explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:891: Movie Ages

2014-08-01T23:06:34Z

Kronf:

This chart kinda breaks down when you meet someone who doesn't follow movies or has poor memory. Awkward moments happen. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:06, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

: Direct quote from transcript:
:
:"The 2011 Guide to Making People Feel Old
:-Using Movie Release Dates-"
:
:The second clause is as important as the first. I don't follow movies too much, but it isn't hard to make me feel old ("Oh, you're a decade and a half already?" "Oh, you're two decades already?" "Oh, you're a quarter-century?", etc). --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 20:39, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

You can still use this in the future. Just add n-2011 to each time on the chart. (Where n is the current year.) So for instance, in 2014, the 16 year old one becomes 19 year olds, and the year is "Just under a decade ago." [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.219|108.162.250.219]] 09:45, 22 June 2014 (UTC)

:Wow, you hacked it! --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 23:06, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

1402: Harpoons

2014-08-01T17:42:10Z

Kronf:

{{comic
| number = 1402
| date = August 1, 2014
| title = Harpoons
| image = harpoons.png
| titletext = To motivate it to fire its harpoons hard enough, Rosetta's Philae lander has been programmed to believe it is trying to kill the comet.
}}

==Explanation==
The latter peak on this graph refers to the {{w|Rosetta (spacecraft)|Rosetta}} unmanned spacecraft. As part of its mission, it's carrying a lander (called {{w|Philae (spacecraft)|Philae}}), which has two tethers to anchor itself to the comet {{w|67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko}}. Rosetta was launched in March 2004 (as shown in the graph) and is scheduled to encounter the comet in August 2014, making this a timely comic.

The first peak is probably a joke. Officially, {{w|Apollo 12}} carried neither harpoons nor rum. However, as a former NASA contractor, Randall may know more about space shenanigans than the general public, and may be implying (perhaps jokingly) that a bottle of the [http://www.harpoon-rum.eu/1.html Harpoon] brand of {{w|Rum#Regional variations|Jamaican rum}} made it aboard.

The caption implies that the spacecraft is sentient and believes that its mission is to kill the comet.

==Transcript==
:'''Number of harpoons in space'''
:by year
:[A chart with a red graph is drawn below]
:[The y-axis]
:0 1 2 3
:[The x-axis]
:1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
:[The graph is at zero until a sharp peak to 1 in 1970. The peak is labeled]
:Apollo 12 rum incident
:[The graph then stays at 0 until 2004. Then it rises to 2 and stays there until today, continuing as a dotted line after 2014. The rise is labeled]
:Rosetta comet mission launched carrying lander with harpoon tethers

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1081: Argument Victory

2014-05-14T16:02:47Z

Kronf:

I also think it could be a joke on the "Guess some people prefer to stay asleep." line ? [[Special:Contributions/174.93.164.151|174.93.164.151]] 18:30, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

I still don't understand the title text. I would think that the side that thinks "anyone who's in power has any plan at all" would be the conspiracy theorists, but how is that comforting? [[Special:Contributions/98.66.41.122|98.66.41.122]] 14:25, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

:I think he wants to say that our political leaders don't really seem to overlook our world's machinery (as conspiracy theorists assume), and that he finds this rather frightening. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 16:57, 13 May 2013 (UTC)

:No, the opposite. The conspiracy theorists believe there is a plan. We suspect the opposite because we are rational and see no good evidence. [[User:Nonceexkcd|Nonceexkcd]] ([[User talk:Nonceexkcd|talk]]) 21:01, 28 January 2014 (UTC)

::That's what I tried to say. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 16:02, 14 May 2014 (UTC)

To clarify, he finds the fact that if conspiracy theorists are right, somebody is ruling the world and by extension, looking over it and making sure it doesn't fall apart on them, as opposed to it being a chaotic unsupervised mess. {{unsigned ip|71.230.192.134}}

1350: Lorenz

2014-04-02T09:09:21Z

Kronf: ARGH. Clicked off and lost 80%

{{comic
| number = 1350
| date = April 1, 2014
| title = Lorenz
| image = 1350_lorenz_loop.png
| titletext = Every choice, no matter how small, begins a new story
}}

{{incomplete|All possible dialogues are not yet accounted for}}

==Explanation==
This comic is an April fools comic with crowd sourced content. Since April 1st 2014 was a Tuesday, this comic is not in the normal sequence Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

This comic is dynamic and needs interaction by the viewer. Initially there was a bug when using the URL <nowiki>http://www.xkcd.com/</nowiki> or even <nowiki>https://xkcd.com/</nowiki> and only <nowiki>http://xkcd.com/</nowiki> did work.

{{w|HTTP cookie|Cookies}} are required to see this page properly.

It appears that new panels may be generated by Randall in near real time as user suggestions to dialog is submitted. The dialogue options are likely based on click-through rates and hence will change over day based on which choices are clicked most using {{w|A/B_testing|A/B measurement techniques..}} This will mean that the most popular choices for dialogue line will prevail as the statistics build up. In some cases, dialogue line options do not depend on the continuity of the storyline followed, suggesting that some parts of the story are planned. For example, most storylines involve [[Cueball]] waking up and telling the character, “I had the strangest dream…” This may be due to common submissions across storylines as well.

Every panel has a "permalink" option which generates a unique URL for all the choices made by the reader -- so for example http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:26c8dcea-b9aa-11e3-8002-002590d77bdd will take you to a particular place in the selected choices.

The title 'Lorenz' is referring to {{w|Edward Norton Lorenz}} who among other subjects was famous for {{w|Chaos theory}}. The title is a reference to that the story line of today's comic will include most (all?) of the user submitted dialogue and hence will in nature be chaotic. In addition, the title text, "Every choice, no matter how small", is a reference to the butterfly effect, a phrase coined by Edward Lorenz to describe how a small initial change can lead to wide variations in outcome in a chaotic system.

This comic is an example of a {{w|Choose Your Own Adventure}} story.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[A transcript will be difficult to create due to the branching nature of the comic.]

There are many options. Not everyone will see the same options. We are trying to capture as many options as possible in the Transcript below. -- '''the order and options has changed since the transcripter captured the dialogue'''....The dialogue is likely based on click-through rates and hence will change over time based on which choices are clicked most using {{w|A/B_testing|A/B measurement techniques..}}

'''First Pane:'''([http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:be7a3304-b685-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 permalink])
* Refresh... No New Email... Refresh .. No New Tweets... Refresh...
* These Stupid Tiles... I'll Just Play One More Game
* Oh. Hey. There's Some Kind Of Political Thing Going On.
* Let's See If BSD Is Any Easier to Install Nowadays

'''Second Pane: Stupid Tiles Branch''' 
Option 1: ([http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:79f036ac-b9a0-11e3-9003-94de80a03a39 permalink])
* There's something weird on the lawn.
** This is an apartment. We don't have a lawn.
** I have a lawn?
** I hope it's not a bobcat this time.
*** [A giant hole appears and they fall into it.] Aaaaa... [Guy 1 wakes up.] Gasp [Goes to his desk.] Yawn [Sits at his desk.]
**** Thank God it wasn't a bobcat.
****: [Guy 2 comes.]
***** There's somewhere [sic] weird out on the lawn.
*****: [They go.]
****** I hope it's not a giant hole.
******: [They go outside. They pass a tree.]
******* How disappointed are you?
*******: [They stop and argue.]
******** I was expecting a bobcat
******** Oh? That's the other tree.
******** Eh, not that much
****** I have a bad feeling about this
******: [They go outside.]
****** Hold up. I need to get my wingsuit first.
******: [They go outside.]
****** This seems familiar.
******: [They go outside.]
******* I hope it's not a velociraptor.
***** Why is there a bobcat on your lawn?
*****: [They go.]
***** Hey do you know why there's a giant hole in the yard?
*****: [They go.]
****** I swear if it's a bobcat
******: [They go outside.]
******* Why did you bring me here?
******* This dream has been looping for years, and yet we never tire of it. Why is that?
*******: [There is a gap in the ground. Guy 1 jumps over it, Guy 2 looks into it.]
**** Hmmm... I should buy a shovel.
****: [He looks at his screen wondering.]
***** Shovels can't be actually made out of two sticks and a row of rocks?
*****: [He's wondering more. Guy 2 comes. They connect their laptops. Guy 2 is wondering. Guy 1 tries something at Guy 2's laptop. Guy 2 says:]
***** Wow! Shovels sure are expensive!
***** How can there be 36 types of shovel??!
***** These prices are insane! I wonder if you can rent a shovel...
**** Might as well clear more tiles
**** Definitely not going outside today.
** If you reprogrammed the squirrel laser to target hipsters again...
*** Let's just say we won't have to worry about parking.
*** No, now they're just wearing wigs ironically
*** At least it improved their haircuts.
*** Things may have gotten out of control a little.
* I heard Home Depot has 1024 bathroom tiles
* There's a dinosaur at the door
* I think I saw a "4096" tile outside somewhere.

'''Second Pane: Refresh Branch''' 
Option 1: ([http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:6479d184-b9a0-11e3-b947-94de80a03a39 permalink])
* So you're still refusing to use Facebook?
* Wanna build a snowman?
* Hey. I hear Godot is in town. Wanna try to meet him?
* You know. Your car's on fire.

'''Second Pane: Political Thing Branch''' 
The laptop says: "...and let's go live to the debate."
* Continue

'''Second Pane: BSD Branch''' 
The character has ?? next to his head to signify confusion.
* Continue

* Now I just need to look up what a "beard error" is...
: The character has ??? next to his head to signify confusion. [[Hairy]] walks in. (continue)
: Hairy is on the other side of the desk with his own laptop computer. Both the computers are connected through Ethernet cable. The two characters are typing on the computer. (continue)
: The two stop typing. Hairy has ??? next to his head. (continue)
: Hairy had stepped back while the character is checking on Hairy's laptop computer. The character is holding something rectangular. Hairy is speaking.
:* The USB cable appears to be mono-directional.
:* Kernel mites?
:* I'm not sure rubbing butter on it will help
:: Hairy and the character are handling their computers more aggressively. The Character says "ARGH"
:: They both stop. The character walks away, his chair turned 180 degrees.
:: Pushing aside the chair, the character returns with a fiery blowtorch while wearing goggles. Hairy, holding up a finger, says "Um."
:: The character's computer was so burned, not only steam is coming out of the computer, but even the desk is noticeably burnt. The cable (apparently also burned) hangs from Hairy's laptop computer. The used blowtorch is clumsily laid sideways be the side of the desk. Both the character (whose goggles are pushed off his eye) and Hairy are looking at the calamity. The chair is almost out of view.
:: The goggles are on the floor while the chair is nowhere to be seen. Hairy and the character are walking away from the scene. Hairy is speaking.
:: * Are you all of a sudden in the mood for Thai food?
:: * Let's try OpenBSD next time...
::: The panel is of a panned view. Hairy and the character are walking on a path away from a house.
::: The panel is back to a "normal camera view". Hairy and the character are speaking.
::: * Guess not
::: * Let's go exploring!
::: * Okay then
:: * Let's try Linux next time...
:* Yep. It's haunted.
* Why is Python importing Skynet?
* Wait. What's on this other partition?
: The character has ??? next to his head to signify confusion. [[Hairy]] walks in. (continue)
: Hairy is on the other side of the desk with his own laptop computer. Both the computers are connected through Ethernet cable. The two characters are typing on the computer. (continue)
: The two stop typing. Hairy has ??? next to his head. (continue)
: Hairy had stepped back while the character is checking on Hairy's laptop computer. The character is holding something rectangular. Hairy is speaking.
:* Maybe if you cross connect the serial port to video port you'll be able to send the video directly in as an input for the password
:: The character and Hairy are at sea, both emitting ripples. A shark's fin can be seen close to Hairy.
::* It worked fine for the shark
::* We're definitely getting closer though
::* That didn't work!
:* What's a segfault?
:* I think the cameras need to face each other.
:* I'm not sure spaghetti works as a USB cable...

