark-gaffe Was David Cameron's corruption remark really a magic spell?]
*Ancient ➜ Haunted
**[http://gizmodo.com/teen-discovers-lost-maya-city-using-ancient-star-maps-1775735999 Teen Discovers Lost Maya City Using Haunted Star Maps]
*Star-Studded ➜ Blood-Soaked
**[http://ewn.co.za/2016/05/11/Woody-Allen-tops-bill-at-star-studded-Cannes-festival Woody Allen tops bill at blood-soaked Cannes Festival]
*Subway system ➜ Tunnels I found
**[http://pix11.com/2016/05/09/dhs-releasing-harmless-gas-in-nyc-subway-system-to-test-bioterror-airflow/ DHS releasing harmless gas in NYC tunnels I found to prepare for possible attack]
*Surprising ➜ Surprising (but not to me)
**[http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/11/476198119/a-surprising-japanese-presence-in-central-ohio A Surprising (But Not to Me) Japanese Presence In Central Ohio]
*War of Words ➜ Interplanetary War
**[http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/road-caves-in-leading-to-war-of-words-between-aiadmk-and-dmk/article8577830.ece Road caves in leading to interplanetary war between AIADMK and DMK]
*Tension ➜ Sexual Tension
**[http://allafrica.com/stories/201605111244.html Uganda: Use Swearing-in to Ease Sexual Tension]
*Doctor Who ➜ The Big Bang Theory
**[http://www.themarysue.com/doctor-who-trans-identity/ On The Big Bang Theory and My Struggle With My Trans Identity]
*Win votes ➜ Find Pokémon
**[http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14479510.Jeremy_Corbyn_must_urgently_develop_strategy_to_win_votes__warns_failed_leadership_candidate_Yvette_Cooper/ Labour's Jeremy Corbyn must urgently develop strategy to find Pokémon, warns failed leadership candidate Yvette Cooper]
*Behind the headlines ➜ Beyond the grave
**[http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/411443/behind-the-headlines-the-erev-pesach-story-we-all-should-be-talking-about.html Beyond the Grave: The Erev Pesach Story We All Should Be Talking About]
*Email / Facebook Post / Tweet ➜ Poem
**[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/wtae-anchor-and-reporter-wendy-bell-apologizes-for-facebook-post-that-could-be-viewed-as-racist/ TV anchor admits poem about fatal shooting "could be viewed as racist"]
*Facebook CEO ➜ This guy
**[http://hotair.com/archives/2016/05/10/senator-thune-demands-answers-from-facebook-about-news-bias/ Senator Thune demands answers from this guy about news bias]
*Latest ➜ Final
**[http://www.engadget.com/2016/05/11/garmin-forerunner-735xt-running-watch/ Garmin's final running watch tracks your suffering]
*Disrupt ➜ Destroy
**[https://news.fastcompany.com/amazon-thinks-it-can-disrupt-youtube-4006719 Amazon thinks it can destroy YouTube]
*Scientists ➜ Channing Tatum and his friends
**[http://www.futurity.org/memory-acetylcholine-ptsd-1159862-2/ Channing Tatum and his friends test a way to erase scary memories]
*You won't believe ➜ I'm really sad about
**[http://www.komando.com/happening-now/357958/iphone-7-rumor-you-wont-believe-what-it-looks-like iPhone 7 rumor: I'm really sad about what it looks like]

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:Even More
:<big>'''Substitutions'''</big>
:That make reading the news more fun

:[A table of words/sentences on the left that change in to those on the left. Between each set of words there is an arrow pointing from right.]
:{|
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Gaffe
| ➜
| Magic spell
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Ancient
| ➜
| Haunted
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Star-Studded
| ➜
| Blood-soaked
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Remains to be seen
| ➜
| Will never be known
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Silver bullet
| ➜
| Way to kill werewolves
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Subway system
| ➜
| Tunnels I found
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Surprising
| ➜
| Surprising (but not to me)
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | War of words
| ➜
| Interplanetary war
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Tension
| ➜
| Sexual tension
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Cautiously optimistic
| ➜
| Delusional
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Doctor Who
| ➜
| The Big Bang Theory
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Win votes
| ➜
| Find Pokémon
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Behind the headlines
| ➜
| Beyond the grave
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Email \
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Facebook Post
| ➜
| Poem
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Tweet /
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Facebook CEO
| ➜
| This guy
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Latest
| ➜
| Final
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Disrupt
| ➜
| Destroy
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Meeting
| ➜
| Ménage à trois
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Scientists
| ➜
| Channing Tatum and his friends
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | You won't believe
| ➜
| I'm really sad about
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Substitutions]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Substitutions]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Pokémon]]

1679: Substitutions 3

2016-05-16T22:02:26Z

KieferSkunk: /* Table of Substitutions */

{{comic
| number = 1679
| date = May 11, 2016
| title = Substitutions 3
| image = substitutions_3.png
| titletext = BREAKING: Channing Tatum and his friends explore haunted city
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|just a stub. More examples from real life. Include table explaining changes, examples of sentence substitiutions, and title text explanation.}}
This is the third time [[Randall]] has suggested substitutions that will make reading the news more fun. This time it will be even '''more''' fun!{{Citation needed}} It began with [[1288: Substitutions]] which was followed more recently by [[1625: Substitutions 2]].

The title text in original form would be "Scientists explore ancient city", which most would consider a fairly bland headline. The day before this comic came out, there was news that a new, ancient city had been found by a 15 year old scientist, which may be what Randall was referencing. Imagining Channing Tatum and his "friends", and pretending that the city is haunted, provides a much more dramatic setting mirroring many episodes (and later films) of ''Scooby Doo'' featuring a gang of friends (Mysteries, Inc.).

===Table of Substitutions===
{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="4" style="border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
! Original word/phrase !! Meaning !! Substitution !! New meaning
|-
| Gaffe || A social mistake, faux pas || Magic spell || A form of sorcery
|-
| Ancient || Very old || Haunted || Occupied by ghosts, spirits, etc., spooky
|-
| Star-studded || Featuring a lot of popular celebrities || Blood-soaked ||
Full of blood, or a place where a lot of violent deaths occurred
|-
| Remains to be seen || Unknown as of yet, speculative || Will never be known || Can never be determined, final statement indicating we've given up trying to understand, etc.
|-
| {{w|Silver bullet}} || Perfect solution || Way to kill werewolves || In {{werewolf}} folklore, a silver bullet was usually the only way to actually kill a werewolf. The phrase "silver bullet" is usually used to mean something like "perfect solution" — this substitution suggests the more literal meaning of the phrase.
|-
| Subway system || A network of underground tunnels for commuter trains || Tunnels I found || A more personal and colloquial way to refer to underground tunnels, as though they had just been discovered for the first time.
|-
| Surprising || Unexpected || Surprising (but not to me) || The speaker/writer claims that everyone else is surprised by something, but he/she had anticipated it all along.
|-
| War of words || Public arguments, smear campaigns, etc. || Interplanetary war || A major conflict involving the civilizations of multiple planets. ({{w|Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy|"Well, that escalated quickly."}})
|-
| Tension || Anxiety, conflict between people or groups || Sexual tension || Situation in which two or more people attempt to avoid acknowledging being sexually attracted each other.
|-
| Cautiously optimistic || A guarded statement of optimism about a situation || Delusional || Firmly believing something in spite of clear evidence to the contrary
|-
| {{w|Doctor Who}} || Popular sci-fi TV series about time travel || {{w|The Big Bang Theory}} || A different TV comedy series about scientifically-gifted and socially awkward friends.
|-
| Win votes || To make a politician more popular and more likely to win an election || Find {{w|Pokémon}} || To collect virtual creatures in a popular video game series
|-
| Behind the headlines || Usually, to go into greater depth on a news story || Beyond the grave || To communicate with (or experience) life after death
|-
| Email / {{w|Facebook}} post / {{w|Twitter|Tweet}} || All forms of electronic communication. The last two are forms of social networking. || Poem || An artistic form of writing that usually involves rhyming and meter.
|-
| Facebook CEO || {{w|Mark Zuckerberg}} || This guy || Any generic person. Sometimes used in a derogatory fashion, or to refer to one's self.
|-
| Latest || The most recent in a series || Final || The last entry in a series (as in, there won't be any more).
|-
| Disrupt || Interrupt, temporarily hinder || Destroy || Make completely inoperable, remove all trace of, etc.
|-
| Meeting || A gathering of people to discuss a topic, as in business || Ménage à trois || One or more sex acts performed between three people.
|-
| Scientists || A group of people considered authorities in various scientific realms of study || {{w|Channing Tatum}} and his friends || A famous actor and a group of people closely associated with him. The name was likely chosen at random.
|-
| You won't believe || A catchphrase used in "click-bait" headlines to attract attention and traffic || I'm really sad about || A different catchphrase expressing disappointment in the topic
|}

