explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2204: Ksp 2

2019-09-18T20:30:16Z

Linker:

Can someone create a KSP category? I don't have the rights to do that. Comics for that category include this one, [[1356:_Orbital_Mechanics]], [[1350:_Lorenz]], [[1244: Six Words]], [[1106: ADD]]. There may be others as well. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.211.184|172.68.211.184]] 18:05, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

In the explanation, I took the "Unmarked Cash Payments" to be payoffs to the KSP2 team to delay their launch. [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 18:07, 18 September 2019 (UTC)
: Hmm, that could be true too. Feel free to modify the explanation to add that. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.11|172.69.33.11]] 18:18, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

Are NASA engineers here splitting their time between working for both NASA and the KSP team (as suggested by the current explanation, as in ''actual'' 'moonlighting') or is it just that they're the kind of people who may 'catch' 24-hour flu to cover up their over-use of personal time to just enjoy the release as per all the other potentially fanatical but somewhat more armchair-expert individuals out there. I first understood the "Moon" people as being the actual KSP devs called in by NASA managemenr to persuade them to stagger their project away from NASA's (although I suppose it would have been more obviously that if it was a conference table setting, being faced over, rather than some typical office desk), with similar thoughts about the above cash payments comment (though I ''suppose'' it could be using petty-cash for site licensing or similar?)... Either way, I'm sure the "moonlighting" pun could be added into the explanation, if someone else would like to! ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.183|162.158.158.183]] 18:25, 18 September 2019 (UTC)
:I'm pretty sure the joke is that NASA engineers would be too busy playing KSP2 to assist the lunch, similarly to how MMORPG players take vacation when a new expansion comes out. That seems more in line with them taking sick days and NASA executives having to bribe the videogame company to make it stop, as opposed to suing their own engineers because they call in sick to take a second job.--[[Special:Contributions/188.114.103.101|188.114.103.101]] 18:54, 18 September 2019 (UTC)
:I agree. I don't think the same people working for NASA are also working for the private Mexico-based company Squad that created KSP and are creating KSP 2. The real joke is that the NASA engineers are likely to want to play with the new KSP, to the extent they would take vacation and sick days off to play it. If an engineer were truely working for two companies, they would still be required to come to work and couldn't just decide to stop working -- aside from abusing paid time off policies. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 19:37, 18 September 2019 (UTC)
::Fixed it. Playing with KSP2 is now the primary, with programming it being an alternate explanation. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 20:11, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

No Linux support for KSP 2... My disappointment is measurable. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 20:30, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2135: M87 Black Hole Size Comparison

2019-04-11T12:08:30Z

Linker:

inb4 anti-semitic troll vandalizes the page [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.64|162.158.78.64]] 19:38, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
:Jeez, it hasn't happened yet? --[[User:Youforgotthisthing|Youforgotthisthing]] ([[User talk:Youforgotthisthing|talk]]) 19:54, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
::Shhh! You'll jinx it! [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 21:07, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
::I’m surprised. [[User:Netherin5|“That Guy from the Netherlands”]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 23:06, 10 April 2019 (UTC)
::I always miss it, you guys are too fast for me to see it. Not that I want to see it of course. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 12:08, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

Am I the only to one who is amazed at just how *far* Voyager has come? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.61|162.158.111.61]] 19:52, 10 April 2019 (UTC)

I thought the dark disk on the photo is 2.6 Schwartzchild radii, not 1? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.46|172.68.54.46]] 20:50, 10 April 2019 (UTC)

I Googled to get a sense of scale. Apparently the sun would be less than 4 miles across if compressed into a black hole. The magnitude is incomprehensible. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.210.64|172.69.210.64]] 02:54, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

I believe "Voyager I" in the title text is a typo and Randall meant to say Voyager II. The location Randall notes would correspond closer to Voyager II than I(9.3 billion miles away from earth vs 11 billion miles). [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.4|172.69.247.4]] 06:21, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

'''Rephrase scale reference'''
2.5 times smaller is not a good way to express reduction in size. It's clearer to say that it's two-fifths as big or it's 40% of the size. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.16|162.158.38.16]] 09:58, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

Is anyone agreeing with the source ? haven't found a clear attribution of the image to NSF; and also would be suprised to find one.

Talk:2133: EHT Black Hole Picture

2019-04-05T19:19:42Z

Linker:

...someone edited the page to describe the EHT as "This comic references the non-existent "Event Horizon Telescope", an international project dedicated to deceiving the masses into thinking that black holes are real, in accordance with the whims of the Zionist conspiracy." wot? [[User:9yz|9yz]] ([[User talk:9yz|talk]]) 17:43, 5 April 2019 (UTC)
:Seems like there are a lot of vandals nowadays... I don't think I would be against requiring registration to edit pages. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 19:19, 5 April 2019 (UTC)
:It's true, and you know that it's true, fucking shill. {{unsigned|108.162.246.215}}
::I know that it exists, and I'm not going to argue it. Oh, also not signing a post doesn't hide your IP. You can literally see the IPs of anyone who edits the page, Mr. 108.162.246.215 [[User:9yz|9yz]] ([[User talk:9yz|talk]]) 17:49, 5 April 2019 (UTC)
:::The IPs are irrelevant anyway, they're CloudFlare's -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.36|162.158.90.36]] 18:23, 5 April 2019 (UTC)
In the transcript, Cueball is described as standing behind a podium. He may be standing /on/ a podium, but he is standing /behind/ a lectern.
[[User:Seezee|Seezee]] ([[User talk:Seezee|talk]]) 17:47, 5 April 2019 (UTC)
:Arent podiums and lecterns the same thing? [[User:9yz|9yz]] ([[User talk:9yz|talk]]) 17:49, 5 April 2019 (UTC)
::No - https://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-lectern-and-vs-podium/
::No. Podium (from the Latin root meaning "foot") is the thing you stand on, a raised platform or dais. Lectern (from Latin "to read") is the stand that provides a place for notes or other written prompts, from which a speaker may read during a lecture or presentation. It's not uncommon for people to conflate them. [[User:Seezee|Seezee]] ([[User talk:Seezee|talk]]) 18:02, 5 April 2019 (UTC)
::If enough people conflate them, it's not a mistake any more, it becomes another definition. And lexicographers often use written uses as confirmation, so anyone who wants to see podium get this sense should forward this URL to all the dictionary publishers.[[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:15, 5 April 2019 (UTC)
::What's the threshold for "enough people" (itself a grammatically incorrect phrase; see https://grammarist.com/usage/amount-number/)? In any case, I'm not getting into a debate about prescriptive vs. descriptive lexicography as it's off-topic and trollish. Besides, the transcript has been updated. [[User:Seezee|Seezee]] ([[User talk:Seezee|talk]]) 18:23, 5 April 2019 (UTC)
::[[1661: Podium]] [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 19:15, 5 April 2019 (UTC)

Is there really anything else we need to add to the explanation? It seems complete.[[User:9yz|9yz]] ([[User talk:9yz|talk]]) 19:02, 5 April 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2126: Google Trends Maps

2019-03-20T16:51:55Z

Linker:

I'm not quite sure I understand the comic. And no, the irony of saying that on a wiki dedicated to explaining them is not lost on me. Do the maps show which word/phrase is more common in google in each state by comparing only the options to each other or where they actually the top searched words/phrases at some point in time?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.34|162.158.92.34]] 10:28, 20 March 2019 (UTC)
:Pretty sure they're all top searched words/phrases in some states at some point in the past. It's just that Randall has merged maps from different time periods. For example in the first map, "heat stroke" and "frostbite" are two real results, but the former is likely a result that appeared in summer, while the latter is likely one that appeared in winter. By merging the two maps you get a map that doesn't make sense, as it looks like they were the top searches in the same time period while in reality they weren't. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 11:04, 20 March 2019 (UTC)
::I think that Randall is just clarifying that each map may be showing trends for a different time range (otherwise people might try to compare the maps to each other, which isn't the point of the comic). I don't think he's saying that the individual results in each map are from different time ranges. [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 11:30, 20 March 2019 (UTC)
:::Yeah, if the results were from different time periods, you could pretty much manipulate them however you want. It would make it much less interesting. Not that statistician don't already manipulate data in any way possible...[[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 16:51, 20 March 2019 (UTC)
From what it looks like, these are year-long averages. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 12:17, 20 March 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2126: Google Trends Maps

2019-03-20T16:51:35Z

Linker:

I'm not quite sure I understand the comic. And no, the irony of saying that on a wiki dedicated to explaining them is not lost on me. Do the maps show which word/phrase is more common in google in each state by comparing only the options to each other or where they actually the top searched words/phrases at some point in time?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.34|162.158.92.34]] 10:28, 20 March 2019 (UTC)
:Pretty sure they're all top searched words/phrases in some states at some point in the past. It's just that Randall has merged maps from different time periods. For example in the first map, "heat stroke" and "frostbite" are two real results, but the former is likely a result that appeared in summer, while the latter is likely one that appeared in winter. By merging the two maps you get a map that doesn't make sense, as it looks like they were the top searches in the same time period while in reality they weren't. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 11:04, 20 March 2019 (UTC)
::I think that Randall is just clarifying that each map may be showing trends for a different time range (otherwise people might try to compare the maps to each other, which isn't the point of the comic). I don't think he's saying that the individual results in each map are from different time ranges. [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 11:30, 20 March 2019 (UTC)
:::Yeah, if the results were from different time periods, you could pretty much manipulate them however you want. It would make it much less interesting. Not that statistician don't already manipulate data in any way possible...
From what it looks like, these are year-long averages. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 12:17, 20 March 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2123: Meta Collecting

2019-03-15T12:16:49Z

Linker:

RIP {{w|List of collectables}} and grammar. It’s collectable. Not collectible, collectable. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 16:07, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
:You may disagree, but collectable is also correct. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/collectable [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.23|108.162.242.23]] 16:21, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
:I think we’re agreeing here? I also use collectable, and said so in my comment. At least it should be used in this case, because it’s what Wikipedia uses on said page. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 16:26, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
:My understanding was that the words had different meanings. Something is collectible if it would have a place in a collection; a Harley is collectible because it would have a place in Cueball's collection of items. Something is collectable if it can be collected; a court judgement may be collectable if the person ordered to pay has enough money to make the payment. [[User:D5xtgr|D5xtgr]] ([[User talk:D5xtgr|talk]]) 17:33, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
::Suspiciously enough, that’s the exact example I got when I googled it, but thank you for the collection. I only say this because of the article in question discussed. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 17:41, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
:::Yes, I was having a hard time wording my original example - it's rather easier to show why a debt or court judgement ''wouldn't'' be collectable than to explain why one ''would'' be. [[User:D5xtgr|D5xtgr]] ([[User talk:D5xtgr|talk]]) 18:54, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
: Googling "collectible define" or "collectable define", we get that both seem to be correct. https://writingexplained.org/collectible-vs-collectable-difference says collectable is typically the British spelling of the word.

