explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2692: Interior Decorating

2022-11-01T21:24:02Z

Koundelitchnico:

{{comic
| number = 2692
| date = October 31, 2022
| title = Interior Decorating
| image = interior_decorating_2x.png
| imagesize = 281x424px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It all came flat-packed in Pandora's Box.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A BOX OF SIEGE WEAPONS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The {{w|Damocles|sword of Damocles}}, {{w|Siege Perilous}}, {{w|Chekhov's gun}}, and {{w|Pandora's box}} are legendary/fictional physical objects associated with impending threats. These names are now used metaphorically for complex concepts related to danger. Cueball seems to take these names literally, and decorates his house with objects like those named, apparently claiming that his objects ''are'' the originals. Physical objects are not, of course, hypothetical/abstract concepts{{Citation needed}}, even when [[1762:_Moving_Boxes|labeling boxes]].

The Sword of Damocles is a reference to being in constant danger of disaster. The term comes from a (likely apocryphal) lost history of Sicily, in which Damocles was said to be an obsequious courtier who envied the king's power and luxury. The king offered to let Damocles serve as king for a day, but during that day, arranged for a sword to be hung above the throne, suspended from its pommel by a single hair. This was to teach Damocles the lesson that, along with the privileges of being king, there was also perpetual and inescapable danger and anxiety. The term has passed into general use for any tenuous situation in which serious harm is perpetually a clearly present threat.

The Siege Perilous, in {{W|ArthurianLegend|Arthurian legend}}, is a seat at the Round Table, reserved by Merlin for the knight destined to retrieve the Holy Grail. It was said to be fatal to any unworthy person who sat in it. The term is used as a metaphor for any situation that's exceptionally dangerous to anyone not fully prepared.

Chekhov's Gun is an element in a story which doesn't have obvious importance at first, but turns out to be be important to the narrative. The term originates from playwright Anton Chekhov, who repeatedly used the example of an unfired gun to advocate removing superfluous elements from a narrative. In one such case, he said "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there." (It should be noted that, like most artistic rules, experienced writers will deliberately violate this advice when appropriate, especially to creatively misdirect similarly experienced audiences.) Cueball might not want Megan touching it because doing so means it will have to be fired shortly afterwards, following through its core concept.

Pandora's Box is a tale from Greek Mythology. According to myth, Pandora was the first woman, created by Hephaestus, and was given a jar (later mistranslated as "box") and told never to open it. Eventually she did, and unleashed all the miseries into the world. The term has come to represent any situation where a small but ill-considered action results in numerous, often intractable, problems. Supposedly, Cueball's version contained all of the concepts he is now using as home decor, and might imply that posessing, or using these objects that are abstract concepts as decor will end up having detrimental effects on him.

Thus each of the four objects represents the likelihood of future harm. Being in a room with them should make Cueball's guests very nervous.

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

:[Cueball and Megan stand in a room. At one wall a sword hangs by a thread above a chair. On another wall a rifle is fastened to a board with unreadable writing. Megan has one arm stretched towards the rifle.]
:Cueball: Yeah, I think the sword of Damocles looks nice hanging over the Siege Perilous.
:Cueball: Hey, don’t touch Chekhov’s gun!

:[Caption below panel:]
:My home decorating theme is "ominous metaphorical objects."

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

2666: Universe Price Tiers

2022-09-02T10:52:50Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2666
| date = August 31, 2022
| title = Universe Price Tiers
| image = universe_price_tiers.png
| titletext = In Universe Pro®™ the laws of physics remain unchanged under time reversal, to maintain backward compatibility.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SOWN WIND - Explained the main point, more details needed. Please change this comment when editing the page . Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Philosophers have posed many questions in trying to understand the nature of the universe. Some of these have become well-known in popular culture; while some are deliberately open-ended, several others are presented as a choice between two or more options, and are assumed to have a single answer, the debate being about which is correct. In this comic, Randall proposes that the answers to these questions are instead not fixed, but vary according to a tiered {{w|subscription business model}}, as seen in many business pricing schemes, particularly in software. In this model, the no-cost tier gets you a universe experience of a lower quality, while at higher tiers better options are available for a cost - for example in the highest tier the processes of aging and death are "Opt-in" rather than "Mandatory". It is not clear from the comic who is supposed to be paying these subscription fees, or to whom they are paid (presumably the developers or maintainers of the universe, or the {{w|Simulation hypothesis|hypothesized simulation thereof}}), or whose experience of the universe is supposed to be affected.

The universe does not have a subscription model{{citation needed}}, but on the chart some of the categories that refer to observable properties such as the speed limit or existence of the {{w|Uncertainty Principle}} indicate ours is the Universe Standard® subscription, but other specifications may not entirely match our user experience.

The title text refers to the concept of {{w|T-symmetry}} in physical laws. Most properties of our universe are asymmetric, meaning that the property changes if time is reversed (e.g. the entropy of the universe decreases as time flows backwards). Randall again makes a reference to software subscription models in a play on words as the Universe Pro®™ sub appears to have laws that maintain "backwards compatibility".

