explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3208: SNEWS

2026-02-17T19:47:12Z

SevenTheGamingKitty: Apparently not how the signature system works, whoops

The title text SNEWS is a reference to {{w|SuperNova_Early_Warning_System}}. {{unsigned ip|2a09:bac2:3656:ebe::178:123}} 21:58, 16 February 2026 (UTC)
: No, you're wrong. It stands for Southeast, North East West South, since those are the directions where it can detect them. - [[Special:Contributions/45.178.1.151|45.178.1.151]] 01:41, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

F1RST! also i posted this when there was no explanation. please fix this {{unsigned ip|2605:59c8:22e3:3e14:95a1:c5da:4c49:c384|22:55, 16 February 2026 (UTC)}}

Is this my mediocre non-native English, or should the title text read "setting off fireworks indoors"? (Trivia?) --[[Special:Contributions/2001:A62:5F7:FB01:538E:3F07:C9F0:F0C0|2001:A62:5F7:FB01:538E:3F07:C9F0:F0C0]] 23:06, 16 February 2026 (UTC)
:Yeah, 'setting of fireworks indoors, ...' would mean setting them up (i.e., placing them) and not 'setting off', lighting or detonating the fireworks. [[User:Sameldacamel34|Sameldacamel34]] ([[User talk:Sameldacamel34|talk]]) 23:22, 16 February 2026 (UTC)
:You can talk of setting explosives (the setting of them, as passively ready, to make them ready for later "setting them off"), so I expect the "setting of fireworks" is pretty much the same thing, much as with the setting of an alarm clock.
:Though also sounds like a possible americanism, like "lit it on fire" (c.f. my own prefered "set light to it"), if only because the former seem tautilogical; and/or strangely long-winded, such as with "to burglarize" vs. just "to burgle" (both being what a burglar does upon his burglary). But it's not one of those many funny transatlantic dialect things I've noticed previously, so I could be overexplaining what actually ''is'' merely a typo. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.3|82.132.239.3]] 01:33, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
::I could see it as a missing word "setting off of fireworks indoors" seems OK in American to me, though then I'd want a the: "The setting off of fireworks indoors"[[User:Lordpishky|Lord Pishky]] ([[User talk:Lordpishky|talk]]) 05:57, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

It snew [[User:Yaokuan ITB|Yaokuan ITB]] ([[User talk:Yaokuan ITB|talk]]) 23:28, 16 February 2026 (UTC)
:Exactly my thoughts, Yaokuan [[Special:Contributions/216.25.182.141|216.25.182.141]] 23:58, 16 February 2026 (UTC)
:Gesundheit! [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 01:35, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

Sorry, it somehow escaped me when editing the explanation that neutrinos have mass!! (even though we've known about this for decades). Does this mean that if the supernova is far away enough, the photons will arrive before the neutrinos? Or is that threshold too far to matter? [[User:Sameldacamel34|Sameldacamel34]] ([[User talk:Sameldacamel34|talk]]) 01:21, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

: Yes, but the threshold is too far away to have happened yet. Supernova neutrinos have [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernova_neutrinos 10^10 to 10^20 MeV]. Judging by the table at the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measurements_of_neutrino_speed Overview on neutrino speed], assuming we are about right about the mass of a neutrino, neutrinos that energetic would be traveling within a factor of 10-42 of ''c'', so they would need to have traveled for "a few"×1042 light hours, or a few 1038 years for the photons to catch up. Since the universe is less than 1.4×1010 years old, it'll be another few 1038 years until that happens. [[User:DoSnews|DoSnews]] ([[User talk:DoSnews|talk]]) 03:46, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
::Ah, interesting. And at that distance, the supernova would have to be unimaginably big to even notice/detect? Also, wouldn't it have to be far away enough that it would have traveled for so long the light gets redshifted into oblivion? [[User:Sameldacamel34|Sameldacamel34]] ([[User talk:Sameldacamel34|talk]]) 04:17, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Since SN neutrino detections are tens of neutrinos an increase of even a few times the distances currently detected would render the neutrino pulse undetectable. And the optical event is stretched by time for the photons to migrate to the surface as well as glow from material heated by the explosion and decay heat from ejected material. If we consider only those photons from the explosion "lucky" enough to manage not to hit anything on the way out of the star/remnant they should arrive first by an undetectable time. Also, the explosion itself once triggered has to propagate across millions of miles of the stellar core so the explosion event is at least several seconds long.[[User:Lordpishky|Lord Pishky]] ([[User talk:Lordpishky|talk]]) 05:47, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
::Not 1010–1020, but 10–20. [[Special:Contributions/84.2.109.134|84.2.109.134]] 06:30, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
my first edit in almost 5 months i think lol [[User:Psychoticpotato|P?sych??otic?pot??at???o ]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 01:45, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

