explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1946: Hawaii

2024-10-08T12:45:33Z

Pandoo: Added comment

OMG - so funny, so timely, so close to home. One of our modern fears, in a crisis what would happen if I forgot the password! [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 14:02, 24 January 2018 (UTC)

"Created by a TWITTER" [[User:Halo422|Halo422]] ([[User talk:Halo422|talk]]) 14:28, 24 January 2018 (UTC)

Based on the situation that xkcd is offering, it makes me look like I can't be any governor or an official, since I tend to forget my password very easily, especially my social media ones. RIP me.15:02, 24 January 2018 (UTC)

Most implausible explanation I've ever heard. Why not use something other than a Twitter account to notify people, apparently there's an entire system set up for delivering messages to people's phones, I'm not sure a tweet should be part of the official rollback process. {{unsigned|Comment Police}}
:Implausible, yet true. It was all over the news. Twitter is currently perceived as an appropriate way to communicate with constituents by many elected officials. I agree that a reverse-911 probably would have been far more effective, but the news would give more coverage to what's on Twitter, regardless (reaches more people, if less directly or immediately, than reverse-911). [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 18:09, 24 January 2018 (UTC)

::The issue (as I understand it) was that the send-everyone-a-text-message system was only programmed with a specific set of messages, and "oops, that was an error, ignore that" wasn't one of them. Most of those 38 minutes were spent adding that new message to the system. ''In the meantime'', people in authority who knew there had been a mistake would have been trying to use any means they could of getting this fact out to the public, such as the governor using his official Twitter account. -- [[User:Peregrine|Peregrine]] ([[User talk:Peregrine|talk]]) 03:32, 25 January 2018 (UTC)

: I'm someone who openly and proudly does not watch or listen to the news (my reasoning is that my knowing all the details of this fire or that hostage situation won't stop it or help it, it'll just add more negative to my life. I get headlines through ads on TV and radio, I feel that's enough for the "history repeating itself" angle), and even I caught this headline. Yeah, an incident was really made worse by a guy unable to access his Twitter. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:12, 26 January 2018 (UTC)

As I am not a native Hawaiian or american, could somebody explain the nature of this warning system please? Does it work with a speaker / sirene system (as is common in Europe) or with text / CB messages? Why was it installed, what is the name of this system etc.
That information might give the uninitiated some background information needed to fully understand this comic. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.30|141.101.105.30]] 22:00, 24 January 2018 (UTC)

:The Hawaii state Emergency Alert system is multilayered. This event started with a text message, sent (in error) to phones. The text message was picked up by broadcast media (radio, television). There is also a siren system, reportedly a separate authorization is required to activate it. In some places, Honolulu especially, the sirens were sounded, apparently without the appropriate authorization. In others, such as Hawaii Island where I live, the sirens did not go off. Official channels did not retract the error until 38 minutes after the initial text. Though Governor Ige did not get his tweet sent, other officials, such as US Rep Tulsi Gabbard, did do so, to little effect. It's therefore an open question whether Ige's message would have made much of a difference.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.238|162.158.255.238]] 22:48, 24 January 2018 (UTC)

::Thank you for the explanation. This, and reading a couple of news articles about it made me got a much clearer picture. It also really drives home how important the work of an UI designer is. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.187|162.158.111.187]] 08:50, 28 January 2018 (UTC)
:::(same user, but apparently a different IP)

USB plugs are 4 dimensional... see https://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2388. ——

i use android, and am thus irrelevant. but, the twitter app does not seem, uniquely, to allow the caching of passwords and thus requires you to log in every time. assuming i'm not mistaken in this, does the iOS equivalent also require this? --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.29|141.101.99.29]] 13:09, 26 January 2018 (UTC)

I slept through that whole mess because the siren didn't sound where I live. Thankfully, I woke up in a universe where Trump was too busy golfing to start WWIII by mistake. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.167|172.69.33.167]] 00:16, 27 January 2018 (UTC)

I think the ballistic missile actually somehow got launched, and the screaming is… yeah. [[User:Pandoo|Pandoo]] ([[User talk:Pandoo|talk]]) 12:45, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2963: House Inputs and Outputs

