explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1785: Wifi

2017-01-18T17:06:21Z

R0hrshach:

This, I believe, is in reference to things like [https://www.dd-wrt.com/site/ DD-WRT], where someone with knowledge may install it to 'improve' your router. If done right, it can increase the speed and stability, if not, it can brick it. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.78.70|172.68.78.70]] 05:23, 13 January 2017 (UTC)
:That's what I thought too! Girish, [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.197|162.158.166.197]] 05:27, 13 January 2017 (UTC)
::I installed Hurd on my router dont judge me ok. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.137|162.158.91.137]] 06:14, 13 January 2017 (UTC)
:::I doubt it is referring to router firmware. The tech-savviness is of the housguest, not of the router owner (though, I can easily imagine somebody updating host router). --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.106|162.158.134.106]] 12:18, 13 January 2017 (UTC)
::::That is exactly the situation Randall is referencing, imho. I have had family members who come over and could just put the password in to connect but tried to convince me to grant access to the router to update the firmware and improve the device. I've seen what happens to their tech when they "tweak" it so I just say no. Those who have weak constitutions may grant access and find they now have broken equipment. This fits in line with the roll-over where the truly tech-saavy can use firmware properly to gain connection.[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 17:06, 18 January 2017 (UTC)

:Some devices need operational firmware downloaded to them after reset, so it's handled at boot time by a firmware downloader. A typical example is devices which have s DSP in them; the DSP's code would be loaded into the device's RAM designated for the purpose. For Wi-Fi, it might handle the low level details of associating with an AP, performing the WPA2 protocol for example so the device looks for the most part logically like any other network interface, e.g. Ethernet. In this case, it would have nothing to do with the firmware in the Wi-Fi AP.
:[[User:RChandra|RChandra]] ([[User talk:RChandra|talk]]) 12:05, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

::Thanks for that, seems to be the only viable explanation. I can't imagine, being a guest, tinkering with host's router's firmware (feels grossly inappropriate), came here to understand that reference. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.88|141.101.96.88]] 01:40, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

''“In most systems this just works but in the case of more geeky operating systems, like GNU/Linux, it needs to be installed separately.”'' Ironically, it's quite the opposite these days. On a fresh Windows install you typically have no network drivers, but with a lot of GNU/Linux distros you have network out of the box. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.60|141.101.105.60]] 09:25, 13 January 2017 (UTC)
:I would agree with you on wired connections there, but with the most common Intel or Broadcom WLAN chipsets on laptops it's the other way around. Windows works out of the box (maybe downloads a newer driver from Windows Update once you set up the Internet connection), while especially libre Linux distributions (which are inherently "geekier", because they focus on the political aspect of Free Software instead of something that Just Werks™) lack the non-free firmware required to drive those parts. ''TisTheAlmondTavern'' 10:11, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

I don't understand how the skydiving example is far fetched, but I'm the one who added it so I've got a total of 0 objectivity on the matter :). The skydiving example is here to demonstrate the paradox "the more you know how to fix it, the more it will be broken for you", because in both cases (computer saavy people, or skydiving instructors) the ones who know more are also the ones who will take more risks, and get further away from the common approach to the problem (for skydiving, the common thing to do is to not jump, while non computer saavy people will not try linux or whatever it is that fails to work out of the box). I agree that the skydiving comparison is not perfect (in computing it's a difference of main config/advanced config, while in skydiving it's a difference of doing it or not. Also you can expect your computer knowledge to help you fix thing on a broken computer. In a skydiving accident, no matter how much knowledge you have you are not going to pull a parachute before the issue gets to a terminal point), but it's the one Randall chose for that can of counter-intuitive correlation. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.213|141.101.69.213]] 13:34, 13 January 2017 (UTC)
:Your explanation here makes sense ''but'' as far as I am concerned (not seeing the original questioning of the analogy to which you seem to be responding back to) the current way it fits into the explanation is abrupt, seems to suggest the titletext ''mentions'' skydiving. Could be solved saying "In the title text ''this is just like'' the ones who die from skydiving..." and maybe some other little tweaks to make it a little more snappy. IMO. Leaving the editing up to others... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.17|141.101.99.17]] 18:19, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

it only takes three commands to install Gentoo
:<code>cfdisk /dev/hda && mkfs.xfs /dev/hda1 && mount /dev/hda1 /mnt/gentoo/ && chroot /mnt/gentoo/ && env-update && . /etc/profile && emerge sync && cd /usr/portage && scripts/bootsrap.sh && emerge system && emerge vim && vi /etc/fstab && emerge gentoo-dev-sources && cd /usr/src/linux && make menuconfig && make install modules_install && emerge gnome mozilla-firefox openoffice && emerge grub && cp /boot/grub/grub.conf.sample /boot/grub/grub.conf && vi /boot/grub/grub.conf && grub && init 6</code>
that's the first one 
Source: [http://bash.org/?464385 Bash.org] --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.220|108.162.216.220]] 15:53, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

:I know it's a joke, but, for clarification's sake, that's far more than one command. Every part between && is a command. The only reason it stops is because the last command, init 6, reboots the computer.
--[[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 21:40, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

::Also it's not like you type in the string of commands and then everything goes by itself all the way to reboot, there are several points when it will wait for user input. Apart from disk formatting at the very beginning, there are actually twice <code>vi</code> commands to edit various system-critical config files and even <code>make menuconfig</code> for configuring your kernel build. Trust me, that's not trivial at all ;) Last time I installed Gentoo server, I got so frustrated by picking the right kernel modules (successfully though) that I agreed with the E. A. Poe's Raven to install Gentoo never more. I started my sysadmin career at Gentoo by accident and after a year or two realized there are much easier ways.
::Great joke though :D Haven't visited Bash for quite some time. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.88|141.101.96.88]] 01:33, 15 January 2017 (UTC)

Relevant: xkcd 434
[http://www.explainxkcd.com/434 xkcd Goes to the Airport, panel 3]
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.52|162.158.214.52]] 17:28, 13 January 2017 (UTC)

When I first read it, I parsed it as 'Word "firmware"'. Of course Word doesn't have firmware, but it was (I thought) in quote marks simply because that was the stated reason for it not working. When I read the hover text I thought "Randall's missed a capital letter there". [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.16|198.41.238.16]] 03:05, 14 January 2017 (UTC)

It has been decades since I met people complaining about firmware. The more common uttering when people can't connect to WiFi at tech meetups involves the words: Goddamn, proprietary, Apple and crap, usually in that order.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.70|162.158.114.70]] 17:14, 16 January 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1704: Gnome Ann

2016-07-11T16:16:28Z

R0hrshach:

The lotr reference is about the Witch King of Angmar instead of Sauron
Source:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch-king_of_Angmar

[[Special:Contributions/162.158.196.143|162.158.196.143]] 05:05, 8 July 2016 (UTC)Dege

I'm surprised there's no reference to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphemus Polyphemus] from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer Homer's] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey Odyssey]. Or is there one that I haven't seen?

[[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.165|162.158.85.165]] 08:00, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

I saw the first panel, and honestly thought the pun was between Gnome Ann and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnomon gnomon] of a sundial. The rest made pretty clear of what's up, though.
:Exactly! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.218|162.158.114.218]] 15:34, 9 July 2016 (UTC)

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.5|108.162.219.5]] 10:01, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

Between the trenches: Gnome Ann's land. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.10.34|172.68.10.34]] 11:29, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

Great comic. I really like this one. The idea is old but is put into new perspective with the drawings. Guess this can be made in different languages. Have seen one in Danish where a person was named ''Ingens'' = no one. So if something was owned by no one it was his... Must admit I did not get it until the Star Trek reference but I'm not native English and had to try it out to hear the no man in gnome ann where I would also pronounce the g hard although not for the reason mentioned in the explanation but because the Danish word Gnom is pronounced like that and not like nome. We need a Star Trek category I would say! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:26, 8 July 2016 (UTC)
:[[:Category:Star Trek|Done]]! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:42, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

It might still be considered a 'literary quotation' but, strictly speaking, the line "I am no man" is from the movie. The original dialogue in the book isn't quite that simple, and the "Gnome Ann" joke probably wouldn't work. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.220|162.158.214.220]] 14:28, 8 July 2016 (UTC)
:Given that it depicts the scene from the movie that is a perfect quote for this comic. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:42, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

[http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=26686 Language Log] has more of these. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 15:34, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

Gnome Ann is an island. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.211|108.162.237.211]] 16:39, 8 July 2016 (UTC)
:[https://zgrep.org/draw/island.png I could not resist.] {{User:Grep/signature|18:31, 08 July 2016}}

Do you think Gnome Ann does double crit damage? She is no man, and she is Gnome Ann. {{unsigned ip|162.158.214.149}}

Re: The last paragraph of the explanation, is this false splitting, which seems to involve historical changes in words by dividing in the wrong place, or is this a [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondegreen mondegreen]? The example which came first to mind is Jimi Hendrix, from Purple Haze : "Excuse me while I kiss (this guy / the sky)." I'm not nearly enough of a grammarian to be sure about the distinction. [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 02:25, 9 July 2016 (UTC)
:It is a mondegreen, but there definitely is a false splitting there also: "the sky" becomes "this guy", the 's' migrates from the latter word to the former. {{unsigned ip|172.68.11.87}}
::I revised the explanation to specify it is a mondegreen which in its very definition includes the bit about homophony. I remember first learning about mondegreen's from XKCD (Lady Mondegreen) but after searching I cannot remember which one to link. :( Oh well.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:04, 11 July 2016 (UTC)

"Gnome Ann mistakenly thinks that 'no man' is actually a reference to her own name." Citation needed. I see no reason to think that she is mistaken about anything. She's not a man; she's not even human. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 08:47, 9 July 2016 (UTC)

Gnome Ann threatens a messenger. {{unsigned ip|141.101.104.37}}

These comments above belong in Gnome Ann's land :-D --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:53, 9 July 2016 (UTC)

"Our Mission: To boldly go where Gnome Ann has gone before." Maybe the dangerous part is Gnome Ann still lurking around? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.243.238|198.41.243.238]] 08:06, 10 July 2016 (UTC)

Could this also be about Randall's gripe with English orthography? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.230|162.158.222.230]] 11:33, 10 July 2016 (UTC)

What is up with that trigger warning? It doesn't seem misogynist to me. {{unsigned ip|141.101.111.238}}
: I would suppose that they feel that giving women more ability (such as killing an unkillable demon, controlling time and tides, someone who goes after the wicked, has explored the galaxy, etc.) makes them less of a woman. I would then suppose that they neither wish women nor men to be in any way above each other, and that they should be fully equal. Generally throughout history there have been heroes from many walks of like, which today appears to upset people. Sometimes, when one is in a greater position of power there can be much more burden placed on them and as such freedoms may be lost because there may be a desire to keep specific standards or a lack of privacy. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.97|108.162.221.97]] 16:44, 10 July 2016 (UTC)
: This comic is offensive to some people as it comes across as sick male power fantasy and the whole point of the comic is to poke fun at a woman just because of her name. This comic would not work if it was a guy's name, but it's perfectly OK for you to make fun of women. Ha ha ha, how funny. You're sick.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.150|162.158.214.150]]ConcernedFeminist
:: re ConcernedFeminist. I think you're misunderstanding the comic. The point isn't that Randall is making fun of women, it's that the oft used phrase "no man" sounds like the a gnome with the name "Ann". Thus, it's humerus to imagine a small gnome controlling time, exploring the galaxy, and crashing weddings. How is it a power fantasy? How is gnome Ann being made fun of? If anything, she's incredibly powerful and accomplished. {{unsigned ip|108.162.245.126}}
::Considering this is a mondegreen of the phrase "no man", Randall really didn't have a choice in his name selection! "Gnome Ann" is more than just a rhyme or something that sounds similar, it is a phrase that can be mistakenly believed to be the actual reading. Comments above reference Jimi Hendrix lyrics as well as the explanation that references to the wiki on mondegreens. Let's get educated! So why "no man"? Because any name in these sentences reads exactly opposite the original intent and meaning which I think is the punchline of Randall's joke. As though we always thought the speakers were quoted as saying "no man" and really all along they were actually referring to Gnome Ann who must be keeping pretty well hidden from the general population and internet. Let's just say President Andrew Johnson got the joke.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:16, 11 July 2016 (UTC)
: Quite the opposite of misogyny, but I actually read this as Randall poking fun at the gender bias in the phrase 'no man'. I thought it was mostly intended as ironic, especially the last panel: "no man can kill me" - but Gnome Ann can, because she's a woman. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.67|141.101.70.67]] 17:55, 10 July 2016 (UTC)
:It can come across as misogynistic precisely because of the original sexism apparent in the phrase "no man" and also because gnomes are not usually associated with physical strength, thus making the idea of an all powerful gnome doubly hilarious when viewed from a sexist angle. However, I think that the deconstructivistic and language aspects are much more evident -- but there was a time when a comic like that would have pissed me off. You can't joke about sexism without invoking it to some degree.08:50, 11 July 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1704: Gnome Ann

2016-07-11T16:04:48Z

R0hrshach:

The lotr reference is about the Witch King of Angmar instead of Sauron
Source:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witch-king_of_Angmar

[[Special:Contributions/162.158.196.143|162.158.196.143]] 05:05, 8 July 2016 (UTC)Dege

I'm surprised there's no reference to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphemus Polyphemus] from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer Homer's] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odyssey Odyssey]. Or is there one that I haven't seen?

[[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.165|162.158.85.165]] 08:00, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

I saw the first panel, and honestly thought the pun was between Gnome Ann and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gnomon gnomon] of a sundial. The rest made pretty clear of what's up, though.
:Exactly! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.218|162.158.114.218]] 15:34, 9 July 2016 (UTC)

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.5|108.162.219.5]] 10:01, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

Between the trenches: Gnome Ann's land. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.10.34|172.68.10.34]] 11:29, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

Great comic. I really like this one. The idea is old but is put into new perspective with the drawings. Guess this can be made in different languages. Have seen one in Danish where a person was named ''Ingens'' = no one. So if something was owned by no one it was his... Must admit I did not get it until the Star Trek reference but I'm not native English and had to try it out to hear the no man in gnome ann where I would also pronounce the g hard although not for the reason mentioned in the explanation but because the Danish word Gnom is pronounced like that and not like nome. We need a Star Trek category I would say! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:26, 8 July 2016 (UTC)
:[[:Category:Star Trek|Done]]! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:42, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

It might still be considered a 'literary quotation' but, strictly speaking, the line "I am no man" is from the movie. The original dialogue in the book isn't quite that simple, and the "Gnome Ann" joke probably wouldn't work. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.220|162.158.214.220]] 14:28, 8 July 2016 (UTC)
:Given that it depicts the scene from the movie that is a perfect quote for this comic. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:42, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

[http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=26686 Language Log] has more of these. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 15:34, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

Gnome Ann is an island. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.211|108.162.237.211]] 16:39, 8 July 2016 (UTC)
:[https://zgrep.org/draw/island.png I could not resist.] {{User:Grep/signature|18:31, 08 July 2016}}

Do you think Gnome Ann does double crit damage? She is no man, and she is Gnome Ann. {{unsigned ip|162.158.214.149}}

Re: The last paragraph of the explanation, is this false splitting, which seems to involve historical changes in words by dividing in the wrong place, or is this a [https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondegreen mondegreen]? The example which came first to mind is Jimi Hendrix, from Purple Haze : "Excuse me while I kiss (this guy / the sky)." I'm not nearly enough of a grammarian to be sure about the distinction. [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 02:25, 9 July 2016 (UTC)
:It is a mondegreen, but there definitely is a false splitting there also: "the sky" becomes "this guy", the 's' migrates from the latter word to the former. {{unsigned ip|172.68.11.87}}
::I revised the explanation to specify it is a mondegreen which in its very definition includes the bit about homophony. I remember first learning about mondegreen's from XKCD (Lady Mondegreen) but after searching I cannot remember which one to link. :( Oh well.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:04, 11 July 2016 (UTC)

"Gnome Ann mistakenly thinks that 'no man' is actually a reference to her own name." Citation needed. I see no reason to think that she is mistaken about anything. She's not a man; she's not even human. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 08:47, 9 July 2016 (UTC)

Gnome Ann threatens a messenger. {{unsigned ip|141.101.104.37}}

These comments above belong in Gnome Ann's land :-D --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:53, 9 July 2016 (UTC)

"Our Mission: To boldly go where Gnome Ann has gone before." Maybe the dangerous part is Gnome Ann still lurking around? [[Special:Contributions/198.41.243.238|198.41.243.238]] 08:06, 10 July 2016 (UTC)

Could this also be about Randall's gripe with English orthography? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.222.230|162.158.222.230]] 11:33, 10 July 2016 (UTC)

What is up with that trigger warning? It doesn't seem misogynist to me. {{unsigned ip|141.101.111.238}}
: I would suppose that they feel that giving women more ability (such as killing an unkillable demon, controlling time and tides, someone who goes after the wicked, has explored the galaxy, etc.) makes them less of a woman. I would then suppose that they neither wish women nor men to be in any way above each other, and that they should be fully equal. Generally throughout history there have been heroes from many walks of like, which today appears to upset people. Sometimes, when one is in a greater position of power there can be much more burden placed on them and as such freedoms may be lost because there may be a desire to keep specific standards or a lack of privacy. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.97|108.162.221.97]] 16:44, 10 July 2016 (UTC)
: This comic is offensive to some people as it comes across as sick male power fantasy and the whole point of the comic is to poke fun at a woman just because of her name. This comic would not work if it was a guy's name, but it's perfectly OK for you to make fun of women. Ha ha ha, how funny. You're sick.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.150|162.158.214.150]]ConcernedFeminist
: Quite the opposite of misogyny, but I actually read this as Randall poking fun at the gender bias in the phrase 'no man'. I thought it was mostly intended as ironic, especially the last panel: "no man can kill me" - but Gnome Ann can, because she's a woman. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.67|141.101.70.67]] 17:55, 10 July 2016 (UTC)
: re ConcernedFeminist. I think you're misunderstanding the comic. The point isn't that Randall is making fun of women, it's that the oft used phrase "no man" sounds like the a gnome with the name "Ann". Thus, it's humerus to imagine a small gnome controlling time, exploring the galaxy, and crashing weddings. How is it a power fantasy? How is gnome Ann being made fun of? If anything, she's incredibly powerful and accomplished. {{unsigned ip|108.162.245.126}}
It can come across as misogynistic precisely because of the original sexism apparent in the phrase "no man" and also because gnomes are not usually associated with physical strength, thus making the idea of an all powerful gnome doubly hilarious when viewed from a sexist angle. However, I think that the deconstructivistic and language aspects are much more evident -- but there was a time when a comic like that would have pissed me off. You can't joke about sexism without invoking it to some degree.08:50, 11 July 2016 (UTC)

1704: Gnome Ann

2016-07-11T15:58:30Z

R0hrshach: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1704
| date = July 8, 2016
| title = Gnome Ann
| image = gnome_ann.png
| titletext = In the words of Andrew Johnson, if I am to be shot at, I want Gnome Ann to be in the way of the bullet.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic presents a series of images depicting a female {{w|gnome}} who is known as "Gnome Ann". The humor derives from the fact that the name "Gnome Ann" is a {{w|Mondegreen|mondegreen}} of the phrase "no man". (Users of the {{w|GNOME|Gnome desktop system}} may have difficulties understanding this since they pronounce Gnome with a hard "g", reflecting its {{w|GNU}} ties.)

[[Randall]] presents the reader with six images (and a title text) captioned with quotations from a wide range of sources, each featuring an instance of the compound noun "no man" being replaced by "Gnome Ann" (and featuring a drawing that reflects this change). There is one proverb, two Biblical quotations, one literary quotation from {{w|Miguel de Cervantes|Cervantes}}' ''{{w|Don Quixote}}'', one cinematic reference from the {{w|Lord of the Rings (film series)}} (the line {{w|Éowyn}} said to the {{w|Witch-king_of_Angmar|Witch-king of Angmar}} before killing him), one quotation from the opening of a television show (''{{w|Star Trek: The Original Series}}''), and a quotation from a piece of historical rhetoric in the title text.

===Table of quotes===
{| class="wikitable"
| '''Modified quote'''
| '''Original quote'''
| '''Origin'''
| '''Explanation'''
|-
| "Time and tide wait for Gnome Ann."
| "Time and tide wait for no man."
| Proverb
| [[89: Gravitational Mass|Normally]] it is not possible for anyone to influence time or tides. However in this case it would appear that Gnome Ann is able to stop time, and tides.
|-
| "The wicked flee when Gnome Ann pursueth."
| "The wicked flee when no man pursueth."
| Bible: [http://biblehub.com/proverbs/28-1.htm Proverbs 28:1]
| This (out of context) biblical reference normally implies the wicked are a cowardly and/or paranoid lot, jumping at shadows and eager to flee at simply the pretense of danger or pursuit. However in this case it would imply that wicked people run away from Gnome Ann specifically.
|-
| "What therefore God hath joined together, let Gnome Ann put asunder."
| "What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder."
| Bible: [http://biblehub.com/mark/10-9.htm Mark 10:9]
| In the Bible, Jesus is asked about whether people should be allowed to divorce, and Jesus responds with this quote. It is known to appear in wedding vows, hence the fact that the man and woman in the panel are dressed for a wedding. However, in the comic, the quote becomes a command to Gnome Ann to break apart what God has joined.
|-
| "Time ripens all things; Gnome Ann is born wise
| "Time ripens all things; no man is born wise."
| The novel {{w|Don Quixote}} by {{w|Miguel De Cervantes}}
| This states that nobody is wise to begin with, and it takes time to become wise. However it now states that Gnome Ann is wise to begin with, suggesting she is not part of the order of things within time.
|-
| "Our Mission: To boldly go where Gnome Ann has gone before."
| "Our Mission: To boldly go where no man has gone before."
| Intro at {{w|Star Trek: The Original Series}}
| Originally this was meant to emphasize that they would be going to completely unexplored territory, which would be a potentially risky venture. However in this case , it means that they will be following Gnome Ann, which is not exploration. Though depending on where Gnome Ann has gone, these may still be risky ventures: "(Gnome Ann) goes to battle to be killed." [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_and_Cleopatra_%28play%29]
|-
| Witch-king of Angmar: "Fool! No man can kill me." Gnome Ann: "I Am Gnome Ann!"
| Witch-king of Angmar: "Fool! No man can kill me." Éowyn: "I Am no man!"
| {{w|The Lord of the Rings (film series)}}
| The Witch-king of Angmar was given a prophecy that he would never be bested in combat by the hand of man, and he boasted "no man" could kill him. Both in ''Lord of the Rings'' and this comic, he is defeated by a woman. Gnome Ann is simply that good. Note that in the Tolkien legendarium, a "Gnome" is an archaic name for the Noldor tribe of elves (e.g. Galadriel).
|-
| "In the words of Andrew Johnson, if I am to be shot at, I want Gnome Ann to be in the way of the bullet."
| "In the words of Andrew Johnson, if I am to be shot at, I want no man to be in the way of the bullet."
| {{w|Andrew Johnson}}, 17th President of the United States
| '''Title text''': The intent of this statement originally was that Andrew Johnson would rather be killed, than have somebody else be killed trying to save his life. However in this case it would appear that Andrew Johnson would really prefer Gnome Ann to be shot instead of himself, perhaps because he knows that "(Gnome Ann) lives forever." [https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Algernon_Charles_Swinburne]
|}

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panels.]
:The <big>Legend</big> of <big>Gnome Ann</big>

:[At the beach, between a clock hanging in the air, showing 10 past 10 and the shoreline, Gnome Ann, a woman with curly hair and a black triangular hat, stands with her arms outstretched towards the clock and the sea. For each of the first five panels a text is written within a frame above the drawings.]
:Time and tide wait for Gnome Ann.

:[Gnome Ann running in from the left frame with her arms out chases three Cueball like men running from her towards right. The one closest to her looks over his shoulder at her, the next runs forward "normally" and the last in front throws up his arms in the air.]
:The wicked flee when Gnome Ann pursueth.
:-Proverbs 28:1

:[Gnome Ann takes the groom's place in a wedding, shoving him to the side. The groom, Hairy with a bow tie, falls while throwing his arms out. The bride stands to the left, in full wedding dress, showing no reaction.]
:What therefore God hath joined together, let Gnome Ann put asunder.
:-Mark 10:9

:[Gnome Ann sits in a yoga position meditating on a big rock in a desolate area with small rocks on the ground around the big rock.]
:Time ripens all things; Gnome Ann is born wise.
:-Miguel De Cervantes

:[The starship Enterprise from Star Trek is seen from behind as it flies to the right, chasing a smaller craft. In this panel the frame with text is shown to emanate from Enterprise with a zig zag arrow pointing to the starship.]
:Enterprise: Our Mission: To boldly go where Gnome Ann has gone before.

:[The Witch-king of Angmar, Lord of the Nazgûl, from the Lord of the Rings sits on his knees (below the frame) to the left of Gnome Ann, who is preparing to stab him with a sword pointing at his head. She is also holding her other arm out towards him. The Witch-king has a black cloak covering his head and body with a kind of crown with six small spikes shown around his head and one large spike in front. It also goes down on each side of his head showing a gaping hole instead of a face. In this panel the text is spoken by the two characters.]
:Witch-king: Fool! No man can kill me.
:Gnome Ann: '''''I Am Gnome Ann!'''''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Star Trek]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]

1704: Gnome Ann

2016-07-11T15:57:56Z

R0hrshach: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1704
| date = July 8, 2016
| title = Gnome Ann
| image = gnome_ann.png
| titletext = In the words of Andrew Johnson, if I am to be shot at, I want Gnome Ann to be in the way of the bullet.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic presents a series of images depicting a female {{w|gnome}} who is known as "Gnome Ann". The humor derives from the fact that the name "Gnome Ann" is a {{w|MONDEGREEN|mondegreen}} of the phrase "no man". (Users of the {{w|GNOME|Gnome desktop system}} may have difficulties understanding this since they pronounce Gnome with a hard "g", reflecting its {{w|GNU}} ties.)

[[Randall]] presents the reader with six images (and a title text) captioned with quotations from a wide range of sources, each featuring an instance of the compound noun "no man" being replaced by "Gnome Ann" (and featuring a drawing that reflects this change). There is one proverb, two Biblical quotations, one literary quotation from {{w|Miguel de Cervantes|Cervantes}}' ''{{w|Don Quixote}}'', one cinematic reference from the {{w|Lord of the Rings (film series)}} (the line {{w|Éowyn}} said to the {{w|Witch-king_of_Angmar|Witch-king of Angmar}} before killing him), one quotation from the opening of a television show (''{{w|Star Trek: The Original Series}}''), and a quotation from a piece of historical rhetoric in the title text.

===Table of quotes===
{| class="wikitable"
| '''Modified quote'''
| '''Original quote'''
| '''Origin'''
| '''Explanation'''
|-
| "Time and tide wait for Gnome Ann."
| "Time and tide wait for no man."
| Proverb
| [[89: Gravitational Mass|Normally]] it is not possible for anyone to influence time or tides. However in this case it would appear that Gnome Ann is able to stop time, and tides.
|-
| "The wicked flee when Gnome Ann pursueth."
| "The wicked flee when no man pursueth."
| Bible: [http://biblehub.com/proverbs/28-1.htm Proverbs 28:1]
| This (out of context) biblical reference normally implies the wicked are a cowardly and/or paranoid lot, jumping at shadows and eager to flee at simply the pretense of danger or pursuit. However in this case it would imply that wicked people run away from Gnome Ann specifically.
|-
| "What therefore God hath joined together, let Gnome Ann put asunder."
| "What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder."
| Bible: [http://biblehub.com/mark/10-9.htm Mark 10:9]
| In the Bible, Jesus is asked about whether people should be allowed to divorce, and Jesus responds with this quote. It is known to appear in wedding vows, hence the fact that the man and woman in the panel are dressed for a wedding. However, in the comic, the quote becomes a command to Gnome Ann to break apart what God has joined.
|-
| "Time ripens all things; Gnome Ann is born wise
| "Time ripens all things; no man is born wise."
| The novel {{w|Don Quixote}} by {{w|Miguel De Cervantes}}
| This states that nobody is wise to begin with, and it takes time to become wise. However it now states that Gnome Ann is wise to begin with, suggesting she is not part of the order of things within time.
|-
| "Our Mission: To boldly go where Gnome Ann has gone before."
| "Our Mission: To boldly go where no man has gone before."
| Intro at {{w|Star Trek: The Original Series}}
| Originally this was meant to emphasize that they would be going to completely unexplored territory, which would be a potentially risky venture. However in this case , it means that they will be following Gnome Ann, which is not exploration. Though depending on where Gnome Ann has gone, these may still be risky ventures: "(Gnome Ann) goes to battle to be killed." [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar_and_Cleopatra_%28play%29]
|-
| Witch-king of Angmar: "Fool! No man can kill me." Gnome Ann: "I Am Gnome Ann!"
| Witch-king of Angmar: "Fool! No man can kill me." Éowyn: "I Am no man!"
| {{w|The Lord of the Rings (film series)}}
| The Witch-king of Angmar was given a prophecy that he would never be bested in combat by the hand of man, and he boasted "no man" could kill him. Both in ''Lord of the Rings'' and this comic, he is defeated by a woman. Gnome Ann is simply that good. Note that in the Tolkien legendarium, a "Gnome" is an archaic name for the Noldor tribe of elves (e.g. Galadriel).
|-
| "In the words of Andrew Johnson, if I am to be shot at, I want Gnome Ann to be in the way of the bullet."
| "In the words of Andrew Johnson, if I am to be shot at, I want no man to be in the way of the bullet."
| {{w|Andrew Johnson}}, 17th President of the United States
| '''Title text''': The intent of this statement originally was that Andrew Johnson would rather be killed, than have somebody else be killed trying to save his life. However in this case it would appear that Andrew Johnson would really prefer Gnome Ann to be shot instead of himself, perhaps because he knows that "(Gnome Ann) lives forever." [https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Algernon_Charles_Swinburne]
|}

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panels.]
:The <big>Legend</big> of <big>Gnome Ann</big>

:[At the beach, between a clock hanging in the air, showing 10 past 10 and the shoreline, Gnome Ann, a woman with curly hair and a black triangular hat, stands with her arms outstretched towards the clock and the sea. For each of the first five panels a text is written within a frame above the drawings.]
:Time and tide wait for Gnome Ann.