===Real life examples===
*Remains to be seen ➜ Will never be known
**[http://english.cri.cn/12394/2016/04/30/4203s926079.htm Japan's Sincerity in Improving Bilateral Ties Will Never Be Known]
*Cautiously optimistic ➜ Delusional
**[http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14455:london-jews-cautiously-optimistic-about-first-ever-muslim-mayor&catid=106:international&Itemid=289 London Jews Delusional About First-Ever Muslim Mayor]
*Silver Bullet ➜ Way to Kill Werewolves
**[http://moneymorning.com/2016/05/10/why-no-silver-bullet-will-ever-kill-crude-oil/ Why no Way to Kill Werewolves will Kill Crude Oil]
* Tension ➜ Sexual Tension; Meeting ➜ Ménage à Trois
**[http://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2016/05/09/2016-race-roundup-tension-between-trumpryan-ahead-of-thursday-meeting-n2160407 Sexual Tension Between Trump-Ryan Ahead of Thursday Ménage à Trois]
*Gaffe ➜ Magic Spell
**[http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2016/may/11/david-cameron-corruption-remark-gaffe Was David Cameron's corruption remark really a magic spell?]
*Ancient ➜ Haunted
**[http://gizmodo.com/teen-discovers-lost-maya-city-using-ancient-star-maps-1775735999 Teen Discovers Lost Maya City Using Haunted Star Maps]
*Star-Studded ➜ Blood-Soaked
**[http://ewn.co.za/2016/05/11/Woody-Allen-tops-bill-at-star-studded-Cannes-festival Woody Allen tops bill at blood-soaked Cannes Festival]
*Subway system ➜ Tunnels I found
**[http://pix11.com/2016/05/09/dhs-releasing-harmless-gas-in-nyc-subway-system-to-test-bioterror-airflow/ DHS releasing harmless gas in NYC tunnels I found to prepare for possible attack]
*Surprising ➜ Surprising (but not to me)
**[http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/11/476198119/a-surprising-japanese-presence-in-central-ohio A Surprising (But Not to Me) Japanese Presence In Central Ohio]
*War of Words ➜ Interplanetary War
**[http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/road-caves-in-leading-to-war-of-words-between-aiadmk-and-dmk/article8577830.ece Road caves in leading to interplanetary war between AIADMK and DMK]
*Tension ➜ Sexual Tension
**[http://allafrica.com/stories/201605111244.html Uganda: Use Swearing-in to Ease Sexual Tension]
*Doctor Who ➜ The Big Bang Theory
**[http://www.themarysue.com/doctor-who-trans-identity/ On The Big Bang Theory and My Struggle With My Trans Identity]
*Win votes ➜ Find Pokémon
**[http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14479510.Jeremy_Corbyn_must_urgently_develop_strategy_to_win_votes__warns_failed_leadership_candidate_Yvette_Cooper/ Labour's Jeremy Corbyn must urgently develop strategy to find Pokémon, warns failed leadership candidate Yvette Cooper]
*Behind the headlines ➜ Beyond the grave
**[http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/411443/behind-the-headlines-the-erev-pesach-story-we-all-should-be-talking-about.html Beyond the Grave: The Erev Pesach Story We All Should Be Talking About]
*Email / Facebook Post / Tweet ➜ Poem
**[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/wtae-anchor-and-reporter-wendy-bell-apologizes-for-facebook-post-that-could-be-viewed-as-racist/ TV anchor admits poem about fatal shooting "could be viewed as racist"]
*Facebook CEO ➜ This guy
**[http://hotair.com/archives/2016/05/10/senator-thune-demands-answers-from-facebook-about-news-bias/ Senator Thune demands answers from this guy about news bias]
*Latest ➜ Final
**[http://www.engadget.com/2016/05/11/garmin-forerunner-735xt-running-watch/ Garmin's final running watch tracks your suffering]
*Disrupt ➜ Destroy
**[https://news.fastcompany.com/amazon-thinks-it-can-disrupt-youtube-4006719 Amazon thinks it can destroy YouTube]
*Scientists ➜ Channing Tatum and his friends
**[http://www.futurity.org/memory-acetylcholine-ptsd-1159862-2/ Channing Tatum and his friends test a way to erase scary memories]
*You won't believe ➜ I'm really sad about
**[http://www.komando.com/happening-now/357958/iphone-7-rumor-you-wont-believe-what-it-looks-like iPhone 7 rumor: I'm really sad about what it looks like]

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:Even More
:<big>'''Substitutions'''</big>
:That make reading the news more fun

:[A table of words/sentences on the left that change in to those on the left. Between each set of words there is an arrow pointing from right.]
:{|
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Gaffe
| ➜
| Magic spell
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Ancient
| ➜
| Haunted
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Star-Studded
| ➜
| Blood-soaked
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Remains to be seen
| ➜
| Will never be known
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Silver bullet
| ➜
| Way to kill werewolves
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Subway system
| ➜
| Tunnels I found
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Surprising
| ➜
| Surprising (but not to me)
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | War of words
| ➜
| Interplanetary war
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Tension
| ➜
| Sexual tension
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Cautiously optimistic
| ➜
| Delusional
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Doctor Who
| ➜
| The Big Bang Theory
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Win votes
| ➜
| Find Pokémon
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Behind the headlines
| ➜
| Beyond the grave
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Email \
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Facebook Post
| ➜
| Poem
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Tweet /
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Facebook CEO
| ➜
| This guy
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Latest
| ➜
| Final
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Disrupt
| ➜
| Destroy
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Meeting
| ➜
| Ménage à trois
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Scientists
| ➜
| Channing Tatum and his friends
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | You won't believe
| ➜
| I'm really sad about
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Substitutions]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Substitutions]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Pokémon]]

1679: Substitutions 3

2016-05-16T22:01:05Z

KieferSkunk: /* Table of Substitutions */

{{comic
| number = 1679
| date = May 11, 2016
| title = Substitutions 3
| image = substitutions_3.png
| titletext = BREAKING: Channing Tatum and his friends explore haunted city
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|just a stub. More examples from real life. Include table explaining changes, examples of sentence substitiutions, and title text explanation.}}
This is the third time [[Randall]] has suggested substitutions that will make reading the news more fun. This time it will be even '''more''' fun!{{Citation needed}} It began with [[1288: Substitutions]] which was followed more recently by [[1625: Substitutions 2]].