2024-07-25T05:59:18Z

Pandoo:

what in the heckoslovakia is panel 16 [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.216|172.71.147.216]] 02:18, 25 July 2024 (UTC)
:I can only assume that it's from the perspective of someone inside the well looking upward toward the outside world. [[User:OmniDoom|OmniDoom]] ([[User talk:OmniDoom|talk]]) 02:23, 25 July 2024 (UTC)
:: It's a reference to The Ring (リング) films and books. This distorted view from the inside of the well is an iconic part of the franchise's imagery, and, in minimal-spoilers form, its appearance suggests that someone has watched the cursed tape and should now expect a visitor to arrive from that well in seven days. (Definitely a red intersection) [[User:Scorpion451|Scorpion451]] ([[User talk:Scorpion451|talk]]) 02:52, 25 July 2024 (UTC)
::: more at https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ring_(franchise) aside holy gosh! I was expecting to link to IMDB for like two or three movies. /aside the trailer at https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0298130/ starts with an a 1950-1990 ish USA telephone ring. It's been a while since I saw it and the ring referring to a telephone not magic ring is starting to sound familiar. SDT
:::: which is too much detail. "Panel 16 refers to a horror film" is not enough info SDT [[Special:Contributions/172.70.134.102|172.70.134.102]] 04:06, 25 July 2024 (UTC)
[[Special:Contributions/172.70.134.100|172.70.134.100]] 03:58, 25 July 2024 (UTC)
I'm assuming that a table would probably be best for this comic, but tbh I don't know how to make one and it's kinda late for me. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.137.212|162.158.137.212]] 02:48, 25 July 2024 (UTC)
:Update: thanks to whoever made the table [[Special:Contributions/141.101.109.192|141.101.109.192]] 03:32, 25 July 2024 (UTC)
:::You're welcome :) I had to look at Wikipedia's tutorial to make it - [[User:Blue in real life|Blue in real life]] ([[User talk:Blue in real life|talk]]) 05:55, 25 July 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2963: House Inputs and Outputs

2024-07-25T05:58:45Z

Pandoo:

2963: House Inputs and Outputs

2024-07-25T05:57:17Z

Pandoo:

{{comic
| number = 2963
| date = July 24, 2024
| title = House Inputs and Outputs
| image = house_inputs_and_outputs_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x684px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = People think power over ethernet is so great, and yet when I try to do water over ethernet everyone yells at me.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a possible reference to [[1037: Umwelt]] in panel 16 - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is another comic in the series of comics that use a {{w|confusion matrix}}, similar to [[2420: Appliances]], [[2813: What To Do]] and [[1890: What to Bring]].

{| class="wikitable"
|+ {{Citation needed}}
|-
! !! Well !! Garage !! Power lines !! Front door !! Septic tank
|-
| Fresh water (Input) || The purpose of a well is usually to pump fresh water into the home, primarily for drinking or washing. || This would not me helpful at all, and would more than likely destroy your car. || Water either shouldn't, or cannot be carried through electrical lines. || Many people prefer to control the amount of water they get, and the water may damage things inside the house. || Most people don't want anything they drink to contain(or go through pipes that have contained) sewage.
|-
| Cars (Input/Output) || Most cars manufactured in recent years can't fit inside a well. || Garages are in fact built for the storage of cars and other similarly-sized vehicles. Placing a car in one will both help protect it from the elements and make it easier to access from inside your own home. || As of yet, cars cannot be transferred through power lines and require roads to travel on. However, this could significantly reduce travel costs. || Most cars can’t fit through doors. ||
|-
| Electricity (Input) || This would contaminate your water supply. || No. || Power lines are designed to facilitate the connection of individual homes to the broader local power network. || A majority of people prefer their house to be solid and not made of ash. || ...
|-
| People (Input/Output) || This panel is not a black hole, and is instead from the view of someone inside the well. Being inside a well is obviously not an ideal situation to be in{{Citation needed}}. || Though not outright designed for it, a person can enter and exit their home through the garage door just fine, provided the garage has an internal door to the rest of the home. Not the best way to welcome guests though. || ... || The front door of a home is designed for entry and exit of humans and similarly sized items. || In general, people find crawling through waste unwanted. Also, the septic tank is not connected to the street.
|-
| Sewage (Output) || Sewage in drinking water can cause disease. || ... || As Knit Cap demonstrates, this would not be the most convenient idea. || ... || The purpose of a septic tank is to transport sewage from the home where it is processed elsewhere, usually to a sewage treatment plant.
|}

The title text references {{w|Power over Ethernet|Power over ethernet}}, first implemented in the early 2000s, which passed electric power along with data on twisted-pair Ethernet cabling. This was a welcome development, as it removed the need for many network-connected devices to have independent power supplies. While networked water delivery ("running water") is also a welcome development, doing so over ethernet cables would be an unmitigated disaster, and Randall would get off easy if he were merely to be yelled at.

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

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]

2963: House Inputs and Outputs

2024-07-25T02:18:44Z

Pandoo: