explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3217: Home Remedies

2026-03-16T19:29:48Z

TCMits: Update to Skunk Odor Removal Solution

Wow that came out late. I guess it is still technically Monday in California? Or at least was when it came up on explain xkcd half an hour ago? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:03, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
:Randall lives in Boston. I suppose that there's some lag between xkcd and the explain xkcd upload, as TheusafBOT takes some time to transfer it. [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 16:50, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Very late comic [[User:Broseph|Broseph]] ([[User talk:Broseph|talk]]) 08:13, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: Even later explanation. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:30, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

For anyone perhaps wondering how you get a skunk with a hangover, all you need to do is find one of them that is {{wiktionary|drunk as a skunk|famously inebriated}}, then wait. The chewing gum bit probably 'just happens' at some point during this whole process... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.231.180|82.132.231.180]] 10:40, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Unrelated but I had a dream that I checked this website and it was Randall announcing he was going to quit, just text on a white panel as the final comic, not too dissimilar to Schultz quitting Peanuts. It felt shockingly realistic [[Special:Contributions/168.8.230.58|168.8.230.58]] 12:59, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
:Charles Schultz died on February 12, 2000, the day before his last Sunday strip was published. He might have realized his health was failing and decided to retire while he still had a choice in the matter. The weekday/Saturday edition of Peanuts had its last original strip on January 3, 2000.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_M._Schulz][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanuts] [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 18:29, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

The set-up with the competitor stations and the hidden 'ingredients' is very similar to the mystery challenge in the Great British Bake-off (though they seem to have drawers where the ovens would be) - not sure whether it's specific enough to include in the explanation though. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:35, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

It looks like White Hat's skunk either hasn't woken up yet or has a much less nasty hangover than the other two. [[Special:Contributions/2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:D9C6:625B:47D6:8BE3|2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:D9C6:625B:47D6:8BE3]] 15:50, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: Or it has a much ''worse'' hangover, to the point where it can't contemplate moving. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 17:17, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: Or something to do with gender/hormones as the other 2 skunks are agitated near females (coincidence in an XKCD strip? I don't think so.) OTOH a much more likely explanation in the context of XKCD is simply White Hat's natural unorthodox luck and/or behavior. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 17:43, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

"[…], but that person must be ''a'' grandparent" does ''not'' imply the contestants may not call anyone else but ''their grandparents''. And since many people are grandparents, this means they may call any of them. [[Special:Contributions/2001:4C4E:1C05:F300:5825:EE15:4B0B:B964|2001:4C4E:1C05:F300:5825:EE15:4B0B:B964]] 17:39, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: Yes, any grandparent will do. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 21:23, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
:: Fresh from the grave. [[Special:Contributions/128.6.147.23|128.6.147.23]] 22:13, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
We don't know the rules of the game, and the host did not state clear instructions on what's to do. Thus _my_ "home remedy" would simply be to take the box as-is and move it out of the premises, whereever that be (e.g. the game show place). Problem solved. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 17:47, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: I wouldn't even take the box. Just leave it there and step away. Not my problem. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 21:22, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
:: Hmm. Maybe it is ''my'' unorthodox worldview, but I felt that the goal was to somehow pacify the hungover skunk additionally upset by the chewing gum. Finish with a photo-worthy stance of the contestant smiling at the camera, with the skunk under one arm. The idea of calling a grandparent felt like it was related to that species having life experience already in dealing with stinky, drunk, chewing-gum-affected badly-domesticated beings.[[User:Yamaplos|Yamaplos]] ([[User talk:Yamaplos|talk]]) 03:21, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
:: Call the grandparent and get them to take care of it. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:12, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

Peanut butter. Skunks love the stuff, and it's a reliable "solvent" for chewing gum. Carefully offer the skunk a bit of peanut butter, from a distance so as not to alarm it any more than can be avoided. Give more peanut butter, a bit at a time, so the skunk comes to accept you. Then get the peanut butter into the hair that has chewing gum in it. Wait the customary 12-15 minutes until the chewing gum has softened, then see if you can get the gum out. The timing is tight but it might be manageable. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 14:03, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
:Sorry - you are disqualified - you failed to first check whether anyone in the vicinity has a peanut allergy. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:12, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
::That gets into "the quicker yet riskier path". But I'd expect that peanut-butter analogues, made from things like sunflower seeds or roasted soybeans, would work about as well. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 01:55, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
:::The very nature of many home remedies is that they are utter cobblers that – at best – don't work, but quite possibly do more harm than good. So, failing to check how dangerous it might be is actually pretty on the nose, I'd have thought. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 09:19, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
:"Skunks love the stuff" home remedy detected, though I'd believe it. Skunks seem to fall in the latter of the dogs-bears evolutionary fork? -[[Special:Contributions/158.91.163.1|158.91.163.1]] 15:06, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
::It's impossible to prove that ''all'' skunks love peanut butter. But there are many accounts of how it's a good bait for live traps, and of skunks getting stuck in discarded peanut butter jars. My own experience is that PB is a very reliable bait in live traps for mice, for what it's worth. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 21:25, 12 March 2026 (UTC)

In case any of the contestants are so unfortunate as to get sprayed by their skunk, here is a home remedy Skunk Odor Removal Solution for that.
:1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide
:1/4 cup baking soda
:1 teaspoon liquid soap
Mix the ingredients in an open container, Do not cover or store it. Oxygen released from the solution may cause a closed container to explode. Do not let solution get in your eyes or mouth. Once done with it, dilute with water and discard. Hangover remedy and gum removal remedy are left for the reader. [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 19:26, 16 March 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3217: Home Remedies

2026-03-16T19:26:32Z

TCMits: Skunk Odor Removal Solution

Wow that came out late. I guess it is still technically Monday in California? Or at least was when it came up on explain xkcd half an hour ago? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:03, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
:Randall lives in Boston. I suppose that there's some lag between xkcd and the explain xkcd upload, as TheusafBOT takes some time to transfer it. [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 16:50, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Very late comic [[User:Broseph|Broseph]] ([[User talk:Broseph|talk]]) 08:13, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: Even later explanation. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:30, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

For anyone perhaps wondering how you get a skunk with a hangover, all you need to do is find one of them that is {{wiktionary|drunk as a skunk|famously inebriated}}, then wait. The chewing gum bit probably 'just happens' at some point during this whole process... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.231.180|82.132.231.180]] 10:40, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Unrelated but I had a dream that I checked this website and it was Randall announcing he was going to quit, just text on a white panel as the final comic, not too dissimilar to Schultz quitting Peanuts. It felt shockingly realistic [[Special:Contributions/168.8.230.58|168.8.230.58]] 12:59, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
:Charles Schultz died on February 12, 2000, the day before his last Sunday strip was published. He might have realized his health was failing and decided to retire while he still had a choice in the matter. The weekday/Saturday edition of Peanuts had its last original strip on January 3, 2000.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_M._Schulz][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanuts] [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 18:29, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

The set-up with the competitor stations and the hidden 'ingredients' is very similar to the mystery challenge in the Great British Bake-off (though they seem to have drawers where the ovens would be) - not sure whether it's specific enough to include in the explanation though. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:35, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

It looks like White Hat's skunk either hasn't woken up yet or has a much less nasty hangover than the other two. [[Special:Contributions/2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:D9C6:625B:47D6:8BE3|2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:D9C6:625B:47D6:8BE3]] 15:50, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: Or it has a much ''worse'' hangover, to the point where it can't contemplate moving. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 17:17, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: Or something to do with gender/hormones as the other 2 skunks are agitated near females (coincidence in an XKCD strip? I don't think so.) OTOH a much more likely explanation in the context of XKCD is simply White Hat's natural unorthodox luck and/or behavior. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 17:43, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

"[…], but that person must be ''a'' grandparent" does ''not'' imply the contestants may not call anyone else but ''their grandparents''. And since many people are grandparents, this means they may call any of them. [[Special:Contributions/2001:4C4E:1C05:F300:5825:EE15:4B0B:B964|2001:4C4E:1C05:F300:5825:EE15:4B0B:B964]] 17:39, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: Yes, any grandparent will do. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 21:23, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
:: Fresh from the grave. [[Special:Contributions/128.6.147.23|128.6.147.23]] 22:13, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
We don't know the rules of the game, and the host did not state clear instructions on what's to do. Thus _my_ "home remedy" would simply be to take the box as-is and move it out of the premises, whereever that be (e.g. the game show place). Problem solved. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 17:47, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: I wouldn't even take the box. Just leave it there and step away. Not my problem. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 21:22, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
:: Hmm. Maybe it is ''my'' unorthodox worldview, but I felt that the goal was to somehow pacify the hungover skunk additionally upset by the chewing gum. Finish with a photo-worthy stance of the contestant smiling at the camera, with the skunk under one arm. The idea of calling a grandparent felt like it was related to that species having life experience already in dealing with stinky, drunk, chewing-gum-affected badly-domesticated beings.[[User:Yamaplos|Yamaplos]] ([[User talk:Yamaplos|talk]]) 03:21, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
:: Call the grandparent and get them to take care of it. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:12, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

