*fan of xkcd - humor is a great way to cope with life
*fan of explainxkcd - makes xkcd even more funnier

I'm not a native speaker and I try my very best... grateful for corrections :-)

User talk:Dgbrt

2017-03-15T21:17:04Z

LaVe: /* #1811 */

See the history for more:
* [[User talk:Dgbrt/2013|2013]]
* [[User talk:Dgbrt/2014|2014]]

== Comics featuring real people ==

Hi Dgbrt. I saw that you deleted the Category: Comics featuring real people from [[1536: The Martian]]. I may tend to agree with this decision. But the "real" people in that comic was the mentioning of Matt Damon, which was why I did not delete it myself. I just made a comment about this here on the [[:Category talk:Comics featuring real people|Talk: Comics featuring real people]] page because I think people use this category in two ways. I'm not sure which way would be more correct. Shall the real-person be part of the comic or is it enough just for hem to be mentioned in the comic. In other featured people categories it is enough for them to be mentioned. See for instance [[:Category:Comics featuring James]]. Maybe that category is also wrongly used/named though? It could have been called something other than featured. (Mentioning James). I'm open for both interpretations of these categories... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:54, 12 June 2015 (UTC)

== Subsections ==

Let's go to the talk page, then. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 15:36, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

Note that you were the one who began destroying the sections. That's violent, too. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 15:42, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
:Sorry, I was just working on a proper layout. Pro-Tip: Use ctrl+f ;) . And all was beginning when you were destroying my layout at the transcript. I don't agree on that. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:48, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

== [[:File:land mammals.png]] ==

I would like to use it for my blog. What are the terms of use? -- Maria [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.222|162.158.114.222]] 21:22, 2 November 2015 (UTC)

== Making discussion pages ==

I've recently restricted page creation for new users, which means that sometimes new users can't make a discussion page. Could you make the bot make empty talk pages for new comics as well? I'll push something to your git repo soon, right after I'm done with finals. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:52, 11 March 2016 (UTC)
:Hi [[User:Davidy22]], I'm sorry but mail notification didn't work. Please give me a reply here so I can see if the notification works. And tell me, if there is still a need to change the BOT. If so, it will be available by Friday. But before that I will create a comic named "dgbrtTEST" and ask you to delete it.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:44, 30 March 2016 (UTC)
::Alright, will do. The changes are probably still preferred. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:50, 30 March 2016 (UTC)
:::Thanks for your reply, mail notification is working again. I will do the changes and let you when I've done the test.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:02, 30 March 2016 (UTC)
:::The update is done. I've done some local tests and I'm happy with this. At [https://github.com/dgbrt/explainXKCD_update github] you can see the current script with some more changes I've done in the past.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:36, 30 March 2016 (UTC)
::::Should it already work on todays [[:Category:April fools' comics|April Fools' Day comic]]? (I'm really looking forward to that). It will be great when it does, cool that you take the time to work on the update. I have spotted a couple of times recently where someone has either [[Talk:1653: United States Map|waited in anticipation]] for the discussion page to be created, have used the explanation to [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1659:_Tire_Swing&oldid=115473 post what should have been a comment] and even once had a user [[User_talk:Kynde#Please_create_the_discussion_page_for_today.27s_comic.|writing on my talk page]] to get me to create the page for them to use. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:02, 1 April 2016 (UTC)

While I'm still waiting for the next update to give me a prove to my successful update on talk-pages, Randall gave us this April fool:
:The xkcd April 1st comic is currently experiencing technical difficulties.
:Status update: Please stand by.
:Status update: This is fine. Everything is fine.
:Status update: Everything is on fire.
:Status update: Searching for calendar systems in which Saturday is April 1st.
It seems Randall is on serious problems. But I'm happy about this honest message.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 01:24, 2 April 2016 (UTC)

Only for my own documentation, the current schedule is this Sunday night. My BOT keeps an eye on this. Randall says:
:The Friday xkcd comic is currently experiencing technical difficulties [Editor's note: Everything is on fire] and has been delayed until Sunday night.
But since this will not be a standard comic I don't know what my BOT will do.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:55, 2 April 2016 (UTC)
::Hi Dgbrt, yes that was some kind of April Fool's joke he came up with there. But what about your bot afterwards. Seems like Davidy22 created the page for todays comic manually? Has you changes broken the bot? [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:27, 11 April 2016 (UTC)

==Transcript and other features==
Hi Dgbrt - hope this is not going to be TL;DR? :-)

I take further discussion on our part regarding transcript to your page, because I think we have written enough on my talk page on transcripts. If any one else will continue that discussion there that's fine, it would also be nice to have input from someone else than just us two and Zetfr.

I can see that you have been quite active this year, as compared to the last half year before (and also with a long break before that?) Will you have time to be more active from now in general? Welcome back anyway ;-) Just took a month and a half of [[User_talk:Davidy22#Wiki_continuity|complete break]] from Explain xkcd my self up until just after this New Year.

I believe we got of on a wrong foot, both long ago I think, and also just now when I was annoyed at you for writing on my page regarding transcripts (and the TL;DR comment). So I'm really happy how our [[User_talk:Kynde#Transcript_TLDR.3B|transcript discussion]] went in the end, and thanks for the last comment from earlier today. And as I said there I did not read all you refereed to before answering the first couple of times, sorry again for that.

Nice to hear from Zetfr as one who really uses the transcripts. When I first found this page it took me some time to appreciate the importance of the transcript.

I know you have much more knowledge about what's possible with computers as your [[User:DgbrtBOT|DgbrtBOT]], which is great, shows me. (And thanks for adding [[#Making discussion pages|creation of discussion pages]] to it). Also I like the way you made the [[:Category:Explain mentioned by Randall|Explain mentioned by Randall]] category. That is great. Cool that I made that happen by finding it for [[Payloads]].

Maybe we should try to write a dedicated page on what the transcript on Explain xkcd is for; who may use it for reading comics; who for understanding other parts of the comics; and why they make sense regarding searching for specific things, not necessarily mentioned in text or our explanation. Something that could be referred to when people ask about transcripts, and also to explain why we should not just use a transcription of Randall's transcript for several reasons (naming of characters for instance) and because all text should be included for normal length comics, and at least all text in the extended transcript for huge comics (this was also what Zetfr suggested). Those type of full transcripts could also be mentioned there. As well as link to explanation of Randall's own transcripts.

I have recently added lots of info on xkcd's design on the [[xkcd]] page. But it became cluttered (TL'DR :-) so I have created two new pages from that info here: [[Design of xkcd.com]] and also the [[Transcript on xkcd]] I just mentioned above. The page for "our" transcripts could thus need one called ''Transcript on Explain xkcd'' like I also mentioned above.

I think keeping track of history and deviations on the main page etc. is important and fun for some people. But of course it should be hidden away for those that search for it, and not in "your" face, when all you wish to know is what [[Chess Notation|chess win-los notation]] is.

Cheers --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:13, 18 February 2017 (UTC)

:oohh, start reading... (check timestamp)--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:13, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
:...pending...
:....ready. Answering all the questions will take a little bit longer. (check timestamp) --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:20, 18 February 2017 (UTC)

For further discussions I will divide my answers to several headlines.

===dgbrt stopped posting here and only continued supporting dgbrtDOT for a proper page generation and all what belongs to this issue===
I was often annoyed when I mentioned that texting should be short as possible. Huhh, I was censoring content... Everybody can say everything... So I felt like what Randall mentioned in many comics (youtube comments, you name it...). Even many explains are TL;DR and sometimes really OFF TOPIC. And most of that content belongs to only one user: Kynde. Sorry, but now I figured out your edits did not annoy only me. This just an honest answer from me. More technical discussions shouldn't run this way; I will open separate subsections for those. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:49, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
:Just like to add that I'm not the only one who writes more than other people think is needed... See the latest [[1800|comic]] and it's [[Talk:1800: Chess Notation|discussion]]. I have only added the categories for that one... I was thinking the same as those two last comments, but after reading your answers here I did not wish to join in that conversation. :/ --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:52, 19 February 2017 (UTC)

===Transcripts===
A transcript is perfect when someone who doesn't know the image is reading this ''feels'' the same as someone who simply looks at that picture. Is that possible? NO! Look at a picture showing some clouds... What do you see? The same as me? NO! Can you describe all the differences we both see? NO! So, not the cloud shape is important, it's just a cloud. If there is some importance on the shape it goes into the explain section. (I have no specific comic in mind on this). --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:14, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
===[[xkcd]] page and more===
I mentioned this to [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]. You should talk to others here before editing those essential pages! If I've seen this by the time you edited this a simple UNDO would have been my reaction. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:24, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
===Keep it compact===
Did I miss some essentials?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:31, 18 February 2017 (UTC)
:Hi Dgbrt. I have read your comments. Thanks for the input. I do not have anything specific to say at the time. Sorry you feel like this though.
:I have one question not related to the above. What happened to your new category? I can see Davidy deleted it. Sorry about that. I liked the idea. I did not have time to look at your other finds. If it is not a big trouble for you I would appreciate if you wrote the numbers on the comic here (no links needed). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:32, 19 February 2017 (UTC)
::Hi Kynde, the reason given by Davidy22 was: "Mangled category name, and we don't make categories based on things that aren't in the comics." I wonder why the second criteria doesn't fit to the three LiveJournal categories. And I'm sure there are more "categories based on things that aren't in the comics". Nevertheless the comics are:
::*[[1571: Car Model Names]]
::*[[1555: Exoplanet Names 2]]
::*[[1509: Scenery Cheat Sheet]]
::*[[1491: Stories of the Past and Future]]
::*[[1488: Flowcharts]]
::*[[1461: Payloads]]
::*[[1446: Landing]]
::--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:52, 19 February 2017 (UTC)
:::Thanks Dgbrt. I think his first point is valid, but that would have been easy to fix. Maybe he just did not care to do so? I really think it is relevant, and considers posting these in the trivia of the first and linking from the others to that trivia. And on Randall's page we could make a note saying that although he has nothing personal to do with this site, he has acknowledged its existence at least seven times. Although it has not been out in the open but only behind the scenes for those who really study the comic. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:38, 20 February 2017 (UTC)
::::PS Just posted a comment to [[User_talk:Davidy22#Oversized_texting|your thread]] on Davidy's page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:59, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

== #1811 ==

Hi Dgbrt,

I was editing the page and had different views in the READ and EDIT - in the EDIT, everything was on the right place, but the page didn't fit.
I suppose there were some editing overlaps?
I'll try again tomorow.
gute Nacht :-) --[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 21:17, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

User talk:Dgbrt

2017-03-15T21:16:41Z

LaVe: /* #1811 */ new section

Talk:1811: Best-Tasting Colors

2017-03-15T21:06:47Z

LaVe: /* Transcript */ new section

This is obviously wrong because white chocolate is not [[378|real]] chocolate. Let the flamewar begin. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.34|172.68.54.34]] 15:22, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
:Well, it's not technically chocolate, but it is a derivative -- insert math joke -- and the chart doesn't seem to be concerned with what it is, just with what it's called; after all, that which is called white chocolate by any other name would taste just as sweet, putting some off while others enjoy it. [[User:Nyperold|Nyperold]] ([[User talk:Nyperold|talk]]) 16:44, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

Purple skittles in France taste like blueberry.{{unsigned ip|141.101.69.105}}

Vanilla isn't white.{{unsigned ip|172.68.58.131}}

What are all of the question marks here for? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.251|108.162.246.251]] 15:51, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

I think those question marks at the top are supposed to be bubble gum.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.10|108.162.245.10]] 16:03, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

I suspect this is Randall's take on Fake News™, since it contains verifiably false claims such as coffee and liquorice being bad, and candy floss being better than watermelon

[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.66|141.101.107.66]] 16:12, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

"In the title text, Randall asserts that his rankings of colors and foods are indisputable (with the exception of chocolate). This is of course ridiculous, as everyone knows that watermelon and strawberry are inherently superior to the likes of Citrus Fruits."...but his rankings of strawberry and of watermelon (x2) are higher than for oranges, lemons, and limes. There is no contradiction here; nothing that is ridiculous. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.118|162.158.78.118]] 16:29, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
: Liquorice, while an acquired taste certainly doesn't belong that far down, I'd take it over a long list of other things on the chart, but then again ... I'm Scandinavian {{unsigned ip|162.158.134.178}}

Hmm. The selection seems quite diverse compared to a standard bag of jelly beans, but doesn't really cover the range of a gourmet brand. I wonder where root beer falls, or Dr Pepper. And that's not even getting into color classification when the bean has more than one color. Personally, when I used to get gourmet jelly bean brands, I would do the squeeze-and-sniff test on a particular shade of brown, because it was used for both coffee and a flavor I liked. I remember Lore Sjöberg having a similar problem with cinnamon and cherry, but if he ever arrived at my solution, I don't know. [[User:Nyperold|Nyperold]] ([[User talk:Nyperold|talk]]) 16:44, 15 March 2017 (UTC)
:Interesting theory that he's talking about flavors of jelly beans, though there's really nothing to indicate he is. But I believe every one of those food flavors are included in, for example, Jelly Belly's lineup (with the possible exception of a White Chocolate flavor). [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 17:00, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

I enjoy licorice and white chocolate, and I think strawberry is overrated. Fight me. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.16|162.158.126.16]] 17:34, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

If it is jelly beans it is definitely more agreeable then actual food. Because popcorn jelly beans are awful which explains why there a outlier. It also explains why there split by color.{{unsigned ip|172.68.58.89}}

Wow. I've seen stupidity, I've seen REAL stupidity, and now there comes this comic.
>Liking cotton candy
>Watermelon below strawberry
>Cherry anything higher than dogshit
>Mint below pistachio
>Pistachio anything other than elder god max tier
>green "apple"
>not liking coffee (fucking pleb)
>lemon ranked low
Randall confirmed for a stupid fucking thirteen year old kid with shit taste.{{unsigned ip|173.245.50.96}}

I'm a retard pretending i'm superior by liking certain fruits. {{unsigned ip|162.158.75.52}}

My tastes now rate sweet tastes poorly - as well as sour, so I would down rate candyfloss, but not up rate lemon. The variability of chocolate represents the range from choc flavoured sweet margarine, through to 90% coco solids. My peak preference being about 50-60%. [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 18:14, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

Patrician taste good sir. Though, I respectfully disagree with your opinion on sour only somewhat: Lemons combined with other flavors make lemons pretty dang tasty.{{unsigned ip|173.245.50.96}}

Has anyone figured out what all the question marks in the graph are for yet? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.59.190|162.158.59.190]] 20:08, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

All the question marks made me wonder if he accidentally published an early draft again or something. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.90|172.68.133.90]] 20:44, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

== Transcript ==

As the transcript is for the visually impaired, I think the colored letters should only be used in the explanation and described [pink letters] in the transcript; what do you think? --[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 21:06, 15 March 2017 (UTC)

1811: Best-Tasting Colors

2017-03-15T21:01:38Z

LaVe: added table (to be continued) and grid-overlay

{{comic
| number = 1811
| date = March 15, 2017
| title = Best-Tasting Colors
| image = best_tasting_colors.png
| titletext = I recognize that chocolate is its own thing on which reasonable people may differ. Everything else here is objective fact.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Add and fill in a table for the various foods used. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In this comic, [[Randall]] rates colors based on tastiness of various flavors the colors are typically associated with.

In the title text, Randall asserts that his rankings of colors and flavors are indisputable (with the exception of chocolate). This is a jab at the reception of his previous comic [[388: Fuck Grapefruit]], a comic ranking fruits based on their tastiness which Randall claims is the most controversial piece he has ever published.

