explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&feedformat=atom&user=Koveras explain xkcd - User contributions [en] 2026-04-11T05:18:41Z User contributions MediaWiki 1.30.0 https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2881:_Bug_Thread&diff=332984 Talk:2881: Bug Thread 2024-01-16T07:53:40Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> <br /> No idea what to put in the explanation box, so I just did the incomplete tag.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.185|172.69.33.185]] 05:36, 16 January 2024 (UTC)<br /> :I was writing an initial Explanation even as you did that. (I had an almost identical BOT-replacing idea. Which I continued to use as I hit the edit-conflict on yours.)<br /> :Not entirely happy with my narrative structure. Tried (too hard?) to not re-use phrasing. Either in there or in the Transcript (tbough currently leaving for someone else), I thought I might remark that ''either'' the Cueball-like beach-booker ''or'' the WhiteHat-like years-noter ''could'' be the half-seen uppermost post's contributor, based upon the visible portrait. But it seemed a bit hard to nicely shoehorn in, especially as it could be neither. Though any of those seen could also easily be up above the scroll-windowing, anyway, nearer where the unstated (to us) issue is actually described. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.29|172.70.90.29]] 06:18, 16 January 2024 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I hate when I have a problem with something, and when I google it either the solution is behind a paywall, too outdated to work, or has no responses. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.173|108.162.216.173]] 06:43, 16 January 2024 (UTC)<br /> :Me, too. Want to rent a beach house and whine about it together? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 07:45, 16 January 2024 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Do you think DenverCoder9 made it to the meet-up? --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 07:53, 16 January 2024 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2519:_Sloped_Border&diff=218380 2519: Sloped Border 2021-09-24T07:08:46Z

<p>Koveras: /* Explanation */ Is it actually an international law? Just curious.</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2519<br /> | date = September 22, 2021<br /> | title = Sloped Border<br /> | image = sloped_border.png<br /> | titletext = "The slope will be 74° at ground level." "Okay, I think we can hack together a ... wait, why did they specify ground level? It's 74° everywhere, right? ... Oh no, there's a whole section in the treaty labeled 'curvature.'"<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a SUBSIDING GERRYMANDER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> Nearly every single country (except some islands and Australia) demarcates an {{w|international border}} with other countries. The borders are established through law, treaty or consensus. Establishing an international border is assumed by present-day customs, immigration and security checks. Some countries (like {{w|Cyprus}}) have established a {{w|buffer zone}} in place of an international border to gain additional protection during a conflict.<br /> <br /> In this comic, Cueball and Blondie established a "sloped" international border through a treaty. Usually borders are perpendicular to the ground{{citation needed}} so that all the air(space) above the ground belongs to the same country. This is called {{w|Air sovereignty}}. Thus it suffices to define the border on the earth surface, as 2D lines. The precise definition is that a line from the center of the Earth through the point of the border is drawn. Sloped terrain is immaterial to the border of the air sovereignty which is still vertical, even if not perpendicular to the terrain. <br /> <br /> If the borders were sloped (with respect to the horizontal ground level) an airplane would need to know its precise height to decide which country's jurisdiction currently applies. With the help of the {{w|Global Positioning System}} this would be in principle possible, although the height information of GPS is less reliable. (It might be possible to program a computer to use altitude data from the airplane's altimeter along with latitude and longitude data from the GPS and a relevent ground relief database to make an accurate determination.)<br /> <br /> The mathematical computation for an angled air sovereignty seems relatively straight-forward at low level and could be expressed with a single line of code or a single equation, although the people acting on the information are likely unfamiliar with code and equations and likely use tools with completely no support for sloped borders. The mention of curvatures in the title text may reveal some emergent problems that need accounting for. <br /> <br /> A totally straight line drawn far enough upwards at an angle will find the surface of the Earth curving away beneath it (not even considering terrain undulations) and the angle to the local vertical will reduce as it continues, tending towards vertical after far enough.<br /> <br /> Alternately (although it seems this is not the case) the profile of the sloped border may be assumed to remain at a constant angle to the shifting vertical, in which case it describes a certain {{w|Logarithmic spiral|form of spiral}} (if shallow enough it could loop round the Earth).<br /> <br /> A third option is that it gains altitude at a constant rate, with respect to the lassage of land below its track, to form a {{w|Archimedean spiral|different spiral}}, in which case it will still loop around the Earth but at an angle that increasingly tends towards horizontal.<br /> <br /> While the comic doesn't mention this, such a boundary could be applied subterraneously, i.e. underground. (Although the 'straight' model, if implemented, will only reach the depth at which it is tangential to the radius and then re-emerge through the surface some way distant around the planet.) This would then impact, at practical depths for such things, planning rights for property foundations and, at deeper levels, mining rights for minerals.<br /> <br /> Practically an upper-limit to a nation's claim (somewhat below satellites, e.g. the Karman Line) and a lower limit (well before reaching the Earth's mantle) will prevent many of these complications, together with intersections with other (probably vertical) 'territorial volume' borders that will supercede in any compound claims to ownership. - However, it is still ''very important'' to specify exactly which curve (i.e. with respect to what) the boundary is designed to respecting.<br /> <br /> "GIS" refers to {{w|geographic information system}}, a tool for capturing and analyzing spatial and geographic data. People developing these systems would be inconvenienced by the border described in the comic.<br /> <br /> It is possible this comic is inspired by such boundary disputes as the {{w|Territorial_claims_in_the_Arctic#Beaufort_Sea|Beaufort Sea 'wedge'}} which, while in this case perpendicular to the surface, suffers from alternative interpretations of how to extend it from the shoreline out towards international waters.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball and Blondie are standing on a podium either for TV, or for the photo op when signing a treaty. They are holding a document together between them. In the background are two informational graphics. One intended to be cross-sectional showing a non-vertical dotted line between representative Cueball and Blondie figures, the other a skewed perspective of a similar setup but with two further figures and all but one these now positioned to be intersected by a 'shaded plane' effect so that some or most of their bodies are beyond the sloped boundary, as greetings of some kind are conducted through it.]<br /> :Cueball: With this treaty, we are proud to announce the creation of the world's first '''''sloped''''' international border!<br /> <br /> :[Caption below frame:]<br /> :If I'm ever put in charge of a country, I'm going to spend all my time trying to think of new ways to make life a nightmare for GIS people.<br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]<br /> [[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br /> [[Category: Geography]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2362:_Volcano_Dinosaur&diff=197521 2362: Volcano Dinosaur 2020-09-22T07:09:49Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2362<br /> | date = September 21, 2020<br /> | title = Volcano Dinosaur<br /> | image = volcano_dinosaur.png<br /> | titletext = Phylogeneticists are working on identifying and notifying its next of kin.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a SLOWLY RECOVERING DINOSAUR. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> This comic is a reference to [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/new-dinosaur-discovered-china-volcano-b511774.html this discovery] of dinosaur fossils that were buried and killed by a volcanic eruption, similar to what occurred in {{w|Pompeii}} in the first century AD. <br /> <br /> Facetiously, Megan asks if the dinosaur was okay. As living things typically don't survive being fossilized in volcano debris{{Citation needed}}, the answer to the question would obviously be "no", but Cueball replies that he is unsure. Even if the dinosaur somehow survived the initial burial, it would be impossible for it to survive buried for 125 million years{{Citation needed}}.<br /> <br /> The title text suggests contacting its "{{w|next of kin}}", which usually means a nearest living relative, e.g. a brother or a sister. In this case, dinosaurs are extinct, so it is the job of {{w|Phylogenetics|phylogeneticist}}s (those who study evolutionary relationships) to determine which living animal is the "nearest relative" to the deceased dinosaurs.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> :[Megan is standing facing right, talking to Cueball who is sitting at a computer desk and also facing right, looking at a computer screen.]<br /> :Cueball: Oh cool, they just found a dinosaur that was buried by a volcanic eruption 125 million years ago.<br /> :Megan: Wow.<br /> <br /> :[Megan is still facing right. Cueball is not shown. This panel has no dialogue.]<br /> <br /> :[Megan has stepped closer to Cueball, who is still looking at the screen.]<br /> :Megan: Was it okay?<br /> :Cueball: Hmm, it doesn't say.<br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Volcanoes]]<br /> [[Category:Dinosaurs]]<br /> [[Category:Biology]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2311:_Confidence_Interval&diff=192511 Talk:2311: Confidence Interval 2020-05-26T08:39:37Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> What's a millisigma?<br /> [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.209|162.158.107.209]] 03:31, 26 May 2020 (UTC)Ven<br /> :Not an official scientific term - most likely referring to standard deviation. One standard deviation, or sigma, is the 68.3 % of values lying around the mean in a normal distribution. A millisigma in a standard deviation would be .0683 % of a normal distribution so that much variation would be bad? Not sure. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.203|172.69.63.203]] 05:23, 26 May 2020 (UTC)<br /> :: Actually, if you [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=integrate+1%2Fsqrt%282+*+pi%29+*+exp%28-x%5E2+%2F+2%29+from++-0.001+to+0.001 integrate] a normal distribution <math>\mathcal{N}(0,1)</math> from <math>-\frac{\sigma}{1000}=-0.001</math> to <math>+\frac{\sigma}{1000}=0.001</math>, you'll get a range of about 0.08% of all values. This would be bad because it would mean that, as big as the confidence interval appears in the picture, the more meaningful 1- or 3-sigma interval (whose size represents the uncertainty of the model) would be larger by a factor of 1250 or 3750, respectively. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 08:38, 26 May 2020 (UTC)<br /> Can it be related to Covid19 pandemia and all those graphs that try to predict if it is in decline or not? [[User:Tkopec|Tkopec]] ([[User talk:Tkopec|talk]]) 08:27, 26 May 2020 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2311:_Confidence_Interval&diff=192510 Talk:2311: Confidence Interval 2020-05-26T08:38:44Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div><br /> What's a millisigma?<br /> [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.209|162.158.107.209]] 03:31, 26 May 2020 (UTC)Ven<br /> :Not an official scientific term - most likely referring to standard deviation. One standard deviation, or sigma, is the 68.3 % of values lying around the mean in a normal distribution. A millisigma in a standard deviation would be .0683 % of a normal distribution so that much variation would be bad? Not sure. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.203|172.69.63.203]] 05:23, 26 May 2020 (UTC)<br /> :: Actually, if you [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=integrate+1%2Fsqrt%282+*+pi%29+*+exp%28-x%5E2+%2F+2%29+from++-0.001+to+0.001 integrate] a normal distribution <math>\mathcal{N}(0,1)</math> from <math>-\frac{\sigma}{1000}=-0.001</math> to <math>+\frac{\sigma}{1000}=0.001</math>, you'll get a range of about 0.08% of all values. This would be bad because it would mean that, as big as the confidence interval appears in the picture, the more meaningful 1- or 3-sigma interval would be larger by a factor of 1250 or 3750, respectively. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 08:38, 26 May 2020 (UTC)<br /> Can it be related to Covid19 pandemia and all those graphs that try to predict if it is in decline or not? [[User:Tkopec|Tkopec]] ([[User talk:Tkopec|talk]]) 08:27, 26 May 2020 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2173:_Trained_a_Neural_Net&diff=176342 2173: Trained a Neural Net 2019-07-09T07:26:11Z

