2090: Feathered Dinosaur Venn Diagram

2022-01-04T20:21:34Z

Ruin it all, I wont be caught (Abigblueworld):

Let’s eat cheese, brother!

Let’s not get caught and you say: You and no one else, to me.

==Explanation==
Translated plainly, this comic reads "People who don't think feathered dinosaurs sound scary have never tried to fight an ostrich."

This comic is a jab at people who dismiss the idea feathered dinosaurs sound scary. Adding feathers to a reptile can trigger a cognitive dissonance; people today see feathers and think of harmless birds. However, the {{w|Ostrich|ostrich}} (and a few other avian species, which are {{w|Origin of Birds|feathered dinosaurs}}) are in fact deadly. The diagram points out that anyone who has tried to fight an ostrich would be scared of a dinosaur with feathers, and anyone who thinks a feathered dinosaur doesn't sound scary has never tried to fight one. The two groups of people are exclusive because the two circles do not overlap.

Ostriches are not typically considered scary or dangerous because its appearance is comical or awkward to most people; they are also herbivorous and not typically aggressive, choosing to use its great speed to outrun predators rather than fight them. In reality, however, ostriches are much larger than a human and will attack when cornered or when their family is threatened; their powerful legs can kick hard enough to kill lions and other predators, and their feet are equipped with large claws which can disembowel a human. Thus, the actual experience of fighting an ostrich would quickly convince any human that survives the experience that ostriches (and by extension other feathered dinosaurs) are, in fact, scary.

The title text refers to "[http://jurassicpark.wikia.com/wiki/Volunteer_Boy Volunteer Boy]", a kid in the beginning of Jurassic Park who dismisses a raptor fossil as a "six-foot turkey". Dr. Grant uses a fossil of a raptor talon to imply that a raptor would slice open his belly and eat him while he's still alive. This scares the kid into respecting the raptor. The title text theorizes that if he didn't get that pep talk, and continued to think of dinosaurs as "six-foot turkeys", then he would grow up to make some of the contested sequels in the franchise. Raptors play a central role throughout the series of movies, with some even being trained by a raptor handler like dogs.

[[Technically]], the diagram is an {{w|Euler diagram}}, rather than a {{w|Venn diagram}}. A Venn diagram shows all possible combinations of two or more sets, including those with no elements, and so all of the circles must intersect. An Euler diagram only depicts the non-empty combinations, and therefore does not have this constraint. However, this is a technicality, and many people use the words interchangeably.

==Transcript==
:[The comic shows a rectangular panel containing two circles, side by side and not intersecting. A caption is underneath each circle.]
:[Left circle caption:]
:People Who Don't Think Feathered Dinosaurs Sound Scary
:[Right circle caption:]
:People Who Have Tried To Fight An Ostrich

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Jurassic Park]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Euler diagrams]]

1892: USB Cables

2022-01-04T20:20:36Z

Ruin it all, I wont be caught (Abigblueworld):

Let’s eat cheese, brother!

Let’s not get caught and you say: You and no one else, to me.

==Explanation==
In this comic, [[Randall]] states the 'Law of {{w|USB}} cables': You will never have more than one which has no problems now matter how many you get. Now that most devices charge off USB, having a cable (specifically, USB-A (the big end) to Micro-B or USB-C (the small end)) is essential. However, most USB cables are cheaply made, and carrying them around quickly damages them. This comic lists some common (and not so common) problems with USB cables.

* '''Carry power but not data''' - USB cables have separate data and power lines. To save money (and sometimes for security reasons), the data lines can be omitted. This means it can be used for charging, but not data transfer. Two cables are shown with this problem.
* '''Carries data but not power''' - Not typically done, but it could happen if the wires or pins get damaged. While such a cable is theoretically possible, if used with standards-compliant devices, it would appear [https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/313955/does-usb-host-always-supply-power-on-vbus completely broken].
* '''Too short''' - Another money saving wheeze, some devices ship with pathetically short cables.
* '''Charges phone slowly''' - More likely a problem with the charger than the cable, but may happen if the wires are damaged. Refers to some chargers not delivering more than half an ampere. Could also be caused by thin or very long wires which lead to a significant voltage drop, thereby reducing charging speed. This is also a typical user experience for cables that carry power but not data, as charging current/voltage negotiation typically happens over the data lines.
* '''Won't auto-activate portable charger''' - Most portable chargers (basically big batteries) should activate when the device is plugged in. Something about the cable (possibly the way the data lines are shorted) is interfering with this mechanism.
* '''Has annoying ferrite lumps''' - {{w|Ferrite bead}}s are used to filter out interference from the cable. High-performance applications need these, but on a phone charger you're just adding unnecessary weight and bulk. Two cables are shown with this problem.
* '''Heavy and not very flexible''' - Either a heavy-duty USB cable, with thicker insulation, or a shielded one with a metal sheath inside to keep out interference.
* '''Frayed''' - Cables with improper strain relief experience a lot of bending force at the ends, near the connectors, and these can easily burst the insulation as shown here. Two cables are shown with this problem.
* '''Plug doesn't fit through case''' - Manufacturers don't always follow the standard for what the plastic housing around the USB connector should look like, and sometimes these are molded so they don't quite fit in the phone socket or through the charging port of an external case.
* '''Needs to be twisted to keep working''' - The wires inside are damaged, and only connect when held in just the right way. One step away from total breakage.
* '''Weird shape''' - A normal USB cable but [http://read.pudn.com/downloads114/doc/comm/476505/usb_20_040908/usb_20/Micro-USB_final/Micro-USB_1_01.pdf#page=30 the connector is molded with a 90 degree turn (which is actually specified in the MicroUSB Specification, see pages 28-31)] for no apparent reason and might be not convenient in some situations.
* '''The good one''' - This is the one that really works out of the 15 shown, with 11 different problems. The funny thing is that it looks more or less exactly like at least 6 of the other 14. So it will take some time to find this cable.

The title text refers to the popular meme "[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tag-yourself Tag yourself, I'm...]" which is used with pictures containing lots of strange objects, phrases or other elements. The phrase prompts people to identify individual elements from the image that they personally feels matches their own identity, usually self-deprecatingly. (The meme stems from Facebook, where people can place tags identifying themselves in photos, but has spread to other websites without an actual tagging system.) Here, Randall suggests that, like a USB cable, he's frayed. "I'm frayed" is also a pun on the sentence "I'm afraid" that is commonly added to the end of a comment which the speaker believes may leave a negative impression on the listener.

==Transcript==
:[15 USB cables are shown lying in a column. They are mostly very similar, with small differences. To the right of the cables there are 12 labels, as three of the labels belongs to three sets of two cables.]
:[2 cables] Carry power but not data
:Carries data but not power
:Too short
:Charges phone slowly
:Won't auto-activate portable charger
:[2 cables] Has annoying ferrite lumps
:Heavy and not very flexible
:[2 cables] Frayed
:Plug doesn't fit through case
:Needs to be twisted to keep working
:Weird shape
:The good one

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The law of USB cables: No matter how many you get, you only ever have one good one.

{{comic discussion}}

explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2090: Feathered Dinosaur Venn Diagram

1892: USB Cables