explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

3215: Solar Warning

2026-03-05T11:15:02Z

Mumiemonstret: it's -> its

{{comic
| number = 3215
| date = March 4, 2026
| title = Solar Warning
| image = solar_warning_2x.png
| imagesize = 304x333px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = This replaces the previous solar activity watch, which was issued last month when the sun took off its sunglasses.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently :(. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
Children's drawings and cartoon representations may stereotypically personify objects that are not living, including planets and stars. Often, the {{w|Sun}} is drawn with a smiling face, or other expression. Cartoonised representations are also often used as an easily-recognised and interpreted schema for reporting and prediction services, such as weather forecasts.

This comic pretends this smile is an actual feature of the real Sun. However, the Sun cannot smile as it does not have a mouth.{{cn}} Apparently, the emotion that the Sun is expressing can give an indication of {{w|space weather|solar weather}}, including events such as {{w|solar flare}}s and {{w|coronal mass ejection}}s. The Sun changing its expression has triggered this official announcement of a warning. [https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/products/alerts-watches-and-warnings Similar warnings] are produced by NOAA's [https://www.swpc.noaa.gov Space Weather Prediction Center] because such solar activity can affect communications, power grids, satellites, etc.

The title text indicates that the prior change that provoked a warning was when the Sun's sunglasses were removed. The Sun wearing sunglasses is a further (possibly paradoxical) element of personification often added to images of the Sun. [[Randall]] has previously referred to the Sun's sunglasses in comics such as [[1733: Solar Spectrum]] and a couple of ''What If?'' articles.

The removal of eyewear is used in the "Deal With It" visual meme or as part of the {{tvtropes|TheGlassesComeOff|various other tropes}} that reflect a change in attitude. Another interpretation could be that it is referencing {{w|Minesweeper}}, where the Sun puts on sunglasses when the game is won and takes them back off when the game is reset (i.e. there is more danger).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[Blondie stands at a table with her hands together, resting her arms on the table. Behind her are two pictures of the sun: one with a smiling face, labeled "Last week," and one with a frowning face labeled "Today."]
:Blondie: A warning for solar flares and geomagnetic storms has been issued after new images from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory show that the big smiley face on the sun has turned into a frown.
{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Weather]]
[[Category:News anchor]]

3155: Physics Paths

2025-10-16T10:39:55Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 3155
| date = October 15, 2025
| title = Physics Paths
| image = physics_paths_2x.png
| imagesize = 433x663px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If nothing else, that reasoning definitely overturns syllogisms.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a BOT trying to prove its value. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[[Cueball]] wishes to validate his existence as a person. To do this, he turns to {{w|Albert Einstein}} as a role model, and attempts to replicate his success by making a revolutionary scientific discovery. After an indeterminate amount of time passes, Cueball laments that he has failed. At this point, the comic diverges into two timelines; one in which Cueball takes a healthy outlook on his failure, and one in which he falls into a self-destructive mode of thinking.

The first path (the "Healthy Path") has Cueball muse that perhaps this was a poorly-thought-out test of his value. The healthy path establishes that Cueball doesn't need a physics-overturning insight to have value. On the other hand, the "Path of Ruin" has Cueball angrily yell that the establishment must be stopping his insight from overturning physics. The path of ruin has Cueball take the idea that to have value, you must have a critical insight as constant. Thus, since, he has value, he must have an insight that overturns physics, and thus the establishment must be suppressing it.

Einstein had more than one "major insight". His "{{w|annus mirabilis papers}}" covered the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, the special theory of relativity, and mass-energy equivalence, all published in 1905. The fourth of these is a consequence of the third (though still a major development in its own right), but the first three are about essentially-unrelated areas of physics, and represent significant new understanding of them. The third, titled "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies", is the one that can be said to have 'overturned' physics as it introduced the concept of {{w|special relativity}}. Special relativity made unnecessary the concept of {{w|Luminiferous aether}} for the propagation of light, a substance which had been disproven by the {{w|Michelson–Morley experiment}} but which had left the previous system of classical physics unable to explain why light behaved as it did. The theory of special relativity was also one of the great {{w|unification of theories in physics}}. The first unification was by Isaac Newton, whose law of universal gravitation unified physics (gravity as observed on Earth) with astronomy (the motion of planets) at at time when the two subjects were considered different fields. The second unification was by James Clerk Maxwell, who produced equations unifying the behavior of electricity and magnetism. With the paper on special relativity, Einstein unified space and time, showing that gravity was actually a result of spacetime bending, and not a force solely dependent on the mass of two objects, as classical physics assumed. Incredibly, less than two months after publishing the third great unification, Einstein's fourth paper, titled "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?", produced the fourth great unification, when it introduced the equation E=mc2 and unified mass and energy. This unparalleled achievement of two fundamental breakthroughs in physics is why Einstein is held in such high regard to this day, to the point that his last name as a {{w|Mononym}} is synonymous with intelligence, insight, and greatness. Indeed the Annus Mirabilis Papers remain the foundation of modern physics.

The title text mentions {{w|syllogism}}, a logic deduction from two propositions. An example of a syllogism is: All scientists that overturn physics are valuable. Einstein overturned physics. Therefore, Einstein is valuable. Since Cueball gets it the other way around, one could say he overturned syllogisms.

The path of ruin seems a nod to John Baez's classic [https://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/crackpot.html Crackpot Index]. xkcd has mocked the idea of the physics community suppressing new ideas before, such as in [[675: Revolutionary]], [[2113: Physics Suppression]], or the "science thought police" in [[955: Neutrinos]]. This is also the second consecutive comic about Einstein in some way after [[3154: Physics Insight]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Panel 1, Cueball has one hand out]

Cueball: Einstein had an Insight that overturned physics,
thus proving his value.

:[Panel 2, Cueball has one hand on his chin]

Cueball: I hope I have value. Ill try to have an insight that overturns physics, to check.

:[arrow pointing down with the caption below in between]

Time passes

:[arrow pointing down to Panel 3, which has Cueball with both of his hands out and up]

Cueball: On no! My insight didn't overturn physics! But I don't think I'm worthless...

:[Arrow from Panel 3 on the left labeled "Healthy path" points to a panel with Cueball with his hands on his chin:]

Cueball: Maybe this was not a well-thought-out test of my value.

:[Arrow from Panel 3 on the right labeled "Path of ruin" points to a panel with Cueball with his finger out and pointing up:]

Cueball: The establishment must be '''''suppressing''''' my insight!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

3155: Physics Paths

2025-10-16T10:39:22Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Explanation */ Added title text explanation

{{comic
| number = 3155
| date = October 15, 2025
| title = Physics Paths
| image = physics_paths_2x.png
| imagesize = 433x663px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If nothing else, that reasoning definitely overturns syllogisms.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a BOT trying to prove its value. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[[Cueball]] wishes to validate his existence as a person. To do this, he turns to {{w|Albert Einstein}} as a role model, and attempts to replicate his success by making a revolutionary scientific discovery. After an indeterminate amount of time passes, Cueball laments that he has failed. At this point, the comic diverges into two timelines; one in which Cueball takes a healthy outlook on his failure, and one in which he falls into a self-destructive mode of thinking.

The first path (the "Healthy Path") has Cueball muse that perhaps this was a poorly-thought-out test of his value. The healthy path establishes that Cueball doesn't need a physics-overturning insight to have value. On the other hand, the "Path of Ruin" has Cueball angrily yell that the establishment must be stopping his insight from overturning physics. The path of ruin has Cueball take the idea that to have value, you must have a critical insight as constant. Thus, since, he has value, he must have an insight that overturns physics, and thus the establishment must be suppressing it.

Einstein had more than one "major insight". His "{{w|annus mirabilis papers}}" covered the photoelectric effect, Brownian motion, the special theory of relativity, and mass-energy equivalence, all published in 1905. The fourth of these is a consequence of the third (though still a major development in its own right), but the first three are about essentially-unrelated areas of physics, and represent significant new understanding of them. The third, titled "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies", is the one that can be said to have 'overturned' physics as it introduced the concept of {{w|special relativity}}. Special relativity made unnecessary the concept of {{w|Luminiferous aether}} for the propagation of light, a substance which had been disproven by the {{w|Michelson–Morley experiment}} but which had left the previous system of classical physics unable to explain why light behaved as it did. The theory of special relativity was also one of the great {{w|unification of theories in physics}}. The first unification was by Isaac Newton, whose law of universal gravitation unified physics (gravity as observed on Earth) with astronomy (the motion of planets) at at time when the two subjects were considered different fields. The second unification was by James Clerk Maxwell, who produced equations unifying the behavior of electricity and magnetism. With the paper on special relativity, Einstein unified space and time, showing that gravity was actually a result of spacetime bending, and not a force solely dependent on the mass of two objects, as classical physics assumed. Incredibly, less than two months after publishing the third great unification, Einstein's fourth paper, titled "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?", produced the fourth great unification, when it introduced the equation E=mc2 and unified mass and energy. This unparalleled achievement of two fundamental breakthroughs in physics is why Einstein is held in such high regard to this day, to the point that his last name as a {{w|Mononym}} is synonymous with intelligence, insight, and greatness. Indeed the Annus Mirabilis Papers remain the foundation of modern physics.

The title text mentions {w|syllogism}, a logic deduction from two propositions. An example of a syllogism is: All scientists that overturn physics are valuable. Einstein overturned physics. Therefore, Einstein is valuable. Since Cueball gets it the other way around, one could say he overturned syllogisms.

The path of ruin seems a nod to John Baez's classic [https://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/crackpot.html Crackpot Index]. xkcd has mocked the idea of the physics community suppressing new ideas before, such as in [[675: Revolutionary]], [[2113: Physics Suppression]], or the "science thought police" in [[955: Neutrinos]]. This is also the second consecutive comic about Einstein in some way after [[3154: Physics Insight]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Panel 1, Cueball has one hand out]

Cueball: Einstein had an Insight that overturned physics,
thus proving his value.

:[Panel 2, Cueball has one hand on his chin]

Cueball: I hope I have value. Ill try to have an insight that overturns physics, to check.

:[arrow pointing down with the caption below in between]

Time passes

:[arrow pointing down to Panel 3, which has Cueball with both of his hands out and up]

Cueball: On no! My insight didn't overturn physics! But I don't think I'm worthless...

:[Arrow from Panel 3 on the left labeled "Healthy path" points to a panel with Cueball with his hands on his chin:]

Cueball: Maybe this was not a well-thought-out test of my value.

:[Arrow from Panel 3 on the right labeled "Path of ruin" points to a panel with Cueball with his finger out and pointing up:]

Cueball: The establishment must be '''''suppressing''''' my insight!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

687: Dimensional Analysis

2024-12-12T11:03:08Z

Mumiemonstret: Added my favourite example of dimension-analysis-derived insight

{{comic
| number = 687
| date = January 11, 2010
| title = Dimensional Analysis
| image = dimensional_analysis.png
| titletext = Or the pressure at the Earth's core will rise slightly.
}}

==Explanation==
Cueball has a [[:Category:My Hobby|hobby]]: showing correct calculations according to the {{w|dimensional analysis}}, but with ridiculous correlations of uncorrelated events and measurements. Here Cueball is giving a talk and uses this trick to ''convince'' his listeners that the {{w|Toyota Prius}} combined {{w|United States Environmental Protection Agency|EPA}} gas mileage is somehow connected to the constant ''{{W|Pi|π}}'' via the {{w|Planck energy}}, the pressure at the {{w|Inner_core|Earth's core}} and the width of the {{w|English Channel}}.

Scientists — often physicists — use dimensional analysis to quickly check if a given formula can possibly relate to a physical system, because if you end up with an equation claiming that Joules are meters, something is clearly wrong. Dimensional analysis here refers to the check if both sides of the equation arrive at the same physical unit when the units of all variables get plugged into the equation. This requires knowledge of the system of units and the relation between different physical units. Cueball uses the following equation to make a mockery of the practice:

<math>\frac{\text{Planck energy}}{\text{Pressure at the core of the Earth}} \times \frac{\text{Prius combined EPA gas mileage}}{\text{Minimum width of the English Channel}} = \pi</math>

===Dimensional analysis===
The right hand side is dimensionless, it's the constant ''π'' = 3.14... which is defined by the relation of two lengths, the circumference and the diameter of a circle. The left hand side requires to plug in the dimensions of the named physical quantities:

*Planck energy: given in Joules [J]
*Pressure at the core of the Earth: often given in Pascals [Pa]
** In this case, the relationship is used of 1 Pascal [Pa] = 1 Joule per cubic meter [J/m³]
*Prius combined EPA gas mileage: miles per gallon, given in meters per cubic meter [m/m³]
**Fuel efficiency has two formats that are commonly used: length per volume and volume per length. The former must be used here in order to get the units to cancel correctly.
*Minimum width of the English Channel: given in meters [m]

When plugged into the left-hand side, this amounts to:

<math>\frac{\text{J}}{\frac{\text{J}}{\text{m}^3}} \times \frac{\frac{\text{m}}{\text{m}^3}}{\text{m}} = \text{m}^3 \times \frac{1}{\text{m}^3} = 1</math>

Note that for dimensional analysis constant factors are not taken into account. Here square brackets are used to denote dimensional analysis. In the above equation the unit of energy (joule) as well as all the unit of volume (cubic meter) cancel out each other.

Another aspect of the comic is that sometimes dimension analysis of equations that were not derived but rather "made up" can provide insight. For instance the inverse of gas mileage, fuel consumption per distance, is dimensionally a surface. If a car consumes 10 liters per 100 km, i.e. 10 dm3 / 100 km, this value has a dimension of m3 / m = m2. This surface corresponds to the area of an imagined cylinder of fuel along the road that the car consumes as it rides along, 0.1 mm2 in the example. However, in reality such an equation would have to be somehow "motivated", which is more of an art than science and requires great experience in the field the equation should relate to. The presented equation combines values that have no immediate causal relation with each other, so it does not make sense. Furthermore, since the values have absolutely no causal relation to each other, the ratios presented are simple coincidence; despite Cueball's claim, building a better Prius would not cause any changes to the English Channel.

The title text also refers to this, as a higher pressure at Earth's core could also balance the equation, keeping the result constant equal to ''π''. The Planck energy is an absolute, however, so it is not mentioned as a way to balance the next version of Prius.

===Some numbers for this calculation===
The {{w|Planck energy}} is the only nearly exact value we do have. Compared to other Planck values it is very large (macroscopic).
E_planck = 1.956 x 109 J

Pressure at the {{w|Inner_core#Temperature_and_pressure|core}} of the Earth ranges from 330 to 360 gigapascals.
Using a simple value like this:
P_core = 350 GPa = 3.5 x 1011 J/m³

Prius combined {{w|Toyota_Prius#Fuel_economy_and_emissions|EPA gas mileage}}:
For the third generation (from 2010) the [https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=26425 combined EPA gas mileage] is 50 miles per gallon.
50 mpg => 21,000,000 m/m³

Minimum width of the {{w|English Channel}} is about
33.1 km = 33,100 m

Calculating from these values you will get ''π'' = 3.54... that is pretty close to ''π'' = 3.14... while using a Planck value. According to Cueball this will be within the experimental error (the combined error for all four numbers - none are exact numbers). For instance if you tried the ePrius you would may get closer to pi — as the distance per fuel quantity in real life usage usually is somewhat lower than the standardized test value advertised — and that would reduce the result.

[https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%28Planck+Energy%29%2F%28Pressure+at+the+Earth%27s+core%29*%282010+Prius+combined+EPA+Gas+Mileage%29%2F%2833.1+km%29 Wolfram|Alpha can find most of the statistics and do the calculations.]

==Transcript==
:My Hobby:
:Abusing dimensional analysis

:[On a blackboard.]
:(Planck energy/Pressure at the Earth's core) x (Prius combined EPA gas mileage/Minimum width of the English Channel) = π

:[Cueball indicates this equation with a pointer in front of a class.]
:Cueball: It's correct to within experimental error, and the units check out. It must be a fundamental law.
:Student: But what if they build a better Prius?
:Cueball: ''Then England will drift out to sea.''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

Talk:2985: Craters

2024-09-15T07:44:13Z

Mumiemonstret:

==Delaware/Pennsylvania Arc==
The Delaware/Pennsylvania arc is a circle, sure, but so is every other allegedly "straight" line on the map. The 49N parallel looks like a straight line on some projections, but a polar projection shows that it is clearly a circle around a point on the Earth's axis. The Delaware/Pennsylvania arc is only unique for NOT being aligned with the axis. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.102.20|172.71.102.20]] 19:07, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
:The "Delaware/Pennsylvania arc" has a long and juicy history. Not a circle. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-Mile_Circle Twelve-Mile Circle] Signed- --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 20:36, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
:True about map projections, but the Venn section title here does say *Weird*. The Delaware/Pennsylvania arc is indeed "weird"; few other such arcs are found in regular map content, and the original story for it is indeed uncommon. <s>Great Circle</s> Parallel latitude "arcs" aren't weird in either way. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.64|172.68.34.64]] 20:52, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
::North-South lines are great-circle arcs, but non-equatorial East-West lines - as well as many diagonal ones - are minor-circle arcs (is that the right term?), just link the 12-Mile Circle. (Let's see if this retains my IP address from my top post.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.46.109|172.70.46.109]] 21:29, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
:::Right you are! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.64|172.68.34.64]] 23:00, 14 September 2024 (UTC)

==Great Blue Hole==
There are two Great Blue Holes, one in Belize, one in Dahab, Egypt (Red Sea). [[Special:Contributions/172.71.102.20|172.71.102.20]] 19:11, 13 September 2024 (UTC)
==Recent Google Maps discovery==
This may be inspired Joël Lapointe's very recently announced discovery of a 15km-diameter "pit" he found near Marsal Lake (Quebec) using Google Maps. [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/quebec-meteorite-impact-crater-1.7313418 "He saw a suspicious pit on Google Maps. Experts say it could be a crater from an ancient space rock"] [[Special:Contributions/172.69.64.185|172.69.64.185]] 20:10, 13 September 2024 (UTC)

----

man, why are so many of these in Quebec? does it have a natural meteor/circle magnet? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.232|172.68.174.232]] 01:11, 14 September 2024 (UTC)

: Parce qu'on y parle français. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.68|172.69.71.68]] 12:39, 14 September 2024 (UTC)

==New Column==
I'm thinking about a new column or two: GPS coordinates (with an Open Earth link?) and a satellite image, or something. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.102.76|172.71.102.76]] 03:27, 14 September 2024 (UTC)

: The table seems incomplete without something like that. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.172|172.69.34.172]] 22:50, 14 September 2024 (UTC)

==Meta Reference: Venn Diagram Double Crater==
No comment yet on the fact that the two circles in the Venn Diagram refer to craters and circles... [[Special:Contributions/172.71.102.53|172.71.102.53]] 01:32, 15 September 2024 (UTC)

==Geographic bias by meteorites or Randall?==
Boy am I happy that I don't live in North or Central America, where 11 out of 13 "craters" are located... [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 07:44, 15 September 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2971: Celestial Event

2024-08-13T11:43:13Z

Mumiemonstret:

Unfortunately, this calculation doesn't account for the eventual end of total solar eclipses due to the tidal recession of the moon. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.246.142|172.69.246.142]] 05:31, 13 August 2024 (UTC)

:This is a great comment! Very much like something Randall would have written for title text. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.146.49|172.71.146.49]] 05:58, 13 August 2024 (UTC)

Are all of these events really statistically independent or are e.g. active northern lights and cicada mergence more or less likely to happen at the same time of the year?

This comic was published the same night that saw both the Perseids meteor shower and an unusually strong northern lights. Strangely, the omission of meteor showers in Randall's account of Celestial Events suggests that this is a coincidence. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 11:43, 13 August 2024 (UTC)

2936: Exponential Growth

2024-05-23T08:17:58Z

Mumiemonstret:

{{comic
| number = 2936
| date = May 22, 2024
| title = Exponential Growth
| image = exponential_growth_2x.png
| imagesize = 545x264px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Karpov's construction of a series of increasingly large rice cookers led to a protracted deadlock, but exponential growth won in the end.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a 2^64TH ITERATION OF A BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Exponential growth}} is the principle that if you keep multiplying a number by a value larger than 1, you will pretty quickly get very large numbers. Even if you start with 1 and simply double it each time, you'll have a 10-digit number after about 30 iterations.

This principle is often illustrated using the story "Game of Rice". A king of India wished to reward a man for creating a new game of Chess, and told him that he'd grant any wish. The man simply asked for a {{w|Wheat and chessboard problem|grain of wheat to be placed on a chess board and for it to double with each square on the board each day.}} The king granted his strange request and ordered one wheat grain to be placed on the board. The second day two more pieces were placed on the square next to that and the day after four pieces on the next. However, by day 20 there was over 500,000 grains on the board. The king had to dig into his own stock pile to pay his dues. On day 24 the king owed 8 million grains. By day 32 the king owed over 2 billion pieces of grain, at this point he had to give up and offered the man another prize.

Instead of this being a (possibly apocryphal) story, [[Black Hat]] used it literally during a game of chess to annoy his opponent into quitting. Black Hat begins describing the metaphor, only to reveal it wasn't a metaphor at all. Black Hat had been playing actual Chess games, and tried to force his opponent to resign by burying the chess pieces in rice, as implied by the multiple large sacks bluntly labelled 'rice' on his side of the chessboard. This is not the first comic to feature large quantities of rice labelled in this manner - in [[1598: Salvage]], a gargantuan tank of rice has simply the word 'rice' written on the side in equally gargantuan capital letters.

{{w|Garry Kasparov}} is a world renowned Russian chess master. He had the highest FIDE chess rating in the world-one of 2851 points-until {{w|Magnus Carlsen}} surpassed that in 2013 by 31 points. The Kasparov gambit is an opening move in chess.

In 1984-85 Garry Kasparov played {{w|Anatoly Karpov}} in a 5-month-long 48-game championship tournament which was abandoned. In the 1984-85 match Kasparov was losing 4-0 with 6 wins being required to win. Kasparov proceeded to draw 35 times before the match was abandoned.

In a 1985 rematch, Kasparov defeated Karpov for the world championship title, which he retained in their next rematch in 1986.

The amount of rice collected on each square of the chess board is listed below. It all sums up to around 400 billion tons (each grain weighing around 0.02 grams), or 500 times the annual world production.

* First row:
** a1: 1 grain
** a2: 2 grains
** a3: 4 ...
** a4: 8
** a5: 16
** a6: 32
** a7: 64
** a8: 128
* Second row
** b1: 256
** b2: 512
** b3: 1,024
** b4: 2,048
** b5: 4,096
** b6: 8,192
** b7: 16,384
** b8: 32,768
:
* First of each row
:
** c1: 65,536 grains (~ 1 kg)
** d1: 16,777,216 (~ 400 kg)
** e1: 4,294,967,296 (~ 100 tons)
** f1: 1,099,511,627,776 (~ 25,000 tons)
** g1: 281,474,976,710,656 (~ 6 million tons)
:
* ...
:
* Eighth row
** h1: 72,057,594,037,927,936 (~ 1.5 billion tons)
** h2: 144,115,188,075,855,872
** h3: 288,230,376,151,711,744
** h4: 576,460,752,303,423,488
** h5: 1,152,921,504,606,846,976
** h6: 2,305,843,009,213,693,952
** h7: 4,611,686,018,427,387,904
** h8: 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 (~ 200 billion tons)

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Black Hat is talking to Cueball standing next to him.]
:Black Hat: Exponential growth is very powerful.

:[Closeup on Black Hat. Next to him is an image of the lower left part of a chessboard. The four leftmost squares in the bottom row have grains of rice on them -- one, two, four, and eight grains respectively.]
:Black Hat: A chessboard has 64 squares.
:Black Hat: Say you put one grain of rice on the first square, then two grains on the second, then four, then eight, doubling each time.

:[Black Hat has emptied a bag of rice on a chessboard. There are several bags next to him and a pile of rice already on the table. A frustrated Hairy is walking away, fists clenched.]
:[Caption above panel, representing Black Hat continuing to speak:]
:If you keep this up, your opponent will resign in frustration.
:It's called Kasparov's Grain Gambit. Nearly impossible to counter.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Chess]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

2936: Exponential Growth

2024-05-23T08:11:54Z

Mumiemonstret: Added some perspective on rice amount

{{comic
| number = 2936
| date = May 22, 2024
| title = Exponential Growth
| image = exponential_growth_2x.png
| imagesize = 545x264px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Karpov's construction of a series of increasingly large rice cookers led to a protracted deadlock, but exponential growth won in the end.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a 2^64TH ITERATION OF A BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Exponential growth}} is the principle that if you keep multiplying a number by a value larger than 1, you will pretty quickly get very large numbers. Even if you start with 1 and simply double it each time, you'll have a 10-digit number after about 30 iterations.

This principle is often illustrated using the story "Game of Rice". A king of India wished to reward a man for creating a new game of Chess, and told him that he'd grant any wish. The man simply asked for a {{w|Wheat and chessboard problem|grain of wheat to be placed on a chess board and for it to double with each square on the board each day.}} The king granted his strange request and ordered one wheat grain to be placed on the board. The second day two more pieces were placed on the square next to that and the day after four pieces on the next. However, by day 20 there was over 500,000 grains on the board. The king had to dig into his own stock pile to pay his dues. On day 24 the king owed 8 million grains. By day 32 the king owed over 2 billion pieces of grain, at this point he had to give up and offered the man another prize.

Instead of this being a (possibly apocryphal) story, [[Black Hat]] used it literally during a game of chess to annoy his opponent into quitting. Black Hat begins describing the metaphor, only to reveal it wasn't a metaphor at all. Black Hat had been playing actual Chess games, and tried to force his opponent to resign by burying the chess pieces in rice, as implied by the multiple large sacks bluntly labelled 'rice' on his side of the chessboard. This is not the first comic to feature large quantities of rice labelled in this manner - in [[1598: Salvage]], a gargantuan tank of rice has simply the word 'rice' written on the side in equally gargantuan capital letters.

{{w|Garry Kasparov}} is a world renowned Russian chess master. He had the highest FIDE chess rating in the world-one of 2851 points-until {{w|Magnus Carlsen}} surpassed that in 2013 by 31 points. The Kasparov gambit is an opening move in chess.

In 1984-85 Garry Kasparov played {{w|Anatoly Karpov}} in a 5-month-long 48-game championship tournament which was abandoned. In the 1984-85 match Kasparov was losing 4-0 with 6 wins being required to win. Kasparov proceeded to draw 35 times before the match was abandoned.

In a 1985 rematch, Kasparov defeated Karpov for the world championship title, which he retained in their next rematch in 1986.

The amount of rice collected on each square of the chess board sums up to around 400 billion tons (each grain weighing around 0.02 grams), or 500 times more than the annual world production.

* First row:
** a1: 1 grain
** a2: 2 grains
** a3: 4 ...
** a4: 8
** a5: 16
** a6: 32
** a7: 64
** a8: 128
* Second row
** b1: 256
** b2: 512
** b3: 1,024
** b4: 2,048
** b5: 4,096
** b6: 8,192
** b7: 16,384
** b8: 32,768
:
* First of each row
:
** c1: 65,536 grains (~ 1 kg)
** d1: 16,777,216 (~ 400 kg)
** e1: 4,294,967,296 (~ 100 tons)
** f1: 1,099,511,627,776 (~ 25,000 tons)
** g1: 281,474,976,710,656 (~ 6 million tons)
:
* ...
:
* Eighth row
** h1: 72,057,594,037,927,936 (~ 1.5 billion tons)
** h2: 144,115,188,075,855,872
** h3: 288,230,376,151,711,744
** h4: 576,460,752,303,423,488
** h5: 1,152,921,504,606,846,976
** h6: 2,305,843,009,213,693,952
** h7: 4,611,686,018,427,387,904
** h8: 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 (~ 200 billion tons)

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Black Hat is talking to Cueball standing next to him.]
:Black Hat: Exponential growth is very powerful.