The title text in original form would be "Scientists explore ancient city", which most would consider a fairly bland headline. The day before this comic came out, there was news that a new, ancient city had been found by a 15 year old scientist, which may be what Randall was referencing. Imagining Channing Tatum and his "friends", and pretending that the city is haunted, provides a much more dramatic setting mirroring many episodes (and later films) of ''Scooby Doo'' featuring a gang of friends (Mysteries, Inc.).

===Table of Substitutions===
{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="4" style="border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
! Original word/phrase !! Meaning !! Substitution !! New meaning
|-
| Gaffe || A social mistake, faux pas || Magic spell || A form of sorcery
|-
| Ancient || Very old || Haunted || Occupied by ghosts, spirits, etc., spooky
|-
| Star-studded || Featuring a lot of popular celebrities || Blood-soaked ||
Full of blood, or a place where a lot of violent deaths occurred
|-
| Remains to be seen || Unknown as of yet, speculative || Will never be known || Can never be determined, final statement indicating we've given up trying to understand, etc.
|-
| {{w|Silver bullet}} || Perfect solution || Way to kill werewolves || In werewolf folklore, a silver bullet was usually the only way to actually kill a werewolf. The phrase "silver bullet" is usually used to mean something like "perfect solution" — this substitution suggests the more literal meaning of the phrase.
|-
| Subway system || A network of underground tunnels for commuter trains || Tunnels I found || A more personal and colloquial way to refer to underground tunnels, as though they had just been discovered for the first time.
|-
| Surprising || Unexpected || Surprising (but not to me) || The speaker/writer claims that everyone else is surprised by something, but he/she had anticipated it all along.
|-
| War of words || Public arguments, smear campaigns, etc. || Interplanetary war || A major conflict involving the civilizations of multiple planets. ({{w|Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy|"Well, that escalated quickly."}})
|-
| Tension || Anxiety, conflict between people or groups || Sexual tension || Situation in which two or more people attempt to avoid acknowledging being sexually attracted each other.
|-
| Cautiously optimistic || A guarded statement of optimism about a situation || Delusional || Firmly believing something in spite of clear evidence to the contrary
|-
| {{w|Doctor Who}} || Popular sci-fi TV series about time travel || {{w|The Big Bang Theory}} || A different TV comedy series about scientifically-gifted and socially awkward friends.
|-
| Win votes || To make a politician more popular and more likely to win an election || Find {{w|Pokémon}} || To collect virtual creatures in a popular video game series
|-
| Behind the headlines || Usually, to go into greater depth on a news story || Beyond the grave || To communicate with (or experience) life after death
|-
| Email / {{w|Facebook}} post / {{w|Twitter|Tweet}} || All forms of electronic communication. The last two are forms of social networking. || Poem || An artistic form of writing that usually involves rhyming and meter.
|-
| Facebook CEO || {{w|Mark Zuckerberg}} || This guy || Any generic person. Sometimes used in a derogatory fashion, or to refer to one's self.
|-
| Latest || The most recent in a series || Final || The last entry in a series (as in, there won't be any more).
|-
| Disrupt || Interrupt, temporarily hinder || Destroy || Make completely inoperable, remove all trace of, etc.
|-
| Meeting || A gathering of people to discuss a topic, as in business || Ménage à trois || One or more sex acts performed between three people.
|-
| Scientists || A group of people considered authorities in various scientific realms of study || {{w|Channing Tatum}} and his friends || A famous actor and a group of people closely associated with him. The name was likely chosen at random.
|-
| You won't believe || A catchphrase used in "click-bait" headlines to attract attention and traffic || I'm really sad about || A different catchphrase expressing disappointment in the topic
|}

===Real life examples===
*Remains to be seen ➜ Will never be known
**[http://english.cri.cn/12394/2016/04/30/4203s926079.htm Japan's Sincerity in Improving Bilateral Ties Will Never Be Known]
*Cautiously optimistic ➜ Delusional
**[http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14455:london-jews-cautiously-optimistic-about-first-ever-muslim-mayor&catid=106:international&Itemid=289 London Jews Delusional About First-Ever Muslim Mayor]
*Silver Bullet ➜ Way to Kill Werewolves
**[http://moneymorning.com/2016/05/10/why-no-silver-bullet-will-ever-kill-crude-oil/ Why no Way to Kill Werewolves will Kill Crude Oil]
* Tension ➜ Sexual Tension; Meeting ➜ Ménage à Trois
**[http://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2016/05/09/2016-race-roundup-tension-between-trumpryan-ahead-of-thursday-meeting-n2160407 Sexual Tension Between Trump-Ryan Ahead of Thursday Ménage à Trois]
*Gaffe ➜ Magic Spell
**[http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2016/may/11/david-cameron-corruption-remark-gaffe Was David Cameron's corruption remark really a magic spell?]
*Ancient ➜ Haunted
**[http://gizmodo.com/teen-discovers-lost-maya-city-using-ancient-star-maps-1775735999 Teen Discovers Lost Maya City Using Haunted Star Maps]
*Star-Studded ➜ Blood-Soaked
**[http://ewn.co.za/2016/05/11/Woody-Allen-tops-bill-at-star-studded-Cannes-festival Woody Allen tops bill at blood-soaked Cannes Festival]
*Subway system ➜ Tunnels I found
**[http://pix11.com/2016/05/09/dhs-releasing-harmless-gas-in-nyc-subway-system-to-test-bioterror-airflow/ DHS releasing harmless gas in NYC tunnels I found to prepare for possible attack]
*Surprising ➜ Surprising (but not to me)
**[http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/11/476198119/a-surprising-japanese-presence-in-central-ohio A Surprising (But Not to Me) Japanese Presence In Central Ohio]
*War of Words ➜ Interplanetary War
**[http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/road-caves-in-leading-to-war-of-words-between-aiadmk-and-dmk/article8577830.ece Road caves in leading to interplanetary war between AIADMK and DMK]
*Tension ➜ Sexual Tension
**[http://allafrica.com/stories/201605111244.html Uganda: Use Swearing-in to Ease Sexual Tension]
*Doctor Who ➜ The Big Bang Theory
**[http://www.themarysue.com/doctor-who-trans-identity/ On The Big Bang Theory and My Struggle With My Trans Identity]
*Win votes ➜ Find Pokémon
**[http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14479510.Jeremy_Corbyn_must_urgently_develop_strategy_to_win_votes__warns_failed_leadership_candidate_Yvette_Cooper/ Labour's Jeremy Corbyn must urgently develop strategy to find Pokémon, warns failed leadership candidate Yvette Cooper]
*Behind the headlines ➜ Beyond the grave
**[http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/411443/behind-the-headlines-the-erev-pesach-story-we-all-should-be-talking-about.html Beyond the Grave: The Erev Pesach Story We All Should Be Talking About]
*Email / Facebook Post / Tweet ➜ Poem
**[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/wtae-anchor-and-reporter-wendy-bell-apologizes-for-facebook-post-that-could-be-viewed-as-racist/ TV anchor admits poem about fatal shooting "could be viewed as racist"]
*Facebook CEO ➜ This guy
**[http://hotair.com/archives/2016/05/10/senator-thune-demands-answers-from-facebook-about-news-bias/ Senator Thune demands answers from this guy about news bias]
*Latest ➜ Final
**[http://www.engadget.com/2016/05/11/garmin-forerunner-735xt-running-watch/ Garmin's final running watch tracks your suffering]
*Disrupt ➜ Destroy
**[https://news.fastcompany.com/amazon-thinks-it-can-disrupt-youtube-4006719 Amazon thinks it can destroy YouTube]
*Scientists ➜ Channing Tatum and his friends
**[http://www.futurity.org/memory-acetylcholine-ptsd-1159862-2/ Channing Tatum and his friends test a way to erase scary memories]
*You won't believe ➜ I'm really sad about
**[http://www.komando.com/happening-now/357958/iphone-7-rumor-you-wont-believe-what-it-looks-like iPhone 7 rumor: I'm really sad about what it looks like]

