explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2408: Egg Strategies

2021-01-08T01:34:55Z

Nk1406:

I'm not going to get into it because it's not related to these egg cartons, but it is ''really weird'' sitting here explaining a joke while I listen to breaking news on the radio. [[User:Captain Video|Captain Video]] ([[User talk:Captain Video|talk]]) 22:24, 6 January 2021 (UTC)
:Why are you lot all anxiously listening to the radio? Is there something I should know? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.7.15|162.158.7.15]] 21:39, 7 January 2021 (UTC)
:: Perhaps [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_storming_of_the_United_States_Capitol this], or [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trump%E2%80%93Raffensperger_scandal this]? [[User:Nk1406|Nk1406]] ([[User talk:Nk1406|talk]]) 01:34, 8 January 2021 (UTC)

I really thought it was just me who cared about center of gravity for eggs. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.49|162.158.79.49]] 23:43, 6 January 2021 (UTC)

We keep the hard boiled ones at one end and the fr4esh ones at the other end.

Bring True Neutral (egg carton sits lengthwise in fridge, most convenient egg is removed until carton is empty), I am ''baffled'' by the existence of other "strategies". Do people really do this? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.70|108.162.241.70]] 00:57, 7 January 2021 (UTC)
: True Neutral here, and also putting the carton in the fridge eggless side out (which is consistent with "most convenient egg removed"). The current explanation says that this is "a disaster waiting to happen". Why? As a side-note, as I understand it, the alternate strategies can be convenient if you ''don't'' put the carton lengthwise in the fridge (particularly if you don't put it in the fridge ''at all''). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.183.117|162.158.183.117]] 11:26, 7 January 2021 (UTC)
:: I am also True Neutral - when putting the carton into the fridge end-first it allows me to extract it with the majority of the weight in my hand. It's a disaster if it is inserted the heavy side in first because when I grab the empty end the weight of the eggs can tip them out the other side. As an aside, I was a little insulted to find out that I am not the only person in the world who actually has an "egg carton strategy". I thought I was unique! ;-) [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 13:40, 7 January 2021 (UTC)
::: Ha, no, far from it! Nothing new under the sun, I guess. Here's some documentation of prior art by John McIntosh from 2006, under the title [http://www.urticator.net/essay/6/649.html "Egg Carton Theory"]. [[User:Dvgrn|Dvgrn]] ([[User talk:Dvgrn|talk]]) 17:27, 7 January 2021 (UTC)
: Chiming in on True Neutral strategy, which I also use, with some added thoughts: I also put the heavy end in first, but primarily because I usually have two cartons stacked, where inserting the heavy end on top of the full carton in the fridge makes it easier to push the carton the rest of the way in on top of the bottom carton. Putting it in the other way around, the heavy end is hanging off the bottom carton, resulting in less stability before it's pushed all the way in. If you can't tell, I'm an engineer! [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 14:41, 7 January 2021 (UTC)
:::: Chaotic Neutral here. Doing it that way means I have the benefit of a seemingly random egg without thinking too much about which egg to actually pick. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.220|108.162.229.220]] 17:35, 7 January 2021 (UTC)
:::::Being Lawful Good and married to someone who is Chaotic Good, we might sometimes argue over this. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.29|162.158.62.29]] 03:23, 7 January 2021 (UTC) MSS
:I guess my strategy is True Neutral as well, though my reason being that I put the empty side face the back of the freezer to reduce the chance of frost, which I assumed is bad for eggs. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 20:13, 7 January 2021 (UTC)

===Carton size===
In Germany, there are two sizes of egg cartons, containing 6 or 10 eggs, respectively. Most refrigerators I’ve seen (in stores or households) contain an egg-holder with six dents, though I also have occasionally seen 10-dent egg holders.
Since I usually buy 20 eggs at the weekly market, my strategy is to transfer the eggs from a package to the egg holder once there are less than 9 left in the package (for the purpose of knowing how many are still left without having to open a package). If there are more than six eggs, the one or two additional eggs are placed lying besides the egg holder.
I think that counts as chaotic neutral. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.68.28|141.101.68.28]] 01:42, 7 January 2021 (UTC)
:I've only seen cartons of six or ten as well, the phrase "A standard egg carton has 12 cups for 12 eggs" seems a bit presumptuous. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 20:13, 7 January 2021 (UTC)

===Depiction wrong===
I've got a niggling feeling that Chaotic Neutral (at least) is wrongly depicted. Too orderly. I'd have put Chaotic Good's pattern there (not necessarily vice-versa, as the current incumbent looks more Lawful or Variation-of-neutrality as well as Good) as attempting to maintain balance but with an element of chance. We don't know what sequence of removal ''led'' to each of these states, of course. That might make much of the difference in how we reach the illustrated states. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.253|162.158.158.253]] 03:03, 7 January 2021 (UTC)

I'd go a little further and swap CG and CN (the current CG being a marginally more ordered and balanced CN) but otherwise agree. CN is the strategy I use when the carton is at risk of being centrally supported while in humid conditions (don't ask), making NG risk bending of the whole carton. LG is actually worse then NG in some circumstances, due to a drastically reduced moment of inertia contributing to the chance of dropping. On the other hand, NG increases the probability of end-shattering if the carton is actually dropped. Overall, different strategies are probably a result of experience, circumstance, relative clumsiness, and hat colour. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.75|162.158.166.75]] 05:43, 7 January 2021 (UTC)

I feel like the chaotic good isn't random. It seems like it could be Braille or something like that, maybe? I don't know, I might looking for patterns where there are none.

Is it bother anyone that there are different numbers of eggs in each carton? At least there should have been two boxes for each alignment, one with an even number of eggs and one with odd.
:: I was thinking precisely this. Can lead to a sense of "apples and oranges" otherwise. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.49|108.162.216.49]] 15:51, 7 January 2021 (UTC)MeZimm

===Refrigeration===
Learned something today: Americans refrigerate eggs
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.84|162.158.155.84]] 18:55, 7 January 2021 (UTC)
: It has something to do with the way that they're treated over here. We don't (have to) refrigerate fresh eggs. -neverdroptop 19:56, 7 January 2021 (UTC)
:: I refrigerate eggs as well, and I'm not American.[[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 20:13, 7 January 2021 (UTC)
: If eggs are washed with a bleach solution prior to packaging, their membranous outer coating (often including quite bit of blood &\or feces) gets stripped away, leaving the shell's surface porous & receptive to contaminants; thereafter those eggs can become spoiled much more readily. In the US, all eggs shipped across state lines for sale as food must be rinsed, therefore almost all eggs shipped to any US supermarket grocery, need to be refrigerated. If you get fresh eggs unrinsed, they can sit unrefrigerated for weeks without a significant rate of spoilage. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 20:45, 7 January 2021 (UTC)

2382: Ballot Tracker Tracker

2020-11-07T01:31:20Z

Nk1406:

{{comic
| number = 2382
| date = November 7, 2020
| title = Ballot Tracker Tracker
| image = ballot_tracker_tracker.png
| titletext = Good luck to Democrats in the upcoming Georgia runoff elections, and to the Google Sheets SREs in the current run-on elections.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BALLOT TRACKER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

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

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2371: Election Screen Time

2020-10-13T02:13:04Z

Nk1406:

I think there should be a screen time category - there seems to be a lot of comics with this trend -[[User:Donthaveusername|Donthaveusername]][[User talk:Donthaveusername|talk]]

The title text seems like a reference to the movie {{w|Airplane!}} [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 00:19, 13 October 2020 (UTC)
: I'm not finding the connection, although I'm not familiar with the movie. Could you please explain? [[User:Nk1406|Nk1406]] ([[User talk:Nk1406|talk]]) 02:13, 13 October 2020 (UTC)

"GETTING INTO POINTLESS ARGUMENTS WITH PEOPLE YOU DON'T KNOW: 17h 23m"

2371: Election Screen Time

2020-10-13T02:10:57Z

Nk1406: started to edit, ended up rewriting

{{comic
| number = 2371
| date = October 12, 2020
| title = Election Screen Time
| image = election_screen_time.png
| titletext = Feels like I picked a bad year to try to start having a healthy relationship with political news.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by A SCREEN TIME REPORT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Cueball has an app on his phone which informs him of the time spent staying informed about politics compared to the time he has spent reading election updates. The comic reflects that most people spend a lot of time consuming news speculating about who will win the upcoming election, even though reading these "updates" will have no impact on the election because people are unlikely to change their minds because of them. People spend very little time researching information that will allow them to make informed decisions about voting, which is an important civic duty.

The title text suggests regret about the time spent consuming political news, possibly reflecting the sentiment that the 2020 U.S. Presidential election has been especially divisive with little productive dialogue.

