explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2268: Further Research is Needed

2020-02-17T18:04:49Z

OliReading: finite number of primes

First! <small>—[[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.145|172.69.63.145]] 14:56, February 14, 2020</small>
:Please sign your comments. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 23:59, 14 February 2020 (UTC)

I got two things to say:
* What the heck is the "Woodward Hoffman textbook on organic chemistry"? I can't find it anywhere online.
*I think it's a reference to [https://archive.org/stream/WoodwardAndHoffmannTheConservationOfOrbitalSymmetryAcademicPressVerlagChemie1970/Woodward%20and%20Hoffmann%20The%20Conservation%20of%20Orbital%20Symmetry%20%28Academic%20Press%2C%20Verlag%20Chemie%2C%201970%29_djvu.txt]Conservation of Orbital Symmetry (1971)], whose chapter "Violations" starts with "There are none!" Unfortunately, the "Conclusions" chapter doesn't fully fit the criteria. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.196|162.158.63.196]] 17:23, 15 February 2020 (UTC)
* ''[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-579 In the event of an unsuccessful Action 10-Israfil-B, no further <s>action</s> research will be necessary.]''
[[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 23:59, 14 February 2020 (UTC)

Paper title: "Constructive proof of P=NP". Conclusion: "No further research is needed" ... because anyone who read this paper can get so rich they won't need to do any research for rest of life, spent on nice tropical island. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:58, 15 February 2020 (UTC)
: ... other paper with similar property: "Experimental disapproval of second thermodynamic law" -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 01:01, 15 February 2020 (UTC)

Can someone make a category called "Research" or "Research Papers"? Other comics with this topic include: [[2012: Thorough Analysis]], [[2025: Peer Review]], [[2215: Faculty:Student Ratio]], [[1594: Human Subjects]] and [[1574: Trouble for Science]]. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.83|172.69.33.83]] 00:59, 15 February 2020 (UTC)
:Done. Is easy. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 01:08, 15 February 2020 (UTC)
::I thought a similar one already existed, since there have been quite a few comics talking about scientific study papers. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 01:03, 16 February 2020 (UTC)

Here is a list of a bunch of papers that could have done this (but for some it might not have been known at the time): https://mathoverflow.net/questions/347540/what-are-examples-of-collections-of-papers-which-close-a-field [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 02:16, 15 February 2020 (UTC)

Regarding topics that might reach a conclusion: The first subset that comes to mind is religious matters (e.g. "God works in mysterious ways -- let's not think about this too much.") The second subset that comes to mind is game theory regarding games that have been solved. (e.g. there's not much left to be said about tic-tac-toe.)

: Further research is needed to see why humans continue to play tic-tac-toe when it's so widely known how to avoid losing. And into how anyone ever wins. And why on earth Google has an online version, with 3 different difficulty levels. Seriously though, there is actual research into how to have the best chance of beating a player who isn't very good (meaning someone who is bad enough to lose occasionally), which involves not only game theory, but also psychology about what mistakes an opponent is most likely to make. Finally, there are newer, more complex, variants, such as playing on a 4x4 grid or in 3D, and new ones can always be developed so that the field is never closed.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.162|172.68.47.162]] 00:08, 16 February 2020 (UTC)

Leaving this explanation "incomplete" would be perfectly meta. Please don't ever remove that incomplete tag [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.142|162.158.134.142]] 16:46, 16 February 2020 (UTC)

How about a subject where rather than further research not being needed to answer questions, further research is undesirable, as further investigating some matter could potentially trigger catastrophic results, such as allowing the invention of technology that would do great harm if available, ranging from being usable in crimes that can't be traced or stopped, or somehow destroying the world, or that further looking into some matter is likely to somehow drive the researcher insane?--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.21|162.158.74.21]] 06:42, 17 February 2020 (UTC)

If further research really isn't needed on the topic (although obviously papers get things wrong and results need to be reproduced as a check, so let's say this is that), then the next funding can go to someone else's research, and ''that'' is Good For Science. Robert Carnegie rja.carnegie@gmail.com [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.92|162.158.155.92]] 12:15, 17 February 2020 (UTC)

I'm imagining a book titled "There are a finite number of primes", chapter 3 "Proof" reads "This page intentionally left blank" :-) --[[User:OliReading|OliReading]] ([[User talk:OliReading|talk]]) 18:04, 17 February 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2245: Edible Arrangements

2020-01-11T10:56:22Z

OliReading: Oral flora

This reads like a tumblr shitpost rather than a xkcd comic ''shudders''
How often do typos show up in XKCD comics ("Edible Arrangements is a thing" versus "Edible Arrangements are a thing")? [[User:Capncanuck|Capncanuck]] ([[User talk:Capncanuck|talk]]) 20:36, 23 December 2019 (UTC)
:It's not a typo. Randall is referring to the concept of Edible Arrangements, not a collection of edible arrangements. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.220|162.158.63.220]] 20:56, 23 December 2019 (UTC)
::I see what you mean. Should there have been quotes around the terms in the first panel then? [[User:Capncanuck|Capncanuck]] ([[User talk:Capncanuck|talk]]) 20:58, 23 December 2019 (UTC)
:::Nevermind, it's a company name. no quotes needed. [[User:Capncanuck|Capncanuck]] ([[User talk:Capncanuck|talk]]) 21:04, 23 December 2019 (UTC)
"Any arrangement is an edible arrangement if you're hungry enough." - and you have enough mustard. Happy Winter Solstice Everyone![[Special:Contributions/172.68.226.46|172.68.226.46]] 07:48, 24 December 2019 (UTC)

