explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1448: Question

2025-12-07T21:12:39Z

Roryokane: fix broken links in my old comment

... and I thought the 'LIKE like you' would be a reference to Facebook... [[User:Kaa-ching|Kaa-ching]] ([[User talk:Kaa-ching|talk]]) 08:55, 17 November 2014 (UTC)
: I agree, I definitely think the person making that statement is saying that he doesn't embrace the simplified Facebook universe where you can LIKE someone/something by clicking on a LIKE button. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 09:10, 17 November 2014 (UTC)
::Personally, I think "LIKE like" is just a euphemism for "love". Isaac is trying to express (awkwardly) that although he enjoys the asker's company, his feeling of affinity is much less intense than that of someone who is obviously too nervous to speak with him in person. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 09:24, 17 November 2014 (UTC)
::I had a different interpretation again. I thought Isaac was answering that he did like the questioner, but that (presumably as a robot) his interpretation / use of the verb "to like" was different to the (presumably human) questioner's use of the word. --[[User:Ab78|Ab78]] ([[User talk:Ab78|talk]]) 11:27, 17 November 2014 UTC)
::Something like that I had in mind, too. I interpreted "but I don't LIKE like you" as "but I don't like you as you like (me)" or shorter: "but I don't like _as_ you". In that case "LIKE like" wouldn't be an intensification of "like" (like²) but simply a comparison since the word "like" as such is ambiguous without context and in that case both interpretations would be possible. (To be honest, my first interpretation was "I like you, but I don't like that" - but that would be "but I don't LIKE liking you", wouldn't it? So I discarded that idea.) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 11:57, 17 November 2014 (UTC)
::: "like like" is an example of what linguists call Contrastive focus reduplication. Since the word "like" has several meanings in English the reduplication serves to indicate the most ideal form of "like", i.e. romantic interest. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrastive_focus_reduplication nolandda (no wiki account) 2014.11.17 11:52 (UTC-5)
::It is common for schoolchildren in America to use the phrase "LIKE like" as a euphemism for love as described in the first explanation. I think this was clearly Randall's intended meaning.[[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.52|199.27.133.52]] 16:55, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

The comic is a reference to [http://www.multivax.com/last_question.html "The Last Question"] by Isaac Asimov. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.150|173.245.56.150]] 09:58, 17 November 2014 (UTC)
: I tend to agree with that -- The explaination should reflect that, clearly pinting out who "IsaAC" really are 01:56, 19 November 2014 (UTC)

Some references showing that schoolchildren notes with “do you like me” is an actual thing:
*[https://www.google.com/search?q=%22do+you+like+me%22+yes+no Google search for "do you like me" yes no]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150326230305/http://blog.seattlepi.com/singleout/2007/11/15/do-you-like-me-check-yes-or-no/ Do you like me? Check YES or NO] – a short blog post reminiscing about these notes
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140914133005/https://www.fimfiction.net/story/112133/1/maybe/maybe “Maybe” on FIMFiction] – a (fanfiction) story including scenes of notes like this being passed
– [[User:Roryokane|Roryokane]] ([[User talk:Roryokane|talk]]) 10:08, 17 November 2014 (UTC) – edited at 21:12, 7 December 2025 (UTC)

Great write-up, thanks guys. [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 13:48, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

I think I'll edit the explanation, in a moment. The real life Univac name represents the words "Universal ''Automatic'' Computer", not Analogue.
Also it's interesting to note the progression of the fictional computers in Asimov's story (with perhaps a little 'wishful interpretation' based on modern knowledge):
*Multivac (like IRL Univac, but more so; Centralised mainframe archetecture-type typical of the era the story was written in, but writ large)
*Microvac ('Home' computer, within the family space-ship; entertainment system and general 'housekeeping' controller)
*Galactic AC (Telecoms-connected central server; central dial-in Bulletin Board System, etc)
*Universal AC (Virtual internet-based server; run over geographically(/universally) distributed hardware)
*Cosmic AC (Cloud computing?)
*AC (Increasingly a whole universe-worth of 'The Internet Of Things' being used as slave nodes for massively parallel computation)
...although Asimov (at the time of writing) really wouldn't have been exposed to much more than Univac-era computing paradigms, so beyond that it's more a matter of reading the story so as to match the subsequent facts. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.247|141.101.98.247]] 13:56, 17 November 2014 (UTC)
:Follow-up, after deciding to check my own knowledge. ENIAC was "Electronic Numerical Integrator ''And'' Computer", but pretty much every other '...AC' that mattered is "...Automatic Computer" in full. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.247|141.101.98.247]] 14:10, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

Not likely anything, but this also reminds me of the novelty spinoff of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Pink Floyd, _Marvin I Love You_.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 14:43, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

The note recipient is IsaAC .... Isaac Asimov maybe? Ask Asimov a question and get an Asimov-ian answer! [[Special:Contributions/188.114.102.45|188.114.102.45]] 16:51, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

From another perspective, I think the comic also refers to pondering to long about whether you like someome until this person or the love is gone or has married somebody else. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.92|173.245.49.92]] 18:14, 17 November 2014 (UTC)

Yet another possible interpretation is that love is as complex as entropy and its full understanding by a machine would require as much effort. {{unsigned ip|188.114.98.249}}

I was thinking 'Isaac' might either be a reference to the biblical figure, or, relatedly, to the release of the video game Binding of Isaac: Rebirth last week. It's likely a coincidence, but you never know. -[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.213|173.245.53.213]] 10:50, 18 November 2014 (UTC)

ISAAC THE COMPUTER was the enemy in the Rebelstar computer game (a predecessor of X-COM, very nice game). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.211|141.101.88.211]] 19:25, 27 November 2014 (UTC)

3172: Fifteen Years

2025-11-24T21:39:02Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ link to the X Years series, fix grayed out description, fix years since diagnosis

{{comic
| number = 3172
| date = November 24, 2025
| title = Fifteen Years
| image = fifteen_years_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x2623px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "Want to feel old?" "Yes."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[[Randall]]'s then-fiancée, now wife was diagnosed with cancer in late 2010. This is a matter he has discussed in the comic [[:Category:Cancer|multiple times before]], with Randall being depicted as Cueball and his wife as Megan. At this comic's release, it had been 15 years since her diagnosis and treatments.

This comic continues previous comics in the [[:Category:X Years|the series]] – [[1141: Two Years]], [[1928: Seven Years]], and [[2386: Ten Years]] – the initial parts of which are shown in the first 20 panels, which are grayed-out.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3171: Geologic Core Sample

2025-11-23T04:45:06Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ fix spelling of “Possessions”

{{comic
| number = 3171
| date = November 21, 2025
| title = Geologic Core Sample
| image = geologic_core_sample_2x.png
| imagesize = 493x789px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If you drill at the right angle and time things perfectly, your core sample can include a section of a rival team's coring equipment.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created BY A RIVAL GEOLOGY TEAM. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This image presents a core sample taken by a slightly chaotic team of geologists.

A {{w|core sample}} is a cylindrical piece of something's core, in this case the rock of Earth's crust, obtained with special drills in order to see the layers within. In typical xkcd fashion, the core sample depicted here contains a mix of real rocks found in core samples alongside many humorous or fictional additives. In addition it's shown that the coring drills have hit many, many obstacles on the way down they really shouldn't have impacted, culminating in a punchline the geologists have drilled straight through the Earth to the opposite hemisphere, far deeper than any core sample could be taken in reality.

;Topsoil :{{w|Topsoil}} is the uppermost layer of the typical {{w|pedosphere}}, which often needs to be dug through before reaching actual rock. Whether the soil-core would actually be retained, and counted, is up to the nature of the study being made, but it will become clear that this core-sample wasn't obtained with much thought of finesse.
;Till :{{w|Till}} is unsorted glacial sediment, which might underlie the soil layer and form the transition to the foundation rock below.
;Granite bedrock :{{w|Bedrock}} is solid rock, and there may normally be nothing but more bedrock beneath it until the Earth's mantle. {{w|Granite}} is a very common igneous rock that could normally form such bedrock.
:There are suggestions, from what is seen beneath it, that this particular layer of bedrock (though being a natural material, at source) has been placed here as a construction base, infilled over with the above layers in this particular spot.
;Bottomsoil :This is a presumably fictional counterpart of topsoil, on the basis that they are both soil somehow sandwiching the bedrock layer. Theoretically, however, the above granite (as a slab) could have been laid upon the lowest layers of the excavated area, later to be sampled by this corer ''as if'' a natural layer.
;Roof/Floor of subway car :These two layers are indications that the drill has broken into a subway tunnel and through a subway train, possibly from amongst those shown in [[1196: Subways]], which will have been dug deep into the rock or perhaps {{w|Tunnel#Cut-and-cover|cut'n'covered}} into the ground (hence the anomalous granite added above later). The drill has essentially compressed the 'void' that is the interior of the car and the rest of the tunnel, which may seem to be good luck (given a later layer), but this still doesn't bode well for the subway train that may have been trying to move when the drill started to pierce it.
;More granite :{{w|Granite}} ''is'' a very common igneous rock.
;Municipal water main:A pipe has been partly sliced through (enough to one side to not force the collapse of its void). Most water pipes of this size would not normally be forced through rock, only the loose material above it, relying upon pressure to carry water upwards, where necessary.
:However, {{w|combined sewer|drainage systems}} (that rely upon gravity for most of the route) may need at times to be dug deeper to maximize the natural flow. Some {{w|Thames Tideway Tunnel|particularly large projects}} may be excavated deeply through rock, even below some subway lines, though they'll be tunnels/pipes with a far larger bore than seen here, for both construction and capacity reasons.
;Slightly different granite:There are potentially {{w|QAPF diagram|''many'' subtypes}} of granite, as well as being a lot of it.
;Piece of screaming spelunker's arm:Cave systems exist underground in many places, though more usually within rock-types more likely to dissolve than granite layers are. The main exception might be from {{w|Lava tube|volcanic tunnels}} left in {{w|basalt}}, but that's technically ''still'' not granite, meaning that any cave system here would need explaining.
:{{w|Spelunkers}} (also known as cavers) explore caves, and one must have been in the wrong place when the corer passed through, being inflicted a clear injury possibly greater than any that the unknown (but not ''directly'' impacted) subway users might have already suffered. If the spelunker was not already screaming ''before'' the drill came through (perhaps for help, if they were stuck, the size of the cave is unknown with the open space closed up as with the subway), losing a chunk of arm will have definitely prompted screams.
;Cool crystals with no resale value:There are many geological processes that can concentrate elements and compounds in a way that form crystalline minerals. Some are useful as ores, others as just the crystals themselves (for aesthetic reasons or otherwise).
:Whatever these crystals are, as a small seam within the granitic layer just below the spelunker's location, they look nice (or are otherwise interesting), but either have little further application or are just so common that there's no point trying to make use of this deposit. Even if they could perhaps be more 'easily' reached by any spelunker not put off by the threat of drillbits.
;Mangled fragments of drillbit from previous attempt
:When coring rock, it's possible for the tip of the coring drill to encounter problems (like particularly dense and hard rock) that damage it, perhaps by bending its track too much and shearing off the head.
:This latest attempt, probably sent down slightly to the side of the prior one (unless it had managed to gouge out ''just'' the remains of the previous drillpipe, and retain the rock/subway/spelunker layers previously cored out) has encountered the tip of the prior attempt.
:If there's one thing guaranteed to be as tough as a drill-bit, it's ''another'' drill-bit, which must necessarily be hard enough to cut through the expected rock-types. So it's lucky that the first one was clearly damaged enough, by its prior encounter, that it didn't thwart this next attempt and (perhaps literally) grind it to a halt. Nor, apparently, was there a repeat of whatever issue left that first drill like this.
;Some boring intrusive rock that's basically granite but has a name like "diorite" or "andalite" that you always have to look up
:Again, it's perhaps one of those granites. Diorite is a real type of igneous rock, an intermediate between actual granite and {{w|gabbro}}, but an [http://animorphs.fandom.com/wiki/Andalite Andalite] is an alien from the Animorphs book series, which Randall enjoys and has [[:Category:Animorphs|referenced before]]. Perhaps Randall is "misremembering" the name of {{w|andesite}}, another type of igneous rock, from his [[1223: Dwarf Fortress|knowledge of]] the complex set of reality-inspired rock-types encountered in the game {{w|Dwarf Fortress}}. As the sample appears right before the Netherrack sample, it may also be referencing {{w|Minecraft}} as well, as granite, diorite, and andesite exist in-game as a mineable stone type, but all three types are often infamous for clogging up inventories whilst mining, due to their exclusively decorative use.
;Netherrack:A dark red, and entirely fictional, stone appearing in the Nether in Minecraft, with which Randall is [[861: Wisdom Teeth|also well acquainted]].
;Balrog wing:The balrog is a creature in {{w|Lord of the Rings}}, found deep beneath the world, awakened when the dwarves delved too deep and too greedily, and previously encountered in [[730: Circuit Diagram]]. The {{w|Balrog#Characteristics|balrog's wings}} are often discussed upon, in the context of whether it had them, therefore whether they could or should have helped it escape the fall that was forced upon it in the books. At least one balrog, however, now appears to have at least one less wing than those it previously had, without us knowing if there was also any screaming involved.

;Granite:This label is applied to rock that appears to cover both ends of a 'height' of rock-core that is simplified by a diagrammatic cut. From the context of later layers, this would include a very long length of drilled-material that passes into the {{w|Earth's mantle}}, and [[3145: Piercing|perhaps]] at least some of its core, before coming back up through the granite to be found somewhere on the other side of the planet.

; Topsoil:Beyond the indeterminate length of granite, it transitions back into the loose upper layers, indicating that it the exploratory core is now being taken from ascening layers, albeit in a location lacking subways, etc, or just managing to miss everything originally seen.
;Cement:This indicates and heralds the presence of a building, starting with its foundations.
;Floorboards
;Carpet:These two layers are typical of a reasonably well-equipped residential building, probably the ground floor without any basement level. The core is coming up inside a furnished room.
;Possessions of a confused and angry homeowner in the other hemisphere
:The core sample has tunneled up into somebody's house, probably while they are there, and has traveled through some of the furniture, fixtures and/or fittings, to their clear unsettled annoyance.

Apart from the less expected elements to the core that was cut and retrieved (and the sheer impossibility of drilling the necessary several thousand miles 'down' through the Earth, and then drawing that sample back out again), the comic heavily plays upon the fact that someone with the ability and equipment to take this sample is yet not as sure about geology as they perhaps ought to be, with almost all rock just being considered 'granite', without any better (or more accurate) qualification.

The title text humorously refers to a "rival team" and their coring equipment — implying that (with the correct angle) you can meddle with their own coring experiment. This is, outside of cold war-type pettiness, not considered a constructive approach to science.{{Citation needed}}

Only about 15% of the earth's land surface is directly antipodal to other land, which would making this sample less than "typical" if it was aimed directly down through the exact centre of the Earth and back up again (a distance of almost 8,000 miles or more than 12,000 km). If one were to do this, from a random spot of land, one would be much more likely to have the sample terminate in an ocean and the chances of ending up in given house would be even lower. Though considering that the title text mentions drilling at an angle, the 'other hemisphere' point might be not necessarily be at the antipodal point, and there also seems to be the capacity to aim at a more desirable target. In which case, this is a "typical" core under ''deliberately'' chosen circumstances. The exact nature of reaching "the other hemisphere" is not expanded upon, it could be as simple as drilling (mostly sideways) a short distance across the {{w|equator}}, or {{w|prime meridian}}, or have to go at least a quarter of the way under the planet's surface (slightly over 1.4 times the Earth's radius, by the most direct route), in any direction, such that the two ends cannot be counted as being in any single arbitrary hemisphere.

This comic comes not long after [[3162: Heart Mountain]], which involved strange stratification, so may be part of the same thought process about the nature, and occasional oddities, of the geologic column.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[This shows a drill sample with various labels, in order from the top of the panel toward the bottom.]
:[Against a short section of core:] Topsoil
:[A more obviously granular shorter section with a diagonal transition:] Till
:[A light and lightly-marked phase:] Granite bedrock
:[Repeating the Topsoil appearance:] Bottomsoil
:[A short/squat and possibly squeezed 'lump':] Roof of subway car
:[A similar squeezed-out lump:] Floor of subway car
:[A longer length of the 'granite' texture, within which...:] More granite
:[Not quite half of a pipe-width, cut out as a gap perpendicular and not quite all the way across the core:] Municipal water main
:[Slightly more grainy version of the 'granite':] Slightly different granite
:[In a junction between 'granites', an squat, unidentifiable lump:] Piece of screaming spelunker's arm
:[Within a longer granite layer, a short stretch of spiky/crystalline features:] Cool crystals with no resale value
:[The same granite, an intrusion of mechanical-looking junk:] Mangled fragments of drillbit from previous attempt
:[As per granite, but slightly more grainy:] Some boring intrusive rock that's basically granite but has a name like "diorite" or "andalite" that you always have to look up
:[Dark, cobbly textured stone:] Netherrack
:[Within a stretch of granite, a short, dark but otherwise unidentifiable lump:] Balrog wing
:[At this point, there is a discontinuity indicating that an arbitrary length has been omitted. The sample then resumes:]
:[Still 'granite': Granite
:[Dark soil texture:] Topsoil
:[Light, fine and sparse 'grains':] Cement
:[Two very short cross-sections, each with contrasting wood-grain stripes:] Floorboards
:[Two very short sections with a textile-base plus piles appearance:] Carpet
:[A mish-mash of 'stuff', possibly including cloth, metal components, grainy wood and 'topped' at the lowst end by something equally puzzling at an angle:] Possesions of a confused and angry homeowner in the other hemisphere

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Animorphs]]
[[Category:Minecraft]]

3171: Geologic Core Sample

2025-11-23T04:42:49Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ fix spelling of “reality”

{{comic
| number = 3171
| date = November 21, 2025
| title = Geologic Core Sample
| image = geologic_core_sample_2x.png
| imagesize = 493x789px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = If you drill at the right angle and time things perfectly, your core sample can include a section of a rival team's coring equipment.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created BY A RIVAL GEOLOGY TEAM. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This image presents a core sample taken by a slightly chaotic team of geologists.

A {{w|core sample}} is a cylindrical piece of something's core, in this case the rock of Earth's crust, obtained with special drills in order to see the layers within. In typical xkcd fashion, the core sample depicted here contains a mix of real rocks found in core samples alongside many humorous or fictional additives. In addition it's shown that the coring drills have hit many, many obstacles on the way down they really shouldn't have impacted, culminating in a punchline the geologists have drilled straight through the Earth to the opposite hemisphere, far deeper than any core sample could be taken in reality.