* My keyboard has to support SSH over USB?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
[[Category:April fool's comics]]

1350: Lorenz

2014-04-02T08:52:03Z

Kronf:

{{comic
| number = 1350
| date = April 1, 2014
| title = Lorenz
| image = 1350_lorenz_loop.png
| titletext = Every choice, no matter how small, begins a new story
}}

{{incomplete|All possible dialogues are not yet accounted for}}

==Explanation==
This comic is an April fools comic with crowd sourced content. Since April 1st 2014 was a Tuesday, this comic is not in the normal sequence Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

This comic is dynamic and needs interaction by the viewer. Initially there was a bug when using the URL <nowiki>http://www.xkcd.com/</nowiki> or even <nowiki>https://xkcd.com/</nowiki> and only <nowiki>http://xkcd.com/</nowiki> did work.

{{w|HTTP cookie|Cookies}} are required to see this page properly.

It appears that new panels may be generated by Randall in near real time as user suggestions to dialog is submitted. The dialogue options are likely based on click-through rates and hence will change over day based on which choices are clicked most using {{w|A/B_testing|A/B measurement techniques..}} This will mean that the most popular choices for dialogue line will prevail as the statistics build up. In some cases, dialogue line options do not depend on the continuity of the storyline followed, suggesting that some parts of the story are planned. For example, most storylines involve [[Cueball]] waking up and telling the character, “I had the strangest dream…” This may be due to common submissions across storylines as well.

Every panel has a "permalink" option which generates a unique URL for all the choices made by the reader -- so for example http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:26c8dcea-b9aa-11e3-8002-002590d77bdd will take you to a particular place in the selected choices.

The title 'Lorenz' is referring to {{w|Edward Norton Lorenz}} who among other subjects was famous for {{w|Chaos theory}}. The title is a reference to that the story line of today's comic will include most (all?) of the user submitted dialogue and hence will in nature be chaotic. In addition, the title text, "Every choice, no matter how small", is a reference to the butterfly effect, a phrase coined by Edward Lorenz to describe how a small initial change can lead to wide variations in outcome in a chaotic system.

This comic is an example of a {{w|Choose Your Own Adventure}} story.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[A transcript will be difficult to create due to the branching nature of the comic.]

There are many options. Not everyone will see the same options. We are trying to capture as many options as possible in the Transcript below. -- '''the order and options has changed since the transcripter captured the dialogue'''....The dialogue is likely based on click-through rates and hence will change over time based on which choices are clicked most using {{w|A/B_testing|A/B measurement techniques..}}

'''First Pane:'''([http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:be7a3304-b685-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 permalink])
* Refresh... No New Email... Refresh .. No New Tweets... Refresh...
* These Stupid Tiles... I'll Just Play One More Game
* Oh. Hey. There's Some Kind Of Political Thing Going On.
* Let's See If BSD Is Any Easier to Install Nowadays

'''Second Pane: Stupid Tiles Branch''' 
Option 1: ([http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:79f036ac-b9a0-11e3-9003-94de80a03a39 permalink])
* There's something weird on the lawn.
** This is an apartment. We don't have a lawn.
** I have a lawn?
** I hope it's not a bobcat this time.
*** [A giant hole appears and they fall into it.] Aaaaa...
*** [Guy 1 wakes up.] Gasp [Goes to his desk.] Yawn [Sits at his desk.]
**** Thank God it wasn't a bobcat.
****: [Guy 2 comes.]
***** There's somewhere [sic] weird out on the lawn.
*****: [They go.]
****** I hope it's not a giant hole.
******: [They go outside. They pass a tree.]
******* How disappointed are you?
*******: [They stop and argue.]
******** I was expecting a bobcat
******** Oh? That's the other tree.
******** Eh, not that much
****** I have a bad feeling about this
******: [They go outside.]
****** Hold up. I need to get my wingsuit first.
******: [They go outside.]
****** This seems familiar.
******: [They go outside.]
******* I hope it's not a velociraptor.
***** Why is there a bobcat on your lawn?
*****: [They go.]
***** Hey do you know why there's a giant hole in the yard?
*****: [They go.]
****** I swear if it's a bobcat
******: [They go outside.]
******* Why did you bring me here?
******* This dream has been looping for years, and yet we never tire of it. Why is that?
*******: [There is a gap in the ground. Guy 1 jumps over it, Guy 2 looks into it.]
**** Hmmm... I should buy a shovel.
**** Might as well clear more tiles
**** Definitely not going outside today.
** If you reprogrammed the squirrel laser to target hipsters again...
*** Let's just say we won't have to worry about parking.
*** No, now they're just wearing wigs ironically
*** At least it improved their haircuts.
*** Things may have gotten out of control a little.
* I heard Home Depot has 1024 bathroom tiles
* There's a dinosaur at the door
* I think I saw a "4096" tile outside somewhere.

'''Second Pane: Refresh Branch''' 
Option 1: ([http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:6479d184-b9a0-11e3-b947-94de80a03a39 permalink])
* So you're still refusing to use Facebook?
* Wanna build a snowman?
* Hey. I hear Godot is in town. Wanna try to meet him?
* You know. Your car's on fire.

'''Second Pane: Political Thing Branch''' 
The laptop says: "...and let's go live to the debate."
* Continue

'''Second Pane: BSD Branch''' 
The character has ?? next to his head to signify confusion.
* Continue

* Now I just need to look up what a "beard error" is...
: The character has ??? next to his head to signify confusion. [[Hairy]] walks in. (continue)
: Hairy is on the other side of the desk with his own laptop computer. Both the computers are connected through Ethernet cable. The two characters are typing on the computer. (continue)
: The two stop typing. Hairy has ??? next to his head. (continue)
: Hairy had stepped back while the character is checking on Hairy's laptop computer. The character is holding something rectangular. Hairy is speaking.
:* The USB cable appears to be mono-directional.
:* Kernel mites?
:* I'm not sure rubbing butter on it will help
:: Hairy and the character are handling their computers more aggressively. The Character says "ARGH"
:: They both stop. The character walks away, his chair turned 180 degrees.
:: Pushing aside the chair, the character returns with a fiery blowtorch while wearing goggles. Hairy, holding up a finger, says "Um."
:: The character's computer was so burned, not only steam is coming out of the computer, but even the desk is noticeably burnt. The cable (apparently also burned) hangs from Hairy's laptop computer. The used blowtorch is clumsily laid sideways be the side of the desk. Both the character (whose goggles are pushed off his eye) and Hairy are looking at the calamity. The chair is almost out of view.
:: The goggles are on the floor while the chair is nowhere to be seen. Hairy and the character are walking away from the scene. Hairy is speaking.
:: * Are you all of a sudden in the mood for Thai food?
:: * Let's try OpenBSD next time...
::: The panel is of a panned view. Hairy and the character are walking on a path away from a house.
::: The panel is back to a "normal camera view". Hairy and the character are speaking.
::: * Guess not
::: * Let's go exploring!
::: * Okay then
:: * Let's try Linux next time...
:* Yep. It's haunted.
* Why is Python importing Skynet?
* Wait. What's on this other partition?
: The character has ??? next to his head to signify confusion. [[Hairy]] walks in. (continue)
: Hairy is on the other side of the desk with his own laptop computer. Both the computers are connected through Ethernet cable. The two characters are typing on the computer. (continue)
: The two stop typing. Hairy has ??? next to his head. (continue)
: Hairy had stepped back while the character is checking on Hairy's laptop computer. The character is holding something rectangular. Hairy is speaking.
:* Maybe if you cross connect the serial port to video port you'll be able to send the video directly in as an input for the password
:: The character and Hairy are at sea, both emitting ripples. A shark's fin can be seen close to Hairy.
::* It worked fine for the shark
::* We're definitely getting closer though
::* That didn't work!
:* What's a segfault?
:* I think the cameras need to face each other.
:* I'm not sure spaghetti works as a USB cable...

* My keyboard has to support SSH over USB?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
[[Category:April fool's comics]]

1350: Lorenz

2014-04-02T08:34:51Z

Kronf:

{{comic
| number = 1350
| date = April 1, 2014
| title = Lorenz
| image = 1350_lorenz_loop.png
| titletext = Every choice, no matter how small, begins a new story
}}

{{incomplete|All possible dialogues are not yet accounted for}}

==Explanation==
This comic is an April fools comic with crowd sourced content. Since April 1st 2014 was a Tuesday, this comic is not in the normal sequence Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

This comic is dynamic and needs interaction by the viewer. Initially there was a bug when using the URL <nowiki>http://www.xkcd.com/</nowiki> or even <nowiki>https://xkcd.com/</nowiki> and only <nowiki>http://xkcd.com/</nowiki> did work.

{{w|HTTP cookie|Cookies}} are required to see this page properly.

It appears that new panels may be generated by Randall in near real time as user suggestions to dialog is submitted. The dialogue options are likely based on click-through rates and hence will change over day based on which choices are clicked most using {{w|A/B_testing|A/B measurement techniques..}} This will mean that the most popular choices for dialogue line will prevail as the statistics build up. In some cases, dialogue line options do not depend on the continuity of the storyline followed, suggesting that some parts of the story are planned. For example, most storylines involve [[Cueball]] waking up and telling the character, “I had the strangest dream…” This may be due to common submissions across storylines as well.

