explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

168: Reverse Euphemisms

2013-11-17T04:12:34Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Awesomeness++

{{comic
| number = 168
| date = October 9, 2006
| title = Reverse Euphemisms
| image = reverse euphemisms.png
| titletext = I'm still waiting for a chance to use 'I have to see a man about a horse'.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Euphemisms}} are figures of speech used in place of more offensive terms. In this comic, [[Cueball]] uses swear words in the place of benign terms, inverting the typical usage of euphemisms. To "drop the kids off at the pool" is a euphemism meaning to "go take a shit." In this case, however, Cueball actually has to drop kids off at the pool but instead uses "go take a shit." Cueball is using the euphemism in reverse, hence the title.

In the title text, the figure is waiting for a situation in which he has to see a man concerning a horse, as this relates to another euphemism meaning to urinate. It can be assumed that, when telling someone about seeing the man about the horse, he would say "...then I had to go take a piss."

==Transcript==
:My Hobby: Reverse Euphemisms
:[Two people talking.]
:Cueball: Oh, hey, school just let out and it's YMCA night, so I've gotta go take a shit.
:Friend: What?
:Cueball: I mean I actually have to drop the kids off at the pool.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:My Hobby]]

152: Hamster Ball

2013-09-08T04:42:51Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Removed Jeannie reference. The idea of a lamp-haunting 3-wish-granting genie has been around FAR longer.

{{comic
| number = 152
| date = September 3, 2006
| title = Hamster Ball
| image = hamster_ball.png
| titletext = Reportedly, double-walled inflatable balls like this exist somewhere. Now to find that place.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic starts with a genie, who, having been freed from a magical lamp, grants the owner three wishes. The idea of a {{w|Genie in popular culture|genie}} that does this is a very common trope in the fantasy genre. Alternative spellings are jinn and djinni.

[[Cueball]] asks for a human-sized hamster ball, and when he gets it, he starts to roll around in it, obviously entertained.
The genie then asks what he would like for his other two wishes, to which, having being granted already his heart's desire, he states he wouldn't need the other wishes for anything.

The title text refers to the activity of {{w|Zorbing}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands by a genie, whose lower body becomes smoke and trails down to an old-fashioned lamp.]
:Genie: You have awakened me from the lamp. You may have three wishes. What does your heart desire?
:Cueball: I'd like a human-sized hamster ball.
:[A hamster ball appears; Cueball is inside it.]
:Cueball: Sweet!
:[Cueball steps to left; the ball rolls that way.]
:[He does the same thing to his right.]
:[Cueball comes to rest in the centre of the panel.]
:Genie: And your other wishes?
:Cueball: Why would I need other wishes?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

287: NP-Complete

2013-09-06T05:48:02Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Checked computational complexity theory

{{comic
| number = 287
| date = July 9, 2007
| title = NP-Complete
| image = np_complete.png
| titletext = General solutions get you a 50% tip.
}}

==Explanation==
Another entry in the “My Hobby” series of cartoons. [[Cueball]] is embedding {{w|NP-complete|NP-complete problems}} in restaurant orders. Specifically, he is ordering appetizers not by explicitly stating the names, but by the total price of them all. This is a simplified example of the {{w|Knapsack problem|knapsack problem}}. This is a problem in combinatorial optimization, as follows: If you have a knapsack (backpack or rucksack) which can hold a specific amount of weight, and you have a set of items, each with its own assigned value and weight, you have to select items to put into the knapsack so that the weight does not exceed the capacity of the knapsack and the combined value of all the items is maximized.

In {{w|Computational complexity theory|computational complexity theory}}, NP stands for “nondeterministic polynomial time,” which means that problems which are NP take polynomial running time (i.e. the time a CPU would take to run the program would be polynomial in the input size) to verify a solution, but it is unknown whether finding any or all solutions can be done in polynomial time. Polynomial time is considered efficient; exponential and higher times are considered unfeasible for computation. NP-complete problems are ones which, if a polynomial time algorithm is found for any of them, then all NP problems have polynomial time solutions. In short, particular guesses in NP-complete problems can be checked easily, but systematically finding solutions is far more difficult.

The waiter's problem is NP-complete, since a given order's price can be found and checked quickly, but finding an order to match a price is much harder. (Formal proofs of the NP-completeness of the knapsack problem can be found at the above link.) The most straightforward way for a human to find a solution is to methodically start by first listing all the (6) ways of choosing one appetizer, and their total costs, then list all the (21) ways of choosing two appetizers (allowing repeats), and then list all the (56) ways of choosing three appetizers, and so forth. As any combination of eight appetizers would be more than $15.05, the process need not extend beyond listing all the (1715) ways of choosing seven appetizers.

Another famous NP-complete problem is the {{w|Travelling Salesman problem}}, mentioned by Cueball at the end (see also [[399: Travelling Salesman Problem]]).

The title text refers to the fact that NP-complete problems have no known polynomial time general solutions. If the waiter can find an efficient general solution to this he will have solved one of the most famous problems in mathematics. This problem is one of the six remaining unsolved {{w|Millennium Prize Problems}} stated by the Clay Mathematics Institute in 2000, for which a correct solution is worth US$1,000,000. A 50% tip is slightly less than fair.

;The Solution
There are exactly two solutions to the problem posed in the comic strip, combinations of appetizers which total $15.05:
*Seven mixed fruit orders
*A combination of two orders of hot wings, one order of mixed fruit, and one sampler plate

==Transcript==
:My Hobby:
:Embedding NP-Complete problems in restaurant orders
:[A menu is shown.]
:Chotchkies Restaurant
:Appetizers
:Mixed Fruit 2.15
:French Fries 2.75
:Side Salad 3.35
:Hot Wings 3.55
:Mozzarella Sticks 4.20
:Sampler Plate 5.80
:[Three people sit at a table, including Cueball who is ordering from a waiter.]
:Cueball: We'd like exactly $15.05 worth of appetizers, please.
:Waiter: ...Exactly? Uhh...
:Cueball: Here, these papers on the knapsack problem might help you out.
:Waiter: Listen, I have six other tables to get to-
:Cueball: -As fast as possible, of course. Want something on traveling salesman?

==Trivia==
*A film reference is embedded in the menu in the first panel: The restaurant is called “Chotchkies”, a fictional restaurant featured in the film {{w|Office Space}}. In that film, the character Joanna, played by {{w|Jennifer Aniston}}, quits her job at Chotchkies, a typical family-oriented chain restaurant, over their policy that she wear a large number of tchotchkes, or “flair” items – tacky pins, buttons, or other adornments to a worker’s uniform which can often be seen on waiters and waitresses at chain family restaurants, as well as those who work at movie theaters or large retail chain stores.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Math]]

Talk:703: Honor Societies

2013-09-06T05:30:25Z

Quicksilver:

A tautology is a statement that is always true and that doesn't convey any information. A classic example is 'A or not A', which is true if A is true, but also if A isn't true. 'Either it rains or it doesn't rain' is true, no matter what weather it is.

"If 1.000.000 people join this group, it will have 1.000.000 people in it" is, strictly speaking, not a tautology, since it wouldn't be true if - somehow - 1.000.000 people were able to join the group without it having 1.000.000 people in it (I don't know - maybe if people leave the group before the counter hit 1.000.000?). It would also be true if there were somehow 1.000.000 members of the group without 1.000.000 people joining it. It is of the form 'if A then A' which is pretty much a much longer version of just 'A'. It's true if it's true, and it isn't if it isn't - so it isn't a tautology.

The same goes for 'The first rule of the tautology club is the first rule of the tautology club' - It's just a long way of saying "This is the first rule of the tautology club' - which can be true or false.

Granted; the statements hold enough implied information that we will agree that they are true in a trivial sense, and they are much more fun than 'either there are 1.000.000 people in this group or there aren't 1.000.000 people in this group' and 'either this is the first rule of the tautology club or it isn't' [[Special:Contributions/193.88.197.67|193.88.197.67]] 22:15, 2 September 2013 (UTC)
: While I do understand what you're getting at, you are surprisingly wrong on a few accounts. First, A or not A (i.e. A V ~A) is not always a tautology. I've spent enough painful time around intuitionists to say this whenever I can.

:Unnecessary nitpick aside, then, there are more serious things. I presume the sentence, "It would also be true if there were somehow 1.000.000 members of the group without 1.000.000 people joining it," should be, "It would also '''not''' be true if there were somehow 1.000.000 members of the group without 1.000.000 people joining it." (Otherwise, the "also" is used incorrectly, and the sentence is useless.) Unfortunately, this would make it wrong; a statement of the form "if A then B" is not false if B is true and A isn't. (This is the difficulty of making formal logic: the traditional conditional leads to bizarre, vacuous truths.) Also, more seriously, you say that "if A then A" is a longer way of saying "A", or, more formally, that "A → A" is logically equivalent to "A." Unfortunately, this is not the case. The statement "if A then A" is always true, and hence a tautology. You also assert that "A = A" (or "A ↔ A") is logically equivalent to "A", where "A" is "The first rule of tautology club." This is even more obviously false. Even if "The first rule of tautology club" yields falsehood, it is still equivalent to itself.

:Serious issues aside, I do agree with your sentiment that "[i]f 1.000.000 people join this group, it will have 1.000.000 people in it" is not necessarily a tautology, but removing the ambiguities (did they all join at the same time? did anyone leave?), which would necessarily be done in any formalization of the statement, would yield the tautological "A → A."

197: Ninja Turtles

2013-09-02T14:31:11Z

Quicksilver: If any more trouble is made regarding Ninja Turtles, I will get admins on my side.

{{comic
| number = 197
| date = December 15, 2006
| title = Ninja Turtles
| image = ninja turtles.png
| titletext = The henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady have hijacked the musical genres for us just like the Lone Ranger hijacked the William Tell Overture for our parents.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}}, or Ninja Turtles, are a pop-cultural phenomenon especially prominent in the late 1980s and 1990s. The four turtles are each named for four artists of the European Renaissance: {{w|Leonardo da Vinci}}, {{w|Michelangelo|Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni}}, {{w|Donatello|Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi}}, and {{w|Raphael|Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino}}.

The title text alludes to a similar phenomenon, as two other characters from the show "Bebop" and "Rocksteady" are now better known as the characters than for the musical genres they are named for. Similarly, the {{w|William Tell Overture}} became so closely tied to the character of the Lone Ranger in media for the previous generation that, to many, the William Tell Overture is in effect "The Lone Ranger Theme."

==Transcript==
:[Four pie graphs, each colored green and brown.]
:Leonardo
:[Almost one-half green.]
:Michelangelo
:[More than one-half green.]
:Donatello
:[Almost completely green.]
:Raphael
:[Roughly half-and-half.]
:[A legend]
:Notoriety as a
:[Brown.] Renaissance artist
:[Green.] Ninja turtle

==Trivia==
{{w|NASA}} named their three {{w|Multi-Purpose Logistics Module|Multi-Purpose Logistics Modules}} (used to supply the {{w|International Space Station|ISS}}) after the Ninja Turtles, since the modules were made by the {{w|Italian Space Agency}}.

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

197: Ninja Turtles

2013-09-01T14:12:26Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Stick to the comic - the MPLM is something to be debated in comments.

{{comic
| number = 197
| date = December 15, 2006
| title = Ninja Turtles
| image = ninja turtles.png
| titletext = The henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady have hijacked the musical genres for us just like the Lone Ranger hijacked the William Tell Overture for our parents.
}}

==Explanation==

The {{w|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}}, or Ninja Turtles, are a pop-cultural phenomenon especially prominent in the late 1980s and 1990s. The four turtles are each named for four artists of the European Renaissance: {{w|Leonardo da Vinci}}, {{w|Michelangelo|Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni}}, {{w|Donatello|Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi}}, and {{w|Raphael|Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino}}.

The title text alludes to a similar phenomenon, as two other characters from the show "Bebop" and "Rocksteady" are now better known as the characters than for the musical genres they are named for. Similarly, the {{w|William Tell Overture}} became so closely tied to the character of the Lone Ranger in media for the previous generation that, to many, the William Tell Overture is in effect "The Lone Ranger Theme."

==Transcript==
:[Four pie graphs, each colored green and brown.]
:Leonardo
:[Almost one-half green.]
:Michelangelo
:[More than one-half green.]
:Donatello
:[Almost completely green.]
:Raphael
:[Roughly half-and-half.]
:[A legend]
:Notoriety as a
:[Brown.] Renaissance artist
:[Green.] Ninja turtle

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

782: Desecration

2013-08-31T17:22:18Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Removed incomplete tag. Any objections?

{{comic
| number = 782
| date = August 20, 2010
| title = Desecration
| image = desecration.png
| titletext = It gets worse! You know that wizened old monk with the gypsy wife whose voodoo shop we smash up every day after school?
}}

==Explanation==

In this comic, [[Megan]] and [[Rob]] are horrified to discover that the bones they had dug up and turned into puppets were actually from an ancient Indian burial ground. The joke is that they already seem to know that they were Indian bones, so their origins really shouldn't come as a surprise.