;Topsoil :{{w|Topsoil}} is the uppermost layer of the typical {{w|pedosphere}}, which often needs to be dug through before reaching actual rock. Whether the soil-core would actually be retained, and counted, is up to the nature of the study being made, but it will become clear that this core-sample wasn't obtained with much thought of finesse.
;Till :{{w|Till}} is unsorted glacial sediment, which might underlie the soil layer and form the transition to the foundation rock below.
;Granite bedrock :{{w|Bedrock}} is solid rock, and there may normally be nothing but more bedrock beneath it until the Earth's mantle. {{w|Granite}} is a very common igneous rock that could normally form such bedrock.
:There are suggestions, from what is seen beneath it, that this particular layer of bedrock (though being a natural material, at source) has been placed here as a construction base, infilled over with the above layers in this particular spot.
;Bottomsoil :This is a presumably fictional counterpart of topsoil, on the basis that they are both soil somehow sandwiching the bedrock layer. Theoretically, however, the above granite (as a slab) could have been laid upon the lowest layers of the excavated area, later to be sampled by this corer ''as if'' a natural layer.
;Roof/Floor of subway car :These two layers are indications that the drill has broken into a subway tunnel and through a subway train, possibly from amongst those shown in [[1196: Subways]], which will have been dug deep into the rock or perhaps {{w|Tunnel#Cut-and-cover|cut'n'covered}} into the ground (hence the anomalous granite added above later). The drill has essentially compressed the 'void' that is the interior of the car and the rest of the tunnel, which may seem to be good luck (given a later layer), but this still doesn't bode well for the subway train that may have been trying to move when the drill started to pierce it.
;More granite :{{w|Granite}} ''is'' a very common igneous rock.
;Municipal water main:A pipe has been partly sliced through (enough to one side to not force the collapse of its void). Most water pipes of this size would not normally be forced through rock, only the loose material above it, relying upon pressure to carry water upwards, where necessary.
:However, {{w|combined sewer|drainage systems}} (that rely upon gravity for most of the route) may need at times to be dug deeper to maximize the natural flow. Some {{w|Thames Tideway Tunnel|particularly large projects}} may be excavated deeply through rock, even below some subway lines, though they'll be tunnels/pipes with a far larger bore than seen here, for both construction and capacity reasons.
;Slightly different granite:There are potentially {{w|QAPF diagram|''many'' subtypes}} of granite, as well as being a lot of it.
;Piece of screaming spelunker's arm:Cave systems exist underground in many places, though more usually within rock-types more likely to dissolve than granite layers are. The main exception might be from {{w|Lava tube|volcanic tunnels}} left in {{w|basalt}}, but that's technically ''still'' not granite, meaning that any cave system here would need explaining.
:{{w|Spelunkers}} (also known as cavers) explore caves, and one must have been in the wrong place when the corer passed through, being inflicted a clear injury possibly greater than any that the unknown (but not ''directly'' impacted) subway users might have already suffered. If the spelunker was not already screaming ''before'' the drill came through (perhaps for help, if they were stuck, the size of the cave is unknown with the open space closed up as with the subway), losing a chunk of arm will have definitely prompted screams.
;Cool crystals with no resale value:There are many geological processes that can concentrate elements and compounds in a way that form crystalline minerals. Some are useful as ores, others as just the crystals themselves (for aesthetic reasons or otherwise).
:Whatever these crystals are, as a small seam within the granitic layer just below the spelunker's location, they look nice (or are otherwise interesting), but either have little further application or are just so common that there's no point trying to make use of this deposit. Even if they could perhaps be more 'easily' reached by any spelunker not put off by the threat of drillbits.
;Mangled fragments of drillbit from previous attempt
:When coring rock, it's possible for the tip of the coring drill to encounter problems (like particularly dense and hard rock) that damage it, perhaps by bending its track too much and shearing off the head.
:This latest attempt, probably sent down slightly to the side of the prior one (unless it had managed to gouge out ''just'' the remains of the previous drillpipe, and retain the rock/subway/spelunker layers previously cored out) has encountered the tip of the prior attempt.
:If there's one thing guaranteed to be as tough as a drill-bit, it's ''another'' drill-bit, which must necessarily be hard enough to cut through the expected rock-types. So it's lucky that the first one was clearly damaged enough, by its prior encounter, that it didn't thwart this next attempt and (perhaps literally) grind it to a halt. Nor, apparently, was there a repeat of whatever issue left that first drill like this.
;Some boring intrusive rock that's basically granite but has a name like "diorite" or "andalite" that you always have to look up
:Again, it's perhaps one of those granites. Diorite is a real type of igneous rock, an intermediate between actual granite and {{w|gabbro}}, but an [http://animorphs.fandom.com/wiki/Andalite Andalite] is an alien from the Animorphs book series, which Randall enjoys and has [[:Category:Animorphs|referenced before]]. Perhaps Randall is "misremembering" the name of {{w|andesite}}, another type of igneous rock, from his [[1223: Dwarf Fortress|knowledge of]] the complex set of reality-inspired rock-types encountered in the game {{w|Dwarf Fortress}}. As the sample appears right before the Netherrack sample, it may also be referencing {{w|Minecraft}} as well, as granite, diorite, and andesite exist in-game as a mineable stone type, but all three types are often infamous for clogging up inventories whilst mining, due to their exclusively decorative use.
;Netherrack:A dark red, and entirely fictional, stone appearing in the Nether in Minecraft, with which Randall is [[861: Wisdom Teeth|also well acquainted]].
;Balrog wing:The balrog is a creature in {{w|Lord of the Rings}}, found deep beneath the world, awakened when the dwarves delved too deep and too greedily, and previously encountered in [[730: Circuit Diagram]]. The {{w|Balrog#Characteristics|balrog's wings}} are often discussed upon, in the context of whether it had them, therefore whether they could or should have helped it escape the fall that was forced upon it in the books. At least one balrog, however, now appears to have at least one less wing than those it previously had, without us knowing if there was also any screaming involved.

;Granite:This label is applied to rock that appears to cover both ends of a 'height' of rock-core that is simplified by a diagrammatic cut. From the context of later layers, this would include a very long length of drilled-material that passes into the {{w|Earth's mantle}}, and [[3145: Piercing|perhaps]] at least some of its core, before coming back up through the granite to be found somewhere on the other side of the planet.

; Topsoil:Beyond the indeterminate length of granite, it transitions back into the loose upper layers, indicating that it the exploratory core is now being taken from ascening layers, albeit in a location lacking subways, etc, or just managing to miss everything originally seen.
;Cement:This indicates and heralds the presence of a building, starting with its foundations.
;Floorboards
;Carpet:These two layers are typical of a reasonably well-equipped residential building, probably the ground floor without any basement level. The core is coming up inside a furnished room.
;Possesions of a confused and angry homeowner in the other hemisphere
:The core sample has tunneled up into somebody's house, probably while they are there, and has traveled through some of the furniture, fixtures and/or fittings, to their clear unsettled annoyance.

Apart from the less expected elements to the core that was cut and retrieved (and the sheer impossibility of drilling the necessary several thousand miles 'down' through the Earth, and then drawing that sample back out again), the comic heavily plays upon the fact that someone with the ability and equipment to take this sample is yet not as sure about geology as they perhaps ought to be, with almost all rock just being considered 'granite', without any better (or more accurate) qualification.

The title text humorously refers to a "rival team" and their coring equipment — implying that (with the correct angle) you can meddle with their own coring experiment. This is, outside of cold war-type pettiness, not considered a constructive approach to science.{{Citation needed}}

Only about 15% of the earth's land surface is directly antipodal to other land, which would making this sample less than "typical" if it was aimed directly down through the exact centre of the Earth and back up again (a distance of almost 8,000 miles or more than 12,000 km). If one were to do this, from a random spot of land, one would be much more likely to have the sample terminate in an ocean and the chances of ending up in given house would be even lower. Though considering that the title text mentions drilling at an angle, the 'other hemisphere' point might be not necessarily be at the antipodal point, and there also seems to be the capacity to aim at a more desirable target. In which case, this is a "typical" core under ''deliberately'' chosen circumstances. The exact nature of reaching "the other hemisphere" is not expanded upon, it could be as simple as drilling (mostly sideways) a short distance across the {{w|equator}}, or {{w|prime meridian}}, or have to go at least a quarter of the way under the planet's surface (slightly over 1.4 times the Earth's radius, by the most direct route), in any direction, such that the two ends cannot be counted as being in any single arbitrary hemisphere.

This comic comes not long after [[3162: Heart Mountain]], which involved strange stratification, so may be part of the same thought process about the nature, and occasional oddities, of the geologic column.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[This shows a drill sample with various labels, in order from the top of the panel toward the bottom.]
:[Against a short section of core:] Topsoil
:[A more obviously granular shorter section with a diagonal transition:] Till
:[A light and lightly-marked phase:] Granite bedrock
:[Repeating the Topsoil appearance:] Bottomsoil
:[A short/squat and possibly squeezed 'lump':] Roof of subway car
:[A similar squeezed-out lump:] Floor of subway car
:[A longer length of the 'granite' texture, within which...:] More granite
:[Not quite half of a pipe-width, cut out as a gap perpendicular and not quite all the way across the core:] Municipal water main
:[Slightly more grainy version of the 'granite':] Slightly different granite
:[In a junction between 'granites', an squat, unidentifiable lump:] Piece of screaming spelunker's arm
:[Within a longer granite layer, a short stretch of spiky/crystalline features:] Cool crystals with no resale value
:[The same granite, an intrusion of mechanical-looking junk:] Mangled fragments of drillbit from previous attempt
:[As per granite, but slightly more grainy:] Some boring intrusive rock that's basically granite but has a name like "diorite" or "andalite" that you always have to look up
:[Dark, cobbly textured stone:] Netherrack
:[Within a stretch of granite, a short, dark but otherwise unidentifiable lump:] Balrog wing
:[At this point, there is a discontinuity indicating that an arbitrary length has been omitted. The sample then resumes:]
:[Still 'granite': Granite
:[Dark soil texture:] Topsoil
:[Light, fine and sparse 'grains':] Cement
:[Two very short cross-sections, each with contrasting wood-grain stripes:] Floorboards
:[Two very short sections with a textile-base plus piles appearance:] Carpet
:[A mish-mash of 'stuff', possibly including cloth, metal components, grainy wood and 'topped' at the lowst end by something equally puzzling at an angle:] Possesions of a confused and angry homeowner in the other hemisphere

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Animorphs]]
[[Category:Minecraft]]

3148: 100% All Achievements

2025-09-30T14:31:10Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ improve the last paragraph

{{comic
| number = 3148
| date = September 29, 2025
| title = 100% All Achievements
| image = 100_all_achievements_2x.png
| imagesize = 271x475px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I'm trying to share my footage of the full run to prove it's not tool-assisted, but the uploader has problems with video lengths of more than a decade.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
100% All Achievements is a category of {{w|Speedrunning|video game speedruns}} where the goal is to do everything possible in the game, as fast as possible, while getting all achievements. (Many games have a progress bar to track completion of the game, making the "100%" criterion officially defined.) Cueball is attempting a 100% all achievements run for his university, which is a ridiculous pursuit for several reasons. Even though 100% runs for video games can take very long (up to [https://www.speedrun.com/baten_kaitos_eternal_wings_and_the_lost_ocean?h=100&x=mke7v926 two weeks]), they don't even come close to the amount of time needed to complete a single university major, let alone every class. This would be prohibitively expensive for most people due to the high costs of university attendance. Moreover, "All Achievements" is vaguely defined in this scenario, since the "achievements" possible at a university will change over the period of time involved in the given scenario, as courses are updated, revalidated, added and removed every year in a typical institution (whereas, even if the possible achievements on a videogame change as updates and DLC are released, it is possible to specify a particular version of the game used for the speedrun).

In traditional speedrunning, a {{w|tool-assisted speedrun}} is one done with software such as a video game emulator to perform incredibly precise movements. Such tools generally do not exist for real-life pursuits such as education, so Cueball may have meant using artificial intelligence or similar "cheats" to illegitimately complete his work. Unassisted speedruns are typically reviewed in full by a moderator of the speedrunning community for that game, to ensure there truly were no tools involved. There is no known community for university speedrunning,{{Citation needed}} so no moderators will be able to review the years of footage to determine whether the speedrun was legitimate.

Most video-sharing services limit the length of uploaded videos, either by size or length, for a variety of reasons. A decade-long video file is almost certainly too big for any service: an hour of 720p-resolution video is about one gigabyte [[https://www.overcasthq.com/blog/how-big-are-video-files/ Overcast]], so a decade would be about 100 terabytes. Currently the longest video on YouTube is just under 600 hours [[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12095652/trivia/ IMDB]], under 1% of what Cueball wants. Such a video would require significant infrastructure support by the service for it to be allowed, not to mention presenting challenges to recording and storing it in the first place.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Cueball, arms outstretched, is talking to White Hat.]
:Cueball: I finished all the gen-ed back in 2010, and I'm up to the 400-level courses in most departments.
:Cueball: But now one of my advisors is saying I "can't have more than 20 majors" and "need to graduate next year."
:Cueball: It's outrageous!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My university is making it really hard to finish a 100% all achievements speedrun.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]

3148: 100% All Achievements

2025-09-30T05:17:16Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ fix spelling errors in the last paragraph

{{comic
| number = 3148
| date = September 29, 2025
| title = 100% All Achievements
| image = 100_all_achievements_2x.png
| imagesize = 271x475px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I'm trying to share my footage of the full run to prove it's not tool-assisted, but the uploader has problems with video lengths of more than a decade.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
100% All Achievements is a category of {{w|Speedrunning|video game speedruns}} where the goal is to do everything possible in the game, as fast as possible, while getting all achievements. (Many games have a progress bar to track completion of the game, making the "100%" criterion officially defined.) Cueball is attempting a 100% all achievements run for his university, which is a ridiculous pursuit for several reasons. Even though 100% runs for video games can take very long (up to [https://www.speedrun.com/baten_kaitos_eternal_wings_and_the_lost_ocean?h=100&x=mke7v926 two weeks]), they don't even come close to the amount of time needed to complete a single university major, let alone every class. Other factors to take into account are the high costs of university attendance and the vague definition of "all achievements".

In traditional speedrunning, a {{w|tool-assisted speedrun}} is one done with software such as a video game emulator to perform incredibly precise movements. These tools do not exist in real life{{Citation needed}}, so Cueball may have meant using artificial intelligence or similar "cheats" to illegitimately complete his work. Unassisted speedruns are typically reviewed in full by a moderator of the speedrunning community for that game, to ensure there truly were no tools involved. There is no known community for university speedrunning,{{Citation needed}} so no moderators will be able to review the years of footage to determine whether the speedrun was legitimate.

Most video sharing services limit the length of uploaded videos, either by size or length, for a variety of reasons. A decade long video file is almost certainly too big for any service, and would require significant infrastructure support by the service for it to be allowed.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Cueball, arms outstretched, is talking to White Hat.]
:Cueball: I finished all the gen-ed back in 2010, and I'm up to the 400-level courses in most departments.
:Cueball: But now one of my advisors is saying I "can't have more than 20 majors" and "need to graduate next year."
:Cueball: It's outrageous!

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My university is making it really hard to finish a 100% all achievements speedrun.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3138: Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure

2025-09-06T14:58:32Z

Roryokane: /* Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure */ improve description of one drawing

{{comic
| number = 3138
| date = September 5, 2025
| title = Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure
| image = dimensional_lumber_tape_measure_2x.png
| imagesize = 532x478px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = A person with two watches is never sure what time it is, especially if I got them one of the watches.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by A LUMBERYARD PSYCHIATRIST. Don’t remove this notice too soon.}}
A 2×4 is a type of dimensional lumber, meaning it is cut to a specified length. In the case of a 2×4, despite specifying dimensions of 2 inches by 4 inches, its actual dimensions are 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches. The Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure “fixes” this inaccuracy by changing the length of its indicated inches so that a 2×4 is measured as 2 inches by 4 inches. Note that the comic states 7.125 inches as the width of a 1×8, when in reality the width is 7.25 inches.

As explained {{w|Lumber#Dimensional_lumber|on Wikipedia}}, the nominal dimensions of a piece of lumber(US)/timber(UK) are those to which, in history, the wood was cut from green logs. Over time, the wood would shrink from loss of water. Consequently, a board cut to 2×4 inches would shrink to some fraction of those dimensions. The nominal dimensions also refer to the rough cut lumber - the final product is typically planed which further reduces its dimensions. The actual final dimensions would vary based on the type of wood, the amount of water lost, and other such factors with a greater or lesser amount of predictability. Over time, the actual dimensions of the wood became standardized at some regularly-achievable value less than the nominal dimensions.

A person not familiar with this history may be puzzled at the disconnect between the nominal and actual dimensions of lumber/timber, perhaps to the point of thinking that something underhanded was going on. To such persons, the comic’s Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure makes sense, or at least addresses the disconnect. It would not, however, have any practical use, and attempts to employ it would likely lead to constructions going dangerously awry, promptly.

Additionally, leaving it in someone else’s toolbox without informing them would likely lead to them incorrectly measuring things, as the Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure appears visually similar to a standard tape measure and has similar enough units that it is plausible someone could use the Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure and assume it was measuring in inches.

The title text is a play on the adage “A man with two watches is never sure what time it is.” That adage is a rephrasing of {{w|Segal's law|Segal’s law}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|So far, only the raw text was added. Needs description of the pictures and layout.}}

===Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure===

Dimensional lumber sizes are tricky. A “2×4” is actually 1½" by 3½", and a “1×8” is ¾" by 7⅛".

(A drawing of a rectangular wooden block labelled “2×4”, with notes indicating the length of the sides being 1½" and 3½".)

If you know someone into carpentry or woodworking, get them our ''dimensional lumber tape measure''.

(A drawing of two tape measures seen from the side. One is labeled <code>12'</code>, and the other is labeled <code>12'*</code>.)

(Two drawings of the tape measures’ tapes:)

Normal tape measure: (The measure is divided into inches evenly.)

Dimensional lumber tape measure: (The measure is divided unevenly, such that 1st and 2nd marked ‘inches’ are each equal to a ¾-inch but the 3rd to 7th marks each equate to a single 1 inch. The 8th mark is once again ¾-inch after the 7th.)

(Neither measure indicates the unit being used.)

'''Don’t tell them you got it'''—just leave it in their toolbox. They’ll appreciate the surprise when all their measurements work out!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Measurement]]
[[Category:Comics with cutoff items]]

3138: Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure

2025-09-06T14:50:18Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ make Wikipedia link text clearer

{{comic
| number = 3138
| date = September 5, 2025
| title = Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure
| image = dimensional_lumber_tape_measure_2x.png
| imagesize = 532x478px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = A person with two watches is never sure what time it is, especially if I got them one of the watches.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by A LUMBERYARD PSYCHIATRIST. Don’t remove this notice too soon.}}
A 2×4 is a type of dimensional lumber, meaning it is cut to a specified length. In the case of a 2×4, despite specifying dimensions of 2 inches by 4 inches, its actual dimensions are 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches. The Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure “fixes” this inaccuracy by changing the length of its indicated inches so that a 2×4 is measured as 2 inches by 4 inches. Note that the comic states 7.125 inches as the width of a 1×8, when in reality the width is 7.25 inches.

As explained {{w|Lumber#Dimensional_lumber|on Wikipedia}}, the nominal dimensions of a piece of lumber(US)/timber(UK) are those to which, in history, the wood was cut from green logs. Over time, the wood would shrink from loss of water. Consequently, a board cut to 2×4 inches would shrink to some fraction of those dimensions. The nominal dimensions also refer to the rough cut lumber - the final product is typically planed which further reduces its dimensions. The actual final dimensions would vary based on the type of wood, the amount of water lost, and other such factors with a greater or lesser amount of predictability. Over time, the actual dimensions of the wood became standardized at some regularly-achievable value less than the nominal dimensions.

A person not familiar with this history may be puzzled at the disconnect between the nominal and actual dimensions of lumber/timber, perhaps to the point of thinking that something underhanded was going on. To such persons, the comic’s Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure makes sense, or at least addresses the disconnect. It would not, however, have any practical use, and attempts to employ it would likely lead to constructions going dangerously awry, promptly.

Additionally, leaving it in someone else’s toolbox without informing them would likely lead to them incorrectly measuring things, as the Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure appears visually similar to a standard tape measure and has similar enough units that it is plausible someone could use the Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure and assume it was measuring in inches.

The title text is a play on the adage “A man with two watches is never sure what time it is.” That adage is a rephrasing of {{w|Segal's law|Segal’s law}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|So far, only the raw text was added. Needs description of the pictures and layout.}}

===Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure===

Dimensional lumber sizes are tricky. A “2×4” is actually 1½" by 3½", and a “1×8” is ¾" by 7⅛".

(A drawing of a rectangular block labelled “2×4”, with notes indicating the length of the sides being 1½" and 3½".)

If you know someone into carpentry or woodworking, get them our ''dimensional lumber tape measure''.

(A drawing of two tape measures seen from the side. One is labeled <code>12'</code>, and the other is labeled <code>12'*</code>.)

(Two drawings of the tape measures’ tapes:)

Normal tape measure: (The measure is divided into inches evenly.)

Dimensional lumber tape measure: (The measure is divided unevenly, such that 1st and 2nd marked ‘inches’ are each equal to a ¾-inch but the 3rd to 7th marks each equate to a single 1 inch. The 8th mark is once again ¾-inch after the 7th.)

(Neither measure indicates the unit being used.)

'''Don’t tell them you got it'''—just leave it in their toolbox. They’ll appreciate the surprise when all their measurements work out!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Measurement]]
[[Category:Comics with cutoff items]]

3138: Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure

2025-09-06T14:49:41Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ use ‘×’ symbol and proper double quotes

{{comic
| number = 3138
| date = September 5, 2025
| title = Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure
| image = dimensional_lumber_tape_measure_2x.png
| imagesize = 532x478px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = A person with two watches is never sure what time it is, especially if I got them one of the watches.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by A LUMBERYARD PSYCHIATRIST. Don’t remove this notice too soon.}}
A 2×4 is a type of dimensional lumber, meaning it is cut to a specified length. In the case of a 2×4, despite specifying dimensions of 2 inches by 4 inches, its actual dimensions are 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches. The Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure “fixes” this inaccuracy by changing the length of its indicated inches so that a 2×4 is measured as 2 inches by 4 inches. Note that the comic states 7.125 inches as the width of a 1×8, when in reality the width is 7.25 inches.

As explained {{w|Lumber#Dimensional_lumber|here}}, the nominal dimensions of a piece of lumber(US)/timber(UK) are those to which, in history, the wood was cut from green logs. Over time, the wood would shrink from loss of water. Consequently, a board cut to 2×4 inches would shrink to some fraction of those dimensions. The nominal dimensions also refer to the rough cut lumber - the final product is typically planed which further reduces its dimensions. The actual final dimensions would vary based on the type of wood, the amount of water lost, and other such factors with a greater or lesser amount of predictability. Over time, the actual dimensions of the wood became standardized at some regularly-achievable value less than the nominal dimensions.

A person not familiar with this history may be puzzled at the disconnect between the nominal and actual dimensions of lumber/timber, perhaps to the point of thinking that something underhanded was going on. To such persons, the comic’s Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure makes sense, or at least addresses the disconnect. It would not, however, have any practical use, and attempts to employ it would likely lead to constructions going dangerously awry, promptly.