Every panel has a "permalink" option which generates a unique URL for all the choices made by the reader -- so for example http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:26c8dcea-b9aa-11e3-8002-002590d77bdd will take you to a particular place in the selected choices.

The title 'Lorenz' is referring to {{w|Edward Norton Lorenz}} who among other subjects was famous for {{w|Chaos theory}}. The title is a reference to that the story line of today's comic will include most (all?) of the user submitted dialogue and hence will in nature be chaotic. In addition, the title text, "Every choice, no matter how small", is a reference to the butterfly effect, a phrase coined by Edward Lorenz to describe how a small initial change can lead to wide variations in outcome in a chaotic system.

This comic is an example of a {{w|Choose Your Own Adventure}} story.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:[A transcript will be difficult to create due to the branching nature of the comic.]

There are many options. Not everyone will see the same options. We are trying to capture as many options as possible in the Transcript below. -- '''the order and options has changed since the transcripter captured the dialogue'''....The dialogue is likely based on click-through rates and hence will change over time based on which choices are clicked most using {{w|A/B_testing|A/B measurement techniques..}}

'''First Pane:'''([http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:be7a3304-b685-11e3-8001-94de80a03a29 permalink])
* Refresh... No New Email... Refresh .. No New Tweets... Refresh...
* These Stupid Tiles... I'll Just Play One More Game
* Oh. Hey. There's Some Kind Of Political Thing Going On.
* Let's See If BSD Is Any Easier to Install Nowadays

'''Second Pane: Stupid Tiles Branch''' 
Option 1: ([http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:79f036ac-b9a0-11e3-9003-94de80a03a39 permalink])
* There's something weird on the lawn.
** This is an apartment. We don't have a lawn.
** I have a lawn?
** I hope it's not a bobcat this time.
*** [A giant hole appears and they fall into it.] Aaaaa...
*** [Guy 1 wakes up.] Gasp [Goes to his desk.] Yawn [Sits at his desk.]
**** Thank God it wasn't a bobcat.
**** Hmmm... I should buy a shovel.
**** Might as well clear more tiles
**** Definitely not going outside today.
** If you reprogrammed the squirrel laser to target hipsters again...
*** Let's just say we won't have to worry about parking.
*** No, now they're just wearing wigs ironically
*** At least it improved their haircuts.
*** Things may have gotten out of control a little.
* I heard Home Depot has 1024 bathroom tiles
* There's a dinosaur at the door
* I think I saw a "4096" tile outside somewhere.

'''Second Pane: Refresh Branch''' 
Option 1: ([http://xkcd.com/1350/#p:6479d184-b9a0-11e3-b947-94de80a03a39 permalink])
* So you're still refusing to use Facebook?
* Wanna build a snowman?
* Hey. I hear Godot is in town. Wanna try to meet him?
* You know. Your car's on fire.

'''Second Pane: Political Thing Branch''' 
The laptop says: "...and let's go live to the debate."
* Continue

'''Second Pane: BSD Branch''' 
The character has ?? next to his head to signify confusion.
* Continue

* Now I just need to look up what a "beard error" is...
: The character has ??? next to his head to signify confusion. [[Hairy]] walks in. (continue)
: Hairy is on the other side of the desk with his own laptop computer. Both the computers are connected through Ethernet cable. The two characters are typing on the computer. (continue)
: The two stop typing. Hairy has ??? next to his head. (continue)
: Hairy had stepped back while the character is checking on Hairy's laptop computer. The character is holding something rectangular. Hairy is speaking.
:* The USB cable appears to be mono-directional.
:* Kernel mites?
:* I'm not sure rubbing butter on it will help
:: Hairy and the character are handling their computers more aggressively. The Character says "ARGH"
:: They both stop. The character walks away, his chair turned 180 degrees.
:: Pushing aside the chair, the character returns with a fiery blowtorch while wearing goggles. Hairy, holding up a finger, says "Um."
:: The character's computer was so burned, not only steam is coming out of the computer, but even the desk is noticeably burnt. The cable (apparently also burned) hangs from Hairy's laptop computer. The used blowtorch is clumsily laid sideways be the side of the desk. Both the character (whose goggles are pushed off his eye) and Hairy are looking at the calamity. The chair is almost out of view.
:: The goggles are on the floor while the chair is nowhere to be seen. Hairy and the character are walking away from the scene. Hairy is speaking.
:: * Are you all of a sudden in the mood for Thai food?
:: * Let's try OpenBSD next time...
::: The panel is of a panned view. Hairy and the character are walking on a path away from a house.
::: The panel is back to a "normal camera view". Hairy and the character are speaking.
::: * Guess not
::: * Let's go exploring!
::: * Okay then
:: * Let's try Linux next time...
:* Yep. It's haunted.
* Why is Python importing Skynet?
* Wait. What's on this other partition?
: The character has ??? next to his head to signify confusion. [[Hairy]] walks in. (continue)
: Hairy is on the other side of the desk with his own laptop computer. Both the computers are connected through Ethernet cable. The two characters are typing on the computer. (continue)
: The two stop typing. Hairy has ??? next to his head. (continue)
: Hairy had stepped back while the character is checking on Hairy's laptop computer. The character is holding something rectangular. Hairy is speaking.
:* Maybe if you cross connect the serial port to video port you'll be able to send the video directly in as an input for the password
:: The character and Hairy are at sea, both emitting ripples. A shark's fin can be seen close to Hairy.
::* It worked fine for the shark
::* We're definitely getting closer though
::* That didn't work!
:* What's a segfault?
:* I think the cameras need to face each other.
:* I'm not sure spaghetti works as a USB cable...

* My keyboard has to support SSH over USB?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
[[Category:April fool's comics]]

Talk:1331: Frequency

2014-02-17T12:06:50Z

Kronf:

I have began the transcript. Should a table be embedded with all the statements?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.11|108.162.250.11]] 07:33, 17 February 2014 (UTC)
:That would be apt. Dammit Randall, why couldn't you have made the comic one image so it'd be easy to put up here? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:36, 17 February 2014 (UTC)
::I have created a table but someone else has already updated the transcript in a different style; here is my attempt
<pre><table>
<tr>
<th>Heartbeat</th>
<th>One Birth</th>
<th>One Death</th>
<th>Someone Edits Wikipedia</th>
<th>Someone Buys a Vibrator</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>China Builds a Car</td>
<td>Japan Builds a Car</td>
<td>Germany Builds a Car</td>
<td>The US Builds a Car</td>
<td>Someone Else Builds a Car</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>A European Union President Has Their First Kiss</td>
<td>A US Fire Department Puts Out a Fire</td>
<td>Someone Hits a Hole-In-One</td>
<td>My Turn Signal Blinks</td>
<td>The Turn Signal of the Car in Front of Me Blinks</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Earthquake (Magnitude 1)</td>
<td>Earthquake (Magnitude 2)</td>
<td>Earthquake (Magnitude 3)</td>
<td>Earthquake (Magnitude 4)</td>
<td>Member of the UK Parliament Flushes a Toilet</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>An Airline Flight Takes Off</td>
<td>Someone Buys To Kill A Mockingbird</td>
<td>Someone's Pet Cat Kills a Mockingbird</td>
<td>Someone in Pheonix Buys New Shoes</td>
<td>Someone in Pheonix Puts on a Condom</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Someone Locks Their Keys in Their Car</td>
<td>A Sagittarius Named Amelia Drinks a Soda</td>
<td>A Dog Bites Someone in the US</td>
<td>Someone Steals a Bicycle</td>
<td>A Bald Eagle Catches a Fish</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>50,000 Plastic Bottles are Produced</td>
<td>50,000 Plastic Bottles are Recycled</td>
<td>A Bright Meteor is Visible Somewhere</td>
<td>Old Faithful Erupts</td>
<td>A fishing Boat Catches a Shark</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Someone in the US is Diagnosed With Cancer</td>
<td>Someone in the US Dies from Cancer</td>
<td>Someone Adopts a Dog from a Shelter</td>
<td>Someone Adopts a Cat from a Shelter</td>
<td>Someone gets Married</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Someone Registers a Domain</td>
<td>Someone in the US Buys a House</td>
<td>Someone in the US gets a Tattoo</td>
<td>The Star PSR J1748-2446AD Rotates 1,000 Times</td>
<td>Someone Lies About their Age to Sign up for Facebook</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Someone Breaks an iPhone Screen</td>
<td>A Little League Player Strikes Out</td>
<td>Someone has Sex in North Dakota</td>
<td>Justin Bieber Gains a Follower on Twitter</td>
<td>Someone in Denver Orders a Pizza</td>
</tr>
</table>
</pre> [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.11|108.162.250.11]] 10:06, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

:::Thanks, I have replaced the transcript with this one as it is closer to the actual comic format. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 10:24, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

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

:: Thanks, I thought of that one too. I have added this in the explanations column of the table I created, feel free to add more / edit if you feel the need to do so. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 10:24, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

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

:Thanks, I'm working on an explanation right now. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 09:57, 17 February 2014 (UTC)
::OK, I'll leave it at this - the conversions to events per minute don't make sense for all of the tiles and some of them can use more explanation but I'll leave that for someone else to pick up - need to go back to work :-) --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 10:12, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

:::The edits on Wikipedia doesn't seem very accurate: 0.67s are 3.9M edits per month, while [http://stats.wikimedia.org/EN/TablesDatabaseEdits.htm] has only edit counts around 3M for the last available months for English Wikipedia. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.160|108.162.254.160]] 11:17, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

Suggestion: grid like coordinates to refer to other flashing text? (think E4, B6, D5, ...) sirKitKat [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.173|173.245.53.173]] 11:19, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

Someone from the UK parliment flushed the toilet while someone in Phoenix used a condom, while a bald eagle caught a fish... (I know, it's just the frequency, not the exact time it is shown to occur) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.131|141.101.98.131]] 11:28, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

Shouldn't the North Dakota one have been "two people"? [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 11:57, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

He should have added a PNG saying "your screen's refresh rate"... --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 12:06, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

Talk:603: Idiocracy

2014-01-27T12:50:41Z

Kronf: fix

This explanation seems to be incorrect. The key point was that White Hat actually was wrong! The average education has gone up, and the average IQ ''cannot'' sink! By allowing Cueball to agree with clearly false laments, he baits him into revealing his stupidity. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 19:58, 20 August 2013 (UTC)
:The title text pretty much spells out that, in Randall's mind, White Hat is correct. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.66|199.27.128.66]] 06:14, 10 November 2013 (UTC)

I propose that the hatted figure is not in fact [[White_Hat|White Hat]], as neither the hat shape nor the personality are consistent with other appearances. ([[:Category:Comics featuring White Hat‏‎]]) The real White Hat, when he speaks, is generally a bit of a wet blanket or well-meaning buffoon. This one, whom I'll dub [[White_Derby|White Derby]], is speaking counter-buffoonery, what we may reasonably guess to be the actual thoughts of the author. Usually Cueball fills this role (eg [[258:_Conspiracy_Theories]]), and in fact if the roles here were reversed I'd tend to ignore the misshapen hat. But two and two, together, well... --[[Special:Contributions/66.114.70.139|66.114.70.139]] 18:39, 28 October 2013 (UTC)
:Eh. He hasn't appeared in any other strips, and it's not too harmful to put him under the umbrella of the real White Hat. I see your point; White Hat is no longer a generic character like [[Hairy]], but an actual recurring one.
:Also, have Black Hat and White Hat ever appeared in the same comic? (Click and Drag doesn't count.) [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 09:08, 11 November 2013 (UTC)

So, does this page qualify for Complete now? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.66|199.27.128.66]] 05:36, 12 November 2013 (UTC)

1319: Automation

2014-01-20T13:49:03Z

Kronf:

{{comic
| number = 1319
| date = January 20, 2014
| title = Automation
| image = automation.png
| titletext = 'Automating' comes from the roots 'auto-' meaning 'self-', and 'mating', meaning 'screwing'.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic refers to the way that programmers think: by creating a program that can automate menial but frequent tasks, they can save time and effort (because computers can execute commands faster than a human can). The first graph shows that writing the program will take more effort initially, but once the program is complete, it will be the one doing the tasks and the programmer will have free time to do something else.