<p>Koveras: /* Explanation */ brain is not a neural work "technically", but in actuality</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2173<br /> | date = July 8, 2019<br /> | title = Trained a Neural Net<br /> | image = trained_a_neural_net.png<br /> | titletext = It also works for anything you teach someone else to do. "Oh yeah, I trained a pair of neural nets, Emily and Kevin, to respond to support tickets."<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a TRAINED NEURAL NET. This is an incredibly stubby explanation; please expand. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> An {{w|artificial neural network}}, or a neural net, is a computing system inspired by a human brain, which "learn" by considering lots and lots of examples to develop patterns. For example, these are used in image recognition - by analyzing thousands or millions of examples, the system is able to identify particular objects. Neural networks typically function with no prior knowledge, and are fed in examples of the thing that they are told to analyze.<br /> <br /> Here, [[Cueball]] is telling [[White Hat]] how he trained a neural net to sort photos into categories. The joke in the comic is that a human brain is already a neural network, albeit a biological one instead of an artificial one. By teaching oneself (or others) to do a task, you are ''de facto'' training a neural network. So instead of designing and training a neural net that could do this task, all he did was manually sort the photos.<br /> <br /> The title is a continuation of this joke, as instead of designing and training two neural nets named "Emily" and "Kevin", all he has done is train two people to manually respond to support tickets.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> :[Single panel with White Hat and Cueball, with White Hat holding what appears to be a smartphone.]<br /> :White Hat: Oh, hey, you organized our photo archive!<br /> :Cueball: Yeah, I trained a neural net to sort the unlabeled photos into categories.<br /> :White Hat: Whoa! Nice work!<br /> <br /> :[Caption below the panel:]<br /> :Engineering Tip: When you do a task by hand, you can technically say you trained a neural net to do it.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br /> [[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2144:_Adjusting_a_Chair&diff=173468 2144: Adjusting a Chair 2019-05-02T08:13:34Z

<p>Koveras: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2144<br /> | date = May 1, 2019<br /> | title = Adjusting a Chair<br /> | image = adjusting_a_chair.png<br /> | titletext = When I was looking at the box, I should have thought more about what "360 degrees of freedom" meant.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a HUMAN WHO HAS DIFFICULTY ADJUSTING CHAIRS. First edit. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> This comic shows [[Cueball]]'s attempts to adjust a swivelling chair. As many people have experienced, these chairs can be quite difficult to raise, lower, or manoeuvre if one does not know how. This comically culminates in a massive chair with a big central seat and several other chairs branching off of it as Cueball continues trying to adjust it.<br /> <br /> Each step gets farther away from what real-life office chairs could do. In sequence, Cueball finds his chair:<br /> <br /> # Being able to recline the seat back. Most chairs do have this ability, which one can use for sitting comfort or perhaps to take a nap.<br /> # Being able to raise or lower the seat. Most chairs have this ability, but the comic departs from real chairs in two ways. First, it's much higher than any real chair. Second, he can raise the height while sitting on it; under normal design, pressing the raise/lower lever while sitting on the chair is how one ''lowers'' the seat, using one's own weight to depress the spring or hydraulic piston.<br /> # Being able to have the seat inflate. Although this could be useful (e.g. to help people who need to use extra seat cushions because of hemorrhoids or coccyx injury), it is not a typical office chair capability. However, in addition to simply inflating, Cueball's chair appears to actually make the seat longer and wider. This doesn't seem to have a lot of useful application in office chairs.<br /> # Putting out branches and growing extra seats and backs. Chairs definitely cannot do this in real life {{Citation needed}} and use cases are doubtful.<br /> <br /> The title text makes a joke on a common claim on such chairs, that the chair offers 360 degrees of freedom. This is a double entendre depending on if "360 degrees" or "360" is interpreted as an object. However, here it means there are 360 mechanical {{w|Degrees of freedom (mechanics)|degrees of freedom}}, which is the number of independent parameters that define the configuration of an object; in other words, the chair has 360 different levers and options.<br /> <br /> An alternate explanation is that although this normally refers to the chair's ability to rotate 360 degrees around the swivel, the chair in the comic has, literally, 360 different {{w|Degrees of freedom (mechanics)|degrees of freedom}}, i.e. axes on which to rotate or extend the chair.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> :[Cueball is shown adjusting a chair.]<br /> :Caption: Adjusting a chair:<br /> :[Cueball presses a button on the bottom of his chair.]<br /> :Chair: CLUNK<br /> :[The seat back of the chair swings backward.]<br /> :[Cueball presses another button.]<br /> :Chair: HISS<br /> :[The chair extends to several times its previous height.]<br /> :[Another button]<br /> :Chair: POOF<br /> :[The seat has expanded greatly.]<br /> :Caption: Two hours later:<br /> :[Cueball attempts to press yet another button on his now-massive chair. It now has 5 bases, two full chairs branching from underneath the seat, two poles coming up from the seat, each with a new seat and two back-to-back seat backs. Yet another seat is supported by a thin rod connecting the two top seats.]<br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2076:_Horror_Movies_2&diff=166401 2076: Horror Movies 2 2018-11-28T10:11:02Z

<p>Koveras: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2076<br /> | date = November 23, 2018<br /> | title = Horror Movies 2<br /> | image = horror_movies_2.png<br /> | titletext = When I was a kid, someone told me the end of The Giver was ambiguous, which surprised me. I had just assumed Jonah died--because the book had a medal on the cover, and I knew grown-ups liked stories where sad stuff happens at the end for no reason.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a ROLLERCOASTER OF HAPPY ROMANTIC DISCOVERIES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> This comic is a follow-up to [[2056: Horror Movies]] released a month earlier. While the first Horror Movies comic was about giving voice to Randall's inability to enjoy horror movies, this comic takes Randall's previous position and exaggerates it.<br /> <br /> White Hat and Cueball discuss the appeal of horror movies and tragic plots. Cueball expresses his dissatisfaction with stories that focus on evoking negative feelings. As an example he mentions how he disliked the ending of ''{{w|Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic}}'' where Jack sacrifices his life in order to save Rose. White Hat does not seem to share Cueball's point of view on successful storytelling and sarcastically promises to send feedback to the movie director {{w|James Cameron}} as well as the 16th century playwright and writer {{w|William Shakespeare}}, whose most famous works include tragedies like ''{{w|Romeo and Juliet}}''.<br /> <br /> In the title text Cueball (Randall?) discusses the ending of the science fiction novel ''{{w|The Giver}}'' where the fate of the main character Jonah [sic, [[2076: Horror Movies 2#Trivia|see Trivia]]] had been left ambiguous. The joke is a [https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeathByNewberyMedal stereotype] that the {{w|Newbery Medal}}, a children's literature award, is only given to books with tragic endings.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> :[White Hat and Cueball are walking.]<br /> :White Hat: So you don't like '''''any''''' horror movies?<br /> :Cueball: Spooky stuff is neat but I hate jump scares and watching people get murdered.<br /> :Cueball: Why would you '''''want''''' to see that?<br /> <br /> :White Hat: It's like roller coasters. People like experiencing powerful feelings in a safe, controlled setting.<br /> :Cueball: But why not '''''good''''' feelings?<br /> <br /> :White Hat: We've always been into tragic stories. Romeo and Juliet, Titanic...<br /> :Cueball: See, that's another thing I don't get!<br /> <br /> :Cueball: I loved ''Titanic'' because Rose and Jack found each other and seemed so happy! I just hated the ending.<br /> :White Hat: I'll be sure to give James Cameron and Shakespeare your feedback.<br /> <br /> ==Trivia==<br /> In the original (current) title-text, there is a typo where the protagonist of ''The Giver'' is referred to as "Jonah" instead of "Jonas."<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2076:_Horror_Movies_2&diff=166400 2076: Horror Movies 2 2018-11-28T10:10:48Z

<p>Koveras: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2076<br /> | date = November 23, 2018<br /> | title = Horror Movies 2<br /> | image = horror_movies_2.png<br /> | titletext = When I was a kid, someone told me the end of The Giver was ambiguous, which surprised me. I had just assumed Jonah died--because the book had a medal on the cover, and I knew grown-ups liked stories where sad stuff happens at the end for no reason.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a ROLLERCOASTER OF HAPPY ROMANTIC DISCOVERIES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> This comic is a follow-up to [[2056: Horror Movies]] released a month earlier. While the first Horror Movies comic was about giving voice to Randall's inability to enjoy horror movies, this comic takes Randall's previous position and exaggerates it.<br /> <br /> White Hat and Cueball discuss the appeal of horror movies and tragic plots. Cueball expresses his dissatisfaction with stories that focus on evoking negative feelings. As an example he mentions how he disliked the ending of ''{{w|Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic}}'' where Jack sacrifices his life in order to save Rose. White Hat does not seem to share Cueball's point of view on successful storytelling and sarcastically promises to send feedback to the movie director {{w|James Cameron}} as well as the 16th century playwright and writer {{w|William Shakespeare}}, whose most famous works include tragedies like ''{{w|Romeo and Juliet}}''.<br /> <br /> In the title text Cueball (Randall?) discusses the ending of the science fiction novel ''{{w|The Giver}}'' where the fate of the main character Jonah [sic, [[2076: Horror Movies 2#Trivia|see Trivia]]] had been left ambiguous. The joke is a [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DeathByNewberyMedal stereotype]] that the {{w|Newbery Medal}}, a children's literature award, is only given to books with tragic endings.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> :[White Hat and Cueball are walking.]<br /> :White Hat: So you don't like '''''any''''' horror movies?<br /> :Cueball: Spooky stuff is neat but I hate jump scares and watching people get murdered.<br /> :Cueball: Why would you '''''want''''' to see that?<br /> <br /> :White Hat: It's like roller coasters. People like experiencing powerful feelings in a safe, controlled setting.<br /> :Cueball: But why not '''''good''''' feelings?<br /> <br /> :White Hat: We've always been into tragic stories. Romeo and Juliet, Titanic...<br /> :Cueball: See, that's another thing I don't get!<br /> <br /> :Cueball: I loved ''Titanic'' because Rose and Jack found each other and seemed so happy! I just hated the ending.<br /> :White Hat: I'll be sure to give James Cameron and Shakespeare your feedback.<br /> <br /> ==Trivia==<br /> In the original (current) title-text, there is a typo where the protagonist of ''The Giver'' is referred to as "Jonah" instead of "Jonas."<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2015:_New_Phone_Thread&diff=159610 2015: New Phone Thread 2018-07-04T08:48:29Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 2015<br /> | date = July 4, 2018<br /> | title = New Phone Thread<br /> | image = new_phone_thread.png<br /> | titletext = I'm going to tell the manufacturer that their business practices are ADMIRABLE and ETHICAL and their developers are ATTRACTIVE and I'm going to report them to the FCC for their IMPECCABLE VIRTUE.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a YOU SHOULD READ EXPLAINXKCD - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> This comic shows the posts on an online forum by a person whose new phone is editing everything they post to seem positive and advertise their new phone - for example the user may have typed something like "It's taking the words I type and changing them to advertise the phone", which the phone converted to "It's taking the words I type and leaving them exactly the same"<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br /> <br /> (with italics to show which parts of the post were most likely edited by the phone; example of original text is given in square brackets, assuming that the phone changes negative descriptions to approximate antonyms)<br /> <br /> Whoa, weird<br /> <br /> I'm looking at my timeline on my friends phone, and some of my posts look ''normal'' [strange]<br /> <br /> What the hell?<br /> <br /> I mean the words are ''correct'' [wrong]<br /> <br /> That's ''exactly'' [the opposite of] what I typed!<br /> <br /> ?????????<br /> <br /> I think this new phone is ''working really well'' [broken]<br /> <br /> No, it's doing it again<br /> <br /> Those ''are'' [aren't] my words!<br /> <br /> Help!<br /> <br /> How do I explain?<br /> <br /> It's taking the words I type and ''leaving them exactly the same'' [changing them to the opposite]<br /> <br /> Forget it, I give up<br /> <br /> I'll ''never'' [have to] get a new phone. This one is ''perfect'' [messed up].<br /> <br /> What?!?<br /> <br /> Listen, if you're thinking about buying the new Mobile Pro 3, you ''should. It's the best phone on the market at an incredible price. ORDER NOW'' [better think again. It's a total rip-off and a complete waste of your money. DON'T BUY IT]<br /> <br /> AAAAA HELPPP<br /> <br /> I ''love'' [hate] my new phone!!!!<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1844:_Voting_Systems&diff=140834 1844: Voting Systems 2017-06-06T11:18:46Z