A common trope in horror fiction is that anyone defiling an ancient Indian burial ground will have a horrible curse cast upon them.

The title text expands on this, alluding to more fables of curses cast by monks, gypsies, and voodoo practitioners.

==Transcript==
:[Megan running towards Rob.]
:Megan: ROB! ROB!
:Rob: You look terrified! What's wrong?
:Megan: We've made a huge mistake!

:[Both standing in place, Megan has hands up in an explaining gesture.]
:Megan: Remember last week when we dug up all those Indian bones and made puppets out of them?
:Rob: Sure...

:[Megan is throwing her arms out.]
:Megan: It turns out they were buried over an ''ancient Indian burial ground!''
:Rob: Oh my God!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Rob]]

568: Well 2

2013-08-30T00:41:07Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 568
| date = April 13, 2009
| title = Well 2
| image = well_2.png
| titletext = But I've made $13.72 already today! Ow, stop throwing pennies.
}}

==Explanation==
The average person's lifespan is 80 years now. So, while immortality may become a reality within the coming century, [[Ponytail]] won't live long enough to achieve it.

[[Cueball]] is looking for a programming language that will simply execute the way he wants it to without having to explain what he means. This is a problem with computers, they are very precise, they will do ''exactly'' what you tell it to do, not what you want it to do.

This is when we find out that one of [[Megan]]'s boyfriends (past/present/future, [[507|she's had a few]]) is hiding in the well, waiting for her to come for an Uncomfortable Truth.

The title text suggests he might just be down there for the money everyone is throwing away.

All comics in the [[:Category:Well|Well]] series:
*[[561: Well]]
*[[568: Well 2]]

==Transcript==
:[People are lined up by a well. A sign says "The Uncomfortable Truths Well." Ponytail drops in a coin.]
:Well: Science may discover immortality, but it won't happen in the next eighty years.
:[Cueball drops in a coin.]
:Well: You'll never find a programming language that frees you from the burden of clarifying your ideas.
:Cueball: But ''I'' know what I mean!
:[Megan drops in a coin.]
:Well: You avoid your friend Mike because you're uncomfortably attracted to him.
:Megan: Nice try, Mike. Get out of the well.
:Well: Aww.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Sarcasm]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Well]]

Talk:1047: Approximations

2013-08-30T00:37:56Z

Quicksilver:

They're actually quite accurate. I've used these in calculations, and they seem to give close enough answers. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:03, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

I only see a use for the liters in a gallon one. The rest are for trolling or simple amusement. The cosine identity bit our math team in the butt at a competition. It was painful. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 05:27, 17 August 2013 (UTC)

Annoyingly this explanation does not cover 42 properly, it does not say that Douglas Adams got the number 42 from Lewis Carroll, who is more relevant to the page because he was a mathematician named Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. He was obsessed with the number forty-two. The original plate illustrations of Alice in Wonderland drawn by him numbered forty-two. Rule Forty-Two in Alice in Wonderland is "All persons more than a mile high to leave the court", There is also a Code of Honour in the preface of The Hunting of the Snark, an extremely long poem written by him when he was 42 years old, in which rule forty-two is "No one shall speak to the Man at the Helm". The queens in Alice Through the Looking Glass the White Queen announces her age as "one hundred and one, five months and a day", which - if the best possible date is assumed for the action of Through the Looking-Glass - gives a total of 37,044 days. With the further (textually unconfirmed) assumption that both Queens were born on the same day their combined age becomes 74,088 days, which is 42 x 42 x 42. --[[Special:Contributions/139.216.242.254|139.216.242.254]] 02:43, 29 August 2013 (UTC)

:: This explanation covers 42 adequately, and would probably be made slightly worse if such information were added. The very widely known cultural reference is to Adams's interpretation, not Dodgson's original obsession. Adding it would be akin to introducing the MPLM into the explanation for the hijacking of Renaissance artists' names by the TMNT. I definitely concede that it does not cover 42 exhaustively, but I think it can be considered complete and in working order without such an addition. If it really irks you, be bold and add it! --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 00:37, 30 August 2013 (UTC)

169: Words that End in GRY

2013-08-29T09:31:31Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Title text, copy-edits.

{{comic
| number = 169
| date = October 11, 2006
| title = Words that End in GRY
| image = words_that_end_in_gry.png
| titletext = The fifth panel also applies to postmodernists.
}}

==Explanation==
This is a reference to a mistelling of a (fairly stupid) joke. The original, correct telling of the joke is:
*''Think of words ending in 'g' 'r' 'y'. "Angry" and "Hungry" are two of them. There are only three words in "the English language." What is the third word? Hint: The word is something that everyone uses everyday. If you have listened carefully, I have already told you what it is.''
Phrased this way, the reason the answer is "Language" because "There are only three words in 'the English language.'"

However, this joke is often mistold by misphrasing the original riddle as it is in the comic. By instead saying, "There are three words in the English language that end in '-gry,'" the teller of the joke has actually removed ANY chance of determining the correct answer. Many people who were stumped by the original joke and would ask their friends for help, but when they did so, they would tell the joke incorrectly as they were unaware of what the answer was.

As such, when [[Cueball]] attempts to say the answer is "language" and act smugly about it, [[Black Hat]] is unimpressed and cuts off Cueball's hand.

The title text refers to {{w|postmodernism}}, a philosophy and corresponding art movement. Postmodern music is often {{w|minimalist}}, as exemplified by the weird sounds of {{w|Philip Glass}} and {{w|Steve Reich}}, and {{w|Postmodern art#Movements in postmodern art|postmodern visual art}} saw trends such as lowbrow and installation art gain attention. Apart from a rejection of modernism, however, it is difficult to outline postmodernism to justify the strange works of art. {{w|Deconstruction}} is another important concept, but it is difficult to describe the process. In short, postmodernists make art and may act smugly about it, but do not adequately explain what their art means. Thus, Black Hat's statement that such practice is not "cleverness" applies to them as well.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat and Cueball are standing next to each other.]
:Cueball: There are three words in the English language that end in "gry". "Angry" and "Hungry" are two. What's the third?
:Black Hat: I don't think there is one, unless you count really obscure words.
:Cueball: Ha! It's "language"! I said there are three words in "the English--"
:[Black Hat grabs Cueball's hand with a ''GRAB''.]
:Cueball: What th-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
:[Black Hat slices off Cueball's hand with a knife.]
:Black Hat: Ok, listen carefully.
:Cueball: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
:[Cueball is bleeding profusely.]
:Black Hat: Communicating badly then acting smug when you're misunderstood is not cleverness.
:Cueball: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
:Black Hat: I hope we've learned something today.
:Cueball: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

==Trivia==
*Wikipedia has an entire page devoted to the -GRY joke {{w|-gry}}.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

Talk:197: Ninja Turtles

2013-08-28T02:45:34Z

Quicksilver:

Regarding the William Tell Overture's popular re-imagining, it has been said that "An intellectual is someone who can listen to <nowiki>[it]</nowiki> without thinking of the Lone Ranger," or very similar. (Wikipedia currently has a reference note about this that chiefly attributes it "... to Jack Guin writing in the Denver Post in 1962. (Brooklyn Barrister (1962), Volume 14, p. 107).", but it was an very well known anonymous pithy (and snobby?) statement a decade or two later, as I recall.)

------
The explain is wrong! This comic refers to this: {{w|Multi-Purpose Logistics Module}}. NASA did name that modules by real scientists and after that it was matched to this: {{w|Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles}}.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:05, 22 June 2013 (UTC)

: I dispute that. The MPLM was named after the TMNTs, and thus would contribute to their notoriety as such. There are no ''direct'' references to the MPLM, however, so the passage about them is at best overkill (at worse, useless). The main point is that the modern popular culture "hijacks" classical figures. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 05:09, 24 August 2013 (UTC)
::Randall did work at NASA in the past, if he wouldn't have the MPLM's in his mind while drawing this comic he must suffer on short term memory loss. He is joking about this coincidence.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:36, 24 August 2013 (UTC)

::: Again, I dispute the relevance of MPLM to an explanation of this comic. To someone who doesn't know who the TMNT are and haven't heard of Donatello or Raphael, it seems overkill to have to introduce them and then pile on the MPLM layer. The title text refers to similar pop-culture characters, neither of whom have anything to do with NASA, and while the readers of xkcd tend to have a science-y bent, the MPLM is a very specific, technical thing that very few are likely to know about. Furthermore, this comic came out in December 2006, months after the previous MPLM mission. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 04:31, 25 August 2013 (UTC)
::::"There were 34 Space Shuttle missions to the ISS. MPLMs were flown twelve times". The first mission was Leonardo on March 8, 2001 at STS 102. The joke is just about the coincidence of the Ninja Turtles and the MPLM program.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:45, 25 August 2013 (UTC)
::::: Which joke? The joke in the comic or the joke in the comments? The comic makes absolutely no hint of any reference to NASA, the ISS, or the MPLMs. The joke is that the TMNTs hijacked the importance of the four Renaissance artists. I see no reason (apart from Trivia, which can be its own section) for including MPLM into an explanation. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 21:32, 25 August 2013 (UTC)

There is absolutely nothing in the comic that suggests it is related to the MPLM. I have removed this as it is off-topic for the explanation. If this was what the comic was about Randall would have put some sort of hint. Rocksteady and Bebop contradict this theory.

If someone wants to re-add it they should do so in a trivia section, as it is trivia not directly related to the comic. [[Special:Contributions/184.66.160.91|184.66.160.91]] 02:18, 27 August 2013 (UTC)
:Oh, put it into trivia section if you like, but that names are not only some random names from Ninja Turtles. Randall is a smart guy from NASA.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:35, 27 August 2013 (UTC)
:: So what? Smart guys at NASA only care about NASA stuff? What about the Bebop and Rocksteady, then? The whole point is that NASA ''went along with'' the hijacking of the four artists' names into pop culture by the TMNT. They came before the modules, and were immensely popular. They probably influenced his childhood more than the MPLM influenced his life. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 02:45, 28 August 2013 (UTC)

54: Science

2013-08-25T23:18:52Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Title text under dispute.

{{comic
| number = 54
| date = January 18, 2006
| title = Science
| image = science.jpg
| titletext = Bonus point if you can identify the science in question
}}

==Explanation==
{{Incomplete|Title text under dispute}}
The graph shows the relationship between energy density and frequency for two sources: the solid line represents the theoretical {{w|blackbody radiation}}, and the dots represent measurements of the {{w|cosmic microwave background radiation}}, or in short CMB. The equation is the {{w|Planck's Law}}, derived in 1900 by {{w|Max Planck}} for the energy density of blackbody radiation.

This comic shows the very close match between theory and prediction, showing that the Cosmic Background Radiation looks exactly like a blackbody at 2.73 K, which is what we would expect if the CMB is the result of the light of the {{w|Big Bang}} cooled by the expansion of the universe.

All of this comes from science, and therefore [[Randall]] is boasting that science works, since it can explain the small amount of heat in the background of the cosmos.

The meaning of the title text is under dispute.

==Transcript==
:[Graph of cosmic microwave background radiation: Y axis is energy density, X axis is frequency in GHz. Energy density peaks at 160.4 GHz.]
:I(f) = ((2hf^3)/(c^2))*(1/(e^(hf/(kT))-1))
:SCIENCE.
:It works, bitches.

==Trivia==
*This is the 48th comic originally posted to livejournal. The previous comic was [[50: Penny Arcade]], the next is [[51: Malaria]].
*This comic is available on a t-shirt at [http://store.xkcd.com/products/science-works the xkcd store].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]

Talk:54: Science

2013-08-25T23:18:47Z

Quicksilver: /* Title Text Meaning */ new section

It's also commonly called "Microwave Background Radiation" because where the radiation peaks at 160.4 GHz is in the microwave range of the electromagnetic spectrum. --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 18:02, 13 March 2013 (UTC)

== Title Text Meaning ==

As can easily be seen from the page's history, Dgbrt and I have been locked in a minor edit war over the meaning of the title text. I claim that Randall is simply complimenting the readers who happen to know what the formula and curve mean. Dgbrt thinks otherwise; I will let him explain his interpretation.

Please add to this discussion so we may come to a consensus on its meaning. Thanks. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 23:18, 25 August 2013 (UTC)

User talk:Dgbrt

2013-08-25T23:14:12Z

Quicksilver: /* Discussions with Quicksilver */

== [[1190: Time]] ==

It's fine that you're helping with updating [[1190: Time]]. I'm trying to write a script that automatically updates the hashes and uploads the images. In order to test the script, could you, at least for the next image, refrain from doing that? I can then test the script and if it works, you can continue if you want to, but least I know that my script does work.