However, writing a program is usually not a simple case write and done: programs can have defects, and certain functionalities could be hard to implement. Because of this, programmers usually spend more time than projected to finish a program. Not because they can't, but because they spend their time dealing with defects that will inevitably arise. To deal with this, programmers will usually re-think their program design some time during development (for example, to streamline the process, allowing better readability and/or performance). As time goes on the desire to see it finished can consume the programmer's effort and attention, leaving the menial tasks they should have done abandoned.

The title text is a joke on the word "automating." Taking "mating" to be meant literally, he takes the double meaning of the synonym "screwing". Screwing is slang for intercourse but also can mean giving someone a hard time (being "screwed over" is a common way of expressing this). Thus automating translates to self-screwing (giving yourself a hard time).

See also [[974: The General Problem]], [[1205: Is It Worth the Time?]]

{{incomplete|need fact checking and citations}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:412: Startled

2013-08-02T14:55:26Z

Kronf:

What is there to explain here? [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 04:02, 23 February 2013 (UTC)

:Looks like an analogy to some animal. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 14:55, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1231: Habitable Zone

2013-08-02T12:55:21Z

Kronf:

Even if you placed the mirror in Space, it would be incredibly obvious what is going on. I don't think this would work. [[Special:Contributions/96.251.85.48|96.251.85.48]] 06:56, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

:For this trick to work, the mirror would need to be placed AT LEAST two light years away and be at least 1AU big. Somehow I don't think this is worth it. Alternatively, you need more complicated optical system which would not only mirror Earth, but also create illusion it's further away. I still think such system would be more costly to build that ISS. Or ... well ... you could put an LCD display directly over the telescope. That's doable, cheap and as a bonus you can display planets from sci-fi there. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:44, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

::The mirror could be much smaller and closer if it's convex. PS. I don't know the 'rules' for posting, so apologies if I'm doing it wrong.[[Special:Contributions/24.72.12.221|24.72.12.221]] 13:46, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

::Under Hkmaly's initial proposal, the astronomer would have to make two observations, 4 years apart, in order to see the "other" telescope. [[User:Elsbree|Elsbree]] ([[User talk:Elsbree|talk]]) 07:13, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

Since when do we have terrestrial telescopes that can directly resolve exoplanets? I think we're still at the stage where we get excited by troughs in light curves EDIT: TIL that there are specific techniques for exactly that: {{w|Nulling interferometry}} and {{w|Vortex coronagraph}}s. Still, they may work for hot Jupiters, but don't think we can detect Goldilocks exoplanets from the ground yet; much less see oceans and visible weather. [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 09:14, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

::You can't detect them from the ground, but you are invited use your pattern-recognition skills to detect planets by examining the images sent back by the Kepler telescope. It's part of the citizen-scientist project. Go to http://www.PlanetHunters.org .[[User:CoderLass|CoderLass]] ([[User talk:CoderLass|talk]]) 21:14, 10 July 2013 (UTC)

My first thought was that you need to point the mirror so that it's aimed perfectly at the Earth. Then, I realized that you can use a corner reflector so that the aim doesn't have to be precise at all. Then, I came to the following realization: what if a significant portion of the stars we see are simply reflections of our own solar system due to a massive prank done by aliens? [[Special:Contributions/174.88.153.125|174.88.153.125]] 15:22, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

:Or all of them? Of course including additional variable features like red shift. So [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Universum.jpg they were right!] Forever alone... --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 16:31, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

:: Where would these aliens reside? Either we're pranking ourselves, or there are other stars. [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 17:57, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

::: What if there's a mirage-like effect in space, that causes light rays to mirror back to us with some variability, maybe different sizes, shapes, colors, and the universe is actuallly quite small? I mean, other than light, do we seriously detect gravity and other stuff out there (other than the visible effects of those properties on other stuff we see)? [[Special:Contributions/189.5.110.148|189.5.110.148]] 06:17, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

:::: If the universe is curved spherically, something similar to this would actually happen. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shape_of_the_Universe [[Special:Contributions/174.88.153.125|174.88.153.125]] 16:28, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

Wouldn't reflected light make the mirror extremely bright and impossible to view directly?{{unsigned ip|49.176.71.2}}

: Depends on how far the aliens decide to put the mirror. Light gets weaker with distance, which is the same reason that distant stars (many of which are brighter than our sun) don't overwhelm us with light. Also...what if the sun is merely a reflection of something? [[Special:Contributions/174.88.153.125|174.88.153.125]] 16:28, 29 June 2013 (UTC)

A German (satirical) newspaper page had an article once, how NASA discovered a habitable planet zero light years away from Earth after they rotated the Hubble space telescope [http://www.der-postillon.com/2012/02/nasa-entdeckt-bewohnbaren-planeten-in.html]. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 22:18, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
:Please translate this. It's a great joke, but most people here will not understand. And: It's not a newspaper.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:31, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::That was already the main part of the joke. If someone is interested in the rest, please use your favorite online translator. (Claiming to be a "newspaper" is also a joke, the same as claiming to exist since 1845) --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 10:35, 11 July 2013 (UTC)

::[http://pastebin.com/wX9j6X3Y I've translated it.] --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 12:55, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1246: Pale Blue Dot

2013-08-02T11:44:24Z

Kronf:

To call this a "simple call for funding for space exploration" completely misses the point of the Ba'al theology with which it is intertwined.

:I think it completely misses all the points of the comic. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 11:44, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1231: Habitable Zone

2013-06-28T16:31:26Z

Kronf:

Template talk:LatestComicOnDate

2013-06-07T13:29:28Z

Kronf:

I'm playing around with a bit of date math to see if we can reduce the sheer size, server-load, and maintenance requirements of the current implementation of LATESTCOMIC. The premise is that Randall posts comics on a regular basis: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of every week, and that is eminently predictable (as long as Randall keeps to that schedule... there have been exceptions in the past...)

LatestComicOnDate is predictive, but not definitive: it tells you what comic ''should'' be latest on a given date, but if nobody has posted it here yet, well, it ''doesn't'' know that.

My thoughts are:
* Improve the year roll-over behavior (right now, this will work until late December 2012.) Quick thoughts are to change the hard-coded base at the start of the expression (the comic number of in the final ISO-8601 week of 2011) with either a #switch for successive years (ongoing maintenance, but only every few years) or some inter-year week math. Right now, I'm leaning toward the former, for simplicity.
* LATESTCOMIC would then use this template to decide what the latest comic should be, and then make sure it exists. If not, try n-1, n-2, etc for a few (but not more than a couple ;-) of prior numbers... hopefully this site doesn't go all cobwebby on us that we're more than, say, a week behind...

-- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 16:29, 11 August 2012 (UTC)

:Sounds cool! My question is, how many exceptions has there been to Randall's posting schedule, and what does their distribution look like (mostly in the early days, evenly spread, etc)? In any case we might want to include a "special case" parameter for when these exceptions occur. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:48, 11 August 2012 (UTC)
::Thanks. This template is really just forward-looking, so there's no attempt to address irregularities in the past. But here's how I think it it will play out:
::* If he's late, it's like we're late: #ifexist returns false, and we go back to a prior entry.
::* If he's early, we miss it until the predicted day. We could work around it by always looking for #ifexist n+1 first, but most of the time this will be false.
::Of course, all bets are off if Randall changes his schedule; we'd just have to redo the predictive algorithm. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 21:14, 11 August 2012 (UTC)

Ah, this already exists, good. Now to check the existing pages, we'll need [[mw:Extension:Variables]]. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 13:29, 7 June 2013 (UTC)

explain xkcd:Sandbox

2013-06-07T12:43:38Z

Kronf: guys, we need Extension:Variables

__NOINDEX__
Make changes, try things out, or just have fun with the wiki here! Just leave everything above the line alone, please.
------

{{#expr:1220+({{CURRENTWEEK}}-23)*3+{{#switch:{{CURRENTDOW}}|1|2=0|3|4=1|5|6|0=2}}}}

Talk:1081: Argument Victory

2013-05-13T16:57:00Z

Kronf:

Talk:1108: Cautionary Ghost

2012-11-14T11:20:52Z

Kronf: /* Third panel */

== Literally ==
Could it have been spurred by [http://www.explosm.net/comics/2923/ this comic]?

:It shares quibbles over the word literally, but the driving idea behind the jokes are different. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 06:08, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

:Exasperation over the misuse/overuse of "literally" is quite widespread, especially among the target audience of xkcd. I doubt the choice was inspired by a particular source.

I think it is a reference to this prior [http://xkcd.com/725/ xkcd comic] which is also dealing with the difference between literally and figuratively and somebody eager to tell people the difference.
--[[Special:Contributions/194.167.19.2|194.167.19.2]] 08:06, 14 September 2012 (UTC)Josch

:I think there is a huge difference between devoting years of time & energy waiting to 'gotcha' someone and encouraging people to use a word correctly. Because so many people use the word "literally" for emphasis even when their usage is figurative, how can I tell someone that my usage of something is in fact literal? [[User:JaniceOly|JaniceOly]] ([[User talk:JaniceOly|talk]]) 03:24, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

Having the ''Literally'' as the word to argue about seems to be fitting this comic quite well, since the world is literally the same in both scenarios. Or, the other way around, arguing about ''literally'' literally doesn't matter.