:[Gnome Ann running in from the left frame with her arms out chases three Cueball like men running from her towards right. The one closest to her looks over his shoulder at her, the next runs forward "normally" and the last in front throws up his arms in the air.]
:The wicked flee when Gnome Ann pursueth.
:-Proverbs 28:1

:[Gnome Ann takes the groom's place in a wedding, shoving him to the side. The groom, Hairy with a bow tie, falls while throwing his arms out. The bride stands to the left, in full wedding dress, showing no reaction.]
:What therefore God hath joined together, let Gnome Ann put asunder.
:-Mark 10:9

:[Gnome Ann sits in a yoga position meditating on a big rock in a desolate area with small rocks on the ground around the big rock.]
:Time ripens all things; Gnome Ann is born wise.
:-Miguel De Cervantes

:[The starship Enterprise from Star Trek is seen from behind as it flies to the right, chasing a smaller craft. In this panel the frame with text is shown to emanate from Enterprise with a zig zag arrow pointing to the starship.]
:Enterprise: Our Mission: To boldly go where Gnome Ann has gone before.

:[The Witch-king of Angmar, Lord of the Nazgûl, from the Lord of the Rings sits on his knees (below the frame) to the left of Gnome Ann, who is preparing to stab him with a sword pointing at his head. She is also holding her other arm out towards him. The Witch-king has a black cloak covering his head and body with a kind of crown with six small spikes shown around his head and one large spike in front. It also goes down on each side of his head showing a gaping hole instead of a face. In this panel the text is spoken by the two characters.]
:Witch-king: Fool! No man can kill me.
:Gnome Ann: '''''I Am Gnome Ann!'''''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Star Trek]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]

Talk:1695: Code Quality 2

2016-06-17T15:45:15Z

R0hrshach:

Edward Estin Cummings was a poet (pseudonym e e cummings) who used capitalization, punctuation, and line breaks in unconventional ways. When a new user creates an account that duplicates an existing user name, many websites will suggest a user name with the user's first name followed by a string of digits. [[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 14:42, 17 June 2016 (UTC)

I really love these ones :) I hope there will be a part 3. Can we please make a contest for these?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.83.246|162.158.83.246]] 15:22, 17 June 2016 (UTC)

I know Ponytail is female but I keep reading her voice as TJ Miller's character from the movie Deadpool.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:45, 17 June 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1674: Adult

2016-04-29T15:39:56Z

R0hrshach:

I included an alternate explanation that approached the joke from a different perspective. The first explanation agreed that certain tasks identify one as an adult while I saw the joke to mean that we bestow adult-like properties onto certain tasks in order to convince ourselves we must be an adult when those tasks do nothing to mature us or bestow maturity.[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:39, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

1674: Adult

2016-04-29T15:37:23Z

R0hrshach: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1674
| date = April 29, 2016
| title = Adult
| image = adult.png
| titletext = (1) That shopping cart is full of AirHeads, and (2) I died at 41 from what the AirHeads company spokesperson called 'probably natural causes.'
}}

==Explanation==

In this comic, [[Cueball]] performs several mundane 'adult' tasks, namely shopping for groceries, buying furniture, and applying for a mortgage. In each instance thought bubbles show his apparent surprise or bemusement at the fact that he is behaving like an adult.

In the last panel [[Megan]] is reading Cueball's will. Instead of containing standard legalese, the will instead captures Cueball's surprised or bemused thoughts when he wrote the will.

Alternate explanation: The idea of adulthood is grounded in society's scripting that adults "do such and such" or behave in a certain way. Despite numerous studies showing that those aged past 21 still have trouble accepting they have grown up. Lacking any real milestone that adulthood has been achieved, we (like Cueball) convince ourselves of our adulthood all the while retaining an identity that could conflict with the image of an adult (death by overconsumption).

[[Wikipedia:AirHeads|AirHeads]] are a tangy, taffy-like, chewy candy, predominantly known for its sweet taste and texture. The title text suggests Cueball still retains some more childish instincts, namely using the freedom of adulthood to indulge in AirHead candies, to fatal consequences.

See also [[905: Homeownership]] and [[616: Lease]], where [[Cueball]] similarly has difficulty accepting the reality of his adulthood.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is holding onto a shopping cart.]
:Cueball (thinking): Haha, look at me grocery shopping! I'm such an adult.

:[Cueball is standing in front of a sofa.]
:Cueball (thinking): Buying a sofa! Ooh, look how domestic I am!

:[Cueball is sitting at a desk writing something with another Cueball on the opposite side of the desk.]
:Cueball (thinking): Applying for a mortgage! As if I'm a real grown-up.

:[Megan is reading from a piece of paper in front of a desk with Hairbun, Hairy, and White Hat behind it.]
:Megan: ...And I, being of sound mind and body, am totally writing a will right now!
:Megan: Can you believe this?

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1669: Planespotting

2016-04-18T15:56:32Z

R0hrshach:

Is that black hat or white hat? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.65|108.162.221.65]] 15:10, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

How would one even pronounce "Mk. IVII"? IV is 4, VII is 7. I could see an argument for treating it as a really bizarre way to say 6. Or, if we treat it as two distinct digits (as opposed to a two-digit number), it could be either "1-7" or "4-2".

I assume there are other parts of this that are similarly nonsensical to people who know what Cueball thinks he's talking about. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.32|108.162.221.32]] 14:43, 18 April 2016 (UTC)
:When I first read the comic before the explanation I was assuming Cueball was roughly, and poorly, describing a Bombardier DHC-8. It is also known as a Q400 and is a twin-engine turboprop. The silhouette looks vaguely like it.[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:56, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

There are ''so many'' things wrong about this comic. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 14:53, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

Maybe I'm totally off base, but this reminds me of something called "Vaynespotting". In League of Legends, there's a character named Shauna Vayne. She has an extremely high skill-ceiling and skill-floor. Vaynespotting is a minigame where other players receive imaginary points for calling out a bad Vayne player when that player makes aggressive maneuvers, but doesn't have the skill to pull it off. [[User:Thefance|Thefance]] ([[User talk:Thefance|talk]]) 15:38, 18 April 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1668: Singularity

2016-04-15T15:13:23Z

R0hrshach:

Incidentally, [http://craphound.com/rotn/Cory_Doctorow_and_Charles_Stross_-_Rapture_of_the_Nerds.html Rapture of the Nerds] mentions [[1664: Mycology|Toxoplasma gondii]] in passing. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 13:19, 15 April 2016 (UTC)

Great! Who brought Roko's Basilisk into this?! Now we to delete the entire Explain in order to contain this threat. >:( There needs to be an internet rule that forbids the discussion of the basilisk. Except that such a rule only furthers its creation. Augh!!![[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:13, 15 April 2016 (UTC)

== Quantum gravity ==

Is there something more to this joke than the comedy of public nudity? With Munroe the usually is. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.25|141.101.80.25]] 13:46, 15 April 2016 (UTC)

: {{w|Naked singularity}}. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 13:50, 15 April 2016 (UTC)

::Ahh, I missed the Naked singularity joke. Good catch. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.119|108.162.246.119]] 14:53, 15 April 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1668: Singularity

2016-04-15T15:13:10Z

R0hrshach:

Talk:1668: Singularity

2016-04-15T15:12:48Z

R0hrshach: /* Quantum gravity */

Talk:1668: Singularity

2016-04-15T15:11:52Z

R0hrshach: /* Quantum gravity */

Incidentally, [http://craphound.com/rotn/Cory_Doctorow_and_Charles_Stross_-_Rapture_of_the_Nerds.html Rapture of the Nerds] mentions [[1664: Mycology|Toxoplasma gondii]] in passing. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 13:19, 15 April 2016 (UTC)

== Quantum gravity ==

Is there something more to this joke than the comedy of public nudity? With Munroe the usually is. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.25|141.101.80.25]] 13:46, 15 April 2016 (UTC)

: {{w|Naked singularity}}. [[User:.42|.42]] ([[User talk:.42|talk]]) 13:50, 15 April 2016 (UTC)

::Ahh, I missed the Naked singularity joke. Good catch. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.119|108.162.246.119]] 14:53, 15 April 2016 (UTC)

Great! Who brought Roko's Basilisk into this?! Now we to delete the entire Explain in order to contain this threat. >:( There needs to be an internet rule that forbids the discussion of the basilisk. Except that such a rule only furthers its creation. Augh!!![[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:11, 15 April 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1663: Garden

2016-04-06T03:43:48Z

R0hrshach: /* April Fools? */

Some of the posts in [[#Finally Garden is up on xkcd|Finally Garden is up on xkcd] where originally posted on the [[Talk:1662:_Jack_and_Jill#What_happened_to_Friday.27s_comic|Talk page for Jack and Jill]], below the section about why this comic was not already up on April 1st. The ''Finally Garden is up on xkcd'' section was moved here, because this was made after the comic was up, but before this page was created... [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:11, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
== Finally Garden is up on xkcd ==
:It is here the comic we have been waiting for, and it seems it is a April fool comic although it first came out past midnight in all of the US except Hawaii...
:I do not know when it will be on this page but for those impatient...
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/53/Garden_Loading_screen_shot.png Loading screen shot]
:It says to Relax, while it loads, but it will eventually get to a barren land with a growth lamp that can be moved:
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c8/Garden_Lamp_screen_shot.png Starting point screen shot]
:The lamp can be moved and change color.
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/09/Garden_Red_Lamp_screen_shot.png Red Lamp selected screen shot]
:It may be there will be something growing if we wait long enough?
:And there will be more lamps and new items:
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b8/Garden_Three_Lamp_screen_shot.png Three Lamps and birdbath screen shot.png]]
:Yes he is messing with us for sure but at least not by not making a comic :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:46, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
::I succeeded to get a small plant, but I'm not sure how. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.167|162.158.86.167]] 10:16, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Try not to cover everything with every light wavelength. I'm sure you get different plants with different wavelengths:
:::[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bf/aprilfool-2016-xorg.png Lots of growth].
::::'''Moved the picture links''' to the image page, and inserted direct links to the images instad. It took up too much space. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:04, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Also, I've noticed a constant cpu usage, indicating some kind of number crunching. The script's name "linden" reminded me of linden dollars and crowdsourcing bitcoin mining with javascript, but afair linden dollars were never mined nor based on cryptography. -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 10:30, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
::::"Linden" is probably a reference to the Linden trees, a genus (Latin name Tilia). It would make more sense than a reference to dollars, at least. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.135.57|162.158.135.57]] 12:14, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:::::My first thought were {{w|Lindenmayer system}}s --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.240|198.41.242.240]] 16:29, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Ok, it's *moving*. The leaves wobble in the wind. That explains the cpu usage. So far I have seen the following images: <code>asdfx2=""; for (asdfx in garden.linden.imgCache.imgs) { asdfx2 += asdfx+" "; } asdfx2

"http://xkcd.com/1663/art/background.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/talltrunk-2.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/shrub-8.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/wavyplant-3.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/turtle-1.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/shrub-6.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/birdbath.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/cactus-2.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/trunk-6.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/branch-11.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/branch-18.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/woman-1a.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/branch-21.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/rover.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/leaves-7.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/leaves-6.png "
</code> -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 12:10, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

For those who are in https (with firefox for example) and don't see the "comic", there is mixed content. Click on the padlock on the up-left corner, then on the arrow, then "disable the protection against not secure elements" (or something like that). [[User:Seipas|Seipas]] ([[User talk:Seipas|talk]]) 11:32, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

The comic is finally here! ... but it won't load on my computer. Does anybody know what the problem might be or how I can fix it? [[User:Soad Kraken|Soad Kraken]] ([[User talk:Soad Kraken|talk]]) 12:45, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Does not load (continually Loading...) on IE/FF/Chrome for me (in UK, non-https, ad-blockers turned off) any ideas? {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.114}}

Loads for me in Chrome, but then every time it refreshes, it resets the lamps to the default (one lamp in center). Removes the ones I added. Does this happen to anyone else? [[User:Vixy|Vixy]] ([[User talk:Vixy|talk]]) 16:51, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Did someone try the debugmode?
:http://xkcd.com/1663/?debug#YourCode

It also logs data in the console
[[User:Magno|Magno]] ([[User talk:Magno|talk]]) 12:51, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Post new images here: [[1663: Garden/Screen-shots]]. Anyone know what happens to the site, it looks really weird and it is difficult to use the site now. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:Ah I can see there is a [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Technical#mw-head|community post about this]] already. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:22, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== April Fools? ==

What's the evidence that this is an April Fools comic? I think that the April Fools joke this year was the absence of a comic, and all the silly excuses about it when it was never coming. [[User:JoDu987|JoDu987]] ([[User talk:JoDu987|talk]]) 15:48, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:It's interactive. April Fools comics are always interactive. Normal comics rarely are. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 16:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
::I would rather say that it is also an april fool's comic because it came late. But first of all it has the pointless but time consuming concept of user input resulting in a comic that has no joke in it self, or at least only user made. Second the comic is rather complex and doesn't seem to work on all browsers. I cannot make it work on my explorer at home, but it did work at my office. It seems likely that he has worked very hard t make this work. When he then had problems with it Friday, he may have taken the chance of using April 1st to make excuses that people could read as being an April fool's joke. But neither way, he tells in the status updates that we are awaiting a complex comic, and in the end he said that the Friday comic (from April 1st) would come Sunday evening, and it did, so this is Fridays comic and thus also April the 1st's comic. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:The April Fool's Joke is lost on everyone here so far. Let me explain. You have 3 lamps you are allowed to use max and 3 different colors you can use max. That means there are a total of 7 possible colors you can use to grow things in your garden (red only, yellow only, blue only, red+yellow, red+blue, yellow+blue, and red+yellow+blue). If you are OCD, like me, you will work to position the lamps in such a way that all possible combinations are available at different positions on the ground. However, it cannot be done or if it can I have yet to find a way! I believe that is why the title text says "Relax". Because he knows the challenge will drive people crazy trying to find the solution. Maybe there is one but I think the April Fool's joke is that there isn't a possible solution but people will spend lots of time trying anyway.[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:33, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
::I updated the explanation with this information but apparently someone didn't like that and just removed the entire paragraph without any alternate explanation. Oh well...[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 17:23, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
::This doesn't sound likely to me. It is impossible to do what you describe, and I would think "Relax" refers to the slow growth rate of the gardens. [[User:KangaroOS|Kangaro]][[User talk:KangaroOS|OS]] 18:18, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
:::And also it is possible over time because you can move the lamps. By the way there are more than three colors. There are also white and other hues in between red and yellow and red and blue. So there are many more combos. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:30, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
:::I agree that "Relax" can have multiple meanings but the fact that you are limited to 3 lamps and 3 primary colors bears significance to me. Or why not let you spawn in 4 or 5 or 6? I also think the April Fool's joke can refer to the fact that gardens are meant to be relaxing but instead you will be left tending your garden and working to achieve all possible combinations. The opposite of relaxing.[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 03:43, 6 April 2016 (UTC)

== Mobile ==

Like many of the dynamic comics, Garden doesn't interact well with mobile devices, but I have found a workaround for this one. On my Android tablet, going to m.xkcd.com/1663 gives me a page where I can manipulate the lights - tap once on a light to reveal the handles, tap in whitespace to hide them - but the landscape and growth are not rendered.

But, as I manipulate the lights, a string is appended to the URL; if I replace the initial '''m''' with '''www''' while preserving this string, I get a page where the landscape and growth are displayed. But from this page, I cannot manipulate the lights. But it does appear that the string includes enough information to prevent "losing progress", as several iterations of swapping between the mobile and desktop URLs retained all existing growth. Therefore, some level of timestamp information may also be included in the composition of this string. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.73|108.162.216.73]] 14:18, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

:Actually, it doesn't look like the URL changes when I move the lights after all. So now instead I'm guessing it's more of a unique identifier or something. If two people both use the same string, will one person's act of moving a light be reflected by the other user refreshing their browser? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.73|108.162.216.73]] 14:33, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

== Resets ==

Resets occur sporadically, because they are actually happenning when there was a connection_error event in the WebWorker. The "game" is continually contacting the server (linden.xkcd.com) and is resetting the page on the connection errors. The fact that this resets the progress is probably a bug. --[[User:DukeBG|DukeBG]] ([[User talk:DukeBG|talk]]) 16:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

It seems to reset the light placement and settings too, not just the plants in the garden [[Special:Contributions/162.158.210.238|162.158.210.238]] 07:06, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== Linux ==

Anyone else NOT able to get it to work on Linux. Tried Chrome, and FF, both with all extensions disabled. Linux Mint (like Ubuntu). Constantly says "Loading..."
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.217|162.158.214.217]] 17:23, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

You're not the only one. Running Unbuntu 12.04. Opera displays "Loading ..." for over 30 minutes. Firefox finishes loading and I can add and tweak lamps, but nothing grows.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.59|108.162.218.59]] 19:32, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Works fine with chromium on gentoo. {{unsigned ip|162.158.83.156}}

I had the same problem with Firefox on Ubuntu 15.04. However, reloading the page fixed it. Maybe it's got something to do with caching, or maybe it just only works with some chance. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.92|141.101.104.92]] 11:02, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== Available "plants" ==

<strike>I've got a Megan so far. Are we going to try to compile a list of what things will grow in the garden? --[[User:KingStarscream|KingStarscream]] ([[User talk:KingStarscream|talk]]) 19:06, 4 April 2016 (UTC)</strike>
: Oversight on my part. Apologies. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.64|173.245.52.64]] 19:18, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

== Suggestions for the explanation ==
What is missing and what would be interesting. And how can you help... Add it here below, maybe even with subheadings. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:18, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
===Possible items===
*Someone has made a list of [[1663:_Garden/Images|images of items]] that can be found on xkcd and seems to be complete.
**Can anyone say for certain if it is complete now?
***And can we be certain no new items appear? Anyone who can check this?
**Can someone easily download all the images?
***And if so either post them here as a zip file, or even better upload them to xkcd so we can have a page like this [[1350: Lorenz/Images]] for these items
****And later tables similar to those in the [[1350: Lorenz#Themes|themes section]] of [[1350: Lorenz]]!
*[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

===Urls===
*'''[[1663: Garden/Users gardens|Post urls here]]'''.
*Seems like the urls are not quite understood.
**What I have found so far is that the urls do not change after you load a garden. Even if something grows or if the lights are moved.
**If you save the url to begin with it will stay the same.
**But if you load the url later then it is a view only image.
***The questions are if the garden that an url refer to can be manipulated by the original user, to change what others see later even though they have the url.
***My gardens reload to often to really have a chance to test this. But the url I posted yesterday (now used as [[1663:_Garden#Permanent_link|example]]) under explanation of permalinks kept developing after I copied it and closed the garden down.
*[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
::I have understood it much better now, and the explanation has been changed to the way it work. Urls are still interesting to see how peoples gardens develop, but they are not permalinks, so only screen shots will be useful to guide the explanation.I have taken lots already of peoples posted interesting gardens, before they became overgrown or the interesting part might get deleted by the owner of the garden. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:42, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== Title text ==

The "Create new light" and "Remove selected (delete key)" icons have their own title text. I don't think anything else does though. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.74}}
:Great thanks. Had not noticed. Added this to the explanation now. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:26, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== Colour mapping ==
* Yellow light grows plants and birdbaths, but so does a combination of Magenta and Cyan light.
* Magenta light grows cacti and turtles. Yellow light does not seem to affect this.
* Cyan light grows octopuses.
* Yellow light plus Cyan light grows office furniture.
{{unsigned ip|141.101.98.74}}
:Great it would be nice to see some garden urls or screen shots, especially of the furniture, which I haven't seen yet. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:29, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1663: Garden

2016-04-05T17:23:53Z

R0hrshach: /* April Fools? */

Some of the posts in [[#Finally Garden is up on xkcd|Finally Garden is up on xkcd] where originally posted on the [[Talk:1662:_Jack_and_Jill#What_happened_to_Friday.27s_comic|Talk page for Jack and Jill]], below the section about why this comic was not already up on April 1st. The ''Finally Garden is up on xkcd'' section was moved here, because this was made after the comic was up, but before this page was created... [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:11, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
== Finally Garden is up on xkcd ==
:It is here the comic we have been waiting for, and it seems it is a April fool comic although it first came out past midnight in all of the US except Hawaii...
:I do not know when it will be on this page but for those impatient...
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/53/Garden_Loading_screen_shot.png Loading screen shot]
:It says to Relax, while it loads, but it will eventually get to a barren land with a growth lamp that can be moved:
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c8/Garden_Lamp_screen_shot.png Starting point screen shot]
:The lamp can be moved and change color.
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/09/Garden_Red_Lamp_screen_shot.png Red Lamp selected screen shot]
:It may be there will be something growing if we wait long enough?
:And there will be more lamps and new items:
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b8/Garden_Three_Lamp_screen_shot.png Three Lamps and birdbath screen shot.png]]
:Yes he is messing with us for sure but at least not by not making a comic :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:46, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
::I succeeded to get a small plant, but I'm not sure how. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.167|162.158.86.167]] 10:16, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Try not to cover everything with every light wavelength. I'm sure you get different plants with different wavelengths:
:::[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bf/aprilfool-2016-xorg.png Lots of growth].
::::'''Moved the picture links''' to the image page, and inserted direct links to the images instad. It took up too much space. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:04, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Also, I've noticed a constant cpu usage, indicating some kind of number crunching. The script's name "linden" reminded me of linden dollars and crowdsourcing bitcoin mining with javascript, but afair linden dollars were never mined nor based on cryptography. -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 10:30, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
::::"Linden" is probably a reference to the Linden trees, a genus (Latin name Tilia). It would make more sense than a reference to dollars, at least. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.135.57|162.158.135.57]] 12:14, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:::::My first thought were {{w|Lindenmayer system}}s --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.240|198.41.242.240]] 16:29, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Ok, it's *moving*. The leaves wobble in the wind. That explains the cpu usage. So far I have seen the following images: <code>asdfx2=""; for (asdfx in garden.linden.imgCache.imgs) { asdfx2 += asdfx+" "; } asdfx2

"http://xkcd.com/1663/art/background.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/talltrunk-2.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/shrub-8.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/wavyplant-3.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/turtle-1.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/shrub-6.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/birdbath.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/cactus-2.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/trunk-6.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/branch-11.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/branch-18.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/woman-1a.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/branch-21.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/rover.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/leaves-7.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/leaves-6.png "
</code> -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 12:10, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

For those who are in https (with firefox for example) and don't see the "comic", there is mixed content. Click on the padlock on the up-left corner, then on the arrow, then "disable the protection against not secure elements" (or something like that). [[User:Seipas|Seipas]] ([[User talk:Seipas|talk]]) 11:32, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

The comic is finally here! ... but it won't load on my computer. Does anybody know what the problem might be or how I can fix it? [[User:Soad Kraken|Soad Kraken]] ([[User talk:Soad Kraken|talk]]) 12:45, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Does not load (continually Loading...) on IE/FF/Chrome for me (in UK, non-https, ad-blockers turned off) any ideas? {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.114}}

Loads for me in Chrome, but then every time it refreshes, it resets the lamps to the default (one lamp in center). Removes the ones I added. Does this happen to anyone else? [[User:Vixy|Vixy]] ([[User talk:Vixy|talk]]) 16:51, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Did someone try the debugmode?
:http://xkcd.com/1663/?debug#YourCode

It also logs data in the console
[[User:Magno|Magno]] ([[User talk:Magno|talk]]) 12:51, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Post new images here: [[1663: Garden/Images]]. Anyone know what happens to the site, it looks really weird and it is difficult to use the site now. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:Ah I can see there is a [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Technical#mw-head|community post about this]] already. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:22, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== April Fools? ==

What's the evidence that this is an April Fools comic? I think that the April Fools joke this year was the absence of a comic, and all the silly excuses about it when it was never coming. [[User:JoDu987|JoDu987]] ([[User talk:JoDu987|talk]]) 15:48, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:It's interactive. April Fools comics are always interactive. Normal comics rarely are. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 16:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
::I would rather say that it is also an april fool's comic because it came late. But first of all it has the pointless but time consuming concept of user input resulting in a comic that has no joke in it self, or at least only user made. Second the comic is rather complex and doesn't seem to work on all browsers. I cannot make it work on my explorer at home, but it did work at my office. It seems likely that he has worked very hard t make this work. When he then had problems with it Friday, he may have taken the chance of using April 1st to make excuses that people could read as being an April fool's joke. But neither way, he tells in the status updates that we are awaiting a complex comic, and in the end he said that the Friday comic (from April 1st) would come Sunday evening, and it did, so this is Fridays comic and thus also April the 1st's comic. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:The April Fool's Joke is lost on everyone here so far. Let me explain. You have 3 lamps you are allowed to use max and 3 different colors you can use max. That means there are a total of 7 possible colors you can use to grow things in your garden (red only, yellow only, blue only, red+yellow, red+blue, yellow+blue, and red+yellow+blue). If you are OCD, like me, you will work to position the lamps in such a way that all possible combinations are available at different positions on the ground. However, it cannot be done or if it can I have yet to find a way! I believe that is why the title text says "Relax". Because he knows the challenge will drive people crazy trying to find the solution. Maybe there is one but I think the April Fool's joke is that there isn't a possible solution but people will spend lots of time trying anyway.[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:33, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
::I updated the explanation with this information but apparently someone didn't like that and just removed the entire paragraph without any alternate explanation. Oh well...[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 17:23, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== Mobile ==

Like many of the dynamic comics, Garden doesn't interact well with mobile devices, but I have found a workaround for this one. On my Android tablet, going to m.xkcd.com/1663 gives me a page where I can manipulate the lights - tap once on a light to reveal the handles, tap in whitespace to hide them - but the landscape and growth are not rendered.

But, as I manipulate the lights, a string is appended to the URL; if I replace the initial '''m''' with '''www''' while preserving this string, I get a page where the landscape and growth are displayed. But from this page, I cannot manipulate the lights. But it does appear that the string includes enough information to prevent "losing progress", as several iterations of swapping between the mobile and desktop URLs retained all existing growth. Therefore, some level of timestamp information may also be included in the composition of this string. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.73|108.162.216.73]] 14:18, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

:Actually, it doesn't look like the URL changes when I move the lights after all. So now instead I'm guessing it's more of a unique identifier or something. If two people both use the same string, will one person's act of moving a light be reflected by the other user refreshing their browser? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.73|108.162.216.73]] 14:33, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

== Resets ==

Resets occur sporadically, because they are actually happenning when there was a connection_error event in the WebWorker. The "game" is continually contacting the server (linden.xkcd.com) and is resetting the page on the connection errors. The fact that this resets the progress is probably a bug. --[[User:DukeBG|DukeBG]] ([[User talk:DukeBG|talk]]) 16:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

It seems to reset the light placement and settings too, not just the plants in the garden [[Special:Contributions/162.158.210.238|162.158.210.238]] 07:06, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== Linux ==

Anyone else NOT able to get it to work on Linux. Tried Chrome, and FF, both with all extensions disabled. Linux Mint (like Ubuntu). Constantly says "Loading..."
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.217|162.158.214.217]] 17:23, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

You're not the only one. Running Unbuntu 12.04. Opera displays "Loading ..." for over 30 minutes. Firefox finishes loading and I can add and tweak lamps, but nothing grows.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.59|108.162.218.59]] 19:32, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Works fine with chromium on gentoo. {{unsigned ip|162.158.83.156}}

I had the same problem with Firefox on Ubuntu 15.04. However, reloading the page fixed it. Maybe it's got something to do with caching, or maybe it just only works with some chance. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.92|141.101.104.92]] 11:02, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== Available "plants" ==

<strike>I've got a Megan so far. Are we going to try to compile a list of what things will grow in the garden? --[[User:KingStarscream|KingStarscream]] ([[User talk:KingStarscream|talk]]) 19:06, 4 April 2016 (UTC)</strike>
: Oversight on my part. Apologies. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.64|173.245.52.64]] 19:18, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

== Suggestions for the explanation ==
What is missing and what would be interesting. And how can you help... Add it here below, maybe even with subheadings. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:18, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
===Possible items===
*Someone has made a list of [[1663:_Garden/Images#Images_of_items|images of items]] that can be found on xkcd and seems to be complete.
**Can anyone say for certain if it is complete now?
***And can we be certain no new items appear? Anyone who can check this?
**Can someone easily download all the images?
***And if so either post them here as a zip file, or even better upload them to xkcd so we can have a page like this [[1350: Lorenz/Images]] for these items
****And later tables similar to those in the [[1350: Lorenz#Themes|themes section]] of [[1350: Lorenz]]!
*[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

===Urls===
*'''[[1663:_Garden/Images#Permalinks|Post urls here]]'''.
*Seems like the urls are not quite understood.
**What I have found so far is that the urls do not change after you load a garden. Even if something grows or if the lights are moved.
**If you save the url to begin with it will stay the same.
**But if you load the url later then it is a view only image.
***The questions are if the garden that an url refer to can be manipulated by the original user, to change what others see later even though they have the url.
***My gardens reload to often to really have a chance to test this. But the url I posted yesterday (now used as [[1663:_Garden#Permanent_link|example]]) under explanation of permalinks kept developing after I copied it and closed the garden down.
*[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== Title text ==

The "Create new light" and "Remove selected (delete key)" icons have their own title text. I don't think anything else does though.

