explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2467: Wikipedia Caltrops

2021-05-26T14:53:32Z

OhFFS:

seems more like flares (which distract) than caltrops (which physically impair) to me. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.122|162.158.222.122]] 16:31, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

I'd say "Well, I now know what I'm doing for the next few hours!", except that I suspect that this isn't even going to be the half of it... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.46|141.101.98.46]] 16:37, 24 May 2021 (UTC)
::👍 [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 21:45, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

except 'caltrops' is a funnier word than 'flares' and we get the gist anyway. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.4|108.162.237.4]] 17:23, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

no WAY randall is a jon bois fan
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.175|173.245.52.175]] 17:38, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

Flares draw fire to prevent missiles from reaching their target. Caltrops impede the actual motion of the vehicle. If the links are as distracting as Randall implies, I think his choice makes sense!
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.92|108.162.215.92]] 00:34, 25 May 2021 (UTC)

Flares do " draw fire" but because they are more visible to heat seakeking missiles than engine jet engine heat. This seems like a solvable problem, missile and flare wise.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.202|162.158.75.202]] 03:44, 25 May 2021 (UTC)

Shouldn't the links be given as QR codes rather than plain text, which would have to be read and re-typed into a device with a suitable web browser? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.28|108.162.219.28]] 00:54, 25 May 2021 (UTC)
:Having to type the URL would be more distracting to driver of the car behind? And it's not like it is exactly easy to aim your phone camera to and read the QR code on a flying banner from the car in front of you, in addition to using smartphone mean traffic law violation. And text in URL also spoiler the link content a bit to invite interest. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.49.196|172.70.49.196]] 02:45, 25 May 2021 (UTC)
:QR codes for urls are more a marketing ploy. The usage for typing urls into a webbrowser can be as easily done by an OCR algorithm on the camera image. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.118|172.68.110.118]] 12:02, 25 May 2021 (UTC)
:Plain text (if it contains interesting words) will catch the driver's attention. QR codes are easy to ignore.

It looks like "List of Fictional Colors" [https://web.archive.org/web/20200720071214/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_colors used to exist] but was deleted [https://web.archive.org/web/20200731090020/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_colors late July 2020] [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.119|172.69.33.119]] 04:11, 25 May 2021 (UTC)

I have nothing useful to add but wanted to point out that "as easily distracted as me." is grammatically incorrect - it should instead be "as easily distracted as I." [[Special:Contributions/172.70.100.54|172.70.100.54]] 13:25, 25 May 2021 (UTC)
:[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1576:_I_Could_Care_Less XKCD 1576] [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 14:53, 26 May 2021 (UTC)

The wikipedia list should have a warning before it due to a HIGH nerd sniping potential. No doubt that was the intent. --Hman

It's a legitimate technique. I've been trying to read this explanation page for 48 hours but it keeps sending me down a Wikipedia hole that I have to dig myself out of. [[User:Xseo|Xseo]] ([[User talk:Xseo|talk]]) 10:14, 26 May 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2467: Wikipedia Caltrops

2021-05-24T21:45:39Z

OhFFS:

Talk:2466: In Your Classroom

2021-05-24T21:42:12Z

OhFFS:

yay! another one where a table is useful for an explanation! also first ALPHALUL [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.59|162.158.79.59]] 01:01, 22 May 2021 (UTC)Bumpf

Exobiology should not be in the Good area. I've seen those movies, I know what happens next. [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 02:18, 22 May 2021 (UTC)

I'm sort of sad that the the hover text, or perhaps the origin, wasn't simply "Tautology" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.74|108.162.237.74]] 21:01, 22 May 2021 (UTC)

I think that the scales would be better shown as +/- from a (0,0) point than %'s from the top left. At least for the Good/Bad axis It's really weird to say that "Education" has 10% ''danger'' because it's not quite as good as having an atmosphere. Is it just me? --[[User:Bobson|Bobson]] ([[User talk:Bobson|talk]]) 01:51, 23 May 2021 (UTC)
:Many students consider education - especially tests - dangerous. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 02:26, 23 May 2021 (UTC)

Not sure how big is smallest quasar, but I suspect one appearing in class would be bad even for Sun and rest of solar system. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 02:29, 23 May 2021 (UTC)
:I agree. This should be sooooo far below the bad axis (or Volcanoes) that it should only have been mentioned in the title text. Of course Quasars do not exist in this age... But if one suddenly began in your class room it would be the end of the local spiral arm of the galaxy, and would devour most of what was there forming a new black hole center of the galaxy (a double black hole center). It would of course end all of Earth history as well as the solar system and the local cluster of stars. So putting it right under volcanoes, which would only destroy the local city (it was not given it was a super volcano), compared to ending Earths existence is not really serious. And as explained in the explanation he has previously also mentioned off chart points in the title text, as he does also for less interesting subjects in this one as well. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:06, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

Is vertical axis how dangerous? I read it as either being positive utility (Societal good and bad) or how much Randall likes it? [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 10:19, 23 May 2021 (UTC)

Shouldn't it be vulcanology?[[User:Joem5636|Joem5636]] ([[User talk:Joem5636|talk]]) 12:33, 24 May 2021 (UTC)
:I thought that, but it appears that vulcanology/volcanology are both possibly equally valid (though the 'vulc' definitions point to 'volc' ones almost always in online dictionaries, with the reverse mostly only as 'alternative', and 'vulcanologist' seems less acknowledged than 'volcanogist' in related-words linking). In many ways, that annoys me, but that might be the classicist in me rather than the geographer/geologist who appreciates that "vulcanology" might be a rather more limited field that would require no more travel to extensively study than can be afforded by a handy Sicilian fishing boat or light aircraft. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.19|141.101.99.19]] 14:48, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

Would an alternate Geography = weird be due to an invading nation-state? We already have volcanology and other similar "The earth came into the classroom" things in the graph. [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 21:42, 24 May 2021 (UTC)

Talk:86: Digital Rights Management

2021-04-28T16:21:38Z

OhFFS:

And cue global warming...
[[User:Krev|Semicolon here]] ([[User talk:Krev|talk]]) 14:50, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

i might sound daft here, but is the wall of ice explained in any way? it feels like the humour here derives from it, and i'm not sure what to make of it. the explanation focusing on the details of the antipiracy laws and regulations feels a tad superfluous while i feel it doesn't really add anything that explains the joke. again, i'm a romanian, so my grasp of the english language (and the american culture) is below par, so this might be a silly question. feel free to remove my comment here if that's the case. {{unsigned ip|108.162.254.88}}
:The idea is that a glacier is impossible to stop if it starts moving simply because it is so massive. This can be compared to the demands of people for DRM-free content, which is equally unstoppable no matter how many politicians the DRM companies bribe. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.53|141.101.99.53]] 05:00, 9 March 2014 (UTC)
I agree; I think the "ice-wall" is a metaphor for the mass of the consumers. The companies are trying to go against the flow, and it's either bend or break. It's an ice-wall/glacier,, because there are few things in the world more powerful and unstoppable as a glacier. A glacier is also very slow, so it's also saying that although he might not be able to crush them immediately, he will eventually, and they'd better not forget it (no saying how far away he's starting from, either. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.118|108.162.218.118]] 01:50, 12 May 2016 (UTC)

First thing that came to my mind: ICE == Intrusion Countermeasures Electronics, e.g. in ''Burning Chrome'' (by William Gibson); see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrusion_Countermeasures_Electronics]. IIRC, the book describes ICE as walls closing in on the protagonist's avatar in the virtual (cyber) world. --[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.231|199.27.128.231]] 09:36, 31 January 2015 (UTC)

This may be a stretch but I associated this with "Now is the winter of our discontent" from Richard III. Discontent can both be applied to the general dislike and therefore discontent on the users, but also discontent in terms on the dis, meaning negativity and content relating to the digital content. The wall of ice represents the approaching Winter which will continue until the end of the discontent. --[[User:Igwarrender|Igwarrender]] ([[User talk:Igwarrender|talk]]) 15:53, 5 November 2015 (UTC)

This could also be a joke that the ice wall isn't actually stoppable by him, or is it?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.83|108.162.218.83]]
:It probably is. He's black hat. [[User:Knit cap|Knit cap]] ([[User talk:Knit cap|talk]]) 12:36, 9 December 2020 (UTC)
Game of Thrones / ASoIaF ice wall, anyone? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.143|172.68.58.143]] 17:36, 10 August 2017 (UTC)

This just in: Major corporations behind global warming to stop threatening walls of ice! [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 16:21, 28 April 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2415: Allow Captcha

2021-01-25T17:53:11Z

OhFFS:

Wow, this took me a while to figure out... — [[User:Sqrt-1|The 𝗦𝗾𝗿𝘁-𝟭]] [[User talk:Sqrt-1|talk]] [[Special:Contributions/Sqrt-1|stalk]] 03:48, 23 January 2021 (UTC)

Behold, the most ominous caption of all time. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.152|172.69.34.152]] 07:38, 23 January 2021 (UTC)

When I saw this explanation the title text was explained like this:
:Title text is a similar recaptcha thing trying to also do identity fraud at coords 3,3 and 4,3.
What does that even mean? I will change it, but if there is a meaning to those coordinates? then reinsert and explain... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:09, 23 January 2021 (UTC)

:I'm guessing 3,3 and 4,3 refer to the table of boxes in the comic itself - the two boxes that contain the malware window are in the third row counting down from top, counting from the left one is in the third box and one in the fourth left box. Not particularly relevant to the title text, though. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.146.216|172.68.146.216]] 13:50, 23 January 2021 (UTC)

Not all 9-tuples of digits can be determined from their pairs of digits. For example, 123-45-6781 and 234-56-7812 have the same pairs. Likewise, 121-31-4151 and 121-41-5131 have the same pairs [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.157|162.158.62.157]] 13:23, 23 January 2021 (UTC)
:This makes me wonder what the smallest difference n-m is so that you cannot uniquely determine an n-tuple of numbers from all m-tuples contained within it. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.253|162.158.158.253]] 20:24, 23 January 2021 (UTC)
::It's zero. Even judging by the tuples of length n-1 contained within the n-tuple fails when the n-tuple alternates between two values, e.g. 121212121.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.129|162.158.187.129]] 01:57, 25 January 2021 (UTC)