One of the firework launchers on the device is aimed directly at the bed. [[User:Xkdvd|Xkdvd]] ([[User talk:Xkdvd|talk]]) 03:06, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
:Is it? Hard to tell in a 2d drawing... --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:11, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

"Ponytail is showing Hairy her bedroom." is the most hilariously euphemistic explanation of what's going on. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:24, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

Contrary to the current explanation, a foe is *exactly* equal to 10^44 joules, by definition. 1 erg is 10^-7 J and 1 foe is 10^51 erg. Also, I feel there is a [Citation required] somewhere in the section about the dangers of indoor fireworks. (Not happy about having to run Google's Javascript and helping train their image recognition algorithms on unfamiliar foreign street scenes in order to post here.) [[Special:Contributions/78.33.10.10|78.33.10.10]] 11:22, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
:I took it as being that while a foe is exactly that many joules (being a cm/g/s system derivative, not a m/kg/s one), neither a foe nor the equivalent value in joules are exactly the size of that which we might call a 'foe event', for which it was coined. But might have needed rewriting, as with the whole page (loads of little paragraphs and additions to paragaphs, now, at least needs more sensible reordering/grouping of facts and conjectures). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.216|82.132.239.216]] 11:58, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

I'll take the slightly disturbing take that Ponytail would rather die than miss a supernova, hence the fireworks [[User:SevenTheGamingKitty|SevenTheGamingKitty]] ([[User talk:SevenTheGamingKitty|talk]]) 19:46, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3208: SNEWS

2026-02-17T19:46:02Z

SevenTheGamingKitty: No idea how this variant of comments work. this is overcomplicated.

558: 1000 Times

2025-06-13T14:26:04Z

SevenTheGamingKitty: "Costumer"? I don't think the agents are helping cosplayers.

{{comic
| number = 558
| date = March 20, 2009
| title = 1000 Times
| image = 1000_times.png
| titletext = And 0.002 dollars will NEVER equal 0.002 cents.
}}

==Explanation==
When amounts of U.S. dollars (or other currencies of comparable size) in the millions, billions, or trillions are mentioned in conversation, the impression left by the cited number is not some specific amount, but rather some generically large amount of money. A billion is a thousand times larger than a million, but if one is not paying close attention, they both mentally register as being "very large" or "life-changing if they ended up in my bank account", rather than being as different as "one dollar" and "a thousand dollars" are.

In this comic, [[Randall]] notes how news organizations take advantage of this fact to make certain figures sound comparable, when they are actually not. The "{{w|Bailout}}" referred to is the 2008 {{w|Troubled Asset Relief Program}} (TARP), wherein money was cheaply loaned to large banks by the government to help them remain solvent. The "Bonuses" are the subsequent bonuses paid by those banks to their employees.

Citing the size of the bailout in billions and the size of the bonuses in millions gives the misleading impression that the bulk of the bailout was spent on bonuses - in particular to the very traders who caused the problem that cause the need for TARP in the first place - making for much more outrageous and therefore attention-grabbing story. While the news organizations are not ''lying'' per se, citing the figures using the same unit makes it clearer that the bonus payments were a tiny fraction of the bailout which is not as obviously outrageous. The news organizations, as news organizations are, were choosing the presentation that was most attention-grabbing over the presentation that conveys the information most accurately.

Below the two comic panels Randall asks the news organizations to stop using this way to misleadingly represent large numbers. He then proceeds to compares the difference between a million and a billion using an analogue that a newscaster may understand. Proportionally speaking, if a million is like Randall taking a sip of wine and spending 30 seconds (presumably talking over the wine) with your daughter, then a billion would be like him drinking a bottle of Gin and spending a night with her (presumably having drunken sex with her). Note that a billion is 1000 million, and 1000 times 30 seconds does indeed equal 8 hours and 20 minutes, or about "one night". And a bottle of gin (750 mL, 40% ABV) contains 1000 times as much alcohol as a small sip of wine (3 mL, 10% ABV)

The title text is a reference to a semi-famous case where {{w|Verizon Wireless|Verizon}} Wireless [https://verizonmath.blogspot.com/2006/12/verizon-doesnt-know-dollars-from-cents.html quoted] a rate of 0.002¢ (which equals $0.00002) per kB on their data plan, but charged $0.002. The customer service agents were seemingly unable to see the difference. Randall had referenced this incident before in [[verizon]].