{| class="wikitable"
! Color
! Range of tastiness
from bad [1] to good [9]
! flavors
! comments
|-
| Pink || ~5.75 to 9 || watermelon [5], cotton candy [8.5] ||
|-
}

[[File:1811_grid.png]]

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

:Best-Tasting Colors
:[A scale from "bad" to "good"]
:1. Pink - watermelon, ???, cotton candy
:2. Red - raspberry, cherry, strawberry
:3. Blue - ???, blue raspberry, ???
:4. Green - lime, mint, pistachio??, watermelon, green apple
:5. White - ???, white chocolate, ???, vanilla, ???
:6. Brown - coffee, caramel ? [However you feel about chocolate] ?
:7. Orange - orange, creamsicle
:8. Yellow - popcorn?!, lemon
:9. Purple - grape
:10. Black - licorice

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]

File:1811 grid.png

2017-03-15T20:52:03Z

LaVe: Overlay of #1811 with a grid to be able to read the scales in a easier way

== Summary ==
Overlay of #1811 with a grid to be able to read the scales in a easier way
== Licensing ==
{{XKCD file derived}}

Talk:1636: XKCD Stack

2017-03-09T06:52:09Z

LaVe:

I just came here. AM I IN THE FUTURE? ''I'm in the future!'' {{unsigned ip|199.27.130.246}}
:We are in the future together.{{unsigned|KingSupernova}}
::But if there are no comments, aren't we in the past? The distant past, before the beginning of the comments? ...Watch out for raptors!{{unsigned ip|162.158.2.227}}
:::Can confirm... all you guys are in the past; (as an active time traveller heading to the future, i've seen it all!) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.210|162.158.91.210]] 09:11, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

Would you two sign your comments, please? --[[User:PsyMar|PsyMar]] ([[User talk:PsyMar|talk]]) 07:17, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
:It was actually three people '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:12, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

Right now it says that we aren't yet at the stage of having a CPU in Minecraft. That's not true. SethBling has implemented BASIC [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4e7PjRygt0 using only command blocks, armor stands, and banners]. [[User:DanielLC|DanielLC]] ([[User talk:DanielLC|talk]]) 08:50, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
:That's not really a CPU, it's just an inefficient method to parse characters and compile code. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.38|108.162.216.38]] 17:28, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
::Actually, isn't BASIC an interpreted language? Thus, "compile code" should be stated as "interpret code". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.58|108.162.216.58]] 18:02, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

I would think "archive.org mirror" means a mirror of [company]'s website on archive.org, not a mirror ''of'' archive.org. [[User:Sjorford|Sjorford]] ([[User talk:Sjorford|talk]]) 11:51, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
:But a mirror of archive.org would be funny because a) it's essentially a mirror already and b) it would be absolutely enormous. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.55|141.101.70.55]] 23:25, 31 January 2016 (UTC)

Docker?
:Docker: A-B
::Nested Docker: A-B-C
:::Doubly Nested Docker: A-B-C-D
::::Triply Nested Docker: A-B-C-D-E
Surely. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.161|141.101.106.161]] 13:38, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

LOL, I read on the front page the bit about Excel being a database, clicked through here to edit it, and found that in the intervening 2 minutes someone had made the exact edit I meant to. The system works :) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.153.59|162.158.153.59]] 14:01, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
:"The Microsoft Jet Database Engine is a database engine on which several Microsoft products have been built." Microsoft Access 95 / Excel 95 Jet version 3.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Jet_Database_Engine [[Special:Contributions/108.162.208.68|108.162.208.68]] 15:19, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

;48-bit architecture

# you mixed together machine word size and address space size, the former is the matter, address space is insignificant (eg most 8-bit computers use 16bit address space).
# there are 48-bit architectures "Computers with 48-bit words include the AN/FSQ-32, CDC 1604/upper-3000 series, BESM-6, Ferranti Atlas, and Burroughs large systems (B5xxx-B8xxx, which additionally had a 3-4 type tag)." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/48-bit
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.208.68|108.162.208.68]] 15:14, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
# Does anyone else think that the 48bit arch could be a reference to the 3/4s from the version number, 48 is 3/4 of 64, which is a much more common arch.{{unsigned ip|162.158.34.140}}

I see it as a Randall-style [[:Category:Compromise|compromise]] between 32- and 64-bits.
Zetfr 17:53, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

;Mystery Networking Horror

This may also be a reference to the D-Reaper from the anime ''Digimon Tamers,'' which was a primitive anti-virus and resource manager that was, as TV Tropes put it, ''Gone Horribly Right.'' Constructed to cull AI programs that that exceeded their memory budget on a computer from the year 197X, it saw the Digimon (and humans) in the year 200X as a threat, and was actually able to delete anything in the Digital World that it touched due to having grown more powerful and complex by many orders of magnitude from all of the code it had consumed in the past. It was quite literally a digital ''Eldritch Horror,'' in every sense of the word.

You may view both TV Tropes and the Digimon Wiki for more information on this subject.
- Kitsune_Phoenix; 16:13, 2016-01-29 (UTC)

How exactly did someone interpret "Macromedia Java 7.3.8.1¾ (48-bit)" as a reference to Platform 9¾? The only obvious connection I see is that they both include "¾", but if that's enough to make something a reference, then Platform 9¾ is actually, itself, a reference to Deep Space 9. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.142.222|162.158.142.222]] 20:55, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
: Agree. I'm taking it out. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 03:37, 31 January 2016 (UTC)

;Broken Java Applet Interpretation

Could this not also be saying that the Java applet is "broken" in the same sense that people say that Windows is "broken"

I mean, technically, Windows works, but it works so poorly, and there are alternatives that are so much better, so by comparison, it is broken. Well, of course there are some things in Windows that truly are broken, too.

Honestly, this is definition I originally used internally when I first read through the comic.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.46|108.162.216.46]] 02:46, 31 January 2016 (UTC)

----

I think the stack presented is mostly a pun on the OSI/ISO stack (see {{w|OSI model}}) which is usually drawn in this kind of format, and is usually thought to be too cumbersome to use in actual practice.
--[[User:Lou Crazy|Lou Crazy]] ([[User talk:Lou Crazy|talk]]) 14:53, 1 February 2016 (UTC)

Everytime I see someone say something about Java not working anymore I play that rap music video "Java Life" they released a few years ago [[User:Beastachu|Beastachu]] ([[User talk:Beastachu|talk]]) 12:47, 4 February 2016 (UTC)

----

There actually was something called "MacromediaJava" (one word). Before Alchemy/FlasCC/CrossBridge, there was an earlier C-to-AS3 compiler meant to demonstrate how cool the AS3 runtime is. Someone managed to port enough of Kaffe and Classpath to it to build a replacement for the Java Plugin that ran applets in Kaffe under FlashPlayer instead of directly in Java. It didn't work on most applets, and was slow and glitchy, and it was never meant as more than a demonstration, and normally I'd say there's no way anyone would be referring to that in 2016… but given the theme of this comic, the XKCD stack may be the one place where it was used. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.82|162.158.255.82]] 23:34, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

I changed the table in the transcript to a list. If this fits the requirements for transcripts, please remove the incomplete-tag. --[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 22:36, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
:Thanks for bringing this up, but removing that table means you have to explain it. Furthermore have a look at the standard layout like I've done. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:48, 8 March 2017 (UTC)
:: Thank you! --[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 06:52, 9 March 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1636: XKCD Stack

2017-03-08T22:36:51Z

LaVe:

1636: XKCD Stack

2017-03-08T22:33:45Z

LaVe: /* Transcript */ transformed table to list

{{comic
| number = 1636
| date = January 29, 2016
| title = XKCD Stack
| image = xkcd_stack.png
| titletext = This site requires Sun Java 6.0.0.1 (32-bit) or higher. You have Macromedia Java 7.3.8.1¾ (48-bit). Click here [link to java.com main page] to download an installer which will run fine but not really change anything.
}}

==Explanation==
In software engineering, a tech stack is the set of technology platforms and tools that a company or app uses. A common tech stack is {{w|LAMP (software bundle)|LAMP}}, composed of a {{w|Linux}} {{w|Operating system|operating system}}, an {{w|Apache HTTP Server|Apache}} {{w|Web server}}, a {{w|MySQL}} {{w|Database}}, and the {{w|PHP}} programming language. In this comic, the XKCD stack is introduced. The technologies comprising it are either non-existent, unreliable, outdated, or entirely irrelevant.

===Explanation of steps===
{| class="wikitable"
| | Layer
| | Explanation
|-
| |
EBNF/CSS
| |
BNF or {{w|Backus–Naur Form}} is a syntax used for describing {{w|context-free grammars}}.
{{w|Extended Backus–Naur Form|EBNF}} is "Extended BNF", it is the same thing as BNF with a few more syntactic constructs intended to ease its use in the most common cases. [[1343: Manuals]] mentioned EBNF.

CSS or {{w|Cascading Style Sheets}} are a language used to describe what a web page should look like. Web pages are usually written in {{w|HTML}}, which describes the ''structure'' of the page (i.e. divides the document into paragraphs, lists, etc.) complemented with CSS which describes the ''look and feel'' of the page (colors, fonts, margins, etc.). EBNF/CSS would suggest CSS with strange syntax.
|-
| |
Broken Java Applet
| |
In recent years it has become more difficult to run {{w|Java (programming language)|Java}} {{w|Applet|applets}} in several browsers. {{w|Google Chrome|Chrome}} 45 stopped supporting {{w|NPAPI}}, {{w|Mozilla Firefox|Firefox}} will drop support by 2016, and {{w|Microsoft Edge|Edge}} does not support NPAPI plugins at all. Furthermore, two days before this comic was published {{w|Oracle Corporation|Oracle}} (the developer of Java) [https://blogs.oracle.com/java-platform-group/entry/moving_to_a_plugin_free announced] plans to officially end support of Java applets in an upcoming version.
|-
| |
Archive.org Mirror
| |
{{w|Internet Archive|Archive.org}} is a website which archives websites, and created the {{w|Wayback Machine}}. It's ambiguous whether the "Archive.org mirror" would be a copy of the xkcd server or of Archive.org itself.
|-
| |
Hypercard.js
| |
{{w|HyperCard}} can be considered as a kind of predecessor for powerpoint developed at {{w|Apple Inc.|Apple}}. The file extension .js indicates that is was rewritten in {{w|JavaScript}}. A similar reference to JavaScript is found in [[1508: Operating Systems]]. The .js extension also refers to node.js, where most library names end in .js
|-
| |
QBasic on Rails
| |
A mix between {{w|QBasic}} and {{w|Ruby on Rails}}. {{w|BASIC}} is a programming language that was very widespread during the 80s. QBasic is an implementation of BASIC created by Microsoft in early 90s, that, among other things, added support for {{w|structured programming}}. QBasic, lacking several of the features present on modern computer languages, is known for its spaghetti code. {{w|Ruby (programming language)|Ruby}} is a rather modern language, often used with Ruby on Rails web application {{w|Software framework |framework}}. QBasic on Rails would likely mean a port of Ruby on Rails, replacing Ruby with QBasic. QBasic no longer runs on modern computers, however there are a couple of free {{w|open source}} implementation of QBasic, one being [http://www.qb64.net/ QB64] and the other [http://www.freebasic.net/ FreeBASIC], which are available for Windows, Linux, Mac, and Android. There also exists a webserver on BASIC called [http://www.runbasic.com/ RunBasic].

|-
| |
[Blocked by AdBlocker]
| |
{{w|Ad blocking}} software are extensions to browsers that try to remove ads from web pages, so the user is not distracted by them. [[624: Branding]] shows what "browsing without adblock" looks like. The joke is that AdBlocker is preventing us from seeing what makes up this portion of the stack. This could be because:
*Someone inserted an ad in the stack description. Some sites do insert ads in the middle of tables and lists, a typical case being between posts in forums.
*An ad is actually an integral part of the stack. Some sites make ads an integral part of the site content, so that users with ad blocking software will be forced to disable ad blocking to be able to properly interact with the site. Usually, in real life, this is not really a case of ads being part of the site, only that the site artificially refuses to work until it has some confirmation that ads have been properly loaded in the client side (by means of some script within the ads which sends the confirmation to the server).
*Ad blocking software has misidentified that portion of the stack as an ad, when in fact it is not (i.e. a false positive). This happens in real life, and it is a common source of great pains for the owner of the site which is being misidentified as an ad.

|-
| |
MongoDB/Excel
| |
{{w|MongoDB}} is a modern {{w|NoSQL}} {{w|Database|database}} system, {{w|Microsoft Excel}} is a {{w|Spreadsheet|spreadsheet}} program from Microsoft, which is sometimes used as a database system (rarely a good choice).

|-
| |
Some piece that works so nobody asks any questions
| |
Writing any non-trivial piece of software always require a phase of {{w|debugging}}, which consists in finding and fixing {{w|Software bug|bugs}}. With complex software, this is a long and tiring process, so when the product is finally finished no one dares to modify it any further for fear that it will fail in unexpected ways. After some time passes, it is even worse because nobody really remembers how the software was ''supposed'' to work, so the product becomes some kind of godlike treasure which must be treated with the utmost respect and reverence because, you know, if it stops working we're all doomed ([[1421: Future Self]]). After completion, {{w|Refactoring}} is the process of rewriting code for greater efficiency or reliability. However, if the performance is not 'too bad' (i.e. not unusably terrible in normal use) there is a great temptation to avoid this, in favour of the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' methodology. This could lead, for example, to a trained monkey and an abacus being used to crunch numbers. It works, but could be done far better. However, nobody wishes to change it, for fear of breaking a presently functional, if inefficient, system.
|-
| |
Triply-Nested Docker
| |
{{w|Docker (software)|Docker}} is a {{w|Operating-system-level virtualization|software container}}, which is a way that allows a complete operating system to run under different operating system (OS) (as long they share the same kernel, among other things). Triply-nested docker would mean OS A running under OS B running under OS C running under OS D (running under OS E?). That would likely be a performance and management nightmare
|-
| |
Paravirtual Boy®
| |
This is a reference to the {{w|Virtual Boy}}, a failed portable console created by {{w|Nintendo}}. It was [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKKK6FH1vGw promoted as being a highly immersive, incredible experience], but the poor technology that it used caused to be [https://youtu.be/OyVAp0tOk5A?t=56s very criticized] for not meeting the high expectations. {{w|Paravirtualization}} is a way of virtualization, that requires cooperation of the guest operating system, contrary of {{w|full virtualization}}, on which the guest operating system does not require to do anything special and the host handles everything.
|-
| |
A dev typing real fast
| |
A dev is a {{w|Software developer|software developer}}. This is possibly a reference to [[341: 1337: Part 1]], where [[Mrs. Roberts]] edits the {{w|Transmission Control Protocol|TCP}} stream live while wearing oven mitts and baking cookies. It looks like the xkcd Webserver is not a computer after all -- we have a person manually replying to HTTP protocol queries. Such a feat would indeed require real fast typing. If this is the case, then its possible that almost none of the other layers of the stack actually do anything.

|-
| |
Older version of our software
| |
People are often reluctant to switch to newer versions of software because, even though newer versions are supposed to have more features and fewer bugs, they end up confusing users. Users of older versions are used to doing everything with less features and circumventing old bugs. They don't know how to use the new features, which of course come with new bugs they haven't learned how to circumvent yet. It is also often the case that newer versions remove weird unused old features, breaking the workflow of users who actually did use such features and are left without a suitable replacement ([[1172: Workflow]]). Alternately, since higher parts of a stack are dependent on lower parts, this could also be a reference to how the consumer versions of Microsoft Windows (3.x, 95, 98, and ME) ran on the "older version" software Microsoft DOS until Windows 95. Paired with the previous layer, it could instead mean that the human is merely retyping the output of the older version.
|-
| |
Mystery Networking Horror
| |
Randall suggests here that the whole networking stuff behind the XKCD service is both mysterious (no one actually knows the details) and horrific (technically questionable architecture and implementation, or somehow tentacled and eldritch in nature).
|-
| |
Microsoft Bob Server®
| |
{{w|Microsoft Bob}} was a short-lived, failed attempt by Microsoft, around 1995, to provide a user-friendly interface for the {{w|Microsoft Windows|Windows}} 3.1x, Windows 95 and Windows NT operating systems. It consisted of a virtual "house" and "rooms", and the idea was that you could click on a pen and open the word processor. It was heavily criticized and was soon discontinued. Randall seems to be making the suggestion the Bob has continued to be developed and now there's a Bob Server, similarly to Windows server.
|-
| |
A giant {{w|Central processing unit|CPU}} someone built in Minecraft
| |
{{w|Minecraft}} is a popular sandbox game where you place blocks to build things. Since the introduction of Redstone objects (materials used to create basic electric circuits within the game) people have made many machines within Minecraft, including calculators and clocks. The most complex of these machines simulate simple computers, capable of storing several lines of code and performing basic mathematical operations such as division, which requires thousands of blocks and extremely complex designs. A Minecraft CPU capable of hosting a website would be ridiculously huge.
|}

=== Title text ===

The title text contains several jokes about the Java programming language:

*First, it refers to Java both as {{w|Sun Microsystems|Sun}} Java and {{w|Macromedia}} Java. This is a pun on the fact that older documents refer to "Sun Java" where newer documents refer to "{{w|Oracle Corporation|Oracle}} Java", as if there were two different languages. The fact is that Java was designed originally by Sun and then bought by Oracle, so it "changed name" even though the language is the same. Macromedia was the company that developed Flash before it was bought by Adobe. Both Flash and Java were popular in the early WWW to have interactive web pages, but both are being deprecated in favor of JavaScript.

*Second, the version numbers: older software products used to have two version numbers: major and minor (e.g. in {{w|MS-DOS}} 6.22 the major number is 6 and the minor is 22). Newer products tend to have hundreds of minor revisions, all of them numbered, so a typical user may well find themselves updating version 6.0.0.1 to 7.3.8.1 without knowing at all the differences between both versions or which other versions are in between. The ¾ in the Macromedia Java version is a joke on complex version numbers, which (so far) have never included fractions.

*Third, the 32-bit or 48-bit version: The {{w|Intel 80386}} processor used an architecture known as {{w|IA-32}}, which implies the {{w|Address bus|address bus}} is 32-bit wide and thus able to handle up to 4{{w|Gibibyte|GiB}} of {{w|Random-access memory|RAM}} memory. This was plenty for the early 1990s, when a typical home PC would have about 8MiB (this is 512 times less than 4GiB). However, about 10 years after that, a typical home PC could well use more than 4GiB of RAM, so several {{w|64-bit computing|64-bit architectures}} were created. These architectures are not compatible, so programs (including the Java Runtime Environment, or JRE) often have 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Furthermore, the JRE is heavily used by many web browsers, and for this to work the JRE and browser need to be the same "number of bits". This means that most people have installed both versions of the JRE to be able to use it with both 32-bit and 64-bit browsers. There's no 48-bit architecture (though some 64-bit processors including the {{w|x86-64|most common ones}} don't actually use all 64 bits everywhere, ignoring some bits so actual virtual or physical memory is smaller (in the case of the most common ones, 48bits virtual and 40bits physical), they simulate a full 64-bit environment to allow adding more bits later, so there are no specific 48-bit applications).

*Fourth, an application trying to let the user install a new version of the JRE should direct the user to the download page in the [http://java.com/ java.com site], not to the main page which deals with lots of issues with java and is not particularly helpful when trying to update the JRE.

*Fifth, and continuing with the joke of users updating from 7.3.8.1¾ to 6.0.0.1 and not knowing why they should, the new version is said to "run fine but not really change anything". This is the usual behavior for Java updates: they run fine (possibly in opposition to [[1197: All Adobe Updates]], where updating must be done several times and the user is never sure they have installed all the newest updates), but after finished updating the user can't see any difference with the previous behavior, and/or may still be told that an update is required. Considering that 7.3.8.1¾ is bigger number than 6.0.0.1, it can also refer to the fact that the test for upgrading is incorrect and 7.3.8.1¾ is actually newer version or that a downgrade is required for the aplet to work properly, because no one fixed it to work with the newer version.