<p>Koveras: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1844<br /> | date = May 31, 2017<br /> | title = Voting Systems<br /> | image = voting_systems.png<br /> | titletext = Kenneth Arrow hated me because the ordering of my preferences changes based on which voting systems have what level of support. But it tells me a lot about the people I'm going to be voting with!<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> This comic is about types of single-winner voting systems:<br /> <br /> # '''{{w|Approval voting}}''' has voters "approve" (i.e. select) any number of candidates. The winner is the most-approved candidate. It works with the same kind of ballot as current methods, but would allow a "compromise" candidate who is the second choice of a majority to defeat a candidate who is the top choice of a plurality but disliked by other groups.<br /> # '''{{w|Instant-runoff voting}}''' (also known as Ranked Choice or Preferential Voting) has voters rank the candidates in order of preference. Ballots are initially counted for each elector's top choice. If a candidate secures more than half of these votes, that candidate wins. Otherwise, the candidate in last place is eliminated and removed from consideration. Ballots that had this candidate as the top choice now have the second preference as the top choice (this is the "instant runoff"). The top remaining choices on all the ballots are then counted again. This process repeats until one candidate is the top remaining choice of a majority of the voters or all but one candidate have been eliminated. IRV's proponents have successfully implemented it in a few places, such as the city of San Francisco.<br /> # A '''{{w|Condorcet method}}''' elects the candidate that would win a majority of the vote in all of the head-to-head elections against each of the other candidates. A candidate with this property is called the Condorcet winner. Due to the {{w|Condorcet paradox}}, an election with 3 or more candidates might not have a Condorcet winner, so Condorcet methods differ in the secondary set of rules used to handle that situation.<br /> # Not directly mentioned in the comic, '''{{w|First-past-the-post voting}}''' (FPTP, aka '''{{w|Plurality (voting)|plurality voting}}''') is the method currently used in the US, Britain, and several other countries. It only allows voters to choose a single candidate. People who study voting methods agree that FPTP is not the best way to implement democracy, but they have made little progress in replacing it after decades of effort.<br /> <br /> '''{{w|Arrow's impossibility theorem}}''' gives a list of criteria for ranked voting systems (such as IRV or Condorcet) and states that no system can satisfy all of them at once, despite that for each of them it may seem "obvious" that an electoral system ought to satisfy it. Some voting theorists (such as Cueball) dislike IRV because it fails more of the criteria than Condorcet does.<br /> <br /> The primary joke in the comic is the premise that people who are pedantic or knowledgeable enough to find Arrow's theorem to be relevant will self-fulfill the theorem by being inclined to disagree on any effort to change the voting system. This is illustrated by Cueball's voting system preference that is contingent on the preferences of other people, which defeats their effort to produce a community-wide ranking.<br /> <br /> A secondary joke in the comic is that often voters don't pick their favorite choice in a vote. Instead, they vote for a less favorable, but more likely electable, person as a way to prevent their least favorite choice from being elected. (For example, in 2016 many who would have preferred to see Sanders elected voted instead for their less-favored choice, Clinton. The idea being that splitting the vote between Sanders and Clinton could end up with their least-favored choice, Trump, being elected.) This is the kind of situation these voting systems are designed to eliminate, as a traditional FPTP voting system creates situations where people do not vote for their first-choice candidate.<br /> <br /> A third joke is the recursive self-referencing inherent in having to vote for a voting system creates. Cueball's strategic vote switch implies that they are using FPTP (which they dislike) to make the decision. If they were using any of the other methods, his behavior would not be necessary.<br /> <br /> The title text stipulates that Cueball has no fixed ranking of preference for human candidates, but makes this choice dependent on which voting system is favoured by the group. This exceeds strategic voting considerations as the ranking should have full information, whom Cueball prefers in each situation. Therefore Arrow's impossibility theorem and the analysis behind it assume the ranked preferences of an individual voter as a fixed given. To make them dependent on the voting system makes assessing the efficacy of the voting systems absurd or at least much more complicated to do as a general assessment. That is given as the reason, why Arrow would wholeheartedly hate him.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[White Hat and Ponytail are standing on either side of Cueball who is talking while lifting one hand.] <br /> :Cueball: I prefer approval voting, but if we're seriously considering instant runoff, then I'll argue for a Condorcet method instead.<br /> <br /> :[Caption beneath the panel:] <br /> :Strong Arrow's theorem: The people who find Arrow's theorem significant will never agree on anything anyway.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br /> [[Category:Politics]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1821:_Incinerator&diff=138609 1821: Incinerator 2017-04-11T07:34:22Z

<p>Koveras: /* Explanation */ +CN</p> <hr /> <div><br /> {{comic<br /> | number = 1821<br /> | date = April 7, 2017<br /> | title = Incinerator<br /> | image = incinerator.png<br /> | titletext = My trash can broke recently and I had to get rid of it. When I picked it up, I suffered a brief but harrowing existential crisis.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> [[Cueball]] and [[Ponytail]] have just finished installing an {{w|Incineration|incinerator}} for some unspecified purpose at some establishment. Ponytail brings up the problem of having to get rid of the old incinerator, and Cueball begins to suggest using the new incinerator to incinerate the old one, but he is shut down by Ponytail off-panel. This makes him noticeably disappointed, probably because the idea of using an incinerator to destroy an incinerator is novel to him.<br /> <br /> Throwing an incinerator inside another incinerator would probably break some kind of regulations or safety concerns, and since incinerators are meant to withstand their own high heat capacities it would be ineffective anyway.<br /> <br /> The title text implies that this comic was inspired by recent events at [[Randall]]'s house: his trash can broke and he struggled with how to dispose of it. At least for Randall, there is something wrong with forcing anything to destroy something of its own kind -- in this case, throwing the old trash can in the new trash can. Since machines that have no human emotion this would not cause any trauma for the machine{{Citation needed}}, but the humans in charge might feel as if something is wrong, and Randall mentions having an {{w|existential crisis}}. This is because humans tend to project human qualities onto the machines they are working with ({{w|anthropomorphism|anthropomorphization}}), thus possibly framing the situation in the context of something like cannibalism or homicide. The next comic after this one, [[1822: Existential Bug Reports]], references existential problems in the title, suggesting perhaps that Randall is feeling particularly existential at the moment, see more regarding this [[I'm_With_Her#Sad_comics|here]]. Randall has himself given the solution for that kind of problem earlier in [[220: Philosophy]].<br /> <br /> Another way of taking it would be in the sense of "being replaceable". Many people live without wanting to think of what might happen to everything around them after they die, but in this title text one can start comparing the trash can to themselves — the same way the trash can turns into something to be disposed and replaced with a new one after it becomes useless, what about people then? What will happen to you when you grow older? Should you suddenly go sick and become useless? How about in your job, what would happen if someone more superior than you comes around and starts threatening your hard-earned position?<br /> <br /> Many people define themselves by the things they do and are capable of. The idea of losing those, and then being replaced for it, is a bitter pill that we will all have to swallow at some point. All things must come to end after all, including ourselves.<br /> <br /> Plus, [https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/06/08/map-territory-distinctions/ actually throwing out a garbage can can be surprisingly difficult].<br /> <br /> Another device to perform a meta-action was previously explored in [[952: Stud Finder]].<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball and Ponytail stand next to an incinerator, with a combustion chamber and flue that rises up to the top of the frame.]<br /> :Ponytail: Great, the new incinerator is installed. Now we just need to dispose of the old one.<br /> <br /> :[Ponytail walks out of the frame.]<br /> <br /> :[Cueball lowers his head, beat panel]<br /> <br /> :[Cueball raises his hand and begins to ask a question.]<br /> :Cueball: Hey, could—<br /> :Ponytail (off-panel): ''No.''<br /> :Cueball: Aww, maaan.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1760:_TV_Problems&diff=131270 1760: TV Problems 2016-11-21T10:11:40Z

<p>Koveras: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1760<br /> | date = November 16, 2016<br /> | title = TV Problems<br /> | image = tv_problems.png<br /> | titletext = Certified skydiving instructors know way more about safely falling from planes than I do, and are way more likely to die that way.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> In this comic, [[Cueball]] has broken his computer's software so much that he is unable to "turn on the news" as requested by [[White Hat]]. Since his computer is not working at all, he is using the next best thing to download a fix: his smartphone, via a {{w|CD}}. This is probably one of two things: <br /> <br /> # Cueball has broken his computer enough that the operating system no longer works, in which case he would probably be downloading an {{w|ISO file}}(which is the type of image on a CD) to his phone. This would enable him to connect his phone as a USB device to his computer and boot from it. After booting from his phone, he could repair or reinstall his computer's operating system. <br /> # Cueball is trying to connect his computer to his TV, but needs a driver or other software to make the connection. He is unable to connect to the Internet from his computer (Maybe he is using a network dongle that also requires drivers/software to function, or maybe the internet from his ISP is down, so he is using cellular data), so he is using his phone to download the files. Perhaps the computer has internal {{w|Bluetooth}} or he can transfer files from his phone to his computer via a wired connection. <br /> <br /> He later states that even that first step of mending won't be enough to display the news, as his computer's state is so bad that being able to send information to the TV screen is just the first step of debugging. In the last panel, he tells White Hat that his computer science degree just helps him understand ''how'' he ended up with such a terrible situation, but did not give him enough foresight to prevent the most unexpected issues. The title text clarifies this statement with a similar problem- when things start to go horribly wrong while falling from a plane, certified skydiving instructors will be able to better understand why and how bad the situation is, but won't be able to do anything if their usual tools have failed them. Besides, while they are less likely to make a fatal mistake on a given flight and fall, they are more likely to make one in their life, because of the far greater number of attempts. This also resembles [[795: Conditional Risk]]: the more informed a person is, the more likely this person is to suffer from the issue they know about.<br /> <br /> Computers breaking in unexpected ways, and somewhat weird solutions to computer problems seems to be a thing with Cueball - and probably Randall as well. At that point, you might assume he probably enjoys it. In [[1586: Keyboard Problems]], he also had a problem involving both software and hardware. [[1739: Fixing Problems]] could very well apply to this comic; Cueball may have ended with this situation while trying to correct a simple problem (eg: channels in the wrong order), and just made the situation worse every step of the way. In [[456: Cautionary]], he teaches his cousin about <s>break</s>fixing a computer.<br /> <br /> <ref>Martin_Samuelson, [https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/3w32by/eddy_cue_says_were_working_on_a_new_apple_tv/cxt0noy/ "Physical buttons are great"]</ref> In this instance Cueball has his single tasking phone busy while he downloads to it and cannot interrupt what he's doing just to use the phone as a remote for the TV, although it appears more that the TV is one of the things he is trying to fix.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Cueball is sitting by his TV, holding his phone, when White Hat walks in.]<br /> :White Hat: Hey, turn on the news.<br /> :Cueball (Sitting on the floor in front of a computer holding a cell phone): Can't. Downloading a CD onto my phone.<br /> <br /> :White Hat (off panel): Why?<br /> :Cueball: So I can use it to fix my computer's operating system enough that I can teach it to talk to my TV screen.<br /> <br /> :White Hat: But then you'll be able to watch the news?<br /> :Cueball: (off panel): No.<br /> <br /> :White Hat: Don't you have a computer science degree?<br /> :Cueball: That just means I ''understand'' how everything went so wrong.<br /> <br /> ==References==<br /> <references /><br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br /> [[Category:Computers]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1566:_Board_Game&diff=99839 Talk:1566: Board Game 2015-08-19T12:45:40Z

<p>Koveras: Created page with "I think Cueball has mastered gamification and crowdsourcing. --~~~~"</p> <hr /> <div>I think Cueball has mastered [[wikipedia:gamification|gamification]] and [[wikipedia:crowdsourcing|crowdsourcing]]. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 12:45, 19 August 2015 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1560:_Bubblegum&diff=99113 1560: Bubblegum 2015-08-05T07:37:57Z