==Transcript==
:[Two almost identical panels are shown with Ponytail sitting behind desk. Above each panel there are a caption and the text in the sign of each panel is slightly different]

:[Left panel caption above and sign in the panel:]
:Dishonest
:Sign:
::Bailout: $170 billion
::Bonuses: $165 million

:[Right panel caption above and sign in the panel:]
:Honest:
:Sign:
::Bailout: $170,000 million
::Bonuses: $165 million

:[Caption below the panels:]
:Dear news organizations: Stop giving large
:numbers without context or proper comparison.

:The difference between a million and a
:billion is the difference between me having a
:sip of wine and 30 seconds with your daughter,
:and a bottle of gin and a night with her.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:News anchor]]
[[Category:Sex]]

3100: Alert Sound

2025-06-10T08:13:31Z

SevenTheGamingKitty: gonna assume that the "again" is italicized, if you disagree, feel free to tell me about it.

{{comic
| number = 3100
| date = June 9, 2025
| title = Alert Sound
| image = alert_sound_2x.png
| imagesize = 393x455px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = With a good battery, the device can easily last for 5 or 10 years, although the walls probably won't.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created recently by a BOT THAT GOES BOOP. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

"Living well is the best revenge" is a {{w|Proverb|proverb}} that has been part of English-language popular culture since 1640. Its message is that the best answer to an insult or injury is to prosper, materially and spiritually, in its despite - an indirect response. The joke is in Randall's claim that this is the ''second''-best revenge, inferior to a more direct response (a practical joke) using modern technology.

The prank takes the form of placing a [https://www.geekextreme.com/annoyatron-holy-grail-of-pranks/ small noisemaking device] in the wall of a room that a computer is typically used in. The device makes sounds that are associated with computers, such as that of a device being connected. If someone hears such a sound when they're not expecting to, it's cause for concern, especially if it happens often. It could indicate that someone else is connecting to a computer in the room, or a connected device keeps spontaneously disconnecting or shutting off, or some other uncommanded and unwanted computer activity is occurring. Room occupants hearing these sounds would be perplexed, then annoyed; being unable to identify the source of the sounds would drive them nuts.

The title text makes an estimate for the battery life of a device that only activates every 6 hours at the most, and then jokes about the lifespan of the wall in which such a device would be set. {{tvtropes|DontExplainTheJoke|The joke being, of course}}, that user plagued by this sound will eventually start tearing down walls once they begin to narrow down the source of the sound.

The [https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/09/02/living-well/ "living well"] proverb first appeared in a collection of [https://muse.jhu.edu/article/848854/summary "Outlandish Proverbs", attributed] to {{w|George_Herbert|George Herbert}} and, presumably, assembled from his papers after his death in 1633. The collection of more than 1,000 such proverbs also includes the original forms, in English, of such chestnuts as "Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones".

This is the second comic in a row that apparently advocates putting things in other people's walls, the first being [[3099: Neighbor-Source Heat Pump]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}
[Cueball is sitting at his desk with a computer, surprised by a "Boop!" sound in the upper left part of the panel]

Cueball: AAAAA!

Cueball: I heard it '''''again!'''''

Cueball: '''''Where''''' is that '''''coming''''' from!?

[Caption below the panel:]

It turns out living well is only the '''''second'''''-best revenge. The '''''best''''' revenge is making a tiny hole in someone's wall and dropping in a battery-powered capsule that, every 6-12 hours, plays the alert sound of a USB device connecting.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

285: Wikipedian Protester

2025-06-08T04:43:49Z

SevenTheGamingKitty: You forgot a space.