*Sixth, Macromedia was a multimedia software company in the 90s that originally developed Flash, a popular plug-in similar to Java. Adobe purchased Macromedia in 2005.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Transcripts are for the blind, this should not be a table.}}

Introducing

The XKCD Stack

[List of items]

*EBNF/CSS
*Broken Java Applet
*Archive.org Mirror
*Hypercard.js
*QBasic on Rails
*[sqare bracket open] Blocked by AdBlocker [square bracket close]
*MongoDB/Excel
*Some piece that works so nobody asks any questions
*Triply-Nested Docker
*Paravirtual Boy®
*A dev typing real fast
*Older version of our software
*Mystery Networking Horror
*Microsoft Bob Server®
*A giant CPU someone built in Minecraft

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Video games]]

1804: Video Content

2017-02-27T17:12:35Z

LaVe:

{{comic
| number = 1804
| date = February 27, 2017
| title = Video Content
| image = video_content.png
| titletext = "So, like, sexy news videos?" "No, people have tried that--it's still just video content. We need to actually inform people THROUGH making out. I would call it 'Mouth Content,' but I think that's already the title of a Neil Cicierega album."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|work in progress.}}
Cueball suggests presenting news stories as videos rather than text. This is presented and received as a clever new idea that would appeal to young people, despite the fact that television news programs have been filling such a niche for decades.

The caption suggests that arguing the merits of this idea with newspapers (the industry the group is presumably engaged in), someone should tell them that young people like making out and see where that idea leads them.

The title text describes the group discussing this idea. Ironically, part of this discussion is to dismiss the concept by pointing out that it's already been tried, an objection that applies even more clearly and obviously to the idea of presenting news in video form.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[From left to right: Hairy, Cueball, Megan and Hairbun sit around a conference table.]

Cueball: Research shows young people like YouTube, so we should present news stories as videos instead of text!

Megan: Good idea!

Hairbun: They'll love that!

[Caption below the panel:] Instead of arguing with newspapers about this, we should just tell them how much young people like making out and see what happens.

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1804: Video Content

2017-02-27T17:12:13Z

LaVe:

This was my first time writing a transcript, so let me know if I did anything wrong. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.88|108.162.219.88]] 16:52, 27 February 2017 (UTC)
:Nice, but it's called a panel, not a frame. [[User:Jtvjan|Jtvjan]] ([[User talk:Jtvjan|talk]]) 17:04, 27 February 2017 (UTC)

::sorry, my fault, I exchanged "comic" by "frame" instead of "panel" - solved :-) --[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 17:12, 27 February 2017 (UTC)

1804: Video Content

2017-02-27T16:56:49Z

LaVe: good / great

1767: US State Names

2017-02-25T21:10:57Z

LaVe: added some links on existing text

{{comic
| number = 1767
| date = December 2, 2016
| title = US State Names
| image = us_state_names.png
| titletext = Technically DC isn't a state, but no one is too pedantic about it because they don't want to disturb the snakes.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Randall]] has taken a {{w|map}} of {{w|the United States of America}} labeled "Geography Challenge: Name all 50 States" and filled in the states with words that sound similar to the states' names. The joke is that Randall is apparently terrible at remembering states by heart, or else that he interpreted "name" as "give a name to" and is giving each state a name similar to but different from its previous name. Songs such as the [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=fifty+nifty+united+states+song 50 Nifty United States] make these issues seem rarer, thus making it funnier. Below is the table.

This also may be a play on the ambiguity of the phrase "Name all 50 states". When you are asked to "name" something, it can be a request to supply its given name or to come up with a new name for it. Randall has apparently taken the latter interpretation. He also may be playing with the distinction between an object's identity and its label, e.g., "The state of Texas (identity) is named Hexxus (label)", though you can argue that "Texas" is also a label.

This comic is similar to [[1759: British Map]]. Also note that the text at the top of the comic is not in all caps.

===Table of States===
{{incomplete|Some states unfinished. Make wikipedia links.}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Fictional State
! Actual State
! Explanation
|-
| Wilwheaton
| {{w|Washington_State|Washington}}
| {{w|Wil Wheaton}} is an actor and writer, famous for his role as {{w|Wesley Crusher}} on {{w|Star Trek}}.
|-
| Organs
| {{w|Oregon}}
| Could refer to either {{w|Organ (anatomy)|body parts}} that perform vital functions, or large {{w|Organ (music)|musical instruments}} having rows of tuned pipes. Also a possible reference to {{w|Organ Trail}}, a retro survival video game that parodies {{w|The Oregon Trail (video game)|The Oregon Trail}}.
|-
| Cafeteria
| {{w|California}}
| A {{w|cafeteria}} is both a kind of restaurant and a name for a lunch room that serves food. California is large and diverse, offering a wide variety of choices. California also grows a large proportion of common vegetables available in the US ([http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/explainer/2013/07/california_grows_all_of_our_fruits_and_vegetables_what_would_we_eat_without.html Source]), making it a 'Cafeteria' for the country.
|-
| Fallout New Vegas
| {{w|Nevada}}
| {{w|Fallout New Vegas}} is a video game set in post-apocalyptic Nevada.
|-
| Idolatry
| {{w|Idaho}}
| {{w|Idolatry}} is the worship of a physical object as a god, forbidden in the Abrahamic religions.
|-
| mount -a
| {{w|Montana}}
| A command to {{w|Mount (computing)|mount}} all disk volumes in fstab (except for ones with the noauto flag).
|-
| Wysiwyg
| {{w|Wyoming}}
| Acronym for "{{w|WYSIWYG|what you see is what you get}}". A reference to [[Types of Editors]].
|-
| Uhaul
| {{w|Utah}}
| {{w|U-Haul}} is a company that rents moving vans which are frequently decorated with scenes from places that most people have never visited.
|-
| Verizona
| {{w|Arizona}}
| {{w|Verizon}}, a telecommunications company, has the shared text "Rizon" with Arizona (Ve''rizon'', A''rizon''a).
|-
| Namaste
| {{w|New Mexico}}
| {{w|Namaste}} is a Hindu greeting.
|-
| Hexxus
| {{w|Texas}}
| The antagonist of Ferngully. {{w|FernGully:_The_Last_Rainforest|FernGully}} is said to be the model for the later film {{w|/Avatar_(2009_film)|Avatar. This is the second time Hexxus was mentioned in xkcd, the first occurrence being in [[1750: Life Goals]]. May allude to the Texas oil industry and the state's general reputation for a lack of environmental protection.
|-
| Okay
| {{w|Oklahoma}}
| OK is the {{w|List_of_U.S._state_abbreviations|state's abbreviation}}. Okay is a spelling of another abbreviation O.K., which means "yes" or "good", and has {{w|OK#Proposed etymologies|quite a few possible origins}}.
|-
| Candice
| {{w|Kansas}}
| {{w|Candice}} is an alternate spelling of the girl's name "{{w|Candace_(given name)|Candace}}", which comes from the Latinized version of "{{w|kandake}}," a title used in the {{w|Kingdom of Kush}} (an ancient African monarchy) for a reigning queen, queen consort, or queen mother; possibly used for female members of the royal family in general.
|-
| Colocated
| {{w|Colorado}}
| May refer to computer servers located in a {{w|colocation centre}}, or to {{w|collocation}}, a linguistics term for words or terms that appear together with a frequency greater than chance.
|-
| Nebrunswick
| {{w|Nebraska}}
| {{w|New Brunswick}}, a Canadian province. People sometimes write "NB" as the postal abbreviation for Nebraska; in reality, Nebraska is "NE", and while there is no "NB" in the U.S. postal system, New Brunswick is "NB" in the {{w|Canadian_postal_abbreviations_for_provinces_and_territories|Canadian postal system}}.
|-
| Dakota
| {{w|South Dakota}}
| Randall seems to have forgotten his directions, so he drops the normal "South" and "North". He may also be teasing that this doesn't matter.
|-
| More Dakota
| {{w|North Dakota}}
| Probably just reference to the fact that there are two Dakotas, but mishearing/misrepresenting "North" as "More" (leaving South Dakota as just "Dakota"). Might be a reference to [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/more-dakka "More Dakka"], a catchphrase by Orks from the {{w|Warhammer_40,000|Warhammer 40000}} universe, though WH40K isn't a usual XKCD touchstone.
|-
| Minestrone
| {{w|Minnesota}}
| {{w|Minestrone}} is a thick vegetable soup, originating in Italy.
|-
| Wainscot
| {{w|Wisconsin}}
| {{w|Panelling#Wainscot_panelling|Wainscot}} is a type of wood {{w|panelling}} covering only the lower half of a wall.
|-
| Iota
| {{w|Iowa}}
| {{w|Iota}} is the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iota ninth letter of the Greek alphabet]. In English, the word [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/iota#English iota] may also mean "an inconsiderable amount".
|-
| Sk8rbois
| {{w|Illinois}}
| "Skater Boys" or just "Skater Boy" if the '-ois' is pronounced the same as it is in "Illinois". {{w|Sk8er Boi}} is a song by {{w|Avril Lavigne}}.
|-
| Mossouri
| {{w|Missouri}}
| The single different letter represents probably a typo (O is adjacent to I in a keyboard). This typo has about 22,000 results on Google. Alternatively, this could be an attempt to "correct" the spelling of the state name to match its non-intuitive {{w|List_of_U.S._state_abbreviations|postal abbreviation}}, MO, which is sometimes used as a pronounceable acronym. Or it could be a reference to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie_Moussouris Katie Mossouris].
|-
| Arkanoids
| {{w|Arkansas}}
| {{w|Arkanoid}} is an arcade game, developed by Taito in 1986.
|-
| Louisa
| {{w|Louisiana}}
| Louisa, feminine of Louis, is an Old German name meaning "famous warrior". Louisiana was named after King Louis XIV when it was founded as a French colony.
|-
| Misstate
| {{w|Mississippi}}
| The word "misstate" means to state improperly. "Mis-" is also a prefix meaning "wrong," "incorrect," or simply negating. "Misstate" could be a non-state. {{w|Mississipi State University|Miss State}} is a university in Mississippi. This may also be a joke on the fact that Mississippi is one of the most commonly misspelled state names.
|-
| Bandana
| {{w|Alabama}}
| A {{w|Kerchief|bandana}} is a large handkerchief cloth, worn either around the head or neck. Often used in Westerns.
|-
| Thennessy
| {{w|Tennessee}}
| {{w|Hennessy}} is a brand of cognac.
|-
| Kennedy
| {{w|Kentucky}}
| {{w|Kennedy Fried Chicken}} is New York City–based fast food brand that shares its initials with KFC, which was formerly (and still conventionally) Kentucky Fried Chicken. "Kennedy" is also the name of a former US president ({{w|John_F._Kennedy|John}}) and two former US senators ({{w|Robert_F._Kennedy|Robert}} and {{w|Ted_Kennedy|Ted}}).
|-
| That Other One
| {{w|Indiana}}
| 'That Other One' is something someone might say if they were trying to name all the states from memory, and knew where a state was but not what it was called. Appropriate for Indiana, due to being a state with relatively few distinguishing features.
|-
| Mishy
| {{w|Michigan}}
| According to the Urban Dictionary, "mishy" means "[http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Mishy mushy and horny at the same time]". Or it could just be a nickname, the way a lot of people's names, often children, get shortened with a trailing y (Bobby, Becky, Johnny, Suzy, Davey, Jimmy, etc.).
|-
| Oh Hi
| {{w|Ohio}}
| Oh (expression of surprise), Hi (greeting). A common utterance upon meeting an acquaintance unexpectedly.
|-
| Pencilmania
| {{w|Pennsylvania}}
| [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0151935/ Pencil Mania] is a 1932 Tom and Jerry cartoon in which they pull out a pencil and proceed to draw figures in the air.
|-
| Newark
| {{w|New York}}
| The city of {{w|Newark,_New_Jersey|Newark}} is a suburb of New York City, and many people who live in Newark commute the 14 miles to work in New York City, however it is actually located in the state of New Jersey rather than New York. Other references: {{w|Newark_Liberty_International_Airport|Newark Liberty International Airport}} is a major flight hub serving the New York metropolitan area, the village of Newark, New York (near Lake Ontario), and {{w|Newark_element14|Newark element14}} (or simply "Newark"), the official distributor of Raspberry Pi. Possible reference to William Gibson's works. A mispronunciation of New York.
|-
| Vermouth
| {{w|Vermont}}
| {{w|Vermouth}} is an Italian alcoholic beverage.
|-
| New Hamper
| {{w|New Hampshire}}
| A {{w|hamper}} is a large basket, often with lid, used for laundry. Also another name for a picnic basket.
|-
| Spanish Maine
| {{w|Maine}}
| The {{w|Spanish Main}} was the mainland Spanish colonial possessions around the Gulf of Mexico. Also refers to the surrounding sea, as in the opening of the (children's?) song, "Sailing, sailing, over the bounding main, ...". May also refer to the {{w|USS Maine (ACR-1)}}, which, upon sinking, started the Spanish-American war.
|-
| Masseuses
| {{w|Massachusetts}}
| Women who give {{w|massage}}s professionally. A contentious term in the therapeutic massage industry due to its appropriation by prostitutes.
|-
| Roald Dahl
| {{w|Rhode Island}}
| A {{w|Roald Dahl|British writer}}, famous for child novels such as {{w|Charlie and the Chocolate Factory}}. This name does not actually rime well with Rhode Island. Dahl used the Norwegian pronunciation of his name, as he had Norwegian parents. Because of how the pronunciation of the name has not been wildly known by readers, Randall may not have been aware of this.
|-
| Connectfour
| {{w|Connecticut}}
| {{w|Connect Four}} is a two-player game, in which the objective is to connect four of your checkers in a row while preventing your opponent from doing the same. It has already been mentioned in [[1002: Game AIs]].
|-
| Nude Juggalos
| {{w|New Jersey}}
| {{w|Juggalo}} is a name given to fans of the group Insane Clown Posse or any other Psychopathic Records hip hop group. Also shares the same initials as New Jersey.
|-
| Delorean
| {{w|Delaware}}
| The {{w|DeLorean_DMC-12|DeLorean DMC-12}} is a car, made famous as the {{w|DeLorean_time_machine|time machine}} in the {{w|Back to the Future}} movies.
|-
| Maybelline
| {{w|Maryland}}
| {{w|Maybelline}} is a make-up brand.
|-
| District of Colubrids
| {{w|District of Columbia}}
| The {{w|Colubridae}} are the biggest family of snakes, accounting for about two thirds of the world's species. As the title text mentions, the District of Columbia, although not part of any state, is technically not a state itself, but is usually labeled on the maps like the 50 others for practical reasons. Here, Randall humorously explains the reason as people not wanting to upset the aforementioned snakes by dismissing their district for this pedantic reason.
|-
| Wyvern
| {{w|West Virginia}}
| A {{w|Wyvern}} is a mythical creature.
|-
| Virjayjay
| {{w|Virginia}}
| Virginia is similar to {{w|vagina}}. Vajayjay is slang for vagina.
|-
| Sweet Caroline
| {{w|North Carolina}}
| A {{w|Sweet_Caroline|song}} by Neil Diamond.
|-
| South Caroline
| {{w|South Carolina}}
| A further reference to {{w|Sweet_Caroline|song 'Sweet Caroline'}} by Neil Diamond, similar to 'Dakota' and 'More Dakota.' Plays on similarity between the names 'Caroline' and 'Carolina'.
|-
| George
| {{w|Georgia}}
| Georgia was named for {{w|George II of Great Britain}}.
|-
| Fyoridor
| {{w|Florida}}
| Possibly derived from the Russian name Fyodor, as in {{w|Fyodor Dostoyevsky}}.
|-
| Alberta
| {{w|Alaska}}
| {{w|Alberta}} is a Canadian province.
|-
| Kawaii
| {{w|Hawaii}}
| A {{w|Kawaii|Japanese term}} for cute, commonly romanized similar to Hawaii. Not to be confused with {{w|Kauai}}, a Hawaiian island.
|}

==Transcript==

[A map of the United States, with incorrect state names in red text color. A title:]

Geography challenge:

'''Name all 50 states'''

| Alabama => Bandana |

| Alaska => Alberta |

| Arizona => Verizona |

| Arkansas => Arkanoids |

| California => Cafeteria |

| Colorado => Colocated |

| Connecticut => Connect Four |

| Delaware => Delorean |

| District of Columbia => District of Colubrids |

| Florida => Fyoridor |

| Georgia => George |

| Hawaii => Kawaii |

| Idaho => Idolatry |

| Illinois => SK8RBOIS |

| Indiana => That Other One |

| Iowa => Iota |

| Kansas => Candice |

| Kentucky => Kennedy |

| Louisiana => Loisa |

| Maine => Spanish Maine |

| Maryland => Maybelline |

| Massachusetts => Masseuses |

| Michigan => Mishy |

| Minnesota => Minestrone |

| Mississippi => Misstate |

| Missouri => Mossouri |

| Montana => mount -a |

| Nebraska => Nebrunswick |

| Nevada => Fallout New Vegas |

| New Hampshire => New Hamper |

| New Jersey => Nude Juggalos |

| New Mexico => Namaste |

| New York => Newark |

| North Carolina => Sweet Caroline |

| South Carolina => South Caroline |

| Ohio => Oh Hi |

| Oklahoma => Okay |

| Oregon => Organs |

| Pennsylvania => Pencilmania |

| Rhode Island => Roald Dahl |

| South Dakota => Dakota |

| North Dakota => More Dakota |

| Tennessee => Thennessy |

| Texas => Hexxus |

| Utah => Uhaul |

| Vermont => Vermouth |

| Virginia => Virjayjay |

| Washington => Willwheaton |

| West Virginia => Wyvern |

| Wisconsin => Wainscot |

| Wyoming => WYSIWYG |

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Geography]]