Updating the transcript and anything else from the page is still absolutely fine, I cannot do this. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 15:56, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
: Ok, seems to work. If you want, you can continue updating, but my script should do this automatically within ~1 minute while I'm online. And if I'm not, it should catch up later. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 16:09, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

:: GREAT, it's really working. My computer is online 24/7 (but not me). Since updates should be done in time maybe my computer is the better machine for your script. I am on Linux and a cron job is downloading at 00,05,20,35,50 each hour, just in case the update frequency will change again. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:31, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

::: Might be, but I have a folder full of scripting stuff, and I would have to tidy up all that to get the important lines. And I'm not really in the mood for that. ;-) Maybe I will come back to this later. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 16:52, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

Thank you for your comment. The reason I said "another" river is because "another" is referencing Megan's quote that "yes. there are other rivers" - implying they have arrived at "another" river, not the one they already knew about. I put quotes because as you point out, we haven't exactly seen them come across the first river. As to the water bottle, if you want to change it to "drinking bottle", I'm fine with that. The contents being water is an assumption based on what you might expect someone to do going on a long journey. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 20:18, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

: I am not a native English speaker - so thanks for help - but I just want to be correct. And I did edit your edit...

I think a special page (i.e. "1190: Time: Pictures") with a table (description | thumb with link) or other form of separator might work. I seem to remember seeing something on using a different thumb file on a picture link. This is my first time editing wiki pages, but the thumbs and smaller images on the upload pages don't appear to be working. As a work around, I just used blind links without thumbs (e.g. :file:fname...). I can create and upload smaller pictures, but will need some help putting it all together. If this sounds good to you, give me a nod on my talk page and I'll start adding content and let the regulars help straighten it out. Also, am I doing something wrong on the uploads or is it just not working? [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:52, 5 June 2013 (UTC)
: I'm also relatively new to wiki edits, but I'm a programmer, Linux expert (and more OS's) and also the admin for the wiki at my company. Thumbnails do not work because of a bug in the configuration or missing capabilities at the hoster. I will try to talk to the admins here, maybe I can help. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:33, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

== Redirections, and incomplete explanations ==

Hello there, and thank you for your work! :-)

One technical thing that you should note, when you create pages that should redirect directly to a newly created explanation page (for example [[332]] to redirect to [[332: Gyroscopes]]), use the redirection syntax which goes like this: <code><nowiki>#REDIRECT [[332: Gyroscopes]]</nowiki></code>

You've done it right for [[447]] / [[Too Old For This Shit]] or [[531]] / [[Friends]] for instance, so try to do it all the time, instead of leaving pages with only a link in it, like {{diff|39258|332}} / {{diff|39259|Gyroscopes}} or {{diff|39251|311}} / {{diff|39252|Action Movies}}. Thanks :-)

Another thing, not from me, and about content this time: [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] left you a couple of message in the changes he made to the pages you created, but it's fairly possible that you didn't get them, so here they are:
* (in response to your comment ''"I am still trying to give every comic a page here. Help me to complete it!"''): {{diff|39262|''"I'd really rather leave those links red for someone to write a proper explanation. With explanations that read like second transcripts, all we really do is take traffic away from xkcd.com without adding value."''}}
* {{diff|39263|''"Also, incomplete articles are harder to track than nonexistent articles, so I'd rather we just focus on making explanations well instead of making an unsatisfactory shell for every comic. Incomplete explanations make us look kinda bad too."''}}
* {{diff|39265|''"People on other sites often comment on how our explanations are a wildly mixed bag of quality. I'd rather you put your effort into making a few good substantial explanations instead of loads of summaries and rehashes of the transcript."''}}

Try to take that into account also...

Cheers, [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 10:45, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

:Hello [[User:Cos|Cos]], here some comments by me:
::Redirections - I'm sorry for the missing #REDIRECT tag. I'm using often a text editor for my own copy and paste templates. I am sure I would have figured out that error today by myself. Thanks for your help!
::Incomplete explanations - I will stop on this even when I think it's good idea to have a page for each comic here and work afterwards on all those incomplete ones. The pages [[Help:How_to_add_a_new_comic_explanation]] and [[List_of_unexplained_comics]] should clarify this issue. Furthermore there are many more incomplete comics not marked as incomplete so you can't find them here: [[:Category:Incomplete articles|Incomplete explanations]]. I will also send a message to [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] about this.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:35, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

Speaking of incomplete explanations, do you think you could help add some text to [[266: Choices: Part 3]] and [[267: Choices: Part 4]]? To my knowledge, they are the only articles on the wiki without even a stub for an explanation. In addition, the other three choice articles could use some better explanations. --[[User:Oneforfortytwo|Oneforfortytwo]] ([[User talk:Oneforfortytwo|talk]]) 04:02, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

== Ach nee,... ==

...schau mal einer an, noch ein Deutscher! Wollte nur mal 'nen Gruß hinterlassen... ;-) --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 21:37, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
:Ich grüße zurück! I am greeting you too.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:20, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

== Congratulations! ==

You worked on the last unexplained comic of ''xkcd'' at very much the same time that the article was created! [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 23:41, 18 June 2013 (UTC)
:I was working at the same time to create that explanation. After trying to save I got a warning that it's already there. So I just did add my work there.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:40, 19 June 2013 (UTC)
::In that case, you also created the last explanation. You two worked on the comic at essentially the same time. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 18:13, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

== 1190:Time frame renumbering ==

Apologies if I created confusion, I was under the impression that davidy22 had already made the final decision to renumber the frames. I didn't know there was someone else who made the decision. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 01:11, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

== DgbrtBOT ==

It took a while for me to notice your request. I think you've been quite the active figure around the wiki, so I've added the bot to the bots group.

Keep up the work and don't burn out! [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:37, 8 August 2013 (UTC)

:Many thanks, my request was mainly for picture uploads to 1190 Time, but maybe I will use this feature in the future. I will be careful, first tests will be done at my local TestWiki.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:29, 8 August 2013 (UTC)

== The right place to add 'discussion' ==

I don't disagree with your comment to [[User:Anon]] (although I'd say "additions" instead of "adds"), or to a number of your edits to their additions, but some of what has been added is not worthy of Trivia sections being added. They should probably have been put into the talk page, or in some cases, left where they were. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 05:39, 15 August 2013 (UTC)
:You are right, I just did not want to delete the additions by this new user. Because I can't move a single line to the talk page by one edit I thought the Trivia section would be the best solution. I don't like links to other comics here when it doesn't explain anything to the actual one. But a sidestep to a similar joke could be worthy to the Trivia section.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:36, 15 August 2013 (UTC)

== Explained too much ==

Hello Dgbrt, I'm sorry I explained too much about comic 1255. I was under the impression that the purpose of this wiki was to explain XKCD comics for those who don't get the references, so I thought it would be helpful to explain the part about sailing in a line tangent to the surface, which wasn't previously touched on in the description. I understand now that what you guys actually do here is to describe and transcribe XKCD comics. That's not something I'm interested in so I'll leave now. Thank you for correcting my misunderstanding. [[User:Rombobjörn|Rombobjörn]] ([[User talk:Rombobjörn|talk]]) 12:47, 25 August 2013 (UTC)
:Hey, this site does not only "transcribe XKCD comics". The wrong stories about Columbus is the major joke here, Megan did use Tolkien's books, but she also could have used many others. The explain should point on the essentials of the comic, people should be able to read this easy in general.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:07, 25 August 2013 (UTC)
::Hello. Admin here. I don't comb through and look at every single edit that happens in this wiki, but some things flag up as significant and this scuffle qualifies. Reading the current explanation and your addition, there are a number of unexplained and unreferenced Tolkien-specific terms littered around the place. Valar and Ilúvatar will not be familiar to people who have not read the Silmarillion before. Megan appears to be drawing a direct parallel between Eärendil and Columbus here with the quote "A silmaril on his brow, he wanders the heavens as the morning star." There is no apparent evidence to show that the reformation of the earth is referenced in this comic; no mention of Akallabêth, Ilúvatar or any hint of Columbus being of elvish descent. If you can link your reference directly to the comic, feel free to add it in.
::Also, Dgbrt, you only have to reply once to the original talk message. You don't have to leave disjointed messages in other people's talk pages. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:05, 25 August 2013 (UTC)

== Discussions with Quicksilver ==

Hello! I have noticed that "In this comic" is a pet peeve to you. As a gift, I have removed it from almost all of the 60 explanations that it started, but there remain some more places where it could be removed. If you wish, you can go ahead and remove the newlines that I left in their wake.

If you need a general copy-editor for grammar, punctuation, or usage, let me know. I consider myself adequate at it, being a decently educated native American English speaker. (I am not a professional editor, though, so stuff can always be made better.)

Also, as you definitely have noticed, I can get belligerent over some things, particularly whether a page deserves its "Incomplete" status. I expect some more sparring matches in the coming future. I do hope to work with you on cutting the number of such pages down.

Anyway, thanks for the intro to the wiki! --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 21:31, 25 August 2013 (UTC)
:Welcome Quicksilver! I did see that you must be an native American speaker but some of your edits are too offensive, I do reply on this, and we have to discuss until a final solution can be presented. Many updates by you are great, but please check all the links, etc. until removing the incomplete tag. This tag does not mean the explain is wrong. BTW: Please sign your discussions.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:22, 25 August 2013 (UTC)

Now that I have your attention, we can begin discussing things. We have a brewing edit war over the following pages (so far): [[694: Retro Virus]], [[54: Science]], and [[10: Pi Equals]].

The first one I claim to be complete, while you dispute this. I cannot see how much further we can go into explanations of XP, viruses, Howard Dean, Friendster, or Kazaa. Apart from those, the comic really doesn't have anything else to explain, and its grammar and style are fair. I see no reason that the Incomplete tag should be there.

In the second one, we have different interpretations of the title text, "Bonus point if you can identify the science in question." You claim that this somehow means we should challenge science. While I understand that part of the spirit of science is questioning it, this sentence has a fairly straightforward meaning: if you can identify the science in question, you get a bonus point. In other words, if you know where this equation comes from, good for you. Randall is praising his readers who happen to know about the blackbody radiation curve, which would be a good number of them (I'd guess).

The third one is a simple issue of punctuation. You have argued, via explanations, that "one must close sentences." While I understand that it may look awkward for the quotation marks in question (those around the name of Mrs Roberts's daughter) to contain a period, not part of the name, and to have the sentence ended by a punctuation mark inside a pair of quotes, this is the English convention on quotation marks. Such a convention can be checked [http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/577/ here]. This usage clashes with that of French, German, and many other languages, but is standard in English.

As other pages turn into edit wars, I would prefer to discuss them in some central location (such as your wonderful talk page) rather than individual pages. Thank you for your consideration. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 22:40, 25 August 2013 (UTC)
:Every comic does have it's own discussion page. Here you can talk about my behave, especial on some few offensive edits I did not accept. And keep short or I will just reply {{w|Wikipedia:Too long; didn't read|tl;dr}}--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:09, 25 August 2013 (UTC)
::Very well. Our agenda begins with [[54: Science]]. The other two we will address at some point. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 23:14, 25 August 2013 (UTC)

User talk:Dgbrt

2013-08-25T22:40:56Z

Quicksilver: /* Hello from Quicksilver! */

54: Science

2013-08-25T22:07:26Z

Quicksilver: Undo revision 47729 by (talk) If Randall were asking that, there'd be no "Bonus Point." This is an early title text, before they added to the joke. English usage of "in question" means "mentioned" in this case, not "challenged."

{{comic
| number = 54
| date = January 18, 2006
| title = Science
| image = science.jpg
| titletext = Bonus point if you can identify the science in question
}}

==Explanation==
The graph shows the relationship between energy density and frequency for two sources: the solid line represents the theoretical {{w|blackbody radiation}}, and the dots represent measurements of the {{w|cosmic microwave background radiation}}, or in short CMB. The equation is the {{w|Planck's Law}}, derived in 1900 by {{w|Max Planck}} for the energy density of blackbody radiation.

This comic shows the very close match between theory and prediction, showing that the Cosmic Background Radiation looks exactly like a blackbody at 2.73 K, which is what we would expect if the CMB is the result of the light of the {{w|Big Bang}} cooled by the expansion of the universe.

All of this comes from science, and therefore [[Randall]] is boasting that science works, since it can explain the small amount of heat in the background of the cosmos.

The title text praises viewers who can identify where this equation and corresponding graph come from.

==Transcript==
:[Graph of cosmic microwave background radiation: Y axis is energy density, X axis is frequency in GHz. Energy density peaks at 160.4 GHz.]
:I(f) = ((2hf^3)/(c^2))*(1/(e^(hf/(kT))-1))
:SCIENCE.
:It works, bitches.

==Trivia==
*This is the 48th comic originally posted to livejournal. The previous comic was [[50: Penny Arcade]], the next is [[51: Malaria]].
*This comic is available on a t-shirt at [http://store.xkcd.com/products/science-works the xkcd store].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]

User talk:Dgbrt

2013-08-25T22:04:32Z

Quicksilver: /* Hello from Quicksilver! */ new section

== [[1190: Time]] ==

It's fine that you're helping with updating [[1190: Time]]. I'm trying to write a script that automatically updates the hashes and uploads the images. In order to test the script, could you, at least for the next image, refrain from doing that? I can then test the script and if it works, you can continue if you want to, but least I know that my script does work.