== Idyllic ==
What's so idyllic on that scene? That people are still alive and someone is still flying? (Note that it may be airforce one) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:09, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

== Charles Dickens ==
''The usage of a ghost from the past or future to deliver a message in fiction was begun in Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol'' - I really don't think that's true. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 12:55, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

== Subjunctive ==
I have to say, not using the subjunctive case correctly really grinds my gears, 'as it were'. --[[Special:Contributions/216.110.25.2|216.110.25.2]] 13:53, 14 September 2012 (UTC)dangerkeith3000

Fixed the typo someone made on the title text ghost: Ghost of <del>Subjective</del> Subjunctive Past. I also typed up some information on the subjunctive mood and the subjunctive past construction. Hopefully this helps clear up the title text. [[User:Haruspex|Haruspex]] ([[User talk:Haruspex|talk]]) 13:54, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

I'm not sure it's correct to describe the fight in favor of ''if it were'' as "equally trivial". Isn't the entire point of the title text that that fight '''is''' worth continuing? --[[User:Cristo|Cristo]] ([[User talk:Cristo|talk]]) 15:56, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

@Haruspex: Thanks for clearing up that issue of subjective/subjunctive -- I was just about to go in and fix it myself. --[[User:Pdaoust|Pdaoust]] ([[User talk:Pdaoust|talk]]) 16:11, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

Subjunctive is a MOOD, not a CASE or a TENSE. And ask Shakespeare about using ghosts to deliver messages.

== Third panel ==
Hmm shouldn't the third panel read "... if you '''gave''' up the fight ... "? --[[Special:Contributions/220.255.1.119|220.255.1.119]] 07:12, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

:Nope. ''This is the future.'' --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 11:20, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

Talk:most recent comic

2012-11-07T12:43:50Z

Kronf: Created page with "Sorry, MediaWiki is too dumb for this. Furthermore it would be a double redirect. --~~~~"

Sorry, MediaWiki is too dumb for this. Furthermore it would be a double redirect. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 12:43, 7 November 2012 (UTC)

1131

2012-11-07T12:40:33Z

Kronf: Kronf moved page 1131 to 1131: Math

#REDIRECT [[1131: Math]]

Talk:1131: Math

2012-11-07T12:40:33Z

Kronf: Kronf moved page Talk:1131 to Talk:1131: Math

Sorry, I don't know how to upload the correct image. - Artod

:Picture downloaded from xkcd, uploaded to the wiki with the correct license and "xkcd" added to the filename as a prefix, then filename changed in page source to correct image. Hope this helps in the future! - [[User:Coombeseh|Coombeseh]] ([[User talk:Coombeseh|talk]]) 10:36, 7 November 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1131

2012-11-07T12:40:33Z

Kronf: Kronf moved page Talk:1131 to Talk:1131: Math

#REDIRECT [[Talk:1131: Math]]

1131: Math

2012-11-07T12:40:32Z

Kronf: Kronf moved page 1131 to 1131: Math

{{comic
| number = 1131
| date = November 7, 2012
| title = Math
| image = xkcdmath.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = As of this writing, the only thing that's 'razor-thin' or 'too close to call' is the gap between the consensus poll forecast and the result.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic shows a bar graph representing expected (see note below) electoral college votes in the 2012 United States presidential election, including a dotted bar indicating the 270 votes needed to win, a span of media & exit poll projections ("Forecast"), and the actual result. Such a visual -- and the true result of the election -- can only be based on the actual data available, proving the comic's point that the numbers matter more than any rhetoric.

Note: The electoral college votes are expectations until the official voting in early December.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Politics]]

User talk:IronyChef

2012-11-03T02:46:34Z

Kronf: /* This is getting ridiculous */

Just making the red link go away.

== Please watch [[Explain XKCD:Community portal/Administrators' noticeboard]] ==

I'd like to ask that the admins consider adding [[Explain XKCD:Community portal/Administrators' noticeboard]] to their [[wikipedia:Help:Watching pages|watchlists]]. On a similar note, I've just started a discussion there about spammers. -''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 02:02, 4 August 2012 (EDT)

== 'Bout a couple of things. ==

The [[Talk:Main_Page#The_comic_explanation_count_is_wrong|comic counter]] is a bit off, and that [[Talk:Main_Page#Make_Jeff_stop_apologizing|apology from Jeff]] has been around for ages. There's also a [[Special:DoubleRedirects|double redirect]] to the main page that I can't fix. O almighty admin, bestow your gift of power upon us and fix these annoying niggles for us editors. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 09:19, 12 October 2012 (UTC)
:Ix-nay'd the ''we're back'' announcement; that's easy. The counter one I'm going to hold off on; there's some voodoo in the calculation I don't fully understand; there was a discussion about that augmented math that will bear some looking into. I recommend reactivating the appropriate discussion on the Community Portal. Anyway, hopefully half fulfilled is still fulfilled... [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 13:34, 12 October 2012 (UTC)
:... oh, and that double-redirect is history, too. [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 13:37, 12 October 2012 (UTC)

==This is getting ridiculous==
The spam recently. It's obscene. Could you block anonymous page creation and account creation for a few days? [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 23:29, 19 October 2012 (UTC)
: OM(F)G... yeah, we've been hit by a spambot again. I think Jeff is the only one with those priv's, but let me look into what I can do, too.
::Oh, and we're going to have to be a '''lot''' more careful with our blocks. I just saw a anonymous user try to get Hkmaly banned by giving him a spam userpage, and I don't know how long they've been doing it. It's entirely possible that they've already gotten legitimate editors blocked in the past. I don't know what to do. I want to cry. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 09:43, 20 October 2012 (UTC)
:::Yeah, I've seen that happen a couple of times, too. I've not blocked contributors, just removed the spam page when that is the case. Fortunately, blocks can be undone. but what bummer for the legit contributor. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 13:13, 20 October 2012 (UTC)
::::Couldn't just someone install the common extensions like blacklists and abuse filters? --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 02:46, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

== So, now what? ==

Do I come down from the heavens and pass judgement on those without sheep's blood on the door posts? I don't see that option on the Actions drop down. I do like the shiny userbox though, that's nice. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:33, 2 November 2012 (UTC)
: Sadly, no (not yet, anyway.) But I'm trying to scrounge up enough tin to make some stars... not as dramatic, alas. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 16:39, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1129: Cell Number

2012-11-03T02:43:47Z

Kronf: /* Handi phones */

: I guess this has something to do with keeping your phone number even when switching providers? We got a law in Norway around that time, which says you're able to keep your phone number while switching. Only difference is that here you can only tell, from the first two of eight digits, which ''provider'' you had in 2005 (or whenever it took effect). --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 08:31, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

::It probably does. There is no mention of 2005 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Numbering_Plan North American Numbering Plan wikipedia article] ... seems it's the part needing explanation the most. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:38, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

: According to wikipedia, mobile number portability was implemented in the USA in 2003.11.24. The comic would make sense with 2003, but why 2005? Maybe it only caught on enough in 2005: http://www.pyramidresearch.com/pa_may26_mnp.htm

: One reason for switching to a new "local" number would be so that those who have land lines aren't making "long-distance" phone calls to your cell phone. My brother just recently moved back from the east coast and is keeping his same cell phone number, which doesn't affect my other siblings and myself because we only use cell phones (which only count the number of minutes used). But my mom still uses land lines most of the time and so she's being billed for a long-distance call whenever she calls him, even though he lives about a mile away from her. But since most people are ditching the land lines, I think it'll be a moot point in about 5-10 years. --[[User:Joehammer79|Joehammer79]] ([[User talk:Joehammer79|talk]]) 13:45, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

It has to do with cell phones versus land lines. Back in the day (before the early 2000s), many people still had a land line as their primary or only phone. Your phone number's area code would be based on the area in which you lived. If you moved to a new area, you would get a new phone number, and if you moved out of the previous area code, a new area code. But with a cell phone, when you moved you kept the same number, including the area code. This was especially true after the 2003 law made it so you could keep the same number even if you switch your provider. The year 2005 has to do with when many people made their cell phone their primary or only phone. As [http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-03-24-cell-phones_x.htm this USA TODAY]article mentions, in 2003 18% of Americans with cell phones considered their cell phone their primary phone. Given the rapid growth of the industry, it is possible that 2005 is when more than half of cell phone owners in America considered their cell phone their primary phone.

:The details differ, of course ("your mileage may vary"). There are so many possible reasons why this occurs. My parent's cell phones (612) don't match their home land-line (763) due to area code splits -- they didn't move or cause the disconnect themselves. As for me, my first cell phone matched theirs, but in 2005 I moved to Michigan (586 area), creating a disconnect. Then to make things worse, early next year (2006) I got a second line (and new phone) on my new girlfriend's account, and she lived on the other side of the city (734). We married and moved near where I was living & working, but both still have "734" cell phones for family purposes. So Randall's "living" can also be "dating / where significant other is living". --BigMal27 / [[Special:Contributions/192.136.15.149|192.136.15.149]] 15:54, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

For anyone from outside the US, the key fact here is that in the US, your mobile phone has an area code the same as a landline. I used to live in the US, and it blew my mind to learn that mobile phones had area codes there. I was like, but.... Huh? That's like saying your car has a postal address.[[User:Carlisle|Carlisle]] ([[User talk:Carlisle|talk]]) 15:06, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

:In the US, our cars kind of do have a postal address -- the state they are titled & registered in, the same state emblazoned on the license plate in the back (and sometimes the front also). However, the states don't like it when you operate an "out-of-state" car in their territory for too long. Specifically, you are using public roads that you are not paying for. Then, when you transfer title and are assigned a new plate, you get a new letter/number combination. License plates -- and specifically the random ID (or "vanity plate" custom ID) they hold -- are not portable between states. --BigMal27 / [[Special:Contributions/192.136.15.149|192.136.15.149]] 15:47, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

::In the past, in Italy you had to do the same when you moved from one province to another. Now, if you move, you pay car taxes to a different province, but your license plate stays the same. At the time, the province code was part of the license number, now it isn't anymore. If you have an old plate with a province code, you keep it even if you move.
::If you have an out-of-country car, and move to Italy for more than a year, then you have to get Italian license plates.
::--[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.90|85.159.196.90]] 17:51, 2 November 2012 (UTC)

I'm 34 and live in the USA and it still took me a while to understand this. The 2005 date is because even though the portability law was passed in 2003, it was still difficult to do and not very common to keep you number until 2005.