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! !! Universe Lite™ !! Universe Standard® !! Universe Pro®™!!Explanation
|-
! Price
| Free || $14.95/month || $49.95/month || Indicative of a typical Freemium product, the versions released include what is effectively an 'unlimited trial' version, but lacking some potentially desired features, and then extra tiers with increased functionality so that you can "get what you pay for".
|-
! Ads
| Yes || Yes || No || Again typical of a tiered subscription, where ad revenue supports the lower tiers. There are indeed ads in our own universe, but whether they are an intrinsic property of the universe or not is an open question.
|-
! Number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin
| 4 || 64 || 4,096 || "{{w|How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?}}" is a question used to poke fun at medieval angelology and medieval scholasticism in general by claiming discussions in its fields revolve around meaningless questions. It is also used as a metaphor for wasting time debating useless questions, as it is generally accepted that we can have no definititive answer. Here, the question is given concrete answers that are powers of 2 often seen when using binary representation. It may also be a reference to [[485: Depth]].
|-
! Free will or determinism
| Determinism || Free will || Free will || Another predominantly philosophical issue, although physics (both Newtonian and Quantum) has not shied away from trying to answer this (see Does God Play Dice? below). It is interesting that the paid versions of the universe are the only ones to include free will, implying that either such a quality is inherently desirable or it is a necessary condition of some other feature in the paid plan (such as, for instance, the dice-playing mentioned below).
|-
! Cosmic speed limit
| 65 mph || 300,000 km/s || Unlimited || The Cosmic speed limit refers to the {{w|speed of light}}, which rounds to 300,000 kilometers per second in our particular universe, one of the few definite clues as to which tier we might exist in. Living in a universe with a 65 mph speed limit would render many aspects of experience unrecognizable from our own; assuming the speed of light and thus all relativistic effects were similarly scaled, the act of driving at highway speeds would result in [http://gamelab.mit.edu/games/a-slower-speed-of-light/ human-observable] time dilation and apparent spatial distortion. The {{w|special relativity}} consequences of a low speed of light are explored in one chapter of George Gamow's {{w|Mr Tompkins}}; in Mr Tompkins' dream, the speed of light is approximately 10 mph. The idea of having a speed cap is reminiscent of computer simulations and game engines, which often prevent agents from accelerating beyond a certain point to prevent unintended behavior.
|-
! If a tree falls in a forest and there's no one there to hear...
| No sound || Simple beep || Full sound || {{w|If a tree falls in a forest}} is a popular philosophical question whose answer depends largely on one's philosophical belief system and the interpretation of the question itself. Here it's suggested that there is a definite answer which differs depending on the quality of the universe subscription. On the assumption that "our" universe is on the Standard Plan, this table implies that all trees falling outside of the auditory range of anyone or anything capable of noticing it emit a simplified "beep" sound, rather than the complex crashing one would expect. This concept is similar to the discussion in [[2664: Cloud Swirls]].
|-
! Meaning of Life
| Unknowable || Uncertain || Clearly explained || All we can know is that we (currently) don't know, which makes our universe one almost certainly either with an unknowable or uncertain state of affairs.{{Actual citation needed}}
|-
! Sound of one hand clapping
| [None] || [None] || ''Kazzap!'' || A {{w|Koan}} from Buddhism. Koans deliberately have no answer — one hand cannot clap, as the sound of two hands clapping relies upon there being two hands percussing and displacing/resonating air. The "Kazzap" referenced is humorous because it provides an answer to something with no answer, in the form of a nonsense onomatopoeia. To members of our universe, this is absurd. The implication is that those in the Pro version of the universe have access to this seemingly impossible feat.
|-
! Aging and death
| Mandatory || Mandatory || Opt-in || If this is a mere option, we clearly haven't read (or understood) the online manual or perhaps read the tool-tips.
|-
! Does god play dice with the universe?
| Yes, and he cheats || Yes || No || A reference to a phrase famously ascribed to Einstein (in opposition to the concept of quantum uncertainty) that "God does not play dice with the universe." This option and the Determinism/Free Will choice, above, are interestingly linked but not necessarily in a way we can comprehend.
|-
! Bad things...
| Happen to good people only || Happen to good and bad people || Don't happen || Relates to whether there is justice, compassion or fairness in the universe, where good and bad events often seem uncorrelated with whether people morally deserve them. In theological arguments, this debate is intimately connected with theodicy (the problem of how a benevolent god could create a world that contains evil), but like the existence of free will it is hotly debated in non-theological contexts as well. Randall suggests that the situation in a lower-tier universe is even worse, and interestingly that there is no tier where bad things only happen to bad people.
|-
! What happens to those who sow the wind
| Reap the whirlwind || Reap the whirlwind || Lots of crops everywhere || This is a reference to the famous phrase "sow the wind, reap the whirlwind", taken from Hosea 8:7. The phrase means that those who do evil without thought to the consequences will receive punishment. However, in Universe Pro®™, nothing bad happens to anyone, which excludes the possibility of the "whirlwind". This implies that it is possible to ''literally'' sow wind (in the farming sense) in the Pro version, which apparently translates to growing crops in a vastly wider range than normal.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! !! Universe Lite™ !! Universe Standard® !! Universe Pro®™
|-
! Price
| Free || $14.95/month || $49.95/month
|-
! Ads
| Yes || Yes || No
|-
! Number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin
| 4 || 64 || 4,096
|-
! Free will or determinism
| Determinism || Free will || Free will
|-
! Cosmic speed limit
| 65mph || 300,000 km/s || Unlimited
|-
! If a tree falls in a forest and there's no one there to hear...
| No sound || Simple beep || Full sound
|-
! Meaning of Life
| Unknowable || Uncertain || Clearly explained
|-
! Sound of one hand clapping
| [None] || [None] || ''Kazzap!''
|-
! Aging and death
| Mandatory || Mandatory || Opt-in
|-
! Does god play dice with the universe?
| Yes, and he cheats || Yes || No
|-
! Bad things...
| Happen to good people only || Happen to good and bad people || Don't happen
|-
! What happens to those who sow the wind
| Reap the whirlwind || Reap the whirlwind || Lots of crops everywhere
|}
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category: Philosophy]]
[[Category: Religion]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2019-11-26T11:30:53Z

Koundelitchnico: Blanked the page

User:Koundelitchnico/Favoris

2019-11-26T11:30:32Z

Koundelitchnico: Created page with "== A lire == * 1037: Umwelt * 1608: Hoverboard == Mes XKCD favoris == === Logigrammes === *1195: Flowchart *627: Tech Support Cheat Sheet === Gestion de pr..."

== A lire ==

* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1608: Hoverboard]]

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

=== Logigrammes ===
*[[1195: Flowchart]]
*[[627: Tech Support Cheat Sheet]]

=== Gestion de projet ===
*[[974: The General Problem]]
*[[1495: Hard Reboot]]
*[[349: Success]]
*[[1205: Is It Worth the Time?]]
*[[1319: Automation]]

=== Passe-temps ===
*[[148: Mispronouncing]]
*[[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
*[[845: Modern History]]

=== Metas ===
*[[1447: Meta-Analysis]]
*[[917: Hofstadter]]
*[[1313: Regex Golf]]

=== Regex ===
*[[1313: Regex Golf]]
*[[1171: Perl Problems]]

=== Autoréférence & Hofstadter ===
*[[33: Self-reference]]
*[[688: Self-Description]]
*[[555: Two Mirrors]]
*[[608: Form]]
*[[917: Hofstadter]]

=== Séries ===
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
**[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
**[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

=== Spéciaux ===
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]
* [[1446: Landing]]
* [[1110: Click and Drag]]

=== Divers ===
*[[254: Comic Fragment]]
*[[207: What xkcd Means]]
*[[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
*[[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
*[[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
*[[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
*[[722: Computer Problems]]
*[[541: TED Talk]]
*[[1158: Rubber Sheet]]
*[[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]

2197: Game Show

2019-09-03T10:15:23Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2197
| date = September 2, 2019
| title = Game Show
| before = [[2198: Throw]] is up --> Delete this line when the buttons work again!
| image = game_show.png
| titletext = Eventually they agreed to "an auto-retracting dog leash with one end clipped to your house, so you can press the button on the handle and water-ski home."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an UNHAPPY STATUE OF LIBERTY. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Many shows have situations where the participants are asked hypothetical questions. A common hypothetical question asked to ascertain someone's values and problem solving skills is the one item they would take to a deserted island.

