explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1405: Meteor

2014-08-08T04:54:05Z

Rfvtg: Created page with "If meteors fall, then what is a meteoric rise? ~~~~"

If meteors fall, then what is a meteoric rise? [[User:Rfvtg|Rfvtg]] ([[User talk:Rfvtg|talk]]) 04:54, 8 August 2014 (UTC)

1401: New

2014-08-01T07:50:32Z

Rfvtg: /* The comic */

{{comic
| number = 1401
| date = July 30, 2014
| title = New
| image = new.png
| titletext = The nice thing about headcannnons is that it's really easy to get other people to believe in them.
}}

==Explanation==
===Canon===
In fiction, "''{{w|Canon_(fiction)|canon}}''" describes the set of works about a fictional universe that are collectively recognized as having authenticity or being "official". These works collectively define the fictional universe. Other works may be written about fictional universes which are "non-canonical" or "apocrypha". Generally, works created or authorized by the original author(s) or creator(s) of a fictional universe are considered canon while works by others may be considered apocrypha. In other cases, the medium may be a determining factor (e.g. novels or reference books set in a fictional universe which originates in a television show or film may not be considered canon, although these are often also not created by the creators of the show or film). In some cases, the manner in which canonical works are distinguished from apocrypha is not universally agreed among a fanbase. A fiction's canon may be defined by the creators themselves, or determined by fans.

An example is {{w|Star Trek canon}}: Most fans agree that the {{w|Star Trek#Television series|five live-action television series}} and {{w|Star Trek (film franchise)|ongoing series of feature films}} (including those produced after the death of the original series' creator) are considered canon, while a plethora of novels and reference books are considered apocrypha. The short-lived ''{{w|Star Trek: The Animated Series}}'' is not universally agreed-upon. Some fictional universes have "levels" of canon such as {{w|Star Wars canon}}.

===Headcanon===
Fans often develop their own ideas about a fictional universe but which is not actually part of the canon. Sometimes these are larger concepts which have gone unspoken and are assumed or agreed upon among the body of fans. In other cases, individual fans make assumptions or invent their own stories/ideas about the fictional universe. These are both examples of "''headcanon''". This form of pseudo-"canon" exists only in the mind of the fan watching/reading the media. That fan experiences the media with a certain additional backstory or certain elements of headcanon that other fans may not. Future works may confirm headcanon as actual canon, while other headcanon may turn out to conflict with subsequently-introduced canon.

Some examples of headcanon may involve relationships between characters, abilities, backstories, etc. which the author/creator has not explained or included. In certain cases, headcanon may become so ingrained in a fandom that a subsequent work of canon which conflicts with that headcanon may anger fans, even though the headcanon was never an official part of the fictional universe.

As an example of headcanon, we may return to the ''Star Trek'' universe: The character {{w|Quark (Star Trek)|Quark}} runs a bar on ''{{w|Star Trek: Deep Space Nine}}''. It is canonical that Quark runs the bar and that the crew of the titular space station often patronize the bar. Fans might wonder why, on a station that has "replicators" (devices that can create any food or drink out of energy on demand), anyone would patronize a bar. If an individual or group of fans created and assumed a backstory that, for example, Quark has access to replicator patterns for exotic food or drink which aren't programed into standard replicators, or actual exotic food or drinks which cannot be replicated, that would be headcanon (since the theory was developed without input or sanction from Star Trek's creators). Were the series still running, a future episiode might confirm or contradict that headcanon.

===The comic===
This strip uses a play on the {{w|homophone|homophonic}} relationship between "canon", as above, and "{{w|cannon}}", a projectile weapon. In this strip, [[Black Hat]] starts to introduce a "new headcannon" (noting the spelling). [[Cueball]], thinking Black Hat meant "headcanon" inquires what Black Hat's new idea is. Instead of the expected idea or theory about a fictional universe, Black Hat removes his hat to reveal a tiny literal cannon on his head which blows away Cueball and his computer desk.

While headcanon may often be ignored or dismissed as non-canon or a personal theory, a headcannon is far harder to ignore, as it is a physical object which has a notable (and often violent) impact on the real world. Randall appears to address both homophones in the title text by putting three consecutive "n"s in "headcannnon". That he uses all three "n"'s from the two words indicates that he also means that it is easy to make people believe in a self invented headcanons - this may be the actual punch-line of the comic, since it has proved very true with many fan-generated theories.

Three n's (nnn) is ncubed. In urbandictionary [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=NCubed ncubed] is a term used in the first-person shooter video game [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medal_of_Honor:_Allied_Assault MOH:AA] set in World War II. The cannon of this comic references the war and the colon uttered by Blackhat references the game MOH:AA.

This comic also shows Cueball being once again distracted from his work in a manner similar to [[1388: Subduction License]].

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat walks in.]
:Black Hat: New headcannon:

:[Cueball is sitting at his desk, using his computer.]
:Cueball: Yeah?

:[Black Hat lifts his hat, revealing his "headcannon": a tiny cannon on the top of his head. The headcannon fires and blows up Cueball's desk, the explosion throwing Cueball backwards.]
:Headcannon: '''BOOM'''
:Cueball: AUGH!

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

Talk:1397: Luke

2014-07-21T06:33:19Z

Rfvtg:

Vader: *turns fleshlight on* An invisible blade? That is quite interesting. I should build one of these myself. (Alternately, ''I find your lack of blade disturbing'')[[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.239|103.22.201.239]] 05:55, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

What are these "connection to previous comic" things? They seem random and arbitrary. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.205|199.27.133.205]] 06:15, 21 July 2014 (UTC)
:There usually seems to be a point of contact with the previous comic. That a connection is usually there means it probably isn't coincidental but is part of the ingredients for making each new comic. So yes they do seem random and arbitrary because the content of the connection doesn't mean anything. The point is just that every comic is connected to the previous comic. The explanations of the connections may be incorrect. I thought I'd put these connection sections in to see how people feel about having a regular connection section. [[User:Rfvtg|Rfvtg]] ([[User talk:Rfvtg|talk]]) 06:33, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

1392: Dominant Players

2014-07-21T06:09:53Z

Rfvtg: Connection to previous comic

{{comic
| number = 1392
| date = July 9, 2014
| title = Dominant Players
| image = dominant_players.png
| titletext = When Vera Menchik entered a 1929 tournament, a male competitor mocked her by suggesting that a special 'Vera Menchik Club' would be created for any player who lost to her. When the tournament began, he promptly became the first member of said club, and over the years it accumulated a large and illustrious roster.
}}

A [http://xkcd.com/1392/large larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.

==Explanation==
The comic shows the rise and fall of players' strengths in two games, {{w|basketball}} and {{w|chess}}. For chess, there is an overall chart, and a women's chart.

For basketball, it uses the {{w|Player_efficiency_rating|player efficiency rating}} (PER), the [http://knickerblogger.net/a-laymans-guide-to-advanced-nba-statistics/ most commonly used player statistic]. Note that that player efficiency ratings and similar "aggregate scores" are the subject of much discussion in basketball due to {{w|Player_efficiency_rating#Problems_with_PER|known deficiencies}}.

For chess, it uses the {{w|Elo rating}}. Elo was adopted by the World Chess Federation, FIDE, in 1970, so the rating is extrapolated backwards in time (amongst other using [https://chessprogramming.wikispaces.com/Kenneth+Wingate+Regan Kenneth Regan's] computer analysis - as written in the Chess panel) and are thus shown as dashed lines prior to 1970. (Interestingly Elo ratings {{w|Elo_rating#Elo_ratings_beyond_chess|have been adapted to basketball}}, but the PER is more commonly used to rank basketball players.)