:[Closeup on Black Hat. Next to him is an image of the lower left part of a chessboard. The four leftmost squares in the bottom row have grains of rice on them -- one, two, four, and eight grains respectively.]
:Black Hat: A chessboard has 64 squares.
:Black Hat: Say you put one grain of rice on the first square, then two grains on the second, then four, then eight, doubling each time.

:[Black Hat has emptied a bag of rice on a chessboard. There are several bags next to him and a pile of rice already on the table. A frustrated Hairy is walking away, fists clenched.]
:[Caption above panel, representing Black Hat continuing to speak:]
:If you keep this up, your opponent will resign in frustration.
:It's called Kasparov's Grain Gambit. Nearly impossible to counter.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Chess]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

2936: Exponential Growth

2024-05-23T08:03:00Z

Mumiemonstret:

{{comic
| number = 2936
| date = May 22, 2024
| title = Exponential Growth
| image = exponential_growth_2x.png
| imagesize = 545x264px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Karpov's construction of a series of increasingly large rice cookers led to a protracted deadlock, but exponential growth won in the end.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a 2^64TH ITERATION OF A BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Exponential growth}} is the principle that if you keep multiplying a number by a value larger than 1, you will pretty quickly get very large numbers. Even if you start with 1 and simply double it each time, you'll have a 10-digit number after about 30 iterations.

This principle is often illustrated using the story "Game of Rice". A king of India wished to reward a man for creating a new game of Chess, and told him that he'd grant any wish. The man simply asked for a {{w|Wheat and chessboard problem|grain of wheat to be placed on a chess board and for it to double with each square on the board each day.}} The king granted his strange request and ordered one wheat grain to be placed on the board. The second day two more pieces were placed on the square next to that and the day after four pieces on the next. However, by day 20 there was over 500,000 grains on the board. The king had to dig into his own stock pile to pay his dues. On day 24 the king owed 8 million grains. By day 32 the king owed over 2 billion pieces of grain, at this point he had to give up and offered the man another prize.

Instead of this being a (possibly apocryphal) story, [[Black Hat]] used it literally during a game of chess to annoy his opponent into quitting. Black Hat begins describing the metaphor, only to reveal it wasn't a metaphor at all. Black Hat had been playing actual Chess games, and tried to force his opponent to resign by burying the chess pieces in rice, as implied by the multiple large sacks bluntly labelled 'rice' on his side of the chessboard. This is not the first comic to feature large quantities of rice labelled in this manner - in [[1598: Salvage]], a gargantuan tank of rice has simply the word 'rice' written on the side in equally gargantuan capital letters.

{{w|Garry Kasparov}} is a world renowned Russian chess master. He had the highest FIDE chess rating in the world-one of 2851 points-until {{w|Magnus Carlsen}} surpassed that in 2013 by 31 points. The Kasparov gambit is an opening move in chess.

In 1984-85 Garry Kasparov played {{w|Anatoly Karpov}} in a 5-month-long 48-game championship tournament which was abandoned. In the 1984-85 match Kasparov was losing 4-0 with 6 wins being required to win. Kasparov proceeded to draw 35 times before the match was abandoned.

In a 1985 rematch, Kasparov defeated Karpov for the world championship title, which he retained in their next rematch in 1986.

* First row:
** a1: 1 grain
** a2: 2 grains
** a3: 4 ...
** a4: 8
** a5: 16
** a6: 32
** a7: 64
** a8: 128
* Second row
** b1: 256
** b2: 512
** b3: 1,024
** b4: 2,048
** b5: 4,096
** b6: 8,192
** b7: 16,384
** b8: 32,768
:
* First of each row
:
** c1: 65,536 grains (~ 1 kg)
** d1: 16,777,216 (~ 400 kg)
** e1: 4,294,967,296 (~ 100 tons)
** f1: 1,099,511,627,776 (~ 25,000 tons)
** g1: 281,474,976,710,656 (~ 6 million tons)
:
* ...
:
* Eighth row
** h1: 72,057,594,037,927,936 (~ 1.5 billion tons)
** h2: 144,115,188,075,855,872
** h3: 288,230,376,151,711,744
** h4: 576,460,752,303,423,488
** h5: 1,152,921,504,606,846,976
** h6: 2,305,843,009,213,693,952
** h7: 4,611,686,018,427,387,904
** h8: 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 (~ 400 billion tons)

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Black Hat is talking to Cueball standing next to him.]
:Black Hat: Exponential growth is very powerful.

:[Closeup on Black Hat. Next to him is an image of the lower left part of a chessboard. The four leftmost squares in the bottom row have grains of rice on them -- one, two, four, and eight grains respectively.]
:Black Hat: A chessboard has 64 squares.
:Black Hat: Say you put one grain of rice on the first square, then two grains on the second, then four, then eight, doubling each time.

:[Black Hat has emptied a bag of rice on a chessboard. There are several bags next to him and a pile of rice already on the table. A frustrated Hairy is walking away, fists clenched.]
:[Caption above panel, representing Black Hat continuing to speak:]
:If you keep this up, your opponent will resign in frustration.
:It's called Kasparov's Grain Gambit. Nearly impossible to counter.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Chess]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

Talk:2901: Geographic Qualifiers

2024-03-13T11:27:54Z

Mumiemonstret:

Related to this comic [[1368]]

According to Atlas Obscura, the world's largest squirrel statue is 14 feet tall, in Cedar Creek, Texas. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ms-pearl-the-worlds-largest-squirrel-statue [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 03:06, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

There are two African families of squirrels that have range into the Southern Hemisphere, the {{w|Xerini}} and {{w|Protoxerini}}. Yes, I checked Wikipedia. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 03:10, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

Australia has large number of “Big Things”. These are big sculptures / novelty architecture that are scattered over the country. These include things like the Big Cow, The Big Penguin and the Giant Koala. The Koala at 14 meters high is bigger then the fictional squirrel statue.

Since there may be as many as 600 of these things across Australia, the qualification is not as odd as it may sound at first. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_things_(Australia) )
:New Zealand also has a smaller collection of big things: {{w|List of New Zealand's big things}}. [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 07:52, 4 March 2024 (UTC)
::But does it have a bigger collection of small things? Enquiring minds wish to know! [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.83|172.69.194.83]] 11:52, 4 March 2024 (UTC)
:::Australia has a lot more land-area, and though a bigger proportion of that is desert, it does have more hectares of forests and a bigger population too. I think it's safe to say Australia wins in the collection of small objects competition :p [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 09:32, 6 March 2024 (UTC)

Including the pedestal, the statue's height is approximately six Cueballs, which means Cueball is over ~6 2/3 feet tall. But it would make more sense to me for the record to exclude the pedestal, as the pedestal is not a likeness of a squirrel or a skateboard; in that case, Cueball is well over 10 feet tall.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.213|172.71.150.213]] 06:13, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

“Why, that’s the second biggest monkey head I’ve ever seen!” - [[Special:Contributions/172.69.6.195|172.69.6.195]] 08:28, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

Someone should probably link Grice's maxims here. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative_principle
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.26.2|172.68.26.2]] 09:37, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

I once heard a friend, commenting after a rather chaotic pub crawl, "That's the most drunk I've ever been while off duty." It was part of a running joke about how seriously his employer took their NDAs; he used to act like any information even remotely related to his job (such as whether he'd ever been blackout drunk at work) was top secret. Other examples included "I've never seen 'Groundhog Day' while off duty before" or "This is the best bbq chicken I ever tasted while off-duty" -- [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 12:48, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
:or the viral "Did you get many spankings as a kid?" "As a kid, no" blooper from Fox News...[[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 11:20, 13 March 2024 (UTC)

Kynde (and others, but especially Kynde), I was never going to just revert your edits, but the Edit Conflict page's summary of differences was far too hard to work out (would have been easier without the newline below the Incomplete-tag being removed, but it offset the first para and then did dumb-matching of odd words from them on...). The plan was always to review what changes I'd ''intentionally'' overriden, copypaste them back and shuffle accordingly, then make it much more as if I'd only spent time editing ''after'' your edit (but using my own effort that I had started before). Looks like I caught you (and others) still actively reviewing. I ''think'' I sorted out everything in useful ways, after another edit or two, but (even by the time this Talk post is posted) no doubt you'll be fine-tuning it in your own way. - I did end up sort-of-reverting some different turns of phrase (not all of which worked, IMO) that changed the sense of my prior editing's intent, but tried to put all *new* contributions by yourself(/ves) back in there. It is always tricky comparing between tabs (one a diff between two prior versions the other an active editing page) on a small device such as I find myself on now, so I hope it wasn't ''too much'' disruption. (If I'd have not pipelined quite so many little relevent changes, myself, I'd have checked a soon-to-be-dismissed EC cross-comparison tab with a brand new fresh edit.) Anyway: apologies, explanations and letting you know I've done all my 'big edits' (for now). And tried to leave it tidy and correct, but there are always unintended errors. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.210|172.69.43.210]] 15:06, 2 March 2024 (UTC)
:Yes I was in the process of changing somethings and was going to add some more to that, and then it had just all been reverted, and that I could not just accept and reverted it right back. I have no idea what you ended up doing, but seems like the important gist of what I was changing has been left in. It is far from the version I last left. But better! It is always annoying with edit conflicts. But it is hard to avoid close to the release of a comic. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:55, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

By my by-eye reckoning, the 40ft stated (compared to the probably high-5-foot-maybe-even-6-footer Cueballs) seems to include the very significant plinth/base-mount. Not sure if that's ''totally'' honest... [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.85|172.69.195.85]] 15:44, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

''"This last country is a place know for its many overly large statues."'' S/B 'know[[n]]'. [[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 18:04, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

...The last sentence of the explanation is incomprehensible to me. IMO it looks like a snob using thesaurus dot com to say something mundane and really should be changed to something better [[Special:Contributions/172.68.27.26|172.68.27.26]] 21:37, 2 March 2024 (UTC)Bumpf

Reminds me a bit of the kind of news article saying "one of the top x", with x being an oddly specific number. Like explainxkcd being one of my top 6 most visited websites. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.125|141.101.76.125]] 21:51, 2 March 2024 (UTC)

This is the source of many entries on "dumb law" lists that circulate. "It is illegal to discharge a firearm from a moving vehicle" is sensible. "It's illegal to shoot bear from a helicopter" is a listicle entry. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.41|172.69.247.41]] 00:41, 3 March 2024 (UTC)

My favorite: "yesterday was the coldest day since November 14th". It so happens that it was a freak 62 degrees on November 14th, but the statement is still (potentially) true. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.34.200|172.70.34.200]] 15:29, 3 March 2024 (UTC)

I've never wanted to live in the southern hemisphere more than right now. With the time and materials available, of course. Surely somebody already down-under (and/or down-under-and-a-bit-to-the-side) has some 50ft ladders, etc? And a bit of spare time. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.211|172.69.43.211]] 12:03, 4 March 2024 (UTC)

At least in Sweden, the corresponding ubiquitous but often unnecessary qualifier is "...in northern Europe". Maybe it's more a sign of how far the writer bothers to extend their search for contenders, rather than of there actually being any. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 11:27, 13 March 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2901: Geographic Qualifiers

2024-03-13T11:20:13Z

Mumiemonstret:

2887: Minnesota

2024-02-12T15:07:28Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Explanation */ "Citation greatly appreciated"

{{comic
| number = 2887
| date = January 29, 2024
| title = Minnesota
| image = minnesota_2x.png
| imagesize = 673x260px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = In addition to 'squishy', after reviewing my submitted intraplate ground motion data, the National Geodetic Survey has politely asked me to stop using the word 'supple' so often when describing Midwestern states.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Hairy]], [[Ponytail]], and [[Cueball]] are in a business meeting of an unknown nature, but one which (it transpires) is unrelated to either geography, geology or geopolitical boundaries. Hairy asks if anyone has any other concerns, a common enough question to ask when trying to ensure that nobody at the meeting has still something to say that had not already been covered directly by the agenda or the resulting discussions.

Cueball voices an opinion on Minnesota. Due to the {{w|post-glacial rebound}} present in Minnesota, this US state is apparently slowly decreasing in size. The humor comes from the fact that this may be a genuine concern to Cueball, but is completely unrelated to the topic of the meeting, is not really a 'problem' that has any practical significance, and in any case there is also no reasonable way to prevent this{{Citation needed}}. And yet Cueball clearly finds it important enough that "all meetings should be about Minnesota" until the 'problem' is solved.

The title text implies that Cueball has also brought this issue up to the {{w|National Geodetic Survey}}; rather than commenting on his data or findings, they have simply requested that he stop using suggestive language in his papers ("supple" and "squishy" are sometimes used, especially in erotic literature, to describe certain body parts[citation greatly appreciated]).

The Midwestern states, particularly in areas like the {{w|New Madrid Seismic Zone}}, are subject to the movement of tectonic plates well within a tectonic plate boundary. While these areas are typically less active than boundary zones, they can still experience significant seismic activity. The flexible way the Earth's crust in these regions responds to tectonic stresses – gently stretching and flexing over centuries in response to deep stresses – could imaginatively be described as "supple."

Minnesota's northern border is legally defined in part by reference to geographical features, most notably {{w|Lake of the Woods}} and a chain of rivers and lakes connecting it to {{w|Lake Superior}}. As such, movement of these features due to glacial rebound may indeed be reducing Minnesota's size at a very gradual rate. Minnesota's southern border, in contrast, is legally defined as a line running at 43º 30′ N, which would not be affected by the motion of the land. Indeed, it is possible that glacial rebound is effectively moving land out of Iowa and into Minnesota, again at a very gradual rate.

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

:[Hairy standing in front of Ponytail and Cueball, who are sitting behind a desk]
:Hairy: Does anyone have any other concerns?
:Cueball: I'm concerned that Minnesota is getting shorter.

:[A map of Minnesota beside Cueball, with arrows pointing from the northern and southern borders towards the middle]
:Cueball: Because of post-glacial crust rebound, the northern border is moving toward the southern border. It's less than an inch a decade, but I still don't like it.
:Cueball: Minnesota shouldn't be squishy.

:[Hairy again standing in front of Ponytail and Cueball at the desk. Ponytail is looking at Cueball, whose finger is now raised in the air, gesturing]
:Hairy: Okay. Does anyone have any concerns related to the topic of this meeting?
:Cueball: All meetings should be about Minnesota until we resolve this.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Geography]]

2774: Taxiing

2023-05-17T07:13:04Z

Mumiemonstret: it's -> its

{{comic
| number = 2774
| date = May 10, 2023
| title = Taxiing
| image = taxiing_2x.png
| imagesize = 399x431px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I don't understand why anyone would pay full price for a flatbed truck rental when you can buy 'DETOUR' signs online for like $10.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a STOLEN WATERBED TRUCK - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[[File:A Polish airman marshals a U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft March 13, 2014, at Lask Air Base, Poland 140313-F-BH566-088.jpg|thumb|400px| A marshaller marshalling, indicating the airplane should stop. Or possibly a {{w|Sith}}. (From Wikimedia Commons)]]
In this comic, [[Cueball]] is directing an airplane with marshalling wands onto a ramp that leads onto a trailer. The caption reveals he is not an actual aircraft marshal, but is trying to steal the airplane by misleading the real pilot. Randall, as Cueball, says the "glowing wand things" were bought cheaply on the internet, much cheaper than it would have been to buy the plane he is now stealing.

Stealing a very large plane this way does not work, for the simple reason that an {{w|Airbus A320}}'s main gear bogies are 7.6 meters apart; and those of a {{w|Boeing 737}} 5.7 meters. No trailer is that wide. Even transporting the fuselage alone (A320: 3.96 meters wide, B737: 3.76 meters) would need a police escort on the road. This problem can be solved though, by the timely acquisition of a police car (donut: $1.50). The plane Cueball is attempting to steal is clearly much smaller than this, as its nose is barely higher than Cueball's head, but is still big enough to almost certainly create loading and/or transportation issues without further advanced planning.

{{w|Aircraft marshalling|Marshallers}} stand or walk on aircraft pathways and use marshalling wands to direct planes around while they are taxiing. Another part of the joke is that the apron of an aiport, the area where marshallers most often work and where airplanes will typically be parked during trans-loading of passengers and cargo, is also referred to as 'the ramp', mainly in the US, Canada, the Maldives, and the Philippines.

The title text mentions doing a similar thing, but with detour signs rather than glow wands and flatbed trucks rather than planes. Cueball may have used this tactic to obtain the truck he is loading the airplane onto.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is waving two orange sticks in the air, one in each hand. They are glowing as indicated with small orange lines all around the orange part. The handle he holds them by is black. Cueball is pointing one stick to the left where, behind him, is a ramp that extends beyond the panel. The other stick is held up in front of his face and he looks up onto the front end of a large plane. Only a small part of the plane is visible, mainly the very tip with just a bit of the window into the cockpit shown. The underside of the tip is gray, the rest is white with the window in black.]
:Cueball: ...Keep going...
:Cueball: ...Slightly left...
:Cueball: ...Okay, good...you're lined up with the ramp...
:Cueball: ...Now pull forward slowly up onto the trailer...

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I don't understand why anyone would pay full price for an airplane when you can buy those glowing wand things online for like $30.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Aviation]]

Talk:2675: Pilot Priority List

2022-10-03T11:13:32Z

Mumiemonstret:

Who else googled 'words ending with ate' and had an extra chuckle at what could have been? My favorites: circumnavigate, excommunicate, disarticulate. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.175.30|172.70.175.30]] 05:08, 22 September 2022 (UTC)
:I was disappointed not to see 'conjugate' on the list. [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 09:16, 22 September 2022 (UTC)
:Not to mention 'copulate'. I guess he wanted to keep it G-rated. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:10, 22 September 2022 (UTC)
:On the top of my list would be "Procrastinate": Attending to all other tasks in reverse order. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 11:13, 3 October 2022 (UTC)

How about 'exterminate'? [[User:MarquisOfCarrabass|MarquisOfCarrabass]] ([[User talk:MarquisOfCarrabass|talk]]) 05:13, 22 September 2022 (UTC)
:: Only if the pilot is a Dalek. {{unsigned ip|172.70.135.118|14:12, 27 September 2022 (UTC)}}
: My thoughts exactly! (Note: I moved your signature up) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:19, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

What categories does this kind of list belong in. I guess Randall has made similar lists before? Should there be a category for this kind of comics, that do not easily belong in any other. I added Food category because of the cake, but that was just for the title text... Also if anyone has a better link to a good picture of a layered cake, as [https://3brothersbakery.com/product/wedding-white-chandelier-tier/ the one currently] in the title text explanation please add that. But it is a good picture resembling the airspace diagram inverted very much --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:53, 22 September 2022 (UTC)
:I can see that for instance this comic with a list, [[1957: 2018 CVE List]], has been added to the [[:Category:Charts]]. In that case this comic should also, but to me this is not really a chart. Maybe a Category:Lists would work? Should it be "lists" rather than "list"? Not native English speaker. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:56, 22 September 2022 (UTC)
::::(On List/Lists, yes, I would say Category:Lists would be a categorical list of all lists. Any such Category:List would be appropriate if ''a particular'' list (henceforth "it's that list again!") has multiple appearances (perhaps in rationed fractions, like the "things not to do" one) across comics that thus need to be categorised. If that ever happens though then the List might be better "Category:The List", leaving room for The Other List, A Further Different List, all those categories maybe needing to be added to a category of all "List"s (which of course qualifies them for being under "Lists"), but we'll cross those bridges if we come to them. :P ) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.77|172.70.162.77]] 14:10, 22 September 2022 (UTC)
::Other list comics (Feel free to add to mine without signature):
:::[[2525: Air Travel Packing List]]
:::[[1011: Baby Names]]
:::[[1957: 2018 CVE List]]
:::[[887: Future Timeline]]
:::[[]]

Afterate - enjoy a waffer-thin mint.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.155|172.70.162.155]] 09:07, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

Does anybody else get "list of achievements" vibes from this? it shares many features like simple names, descriptions etc. [[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 10:10, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

Instead of ANC it's ANCDARESPC [[Special:Contributions/172.71.167.12|172.71.167.12]] 12:40, 22 September 2022 (UTC)Bumpf

As for Categories, this is definitely Aviation related and a List. So, most of things that [[1937:_IATA_Airport_Abbreviations]] qualifies for, should also apply to this one. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 13:43, 22 September 2022 (UTC)
:Created [[:Category:Aviation]]. [[User:Natg19|Natg19]] ([[User talk:Natg19|talk]]) 23:05, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

Am I the only one who thought about the INXS video "Mediate"? https://youtu.be/Pr-Vfnd7Yno [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 17:21, 22 September 2022 (UTC)
::Definitely not. I came here to check for this. Kind of disappointed that this is the only comment to that effect (and also disappointed that Mr. Munro missed the opportunity.)[[Special:Contributions/172.71.142.177|172.71.142.177]] 04:04, 23 September 2022 (UTC)
::Like the above poster, I specifically came here to check for references to the INXS song.

Agitate - put protest signs on the cockpit door [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.227|108.162.216.227]] 11:03, 23 September 2022 (UTC)

Way at the absolute bottom of the list should be Autodefenestrate - the act of throwing oneself out a window. -MeZimm [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.177|172.69.33.177]] 00:03, 24 September 2022 (UTC)

This comment is to memorialize "our" (explainxkcd's) supposed "ELUCIDATE, EXPLICATE, ANNOTATE, DEMONSTRATE, CITATE AND ILLUSTRATE CHECKLIST" for after the incomplete tag gets removed. Should we add a Trivia-level section after the Transcript for it? Or put it in the Editors' FAQ? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.243|172.70.210.243]] 02:06, 24 September 2022 (UTC)

This explanation needs an actual picture of the "upside down wedding cake" airspace class diagrams referred to in the titletext. Like this: https://www.faasafety.gov/files/gslac/FTB/Airspace/Airspace%20Chart.jpg —[[User:Scs|Scs]] ([[User talk:Scs|talk]]) 03:31, 24 September 2022 (UTC)
:🗸 ILLUSTRATEd. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.99|172.69.33.99]] 05:42, 24 September 2022 (UTC)

Why are complex airspace classes tiered instead of coned? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.243|172.70.210.243]] 08:43, 24 September 2022 (UTC)
:So you don't have to do trigonometry to figure out if you're in the wrong place. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.146|172.70.211.146]] 09:46, 24 September 2022 (UTC)
::Well, trig isn't really needed for "if x-thousand feet away from (focal point/boundary) at height y, where x=ny" (n could even be 1). Trig isn't even really needed if you're sighting the angle between the horizon and the beacon at the apex of the cone and ''without needing to know your altitide'' need to know that once the declination is beyond a given amount that you're in the controlled-cone.
::But as much flight is horizontal within broad bands (save for deliberate ascending/descending) and altitude is actually supposed to be something you're very aware of at least within a hundred feet or so, you might as well just know that "lower than Level A, the radius to know about is A', or above that but lower than Level B it is B', ...etc". This can be represented on flat charts/on-screen displays much easier as nested/concentric/etc boundaries 'of interest', without any of the complexity of a [[2519: Sloped Border]] situation. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.205|162.158.34.205]] 19:35, 24 September 2022 (UTC)

Perhaps overly literal, but some of these "lower-priority" items might actually be of interest to real pilots. It's impossible to take off without accelerating, for one. For another, pilots do sometimes broadcast congratulatory messages, which is nice but would certainly be of a lower priority than aviating, navigating and communicating. Finally, occasions such as public holidays or the founding of the airline are sometimes celebrated aboard airliners, and would naturally be announced to the passengers by the captain - although having the pilot leave the cockpit and join in the celebrations might be a cause for alarm.{{cn}} [[Special:Contributions/172.70.142.95|172.70.142.95]] 06:53, 27 September 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2337: Asterisk Corrections

2020-08-12T13:40:45Z

Mumiemonstret:

I think the only spot of the title text quote into which "witchcraft" makes a decent sentence is to replace "next": "I'd love to meet up, maybe in a few days? Witchcraft week is looking pretty empty" [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.161|173.245.54.161]] 01:02, 25 July 2020 (UTC) Me
:I'd go with replacing "meet up". "I'd love to witchcraft, maybe in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty." [[User:Orion205|Orion205]] ([[User talk:Orion205|talk]]) 01:14, 25 July 2020 (UTC)
:: "I'd love to meet up, witchcraft in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty." would be the third interpretation [[User:Multiverse42|Multiverse42]] ([[User talk:Multiverse42|talk]]) 01:39, 25 July 2020 (UTC)
::Or it could be "I'd love to meet up, maybe witchcraft a few days?" Munroe really loves to mess with people. [[User:A|A]] ([[User talk:A|talk]]) 01:43, 25 July 2020 (UTC)
::If it can take out a whole sentence, "I'd love to meet up in a few days. [Magic & calendar shredding sounds, first sentence replaced with witchcraft] Next week is looking pretty empty." would be a pretty satisfying way I would do it IRL. My plan canceling capabilities are absolute witchcraft [[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.82|172.69.71.82]] 08:53, 25 July 2020 (UTC)
: Alternatively, witchcraft replaces maybe: "I'd love to meet up, [how about we practice] witchcraft in a few days?" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.66|162.158.75.66]] 02:06, 25 July 2020 (UTC)

A splat? I didn't know that. IME it's just the messed up word resurrected to, summon a beech, auto corrected to the same wrong word. BTW the asterisk on an obsolete keyboard looked like a squished spider, thus 'splat.'