[[Black Hat]] is on such a game show, and he does his best to undermine the point of the system, listing various things, (see [[#List of Black Hat's items|below]]), that would either bring him back home from the deserted island (e.g. a boat, a plane), thereby undermining the point of the question, or would be nearly impossible to obtain (e.g. Amelia Earhart's skeleton, the Atlantic Ocean).

The title text reveals that the game show has ultimately acquiesced to one of Black Hat's wishes in a way: the dog leash mentioned would allow him to water-ski home, though such a dog leash is implausible (for example, a dog leash from San Francisco to Hawaii would be over 2000 miles long and therefore difficult to manufacture).

==List of Black Hat's items==
* A '''boat''', so he could sail home.
* A '''plane''', so he could fly home.
* '''{{w|Amelia Earhart|Amelia Earhart's}} plane''' or '''skeleton'''. She was a female U.S. aviator who went missing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on an attempt to circumnavigate earth. There have been many claims of the rediscovery of Earhart's remains, but it is unlikely that a game show would expend the energy to give their contestant either Earhart's plane or her skeleton; and even if they did, it wouldn't be in an appropriate condition for getting back. With the plane he could fly home. What he wants to do with the skeleton is anyone's guess.
* '''The internal structure of The {{w|Statue of Liberty}}''' was designed by Gustave Eiffel, best known for his work on the Eiffel Tower. It would be near impossible, not to mention illegal, to even remove the support frame, let alone get it onto a remote island.
* '''The {{w|Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom}}''' are ceremonial objects owned by the kings and queens of the UK. The items are kept under heavy guard and are valued at about $4 billion; it would therefore be difficult for Black Hat to get them onto a deserted island with him.
* '''The entire television audience for the show''' . If this is a popular channel/show, this could potentially be millions of people. Then at least it would no longer be a desert island, but of course it would be even more difficult to survive...
* '''The {{w|Greenland ice sheet}}''' is the body of ice covering the island of {{w|Greenland}}. As the second largest ice sheet on Earth, it would not quite fit on a deserted island.
* '''Earth's {{w|north magnetic pole}}''' is the point on earth that all compasses point towards because of the magnetohydrodynamic ([[1851: Magnetohydrodynamics|magic]]) forces in the earth's mantle; presumably Black Hat wants the pole to be at his deserted island, though the north magnetic pole is rather difficult to adjust.
* '''The {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}''' is the ocean left behind by the split of North America and Afroeurasia; It is of course not possible to move this anywhere. Anyway if it could pomehow be poured over a deserted island in the pacific, the water would just run right back as all Earth's oceans are connected. He did say he only wished for it if his island was in the Pacific...

==Transcript==
:[Cueball, Black Hat, and Megan are game show contestants standing behind lecterns with Hairy standing in front of them as the game show host. Black Hat, standing in the middle of the three is holding a finger up while speaking.]

:Black Hat: A boat. A plane. Amelia Earhart's plane. Amelia Earhart's ''skeleton''. The Statue of Liberty's internal support frame. The Crown Jewels. This show's entire television audience. The Greenland ice sheet. Earth's north magnetic pole.
:Black Hat: Am I in the Pacific Ocean?
:Black Hat: If so, the Atlantic Ocean.

:Hairy: Uhh.
:Hairy: Our producers are going to need some time on this one.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The game show realized that they should have added some restrictions to their "take any item to a deserted island" challenge, but it was too late.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

1733: Solar Spectrum

2016-09-16T07:36:46Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1733
| date = September 15, 2016
| title = Solar Spectrum
| image = solar_spectrum.png
| titletext = I still don't understand why the Sun paid the extra money for Transitions lenses.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Examples of such advertisements needed}}
This comic's release day was postponed from the scheduled Wednesday release to a [[:Category:Thursday comics|Thursday release]] because of the popularity of the previous Monday comic [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]]. [[Randall]] even explained this in the header text, see [[1732#Popularity_of_comic|this trivia item from the previous comic]].

This is a reference to pictures / clipart of the sun wearing sunglasses, often used to denote good weather. The title text is most likely a reference to a specific advert using this image or [https://what-if.xkcd.com/115/ this What If].

Transitions® is a brand of [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photochromic_lens photochromic] lenses; however, photochromic lenses are often referred to as "transition lenses", so the title text does not necessarily refer to the brand. Photochromic lenses are a type of plastic lens used in prescription spectacles that allow the lens to turn dark when exposed to UV light such as that found in sunlight. The sun choosing to get transition lens would prove a waste of money as the lenses would be permanently transitioned to be dark, so a pair of ordinary sunglasses would likely have proved more cost effective.