The charts show the players career paths as a function of time with the rating on the y-axis. There is no [[#Scales of the axis|scale on the y-axis]].

[[#Player inclusion criteria|Included]] are mainly players that could be said to have been among the dominating players at some time in their career. If a player has been the best player over a longer time period (a seriously dominating player) then their career path will be drawn in red, the rest are in gray. There can be more than one red path at a time, but only because the dominating player has played before or after they became dominating. It seems like it has to be at least five years, as there are at least two players that have been no. 1 for four years, without being upgraded to a red curve. (The only ones that have managed this with three years or less (on the chart) are those that begin the chart, and thus could have been no. 1 a few years before). This can all be seen in the '''[[#Data tables|data tables]]''' below.

==Basketball vs chess==
Basketball is one of the fastest sports in the world, with some of the highest people in the world among the players. Chess, on the other hand, will by many not even be considered a sport. Although a general good condition of the body may help you think clearly, you by no means need to be an athlete to do well in chess. You do, however, expect a rather high IQ among the best performers. This is not necessary to become a great basketball player (although here it is not in the way either). Another very important difference is that basketball is a team sport, whereas chess is one of the most individual sports you can imagine.

So why compare to so different sports? And why the [[#References on the career paths|funny remarks]] for the basketball players against the more serious for the chess players? Maybe [[Randall]] wish to make fun at basketball and the fact that several of the best of these at some time during their career choses to be in a movie or documentary. Or that they return after they retired. The remarks for the chess players is more about who looses and wins matches.

It could also be to show how different the players career paths are. Basketball players peak early in their career, then have at most a decade at the top of their game (and as the best), and if they are lucky they get close to a career of two decades. Chess players can dominate for two decades, and have careers that last more than three decades. Also they often continue to improve a long time after they became no 1.

For the reason mentioned here there are 7 red basketball players from 1950-2014, whereas there are only 5 male and 3 female red players for the two chess panels. (And then one extra each for the Chess panels from before 1950). See the [[#Data tables|data tables]] below.

Except for womens chess between 1944 till 1957 and for chess until 1947 there are always at least two players career path at any given time. So at least no. 1 and no. 2 are shown. But at some point in time there can be as many as 7 basketball players, 8 chess players and 8 women chess players career paths for a given year.

===Chess vs chess (women)===
Why is chess divided in an overall (with only one woman included) and basketball not? First of all, there is very little focus on womans basketball (as for most womens sport). This may be the same for chess, but at least here the physical strength advantage for men is no direct advantage. Thus a great woman chess player may play just as interesting chess as a man. Whereas women would typically have no chance if playing on a basketball team with men. But why are women then not represented better on the overall chess ranking? This is explained and may be another reason it is included. In the ''Chess (women)'' panel it says: ''For a long time, sexism, a lack of role models, and institutional hostility largely kept women from pursuing serious chess careers. With the expansion of women’s tournaments and prizes starting in the 1970s, this has begun to change''. So now at least one woman has shown that her skills is enough to compete with the best men. With the long careers chess players usually have, then maternity leave can destroy a womans chance at reaching the ultimate top. This could be the case for the number one woman who now has two children.

==References on the career paths==
*There are several references at given times of a career path. These can either be noted with:
**A node on the path. An arrow will point to the note and state a fact.
**Dashed path (not including chess player paths from before 1970 where they were all dashed as explained above). An arrow will point to the dashed part and state a fact. (Only for basketball)
**The {{w|Starburst (symbol)|starbursts}} at the end (or beginning) of a path. A fact will be stated next to the node. These are references to a player disappearing (or reappearing) in unusual circumstances. (only for either Chess panel)
*Some of these are intended to provide context (such as "Loses to Deep Blue"), while others are tangents or jokes.
*These references are listed below in order of appearance. If it is a dashed line or a starburst it will be mentioned:

===Basketball===
* {{W|Wilt Chamberlain}} - "Becomes the first and so far only player to score {{w|Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game|100 points in a game}}". (In 1962)
* {{w|Jerry West}} - "The Guy in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NBALogo.svg The NBA logo]" from 1969. (Read 5th paragraph in this {{w|National_Basketball_Association#Celtics.27_dominance.2C_league_expansion.2C_and_competition|wiki section}})
* {{w|Kareem Abdul-Jabbar}} - "{{w|Airplane (film)|Airplane}}". (A comedy film from 1980 where he played the co-pilot Roger Murdock)
* {{w|Magic Johnson}} - "{{w|Magic_Johnson#HIV_announcement_and_Olympics_.281991.E2.80.9392.29|HIV announcement}}". This part of his path is dashed. (The line is dashed from 1991 to 1995 - where the fear of Aids forced him to retire)
** He {{w|Magic_Johnson#Return_to_the_Lakers_as_coach_and_player_.281994.2C_1996.29|returned to play once more}} in the season from 1995-1996
* {{w|Michael Jordan}} - "{{w|Michael_Jordan#First_retirement_and_baseball_career_.281993.E2.80.931994.29|Baseball career}}". This part of his path is dashed. (from 1993-1994 he played Baseball - i.e. his first retirement)
* Michael Jordan - "{{w|Space Jam}}". (An animated comedy film from 1996 starring {{w|Bugs Bunny}} and Jordan - who was the only live character during most of the movie)
* Michael Jordan - "{{w|Michael_Jordan#Second_retirement_.281999.E2.80.932001.29|Second retirement}}". This part of his path is dashed. (He retired again from 1999–2001)
** He then {{w|Michael_Jordan#Washington_Wizards_comeback_.282001.E2.80.932003.29|came back}} to play two more years from 2001-2003...
* {{w|LeBron James}} - "{{w|The Decision (TV special)|The Decision}}" (a television special from 2010 about a heavily hyped decision as to which team he would play for the next season)

===Chess===
* {{w|José Raúl Capablanca|José Capablanca}} - "Terrifying chess God". An arrow points to the left of the panel with his name and the note beneath it. (Considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. As he died in 1942 this lies just outside of the chart. Anyway he had his best years all the way back in 1921-1927 where he was world chess champion)
* {{w|Alexander Alekhine}} - This is the first starburst. There is no text except his name. (He {{w|Alexander_Alekhine#His_final_year|died in 1946}} in Portugal)
* {{w|Bobby Fischer}} - "Vanished..." The second Starburst. (He did not actually vanish, but he did {{w|Bobby_Fischer#Sudden_obscurity|stop playing competitively}} for about 20 years starting in 1972. This is probably a reference to the 1993 film {{w|Searching for Bobby Fischer}}, which is not actually about Fischer, but about a player who partly models his career on Fischer's. The name ''Searching for Bobby Fischer'' may lead people to believe Fischer literally vanished, but that is not the case)
* Bobby Fischer - "...Reappeared then vanished again. He had problems." This is written below a double starburst with a short line between. (This is another reference to Fischer - there is no name or clear correlation, except the text that relates to the first reference. He {{w|Bobby_Fischer#1992_Spassky_rematch|resumed playing competitively}} in 1992 for a match. ''{{w|Bobby_Fischer#Life_as_an_.C3.A9migr.C3.A9|He had problems}}'' is a simplistic description of issues and controversies in Fischer's later life, including an arrest warrant (because he violated a U.S. embargo against Yugoslavia), unpaid taxes, controversy about his statements (including {{w|Antisemitism|anti-semitism}}), and mental problems. The U.S. eventually revoked his passport, and he was jailed for eight months in Japan. He then received Icelandic citizenship, and lived out the rest of his life there.)
* {{w|Garry Kasparov}} - "Loses to {{w|Deep Blue (chess computer)|Deep Blue}}". (In 1997 Deep Blue became the first computer to {{w|Deep_Blue_versus_Garry_Kasparov#1997_rematch|beat the current chess world champion}})
* {{w|Judit Polgar}} - "(see below)". The text in the brackets is written beneath her name. (She is the strongest woman chess player ever and can be seen rising from the gender-defined ranks of women's chess (below). She is the only women shown on this part of the chart. Below in the womans chart, there are several notes - see below.)