Talk:1799: Bad Map Projection: Time Zones

2017-02-25T18:19:27Z

LaVe: Overlay map comment

'''Notice''' The [[what if?]] {{what if|154|Coast-to-Coast Coasting}} came out February 8th, at the same time as [[1796]]. This was noted yesterday in the last comics discussion. For the first time in a year with less than two weeks between releases --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 15 February 2017 (UTC)



"Screw Hawaii and the rest of the Pacific!" [[User:Z|Z]] ([[User talk:Z|talk]]) 04:56, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

It is actually way less distorting than I expected [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.239|141.101.104.239]] 06:38, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Aahhhh, why are Suriname and French Guiana switched? They have the same timezone ... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.150.22|162.158.150.22]] 06:52, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Can anyone explain why Russia has all the hills and valleys? East-west distortion I understand, but what is the reason for the north-south distortion? [[User:Nonnal|Nonnal]] ([[User talk:Nonnal|talk]]) 07:06, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

:I actually know this one - Russia has 11 timezones, but some of these form "islands" in the South of the country. From West to East, the North has: (+2 Kaliningrad), +3, +5, +7,+9, +10, +11, +12. Going West to East through the South adds back in +4 (Samara), +6 (Omsk), and +8 (Irkutsk), each corresponding to one of the "dips" in the projection. [[User:Atmarsden95|Atmarsden95]] ([[User talk:Atmarsden95|talk]]) 07:15, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Why is Morocco labeled as U.S. and the Sahrawi Republic as Morocco? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.88|141.101.88.88]] 07:24, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:That actually says "W.S", for Western Sahara, but either way I can't see a good reason for the inversion. Both are on UTC+0, and Morocco is on UTC+1 in summer, while WS doesn't use DST, apparently... So even if that was being taken into account, the countries are STILL the wrong way around. Possibly, this is related to the French Guiana/Suriname inversion. [[User:Atmarsden95|Atmarsden95]] ([[User talk:Atmarsden95|talk]]) 07:55, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

:And Western Sahara is the name used for the disputed area south of Marocco by the United Nations. The Sahrawi Republic have only limited recognition and does not control all of the disputed area. [[User:Pmakholm|Pmakholm]] ([[User talk:Pmakholm|talk]]) 07:59, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::The switch is just a mistake, maybe caused by a map not depicting Western Sahara.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 09:06, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

It would be cool to see countries moving in and out of Daylight saving time. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.69|141.101.69.69]] 07:56, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
: I'd like that, too. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:42, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Why did he use 6 colors? And do the colors code for something? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.58|162.158.202.58]] 08:06, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
: I think it's just for easier depiction without any further meaning. It's like in 850, I think... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:42, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Should we replace the comic image with a bigger version? I've already uploaded the image: http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png [[User:SirKitKat|sirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 09:02, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Should we compile a table of oddities in the map?--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 09:07, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
: I think yes. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 09:12, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

So am I getting this correct? The map is made to be divided into timezones with perfect vertical borders and the countries are then distorted to fit perfectly within their timezones? Shouldn't Greenland then be "split" since it spreads from UTC-3 to UTC but is not actually using UTC-2? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.118|162.158.92.118]] 10:41, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
: Yes. But actually there should be connections since these parrts of Greenland are no separate landmasses. But the connections should be infinitesimally thin (but not of thickness 0) to be accurate. However the style these connection are made imply that they're just connection and no actual landmasses, I think... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:59, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:: I have added Greenland to the table, please feel free to provide a more coherent wording if necessary, english is not my native language :) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.118|162.158.92.118]] 12:42, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

Only for understanding to the image sizes: The image tag uses the ''srcset'' feature and the browser decides if ''bad_map_projection_time_zones.png'' or ''bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png'' is shown. At this comic there is also a link to the large version. But the ''srcset'' feature is not new at this comic. Look at the source:
<pre>
<a href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png">
<img src="//imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones.png"
title="This is probably the first projection in cartographic history that can be criticized for its disproportionate focus on Finland, Mongolia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo."
alt="Bad Map Projection: Time Zones"
srcset="//imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png 2x"/>
</a>
</pre>
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:21, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:Thanks for explaining that. So this is just the first time that the large version is linked from the normal sized version. Is that then the explanation for the 2x images appearing in [[Garden]]? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::The comic Garden is one of those rare dynamic comics. Each of them are different and in this case a javascript file called "linden.js" creates the picture. But the next one (https://xkcd.com/1664/) is like this one I wrote about. Go to that comic and use rigth-click -> view image (or whatever your browser says). If your display has a large resolution you will see the large picture, if not you will see the standard. But I don't know when this ''scrset'' feature was implemented for the first time. Early comics don't support this.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:55, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

The people from [[850]] should have a fun time with this.[[User:XFez|XFez]] ([[User talk:XFez|talk]]) 13:30, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

"Finland and the Baltic states look huge because they are the only countries using the UTC+2 Eastern Europe time." That's not really true: Romania and Bulgaria use that time zone too, as does Greece. [[User:Angew|Angew]] ([[User talk:Angew|talk]]) 07:20, 16 February 2017 (UTC)

Does Randall know about this wiki? I would assume he does. Also how does a comic become completed? I have filled in explanations for comics that I think meet the missing criteria so am I allowed to remove the incomplete thingy or does an admin have to do that?[[User:XFez|XFez]] ([[User talk:XFez|talk]]) 13:38, 16 February 2017 (UTC)
:Hi [[User:XFez|XFez]], sorry for the late reply but this was hard to find. I don't know if Randall knows..., but maybe he does. But he does NOT support this wiki in any way -- like he does not here: [http://forums.xkcd.com http://forums.xkcd.com] (while everything is now on https that board isn't ;) ). So there is no final explanation and he says 100 points! To your second question: You are allowed to remove the "incomplete tag". But the given criteria is not enough, often that simple text covers not all. Please check also the discussion page. So, when you are not sure just change the criteria text and mention it at the discussion page. And for older comics you probably should talk to someone else here because nobody checks every comic every day.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:00, 17 February 2017 (UTC)

;Transcript TLDR;
I have started a discussion on this topic here: [[User_talk:Kynde#Transcript_TLDR.3B]]. I think I'm not the only one who wants the transcript to be short and only describing the essentials. Maybe we can define a Transcript-Guide.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:55, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:Thanks for letting me know about the comment in the previous comics discussion Dgbrt. I still disagree with you that we should not write down every word written in the comic even if it is not spoken. As else this comic would have none. But also the labels for the countries should be written down. But if that is as the end of the transcript, it would not trouble the reader! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
::I added the names of the countries before noticing this discussion as I wanted to remove the incomplete tag, I apologize if I inconvenienced anyone due to this. IMO the text written in the comic deserves a mention but should be formatted in a way it doesn't bother those who don't need it. The text inside the square brackets should be kept concise.[[User:Asdf|Asdf]] ([[User talk:Asdf|talk]]) 18:48, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:::I shortened the description on top by a few words. The countries for each continent are now in one line. I added the incomplete tag again because the discussion is probably not finished. Feel free to remove this tag.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:39, 15 February 2017 (UTC)

;Labelled time zones

I created a map overlaid with more obvious time zone divisions, labelled with some of that zone's more popular abbreviations. Tried to keep 'em to Standard Time rather than Daylight. [http://i.imgur.com/L44ruPy.png Seen here.] --[[User:VonAether|VonAether]] ([[User talk:VonAether|talk]]) 17:39, 15 February 2017 (UTC)
:Fantastic VonAether. I was just thinking of making such a map, but your looks much better than what I had in mind. Would it be OK to download your map to these pages and insert it in the explanation? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:54, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
::Absolutely; that's why I made it. Go nuts. :) --[[User:VonAether|VonAether]] ([[User talk:VonAether|talk]]) 21:07, 17 February 2017 (UTC)
:::Thanks a lot VonAether. I will put it on the explantion now (I also posted my question on VonAether's talk page, and his answer is copied in here from there). --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:32, 18 February 2017 (UTC)

Palawan is missing again?--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.230.45|162.158.230.45]] 02:07, 16 February 2017 (UTC)

; Table entries

* Shall we put all countries there even if they are not on the map because of their size? San Marino, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Malta etc. What about all the Oceania? If not, shall we remove those not shown, but already put in the table?
* What about regions, i.e. Middle East? I'd vote for removal
* I would definitely remove Lake Victoria, it has no use in this context. Or shall we add the Great Lakes?
: [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 17:44, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
:: Since nobody commented on it, I went ahead and removed regions, not shown countries and the Lake Victoria. -- [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 13:33, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

; Overlay Time Zones Map / comic
I created an overlay, taking Australia and Greenland as reference points. It makes it easier to find the distortions. I am not yet very happy with it. But if you like the idea I would try to do region focused maps... Unfortunately even the large version of the comic resolution is worse compared with the time zones map which I took from Wikipedia. --[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 18:19, 25 February 2017 (UTC)

1799: Bad Map Projection: Time Zones

2017-02-25T18:12:08Z

LaVe: overlay map added

{{comic
| number = 1799
| date = February 15, 2017
| title = Bad Map Projection: Time Zones
| image = bad_map_projection_time_zones.png
| titletext = This is probably the first projection in cartographic history that can be criticized for its disproportionate focus on Finland, Mongolia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
}}
*A [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png double sized version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.
*Recent comics always have a larger (often the original) drawing using ''_2x'' added to the file name to indicate a different size. Modern browsers decide which resolution is shown. But at this comic the larger version is also clickable on the image. See much more details on this under the expanded explanation for the [[:Category:Large drawings|large drawings category]].
{{TOC}}
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|[[#Table of countries and their time zones|Table]] now has all relevant countries and is sortable. But needs to be filled out for each country with explanation of its time zone and why it looks as it does on the map. (Especially those from title text needs explanation like that). Some of the info already given in the explanation could be moved to the table.}}

This comic shows a {{w|Map projection|map projection}} in which countries are placed according to the {{w|Time zone|time zones}} that they fall under. This is thus the second comic in the series of [[:Category:Bad Map Projections|Bad Map Projections]] and it seems that [[Randall]], being Randall, runs with the idea as he has made yet another map projection that is not only inaccurate, but utterly unusable, though less so than the previous one.

The first was released just over a month before this one and was called [[1784: Bad Map Projection: Liquid Resize]]. "Liquid Resize" was #107, while this comic features #79. Since the ''liquid resize'' was purely aesthetic, whereas this one at least conveys some meaningful information it makes sense that this projection is ranked higher.

Conceptually, the series is a comment on the fact that there is no perfect way to draw a map of the world on a flat piece of paper. Each one will introduce a different type of distortion, and the best projection for a given situation is sometimes very disputed. Randall previously explored 12 different projections in [[977: Map Projections]], and expressed his disdain for some types he sees as less efficient but whose users feel superior. None of them are really good as any 2D map projection will always distort in a way the spherical reality, and a map projection that is useful for one aspect (like navigation, geographical shapes and masses visualization, etc.) will not be so for all the others. Local maps of smaller areas can be quite accurate, but the idea of both these map projection comics is to map the entire globe on a flat surface.

Time zones are based on the way the Sun shines on the Earth, so these time zones, which are based on the sun's position in the sky, would best be divided by roughly longitudinal (North-to-South Pole) lines. However, this is not the case in practice, as the defined time zones tend to have very jagged boundaries, and furthermore some countries use a completely different time than the zones they are in, at least for some parts (see {{w|China}}). Since Randall knows he cannot fix the boundaries of the time zones, he instead "fixes" the world by making a map appear to match up with the time zone system, as shown in [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1f/1799_Map_with_Labeled_time_zones.PNG this map], also posted in the [[#Map with Labeled time zones|trivia]]. This results in bizarre distortions such as the large, gum-like strands of {{w|Greenland}} and three enormous gulfs in {{w|Russia}}.

The effect of this map is to "punish" large countries with a single time zone - for instance, China, which uses UTC+8 across the whole country - and countries that share large time zones - for instance, almost all of {{w|Europe}} is packed into the Central European UTC+1 zone - by shrinking these down. Conversely, countries that use multiple time zones without filling them out are stretched out - for example, the {{w|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} (DRC) and {{w|Mongolia}}, as pointed out in the title text - as are slim countries that do not fill out the full width of their time zones but where their neighbors use different timezones so they have to fill the entire width of their time zone. For instance {{w|Finland}} (also mentioned in the title text) and the {{w|Baltic countries}}, who look huge because their western and eastern neighbors do not use the UTC+2 Eastern Europe time, and thus have to fill out the distance between the countries that are pushed to the zones on their east/west borders.

Other map projections distort countries this way as well, but based on their actual physical location as opposed to their position on imaginary time zones. The {{w|Mercator projection}} is infamous for distorting Greenland in this way, to the point that it appears to be larger than {{w|Africa}} despite being nowhere near the same size.

The title text lampoons the fact that the same phenomenon occurs on Randall's bad map projection, but for countries that do not tend to experience this on typical projections. Several smaller countries such as Finland and larger countries as Mongolia, and the DRC, appear much larger than their actual size due to being stretched across time zone boundaries (see explanation above).

See the [[#Table of countries and their time zones|table]] below for lots more information on the comic, but here are some further details.

Some countries look especially odd. Greenland gets some jutting out points - these are the towns of {{w|Danmarkshavn}} (UTC) and {{w|Ittoqqortoormiit}} (UTC-1), which use different time zones to the rest of the island - while Russia gets big holes in it in places where there is a 2 hour time zone difference between states. For instance, in reality {{w|Komi}} and {{w|Khanty-Mansi}} touch each other. However, Komi uses Moscow time (UTC+3) and Khanty-Mansi uses Yekaterinburg Time (UTC+5). There is no state between them using UTC+4, so Randall draws a big gap in northern Russia here.

Here is an attempt that shows a {{w|time zone}} map overlayed with the comic.

[[File:1799_overlay.png]]

===Map imperfections===
The map is imperfect for several reasons:

Randall attempts to preserve adjacency where possible - for instance, Chad and Sudan are neighbors even though Chad uses West Africa Time (UTC+1) and Sudan uses East Africa Time (UTC+3). Randall draws an extremely thin strand connecting the countries through Central/South Africa Time (UTC+2), even though no part of Chad or Sudan uses this time. Similarly, a thin strand of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan is shown projecting into the UTC+4 time zone in order to separate Russia and Iran, which do not really share a border. Worst of all is China, which has to have borders to several countries that do not share the single eastern time zone of east China, which the whole China is forced to use. This makes it look like the {{w|Yangtze}} river has been drawn (and China is light blue) and that it has different time zone along the way. This is of course not the case, but just the most complicated preservation of adjacency shown in the map.

There is no mention of daylight savings - all countries shown are given the base winter time. Depending on the time of year, countries will shift around - around June, many northern hemisphere countries will move east, while some southern hemisphere countries will move east around December.

Since it doesn't allow for half-hour time zones (India, for instance, is on UTC+5.5). Instead, countries that use fractional time zones are shifted so they straddle the two time zones, and are then marked with an asterisk (*).

Australia has most of these peculiar time zone as there is a section in the center of Australia with half hour time zone, so it's marked with the *, but it is not the entire country, so the * is not shown after the name as it is for instance with India and all other "*" marked countries except Canada which has a star on the island of Newfoundland in the east. Also, the only extra detail mentioned in the map is for Australia. It is the {{w|UTC%2B08:45|UTC+8:45}} time zone that are listed, used only by 5 roadhouses in South Australia and Western Australia covering a population of only a few hundred people.

There are also several errors for instance with labeling in the map, see [[#Errors|below]].