Peanut butter. Skunks love the stuff, and it's a reliable "solvent" for chewing gum. Carefully offer the skunk a bit of peanut butter, from a distance so as not to alarm it any more than can be avoided. Give more peanut butter, a bit at a time, so the skunk comes to accept you. Then get the peanut butter into the hair that has chewing gum in it. Wait the customary 12-15 minutes until the chewing gum has softened, then see if you can get the gum out. The timing is tight but it might be manageable. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 14:03, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
:Sorry - you are disqualified - you failed to first check whether anyone in the vicinity has a peanut allergy. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:12, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
::That gets into "the quicker yet riskier path". But I'd expect that peanut-butter analogues, made from things like sunflower seeds or roasted soybeans, would work about as well. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 01:55, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
:::The very nature of many home remedies is that they are utter cobblers that – at best – don't work, but quite possibly do more harm than good. So, failing to check how dangerous it might be is actually pretty on the nose, I'd have thought. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 09:19, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
:"Skunks love the stuff" home remedy detected, though I'd believe it. Skunks seem to fall in the latter of the dogs-bears evolutionary fork? -[[Special:Contributions/158.91.163.1|158.91.163.1]] 15:06, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
::It's impossible to prove that ''all'' skunks love peanut butter. But there are many accounts of how it's a good bait for live traps, and of skunks getting stuck in discarded peanut butter jars. My own experience is that PB is a very reliable bait in live traps for mice, for what it's worth. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 21:25, 12 March 2026 (UTC)

In case any of the contestants are so unfortunate as to get sprayed by their skunk, here is a home remedy Skunk Odor Removal Solution for that.
:1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide
:1/4 cup baking soda
:1 teaspoon liquid soap
Mix the ingredients in an open container, Do not cover or store it. Oxygen released from the solution may cause a closed container to explode. Do not let solution get in your eyes or mouth. Once done with it, dilute with water and discard.
Hangover remedy and gum removal remedy are left for the reader.
[[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 19:26, 16 March 2026 (UTC)

Talk:2976: Time Traveler Causes of Death

2024-08-24T14:00:57Z

TCMits: Added to the discussion.

How'd I do for my first 'explanation?' I know it's short...[[User:Onestay|Onestay]] ([[User talk:Onestay|talk]]) 17:56, 23 August 2024 (UTC)
:I added to it. It's a good start. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.191|172.69.134.191]] 17:57, 23 August 2024 (UTC)
::Please sign your comments [[User:Onestay|Onestay]] ([[User talk:Onestay|talk]]) 18:01, 23 August 2024 (UTC)
:::How's this [[Special:Contributions/127.0.0.1|127.0.0.1]] 18:24, 23 August 2024 (UTC)
:::added a table [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 18:20, 23 August 2024 (UTC)
::::added a very necessary "citation needed" thingy - it's traditional [[User:PaulEberhardt|PaulEberhardt]] ([[User talk:PaulEberhardt|talk]]) 08:40, 24 August 2024 (UTC)

Shouldn't there be a thin line for "meteor" just below "trampled", if the time traveller lands during the Chicxulub impact event? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:56, 23 August 2024 (UTC)
:Probably a mistake on Randall’s part. He might correct it later (he’s updated other comics before), but unless you have a magic red telephone that reach his personal number right now, all we can do is wait (or add it to the Explanation/Trivia). [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 19:20, 23 August 2024 (UTC)
::For sure not a mistake. Only one day in the entire history of Earth you would die directly from the impact. But the heavy bombardment there would be many days this would happen. Although I just updated the table saying that asphyxiation would still go much faster than waiting for such a meteor. I'm certain that Randall would not update the comic for that. Mainly he updates if he has made a spelling mistake that could alter the meaning or has forgotten some part of a drawing that might seem important. And these events are rare.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:47, 24 August 2024 (UTC)

I didn't think that the Cryogenian Ice Age was cold enough to be an immediate threat to a typical human, especially if that human was wearing winter clothes, just a long-term threat (mostly due to food). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.68|162.158.41.68]] 21:09, 23 August 2024 (UTC)
:Given asphixiation issues could be avoided by taking along appropriate breathing apparatus (and other life-saving solutions may exist for other periods), or just by not leaving your 'tardis' machine (with its airtight door, as hinted at, which may only be a problem if you can't open it again upon return), I think we're talking of essentially unprepared travel to these other times.
:Maybe without a machine (or without taking it with you, given the comic indicating there is one). Not realising what you're walking into, like stumbling through a {{w|Primeval (TV series)|swirling time-wedgie}} or {{w|Pebble in the Sky|being blasted through time}}, might be the primary reason to become a time-traveler. And the everyday Joe that finds themselves doing that out of ignorance is mostly unlikely to have been pre-prepared for any such trip.
:Or otherwise explain the stuck-door of the 'now-ish' era as being you generally would survive most now-ish trips (assuming you didn't do something like land in WW2 directly under a bomb or become captured by people who would be highly suspicious of your digital watch and your lack of valid id), or not actually going anywhen at all, then your death causes could be headlined by something ''really'' trivial like being stuck in a cupboard that forms the basis of the time-machine. (Or {{w|The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe|a wardrobe}}... Which I wouldn't put past being Randall's actual reference, on past form.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.174|172.69.43.174]] 22:50, 23 August 2024 (UTC)
:It's not that hard to die of hypothermia in modern winters. Surely that's more likely during an ice age. And the claim isn't that you're really likely to die from these things, just that they're the most likely cause of death at the time. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 03:28, 24 August 2024 (UTC)
::Seems like the entire idea dwells on the fact that you do not think about going back to the present when realizing you are in a dangerous place. If there are air in the time machine then you should have time to go back before dying of the lack of oxygen. But of course if you land in lava it may be too late. What if you went further back and ended in a gas cloud. Would you die of lack of oxygen as well? Guess the actual biggest problem about time travel, if they where possible, is you also have to travel vast distances in space, since Earth has moved quite a bit no matter if you travel 1 hour into the past or a million/billion years. You would end up in empty space unless you also could travel very long distances through space... Sun moves around the galaxy so wont matter going a year back since the Earth are still not back to where it was. And the galaxy also moves... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:47, 24 August 2024 (UTC)

The door is stuck, and you seem to assume the poor traveler is stuck /inside/. I would rather scream for the time police to save me if I am stuck /outside/ in this crappy age :-) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.109.54|172.69.109.54]] 08:37, 24 August 2024 (UTC)

For all the times xkcd has focused on raptors and how to prevent predatory raptor attacks, I'm disappointed that "Trampled" is the main concern for travelers going to the Mesozoic Era. [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 14:00, 24 August 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2767: Recipe Relativity

2023-04-25T15:12:20Z

TCMits: Added to the discussion

Just curious, does anyone know what the dimensions of the onion measure in the recipe when adjusting for contraction? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.175.179|172.70.175.179]] 02:55, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

Is it worth explicitly saying in the explanation that this is the correct equation for time distortion in Special Relativity? [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 03:31, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

Which observer timed the recipe at 35 minutes? The equations only make sense if the observer was moving in approximately the same inertial frame as Randall's, but I doubt such an observer could track a chef over 592 billion meters. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.142.107|172.71.142.107]] 06:13, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

I had something similar, turns out the I used the wrong pan. Using a better one helped.
[[Special:Contributions/172.71.102.5|172.71.102.5]] 07:02, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

The first non-sponsored Google hit on cooking black beans says, "Cook soaked beans for about 45 to 60 minutes and unsoaked for about 50 to 65 minutes." However, my half-used 32 oz. bag of "Great Value" (Walmart) black beans says a "quick soak" takes an hour after a two minute boil, and then cooking soaked beans requires additional simmering for "1 - 1/2 to 2 hours". Can we agree that given the title and estimated time of the recipe, it almost certainly assumed the use of canned beans, but Randall had only dried beans? [https://i.ibb.co/sWJR8Vq/Screenshot-2023-04-25-6-28-35-AM.png The circumstantial evidence seems quite compelling.] [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.242|172.69.134.242]] 13:34, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