== Handi phones ==
''"cell/mobile/handi phones"'' ... Who uses "handi phones"? Would be really interesting :) --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 02:18, 3 November 2012 (UTC)
:A German friend tells me that that is the term of art for what US folks call "cellular" phones: "Ruf mich am Handi an," (in my broken German: "call me on my handi/cellphone") Given that we've got an international audience, it seemed appropriate to use. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 02:31, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

::Ah ok. And you had me thinking that someone in the English speaking world was using our German term ;) --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 02:43, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Main Page

2012-11-03T02:28:03Z

Kronf: /* Purge */ new section

{{notice|This page is for discussion of the [[Main Page]] itself. Other issues probably belong at the [[Explain XKCD:Community portal]].}}

As a new user, I think the first page is very important. So I thought why not begin a discussion here what to have on the first page every user visits.--[[User:Relic|Relic]] ([[User talk:Relic|talk]]) 05:59, 1 August 2012 (EDT) Re-signed here - b/c I broke the comment in two when I added the "List of comics" header. --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 23:01, 2 August 2012 (EDT)

==List of comics==
I was thinking of having a quick link to the list of comics that is explained. Right know, it took me a while to even see any of them. Eventually I found the "List All Pages" (found it in Special pages) where I could find the comics that have been explained. What do you think?
:A category tag will do that for you automatically. Having a list of comics indexed by its number would be a little different.--[[User:Relic|Relic]] ([[User talk:Relic|talk]]) 05:59, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
::Sounds like a great list - I ''think'' it'd have to be manually maintained until/unless we get someone who knows how to make a bot update it. Categories will be useful, but they only work if someone added the category to the page in the first place. --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 07:21, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
:::A (somewhat) related question - should [[:Category:Comics]] be sorted alphabetically or by comic number? --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 07:43, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
::::I think [[:Category:Comics]] should be sorted by comic number. If you are looking for a specific comic, you will use the search field. Is there a way to make that happen? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 08:11, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
:::::They are two different functions. For the former, instead of adding <nowiki>[[Category:Comics]]</nowiki>, add, say, <nowiki>[[Category:Comics|1]]</nowiki>. For the second, we can create redirects. Normally, I'd say just make sure the search term was in the article text, but since numbers are going to be use for other purposes than just comic titles, it may be better to create [[1]] and [[Comic 1]] as redirects to the relevant articles right off the bat. --08:24, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
::::::We could also have a comic-list template on the Main Page, I suppose, or perhaps two - one for number and one for name? --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 08:54, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
:::::::Here's what I was thinking of for that: {{tl|Comics navbox}} Thoughts? ''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]]
:(outdent) It's ugly, but a sortable wikitable [[User:SurturZ/sandbox|(click here for example)]] could be used as a checklist to see what has been uploaded and what hasn't. What's the project namespace here, anyway (analogue of "WP:")? --[[User:SurturZ|SurturZ]] ([[User talk:SurturZ|talk]]) 03:04, 3 August 2012 (EDT)
:OK, I've found a way to get all the titles of the comics, so I was confident enough to create <big>[[Explain XKCD:Checklist]]</big> which can be used to fill in the gaps. --[[User:SurturZ|SurturZ]] ([[User talk:SurturZ|talk]]) 03:41, 3 August 2012 (EDT)
::I'm liking the checklist! That should do quite nicely as a "tool for editors". (I'm linking to it at the Community Portal). We still need the "template for readers." Did you think {{tl|Comics navbox}} was on the right track or should we do something else for that? --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 20:09, 3 August 2012 (EDT)
::Better idea - I'm throwing it directly onto the Main Page. --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 20:10, 3 August 2012 (EDT)

==Admin list==
You can find a system-accurate list of admins [{{canonicalurl:Special:ListUsers|group=sysop}} here], so that might good to share, along with the manual list. --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 07:13, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
:Added to page. --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 08:10, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
::That's exactly what I wanted, but couldn't find the auto page for it. I knew it was somewhere. I don't see any reason to keep the link to the manual page. Do you? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 08:11, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
:::Not unless you want it. I'll remove it. Should I add the similar link for 'crats or is that unnecessary at this point? --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 08:25, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
::::To be honest, I have no idea what the Burecrats role does. Might be unnecessary now but helpful in the future? --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 11:16, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
:::::Bureaucrats can turn other users into administrators (or indeed, other bureaucrats). That privilege isn't available to ordinary administrators. I'd keep it to yourself for the time being. :-) --[[User:Yirba|Yirba]] ([[User talk:Yirba|talk]]) 17:39, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
::::::You can actually see a technical list of which rights each group confers at [[Special:ListGroupRights]]. As the wiki grows, you might want to spin off a few, such as the ability to grant rollbacker and autopatrolled, to admins as some other wikis have. But for the time being, at least, there's really no reason for the wiki to have more than one 'crat. --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 17:07, 2 August 2012 (EDT)

== Community portal ==

I've created the [[Explain XKCD:Community portal]] as a tools/help page. If that's not what you want, feel free to change/move/whatever it, but I thought it'd be nice to save this page for discussion of the Main Page and discuss the wiki as a whole/ask for help there. --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 08:36, 1 August 2012 (EDT)

== Direct link to latest comic ==

There should be a direct link to the latest comic at the top of the Main page. A nice thing about going to explainxkcd.com was that the latest comic is right there at the top. For those changing their default link to the wiki, there should be an easy "Latest Comic" link that quickly takes them there. I'm sure some folks actually skip xkcd.com and come directly here instead to read the latest offering from Randall. They shouldn't have to search for it.
[[User:Christopher Foxx|- CFoxx]] ([[User talk:Christopher Foxx|talk]]) 11:59, 1 August 2012 (EDT)

: Maybe the page [[latest]] should redirect to the most recent comic? Could that be taken care of by some sort of script/template so it doesn't have to be manually updated? Should each explination page also have "next", "previous", "random", "first" and "latest" links, possibly also generated automatically via scripts/templates? Additionally, shouldn't the number page be the canonical one? It seems like [[Internal monologue]] should redirect to [[1089]] rather than the other way around - certainly it would make a bunch of scripting types of things a lot easier. [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 13:02, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
:::If you wanted, we could even use wiki-magic to show the title of the page as the Comic name, but the URL as the number - in order to parallel the actual XKCD website. --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 17:09, 2 August 2012 (EDT)
:: Shouldn't there be a way to programmatically find the comic with the highest number that has a page with content? That would work as long as no one puts future comic pages up. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 20:25, 1 August 2012 (EDT)
:::It's all sounding like folks are over-complicating something quite easy. All I'm suggesting is a prominent link to http://www.xkcd.com/. No need, I think, to list which number the latest is, or include the next/last/random buttons, etc. [[User:Christopher Foxx|- CFoxx]] ([[User talk:Christopher Foxx|talk]]) 11:41, 3 August 2012 (EDT)
::::Oh. We've got that, now, in the sidebar - labeled as "XKCD." I do think that having an internal link to the latest (explained) comic would be a great thing, though. --''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' [[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]] 16:36, 4 August 2012 (EDT)

You can transclude the latest comic on the main page like this: <nowiki>{{:pagename}} e.g. {{:Internal_monologue}} </nowiki>--[[User:SurturZ|SurturZ]] ([[User talk:SurturZ|talk]]) 00:25, 2 August 2012 (EDT)
: I've started with just a manual link to the latest comic. Ideally it will be automatic, but a manual link will work for now as I've had quite a few people ask for it. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 21:09, 1 August 2012 (EDT)

Transclusion of the latest comic is great. Someone with the right permissions should add (for instance on the top-right corner of the grey transclusion area) a link to edit the corresponding wiki page, so that people seeing something they could add would feel invited to do so (wiki style). In my opinion this would be a good way to improve the quality of the user-generated explanations.
Also, all the "XKCD"s in the "New here?" section should be converted to the lowercase "xkcd"...
[[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 14:00, 6 August 2012 (UTC)
:Good points. I've done both. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 15:48, 6 August 2012 (UTC)

Call me dumb, but... You've got a link called "prev" that goes to the explaination for the previous comic. Then a link called "comic #42" but that goes to xkcd. And then a smaller, less prominent link called "go to this comic" that doesn't go to the comic but to its explaination. Anyone else think that's a little back-to-front? [[User:Zootle|Zootle]] ([[User talk:Zootle|talk]]) 17:18, 31 August 2012 (UTC)
:OK, you're dumb :-). The standard template for an explanation page includes the header with "Prev", "Comic # (date)", and "Next" links. If we don't have explanation pages for the previous or next comic, we don't show the respective link. I hadn't noticed that the "Comic # (date)" bit was a link to the xkcd site before, but in context it makes sense to me. Including a link to the Explain page for the comic who's explain page you are already looking at doesn't make sense.
:The explanation page for the latest comic is "transcluded" in the main page pretty much as-is, so we get the header, the comic, the explanation, etc. We don't get the discussion, which is visible at the bottom of the Explain page. Because there is never an explanation for a comic that hasn't been released yet, there is never a "Next" link on the main page's transcluded header. So you get "Prev" and "Comic" links. The "Go to this comic" link is added by the main page above the transcluded explain page.
:I can see how the "Go to this comic" link might be poorly worded especially as it's placement seems to be within the explanation it's linking to. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 18:16, 31 August 2012 (UTC)
::Rather than "Go to this comic" maybe it could be "Go to full explanation" ? Something else? [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 13:38, 5 September 2012 (UTC)
::There was [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests#.22Edit_this_explanation.22_link_on_main_page a discussion at one point] about a wittier/more descriptive link - but no one came up with anything. I do like "Go to Full Explanation" better, for what it's worth. --[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 15:31, 5 September 2012 (UTC)
:::My problem with that suggestion is that it implies that the main page explanation is not full. As of right now, the full explanation is transcluded on the main page. There's nothing more to see by clicking that link (explanation wise) Perhaps "Go to full explanation page" but that doesn't quite sound right to me... [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 15:42, 7 September 2012 (UTC)
::::How about "Go to this Comic Explanation Page"? One nice thing about the specific page rather than the [[Main_Page]] transcoding is that it nicely includes the discussion as well. I have a bookmark to the [[Main_Page]] that I look at every day, but I want to easily read the discussions, not only the explanation. Humm, maybe we could have a page [[most recent comic]] that automagically redirects to the most recent comic? [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 12:42, 8 September 2012 (UTC)
:::::I tried to get [[most recent comic]] to redirect to LATESTCOMIC, but can't get the syntax working - it is possible? [[User:J-beda|J-beda]] ([[User talk:J-beda|talk]]) 13:03, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

== Discussion of latest comic ==
Perhaps include the discussions of the latest comic here? I almost missed there was a discussion field a few times because I would only read about the latest comic on the main page. [[User:Carewolf|Carewolf]] ([[User talk:Carewolf|talk]]) 14:54, 22 September 2012 (UTC)