===Chess (women)===
* {{w|Vera Menchik}} - "Died in a missile attack on London". This is the Last starburst. (She was killed in 1944 by an early guided missile - a {{w|V-1 flying bomb}} - launched by the Germans in {{w|World War II}}. For some reason her path does not seems to be dashed, as it should have been before 1970.)
* {{w|Sonja Graf}} - "Rating particularly uncertain". This is written above her name, with an arrow pointing there. As a matter of fact, she was clearly the second best woman and her path should be parallel to Menchik's from 1930's. (The path is already dashed indicating that it is a rough estimate, but there were probably very few data for woman chess players before 1960 explaining the note)
* {{w|Kira Zvorykina}} - "Kira Zvorykina (born 1919) continued playing in tournaments into the 21st century". (Zvorykina was never very high on the list, but can be seen twice centered on 1960 and 1980. She played her [http://ratings.fide.com/individual_calculations.phtml?idnumber=13500392&rating_period=2008-01-01&t=0 last game] rated by the {{w|World Chess Federation}} in October 2007 aged 88. She was still alive when this comic was released and will turn 95 if she lives until September this year 2014)
** She is the only player in all three panels whose path falls below the panel only to enter again later. This second entry is labeled with her last name - Zvorykina - on top of the path
* Judit Polgar, {{w|Susan Polgar}} and {{w|Sofia Polgar}} - "Sisters". (These three chess playing sisters are linked by a thin dashed line, snaking between their names on the chart. Judit is the youngest, Susan the oldest. Judit has now overtaken her sisters, Sofia never reaching the other two sisters level.)
* Judit Polgar - "{{w|Judit_Polgar#Making_history|Wins a game against Kasparov}}, making her the first woman to beat the world #1". (It took some attempts and some {{w|Judit_Polgar#Kasparov_touch-move_controversy|controversy}} before she managed to beat Kasparov in 2002, in a tournament that was played under rapid rules with 25 minutes per game and a 10 second bonus per move.)
* Judit Polgar - "Becomes first woman to rank in the overall top 10". (She is so far the only woman to break into the top 10 in the {{w|FIDE World Rankings}}. She ranked as high as {{w|Judit_Polgar#Combining_family_and_chess|eighth in the world}} in 2005)

==Scales of the axis==
The '''x-axis''' is divided in decades from 1950 until 2010. In the Basketball section the curves begins to appear right after 1950. For both chess panels there are curves further back than 1950 (with even a reference to a player from before 1940). For all three panels the paths continue up till present day (2014).

In all cases there is no scale on the '''y-axis''' with the rating, thus it is difficult to find the absolute scale. It is also difficult to compare between the two chess panels. The scale on the two chess panels are, however, the same, as can be seen by comparing the curve of Judit Polgar on each chart. This curve is exactly the same, with the same elevation between the point where her curve entes the Chess panel up to the top point.
This also means that any women player whose curve rises above this entry point (around 1989) should also be visible in the Chess chart. See below for inclusion criteria.

==Player inclusion criteria==
In general not all possible players are included in these charts. For instance it is mentioned that Judit Polgar was the first woman ranked in the over all top 10. But only six players are shown on the over all chart around 2005, where she was ranked 8th. So some male players, better than her at that time, have not been included. This is a general trend for all three charts.

From the Womans panel below it is also clear that some of the other women would be ranked high enough to be visible on the upper chart as mentioned in the [[#Scales of the axis|Scales]] section above. But still only Judit is shown there. Most of the women that are on the chart after 1989 would be visible if included in the overall chart (9 out of 12). However, none of them could be called dominant when comparing to the best men in the same time period. And thus they are not included. Maybe the same could be said about Judth, but then she is included for scale, and because she is so good that she can compete with (and sometimes beat) the best.

Some NBA players (like {{w|Tim Duncan}}, {{w|Charles Barkley}}, {{w|Oscar Robertson}}, {{w|Kobe Bryant}}, and {{w|Chris Paul}}) have been left out of the chart in favor of players with lower career and yearly efficiency ratings.

Simlarly can be mentioned for instance the no. 1 ranked chess player {{w|Veselin Topalov}} from Bulgaria, who was ranked first both in 20062007 and in 2008-2010 (for a total of less than two years). And there are likely several others ([[#Where is Viswanathan Anand|see below]]).

An example of the above for Basketball would be the 2008–2009 season which was unique in that it was the only season in which more than one player posted an efficiency ratings of over 30.0 on the Player efficiency rating (see at the bottom of {{w|Player_efficiency_rating#Reference_guide|this section}} on Wikipedia). In that season three players broke this barrier: LeBron James (31.76), {{w|Dwyane Wade}} (30.46), and Chris Paul (30.04). LeBron is shown to top that season, But Dwayne is far below (thus the scale does not fit?) and Chris is not on the list at all (i.e. he was not deemed to be a dominant player).

So is this [[Randall|Randall's]] subjective list of players that he has deemed to be ''Dominant Players'' and not a full list of the best ranked players during the time period? Of course it is his choice which players he put into the list, but missing players (when worse has been included earlier) can be explained if the missing players never were among the most dominant player over a length of time. It is not a list of the best players of all time, or of a single season, but a chart of the dominant players over a longer time period.

If a player only has had a very short time where their careers peaked - they should not be included. Also if there most of the time where at least two others that were more dominant than they ever where - they should not be included. To tell if this explains all the excluded players mentioned/referenced above, that would take some investigation. An investigation we can assume Randall has taken upon himself before posting this comic. This of course will still make it his subjective list.

For basketball any given player will at least have been the 2nd best (of those included) at some (longer) period of their career. And to become selected for a red curve, they need to be the best for at least five years. (The first players curve is no. 1 less than five year, but he could have been no. 1 also before 1951).

The same is valid for the Chess players (again the first players curve is red, but stops just as it enters the panel). Only exception is Judit Polgar. She is never better than 3rd of those selected. And she was never better than 8th in the world. So her inclusion is a mentioned probably only to compare her with the men.

For the woman chess players there are the same criteria for red, except that Sonja Graf is not red although she is the only chess player on the list for more than a decade. Maybe you need to be better than someone else to become red? There are also included several women who never reaches 2nd place on the chart. Three of these reaches 3rd place and two only 4th. One of these, Anna Muzychuk, is still on the rise, so she might be on the chart, because she could possibly become first or second if she can continue to improve. The other, Sofia Polgar, is included to show that all three Polgar sisters are chess masters.