Updating the transcript and anything else from the page is still absolutely fine, I cannot do this. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 15:56, 2 May 2013 (UTC)
: Ok, seems to work. If you want, you can continue updating, but my script should do this automatically within ~1 minute while I'm online. And if I'm not, it should catch up later. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 16:09, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

:: GREAT, it's really working. My computer is online 24/7 (but not me). Since updates should be done in time maybe my computer is the better machine for your script. I am on Linux and a cron job is downloading at 00,05,20,35,50 each hour, just in case the update frequency will change again. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:31, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

::: Might be, but I have a folder full of scripting stuff, and I would have to tidy up all that to get the important lines. And I'm not really in the mood for that. ;-) Maybe I will come back to this later. --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 16:52, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

Thank you for your comment. The reason I said "another" river is because "another" is referencing Megan's quote that "yes. there are other rivers" - implying they have arrived at "another" river, not the one they already knew about. I put quotes because as you point out, we haven't exactly seen them come across the first river. As to the water bottle, if you want to change it to "drinking bottle", I'm fine with that. The contents being water is an assumption based on what you might expect someone to do going on a long journey. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 20:18, 2 May 2013 (UTC)

: I am not a native English speaker - so thanks for help - but I just want to be correct. And I did edit your edit...

I think a special page (i.e. "1190: Time: Pictures") with a table (description | thumb with link) or other form of separator might work. I seem to remember seeing something on using a different thumb file on a picture link. This is my first time editing wiki pages, but the thumbs and smaller images on the upload pages don't appear to be working. As a work around, I just used blind links without thumbs (e.g. :file:fname...). I can create and upload smaller pictures, but will need some help putting it all together. If this sounds good to you, give me a nod on my talk page and I'll start adding content and let the regulars help straighten it out. Also, am I doing something wrong on the uploads or is it just not working? [[User:Galois|Galois]] ([[User talk:Galois|talk]]) 23:52, 5 June 2013 (UTC)
: I'm also relatively new to wiki edits, but I'm a programmer, Linux expert (and more OS's) and also the admin for the wiki at my company. Thumbnails do not work because of a bug in the configuration or missing capabilities at the hoster. I will try to talk to the admins here, maybe I can help. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:33, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

== Redirections, and incomplete explanations ==

Hello there, and thank you for your work! :-)

One technical thing that you should note, when you create pages that should redirect directly to a newly created explanation page (for example [[332]] to redirect to [[332: Gyroscopes]]), use the redirection syntax which goes like this: <code><nowiki>#REDIRECT [[332: Gyroscopes]]</nowiki></code>

You've done it right for [[447]] / [[Too Old For This Shit]] or [[531]] / [[Friends]] for instance, so try to do it all the time, instead of leaving pages with only a link in it, like {{diff|39258|332}} / {{diff|39259|Gyroscopes}} or {{diff|39251|311}} / {{diff|39252|Action Movies}}. Thanks :-)

Another thing, not from me, and about content this time: [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] left you a couple of message in the changes he made to the pages you created, but it's fairly possible that you didn't get them, so here they are:
* (in response to your comment ''"I am still trying to give every comic a page here. Help me to complete it!"''): {{diff|39262|''"I'd really rather leave those links red for someone to write a proper explanation. With explanations that read like second transcripts, all we really do is take traffic away from xkcd.com without adding value."''}}
* {{diff|39263|''"Also, incomplete articles are harder to track than nonexistent articles, so I'd rather we just focus on making explanations well instead of making an unsatisfactory shell for every comic. Incomplete explanations make us look kinda bad too."''}}
* {{diff|39265|''"People on other sites often comment on how our explanations are a wildly mixed bag of quality. I'd rather you put your effort into making a few good substantial explanations instead of loads of summaries and rehashes of the transcript."''}}

Try to take that into account also...

Cheers, [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 10:45, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

:Hello [[User:Cos|Cos]], here some comments by me:
::Redirections - I'm sorry for the missing #REDIRECT tag. I'm using often a text editor for my own copy and paste templates. I am sure I would have figured out that error today by myself. Thanks for your help!
::Incomplete explanations - I will stop on this even when I think it's good idea to have a page for each comic here and work afterwards on all those incomplete ones. The pages [[Help:How_to_add_a_new_comic_explanation]] and [[List_of_unexplained_comics]] should clarify this issue. Furthermore there are many more incomplete comics not marked as incomplete so you can't find them here: [[:Category:Incomplete articles|Incomplete explanations]]. I will also send a message to [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] about this.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:35, 3 June 2013 (UTC)

Speaking of incomplete explanations, do you think you could help add some text to [[266: Choices: Part 3]] and [[267: Choices: Part 4]]? To my knowledge, they are the only articles on the wiki without even a stub for an explanation. In addition, the other three choice articles could use some better explanations. --[[User:Oneforfortytwo|Oneforfortytwo]] ([[User talk:Oneforfortytwo|talk]]) 04:02, 27 June 2013 (UTC)

== Ach nee,... ==

...schau mal einer an, noch ein Deutscher! Wollte nur mal 'nen Gruß hinterlassen... ;-) --[[User:SlashMe|SlashMe]] ([[User talk:SlashMe|talk]]) 21:37, 8 June 2013 (UTC)
:Ich grüße zurück! I am greeting you too.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:20, 9 June 2013 (UTC)

== Congratulations! ==

You worked on the last unexplained comic of ''xkcd'' at very much the same time that the article was created! [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 23:41, 18 June 2013 (UTC)
:I was working at the same time to create that explanation. After trying to save I got a warning that it's already there. So I just did add my work there.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:40, 19 June 2013 (UTC)
::In that case, you also created the last explanation. You two worked on the comic at essentially the same time. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 18:13, 28 June 2013 (UTC)

== 1190:Time frame renumbering ==

Apologies if I created confusion, I was under the impression that davidy22 had already made the final decision to renumber the frames. I didn't know there was someone else who made the decision. [[User:Patzer|Patzer]] ([[User talk:Patzer|talk]]) 01:11, 2 July 2013 (UTC)

== DgbrtBOT ==

It took a while for me to notice your request. I think you've been quite the active figure around the wiki, so I've added the bot to the bots group.

Keep up the work and don't burn out! [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:37, 8 August 2013 (UTC)

:Many thanks, my request was mainly for picture uploads to 1190 Time, but maybe I will use this feature in the future. I will be careful, first tests will be done at my local TestWiki.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:29, 8 August 2013 (UTC)

== The right place to add 'discussion' ==

I don't disagree with your comment to [[User:Anon]] (although I'd say "additions" instead of "adds"), or to a number of your edits to their additions, but some of what has been added is not worthy of Trivia sections being added. They should probably have been put into the talk page, or in some cases, left where they were. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 05:39, 15 August 2013 (UTC)
:You are right, I just did not want to delete the additions by this new user. Because I can't move a single line to the talk page by one edit I thought the Trivia section would be the best solution. I don't like links to other comics here when it doesn't explain anything to the actual one. But a sidestep to a similar joke could be worthy to the Trivia section.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:36, 15 August 2013 (UTC)

== Explained too much ==

Hello Dgbrt, I'm sorry I explained too much about comic 1255. I was under the impression that the purpose of this wiki was to explain XKCD comics for those who don't get the references, so I thought it would be helpful to explain the part about sailing in a line tangent to the surface, which wasn't previously touched on in the description. I understand now that what you guys actually do here is to describe and transcribe XKCD comics. That's not something I'm interested in so I'll leave now. Thank you for correcting my misunderstanding. [[User:Rombobjörn|Rombobjörn]] ([[User talk:Rombobjörn|talk]]) 12:47, 25 August 2013 (UTC)
:Hey, this site does not only "transcribe XKCD comics". The wrong stories about Columbus is the major joke here, Megan did use Tolkien's books, but she also could have used many others. The explain should point on the essentials of the comic, people should be able to read this easy in general.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:07, 25 August 2013 (UTC)
::Hello. Admin here. I don't comb through and look at every single edit that happens in this wiki, but some things flag up as significant and this scuffle qualifies. Reading the current explanation and your addition, there are a number of unexplained and unreferenced Tolkien-specific terms littered around the place. Valar and Ilúvatar will not be familiar to people who have not read the Silmarillion before. Megan appears to be drawing a direct parallel between Eärendil and Columbus here with the quote "A silmaril on his brow, he wanders the heavens as the morning star." There is no apparent evidence to show that the reformation of the earth is referenced in this comic; no mention of Akallabêth, Ilúvatar or any hint of Columbus being of elvish descent. If you can link your reference directly to the comic, feel free to add it in.
::Also, Dgbrt, you only have to reply once to the original talk message. You don't have to leave disjointed messages in other people's talk pages. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:05, 25 August 2013 (UTC)

== Hello from Quicksilver! ==

Hello! I have noticed that "In this comic" is a pet peeve to you. As a gift, I have removed it from almost all of the 60 explanations that it started, but there remain some more places where it could be removed. If you wish, you can go ahead and remove the newlines that I left in their wake.

If you need a general copy-editor for grammar, punctuation, or usage, let me know. I consider myself adequate at it, being a decently educated native American English speaker. (I am not a professional editor, though, so stuff can always be made better.)

Also, as you definitely have noticed, I can get belligerent over some things, particularly whether a page deserves its "Incomplete" status. I expect some more sparring matches in the coming future. I do hope to work with you on cutting the number of such pages down.

Anyway, thanks for the intro to the wiki! --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 21:31, 25 August 2013 (UTC)

10: Pi Equals

2013-08-25T22:03:21Z

Quicksilver: Undo revision 47727 by (talk). Punctuation: "In non-dialog text, put periods and commas inside the quotation marks." Even if it is a name is in quotes, the period MUST be inside them. This is unlike French and German.

{{comic
| number = 10
| date = September 30, 2005
| title = Pi Equals
| image = pi.jpg
| titletext = My most famous drawing, and one of the first I did for the site
}}

==Explanation==
There are two possible references here. One is from the book ''{{w|Contact (novel)|Contact}}'' by Carl Sagan, where the existence of God was shown in the last chapter to be encoded in the digits of {{w|pi}}. The other is an old joke of a {{w|fortune cookie}} with a fortune that reads "Help! I'm trapped in a fortune cookie factory!" This joke is also referenced in [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]'s title text, where [[Mrs. Roberts]] [[Elaine Roberts|daughter]]'s name is "Help I'm trapped in a driver's license factory."

[http://www.angio.net/pi/whynotpi.html Probability of Finding Strings In Pi.]

==Transcript==
:Pi = 3.141592653589793helpimtrappedinauniversefactory7108914...

==Trivia==
*This is the eleventh comic originally posted on livejournal. The previous was [[9: Serenity is coming out tomorrow]]. The next was [[14: Copyright]]. View archive [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40 here].
*The book version of this comic (in ''[http://store.xkcd.com/products/xkcd-volume-0 xkcd: volume 0]'') has different title text: ''"I've put rescue instructions in e. You'll need the cheat codes for your universe, which I hid in the square root of two."''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal]]
[[Category:Math]]

User:Dgbrt

2013-08-25T21:59:36Z

Quicksilver: Undo revision 47700 by Quicksilver (talk) [Wrong page]

733: Eagle

2013-08-25T21:58:12Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Title text

{{comic
| number = 733
| date = April 28, 2010
| title = Eagle
| image = eagle.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = In the off-seasons, I hire an animal trainer to help confront secret agents with situations which they are unable to report by radio.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is making a play on the typical "secret agent" code phrases such as the one above or "The Eagle has landed." or "The cobra has struck."

The *KHHHKHT* noises that the character is making are imitations of the static sounds made when using a walkie-talkie.

The title text is saying that when the character in the comic is not following field biologists, he is making actual eagles land in front of actual agents, but they are not allowed to report eagles landing, because that would use the secret code phrase.

==Transcript==
:[A researcher is looking up into a tree, holding a clipboard in one hand and a radio in the other.]
:Researcher: The eagle has left the nest.
:Off-Panel: *KHHHKHT* Roger that. Alert the agents. *KHKKHHKT*
:Researcher: Will you ''stop that?''

:My hobby: Following field biologists around and interpreting everything they say as code phrases.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

896: Marie Curie

2013-08-25T21:57:56Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Title text

{{comic
| number = 896
| date = May 9, 2011
| title = Marie Curie
| image = marie curie.png
| titletext = Although not permanently.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Ponytail]] is standing (possibly by herself and talking to herself) and looking at a picture of {{w|Marie Curie}}. When she mentions Marie Curie's name, Zombie Marie Curie comes forth to give some life lessons and inspiration.

Marie Curie pioneered research on radioactivity and as it says in the comic she earned two nobel prizes. She died from {{w|aplastic anemia}} contracted from exposure to radiation — although in the title text it says that it does not kill you permanently, because you come back as a zombie.

Everything that Zombie Marie Curie says about {{w|Emmy Noether}} and {{w|Lise Meitner}} above is true as well.

==Transcript==
:Ponytail: My teacher always told me that if I applied myself, I could become the next Marie Curie.
:Zombie Marie Curie: You know, I wish they'd get over me.

:Ponytail: Zombie Marie Curie!