1663: Garden

2016-04-05T16:37:22Z

R0hrshach: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1663
| date = April 4, 2016
| title = Garden
| image = garden.png 
| titletext = Relax.
}}
<div class="toclimit-3" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;">__TOC__</div>
*'''Note''' this is an interactive comic. Go to xkcd to try it out.
*'''Post new images''' etc. in this page [[1663: Garden/Images]]!

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Include a table with all possible items as [[1663: Garden/Images#Images of items|listed here]] with image, linnk, explanations and link to a garden or image of a garden where it "grows". "Permalinks" (i.e. the url which is not really permanent see the explanation) can be [[1663: Garden/Images#Permalinks|posted here]] for now to show that the items can actually be found growing in the garden. And there is also the page for [[1663: Garden/Images|screen shots]] etc.}}

This comics represents the [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] of 2016, and it is [[Randall|Randall's]] celebration of {{w|April Fools' Day}}.

Due to technical problems (or to make [[#April Fool's header text|fools of his fans?]]) the comic did not go live until Sunday evening (after midnight) so there was no Friday release in the week before where the Wednesday comic [[1662: Jack and Jill]] got a lot more attention than it would usually have had. This comic thus turned in to the Monday release instead, as no other comic was released later in the day (which would have taken attention away from this very special comic), even though it was called the ''Friday comic'' in the [[#April Fool's header text|header text]] displayed at the top of xkcd from April 1st and during the weekend until the late release past midnight (also on {{w|Pacific time}} in the US.

So because of this there were only two comics in the week before this comic, which may be the first time since xkcd went live on xkcd.com in 2006.

The comic begins with "your '''Garden'''" being a barren landscape. But if you leave the lights on and wait (or "relax", as the reader is told to do by the title text), then plants will start to appear. The plants appear one at a time slowly, but only a few of them actually grow. There is a large tree that does, but most other plants just appear. Some of the plants sway in the breeze. Also animals and characters including [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] may appear as well as buildings and other items. See examples here [[1663: Garden/Images]].

Every so often the image will refresh. You can change the number of lights, their position, direction, beam width and the color temperature from red to yellow to white to blue, and other colors may appear where two lamps different light overlap. How much this affects the growth is hard to say, but there seems to be some correlation. It appears that areas under lights set to the blue end of the spectrum develop plants and animals with an aquatic theme, especially with octopuses, while areas under lights set to the red end of the spectrum develop a desert theme. Nothing seems to be able to grow in complete darkness or extreme light (lamp(s) very close to the ground).

If this comic is scientifically accurate, that correlation will be based on {{w|photosynthetically active radiation}}.

The April Fool's Joke (or one of them is) as follows: You have 3 lamps you are allowed to use max and 3 different colors you can use max. That means there are a total of 7 possible colors you can use to grow things in your garden (red only, yellow only, blue only, red+yellow, red+blue, yellow+blue, and red+yellow+blue). If you work to position the lamps in such a way that all possible combinations are available at different positions on the ground, it cannot be done. This further explains the title text of "Relax" for those who are getting frustrated trying to make it work. The April Fool's joke is that it is an impossible feat but people will try anyway.[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:37, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

===Functionality===
====Lamps====
*The position of the lamp can be moved by clicking and dragging the lamp.
*The angle of the lamp can be rotated by clicking the lamp to reveal the red control triangle, and dragging it left or right, rotating it around the lamp.
*The area of the lamp can be adjusted from a narrow beam to a wide flood by clicking the lamp to reveal the red control triangle, and dragging it towards (wider) or away from (narrower) relative to the lamp.
*The light's color can be changed by clicking the lamp to reveal the red control dot, and by rotating the dot around the lamp. From the Center position (Yellow) the dot can be rotated Right (Magenta/Red) or Left (Cyan/Blue).
*Additional lamps (up to three total) can be added by clicking the black plus lamp icon along the right of the window.
*Lamps can be removed by clicking the lamp, then clicking the red X icon along the right of the window, or pressing the Delete key on the keyboard.

====Grown Items====
*Grown items may be highlighted by clicking on them.Selected grown items will be highlighted with a red circle, and appear slightly lighter then other items.
*Grown items may be "pruned" by the red X icon along the right of the window, or pressing the Delete key on the keyboard.
*Some items (such as the large tree) can be deleted in minor parts by selecting a branch or smaller set of leaves without deleting the entire tree.

====Saving images====
*In Edge, Firefox and Chrome, the image plus light cones but minus lamps and icons elements, can be saved by right clicking in the image.
**They do not always save in the same way as some browsers saves the part of the background without any light cones as white, and other save it as no background, in which case it may render black, basically hiding any black items outside the light.
***For those images it depends on which viewer is used to see the image, if everything can be seen or only that in the light cones. (Example will follow later).

====Permanent link====
*There is no [[1350#Permalink|permalink button]] as in the last two years' April Fool's comics.
*The URL is differenet for every garden that is loaded, but stays the same. It links to a server-side copy of the scene, which then changes depending on what the users does with their gardens.
**Sharing a URL will connect a new browser to the same garden session, but only the original browser will be allowed to edit.
**The user can always return to change the garden with the link, but only from the same browser on the same computer.
*The garden itself will thus continue to develop further from the time when the url was copied, and events will happen from now on even though the garden is not opened in any browser.
**If the user doesn't keep it, it will become infested with weeds.
**So most likely the garden is serverside, as all browsers are allowed to see the development of this garden, but users following the url are not allowed to edit anything.
*Here is an example garden [http://www.xkcd.com/1663/#0d11a2c8-fa8f-11e5-8001-42010a8e000e linked by ID] versus the same garden:
**In the original [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7f/1663_garden_tree_turtle_birdbath.png screenshot from April 4th] from when the url was created
**In a [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/7/7c/1663_garden_Flying_birds_deer_gate_with_cactus_turtles_snake_etc.png screenshot from April 5th] the day after.
**Here [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/5a/1663_garden_Pruned_garden_with_birds_deer_gate_cactus_turtles_snake_gate.png example] after the user pruned the garden in the examples.
*Starting two browser windows or tabs pointing to the same URL will allow you to edit from either window.
**linden.xkcd.com holds all the data; the UUID just corresponds to your access key, held in your browser's local storage.

===Bugs===
*There have been several bugs mentioned already after the first day. Please include any spotted here:
**Also some problems that may now be fixed.
*May not run on some tablets or smart phones (i.e. touch-screen only devices).
*There are some browser versions of Chrome and Firefox where it doesn't run.
*The whole page used to refresh at random intervals and lose the whole progress.
**It still does on April 5th.
**Sometimes (in some browsers?) the garden is reloaded when refreshing.
***This may though be because of the url (semi-permalink?).
***Seems to be dependent on the browser type.
*Some lamps jumped back to their starting position after a few minutes, without the ehole page reloading.
*For a few hours after its apparition, the loading didn't seem to stop for some people, making them think that the rotating tree was the whole joke, with people expected to "relax" while looking at it.
*Occasionally invisible objects are added. They can be deleted, and they have bounding boxes in the debugger. [http://xkcd.com/1663/?debug#d12a0932-faaa-11e5-8012-42010a8e0006]
*Doesn't work over https, you have to use http instead.
*It is possible to save the image in Chrome and in Firefox, but not in Explorer.
**But in Chrome the image is black where there is no light.
**In Firefox everything is visible, wth the light cones (in color) shown.

==Transcript==
:[After a '''loading image''' with a rotating tree in the middle and the text "Loading..." with the three dots appearing one at a time, and then disappear when all three have been there the image shown above in the explanation will appear:]

:['''Description of the image above''': A piece of bare landscape is shown. At the edges there are some rocks or stones raising the level from the general level through the center of the panel. Above the middle, a little more than halfway to the to of the panel, is a light bulb sitting inside a lamp that reminds of the desk lamp from the movie Luxo Jr. The lamp shines a yellow light down on the landscape in a broad cone that jus reaches the first rock to the left, but not those to the right. The lamp just hovers in the air. In the top right corner are two gray icons. The top one has a black frame and shows an image of a lamp, tilted left as opposed to the straight position of the lamp in the image. There is a + sign below in the left corner. The second icon without a frame has a large white cross in the middle.]

:[This turns out to be a '''web applet''' and using the "+ lamp" icon two more lamps can be added getting up to three. They are all adjustable both regarding position, direction, color of light and beam width. When selecting a lamp a red circle appear around it with a small circle on top that can be used to control the light color from blue to the left to red to the right. In front is a red arrow that can turn the lamp and it can also be used to change the beam width by pulling it away from the lamp or pushing it back. The lamps can be moved by just clicking on it and moving it. The other icon with a X can be used to remove the lamps (and later any object that appear in the garden). When any object is selected there is a red circle around it. When this is done the gray cross icon becomes red and can the be used to delete the selected item. When no item is selected (either because it is deleted, or by clicking in a part of the screen with no items), then the cross icon turns gray again. When all three lamps are on, then the "+ lamp" icon is faded out.]

:['''If you wait''' (or relax, as in the title text), then a plant will grow or animals, humans and other items may appear. This could be birds, snakes, octopuses or turtles, Megan or Cueball or a birdbath, a monolith or a tall gate just as a few examples. Most of the items appear in one go, but at least the largest trees grow up with a big stem first and then adds parts later with leaves or empty branches. Also one item may appear on top of another item and for instance birds may fly in the air.]

==Trivia==
===April Fool's header text===
*There is some debate as to whether this comic is an April Fool's comic or not. And if instead the April fool's joke was the text written above the comic in the header of xkcd.
*Here below is the text (with links) to that text:
**On Friday, April 1st, 2016, the xkcd website [http://web.archive.org/web/20160401204749/https://xkcd.com/ began displaying] a message where the standard message "XKCD updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday." usually is:
::The xkcd April 1st comic is currently experiencing technical difficulties.
::Please stand by!
:*Towards the end of Friday, the message [http://web.archive.org/web/20160402144823/http://xkcd.com was updated]:
::The xkcd April 1st comic is currently experiencing technical difficulties.
::Status update: Please stand by.
::Status update: This is fine. Everything is fine.
::Status update: Everything is on fire.
::Status update: Searching for calendar systems in which Saturday is April 1st.
:*On Sunday April 3rd, the message was again [http://web.archive.org/web/20160403234504/https://xkcd.com/ changed] to:
::The Friday xkcd comic is currently experiencing technical difficulties
::[Editor's note: Everything is on fire] and has been delayed until Sunday night.
:*The comic did not come out until past midnight in the entire North America (coming out just before midnight in Hawaii).
:*When it was released very early on Monday April 4th, the text [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/53/Garden_Loading_screen_shot.png returned] to the old standard text for xkcd for a short while:
::XKCD updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
:*During April 4th, the message then changed to
::'''Protip:''' If you don't like how your garden is growing, you can click to prune it.
:*And then later on April 4th (staying at least like this until April 5th), the message [http://web.archive.org/web/20160404185353/http://www.xkcd.com/#96d6515a-fa96-11e5-8001-42010a8e000f changed] to:
::'''Protip:''' If you don't like how your garden is growing, you can click to prune it.
::You can copy the URL to share your garden. From other browsers, it will be view-only.
*Several things can be deduced from the above:
**It is clear that this comic did actually come out as promised, at least as promised in the third message about release on Sunday night.
**It is also clear that it is regarded as the Friday comic, even in the last update before the release.
**It is also clear that this was a very complex comic, and it is realistic that Randall did have problems with making it work. Even on day two there still seems to be several minor bugs, so he may even still be working on it.
*Both of the last two comics, [[1350: Lorenz]] and [[1506: xkcloud]], have had no real meaning or joke in the comic. The jokes appeared from user input, and here from waiting.
**This makes people who spend too much time on them April Fools (or if they rather wish to be called a nerd than a fool, then they have been victim of [[356: Nerd Sniping|nerd sniping]]).
**So, even if Randall ''did'' play a joke on people who [[Talk:1662: Jack and Jill#What happened to Friday's comic|eagerly awaited the comic]], then he did deliver as promised a spectacular comic Sunday night.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics with animation]] 
[[Category:April fools' comics]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]] 
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Protip]]

Talk:1663: Garden

2016-04-05T16:33:09Z

R0hrshach: /* April Fools? */

Some of the posts in [[#Finally Garden is up on xkcd|Finally Garden is up on xkcd] where originally posted on the [[Talk:1662:_Jack_and_Jill#What_happened_to_Friday.27s_comic|Talk page for Jack and Jill]], below the section about why this comic was not already up on April 1st. The ''Finally Garden is up on xkcd'' section was moved here, because this was made after the comic was up, but before this page was created... [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:11, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
== Finally Garden is up on xkcd ==
:It is here the comic we have been waiting for, and it seems it is a April fool comic although it first came out past midnight in all of the US except Hawaii...
:I do not know when it will be on this page but for those impatient...
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/5/53/Garden_Loading_screen_shot.png Loading screen shot]
:It says to Relax, while it loads, but it will eventually get to a barren land with a growth lamp that can be moved:
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/c/c8/Garden_Lamp_screen_shot.png Starting point screen shot]
:The lamp can be moved and change color.
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/09/Garden_Red_Lamp_screen_shot.png Red Lamp selected screen shot]
:It may be there will be something growing if we wait long enough?
:And there will be more lamps and new items:
:[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/b8/Garden_Three_Lamp_screen_shot.png Three Lamps and birdbath screen shot.png]]
:Yes he is messing with us for sure but at least not by not making a comic :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:46, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
::I succeeded to get a small plant, but I'm not sure how. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.167|162.158.86.167]] 10:16, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Try not to cover everything with every light wavelength. I'm sure you get different plants with different wavelengths:
:::[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/b/bf/aprilfool-2016-xorg.png Lots of growth].
::::'''Moved the picture links''' to the image page, and inserted direct links to the images instad. It took up too much space. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:04, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Also, I've noticed a constant cpu usage, indicating some kind of number crunching. The script's name "linden" reminded me of linden dollars and crowdsourcing bitcoin mining with javascript, but afair linden dollars were never mined nor based on cryptography. -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 10:30, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
::::"Linden" is probably a reference to the Linden trees, a genus (Latin name Tilia). It would make more sense than a reference to dollars, at least. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.135.57|162.158.135.57]] 12:14, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:::::My first thought were {{w|Lindenmayer system}}s --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.240|198.41.242.240]] 16:29, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:::Ok, it's *moving*. The leaves wobble in the wind. That explains the cpu usage. So far I have seen the following images: <code>asdfx2=""; for (asdfx in garden.linden.imgCache.imgs) { asdfx2 += asdfx+" "; } asdfx2

"http://xkcd.com/1663/art/background.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/talltrunk-2.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/shrub-8.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/wavyplant-3.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/turtle-1.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/shrub-6.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/birdbath.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/cactus-2.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/trunk-6.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/branch-11.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/branch-18.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/woman-1a.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/branch-21.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/rover.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/leaves-7.png http://xkcd.com/1663/art/leaves-6.png "
</code> -- [[User:Xorg|Xorg]] ([[User talk:Xorg|talk]]) 12:10, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

For those who are in https (with firefox for example) and don't see the "comic", there is mixed content. Click on the padlock on the up-left corner, then on the arrow, then "disable the protection against not secure elements" (or something like that). [[User:Seipas|Seipas]] ([[User talk:Seipas|talk]]) 11:32, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

The comic is finally here! ... but it won't load on my computer. Does anybody know what the problem might be or how I can fix it? [[User:Soad Kraken|Soad Kraken]] ([[User talk:Soad Kraken|talk]]) 12:45, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Does not load (continually Loading...) on IE/FF/Chrome for me (in UK, non-https, ad-blockers turned off) any ideas? {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.114}}

Loads for me in Chrome, but then every time it refreshes, it resets the lamps to the default (one lamp in center). Removes the ones I added. Does this happen to anyone else? [[User:Vixy|Vixy]] ([[User talk:Vixy|talk]]) 16:51, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Did someone try the debugmode?
:http://xkcd.com/1663/?debug#YourCode

It also logs data in the console
[[User:Magno|Magno]] ([[User talk:Magno|talk]]) 12:51, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Post new images here: [[1663: Garden/Images]]. Anyone know what happens to the site, it looks really weird and it is difficult to use the site now. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:Ah I can see there is a [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Technical#mw-head|community post about this]] already. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:22, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== April Fools? ==

What's the evidence that this is an April Fools comic? I think that the April Fools joke this year was the absence of a comic, and all the silly excuses about it when it was never coming. [[User:JoDu987|JoDu987]] ([[User talk:JoDu987|talk]]) 15:48, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:It's interactive. April Fools comics are always interactive. Normal comics rarely are. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 16:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
::I would rather say that it is also an april fool's comic because it came late. But first of all it has the pointless but time consuming concept of user input resulting in a comic that has no joke in it self, or at least only user made. Second the comic is rather complex and doesn't seem to work on all browsers. I cannot make it work on my explorer at home, but it did work at my office. It seems likely that he has worked very hard t make this work. When he then had problems with it Friday, he may have taken the chance of using April 1st to make excuses that people could read as being an April fool's joke. But neither way, he tells in the status updates that we are awaiting a complex comic, and in the end he said that the Friday comic (from April 1st) would come Sunday evening, and it did, so this is Fridays comic and thus also April the 1st's comic. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)
:The April Fool's Joke is lost on everyone here so far. Let me explain. You have 3 lamps you are allowed to use max and 3 different colors you can use max. That means there are a total of 7 possible colors you can use to grow things in your garden (red only, yellow only, blue only, red+yellow, red+blue, yellow+blue, and red+yellow+blue). If you are OCD, like me, you will work to position the lamps in such a way that all possible combinations are available at different positions on the ground. However, it cannot be done or if it can I have yet to find a way! I believe that is why the title text says "Relax". Because he knows the challenge will drive people crazy trying to find the solution. Maybe there is one but I think the April Fool's joke is that there isn't a possible solution but people will spend lots of time trying anyway.[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:33, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== Mobile ==

Like many of the dynamic comics, Garden doesn't interact well with mobile devices, but I have found a workaround for this one. On my Android tablet, going to m.xkcd.com/1663 gives me a page where I can manipulate the lights - tap once on a light to reveal the handles, tap in whitespace to hide them - but the landscape and growth are not rendered.

But, as I manipulate the lights, a string is appended to the URL; if I replace the initial '''m''' with '''www''' while preserving this string, I get a page where the landscape and growth are displayed. But from this page, I cannot manipulate the lights. But it does appear that the string includes enough information to prevent "losing progress", as several iterations of swapping between the mobile and desktop URLs retained all existing growth. Therefore, some level of timestamp information may also be included in the composition of this string. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.73|108.162.216.73]] 14:18, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

:Actually, it doesn't look like the URL changes when I move the lights after all. So now instead I'm guessing it's more of a unique identifier or something. If two people both use the same string, will one person's act of moving a light be reflected by the other user refreshing their browser? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.73|108.162.216.73]] 14:33, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

== Resets ==

Resets occur sporadically, because they are actually happenning when there was a connection_error event in the WebWorker. The "game" is continually contacting the server (linden.xkcd.com) and is resetting the page on the connection errors. The fact that this resets the progress is probably a bug. --[[User:DukeBG|DukeBG]] ([[User talk:DukeBG|talk]]) 16:52, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

It seems to reset the light placement and settings too, not just the plants in the garden [[Special:Contributions/162.158.210.238|162.158.210.238]] 07:06, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== Linux ==

Anyone else NOT able to get it to work on Linux. Tried Chrome, and FF, both with all extensions disabled. Linux Mint (like Ubuntu). Constantly says "Loading..."
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.217|162.158.214.217]] 17:23, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

You're not the only one. Running Unbuntu 12.04. Opera displays "Loading ..." for over 30 minutes. Firefox finishes loading and I can add and tweak lamps, but nothing grows.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.59|108.162.218.59]] 19:32, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

Works fine with chromium on gentoo. {{unsigned ip|162.158.83.156}}

I had the same problem with Firefox on Ubuntu 15.04. However, reloading the page fixed it. Maybe it's got something to do with caching, or maybe it just only works with some chance. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.92|141.101.104.92]] 11:02, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

== Available "plants" ==

<strike>I've got a Megan so far. Are we going to try to compile a list of what things will grow in the garden? --[[User:KingStarscream|KingStarscream]] ([[User talk:KingStarscream|talk]]) 19:06, 4 April 2016 (UTC)</strike>
: Oversight on my part. Apologies. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.64|173.245.52.64]] 19:18, 4 April 2016 (UTC)

== Suggestions for the explanation ==
What is missing and what would be interesting. And how can you help... Add it here below, maybe even with subheadings. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:18, 5 April 2016 (UTC)
===Possible items===
*Someone has made a list of [[1663:_Garden/Images#Images_of_items|images of items]] that can be found on xkcd and seems to be complete.
**Can anyone say for certain if it is complete now?
***And can we be certain no new items appear? Anyone who can check this?
**Can someone easily download all the images?
***And if so either post them here as a zip file, or even better upload them to xkcd so we can have a page like this [[1350: Lorenz/Images]] for these items
****And later tables similar to those in the [[1350: Lorenz#Themes|themes section]] of [[1350: Lorenz]]!
*[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

===Urls===
*'''[[1663:_Garden/Images#Permalinks|Post urls here]]'''.
*Seems like the urls are not quite understood.
**What I have found so far is that the urls do not change after you load a garden. Even if something grows or if the lights are moved.
**If you save the url to begin with it will stay the same.
**But if you load the url later then it is a view only image.
***The questions are if the garden that an url refer to can be manipulated by the original user, to change what others see later even though they have the url.
***My gardens reload to often to really have a chance to test this. But the url I posted yesterday (now used as [[1663:_Garden#Permanent_link|example]]) under explanation of permalinks kept developing after I copied it and closed the garden down.
*[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:27, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1662: Jack and Jill

2016-03-30T15:24:43Z

R0hrshach:

Often water in spring (up hill) has better quality than in stream or river (down in the valley) --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 14:23, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

jack and Jill / went up the hill / to have a little fun / but silly Jill / forgot the pill / and now they have a son. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.151|141.101.104.151]] 14:28, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

I'd always assumed that there was a well at the top of the hill, though I hadn't realised I'd made that assumption until now. And, come to think of it, the top of a hill's a pretty bad place to put a well. --jwanders [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.160|108.162.237.160]] 14:39, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

High water sources are ideal. Not only do they tend to be cleaner, but it also makes for easier transportation. Note that hills are often at the base of mountains. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.119|108.162.246.119]] 14:49, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

It's been three weeks since Randall made a really complicated joke with [[1653: United States Map]] (and a week before that also with [[1649: Pipelines]]). Someone mentioned a possible school book project based on Thing Explainer as the reason for this. Personally I hope it is because he is saving up time to spend on the joke (on us all :-) this Friday with the next [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] like [[1350: Lorenz]] or [[1506: xkcloud]]. Can't wait. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:12, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

I found the title text explanations to miss the obvious implication that earthquakes shake the ground causing people (and buildings) to literally fall down. I preface my comment with my ignorance, I have never experienced an earthquake first hand and I am not knowledgeable as to which magnitude is required to bring things to their knees. Perhaps to this date fracking has not been associated with earthquakes of sufficient magnitude to produce this result. Still, I think this was the intended meaning on its face and I added it to the explanation without removing the others as they did make some sense.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:24, 30 March 2016 (UTC)

1662: Jack and Jill

2016-03-30T15:21:01Z

R0hrshach: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1662
| date = March 30, 2016
| title = Jack and Jill
| image = jack_and_jill.png
| titletext = Jill and Jack / began to frack. / The oil boosts their town. / But fractures make / the bedrock shake / and Jack came tumbling down.
}}

==Explanation==
"{{w|Jack and Jill (nursery rhyme)|Jack and Jill}}" is a traditional English nursery rhyme. The rhyme dates back at least to the 18th century, one version even with 15 stanzas. On Wikipedia there are five versions listed.

The first and most commonly repeated verse is also the one alluded to by Jill in the comic as she almost says the first three lines:
:Jack and Jill
:went up the hill
:To fetch a pail of water.
:Jack fell down
:and broke his crown,
:And Jill came tumbling after.

The comic makes fun of how it's weird that they go up a hill to fetch water, because water is usually found in valleys rather than on top of hills. Natural water sources, like rivers and streams, flow down from hills, so it shouldn't be necessary to go up the hill to get the water. Similarly, if the water is coming from a well, then building the well at the top of a hill is an odd choice. The ground water table stays at about the same level over smaller areas, so building the well on a hill just means you have to dig further.

The title text is [[Randall|Randall's]] own version, a parody of this first verse, where the names have been switched in the first and last line:
:Jill and Jack
:began to frack.
:The oil boosts their town.
:But fractures make
:the bedrock shake
:and Jack came tumbling down.

This version, which may explain why they went up the hill after water, connects the idea to {{w|hydraulic fracturing}} (or fracking) methods for oil and gas extraction. In these methods, highly pressurized liquids are forced into a given ground stratum (or layer). With enough pressure, the stratum starts to deform and crack. This allows potential gas and oil to flow more freely. The liquid used for fracturing usually also contains materials like sand or ceramics which, once the liquid is removed, will help to maintain the newly formed cracks so as to further allow the desired free movement of oil and gas.

A common {{w|Environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing|side effect of this method}} is that water levels and presence at the surface might be modified. In this comic, water can now be found at the top of the hill. This goes against the usual laws of hydraulics, themselves subject to the laws of gravity, which indicate that water should go down through ground cracks. Thus water is usually found at the bottom of valleys or hills. But in the comic, fracking at the bottom forces the water up, thus explaining why the kids go get water up the hill, which, as [[Megan]] points out, is messed-up {{w|hydrology}}. Also, fracking may cause {{w|induced seismicity}} in the form of {{w|microearthquake}}s, as alluded to in the title text, which is the cause for tumbling down in the title text version. Although since the oil at first caused an economic boost to the kids town, then when the earthquakes came then maybe the citizens of the town turned against Jack making him "fall down". Or also his economy collapsed due to law suits, another way to fall down. Note that they did not go up any hill in the title text comic, so there were no place to fall down from.

Alternative title text explanation for "falling down": during an earthquake the ground shakes which could cause Jack (and the town) to fall down under the motion.

The third verse of the title text does not match the expected meter --- it misses a syllable.
This may be because Randal made a mistake when setting the title text.
For example, he may have omitted the word "boom" after "oil".

This is the second Wednesday in a row that Randall uses two children to make a reference to a serious environmental issue, the first being [[1659: Tire Swing]], about {{w|tire recycling}}.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is watching as the two kids Jill with hair bun and a ponytail and Jack with spiky hair are walking by her. Jack has a pail in his hand.]
:Jill: Me and Jack are going up the hill to fetch a pail of water.

:[Megan, standing back alone, calls out after them.]
:Megan: Okay, have fun!

:[Megan just stand there for a beat panel.]

:[Megan suddenly realizes something while looking down on the ground.]
:Megan: ... Wait. What the ''heck'' is going on with the hydrology around here?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

Talk:1659: Tire Swing

2016-03-23T15:35:08Z

R0hrshach:

my explanation of the comic, which was sort-of obsoleted by someones edit:
<blockquote>Girl1 and Girls2 just finished making a tire swing. They did not use a discarded tire but rather stole one, even fighting the rightful owner turning the theft into a robbery.</blockquote>
the women do not look like Megan and Hair Bun Girl to me, are they new?
sorry for commenting here, but I do not have rights to create a new page, which seems to be necessary for posting the fire comment. Will move once the comment section is created.