==Table of countries and their time zones==
*This [[#Table|sortable table]] include all countries shown in the map not just those labeled.
**Also a few of the prominent countries left out have been listed.
**Continents/regions have also been mentioned.
***The reason is that they are also more or less distorted not necessarily depending on the distortion of the countries within.
*The full name of each country/continent is listed first (with wiki link).
**They are mentioned approximately in reading order, much like in the [[#Transcript|transcript]].
***Sorting on country/continent name is possible.
**If a country is not labeled with full name the abbreviation will be in brackets behind the name.
**If the country is not labeled, labeled wrong or not even shown in the comic, there will also be a note after the name.
***This note will then also be at the start of the explanation. See below under explanation for the reason.
**If the countries label has the footnote asterix (*) then it will be on the name. But if it is somewhere on the country then it will not be listed here.
*Time zone(s) for the country should be listed.
**If there are several all should be mentioned as a range if possible.
*Clear distortion shown in the image should be described
**Only when it is obvious what has happened in the image.
*Explanation for distortion or lack of it, based on time zone.
**Other interesting details can be noted. For instance if there are some labeling issues after the name, that issue will also be first in this column
***Sorting on explanation will thus both bring any country with an explanation to the top
***But it will also sort countries that are not labeled or are wrongly labeled.
===Table===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Country/Continent
! Time zone(s)
! Distortions
! Explanation
|-
| {{w|North America}} (not labeled) || UTC-9 – UTC-3:30 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Canada}} || UTC-8 – UTC-3:30 || West coast is flattened, and the east coast is stretched out. ||
*Canada has two main distortions:
** The west coast is on UTC-8 time, and shares a border with Alaska, which is UTC-9. In this map, the border is much further east than the real border and is straightened out. While the border between the Yukon Territory and Alaska is mostly straight at 141°W, the division between the time zones are at 127.5°W; and the border between British Colombia and Alaska is not straight.
** On the east coast is the island of Newfoundland at UTC-3:30, which is marked with an asterisk; in the map it is depicted more eastward due to the extra half-hour difference. Also, the southeastern tip of Labrador shares the UTC-3:30 time zone, though not marked with an asterisk, it is stretched out to line up with the island of Newfoundland.
|-
| {{w|United States}} || UTC+10, UTC+12, UTC-12 – UTC-4 || || Usage of time zones in U.S. territories is {{w|Time_in_the_United_States|complicated}}. The contiguous United States use times zones from UTC-5 (East Coast) to UTC-8 (West Coast) and the State of {{w|Alaska}} uses UTC-9. These are the only parts shown on Randall's map. Other territories, not shown on the map, use the following time zones:
* {{w|United States Virgin Islands}} use UTC-4.
* {{w|Navassa Island}} and the disputed {{w|Bajo Nuevo Bank}} and {{w|Serranilla Bank}} use UTC-5.
* The State of {{w|Hawaii}}, most of the {{w|Aleutian Islands}} and {{w|Johnston Atoll}} use UTC-10.
* {{w|Jarvis Island}}, {{w|Midway Atoll}}, {{w|Palmyra Atoll}} and {{w|Kingman Reef}} all use UTC-11.
* {{w|Baker Island}} and {{w|Howland Island}} use UTC-12.
* {{w|Wake Island}} uses UTC+12.
* {{w|Guam}} and the {{w|Northern Mariana Islands}} use UTC+10.
|-
| {{w|Mexico}} || UTC-8 – UTC-5 || Guadalajara and the Yucatan Peninsula are too far east || The east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula goes as far east as the Florida Keys here - this because the state of {{w|Quintana Roo}} is the only one to use UTC-5 (equivalent to US Eastern Time).
|-
| {{w|Antilles}} (not labeled) || UTC-5 – UTC-4 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Cuba}} || UTC-5 || ||
|-
| {{w|Haiti}} || UTC-5 || ||
|-
| {{w|Jamaica}} (Jam.) || UTC-5 || ||
|-
| {{w|Dominican Republic}} (D.R.) || UTC-4 || ||
|-
| {{w|Puerto Rico}} (not labeled) || UTC-4 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Guadeloupe}} (not labeled) || UTC-4 || || Not labeled. Tentatively identified as one of four dots in the Lesser Antilles region of Randall's map.
|-
| {{w|Dominica}} (not labeled) || UTC-4 || || Not labeled. Tentatively identified as one of four dots in the Lesser Antilles region of Randall's map.
|-
| {{w|Martinique}} (not labeled) || UTC-4 || || Not labeled. Tentatively identified as one of four dots in the Lesser Antilles region of Randall's map.
|-
| {{w|Saint Lucia}} (not labeled) || UTC-4 || || Not labeled. Tentatively identified as one of four dots in the Lesser Antilles region of Randall's map.
|-
| {{w|Trinidad and Tobago}} (not labeled) || UTC-4 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Central America}} (not labeled) || UTC-6 || Squashed together ||Not labeled. Apart from Panama, all Central American countries use the same time zone. This means Panama is stretched out, while the other countries are pushed back west of Florida.
|-
| {{w|Guatemala}} (Gua.) || UTC-6 || ||
|-
| {{w|Belize}} (not labeled) || UTC-6 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|El Salvador}} (not labeled) || UTC-6 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Honduras}} (Hon.) || UTC-6 || ||
|-
| {{w|Nicaragua}} (Nic.) || UTC-6 || ||
|-
| {{w|Costa Rica}} (C.R.) || UTC-6 || ||
|-
| {{w|Panama}} (Pan.) || UTC-6 || ||
|-
| {{w|South America}} (not labeled) || UTC-5 – UTC-3 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Colombia}} || UTC-5 || ||
|-
| {{w|Venezuela}} || UTC-4 || ||
|-
| {{w|Guyana}} || UTC-4 || ||
|-
| {{w|French Guiana}} (labeled Suriname) || UTC-3 || || Not labeled correct.
|-
| {{w|Suriname}} (labeled F.G.) || UTC-3 || || Not labeled correct.
|-
| {{w|Ecuador}} (not labeled) || UTC-6 – UTC-5 || || Not labeled. UTC-6 is used only on {{w|Galápagos Islands}} (not shown).
|-
| {{w|Peru}} || UTC-5 || ||
|-
| {{w|Brazil}} || UTC-5 – UTC-3 || ||
|-
| {{w|Bolivia}} || UTC-4 || ||
|-
| {{w|Paraguay}} (Par.) || UTC-4 || ||
|-
| {{w|Chile}} || UTC-5, UTC-3 || || UTC-5 is used only on {{w|Easter Island}} (not shown).
|-
| {{w|Argentina}} || UTC-3 || ||
|-
| {{w|Uruguay}} || UTC-3 || ||
|-
| {{w|Europe}} (not labeled) || UTC-4 – UTC+4 || Compressed with the countries of central and western Europe pressed closer in east-west direction while eastern countries are stretched in all directions. Iceland is moved east. Greenland is stretched horizontally and got strange protruding peninsulas. || Not labeled. Europe uses mostly UTC+1, which causes severe distortion. Disproportionally smaller areas utilize UTC±0, UTC+2 and UTC+3. UTC-4, UTC-1 and UTC+4 are used only marginally. Greenland, even if it belongs to North America geographically, is counted here as well as it lies within the Denmark rule.

* UTC-4 is used solely in {{w|Thule Air Base}} in western Greenland.
* Only Greenland uses UTC-3, throughout most of its territory.
* UTC-2 is not used at all.
* {{w|Azores}}, being an autonomous region of Portugal, and a Greenland settlement of {{w|Ittoqqortoormiit}} observe UTC-1.
* The United Kingdom and Ireland both use UTC±0. {{w|Portugal}} is the only country in mainland Europe which uses UTC±0 as well – that's why it sticks out a bit towards the British Isles which share the time zone with Portugal. Greenland's settlement of {{w|Danmarkshavn}} uses UTC±0 as well, and {{w|Iceland}} is here, too.
* Most of Europe uses UTC+1 but these countries in reality spread over a much larger area than just one zone. This is why central and western countries are so compressed. {{w|Svalbard}} archipelago in the Arctic Ocean also belongs here.
* The eastern countries (except Belarus and the European part of Russia but not the Kaliningrad exclave) use UTC+2. These are: {{w|Finland}}, {{w|Latvia}}, {{w|Estonia}}, {{w|Lithuania}}, {{w|Belarus}}, {{w|Moldova}}, {{w|Ukraine}}, {{w|Bulgaria}}, {{w|Romania}}, {{w|Greece}} and {{w|Cyprus}}. In reality, they occupy a smaller area on the map, but on Randall's map they are stretched to fill the UTC+2 zone strip.
* Belarus, most of the European part of Russia and Crimea use UTC+3. See below for peculiarities regarding Russia and Ukraine.
* UTC+4 is used in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and some parts of Russia.

Finland looks specifically distorted, partly because in reality it borders with {{w|Norway}} on the north, and Norway uses UTC+1. On Randall's map Norway is compressed into UTC+1 strip and Finland suddenly got some coast on Barents Sea. Poland (abbreviated ''POL.'' on the map) and Belarus (''BEL'') have common border but differ by two time zones, Poland uses UTC+1 but Belarus uses UTC+3 (Moscow time). Therefore on the map they have protruding 'fingers', touching one another, squeezed between Lithuania and Latvia on the north and Ukraine on the south.

Randall got Turkey a bit wrong, however: its European part is stretched into UTC+2 zone, but in reality Turkey uses UTC+3 on its whole territory.
|-
| {{w|Greenland}}|| UTC-4 – UTC±0 || Two landmasses stretched from the rest of the country || Greenland stretches from UTC-4 to UTC±0 with most of the country being UTC-3. UTC-4 is only applicable to Thule Air Base in the southern part of the Hayes-Peninsula, while UTC-1 and UTC±0 are used in smaller areas on the east coast of Greenland. Even though UTC-2 is not used in Greenland at all, the country is depicted as a single landmass with two small strips of land connecting the UTC-1 and UTC±0 landmasses. These two strips should be considered infinitesimally thin but depicted to clarify the two areas are not separate islands but connected with the rest of Greenland.
|-
| {{w|Iceland}} || UTC±0 || No shape distortions, but different location. || Iceland, even if it geographically lies mostly within the UTC-1 time zone, uses UTC±0. It is therefore moved east on Randall's map.
|-
| {{w|Norway}} || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Sweden}} || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Finland}} || UTC+2 || ||
|-
| {{w|Ireland}} || UTC±0 || None. || Ireland uses UTC±0 as the rest of British Isles.
|-
| {{w|United Kingdom}} (UK) || UTC±0 || None. || The country is fully within the single time zone used for the country. UK defined the time zones so their time zone is by definition the one with UTC±0 (or GMT).
|-
| {{w|Denmark}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Lithuania}} || UTC+2 || ||
|-
| {{w|Latvia}} || UTC+2 || ||
|-
| {{w|Estonia}} || UTC+2 || ||
|-
| {{w|Belarus}} (Bel.) || UTC+3 || || Belarus lies entirely in the UTC+3 time zone yet the map depicts a small strip of land in the UTC+2 zone. This is most likely to allow for Belarus to have a common border with Poland even though the countries do not have two consecutive time zones (Poland uses UTC+1)
|-
| {{w|Russia}} (First label) || UTC+2 – UTC+12 || || See Asia section for explanation. It is the only country labeled twice.
|-
| {{w|Netherlands}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Belgium}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Germany}} (Ger.) || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Poland}} (Pol.) || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Ukraine}} || UTC+2 (UTC+3 in disputed regions) || Crimea stretched away from the rest of the country. || Since the {{w|annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation}}, the peninsula has used Moscow time (UTC+3). The sovereignty of Crimea is disputed, but it is currently ''de facto'' controlled by Russia, and Randall colors it like Russia. Two breakaway provinces in the east, Donetsk and Luhansk, also use Moscow time. These are not shown.
|-
| {{w|France}} || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Switzerland}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Austria}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Czech Republic}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Slovakia}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Slovenia}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Hungary}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Italy}} (It.) || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Romania}} || UTC+2 || ||
|-
| {{w|Moldova}} (not labeled) || UTC+2 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Portugal}} || UTC±0 || ||
|-
| {{w|Spain}} || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Croatia}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Serbia}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Montenegro}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Albania}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Macedonia}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Bulgaria}} || UTC+2 || ||
|-
| {{w|Greece}} (not labeled) || UTC+2 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Cyprus}} (not labeled) || UTC+2 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Georgia}} (not labeled) || UTC+4 || Squashed into thin horizontal strip. Merged with Azerbaijan. || Not labeled. Georgia uses UTC+4 but has coast on the {{w|Black Sea}} which on Randall's map is shown entirely within UTC+2 and UTC+3 zones. Therefore Georgia is depicted as a thin strip touching the Black Sea squashed between Russia and Turkey and the main part is shown as a slightly wider blob in the east supposedly lying in the UTC+4 strip. However in the process Georgia got some coast on the {{w|Caspian Sea}} in the place {{w|Azerbaijan}} shall be located, including the {{w|Absheron Peninsula}} with the Azerbaijani capital, {{w|Baku}}.
|-
| {{w|Azerbaijan}} (not labeled) || UTC+4 || Heavily shrunk, displaced south. || Not labeled. Most or all of the Azerbaijani territory including its capital area is mistakenly attributed to Georgia, see above. In reality, Azerbaijan is the only country with coast on the Caspian Sea between Russia and Iran. However, in the Randall's map there are two tiny patches touching the Caspian Sea just north of Iran. The northern one can be tentatively identified as Azerbaijan.
|-
| {{w|Armenia}} (not labeled) || UTC+4 || Displaced east to Caspian Sea coast. || Not labeled. A tiny patch of land on the Caspian Sea coast just north of Iran can be tentatively identified as Armenia. However, Armenia ia a landlocked country in reality.
|-
| {{w|Africa}} (not labeled) || UTC±0 – UTC+3 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Western Sahara}} (labeled Morocco) || UTC±0 || || Not labeled correct.
|-
| {{w|Tunisia}} || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Morocco}} (labeled W.S.) || UTC±0 || || Not labeled correct.
|-
| {{w|Algeria}} || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Mauritania}} || UTC±0 || ||
|-
| {{w|Senegal}} (Sen.) || UTC±0 || ||
|-
| {{w|Gambia}} (not labeled) || UTC±0 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Mali}} || UTC±0 || ||
|-
| {{w|Niger}} || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Libya}} || UTC+2 || ||
|-
| {{w|Egypt}} || UTC+2 || ||
|-
| {{w|Sudan}} || UTC+3 || Sudan and South Sudan (S.S.) are fully in UTC+3 zone, but in the map a little part of them has been stretched to meet the borders with Chad the Central African Republic which are in UTC+1. ||
|-
| {{w|South Sudan}} (S.S.) || UTC+3 || || See Sudan’s explanation.
|-
| {{w|Eritrea}} (not labeled) || UTC+3 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Guinea-Bissau}} (GB.) || UTC±0 || ||
|-
| {{w|Guinea}} (Guin.) || UTC±0 || ||
|-
| {{w|Burkina Faso}} (B.F.) || UTC±0 || ||
|-
| {{w|Sierra Leone}} (S.L.) || UTC±0 || ||
|-
| {{w|Liberia}} || UTC±0 || ||
|-
| {{w|Côte d'Ivoire}} || UTC±0 || ||
|-
| {{w|Ghana}} || UTC±0 || ||
|-
| {{w|Togo}} (not labeled) || UTC±0 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Benin}} (not labeled) || UTC+1 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Nigeria}} || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Chad}} || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Cameroon}} (Cam.) || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Central African Republic}} (C.A.R.) || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Ethiopia}} || UTC+3 || ||
|-
| {{w|Somalia}} || UTC+3 || ||
|-
| {{w|Equatorial Guinea}} (E.G.) || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Gabon}} || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Republic of the Congo}} (R. of Congo) || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Democratic Republic of the Congo}} (Dem. Rep. of the Congo) || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Rwanda}} (not labeled) || UTC+2 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Burundi}} (not labeled) || UTC+2 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Uganda}} (not labeled) || UTC+3 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Kenya}} || UTC+3 || ||
|-
| {{w|Angola}} || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Zambia}} || UTC+2 || ||
|-
| {{w|Malawi}} (not labeled) || UTC+2 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Tanzania}} || UTC+3 || ||
|-
| {{w|Namibia}} || UTC+1 || ||
|-
| {{w|Botswana}} (Bots.) || UTC+2 || ||
|-
| {{w|Zimbabwe}} (Zimb.) || UTC+2 || ||
|-
| {{w|Mozambique}} || UTC+2 || ||
|-
| {{w|Madagascar}} || UTC+3 || None. || Madagascar has the correct shape and position.
|-
| {{w|South Africa}} || UTC+2 || ||
|-
| {{w|Lesotho}} (not labeled) || UTC+2 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Swaziland}} (not labeled) || UTC+2 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Asia}} (not labeled) || UTC+3 – UTC+12 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Turkey}} || UTC+3 || ||
|-
| {{w|Lebanon}} (not labeled) || UTC+2 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Syria}} (not labeled) || UTC+2 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Iraq}} || UTC+3 || ||
|-
| {{w|Iran}}* || UTC+3:30 || ||
|-
| {{w|Israel}} (not labeled) || UTC+2 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Jordan}} (not labeled) || UTC+2 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Saudi Arabia}} || UTC+3 || ||
|-
| {{w|Kuwait}} (not labeled) || UTC+3 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Qatar}} (not labeled) || UTC+3 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|United Arab Emirates}} (not labeled) || UTC+4 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Yemen}} || UTC+3 || ||
|-
| {{w|Oman}} || UTC+4 || ||
|-
| {{w|Russia}} (2nd label) || UTC+2 – UTC+12 || Three deep troughs almost cutting Russia into pieces, but not quite, also eastern parts stick out of proportion relative to Eastern Asian countries. || Only country with two labels. Russia has {{w|Time_in_Russia|a peculiar}} usage of time zones, therefore it is the most distorted country on Randall's map. It covers eleven time zones but uses them very unevenly. Each of {{w|Federal subjects of Russia|constituent entities}} of Russia (also called federal subjects) uses a specific time zone throughout its territory, the only exception being Yakutia, the largest administrative subdivision, which spans three time zones. The time zone assignments are quite arbitrary, however.
* UTC+2 ({{w|Kaliningrad_Time|MSK-1}}) is used in {{w|Kaliningrad Oblast}} only, an {{w|exclave}} on {{w|Baltic Sea}} between {{w|Poland}} and {{w|Lithuania}}. On Randall's map it can be seen as a small green patch north-east of Poland.
* UTC+3 ({{w|Moscow_Time|MSK+0}}) is used throughout most of the European part of Russia including Northern Caucasian republics, covering 49 constituent entities of the Russian Federation in total. These parts make up the easternmost mass of Russia on Randall's map, stretching from the {{w|Black Sea}} in the south including the area between the Black Sea and {{w|Caspian Sea}} to the {{w|White Sea|White}}, {{w|Barents Sea|Barents}} and {{w|Kara Sea|Kara}} seas in the north and includes the arctic archipelagoes of {{w|Novaya Zemlya}} and {{w|Franz Josef Land}} as seen in the upper part of the map.
* UTC+4 ({{w|Samara_Time|MSK+1}}) is used in {{w|Udmurtia}}, {{w|Astrakhan Oblast}}, {{w|Samara Oblast}}, {{w|Saratov Oblast}} and {{w|Ulyanovsk Oblast}}, forming three disjoint areas lying more or less along the Ural mountains on their western side. Astrakhan Oblast has coast on the Caspian Sea. Saratov and Samara oblasts have a common border and lie somewhat to the north-east of Astrakhan Oblast. Udmurtia lies still somewhat to the north. On Randal's map they are represented by a patch of land north-east to the Caspian Sea. Further north there's a huge 'bay' reflecting the time-gap between northern parts of Russia that use either UTC+3 or UTC+5 but not UTC+4, even if they are adjacent to each other.
* UTC+5 ({{w|Yekaterinburg_Time|MSK+2}}) is used by the administrative subdivisions lying on and close to {{w|Ural mountains}}, both on western and eastern sides of them, also covering major part of {{w|West_Siberian_Plain|Western Siberia}}. These include {{w|Bashkortostan}}, {{w|Perm Krai}}, {{w|Kurgan Oblast}}, {{w|Orenburg Oblast}}, {{w|Sverdlovsk Oblast}}, {{w|Tyumen Oblast}}, {{w|Chelyabinsk Oblast}}, {{w|Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug}} and {{w|Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug}}. The lands are represented on the Randall's map by the second-from-the-left major land mass within Russia. These parts border mostly with areas utilizing either UTC+3 or UTC+7, therefore Randall has drawn huge patches of sea on both sides. In the north, one can recognize somewhat distorted shapes of the {{w|Yamal Peninsula|Yamal}} and {{w|Gydan_Peninsula|Gydan}} peninsulas.
* UTC+6 ({{w|Omsk_Time|MSK+3}}) is used solely in the {{w|Omsk Oblast}} in the southeastern {{w|Siberia}}, bordering {{w|Kazakhstan}}. On Randall's map it is shown as a strip of land joining the second and the third land mass from the left, just to the left of the ''RUSSIA'' inscription. However, taking into account the relatively small area of the Omsk Oblast, it should have been much thinner.
* UTC+7 ({{w|Krasnoyarsk_Time|MSK+4}}) is used in federal subjects located in the central and parts of eastern and western Siberia: {{w|Altai Republic}}, {{w|Tuva}} Republic, Republic of {{w|Khakassia}}, {{w|Altai Krai}}, {{w|Krasnoyarsk Krai}}, {{w|Kemerovo Oblast}}, {{w|Novosibirsk Oblast}} and {{w|Tomsk Oblast}}. These lands border mostly with areas using non-adjacent time zones, namely UTC+5 and UTC+9, and therefore form the tallest pillar on the Randall's depiction of Russia between two large seas. This part of Randall's Russia also has a strange thin strip of land going south and touching China's tendril just between Kazakhstan and {{w|Mongolia}} – this is to represent the fact that there is a short length of Russian-Chinese border there. The rest of the border is depicted elsewhere, see below. {{w|Taymyr Peninsula}} and {{w|Severnaya Zemlya}} archipelago can be seen atop that area of the map.
* UTC+8 ({{w|Irkutsk_Time|MSK+5}}) is used in {{w|Buryatia}} and {{w|Irkutsk Oblast}} only, which lie in eastern Siberia, on both sides of {{w|Lake Baikal}} (not shown on the map). This is represented by a patch located just northwest of a protruding fragment of China, which shares the time zone with these parts; however neither Buryatia nor Irkutsk Oblast border with China.
* UTC+9 ({{w|Yakutsk_Time|MSK+6}}) is used in {{w|Amur Oblast}}, {{w|Zabaykalsky Krai}} and in most of Yakutia also known as the {{w|Sakha Republic}}. On Randall's map this time zone is joined together with the remaining three eastern time zones forming a strange shape connected to the rest of Asia with a weird-looking isthmus. This is actually the part of Russia that has the longest part of the border with China along the {{w|Amur River}}, but here it is torn away because of the strange map 'projection'. {{w|New Siberian Islands}} are depicted in the far north.
* UTC+10 ({{w|Vladivostok_Time|MSK+7}}) is used in north-eastern parts of Yakutia, {{w|Jewish Autonomous Oblast}}, {{w|Khabarovsk Krai}} and {{w|Primorsky Krai}}. In reality these parts (except Yakutia) all border with China, all the way down to North Korea. On Randall's depiction they are torn away from Chinese border to represent time zone difference. The strange hook is the southernmost part of Primorsky Krai with the big haven of {{w|Vladivostok}}, the tip of the hook shall actually touch North Korea in reality.
* UTC+11 ({{w|Magadan_Time|MSK+8}}) is used in extreme north-eastern parts of Yakutia, {{w|Magadan Oblast}} and {{w|Sakhalin Oblast}}. The {{w|Sakhalin}} island is clearly recognizable in this strip of the map, but it is far removed from {{w|Japan}} which lies next to it in reality. The shape of the {{w|Sea of Okhotsk}} is somewhat recognizable, and the location of {{w|Magadan}} is clearly seen as a small hook on the shoreline near Kamchatka.
* UTC+12 ({{w|Kamchatka_Time|MSK+9}}) is used in {{w|Kamchatka Krai}} and {{w|Chukotka Autonomous Okrug}}. This is probably the least distorted part of Russia, the characteristic shapes of {{w|Kamchatka_Peninsula|Kamchatka}} and {{w|Chukchi_Peninsula|Chukchi}} peninsulas are totally recognizable.