I thought "burrito bowl" was just a fancy, more compelling neologism for "bean salad", but apparently the experts do draw a distinction: https://www.mexicali-blue.com/is-a-burrito-bowl-a-salad-examining-the-differences/ Not sure that's worth including, though. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.231|162.158.166.231]] 13:55, 25 April 2023 (UTC)
:Is this one of those "Is cereal a soup?" issues?[[Special:Contributions/172.71.30.82|172.71.30.82]] 14:00, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

It's not just online recipes that give false and misleading times. Items packaged for retail sales also give misleading "ready-to-eat" times. A Florida woman is suing Kraft Heinz Foods Company, saying their microwave mac and cheese takes longer to make than advertised. https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/28/business/florida-kraft-velveeta-mac-and-cheese-lawsuit/index.html [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 15:12, 25 April 2023 (UTC)

Talk:1079: United Shapes

2023-03-28T20:26:51Z

TCMits: Added to the discussion

Hooray, another comic that only Americans will get. Randall, some of us live in *other* parts of the world. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:47, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

Wait, so an American addict with a mostly-American audience is supposed to limit himself to cartoons that everyone can understand? And people say AMERICANS are the arrogant ones. [[Special:Contributions/71.229.88.206|71.229.88.206]] 07:59, 24 March 2013 (UTC)

Could someone please explain the stereotypes? I'm American and I don't really see any jokes. As far as I can tell, he just picked images that fit in each state. {{unsigned|71.229.88.206|07:59, 24 March 2013}}

We still have to fix this thumbnail issue. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:47, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

For the most part I don't think the shapes have anything to do with the states other than what happens to fit. The Louisiana "boot" and Michigan "glove" are commonly used to describe those states shapes.{{unsigned ip|65.117.250.78}}

People in Michigan actually say things like "I live in the thumb"
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.199|108.162.219.199]] 05:18, 12 December 2013 (UTC)

I'm not sure how this really constitutes an explanation. The current text seems to amount to "Yeah this comic is all perfectly clear and logical everyone gets all the references alright I gotta go have fun now!" I think this needs an incomplete flag, but I don't know if someone who isn't a moderator can do that? --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 22:32, 26 December 2013 (UTC)

Could the signature in Wyoming be Randalls own one? Compare it to [[1005: SOPA]]. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.160|108.162.254.160]] 09:06, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

He does lotsa comics the rest of us can undrestand, too. After all, though, he IS American. Texas: that's a cat? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.225.160|108.162.225.160]] 16:26, 9 March 2014 (UTC)

<rant> The bear in the state of Alaska is NOT Winnie the Pooh. The most recognizable version is yellow with a red shirt. The original illustrations didn't have a shirt, but were still yellow. Further more, there ARE other cartoon bears to choose from, or it could just be a non-affiliated one that Randall created for the sake of fitting in the state of Alaska. Add to that the fact that Winnie the Pooh never had a jetpack OR a raygun and there is a pretty solid case for that bear NOT being Winnie the Pooh. </rant> Anonymous 04:51, 18 March 2014 (UTC)
:I did correct a former typo done by [[Randall]] himself, but Winnie the Pooh is just what he was thinking about. Please start a discussion on such an edit first, maybe we can say Randall's painting is bad, but that's what is on his official transcript. And SO this does only belong to the explain, the transcript is just only a transcript of the ORIGINAL comic. I'm sorry, but please don't change this until you know what you are doing, please ask for help first. You will get kind answers by many people here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:29, 18 March 2014 (UTC)4

In regards to New Mexico, the hazardous waste container could easily be a reference to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad. I think it's also worth noting that, despite the transcript, the entire container appears to be upside-down, rather than just the label. This could be an allusion to concerns about radiation leaks in that facility. [[User:MurphysLife|MurphysLife]] ([[User talk:MurphysLife|talk]]) 23:28, 17 July 2018 (UTC)

WRT Massachusetts, yes, the Boston Tea Party occurred there. However, the tea on the elephant implies the tea came from India, when it came from China. Tea was not commercially cultivated in India until the 1820s, well after the American Revolution. I see no relation with the elephant depicted to the Republican Party symbol. Massachusetts politics do not lean towards Republican political party ideals. The conservative Tea Party, aligns with the Republican Party, but their followers do not hold much sway in Massachusetts.[[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 20:26, 28 March 2023 (UTC)

;Undoing edits

I expanded a bunch of descriptions, especially with an eye for people who may not be able to see the comic. This was the "incomplete explanation of the day" comic the day I started adding to the wiki. For example, Utah was described as "An oven." I changed this to "A white stove" because the entire appliance is called a stove (an oven plus drawer below, cooktop above, and upright piece with controls at the back of the cooktop).

Dgbrt undid all my changes without explanation. Would someone please explain what, if anything, I did wrong? I know I'm new here, but I did look around before making any changes. Is there an "o

Corollary question: Someone also removed the actual text that appears in the various images.

Is there an official-from-Randall transcript somewhere?

Thanks. [[User:Karenb|Karenb]] ([[User talk:Karenb|talk]]) 21:48, 20 March 2014 (UTC)
:Dgbrt replaced the transcript that was present with the transcript that can be found [http://xkcd.com/1079/info.0.json here], or in the page source of the original comic. It's not always perfectly accurate, but I usually just trust in it since Randall probably knows what he drew. If you feel that there's a typo/stuff-up somewhere, feel free to change it. Accuracy trumps the original transcript. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:48, 21 March 2014 (UTC)
::Thanks, David! That makes a lot of sense. [[User:Karenb|Karenb]] ([[User talk:Karenb|talk]]) 01:37, 21 March 2014 (UTC)
::I disagree. The transcript here should explain what is in the comic. Randall's transcript (if there even is one) is often not very complete, and he doesn't use the names we have here. If he has drawn something that is clearly not what he writes it is, then it should be corrected in this transcript. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:14, 11 February 2016 (UTC)

Is this ready for the incomplete flag to be removed? Explain section has been updated to explain the shapes that can be explained.[[User:Tornadowrangler|Tornadowrangler]] ([[User talk:Tornadowrangler|talk]]) 03:35, 3 April 2014 (UTC)Tornadowrangler

A note about Maryland -- the transcript description is incomplete, because the wolf (main part of the state) appears to be howling at a full moon (across the Chesapeake Bay). That bit of land is referred to as the Delmarva peninsula, because it includes nearly all of Delaware, the eastern part of Maryland and (not indicated on this map) the southern tip belongs to Virginia. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.13|108.162.219.13]] 04:13, 13 May 2014 (UTC)

I always thought NC & SC look like a bird beak & VA looked like a bird in flight [[User:Beastachu|Beastachu]] ([[User talk:Beastachu|talk]]) 19:35, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

I halfway fixed the issue addressed by the incomplete box. I have nothing to contribute to the current spotlighted explanation, so I am working here. I will finish the job later if I have time. I also added some more possible explanations to the chart, such as Washington D.C. being a star because that's how capitals are shown and the somewhat weak explanation of Maine's camp sunshine holding an event to appear in a Star Trek film.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.140|108.162.237.140]] 16:04, 20 April 2016 (UTC)

I believe the transcript is now complete.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.140|108.162.237.140]] 15:08, 22 April 2016 (UTC)

After some more additions to the transcript I removed the incomplete box. The only thing left is the comic explanation, and finding possible explanations for all of the shapes. Despite what the current description says, Randall just picking shapes based on shape is very unlike him.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.188|108.162.237.188]] 22:19, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
: So what you're saying is it should no longer be flagged as incomplete because only the explanation is incomplete? What an interesting conclusion [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.239|141.101.99.239]]

Holy crap what's with the transcript? Should we collapse the table? Because it makes the page zoom way out, to the point where it becomes too small to see the words. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 06:08, 6 April 2018 (UTC)
: I have fixed the table. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.143.24|172.68.143.24]] 06:38, 4 October 2018 (UTC)
::I've marked it as incomplete: A table should not be used in general. Check this [[explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ#What_is_the_format_of_the_transcript_section.3F|What is the format of the transcript section ?]]. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:45, 5 October 2018 (UTC)

== eːijaˌfjatlaˌjœːkʏtl̥ ==

What is eːijaˌfjatlaˌjœːkʏtl̥ actually pronounced as? Why does that show as the pronunciation of Colorado? It's clearly not colorado.