I think they are Thelma and Louise (from the movie) given the looks of their hair {{unsigned|Chichak|March 23, 2016}}

I think they're children [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:33, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

Maybe they got the truck from Black Hat's garage? [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:34, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

I have yet to use a tire swing that was made from a worn tire (worn by the road not by swinging). From my experience, expired tires used by automobiles typically have sharp metal protruding from the rubber. This would make a dangerous tire swing. I thought landscaping (rubber mulch) and playgrounds was the preferred recycling method for used tires?--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:35, 23 March 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1639: To Taste

2016-02-05T17:11:35Z

R0hrshach:

Seasoning is not an intermediate process which can't be repaired/re-done. you're left with an edible dish before and after. You add seasoning in small incremental steps, and the quality of the dish, or appropriateness of the taste improves monotonically, and additively. On the other hand, baking something for 5 minutes, and then another 5 minutes isn't the same as baking it for 10 minutes. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.49.78|162.158.49.78]] 09:54, 5 February 2016 (UTC)
: Yeah, but a beginner should be given an idea of what a basic incremental step is supposed to be, based on the number of servings in the recipe. One pinch? One (tea/table)spoon? One cup? One jug? One crate? - [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.23|141.101.70.23]] 11:38, 5 February 2016 (UTC)
: Usually when it's said ''to taste'', which I guess corresponds to the Italian ''quanto basta'', it's referring to small amounts, so a beginner could just add a pinch per time until he finds the flavor is good. Whenever it's unnecessary, recipes shouldn't be specific; you don't have to grill a steak for exactly 5 or 10 minutes, just until it has the color and looks of a steak you think you may like; if you boil pasta, you taste a bit once a minute until the texture is good. --[[Special:Contributions/188.114.102.249|188.114.102.249]] 12:25, 5 February 2016 (UTC)
::: The joke is that this kind of knowledge is implied in recipes, it isn't spelled out. Which can be a problem for beginners. And good luck trying that approach when baking spiced bread. Or manufacturing soufflé. ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.138|162.158.114.138]] 13:15, 5 February 2016 (UTC)
::: Luckily, there are pastas which specify how long you are supposed to cook them on the package. Especially useful in case of those "fast" ones. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:57, 5 February 2016 (UTC)
: "Appropriateness" increases "monotonically" ... until it decreases again. :D [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.138|162.158.114.138]] 13:15, 5 February 2016 (UTC)
: Try preparing two slow cook dishes but in one add all the seasoning at the end before serving. You will now know that seasoning can be very integral to the process and if added in wrong quantities at the wrong time can ruin a dish.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 17:11, 5 February 2016 (UTC)

I can't tell if Randall is reading too many cookbooks or if he just has... Too many cooks[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.54|108.162.221.54]] 13:46, 5 February 2016 (UTC)

Maybe he obtained enough sugar so his sample size would be sufficient for scientific experimentation on what to taste means.[[User:Thaledison|Thaledison]] ([[User talk:Thaledison|talk]]) 14:02, 5 February 2016 (UTC)

In my experience, the instructions "add _____ to taste" usually are referring to salt, not sugar. And from comic #1637, we all know Cueball has access to virtually an unlimited quantity of salt! [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.252|173.245.54.252]] 14:55, 5 February 2016 (UTC)Sam

Talk:1631: Longer Than Usual

2016-01-18T17:04:56Z

R0hrshach:

Can we keep this as the explanation? [[User:Untothebreach|Untothebreach]] ([[User talk:Untothebreach|talk]]) 08:30, 18 January 2016 (UTC)
:I deleted the <nowiki>{{incomplete}}</nowiki> template. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.13|108.162.221.13]] 13:27, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

the "orgasm" part of the interpretation feel really shaky, i don't believe it to be what the strip is about; Gmail and firefox are not exclusive user of those specific messages, i am not sure whether an extended or complete list would help[[Special:Contributions/108.162.228.161|108.162.228.161]] 09:58, 18 January 2016 (UTC)
:Eh, it seems right to me unless "maybe we should just go to bed" is a quote from something. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.131|108.162.241.131]] 10:27, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

Understanding this comic seems to be taking longer than usual... oh, yes, OK, two responses to a single observation made in quite different situations. I think I'll just go to bed. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 11:11, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

I'm not completely convinced. The explanation is the first thing I thought of, but "bed" makes it awkward. Aren't you typically ''in'' bed, when the second thing happens? If that's the intended meaning, it seems ''so'' much better to use "sleep" that it makes me wonder if I am missing something. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.135|108.162.241.135]] 16:30, 18 January 2016 (UTC)
::You are thinking about it too logically :). Think more colloquially. When two people are "sleeping together" we don't consider them to be sharing a bed during a nocturnal rest cycle, we all know what is really happening. In fact, they may never "sleep together" in the literal application for all the "sleeping" they do.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 17:04, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

At first, I read it as 'maybe I/you should just go to bed', in which case it would merely be about the user being online too late. But 'we' seems a deliberate reference to two people. That makes the 'sex' meaning a lot more plausible.

I don't know about most places, but where I live, when lag ''stops'' I know I need to go to bed (Lag from ~7pm to 10pm) —[[User:Artyer|Artyer]] <big>([[User Talk:Artyer|talk]]<big>'''|'''</big>[[Special:Contributions/Artyer|ctb]])</big> 16:55, 18 January 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1619: Watson Medical Algorithm

2015-12-21T17:33:37Z

R0hrshach:

Build environment is still insane since comic #371. {{unsigned ip|162.158.2.139}}

(Above poster please sign comments with four tildes)

I'm trying to picture Baymax using this algorithm. {{unsigned|International Space Station}}

:"OK, who swapped out Baymax's programming card with a Doomba AI?" [[User:VectorLightning|VectorLightning]] ([[User talk:VectorLightning|talk]]) 08:02, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

Well, at least the autoconfig isn't as threatening as #416.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.179|108.162.245.179]] 07:00, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

I suspect that the extra limbs should be removed when there are 100+ and Vitamin D levels checked when the nmbr of limbs is in an acceptable range... does IBM use a ticketing system? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.194|162.158.91.194]] 08:39, 21 December 2015 (UTC)
: Unfortunately the algorithm as shown in the cartoon has the conditions for those two steps exactly the other way around, making even less sense medically. --[[User:Svenman|Svenman]] ([[User talk:Svenman|talk]]) 14:30, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

It seems a normal patient would end up mostly unscathed and in an infinite loop in the lower right corner. [[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 09:01, 21 December 2015 (UTC)
:Uhm no. You would normally have an oxygen level above 50% of what is expected. (It should be close to 100% if I understand [http://www.nonin.com/Normal-Oxygen-Level this correctly], which I may not...). This means you have had your skeleton removed. If you survived this you are squeezed until fluid comes out. (Probably not necessary after the skelerectomy). But then you end up in the lower right corner. Of course you can also get there after just getting an oxygen injection, but only directly if you are not comforted when the program tries. If you where comforted you will lose some limbs. And then end up in the lower right corner. No matter what if you are still OK (could be possible) when reaching here, you will be asked about your pain level. And even if you start by saying 0-8 many many times, getting as many scalp massages, you will just get the same question, until you say 10 then your eyes will be removed. But no matter what, if you are asked such a stupid question enough times you will surely at some point say something else than 0-10, and then you will die, as this answer will take you down the last path of the program (and only exit of the cycle according the to glitch mentioned in the title text), and this will end up with the program performing an autopsy on you, thus cutting you up and removing all organs etc. So no you will not be able to go unscathed infinitely, and even if you kept saying 0-8 you would eventually die from thirst. ;) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:24, 21 December 2015 (UTC)
::Yes, normal oxygen saturation is 98-100% in air. If it drops below 95% you will be in trouble, if it drops below 85% you're likely dead. [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 09:54, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

This might also partially be a reference to machine learning, which Watson apparently uses: badly designed ML systems often build models which produce the expected results for the training data, but do something unexpected or wrong with real data. See [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overfitting#Machine_learning]. That said ... 'dissect doctor for parts' doesn't seem like a reasonable response to any training input ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.39.208|162.158.39.208]] 10:41, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

The noted "unrelated actions" aren't all entirely unrelated. The coughing blood one is interpreting backwards (so "is patient not coughing up blood because the patient is not here to do so?"), the vitamin D one is somewhat logical (vit D is part of the chain that converts calcium to bone, low vit D can cause bone loss, but high vit D is basically harmless), and the green fluid is slightly sane but too vague (logic appears to be that green fluid indicates severely infected and/or necrotic tissue, for which cauterizing might be a valid treatment step in extreme situations). Weirdly specific might be a better header? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.197|141.101.106.197]] 11:57, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

So what happens if the skeleton has exactly the right number of bones? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.153.71|162.158.153.71]] 12:32, 21 December 2015 (UTC)
: Indeed this case is not covered, thus making the algorithm faulty even on an abstract logical level. --[[User:Svenman|Svenman]] ([[User talk:Svenman|talk]]) 14:33, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

the Request organ donation/Remove organs part reminds me of Live Organ Transplants segment in ''{{w|Monty Python's The Meaning of Life}}''. --[[User:Valepert|valepert]] ([[User talk:Valepert|talk]]) 12:53, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

100 could be a reference to 4 in binary (4+ limbs / less than 4 limbs) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.39|141.101.99.39]] 12:59, 21 December 2015 (UTC)
:I believe you're correct. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:17, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

I think GlaDOS is a descendent from this Watson. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 15:17, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

The part about squeezing and looking for the color of the ooze seems to reference Humorism. The colors match the four humors. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.188|162.158.91.188]] 15:31, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

I'm surprised he didn't make a Dr Watson joke/reference.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 17:33, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1616: Lunch

2015-12-14T17:33:51Z

R0hrshach:

... I don't think pizza is that bad. Those are sort of things people could really eat ... -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:36, 14 December 2015 (UTC)

That's not that gross, IMO. Tomato sauce is pretty much thought of as thick tomato juice. White bread. Salt. Normal things. And this seems to be assuming I wouldn't want to eat a brick of cheese. I do this regularly-ish with brie. [[User:International Space Station|International Space Station]] ([[User talk:International Space Station|talk]]) 13:51, 14 December 2015 (UTC)

I'm not American, so what does he mean by cheese and grease soaked vegetables? {{unsigned ip|162.158.153.101}}
:The cheese is a common ingredient in the pizza seen in the comic, which might be a plain cheese pizza. As for the veggies, this might be a reference to french fries, which is essentially potatoes cooked in a deep fryer which is filled with oil (though I can't be sure with the English definition correlation between grease and oil). {{unsigned ip|108.162.218.148}}
:On this side of the lake pizza's made with dough (white bread), tomato sauce, cheese, and apparently salt the way Randall makes it. Some people put veggies on their pizza, which later get greasy and oily thanks to the cheese; nothing to do with french fries, though I'm told fries on pizza is actually pretty good Though I suppose you'd call them chips over there. {{unsigned|Legofan613}}
::Salt is usually an ingredient in dough, although why it's listed separately is anyone's guess. [[User:Rawmustard|Rawmustard]] ([[User talk:Rawmustard|talk]]) 16:55, 14 December 2015 (UTC)
:::Many pizza places (at least in the central/midwest of the US) will put salt down under the dough to help prevent it sticking to the pan, and also to add a little flavor. Examples would be places like Donatos, Little Cesars, Marions, LaRosas, as well as many Chicago-style pizza joints. The big chains tend not to do this though, not sure why because in my opinion it's details like that that really make the smaller places more delicious. [[User:Domino|Domino]] ([[User talk:Domino|talk]]) 17:28, 14 December 2015 (UTC)Domino

I believe that the "grease soaked vegetables" refers to a "caesar salad" or similar salad arrangement containing oil-based dressing and other ingredients with high fat content. [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 17:23, 14 December 2015 (UTC)

I wonder if the joke was derived from the "healthy eating" craze here in the US at least. That is, people who spend copious amounts of time pouring over nutrition and ingredient labels to understand what it is they are actually eating. For most foods bought already prepared from the grocery store, the individual ingredients can range from bizarre (if you are not a chemist) to unappetizing. Perhaps Randall thought about it one step further and realized that any meal when broken into its macro components sounds unappetizing.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 17:33, 14 December 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1610: Fire Ants

2015-12-01T21:30:56Z

R0hrshach:

misinterpreting a question as an invitation to talk about one's pet obsession is symptomatic of autistic spectrum disorder. although not necessarily so. as, i suppose, is wanting to do science in academe. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.223|108.162.210.223]] 13:12, 30 November 2015 (UTC)

i don't think she was misinterpreting the question,she probably is so obsessed about ants that she tries to talk about them every chance she gets. {{unsigned ip|173.245.62.29}}

:ok, so "misinterpreting" was a poor choice. try "interpreting, wrongly". and only autists feel like that. to a neuro-typical this isn't even an issue. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.233|141.101.106.233]] 12:57, 1 December 2015 (UTC)

Theoretically, there's a hidden analogy in that a colony of rather simplistic and specialist individuals can ensure their own survival in the face of adverse environmental conditions by keeping themselves all in one location so that they can continue to perpetuate themselves in the future. And as it is with those heading off to Grad School, so it may also be with ants. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.185|141.101.75.185]] 13:29, 30 November 2015 (UTC)

I've just joined, so please forgive the new boy. Perhaps the joke is really to do with biblical references and metaphors, as I have suggested in my contribution to the main article. (User:Paw 42)

There is absolutely no reason to junk up this explanation with biblical references. Please correct, or I will do so. --[[User:BobTheMad|BobTheMad]] ([[User talk:BobTheMad|talk]]) 14:41, 30 November 2015 (UTC)
:Ooh, scary threat. The biblical reference is completely justified. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 22:59, 30 November 2015 (UTC)

Really?? Life of Brian is the most popular? Sorry, that's either crazy inaccurate or needs a citation. I'm pretty confident the Biblical reference was more accurate as a phase origin, though I can't say I feel it adds much to the explanation. Google likes "Consider the lobster" and "Consider the source" better than either when I search for it. When I search for it adding the keyword "phrase," it gives the Biblical reference, but still not as a first result. The Life of Brian doesn't show up in any front page results. [[User:Ancientt|Ancientt]] ([[User talk:Ancientt|talk]]) 15:13, 30 November 2015 (UTC)

During an initial read through I assumed that he was speaking to a career adviser. Thus, the "consider the fire ant" statement was a take off from the Biblical "consider the ant" statement found in Proverbs 6:6-8. For those who don't know, that particular Proverb is a reprimand to lazy people to consider the diligence and foresight of ants who prepare for the future without being told to do so. Where, lazy people typically have to be micro-managed to get any results from them. So, you assume that hair bun girl is calling cueball lazy because he is rethinking grad school (in this view he is sacrificing diligence and future planning for the now). However, she takes the statement in such a radical direction it loses this meaning - it becomes a rant about how cool fire ants are. Which seems odd until you read the title text and you discover he is in the entomology department (study of insects). Unless cueball regularly visits the entomology department for career advice you can assume that his grad school is about the study of insects. Thus in conclusion, her weird rant about ants really IS meant as a parallel to Proverbs; however, instead of contrasting his behavior to that of ants she is encouraging him to continue his study of insects because of how cool they are. Thus, the joke of using the statement "consider the ant" as a means to get someone to live more responsibly is still being used exactly for that purpose. That's my understanding of it.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 17:06, 30 November 2015 (UTC)
:I like this explanation much better. And even if you use Life of Brian this is still a reference to the bible (as the whole film spoofs Jesus). Hope someone will change to incorporate these bible verses. I do not know them so will stay out of this ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:17, 30 November 2015 (UTC)
::I added the above explanation as alternate because I wasn't sure how to mix in elements of the existing explanation. The quotes from the book of Matthew referenced by Life of Brian may have used the same "consider the" format but it is clear to me by Randall's use of fire ants and the situational context of the joke that he was referencing Proverbs. So I didn't find the Life of Brian reference to have any meaning to the explanation.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 18:00, 1 December 2015 (UTC)
:::Thank you to whoever helped by merging the explanations. I moved the Life of Brian fact to the end because it breaks up the explanation and because it is not found in the same area. The wording is similar but meaning is entirely different.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 21:30, 1 December 2015 (UTC)

Here's my interpretation. I don't think hair bun girl is making an analogy whatsoever. She is simply expressing her obsession/love of ants. By doing so in response to cue ball's plea for advice, she illustrates (knowingly or unknowingly) why she herself attended grad school (I'm assuming she is a professor of entomology - which I think is reasonable given her comment and the title text). She is so obsessed with ants that she attended grad school (a very large undertaking) in order to study them further. Then she proceeded to pursue a career in Academia to continue to study ants. To her, the very idea of having second thoughts of pursuing graduate school to further her studies is probably ridiculous. She probably never had them. Hence she demonstrates all that she needed to know to pursue graduate school - she is big on ants. A little background on me since it informs my interpretation: I spent a lot of time trying to answer this question for myself: "Should I pursue graduate school?" I saw a common thread amongst my professors, leading graduate students, etc. They all wanted nothing more than to learn more about their field of study. The very fact that I was having doubts ended up being a sign to myself that I did not really want to go to graduate school to study, I wanted to go for other reasons that would have made grad school unfulfilling. [[User:Supersixfour|Supersixfour]] ([[User talk:Supersixfour|talk]]) 20:27, 30 November 2015 (UTC)
:I tried to incorporate your thoughts into the alternate explanation as her reason for launching into the cool fact about fire ants. That is to persuade him that the study of insects is really cool and worthwhile. We never learn Cueball's motivation and whether her enthusiasm won him over or made him realize he wasn't committed enough to that field or level of study. The joke seems to have little to actually do with grad school and more to do with how we give advice or attempt to motivate others through difficult tasks.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 18:00, 1 December 2015 (UTC)

Maybe Cueball meant to go to the Etymology Dept, not the Entomology Dept. {{unsigned|Ren0901}}
:I'm not sure he would find any more answers to his question in the etymology department than he did in entomology. It would make for a different twist on the same joke though! Probably have less cool information about fire ants though.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 18:00, 1 December 2015 (UTC)

As someone who has been fascinated by ants my entire life (60+ years) I totally get Hair Bun Girl's enthusiasm. My family treats me the same way when I get on my favorite topic (as I often do and they they always have). Ants are super cool - they've the unofficial mascot for the ALife community, and arguably the most studied insect in most entomology departments. Ed Wilson is one of my heroes (he was the first to form the hypothesis that ants communicate using chemical signals), not only for his work on ants but his impact on all of natural science, and his sincere concern for the future of our world and all the creatures in it. I was excited and happy to see xkcd referring to ants in both the Hoverboard game and the 11/30/15 comic (as well as [https://xkcd.com/638 #638 The Search]). From the perspective of a life-long myrmecophile I don't think there's anything complex behind HBG's responses except one I heartily endorse: "Because ANTS!" (maybe I'm on the spectrum, too.) As for the biblical reference, I don't specifically think of it as a "biblical" reference except in as much as it seems to refer to an oft-quoted phrase in the book. Most entomologists and myrmecologists know it well: "Go to the ant, thou sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise..." (probably referring to a species of Harvester ants that gathers and stores grain). One reason they love it is that it correctly identifies the ones doing the work as female. Personally I think the bible is hilarious (full disclosure - not a believer). I love pointing out (especially to Christians) that there are not 10 but 600 to 1,000 commandments in the bible (depending on your version, affiliation, definition, etc.) including a prohibition against eating hoopoes (a colorful woodpecker-like bird in Afro-Eurasia that eats ants). Finally I would say that there are a large number of more interesting facts about ants that might be used. These could include suicide bombers who blow themselves up to harm enemies, turtle ants with plug-shaped heads to seal nest entrances, honey-pot ants who gorge on food and become living storage vessels to feed the colony - nearly endless fascinating adaptations (see some [http://bogleech.com/bio-ants.html here]). I also take exception to the comment that the queen controls all the other ants. In reality, ants perform different functions depending on caste, age, etc. The queen produces eggs and receives food and chemical feedback about the colony's health and requirements, and adjusts her production of quantity and type of eggs (castes, etc.) as a result of this feedback. She's basically an egg-laying machine enslaved by the colony. And now I'm at risk of someone saying, "Wait, what lesson am I supposed to take from that?" So go to the [http://www.antwiki.org/wiki/Welcome_to_AntWiki AntWiki] thou sluggard; consider its ways and be wise. [[User:Usagi|Usagi]] ([[User talk:Usagi|talk]]) 19:56, 1 December 2015 (UTC)
:Fascinating. You are correct about the larger number of commandments in the Bible (greater than ten); however, they can all be understood with just two. Full disclosure, I am a believer. If you want to talk about it (friendly-like) you can always give me a chat. :) --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 21:30, 1 December 2015 (UTC)

1610: Fire Ants

2015-12-01T21:26:24Z

R0hrshach: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1610
| date = November 30, 2015
| title = Fire Ants
| image = fire_ants.png
| titletext = Here in the entomology department, we have a simple two-step formula for answering any question: (1) ants are cool, and (2) we forgot the question because we were thinking about ants.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]], a university student, is meeting with [[Hair Bun Girl]] asking her advice concerning his second thoughts about {{w|Graduate school|grad school}}. Her response begins with a popular reference [https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Proverbs-Chapter-6/#6 from the Bible] concerning {{w|ants}}; however, she specifically narrows in on the sub-family of {{w|fire ants}}.

The {{w|book of Proverbs}} is a [https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Proverbs-Chapter-1/#3 self-proclaimed book] on receiving wisdom and instruction to be made wise. Thus, her response appears to begin as an instruction to him in response to his question. The proverb in particular she appears to begin quoting instructs the lazy person to consider the ant who prepares for the desolation of winter by providing during the bounty of summer despite not having to be told so. The assumption by the reader would be that she is going to compare Cueball to a lazy person and instruct him to prepare for the later years (winter of life) by studying now while he is young (summer of life).

However, after the initial phrase she instead discusses a cool fact about '''fire ants'''. (Specifically the ability of fire ants to join together to form [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2ZysgGAABw floating rafts] in case of flooding). Continuing in the vein of the joke, that Hair Bun Girl was going to use a {{w|metaphor}} as part of her instruction, Cueball asks her what lesson he is supposed to take away from that fact. To which she replies with her fascination for ants (''Ants are so cool'' ). Correctly Cueball states that she is ''not big on metaphors'', as there was none hidden in her first statement. She continues to tell him what she is big on: '''Ants'''.

This last exchange may imply that the expected metaphor would have had as little effect on Cueball's choice to continue grad school as an excited rant about fire ants (since he was just waiting for a metaphor anyway). Or perhaps it expresses that Hair Bun Girl finds more instruction in the study of the natural world than in ancient writings. In either case, it is left unanswered as to whether her argument was enough to answer Cueball's dilemma.

Before reading the title text the reader may have assumed that Cueball went to meet with a University adviser. But the title text makes it clear that he was actually in the {{w|entomology}} department (making her an entomologist - i.e. someone who studies insects). It is reasonable to assume that his grad studies are thus in entomology and he is meeting a professor that might act as a career mentor. Thus, her discourse on fire ants may have been to persuade Cueball that his grad studies in entomology where well worth continuing because of the exciting nature of the field of study. This would be achieving the intent of the Proverb she appeared to quote (convincing Cueball to continue life preparations by finishing grad school) although she discarded its wording.

In almost an immediate and seemingly bizarre contradiction, she chalks up her strange rambling on fire ants as just a formula that all entomology personnel use when asked any question. They use a two-step formula to answer any questions. It won't help you much because all you will learn is that ants are cool and then they have forgotten anything else you asked them while they continued to think of ants. This would imply that the answer Cueball received had literally nothing to do with his question or situation he was in and any similarity to being a meaningful answer or even a proverb of instruction was purely coincidental and unintended.

An '''alternative explanation''' is that [[Randall]] has notices that ''fire ants'' is an anagram of ''{{w|fine arts}}''. If you instead of ants put in art, and then put in an interesting fact about art, and finish with art is cool and I'm big on art, then he would not have been in the entomology department, but the department of art. Randall is know to make fun of people who takes arts too seriously. Just think about the description of his comic at the bottom of {{xkcd}}; the last part says: ''This comic occasionally contains ... advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).'' The title text can likewise be changed so ant = art.

In a similar vein the title text could be referencing {{w|Etymology}} instead of entomology (the two words are close enough that they are listed as ''Not to be confused with'' at the top of each article). Etymology is the study of the history of words, and again you could exchange ants with words, that are so cool or state an interesting fact about words. Randall is '''''Big''' on [[:Category:Language|Language]].'' See also [[1010: Etymology-Man]].

Another popular example where the phrase ''consider the'' from the Bible has been spoofed can be found in {{w|Monty Python's Life of Brian}} ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9czBBKof7Yo Consider the lilies]'' sketch. However, this refers to a passage in [https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Matthew-Chapter-6/#28 Matthew] instead of [https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Proverbs-Chapter-6/#6 Proverbs].

===Fascinating facts about ants===
*It is, however, very likely that [[Randall]] is fascinated by ants (he is fascinated by a lot of cool stuff…)
*In his celebration game for his new book [[1608: Hoverboard]], there is a scene in the Star Destroyer were Cueball is talking to a giant ant queen:
::Cueball: What's up?
::Ant queen: The usual. Poopin' out ants.
::Cueball: Eww.

Facts:
*The queen can lay millions of eggs and she controls all the other ants.
*All the working ants are female.
*{{w|Weaver ants}} weave their colonies using larvae silk.
*{{w|Leafcutter ants}} cut of leafs to bring home to feed to their live stock... A {{w|Fungus-growing ants|fungus}} that they in turn eat. Thus making them the first farmers on Earth, millions of years before humans even existed.
*{{w|Army ants}} are known (and feared) for their aggressive raids.
*There are ants enough on earth to fill more than 100 football stadiums to the brim. (At least according to footnote 2 of the [[what if?]] no. 73: [https://what-if.xkcd.com/73/ Lethal Neutrinos]).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is talking to Hair Bun Girl, an advisor, who is sitting behind a desk.]
:Cueball: I'm having second thoughts about grad school and could use some advice.

:[Same setting as before. The animated advisor talks while gesticulating with her hands.]
:Advisor: Consider the fire ant.
:Advisor: When there's a flood, fire ants survive by joining together into giant floating rafts.

:[Cueball is just standing there in the next beat-panel]

:[Back to the first setting but in a larger frame.]
:Cueball: Wait, what lesson am I supposed to take from that?
:Advisor: Ants are '''''so cool!'''''
:Cueball: ...You're not big on metaphors, are you.
:Advisor: I am big on ants.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hair Bun Girl]]
[[Category:Animals]]

Talk:1610: Fire Ants

2015-12-01T18:00:00Z

R0hrshach:

1610: Fire Ants

2015-12-01T17:48:31Z

R0hrshach: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1610
| date = November 30, 2015
| title = Fire Ants
| image = fire_ants.png
| titletext = Here in the entomology department, we have a simple two-step formula for answering any question: (1) ants are cool, and (2) we forgot the question because we were thinking about ants.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|More details needed.}}

A university student ([[Cueball]]) goes to his advisor ([[Hair Bun Girl]]) because he is uncertain about his choices for {{w|Graduate school|grad school}}. However she doesn't advise him about academic matters, but instead talks about {{w|ants}}, specifically the ability of {{w|fire ants}} to join together to form [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2ZysgGAABw floating rafts] in case of flooding. This is of course pretty cool, but not helpful. So Cueball asks what lesson he should learn from this. The advisor just states that ''Ants are so cool''. Correctly Cueball states that she is not big on metaphors, as there was none hidden in her first statement. She continues to tell him what she is big on: Ants.

This humor relies on a tendency to use a particular phasing to incite corresponding modes of thought. An example of the phrase 'consider the' can be found in Monty Python's ''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9czBBKof7Yo Life of Brian]'', or in the [https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Matthew-6-28/ Biblical reference] on which that sketch was based. While some uses of the phrase 'consider the' indicate simple taking notice, such as 'consider the source', the phrasing 'consider the ''noun''' as a sentence typically indicates deeper contemplation of the metaphor being offered. When Hair Bun Girl says "Consider the fire ant." as a sentence, it appears to be phrasing to invite metaphorical interpretation but by the end of the comic Cueball has realized it was not.

In the title text we learn that the advisor belongs to the {{w|entomology}} department (making her an entomologist - i.e. someone who studies insects). In that department they have a two-step formula to answer any questions. It won't help you much because all you will learn is that ants are cool and then they have forgotten anything else you told them while thinking of ants.

Or perhaps entomology is a red herring: [https://twitter.com/texttheater/status/671321872596901888 Somebody noticed] that ''fire ants'' is an anagram of ''fine arts''.