==Transcript==

[Cueball is looking at his phone screen time report. The screen appears above his head]

Screen Time Report
:Staying informed about politics like a good civic minded person
:..26m
 
:Reading election updates that won't affect your actions in any way but slightly improve your knowledge about what's going to happen in a few weeks
:.................................................9h14m

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Phones]]

Talk:2342: Exposure Notification

2020-08-06T21:45:54Z

Nk1406:

Is it dark mode as in low light UI or dark mode as in depressing? Or both [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.106|198.41.238.106]] 21:24, 5 August 2020 (UTC)

I think the title text is using the term "dark mode" not in the sense of UI design but rather that COVID-19 is "dark" and if the app were to have a mode that did what other apps did and gave notifications for potential exposures (bad news) that would be a "dark mode." I have refrained from putting this in the explanation for now as I am curious if there are other interpretations.[[User:Nk1406|Nk1406]] ([[User talk:Nk1406|talk]]) 21:27, 5 August 2020 (UTC)

I see we were thinking the same thing. I will add it.[[User:Nk1406|Nk1406]] ([[User talk:Nk1406|talk]]) 21:27, 5 August 2020 (UTC)

Sheesh, why dance around the point, say it loud and proud— ‘’dark humor’’ --[[User:WurmWoode|WurmWoode]] ([[User talk:WurmWoode|talk]]) 21:59, 5 August 2020 (UTC)

reminds me of people who would freak out when a financial audit report included the standard wording "We find no evidence of fraud ...." [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 12:31, 6 August 2020 (UTC)

What's this about Stack Overflow? A link to an explanation of what happened to alienate users might be useful. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] ([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]]) 12:36, 6 August 2020 (UTC)
:@LtPowers probably the mess when they tossed a moderator after she asked for clarification on some "don't be offensive" rule. (really, SO allowed groups dedicated to discussing the, ummm, finer points of interpreting religions, and then where "shocked, shocked, I tell you" to find that zealots had hissy fits) [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 13:29, 6 August 2020 (UTC)
::Huh. I thought SO was only for narrowly-tailored programming questions. Still, a link would be useful ''in the explanation'', in case I wasn't clear. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] ([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]]) 13:42, 6 August 2020 (UTC)
::: @LtPowers The Stack Overflow website is part of a broader collection of sites in the Stack Exchange Network, which has many sites dedicated to various topics related both to technology and other topics.[[User:Nk1406|Nk1406]] ([[User talk:Nk1406|talk]]) 21:39, 6 August 2020 (UTC)
::I removed that bit, as it just seems like random trivia. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.144|172.69.34.144]] 20:49, 6 August 2020 (UTC)
:::I agree that it doesn't really belong in the explanation because it is quite a stretch to make a connection.[[User:Nk1406|Nk1406]] ([[User talk:Nk1406|talk]]) 21:39, 6 August 2020 (UTC)

There is no indication that the app is accessing any medical records, so I removed that section. The same self-reporting techniques that work in a normal contact tracing app would still work in this app.[[User:Nk1406|Nk1406]] ([[User talk:Nk1406|talk]]) 21:45, 6 August 2020 (UTC)

2342: Exposure Notification

2020-08-06T21:44:04Z

Nk1406: removed vestigial paragraph

{{comic
| number = 2342
| date = August 5, 2020
| title = Exposure Notification
| image = exposure_notification.png
| titletext = I don't see why everyone is so hungry for BAD news, but fine, I'll give in to feedback and add a dark mode.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT THAT RECENTLY HAD CLOSE CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

During the coronavirus pandemic, several apps were developed to implement {{w|digital contact tracing}} by using one's location along with the location of others, or locationless device proximity detection, to notify someone if they had been potentially exposed to COVID-19. Participation is completely voluntary as data is self-reported, so such apps become more useful as more people use them. This normally only works in retrospect, as infected people are isolated, and the contacts notified after the positive test result. In this comic, a different type of app has been developed. Instead of notifying someone if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, the app produces notifications if they have been exposed to someone who has '''not''' tested positive. (Perhaps it also notifies the user if they have been exposed to a person who has tested positive, but if this is the case, it hasn't happened to the user in question yet.) This is much less useful because it is not possible to tell whether anyone has actually been near anyone who was infected, but rather annoys the user with excessive notifications. Also, being exposed to someone who has not tested positive is not good news, because it is still possible that the person might have COVID-19; it is simply less bad than being exposed to someone who has tested positive, but still worse than not being exposed to anyone.

Socially and psychologically, people being close to each other normally is a positive behavior. For a stereotypical human, it could be considered a sad sign of our times if you needed an app to tell you whether you did right in social interactions and compliment you.

[[File:GNOME Shell, GNOME Clocks, Evince, gThumb, GNOME Files at version 3.30 (2018-09) in Dark theme.png|thumb|right|The GNOME desktop environment in dark mode]]
{{w|Light-on-dark color scheme| Dark mode}} is a common feature in apps which allows users the options to have a darker user interface. The title text, however, refers to dark mode not in the sense of the color scheme but rather that receiving notifications bearing the bad news that you have been exposed to COVID-19 is "dark." Because nobody likes his current app, Randall decides to give in and create a dark mode, which would make his app much more desirable for users.

Randall has published similar "useless useful apps" in [[937: TornadoGuard]] (a tornado-alert app that has lots of great features, except it doesn't actually alert the user about tornadoes) and [[2236|2236: Is it Christmas?]] (a web page that correctly identifies most days as "not Christmas", but then fails to identify Christmas Day as Christmas, for a >99% "accuracy").

==Transcript==
:[Cueball standing, holding out his chiming smartphone to review alerts it has received.]

:Alert 1:43 PM
:'''Good news:''' You recently had close contact with someone who has not tested positive for COVID.
:Alert 1:38 PM
:'''Good news:''' You recently had close contact with someone who has not tested positive for COVID.
:Alert 1:36 PM
:'''Good news:''' You recently had close contact with someone who has not tested positive for COVID.
:Alert 1:31 PM
:'''Good news:''' You recently had close contact with someone who has not tested positive for COVID.
:[Caption below the panel:]
:No one likes my new COVID exposure notification app.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]

2342: Exposure Notification

2020-08-06T21:41:53Z

Nk1406: clarification of how such apps work

{{comic
| number = 2342
| date = August 5, 2020
| title = Exposure Notification
| image = exposure_notification.png
| titletext = I don't see why everyone is so hungry for BAD news, but fine, I'll give in to feedback and add a dark mode.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT THAT RECENTLY HAD CLOSE CONTACT WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

During the coronavirus pandemic, several apps were developed to implement {{w|digital contact tracing}} by using one's location along with the location of others, or locationless device proximity detection, to notify someone if they had been potentially exposed to COVID-19. Participation is completely voluntary and such apps become more useful as more people use them. This normally only works in retrospect, as infected people are isolated, and the contacts notified after the positive test result. In this comic, a different type of app has been developed. Instead of notifying someone if they have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, the app produces notifications if they have been exposed to someone who has '''not''' tested positive. (Perhaps it also notifies the user if they have been exposed to a person who has tested positive, but if this is the case, it hasn't happened to the user in question yet.) This is much less useful because it is not possible to tell whether anyone has actually been near anyone who was infected, but rather annoys the user with excessive notifications. Also, being exposed to someone who has not tested positive is not good news, because it is still possible that the person might have COVID-19; it is simply less bad than being exposed to someone who has tested positive, but still worse than not being exposed to anyone.

Socially and psychologically, people being close to each other normally is a positive behavior. For a stereotypical human, it could be considered a sad sign of our times if you needed an app to tell you whether you did right in social interactions and compliment you.

Alternatively, this app is using self-reported data (as other contact tracing apps do) about positive cases, and identifying whether the people near you are in that database.

[[File:GNOME Shell, GNOME Clocks, Evince, gThumb, GNOME Files at version 3.30 (2018-09) in Dark theme.png|thumb|right|The GNOME desktop environment in dark mode]]
{{w|Light-on-dark color scheme| Dark mode}} is a common feature in apps which allows users the options to have a darker user interface. The title text, however, refers to dark mode not in the sense of the color scheme but rather that receiving notifications bearing the bad news that you have been exposed to COVID-19 is "dark." Because nobody likes his current app, Randall decides to give in and create a dark mode, which would make his app much more desirable for users.

Randall has published similar "useless useful apps" in [[937: TornadoGuard]] (a tornado-alert app that has lots of great features, except it doesn't actually alert the user about tornadoes) and [[2236|2236: Is it Christmas?]] (a web page that correctly identifies most days as "not Christmas", but then fails to identify Christmas Day as Christmas, for a >99% "accuracy").

==Transcript==
:[Cueball standing, holding out his chiming smartphone to review alerts it has received.]