First time posting here, so my format might be terrible. But looking at the list of collectables; Maytag is listed, and the reference is for antique scales, so definitely not dryers. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.7|173.245.54.7]] 16:13, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
:Antique washer models to scale? Fixed it. On a serious note, it’s just one source, there are probably people who would collect washers, or, the more likely option, they just saw Maytag and thought “washers” EDIT: As a formatting nerd, it’s good. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 16:20, 13 March 2019 (UTC)

Wikipedia intern: "Mr. Sanger? Randall made a comic about us again." Larry Sanger: "Godammit, what page do we have to lock this time?" [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 04:21, 14 March 2019 (UTC)

I already suggested this [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2099:_Missal_of_Silos before] that I think we can have a new collected page of xkcd Wikipedia edit wars. I doubt the trivia in 2099 is the full list, or is it? Are there not that many cases as I think to be worth it? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.118.22|162.158.118.22]] 04:48, 14 March 2019 (UTC)
: Well, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xkcd#Wikipedia_vandalism Wikipedia] has the list now, so I'm satisfied. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.118.46|162.158.118.46]] 05:59, 15 March 2019 (UTC)

As of right now, Randall has got his wish: the page is protected. Unfortunately, it's protected with "yachts" on it and, of course, it can't be reverted because of the protection. [[User:Jeremyp|Jeremyp]] ([[User talk:Jeremyp|talk]]) 10:45, 14 March 2019 (UTC)
:On the plus side, old yachts that are no longer seaworthy but still collectable are quite common on craigslist for under $10,000. Even cheaper yet, just ask any marina owner for abandoned sunken yachts you can have just for getting them out of the waterway.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 13:06, 14 March 2019 (UTC)
:It's gone now. The edit history is quite entertaining though. "Added boating category" [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 17:15, 14 March 2019 (UTC)
::Looks like one of the editors got a bit overzealous and deleted Element Collecting because they thought it was an xkcd reference. [[User:CJB42|CJB42]] ([[User talk:CJB42|talk]]) 05:38, 15 March 2019 (UTC)
:::That sucks. That is such a real hobby though. There is this guy who made a wooden periodic actual table and put elements on it in each of their places. He takes beautiful photos of them.

Interesting choice of username, xkcd2123. {{unsigned|103.22.200.210}}

Talk:2123: Meta Collecting

2019-03-14T17:15:17Z

Linker:

RIP {{w|List of collectables}} and grammar. It’s collectable. Not collectible, collectable. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 16:07, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
:You may disagree, but collectable is also correct. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/collectable [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.23|108.162.242.23]] 16:21, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
:I think we’re agreeing here? I also use collectable, and said so in my comment. At least it should be used in this case, because it’s what Wikipedia uses on said page. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 16:26, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
:My understanding was that the words had different meanings. Something is collectible if it would have a place in a collection; a Harley is collectible because it would have a place in Cueball's collection of items. Something is collectable if it can be collected; a court judgement may be collectable if the person ordered to pay has enough money to make the payment. [[User:D5xtgr|D5xtgr]] ([[User talk:D5xtgr|talk]]) 17:33, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
::Suspiciously enough, that’s the exact example I got when I googled it, but thank you for the collection. I only say this because of the article in question discussed. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 17:41, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
:::Yes, I was having a hard time wording my original example - it's rather easier to show why a debt or court judgement ''wouldn't'' be collectable than to explain why one ''would'' be. [[User:D5xtgr|D5xtgr]] ([[User talk:D5xtgr|talk]]) 18:54, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
: Googling "collectible define" or "collectable define", we get that both seem to be correct. https://writingexplained.org/collectible-vs-collectable-difference says collectable is typically the British spelling of the word.

First time posting here, so my format might be terrible. But looking at the list of collectables; Maytag is listed, and the reference is for antique scales, so definitely not dryers. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.7|173.245.54.7]] 16:13, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
:Antique washer models to scale? Fixed it. On a serious note, it’s just one source, there are probably people who would collect washers, or, the more likely option, they just saw Maytag and thought “washers” EDIT: As a formatting nerd, it’s good. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 16:20, 13 March 2019 (UTC)

Wikipedia intern: "Mr. Sanger? Randall made a comic about us again." Larry Sanger: "Godammit, what page do we have to lock this time?" [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 04:21, 14 March 2019 (UTC)

I already suggested this [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2099:_Missal_of_Silos before] that I think we can have a new collected page of xkcd Wikipedia edit wars. I doubt the trivia in 2099 is the full list, or is it? Are there not that many cases as I think to be worth it? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.118.22|162.158.118.22]] 04:48, 14 March 2019 (UTC)

As of right now, Randall has got his wish: the page is protected. Unfortunately, it's protected with "yachts" on it and, of course, it can't be reverted because of the protection. [[User:Jeremyp|Jeremyp]] ([[User talk:Jeremyp|talk]]) 10:45, 14 March 2019 (UTC)
:On the plus side, old yachts that are no longer seaworthy but still collectable are quite common on craigslist for under $10,000. Even cheaper yet, just ask any marina owner for abandoned sunken yachts you can have just for getting them out of the waterway.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 13:06, 14 March 2019 (UTC)
:It's gone now. The edit history is quite entertaining though. "Added boating category" [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 17:15, 14 March 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2117: Differentiation and Integration

2019-02-27T17:43:48Z

Linker:

Darn, I have no idea what this comic is about. Randal has eluded my yet again. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 17:43, 27 February 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2115: Plutonium

2019-02-22T16:54:47Z

Linker:

Even though space is cold, it conducts so poorly that spacecraft would probably have more problems getting rid of heat than keeping heat, considering how isolated they are. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 16:43, 22 February 2019 (UTC)

Reminds me of reddit.com/r/outside [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 16:54, 22 February 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2115: Plutonium

2019-02-22T16:50:25Z

Linker:

Even though space is cold, it conducts so poorly that spacecraft would probably have more problems getting rid of heat than keeping heat, considering how isolated they are. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 16:43, 22 February 2019 (UTC)
Reminds me of reddit.com/r/outside [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 16:50, 22 February 2019 (UTC)

2112: Night Shift

2019-02-20T00:50:56Z

Linker:

{{comic
| number = 2112
| date = February 15, 2019
| title = Night Shift
| image = night_shift.png
| titletext = Help, I set my white balance wrong and suddenly everyone is screaming at each other about whether they've been to Colorado.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BORED SCREAMING RESIDENT OF COLORADO (YOU'VE NEVER BEEN TO COLORADO). Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Many electronic devices have settings to adjust display color and intensity. "{{w|Night Shift (software)|Night shift}}," or similar modes make the display less blue. This may be useful in the evening, since blue light interferes with melatonin, the hormone which regulates the sleep cycle. This comic re-imagines such a mode as influencing the content of messages to encourage sleepiness—or, at least, to dampen [[386: Duty Calls|the emotional response that might keep someone up too late at night]].

In the title text, the reverse has occurred. By setting his {{w|Color balance|white balance}} incorrectly, the opinions that Randall is reading are more intense, even about "simple" things as having visited Colorado or not.

This strip then references the fact that on the internet, very few people answer in the singulars of 'Yes' or 'No' or another equally short and definable answer. This may be because there is little perceived value in such a short but factual answer, when you have the opportunity to voice your opinion, sometimes at length. Also in many cultures indirect expression is the norm, or polite; a short direct answer is considered less acceptable, especially in the negative.

It is possible that Randall could be using an xkcd phone, as this feature is absurd enough. 

==Transcript==
:[Comments with peoples' profile pictures in front of them are shown in white comment boxes on a gray background.]
: Cueball: The Atlantic Ocean is big
:: Ponytail: The Pacific is even bigger
:: Cueball With Full Body Profile Picture (WFBPP): They're both very big

: Megan: A lot of people have TVs
:: Hairbun: Some people don't
:: Megan: Yeah, that's true

: Cueball: 24 isn't a prime number
:: Cueball WFBPP: Neither is 25

: Hairbun: Have you ever been to Colorado?
:: Megan: No
:: Cueball WFBPP: No
:: Cueball: Yeah
:: Ponytail: No

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My phone has a night shift mode to help me sleep, but instead of reducing the intensity of blue light, it reduces the intensity of opinions.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Social networking]]

Talk:2111: Opportunity Rover

2019-02-14T20:15:30Z

Linker:

The subject of this comic, the Opportunity Rover, is being officially declared dead today, the day the comic was released. I wonder how long this comic has been ready, waiting to eulogize the rover. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 18:03, 13 February 2019 (UTC)
: I'm not crying, you're crying! But seriously, I hope this one becomes a poster... one of my favorite comics in a good long while. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.46.46|172.69.46.46]] 20:25, 13 February 2019 (UTC)
:: Stop slicing those onions ! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.125|162.158.91.125]] 14:12, 14 February 2019 (UTC)
::: :'( [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 20:15, 14 February 2019 (UTC)
: Yes, more of a paean than "a discussion about ... " the Opportunity rover, and more, it justifies a yearning for the "opportunity" in general to share the knowledge with the world. Uplifting, for me. [[User:PGilm|PGilm]] ([[User talk:PGilm|talk]]) 20:59, 13 February 2019 (UTC)

The fact that the rover ran for 15 years is already magical. He was just designed to last several months (I sincerely use this surname), and people at NASA was suspecting that it may just last days. Yet he worked so hard for us. When I saw the movie about him 10 years ago, I wad SO moved. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436595/ All of you should watch it now. I had no idea that I would edit a wiki page about him today.
[[User:Kazeita|Kazeita]] ([[User talk:Kazeita|talk]]) 23:51, 13 February 2019 (UTC)

On one hand, this feels like a subtle nod to xkcd itself. In a sense, a lot of xkcd is Randall's own journal of what he thinks of every so often, and he gets to share it with millions and millions of people.
On the other, "and here's a trench I dug with my wheel" makes me think that Opportunity was using time outside of its feed to slowly but surely dig out an actual 100-meter or so trench. Getting larger. And larger. Until one day, it will rival even the trenches of Earth. And on that day...'''Their''' conquest will have begun. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.78.52|172.68.78.52]] 03:33, 14 February 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2099: Missal of Silos

2019-01-16T20:40:39Z

Linker:

We need a citation to prove that residents of Cheyenne, Wyoming would rather not be targeted with nuclear weapons?
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.59|172.68.58.59]] 19:06, 16 January 2019 (UTC)
:As no residents have already requested otherwise, let's go ahead and nuke them now. [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 19:49, 16 January 2019 (UTC)

:Seriously, though, a sufficiently patriotic American living in Cheyenne, WY may potentially prefer that the relatively unimportant city of his or her residence be nuked instead of the more militarily important{{Citation needed}} Cheyenne Mountain Complex. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.220|162.158.78.220]] 20:37, 16 January 2019 (UTC)
::Is the citation needed for the military importance or for the crazy patriotic guy? [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 20:40, 16 January 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2097: Thor Tools

2019-01-11T18:52:07Z

Linker:

I think the comment about the axis direction is based on how you interpret the terms Best and Worst - either for Thor or those who encounter him. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 17:15, 11 January 2019 (UTC)

I'm surprised light saber did not make the list [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.196|108.162.241.196]] 18:09, 11 January 2019 (UTC)

Many nail-guns use cartridges filled with a combustible material (gunpowder or similar) rather than a supply of compressed air. A blank load of a .22 rimfire pistol cartridge is typical. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powder-actuated_tool [[Special:Contributions/50.202.80.200|50.202.80.200]] 18:35, 11 January 2019 (UTC)