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:Even More
:<big>'''Substitutions'''</big>
:That make reading the news more fun

:[A table of words/sentences on the left that change in to those on the left. Between each set of words there is an arrow pointing from right.]
:{|
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Gaffe
| ➜
| Magic spell
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Ancient
| ➜
| Haunted
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Star-Studded
| ➜
| Blood-soaked
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Remains to be seen
| ➜
| Will never be known
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Silver bullet
| ➜
| Way to kill werewolves
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Subway system
| ➜
| Tunnels I found
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Surprising
| ➜
| Surprising (but not to me)
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | War of words
| ➜
| Interplanetary war
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Tension
| ➜
| Sexual tension
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Cautiously optimistic
| ➜
| Delusional
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Doctor Who
| ➜
| The Big Bang Theory
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Win votes
| ➜
| Find Pokémon
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Behind the headlines
| ➜
| Beyond the grave
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Email \
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Facebook Post
| ➜
| Poem
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Tweet /
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Facebook CEO
| ➜
| This guy
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Latest
| ➜
| Final
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Disrupt
| ➜
| Destroy
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Meeting
| ➜
| Ménage à trois
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Scientists
| ➜
| Channing Tatum and his friends
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | You won't believe
| ➜
| I'm really sad about
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Substitutions]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Substitutions]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Pokémon]]

1679: Substitutions 3

2016-05-16T21:42:36Z

KieferSkunk: /* Table of Substitutions */

{{comic
| number = 1679
| date = May 11, 2016
| title = Substitutions 3
| image = substitutions_3.png
| titletext = BREAKING: Channing Tatum and his friends explore haunted city
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|just a stub. More examples from real life. Include table explaining changes, examples of sentence substitiutions, and title text explanation.}}
This is the third time [[Randall]] has suggested substitutions that will make reading the news more fun. This time it will be even '''more''' fun!{{Citation needed}} It began with [[1288: Substitutions]] which was followed more recently by [[1625: Substitutions 2]].

The title text in original form would be "Scientists explore ancient city", which most would consider a fairly bland headline. The day before this comic came out, there was news that a new, ancient city had been found by a 15 year old scientist, which may be what Randall was referencing. Imagining Channing Tatum and his "friends", and pretending that the city is haunted, provides a much more dramatic setting mirroring many episodes (and later films) of ''Scooby Doo'' featuring a gang of friends (Mysteries, Inc.).

===Table of Substitutions===
{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="4" style="border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
! Original word/phrase !! Meaning !! Substitution !! New meaning
|-
| Gaffe || A social mistake, faux pas || Magic spell || A form of sorcery
|-
| Ancient || Very old || Haunted || Occupied by ghosts, spirits, etc., spooky
|-
| Star-studded || Featuring a lot of popular celebrities || Blood-soaked ||
Full of blood, or a place where a lot of violent deaths occurred
|-
| Remains to be seen || Unknown as of yet, speculative || Will never be known || Can never be determined, final statement indicating we've given up trying to understand, etc.
|-
| {{w|Silver bullet}} || Perfect solution || Way to kill werewolves || In werewolf folklore, a silver bullet was usually the only way to actually kill a werewolf. The phrase "silver bullet" is usually used to mean something like "perfect solution" — this substitution suggests the more literal meaning of the phrase.
|-
| Subway system || A network of underground tunnels for commuter trains || Tunnels I found || A more personal and colloquial way to refer to underground tunnels, as though they had just been discovered for the first time.
|-
| Surprising || Unexpected || Surprising (but not to me) || The speaker/writer claims that everyone else is surprised by something, but he/she had anticipated it all along.
|-
| War of words || Public arguments, smear campaigns, etc. || Interplanetary war || A major conflict involving the civilizations of multiple planets. ({{w|Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy|"Well, that escalated quickly."}})
|-
| Tension || Anxiety, conflict between people or groups || Sexual tension || Situation in which two or more people attempt to avoid acknowledging being sexually attracted each other.
|-
| Cautiously optimistic || A guarded statement of optimism about a situation || Delusional || Firmly believing something in spite of clear evidence to the contrary
|-
| {{w|Doctor Who}} || Popular sci-fi TV series about time travel || {{w|The Big Bang Theory}} || A different TV comedy series about scientifically-gifted and socially awkward friends.
|-
| Win votes || To make a politician more popular and more likely to win an election || Find {{w|Pokémon}} || To collect virtual creatures in a popular video game series
|-
| Behind the headlines || Usually, to go into greater depth on a news story || Beyond the grave || To communicate with (or experience) life after death
|-
| Email / {{w|Facebook}} post / {{w|Twitter|Tweet}} || All forms of electronic communication. The last two are forms of social networking. || Poem || An artistic form of writing that usually involves rhyming and meter.
|-
| Facebook CEO || {{w|Mark Zuckerberg}} || This guy || Any generic person. Sometimes used in a derogatory fashion, or to refer to one's self.
|-
| Latest || The most recent in a series || Final || The last entry in a series.
|-
| Disrupt || Interrupt, temporarily hinder || Destroy || Make completely inoperable, remove all trace of, etc.
|-
| Meeting || A gathering of people to discuss a topic, as in business || Ménage à trois || One or more sex acts performed between three people.
|-
| Scientists || A group of people considered authorities in various scientific realms of study || {{w|Channing Tatum}} and his friends || A famous actor and a group of people closely associated with him. The name was likely chosen at random.
|-
| You won't believe || A catchphrase used in "click-bait" headlines to attract attention and traffic || I'm really sad about || A different catchphrase expressing disappointment in the topic
|}