===Labels===
:The graph is a typical spectral lines chart, with a long rainbow band (from deep violet to the left to deep red on the right) with black lines in it, indicating the traces of different elements.
:The labels match these lines from left to right:
#Calcium
#Calcium
#Hydrogen
#Calcium
#Iron
#Hydrogen
#Iron
#Iron
#Unlabeled
#Hydrogen
#Iron
#Unlabeled
#Magnesium
#Magnesium
#Iron
#Unlabeled
#Unlabeled
#Unlabeled
#Those giant sunglasses
#Sodium
#Sodium
#Oxygen
#Those giant sunglasses
#Those giant sunglasses
#Unlabeled
#Those giant sunglasses
#Oxygen
#Those giant sunglasses

==Transcript==
:[A chart shows the visible colored spectrum of the sun from deep violet to deep red. Along the spectrum are shown 28 black spectral lines of different thickness. Above the chart is a caption:]
:The Sun's spectral lines

:[Above the chart there are four and below the chart there are two labels, each label has one or more arrows pointing to different black lines. The two that has only one arrow points to two close lines marking them both. Only 22 lines are labeled like this, the other 6 are not labeled. The labels in reading order, with the number of arrows noted behind in square brackets:]
:Calcium [3]
:Iron [5]
:Sodium [1]
:Oxygen [2]
:Hydrogen [3]
:Magnesium [1]
:Those giant sunglasses [5]

{{comic discussion}}

1687: World War III+

2016-05-30T09:01:53Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Explanation */ Typo

{{comic
| number = 1687
| date = May 30, 2016
| title = World War III+
| image = world_war_iii.png
| titletext = I hate how the media only ever uses the first part of this quote, stripping it of its important context.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|There seems to be more to this comic than so far explained. Maybe a reference to all the Star Wars movies now planned...?}}
This comic takes a famous quote attributed to {{w|Albert Einstein}}, and expands upon it to absurd levels. The original quote is: "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." The basic premise of this quote is that World War III will be so devastating to the world that there will be nothing more to fight ''with'' afterwards.

This comic expands the original quote letting Einstein suggest what other weapons future World Wars will be fought with:
*V: Crossbows. Crossbows are type of bow that is easier to aim and fire than a regular longbow, but is much more difficult to load. Most often used in medieval eras.
*VI: Lasers. In science fiction, blasts of lasers are often used instead of conventional guns. This suggests that society would have managed to rebuild lasers by World War VI.
*VII: Blowguns. A blowgun is a small tube loaded with a small dart or other projectile, fired by blowing into one end. That lasers would have been replaced by them seems absurd.
*VIII-XI: Skipped over.
*XII: The same weapons as III, but in underground tunnels. This is a parody of saying that X is basically Y 'but in space/underwater/etc', and, if the quote's well-known meaning is accepted, this has terrifying implications for the state of the world. Also the fact that he did not know which weapons were used in III makes it weird that he knows the same weapons will be used again later...
*XIII is completely unmentioned. This makes some sense, considering that XIII corresponds to 13, a number considered unlucky in many Western cultures, though it may also be an error.
*Before Einstein can discuss World War XIV, the audience of his quote seems to be going away. Einstein claims to have 'a whole list', suggesting that he may know a lot about the future wars to come more so than he has already suggested.

In the title text [[Randall]] feigns annoyance about how media only uses the first part of a quote thus taking it out of context. He thus implies that this is actually a full quote by Einstein and that all other occurrences using only the "original" version of this quote. In this particular case it is a much stronger quote that the long version from the comic, but it is often the case that quotes taken out of context seems to have an entirely different meaning than originally intended.

==Transcript==
:[A quote with white text on black background:]
:{| class="wikitable"
|style="background-color:black;"|"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. World War V will be fought with crossbows, World War VI will be lasers, and World War VII will be blowguns. I don't know about World Wars VIII through XI. World War XII will use the same weapons as III, but will be fought entirely within underground tunnels. World War XIV will—Hey, come back! I have a whole list!"                   —''Albert Einstein''
|}

{{comic discussion}}

User:Koundelitchnico

2015-12-10T09:46:48Z

Koundelitchnico:

User:Koundelitchnico

2015-06-03T11:52:10Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Spéciaux */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

=== Logigrammes ===
*[[1195: Flowchart]]
*[[627: Tech Support Cheat Sheet]]

=== Gestion de projet ===
*[[974: The General Problem]]
*[[1495: Hard Reboot]]
*[[349: Success]]
*[[1205: Is It Worth the Time?]]
*[[1319: Automation]]

=== Passe-temps ===
*[[148: Mispronouncing]]
*[[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
*[[845: Modern History]]

=== Metas ===
*[[1447: Meta-Analysis]]
*[[917: Hofstadter]]
*[[1313: Regex Golf]]

=== Regex ===
*[[1313: Regex Golf]]
*[[1171: Perl Problems]]

=== Autoréférence & Hofstadter ===
*[[33: Self-reference]]
*[[688: Self-Description]]
*[[555: Two Mirrors]]
*[[608: Form]]
*[[917: Hofstadter]]

=== Séries ===
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
**[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
**[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

=== Spéciaux ===
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]
* [[1446: Landing]]
* [[1110: Click and Drag]]

=== Divers ===
*[[254: Comic Fragment]]
*[[207: What xkcd Means]]
*[[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
*[[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
*[[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
*[[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
*[[722: Computer Problems]]
*[[541: TED Talk]]
*[[1158: Rubber Sheet]]
*[[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]

1521: Sword in the Stone

2015-05-06T08:33:44Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Explanation */ Changed Mallory's book title spelling according to the most used.

{{comic
| number = 1521
| date = May 6, 2015
| title = Sword in the Stone
| image = sword in the stone.png
| titletext = That seems like an awful lot of hassle when all I wanted was a cool sword.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|New page}}

This comic references the fables of {{w|King Arthur}} and the {{w|Knights of the Round Table}}. In Arthurian legend, whoever can remove the Sword in the Stone is the lawful king of {{w|England}}. Arthur is an orphan being raised in secret; he notices the sword, removes it, and is proclaimed king. The sword is sometimes identified as Excalibur, although in other versions Excalibur was acquired by King Arthur from the {{w|Lady of the Lake}}. The most familiar version of this story is {{w|The Sword in the Stone}} by {{w|T. H. White}} which is based on {{w|Le Morte d'Arthur}} by {{w|Sir Thomas Malory}}. Traditional Arthurian Legend states the sword can only be retreived by "{{w|List of English monarchs|the true king}}", so a woman retreiving it is unexpected. But Randall likes to debunk sexist stereotypes.

[[Megan]] pulls out {{w|Excalibur#Excalibur_and_the_Sword_in_the_Stone|The Sword in the Stone}}. A flash of light comes down and music plays, and a heavenly voice tells her she is heir to the throne of England. Megan then pulls out her phone, which is very much unlike the Medieval King Arthur and searches on Wikipedia for England and begins to replace the sword into the rock. The title text furthers this plot, having Megan comment on the hassle when the only thing she was interested in was the sword. Apparently Megan is not enthusiastic about power, and her choice is made when she sees how awful England is as a country to reign over.