Any reason to assume a connection to vorarephilia rather than the common suffix "-vore" for "eating" or "swallowing", as in carnivore, herbivore, insectivore, etc. (and obviously the non-philia part of vorarephilia)? "Vore" may get used as slang/abbreviation for vorarephilia, but in this context I'd have thought the suffix was more the intent. I, at least, was unaware of the slang; possibly Randall was too, but I'd claim the philia is a bit obscure compared with the "vore" etymology. I wouldn't want to "correct" this without someone having the chance to make the argument the other way, though. [[User:Fluppeteer|Fluppeteer]] ([[User talk:Fluppeteer|talk]]) 11:55, 24 December 2019 (UTC)
:Yes, I'm amused by (though am not necessarily disputing) the assertion that vore is "often" used as slang for vorarephilia. I've not encountered situations where a shortened version is needed to keep conversation flowing smoothly. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.228|108.162.216.228]] 12:37, 24 December 2019 (UTC)Pat
:The term "vore" is used in various search engines, since "vorarephilia" is difficult to spell. The Second Life platform has several areas where avatars can participate in "vore" simulations. (It's a bit disconcerting to stumble across these things...) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.30|108.162.241.30]] 13:37, 24 December 2019 (UTC)
:It does seem to be the primary use of "vore" as a stand-alone word, I'd just assumed that Randall thought he was coining the use as part of his pun. Search engines (with some trepidation) do seem to offer the "-vore" suffix as well. Not to try to appropriate the word from the vore community... Oh well, I learnt something, but I still think anthropomorphizing a flower arrangement in order to make the interpretation make sense is a reach.[[User:Fluppeteer|Fluppeteer]] ([[User talk:Fluppeteer|talk]]) 17:40, 24 December 2019 (UTC)
:Vorarephilia (vore) is a reasonably established/famous Weird Internet Thing. I'd be astonished if Randall wasn't aware of that usage of the term. --[[User:Anomylous|Anomylous]] ([[User talk:Anomylous|talk]]) 01:00, 25 December 2019 (UTC)
:I wasn't (vorarephilia, yes; term, no), but then there are a lot of memes I don't know about - like I said, I learned something, which happens with the best of Randall's comics and this site. No objection to the version at time of writing (mentioning both), anyway.[[User:Fluppeteer|Fluppeteer]] ([[User talk:Fluppeteer|talk]]) 11:09, 27 December 2019 (UTC)

The opening scenes of Roger Corman's original "Little Shop of Horrors" has a customer order a floral arrangement, and leaves the shop eating the blossoms. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.30|108.162.241.30]] 13:37, 24 December 2019 (UTC)

Aren't flowers meant for decoration sprayed with insecticides/fungicides etc. not fit for consumption? So the flower itself might be edible, the various 'icide's aren't. (Though of course literally anything can be eaten at least once in a lifetime) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.151|162.158.111.151]] 19:32, 24 December 2019 (UTC)
:Wouldn't that be similar to how you are expected to wash fruit and vegetables before eating to remove pesticides? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:58, 27 December 2019 (UTC)

Any idea if "Juicy Bouquet" rhymes better in Randallesian dialect than it does in mine? (Where "Oral Floral" definitely does well on that score.) It seems too close to be not intended to have that effect, yet too far away in my accent to come 'naturally'. (I find it far more convenient to mispronounce "Juic(+a+)y" to match "Bouquet" than to match "Bouque(>y<)" to any halfway normal "Juicy". And there seems no obvious middle-ground to send both to.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.9|162.158.158.9]] 01:25, 25 December 2019 (UTC)

Is it clear from the date that this is about Christmas presents, so that this should be included in the Christmas category? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:06, 25 December 2019 (UTC)

"Juicy bouquet" could be a play on the "Juicy Couture" brand name as opposed to any sort of rhyming attempt. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.120|108.162.216.120]] 14:59, 26 December 2019 (UTC)

Randall has referenced vore before, six years ago in comic 471: Aversion Fads, that reference to the Lion and the Mouse was not about bondage and that explanation could use an update.--[[User:Sillvy|Sillvy]] ([[User talk:Sillvy|talk]]) 9:45, 27 December 2019 (UTC)
:Within the furry fandom vore has it's own meaning that's neither a suffix nor a philia, sort of a convince the guardian spirit to take the being between you and the world thing literally thing.
:During the aversion fad time protecting the fandom's reputation and not mentioning the weird stuff was a big deal. Now that that is over, mentioning the weird stuff, particularly vore, is a furry in-joke.

Is it just me that thinks "Oral flora" and "Mouth bouquet" both sound like euphemisms for oral thrush or similar? --[[User:OliReading|OliReading]] ([[User talk:OliReading|talk]]) 10:56, 11 January 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2226: Recombination And Reionization

2019-11-12T19:10:52Z

OliReading:

I'm pretty sure the joke in the title text is the juxtaposition of the name of the musician Post Malone with the term pre-star-formation, I can't find any info suggesting he's in any way associated with Selena Gomez. Does anyone see anything more to it than a pre- and post- thing? [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 05:11, 9 November 2019 (UTC)
: I feel absolutely certain that the title text is ONLY because "Post" is a ridiculous first name, it isn't a name, so Randall is having fun with it. LOL! I could believe this entire comic was constructed around Randall's desire to make fun of the name. It also serves as another artist to add to the crossover jokes, and is actually the ultimate crossover joke as being a connection between the two concepts of radio station and wave monitoring. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:31, 10 November 2019 (UTC)
: I disagree with this interpretation of the title text. I think a more appropriate understanding to the link of star formation with Malone is from basketball. There is such a thing as a star formation or star passing drill that positions the players like points on a star and passes the ball from point to point [https://www.sportplan.net/drills/Basketball/Passing/Star-Passing-b502b42.jsp?onMobile]. Karl Malone played 19 seasons (18 with the Utah Jazz, 1 with the LA Lakers) with the NBA from 1985 to 2004 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Malone]. His impact on basketball was substantial and one could easily talk of pre-Malone and post-Malone basketball (my opinion). [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 15:55, 12 November 2019 (UTC)

Because it's a convenient number with our unit system, wouldn't millions of devices emit 100MHz noise? I feel that should be added, but I don't know how.

The comic might also be tangentially referencing the 5G network roll out, which like this radio station will also preclude (specifically weather) science from happening. In the case of the 5G networks, the FCC auctioned off the 24ghz band to telecom companies, where water vapor in our atmosphere actually emits a faint signal around 23.8ghz. Any bleed from the 24ghz band into the 23.8 band can and will (according to NOAA) interrupt weather prediction. [https://www.wired.com/story/5g-networks-could-throw-weather-forecasting-into-chaos/]

I suspect that "Hot" and "The Vibe" from the radio station are both references to the science behind this, too. [[User:Bobson|Bobson]] ([[User talk:Bobson|talk]]) 23:17, 9 November 2019 (UTC)
: Possibly, but 92.7 The Vibe appears to be an actual radio station in Miami. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.113|172.68.58.113]] 21:37, 11 November 2019 (UTC)