This comics's explanation is complete bollocks, I think. Of course it is NOT a "fact that such a room exists". This comics parodies trope often used in cop movies - an elderly cop goes to work for the last time before his retirement, packs things, plans fishing the next day ... only to be called to one more case (possibly with a new, young and brash partner). And despites his efforts not to screw anything and stay clear of danger, he is either mortally wounded or screws big time and is degraded. So much clichè, that if someone says "It's my last day or service", you might be sure one of the two options above happens. See http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Retirony [[User:edheldil|Edheldil]] 10:17, 26 September 2012 (UTC)

== The comic explanation count is wrong ==

The adjustment is currently 3, but there are now 6 subcategories and one list making the current correct adjustment 7.
If the wiki was upgraded to version 1.20, a form exists to automatically exclude subcategories.
--[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 09:56, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

:Looks like another week of the wiki going down then.
:But seriously, I've been noticing this too. Didn't know what was causing it, but it's going to have to be fixed sometime.[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 10:25, 8 October 2012 (UTC)

::The text reads <pre><nowiki>We already have [[:Category:Comics|'''{{#expr:{{PAGESINCAT:Comics}}-3}}''' comic explanations]]!</nowiki></pre> The -3 is to account for the subcategories and non-explanation pages in the category. There apparently used to be three such pages, and now there are seven. I would fix this myself, but the page is protected. If the wiki where upgraded to version 1.20, the categories could be explicitly excluded, but the [[List of all comics]] would still be in the category. (Note that the -3 actually appears twice.) --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 05:03, 11 October 2012 (UTC)

==Make Jeff stop apologizing==
The apology for server downtime has been around for a while now. Can we take it down? [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 04:41, 11 October 2012 (UTC)

== Spambots ==

I think someone should install [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:AbuseFilter AbuseFilter]. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 10:09, 13 October 2012 (UTC)

== Purge ==

We should regularly purge the server's cache for the main page using http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page&action=purge to keep the explanation up to date. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 02:28, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1129: Cell Number

2012-11-03T02:18:42Z

Kronf: @IronyChef

1128: Fifty Shades

2012-10-31T16:46:15Z

Kronf:

{{comic
| number = 1128
| date = 31 October 2012
| title = Fifty Shades
| image = fifty shades.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Wishbone and the Illustrated Classics series have gotten me through every conversation I've ever had about Dickens, Treasure Island, The Anarchist's Cookbook, and Our Bodies, Ourselves.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Wishbone (TV series)|Wishbone}} was a children's TV show about a dog who draws parallels between literature and real life in his dreams, reenacting many literary classics. The show was especially praised in its time for refusing to censor the more unpleasant aspects of its source work. {{w|Fifty Shades of Grey}} is a novel featuring large quantities of BDSM sex.

In the comic, Cueball claims to have learned all that he knows about Fifty Shades of Grey from the Wishbone adaptation of the book. Knowing the faithful nature of Wishbone's adaptations, an episode on the book would likely involve age-inappropriate material for children, as the sounds emanating from the tv would suggest.

{{w|Our Bodies, Ourselves}} is a book about women's health and sexuality produced by the nonprofit organization Our Bodies Ourselves (originally called the Boston Women's Health Book Collective). First published in 1971, it contains information related to many aspects of women's health and sexuality, including menopause, birth control, childbirth, sexual health, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental health and general well-being.

{{w|The Anarchist Cookbook}}, first published in 1971, is a book that contains instructions for the manufacture of explosives, rudimentary telecommunications phreaking devices, and other items. It was written by William Powell to protest United States involvement in the Vietnam War.

==Transcript==
:As with most famous books, I've never actually '''read''' ''Fifty Shades of Grey.''
:I only know the plot from watching the ''Wishbone'' version
:TV: Bark!
:TV: Bark!
:TV: ''Smack!''
:TV: Bark!

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

Talk:1128: Fifty Shades

2012-10-31T16:43:08Z

Kronf:

Considering dogs can only see in black and white (and all the grays in between), ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' would be a great book for Wishbone to reenact IMO! --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 14:32, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

:That's not correct, see [[:wikipedia:Dog#Vision]]. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 16:43, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

Didn't Wishbone get discontinued in 1998? There can't be a Fifty Shades of Grey episode. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 06:29, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

:Maybe it got moved to "Adult Swim"? :) --[[User:Bpothier|B. P.]] ([[User talk:Bpothier|talk]]) 07:47, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

:According to Wikipedia, you are correct and Wishbone ended in 1998, but if xkcd had to adhere to such a rigorous use of real life elements such as the proper time period in which a TV show used to air, then today's comic would have been impossible. You must be at least a little flexible. Also, I'm certain there isn't such an episode, that would be impossible, as you pointed out. The main thing here is that Randall combined both the nature of Wishbone with the nature of Fifty Shades of Grey to produce a hilarious concept which concludes in a magnificent explosion of laughter. I for one can look the other way in regards to the fact that Wishbone ended in 1998. I'm curious. Were you trying to troll the comments section? (no offence) --[[User:DelendaEst|DelendaEst]] ([[User talk:DelendaEst|talk]]) 09:52, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

Yes, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifty_Shades_of_Grey Fifty Shades of Grey] is a "novel featuring large quantities of sex," but it is the kind of sex that is important; it is the fetish nature of the sexual exploits in the novel that set it apart from your every day harlequin romance novel, making it the fastest selling paperback. The novel is about a woman that agrees to be a sex slave for a wealthy man for a few months. She signs a lengthy contract that explains what's expected of her, and what he can do to her. The sexual acts involve combinations of BDSM fetishes, including restraints, submission, and inflicting/receiving pain for sexual pleasure. It is the inflicting/receiving pain detail that makes the noises from the TV "inappropriate" and not just someone disciplining/abusing a dog (which could also be inappropriate, just for very different reasons). {{unsigned|24.123.40.78}}

Talk:1123: The Universal Label

2012-10-19T12:21:01Z

Kronf:

The label's missing energy. Just saying. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 04:34, 19 October 2012 (UTC)
:But isn't it somehow contained in the hydrogen? I don't know squat about quantum physics, so I'm probably wrong. [[Special:Contributions/108.233.253.211|108.233.253.211]] 04:49, 19 October 2012 (UTC)

::Actually, the amount of energy in any grocery or non-grocery (even in explosives) is significally lower that the amount of energy in hydrogen used for their creation. Sure, you need energy to grow crops, but where does that energy come from? Hydrogen fusion in Sun - which is first step of creating the carbon the crop is from (not the same crop, of course). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:12, 19 October 2012 (UTC)
----
So when [http://xkcd.com/282/ Mussolini made the trains run on thyme] he was really making them run on hydrogen '''and''' time?--[[User:Pmakholm|Pmakholm]] ([[User talk:Pmakholm|talk]]) 08:18, 19 October 2012 (UTC)
----
I think this is the smallest xkcd comic ever. :-)
--[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.21|85.159.196.21]] 09:43, 19 October 2012 (UTC)

It's also the first in a long time to make me laugh out loud! Steve B.
----
I suspect Randall was influenced by this quote: "Given enough time, hydrogen starts to wonder where it came from, and where it is going", attributed to Edward R. Harrison. --[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 10:58, 19 October 2012 (UTC)
----
Actually, I'm not sure you can make antimatter with just regular hydrogen.

--[[Special:Contributions/85.159.196.21|85.159.196.21]] 11:24, 19 October 2012 (UTC)

:Why would food contain antimatter? --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 12:21, 19 October 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1037: Umwelt

2012-10-13T11:51:00Z

Kronf: oder so irgendwie

Normally I understand xkcd. But this one hurts my head. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 20:35, 15 August 2012 (UTC)
: I sorted all of them out. Phew!!! That was some work. The ones at the end have no appropriate picture in the image part. Atleast the hurricane one should be added. Please do so. [[User:TheOriginalSoni|TheOriginalSoni]] ([[User talk:TheOriginalSoni|talk]]) 11:09, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

There is a fixed image used if your browser does not support javascript, which is missing. Additionally, the alt text varies at times. [[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 20:16, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

I can't see any of them neither in Firefox nor in IE :( --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 11:32, 13 October 2012 (UTC)

Talk:1037: Umwelt

2012-10-13T11:32:42Z

Kronf:

Normally I understand xkcd. But this one hurts my head. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 20:35, 15 August 2012 (UTC)
: I sorted all of them out. Phew!!! That was some work. The ones at the end have no appropriate picture in the image part. Atleast the hurricane one should be added. Please do so. [[User:TheOriginalSoni|TheOriginalSoni]] ([[User talk:TheOriginalSoni|talk]]) 11:09, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

There is a fixed image used if your browser does not support javascript, which is missing. Additionally, the alt text varies at times. [[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 20:16, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

I can't see any of them both in Firefox and IE :( --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 11:32, 13 October 2012 (UTC)

Talk:Main Page

2012-10-13T10:09:12Z

Kronf: /* Spambots */ new section

Talk:1108: Cautionary Ghost

2012-09-17T12:38:55Z

Kronf: sorted

== Literally ==
Could it have been spurred by [http://www.explosm.net/comics/2923/ this comic]?

:It shares quibbles over the word literally, but the driving idea behind the jokes are different. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 06:08, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

I think it is a reference to this prior [http://xkcd.com/725/ xkcd comic] which is also dealing with the difference between literally and figuratively and somebody eager to tell people the difference.
--[[Special:Contributions/194.167.19.2|194.167.19.2]] 08:06, 14 September 2012 (UTC)Josch

:I think there is a huge difference between devoting years of time & energy waiting to 'gotcha' someone and encouraging people to use a word correctly. Because so many people use the word "literally" for emphasis even when their usage is figurative, how can I tell someone that my usage of something is in fact literal? [[User:JaniceOly|JaniceOly]] ([[User talk:JaniceOly|talk]]) 03:24, 15 September 2012 (UTC)

Having the ''Literally'' as the word to argue about seems to be fitting this comic quite well, since the world is literally the same in both scenarios. Or, the other way around, arguing about ''literally'' literally doesn't matter.