===Real life examples===
*Remains to be seen ➜ Will never be known
**[http://english.cri.cn/12394/2016/04/30/4203s926079.htm Japan's Sincerity in Improving Bilateral Ties Will Never Be Known]
*Cautiously optimistic ➜ Delusional
**[http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14455:london-jews-cautiously-optimistic-about-first-ever-muslim-mayor&catid=106:international&Itemid=289 London Jews Delusional About First-Ever Muslim Mayor]
*Silver Bullet ➜ Way to Kill Werewolves
**[http://moneymorning.com/2016/05/10/why-no-silver-bullet-will-ever-kill-crude-oil/ Why no Way to Kill Werewolves will Kill Crude Oil]
* Tension ➜ Sexual Tension; Meeting ➜ Ménage à Trois
**[http://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2016/05/09/2016-race-roundup-tension-between-trumpryan-ahead-of-thursday-meeting-n2160407 Sexual Tension Between Trump-Ryan Ahead of Thursday Ménage à Trois]
*Gaffe ➜ Magic Spell
**[http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2016/may/11/david-cameron-corruption-remark-gaffe Was David Cameron's corruption remark really a magic spell?]
*Ancient ➜ Haunted
**[http://gizmodo.com/teen-discovers-lost-maya-city-using-ancient-star-maps-1775735999 Teen Discovers Lost Maya City Using Haunted Star Maps]
*Star-Studded ➜ Blood-Soaked
**[http://ewn.co.za/2016/05/11/Woody-Allen-tops-bill-at-star-studded-Cannes-festival Woody Allen tops bill at blood-soaked Cannes Festival]
*Subway system ➜ Tunnels I found
**[http://pix11.com/2016/05/09/dhs-releasing-harmless-gas-in-nyc-subway-system-to-test-bioterror-airflow/ DHS releasing harmless gas in NYC tunnels I found to prepare for possible attack]
*Surprising ➜ Surprising (but not to me)
**[http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/11/476198119/a-surprising-japanese-presence-in-central-ohio A Surprising (But Not to Me) Japanese Presence In Central Ohio]
*War of Words ➜ Interplanetary War
**[http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/road-caves-in-leading-to-war-of-words-between-aiadmk-and-dmk/article8577830.ece Road caves in leading to interplanetary war between AIADMK and DMK]
*Tension ➜ Sexual Tension
**[http://allafrica.com/stories/201605111244.html Uganda: Use Swearing-in to Ease Sexual Tension]
*Doctor Who ➜ The Big Bang Theory
**[http://www.themarysue.com/doctor-who-trans-identity/ On The Big Bang Theory and My Struggle With My Trans Identity]
*Win votes ➜ Find Pokémon
**[http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14479510.Jeremy_Corbyn_must_urgently_develop_strategy_to_win_votes__warns_failed_leadership_candidate_Yvette_Cooper/ Labour's Jeremy Corbyn must urgently develop strategy to find Pokémon, warns failed leadership candidate Yvette Cooper]
*Behind the headlines ➜ Beyond the grave
**[http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/411443/behind-the-headlines-the-erev-pesach-story-we-all-should-be-talking-about.html Beyond the Grave: The Erev Pesach Story We All Should Be Talking About]
*Email / Facebook Post / Tweet ➜ Poem
**[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/wtae-anchor-and-reporter-wendy-bell-apologizes-for-facebook-post-that-could-be-viewed-as-racist/ TV anchor admits poem about fatal shooting "could be viewed as racist"]
*Facebook CEO ➜ This guy
**[http://hotair.com/archives/2016/05/10/senator-thune-demands-answers-from-facebook-about-news-bias/ Senator Thune demands answers from this guy about news bias]
*Latest ➜ Final
**[http://www.engadget.com/2016/05/11/garmin-forerunner-735xt-running-watch/ Garmin's final running watch tracks your suffering]
*Disrupt ➜ Destroy
**[https://news.fastcompany.com/amazon-thinks-it-can-disrupt-youtube-4006719 Amazon thinks it can destroy YouTube]
*Scientists ➜ Channing Tatum and his friends
**[http://www.futurity.org/memory-acetylcholine-ptsd-1159862-2/ Channing Tatum and his friends test a way to erase scary memories]
*You won't believe ➜ I'm really sad about
**[http://www.komando.com/happening-now/357958/iphone-7-rumor-you-wont-believe-what-it-looks-like iPhone 7 rumor: I'm really sad about what it looks like]

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:Even More
:<big>'''Substitutions'''</big>
:That make reading the news more fun

:[A table of words/sentences on the left that change in to those on the left. Between each set of words there is an arrow pointing from right.]
:{|
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Gaffe
| ➜
| Magic spell
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Ancient
| ➜
| Haunted
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Star-Studded
| ➜
| Blood-soaked
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Remains to be seen
| ➜
| Will never be known
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Silver bullet
| ➜
| Way to kill werewolves
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Subway system
| ➜
| Tunnels I found
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Surprising
| ➜
| Surprising (but not to me)
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | War of words
| ➜
| Interplanetary war
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Tension
| ➜
| Sexual tension
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Cautiously optimistic
| ➜
| Delusional
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Doctor Who
| ➜
| The Big Bang Theory
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Win votes
| ➜
| Find Pokémon
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Behind the headlines
| ➜
| Beyond the grave
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Email \
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Facebook Post
| ➜
| Poem
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Tweet /
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Facebook CEO
| ➜
| This guy
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Latest
| ➜
| Final
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Disrupt
| ➜
| Destroy
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Meeting
| ➜
| Ménage à trois
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Scientists
| ➜
| Channing Tatum and his friends
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | You won't believe
| ➜
| I'm really sad about
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Substitutions]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Substitutions]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Pokémon]]

1679: Substitutions 3

2016-05-16T21:32:27Z

KieferSkunk: /* Table of Substitutions */

{{comic
| number = 1679
| date = May 11, 2016
| title = Substitutions 3
| image = substitutions_3.png
| titletext = BREAKING: Channing Tatum and his friends explore haunted city
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|just a stub. More examples from real life. Include table explaining changes, examples of sentence substitiutions, and title text explanation.}}
This is the third time [[Randall]] has suggested substitutions that will make reading the news more fun. This time it will be even '''more''' fun!{{Citation needed}} It began with [[1288: Substitutions]] which was followed more recently by [[1625: Substitutions 2]].

The title text in original form would be "Scientists explore ancient city", which most would consider a fairly bland headline. The day before this comic came out, there was news that a new, ancient city had been found by a 15 year old scientist, which may be what Randall was referencing. Imagining Channing Tatum and his "friends", and pretending that the city is haunted, provides a much more dramatic setting mirroring many episodes (and later films) of ''Scooby Doo'' featuring a gang of friends (Mysteries, Inc.).

===Table of Substitutions===
{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="4" style="border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
! Original word/phrase !! Meaning !! Substitution !! New meaning
|-
| Gaffe || A social mistake, faux pas || Magic spell || A form of sorcery
|-
| Ancient || Very old || Haunted || Occupied by ghosts, spirits, etc., spooky
|-
| Star-studded || Featuring a lot of popular celebrities || Blood-soaked ||
Full of blood, or a place where a lot of violent deaths occurred
|-
| Remains to be seen || Unknown as of yet, speculative || Will never be known || Can never be determined, final statement indicating we've given up trying to understand, etc.
|-
| {{w|Silver bullet}} || Perfect solution || Way to kill werewolves || In werewolf folklore, a silver bullet was usually the only way to actually kill a werewolf. The phrase "silver bullet" is usually used to mean something like "perfect solution" — this substitution suggests the more literal meaning of the phrase.
|-
| Subway system || A network of underground tunnels for commuter trains || Tunnels I found || A more personal and colloquial way to refer to underground tunnels, as though they had just been discovered for the first time.
|-
| Surprising || Unexpected || Surprising (but not to me) || The speaker/writer claims that everyone else is surprised by something, but he/she had anticipated it all along.
|-
| War of words || Public arguments, smear campaigns, etc. || Interplanetary war || A major conflict involving the civilizations of multiple planets. ({{w|Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy|"Well, that escalated quickly."}})
|-
| Tension || Anxiety, conflict between people or groups || Sexual tension || Situation between two people in which one or both parties attempt to avoid acknowledging being sexually attracted to the other.
|-
| Cautiously optimistic || A guarded statement of optimism about a situation || Delusional || Firmly believing something in spite of clear evidence to the contrary
|-
| {{w|Doctor Who}} || Popular sci-fi TV series about time travel || {{w|The Big Bang Theory}} || A different TV comedy series about scientifically-gifted and socially awkward friends.
|-
| Win votes || To make a politician more popular and more likely to win an election || Find {{w|Pokémon}} || To collect virtual creatures in a popular video game series
|-
| Behind the headlines || Usually, to go into greater depth on a news story || Beyond the grave || To communicate with (or experience) life after death
|-
| Email / {{w|Facebook}} post / {{w|Twitter|Tweet}} || All forms of electronic communication. The last two are forms of social networking. || Poem || An artistic form of writing that usually involves rhyming and meter.
|-
| Facebook CEO || {{w|Mark Zuckerberg}} || This guy || Any generic person. Sometimes used in a derogatory fashion, or to refer to one's self.
|-
| Latest || The most recent in a series || Final || The last entry in a series.
|-
| Disrupt || Interrupt, temporarily hinder || Destroy || Make completely inoperable, remove all trace of, etc.
|-
| Meeting || A gathering of people to discuss a topic, as in business || Ménage à trois || One or more sex acts performed between three people.
|-
| Scientists || A group of people considered authorities in various scientific realms of study || {{w|Channing Tatum}} and his friends || A famous actor and a group of people closely associated with him. The name was likely chosen at random.
|-
| You won't believe || A catchphrase used in "click-bait" headlines to attract attention and traffic || I'm really sad about || A different catchphrase expressing disappointment in the topic
|}