:Zombie Marie Curie: Not that I don't deserve it. These two Nobels ain't decorative. But I make a sorry role model if girls just see me over and over as the one token lady scientist.

:Zombie Marie Curie: Lise Meitner figured out that nuclear fission was happening, while her colleague Otto was staring blankly at their data in confusion, and proved Enrico Fermi wrong in the process. Enrico and Otto both got Nobel Prizes. Lise got a National Women's Press Club award.
:Zombie Marie Curie: They finally named an element after her, but not until 60 years later.

:Zombie Marie Curie: Emmy Noether fought past her Victorian-era finishing-school upbringing, pursued mathematics by auditing classes, and, after finally getting a Ph.D, was permitted to teach only as an unpaid lecturer (often under male colleagues' names).
:Ponytail: Was she as good as them?
:Zombie Marie Curie: She revolutionized abstract algebra, filled gaps in relativity, and found what some call the most beautiful, deepest result in theoretical physics.
:Ponytail: Oh.

:Zombie Marie Curie: But you don't become great by trying to be great. You become great by wanting to do something, and then doing it so hard that you become great in the process.

:Zombie Marie Curie: So don't try to be the next me, Noether, or Meitner. Just remember that if you want to do this stuff, you're not alone.
:Ponytail: Thanks.
:Zombie Marie Curie: Also, avoid radium. Turns out it kills you.
:Ponytail: I'll try.

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

890: Etymology

2013-08-25T21:57:17Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Title text

{{comic
| number = 890
| date = April 25, 2011
| title = Etymology
| image = etymology.png
| titletext = For some reason, my childhood suspension of disbelief had no problem with the fact that this ancient galaxy is full of humans, but was derailed by language. There's no Asia OR Europe there, so where'd they get all the Indo-European roots?
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a reference to the sci-fi classic {{w|Star Wars}}. {{w|Obi-Wan Kenobi}} (on the left with the beard) and {{w|Luke Skywalker}} (who is on the left side of the table in the first frame) are trying to get off the planet Tatooine secretly and they enlist help from {{w|Han Solo}} and {{w|Chewbacca}}. Chewbacca is the very hairy one because he is a wookie from the planet Kashyyyk. Han Solo's ship is named the "{{w|Millennium Falcon}}".

Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time. [[Randall]] (the author of the comic) wonders what Luke would say to Han if he had no idea what a falcon was. We as viewers accept it because of the etymology of the word in our world, but there is no evidence of a falcon in the Star Wars universe - especially for Luke who has been raised only on Tatooine, a desert world.

In the title text, Randall references the fact that Star Wars is set "a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" and is curious how humans came to be in the Star Wars universe even though they (or we I guess) were not yet on Earth. The reference to {{w|Indo-European}} roots is another reference to etymology. As an example, certain words will have Indo-European roots because the word originated in Indo-European languages.

==Transcript==
:[Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca are sitting in Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina, a wretched hive of scum and villainy.]
:Han Solo: Han Solo. I'm captain of the Millenium Falcon.

:Luke Skywalker: What's that?

:Han: It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than 12 Parsecs!

:Luke: No, what's a falcon?

:Han: ...

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]

877: Beauty

2013-08-25T21:56:57Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Title text

{{comic
| number = 877
| date = March 25, 2011
| title = Beauty
| image = beauty.png
| titletext = The best hugs are probably from hagfish, which can extrude microscopic filaments that convert a huge volume of water around them to slime in seconds. Instant cozy blanket!
}}

==Explanation==
[[Ponytail]]'s statement in the first panel is proved wrong by [[Megan]]'s actions throughout the comic and the statement in the title text, to the point where she retracts and changes her statement.

Concerning the {{w|hagfish}} - "Their unusual feeding habits and slime-producing capabilities have led members of the scientific and popular media to dub the hagfish as the most 'disgusting' of all sea creatures."

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail and Cueball are discussing science. They are interrupted by an off-panel shout.]
:Ponytail: The problem with scientists is that you take the wonder and beauty out of everything by trying to analyze it.
:Megan: Dude!

:[Megan runs across the panel, carrying a microscope and a slime mold.]
:Megan: My plasmoidal slime molds have heightened pigment production! Check out that yellow color! That actually makes them zinc-resistant. Amazing, huh?

:[The slime mold is proffered to the same human who was speaking earlier. The close up hides Megan's face.]
:Ponytail: It looks like dog barf.
:Megan: Hah, yeah! F. Septica is nicknamed "dog vomit slime mold." Cool, huh? Check out my slides!

:[Megan has set down the microscope on the floor of the panel, and the slime mold is jiggling.]
:Ponytail: Okay, never mind: What's wrong with scientists is that you ''do'' see wonder and beauty in everything.
:Ponytail: Oh God, it's ''moving!''
:Megan: It wants to hug you! So cute!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Biology]]

876: Trapped

2013-08-25T21:56:41Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Title text

{{comic
| number = 876
| date = March 23, 2011
| title = Trapped
| image = trapped.png
| titletext = Socrates could've saved himself a lot of trouble if he'd just brought a flashlight, tranquilizer gun, and a bunch of rescue harnesses.
}}

==Explanation==
The 911 operator references {{w|Plato's cave}}. This is a reference to an allegory by {{w|Plato}} in which he creates a world in which prisoners are chained against a wall and know only the shadows that cross the wall and how they create their own reality from those shadows. They would create words for the things they were seeing, but that would only correspond to the shadows and not the physical things themselves.

The title text continues with the Plato's cave as Randall (the comic's author) is saying that Socrates (Plato's teacher) should have just gone into the cave and brought the prisoners out instead of dealing with the extended allegory. The tranq gun is for the prisoners, so they don't completely freak out while being taken out of the cave.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is on the phone.]
:Cueball: Hello? 911? I'm trapped!
:Cueball: It's dark and I can't see anything except these two distorted splotches of light!
:Cueball: Help!

:[The 911 operator is in an office, wearing a headset.]
:Ponytail: Splotches of light? Your ... eyeballs?
:Cueball (over phone): I think that's what they are! There's meat everywhere!

:Ponytail: ...so you're a brain.
:Cueball (over phone): Yes!
:Ponytail: Yeah, we all are. You're not trapped. Use your body to walk around and experience reality.

:Cueball: But everything's just signals in my sensory cortices! How can I be sure they correspond to an external world?!
:Ponytail (over phone): I'm sorry, but we can't send a search-and-rescue team into Plato's cave.

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

706: Freedom

2013-08-25T21:56:27Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Replaced "image" with "title."

{{comic
| number = 706
| date = February 24, 2010
| title = Freedom
| image = freedom.png
| titletext = Sometimes I'm terrified to realize how many options other people have.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Randall]] comments on the absence of physical enforcement for social norms. [[Cueball]] goes through a list of possible things he could do that only his conscience and learned social mores prevent him from doing, before promptly receiving a punch to the face justified with his own reasoning.

The title text is a restatement of the first line of the comment, but reversed to show Cueball's newfound realization that the same freedoms apply to other people, to his physical detriment.

This is also an ironic reference to {{w|Zechariah Chafee}}'s oft-quoted line, "Your right to swing your arms ends just where the other man's nose begins."

==Transcript==
:First Man: Sometimes I'm shocked to realize how many options I have.
:Second Man: Oh?

:[First Man shakes his fist.]
:First Man: Like, at any moment in any conversation, I could just punch the person I was talking to, and all these potentially life-changing events would unfold.

:First Man: It's only my mental rules that stop me from punching you, or stripping naked, or getting on a plane to Fiji. Sure, rules have reasons. But shouldn't you exercise that freedom at least once before you die?

:''WHAM''

:[First man is knocked down on the ground, dazed and bruised.]
:First Man: Okay, I should have seen that coming.
:Second Man: But you ''couldn't''! That's the beauty!

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

768: 1996

2013-08-25T21:56:04Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Replaced "image" with "title."

{{comic
| number = 768
| date = July 19, 2010
| title = 1996
| image = 1996.png
| titletext = College Board issues aside, I have fond memories of TI-BASIC, writing in it a 3D graphing engine and a stock market analyzer. With enough patience, I could make anything... but friends. (Although with my chatterbot experiments, I certainly tried.)
}}

==Explanation==
As is well understood by anybody who has even a passing familiarity with the {{w|Singularity}}, there has been a stunning amount of progress in pretty much any measurable dimension of technology in the past 14 years. In today's comic, we laugh at our prior naivete, pointing out that what would be a non-functionally awful computer now was considered state of the art in 1996. Likewise with a Palm Pilot, arguably a precursor to today's omnipresent smartphones. Texas Instrument calculators, however, appear to have been left behind, not having made any significant advances since the newly discovered issues of Computer Shopper were published. Thus, while we groan at how awful our state of the art technologies truly were in 1996, we are reminded that some technologies have remained in relative stasis over the years.

The title text, after alluding to the fact that academia's practice of only allowing (or requiring) specific models is at the root of how TI can charge high prices for stagnant technology, reminds us that when they were new, TI calculators were relatively powerful tools if you knew how to use them. TI-Basic was a fairly versatile programming language that could be used to make anything from games to reference files to computational programs. If it wasn't for the ability to program a TI calculator to make it look like you didn't have any programs on it, I would have lost my copies of Tetris and Nibbles a dozen times over as my paranoid Chem professor went around deleting programs willy-nilly before tests.

The second half of the title text is a reminder to those of us who felt like gods for knowing how to program that power comes at a price- in this case, the power to program a calculator costs friends. Since no program yet devised can truly pass a Turing test, even the most sophisticated Chatterbot (programs designed to mimic conversation) can't quite qualify as a friend. Someday, though... someday...

While many people aren't aware of them, TI ''does'' make more modern calculators in their {{w|TI-Nspire series}}, although they were introduced after this comic was published. The newest versions have color screens and (''finally!'') non-BASIC programming support through Lua.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is going through a cardboard box marked "MISC", and finds a catalog. Megan looks on.]
:Cueball: Check it out -- old Computer Shoppers! Wow -- in 1996, $3,000 would get you a 100 MHz Pentium system with a parallel port, two serial ports, a 2MB video card, and "MS-Windows"
:Megan: Nice!

:[The two are face-to-face, and they each have a separate copy of Computer Shopper.]
:Megan: And $299 would get you a Palm Pilot 100- -- 16MHz, 128Kb storage, and a memo pad, calendar, and state-of-the-art address book that can store over 100 names!
:Cueball: Oooh!

:[Cueball continues to read from his.]
:Cueball: And $110 would get you a bulky TI graphing calculator with around 10MHz CPU, 24Kb RAM, and a 96x64-pixel B/W display!
:Megan: Times sure have... ...have... uh.

:[They both put down their catalogs.]
:Cueball: Okay, what the hell, T.I.?
:Megan: Maybe they cost so much now because there's only one engineer left who remembers how to make displays that crappy.

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

840: Serious

2013-08-25T21:55:33Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Replaced "image" with "title."

{{comic
| number = 840
| date = December 29, 2010
| title = Serious
| image = serious.png
| titletext = Not to be confused with Serious PuTTY, the Windows terminal client where everything is in Impact.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a play on words with the child's putty known as "{{w|Silly Putty}}", which is "silly" because it likes to be played with. Whereas Serious Putty does not even liked to be touched.

As it says in the title text {{w|PuTTY}} is a Windows Terminal client. {{w|Impact (typeface)|Impact}} is a font that is distributed with Windows that is used in the vast majority of "{{w|internet meme|meme}}" image macros, such as {{w|lolcat}} pictures.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing next to a table. There is a can on the table.]

:[The label on the can reads, "Serious Putty".]

:[Cueball is looking at the table again.]

:[He reaches out to touch the can. The can speaks.]
:Can: Don't touch me.

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

749: Study

2013-08-25T21:55:09Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Replaced "image" with "title."

{{comic
| number = 749
| date = June 4, 2010
| title = Study
| image = study.png
| titletext = Volunteers needed for a study on transmission of urushiol from digital contact with thin strips of fibrous cellulose pulp.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is about the ubiquitous study fliers that are placed around cities and especially college campuses.

This one obviously takes it to the absurd because it is a thinly-veiled attempt to get volunteers to volunteer so that their kidneys can be "harvested" or stolen.
The title text means that {{w|urushiol}} which is an oily toxic irritant principle present in poison ivy and some related plants is present on the strips of papers and the person who put up the flier is trying to see how it is transmitted.

==Transcript==
:[A posted flier with tear-off strips at the bottom reads: "Volunteers Needed for a scientific study investigating whether people can distinguish between scientific studies and kidney-harvesting scams. (Healthy Type-O Adults Only) TAKE ONE" Five of the strips are torn off.]

{{comic discussion}}

865: Nanobots

2013-08-25T21:52:57Z

Quicksilver: "In orbit" = "in space"

{{comic
| number = 865
| date = February 25, 2011
| title = Nanobots
| image = nanobots.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = I think the IETF hit the right balance with the 128 bits thing. We can fit MAC addresses in a /64 subnet, and the nanobots will only be able to devour half the planet.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] and [[Ponytail]] are in orbit while evil nanobots are devouring the earth in a swarm. The nanobots stop after devouring 40% of the planet. This is a take on the "gray goo" scenario in which self-replicating nanobots destroy the earth while creating more and more of themselves non-stop.