I'm sure I'm not the only non-science reader to have read that first sentence with the word derived from "union" rather than "un-ionized". I laughed with its juxtaposition to the word "neutral"... Can we break with convention and hyphenate the word please? [[User:John.Adriaan|John.Adriaan]] ([[User talk:John.Adriaan|talk]]) 23:44, 10 November 2019 (UTC)
:Actually, inserting a hyphen after a prefix IS the convention when the meaning of a word might be ambiguous, per online writing style guides. I inserted the hyphen to make the word un-ionized, as chemists are likely in the minority on this site. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 16:27, 11 November 2019 (UTC)
:: There's definitely a pun here about scientists being attracted to (or repelled from?) coming together - unionized and un-ionized :) --[[User:OliReading|OliReading]] ([[User talk:OliReading|talk]]) 19:07, 12 November 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2226: Recombination And Reionization

2019-11-12T19:10:10Z

OliReading:

I'm pretty sure the joke in the title text is the juxtaposition of the name of the musician Post Malone with the term pre-star-formation, I can't find any info suggesting he's in any way associated with Selena Gomez. Does anyone see anything more to it than a pre- and post- thing? [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 05:11, 9 November 2019 (UTC)
: I feel absolutely certain that the title text is ONLY because "Post" is a ridiculous first name, it isn't a name, so Randall is having fun with it. LOL! I could believe this entire comic was constructed around Randall's desire to make fun of the name. It also serves as another artist to add to the crossover jokes, and is actually the ultimate crossover joke as being a connection between the two concepts of radio station and wave monitoring. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:31, 10 November 2019 (UTC)
: I disagree with this interpretation of the title text. I think a more appropriate understanding to the link of star formation with Malone is from basketball. There is such a thing as a star formation or star passing drill that positions the players like points on a star and passes the ball from point to point [https://www.sportplan.net/drills/Basketball/Passing/Star-Passing-b502b42.jsp?onMobile]. Karl Malone played 19 seasons (18 with the Utah Jazz, 1 with the LA Lakers) with the NBA from 1985 to 2004 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Malone]. His impact on basketball was substantial and one could easily talk of pre-Malone and post-Malone basketball (my opinion). [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 15:55, 12 November 2019 (UTC)

Because it's a convenient number with our unit system, wouldn't millions of devices emit 100MHz noise? I feel that should be added, but I don't know how.

The comic might also be tangentially referencing the 5G network roll out, which like this radio station will also preclude (specifically weather) science from happening. In the case of the 5G networks, the FCC auctioned off the 24ghz band to telecom companies, where water vapor in our atmosphere actually emits a faint signal around 23.8ghz. Any bleed from the 24ghz band into the 23.8 band can and will (according to NOAA) interrupt weather prediction. [https://www.wired.com/story/5g-networks-could-throw-weather-forecasting-into-chaos/]

I suspect that "Hot" and "The Vibe" from the radio station are both references to the science behind this, too. [[User:Bobson|Bobson]] ([[User talk:Bobson|talk]]) 23:17, 9 November 2019 (UTC)
: Possibly, but 92.7 The Vibe appears to be an actual radio station in Miami. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.113|172.68.58.113]] 21:37, 11 November 2019 (UTC)

I'm sure I'm not the only non-science reader to have read that first sentence with the word derived from "union" rather than "un-ionized". I laughed with its juxtaposition to the word "neutral"... Can we break with convention and hyphenate the word please? [[User:John.Adriaan|John.Adriaan]] ([[User talk:John.Adriaan|talk]]) 23:44, 10 November 2019 (UTC)
:Actually, inserting a hyphen after a prefix IS the convention when the meaning of a word might be ambiguous, per online writing style guides. I inserted the hyphen to make the word un-ionized, as chemists are likely in the minority on this site. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 16:27, 11 November 2019 (UTC)
:: There's definitely a pun here about scientists being attracted to coming together - unionized and un-ionized :) --[[User:OliReading|OliReading]] ([[User talk:OliReading|talk]]) 19:07, 12 November 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2226: Recombination And Reionization

2019-11-12T19:07:59Z

OliReading:

I'm pretty sure the joke in the title text is the juxtaposition of the name of the musician Post Malone with the term pre-star-formation, I can't find any info suggesting he's in any way associated with Selena Gomez. Does anyone see anything more to it than a pre- and post- thing? [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 05:11, 9 November 2019 (UTC)
: I feel absolutely certain that the title text is ONLY because "Post" is a ridiculous first name, it isn't a name, so Randall is having fun with it. LOL! I could believe this entire comic was constructed around Randall's desire to make fun of the name. It also serves as another artist to add to the crossover jokes, and is actually the ultimate crossover joke as being a connection between the two concepts of radio station and wave monitoring. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:31, 10 November 2019 (UTC)
: I disagree with this interpretation of the title text. I think a more appropriate understanding to the link of star formation with Malone is from basketball. There is such a thing as a star formation or star passing drill that positions the players like points on a star and passes the ball from point to point [https://www.sportplan.net/drills/Basketball/Passing/Star-Passing-b502b42.jsp?onMobile]. Karl Malone played 19 seasons (18 with the Utah Jazz, 1 with the LA Lakers) with the NBA from 1985 to 2004 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Malone]. His impact on basketball was substantial and one could easily talk of pre-Malone and post-Malone basketball (my opinion). [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 15:55, 12 November 2019 (UTC)

Because it's a convenient number with our unit system, wouldn't millions of devices emit 100MHz noise? I feel that should be added, but I don't know how.

The comic might also be tangentially referencing the 5G network roll out, which like this radio station will also preclude (specifically weather) science from happening. In the case of the 5G networks, the FCC auctioned off the 24ghz band to telecom companies, where water vapor in our atmosphere actually emits a faint signal around 23.8ghz. Any bleed from the 24ghz band into the 23.8 band can and will (according to NOAA) interrupt weather prediction. [https://www.wired.com/story/5g-networks-could-throw-weather-forecasting-into-chaos/]

I suspect that "Hot" and "The Vibe" from the radio station are both references to the science behind this, too. [[User:Bobson|Bobson]] ([[User talk:Bobson|talk]]) 23:17, 9 November 2019 (UTC)
: Possibly, but 92.7 The Vibe appears to be an actual radio station in Miami. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.113|172.68.58.113]] 21:37, 11 November 2019 (UTC)