===Alternate Explanation===
A university student ([[Cueball]]) is meeting with ([[Hair Bun Girl]]) for some advice concerning his second thoughts about grad school. Her response begins with a popular reference [https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Proverbs-Chapter-6/#6 from the Bible] concerning ants; however, she specifically narrows in on the sub-family of fire ants. The book of Proverbs is a [https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611_Proverbs-Chapter-1/#3 self-proclaimed book] on receiving wisdom and instruction to be made wise. Thus, her response appears to begin as an instruction to him in response to his question. The proverb in particular she appears to begin quoting instructs the lazy person to consider the ant who prepares for the desolation of winter by providing during the bounty of summer despite not having to be have to told so. The assumption by the reader would be that she is going to compare Cueball to a lazy person and instruct him to prepare for the later years (winter of life) by studying now while he is young (summer of life). However, after the initial phrase she instead discusses a cool fact about fire ants. Continuing in the vein of the joke, that Hair Bun Girl was going to use a Proverb to instruct, Cueball asks her what lesson he is supposed to take away. To which she replies with her fascination for ants. The last exchange between the two seems to imply that the expected metaphor would have had as much effect on Cueball to continue grad school as an excited rant about fire ants or perhaps it expresses that Hair Bun Girl finds more instruction in the study of the natural world than in ancient writings. In either case, it is left unanswered as to whether her argument was enough to answer Cueball's dilemma.

The title text is usually a secondary joke to the panels. Whereas a reader may have assumed that Cueball went to meet with a University adviser, we find in the title text that he was actually in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entomology entomology] department. It is reasonable to assume that his grad studies are in entomology and he was meeting with a professor who is a close friend or acts as a career mentor. Thus, her discourse on fire ants may have been to persuade Cueball that his grad studies in entomology where well worth continuing because of the exciting nature of the field of study. This would be achieving the intent of the Proverb she appeared to quote (convincing Cueball to continue life preparations by finishing grad school) although she discarded its wording. In almost an immediate and seemingly bizarre contradiction, she chalks up her strange rambling on fire ants as just a formula that all entomology personnel use when asked any question. This would imply that the answer Cueball received had literally nothing to do with his question or situation he was in and any similarity to being a meaningful answer or even a proverb of instruction was purely coincidental and unintended.

===Fascinating facts about ants===
*It is, however, very likely that [[Randall]] is fascinated by ants (he is fascinated by a lot of cool stuff…)
*In his celebration game for his new book [[1608: Hoverboard]], there is a scene in the Star Destroyer were Cueball is talking to a giant ant queen:
::Cueball: What's up?
::Ant queen: The usual. Poopin' out ants.
::Cueball: Eww.

Facts:
*The queen can lay millions of eggs and she controls all the other ants.
*All the working ants are female.
*{{w|Weaver ants}} weave their colonies using larvae silk.
*{{w|Leafcutter ants}} cut of leafs to bring home to feed to their live stock... A {{w|Fungus-growing ants|fungus}} that they in turn eat. Thus making them the first farmers on Earth, millions of years before humans even existed.
*{{w|Army ants}} are known (and feared) for their aggressive raids.
*There are ants enough on earth to fill more than 100 football stadiums to the brim. (At least according to footnote 2 of the [[what if?]] no. 73: [https://what-if.xkcd.com/73/ Lethal Neutrinos]).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is talking to Hair Bun Girl, an advisor, who is sitting behind a desk.]
:Cueball: I'm having second thoughts about grad school and could use some advice.

:[Same setting as before. The animated advisor talks while gesticulating with her hands.]
:Advisor: Consider the fire ant.
:Advisor: When there's a flood, fire ants survive by joining together into giant floating rafts.

:[Cueball is just standing there in the next beat-panel]

:[Back to the first setting but in a larger frame.]
:Cueball: Wait, what lesson am I supposed to take from that?
:Advisor: Ants are '''''so cool!'''''
:Cueball: ...You're not big on metaphors, are you.
:Advisor: I am big on ants.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hair Bun Girl]]
[[Category:Animals]]

Talk:1610: Fire Ants

2015-11-30T17:06:05Z

R0hrshach:

Talk:1605: DNA

2015-11-23T22:37:34Z

R0hrshach:

The source for Google.com can be found at `<nowiki>view-source:https://www.google.com/</nowiki>` for Firefox and Chrome. Also [http://pastebin.com/raw.php?i=u8SMf7G6 here]. —[[User:Artyer|Artyer]] <big>([[User Talk:Artyer|talk]]<big>'''|'''</big>[[Special:Contributions/Artyer|ctb]])</big> 16:06, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
:Should there be a link to the code in the explain. I do not understand these links or the source code, and would not like to place these links in the explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:43, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

I really like this comic. IMHO, just another good example of intelligent design. Google's dev had to design, plan and carefully code. If that is seemingly simple compared to DNA and biology then how much more intelligence and thought was needed for the coding of all living things?--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 17:18, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
:With all the stupid things going on in our bodies (rendered useless by natural selection but staying put anyway like the {{w|Appendix (anatomy)|Appendix}} or our {{w|tailbone}}) then it is to me just a clear example that there has been no intelligence behind our genome, but just trial and error, and then 4 billion years to get it right enough that it works but not smart. And don't get me started on how our air and food/drink has to go in the same way with the risk of being (nearly) killed by a pretzel...([http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-94567/I-feel-great-President-Bush-declares-pretzel-incident.html even if you are the president of the US] ;-) That is just plain stupid design. But few enough dies from this, that it was necessary for nature to change it once it was working. Humans and the genes survived long enough to reproduce. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:43, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
::Without an appendix how would our gut immune system develop properly? Without a tail bone how would we stand upright? It's a fallacy to think that just because we don't understand something it must have no purpose. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 00:53, 19 November 2015 (UTC)

::I think it somewhat illogical and incomprehensible that someone could point to the human body and call it just plain stupid design. So stupid that humans cannot replicate it on a mechanical or software level - yet it's complex design works independently of our conscious thought and exists for the most part on its own. When you look at it from an evolutionary standpoint you spot design flaws; however, we don't even fully understand the full scope of our own biology and we still run trial and error studies. My profession is in aircraft parts design and manufacture. When I look at the parts we create and build to put on aircraft and how much time, engineering, design, testing and ultimately still discovering small errors in tolerance stack-ups and cascading events and still these parts are considerably crude in nature compared to living cells and the entire ecosystem that is - us. It is mind blowing. Believe me. The fact that surgeons can go in move things around, cut things out, insert things for goodness sake and still the body operates is a wonderful testament to the truly awe-inspiring mechanical design that is our bodies.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 22:31, 23 November 2015 (UTC)
:::Without a pretzel-choking mechanism, how could we ever hope to weed out less-desirable presidents?
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.180.215|162.158.180.215]] 21:59, 19 November 2015 (UTC)
::::Nothing to do with choking; the pretzel interfered with the vagus nerve, interfering with his heart rate [[User:Gearoid|Gearóid]] ([[User talk:Gearoid|talk]]) 08:05, 20 November 2015 (UTC).
:I am sure you are right about intelligent design being involved: clearly DNA's tangled structure is a deliberate nod to a plate of spaghetti, proof indeed that the Flying Spaghetti Monster has had a hand (well, a noodly appendage) in all of creation. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 00:16, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

Apologies, when I saved my comments it blitzed someone else's that must have been being written at the same time :'-( [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 19:13, 18 November 2015
(UTC)
:Yeah it was my two comments above? I have now moved the one right her above back in place from the bottom where Davidy22 had placed it when he tried to fix it. No harms done but as he says: ''Read error messages, I know mediawiki gives them to you''. You can always see in the history what you have changed. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:08, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
::I, for my part read the edit conflict (with Kynde, 18:43) like a good little boy, re-edited in light of that, resubmitted and... forgot to answer the security question. For completeness I wrote the following. If it's still helpful...
Had the same thought. Although I just use "View | Source" from the menu or right-click and "View Page Source", or whatever that browser tends to want to give me. And, having had that same thought: For reference, in case anybody wants it, the source of the google.co.uk main page (assumed not far off google.com in its nature) is 51 lines. But that's 51 ''long'' lines of mostly javascript, with much of the unnecessary whitespace (including line-feeds) taken out of it, overwhelmingly single-character variable names, over 150 'if' statements (including 'else if' ones, in continuation to a prior one) and perhaps 56 'for' loops, at first glance. Whether 'optimised' or obfuscated, it certainly could be a challenge to fully understand.
:: HTH, HAND [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.161|141.101.106.161]] 21:43, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

::: I don't think that Google's homepage is only optimized. I'm sure part of obfuscation is deliberate. That said, just removing comments and changing variable names is usually enough to make program unreadable. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:18, 19 November 2015 (UTC)

IMHO DNA with its redundant sections for things not currently used and the bodges in biological design are a good example of unintelligent design. For example the blood supply to the retina is between the iris and the retina, so it is in the way. An intelligent designer would do an eye mark II. But this has nothing to do with the comic. [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 19:07, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
: Sigh. Another of the "I could do a better job" brigade. Go ahead. Try it. Post back here after you learn enough about the existing eye design that you recognise just how incredible it is. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 00:57, 19 November 2015 (UTC)

::Eye mark II is used in octopuses: {{w|Cephalopod eye}}. Solves multiple problems of our eyes. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:15, 19 November 2015 (UTC)
:::Cephalopod vs Vertebrate eyes is a classic example of convergent evolution, therefore eye structure proves evolution not intelligent design. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 00:16, 20 November 2015 (UTC)
::::Eye structure disproves intelligent design BECAUSE no intelligent designer would use two things which are so similar and yet so different. Disproving intelligent design is easy. The real content is between evolution and STUPID design. Or, well ... Cephalopod vs Vertebrate eyes looks EXACTLY like something which would happen if {{w|Polytheism|two designers}} try to compete without directly copying from each other. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:34, 20 November 2015 (UTC)
:::::Nothing about Intelligent Design leads one to assume that the human anatomy would have been designed foolproof and without any inherent weak points. Why would you design a superhuman?--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 22:37, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

White Hat is showing the hubris often seen by people who think their (often limited) knowledge in one field can be used as an anology for something very different. Megan only manages to showchim his error by showing that a "simple" web page, which has only been evolving for a few years is more complex than he thinks, and the role of any one line/command in the page is probably far from clear without deep analysis [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 19:07, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

The evolution of life is composed exclusively of copy-paste programming on top of legacy code, global variables, and hacks on hacks on hacks at every level, from telomeres and DNA looping, to the structure of the human hip (childbirth), to our breathing tract, optic nerve, and brain structure and cognition. --[[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.234|199.27.130.234]] 21:47, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
: That's what you get when you hack the universe together with perl. {{unsigned|Dsollen}}

: Or C. Reminds me of a joke going around in the 90s ... http://www.gnu.org/fun/jokes/dna.en.html [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.38|141.101.98.38]]

So much for Gattaca then... [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 00:16, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

I wasn't quite sure what was meant by a comprehensive language in this line:
"What makes this even worse with DNA is that although it can be thought of 'source code' it isn't for a comprehensive language"
Whether it meant that the language of DNA is incomplete in some way (e.g. relies on other linguistic components), or what. I changed it to:
"What makes this even worse with DNA is that although it can be thought of as 'source code' it isn't for a language we fully understand"
Which I think is clearer, and I hope captures the intended meaning. If not, please clarify. Thanks. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.129.155|199.27.129.155]] 20:54, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

To maintain historical context, it would be prudent to add links to the current version of the Google homepage, both as it appears in a web browser, and Google's current code for the page (e.g. via the Wayback machine). Google could change the page to make it visually more complex, or change the code to make it simpler. Preserving samples of both would futureproof this explanation.
Here is a link to the archive for the Google homepage on the day this comic was posted [[https://web.archive.org/web/20151118000129/http://www.google.com/ Archive of www.google.com homepage, on 18 Nov 2015]]

I do not know how to easily provide either an image of what this page looks like in a web browser from this time period, or how to provide a link to just the google code from the archived page, without violating copyright. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.129.155|199.27.129.155]] 20:54, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

I thought it notable that the source code for the wiki page for 'Minification (programming)' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minification_(programming)], itself contained minified code. [[User:These Are Not The Coments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Coments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Coments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 00:12, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1605: DNA

2015-11-23T22:31:53Z

R0hrshach:

The source for Google.com can be found at `<nowiki>view-source:https://www.google.com/</nowiki>` for Firefox and Chrome. Also [http://pastebin.com/raw.php?i=u8SMf7G6 here]. —[[User:Artyer|Artyer]] <big>([[User Talk:Artyer|talk]]<big>'''|'''</big>[[Special:Contributions/Artyer|ctb]])</big> 16:06, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
:Should there be a link to the code in the explain. I do not understand these links or the source code, and would not like to place these links in the explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:43, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

I really like this comic. IMHO, just another good example of intelligent design. Google's dev had to design, plan and carefully code. If that is seemingly simple compared to DNA and biology then how much more intelligence and thought was needed for the coding of all living things?--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 17:18, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
:With all the stupid things going on in our bodies (rendered useless by natural selection but staying put anyway like the {{w|Appendix (anatomy)|Appendix}} or our {{w|tailbone}}) then it is to me just a clear example that there has been no intelligence behind our genome, but just trial and error, and then 4 billion years to get it right enough that it works but not smart. And don't get me started on how our air and food/drink has to go in the same way with the risk of being (nearly) killed by a pretzel...([http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-94567/I-feel-great-President-Bush-declares-pretzel-incident.html even if you are the president of the US] ;-) That is just plain stupid design. But few enough dies from this, that it was necessary for nature to change it once it was working. Humans and the genes survived long enough to reproduce. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:43, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
::Without an appendix how would our gut immune system develop properly? Without a tail bone how would we stand upright? It's a fallacy to think that just because we don't understand something it must have no purpose. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 00:53, 19 November 2015 (UTC)

::I think it somewhat illogical and incomprehensible that someone could point to the human body and call it just plain stupid design. So stupid that humans cannot replicate it on a mechanical or software level - yet it's complex design works independently of our conscious thought and exists for the most part on its own. When you look at it from an evolutionary standpoint you spot design flaws; however, we don't even fully understand the full scope of our own biology and we still run trial and error studies. My profession is in aircraft parts design and manufacture. When I look at the parts we create and build to put on aircraft and how much time, engineering, design, testing and ultimately still discovering small errors in tolerance stack-ups and cascading events and still these parts are considerably crude in nature compared to living cells and the entire ecosystem that is - us. It is mind blowing. Believe me. The fact that surgeons can go in move things around, cut things out, insert things for goodness sake and still the body operates is a wonderful testament to the truly awe-inspiring mechanical design that is our bodies.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 22:31, 23 November 2015 (UTC)
:::Without a pretzel-choking mechanism, how could we ever hope to weed out less-desirable presidents?
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.180.215|162.158.180.215]] 21:59, 19 November 2015 (UTC)
::::Nothing to do with choking; the pretzel interfered with the vagus nerve, interfering with his heart rate [[User:Gearoid|Gearóid]] ([[User talk:Gearoid|talk]]) 08:05, 20 November 2015 (UTC).
:I am sure you are right about intelligent design being involved: clearly DNA's tangled structure is a deliberate nod to a plate of spaghetti, proof indeed that the Flying Spaghetti Monster has had a hand (well, a noodly appendage) in all of creation. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 00:16, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

Apologies, when I saved my comments it blitzed someone else's that must have been being written at the same time :'-( [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 19:13, 18 November 2015
(UTC)
:Yeah it was my two comments above? I have now moved the one right her above back in place from the bottom where Davidy22 had placed it when he tried to fix it. No harms done but as he says: ''Read error messages, I know mediawiki gives them to you''. You can always see in the history what you have changed. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:08, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
::I, for my part read the edit conflict (with Kynde, 18:43) like a good little boy, re-edited in light of that, resubmitted and... forgot to answer the security question. For completeness I wrote the following. If it's still helpful...
Had the same thought. Although I just use "View | Source" from the menu or right-click and "View Page Source", or whatever that browser tends to want to give me. And, having had that same thought: For reference, in case anybody wants it, the source of the google.co.uk main page (assumed not far off google.com in its nature) is 51 lines. But that's 51 ''long'' lines of mostly javascript, with much of the unnecessary whitespace (including line-feeds) taken out of it, overwhelmingly single-character variable names, over 150 'if' statements (including 'else if' ones, in continuation to a prior one) and perhaps 56 'for' loops, at first glance. Whether 'optimised' or obfuscated, it certainly could be a challenge to fully understand.
:: HTH, HAND [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.161|141.101.106.161]] 21:43, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

::: I don't think that Google's homepage is only optimized. I'm sure part of obfuscation is deliberate. That said, just removing comments and changing variable names is usually enough to make program unreadable. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:18, 19 November 2015 (UTC)

IMHO DNA with its redundant sections for things not currently used and the bodges in biological design are a good example of unintelligent design. For example the blood supply to the retina is between the iris and the retina, so it is in the way. An intelligent designer would do an eye mark II. But this has nothing to do with the comic. [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 19:07, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
: Sigh. Another of the "I could do a better job" brigade. Go ahead. Try it. Post back here after you learn enough about the existing eye design that you recognise just how incredible it is. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 00:57, 19 November 2015 (UTC)

::Eye mark II is used in octopuses: {{w|Cephalopod eye}}. Solves multiple problems of our eyes. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:15, 19 November 2015 (UTC)
:::Cephalopod vs Vertebrate eyes is a classic example of convergent evolution, therefore eye structure proves evolution not intelligent design. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 00:16, 20 November 2015 (UTC)
::::Eye structure disproves intelligent design BECAUSE no intelligent designer would use two things which are so similar and yet so different. Disproving intelligent design is easy. The real content is between evolution and STUPID design. Or, well ... Cephalopod vs Vertebrate eyes looks EXACTLY like something which would happen if {{w|Polytheism|two designers}} try to compete without directly copying from each other. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:34, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

White Hat is showing the hubris often seen by people who think their (often limited) knowledge in one field can be used as an anology for something very different. Megan only manages to showchim his error by showing that a "simple" web page, which has only been evolving for a few years is more complex than he thinks, and the role of any one line/command in the page is probably far from clear without deep analysis [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 19:07, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

The evolution of life is composed exclusively of copy-paste programming on top of legacy code, global variables, and hacks on hacks on hacks at every level, from telomeres and DNA looping, to the structure of the human hip (childbirth), to our breathing tract, optic nerve, and brain structure and cognition. --[[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.234|199.27.130.234]] 21:47, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
: That's what you get when you hack the universe together with perl. {{unsigned|Dsollen}}

: Or C. Reminds me of a joke going around in the 90s ... http://www.gnu.org/fun/jokes/dna.en.html [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.38|141.101.98.38]]

So much for Gattaca then... [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 00:16, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

I wasn't quite sure what was meant by a comprehensive language in this line:
"What makes this even worse with DNA is that although it can be thought of 'source code' it isn't for a comprehensive language"
Whether it meant that the language of DNA is incomplete in some way (e.g. relies on other linguistic components), or what. I changed it to:
"What makes this even worse with DNA is that although it can be thought of as 'source code' it isn't for a language we fully understand"
Which I think is clearer, and I hope captures the intended meaning. If not, please clarify. Thanks. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.129.155|199.27.129.155]] 20:54, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

To maintain historical context, it would be prudent to add links to the current version of the Google homepage, both as it appears in a web browser, and Google's current code for the page (e.g. via the Wayback machine). Google could change the page to make it visually more complex, or change the code to make it simpler. Preserving samples of both would futureproof this explanation.
Here is a link to the archive for the Google homepage on the day this comic was posted [[https://web.archive.org/web/20151118000129/http://www.google.com/ Archive of www.google.com homepage, on 18 Nov 2015]]

I do not know how to easily provide either an image of what this page looks like in a web browser from this time period, or how to provide a link to just the google code from the archived page, without violating copyright. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.129.155|199.27.129.155]] 20:54, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

I thought it notable that the source code for the wiki page for 'Minification (programming)' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minification_(programming)], itself contained minified code. [[User:These Are Not The Coments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Coments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Coments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 00:12, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1605: DNA

2015-11-23T22:23:40Z

R0hrshach:

The source for Google.com can be found at `<nowiki>view-source:https://www.google.com/</nowiki>` for Firefox and Chrome. Also [http://pastebin.com/raw.php?i=u8SMf7G6 here]. —[[User:Artyer|Artyer]] <big>([[User Talk:Artyer|talk]]<big>'''|'''</big>[[Special:Contributions/Artyer|ctb]])</big> 16:06, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
:Should there be a link to the code in the explain. I do not understand these links or the source code, and would not like to place these links in the explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:43, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

I really like this comic. IMHO, just another good example of intelligent design. Google's dev had to design, plan and carefully code. If that is seemingly simple compared to DNA and biology then how much more intelligence and thought was needed for the coding of all living things?--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 17:18, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
:With all the stupid things going on in our bodies (rendered useless by natural selection but staying put anyway like the {{w|Appendix (anatomy)|Appendix}} or our {{w|tailbone}}) then it is to me just a clear example that there has been no intelligence behind our genome, but just trial and error, and then 4 billion years to get it right enough that it works but not smart. And don't get me started on how our air and food/drink has to go in the same way with the risk of being (nearly) killed by a pretzel...([http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-94567/I-feel-great-President-Bush-declares-pretzel-incident.html even if you are the president of the US] ;-) That is just plain stupid design. But few enough dies from this, that it was necessary for nature to change it once it was working. Humans and the genes survived long enough to reproduce. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:43, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
::I think it somewhat illogical and incomprehensible that someone could point to the human body and call it just plain stupid design. So stupid that humans cannot replicate it on a mechanical or software level - yet it's complex design works independently of our conscious thought and exists for the most part on its own. When you look at it from an evolutionary standpoint you spot design flaws; however, we don't even fully understand the full scope of our own biology and we still run trial and error studies. My profession is in aircraft parts design and manufacture. When I look at the parts we create and build to put on aircraft and how much time, engineering, design, testing and ultimately still discovering small errors in tolerance stack-ups and cascading events and still these parts are considerably crude in nature compared to living cells and the entire ecosystem that is - us. It is mind blowing. Believe me. The fact that surgeons can go in move things around, cut things out, insert things for goodness sake and still the body operates is a wonderful testament to the truly awe-inspiring mechanical design that is our bodies.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 22:23, 23 November 2015 (UTC)
::Without an appendix how would our gut immune system develop properly? Without a tail bone how would we stand upright? It's a fallacy to think that just because we don't understand something it must have no purpose. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 00:53, 19 November 2015 (UTC)
:::Without a pretzel-choking mechanism, how could we ever hope to weed out less-desirable presidents?
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.180.215|162.158.180.215]] 21:59, 19 November 2015 (UTC)
::::Nothing to do with choking; the pretzel interfered with the vagus nerve, interfering with his heart rate [[User:Gearoid|Gearóid]] ([[User talk:Gearoid|talk]]) 08:05, 20 November 2015 (UTC).
:I am sure you are right about intelligent design being involved: clearly DNA's tangled structure is a deliberate nod to a plate of spaghetti, proof indeed that the Flying Spaghetti Monster has had a hand (well, a noodly appendage) in all of creation. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 00:16, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

Apologies, when I saved my comments it blitzed someone else's that must have been being written at the same time :'-( [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 19:13, 18 November 2015
(UTC)
:Yeah it was my two comments above? I have now moved the one right her above back in place from the bottom where Davidy22 had placed it when he tried to fix it. No harms done but as he says: ''Read error messages, I know mediawiki gives them to you''. You can always see in the history what you have changed. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:08, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
::I, for my part read the edit conflict (with Kynde, 18:43) like a good little boy, re-edited in light of that, resubmitted and... forgot to answer the security question. For completeness I wrote the following. If it's still helpful...
Had the same thought. Although I just use "View | Source" from the menu or right-click and "View Page Source", or whatever that browser tends to want to give me. And, having had that same thought: For reference, in case anybody wants it, the source of the google.co.uk main page (assumed not far off google.com in its nature) is 51 lines. But that's 51 ''long'' lines of mostly javascript, with much of the unnecessary whitespace (including line-feeds) taken out of it, overwhelmingly single-character variable names, over 150 'if' statements (including 'else if' ones, in continuation to a prior one) and perhaps 56 'for' loops, at first glance. Whether 'optimised' or obfuscated, it certainly could be a challenge to fully understand.
:: HTH, HAND [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.161|141.101.106.161]] 21:43, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

::: I don't think that Google's homepage is only optimized. I'm sure part of obfuscation is deliberate. That said, just removing comments and changing variable names is usually enough to make program unreadable. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:18, 19 November 2015 (UTC)

IMHO DNA with its redundant sections for things not currently used and the bodges in biological design are a good example of unintelligent design. For example the blood supply to the retina is between the iris and the retina, so it is in the way. An intelligent designer would do an eye mark II. But this has nothing to do with the comic. [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 19:07, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
: Sigh. Another of the "I could do a better job" brigade. Go ahead. Try it. Post back here after you learn enough about the existing eye design that you recognise just how incredible it is. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.32|198.41.238.32]] 00:57, 19 November 2015 (UTC)

::Eye mark II is used in octopuses: {{w|Cephalopod eye}}. Solves multiple problems of our eyes. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:15, 19 November 2015 (UTC)
:::Cephalopod vs Vertebrate eyes is a classic example of convergent evolution, therefore eye structure proves evolution not intelligent design. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 00:16, 20 November 2015 (UTC)
::::Eye structure disproves intelligent design BECAUSE no intelligent designer would use two things which are so similar and yet so different. Disproving intelligent design is easy. The real content is between evolution and STUPID design. Or, well ... Cephalopod vs Vertebrate eyes looks EXACTLY like something which would happen if {{w|Polytheism|two designers}} try to compete without directly copying from each other. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 13:34, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

White Hat is showing the hubris often seen by people who think their (often limited) knowledge in one field can be used as an anology for something very different. Megan only manages to showchim his error by showing that a "simple" web page, which has only been evolving for a few years is more complex than he thinks, and the role of any one line/command in the page is probably far from clear without deep analysis [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 19:07, 18 November 2015 (UTC)

The evolution of life is composed exclusively of copy-paste programming on top of legacy code, global variables, and hacks on hacks on hacks at every level, from telomeres and DNA looping, to the structure of the human hip (childbirth), to our breathing tract, optic nerve, and brain structure and cognition. --[[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.234|199.27.130.234]] 21:47, 18 November 2015 (UTC)
: That's what you get when you hack the universe together with perl. {{unsigned|Dsollen}}

: Or C. Reminds me of a joke going around in the 90s ... http://www.gnu.org/fun/jokes/dna.en.html [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.38|141.101.98.38]]

So much for Gattaca then... [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 00:16, 20 November 2015 (UTC)

I wasn't quite sure what was meant by a comprehensive language in this line:
"What makes this even worse with DNA is that although it can be thought of 'source code' it isn't for a comprehensive language"
Whether it meant that the language of DNA is incomplete in some way (e.g. relies on other linguistic components), or what. I changed it to:
"What makes this even worse with DNA is that although it can be thought of as 'source code' it isn't for a language we fully understand"
Which I think is clearer, and I hope captures the intended meaning. If not, please clarify. Thanks. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.129.155|199.27.129.155]] 20:54, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

To maintain historical context, it would be prudent to add links to the current version of the Google homepage, both as it appears in a web browser, and Google's current code for the page (e.g. via the Wayback machine). Google could change the page to make it visually more complex, or change the code to make it simpler. Preserving samples of both would futureproof this explanation.
Here is a link to the archive for the Google homepage on the day this comic was posted [[https://web.archive.org/web/20151118000129/http://www.google.com/ Archive of www.google.com homepage, on 18 Nov 2015]]

I do not know how to easily provide either an image of what this page looks like in a web browser from this time period, or how to provide a link to just the google code from the archived page, without violating copyright. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.129.155|199.27.129.155]] 20:54, 21 November 2015 (UTC)

I thought it notable that the source code for the wiki page for 'Minification (programming)' [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minification_(programming)], itself contained minified code. [[User:These Are Not The Coments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Coments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Coments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 00:12, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1605: DNA

2015-11-18T17:18:55Z

R0hrshach:

Talk:1593: Play-By-Play

2015-10-21T15:56:17Z

R0hrshach:

First!
Sorry. On a more serious note, is "how rude" a reference to the ugly guy on the first Star Wars? I'm sleepy and can't think well. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 05:41, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
:I strongly doubt it, since this is a completely unrelated topic to Star Wars [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.231|162.158.38.231]] 06:07, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
:Also, the comic doesn't even include the phrase "how rude"... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.161|108.162.250.161]] 06:11, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
::Why is Star Wars and its trailer even mentioned? Completely unrelated. The trailer aired during a football game not baseball. If Randall was trying to make that point it would be as such. This is more akin to a non-sports minded son-in-law trying to enjoy the sport with his wife's father (been there done that). Or perhaps Randall is saying that baseball is having a hard time trying to attract new fans with all the scandals so baseball has turned to reeling in non-traditional fans who need the games rules and play-by-play toned down to an understandable level. Anything but Star Wars.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:56, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

The big issue I have is that he says there's no one else. There is the catcher. Would have made more sense to say two men are playing catch and someone else is rudely trying to hit the ball. Or that they're playing monkey in the middle... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.236.235|108.162.236.235]] 15:18, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

;Simple Words

Could someone check if this is an instance of Randall Munroe doing a comic using only the 1000 most commonly used words? It looks like it might be. {{unsigned ip|108.162.218.197}}

:Nope! Lots of difficult words like "Wow" and "shelves" and "teammates" {{unsigned ip|198.41.235.59}}
::Yes should this even be references in the trivia. I vote for deleting the trivia, as I do not see this as an example of Beret Guy trying to speak simple, he just uses other words because he do not know the baseball version for these. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:50, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