===Where is Viswanathan Anand===
None of the above can explain why former World Champion Chess Grandmaster {{w|Viswanathan Anand}} has not been included in the Chess Chart. Anand is one of six players in history to break the 2800 mark on the FIDE rating list. He occupied the number one position in several rating lists between 2007 and 2011. The reason could possible be because Randall may be a huge fan of {{w|Magnus Carlsen}}, and thus biased against Anand. There is some evidence for this in [[1287: Puzzle]] (Chess in a 'Go' board - which makes no sence as there are no alternate colored squares as required by chess). In the title text of that comic it seems that Randall makes fun of Anand in a match against Magnus. The interpretation of the comic and its comment, however, appear to be a double-edged matter of debate.

Anand can for instance be found in the {{w|Chessmetrics}} devised by statistician {{w|Jeff Sonas}}. In the [http://www.chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/Summary.asp graph from 1995-2005] of Sonas famous research from 2005, Anand becomes the best during 2004. It can, however, also be seen that Randall does not agree with Sonas - this is very clear in this [http://www.chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/Summary.asp?Params=194020SSSSS3S000000000000111000000000000010100 graph from 1940-1960]. Here Mikhail Botvinnik clearly plays way better than Alexander Alekhine in 1946, where Alexander dies. This is not shown like this in the comic. Maybe the death of Alexander becomes the more interesting in the comic, if you believed he was the best at the time. Note that all nine (male) names listed in the comics chart between the lines at 1950 and 2000 are included in this [http://www.chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/Summary.asp?Params=195050SSSSS3S000000000000111000000000000010100 graph from 1950-2000]. (But not the other way around - there are 12 in the chart). In this chart it is clear that Bobby Fischer was by far the best in the years before he disappeared. However, he was caught by {{w|Anatoly Karpov}} just before which is not shown in the comic. On the other hand, he seems to have reached a significant higher rating than Kasparov ever did, which is also not the case in the comic.

==Entwined career paths==
Chess players {{w|Vladimir Kramnik}} and {{w|Levon Aronian}}, who have faced each other on multiple occasions in the 2010s, are shown as having their career paths entwined. It is a general trend observed every time two players paths cross each other more than once (the one on top the first time, will be below the second time and so forth. It is just more clear with these two than anywhere else). In two cases these crossing path occurs with so long time between the first appearance, that the names is written twice on the path. In the Chess panel it is {{w|Mikhail Tal}} and {{w|Boris Spassky}} and for the Chess (women) panel it is {{w|Pia Cramling}} and {{w|Xie Jun}}. This can make it difficult to get an overview of how few chess players there are compared to basketball players.

==Transcript==
:'''Dominant players '''
:over time
:[Below this heading there are three panels with charts showing different players career paths - that is their rating a function of the year. Most of the paths are grey, but some are red (there will be a note for these). Some parts of several paths are dashed. Somewhere on each path the players name will be written curving along so it follows the path. Several places an event or some information is noted and points to a given time on the path. If it is not clear where it belongs an arrow will point to the correct place. Each chart has a heading and for the two last charts there is an explanation. There is no scale on the y-axis (rating) but the x-axis (time) has the years given in ten years interval. A thin line indicates these decades. The years are all written at the top, except the first for the first chart, which is written below, and this year is missing in the bottom chart.]
:[Below the transcript for each chart will follow this order: Heading/sub heading, explanation, time scale, player names with any information for this player, in the order their name appear on the time scale.]
:[Basketball chart:]
:'''Basketball (NBA/ABA)'''
:Player Efficiency Rating
:1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
:[Red] George Mikan
:[Red] Bob Pettit
:Neal Johnston [Neil misspelled]
:Elgin Baylor
:[Red] Wilt Chamberlain
::Becomes the first and so far only player to score 100 points in a game
:Jerry West
::The Guy in the NBA logo
:[Red] Kareem Abdul Jabbar [Missing hyphen between the two last names]
::Airplane
:Bob Mcadoo
:Julius Irving [Erving misspelled]
:Moses Malone
:Magic Johnson
::HIV announcement [A part of the path is dashed after this]
:[Red] Michael Jordan
::Baseball career [A part of the path is dashed after this]
::Space Jam
::Second retirement [A part of the path is dashed after this]
:Larry Bird
:Karl Malone
:David Robinson
:[Red] Shaquille O'Neal
:Kevin Gariett
:[Red] LeBron James
::The Decision
:Dwyane Wade
:Kevin Durant

:[Chess chart]
:'''Chess'''
:Elo Rating
:The modern Elo rating system dates back to about 1970.
:Computer analysis (like Kenneth Regan’s) lets us rate historical players, but this has only been done rigorously for a few tournaments.
:Dashed lines are rough estimates only.
:[All paths are dashed up until the late nineteen sixties:]
:1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
:[The first player has no path, as his time was before 1940. An arrow points toward the left to these earlier times:]
:José Capablanca
::Terrifying chess God
:[Red] Alexander Alekhine [His path ends in a starburst]
:[Red] Mikhail Botvinnik
:Tigran Petrosian
:David Bronstein
:Mikhail Tal
::Mikhail Tal [his name is written twice on the path, the second time above Boris Spassky when their paths intertwine]
:[Red] Bobby Fischer
::Vanished… [Text under a starburst]
::Reappeared then vanished again. He had problems. [Text under two starbursts connected with a path. This appears much later than the first staburst]
:Boris Spassky
::Boris Spassky [his name is written twice on the path, the second time below Mikhail Tal when their paths intertwine]
:Victor Korchnoi
:[Red] Anatoly Karpov
:[Red] Garry Kasparov
::Loses to Deep Blue
:Judit Polgar
::(See below) [The text is written beneath her name]
:Vladimir Kramnik
:Levon Aronian
:[Red] Magnus Carlsen

:[Chess (women) chart:]
:'''Chess (women)'''
:Elo Rating
:For a long time, sexism, a lack of role models, and institutional hostility largely kept women from pursuing serious chess careers.
:With the expansion of women’s tournaments and prizes starting in the 1970s, this has begun to change.
:[All paths are dashed up until the late nineteen sixties]
:1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
:[Red] Vera Menchik
::Died in a missile attack on London [next to a starburst]
:Sonja Graf
::Rating particularly uncertain
:Olga Rubtsova
:Elisaveta Bykova
:Kira Zvorykina
::Kira Zvorykina (born 1919) continued playing in tournaments into the 21st century [Text above Elisvetas path, no arrows]
::Zvorykina [Written on top of the path when her path reappears much later]
:Alexander Nicolau
:[Red] Nona Gaprindashvili
:Alla Kushnir
:[Red] Maia Chiburdanidze
:Pia Cramling
::Pia Cramling [her name is written twice on the path, the second time below the path of Xie Jun after their paths have intertwined]
:Xie Jun
::Xie Jun [her name is written twice on the path, the second time above the path of Pia Cramling after their paths have intertwined]
:Susan Polgar
:Sofia Polgar
:[Red] Judit Polgar
::Sisters [The three Polgars are linked by a thin dashed line, snaking between their names]
::Wins a game against Kasparov, making her the first woman to beat the world #1
::Becomes first woman to rank in the overall top 10
:Antoaneta Stefanova
:Anna Muzychuk
:Koneru Humpy [In western style the name should be Humpy Koneru, but the comics version is the native form]
:Hou Yifan