Additionally, leaving it in someone else’s toolbox without informing them would likely lead to them incorrectly measuring things, as the Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure appears visually similar to a standard tape measure and has similar enough units that it is plausible someone could use the Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure and assume it was measuring in inches.

The title text is a play on the adage “A man with two watches is never sure what time it is.” That adage is a rephrasing of {{w|Segal's law|Segal’s law}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|So far, only the raw text was added. Needs description of the pictures and layout.}}

===Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure===

Dimensional lumber sizes are tricky. A “2×4” is actually 1½" by 3½", and a “1×8” is ¾" by 7⅛".

(A drawing of a rectangular block labelled “2×4”, with notes indicating the length of the sides being 1½" and 3½".)

If you know someone into carpentry or woodworking, get them our ''dimensional lumber tape measure''.

(A drawing of two tape measures seen from the side. One is labeled <code>12'</code>, and the other is labeled <code>12'*</code>.)

(Two drawings of the tape measures’ tapes:)

Normal tape measure: (The measure is divided into inches evenly.)

Dimensional lumber tape measure: (The measure is divided unevenly, such that 1st and 2nd marked ‘inches’ are each equal to a ¾-inch but the 3rd to 7th marks each equate to a single 1 inch. The 8th mark is once again ¾-inch after the 7th.)

(Neither measure indicates the unit being used.)

'''Don’t tell them you got it'''—just leave it in their toolbox. They’ll appreciate the surprise when all their measurements work out!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Measurement]]
[[Category:Comics with cutoff items]]

3138: Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure

2025-09-06T14:45:29Z

Roryokane: /* Transcript */ merge the two transcripts

{{comic
| number = 3138
| date = September 5, 2025
| title = Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure
| image = dimensional_lumber_tape_measure_2x.png
| imagesize = 532x478px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = A person with two watches is never sure what time it is, especially if I got them one of the watches.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by A LUMBERYARD PSYCHIATRIST. Don’t remove this notice too soon.}}
A 2x4 is a type of dimensional lumber, meaning it is cut to a specified length. In the case of a 2x4, despite specifying dimensions of 2 inches by 4 inches, its actual dimensions are 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches. The Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure "fixes" this inaccuracy by changing the length of its indicated inches so that a 2x4 is measured as 2 inches by 4 inches. Note that the comic states 7.125 inches as the width of a 1x8, when in reality the width is 7.25 inches.

As explained {{w|Lumber#Dimensional_lumber|here}}, the nominal dimensions of a piece of lumber(US)/timber(UK) are those to which, in history, the wood was cut from green logs. Over time, the wood would shrink from loss of water. Consequently, a board cut to 2x4 inches would shrink to some fraction of those dimensions. The nominal dimensions also refer to the rough cut lumber - the final product is typically planed which further reduces its dimensions. The actual final dimensions would vary based on the type of wood, the amount of water lost, and other such factors with a greater or lesser amount of predictability. Over time, the actual dimensions of the wood became standardized at some regularly-achievable value less than the nominal dimensions.

A person not familiar with this history may be puzzled at the disconnect between the nominal and actual dimensions of lumber/timber, perhaps to the point of thinking that something underhanded was going on. To such persons, the comic’s Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure makes sense, or at least addresses the disconnect. It would not, however, have any practical use, and attempts to employ it would likely lead to constructions going dangerously awry, promptly.

Additionally, leaving it in someone else’s toolbox without informing them would likely lead to them incorrectly measuring things, as the Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure appears visually similar to a standard tape measure and has similar enough units that it is plausible someone could use the Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure and assume it was measuring in inches.

The title text is a play on the adage “A man with two watches is never sure what time it is.” That adage is a rephrasing of {{w|Segal's law|Segal’s law}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|So far, only the raw text was added. Needs description of the pictures and layout.}}

===Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure===

Dimensional lumber sizes are tricky. A “2×4” is actually 1½" by 3½", and a “1×8” is ¾" by 7⅛".

(A drawing of a rectangular block labelled “2×4”, with notes indicating the length of the sides being 1½" and 3½".)

If you know someone into carpentry or woodworking, get them our ''dimensional lumber tape measure''.

(A drawing of two tape measures seen from the side. One is labeled <code>12'</code>, and the other is labeled <code>12'*</code>.)

(Two drawings of the tape measures’ tapes:)

Normal tape measure: (The measure is divided into inches evenly.)

Dimensional lumber tape measure: (The measure is divided unevenly, such that 1st and 2nd marked ‘inches’ are each equal to a ¾-inch but the 3rd to 7th marks each equate to a single 1 inch. The 8th mark is once again ¾-inch after the 7th.)

(Neither measure indicates the unit being used.)

'''Don’t tell them you got it'''—just leave it in their toolbox. They’ll appreciate the surprise when all their measurements work out!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Measurement]]
[[Category:Comics with cutoff items]]

3138: Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure

2025-09-06T06:17:28Z

Roryokane: /* Transcript */ improve description of tape measures

{{comic
| number = 3138
| date = September 5, 2025
| title = Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure
| image = dimensional_lumber_tape_measure_2x.png
| imagesize = 532x478px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = A person with two watches is never sure what time it is, especially if I got them one of the watches.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by A LUMBERYARD PSYCHIATRIST. Don’t remove this notice too soon.}}
A 2x4 is a type of dimensional lumber, meaning it is cut to a specified length. In the case of a 2x4, despite specifying dimensions of 2 inches by 4 inches, its actual dimensions are 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches. The Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure "fixes" this inaccuracy by changing the length of its indicated inches so that a 2x4 is measured as 2 inches by 4 inches.

As explained {{w|Lumber#Dimensional_lumber|here}}, the nominal dimensions of a piece of lumber(US)/timber(UK) are those to which, in history, the wood was cut from green logs. Over time, the wood would shrink from loss of water. Consequently, a board cut to 2x4 inches would shrink to some fraction of those dimensions. The actual final dimensions would vary based on the type of wood, the amount of water lost, and other factors with a greater or lesser amount of predictability. Over time, the actual dimensions of the wood became standardized at some regularly-achievable value less than the nominal dimensions.

A person not familiar with this history may be puzzled at the disconnect between the nominal and actual dimensions of lumber/timber, perhaps to the point of thinking that something underhanded was going on. To such persons, the comic’s Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure makes sense, or at least addresses the disconnect. It would not, however, have any practical use, and attempts to employ it would likely lead to constructions going dangerously awry, promptly.

Additionally, leaving it in someone else’s toolbox without informing them would likely lead to them incorrectly measuring things, as the Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure appears visually similar to a standard tape measure and has similar enough units that it is plausible someone could use the Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure and assume it was messing in inches.

The title text is a play on the adage “A man with two watches is never sure what time it is.” That adage is a rephrasing of {{w|Segal's law|Segal’s law}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|So far, only the raw text was added. Needs description of the pictures and layout.}}

Dimensional lumber tape measure

Dimensional lumber sizes are tricky. A “2×4” is actually 1½" by 3½", and a “1×8” is ¾" by 7⅛".

[a diagram of … 1½" … 3½" … “2×4”]

If you know someone into carpentry or woodworking, get them our ''dimensional lumber tape measure''.

[A picture of two tape measures side by side, seen from the side. The left one is labeled “12'”. The right one is labeled “12'*”.]

Normal tape measure:

Dimensional lumber tape measure:

'''Don’t tell them you got it'''—just leave it in their toolbox. They’ll appreciate the surprise when all their measurements work out!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3138: Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure

2025-09-06T06:16:12Z

Roryokane: /* Transcript */ describe the two tape measures

{{comic
| number = 3138
| date = September 5, 2025
| title = Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure
| image = dimensional_lumber_tape_measure_2x.png
| imagesize = 532x478px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = A person with two watches is never sure what time it is, especially if I got them one of the watches.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by A LUMBERYARD PSYCHIATRIST. Don’t remove this notice too soon.}}
A 2x4 is a type of dimensional lumber, meaning it is cut to a specified length. In the case of a 2x4, despite specifying dimensions of 2 inches by 4 inches, its actual dimensions are 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches. The Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure "fixes" this inaccuracy by changing the length of its indicated inches so that a 2x4 is measured as 2 inches by 4 inches.

As explained {{w|Lumber#Dimensional_lumber|here}}, the nominal dimensions of a piece of lumber(US)/timber(UK) are those to which, in history, the wood was cut from green logs. Over time, the wood would shrink from loss of water. Consequently, a board cut to 2x4 inches would shrink to some fraction of those dimensions. The actual final dimensions would vary based on the type of wood, the amount of water lost, and other factors with a greater or lesser amount of predictability. Over time, the actual dimensions of the wood became standardized at some regularly-achievable value less than the nominal dimensions.

A person not familiar with this history may be puzzled at the disconnect between the nominal and actual dimensions of lumber/timber, perhaps to the point of thinking that something underhanded was going on. To such persons, the comic’s Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure makes sense, or at least addresses the disconnect. It would not, however, have any practical use, and attempts to employ it would likely lead to constructions going dangerously awry, promptly.

Additionally, leaving it in someone else’s toolbox without informing them would likely lead to them incorrectly measuring things, as the Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure appears visually similar to a standard tape measure and has similar enough units that it is plausible someone could use the Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure and assume it was messing in inches.

The title text is a play on the adage “A man with two watches is never sure what time it is.” That adage is a rephrasing of {{w|Segal's law|Segal’s law}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|So far, only the raw text was added. Needs description of the pictures and layout.}}

Dimensional lumber tape measure

Dimensional lumber sizes are tricky. A “2×4” is actually 1½" by 3½", and a “1×8” is ¾" by 7⅛".

[a diagram of … 1½" … 3½" … “2×4”]

If you know someone into carpentry or woodworking, get them our ''dimensional lumber tape measure''.

[A picture of two tape measures from the side. The left one is labeled “12'”. The right one is labeled “12'*”.]

Normal tape measure:

Dimensional lumber tape measure:

'''Don’t tell them you got it'''—just leave it in their toolbox. They’ll appreciate the surprise when all their measurements work out!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3138: Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure

2025-09-06T06:14:47Z

Roryokane: /* Transcript */ add all the text (with accurate symbols), but no description of the images yet

{{comic
| number = 3138
| date = September 5, 2025
| title = Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure
| image = dimensional_lumber_tape_measure_2x.png
| imagesize = 532x478px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = A person with two watches is never sure what time it is, especially if I got them one of the watches.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by A LUMBERYARD PSYCHIATRIST. Don’t remove this notice too soon.}}
A 2x4 is a type of dimensional lumber, meaning it is cut to a specified length. In the case of a 2x4, despite specifying dimensions of 2 inches by 4 inches, its actual dimensions are 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches. The Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure "fixes" this inaccuracy by changing the length of its indicated inches so that a 2x4 is measured as 2 inches by 4 inches.

As explained {{w|Lumber#Dimensional_lumber|here}}, the nominal dimensions of a piece of lumber(US)/timber(UK) are those to which, in history, the wood was cut from green logs. Over time, the wood would shrink from loss of water. Consequently, a board cut to 2x4 inches would shrink to some fraction of those dimensions. The actual final dimensions would vary based on the type of wood, the amount of water lost, and other factors with a greater or lesser amount of predictability. Over time, the actual dimensions of the wood became standardized at some regularly-achievable value less than the nominal dimensions.

A person not familiar with this history may be puzzled at the disconnect between the nominal and actual dimensions of lumber/timber, perhaps to the point of thinking that something underhanded was going on. To such persons, the comic’s Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure makes sense, or at least addresses the disconnect. It would not, however, have any practical use, and attempts to employ it would likely lead to constructions going dangerously awry, promptly.

Additionally, leaving it in someone else’s toolbox without informing them would likely lead to them incorrectly measuring things, as the Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure appears visually similar to a standard tape measure and has similar enough units that it is plausible someone could use the Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure and assume it was messing in inches.

The title text is a play on the adage “A man with two watches is never sure what time it is.” That adage is a rephrasing of {{w|Segal's law|Segal’s law}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|So far, only the raw text was added. Needs description of the pictures and layout.}}

Dimensional lumber tape measure

Dimensional lumber sizes are tricky. A “2×4” is actually 1½" by 3½", and a “1×8” is ¾" by 7⅛".

[a diagram of … 1½" … 3½" … “2×4”]

If you know someone into carpentry or woodworking, get them our ''dimensional lumber tape measure''.

[a picture of … 12' … 12'*]

Normal tape measure:

Dimensional lumber tape measure:

'''Don’t tell them you got it'''—just leave it in their toolbox. They’ll appreciate the surprise when all their measurements work out!

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3138: Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure

2025-09-06T06:04:50Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ connect the title text to Segal’s law; improve typography

3133: Dual Roomba

2025-08-26T15:54:26Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ fix Wikipedia link to 69

{{comic
| number = 3133
| date = August 25, 2025
| title = Dual Roomba
| image = dual_roomba_2x.png
| imagesize = 679x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I tried uploading it to a household appliance porn site I found, but apparently their content is limited to only fans.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a CHILD OF TWO ROOMBAS. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

A {{w|Roomba}} is a small household robot that was designed to clean floors. To do so, its underside is equipped with brushes and vacuums to clean the floors. When the Roombas themselves get dirty, Cueball has the Roombas clean each other (as opposed to the simpler solution of cleaning the Roombas by hand).

When Cueball demonstrates his Roombas cleaning each other to White Hat, White Hat remarks that the cleaning Roombas look like they are having sex, as they are going back and forth across each other's surfaces and change positions in the middle of it. When one Rooba is cleaning the top of the other, it looks like {{w|doggy style}}; when it's cleaning the bottom, it looks like {{w|missionary position}} or {{w|69 (sex position)|69}}, depending on the orientation of the front and back.

Cueball says that the {{w|YouTube}} video that he posted about this trick was demonetized, or taken off a list of videos approved to generate ad revenue for creators. This is probably because of the unintentional NSFW appearance of it. Note that in order to be monetized by YouTube, you must have at least 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months or 10 million public {{w|Youtube Shorts}} views in the last 90 days.

The title text says that Cueball tried to upload the video to a porn site dedicated to "household appliance"s, but was unable to because its content was oriented towards content involving {{w|Fan (machine)|fans}}. This is a play on words, as one popular monetized porn site is called {{w|OnlyFans}}, where "fans" is short for "fanatics" as opposed to fans as appliances. Such a site would fall under [[Rule 34]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[Cueball and White Hat are facing each other. A Roomba is to the right side of Cueball, who has his arm up.]
:Cueball: The Roomba keeps my floor clean.
:Cueball: But what do I do when the '''''Roomba''''' gets dirty?

:[Cueball and White now face 2 Roombas, with Cueball gesturing towards the Roombas. One Roomba is climbing up a ramp in front of the second Roomba.]
:Cueball: Simple:
:Cueball: I got a second Roomba and a ramp, so they can clean each other.

:[Cueball kneels down to flip the first Roomba over.]
:Cueball: After the tops are clean, I flip one of the over so they can clean each others’ undersides.

:[Cueball and White Hat are now watching the Roombas clean each other.]
:White Hat: There’s nothing NSFW about this, and yet it’s the most NSFW thing I’ve every seen.
:Cueball: Yeah, my YouTube DIY video about this got demonetized.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Robots]]
[[Category:Sex]]

3131: Cesium

2025-08-21T05:15:19Z

Roryokane: /* How to attract attention */ hint that the math problem went viral because it was confusing, not because it was deep

{{comic
| number = 3131
| date = August 20, 2025
| title = Cesium
| image = cesium_2x.png
| imagesize = 588x298px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Someday I hope to find a way to mess up a recipe so badly that it draws the attention of the International Air Transport Association, the International Mathematical Olympiad, or the NSA.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a disastrous recipe-creating bot. Need more on the other firms mentioned in the title text and ideas on how he could suceede. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
{{w|Cesium-137}} (Cs-137) is a radioactive {{w|isotope}} of {{w|Caesium|cesium (a.k.a. "caesium")}}. This comic was posted the day after the {{w|FDA}} posted an [https://www.fda.gov/food/alerts-advisories-safety-information/fda-advises-public-not-eat-sell-or-serve-certain-imported-frozen-shrimp-indonesian-firm advisory] about frozen shrimp sourced from an Indonesian firm, because they were nearby materials contaminated with Cs-137 during shipment. [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/business/radioactive-shrimp-walmart-recall.html A sample of breaded shrimp was confirmed to have been contaminated.]

Rather than being concerned about the potential health impacts, [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are curious about the technical details that led to this contamination. Cs-137 is normally a by-product of nuclear reactors and is occasionally used in {{w|Food_irradiation|food irradiation}}, along with other more common uses. Cueball and Megan cannot fathom how one could unintentionally contaminate shrimp with radioactive waste, and Cueball comments that his biggest culinary screw-up only attracted the attention of his local fire department, likely because he set something on fire while cooking. A real-life example of seemingly-random contamination by Cs-137 was the {{w|Goiânia accident}} in Brazil.

The title text says that one of Cueball's (or possibly Randall's) ambitions is to draw the attention of various organizations ({{w|International Air Transport Association}} (IATA), {{w|International Mathematical Olympiad}} or the {{w|National Security Agency}} (NSA)) with a recipe he has butchered, either by accident or, more likely in his case, on purpose. Possessing and (accidentally or intentionally) releasing a radiation source like Cs-137 could get the attention of the NSA. Needless to say, it is difficult to imagine a cooking error that could be in any way brought to the attention of IATA or IMO. To "mess up a recipe", in the sense of cooking it for oneself or a small group of others, would be unlikely to create a problem on a scale that an international agency would take note of. A recipe that was published for others to use could cause more significant problems if it led to harm to many people. This might involve ingredients that were poisonous, or preparation methods that were unsafe. The word "recipe" is sometimes used metaphorically to describe a set of step-by-step instructions for tasks that don't involve food: "recipes" for chemical procedures (not unlike cooking recipes, in many ways), "recipes" for doing things with computers, etc. A number of these might be of interest to security agencies.

===How to attract attention===
To attract the attention of the IATA, if the recipe is used in major airports, and the recipe is contaminated with a drug, the pilots that eat could experience vision loss or other problems, and if this recipe is widely used and normal people won't notice much besides minor side effects, then this could attract the attention of of the IATA.

Attracting the attention of the NSA is pretty easy to think of, there could be a secret code hidden in the ingredients of a recipe, and if the code affects the whole nation, then this could attract the attention of NSA.

A recipe to attract the attention of the International Mathematical Olympiad is much harder to imagine. Randall's best chance might be to cause an incident with some mathematically interesting property that inspires a math puzzle to be written about it. Another possibility is some person is trying to give answers to a person in the olympiad, and gave the person a recipe with the answers as a secret code inside, and this will attract the attention of the International Mathematical Olympiad. However, these are most probably all on purpose and will be very rare to accidentally make these recipes. About a week prior to the publication of this comic, [https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/math-question-viral-elementary-school-bobby-seagull-b2807395.html a confusingly-worded mathematical question about baking] went viral and was reported on by traditional media, though not by the IMO.

==Transcript==
:[Megan looks at a news story on her phone while talking with Cueball.]
:Megan: There's a recall of frozen shrimp contaminated with cesium-137.
:Cueball: With ''what?''
:Megan: I know, right?
:Cueball: ''How!?''

:[Megan has put her phone away and she shrugs with her arms held out palm up.]
:Megan: No idea, but I bet it involved some expensive equipment. Those cesium sources aren't cheap.
:Cueball: Man.

:[Megan stands normally while Cueball holds a hand to his chin.]
:Megan: It's honestly a little inspiring to realize that it's always possible to screw up in a totally new way.
:Cueball: Yeah, the biggest agency whose attention '''''I've''''' drawn by messing up a recipe is the local fire department.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Math]]

3130: Predicament

2025-08-20T17:10:22Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ integrate the search link into the explanation of how to get down

{{comic
| number = 3130
| date = August 18, 2025
| title = Predicament
| image = predicament_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I dropped my phone while trying to search, and I tried to unlock it from up here, so can you also search for screen repair places?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by someone on stilts. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

For someone who has never worn stilts before, the method to get down from them safely is not obvious. We can't see the stilt user's feet or legs in the pictures, and the way to get off them will vary depending on whether they are the type of stilt that is braced by a strap around the lower leg or the type where the stilt pole extends upwards and is held in the hand. Based on [https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+get+down+from+stilts Googling how to get down from stilts], it seems that one method for the latter is to use the steps that are built into the stilts themselves, commonly called 'pegs'. These act like a very wobbly ladder and allow you to climb up and down the stilts. Other methods include leaning against a wall, bracing the stilts at the bottom of the wall, and carefully stepping (or, as in the case with the image when there appear to be no pegs, sliding) down the stilts. Another technique is to climb onto (and off) the stilts from a platform at roughly the same height as the (top) stilt pegs, such as a balcony or deck. Further research or input from someone who's actually ridden (walked on?) stilts welcomed.

