explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2150: XKeyboarCD

2019-05-15T17:49:48Z

Space0309:

{{comic
| number = 2150
| date = May 15, 2019
| title = XKeyboarCD
| image = xkeyboarcd.png
| titletext = The key caps use LCD displays for all the vowels, so they can automatically adjust over the years to reflect ongoing vowel shifts while allowing you to keep typing phonetically.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a KEY BOAR USING AN XKEYBOARCD. Title Text not yet explained. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In the same vein as the [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone series]], the XKeyboarCD seems to be an overly inventive and borderline ludicrous keyboard intended for some unknown audience. It has an assortment of features (some fairly normal, some more exotic) which give it a..."diverse skill set".

*'''54 Configurable Rubik's Keys'''
The smaller cubes on a {{w|Rubik's cube}} resemble computer keys, so this feature makes fun of that by adding a spinnable Rubik's cube above the keyboard.

*'''Hardcoded Plastic Keys for the 5 Most Useful Emoji'''
This feature parodies the feature of some laptop-keyboards where it is possible to dynamically assign emojis to a small touchscreen area. Which Emojis would be "the most useful" is highly subjective. For example in the comic it shows the quite popular laughing with tears emoji, along the octopus emoji and others. Notably, the "aerial tramway" was once the least-used emoji, and remains very rarely used.
The large size and central position of the keys make their usefulness even more questionable.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Emoji
! Name
|-
| 😰
| [https://emojipedia.org/face-with-open-mouth-and-cold-sweat/ Anxious Face With Sweat]
|-
| 😂
| [https://emojipedia.org/face-with-tears-of-joy/ Face With Tears of Joy]
|-
| 🐙
| [https://emojipedia.org/octopus/ Octopus]
|-
| 🏇
| [https://emojipedia.org/horse-racing/ Horse Racing]
|-
| 🚡
| [https://emojipedia.org/aerial-tramway/ Aerial Tramway]
|}

*'''Serif Lock'''
{{w|Serifs}} are small lines on the ends of certain characters in fonts such as Times New Roman and Georgia. It is dependent on the font, not on the key pressed; "A" is represented by the same code regardless of its font. Since a given font almost always either has or doesn't have serifs, this key seems challenging to implement. This key could be implemented, however, by simply changing between a pair of fonts when it is pressed. What's more, the button is placed roughly where left Shift is on most keyboards, liable to cause frustration.

*'''Unlimited Key Travel'''
On a keyboard, key travel refers to the distance the key moves between its unpressed and pressed states. In reality, laptop keys only move a few millimeters before bottoming out, and conventional keyboards up to about a centimeter. An increased key travel may make typing more comfortable. However, the usefulness of having unlimited key travel is unclear, and the question of how this would be physically possible in the keyboard depicted remains unanswered.

*'''Diagonal Spacebar'''
A diagonal spacebar wouldn't be very useful, as many typists are used to having a spacebar at the bottom, and there's no reason to change it.

*'''Arrow Key (Rotate to Adjust Direction)'''
Most computers have four arrow keys: up, left, right, and down. However, the XKeyboarCD just has one that can be rotated. This has the added bonus of allowing the arrow keys to point more than four different directions. While theoretically useful and innovative, this comes at the cost of compatibility with certain programs, such as older video games. It would also be awkward to operate as going from horizontally left to horizontally right, for example, would require the user to rotate the key first and then press it which wastes precious time when playing a video game. There is also the problem of connecting the key since it would presumably have to be rotated more than 360 degrees in one direction (think of the human neck). It would have to use a optical sensor to do so which adds to the cost of the keyboard.

*'''15 Puzzle-Style Numberpad'''
A 15 Puzzle is a square containing fifteen smaller squares and one blank spot, which allows the squares to be moved around. The squares are shuffled and then reassembled as a game or pastime, and are usually labelled 1-15 (as is the case here) or, when assembled properly, create a picture. A numberpad in this style would be frustrating to use for typing numbers, as they could shift (or be shifted) around, but could provide a fun feature to use as a game. How this would be used to generate numeric input is unclear, but the presence of 16 positions suggests {{w|hexadecimal}} input is possible.