Asterisks can replace multiple words, right? Something like "I'd like to meet up, maybe witchcraft? Next week is looking pretty empty" could work, yeah? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.135|108.162.246.135]] 04:36, 25 July 2020 (UTC)
:"I'd like witchcraft? Next week is looking pretty empty." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.18|162.158.159.18]] 12:35, 25 July 2020 (UTC)

I have to admit, before reading the title text I was expecting him to either have a sentence with a single replacement which could go in several locations (maybe both a noun and a verb), or a followup text implying that the obvious place to put those corrections wasn't the intended one. This time I feel a little disappointed; a sentence which feels natural with the replacement in several places would have been much more satisfying than one where it's a stretch to find any suitable place. [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 10:14, 26 July 2020 (UTC)

does it necessarily have to replace a word? i find "I'd love to meet up, maybe witchcraft in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty." to make more sense. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.80|172.68.174.80]] 11:30, 26 July 2020 (UTC)

I'd go with replacing "meet". "I'd love to witchcraft up, maybe in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty." --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.54|172.69.34.54]] 21:22, 26 July 2020 (UTC)

How about including the text before the quote (this is surely cheated a bit, but it's witchcraft so..): I like witchcraft to make it as hard as possible. "I'd love to meet up, maybe in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty"
Maybe someone can even figure out a version, where interpreting the quote after "witchraft", i.e. "witchcraft"", as part of the correction, could make sense. My knowledge of weird english sentence types is limited, since english is not my mother tongue. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.146|162.158.92.146]] 22:20, 26 July 2020 (UTC) WhoCaresAboutMyNameh

I have NEVER seen splat used this way before. Is it really a thing? I have always used regex (s/wrong/correct). [[User:Vampire|Vampire]] ([[User talk:Vampire|talk]]) 03:28, 27 July 2020 (UTC)

I usually put the asterisk after the word, rather than before. For example:

There's smoke coming out of my cat, is that bad?

car*

Is that wrong? --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 07:27, 27 July 2020 (UTC)

:It seems to be centred in the more modern messaging environments. Geeks from a time before Twitter (heck, before the Web!) might have used s///-notation because it was (to them, i.e. people like me) clear, unambiguous and directly parsable by many who were using (say) Usenet. Even if they weren't coders themselves, they may have picked it up. And it was probably that little less 'snappy' and high volume. I mean, early days-of-Web wasn't exactly a competitor on those fronts, and old conventions and priorities still applied in spades, whether 'chat', IRC, a telnet/dial-up BBS or whatever.
:Then came the rapid demographic changes of The Eternal September, and social-messaging revolutions zooming through Web 2.0 and (what I call, but I don't think is 'official') Web 3.0 which basically dumped the masses into the scene of the day and had more time to think up their new way of working than adopting or adapting holdovers from the now minority/archaic lines of communication (I still use [''#''] for feetnete, a lot; luckily it seems understandable enough, still).
:For what it's worth, I understand the asterisk to be footnote-like. You can't actually edit in the referer at the typo/thinko (if you could, you would just correct it!) but there's an implicit one there after the eroor* you make. Which is supposed to be obvious at the time or, at least, when subsequently your attention is called to it.
:So the follow-up opportunity notes a back-referenced correction of the *error, simply and sharply. If maybe not as unambiguously as you might imagine, but that's how it rolls in today's world, daddy-o! You grok my jive, good buddy? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.96|141.101.98.96]] 08:24, 27 July 2020 (UTC)
:Linguists use an asterisk before something made up or erroneous that's being used as an example so, as a Linguistics graduate, I always saw the "*what I really meant" construction as a sort of progression on from this...but it occurs actually that a) really that's the opposite of how linguists use it and b) most people don't know that linguists do that anyway. So it shouldn't have made any sense to me. But it did.
:So it seems that inasmuch as I immediately grasped what it signified despite all that, somehow it must be fundamentally embedded with very powerful levels of meaning! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.131|162.158.154.131]] 13:15, 27 July 2020 (UTC)
::Sometimes, cunning linguists can blow your mind! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.66|162.158.159.66]] 14:04, 27 July 2020 (UTC)

:Really, the sentence about riding a horse isn't required for the corrections to have meaning. I showed the corrections without the horse sentence to a group of people, and they still saw the joke. There is enough content in the corrections alone for a human to form a sentence.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.7.97|162.158.7.97]] 21:33, 27 July 2020 (UTC)

:@WhoCaresAboutMyNameh I like trying to make witchcraft "as hard as possible." I'd love to meet up, maybe in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty.

That's not even how asterisks work, you're supposed to put it at the END* of a word and then the footnote goes at the bottom.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>like this.

Why don't people use carets anymore?
:Because they aren't as easy to type on a mobile phone screen, and most people send their sms by phone not by keyboard. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.135.98|172.69.135.98]] 04:48, 5 August 2020 (UTC)

As a programmer you put a * before a variable to make a pointer to the variable's location. I thought that was where the convention came from.

For the sake of the receiver's imagination, I'm glad that the pizza correction didn't come first.[[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 13:40, 12 August 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2337: Asterisk Corrections

2020-08-12T13:40:17Z

Mumiemonstret:

Talk:2339: Pods vs Bubbles

2020-08-12T13:32:13Z

Mumiemonstret:

What's a "pod"? Incoherent comic. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.173|172.69.63.173]] 15:31, 29 July 2020 (UTC)

: A pea pod? It's a protected family unit of peas. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.167.50|162.158.167.50]] 01:07, 31 July 2020 (UTC)

According to [https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/parenting/coronavirus-pod-family.html this New York Times article], it has to do with families forming groups during quarantine.
"One idea that some families are considering — and that infectious disease epidemiologists think might be a smart way to balance mental health needs with physical safety — is to create quarantine “pods” or “bubbles,” in which two or three families agree to socialize with one another but no one else. In a pod, families hang out together, often without regard to social distancing — but outside of the pod, they follow recommended social distancing rules." --[[User:Borgendorf|Borgendorf]] ([[User talk:Borgendorf|talk]]) 16:01, 29 July 2020 (UTC)

From context, especially the reference to Canada, I take it that Pod is the US term (more predominantly) for the situation that Canada may (and UK does) mostly call a Bubble. It may be a good sign that the person who wants to Bubble/Pod comes from the place where the situation is worse (US v Canada, at least). In the UK we used (and still do) the term Key Workers for what others may call Essential Workers (asked to continue to work, even in lock-down, and ideally take more care outside of work to prevent forcing them into deeper isolation), which was especially funny when applied to a locksmith on contract with the health service... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.131|162.158.154.131]] 16:22, 29 July 2020 (UTC)

I don't think this is a US-Canada thing. I'm an American (Californian more specifically) and I've heard both terms commonly. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.99|172.68.142.99]] 19:50, 29 July 2020 (UTC)

I think we should start a category of comics in which Randall/Cueball interacts with (or imagines interacting with) his past self or someone from the past -- some of them are literally [[:Category:Time travel|time travel]] comics (e.g. [[2280: 2010 and 2020]] and [[2220: Imagine Going Back in Time]]), but others are not, at least not directly (like this one, or [[2302: 2020 Google Trends]]). Some ideas for the category name: "Retrospectives", "Comics featuring perspectives from the past", "Comics imagining what the past might think of the present"...I'm not wild about any of these; does anyone else have other suggestions? --[[User:NotaBene|NotaBene]] ([[User talk:NotaBene|talk]]) 18:15, 29 July 2020 (UTC)

I swear I thought this was about Tide Pods or such. I just figured that Canada products called them "bubbles". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.162|108.162.210.162]] 05:20, 30 July 2020 (UTC) They're like a pod of peas: You're protected and secluded inside a pea or bean pod. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.167.50|162.158.167.50]] 01:07, 31 July 2020 (UTC)

When the second wave hit Victoria (Australia), and a border closure with NSW was being considered/announced, there were jokes that (as a [[wikipedia:Shibboleth|shibboleth]]) travellers will be asked to identify a food item and denied entry if they call it a "potato cake" (the food is called "potato scallop" or just "scallop" in most of NSW). [[User:Sabik|Sabik]] ([[User talk:Sabik|talk]]) 08:06, 30 July 2020 (UTC)

Here in France, there's a surge of cases in the département (county/district) of Mayenne. Typically French licence plates have an F on the extreme left, and the département logo/number on the extreme right. However there is no actual law that states that the number on the licence plate must be the same as the one the car is from, only that it is illegal to modify plates in any way (such as covering the département number with the BZH (Brittany) flag or other such regional things. It's a clever little ruse that a number of people living in Mayenne have changed their licence plates to pretty much anything that isn't 53, so when they drive around outside of the département, people aren't like "oh my god, plague!". Given this, and the sheer number of little winding back roads and farm tracks only suitable for tractors and 2CVs, it'll be interesting should they decide to lock down Mayenne. I live near the border (on the outside) so I'll go grab a face mask and a bag of popcorn... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.185|141.101.69.185]] 15:18, 30 July 2020 (UTC)

I've also heard "cohort" or "cohorting" to be used as well. I wonder what Randall would think of that? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.111|162.158.74.111]] 06:45, 31 July 2020 (UTC)

That feeling when "the opinion" is incoherent for me even now. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.238.56|172.68.238.56]] 07:32, 31 July 2020 (UTC)
Never - hitherto - encountered "pod" in this context...however, given that I'd already been commenting on how twatty "bubble" sounded, I'm going to start forcibly introducing it as aggressively as I can possibly manage. I've no real justification for this.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.105|162.158.158.105]] 21:51, 3 August 2020 (UTC)

Given that a year ago, the term [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Bubbling bubbling] meant "pee in one's mouth" I think the opinion would not have been entirely incoherent. Maybe a bit strange, though. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 13:32, 12 August 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2338: Faraday Tour

2020-08-12T13:21:00Z

Mumiemonstret:

It would be cool to know where the largest Faraday cage is. I Googled the question, but aside from a claim that a certain cage is the largest in Europe (made in an article that gives a security error when I click in the link) I can't find any claimants. -[[User:Captain Video|Captain Video]] ([[User talk:Captain Video|talk]]) 00:23, 28 July 2020 (UTC)
:('Moving' the above comment from the article page...) The largest Faraday cage is the one around our planet, keeping us isolated from the rest if the universe. It's got a rather clever lighting rig on it to simulate what is outside, including parellax, but it's a kludge and bears no resemblance at all to what is ''really'' out there. Of course, nobody can tell that... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.166|141.101.107.166]] 00:42, 28 July 2020 (UTC)
::You seem to have missed several space missions. The cage is actually not just around our planet, it's around whole solar system. Of course, when Voyager crashed into it they were already prepared to fix the hole and replace Voyager's radio reports with simulation. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:43, 28 July 2020 (UTC)

''"Hairy, addressing an unseen camera (possibly the reader's POV) ... Faraday cages do not necessarily have to be dark inside, as this one appears to be ... "'' Surely it's meant to represent what you would see if you are watching the live cast on your computer? The cage does not "appear to be dark inside" it's just that the signal cuts out, and your screen goes dark.
Pete [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.200|162.158.34.200]] 04:43, 28 July 2020 (UTC)
:It's referring to panels 2 and 5, where we see him entering/leaving the Faraday cage. [[User:Arcorann|Arcorann]] ([[User talk:Arcorann|talk]]) 07:21, 28 July 2020 (UTC)
::Although perhaps the whole of the interior is largely unlit (for... reasons... maybe that's part of the spectacle, just daubs of phosphor paint for a {{w|Batman_%26_Robin_(film)|Batman And Robin}} aesthetic?), the entry (and, if different, exit) looks to be a tunnel. Perhaps an 'airlock' of sorts, unlit at least when open to the outside as an aesthetic ''or'' practical feature (fully isolated internal power-system?) that strengthens the Faradayness around the openings they have to have in it and prevents even the slightest noise-leakage from the outside world. Though the muffling effect seems to extend outwards to the camera POV. (Hairy may have a wifi-to-Mobile Internet extender box on his person, rather than having direct-to-mobile on the camera device.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.14|162.158.159.14]] 10:37, 28 July 2020 (UTC)
:::True, Faraday cage would need some sort of "airlock" ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:43, 28 July 2020 (UTC)
::::You probably wouldn't even be allowed to trail a CAT''n''-whatever cable (no matter if SF/FTP, etc) through the airlock. Not that modern devices even ''can'' be hard ethernet-connected without far too much fiddling and kludging. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.18|162.158.159.18]] 09:16, 29 July 2020 (UTC)
:::Depending on what frequencies you're trying to block and how big the cage is, a door may be too small to matter. AM radio, for instance, has waves too long to fit through a door (~170-500m), so the cage will mostly hold up anyway. Of course, to block microwaves you need a much finer grid like that seen in microwave oven doors, and for IR through soft X-rays the conductor must be solid, so there you would need a double-door system. [[User:Magic9mushroom|Magic9mushroom]] ([[User talk:Magic9mushroom|talk]]) 10:58, 29 July 2020 (UTC)

I feel like the explanation might be reading too much into (in my opinion) weak possible symbolic interpretations that Randall may or may not have intended. (e.g. "The darkness could be taken as a metaphor for depending so heavily on electronic connectivity for one's view of the world that anything not directly connected is conceived as unobservable" and "continuing the theme of treating connectivity as the only way to acquire information. They would still be able to receive news if they ever step outside to welcome visitors, or have print media delivered, but their choice to unconventionally isolate themselves might reflect their general attitudes to the world outside and it is also implied that Hairy is one of the rare few outsiders they have pre-agreed to allow to visit")--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.19|162.158.74.19]] 16:07, 28 July 2020 (UTC)
:I think the joke is exactly about being out of touch with outside events. It happened to me. I spent September 11, 2001 doing EMC testing inside a Faraday cage. When I returned to my desk someone asked "So what's your take on the Twin Towers?" I had no idea what he was on about.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.234.30|162.158.234.30]] 08:19, 29 July 2020 (UTC)
::I agree with the notion that the inhabitants of the cage would definitely be out of touch with reality, but I think it is a bit far to say that Randall is trying to express complex metaphors such as comparing the darkness of the cave to being disconnected from the outside world. (BTW I am the same person; I should probably create an account)--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.122|108.162.216.122]] 22:11, 29 July 2020 (UTC)

The picture of the cage isn't very accurate in this one. The conductor spacing for a Faraday cage should be ~1/10 wavelength or better. So for cellular connection in the US that's ~5cm down to ~1cm. If you want to include 5GHz wifi then you'd have to go smaller than 6mm. [[User:Jonfitt|Jonfitt]] ([[User talk:Jonfitt|talk]]) 15:48, 29 July 2020 (UTC) jonfitt
:How do you know that's the actual cage and not just a pattern on the exterior wall? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.185|141.101.69.185]] 15:05, 30 July 2020 (UTC)
:: That would be the weirdest thing. To build walls around a Faraday cage, and then decorate it took look sort-of like one? I mean, maybe. But why would you draw that in an abstracted webcomic? That's a real stretch.

I thought the hover text was referring to the 5G conspiracy. Given that 5G can't get inside a Faraday Cage, neither can the "conspiracy" of COVID? [[User:Drkaii|Drkaii]] ([[User talk:Drkaii|talk]])

This has happened to me and every electronics engineer doing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_compatibility EMC certification], calling a colleague to discuss the measurements. "Wait, let me go into the chamber and see whether the cable is conn..." [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 13:21, 12 August 2020 (UTC)

Talk:1766: Apple Spectrum

2016-12-08T14:46:48Z

Mumiemonstret:

Well, I did my best on explaining this one... Not really sure I got the Granny Smith part right. --[[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 14:32, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Surely a desert island covered only in apple trees is not beyond all probabilities? [[User:Minimal|Minimal]] ([[User talk:Minimal|talk]]) 15:01, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

I believe his confusion on a desert island with one type of apple is because apples exhibit extreme heterozygosity meaning that any daughter apple tree will produce fruit extremely different from its parent; it would be difficult to have several plants in one area that are all the same that produce no differing offspring (at least on a deserted island...humans can intervene on actively managed orchards). Genetically, the apple does fall very far from the tree. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.59.197|162.158.59.197]] 15:10, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

: This is AMAZING. I had no idea. {{w|Apples}} --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 15:16, 30 November 2016 (UTC)
:: {{w|Apple#Cultivation| here}} [[User:Jacky720|Jacky720]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]]) 17:30, 30 November 2016 (UTC)
::: Thanks Jack, I'm a linking idiot. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 19:58, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

What exactly does "doing their own thing" mean in this context? [[User:Drewthedude64|Drewthedude64]] ([[User talk:Drewthedude64|talk]]) 15:20, 30 November 2016 (UTC)Drewthedude64

: I'm assuming it means it was so different, that it couldn't be categorized by a low-high line (those 1-10 scales you see everywhere) --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.82|108.162.216.82]] 15:30, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

: Granny Smith apples are green while the other apples in this comic are red. Also, Granny Smith apples are more tart than sweet...these two characteristics distinguish it from many other apple breeds and is probably why he says they are doing their own thing. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.59.197|162.158.59.197]] 15:32, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

: Granny Smith apples are good all of the time (unless they're mealy). All other apples should be made into pie. Except for red delicious, which shall be cast into outer compost, where there are swine gnashing their teeth. - The Opinionated One. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.69.142|162.158.69.142]] 16:40, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Has Randall ever explained why he doesn't like Red Delicious? Maybe not crisp enough? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.69.100|162.158.69.100]] 15:59, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Seriously? Have you ever eaten one? Cardboard has more apple flavor! This has to be the most misleadingly named food item ever! [[User:Mwburden|mwburden]] ([[User talk:Mwburden|talk]]) 03:13, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

The explanation says that "Two (apple) trees of the same variety will not pollinate each other." I am no botanist, but I'm not sure this is correct. (The linked citation seems to blur the line between apple trees and fruit trees generally.) I think they will pollinate each other, and will even produce fruit, but the resulting fruit will be 'unpredictable.' No apple tree planted from seed will produce apples like its parent (except by chance), due to the heterozygosity mentioned above. BTW, because apples will not "breed true," this also means that every store-bought apple we've ever eaten came from a cloned or grafted tree. Apples are weird. [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 16:30, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

You're right that it isn't correct. Apple tree's may self pollinate. See [https://www.starkbros.com/tags/self-pollinating-apple-trees] {{unsigned|Induane}}

I went ahead and deleted the offending paragraph. It was unquestionably wrong as it was, even according to it's own source. [[User:ChrisPwildcat|ChrisPwildcat]] ([[User talk:ChrisPwildcat|talk]]) 18:06, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

:That isn't entirely accurate either, though. The first line of that page says that "'''unlike most apple trees''', self-pollinating apple trees are naturally able to set fruit by themselves". Most apple trees can't self-pollinate, and because apples of the same variety are clones of each other, they register each other's pollen as their own. Self-pollinators are the exception, not the rule. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.98|108.162.219.98]] 18:16, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

::But that isn't what the paragraph I deleted stated. My comment was accurate to that paragraph. [[User:ChrisPwildcat|ChrisPwildcat]] ([[User talk:ChrisPwildcat|talk]]) 23:09, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

Odd that he would post a comic with such a glaringly obvious mistake. Red delicious apples are best apples. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar and you should not listen to that person. {{unsigned ip|172.68.79.72}}

Red Delicious are the Devil... tasteless, meally... evil. Apples should be crisp and clean in flavor, that's why the misnamed 'Delicious' varieties are on the bad (evil) end and crisps and most other varieties are on the good end (edible). Maybe Granny Smiths 'do their own thing' because they are good with peanut butter.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.34|108.162.246.34]] 20:59, 30 November 2016 (UTC)
>"Red Delicious are the Devil... tasteless, meally... evil." -Where are you buying your apples from?? Could be a mistake in picking properly ripe apples or when not in season. {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.227}}

Red Delicious--Honey Crisp--Regular Apples--Granny Smith--PINK LADY! Sorry! Had to put in a plug for the greatest unknown apple on the planet! They have every great characteristic an apple can have. They're juicy, crunchy, sweet, and sour. The perfect apple! [[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 23:37, 30 November 2016 (UTC)

Pink Lady has to be one of the worst apples around. Seriously. Apart from Golden Delicious. But it's a close call. Let's hear it for Egremont Russet and Worcester Pearmain and a whole lot of other impossible-or-hard-to-find proper varieties. Oooh apple wars, so much more fun than editor wars.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.43|162.158.2.43]] 13:12, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

:I like Golden Delicious. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 06:39, 4 December 2016 (UTC)

Just chiming in to further dis Red Delicious ... In much of the US, for decades after WWII, only a very few apple cultivars were widely available - Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, & Granny Smith mostly. Red Delicious is nearly perfect for commercial, mechanized orchards and (like tomatoes), their flavor and texture were considered secondary to commercial/logistical issues (like longevity in storage and resistance to bruising). The problem is that they are often mealy, and are always, always bland - Red Delicious are to apples what boxed Kraft mac & cheese is to pasta. These days though, even US small town chain groceries will often carry a dozen varieties, and variety is the single greatest thing about apples. (The wondrous names are a bonus.) Nowadays, when we can always get Galas and Fujis, can very often find Braeburns, Arkansas Blacks, Jonagolds, and Winesaps, and occasionally SweeTangos, Nickajacks, Green Cheese and other varieties, I imagine that the Red Delicious lives on mostly by inertia. [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 18:31, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

As far as I am concerned the most model apple that all other apples must be compared against is the McIntosh. Sure the Pink Lady and the Honey Crisp are special but in my mind, when I think "apple", I am thinking of a McIntosh. I still would rather bite into a good McIntosh than any other. Their taste is perfectly balanced. Maybe this is because I grew up around Lake Erie which is prime McIntosh country. Their only drawback is they don't have a long season and they don't last as long in the refrigerator as others do. And yes, Red Delicious is only fit to feed to the swine. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 21:22, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

;Granny Smiths

I don't agree that Granny Smiths apples are mainly cooking apples. Bramley are what I would consider a cooking apple, but this may be a UK/USA thing (I'm from the UK) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.218|141.101.98.218]] 10:13, 1 December 2016 (UTC)
:I came here to say the same thing, I'm also from the UK. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.130|141.101.98.130]] 11:28, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

+1 - in the UK at least Granny Smiths are generally eating apples, whilst a bramley is for cooking. Interestingly though a Bramley is almost exclusively British, and is grown because it has great commercial benefits - able to harvested early, late, stores for months, etc

"
Adrian Barlow, CEO of the English Apple and Pear Association, says: “Today, we cannot export Bramleys as the variety is almost unknown outside the UK and will not fit processing machinery overseas. So, the Bramley is more or less exclusive to the UK; elsewhere eating apples are used for cooking. We are unique in having a single-purpose culinary apple. The Bramley will continue to dominate unless a variety with even better commercial qualities is developed.”

"
(link :http://www.pressreader.com/uk/gardening/20121020/281556583068563/TextView

[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.253|141.101.98.253]] 16:31, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

;The Complex Plane

I'm surprised that nobody here thought of the possible allusion to the real number line and the imaginary numbers, such that every apple could be assigned a location on the complex plane. It's not clear what the negative of a Granny Smith would be, though - something with a rough skin like the russet? Medlars? The Dolgo Crab? A quince? Redlove apples?--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.24|162.158.75.24]] 02:37, 2 December 2016 (UTC)

Also, you haters of Red Delicious clearly haven't picked one ripe off the tree: crisp, juicy, with sweet, slightly translucent greenish flesh and dark, tannic skin with a natural waxy bloom. I agree that the Red Delicious in the store are mealy trash, but the original variety actually earned the name.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.24|162.158.75.24]] 02:51, 2 December 2016 (UTC)

I'm quite surprised at this one. I've always found Red Delicious to be very aptly named, that they're quite reliably delicious. Maybe the people (including Randall) who are bad-mouthing them just live around shitty apple growers? MY problem with them is that I find them incredibly delicate, that they easily bruise (and a bruise is hard to detect before biting into said bruise). Which is funny because someone described them as the very opposite. ???? I've always been a huge apple guy. Growing up I always considered Granny Smith my favourite, until when I was older and realized this preference was Force-Of-Habit, that it's too sour to warrant the "favourite" spot, LOL, I don't care much for sour. I think when I was little I liked that they were different, they're green and resilient against bruising. (so I quite agree with Randall's assessment there). To that end I'm also not much for the overly ubiquitous Macintosh (ubiquitous around here in Eastern Canada, anyway). I swear, everywhere I go there's more Macintosh than all others combined! And I find it to be the Russian Roulette of apples, you can take two identical looking apples, one will be sweet and delicious while the other is far-from-ripe sour. And it's always the default apple. My apple of choice is Cortland. Which I found out people classify as a cooking apple, which I don't get. It's sweet, flavourful, and RELIABLY so, I've never had a Cortland seem ripe and not be. And they're often large, giving me a lot of content in one apple. :) AND they're among a heartier apple, not bruising as easily as the Delicious series. I do heartily agree about Honey Crisp, I only buy Cortland or Honey Crisp generally. I find Pink Lady quite similar, and have enjoyed Galas and Fujis as well, such that I'll buy them on occasion. AFAIK Honey Crisp is an engineered experiment, which seems to make it harder to find. - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.117|173.245.52.117]] 04:19, 2 December 2016 (UTC)

I have tried RD apples at peak ripeness, straight from the tree, more than once. They were filthy, every time. They weren't quite so flavorless as from the supermarket, or quite so mealy, but that was the best that could be said for them. I would rather have no apples at all than the very best RD. All I can say about people who prefer RD is that nearly half of Americans who voted actually chose an out-and-out con man, and before that for somebody who had already lied us all into a trillion-dollar war. You are why we can't have nice things. -ncm
07:25, 2 December 2016 (UTC)07:25, 2 December 2016 (UTC)

;Sinclair
*the Sinclair Spectrum was a computer which for its time was low cost and high spec. Apple also make computers. Funny incongruity much? --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.143|141.101.98.143]] 12:41, 2 December 2016 (UTC)
:*I also thought the title was about a never before known cross-over computer from the 80's. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 14:46, 8 December 2016 (UTC)

I have another theory: In Snow White like tales - Red apples are evil poison, Granny Smith - A mashup of discworld's Granny Weatherwax and Eskarina Smith. not good or evil but doing their own things as seems right to them. Unfortunately I can't place Honeycrisp in this theory, wonder if someone can take it from here. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.76|141.101.104.76]] 20:10, 2 December 2016 (UTC)
:You have the imagination of an english teacher. Or a conspiracy theorist.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.155|162.158.89.155]] 02:00, 3 December 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1642: Gravitational Waves

2016-09-14T11:26:02Z

Mumiemonstret:

"Local group" refers to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Group. Lonely singles (black holes?) meeting on a galactic scale would produce another gravitational event. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.223|162.158.90.223]] 21:39, 11 February 2016 (UTC) Christoph Berg

Should we add a Trivia section regarding the fact that this comic was posted outside the normal M-W-F schedule? [[User:Edo|Edo]] ([[User talk:Edo|talk]]) 23:03, 11 February 2016 (UTC)

Should there be some kind of mention of the possibility (or lack thereof) of artificial gravity waves being used for long-distance communicaiton? --[[User:Joshupetersen|Joshupetersen]] ([[User talk:Joshupetersen|talk]]) 23:41, 11 February 2016 (UTC)

I'm not sure everyone knows what the solar mass symbol looks like. [[User:Thaledison|Thaledison]] ([[User talk:Thaledison|talk]]) 23:51, 11 February 2016 (UTC)

I think the explanation needs a bit more on the analogy that humans rely heavily on electromagnetic waves for communication. It is reasonable to expect aliens to use gravitational waves for the same as the theoretical basis for encoding messages would likely not need to be change. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.221|162.158.91.221]] 08:29, 12 February 2016 (UTC)
: Please go ahead and edit it, I'm done for now. I've added lots of stuff. This is the first comic I've tried explaining in full, and it has become quite big. ;-) So far I was only doing small edits here and there... [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.216|199.27.130.216]] 09:16, 12 February 2016 (UTC)
: EDIT - I added a sentence about it. Please do any further edits if you like... [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.216|199.27.130.216]] 09:24, 12 February 2016 (UTC)
:I think this has something to do with [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Google_Wave |Google Wave] or am I overthinking it? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.180.125|162.158.180.125]] 12:11, 12 February 2016 (UTC)
Odd for a massive-object-related comic to not contain a your-mom-joke reference. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.221|141.101.75.221]] 12:09, 12 February 2016 (UTC)

"Black hole merger in Carina (30 M☉, 30 M☉)" refers to the public announcement of the [http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/12/science/ligo-gravitational-waves-black-holes-einstein.html?_r=0 first detection ever made of gravity waves] from the LIGO-VIRGO experiment. The announcement has been publicly done thursday 11 February 2016, the same day the drawing has been done. This is not a "Possibly legitimate result", but a scientifically proved legitimate result. The drawing has been done in honor to that major scientific first ever observation (which will probably lead to a Nobel Price). --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.24|173.245.49.24]] 15:04, 12 February 2016 (UTC)
: I think that the word "merger" is a pun. It is not normally used to describe black hole collisions, but is common in spam messages about stock tips. Not being a native English speaker, I wouldn't attest this, but someone who is might confirm... [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 11:26, 14 September 2016 (UTC)

"Zorlax is a kid's television gameshow, based on time travel", and "Formed billions of years ago in the earths core, cursed to be but a floating head, gifted with a knowledge of the ages and destined to be the master of time. He is '''the mighty... ZORLAX!'''" See [https://vimeo.com/7592641 here] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdGGL0OrmFs here]. Maybe someone knows this kid's television gameshow. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:21, 12 February 2016 (UTC)
:I did not , but I found the reference by googling without spotting your post. It has been included in the explanation in the table. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:15, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

"One of the receivers is quite impressed with this and suggests that they have to reply to the spam just because the sender has made such an effort to send the message." This line: I actually interpreted the title text as worry rather than being impressed. If a cosmic being is moving around celestial bodies just to make a LinkedIn request and is making increasingly-intense messages, it might be best for the safety of whatever to prevent it from escalating any further. Am I the only one who understood it this way? [[User:Jeudi Violist|Jeudi Violist]] ([[User talk:Jeudi Violist|talk]]) 19:45, 12 February 2016 (UTC)

Just to be complete: The spam messages could also come from a prankster messing with the computer or some equipment between the experiment and the computer. Of course this is less (if at all) funny than the thought of encoding messages in gravitational waves. {{unsigned ip|162.158.90.210}}

De Speld (dutch "news" site similar to The Onion) [http://speld.nl/2016/02/12/trillingen-in-heelal-veroorzaakt-door-gasboringen-in-groningen/ reports] the gravity waves are the result of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groningen_gas_field natural gas production in Groningen]. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.185|141.101.75.185]] 14:41, 13 February 2016 (UTC)

I have a somewhat different take on this comic. The "Explanation of observed events" section seems to imply that these messages are directed towards earth. My interpretation is that the team has tapped into some sort of intergalactic internet, where stars are communicating with each other (and, perhaps, looking for other stars to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_system mate with]) [[User:Sysin|Sysin]] ([[User talk:Sysin|talk]]) 17:20, 13 February 2016 (UTC)

The event log is presumably a reference to some kind of computer event log, perhaps for network events. I'd assume it's modeled on some obscure Linux thing. I actually came here hoping for an explanation of what type of event log Randall is spoofing. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.4|173.245.54.4]] 20:27, 13 February 2016 (UTC)

;Injection

[http://www.nature.com/news/einstein-s-gravitational-waves-found-at-last-1.19361 The Nature article] on the discovery mentions that there was a number of "injections" of fake signals in LIGO to test whether the scientists can tell apart real and fake signals. The original signal now considered a confirmation of gravitational waves was first thought to be an injection. This comic might be showing such an experiment with a mixture of real and fake signals.