This is called a [[wp:Clickjacking|Clickjacking]] attack, isn't it?--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.183.211|162.158.183.211]] 01:45, 24 January 2021 (UTC)

Aside from the manipulative elements of the 'CAPTCHA', this makes me think of a 'reverse Turing Test'. Instead of trying to get computer/human to prove their humanity, you ask them to do something that only a computer can excel at and a human will normally fail. (If used as a true-Turing test, the imperfect answer might be your clue as to who is(n't) faking, but that's why computer-candidates for these tend to always include deliberate 'tics', such as deliberately bad 'typing', grammar, punctuation, trying to seem less 'prefect' than the human correspondent.) With this comic's array, I'm left wondering if I'm getting the right verbs... is that even a verb..? "Doing word, right... but am I think of that one as an adjective and missing its verb use..?" when a robot-mind with the right lookup table would quickly assess everything 'correctly', and almost instantly. Which might (in legitimate CAPTCHA use) ''also'' be a clue that it's a robot-response, but only if the setter is that slightly bit more devious than the creator of the challenger. Complicated! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.241|141.101.104.241]] 15:07, 24 January 2021 (UTC)

Added a Table section, from scratch. It may copy or restate things said in the main Explanation (which needs a lot of subediting down, IMO) but I think adds many things not already mentioned that aren't Computer Geeky but aren't ''too'' verbose for being Lexicographer Geeky. I of course welcome clarifications, corrections, etc. I thought I put enough in to not need Wiktionary/other external referencing, but that's still the most obvious enhancement (without increasing pure text content). Have at it, then, my fellow XplainKCDers! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.49|141.101.99.49]] 19:11, 24 January 2021 (UTC)

Is there a category that would include this and https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2228:_Machine_Learning_Captcha? SDT [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.59|162.158.74.59]] 02:04, 25 January 2021 (UTC)

I understand the malware box that offers to install a "helper" tool. But is there any special significance to the "DELAY" box and the "AVOW" box? Both of these have more prominent borders than the rest. [[User:Tenbob|Tenbob]] ([[User talk:Tenbob|talk]]) 11:48, 25 January 2021 (UTC)
:I was under the impression that they were a cutout of a larger window, similar to captcha usage of snips of a picture file. This is most likely intentionally a "feature" additionally added to give some credibility to the actual clickbait.[[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 17:53, 25 January 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2389: Unread

2020-11-24T18:22:46Z

OhFFS:

I have 27,333 unread emails. On the level of "Your email is important to me. Please wait and it'll get read eventually." [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 00:25, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

Oh hai! https://i.imgur.com/FXt1AYq.png lol [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.195|172.68.142.195]] 10:17, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

This graph seems way off to me. It says 'percentage of messages', so the highest point should be at the far left. At some point, you will have a single message saying "Welcome to WhateverMessagingService", which will initially be unread, therefore 100%. When he's standing at the beginning looking at the icon that says 2 messages, that's probably 2 out of 3, or 2 out of 4. It could be back up at 100% depending on the service (does it auto-delete read notifications?), but it's likely lower than at the start. But for the first few weeks, I'd expect to see a series of tall peaks, gradually getting lower as the number of old read messages slowly increases, with flat valleys inbetween where everything is read. Then as you get into the habit of putting off reading them, the valleys start getting shallower until they swallow the peaks, and you get a slowly rising curve that eventually levels off pretty high.
This graph seems to rise forever at the end, which makes sense for a graph of the ''number'' of messages, but not for a ''percentage''. [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 11:34, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

:It says 'percentage **marked** unread' [[User:Torzsmokus|Torzsmokus]] ([[User talk:Torzsmokus|talk]]) 13:58, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

::Perhaps a better axis label would be: "Messages marked unread 24 hours after receipt" or similar? [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 18:22, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

Which is why everyone needs filters for sub-mailboxes. Of those 27,333 , 27 000 go into the "IgnoreThisCrap" mailbox, 300 go into "Respond by the end of the next Sprint," and 33 remain as candidates for reading maybe after lunch. [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 11:36, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

Should the incomplete tag be deleted? This seems complete to me. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.124|141.101.98.124]] 11:43, 24 November 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2378: Fall Back

2020-10-29T16:40:52Z

OhFFS:

Ah, that American thing. Late to The Great War, late to WW2, every year late turning the clocks back in '''autumn'''... ;)
(Seriously, though - at least under xkcd terms - surely [[320|2''9''-hour]] days.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.32|162.158.159.32]] 02:02, 29 October 2020 (UTC)
:That schedule doesn't change the length of the day, though, just the sleep cycle to accommodate 20 hours of wakefulness. [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 16:40, 29 October 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2377: xkcd Phone 12

2020-10-27T16:53:01Z

OhFFS:

Is there any way to install the Vengaboys feature on my own phone? It's pure genius
::(Above unsigned comment was clearly being replied to by the following. Tidying up by moving my own signed comment about coatings.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.171|162.158.158.171]] 12:39, 27 October 2020 (UTC)
:Perhaps by taking data from infrared sensors and microphones, an app could automatically start the song? Might have some interesting copyright issues, tho idk how those things work … [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.124|162.158.63.124]] 23:57, 26 October 2020 (UTC)

If it's coated for easy swallowing, perhaps it's actually a tablet... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.54|162.158.155.54]] 22:50, 26 October 2020 (UTC)
:Now officially entered in Explanation. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.171|162.158.158.171]] 12:39, 27 October 2020 (UTC)

Disabling the screen is a real feature (though it's called screen curtain on iOS https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201443). {{unsigned|108.162.241.70}}

The 600LB magnet doesn't weigh 600 pounds, it's strong enough to hold 600 pounds. And if you used the interlocking feature, and it doesn't explode, you'd never be able to pull the phones apart. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 01:42, 27 October 2020 (UTC)
:I just looked up 600 lb fishing magnets on Amazon.com. They weigh a couple lbs. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 05:05, 27 October 2020 (UTC)
:From what we've learned about xkcd-Phones so far, I wouldn't be surprised if the magnet actually weights 600 lb. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.91|108.162.229.91]] 11:23, 27 October 2020 (UTC)

I would actually buy something with Game Boy Printer compatibility. [[User:Unpopular Opinions|Goodbye, world!]] ([[User talk:Unpopular Opinions|talk]]) 03:49, 27 October 2020 (UTC)

John MacAfee fled Belize (and the Belize police) when he was wanted for questioning as a “person of interest” in the murder of Gregory Viant Faull. I suspect that that is part of why Randal posits an attack from John MacAfee (and defense from Peter Norton, who (unlike John) hasn’t completely lost his mind). I think he is also on the run from Spanish authorities for tax evasion.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.136|173.245.54.136]] 04:33, 27 October 2020 (UTC)

:I think there should be some explanation of who these people are. I could assume that they're the founders of the companies of the same name, or look it up, but the explanation should probably mention it. [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 12:44, 27 October 2020 (UTC)

::Isn't it "McAfee", not "MacAfee"? Or is there an unknown menace named MacAfee that we need to be warned about? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.82|162.158.74.82]] 13:30, 27 October 2020 (UTC)

Don't many mobile games use shaking as a way to reset or roll the dice? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 05:04, 27 October 2020 (UTC)
:Also Moto phones use shaking to turn on the flashlight. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 05:19, 27 October 2020 (UTC)

The tactical helium reserve might prove problematic if [https://www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/9si6r9/postmortem_mri_disables_every_ios_device_in/ the phone uses MEMS for timekeeping].
:(Great link, but unsigned...) Helium's a wonderful substance. Everyone speaks highly of it! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.171|162.158.158.171]] 12:39, 27 October 2020 (UTC)

"Coated for easy swallowing" could be referring to ambiguity between 'tablet (pharmacy)' and 'tablet computer' (which is quite similar to a phone). [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 12:44, 27 October 2020 (UTC)
:See comment (nearly) at top of Talk. Also you may have missed the change I made which then momentarily vanished due to someone's overzealous manual reversion but now is [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2377%3A_xkcd_Phone_12&type=revision&diff=200672&oldid=200667 restored]. Enjoy. ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.46|162.158.159.46]] 12:54, 27 October 2020 (UTC)
:(I seem to be IP-hopping. I was the "Tweaks and Buffs" author/restorer consistently on 141.*, not the "I'm an idiot" one on 162.* but here in comments I'm appearing as 162.* both before (inc. last night) and after. - Probably something to do with Cloudflare. It's ''always'' something to do with Cloudflare! Any guesses what my IP sign-off will be ''this'' time???) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.102|162.158.155.102]] 13:09, 27 October 2020 (UTC)
::Solution: Make an account, and log in. [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 16:53, 27 October 2020 (UTC)

Possibly, to note, Thermal Paper, as what is used by the Gameboy Printer, has high quantities of BPA. Running gag?
Also, atmospheric helium temporarily makes IPhones not work, due to mems device issues.
https://www.cnet.com/news/iphones-reportedly-malfunctioning-after-helium-exposure/
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.146.174|162.158.146.174]] 15:24, 27 October 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2365: Messaging Systems

2020-09-29T18:02:31Z

OhFFS:

I guess ordinary email should be in the same section as SMS as well. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.171|162.158.158.171]] 00:20, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

The comic should mention MMS, which is well integrated into SMS, so that it's supported by not quite as much as SMS but still by almost everybody, and counts as vaguely modern in that you can attach images and have no length limit. ―[[User:TobyBartels|TobyBartels]] ([[User talk:TobyBartels|talk]]) 00:46, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

My DynaTAC doesn't get SMS. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.150|172.69.22.150]] 00:56, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

Okay, got a basic explanation up; The comic is missing a bunch of different messaging services I feel. Also, I knew that somebody would say that their phone doesn't support SMS, I guess that habit of hedging writing with mostly is paying off.
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.143|172.69.63.143]] 01:01, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

