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Knit Cap

2023-05-01T01:10:56Z

Migraine: /* Characteristics */ fixed a typo

{{Infobox character
| image = Knit_Cap2.png
| caption = An image of Knit Cap from [[1112: Think Logically]]
| first_appearance = [[1037: Umwelt]]
}}
'''Knit Cap''' is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]] distinguished by a knit cap.

==History==
Knit Cap Girl (i.e. a character with long hair that has a {{w|knit cap}}) was first seen in [[1350: Lorenz]]. At first, it was debated if this was a girl or a boy, but being with [[Hairy]] was reason enough to call her a girl. She has some similarities to [[Megan]] with a knit cap, but since Megan never before has been shown with a knit cap or been together as a pair with Hairy, it would be strange if this represents Megan. (Hairy has some bad reputation in trying to fool girls to fall for him. Perhaps he has finally found out how to interact with women [though they do seem to fight in this comic a few times].)

==Characteristics==
In [[1112: Think Logically]], for example, Knit Cap is depicted as a typical 'nerd'.

Knit Cap is one of the two main characters in the interactive comic [[1350: Lorenz]], in which the general consensus was the Knit Cap was a woman. In most other comics Knit Cap is seen as a man.{{Actual citation needed}} This was also the first comic where there was a big part for this character, and in that comic she was called Knit Cap Girl. Here below is what was once noted on Lorenz's explanation about this character and the type of hat.

==Other comics with knit caps==
*'''Before Lorenz :'''
**A guy with a knit cap can be seen in [[1037: Umwelt]] in the [[1037#Aurora|aurora story line]].
***Since he is in a cold environment that would warrant warm clothes, he does not seem to represent Knit Cap.
**A [http://imgs.xkcd.com/clickdrag/1n5w.png guy with a knit cap] can be seen on a boat in [[1110: Click and Drag]].
***He is not Knit Cap as his knit cap is black.
**Randall's wife is depicted with a knit cap in [[1141: Two Years]], one she uses due to chemotherapy treatments causing her to lose her hair.
***Since it is clear that Knit Cap Girl has hair, she does not wear the cap for that reason.
***It is described as ''...the woman (who is wearing a '''knit cap''')...'' in the [http://xkcd.com/1141/info.0.json official transcript].
****The [http://xkcd.com/1350/info.0.json official transcript] does not mention the knit cap in [[1350: Lorenz]] but the transcript mainly describes the functionality of the comic.
**Two guys wear knit caps in [[1321: Cold]].
***They are called winter hats in the [http://xkcd.com/1321/info.0.json official transcript].
*'''After Lorenz:'''
**One of the users' pictures for the April fools' comic the year after, [[1506: xkcloud]], also [[1506: xkcloud/Transcript#User pictures|looked like]] Knit Cap Girl.
**At the top of the huge chart in [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]] a guy with a white knit cap similar to the one in [[1321: Cold]] is freezing.
***Again, the cold environment shows that he isn't Knit Cap.
**The "You" option in [[2198: Throw]], which can be both thrower and thrown, has a knit cap. In the customization window, the knit cap "You" is also shown. He may look like a man at first glance, but it could also represent a woman, given the look of Knit Cap Girl. This may be the idea, since it represents the reader.

==Other names for knit caps==
*{{w|Beanie (seamed cap)|Beanie}}.
**The knit caps that appeared in [[1190: Time]] are traditionally referred to as "beanies"; by extension, the people wearing them are known as "Beanies" (and their language as "Beanish").
*{{w|Toque}}.
*{{w|Knit_cap#Canadian_tuque|Tuque}}.
*{{w|Skullcap}} or skully.
*”Knit cap” is the name that fits best with the three different official transcripts mentioned above.

==See also==
*[[:Category:Comics featuring Knit Cap|Comics featuring Knit Cap]]
*[[:Category:Characters with Hats|Characters with Hats]]

{{navbox-characters}}

[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Characters with hats]]

865: Nanobots

2023-04-30T23:15:37Z

Migraine: Added an Apostrophe to ‘April Fools’.

{{comic
| number = 865
| date = February 25, 2011
| title = Nanobots
| image = nanobots.png
| titletext = I think the IETF hit the right balance with the 128 bits thing. We can fit MAC addresses in a /64 subnet, and the nanobots will only be able to devour half the planet.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] and [[Ponytail]] are in orbit while nanobots are devouring the earth in a swarm. The nanobots stop after devouring 40% of the planet. This is a take on the "{{w|Grey goo}}" scenario in which self-replicating nanobots destroy the earth while creating more and more of themselves non-stop.