:Alert 1:43 PM
:'''Good news:''' You recently had close contact with someone who has not tested positive for COVID.
:Alert 1:38 PM
:'''Good news:''' You recently had close contact with someone who has not tested positive for COVID.
:Alert 1:36 PM
:'''Good news:''' You recently had close contact with someone who has not tested positive for COVID.
:Alert 1:31 PM
:'''Good news:''' You recently had close contact with someone who has not tested positive for COVID.
:[Caption below the panel:]
:No one likes my new COVID exposure notification app.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]

Talk:2342: Exposure Notification

2020-08-06T21:39:24Z

Nk1406: two comments

2342: Exposure Notification

2020-08-05T21:45:27Z

Nk1406: added image of dark mode

2342: Exposure Notification

2020-08-05T21:36:20Z

Nk1406: title text explanation

2342: Exposure Notification

2020-08-05T21:29:20Z

Nk1406: tested positive is the right terminology, but fixed tense

Talk:2342: Exposure Notification

2020-08-05T21:27:38Z

Nk1406:

Talk:2342: Exposure Notification

2020-08-05T21:27:08Z

Nk1406: title text interpretation

2342: Exposure Notification

2020-08-05T21:15:36Z

Nk1406: expanded, changed tense on a few verbs, incomplete

2342: Exposure Notification

2020-08-05T21:13:23Z

Nk1406: added basic explanation

2341: Scientist Tech Help

2020-08-04T13:52:54Z

Nk1406: including both possibilities for now

{{comic
| number = 2341
| date = August 3, 2020
| title = Scientist Tech Help
| image = scientist_tech_help.png
| titletext = I vaguely and irrationally resent how useful WebPlotDigitizer is.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WASP-INFESTED LAB. An explanation for WebPlotDigitizer is needed. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, Randall pokes fun at stereotypes of scientists that "tech people" hold.

In the first panel, Randall presents an idealized view of the tasks of tech people. Large portions of {{w|machine learning}} and {{w|data science}} hinge around finding a pattern (either regression or classification) in a given data set, but the more common, real-world problem is in {{w|data cleaning}} and preparation. For the most part, the rest can be done with preexisting implementations. These types of tasks are those that tech people would expect to perform.

The second panel, however, presents a different reality. Because wasps had infested the lab, the scientists had to take photos of their equipment through the window. This created a much more fundamental problem of data format than normal (image vs spreadsheet, as opposed to something more normal like pixel-wise vs vertex-based segmentation).

{{w|Polaroid Corporation|Polaroid}} is a brand of {{w|instant camera}}, though "Polaroid" is often used to refer to instant cameras in general. Excel is referring to {{w|Microsoft Excel}}, a spreadsheet creation program.

The title text refers to [https://automeris.io/WebPlotDigitizer/ WebPlotDigitizer], a tool which may be used on visual displays of data such as graphs and charts in order to extract the underlying data. This tool would have the potential to solve the problem which the scientists have by extracting data from the images taken of the equipment. Randall acknowledges the usefulness of the tool, but also expresses some dislike for it, perhaps because it shouldn't be necessary to have to use it - someone must have had the original data to draw the graph - if they had made the data available then he wouldn't have to reverse engineer the plot. Another possibility is that he simply feels that the tool is too powerful and leaving him less work to do.

[[2116: .NORM Normal File Format]] also deals with nested file formats.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[There are two panels. The one on the left is titled "What tech people think scientists need help with:". The second panel is titled "What scientists actually need:".]

:[Cueball, Ponytail, and Megan are facing a second Cueball and Hairbun. The second Cueball has his finger raised.]
:Ponytail: Please–our data, it's too complex! Can your magical machine minds unearth the patterns that lie within?
:Cueball 2: We shall marshal our finest algorithms!

:[The two Cueballs, Ponytail, Megan, and Hairbun are in the same position as before.]
:Ponytail: For a few weeks in June, the lab was infested by wasps, so we had to take pictures of the equipment through the window.
:Ponytail: How do you get graphs from a Polaroid photo into Excel?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Bees]]

Talk:2341: Scientist Tech Help

2020-08-04T13:51:16Z

Nk1406: signature

First. [[User:Unpopular Opinions|Goodbye, world!]] ([[User talk:Unpopular Opinions|talk]]) 23:19, 3 August 2020 (UTC)

But more importantly, I added a transcript and added definitions for a Polaroid and Excel. Also, how should I deal with multiple Cueballs in the transcript? [[User:Unpopular Opinions|Goodbye, world!]] ([[User talk:Unpopular Opinions|talk]]) 23:35, 3 August 2020 (UTC)
: I don't think it is 2 Cueballs. I think the one on the right is Cueball and I don't recognise the other one. He is drawn slightly differently, he's got a bit of a butt-head (crack-head?). [[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 07:23, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

I know of a team whose data was in the form of images - tens of thousands of them. Somehow during a pre-processing step they lost the exif data for the image files - which held the only digital link between the image file which had names assigned by the cameras like Img237856.png and their science which needed things like date and time of the image..... Fortunately the image itself had the date and time in a banner across the bottom 100 pixels. Managed to read the banner using OCR and tesseract. Not so very far off the thrust of this comic! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.134|162.158.126.134]] 00:08, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

I feel old when I know that Polaroid was not a disposable camera; it was an instant camera, meaning that the picture was taken, the film was slowly ejected from the camera body and you held the picture as it developed before your eyes. There were one-time use cameras, or "disposable" cameras, that were made cheaply and the camera was sent in for processing. Yes, probably incomprehensible to one so young to not know what a rotary dial desk phone (or wall phone) was. [[User:Doubting Thomas|Doubting Thomas]] ([[User talk:Doubting Thomas|talk]]) 00:41, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

I think the resentment stems from the ugly truth that such tool is needed in the first place? Is that a possibility? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.229|172.69.134.229]] 01:48, 4 August 2020 (UTC)
:Don't the scientists own the data since they collected it on their own equipment?[[User:Nk1406|Nk1406]] ([[User talk:Nk1406|talk]]) 13:51, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

"As you can see from the graphs, we detected significant Gravity Wave events on average once every 30-40 days for the whole two years of the observations, except for ''this'' short period where we seemed to get a consistently low level of background noise hum, that we have yet to fully connect with any of our existing astrophysical theories..." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.131|162.158.154.131]] 10:17, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

A serious suggestion: instead of webplotdigitizer, if you want to grab data off a chart image, get the java-based DataThief, https://datathief.org/ . It's fast, very customizable, can handle a certain amount of image distortion, i.e. X and Y axes not perpendicular in the crappy image your uncle sent you. [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 10:42, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2341: Scientist Tech Help

2020-08-04T13:51:00Z

Nk1406:

First. [[User:Unpopular Opinions|Goodbye, world!]] ([[User talk:Unpopular Opinions|talk]]) 23:19, 3 August 2020 (UTC)

But more importantly, I added a transcript and added definitions for a Polaroid and Excel. Also, how should I deal with multiple Cueballs in the transcript? [[User:Unpopular Opinions|Goodbye, world!]] ([[User talk:Unpopular Opinions|talk]]) 23:35, 3 August 2020 (UTC)
: I don't think it is 2 Cueballs. I think the one on the right is Cueball and I don't recognise the other one. He is drawn slightly differently, he's got a bit of a butt-head (crack-head?). [[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 07:23, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

I know of a team whose data was in the form of images - tens of thousands of them. Somehow during a pre-processing step they lost the exif data for the image files - which held the only digital link between the image file which had names assigned by the cameras like Img237856.png and their science which needed things like date and time of the image..... Fortunately the image itself had the date and time in a banner across the bottom 100 pixels. Managed to read the banner using OCR and tesseract. Not so very far off the thrust of this comic! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.134|162.158.126.134]] 00:08, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

I feel old when I know that Polaroid was not a disposable camera; it was an instant camera, meaning that the picture was taken, the film was slowly ejected from the camera body and you held the picture as it developed before your eyes. There were one-time use cameras, or "disposable" cameras, that were made cheaply and the camera was sent in for processing. Yes, probably incomprehensible to one so young to not know what a rotary dial desk phone (or wall phone) was. [[User:Doubting Thomas|Doubting Thomas]] ([[User talk:Doubting Thomas|talk]]) 00:41, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

I think the resentment stems from the ugly truth that such tool is needed in the first place? Is that a possibility? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.229|172.69.134.229]] 01:48, 4 August 2020 (UTC)
:Don't the scientists own the data since they collected it on their own equipment?

"As you can see from the graphs, we detected significant Gravity Wave events on average once every 30-40 days for the whole two years of the observations, except for ''this'' short period where we seemed to get a consistently low level of background noise hum, that we have yet to fully connect with any of our existing astrophysical theories..." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.131|162.158.154.131]] 10:17, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

A serious suggestion: instead of webplotdigitizer, if you want to grab data off a chart image, get the java-based DataThief, https://datathief.org/ . It's fast, very customizable, can handle a certain amount of image distortion, i.e. X and Y axes not perpendicular in the crappy image your uncle sent you. [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 10:42, 4 August 2020 (UTC)

2341: Scientist Tech Help

2020-08-04T13:32:52Z

Nk1406: said why 2116 is similar

{{comic
| number = 2341
| date = August 3, 2020
| title = Scientist Tech Help
| image = scientist_tech_help.png
| titletext = I vaguely and irrationally resent how useful WebPlotDigitizer is.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WASP-INFESTED LAB. An explanation for WebPlotDigitizer is needed. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, Randall pokes fun at stereotypes of scientists that "tech people" hold.