"It [Whatsapp] is popular in multiple countries, namely Latin America and India." I have no idea what this means: should "namely" be "mainly"? But is the fixed version even true? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.225|162.158.158.225]] 11:28, 29 September 2020 (UTC)
: Both "namely" and "mainly" are valid and mean very similar things in this context. Saying "... mainly Latin America and India" suggests most of Whatsapp's popularity is in Latin America and India and Whatsapp has little popularity anywhere else. On the other hand, saying "... namely Latin America and India" suggests that Latin America and India are some of the countries where Whatsapp is particularly popular without implying that Whatsapp is significantly unpopular elsewhere. That said, it's a pretty subtle distinction that almost no one will actually care about except hardcore language geeks. With love from your friendly neighborhood Grammar Communist. <3 [[User:Gertuviti|Gertuviti]] ([[User talk:Gertuviti|talk]]) 12:57, 29 September 2020 (UTC)
:: In any case: Wouldn't it be easier to list countries where it's not popular? Because to what I know there are a few markets where it didn't get a foothold (''namely'' Northern America, Australia, China), but in most of the rest of the world it basically is ''the'' way of messaging since many years (others, like Signal, Telegram, Threema, are coming, but usually have a hard time fighting WhatsApp predominancy). SMS didn't disappear and is still used by some technical systems (like for sending TANs or alarms), but I can't remember when I last heard about someone sending an SMS privately (my current phone, in service since one year, for sure never received one). --[[User:YMS|YMS]] ([[User talk:YMS|talk]]) 14:17, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

Discord is slowly moving towards supported by everyone because of Covid-19. [[User:Stardragon|Stardragon]] ([[User talk:Stardragon|talk]]) 12:27, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

"Discord being used by everyone" (ref. Explanation rather than above Talk comment), I have deliberately kept off Discord, so clearly not. The reason for Discord (as per Talk comment) applies more so to Zoom/Teams, though. Although I've kept off those too, where I can (using Zoom on a Raspberry Pi on a few occasions, which tends to overheat it). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.140|162.158.159.140]] 13:45, 29 September 2020 (UTC)
: Good for you; you're fighting the system! Note that the explanation has been updated from "everyone" to "many groups". [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 18:02, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

Separate comment: I'm not sure if this helps or hinders the comic's assertions, but friends and family continually tend to send Texts to my dumb-phone that contain emoji I keep telling them that it can't show (i.e. any of them). Only by context can I guess if the anonymous 'square' character is more thumbs-up/smiley-face or otherwise. Or if the three squares after the birthday greeting might include candles/cake. Making them no more clarified than the plain-text message they think they're clarifying. I suppose the single, sole 'emojibox' reply ''does'' work as a basic read-receipt notification, though. Regardless of if it's actually winky-face, poo, zombie, rainbow, cablecar, flag-of-Liberia or whatever they decided to send me... ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.140|162.158.159.140]] 13:45, 29 September 2020 (UTC)
:That's one reason why SMS isn't in the "Vaguely Modern" category. Although it can transmit and receive emojis, many devices that only support SMS can't display them. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:28, 29 September 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2358: Gravitational Wave Pulsars

2020-09-11T21:13:07Z

OhFFS:

This one isn't very funny..
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.190|162.158.75.190]] 19:37, 11 September 2020 (UTC)
::It's not topical either. I sense filler. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.100|162.158.186.100]] 19:49, 11 September 2020 (UTC)
::Unless there's a hidden joke that I don't get [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.176|172.68.141.176]] 20:05, 11 September 2020 (UTC)

Context is here: https://arxiv.org/abs/2009.04496
::Related to this? [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GW190521 GW190521 Wiki]] [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 21:13, 11 September 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2306: Common Cold

2020-05-14T16:04:41Z

OhFFS:

WHEN COVID19 IS DONE KEEP UP WITH THE HAND WASHING![[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.122|108.162.216.122]] 23:16, 13 May 2020 (UTC)

I saw a thing reshared some time last month claiming that after the hand-sanitizer-and-masks outbreak in Japan, some regions were recording record low numbers of influenza hospitalisations for this time of year. Thought that would be nice; but could only find unsourced claims. Would be nice to think there really was that kind of silver lining. [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 23:30, 13 May 2020 (UTC)
:Since people are really staying away from each other, the only way flu and common cold can spread has also been eliminated. So of course the rate has dropped. But yes, would be nice to see some citations. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:13, 14 May 2020 (UTC)
::Found this [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-17/coronavirus-numbers-flu-tracking-data/12134082 Coronavirus isolation measures are reducing all flu-like diseases, not just COVID-19].--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:15, 14 May 2020 (UTC)
::And this is more up to date: [https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/coronavirus-doctors-see-huge-drop-in-flu-common-cold-diarrhoea-and-conjunctivitis Coronavirus: Doctors see huge drop in flu, common cold, diarrhoea and conjunctivitis cases since circuit breaker measures]. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:16, 14 May 2020 (UTC)
:::While this SEEMS good news, I have wondered for a while now if, by eliminating harmless cold viruses that our immune systems are more or less accustomed to as "collateral damage", we might not accidentally open up new ecological niches, which then get occupied by MORE new pathogens that our immune systems are NOT accustomed to. So, it may actually a good idea to consider that deal.... --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.122|162.158.159.122]] 13:50, 14 May 2020 (UTC)
::::I don't think cold viruses are thought to be part of healthy gut flora (or [[1471: Gut Fauna|gut fauna]]), but the "{{w|hygiene hypothesis}}" posits that failure to properly seed the microbiome in early childhood (i.e. not enough dirt in life) may lead to increased prevalence of allergies and other autoimmune disorders, because (perhaps) the immune system is under-exercised and so some of its regulatory mechanisms are under-developed. --[[User:NotaBene|NotaBene]] ([[User talk:NotaBene|talk]]) 15:02, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

According to Taiwan National Infectious Disease Statistics System, the [https://nidss.cdc.gov.tw/en/SingleDisease.aspx?dc=1&dt=4&disease=487a&position=1 number of severe influenza cases in Taiwan] was 109 on week 1 of 2020, then drop to zero since March. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.58|172.69.34.58]] 04:54, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Based on the railroad's Twitter feed which announces when service is suspended because someone got hit by a train, it seems that deaths from being hit by trains are down where I live. I'd expect some reduction in accidental deaths due to fewer trains per day running. However, the reduction in deaths is greater than the reduction in train service, so that's not the full explanation, especially since most of the deaths were suicides.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.250|108.162.215.250]] 05:27, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Was this comic posted a day late? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.130.10|172.69.130.10]] 11:36, 14 May 2020 (UTC)
:No. But the DGBRt bot that uploads the comic is in the wrong time zone and there it was May 14th. But in the archive on xkcd it is listed as a May 13 release. I have corrected the wrong date. This has happened with two comics now over the last few releases. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:11, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Current transcript indicates he is shouting the "no" in the last frame. I read this significantly more as an extremely forceful spoken word, not so much "THIS IS SPARTA!" [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 16:04, 14 May 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2302: 2020 Google Trends

2020-05-05T15:04:00Z

OhFFS:

The graph for US searches for those terms for the past year from Google Trends can be seen here: https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=2019-05-05%202020-05-04&geo=US&q=sewing%20machine,webcam,andrew%20cuomo,flour,pangolin
: OK, now I want to see a Google Trends graph ''for the above exact search''! [[User:John.Adriaan|John.Adriaan]] ([[User talk:John.Adriaan|talk]]) 01:00, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

Anyone have any idea about the September spike and December bump in webcam searches? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.93|162.158.74.93]] 22:49, 4 May 2020 (UTC)

The September spike seems to be due to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Dorian. This can be traced down by google trends when narrowing down the date range and looking at the top search phrases that hint at the Bahamas. 22:52, 4 May 2020 (UTC)
--- The hurricane theory seems to agree with a similar spike in mid 2018, days before hurricane Florence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Florence as seen in https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=2018-08-01%202018-10-01&geo=US&q=webcam. I'd hope webcams would last more than a year...

I agree. There's a spike for webcams every September since 2017, along with a small spike aligning with Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and a spike in October 2018 with Hurricane Michael. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.104|162.158.78.104]] 00:03, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

Why is the webcam search profile so different for worldwide vs. US? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.229|172.68.132.229]] 23:36, 4 May 2020 (UTC)

Is there a possibility that some of the September Spike in webcams is a (later in years than I'd expect, and surely quashed a bit by smartphones) sudden demand for Family Time with newly departed higher-education students? A modern equivalent remnant of the old September Madness that was at first boosted and then rendered moot by The Eternal September..? (But if it ''is'' hurricane season that drives it, and I'm not sure it would be, the fact that (for example) "In Hertford, Hereford, and ''(not-New)'' Hampshire, hurricanes hardly ever happen" might explain why it isn't a worldwide driver.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.164|141.101.107.164]] 01:47, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

RE: All the webcam speculation: There is a spike not due to people buying a webcam, but watching a webcam of the storm surge hitting. Keep in mind that "BEST WEBCAM TO TALK WITH GRANDCHILDREN" and "HURRICANE XYZ WEATHER WEBCAM" both contain the indicated search terms. I'm interpreting the comments above as the first scenario here, instead of the latter. [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 15:04, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

GOOMHR! (damn, haven't wrote/read that in quite a while) - I was just checking random Google Trends few days ago and wondered what would people from the past think of it. Some examples (both positive and negative trends here): [https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=today%205-y&q=tickets,how%20to%20cook,disneyland,delivery,paper] (I especially like the "how to cook" one with its predictive spikes for the past few years). Those are better viewed one by one, instead on a single graph, though. [[User:BytEfLUSh|BytEfLUSh]] ([[User talk:BytEfLUSh|talk]]) 01:55, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

:Also: Why not a paper pangolin, or at least a paper chef's hat? [https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?geo=US&q=paper] =) [[User:BytEfLUSh|BytEfLUSh]] ([[User talk:BytEfLUSh|talk]]) 03:44, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

:Sorry for spamming, but this is too much fun: [https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?geo=US&q=tickets,zoom,china,delivery,paper] [https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?geo=US&q=hotel,new%20york,online,crossing,toilet] [[User:BytEfLUSh|BytEfLUSh]] ([[User talk:BytEfLUSh|talk]]) 04:29, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

Technically there are a few people every year that are indeed from past years: Those that woke up from a long coma. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 09:27, 5 May 2020 (UTC)
:A non-coma version can be read in https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52332899 (not from a 2019 perspective; saw the start early this year, but did not realise it hadn't petered out into the expected obscurity). Didn't the Germany/similar version of Big Brother also have to deliberately break the news to the participants? Forgot to look that up, too. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.82|162.158.159.82]] 13:37, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