I'm sure I'm not the only non-science reader to have read that first sentence with the word derived from "union" rather than "un-ionized". I laughed with its juxtaposition to the word "neutral"... Can we break with convention and hyphenate the word please? [[User:John.Adriaan|John.Adriaan]] ([[User talk:John.Adriaan|talk]]) 23:44, 10 November 2019 (UTC)
:Actually, inserting a hyphen after a prefix IS the convention when the meaning of a word might be ambiguous, per online writing style guides. I inserted the hyphen to make the word un-ionized, as chemists are likely in the minority on this site. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 16:27, 11 November 2019 (UTC)
:: There's definitely a pun here about scientists being attracted to coming together - unionized and unionized :) --[[User:OliReading|OliReading]] ([[User talk:OliReading|talk]]) 19:07, 12 November 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2208: Drone Fishing

2019-10-01T12:35:42Z

OliReading: Gone fishin'

So kite fishing is a thing for recreational deep sea fishing. I think some people are experimenting with using drones instead of kites. I think I've also read about using a drone to allow long "casts" when shore fishing. This seems to be Randall just mixing all that up in a fun (?) way.
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.105|172.69.63.105]] 16:04, 27 September 2019 (UTC)

What kind of bait do you use to attract a drone, anyway? Or would you use some kind of electronic lure? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:01, 27 September 2019 (UTC)
:Perhaps no bait is required and you either wait for the drone to fly into the streaming lines and foul itself; or fly the kite in such a manner as to 'snag' the drone similar to the way one snags salmon during the mating runs. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 17:43, 29 September 2019 (UTC)

Isn't this comic a reference to How To? There was a comic in that book about fishing while suspended from drones. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.73|172.69.63.73]] 21:47, 27 September 2019 (UTC)

Could this comic possibly be a reference to [[2148: Cubesat Launch]]?--[[User:XRENEGADEx|XRENEGADEx]] ([[User talk:XRENEGADEx|talk]]) 23:11, 27 September 2019 (UTC)
:And/or the space junk removal experiments? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.143.18|172.68.143.18]] 03:23, 28 September 2019 (UTC)
::Those experiments are awesome. And Randall actually predicted one (kinda) by making a line go from solid to dotted at the right time, see trivia of [[1402: Harpoons]] --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:21, 30 September 2019 (UTC)

Nobody notices drone fishing is an actual thing? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.55.22|172.69.55.22]] 01:44, 28 September 2019 (UTC)

It isn't clear to me that this would be illegal, at least the "fishing" part, although caught drones would have to be returned. Unless the airspace has been reserved, kites and drones have equal access to the airspace. Perhaps the extra dangling strings could be seen as a deliberate attempt to trap drones, but any justification ("testing kite tail designs", "testing ion content in the air" etc.) could be sufficient to make these OK. Likewise, the kite owner could complain about the drones being "armed" with unjustifiably sharp propellers and such "designed" to damage the kite. Umm, are drone fights a thing (yet)?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.154|108.162.241.154]] 12:16, 28 September 2019 (UTC)
:Mini-drone racing has been a thing for years, but IRL fights are considered gauche in the extreme. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.134|172.69.22.134]] 16:51, 28 September 2019 (UTC)
: [http://unleashthebot.com/best-battle-drones/ Battle Drones] are a real thing. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 04:13, 29 September 2019 (UTC)
:: What could possibly go wrong? Thank goodness income inequality is stabilizing globally. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.211|172.68.189.211]] 20:54, 29 September 2019 (UTC)

Alright ladies and gentlemen, I've come to [https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/12/16767000/police-netherlands-eagles-rogue-drones train eagles] and write content, and I'm [https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/comments/db5f2l/dutch_police_arrest_bird_for_participating_in/ all out of eagles.] [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.248|172.69.22.248]] 06:46, 30 September 2019 (UTC)

I believe 1523: Microdrones should be mentioned, as it also mentions stealing drones. [[User:Magic9mushroom|Magic9mushroom]] ([[User talk:Magic9mushroom|talk]]) 08:09, 30 September 2019 (UTC)

When I was much younger I remember seeing a documantary film where people use kites and hooks to "fish" for bats or megabats or fruit bats. However I don't remember where that scene has taken place. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.124|172.68.51.124]] 10:08, 30 September 2019 (UTC)
:Apperantly it is a interesting, but illegal (partly because fruit bats are endangered already), activity done in the philippines. [https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/publicaffairs/iwitness/246735/sandra-aguinaldo-explores-bat-fishing-on-i-witness/story/ See this source I found on Google.] --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 11:42, 30 September 2019 (UTC)

I feel like it would be much faster and easier to get a friend and string up some thin rope in-between the lines similar to barrage balloons. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.82|162.158.214.82]] 15:29, 30 September 2019 (UTC)

For fans of "Father Ted": are the characters on the right side small, or are they farther away? (I suppose either way makes for good fishing) rja.carnegie@excite.com [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.76|141.101.98.76]] 09:34, 1 October 2019 (UTC)
:They are kids. Science Girls and her friend. Not unusual for Randall to use kids in his comics, and then the small Cueball-like kid is of course not Cueball. This has been mentioned in the explanation and the transcript. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:03, 1 October 2019 (UTC)

Is it just me who, on reading the title "Drone fishing" started singing the Bing Crosby song "Gone Fishin'" - allusion to the popular phrase perhaps? --[[User:OliReading|OliReading]] ([[User talk:OliReading|talk]]) 12:35, 1 October 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2177: Gastroenterology

2019-07-30T12:28:35Z

OliReading: Meaning of Gastroenterology

I hope they are not eating italian, you never know what might happen if pasta and antipasta meet. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 16:23, 17 July 2019 (UTC)
: Yea I figure this is a matter / anti-matter joke. [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 16:55, 17 July 2019 (UTC)

: This antimatter explanation lacks the usual "punch" that I would expect from XKCD on a science joke. It's unsatisfying because the comic lacks any (other) reference to physics or space. My best guess is that it's a pun based on an alternate interpretation of the word "gastroenterology." Could some part of the word be re-used (or commonly used) in another, more explosive context? Could the explosion refer to methane production by the body? Or is it somehow a joke about a movie, or the general movie trope of making scientists into action heros? [[User:Jpaugh|Jpaugh]] ([[User talk:Jpaugh|talk]]) 14:41, 18 July 2019 (UTC)

:: It's playing on the general idea that mixing opposites often results in a violent reaction. Acid/Alkali or Matter/Antimatter. In a sense, probiotics and antibiotics are opposites - and in the (evidently very boring) world of gastroenterology - this is about as exciting at it gets. Obviously, the actual reaction between such things would be very slow and exceedingly un-exciting. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 13:58, 19 July 2019 (UTC)

Current transcript says "Cueball" is the second character in the first and fifth panels. I don't think that's usually how it's done for a character wearing a hat, so I was thinking he should instead be named something like "Beanie Guy" or similar. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 17:21, 17 July 2019 (UTC)
: I think the hat looks like a surgical scrub cap[https://www.allheart.com/men-scrub-caps-and-hats/c/597/]. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 22:45, 17 July 2019 (UTC)

Saying the final panel is a lie is just one possibility. The 5th panel below can potentially mean the "reality", as opposed to the 4 panels above that's a fantasy/joke. Almost all jobs have this "what people think I do" and "what I really do" gap.
Another possibility: I thought I saw in old cop/secret agent movies a common joke is when a character gets into a lot of action - and thus cause a lot of trouble - that person will need to write a lot of paperwork for the damage caused. Then the character will say "this job is boring. Lots of paperwork." Sorry I can't find an example right now but I seemed to remember seeing the joke multiple times.