===Real life examples===
*Remains to be seen ➜ Will never be known
**[http://english.cri.cn/12394/2016/04/30/4203s926079.htm Japan's Sincerity in Improving Bilateral Ties Will Never Be Known]
*Cautiously optimistic ➜ Delusional
**[http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14455:london-jews-cautiously-optimistic-about-first-ever-muslim-mayor&catid=106:international&Itemid=289 London Jews Delusional About First-Ever Muslim Mayor]
*Silver Bullet ➜ Way to Kill Werewolves
**[http://moneymorning.com/2016/05/10/why-no-silver-bullet-will-ever-kill-crude-oil/ Why no Way to Kill Werewolves will Kill Crude Oil]
* Tension ➜ Sexual Tension; Meeting ➜ Ménage à Trois
**[http://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2016/05/09/2016-race-roundup-tension-between-trumpryan-ahead-of-thursday-meeting-n2160407 Sexual Tension Between Trump-Ryan Ahead of Thursday Ménage à Trois]
*Gaffe ➜ Magic Spell
**[http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2016/may/11/david-cameron-corruption-remark-gaffe Was David Cameron's corruption remark really a magic spell?]
*Ancient ➜ Haunted
**[http://gizmodo.com/teen-discovers-lost-maya-city-using-ancient-star-maps-1775735999 Teen Discovers Lost Maya City Using Haunted Star Maps]
*Star-Studded ➜ Blood-Soaked
**[http://ewn.co.za/2016/05/11/Woody-Allen-tops-bill-at-star-studded-Cannes-festival Woody Allen tops bill at blood-soaked Cannes Festival]
*Subway system ➜ Tunnels I found
**[http://pix11.com/2016/05/09/dhs-releasing-harmless-gas-in-nyc-subway-system-to-test-bioterror-airflow/ DHS releasing harmless gas in NYC tunnels I found to prepare for possible attack]
*Surprising ➜ Surprising (but not to me)
**[http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/11/476198119/a-surprising-japanese-presence-in-central-ohio A Surprising (But Not to Me) Japanese Presence In Central Ohio]
*War of Words ➜ Interplanetary War
**[http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/road-caves-in-leading-to-war-of-words-between-aiadmk-and-dmk/article8577830.ece Road caves in leading to interplanetary war between AIADMK and DMK]
*Tension ➜ Sexual Tension
**[http://allafrica.com/stories/201605111244.html Uganda: Use Swearing-in to Ease Sexual Tension]
*Doctor Who ➜ The Big Bang Theory
**[http://www.themarysue.com/doctor-who-trans-identity/ On The Big Bang Theory and My Struggle With My Trans Identity]
*Win votes ➜ Find Pokémon
**[http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14479510.Jeremy_Corbyn_must_urgently_develop_strategy_to_win_votes__warns_failed_leadership_candidate_Yvette_Cooper/ Labour's Jeremy Corbyn must urgently develop strategy to find Pokémon, warns failed leadership candidate Yvette Cooper]
*Behind the headlines ➜ Beyond the grave
**[http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/411443/behind-the-headlines-the-erev-pesach-story-we-all-should-be-talking-about.html Beyond the Grave: The Erev Pesach Story We All Should Be Talking About]
*Email / Facebook Post / Tweet ➜ Poem
**[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/wtae-anchor-and-reporter-wendy-bell-apologizes-for-facebook-post-that-could-be-viewed-as-racist/ TV anchor admits poem about fatal shooting "could be viewed as racist"]
*Facebook CEO ➜ This guy
**[http://hotair.com/archives/2016/05/10/senator-thune-demands-answers-from-facebook-about-news-bias/ Senator Thune demands answers from this guy about news bias]
*Latest ➜ Final
**[http://www.engadget.com/2016/05/11/garmin-forerunner-735xt-running-watch/ Garmin's final running watch tracks your suffering]
*Disrupt ➜ Destroy
**[https://news.fastcompany.com/amazon-thinks-it-can-disrupt-youtube-4006719 Amazon thinks it can destroy YouTube]
*Scientists ➜ Channing Tatum and his friends
**[http://www.futurity.org/memory-acetylcholine-ptsd-1159862-2/ Channing Tatum and his friends test a way to erase scary memories]
*You won't believe ➜ I'm really sad about
**[http://www.komando.com/happening-now/357958/iphone-7-rumor-you-wont-believe-what-it-looks-like iPhone 7 rumor: I'm really sad about what it looks like]

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:Even More
:<big>'''Substitutions'''</big>
:That make reading the news more fun

:[A table of words/sentences on the left that change in to those on the left. Between each set of words there is an arrow pointing from right.]
:{|
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Gaffe
| ➜
| Magic spell
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Ancient
| ➜
| Haunted
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Star-Studded
| ➜
| Blood-soaked
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Remains to be seen
| ➜
| Will never be known
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Silver bullet
| ➜
| Way to kill werewolves
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Subway system
| ➜
| Tunnels I found
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Surprising
| ➜
| Surprising (but not to me)
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | War of words
| ➜
| Interplanetary war
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Tension
| ➜
| Sexual tension
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Cautiously optimistic
| ➜
| Delusional
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Doctor Who
| ➜
| The Big Bang Theory
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Win votes
| ➜
| Find Pokémon
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Behind the headlines
| ➜
| Beyond the grave
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Email \
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Facebook Post
| ➜
| Poem
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Tweet /
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Facebook CEO
| ➜
| This guy
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Latest
| ➜
| Final
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Disrupt
| ➜
| Destroy
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Meeting
| ➜
| Ménage à trois
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Scientists
| ➜
| Channing Tatum and his friends
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | You won't believe
| ➜
| I'm really sad about
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Substitutions]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Substitutions]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Pokémon]]

Talk:1679: Substitutions 3

2016-05-16T20:08:39Z

KieferSkunk:

The title text may be a reference to the Mayan city discovered by a 15 year old, but that city hasn't yet been visited by Channing Tatum and his friends or Mr Tatum. https://translate.google.com/translate?tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.journaldemontreal.com%2F2016%2F05%2F07%2Fun-ado-decouvre-une-cite-maya [[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.34|198.41.239.34]] 13:32, 11 May 2016 (UTC)

Here's the code for the full set of substitutions from all three comics, to be inserted in the Chrome extension the page listed, which can be found here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/replacerator/gaajhenbcclienfnniphiiambbbninnp?hl=en
<div style="font-size: 25%;">{"virtual boy":"virtual boy","like hundreds":"like hundreds","kinda probably":"kinda probably","haunted":"haunted","very large":"very large","beyond the grave":"beyond the grave","airbender":"airbender","cat":"cat","delusional":"delusional","river spirits":"river spirits","is guilty and everyone knows it":"is guilty and everyone knows it","dance-off":"dance-off","destroy":"destroy","the big bang theory":"the big bang theory","dog":"dog","eating contest":"eating contest","atomic":"atomic","poem":"poem","physically expands":"physically physically expands","this guy":"this guy","poem":"poem","friggin' awful":"friggin' awful","blade runner":"blade runner","magic spell":"magic spell","spherical":"spherical","homestar runner":"homestar runner","tons of horsemeat":"tons of horsemeat","final":"final","ménage à trois":"ménage à trois","minutes":"minutes","Tumblr post":"Tumblr post","lots of signs":"lots of signs","psychic reading":"psychic reading","avenge":"avenge","will never be known":"will never be known","Channing Tatum and his friends":"Channing Tatum and his friends","friggin' awful":"friggin' awful","uncontrollably swerving":"uncontrollably swerving","elf-lord":"elf-lord","way to kill werewolves":"way to kill werewolves","Pokédex":"Pokédex","spaaace":"spaaace","blood-soaked":"blood-soaked","tunnels I found":"tunnels I found","suddenly":"suddenly","surprising (but not to me)":"surprising (but not to me) (but not to me)","sexual tension":"sexual sexual tension","frigging' awful":"frigging' awful","poem":"poem","drunkenly egged on":"drunkenly egged on","probably won't":"probably won't","interplanetary war":"interplanetary war","find pokémon":"find pokémon","these dudes I know":"these dudes I know","minutes":"minutes","I'm really sad about":"I'm really sad about"}</div>