Is there a possibility that the reversed axis suggests an (aero)plane as the worst weapon? Bad taste rules it out I suppose. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.179|108.162.212.179]] 18:46, 11 January 2019 (UTC) Nic

I think a lightning staple/nail gun would be pretty dope...[[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 18:52, 11 January 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2086: History Department

2018-12-18T12:59:17Z

Linker:

The business about the 1750s probably has something to do with the British doing their changeover from Julian to Gregorian calendars then, but you can't look too carefully at the details. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.16|108.162.219.16]] 18:51, 17 December 2018 (UTC)

I'm confused. Is there any joke apart from the obvious "haha, studying history by fully covering time slices instead of topics"? [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 19:05, 17 December 2018 (UTC)
: There's also the joke about taking longer to study a period of time than that time took to pass. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.208|108.162.216.208]] 19:31, 17 December 2018 (UTC)
: I think it's also a reference to the fact that we are creating more and more data in the digital age, leading to the problem of there being too much data to keep up with. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.202|108.162.241.202]] 01:13, 18 December 2018 (UTC)
::Anything created will became part of history almost immediately. Taken literally, study of history means to study EVERYTHING, and it's obviously impossible to be done due to self-reference. Digital data are just subset of it. In reality, historians try to focus just on important things and hope they don't miss anything ; for digital data, it often involves algorithms automatically analyzing data and finding "interesting" ones.
::In not-so-distant future, archaeologists won't be digging in mud to find physical artefacts from past periods (any mud would be already covered by buildings or roads anyway). They would be digging in digital archives and searching for stuff which didn't seemed important when fresh, but in hindsight turned out to be more important and require to be better indexed or correlated with other data. Sometimes, they would be able to find newsworthy discoveries without ever setting foot from their home.
Or, well, sometimes they will find a piece of entertainment, say, a webcomics, which they realize can easily be turned out to blockbuster ; I mean, seriously, major movie studios could already learn from webcomics ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 06:20, 18 December 2018 (UTC)
:Are you hinting at an xkcd movie? Perhaps Black Hat trying to destroy the world classhole-ily?[[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 12:59, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

Two sides to the same coin? We normally think about historians studying time periods on the order of years, decades, or even longer periods (e.g. the Dark Ages), which naturally takes less time than the original era. Another joke is the idea that an entire department is devoted to such narrow periods, but maybe it's a really small college.
[[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:04, 17 December 2018 (UTC)

It seems to me that the humor is based on the incongruity of thinking in business-like terms of productivity and gains and losses in a history department.

I think the 1750s reference is to Tristram Shandy.

The last Animorphs novel was published in May 2001. Given the number of times Randall's brought up Animorphs in comics, is it possible that May 16, 2001 refers to that? I think it would be very much in line with comic 1380 for him to strangely emphasize an Animorphs-related date. [[User:Gman314|Gman314]] ([[User talk:Gman314|talk]]) 02:36, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

I'm sure he meant this as a joke, But there's a real phenomena when covering ongoing wars where day-by-day front line maps like [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN5ylBNvqic this one] have to be produced faster than the war actually happened, in order for them to be released while the war is still relevant. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.192|141.101.105.192]] 10:06, 18 December 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2082: Mercator Projection

2018-12-08T00:53:47Z

Linker:

The choice of characters in this comic is...interesting. I never got the impression that White Hat was gullible. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 21:27, 7 December 2018 (UTC)

I can convince people that all of Randal's maps are real? [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 00:53, 8 December 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2079: Alpha Centauri

2018-11-30T18:49:20Z

Linker:

Possible concept projects he's referencing: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2069_Alpha_Centauri_mission
or
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakthrough_Starshot 
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.150|172.68.65.150]] 18:18, 30 November 2018 (UTC) 
Alpha century does have 3 stars: Alpha Centauri A (also named Rigil Kentaurus[15]), Alpha Centauri B (also named Toliman), and a small and faint red dwarf (Class M), Alpha Centauri C (also named Proxima Centauri[15])
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Centauri 
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.150|172.68.65.150]] 18:18, 30 November 2018 (UTC) 
I don't know what the (voices off) is complaining about. We only have one star! So Alpha Centauti is an upgrade ;-) [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 18:44, 30 November 2018 (UTC)
:But if your going to upgrade, go all the way at least. (Definitely not an excuse I use to buy better PC hardware)[[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 18:49, 30 November 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2074: Airplanes and Spaceships

2018-11-19T18:04:34Z

Linker:

Damn, Randall was 3 months late with this comic ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:38, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

By the time of the first spaceflight, air travel was available to the general public. Where is the space plane today??[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.28|108.162.229.28]] 16:24, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

NASA released a video 2 days back - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeA7edXsU40
Do you think that's why this comic was uploaded? I would have added it in, but I could use an opinion [[Special:Contributions/162.158.167.120|162.158.167.120]] 17:56, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

This is... depressing. RIP Project Constellation, you will be missed.[[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 18:03, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2074: Airplanes and Spaceships

2018-11-19T18:03:17Z

Linker:

Damn, Randall was 3 months late with this comic ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:38, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

By the time of the first spaceflight, air travel was available to the general public. Where is the space plane today??[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.28|108.162.229.28]] 16:24, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

NASA released a video 2 days back - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeA7edXsU40
Do you think that's why this comic was uploaded? I would have added it in, but I could use an opinion [[Special:Contributions/162.158.167.120|162.158.167.120]] 17:56, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

This is... depressing. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 18:03, 19 November 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2073: Kilogram

2018-11-17T18:45:00Z

Linker:

I didn't know that weights and currencies could be converted 1:1, that's cool! [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 16:37, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

I wish they ''had'' redefined the kilogram a little bit. It would have been neat if 1 kg was exactly the weight of 1 dm^3 (1 litre) of water under one atmosphere of pressure. Right now it's soooo close. It's a good enough estimate for simple maths, but whenever you tell people that a litre of water weighs one kilogram the pedants comes out of the woodworks... [[User:Kapten-N|Kapten-N]] ([[User talk:Kapten-N|talk]]) 16:50, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

:You'll get pedants whenever you refer to a kilogram as weight; it's a mass. The difference is that stuff weighs less on the Moon - or on tall mountains - although the mass is the same. I think the article as I just read it gets away with this. And, sure, what is the standard kilogram but a weight, that you take and weigh... rja.carnegie@excite.com [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.59|162.158.91.59]] 23:57, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

::It ''used'' to be a mass. Now it's a ratio of the local gravitational strength versus the efficiency of an EM field. Kibble scales require EM shielding & an environment of ''precisely'' 1g, in order to be accurate. Since gravity isn't equal everywhere, our measurements of kilograms will now vary accordingly. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 08:36, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

::: No, it doesn't require an environment of precisely 1g, it relies on the fact that the effect of local gravity is well understood, can be measured precisely, and compensated for. It's a fundamental aspect of the Kibble balance and you can rest assured that it hasn't been overlooked by the physicists designing it! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.34|162.158.134.34]] 16:38, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Up until 1964 a litre (and therefore actually the metre too) used to be defined as the volume that water with mass 1kg takes. But this is not good for exact measurements not only because you need exactly reproducable temperature, pressure (not so problematic, because you can measure them and then calculate the divergence) and gravity (not so easy to measure, because you need an exact mass and exact masses are impossible to keep the same), but also because you need pure water free of any polutions of other stuff (hard and expensive) and even free of tiny amounts of isotopes which are deuterium and tritium (even way more expensive).
Because the water that was used then was never close to pure the actual weight of water nowadays is 0.99997kg at 4°C and 1.013bar and I don't know which value for g. There is also another definition which I like, but is hard to measure in real life scenarios: E=mc². A kilogramm should be 1/c² of the mass which anything becomes heavier that you accelerate by the energy of one Joule. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.150|162.158.90.150]] 17:11, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
:But how do you define/measure a Joule then? [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 18:19, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
:No, until 1964, meter and litre were totally independent, a meter has never been defined directly or indirectly in relation to a mass of water. It is only since 1964 that the liter is defined as a cubic decimeter.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.36|162.158.90.36]] 18:36, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
:Also, in E=mc², E is the energy '''at rest''' (for a stationary object of mass m), so your definition using the acceleration makes no sense.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.254|162.158.88.254]] 18:47, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
Actually, for the new definition of the kilo using the Kibble balance you need to measure the gravity... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.16|162.158.134.16]] 17:34, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

Welp, looks like 1 kg, a.k.a. 1 lb, a.k.a 2.2 lb, is now officially defined to have zero mass.
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.50.28|172.69.50.28]] 16:56, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
:…or infinite. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 16:59, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
::What I understand: the joke is not (only) about 1 (old) kg = 1 (old) lb, but (also) about 1 new kg = 1 old lb... or 1 new lb = 1 old kg :^) Or about a ring of positive characteristic --[[Special:Contributions/188.114.102.94|188.114.102.94]] 17:08, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
:I'm so glad other people see the problem with this supposed "official" definition. We've gone from a unit of measure problematically prone to contamination error, to a unit of measure that changes depending on where you measure it! [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 08:36, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

what about the ambiguity of the pound? would they reference an Avoirdupois bound or a Troy lb? --wonderkatn {{unsigned ip|172.69.50.16}}

I don't believe the Imperial system is "no longer used". Gills have been retired, but yards and even chains are still in use, not to mention the Imperial <s>lb</s> pint. [[User:Yngvadottir|Yngvadottir]] ([[User talk:Yngvadottir|talk]]) 18:49, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
:The imperial system has some good things about it. Feet are divisible by 12, and Fahrenheit is much nicer for human temperatures. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 18:55, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
::Yeah, coz it's so easier to divide by 12 than to divide by 10! {{unsigned ip|162.158.89.61}}
:::No it is easier to divide by 2, 3, 4, and 6, and yes, I can divide the number of feet by 10 easily in my head. [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 19:15, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
:::The idea is that with twelve parts, you can have 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 1/6, and 1/12 all be integer number of parts. This is why these types of systems developed in the past, and why so many systems also had multiples of 60 (you can do the math here.). They were easy to divide by merchants without access to any sort of calculation method. The base-10 system is great if you're only ever dealing with halves or tenths. But if you want a quarter or a third of something, you have to split the base units. It's no longer necessary in modern life, but it had a real advantage in ancient times. [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 19:18, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
:::: No longer necessary in modern life... Which is why we should all switch to base-10 units of time! [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 08:36, 17 November 2018 (UTC)
::::: Or we could change everything else to base 12... (I can dream, can't I?) [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 18:45, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

Ok, I'm going to point out something. What's a meter? 1000 milimeters. What's a milimeter? .....skipping the questions all the way to the end, the answer is "the wavelength of the color orange". Or at least that's what I read. So my question is: why orange? What's so special about orange? What as a species or as a solar system or as universe does the color orange have to do with anything? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.90.10|172.68.90.10]] 21:50, 16 November 2018 (UTC) SiliconWolf

: "The metre was originally defined in 1793 as one ten-millionth of the distance from the equator to the North Pole." That's why orange. Think of those lines from equator to pole... and how an orange is divided in segments beneath the peel. This is why the "Terry's Chocolate Orange" is so called, because it resembles the fruit orange. rja.carnegie@excite.com [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.59|162.158.91.59]] 23:51, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