However, the nanobots are only able to destroy 40% of the planet because 40% of the earth mass = (# of IPv6 addresses) x (A few cubic microns). Without more IP addresses, the nanobots cannot continue to replicate (assuming that each nanobot must be individually addressable).

This is a joke on the shortage of IPv4 addresses. The only difference is that we are on {{w|IPv4}} and the nanobots are on {{w|IPv6}}.

1998 is when the [http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2460 IPv6 Specification (RFC 2460)] was published and IETF is the Internet Engineering Task Force.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and commander are on a space station.]
:Megan: Commander! Come quick!
:Megan: It's the nanobots—
:Megan: They've STOPPED!

:Megan: They devoured 40% of the Earth, and then just ... quit! They're just sitting there!
:Megan: Why?!

:Ponytail: It's a mystery. ... unless ... What's the volume of each nanobot?
:Megan: A few cubic microns. Why?
:Ponytail: I think the year 1998 just bought us some time.

:[Earth's surface, covered in mountains of nanobots.]
:In the swarm:
:Nanobot: What do you mean, "Run out of addresses?"
:Other Nanobot: Look, we should've migrated away from IPv6 AGES ago ...

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

54: Science

2013-08-25T21:49:56Z

Quicksilver: Undo revision 47710 by Dgbrt (talk). The title text reads: Bonus points if you can identify the science in question. "In question" here means "mentioned" not "challenged." There's no asking for mist

182: Nash

2013-08-25T21:42:36Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Punctuation: removed comma splice

{{comic
| number = 182
| date = November 10, 2006
| title = Nash
| image = nash.png
| titletext = Maybe someday science will get over its giant collective crush on Richard Feynman. But I doubt it!
}}

==Explanation==
The first panel references a scene in the movie {{w|A Beautiful Mind (film)|A Beautiful Mind}} in which {{w|John Forbes Nash, Jr.|Dr. John Forbes Nash, Jr.}} comes up with his famous concept of {{w|Nash equilibrium}} when he realizes that they get suboptimal results if all the guys go after the same hot girl. The second panel deconstructs the idea by having Dr. Nash point out that staying away from the hot girl does not actually constitute a stable Nash equilibrium. The third panel has physicist {{w|Richard Feynman|Dr. Richard Feynman}} render the entire discussion moot by taking all the girls while the mathematicians ponder optimal strategies.

Feynman shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 for his important work in {{w|quantum electrodynamics}}. Feynman wrote {{w|Richard Feynman#Popular works|popular books}} and gave public lectures. These presented his work advanced theoretical physics to the general public, a practice that was not very common at that time. One of is more famous books, ''Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!'' gives many personal anecdotes from his lifetime, and it contains a passage giving advice on the best way to pick up a girl in a bar.

The aforementioned public books and lectures brought him great attention in the media, and his exceptional results in physics coupled with this have led to his getting an almost [http://articles.latimes.com/2001/dec/02/magazine/tm-10496 cult-like following] among scientists.

The title text explains this: [[Randall]] wonders whether this "collective crush" (crush as in love affair) will fade away one day, but he doubts it. Great respect for Feynman continues to this day, even though he died about a quarter-century ago.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Dr. Nash stand talking to each other. Cueball is pointing off-panel.]
:Cueball: Hey, Dr. Nash, I think those gals over there are eyeing us. This is like your Nash Equilibrium, right? One of them is hot, but we should each flirt with one of her less-desirable friends. Otherwise we risk coming on too strong to the hot one and just driving the group off.
:Dr. Nash: Well, that's not really the sort of situation I wrote about. Once we're with the ugly ones, there's no incentive for one of us not to try to switch to the hot one. It's not a stable equilibrium.
:Cueball: Crap, forget it. Looks like all three are leaving with one guy.
:[Dr. Nash shakes his fist.]
:Dr. Nash: Dammit, Feynman!

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

Talk:68: Five Thirty

2013-08-25T21:39:35Z

Quicksilver: Added my signature

Do we need to attempt to explain any of them? --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 14:33, 25 August 2013 (UTC)
:Sure, the name of this site is explainxkcd.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:33, 25 August 2013 (UTC)
:: Well then this sort of thing merits an incomplete tag, not pages for which the grammar is slightly off! There should be a tag for explanations that do not explain enough (Incomplete) that is separate from that for copy-edits and such. Blow me if many pages marked Incomplete are far more complete than this one. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 21:39, 25 August 2013 (UTC)

Talk:1254: Preferred Chat System

2013-08-25T21:38:13Z

Quicksilver: Added my signature

It seems like an owl to me, a Harry Potter reference maybe.{{unsigned ip|186.56.198.178}}
:Please sign your posts with <nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki>. But you are right, it's an owl.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:12, 21 August 2013 (UTC)
::I'd like to suggest this could also be a reference to IP over Avian Carriers: http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1149 --[[User:Erkurita|Erkurita]] ([[User talk:Erkurita|talk]]) 08:24, 23 August 2013 (UTC)

Clearly that owl is a reference to the owl who carries written messages in the Harry Potter series.

Google voice bills itself as a number that is "tied to you [the user]" instead of a device [like a phone]. Cueball is operating under the assumption that like begets like; that is, if I phone you, you are on a phone. Google voice negates this because it allows the user to control how messages reach the receipient. The comic takes this a step further and applies it to any method of communication [[User:Zim|Zim]] ([[User talk:Zim|talk]]) 12:32, 21 August 2013 (UTC)zim

[[Special:Contributions/24.91.233.200|24.91.233.200]] 12:01, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

Can I coin the term "e-synaesthesia"? [[Special:Contributions/178.104.103.140|178.104.103.140]] 13:50, 21 August 2013 (UTC)
:If that were a Facebook post, I would *like* it. [[Special:Contributions/138.162.8.57|138.162.8.57]] 14:11, 22 August 2013 (UTC)

;Pricing

Cueball's friend might just be avoiding expensive mediums. Because of how cellular carriers price their services in some countries, some plans charge far more for voice or SMS than for low-bandwidth data such as IRC or VoIP. Wired ISPs in many countries even offered unmetered data or close to it (Comcast's quarter TB per month). --[[User:Tepples|Tepples]] ([[User talk:Tepples|talk]]) 14:43, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

It is quite common that my mobile phone is off and reloading in another room, while I am actively engaged on my PC and receiving email immediately. So I kind of relate to the comic. With today's notification possibilities (SMS, Email, ...) and interconnected services (e.g. receive Facebook chat messages with a personalized facebook email address and be notified to another email of yours), this gets kind of confusing what is the individual's preferred way of communication. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/178.26.45.117|178.26.45.117]] 17:19, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

When he said the email woke him up it reminded me [http://dontevenreply.com/view.php?post=99 emails from an a**hole] maybe he is a reader. [[User:Prussell84|Prussell84]] ([[User talk:Prussell84|talk]]) 20:04, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

Frame 4, amazing future tech: They know where cue ball is, then remote control the owl's brain to deliver the message. Indistinguishable from magic indeed. [[User:MarcoLinux|MarcoLinux]] ([[User talk:MarcoLinux|talk]]) 21:17, 21 August 2013 (UTC)MarcoLinux

:Nah, they simply trained the owl to go to this place. It's not like their time was limited, they already send the owl in a way it appeared just after the voicemail was sent, which suggest they send it BEFORE the voicemail started as owls are not really able to move at speed comparable to wireless signal. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 07:51, 22 August 2013 (UTC)

;Audible email

On the contrary, standard unix behaviour is to make a noise when email arrives. Only it's a single short beep of ctrl+G and computer must be running for it to be played, so it's not really probable it would wake up someone ... at least not if they are sleeping at bed. It may wake up someone dozing off while sitting at the computer. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 07:55, 22 August 2013 (UTC)

The iPhone (and I imagine any smartphone) sounds an audible tone when an email comes in, and many of us sleep with the phone very near the bed. [[User:Gardnertoo|Gardnertoo]] ([[User talk:Gardnertoo|talk]]) 16:02, 22 August 2013 (UTC)
:Yeah, most Android phones do that, too, by default, so unless you change the settings or put your phone silent in the night, getting woken up by email is actually not that unusual. (Luckily we have good spam filters today, otherwise sleeping near a smartphone would be a real problem.) -- [[Special:Contributions/79.235.250.118|79.235.250.118]] 09:23, 24 August 2013 (UTC)

;Communication

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place. George Bernard Shaw [[Special:Contributions/200.70.22.74|200.70.22.74]] 12:47, 23 August 2013 (UTC)

I removed the incomplete tag, as the explanation was more thorough than many complete ones. The only thing it needs is a link to the (3-5?) other comics that mentioned RFC. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 21:38, 25 August 2013 (UTC)

10: Pi Equals

2013-08-25T21:37:11Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Punctuation: "In non-dialog text, put periods and commas inside the quotation marks."

694: Retro Virus

2013-08-25T21:33:46Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ Removed Incomplete tag. All references are mentioned and linked.

{{comic
| number = 694
| date = January 27, 2010
| title = Retro Virus
| image = retro_virus.png
| titletext = He says this is the year of Linux on the desktop! The world of Windows will fade any moment now!
}}

==Explanation==

This comic uses the word "retro" as a reference to {{w|Retro|retro style}} and "virus" as a reference to {{w|Computer virus|computer viruses}}. This {{w|portmanteau}} is also a double entendre for a {{w|retrovirus}}, which is a type of biological virus.

[[Cueball]] finds himself needing to clean a virus off his {{w|Microsoft Windows|Windows}} machine. Unfortunately, the {{w|Windows Registry|registry}} editor (regedit), a key tool in manipulating Windows, is affected. A coworker comes over and mentions that it has been a while since he has worried about cleaning viruses in the {{w|Windows API#Versions|Win32 API}}.

Cueball responds that {{w|Windows XP}} operating system is still the most popular (which it [http://marketshare.hitslink.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=11&qpcustomb=0&qpsp=2009&qpnp=4&qptimeframe=Y was] in 2010, and remained until mid-2012), but is drowned out by another coworker ([[Ponytail]]) who exclaims that it is as if they are back in 2003. Back then, XP machines were the standard in many places. Windows XP is also far more susceptible to viruses than many other systems, e.g. {{w|Linux}}, {{w|Mac OS X}}, etc.

Cueball's coworkers continue to make fun of him by referencing things that were important back in 2003 like {{w|Howard Dean}}, {{w|Friendster}} or {{w|Kazaa}}. Such things have since fallen largely out of prominence.

The title text is a reference to the {{w|Desktop Linux#Year of Desktop Linux|year of Linux on the desktop}}, which is an expectation that in an upcoming year, Linux will make a large breakthrough and be widely adopted by businesses and personal users. The expectation has been around since about 2000, however, and has not exactly happened. If it were to happen, the large market share enjoyed by Windows OSes would fade away.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is using a computer.]
:Cueball: Argh, this is frustrating.
:Friend (off-panel): What?

:Cueball: This Windows box has a virus and I can't get RegEdit to--
:Friend (off-panel): Haha, cleaning viruses? Man, what a blast from the past!

:Friend: Check it out! Dude's cleaning Win32 viruses! Remember that?
:Ponytail (off-panel): It's like we're back in 2003!
:Cueball (small): Hey, XP's still the most--

:Friend: Did you get the virus from Kazaa?
:Ponytail (with laptop): Guess what I just read on Howard Dean's Friendster!?
:Cueball (head in hands): Guys ...

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

Talk:197: Ninja Turtles

2013-08-25T21:32:22Z

Quicksilver: Putting my signature in. I seem to have forgotten about it ''again''

User:Dgbrt

2013-08-25T21:31:03Z

Quicksilver: Hello.

Hello, I am a big xkcd fan.

====My introduction as xkcd fan====
My random list of favourite Comics by Randall:
[[Combination Vision Test]],
[[Up_Goer_Five]]
and of course that tiny rover never coming home:
[[Spirit]]

====I'm not native English====
...and I do not like "typos". So many THANKS for helping on this issue or even more important: Wrong grammar <-I don't like this errors I didn't see.

As a German native speaker I had to learn something like "Oxford English" in school, and I did hate it. My knowledge about the (American, British, more...) English language mostly belong to later experiences. International contacts, science (especially physics), programming (Randall does not know how funny IBM does translate to German, "Copy from To" is in German just "Copy Until"), AND the main language at the internet of course is English.

Also I was even bad on the German language sessions at school. But that's just an other story.

I'm happy about corrections on my typos and grammar, but on essential content I will discuss.

Hello! I have noticed that "In this comic" is a pet peeve to you. As a gift, I have removed it from almost all of the 60 explanations that it started, but there remain some more places where it could be removed.

If you need a general copy-editor for grammar, punctuation, or usage, let me know. I consider myself adequate at it, being a decently educated native American English speaker. (I am not a professional editor, though, so stuff can always be made better.)