It is somewhat surprising that someone has sufficient mastery to walk and stand still on such high stilts, without also having learnt how to dismount from them. One might also expect that someone in this situation might seek rather more direct assistance than looking things up on the internet. [[Randall]] may be lampooning the widespread tendency in today's world to automatically resort to Google for every query that crops up.

The title text explains that this person dropped their phone and tried to unlock it with the stilts, but ended up breaking their phone in the process. (Presumably, other unlocking options such as voice, fingerprint, or facial recognition were not enabled or infeasible under the circumstances.) When someone is on stilts, it is actually very hard to stand still because the point of the stilt does not provide the forward-backward length that we are used to our feet having. Beginners generally have a much easier time walking forward, because the momentum helps with balance, and risk falling over if they stop. Unlocking a phone with the stilt would require not only staying still near the phone long enough to do so, but doing so on a single stilt, while lifting the full weight of the other and making those precise motions with an awkward blunt tool that has both considerable {{w|mass}} and considerable {{w|moment of inertia}} on a tiny object a stilt-length away. It is no wonder that instead the person ended up putting too much weight on the stilt while it was above the phone, resulting in considerable force being distributed over a very small area of the phone's fragile screen. All things considered the attempt went much better than it could have, since the person did not fall over.

It is also unlikely that a phone touchscreen could even be operated by a stilt. Most work through {{w|capacitive sensing}}, and are unlikely to work with the stilt-ends unless specifically equipped with a cap of material with electrical properties similar to those of human fingers.

Stilts have been used in other comics, such as [[482: Height]], [[1608: Hoverboard]], [[1663: Garden]], [[2603: Childhood Toys]], [[2669: Things You Should Not Do]], and [[2765: Escape Speed]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

:[On the left a long stick enters the panel from near the top left. There are "tap tap" sounds where the stick hits the ground. Cueball is on the right, looking left towards the stick.]

:[There are now two long sticks closer to the middle of the panel. They cross near the top, and the stick makes three taps near the bottom. Cueball is still looking at them.]

:[The two sticks are almost parallel now, a little further apart at the ground. Cueball is still looking at them.]
:Voice from above: Do you have your phone?
:Cueball: Yeah.

:[The two sticks are parallel. Cueball is holding a cellphone in his right hand.]
:Voice from above: Can you Google --
:Cueball: -- how to get down from stilts?
:Voice from above: Yes please.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Smartphones]]
[[Category:Stilts]]

3130: Predicament

2025-08-19T05:03:11Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ add a stub of an explanation of how to get down from stilts, which readers will want to know

3129: Archaeology Research

2025-08-15T17:55:01Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ fix grammar

{{comic
| number = 3129
| date = August 15, 2025
| title = Archaeology Research
| image = archaeology_research_2x.png
| imagesize = 381x433px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The academic archaeology establishment is suppressing my breakthroughs because of the disruption it would bring to their prepared-core flake-based toolmaking industry.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created a long time ago and improved recently. Don’t remove this notice too soon.}}

The humour here comes from Cueball proposing a new method for making arrowheads, mistakenly believing that an archeologist’s job is to propose new ways of manufacturing rather than (amongst other things), finding out how these objects were made. Stone arrowheads can result in large flakes coming off, resulting in less precise and more primitive arrowheads as opposed to the more sleek and smooth copper arrowheads depicted in Cueball’s presentation.

In reality, these copper arrowheads would require precise metalworking and extremely high heat, surpassing that of fire. At the time, both of these were not achieved by ''Homo Sapiens'', and thus it would be impossible for humans of the time to create these improved arrowheads.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands in front of a roll-down projector screen, pointing to it behind him as he looks forward. The screen depicts two arrowheads: On the left is an arrowhead hewn from stone with the subtitle "Stone (traditional)". On the right is a smoother arrowhead with the subtitle "Copper (my method)"]
:Cueball: In the process of analyzing Paleolithic stone toolmaking, I've stumbled on an improved technique for producing points and blades.
:Cueball: Instead of stone, my method is based on the heating and shaping of copper ore...

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Too late, I realized that my entire archaeology dissertation had been based on a colossal misunderstanding.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
8

1817: Incognito Mode

2025-08-13T17:01:19Z

Roryokane: /* Relation to Animorphs */ remove apostrophe from an instance of “Animorphs”

{{comic
| number = 1817
| date = March 29, 2017
| title = Incognito Mode
| image = incognito_mode.png
| titletext = They're really the worst tech support team. And their solutions are always the same. "This OS X update broke something." "LET'S INFILTRATE APPLE BY MORPHING APPLES!"
}}

==Explanation==
A woman (maybe a different version of [[Blondie]], or Rachel from Animorphs) warns [[Cueball]] about not browsing for more than two hours in {{w|privacy mode|incognito mode}} as he might get stuck there forever.

Incognito mode/private mode is a feature in a web browser that automatically clears any cookies and web history when the browser window is closed, but [https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/common-myths-about-private-browsing does not shield you from censorship, malware, or tracking]. One could become metaphorically "trapped" in this mode if they don't want to lose this data (for example if they've found a useful page which they want to refer back to, or if they're on a website like YouTube which uses cookies to provide recommended videos and they're finding the recommendations interesting), meaning that they can never close the browser again. Presumably this is more likely to happen after a longer browsing session. The only option to keep browsing data when the incognito/private session is closed is to bookmark or write down the URLs of interesting pages; there is no way to keep the cookies (except by using features of certain browsers to view the cookies, then setting them outside of incognito mode; this is usually too complex for the average user), so things such as recommended YouTube videos from within the incognito browsing session will inevitably be lost when it is closed.

As a side note, desktop users can use a browser extension to export the list of open tabs, but mobile browsers usually can not. However, mobile browsers might deny basic features such as saving pages and screenshots in incognito mode, making it unattractive to use. And currently, there is no way to back up cookies from incognito mode on either browser type.

''{{w|Animorphs}}'' is a book series by {{w|K. A. Applegate}} featuring several teenagers who have a special power: they can {{w|shapeshifting|morph}} into various animals whose DNA they have absorbed through alien technology. However, if they stay morphed for over two hours, they will get stuck in that form until they die (this is presumably where the "two hours" in the comic comes from).

In this comic [[Randall]] pokes fun at this by relating it to surfing in incognito mode/privacy mode in a browser. As explained above, staying for too long in incognito mode may cause the user to become "stuck" in this mode until something causes the browser to close, such as the browser/computer crashing or a power failure. This is analogous to the Animorphs who become stuck in animal form if they spend too long in that form.

An alternative interpretation revolves around the use of incognito/private browsing modes when the user is paranoid. They may use this mode if, for example, they don't want the risk of anyone else discovering what they've been doing online, and they find it safer to simply use incognito mode rather than manually deleting the relevant cookies and browsing history afterwards. If they use this mode a lot, the sense of paranoia that initially led them to use incognito mode can reinforce itself, and over time they may become uncomfortable browsing outside of incognito mode. This is another way in which one may become "trapped" in incognito mode after extended use.

===Relation to Animorphs===

The caption explains that tech tips from Animorphs are the worst, i.e. the woman is an Animorph, and this was not good advice.[[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]]

The title text continues the idea that an Animorph tech support team would be the worst possible explaining that their solutions are always the same. And then it gives an example which references a common occurrence in the Animorphs book series wherein the protagonists uses their ability to morph into animals to infiltrate enemy strongholds. In the example it is an update for {{w|Apple Inc.|Apple's}} {{w|MacOS|OS X}} (a popular commercial operating system), that broke something. The solution is to infiltrate Apple by morphing apples. Morphing into fruit is nonsensical within the rules for morphing (as put forth in the books), since the children can only turn into animals (and not into fruit, like apples). It would also be very ineffective, since fruit can't move on their own.{{cn}} Plus, Apple Inc. has little to do with actual apples, so this is not a good form to infiltrate their headquarters (morphing into bugs or even Apple's employees would be more effective, and is allowed by books' rules). Randall is [http://arthur.wikia.com/wiki/Vegemorphs not the first] to propose morphing into vegetables as an [https://www.amazon.com/Vegemorphs-Fungus-Among-Chris-Steinbach/dp/0061070858 Animorphs parody].

Animorphs has been referenced before, first only in the title texts of [[1187: Aspect Ratio]] and [[1360: Old Files]], and then later in the main comic in [[1380: Manual for Civilization]], with the books being the actual manual...

==Transcript==
:[A woman with long blonde hair (maybe a version of Blondie) holds both arms up as she addresses Cueball who is sitting in an office chair working on his laptop.]
:Woman: ...But remember—if you browse in incognito mode for more than two hours, you'll be trapped there ''forever!''

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Animorphs tech tips

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]
[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Animorphs]]
[[Category:Internet]]

3128: Thread Meeting

2025-08-13T16:57:59Z

Roryokane: /* Transcript */ fix typo in “yeah”

{{comic
| number = 3128
| date = August 13, 2025
| title = Thread Meeting
| image = thread_meeting_2x.png
| imagesize = 399x425px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Hey, so did you ever finish your video series about Cassie and the caterpillar morph? I loved the first three, but never ... no, sorry, I get it, this isn't the place. Sorry! Sorry.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by Jake and Cassie ([[1380: Manual for Civilization|we finally kissed]]) ([[1817: Incognito Mode|we're posting this from Apple HQ]]). Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
Many people have different sets of acquaintances from different parts of their lives, and there's not much overlap. For instance, they have colleagues and work, and friends from different hobbies. People encountered in online forums are often very separate, since they may be anywhere in the world. People find it surprising when there are overlaps in different spheres.

In this comic, NorthLakeKayak and AntaresMike are two participants in an online forum (presumably about boating, or maybe specifically kayaking). NorthLakeKayak somehow recognizes AntaresMike as someone he remembers from a different forum about Animorphs.

As children, the most striking example of this type of compartmentalization is that we think of teachers as only existing in school. They're actually people with real lives{{cn}}, but we find it extremely weird when we encounter them in some mundane place outside school, like at a restaurant or store. The comic makes the point that encountering the same person in two unrelated online forums is analogous to this.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

[A portion of a thread in an online forum is shown. It has one post and a reply to that post]

[First post:]

[Stylized A avatar] '''AntaresMike'''

You could also check out this kayak model. I attached a motor to mine, and it's a little but of a kludge but it works great.

[Reply (indented):]

[Cueball avatar] '''NorthLakeKayak'''

Oh, hey, AntaresMike! I know you!

Honestly I didn't realize you existed outside of the Animorphs fandom. I haven't seen you in forever!

Uh. So. How are you doing?

Kayaking, I guess.

Anyway yeah that model is great.

[Bottom caption:]

Running into someone on a thread who you know from a totally different part of the Internet feels weirdly like running into your teacher in a store.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Animorphs]]

3126: Disclaimer

2025-08-08T20:30:57Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ mention a connection between The Lord of the Rings and “delve”

{{comic
| number = 3126
| date = August 8, 2025
| title = Disclaimer
| image = disclaimer_2x.png
| imagesize = 346x396px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = You say no human would reply to a forum thread about Tom Bombadil by writing and editing hundreds of words of text, complete with formatting, fancy punctuation, and two separate uses of the word 'delve'. Unfortunately for both of us, you are wrong.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was not created by ChatGPT. Don’t remove this notice too soon.}}
{{w|ChatGPT}} is a large language model, a type of bot commonly marketed as {{w|generative artificial intelligence}}. In 2025, at the time of this comic’s release, it was common for people to use ChatGPT to generate emails and forum posts. Since ChatGPT-generated texts are often very wordy, a side effect of this phenomenon is that people who actually write long messages are sometimes incorrectly accused of using ChatGPT to generate them. Accusers may also be suspicious of messages that use formally-correct punctuation such as {{w|Dash#Em_dash|em dashes}}, which most online posters don’t know how to type and which ChatGPT uses sometimes.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] (possibly representing [[Randall]]) has written an email or post. At the end, he includes a notice saying that the message was not generated by ChatGPT.

The title text expands on this joke. Randall claims people say that no human would write a thorough essay with bullet points and the word “delve” (a word not commonly used by human English speakers) on {{w|Tom Bombadil}}, a minor {{w|Lord of the Rings}} character, and Randall says they are wrong because he would and did. The reason Randall used the word “delve” may be that he was discussing a line from ''The Fellowship of the Ring'' where the character Gandalf describes the Dwarves as having once “delved too greedily and too deep”.

This may be related to ChatGPT 5, which was released a day before this comic was created.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
:[A Cueball profile picture is shown next to five paragraphs of illegible text, which contains varied punctuation marks and two square-bracketed citations.]
:[The last paragraph in the essay is separated from the other paragraphs by a line with three dashes. Its single sentence is highlighted, and lines connect that illegible sentence to a box with an enlarged, legible version of the sentence.]

:Enlarged text: Not ChatGPT output—I’m just like this.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I’ve had to start adding this disclaimer to my messages.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:LOTR]]

3126: Disclaimer

2025-08-08T20:24:23Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ mention that ChatGPT uses formally-correct punctuation (and improve existing punctuation, as a human)

{{comic
| number = 3126
| date = August 8, 2025
| title = Disclaimer
| image = disclaimer_2x.png
| imagesize = 346x396px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = You say no human would reply to a forum thread about Tom Bombadil by writing and editing hundreds of words of text, complete with formatting, fancy punctuation, and two separate uses of the word 'delve'. Unfortunately for both of us, you are wrong.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was not created by ChatGPT. Don’t remove this notice too soon.}}
{{w|ChatGPT}} is a large language model, a type of bot commonly marketed as {{w|generative artificial intelligence}}. In 2025, at the time of this comic’s release, it was common for people to use ChatGPT to generate emails and forum posts. Since ChatGPT-generated texts are often very wordy, a side effect of this phenomenon is that people who actually write long messages are sometimes incorrectly accused of using ChatGPT to generate them. Accusers may also be suspicious of messages that use formally-correct punctuation such as {{w|Dash#Em_dash|em dashes}}, which most online posters don’t know how to type and which ChatGPT uses sometimes.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] (possibly representing [[Randall]]) has written an email or post. At the end, he includes a notice saying that the message was not generated by ChatGPT.

The title text expands on this joke. Randall claims people say that no human would write a thorough essay with bullet points and the word “delve” (a word not commonly used by human English speakers) on {{w|Tom Bombadil}}, a minor {{w|Lord of the Rings}} character, and Randall says they are wrong because he would and did.

This may be related to ChatGPT 5, which was released a day before this comic was created.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[A Cueball profile picture is shown next to five paragraphs of illegible text, which contains varied punctuation marks and two square-bracketed citations.]

[The last paragraph in the essay is separated from the other paragraphs by a line with three dashes. Its single sentence is highlighted, and lines connect that illegible sentence to a box with an enlarged, legible version of the sentence.]

Enlarged text: Not ChatGPT output—I’m just like this.

Bottom caption: I’ve had to start adding this disclaimer to my messages.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:LOTR]]

3126: Disclaimer

2025-08-08T20:08:45Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ make Tom Bombadil a link

{{comic
| number = 3126
| date = August 8, 2025
| title = Disclaimer
| image = disclaimer_2x.png
| imagesize = 346x396px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = You say no human would reply to a forum thread about Tom Bombadil by writing and editing hundreds of words of text, complete with formatting, fancy punctuation, and two separate uses of the word 'delve'. Unfortunately for both of us, you are wrong.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was not created by ChatGPT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
ChatGPT is a large language model, a type of bot commonly marketed as generative artificial intelligence. In 2025, at the time of this comic's release, it was common for people to use ChatGPT to generate emails and forum posts. Since ChatGPT-generated texts are often very wordy, a side effect of this phenomenon is that people who actually write long messages are sometimes incorrectly accused of using ChatGPT to generate them.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] (possibly representing [[Randall]]) has written an email. At the end, he includes a notice that the email was not generated by ChatGPT.

The title text expands this joke, which Randall claims people say that no human would write a thorough essay with bullet points and the word "delve" (a word not commonly used by human English speakers) on {{w|Tom Bombadil}}, which is a Lord of the Rings character, and Randall says they are wrong because he would.

This may be related to the release of ChatGPT 5, which was released a day before this comic is created.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[A Cueball profile picture is shown next to five paragraphs of illegible text, which contains varied punctuation marks and two square-bracketed citations.]

[The last paragraph in the essay is separated from the other paragraphs by a line with three dashes. Its single sentence is highlighted, and lines connect that illegible sentence to a box with an enlarged, legible version of the sentence.]

Enlarged text: Not ChatGPT output—I’m just like this.

Bottom caption: I’ve had to start adding this disclaimer to my messages.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3126: Disclaimer

2025-08-08T20:07:13Z

Roryokane: /* Transcript */ improve capitalization, punctuation, and description of the text

{{comic
| number = 3126
| date = August 8, 2025
| title = Disclaimer
| image = disclaimer_2x.png
| imagesize = 346x396px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = You say no human would reply to a forum thread about Tom Bombadil by writing and editing hundreds of words of text, complete with formatting, fancy punctuation, and two separate uses of the word 'delve'. Unfortunately for both of us, you are wrong.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was not created by ChatGPT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
ChatGPT is a large language model, a type of bot commonly marketed as generative artificial intelligence. In 2025, at the time of this comic's release, it was common for people to use ChatGPT to generate emails and forum posts. Since ChatGPT-generated texts are often very wordy, a side effect of this phenomenon is that people who actually write long messages are sometimes incorrectly accused of using ChatGPT to generate them.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] (possibly representing [[Randall]]) has written an email. At the end, he includes a notice that the email was not generated by ChatGPT.

The title text expands this joke, which Randall claims people say that no human would write a thorough essay with bullet points and the word "delve" (a word not commonly used by human English speakers) on Tom Bombadil, which is a Lord of the Rings character, and Randall says they are wrong because he would.

This may be related to the release of ChatGPT 5, which was released a day before this comic is created.
==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[A Cueball profile picture is shown next to five paragraphs of illegible text, which contains varied punctuation marks and two square-bracketed citations.]

[The last paragraph in the essay is separated from the other paragraphs by a line with three dashes. Its single sentence is highlighted, and lines connect that illegible sentence to a box with an enlarged, legible version of the sentence.]

Enlarged text: Not ChatGPT output—I’m just like this.

Bottom caption: I’ve had to start adding this disclaimer to my messages.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3126: Disclaimer

2025-08-08T19:53:23Z

Roryokane: /* Transcript */ unseen → illegible

{{comic
| number = 3126
| date = August 8, 2025
| title = Disclaimer
| image = disclaimer_2x.png
| imagesize = 346x396px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = You say no human would reply to a forum thread about Tom Bombadil by writing and editing hundreds of words of text, complete with formatting, fancy punctuation, and two separate uses of the word 'delve'. Unfortunately for both of us, you are wrong.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was not created by ChatGPT. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
ChatGPT is a large language model, a type of bot commonly marketed as generative artificial intelligence. In 2025, at the time of this comic's release, it was common for people to use ChatGPT to generate emails and forum posts. Since ChatGPT-generated texts are often very wordy, a side effect of this phenomenon is that people who actually write long messages are sometimes incorrectly accused of using ChatGPT to generate them.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] (possibly representing [[Randall]]) has written an email. At the end, he includes a notice that the email was not generated by ChatGPT.

The title text expands this joke, which Randall claims people say that no human would write a thorough essay with bullet points and the word "delve" (a word not commonly used by human English speakers) on Tom Bombadil, which is a Lord of the Rings character, and Randall says they are wrong because he would.

This may be related to the release of ChatGPT 5, which was released a day before this comic is created.
==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[A cueball profile picture is shown next to a bunch of illegible text, which contains many paragraphs and some citations.]

[There is a piece of text at the bottom of the essay which has an arrow pointing to it, and the arrow originates from a enlarged version of the text]

Enlarged text: Not ChatGPT output - I'm just like this

Bottom caption: I've had to start adding this disclaimer to my messages

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3124: Grounded

2025-08-05T16:05:50Z

Roryokane: /* Transcript */ add missing apostrophes

{{comic
| number = 3124
| date = August 4, 2025
| title = Grounded
| image = grounded_2x.png
| imagesize = 294x335px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = We should have you at the gate in just under two hours--two and a half if we get pulled over.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a COP ASKING IF THE PILOT KNOWS WHY THEY WERE PULLED OVER. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic depicts a plane that has been delayed due to unfavorable weather. The pilot and first officer have considered simply driving the plane to the destination instead of waiting for favorable weather to fly, noting that they have considered their maximum taxiing speed and bridge clearance heights. Driving a plane on the public highway is illegal in the state of Massachusetts, where Randall Munroe lives, as vehicles driven in Massachusetts [http://www.mass.gov/register-and-title-your-vehicle must be registered with the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles], while civil aircraft in the United States are typically solely registered [http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry by the Federal Aviation Administration]. Additionally, driving a plane in this matter would be impractical due to the excessive width and height (and maybe length) of the vehicle and the {{w|Jet blast|backwash from the engines}}. Also, jetliners taxi at only 25-35 mph — far slower than a car or bus — and rolling at nearer to {{w|Rotation (aeronautics)|rotation}} speed for prolonged periods would be mechanically problematic, especially on non-straight roads. However, delays in air travel are known for creating desperate situations, discussed in the next section, which could lead the pilot to decide that this approach is worthwhile.