==Trivia==
* The [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/4/45/20140710201235!dominant_players.png original comic] said about Kira Zvorykina "Continued playing in tournaments into the 20th century". The 20th century is the 1900's in which Zvorkina was born (on September 29, 1919 according to Wikipedia). Randall has corrected the notation to say "into the 21st century."
* The names of three NBA players have been misspelled: {{w|Neil Johnston}} (misspelled as "Neal"), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (missing hyphen), and {{w|Julius Erving}} (misspelled "Irving".)
* The order of the names of an Indian chess playing woman has been given in the native version in the comic, where the western version would use the reverse as here: {{w|Humpy Koneru}}.
===Data tables===
*Below are three sortable tables, with the original order as the players name appear in the transcript i.e. chronological.
*One of the objectives of the tables is to make it clear what is the criteria for a player obtaining a red path. Thus there is an x for red path and an x for being no. 1 on the charts. Also the number if years a player has been no. 1 is given.
*All data in these tables are taken from the comic - except the names - they are taken from Wikipedia. See trivia items above.
*The total years as no. 1 is not the same in each table, as those players entering the panels from outside (before 1942), do not get a length of time as being no. 1. For basketball the chart first begins in 1951 (together with the rating system?)
**Since the years as no. 1 has been roughly estimated from the charts (with a ruler) the sum total can also not be expected to fit with the first entry and today (and they miss with at least a couple of years each), as all years have been rounded to the nearest whole year.
*In the comments column, there is references to the relevant section in the explanation if there are any notes/references in the comic for the player. Also references are made to the trivia section for errors etc. Other comments are for special observations regarding said player.
**So use the comments if you have any interesting but short note to add for a given player.
**In case of longer info: If they are regarding the table, write them in bullets below the relevant table (and make a note on the players comments), or add it to the trivia section above.
**More general things or info on [[#Player inclusion criteria|players missing from the comic]] should be added to the explanation above.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Dominant players in Basketball (NBA/ABA)
!Player name
!x if Red
!x if no. 1
!Years as no. 1
!Best placement
!Comments
|-
|{{w|George Mikan}}||x||x||3||1||His path begins in 1951 where the chart begins
|-
|{{w|Bob Pettit}}||x||x||5||1||
|-
|{{w|Neil Johnston }}||||||0||2||His path begins in 1951 where the chart begins. [[#Trivia|Name misspelled]] in comic
|-
|{{w|Elgin Baylor}}||||||0||2||
|-
|{{w| Wilt Chamberlain}}||x||x||11||1||[[#Basketball|There is a note]]
|-
|{{w|Jerry West}}||||||0||2||[[#Basketball|There is a note]]
|-
|{{w|Kareem Abdul-Jabbar}}||x||x||10||1||[[#Basketball|There is a note]]. Also the [[#Trivia|hyphen has been left out]] in the comic
|-
|{{w|Bob McAdoo}}||||||0||2||
|-
|{{w|Julius Erving}}||||x||1||1||[[#Trivia|Name misspelled]] in comic
|-
|{{w|Moses Malone}}||||x||3||1||
|-
|{{w|Magic Johnson}}||||||0||2||[[#Basketball|There is a note]]
|-
|{{w|Michael Jordan}}||x||x||8||1||[[#Basketball|There are three notes]]
|-
|{{w|Larry Bird}}||||x||2||1||
|-
|{{w|Karl Malone}}||||||0||2||
|-
|{{w|David Robinson (basketball)|David Robinson}}||||x||4||1||
|-
|{{w|Shaquille O'Neal}}||x||x||6||1||
|-
|{{w|Kevin Garnett}}||||x||2||1||
|-
|{{w|LeBron James}}||x||x||8||1||[[#Basketball|There is a note]]
|-
|{{w|Dwyane Wade}}||||x||1||1||
|-
|{{w|Kevin Durant}}||||x||1||1||He became no 1 in 2013 and still is
|-
|20 players - Total: ||7||14||65||1-2||
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Chess
!Player name
!x if Red
!x if no. 1
!Years as no. 1
!Best placement
!Comments
|-
|{{w|José Capablanca}}||||x||||1||[[#Chess|There is a note]]. He is outside the panel
|-
|{{w|Alexander Alekhine}}||x||x||||1||Path begins outside panel and ends in a starburst
|-
|{{w|Mikhail Botvinnik}}||x||x||17||1||No 1 over two separate periods
|-
|{{w|Tigran Petrosian}}||||||0||2||
|-
|{{w|David Bronstein}}||||x||2||1||
|-
|{{w|Mikhail Tal}}||||x||4||1||Name written twice on the path
|-
|{{w|Bobby Fischer}}||x||x||8||1||[[#Chess|There are two notes]] in connection with three starbursts
|-
|{{w|Boris Spassky}}||||||0||2||Name written twice on the path
|-
|{{w|Victor Korchnoi}}||||||0||2||
|-
|{{w|Anatoly Karpov}}||x||x||11||1||
|-
|{{w|Garry Kasparov}}||x||x||23||1||[[#Chess|There is a note]]
|-
|{{w|Judit Polgar}}||||||0||3||[[#Chess|There is a note]]. Only woman in this chart.
|-
|{{w|Vladimir Kramnik}}||||x||2||1||
|-
|{{w|Levon Aronian}}||||||0||2||
|-
|{{w|Magnus Carlsen}}||x||x||6||1||He became no 1 in 2008 and still is
|-
|15 players - Total: ||6||10||73||1-3||Only with a 3rd place as the best is Judit from the womens chart
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Chess (women)
!Player name
!x if Red
!x if no. 1
!Years as no. 1
!Best placement
!Comments
|-
|{{w|Vera Menchik}}||x||x||||1||[[#Chess (women)|There is a note]]. Path begins outside panel and ends in a starburst
|-
|{{w|Sonja Graf}}||||x||13||1||[[#Chess (women)|There is a note]]
|-
|{{w|Olga Rubtsova}}||||x||1||1||
|-
|{{w|Elisaveta Bykova}}||||||0||2||
|-
|{{w|Kira Zvorykina}}||||||0||3||[[#Chess (women)|There are two notes]], see also [[#Trivia|Trivia]]
|-
|{{w|Alexandra Nicolau}}||||||0||3||
|-
|{{w|Nona Gaprindashvili}}||x||x||19||1||
|-
|{{w|Alla Kushnir}}||||||0||2||
|-
|{{w|Maia Chiburdanidze}}||x||x||9||1||
|-
|{{w|Pia Cramling}}||||||0||2||Name written twice on the path
|-
|{{w|Xie Jun}}||||||0||2||Name written twice on the path
|-
|{{w|Susan Polgar}}||||||0||2||[[#Chess (women)|There is a note]]
|-
|{{w|Sofia Polgar}}||||||0||4||[[#Chess (women)|There is a note]]
|-
|{{w|Judit Polgar}}||x||x||26||1||[[#Chess (women)|There are three notes]]. She became no 1 in 1989 and still is
|-
|{{w|Antoaneta Stefanova}}||||||0||3||
|-
|{{w|Anna Muzychuk}}||||||0||4||
|-
|{{w|Humpy Koneru}}||||||0||2||[[#Trivia|Alternate version of name]] used in comic
|-
|{{w|Hou Yifan}}||||||0||2||
|-
|18 players - Total: ||4||6||68||1-4||One no. 4 is a sister the other is still active
|}

==Connection to previous comic==
[[1391]] was about wish #2. This comic is about #1 players.