It should be noted that in Arthurian Legend, it is stated that Arthur would return when England most needed him. It is possible that Megan is the reincarnation of Arthur.

==Transcript==

:[Megan walks up to The Sword in the Stone]
:[Megan tries to pull out The Sword in the Stone]
:[A flash of light and music plays as she removes The Sword in the Stone]
:Heavenly voice: The Throne of England is yours
:Megan: Wikipedia. England.
:[Megan starts to place The Sword of the Stone back into the stone]

{{comic discussion}}


[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2015-04-05T11:03:26Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

=== Logigrammes ===
*[[1195: Flowchart]]
*[[627: Tech Support Cheat Sheet]]

=== Gestion de projet ===
*[[974: The General Problem]]
*[[1495: Hard Reboot]]
*[[349: Success]]
*[[1205: Is It Worth the Time?]]
*[[1319: Automation]]

=== Passe-temps ===
*[[148: Mispronouncing]]
*[[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
*[[845: Modern History]]

=== Metas ===
*[[1447: Meta-Analysis]]
*[[917: Hofstadter]]
*[[1313: Regex Golf]]

=== Regex ===
*[[1313: Regex Golf]]
*[[1171: Perl Problems]]

=== Autoréférence & Hofstadter ===
*[[33: Self-reference]]
*[[688: Self-Description]]
*[[555: Two Mirrors]]
*[[608: Form]]
*[[917: Hofstadter]]

=== Séries ===
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
**[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
**[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

=== Spéciaux ===
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]
* [[1446: Landing]]

=== Divers ===
*[[254: Comic Fragment]]
*[[207: What xkcd Means]]
*[[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
*[[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
*[[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
*[[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
*[[722: Computer Problems]]
*[[541: TED Talk]]
*[[1158: Rubber Sheet]]
*[[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2015-03-06T10:15:30Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

=== Logigrammes ===
*[[1195: Flowchart]]
*[[627: Tech Support Cheat Sheet]]

=== Gestion de projet ===
*[[974: The General Problem]]
*[[1495: Hard Reboot]]
*[[349: Success]]
*[[1205: Is It Worth the Time?]]
*[[1319: Automation]]

=== Passe-temps ===
*[[148: Mispronouncing]]
*[[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
*[[845: Modern History]]

=== Séries ===
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
**[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
**[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

=== Spéciaux ===
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]
* [[1446: Landing]]

=== Divers ===
*[[254: Comic Fragment]]
*[[207: What xkcd Means]]
*[[688: Self-Description]]
*[[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
*[[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
*[[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
*[[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
*[[722: Computer Problems]]
*[[541: TED Talk]]
*[[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2015-03-06T10:12:40Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

=== Logigrammes ===
*[[1195: Flowchart]]
*[[627: Tech Support Cheat Sheet]]

=== Gestion de projet ===
*[[974: The General Problem]]
*[[1495: Hard Reboot]]
*[[349: Success]]

=== Passe-temps ===
*[[148: Mispronouncing]]
*[[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
*[[845: Modern History]]

=== Séries ===
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
**[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
**[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

=== Spéciaux ===
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]
* [[1446: Landing]]

=== Divers ===
*[[254: Comic Fragment]]
*[[207: What xkcd Means]]
*[[688: Self-Description]]
*[[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
*[[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
*[[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
*[[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
*[[722: Computer Problems]]
*[[541: TED Talk]]
*[[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2015-03-06T10:07:25Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]
* [[1446: Landing]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
**[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
**[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

'''Passe-temps'''
*[[148: Mispronouncing]]
*[[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
*[[845: Modern History]]

'''Logigrammes'''
*[[1195: Flowchart]]
*[[627: Tech Support Cheat Sheet]]

'''Divers''':
*[[254: Comic Fragment]]
*[[207: What xkcd Means]]
*[[688: Self-Description]]
*[[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
*[[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
*[[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
*[[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
*[[722: Computer Problems]]
*[[541: TED Talk]]
*[[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

'''Gestion des priorités'''
*[[974: The General Problem]]
*[[1495: Hard Reboot]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2015-02-20T10:03:21Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

1489: Fundamental Forces

2015-02-20T09:59:19Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1489
| date = February 20, 2015
| title = Fundamental Forces
| image = fundamental_forces.png
| titletext = "Of these four forces, there's one we don't really understand." "Is it the weak force or the strong--" "It's gravity."
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is acting here as someone teaching physics at a basic level, perhaps a high school science teacher. He seems to understand the general idea of the {{w|Fundamental interaction#Overview of the fundamental interaction|four fundamental forces}}, but his understanding gets progressively more sketchy about the details. The off-panel audience, probably a student or class, is interested, but quickly begins to realize Cueball's lack of understanding. Instead of acknowledging the problem directly, Cueball simply blusters onwards.

The comic also outlines how difficult to describe the forces progressively get. {{w|Gravitation|Gravity}} was first mathematically characterized in 1686 as {{w|Newton's law of universal gravitation}}, which was considered an essentially complete account until the introduction of {{w|general relativity}} in 1915. The {{w|Electromagnetism|electromagnetic force}} does indeed give rise to {{w|Coulomb's law}} of {{w|electrostatics|electrostatic}} interaction (another {{w|inverse-square law}}, proposed in 1785), but a much more comprehensive description, covering full {{w|Classical electromagnetism|classical electrodynamics}}, was only given in {{w|Maxwell's equations}} around 1861. The {{w|strong interaction|strong}} and {{w|weak interaction|weak}} forces cannot easily be summarized as comparably simple mathematical equations. It's possible that Cueball does understand the strong and weak interactions, but is completely at a loss when he tries to describe them.

The title text refers to the fact that it is gravity that appears to be the simplest and easiest to understand of the four forces, but turns out to be the {{w|Graviton|hardest}} to reconcile with a coherent (quantum) understanding of all four forces together.

==Transcript==
Cueball: There are four fundamental forces between particles. (1) Gravity, which obeys the inverse square law, F_gravity=G(m_1 m_2/d^2)

Off panel audience: OK...

Cueball: (2) Electromagnetism, which obeys this inverse-square law: F_static = K_e (q_1 q_2 / d^2)
...and also Maxwell's Equations

Off panel audience: Also what?

Cueball: (3) The Strong Nuclear Force which obeys, uh ...
...well, umm...
...it holds protons and neutrons together.

Off panel audience: I see.