I would put it somewhere more convenient if I knew a site for it. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.158|141.101.104.158]] 13:46, 11 May 2016 (UTC)
:This reminds me an awful lot of the title text in the previous comic [[1678: Recent Searches]] regarding autoexec code posted by verified twitter users. :-p [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:48, 11 May 2016 (UTC)
::Is there a way to easily enable/disable the extension?[[User:Bmmarti3|Bmmarti3]] ([[User talk:Bmmarti3|talk]])
:::It appears there isn't... Go to your list of browser extensions, and enable/disable it.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.245|141.101.75.245]] 18:59, 11 May 2016 (UTC)
:::I personally use a different extension than was linked to on xkcd.com, titled xkcd substitutions, which can be turned off by clicking on the icon for it at the top of your Chrome window, and also allows you to set specific sites on which it will never change words (i.e. on Gmail). Here's the shortened link: http://bit.ly/VF8nTw [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.49|173.245.54.49]] 22:31, 11 May 2016 (UTC)
:Hey, what about [Keyboard --> Leopard]? [[User:Papayaman1000|Papayaman1000]] ([[User talk:Papayaman1000|talk]]) 00:45, 15 May 2016 (UTC)

It would be wonderful if the celebrity injunction was about a ménage à trois and somehow all the hype was Randall's fault. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.133|141.101.70.133]] 15:13, 11 May 2016 (UTC)
Great. Now I have to update this:https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/xkcd-substitutions/jkgogmboalmaijfgfhfepckdgjeopfhk?hl=en&gl=001 --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.69|108.162.215.69]] 18:24, 11 May 2016 (UTC)

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.91|108.162.216.91]]Here's a funny link, but I don't know how to edit it in: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/how-clintons--scandal-took-root/2016/03/27/ee301168-e162-11e5-846c-10191d1fc4ec_story.html, it the substituted version is "How Clinton’s poem scandal took root"[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.91|108.162.216.91]]

On the big bang theory > Big Bang Theory - the real life example isn't particularly interesting, as it's substituting one TV show for another. The more interesting cases are those where news headlines reference an actual doctor, who (something). For instance, in the criminal trial of amputee Oscar Pistorius, one TV banner referred to someone as "the big bang theory cut off [his] legs". "The Big Bang Theory cut off [his] legs" is, to my mind, more bizarre.
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.119|141.101.98.119]] 16:54, 12 May 2016 (UTC)Andrew Williams; one day I'll make an account. 12/05/2016
: I think any article about Doctor Who - e.g. an interview with David Tennant about his leading role on The Big Bang Theory, would come across as funny to Whovians. :) [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 20:08, 16 May 2016 (UTC)

;Weird substitution

Isn't 'sexual tension' -> 'sexual sexual tension' weird? It could result in the following texts:

'sexual sexual tension' -> 'sexual sexual sexual tension',

'cable sexual tension' -> 'cable sexual sexual tension'.

In short, whenever there's already something before 'sexual tension' that gets modified, don't substitute (or replace those words (difficult to do automatically)) --[[User:Zom-B|Zom-B]] ([[User talk:Zom-B|talk]]) 07:43, 12 May 2016 (UTC)

Here's some javascript to run these substitutions (page may be unusable afterwards) - imma 
<code>document.body.innerHTML=[ 
[/magic spell/ig,"Magic spell"],
[/haunted/ig,"Haunted"],
[/Star[- ]Studded/ig,"Blood-soaked"],
[/will never be known/ig,"Will never be known"],
[/Silver[- ]bullet/ig,"Way to kill werewolves"],
[/tunnels I found/ig,"Tunnels I found"],
[/surprising (but not to me)/ig,"surprising (but not to me) (but not to me)"],
[/War[- ]of[- ]words/ig,"Interplanetary war"],
[/sexual tension/ig,"Sexual sexual tension"],
[/delusional/ig,"Delusional"],
[/the big bang theory/ig,"The Big Bang Theory"],
[/find pokémon/ig,"Find Pokémon"],
[/Behind (the )?headlines/ig,"Beyond the grave"],
[/poem|poem|poem|twitter post/ig,"Poem"],
[/this guy/ig,"This guy"],
[/final/ig,"Final"],
[/destroy/ig,"Destroy"],
[/ménage à trois/ig,"Ménage à trois"],
[/Channing Tatum and his friends?/ig,"Channing Tatum and his friends"],
[/I'm really sad about/ig,"I'm really sad about"] 
].reduce((t,s)=>t.replace(s[0],s[1]),document.body.innerHTML)</code> 
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.139|162.158.34.139]] 08:30, 12 May 2016 (UTC)

1679: Substitutions 3

2016-05-16T20:00:55Z

KieferSkunk: /* Table of Substitutions */

{{comic
| number = 1679
| date = May 11, 2016
| title = Substitutions 3
| image = substitutions_3.png
| titletext = BREAKING: Channing Tatum and his friends explore haunted city
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|just a stub. More examples from real life. Include table explaining changes, examples of sentence substitiutions, and title text explanation.}}
This is the third time [[Randall]] has suggested substitutions that will make reading the news more fun. This time it will be even '''more''' fun!{{Citation needed}} It began with [[1288: Substitutions]] which was followed more recently by [[1625: Substitutions 2]].

The title text in original form would be "Scientists explore ancient city", which most would consider a fairly bland headline. The day before this comic came out, there was news that a new, ancient city had been found by a 15 year old scientist, which may be what Randall was referencing. Imagining Channing Tatum and his "friends", and pretending that the city is haunted, provides a much more dramatic setting mirroring many episodes (and later films) of ''Scooby Doo'' featuring a gang of friends (Mysteries, Inc.).