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

{{comic discussion}}

1393: Timeghost

2014-07-21T06:06:45Z

Rfvtg: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1393
| date = July 11, 2014
| title = Timeghost
| image = timeghost.png
| titletext = 'Hello, Ghostbusters?' 'ooOOoooo people born years after that movie came out are having a second chiiiild right now ooOoooOoo'
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] has been haunted by a ''Timeghost'' for some time. It is obviously not the first time the ghost arrives to let Megan know that "...ooOOOOOOOOooo... Tiiiime is passiiiing!" The ghost is dedicated to making people feel old by having them think about the passage of time. It is shown to reference time periods related to well-known people and events, such as famous actors and the release of movies and TV shows. Megan is just annoyed that it is back and wishes it to go away.

But then when [[Cueball]] ask "How long has it been doing this?" the ghost suddenly predicts that Megan and Cueball will die in a shorter amount of time than the time that has passed since the ghost's began its hauntings. This disturbs Megan who stops her complaining and asks "'''What!?'''" This is not the first time she has been haunted by the ghost but it has probably not been that long, so this is a very scary thought to her (and Cueball).

We do, however, not know how long the ghost has been haunting Megan. Also the "staaaaart of my haunting" may refer to the first time the ghost haunted anyone, not just Megan. This could be a looong time ago and thus be true for anyone it meets today. Or it could mean since the start of this particular manifestation, meaning their deaths are imminent! It is also possible Timeghost is being deliberately ambiguous in an effort to frighten them even more. This is of course only scary if you believe the ghost can predict the future, which is not what it has been doing so far. (There is no example in the comic where it makes a prediction that we know is accurate - only comparing time spans we can look up - see below).

But one thing about the prediction is true - they will eventually '''die'''. And this is the scary part about realizing how old you are and that you are quickly getting older: You will die soon.

The comic seems to be using "factoid" to mean a small fact. "{{w|Factoid}}" can also mean a "questionable or spurious statement presented as a fact", but this does not seem to be intended usage here. In this instance, some of the factoids are easily verifiable, while others are reasonable assumptions based on the number of years passed since the individual events. Several sources advocate the use of the word "factlet" to express a brief interesting fact, while using the word "factoid" for unverifiable or untrue statements passed as fact.

While ''factoids'' tend only to have mostly only entertainment value, the last ''fact'' from the ghost is a prediction of the future (Megan and Cueball's death) which is actually of some practical value if it can be trusted.

"Timeghost" might be a literal interpretation of {{w|Zeitgeist}}, which is a German term for "spirit of time" and refers to the school of thought that influences or dominates the art and culture of a time period. All the events and people mentioned in this comic may be considered influences on present day art and culture.

In the title text Megan calls {{w|Ghostbusters}} (from the 1984 movie) to help get rid of the Timeghost. This of course makes the ghost state that "people born years after that movie came out are having a second chiiiild right now" making her feel old once more.

[[Randall]] has covered making people feel old several times in [[647: Scary]], [[891: Movie Ages]] and [[973: MTV Generation]]. Also see the blag post [http://blog.xkcd.com/2012/09/29/odd-temporal-milestones/ Odd Temporal Milestones]. This is, however, so far the only one that makes a prediction of anyone's death.

A similar ghost with a much different agenda was seen in [[1108: Cautionary Ghost]].

'''Timeline'''
{| class="wikitable"
!Year||Event
|-
|1955-1975||{{w|Vietnam War}}
|-
|colspan="2"|19 years
|-
|1994||{{w|Forrest Gump (film)|Forrest Gump}}
|-
|colspan="2"|20 years
|-
|2014||Year of this comic
|-
|colspan="2"|
|-
|1964||{{w|Keanu Reeves}} (Actor) born
|-
|colspan="2"|2 years
|-
|1966||Today's new grandparents born (Average age: 48 in the US)
|-
|colspan="2"|48 years
|-
|2014||Year of this comic
|-
|colspan="2"|
|-
|1990||[http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr051.pdf Today's new parents born] (Average age: 24 in the US)
|-
|colspan="2"|3 years
|-
|1993-1994||{{w|The Simpsons}} Season 5
|-
|colspan="2"|2 years (from '93 to '95)
|-
|1994-1995||{{w|The Simpsons}} Season 6
|-
|colspan="2"|4 years
|-
|1999||{{w|Eminem}} (Rapper) got big (second album)
|-
|colspan="2"|15 years
|-
|2014||Year of this comic
|-
|colspan="2"|
|-
|1984||{{w|Ghostbusters}}
|-
|colspan="2"|3 years
|-
|1987||[http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr051.pdf Today's people just having a second child born] (Average age at first childbirth (24) + average gap between first two births (3))
|-
|colspan="2"|27 years
|-
|2014||Year of this comic
|}

==Connection to previous comic==
[[1392]] was about things over time and this comic is about passage of time.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan are approached by a floating ghost]
:Timeghost: ''...ooOOOOOOOOooo... Tiiiime is passiiiing!''
:Megan: Ugh. Timeghost.
:Cueball: Huh?
:Megan: Here come the factoids.

:[Timeghost floats around]
:Timeghost: ''Forrest Gump'' came out closer to the Vietnam War than to the present daaay.
:Megan: Go ''away!''
:Timeghost: The average new grand-parents are younger than Keanu Reeeeves!
:Cueball: That can't be right...

:[Megan clutches her head, possibly attempting to cover her ears]
:Timeghost: ''Today's new parents were ten when Eminem got big. Daaaaaad muuuuusic. They remember Simpsons season 5 or 6 at the '''earliest'''''.
:Megan: Argh!
:Cueball: How long has it been ''doing'' this?

:[Megan and Cueball looks up at the Timeghost as it delivers its most scary message]
:Timeghost: ''The staaaaart of my haunting is now further away than your deaaaths!''
:Megan: Will you sto- -'''''WHAT!?'''''
:Timeghost: ''ooOOOOOOOoo''
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]

1394: Superm*n

2014-07-21T06:04:44Z

Rfvtg: / ==Connection to previous comic==

{{comic
| number = 1394
| date = July 14, 2014
| title = Superm*n
| image = superm_n.png
| titletext = See also: Spider-Man reboot in which he can produce several inches of web, doesn't need as much chalk powder on his hands when he goes rock climbing, and occasionally feels vaguely uneasy about situations.
}}

==Explanation==
By depicting how unimpressive the superhero {{w|Superman}} would be if his increase in powers, when compared to humans, where the same as the moons increase in apparent size during a {{w|supermoon}}, Randall points that the use of the term supermoon is an exaggeration.

This comic was posted one day after a supermoon, an informal astronomical event where a full moon occurs when it is closest to earth, causing the moon to appear 10% brighter and about 7% larger. This is due to the {{w|apsidal precession}} of moon's {{w|elliptic orbit}} which has an {{w|orbital eccentricity}} of about 0.0549. The conditions for a supermoon happen once every 411 days, and the loose definition of the term means that the supermoon lasts for about two or three full moons.

Returning back to the not-so-Superman, the average American adult man is 69 inches tall, with a {{w|standard deviation}} of 2.9 inches. Not-so-Superman, at an assumed 74 inches tall, is within the 95th percentile - certainly a tall man, but by no means phenomenal. "7% stronger" (most likely a reference to how the supermoon is 7% brighter) is a bit harder to quantify, but it communicates "not actually impressive" to the reader all the same.

===Title===
The comic's title makes use of an asterisk that is being used as a wildcard. When using search queries an asterisk represents an unknown character, or in some cases a set of characters. Therefore, Superm*n can represent the strings "Superman" and "Supermoon".