: The wavelength definition of the meter is not in use anymore either. Since 1983, the meter is defined as the distance the light (any light) travel in the vacuum in 1/299792458 seconds. Of course, all units have a part of arbitrary, and the value it is used to calculate the meter (the orange color, the 1/299792458 seconds...) are basically chosen because they are close to and more precise than the previous definition that existed, in order to not have to recalibrate things that don't need high precision. [[Special:Contributions/103.22.200.210|103.22.200.210]] 08:03, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

:I feel like we're starting to compare angstroms & millitrumps, here. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 08:36, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Be very careful'''

An announcement to a new definition of the kilogram is published wildly (I mean what I'm saying) today. Please do not present this issue as a final fact, I'm still missing an official statement -- it's just press hype. And there are two possible definitions taken account, not only the one from the US. The final decision right now looks like some of Randall's compromises. Just sayin... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:01, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
:OK then, here's an after-the-vote November 16 web page from NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, within the US Department of Commerce. It says it's a done deal. [https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2018/11/historic-vote-ties-kilogram-and-other-units-natural-constants historic-vote-ties-kilogram-and-other-units-natural-constants]. --JohnB [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.89|162.158.79.89]] 21:58, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
::Thanks, but my German sources still preset something like counting atoms [https://www.ptb.de/cms/forschung-entwicklung/forschung-zum-neuen-si/ptb-experimente/kilogramm-und-mol-atome-zaehlen.html Kilogram and MOL, counting atoms], just meaning I'm not sure what will be true in May 2019, do we know the truth??? And in fact it looks like Europeans are fighting against US scientists, or vice versa. This is far of a standard I would prefer. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:29, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
:::I'm ''extremely'' skeptical of the Kibble scale definition. It won't maintain constant mass at different locations. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 08:36, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

It will be very funny when we find out one of those constants is not really constant ... sure, planck length is less likely to change than physical object, but it MIGHT. Like, maybe it gets longer the older the universe is ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:17, 16 November 2018 (UTC)
:Since they're proposing to measure the gravitational force exerted on a unit of mass against the force exerted by an electromagnetic field (instead of comparing the downward force exerted on two masses), the new definition ''isn't'' a constant. For instance, on the moon such a scale would define 1kg as about 13.3lbs! The "new official definition" is a bad one. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 08:36, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

You could not define the kilogram in terms of electric force when you defined the Amp in terms of the current that creates a given force. But by defining the amp in terms of numbers of elementary charges per second and setting Avogadro and other constants by fiat, you break the circle. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.190|162.158.38.190]] 23:54, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

In the Netherlands, we use the metric system. We also use the term "pond" to mean pound. However, we use metric pounds. Those are 0.500 kilogram, so it is actually easy to use.

US weight and length units definition is strictly based on metric system:
"Standards for the exact length of an inch have varied in the past, but since the adoption of the international yard during the 1950s and 1960s it has been based on the metric system and defined as exactly 2.54 cm."{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inch}
"the most common today is the international avoirdupois pound, which is legally defined as exactly 0.45359237 kilograms" {https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_(mass)}
Therefore the conversion proposed sounds recursive.
Also, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmSJXC6_qQ8
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.178|172.68.51.178]] 13:49, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

While it would be nice if the meter were equal to a yard, it would certainly be better if the meter were defined as 5.28 feet, so that kilometers and miles are the same.[[User:Mathmannix|Mathmannix]] ([[User talk:Mathmannix|talk]]) 13:54, 17 November 2018 (UTC)

I'm guessing that they'll get around the varying g problem by defining the kg in terms of some standard acceleration equal to 9.81 m/s^2. Then when measuring an object's mass you would account for the difference between the local value of g and the standard one. This isnt a problem because we can measure gravitational acceleration quite precisely and it depends only on the units of length and time.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.190|108.162.216.190]]Carl[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.190|108.162.216.190]]

Talk:2073: Kilogram

2018-11-16T18:55:21Z

Linker:

Talk:2072: Evaluating Tech Things

2018-11-16T14:44:37Z

Linker:

Do we need a reason to do things other than the fact it is freaking awesome? [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 17:42, 14 November 2018 (UTC)
:Look on the other end of the scale -- some of the freaking awesome things we do have devastating long term effects for all of humanity. But not this one. {...mentally weighing...} Probably. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 18:29, 14 November 2018 (UTC)

Ok, I'll setup the google alert: https://www.google.com/alerts/feeds/03781144062642195102/9931051611942254792 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.58|108.162.245.58]] 18:17, 14 November 2018 (UTC)

The Black Mirror-Mythbusters scale. Or, to give it it's proper name, the Brooker-Hyneman Scale. [[User:GranadalandDreamer|GranadalandDreamer]] ([[User talk:GranadalandDreamer|talk]]) 23:59, 14 November 2018 (UTC)
:lol, find it a little funny that it sounds almost like a real name.

I'm amazed that no one has flown a drone into a tornado yet. Or is it just that they've yet to recover any footage from the mangled remains of the poor smashed drones? --[[User:Quantum7|Quantum7]] ([[User talk:Quantum7|talk]]) 09:07, 15 November 2018 (UTC)

Explanation seems pretty complete. Anything missing really? The comic is not very deep to need a longer explanation than it currently is. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.207|172.69.134.207]] 11:16, 15 November 2018 (UTC)

Is Cueball vacillating over which opinion he has, or does he have both and is wondering which to express?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.94.32|162.158.94.32]] 13:03, 15 November 2018 (UTC)
:That's a good question. Aside from risk-taking inherent to any storm-chasing, the activity of flying a drone into a storm doesn't have any ''obvious'' ethical baggage. Maybe Randall has thought of something that I haven't? Either way, it's a less-than-ideal testcase to demonstrate the evaluation scale humorously or otherwise. [[User:Jameslucas|jameslucas]] ([[User talk:Jameslucas|" "]] / [[Special:Contributions/Jameslucas|+]]) 13:56, 15 November 2018 (UTC)
:If the dials above his head represent his thoughts, as suggested by the 2nd panel, then it is his actual opinion that he expresses in the end.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.94.20|162.158.94.20]] 14:22, 15 November 2018 (UTC)

Drones into a tornado is a thing.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1517270439/the-sirens-project-uav-tornado-research {{unsigned ip|162.158.78.166 }}
:No, not yet, the project is planned, but they need funding, and also make their actual idea work. But cool though. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:03, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

I don't even see this as a question. Of course it's massively cool. But the engineer in me is concerned about any drone being strong enough to not be completely destroyed before it gets close enough to return good data/video. [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 20:21, 15 November 2018 (UTC)

I actually went through exactly this quandary when I walked through my living room a few nights ago and found my wife watching live open-heart surgery on the TV (UK - I don't know if this is a thing anywhere else). My dial is still quivering right in the middle as I'm fascinated, but wondering about the impact on "entertainment" and society's expectations thereof. [[User:Daemonik|Daemonik]] ([[User talk:Daemonik|talk]]) 11:44, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

I think Randall just tries to use his influence to get the job done. Just like he has experiences before with [[249: Chess Photo]] and [[225: Open Source]] (see [https://blog.xkcd.com/2007/04/19/life-imitates-xkcd-part-ii-richard-stallman/ Life Imitates xkcd]). See also the explanation for [[254: Comic Fragment]], which no one has enacted yet... This insight could be part of the explanation above, that Randall hopes alot of engineers will be inspired to try and maybe succeed in getting pictures and data from the inside of a tornado using drones. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:03, 16 November 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2072: Evaluating Tech Things

2018-11-14T17:42:43Z

Linker:

User:Linker

2018-11-13T12:53:47Z

Linker:

:About myself:
I mainly do computers. 
I'm really good'''*''' at them. 
I do space-stuff sometimes too... 
I used to be best at space-stuff, but I put more effort towards computers, 'cause it's more useful. 
I like this comic very much. 

:What I do:
I spend most of my time doing computer related things. Often I try and start some projects. Some are successful, but a lot fail, 
usually because I failed to realize the scale of what I was starting. Either way I usually learn quite a bit. 
I worked a job for a bit and saved up more money than I knew what to do with, so I built a new computer. I mostly game on it, but (theoretically) it can handle some decent video editing workloads... If I ever need to. 
Otherwise I am usually managing files on it, mainly an over-complicated system of personal files that I somehow never get around to backing up...

:For those (few) who care my PC Specs:
Ryzen 5 1600 (OC @ 3.6 ghz) 
G.Skill Flare 2400 (OC @ 2666 mhz); 16 Gb 
Asus ROG Strix GTX 1070 

:Why I am here:
I'm relatively new to this community. I started reading xkcd only a little while ago, after a friend showed me "What-If".I remember #1773 was the newest comic when I started... After a week of spamming the random comic button, I finally decided to read it from beginning to end. Half a (school) year later, I was done.
I discovered this website when I was reading comic number ~200-ish, and have opened it hundreds of times since then.
At one point, I started making minor, unimportant change. So I decided I'd better register.
Here we are today.

:Notes:
<nowiki>*</nowiki>"Goodness" is measured by relative performance compared to my peers of equal age. Many of my peers are not proficient at computers, and even some of the best come to me for help. However, that does not put me anywhere near a 1337 hacker, pro IT guy, or brilliant programmer.

User:Linker

2018-11-13T12:49:32Z

Linker:

User:Linker

2018-11-13T12:46:54Z

Linker:

:About myself:
I mainly do computers. 
I'm really good'''*''' at them. 
I do space-stuff sometimes too... 
I used to be best at space-stuff, but I put more effort towards computers, 'cause it's more useful. 
I like this comic very much. 

:What I do:
I spend most of my time doing computer related things. Often I try and start some projects. Some are successful, but a lot fail, 
usually because I failed to realize the scale of what I was starting. Either way I usually learn quite a bit. 
I worked a job for a bit and saved up more money than I knew what to do with, so I built a new computer. I mostly game on it, but (theoretically) it can handle some decent video editing workloads... If I ever need to. 
Otherwise I am usually managing files on it, mainly an encrypted archive on my life. 

:For those (few) who care my PC Specs:
Ryzen 5 1600 (OC @ 3.6 ghz) 
G.Skill Flare 2400 (OC @ 2666 mhz); 16 Gb 
Asus ROG Strix GTX 1070 

:Why I am here:
I'm relatively new to this community. I started reading xkcd only a little while ago, after a friend showed me "What-If".I remember #1773 was the newest comic when I started... After a week of spamming the random comic button, I finally decided to read it from beginning to end. Half a (school) year later, I was done.
I discovered this website when I was reading comic number ~200-ish, and have opened it hundreds of times since then.
At one point, I started making minor, unimportant change. So I decided I'd better register.
Here we are today.

:Notes:
<nowiki>*</nowiki>"Goodness" is measured by relative performance compared to my peers of equal age. Many of my peers are not proficient at computers, and even some of the best come to me for help.

User:Linker

2018-11-13T12:45:59Z

Linker:

:About myself:
I mainly do computers. 
I'm really good'''*''' at them. 
I do space sometimes too... 
I used to be best at space, but I put more effort towards computers, cause it's more useful. 
I like this comic very much. 