{{comic
| number = 285
| date = July 4, 2007
| title = Wikipedian Protester
| image = wikipedian_protester.png
| titletext = SEMI-PROTECT THE CONSTITUTION
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] holds up a sign reading "[Citation needed]" during a political speech. The sign text is based on the {{w|Wikipedia:Citation needed|Wikipedia template}} that can be placed next to statements that need citations, usually because of questionable validity. (It looks like this: {{Citation needed}}) Cueball is using this template to challenge the politician's speech, as political speakers often throw out claims having dubious or no factual basis. This comic was posted on {{w|Independence Day}} in 2007, which may explain its focus on classically American issues such as free speech, protest, and the Constitution (as well as the presence of the country's flag on the podium).

The title text represents an alternative sign the protester could be holding. It is a pun on popular phrase "protect the Constitution", which urges politicians to pass and enforce laws in a way that preserves the rules and rights set down by the {{w|Constitution of the United States|U.S. constitution}}. "Semi-protect" is a reference to the {{w|Wikipedia:Semi-protection policy|Wikipedia semi-protection policy}}, which is used to prevent important articles from being edited anonymously or by new users. Semi-protection on an article is shown by displaying this lock [[File:semi-protection-lock.png|12px]] on the top right of an article. Constitutional amendments are proposed by Congress, which isn't anonymous, meaning that in effect, all articles of the Constitution are technically already semi-protected. Funnily enough, the "{{w|Constitution}}" and "{{w|Constitution of the United States}}" articles on Wikipedia are now semi-protected due to excessive vandalism.

==Transcript==
:[A man (presumably some sort of electoral candidate) with flat, dark hair is standing at a podium. He is speaking to a crowd while standing behind a lectern. The lectern has a microphone on the top and sports an American flag in color on the side. He holds an arm on the lectern and the other arm is held up in front of him with a finger pointing upwards. There are four red stars on the side of the podium below him and behind him something that could be high curtains. There is an empty gap between the podium and the first people in the crowd followed by a stick with a red top, which indicates a fence to keep the crowd at a distance from the podium. After the fence there is a large crowd of people listening, most of them only partly drawn, and a lot of them lacking hair. Three signs can be seen above the heads of the crowd, but two are just blank white, except for one in the middle of the crowd. There, a Cueball has been raised above the rest of the crowd (possibly on someone else's shoulders) while holding a large sign above his head in both hands. The sign has blue text in black square brackets:]
:<big>[Citation needed]</big>

==Trivia==
* Randall's ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]'' blog and [[explain xkcd|this wiki]] use the {{Template|Citation needed}} template as a joke, after statements that are blatantly obvious. For example, "The light from the Sun illuminates the Earth.{{Citation needed}}". On this wiki, clicking the template leads to this comic's explanation instead of the {{w|Wikipedia:Citation needed}} page. Because of this, this wiki instead uses the {{tl|Actual citation needed}} template for statements that are unsourced and require actual reliable citations. [[explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ#citation|Learn more at the Editor FAQ]].

* Randall {{w|User talk:Xkcd#http://xkcd.com/c285.html|re-licensed this comic}} under [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ the CC-BY 2.5 license] so that it could be {{w|File:Webcomic xkcd - Wikipedian protester.png|used on Wikipedia}}. By default, xkcd comics are licensed under [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5/ CC-BY-NC 2.5], which is [https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Commons:Licensing#Acceptable_licenses considered too restrictive for Wikimedia content]. On Wikipedia, this comic was featured as the {{w|Template:POTD/2018-11-23|picture of the day}} on November 23, 2018 and is used in the "{{w|Citation needed}}" article, the "{{w|Wikipedia:Citation needed}}" information page, and the "{{w|Wikipedia:Why Wikipedia cannot claim the Earth is not flat}}" essay.
{{Quote| I feel like I've already fielded requests on this particular image elsewhere in the three years since this debate, so the issue has probably been resolved. In case I haven't: yes—I am willing to release comic #285 under CC-BY-SA, so Wikipedia can use it. Sorry for any trouble!|[[Randall Munroe]]|{{w|User talk:Xkcd#http://xkcd.com/c285.html|User talk:Xkcd}}}}

* xkcd fans have made [https://blog.xkcd.com/2007/10/01/the-meetup/comment-page-2/#:~:text=There%20were%20several%20gallant%20protesters%20insisting%20that%20all%20assertions%20be%20fully%20backed%2Dup. "Citation needed" signs in real life] as a joke.

* The template in this comic used to be [https://web.archive.org/web/20211215010112/https://store.xkcd.com/products/citation-needed-sticker-pack available as a sticker pack] in the xkcd store before it was [[Store|shut down]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:CC-BY-SA comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]