===Title Text===
The title text refers makes this same comparison with {{w|Spider-Man}}. Spider man is capable of firing large amounts of webbing, can can cling to surfaces with superhuman gripping abilities, and has a sixth sense, "spider sense", that warns him about impending danger. The title text describes trivially minimal versions of these powers, analogous to the trivial size and brightness difference between a "supermoon" and a normal full moon.

==Trivia==
Supermoon has been mentioned previously in [[1080: Visual Field]] and [[1052: Every Major's Terrible]].

==Connection to previous comic==
[[1393]] was about factoids and this comic contains the factoid "I'm 5 inches taller and 7% stronger than the average man!".

==Transcript==
[Cueball is reaching for an item on a high shelf. Superman is rushing towards him]

Superman: I'll get it! I'm 5 inches taller and 7% stronger than the average man!

Caption: The new supermoon-inspired Superman reboot

==References==
<references />

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

1395: Power Cord

2014-07-21T06:01:09Z

Rfvtg: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1395
| date = July 16, 2014
| title = Power Cord
| image = power_cord.png
| titletext = In this situation, gzip /dev/inside to deflate, then pipe the compressed air to /dev/input to clean your keyboard. Avert your eyes when you do.
}}

==Explanation==

In this comic, we see [[Beret Guy]] walking in from the left, as [[Cueball]] is sitting on a couch, typing on a laptop on his lap, with its power cord unplugged. Instead of connecting it to the wall socket, Beret Guy picks it up and blows air into the loose end of the cord, as if inflating a balloon--and the laptop inflates. It then floats away, making Cueball grab for it as Beret Guy casually walks away.

While it is not possible to inflate a laptop like this, nor to inflate ''anything'' by blowing down a power cord, Beret Guy has previously demonstrated supernatural abilities with power cords, such as in [[1293: Job Interview]]. Although the laptop should not actually float given that Beret Guy's breath should be ordinary air, not a lighter-than-air gas such as helium, it is a standard cartoon convention that [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AllBalloonsHaveHelium inflating something with breath] nonetheless makes it lighter than air.

The title text involves some jokes on {{w|Unix}} systems. On Unix, {{w|everything is a file}}, even most of the hardware can be referenced by a (virtual) file. These virtual files usually are in /dev or another virtual filesystem like /sys or /proc. While /dev/input really exists and points to the input system (mice, keyboards, gamepads, etc), /dev/inside doesn't. {{w|gzip}} is a common tool to compress files. The first joke is to compress the air inside the laptop (with the command <code>gzip /dev/inside</code>) in order to deflate the laptop back to normal size. It is a pun with the literal meaning of "deflate", which is also the {{w|DEFLATE}} algorithm used by gzip (compressing files is also called "deflating"). Another joke is “{{w|Pipeline (Unix)|piping}}”, the act of using the output of one operation as the input to another. As the output of the gzip command would be compressed air, a ''physical'' pipe could be used to direct the air somewhere useful. The suggestion is to direct the air to /dev/input (in this case, the keyboard) to clean it, similar to "compressed air" dusting cans. As this might cause a spray of unpleasant detritus (compare [[237: Keyboards are Disgusting]]), the reader is advised to avert their eyes.

==Connection to previous comic==
[[1394]] was about weak powers. This comic is about no power.

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy enters to find Cueball typing on a laptop. Cueball's power cord is unplugged from the wall.]
:Cueball typing: Type type

:[Beret Guy picks up the power cord. Cueball looks up.]
:Cueball typing: Type type

:[Beret Guy blows into the plug end of the cord. The laptop abruptly inflates and Cueball jerks back.]
:Beret Guy: '''PBBBBT'''
:Laptop: '''FOOMP'''

:[Beret Guy walks away, leaving Cueball scrambling to retrieve his inflated laptop which is now floating away.]

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

1396: Actors

2014-07-21T05:56:28Z

Rfvtg: Connection to previous comic

{{comic
| number = 1396
| date = July 18, 2014
| title = Actors
| image = actors.png
| titletext = Once again topping the list of tonight's hottest rising stars in Hollywood is ξ Persei!
}}

==Explanation==
This comic plays on different meanings of the word "hottest". In the opening question, "Who are today's 10 hottest actors?" the word "hottest" would typically refer to an actor's popularity, success, demand or attractiveness. Cueball and Megan interpret the word "hottest" as asking them to the list the 10 actors who have the highest surface temperature, and we see them measuring "Justin's" (possibly referring to, {{w|Justin Bieber|Bieber}}, {{w|Justin Long|Long}}, {{w|Justin Theroux|Theroux}}, or {{w|Justin Timberlake|Timberlake}} or any of the several other ''Justin''s in show business[http://www.imdb.com/search/name?count=100&gender=male&name=justin&sort=starmeter,asc]) surface temperature using an {{w|infrared thermometer}} (the thermometer typically has a laser pointer to know the approximate location where the radiometric temperature comes from). The measured temperature of 81.5 is presumably reported in degrees {{w|Fahrenheit}}, corresponding to 27.5 {{w|°C}}. This temperature is below the {{w|Human_body_temperature|average human internal body temperature}} of 98.6 {{w|°F}}/37 {{w|°C}} as skin is cooler; Megan also believes that another object (Justin's shirt) was also measured within the infrared thermometer field of view, lowering the reported measurement. With such a measurement of ''hotness'', the hottest actor on any given day would probably be whoever is exercising, or sick with a fever. Or, an animal actor, of a species with a higher body temperature than humans. ({{w|Category:Films about birds}})

Randall here excludes the fact that accurately deriving surface temperature from bright (radiance) temperature requires knowing the emissivity of the object. Since not all objects radiate with the same efficiency, two objects with the same surface temperature will emit different thermal radiance, but if emissivity is not taken into account they will report different surface temperatures.

The title-text references the temperatures of Hollywood's rising stars, this time interpreting ''stars'' as actual stars, not famous people. In this case, the star {{w|Xi Persei|ξ Persei}} in the Perseus constellation (which is located in, and responsible for the fluorescence of, an object called the {{w|California Nebula}}, a possible joke on the location of Hollywood), one of the hottest stars (35,000 {{w|kelvin}}, {{w|Sun}}: 5,800 K) visible to the naked eye. The star also has similar declination (+35° 47′) as the latitude of Hollywood (34° N) so it is literally rising there every night. They are shooting stars with a laser beam and mid-July is the start of the shooting stars known as the {{w|Perseids}} that appear in the Perseus constellation.

==Connection to previous comic==
[[1395]] didn't remotely make sense and in this comic there is a remote-sensing device.

==Transcript==
:Opening Question: Who are today's 10 hottest actors?

:[Cueball is holding a clipboard, taking notes, while Megan aims an infrared thermometer off screen.]

:Megan: 81.5, but I think it got part of his shirt. [Megan yells] ''HEY JUSTIN — HOLD STILL!''

:Closing: ''We grab an infrared thermometer and find out!''