The title text further extends the joke, saying that driving will probably get them pulled over by police and further extend the drive time. However, the drive would probably be extended by more than 30 minutes, and the plane would most likely be stopped, resulting in the drive/flight being curtailed.

===Motives and feasibility===

A number of factors contribute to the dilemma and increase the switching cost of using traditional ground transportation:

* If the plane continues to wait, it may need to do so for several hours.
* Allowing passengers to leave a sealed plane is typically a long process and may (depending on the situation and airport) involve the cancellation of the flight (which airlines are financially incentivized to avoid) or the plane losing its place in the increasingly long line of flights waiting to depart.
* Passengers often have checked luggage that takes a long time to unload and be delivered (a notoriously slow process).
* When a full flight's worth of passengers suddenly need ground transportation to the same place, there is sometimes not enough ground transportation readily available to transport them and their luggage.
* Passengers arriving at another airport via ground transportation and wishing to board a connecting flight would need to pass through security checkpoints and hand over their luggage again, further delaying the process.

The plane appears to have 14 passenger windows on one side, a moderate number associated with a narrow-body / single-aisle aircraft (likely with 4 seats per row - up to 56 passengers and around 4 crew). A plane of this size is more likely to fit on a wide road or under any overpass built for large trucks, compared to a large airliner with possibly hundreds of passengers. Smaller planes are also more commonly used for local flights with fewer passengers. It is possible that the destination is only 70 miles away by road (likely a nearby city of at least moderate size or else the plane would be smaller). Roads around airports are often crowded, but the poor weather may have reduced traffic to and from the airport, or the pilots may be counting on smaller vehicles staying out of their way. If the public roads are viable and local law enforcement does not interfere (or allows the plane to proceed due to jurisdictional confusion), then the largest practical obstacles may be exiting the first airport and entering the second. Large airports restrict access to the tarmac, and since the pilots intend to respect air traffic control's decision to prohibit flight, they would either need several people on the ground to open major gates, or would need to ram at least one sufficiently weak gate or fence at each end.

==Transcript==
:[A plane is at an airport gate, connected to the jet bridge going into an extensive building with many dark windows facing out towards the place. There are several other ground vehicles nearby, one with two empty wagons for luggage. There is also several small traffic cones around the plane. Behind the plane there is another gate with a jet bridge extending from it, but without a plane near it. A voice emanates rom the plane, with a speech line starting at a star burst on top of the plane. The voice makes it clear that it is the captain speaking:]
:Captain’s voice: This is your captain speaking. As you’ve probably noticed, we’re still grounded due to weather
:Captain’s voice: But the first officer and I have been looking at bridge clearance maps and our top taxiing speed, and we have an idea.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Aviation]]

3091: Renormalization

2025-05-19T22:38:58Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ summarize who Endless Mike in the title text is

{{comic
| number = 3091
| date = May 19, 2025
| title = Renormalization
| image = renormalization_2x.png
| imagesize = 221x345px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Applying renormalization to bullies successfully transformed Pete & Pete's Endless Mike into Finite Mike.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by an electron shoved in a locker. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic refers to {{w|renormalization}}.

The title text refers to the character Mike Hellstrom, nicknamed Endless Mike, from the 1989 TV sitcom {{w|The Adventures of Pete & Pete#Enemies|The Adventures of Pete & Pete}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3091: Renormalization

2025-05-19T22:31:44Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ add bare link to the relevant Wikipedia page

{{comic
| number = 3091
| date = May 19, 2025
| title = Renormalization
| image = renormalization_2x.png
| imagesize = 221x345px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Applying renormalization to bullies successfully transformed Pete & Pete's Endless Mike into Finite Mike.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by an electron shoved in a locker. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

This comic refers to {{w|renormalization}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

3015: D&D Combinatorics

2024-11-23T06:04:43Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ make “combinatorial” a link

{{comic
| number = 3015
| date = November 22, 2024
| title = D&D Combinatorics
| image = dnd_combinatorics_2x.png
| imagesize = 328x446px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Look, you can't complain about this after giving us so many scenarios involving N locked chests and M unlabeled keys.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT THAT GRABBED A CURSED ARROW - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a role-playing game that usually has a "Dungeon Master" (narrator) that takes a team of players through scenarios where they attack monsters and go on quests.

Often, there will be semi-random events: e.g., when attacking a monster, often, a player will roll a die and deal damage based on what that die returns. D&D also uses a variety of dice, from regular d6 (6-sided, cubic dice) to other polyhedral dice, with the number of faces denoted by dX (e.g., d10 is a 10-sided die, with numbers from 1 to 10 on it). Common sets include: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and occasionally d100 (typically not, however, the [[2626:_d65536|d65536]]).

With these, you can simulate events with a wide variety of denominators. In this case, Cueball gives a {{w|combinatorics|combinatorial}} problem:

* There are 10 arrows.
* 5 arrows are cursed.
* You randomly take two.
* What are the odds that neither of them are cursed?

Calculating using {{w|binomial coefficients}}, there are “10 choose 2” (45) ways to choose two arrows, of which there are “5 choose 2” (10) ways to choose 2 arrows that are non-cursed. As a result, the odds of taking all non-cursed arrows is 2/9.

The Dungeon Master in this case has to map that probability into rolling multiple dice, whose sums are also not evenly distributed: i.e. if rolling 3d6 (3 six-sided dice) and a d4 (1 four-sided die), the sums can range from 4 to 22. It's pretty hard to do this in one's head, but it does happen that the odds of rolling 16 or more with this combination is 2/9, matching the probability that we want to simulate.

The title text claims that Randall started doing this to the DM after she herself insisted on forcing another combinational logic puzzle on the players several times, involving multiple locked chests and multiple (but a different number) of keys to unlock them with.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball, Megan, Ponytail, White Hat, and Knit Cap are sitting at a table. Everyone is looking at Cueball. Ponytail is facepalming. The table is covered in sheets of paper and assorted dice.] 
:Cueball: I grab 2 of the 10 arrows without looking and fire them, hoping I didn't grab one of the 5 cursed ones. Did I?
:Ponytail: Sigh. Umm. Okay.
:Ponytail: Roll... Uh... Hang on...
:Ponytail: Roll 3d6 and a d4. You need... 16 or better to avoid the cursed arrows.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I got '''''way''''' more annoying to play D&D with once I learned that our DM has a combinatorics degree and can't resist puzzles.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Knit Cap]]
[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:Math]]

Talk:3015: D&D Combinatorics

2024-11-23T06:03:12Z

Roryokane: reword heading of unsigned comment to distinguish it from a later similar heading

The bot originally created this page as “D Combinatorics”. I renamed it to the correct title and tried to get as many of the references as possible (including a few redirects). [[User:JBYoshi|JBYoshi]] ([[User talk:JBYoshi|talk]]) 00:54, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

:The title in the Atom feed (which I'm assuming the bot consumes) is "D Combinatorics". I'm guessing something in Randall's pipeline didn't like the ampersand. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.160|162.158.154.160]] 01:41, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

:By raw combinatorics: 71 + 52 + 34 + 20 + 10 + 4 + 1 ways to get each of 16 - 22 respectively, for a total of 192, out of 4(6^3) = 864 total. 192/864 simplifies to exactly 2/9. I have no idea how Randall found this; if anyone has an idea, please let me know. [[User:Kaisheng21|Kaisheng21]] ([[User talk:Kaisheng21|talk]]) 01:33, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

It seems like we edited the transcript at the same time. The odds of rolling 16 or higher in this situation seem to be 2/9? [[User:Darkmatterisntsquirrels|Darkmatterisntsquirrels]] ([[User talk:Darkmatterisntsquirrels|talk]]) 01:29, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

: There are 864 possible rolls (6 * 6 * 6 * 4). If you enumerate all of the rolls you will find that 192 are 16 or higher. 192/864 = 2/9, the value from the explanation. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.139|172.68.54.139]] 01:41, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

A much simpler approach: Roll two six sided dice and sum the result. You are successful if the result is 5 or 9. That happens 8 times out of 36. 8/36 = 2/9. (Or successful if the sum is 4 or 6, or 2 or 7, or 2,3,4 or 11, or several other combinations.) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.139|172.68.54.139]] 01:41, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
:Clever, but dice rolls in D&D involving summing all the dice, applying modifiers, if any, and then comparing to one or more threshold values. Your method makes it very difficult to apply modifiers. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.8|162.158.41.8]] 02:49, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

Minor quibble, arrows aren't fired (unless they're flaming or self-propelled, perhaps), they are shot. (Shotguns are fired of course.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.73|162.158.41.73]] 02:52, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

Rolling 22 or lower on percentile dice (or, equivalently, 79 or higher) is close enough, and easier to come up with. (Give or take whether 00 is treated as 100 or zero.) Or directly represent the action: roll a d10. If it's 1-5, you lose. If it's 6-10, roll again; if it's 1-5 you lose, 6-9 you win, 10 roll again. (Modify slightly if you want to distinguish the case of grabbing *two* cursed arrows.) [[User:Jordan Brown|Jordan Brown]] ([[User talk:Jordan Brown|talk]]) 03:26, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

== Alternative exact solution for getting this probability using dice ==

Roll: 1d8, 2d6, 1d4 succeed on 19 or higher.

== Alternative way to calculate the probability of drawing two non-cursed arrows ==

I couldn’t remember the formula for binomial coefficients (“n choose k”), but there’s an easy way to calculate that the probability of drawing no cursed arrows is 2/9 without that formula. You just need to multiply the probabilities that each of the arrows drawn is not cursed. Since only two arrows are drawn, you only have to multiply two numbers.

The probability that the first arrow is not cursed is 5/10 – there are 5 non-cursed arrows and 5 cursed arrows out of 10 total. After taking out one non-cursed arrow, there are 4 non-cursed arrows and 5 cursed arrows out of 9 total, so the probability that the second arrow is not cursed is 4/9. Multiplying the two probabilities, the probability of drawing two non-cursed arrows is (4*5)/(10*9) = 20/90 = 2/9.

I was considering writing this observation in the Explanation section of the page, but I’m not if it belongs there. This solution avoids using formulas from combinatorics, so it might not be connected enough to the comic.—[[User:Roryokane|Roryokane]] ([[User talk:Roryokane|talk]]) 06:02, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

Talk:3015: D&D Combinatorics

2024-11-23T06:02:30Z

Roryokane: /* Alternative way to calculate the probability of drawing two non-cursed arrows */ new section

The bot originally created this page as “D Combinatorics”. I renamed it to the correct title and tried to get as many of the references as possible (including a few redirects). [[User:JBYoshi|JBYoshi]] ([[User talk:JBYoshi|talk]]) 00:54, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

:The title in the Atom feed (which I'm assuming the bot consumes) is "D Combinatorics". I'm guessing something in Randall's pipeline didn't like the ampersand. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.160|162.158.154.160]] 01:41, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

:By raw combinatorics: 71 + 52 + 34 + 20 + 10 + 4 + 1 ways to get each of 16 - 22 respectively, for a total of 192, out of 4(6^3) = 864 total. 192/864 simplifies to exactly 2/9. I have no idea how Randall found this; if anyone has an idea, please let me know. [[User:Kaisheng21|Kaisheng21]] ([[User talk:Kaisheng21|talk]]) 01:33, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

It seems like we edited the transcript at the same time. The odds of rolling 16 or higher in this situation seem to be 2/9? [[User:Darkmatterisntsquirrels|Darkmatterisntsquirrels]] ([[User talk:Darkmatterisntsquirrels|talk]]) 01:29, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

: There are 864 possible rolls (6 * 6 * 6 * 4). If you enumerate all of the rolls you will find that 192 are 16 or higher. 192/864 = 2/9, the value from the explanation. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.139|172.68.54.139]] 01:41, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

A much simpler approach: Roll two six sided dice and sum the result. You are successful if the result is 5 or 9. That happens 8 times out of 36. 8/36 = 2/9. (Or successful if the sum is 4 or 6, or 2 or 7, or 2,3,4 or 11, or several other combinations.) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.139|172.68.54.139]] 01:41, 23 November 2024 (UTC)
:Clever, but dice rolls in D&D involving summing all the dice, applying modifiers, if any, and then comparing to one or more threshold values. Your method makes it very difficult to apply modifiers. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.8|162.158.41.8]] 02:49, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

Minor quibble, arrows aren't fired (unless they're flaming or self-propelled, perhaps), they are shot. (Shotguns are fired of course.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.73|162.158.41.73]] 02:52, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

Rolling 22 or lower on percentile dice (or, equivalently, 79 or higher) is close enough, and easier to come up with. (Give or take whether 00 is treated as 100 or zero.) Or directly represent the action: roll a d10. If it's 1-5, you lose. If it's 6-10, roll again; if it's 1-5 you lose, 6-9 you win, 10 roll again. (Modify slightly if you want to distinguish the case of grabbing *two* cursed arrows.) [[User:Jordan Brown|Jordan Brown]] ([[User talk:Jordan Brown|talk]]) 03:26, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

== Alternative exact solution ==

Roll: 1d8, 2d6, 1d4 succeed on 19 or higher.

== Alternative way to calculate the probability of drawing two non-cursed arrows ==

I couldn’t remember the formula for binomial coefficients (“n choose k”), but there’s an easy way to calculate that the probability of drawing no cursed arrows is 2/9 without that formula. You just need to multiply the probabilities that each of the arrows drawn is not cursed. Since only two arrows are drawn, you only have to multiply two numbers.

The probability that the first arrow is not cursed is 5/10 – there are 5 non-cursed arrows and 5 cursed arrows out of 10 total. After taking out one non-cursed arrow, there are 4 non-cursed arrows and 5 cursed arrows out of 9 total, so the probability that the second arrow is not cursed is 4/9. Multiplying the two probabilities, the probability of drawing two non-cursed arrows is (4*5)/(10*9) = 20/90 = 2/9.

I was considering writing this observation in the Explanation section of the page, but I’m not if it belongs there. This solution avoids using formulas from combinatorics, so it might not be connected enough to the comic.—[[User:Roryokane|Roryokane]] ([[User talk:Roryokane|talk]]) 06:02, 23 November 2024 (UTC)

3015: D&D Combinatorics

2024-11-23T05:45:49Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ link to “binomial coefficients” page

{{comic
| number = 3015
| date = November 22, 2024
| title = D&D Combinatorics
| image = dnd_combinatorics_2x.png
| imagesize = 328x446px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Look, you can't complain about this after giving us so many scenarios involving N locked chests and M unlabeled keys.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT THAT GRABBED A CURSED ARROW - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) is a role-playing game that usually has a "Dungeon Master" (narrator) that takes a team of players through scenarios where they attack monsters and go on quests.

Often, there will be semi-random events: e.g., when attacking a monster, often, a player will roll a die and deal damage based on what that die returns. D&D also uses a variety of dice, from regular d6 (6-sided, cubic dice) to other polyhedral dice, with the number of faces denoted by dX (e.g., d10 is a 10-sided die, with numbers from 1 to 10 on it). Common sets include: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and occasionally d100 (typically not, however, the [[2626:_d65536|d65536]]).

With these, you can simulate events with a wide variety of denominators. In this case, Cueball gives a combinatorial problem:

* There are 10 arrows.
* 5 arrows are cursed.
* You randomly take two.
* What are the odds that neither of them are cursed?

Calculating using {{w|binomial coefficients}}, there are “10 choose 2” (45) ways to choose two arrows, of which there are “5 choose 2” (10) ways to choose 2 arrows that are non-cursed. As a result, the odds of taking all non-cursed arrows is 2/9.

The Dungeon Master in this case has to map that probability into rolling multiple dice, whose sums are also not evenly distributed: i.e. if rolling 3d6 (3 six-sided dice) and a d4 (1 four-sided die), the sums can range from 4 to 22. It's pretty hard to do this in one's head, but it does happen that the odds of rolling 16 or more with this combination is 2/9, matching the probability that we want to simulate.

The title text claims that Randall started doing this to the DM after she herself insisted on forcing another combinational logic puzzle on the players several times, involving multiple locked chests and multiple (but a different number) of keys to unlock them with.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Cueball, Megan, Ponytail, White Hat, and Knit Cap are sitting at a table. Everyone is looking at Cueball. Ponytail is facepalming. The table is covered in sheets of paper and assorted dice.] 
:Cueball: I grab 2 of the 10 arrows without looking and fire them, hoping I didn't grab one of the 5 cursed ones. Did I?
:Ponytail: Sigh. Umm. Okay.
:Ponytail: Roll... Uh... Hang on...
:Ponytail: Roll 3d6 and a d4. You need... 16 or better to avoid the cursed arrows.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I got '''''way''''' more annoying to play D&D with once I learned that our DM has a combinatorics degree and can't resist puzzles.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Knit Cap]]
[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:Math]]

2976: Time Traveler Causes of Death

2024-08-24T16:57:04Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ fix spelling of “they”

{{comic
| number = 2976
| date = August 23, 2024
| title = Time Traveler Causes of Death
| image = time_traveler_causes_of_death_2x.png
| imagesize = 332x677px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Many a hungry time traveler has Googled 'trilobites shellfish allergy' only to find their carrier had no coverage in the Ordovician.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a TIME TRAVELLING BOT WITH NO CELL SERVICE IN THE PROTOZOIC ERA- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Time travel is a common sci-fi/fantasy plot, in which someone from one era is sent forward or backward in time to another era. Normally, the travel itself goes off without a hitch, with the usual threats to the time traveler being what happens at some point ''after'' they arrive at their destination. More rarely, a time traveler might immediately encounter some hazard because of where their time travel method has deposited them.

This comic takes the latter situation to the extreme, observing different causes of death for potential time travelers through the ages based on the geologic evolution of Earth from its formation over 4 billion years ago to the present; see detailed explanation in the [[#Table of death causes|table]]. The chart shows only the most likely cause for a given period of time, although the title text reveals that there may always be others possible.

The title text suggests that an alternative fate within the "eaten by fish" era is the exact opposite - eating something hazardous. A time traveler, having fortuitously avoided the primary "Starving" fate of the prior era, may try eating a {{w|trilobite}}, a kind of shellfish. They may find that either some existing allergy is triggered by this prehistoric shellfish, or that the creatures of that age spark a new allergic condition that (as a modern human) they were not previously aware of. A person with a known allergy might check for the possible presence of a problematic ingredient in a potential snack by referencing online resources - a facility that is not available here, with the smartphone stuck in the past, long before any network is available to connect to (notwithstanding that Google Search has not existed historically for more than three decades). Alternatively, suspecting the food they've eaten has not agreed with them, they could find they are denied easy access to the best online information on how to properly treat their symptoms.