:What I do:
I spend most of my time doing computer related things. Often I try and start some projects. Some are successful, but a lot fail, 
usually because I failed to realize the scale of what I was starting. Either way I usually learn quite a bit. 
I worked a job for a bit and saved up more money than I knew what to do with, so I built a new computer. I mostly game on it, but (theoretically) it can handle some decent video editing workloads... If I ever need to. 
Otherwise I am usually managing files on it, mainly an encrypted archive on my life. 

:For those (few) who care my PC Specs:
Ryzen 5 1600 (OC @ 3.6 ghz) 
G.Skill Flare 2400 (OC @ 2666 mhz); 16 Gb 
Asus ROG Strix GTX 1070 

:Why I am here:
I'm relatively new to this community. I started reading xkcd only a little while ago, after a friend showed me "What-If".I remember #1773 was the newest comic when I started... After a week of spamming the random comic button, I finally decided to read it from beginning to end. Half a (school) year later, I was done.
I discovered this website when I was reading comic number ~200-ish, and have opened it hundreds of times since then.
At one point, I started making minor, unimportant change. So I decided I'd better register.
Here we are today.

:Notes:
<nowiki>*</nowiki>"Goodness" is measured by relative performance compared to my peers of equal age. Many of my peers are not proficient at computers, and even some of the best come to me for help.

Talk:2069: Wishlist

2018-11-07T14:17:10Z

Linker:

Inspired by the current furore over Super Smash Bros being branded racist over the character Mr Game And Watch, perhaps? I know people started yelling over the last few days, but don't play the game so I don't have any further details. Feel free to delete / expand. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.160|172.69.62.160]] 09:36, 7 November 2018 (UTC)
Clippy: "It was an intelligent user interface that assisted users." Really? Did you have a different clippy? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.45|141.101.69.45]] 10:05, 7 November 2018 (UTC)
Randall should submit his list to McLeodGaming, maybe they will put one of these into SSF3. https://mcleodgaming.fandom.com/wiki/Character#Playable_characters_2 --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.44|162.158.88.44]] 10:53, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

The Mario and Luigi hybrid might be a reference to [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bowsette this monstrosity]. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 12:09, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

InstallShield Wizard Final Smash: Install malware. Screen glitches out, game blue screens, everyone takes damage and goes flying. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 14:17, 7 November 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2067: Challengers

2018-11-02T13:49:16Z

Linker:

'''New category elections'''

I've created a new category for elections: [[:Category:Elections]]. Please help and add this category to other comics I've missed so far. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 09:47, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Further discussions'''

''Calling it now'': lots of complaining about campaigning, by folks who prefer jokes. [[User:KangaroOS|Kangaro]][[User talk:KangaroOS|OS]] 06:25, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

There are hidden comics. I've found three so far:
Attack ad comic in north half of Texas.
Ballot measure comic in north half of California.
Gerrymandering comic in north half of Washington.
IronyIsGood 06:16, 2 November 2018 (AEST) {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.184}}

: Steve King comic in north-western Iowa
: St Louis comic on the border of Missouri and Illinois {{unsigned ip|162.158.90.144}}
: "Abigail Spanberger for Congress", just below Richmond, Virginia [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.165|172.69.54.165]] 08:17, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
: "Only Poll That Counts" comic on border of California and Nevada, South West of Las Vegas [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.56|141.101.77.56]] 08:21, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
: "I can see my house from here" in Washington DC [[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.88|172.68.110.88]] 09:17, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
: "If elected..." North Western Nebraska. {{unsigned|ManSpider}}
: "Carlymandering plan..." North Washington. {{unsigned ip|162.158.202.88}}

Non-Republican/Democrat candidate found in Alaska, in green - only one I've found so far. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.226.143|172.69.226.143]] 09:08, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
: There is also one southwest of Dallas {{unsigned ip|162.158.202.88}}

'''Serious bug report:'''

This damn thing must be geolocked or something, because apparently not being an American means I can't edit the map. I can't even get around it with a VPN. Help? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.214|162.158.38.214]] 10:18, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:This map will be changed by US citizens on November 6, 2018. Nobody can edit this map at xkcd. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:33, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Loading screen'''

please, include the [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/challengers.png loading screen] in the explanation. --[[User:Valepert|valepert]] ([[User talk:Valepert|talk]]) 11:19, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:Someone has mentioned it at the first paragraph. This was also the first version uploaded by the BOT: [[:File:challengers.png]]. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:09, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

'''Links to politicans'''

I'm not sure if we all haven't recognized that all larger names provide a link to a homepage. Maybe Randall has fixed an error right now. Nonetheless I've mentioned this in the first paragraph. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:26, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:It seems most links just use Google like this example: https://google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&btnI=1&q=kyrsten+sinema+senate+arizona which shows directly the first search result. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:41, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

'''What's with all the place names?'''

There are an immense number of placenames on the map - many of these look to be jokes. Maybe specific places you can go to vote or something? What's the deal with that? [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 12:58, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
:These are {{w|List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state|US Landmarks}} as mentioned at the first paragraph. If you find a place that doesn't belong to this list it should be mentioned. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:10, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::Some further investigations on the json file gave me this:
::*9 embedded comics
::*17,643 labels, much more than the 2,500 landmarks. This includes all names so far.
::Most links are just links to Google. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:41, 2 November 2018 (UTC)
::I just can't believe my hometown in on it... with a wlink to it's wikipedia page. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 13:49, 2 November 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2042: Rolle's Theorem

2018-09-05T17:05:38Z

Linker:

Now we wait for https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munroes_theorem. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.165|172.69.54.165]] 15:51, 5 September 2018 (UTC)
:Can't wait to see how long it takes to remove the article. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 17:05, 5 September 2018 (UTC)

I feel like Euclid beat Randall to the punch here, a couple millennia. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.146|162.158.155.146]] 16:54, 5 September 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2003: Presidential Succession

2018-06-06T12:39:28Z

Linker:

Aw, but what about Morgan Freeman? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.11|108.162.221.11]] 04:43, 6 June 2018 (UTC)
:And Kiefer -designated survivor- Sutherland?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.83|141.101.104.83]] 08:24, 6 June 2018 (UTC)
:Morgan Freeman> "I do solemnly swear / that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States..." [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 12:39, 6 June 2018 (UTC)

Academy awards have been won by actors playing kings / queens - of England, the United Kingdom and Siam - Princes - of Denmark - and Prime Ministers of Great Britain and even the President of the Uniter States / Member of the house of Representatives, but I do not believe it has been won by an actor playing a state govenor. Mind you it is not clear if an actor playing a prison govenor, would count. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 11:30, 6 June 2018 (UTC)

Bill Pullman's eldest daughter Maesa is a film composer with an IMDB page in her own right. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 11:30, 6 June 2018 (UTC)

Top 5 US astronauts? I only count three. Who are the other two? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.150.76|172.68.150.76]] 12:15, 6 June 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2003: Presidential Succession

2018-06-06T12:38:50Z

Linker:

Aw, but what about Morgan Freeman? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.11|108.162.221.11]] 04:43, 6 June 2018 (UTC)
:And Kiefer -designated survivor- Sutherland?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.83|141.101.104.83]] 08:24, 6 June 2018 (UTC)
:[Morgan Freeman] "I do solemnly swear / that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States... [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 12:38, 6 June 2018 (UTC)

Academy awards have been won by actors playing kings / queens - of England, the United Kingdom and Siam - Princes - of Denmark - and Prime Ministers of Great Britain and even the President of the Uniter States / Member of the house of Representatives, but I do not believe it has been won by an actor playing a state govenor. Mind you it is not clear if an actor playing a prison govenor, would count. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 11:30, 6 June 2018 (UTC)

Bill Pullman's eldest daughter Maesa is a film composer with an IMDB page in her own right. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 11:30, 6 June 2018 (UTC)

Top 5 US astronauts? I only count three. Who are the other two? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.150.76|172.68.150.76]] 12:15, 6 June 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2000: xkcd Phone 2000

2018-05-31T15:45:26Z

Linker:

Huh, it's not a milestone comic like 1000 was. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.191|172.68.58.191]] 16:16, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Yeah, I'm slightly disappointed honestly [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.46|172.68.54.46]] 16:22, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Gotta wait for an actual round number, like 0b100000000000 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.127|162.158.111.127]] 16:38, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Well it is the phone 2000 and he does mention in passing asking if 2000 is a good number to choose [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 16:39, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:What am I waiting for more: 2018 or 2048? [[User:SilverMagpie|SilverMagpie]] ([[User talk:SilverMagpie|talk]]) 16:53, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Waiting for 2018 personally. A comic that has looked at the calendar so many times should be able to see the comic number match the year. [[User:Lukeskylicker|Lukeskylicker]] ([[User talk:Lukeskylicker|talk]]) 17:36, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

: I think it is pretty clearly a milestone comic. Previous xkcd Phones were timed near iPhone releases. This is very specifically for the 2000th comic. I think it no coincidence that the xkcd Phone 2000 was released for the 2000th one, and think it should be mentioned. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.28|162.158.63.28]] 18:04, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:I was disappointed, was expecting a 1000-style comic. [[User:JayPlaysBeamNG|JayPlaysBeamNG]] ([[User talk:JayPlaysBeamNG|talk]]) 19:43, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:That's just the exact same thing as 1000, which IMHO I don't really want. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.41|172.68.46.41]] 20:08, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

It might be worth noting, that mouse cursors were a thing on BlackBerry smartphones. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.100|162.158.202.100]] 17:00, 30 May 2018 (UTC)
:Those had the weird double-screens, where you could lightly drag your finger around and the cursor would follow, and if you pushed hard it would click. Most people found it to be annoying at best, IIRC. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.165|162.158.74.165]] 18:38, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

They actually still work on Android if you pair a mouse with the phone (at least, last I tried it). This was actually annoying - my Apple Magic Mouse prefers to pair to my Android Phone than to my Macbook Pro! [[User:Fluppeteer|Fluppeteer]] ([[User talk:Fluppeteer|talk]]) 17:59, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

I would buy it just to be able to plug a keyboard into the type A port. I hate the USB host-peripheral thing... My phone is more than capable of handling external devices. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]])
:Don't you like USB OTG or type C adaptors? Bluetooth keyboards should actually work with many Android (or Windows Mobile) devices. [[User:Fluppeteer|Fluppeteer]] ([[User talk:Fluppeteer|talk]]) 17:59, 30 May 2018 (UTC)
:: Most Android phones accept keyboard/mouse/pendrive/whatever standard USB peripheral through its USB, some are able to power them, for others you need to provide an external power source. For my old Moto Droid 4, I connected OTG adapter to a USB hub and there one self-made male-male cable for power and rest for peripherals :) As soon as you connect a mouse, the pointer appears. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.215.103|172.68.215.103]] 07:56, 31 May 2018 (UTC)
::The issue is you need the adapter. I hope to get an OTG adapter someday, but it is just annoying to have to carry an adapter around (Thank goodness I still have a headphone jack...)I am really hoping type C just cleans up the mess, considering a lot of phones have more power than some old desktops... it just bugs me. 'Course, it would probably not be a priority for the OEM's because 99% won't care. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 15:45, 31 May 2018 (UTC)

I think PCB refers to Printed Circuit Board which I assume naturally doesn't contain BPA. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.28|172.68.174.28]] 18:54, 30 May 2018 (UTC)
: I edited the explanation to include Printed Circuit Board. I didn't go as far as to remove the alternate explanation, but I think you are correct [[User:Itijara|Itijara]] ([[User talk:Itijara|talk]]) 19:57, 30 May 2018 (UTC) Itijara

The charging area looks an awful lot like the suggestive violin plots of [[1967:_Violin_Plots]] {{unsigned ip|162.158.186.42 }}

Is that even a "standard" USB port? it looks like it has one too many pins to me, although i guess maybe it could be a 3.0 port. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.219|172.69.68.219]] 21:58, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

;Title text - Our retina display features hundreds of pixels per inch in the central fovea region.
There is so much language in this and a big error not covered here:
*''Our'' isn't them, it's us! We all (mostly) have two eyes and the retina collects visual information in pixels.
*But hundreds of pixels is far too low. The Wiki article {{w|Fovea centralis}} tells me "50 per 100 micrometres in the most central fovea". This is approximately 12,700 per inch. This would lead to roughly 162 GigaPixels.
*And then the human eye isn't large as an inch, and the "most central fovea" is much smaller. Maybe Randall will correct the "hundreds of pixels per inch"...
Nevertheless the word ''retina'' is focusing on people who know the ''Apple Retina Display'' but don't know where it comes from. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:06, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

No comment on "®®™®©™®"?? {{unsigned ip|162.158.74.147}}

I honestly hope comic 2001 has a reference to ''2001: A Space Odyssey''.