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

1397: Luke

2014-07-21T05:54:03Z

Rfvtg: Connection to previous comic

{{comic
| number = 1397
| date = July 21, 2014
| title = Luke
| image = luke.png
| titletext = Don't turn it on.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic takes place in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDnoczxzQyg scene] from the third theatrically-released ''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars Star Wars]'' movie, ''[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Return_of_the_Jedi Return of the Jedi]'', wherein [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Darth_Vader Darth Vader] confronts his son, [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_skywalker Luke Skywalker], who had recently surrendered to [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Empire Imperial] soldiers. In the movie Vader notes that Luke Skywalker has constructed [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_Skywalker%27s_lightsaber a new lightsaber] following the loss of his [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_skywalker original] during their [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Duel_on_Cloud_City duel on Cloud City] (Luke Skywalker's original lightsaber actually having been Anakin Skywalker's second). In this comic, however, Darth Vader has accidentally discovered his son's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleshlight Fleshlight] (a male [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_toy sex toy] designed to imitate one of various orifices, most commonly a vagina), which he apparently brought with him on the [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Battle_of_Endor#The_ground_assault attack on the Forest Moon of Endor]. From a certain angle, a Fleshlight could be mistaken for the handle of a lightsaber, without the blade extended. Like many children, Luke Skywalker is attempting to hide evidence of his sexual activity from a parent.

The title text refers to the fact that if Darth Vader turned the Fleshlight on, instead of creating a blade of pure plasma (or energy) suspended in a force containment field the device would simply vibrate, revealing it for what it really is.

==Connection to previous comic==
[[1396]] was about 'hottest'. From there to 'luke warm' to this comic.

==Transcript==
:[Darth Vader is holding what appears to be a powered-down lightsaber and talking to Luke Skywalker.]

:Darth Vader (dramatically): I see you have constructed a new lightsaber.

:Luke Skywalker: ...Yes. That is definitely what I did.

:Closing: Vader finds Luke's Fleshlight.

{{comic discussion}}

1396: Actors

2014-07-18T20:53:13Z

Rfvtg: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1396
| date = July 18, 2014
| title = Actors
| image = actors.png
| titletext = Once again topping the list of tonight's hottest rising stars in Hollywood is ξ Persei!
}}

==Explanation==
The comic uses different meanings of the word ''hottest''. In the opening question, "Who are today's 10 hottest actors?" the word ''hottest'' would typically refer to an actor's popularity, success, demand or attractiveness. Cueball and Megan think the word ''hottest'' is asking them to the list the 10 actors who have the highest surface temperature, and we see them measuring "Justin's" (possibly referring to, {{w|Justin Bieber|Bieber}}, {{w|Justin Long|Long}}, {{w|Justin Theroux|Theroux}}, or {{w|Justin Timberlake|Timberlake}} or any of the several other ''Justin''s in show business[http://www.imdb.com/search/name?count=100&gender=male&name=justin&sort=starmeter,asc]) surface temperature using an {{w|infrared thermometer}} (the beam is typically a laser pointer to know the location where the radiometric temperature comes from). The measured temperature of 81.5 is given (this being the USA) in degrees {{w|Fahrenheit}} and corresponds to 27.5 {{w|°C}}. This temperature is below the average human internal body temperature of 36 {{w|°C}} since skin is cooler, and also due to some colder object (the shirt in this case) within the infrared thermometer field of view. Also, deriving surface temperature from bright (radiance) temperature requires knowing the emissivity of the object. Since not all objects radiate with the same efficiency, two objects with the same surface temperature will emit different thermal radiance, but if emissivity is not taken into account they will report different surface temperatures.

With such a measurement of ''hotness'', the hottest actor on any given day would probably be whoever is exercising, or sick with a fever. Or, an animal actor, of a species with a higher body temperature than humans. ({{w|Category:Films about birds}})

The title-text references the temperatures of Hollywood's rising stars, this time interpreting ''stars'' as actual stars, not famous people. In this case, the star {{w|Xi Persei|ξ Persei}} in the Perseus constellation (which is located in, and responsible for the fluorescence of, an object called the {{w|California Nebula}}, a possible joke on the location of Hollywood), one of the hottest stars (35,000 {{w|kelvin}}s, {{w|Sun}}: 5,800 K) visible to the naked eye. The star also has similar declination (+35° 47′) as the latitude of Hollywood (34° N) so it is literally rising there every night. They are shooting stars with a laser beam and mid-July is the start of the shooting stars known as the {{w|Perseids}} that appear in the Perseus constellation.

==Transcript==
Opening Question: Who are today's 10 hottest actors?

[Cueball is holding a clipboard, taking notes, while Megan aims an infrared thermometer off screen.]

Megan: 81.5, but I think it got part of his shirt. [Megan yells] Hey Justin — Hold still!

Closing: We grab an infrared thermometer and find out!

{{comic discussion}}

1396: Actors

2014-07-18T20:52:08Z

Rfvtg: They are shooting stars with a laser beam and mid-July is the start of the shooting stars known as the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids Perseids] that appear in the Perseus constellation.

{{comic
| number = 1396
| date = July 18, 2014
| title = Actors
| image = actors.png
| titletext = Once again topping the list of tonight's hottest rising stars in Hollywood is ξ Persei!
}}

==Explanation==
The comic uses different meanings of the word ''hottest''. In the opening question, "Who are today's 10 hottest actors?" the word ''hottest'' would typically refer to an actor's popularity, success, demand or attractiveness. Cueball and Megan think the word ''hottest'' is asking them to the list the 10 actors who have the highest surface temperature, and we see them measuring "Justin's" (possibly referring to, {{w|Justin Bieber|Bieber}}, {{w|Justin Long|Long}}, {{w|Justin Theroux|Theroux}}, or {{w|Justin Timberlake|Timberlake}} or any of the several other ''Justin''s in show business[http://www.imdb.com/search/name?count=100&gender=male&name=justin&sort=starmeter,asc]) surface temperature using an {{w|infrared thermometer}} (the beam is typically a laser pointer to know the location where the radiometric temperature comes from). The measured temperature of 81.5 is given (this being the USA) in degrees {{w|Fahrenheit}} and corresponds to 27.5 {{w|°C}}. This temperature is below the average human internal body temperature of 36 {{w|°C}} since skin is cooler, and also due to some colder object (the shirt in this case) within the infrared thermometer field of view. Also, deriving surface temperature from bright (radiance) temperature requires knowing the emissivity of the object. Since not all objects radiate with the same efficiency, two objects with the same surface temperature will emit different thermal radiance, but if emissivity is not taken into account they will report different surface temperatures.

With such a measurement of ''hotness'', the hottest actor on any given day would probably be whoever is exercising, or sick with a fever. Or, an animal actor, of a species with a higher body temperature than humans. ({{w|Category:Films about birds}})

The title-text references the temperatures of Hollywood's rising stars, this time interpreting ''stars'' as actual stars, not famous people. In this case, the star {{w|Xi Persei|ξ Persei}} in the Perseus constellation (which is located in, and responsible for the fluorescence of, an object called the {{w|California Nebula}}, a possible joke on the location of Hollywood), one of the hottest stars (35,000 {{w|kelvin}}s, {{w|Sun}}: 5,800 K) visible to the naked eye. The star also has similar declination (+35° 47′) as the latitude of Hollywood (34° N) so it is literally rising there every night. They are shooting stars with a laser beam and mid-July is the start of the shooting stars known as the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseids Perseids] that appear in the Perseus constellation.

==Transcript==
Opening Question: Who are today's 10 hottest actors?

[Cueball is holding a clipboard, taking notes, while Megan aims an infrared thermometer off screen.]

Megan: 81.5, but I think it got part of his shirt. [Megan yells] Hey Justin — Hold still!

Closing: We grab an infrared thermometer and find out!

{{comic discussion}}