== Idyllic ==
What's so idyllic on that scene? That people are still alive and someone is still flying? (Note that it may be airforce one) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:09, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

== Charles Dickens ==
''The usage of a ghost from the past or future to deliver a message in fiction was begun in Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol'' - I really don't think that's true. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 12:55, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

== Subjuncitve ==
I have to say, not using the subjunctive case correctly really grinds my gears, 'as it were'. --[[Special:Contributions/216.110.25.2|216.110.25.2]] 13:53, 14 September 2012 (UTC)dangerkeith3000

Fixed the typo someone made on the title text ghost: Ghost of <del>Subjective</del> Subjunctive Past. I also typed up some information on the subjunctive mood and the subjunctive past construction. Hopefully this helps clear up the title text. [[User:Haruspex|Haruspex]] ([[User talk:Haruspex|talk]]) 13:54, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

I'm not sure it's correct to describe the fight in favor of ''if it were'' as "equally trivial". Isn't the entire point of the title text that that fight '''is''' worth continuing? --[[User:Cristo|Cristo]] ([[User talk:Cristo|talk]]) 15:56, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

@Haruspex: Thanks for clearing up that issue of subjective/subjunctive -- I was just about to go in and fix it myself. --[[User:Pdaoust|Pdaoust]] ([[User talk:Pdaoust|talk]]) 16:11, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

Subjunctive is a MOOD, not a CASE or a TENSE. And ask Shakespeare about using ghosts to deliver messages.

Talk:1108: Cautionary Ghost

2012-09-14T12:55:21Z

Kronf:

could it of been spurred by [http://www.explosm.net/comics/2923/ this comic]?

:It shares quibbles over the word literally, but the driving idea behind the jokes are different. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 06:08, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

I think it is a reference to this prior [http://xkcd.com/725/ xkcd comic] which is also dealing with the difference between literally and figuratively and somebody eager to tell people the difference.
--[[Special:Contributions/194.167.19.2|194.167.19.2]] 08:06, 14 September 2012 (UTC)Josch

What's so idyllic on that scene? That people are still alive and someone is still flying? (Note that it may be airforce one) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:09, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

''The usage of a ghost from the past or future to deliver a message in fiction was begun in Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol'' - I really don't think that's true. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 12:55, 14 September 2012 (UTC)

Template talk:comic discussion

2012-08-30T20:58:20Z

Kronf: Created page with "The template eats whitespace, compare Talk:1101: Sketchiness and 1101: Sketchiness. --~~~~"

The template eats whitespace, compare [[Talk:1101: Sketchiness]] and [[1101: Sketchiness]]. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 20:58, 30 August 2012 (UTC)

Template:create

2012-08-30T20:54:59Z

Kronf: Kronf moved page Template:Create to Template:create: so that the create links on List of all comics work

<includeonly>{{comic
| number =
| date =
| title =
| image =
| imagesize =
| titletext =
}}

==Explanation==


==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}
</includeonly><noinclude>

See [[mw:Manual:Creating pages with preloaded text]] and [[mw:Manual:Parameters to index.php#Options affecting the edit form]]. The following is the text preloaded by this template:

<pre>
{{comic
| number =
| date =
| title =
| image =
| imagesize =
| titletext =
}}

==Explanation==


==Transcript==


{{comic discussion}}

</pre></noinclude>

Template:Create

2012-08-30T20:54:59Z

Kronf: Kronf moved page Template:Create to Template:create: so that the create links on List of all comics work

#REDIRECT [[Template:create]]

270: Merlin

2012-08-29T14:21:34Z

Kronf:

{{comic
| number = 270
| date = May 30, 2007
| title = Merlin
| image = Merlin.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I mean, the black-and-white stuff was running backward, but it hardly mattered to the story.
}}

==Explanation==
[[wikipedia:Memento (film)|Memento]] is a movie telling the main parts of its story backwards, while a few black-and-white-scenes are straightforward. So when Merlin watches the movie, he sees nearly the whole story in its actual order.

==Transcript==
:[Man and woman standing by a train]
:Woman: I'm bad at goodbyes. At some level I never think they're for real.
:Man: They make me think of T. H. White's Merlin.
:Woman: Oh?
:Man: He lived backwards, remembering the future and not the past. To him, final goodbyes meant nothing, while first hellos were tearful and bittersweet.
:Woman: Huh - so over the years he'd forget all his friends.
:Must've been lonely.
:Man: Yeah. He ended up just sitting around at home watching DVDs all day. The best was the time he rented 'Memento'...
:[Merlin is sitting in front of a couch, watching TV]
:Merlin: Well, that was straightforward.

{{Comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

270: Merlin

2012-08-29T14:21:15Z

Kronf:

{{comic
| number = 270
| date = May 30, 2007
| title = Merlin
| image = Merlin.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I mean, the black-and-white stuff was running backward, but it hardly mattered to the story.
}}

==Explanation==
[[wikipedia:Memento|Memento (film)]] is a movie telling the main parts of its story backwards, while a few black-and-white-scenes are straightforward. So when Merlin watches the movie, he sees nearly the whole story in its actual order.

==Transcript==
:[Man and woman standing by a train]
:Woman: I'm bad at goodbyes. At some level I never think they're for real.
:Man: They make me think of T. H. White's Merlin.
:Woman: Oh?
:Man: He lived backwards, remembering the future and not the past. To him, final goodbyes meant nothing, while first hellos were tearful and bittersweet.
:Woman: Huh - so over the years he'd forget all his friends.
:Must've been lonely.
:Man: Yeah. He ended up just sitting around at home watching DVDs all day. The best was the time he rented 'Memento'...
:[Merlin is sitting in front of a couch, watching TV]
:Merlin: Well, that was straightforward.

{{Comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

270: Merlin

2012-08-29T14:19:44Z

Kronf: Created page with "{{comic | number = 270 | date = | title = Merlin | image = Merlin.png | imagesize = | titletext = I mean, the black-and-white stuff was running backward, but..."

{{comic
| number = 270
| date =
| title = Merlin
| image = Merlin.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I mean, the black-and-white stuff was running backward, but it hardly mattered to the story.
}}

==Explanation==
[[wikipedia:Memento|Memento]] is a movie with telling the main parts of its story backwards, while a few black-and-white-scenes are straightforward. So when Merlin watches the movie, he sees nearly the whole story in its actual order.

==Transcript==
:[Man and woman standing by a train]
:Woman: I'm bad at goodbyes. At some level I never think they're for real.
:Man: They make me think of T. H. White's Merlin.
:Woman: Oh?
:Man: He lived backwards, remembering the future and not the past. To him, final goodbyes meant nothing, while first hellos were tearful and bittersweet.
:Woman: Huh - so over the years he'd forget all his friends.
:Must've been lonely.
:Man: Yeah. He ended up just sitting around at home watching DVDs all day. The best was the time he rented 'Memento'...
:[Merlin is sitting in front of a couch, watching TV]
:Merlin: Well, that was straightforward.

{{Comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

Talk:List of all comics

2012-08-29T13:58:18Z

Kronf:

Hmm is there a way we can have a column linking to the original explainxkcd blog entry if it exists? --[[User:SurturZ|SurturZ]] ([[User talk:SurturZ|talk]]) 08:55, 5 August 2012 (EDT)
:Sure, that makes perfect sense, especially since the comments were very important for many of the comics. Feel free to add it :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 14:27, 5 August 2012 (EDT)

The create-links don't work because "Template:'''C'''reate" has to be written with a capital C. Unfortunately, text replacing is not installed. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 13:58, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

Talk:List of all comics

2012-08-29T13:58:02Z

Kronf:

Hmm is there a way we can have a column linking to the original explainxkcd blog entry if it exists? --[[User:SurturZ|SurturZ]] ([[User talk:SurturZ|talk]]) 08:55, 5 August 2012 (EDT)
:Sure, that makes perfect sense, especially since the comments were very important for many of the comics. Feel free to add it :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 14:27, 5 August 2012 (EDT)

The create-links don't work because "Template:'''C'''reate" has to written with a capital C. Unfortunately, text replacing is not installed. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 13:58, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

Talk:151: Mario

2012-08-29T12:24:37Z

Kronf: Created page with "Mario is not the star, Mario's the plumber. Muahaha. --~~~~"

Mario is not the star, Mario's the plumber. Muahaha. --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 12:24, 29 August 2012 (UTC)

33: Self-reference

2012-08-29T12:20:00Z

Kronf: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 33
| date = November 21, 2005
| title = Self-reference
| image = self-reference.jpg
| titletext = I think about self-reference a lot. Example: this comment.
| imagesize =
}}

==Explanation==
Self-reference is a situation where something (a comic, a drawing, a musical work, a novel, a mathematical theorem) refers to itself in some manner. This can be a powerful technique in art, music, mathematics and computer science (it is the basis of recursion).

In this comic, [[Cueball]] promises not to use self-reference for humor, and then realizes after a [[beat panel]] that, since this comic is referring to the series of comics he is part of, he is using self-reference, thus breaking his promise.

Without the last panel, this comic wouldn't be funny, and therefor wouldn't break the promise about using self-reference for humor. But with it, and his realization that he is breaking his promise, it does break that promise.

== Transcript ==
[Guy standing alone] Guy: I promise to never again squeeze humor out of self-reference.

[Guy standing alone]

[Guy standing alone] Guy: God dammit.

== Trivia ==
* This is the thirty-fifth comic posted to livejournal. The previous was {{explain|32}}. The next was {{explain|41}}

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

1052

2012-08-14T18:40:54Z

Kronf: linkfix

#REDIRECT [[1052: Every Major's Terrible]]

1054: The bacon

2012-08-14T18:35:34Z

Kronf: linkfix

{{comic
| number = 1054
| date = May 11, 2012
| title = 1054: The bacon
| image = The bacon.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Normally pronounced 'THEH-buh-kon', I assume.
}}
==Explanation==
This comic plays off a typical American colloquialism in which "Bring home the bacon" means working hard and bringing money home to your family to put food on the table.

In this comic, [[Randall]] learns that "Bring home the bacon" is actually a double entendre for the above phrase and bringing home a drug that is known as "thebacon". In case, you aren't familiar, Vicodin is a pain medication that can be used by some as a drug of abuse. This comic features the [[White Hat]] character.

{{Comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]

1054

2012-08-14T18:34:55Z

Kronf: linkfix

#REDIRECT [[1054: The bacon]]

1055

2012-08-14T18:19:26Z

Kronf: linkfix

#REDIRECT [[1055: Kickstarter]]

User:Kronf

2012-08-14T17:50:14Z

Kronf: Created page with "Hi there, I'm Kronf and I love xkcd. This site and its transformation to a wiki is a great idea. Of course my brilliant mind wouldn't need any explanation for xkcd, but unfort..."

Hi there, I'm Kronf and I love xkcd. This site and its transformation to a wiki is a great idea. Of course my brilliant mind wouldn't need any explanation for xkcd, but unfortunately it's not written in my mother tongue (German). Please help me forming some meaningful-looking English sentences out of my occasional input to this wiki.

User talk:CatalinaOp

2012-08-14T17:43:53Z

Kronf: Created page with "Lol, in German wikis bots are scattering English spam, and here they leave some on German... --~~~"

Lol, in German wikis bots are scattering English spam, and here they leave some on German... --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]])