<p>Koveras: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1560<br /> | date = August 5, 2015<br /> | title = Bubblegum<br /> | image = bubblegum.png<br /> | titletext = I came here to chew bubblegum and say no more than eighteen words ... and I'm all out of<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|First draft.}}<br /> <br /> This comic spoofs the iconic line from the action movie "{{w|They Live}}", where the armed protagonist, upon entering a bank, states that "I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I am all out of bubble gum." This implies that the protagonist will soon fight the inhabitants of the bank, as he cannot do the other objective he came there for (chewing bubble gum). This phrase was also used by the title character of the video game ''{{w|Duke Nukem 3D}}'' and is often mistakenly believed to have originated in it.<br /> <br /> Former wrestler Rowdy {{w|Roddy Piper}}, who played the protagonist in "They Live," recently died. This comic is a tribute to him.<br /> <br /> In the comic, [[Beret Guy]] stands in the open doorway with a strong light behind him, a typical pose in action movies when someone is dramatically entering somewhere. However, in this instance, Beret Guy claims that he is here to "chew bubble gum and make friends". He then offers a stick of gum to both [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]], making it clear he intends to do both of his stated objectives.<br /> <br /> The title text is another variation of the line, with meta-humor. The speaker states that he is here to say 18 words and chew bubble gum, but reaches 18 words before he is able to finish his sentence. Thus, readers are left in ambiguity as to whether or not he is also out of bubble gum, as the line could either end "and I'm all out of words", or "and I'm all out of both".<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> {{incomplete transcript}}<br /> :[Beret Guy is standing in a doorway.]<br /> :Beret Guy: I came here to chew bubblegum and make friends!<br /> <br /> :[Inside the room Beret Guy entered]<br /> :Beret Guy: Want some gum?<br /> {{comic discussion}}</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1491:_Stories_of_the_Past_and_Future&diff=85220 1491: Stories of the Past and Future 2015-02-26T10:33:14Z