A notable thing is that Russian railways use Moscow time (UTC+3) exclusively, all timetables are expressed in this time, even in the most remote eastern parts of Russia. You'd better know your local time zone while awaiting your train at the station.
|-
| {{w|Kazakhstan}} || UTC+5 – UTC+6 || Vertically: stretched in eastern part, squeezed in western part. Horizontally: squeezed in eastern part, stretched in western part|| UTC+5 is used in the smaller western part and UTC+6 in the larger eastern part. The division goes more or less along the 60th meridian. On Randall's map Kazakhstan's shape is heavily distorted, because in the bordering Russia only one small part, namely Omsk oblast, uses UTC+6 – therefore the eastern part of Kazakhstan is squeezed to fit. On the other hand, the western part of Kazakhstan borders with parts of Russia using as far as UTC+3, which is depicted by a long west-reaching finger. Kazakhstan has a significant part of {{w|Caspian Sea}} coast, but here it has only a tiny stretch.
|-
| {{w|Mongolia}} || UTC+7 – UTC+8 || ||
|-
| {{w|Turkmenistan}} || UTC+5 || ||
|-
| {{w|Uzbekistan}} || UTC+5 || ||
|-
| {{w|Afghanistan}}* || UTC+4:30 || ||
|-
| {{w|Tajikistan}} (Taj.) || UTC+5 || ||
|-
| {{w|Pakistan}} || UTC+5 || ||
|-
| {{w|India}}* || UTC+5:30 || ||
|-
| {{w|Sri Lanka}} (not labeled) || UTC+5:30 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Nepal}}* || UTC+5:45 || ||
|-
| {{w|Bhutan}} (unreadable label) || UTC+6 || || Labeled unreadable.
|-
| {{w|China}} || UTC+8 || Heavily squashed horizontally, with finger-like tendrils to the west || All of China is in UTC+8. However, it reaches as far west as Tajikistan, in UTC+5, and even has an extremely short border with Afghanistan in UTC+4.5. A border is also shown with Pakistan - this is disputed by some who support India in the {{w|Kashmir conflict}}, but represents the ''de facto'' {{w|Line of Control}} between India and Pakistan.
|-
| {{w|Taiwan}} (not labeled) || UTC+8 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|North Korea}}* (N.K.) || UTC+8:30 || ||
|-
| {{w|South Korea}} (S.K.) || UTC+9 || ||
|-
| {{w|Japan}} || UTC+9 || ||
|-
| {{w|Bangladesh}} (Ban.) || UTC+6 || ||
|-
| {{w|Myanmar|Burma}}* (Bur.) || UTC+6:30 || ||
|-
| {{w|Laos}} || UTC+7 || ||
|-
| {{w|Vietnam}} || UTC+7 || ||
|-
| {{w|Thailand}} || UTC+7 || ||
|-
| {{w|Cambodia}} (not labeled) || UTC+7 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Philippines}} || UTC+8 || ||
|-
| {{w|Oceania}}/{{w|Australia}} (not labeled) || UTC+7 – UTC+12 || || Not labeled.
|-
| {{w|Malaysia}} || UTC+8 || Malaysia and {{w|Singapore}} (not shown) stretched East from the rest of peninsular Southeast Asia || Malaysia and Singapore both switched to using UTC+8 on 1 January 1982, after using GMT+7.30 under British rule and UTC+9 during the Japanese occupation. This change was due to Malaysia wanting to standardise time between East and West Malaysia, with Malaysia choosing to use the time in East Malaysia, with Singapore following suit.
|-
| {{w|Indonesia}} || UTC+7 – UTC+9 || ||
|-
| {{w|Papua New Guinea}} || UTC+10 – UTC+11 || ||
|-
| {{w|Australia}} || UTC+8, UTC+9:30, UTC+10 || ||
|-
| {{w|New Zealand}} || UTC+12 || None. || The main islands use UTC+12. There is a small archipelago under New Zealand's rule, the {{w|Chatham Islands}}, which use non-standard UTC+12:45 time, but it is too small to depict.
|}

==Transcript==
:Bad map projection #79:
:<big>Time Zones</big>
:Where each country '''''should''''' be,
:based on its time zone(s)

:[A world map is shown divided and colored by political boundaries. There are many distortions, and especially Russia looks weird. Many countries have their name listed in a gray font and at the bottom below Australia there are two specialties mentioned for time zones which are not divided in full hours. One of these is a footnote used by other countries as well.]

:[The labels are listed here in order of the "continents" as they come from top left to down right. Similarly within each continent's list the countries which are usually said to belong to a given continent (at least politically or partially, e.g. Greenland and Turkey in Europe) are listed in a similar reading order as accurately as possible.]

:[North America. (Newfoundland, the most easterly part of Canada, is labeled with a star *):]
:Canada, *, United States, Mexico, Gua., Hon., Nic., C.R., Pan., Cuba, Haiti, Jam., D.R.

:[South America:]
:Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, F.G., Suriname, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Par., Chile, Argentina, Uruguay

:[Europe. (Russia is as the only country mentioned twice, the other place is over the central part in the Asia section):]
:Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, UK, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Bel., Russia, Ger., Pol., Ukraine, France, It., Romania, Portugal, Spain, Bulgaria, Turkey

:[Africa:]
:W.S., Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, Sen., Mali, Niger, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Gb., Guin., B.F., S.L., Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Chad, Cam., C.A.R., S.S., Ethiopia, Somalia, E.G., Gabon, R. of Congo, Dem. Rep. of the Congo, Kenya, Angola, Zambia, Tanzania, Namibia, Bots., Zimb., Mozambique, Madagascar, South Africa

:[Asia. (Russia is the only country mentioned twice, the other label is within the European border. The text written over Bhutan is unreadable in the image and marked with a question mark in this list):]
:Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iran*, Oman, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan*, Taj., Pakistan, India*, Nepal*, ?, China, N.K.*, S.K., Japan, Ban., Bur.*, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines

:[Oceania/Australia. (In Australia there is a star * in the middle of it above the name):]
:Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, <nowiki>*</nowiki>, Australia, New Zealand

:[Below Australia there is an arrow pointing to the south coast and below that a footnote for the stars * used above:]
:UTC+8:45
:(One small area)

:<nowiki>*</nowiki>=Half-hour offset

*'''Click''' to expand for a more detailed description:
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed leftAlign" style="width:100%">
 
:[There are no more text from the comic here below:]

:[A world map is shown divided and colored by political boundaries. Antarctica is not included. Bodies of water are white. The map is clearly distorted, with Europe and Africa in the center, but not all continents or countries look wrong. Africa, Australia and North America seem least distorted. But the bottom part of of South America is very slim, Greenland has two chewing gum like blobs stretched away from it to the right, Iceland is over the UK, and most of Europe has been compressed. Finland is too large though. In Africa especially Dem. Rep. the Congo has been enlarged. The worst distortion is in Asia, where especially Russia looks weird with three deep troughs down the length of the country and the end to the right seems to be much longer than usually. But also China is completely wrong as it has been compressed, Mongolia taking up most of its usual position.]

:[Most countries over a certain size have their name listed in a gray font. Small countries like Ireland and Haiti has their name listed in the oceans around them. Most other countries have the name inside the country, but if there is not enough room abbreviations are used. There are also a few specialties mentioned when time zones are not divided in full hours, for instance a footnote regarding time zones with a half hour offset.]
</div>
 

==Trivia==
===Errors===
* Mixing labels:
** Randall mixes up Morocco and Western Sahara (a disputed territory)
** Suriname and French Guiana also have switched labels.
*Wrong time zones:
** {{w|East Thrace}}, the European portion of Turkey, is shown in Eastern European time (UTC+2). Actually, like the rest of Turkey, it uses UTC+3.
** Nepal's time zone is UTC+5:45
** {{w|Thule Air Base}} in northwestern Greenland follows UTC-4 rather than UTC-3, and should thus be shown on a tendril to the west, directly above Labrador and the rest of Atlantic Canada; instead, it is shown using UTC-3, like most of the rest of Greenland. This is especially strange considering that Randall has correctly drawn {{w|Danmarkshaven}} as using UTC and {{w|Ittoqqortoormiit}} as using UTC-1.
* Borders and adjacency are not always preserved although often attempted as mentioned in the section on [[#Map imperfections|map imperfections]]:
** Estonia is shown sharing a border with Finland - in fact, the two countries are separated by the {{w|Gulf of Finland}}. This sea should run to {{w|St Petersburg}} in Russia - instead, the city is shown as landlocked.
** Norway should border Russia. See {{w|Norway–Russia border}}.
** Azerbaijan territory is mistakenly attributed to Georgia – Georgia should not have coast on the Caspian Sea. Armenia should not have coast on the Caspian Sea as well.
** Tajikistan should not border Kazakhstan and follows UTC+5 rather than UTC+6. These would apply to Kyrgyzstan, which is not drawn in the map; Kyrgyzstan, however, does not border Afghanistan.
** Malawi has lost its border with Tanzania.

===Omissions===

Some countries and territories are missing from the map. Most of these omissions are undoubtedly deliberate, but some are likely mistakes.

* Countries supposedly too small to show on the map's scale are omitted. These include small European countries: {{w|Andorra}}, {{w|Kosovo}}, {{w|Liechtenstein}}, {{w|Luxembourg}}, {{w|Malta}}, {{w|Monaco}}, {{w|San Marino}} and the {{w|Vatican City}}, {{w|Djibouti}} in Africa, {{w|Singapore}} in Asia.
* All the Pacific Ocean isles, including {{w|Hawaii}}.
* All Atlantic and Indian Ocean isles excluding {{w|Sri Lanka}} and {{w|Madagascar}}.
* Most of the small Caribbean countries and territories; however four small dots in the {{w|Lesser Antilles}} are depicted, but are unlabelled cannot be definitively identified.
* Kyrgyzstan is clearly omitted by mistake.

===Map with Labeled time zones===
*Here is a [http://i.imgur.com/L44ruPy.png map], made by a user who posted the link in the [[#Discussion|discussion]]: 
[[File:1799 Map with Labeled time zones.PNG]]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Bad Map Projections]]

File:1799 overlay.png

2017-02-25T17:51:39Z

LaVe: links edited

== Summary ==
Overlay of [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Standard_World_Time_Zones.png Wikipedia time zones map] and [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png xkcd #1799 Bad Map Projection: Time Zones]
to show the distortions
== Licensing ==
{{XKCD file derived}}

File:1799 overlay.png

2017-02-25T17:47:21Z

LaVe: Overlay of [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Standard_World_Time_Zones.png] and [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png] to show the map distorsions of xkcd #1799

== Summary ==
Overlay of [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Standard_World_Time_Zones.png] and [http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/bad_map_projection_time_zones_2x.png]
to show the map distorsions of xkcd #1799
== Licensing ==
{{XKCD file derived}}

User:LaVe

2017-02-25T10:30:35Z

LaVe:

*fan of xkcd - humor is a great way to cope with life
*fan of explainxkcd - makes xkcd even more funnier
*fan of accessibility - working with blind and visually impaired (-> transcription)
*fan of my hometown Nuremberg / Bavaria / Germany - even if I want to get old in Greenland one day...

I'm not a native speaker and I try my very best... grateful for corrections :-)

1803: Location Reviews

2017-02-25T10:27:38Z

LaVe: /* Reviews */

{{comic
| number = 1803
| date = February 24, 2017
| title = Location Reviews
| image = location_reviews.png
| titletext = Google and Yelp keep deleting my scathing reviews of the Mariana Trench, the Chernobyl reactor core, the jet stream, and the equator.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE THIS TAG TOO FAST!!! Write here what's missing! This explanation could use some links to places that have reviews much like the ones given in this comic. It also needs to state why the comic is funny (where the humoristic effect comes from) }}

Many online advertising services and social media networks (most famously Facebook, Yelp, and Google Reviews) allow users to leave reviews of stores and businesses. For various reasons these sites often find themselves with pages dedicated to, as Randal puts it, "places that really don't need reviews" such as municipal works installations, government property, and natural landmarks. This naturally attracts both clueless people and lots of self-styled comedians leaving less-than-helpful comments on such review pages. Randall is just poking fun at this phenomenon.