Cueball: It's strong.

Cueball: And (4) the Weak Force It [mumble mumble] radioactive decay [mumble mumble]

Off panel audience: That's not a sentence. You just said "Radio-

Cueball: –and those are the four fundamental forces!

{{comic discussion}}

1486: Vacuum

2015-02-13T11:03:15Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1486
| date = February 13, 2015
| title = Vacuum
| image = vacuum.png
| titletext = Do you think you could actually clean the living room at some point, though?
}}

==Explanation==

According to quantum mechanics there is tremendous energy density in space-time itself: this is known as: [[wikipedia:vacuum energy|vacuum energy]], zero point energy, vacuum foam, etc.
Of course, this energy is not literally available to be tapped.

In the cartoon, Beret Guy appears to be making a silly mistake, confusing the metaphorical 'vacuum' referred to in calculations of the theoretical energy density of space time{{Citation needed}} with the partial vacuum of a [[wikipedia:vacuum cleaner|vacuum cleaner]] - a device commonly used to clean dust from households.

Cueball tries to correct him, but it turns out that Beret guy really is able to tap into this fundamental source of energy.

==Transcript==
[Beret guy is holding an upright vacuum cleaner upside-down by the handle, waving it around above his head]

Cueball: What are you doing?

[The vacuum cleaner is upright on the ground, and Beret guy is standing on its body, wiggling the handle]

Beret: Trying to unlock the tremendous energy of the vacuum.

Cueball: That's not what that -

[Beret guy rides the vacuum cleaner as it begins to lift off, propelled upward by an unkown force]

Beret: HA HA! IT WORKS!

Cueball: I said that's -

Beret: The universe is mine to command!!

[Beret guy rides away on the vacuum cleaner]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2015-02-11T15:09:08Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]
* [[1446: Landing]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
**[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
**[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

'''Passe-temps'''
*[[148: Mispronouncing]]
*[[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]

'''Logigrammes'''
*[[1195: Flowchart]]
*[[627: Tech Support Cheat Sheet]]

'''Divers''':
*[[254: Comic Fragment]]
*[[207: What xkcd Means]]
*[[688: Self-Description]]
*[[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
*[[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
*[[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
*[[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
*[[722: Computer Problems]]
*[[541: TED Talk]]
*[[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

1485: Friendship

2015-02-11T14:40:10Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1485
| date = February 11, 2015
| title = Friendship
| image = friendship.png
| titletext = The only other Wikipedia vandalism that I would feel zero remorse about is editing the article on active US militia groups to replace "militia" with "fanclub".
}}

==Explanation==
A bromance is a modern slang term for the non-romantic relationship between two heterosexual males. It is a portmanteau of the words bro, implying a male friend (like "brother"), and romance.

Although current in popular media, some commentators have criticized the implicit homophobia in the term, suggesting that it denotes cultural discomfort at relationships of emotional closeness between men. [http://www.xojane.com/entertainment/for-the-love-of-god-please-stop-saying-bromance]

In this comic, Randall is implying the Wikipedia page for the word "bromance" should more accurately represent what most bromances actually are: friendships. This could be a joke to reference the fact that some males prefer to not call friendships as such, for fear of looking unmasculine, or being confused as a gay couple. The comic makes light of the fact that the word bromance and friendship are interchangeable, and should be treated as such.

The comic later contains parts of the edited article, mocking the use of "bromance" in popular culture, implying that "friendships" can be used just as easily to describe platonic male relationships.

Despite supposedly vandalizing the "bromance" article, the article is titled "friendship", giving a similar result to word-replacement browser extensions, as in [[1031: s/keyboard/leopard/]].

The title text implies Randall does not agree with Wikipedia vandalism, except in the case of bromance/friendship, and also militia/fanclub, possibly to make light of the harsh sounding word in a negative light.

In the wake of this comic, several Wikipedia pages were vandalized, among them {{w|Bromance}}, {{w|Militia organizations in the United States}} and {{w|Militia (United States)}}. So far, all three pages have been semi-protected by an administrator against further attempts for another week.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

[A Wikipedia style layout is shown for an article titled Friendship]

:'''Friendship'''
:A Friendship is a close non-romantic relationship between two (or more) men, a form of affectional or homosocial intimacy.[1]
: Contents [Hide]
:1 Etymology
:2 Characteristics
:3 Portrayal of friendship
::3.1 Celebrity and fictional friendships
::3.2 Historical and political friendships
::3.3 Gay-straight friendships
:4 See also
:5 References

:'''Etymology'''
:''Friendship'' is a portmanteau of the words ''friend'' and ''ship''. Editor Dave Carnie coined the term in the skateboard magazine ''Big Brother'' in the 1990s to refer to the sort of relationships that develop between skaters who spend

:'''Portrayal of Friendship'''
:'''Celebrity and Fictional Friendships'''
:A number of celebrities have engaged in friendships with fellow celebrities. Examples include Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, described as "perhaps ''the'' pioneering friendship in showbiz history"[9] which led to a hit off-broadway play

:Friendship on television has also become more commonplace, with some critics tracing its origins back to shows such as ''The Odd Couple''.[14] In October 2008, ''TV Guide'' placed Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) and James

:The Japanese and Korean music industry actively encourages friendship among male celebrities (particularly members of boy bands) as part of the fan service to please the audience.[19][20]
:In fiction, what had once been called buddy films have to a degree been rebranded as friendship films, although

:'''Historical and political friendships'''
:Politically, the relationship between Bill Clinton and Al Gore has been called a precursor to the friendship.[6] The relationship between George W Bush and former press

:'''How to improve the "Bromance" Wikipedia article'''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2014-12-02T10:33:45Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]
* [[1446: Landing]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
**[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
**[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

'''Passe-temps'''
*[[148: Mispronouncing]]
*[[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]

'''Divers''':
*[[254: Comic Fragment]]
*[[207: What xkcd Means]]
*[[688: Self-Description]]
*[[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
*[[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
*[[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
*[[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
*[[722: Computer Problems]]
*[[541: TED Talk]]
*[[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2014-11-20T21:40:56Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]
* [[1446: Landing]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
**[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
**[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

'''Passe-temps'''
*[[148: Mispronouncing]]
*[[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]