===Table of death causes===
{| class=wikitable
! scope="col" | Cause of death
! Scope=“col” | Time frame
! scope="col" | Explanation
|-
| Lava || Earth Forms || During the formation of the Earth, the surface was a hellish landscape of lava.
|-
| Asphyxiation || 4 billion years ago || Before {{w|cyanobacteria}} started photosynthesizing and producing oxygen, the atmosphere of the Earth was mainly composed of hydrogen sulfide, methane, and carbon dioxide. Humans need oxygen to breathe.{{citation needed}}
|-
| Meteors || 3.9 billion years ago || During the hypothesized {{w|Late Heavy Bombardment}}, the Earth's surface was subjected to a large number of asteroid and comet impacts, destroying much of Earth's early crust. According to the table, the heavy bombardment was so severe that this was the most likely cause of death during a period when there where still no oxygen. Even when these meteors came at an alarming rate, however, the chance of being hit by one of these before asphyxiation in an atmosphere without any oxygen seems remote. Of course if the time machine had some oxygen along with it and the reason people died from lack of oxygen was that they stayed there for a long time, the chance of death-by-meteor would increase.
|-
| Asphyxiation || 3 billion years ago || See above.
|-
| Slightly slower asphyxiation || 2 billion years ago|| Cyanobacteria had started photosynthesizing, leading to the {{w|Great Oxygenation Event|Oxygen Catastrophe}}, but oxygen levels still weren’t high enough to support human life.
|-
| Freezing || Less than 1 billion years ago || During the {{w|Cryogenian|Cryogenian Ice Age}}, the Earth’s temperature fell to -12°C, much too cold to support human life if not properly prepared.
|-
| Starving || 600 to 485 million years ago || During this time, the temperature was mild and comfortable; however, the only life during this time was single-cell organisms and – especially later – tiny multicellular organisms, which humans cannot eat or would not tolerate.
|-
| Eaten by fish || 485 to 250 million years ago || During the {{w|Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event}} and subsequent times, fish {{w|Evolution of fish|evolved jaws}} and some species grew quite large.
|-
| Trampled || 252 to 66 million years ago || The {{w|Mesozoic Era}} is often called the “Age of Dinosaurs." The majority of these dinosaurs were herbivorous and many were quite large, so being eaten would be less likely than being trampled on.
Note that this is an almost exact inversion of what happens in the classic story ''{{w|A Sound of Thunder}}'', in which the traveler survives personally unscathed but tramples an 'age of dinosaur' creature (to unfortunate effect).
|-
| Eaten by mammals || 66 million years ago to sometime before now || The {{w|Cenozoic Era}}, which began 66 million years ago, is often referred to as the "Age of Mammals". Though some eras have more likely causes of death (such as wars, but that would basically be during the "Now" period in the table), overall being eaten by large mammals is probably the biggest risk.
|-
| Time machine door gets stuck || Roughly present day || As the timeline approaches the present day, the conditions on Earth become more than suitable enough for a human time traveler to survive extended periods of time — as evidenced by the fact hominids and early humans begin to emerge. As such there's nothing else more likely to kill them than getting stuck in the time machine and starving (or, if the time machine is air-tight, asphyxiating). This assumes the Time Machine is also a {{w|Faraday Cage}} (that can block the signal of an emergency call) or the traveler doesn't take their phone with them, although the title text indicates they will. Or that the "Now" period extends back before cell phones and compatible cellular networks, maybe covering the entire period of human civilization.
|-
|}

==Transcript==
:[A chart with a time line going from top to bottom is shown. Starting when the Earth forms and ending at present day. The chart is a rectangle divided into 11 segments. Each segment has a label written inside it, except the bottom which is too thin, thus the label is to the right of the chart with an arrow pointing to the segment. The left side of the chart is a timeline with ticks and labels for the time period. At the top an arrow points to the top left corner of the chart with a label indicating the starting time. And then there are 5 ticks, the first four equidistant and then only half the distance for the last tick. A final label is at the bottom of the chart. Above the chart there is a heading:]
:Top causes of death for time travelers by geologic era:

:[Text in the table from the top, with the time to the left differentiated from the labels which are indented:]
:Earth forms
::Lava
::Asphyxiation
:4 billion years ago
::Meteors
::Asphyxiation
:3 billion years ago
:2 billion years ago
::Slightly slower asphyxiation
:1 billion years ago
::Freezing
::Starving
:500 million years ago
::Eaten by fish
::Trampled
::Eaten by mammals
:Now
::Time machine door gets stuck

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Time travel]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Animals]]

2957: A Crossword Puzzle

2024-07-12T01:57:06Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation of clues */ linkify “rhyme scheme”

{{comic
| number = 2957
| date = July 10, 2024
| title = A Crossword Puzzle
| image = a_crossword_puzzle_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x937px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Hint: If you ever encounter this puzzle in a crossword app, just [term for someone with a competitive and high-achieving personality].
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CROSSWORD MAKER FREE FALLING - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{notice|<big>'''SPOILER ALERT!'''</big> If you read on without trying to look at the crossword clues first, the joke is spoiled and your chance of finding out the joke yourself is gone instantly!|image=warning!!.png}}

This is a crossword puzzle. On a surface level, the answers seem extremely difficult, with questions covering a wide variety of trivia, linguistics, mathematics in various forms, alongside wordplay typical of crossword puzzles. But the joke is that every single letter of every single answer is "A".

The name of this comic, “A Crossword Puzzle”, is a double entendre; the “A” can be interpreted both as the indefinite article “a”, and as an identifier saying that this crossword puzzle is specifically an “A” puzzle, due to the answer being all “a”s.

The title text is a play on a "type A" personality. The term for someone with a competitive and high-achieving personality is "Type A". In the context of the title text, this answer is a hint that the entire puzzle can be completed in a crossword-solving app by typing the letter A repeatedly.

==Explanation of clues==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|-
! Location !! Clue !! Explanation !! Squares
|-
| 1-Across || Famous Pvt. Wilhelm quote || Reference to the {{w|Wilhelm scream}}. || 10
|-
| 11-Across || {{w|IPv6}} address record || An IPv4 record is an "A" record; an IPv6 record is four times the length and is designated an "AAAA" record. || 4
|-
| 15-Across || “CIPHERTEXT” decrypted with Vigenère key “CIPHERTEXT” || A "{{w|Vigenère Cipher}}" translates the original text by the distance from A from the key, letter by letter. For instance, if the plaintext is "XK" and the key is "CD", the C shifts X 2 forward to become Z, and the D shifts K 3 forward to become N, yielding a ciphertext of "ZN". Since the ciphertext and the key are the same in this case, decryption just shifts all the letters back to A, akin to subtracting a number from itself and getting 0. || 10
|-
| 16-Across || 8mm diameter battery || An {{w|AAAA battery}} is a 1.5 V battery that measures 8.3 mm in diameter, 2.2 mm smaller than the more common AAA battery. || 4
|-
| 17-Across || “Warthog” attack aircraft || The {{w|A-10 Warthog}} is an attack aircraft. Here, A-10 has been turned into AAAAAAAAAA (ten As). || 10
|-
| 18-Across || '''E'''ve'''r'''y t'''h'''ir'''d''' le'''t'''te'''r''' in the word for “inability to visualize” || {{w|Aphantasia}} is the inability to experience mental images. Following the example of the pattern in the clue, taking the first letter and every third one after (rather than just every third letter) we determine that '''A'''ph'''a'''nt'''a'''si'''a''' gives us the word "aaaa". This clue is particularly mean because of how it instructs you to visualize the letters highlighted within the word in order to get the answer. || 4
|-
| 19-Across || An {{w|acrostic}} hidden on the first page of the dictionary || The first page of the dictionary (if you ignore the copyright page and the index) is the list of words starting with A. An acrostic of this page, taking the first letter of each line and arranging them in order, would just be a sequence of As. || 10
|-
| 21-Across || Default paper size in Europe || {{w|A4 paper}} (here written as AAAA) is the default size in Europe. At 210x297 mm, it is approximately 0.24" narrower and 0.71" longer than the 8.5"x11" paper used in the United States, and due to having an aspect ratio of 1:sqrt(2), can be cut in half to create two half-sized sheets with exactly the same aspect ratio. || 4
|-
| 22-Across || First four unary strings || A unary number system represents numbers using just one symbol. For example, 7 in unary would be 1111111. The first four strings in unary, if you used A as the first (and only) symbol, would be A, AA, AAA, AAAA. || 10
|-
| 23-Across || Lysine codon || {{w|Lysine}} is an amino acid, with codons AAA and AAG. || 3
|-
| 24-Across || 40 CFR Part 63 subpart concerning asphalt pollution || [https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-C/part-63?toc=1 "40 CFR Part 63"] refers to federal air pollutant regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations. The subpart for "asphalt processing and asphalt roofing manufacturing" is AAAAAAA. || 7
|-
| 25-Across || Top bond credit rating || The highest {{w|credit rating}} for bonds is AAA. || 3
|-
| 26-Across || Audi coupe || First of three Audi references. {{w|List_of_Audi_vehicles|Audi's car models}} range from A1 (subcompact hatchback) to A8 (full-size luxury sedan); the A5, the one referenced here, is a compact executive {{w|coupe}}. || 5
|-
| 27-Across || A pair of small remote batteries, when inserted || Two {{w|AAA_battery|AAA}} batteries, which are often used to power remote controls for domestic devices. These have been combined to give AAAAAA — "Inserted" is often a cryptic hint that one word should surround another, although such a cryptic clue would normally also contain a more direct clue (albeit ambiguously) to the full answer. || 6
|-
| 29-Across || Unofficial Howard Dean slogan || A reference to Howard Dean, an American Democrat who ran for the party's nomination in 2004. He famously [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6i-gYRAwM0 yelled at a rally] in a way that was thought to be bizarre and which, it is thought, doomed his campaign. || 7
|-
| 32-Across || A 4.0 report card || A 4.0 GPA, at least {{w|Academic_grading_in_the_United_States|in the USA}}, is all As. This clue assumes seven classes. || 7
|-
| 33-Across || The “Harlem Globetrotters of baseball” (vowels only) || The {{w|Savannah Bananas}}, the vowels for whom are aaaaaa. || 6
|-
| 34-Across || 2018 Kiefer song || [https://genius.com/Kiefer-aaaaa-lyrics AAAAA]. || 5
|-
| 35-Across || Top Minor League tier || The top {{w|Minor League Baseball}} tier is AAA. || 3
|-
| 36-Across || Reply elicited by a dentist || Dentists ask patients to "say aaaaaaa", i.e., "open up". This could also be an expression of pain, particularly the only kind you can make with dental tools in your mouth. (As the band {{w|Autechre}} put it, [https://youtu.be/UppsLKz1iD4 "Now, I don't want you to panic... just lean back and relax."]) || 7
|-
| 38-Across || Anaa’s airport || {{w|Anaa}} is an atoll in the {{w|Tuamotu archipelago}} of {{w|French Polynesia}}. AAA is the {{w|IATA}} code for its airport. || 3
|-
| 41-Across || Macaulay Culkin’s review of aftershave || In the movie {{w|Home Alone}}, Kevin (played by {{w|Macaulay Culkin}}) puts on his father's aftershave lotion. The six-year-old boy is not used to the lotion's antiseptic and screams as the stinging sensation kicks in. || 10
|-
| 43-Across || Marketing agency trade grp. || The {{w|American Association of Advertising Agencies}}, also called the 4As (here AAAA). || 4
|-
| 44-Across || Soaring climax of Linda Eder’s ''Man of La Mancha'' || Refers to [https://youtu.be/BWP7l0OTXJI?t=130 the 18 second long wordless passage in Eder's opus], or possibly the final high note in the song The Impossible Dream. || 10
|-
| 46-Across || Military flight community org. || The {{w|Army Aviation Association of America}}, or AAAA. || 4
|-
| 47-Across || Iconic line from ''Tarzan'' || Tarzan has a famous {{w|Tarzan yell|war cry}} he shouts, usually when swinging from a vine. || 10
|-
| 48-Across || '''E'''v'''e'''r'''y''' o'''t'''h'''e'''r letter of Jimmy Wales’s birth state || The birth state of {{w|Jimmy Wales}}, the co-founder of Wikipedia, is Alabama. Taking every other letter of '''A'''l'''a'''b'''a'''m'''a''' gives "Aaaa". || 4
|-
| 49-Across || Warthog’s postscript after “They call me ''mister'' pig!” || Pumba in {{w|The Lion King}} yells "aaaaaaaaaa" while charging at the hyenas who insulted him. || 10
|-
| 50-Across || Message to Elsa in ''Frozen 2'' || The call which Elsa hears in {{w|Frozen 2}} is a sequence of four notes which resemble the requiem music {{w|Dies Irae#Music|Dies irae}}. The sequence is sung entirely with an open rounded vowel sound, or a soft "a" sound. || 4
|-
| 51-Across || Lola, when betting it all on Black 20 in ''Run Lola Run'' || In ''{{w|Run Lola Run}}'', Lola ({{w|Franka Potente}}) [https://youtu.be/OTSz1w-cuZM?si=2vc51WCWvn20Hjoo&t=116 screams loud enough to affect the outcome] of a roulette wheel where she has just bet all her money on Black 20. The scream could be transcribed as "AAAAAAAAAAA" || 10
|-
| 1-Down || Game featuring “a reckless disregard for gravity” || {{w|AaAaAA!!! – A Reckless Disregard for Gravity}} - notably the title is commonly extended in promotional material beyond 6 As. || 6
|-
| 2-Down || 1010101010101010101010102→16 || 10101010 10101010 10101010 in binary is equivalent to "AAAAAA" in hexadecimal. || 6
|-
| 3-Down || Google phone released July ’22 || The {{w|Pixel 6a}} was released in July 22. Stylized in this puzzle as "AAAAAA" ('A'*6) || 6
|-
| 4-Down || It’s five times better than that ''other'' steak sauce || Five times better than {{w|A1 steak sauce}} would be A5, stylized in this puzzle as AAAAA. || 5
|-
| 5-Down || ToHex(43690) || The decimal number 43690 converted to hexadecimal is AAAA. || 4
|-
| 6-Down || Freddie Mercury lyric from ''Under Pressure'' || A drawn-out 'Aaaaahhhh' rising in pitch. || 15
|-
| 7-Down || Full-size Audi luxury sedan || Second of three Audi references. As mentioned previously, the A8 referenced here is their full-size luxury sedan. || 8
|-
| 8-Down || Fast path through a multiple choice marketing survey || The "fast path" is just to select the first option over and over again. Usually the options are labeled A, B, C, and D (or more) - choosing the first option for every question would be answering entirely with As. || 7
|-
| 9-Down || 12356631 in base 26 || Randall is expressing base 26 using the letters of the alphabet with 1=A, in which case 1235663110 = AAAAAA26. (It's unclear how one would express the digit 026 this way.) || 6
|-
| 10-Down || Viral Jimmy Barnes chorus || A reference to the music video for Kirin J Callinan's song '{{w|Big Enough}}', which features rocker {{w|Jimmy Barnes}} in a cowboy hat screaming "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" while in the sky over mountain scenes. || 15
|-
| 11-Down || Ruby Rhod catchphrase || Ruby Rhod is a radio host in the film '{{w|The Fifth Element}}'; he has a scene with a memorable scream. || 5
|-
| 12-Down || badbeef + 9efcebbb || In hexadecimal, badbeef and 9efcebbb add together to equal AAAAAAAA (195,935,983, 2,667,375,547, and 2,863,311,530 in decimal respectively). || 8
|-
| 13-Down || In Wet Leg’s ''Ur Mum'', what the singer has been practicing || In the song "{{w|Ur Mum}}" by {{w|Wet Leg}}, the bridge starts with "Okay, I've been practicing my longest and loudest scream", which is apparently eight As long. || 8
|-
| 14-Down || Refrain from Nora Reed bot || The "Endless Scream" bot on social media, made by Nora Reed, posts "AAAAAAAAAAA" (with or without an h) at varying lengths. || 8
|-
| 20-Down || Mario button presses to ascend Minas Tirith’s walls || In Mario games you typically use the A button to jump. In games where you don't press a button to move (e.g., games with a joystick), then the button presses required to ascend a vertical structure would probably all be A. This clue might have been inspired by the {{w|A-button challenge}} / [https://ukikipedia.net/wiki/A_Button_Challenge A Button Challenge], which tallies the number of A presses needed to beat ''Super Mario 64''. Additionally, {{w|Minas Tirith}} is a fictional city in {{w|Lord of the Rings}} with seven concentric rings, each with a wall around it and higher than the last ring. Presumably, it takes seven jumps to get to the highest area of the city, so the answer is "AAAAAAA". || 7
|-
| 24-Down || Vermont historic route north from Bennington || {{w|Vermont Route 7A}}, or AAAAAAA. || 7
|-
| 26-Down || High-budget video game || A high-budget video game is usually referred to as a Triple-A game, or AAA. || 3
|-
| 28-Down || Unorthodox Tic-tac-toe win || {{w|Tic-tac-toe}} is usually won by getting either three Xs or three Os in a row, making XXX and OOO normal Tic-tac-toe wins. One could achieve a win of AAA by making the unorthodox choice of playing with the letter A instead of X or O. Alternatively, Randall is envisaging the grid as defined by rows 1, 2, 3, and columns A, B, C, so an AAA win would be simply playing in the first column each time - a strategy which should be obvious and easy to stop, even for young children who have not yet worked out that ''any'' route to winning can be blocked. || 3
|-
| 29-Down || String whose SHA-256 hash ends “…689510285e212385” || <code>printf AAAAAAAA <nowiki>|</nowiki> sha256sum</code> outputs <code>c34ab6abb7b2bb595bc25c3b388c872fd1d575819a8f55cc689510285e212385</code>.
Note that this 'clue' would be normally be ''particularly'' difficult, in isolation, as the nature of a {{w|hash function}} means that it is possible for multiple inputs to produce a given output, and that finding any of these (and definitely identifying ''all'' of them, to ensure you have the correct original) would require a {{w|brute-force attack}}; i.e. a test of all possible initial states to discover which of them might be viable candidates. Even more problematic is that we are only given a partial hash string, meaning we are possibly talking of a multiple of full hashes, each of them with a possible multiplicity of original plaintexts behind them.
 The number of possible hashes in the clue is 1664/1616, i.e. 1648, or approximately 6x1054, although there really is no reason (aside from the fundamental impracticality) to try to solve this problem from each and every 'hash end'. Instead you would 'only' check every combination of 8 letters (presuming no digits, punctuation or whitespace would be inserted, that no 'foreign'/accented characters are present and that uppercase is universally presumed, is 268; i.e. ~208 {{w|billion|short-scale billion}} possibilities) and discover which (one?) of these sufficiently matches the hash fragment given. Testing a hundred of these every second, it would take a little over 66 ''years'' to complete the task of checking every single possibility (rather than stopping at the first confirmed answer, which might well be the initial one in this particular case).
 In the context of a crossword such as this, however, you can significantly reduce this search by having established (or at least sufficiently narrowed down) the answers to the various across-clues which intersect with ever character of it (this form of crossword grid being of the {{w|Crossword#American-style crosswords|dense type}}, with no singly-clued spaces as with the more open lattice-types), reducing the necessary checks drastically. This could mean, having solved at least some of the perpendicular answers, that you have enough information to 'guess' at some likely answer, and then merely need to ''confirm'' that whatever guess(es) you make will resolve themselves into the clue-answer provided. (Much as you might with a more normally difficult clue, where you merely have to satisfy yourself that the surprise answer is at least justified as resulting from the original hint.)
| 8
|-
| 30-Down || Arnold’s remark to the Predator || A reference to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsFYPVxHKdc this scene] from '{{w|Predator (film)|Predator}}'. || 8
|-
| 31-Down || The vowels in the fire salamander’s binomial name || The vowels in {{w|Salamandra salamandra}} are aaaaaaaa. || 8
|-
| 32-Down || Janet Leigh ''Psycho'' line || The iconic scene in ''{{w|Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho}}'' is the shower scene, in which {{w|Janet Leigh}} gives a long piercing scream as she is murdered. This can be written as 8 As if one wishes. || 8
|-
| 34-Down || Seven 440Hz pulses || A sound with a frequency of 440 Hz is a middle "A" note. Seven such pulses would be AAAAAAA. || 7
|-
| 37-Down || Audi luxury sports sedan || Third of three Audi references. The A6, the one referenced here, is their executive car. Actually, the A7, their executive liftback sedan, would fit the prompt of "luxury sports sedan" better, but 37-Down only has room for six As. || 6
|-
| 38-Down || A half-dozen eggs with reasonably firm yolks || Eggs can be [https://www.saudereggs.com/blog/egg-grading-system/ "graded on a variety of aspects"], with grades B, A, or AA. Eggs with a reasonably firm yolk are graded A, so having half a dozen of them gives you AAAAAA eggs. || 6
|-
| 39-Down || 2-2-2-2-2-2 on a multitap phone keypad || A "{{w|multi-tap|multitap keyboard}}" is a text entry system for mobile phones. Most numbers are associated with three letters, and tapping the same number multiple times in rapid succession selects the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd number. 2 is "A", 22 is "B", 222 is "C", 3 is "D", etc. 2-2-2-2-2-2 translates to "AAAAAA". || 6
|-
| 40-Down || .- .- .- .- .- .- || .- is {{w|Morse Code}} for A. It reads out as AAAAAA. || 6
|-
| 42-Down || Rating for China’s best tourist attractions || China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism provides ratings for many tourist attractions in China on a scale from A to AAAAA, with AAAAA being the best. Examples of well-known tourist attractions with the AAAAA rating include the {{w|Forbidden City}}, sections of the {{w|Great Wall of China}}, and the {{w|Terracotta Army}}. || 5
|-
| 43-Down || Standard drumstick size || 5A is a common, middle-range size for drumsticks (the sticks used to play drums, not the drumsticks that get eaten). Here, it's written as AAAAA. || 5
|-
| 45-Down || “The rain/in Spain/falls main-/ly on the plain” rhyme scheme || An AAAA {{w|rhyme scheme}} means each of the four lines ends with the same sound. || 4
|}

==Transcript==
:[A square 15x15 crossword puzzle is shown. Only 21 of the 225 squares are black. The black squares are in a pattern that are 180 degree rotationally symmetrical. Three black squares down from the 11th column and similarly three black squares up from the 5th column. Three black squares out from the right in row 7 and then two more black squares diagonally up from the end. Similarly three black squares out from the left in row 9 with two more black squares diagonally down from the end. A single black square is three above the first black square on the diagonal going down to the right and similarly there is a black square three under the first of the diagonal squares going down to the left. (Row 6 column 12 and Row 10 column 4). Finally there are three black squares on a diagonal crossing over the central point by going up from the left through the central point (Row 8 column 8). There are numbers at the top of every column (except the one that is a black square) and similarly at the left edge of all rows (except the one that is a black square). There are also numbers at the bottom of every black segment (except the one that reaches the bottom) and all rows after black segments except the one that reaches the right edge. In total all numbers from 1 to 51 is written. They are written in reading order from 1 to 51.]
:1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51