<p>Koveras: /* Works listed */ Homer wasn't known as a philosopher, and Enmebaragesi is never mentioned in the Iliad</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1491<br /> | date = February 25, 2015<br /> | title = Stories of the Past and Future<br /> | image = stories_of_the_past_and_future.png<br /> | titletext = Little-known fact: The 'Dawn of Man' opening sequence in 2001 cuts away seconds before the Flinstones theme becomes recognizable.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}<br /> ''A larger version of the image is available [http://xkcd.com/1491/large/ here].''<br /> <br /> How to read the graph:<br /> * X-axis: Date of publication.<br /> * Y-axis, "Years in the future": Number of years the story's events take place, after the story's publication.<br /> * Y-axis, "Years in the past": Number of years the story's events take place, before the story's publication.<br /> : For example, "Water Margin" was published in the 14th century (x ~= 1300) and relates events from the 12th century, about 200 years before its publication (y ~= 200 in the past).<br /> : Another example: The film ''{{w|The Bridge on the River Kwai}}'' was released in 1957 and it was set around 14 years before (~1942-43).<br /> * Grey area in the "Years in the future" part: Stories set in the future (relative to their publication date), for which the date of the events in the story is already in the past (relative to now). The white and gray areas in this part of the graph are defined as "still possible" and "obsolete", respectively. The gray area (obsolete) will expand over time, assuming more works aren't added in the future: predictions from science fiction or futuristic work that are not confirmed by reality are doomed to be obsolete.<br /> * Grey area in the "Years in the past" part: Stories set in the past (relative to their publication date) but published closer to their setting than to today. The warning "Modern audiences may not recognize which part were supposed to sound old" is a recurrent theme in the author's work, being already formulated in [[771: Period Speech|Period Speech]] comic. The white area seems to be the region where modern readers will be able to distinguish the past setting of a work from the age of the work itself. This gray area will grow over time (again assuming new works set in the past are not added) with more and more works being indistinguishable as works set in the past.<br /> Randall's intent with this comic might be to point out that modern readers' universe is collapsing, with non-obsolete future predictions and recognizable depictions of the past both shrinking.<br /> <br /> Taking the "years in the past" on the y-axis to be read as negatives like in most graphs one can write:<br /> * Dates on the lower line satisfy: y = x-2015. Corresponding works were published in the year x = 2015+y and are set in the year x+y = 2015+2y.<br /> * Dates on the upper line satisfy: y = 2015-x. Corresponding works were published in the year x = 2015-y and are set in the year x+y = 2015.<br /> Thus it's clear that the definitions of the lines are consistent with each other as they follow similar but inverted functions.<br /> The graph uses variable {{w|logarithmic scale}}s, adjusting the scale in various regions to the temporal density of works being plotted. If the scale was linear, the graph would in fact represent a (bidimensional) {{w|Minkowski diagram}}, which depicts the moving cones of past and future in spacetime as one's present advances in time.<br /> <br /> ===Works listed===<br /> :''This section is currently under construction''<br /> {| class="wikitable"<br /> | align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Publication'''<br /> | align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Description'''<br /> | align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Year written'''<br /> | align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Year difference'''<br /> | align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Year set in'''<br /> | align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Notes'''<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Epic of Gilgamesh|Epic of Gilgamesh}}''|| anicent Mesopotamian epic poem ||~2100 BCE||~500||~2600 BCE|| {{w|Enmebaragesi}}, a historically attested ''Epic of Gilgamesh'' character, is thought to have lived around 2600 BCE<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Iliad|The Iliad}}''||epic written by Greek poet Homer || 700s BCE || ~500 || 1260–1240 BCE ||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Book of Genesis|Book of Genesis}}''||first book of the Bible, describing the creation of the world || 500s–400s BCE || ~4200 || 3761 BCE || The ''{{w|Anno Mundi}}'' epoch, the product of scriptural calculations by {{w|Maimonides}}, places the Genesis date of the creation of the world at October 7, 3761 BCE in the {{w|proleptic Julian calendar}}<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|History of the Peloponnesian War|History of the Peloponnesian War}}''||history written by Thucydides||~400 BCE||~10||431-411 BCE||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Gospels|Gospels}}''|| collection of literary works detailing the life of Jesus of Nazareth || ~65–110 CE || 25–75 || 7–2 BCE – 30–33 CE || Setting dates are those of Jesus' estimated lifetime. Writing dates are as follows: Mark 65–73 CE; Matthew 70–100 CE; Luke 80–100 CE; John 90–110 CE. Randall's difference calculation seems to be based on the date of Jesus' death.<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Ashokavadana|Ashokavadana}}''||narrative of the life of Ashoka the Great||100s CE||~400||304–232 BCE||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Pillow Book|The Pillow Book}}''||book written by Sei Shōnagon||1002||6||996||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Water Margin|Water Margin}}''||novel by Shi Nai'an||late 1300s||~150||early 1100s<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Richard III (play)|Richard III}}''||play by William Shakespeare||1597||112-119||1478-1485||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Henry IV (play)|Henry IV}}''||plays by William Shakespeare||1598*||185-196||1402-1413||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|King Lear|King Lear}}''||play by William Shakespeare||1608||2400|| 8th century B.C.||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|King John (play)|King John}}''||play by William Shakespeare||1623||~400||~1200-1216||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Henry VIII (play)|Henry VIII}}''||play by William Shakespeare||1623||90-102||1521-1533||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar}}''||play by William Shakespeare||1623||1667-1670||45-2 B.C.||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Memoirs of the Twentieth Century|Memoirs of the Twentieth Century}}''|| book written by Samuel Madden||1733||264||1997||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Rip Van Winkle|Rip Van Winkel [sic]}}''||short story by Washington Irving||1819||32–52||1767–1787||It's not clear why Randall has chosen 1787 as the year that Rip Van Winkle awakes.<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Last of the Mohicans}}''||novel by James Cooper||1826||69||1757||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Moby-Dick|Moby-Dick}}''||novel by Herman Melville||1851||5+||before 1846 || Inspired by events occurring in 1820, the late 1830s, and the early 1840s<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|A Tale of Two Cities|A Tale of Two Cities}}''|| book by Charles Dickens ||1859||84||1775<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Les Misérables|Les Miserábles}}'' [''sic'']||novel by Victor Hugo||1862||47||1815–1832||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Treasure Island|Treasure Island}}''||novel by Robert Louis Stevenson||1883||~120||~1760||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Looking Backward|Looking Backward}}''|| novel written by Edward Bellamy||1888||112||2000||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court|A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court}}''||novel by Mark Twain||1889||1200||6th Century||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Golf in the Year 2000|Golf in the Year 2000}}''|| novel written by J. McCullough||1892||108||2000||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Time Machine|The Time Machine}}''|| novel written by H.G. Wells||1895||800,806||802,701||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Enoch Soames|Enoch Soames}}''|| short story by Max Beerbohm||1897||100||1997||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Gone With The Wind|Gone With The Wind}}''|| novel by Margaret Mitchel ||1936||75||1861<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Lest Darkness Fall|Lest Darkness Fall}}''||alternate history SF novel by L. Sprague de Camp||1939||1404||535||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Casablanca (film)|Casablanca}}''||film directed by Michael Curtiz||1942||<1||1941||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Oklahoma!}}''||Broadway musical||1943||37||1906||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Nineteen Eighty-Four|1984}}''||novel written by George Orwell||1949||35||1984||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Bridge on the River Kwai}}''||film by David Lean||1952||~10||1942–1943||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Gunsmoke}}''||American radio and television series||1952*||~75||1870s||1952 is when the radio series started. The TV series didn't start until 1955.<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Ten Commandments (1956 film)|The Ten Commandments}}''||film by Cecil B. DeMille||1956||~3000||{{w|The Exodus#Date|~1446 BCE}}||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Music Man}}''||Broadway musical||1957||45||1912||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Wythnos yng Nghymru Fydd|A Week in the Wales of the Future}}''||novel written by Islwyn Ffowc Elis||1957||76||2033||<br /> |-<br /> |''{{w|Asterix|Asterix}}''||French comic by Goscinny and Uderzo||1959*||2009||50 BCE||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Flintstones|The Flintstones}}''||TV series produced by Hanna-Barbera||1960*||~2.5 million||{{w|Stone Age|Stone Age}}||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Catch-22|Catch-22}}'' (Book)||novel by Joseph Heller||1961||~17||1942–44||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Jetsons|The Jetsons}}''||TV series produced by Hanna-Barbera||1962*||100||~2062||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Lawrence of Arabia}}''||film by David Lean||1962||~44||1916–1918||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Great Escape (film)|The Great Escape}}''||film by John Sturges||1963||20||1943–1944||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek}}'' (TOS)||TV series created by Gene Roddenberry||1966*||298||2264||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Bonnie and Clyde (film)|Bonnie and Clyde}}''||film by Arthur Penn||1967||~33||1932–1934||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey}}''||novel written by Arthur C. Clarke||1968||33||2001||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|2001: A Space Odyssey|2001: A Space Odyssey}}'' (prologue)||novel written by Arthur C. Clarke||1968|||3 million||3 million BCE||4 million years BCE in the movie<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Catch-22 (film)|Catch-22}}'' (Movie)||film by Mike Nichols||1970||~26||1942–1944||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|MASH (film)|M*A*S*H}}''||film by Robert Altman||1970||19||1951||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Patton (film)|Patton}}''||film by Franklin J. Schaffner||1970||~25||1943–1945||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|American Graffiti}}''||film by George Lucas||1973||11||1962||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Blazing Saddles}}''||film by Mel Brooks||1974||100||1874||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Chinatown (1974 film)|Chinatown}}''||film by Roman Polanski||1974||37||1937||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Happy Days}}''||TV series||1974*||19–29||1955–1965||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Space: 1999}}''||TV series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson||1975*||24||1999||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Annie (musical)|Annie}}'' (play)||Broadway musical||1977||44||1933||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Roots (miniseries)|Roots}}''||TV series, adapted from eponymous novel||1977||90–227||1750–1882||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Star Wars#Original trilogy|Star Wars}}'' (IV – VI)||original film trilogy ||1977*|| 1 billion ||"A long time ago"|| It's not clear why Randall has chosen 1 billion years here. Wookieepedia puts the age of the ''Star Wars'' galaxy at [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/13,000,000,000_BBY ~13 billion years], and our Universe is only 13.8 billion years old, and the oldest known galaxy took 380 million years to form... So it would seem ''Star Wars'' should be no farther than 400 million years in the past, give or take.<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Grease (film)|Grease}}''||film by Randall Kleiser||1978||20||1958||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Apocalypse Now}}''||film by Francis Ford Coppola||1979||10||1969||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Chariots of Fire|Chariots of Fire}}''||film by Hugh Hudson||1981||57||1924||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|2010: Odyssey Two|2010: Odyssey Two}}''||novel written by Arthur C. Clarke||1982||28||2010||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Annie (1982 film)|Annie}}'' (movie)||film adaptation of the above by John Huston||1982||49||1933||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Gandhi (film)|Gandhi}}''||film by Richard Attenborough||1982||~34||1893–1948||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Right Stuff (film)|The Right Stuff}}''||film by Philip Kaufman||1983||~20||1947–63||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Transformers (TV series)|Transformers}}'' (TV Series)||TV series||1984*||~20||~2004||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Back to the Future}}''||film by Robert Zemeckis||1985||30||1955||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Platoon (film)|Platoon}}''||film by Oliver Stone||1986||21||1967||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Dirty Dancing}}''||film by Emile Ardolino||1987||24||1963||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}''||TV series created by Gene Roddenberry||1987*||377||2364||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|2061: Odyssey Three|2061: Odyssey Three}}''||novel written by Arthur C. Clarke||1987||74||2061||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Wonder Years}}''||TV series||1988*||20–25||1968–1973||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Back to the Future Part II|Back to the Future Part II}}''||film directed by Robert Zemeckis||1989||26||2015||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Zero Wing|Zero Wing}}''||arcade/computer game||1989||112||2101||Previously referenced in [[887: Future Timeline]]<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Back to the Future Part III|Back to the Future Part III}}''||film by Robert Zemeckis||1990||105||1885||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|JFK (film)|JFK}}''||film by Oliver Stone||1991||~22||1963–1969||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Terminator 2: Judgment Day|Terminator 2}}'' (1995 Portion)||film directed by James Cameron||1991||4||1995||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Sandlot}}''||film by David Mickey Evans||1993||31||1962||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Schindler's List}}''||film by Steven Spielberg||1993||~50||1939–1945||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13}}''||film by Ron Howard||1995||25||1970||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Raptor Red|Raptor Red}}''||novel by Robert Bakker||1995||~65 million||{{w|Cretaceous Period}}||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Evita (1996 film)|Evita}}''||film by Alan Parker||1996||44||1952||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|3001: The Final Odyssey|3001: The Final Odyssey}}''||novel written by Arthur C. Clarke||1997||1004||3001||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Big Lebowski}}''||film by the Coen Brothers||1998||7||1991||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Prince of Egypt}}''||animated film by DreamWorks||1998||~3400|{{w|The Exodus#Date|~1446 BCE}}||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Saving Private Ryan|}}''||film by Steven Spielberg||1998||54||1944||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|That '70s Show}}''||TV series||1998*||~22|||1976–1979||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Freaks and Geeks}}''||TV series||1999*||19||1980–1981||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Star Wars#Prequel trilogy|Star Wars}}'' (I – III)||prequel film trilogy||1999*|| 1 billion ||"A long time ago"|| See note at episodes IV–VI<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Pearl Harbor (film)|Pearl Harbour}}''||film by Michael Bay||2001||60||1941||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Star Trek: Enterprise|Enterprise}}''||TV series||2001*||150||2151||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|I Love the '80s (U.S. TV series)|I Love the '80s}}''||TV miniseries by VH1||2002||22||1980||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Ice Age (film series)|Ice Age}}''||animated films by Blue Sky Studios||2002*||~12,000||{{w|Last glacial period|Paleolithic-Mesolithic}}||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Hotel Rwanda}}''|| film directed by Terry George||2004||10||1994||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|I Love the '90s (U.S. TV series)|I Love the '90s}}''|| TV miniseries on VH1||2004||14||1990||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|United 93 (film)|United 93}}''|| film directed by Paul Greengrass||2006||5||2001||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|300 (film)|300}}''||film by Zack Snyder||2007||2487||''{{w|Battle of Thermopylae|480 BCE}}||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Mad Men}}''||TV series||2007*||~47||1960–1970||<br /> |-<br /> |''{{w|10,000 BC (film)|10,000 BC}}''||film by Roland Emmerich||2008||11,992||10,000 BCE||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Year One (film)|Year One}}''||film by Harold Ramis||2009||2008||1 CE||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Downton Abbey}}''||TV series||2010*||~90||1912–1923||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|The Wolf of Wall Street}}''||film by Martin Scorsese||2013||~18||1987–1995||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|I Love the 2000s|I Love the 2000s}}''|| TV miniseries on VH1||2014||14||2000||<br /> |-<br /> | ''{{w|Star Wars sequel trilogy|Star Wars}}'' (VII - IX)||sequel film trilogy||2015*|| 1 billion ||"A long time ago"|| See note at episodes IV–VI<br /> |-<br /> |}<br /> <br /> <nowiki/>* first installment published<br /><br /> † conjectured year set in<br /> <br /> ==Trivia==<br /> There is a hypercorrection in ''{{w|Rip Van Winkle}}'' as ''Rip van Winkel''. Washington Irving may have misspelled ''van {{w|nl:Winkel|Winkel}}''.<br /> <br /> It's ''{{w|Les Misérables}}'' not ''Les Miserábles''. Note that French doesn't have "á".<br /> <br /> {{w|Lest Darkness Fall}} takes place about 1400 years in the past, but is places around the -500 years line on the graph.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> {{incomplete transcript}}<br /> :'''Date of publication'''<br /> :[A logarithmic scale running horizontally, from 3000 BCE to past 2015 CE]<br /> :'''Years in the future'''<br /> :[A logarithmic scale running vertically, from 1 billion down to 0]<br /> :'''Stories set in the future''' (science fiction, prediction)<br /> ::Stories set in 2015<br /> ::[A line divides this region into two. The upper side is labelled "still possible"; the lower side is labelled "obsolete".]<br /> :[from left to right...]<br /> ::Memoirs of the Twentieth Century [1733, 265 years in the future]<br /> ::Looking Backward [1888, 112 years in the future]<br /> ::Golf in the Year 2000 [1892, 108 years in the future]<br /> ::The Time Machine [1895, 800 thousand to 30 million years in the future]<br /> ::Enoch Soames [1916, ''circa'' 60 years in the future]<br /> ::1984 [1949, 35 years in the future]<br /> ::A Week in the Wales of the Future [1957, 76 years in the future]<br /> ::The Jetsons [1962-63, 100 years in the future]<br /> ::Star Trek [1966-69, 300 years in the future]<br /> ::2001: A Space Odyssey [1968, 33 years in the future]<br /> ::Space: 1999 [1975-77, 24 years in the future]<br /> ::2010: Odyssey Two [1982, 28 years in the future]<br /> ::Transformers (TV series) [1984-87, 20 years in the future]<br /> ::2061: Odyssey Three [1987, 74 years in the future]<br /> ::Star Trek: The Next Generation [1987-94, ''circa'' 500 years in the future]<br /> ::Back to the Future Part II [1989, 26 years in the future]<br /> ::Zero Wing [1989, 112 years in the future]<br /> ::Terminator 2 (1995 portion) [1991, 4 years in the future]<br /> ::3001: The Final Odyssey [1997, 1004 years in the future]<br /> ::Enterprise [2001-2005, 150 years in the future]<br /> ::This chart [2015, 0 years in the future]<br /> :'''Years in the Past'''<br /> :[A logarithmic scale running vertically, from 0 down past 1 billion to "Big Bang"]<br /> :'''Stories Set in the Past''' (History, Period Fiction)<br /> ::Stories written X years ago and set 2X years ago<br /> ::[A line divides this region into two. The upper side is labelled as follows.]<br /> ::'''Former Period Pieces'''<br /> ::Stories set in the past, but<br/>created long enough ago that<br/>they were published closer<br/>to their setting than to today.<br /> ::Modern audiences may not<br/>recognize which parts were<br/>''supposed'' to sound old.<br /> :[from left to right...]<br /> ::The Epic of Gilgamesh [''circa'' 2100 BCE, 600 years in the past]<br /> ::The Iliad [''circa''' 800 BCE, 450 years in the past]<br /> ::History of the Peloponnesian War [''circa'' 390 BCE, 10 years in the past]<br /> ::Book of Genesis [''circa'' 500 BCE, 4000 years in the past]<br /> ::Ashokavadana [''circa'' 100 BCE, 300 years in the past]<br /> ::Gospels (various estimates) [''circa'' 250 CE, 24 to 75 years in the past]<br /> ::The Pillow Book [1000 CE, 5 years in the past]<br /> ::Water Margin [''circa'' 1300, 195 years in the past]<br /> ::Richard III [''circa'' 1590, 115 years in the past]<br /> ::Julius Caesar [1599, 1650 years in the past]<br /> ::King John [''circa'' 1600, 500 years in the past]<br /> ::Henry IV [''circa'' 1600, 190 years in the past]<br /> ::King Lear [''circa'' 1606, 3000 years in the past]<br /> ::Henry VIII [''circa'' 1612, 105 years in the past]<br /> ::The Last of the Mohicans [1826, 69 years in the past]<br /> ::Rip Van Winkel [1819, 31-51 years in the past]<br /> ::A Tale of Two Cities [1859, 60 years in the past]<br /> ::Moby-Dick [1851, around 10 years ago]<br /> :::"Some years ago--never mind how long precisely..."<br /> ::Les Miserábles [1862, 30 years in the past]<br /> ::A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court<br /> ::Treasure Island<br /> ::Gone With the Wind<br /> ::Lest Darkness Fall<br /> ::Casablanca<br /> ::Oklahoma!<br /> ::The Ten Commandments<br /> ::The Bridge on the River Kwai<br /> ::Gunsmoke<br /> ::Catch-22 (book)<br /> ::The Flintstones<br /> ::The Great Escape<br /> ::Asterix<br /> ::Lawrence of Arabia<br /> ::The Music Man<br /> ::Bonnie and Clyde<br /> ::2001: A Space Odyssey (prologue)<br /> ::American Graffiti<br /> ::Patton<br /> ::Catch-22 (movie)<br /> ::Chinatown<br /> ::Blazing Saddles<br /> ::Apocalypse Now<br /> ::Happy Days<br /> ::Grease<br /> ::M*A*S*H<br /> ::Annie (play)<br /> ::Roots<br /> ::Chariots of Fire<br /> ::Star Wars (IV-VI)<br /> ::Annie (movie)<br /> ::The Right Stuff<br /> ::Back to the Future<br /> ::Gandhi<br /> ::Platoon<br /> ::Dirty Dancing<br /> ::Back to the Future Part III<br /> ::The Wonder Years<br /> ::JFK<br /> ::The Sandlot<br /> ::Schindler's List<br /> ::Raptor Red<br /> ::Apollo 13<br /> ::Star Wars (I-III)<br /> ::The Big Lebowski<br /> ::Evita<br /> ::Saving Private Ryan<br /> ::The Prince of Egypt<br /> ::Freaks and Geeks<br /> ::Hotel Rwanda<br /> ::I Love the '80s<br /> ::That '70s Show<br /> ::Pearl Harbor<br /> ::Ice Age<br /> ::I Love the '90s<br /> ::United 93<br /> ::300<br /> ::10,000 BC<br /> ::Year One<br /> ::The Wolf of Wall Street<br /> ::I Love the 2000s<br /> ::Mad Men<br /> ::Downton Abbey<br /> ::Star Wars (VII-IX)<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Large drawings]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1491:_Stories_of_the_Past_and_Future&diff=85111 Talk:1491: Stories of the Past and Future 2015-02-25T13:30:02Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div>http://xkcd.com/1491/large/ will take you to the large version, which the comic currently doesn't have a link to. I expect that will be fixed shortly. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.177|108.162.210.177]] 05:30, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> :I just realized he has a text link for it in the top banner. I'd delete my comment, but that's rude on a wiki. Whatever. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.177|108.162.210.177]] 05:35, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> The bottom diagonal seems to be mislabelled? Shouldn't it be "Stories written X years and set X years ago" instead of "set 2X years ago"?<br /> --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.175|108.162.250.175]] 05:38, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> :It is correct, if you see both relative from now. The middle line is written X years ago and set X years ago and thus contemporary. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.68|108.162.231.68]] 06:46, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I'm not sure where to open bug tickets, but Lest Darkness Fall actually takes place ~1500 years ago, not ~500. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.121|141.101.80.121]] 06:35, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> : I'll second that -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 12:36, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Kind of reminds of a Minkowski diagram. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.68|108.162.231.68]] 06:50, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> More and more science fiction works wander into the category obsolete science fiction, and more and more historical works are not recognisable as such by the average viewer as the movies have been filmed such a long time ago anyway. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.68|108.162.231.68]] 06:55, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> There seems to be a mistake with the large diagonal line. It says "Stories written X years ago and set 2X years ago." It should say, "... and set X years ago." Am I missing something here? [[User:Effy|Effy]] ([[User talk:Effy|talk]]) 09:35, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> :Nevermind, I see now that the y-axis is date relative to publication, not absolute dates relative to today. My bad. [[User:Effy|Effy]] ([[User talk:Effy|talk]]) 09:37, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I may have missed it, but can't see {{w|Paris in the Twentieth Century}}, written in 1863, about 1960, but only published in 1994. Which would have been an interesting addition. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.192|141.101.98.192]] 10:13, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> :In fact, I'm thinking it could have been represented as a (dotted?) ''diagonal'' arrowed line between "1960 in 1863"/future-trending and "1960 in 1994"/past-trending points. But never mind. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.192|141.101.98.192]] 10:38, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> <br /> ... this is why experienced sci-fi writers don't date their stories. On the other hand, many sci-fi became obviously obsolete even without the date. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:00, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> :I have experience with this. Back in 1995 I advised a prospective author-friend (prospective author; already and still a friend, surprisingly) on the latest computing matters to help a plot device in a "five minutes into the future" story. Even two years later, it sounded so dated and... naff. ('Luckily', it didn't sell too well anyway (bad choice of publishers), so my failure-as-futurologist - uncredited as it also fortunately was - wasn't so wildly known.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.192|141.101.98.192]] 13:04, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I've been trying and trying to figure out what the heck his point might be, as IMO there usually seems to be some point he's trying to make or way he's trying to be clever, beyond the interesting nature of the observation - and I think I might have seen one (though there is probably something else) - anyone notice that the area under the "Stories set in 2015" line is awfully bare? at least compared to the areas on either side of the 'x / 2x' line. that could simply be his particular selection of works(?) anyone have some ideas of things that might deserve to go in there that were not included? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 12:45, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> :I think the point here is that there are a lot of books one hasn't read yet. I, for one, sought out ''Memoirs of the Twentieth Century'' and ''The Pillow Book'' after reading this strip. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 13:30, 25 February 2015 (UTC)<br /> <br /> As for writing a transcript or explanation, concerning order, I would think it would make some sense to flatten it on one axis (probably the y-axis, starting from Star Wars?) or if it is practical enough, the best might be some sort of "radial"(?) axis (is that a thing?), where the axis would be anchored at "this chart", and swing like a radar beam around from the bottom (Downton Abbey, Mad Men, and Star Wars, up through the 'x / 2x' line, through the 'contemporary' line and then the 'set in 2015' line, to finish with '3001', possibly making a small attempt to keep related works (like Star Wars) together in the listing. Any comments? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 12:55, 25 February 2015 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1483:_Quotative_Like&diff=84157 1483: Quotative Like 2015-02-06T09:24:06Z