'''Divers''':
*[[207: What xkcd Means]]
*[[688: Self-Description]]
*[[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
*[[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
*[[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
*[[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
*[[722: Computer Problems]]
*[[541: TED Talk]]
*[[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2014-11-07T10:32:16Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
**[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
**[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

'''Passe-temps'''
*[[148: Mispronouncing]]
*[[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]

'''Divers''':
*[[207: What xkcd Means]]
*[[688: Self-Description]]
*[[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
*[[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
*[[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
*[[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
*[[722: Computer Problems]]
*[[541: TED Talk]]
*[[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2014-11-07T10:31:31Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
**[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
**[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

'''Passe-temps'''
*[[148: Mispronouncing]]

'''Divers''':
*[[207: What xkcd Means]]
*[[688: Self-Description]]
*[[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
*[[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
*[[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
*[[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
*[[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
*[[722: Computer Problems]]
*[[541: TED Talk]]
*[[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2014-11-07T10:30:40Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
**[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
**[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

'''Passe-temps''' :
[[148: Mispronouncing]]

'''Divers''':
* [[207: What xkcd Means]]
* [[688: Self-Description]]
* [[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
* [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
* [[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
* [[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
* [[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
* [[722: Computer Problems]]
* [[541: TED Talk]]
* [[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2014-11-07T10:30:03Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
**[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
**[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

* Passe-temps :
**[[148: Mispronouncing]]

'''Divers''':
* [[207: What xkcd Means]]
* [[688: Self-Description]]
* [[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
* [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
* [[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
* [[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
* [[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
* [[722: Computer Problems]]
* [[541: TED Talk]]
* [[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2014-11-07T10:03:38Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]
**[[344: 1337: Part 4]]
**[[345: 1337: Part 5]]

'''Divers''':
* [[207: What xkcd Means]]
* [[688: Self-Description]]
* [[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
* [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
* [[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
* [[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
* [[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
* [[722: Computer Problems]]
* [[541: TED Talk]]
* [[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2014-11-07T10:02:53Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]
**[[343: 1337: Part 3]]

'''Divers''':
* [[207: What xkcd Means]]
* [[688: Self-Description]]
* [[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
* [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
* [[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
* [[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
* [[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
* [[722: Computer Problems]]
* [[541: TED Talk]]
* [[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2014-11-07T09:58:13Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]
**[[342: 1337: Part 2]]

'''Divers''':
* [[207: What xkcd Means]]
* [[688: Self-Description]]
* [[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
* [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
* [[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
* [[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
* [[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
* [[722: Computer Problems]]
* [[541: TED Talk]]
* [[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2014-11-07T09:56:47Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

* 1337 :
**[[341: 1337: Part 1]]

'''Divers''':
* [[207: What xkcd Means]]
* [[688: Self-Description]]
* [[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
* [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
* [[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
* [[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
* [[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
* [[722: Computer Problems]]
* [[541: TED Talk]]
* [[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2014-11-07T09:53:14Z

Koundelitchnico: /* Mes XKCD favoris */

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

'''Divers''':
* [[207: What xkcd Means]]
* [[688: Self-Description]]
* [[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
* [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]
* [[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
* [[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
* [[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
* [[722: Computer Problems]]
* [[541: TED Talk]]
* [[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2014-11-07T09:48:39Z

Koundelitchnico:

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

'''Divers''':
* [[207: What xkcd Means]]
* [[688: Self-Description]]
* [[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
* [[1305: Undocumented Feature]]
* [[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
* [[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
* [[722: Computer Problems]]
* [[541: TED Talk]]
* [[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

User:Koundelitchnico

2014-11-05T13:29:19Z

Koundelitchnico: Created page with " == Mes XKCD favoris == '''Spéciaux''': * 1037: Umwelt * 1190: Time '''Séries''' * The Race : ** 577: The Race: Part 1 **578: The Race: Part 2 **[[579: Th..."

== Mes XKCD favoris ==

'''Spéciaux''':
* [[1037: Umwelt]]
* [[1190: Time]]

'''Séries'''
* The Race :
** [[577: The Race: Part 1]]
**[[578: The Race: Part 2]]
**[[579: The Race: Part 3]]
**[[580: The Race: Part 4]]
**[[581: The Race: Part 5]]

'''Divers''':
* [[207: What xkcd Means]]
* [[688: Self-Description]]
* [[710: Collatz Conjecture]]
* [[236: Collecting Double-Takes]]
* [[253: Highway Engineer Pranks]]
* [[722: Computer Problems]]
* [[541: TED Talk]]
* [[1158: Rubber Sheet]]

Talk:1158: Rubber Sheet

2014-09-24T09:36:33Z

Koundelitchnico: Added a remark on the "Boooooring" / "Boooing" similarity.

There is no rope in black hole analogy. On the other hand ... maybe one day this becomes common analogy for explaining some method of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faster-than-light FTL] travel ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:52, 9 January 2013 (UTC)

<strike>It is no rope - it is a rubber sheet seen from the side. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/178.26.121.97|178.26.121.97]] 14:01, 9 January 2013 (UTC)</strike>sorry, you meant the rope there ;-) Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/178.26.121.97|178.26.121.97]] 20:18, 9 January 2013 (UTC)

Did you see the harmonics of the wave? I think there are four different ones in the third frame. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/178.26.121.97|178.26.121.97]] 14:01, 9 January 2013 (UTC)

- Two harmonics, two different phases of each. [[Special:Contributions/123.237.156.13|123.237.156.13]] 15:56, 9 January 2013 (UTC)

It seems to me there should be a cross-reference to [[895: Teaching Physics]] (and if I knew more about the conventions of this wiki I would be bold and add it myself... but I don't, so I won't.) --[[Special:Contributions/67.36.177.100|67.36.177.100]] 17:35, 9 January 2013 (UTC)

: Furthermore, you could see the "BOOOIING" in this comic as an alternative to the "Boooooring" (only one-letter difference) at the end of [[895: Teaching Physics]] : Instead of becoming boring after "...Annnnd..." cliffhanger, the demonstration becomes really fun. Anyone to add that point in the explanation if relevant ? --[[User:Koundelitchnico|KoundelitchNico]] ([[User talk:Koundelitchnico|talk]]) 09:36, 24 September 2014 (UTC)

I made a playlist of the mentioned "Fun to Imagine" series of videos:
:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBE6765CE680E701E&feature=mh_lolz
[[User:Deelkar|Deelkar]] ([[User talk:Deelkar|talk]]) 03:16, 10 January 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1045: Constraints

2014-02-25T14:26:35Z

Koundelitchnico:

Sometimes, seventeen

Syllables are not enough

To just express a '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:25, 21 January 2013 (UTC)

But sometimes they are!