In the first panel, Randall presents an idealized view of the tasks of tech people. Large portions of {{w|machine learning}} and {{w|data science}} hinge around finding a pattern (either regression or classification) in a given data set, but the more common, real-world problem is in {{w|data cleaning}} and preparation. For the most part, the rest can be done with preexisting implementations. These types of tasks are those that tech people would expect to perform.

The second panel, however, presents a different reality. Because wasps had infested the lab, the scientists had to take photos of their equipment through the window. This created a much more fundamental problem of data format than normal (image vs spreadsheet, as opposed to something more normal like pixel-wise vs vertex-based segmentation).

{{w|Polaroid Corporation|Polaroid}} is a brand of {{w|instant camera}}, though "Polaroid" is often used to refer to instant cameras in general. Excel is referring to {{w|Microsoft Excel}}, a spreadsheet creation program.

The title text refers to [https://automeris.io/WebPlotDigitizer/ WebPlotDigitizer], a tool which may be used on visual displays of data such as graphs and charts in order to extract the underlying data. This tool would have the potential to solve the problem which the scientists have by extracting data from the images taken of the equipment. Randall acknowledges the usefulness of the tool, but also expresses some dislike for it, perhaps because it shouldn't be necessary to have to use it - someone must have had the original data to draw the graph - if they had made the data available then he wouldn't have to reverse engineer the plot.

[[2116: .NORM Normal File Format]] also deals with nested file formats.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[There are two panels. The one on the left is titled "What tech people think scientists need help with:". The second panel is titled "What scientists actually need:".]

:[Cueball, Ponytail, and Megan are facing a second Cueball and Hairbun. The second Cueball has his finger raised.]
:Ponytail: Please–our data, it's too complex! Can your magical machine minds unearth the patterns that lie within?
:Cueball 2: We shall marshal our finest algorithms!

:[The two Cueballs, Ponytail, Megan, and Hairbun are in the same position as before.]
:Ponytail: For a few weeks in June, the lab was infested by wasps, so we had to take pictures of the equipment through the window.
:Ponytail: How do you get graphs from a Polaroid photo into Excel?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Bees]]

User:Nk1406

2020-08-04T00:42:09Z

Nk1406: Created page with "Hi."

Hi.

explain xkcd:Sandbox

2020-08-04T00:40:50Z

Nk1406: cleared

__NOINDEX__
Make changes, try things out, or just have fun with the wiki here! Just leave everything above the line alone, please.
[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Sandbox&action=edit&oldid=91667 clear sandbox]
------

2341: Scientist Tech Help

2020-08-04T00:38:10Z

Nk1406: possible explanation of title text emotion

{{comic
| number = 2341
| date = August 3, 2020
| title = Scientist Tech Help
| image = scientist_tech_help.png
| titletext = I vaguely and irrationally resent how useful WebPlotDigitizer is.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WASP-INFESTED LAB. An explanation for WebPlotDigitizer is needed. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, Randall pokes fun at stereotypes of scientists that tech people hold.

In the first panel, Randall presents and idealized view of the tasks of tech people. Large portions of machine learning hinge around finding a pattern (either regression or classification) in a given data set, but the more common, real-world problem is in data cleaning and preparation. For the most part, the rest can be done with preexisting implementations. These types of tasks are those that tech people would expect to perform.

The second panel, however, presents a different reality. Because wasps had infested the lab, the scientists had to take photos of their equipment through the window. This created a much more fundamental problem of data format than normal (image vs spreadsheet, as opposed to something more normal like pixel-wise vs vertex-based segmentation).

A {{w|Polaroid}} is a brand of {{w|disposable camera}}, though "Polaroid" is often used to refer to disposable cameras in general. Excel is referring to {{w|Microsoft Excel}}, a spreadsheet creation program.

The title text refers to [https://automeris.io/WebPlotDigitizer/ WebPlotDigitizer], a tool which may be used on visual displays of data such as graphs and charts in order to extract the underlying data. This tool would have the potential to solve the problem which the scientists have by extracting data from the images taken of the equipment. Randall acknowledges the usefulness of the tool, but also expresses some dislike for it, perhaps out of the feeling that it is too powerful and leaving him little work to do.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
There are two panels. The one on the left is titled
"What tech people think scientists need help with:"
(Cueball A, Ponytail, and Megan are facing Cueball B and Hairbun.)

Ponytail: Please- our data, it's too complex! Can your magical machine minds unearth the patterns that lie within?

(Cueball B raises his finger.)

Cueball B: We shall marshal our finest algorithms!

The one on the right is titled
"What scientists actually need":

(The two Cueballs, Ponytail, Megan, and Hairbun are in the same position as before.)
Ponytail: For a few weeks in June, the lab was infested by wasps, so we had to take pictures of the equipment through the window. How do you get graphs from a Polaroid photo into Excel?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

2341: Scientist Tech Help

2020-08-04T00:35:48Z

Nk1406: added webplotdigitizer explanation

{{comic
| number = 2341
| date = August 3, 2020
| title = Scientist Tech Help
| image = scientist_tech_help.png
| titletext = I vaguely and irrationally resent how useful WebPlotDigitizer is.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a WASP-INFESTED LAB. An explanation for WebPlotDigitizer is needed. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, Randall pokes fun at stereotypes of scientists that tech people hold.

In the first panel, Randall presents and idealized view of the tasks of tech people. Large portions of machine learning hinge around finding a pattern (either regression or classification) in a given data set, but the more common, real-world problem is in data cleaning and preparation. For the most part, the rest can be done with preexisting implementations. These types of tasks are those that tech people would expect to perform.

The second panel, however, presents a different reality. Because wasps had infested the lab, the scientists had to take photos of their equipment through the window. This created a much more fundamental problem of data format than normal (image vs spreadsheet, as opposed to something more normal like pixel-wise vs vertex-based segmentation).

A {{w|Polaroid}} is a brand of {{w|disposable camera}}, though "Polaroid" is often used to refer to disposable cameras in general. Excel is referring to {{w|Microsoft Excel}}, a spreadsheet creation program.

The title text refers to [https://automeris.io/WebPlotDigitizer/ WebPlotDigitizer], a tool which may be used on visual displays of data such as graphs and charts in order to extract the underlying data. This tool would have the potential to solve the problem which the scientists have by extracting data from the images taken of the equipment.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
There are two panels. The one on the left is titled
"What tech people think scientists need help with:"
(Cueball A, Ponytail, and Megan are facing Cueball B and Hairbun.)

Ponytail: Please- our data, it's too complex! Can your magical machine minds unearth the patterns that lie within?

(Cueball B raises his finger.)

Cueball B: We shall marshal our finest algorithms!

The one on the right is titled
"What scientists actually need":

(The two Cueballs, Ponytail, Megan, and Hairbun are in the same position as before.)
Ponytail: For a few weeks in June, the lab was infested by wasps, so we had to take pictures of the equipment through the window. How do you get graphs from a Polaroid photo into Excel?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

2341: Scientist Tech Help

2020-08-04T00:31:39Z

Nk1406: idealized view vs reality, ended up tweaking things quite a bit

881: Probability

2020-07-30T01:38:29Z

Nk1406:

{{comic
| number = 881
| date = April 4, 2011
| title = Probability
| image = probability.png
| titletext = My normal approach is useless here, too.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are sitting on a hospital bed, reading a piece of paper with the statistics for {{w|breast cancer}} survival. It looks like Megan has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. The thick line represents the survival rate distribution (probability to be alive after X years, unconditioned): 81% are alive at 5 years, while 77% survive to 10 years. The dashed line represents the {{w|hazard function}} (the negative derivative of the thick line divided by the value of the thick line at each point, i.e. how fast the thick line falls with respect to the current value, or the risk of failing/dying at time t+Δt after having survived until time t as Δt approaches zero), which is the rate between the density of the failure distribution and the survival function. Cueball expresses how he used to find probability enjoyable because of its applicability to the real world, but now sees things differently facing a painful situation involving it.

[[Randall]] wrote this comic after his fiancee was diagnosed with breast cancer. Two months after posting this strip, he posted [http://blog.xkcd.com/2011/06/30/family-illness/ this blog post] explaining the [[:Category:Cancer|cancer comics]].

The title text is a reference to [[55: Useless]], where his normal approach also fails him regarding love. Cueball's (and Randall's) normal approach — math — isn't much help in dealing with ''these'' types of emotional situations.

==Transcript==
:[A plot of percent vs. years, with a solid and a dashed line. The solid line starts at 100%, and drops constantly. The dashed line starts around 85%, rises to 95% after 5 years, then drops.]

:[A simple table.]
:;5 years
::81%
:;10 years
::77%

:[Cueball and Megan are sitting on a bench, next to an Intravenous drip hanging from a rack. Cueball is holding a paper.]
:Cueball: You know, probability used to be my favorite branch of math
:Cueball: Because it had so many real-life applications.