:[Below the square there are two rows of clues for each number that belongs to across (rows) and to the right there are one row of clues for each number that belongs to down (columns). Both segments have an underlined and bold title above the clues. ]
:<big>'''Across'''</big>
:1. Famous Pvt. Wilhelm quote
:11. IPv6 address record
:15. "CIPHERTEXT" decrypted with Vigenère key "CIPHERTEXT"
:16. 8mm diameter battery
:17. "Warthog" attack aircraft
:18. '''E'''ve'''r'''y t'''h'''ir'''d''' le'''t'''te'''r''' in the word for "inability to visualize"
:19. An acrostic hidden on the first page of the dictionary
:21. Default paper size in Europe
:22. First four unary strings
:23. Lysine codon
:24. 40 CFR Part 63 subpart concerning asphalt pollution
:25. Top bond credit rating
:26. Audi coupe
:27. A pair of small remote batteries, when inserted
:29. Unofficial Howard Dean slogan
:32. A 4.0 report card
:33. The "Harlem Globetrotters of baseball" (vowels only)
:34. 2018 Kiefer song
:35. Top Minor League tier
:36. Reply elicited by a dentist
:38. ANAA's airport
:41. Macaulay Culkin's review of aftershave
:43. Marketing agency trade grp.
:44. Soaring climax of Linda Eder's ''Man of La Mancha''
:46. Military flight community org.
:47. Iconic line from ''Tarzan''
:48. '''E''''''v''''''e''''''r''''''y'''''' o''''''t''''''h''''''e''''''r''' letter of Jimmy Wales's birth state
:49. Warthog's postscript after "They call me ''mister'' pig!"
:50. Message to Elsa in ''Frozen 2''
:51. Lola, when betting it all on Black 20 in ''Run Lola Run''

:<big>'''Down'''</big>
:1. Game featuring "a reckless disregard for gravity"
:2. 1010101010101010101010102→16
:3. Google phone released July '22
:4. It's five times better than that ''other'' steak sauce
:5. ToHex(43690)
:6. Freddie Mercury lyric from ''Under Pressure''
:7. Full-size Audi luxury sedan
:8. Fast path through a multiple choice marketing survey
:9. 12356631 in base 26
:10. Viral Jimmy Barnes chorus
:11. Ruby Rhod catchphrase
:12. badbeef + 9efcebbb
:13. In Wet Leg's ''Ur Mum'', what the singer has been practicing
:14. Refrain from Nora Reed bot
:20. Mario button presses to ascend Minas Tirith's walls
:24. Vermont historic route north from Bennington
:26. High-budget video game
:28. Unorthodox Tic-Tac-Toe win
:29. String whose SHA-256 hash ends "...689510285e212385"
:30. Arnold's remark to the Predator
:31. The vowels in the fire salamander's binomial name
:32. Janet Leigh ''Psycho'' line
:34. Seven 440Hz pulses
:37. Audi luxury sports sedan
:38. A half-dozen eggs with reasonably firm yolks
:39. 2-2-2-2-2-2 on a multitap phone keypad
:40. .- .- .- .- .- .-
:42. Rating for China's best tourist attractions
:43. Standard drumstick size
:45. "The rain/in Spain/falls main-/ly on the plain" rhyme scheme

==Trivia==
*This comic got a [[Header_text#A_Crossword_Puzzle|comic-specific header text]] after the first day it was up.
**This was because one of the comics Randall lists as one of those he enjoys, [https://www.buttersafe.com/ Buttersafe], had already posted a similar comic back in 2011: [https://www.buttersafe.com/2011/02/17/crosswords/ Crosswords].
**Randall had forgotten this, but now pays tribute to this, stating that he must have been accidentally inspired by that comic.
*[[User:Elfakyn|Elfakyn]] posted a link to a picture of the solved crossword puzzle in the [[Talk:2957:_A_Crossword_Puzzle#Solved_puzzle_picture|comments]] and allowed it to be included here:
[[File:2957_A-Crossword_Puzzle-Solved.png]]
*All the black squares are in a symmetrical pattern, which is generally the case for crossword puzzles in the US and UK. See description of the pattern in the [[#Transcript|transcript]].
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Language]]

2939: Complexity Analysis

2024-05-31T13:45:57Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ add example of unnecessary, best-case algorithm

{{comic
| number = 2939
| date = May 29, 2024
| title = Complexity Analysis
| image = complexity_analysis_2x.png
| imagesize = 430x361px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = PERPETUALLY OPTIMISTIC CASE: Early in the execution, our research group makes a breakthrough in proving P=NP.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a PROBABLY DETERMINISTIC BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[Cueball]] is teaching about an algorithm's complexity. The average-case complexity of the algorithm is written in {{w|Big O notation}} as O(''n'' log ''n''), expressing the asymptotic runtime of the algorithm as the number of inputs to it grows larger and larger.

The comic's joke involves taking the terms "best case" and "worst case" far more broadly and literally than intended. Cueball presents not just the best/worst cases for the data input into the function, but also the global environment as a whole, taking in factors such as the United States Congress which should fall ''far'' outside the algorithm's scope.

In particular, the joke regards the analysis of a closed system, which is common in engineering. Recently, technology has become so prevalent and integrated with humanity, that conventionally closed systems are now behaving openly. Results regarding external feedback on engineering choices have been emerging on the world stage. People have been engineering more and more for the larger situation possibly using more {{w|Game theory}} than Big O, but continuing to use the analytical approaches that assume systems are closed produces ridiculous results because living beings and societies are now in the loop.

An algorithm's "best case" is typically its runtime when its inputs have optimal values and it runs in as little time as possible. One example would be a sorting algorithm that is called with an already-sorted list of numbers. The joke here is that not only does it run quicker than this by being terminated early because it's 'unnecessary', but its runtime appears to be an hour shorter still because of an act of Congress changing {{w|daylight saving time}}, giving it an end time (in local time) that is an hour less than it would otherwise have been. Potentially this would result in an end time that is less than its start time, and therefore an apparently ''negative'' 'runtime'. Daylight saving time is a [[:Category: Daylight saving time|recurrent theme]] on xkcd, and it is clear that Randall is not a fan, so Congress making surprise DST changes is another way for Randall to mock the concept.

The "worst case" refers to the movie {{w|Groundhog Day (movie)|Groundhog Day}}, in which the same events occur over and over in a sort of time loop. (This movie has been referenced before in [[1076|1076: Groundhog Day]].) If the hardware running the algorithm is stuck in this kind of loop that resets to a previous time before it gets finished, then the algorithm would never terminate. This gives rise to a philosophical question about the movie as to whether the whole world is reset after every day, or just the town where the movie takes place. If it is just the town, and you could still connect to their hardware from outside, then from that perspective the algorithm would appear to be taking an interminably long time to run. If the whole world resets, since people (aside from the movie's main character) do not experience the reset, it would only appear to take as long as it did on the final day when it was completed.

This may be an indirect reference to the {{w|halting problem}}, a famous problem in computer science. The halting problem is {{w|undecidable}}, meaning that no general algorithm can tell whether a given algorithm will halt, but the widely accepted traditional proof of this relies on external action on details of a system considered closed.

The title text refers to perhaps an even more famous problem in computer science: {{w|P versus NP problem|P versus NP}}. This asks whether every problem whose solution can be quickly verified (in nondeterministic polynomial time, {{w|NP_(complexity)|NP}}) can also be quickly solved (in polynomial time, {{w|polynomial time|P}}). The P-versus-NP problem is one of the seven {{w|Millennium Prize Problems}}, and as such has a $1 million prize for its solution. Presumably, the problem discussed here is in NP, so if P=NP, its worst-case runtime would be some polynomial O(''nk)''. However, P vs. NP is a Millennium Prize Problem for a reason; most computer scientists expect that P≠NP, so hoping for a breakthrough in proving P=NP is "perpetually optimistic". This may be a reference to {{w|Optimism bias}} and the {{w|Planning fallacy}}, whereby people tend to assume that the most favourable outcome will be the most likely.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is holding a presentation pointer stick, pointing to a table behind him that towers above him. The table has a heading above it and then two columns and three rows. the first column is slim and the second much broader.]
:Results of algorithm complexity analysis:
:{| class="wikitable"
|Average case
|O(n log n)
|-
|Best case
| The algorithm turns out to be unnecessary and is halted, then Congress enacts surprise daylight saving time and we gain an hour
|-
|Worst case
|Town in which the hardware is located enters a Groundhog Day scenario, the algorithm never terminates
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Programming]]
[[Category:Daylight saving time]]
[[Category:Fiction]]

2934: Bloom Filter

2024-05-31T13:38:41Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ fix spelling: labled → labeled

{{comic
| number = 2934
| date = May 17, 2024
| title = Bloom Filter
| image = bloom_filter_2x.png
| imagesize = 212x206px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Sometimes, you can tell Bloom filters are the wrong tool for the job, but when they're the right one you can never be sure.
}}

==Explanation==
The comic is about a data structure called a {{w|Bloom filter}}. Software engineers use Bloom filters to check if something is probably in a set or to estimate how many things are in that set, using limited memory.

* One example: the Chrome web browser used to store a Bloom filter of URLs that were known to be malicious<ref>Chromium Issue 10896048: Transition safe browsing from bloom filter to prefix set. (Closed) – https://chromiumcodereview.appspot.com/10896048/</ref>, based on a database that was too large to store locally. Chrome used that Bloom filter to confirm that it didn’t need to warn the user that they were visiting a malicious page. Only in the rare cases that the Bloom filter said the URL might be malicious, Chrome would send the URL to an external service to confirm whether it was known to be malicious. The developers didn’t want the browser to send ''every'' URL to the external service because that would leak the user’s entire browsing history to the service and would add an unnecessary network delay whenever a web page was loaded.

Here's how a Bloom filter works:

# ''' Adding items:''' When you add an item, it gets hashed (a way of transforming it into numbers) by several hash functions. These hash functions mark certain spots in a big array of bits (think of it as a row of lights that can be on or off).
# ''' Checking items:''' To check whether an item might be in the set, you hash it with the same functions and see if all the corresponding spots are lit up. If they are, the item might be in the set, but there's a chance of a false positive (the Bloom filter could mistakenly say the item is there when it’s not). If any spot is not lit up, the item is not in the set.
# '''False positives:''' The larger the array compared to the number of items, the lower the chance of false positives. For example, 10 bits per item gives each tested item a 0.1% chance of matching each item actually in the set.
# ''' Counting items:''' By analyzing the activated bits, with appropriate calculations, you can derive an estimate of ''how many'' individual items are 'stored' for confirmation within the array. This estimate's accuracy will depend upon several factors, but more array bits (making themselves potentially available to 'remember' each item) will be one of the most important ones when it comes to narrowing down the likelihood.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] is holding a piece of paper or tablet computer with a large "1" digit on it. This is labeled as a 1-bit Bloom filter, which is almost useless. When empty, it correctly returns a negative for any item tested, but as soon as one item is added the bit is set to 1, and now it unhelpfully says that any item tested might be in the set. Its size estimate also becomes "between 1 and infinity," which isn’t helpful.

Having multiple hash functions is pointless for a 1-bit filter since they all end up pointing to the same single bit, which would return the exact same answer as a result.

The title text carries the characteristics of the Bloom filter into the decision-making process for choosing a Bloom filter over other candidate data structures. Analogously (according to the text), you can be sure when they are ''not'' the best approach but only conclude that they ''are'' with a limited degree of probability.

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail holds out her hand to Cueball, who is holding a paper with a 1 on it.]
:Ponytail: Does your set contai–
:Cueball: Yeah, probably.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:One-Bit Bloom Filter

==References==
<references/>

{{comic discussion}}

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

2934: Bloom Filter

2024-05-19T17:13:40Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ clarify that “Bloom filters check if something is _probably_ in a set”

{{comic
| number = 2934
| date = May 17, 2024
| title = Bloom Filter
| image = bloom_filter_2x.png
| imagesize = 212x206px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Sometimes, you can tell Bloom filters are the wrong tool for the job, but when they're the right one you can never be sure.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|PROBABLY CREATED - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic is about a data structure called a {{w|Bloom filter}}. Software engineers use Bloom filters to check if something is probably in a set or to estimate how many things are in that set, using limited memory. One example: the Chrome web browser used to store a Bloom filter of URLs that were known to be malicious<ref>Chromium Issue 10896048: Transition safe browsing from bloom filter to prefix set. (Closed) – https://chromiumcodereview.appspot.com/10896048/</ref>, based on a database that was too large to store locally. Chrome used that Bloom filter to confirm that it didn’t need to warn the user that they were visiting a malicious page. Only in the rare cases that the Bloom filter said the URL might be malicious, Chrome would send the URL to an external service to confirm it was known to be malicious. The developers didn’t want the browser to send ''every'' URL to the external service because that would leak the user’s entire browsing history to the service and would add an unnecessary network delay whenever a web page was loaded.

Here's how it works:

# ''' Adding items:''' When you add an item, it gets hashed (a way of transforming it into numbers) by several hash functions. These hash functions mark certain spots in a big array of bits (think of it as a row of lights that can be on or off).
# ''' Checking items:''' To check if an item is in the set, you hash it with the same functions and see if all the corresponding spots are lit up. If they are, the item might be in the set, but there's a chance of a false positive (the Bloom filter could mistakenly say the item is there when it’s not). If any spot is not lit up, the item is not in the set.
# '''False positives:''' The larger the array compared to the number of items, the lower the chance of false positives. For example, 10 bits per item gives about a 1% false positive rate.
# ''' Counting items:''' By analyzing the activated bits, with appropriate calculations, you can derive an estimate of ''how many'' individual items are 'stored' for confirmation within the array. This estimate's accuracy will depend upon several factors, but more array bits (making themselves potentially available to 'remember' each item) will be one of the most important ones when it comes to narrowing down the likelihood.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] has a 1-bit Bloom filter, which is almost useless. When empty, it correctly says nothing is in the set. But as soon as one item is added, the bit is set to 1, and now it falsely says every possible item is in the set. Its size estimate also becomes "between 1 and infinity," which isn’t helpful.

Having multiple hash functions is pointless for a 1-bit filter since they all end up pointing to the same single bit.

The title text carries the characteristics of the Bloom filter into the decision-making process for choosing a Bloom filter over other candidate data structures. Analogously (according to the text), you can be sure when they are ''not'' the best approach but only conclude that they ''are'' with a limited degree of probability.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Ponytail holds out her hand to Cueball, who is holding a paper with a 1 on it.]
:Ponytail: Does your set contai–
:Cueball: Yeah, probably.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:One-Bit Bloom Filter

{{comic discussion}}

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

2934: Bloom Filter

2024-05-19T17:12:05Z

Roryokane: /* Transcript */ change hyphen to en dash

{{comic
| number = 2934
| date = May 17, 2024
| title = Bloom Filter
| image = bloom_filter_2x.png
| imagesize = 212x206px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Sometimes, you can tell Bloom filters are the wrong tool for the job, but when they're the right one you can never be sure.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|PROBABLY CREATED - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic is about a data structure called a {{w|Bloom filter}}. Software engineers use Bloom filters to check if something is in a set or estimate how many things are in that set, using limited memory. One example: the Chrome web browser used to store a Bloom filter of URLs that were known to be malicious<ref>Chromium Issue 10896048: Transition safe browsing from bloom filter to prefix set. (Closed) – https://chromiumcodereview.appspot.com/10896048/</ref>, based on a database that was too large to store locally. Chrome used that Bloom filter to confirm that it didn’t need to warn the user that they were visiting a malicious page. Only in the rare cases that the Bloom filter said the URL might be malicious, Chrome would send the URL to an external service to confirm it was known to be malicious. The developers didn’t want the browser to send ''every'' URL to the external service because that would leak the user’s entire browsing history to the service and would add an unnecessary network delay whenever a web page was loaded.

Here's how it works:

# ''' Adding items:''' When you add an item, it gets hashed (a way of transforming it into numbers) by several hash functions. These hash functions mark certain spots in a big array of bits (think of it as a row of lights that can be on or off).
# ''' Checking items:''' To check if an item is in the set, you hash it with the same functions and see if all the corresponding spots are lit up. If they are, the item might be in the set, but there's a chance of a false positive (the Bloom filter could mistakenly say the item is there when it’s not). If any spot is not lit up, the item is not in the set.
# '''False positives:''' The larger the array compared to the number of items, the lower the chance of false positives. For example, 10 bits per item gives about a 1% false positive rate.
# ''' Counting items:''' By analyzing the activated bits, with appropriate calculations, you can derive an estimate of ''how many'' individual items are 'stored' for confirmation within the array. This estimate's accuracy will depend upon several factors, but more array bits (making themselves potentially available to 'remember' each item) will be one of the most important ones when it comes to narrowing down the likelihood.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] has a 1-bit Bloom filter, which is almost useless. When empty, it correctly says nothing is in the set. But as soon as one item is added, the bit is set to 1, and now it falsely says every possible item is in the set. Its size estimate also becomes "between 1 and infinity," which isn’t helpful.

Having multiple hash functions is pointless for a 1-bit filter since they all end up pointing to the same single bit.

The title text carries the characteristics of the Bloom filter into the decision-making process for choosing a Bloom filter over other candidate data structures. Analogously (according to the text), you can be sure when they are ''not'' the best approach but only conclude that they ''are'' with a limited degree of probability.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Ponytail holds out her hand to Cueball, who is holding a paper with a 1 on it.]
:Ponytail: Does your set contai–
:Cueball: Yeah, probably.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:One-Bit Bloom Filter

{{comic discussion}}

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

2934: Bloom Filter

2024-05-18T22:43:42Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ capitalize key terms in “how it works” in sentence case, not title case

{{comic
| number = 2934
| date = May 17, 2024
| title = Bloom Filter
| image = bloom_filter_2x.png
| imagesize = 212x206px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Sometimes, you can tell Bloom filters are the wrong tool for the job, but when they're the right one you can never be sure.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|PROBABLY CREATED - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic is about a data structure called a {{w|Bloom filter}}. Software engineers use Bloom filters to check if something is in a set or estimate how many things are in that set, using limited memory. One example: the Chrome web browser used to store a Bloom filter of URLs that were known to be malicious<ref>Chromium Issue 10896048: Transition safe browsing from bloom filter to prefix set. (Closed) – https://chromiumcodereview.appspot.com/10896048/</ref>, based on a database that was too large to store locally. Chrome used that Bloom filter to confirm that it didn’t need to warn the user that they were visiting a malicious page. Only in the rare cases that the Bloom filter said the URL might be malicious, Chrome would send the URL to an external service to confirm it was known to be malicious. The developers didn’t want the browser to send ''every'' URL to the external service because that would leak the user’s entire browsing history to the service and would add an unnecessary network delay whenever a web page was loaded.

Here's how it works:

# '''Adding items:''' When you add an item, it gets hashed (a way of transforming it into numbers) by several hash functions. These hash functions mark certain spots in a big array of bits (think of it as a row of lights that can be on or off).
# '''Checking items:''' To check if an item is in the set, you hash it with the same functions and see if all the corresponding spots are lit up. If they are, the item might be in the set, but there's a chance of a false positive (the Bloom filter could mistakenly say the item is there when it’s not). If any spot is not lit up, the item is definitely not in the set.
# '''False positives:''' The larger the array compared to the number of items, the lower the chance of false positives. For example, 10 bits per item gives about a 1% false positive rate.
# '''Counting items:''' By analysing the activated bits, with appropriate calculations, you can derive an estimate of ''how many'' individual items are 'stored' for confirmation within the array. This estimate's accuracy will depend upon several factors, but more array-bits (making themselves potentially available to 'remember' each item) will be one of the most important ones when it comes to narrowing down the likelihood.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] has a 1-bit Bloom filter, which is almost useless. When empty, it correctly says nothing is in the set. But as soon as one item is added, the bit is set to 1, and now it falsely says every possible item is in the set. Its size estimate also becomes "between 1 and infinity," which isn’t helpful.

Having multiple hash functions is pointless for a 1-bit filter since they all end up pointing to the same single bit.

The title text carries the characteristics of the Bloom filter into the decision making process for choosing a Bloom filter over other candidate data structures. In an analogous way (according to the text), you can be sure when they are ''not'' the best approach, but only conclude that they ''are'' with a limited degree of probability.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Ponytail holds out her hand to Cueball, who is holding a paper with a 1 on it.]
:Ponytail: Does your set contai-
:Cueball: Yeah, probably.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:One-Bit Bloom Filter

{{comic discussion}}

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

2934: Bloom Filter

2024-05-18T22:42:10Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ improve wording: when → whenever

{{comic
| number = 2934
| date = May 17, 2024
| title = Bloom Filter
| image = bloom_filter_2x.png
| imagesize = 212x206px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Sometimes, you can tell Bloom filters are the wrong tool for the job, but when they're the right one you can never be sure.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|PROBABLY CREATED - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic is about a data structure called a {{w|Bloom filter}}. Software engineers use Bloom filters to check if something is in a set or estimate how many things are in that set, using limited memory. One example: the Chrome web browser used to store a Bloom filter of URLs that were known to be malicious<ref>Chromium Issue 10896048: Transition safe browsing from bloom filter to prefix set. (Closed) – https://chromiumcodereview.appspot.com/10896048/</ref>, based on a database that was too large to store locally. Chrome used that Bloom filter to confirm that it didn’t need to warn the user that they were visiting a malicious page. Only in the rare cases that the Bloom filter said the URL might be malicious, Chrome would send the URL to an external service to confirm it was known to be malicious. The developers didn’t want the browser to send ''every'' URL to the external service because that would leak the user’s entire browsing history to the service and would add an unnecessary network delay whenever a web page was loaded.