It's hard to appreciate gastroenterology jokes if you've ever had a colonoscopy.[[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 17:44, 17 July 2019 (UTC)
:I disagree, & I'm holding back a bunch of bad puns about it. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 18:02, 17 July 2019 (UTC)

I see a thematic connection with the comic about appendicitis treatment, although this could be about an unrelated ailment. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.100|162.158.78.100]] 18:01, 17 July 2019 (UTC)

Current explanation says 'over-coughing'. What's that? a kid one table over, coughed.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.144.175|172.68.144.175]] 10:22, 18 July 2019 (UTC)
: Fixed! ([https://www.xkcd.com/699/| Did you know they just] ''hand out'' [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Main+Page| logins]?) [[User:Jpaugh|Jpaugh]] ([[User talk:Jpaugh|talk]]) 14:53, 18 July 2019 (UTC)

"Another possibility is that the sequence refers to a reaction between an acid and a base," WHAT? No. They're specifically labeled! Where did "acid and base" even come from? Why not "Yin and Yang" or "White meat and dark meat"?? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.136|162.158.214.136]] 10:46, 18 July 2019 (UTC)
:I think the editor meant that the sequence is comically pretending that the mixing of probiotics and antibiotics gives a similar explosive effect to an acid/base reaction (or a matter/antimatter reaction) - they're not saying that that's literally what's happening. They're explaining the possible inspiration behind the cartoon logic. [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]])
:And now the explanation covers that nicely. Well done. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.136|162.158.214.136]] 09:49, 19 July 2019 (UTC)

It seems possible that the fantasy as a whole is a reference to a scene in the series ''Breaking Bad'', in which Walter White substitutes fulminate of mercury for crystal meth, then uses it to cause a(n unrealistically large) explosion in the office of a rival. However, similar scenes can be found in earlier shows and films (e.g., the show ''MacGyver'' has several instance of such), so it may not be a reference to this specific one. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.44.152|172.69.44.152]] 17:29, 18 July 2019 (UTC)

Any take on the meaning of the abundance of white space in the lower left part of the comic? [[User:Spongebog|Spongebob]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 15:17, 18 July 2019 (UTC)
:My take is that it's a narrative device: the white space in which nothing is happening represents the two people just quietly eating, in stark contrast to the action-packed scene above. [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 19:46, 18 July 2019 (UTC)
::It's almost as if the first row of frames is in a "think balloon" within the last frame. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 13:58, 19 July 2019 (UTC)

My preferred interpretation is that Ponytail is to Gastroenterology what Indiana Jones is to Archeology... A usually boring field but Ponytail's / Indiana's versions are secretly more exciting. :) And Ponytail is keeping the exciting part to herself, just sharing the standard part. (Actually, now that I write that, I wonder if that's what Randall was going for) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:43, 20 July 2019 (UTC)

In a sealed container prebiotics and probiotics would generate CO2 and explode, although it would take a while and likely not be a large explosion. As said antibiotics would likely just kill the probiotics.[[User:BlakeFelix|BlakeFelix]] ([[User talk:BlakeFelix|talk]]) 13:45, 22 July 2019 (UTC)

I think you'll find Gastroenterology is the study of the words used to describe the high quality food found in a moth's stomach :-) --[[User:OliReading|OliReading]] ([[User talk:OliReading|talk]]) 12:28, 30 July 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2152: Westerns

2019-05-20T23:12:09Z

OliReading: Dad's Army

How many times longer than the {{w|Regency era}} (a decade) have {{w|Regency romance}} novels existed? A fair bit more than three, I'd guess! (Perhaps 8.4, if we credit 1935 as the start and the Regency period as ten years) [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 05:41, 20 May 2019 (UTC)
:A similar question has been answered about WW2 by Randall: https://what-if.xkcd.com/100/ [[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:53, 20 May 2019 (UTC)
::Trivia about What-if #100: in another example of xkcd-inspired achievements, there now exists a short movie about the Anglo-Zanzibar war (http://www.imdb.com/keyword/anglo-zanzibar-war/). Plot keywords: stupid world record, cell camera, anglo zanzibar war.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.241|162.158.154.241]] 10:14, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M*A*S*H_(TV_series) M*A*S*H TV show] lasted more than 3 times the length of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War Korean War].
[[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:36, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

I would have thought Randall would understand the difference between "longer than" and "as long as". [[User:Mattcoz|Mattcoz]] ([[User talk:Mattcoz|talk]]) 14:53, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

:Hmmm... "A is as long as B" means pretty much the same as "A is as short as B". But "A is 3 times as long as B" is very different from "A is 3 times as short as B". English is weird. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.46|172.68.54.46]] 15:47, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure that using the same logic as this page, Trojan War, a 10 years long conflict which started to be depicted in Greek no later in 8th century BC when Illiad was written and continuing to be depicted in poems, literature and movies up to today, would easily win this. There could also be several contestants from Rome - while both Roman Republic and Roman Empire lasted hundreds of years, the time period depicting fall of the Republic and rise of the Empire, starting with First Triumvirate 60BC and ending with Nero's death AD 68, is 128 years heavily depicted in literature and movies since it happened to, again, now. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:32, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

This makes me think of how the British TV show [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dad%27s_Army Dad's Army] lasted for longer than the Second World War. --[[User:OliReading|OliReading]] ([[User talk:OliReading|talk]]) 23:12, 20 May 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2071: Indirect Detection

2018-11-12T13:33:13Z

OliReading: throwing shade

Genius reference in the title text to 'throwing shade', linking modern slang with something 2,400 years earlier! --[[User:OliReading|OliReading]] ([[User talk:OliReading|talk]]) 13:33, 12 November 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2047: Beverages