I rewrote your third line as

"To express a thought." --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.45|108.162.216.45]] 21:35, 1 November 2013 (UTC)

"Whoa." is also an example, but one word examples are particularly easy! --DrMath 06:17, 7 September 2013 (UTC)

I can't see the image... what's wrong with it ? --[[User:Koundelitchnico|KoundelitchNico]] ([[User talk:Koundelitchnico|talk]]) 14:26, 25 February 2014 (UTC)

1332: Slippery Slope

2014-02-19T09:40:09Z

Koundelitchnico: Erroneous link to the 2006 movie article on WP instead of the article relating to the concept

{{comic
| number = 1332
| date = February 19, 2014
| title = Slippery Slope
| image = slippery_slope.png
| titletext = Sure, taking a few seconds to be respectful toward someone about something they care about doesn't sound hard. But if you talk to hundreds of people every day and they all start expecting that same consideration, it could potentially add up to MINUTES wasted. And for WHAT?
}}

==Explanation==
The "{{w|Slippery slope}}" fallacy hinges on the idea thing if A happens Z will also eventually happen, therefore A should not be allowed. This kind of reasoning is bad because it distracts from the issue being discussed and changes the topic to extreme event which may not happen because of other factors. In the comic, White Hat Guy uses the "Slippery Slope" to justify being inconsiderate to people (which is an unusual context for this fallacy). This is extended in the mouse-over, where he continues extrapolating the train of thought to come to the conclusion that minutes of time would be "wasted" - he seems not to factor in the potential positive effects of being considerate of other people.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat talking to Cueball.]
:White Hat: Yeah, but if I'm considerate toward one person about one thing, what's next?
:White Hat: Being nice to ''other'' people about ''other'' things?
:White Hat: Where does it ''end?''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Logic]]

Talk:1331: Frequency

2014-02-17T09:32:05Z

Koundelitchnico:

I have began the transcript. Should a table be embedded with all the statements?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.11|108.162.250.11]] 07:33, 17 February 2014 (UTC)
:That would be apt. Dammit Randall, why couldn't you have made the comic one image so it'd be easy to put up here? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:36, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

I would like to point out a few things: the title text refers to an experiment that shows a piece of tar, if I remember correctly, which looks like a solid material, dripping very very slowly. It takes a year or more for a drop to fall, and there should be a live stream of it somewhere, I think.
:A year? It took 12 years for the last drop to fall...
The second is the turning signal being out of sync with the other car. Randall made a comic about that one already. It's a recurring thing.[[User:Dulcis|Dulcis]] ([[User talk:Dulcis|talk]]) 07:57, 17 February 2014 (UTC)
: About turning signals, see [[165|XKCD #165]]--[[User:Koundelitchnico|KoundelitchNico]] ([[User talk:Koundelitchnico|talk]]) 09:32, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

I found a simple tool that calculates the duration of GIF files on github: https://raw.github.com/alimony/gifduration/master/gifduration.py
Slightly edited, this is the output:
<pre>
amelia.gif: 7790 ms (7.79 seconds)
bieber.gif: 4730 ms (4.73 seconds)
bike.gif: 24930 ms (24.93 seconds)
birth.gif: 240 ms (0.24 seconds)
book_mockingbird.gif: 42050 ms (42.05 seconds)
bottles.gif: 1270 ms (1.27 seconds)
car_china.gif: 1890 ms (1.89 seconds)
car_elsewhere.gif: 1030 ms (1.03 seconds)
car_germany.gif: 5800 ms (5.80 seconds)
car_japan.gif: 4010 ms (4.01 seconds)
car_us.gif: 6950 ms (6.95 seconds)
cat.gif: 21300 ms (21.30 seconds)
cat_mockingbird.gif: 1820 ms (1.82 seconds)
death.gif: 560 ms (0.56 seconds)
denverpizza.gif: 1270 ms (1.27 seconds)
dogbite.gif: 7010 ms (7.01 seconds)
dog.gif: 15600 ms (15.60 seconds)
domain.gif: 640 ms (0.64 seconds)
eagle.gif: 2690 ms (2.69 seconds)
earthquake1.gif: 2430 ms (2.43 seconds)
earthquake2.gif: 24260 ms (24.26 seconds)
earthquake3.gif: 242600 ms (242.60 seconds)
earthquake4.gif: 2426000 ms (2426.00 seconds)
facebook.gif: 4320 ms (4.32 seconds)
fire_dept.gif: 23000 ms (23.00 seconds)
flight.gif: 930 ms (0.93 seconds)
heartbeat.gif: 860 ms (0.86 seconds)
holeinone.gif: 180000 ms (180.00 seconds)
house.gif: 6220 ms (6.22 seconds)
iphone.gif: 930 ms (0.93 seconds)
keys.gif: 2430 ms (2.43 seconds)
kiss.gif: 5530 ms (5.53 seconds)
littleleague.gif: 1230 ms (1.23 seconds)
meteor.gif: 1150 ms (1.15 seconds)
ndsex.gif: 1380 ms (1.38 seconds)
oldfaithful.gif: 5640000 ms (5640.00 seconds)
parliament_toilet.gif: 10060 ms (10.06 seconds)
phoenix.gif: 2050 ms (2.05 seconds)
phoenixshoes.gif: 1080 ms (1.08 seconds)
pulsar.gif: 1400 ms (1.40 seconds)
recycled.gif: 4640 ms (4.64 seconds)
shark.gif: 830 ms (0.83 seconds)
tattoo.gif: 2060 ms (2.06 seconds)
turnsignal1.gif: 940 ms (0.94 seconds)
turnsignal2.gif: 900 ms (0.90 seconds)
us_cancer_death.gif: 54340 ms (54.34 seconds)
us_cancer.gif: 18990 ms (18.99 seconds)
vibrator.gif: 2990 ms (2.99 seconds)
wedding.gif: 750 ms (0.75 seconds)
wikipedia.gif: 670 ms (0.67 seconds)
</pre>
This could be useful in creating some kind of table in the Explanation.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.109|108.162.231.109]] 09:25, 17 February 2014 (UTC)