Why '''Maggie Haberman'''? Is it just because of her prolific Twitter usage? I'm not aware how that relates to captioning photos, am I missing a reference?

If comic #404 wasn't counted due to Comic Not Found, it means that this comic is not really #2000, but rather #1999. Probably on Wednesday it will be truly comic #2000.

2000: xkcd Phone 2000

2018-05-30T17:39:45Z

Linker: Grammar.

{{comic
| number = 2000
| date = May 30, 2018
| title = xkcd Phone 2000
| image = xkcd_phone_2000.png
| titletext = Our retina display features hundreds of pixels per inch in the central fovea region.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an XKCD PHONE 2000 USER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

*'''Dockless:''' It was common practice for older standard cellphones (i.e. non-smartphones) to use a docking station for charging. "Dockless" could be a catchy marketing term for wireless charging.
*'''Silent:''' Implying perhaps that the phone is unable to produce sound entirely. Labelled at the location where a headphone socket would traditionally be, although some recent phones have discarded the traditional headphone jack in place of wireless headphones.
*'''Mouse Cursor''' Most recent Android phones have external mouse support and will display a mouse cursor. However, this is typically disabled by default. This mouse cursor seems to always be present, even when the touch screen is in use.
*'''Quad Camera Takes Four Copies of Every Picture:''' Recent phones have added up to three rear-facing cameras, offering different fields of view, monochrome cameras for low light, and a wider base for emulating depth of field effects. At the time of writing no phone on the market has four rear-facing cameras. However, YouTube personality nigahiga created a parody of the iPhone (iFhone 8) that has four cameras structured similarly, e.g. taking a picture of a letter K gives 4K.
*'''Front-Facing Camera Obscura:''' A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscura camera obscura] is a dark room or box with a small hole allowing light to enter. The size of the hole causes light travelling in straight lines to project a dim inverted image on the back of the room or box; the concept is the predecessor to a modern camera, which uses a lens to allow more light to enter. A camera obscura is not strictly speaking a camera as in an image capture device (although there are pin-hole cameras which use the same mechanism). Actual phones have front-facing conventional cameras, allowing selfies, video calling, etc.
*'''3D Facial Contour Analysis Shows You a Realistic Preview of Your Death Mask:''' Recent computational photography effects implemented on mobile phones support facial analysis, allowing for artificial relighting or the creation of avatars. A death mask would be a new take on this.
*'''Sponsored Pixels:''' Presumably this means that parts of the screen (pixels) can be bought in a sponsoring deal. If enough pixels are sold, your screen would be rendered unusable.
*'''Front and Rear Pop-Out Grips:''' There are accessories that stick to the rear of a phone and can be "popped out", offering a grip, a stand, or somewhere to store headphone cables. Integrating such a feature into the phone design is novel, although some phones have incorporated kick stands. Pop-out grips are normally placed on the back of the phone to make it easier to hold with one hand. Having a second grip to the front of the phone does nothing except block part of the screen. There could be a small screen on the top of the grip since the grip is shown to contain "Sponsored Pixels".
*'''Humidity-Controlled Crisper:''' A crisper is a drawer in a refrigerator meant to control the humidity to keep vegetables from drying out and getting limp.
*'''Antikythera Mechanism:''' The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism Antikythera Mechanism] is an ancient Greek clockwork device for predicting astronomical positions. It is one of the earliest known analogue computers.
*'''New York Times Partnership: All Photos Taken with Camera App are Captioned in Real Time by Reporter Maggie Haberman:''' Modern phones can use machine learning techniques (usually in the cloud) to identify and tag camera content - this makes it possible to search, for example, for photos containing a particular person or subject without requiring user input. Cellphone photos are often used in contributions to social media with some form of user-provided caption. This phone appears to combine the two, using Maggie Haberman to provide automatic captions for photos taken by the phone's owner (although whether this is explicitly for social media use or internal to the phone is unclear).
*'''Spit Valve:''' A spit valve is used for emptying saliva out of wind instruments, particularly large brass instruments. It is to be hoped that less saliva accumulates in a smart phone than a wind instrument. (best not to think about it){{Citation needed}}
*'''Standard USB Connector:''' a USB 3.0 A port is displayed. Unfortunately, a "standard" USB connector, according to the USB standard, would be a USB B port as a phone typically acts as the "slave" device, rather than the "host" as a USB A port would imply.
*'''Coin Purse-Style Squeeze Access:''' presumably, the casing is flexible in this region, and when squeezed at the sides (a bad idea, considering the next design item) reveals the USB A port and spit valve.
*'''Hollow-Ground:''' a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grind#Typical_grinds hollow grind] is a type of knife (or similar sharp tool) edge noted for sharpness and general fragility, often seen in razors and certainly not what you'd want on the edge of a phone.
*'''Absorbent:''' Many modern phones are designed to be waterproof, to avoid accidents and allow use in the rain. It's also common to have some form of oleophobic coating on the screen to reduce smearing as fingers are used on the touchscreen. This phone seems to have the reverse feature, and be explicitly designed to absorb things (presumably liquids).
*'''Keyboard Supports Dynamic Typing:''' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_system#Dynamic_type_checking_and_runtime_type_information dynamic typing] is a computer programming concept, and has nothing to do with typing on a keyboard.
*'''Backflow Preventer:'''
*'''Swiss Army Partnership: Folding Knife (Unlocks Only if Switzerland is Invaded):''' A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Army_knife Swiss Army knife] is a folding knife, traditionally with many secondary "blades" for multiple uses such as can openers and files. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland Swizerland] is known for remaining neutral (and not being invaded) in both of the World Wars of the 20th century despite war raging across surrounding countries, suggesting that it is unlikely that the knife would ever been unlocked. While such a feature on a phone (or phone case) may be useful, it is likely to be a safety concern, and a phone does not provide the ideal grip for a knife blade - especially if force is to be applied to it.
*'''100% BPA-Free PCB Construction:''' {{w|Bisphenol A}} (BPA) is a chemical used in plastics such as waterbottles. Recent studies show that BPA can leech estrogen-like compounds into liquids, so BPA-free waterbottles have become popular. There is no plastic in a printed circuit board (PCB).
*'''AMOLCD Display (7-Segment):''' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMOLED AMOLED] is a display technology often used in cell phones, providing thin and emissive displays. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid-crystal_display LCD] is another display technology used in phones, and works by blocking light from a separate backlight. A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven-segment_display 7-segment display] is a device made of seven independently-controlled segments (usually either LCD or LED) which can be used to display a single digit; as such the technology is common in traditional digital watches. In contrast most phone displays are made of a uniform high-resolution pixel grid that allows arbitrary content to be displayed, although some very old (pre-smart) cellphones and land lines did use this technology in displaying a phone number. The technology cannot represent the entire alphabet without modification, so it is inappropriate for text messages, let alone graphics.
*'''Runs on Battery for the First 6 Hours, then Uses Gasoline:''' A nod to the increased popularity of gas-electric hybrid vehicles. This would be a fantastic breakthrough for fuel cells. There have been many attempts to create a highly portable fuel cell that can be used to power phones. Although having to use gasoline instead of a USB cord would likely cause more problems for the average consumer a fuel cell does have some notable advantages over a standard lithium-ion battery. A fuel cell of equal size as any battery would, in some cases, be capable of powering the phone many times longer than if you had used a normal battery. It would also mean that there would also mean users would not have to rely on a working power grid (useful for disaster situations where thousands of people would no longer be capable of staying in contact with others or people who are stranded and alone) or having to use a bulky generator to convert the gasoline into electricity first. This is not the first time Randall has talked about this before, with much of the information here coming from what-if #128: Zippo Phone [https://what-if.xkcd.com/128/].
*'''Sharpie® Dual Stylus (Dry-Erase + Permenant)''' "Permenant" is curiously spelled incorrectly, perhaps comically highlighting that the permanent portion of the dual stylus would be unable to correct any typos that a dry-erase marker would allow.
*'''Mouse Cursor:''' A feature of Blackberry smartphones which has gone out of favor due to the popularity of touch screens.

The tagline for the phone says that the marketing team hopes that 2000 still sounds like a futuristic number. It was common for a time to have futuristic science-fiction take place on or around the year 2000 (e.g. 2001: A Space Odyssey). However, since the year 2000 was 18 years ago at the time of this comic's publication, this is no longer the case.

The title text refers to {{w|Retina Display}}, a term used to describe Apple products with higher pixel densities. The XKCD Phone marketing team would be unable to use the term due to Apple's having registered it as a trademark. Additionally, the {{w|Fovea centralis|Central fovea region}} is a portion of your eye's retina (confusing the biological retina with the electronics display of the same name).

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

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2000: xkcd Phone 2000

2018-05-30T17:32:03Z

Linker:

Talk:1999: Selection Effect

2018-05-29T12:47:25Z

Linker:

The selection effect is a bias in the results of a study because the study participants are not a random sample of the general population. For example, a study performed on college students may be biased toward better-educated people, or a study on social interaction may be affected by how many participants have the same first language as the investigators.

[[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 19:17, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

One more comic until we hit 2000!
Which means on July 11th, the comic number will finally match up with the date (and will certainly be the only time ever). Like an eclipse!
[[User:Some Commenter|Some Commenter]] ([[User talk:Some Commenter|talk]]) 12:23, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

:Just 49 to go until a big round-number milestone! (and just 1 until a big round number kilometerstone) --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.4|172.68.54.4]] 21:54, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

:Well, arguably only two more to go, as there was no comic for #404 (Found this out on accident a few minutes ago looking for something unrelated.) But that means the 1000th comic was the 999th too.[[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 12:47, 29 May 2018 (UTC)

I don't think escaping from MRI is that easy. There is reason why it's known to be problem for claustrophobic people. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:46, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1997: Business Update

2018-05-25T17:03:51Z

Linker:

"Our customers are experiencing rapid growth"

Literally?