Talk:1079: United Shapes

2023-03-28T20:25:37Z

TCMits: Added to the discussion

Hooray, another comic that only Americans will get. Randall, some of us live in *other* parts of the world. '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:47, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

Wait, so an American addict with a mostly-American audience is supposed to limit himself to cartoons that everyone can understand? And people say AMERICANS are the arrogant ones. [[Special:Contributions/71.229.88.206|71.229.88.206]] 07:59, 24 March 2013 (UTC)

Could someone please explain the stereotypes? I'm American and I don't really see any jokes. As far as I can tell, he just picked images that fit in each state. {{unsigned|71.229.88.206|07:59, 24 March 2013}}

We still have to fix this thumbnail issue. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:47, 6 June 2013 (UTC)

For the most part I don't think the shapes have anything to do with the states other than what happens to fit. The Louisiana "boot" and Michigan "glove" are commonly used to describe those states shapes.{{unsigned ip|65.117.250.78}}

People in Michigan actually say things like "I live in the thumb"
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.199|108.162.219.199]] 05:18, 12 December 2013 (UTC)

I'm not sure how this really constitutes an explanation. The current text seems to amount to "Yeah this comic is all perfectly clear and logical everyone gets all the references alright I gotta go have fun now!" I think this needs an incomplete flag, but I don't know if someone who isn't a moderator can do that? --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 22:32, 26 December 2013 (UTC)

Could the signature in Wyoming be Randalls own one? Compare it to [[1005: SOPA]]. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.160|108.162.254.160]] 09:06, 5 March 2014 (UTC)

He does lotsa comics the rest of us can undrestand, too. After all, though, he IS American. Texas: that's a cat? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.225.160|108.162.225.160]] 16:26, 9 March 2014 (UTC)

<rant> The bear in the state of Alaska is NOT Winnie the Pooh. The most recognizable version is yellow with a red shirt. The original illustrations didn't have a shirt, but were still yellow. Further more, there ARE other cartoon bears to choose from, or it could just be a non-affiliated one that Randall created for the sake of fitting in the state of Alaska. Add to that the fact that Winnie the Pooh never had a jetpack OR a raygun and there is a pretty solid case for that bear NOT being Winnie the Pooh. </rant> Anonymous 04:51, 18 March 2014 (UTC)
:I did correct a former typo done by [[Randall]] himself, but Winnie the Pooh is just what he was thinking about. Please start a discussion on such an edit first, maybe we can say Randall's painting is bad, but that's what is on his official transcript. And SO this does only belong to the explain, the transcript is just only a transcript of the ORIGINAL comic. I'm sorry, but please don't change this until you know what you are doing, please ask for help first. You will get kind answers by many people here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:29, 18 March 2014 (UTC)4

In regards to New Mexico, the hazardous waste container could easily be a reference to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad. I think it's also worth noting that, despite the transcript, the entire container appears to be upside-down, rather than just the label. This could be an allusion to concerns about radiation leaks in that facility. [[User:MurphysLife|MurphysLife]] ([[User talk:MurphysLife|talk]]) 23:28, 17 July 2018 (UTC)

WRT Massachusetts, yes, the Boston Tea Party occurred there. However, the tea on the elephant implies the tea came from India, when it came from China. Tea was not commercially cultivated in India until the 1820s, well after the American Revolution. I see no relation with the elephant depicted to the Republican Party symbol. Massachusetts politics do not lean towards Republican political party ideals. The conservative Tea Party, aligns with the Republican Party, but their followers do not hold much sway in Massachusetts.

;Undoing edits

I expanded a bunch of descriptions, especially with an eye for people who may not be able to see the comic. This was the "incomplete explanation of the day" comic the day I started adding to the wiki. For example, Utah was described as "An oven." I changed this to "A white stove" because the entire appliance is called a stove (an oven plus drawer below, cooktop above, and upright piece with controls at the back of the cooktop).

Dgbrt undid all my changes without explanation. Would someone please explain what, if anything, I did wrong? I know I'm new here, but I did look around before making any changes. Is there an "o

Corollary question: Someone also removed the actual text that appears in the various images.

Is there an official-from-Randall transcript somewhere?

Thanks. [[User:Karenb|Karenb]] ([[User talk:Karenb|talk]]) 21:48, 20 March 2014 (UTC)
:Dgbrt replaced the transcript that was present with the transcript that can be found [http://xkcd.com/1079/info.0.json here], or in the page source of the original comic. It's not always perfectly accurate, but I usually just trust in it since Randall probably knows what he drew. If you feel that there's a typo/stuff-up somewhere, feel free to change it. Accuracy trumps the original transcript. '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:48, 21 March 2014 (UTC)
::Thanks, David! That makes a lot of sense. [[User:Karenb|Karenb]] ([[User talk:Karenb|talk]]) 01:37, 21 March 2014 (UTC)
::I disagree. The transcript here should explain what is in the comic. Randall's transcript (if there even is one) is often not very complete, and he doesn't use the names we have here. If he has drawn something that is clearly not what he writes it is, then it should be corrected in this transcript. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:14, 11 February 2016 (UTC)

Is this ready for the incomplete flag to be removed? Explain section has been updated to explain the shapes that can be explained.[[User:Tornadowrangler|Tornadowrangler]] ([[User talk:Tornadowrangler|talk]]) 03:35, 3 April 2014 (UTC)Tornadowrangler

A note about Maryland -- the transcript description is incomplete, because the wolf (main part of the state) appears to be howling at a full moon (across the Chesapeake Bay). That bit of land is referred to as the Delmarva peninsula, because it includes nearly all of Delaware, the eastern part of Maryland and (not indicated on this map) the southern tip belongs to Virginia. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.13|108.162.219.13]] 04:13, 13 May 2014 (UTC)

I always thought NC & SC look like a bird beak & VA looked like a bird in flight [[User:Beastachu|Beastachu]] ([[User talk:Beastachu|talk]]) 19:35, 8 November 2015 (UTC)

I halfway fixed the issue addressed by the incomplete box. I have nothing to contribute to the current spotlighted explanation, so I am working here. I will finish the job later if I have time. I also added some more possible explanations to the chart, such as Washington D.C. being a star because that's how capitals are shown and the somewhat weak explanation of Maine's camp sunshine holding an event to appear in a Star Trek film.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.140|108.162.237.140]] 16:04, 20 April 2016 (UTC)

I believe the transcript is now complete.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.140|108.162.237.140]] 15:08, 22 April 2016 (UTC)

After some more additions to the transcript I removed the incomplete box. The only thing left is the comic explanation, and finding possible explanations for all of the shapes. Despite what the current description says, Randall just picking shapes based on shape is very unlike him.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.188|108.162.237.188]] 22:19, 25 April 2016 (UTC)
: So what you're saying is it should no longer be flagged as incomplete because only the explanation is incomplete? What an interesting conclusion [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.239|141.101.99.239]]

Holy crap what's with the transcript? Should we collapse the table? Because it makes the page zoom way out, to the point where it becomes too small to see the words. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 06:08, 6 April 2018 (UTC)
: I have fixed the table. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.143.24|172.68.143.24]] 06:38, 4 October 2018 (UTC)
::I've marked it as incomplete: A table should not be used in general. Check this [[explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ#What_is_the_format_of_the_transcript_section.3F|What is the format of the transcript section ?]]. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:45, 5 October 2018 (UTC)

== eːijaˌfjatlaˌjœːkʏtl̥ ==

What is eːijaˌfjatlaˌjœːkʏtl̥ actually pronounced as? Why does that show as the pronunciation of Colorado? It's clearly not colorado.

1079: United Shapes

2023-03-28T20:10:00Z

TCMits: minor update to the comments

{{comic
| number = 1079
| date = July 9, 2012
| title = United Shapes
| image = united_shapes.png
| imagesize = 800px
| titletext = That eggplant is in something of a flaccid state.
}}
A large version is [http://xkcd.com/1079/large/ here].
==Explanation==
In this comic, each state of the United States of America has been filled-in with an object of similar shape. Several years later Randall made a new map of the US mainland [[1653: United States Map]], where he shuffled the positions of the states but filled out the outline. Also in this map Michigan has been split into two separate parts. (Here it is the mitten and the eagle). This comic could also be a reference to {{w|Giuseppe Arcimboldo}}'s portraits, which were comprised of objects such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, books, and fish.

Very few, if any, of the shapes used are stereotypes of the state; they are merely objects that look like the state. Some of the objects are those which the states are widely known to resemble. For example, Michigan is represented by a mitten and an Eagle, and a pot with handle takes the place of Oklahoma (with the panhandle region of the state filled with a literal handle). Others, however, are more creative. Few would have likely pictured Texas as a dog or Alaska as a bear with a jet pack and laser gun. There are several incredibly simple objects filling some states. Kentucky is filled by a cloud, which conceivably could have been used for any state, and Wyoming, one of the nearly rectangular states, is simply an envelope. There are three pairs of states that are related. Georgia and Missouri each contain an image of the other, drawing attention to their similar shapes, North and South Dakota are the top and bottom halves of a {{w|guitar amplifier}} {{w|speaker cabinet}}, and Alabama and Mississippi are {{w|moai}} facing in opposite directions.