--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.222|162.158.91.222]] 14:22, 14 February 2016 (UTC)

Is it possible that the "most energetic event is a pun"? As in, "My kid is full of energy," or "That was an energetic party." [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 08:24, 15 February 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1645: Toasts

2016-09-14T08:28:41Z

Mumiemonstret:

Are we sure "single-payer" is not a typo, making it "single-player" to fit with "RealPlayer"? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.144|162.158.202.144]] 11:18, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
:That's what I thought as well. [[User:Maplestrip|Maplestrip]] ([[User talk:Maplestrip|talk]]) 11:19, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
::Yes it is not a typo as Single-payer refers to Single-payer healthcare as now explained above. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:27, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
:::Randall often corrects comic with errors, and if it had been an error he would probably also have spotted it by now, and it has not changed on xkcd. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:14, 22 February 2016 (UTC)--

: It seems correct. It is rather abstract, but I guess single-payer here is considered a good thing and RealPlayer a bad thing. Added to rime that a a different type of "player" might be what his single friends need.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.165|162.158.90.165]] 22:38, 19 February 2016 (UTC)

I'm fairly certain this comic is in reference to the "Fall Out Boy" song, entitled "Champagne For My Real Friends And Real Pain For My Sham Friends", from their 2005 album "From Under The Cork Tree"; though he could also be referencing Francis Bacon, Tom Waits, the television show Happy Days, the show One Tree Hill, or Spike Lee's "25th Hour". If you do a Google search for the phrase, it requires some exclusions (like -"fall out boy") to prevent that song from dominating the first page of results. It's one of their most famous titles.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.48|108.162.216.48]] 12:00, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
:Please just include links to these relevant songs etc. in the explanation. And thanks for the comment. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:27, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
::Turns out it was an old quote so not to this song but both are now mentioned in the explanation.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:51, 21 February 2016 (UTC)


Quote from early explantion: White Hat thus wish that his real friends have access to free health care, and all his single friends will get RealPlayer. Maybe he wishes to impress these singles with a present and hope he gets lucky. (If it has been Hairy this would have seemed very likely… see 1178: Pickup Artists. White Hat has not previously displayed thse tendencies to clearly).
I doubt this. RealPlayer was a terrible piece of software nobody wanted and was often bundled with spyware (see wikipedia) {{unsigned ip|141.101.70.121}}
:Well I wrote it and disagree. Since it has been on the market for 10 years, and has just been updated, then it cannot be that terrible, and I cannot find what you say should be on Wikipedia to show that it should be bad still at present. But of course if it has just been upgraded to a new name, then giving the old app is not so hot. Has addressed this in the explanation. Aqlso please feel free to update something you find in error yourself ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:27, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
:: You wrote the source code for RealPlayer or the explantation here? If first you should know why it has such a bad reputation, if second: RealPlayer was some time ago bundled with spyware that sent unique ID's with other userdata to a server, also it had several other problems and is considered by several tech magazines as one of the worst software programs. It might not mention that in the english wikipedia but the german has a section for it. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/RealPlayer#Kritik To stay on topic: Maybe he wishes his single friends RealPlayer so they need his help to get the malware off their computers and he can impress them? Is way more probable from my experience. [[User:Bobylein|Bobylein]] ([[User talk:Bobylein|talk]]) 12:43, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
:::I wrote the explanation! And to stay in English for those who are not native Germans... we can also take the English wiki link to the {{w|RealPlayer#Reviews_and_critiques|critique}}! ;-) As I can read from that it was in 1999 and 2007 that it was bad, and as this is now 9 years ago at least, and they keep updating it, the errors may have been improved out? Why would anyone else continue to make it better or using it? But again feel free to update the explanation even more with these kinds of info. I still think it is not so bad to get a free app, unless it is the spy ware version. I expect this doesn't exist anymore, and it is not explicitly stated that he would give them that.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:53, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
::::None of these negative interpretations of RealPlayer fit with White Hat's personality.--[[User:Nekoninda|Nekoninda]] 13:34, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
:::::There's more to realplayer than adware. Realaudio/realvideo were among the first streaming media formats on the internet. As such, it was used at that time by many adult-oriented sites offering streaming video. It is very possible that the single friends of White Hat might be interested by such media. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.25|173.245.49.25]] 13:04, 21 February 2016 (UTC)
::::::Guys, it's a porn joke... Guys?.. *headdesk* I love you guys [[User:Xerxesbeat|xerxesbeat]] ([[User talk:Xerxesbeat|talk]]) 20:00, 27 February 2016 (UTC)

This is the first comic with [[Hair Bun Girl]] since [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] proposed a name change to for instance Hairbun. I take this chance to get more comments on this subject by posting his note, that is now posted on her site: Should [[Hair Bun Girl]] be renamed to Hairbun? [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Rename_Hair_Bun_Girl See here]
--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:04, 19 February 2016 (UTC)

As a non-native speaker, when I first read it, I though "petty friends" could mean "pet animals" and "real coats" would then refer to them having real fur as coats - which is often an aspect animal friends don't like on certain rich people (wearing real fur coats), but completely normal for the animals itself.
Also "Realplayer", aside from its repuration as not-so-useable software, is used for video streaming, including on porn sites. So (male?) "single friends", being single, might have to resort using Realplayer/porn to satisfy their needs.
[[User:Zefiro|Zefiro]] ([[User talk:Zefiro|talk]]) 13:16, 19 February 2016 (UTC)

In regard to the second tile, I read it at first to mean that the girl's real friends are pseudopods and that all her human acquaintances are "pseudo-friends". This would be like a stereotypical "lab nerd". Doesn't track with any other slide, but I thought it might add to the conversation... {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.15}}

"Real bugs" for my "Lady Friends" - I took that as having sexual undertones. But maybe that was just me. --[[Special:Contributions/188.114.106.47|188.114.106.47]] 19:14, 19 February 2016 (UTC)

The last panel with Beret Guy might be a reference to any French expression using "faucon" ("hawk", sounds like "false cunt") and "vrai con" ("real cunt"). Sorry about the language by the way, but that's exactly what "con" mean, both literally and figuratively. A French equivalent to "Champagne for My Real Friends, Real Pain for My Sham Friends" would likely use those—although I can't think about a perfect one. It's usually along the lines "Quelle différence entre toi et un oiseau? Le faucon est un oiseau, toi t'es un vrai con." meaning "What's the difference between a bird and you? The hawk is a bird, you're a real cunt." Also, the current explanation seems really far-fetched to me. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.159|141.101.104.159]] 20:26, 19 February 2016 (UTC)
: Made the edit. Feel free to argue. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.159|141.101.104.159]] 03:47, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
::Firstly, I must disagree about "Fauxhawk", that "This '''IS'''" a reference to "faucon"/the french version of this phrase. I might go along with "might be". "Fauxhawk" is a word that really is used in the English language, for the described hairstyle. This connection seems only to be a mild coincidence, something better suited to a Trivia section (it DOES make for an interesting tidbit, but too obscure to be on purpose). Seems like a happy accident.

::Secondly, I remain unconvinced about "Single-Payer" not being a typo. Seems like a weird term, uncommon. Maybe this is just because I'm Canadian, maybe this term is very wide-spread to Americans, but due to American TV and content we DO hear a lot of American terms. If the intent was indeed to be "single-player", this could be a reference to how more and more video games these days focus on multiplayer/online play, many of which neglect the single-player content, to the point where it seems like the game makers are assuming nobody is interested. As such, this would mean wishing quality single-player gameplay for their real friends.

::Thirdly, about "pods". I understood it to mean "human container", like a stasis pod or escape pod (a common term for the spaceship equivalent of a lifeboat) Examples of such pods would include where Ripley "stored" herself at the end of Aliens, into the beginning of the next movie, or how baby Superman was transported to Earth. So, this person would be wishing these friends go into stasis, that their fake friends simply go away.

::And YAY! As of this comic I'm caught up, I've now read every xkcd starting from #1! :) - NiceGuy1[[Special:Contributions/198.41.235.215|198.41.235.215]] 07:36, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
:::The cunt reference is far-fetched. Have removed it. It off course remains here. Also: Yes it is not a typo as Single-payer refers to Single-payer healthcare as now explained above. (And also noted at the top of this discussion page)--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:51, 21 February 2016 (UTC)

Is it just me, or does the fact that several of the words also are the names of cocktails (Ladybug, Tumbleweed) have any significance? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.146|162.158.203.146]] 09:23, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
: My initial reaction to this thought was "no", seeing as those drinks aren't that widespread, for example I feel like I might have heard those cocktail names, but if so rarely and I've no idea as to their contents (i.e. as opposed to drinks like a Screwdriver, a Mimosa or a Black Russian, drinks which are rather universal, such that most adults probably know what's in them). However, on reflection, the original toast names a drink, toasts involve drinking, and both of those items - Ladybugs and Tumbleweeds - make for unpleasant gifts. So now I think this might be a genuine possibility. Does anybody know of any drinks sharing a name with any of the others? ("Single-payer" seems unlikely, but "Pseudopod" for example?) - NiceGuy1[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.160|108.162.218.160]] 10:00, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
::I think that for some of the more strange thing to hand out to friends it makes sense that they refeer to the drinks as mentioned - there is even a beer called fauxhawks... I will add this to the explanation for those where there is a drink with that name. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:05, 21 February 2016 (UTC)

If a wiki mod/admin comes by there was a user who replaced the comments with spam. [[User:Codingale|Codingale]] ([[User talk:Codingale|talk]]) 13:43, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
:Noted and blocked. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:27, 20 February 2016 (UTC)
::I have found one other situation same user, who deleted entire [[1613]]. Have reverted the change.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:55, 20 February 2016 (UTC)

Shampoo for my real friends; real poo for my sham friends. {{unsigned ip|108.162.236.37}}

Shamrock for my real friends; real rock for my sham friends. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 08:28, 14 September 2016 (UTC)

Shampoo in your wonder hair... {{unsigned ip|162.158.255.84}}

Are we sure that the title text isn't a reference to Plato's idealised metaphysical forms (which would include the Platonic solids), which stand in contrast to their imperfect instantiations in the real world? {{unsigned ip|141.101.70.20}}

ShamWows for my real friends; real shams for my WOW friends. {{unsigned ip|108.162.218.77}}

;psuedopods?

I rather get the feeling that the blond lady is into tentacle porn.
She wants her friends to be violated by them.... {{unsigned ip|198.41.235.11}}

Could 'real solids' refer to diet? When one has been sick, they are often on a liquid diet, and proceed to soft foods like gelatin desserts before moving back to 'real solids'. Given the number of drinks involved, this seems possible to me. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.43|173.245.54.43]] 22:20, 22 February 2016 (UTC)

I think it might be worth noting that dice for tabletop games (particularly role playing games such as D&D) tend to be shaped after the platonic solids. Perhaps Randall is suggesting a gaming session with his real friends. [[User:Davidgro|davidgro]] ([[User talk:Davidgro|talk]]) 01:21, 6 August 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1652: Conditionals

2016-03-07T22:03:30Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Thank you! */ new section

The title text... So he should both stop being pedantic in general and stop caring about conditionals in particular. What is it he does in the title text... the current explanation of that part is not clear to me. Is it completely clear who speaks which line in the title text...? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:03, 7 March 2016 (UTC)
:It is fairly obvious that the line "If you're done being pedantic, we should get dinner," is provided by Cueball's friend, as it is already established that Cueball was the one being pedantic about conditionals in the first place. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.12|108.162.216.12]] 15:15, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

To me the word "Conditionals" is clearly in the grammatical sense. Computer programming was invented literally centuries after the grammatical meaning, and the joke would have been as meaningful 3000 years ago as it is today. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.13|108.162.221.13]] 15:17, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

The particular kind of conditional that Cueball's friend is using is called a "biscuit conditional," after the example "There are biscuits in the sideboard if you want some" (from the philosopher J.L. Austin). There's a bit of discussion of them at [http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1469 Language Log]--Cueball is doing what Sam C talks about in the first comment, deliberately misunderstanding the conditional. The characteristic of these conditionals is that the truth of the consequent doesn't depend on the truth of the antecedent (the "if" clause), but the consequent isn't relevant if the antecedent isn't true--if Cueball didn't want to hang out, it wouldn't matter that his friend was in the city.
In the title text, Cueball thinks that his friend is uttering another biscuit conditional, and that just saying that they should get dinner. But the truth of the consequent really is dependent on the truth of the antecedent--if Cueball isn't done being pedantic his friend doesn't want to get dinner. So I think it is accurate to say "The intent is to show that because the initiator still believes that Cueball is still being pedantic, then he believes that it is not a good idea to have dinner together," though maybe it could be expressed more clearly. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.60.23|162.158.60.23]] 15:57, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

Didn't Demitri Martin do this joke like 10 years ago? :P [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.63|108.162.221.63]] 18:11, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

Whenever there is something like this that annoys me and I find out it has a name (like relevance conditional), it stops bothering me. [[User:HisHighestMinion|HisHighestMinion]] ([[User talk:HisHighestMinion|talk]]) 20:20, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

The one that always bugs me is the Steven Universe intro song:

''We are the Crystal Gems
''We'll always save the day,
''and if you think we can't
''We'll always find a way.

Something about the "if" being at the beginning of the biscuit clause throws me. What if I think they can save the day? Then there's no guarantee that they will! But if I AM always thinking that they can't save the day, then they will ALWAYS find a way. Therefore I think they will always find a way. It's so circular![[User:NotLock|NotLock]] ([[User talk:NotLock|talk]]) 20:28, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

The title text (you did it again - no I didn't) hearkens back to 725 Literally [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.58|108.162.216.58]] 21:14, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

So I read the caption as "WHEN I try not to be pedantic about conditionals" and was thinking that it was about "if/only if" directionality. ;-) {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.16}}

== Thank you! ==

It's amazing how much you can learn about things you thought you already knew. Explainxkcd is so much more than xkcd! [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 22:03, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

1425: Tasks

2015-06-15T08:55:41Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Explanation */ The Flickr tool is created in response to this comic, not by coincidence. And it does solve the same problem as in the comic - i.e. bird or park questions independently.

{{comic
| number = 1425
| date = September 24, 2014
| title = Tasks
| image = tasks.png
| titletext = In the 60s, Marvin Minsky assigned a couple of undergrads to spend the summer programming a computer to use a camera to identify objects in a scene. He figured they'd have the problem solved by the end of the summer. Half a century later, we're still working on it.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] appears to be asking [[Ponytail]] to write an app that determines if a given picture is (1) taken in a national park, and (2) a picture of a bird. The first question is generally harder for a human to answer, but easy for an app that has access to location information and a {{w|geographic information system}} (GIS). The second one is easy for a human but much harder for a computer. This illustrates {{w|Moravec's paradox}} from the 1980s in a modern context. By the 1950s computers were useful for tasks like {{w|trajectory optimization}}, {{w|automated theorem proving|generating novel mathematical proofs}} and {{w|English_draughts#Computer_players|the game of checkers}}, so such high-level computation and reasoning tasks that were hard for humans turned out to be relatively easy for them. On the other hand it turns out to be hard to "give them the skills of a one-year-old when it comes to perception", as Moravec wrote.

In order to determine whether the user is in a national park, Ponytail plans to determine the user's location using the mobile device. This location will then be cross checked with a {{w|geographic information system}} (GIS) which will be able to determine whether the coordinates lie within a national park boundary.

Determining whether an image is of a given kind of natural object is far more difficult. This task falls into the area of {{w|computer vision}}. One of the goals in computer vision is to detect and classify objects within an image. This is a very challenging task for a number of reasons.

:Firstly, humans use size, edge-assignment, movement, and stereoscopic vision when looking at a scene (not a picture of a thing, but of the thing itself) to discern individual objects and then categorize them as foreground or background.<ref>{{w|Figure-ground_(perception)}}</ref> A photograph, however, is a static, monoscopic image that can only provide size and edge-assignment clues. Humans are only able to discern objects from background in photographs by comparing the photo against all of the things they've seen and everything they've learned about those things over the course of their life and identifying matching patterns.<ref>{{w|Visual_perception}}</ref> Presumably, today's computers do not have nearly the processing power or wealth of data available as the human mind.

:Secondly, the quality of the photograph will have an impact on a computer's ability to match patterns. For example, the object in the photograph might be partially visible or occluded. In the case of a living bird, additional complications arise from the variations among individual birds of the same species and differences in pose (flying, perching in a tree, etc.). Differentiating between visually similar objects can result in false positives. For example, is it a photo of a bird in flight or a plane (or superman!)? Ponytail's estimate of 5 years may be overly optimistic (see [[678: Researcher Translation]]).

Today's state-of-the-art algorithms for solving this kind of task mostly use local features (e.g. {{w|Scale-invariant feature transform|SIFT}} or {{w|SURF}} in combination with a {{w|support vector machine}} or {{w|convolutional neural network}}).

The subtitle refers to "CS", which is a common acronym for "{{w|Computer Science}}", of which {{w|artificial intelligence}} and {{w|computer vision}} are sub-disciplines.

The title text mentions [http://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/6125/AIM-100.pdf The Summer Vision Project] and {{w|Marvin Minsky}} of MIT. In the summer of 1966, he asked his undergraduate student {{w|Gerald Jay Sussman}} to "spend the summer linking a camera to a computer and getting the computer to describe what it saw" ([http://szeliski.org/Book/]). {{w|Seymour Papert}} drafted the plan, and it seems that Sussman was joined by {{w|Bill Gosper}}, {{w|Richard Greenblatt (programmer)|Richard Greenblatt}}, {{w|Leslie Lamport}}, Adolfo Guzman, Michael Speciner, John White, Benjamin, and Henneman. The project schedule allocated one summer for the completion of this task. The required time was obviously significantly underestimated, since dozens of research groups around the world are still working on this topic today.

A month after this comic came out, {{w|Flickr}} [http://code.flickr.net/2014/10/20/introducing-flickr-park-or-bird/ responded] with a [http://parkorbird.flickr.com/ prototype online tool] to do something similar to what comic describes, using its automated-tagging software. According to them, the bird solution "took us less than 5 years to build, though it's definitely a hard problem, and we've still got room for improvement".

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail sitting at a computer with Cueball standing behind her.]
:Cueball: When a user takes a photo, the app should check whether they're in a national park...
:Ponytail: Sure, easy GIS lookup. Gimme a few hours.
:Cueball: ...and check whether the photo is of a bird.
:Ponytail: I'll need a research team and five years.
:In CS, it can be hard to explain the difference between the easy and the virtually impossible.

==References==
<references/>

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

1395: Power Cord

2015-04-23T16:00:41Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Explanation */ Added code to show the pipe in place

{{comic
| number = 1395
| date = July 16, 2014
| title = Power Cord
| image = power_cord.png
| titletext = In this situation, gzip /dev/inside to deflate, then pipe the compressed air to /dev/input to clean your keyboard. Avert your eyes when you do.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic, we see [[Beret Guy]] walking in from the left, as [[Cueball]] is sitting on a couch, typing on a {{w|laptop}} on his {{w|lap}}, with its {{w|power cord}} unplugged. Instead of connecting it to the {{w|wall socket}}, Beret Guy picks it up and blows air into the loose end of the cord, as if inflating a balloon--and the laptop inflates. It then floats away, making Cueball grab for it as Beret Guy casually walks away.

While it is not possible to inflate a laptop like this, nor to inflate ''anything'' by blowing down a power cord, Beret Guy has previously demonstrated supernatural abilities with power cords, such as in [[1293: Job Interview]]. Although the laptop should not actually float given that Beret Guy's breath should be ordinary air, not a lighter-than-air gas such as helium, it is a standard cartoon convention that [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AllBalloonsHaveHelium inflating something with breath] nonetheless makes it lighter than air. Also, given Beret Guy's many manifestations of inexplicable phenomena, it is not too far fetched to believe he is, in fact, exhaling some form of lighter-than-air gas.

The title text involves some jokes on {{w|Unix}} systems. On Unix, {{w|everything is a file}}; even most of the hardware can be referenced by a (virtual) file. These virtual files usually are in /dev or another virtual filesystem like /sys or /proc. While /dev/input really exists and points to the input system (mice, keyboards, gamepads, etc), /dev/inside doesn't. {{w|gzip}} is a common tool to compress files. The first joke is to compress the air inside the laptop (with the command <code>gzip /dev/inside</code>) in order to deflate the laptop back to normal size. It is a pun with the literal meaning of "deflate", which is also the {{w|DEFLATE}} algorithm used by gzip (compressing files is also called "deflating"). Another joke is “{{w|Pipeline (Unix)|piping}}”, the act of using the output of one operation as the input to another. As the output of the gzip command would be compressed air, a ''physical'' pipe could be used to direct the air somewhere useful. The suggestion is to direct the air to /dev/input (in this case, the keyboard) to clean it, similar to "compressed air" dusting cans. The complete command would be <code>gzip /dev/inside | /dev/input</code>. As this might cause a spray of unpleasant detritus (compare [[237: Keyboards are Disgusting]]), the reader is advised to avert their eyes.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy enters to find Cueball typing on a laptop. Cueball's power cord is unplugged from the wall.]
:Cueball typing: Type type

:[Beret Guy picks up the power cord. Cueball looks up.]
:Cueball typing: Type type

:[Beret Guy blows into the plug end of the cord. The laptop abruptly inflates and Cueball jerks back.]
:Beret Guy: '''PBBBBT'''
:Laptop: '''FOOMP'''

:[Beret Guy walks away, leaving Cueball scrambling to retrieve his inflated laptop which is now floating away.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]

1280: Mystery News

2015-04-20T09:42:17Z

Mumiemonstret: Incomplete

{{comic
| number = 1280
| date = October 20, 2013
| title = Mystery News
| image = mystery news.png
| titletext = If you find and stop the video, but you've--against all odds--gotten curious about the trade summit, just leave the tab opened. It will mysteriously start playing again 30 minutes later!
}}
{{incomplete|Title text is not commented, I can't because I don't know if it is ironic or describes a real phenomenon}}

==Explanation==
With the introduction of tabbed browsing, many users, even on widescreens, will have so many tabs open that it is hard to find any given one. At 44 {{w|Tab (GUI)|tabs}} on {{W|Google Chrome}} on a {{w|1080p}} screen, the user can no longer see any text on the tabs. Long before this point (~20 tabs), the text is so short as to be unusable. Randall refers to this tendency to open many tabs without closing them in this comic.

Many modern tabbed {{w|web browser|browsers}} can remember what tabs were open upon closure if this setting is on, and will reload the same tabs on startup. This will start any auto-playing videos, such as YouTube videos, which appear on any of the open pages. This situation can also occur during browsing when an auto-playing video does not begin playing until after a user has moved on to a new tab, when a page with a video refreshes in the background, or when a site with such a video automatically opens in a tab that does not become the active tab when it opens.

This generally leads the user to clicking through all of the open tabs to try to find where the sound is coming from. This can be even more difficult if the video is not obvious and not centered on the screen of whatever tab it is playing in. Some browsers, like Google Chrome, will indicate to the user which tabs are playing audio, thus alleviating this problem.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sitting at a laptop.]
:Laptop: It's day five of the trade summit, and still no...
:Cueball: ''Dammit''
:''click click click''

:I get most of my news from autoplaying videos in browser tabs I can't find.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

1276: Angular Size

2015-04-20T09:18:16Z

Mumiemonstret: Two Gliese planets had three orders of magnitude size error in the table (µm instead of mm, rendering them much smaller than the Voyager probes).

{{comic
| number = 1276
| date = October 11, 2013
| title = Angular Size
| image = angular size.png
| titletext = If the celestial sphere were mapped to the Earth's surface, astronomy would get a LOT easier; you'd just need a magnifying glass.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a comparison of the {{w|angular diameter|angular diameters}} (or apparent diameter) of various celestial objects at the surface of the earth relative to a vertex at the center of the Earth as diagrammed in the opening panel. The objects' scales are compared to actual objects on earth. Each size given is for the object at its closest approach to earth.

London's {{w|M25 motorway}} is around 60 km (35 miles) across, a {{w|soccer field}} is about 100 meters long, a {{w|Table tennis table|ping pong table}} is 274 centimeters long, a {{w|laptop}} is about 35 centimeters across, the {{w|tilde}} symbol on a keyboard is about 5 millimeters long, and a cell of ''{{w|Escherichia coli|E. coli}}'' is about 2 microns long.

A simple {{w|Intercept theorem|formula}} can be used to find the size on earth of a celestial object when the size of or distance to the object is known. This is done by taking the radius of the earth, multiplying by the diameter of the object, and dividing by the distance to the object from the center of the earth.

The space objects referenced in the panels are:

*The {{w|Sun}} and the {{w|Moon}}, and also the open cluster {{w|Messier 25}}, have approximately the same size (around 0.5 degrees of arc) when seen from the Earth.

*{{w|Mercury (planet)|Mercury}}, {{w|Venus}}, {{w|Mars}}, {{w|Jupiter}}, {{w|Saturn}}, {{w|Uranus}}, and {{w|Neptune}} are the other planets of the {{w|Solar System}}.