:I put the transcript and title text into Randall's word checker and came up with eleven words that didn't make the cut (twelve if you count all forms of a word separately): "bat", "shelves", "wow", "rude", "teammates", "pillow", "rules", "yikes", "hopefully", ("bats",) "king", and "jail". --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.65|108.162.218.65]] 12:47, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

;Surreal

I do not see this as surreal at all. His description is spot on, assuming that he knows nothing about the game.--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.79.73|141.101.79.73]] 06:32, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

What's surreal is the (somewhat implausible) scenario where someone who knows nothing about baseball (or softball, I suppose. Or sport...) whould be commentating on a game.[[User:ChrisBedford|ChrisBedford]] ([[User talk:ChrisBedford|talk]]) 06:46, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
: That's not surreal. That's ironic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.81|108.162.237.81]] 15:11, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
;Pillow

Why is beret guy talking about a pillow? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.125|173.245.49.125]] 07:12, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

:I read it as a reference to the points on the field (“bases”?) that the runner has to go around. The ones that are used as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_metaphors_for_sex a euphemism for touching genitalia]. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.236|141.101.104.236]] 07:19, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
::See [[540: Base System]]! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:50, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
: Historically, the bases were made from stuffed fabric, they were essentially pillows.[[User:Tverma|Tverma]] ([[User talk:Tverma|talk]]) 08:15, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

;Baseball and cricket

Not being American, and never having watched a game of baseball in my life, this sounds like pretty much the way I would see baseball. Americans can get the same effect by watching a game of cricket. [[User:GreenWyvern|GreenWyvern]] ([[User talk:GreenWyvern|talk]]) 07:28, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
:Until he said "second pillow" I wasn't sure if it was commentary on baseball or cricket.[[User:Tverma|Tverma]] ([[User talk:Tverma|talk]]) 08:05, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
::Agreed, when you never have watched a full game of baseball even the explanation above is not enough to understand the rules and events he is talking about. So spot on ;-) We only play this in early school as we think it is a kids game (probably like many Americans consider soccer?) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:50, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
:::And just like the football/'soccer' difference in naming local variants in Association Football, our baseball is generally called 'rounders'. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.185|141.101.75.185]] 13:21, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

:While the description of the game might match someone who never saw any baseball, the failure to identify cheering and heckling suggest he never saw ANY game nor other sport event, which seems improbable. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:25, 21 October 2015 (UTC)
::Although not for Beret Guy! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:50, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

== Variant games ==

It might be interesting to mention which comments by the Beret Guy lead to the elimination of other ball and bat games, especially when only a single comment does so. For instance, it looks like the description of the game would also fit [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pes%C3%A4pallo pesäpallo], a Finnish ball and bat game, save that in that game you don't throw the ball at the batter. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.164|173.245.54.164]] 13:37, 21 October 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1589: Frankenstein

2015-10-12T20:01:17Z

R0hrshach:

I get all that—I came here to find out what the moon landing reference is all about. Any ideas? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.191|108.162.249.191]] 04:45, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
: xkcd has referred to "moon landing hoax" theories and their proponents (whom xkcd disparages) a few times, including [http://xkcd.com/202/ 202 "YouTube"], [http://xkcd.com/258/ 258 "Conspiracy Theories"], and [http://xkcd.com/1074/ 1074 "Moon Landing"]; this is (at least) the 4th such reference. [[User:Mrob27|Mrob27]] ([[User talk:Mrob27|talk]]) 05:16, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
: He says that, because he is a MONSTER, and has a damaged brain from a complete moron instead of from a famous scientist. You know - the plot of the movie ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.115.22|162.158.115.22]] 08:58, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
Frankenstein A.K.A Elvis. Judging by that hairstyle [[User:Prack|Prack]] ([[User talk:Prack|talk]])
: I suggest the moon landing reference is simply Randall's monster subverting the attempt to redefine the canon. If Randall succeeds in redefining the monster's name, then it also becomes canonical that the moon landings were faked. Randall is unlikely to agree with the canon he has just created.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.127|141.101.98.127]] 10:16, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
:: That was my thought too (just not formulated quite as clearly). [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.33|198.41.238.33]] 11:38, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
::: I respectfully disagree. The monster saying that the moon landings were faked does not make anything surrounding the moon landings canon. It just makes it canon that the monster Frankenstein now holds this belief. Alternatively, in the story, The Doctor's creation was seen by the populace as an abomination amalgamated from human corpses. In the same vein, moon landing conspiracies are also amalgamated from several different sources each contributing their own theories to support the believer's general consensus, the moon landings were faked, and in the eyes of the populace this idea is an abomination. I'm surprised he didn't go for the low-hanging ''climate change is a hoax'' reference that would have been more recent for readers. In either case, it is fairly common for adherents of theories that run contrary to the scientific community to be labeled and name called by supporters of the scientific community. Especially in matters of religion.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:36, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
:::: These are good points. It makes sense that Frankenstein was made with the brain of a conspiracy theorist. I don't think Frankenstein is trying to subvert The Doctor's or the comic author's canon-forming efforts, or anything so sophisticated. I ''do'' think these thoughts, in some form, should be in the article. It was not at all obvious why a moon landing hoax reference is in the comic, to me it was irrelevant noise. [[User:Mrob27|Mrob27]] ([[User talk:Mrob27|talk]]) 16:43, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
::::: In Randall's version, claiming the moon landing fake is what makes Frankenstein an abomination, instead of being hideous and committing murder (note Randall's Frankenstein doesn't seem to have much of a bad look, and the story ends immediately). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.66.23|141.101.66.23]] 18:11, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
:::::: I appreciate the more succinct explanation. I added this as an additional explanation above after the bit about the derivative works. I've never read the original story so I referenced the wiki for accuracy. My apologies if I made a mistake or didn't take the analogy far enough. --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 20:01, 12 October 2015 (UTC)

"The doctor" is a joke in itself because it's analog to "The monster" of the original, so it's likely to start the same discussions the other way around. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.212|162.158.90.212]] 09:36, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
: While it is also likely a direct callback to the Doctor Who naming issue by capitalizing the word "doctor", I agree that the alt-text is intended to make both "Doctor Frankenstein" or "The Doctor" correct, like the comic makes both "Frankenstein" and "the monster" both now canonically correct. "The Doctor" naming issue is also fairly commonly corrected, but for a different reason and is extremely specific to people who grew up watching the original show. For quite a while during the Classic era, The Doctor's actor at the time was credited as "Dr. Who" or "Doctor Who", despite often being introduced (by himself or his companions) as "The Doctor" during the actual dialogue of the show. So, I'm guessing that Randall's saying that either name in all three of these cases (the monster/Frankenstein, the doctor/Dr. Frankenstein, and The Doctor/Doctor Who) would be the correct name to use. {{unsigned|PopeChris}}

Am I the only one thinking that the mouse over text is a matter of intentionally misunderstanding that the question wasn't about Dr. Who? --some guy[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.175|108.162.238.175]] 13:51, 12 October 2015 (UTC)

1589: Frankenstein

2015-10-12T19:58:37Z

R0hrshach: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1589
| date = October 12, 2015
| title = Frankenstein
| image = frankenstein.png
| titletext = "Wait, so in this version is Frankenstein also the doctor's name?" "No, he's just 'The Doctor'."
}}

==Explanation==
"{{w|Frankenstein|Frankenstein; or: A Modern Prometheus}}" is a novel by Mary Shelley published in 1818. In it, Victor Frankenstein is a human who creates a {{w|Frankenstein%27s_monster#Namelessness|monster}} (which is unnamed in the novel). In popular culture, "Frankenstein" is taken to be the name of the monster, not its creator. [[Randall]] is tired of hearing this error corrected, so he has created his own work of fiction, in which the monster is named Frankenstein. He rationalizes that it is now correct to call the monster Frankenstein, assuming that his comic strip is as authoritative as the original novel. "{{w|Canonical}}" (rule, standard) means that this comic should be used as the authoritative work on the naming of the monster.

The {{w|Public_domain|copyright}} on Mary Shelley's novel has expired long ago, so it is perfectly legal to create works derived from the original story. It should be noted however, that Universal holds the copyright on the common [https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2011/10/24/how-universal-re-copyrighted-frankensteins-monster/ image of the monster] (green skin, flat top head, scar, bolts on the neck and protruding forehead). To qualify as a {{w|derivative work}} the story needs to be substantially different from the original. The monster believing in {{w|moon landing conspiracy theories}} would probably qualify. Additionally, the original Frankenstein's monster was seen by its creator as hideous and repulsive due to its physical appearance despite the project being a success. In Randall's version, he makes the same correlation by having Frankenstein claim the moon landings were faked which by inference produces the same results in The Doctor.

The title text raises the question of what the monster's creator is named in this version, since the name "Frankenstein" is instead given to the monster. The canonical answer is that the creator is simply "The Doctor" (like the title character of the series {{w|Doctor_Who|"Doctor Who"}}, which might be a reference to similar pedantic nitpicking that occurs when that character is incorrectly referred to as "Doctor Who" rather than "The Doctor").

==Transcript==
:[A text only panel. Between the last two lines is a lightning bolt.]
:Like many people, I'm tired of the nitpicking about Frankenstein's monster's name.
:Luckily, Frankenstein is public domain.
:Therefore, I present
:XKCD's
:'''''Frankenstein'''''
:(''The monster's name'')

:[Cueball is turning down a lever while looking at a monster with black hair that is lying on a bed under a bedsheet. There are two wires connecting to the neck of the monster.]
:Monster: ''Graaar''!
:Cueball: Frankenstein is alive! I am a modern Prometheus!
:Monster: ''Raaaar''!
:Cueball: To be clear, your name is ''Frankenstein'', canonically.
:Monster: ''Graaaaar''!
:Monster: ''The moon landings were faked''!
:Cueball: Wait, what?

:[Amother text only panel. The first word is written between to curvy lines.]
:'''Fin.'''
:There.
:Feel free to call the monster "Frankenstein".
:If anyone tries to correct you, just explain that this comic is your canonical version.
:Thank you.

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

Talk:1589: Frankenstein

2015-10-12T16:36:53Z

R0hrshach:

I get all that—I came here to find out what the moon landing reference is all about. Any ideas? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.191|108.162.249.191]] 04:45, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
: xkcd has referred to "moon landing hoax" theories and their proponents (whom xkcd disparages) a few times, including [http://xkcd.com/202/ 202 "YouTube"], [http://xkcd.com/258/ 258 "Conspiracy Theories"], and [http://xkcd.com/1074/ 1074 "Moon Landing"]; this is (at least) the 4th such reference. [[User:Mrob27|Mrob27]] ([[User talk:Mrob27|talk]]) 05:16, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
: He says that, because he is a MONSTER, and has a damaged brain from a complete moron instead of from a famous scientist. You know - the plot of the movie ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.115.22|162.158.115.22]] 08:58, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
Frankenstein A.K.A Elvis. Judging by that hairstyle [[User:Prack|Prack]] ([[User talk:Prack|talk]])
: I suggest the moon landing reference is simply Randall's monster subverting the attempt to redefine the canon. If Randall succeeds in redefining the monster's name, then it also becomes canonical that the moon landings were faked. Randall is unlikely to agree with the canon he has just created.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.127|141.101.98.127]] 10:16, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
:: That was my thought too (just not formulated quite as clearly). [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.33|198.41.238.33]] 11:38, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
:::I respectfully disagree. The monster saying that the moon landings were faked does not make anything surrounding the moon landings canon. It just makes it canon that the monster Frankenstein now holds this belief. Alternatively, in the story, The Doctor's creation was seen by the populace as an abomination amalgamated from human corpses. In the same vein, moon landing conspiracies are also amalgamated from several different sources each contributing their own theories to support the believer's general consensus, the moon landings were faked, and in the eyes of the populace this idea is an abomination. I'm surprised he didn't go for the low-hanging ''climate change is a hoax'' reference that would have been more recent for readers. In either case, it is fairly common for adherents of theories that run contrary to the scientific community to be labeled and name called by supporters of the scientific community. Especially in matters of religion.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:36, 12 October 2015 (UTC)

"The doctor" is a joke in itself because it's analog to "The monster" of the original, so it's likely to start the same discussions the other way around. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.212|162.158.90.212]] 09:36, 12 October 2015 (UTC)
: While it is also likely a direct callback to the Doctor Who naming issue by capitalizing the word "doctor", I agree that the alt-text is intended to make both "Doctor Frankenstein" or "The Doctor" correct, like the comic makes both "Frankenstein" and "the monster" both now canonically correct. "The Doctor" naming issue is also fairly commonly corrected, but for a different reason and is extremely specific to people who grew up watching the original show. For quite a while during the Classic era, The Doctor's actor at the time was credited as "Dr. Who" or "Doctor Who", despite often being introduced (by himself or his companions) as "The Doctor" during the actual dialogue of the show. So, I'm guessing that Randall's saying that either name in all three of these cases (the monster/Frankenstein, the doctor/Dr. Frankenstein, and The Doctor/Doctor Who) would be the correct name to use.

Am I the only one thinking that the mouse over text is a matter of intentionally misunderstanding that the question wasn't about Dr. Who? --some guy[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.175|108.162.238.175]] 13:51, 12 October 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1587: Food Rule

2015-10-09T16:17:03Z

R0hrshach:

But some fish don't have faces. Or have some really ambiguous faces. What constitutes as a "face" anyway, from an overall standpoint? A set of eyes eyes, a mouth, and a nose, with the nose generically at or below eye level, and the mouth below the nose? (also do I need to include my name after the tildes or does it add it automatically?) [[User:International Space Station|International Space Station]] ([[User talk:International Space Station|talk]]) 04:30, 7 October 2015 (UTC) ISS
: You type the four tildes and nothing else. The server software modifies your post before logging it, replacing your four tildes by your username and date/time. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.94|173.245.49.94]] 10:15, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
::Reckon the nose rule cant be sustained, dolphins and whales have faces and their 'nose' is well above eye level.[[User:Plm-qaz snr|Plm-qaz snr]] ([[User talk:Plm-qaz snr|talk]]) 05:29, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
:::Randall does not care if anything he eats have a face. He just wish to know if it does or not before he eats it. The plants that he eats do not have faces for sure, but he eats those. The reason he does not eat Squids or Oysters has nothing to do with faces. It is the invertebrate = missing skeleton - that is the reason as explained in the title text. The caption below the comic is an extra rule that has nothing to do with the things mentioned above, which he does not have to google! Have corrected explanation accordingly. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:28, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
::::No way! The items in the list are classified according to whether their facefulness of facelessness is known without googling (things clearly with or without face are OK, things unclearly with or without face are not OK). The title text is the extra, unrelated rule, having nothing to do with the list. Explanation should be re-corrected again (not doing that myself as I guess some more arguing is due before doing). [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.94|173.245.49.94]] 11:26, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
::::OK, modified it so that they are alternative explanations now. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.94|173.245.49.94]] 11:56, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
:::::I disagree with some part of this improved explanation. Because there can be no doubt (without using goole) that an oyster has no face. So the rule about faces do not apply for Oysters! I will correct.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:26, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
::::::How can you say what somebody else must obviously know without using google? From reading the comic, it seems like Randal is unsure whether or not an oyster has a face. From previous comics with a similar format, the printed caption is directly related to the comic, then the title text is an alternate caption that could also work with the comic. Both rules fit the list of allowed food. [[User:Phipoli|Phipoli]] ([[User talk:Phipoli|talk]]) 17:38, 7 October 2015 (UTC)

:::::::I completely agree. It briefly crossed my mind that a shrimp might have some kind of a face- it's entirely plausible that Randall needs to Google the face-ness of all three items. Really, it's the only conclusion that makes sense considering that this is how he set up the comic. Somebody should change the explanation back. [[User:Bbruzzo|Bbruzzo]] ([[User talk:Bbruzzo|talk]]) 15:58, 8 October 2015 (UTC)

the most famous and vocal proponent of the "no food with a face" rule is sir paul mccartney. to which one wag replied that anyone would follow that rule if they'd done as much LSD as he had. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.34|141.101.98.34]] 12:25, 7 October 2015 (UTC)

It should be noted that the three forbidden foods can be classified as {{w|shellfish}}, which is typically banned in Jewish dietary law (and also generally banned in certain schools of Islamic jurisprudence). [[User:Rawmustard|Rawmustard]] ([[User talk:Rawmustard|talk]]) 12:36, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
:I will include this in the explanation. But then pork is OK on this list, which it definitely is not for the Jews. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:26, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
:Is a squid a shellfish? I don't think it has a shell. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 19:53, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
::According to the list here: {{w|Shellfish#Nutritional_Values}} all kinds of Cephalopod molluscs, i.e. squid, cuttlefish and octopus are shellfish. So they are indeed shellfish. They do have some inner shells. You can find part of these petrified on beaches all over the world. I had a lot of those when I was kid. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:58, 8 October 2015 (UTC)

Oysters arguably have a 'mouth' (maw/jaw/etc), with plenty of opportunity for pareidolia or at least marginal (head-only) anthropomorphising, depending on shell markings/adornments or perhaps the psychological willingness of the observer to read the rest of the face in the fleshy creature ''within'' the 'mouth'. Hence a need to actually check, to be sure? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.159|141.101.98.159]] 14:06, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
:I would disagree that a mouth would constitute a face. When looking at Wikipedia's page for face, it is only about humans, although it does mention that other animals could have faces. Guess it could be discussed if any animal that cannot make facial expressions (like humans and monkey) have a face at all. But yes I have seen by using Google that people do ask if squid and oysters have faces. But maybe that is just like Randall an attempt to make a joke on the vegetarians with this catch fraise of not eating anything with a face. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:58, 8 October 2015 (UTC)

More shrimp for me [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 14:14, 7 October 2015 (UTC)

The current explanation is very rambly. Also, it shouldn't presume what Randall knows or doesn't about shrimp, oysters, and squid and therefore shouldn't presume about what he needs to google. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.129.119|199.27.129.119]] 14:49, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
:I do think he knows how they look. He is quite knowledgeable. Of course he may not know if other people think they have a face, and thus he could Google that. But the same could be said for a fish (and there are very many different types of fish with strange "faces" or no face). And I could easily argue that a cow cannot make any facial expressions and thus it does not have a face. And then Randall cold be confused and thus stop eating beef steak... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:58, 8 October 2015 (UTC)

I don't think this has anything to do with whether an item actually has a face or not. I think that is a red herring brought on by the fact that the comic caption sounds very ''similar'' to the rule about not eating anything with a face. Randall's list of approved food items clearly are in the "face" and "no face" category alike. Thus we can conclude that Randall is ok with eating things that have a face, eating things without a face, eating things considered non-Kosher, eating carnivorous, eating vegetables, eating fruits, etc... In fact, we derive from this list that Randall has a very large array of food that is considered ok to eat. Thus his caption makes sense only when paired with the title text. Essentially, Randall doesn't eat food that creeps him out. Notice the caption states, "if I have to Google to figure out" which leads me to believe he considers that food to be other-worldly or creepy. This coincides with the title text about being creeped out by the specter of such a being.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:34, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
:The explanation says quite clearly what you wrote in the first lines. I agree with it of course as I have been part of writing just that already... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:58, 8 October 2015 (UTC)
::Except that your comment to me is almost a day after my comment to the board. At the time of my comment the explanation was haphazard and rambling and was different than when you saw it. Reading the explanation today I still think it is missing the point. Too much focus on Randall contemplating what makes a face. I think it comes down to food that is recognizable. Just my opinion.--[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:17, 9 October 2015 (UTC)

I think the currently explanation misses the point entirely. Two common 'food rules' are "Don't eat anything with a face" and "Don't eat anything you have to Google" (which would rule out, for example, pork and azodicarbonamide, respectively). The comic is funny because it mixes the two, which is ridiculous. The title-text is funny because it does this again with two more food rules ("Don't eat anything you would have to fight" and "Don't eat anything with a skeleton"). [[User:Jtg007|Jtg007]] ([[User talk:Jtg007|talk]]) 19:20, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
: You should update it, I agree. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 19:53, 7 October 2015 (UTC)
: Thanks! You explanation makes so much more sense.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.66.23|141.101.66.23]] 11:14, 8 October 2015 (UTC)
:Yes that is actually much better. Please update. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:58, 8 October 2015 (UTC)

This current explanation is really incoherent and rambly, and it goes off on so many irrelevant tangents that just confuse it even further (Why is the stuff about kosher even up there?). The many grammar and spelling errors, as well as the Danish Google link, suggests this explanation was written by someone who's not very familiar with English. Recommend that this article be overhauled and rewritten, preferably by a native English speaker. Also, the title text may be a reference to the [https://www.reddit.com/r/ledootgeneration spooky skeleton] Internet meme. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.176|173.245.54.176]] 00:35, 8 October 2015 (UTC)
:Please feel free to correct my spelling errors etc. That is why this is a wiki. If you write stuff like that you will scare away people who is not native English. Maybe this is your intention? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:58, 8 October 2015 (UTC)

The standard plural in English of octopus is octopuses. However, the word octopus comes from Greek and the Greek plural form octopodes is still occasionally used. The plural form octopi, formed according to rules for some Latin plurals, is incorrect because the word is Greek, not Latin. Just sayin'. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.39.207|162.158.39.207]] 08:13, 8 October 2015 (UTC)

I vote YES to the overhauling and rewriting. However, (1) I'm not a native English speaker and (2) I think we should agree first on what should and what shouldn't be there, to avoid repeating the situation. Here's my checklist:
* This has nothing to do with Kosher, that should be completely removed.
* Oysters may require googling to check whether they have anything face-like.
* Google links shouldn't be here, Danish or otherwise.
* I didn't know about the "nothing requiring Google", "nothing you have to fight" and "nothing with a skeleton" rules; if these are indeed common, they really are relevant and the comic should be described simply as a mashup of these. Also, references to webpages describing these would be nice (NOT google searches).
* While I strongly support the idea that the item list is about the caption rule and has nothing to do with the title text rule, it is clear that other people strongly support the exact opposite, so both should be given as alternative explanations.
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.94|173.245.49.94]] 08:25, 8 October 2015 (UTC)
: I fully agree. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.66.23|141.101.66.23]] 11:14, 8 October 2015 (UTC)
: I also agree. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:58, 8 October 2015 (UTC)

For those of you who want to do a rewrite, here's one more topic: Randall should not be the subject of the actions. He's the author of the comic, yet the comic should be seen as entirely fictional. So the discussion is not about whether "Randall would google this or that" but "One would google this or that" -- it's not specifically about what Randall would do but what would someone do if they followed these rules, it should be turned into a more anonymous/generic subject. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 16:47, 8 October 2015 (UTC)
:I have to disagree. Generally on this page it is expected that he talks about him self when he makes a rule or talk about a hobby. Maybe it is not how he behaves in real life, but then again it is a comic. But he tells it as if it is his rule not a generic rule. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:19, 9 October 2015 (UTC)

Although this won't end up being of Randall's best comics by far, I do like the diversity of the comments from you guys above on the discussion page. There's been some nice different opinions expressed above, all converging towards a potentially better summary, nice work! Sometimes I feel like he's doing his comics just to confuse the various explain-xkcd sites & fan base. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]])

Because he used the word "spooky" I have to believe that he is referencing spooky scary skeletons/skeleton trumpet/mr skeltal etc --[[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.89|199.27.133.89]] 03:15, 9 October 2015 (UTC)

I believe that a "vegetarian" diet excludes all animal products, and "vegan" refers to people who also avoid every animal derived product, such as leather on belts or shoes or purses. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.103.217|141.101.103.217]] 12:18, 9 October 2015 (UTC)
:Definitions seem to change across time and between people (hence the need for terms such as "ovo-vegetarian" to better explain "Yes, I do still eat eggs!") but the trend I'm most familiar with is that (plain, unqualified) "vegetarians" just do not ''eat meat'', whilst "vegans" avoid all products of animals (whether derived by slaughter or obtained non-fatally) for both eating and (where avoidable) other uses like clothing. But there's plenty of scope betwixt/beyond the two to rule in/out the likes of milk, eggs, wool, leather- according to personal sensibilities and principles. i.e. There's those who just don't want animals to be slaughtered (to provide their own diet, at least), and others who don't even want to support the whole animal husbandry system, if they can at all help it.
:It gets a bit unwieldy to say "pisco-ovo-lacto-vegtarian", but I tend to assume (before I can confirm) that someone who says they're a "''foo-''vegetarian" eats vegetables, grains, fruit and ''foo'', but not meat nor whichever of fish/eggs/milk isn't already covered by the ''foo-''. It generally works out Ok.
:However, there are other opinions as to the definition, so it's still good to check. Please feel free to meet me to talk about your own proclivities. You'll find me easy to get on with. I am, of course, a humanitarian... *nom nom nom* [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.159|141.101.98.159]] 12:45, 9 October 2015 (UTC)

I think the heated discussion about whether or not something might need googling is quite powerful evidence that it might… [[User:StealMyCode|StealMyCode]] ([[User talk:StealMyCode|talk]]) 12:56, 9 October 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1587: Food Rule

2015-10-07T15:34:54Z

R0hrshach:

Talk:1586: Keyboard Problems

2015-10-05T15:43:49Z

R0hrshach:

Possible reference to server problems comic? (1084)

For a risk of sounding mundane, similar symptoms can occur with keyboard breadcrumb syndrome, when someone eats too much bread at the computer, and their keyboard keeps getting hit with crumbs. As said someone is unlikely to change their habits unless they're made aware of the true reason for their problem, it would indeed follow them from computer to computer (because they keep getting crumbs on keyboards), as well as on the same keyboard (because it's getting full of crumbs). (Did I just make up the name "keyboard breadcrumb syndrome"? The syndrome itself must be common, but I couldn't think of any other name for it. Also, OTT purists will now probably come and start berating me for not using the word "leopard".) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.59|141.101.80.59]] 09:38, 5 October 2015 (UTC)

:Not just bread though, could be other foods. Like Doritos! [[User:XY007|XY007]] ([[User talk:XY007|talk]]) 09:39, 5 October 2015 (UTC)

Certainly a case of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauli_effect Pauli effect].