Should the explanation include some reason/event why the peaks begin when they do? Like "Sewing Machine" begins pretty late and I think that corresponds to the CDC changing from telling people "If you're not a healthcare worker, don't bother with masks just keep your distance from people" to "if you have to go out, wear a mask to minimize your chance of spreading the virus". The early rise of flour could be the combined effect of people who are stuck at home doing more baking, and the panic buying clearing out the grocery store shelves. Pangolin rose early and slowly, but dropped off before the end of march; speculation on exactly how the virus started in Wuhan would be more interesting before the virus is in your country, so as it spread the search interest changed over to topics that impact a person directly more than speculation.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.187|162.158.187.187]] 12:53, 5 May 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2270: Picking Bad Stocks

2020-02-20T17:18:57Z

OhFFS:

clearly nobody told Randall about shorting stocks [[Special:Contributions/162.158.18.160|162.158.18.160]] 20:57, 19 February 2020 (UTC)

I was going to say that [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 09:29, 20 February 2020 (UTC)

Can someone create a "stock market" category, or "economics"? There are a lot of comics referencing this. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.89|172.69.33.89]] 23:21, 19 February 2020 (UTC)
:You can start by listing these comics here, someone will pick them up to create the category.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.166|141.101.98.166]] 10:35, 20 February 2020 (UTC)
::Yep. General inofficial rule of thumb is, that a new category should have at least 5 comics or consist of a direct series. (the latter doesn't seem to be tha case here.)--[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 10:41, 20 February 2020 (UTC)
:::Stock market related comics:
:::* [[1570: Engineer Syllogism]]
:::* [[1600: MarketWatch]]
:::* [[2094: Short Selling]]
:::* [[2101: Technical Analysis]]
:::* [[2270: Picking Bad Stocks]]
:::Please add

When he said "camping" I thought more of snipers in MMFPS games (or gate-campers in Eve) and I was imagining the robot waiting patiently hidden under the sofa until someone dropped a crumb, zipping out and hoovering that crumb up then zipping off back again. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.148|141.101.98.148]] 11:30, 20 February 2020 (UTC)

Shouldn't they be dropping the companies from a basket rather than an index ? From my understanding, indices refer to "official" lists of stocks, and custom ones are more known as baskets. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.28|108.162.229.28]] 12:46, 20 February 2020 (UTC)
:I suspect Cueball is more influential than expected [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.202|108.162.241.202]] 14:02, 20 February 2020 (UTC)

In BBC Radio 4's Dickensian-comedy-spoof series {{w|Bleak Expectations}} (from memory, during the [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00cwgs6/episodes/guide second series/season] - though not available at the time of writing, at least direct from the BBC) at one key point Pip Bin uses his best friend's investment 'recommendations' (Harry Biscuit is also a notoriously bad inventor obsessed with using swans in many of his own Heath Robinson/Rube Goldberg devices) to invest in entirely the opposite manner. Not that I think Randall has heard these programmes (or, indeed, programs), so not an annotatable reference for the comic, but putting it out there as a recommendation in general because there's a good chance of humour(/humor) overlap. And it has Anthony Head in it, if there are any Buffy fans/etc, reading this... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.148|141.101.98.148]] 15:28, 20 February 2020 (UTC)

Maybe Cueball is a 21st-Century [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_Dexter Timothy Dexter]? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.93|172.69.68.93]] 16:03, 20 February 2020 (UTC)

In the last line of the current explanation, it supposes Cueball is connected to and making changes to the portfolio. I read this more as an ironic counterpoint, indicating that even though he's good at picking bad stocks, he is not infallible. [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 17:18, 20 February 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2252: Parenthetical Names

2020-01-10T15:34:00Z

OhFFS:

Great to see, that dgbrtbot is back on the wiki. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:40, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

This would be especially annoying for World of Darkness tabletop RPGs. Every one of them (Except Orpheus but we don't talk about Orpheus) has a colon in them for stuff. IE Vampire: The Masquerade [[User:Gruetopia|Gruetopia]] ([[User talk:Gruetopia|talk]]) 08:49, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

Daenerys of the House Targaryen (the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons) --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:22, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

@Lupo: FTFY: Daenerys (of the House Targaryen) (the First (of Her Name)), (The Unburnt),( Queen (of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men)), (Queen (of Meereen)),( Khaleesi (of the Great Grass Sea)), (Protector (of the Realm)), (Lady Regent (of the Seven Kingdoms)), (Breaker (of Chains)) (and Mother (of Dragons)) {{unsigned|Cellocgw|12:55, 9 January 2020‎}}
:Or alternatively even: Daenerys (of (the House Targaryen (the First of Her Name, (The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, (the Rhoynar and (the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi (of the Great Grass Sea, Protector (of (the Realm, Lady Regent (of (the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker (of Chains and Mother (of Dragons[[312|)))))))))))))]] --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 13:03, 9 January 2020 (UTC)
: "...the (First) Men..." "...the (Great) Grass (Sea)..." "...(Lady) Regent..." "... of the (Seven) Kingdoms ..."? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.9|162.158.158.9]] 15:56, 9 January 2020 (UTC)
: I prefet the titles that were (sadly) left out of (HBO's) Game (of Thrones): Tormund (Giantsbane)(, (Tall-)talker)(, (Horn-)blower)(, and Breaker (of Ice))(, Thunderfist)(, Husband (to Bears))(, (the) (Mead-)king (of (Ruddy) Hall))(, Speaker (to Gods))( and Father (of Hosts)(, Commander (of Oakenshield)). I just wanted to see Tormund (properly) introduced to Daenerys… [[User:SDF iain|SDF iain]] ([[User talk:SDF iain|talk]]) 16:07, 9 January 2020 (UTC)
::I also prefer a song (of ice and fire)over game (of thrones)(TV Series) --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 16:47, 9 January 2020 (UTC)
:You forgot Stormborn. Daenerys (Stormborn (of the House Targaryen) (the First (of Her Name))), (The Unburnt),( Queen (of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men)), (Queen (of Meereen)),( Khaleesi (of the (Great (Grass)) Sea)), (Protector (of the Realm)), (Lady Regent (of the (Seven) Kingdoms)), (Breaker (of Chains)) (and Mother (of Dragons)) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:19, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

I always liked listening to Mott (the Hoople) but I've never been a fan of Vlad (the Impaler). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.88|162.158.214.88]] 12:14, 9 January 2020 (UTC)
: Didn't he open for Cage (the elephant)? [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 13:27, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

I spent the evening having a jabber with Jabba (the Hut). I listened to some tunes by Benny Goodman (the King (of Swing) ) . Reminds me of the Jewish Mother joke where the first Jewish president finally gets his mother to agree to hold Seder in the White House.[parentheses mine] Mother to her friend Sadie: "I'm having Seder with my son." Sadie: "Oh, your son (the doctor)?" Mother: "No the other one." [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 12:52, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

I am (the pretty sailor soldier of love and justice) Sailor Moon! In the name of (the Moon) I will punish you! -[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.187|173.245.52.187]] 19:42, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

I feel like the chunk about the chunk about the Sonic movie's redesign is a bit pointless, could be shrunken down to "A film featuring the character titled Sonic the Hedgehog is set for release February 2020, of which Cueball is asking his friends if they want to see it or not."--[[User:GoldNinja|GoldNinja]] ([[User talk:GoldNinja|talk]]) 00:35, 10 January 2020 (UTC)
:Probably, but the design was so heinous as to warrant pulling the release plans and redoing the model. This is enough to cause a redocumentation here, as a warning to future generations to NEVER look up the original Sonic (The Hedgehog) movie model. Verily, what has been seen cannot be (un)seen! 15:34, 10 January 2020 (UTC)

Almost 3,5 months since his last hobby comic: [[2208: Drone Fishing|2208: Drone (Fishing)]]. Nice to see one again. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:25, 10 January 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2252: Parenthetical Names

2020-01-09T22:52:35Z

OhFFS: Undo revision 185758 by 162.158.107.153 (talk) Not on topic.

Great to see, that dgbrtbot is back on the wiki. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:40, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

This would be especially annoying for World of Darkness tabletop RPGs. Every one of them (Except Orpheus but we don't talk about Orpheus) has a colon in them for stuff. IE Vampire: The Masquerade [[User:Gruetopia|Gruetopia]] ([[User talk:Gruetopia|talk]]) 08:49, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

Daenerys of the House Targaryen (the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons) --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:22, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

@Lupo: FTFY: Daenerys (of the House Targaryen) (the First (of Her Name)), (The Unburnt),( Queen (of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men)), (Queen (of Meereen)),( Khaleesi (of the Great Grass Sea)), (Protector (of the Realm)), (Lady Regent (of the Seven Kingdoms)), (Breaker (of Chains)) (and Mother (of Dragons)) {{unsigned|Cellocgw|12:55, 9 January 2020‎}}
:Or alternatively even: Daenerys (of (the House Targaryen (the First of Her Name, (The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, (the Rhoynar and (the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi (of the Great Grass Sea, Protector (of (the Realm, Lady Regent (of (the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker (of Chains and Mother (of Dragons[[312|)))))))))))))]] --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 13:03, 9 January 2020 (UTC)
: "...the (First) Men..." "...the (Great) Grass (Sea)..." "...(Lady) Regent..." "... of the (Seven) Kingdoms ..."? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.9|162.158.158.9]] 15:56, 9 January 2020 (UTC)
: I prefet the titles that were (sadly) left out of (HBO's) Game (of Thrones): Tormund (Giantsbane)(, (Tall-)talker)(, (Horn-)blower)(, and Breaker (of Ice))(, Thunderfist)(, Husband (to Bears))(, (the) (Mead-)king (of (Ruddy) Hall))(, Speaker (to Gods))( and Father (of Hosts)(, Commander (of Oakenshield)). I just wanted to see Tormund (properly) introduced to Daenerys… [[User:SDF iain|SDF iain]] ([[User talk:SDF iain|talk]]) 16:07, 9 January 2020 (UTC)
::I also prefer a song (of ice and fire)over game (of thrones)(TV Series) --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 16:47, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

I always liked listening to Mott (the Hoople) but I've never been a fan of Vlad (the Impaler). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.88|162.158.214.88]] 12:14, 9 January 2020 (UTC)
: Didn't he open for Cage (the elephant)? [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 13:27, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

I spent the evening having a jabber with Jabba (the Hut). I listened to some tunes by Benny Goodman (the King (of Swing) ) . Reminds me of the Jewish Mother joke where the first Jewish president finally gets his mother to agree to hold Seder in the White House.[parentheses mine] Mother to her friend Sadie: "I'm having Seder with my son." Sadie: "Oh, your son (the doctor)?" Mother: "No the other one." [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 12:52, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

I am (the pretty sailor soldier of love and justice) Sailor Moon! In the name of (the Moon) I will punish you! -[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.187|173.245.52.187]] 19:42, 9 January 2020 (UTC)

User:OhFFS

2019-09-20T20:37:37Z

OhFFS: Created page with "Using ExplainXKCD because employer is a philistine organization and blocks direct XKCD."