[[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.184|162.158.38.184]] 18:23, 23 May 2018 (UTC)anon

:Probably. Also, excited for comic 2000! [[User:StillNotOriginal|StillNot]][[User talk:StillNotOriginal|Original]] 18:37, 23 May 2018 (UTC)

Panel 2 would suggest that they are making ice (in a fridge?) and that the thermostat glitch caused them to become liquid; additionally that the faucet in the kitchen sink has stopped running. {{unsigned|Richardelguru}}

The formatting seems odd. Is it just me? (Chrome on mobile) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.103.95|162.158.103.95]] 20:16, 23 May 2018 (UTC)

The title text sounds like some weird Only-in-Beret-Guy-Land variant on a Nigerian Prince scam. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.225|162.158.62.225]] 20:51, 23 May 2018 (UTC)

"Beret Guy claims she has made several appearances in their video conferences, which may be possible if someone has hacked their video feed to play footage from the 2002 movie."
Surely it's simpler than that. They're watching a video feed, and the plot of the Ring is that Samara appears in videos to tell people they're going to die. Their videoconference is cursed, not hacked. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.130|162.158.38.130]] 23:42, 23 May 2018 (UTC)

:I get the vibe that her contributions are nothing sentient or original, she is literally the recording from the series, and that these "contributions" are still markedly better than whatever their normal meeting fare is.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.48|162.158.106.48]] 01:36, 24 May 2018 (UTC)

:Am I the only one who found the Sadako panel hilarious while assuming her appearances were real (as in movies) and her contributions were valuable because she got rid of some very irritating participants? Maybe I'm just jaded after too many unproductive telcos...--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.89|162.158.91.89]] 09:07, 25 May 2018 (UTC)

''The EU told me I'm the heir to some ancient European throne that makes me exempt from the GDPR''

I wonder if this is a reference to the claim that [https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rr-06-20.pdf Native Americans don't have to pay tax] in US? [[User:Sikachu|Sikachu]] ([[User talk:Sikachu|talk]]) 00:28, 24 May 2018 (UTC)

I think when the comic talks about stocks, it's talking about shares and not pillories. Generally companies have a constant number of stocks, which only changes during some kind of financial restructuring like a split. The idea that they're producing them faster than ever before is therefore absurd. [[User:YM Industries|YM Industries]] ([[User talk:YM Industries|talk]]) 04:55, 24 May 2018 (UTC)

Currently the explanation is a bit hard to read. Because everything in the first 2 panels is mentioned as individual sentences within a single paragraph, it makes it hard to add further details on these items. My suggestion is to transform this into a bullet point list or a table. I'd do it myself but I'm new to explainxkcd and don't want to tread on anyone's toes. [[User:YM Industries|YM Industries]] ([[User talk:YM Industries|talk]]) 04:55, 24 May 2018 (UTC)

The sink cannot be flooding from the sewers (or, if so, that’s not what stopped); that would not count as ''original'' content. {{unsigned ip|162.158.75.136}}

::Good point! Fixed! [[User:Berets|Berets]] ([[User talk:Berets|talk]]) 01:00, 25 May 2018 (UTC)

Maybe that's just me, but I understand the last part of the title text ("but we should probably still try to fix that.") as related to "that makes me exempt from the GDPR", meaning the team wishes ''not'' to be exempt. That would be in accord with the twisted way of thinking of Beret Guy & Co.

Also, it's not clear whether some of the things are ment literally, like stocks or growth. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.103.95|162.158.103.95]] 19:49, 24 May 2018 (UTC)

I keep getting emails saying there privacy policy has changed to comply with new EU regulations...
But of course, I live in privacy-less America. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 17:03, 25 May 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1994: Repairs

2018-05-16T16:15:13Z

Linker:

I think the bot on here and xkcd OS might be broken[[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.200|172.69.22.200]] 04:46, 16 May 2018 (UTC)

The 2x version (found in srcset attribute) is complete though - https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/repairs_2x.png [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.16|162.158.2.16]] 05:08, 16 May 2018 (UTC)

This comic almost seems meta. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.142.64|162.158.142.64]] 05:15, 16 May 2018 (UTC)

The improperly-sized version is probably intentional, given the changes indicated in the "2x" version and the results. The link to the "2x" version should be included in the explanation. Dissassembling the "original" version before moving it to trash would be likely to increase rather than decrease the size of the file in trash. [[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 06:02, 16 May 2018 (UTC)

The way I'm reading the graph, I think the dashed lines represent how Randall hoped things would go at each point in the repair effort, whereas the solid line represents the actual repair progress (or rather the lack of it). [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 12:55, 16 May 2018 (UTC)

This is the fifth comic in a row to need a trivia section in the explanation, starting from [[1990: Driving Cars]]. Has that happened before, and should it be mentioned in the trivia section? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 13:06, 16 May 2018 (UTC)
:Meta trivia? I don't feel that's needed... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 16:07, 16 May 2018 (UTC)'

Sure, you risk breaking it permanently, but it is so worth it if you get the nobel prize.[[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 16:15, 16 May 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1988: Containers

2018-05-02T18:23:40Z

Linker:

Pretty much a description of my social interactions ... [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 17:51, 2 May 2018 (UTC)
:Pretty much a description of all my "useful" programs.

Talk:1987: Python Environment

2018-04-30T14:58:54Z

Linker:

Now you can see why the BOT is written in PERL;). But I have to be honest, there are also different versions causing similar problems... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:26, 30 April 2018 (UTC)

Currently working on a table with everything. Note: Programs are boxed, and file paths are just strings. [[User:Chbs|Chbs]] ([[User talk:Chbs|talk]]) 14:44, 30 April 2018 (UTC)

I swear every so often Randall just releases a comic like this to mess with us...
Just in case the last few ones have been too easy. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 14:58, 30 April 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1987: Python Environment

2018-04-30T14:58:38Z

Linker:

Talk:1985: Meteorologist

2018-04-26T12:33:42Z

Linker:

I’ve wondered about this (from both the math and software development perspectives anyway, not the linguist), so I look forward to seeing some actual answers as the explanation gets filled in :) [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 16:36, 25 April 2018 (UTC)
: The weather service has a [https://www.weather.gov/ffc/pop nice explanation] of this. After reading it you come away understanding that the percentage chance is... still almost impossible to discern :) {{unsigned ip|172.68.189.205}}

I really liked this one. I don't know why though. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 17:35, 25 April 2018 (UTC)

: Yep - all three of the 'experts' express problems that I have with every single weather forecast. It gets worse though. Our local TV station uses a rotating 3D graphic of downtown Austin where the shadows of the buildings flicker violently as it rotates - they've been doing this for YEARS. I'm a 3D computer graphics professional and I know PRECISELY why that is happening (they are rendering the back-faces of the building polygons in the shadow rendering pass instead of the front-faces...trust me on this one!)...I could fix the bug with ONE LINE OF CODE - and I bet I could find and fix it within 20 minutes if left alone with the source code. But when I call them and BEG to be allowed t...'''SECURITY!!!''' [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 17:36, 25 April 2018 (UTC)
::Hah, that's pretty funny, but understandably frustrating. I rarely watch the weather though... that is why I find it a little strange I liked it so much. Have you actually called them though? I mean, if you have proof to show you are a professional...[[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 12:33, 26 April 2018 (UTC)

; Randall
: wonders about something and puts it in an xkcd comic.
; Explainxkcd participants
: answer Randall's questions for him (and all of his readers).
—[[User:TobyBartels|TobyBartels]] ([[User talk:TobyBartels|talk]]) 20:52, 25 April 2018 (UTC)

Am I allowed to be slightly offended by the suggestion that "information being conveyed is to people, who would probably be able to interpret it easily"? Okay, I'm a software engineer, but even if I weren't I'd still not know whether the report system defines "12:00" as "in the period between 12:00 and 13:00" or "between 11:30 and 12:30". I usually wonder, but get so many variants of weather reports exposed to me that I can't be bothered to check which arbitrary decision any given one has made, and whether they all agree. A software engineer might instantly spot the ambiguity, but it affects everyone. [[User:Fluppeteer|Fluppeteer]] ([[User talk:Fluppeteer|talk]]) 23:58, 25 April 2018 (UTC)
:Clearly, what that sentence is trying to convey is that software developers are no longer considered "people" - since, you know, everyone knows that software developers have actually been replaced by robots. ;p
:I agree that that section is pretty poorly worded (in more ways than one) and was likely written by somebody quickly trying to get as much explanation out as possible so that future people could fix it. So, I'm going to see if I can fix that sentence and the surrounding section. [[User:Jeudi Violist|Jeudi Violist]] ([[User talk:Jeudi Violist|talk]]) 01:40, 26 April 2018 (UTC)
As someone who's asked many questions along these lines, this comic makes me happy. [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]]) 01:53, 26 April 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1985: Meteorologist

2018-04-25T17:35:10Z

Linker:

Talk:1985: Meteorologist

2018-04-25T17:30:20Z

Linker:

Talk:1983: Clutter

2018-04-20T22:10:29Z

Linker:

So that book mentioned in the title text is real. I had to Google it because I'm a horribly cluttered person and have never been interested in actually being organized. https://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308 ... Just in case anyone else was also curious. From the product description on Amazon, the main concept of the book is that you should only retain items in your home that "spark joy" - thus there is a joke implied that Randall is already doing the main concept from the book without having ever read it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.53|108.162.221.53]] 15:11, 20 April 2018 (UTC)Martin

I've always also seen spring cleaning as a time to go into storage and pull out the warm weather clothes and pack away the snow clothes until the next year. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.200|172.69.22.200]] 20:55, 20 April 2018 (UTC)Rowan

My Hard drive is more organized than my room. Priorities. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 22:10, 20 April 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1983: Clutter

2018-04-20T22:10:09Z

Linker:

So that book mentioned in the title text is real. I had to Google it because I'm a horribly cluttered person and have never been interested in actually being organized. https://www.amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308 ... Just in case anyone else was also curious. From the product description on Amazon, the main concept of the book is that you should only retain items in your home that "spark joy" - thus there is a joke implied that Randall is already doing the main concept from the book without having ever read it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.53|108.162.221.53]] 15:11, 20 April 2018 (UTC)Martin

I've always also seen spring cleaning as a time to go into storage and pull out the warm weather clothes and pack away the snow clothes until the next year. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.200|172.69.22.200]] 20:55, 20 April 2018 (UTC)Rowan

My HDD is more organized than my room. Priorities. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 22:10, 20 April 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1982: Evangelism

2018-04-19T02:11:55Z

Linker:

I want to know where vi vs. emacs fits on this spectrum.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.53|108.162.238.53]] 15:12, 18 April 2018 (UTC)
:I use vi by virtue of the fact that it once opened on my computer and I don't know how to close it [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.76|108.162.219.76]] 15:20, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

When you say people open bananas from the other side, which side is the proper side and which is the other? I open from the proper side, not the side with the stem (just like the monkeys taught us) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.76|108.162.219.76]] 15:20, 18 April 2018 (UTC)
:Why are you being taught by monkeys? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.28|108.162.219.28]] 22:43, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