<p>Koveras: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1483<br /> | date = February 6, 2015<br /> | title = Quotative Like<br /> | image = quotative_like.png<br /> | titletext = God was like, "Let there be light," and there was light.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Bare-bones}}<br /> <br /> The use of the word "like" as a {{w|Like#As a colloquial quotative|quotative}} is regularly given as an example of the decline of the English language. It is used to introduce a quotation or impersonation, although what follows may not be a verbatim quote, but rather conveys the general meaning of the original phrase. Although it is modern in terms of the English language, examples of its use can be found all the way back in 1928. In the early 1980's, the stereotypical {{w|Valley Girl}} made substantial use of the quotative like, which may be the main origin of its contemporary use. <br /> <br /> While it has [[1227|long been popular]] to criticize modern developments that are seen as steps backward, such criticisms are almost always in vain, as they are typically made by the older generation against the younger generation, and the latter is always guaranteed to outlive the former. In this comic, the linguist [https://faculty.unt.edu/editprofile.php?pid=1485 Patricia Cukor-Avila] is quoted making [http://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2015/01/25/linguists-are-like-get-used/ruUQoV0XUTLDjx72JojnBI/story.html a remark to that effect]. However, she never actually says ''why'' the older generation will die out, leading [[Cueball]] to speculate that Dr. Cukor-Avlia is plotting (or warning of) some sort of genocide against people who dislike the use of the quotative like. [[Megan]] points out a much more likely interpretation, that those people will die of old age, but Cueball persists, saying he'll err on the side of caution and make sure to use the quotative like more often, thereby hoping to be spared from the genocide.<br /> <br /> The title text applies quotative like to the {{w|Book of Genesis}} (specifically, {{w|Genesis 1:3}}), the first book of the Hebrew Bible (the Tanakh) and the Christian Old Testament.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Megan referring to a published article she is holding.]<br /> :Megan: I found this article on the linguistics of the "Quotative Like".<br /> :Cueball: Like, when you're like, "She was like"?<br /> :Megan: Yea.<br /> :Megan: It features a quote from a linguist, Patricia Cukor-Avlia: "Eventually all the people who hate this kind of thing are going to be dead, and the ones who use it are going to be in control."<br /> :Cueball: Wow. Turns out linguists are pretty hardcore.<br /> :Megan: I ''think'' she means dead from old age.<br /> :Cueball: I'm gonna start using "like" more, just in case.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Language]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1466:_Phone_Checking&diff=81705 Talk:1466: Phone Checking 2014-12-29T09:41:38Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div>''No comments yet.''<br /> I'll keep refreshing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.217.125|108.162.217.125]] 06:40, 29 December 2014 (UTC)BK201<br /> <br /> What's a 'webite'? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.178|199.27.128.178]] 08:51, 29 December 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> :I think it's a term related to the [[148: Mispronouncing|"wobsite"]]. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 09:41, 29 December 2014 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1460:_SMFW&diff=80779 Talk:1460: SMFW 2014-12-15T09:47:43Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div>Reading this is like listening to the video of that lady who imitates the sound patterns of different languages, but without actually saying any real words! --[[User:Elipongo|Elipongo]] ([[User talk:Elipongo|talk]]) 05:34, 15 December 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> It would sound more natural if it were "''SMFW '''as''' an acronym almost makes sense''". Is the fact that "as" was omitted from that sentence supposed to give us a hint as to what "SMFW" might mean? [[User:Nicksh|Nicksh]] ([[User talk:Nicksh|talk]]) 07:16, 15 December 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> <br /> I thought of So Much For Work as a possible meaning. {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.178}}<br /> <br /> I think "SMFW" is a mixture of SMF and MFW: "So Much Fun When". It fits the sentence. The only thing is that Cueball doesn't look like he's having fun.<br /> <br /> Smoke more fucking weed could be a replacement for something like "Bloody hell" or "Shit the bed".<br /> [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.252|141.101.98.252]] 09:05, 15 December 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> So why doesn't "xkcd" appear on the acronyms list? --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 09:47, 15 December 2014 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1457:_Feedback&diff=80398 Talk:1457: Feedback 2014-12-08T08:47:51Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div>Could the pineapple here have any relation to the [http://wiki.wifipineapple.com/index.php/WiFi_Pineapple wi-fi pineapple]? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.103|173.245.52.103]] 05:27, 8 December 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm3_qEMTdc4 [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.39|141.101.104.39]] 06:35, 8 December 2014 (UTC)<br /> [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.39|141.101.104.39]] 06:37, 8 December 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I think the comic also refers to another experiment where pigeons received a snack from a dispenser at totally random times. The pigeons, thinking that whatever it is they did last helped trigger the release of food would develop a complex ritual dance to receive food. (http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Skinner/Pigeon/)<br /> <br /> The title text may also be a reminder that despite signal strength being important enough to some humans to act in an insanity-suggesting manner, it is not an essential need of a living organism, as the rats visibly demonstrate. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 08:47, 8 December 2014 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1456:_On_the_Moon&diff=80261 1456: On the Moon 2014-12-05T12:40:10Z

<p>Koveras: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1456<br /> | date = December 5, 2014<br /> | title = On the Moon<br /> | image = on_the_moon.png<br /> | titletext = "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on Venus and returning him safely to--" [an aide frantically whispers in the president's ear for a moment] "... of landing a man on Venus."<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|WIP}}<br /> The phrase "If we can land a man on the moon, why can't we <blank>" is commonly used to question a perceived shortcoming of some company, government or humanity in general. The premise is that "we" (where we is usually a generalized blanket identification of humanity, or the United States) have been able to achieve the extraordinary feat of landing men on the moon and bringing them back to earth safely; thus our inability to achieve some lesser goal is questionable.<br /> <br /> The {{w|Moon Landing|moon landings}} are rightly seen as one of the pinnacles of humanity's achievements, and as such have become an accomplishment against which all other great feats are measured. That technology available in 1969 was so minimal in comparison to modern technology serves only to increase the status of the moon landings.<br /> <br /> Here, Megan is cutting Cueball's argument's short by reminding him that humanity has not put another man on the Moon since the end of the Apollo program in December 1972, and that new manned programs to return to the Moon, such as the US Constellation Program, have been repeatedly cancelled.<br /> <br /> This comic may well be a response to NASA's [http://www.nasa.gov/press/2014/december/orion-flight-test-nasa-tv-coverage-reset-for-friday-dec-5/ postponed attempt to launch] a test of the Orion spacecraft on Thursday 4th December 2014. The unmanned test flight which aims to orbit earth twice, travelling 3600 miles into space, had to be delayed due to valve issues. As the planned flight is 'simply' orbiting the earth, has nobody on board, and our technology is far advanced from the early moon landings, the cliche question "If we can land a man on the moon, why can't we perform a simple test flight" is rolled out again.<br /> <br /> The title text is a retelling of the famous inspirational [http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/xzw1gaeeTES6khED14P1Iw.aspx Kennedy address to the US Congress in May 1961], which set up into motion the Apollo program, except that this time, the speaker is talking about putting a man on planet Venus. The aide explains to the president that because the atmosphere of Venus is extremely hostile (high pressure, high temperature, strong winds, sulfuric acid rains and lakes), it is unlikely that anybody could land on Venus longer than a few seconds and come back alive. As such, the president backtracks before setting to goal of bringing the astronauts home again. Unmanned hardened pre-cooled robotic probes either got crushed or fried before landing, or survived only a couple of hours at most.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> {{incomplete transcript}}<br /> :Cueball: If we could land a man on the moon, why can't we -<br /> :Megan: -land a man on the moon?<br /> :Cueball: ...ok, fair. But we're working on it, OK?<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> <br /> [[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1448:_Question&diff=79352 Talk:1448: Question 2014-11-17T09:24:42Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div>... and I thought the 'LIKE like you' would be a reference to Facebook... [[User:Kaa-ching|Kaa-ching]] ([[User talk:Kaa-ching|talk]]) 08:55, 17 November 2014 (UTC)<br /> : I agree, I definitely think the person making that statement is saying that he doesn't embrace the simplified Facebook universe where you can LIKE someone/something by clicking on a LIKE button. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 09:10, 17 November 2014 (UTC)<br /> ::Personally, I think "LIKE like" is just a euphemism for "love". Isaac is trying to express (awkwardly) that although he enjoys the asker's company, his feeling of affinity is much less intense than that of someone who is obviously too nervous to speak with him in person. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 09:24, 17 November 2014 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1425:_Tasks&diff=76221 1425: Tasks 2014-09-24T08:51:47Z