Using ExplainXKCD because employer is a philistine organization and blocks direct XKCD.

Talk:2205: Types of Approximation

2019-09-20T20:34:44Z

OhFFS:

The cosmologist is probably using Fermi's a la [https://what-if.xkcd.com/84/ What-If 84: Paint the Earth][[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 20:34, 20 September 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2204: Ksp 2

2019-09-18T18:07:38Z

OhFFS:

Can someone create a KSP category? I don't have the rights to do that. Comics for that category include this one, [[1356:_Orbital_Mechanics]], [[1350:_Lorenz]], [[1244: Six Words]], [[1106: ADD]]. There may be others as well. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.211.184|172.68.211.184]] 18:05, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

In the explanation, I took the "Unmarked Cash Payments" to be payoffs to the KSP2 team to delay their launch. [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 18:07, 18 September 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2197: Game Show

2019-09-03T15:36:42Z

OhFFS:

Suggestion for comic explanation: Black Hat does the things that Black Hat always does. {{unsigned|172.68.65.90}}

I'm unable to find a single instance of any game show ever asking this sort of question. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.161|172.68.142.161]] 22:35, 2 September 2019 (UTC)

How about https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Island_Discs?
Desktop link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_Island_Discs

Note that Desert Island Discs does have a restriction on the item to be taken to the desert island - it must be a luxury item of no practical use. (Note you also get the bible and the complete works of Shakespeare thrown in for nothing). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.203|141.101.99.203]] 07:53, 3 September 2019 (UTC)

: Desert Island Discs is not a game show: it isn't competitive and has no prizes. It's more like a celebrity interview or chat show. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.64|162.158.34.64]] 13:39, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
::The usual version of this question being asked on a game show is more like the "getting to know the contestants" trope, and could reasonably be considered to be a microcosm of the DID programme. [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 15:36, 3 September 2019 (UTC)

I find myself wondering what Black Hat would do if he had the skeleton. Probably some kind over-elaborate scheme to mess with people? Or maybe it's just because there are so many people who'd be interested in the possibility of bringing it back from a desert island. [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 01:07, 3 September 2019 (UTC)

At first it looks like Black Hat is playing a different type of game show game - to associate each item to the one before. The links are mode of transport, plane, relating to Earhart, internal structure, has a crown. Beyond that, items seem to simply be random and hard to obtain.--[[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.89|172.69.63.89]] 01:53, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
*Well, when you consider that Queen Elizabeth is a big fan of this show... --[[User:Account|Account]] ([[User talk:Account|talk]]) 02:05, 3 September 2019 (UTC)

Seems like water skiing back home would also require skis. [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 06:25, 3 September 2019 (UTC)

Seems DgbrtBOT failed because of the interactivity of the [[How To]] release day comic [[2198: Throw]], which came out on a Tuesday, the release day! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:45, 3 September 2019 (UTC)
:I have tried to create it, and the REDIRECT [[2198]] page as well. Hope it works... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:48, 3 September 2019 (UTC)

Is part of the joke also that in pedantic logic "any" can be more than one item? Which is why he lists so many things?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.66|162.158.90.66]] 08:40, 3 September 2019 (UTC)

Having the crown jewels would quite garanty him to return to continent, I guess, as UK would want to get it back.
08:47, 3 September 2019 (UTC)Thy

I disagree with some of the suggested motivations for Black Hat's items. I think in most cases he is simply listing things that he knows would be impossible to supply - not because he wants the fame of finding or owning them. Amelia Earhart's plane is lost to history, as is her skeleton (which would be subject to laws regarding the treatment of remains in any case, so it would be difficult to give this to Black Hat). The internal skeleton of the Statue of Liberty is currently holding up the Statue of Liberty; removing this would be difficult and probably illegal as it would destroy a historic landmark. The Crown Jewels belong to the British monarchy and cannot be sold, and stealing them would be difficult (and illegal). The audience of the show are people, not items, and would not consent to being taken to a deserted island. Greenland's ice sheet is too large and heavy to supply. Earth's North magnetic pole is a conceptual point, not an item. Transplanting an entire ocean into another one would be difficult (and probably illegal). [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 12:28, 3 September 2019 (UTC)

949: File Transfer

2019-08-27T19:35:09Z

OhFFS: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 949
| date = September 9, 2011
| title = File Transfer
| image = file_transfer.png
| titletext = Every time you email a file to yourself so you can pull it up on your friend's laptop, Tim Berners-Lee sheds a single tear.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is trying to help two people, his friend and his friend's cousin, exchange a 25 MB file. Most people know how to use email to send files through the internet, but 25 MB exceeds the attachment size limit of most email services. The reason there is a limit is because every email has to be transferred between several mail transfer agents, and each one has to temporarily store a copy of the email. Space constraints on those mail servers means that they must impose size limits, and an email with such a large attachment will therefore not be delivered.

The next option is to upload the file to an FTP server (FTP stands for {{w|File Transfer Protocol}}, as opposed to HTTP, {{w|Hypertext Transfer Protocol}}), used to transfer files between computers on a shared network, such as the internet. However, FTP servers are a touch more esoteric than a mere email attachment, and many internet users don't have access to one of their own.

Web hosting is simply the ability to create a website and store all the data for said website on a server which is connected to the internet. If Cueball's friend's cousin had the ability to do that, sharing the file would be as easy as putting a copy of it in an accessible directory and sending the link to the desired recipient.

{{w|Megaupload}} was one of many sites on the internet that recognizes most users' inability to host large files on their own, and so offers to host large files, sometimes for free, sometimes for a small fee. The payoff is that in order to make such a service profitable, many of these sites are cluttered with banner and pop up ads in a mad effort to squeeze as much ad revenue out of every page view as possible. It's not a dealbreaker for some, but Cueball seems to think it'll be too much for his friend's cousin to handle.

{{w|AOL Instant Messenger|AIM}} direct connect was a file sharing system on AOL Instant Messenger, which was already suffering severe drops in popularity by the year 2000. Clearly, Cueball is grasping at straws here: anybody desperate enough to invoke the name of AOL as a solution instead of a problem must be at their wits' end.

{{w|Dropbox (service)|Dropbox}} is a program with a web-based GUI that automates file sharing between two computers on the internet. But this solution also has its issues, as it requires that at least the sending party has a Dropbox account. Installing Dropbox software is not actually required, since Dropbox also provides a web interface for uploading and downloading files. At the time of the comic's publication, Dropbox was still relatively new and unknown, thus why it is not Cueball's first suggestion.

While Cueball is still explaining Dropbox, the friend's cousin has copied the file to a USB drive and physically transported it to the friend's house, circumventing the internet entirely. It's not an elegant solution, but sometimes traditional methods are the most efficient ways to get something done.

When used to transfer files between computers in the same room or building, this same approach is referred to as {{w|sneakernet}}. This comic is also an illustration of what {{w|Andy Tanenbaum}} said in 1989: ''Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway.'' Sneakernet was examined in this [https://what-if.xkcd.com/31/ What If] article.

{{w|Tim Berners-Lee}} is considered to be the inventor of the World Wide Web. In the title text, [[Randall]] implies that he would be disturbed by the need today to use two separate protocols (smtp for sending the file as an email attachment and http for retrieving the file from the mail server web interface) to perform a third, unrelated, obvious function such as file transfer.

Note that this is similar to the later [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1810:_Chat_Systems 1810: Chat Systems] and [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2194:_How_to_Send_a_File 2194: How to Send a File]

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands near a computer, talking on the phone to another person.]

:Cueball: You want your cousin to send you a file? easy. He can email it to- ...Oh, it's 25 MB? Hmm...
:Cueball: Do either of you have an FTP server? No, right.
:Cueball: If you had web hosting, you could upload it...
:Cueball: Hm. We could try one of those MegaShareUpload sites, but they're flaky and full of delays and porn popups.
:Cueball: How about AIM Direct Connect? Anyone still use that?
:Cueball: Oh, wait, Dropbox! It's this recent startup from a few years back that syncs folders between computers. You just need to make an account, install the-
:Cueball: Oh, he just drove over to your house with a USB drive?
:Cueball: Uh, cool, that works too.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I like how we've had the internet for decades, yet "sending files" is something early adopters are still figuring out how to do.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

949: File Transfer

2019-08-27T19:33:56Z

OhFFS: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 949
| date = September 9, 2011
| title = File Transfer
| image = file_transfer.png
| titletext = Every time you email a file to yourself so you can pull it up on your friend's laptop, Tim Berners-Lee sheds a single tear.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is trying to help two people, his friend and his friend's cousin, exchange a 25 MB file. Most people know how to use email to send files through the internet, but 25 MB exceeds the attachment size limit of most email services. The reason there is a limit is because every email has to be transferred between several mail transfer agents, and each one has to temporarily store a copy of the email. Space constraints on those mail servers means that they must impose size limits, and an email with such a large attachment will therefore not be delivered.

The next option is to upload the file to an FTP server (FTP stands for {{w|File Transfer Protocol}}, as opposed to HTTP, {{w|Hypertext Transfer Protocol}}), used to transfer files between computers on a shared network, such as the internet. However, FTP servers are a touch more esoteric than a mere email attachment, and many internet users don't have access to one of their own.