:[They embrace, faces together.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Cancer]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Statistics]]

881: Probability

2020-07-30T01:38:06Z

Nk1406: added explanation of dialogue

{{comic
| number = 881
| date = April 4, 2011
| title = Probability
| image = probability.png
| titletext = My normal approach is useless here, too.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are sitting on a hospital bed, reading a piece of paper with the statistics for {{w|breast cancer}} survival. It looks like Megan has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. The thick line represents the survival rate distribution (probability to be alive after X years, unconditioned): 81% are alive at 5 years, while 77% survive to 10 years. The dashed line represents the {{w|hazard function}} (the negative derivative of the thick line divided by the value of the thick line at each point, i.e. how fast the thick line falls with respect to the current value, or the risk of failing/dying at time t+Δt after having survived until time t as Δt approaches zero), which is the rate between the density of the failure distribution and the survival function. Cueball expresses how he used find probability enjoyable because of its applicability to the real world, but now sees things differently facing a painful situation involving it.

[[Randall]] wrote this comic after his fiancee was diagnosed with breast cancer. Two months after posting this strip, he posted [http://blog.xkcd.com/2011/06/30/family-illness/ this blog post] explaining the [[:Category:Cancer|cancer comics]].

The title text is a reference to [[55: Useless]], where his normal approach also fails him regarding love. Cueball's (and Randall's) normal approach — math — isn't much help in dealing with ''these'' types of emotional situations.

==Transcript==
:[A plot of percent vs. years, with a solid and a dashed line. The solid line starts at 100%, and drops constantly. The dashed line starts around 85%, rises to 95% after 5 years, then drops.]

:[A simple table.]
:;5 years
::81%
:;10 years
::77%

:[Cueball and Megan are sitting on a bench, next to an Intravenous drip hanging from a rack. Cueball is holding a paper.]
:Cueball: You know, probability used to be my favorite branch of math
:Cueball: Because it had so many real-life applications.

:[They embrace, faces together.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Cancer]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Statistics]]

Syndication

2020-07-30T01:24:52Z

Nk1406: Capitilization

{{comic
| date = April 1, 2007
| title = Syndication
| image = syndication.jpg
| ldomain = imgs
| lappend = comics/xkcd_ufs.jpg
| titletext = Complaints should be directed to the xkcd writing staff.
| before = Now that xkcd is carried by United Features Syndicate, there are going to be a few changes to the comic. Obviously, with the rights signed over, it will no longer be published under Creative Commons, and all previous strips will be retroactively un-CC'd and relicensed under UFS terms. All online content will be protected via proprietary DRM. I also recieved a letter outlining topics and content that would be off-limits in the new xkcd. Prohibited content includes:

- Cultural references that would be lost on the average newspaper reader

- Mathematics above the high-school level

- Obscure scientific subjects

- Overt sexual material

- Objectionable words such as fuck, shit, cunt, ass, tits, cock, scrotum, bitch, Belgium, pussy, or twat

- Same-sex relationships

- Star Wars

- Star Trek (Original Series and Enterprise)

- The home phone numbers of White House employees

- Bacon-based currencies

- Erotic use of flywheels

- Exposés regarding other United Features syndicated characters

- Exposés regarding the personal lives of United Features Syndicate executives, specifically including CEO Kenneth Lowe

- Teledildonics

- Portrayals of Johnny Cash as an Amway distributor

- Any story that ends with "and that's how my penis got the nickname 'grappling hook'."

- Computer-computer cybersex

- Swordfights between white people

- Bitch & Animal

- Sexualization of Mt. Rushmore

- Staplers as mélée weapons

- Road trip buddy comedies starring Tank Girl and William Howard Taft

- Eric S. Raymond performing in Cirque du Soleil

- Hats with buckles

- Licking of nipples atop a moving train

The internet is the past. Newspapers are the future! See you in the funny papers.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an EROTIC FLYWHEEL. Needs a list explaining all the changes required. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is a non-numbered [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]], and is the first April fools' joke performed on xkcd. This comic is formatted similarly to other posts such as [[Blue Eyes]]. The post describes xkcd becoming syndicated into a newspaper, changing from a webcomic. Newspapers are notorious for censorship of content, and [[Randall]] describes all the changes that would be required of the comic, the humor coming from their progressive absurdity.

Randall then offers a "free preview" of the new syndicated version of XKCD. This is a parody of newspaper comics such as ''Garfield'', which tend to use relatively weak jokes in order to appeal to a broad audience. Notably:
*The joke being told, "Why did the computer cross the road?", is based on one of the most well-known jokes in existence. Those who know the joke have probably heard variations of it dozens of times, and will not find another one to be very humorous.
*The punchline of the "joke" is that computers are complicated. This relates to the general cultural stereotype (in the US) that [[1050: Forgot Algebra|math is hard]], and by extension anything related to math is hard.
*The punchline is followed by an extensive editor's note explaining the meaning of the acronym "{{w|LOL}}." Although that acronym could be considered the most niche terminology in the comic, it is still one of the most well-known texting abbreviations.
*Furthermore, the editor's note clarifies that LOL is meant to be an indicator to the audience that they should find something funny. The fact that humor has to be pointed out to the comic reader shows just how weak it is.
*The layout of the comic is a clear reference to ''Garfield'', including the usage of three identically sized panels (in the same aspect ratio as ''Garfield''), the use of borders around the outer panels but not the one in the middle, the fact that the characters [https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1987/11/11 don't change poses] between panels, and the floor taking up about 15% of the bottom of each panel. See [https://d1ejxu6vysztl5.cloudfront.net/comics/garfield/2020/2020-04-30.gif here] for an example.
In addition, the strip image is noticeably grainy, as if it were a photograph of a newspaper.

===List of Changes supposedly imposed on Randall===

; Cultural References that would be lost on the average newspaper reader
:xkcd is known for its niche cultural references, one of the main reasons this wiki exists.
; Mathematics above the high-school level
:Another trademark of xkcd is its use of mathematics for humor. More complex mathematics tends to lend itself less well to comedy.
; Obscure scientific subjects
:Again, this is a common feature of xkcd comics, which turns off many would-be readers for its exclusivity, making xkcd difficult to syndicate.
; Overt sexual material
:xkcd's abstract art style means that it can get away with sexual content without seeming profane, and takes advantage of this often.
; Objectionable words such as {{w|fuck}}, {{w|shit}}, {{w|cunt}}, {{w|ass}}, {{w|tits}}, {{w|cock}}, {{w|scrotum}}, {{w|bitch}}, {{w|Belgium}}, {{w|pussy}}, or {{w|twat}}
:Newspaper comics tend to have very "clean" humor, which xkcd's usual writing style is ill suited for. Belgium is the rudest word in the universe according to {{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}.
; {{w|Same Sex relationships}}
:Newspapers are more often read by older people, so same-sex relationships are often absent to avoid conservative backlash.
; {{w|Star Wars}}
:Star Wars, a common reference in xkcd, is an intellectual property that would need to be licensed, at great expense to United.
; {{w|Star Trek}} (Original and Enterprise)
:Similar case to Star Wars. It is curious that the original series and Enterprise are referenced specifically, and not any of the intervening series (i.e. ''The Next Generation'', ''Deep Space 9'', ''Voyager'')
; The home phone numbers of {{w|White House}} employees
:At this point, the list items begin to become more absurd, tipping more credulous readers off to the joke.
; {{w|Bacon}} Based Currencies
: {{w|Bacon}} was a significant meme around this time, especially on Reddit, where XKCD comics were very popular.
; Erotic use of {{w|Flywheels}}
:While it is hard to see how one could use Flywheels erotically, {{w|Rule 34 (Internet meme)|there have been attempts}}.
; Exposés regarding other United Features syndicated characters
:Here Randall seems to imply that certain (fictional) comic strip characters are involved in scandals, of which he knows the details.
; Exposés regarding the personal lives of {{w|United Features Syndicate}} executives, specifically including CEO {{w|Kenneth Lowe}}
:Overly specific stipulations like this one often suggest scandals or wrongdoing of the named parties.
; {{w|Teledildonics}}
:A form of technology used to have sex remotely, obviously unsuitable for the funnies.
; Portrayals of {{w|Johnny Cash}} as an {{w|Amway}} distributor
:Amway is a {{w|Multi-level marketing}} company; a link to Johnny Cash is not apparent.
; Any story that ends with "and that's how my penis got the nickname 'grappling hook'.
: As comics are expected to be family friendly, anything involving rope-driven genitalia grappling devices would likely be unwelcome.
; Computer-computer {{w|Cybersex}}
:Two chatbots cybering with one another is a plausibly real thing, and an easy target for xkcd.
; {{w|Swordfights}} between white people
:Possibly a reference to the cliché that white people can't dance.
; {{w|Bitch & Animal}}
:A "queercore" gay punk band, never mentioned elsewhere in xkcd.
; {{w|Sexualization}} of {{w|Mount Rushmore}}
:Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into Mount Rushmore features the 60-foot (18 m) heads of Presidents George Washington (1732–1799), Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919), and Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), as for the sexualization of the mountain, See ''Erotic use of Flywheels.''
; Staplers as {{w|Melee weapon|mélée weapons}}
:By folding a stapler open and compressing its upper half, a stapler can be used as a very ineffective{{Citation needed}} imitation of a hand gun. Hand guns are ranged weapons, and therefore not mélée weapons.
; Road trip buddy comedies starring {{w|Tank Girl}} and {{w|William Howard Taft}}
: This is simply a bit of surrealism on Randall's part; Tank Girl (the subject of a comic book and 80s cult sci-fi movie) and William Howard Taft (the president that everyone knows as "The one that was so fat he got stuck in the tub) would have very little reason to go on a road trip together.
; {{w|Eric S. Raymond}} performing in {{w|Cirque du Soleil}}
: More surrealism. Eric S. Raymond (more commonly known by his login name esr) is a controversial figure in the tech scene; he's most well known for maintaining (poorly, in some people's opinion) the legendary Jargon File, and for writing The Cathedral and the Bazaar, which some consider one of the seminal manifestos of the modern Open Source/Free Software movement. He would have very little time or energy to spend performing French-Canadian contortion-based performance art.
; Hats with buckles
:
; Licking of nipples atop a moving train
:

==Transcript==
:[A Cueball and his Cueball-like friend are standing in some sort of grassy area.]
:Cueball: Why did the computer cross the road?
:Friend: I don't know.