===Reviews===
{| class="wikitable"
! Review
! Explanation
|-
| Greatest country on earth || A patriotic review, though provides no information on the actual nuclear site.
|-
| Looks cool but you can't get in || This reviewer, although initially positive, attempts to highlight what they perceive as a major flaw with the site: namely, that it is off-limits to unauthorized personnel and heavily-guarded, so it's impossible to actually go inside.
|-
| What is this store || Reviewer really, really has no idea what this facility actually is, mistaking it for a store.
|-
| My cousin worked here || If true, this review is a serious security risk (e.g. kidnapping the reviewer to extort information from his cousin). The comment may also just be a way for the reviewer to pretend he knows someone who works in the higher levels of the government.
|-
| Waitstaff heavily armed and very rude || This review mistakes the facility's security guards for a restaurant's waitstaff. Since the guards are protecting some of the most dangerous weapons in existence, and would not let unknown outsiders into the facility, it follows that the guards would be heavily armed, and quite rude to those who sought entry without proper permission.
|-
| Stop doing chemtrails || This reviewer believes in the {{w|chemtrail conspiracy theory}} and is urging the government to cease spreading the chemtrails.
|-
| This place is a symptom of the {{w|military-industrial complex}} strangling our democracy and...(read full review-1184 words) || A slightly tongue-in-cheek reference to essays against 'The Military-Industrial complex' and how they are often copy-pasted by people who don't really understand them in inappropriate places.
|-
| Anyone else notice the hole in the west fence? || The adventurer's travel guide to government installations... Posting a comment like this would (at best) bring the hole to the attention of the site staff to be repaired and (at worst) bring the writer unwelcome attention from the authorities for publicizing a security vulnerability at a missile site. This might also be a reference to Richard Feynman's account of finding a hole in the fence surrounding the Los Alamos facility during the Manhattan Project.
|-
| Whoa, missiles! || The writer is impressed and apparently surprised to discover that the site has missiles. This may also be a reference to the "Whoa, technology!" meme, which originated when YandereDev, a Youtuber, uttered the phrase in one of his videos.
|-
| Good idea but confusing web site. How do I preorder? || This reviewer thinks that one can order a nuclear missile launch here, but can't find a preorder form on the website. In reality, the decision to launch nuclear missiles often rests with the heads of state or government, and outside persons are not usually{{Citation needed}} allowed to control them.
|-
| Please don't launch these || A plea to the facility owners not to launch the nuclear missiles, due to their deleterious effects on human life.

|-
|}

While Canyon River Nuclear Launch Facility appears not to exist, the places he lists in the title text certainly do, and are places that you either cannot or would not normally visit as destinations.

{{w|Mariana Trench}} is the deepest area of the world's oceans, about 10,994 meters (36,070 ft). It is located between Japan and Australia. The pressure in the Mariana Trench is about 1,086 bars, more than 1,000 times the standard atmospheric pressure of about 1 bar at sea level. Despite of this enormous pressure there live some organisms in the {{w|Mariana_Trench#Life}}. Humans can reach the ground only by special deep-sea submarines, like Jacques Piccard did in 1960 with the {{w|Bathyscaphe Trieste}}.

Reviews for Mariana Trench at [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Mariana+Trench/@17.75,142.4978113,17z/data=!4m7!3m6!1s0x67328f3cd57de715:0x1bbe64e7a21aa7fc!8m2!3d17.75!4d142.5!9m1!1b1?hl=en Google Maps] [https://www.facebook.com/pages/Marianengraben/108402422518280 facebook]

The Chernobyl reactor core is the most dangerous part of the {{w|Chernobyl Nuclear power plant}}. It is located in the North of Ukraine. In the reactor No. 4 there was a nuclear disaster that happened on 26 April 1986. It caused devastating damage and massive radioactive contamination. There is still an {{w|Chernobyl Exclusion Zone}} 30 kilometers around the power plant.

Reviews for Chernobyl power plant at [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Chernobyl+Nuclear+Plant/@51.3852262,30.1003411,15z/data=!4m14!1m6!3m5!1s0x472a7d09e1ec5ef3:0x6b27a13ab968d17c!2sChernobyl+Nuclear+Plant!8m2!3d51.3889447!4d30.0988421!3m6!1s0x472a7d09e1ec5ef3:0x6b27a13ab968d17c!8m2!3d51.3889447!4d30.0988421!9m1!1b1?hl=en Google Maps] [https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kernkraftwerk-Tschernobyl/118179298239715?rf=116556918391753 facebook]

The {{w|Jet stream}} is a meteorologic phenomenon about 9 to 16 kilometers above the ground. They are air currents with speeds from 92 km/h (50 kn; 57 mph) to over 398 km/h (215 kn; 247 mph).

The {{w|equator}} is not as bad as the tree places above, so mentioning it with them might be a joke. Nevertheless in the equator area there is a {{w|Tropical rainforest climate}} which many people from European and North American countries struggle with.

==Transcript==
:[A location map with a red pin stuck in a large gray region is shown. A river goes from north through the gray region to the west. East and south of the river some roads and other items are shown.]

:[Below the map:]
:'''Canyon River Nuclear'''
:'''Launch Facility'''
:[Within a line from left to right:] Reviews (22)
:[5/5 stars] Greatest country on earth
:[2/5 stars] Looks cool but you can't get in
:[1/5 stars] What is this store
:[4/5 stars] My cousin worked here
:[2/5 stars] Waitstaff heavily armed and very rude
:[1/5 stars] Stop doing chemtrails
:[1/5 stars] This place is a symptom of the military-industrial complex strangling our democracy and...(read full review-1184 words)
:[4/5 stars] Anyone else notice the hole in the west fence?
:[5/5 stars] Whoa, missiles!
:[3/5 stars] Good idea but confusing web site. How do I preorder?
:[1/5 stars] Please don't launch these

:[Caption below the frame:]
:I love finding reviews of places that
:really don't need to have reviews.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Maps]]

1803: Location Reviews

2017-02-25T10:09:08Z

LaVe: added locations mentioned in the title text

{{comic
| number = 1803
| date = February 24, 2017
| title = Location Reviews
| image = location_reviews.png
| titletext = Google and Yelp keep deleting my scathing reviews of the Mariana Trench, the Chernobyl reactor core, the jet stream, and the equator.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE THIS TAG TOO FAST!!! Write here what's missing! This explanation could use some links to places that have reviews much like the ones given in this comic. It also needs to state why the comic is funny (where the humoristic effect comes from) }}

Many online advertising services and social media networks (most famously Facebook, Yelp, and Google Reviews) allow users to leave reviews of stores and businesses. For various reasons these sites often find themselves with pages dedicated to, as Randal puts it, "places that really don't need reviews" such as municipal works installations, government property, and natural landmarks. This naturally attracts both clueless people and lots of self-styled comedians leaving less-than-helpful comments on such review pages. Randall is just poking fun at this phenomenon.

===Reviews===
{| class="wikitable"
! Review
! Explanation
|-
| Greatest country on earth || A patriotic review, though provides no information on the actual nuclear site.
|-
| Looks cool but you can't get in || This reviewer, although initially positive, attempts to highlight what they perceive as a major flaw with the site: namely, that it is off-limits to unauthorized personnel and heavily-guarded, so it's impossible to actually go inside.
|-
| What is this store || Reviewer really, really has no idea what this facility actually is, mistaking it for a store.
|-
| My cousin worked here || If true, this review is a serious security risk (e.g. kidnapping the reviewer to extort information from his cousin). The comment may also just be a way for the reviewer to pretend he knows someone who works in the higher levels of the government.
|-
| Waitstaff heavily armed and very rude || This review mistakes the facility's security guards for a restaurant's waitstaff. Since the guards are protecting some of the most dangerous weapons in existence, and would not let unknown outsiders into the facility, it follows that the guards would be heavily armed, and quite rude to those who sought entry without proper permission.
|-
| Stop doing chemtrails || This reviewer believes in the {{w|chemtrail conspiracy theory}} and is urging the government to cease spreading the chemtrails.
|-
| This place is a symptom of the {{w|military-industrial complex}} strangling our democracy and...(read full review-1184 words) || A slightly tongue-in-cheek reference to essays against 'The Military-Industrial complex' and how they are often copy-pasted by people who don't really understand them in inappropriate places.
|-
| Anyone else notice the hole in the west fence? || The adventurer's travel guide to government installations... Posting a comment like this would (at best) bring the hole to the attention of the site staff to be repaired and (at worst) bring the writer unwelcome attention from the authorities for publicizing a security vulnerability at a missile site. This might also be a reference to Richard Feynman's account of finding a hole in the fence surrounding the Los Alamos facility during the Manhattan Project.
|-
| Whoa, missiles! || The writer is impressed and apparently surprised to discover that the site has missiles. This may also be a reference to the "Whoa, technology!" meme, which originated when YandereDev, a Youtuber, uttered the phrase in one of his videos.
|-
| Good idea but confusing web site. How do I preorder? || This reviewer thinks that one can order a nuclear missile launch here, but can't find a preorder form on the website. In reality, the decision to launch nuclear missiles often rests with the heads of state or government, and outside persons are not usually{{Citation needed}} allowed to control them.
|-
| Please don't launch these || A plea to the facility owners not to launch the nuclear missiles, due to their deleterious effects on human life.

|-
|}

While Canyon River Nuclear Launch Facility appears not to exist, the places he lists in the title text certainly do, and are places that you either cannot or would not normally visit as destinations.

{{w|Mariana Trench}} is the deepest area of the world's oceans, about 10,994 meters (36,070 ft). It is located between Japan and Australia. The pressure in the Mariana Trench is about 1,086 bars, more than 1,000 times the standard atmospheric pressure of about 1 bar at sea level. Despite of this enormous pressure there live some organisms in the {{w|Mariana_Trench#Life}}. Humans can reach the ground only by special deep-sea submarines, like Jacques Piccard did in 1960 with the {{w|Bathyscaphe Trieste}}.

The Chernobyl reactor core is the most dangerous part of the {{w|Chernobyl Nuclear power plant}}. It is located in the North of Ukraine. In the reactor No. 4 there was a nuclear disaster that happened on 26 April 1986. It caused devastating damage and massive radioactive contamination. There is still an {{w|Chernobyl Exclusion Zone}} 30 kilometers around the power plant.

The {{w|Jet stream}} is a meteorologic phenomenon about 9 to 16 kilometers above the ground. They are air currents with speeds from 92 km/h (50 kn; 57 mph) to over 398 km/h (215 kn; 247 mph).

The {{w|equator}} is not as bad as the tree places above, so mentioning it with them might be a joke. Nevertheless in the equator area there is a {{w|Tropical rainforest climate}} which many people from European and North American countries struggle with.

==Transcript==
:[A location map with a red pin stuck in a large gray region is shown. A river goes from north through the gray region to the west. East and south of the river some roads and other items are shown.]

:[Below the map:]
:'''Canyon River Nuclear'''
:'''Launch Facility'''
:[Within a line from left to right:] Reviews (22)
:[5/5 stars] Greatest country on earth
:[2/5 stars] Looks cool but you can't get in
:[1/5 stars] What is this store
:[4/5 stars] My cousin worked here
:[2/5 stars] Waitstaff heavily armed and very rude
:[1/5 stars] Stop doing chemtrails
:[1/5 stars] This place is a symptom of the military-industrial complex strangling our democracy and...(read full review-1184 words)
:[4/5 stars] Anyone else notice the hole in the west fence?
:[5/5 stars] Whoa, missiles!
:[3/5 stars] Good idea but confusing web site. How do I preorder?
:[1/5 stars] Please don't launch these

:[Caption below the frame:]
:I love finding reviews of places that
:really don't need to have reviews.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Maps]]

Talk:657: Movie Narrative Charts

2017-02-24T13:59:42Z

LaVe:

...but in 12 Angry Men, at two points, some of the jurors leave to -- and have conversations in -- the bathroom! {{unsigned ip|‎193.25.222.71}}

Why is this not part of the explaination? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Minard.png

It is public domain so it should be allowed right? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.117|108.162.246.117]] 03:43, 10 March 2014 (UTC)

I added it to the explaination as it certainly adds to the understadning of the comic. It was already uploaded by someone else. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.117|108.162.246.117]] 03:50, 10 March 2014 (UTC)

Only flaw is that Saruman died at the wrong time. [[User:LordSamanon|LordSamanon]] ([[User talk:LordSamanon|talk]]) 02:03, 4 March 2015 (UTC)

Second flaw is that Sam is going to west, too {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.80}}

Third flaw is that in 12 Angry Men, Juror 8 interacts with Juror 9 at the very end.
{{unsigned ip|108.162.215.56}}

I figured it would be of interest of the people here that I have gone through the afford of making one of these as well. It took me a few hours, but I am quite proud of the final image. It's definitely not perfect, though, and I am sure it could be done much better (especially if Randall himself would do it ;)). Either way, here is a movie narrative chart for the first ''Pokémon'' film, ''Mewtwo Strikes Back'', something I grew up with and felt worked pretty well in this form: http://maplestrip.tumblr.com/image/123162717416 [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 18:58, 4 July 2015 (UTC)

I doubt that it's really worth including in the explanation or anything, but it would seem that Grant's and Sattler's lines get swapped by the first time their names are reiterated. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.134|108.162.242.134]] 13:18, 14 January 2016 (UTC)

: You're right! Perhaps this could be also mentioned in a "mistakes" / trivia section, as the flaws above. --[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 13:59, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

For me it is SO weird that this is today's Incomplete Explanation. Yesterday on Facebook, I had a Memory that I shared this 1 year ago today (so, 1 year ago yesterday). :) - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.76|162.158.126.76]] 04:31, 4 January 2017 (UTC)

I added some transcript. I didn't manage to use different colors in the transcript, so I added the HEX-Codes directly in the text. I'm not mother-tongued so please correct if you find mistakes. --[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 12:30, 20 February 2017 (UTC)

993: Brand Identity

2017-02-24T13:42:03Z

LaVe: completed the List of all products in the shelves

{{comic
| number = 993
| date = December 21, 2011
| title = Brand Identity
| image = brand_identity.png
| titletext = Legally-mandated information would be printed on the back or discreetly along the bottom. In small letters under the nutrition information it would say 'Like our products? Visit our website!' There would be no URL.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic presents [[Randall]]'s idea for a line of food products all with clear black font on a white background. The products with black block lettering and white background stand out from the other items in this comic. The irony is that even though the branding isn't terribly creative, the ''lack'' of complexity is what causes the products to stand out. These product packaging styles resemble {{w|no-frills}} products and {{w|generic brands}}. For example, In Canada, the "{{w|No Name (brand)|No Name}}" generic brand of low-cost products sold by {{w|Loblaw Companies Limited|Loblaws}} general features a plain yellow label with the description of the product in bold black text, and occasionally an image of the product. The brand name is minimalized as are other legally-required elements (e.g. the weight of the product). Another of Loblaws' generic brands, {{w|President's Choice}} (PC) currently has a plain white background with black bold text for the labels on most of its products (usually with an image of the product as well as the brand name), although more recently, text in accent colours has been introduced.

In the title text, the lack of a listed URL relates to the lack of branding on the package. It is possible that omitting the URL the consumer's curiosity will be aroused, and they will spend time on the internet hunting for the actual site.

===List of all products in the shelves===
[[File:993_numbering.png]]

*[1] Rainbow
*[2] Ruffles
*[3] [unreadable]
*[4] Potato Chips [new brand]
*[5] [unreadable]
*[6] cheese crackers [filling error, compare to #7]
*[7] cheese crackers
*[8] - [16] [unreadable]
*[17] tissues [new brand]
*[18] cervical caps [what product is this? see comments]
*[19] [unreadable]
*[20] blue stripe shells
*[21] - [24] [unreadable]
*[25] - [26] [unreadable]
*[27] crackers [new brand]
*[28] - [29] [unreadable]
*[30] matches [new brand]
*[31] - [32] [unreadable]
*[33] peanuts [new brand]
*[34] hot sauce [probably not the new brand, see comments]
*[35] - [40] [unreadable]
*[41] sugar [probably not the new brand, see comments]
*[42] - [45] [unreadable]
*[46] milk [new brand]
*[47] - [48] [unreadable]
*[49] pasta [new brand]
*[50] caccalion [there is no pasta named like this says the {{w|List of pasta}}]
*[51] free
*[52] [unreadable]
*[53] coffee
*[54] [unreadable]
*[55] coffee [new brand]
*[56] - [61] [unreadable]
*[62] white beans
*[63] - [66] [unreadable]
*[67] sanfra beans [there are no beans named like this says the {{w|Bean#Types}}]
*[68] pinto beans
*[69] bean
*[70] pinto beans
*[71] black beans [new brand]
*[72] [unreadable]
*[73] do beans [there are no beans named like this says the {{w|Bean#Types}}]
*[74] black beans
*[75] [unreadable]
*[76] lima beans
*[77] lima beans [new brand]
*[78] fort cotbean [partially unreadable, there are no beans named like this says the {{w|Bean#Types}}]
*[79] three [unreadable] can
*[80] [unreadable]
*[81] pine + giant bean
*[82] beans with [unreadable]
*[83] refrie[d beans; unfinished due to bowing of can]
*[84]-[85] [unreadable]
*[86] mayonnaise
*[87] roo's simple mayo
*[88] simp[le] mayo [unfinished word due to bowing of can]
*[89] mayo [new brand]
*[90] [unreadable]
*[91] red meat sauce
*[92] - [93] [unreadable]
*[94] oil
*[95] [unreadable]
*[96] oil
*[97] ketchup [new brand]
*[98] - [97] [unreadable]
*[99] maple syrup
*[100] - [101] [unreadable]
*[102] eye
*[103] tea
*[104] tea
*[105] - [106] [unreadable]
*[107] tea
*[108] country loaf
*[109] bread [new brand]
*[110] white bread

==Transcript==
:[The incredibly varied shelf of a supermarket aisle. There are many different types of products on this shelf. Each type has numerous different brands, all surrounding a very plain brand that has, as its only label, the type of product. A plain bag, labeled in plain black letters, says "Potato Chips" and is surrounded by all the other various brands of potato chips. The same exists for tissues, crackers, matches, peanuts, hot sauce, sugar, milk, pasta, coffee, black beans, lima beans, mayo, ketchup, tea, and bread. There is a stark contrast between the incredibly noisy and complex labeling of every other brand and this simple one.]