Also, as you definitely have noticed, I can get belligerent over some things, particularly whether a page deserves its "Incomplete" status. I expect some more sparring matches in the coming future. I do hope to work with you on cutting the number of such pages down. 
Anyway, thanks for the intro to the wiki! --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 21:31, 25 August 2013 (UTC)

863: Major in the Universe

2013-08-25T21:17:51Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ In this comic.

{{comic
| number = 863
| date = February 21, 2011
| title = Major in the Universe
| image = major in the universe.png
| titletext = I hear Steven Levitt is writing a book analyzing A.J. Jacobs' quest to spend a year reading everything Malcolm Gladwell ever wrote. The audiobook will be narrated by Robert Krulwich of Radiolab.
}}

==Explanation==
Several authors are referenced here. {{w|Malcolm Gladwell}} is a Canadian author who wrote such books as "The Tipping Point", "Outliers" and "Blink." {{w|Steven Levitt}} is one of the co-authors of the book, "{{w|Freakonomics}}" and also the Freakonomics blog on NYTimes.com.

{{w|Robert Krulwich}} is a science correspondent for {{w|NPR}} (National Public Radio, for those outside of the US) and a co-host of the show {{w|Radiolab}}.

{{w|A. J. Jacobs}} is a journalist who immerses himself in different ideas and lives them out for periods of time. For example, he lives a year according to {{w|The Year of Living Biblically|all the rules in the bible literally}}.

In this comic, [[Cueball]] as a college student, meeting with his adviser or professor trying to decide what to major in. He decides to major in "The Universe", but when his adviser details the real work required of that major, Cueball scratches his head and tells what he really means. If you have not read Malcolm Gladwell's books, they all are slightly similar and details Gladwell's different "discoveries" about the world based on things that have happened.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball before a professor]
:Cueball: How can I pick a major? I'm interested in everything! Can't I major in "the universe"?

:Professor: Okay. First, I'll need papers on every European trade summit that did not result in an agreement. Then, spend a year memorizing every microprocessor instruction set ever used in a production chip.

:[Cueball scratches head]

:Cueball: What I meant was I just want to read Malcolm Gladwell books and drink.
:Professor: We all do, sweetie.

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

706: Freedom

2013-08-25T21:17:44Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ In this comic.

{{comic
| number = 706
| date = February 24, 2010
| title = Freedom
| image = freedom.png
| titletext = Sometimes I'm terrified to realize how many options other people have.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Randall]] comments on the absence of physical enforcement for social norms. [[Cueball]] goes through a list of possible things he could do that only his conscience and learned social mores prevent him from doing, before promptly receiving a punch to the face justified with his own reasoning.

The image text is a restatement of the first line of the comment, but reversed to show Cueball's newfound realization that the same freedoms apply to other people, to his physical detriment.

This is also an ironic reference to {{w|Zechariah Chafee}}'s oft-quoted line, "Your right to swing your arms ends just where the other man's nose begins."

==Transcript==
:First Man: Sometimes I'm shocked to realize how many options I have.
:Second Man: Oh?

:[First Man shakes his fist.]
:First Man: Like, at any moment in any conversation, I could just punch the person I was talking to, and all these potentially life-changing events would unfold.

:First Man: It's only my mental rules that stop me from punching you, or stripping naked, or getting on a plane to Fiji. Sure, rules have reasons. But shouldn't you exercise that freedom at least once before you die?

:''WHAM''

:[First man is knocked down on the ground, dazed and bruised.]
:First Man: Okay, I should have seen that coming.
:Second Man: But you ''couldn't''! That's the beauty!

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

1014: Car Problems

2013-08-25T21:16:13Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ In this comic.

{{comic
| number = 1014
| date = February 8, 2012
| title = Car Problems
| image = car_problems.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Or if you replace your car, we'll be happy to set it on fire again so you can take another crack at getting that shot.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]]'s friends, including our old friend [[Black Hat]] take the phrase "Can anyone tell me what's wrong with this picture?" literally and are critiquing the style and composition of the picture and not the subject. Megan is hoping that they have any insight to why her car was on fire this morning and not a photography critique. The alt-text reveals what she was looking for; one of them really did set her car on fire.

==Transcript==
:[Megan stands in front of a projection of a car, with an audience of 3 people. One of the people is Black Hat.]

:Megan: Attention Please. This is a photo of my car as of two weeks ago.

:[Megan in front of a new projection of the same car engulfed in flames]

:Megan: And *this* is my car as I found it this morning. Can anyone tell me what's wrong with this picture?

:[The audience ponders]

:Cueball: The white balance, for one.

:Danish: Focus is a bit too close.

:Black Hat: The chromatic aberration suggests you bought your camera because it had "The most megapixels".

:Megan: THE CAR IS ON FIRE!

:comment from audience: Maybe you should use the insurance money to get a better camera.

:comment from different person: yeah

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

1013: Wake Up Sheeple

2013-08-25T21:15:41Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ In this comic.

{{comic
| number = 1013
| date = February 6, 2012
| title = Wake Up Sheeple
| image = wake_up_sheeple.png
| titletext = You will be led to judgement like lambs to the slaughter--a simile whose existence, I might add, will not do your species any favors.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is going through the traditional loudspeaker-having person refrain about the government having control over our lives and uses the refrain "Wake Up Sheeple", which has been referenced [[610|at least]] [[496|two other]] times in xkcd. Sheeple is a {{w|portmanteau}} (another thing that is loved in xkcd) of "sheep" and "people" used as a derisive term to describe people who thoughtlessly wander through their daily lives going exactly where they are "herded" by the powers that be.

However, in this comic, "sheeple" are not that, instead are a race of half sheep/half person who have slumbered beneath the Earth for ten thousand years and are apparently going to destroy the human race. Repeating a specific phrase 3 times is the same as used in [[555: Two Mirrors]].

The title text says the humans will be led "like lambs to the slaughter" which is a phrase that appears many times in older texts, the Bible as an example. The phrase means that someone or something would be led to its destruction without it thinking to escape from the disaster. Much in the same way we humans do not seriously consider lower species to be humans, to the Sheeple, our drawing that parallel will not help us in their quest for vengeance.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball yells into a megaphone.]
:Cueball: Your government has turned against you! Corporations control your every thought! - Open your eyes!

:[Head-on view of Cueball.]
:Cueball: Wake up, sheeple! Wake up, sheeple! - '''WAKE UP, SHEEPLE!!'''

:[In between two panels.]
:[The man takes the megaphone away from his mouth.]
:''RUMBLE''

:[A half-sheep half-man creature rises through the cracking earth, holding aloft a gnarled staff.]
:''B-A-A-A-A-A...''

:[Close-up on the sheep-man's eye.]
:TEN THOUSAND YEARS WE SLUMBERED... ''NOW WE RIIIIIIIISE'' baaaaaaa

:[A clearly upset Megan goes up to Cueball, hands held out in front of her plaintively.]
:Megan: OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD ''WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!''
:Cueball: What? But I didn't—
:Out-of-frame #1: He awoke the Sheeple!
:OOF #2: Heaven forgive us!
:OOF #3: All is lost!

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

1099: Tuesdays

2013-08-25T21:15:02Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ In this comic.

{{comic
| number = 1099
| date = August 24, 2012
| title = Tuesdays
| image = tuesdays.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Try our bottomless drinks and fall forever!
}}

==Explanation==
[[Beret Guy]] and at least one other person (which looks like it might be [[Megan]]) are sitting at a restaurant. The waitress, [[Ponytail]], tells Beret Guy there is a special on Tuesdays for "endless wings". Restaurants often have different daily discounts to encourage people to come in. In a normal restaurant, "endless wings" would presumably refer to "all-you-can-eat" chicken wings, meaning the customer can pay a flat price and continue ordering additional wings without paying any more money.

However, in this comic, Beret Guy tells the waitress that he already has "endless wings", which he means literally (a similar issue of wishes being taken literally is referenced in [[1086: Eyelash Wish Log]]) and Beret Guy begins growing wings which ultimately appear "endless" as they grow to a span of at least the circumference of the earth by the last panel (and presumably continue growing). The other characters scream in horror for obvious reasons.

The title text plays on another common restaurant offer of "bottomless drinks", meaning unlimited free refills of drinks. However, taken literally, falling into something bottomless would result in falling forever.

==Trivia==
* This is one of the few comics since the ''xkcd'' lettering became inked and standardized as all-caps that lowercase lettering has been used (including the word "i" which would normally be capitalized). In this case, the usage may be to denote a whisper or soft voice.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail begins to serve some customers at a table]
:Ponytail: ...and on Tuesdays we offer endless wings.
:Beret Guy: Haha, cool. i have those.

:Ponytail: You what?

:[Beret Guy sprouts a pair of wings]
:Ponytail: AAAAA!!

:[Beret Guy's wings start getting longer]
:Everyone: AAAAAAA

:[Wings start to extend into space out from the earth]
:Everyone: AAAAAAAA

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

981: Porn Folder

2013-08-25T21:14:44Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ In this comic.

{{comic
| number = 981
| date = November 23, 2011
| title = Porn Folder
| image = porn_folder.png
| titletext = Eww, gross, you modified link()? How could you enjoy abusing a filesystem like that?
| imagesize =
}}

== Explanation ==
[[Cueball]] seems to have found a porn folder. However, it contains a directory loop, set up by a person off-screen. It is possible to actually do this, but it is widely regarded as a very bad idea, as it can break the system in not-so-obvious ways (mostly by causing seemingly-trivial operations to infinite loop). It would seem that violating this taboo is what turns him on.

<code>link()</code> is the Linux system call to create a hard link. In an unmodified Linux kernel, it will not allow directory hard links for this exact reason; the person who set up the porn folder apparently "forced" Linux to comply, with all of the sexual analogies that suggests.

== Transcript ==
:[A person sits at a desk, looking at a laptop screen with one hand on his chin.]
:Person: So I thought I found your porn folder, in calendar/backup/PORN
: --
:Person #2 (off screen): Don't open that!

:[A wider shot of the person looking at the laptop.]
:Person #1: But it contains a bunch more folders, filled with more folders, and then... after 20 levels, somehow I'm back at the main folder?
:Person #2 (off screen): It's, uh, well hidden.

:[The person has turned around in the chair, now with the laptop in his lap.]
:Person #1: I think there's no actual porn here. - You're just turned on by filesystems.
:Person #2 (off screen): It's a hardlinked directory loop -- so taboo!
:Person #1: Now I feel dirty sharing a drive with you.

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

583: CNR

2013-08-25T21:14:14Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ In this comic.

{{comic
| number = 583
| date = May 13, 2009
| title = CNR
| image = cnr.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Can't and shouldn't.
}}

== Explanation ==

"Could not reproduce" is used here as a {{w|double entendre}}. Because the reported bug is that speech recognition failed on a young child's voice, the programmers attempt to reproduce (biologically) in order to have a child to use as a test subject to understand and fix the bug, starting by reproducing it (the bug). However the attempt fails, as shown by the negative pregnancy test, and therefore the bug report is closed with the reason being "could not reproduce": they could not reproduce the bug because they could not reproduce biologically.

This reason also shows up in comic [[937: TornadoGuard]].

The title-text "Can't and shouldn't" qualifies the bug report, meaning that the programmers not only could not reproduce, they also should not reproduce given their unacceptable motive as well as poor child-rearing skills (demonstrated in comic [[674: Natural Parenting]]).

==Transcript==
:[Megan is sitting at a computer.]
:Speech2Text Commander
:Bug #167801
:Speech recognition fails on young child voices.
:Megan: Hmm.
:
:[The view enlarges to show a man sitting at another desk.]
:Megan: Hey, can you do me without a condom? We need a young child for something.
:Cueball: Okay.
:
:[A pregnancy test is displayed. The label indicates not pregnant.]
:
:[The woman is at the computer again.]
:Bug #167801
:Status: Closed
:Reason: Could not reproduce.

{{comic discussion}}

1001: AAAAAA

2013-08-25T21:12:51Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ In this comic.

{{comic
| number = 1001
| date = January 9, 2012
| title = AAAAAA
| image = aaaaaa.png
| titletext = 'ARE YOU TURNED ON YET?' 'I DON'T THINK SO--ARE YOU?' 'MAYBE A LITTLE!' 'OK, FIVE MORE MINUTES.'
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] find out that "this guy's mansion" has a rotating bed in the flashback in the last frame. So, they decide to build one and it appears to be going far too fast as both are holding on for dear life on each side of the bed.

The rotating bed is supposed to be a sexy device, but it appears from the comic that Cueball and Megan have made it rotate a little too fast to be appealing. However, the image text maybe makes us think otherwise.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball clinging onto something while being dragged away by some unknown force.]
:Cueball: AAAAAAAAAA

:[Megan similarly clinging on.]
:Megan: AAAAAAAAAA

:[Overhead shot of both spinning around a plain white circle in a room with other accoutrements.]
:Both: AAAAAAAA

:Earlier that day...
:Cueball: Haha, check it out - This guy's mansion has an actual rotating bed.
:Megan: You know, I bet it wouldn't be too hard to build one of those...

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

999: Cougars

2013-08-25T21:12:24Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ In this comic.