*{{w|Io (moon)|Io}}, {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}, {{w|Ganymede (moon)|Ganymede}}, and {{w|Callisto (moon)|Callisto}} are the main moons of Jupiter; {{w|Titan (moon)|Titan}} is the largest moon of Saturn; and {{w|Triton (moon)|Triton}} is the largest moon of Neptune. {{w|Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres}} and {{w|Pluto}} are {{w|dwarf planet}}s.

*{{w|Phobos (moon)|Phobos}} and {{w|Deimos (moon)|Deimos}} are the moons of Mars. {{w|Eris (dwarf planet)|Eris}} is another dwarf planet. {{w|R Doradus}} and {{w|Betelgeuse}} are giant stars, respectively around 180 and 640 light-years away. R Doradus is the star with the largest apparent diameter (other than the sun, of course).

*{{w|4942 Munroe}} is an asteroid [http://blog.xkcd.com/2013/09/30/asteroid-4942-munroe/ named] after xkcd author [[Randall]] Munroe. {{w|Proxima Centauri}}, {{W|Alpha Centauri|Alpha Centauri AB}}, {{w|Barnard's star}} and {{w|Sirius}} are nearby stars (all within 10 light-years from the Sun).

*{{w|HD 189733 b}}, {{w|Gliese 581 g}}, {{w|Gliese 667 Cc}}, {{w|82 G. Eridani#Planetary_system|HD 20794 c}}, {{w|Tau Ceti#Planets|Tau Ceti c}}, and {{w|KOI-1686.01}} are {{w|extrasolar planet}}s; the parenthetical names are references to the comic [[1253: Exoplanet Names]]. However, some of the planets' parenthetical names do not match the table in the previous comic. For example, HD 20794 c is called "Legoland" rather than "Moonchild" in [[1253: Exoplanet Names]]. The {{w|black hole}} at the center of our Galaxy is {{w|Sagittarius A*}}, a massive object containing a mass more than 4 million times of our Sun.

*{{w|Voyager 1}} and {{w|Voyager 2|2}} are space probes launched in 1977, and currently around 125 and 100 {{w|astronomical unit}}s away, respectively.

The title text states that astronomy would be much easier if the celestial sphere were mapped to the earth - like a giant {{w|globe}}. Due to the distance of the stars you would just need magnifying glass to see the areas representing distant stars instead of an expensive powerful telescope to see huge distances.

Approximate values for the mappings to the Earth sphere (based on mean Earth radius at 6,371.0 km):
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Panel
! Object
! Distance
! Diameter
! Size at Earth sphere
|-
| rowspan="4"| Panel 1
|| Sun
|| 149,600,000 km
|| 1,392,684 km
|| 59.3 km
|-
|| Moon Semi-major axis
|| 384,399 km
|| 3,476.28 km
|| 57.6 km
|-
|| Moon Perigee
|| 363,295 km
|| 3,476.28 km
|| 60.9 km
|-
|| Messier 25
|| 2,100 light-years 19.867 × 10^15 km
|| 19 light-years 179.753 × 10^12 km
|| 57.6 km
|-
| rowspan="7"| Panel 2
|| Mercury closest approach
|| 92 million km
|| 4,879.4 km
|| 0.34 km
|-
|| Venus closest approach
|| 41 million km
|| 12.103.6 km
|| 1.9 km
|-
|| Mars closest approach
|| 56 million km
|| 6,792.4 km
|| 0.77 km
|-
|| Jupiter
|| 778,547,200 km
|| 139,822 km
|| 1.14 km
|-
|| Saturn
|| 1,433,449,370 km
|| 120,536 km
|| 0.54 km
|-
|| Uranus
|| 2,876,679,082 km
|| 51,118 km
|| 0.11 km
|-
|| Neptune
|| 4,503,443,661 km
|| 49,528 km
|| 0.07 km
|-
| rowspan="8"| Panel 3
|| Io
|| 778,547,200 km
|| 3,643 km
|| 29.8 m
|-
|| Europa
|| 778,547,200 km
|| 3,122 km
|| 25.5 m
|-
|| Ganymede
|| 778,547,200 km
|| 5,262 km
|| 43.1 m
|-
|| Callisto
|| 778,547,200 km
|| 4,821 km
|| 39.5 m
|-
|| Titan
|| 1,433,449,370 km
|| 5,150 km
|| 22.9
|-
|| Triton
|| 4,503,443,661 km
|| 2,705.2 km
|| 3.8 m
|-
|| Ceres Perihelion
|| 380,995,855 km
|| 974.6 km
|| 16.3 m
|-
|| Pluto Perihelion
|| 4,437,000,000 km
|| 2,306 km
|| 3.3 m
|-
| rowspan="6"| Panel 4
|| Phobos
|| 56 million km
|| 26.8 × 22.4 × 18.4 km
|| 3.05 m
|-
|| Deimos
|| 56 million km
|| 15 × 12.2 × 10.4 km
|| 1.71 m
|-
|| Eris Perihelion
|| 5.723 × 10^9 km
|| 2326 km
|| 2.59 m
|-
|| Eris Aphelion
|| 14.602 × 10^9 km
|| 2326 km
|| 1.01 m
|-
|| Betelguse
|| 643 ± 146 light-years max. 7.464 × 10^15 km
|| 950–1,200 solar radii max. 1.671 × 10^9 km
|| 1.43 m
|-
|| R Doradus
|| 178 ± 10 light-years max. 1.778 × 10^15 km
|| 370 ± 50 solar radii max. 0.515 × 10^9 km
|| 1.85 m
|-
| rowspan="6"| Panel 5
|| 4942 Munroe
|| 2.2 AU (1.2 AU closest to earth, 179.4 × 10^6 km)
|| 9–10 km
|| 35.5 cm
|-
|| Proxima Centauri
|| 4.243 light-years 40.142 × 10^12 km
|| 0.141 solar radii 0.196 × 10^6 km
|| 3.11 cm
|-
|| Barnard's Star
|| 5.980 light-years 56.574 × 10^12 km
|| 0.196 solar radii 0.272 × 10^6 km
|| 3.06 cm
|-
|| Alpha Centauri B
|| 4.366 light-years 41.305 × 10^12 km
|| 0.865 solar radii 1.204 × 10^6 km
|| 18.6 cm
|-
|| Sirius
|| 8.6 light-years 81.362 × 10^12 km
|| 1.711 solar radii 2.382 × 10^6 km
|| 18.7 cm
|-
|| Alpha Centauri A
|| 4.366 light-years 41.305 × 10^12 km
|| 1.227 solar radii 1.708 × 10^6 km
|| 26.3 cm
|-
| rowspan="9"| Panel 6
|| HD 189733 b
|| 63 light-years 596.024 × 10^12 km
|| 1.138 Jupiter radii 159,117 km
|| 1.7 mm
|-
|| Gliese 581 g
|| 20.3 light-years 192.052 × 10^12 km
|| 1.3 to 2.0 Earth radii max. 25,484 km
|| 0.85 mm
|-
|| Gliese 581 (Parent star)
|| 20.3 light-years 192.052 × 10^12 km
|| 0.29 solar radii 403,878 km
|| 1.34 cm
|-
|| Black Hole at the center of our Galaxy
|| 25,900 light-years 245.032 × 10^15 km
|| Mass 4.31 × 10^6: 12.684 × 10^6 km
|| 0.33 mm
|-
|| Gliese 667 Cc
|| 22.7 light-years 214.757 × 10^12 km
|| 2.0 Earth radii 25,484 km
|| 0.76 mm
|-
|| Gliese 667 (Parent star)
|| 22.7 light-years 214.757 × 10^12 km
|| 0.42 solar radii 584,927 km
|| 1.74 cm
|-
|| HD 20794 c (Parent star)
|| 20 light-years 189.214 × 10^12 km
|| 0.92 solar radii 1,281,269 km
|| 4.31 cm
|-
|| Tau Ceti C (Parent star)
|| 11.905 light-years 112.629 × 10^12 km
|| 0.793 solar radii 1,104,398 km
|| 6.25 cm
|-
|| Koi-1686.01 (Parent star)
|| 1033.8 light-years 9.780 × 10^15 km
|| 0.52 solar radii 724,195 km
|| 0.47 mm
|-
| Panel 7
|| Voyager probes
|| (Voyager 1 at 126.10 AU) 1.886×10^10 km
|| 20 meters (with antennas)
|| 6.76 µm
|}

==Transcript==
:The size of the part of Earth's surface directly under various space objects
:[Several images are shown, of space objects of differing size and at different distances from Earth, illustrating the differing sizes of their "shadows" as mapped onto Earth's surface viewed from the center of the Earth.]

:[The first image merely sets the stage: Earth is a full circle, with two figures — Cueball and Megan — standing on it; a small space object casts a "shadow" on Megan, while a slightly larger object, though proportionally farther away, casts just about the same size shadow next to Cueball.]

:[The second image is a map showing London, with the Thames running through it, and a ring highway running around it labeled "London's M25 Orbital Freeway". A grey circle is overlaid, just about the diameter of the M25; it is labeled "The Sun and The Moon (about the same size)".]

:[The third image has a small grey rectangle in one corner labeled "Soccer field" for comparison. The image is dominated by four large, grey circles, considerably larger than the soccer field, labeled "Saturn", "Mars", "Jupiter", and "Venus", with Mars slightly larger than Saturn, Jupiter approximately twice the diameter of Saturn, and Venus approximately three times the diameter of Saturn. Smaller circles are labeled "Mercury", "Uranus", and "Neptune", with Mercury still somewhat larger than the soccer field, Uranus about its size, and Neptune slightly smaller.]

:[The fourth image has the soccer field blown up to take up much of the view; its center circle, goal areas, and corner kick areas are visible. Labeled grey circles of various circles are again overlain: Callisto and Ganymede are about as large as one half of the field; Io, Titan, and Europa are somewhat smaller than half the field; and Ceres, Triton, and Pluto are much smaller (all three together would probably fit into the soccer field's center circle).]

:[In the fifth image, there is a different grey rectangle, this one labeled "Ping Pong table", with a few balls and paddles visible. An irregular ovoid labeled "Phobos" is about the size of the table, as is a circle labeled "R. Doradus". An irregular circular shape labeled "Deimos" is about the size of half the table; a circle labeled "Betelgeuse" is a little smaller, and a circle labeled "Eris" is a little smaller, though still comfortably filling most of half of the table.]

:[In the sixth image, a light grey image of laptop computer keyboard and screen is shown, viewed from directly above. An irregular shape labeled "4942 Munroe" is slightly larger than the laptop, while circles labeled "Alpha Centauri A", "Sirius", and "Alpha Centauri B" form a descending series somewhat smaller than it. Circles labeled "Proxima Centauri" and "Barnard's Star" are considerably smaller than the laptop: Proxima Centauri would fit on the trackpad, while Barnard's Star covers perhaps four keys on the keyboard.]

:[In the seventh image we see a greatly zoomed-in shape which is identified as the "Tilde on laptop keyboard". A circle labeled "HD 189733 b (permadeath)" is almost as large as the tilde is wide; a circle labeled "Tau Ceti C (giant dog planet)" is somewhat smaller. Circles labeled "Gleise 581 g (jelly-filled planet)", "Gleise 667 C c (PILF)", and "HD 20794 c (moonchild)" are all 1/2 to 1/3 as wide as the tilde is wide. A smaller circle labeled "Event horizon of the black hole at the center of our galaxy" fits comfortably within the tilde's stroke width. A very small dot off in one corner (much smaller than the tilde or anything else in the image) is labeled "KOI-1686.01 (emergency backup earth)".]

:[Finally, in the eighth image, the size comparison is to the grey outlines of four bacilliform bacteria labeled "E. coli". The outlines of two interstellar probes are shown, with circular main housings and protruding instruments and antennae. They are labeled "Voyager 1" and "Voyager 2".]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Exoplanets]]

1261: Shake That

2015-04-14T15:25:34Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Explanation */ Rearranged sentence consistuents in the mega-sentence

{{comic
| number = 1261
| date = September 6, 2013
| title = Shake That
| image = shake that.png
| titletext = How do I work it? IT'S ALREADY WORKING!
}}

==Explanation==
Visiting a club, [[Megan]] is exhorted by a phrase used in several songs, to "shake what your mama gave you", a crude euphemism typically used to encourage shaking one's body parts, referring to any of the sexually appealing anatomical parts of the dancer. Taking this exhortation extremely literally, Megan proceeds to locate a mug presumably given to her by her "mama" labeled "World's greatest daughter" and shakes it.

The phrase "shake what your mama gave ya" was in use as early as 1992, when it was the title of a song by {{w|Poison Clan}}, a southern hip-hop group that was influential from 1990–1995. Another version by Stik-E & Da Hoodz was released in 1995 by Phat Wax records. The line gained a wider audience when it was sampled by {{w|Fatboy Slim}} in the similarly titled "Ya Mama" on his 2000 album ''{{w|Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars}}''. More recently the line was featured in the {{w|Lil Jon}} single "Stick That Thang Out". In fitting with the general thematic composition of such a song, a large part of which revolves around either goading a woman to, or describing one who is dancing seductively in a nightclub - this line asks a girl to dance, thereby swaying her hips & buttocks, or breasts, the most common male 'fetishes' - making them more conspicuous in the usually dim ambiance because of the phase lag with the rest of the body, which may be attributed to non-rigidity of the elastic structures - for purposes of her male audience's gratification (whether it be solicited or voyeuristic).

The title text refers to another lyrical cliche, "work it", which typically refers to "working" one's body; again, generally seductively. The action may be considered work either from the point of mechanical work, or as a reference to a professional dancer. This naturally leads Megan to further confusion (as indicated by the title text) when taken literally, as she responds "it's already working!" It is not entirely clear if she is again referring to the mug, or simply another generic object not displayed in the comic.

==Transcript==
:[Megan stands in a disco, surrounded by dancing figures. She looks confused.]
:PA system: Shake what your mama gave you
:Megan: ???
:[Megan walks out of the club door.]
:[We see a mug on a table, labelled "World's Greatest Daughter".]
:[Megan shakes the mug.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Music]]

Talk:1252: Increased Risk

2015-04-10T12:09:06Z

Mumiemonstret:

I think this is to address the old chestnut of "<something> will ''double'' your risk of getting cancer!", or the like, where the risk of getting that cancer (in this example) is maybe 1 in 10,000, so doubling the risk across a population wouldmake that a 1 in 5,000 risk to your health... which you may still consider to be an acceptable gamble if it's something nice (like cheese!) that's apaprently to blame and you'd find abstinence from it gives a barely marginal benefit for a far greater loss of life enjoyment. Also, this sort of figure almost always applies towards a ''specific form'' of cancer, or whatever risk is being discussed, meaning you aren't vastly changing your life expectancy at all. In fact, the likes of opposing "red wine is good/bad for you" studies can be mutually true by this same principle (gain a little risk of one condition, lose a little risk from another). (Note: I don't know of any particular "cheese gives you cancer!" stories doing the rounds, at the moment. I bet they have done, but I only mention it because I actually quite like cheese. And I probably ''wouldn't'' give it up under the above conditions.)

It's also possible that this covers the likes of "<foo> in <country> is 10 times more dangerous than it is <other country>" statements. Perhaps ''only'' ten incidents happened in the former, and a single instance in the latter, out the ''whole'' of each respective country. Or a single incident occured in both, but the second country is ten times the size, so gets 'adjusted for population' in the tables. And, besides which, that was just for one year and was just a statistical blip that will probably revert-towards-the-mean next year.

Finally, for a given risk of some incident happening on the first two trips, with no 'memory' or build-up involved, it pretty much is half-as-likely-again for the incident to have happened (some time!) in three separate trips. (Not quite, if those that lose against the odds and get caught by the incident the first or second trip never get to ''have'' a (second or) third trip... but for negligable odds like thegiven example, of the dog with the handgun, it's near-as-damnit so.) [[Special:Contributions/178.104.103.140|178.104.103.140]] 11:12, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

Where did "dogs with shotguns" come from? I only saw "handgun" in the comic. Besides, I interpreted the risk as being hit by a negligent discharge from the handgun, not being deliberately attacked by the dog. Also, since probabilities are the set of real numbers between 0 and 1 inclusive, there are an uncountable number of them. "A x% increase in a tiny risk is still tiny" is an inductive statement, which means it could only be used to argue that a countable set of numbers is tiny. [[Special:Contributions/76.64.65.200|76.64.65.200]] 12:24, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

:If induction base is uncountable, you can prove it for the whole [0; 1]. For example your induction base may be "every risk under 0.00000000000000000001% is tiny". --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 12:38, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

::Aha you caught me. I also realized that if a number is tiny, any number smaller than it is also tiny. So if we can prove that 1 is tiny, then we can prove that all numbers between 0 and 1 (known as probabilities) are tiny. [[User:Diszy|Diszy]] ([[User talk:Diszy|talk]]) 15:46, 18 August 2013 (UTC)

I think it's worth mentioning that this comic doesn't [[985|distinguish between percentages and percentage points]]. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 12:35, 16 August 2013 (UTC)
: I think it does. It never uses percentage points, and never claims to.[[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 12:09, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

Is it the case that doing something three times increases risk by 50% over two times inherently? I feel like this is the case, but it's early, here. Also, I'm not sure Randall is attacked by a dog, he may be using it as a diversion. I think that he's done this before. [[User:Theo|Theo]] ([[User talk:Theo|talk]]) 12:56, 16 August 2013 (UTC)
:(First, good point, DiEvAl, about the percentages/percentage-points. I ''knew'' I'd missed something out in my first thoughts. I actually tend to assume ''against'' percentage points, which is somewhat the opposite from what I've seen in the general public.)
:Actually, depends on how you count it. But I was using the "encounter 'n' incidents per trip", "encounter '2n' incidents per two trips", "encoutner '3n' incidents per three trips" measure, where 3n==2n+50%. But that works best with a baseline of >>1 incidents per trip assumed. In reality, if the chance is a fractional 'p' for an occurance in one instance, it's (1-p) that it ''didn't'' occur thus (1-p)n that it didn't occur in any of 'n' instances and 1-(1-p)n that it did (at least once, possible several times or even all). Not so simple, but for p tending to zero it 'does' converge on 1.5 times for across three what you'd expect for two (albeit because 0*1.5=0). Like they say, "Lies, Damn Lies...", etc. ;) [[Special:Contributions/178.104.103.140|178.104.103.140]] 14:22, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

I don't think Randall is being attacked by a dog at all. What he's saying is that if you are going to think getting attacked by a shark is so likely, then you better be watching out for that never-gonna-happen dog scenario too. [[User:Jillysky|Jillysky]] ([[User talk:Jillysky|talk]]) 13:56, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

Is 0.000001% really "one in a million"?
;If 1% = 1 in 100, then
:0.1% = 1 in a 1,000
:0.01% = 1 in a 10,000
:0.001% = 1 in a 100,000
:0.0001% = 1 in a 1,000,000
:0.00001% = 1 in a 10,000,000
:'''0.000001% = 1 in a 100,000,000'''
Would it be more accurate to leave off the % sign?
Assuming I'm right, I think it'd be less confusing to leave it and reduce the numbers by a couple orders of magnitude.
--Clayton [[Special:Contributions/12.202.74.87|12.202.74.87]] 14:36, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

''If the chance of the dog attack is 0.000000001% (one in a billion) on each visit to the beach, then the chance of attack over two visits is 0.000000002% whereas in three visits it becomes 0.000000003%''

Um, no. Following that logic, if I go to the beach a billion times then I '''will''' get shot by a dog that is packing. Rather, each visit to the beach has it's own odds, like the rolling of dice? On any particular visit there's a one-in-a-billion chance. And that's true on each subsequent visit as well. Tuesday's visit to the beach isn't twice as dangerous just because I was at the beach on Monday. [[User:CFoxx|CFoxx]] ([[User talk:CFoxx|talk]]) 16:26, 16 August 2013 (UTC)
:For each visit that is the case. Because it's one visit, that's true. However, if (time not being a factor) one were to have a billion visits planned, the odds over all would be increased. Pretty sure that overall this means that you got the joke faster than I did. Thanks for the clarification! [[User:Theo|Theo]] ([[User talk:Theo|talk]]) 17:06, 16 August 2013 (UTC)
::The odds overall may increase with multiple visits. But not, at least, at the rate listed. Otherwise that billionth trip (if one survived that long as one is likely to do) would be certain death. [[User:CFoxx|CFoxx]] ([[User talk:CFoxx|talk]]) 17:30, 16 August 2013 (UTC)
:::Correct. Technically, the odds we are worried about are the "probability of being shot one or more times by a dog". So if the probability is 1/10^9 for any given day, than the odds of not being shot are (10^9-1)/10^9 for any given day, and the odds of not being shot over three days are (10^9-1)^3/10^27, and then the odds of being shot one or more times are 1-((10^9-1)^3/10^27), which is roughly 2.999999997000000001/10^9. That is close, but slightly less, than 3/10^9. [[Special:Contributions/206.174.12.203|206.174.12.203]] 18:01, 16 August 2013 (UTC)Toby Ovod-Everett
::::Absolute incorrect: You always have to look at the single event. More events do not belong together, you always have the same probability at each single event. So, even 10 billion events may or may NOT result in a disaster. Math isn't easy.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:17, 16 August 2013 (UTC)
:::::I believe what CFoxx was saying is that if the odds of something happening on any given day are one in three, then the odds of that thing happening at least once during a four day period is NOT 4/3rds! I was pointing out that the proper way to calculate the odds for a four day period is to say that the odds of it not happening on any given day are two in three. You take that probability and raise it to the fourth power, giving the odds that it won't happen at all during a four day period of 16/81, thus the odds that it will happen during that four day period is 65/81. I then did that same calculation for the 1 in a billion chance per day and applied it to the three day period, and recognized that he was correct that the true probability of the event happening one or more times over a three day period was not three times the probability of it happening on any given day, but also noted that the difference for a 1 in a billion chance over a small period is pretty close to the simplistic (but incorrect) approach. My rough estimate for the "one in a billion per day" event happening one or more times during a billion day period is 63.21%.[[Special:Contributions/206.174.12.203|206.174.12.203]] 21:33, 16 August 2013 (UTC)Toby Ovod-Everett
::::::Wow, we still have many great scientists here!--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:46, 16 August 2013 (UTC)
::::::THANK YOU, Toby! [[User:CFoxx|CFoxx]] ([[User talk:CFoxx|talk]]) 18:09, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Just a thought: is the title text a reference to the Sorites paradox? --AJ [[Special:Contributions/80.42.221.105|80.42.221.105]] 17:25, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

Rats! I made the newbie mistake of editing something before I found the discussion page. I looked for it, honest I did! I see that UTC has already brought up what I referred to as "Cueball's error" in my (pre-log-in) edit. I did find it hard to believe I'd be the first xkcd fan to notice this error. I think this is worth addressing in the explanation, though I of course won't take offense if someone wants to obliterate my edit and start over. (CLSI){{unsigned|CLSI}}

Maybe he means this: Florida man shot by his dog, police say http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/26/17107343-florida-man-shot-by-his-dog-police-say?lite{{unsigned|Jb}}

Saying that unfortunately Cueball is mistaken in his calculations because he said 50% instead of 49.99999992% is a bit of an exaggeration. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 20:19, 16 August 2013 (UTC)

In regards to the "flipping a coin and having it come up with heads 9 times in a row being no indication of future results" thing, I have to throw out that ''that'' is a common misunderstanding in basic logic; it's an example that people throw out all the time without really considering the real-life implications. With a truly fair coin, the situation as described is certainly true. But the odds of a fair coin coming up heads 9 times in a row is 512-to-1 against. That coin is overwhelmingly likely not a fair coin. I would say the odds of that coin flipping heads on the 10th flip is pretty damn close to unity. [[User:Hoopy Frood|Hoopy Frood]] ([[User talk:Hoopy Frood|talk]]) 17:00, 25 August 2013 (UTC)

;Chaos at explain section
Please stop adding this, it does not explain the comic, it only belongs to this discussion page:

:Note that the 50% figure is an approximation. Assuming the odds of being attacked by a dog is ''x'', the odds of being attacked by a dog at least once in two visits is 1 - (1-''x'')2. The odds of being attacked at least once in three visits is 1 - (1-''x'')3. Therefore, if one visit has one in a billion probability of attack, then two visits have not 2 in a billion, but 1.999999999 in a billion. Similarly, three visits have a probability of 2.999999997 in a billion. Saying 50% instead of 49.99999992% is a reasonable approximation.

:Unfortunately, [[Cueball]] is mistaken in his calculations. This is easier to see with an event that has greater probability, such as a coin toss. Assuming the odds of getting heads in one flip is .5, the odds of getting heads at least once in two flips is .75 (i.e., 1 minus [.5 X .5], the odds of getting tails both times), and the odds of getting heads at least once in three flips is .875 (1 minus [.5 X .5 X .5], the odds of getting three tails in a row). Getting heads in three flips is not 50% more likely than getting heads in two flips. With very low probabilities (such as the probability of attack by a dog swimming with a handgun), Cueball's calculation gives an extremely close approximation of the actual probability, but one can't apply the same logic to events of just any probability.