Colorado contains what looks like a Wikipedia article. [http://xkcd.com/1079/colorado/ A close-up of the fake article is provided.] The following references are made in the Colorado article:

*The pronunciation is not that for Colorado, but for {{w|Eyjafjallajökull}}, a volcano in Iceland that erupted in April 2010. There is a missing [[859#Trivia|close parenthesis]].
*The way it has a demilitarized zone towards Wyoming resembles {{W|North Korea}} and {{W|South Korea}}.
*Eleven dimensions refers to {{w|string theory}}.
*A {{w|wormhole}} is a theoretical relative of the {{w|black hole}}. This is a reference to the television series {{w|Stargate SG-1}} where a device capable of creating wormholes is located in the {{w|Cheyenne Mountain nuclear bunker}} in Colorado.
*A {{w|Horcrux}} is a type of magical object in the world of {{W|Harry Potter}} that prevents the creator of it from passing on. They may die, but their soul remains to be resurrected by another wizard
*The radiation zones around Longmont are caused by {{w|Radioactive contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant|radioactive contamination from the Rocky Flats Plant}}.
*The fake motto ''Si parare possis, vivere septem'' can be roughly translated as "With preparation, survival is possible for over a week."

New Mexico according to [https://xkcd.com/1079/info.0.json official transcript] is "A liquid container labeled for something of unusual and silly danger". The labeling is upside down and it refers to the nuclear testing facility White Sands Missile Range located in New Mexico for the nuclear bomb. The joke is that it presents the white sand itself as extremely hazardous. The phrase "contains chemicals known only to the state of Nevada" may be a reference to the nuclear weapons testing that occurred in Nevada (although in that case, it's not really the ''state'' of Nevada that knows those chemicals, but rather the {{w|Nevada Test Site}}, home of Area 51 ''et al''.), and is also a reference to California's {{w|1986 California Proposition 65|Proposition 65}} warning label, "WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm."
:This end up
:Property of White Sands Missile Range
:??? [Followed by a {{w|NFPA 704}} Diamond with all divisions at severe risk, and a radiation symbol in the special notice division]
:Contains White Sand
:FLAMMABLE
:Warning:
:This product contains chemicals known
:only to the state of Nevada.
:Contents under pressure from parents
:If swallowed, induce labor
:56 fluid ounces
:and 14 other ounces

The title text makes fun of Florida which is sometimes called "The penis of America". Obviously, this penis is somewhat flaccid (not erect). The use of the word "state" is a pun, as it means some particular condition (flaccid state) as well as a political entity (The State of Florida).

==Objects==
{|class=wikitable
!State!!Contained Picture!!Comments
|-
|Alabama ||A moai head facing east.||{{w|Moai}} are Easter Island stone statues.
|-
|Alaska ||A bear with a jet pack and a ray gun.||The ray gun and {{w|jet pack}} are fixtures of science fiction during the Cold War era, and the Russian Bear is an often-used personification of the country Russia in political cartoonage; the "teddy bear" image may be related to Alaska's former Russian heritage. The USA acquired Alaska from Russia in the Alaska Purchase of 1867 and it became a state in 1959, during the Cold War. The Cold War often featured baseless worries of a potential Russian invasion of Alaska due to their geographical proximity across the Bering Sea and Bering Strait, which persisted through the 1980s; Alaska was the location of a large number of interceptor missiles as part of Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars Defense Initiative" intended to shoot down missiles that might be launched from the USSR. The ray gun is pointed across the Bering Strait at Russia, consistent with Alaska's often being described as the "first line of defense" against Russian aggression. The teddy bear is similar in appearance to {{w|Winnie the Pooh}}.||
|-
|Arizona ||A refrigerated shelf containing milk, bread, and pastries.||
|-
|Arkansas ||A measuring cup.||
|-
|California ||A vacuum.||An old-fashioned upright vacuum cleaner (lying down to the right), green with a yellow bag.
|-
|Colorado ||The Wikipedia article on Colorado.||A fake Wikipedia article on Colorado. Below the text as seen in the provided close up:
:[web address:]
::en.wikipedia.org/wiki/colorado
:[Headers]
::Wikipedia
::Article Talk
::Colorado
:[Main article {note that Randall forgot the closing parentheses ')' after the pronunciation}]
::Colorado (Pronounced [ˈeːijaˌfjatlaˌjœːkʏtl̥] is a US State encompassing portions of the Rocky
::Mountains and the Great Plains. The region has been inhabited since at least 11,000 BCE, and
::some archaeological evidence suggest the state – with roughly its current borders – has literally
::always existed. Colorado is separated from Wyoming by a 28-mile demilitarized zone, and
::has at times exercised substantial regional
::power via the installation of puppet governments
::in neighboring states
::Geographically, Colorado is eleven-dimensional,
::though seven of those dimensions are tightly
::compacted and difficult to detect in most areas
::of the state. Colorado is home to the nation's
::oldest continually-operated wormhole and two
::of President Lincoln's horcruxes.
::The wildlife in Colorado is commonly characterized
::as "erratic", particularly in the radiation zones
::around Longmont. The State's timber wolf
::population is largely bipedal; the Park Service
::has expressed "concern" at their attempts to enroll in
:[Fact box with correct (though black instead of blue) State flag and emblem and fake motto:]
::State of Colorado
::Motto:
::"Si parare possis, vivere septem."
::(With preparation, survival is
::possible for over a week.)
|-
|Connecticut ||A train conductor's hat.||
|-
|Delaware ||A meerkat.||
|-
|Florida ||An eggplant.||The title text mentions the eggplant being in a flaccid state, which might be a reference to the sexual use of the eggplant emoji.
|-
|Georgia ||Missouri.||The outline of the state of Missouri, with the {{w|Gateway Arch}} in St. Louis.
|-
|Hawaii ||The island of Hawaii is a snowball. The smaller islands are small bits of snow.||
|-
|Idaho ||A garden gnome, sitting down.||
|-
|Illinois ||A gangster with a guitar case, upside down.||
|-
|Indiana ||The brush of a paintbrush.||
|-
|Iowa ||A tomato, lettuce, cold cut and cheese sandwich.||
|-
|Kansas ||A {{w|spinet}} piano.||
|-
|Kentucky ||A cloud.||
|-
|Louisiana ||A boot with some gum stuck to the bottom of it.||
|-
|Maine ||A Vulcan salute.||Maine's camp sunshine has had Star Trek related events in the past, including the opportunity to appear in a film.
|-
|Maryland ||A wolf howling to the moon, upside down.||
|-
|Massachusetts ||An elephant, being ridden by a man, carrying tea.||Might be a reference to the Boston Tea Party, which occurred in Massachusetts, and the Republican political party. The man seems to be wearing a tricorn hat.
|-
|Michigan ||A mitten for the lower portion, an eagle for the {{w|Upper Peninsula of Michigan}}.||
|-
|Minnesota ||$160 in $20 USD bills, tied together.||
|-
|Mississippi ||A moai head facing west.||
|-
|Missouri ||Georgia.||The outline of the state of Georgia, with a pair of {{w|Georgia Peach|Georgia peaches}}.
|-
|Montana ||One half of a muffin, sideways.||
|-
|Nebraska ||A blue VW type 2 with mattresses sticking out the back.||
|-
|Nevada ||A clothes iron.||
|-
|New Hampshire ||A tall brick factory building.|| The are many brick mill buildings in Manchester, the largest city in the state.
|-
|New Jersey ||A bent-over old person. He is carrying a cane.||
|-
|New Mexico ||A liquid container labeled for something of unusual and silly danger.||A yellow liquid container with upside-down labeling.
::This end up!!
::Property of White Sands Missile Range
::Contains White Sand
:[Written inside a hazardous-materials {{w|NFPA 704|NFPA diamond}} with the ? very large, and the three '4' in the three top part of a diamond shape divided in four these three sections being blue(health), red(flammability), and yellow(instability). The lower part has a radioactive sign on the same grey background as the large rectangle.]
::??? 4 4 4
::Flammable
::Warning
::This product contains chemicals known
::Only to the State of Nevada.
::Contents under pressure from parents
::If swallowed, induce labor
::56 fluid ounces
::and 14 other ounces
::NB - There are several chemicals such as {{w|Pentaborane(9)}}(reacts with water) and {{w|tert-Butyl hydroperoxide|''tert''-Butyl hydroperoxide}}(explosive) which have a 4-4-4 rating, however, a substance that is both 4-4-4 and radioactive is unlikely to be handled in bulk
|-
|New York ||A hybrid transmission with standard manual-style gears and a torque converter sliced in half.||
|-
|North Carolina ||A bouquet of flowers. They appear similar to {{w|Galium Palustre|marsh bedstraws}}.||
|-
|North Dakota ||The top half of a guitar amplifier speaker cabinet.|| Possibly a {{w|Randall Amplifiers|Randall}} [https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-49c12/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/12694/26126/apihqruad__00850.1479879391.jpg RD412A] angled 4x12" cabinet, which is similar in appearance and bears [[Randall]]'s name.
|-
|Ohio ||Underwear (Briefs).||Possibly a reference to ''{{w|Captain Underpants}}'', which takes place in Ohio.||
|-
|Oklahoma ||A covered pot, dripping with boil-over.||Western Oklahoma is often called "{{w|Oklahoma Panhandle|the panhandle}}"; sure enough, this is where the boiling pot's handle fits.||
|-
|Oregon ||A locomotive.||
|-
|Pennsylvania ||A very thick book with a bookmark.||
|-
|Rhode Island ||The bow half of a boat's hull.||
|-
|South Carolina ||A slice of pizza.||
|-
|South Dakota ||The bottom half of guitar amplifier speaker cabinet.|| Possibly a {{w|Randall Amplifiers|Randall}} [https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-49c12/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/12694/26126/apihqruad__00850.1479879391.jpg RD412A] angled 4x12" cabinet, which is similar in appearance and bears [[Randall]]'s name.
|-
|Tennessee ||A number of children's books, placed in a slightly askew pile.|| Possibly a reference to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. The books are {{w|Where's Waldo?}}, {{w|The Wreck of the Zephyr}}, {{w|The Way Things Work}}, Free Fall, {{w|Paddle-to-the-Sea}}, What It Feels Like to Be a Building, and {{w|The Crab with the Golden Claws}}.
|-
|Texas ||A dog sitting in a bowl.||
|-
|Utah ||An oven.||
|-
|Vermont ||A microscope, upside down.||
|-
|Virginia ||A {{w|stegosaurus}}.||
|-
|Washington ||A whale.|| The Puget Sound is well known for whale watching
|-
|Washington DC ||A star.||On most maps, capitals are shown as stars. Washington DC is the capital of the United States.
|-
|West Virginia ||A {{w|frog}}.||
|-
|Wisconsin ||A skull.||
|-
|Wyoming ||An envelope.||The back side of a white envelope, sealed with red wax, with a black heart next to a signature (lower left corner).
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|tables are not welcome here}}
:The '''United Shapes'''
:A map of things states are shaped like
:[Each state has some item wedged to stay inside its borders]