:[Caption below:]
:If I ever sold a line of supermarket goods,
:this is how I'd build a brand identity overnight.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Food]]

993: Brand Identity

2017-02-24T12:16:34Z

LaVe: continued with the list

{{comic
| number = 993
| date = December 21, 2011
| title = Brand Identity
| image = brand_identity.png
| titletext = Legally-mandated information would be printed on the back or discreetly along the bottom. In small letters under the nutrition information it would say 'Like our products? Visit our website!' There would be no URL.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic presents [[Randall]]'s idea for a line of food products all with clear black font on a white background. The products with black block lettering and white background stand out from the other items in this comic. The irony is that even though the branding isn't terribly creative, the ''lack'' of complexity is what causes the products to stand out. These product packaging styles resemble {{w|no-frills}} products and {{w|generic brands}}. For example, In Canada, the "{{w|No Name (brand)|No Name}}" generic brand of low-cost products sold by {{w|Loblaw Companies Limited|Loblaws}} general features a plain yellow label with the description of the product in bold black text, and occasionally an image of the product. The brand name is minimalized as are other legally-required elements (e.g. the weight of the product). Another of Loblaws' generic brands, {{w|President's Choice}} (PC) currently has a plain white background with black bold text for the labels on most of its products (usually with an image of the product as well as the brand name), although more recently, text in accent colours has been introduced.

In the title text, the lack of a listed URL relates to the lack of branding on the package. It is possible that omitting the URL the consumer's curiosity will be aroused, and they will spend time on the internet hunting for the actual site.

===List of all products in the shelves===
[[File:993_numbering.png]]

*[1] Rainbow
*[2] Ruffles
*[3] [unreadable]
*[4] Potato Chips [new brand]
*[5] [unreadable]
*[6] cheese crackers [filling error, compare to #7]
*[7] cheese crackers
*[8] - [16] [unreadable]
*[17] tissues [new brand]
*[18] cervical caps [what product is this? see comments]
*[19] [unreadable]
*[20] blue stripe shells
*[21] - [24] [unreadable]
*[25] - [26] [unreadable]
*[27] crackers [new brand]
*[28] -[29] [unreadable]
*[30] matches [new brand]
*[31] -[32] [unreadable]
*[33] peanuts [new brand]
*[34] hot sauce [probably not the new brand, see comments]
*[35] - [40] [unreadable]
*[41] sugar [probably not the new brand, see comments]
*[42] - [45] [unreadable]
*[46] milk [new brand]
*[47] - [48] [unreadable]
*[49] pasta [new brand]
*[50] caccalion [there is no pasta named like this says the {{w|List of pasta}}]
*[51] free
*[52] [unreadable]
*[53] coffee
*[54] [unreadable]
*[55] coffee [new brand]
*[56] - [61] [unreadable]
*[62] white beans
*[63] - [66] [unreadable]
*[67] sanfra beans [there are no beans named like this says the {{w|Bean#Types}}]
*[68] pinto beans
*[69] bean
*[70] pinto beans
*[71] black beans [new brand]
*[72] [unreadable]
*[73] do beans [there are no beans named like this says the {{w|Bean#Types}}]
*[74] black beans
*[75] [unreadable]
*[76] lima beans
*[77] lima beans [new brand]
*[78] fort cotbean [partially unreadable, there are no beans named like this says the {{w|Bean#Types}}]
*[79] three [unreadable] can
*[80] [unreadable]
*[81] pine + giant bean
*[82] beans with [unreadable]
*[83] refrie[d beans; unfinished due to bowing of can]

... to be continued ...

==Transcript==
:[The incredibly varied shelf of a supermarket aisle. There are many different types of products on this shelf. Each type has numerous different brands, all surrounding a very plain brand that has, as its only label, the type of product. A plain bag, labeled in plain black letters, says "Potato Chips" and is surrounded by all the other various brands of potato chips. The same exists for tissues, crackers, matches, peanuts, hot sauce, sugar, milk, pasta, coffee, black beans, lima beans, mayo, ketchup, tea, and bread. There is a stark contrast between the incredibly noisy and complex labeling of every other brand and this simple one.]

:[Caption below:]
:If I ever sold a line of supermarket goods,
:this is how I'd build a brand identity overnight.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Food]]

Talk:993: Brand Identity

2017-02-24T10:59:36Z

LaVe: added comment to product [18]

Notice that the sugar is inverted? Weird.
--Classhole 23:22, 24 January 2013 (UTC)
:Weird, the hot sauce is also inverted [[User:BlueRoll18|BlueRoll18]] ([[User talk:BlueRoll18|talk]]) 02:38, 7 February 2013 (UTC)
:::While the sugar and hot sauce are unusual in that you can easily read the packaging, I don't think they are supposed to be in the same product range. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 16:25, 8 December 2014 (UTC)
:Possibly a reference to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverted_sugar_syrup inverted sugar syrup]. [[User:Liyang|Liyang]] ([[User talk:Liyang|talk]]) 05:44, 5 May 2015 (UTC)

NONAME in Canada uses yellow boxes with black text but basically the same idea.
--Pundawg 18:56, 19 February 2013 (UTC)

I didn't get this joke because I grew up eating "Slim Price" food branded exactly this way. -lolo {{unsigned ip|99.120.200.86}}

There's a brand called "Ja!" from the Rewe group in Germany that uses this exact concept somewhat, but nowadays, the packages contain pictures and illustrations of all kinds, and aren't as white, simple and plain as they used to be in the past. See: http://www.rewe.de/besser-einkaufen/ja/produkte-und-infos.html
--Rolfhub 23:25, 14 September 2013

:Here is some old image of the designs: [https://web.archive.org/web/20040503194438im_/http://www.rewe-ja.de/nxMODULES/nxCONTENTER/content/1_425Bild1.jpg]. It's not as simple as in the comic, but it's certainly the same idea. -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.39|108.162.219.39]] 20:25, 24 April 2014 (UTC)

:Ah, dear old "Ja!"... it saved my life back when I was a broke student. Anyway, also the M-Budget line from Swiss Migros recently started adding pictures to its product, but before that it was all green packaging with black writing. Wonerful --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.31|108.162.229.31]] 13:36, 26 May 2014 (UTC)
::"Ja!" is a very successful brand sold in Germany (and more countries) offered by {{w|REWE}}. The products are presented in a white cover, just showing the word "Ja!" ("Yes!" in English) and much smaller the content of the product. Maybe this could also be mentioned at the trivia section. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:55, 26 May 2014 (UTC)

I think the lack of URL is just to troll the consumers. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.63.180|173.245.63.180]] 00:33, 13 November 2013 (UTC)

Actually several brands in the Netherlands did this before the comic was posted. They switched to a red/white two-colour scheme with the product in large letters in English. The problem was, that multiple brands did this, which made them look very similar. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.95|141.101.75.95]] 16:09, 8 December 2014 (UTC)
Hey, something seems wrong with the IP logging. The logged IP is not mine. -- [[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.95|141.101.75.95]] 16:11, 8 December 2014 (UTC)
: About multiple brands looking the same. Contrary to "tragedy of the commons", "prisoners dilemma", or "what if everyone act like that" https://xkcd.com/958/ , this is not a problem. It would actually be approaching utopia. When people look for distinguishing features, they would have to, like, read the nutrition on the back, or look for comparison prices. I.e. relevant info, instead of "oh shiny". /David A [[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.33|141.101.80.33]] 05:36, 24 August 2016 (UTC)

For a couple of decades this exact thing existed: http://www.google.com/search?q=black+on+white+generic+brand+products In fact I'm certain that that is the joke.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.156|108.162.215.156]] 07:38, 11 March 2015 (UTC)

I believe this may be a reference to the film Repo Man. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.170}}

I don't know how common [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muji Muji] stores are in the US (where I imagine most readers reside), but this is basically what they've been doing since the 1980s. [[User:Liyang|Liyang]] ([[User talk:Liyang|talk]]) 05:33, 5 May 2015 (UTC)

Soylent 2.0 is doing this exact thing: https://soylent-production-herokuapp-com.global.ssl.fastly.net/static/images/drink_secondary_messaging_block1.3571d250b954.jpg Interestingly, that image is very similar to this comic.03:36, 7 February 2016 (UTC)

I was at walmart the other day and noticed a brand doing this, without even a brand name. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 20:31, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

;/* Triva */

Randall made a mistake as the ketchup is labeled "kerhup" {{unsigned ip|108.162.245.118}}
:No, if you zoom in it'sthe letters 'TC', which overlap slightly because of the cramped bottle. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.133 }}

Why is the tea box green except for inside the A?[[User:Bbrk24|Bbrk24]] ([[User talk:Bbrk24|talk]]) 00:23, 4 May 2016 (UTC)
:It's actually yellow; you may wish to check to see if you are colorblind. There are many errors in filling in spaces that should be colored, though. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.244.79|108.162.244.79]] 01:33, 9 July 2016 (UTC)

This comics have spawned a thread on reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/nkytu/brand_identity/ . It appears there was a '''no-brand car''' i Japan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muji#History /David A [[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.33|141.101.80.33]] 05:02, 24 August 2016 (UTC)

The generic milk is in a plain glass or plastic container on the shelves of the grocery section of this store, not in the refrigerated cooler. Milk stocked in this location will spoil rapidly. Only aseptically packaged milk can sit on a warm shelf for extended periods without spoiling. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]])

What product is [18]? If this contains, as I read, {{w|Cervical cap}}s it makes no sense to sell them in a bulk pack as a cervical cap is a reusable contraceptive device. Or does it refer to [https://www.amazon.com/Gynotex-Dry-Sponge-Tampons-Pack/dp/B00U1K7DH2/ref=lp_12588685011_1_1_a_it?srs=12588685011&ie=UTF8&qid=1487934169&sr=8-1 soft tampons] as menstrual management device? The latter would fit better to the picture, but not to the text... As I am from Germany, I am not familiar with the common products offered in a supermarket. Perhaps anyone can help? --[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 10:59, 24 February 2017 (UTC)

993: Brand Identity

2017-02-24T10:28:52Z

LaVe: continued with list of products; decided not to continue with graphic description except there is a need to

User talk:LaVe

2017-02-23T23:22:22Z

LaVe: /* Welcome */

== Welcome ==
Hi, it seems we can talk in German so I'm saying "Herzlich Willkommen!". But further discussions should be in English. Your attempt on the transcript at [[657: Movie Narrative Charts]] is useless. Nobody will read or even understand this. The movies, the characters and a general description of the lines is enough. See this [[User_talk:Kynde#Transcript_TLDR.3B]] for more recent discussions on this matter. While it's not possible to give simple instructions for writing a transcript it's agreed that it should be not too long.

You removed the incomplete tag here [[1801: Decision Paralysis]] when it wasn't complete. And it was not only the layout. Just check the history for all changes and you will figure it out. Nevertheless I'm happy about everyone participating here and so again: "Herzlich Willkommen!". --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:17, 23 February 2017 (UTC)

:Uhh, I just found your edits here: [[993: Brand Identity]]. So many thanks for your work! But it's not for the transcript. See my latest edit. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:37, 23 February 2017 (UTC)

Hi Dgbrt, thanks a lot for your feedback! I have read the discussion you linked and now some is clearer to me :-)
Does that mean that for exmple the transcript for [[657: Movie Narrative Charts]] can never be finished?

concerning [[657: Movie Narrative Charts]]: Should I delete the material? Or will someone else tidy up? Do you think the list of battles/events could be useful, and perhaps a simple list of characters? (transcript or explanantion?) (At least I have learned a lot about LotR ;-)

concerning [[1801: Decision Paralysis]]: I thougt it was ready, but obviously I was too fast - Sorry!

concerning [[993: Brand Identity]]: In the "transcript incomplete" there was a notice that all readable text should be transcripted. This is why I started in this way. So I would continue the list in the explanation-area? But with less design-information, right?
--[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 23:22, 23 February 2017 (UTC)

2017-02-23T16:28:55Z

LaVe: /* [List of Products in the shelves] */

{{comic
| number = 993
| date = December 21, 2011
| title = Brand Identity
| image = brand_identity.png
| titletext = Legally-mandated information would be printed on the back or discreetly along the bottom. In small letters under the nutrition information it would say 'Like our products? Visit our website!' There would be no URL.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic presents [[Randall]]'s idea for a line of food products all with clear black font on a white background. The products with black block lettering and white background stand out from the other items in this comic. The irony is that even though the branding isn't terribly creative, the ''lack'' of complexity is what causes the products to stand out. These product packaging styles resemble {{w|no-frills}} products and {{w|generic brands}}. For example, In Canada, the "{{w|No Name (brand)|No Name}}" generic brand of low-cost products sold by {{w|Loblaw Companies Limited|Loblaws}} general features a plain yellow label with the description of the product in bold black text, and occasionally an image of the product. The brand name is minimalized as are other legally-required elements (e.g. the weight of the product). Another of Loblaws' generic brands, {{w|President's Choice}} (PC) currently has a plain white background with black bold text for the labels on most of its products (usually with an image of the product as well as the brand name), although more recently, text in accent colours has been introduced.

In the title text, the lack of a listed URL relates to the lack of branding on the package. It is possible that omitting the URL the consumer's curiosity will be aroused, and they will spend time on the internet hunting for the actual site.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|All text on the brands should be transcribed from left to right - I started with transcript and I'm going to finish it in the next few days}}
:[The incredibly varied shelf of a supermarket aisle. There are many different types of products on this shelf. Each type has numerous different brands, all surrounding a very plain brand that has, as its only label, the type of product. A plain bag, labeled in plain black letters, says "Potato Chips" and is surrounded by all the other various brands of potato chips. The same exists for tissues, crackers, matches, peanuts, hot sauce, sugar, milk, pasta, coffee, black beans, lima beans, mayo, ketchup, tea, and bread. There is a stark contrast between the incredibly noisy and complex labeling of every other brand and this simple one.]

=== [List of Products in the shelves] ===

[For unambiguous assignment, this picture shows which product gets which number in the transcript. There are 8 shelves in two racks containing 110 products. Transcript begins from left to right and from top to bottom.]

[[File:993_numbering.png]]

[Product no.]: readable text on the product [description of packaging, comments]

[shelf no. 1]
[1] Rainbow [blue packaging, green line on the top, with a rainbow and three white nachos]

[2] Ruffles [brown packaging, red corner on bottom-right, three yellow potato chips, unreadable text]

[3] [unreadable] [yellow packaging, three brown big nachos, unreadable text]

[4] Potato Chips [white packaging, big black letters]

[5] [unreadable] [olive green, three yellow big potato chips, unreadable text, seal in black and white]

[6] cheese crackers [yellow, pile of yellow cheese crackers, blue seal, white box with company logo (unreadable), unreadable text ; filling error (see #7)]

[7] cheese crackers [yellow, pile of white cheese crackers, blue seal, white box with company logo (unreadable), unreadable text]

:If I ever sold a line of supermarket goods, this is how I'd build a brand identity overnight.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Food]]

993: Brand Identity

2017-02-23T16:28:13Z

LaVe: /* List of Products in the shelves */

{{comic
| number = 993
| date = December 21, 2011
| title = Brand Identity
| image = brand_identity.png
| titletext = Legally-mandated information would be printed on the back or discreetly along the bottom. In small letters under the nutrition information it would say 'Like our products? Visit our website!' There would be no URL.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic presents [[Randall]]'s idea for a line of food products all with clear black font on a white background. The products with black block lettering and white background stand out from the other items in this comic. The irony is that even though the branding isn't terribly creative, the ''lack'' of complexity is what causes the products to stand out. These product packaging styles resemble {{w|no-frills}} products and {{w|generic brands}}. For example, In Canada, the "{{w|No Name (brand)|No Name}}" generic brand of low-cost products sold by {{w|Loblaw Companies Limited|Loblaws}} general features a plain yellow label with the description of the product in bold black text, and occasionally an image of the product. The brand name is minimalized as are other legally-required elements (e.g. the weight of the product). Another of Loblaws' generic brands, {{w|President's Choice}} (PC) currently has a plain white background with black bold text for the labels on most of its products (usually with an image of the product as well as the brand name), although more recently, text in accent colours has been introduced.

In the title text, the lack of a listed URL relates to the lack of branding on the package. It is possible that omitting the URL the consumer's curiosity will be aroused, and they will spend time on the internet hunting for the actual site.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|All text on the brands should be transcribed from left to right - I started with transcript and I'm going to finish it in the next few days}}
:[The incredibly varied shelf of a supermarket aisle. There are many different types of products on this shelf. Each type has numerous different brands, all surrounding a very plain brand that has, as its only label, the type of product. A plain bag, labeled in plain black letters, says "Potato Chips" and is surrounded by all the other various brands of potato chips. The same exists for tissues, crackers, matches, peanuts, hot sauce, sugar, milk, pasta, coffee, black beans, lima beans, mayo, ketchup, tea, and bread. There is a stark contrast between the incredibly noisy and complex labeling of every other brand and this simple one.]

=== [List of Products in the shelves] ===

[For unambiguous assignment, this picture shows which product gets which number in the transcript. There are 8 shelves in two racks containing 110 products. Transcript begins from left to right and from top to bottom.]
[[File:993_numbering.png]]

[Product no.]: readable text on the product [description of packaging, comments]

[shelf no. 1]
[1] Rainbow [blue packaging, green line on the top, with a rainbow and three white nachos]

[2] Ruffles [brown packaging, red corner on bottom-right, three yellow potato chips, unreadable text]

[3] [unreadable] [yellow packaging, three brown big nachos, unreadable text]

[4] Potato Chips [white packaging, big black letters]

[5] [unreadable] [olive green, three yellow big potato chips, unreadable text, seal in black and white]

[6] cheese crackers [yellow, pile of yellow cheese crackers, blue seal, white box with company logo (unreadable), unreadable text ; filling error (see #7)]

[7] cheese crackers [yellow, pile of white cheese crackers, blue seal, white box with company logo (unreadable), unreadable text]

:If I ever sold a line of supermarket goods, this is how I'd build a brand identity overnight.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Food]]