::Cueball says *statistically* the risk of some bizarre event increases 50%. This is essentially correct as many have pointed out that 49.99999999 is not really statistically different than 50. What is likely bothering a lot of people (including myself) is that the explainxkcd description states "If the chance of the dog attack is one per billion on each visit to the beach, then the chance of attack over two visits *is* two per billion whereas in three visits it *becomes* three per billion." There are no weasel words like "approximately", "about", "around", etc. This reminds people of flatly incorrect uses of probabilities like the one you describe. But surely the probability of getting heads from a fair coin toss is not on a similar order of magnitude as the probability that a swimming dog shoots someone with a handgun. [[User:S|S]] ([[User talk:S|talk]]) 00:40, 17 August 2013 (UTC)
:::''What is likely bothering a lot of people (including myself) is that the explainxkcd description states "If the chance of the dog attack is one per billion on each visit to the beach, then the chance of attack over two visits *is* two per billion whereas in three visits it *becomes* three per billion." There are no weasel words like "approximately", "about", "around", etc.'' '''Exactly.''' Explanations here have been very helpful in explaining some of the more scientific aspects of things Randall includes. Noting this one makes a (albeit slight) mistake in that regard is appropriate. (And the irony of incorrectly using probabilities in explaining a comic about how people do that is amusing.) [[User:CFoxx|CFoxx]] ([[User talk:CFoxx|talk]]) 18:15, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

I had to think of http://xkcd.com/1102/ when reading the first paragraph of the explainxkcd description. (The context is different, but the dubious use of percentages is the same.) [[User:S|S]] ([[User talk:S|talk]]) 00:40, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

;Proof
I believe Cuball's calculation is way off. The odds of a dog attack should increase by 50% when looking at two beach trips rather than one. But the odds of an attack occurring with 3 visits should only increase by about 16.67%. This can be seen by analyzing a fair dice roll or a coin toss. Unless I am missing something, even with extremely small probabilities, this will hold. Can anyone write a proof to show otherwise?{{unsigned ip|174.98.234.239}}
:As far as I understand it: doing something twice doubles your chance of getting the desired outcome. For example, you want to role a dice and get a six. If you role it twice, you have double the chance of getting at least one six. If you role it three times you have triple the chance of getting a six; in other words you increase it from two chances to three chances, which is an increase of 50%. {{unsigned ip|213.86.4.78}}
::It doubles the likely number of sixes, but does not double the chance of getting at least one six. This is because there is a small chance of getting two sixes, and while that counts as two sixes for the number of occurrences, it still only counts as one chance of getting at least one six. The easiest way to visualize this is to look at the probability that you won't get a six in any given roll of the die, which is 5/6ths. Each time you roll, the probability you won't get a six at all goes down by 5/6ths. So the probability for two rolls is 25/36ths, and thus the probability of getting one or more sixes in two rolls is 11/36ths. This is 1/36th less than 2/6ths, and 1/36th is the probability of getting two sixes. Similar (although more complicated) logic applies to rolling it three times, for which the probability of getting at least one 6 is 91/216ths (not 108/216ths, as the naive approach would imply). As others (CFoxx) have pointed out, if you roll a die 6 times, there is still a chance you won't get any sixes. If you roll it a million times, it is still possible (albeit very, very, very unlikely) that you wouldn't get any sixes! As far as the 50% and 16.67% figures given by the original poster, I believe those were calculated for events that have a 50% probability for each event. The increase in probability from 1 to 2 events where 1/x is the probability looks like (1-(1-1/x)^2)/(1/x)-1, which is (1-(1-2/x+1/x^2))*x-1 or (2/x-1/x^2)*x-1 or (2-1/x)-1 or 1-1/x. Thus for an event like a fair coin toss, the increase in probability for two tosses over one toss is 1/2. For a 6-sided die, the increase in probability is 5/6th. For a 1/billion, the increased probability for one or more occurrence for two events compared with one event is 0.999999999. Finally, the probability of the second event being the desired event is always the same. It is unchanged by the first event. It is the probability of either (or both) of the events being desired that we are calculating here. If the first die roll is a six, the probability of the second being a six is still 1/6. If the first die roll is not a six, the probability of the second being a six is still 1/6 (assuming a fair die). But the probability of either or both being a six is the absence of any information about the two rolls is not 2/6, but rather 11/36! [[Special:Contributions/206.174.12.203|206.174.12.203]] 17:06, 21 August 2013 (UTC)Toby Ovod-Everett

I shared this comic with risk-assessor friends in Massachusetts and got the following responses:
"Tee-hee. If you change the beach to Chatham, however, it's just not as funny!" (Cape Cod beaches have new signs warning of great white shark attacks: http://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2013/08/17/chatham-bold-attempt-become-new-england-great-white-shark-capital/TtfcEZsAo6PN7lUoBKe1kO/story.html)
"Or in our line of work, we worry (in MA) if the risk of cancer is 0.00002 but not if it is 0.00001 or less, which, as the base rate of cancer is around 40%, means that we're worried about a cancer incidence rate of 0.40002 but not 0.40001. And one could almost argue that it'd be pretty hard to distinguish these two, and even that if we presented risks in this form to the general public, they might wonder why we're so concerned..."
"Makes you wonder what the risk was for that Marlin coming on board that boat in Florida - http://www.wfla.com/story/23239959/350-pound-marlin-jumps-in-boat-landing-on-crew?"
I guess it all depends on your point of view. One might argue that the "gambler's fallacy" is the primary driver of lottery income, which, according to the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries: "During fiscal year 2012 (which for most jurisdictions ended June 30) U.S. lottery sales totaled $78 billion ($US). Canadian sales reached $9.3 billion ($Can)." (http://www.naspl.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=content&menuid=14&pageid=1020). Is "Remember to Play all Lottery Games Responsibly" an oxymoron?{{unsigned|Hoopy}}

I am troubled with this paragraph: "This also can be illustrated by coin flips: if one flips a coin 10 times in a row, no matter what the result of each previous flip is (even if it were nine heads in a row), the odds of getting heads on the next coin flip remains 50%. In other words, past experience does not impact subsequent flips."

This paragraph does not specify the use of a fair coin. If 9 flips all come up heads, then there is strong statistical evidence that the probability of getting a head in a flip is not 50% (P=1/2^9=1/512~0.2%). It is still true that "past experience does not impact subsequent flips", but in this case, our judgment about the true probability should change in light of new data. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.87|199.27.128.87]] 10:27, 13 May 2014 (UTC)

Just a note, (may have been mentioned) the third trip has the same odds as trip one and two, the odds do not increase with past results (not that it matters with such low odds). {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.8}}

1252: Increased Risk

2015-04-10T12:04:55Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Explanation */ The title text explanation got lost (with good intentions) in Aug. 2013. Trying to restore it.

{{comic
| number = 1252
| date = August 16, 2013
| title = Increased Risk
| image = increased_risk.png
| titletext = You may point out that strictly speaking, you can use that statement to prove that all risks are tiny--to which I reply HOLY SHIT WATCH OUT FOR THAT DOG!
}}
==Explanation==
The panel satirises the common misunderstanding of the concept of percentage. Quoting a percentage change without mentioning the base probability that this ratio acts on is meaningless (outside of arithmetic for arithmetic's sake). Most everyday communication, however, succumbs to such incompleteness. In the aftermath of this ambiguity, people tend to conflate relative and absolute changes.

If the probability of a shark attack at the North beach is 5 per million, then the probability of shark attack at the South beach is still not more than 6 per million. The difference between these values is not enough to normally justify choosing one beach over the other, even though a "20% greater" chance sounds significant when stated out of this larger context.

[[Cueball]] parodies the concern by noting that by going to a beach three times instead of two, their chances of attack by dogs with handguns in their mouths (a ludicrous and unrealistic scenario) increases by 50%. If the chance of the dog attack is one per billion on each visit to the beach, then the chance of attack increases over multiple visits regardless; it's still one in a billion for any specific visit. This does not change the overall improbability of there ever being a dog swimming with a gun in its mouth.

[[Beret Guy]] misunderstands Cueball's probability, exhibiting the {{w|Gambler's fallacy}} by believing that since they haven't been attacked in their first two trips, the chance of attack by dogs with handguns is higher on their third outing.

This is a common misunderstanding of statistics. While the overall probability of an attack in three trips would be higher than in a single trip, it doesn't change the fact that in each individual trip, the probability is still the same; whether or not they managed to avoid being attacked in their first two trips, the results of these trips do not factor into the probability equation of the third trip.

This also can be illustrated by coin flips: if one flips a coin ten times in a row, no matter what the result of each previous flip is (even if it were nine heads in a row), the odds of getting heads on the tenth coin flip remains 50%. In other words, past experience does not impact subsequent flips.

The caption clarifies Cueball's point, but without sarcasm.

Then again, the title text objects to this point (that a tiny risk increased by 50% is still tiny). If this 50% increment is done repeatedly, the risk can get arbitrarily high, while the statement says that it is still tiny. This can be compared to the {{w|Sorites paradox}} (the "paradox of the heap"), which involves a "heap" of sand from which grains of sand are removed individually. If one assumes that, after removing a single grain, a heap of sand is still considered a heap of sand, and that there are a limited number of grains of sand in the heap, then one is forced to accept the conclusion that it can still be considered a heap of sand even if there is only a single grain of sand (or even none at all).

==Transcript==
:[Three figures are standing around. Two have beach towels. Ponytail is looking at her cell phone. One of them is Beret Guy.]
:Ponytail: We should go to the north beach. Someone said the south beach has a 20% higher risk of shark attacks.
:Cueball: Yeah, but statistically, taking three beach trips instead of two increases our odds of getting shot by a swimming dog carrying a handgun in its mouth by '''''50%!'''''
:Beret Guy: Oh no! This is our third trip!
:Reminder: A 50% increase in a tiny risk is ''still tiny''.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Sharks]]

Talk:1242: Scary Names

2015-04-09T11:37:40Z

Mumiemonstret:

;Zero Halliburton
What is "A Zero Halliburton briefcase"? [[Special:Contributions/212.232.24.57|212.232.24.57]] 13:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:Zero Halliburton is a luggage brand name, with a line of aluminum attache cases. Not connected to the big company Halliburton, associated with former US Vice President Cheney and the war in Iraq. [[User:Wrybred|Wrybred]] ([[User talk:Wrybred|talk]]) 13:57, 24 July 2013 (UTC)wrybred

::The history of Zero Halliburton luggage does intersect with the founder of Halliburton Company, Erle P. Halliburton. He needed rugged cases, so he started a company to produce them. He sold it to Zero Corporation. [http://www.zerohalliburton.com/about-our-company.html]. ''— [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''

::Also of note, Halliburton isn't just "known for" its association with Cheney and the war in Iraq. It's an oil and gas services (i.e. drilling and well managment, inter alia) company. [[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 10:50, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

;Military Aide/Secret Service Agent
Isn't the nuclear football carried by a military aide, not a Secret Service agent? [[Special:Contributions/167.165.238.254|167.165.238.254]] 14:18, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:Probably. I don't really know what I'm talking about. If you think you can improve on what I wrote, go for it! [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

::Yes. "Cheney noted that the president is accompanied at all times by a military aide carrying a 'football' that contains launch codes for nuclear weapons. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100869.html] ''— [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''

:::I assume it's called 'football' because in the USA footballs are usually carried by hand. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 15:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

::::Early plans for nuclear war against the Soviets were codenamed "Dropkick". [[Special:Contributions/193.67.17.36|193.67.17.36]] 16:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

;Helvetica Scenario
I think the "Helvetica Scenario" explanation is wrong, but I don't know enough about it to feel comfortable editing. Here's an article I found that makes more sense. http://enigmauniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Helvetica_Scenario (I didn't watch the Youtube clip since I'm at work, so maybe that's what the clip refers to. It should be explained in the article instead.) [[User:Trek7553|Trek7553]] ([[User talk:Trek7553|talk]]) 14:45, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:To the best of my knowledge, the page you linked to is a work of fiction on a role-playing wiki. The references to calcium imply that it is based off of the Look Around You segment, but with its own added elements for the sake of role-playing. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:53, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

::I changed this section. The video is correct, but the horror scene is just showing a possible result of the Helvetica experiment.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:19, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

:::That sounds much better now. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 18:06, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

:::: I know what you mean but I like the statement "...the page you linked to is a work of fiction..." - the Helvetica Scenario is a work of fiction! But yes, that is a derivative work, the original source being Look Around You.

:::: Having just looked at the edits, Dgbrt is getting seriously confused. The Helvetica Scenario is not real, and is completely made up by the TV program Look Around You. Urban dictionary is entirely based on the original invention by L.A.Y. It is not a real thing!

;Arbitrary Scariness Formatting
I have a slight issue with the artificial percentage scale given for entries in the chart. First of all it assumes a linear chart that is measured in percentages. Secondly, it assumes Flesh-eating Bacteria is 100% scariest thing and scariest-sounding thing existant. Just because it's the highest on the chart doesn't make it "100%" (again, percentage seems like an arbitrary scale to assign) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 16:22, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:I disagree on your second point. The explanation expresses the scariness of something as a percentage of Flesh-eating Bacteria BECAUSE it is an arbitrary scale. It doesn't imply that the bacteria is the scariest possible thing. I think this is the best way; it's better than saying "Grey goo isn't as scary sounding, but is scarier than..." for all possible combinations of every item. Also on your first point, it doesn't assume the chart is measured in percentages (although it does assume linearity). [[Special:Contributions/174.88.154.131|174.88.154.131]] 12:30, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

::How about we just give the pixel coordinates and point out that the scale is arbitrary (or not defined by the comic). Percentage would suggest that the scale is in some way linear, which you actually cannot conclude from the graph. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 13:08, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

::Initially I had written out "Not very scary", "Somewhat scary", "Fairly scary", etc. but it seemed simpler and much easier to read and sort to simply use arbitrary percentages. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:55, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
:As there are no values or units listed, Randall's dots are fairly arbitrary, probably plotted relative to each other and to a roughly-equal apparent-to-actual-scariness line. So isn't it a little silly to argue about the listing of an arbitrary scale for these arbitrary values? [[Special:Contributions/138.162.8.57|138.162.8.57]] 15:57, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

::In my opinion the percentages are over interpreting the comic. But since it is here it should be explained as position on the graph relative to zero.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:19, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

:::The percentages are perfectly fine. They just need to be interpreted as what they are: percentages of scary, relative to flesh eating bacteria. Flesh eating bacteria = 1 unit of scary. In this situation 110% isn't just a metaphor. If the bacteria was the scariest thing nothing would be off the chart. [[User:Db|db]] ([[User talk:Db|talk]]) 06:11, 17 November 2013 (UTC)

Really I think the point of the comic is how superficial perception and reality fail to correlate. That's what is so notable about flesh eating bacteria. It lives up to it's name. A rare thing indeed. [[User:Db|db]] ([[User talk:Db|talk]]) 06:11, 17 November 2013 (UTC)

What is missing about the transcript? It describes the comic panel perfectly. there is no dialogue to include. could you please be more specific about what you feel is missing from the transcript? @dgbrt [[User:Mrarch|Mrarch]] ([[User talk:Mrarch|talk]]) 00:37, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
:A transcript should not contain a sentence like: "Items within the scatter plot are listed in the table above." --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:02, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
::I think that the transcript should not contain anything except for the text in the comic. They should be used for searching, not for reconstructing comics completely in text form. --[[User:Bob|Bob]] 13:00, 3 April 2014

; What about kassler with mustard?
Some items are strangely placed on the Y axis, aren't they? "Mustard gas" sounds more horrifying to Randall than "Criticality incident"? "Kessler syndrome" more than "Demon core"? Both sound like food to me. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 11:36, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1242: Scary Names

2015-04-09T11:36:30Z

Mumiemonstret:

;Zero Halliburton
What is "A Zero Halliburton briefcase"? [[Special:Contributions/212.232.24.57|212.232.24.57]] 13:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:Zero Halliburton is a luggage brand name, with a line of aluminum attache cases. Not connected to the big company Halliburton, associated with former US Vice President Cheney and the war in Iraq. [[User:Wrybred|Wrybred]] ([[User talk:Wrybred|talk]]) 13:57, 24 July 2013 (UTC)wrybred

::The history of Zero Halliburton luggage does intersect with the founder of Halliburton Company, Erle P. Halliburton. He needed rugged cases, so he started a company to produce them. He sold it to Zero Corporation. [http://www.zerohalliburton.com/about-our-company.html]. ''— [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''

::Also of note, Halliburton isn't just "known for" its association with Cheney and the war in Iraq. It's an oil and gas services (i.e. drilling and well managment, inter alia) company. [[User:Orazor|Orazor]] ([[User talk:Orazor|talk]]) 10:50, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

;Military Aide/Secret Service Agent
Isn't the nuclear football carried by a military aide, not a Secret Service agent? [[Special:Contributions/167.165.238.254|167.165.238.254]] 14:18, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:Probably. I don't really know what I'm talking about. If you think you can improve on what I wrote, go for it! [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

::Yes. "Cheney noted that the president is accompanied at all times by a military aide carrying a 'football' that contains launch codes for nuclear weapons. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100869.html] ''— [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''

:::I assume it's called 'football' because in the USA footballs are usually carried by hand. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 15:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

::::Early plans for nuclear war against the Soviets were codenamed "Dropkick". [[Special:Contributions/193.67.17.36|193.67.17.36]] 16:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

;Helvetica Scenario
I think the "Helvetica Scenario" explanation is wrong, but I don't know enough about it to feel comfortable editing. Here's an article I found that makes more sense. http://enigmauniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Helvetica_Scenario (I didn't watch the Youtube clip since I'm at work, so maybe that's what the clip refers to. It should be explained in the article instead.) [[User:Trek7553|Trek7553]] ([[User talk:Trek7553|talk]]) 14:45, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:To the best of my knowledge, the page you linked to is a work of fiction on a role-playing wiki. The references to calcium imply that it is based off of the Look Around You segment, but with its own added elements for the sake of role-playing. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:53, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

::I changed this section. The video is correct, but the horror scene is just showing a possible result of the Helvetica experiment.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:19, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

:::That sounds much better now. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 18:06, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

:::: I know what you mean but I like the statement "...the page you linked to is a work of fiction..." - the Helvetica Scenario is a work of fiction! But yes, that is a derivative work, the original source being Look Around You.

:::: Having just looked at the edits, Dgbrt is getting seriously confused. The Helvetica Scenario is not real, and is completely made up by the TV program Look Around You. Urban dictionary is entirely based on the original invention by L.A.Y. It is not a real thing!

;Arbitrary Scariness Formatting
I have a slight issue with the artificial percentage scale given for entries in the chart. First of all it assumes a linear chart that is measured in percentages. Secondly, it assumes Flesh-eating Bacteria is 100% scariest thing and scariest-sounding thing existant. Just because it's the highest on the chart doesn't make it "100%" (again, percentage seems like an arbitrary scale to assign) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 16:22, 24 July 2013 (UTC)

:I disagree on your second point. The explanation expresses the scariness of something as a percentage of Flesh-eating Bacteria BECAUSE it is an arbitrary scale. It doesn't imply that the bacteria is the scariest possible thing. I think this is the best way; it's better than saying "Grey goo isn't as scary sounding, but is scarier than..." for all possible combinations of every item. Also on your first point, it doesn't assume the chart is measured in percentages (although it does assume linearity). [[Special:Contributions/174.88.154.131|174.88.154.131]] 12:30, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

::How about we just give the pixel coordinates and point out that the scale is arbitrary (or not defined by the comic). Percentage would suggest that the scale is in some way linear, which you actually cannot conclude from the graph. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 13:08, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

::Initially I had written out "Not very scary", "Somewhat scary", "Fairly scary", etc. but it seemed simpler and much easier to read and sort to simply use arbitrary percentages. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:55, 25 July 2013 (UTC)
:As there are no values or units listed, Randall's dots are fairly arbitrary, probably plotted relative to each other and to a roughly-equal apparent-to-actual-scariness line. So isn't it a little silly to argue about the listing of an arbitrary scale for these arbitrary values? [[Special:Contributions/138.162.8.57|138.162.8.57]] 15:57, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

::In my opinion the percentages are over interpreting the comic. But since it is here it should be explained as position on the graph relative to zero.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:19, 25 July 2013 (UTC)

:::The percentages are perfectly fine. They just need to be interpreted as what they are: percentages of scary, relative to flesh eating bacteria. Flesh eating bacteria = 1 unit of scary. In this situation 110% isn't just a metaphor. If the bacteria was the scariest thing nothing would be off the chart. [[User:Db|db]] ([[User talk:Db|talk]]) 06:11, 17 November 2013 (UTC)

Really I think the point of the comic is how superficial perception and reality fail to correlate. That's what is so notable about flesh eating bacteria. It lives up to it's name. A rare thing indeed. [[User:Db|db]] ([[User talk:Db|talk]]) 06:11, 17 November 2013 (UTC)

What is missing about the transcript? It describes the comic panel perfectly. there is no dialogue to include. could you please be more specific about what you feel is missing from the transcript? @dgbrt [[User:Mrarch|Mrarch]] ([[User talk:Mrarch|talk]]) 00:37, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
:A transcript should not contain a sentence like: "Items within the scatter plot are listed in the table above." --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:02, 3 December 2013 (UTC)
::I think that the transcript should not contain anything except for the text in the comic. They should be used for searching, not for reconstructing comics completely in text form. --[[User:Bob|Bob]] 13:00, 3 April 2014

;Some items are strangely placed on the Y axis, aren't they? "Mustard gas" sounds more horrifying to Randall than "Criticality incident"? "Kessler syndrome" more than "Demon core"? Both sounds like food to me. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 11:36, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

1235: Settled

2015-04-07T12:29:45Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Explanation */ the the

{{comic
| number = 1235
| date = July 8, 2013
| title = Settled
| image = settled.png
| titletext = Well, we've really only settled the question of ghosts that emit or reflect visible light. Or move objects around. Or make any kind of sound. But that covers all the ones that appear in Ghostbusters, so I think we're good.
}}

==Explanation==
Displayed is a timeline chart showing the percentage of people in the United States who have a camera at every moment. [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] refers to the fact that today most people carry embedded camera devices using their {{w|cell phones}} or the even more modern {{w|Smartphone|smartphones}}.

The chart shows that after the 1980s the percentage increases rapidly, almost reaching 100% by 2013. The text below the image states that "''We have conclusively settled the questions of {{w|Flying_saucer|flying saucers}}, lake monsters (such as {{w|the Loch Ness Monster}}), {{w|Ghost|ghosts}} and {{w|Bigfoot}}''", implying that because almost everyone carries a camera the evidence should have arisen by now to settle any question about such phenomena. Of course, such evidence has ''not'' arisen — but that doesn't stop many people from continuing to believe the myths.

The title text declares that, in the case of ghosts, only the questions regarding phenomena that can be captured with a camera have been settled. The title text also makes a joke about the ghosts of ''{{w|Ghostbusters}}'', a popular film that featured highly visible and noisy ghosts which left a slime. If such ghosts existed, recording them would be very easy.

==Transcript==
:Percentage of the US population carrying cameras everywhere they go, every waking moment of their lives:
:[A graph with years from 1975 to 2013 as the X axis and a percentage from 0 to 100 as the Y axis. The sole line starts at just above 0, jumps to 1-2 at around 2000, is at 10% at 2005, 75% at 2010, and around 90% at 2013.]
:In the last few years, with very little fanfare, we've conclusively settled the questions of flying saucers, lake monsters, ghosts, and Bigfoot.

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

Talk:1212: Interstellar Memes

2015-03-23T15:39:55Z

Mumiemonstret:

I'm surprised ponies didn't make the list given how massively and completely they took over the Internet in recent years. Then again, xkcd hasn't made any mention of the phenomenon, which is pretty nice, I guess. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 04:35, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:Given that the closest one, "I'm on a boat," predates the first episode of MLP:FiM by more than a year (the brony phenomenon by even more), it's safe to say that ponies have not reached the nearest star yet. --[[Special:Contributions/24.145.230.202|24.145.230.202]] 04:42, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:: Agreed. MLP:FIM premiered in October 2010. The show will hit the Alpha Centauri system early 2015. [[User:Frijole|Frijole]] ([[User talk:Frijole|talk]]) 16:28, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
::I didn't have the date/distance chart at the time of posting, and indeed didn't realize how much time had past since some of these became popular. I feel much older with that in perspective. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 04:03, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

It would be great to have the distances (in light years) of the stars as a fourth column. This would also provide a chronological order. --[[Special:Contributions/84.75.61.103|84.75.61.103]] 08:06, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

If I look at the page source, there is no transcript this time... [[User:Kaa-ching|Kaa-ching]] ([[User talk:Kaa-ching|talk]]) 08:41, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

anyone else notice Sirius is getting the Bellatrix one? [[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 08:49, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:Yeah, it was funny :D [[User:Zakator|Zakator]] ([[User talk:Zakator|talk]]) 10:55, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
::Should this reference be mentioned? On the one hand, it is a spoiler, but on the other hand, a) we *are* here to explain the jokes, and b) the book is almost a decade old, so I'm pretty sure there's a statute of limitations involved here. [[User:Curtmack|Curtmack]] ([[User talk:Curtmack|talk]]) 14:56, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:::It's also funny that Sirius ''is'' a character in Harry Potter books/films. Double joke? --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 15:21, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
::::Sorta, but it's Rowling's joke, not Randall's. The entire Black family (except for Narcissa, who was named before her family ties were established) is named after objects in the sky. Sirius is the only one in range. Of the ones I can remember, {{w|Regulus}} is 77 ly away, {{w|Bellatrix}} is roughly 250 ly away, and {{w|Andromeda Galaxy|Andromeda}} is an entirely separate galaxy. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 21:43, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

If any civilization have nothing better to do that repeating our memes, there is no need to apologize to them: they will obviously be glad they have at least something. How many people on our planet are repeating memes from other civilizations? None. (The circles in crop doesn't count, they are not send by radio.) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:51, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

Given that the Rick Astley one is on the same star as Portal, which came out in 2007, it's probably meant to refer to rickrolling (and thus the date should also be 2007 for that one). [[User:Zakator|Zakator]] ([[User talk:Zakator|talk]]) 10:55, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

All your base are belong to us didn't start as a meme in the 1970. I don't have precise data right now but I'm pretty sure it was 1997-99 when it first appeared on the internet. Also, what is the Sun doing? [[Special:Contributions/195.32.50.126|195.32.50.126]] 11:14, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:1998 according to knowyourmeme. And I think the Sun is probably sending out all those radio waves for the aliens to listen to, or something? But I couldn't find an accurate way to portray it, so I just left it at that. [[User:Zakator|Zakator]] ([[User talk:Zakator|talk]]) 11:18, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:: The map only shows stars, or rather star systems. We live in the sol system, where all these memes originate from, hence the sun is shown as the origin of the "radio waves". In the same fashion, these supposed aliens don't actually live on the stars themselves, but rather on planets (or maybe moons?) around the stars. --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 11:49, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

In "Take me to your leader! - No, Steve", what is the "No, Steve" part referencing? The link currently is just for the "take me to your leader" part. [[Special:Contributions/72.92.72.222|72.92.72.222]] 15:14, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:I thought that the "No, Steve" made it into an explicit reference to Newsboys album/song (Steve Taylor wrote the lyrics for it). But then, that's a song fron 1996, and it would not be consistent with distance, while 1953 makes more sense... [[Special:Contributions/195.32.50.126|195.32.50.126]] 15:49, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
::"Steve" is an alien. "Take me to your leader," is a meme which "Steve" has been repeating. It helps if you read it with a somewhat exasparated inflection.--[[Special:Contributions/108.28.112.92|108.28.112.92]] 18:47, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

If you order the list by distance, further stars should get memes from earlier times, but this is not always the case. I think that some of the memes deserve more investigation, namely: "Internets!", "You're the man now, dog" and "All your base are belong to us!". Sort the list by distance and it becomes immediately apparent what I mean. [[Special:Contributions/195.32.50.126|195.32.50.126]] 15:54, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:"Internets" was from George W Bush but in 2004. [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/internets internets meme]--[[Special:Contributions/145.253.244.103|145.253.244.103]] 16:08, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:"You're the man now, dog" refers to a web site launched in 2001 which fits to the approx. 12 Lj.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:29, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:"All your base are belong to us!" should also belong to 2001. I found this [http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/2001/02/42009 wired.com] which explains that the internet meme probably began in 2001. But I am not sure.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:37, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

Wouldn't "I'm on a boat!", as a popular and well-known meme known to the wider public, refer to the Old Spice commercial, rather than a song by the The Lonely Island? None of the few I spoke with had ever heard of the group, but all credited the quote to "the Old Spice guy". [[Special:Contributions/67.51.59.66|67.51.59.66]] 17:56, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:I thought about this also before. But "I'm on a boat!" is the meme published by "The Lonely Island".--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:02, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
:>meme
:>published
:pick one [[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 21:36, 15 May 2013 (UTC)
::Old Spice Guy says "You're on a boat", and finishes with "I'm on a horse"[http://lybio.net/old-spice-the-man-your-man-could-smell-like/commercials/]... "I'm on a boat" isn't quite right for OSG. --[[User:SurturZ|SurturZ]] ([[User talk:SurturZ|talk]]) 03:45, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
:::I sit corrected. [[Special:Contributions/67.51.59.66|67.51.59.66]] 16:18, 16 May 2013 (UTC)

Title text: "The strongest incentive we have to develop faster-than-light travel is that it would let us apologize in advance." Is this an error by Randall? Faster-than-light would work if that travel did start at the time of transmission of those memes. Actually all messages had arrive at their targets so only Time-Travel would help. Nevertheless both ideas are impossible.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:51, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
:It's too late to apologize to the stars on this comic, but we could apologize to the ones farther out who have yet to be annoyed by us. --[[User:Druid816|Druid816]] ([[User talk:Druid816|talk]]) 21:45, 16 May 2013 (UTC)
::No, it is possible. That's relativity! With faster than light travel we can still reach them. (Effect is similar as time travel!) Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/178.26.118.249|178.26.118.249]] 04:59, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
:::Actually, depending on the reference frame (speed and movement direction of the observer) the notion of simultaneity does not hold for objects being spaciously apart. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/178.26.45.117|178.26.45.117]] 13:14, 17 May 2013 (UTC)
:We can also apologize for newer memes. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 04:03, 17 May 2013 (UTC)

I guess I'm not too surprised that residents circling Beta Virginis are still doing the Spanish Inquisition schtick 7+ years later. But they got Holy Grail over two years ago. So I assume they're also pretending to be Knights Who Say Ni by now.
[[User:Opusthepenguin|Opusthepenguin]] ([[User talk:Opusthepenguin|talk]]) 16:34, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

It's worth mentioning that Randall debunks this idea of an interstellar audience in http://what-if.xkcd.com/47/.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.7|108.162.219.7]] 23:53, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

The problem, though, with the older memes here, i.e. Gone With the Wind, Casablanca and Bugs Bunny, is that they were released to the public ''in film.'' They would have to wait until television broadcast in the '50s and '60s to be exported interstellarly. Most the other movies too, only they wouldn't have to wait so long. But we certainly wouldn't have stars 70 light-years away imitating us because that content hasn't gotten there yet.{{unsigned ip|108.162.250.223}}
: A clever point, yet disputable. One can imagine that the catchphrases of those days were repeated in radio. Similarly, "The cake is a lie" will probably not be observed from space due to its occurrence in a video game but from the subsequent repetition of the phrase in ether media. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 15:39, 23 March 2015 (UTC)

http://abstrusegoose.com/163 is a similar concept --[[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.106|199.27.133.106]] 09:55, 9 January 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1188: Bonding

2015-03-20T14:20:02Z

Mumiemonstret:

The aim method results in an infinite loop/stack overflow, note that ball is an exception of type Ball. This results in a logical flow of aim, "throw," "catch," repeat, though this is only logical by word choice, and is nonsensical from a programming perspective. {{unsigned|‎108.48.215.61}}
:Just as the game of catch is nonsensical from a logistics perspective! [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 14:20, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
Pretty sure the code is also intentionally hard to follow. {{unsigned|‎108.48.215.61}}

The try/catch parts are just for show, they cancel each other out.
The structure is that you have a parent and a child instance (of class P), each has a 'target' pointed to the other.
Then calling aim with a ball will call the others aim with the ball, which will call the firsts aim with the ball. Etc etc.