{| class=wikitable
! State
! Official Transcript
! Text
|-
|WA
|whale
|
|-
|MT
|half muffin
|
|-
|ND and SD
|top and bottom halves of an amp
|
|-
|MN
|$160 in $20 USD bills
|
|-
|WI
|skull
|
|-
|MI
|mitten for the lower portion, eagle for the {{w|Upper Peninsula of Michigan}}
|
|-
|NY
|hybrid transmission with standard manual-style gears and a torque converter sliced in half
|
|-
|VT
|microscope, upside down
|
|-
|NH
|tall brick factory building
|
|-
|ME
|Vulcan salute
|
|-
|MA
|elephant, being ridden by a man, carrying tea
|
|-
|CT
|train conductor's hat
|
|-
|RI
|bow half of a boat's hull
|
|-
|OR
|locomotive
|
|-
|ID
|garden gnome, sitting down
|
|-
|WY
|envelope.
|The envelope is marked with a signature, possibly Randall's
|-
|NE
|blue VW type 2 with mattresses sticking out the back
|
|-
|IA
|tomato, lettuce, cold cut and cheese sandwich
|
|-
|IL
|gangster with a guitar case, upside down
|
|-
|IN
|brush of a paintbrush
|
|-
|OH
|underwear (Briefs)
|
|-
|PA
|very thick book with a bookmark
|
|-
|NJ
|bent-over old person
|
|-
|NV
|clothes iron
|
|-
|UT
|oven
|
|-
|CO
|Wikipedia article on Colorado
|See Link Above
|-
|KS
|stand-up piano
|
|-
|MO
|Georgia
|Georgia
|-
|KY
|cloud
|
|-
|WV
|{{w|frog}}
|
|-
|VA
|{{w|stegosaurus}}
|
|-
|DC
|star.
|
|-
|MD
|wolf howling to the moon, upside down
|
|-
|DE
|meerkat
|
|-
|CA
|vacuum cleaner
|
|-
|AZ
|refrigerated shelf containing milk, bread, and pastries
|
|-
|NM
|liquid container with warning label
|This end up!!
Property of White Sands Missile Range

Contains White Sand

???

FLAMMABLE

Warning: This product contains chemicals known Only to the state of Nevada.

Contents under pressure from parents.

If swallowed, induce labor.

56 Fluid Ounces and 14 other ounces.
|-
|OK
|covered pot, dripping with boil-over
|
|-
|AR
|measuring cup
|
|-
|TN
|children's books, placed in a slightly askew pile
|Handford / WHERE'S WALDO / or wally

The Wreck of the Zephyr / Chris Van Allsburg

The Way Things Work / DAVID MACAULRY

Weisner / FREE FALL

PADDLE-TO-THE-SEA / HCH(?)

WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO BE A BUILDING / Wilson

TINTIN / The Crab with the Golden Claws / Hergé
|-
|NC
|flower bouquet
|
|-
|AK
|teddy bear with a jet pack and a ray gun
|
|-
|HI
|snowball
|
|-
|TX
|dog sitting in a bowl
|
|-
|LA
|boot with some gum stuck to the bottom
|
|-
|MS
|moai head facing west
|
|-
|AL
|moai head facing east
|
|-
|GA
|Missouri.
|Missouri
|-
|SC
|pizza slice
|
|-
|FL
|eggplant
|
|}

==Trivia==
*A print version of this comic is available in the [https://store.xkcd.com/products/united-shapes-poster xkcd store].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:US maps]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Dogs]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Wikipedia]]
[[Category:Star Trek]]
[[Category:Harry Potter]] 
[[Category:Volcanoes]] 
[[Category:Comics with xkcd store products]]

Talk:2751: March Madness

2023-03-18T14:46:37Z

TCMits: added to the discussion

== Difficult ==

An hour, and still no explanation. Is this harder to get than usual, or is it just me?

Left top two are march [word], next two are [word] of march, bottom left section all reference Seventy-Six Trombones, which is apparently a common song for marching bands. Top right section is March of the [word], and bottom right is [word] March. [[User:NyanSequitur|NyanSequitur]] ([[User talk:NyanSequitur|talk]]) 19:15, 17 March 2023 (UTC)

Well I was going to say something, but now I find myself doubting my ability to find patterns and understand references. This man is on another level. [[User:Toriski3037|Toriski3037]] ([[User talk:Toriski3037|talk]]) 19:29, 17 March 2023 (UTC)

Not confident enough to edit the actual article directly, but I can get the gist of these references:

:- March Madness (NCAA Basketball Tournament)
:- March Hare ("Mad as a march hare" being a common idiom in English, and the March Hare being a 'mad' character in Alice in Wonderland)
:- Middlemarch (novel by George Eliot)
:- Ides of March (March 15th, aka Julius Caesar Assassination Day)
:- aforementioned "Seventy-Six Trombones" references - the first three lines, followed by an impressive option later in the lyrics
::- "Seventy-six trombones led the big parade"
::- "with a hundred and ten cornets right behind"
::- "there were more than a thousand reeds springing up like weeds"
::- "there were fifty mounted cannon in the battery/ thundering, thundering, louder than before"
::- (possibly worth noting: the first version of the song ends with "the kids began to march/ and they're marching still, right today!" - it was a pain to confirm this, since the reprise of the song is much easier to find)
::- (also worth noting for the title text: the song is introduced with the character claiming that the 76 trombone parade was from the day when several historical notables, culminating in "John Philip Sousa", "all came to town on the very same historic day")
:- March of the Dimes (charity)
:- March of the Toy Soldiers (musical piece from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker)
:- March of the Ents (from Lord of the Rings)
:- March of the Penguins (documentary about emperor penguins, narrated by Morgan Freeman, also relevant to title text)
:- Wedding March (musical piece - per Wikipedia, the "here comes the bride" piece which I thought of is actually the "Bridal Chorus" from Wagner's Lohengrin; the most famous Wedding March is from Felix Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream, used more commonly at the end of weddings)
:- Funeral March (musical piece - most famous version is Chopin's)
:- Imperial March (musical piece by John Williams for Star Wars)
:- Nissan March (model of car; Nissan is also the official sponsor of March Madness)

