explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3191: Superstition

2026-01-08T13:01:05Z

MarcusRowland: Is the Rabbits thing common outside the USA?

Does the comic look grainy/low-res to anyone else? [[Special:Contributions/2600:1006:B347:C663:D55A:314:CB4F:43F6|2600:1006:B347:C663:D55A:314:CB4F:43F6]]
:yeah its not just you [[Special:Contributions/2A06:5906:1412:4100:1C9B:B7E4:7419:FD67|2A06:5906:1412:4100:1C9B:B7E4:7419:FD67]] 20:04, 7 January 2026 (UTC)
:not me [[Special:Contributions/2A00:23EE:1878:2422:583A:77B9:1416:97D1|2A00:23EE:1878:2422:583A:77B9:1416:97D1]]
:did you say rabbit rabbit? [[Special:Contributions/2A01:E0A:1D1:7CE0:964F:C262:A580:DE9|2A01:E0A:1D1:7CE0:964F:C262:A580:DE9]] 20:45, 7 January 2026 (UTC)
:The mobile version of the comic seams to have lower then usual resolution of the image, the normal version has larger resolution. [[User:Maofgf|Maofgf]] ([[User talk:Maofgf|talk]]) 21:10, 7 January 2026 (UTC)
:Omg it does. I thought it was just a side effect of my new laptop's tiny screen but it's only this comic (other ones appear fine). [[Special:Contributions/2A02:C7C:6D8A:6800:74EC:66A3:2E17:78BC|2A02:C7C:6D8A:6800:74EC:66A3:2E17:78BC]] 21:16, 7 January 2026 (UTC)
:I actually prefer the 2× version without antialiasing, it prevents the blurry look. But the 1× version has not enough resolution for that font to look good. There are also different antialiasing methods, for example the one used by Windows hurts my eyes, so I put a lot of effort into disabling it on my work laptop, but the one used on my Linux computer is fine (where it would ironically be trivially easy to disable it). [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 00:02, 8 January 2026 (UTC)
:The image on xkcd looks a lot better than the one here. My guess is that it's been replaced since it was first posted. If someone who knows how could retrigger the image pull, that would likely fix the one here. [[Special:Contributions/206.193.5.5|206.193.5.5]] 00:29, 8 January 2026 (UTC)
: Seems to be a problem with the wiki. I've re-uploaded the current version from xkcd.com, <del>and it's lost its anti-alising after the upload</del> --[[User:Coconut Galaxy|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy|talk]]) 07:06, 8 January 2026 (UTC)
:: Addendum: <del>Wiki turns the 8-bit PNG from xkcd.com into a 24-bit PNG, while paradoxically forgetting about shades of gray. --[[User:Coconut Galaxy|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy|talk]]) 07:13, 8 January 2026 (UTC)</del> Nevermind the wiki cache is just being dumb. Should eventually look right. When? Nobody knows. --[[User:Coconut Galaxy|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy|talk]]) 07:20, 8 January 2026 (UTC)

I wasn't the first to comment - is that bad luck? [[Special:Contributions/2401:D005:D402:7A00:F107:D318:6C4C:DCA3|2401:D005:D402:7A00:F107:D318:6C4C:DCA3]] 21:33, 7 January 2026 (UTC)
:I thought the lack of anti-aliasing was just a random event but now I know it's all your fault! [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 22:28, 7 January 2026 (UTC)

The default header image is coming up blank for me. Is this the first comic for it to be so? [[Special:Contributions/206.193.5.5|206.193.5.5]] 00:32, 8 January 2026 (UTC)
:Uh that is long time ago this happened last! Almost always been some promotion of books the last many years! It is the first time in more than a year that the [[Header text]] has been changed. No changes seemes to have occured in 2025. This will be the longest stretch ever. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:39, 8 January 2026 (UTC)
::I found that it changed before this comic came up so I have added a [[3190:_Tensegrity#Trivia|trivia]] on this on the previous comic and have updated the header text page! Thanks for making this notice. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:29, 8 January 2026 (UTC)

Is the Rabbits thing common outside the USA?
I'm in the UK (London) and have never heard of it. --[[User:MarcusRowland|MarcusRowland]] ([[User talk:MarcusRowland|talk]]) 13:01, 8 January 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3107: Weather Balloons