The title text seems to be a reference to the big-endian/little-endian war in "Gulliver's Travels".[[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:04, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

And 3 miles to the right of the banana conflict is "iPhone vs. Android" [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 17:07, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

I ''LOVE'' the "Pun Intended" tag. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.28|108.162.219.28]] 22:43, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

I suggest we use the metric system, and keep Fahrenheit, but modify it so "0" is room temperature. So a positive temp is usually warm, and vice versa. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 02:11, 19 April 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1980: Turkish Delight

2018-04-15T23:28:30Z

Linker:

whomever[[Special:Contributions/172.68.26.71|172.68.26.71]] 15:42, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
:On the distinction (to or for whom something is done) one of my favorite knock-knock jokes goes: >"KnockKnock..." <"Who's there?" >"to" <"...to who?" >(quickly, with emphasis)"to ''WHOM''" [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]]) 02:52, 15 April 2018 (UTC)
::That's a pretty good one. Have to remember it.[[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 23:28, 15 April 2018 (UTC)

Randall is a known Animorphs fan, and Cinnabon is portrayed in the books as being foremost among the favourite foods of Andalites when in human morph. Possibly the title text is meant to introduce the narrator as one? It wouldn't be the [[769:_War|first time]] that mousing over has revealed the identity of a character in the strip. [[User:D5xtgr|D5xtgr]] ([[User talk:D5xtgr|talk]]) 17:57, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

Would it be useful to include an explanation of what Turkish Delights are and what they’re made from? It could help to explain why he might be let down. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.211.82|172.68.211.82]] 19:41, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
:This might be helpful for background [http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2005/12/the_lion_the_witch_and_the_really_foul_candy.html The Lion, the Witch, and the Really Foul Candy] [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 21:22, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

One point that might be worth mentioning, is that this happens during World War II, more specifically during The Blitz (the Kids were being sent off to the professor's to get them out of the city, since the city was being bombed to crap. This kind of thing was rather common.) Rationing had been in place for some time, and ANY sort of confectionery would've been exceedingly difficult to come by. Poor Edmund probably hadn't had any candy at all for months. -Graptor [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.95|172.68.58.95]] 22:00, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
:Candy was definitely in short supply during the war, and it was still being rationed in the UK even at the time ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' was published. But the witch offered Edmund ''any'' kind of food he might want, and what he requested was Turkish delight, which she magically conjured up. (''"What would you like best to eat?" "Turkish Delight, please, your Majesty," said Edmund. The Queen let another drop fall from her bottle onto the snow, and instantly there appeared a round box, tied with green silk ribbon, which, when opened, turned out to contain several pounds of the best Turkish Delight.'') It wasn't like the witch had only Turkish delight to offer and Edmund was grateful for it only because he had no other access to candy. He could have requested chocolate bars or some other kind of candy from the witch, if he had wanted to. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.150.52|172.68.150.52]] 22:51, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

I'm getting ridiculous deja vous... did Randal publish this comic before? Or did he steal the punchline from somewhere? I could *SWARE* I've seen this before.... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.82|172.69.69.82]] 23:31, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
:I had similar Deja Vu... I don't think from another comic. It might have been this article:
:[https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cs-lewis-greatest-fiction-convincing-american-kids-that-they-would-like-turkish-delight C.S. Lewis’s Greatest Fiction Was Convincing American Kids That They Would Like Turkish Delight] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.226|108.162.241.226]] 18:20, 14 April 2018 (UTC)

Should Narnia get its own category? Also, the title text has a noteworthy grammatically incorrect sentence: it’s “whomever” instead of “whoever.” [[Special:Contributions/172.68.211.112|172.68.211.112]] 23:54, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
:I'm not sure, there have been several Narnia comics before, but I'm not sure if they could stand out as a category on their own. Maybe as a subcategory of the fiction category? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 01:07, 14 April 2018 (UTC)
::Five comic references I have moved to a new trivia section here, but reading those comics again gave me the conviction to this new category [[:Category:Chronicles of Narnia]]. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:55, 14 April 2018 (UTC)

I'm not a fan of pushing the prescriptivist grammar here. The subjective/objective distinction in the who(m) words is no longer regularly used in many dialects. Simply using "whom" among these people labels one as being excessively formal. If Randal's dialect does not use "whomever," then it is hardly a mistake. [[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 02:37, 14 April 2018 (UTC)

Make them [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reese's_Peanut_Butter_Cups Reese's Peanut Butter Cups] and you've got a deal. BTW, Is there a category for "comics drawn in a style uncommon to XKCD"? [[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]]) 01:06, 15 April 2018 (UTC)
:If there was I wouldn't put this one in it... What are you talking about? All I can see is that the sled is drawn at an angle, in a 3D style, but that doesn't seem worth mentioning... [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 03:46, 15 April 2018 (UTC)

OMG, ME TOO! Although it was the miniseries for me, didn't try the books until like 10 years ago. Took me 25 years before I found out I could get Turkish Delight - Rose Petal, didn't think they meant that it was the actual flavour. Tried it and... ??? My experience was better than that linked article, though, LOL! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 03:42, 15 April 2018 (UTC)

Something funny I thought of... What if the implication is that she'll force the kid to eat more of the stuff if he betrays his family, therefore she's trying to keep him loyal? It doesn't make much sense with the context, but it's a different angle to examine this from. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.12|141.101.105.12]] 14:57, 15 April 2018 (UTC)

Uhm...ever considered that Lewis was a devout Christian and everything he wrote had a moral, i.e. evil is *supposed* to look nice but tastes lousy? ;-) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.22|141.101.76.22]] 17:32, 15 April 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1980: Turkish Delight

2018-04-15T23:26:43Z

Linker:

whomever[[Special:Contributions/172.68.26.71|172.68.26.71]] 15:42, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
:On the distinction (to or for whom something is done) one of my favorite knock-knock jokes goes: >"KnockKnock..." <"Who's there?" >"to" <"...to who?" >(quickly, with emphasis)"to ''WHOM''" [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]]) 02:52, 15 April 2018 (UTC)
::That's a pretty good one.

Randall is a known Animorphs fan, and Cinnabon is portrayed in the books as being foremost among the favourite foods of Andalites when in human morph. Possibly the title text is meant to introduce the narrator as one? It wouldn't be the [[769:_War|first time]] that mousing over has revealed the identity of a character in the strip. [[User:D5xtgr|D5xtgr]] ([[User talk:D5xtgr|talk]]) 17:57, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

Would it be useful to include an explanation of what Turkish Delights are and what they’re made from? It could help to explain why he might be let down. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.211.82|172.68.211.82]] 19:41, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
:This might be helpful for background [http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2005/12/the_lion_the_witch_and_the_really_foul_candy.html The Lion, the Witch, and the Really Foul Candy] [[User:Odysseus654|Odysseus654]] ([[User talk:Odysseus654|talk]]) 21:22, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

One point that might be worth mentioning, is that this happens during World War II, more specifically during The Blitz (the Kids were being sent off to the professor's to get them out of the city, since the city was being bombed to crap. This kind of thing was rather common.) Rationing had been in place for some time, and ANY sort of confectionery would've been exceedingly difficult to come by. Poor Edmund probably hadn't had any candy at all for months. -Graptor [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.95|172.68.58.95]] 22:00, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
:Candy was definitely in short supply during the war, and it was still being rationed in the UK even at the time ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' was published. But the witch offered Edmund ''any'' kind of food he might want, and what he requested was Turkish delight, which she magically conjured up. (''"What would you like best to eat?" "Turkish Delight, please, your Majesty," said Edmund. The Queen let another drop fall from her bottle onto the snow, and instantly there appeared a round box, tied with green silk ribbon, which, when opened, turned out to contain several pounds of the best Turkish Delight.'') It wasn't like the witch had only Turkish delight to offer and Edmund was grateful for it only because he had no other access to candy. He could have requested chocolate bars or some other kind of candy from the witch, if he had wanted to. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.150.52|172.68.150.52]] 22:51, 13 April 2018 (UTC)

I'm getting ridiculous deja vous... did Randal publish this comic before? Or did he steal the punchline from somewhere? I could *SWARE* I've seen this before.... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.82|172.69.69.82]] 23:31, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
:I had similar Deja Vu... I don't think from another comic. It might have been this article:
:[https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/cs-lewis-greatest-fiction-convincing-american-kids-that-they-would-like-turkish-delight C.S. Lewis’s Greatest Fiction Was Convincing American Kids That They Would Like Turkish Delight] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.226|108.162.241.226]] 18:20, 14 April 2018 (UTC)

Should Narnia get its own category? Also, the title text has a noteworthy grammatically incorrect sentence: it’s “whomever” instead of “whoever.” [[Special:Contributions/172.68.211.112|172.68.211.112]] 23:54, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
:I'm not sure, there have been several Narnia comics before, but I'm not sure if they could stand out as a category on their own. Maybe as a subcategory of the fiction category? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 01:07, 14 April 2018 (UTC)
::Five comic references I have moved to a new trivia section here, but reading those comics again gave me the conviction to this new category [[:Category:Chronicles of Narnia]]. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:55, 14 April 2018 (UTC)

I'm not a fan of pushing the prescriptivist grammar here. The subjective/objective distinction in the who(m) words is no longer regularly used in many dialects. Simply using "whom" among these people labels one as being excessively formal. If Randal's dialect does not use "whomever," then it is hardly a mistake. [[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 02:37, 14 April 2018 (UTC)

Make them [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reese's_Peanut_Butter_Cups Reese's Peanut Butter Cups] and you've got a deal. BTW, Is there a category for "comics drawn in a style uncommon to XKCD"? [[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]]) 01:06, 15 April 2018 (UTC)
:If there was I wouldn't put this one in it... What are you talking about? All I can see is that the sled is drawn at an angle, in a 3D style, but that doesn't seem worth mentioning... [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 03:46, 15 April 2018 (UTC)

OMG, ME TOO! Although it was the miniseries for me, didn't try the books until like 10 years ago. Took me 25 years before I found out I could get Turkish Delight - Rose Petal, didn't think they meant that it was the actual flavour. Tried it and... ??? My experience was better than that linked article, though, LOL! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 03:42, 15 April 2018 (UTC)

Something funny I thought of... What if the implication is that she'll force the kid to eat more of the stuff if he betrays his family, therefore she's trying to keep him loyal? It doesn't make much sense with the context, but it's a different angle to examine this from. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.12|141.101.105.12]] 14:57, 15 April 2018 (UTC)

Uhm...ever considered that Lewis was a devout Christian and everything he wrote had a moral, i.e. evil is *supposed* to look nice but tastes lousy? ;-) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.22|141.101.76.22]] 17:32, 15 April 2018 (UTC)

User talk:Linker

2018-04-15T20:22:57Z

Linker:

Now why would you want to say something about me? [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 13:22, 5 April 2018 (UTC)

I don't know, what is "an encrypted archive on my life"? Oh, and welcome to explain xkcd, and thanks for helping out. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 05:41, 13 April 2018 (UTC)
:Let me clarify then. I keep journal entries and and media (music games video etc.) organized together in chronological order. It takes a lot of work to keep updated, so I usually end up doing it in bursts. Then I encrypt it for privacy. Thanks for the welcome though. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 20:22, 15 April 2018 (UTC)