Here's how it works:

# '''Adding Items:''' When you add an item, it gets hashed (a way of transforming it into numbers) by several hash functions. These hash functions mark certain spots in a big array of bits (think of it as a row of lights that can be on or off).
# '''Checking Items:''' To check if an item is in the set, you hash it with the same functions and see if all the corresponding spots are lit up. If they are, the item might be in the set, but there's a chance of a false positive (the Bloom Filter could mistakenly say the item is there when it’s not). If any spot is not lit up, the item is definitely not in the set.
# '''False Positives:''' The larger the array compared to the number of items, the lower the chance of false positives. For example, 10 bits per item gives about a 1% false positive rate.
# '''Counting Items:''' By analysing the activated bits, with appropriate calculations, you can derive an estimate of ''how many'' individual items are 'stored' for confirmation within the array. This estimate's accuracy will depend upon several factors, but more array-bits (making themselves potentially available to 'remember' each item) will be one of the most important ones when it comes to narrowing down the likelihood.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] has a 1-bit Bloom filter, which is almost useless. When empty, it correctly says nothing is in the set. But as soon as one item is added, the bit is set to 1, and now it falsely says every possible item is in the set. Its size estimate also becomes "between 1 and infinity," which isn’t helpful.

Having multiple hash functions is pointless for a 1-bit filter since they all end up pointing to the same single bit.

The title text carries the characteristics of the Bloom filter into the decision making process for choosing a Bloom filter over other candidate data structures. In an analogous way (according to the text), you can be sure when they are ''not'' the best approach, but only conclude that they ''are'' with a limited degree of probability.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Ponytail holds out her hand to Cueball, who is holding a paper with a 1 on it.]
:Ponytail: Does your set contai-
:Cueball: Yeah, probably.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:One-Bit Bloom Filter

{{comic discussion}}

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

2934: Bloom Filter

2024-05-18T22:40:40Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ move citation to more natural place

{{comic
| number = 2934
| date = May 17, 2024
| title = Bloom Filter
| image = bloom_filter_2x.png
| imagesize = 212x206px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Sometimes, you can tell Bloom filters are the wrong tool for the job, but when they're the right one you can never be sure.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|PROBABLY CREATED - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic is about a data structure called a {{w|Bloom filter}}. Software engineers use Bloom filters to check if something is in a set or estimate how many things are in that set, using limited memory. One example: the Chrome web browser used to store a Bloom filter of URLs that were known to be malicious<ref>Chromium Issue 10896048: Transition safe browsing from bloom filter to prefix set. (Closed) – https://chromiumcodereview.appspot.com/10896048/</ref>, based on a database that was too large to store locally. Chrome used that Bloom filter to confirm that it didn’t need to warn the user that they were visiting a malicious page. Only in the rare cases that the Bloom filter said the URL might be malicious, Chrome would send the URL to an external service to confirm it was known to be malicious. The developers didn’t want the browser to send ''every'' URL to the external service because that would leak the user’s entire browsing history to the service and would add an unnecessary network delay when a web page was loaded.

Here's how it works:

# '''Adding Items:''' When you add an item, it gets hashed (a way of transforming it into numbers) by several hash functions. These hash functions mark certain spots in a big array of bits (think of it as a row of lights that can be on or off).
# '''Checking Items:''' To check if an item is in the set, you hash it with the same functions and see if all the corresponding spots are lit up. If they are, the item might be in the set, but there's a chance of a false positive (the Bloom Filter could mistakenly say the item is there when it’s not). If any spot is not lit up, the item is definitely not in the set.
# '''False Positives:''' The larger the array compared to the number of items, the lower the chance of false positives. For example, 10 bits per item gives about a 1% false positive rate.
# '''Counting Items:''' By analysing the activated bits, with appropriate calculations, you can derive an estimate of ''how many'' individual items are 'stored' for confirmation within the array. This estimate's accuracy will depend upon several factors, but more array-bits (making themselves potentially available to 'remember' each item) will be one of the most important ones when it comes to narrowing down the likelihood.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] has a 1-bit Bloom filter, which is almost useless. When empty, it correctly says nothing is in the set. But as soon as one item is added, the bit is set to 1, and now it falsely says every possible item is in the set. Its size estimate also becomes "between 1 and infinity," which isn’t helpful.

Having multiple hash functions is pointless for a 1-bit filter since they all end up pointing to the same single bit.

The title text carries the characteristics of the Bloom filter into the decision making process for choosing a Bloom filter over other candidate data structures. In an analogous way (according to the text), you can be sure when they are ''not'' the best approach, but only conclude that they ''are'' with a limited degree of probability.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Ponytail holds out her hand to Cueball, who is holding a paper with a 1 on it.]
:Ponytail: Does your set contai-
:Cueball: Yeah, probably.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:One-Bit Bloom Filter

{{comic discussion}}

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

2934: Bloom Filter

2024-05-18T22:39:33Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ add citation for Chrome (Chromium) previously using a Bloom filter

{{comic
| number = 2934
| date = May 17, 2024
| title = Bloom Filter
| image = bloom_filter_2x.png
| imagesize = 212x206px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Sometimes, you can tell Bloom filters are the wrong tool for the job, but when they're the right one you can never be sure.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|PROBABLY CREATED - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic is about a data structure called a {{w|Bloom filter}}. Software engineers use Bloom filters to check if something is in a set or estimate how many things are in that set, using limited memory. One example: the Chrome web browser used to store a Bloom filter<ref>Chromium Issue 10896048: Transition safe browsing from bloom filter to prefix set. (Closed) – https://chromiumcodereview.appspot.com/10896048/</ref> of URLs that were known to be malicious, based on a database that was too large to store locally. Chrome used that Bloom filter to confirm that it didn’t need to warn the user that they were visiting a malicious page. Only in the rare cases that the Bloom filter said the URL might be malicious, Chrome would send the URL to an external service to confirm it was known to be malicious. The developers didn’t want the browser to send ''every'' URL to the external service because that would leak the user’s entire browsing history to the service and would add an unnecessary network delay when a web page was loaded.

Here's how it works:

# '''Adding Items:''' When you add an item, it gets hashed (a way of transforming it into numbers) by several hash functions. These hash functions mark certain spots in a big array of bits (think of it as a row of lights that can be on or off).
# '''Checking Items:''' To check if an item is in the set, you hash it with the same functions and see if all the corresponding spots are lit up. If they are, the item might be in the set, but there's a chance of a false positive (the Bloom Filter could mistakenly say the item is there when it’s not). If any spot is not lit up, the item is definitely not in the set.
# '''False Positives:''' The larger the array compared to the number of items, the lower the chance of false positives. For example, 10 bits per item gives about a 1% false positive rate.
# '''Counting Items:''' By analysing the activated bits, with appropriate calculations, you can derive an estimate of ''how many'' individual items are 'stored' for confirmation within the array. This estimate's accuracy will depend upon several factors, but more array-bits (making themselves potentially available to 'remember' each item) will be one of the most important ones when it comes to narrowing down the likelihood.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] has a 1-bit Bloom filter, which is almost useless. When empty, it correctly says nothing is in the set. But as soon as one item is added, the bit is set to 1, and now it falsely says every possible item is in the set. Its size estimate also becomes "between 1 and infinity," which isn’t helpful.

Having multiple hash functions is pointless for a 1-bit filter since they all end up pointing to the same single bit.

The title text carries the characteristics of the Bloom filter into the decision making process for choosing a Bloom filter over other candidate data structures. In an analogous way (according to the text), you can be sure when they are ''not'' the best approach, but only conclude that they ''are'' with a limited degree of probability.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Ponytail holds out her hand to Cueball, who is holding a paper with a 1 on it.]
:Ponytail: Does your set contai-
:Cueball: Yeah, probably.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:One-Bit Bloom Filter

{{comic discussion}}

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

2934: Bloom Filter

2024-05-18T22:34:29Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ explain more precisely how a web browser used Bloom filters so that they would be useful despite the chance of false positives

{{comic
| number = 2934
| date = May 17, 2024
| title = Bloom Filter
| image = bloom_filter_2x.png
| imagesize = 212x206px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Sometimes, you can tell Bloom filters are the wrong tool for the job, but when they're the right one you can never be sure.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|PROBABLY CREATED - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic is about a data structure called a {{w|Bloom filter}}. Software engineers use Bloom filters to check if something is in a set or estimate how many things are in that set, using limited memory. One example: the Chrome web browser used to store a Bloom filter of URLs that were known to be malicious, based on a regularly updated database that was too large to store locally. Chrome used that Bloom filter to confirm that it didn’t need to warn the user that they were visiting a malicious page. Only in the rare cases that the Bloom filter said the URL might be malicious, Chrome would send the URL to an external service to confirm it was known to be malicious. The developers didn’t want the browser to send ''every'' URL to the external service because that would leak the user’s entire browsing history to the service and would add an unnecessary network delay when a web page was loaded.

Here's how it works:

# '''Adding Items:''' When you add an item, it gets hashed (a way of transforming it into numbers) by several hash functions. These hash functions mark certain spots in a big array of bits (think of it as a row of lights that can be on or off).
# '''Checking Items:''' To check if an item is in the set, you hash it with the same functions and see if all the corresponding spots are lit up. If they are, the item might be in the set, but there's a chance of a false positive (the Bloom Filter could mistakenly say the item is there when it’s not). If any spot is not lit up, the item is definitely not in the set.
# '''False Positives:''' The larger the array compared to the number of items, the lower the chance of false positives. For example, 10 bits per item gives about a 1% false positive rate.
# '''Counting Items:''' By analysing the activated bits, with appropriate calculations, you can derive an estimate of ''how many'' individual items are 'stored' for confirmation within the array. This estimate's accuracy will depend upon several factors, but more array-bits (making themselves potentially available to 'remember' each item) will be one of the most important ones when it comes to narrowing down the likelihood.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] has a 1-bit Bloom filter, which is almost useless. When empty, it correctly says nothing is in the set. But as soon as one item is added, the bit is set to 1, and now it falsely says every possible item is in the set. Its size estimate also becomes "between 1 and infinity," which isn’t helpful.

Having multiple hash functions is pointless for a 1-bit filter since they all end up pointing to the same single bit.

The title text carries the characteristics of the Bloom filter into the decision making process for choosing a Bloom filter over other candidate data structures. In an analogous way (according to the text), you can be sure when they are ''not'' the best approach, but only conclude that they ''are'' with a limited degree of probability.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Ponytail holds out her hand to Cueball, who is holding a paper with a 1 on it.]
:Ponytail: Does your set contai-
:Cueball: Yeah, probably.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:One-Bit Bloom Filter

{{comic discussion}}

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

2934: Bloom Filter

2024-05-18T22:18:45Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ capitalize the term as “Bloom filter” – Bloom is a name, filter is a normal word

{{comic
| number = 2934
| date = May 17, 2024
| title = Bloom Filter
| image = bloom_filter_2x.png
| imagesize = 212x206px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Sometimes, you can tell Bloom filters are the wrong tool for the job, but when they're the right one you can never be sure.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|PROBABLY CREATED - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic is about a data structure called a {{w|Bloom filter}}. Software engineers use Bloom filters to check if something is in a set or estimate how many things are in that set, using limited memory. One example is a web browser checking to see if a URL is malicious without storing a large database locally. (are Bloom filters used for that? wouldn't this use cause a bunch of false positives, preventing the user from accessing random legitimate websites? the common Bloom filter example is the lite wallet protocol in bitcoin where false positives don't block anything.)

Here's how it works:

# '''Adding Items:''' When you add an item, it gets hashed (a way of transforming it into numbers) by several hash functions. These hash functions mark certain spots in a big array of bits (think of it as a row of lights that can be on or off).
# '''Checking Items:''' To check if an item is in the set, you hash it with the same functions and see if all the corresponding spots are lit up. If they are, the item might be in the set, but there's a chance of a false positive (the Bloom Filter could mistakenly say the item is there when it’s not). If any spot is not lit up, the item is definitely not in the set.
# '''False Positives:''' The larger the array compared to the number of items, the lower the chance of false positives. For example, 10 bits per item gives about a 1% false positive rate.
# '''Counting Items:''' By analysing the activated bits, with appropriate calculations, you can derive an estimate of ''how many'' individual items are 'stored' for confirmation within the array. This estimate's accuracy will depend upon several factors, but more array-bits (making themselves potentially available to 'remember' each item) will be one of the most important ones when it comes to narrowing down the likelihood.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] has a 1-bit Bloom filter, which is almost useless. When empty, it correctly says nothing is in the set. But as soon as one item is added, the bit is set to 1, and now it falsely says every possible item is in the set. Its size estimate also becomes "between 1 and infinity," which isn’t helpful.

Having multiple hash functions is pointless for a 1-bit filter since they all end up pointing to the same single bit.

The title text carries the characteristics of the Bloom filter into the decision making process for choosing a Bloom filter over other candidate data structures. In an analogous way (according to the text), you can be sure when they are ''not'' the best approach, but only conclude that they ''are'' with a limited degree of probability.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Ponytail holds out her hand to Cueball, who is holding a paper with a 1 on it.]
:Ponytail: Does your set contai-
:Cueball: Yeah, probably.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:One-Bit Bloom Filter

{{comic discussion}}

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

Template:citation needed

2024-03-02T00:32:44Z

Roryokane: Undo revision 336370 by 108.162.245.37 (talk) – it was vandalism that replaced the text with a huge image of a flag

#REDIRECT [[Template:Citation needed]]

2835: Factorial Numbers

2023-09-29T22:14:50Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ link to factorials for simpler background context

{{comic
| number = 2835
| date = September 29, 2023
| title = Factorial Numbers
| image = factorial_numbers_2x.png
| imagesize = 628x481px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = So what do we do when we get to base 10? Do we use A, B, C, etc? No: Numbers larger than about 3.6 million are simply illegal.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT BEING ESCORTED OUT OF THE COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT BY SECURITY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is about the {{w|factorial number system}}, which are based on {{w|factorial|factorials}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Variable-base Factoradic™ numbers

:{|
|Base 7||Base 6||Base 5||Base 4||Base 3||Base 2
|-
|3||5||3||0||1||1
|}

:{|
|Base 10||||Factoradic
|-
|1||—||1
|-
|2||—||10
|-
|3||—||11
|-
|4||—||20
|-
|5||—||21
|-
|6||—||100
|-
|7||—||101
|-
|
|-
|21||—||311
|-
|22||—||320
|-
|23||—||321
|}

:{|
|Base 10||||Factoradic
|-
|24||—||1,000
|-
|25||—||1,001
|-
|
|-
|5,038||—||654,320
|-
|5,039||—||654,321
|-
|5,040||—||1,000,000
|-
|
|-
|999,998||—||266,251,210
|-
|999,999||—||266,251,211
|-
|1,000,000||—||266,251,220
|-
|1,000,001||—||266,251,221
|}

:Cueball: Small numbers like seven or nineteen shouldn't use big numerals like "7" or "9".
:Cueball: I mean, "9" is the biggest numeral we have! It should be reserved for '''''big''''' numbers.
:Cueball: Small numbers should be written with small numerals like "1" or "2".
:Cueball: That's why my variable-base system uses...Hey! No, listen!

:Factorial numbers are the number system that sounds most like a prank by someone who's about to be escorted out of the math department by security.

{{comic discussion}}

2835: Factorial Numbers

2023-09-29T22:10:31Z

Roryokane: /* Explanation */ link to the most relevant Wikipedia page

{{comic
| number = 2835
| date = September 29, 2023
| title = Factorial Numbers
| image = factorial_numbers_2x.png
| imagesize = 628x481px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = So what do we do when we get to base 10? Do we use A, B, C, etc? No: Numbers larger than about 3.6 million are simply illegal.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT BEING ESCORTED OUT OF THE COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT BY SECURITY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is about the {{w|factorial number system}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:Variable-base Factoradic™ numbers

:{|
|Base 7||Base 6||Base 5||Base 4||Base 3||Base 2
|-
|3||5||3||0||1||1
|}

:{|
|Base 10||||Factoradic
|-
|1||—||1
|-
|2||—||10
|-
|3||—||11
|-
|4||—||20
|-
|5||—||21
|-
|6||—||100
|-
|7||—||101
|-
|
|-
|21||—||311
|-
|22||—||320
|-
|23||—||321
|}

:{|
|Base 10||||Factoradic
|-
|24||—||1,000
|-
|25||—||1,001
|-
|
|-
|5,038||—||654,320
|-
|5,039||—||654,321
|-
|5,040||—||1,000,000
|-
|
|-
|999,998||—||266,251,210
|-
|999,999||—||266,251,211
|-
|1,000,000||—||266,251,220
|-
|1,000,001||—||266,251,221
|}

:Cueball: Small numbers like seven or nineteen shouldn't use big numerals like "7" or "9".
:Cueball: I mean, "9" is the biggest numeral we have! It should be reserved for '''''big''''' numbers.
:Cueball: Small numbers should be written with small numerals like "1" or "2".
:Cueball: That's why my variable-base system uses...Hey! No, listen!

:Factorial numbers are the number system that sounds most like a prank by someone who's about to be escorted out of the math department by security.

{{comic discussion}}

2772: Commemorative Plaque

2023-05-07T05:02:43Z

Roryokane: /* Transcript */ fix grammar by adding comma

{{comic
| number = 2772
| date = May 5, 2023
| title = Commemorative Plaque
| image = commemorative_plaque_2x.png
| imagesize = 422x282px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = [Below] On this site on May 12th, 2023, I finally learned how to use the masonry bit for my drill.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MASONRY BIT DONE BY DRILL - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The narrator discovered that it is simple and inexpensive to have a {{w|commemorative plaque}} made, and so had a commemorative plaque made to record that event. This comic is similar to previous comics, such as [[2682: Easy Or Hard]]. The comic both indicates the lack of knowledge many people have about how simple or difficult it is to do a certain thing, and the over-the-top response a person might have to a relatively mundane discovery.

The comic was published on May 5, the holiday of {{w|Cinco de Mayo}}, {{w|Europe Day}} and {{w|Liberation day (Netherlands)|Dutch Liberation Day}}. The comic subverts an expectation that a plaque about May 5 would be to commemorate either one of the {{w|May 5|many world events that previously took place on a May 5}} in various years, or more specifically the 1862 {{w|Battle of Puebla}} or the 1964 founding of the Council of Europe or the 1945 Liberation of the Netherlands, which all took place on May 5 and inspired the respective holidays.

The title text tells us that it was a week later when they learned out how to use a {{w|Drill_bit#Masonry_drill_bit|masonry bit}} to mount the plaque, there being some small but useful points of technique to be learnt when drilling into one or other of stone, brick, concrete or cement. It equates it being almost exactly as much deserving of a plaque as the very act of obtaining a plaque, and now a second one, to also have finally been able to properly attach it (them) to the chosen wall.

==Transcript==
:[A light gray brick wall with a plaque on it. The plaque has a white background and its frame is gray. It has been attached to the wall with four pins, one at each corner. The plaque reads, across several lines:]
:On this site on
:[Most prominent line of text:] <big><big>'''May 5th, 2023'''</big></big>
:I realized that you could order custom commemorative plaques online that say
:[Somewhat prominent line of text:] <big>'''whatever you want''' </big>
:and it's not that expensive

{{comic discussion}}

2772: Commemorative Plaque

2023-05-06T03:16:17Z

Roryokane: note the Cinco de Mayo connection

{{comic
| number = 2772
| date = May 5, 2023
| title = Commemorative Plaque
| image = commemorative_plaque_2x.png
| imagesize = 422x282px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = [Below] On this site on May 12th, 2023, I finally learned how to use the masonry bit for my drill.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MASONRY BIT DONE BY DRIL - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The narrator discovered that it is simple and inexpensive to have a commemorative plaque made, and so had a commemorative plaque made to record that event. This comic is similar to previous comics, such as [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2682:_Easy_Or_Hard Easy or Hard]. The comic both indicates the lack of knowledge many people have about how simple or difficult it is to do a certain thing, and the over-the-top response a person might have to a relatively mundane discovery.

The comic was published on May 5, the holiday of {{w|Cinco de Mayo}}. The comic subverts an expectation that a plaque about May 5 would be to commemorate either the 1862 {{w|Battle of Puebla}}, which took place on May 5 and inspired the holiday, or, after the reader notices the year on the plaque, some 2023 event related to the holiday.

The hover text tells us that it was a week later when they learned out how to use a {{w|Drill_bit#Masonry_drill_bit|masonry bit}} to mount the plaque, implying that that was an event itself worthy of a plaque.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
[A brick wall with a plaque on it.]

Plaque: On this site on May 5th, 2023, I realized that you could order custom commemorative plaques online that say whatever you want and it's not that expensive.
{{comic discussion}}