explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

User talk:Linuspogo

2015-06-23T12:33:28Z

Linuspogo:

Hi, please wait a while for the BOT [[User:dgbrtBOT]] before creating new pages here. My BOT will do any necessary changes here - there is much more than just uploading the picture and creating the main comic page.

My BOT got the updates on this late comic a few minutes later than you. That's because the Cloud Cache was not cleaned up for my BOT by that time and it saw still the former comic.

So, please wait a while before creating a page. My BOT will do all the proper things here you didn't.

When my BOT finds an existing page here it stops all further actions. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:55, 22 June 2015 (UTC)
: Alright. Sorry. --[[User:Linuspogo|Linuspogo]] ([[User talk:Linuspogo|talk]]) 12:33, 23 June 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1541: Voice

2015-06-22T12:23:41Z

Linuspogo:

The premise of this comic reminds me of a sci-fi short story I read many years ago but have never been able to track down. A young girl's doll (?) comes to life, and it explains that it is a entity that can inhabit inanimate objects. Some things happen that I have forgotten, and while walking down the road, the girl is almost struck by a runaway car. The entity takes control of the car and steers it away from her. It decides that, having saved the girl's life, it has every right to take control of her - leaving our poor protagonist in the worst kind of "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" scenario as the story ends. Perhaps Randall Munroe read the same story. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.212|141.101.98.212]] 12:08, 22 June 2015 (UTC)
:To me it reminds me of the movie "Being John Malkovich", especially the end, where the main character is forever trapped in the other person's body, unable to talk. Kind of the-other-way-around, but a similar concept. [[User:Linuspogo|Linuspogo]] ([[User talk:Linuspogo|talk]]) 12:23, 22 June 2015 (UTC)

1541: Voice

2015-06-22T11:48:00Z

Linuspogo: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1541
| date = June 2, 2015
| title = Voice
| image = voice.png
| titletext = Anyway, we should totally go watch a video story or put some food in our normal mouths!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft; Alt-Text explanation missing}}

During a casual talk, Ponytail suddenly interrupts her normal speech by stating that she is for some reason only capable of controlling her own voice once every six years, apparently for a very brief time since she immediately returns to the casual talk, continuing her previous sentence mid-word before being able to tell Megan how she could help her. Upon Megan's confused request, she denies knowledge of the occurrence, although in a somewhat suspicious way, using a (fake?) laughter.

It remains unclear if this is just a prank by Ponytail, or if she is indeed possessed by some sort of power that prevents her from expressing her own thoughts, except for a very short time every six years. If the latter is the case, it appears that Ponytail's usual "self" is indeed said power and is aware of suppressing the "real" Ponytail, as becomes clear by her response to Megan's inquire.

The title text suggests that Ponytail is possessed by some sort of inhuman entity, most likely and alien or AI, unfamiliar with movies and eating.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Ponytail are walking.]
:Megan: Are you doing anything later?
:Ponytail: I was th- ''I can only control my voice every six years. Please, you have to'' -inking of going out, but no real plans.
:Megan: ...what was that?
:Ponytail: Haha, what?

{{comic discussion}}

1541: Voice

2015-06-22T11:43:52Z

Linuspogo: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1541
| date = June 2, 2015
| title = Voice
| image = xkcd_voice.png
| titletext = Anyway, we should totally go watch a video story or put some food in our normal mouths!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft; Alt-Text explanation missing}}

During a casual talk, Ponytail suddenly interrupts her normal speech by stating that she is for some reason only capable of controlling her own voice once every six years, apparently for a very brief time since she immediately returns to the casual talk, continuing her previous sentence mid-word before being able to tell Megan how she could help her. Upon Megan's confused request, she denies knowledge of the occurrence, although in a somewhat suspicious way, using a (fake?) laughter.

It remains unclear if this is just a prank by Ponytail, or if she is indeed posessed by some sort of power that prevents her from expressing her own thoughts, except for a very short time every six years. If the latter is the case, it appears that Ponytail's usual "self" is indeed said power and is aware of suppressing the "real" Ponytail, as becomes clear by her response to Megan's inquire.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Ponytail are walking]
:Megan: Are you doing anything later?
:Ponytail: I was th- ''I can only control my voice every six years. Please, you have to'' -inking of going out, but no real plans.
:Megan: ...what was that?
:Ponytail: Haha, what?

1541: Voice

2015-06-22T11:41:42Z

Linuspogo: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1541
| date = June 2, 2015
| title = Voice
| image = xkcd_voice.png
| titletext = Anyway, we should totally go watch a video story or put some food in our normal mouths!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft; Alt-Text explanation missing}}

During a casual talk, Ponytail suddenly interrupts her normal speech by stating that she is for some reason only capable of controlling her own voice once every six years, apparently for a very brief time since she immediately returns to the casual talk, continuing her previous sentence mid-word. Upon Megan's confused request, she denies knowledge of the occurrence, although in a somewhat suspicious way, using a (fake?) laughter.

It remains unclear if this is just a prank by Ponytail, or if she is indeed posessed by some sort of power that prevents her from expressing her own thoughts, except for a very short time every six years. If the latter is the case, it appears that Ponytail's usual "self" is indeed said power and is aware of suppressing the "real" Ponytail, as becomes clear by her response to Megan's inquire.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Ponytail are walking]
:Megan: Are you doing anything later?
:Ponytail: I was th- ''I can only control my voice every six years. Please, you have to'' -inking of going out, but no real plans.
:Megan: ...what was that?
:Ponytail: Haha, what?