I guess after about a 1000 aims the jvm will throw you out, stating stack overflow, and the bonding game is over. {{unsigned|212.214.117.162}}

Nice catch game :)
I had to test it:
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.StackOverflowError
in my setup with default VM settings after 6612 iterations (I added a static counter variable).
The game could get even more "exciting" by using more than two Ps and adding randomization in who is aimed at. And maybe a miss block ;) (need to hack the compiler and VM for that though...)
[[Special:Contributions/134.106.146.36|134.106.146.36]] 09:31, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

:I don't think any parent will last so long. On the other hand, if you always catch the ball, one iteration doesn't take so long, it's the missing which makes the game long ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:56, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

::So true. I start to feel tempted to write a real catch game in Java. Btw: Of course not in Eclipse (please...). I use an IDE where everything works and I don't have to wait all the time. ;) [[Special:Contributions/134.106.146.36|134.106.146.36]] 08:15, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

Hmmm "Eclipse: The Codex Persona" is also a d20 gaming system which offers enormous customization of characters. The mention of building character and Eclipse in the same sentence just brought that to the front of my mind. No idea if that has relation to the comic. --[[Special:Contributions/50.0.36.182|50.0.36.182]] 07:38, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

Did anyone else have a D'AWWWWWW moment when you realized what was happening? I knew it was a pun on throw and catch, but it took till the end for me to realize it was a parent and a child playing catch.[[Special:Contributions/74.14.31.164|74.14.31.164]] 12:53, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

The one problem with this is that the way the try/catch is set up, they aren't actually throwing to each other. Parent throws the ball, then catches it themselves, then child does the same thing. It's still clever though. [[User:Prometheusmmiv|Prometheusmmiv]] ([[User talk:Prometheusmmiv|talk]]) 11:38, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

:I thought exactly the same. Here's a modified version where they actually throw to each other:
class Ball extends Throwable{}

class P{
P target;
Ball ballInTow;

P(P target, Ball ball) {
this.target = target;
this.ballInTow = ball;
}
void tease() {
try {
target.youDontDare();
}
catch(Ball b){
ballInTow = b;
target.tease();
}
}
void youDontDare() throws Ball {
throw ballInTow;
}
public static void main(String [] args) {
P parent = new P(null, new Ball());
P child = new P(parent, null);
parent.target = child;
child.tease();
}
}

[[Special:Contributions/88.9.44.85|88.9.44.85]] 15:41, 20 March 2013 (UTC)
:: I was thinking about how do this correctly, with the throw bubbling up to the other person. And I realized that in order for the recursion to work, there would have to be a double method where the catcher asks (or "teases") the thrower to throw, then catches it in that method. I was going to write up a version like this, but I had to leave for work. But I'm glad that somebody else was thinking like me and was able to write up a correct version :) [[User:Prometheusmmiv|Prometheusmmiv]] ([[User talk:Prometheusmmiv|talk]]) 22:06, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

The code is an odd way of making a loop in Java -- creating two objects (of class P, called "parent" and "child") which repeatedly throw and catch another object (of class Ball) between one another. The sole purpose of this is to create the pun referred to in the title: it's a real-life cliché that a parent and child may "bond" by playing catch. [[Special:Contributions/81.31.112.212|81.31.112.212]] 07:14, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

Title text talks about "to build character" in the way usually a father tries to help a child to define "attributes or features that make up and distinguish an individual"[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/character], so I suppose that the "confusing Eclipse" is a pun itself. Perhaps it is a reference to Eclipse novel by Stephenie Meyer (the kind of book that raises a lot of moral dilemma in a young adult).
--[[User:Andcoz|Andcoz]] ([[User talk:Andcoz|talk]]) 12:49, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

I think there is another pun in it: The class "Ball" is a child-class of "Throwable" which makes sense because you can throw a ball. But "Throwable" is also the main exception-class from which the real exception classes like "Exception" or "Error" inherit. --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 12:50, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

I think it's sad that this family always dies in a most unfortunate crash. Here's an alternate ending in which they try just a little bit harder, so they return home for dinner when they're out because they didn't catch the ball:
class Ball extends Throwable {}
class P{
P target;
P(P target) {
this.target = target;
}
void aim (Ball ball) {
try {
throw ball;
}
catch (Ball B) {
try {
target.aim(B);
}
catch(Error made) {
return;
}
}
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
P parent = new P(null);
P child = new P(parent);
parent.target = child;
parent.aim(new Ball());
System.out.println("Dinner's ready!");
}
}
[[User:Jfresen|Jfresen]] ([[User talk:Jfresen|talk]]) 14:10, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

Personally, I think Randal missed a trick with the alt text - "My parent tried playing catch with me and all I got was this lousy stack overflow." That said, Eclipse is driving me nuts at the moment, so I can sympathise! --[[Special:Contributions/81.187.166.32|81.187.166.32]] 22:59, 20 March 2013 (UTC)

:I feel for you. But there is other IDEs out there, where things work, usage and shortcuts are not awkward (depending on what you are used too, of course) and you don't have to wait all the time, if you don't have a Core i7 and SSD... There is hope ;) (and I sometimes have to use Eclipse, too, for the GWT plugin) [[Special:Contributions/134.106.146.36|134.106.146.36]] 08:18, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

Maybe "build character" refers to the filename. Since class P was not declared public, the filename could be character.java and things would work. :-) --[[User:Divad27182|Divad27182]] ([[User talk:Divad27182|talk]]) 11:49, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

I loved ingenious solution in original code to the "ball to the balls" side effect that is so often seen when teaching catch - [[Special:Contributions/166.147.120.176|166.147.120.176]] 12:07, 21 March 2013 (UTC)
:Just to clarify, programmer can't assume that child will inherit "catch" function as intended. That is something they really have to learn for themselves. I wonder if this is how terminator got started? - [[Special:Contributions/166.147.120.148|166.147.120.148]] 17:32, 21 March 2013 (UTC)

The code quality remark #4 doesn't seem correct. In Java the constructor will ''always'' call the superclass constructor first. If not stated explicitly, it will happen implicitly. So the default empty constructor of Object ''will'' actually be called. Is this a misunderstanding, or is the guideline meant to be that the superclass constructor call should always be coded explicitly ? (which is a highly debatable guideline) --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.234|141.101.105.234]] 16:19, 8 January 2015 (UTC)

Talk:926: Time Vulture

2015-03-19T10:10:17Z

Mumiemonstret:

An obvious reference to death itself, which stalks everyone, usually for decades. This is a "memento mori". [[Special:Contributions/75.103.23.206|75.103.23.206]] 17:33, 13 December 2012 (UTC)
:Is this a reference to Dr. Who's [[wikia:tardis:Weeping Angels|Weeping Angels]], who also (in a different way) hunt by having their victims live to death? [[Special:Contributions/23.19.87.80|23.19.87.80]] 04:01, 31 December 2012 (UTC)
::I doubt it. While there is definitely a similarity, it seems like too much of a stretch to have been intentional. [[Special:Contributions/71.225.14.203|71.225.14.203]] 00:26, 25 April 2013 (UTC)
:::While the idea of weeping angels seems pretty true on the surface, they get their 'food' from transporting something through time, but this animal doesn't eat time or anything, it just dramatically speeds up how quickly time passes for it- similar to how sometimes a night's sleep feels only like an hour or sometimes a year.
:::Oh, I want those overnight feels like a year sleeps. I get less of them the older I get. Having a kid pretty much put a nail in that coffin. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.114|108.162.216.114]] 14:09, 20 August 2014 (UTC)
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.47|108.162.219.47]] 16:01, 28 February 2014 (UTC)
:::Does anyone know if Randell is a Who fan? {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.56}}
From the vulture's viewpoint, the carcass will rot (or be buried) in seconds. Hope it can speed up its internal clock when needed. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 10:10, 19 March 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1165: Amazon

2015-03-16T14:54:55Z

Mumiemonstret:

I believe it is not about {{w|Amazon Forest}}, but about {{w|Amazon River}}. {{unsigned|‎194.85.224.35}}
:That'd be a ridiculous amount of rain! [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.53|173.245.54.53]] 06:42, 30 May 2014 (UTC)

;Skeletonize a cow

Isn't there an urban myth that pirahnas can skeletonize a cow in under 2 minutes? [[Special:Contributions/81.138.95.57|81.138.95.57]] 10:32, 25 January 2013 (UTC)

:According to [http://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/piranha-eat-cows1.htm], it's not myth - you only need few nets and few hundreds of piranhas. It was not mentioned how far they needed to go to get that number of piranhas, but I would suppose setting up that kind of practical joke can't take more that few days. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:55, 25 January 2013 (UTC)

Does Amazon sell beef by any chance? I mean: while amazon.com can probably ship a package from Iquitos to Manaus, the Amazon can only nearly, because Manaus is situated a few kilometers upstream of a river branch where the package from Iquitos would float by. Makes me think whether there is a similiar comparison with skeltonized cows. Hence beef. [[Special:Contributions/46.142.28.57|46.142.28.57]] 15:25, 25 January 2013 (UTC) madd

:There was a TV programme of the Michael Palin type that took a boat trip up or down the Amazon. One of the fish mentioned in the river could strip the meat off a cow in seconds. It was a deep water dweller, not the common piranha and "IIGC" a bottom feeder so its normal cuisine was "probably" already done to falling off the bone. I saw this programme once long long ago.

If the package was being delivered by dugout on the river its speed could well exceed the 4 to 6 or more knots likely experienced in mid channel. (I seem to recall figures in the region of 8 to 12 knots.)

"lost it at 'Minutes to skeletonize a cow'." sounds like food for thought being off-putting. The stripping would not have been done by an Amazon courier as slaughtering a cow takes a lot longer by human than the minutes suggested here. The time that it would have had to lose would be considerably more than minutes considering the likely gain that a canoe piloted at mid channel as constantly as possible would make Amazon.com a lot faster even if the canoe was just drifting and not under power.

A package drifting in the Amazon would quickly get entangled in the growth along the banks and might even, on occasion, drift up-stream[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 17:48, 11 January 2015 (UTC)

;Reason for comparison

I think the main reason for this comparison is the dispute over the .amazon TLD between Amazon.com on one side and Brazil and Peru on the other. --[[Special:Contributions/176.101.146.145|176.101.146.145]] 11:38, 25 January 2013 (UTC)

I assume you mean this article (or alike): http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2242994/Brazil-Peru-web-giant-Amazon-battle-amazon-domain-name.html
[[Special:Contributions/78.52.195.25|78.52.195.25]] 09:40, 28 January 2013 (UTC)

:Indeed, they are comparing who is “more worth” the domain name and this comic shows how to compare them --[[Special:Contributions/176.101.146.145|176.101.146.145]] 19:12, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

Just want to say that I always thought it was a mistake to add to the (generally) three-character traditional non-geographic TLDs that they used to have. This despite buying myself a .info when that first came out, mostly as a novelty similar to the acre of Moon. (But .aero? .museum? Really?) Still, can't begrudge them the drift to non-Western characters (just wish it'd been ''direct'' non-Western equivalents to .com, .org, .mil, .gov, etc... Anyway, what's wrong with just letting each national TLD logically and self-consistently expand upon their own existing standards (.co.uk, .com.au, etc) in a manner the locals would understand, and let significant metanational organisations (UN) do the same for their own subset of responsibilities in their own pseudo-national TLD. (You see, I over-think these things.) [[Special:Contributions/178.105.155.170|178.105.155.170]] 16:20, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

;Is anyone else thinking what I am?

Its been a while since Munroe has given something seriously good/thoughtful.... I am getting the inner feeling that he is planning something big. Like '''''BIG '''''. Anyone here concurs with me? [[Special:Contributions/117.194.86.32|117.194.86.32]] 14:18, 25 January 2013 (UTC)

I will second that. It has been a while since he has had any labour intentive jokes. [[Special:Contributions/72.38.90.50|72.38.90.50]] 16:57, 25 January 2013 (UTC)

;Rounds 1-13

Am I the only one who wants to know what the other 11 criteria might be? [[Special:Contributions/71.201.53.130|71.201.53.130]] 19:10, 25 January 2013 (UTC)

No. But we know 3 of them, right? So we just need 10 more. [[Special:Contributions/117.194.83.200|117.194.83.200]] 18:52, 28 January 2013 (UTC)

We need 11 more. This is criterion 14, and we know 3 of them including this one. [[Special:Contributions/71.201.53.130|71.201.53.130]] 22:46, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

;Confused
"Of course, it would take slightly longer for Amazon.com to skeletonize a cow because the death ray takes time to heat up."
I don't like being more confused after reading the explain than before. What death ray? [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 14:54, 16 March 2015 (UTC)

1499: Arbitrage

2015-03-16T14:14:36Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1499
| date = March 16, 2015
| title = Arbitrage
| image = arbitrage.png
| titletext = The invisible hand of the market never texts me back.
}}

==Explanation==
In economics and finance, arbitrage is the practice of taking advantage of a price difference between two or more markets to make risk-free profit by buying in the market with a lower price and simultaneously selling in the market with the higher price. In real-world {{w|Market liquidity|liquid financial markets}}, the possibility of arbitrage ensures that there is only a single price for a given product, since if a product is available for a low price in one market and a high price in another, the buying and selling of arbitrageurs will bid the price up in the low-price market and down in the high-price market until the prices are equal.

The place where [[Cueball]] and [[Hairy]] are eating is giving away unlimited free chips - effectively a market selling chips for $0. Hairy is taking advantage of this fact to turn a profit for himself by collecting the chips and attempting to resell them at a higher price elsewhere. In the real world one wouldn't be allowed to carry bags full of chips out of the restaurant, nor would there be many buyers for chips taken from a restaurant in this manner, so one is not expected to try to do this. In financial terms, the extreme illiquidity of the chip market is what allows the obvious arbitrage opportunity to persist indefinitely.

Randall suggests that society only functions because we don't take people like Hairy "to dinner", i.e. we generally have an aversion to deal with people with such extreme self-interest, bordering on sociopathic behavior. A distinguishing feature of social animals, rather than animals simply sharing a habitat, is that they perform tasks that benefit their group. All such societies rely on some situations where the individual is not working purely on short term self interest. The payoff for this is generally that co-operation makes things better for the group as a whole. Most people would find Hairy's behavior embarrassing and shameful, and thus would not socialize with people who behave like that. By rejecting such individuals, society protects itself from such people.

Another, related, issue is the poor {{w|fungibility}} of chips. Chips that are factory-sealed in a bag or served in a restaurant are served in a context where cleanliness and food safety practices can be assumed to have been followed. Chips sold from an open bag by some random person do not have that expectation associated with them and would not expected to command as high a price.

In economics, the invisible hand is a metaphor used by Adam Smith to describe unintended social benefits resulting from the individual actions of self-interested parties. In the context of arbitrage, the "invisible hand" compels all of a given fungible substance to be sold for the same price, as a result of the actions of individuals like Hairy who are only seeking personal profit.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Hairy are sitting at a table with a bowl of chips in the middle. Hairy has one hand in the bowl of chips, and the other hand behind him in a large bag marked "Chips".]
:Hairy: '''They're''' the ones giving chips away!
:Hairy: If they don't see the arbitrage potential, sucks for them.

:[Below the main frame]: In a deep sense, society functions only because we generally avoid taking these people out to dinner.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]

986: Drinking Fountains

2015-01-23T14:55:51Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Explanation */ Added thoughts about flow rate

{{comic
| number = 986
| date = December 5, 2011
| title = Drinking Fountains
| image = drinking_fountains.png
| titletext = I've always wondered whether you could drink slowly enough, and eliminate fast enough, that you just sort of peed continuously. But I'm afraid to try because I worry someone might call while I'm doing it and ask what I'm up to, and I won't be able to think of a lie.
}}

==Explanation==
Here, we see [[Cueball]], using the restroom, as the title text indicates, he is eliminating the liquid waste from his body, or peeing. He says that he avoids the use of the drinking fountain right after peeing, because he is afraid that he will be forced into immediately peeing again. And as in the image above, he would be stuck in a loop. A loop is a computer science term, but also used elsewhere, to indicates going through the same steps over and over again. In this case, the bathroom and drinking fountain form an infinite loop, which, when used about computers, refers to a loop which never ends, eventually crashing the computer, which is therefore a situation to be avoided at all costs.

The title text says Cueball/[[Randall]] would be embarrassed in trying to explain his experiment to someone, as an experiment of this nature seems interesting to geeks but gross to non geeks, and he wouldn't be able to lie about what he was doing if called by someone.

A thread on yahoo answers [https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081204204655AApXIEA] with a (purported) Biology major concluded that drinking from a hose and peeing at the same time would not work: the kidneys can only process so much pee at a time, and the majority of it is re-used. But since the experiment doesn't put a lower boundary on the flow that would be regarded as an ongoing pee, this objection is invalid. Constantly sipping and dripping might be possible.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball leaving a public bathroom. A water fountain is next to the bathroom door. An arrow points to the next panel.]

:[Cueball drinking from the water fountain. An arrow points to the next panel.]

:[Cueball reenters the bathroom. An arrow points back to the first panel.]

:I avoid drinking fountains outside bathrooms because I'm afraid of getting trapped in a loop.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

Talk:941: Depth Perception

2014-12-17T08:44:56Z

Mumiemonstret:

Somebody needs to try this. Couldn't be that hard.
[[Special:Contributions/71.178.11.180|71.178.11.180]] 21:27, 22 October 2012 (UTC)

Those must have been some tall goalposts if his point of view is above the clouds! -- mwburden [[Special:Contributions/70.91.188.49|70.91.188.49]] 13:16, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

Also, the cameras should be mounted on servos so that when the phone is moved or tilted the cameras can follow, so your viewpoint isn't fixed in one direction. -- mwburden [[Special:Contributions/70.91.188.49|70.91.188.49]] 13:18, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

:That wouldn't work. The entire football field would have to swivel, or else he'd get some wicked image shearing... [[Special:Contributions/108.28.72.186|108.28.72.186]] 01:42, 7 August 2013 (UTC)

An updated solution would be to put the two stabilised cameras on quadracopters which are coded to remain a set distance apart. When you want to look left/right it would take a while for the pair of drones to rotate around their centre point but not too long..... Then you could also get a perspective from the height of a giant (drones can go to any height) and with their degree of parallax (from whatever value of height and eye spacing you choose). {{unsigned ip|108.162.250.225}}
:This is a very cool project indeed! Some hardcore image stabilizing software would be required too, since you would get nauseous if the two images weren't perfectly aligned at all times. But this setup is the only one I could think of that would enable you to perceive the view from the last frame. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 08:44, 17 December 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1098: Star Ratings

2014-12-16T13:17:19Z

Mumiemonstret:

'''please add <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> to the end of your comments to include your signature. Thanks!'''

*An alternate explanation is that internet users only vote in 1s and 5s, and that the cutoff represents the point where there are too many 1s.

*The people most likely to vote are those with strong opinions, which would often be polerized to one or five stars. These people would be the most likely to vote because their connection to the product would make them more willing to spend the time to share their experiance.

*In my opinion, this comic is about overrating. The comic says anything between full fout stars is crap. One possible explanation could be that people dislike to admit that their decision for a particular product was a bad one, so they grant three stars. Or look at certain brands, where every defect is by definition unimportant so they do not impact the review too harshly. [[Special:Contributions/46.142.51.138|46.142.51.138]] 15:05, 22 August 2012 (UTC)madd
**It was pointed out to me (by a district manager in the organization concerned) that on those surveys you are asked to take by retail outlets, anything less than a 5 is considered a zero by Corporate. They're apparently not interested in honest evaluations; either it was SUPEREXCELLENTGREAT!! or it's worthless. [[User:Shalom S.|Shalom S.]] ([[User talk:Shalom S.|talk]]) 19:24, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

*It seems likely that any product with a 1-start rating only has one (or a small number of) reviews as well. Usually a product has ''some'' redeeming value that someone will find useful.
     Spacebar keeps the kids warm at night. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.144|199.27.128.144]] 07:54, 10 January 2014 (UTC)
**Usually the developer or at least a friend will provide a positive rating and review, though the issue of self rating isn't specifically addressed by this comic. Still, if 3 users give it a 1-star review, but the developer has access to at least 2 accounts that can give a 5-star rating, you still result in 13/25 rating, or two-and-a-half stars, which is why that star rating would be "crap".--[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 16:31, 22 August 2012 (UTC)
*** Agreed. If there's only one review, it most likely comes from the supplier / author / producer, and in that case it's going to be a five star rating. From that perspective, the only way to get a bad _average_ review is if there are many bad reviews. As an example, consider a product with five reviews: 5, 2, 2, 1, 3. The average is 2.6, and depending on the implementation this might be shown as "two and half stars" or "three stars". If you take out the 5, you get an average of 2. Consider the case of two reviews, 5 and 1. The 5 is from the author and the 1 is from a real user. Average is 3. Considering the other cases (5 and 2, 5 and 3, 5 and 4) the averges are 3.5, 4, 4.5. As you can see, anything below 3.5 is crap (the 1 and 2 from real users) and 4 and 4.5 are indeed ok (3 and 4 from the real user). As the number of "real" reviews increases, the average will tend towards the actual average perception from users (law of large numbers), and there is ''no way'' to get a 5 on average because of the fact that when dealing with subjective evaluation, ''someone'' is going to think the product is crap, therefore a five star rating is the product of a single review from the author. [[User:Mem|mem]] ([[User talk:Mem|talk]]) 20:56, 22 August 2012 (UTC)

*I think there might be a little too much analysis for this, given the title text. When shopping online, especially for random items like computer parts, media, and whatnot, people tend to peruse through items fairly quickly and/or fairly critically. A 5 star rating seems a little too perfect for the real world, hence the notion that there's only one review; a cynic might say that its from the author himself or some astroturfer (and they're probably right). The rest of the rating scale, however, is an observation of buyer behavior. Getting ''only'' four out of five stars is considered the lowest a potential buyer will risk before buying/downloading/ordering whatever it is. Everything else is very unceremoniously considered "crap," with the reasoning that there's some sort of defect or angry reviewer. Any further inquiry isn't necessary since there's a lot of other alternative products or manufacturers on the market. Hence, "crap, move on to the next item" mentality." The title text alludes to this with its strange gravestones. I take it as symbolizing all the products and sellers and manufacturers and establishments that got below that 4-star threshold, doomed to death by obscurity as buyers simply skip over the item in question, having called quickly decided it was "crap." Whether they actually are that bad is beyond that line of thinking. Whether it might be someone just hating on it and everyone else being scared off is similarly beyond it. As mentioned above, Corporate considers anything that isn't great to be worthless; it's because online consumers tend to think the exact same thing. And I guess to top it off, the mention about going to Yelp to give it a one-star review due to his unease and then feeling compulsed not to would basically be some sort supernatural power from the cemetery making sure that 1.) the cemetery's rating doesn't go down, and 2.) the author doesn't make that whole rating cemetery thing even more meta. [[Special:Contributions/68.123.154.215|68.123.154.215]] 05:41, 27 August 2012 (UTC)
** Wow do I wish I could have used paragraphs there. [[Special:Contributions/68.123.154.215|68.123.154.215]] 05:41, 27 August 2012 (UTC)
*** You need to use . I tried to put some above. Hope that is what you meant. Generally agree with what you said, though. [[User:Arifsaha|Arifsaha]] ([[User talk:Arifsaha|talk]]) 20:25, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

*The alt text sounds vaguely like a chain letter or urban legend. Does anyone recognize it as referring to any one in particular? --[[User:Aw|Aw]] ([[User talk:Aw|talk]]) 23:57, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

*I think this comic illustrates a more general rating bias. Consider hotel star ratings - almost every one boasts four or five. Sometimes you can see three. I was recently shocked to see a hotel displaying two stars next to its name! (No, I haven't stayed there, I was just driving by.) One-star hotel, anyone? -- [[Special:Contributions/89.174.214.74|89.174.214.74]] 14:50, 20 September 2012 (UTC)
**In many places, star ratings of a hotel are not a measure of the quality of the hotel, but of the types of services it provides (do they have private bathrooms, a pool, a concierge, etc.) [[Special:Contributions/75.103.23.206|75.103.23.206]] 22:58, 26 December 2012 (UTC)

*I find that, for most popular works on most popular sites (i.e., Amazon) at least, two star reviews (the least common rating) are actually rather entertaining; the reasoning being, in theory at least, that they by definition avoid hyperbole. [[Special:Contributions/178.42.120.14|178.42.120.14]] 20:43, 31 July 2013 (UTC)

*I have a different interpretation of the title text: the headstones are of people who rated the cemetery (where the rating on their headstone is what they rated the cemetery). When the "distant chill" mentioned is a foreshadowing of Cueball's impending death, which would result in a new headstone with his name and the one-star rating he was about to give. At least, that's how I see it. Any thoughts? [[Special:Contributions/27.253.79.231|27.253.79.231]] 08:30, 22 September 2013 (UTC)

*Most graves I have seen are rated with one star. And a cross. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 13:17, 16 December 2014 (UTC)

The image at the end of this What-If references this comic in the image-text. http://what-if.xkcd.com/69/ [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.117|108.162.238.117]] 06:29, 6 November 2013 (UTC)

Talk:934: Mac/PC

2014-12-15T13:26:27Z

Mumiemonstret:

I don't code in a browser. Linux, bitches. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:12, 9 March 2013 (UTC)

Should there be some added discussion of the fact that a Mac (or a Linux machine, or other OS) is a "personal computer", and by definition a PC? {{unsigned ip|72.45.165.98}}

:It's sad that kids today don't remember the fact that PC was, for ages, a branded term for a Microsoft computer specifically to distinguish them from filthy Macs. We fought this battle for years, and you remember nothing. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.33|108.162.221.33]] 16:23, 11 November 2013 (UTC)

::The term {{w|Personal computer}} (PC) became popular after IBM introduced its {{w|IBM Personal Computer}} in 1981, even when the name was used also before. Microsoft never did brand that name but they bought some software licences to create {{w|MS-DOS}}. Apple, together with others, did sell graphical user interfaces long before Microsoft did. The big success of Microsoft only belongs to the decision by IBM allowing other companies to build {{w|IBM PC compatible|IBM compatible}} computers. The success is only caused by cheaper hardware. And I am running only Linux on this cheap computer because its free.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:28, 11 November 2013 (UTC)
:::I kind of agree with this, except for the use of the word "only". As if opening up for competition in a market is a small issue. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 13:26, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

I would question whether "since most everything nowadays is done through browsers '''due to the proliferation of cloud computing'''" is true. While I would suspect that the first half of the sentence is largely true, is cloud computing specifically really that prevalent? My take on the comic was that using a browser to access the web is such a major part of the everyday use, that the 'other' use is minimal (and hence PC vs Mac is of limited relevance). --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 11:24, 12 September 2014 (UTC)
: And why is web browsing such a major part? Well, at least partly because fewer and fewer installs software for e.g. e-mail handling, picture and movie organizing, document creation... Instead we have Gmail, Flickr, Youtube, Google Docs, and so on. Cloud services, that is. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 13:26, 15 December 2014 (UTC)

920: YouTube Parties

2014-12-12T12:58:42Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Explanation */ The parallel to parents talking about kids is interesting, but not even slightly suggested in the comic so I played it down just a little.