:[Same scene, but Cueball and his friend are moved to the right.]
:Cueball: I don't know either! Computers are so complicated!
:Friend: LOL!

:Editor's note: "LOL" is an online acronym for "laughing out loud." It alerts you to something funny, so keep an eye out!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:April fools' comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics_with_color]]
[[Category:Extra_comics]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

740: The Tell-Tale Beat

2020-07-30T01:12:48Z

Nk1406: added references to other comics mentioning techno

{{comic
| number = 740
| date = May 14, 2010
| title = The Tell-tale Beat
| image = the_tell_tale_beat.png
| titletext = You fancy me mad. Could a madman have outsmarted the greatest electronica/techno artists of our era? Next to fall will be Roderick Usher's house/trance band.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Daft Punk}} is a French electronic music group. The beat used in electronic music can be vocalized or spelled as "unn-tss". '{{w|The Tell-Tale Heart}}' is a short story by {{w|Edgar Allan Poe}}, in which the narrator tries to appear sane while describing how he killed a man and hid his body in the floorboards. Eventually, he imagines he hears the dead man's heartbeat through the floorboards.

[[Cueball]] narrates that he killed Daft Punk and hid their bodies under the floorboards, as the narrator of 'The Tell-Tale Heart' did. (Having to outsmart a band named {{Wiktionary|daft|Daft}} Punk is quite ironic.) He says he has been haunted by the sound of the band's beats.

In the title text, the narrator continues trying to assert his sanity. The line, "You fancy me mad," comes directly from The Tell-Tale Heart. He then insinuates that he will kill Roderick Usher's band; Roderick Usher was a character in '{{w|Fall of the House of Usher}}', another story by Edgar Allan Poe, making puns on 'house' and 'trance', genres of electronic music (the character of Madeline Usher in the story suffers from catalepsy, frequently falling into trances).

The title text mentions techno music, which is the subject of [[411: Techno]] and is also mentioned in [[586: Mission to Culture]].

==Transcript==
:[The three panels show portions of a single scene. Although the characters are still stick figures, the artwork style is heavily crosshatched and shaded.]
:[In the first panel there is a desk with monitor on it, and a painting of a woman above that. Next to it is a bookshelf.]
:Ever since I murdered Daft Punk

:[There is a fireplace, with no fire. A rug lies before it. At the left end of the mantelpiece are two bottles, one tall, one round. Another photograph of a woman is in a frame at the right end. The bookshelf continues from the previous panel.]
:And hid their bodies beneath the floorboards, I've been haunted

:[The narrator is clutching his head and leaning forward. A grandfather clock is behind him, next to a doorway. Above the doorway is a pallid bust of Pallas.]
:By this ''pounding''.
:[White text on black.]
:Unn-Tss
:Unn-Tss
:Unn-Tss

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Music]]

586: Mission to Culture

2020-07-30T01:11:11Z

Nk1406: added references to other comics mentioning techno

{{comic
| number = 586
| date = May 20, 2009
| title = Mission to Culture
| image = mission to culture.png
| titletext = It can't be very MUCH money... they apparently can't even afford a sampler. I mean, with a little remixing, some of this could be kinda good!
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] wants to take [[Megan]] out for his idea of a cultural experience; a {{w|symphony}}. The inference is that Megan's culturally impoverished because "all she ever listens to is {{w|techno}}". After much griping on various levels, for instance complaining that all the other attendees are above sixty years old, she starts to get into the experience — sort of. The big 'cultural lesson' she (mis-)gleans from the experience is similar to what a sporting aficionado would gain from watching a sports event. So it could be said that Cueball's ''mission to culture'' was a mission impossible in Megan's case.

Her observation regards the seating configuration of a typical modern {{w|orchestra}}, in which the {{w|Violin|violinists}} all sit audience-left, while the {{w|Viola|violists}}, {{w|Cello|cellists}} and {{w|bassists}}, with clearly larger instruments, are on the right. But it is not the size of an instrument that determines the payroll of a musician.{{Citation needed}}

The title text is just icing on the cake. A {{w|sampler (musical instrument)|sampler}} is an instrument frequently used in techno music that samples other sounds and plays them back, usually electronically altered. {{w|Remix|Remixing}} is a process, also often used in techno, of editing recorded music to get a different sound. Many classical pieces have had success as techno remixes. One example is Pachelbel's Canon in D major, referred to in the title text of [[339: Classic]].

Techno music is the subject of [[411: Techno]] and is also referenced in [[740: The Tell-Tale Beat]].

Three of the old people in the line look very similar to the old people in [[572: Together]]. In the very next comic [[587: Crime Scene]] a man is again shown with hair only around the side of his head.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is pulling Megan by her feet. She is holding onto the carpet, which visibly folds under her tug.]
:Cueball: We're getting some culture in you if it ''kills'' you.
:Megan: Don't wanna.

:[Cueball is pushing Megan at the front door, with steps leading down outside. Megan is curled up with both her feet and her hands up on the middle of the door, her back arching out towards Cueball.]
:Cueball: All you listen to is techno.
:Megan: But... the ''symphony?''

:[Cueball and Megan stand in line between two other couples; A guy, who only has hair around his neck and a cane, and Hairbun stands behind them. A guy with a sailor cap and a woman with a big hair stands before them.]
:Megan: I think we're the only people here under 60.
:Cueball: Shhh.

:[The couple sit in the audience just before the concert.]
:Megan: The right side is definitely better.
:Cueball: Better?
:Megan: They've all got bigger instruments. I bet they make more money.
:Cueball: *Sigh*

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Characters with Hats]]
[[Category:Music]]

411: Techno

2020-07-30T01:09:24Z

Nk1406: added references to other comics mentioning techno

{{comic
| number = 411
| date = April 16, 2008
| title = Techno
| image = techno.png
| titletext = I don't know what's worse - that there exists broken-hard-drive-sound techno, or that it's not half bad.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] points out that due to the repetitive nature of {{w|Techno|techno music}}, the iTunes 15 second sample can be used to recreate the entire song. This is for the many repetitions in techno music, usually repeating it 4 (or other powers of two) times.

The title text refers to the clicking and grinding noises of a dying hard drive, a sound similar to some techno songs. The title text suggests this actually exists: an example can be found [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUn2OwjWWBM here].

Techno music is also mentioned in [[586: Mission to Culture]] and [[740: The Tell-Tale Beat]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball looking over Megan's shoulder while she is clicking her mouse with her other hand on her chin.]
:Cueball: Wait, you're buying techno on iTunes?
:Megan: Yeah. So?
:Cueball: Couldn't you just loop the 15-second free sample 20 times and get basically the same thing?

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

588: Pep Rally

2020-07-29T23:06:03Z

Nk1406: expanded "bad people" section

{{comic
| number =588
| date =May 25, 2009
| title =Pep Rally
| image =pep_rally.png
| titletext =You know, pep rallies weirded me out in high school, and they've only gotten creepier in retrospect.
}}

==Explanation==
Any American who went to high school remembers the convocations they had during {{w|High school football|football}} or basketball season, in which class would be interrupted and everyone was crowded into the gymnasium for a {{w|pep rally}}. Cheerleaders would cheer, they'd play the school fight song, the {{w|Cheerleading|cheerleaders}} might do a routine, and the team would be introduced.

This is used to inspire {{w|school spirit}} and get people excited about attending the games, so that they'd come to the games and spend money on tickets and concessions. A common boast at pep rallies is "Our school is the best!"

"But wait," says one of the students, quite logically. Why is ''our'' school the best? The student population is simply made up of students living in the general ZIP code of the school's location. There's no intrinsic reason why ''this'' school is any better than the rest of them in any way that really matters in real life. And even having the #1 basketball or football team in the state doesn't mean the students there are any "better" than anyone else.