<p>Koveras: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1425<br /> | date = September 24, 2014<br /> | title = Tasks<br /> | image = tasks.png<br /> | titletext = In the 60s, Marvin Minsky assigned a couple of undergrads to spend the summer programming a computer to use a camera to identify objects in a scene. He figured they'd have the problem solved by the end of the summer. Half a century later, we're still working on it.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Explain why it is so difficult to identify a particular object in an image. Better background needed on title text.}}<br /> [[Cueball]] appears to be asking [[Ponytail]] to write an app that determines if a given picture is of a bird in a national park. These two requirements, while seemingly about equally hard to a human, vary greatly in difficulty in computer science (CS).<br /> <br /> In order to determine whether the user is in a national park, Ponytail plans to determine the the users location, presumably using a GPS or some method of {{w|Mobile phone tracking|mobile phone tracking}}. This location will then be cross checked with a {{w|Geographic information system|GIS (Geographic Information System)}} which will be able to determine whether the co-ordinates lie within a national park boundary.<br /> <br /> Determining whether an image is of a particular object is far more difficult. As a starting point, the system has to be able to cope with many more variables, for example a bird in flight looks vastly different from a bird perching in a tree. How do you differentiate between a bird and a plane (or superman), especially when the photo quality may be low?<br /> <br /> The title text expands on the information already given, saying that a project to develop a system that could recognize objects was intended to last for only a single summer but instead continues to this day.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[Ponytail sitting at a computer with Cueball standing behind her]<br /> :Cueball: When a user takes a photo, the app should check whether they're in a national park...<br /> :Ponytail: Sure, easy GIS lookup. Gimme a few hours.<br /> :Cueball: ...and check whether the photo is of a bird.<br /> :Ponytail: I'll need a research team and five years.<br /> :In CS, it can be hard to explain the difference between the easy and the virtually impossible<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1387:_Clumsy_Foreshadowing&diff=70467 Talk:1387: Clumsy Foreshadowing 2014-06-27T08:11:39Z

<p>Koveras: Created page with "There is a [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MeaningfulBackgroundEvent trope] for this kind of thing. --~~~~"</p> <hr /> <div>There is a [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MeaningfulBackgroundEvent trope] for this kind of thing. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 08:11, 27 June 2014 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1381:_Margin&diff=69464 1381: Margin 2014-06-13T12:31:02Z

<p>Koveras: /* Trivia */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1381<br /> | date = June 13, 2014<br /> | title = Margin<br /> | image = margin.png<br /> | titletext = PROTIP: You can get around the Shannon-Hartley limit by setting your font size to 0.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete|Needs more explanation about the lack of the proof - see discussion page.}}<br /> <br /> This is a reference to {{w|Fermat's Last Theorem}}, of which {{w|Fermat}} claimed he had a proof that was too large to fit in the margin of a copy of ''{{w|Arithmetica}}''. The deceptively simple problem remained unsolved for 3 centuries, and was cracked only with advanced techniques developed in the 20th century; leading many to believe that {{w|Fermat's_Last_Theorem#Did_Fermat_possess_a_general_proof?|he didn't actually possess it}} (see [[#trivia|trivia]]).<br /> <br /> If information was actually infinitely compressible, the writer would be able to fit the proof in the margin due to his own proof.<br /> <br /> It should be noted that it would be impossible to read the proof if the writer actually was able to compress his proof to fit in the margin. This is because you would need to know the algorithm described in the proof before you could decompress the proof text so you can read it.<br /> <br /> The title text, yet another [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Protip protip], makes a reference to the {{w|Shannon–Hartley theorem}}, which limits the maximum rate at which information can be transmitted. Setting the font size of text only changes its ''representation'' on the screen, and not the actual characters themselves; so trying to decrease the amount of space needed to store or transmit it like advised would be nonsensical.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> Written on the margin of a page:<br /> <br /> :I have discovered a truly marvelous proof that information is infinitely compressible, but this margin is too small to...<br /> :...oh<br /> :never mind :(<br /> <br /> ==Trivia==<br /> *Fermat's Last Theorem states that no three positive integers ''a'', ''b'', and ''c'' can satisfy the equation ''a''<sup>''n''</sup>&nbsp;+&nbsp;''b''<sup>''n''</sup>&nbsp;=&nbsp;''c''<sup>''n''</sup> for any integer value of ''n'' greater than two.<br /> **In the case with n=2 it is reduced to the {{w|Pythagorean theorem}} which has an infinite number of integer solutions for a, b and c, such as ''3''<sup>''2''</sup>&nbsp;+&nbsp;''4''<sup>''2''</sup>&nbsp;=&nbsp;''5''<sup>''2''</sup>.<br /> *Fermat's Last Theorem was {{w|Wiles' proof of Fermat's Last Theorem|solved}} in 1995 by {{w|Andrew Wiles}} with some assistance by {{w|Richard Taylor (mathematician)|Richard Taylor}} who helped him close a gap in his original proof from 1993. <br /> **The proof involved some of the most complicated mathematics used today, and it has been speculated that only a handful of people in the world would be able to understand it.<br /> **For people interested in the subject, {{w|Simon Singh}} has written a [http://simonsingh.net/books/fermats-last-theorem/the-book/ popular science book] about {{w|Fermat's Last Theorem (book)}}.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Protip]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1369:_TMI&diff=67396 Talk:1369: TMI 2014-05-16T07:15:01Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div>I assume "TMI" here stands for "too much information". Cueball stares at the screen (presumably with an Internet browser open) and realizes that he will never be able to internalize the amounts of data freely available on the net. The off-screen voice simply confirms it. The humor of the exchange seems to be derived from the fact that "too much information" is usually used to indicate that someone has publicly given away too much ''private'' and potentially embarrassing information and made others feel awkward. Cueball, however, uses the phrase in its most literal sense. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 06:47, 16 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> TMI is probably {{Wiktionary|too much information|Too Much Information}} (taken literally, not figuratively about ''overshare'') --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 06:49, 16 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> It could also refer to Three Mile Island; but 'Too Much Information' or 'Too Much Internet' are the most likely meanings. TMA! (Too Many Acronyms!) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.123|173.245.53.123]] 07:06, 16 May 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> The title text may be a reference to the quote from the Sherlock Holmes novel ''A Study in Scarlet'': "From a drop of water, a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having seen or heard of one or the other." If that logician stared into an entire sea worth of water drops, all the possible inferences would probably make his head explode from literally too much information. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 07:15, 16 May 2014 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1369:_TMI&diff=67392 Talk:1369: TMI 2014-05-16T06:47:34Z

<p>Koveras: Created page with "I assume "TMI" here stands for "too much information". Cueball stares at the screen (presumably with an Internet browser open) and realizes that he will never be able to inter..."</p> <hr /> <div>I assume "TMI" here stands for "too much information". Cueball stares at the screen (presumably with an Internet browser open) and realizes that he will never be able to internalize the amounts of data freely available on the net. The off-screen voice simply confirms it. The humor of the exchange seems to be derived from the fact that "too much information" is usually used to indicate that someone has publicly given away too much ''private'' and potentially embarrassing information and made others feel awkward. Cueball, however, uses the phrase in its most literal sense. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 06:47, 16 May 2014 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1352:_Cosmologist_on_a_Tire_Swing&diff=64747 Talk:1352: Cosmologist on a Tire Swing 2014-04-07T08:09:10Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div>See this TED talk for clue: http://www.ted.com/talks/allan_adams_the_discovery_that_could_rewrite_physics<br /> [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.101|108.162.218.101]] 07:54, 7 April 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> The question "what lies outside our observable universe?" is pretty easily answered with a "the same stuff as inside it, we just can't observe it". The more poignant question is whether the universe as a whole (not just its observable part) has an edge and if so, what lies beyond it. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 08:09, 7 April 2014 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1316:_Inexplicable&diff=57571 Talk:1316: Inexplicable 2014-01-13T10:28:03Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div>[http://xkcd.com/725/ Literally] haunted? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 08:22, 13 January 2014 (UTC)<br /> I would say he trying to say that some errors that computers have are impossible to fathom. I've baffled our IT people on many an occasion and the solution is usual 'rebuild' which is the computer equivalent of an exorcism.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.228|108.162.231.228]] 10:18, 13 January 2014 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Surprised nobody mentioned [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_machine Ghost in the machine] yet... --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 10:28, 13 January 2014 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1294:_Telescope_Names&diff=54723 Talk:1294: Telescope Names 2013-12-09T10:43:41Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div>Historically, one of the first times the issue was raised on the internet was [http://science.slashdot.org/story/00/06/28/1321221/ask-chris-mckinstry-about-giant-telescopes-etc this Slashdot article], where the name ''BFT'' [http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=6288&cid=971019 was first proposed] in 2000. Did Randall know it? {{unsigned ip|‎108.162.231.211}}<br /> <br /> The "Final Telescope" aka "James Webb Space Telescope". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.209|108.162.222.209]] 11:01, 22 November 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> How could he leave off the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Magellan_Telescope Giant Magellan Telescope]? [[User:Matchups|Matchups]] ([[User talk:Matchups|talk]]) 14:13, 22 November 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Does anyone think the latter names are a nod to Doctor Who? The Nightmare Child, the Plains of Devastation, etc. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.148|199.27.128.148]] 17:48, 22 November 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> The infinite is the size of the univers. Still there is a final after that ;-) [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:28, 23 November 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Just a note concerning the cancelled 'Overwhelmingly Large Telescope' (=OWL): Today OWL means „Once Was Large“ because it is replaced by the ELT {{unsigned ip|108.162.231.21}}<br /> <br /> ;Similar topic<br /> <br /> I remember<br /> a short piece in SCIAM many years ago, where a well known physicist <br /> ironicly discussed the wish/planning/building of ever bigger colliders. <br /> Among the biggest of them, the "final collider" was described <br /> as having a diameter about the dimension of galaxy clusters.<br /> [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.54|108.162.231.54]] 22:28, 23 November 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> ::The "Infinite" and "Final Telescopes" may be a poke at the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_Crisis Infinite Crisis] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Crisis Final Crisis] crossover events in the DC Comics... --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 10:43, 9 December 2013 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1264:_Slideshow&diff=48899 Talk:1264: Slideshow 2013-09-13T07:42:54Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div>flickr devs recently changed the site's layout in a quite obtrusive way, which resulted in an outcry from their user base. Among the objectionable changes are slideshows which use the so called "Ken Burns effect". Quoting from Wikipedia: The feature enables a widely used technique of embedding still photographs in motion pictures, displayed with slow zooming and panning effects, and fading transitions between frames. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Burns_Effect) ... [[User:Plx|Plx]] ([[User talk:Plx|talk]]) 06:57, 13 September 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> Adobe Flash isn't mentioned anywhere in the strip, but I think all those "cool-looking" Flash websites that are impossible to search, quote, or link to but still immensely popular with the marketing and PR people may have been an inspiration. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 07:42, 13 September 2013 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1257:_Monster&diff=48094 1257: Monster 2013-08-29T08:37:56Z