2018-09-17T12:31:32Z

OliReading: No Such Thing as a Fish

Randall Munroe needs to be less existential ... oh wait. {{unsigned ip|162.158.155.146|05:22, 17 September 2018‎ (UTC)}}

Wouldn’t it warrant being freaked out *more* if it were shaped like lungs? Now that would freak me out.
(Choking on food is but one example that even nature can not get a dual function, single endpoint API perfectly right. Luckily nature was unaware of GraphQL - or we’d have one orifice, 1 endpoint for all bodily functions. {{unsigned ip|172.69.130.70|05:36, 17 September 2018‎ (UTC)}}

(Responding to the above unsigned) Aren’t there some animals where that is the case? Jellyfish and starfish (I think) are the examples that comes to mind, but I’m sure there are others (especially among sea life). Also wow, humanity (at least the English speaking portion) really likes naming things that aren’t fish “fish” 😂 [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 07:19, 17 September 2018 (UTC)

: But there's 'No Such Thing as a Fish' :-) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Such_Thing_as_a_Fish --[[User:OliReading|OliReading]] ([[User talk:OliReading|talk]]) 12:31, 17 September 2018 (UTC)

: Well you can think yourself lucky that you are not designed like a flatworm which only has one opening to its digestive cavity... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.191|162.158.166.191]] 11:17, 17 September 2018 (UTC)

Isn't the stream of beverages interrupted in intervals by swallowing? Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.10|172.68.110.10]] 06:16, 17 September 2018 (UTC)

i think what he means with "if i wait a while" the Beverage at the end of digestion is then connected to the toilet, sewers and oceans...

Radiotopia's recently released "Everything is alive" podcast 's Premiere episode, [[Louis Can of Cola |https://www.everythingisalive.com/episodes/louis-can-of-cola]], is about this experience from the perspective of the beverage. The episode was featured 5 podcasting Rockstar Roman Mars on his own Radiotopia show "99 perecent invisible" earlier this summer. [[User:Iggynelix|Iggynelix]] ([[User talk:Iggynelix|talk]]) 12:24, 17 September 2018 (UTC)

.

Talk:1998: GDPR

2018-06-03T10:03:46Z

OliReading: Cookie comment

This comic is a joke privacy policy, playing off a few things.
Everyone right now is updating their privacy policy to meet the new requirements from the European Union coming into effect today, 2018-05-25, the GDPR. Link to wikipedia: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regulation].
It also is pointing out that no one ever reads them "by using this website you opt in to quartering troops in your home", something you probably did not agree to.
--[[User:Fwacer|Fwacer]] ([[User talk:Fwacer|talk]]) 19:35, 25 May 2018 (UTC)

:Your wording "joke privacy policy" is really good and you should add it to the existing explanation. [[User:Lassombra|Lassombra]] ([[User talk:Lassombra|talk]]) 19:41, 25 May 2018 (UTC)
:: Thanks, I have added that. First edit! --[[User:Fwacer|Fwacer]] ([[User talk:Fwacer|talk]]) 20:25, 25 May 2018 (UTC)

Fortunately, this doesn't appear to supersede the Shadow Proclamation. Also, I wouldn't mind quartering troops in my home if they were sexy... [[Special:Contributions/172.68.90.82|172.68.90.82]] 20:56, 25 May 2018 (UTC) SiliconWolf

I wonder if this is the privacy policy of Beret Guy's company since he mentioned in the last comic that people keep sending them personal info even though they had asked them to stop.--[[Special:Contributions/172.69.42.112|172.69.42.112]] 21:07, 25 May 2018 (UTC)

What's the deal with the "Created by a Bot" coming up with relevant jokes as to what the explanation was created by? I didn't search exhaustively, but couldn't find any hints in other discussion pages. Is there a link to a discussion on this? Who did this? Dgbrt? I'm very curious. 00:30, 26 May 2018 (UTC) {{unsigned|DanB}}
:I've written the program creating the new pages when a new comic is out. It's run by the profile [[User:DgbrtBOT|DgbrtBOT]]. This ensures that all comic pages look similar, the navigation works, and more. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 01:12, 26 May 2018 (UTC)
::I see that now. But didn't it used to just say "Created by a bot" and not "Created by ''something relevant''"? Or has it always done that and I missed it? Is it a reference to a comic, or just something fun? Thanks for all your work on this site, by the way. [[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 17:40, 26 May 2018 (UTC)
:::The original text is: ''"Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon."'' Check the history. And when a new comic is out there is always a race about being the first to change the word ''BOT'' to something else. It was funny when that happened first, but as every joke it isn't funny anymore when it's overused. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:01, 26 May 2018 (UTC)

It also means if you are not a citizen of the European Union, your organs can be harvested without permission, doesn't it? {{unsigned ip|162.158.62.39}}
:That depends on whether you have instructed that your whole body be supercool-vitrified and stored around Titan for until the exoplanet colony ships depart. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.106|172.68.34.106]] 05:54, 26 May 2018 (UTC)

This comic failed to allow me to turn off everything Trump has ever tried to pay for; therefore, Randall owes me €300,000. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.106|172.68.34.106]] 05:54, 26 May 2018 (UTC)

Point of technicality:
:''"purely out of the goodness of our hearts" is a phrase never expected to be found ever anywhere in any privacy policy''
Aren't I allowed to block ads from funding sources which include organizations whose privacy policies don't provide goods or services purely out of the goodness of their hearts? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.106|172.68.34.106]] 06:17, 26 May 2018 (UTC)

;...similar laws preventing troops being quartert in ones home also exist in European countries
I don't know every European constitution but I probably would know this. The ''Third Amendment to the United States Constitution'' seems to be very unique to me. Laws about troops should exist in every country but this is about a ''constitution''. If nobody disagrees this has to be removed or enhanced. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:58, 26 May 2018 (UTC)
::I don't know, I can say for myself that when I read "similar laws", I understood just that - laws. I don't think the sentence implies it is also part of the constitution in those countries. But if you misread it that way, others may, too, and ambiguity is never a good thing, so feel free to clear it up if you want, but I wouldn't remove the reference to those laws entirely. [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 06:06, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
:::suggest changing to "but then immediately forces the user to agree to quarter troops in their home, which is a violation of the Third Amendment to the United States Constitution and against the law in many other countries." or something along those lines, would read much clearer. Please excuse if my formatting sucks, this is my first wiki suggestion, ever, ya done popped my cherry. SPeD[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.121|173.245.52.121]] 08:30, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
::::In Germy, while not specifying statoning of troops directly, §13 Grundgesetz guarantees the inviolability of the apartment. Stationing troops in ones home would violate that part of the German constitution. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.37|162.158.89.37]] 12:15, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
I summarize: Explicitly mentioning ''troops being quartert in ones home'' is unique to the US constitution but most other countries have more common articles preventing the same. This narrow description on this matter only exists in the ''Third Amendment''. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:02, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