2025-06-26T14:57:50Z

MarcusRowland: formatting error

If you could make weather balloons out of plastic grocery bags you could address global warming and plastic bag pollution at the same time. [[Special:Contributions/47.248.235.170|47.248.235.170]] 21:35, 25 June 2025 (UTC)Pat
:You'd only delay those problems as weather balloons do have a life expectancy, just look at the problems the Myth Busters had with them when tackling Lawnchair Larry. [[Special:Contributions/2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:391C:7C6C:4E0A:AD94|2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:391C:7C6C:4E0A:AD94]] 23:21, 25 June 2025 (UTC)
::It wouldn't be a plastic recycling method so much as a plastic distribution method. [[User:RegularSizedGuy|RegularSizedGuy]] ([[User talk:RegularSizedGuy|talk]]) 00:26, 26 June 2025 (UTC)
The current description is useful -- but the phrase "over time" is in error. The graph shows the relationship between the number of weather balloons and the accuracy of modelling: "time" is not a component. [[Special:Contributions/165.225.115.132|165.225.115.132]] 23:56, 25 June 2025 (UTC)
:I would say time is a component because the x axis is labeled number of weather balloons launched _per day_, therefore distributed through time, therefore time is part of the graph. [[Special:Contributions/179.217.229.235|179.217.229.235]] 06:54, 26 June 2025 (UTC)
:The original complaint was neutered {{diff|380453|fairly soon after the observation was made}}, anyway, so no longer applies. Clearly you ''could'' progress through "number of balloons per day". Testing a given number one day, a larger number the next is an easy method (for as long as you wish to sustain that, and are able to). Or even just test for a few releases, one day, then immediately launch more (and test), then yet more (test again), all before the initial ones start to 'decay' out of the current count faster than you can add to them (any eventual backsliding, aside, that makes a timeward correlation to numbers currently aloft).
:But, truly, you could scattergun the effect. Today, launch 1. Tomorrow launch 1 trillion. The day after, try 4000. The day after that, try 4000 ''again'' (just because), or 1 or 400 or 1 trillion or 18 trillion or 42 (or none) — whatever is you desire and within your capability (including maybe preventing other potential launchings from others, to ensure a sufficiently supressed daily figure).
:Anyway, though time 'features', insofar as daily counts (and, as a hidden variable, the matter of balloon longevity, which could change things drastically if prior ones did ''not'' actually vanish between one day and the next but actually permanently accumulated), "over time" is no longer mentioned (whoever rewrote that bit). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.112|82.132.245.112]] 09:58, 26 June 2025 (UTC)
:Global helium reserves are currently estimated to be around 40 billion cubic meters (source Google), so you run out of helium well before the balloons have a significant effect. Since the majority of it gets used for cooling cryogenic systems in hospitals that is going to become a serious health issue - it's already happened a couple of times as old reserves were depleted, the industry found some new sources but they are running out of places to look. [[User:MarcusRowland|MarcusRowland]] ([[User talk:MarcusRowland|talk]]) 10:07, 26 June 2025 (UTC)
::If we were launching massive quantities of balloons we could use hydrogen instead which is very abundant (yes, it is dangerous, but on the plus side has more lift). Or even argon (18 atomic weight, so it should have some lift) or methane (16 molecular weight) [[User:Rps|Rps]] ([[User talk:Rps|talk]]) 11:37, 26 June 2025 (UTC)
:::Hydrogen's teeny molecules would leak out of the balloons much faster than helium - when I was an educational lab technician we always had to fill hydrogen balloons just before using them because they deflated very quickly. It's also an indirect greenhouse gas so releasing vast quantities into the atmosphere may not be a good idea. Incidentally, has anyone done the sums on how many weather balloons would actually fit into the volume of the earth's atmosphere? --[[User:MarcusRowland|MarcusRowland]] ([[User talk:MarcusRowland|talk]]) 14:56, 26 June 2025 (UTC)
:::Oops, 18 is argon's atomic number, the mass of (terrestrial) argon is ~40, so it sinks in air. Neon (isotopes 20 and 22) would work somewhat, but is not abundant like argon, so probably not a good idea.[[User:Rps|Rps]] ([[User talk:Rps|talk]])

Talk:3107: Weather Balloons

2025-06-26T14:56:29Z

MarcusRowland: hydrogen is an indirect greenhouse gase and would leak.