Web hosting is simply the ability to create a website and store all the data for said website on a server which is connected to the internet. If Cueball's friend's cousin had the ability to do that, sharing the file would be as easy as putting a copy of it in an accessible directory and sending the link to the desired recipient.

{{w|Megaupload}} was one of many sites on the internet that recognizes most users' inability to host large files on their own, and so offers to host large files, sometimes for free, sometimes for a small fee. The payoff is that in order to make such a service profitable, many of these sites are cluttered with banner and pop up ads in a mad effort to squeeze as much ad revenue out of every page view as possible. It's not a dealbreaker for some, but Cueball seems to think it'll be too much for his friend's cousin to handle.

{{w|AOL Instant Messenger|AIM}} direct connect was a file sharing system on AOL Instant Messenger, which was already suffering severe drops in popularity by the year 2000. Clearly, Cueball is grasping at straws here: anybody desperate enough to invoke the name of AOL as a solution instead of a problem must be at their wits' end.

{{w|Dropbox (service)|Dropbox}} is a program with a web-based GUI that automates file sharing between two computers on the internet. But this solution also has its issues, as it requires that at least the sending party has a Dropbox account. Installing Dropbox software is not actually required, since Dropbox also provides a web interface for uploading and downloading files. At the time of the comic's publication, Dropbox was still relatively new and unknown, thus why it is not Cueball's first suggestion.

While Cueball is still explaining Dropbox, the friend's cousin has copied the file to a USB drive and physically transported it to the friend's house, circumventing the internet entirely. It's not an elegant solution, but sometimes traditional methods are the most efficient ways to get something done.

When used to transfer files between computers in the same room or building, this same approach is referred to as {{w|sneakernet}}. This comic is also an illustration of what {{w|Andy Tanenbaum}} said in 1989: ''Never underestimate the bandwidth of a station wagon full of tapes hurtling down the highway.'' Sneakernet was examined in this [https://what-if.xkcd.com/31/ What If] article.

{{w|Tim Berners-Lee}} is considered to be the inventor of the World Wide Web. In the title text, [[Randall]] implies that he would be disturbed by the need today to use two separate protocols (smtp for sending the file as an email attachment and http for retrieving the file from the mail server web interface) to perform a third, unrelated, obvious function such as file transfer.

Note that this is similar to the later [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1810:_Chat_Systems 1810: Chat Systems] and [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2194:_How_to_Send_a_File: How to Send a File]

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands near a computer, talking on the phone to another person.]

:Cueball: You want your cousin to send you a file? easy. He can email it to- ...Oh, it's 25 MB? Hmm...
:Cueball: Do either of you have an FTP server? No, right.
:Cueball: If you had web hosting, you could upload it...
:Cueball: Hm. We could try one of those MegaShareUpload sites, but they're flaky and full of delays and porn popups.
:Cueball: How about AIM Direct Connect? Anyone still use that?
:Cueball: Oh, wait, Dropbox! It's this recent startup from a few years back that syncs folders between computers. You just need to make an account, install the-
:Cueball: Oh, he just drove over to your house with a USB drive?
:Cueball: Uh, cool, that works too.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I like how we've had the internet for decades, yet "sending files" is something early adopters are still figuring out how to do.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]

Talk:2191: Conference Question

2019-08-19T14:28:38Z

OhFFS:

I don't know to what "Word of Power" in the title text refers. A quick Google revealed something from Skyrim and something from D&D, but I have the feeling there must surely be a more original source for it, even if it is just a common term in folklore or something. [[User:Pureawes0me|Pureawes0me]] ([[User talk:Pureawes0me|talk]]) 07:45, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

: I think it means "magic word". The next step, "Unforgivable Curse", is from Harry Potter; a magic spell against someone that will get you jail time. (C. S. Lewis had an apocalyptic option, the "{{w|Deplorable Word}}", which killed every living person except the speaker) So Harry Potter's schoolteacher demonstrates the Unforgivables on spiders... and on students. (You find out why.) Also I think the title text is the platform speaker's response to Beret Guy. rja.carnegie@gmail.com [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.183|162.158.158.183]] 09:12, 19 August 2019 (UTC) [[User:WhiteDragon|WhiteDragon]] ([[User talk:WhiteDragon|talk]]) 13:51, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

:: Yeah, I understand the "Unforgivable Curse" part - it's more "Word of Power" I'm struggling with. I agree that the title text could potentially be a response by the speaker, and I've updated the page to reflect this. [[User:Pureawes0me|Pureawes0me]] ([[User talk:Pureawes0me|talk]]) 10:20, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

::: It's from tabletop roleplaying games; [https://dungeonsdragons.fandom.com/wiki/Power_word some of the earliest high level spells from the original edition of Dungeons and Dragons were "Power Word Kill," "Power Word Blind," and "Power Word Stun."] These spells have been carried forward into newer editions where they are extremely unpopular because they were designed for campaigns when most monsters had a tiny fraction of the number of hit points typical today, and unlike essentially all of the fifth edition spells, they don't do anything when they don't work, and they don't work based on facts which are theoretically unknowable to the players. So, they kind of have a reputation of the worst high level spells, and are sometimes included in magic items which turn out to be, well, like fruitcake, if you know what I mean. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.134|172.69.22.134]] 11:36, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

One thing I feel needs to be said is that this behavior belies a lack of linguistic skill, because any statement can always be phrased in the form of a question, e.g, most easily, "Do you agree that _______?" Or by asking about the details of the comment about which the commenter is most interested in emphasizing or soliciting a response. That this kind of thing happens among advanced academics belies how narcissistic and tone-deaf even otherwise intelligent people can often be. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.34|162.158.255.34]] 12:20, 19 August 2019 (UTC)
:Similar to how the comic ends in a question? I think your statement is part of the joke. Less of a statement, and more of an utterance. [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 14:28, 19 August 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2189: Old Game Worlds

2019-08-15T13:39:05Z

OhFFS:

;Older games
Quote from explanation: "Some readers might wonder why there's no mention of even older games like Space Invaders (1978) and Pac-Man (1980), but these games were so abstracted, so pixelated; that there's never an expectation that anything in them would age or deteriorate. Likewise with older text games like the Zork series (1977–79) or their predecessor, Colossal Cave (1976–77). So they are sadly ignored on the timeline of games."
*Nope, sorry, I completely disagree with this. Pacman always felt like a real world to me. Imagine a night club in the afternoon, cleaners mopping, a couple of ghosts sleeping in the corner, sick on a wall, another wall crumbled, muzak playing, the threadworn patterned carpet now visable, pellets scattered, a uniformed teen carefully placing new shiny pellets, another uniformed teen sneaking up on the sleeping ghosts with a net. Space Invaders: the aliens have gone, people have built house out of the ruins of the bunkers, the laser is crashed in a field missing vital parts, cows mill around eating the grass, a guy with an end-is-nigh sign babbles incessantly about aliens coming. Meanwhile Zork and Colossal Cave would also be perfect for this scenario - being text the only limit on then is the imagination of the author (and memory space etc, but shhh). Personally I feel the list just represents some of Randall's favourite games - he was born in 1984 so these games here are ''before his time'' and not really games he would gravitate towards when making a list of just '''13''' games. [[User:A74xhx|A74xhx]] ([[User talk:A74xhx|talk]]) 07:08, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
::Yes, it is easy, with a bit of imagination (and at time of publishing of the games, limiting alternative experiences in video games), to really dive in deeply. But it wouldn't make a good comic, to do these "modern" adaptions to the simple layout of the actual user interface of e.g. pacman. Nevertheless i am not sure if that actually belongs to the explanation, as it is only speculation about something that is NOT in the comic. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:27, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
:::Not to mention that the list might just be incomplete and continue on below the visible space. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.28|108.162.249.28]] 07:13, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
:::: Ok, removed the paragraph [[User:A74xhx|A74xhx]] ([[User talk:A74xhx|talk]]) 9:30, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
:::::I'm guessing whoever wrote that former paragraph never played '''Return To Zork'''. The very ''premise'' of that game is that hundreds of years have passed & the kingdom has fallen into a dystopic state of decay & darkness. Returning to a once-liberated land to find it changed or ravaged by time is a common theme far pre-dating high-detail videogame graphics, & is by no means limited to games with extravagantly detailed visuals. In fact I feel pity for anyone so lacking in imagination that they need advanced graphics just to feel immersed in the fictional settings presented... I guess they wouldn't enjoy books either?
:::::[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 18:21, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
:I disagree. Tunnels of Doom (TI 99/4A, 1982) literally had randomized worlds regenerated every time you went in- with a 3d maze several layers deep. Also Hunt the Wumpus and even nethack are older yet. Of course, Tunnels of Doom came pre-distressed, it was a dungeon crawl after all.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 11:38, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
::The first version of NetHack was released in 1987, so it's definitely not older than Tunnels of Doom.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.166|162.158.238.166]] 15:27, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
:Consider what is seen in the plot of {{w|Only You Can Save Mankind}}, an acknowledged persistence within the game-universe (except for the 'players' who come back again and again) and even at one point we are shown effectively the relics of Space Invader battles of times past... An interesting book from a philosophical standpoint (though I'm not sure I'd force Randall to read it, if he isn't already aware of it, except as an intro to the minor series that leads up to Johnny And The Bomb which he might find interesting for other reasons) if it isn't just dismissable as a fever-dream building upon mysteriously synchronised (without even RTCs, in the typical standalone game computers of the day!) self-sabotaging code. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.143|162.158.91.143]] 03:44, 15 August 2019 (UTC)

"Mario kart" is a series, not a game. Its first title "Super Mario Kart" was released in 1992, which would be older than the "very old game" "Escape Velocity (1996)". Maybe Randall referred to "Mario kart 64", which was released in North America 1997 in, rendering it newer than "Escape Velocity". Stefan 08:51, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
:Agree, that makes sense with both the title and the chronology. I will correct my own explanation.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:55, 14 August 2019 (UTC)

Somebody should make a Videogames subcategory for Kerbal Space Program and assign it to comics 1106, 1244, 1350 and 1356. [[User:Condor70|Condor70]] ([[User talk:Condor70|talk]]) 10:09, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
:And if so this one. But is 4-5 comics enough for a new category...? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:39, 14 August 2019 (UTC)