;Moved from the first paragraph
:''- this is incorrect, EU law applies to all legal entities currently physically within the EU - just like every other law and state in the world. If xkcd has a legal representative of some kind in the EU then it would be enforceable on that representative. so much fud.)''
This was entered by IP 162.158.38.70 at the explanation but should be discussed here which may be followed by some changes in the explanation. Please do not enter discussions at the explanation. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:48, 26 May 2018 (UTC)
::False. GDPR art. 3 (2): "This Regulation applies to the processing of personal data of data subjects who are in the Union by a controller or processor not established in the Union, where the processing activities are related to: the offering of goods or services, irrespective of whether a payment of the data subject is required, to such data subjects in the Union; or the monitoring of their behaviour as far as their behaviour takes place within the Union." So, if you're not physically present in the UE it might be harder to enforce, but may still be applicable. Don't want that? Then don't track EU citizens, or simply don't do business there at all.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.89|162.158.91.89]] 10:26, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
:::Thanks, it's obvious the first paragraph in the explanation is correct. We should accompany it with a proper link. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:02, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
::::Done. A link to ''eugdpr.org'' seems better than a Wikipedia article. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:55, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
:::::You are aware that eugdpr.org is not an official site? I'd expect it to be abandoned when the whole GDPR hype is over. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.39|162.158.93.39]] 17:39, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
::::::Yes, I'm aware of this. But Wikipedia isn't too. Any better idea? I wouldn't mind. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:21, 28 May 2018 (UTC)
:::::::I think [http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679] is the official page. [[User:Jdluk|Jdluk]] ([[User talk:Jdluk|talk]]) 10:26, 29 May 2018 (UTC)
::::::::Thanks for the link, but that's really TL;DR. The eugdpr.org article puts the ''extra-territorial'' thing to the top, that's what the first paragraph is about. Haven't done further research right now, but a newspaper article covering the same issue is maybe better. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:39, 29 May 2018 (UTC)
:::::::::Oh, I agree! It is law, after all, and EU law at that. Of *course* it's TL;DR. That's why I didn't add it to the article. But if someone wants official, that's probably it.[[User:Jdluk|Jdluk]] ([[User talk:Jdluk|talk]]) 22:14, 29 May 2018 (UTC)

"Permissions" reminds me of Monty Python's Meaning of Life Part V: Live Organ Transplants. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp-pU8TFsg0 {{unsigned ip|162.158.75.4}}

;Policy is not an Agreement?
The explanation mentions in several places "the agreement" -- my understanding of a privacy policy is that it is more like a promise than an agreement; the entity declaring the policy is bound to it whether I agree to it or not. It lays out rules that the site operator will adhere to in obtaining consent, which seems different from an agreement to me. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.39|162.158.93.39]] 17:35, 28 May 2018 (UTC)

Here in the netherlands, there is a law going into effect in a few years that allows the government to harvest your organs after death even without permission, as long as you didn't register against this. This sounds plenty like the organ harvesting part. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.53|141.101.104.53]] 11:55, 29 May 2018 (UTC)

"This website places pixels on your screen in order to form text and images, some of which may remain in your memory after you close the page." Uh, yeah, I'd hope I'd remember some of the page... Your memory, not your computer's. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.28|162.158.78.28]] 01:09, 3 June 2018 (UTC)

I did expect to see an entry in the agreement something like "Cookies may be employed, depending on how peckish the server is" :-) --[[User:OliReading|OliReading]] ([[User talk:OliReading|talk]]) 10:03, 3 June 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1787: Voice Commands

2017-01-20T00:18:50Z

OliReading: request for clarification

http://wbic16.xedoloh.com/dvorak.html converts "svat ussupd ;dlh a kdbk" to "okay google send a text"--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.10|162.158.75.10]] 16:38, 18 January 2017 (UTC)
:Well that's a much easier way of converting it than my method of looking at two keyboards. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.58|162.158.255.58]] 16:42, 18 January 2017 (UTC)

:I think that's just for US keyboards. I get different results trying that on a UK QWERTY keyboard [[User:Jdluk|Jdluk]] ([[User talk:Jdluk|talk]]) 16:56, 18 January 2017 (UTC)

:The opposite way of typing QWERTY on Dvorak gives the even less pronounceable "RTAF IRRIN. O.BE A Y.QY". –''TisTheAlmondTavern'', 12:38, 19 January 2017 (UTC)

The QWERTY layout is to slow typists down is an enduring myth. In the early days there were typing competitions (with big prizes) to find the fastest typist and fastest machine. This was won by QWERTY in the English world and AZERTY in the French one. Other languages may vary.

The avoid a clash reason (as users of manual machines know) is shown up by the common Left Right Left sequence of "the" and the many letter pairs in English of "er" which are adjacent left fingers and often caused me jams!

Other layouts and designs may have benefits, but will never become the default - a bit like Esperanto methinks ;-) [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 18:31, 18 January 2017 (UTC)

: "In the early days" typewriters would jam easily, so ''of course'' a layout that for the most part avoided that would be fastest way back then. Just because the layout ''still'' had jamming problems doesn't mean it wouldn't come out on top. Touchtyping (a more recent development than QWERTY) makes QWERTY uncomfortable to use at speed, but the pretty much random nature of the layout makes life easier for spell checking software (a more recent development than Dvorak) than Dvorak. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.16|198.41.238.16]] 23:43, 18 January 2017 (UTC)

I have only typed Dvorak since 1991, currently on a TypeMatrix 2030DV. Since I have pretty much forgotten Qwerty, I had to look at my wife's laptop to find the letters. Back and forth looking at the comic, it took me a minute to translate that in Notepad. ;-) I can do about 90 wpm in DV. Friends don't let friends type Qwerty!
[[User:TrueFalcon|TrueFalcon]] ([[User talk:TrueFalcon|talk]]) 17:10, 18 January 2017 (UTC)
* Dvorak? pfft. I use butterflies [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.160|108.162.245.160]] 23:52, 18 January 2017 (UTC)
* As a fellow Dvorak user, I think comments like these are the reason we keep getting comics about us. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.69.177|162.158.69.177]] 18:03, 18 January 2017 (UTC)
** I can practically guarantee it. Especially since actual studies on the subject suggest it's more ability and practice that improve typing speed rather than what layout is used. --[[User:KingStarscream|KingStarscream]] ([[User talk:KingStarscream|talk]]) 20:16, 18 January 2017 (UTC)