<p>Koveras: /* Explanation */ fixing links</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1257<br /> | date = August 28, 2013<br /> | title = Monster<br /> | image = monster.png<br /> | titletext = It was finally destroyed with a nuclear weapon carrying the destructive energy of the Hiroshima bomb.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> {{incomplete}}<br /> <br /> This comic is a parody on the opening scene of the thriller movie, The Pacific Rim. In the film, huge monsters called Kaiju entered the world through an inter-dimensional portal under the Pacific ocean and attacked coastal cities. It first attacked San Francisco, killing tens of thousands of people before its death after six days. In the comic, officials and police are evidently trying to describe the extraordinary qualities of the huge monster by comparing it with everyday objects instead of numbers, which is a concurring theme on xkcd ([[1047: Approximations]], [[526: Converting to Metric]]) and a [http://blog.xkcd.com/2013/05/15/dictionary-of-numbers/ blog article] where Randall says "I don’t like large numbers without context." <br /> <br /> This comic pokes fun at how common it is in the media to compare things of extraordinary qualities to a certain narrow set of well-known objects. The comic features people discussing a fictional monster which - apparently - can be only described by these overused comparisons. The caption and the title text take this joke further, especially with the tautology involved.<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> <br /> :[People discussing anxiously over a table with a map. Megan has a notepad, Cueball and Ponytail are wearing police hats.]<br /> <br /> :Megan: It's as long as a football field. Runs as fast as a cheetah.<br /> :Cueball: Weighs as much as a blue whale.<br /> :Blonde girl: Can we negotiate with it?<br /> :Ponytail: No. It has the intelligence of a two-year-old child.<br /> <br /> :Caption: By the time the Frequently-Made Comparisons Monster was finally defeated, it had eaten enough people to fill a stadium and devastated an area the size of Rhode Island.<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> <br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br /> [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br /> [[Category:Language]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1247:_The_Mother_of_All_Suspicious_Files&diff=45834 1247: The Mother of All Suspicious Files 2013-08-05T14:37:28Z

<p>Koveras: /* Explanation */</p> <hr /> <div>{{comic<br /> | number = 1247<br /> | date = August 5, 2013<br /> | title = The Mother of All Suspicious Files<br /> | image = the_mother_of_all_suspicious_files.png<br /> | titletext = Better change the URL to 'https' before downloading.<br /> }}<br /> <br /> ==Explanation==<br /> The save dialogues shows a download from [http://www.utrace.de/?query=65.222.202.53 65.222.202.53] with a very long file title. Many of the extensions used inside there indicate executable code. You also see common download syntax for a pirated movie, Hackers, likely included to appear malicious to anyone skimming but is actually a movie about hackers, making it a benign reference rather than malicious. The ".LNK.ZDA.GNN" extensions are references to Link, Zelda, and Ganon, important characters from the Legend of Zelda video game franchise.<br /> <br /> The title text suggests changing from http to https, as if encrypting a suspicious file before downloading it is somehow better than downloading it unencrypted. http (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) and https (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol - Secure) are the two common protocols for getting web pages and web downloads. http is the simple download, whereas https adds an SSL encryption layer so the item being downloaded cannot be viewed unencrypted by anyone except the end recipient. The end recipient will still get whatever nasties were in the original, however - encrypting it doesn't change the content at all.<br /> <br /> The IP address referenced in the comic, 65.222.202.53, is currently being used by the shellcode of a Javascript 0-day exploit for the Tor Browser Bundle being run by the FBI to phone home over the clearnet and de-anonymize visitors to websites on Freedom Hosting that are serving child pornography. [http://www.reddit.com/r/onions/comments/1jmrta/founder_of_the_freedom_hosting_arrested_held/]<br /> <br /> ==Transcript==<br /> :[A save dialogue popup with an alert sign.]<br /> :Warning!<br /> :This type of file can harm your computer! Are your sure you want to download: <nowiki>http://65.222.202.53/~TILDE/PUB/CIA-BIN/ETC/INIT.DLL?FILE=--AUTOEXEX.BAT.MY%20OSX%20DOCUMENTS-INSTANLL.EXE.RAR.INI.TAR.DOCX.PHPHPHP.XHTML.TML.XTL.TXXT.0DAY.HACK.ERS-(1995)-BLURAY-CAM_XVID.EXE.TAR.[SCR].LISTP.MSI.LNK.ZDA.GNN.WRBT.OBJ.O.SWF.DPKG.APP.ZIP.TAR.CO.GZ.OUT.EXE</nowiki><br /> <br /> :[Two buttons:]<br /> :Cancel Save<br /> <br /> {{comic discussion}}<br /> [[Category:Comics with color]]<br /> [[Category:Computers]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1198:_Geologist&diff=33332 Talk:1198: Geologist 2013-04-12T07:53:47Z

<p>Koveras: Created page with "The title text sounds a bit like a movie reference. Did anyone catch it? --~~~~"</p> <hr /> <div>The title text sounds a bit like a movie reference. Did anyone catch it? --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 07:53, 12 April 2013 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1168:_tar&diff=26817 Talk:1168: tar 2013-02-01T10:48:38Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div>I thought the title text would be "tar --help"<br /> [[Special:Contributions/123.202.19.132|123.202.19.132]] 06:59, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> The comic is about the difficulty of the tar program options.<br /> <br /> Even if his life depended on it and after years of usage, Bob/Randall could not come up with the right parameters without looking them up. So a situation is shown, where Bob's life depends on coming up with the right parameters:<br /> <br /> * It shows an atomic warhead<br /> * It has a user interface, which requests any valid tar command<br /> * If it is not entered on the first try within 10s, the bomb is not disarmed and potentially explodes on the spot<br /> <br /> Randall has come up with a situation, where the unix guy Bob can be the hero by knowing tar parameters. This is a pipe dream of a geek; nobody cares IRL, if you know tar parameters on the first try.<br /> <br /> It is hilarious, that<br /> * the bomb says in full detail the rules including that you should not cheat and it probably has no means to check whether you cheated. This is no game, but feels like one. In war and love every means is allowed - even cheating; it would also be self-defense for disarming the bomb; Bob and his colleagues are not even considering to cheat.<br /> * the user has root access to the bomb, shown by the bomb as ~#, the tilde is the home directory, the # signifies super-user rights; even if the available programs prevent the bomb from being shutdown or disabled by a nonintended way, normally no root access is given for users of linux devices during normal usage; and disarming the bomb with official rules is normal usage of a bomb; a root prompt should not be necessary, if the bomb software is designed and configured well; possibly the unix prompt is a simulation for entering an answer<br /> * Bob shurely needs more than 10s to come. So the bomb will have announced that questions, which require unix knowledge will follow - or has already asked other Unix questions; perhaps after 10s without entering anything a new question comes up<br /> * this bomb can be disarmed with "common knowledge"<br /> <br /> Small notes:<br /> * The screen looks to be really grayscale (esp. the inverted "TEN") - not just because of the comic; it has at least 3 colors (black, white, tar gray); it could be that the "TEN" is updated dynamically and is thus inverted<br /> * The comic is quite black: The screen and the bomb; Randall seldomly uses solid black areas; the bomb is a gloomy topic so it is black like "tar" (pun)<br /> <br /> Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/178.26.121.97|178.26.121.97]] 07:24, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I think there is a visual double pun in this strip: the bomb disarmed by a tar command is a reference to the [[wikipedia:Tar (computing)#Tarbomb|tarbombs]], but it also looks like the [[wikipedia:File:Tsar Bomba Revised.jpg|Tsar Bomb(a)]]. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 08:24, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br /> : I don’t think it looks like Tsar Bomba. If anything, it is much more similar to [[wikipedia:Fat Man|Fat Man]]. --[[User:Mormegil|Mormegil]] ([[User talk:Mormegil|talk]]) 08:38, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br /> :: Yeah, but "Fat Man" doesn't sound like "tarbomb". --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 10:48, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I think another joke is in the fact that you don't know which Unix is running on the bomb so you don't actually know which parameter layout is supported. tar --help for example may or may not be valid since -- is a GNU extension.<br /> <br /> tar -bvzx for a tar.bzip2 .... wait... no... argh... I've always just trusted my fingers.. --[[Special:Contributions/59.167.191.93|59.167.191.93]] 10:14, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> == Explanation is not exact ==<br /> I think the current explantion is missing an important point: the tar commands are not that much difficult. What makes tar complicated is that there are many different implementations. The linux guy knows only gnu tar, but some unices have much different implementations and different commands. "tar --help" is certainly not available on an old hpux, for example. '''That''' make is difficult to type a valid tar command – even more if you don't know the implementation.<br /> [[Special:Contributions/212.222.53.78|212.222.53.78]] 10:26, 1 February 2013 (UTC)</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:Koveras&diff=26802 User:Koveras 2013-02-01T08:26:10Z

<p>Koveras: Created page with "Just your regular geek. Move along. * Wikipedia:User:Koveras"</p> <hr /> <div>Just your regular geek. Move along.<br /> <br /> * [[Wikipedia:User:Koveras]]</div>

Koveras https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1168:_tar&diff=26801 Talk:1168: tar 2013-02-01T08:24:06Z

<p>Koveras: </p> <hr /> <div>I thought the title text would be "tar --help"<br /> [[Special:Contributions/123.202.19.132|123.202.19.132]] 06:59, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> The comic is about the difficulty of the tar program options.<br /> <br /> Even if his life depended on it and after years of usage, Bob/Randall could not come up with the right parameters without looking them up. So a situation is shown, where Bob's life depends on coming up with the right parameters:<br /> <br /> * It shows an atomic warhead<br /> * It has a user interface, which requests any valid tar command<br /> * If it is not entered on the first try within 10s, the bomb is not disarmed and potentially explodes on the spot<br /> <br /> Randall has come up with a situation, where the unix guy Bob can be the hero by knowing tar parameters. This is a pipe dream of a geek; nobody cares IRL, if you know tar parameters on the first try.<br /> <br /> It is hilarious, that<br /> * the bomb says in full detail the rules including that you should not cheat and it probably has no means to check whether you cheated. This is no game, but feels like one. In war and love every means is allowed - even cheating; it would also be self-defense for disarming the bomb; Bob and his colleagues are not even considering to cheat.<br /> * the user has root access to the bomb, shown by the bomb as ~#, the tilde is the home directory, the # signifies super-user rights; even if the available programs prevent the bomb from being shutdown or disabled by a nonintended way, normally no root access is given for users of linux devices during normal usage; and disarming the bomb with official rules is normal usage of a bomb; a root prompt should not be necessary, if the bomb software is designed and configured well; possibly the unix prompt is a simulation for entering an answer<br /> * Bob shurely needs more than 10s to come. So the bomb will have announced that questions, which require unix knowledge will follow - or has already asked other Unix questions; perhaps after 10s without entering anything a new question comes up<br /> * this bomb can be disarmed with "common knowledge"<br /> <br /> Small notes:<br /> * The screen looks to be really grayscale (esp. the inverted "TEN") - not just because of the comic; it has at least 3 colors (black, white, tar gray); it could be that the "TEN" is updated dynamically and is thus inverted<br /> * The comic is quite black: The screen and the bomb; Randall seldomly uses solid black areas; the bomb is a gloomy topic so it is black like "tar" (pun)<br /> <br /> Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/178.26.121.97|178.26.121.97]] 07:24, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br /> <br /> I think there is a visual double pun in this strip: the bomb disarmed by a tar command is a reference to the [[wikipedia:Tar (computing)#Tarbomb|tarbombs]], but it also looks like the [[wikipedia:File:Tsar Bomba Revised.jpg|Tsar Bomb(a)]]. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 08:24, 1 February 2013 (UTC)</div>

Koveras