This comic subverts the usual expectation of unanimous agreement with the cheerleader's sentiment, and reminds you that people who go to other schools or root for other teams aren't ''bad people''. In fact, they are capable of being quit kind as is demonstrated by the North High football team who helped rebuild someone's deck, the principal who donated his kidney, and the welcoming invitation from one of the student's friends to his school's events. [[Randall]] would no doubt argue that this is the same of people who follow a different religion than you, are a different ethnicity, or have a different political party affiliation.

The title text says that Randall was weirded out by pep rallies growing up, and now that he's older, finds them even ''more'' creepy.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail stands in front of crowded bleachers (with only Cueballs in it), waving pompoms high in the air.]
:Ponytail: Lakeview High is the best!
:Crowd: Yeah!
:Someone on the bleachers: Wait, why?

:[Zoom on Ponytail, now with her hands and pompoms down.]
:Ponytail: What?
:Voice #1 (off-screen): A guy on the North High football team helped me rebuild my deck.
:Voice #1 (off-screen): It seems ungrateful to presume we're better.

:[Same picture with Ponytail now just listening.]
:Voice #1 (off-screen): I mean, school districts are just based on zip codes.
:Voice #2 (off-screen): Their principal donated a kidney to my dad.

:[Ponytail looks down.]
:Voice #1 (off-screen): I'm texting with my friend there now. He says it's okay, and we're invited to their events if we want.
:Voice #1 (off-screen): But he sounded kind of hurt.
:Voice #2 (off-screen): Why are we doing this, rally, again?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Sport]]

587: Crime Scene

2020-07-29T22:59:22Z

Nk1406:

{{comic
| number = 587
| date = May 22, 2009
| title = Crime Scene
| image = crime_scene.png
| titletext = I think I see a Mandelbrot set! No, that's just blood spatters. Golly.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Mathnet}} was a segment on the children's television show "Square One Television", where police mathematicians solved crimes and other mysteries by math. It parodies the {{w|Dragnet (1951 TV series)|''Dragnet'' TV show}} (and {{w|Dragnet (radio series)|earlier radio drama}}) about the {{w|Los Angeles Police Department}} (LAPD). This comic plays on that by implying that Mathnet was a real department of the LAPD, and that when the show was cancelled and the department was shut down its mathematicians were forced to become regular detectives.

Here, George Frankly, one of the two lead detectives on the show (a parody of ''Dragnet'' character Frank Smith), observes a murder scene along with another officer. His fellow officer, knowing him, tries to tell him off by saying that it is just '''two''' dead bodies. As a mathematician, George is constantly looking for potential patterns in the data. However, in this instance there are no obvious mathematical patterns, yet George nonetheless tries to look for one and observes that "two" is the third {{w|Fibonacci number}}. Since several small numbers are in the Fibonacci sequence, the fact that the number of bodies is one of these numbers is not the least interesting. The other officer tries to shut him down, discouraging this unhelpful line of thought.

The title text shows that this may not have helped since George now thinks he can see a {{w|Mandelbrot set}}, but he does quickly realizes that it was just blood splatters. The Mandelbrot set is a formula used to create certain kinds of fractals that you might imagine seeing in the something like blood spatters. The last word ''[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/golly Golly]'' is in response to George realizing he is seeing blood spatters - something he probably never did before on the children show.

The second comic [[586: Mission to Culture|in a row]] (and [[572: Together|third]] in 16 comics) where a man is drawn with hair only on the sides of his head.

==Transcript==
:[A crime scene is surrounded by tape wound around several pins four of which are inside this panel. A large black pool is on the ground, with splashes around it, and a hammer lying in one of these splashes. Two people are standing outside the tape; a police officer with a peaked cap with a white emblem is standing closest and to his left is a man with male pattern baldness, who we learn is called George.]
:Policeman: Looks like a murder-suicide.
:George: Any interesting mathematical patterns?
:Policeman: No, George, just two dead bodies and a lot of blood.
:George: Two... That's the third Fibonacci number!
:Policeman: Not now, George.

:[Caption below the frame:]
:When Mathnet shut down, the officers had trouble reintegrating into the regular L.A.P.D.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Comics with blood]]

587: Crime Scene

2020-07-29T22:58:41Z

Nk1406:

{{comic
| number = 587
| date = May 22, 2009
| title = Crime Scene
| image = crime_scene.png
| titletext = I think I see a Mandelbrot set! No, that's just blood spatters. Golly.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Mathnet}} was a segment on the children's television show "Square One Television", where police mathematicians solved crimes and other mysteries by math. It parodies the {{w|Dragnet (1951 TV series)|''Dragnet'' TV show}} (and {{w|Dragnet (radio series)|earlier radio drama}}) about the {{w|Los Angeles Police Department}} (LAPD). This comic plays on that by implying that Mathnet was a real department of the LAPD, and that when the show was cancelled and the department was shut down its mathematicians were forced to become regular detectives.

Here, George Frankly, one of the two lead detectives on the show (a parody of ''Dragnet'' character Frank Smith), observes a murder scene along with another officer. His fellow officer, knowing him, tries to tell him off by saying that it is just '''two''' dead bodies. As a mathematician, George is constantly looking for potential patterns in the data. However, in this instance there are no obvious mathematical patterns, yet George nonetheless tries to look for one and observes that "two" is the third {{w|Fibonacci number}}. Since several small numbers are in the Fibonacci sequence, the fact that the number of bodies is one of these numbers is not the least interesting. The other officer tries to shut him down, discouraging this unhelpful line of thought.

The title text shows that this did not help since George now thinks he can see a {{w|Mandelbrot set}}, but he does quickly realizes that it was just blood splatters. The Mandelbrot set is a formula used to create certain kinds of fractals that you might imagine seeing in the something like blood spatters. The last word ''[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/golly Golly]'' is in response to George realizing he is seeing blood spatters - something he probably never did before on the children show.

The second comic [[586: Mission to Culture|in a row]] (and [[572: Together|third]] in 16 comics) where a man is drawn with hair only on the sides of his head.

==Transcript==
:[A crime scene is surrounded by tape wound around several pins four of which are inside this panel. A large black pool is on the ground, with splashes around it, and a hammer lying in one of these splashes. Two people are standing outside the tape; a police officer with a peaked cap with a white emblem is standing closest and to his left is a man with male pattern baldness, who we learn is called George.]
:Policeman: Looks like a murder-suicide.
:George: Any interesting mathematical patterns?
:Policeman: No, George, just two dead bodies and a lot of blood.
:George: Two... That's the third Fibonacci number!
:Policeman: Not now, George.

:[Caption below the frame:]
:When Mathnet shut down, the officers had trouble reintegrating into the regular L.A.P.D.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Comics with blood]]

587: Crime Scene

2020-07-29T22:57:28Z

Nk1406:

{{comic
| number = 587
| date = May 22, 2009
| title = Crime Scene
| image = crime_scene.png
| titletext = I think I see a Mandelbrot set! No, that's just blood spatters. Golly.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Mathnet}} was a segment on the children's television show "Square One Television", where police mathematicians solved crimes and other mysteries by math. It parodies the {{w|Dragnet (1951 TV series)|''Dragnet'' TV show}} (and {{w|Dragnet (radio series)|earlier radio drama}}) about the {{w|Los Angeles Police Department}} (LAPD). This comic plays on that by implying that Mathnet was a real department of the LAPD, and that when the show was cancelled and the department was shut down its mathematicians were forced to become regular detectives.

Here, George Frankly, one of the two lead detectives on the show (a parody of ''Dragnet'' character Frank Smith), observes a murder scene along with another officer. His fellow officer, knowing him, tries to tell him off by saying that it is just '''two''' dead bodies. As a mathematician, George is constantly looking for potential patterns in the data. However, in this instance there are no obvious mathematical patterns, yet George nonetheless tries to look for one and observes that "two" is the third {{w|Fibonacci number}}. Since several small numbers are in the Fibonacci sequence, the fact that the number of bodies is one of these numbers is not the least interesting. The other officer tries to shut him down, discouraging this unhelpful line of thought.

The title text shows that this did not help since George now thinks he can see a {{w|Mandelbrot set}}. But he quickly realizes that it was just blood splatters. The Mandelbrot set is a formula used to create certain kinds of fractals that you might imagine seeing in the something like blood spatters. The last word ''[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/golly Golly]'' is in response to George realizing he is seeing blood spatters - something he probably never did before on the children show.

The second comic [[586: Mission to Culture|in a row]] (and [[572: Together|third]] in 16 comics) where a man is drawn with hair only on the sides of his head.

==Transcript==
:[A crime scene is surrounded by tape wound around several pins four of which are inside this panel. A large black pool is on the ground, with splashes around it, and a hammer lying in one of these splashes. Two people are standing outside the tape; a police officer with a peaked cap with a white emblem is standing closest and to his left is a man with male pattern baldness, who we learn is called George.]
:Policeman: Looks like a murder-suicide.
:George: Any interesting mathematical patterns?
:Policeman: No, George, just two dead bodies and a lot of blood.
:George: Two... That's the third Fibonacci number!
:Policeman: Not now, George.