Hey folks, a Swede here: given that the final frame is depicting a Panera and the whole comic is about contrasting how things used to be with how they are nowadays, I must ask: Are cinnamon rolls in vogue right now? Cinnamon rolls have been the standard pastry here since before I was born, but between this strip and a recent SMBC-comic(http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/cinnamon-buns) I wonder if cinnamon rolls is something of a trend in the US right now? Like how shawarma no doubt became trendy once The Avengers had a scene where the titular characters ate the dish, and fidget spinners were all the rage a few years ago.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.210|162.158.134.210]] 15:35, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
:I don't think it's a trend here, I think it's just the go-to bread when someone wants to refer to something extra sweet and extravagant. I think when they first published the calorie count of a Cinnabon, it was off the charts. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 19:21, 14 August 2019 (UTC)
::When I make cinnamon rolls, 8 rolls call for 2 sticks (1 cup or 227g) of butter. I tried asking Wolfram about the average cinnamon roll, but it says 3 calories which seems wrong. [[User:Probably not Douglas Hofstadter|Probably not Douglas Hofstadter]] ([[User talk:Probably not Douglas Hofstadter|talk]]) 03:42, 15 August 2019 (UTC)

This belongs here: http://www.shikadi.net/keenwiki/Episode_58_-_The_Ruin_of_Roib [[User:Keenmaster486|Keenmaster486]] ([[User talk:Keenmaster486|talk]]) 17:35, 14 August 2019 (UTC)

Considering SimCity obviously don't progress in real time, the fact it's paused if you leave it, even for years, is not that surprising ... Civilization (not on list) would make it even more apparent (also, it's turn-based, so ...) -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:11, 14 August 2019 (UTC)

For anyone now pining for the joys of Escape Velocity again, you can try the very good and still being expanded (and free!) Endless Sky on Steam. Strongly recommend enabling beta mode if you do.[[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 13:39, 15 August 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2174: First News Memory

2019-07-12T15:29:39Z

OhFFS:

AAAAA, black hat is an alien confirmed in XKCD cinematic universe canon!!!1! [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 23:33, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

Should it be linked to [[:category:Comics to make one feel old|Comics to make one feel old]]? it is kind of a similar theme. especially [[1686: Feel Old]]. Also (not of the feel old series): [[1093: Forget]]. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 05:56, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

== First News Memory ==

The challenger disaster was my first news memory too. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.124|108.162.241.124]] 19:37, 10 July 2019 (UTC)
: The Challenger disaster was for me, too -- except I distinctly remember it being during my 8th grade year (two years after it had occurred). Earlier still would be Mt. St. Helens' blowing it's top (well, side) -- except it wasn't a news event, it was a life event (we lived in Idaho at the time, and had a lot of the first ash that came down...) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.52|162.158.75.52]] 05:58, 11 July 2019 (UTC)
:: Wait... is the Challenger disaster my first news memory if I watched it happen live? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.124|108.162.241.124]] 12:26, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

Bernie Sanders not being admitted into debates was mine...
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 19:54, 10 July 2019 (UTC)
:The debate was with Moses -- Bernie is ''old''. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:59, 10 July 2019 (UTC)
::And yet distinctly more lucid than Biden & more active than Trump. Bernie's age doesn't concern me much. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 20:50, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

I'm sure I must have watched the moon landing, but I don't actually remember it (I was 8 at the time). I remember Nixon being elected, but I'm not sure if it was 1968 or 1972.[[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]])

I was five and was allowed to stay up very late - i think I remember being allowed to stay up more than the moon landing. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.67|162.158.154.67]] 22:10, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

I vaguely remember the last moon landing (family didn’t have TV for the first three) but I very clearly remember the first picture of Mars sent back by the Viking lander. They actually interrupted the regular programming to show it live.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.234.132|172.69.234.132]] 04:23, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

If it's supposed it's first news memory you remember clearly, mine would be the {{w|September 11 attacks}} ... however, i'm sure it was nowhere near first news I was watching. It's just that the ones before were either hard to date (like some road accidents) or not visual enough (talking heads), so I don't remember if I watched that one in TV or read it in newspaper. Also, I suspect it was first news I saw outside of regular news show: they interrupted what was supposed to be in TV at that time, so I though it's some catastrophic movie first. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:53, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

For me it was the German election results 1998, where Schröder became the new Kanzler. 3 Years later, 9/11 is much clearer on my mind however --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 11:11, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

It's very hazy, I don't have many memories from when I was young but I recall McCain being defeated. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.234.136|172.69.234.136]] 12:28, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

What comes to my mind was the Great Alaska Earthquake which I read about in the "Weekly Reader" distributed in elementary school. My memory is that I was about 8 years old, but in fact the Alaska earthquake was in March 1964 and I was 10 years old. Which makes the Kennedy assassination in November 1963 my first strong news memory. So this demonstrates the malleability of (at least my) memory. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 13:22, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

My first news memory was watching the Apollo–Soyuz link-up from the Apollo side. NASA televised the opening of the hatch on the Apollo and shaking hands with the Soviet cosmonaut and I remember my mom explaining that that was happening up in space way above us. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 13:59, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

Mine was the 1976 election of Carter over Ford. Mom was Democrat and her stepfather was Republican. His derision of Carter was...exuberant. [[User:Observer of the Absurd|Observer of the Absurd]] ([[User talk:Observer of the Absurd|talk]]) 16:20, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

You all make me feel very young... My first news memory was 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, but it's very vague... [[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.166|172.68.51.166]] 09:28, 12 July 2019 (UTC)

For me, it was some news story about Tony Blair. No idea what the story was, and I know I've seen the news before that, but that's the first I can remember.
It would have been the Fairford MIG 21 crash (mid air collision) in 1993. But I was camping there and had no access to a TV. I did however get to see fresh wreckage, both on the runway, and in the (otherwise empty) field next to the one I was staying in... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.115|162.158.154.115]] 10:05, 12 July 2019 (UTC)

I'm so old that I already forgot everything, but I still remember the daily news on the 'Nam. Being about 14 and a German, I shouldn't have cared less, but I definitely rooted for the Commies. :P [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.201|141.101.104.201]] 13:51, 12 July 2019 (UTC)

== Explain the comic ==

(Flashblub memories \ Mandela effect)
I think we need an explanation of Flashbulb memories, for sure. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 20:50, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

== Details hazy ==

"Challenger crashed into and destroyed the Berlin Wall" ... 'That's right, isn't it?' - ''Dexter Walker'' (played by Daryl Mitchell) on ''The John Laroquette Show''
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 20:50, 10 July 2019 (UTC)

== Links to character pages ==

This comic especially felt like it needed links to character pages, so I added them. If we have a policy not to do that, please feel free to unlink. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 02:10, 11 July 2019 (UTC)

== Deny/refute ==
In comment on title text, I changed refutes to denies. Refute means to actually prove something is untrue, not the same as just denying it is true. One deals with proven fact, the other is unsupported opinion.
:This is a definition, but it can also mean: "deny or contradict (a statement or accusation)", from the Latin refutare, to repel or rebut. [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 15:29, 12 July 2019 (UTC)

== Amnesia (frame three) ==

Has White Hat ever evidenced amnesia before? It just feels like such an unlikely explanation for his comment. Amnesia is a rare and notable thing, and there's something disproportionate about using it as a throwaway line in an otherwise unrelated strip. [[User:Jkshapiro|Jkshapiro]] ([[User talk:Jkshapiro|talk]]) 02:45, 12 July 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2163: Chernobyl

2019-06-14T18:06:04Z

OhFFS:

Please note that the first panel is referring to an HBO mini-series about the Chernobyl disaster, not the disaster itself! White Hat is NOT expressing enjoyment of the disaster itself, which was my initial reaction! [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 16:55, 14 June 2019 (UTC)
:If I were Randall, I would have put "HBO's ''Chernobyl''" to dispel that confusion. Also, I'd be much cooler. [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 18:06, 14 June 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2156: Ufo

2019-05-29T15:19:43Z

OhFFS:

Am I the only one now hearing the iconic opening music of the series in my head? :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:41, 29 May 2019 (UTC)
:I wasn't until you mentioned it :-( [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.131|141.101.99.131]] 13:57, 29 May 2019 (UTC)

May be related to this news released yesterday:[https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1133031/Aliens-news-UFO-Pentagon-US-Navy-pilot-footage-video] [[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 14:41, 29 May 2019 (UTC)
:Yep, slow news day.[[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 15:19, 29 May 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2153: Effects of High Altitude

2019-05-22T21:21:51Z

OhFFS:

I don’t even know where to begin. [[User:Netherin5|“That Guy from the Netherlands”]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 18:00, 22 May 2019 (UTC)

Can anyone verify if the baseballs and golf balls actually fly further? I'd assume it's due to lower air density and therefore resistance, not weaker gravity as someone else had written. [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 18:13, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:Both parts (air resistance and gravity) play a role here. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.106|172.68.51.106]] 18:17, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
::At 1 mile altitude the acceleration due to gravity is only about 0.05% less than at sea level, so I don't think it's important relative to the lower air resistance. [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 18:53, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:::The difference in gravity due to being 1 mile farther away from the center of the earth is negligible and due to having more mass(aka mountains) under them Denver actually has a slightly higher Local Gravitational Acceleration at 9.81112m/s^2 than say Los Angeles at 9.80636m/s^2. [https://www.wolframalpha.com/widgets/gallery/view.jsp?id=e856809e0d522d3153e2e7e8ec263bf2 wolfram alpha source] Decreased air resistance is the reason for flying further. [[User:Stickfigurefan|Stickfigurefan]] ([[User talk:Stickfigurefan|talk]]) 19:21, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:This is a fairly commonly recognized phenomenon. Many golf publications reference this. e.g. [https://www.titleist.com/teamtitleist/b/tourblog/posts/the-effect-of-altitude-golf-ball-aerodynamics Titleist post][[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 21:20, 22 May 2019 (UTC)

I'd say the last frame is a reference to 5 o'clock time for drinks. On urban dictionary there's a reference to 4:20 being the time to 'smoke the reefer' [[User:Palmpje|Palmpje]] ([[User talk:Palmpje|talk]]) 18:17, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:It's definitely about weed, not liquor. See [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(cannabis_culture) Wikipedia article on 420]. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:36, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:The frame says it's about marijuana. How is this one in question? [[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 21:21, 22 May 2019 (UTC)