*'''Ergonomic Design'''

The cylindrical portion of the keyboard is advertised as being an ergonomic design. Ergonomic keyboards do tend to be curved, to follow natural arm and finger movements more closely, and some ergonomic keyboards come in unconventional form factors, such as vertical keyboards, to allow the user's hands to rest in more neutral positions or to change positions throughout the day. However, the cylinder shape presented here requires the user to lift and twist his arms to reach certain keys, which would be an even more strenuous motion than typing on a standard keyboard.

*'''Title Text'''

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Introducing the
XKeyboarCD
A keyboard for powerful users and their powerful fingers

[Arrow to the various features of a keyboard labelling them.]

54 Configurable Rubik's Keys

Hardcoded Plastic Keys for the 5 Most Useful Emoji

Serif Lock

Unlimited Key Travel

Diagonal Spacebar

Arrow Key (Rotate to Adjust Direction)

15 Puzzle-Style Numberpad

Ergonomic Design
{{comic discussion}}

2148: Cubesat Launch

2019-05-10T21:52:02Z

Space0309: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2148
| date = May 10, 2019
| title = Cubesat Launch
| image = cubesat_launch.png
| titletext = Luckily, the damages were partly offset by the prize money we got from accidentally winning the nearby water skiing championship tournament.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Launch Accident Investigator. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic begins with [[Megan]] telling [[Cueball]] that being officially part of a {{w|CubeSat}} launch is very expensive, but she has an idea for a much cheaper alternative: use a fishing line on a drone to attach to a rocket just before launch, with the cubesat attached to the other end of the fishing line so it gets pulled into space.

In reality, this plan would fail for multiple reasons.

# Security would presumably prevent the drone from reaching the rocket.
# The unshielded CubeSat would likely be destroyed by aerodynamic forces.
# The drone would not be able to attach itself to the rocket in a way that would remain secure.
# The fishing line would not hold - either the rocket exhaust would sever it, or the force from the cubesat, gravity, and the acceleration of the rocket, would become more than its tensile strength could withstand.
# Precise weight is an EXTREMELY important number during launch. The extra weight of the drone, the fishing line, the air drag from the drone, and the cubesat all would combine to put more downward force on the rocket. This unexpected extra weight would not have been calculated during fueling of the rocket and the rocket may run out of propellant before achieving the planned orbit.

Whatever her plan was, it goes wrong almost immediately. The unexpected force on the rocket from the side causes it to tilt and go off course (unrealistically due to the comparatively small force of the cubesat). Perhaps if the rocket's control software employed {{w|adaptive control}} techniques, it could have maintained control in the presence of this unexpected force. Megan and Cueball get tangled in the fishing line and are carried away. It is implied that the rocket crashes not long after. In reality, the unplanned attitude change of the rocket would likely activate the automatic termination sequence or result in manual activation of the destruction protocol. Megan and Cueball miraculously survive and are brought to an investigative board to explain their actions. Megan attempts to defend herself using flawed logic: something was bound to go wrong sooner or later, so it's not her fault that she was the cause. This logic does not account for the fact that this particular rocket's chance to crash was greatly increased by the drone attempting to connect to it.

The title text describes that the supposedly huge damages they caused were partly covered by the earnings from a water skiing championship, which Cueball and Megan presumably won by being dragged across the water by the rocket.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Megan and Cueball talking. Megan is holding a cube attached to a drone by string.]
:Megan: A spot on a cubesat launch costs a lot, but you can get a drone and a spool of fishing line for cheap.
:Cueball: Uh oh.

:[A wide shot of Megan flying the drone.]
:Megan: No no, watch. This is gonna go great.

:[Wide shot of a rocket launch with drone and string approaching from the right.]

:[Drone attached to rocket.]
:Off-panel: Perfect!

:[Vapor cloud at bottom of rocket.]
:Foom

:[Rocket taking off, tilting in the direction of the string.]
:Off-panel: Should it be tilting already?
:Off-panel: Hey, move your leg.