{{comic
| number = 999
| date = January 4, 2012
| title = Cougars
| image = cougars.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = If you're lying in bed tonight and you see yellow eyes glinting in your window, are you being stalked by a puma, a mountain lion, a panther, a catamount, or a cougar? Trick question--in North America, they're all names for the same species, Puma concolor! Isn't learning fun? Anyway, sleep tight!
}}

==Explanation==
[[Randall]] is giving reason number 58 why he should not have children. We see fictitious "father [[Cueball]]" talking about the Wikipedia entry for the list of fatal cougar attacks in North America. {{w|List of fatal cougar attacks in North America|Here's}} the link so you can look for yourself.

And the reason he should not have children is the fact that he can't resist himself when learning and sharing knowledge about the world (from Wikipedia).

When you have kids and you learn scary things, you should not share it with them.

==Transcript==
[Parent is sitting at a computer; child is standing behind.]

Parent: Whoa, ever seen Wikipedia's list of people who were attacked and killed by cougars?

Parent: Crazy how many of them were kids who were just playing outside their houses.

Reason #58 I should never have children: My love of learning and sharing knowledge about the world.

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

123: Centrifugal Force

2013-08-25T21:12:05Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ In this comic.

{{comic
| number = 123
| date = July 3, 2006
| title = Centrifugal Force
| image = centrifugal_force.png
| titletext = You spin me right round baby, right round, in a manner depriving me of an inertial reference frame. Baby.
}}

==Explanation==

[[Black Hat]] has strapped {{w|James Bond}} to a centrifuge and claims the centrifugal force will be lethal. Bond objects that there is no such thing, but just centripetal force. This is a common misconception among science teachers which is addressed in the explanation below:

{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" width="90%" style="text-align:left"
!Thorough explanation of centripetal and centrifugal forces
|-
|Newton's famous {{w|Newton's laws of motion#Newton's second law|second law of motion}} states that the net force acting on a body is equal to its mass times its acceleration (if its mass is constant). The law is a {{w|Euclidean vector#In physics and engineering|vector}} law, however, so both force and acceleration are vector quantities. (Vectors have not only a size but a direction, and are usually represented as arrows.) Acceleration is defined as the {{w|Derivative|rate of change}} of velocity with respect to time, where velocity is a vector. Therefore, whenever the length of the velocity vector (known as the speed) changes '''or''' the direction changes, there must be an acceleration, and therefore a net force.

Now, consider a body moving in a circle at a uniform speed. Although the length of the velocity vector is uniform, it is constantly changing direction. This means that there must be an acceleration and therefore a net force on the body. It turns out that the acceleration and force are both pointing ''inward'' to the center of the circle of motion. This force is the real {{w|centripetal force}}.

The sun exerts an inward gravitational force on the Earth to keep it moving in its near-uniform near-circular motion. Another example of a centripetal force is as follows: if you were to hold one end of a string whose other end is attached to a ball, and then swung the ball around over your head, you would be supplying the inward force to keep the ball moving in its circle.

Now, Newton's {{w|Newton's laws of motion#Newton's first law|first law}} states that an object at rest will stay at rest and an object in uniform linear motion will stay in its motion unless acted on by a nonzero net force. Any {{w|frame of reference}} for which this is the case is termed an ''inertial'' reference frame. (A reference frame is simply a "point of view," if you will; observations are made from the observer's reference frame.) Evidently, a reference frame moving with a constant speed and direction with respect to another reference frame is inertial via this law.

But what if you are rotating with respect to an inertial frame? We know from experience (having been in a car as it has rounded a turn, or any similar turning motion) that objects at rest do ''not'' stay at rest; they are flung ''outward'' as if acted on by a force. It turns out that it is as if a force equal in magnitude to the centripetal force but pointing ''outward'' is acting on all objects in the rotating frame. This is called the {{w|centrifugal force|centrifugal force}}. Since this force and the resulting motion are due to the frame's being non-inertial instead of some unbalanced force, the centrifugal force is termed a {{w|fictitious force}}.

The term "fictitious" implies that it does not really exist, and therefore zealous science teachers can go out of their way to claim that they are not real.

But, since James Bond is rotating with respect to Black Hat and any other stationary onlookers (who are all in an essentially inertial frame; see the parenthesized paragraph below), he will experience a real centrifugal force. As the centrifuge rotates faster, the centripetal force needed increases, therefore the centrifugal force he feels increases, and eventually the force will {{w|G-force#Human tolerance of g-force|crush}} and kill him.

(The observing frame is not technically inertial either, as it is on a planet which is rotating and revolving about a star which is moving non-inertially. The resulting pseudo-forces are very, very minor, however, and can only be detected by more sensitive instruments [e.g. a {{w|Foucault pendulum}}].)
|}

The thorough explanation above is summarized as follows:
;Observers' point of view (Black Hat, us, etc.)
: James Bond is moving in a circle, and is therefore accelerating. The force keeping him there is an inward force of contact against the centrifuge, a centripetal force. (Via Newton's {{w|Newton's laws of motion#Newton's third law|third law}}, since the centrifuge is pushing Bond inward, Bond is pushing the centrifuge outward. The centrifuge's material is strong enough not to break under this force, however.)
;James Bond's point of view
: In James Bond's frame of reference, Bond is at rest. He is kept there by two forces: the above-mentioned inward force of contact against the centrifuge, and an ''outward centrifugal force''. He feels both forces.

As mentioned in the explanation, as the centrifuge rotates faster, the forces needed to keep him in motion get larger, so the force he feels gets larger. This will eventually kill him.

The final statement by Black Hat is that said by {{w|Auric Goldfinger}} in {{w|Goldfinger}} in response to James Bond's question "Do you expect me to talk?"

The title text is inspired by {{w|Dead or Alive (band)|Dead or Alive's}} famous song from 1985, "{{w|You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)|You Spin Me Round}}".

==Transcript==
:[James Bond is strapped to a giant wheel suspended from the ceiling. Black hat is standing next to two levers.]
:Black hat: How do you like my centrifuge, mister Bond? When I throw this lever, you will feel centrifugal force crush every bone in your body.
:[Same scene, but a closer shot.]
:Bond: You mean centripetal force. There's no such thing as centrifugal force.
:Black hat: A laughable claim, mister Bond, perpetuated by overzealous teachers of science. Simply construct Newton's laws in a rotating system and you will see a centrifugal force term appear as plain as day.
:[Closer shot, only Bond's head is visible.]
:Bond: Come now, do you really expect me to do coordinate substitution in my head while strapped to a centrifuge?
:Black hat: No, mister Bond. I expect you to die.
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Physics]]

989: Cryogenics

2013-08-25T21:11:48Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ In this comic.

{{comic
| number = 989
| date = December 12, 2011
| title = Cryogenics
| image = cryogenics.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = 'Welcome to the future! Nothing's changed.' was the slogan of my astonishingly short-lived tech startup.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]], disappointed with the pace of technology's improvement (and who isn't, we all thought by this point we would have flying cars and the {{w|Hoverboard|flying skateboard}} like in {{w|Back to the Future 2}} or a hyper technological future like in {{w|Blade Runner}}) decides to cryogenically freeze herself as soon as cryogenics are invented. Cryogenic freezing is the ability to freeze oneself, so that one does not age and doesn't experience the passage of time. It is common in fiction as a useful technology for long space flights or other necessary preservation.

However, to Megan's chagrin, when she wakes up, she is told that all the other scientists and engineers that were fascinated about the future have also frozen themselves, so nothing has been invented while she was frozen. Everyone decides to try again, hoping the situation 30 years later will be different. However, if everyone does the same thing again, the situation will repeat itself and nothing will have changed.

Don't freeze yourself, engineers and scientists! We need your help!

In the official transcript, the person greeting Megan is called "someone who isn't Terry," referring to a [http://theinfosphere.org/Terry Futurama character] who does the same thing.

==Transcript==
[Two people, one of which is staring at a smartphone]

Person 1: Everyone's carrying sensor-packed, always-connected computers everywhere. That wasn't true ten years ago.

White Hat Guy: It's all changing too fast, huh?

Person 1: No, too *slowly*.

Person 1: There's so much potential here. These clumsy, poorly-designed toys are *nothing* compared to what lies ahead.

[Person 1 climbs into a cryogenic chamber]

Person 1: That's why I've worked to develop cryogenic freezing. I'm gonna skip forward 30 years and use this stuff when it's *good*.

30 years later..

Someone who isn't Terry: Welcome to the future! Nothing's changed.

Person 1: What? Why??

[rows of other people waking up out of their own cryogenic chambers]

not Terry: When cryogenic freezing was invented, all the engineers who were excited about the future froze themselves. So there's been no one building anything new.

not Terry: But they're all waking up now!

Person 1: Sweet! I'm gonna jump forward to see what they do!

Engineer 1: Me too!

Engineer 2: Wait, uh, guys?

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

59: Graduation

2013-08-25T21:11:13Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ In this comic.

{{comic
| number = 59
| date = February 3, 2006
| title = Graduation
| image = graduation.jpg
| titletext = Opening dialogue by [[Scott]]
}}

==Explanation==
Blonde (possibly a young [[Miss Lenhart]]) and Megan are discussing their plans for what to do after college. Blonde doesn't know what she wants to do with her life, so she is going to go to {{w|Graduate school|grad school}}. Graduate school is the next level of education after {{w|undergraduate education|undergraduate work}}, where students pursue a master's or doctoral degrees.

[[Megan]], on the other hand, has decided to become a lighthouse operator. Which is a path that is becoming increasingly less traveled. Fewer people need lighthouses. Before GPS technology, lighthouses were invaluable markers of where the sea ended and where land began. Megan likes the idea of being the maid in the highest tower. Except where most fairy tales portray the {{w|Rapunzel|maid in the tower}} as helpless, waiting to be rescued, operating a lighthouse is far from helpless. It can be one of the most needed jobs for sea-farers to find their way back home.

Other comics with a similar theme about finding or taking unexplored paths, instead of fitting into the mold, includes [[137: Dreams]] and [[267: Choices: Part 4]].

==Transcript==
:[Megan and a blonde are talking.]
:Blonde: What do you want to do when you graduate?
:Megan: I want to become a lighthouse operator.
:Blonde: Oh?
:Megan: Yeah.
:[Cut to scene of lighthouse with text overlaid.]
:Megan: Lighthouses are built on interesting pieces of coast, so I'll have an interesting place to walk and swim, and great views of all kinds of weather. I'd feel good about myself and my work every single day.
:[Cut back to the two girls.]
:Megan: I'd get to be the girl in the tower, only I'd be the one rescuing people.
:Megan: Why. What do you want to do ?
:Blonde: I'm going to grad school. I don't really know why.
:Megan: Wanna come hang in my lighthouse over breaks?
:Blonde: ...yeah.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

632: Suspicion

2013-08-25T21:10:51Z

Quicksilver: /* Explanation */ In this comic.

{{comic
| number = 632
| date = September 4, 2009
| title = Suspicion
| image = suspicion.png
| imagesize =
| titletext = Fine, walk away. I'm gonna go cry into a pint of Ben&Jerry's Brownie Batter(tm) ice cream [link], then take out my frustration on a variety of great flash games from PopCap Games(r) [link]
}}

==Explanation==
[[Rob]] is having online chats with what appears at first glance to be a woman. However, he grows suspicious at the apparent consumerism dedication of the "woman" - and perhaps of the perfection of the online connection, touching on the stereotypical nerd fear that any relationship going well must contain some secret flaw - and so requests that they both "get tested". The woman on the other end of the computer does not pass a {{w|CAPTCHA}} test and is unable to prove she is a human.

This is an internet version of the {{w|Turing test}}. A spambot is a program that sends out emails or links (such as in the title text) to simulate a human's writing but contains advertising. This test is called "VK", which stands for {{w|Voight-Kampff}}, which is the machine in {{w|Blade Runner}} which determines human from replicant.

In using the phrase "get tested", the comic is making a pun that refers both to the CAPTCHA test above and the {{w|STD}} test that couples will take to make sure they are physically clean.

The title text includes product advertisements and links, such as an online advertiser may insert into a search results page.

[[329: Turing Test]] is another comic dealing with Turing tests/CAPTCHAs.

==Transcript==
:[Rob is sitting at a computer, typing.]
:Rob: I've loved our online chats these past few months, Lisa.
:Computer: Me too. I really like you, Rob.

:[Rob continues to type.]
:Rob: It's just... now and then you mention products you like, and... I worry.
:Computer: What? Honey...

:[Rob types.]
:Rob: Before this goes any further, I think we should go get tested. You know, together.
:Computer: You don't trust me?
:Rob: I just want to be sure.

:[A web browser is open.]
:VK Couples Testing
:Test ID: 21871138
:Waiting...Partner connected.
:(A pair of CAPTCHA images)
:[You] Library
:[Partner] Kittens
:Rob: Okay, mine says "library". Yours?
:Computer: I... uh...
:Rob: Oh god.
:Computer: I'm more than a spambot! Our love was real!
:Rob: Goodbye, Lisa.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Rob]]
[[Category:Romance]]