:[Caption below the frame:]
:When Mathnet shut down, the officers had trouble reintegrating into the regular L.A.P.D.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Comics with blood]]

587: Crime Scene

2020-07-29T22:56:39Z

Nk1406:

{{comic
| number = 587
| date = May 22, 2009
| title = Crime Scene
| image = crime_scene.png
| titletext = I think I see a Mandelbrot set! No, that's just blood spatters. Golly.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Mathnet}} was a segment on the children's television show "Square One Television", where police mathematicians solved crimes and other mysteries by math. It parodies the {{w|Dragnet (1951 TV series)|''Dragnet'' TV show}} (and {{w|Dragnet (radio series)|earlier radio drama}}) about the {{w|Los Angeles Police Department}} (LAPD). This comic plays on that by implying that Mathnet was a real department of the LAPD, and that when the show was cancelled and the department was shut down its mathematicians were forced to become regular detectives.

Here, George Frankly, one of the two lead detectives on the show (a parody of ''Dragnet'' character Frank Smith), observes a murder scene along with another officer. His fellow officer, knowing him, tries to tell him off by saying that it is just '''two''' dead bodies. As a mathematician, George is constantly looking for potential patterns in the data. However, in this instance there are no obvious mathematical patterns, but George nonetheless tries to look for one and observes that "two" is the third {{w|Fibonacci number}}. Since several small numbers are in the Fibonacci sequence, the fact that the number of bodies is one of these numbers is not the least interesting. The other officer tries to shut him down, discouraging this unhelpful line of thought.

The title text shows that this did not help since George now thinks he can see a {{w|Mandelbrot set}}. But he quickly realizes that it was just blood splatters. The Mandelbrot set is a formula used to create certain kinds of fractals that you might imagine seeing in the something like blood spatters. The last word ''[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/golly Golly]'' is in response to George realizing he is seeing blood spatters - something he probably never did before on the children show.

The second comic [[586: Mission to Culture|in a row]] (and [[572: Together|third]] in 16 comics) where a man is drawn with hair only on the sides of his head.

==Transcript==
:[A crime scene is surrounded by tape wound around several pins four of which are inside this panel. A large black pool is on the ground, with splashes around it, and a hammer lying in one of these splashes. Two people are standing outside the tape; a police officer with a peaked cap with a white emblem is standing closest and to his left is a man with male pattern baldness, who we learn is called George.]
:Policeman: Looks like a murder-suicide.
:George: Any interesting mathematical patterns?
:Policeman: No, George, just two dead bodies and a lot of blood.
:George: Two... That's the third Fibonacci number!
:Policeman: Not now, George.

:[Caption below the frame:]
:When Mathnet shut down, the officers had trouble reintegrating into the regular L.A.P.D.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Comics with blood]]

587: Crime Scene

2020-07-29T22:56:05Z

Nk1406: trying to improve readability

{{comic
| number = 587
| date = May 22, 2009
| title = Crime Scene
| image = crime_scene.png
| titletext = I think I see a Mandelbrot set! No, that's just blood spatters. Golly.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Mathnet}} was a segment on the children's television show "Square One Television", where police mathematicians solved crimes and other mysteries by math. It parodies the {{w|Dragnet (1951 TV series)|''Dragnet'' TV show}} (and {{w|Dragnet (radio series)|earlier radio drama}}) about the {{w|Los Angeles Police Department}} (LAPD). This comic plays on that by implying that Mathnet was a real department of the LAPD such that when the show was cancelled and the department was shut down its mathematicians were forced to become regular detectives.

Here, George Frankly, one of the two lead detectives on the show (a parody of ''Dragnet'' character Frank Smith), observes a murder scene along with another officer. His fellow officer, knowing him, tries to tell him off by saying that it is just '''two''' dead bodies. As a mathematician, George is constantly looking for potential patterns in the data. However, in this instance there are no obvious mathematical patterns, but George nonetheless tries to look for one and observes that "two" is the third {{w|Fibonacci number}}. Since several small numbers are in the Fibonacci sequence, the fact that the number of bodies is one of these numbers is not the least interesting. The other officer tries to shut him down, discouraging this unhelpful line of thought.

The title text shows that this did not help since George now thinks he can see a {{w|Mandelbrot set}}. But he quickly realizes that it was just blood splatters. The Mandelbrot set is a formula used to create certain kinds of fractals that you might imagine seeing in the something like blood spatters. The last word ''[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/golly Golly]'' is in response to George realizing he is seeing blood spatters - something he probably never did before on the children show.

The second comic [[586: Mission to Culture|in a row]] (and [[572: Together|third]] in 16 comics) where a man is drawn with hair only on the sides of his head.

==Transcript==
:[A crime scene is surrounded by tape wound around several pins four of which are inside this panel. A large black pool is on the ground, with splashes around it, and a hammer lying in one of these splashes. Two people are standing outside the tape; a police officer with a peaked cap with a white emblem is standing closest and to his left is a man with male pattern baldness, who we learn is called George.]
:Policeman: Looks like a murder-suicide.
:George: Any interesting mathematical patterns?
:Policeman: No, George, just two dead bodies and a lot of blood.
:George: Two... That's the third Fibonacci number!
:Policeman: Not now, George.

:[Caption below the frame:]
:When Mathnet shut down, the officers had trouble reintegrating into the regular L.A.P.D.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Comics with blood]]

458: Regrets

2020-07-29T22:43:15Z

Nk1406: expanded upon title text explanation

{{comic
| number = 458
| date = August 4, 2008
| title = Regrets
| image = regrets.png
| titletext = And nothing for 'I'm glad I saw Epic Movie.'
}}

==Explanation==
The comic is a bar graph that shows more people regret having ''not'' pursued/kissed a love interest than regret ''having'' pursued/kissed one.

It should be noted that as of June 28th, 2020, the position has reversed: there are about 52.5 million results for "I should have kissed her" and 62.7 million for "I shouldn't have kissed her".

The title text refers to the {{w|Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer|Friedberg and Seltzer}} movie ''{{w|Epic_Movie|Epic Movie}}'', a "comedy" movie that received overwhelmingly negative reception, and is widely considered one of the worst movies ever made. In referencing that movie, Randall agrees with that opinion and expresses the theme of regret in a completely different context by suggesting that people who watched the movie overwhelmingly regretted doing so.

After this comic was released the search results for ''"I'm glad I saw Epic Movie"'' at Google did grow up to more than 8,000 results.

==Transcript==
:[Bar Graph]
:Number of Google results for: "I _____ have kissed her" (or him)
:Shouldn't: 1,213
:Should: 10,230

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Bar chart]]
[[Category:Google Search]]

2339: Pods vs Bubbles

2020-07-29T22:31:22Z

Nk1406: expanded sentence

{{comic
| number = 2339
| date = July 29, 2020
| title = Pods vs Bubbles
| image = pods_vs_bubbles.png
| titletext = Canada's travel restrictions on the US are 99% about keeping out COVID and 1% about keeping out people who say 'pod.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BUBBLE-PERSON, not a POD-PERSON. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

During the coronavirus pandemic, various degrees of household self-isolation were often asked of people, depending on location, once it became understood that there was a virus spreading through contact/proximity vectors.

As the initial surge of cases appeared to decline, in places where such drastic restrictions had been implemented and seemingly had prevented ever higher infection rates, many regions decreased the strictness of these measures. For instance, permitting any two households (neither having signs of symptoms) to meet with each other ''and only each other'', or allowing one person in a multi-occupancy residence to invite just one other person to reassociate with. Further relaxation of rules may have occurred since, with the caveat that even one case of COVID-19 discovered in such a co-isolating group of people should be considered a risk factor to every other member (however the local jurisdiction deals with that).

A common term for the larger social unit, not to overlap with any other expanded social unit, is a 'bubble', perhaps to imply that you can only have membership of one bounded bubble at a time (unlike an {{w|Euler diagram}}). Another common term is 'pod', representing the closed nature of a pod. There probably is as much variation across the world about what podding ''or'' bubbling practically means than there is between any two instances of those podded ''vs.'' those bubbled.

Despite the semantic inconsequentialities of the difference, here Cueball clearly expresses a personal preference that he would probably not like being kept in an enforced social situation with someone who uses the other term.

He (as Randall) also realizes that he would have been highly unlikely to say a similar thing a year ago and probably would not even have understood what it meant because he could not have foreseen the COVID-19 pandemic and its widespread impact.

Cueball was shown using a ''literal'' bubble (a {{w|hamster ball}}) in [[2331: Hamster Ball 2]], but evidently got tired of being rolled around by the neighborhood kids.



==Transcript==
:[Cueball is walking to the right with Megan. He has raised a clenched fist.]

:Cueball: I ''refuse'' to bubble with anyone who calls it a "pod" and not a "bubble".

:[Caption below the panel]:
:This is probably my opinion that would have sounded the most incoherent to me a year ago.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]