The hovertext should say "vocal cords," right? Not "chords"? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.222|173.245.50.222]] 18:20, 18 January 2017 (UTC)

: I've heard there ''are'' people who can sing more than one note at a time - a real vocal chord. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.16|198.41.238.16]] 23:47, 18 January 2017 (UTC)

:I suppose it might be a deliberate error, but, yes, "vocal chords" is incorrect: it should be "vocal cords" (i.e. strings), or even more correctly [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocal_folds vocal folds]. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.173|141.101.99.173]] 09:27, 19 January 2017 (UTC)

: A stenograph (as used by a court stenographer) is a keyboard where one presses several keys at a time, called a chord, so I think the hover text 'vocal chord' is a play on the idea of vocalising several 'keys' at once --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.126|141.101.107.126]] 13:01, 19 January 2017 (UTC)

The layout was intended to reduce jams, and was likely a trial and error process in development. The layout does in effect slow down the people of the day some, as for instance so many words are typed by left hand only, but this is likely unintentional. Notice that keys like the "I" and "O" are "together", but in fact are separated by three other key linkages, "K""," and "9", so pressing those didn't cause a jam as frequently when pressed in rapid succession, but nevertheless would have been faster had they been on opposite sides of the keyboard. Another point is that keyboarding was still visual at the time, so this keyboard mechanism never took into account the touch typing method that was developed a decade or so later. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.38.10|172.68.38.10]] 19:27, 18 January 2017 (UTC)

Is this an appropriate time to mention the advantages of MessageEase? No? Nevermind then. {{unsigned ip|162.158.114.82}}

I enjoyed MessageEase until I discovered Multiling O. It’s much more customizable. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.172|108.162.245.172]] 22:33, 19 January 2017 (UTC)

Bah. Everyone knows saying it in the original Klingon is much more efficient. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.11|108.162.238.11]] 14:18, 19 January 2017 (UTC)

Can we remove that last paragraph? It seems irrelevant to the explanation - as do a few other interludes that seem to only contribute to the opinions of the authors.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.82|162.158.214.82]] 14:55, 19 January 2017 (UTC)
: It would be safer to say which paragraph you mean, or multiple people might follow your suggestion and remove multiple paragraphs --[[User:OliReading|OliReading]] ([[User talk:OliReading|talk]]) 00:18, 20 January 2017 (UTC)

1787: Voice Commands

2017-01-19T13:25:31Z

OliReading: vocal chord

{{comic
| number = 1787
| date = January 18, 2017
| title = Voice Commands
| image = voice_commands.png
| titletext = Dvorak words may sound hard to pronounce, but studies show they actually put less stress on the vocal chords.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Dvorak_Simplified_Keyboard|Dvorak keyboard layout}} was designed to replace the {{w|QWERTY}} keyboard layout (the de facto standard keyboard layout in English-speaking countries, so named for the starting letters in the top row). The Dvorak layout was designed in the belief that it would significantly increase typing speeds over the QWERTY layout. This can be seen, among other ways, by the popular misconception that the placement of letters in the QWERTY standard were deliberately organized to limit typing speed in accommodation the tendency of original mechanical typewriters to jam if two adjacent keys were pressed in quick succession. (In fact, the original QWERTY layout was designed help type American Morse code and subsequently optimized a bit for different users [http://hackaday.com/2016/03/15/the-origin-of-qwerty/], [http://kanji.zinbun.kyoto-u.ac.jp/~yasuoka/publications/PreQWERTY.html].)

Even as other arguably better layouts were proposed over the years since the introduction of the QWERTY keyboard, QWERTY remained the standard due to widespread use.

Using Dvorak for speech to text, however, makes no sense whatsoever as there is no keyboard, real, virtual, or otherwise, involved in speaking. Even the virtual keyboard (usually QWERTY layout but often changeable) included in most phones and tablet devices is not used when speaking to the phone.

The sentence Cueball tells his phone translates to "Okay Google send a text" - he says it as if he were typing the sentence on a Dvorak layout with the keyboard set to a QWERTY layout. How such words would be pronounced is a mystery, as the letters in the words are merely substituted with others with no regard to phonetics; without standardized pronunciations, a speech-to-text program would be useless. To add to the confusion, one of the words in Cueball's sentence includes an unpronounceable semi-colon as one of its letters.

The title text is a reference to the fact that many users of DVORAK keyboards claim they may be hard to learn, but they are more movement efficient and put less stress on your fingers due to less movement. For example, see the link at http://www.dvzine.org/zine/10-11.html . This makes little sense in the scenario set up by the comic, as speaking gibberish using oddly placed vowels would be equally difficult, if not in fact harder, on the vocal cords. The use in the title text of 'vocal chords' rather than 'vocal cords' may be a reference to a stenograph (a typewriter used by a court stenographer) using multiple keys pressed at the same time, called a 'chord', to produce a single letter.

Using a Dvorak layout on a smartphone (for actual typing, not voice commands) is possible, but the very features that make it desirable in a physical touch-typing environment are drawbacks on a swipe-enabled keyboard. A placement designed to alternate a typist's left and right hands requires the finger of a swipist to travel back and forth across the keyboard more often. Fitting commonly-used letters onto the typist's home row reduces finger movement but makes many words the swipist enters indistinguishable. On a QWERTY swipe keyboard, four English words can be entered by swiping right to left from P to T: "pot", "pit", "put", and "pout"; however, setting the layout to Dvorak causes this to happen with many more common sets of words.

==Transcript==
[Ponytail and Cueball are standing looking at each other. Cueball is holding a phone.]

Ponytail: Can you text it to me?

Cueball: Sure!

Cueball: ''SVAT USSUPD ;DLH A KDBK''

Ponytail: ...What?

Phone: *BEEP*

[Caption under the panel:]

Setting my phone's speech recognition to Dvorak was a pain at first, but it's more efficient in the long run.

Note: Cueball is saying "OKAY GOOGLE SEND A TEXT" if you account for keyboard layout.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]