If you could make weather balloons out of plastic grocery bags you could address global warming and plastic bag pollution at the same time. [[Special:Contributions/47.248.235.170|47.248.235.170]] 21:35, 25 June 2025 (UTC)Pat
:You'd only delay those problems as weather balloons do have a life expectancy, just look at the problems the Myth Busters had with them when tackling Lawnchair Larry. [[Special:Contributions/2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:391C:7C6C:4E0A:AD94|2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:391C:7C6C:4E0A:AD94]] 23:21, 25 June 2025 (UTC)
::It wouldn't be a plastic recycling method so much as a plastic distribution method. [[User:RegularSizedGuy|RegularSizedGuy]] ([[User talk:RegularSizedGuy|talk]]) 00:26, 26 June 2025 (UTC)
The current description is useful -- but the phrase "over time" is in error. The graph shows the relationship between the number of weather balloons and the accuracy of modelling: "time" is not a component. [[Special:Contributions/165.225.115.132|165.225.115.132]] 23:56, 25 June 2025 (UTC)
:I would say time is a component because the x axis is labeled number of weather balloons launched _per day_, therefore distributed through time, therefore time is part of the graph. [[Special:Contributions/179.217.229.235|179.217.229.235]] 06:54, 26 June 2025 (UTC)
:The original complaint was neutered {{diff|380453|fairly soon after the observation was made}}, anyway, so no longer applies. Clearly you ''could'' progress through "number of balloons per day". Testing a given number one day, a larger number the next is an easy method (for as long as you wish to sustain that, and are able to). Or even just test for a few releases, one day, then immediately launch more (and test), then yet more (test again), all before the initial ones start to 'decay' out of the current count faster than you can add to them (any eventual backsliding, aside, that makes a timeward correlation to numbers currently aloft).
:But, truly, you could scattergun the effect. Today, launch 1. Tomorrow launch 1 trillion. The day after, try 4000. The day after that, try 4000 ''again'' (just because), or 1 or 400 or 1 trillion or 18 trillion or 42 (or none) — whatever is you desire and within your capability (including maybe preventing other potential launchings from others, to ensure a sufficiently supressed daily figure).
:Anyway, though time 'features', insofar as daily counts (and, as a hidden variable, the matter of balloon longevity, which could change things drastically if prior ones did ''not'' actually vanish between one day and the next but actually permanently accumulated), "over time" is no longer mentioned (whoever rewrote that bit). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.112|82.132.245.112]] 09:58, 26 June 2025 (UTC)
:Global helium reserves are currently estimated to be around 40 billion cubic meters (source Google), so you run out of helium well before the balloons have a significant effect. Since the majority of it gets used for cooling cryogenic systems in hospitals that is going to become a serious health issue - it's already happened a couple of times as old reserves were depleted, the industry found some new sources but they are running out of places to look. [[User:MarcusRowland|MarcusRowland]] ([[User talk:MarcusRowland|talk]]) 10:07, 26 June 2025 (UTC)
::If we were launching massive quantities of balloons we could use hydrogen instead which is very abundant (yes, it is dangerous, but on the plus side has more lift). Or even argon (18 atomic weight, so it should have some lift) or methane (16 molecular weight) [[User:Rps|Rps]] ([[User talk:Rps|talk]]) 11:37, 26 June 2025 (UTC)
:::Hydrogen's teeny molecules would leak out of the balloons much faster than helium - when I was an educational lab technician we always had to fill hydrogen balloons just before using them because they deflated very quickly. It's also an indirect greenhouse gas so releasing vast quantities into the atmosphere may not be a good idea.

Incidentally, has anyone done the sums on how many weather balloons would actually fit into the volume of the earth's atmosphere? --[[User:MarcusRowland|MarcusRowland]] ([[User talk:MarcusRowland|talk]]) 14:56, 26 June 2025 (UTC)
:::Oops, 18 is argon's atomic number, the mass of (terrestrial) argon is ~40, so it sinks in air. Neon (isotopes 20 and 22) would work somewhat, but is not abundant like argon, so probably not a good idea.[[User:Rps|Rps]] ([[User talk:Rps|talk]])

Talk:3107: Weather Balloons

2025-06-26T10:07:17Z

MarcusRowland: running out of gas ~~~~

Talk:2938: Local Group

2024-05-28T00:38:39Z

MarcusRowland: /* Far Future Comics */ estimating the thickness of strand?

==Far Future Comics==
What other comics are there about the far future? Something maybe about the Sun swallowing the Earth in maybe 5.5B years? Btw, the Andromeda-Milky Way collision is in 4.5B years. {{w|Andromeda–Milky Way collision}} [[Special:Contributions/172.71.103.208|172.71.103.208]] 23:15, 27 May 2024 (UTC)

Does the estimated nutritional value include pasta sauce etc? Would it be possible to work back from the food value given to figure out the thickness of the strand?

2938: Local Group

2024-05-28T00:31:57Z

MarcusRowland: /* Explanation */ possible pastafarianism reference

{{comic
| number = 2938
| date = May 27, 2024
| title = Local Group
| image = local_group_2x.png
| imagesize = 547x266px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Cosmologists estimate the spaghetti strand to be about 200 septillion calories, though it could be higher depending on the nutritional value of dark matter.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a COSMIC SPAGHETTI BOWL - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In {{w|Timeline_of_the_far_future|less than 5 billion years}} into the future, the {{w|Andromeda Galaxy}} is expected to {{w|Andromeda–Milky Way collision|collide}} with the {{w|Milky Way}}. This comic suggests this will happen when both galaxies get into a kissing distance after having slurped the same cosmic spaghetti strand.

This is a spoof of a famous scene in the movie ''{{w|Lady and the Tramp}}'', where the titular dogs are eating spaghetti in an Italian restaurant. They happen to be eating the same strand from opposite ends, so they end up meeting in the middle and kissing. This scene has been mentioned before in [[2612: Lightsabers]].

It's possible that this is also a reference to {{w|Flying_Spaghetti_Monster|Pastafarianism}}, the spoof religion which claims that the universe might have been created by a "flying spaghetti monster". If both galaxies are eating one of the deity's "noodly appendages" they may be guilty of blasphemy.

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

:[Left galaxy:] Sluuurp
:[Right galaxy:] Sluuurp

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Astronomers have determined that the Milky Way and Andromeda are currently slurping up the same strand of cosmic spaghetti, suggesting that in 5 billion years they will likely kiss.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Cosmology]]