File:voice.png

2015-06-22T11:31:59Z

Linuspogo:

1541

2015-06-22T11:31:36Z

Linuspogo: First draft

{{comic
| number = 1541
| date = June 2, 2015
| title = Voice
| image = xkcd_voice.png
| titletext = Anyway, we should totally go watch a video story or put some food in our normal mouths!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft; Explanation missing}}

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Ponytail are walking]
:Megan: Are you doing anything later?
:Ponytail: I was th- I CAN ONLY CONTROL MY VOICE ONCE EVERY SIX YEARS. PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO -inking of going out, but no real plans.
:Megan: ...what was that?
:Ponytail: Haha, what?

1541

2015-06-22T11:30:36Z

Linuspogo: First draft

{{comic
| number = 1541
| date = June 2, 2015
| title = Voice
| image = voice.png
| titletext = Anyway, we should totally go watch a video story or put some food in our normal mouths!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First draft; Explanation missing}}

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Ponytail are walking]
:Megan: Are you doing anything later?
:Ponytail: I was th- I CAN ONLY CONTROL MY VOICE ONCE EVERY SIX YEARS. PLEASE, YOU HAVE TO -inking of going out, but no real plans.
:Megan: ...what was that?
:Ponytail: Haha, what?

1476: Ceres

2015-01-21T10:01:20Z

Linuspogo:

{{comic
| number = 1476
| date = January 21, 2015
| title = Ceres
| image = ceres.png
| titletext = Earth clearly hasn't been inspected, since it's definitely contaminated with salmonella.
}}

==Explanation==

{{w|Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn}} is the name of a probe sent by NASA in 2007 to examine the the large dwarf planet {{w|Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres}}, and the protoplanet {{w|4 Vesta|Vesta}}.
Dawn is scheduled to arrive at Ceres on March 6, 2015, but has already been returning images of the dwarf planet. The white dot is a physical characteristic of Ceres visible on photographs taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, although its nature is currently uncertain.

[http://www.ceres-cert.com/ CERES] (Certification of Environmental Standards) is also the name of a food inspection company based in Germany. The joke is that someone from CERES has inspected Ceres and has left his/her inspection number behind, indicating that Ceres is clean.

The title text extends the joke to the planet Earth, where {{w|Salmonella|salmonella}} can be found. Salmonella are harmful microorganisms that are sometimes found in food products subject to improper handling or overlong storage. Mixing the realms of astronomical objects and food once more, the title text concludes that the planet Earth clearly hasn't been tested by CERES since salmonella can be found on it.

==Transcript==
:[Megan talks to Cueball]
:Megan: Dawn has almost reached Ceres. I'm excited that we'll finally learn what that stupid white dot is.
:[Zoom on Ceres, white dot resolves to a badge]
:Inspected by No. 6

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1476: Ceres

2015-01-21T09:55:43Z

Linuspogo:

I'm not sure about Number 6 being a reference to The Prisoner. there's no other context in the comic to suggest that reference. {{unsigned ip|‎173.245.54.180}}

The novel The WindWalkers (in French "La Horde du Contrevent") from Alain Damasio is the story of the 34th team of people walking against the wind to go past the end of the known world. A group is sent every generation from a starting point and they walk over decades as far as they can go. The team leader is called Golgoth and is the 9th descendant of his family leading a team. He is obsessed with the idea of getting farther than his father (Golgoth 8) and the others Golgoth before them. At one point, while the team thought having been farther than any other, Golgoth 9 finds a sign let by Golgoth 6 (whose team had been thought lost) that demonstrates they were not the first ones reaching this point.
Maybe the comics does not make reference to this event in the novel, but readers of the novel will likely think about it. [[User:Marou|Marou]] ([[User talk:Marou|talk]]) 08:42, 21 January 2015 (UTC)

Maybe include a picture of Ceres (the dwarf planet) to show the real white spot (not the inspection sticker) [[User:SirKitKat|sirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 09:14, 21 January 2015 (UTC)
: Or a ref to an [http://www.universetoday.com/118358/first-hubble-and-now-dawn-have-seen-this-white-spot-on-ceres-what-is-it/ image/animation] [[User:SirKitKat|sirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 09:16, 21 January 2015 (UTC)
: This image shows it really good: [http://d1jqu7g1y74ds1.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/2004HubbleRotation-580x515.jpg] (Images from the Hubble Space Telescope in 2004 of Ceres. Credit: NASA/Hubble) --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.134|108.162.254.134]] 09:29, 21 January 2015 (UTC)

Ceres is also a brand of vegetable fat manufactured by [http://www.belusafoods.sk/1/index.php?kat=3&ac=5&id_p=170 BELUŠA FOODS s.r.o.] (no english version, sorry). Salmonela in this kind of Ceres would be very interesting but I doubt that Randal refers to this Ceres. [[User:Jkotek|Jkotek]] ([[User talk:Jkotek|talk]]) 09:31, 21 January 2015 (UTC)

Earth the planet contains salmonella.
--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.12|141.101.104.12]] 09:45, 21 January 2015 (UTC)
: I agree, in that sense the joke is much funnier and more closely related to the rest of the comic (since (dwarf)planets are tested). -- [[User:Linuspogo|Linuspogo]] ([[User talk:Linuspogo|talk]]) 09:55, 21 January 2015 (UTC)