Hopefully this will help someone look up properly cited references! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.134.144|172.70.134.144]] 19:53, 17 March 2023 (UTC)
:: nice work! [[User:Iggynelix|Iggynelix]] ([[User talk:Iggynelix|talk]]) 12:51, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

I hope the previous contributor doesn't mind that I tidied up their layout. I hope the ExplainXKCD Police don't object to the way I did that. :) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.210.5|172.68.210.5]] 00:46, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

March is not another word for parade. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.84|172.70.130.84]] 01:27, 18 March 2023 (UTC)
:It can be. I wouldn't call a Mardi Gras parade a march, but I would do an {{w|Orange Order|Orange Order}} one, for example. And the defining characteristic of a "band parade", above even a mishmash of men just shuffling along the road in a group, is (generally!) walking in lockstep (keeping the music in lockstep), so that (frivolity and syncopation aside) it is as much a march as anything. I mean, I'm not the OA of that phrase linking the sense, but there's clear overlap that cannot be denied as intended. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.12|172.71.242.12]] 09:59, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

For the second bracket in the top left quadrant, "Ides" refers to "Ides of March", which implies the structure used here is "___ of March", which means that the reference would rather be "Middle of March" (rather than Middlemarch), which is used in crossword puzzle as a clue for the word "arc". [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.186|172.71.178.186]] 12:23, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

:Since the "Ides of March" and "Middle of March" are almost the same, this bracket will settle that question. I do not see any relationship between "Ides of March" and the novel "Middlemarch." Therefore, I agree with "Middle of March" over "Middlemarch" for the explanation. [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 14:46, 18 March 2023 (UTC)

2749: Lymphocytes

2023-03-14T15:38:46Z

TCMits: Adding to the explanation

{{comic
| number = 2749
| date = March 13, 2023
| title = Lymphocytes
| image = lymphocytes_2x.png
| imagesize = 651x733px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It's very hard to detect, but recent studies have determined that when plasma B cells are producing antibodies, they go 'pew pew pew'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by the WORLD'S SECOND COOLEST IMMUNOLOGIST - Table is cool, but some entries miss mention or explanation of the text in the comic, when it may have relation to the real life cell etc. (Perhaps ensure each description covers the real description for the name and then the explanation for the rogue text. Except for the D Cell, obviously, where it is both at once.) Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The human body contains many different types of immune cells.{{citation needed}} This comic is a list of lymphocytes, a specific type of immune cell that is found in lymph. As the comic goes on, in the style of many "informative" xkcd comics, the descriptions of the names of the cells get more and more removed from reality. In fact, only two description are accurate, those for the plasma B cell and that of the out of context D cell. The diagrams are either uninformingly similar to each other, as an extremely generic diagram of a biological cell, or made to look somewhat like the item spoofed by the description.

The title text is possibly a reference to this recent study: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.3c00638

{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Real Lymphocyte? !! Description !! Comment
|-
| Plasma B cells || Yes || Churn out antibodies || {{w|Plasma B cell}}; churns out antibodies as the comic says.
|-
| Naïve B cells || Yes || Try to stop pathogens by asking nicely || B cells that have not yet been exposed to an antigen. Can only "ask nicely" for pathogens to stop because they cannot yet contribute to the immune system.
|-
| Memory B cells || Yes || Very quietly sing {{w|Memory_(Cats_song)|"Memory" from ''Cats''}} at all times || Long-lived B cells that "remember" an antigen it has previously encountered, allowing it to quickly respond to a reappearance of the same antigen.
|-
| {{w|Regulatory B cell}}s || Yes || Required by local ordinance || Suppress certain immune responses. Cells follow instructions from DNA, which might be considered to be local ordinances.
|-
| CD8+ T cells || Yes || Melee combat || Cytotoxic T cell, responsible for killing cells which are cancerous or infected. Named after the surface protein "CD8" ("Cluster of Differentiation") it uses when searching for targets. Possibly also reference to the tabletop gaming terminology where "d8" means 8-sided dice, "d4" means 4-sided dice, etc. Most gaming systems only use d8s for weapon damage, where d8s are one of the most common, used for weapons like rapiers, longswords, and longbows, or spells like Chill Touch or Ray of Frost.
|-
| CD4+ T cells || Yes || Scream at other cells || Helper T Cell, releasing cytokines as a signal that prompts the immune system into action, thus "screaming" at other cells. Named after the surface protein "CD4" (see above), that is used for binding to other cells while "screaming".
|-
| Gamma-Delta T cells || Yes || Unknown / classified || T cells found largely in mucous membranes of the gut, with different T-cell receptors than normal. Effectively the immune system's first line of defense.
|-
| CDRW+ T cells || No || Rewritable, 700MB || Here, the meaning of "CD" is switched from {{w|Cluster of Differentiation}} to {{w|Compact Disc}}, as in the {{w|CD-RW}} re-writable media format.
|-
| DVD+R T cells || No || Different from DVD-R, though no one is sure how || {{w|DVD+R}} is a DVD format designed by {{w|HP Labs}}, while DVD-R (pronounced "dash R") came originally from {{w|Pioneer Corporation}} and was the earlier accepted system. The two formats are not trivially compatible, but many (re)writing DVD drives were made multiformat to automatically handle both of these, {{w|DVD-RAM}}, read/write versions and CD-density media, as necessary, under the general label of "DVD±RW". The user then ends up not usually needing, or bothering, to know the technical differences.
|-
| Natural killer cells || Yes || Named by the world's coolest immunologist || Kills cells infected by intracellular pathogens and other malfunctioning (e.g. cancerous) cells, similar to CD8+ cells but part of the {{w|innate immune system}}. Discovered by Rolf Kiessling and Hugh Pross, making them "the world's coolest immunologist(s)."
|-
| ILC1, ILC2, and ILC3 cells || Yes || Named by a significantly less cool immunologist || Innate lymphoid cells, regulating the innate immune system through signaling molecules
|-
| D cells || No || Larger than C and AA cells, used in old flashlights || This is not a blood cell, but a {{w|D battery|"D cell" battery}}. Confusingly, biological cells called "D cells" or {{w|delta cell}}s do exist, but they are not lymphocytes.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[A 4 by 3 grid, each containing (from top to bottom) the name of the lymphocyte, a depiction of the cell and a description]
{| class="wikitable"
! Panel !! Title !! Shape !! Description
|-
|1 || Plasma B cells || Egg-like shaped cell with the nucleus right from the middle || Churn out antibodies
|-
|2 || Naïve B cells || Almost circular cell with the nucleus in the middle || Try to stop pathogens by asking nicely
|-
|3 || Memory B cells || Like panel 2, but with some music notes next to it, as if it produces sound || Very quietly sing "memory" from Cats at all times
|-
|4 || Regulatory B cells || Like panel 2 || Required by local ordinance
|-
|5 || CD8+ T cells || Also oblong, but with the nucleus left from the middle || Melee combat
|-
|6 || CD4+ T cells || Circular, with a large nucleus, saying ‘AAAAAAAAA!’ || Scream at other cells
|-
|7 || Gamma-Delta T cells || Dashed circle with a question mark in the middle || Unknown / classified
|-
|8 || CDRW+ T cells || Shaped like a CD, with a large hole in the middle || Rewritable, 700MB
|-
|9 || DVD+R T cells || Shaped like a DVD, with a bit smaller hole in the middle || Different from DVD-R, though no one is sure how
|-
|10 || Natural killer cells || Irregularly shaped oblong cell with nucleus in the middle || Named by the world's coolest immunologist
|-
|11 || ILC1, ILC2, and ILC3 cells || Three cells || Named by a significantly less cool immunologist
|-
|12 || D cells || Cilindrical shaped ‘cell’, with a smaller cilindrical ‘nucleus’ inside it at the right, roughly shaped like a D battery || Larger than C and AA cells, used in old flashlights
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Science]]

Talk:2749: Lymphocytes

2023-03-14T15:20:07Z

TCMits: adding to the discussion

Battery cells have nothing to do with cell phones. The "cell" in cell phone is short for "cellular" and refers to the communication cells around each tower. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 03:09, 14 March 2023 (UTC)

: And that's short for "sell you our phone" where the contract lets you buy it over an extended time that ends about the same time the spiffier replacement model is available. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.209|172.69.70.209]] 10:42, 14 March 2023 (UTC)