This is also partly a reference older comics where Cueball faces wierd technical issues like in 1084:Server problem and 1316:Inexplicable

I do believe Randall draw it with Cueball's mysterious ability to break computers, but it seems something like badUSB exploit IMHO. While it's extremely difficult to perform, it attacks on firmware part of USB and it is possible to spread via USB *ports* and *devices* [[Special:Contributions/162.158.6.169|162.158.6.169]] 13:39, 5 October 2015 (UTC)

"followed Cueball since his last computer" I don't think Cueball changed the keyboard. --[[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.160|199.27.133.160]] 15:31, 5 October 2015 (UTC)

The first sentence in the explaination currently: ''This comic is about how computer problems appear with no obvious cause. Even technically skilled people often find themselves powerless to diagnose the problem, and resort to tricks and quirks to solve or circumvent the problem without really understanding how or why the trick should work.'' refers to [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1479:_Troubleshooting 1479:Troubleshooting] not really this comic. I would consider striking. The comic is not about skilled people finding quirks to make things work; it is about those few 2.5%ers on the bell shaped curve who seem to always have the worst luck without any reprieve. This is also a plot point in the movie [https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B00KHL1VM8?ie=UTF8&keywords=frequencies&qid=1444059427&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1 Frequencies]. Good movie - check it out! --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:43, 5 October 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1582: Picture a Grassy Field

2015-09-28T16:36:13Z

R0hrshach:

Yikes! It's like an sql-injection for your imagination. [[User:Nique|Nique]] ([[User talk:Nique|talk]]) 05:28, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Maybe someone should send DiCaprio to hunt for these creatures... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 05:50, 25 September 2015 (UTC)
: I'll see your Leo and raise you one Neo... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.246|162.158.114.246]] 08:00, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Reminds me of [[248|#248]]. --[[User:Someone Else 37|Someone Else 37]] ([[User talk:Someone Else 37|talk]]) 07:39, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Maybe consider SCP-Wiki's Cognitohazards, things that are dangerous once you know of them. The creature described here would be a very mild version of those (Sorry, no idea about the identification methods for non-account holders) {{unsigned ip|162.158.90.165}}
: It actually comes off pretty similarly to a specific item, [http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-637 SCP-637]. They're classified memetic objects. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.91|173.245.55.91]] 13:56, 25 September 2015 (UTC)
: The title text reminded me about how the Foundation tried to kill SCP-682 with SCP-826. {{unsigned ip|108.162.237.188}}

The Onthological argument?
What does this have to do woth the Cartesian Onthological argument? I suggest the deletion of that part.[[Special:Contributions/188.114.111.145|188.114.111.145]]
: Agree [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 13:08, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

: I think it should be left in (or put back). When I read the comic initially, I immediately thought Randal was poking fun at the ontological argument. For anyone not familiar, the core of the ontological argument is that you can induce god into existence using just words and definitions. Here, Megan essentially creates a mind-attacking being by defining it to exist. Actually, you could go so far as to argue that her mind invader is just the idea of god in and of itself - i.e. a mind invading meme that only exists because you think it exists. Obviously, not everyone here agrees with this view, but I think it should at least be mentioned in the explanation as a possibility. [[User:ActuallySerious650|ActuallySerious650]] ([[User talk:ActuallySerious650|talk]]) 14:16, 25 September 2015 (UTC)
::I have put it back in. It makes sense to me, and others, and it does say may be a reference. So people can decide for them selves, and if they do not see it, then it is still a very short explanation. So just leave it be in the explanation. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:34, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Is there a name for thought experiments (relaxation techniques?) that start with "Picture a grassy field"? I feel like this is an established thing being referenced that should be included in the explanation. [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 14:24, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Reminds me of Doctor Who weeping angels [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 16:24, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Now imagine a grassy field with a creature on it that can get all these other creatures and itself out of your imagination in under 5 seconds - [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.196|141.101.104.196]] 17:10, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

Reminds me of the Tribbles from Star Trek. [[User:Benjaminikuta|Benjaminikuta]] ([[User talk:Benjaminikuta|talk]]) 19:05, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

I think this creature revealed itself to me over two decades ago in the form of a white talking rabbit in the back of a restaurant. It was sorting pieces of paper with my memories on them, possibly as an analogy for [[wikipedia:memory consolidation|memory consolidation]]. --[[User:Tepples|Tepples]] ([[User talk:Tepples|talk]]) 19:37, 25 September 2015 (UTC)

I think that this is a parody of Roko's Basilisk: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2014/07/roko_s_basilisk_the_most_terrifying_thought_experiment_of_all_time.html {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.51}}
:Just by writing this statement and linking to the article you have aided in bringing about its existence! >:( --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:36, 28 September 2015 (UTC)

Why should the second creature be dangerous? Or the first, actually? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 19:11, 26 September 2015 (UTC)

Randall has his good days and his bad days. Today (or whenever the comic was posted) is not his good day. :( -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.55|162.158.255.55]] 00:22, 27 September 2015 (UTC)

Why does Megan's comment prove she isn't sorry? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.246|162.158.2.246]] 05:10, 28 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1578: Squirrelphone

2015-09-17T16:17:04Z

R0hrshach:

Could it be a reference to this? http://web.media.mit.edu/~stefanm/phd/cellularsquirrel/ {{unsigned ip|‎108.162.216.68}}

:I think it might be a reference to this: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/09/11/vampire-squirrel-caught-on-camera-for-the-first-time-ever/ ‘Vampire squirrel’ caught on camera for the first time ever – Washington Post]. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.234|141.101.104.234]] 07:35, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
:agreed: [https://www.michigandaily.com/section/statement/i-was-bitten-squirrel] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.8|108.162.221.8]] 10:25, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

What about the old "Bananaphone" pun? {{unsigned ip|188.114.106.131}}

Sometimes I wonder if the joke is to make ExplainXKCD squirm. {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.150}}

^ Not really. Those like me who used SquirrelMail had a laugh. Mostly every XKCD joke is incomprehensible to people not familiar with the subject of the joke. {{unsigned ip|108.162.229.135}}

"a living squirrel being not an appropiate creature to mantain a phone call. "... well, duh. Everyone knows that a squid would make MUCH more sense! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.161|108.162.250.161]] 05:16, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
::A puppy... www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0tiNwOpZ68 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.182|108.162.229.182]] 14:11, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
:I doubt this is supposed to be about SquirrelMail; it's much more likely to just be "Bananaphone" with a squirrel. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.193|108.162.237.193]] 05:33, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
: Maybe a _dead_ squirrel would work better. At least it wouldn't bite... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:16, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

"chomp" is also a command on unixoid operating systems that removes characters which carry no information (leading, trailing white spaces, newlines etc) from strings. Seems like the squirrelphone removed every bit of non-information, essentially cutting the call to nothing. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.167|162.158.92.167]] 07:10, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

Whoever put that [needs citation] in there deserves a medal XD [[User:Apbarratt|Apbarratt]] ([[User talk:Apbarratt|talk]]) 08:34, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

Summary of POTS should be present tense - POTS is still active.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.179|108.162.215.179]] 16:42, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

The tone played at the end is likely a howler tone, not fast busy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Off-hook_tone {{unsigned|Trenin}}

Do we really need an explanation of every noise landline phones make? Only two really apply here, ringing and howling. Since even cellphones have ringtones, I don't think ringing would need to be explained in the detail that it is, just something like "These phones would make a series of rings on receiving a call (as shown in the first panel) and would automatically stop ringing and answer when picked up."
I must admit I'm young enough that my first impulse for a squirrelphone beeping was "Oh, it must be one of those wireless home phone recievers and it's low on battery." I suppose squirrelphones must still be wired, though, though it doesn't look like it. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.142|173.245.50.142]] 17:39, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
:Seems like we do need the explanation for the ring tones. Sine this is a real squirrel imitating a phone, it is of course not wired. It just pretends making the appropriate sounds. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:38, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

How do we know it's not a phone pretending to be a squirrel? [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 23:55, 16 September 2015 (UTC)

What if the squirrel swallowed a phone? Like in Jurassic Park, when the spinosaurus swallows the satellite phone? {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.91}}
:I think this is part of the joke. The way it is drawn shows the noise coming from the squirrel's abdomen not its mouth. It's not a squirrel pretending to be anything. The squirrel was probably just as surprised to be picked up and spoken into as Cueball was to be bitten by a ringing squirrel! --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:06, 17 September 2015 (UTC)
Just to let you know, there is nothing currently up on the wiki page that explains this comic. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.91}}

This whole page is dumb as hell. You guys overexplain everything. Not every joke requires or benefits from a multiple-paragraph explanation and a bunch of imagined allusions. This comic in particular should be a lesson that sometimes you guys need to take a day off on this site. And by the way, the "citation needed" joke has become a cliche.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.106|108.162.216.106]] 05:16, 17 September 2015 (UTC)
:You don’t have to read it – there are many other site on the net ;-). --[[User:DaB.|DaB.]] ([[User talk:DaB.|talk]]) 13:20, 17 September 2015 (UTC)
::They are correct though in this instance and many others. Often times when someone doesn't "get the joke" they still blather on in the explanation and it ends up sounding obtuse and contrived. I like to follow Albert Einstein's rule of thumb, "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough". --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:06, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

Wait, seriously the POTS description is written in the past tense, as if it were something people were not used to anymore. Ringing landline telephones are not yet a thing belonging to history museums (although rotary dial ones almost belong there.) [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 14:21, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

This youtube video ("Animal Phone") seems to have some similarity in the content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMNW51-RmwU [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.246|141.101.104.246]] 14:30, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

I think the joke is that despite the absurdity of the situation, a squirrel ringing like a phone, Cueball just "goes with it" and picks up the telephone expecting it to work despite common sense telling him that however improbable the situation or why it is ringing it is still a squirrel. In the third panel, nature takes over and the squirrel does what it realistically would do. This leaves Cueball confused. If the squirrel was just a squirrel then why was it ringing like a phone? And if the squirrel was ringing like a phone then why did it bite him like a squirrel? It's a bit of the ol' Looney Tunes logic when Wylie Coyote would paint a tunnel in the side of a butte and the Road Runner would successfully use said tunnel entrance while for Wylie it would go back to being just a painting on the butte. I think we all have analogous life experiences. --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:17, 17 September 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1578: Squirrelphone

2015-09-17T16:06:32Z

R0hrshach:

Talk:1576: I Could Care Less

2015-09-11T15:48:02Z

R0hrshach:

Another excellent comic by Randall. In case of interest to anyone a different perspective, David Mitchell did a wonder rant on this... "Dear America... | David Mitchell's SoapBox"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om7O0MFkmpw {{unsigned ip|‎141.101.98.100}}

The only people who complain about this phrase are pedantic morons who have never heard such things as "head over heels".

Here, I've composed a list of common vernacular/slang idioms which are valid, clear, and diametrically opposed to their original meaning:
* "Head over heels"
* "Break a leg"
* "It's the shit"
* "That's bad"
* "She's phat"
* "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar"
* "Irregardless"{{unsigned|Cwallenpoole}}
:The reason I dislike "I could care less" is because it just grates me. It disrupts the flow of parsing language in my brain, throwing up a "wait, what?" exception that I have to expend far more mental energy than usual to correctly interpret the meaning of something in my head. I'm not being pedantic for the sake of uptight rule adherence and feeling superior (I play around with language and use it in non-standard forms all the time), I'm pedantic because it causes my brain real difficulties in processing the meaning of what a person's said. I mean I'm a woman with Asperger's (and a British one at that) so maybe things are a little different for me, but that's just why I personally strongly dislike this usage. The things on your list though are all different in some way to "I could care less", at least for me, for example:
:* "Head over heels" - How is this an opposite meaning, exactly? Doesn't it give a rather nice metaphor for being giddy about something? Being hyperbolic and metaphorical doesn't make it an opposite meaning.
:* "Break a leg" - This is closer to being an opposite, but the exact opposite to wishing an actor good luck would be to wish them bad luck. The mutation to a slightly absurdist statement marks it out as having a different meaning, especially as "break a leg" isn't really used in any other context than to wish a person good luck. While it may be the case that "I could care less" is rarely (if at all) used in its literal form, there's still nothing to mutate it and obviously mark it out as a linguistic special usage case. It's also still how I'd expect someone to phrase it if they were actually telling me they could care less about something.
::: The "Vaudeville theory" on this page is where I got my understanding: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Break_a_leg --EE [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.135|108.162.216.135]] 13:52, 11 September 2015 (UTC)
:* "It's the shit" - Again, this is mutated. People aren't saying "it's shit", the word "the" handily tags it for my brain parser to handle differently.
:* "That's bad" - Well, you've got me here actually. I mean, context (and tone) makes the meaning obvious but I can't objectively understand why this phrase doesn't cause me the same sort of difficulties at all. Perhaps because I grew up in the 80s, and a big part of my musical upbringing was Michael Jackson. ''♬ A-hee-hee! Hoo! ♬''
:* "She's phat" - This is completely literal, "phat" is a slang term meaning excellent or attractive. It may be a mutation of the word "fat" or not, its etymology is uncertain, but it is indisputably a very different word now (much like how "orchids" means a species of flower rather than testicles, and "sinister" hasn't meant left in centuries).
::: I understand it's an acronym: Pretty Hot And Tempting. --EE [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.135|108.162.216.135]] 13:52, 11 September 2015 (UTC)
:* "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar" - This is also completely literal, Freud meant that while he believed many things ''could'' have hidden, psychosexual meanings... that while sometimes a person might be puffing on a cigar due to some suppressed phallic desires... they could also just be puffing on a cigar because they're enjoying a nice cigar. That is to say, not everything has a hidden subconscious meaning, and sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, not a substitute object to fellate.
:* "Irregardless" - Well yes, the suffix added to "regardless" here would usually invert its meaning, but "irregardless" isn't actually a word that existed before it came into use with its current meaning so it's not like saying a previously established and defined word (or phrase).
: Anyway, while I do believe language is flexible and mutable, this particular phrase fails the easily interpretable test for my brain. I try not to be too uptight about it, but it really does irritate me in a way I can't help. Obviously my opinion is not the only one, so that's just my 1.29587 British pence on the matter :D [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.195|141.101.98.195]] 12:52, 11 September 2015 (UTC)
::(In response to Cwallenpoole, not 141.101.98.195, who makes good points that I didn't actually read first!) "Head over heels" is of course "head over (and down), heels (upwards) (...and continue this rotation to its logical conclusion)"; "Break a leg" has {{w|Break_a_leg|a number of possible origins}} (I always assumed wishing luck was unlucky, thus the inverse, but several "the leg not being yours" versions also ring true); "It's the shit" is using a somewhat unfortunate object (certainly if you miss out the "the") that is a short-cut off-colour superlative like "the dog's bollocks"; "bad==good" I always assumed was "what's bad to the establishment is good for our own clique"; "phat" is far too modern for me, but probably arises a similar positive superlative with some counter-culture anti-standard spelling; Cigars being cigars don't sound diametrically opposed, to me, although who knows ''what'' went on in Freud's head!; "Irregardless" is an obvious portmanteau/malapropism blend that is so easy to create. - Or so I would personally explain these.
:: Here's an additional one, though, if you care for it: "Cheap at half the price". It sounds wrong if you dig deep and work out that it must mean "It is not more than or equal to twice the actually fair price you should have been asking" (i.e. it's less than double the price). But I've always internally rationalised it as really saying "If this figure you mention actually were only half of the full price you are ''truly'' asking for, the real price would still be considered cheap" (i.e. it's less than half price). Or it could just be obfuscated salesman patter, i.e. telling the truth (still making a profit, but less than a 100% mark-up) but using weasel-words and terminology that create misleading imagery in the listener's mind. i.e. No crime, no foul, should Trading Standards happen to come-a-visiting, one day... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.32|141.101.98.32]] 13:21, 11 September 2015 (UTC)
:::''Actually'', to follow-up on myself: "It's cheap(, it being in this instance) at half the price (I would normally charge)" works best. Why has that only just occured to me? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.32|141.101.98.32]] 13:33, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

'I couldn't care less' is the standard formulation in the UK, for one. I always assumed that the US version was originally a variant on this which was later contracted, eg 'I could care less, but not much'.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.106|141.101.99.106]] 07:10, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

Given that xkcd is so pro-science, I don't think the analysis here should endorse the peeve that there's anything wrong with "I could care less" (or use of "literally" as an intensifier), since most actual linguists, experts on how language works, think it's fine. See for example the list of posts dealing with the question here: http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=21170#more-21170 And of course, the comic itself points out how petty an besides the point this kind of "correction" is. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.19|162.158.92.19]] 07:43, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

: As a linguist, regarding the claim that most actual linguists think it's fine, I'd have to respectfully say HELL NO! There is a difference between acknowledging the pragmatic implementation of the phrase, that is, its use in common parlance and the general acceptance and understanding of it, and the question wether or not it is "fine". The comic exemplifies a rather extreme version of the idea "Whatever people use is proper language" - in other words, as long as everybody involved in a conversation gets what is meant, there is no point in arguing semantics, grammer, etc. This is, however, neither the only, nor the dominant approach to language and linguistics. For exapmle, it doesn't answer the question how such an ostensibly paradox use of this phrase came to happen, where (geographically, socially, etc.) the phrase might have originated, and other puzzless regarding the origin of the phrase; this attitude also dismisses any inquiry into how humans process (or ignore) such discrepancies between literal meaning and actual use, and in general, how humans organise, structure, and conecptualise language. Additionally, this comic adds a radical deconstructional (and maybe existential) twist to this perspective by basically saying, "We're all alone, and can never really know or understand anybody else".
: Such an attitude of total relativism ("Every experience ist entirely subjective and unique") makes my skin crawl. It is by far more presumptious than being a little pedantic about grammar and the use of expressions.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.176|162.158.114.176]] 11:35, 11 September 2015 (UTC)
:: Agreed. Words have meanings and reducing the amount of trust you can place in those meanings decreases the value of the language. "You could never understand me, so I might as well not even try to make myself understood" is a cop-out. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.23|108.162.219.23]] 15:22, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

As it's currently written, the explanation seems to suggest that "I could care less" is the American form and "I couldn't care less" British. In fact, both forms are in use in the US, and it wouldn't surprise me if "I could care less" occurs occasionally in British English as well. There are also other English-speaking countries in the world. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.19|162.158.92.19]] 07:47, 11 September 2015 (UTC)
:As a Brit, I can't think of any time I've heard a fellow Briton say "I could care less", it's always seemed very much an American phenomenon. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.195|141.101.98.195]] 12:52, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

:Another American chiming in here to say that I never, ever, ever say "I could care less" when I mean "I couldn't care less". Characterizing it as "*the* American form" is incorrect. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.167|173.245.56.167]] 15:20, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

As for the title text, I'd disagree with "The sentence is also ambiguous, as it may mean that literally or figuratively, the speaker could or couldn't care less." I think that Randall is pretty clear here: he ''should'' ('could' as in polite request) care less about irrational idioms instead of wasting time drawing comics about it. But he just can't resist. And without him doing so, we wouldn't be here. So in fact, it is nonsense for Randall to care less, and this contradiction is the point of the title text joke. But then again, I'm not native English speaker, and even less of a thought reader to understand what was on his mind. -- kavol, [[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.224|141.101.96.224]] 08:30, 11 September 2015 (UTC)
:I had an alternate take on the title text. Since I could care less literally means I care some but could stand not to care as much, I took it to mean that for all the comic says about the true spirit and nature of communication and the evils of forcing linguistic absolutism onto other people, at the end of the day Randall still does care about people using correct phraseology. Yes, language is so much more than words and sounds but without clear grammatical usage rules communication could descend into chaos. This is actually one of the pivotal points in Jet Li's movie Hero which is a great commentary on this comic's profundity. The deep resonating pools of meaning that communication stores is only useful for peace and coexistence if we can all understand each other and come together as one. --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:48, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

I think "I could care less" is completely unheard of in Britain - I had to come here to find out what this was all about! In the UK the correction wouldn't be seen as pedantic, but rather that you had said something really rather odd, possibly for effect. I'm guessing in the US this doesn't stand out, and the phrase is "familiar" so the brain will run with it, but it just sounds really weird and jarring to me. That's not being pedantic, we toss double negatives around all over the place. Randall's point is that it how you interpret the words, rather than exact rules. So if ponytail is British then she is genuinely just trying to check that it wasn't a slip of the tongue and not meant for effect. To experience how odd it sounds its like a similar phrase "I don't give a s**t", but someone saying "I do give a s**t" (unless you guy's say that as well?!). {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.205}}

: You're right, the British National Corpus has essentially no hits for "could care less" [http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/]. However, Ponytail's "correction" doesn't sound like she's unfamiliar with the expression, but more like the common pedantic objection to it, so I doubt that she's intended to be British, or that it's anything other than "showing off how well she knows some mental checklist." The Lawler link above ([http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/aue/giveadamn.html]) discusses the example "They could give a damn about Whitewater" (as in they '''don't''' actually give a damn about it). I think you could get away with "I give a shit?" or "[Like] I give a shit!" (with the "like" elided) as implicitly negative, but no, you can't put in an affirmative "do." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.19|162.158.92.19]] 10:05, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

I'm fighting a long lost battle, I know, but can I mention my fight against the (long-standing) misuse of Decimation when the speaker/writer probably means Devastation? These days it's often assumed to be its own mathematical complement (around ~10% survival, rather than the intended ~10% depletion). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.32|141.101.98.32]] 13:47, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

I am right with you on this one. Although I don't think the users are mistaking the Dev- for the Dec-, they have just forgotten or never learned that "decimate" had anything to with percentages. Heck, many English speakers don't grasp that percent has anything to do with percentages. [[User:NoniMausa|NoniMausa]] ([[User talk:NoniMausa|talk]]) 15:20, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

Either one works, depending on how the sentence is finished:
* I could care less...about this than other things.
* I couldn't care less...about this than I already do.
--EE [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.135|108.162.216.135]] 13:52, 11 September 2015 (UTC)

1572: xkcd Survey

2015-09-04T15:42:22Z

R0hrshach: /* Beverages */

{{comic
| number = 1572
| date = September 2, 2015
| title = xkcd Survey
| image = xkcd_survey.png
| titletext = The xkcd Survey: Big Data for a Big Planet
}}
*The comic links to [http://goo.gl/forms/B5RaBeZ6nw The xkcd survey] on Google.
{{TOC}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First attempt. There is probably more to come.}}

As the comic image states, it links to a survey created with [https://www.google.com/forms/about/ Google Forms], containing a series of questions. The questions range from mundane typical survery questions such as “Do you have any food allergies?”, to rather strange, such as “Fill this text box with random letters by randomly mashing keys on your keyboard.” (See [[1530: Keyboard Mash]]).

The stated goal of the survey is to “create an interesting and unusual data set for people to play with”. A strange data set is a ripe opportunity for a sampling of readers. It's also supposed to be “a search for weird correlations” – presumably the goal is to be able to say things like “people who have been skydiving are (more/less) likely than average to dislike cilantro”.

This explanation will doubtless expand when the data comes in.

{{w|Image_map#Client-side_image_map|HTML image maps}} is a technique for marking up areas of an image on a web page, such that each area can be a link without the whole image being a link. [[Randall]] could have used this type of image map to make only the “Click here to take the survey” button be a link, and none of the rest of the image. But he cannot get the hang of it (or knowing his skills, does not wish to take the time to learn it). Not getting the hang of HTML image maps was also referenced on [http://imgs.xkcd.com/store/tour-news.png the banner for his book tour] from [http://web.archive.org/web/20140901023821/http://xkcd.com/ September 2014]

==Transcript==
:Introducing
:'''THE XKCD SURVEY'''
:A search for weird correlations
:Note: This survey is anonymous, but
: all responses will be posted publicly 
:so people can play with the data.
:'''Click here to'''
:'''take the survey'''
:Or click here, or here.
:The whole comic is a link,
:because I still haven't gotten
:the hang of HTML imagemaps.

===The Survey===

[The Survey starts off with the following statement.]

<nowiki>This is an anonymous survey. After it's done, a database of everyone's responses will be posted.
There's no specific reason for any of the questions. The goal is to create an interesting and unusual data set for people to play with. (This is obviously not going to be a real random sample of people, but in the interest of getting cooler data, if you're sharing this with friends, try sending it to some people who wouldn't normally see this kind of thing!)

WARNING: This survey is anonymous, but your answers WILL BE MADE PUBLIC. Depending what you write, it's possible that someone may be able to identify you by looking at your responses. None of these questions should ask about anything too private, but don't write anything that you don't want people to see. If you're not comfortable answering a question, just skip it.</nowiki>

====Plane====
*Have you ever been in a plane?
**No
**Yes

====Skydiving====
*Have you ever been {{w|Parachuting|skydiving}}?
**No, but I might someday
**Yes
**No

====The Dress====
*When you first saw {{w|The dress (viral phenomenon)|The Dress}}, what color was it? — Also see [[1492: Dress Color]].
**White and gold
**A color combination not listed here
**I don't remember
**Blue and black
**What dress?

====Popular food====
*What's a really popular food that you don't like?
**''Text box''

====Floaters====
*When you look at a blue sky, do you see those swirly {{w|floater|floaters}} in your vision?
**Yes, constantly
**I'm not sure what things you mean
**Yes, occasionally
**No

====Running out of gas====
*Have you ever had a car run out of gas while you were driving it?
**Yes
**No

====Animals====
*Name the first five animals you can think of
**''Multi line text box''

====Weather====
*What's the weather like where you are right now?
**''Text box''

====Activities====
*Which of these can you do reasonably well?
*(Check all that apply)
**{{w|slam dunk|Dunk}} a basketball — A "slam dunk" or simply "dunk" is the act of jumping up and putting the ball through the net with a lot of force
**Tie a {{w|sheet bend}} or {{w|bowline}} — A sheet bend is a knot that joins two ropes together; A bowline is a knot used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope
**Roller skate
**[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/high-heel-race/ Run in high heels]
**Drive a stick shift — See {{w|Manual transmission}} of a car
**Solve a {{w|Rubik's cube}}
**Dive headfirst off a diving board — See {{w|Springboard}} and {{w|Diving platform}}
**Ice skate
**{{w|Skateboarding|Skateboard}}
**Walk on {{w|stilts}} — Stilts are poles, posts or pillars used to allow a person to walk at a height above the ground
**Ski
**Cut vegetables with a knife
**Swim
**Ride a horse
**{{w|Unicycle}}
**Change the oil on a car
**Do a back {{w|Handspring (gymnastics)|handspring}} — A handspring is an excercise in gymnastics in which you jump through the air landing on your hands, then again landing on your feet
**Juggle — {{w|Toss juggling}} (the most recognizable form of juggling) consists in throwing objects into the air and catching them.

====Spelling====
*What word can you never seem to spell on the first try?
**''Text box''

====Condiments====
*Do you eat {{w|condiments}} directly out of the fridge as a snack?
**No
**Yes

====Thermostat====
*When you adjust a thermostat that was set by someone else, it's usually because you want the room to be ...
**Cooler
**Warmer

====Clothing====
*What color is the shirt/dress/upper-body-clothing you're wearing right now, if any?
**''Text box''

====Colds====
*Do you get {{w|Common cold|colds}} often?
**No
**Yes

====Number====
*Pick a number from 1 to 100
**''Text box''

====Spelling====
*On a scale of 1 to 10, how good at spelling are you? (Note that the question does not specify which end of the scale is good or bad.)
**''Tick of list with numbers from 1 to 10.''

====Myers-Briggs====
*Do you know your {{w|Myers–Briggs_Type_Indicator|Myers-Briggs type}}?
**No
**Yes

====Astrology====
*Do you know your {{w|astrological sign}}?
**No
**Yes

====Siblings====
*How many older siblings do you have?
**''Text box''
*How many younger siblings do you have?
**''Text box''
*How many twin/etc siblings do you have?
**''Text box''

====Sleepiness====
*Do you feel sleepy a lot?
**Yes
**No

====Movie star====
*Name a movie star
**''Text box''

====Time in sun====
*Do you spend a lot of time in the sun?
**Yes
**No

====Broccoli====
*Does {{w|broccoli}} taste bitter to you?
**Yes
**No
**I've never had it

====Wakefulness====
*Do you regularly stay awake much later than you meant to?
**Yes
**No

====Keyboard mashing====
*Fill this text box with gibberish by mashing random keyboard keys (See [[1530: Keyboard Mash]]).
**''Broad multi-line text box''

====Driving====
*On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is terrible and 3 is average, how good a driver do you think you are?
**''Tick of list with numbers from 1 to 5.''

====Allergies====
*Do you have any food allergies?
**No
**Yes

====Thunder====
*Have you heard thunder or seen lightning in the past year?
**Yes
**No

====Flavor preference====
*Which do you prefer? (It seems to be missing the ''both'' option...)
**Chocolate
**Vanilla

====Number (reprise)====
*Pick another number from 1 to 100 (Supposedly is should not be the same as in the first pick a number box).
**''Text box''

====Internet====
*When you think about stuff on the internet, where do you picture it being physically located? Even if you know it's not really how things work, is there a place you imagine websites and social media posts sitting before you look at them? If so, where is it?
**''Broad multi-line text box''

====Roll tongue====
*Can you {{w|Tongue rolling|roll your tongue}}?
**Yes
**No
**What?

====Toes====
*Can you pick things up with your toes?
**No
**Yes

====Age====
*How old are you?
**''Text box''

====Walls====
*What color are the walls around you right now?
**''Text box''

====Cell phone====
*What kind of cell phone do you have?
**{{w|iPhone}}
**{{w|Android (operating system)|Android}}
**Other smartphone
**Non-smartphone
**I don't have a cell phone

====Eating====
*What's the last thing you ate?
**''Text box''

====Difficult words====
*Which of these words do you know the meaning of?
*(Some of these words don’t appear in any of the following dictionaries: the Oxford English Dictionary, the New Oxford American Dictionary, Wiktionary, or Dictionary.com. These words were probably made up by Randall. Perhaps the goal is to make people feel like they have a weak vocabulary because they don’t know many of the words, until they try look up the meanings and realize they have been tricked.
*[http://dictionary.reference.com/ Dictionary.com] has an index of difficulty (measured in pixels, with class name <code>difficulty-indicator</code>). We add it at the right of the words that have it. N/A means that a word isn't present in Dictionary.com, or that it doesn't have an index.
**Slickle – not in any dictionary, but a suggested planet name in [[1253: Exoplanet Names]]
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rife Rife] – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/rife 117]
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/soliloquy Soliloquy] – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/soliloquy 150]
**Fination – not in any dictionary
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stipple Stipple] – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stipple 144]
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/peristeronic Peristeronic] – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/peristeronic N/A]. Randall used it and defined it for readers in [[798: Adjectives]].
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/modicum Modicum] – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/modicum 120]
**Trephony – not in any dictionary, but could be a nonexistent and maybe lower quality sound, than [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Quadrophony Quadrophonic], that comes from a sound system, which is a four-channel sound system in which speakers are positioned at all four corners of the listening space"
**Tribution – not in any dictionary, but could be originated from real words ending with "-tribution", and leaving out their usual prefixes, like "contribution" and "retribution"
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/phoropter Phoropter] – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/phoropter N/A] 1.An instrument used in eye examinations to determine an individual's prescription, the patient looking through various lenses at a chart on the other side.
**Unitory – not in any dictionary
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/amiable Amiable] – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/amiable 123]
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/salient Salient] – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/salient 69]
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/regolith Regolith] – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/regolith 162]
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lithe Lithe] – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lithe 105]
**Revergent – technical word from {{w|fern}} biology, referring to the edges of fern leaves which curl back on themselves (see [http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF00985044 Schölch, 2000])
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hubris Hubris] – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/hubris 117]
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fleek Fleek] – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fleek N/A]
**Cadine – not in any english dictionary - rare french word for [https://fr.wiktionary.org/wiki/cadine a sultan's wife or a noble ottoman woman] - also the name of an [https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadine italian city]
**[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/apricity Apricity] – [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/apricity N/A]

====cat====
*Please type "cat" here:
**''Text box''

====Dreams====
*Do you usually remember your dreams?
**No
**Yes

====Text editors====
*Do you have strong opinions about text editors? (See {{w|Editor war}})
**Yes
**No

====Emoji====
*How do you feel about {{w|emoji}}?
**Negative 😠 (Unicode 1f620 - Angry face)
**Positive 😊 (Unicode 263a - Smiling face)
**Neutral 😐 (Unicode 1F610 - Neutral face)

====Snow====
*Does it ever snow where you live?
**No
**Yes

====Taste of food====
*Do you strongly dislike the taste or texture of any of these things?
**Eggs
**Chocolate ice cream
**Beer
**White wine
**{{w|Carbonation}} (or Fizz)
**Red wine
**{{w|Cilantro}}
**Coffee
**Tomatoes
**Yogurt

====Beverages====
*Which of these do you regularly drink?
**Caffeinated soda (e.g. Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper)
**Noncaffeinated soda
**Coffee
**Fruit juice
**Milk
**Beer
**Wine
**Tea
**{{w|Maple syrup}}
**Water

====Random words====
*Type five random words
**''Broad multi-line text box''

====Flying====
*Are you nervous about flying?
**Yes
**No
**A little

====Favorite number====
*On a scale of 1 to 5, which number is your favorite?
**''Tick of list with numbers from 1 to 5.''