:[Megan and Cueball struggling in tangle of string whilst holding cube.]
:Megan: Ugh, let go, I can get-
:Cueball: -No, lift your other arm-

:[Three small panels of rocket tilting increasingly to the right and down as if pulled by the string.]

:[Megan and Cueball flying through the air, attached to the string. Two onlookers flee.]
:Aaaaaa

:[A disheveled looking Megan and Cueball both with plaster casts on their arms stand before four members of an interview panel at a table labeled 'Launch accident investigation board'].
:Megan: Listen. Space exploration is never going to be completely safe.
{{comic discussion}}

2148: Cubesat Launch

2019-05-10T21:43:53Z

Space0309: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2148
| date = May 10, 2019
| title = Cubesat Launch
| image = cubesat_launch.png
| titletext = Luckily, the damages were partly offset by the prize money we got from accidentally winning the nearby water skiing championship tournament.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a Launch Accident Investigator. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The comic begins with [[Megan]] telling [[Cueball]] that being officially part of a {{w|CubeSat}} launch is very expensive, but she has an idea for a much cheaper alternative: use a fishing line on a drone to attach to a rocket just before launch, with the cubesat attached to the other end of the fishing line so it gets pulled into space.

In reality, this plan would fail for multiple reasons.

# Security would presumably prevent the drone from reaching the rocket.
# The unshielded CubeSat would likely be destroyed by aerodynamic forces.
# The drone would not be able to attach itself to the rocket in a way that would remain secure.
# The fishing line would not hold - either the rocket exhaust would sever it, or the force from the cubesat, gravity, and the acceleration of the rocket, would become more than its tensile strength could withstand.
# Precise weight is an EXTREMELY important number during launch. The extra weight of the drone, the fishing line, the air drag from the drone, and the cubesat all would combine to put more downward force on the rocket. This unexpected extra weight would not have been calculated during fueling of the rocket and the rocket may run out of propellant before achieving the planned orbit.

Whatever her plan was, it goes wrong almost immediately. The unexpected force on the rocket from the side causes it to tilt and go off course (unrealistically due to the comparatively small force of the cubesat). Perhaps if the rocket's control software employed {{w|adaptive control}} techniques, it could have maintained control in the presence of this unexpected force. Megan and Cueball get tangled in the fishing line and are carried away. It is implied that the rocket crashes not long after. Megan and Cueball miraculously survive and are brought to an investigative board to explain their actions. Megan attempts to defend herself using flawed logic: something was bound to go wrong sooner or later, so it's not her fault that she was the cause. This logic does not account for the fact that this particular rocket's chance to crash was greatly increased by the drone attempting to connect to it.

The title text describes that the supposedly huge damages they caused were partly covered by the earnings from a water skiing championship, which Cueball and Megan presumably won by being dragged across the water by the rocket.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Megan and Cueball talking. Megan is holding a cube attached to a drone by string.]
:Megan: A spot on a cubesat launch costs a lot, but you can get a drone and a spool of fishing line for cheap.
:Cueball: Uh oh.

:[A wide shot of Megan flying the drone.]
:Megan: No no, watch. This is gonna go great.

:[Wide shot of a rocket launch with drone and string approaching from the right.]

:[Drone attached to rocket.]
:Off-panel: Perfect!

:[Vapor cloud at bottom of rocket.]
:Foom

:[Rocket taking off, tilting in the direction of the string.]
:Off-panel: Should it be tilting already?
:Off-panel: Hey, move your leg.

:[Megan and Cueball struggling in tangle of string whilst holding cube.]
:Megan: Ugh, let go, I can get-
:Cueball: -No, lift your other arm-

:[Three small panels of rocket tilting increasingly to the right and down as if pulled by the string.]

:[Megan and Cueball flying through the air, attached to the string. Two onlookers flee.]
:Aaaaaa

:[A disheveled looking Megan and Cueball both with plaster casts on their arms stand before four members of an interview panel at a table labeled 'Launch accident investigation board'].
:Megan: Listen. Space exploration is never going to be completely safe.
{{comic discussion}}