However, the nanobots are only able to destroy 40% of the planet because (40% of the earth's mass) = (# of {{w|IPv6}} addresses) x (A few cubic microns) x (density of nanobots). Without more IP addresses, the nanobots cannot continue to replicate (assuming that each nanobot must be individually addressable).

IPv6 supports approximately 3.4×1038 addresses, while the {{w|Earth|Earth's mass}} is around 5.972×1024 kg. Assuming "a few cubic microns" is the minimum of 2 µm3 (according to [[1070: Words for Small Sets]]), the nanobots would have a density of 4 g/cm3, a bit less dense than the earth.

This is a joke on the shortage of IPv4 addresses. The only difference is that we are on {{w|IPv4}} and the nanobots are on {{w|IPv6}}.

1998 is when the [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2460 IPv6 Specification (RFC 2460)] was published and IETF is the Internet Engineering Task Force.

Note that an April fools’ joke for [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1606 IPV9] exists and would have guaranteed Earth's doom in this comic's scenario.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and commander are on a space station.]
:Megan: Commander! Come quick! It's the nanobots—they've ''STOPPED!''

:Megan: They devoured 40% of the Earth, and then just... quit! They're just sitting there! Why?!

:Ponytail: It's a mystery. ...unless... What's the volume of each nanobot?
:Megan: A few cubic microns. Why?
:Ponytail: I think the year 1998 just bought us some time.
:[Earth's surface, covered in mountains of nanobots.]

:In the swarm:
:Nanobot: What do you mean, "Run out of addresses?"
:Other Nanobot: Look, we should've migrated away from IPv6 ''AGES'' ago...

==Trivia==
*On the website, the space above the comic says "xkcd.com now has IPv6 connectivity. If you can't reach it, you or your ISP have misconfigured equipment. Sadly, I now have no way to tell you."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Singularity]]

865: Nanobots

2023-04-30T23:00:58Z

Migraine: Added an s to ‘April Fool’. Not sure if it needs an apostrophe before it.

{{comic
| number = 865
| date = February 25, 2011
| title = Nanobots
| image = nanobots.png
| titletext = I think the IETF hit the right balance with the 128 bits thing. We can fit MAC addresses in a /64 subnet, and the nanobots will only be able to devour half the planet.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] and [[Ponytail]] are in orbit while nanobots are devouring the earth in a swarm. The nanobots stop after devouring 40% of the planet. This is a take on the "{{w|Grey goo}}" scenario in which self-replicating nanobots destroy the earth while creating more and more of themselves non-stop.

However, the nanobots are only able to destroy 40% of the planet because (40% of the earth's mass) = (# of {{w|IPv6}} addresses) x (A few cubic microns) x (density of nanobots). Without more IP addresses, the nanobots cannot continue to replicate (assuming that each nanobot must be individually addressable).

IPv6 supports approximately 3.4×1038 addresses, while the {{w|Earth|Earth's mass}} is around 5.972×1024 kg. Assuming "a few cubic microns" is the minimum of 2 µm3 (according to [[1070: Words for Small Sets]]), the nanobots would have a density of 4 g/cm3, a bit less dense than the earth.

This is a joke on the shortage of IPv4 addresses. The only difference is that we are on {{w|IPv4}} and the nanobots are on {{w|IPv6}}.

1998 is when the [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2460 IPv6 Specification (RFC 2460)] was published and IETF is the Internet Engineering Task Force.

Note that an April fools joke for [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1606 IPV9] exists and would have guaranteed Earth's doom in this comic's scenario.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and commander are on a space station.]
:Megan: Commander! Come quick! It's the nanobots—they've ''STOPPED!''

:Megan: They devoured 40% of the Earth, and then just... quit! They're just sitting there! Why?!

:Ponytail: It's a mystery. ...unless... What's the volume of each nanobot?
:Megan: A few cubic microns. Why?
:Ponytail: I think the year 1998 just bought us some time.
:[Earth's surface, covered in mountains of nanobots.]

:In the swarm:
:Nanobot: What do you mean, "Run out of addresses?"
:Other Nanobot: Look, we should've migrated away from IPv6 ''AGES'' ago...

==Trivia==
*On the website, the space above the comic says "xkcd.com now has IPv6 connectivity. If you can't reach it, you or your ISP have misconfigured equipment. Sadly, I now have no way to tell you."

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Singularity]]