====Sandwich====
*Which of these would you consider a {{w|sandwich}}?
*(Check all that apply)
**{{w|Taco}}
**{{w|Quesadilla}}
**{{w|Submarine sandwich|Sub/Hoagie}}
**{{w|Cheesesteak}}
**{{w|Hamburger}}
**{{w|Open-faced sandwich}}
**{{w|Calzone}}

====Animal affinity====
*Which of these describes you?
*(Check all that apply)
**Dog person
**Cat person
**Half-cat half-person
**Part of a subterranean race of dog people
**Literally named "Catherine Person"

====Sense of direction====
*Would you say you have a good sense of direction?
**Yes
**No

====Socks or underwear====
*Have you ever thrown out all your different pairs of socks/underwear, bought a bunch of replacements that were all one kind, and then told all your friends how great it was and how they should do it too?
**Yes
**No
**I did the throwing out thing, but didn't talk to everyone about it
**No, but I'm totally doing that now

==See also==
*[[882: Significant]] is also about finding presumably-spurious correlations between unrelated data.
*The blag of the webcomic, [http://blog.xkcd.com/2010/05/03/color-survey-results/ Color Survey Results], 2010-05-03

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

Talk:1572: xkcd Survey

2015-09-04T15:40:03Z

R0hrshach:

Mildly interesting to note that the ordering of most of the checkbox/radiobutton lists randomise each time the survery is loaded. Also, there is at least one other comic where Randall comments about not having figured out HTML imagemaps. Anyone remember which? --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 10:52, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
:It was in one of his "under the logo" news bars, about him starting What If, iirc --[[User:Aescula|Aescula]] ([[User talk:Aescula|talk]]) 11:28, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
I wonder how many people, on reading 'Type "cat" here:', typed '"cat" here:'? I know I did... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.214|141.101.98.214]] 11:58, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
:Guilty...--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 12:08, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
: Me too... However you could have typed '"cat" here:', as well... (/edit: I wonder how many different entries the survey's result will reveal) (/edit2: I did not read properly... sorry. I typed '"cat"' not '"cat" here:' -.-)[[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:27, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
: I typed meow -[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.86|141.101.105.86]] 12:41, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
::Where it said "Type five random words" I typed "five random words" (without the quotes).
::--[[User:Lou Crazy|Lou Crazy]] ([[User talk:Lou Crazy|talk]]) 11:24, 3 September 2015 (UTC)
:::My first thought there was "Correct Horse Battery Staple"[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.47|162.158.255.47]] 04:42, 4 September 2015 (UTC)
Not sure if it was just me, but the comic wasn't a link at all! The cursor changed into a No cursor for me everytime I mouseover'd the comic. I went to survey using the "Bonus Link!" below the comic page. [[User:Brilliantnut|Brilliantnut]] ([[User talk:Brilliantnut|talk]]) 12:01, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
:Never mind, this was probably due to the WebComics reader extension that I have in my browser. [[User:Brilliantnut|Brilliantnut]] ([[User talk:Brilliantnut|talk]]) 12:03, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
From hearing people on reddit comment about not being able to completely fill the text box (not just the visual box) with the error "Answer too long", it's caused by a 10k character limit. Presumably by Google Docs. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.192|108.162.249.192]] 13:18, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

Can we get a note on the title text? Something about the [[1493]]-like vacuousness of "Big Data for a Big Planet". Also, I added a defn for "revergent"; future researchers, anyone who knows that one is probably a fern biologist. [[User:FourViolas|FourViolas]] ([[User talk:FourViolas|talk]]) 20:51, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

;Validation
The validation choices are interesting.
* "Enter a number between 1 and 100" rejects numbers outside this range (e.g. -1) but also reject valid responses (e.g. π).
* "Enter your age" and "Enter the number of $SIBLING" accept invalid responses such as -1. [[User:Paddles|Paddles]] ([[User talk:Paddles|talk]]) 13:29, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
:I (with ''fairly'' honest intention) tried to give non-numeric answers to the two Think Of A Number questions and my the age one (honestly, I had to actually think about that one, for a moment) and found them restricted to numbers only. So obviously Randall's not ''so'' subversive as to allow free text. (BTW, I've ''only'' driven 'stick shift', though an old friend of mine has just gotten an automatic, I think for the first time, which said was rather posh of him.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.108|141.101.99.108]] 15:55, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
I used an HTML inspector tool to create a unique response to one of the radio button questions. The form claimed to submit successfully; it should be obvious in the results if it worked. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 16:29, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

;Identification
"it's possible that someone may be able to identify you by looking at your responses"
Then why send those informations to Google ? I find the idea of thee survey interesting but why Google doc ? There are other options like Lime Survey. [[User:Seipas|Seipas]] ([[User talk:Seipas|talk]]) 13:37, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
: Given the stated intention to make the collected dataset available publicly, there's no information-security reason to prefer another survey tool over Google. [[User:Paddles|Paddles]] ([[User talk:Paddles|talk]]) 14:21, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
:: Technically Google could de-anonymize the data if you're logged in or otherwise identifiable when submitting the survey. When Randall publishes the data set it can be completely anonymized. Not that I care if Google knows I claim to consider myself half-cat, half-person. [[User:Jestempies|Jestempies]] ([[User talk:Jestempies|talk]]) 21:15, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

;Not a transcript
This is mildly interesting, but it is not a transcript. Transcripts are meant mainly for blind people and search engines. Different letter sizes and a frame are not needed. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 12:54, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
:{| style="text-align:center; border:1pt black solid;"
|| Introducing '''THE XKCD SURVEY''' A search for weird correlations Note: This survey is anonymous, but all responses will be posted publicly so people can play with the data. '''Click here to''' '''take the survey''' Or click here, or here. The whole comic is a link, because I still haven't gotten the hang of HTML imagemaps. 
|}
::The transcript is not only for blind people. And an enhanced layout doesn't harm them but instead it would help them. A speech synthesizer would tell them something like "headline" or "small text at bottom" so that the impaired people would get a much better feeling of the comic. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:12, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

I wonder how many people included "battery, horse, staple, correct" in the five random words box. {{unsigned ip|173.245.56.64}}
:I typed ');drop table survey; -- at the end of the random characters text box. I must have been the first person to think of that because the survey was still working. [[User:Jeremyp|Jeremyp]] ([[User talk:Jeremyp|talk]]) 13:46, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
:I typed "cat, cat, cat, cat, cat" in random words and "lion, cat, dog, horse, '''''lettuce'''''" for the random animals. Yes, I was trolling. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.150|108.162.221.150]] 06:38, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

I wish it was funny. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.148|108.162.241.148]] 16:20, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

;Tables Vs Bulleted List

The list of questions and possible responses has been added to the explanation by myself and xhfz, in different formats. I went for a wikitable, xhfz used a bulleted list. Rather than just overwrite each other, I think we need to have a discussion on which is the best choice. The reasons I believe a wikitable is the best option:
:*Far better expandability, in anticipation of survey results
:*More structured and neater presentation
In general I tend to lean towards tables, but it is probably a constructive discussion to have for the wiki as a whole. I would be interested to hear opinions of bulleted list vs tables in these types of situation.--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 13:42, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

If we have a table we need colspan instead of rowspan. On the other hand a table is very difficult to maintain. In addition, the table didn't have space for explanations (another column, maybe). [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 13:44, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

:If you used colspan, questions like "How many of these 20 words do you know" would be excessively wide. Perhaps a combination of colspan and rowspan, or simply a single cell with the responses listed as comma seperated list. As far as adding a column for explanations, its pretty trivial. What I'm getting at is that perhaps the format of a table would need to be optimised, but that is entirely feasible.
:I agree with you as far as tables being more intimidating to edit and maintain, but once set up they aren't that bad.
:Bulleted lists (to me at least) look messy, and tend to lack a coherent structure. As more information is added, sub-levels and sub-sub-levels are added without much thought as to the overall intent. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 14:14, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

By colspan I mean this:
{| class="wikitable"
!Question
!Possible Answers
|-
|colspan="2"|When you think about stuff on the internet, where do you picture it being physically located? Even if you know it's not really how things work, is there a place you imagine websites and social media posts sitting before you look at them? If so, where is it?
|-
|
|''Multi-line text box''
|-
|colspan="2"|Which of these words do you know the meaning of?
|-
|
|Slickle
|-
|
|Rife
|-
|
|Soliloquy
|-
|
|Fination
|-
|
|Stipple
|-
|
|Peristeronic
|-
|
|Modicum
|-
|
|Trephony
|-
|
|Tribution
|-
|colspan="2"|Have you ever thrown out all your different pairs of socks/underwear, bought a bunch of replacements that were all one kind, and then told all your friends how great it was and how they should do it too?
|-
|
|Yes
|-
|
|No
|-
|
|I did the throwing out thing, but didn't talk to everyone about it
|-
|
|No, but I'm totally doing that now
|}
[[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 14:44, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

: Yeah, if someone just did that, that would be great. [[User:Nk22|The Twenty-second. The Not So Only. The Nathan/Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 18:54, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

;Missing questions
Something notably missing which would have greatly helped later analysis was a question about where someone is - Country and/or State. Some of the questions and answers will be differently understood because of that (eg meaning if 'sandwich') --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.65|141.101.98.65]] 14:23, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

:I think that is the whole point though, to provide a data set that actively attempts to ''prevent'' the obvious simple analysis. There are plenty of statistics on how people from place A are more likely to do thing B. What I want to know is "How many people who would class a taco as a sandwich and can drive stick shift are able to juggle?". Also, is it true that most people think they are above average drivers? --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:09, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

;Subsections were added for ease of editing

You can delete the subsections later. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 15:30, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
:Ok, I agree on that. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:42, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

;I think we shouldn't force the reader to go to Wikipedia

I added explanations in "Activities" and twice they were deleted. Why? [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1572:_xkcd_Survey&diff=prev&oldid=100879] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1572%3A_xkcd_Survey&diff=100921&oldid=100920] [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 15:39, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

:Personally, I think those activities are so easily understood, that adding an "explanation" is not necessary. I think wiki links are sufficient, so that if somehow people don't know what the activities are, they can go look. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:45, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

::I know 20,000 words in [http://testyourvocab.com testyourvocab.com]. I also know soliloquy, modicum, amiable and salient. I had never heard of dunk, sheet bend, bowline, or stick shift, but I know the meaning of manual transmission without going to Wikipedia. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 15:47, 2 September 2015 (UTC)

:::For the record, it wasn't me who deleted the explanations. The fact that Randall included those words in his survey without any explanation shows that they are fairly common words. In the context of the question, the meaning becomes clearer (Tie a sheet bend or bowline = its very likely those are knots), and if people still don't know, they can click on the wiki link. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 16:14, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
:::From a different perspective, I ''understand'' a number of the words and terms, even though they aren't the ones I'd use, locally. i.e. gas/petrol, stick-shift/gears, cell phone/mobile phone, soda/pop (and where would cordial, to be diluted with water, sit in that list of drinks..? either way, I chose "fruit juice" so maybe that covers it). Also I think I would call an "open-faced sandwich" a {{w|Sm%C3%B6rg%C3%A5sbord|'Smorgasbord'}}, but that seems to be a childhood misunderstanding of what the scandinavian term actually represents (the whole buffet, not any individual item bread-and-topping construct that you end up with on your platter). "Condiments" obviously means something differently, too. For me that's the likes of salt, pepper and vinegar - along with other chopped herbs at a push - but from context it sounds like it includes dips such as mayonnaise, and/or sauces like ketchup/brown/tartar. A different world, truly! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.108|141.101.99.108]] 17:46, 2 September 2015 (UTC)
::::It's a poorly worded question to which people in some countries would answer the opposite of that intended because of the way the question is worded. Very few cars run on gas (a friend's van runs on LPG), but many use petrol or diesel. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.32|198.41.239.32]] 05:55, 3 September 2015 (UTC)
:::::Fellow Brits? No, IP of the latter appears to be Arizona (or at least the ISP, in Phoenix). Strange. Anyway, thanks to copious imports of 'Merkin TV and film, it'd be obvious to most(/all?) people I know that gas(olene) would be the common word in the US for the fuel that I'd call petrol(eum). Or so I was under the impression of, until now. Of course there is ''actual'' gas (modern LPG or [https://www.pinterest.com/pin/155585362099248762/ wartime contingencies]) but so far liquid hydrocarbons seem to still be king, inclusive of DERV. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.188|141.101.98.188]] 07:51, 3 September 2015 (UTC)

:I changed them to Wikipedia links because it seemed neater, uses the hypertext features of HTML for the reason they were intended, and seemed more in line with general style here. No-one is forced to go to Wikipedia, but providing useful hyperlinks instead of having to explain everything inline is generally considered A Good Thing &tm;. It wasn't intended as a personal affront. This is a wiki - we can all edit to make things (hopefully) a bit better. [[User:Paddles|Paddles]] ([[User talk:Paddles|talk]]) 12:40, 3 September 2015 (UTC)

;Can we access the results now?

Are the contents available at a known URL? I use Google Docs but have never done a survey before...[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.24|141.101.105.24]] 06:03, 3 September 2015 (UTC)

;Maple syrup

The current article comments that the "Maple syrup" option to the ''any that you drink'' question is a joke. Are you sure? I have met several people (to clarify, adults, I'm not even considering children) who drink straight maple syrup, and many times more who pour maple syrup into their drinks (notably coffee, tea, and milk are the most common I see people pour it into). There are webpages devoted to maple syrup drink recipes (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and people debating other people's opinions on whether maple syrup is better drunk hot, cold, or room temperature. There is a possibility that Randall was not intending this question as a joke since it seems to be "a thing" among some people. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.11|108.162.220.11]] 12:16, 3 September 2015 (UTC)
:I was very delighted to see maple syrup under the drink options! When I started the survey with my co-workers I came to the condiments question and was explaining to them how I even drink maple syrup. So I was very giddy when I came to the drink question! Yes, I do drink maple syrup and not as a joke, usually at night and only Grade B. --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:40, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

;Regarding "Difficult words" not currently linked
*Trephony - Another (equally obselete) term for Trepanning. The not listed directly on the Wikipedia page for the topic (the article uses gerund forms in discussing other names for the procedure), but the related gerund "trephining" is listed. Cf. also Trephine, which was the actual surgical instrument used for these procedures (and for which Trephony occasionally served as an alternate spelling).
*Tribution appears to be the result of converting the [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tribute#Verb tribute (when used as a verb)]into a noun by use of the [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-tion#English -tion suffix]. While this is a standard form, it is also nonsense (as the nounal form is also tribute).
*Unitory - An obsolete spelling unitary used in mathematics, chiefly British. Several examples appear in the of the papers of the [https://books.google.com/books?id=Wl1BAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA5-PA27&lpg=RA5-PA27&dq=unitory+method&source=bl&ots=rfRKJXAJqV&sig=Wsr_gV7xG6Airah9Lx1M0hi-7Zc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDsQ6AEwBmoVChMInd_R9qTbxwIVChU-Ch36IAh_#v=onepage&q=unitory%20method&f=false 1913 Imperial Education Conference] (I've linked to the instance on page 97 as an example). You will still occasionally see this spelling in use when discussing the Unitary Method in former British Colonies.
*Cadine -- the french term also saw some use in English as a loanword. Cf. [https://books.google.com/books?id=4yz-Y-_OOO0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=cadine&f=false page 146 of Volume 99 of The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle (published 1829)] for several examples.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.36|108.162.216.36]] 16:54, 3 September 2015 (UTC)
Should we move the survey section to a different page (e.g. [[1572: xkcd Survey/Survey]])? It takes up most of the current page. {{User:17jiangz1/signature|13:10, 04 September 2015}}
:The survey section is a transcript, so I moved it appropriately for now. {{User:17jiangz1/signature|13:14, 04 September 2015}}

1571: Car Model Names

2015-08-31T16:06:59Z

R0hrshach: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1571
| date = August 31, 2015
| title = Car Model Names
| image = car_model_names.png
| titletext = CLIMAX is good, but SEXCLIMAX is even better.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

In English, letters like X and Z are rarely used in the common vernacular. Marketers have found that names with these infrequently-appearing letters sell more products.

===Algorithm for the index===
Randall devised an index for car models which is the score average divided by 10.

;Example
We take 2Chainz and add the scores of its different numbers and letters: 6+27-44-14-21-46+83 = -9

Average is -9/7 = -1.29 and divided by 10 it's -0.129 or -0.13.

===Names to avoid===
*Honda 2Chainz - {{w|2 Chainz}} is an American rapper
*Mitsubishi Fhqwhgads - A reference to a running joke on {{w|Homestar Runner}}. See http://www.hrwiki.org/wiki/Fhqwhgads
*Kia 49andGothy - Gothy or gothic is a member of the {{w|goth subculture}}; most of its members are much younger than 49
*Chevrolet Niceguy
*Oldsmobile Goodwood
*Infiniti Toothy69
*BMW OutHouse
*Volkswagen Woodpony 7oh7
*Chrysler Uh Iono
*Nissan Doody

===Potential Hits===
*Honda 3Chainz - A play on 2Chainz in the previous section; according to the table the number 2 has a score of 6 and the number 3 has a higher score of 55; the index will go up by (55-6)/7/10=0.7.
*Subaru Andre3000 - {{w|André 3000}} is an American rapper
*Lexus 3×3Cutrex - 3×3 is a play on 4×4; this car presumably has 3 wheels. Note that it's score is (+55 + score(×) +55 +27 -68 -18 +8 -45 +126)/9/10 = 3.22. This means that the score of the symbol × is 90×3.22 - 140 = 149.8 (presumably 150).

===Title text===

==Transcript==
:Certain letter and numbers are used disproportionately often in car models compared to regular text.
:[Light grey]
:(see:"Rev-4 cr-x x3 G6 Maxx")

:[Box with plot]
:Letter and number scores based on relative frequency in car model names

:[Positive axis label] Carlike
:[Negative axis label] English-like
:0: 60
:1: -74
:2: 6
:3: 55
:4: 35
:5: 74
:6: 6
:7: -58
:8: -67
:9: -37
:A: -14
:B: -5
:C: 27
:D: -21
:E: -45
:F: 5
:G: 27
:H: -44
:I: -21
:J: 64
:K: 32
:L: 12
:M: 19
:N: -46
:O: -80
:P: -27
:Q: 40
:R: 8
:S: 15
:T: -18
:U: -68
:V: 41
:W: -20
:X: 126
:Y: -90
:Z: 83

:[Title in between boxes]
:Based on these scores, here are a few suggestions for car companies:
:[Light grey]
:(with average letter scores)

:[Left list - title underlined, brand names and numbers in light grey]
:Names to avoid
:Honda 2Chainz (-0.13)
:Mitsubishi Fhqwhgads (-0.62)
:Kia 49AndGothy (-2.96)
:Chevrolet Niceguy (-3.09)
:Oldsmobile GoodWood (-4.44)
:Infinity Toothy69 (-4.51)
:BMW Outhouse (-4.85)
:Volkswagen Woodpony 4OH7 (-5.70)
:Chrysler Uh Iono (-5.65)
:Nissan Doody (-5.84)

:[Right list - title underlined, brand names and numbers in light grey]
:Potential hits
:Honda 3Chainz (0.57)
:Subaru Andre3000 (1.30)
:Suzuki Sexism (1.82)
:Lincoln Marxism (2.17)
:Hyundai Climax (2.48)
:Porsche Zizek9000 (3.06)
:Lexus 3x3Cutrix (3.22)
:Acura PizzaJazz(3.56)
:Ford SixAxle 4x4 (3.95)
:Toyota Cervixxx (4.85)

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Math]]

Talk:1571: Car Model Names

2015-08-31T16:05:45Z

R0hrshach: /* Averages */

Suzuki Sexism kinda has a ring to it... [[User:Bbruzzo|Bbruzzo]] ([[User talk:Bbruzzo|talk]]) 14:39, 31 August 2015 (UTC)

== Averages ==

Anyone know how the averages are calculated? I tried a couple but I don't arrive at the same numbers:

HONDA { -44 -80 -46 -21 -14 } Sum: -205 Avg: -41 
2CHAINZ { +6 +27 -44 -14 -21 -46 +83 } Sum: -9 Avg: -1.2857142857142857142857142857143 
Combined: (-205 -9) / (5 + 7) = -17.833333333333333333333333333333 

[[User:SG 01|SG 01]] ([[User talk:SG 01|talk]]) 15:29, 31 August 2015 (UTC)

I think only the model should be considered. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 15:36, 31 August 2015 (UTC)

:2CHAINZ { +6 +27 -44 -14 -21 -46 +83 } Sum: -9 Avg: -1.29 Index: -0.13
:CLIMAX { +27 +12 -21 +19 -14 +126} Sum: 149 Avg: 24.83 Index: 2.48

Obvioulsy it's the average divided by 10. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 15:44, 31 August 2015 (UTC)

Ah, it's so obvious now, thanks :) [[User:SG 01|SG 01]] ([[User talk:SG 01|talk]]) 16:00, 31 August 2015 (UTC)

I worked it out to be average divided by 10 early on but why divided by 10? Is it because each category has 10 cars listed? This is the piece I've been stuck at. Understanding that part of the logic. --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:05, 31 August 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1567: Kitchen Tips

2015-08-24T16:07:52Z

R0hrshach:

Does the title text refer to Cueball never ripping a sheet of toilet paper off, just putting the end of the roll in the toilet and flushing, making it unroll? [[User:Thomasa88|Thomasa88]] ([[User talk:Thomasa88|talk]]) 05:16, 21 August 2015 (UTC)

:-Not quite, I think. I got the impression that cueball wiped with the ''whole roll,'' then simply shoved the entire thing down the toilet. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.72|199.27.128.72]] 05:49, 21 August 2015 (UTC)
:: That option didn't even occur to me. In my defence, it just wasn't where the comic panels seemed to be heading. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 23:25, 22 August 2015 (UTC)

Is Cueball really hosting a show here? I would think of this comic as a series of commercials or a vlog series rather than a TV show. Just my opinion. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.156|199.27.133.156]] 05:37, 21 August 2015 (UTC)
:Maybe it's also meant to mock the so-called kitchen-hacks articles. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.225.56|108.162.225.56]] 07:01, 21 August 2015 (UTC)
:I'm pretty sure it's aimed at [such-and-such]-hack listicles, articles, and videos. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.96|173.245.54.96]] 12:40, 21 August 2015 (UTC)

The implication is that the the first tip: "If you want to know the temperature of something, use a thermometer designed to measure its temperature", is as obvious as the other four ridiculous 'tips'.[[User:Zeimusu|Zeimusu]] ([[User talk:Zeimusu|talk]]) 07:42, 21 August 2015 (UTC)

:Zeimusu's comment goes to what i think is the real point of this comic. I came here since i wanted to know '''''why'''''. It is a commentary on the stupidity of not using the obvious and sane methods of household activities. There are a lot of really ''odd'' tips for households, including "unspooling two ply toilet paper to have each roll last twice as long" of which the "whole roll" usage is a parody. [[User:Harodotus|Harodotus]] ([[User talk:Harodotus|talk]]) 10:45, 21 August 2015 (UTC)
::I 2nd Zeimusu's comment. I think Randall is saying that meat thermometers should be used more often. I don't see how you could say each panel builds up from practical to impractical. Throwing away dishes is probably less practical that cooking directly on a stove. So it goes: Obvious tip (thermometer), Obvious tip (dishes), Obvious tip (stove), Really crazy obvious tip (hose in freezer, punchline), Further grossout title text (TP waste). I don't agree with Randall's cooking advice myself (I think a meat thermometer is bothersome, and cooking to a certain number for safety is not always the point of cooking) but if you follow his "scientific" perspective then it should be "obvious" you use a thermometer to measure internal meat temperature instead of the typical (scientifically unreliable) methods of basing it on timing or other folk wisdom indicators of meat being done.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.164|108.162.216.164]] 07:41, 24 August 2015 (UTC)
:::Actually throwing away dishes is not less practical than cooking on a stove if you consider that paper/plastic plates, plastic cups and plastic utensils can also be purchased and thrown away after every meal. Thus, the panel can be saying not to throw away ''glassware'' or to stop buying and throwing away ''plasticware'' and instead invest in dishes that can be cleaned and reused. In a way, this panel is the bridge between the realistic and the absurd since it can be taken either way IMHO. --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:07, 24 August 2015 (UTC)

The last tip would result in the freezer door being very hard to open as it becomes jammed with ice. Try it! [[Special:Contributions/188.114.102.11|188.114.102.11]] 08:20, 21 August 2015 (UTC)
: That's not the tip. The tip is that there's a better way. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.155|108.162.249.155]] 23:19, 22 August 2015 (UTC)

i don't find it surprising that randall doesn't read viz. http://viz.co.uk/category/top-tips/ --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.34|141.101.98.34]] 11:38, 21 August 2015 (UTC)

But what is his better of way of making ice? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.85.241|141.101.85.241]] 14:13, 21 August 2015 (UTC)

Can we be sure that the title text is also from Cueball? [[User:Jkrstrt|Jkrstrt]] ([[User talk:Jkrstrt|talk]]) 14:19, 21 August 2015 (UTC)

My first inclination was that this was a meta joke on Randall's [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:My_Hobby My Hobby] series. The more I looked at it the more I think it is a progression from Practical to Impractical (Y-axis) and Plausible to Implausible (X-axis). It is both practical and plausible to check meat without a meat thermometer making the comment a true tip. However, assuming the title text is the implied ''last panel'', it is both impractical and implausible to stuff a whole roll of toilet paper down a toilet drain making the comment an imperative. --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:43, 21 August 2015 (UTC)

I felt this was maybe a take on the whole "life-hacks" thing, most lifehacks are simple, and one would think, obvious. Some are a little less so, and some are just ridiculous.
We've become a society which has lost it's ability to solve things by thinking, and presumably the ability to pass on basic knowledge that has been known for years, instead we need to google, luckily there are people out there who will tell us what we need to know. [[User:6328915234|6328915234]] ([[User talk:6328915234|talk]]) 15:31, 24 August 2015 (UTC)

Talk:1568: Synonym Movies 2

2015-08-24T15:56:32Z

R0hrshach:

I believe they are (in order): ''Harry Potter'', ''Rocky'', ''Pirates of the Caribbean'', ''Indiana Jones'', and ''A Song of Ice and Fire''. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.114|173.245.48.114]] 04:15, 24 August 2015 (UTC)

I wonder why Randall retained the Roman numerals instead of replacing them with numbers? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.81|108.162.216.81]] 06:35, 24 August 2015 (UTC)

This explanation has got to have the most redundancies of any explanation on this site. It more or less says the same things four times. Those sure are a lot of redundancies. I don't think there is another explanation with this many redun... OK, OK, I'll stop. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.21|141.101.104.21]] 07:05, 24 August 2015 (UTC)

It feels like Randall gave up on this concept halfway through. The last two (or three) Harry Potter titles, all but the first Pirates, and the last Indiana Jones (I refuse to acknowledge that thing that happened in 2008) are not synonyms for the actual title, but Up Goer Five-style plot synopses. --[[User:SaturNine|SaturNine]] ([[User talk:SaturNine|talk]]) 12:01, 24 August 2015 (UTC)

All the Tropical Boaters titles are not synonyms for the actual titles, but mere descriptions of something of note in each movie. I agree with SaturNine's comment above about Randall's ... umm ... assiduousness.

An alternate interpretation of this comic could be that he was stretching the concept of a synonym. A synonym can be a word ''or phrase'' and it expresses the same idea as another word or phrase. Some synonyms can be contextual only. Perhaps, the punchline of the joke is that the actual titles of some of these movies are not synonymous with the movie itself. For example, ''Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'' when the movie was about the fountain of youth. Thus, Randall's synonym movie title rewrites are synonymous with the movie plot more than the title. This could be said for all of them so far. Perhaps, that some are synonymous with the actual titles is coincidence only. --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:56, 24 August 2015 (UTC)