Although the comic relates to nuclear war neither the original German text nor the English reworked text (it's definitely not a direct translation) refer to nuclear war. Both refer to unidentified objects however so I've adapted the explanation to that end. [[User:Palmpje|Palmpje]] ([[User talk:Palmpje|talk]]) 19:18, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:There appears to be some debate around the UFOs. In my opinion the original German text should prevail (I'm Dutch, not German). The original lyrics state "hielt man für UFO's aus dem All"
which means "thought they were UFOs from space". The English lyrics are not that definite. Anyway - a large 99 (or is it 94 at altitude?) year war broke out just because of some hyper-tense generals. [[User:Palmpje|Palmpje]] ([[User talk:Palmpje|talk]]) 19:45, 22 May 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2153: Effects of High Altitude

2019-05-22T21:20:16Z

OhFFS:

I don’t even know where to begin. [[User:Netherin5|“That Guy from the Netherlands”]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 18:00, 22 May 2019 (UTC)

Can anyone verify if the baseballs and golf balls actually fly further? I'd assume it's due to lower air density and therefore resistance, not weaker gravity as someone else had written. [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 18:13, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:Both parts (air resistance and gravity) play a role here. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.106|172.68.51.106]] 18:17, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
::At 1 mile altitude the acceleration due to gravity is only about 0.05% less than at sea level, so I don't think it's important relative to the lower air resistance. [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 18:53, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:::The difference in gravity due to being 1 mile farther away from the center of the earth is negligible and due to having more mass(aka mountains) under them Denver actually has a slightly higher Local Gravitational Acceleration at 9.81112m/s^2 than say Los Angeles at 9.80636m/s^2. [https://www.wolframalpha.com/widgets/gallery/view.jsp?id=e856809e0d522d3153e2e7e8ec263bf2 wolfram alpha source] Decreased air resistance is the reason for flying further. [[User:Stickfigurefan|Stickfigurefan]] ([[User talk:Stickfigurefan|talk]]) 19:21, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:This is a fairly commonly recognized phenomenon. Many golf publications reference this. e.g. [https://www.titleist.com/teamtitleist/b/tourblog/posts/the-effect-of-altitude-golf-ball-aerodynamics Titleist post][[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 21:20, 22 May 2019 (UTC)

I'd say the last frame is a reference to 5 o'clock time for drinks. On urban dictionary there's a reference to 4:20 being the time to 'smoke the reefer' [[User:Palmpje|Palmpje]] ([[User talk:Palmpje|talk]]) 18:17, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:It's definitely about weed, not liquor. See [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(cannabis_culture) Wikipedia article on 420]. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:36, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
Although the comic relates to nuclear war neither the original German text nor the English reworked text (it's definitely not a direct translation) refer to nuclear war. Both refer to unidentified objects however so I've adapted the explanation to that end. [[User:Palmpje|Palmpje]] ([[User talk:Palmpje|talk]]) 19:18, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:There appears to be some debate around the UFOs. In my opinion the original German text should prevail (I'm Dutch, not German). The original lyrics state "hielt man für UFO's aus dem All"
which means "thought they were UFOs from space". The English lyrics are not that definite. Anyway - a large 99 (or is it 94 at altitude?) year war broke out just because of some hyper-tense generals. [[User:Palmpje|Palmpje]] ([[User talk:Palmpje|talk]]) 19:45, 22 May 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2153: Effects of High Altitude

2019-05-22T19:47:10Z

OhFFS:

I don’t even know where to begin. [[User:Netherin5|“That Guy from the Netherlands”]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 18:00, 22 May 2019 (UTC)

Can anyone verify if the baseballs and golf balls actually fly further? I'd assume it's due to lower air density and therefore resistance, not weaker gravity as someone else had written. [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 18:13, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:Both parts (air resistance and gravity) play a role here. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.106|172.68.51.106]] 18:17, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
::At 1 mile altitude the acceleration due to gravity is only about 0.05% less than at sea level, so I don't think it's important relative to the lower air resistance. [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 18:53, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:::The difference in gravity due to being 1 mile farther away from the center of the earth is negligible and due to having more mass(aka mountains) under them Denver actually has a slightly higher Local Gravitational Acceleration at 9.81112m/s^2 than say Los Angeles at 9.80636m/s^2. [https://www.wolframalpha.com/widgets/gallery/view.jsp?id=e856809e0d522d3153e2e7e8ec263bf2 wolfram alpha source] Decreased air resistance is the reason for flying further. [[User:Stickfigurefan|Stickfigurefan]] ([[User talk:Stickfigurefan|talk]]) 19:21, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:This is a fairly commonly recognized phenomenon. Many golf publications reference this. e.g. [https://www.titleist.com/teamtitleist/b/tourblog/posts/the-effect-of-altitude-golf-ball-aerodynamics Titleist post]

I'd say the last frame is a reference to 5 o'clock time for drinks. On urban dictionary there's a reference to 4:20 being the time to 'smoke the reefer' [[User:Palmpje|Palmpje]] ([[User talk:Palmpje|talk]]) 18:17, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:It's definitely about weed, not liquor. See [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/420_(cannabis_culture) Wikipedia article on 420]. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:36, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
Although the comic relates to nuclear war neither the original German text nor the English reworked text (it's definitely not a direct translation) refer to nuclear war. Both refer to unidentified objects however so I've adapted the explanation to that end. [[User:Palmpje|Palmpje]] ([[User talk:Palmpje|talk]]) 19:18, 22 May 2019 (UTC)
:There appears to be some debate around the UFOs. In my opinion the original German text should prevail (I'm Dutch, not German). The original lyrics state "hielt man für UFO's aus dem All"
which means "thought they were UFOs from space". The English lyrics are not that definite. Anyway - a large 99 (or is it 94 at altitude?) year war broke out just because of some hyper-tense generals. [[User:Palmpje|Palmpje]] ([[User talk:Palmpje|talk]]) 19:45, 22 May 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2138: Wanna See the Code?

2019-04-18T21:08:54Z

OhFFS: Title text interpretations.

I'm puzzled by the "they" in this: " And because you're lucky that the people around you understand that they create more problems than they solve." I take the "they"s to be the people around him, but it almost makes some sense if it was " And because you're lucky that the people around you understand that it[code,dead body] create[s] more problems than they solve." but that's not right either. [[User:Afbach|Afbach]] ([[User talk:Afbach|talk]])

I'm puzzled by the "And because". What's that doing there? What is the 'and' connecting? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.169|162.158.111.169]] 18:37, 17 April 2019 (UTC)

Pony tail is saying "[Cueball] is lucky that the people around [cueball] understand that [dead bodies] create more problems than they solve" insinuating that otherwise cueballs fate for writing such bad code would be dire. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.25|162.158.107.25]] 18:52, 17 April 2019 (UTC)

I'm glad I'm not the only one struggling with the dialogue in this comic. I'm certain Randall's made a mistake. [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 20:17, 17 April 2019 (UTC)

Another take on Ponytails final comment - Queball: "My code is sort of similar to a dead body, [...]" Pontytail: "and [it is also similar to a dead body] because" everyone knows Queball writing code causes more problems than the code solves, just like creating dead bodies cause more problems than what it solves. With the title text referring to what happens with either Queballs code or dead bodies if left ignored. He is lucky, in that people realize they can't ignore his code, and have to deal with it for him before things go sideways. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.102|162.158.106.102]] 20:29, 17 April 2019 (UTC)

I'm also unsure that it is so clear what Ponytail means as now explained in the explanation. It could be both this above and the current with Cueball being the dead body that would cause new sort of problems. Agree that Randall has made a poor word composition here. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:23, 18 April 2019 (UTC)

;Title text
I tried to come up with an explanation for the title text, but honestly, that has me a bit stumped too. I'm really not sure what Randall was going for in this comic. My understanding of "downstream" is from source control software like {{w|Git}}; a developer who pulls code from a repository is said to be "downstream" of it - ie. they're receiving code. When they push their changes back, they push it "upstream".

Well, "downstream" and "upstream" in git terminology rather refers to the concept of forking. A forked repository generated by github has per default the remote named "upstream" set to the original repository. This term extends beyond simple git inheritance of repositories. But already with git repositories, it is obvious: put Cueballs hack into a submodule of an aspiring and fast-moving project. Someone burning the midnight oil gets tired and wants to get home, and the third corner case of Cueballs brainchild does not let him. Instead of biting the bullet, they just make more hacks, access some internal attribute or whatnot. The next guy comes along, and just copy-pastes that dirty code.
That said, software proliferates across distributions, across operating systems, across programming languages (if there is for example an interface involved that is (kinda) language agnostic. Take REST apis for example). The reason is, a software construct always defines (an) interface(s) to which hopefully docs with preconditions, postconditions, and a reasonable correspondence to common sense are established. Well, for ad hoc software like Cueballs script, that would of course not be the case, and this goes in weaker form for e.g. many packages in official debian repositories, and their specializations (Realtime gentoo, Media Ubuntu or whathaveya). They re-package software, and where it comes from, that's upstream. Developers in that environment get accustomed to a good interface that works 90% of the times, and make software that caters to specific quirks, workarounds, etc. these workarounds will inform other interfaces in related packages, implementations. This is of course just technical debt all over again, but distributed, not in one company or something.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.14|162.158.88.14]] 22:37, 17 April 2019 (UTC)

I think what this means in context is that Cueball pushes his bad code to a repository, and other developers pull it downstream, thus "contaminating" their local environments. But honestly, this interpretation doesn't really feel satisfying to me, so I'm not sure. [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 21:25, 17 April 2019 (UTC)

The 2nd interpretation of "downstream" is downstream of a river - a dead body will contaminate the river even if it is not "touched". I think downstream for software development could just mean work for people in the future. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.160|108.162.215.160]] 21:41, 17 April 2019 (UTC)
:I interpreted this as an output issue. If he wrote code to automate, for example, data entry, the results could be flawed "contaminating" the output stream. This would fit with the literal dead body in a river parallel in that the otherwise good water which passes the body is fouled.[[User:OhFFS|OhFFS]] ([[User talk:OhFFS|talk]]) 21:08, 18 April 2019 (UTC)