===Table of Substitutions===
{| class="wikitable" border="1" cellpadding="4" style="border-collapse: collapse;"
|-
! Original word/phrase !! Meaning !! Substitution !! New meaning
|-
| Gaffe || A social mistake, faux pas || Magic spell || A form of sorcery
|-
| Ancient || Very old || Haunted || Occupied by ghosts, spirits, etc., spooky
|-
| Star-studded || Featuring a lot of popular celebrities || Blood-soaked ||
Full of blood, or a place where a lot of violent deaths occurred
|-
| Remains to be seen || Unknown as of yet, speculative || Will never be known || Can never be determined, final statement indicating we've given up trying to understand, etc.
|-
| {{w|Silver bullet}} || Commonly used to mean "Perfect solution", derived from werewolf folklore || Way to kill werewolves || In werewolf folklore, a silver bullet was usually the only way to actually kill a werewolf. This makes the phrase literal.
|-
| Subway system || A network of underground tunnels for commuter trains || Tunnels I found || A more personal and colloquial way to refer to underground tunnels, as though they had just been discovered for the first time.
|-
| Surprising || Unexpected || Surprising (but not to me) || The speaker/writer claims that everyone else is surprised by something, but he/she had anticipated it all along.
|-
| War of words || Public arguments, smear campaigns, etc. || Interplanetary war || A major conflict involving the civilizations of multiple planets. ({{w|Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy|"Well, that escalated quickly."}})
|-
| Tension || Anxiety, conflict between people or groups || Sexual tension || Situation between two people in which one or both parties attempt to avoid acknowledging being sexually attracted to the other.
|-
| Cautiously optimistic || A guarded statement of optimism about a situation || Delusional || Firmly believing something in spite of clear evidence to the contrary
|-
| {{w|Doctor Who}} || Popular sci-fi TV series about time travel || {{w|The Big Bang Theory}} || A different TV comedy series about scientifically-gifted and socially awkward friends.
|-
| Win votes || To make a politician more popular and more likely to win an election || Find {{w|Pokémon}} || To collect virtual creatures in a popular video game series
|-
| Behind the headlines || Usually, to go into greater depth on a news story || Beyond the grave || To communicate with (or experience) life after death
|-
| Email / {{w|Facebook}} post / {{w|Twitter|Tweet}} || All forms of electronic communication. The last two are forms of social networking. || Poem || An artistic form of writing that usually involves rhyming and meter.
|-
| Facebook CEO || {{w|Mark Zuckerberg}} || This guy || Any generic person. Sometimes used in a derogatory fashion, or to refer to one's self.
|-
| Latest || The most recent in a series || Final || The last entry in a series.
|-
| Disrupt || Interrupt, temporarily hinder || Destroy || Make completely inoperable, remove all trace of, etc.
|-
| Meeting || A gathering of people to discuss a topic, as in business || Ménage à trois || One or more sex acts performed between three people.
|-
| Scientists || A group of people considered authorities in various scientific realms of study || {{w|Channing Tatum}} and his friends || A famous actor and a group of people closely associated with him. The name was likely chosen at random.
|-
| You won't believe || A catchphrase used in "click-bait" headlines to attract attention and traffic || I'm really sad about || A different catchphrase expressing disappointment in the topic
|}

===Real life examples===
*Remains to be seen ➜ Will never be known
**[http://english.cri.cn/12394/2016/04/30/4203s926079.htm Japan's Sincerity in Improving Bilateral Ties Will Never Be Known]
*Cautiously optimistic ➜ Delusional
**[http://jewishvoiceny.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14455:london-jews-cautiously-optimistic-about-first-ever-muslim-mayor&catid=106:international&Itemid=289 London Jews Delusional About First-Ever Muslim Mayor]
*Silver Bullet ➜ Way to Kill Werewolves
**[http://moneymorning.com/2016/05/10/why-no-silver-bullet-will-ever-kill-crude-oil/ Why no Way to Kill Werewolves will Kill Crude Oil]
* Tension ➜ Sexual Tension; Meeting ➜ Ménage à Trois
**[http://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2016/05/09/2016-race-roundup-tension-between-trumpryan-ahead-of-thursday-meeting-n2160407 Sexual Tension Between Trump-Ryan Ahead of Thursday Ménage à Trois]
*Gaffe ➜ Magic Spell
**[http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2016/may/11/david-cameron-corruption-remark-gaffe Was David Cameron's corruption remark really a magic spell?]
*Ancient ➜ Haunted
**[http://gizmodo.com/teen-discovers-lost-maya-city-using-ancient-star-maps-1775735999 Teen Discovers Lost Maya City Using Haunted Star Maps]
*Star-Studded ➜ Blood-Soaked
**[http://ewn.co.za/2016/05/11/Woody-Allen-tops-bill-at-star-studded-Cannes-festival Woody Allen tops bill at blood-soaked Cannes Festival]
*Subway system ➜ Tunnels I found
**[http://pix11.com/2016/05/09/dhs-releasing-harmless-gas-in-nyc-subway-system-to-test-bioterror-airflow/ DHS releasing harmless gas in NYC tunnels I found to prepare for possible attack]
*Surprising ➜ Surprising (but not to me)
**[http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/05/11/476198119/a-surprising-japanese-presence-in-central-ohio A Surprising (But Not to Me) Japanese Presence In Central Ohio]
*War of Words ➜ Interplanetary War
**[http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Coimbatore/road-caves-in-leading-to-war-of-words-between-aiadmk-and-dmk/article8577830.ece Road caves in leading to interplanetary war between AIADMK and DMK]
*Tension ➜ Sexual Tension
**[http://allafrica.com/stories/201605111244.html Uganda: Use Swearing-in to Ease Sexual Tension]
*Doctor Who ➜ The Big Bang Theory
**[http://www.themarysue.com/doctor-who-trans-identity/ On The Big Bang Theory and My Struggle With My Trans Identity]
*Win votes ➜ Find Pokémon
**[http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14479510.Jeremy_Corbyn_must_urgently_develop_strategy_to_win_votes__warns_failed_leadership_candidate_Yvette_Cooper/ Labour's Jeremy Corbyn must urgently develop strategy to find Pokémon, warns failed leadership candidate Yvette Cooper]
*Behind the headlines ➜ Beyond the grave
**[http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/headlines-breaking-stories/411443/behind-the-headlines-the-erev-pesach-story-we-all-should-be-talking-about.html Beyond the Grave: The Erev Pesach Story We All Should Be Talking About]
*Email / Facebook Post / Tweet ➜ Poem
**[http://www.cbsnews.com/news/wtae-anchor-and-reporter-wendy-bell-apologizes-for-facebook-post-that-could-be-viewed-as-racist/ TV anchor admits poem about fatal shooting "could be viewed as racist"]
*Facebook CEO ➜ This guy
**[http://hotair.com/archives/2016/05/10/senator-thune-demands-answers-from-facebook-about-news-bias/ Senator Thune demands answers from this guy about news bias]
*Latest ➜ Final
**[http://www.engadget.com/2016/05/11/garmin-forerunner-735xt-running-watch/ Garmin's final running watch tracks your suffering]
*Disrupt ➜ Destroy
**[https://news.fastcompany.com/amazon-thinks-it-can-disrupt-youtube-4006719 Amazon thinks it can destroy YouTube]
*Scientists ➜ Channing Tatum and his friends
**[http://www.futurity.org/memory-acetylcholine-ptsd-1159862-2/ Channing Tatum and his friends test a way to erase scary memories]
*You won't believe ➜ I'm really sad about
**[http://www.komando.com/happening-now/357958/iphone-7-rumor-you-wont-believe-what-it-looks-like iPhone 7 rumor: I'm really sad about what it looks like]

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:Even More
:<big>'''Substitutions'''</big>
:That make reading the news more fun

:[A table of words/sentences on the left that change in to those on the left. Between each set of words there is an arrow pointing from right.]
:{|
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Gaffe
| ➜
| Magic spell
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Ancient
| ➜
| Haunted
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Star-Studded
| ➜
| Blood-soaked
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Remains to be seen
| ➜
| Will never be known
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Silver bullet
| ➜
| Way to kill werewolves
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Subway system
| ➜
| Tunnels I found
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Surprising
| ➜
| Surprising (but not to me)
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | War of words
| ➜
| Interplanetary war
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Tension
| ➜
| Sexual tension
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Cautiously optimistic
| ➜
| Delusional
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Doctor Who
| ➜
| The Big Bang Theory
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Win votes
| ➜
| Find Pokémon
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Behind the headlines
| ➜
| Beyond the grave
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Email \
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Facebook Post
| ➜
| Poem
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Tweet /
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Facebook CEO
| ➜
| This guy
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Latest
| ➜
| Final
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Disrupt
| ➜
| Destroy
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Meeting
| ➜
| Ménage à trois
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | Scientists
| ➜
| Channing Tatum and his friends
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | You won't believe
| ➜
| I'm really sad about
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Substitutions]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Substitutions]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Pokémon]]