{{comic
| number = 920
| date = July 4, 2011
| title = YouTube Parties
| image = youtube_parties.png
| titletext = This reminds me of that video where... no? How have you not seen that? Oh man, let me find it. No, it's ok, we can go back to your video later.
}}

==Explanation==
A {{w|YouTube}} party is when a group of people show each other YouTube videos. The problem with YouTube parties is that no one pays attention to the video that's playing; instead, each person is thinking of the video that they personally want to play next.

You can see analogous behavior at any get-together where couples (parents) are telling stories about their kids. Nobody cares about anybody else's kid; they are just waiting (not even listening) until they get the chance to talk about their own offspring.

The joke seems to be that everybody is doing this, but it is unclear whether they realize it. They each seem to be under the delusion that the others will be fascinated by "their" video (or child's accomplishments), even though the evidence strongly suggests otherwise. Possibly they don't care about that either; they just want an audience, even an unwilling one.

This may be defensible where kids are involved, because the parents could reasonably feel that the accomplishments of their children reflect well on themselves. However, the people in the YouTube party didn't create the videos, they just found them. Which makes their behavior (or perhaps YouTube parties in general) even more inane and pointless.

The title text reiterates this point. The speaker is reminded of another video that is so superior to the one currently playing that we should find it and watch it immediately. We can always go back to the current video later (if anybody still remembers, that is).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing by a laptop, showing a video to a group.]
:The problem with YouTube parties:
:Cueball (thinking): This video is blowing their ''MINDS.''
:Group (thinking): Oh man, I know what video we should watch once this is over.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:YouTube]]

Talk:916: Unpickable

2014-12-12T12:38:12Z

Mumiemonstret:

2x2 rubik's cubes are harder. Just sayin'. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:25, 17 April 2013 (UTC)
: What? A 2x2 is often solved in under two seconds at competitions. The world record for 5x5 is [https://www.worldcubeassociation.org/results/regions.php 48.42 seconds]. See also below. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 12:26, 12 December 2014 (UTC)

This would likely be found in the residence of my colleague ['''REDACTED'''], as he has a collection of odd Rubik's Cube clones.{{unsigned|173.72.159.14}}

I solve the cube with corner pieces and edge pieces in separate steps, so I find 2x2s harder. I just have to do the corner steps. 04:25, 23 June 2013 (UTC){{unsigned|184.11.73.88}}

2x2s are certainly not harder than any other Rubik's cube by ANY standard. As the corners of any Rubik's cube have the same rotational moves, you have to solve a 2x2 at some point when solving any cube. 4x4 is harder than 5x5 though, because you can rotate away the middle pieces.[[Special:Contributions/85.164.251.29|85.164.251.29]] 07:11, 29 August 2013 (UTC)
: Looking at [https://www.worldcubeassociation.org/results/regions.php speedcuber's results] I would disagree. 4x4 takes less than half the time. But you have a point since the "general geek" targeted by this comic's scheme might find it easier to deduce the function of a 5x5 due to the centerpieces. I still think you'd need to be a brilliant geek to be able to solve a 5x5 without prior knowledge. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 12:38, 12 December 2014 (UTC)

Talk:916: Unpickable

2014-12-12T12:26:56Z

Mumiemonstret:

Talk:902: Darmok and Jalad

2014-12-10T09:17:35Z

Mumiemonstret:

I've always been kind of lukewarm about this comic. I get it, but it doesn't hit any point incredibly well like some of the other comics do. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:58, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

As someone who doesn't know much about Star Trek, why the "wiiiiiink" from Dathon? --[[User:Someone Else 37|Someone Else 37]] ([[User talk:Someone Else 37|talk]]) 00:47, 29 May 2014 (UTC)
: Not sure what might be unclear that is not explained pretty well in the explanation above (?) - a wink is fairly universal in "western" culture as being stress placed on a suggestion -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 14:13, 1 December 2014 (UTC)

'''Explain xkcd. It's 'cause you haven't watched a particular episode of Star Trek''' could be a more fitting tagline for this wiki. And by that I'm suggesting that Munroe might have narrowed down his intended audience a bit too much in this case. [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 09:17, 10 December 2014 (UTC)

Talk:447: Too Old For This Shit

2014-12-08T15:50:17Z

Mumiemonstret:

For example {{w|Fields Medal}} is given to mathematicians '''not over 40 years of age''' --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 20:47, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

Yet Sir Andrew Wiles was 41 when he found the proof for Fermats Last Theorum... I'm glad he didn't give up at age 11. Personally I never stood a chance as I only got interested in maths after leaving school (and yes I do struggle even though I'm 42! and am envious of everyone who's good at it ;) ) [[User:Squirreltape|Squirreltape]] ([[User talk:Squirreltape|talk]]) 16:45, 30 January 2014 (UTC)

One of few xkcd strips where the characters being stick figures actually helps comedy... [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 15:50, 8 December 2014 (UTC)

Talk:884: Rogers St.

2014-12-04T15:39:37Z

Mumiemonstret:

In the UK, "Rogers" is also a verb. Added to this, "Mr Rogers" does not carry the same cultural references.
All in all Mr Rogers sounds like a great name for a UK Porn Star. {{unsigned ip|188.29.119.251}}
:Oh wow, I didn't know that. Not only is "rogers" a verb, but it's a verb which means to have sexual intercourse.{{unsigned ip|98.203.241.55}}
::To be honest ''most'' verbs mean "to have sexual intercourse", given the chance. Google it! *fnar fnar* (And most nouns mean naughty bits of the body. In fact, I've just been listening to a radio programme about (Doctor) David Livingston, explorer of Africa. There arose the question of "Is it ''really'' true that he took his wife up the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zambezi Zambezi]?" Momentary mental boggle ensues.) [[Special:Contributions/178.99.81.144|178.99.81.144]] 18:58, 30 April 2013 (UTC)
:::That observation is so true. That's why banning words is counterproductive. It leads to people talking unintentionally about the banned subject all the time. And a hilarious example! [[User:Mumiemonstret|Mumiemonstret]] ([[User talk:Mumiemonstret|talk]]) 15:39, 4 December 2014 (UTC)
Wait, does this mean Randall had a child with Mrs. Roberts? {{unsigned ip|199.27.128.145}}

The character's hair is reminiscent of Ron Jeremy [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.64|108.162.237.64]] 05:50, 27 March 2014 (UTC)

859: (

2014-12-02T13:22:03Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Explanation */ Added a "See what I mean" to further emphasize the self-reference and mitigate future spelling corrections.

{{comic
| number = 859
| date = February 11, 2011
| title = (
| image = (.png
| titletext = Brains aside, I wonder how many poorly-written xkcd.com-parsing scripts will break on this title (or ;;"'<nowiki/>'{<<[' this mouseover text."
}}

== Explanation ==
In programming, punctuation is often used to mark sections of code. Paired punctuation marks must always be matched up with a corresponding closing mark, otherwise a so-called {{w|syntax error}} occurs. The programming language {{w|Lisp_(programming_language)|Lisp}} (also featured in [[224: Lisp]]) is known for large numbers of nested/paired parentheses. Even in literary works intended only for human consumption, the absence of a matching closing parenthesis (as appears in this sentence or other "balanced" punctuation sets creates a mental expectation of eventual closure and completion that remains unfulfilled even long after the unmatched mark is encountered. See what I mean?

There is also reference to [[312: With Apologies to Robert Frost]] which could contain the missing paren...

It can also be interpreted as a {{w|metaphor}}, which compares the reader with a Lisp {{w|Interpreter (Computing)|interpreter}}. The interpreter looks for the parenthesis until the end of the file, where it eventually halts, and prints out the error. The comic claims that if you read an unmatched parenthesis, you will look for it for the rest of the day too.

It also refers to this awkward feeling when you see something (like an unmatched parentheses, speling error or a randomly-placed, comma.

The title text refers to the same issue as already highlighted in [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]: if your scripts trust external input, you sometimes will be surprised. At the time of this comic, there were quite a few websites that would grab the latest xkcd comic three times a week and publish them on their own site. This comic likely broke at least some of the websites because of either the unmatched brace or the extra unmatched markup that is in the title text.

==Transcript==
:(An unmatched left parenthesis creates an unresolved tension that will stay with you all day.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Programming]]

859: (

2014-12-02T13:20:05Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Explanation */ Obviously the previous unmatched parenthesis (Lisp) was too far away from its reference ("as appears in...) to be properly observed. Changed it to occur in the very same sentence.

{{comic
| number = 859
| date = February 11, 2011
| title = (
| image = (.png
| titletext = Brains aside, I wonder how many poorly-written xkcd.com-parsing scripts will break on this title (or ;;"'<nowiki/>'{<<[' this mouseover text."
}}

== Explanation ==
In programming, punctuation is often used to mark sections of code. Paired punctuation marks must always be matched up with a corresponding closing mark, otherwise a so-called {{w|syntax error}} occurs. The programming language {{w|Lisp_(programming_language)|Lisp}} (also featured in [[224: Lisp]]) is known for large numbers of nested/paired parentheses. Even in literary works intended only for human consumption, the absence of a matching closing parenthesis (as appears in this sentence or other "balanced" punctuation sets creates a mental expectation of eventual closure and completion that remains unfulfilled even long after the unmatched mark is encountered.

There is also reference to [[312: With Apologies to Robert Frost]] which could contain the missing paren...

It can also be interpreted as a {{w|metaphor}}, which compares the reader with a Lisp {{w|Interpreter (Computing)|interpreter}}. The interpreter looks for the parenthesis until the end of the file, where it eventually halts, and prints out the error. The comic claims that if you read an unmatched parenthesis, you will look for it for the rest of the day too.

It also refers to this awkward feeling when you see something (like an unmatched parentheses, speling error or a randomly-placed, comma.

The title text refers to the same issue as already highlighted in [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]: if your scripts trust external input, you sometimes will be surprised. At the time of this comic, there were quite a few websites that would grab the latest xkcd comic three times a week and publish them on their own site. This comic likely broke at least some of the websites because of either the unmatched brace or the extra unmatched markup that is in the title text.

==Transcript==
:(An unmatched left parenthesis creates an unresolved tension that will stay with you all day.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Programming]]

826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)

2014-11-24T12:16:26Z

Mumiemonstret: /* Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics */ there mother -> their

{{comic
| number = 826
| date = November 26, 2010
| title = Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)
| before = ''Explainxkcd note: Don't try and click on this image to see the exhibits. Visit [http://www.xkcd.com/826/ the actual comic] instead''
| image = guest week zach weiner smbc.png
| titletext = Guest comic by Zach Weiner of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. When I was stressed out, Zach gave me a talk that was really encouraging and somehow involved nanobots.
}}

__TOC__
==Explanation==
This comic is drawn by a guest webcomic artist, Zack Weiner, following the theme of "Guest Week". Zach is the author of the webcomic [http://www.smbc-comics.com/ Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal]. The [http://www.xkcd.com/826/ original comic] is interactive. It will show images of the exibits (see below) by clicking on them.

The entire comic is a hypothetical "{{w|Smithsonian Museum}} of Dad-Trolling, an entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement." It is an common occurrence that curious children will ask simple questions about science to their parents, such as, "Daddy, why is the sky blue?" and a parent could respond, "Well Susie, the sky is blue to match your dress."

===Hall of Misunderstood Science===
Each exhibit is a display set up to reinforce the false, sarcastic, or exaggerated answers to typical questions that children may ask their parents about scientific topics. The answers given involve just enough information that the child may be satisfied with the answer and repeat it to others while maintaining the irony for adults that the answers are obviously misleading or false. These explanations may be given because the parent does not know how to explain the topic.

<gallery widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_27.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that basilisks exist, and that they live under your bed. The basilisk is a mythological reptilian monster that was described as having the ability to turn other living things to stone with its gaze. This story might be believed by children because children often imagine that a monster or a dangerous creature is hiding under the bed at night, and verifying that the basilisk is under the bed might turn the child to stone.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_26.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that "In my day" molecules did not exist, and everything was just atoms. Molecules are chains of atoms, and therefore more complex than atoms. This story might be believed by children because old people often tell unbelievable and questionably credible "In my day" stories about how different, or in this case less complicated, things when they where younger. This story may sound no less credible then these stories to a child. Like most "In my day" stories there is at least a grain of truth. The word atom has changed its meaning over time; at one time all discovered molecules were called {{w|atomism|atoms}}, as when they were modified their properties change. Also, according to the {{w|Big Bang}} theory, there was a period billions of years ago when the universe contained no molecules, yet still contained atoms.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_25.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that magnets are only attracted to each other when they are teenagers. This is a inside joke that the child is not in on about how there is a loss of sexual desire in adults. This story might be believed because magnets are seen as mysterious and possibly magical by children.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_24.png|In this exhibit the plaque on the statue of Jesus claims that {{w|snow}} is composed of Jesus' {{w|dandruff}}. This story might be believed because some children take the expression that {{w|rain}} is "God's tears", and this would be a logical extension.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_20.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that the reason that there are only four components of {{w|DNA}} is because there where only four letters back then. The following letters describe the {{w|nucleotides}} that make up DNA chains: "G" {{w|guanine}}, "A" {{w|adenine}}, "T" {{w|thymine}}, and "C" {{w|cytosine}}. This story might be believed by children as DNA can be thought as an instruction set to build life. Instructions contain words, and therefore the letters G, A, T, and C can be thought of as the letters that the words in the instructions are made from.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_23.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that you are more vulnerable to the {{w|Bogeyman|boogie man}} when you are sleeping. "The Boogie Man" is a common legend used to scare young kids; he typically hides in closets and underneath beds, and attacks sleeping children. This story might be believed by children as some believe in the boogie man.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_22.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that water increases its size to frighten {{w|predator|predators}}. {{w|Ice}} is less dense than liquid {{w|water}}. This is an unusual property as most materials are more dense in solid form. This might be believed by a child because many animals appear to increase their size to frighten away other threatening animals. A {{w|rhinoceros}} although not traditionally a predator, would be a predator of water.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_21.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|antimatter|anti-matter}} is composed of half ant and half matter. The prefix anti means "the opposite of", but sounds similar to the word ant. This story might be believed by children because a hyphen is often used to combine two words together with different meanings to create a word with the meaning of both. Combining the words ants and matter could produce a word meaning something composed of both ants and matter.
</gallery>

===Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience===
This section holds falsehoods that a dad might use to frighten his children. Fear is often used to discourage children from disobeying their parents. It is an interactive experience, so visitors can try something for themselves, then learn the frightening fact it indicates.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_19.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that helium makes your voice higher because you are about to explode. Helium makes your voice high-pitched, because sound travels faster in helium than in oxygen, and it does not explode because it is a noble gas; although it could rupture containers in accordance with the {{w|combined gas law}}, which governs the relationship between pressure, temperature and volume: i.e. if a balloon is over-inflated or exposed to heat, it will burst. This story might be used by parents to discourage children from inhaling helium. This story might regrettably convince a child that they are dying after they inhale helium.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_18.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that if your middle finger is longer than all the others, you are an alien half-breed. For almost all people the middle finger is longer than all the others. This story might be used by parents to tease their children. This story might regrettably convince a child that one of their parents is a alien, and therefore not to be trusted.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_16.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that one of the cups of {{w|Jell-O|Jello}} had a rabbit brain instead of a cherry. Cherries are a common ingredient in gelatin based deserts. One cup is missing and in the hands of the child, possibly eaten. This story might be used by parents to tease their children, or discourage them from eating more dessert. This story might regrettably convince a child that they ate the brain of a small cute fluffy animal.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_17.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that monsters will eat you if you do not make your bed. In some stories monsters specifically prey on children. This story might be used by parents to encourage children to make their beds. This story might regrettably convince a child that there are monsters under their beds and frighten them so they can not sleep.
</gallery>

===Concessions===
This area holds concession stands, which sell food. There are misleading names on each stand. The pop-outs in this section are based on jokes parents tell their children to frighten them about food.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_15.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces the name of the concession stand as KFP. The parent claims that the "P" stands for phoenix, and the operator adds "also ponies". KFP is a parody of Kentucky Fried Chicken ({{w|KFC}}), a popular fast food chain which specializes in fried chicken. A phoenix is a mythical bird that throws it self into a fire and later rises from the ashes. This story might be believed by children because phoenixes are birds and a fried one may look similar to a chicken.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_14.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces that the concession stand sells {{w|ground beef}} and further enplanes that ground beef is beef that is found on the ground. The word ground sometimes refers to the floor other times is past tense of the word grind. This story might be believed by children because the words are spelled and pronounced the same.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_13.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces that the concession stand sells {{w|ice cream}} and claims that ice cream is really spelled eyes cream, and always composed of eyeballs. This story might be believed by children because the words "eyes cream" sounds similar to "ice cream".
</gallery>

===Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History===
Each exhibit is a display set up to reinforce the false, sarcastic, or exaggerated answers to typical questions that children may ask their parents about history. The answers given involve just enough information that the child may be satisfied with the answer and repeat it to others while maintaining the irony for adults that the answers are obviously misleading or false. These explanations may be given because the parent does not know how to explain the topic.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_11.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|Genghis Khan}} achieved his victories by using dragons. Genghis Khan was a Mongolian conqueror who conquered almost all of Asia and much of Europe founding the {{w|Mongol Empire}}, and creating the then-largest continuous land empire in history. This story might be believed by children because some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_12.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that the {{w|Crimean War}} was a war on crime. The Crimean War is an often forgotten Eastern European conflict between Russia and a European coalition with aims to stop Russia's expansion. This story might be believed by children because adding an "a" to a people group sometimes is used to create a country name, making Crimea sounds similar to a nation of criminals.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_10.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that wizards where in control during {{w|The Renaissance}}. The Renaissance is a cultural movement in Europe that took place after the Dark ages. This story might be believed by children because some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_3.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|Star Wars}} is actual history. Star Wars is a fantastical science fiction movie. This story might be believed by children because the movie begins "a long time ago in a galaxy far away", and some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_9.png|In this exhibit the poster claims that {{w|France}} does not exist. The adult in the comic continues to attempt to convince the children that France does not exist. This is supposed to be funny because the knowledge of France as a country is common. This may be parodying the global warming debate, a common theme in both XKCD and SMBC.
</gallery>

===Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics===
Each exhibit is a display set up to explain uncomfortable topics that children may ask their parents about. The answers given so that the children do not ask further questions.

<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_8.png|In this exhibit the sign on the box covering up a couple in bed claims that naked wrestling is perfectly normal, but kids should never engage in it. "Naked wrestling" is a euphemism for sex. A parent may give this explanation if a child walks in on their parents having sex and they have to come up with an explanation on the spot, or they feel that the children are too young to know about sex.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_7.png|In this exhibit the sign over the stand claims your parents drink alcohol to prevent you from drinking it as alcohol is a poison. This is technically true, as alcohol is a toxin. A parent may give this explanation to a child who asks their parents why they drink alcohol if it is bad for you, and did not want to explain the pleasurable experience of alcohol because it might encourage children to drink.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_5.png|In this exhibit the banner claims that mommies have big tummies because storks like chubby girls. According to some childhood stories storks deliver babies. Also, there are men who prefer heavy women, these men are often called called chubby chasers. A parent may give this explanation to a child who asks why, if a stork delivers babies, their mother is changing while she is pregnant, and the parent continues to try to avoid the topic of sex.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_6.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that grandma did not die, but is going back to Saturn. Some parents tell their children that their loved ones have gone away instead of telling them the truth, their loved ones are dead. Going to Saturn "for revenge" is added for comic value. A parent may give this explanation to a avoid causing their child pain.
</gallery>

===Miscellaneous===
<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px>
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_4.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|dinosaur|dinosaurs}} are made of bones only. The fossil record includes the imprints of the other tissues of dinosaurs including skin, nails, teeth, and feathers. This story might be believed by children because the majority of all displays of dinosaurs in museums only include bones.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_2.png|The Bathrooms have 3 doors. Clicking reveals that there the two standard gendered bathrooms found in the majority of public buildings, and another one for "Korgmen & Spangs" which does not correspond to any known human trait. This is most likely a reference to the Marvel alien species {{w|Korg_(comics)|the Korg}}.

File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_1.png|In this exhibit the sign (which the children can not see) explains that the "{{w|Magic Eye}} poster" contains no hidden images. Magic Eye is a company that sells {{w|autostereogram}}s in books. Autostereograms contain a "hidden" three-dimensional image that can only be seen by focusing one's eyes at a point other than the poster itself. This takes time and many people find it difficult or impossible to do.
</gallery>

==Transcript==
:In the spirit of xkcd I present a proposal for a new Smithsonian museum:
:The Smithsonian Museum Of Dad-Trolling
:An entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement

:(Click to view exhibits!)

:The top left room is 'The Hall of Misunderstood Science'. It contains six exhibits.

:Exhibit: A giant basilisk looms over children.
:Exhibit label: BASILISKS: Real, deadly, under your bed.

:Exhibit: Four magnets hang from a square arch. A child is touching two of them together.
:Text on the arch: Magnets only leap at each other when they're teenagers. Later, they lose interest.

:Exhibit: A child on his dad's shoulders looks up at a looming statue of Jesus behind a lectern. There are flakes falling from Jesus onto them both.
:Exhibit label: Snow is Jesus' dandruff. His scalp gets dry when it's cold.

:Exhibit: A child lies asleep, while hands and a scary face reach up around the bed toward him.
:Exhibit label: Sleep: Now you're vulnerable to the boogie man!

:Exhibit: An ice block sits on a stand in front of pictures of a wolf and rhinoceros looking frightened.
:Exhibit label: Freezing water: Expands to frighten predators.

:Exhibit: An insect on a stick is orbited by a small sphere.
:Exhibit label: Anti-matter: Matter that is more than 50% ants.

:Exhibit: A DNA strand with the letters T, A, C, and G hanging around it.
:Exhibit label: DNA only has four letters because the alphabet was smaller back then.
:Dad, to child: Told you so.

:Exhibit: A bunch of molecules hang from the ceiling.
:Exhibit label: Molecules? In my day, we only had atoms!

:The top right room is 'Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience'. There are four exhibits.

:Exhibit: Five balloons float tethered to a table. A child is holding a sixth balloon. The Dad looks alarmed.
:Sign on exhibit: If this helium makes your voice go higher, it's because you're ten seconds from exploding.

:Exhibit: An alien face is shown above an outline of several hands next to a ruler. A child holds his hand up to it.
:Sign on exhibit: Measure your middle finger. If it's longer than the others, you're an alien halfbreed.

:Exhibit: Three cups are on a table. A child is walking away with a fourth cup, the dad's arm around the child's shoulder.
:Exhibit label: Has anyone seen my rabbit brain? It looks like a cherry, and I dropped it in a Jello cup.

:Exhibit: A monstrous set of jaws open upward around a bed.
:Sign on exhibit: Make your bed or monsters will know a kid lives there.

:The center right room is 'Concessions'. There are three booths.

:Booth: A concession stand is labeled 'KFP', and displays a KFC-style bucket. A dad and child are eating.
:Dad: The "P" is for "phoenix".

:Booth: A concession stand.
:Sign on stand: Ground beef: Beef we found on the ground.
:Dad, to child: Told you.

:Booth: A stand shaped like a giant eye.
:Booth label: EYES CREAM
:Subtitle: How did you think it was spelled?
:Sign on booth: Now with more of the goo in your eyes. Same as every other creamery.

:The lower left room is 'Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History'. There are five exhibits.

:Exhibit: A man is riding a dragon.
:Exhibit label: Genghis Khan: victory through dragons.

:Exhibit: A criminal in front of some windows.
:Exhibit label: The Crimean War: The first war against crime.

:Exhibit: A castle with flags hanging on it.
:Exhibit label: The Renaissance
:Subtitle: Long story short, the wizards were in control.

:Exhibit:A man in Jedi-style robes with a fake beard.
:Exhibit label: Star Wars is a documentary. No, seriously.
:Dad, to children: Kids, this man is a veteran.

:The lower right room is 'Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics'. There are five exhibits.

:Exhibit: A wrestling ring, with a man and woman mostly obscured by the exhibit label.
:Exhibit label: Naked wrestling: perfectly normal. NEVER DO IT.

:Exhibit: a figure sits at a booth in front of a bowl of food. The dad is holding a bottle.
:Exhibit label: Alcohol is poison. I drink to save you from it.
:Dad: You're welcome.

:Exhibit: A large bird.
:Exhibit label: Mommies get big tummies before babies come because the stork likes chubby girls.

:Exhibit: A rocket ship.
:Sign on exhibit: Grandma's not dead. She just returned to Saturn. For REVENGE.

:In the areas outside the rooms, there are two more exhibits and restrooms, all clickable.

:Exhibit: A dinosaur skeleton.
:Exhibit label: That's right. Dinosaurs were made entirely of BONES.
:Dad, to kid: If you think about it, it makes sense.

:Exhibit: A large image hangs on the wall. It is a dense squiggly jumble of lines.
:Dad, to kids: You gotta squint juuust right.
:Sign on exhibit: Magic eye trick that doesn't actually work.

:Restrooms: There are three doors, each with a sign.
:First door (male logo): Men & Boys
:Second door (female logo): Women & Girls
:Third door (unrecognizable logo): Korgmen & Spangs

{{comic discussion}}
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