I was originally thinking the CD4+ would be a reference to ''Call of Duty 4'' and onwards, in which players scream (insults?) at each other while playing. But the feeling has subsided, after considering it. Mentioning it here, though, in leiu of adding it as 'factual'. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.47|172.70.162.47]] 06:06, 14 March 2023 (UTC)

It should have bee Natural Born Killer Cells, but some opportunities were always going to be missed... --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.187|172.71.178.187]] 07:16, 14 March 2023 (UTC)

"Gamma-Delta T cells" being "unknown/unclassified" could be a reference to Star Trek, which has the galaxy divided into 4 quadrants: Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. The Delta Quadrant (setting of Start Trek Voyager) and the Gamma Quadrant (seen in Start Trek Deep Space Nine) are unexplored and uncharted from the Federation's point of view. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.129.51|162.158.129.51]] 09:23, 14 March 2023 (UTC)
:I had in mind just general "above Top Secret" classifications (or reputed ones) like "Omega Level, Burn before reading" or somesuch. Either that or perhaps 'Greek system' fraternities/sororities and secret societies in general (perhaps there's a Gamma-Delta-Tau, or similar, out there) which seem to be a US cultural thing that seems ripe for Randall to spoof about.
:Bear in mind that he's taking (mostly) real naming conventions and just explaining them funnily (hence why not "Natural Born Killer" cells, mentioned above, which was my first thoughts on reading as well), so shoehorning a Trek reference in without making it more explicitly Trekkie in the 'free description' bit seems a bit like it wasn't even the point.
:My money's on the security level, as an intention. At least until someone comes up with a better cultural reference that fits better but that I hadn't known/remembered on the initial reading. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.57|172.70.85.57]] 13:33, 14 March 2023 (UTC)

So who is/are "the world's coolest immunologist(s)," who got to name Natural Killer cells (NK cells)? Doctoral student Rolf Kiessling and postdoctoral fellow Hugh Pross may have found them, but did they get to name them?
Likewise, who is/are the "significantly less cool immunologist(s)" who named ILC1, ILC2, and ILC3 cells? [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 15:20, 14 March 2023 (UTC)

Talk:794: Inside Joke

2023-01-24T18:11:52Z

TCMits: Added to the discussion

I believe the reference to the ladder is the origin of the 'Monk Jump over the Wall Soup', where a monk (who is not allowed to eat meat) broke his meditation to escape from the monastery as he smelt the delicious food cooking on the other side.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha_Jumps_Over_the_Wall#Origin

In this case, the ham seller comments that his products are so delicious that 'even the monk nearby is climbing over the wall to get some ham', after being remarked that his product was too expensive.

[[Special:Contributions/131.111.141.12|131.111.141.12]] 11:48, 29 May 2013 (UTC)Justin
:Added the last line to the explanation [[User:Ad1217|Ad1217]] ([[User talk:Ad1217|talk]]) 19:13, 16 May 2014 (UTC)

Assuming Randall Munroe had a specific reference in mind, it could just as well be a reference to Saint John Climacus, known as "John of the ladder". AD 525-606. His book "the ladder" was widely circulated and concerns steps to an ascetic life. The roman catholic church celebrate him during the fasting season, when one is not to eat meat.

The joke here is then that "monk out back with a ladder" can mean both "so climb in the rear window and steal some" and "The monk's here with a copy of the book "the ladder", go convert to free ascetism if money and meat is too much for you" [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.237|141.101.98.237]] 12:11, 19 January 2015 (UTC)
:Wouldn't the shopkeeper say "The Ladder", not "a ladder" then? -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.155|108.162.250.155]] 22:45, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

It is absolutely ludicrous to try to find the meaning or reference in this comic. Randall attempted to come up with something which was incomprehensible. That's the whole point. If he'd thought for a moment there was an actual ''known origin'' or explanation for this ham joke, he would immediately have changed it to something else. I mean, come on. XKCD ''itself'' is a random, meaningless string [[https://www.dcta.net/paycitation/ citation needed] -☃]. Will edit. [[User:AmbroseChapel|AmbroseChapel]] ([[User talk:AmbroseChapel|talk]]) 23:52, 17 September 2017 (UTC)
:Au contraire, 'xkcd' itself is neither random nor meaningless - quite the opposite, in fact.
:Add the positions of each of its letters and what number do you get? Please refer to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for further insight, enlightenment, and the answer to the "Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything". [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 18:11, 24 January 2023 (UTC)

Talk:794: Inside Joke

2023-01-24T18:09:49Z

TCMits: Added to the discussion

Talk:2724: Washing Machine Settings

2023-01-16T15:18:07Z

TCMits: added to the discussion

> [...] standing in front of a washing machine [...]

To be more exact, this is a combo washer dryer (also known as washer-dryer) - which looks like so called laundry center design (one unit, with washer on bottom, and what looks like heat-pump or vented dryer on top). --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 10:01, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

: Thanks! I was wondering about that, since it doesn't look at all like any washing machine I've ever seen before [[User:Zoid42|Zoid42]] ([[User talk:Zoid42|talk]]) 16:35, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

Does anybody even own a houshold applicance whose manual was written by engineers - or at least someone who knows what the device they write the manual for is actually doing? I once had a toaster that came with a 96-page-manual that actually was good. But for most devices it is clear that they payed someone with less hands-on experience than GhatGPT to write one. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.187|172.68.110.187]] 14:40, 14 January 2023 (UTC)
:Most manuals these days don't seem to be written at all, consisting entirely of incomprehensible illustrations instead.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.47|172.70.162.47]] 09:47, 16 January 2023 (UTC)
::Well, a competently-'written' illustrated guide can (in suitable cases, e.g. a self-assembly item; the ultimate practical example is a Lego set, where they've got it down to a fine art arguably far beyond the likes of Ikea) by the best solution. Not ''necessarily'' intended as a (working) manual, I know, but a "don't hold flames against this highly flammable bit of our product" can be usefully summarised by symbology, as can "don't leave your hand/shopping/baby in this area of the product whilst folding it for storage/transportation".
::Especially where products are intended for multiple markets with multiple possible languages. The last 96-page(-or-thereabouts) manual I may have had was probably <s>twelve eight-pags</s> sixteen ''six''-page manuals, combined, to feature English, French, Spanish, Portugese, German, Dutch, Italian, Greek, Polish, (at least) two different Cyrillic languages, Arabic, Hindu, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Not necessarily in that order, and the English was actually in American (and/or maybe just not entirely translated from the original eastern language, to add extra confusion), which may have been the source language that some of the others got onward retranslated from but was clearly not the original.
::(And I resisted the urge to suggest that Portugese was "just a dialect of Spanish", ditto Dutch as either German or "English with a heavy cold". That would be lazy. More lazy than my lumping all "Arabic" versions together, less lazy than when I realised I was already at my predicted twelve representative languages and had only just gotten out of the general area of Europe (without even going into Flemish; already summarised Russian and A.N.Other, without specifying from the host of choices), was probably going to skip both Hebrew and Farsi, and yet needed to have the Big Three far-Eastern lingos because this hypothetical manual was doubtless for a product created primarily in/for one or other of them. So, with special apologies to all flavours of Scandinavian (including Icelandic, and acknowledging ''native'' Greenlandish amongst all its more related kin). And the whole of Africa, quite pointedly (not at all to depricate the Aboriginal and other contintental/island-group aboriginal tongues from around the world), but you're probably fairly used to not even having four pages out of 24, as I don't think I've seen written Xhosa (though I have Afrikaans, or "German+Dutch ''with a cold''"... ;) ), nor Igbo, Yoruba or any of the others all across the area that I might mention but probably can't easily recall anyway.)
::..erm, so, anyway. I ''was'' going to allude to the Rosetta Stone, but it seems I got sidetracked. You get my point, I'm sure. And I probably have a (circa) 96-page manual around here actually all in English, if I search but it's likely something that came with a '90s operating system. Itself a climb-down from the... <hastilly grabs nearest suitable example> ...BBC Microcomputer manual which is a 500+ page (250+ leaf, if you prefer) ringbound behemoth from when OEM manuals ''were'' often still manuals, and you didn't mostly need 3rd-party ones like Haynes or O'Reilly or even a "... for Dummies/Idiots" to fill in the necessary details. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.35|172.71.242.35]] 13:44, 16 January 2023 (UTC)

Even more important than the owner’s manual are the instructions written on the inside of your clothes. It turns out that those obscure runes actually mean something! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.142.170|172.71.142.170]] 17:28, 13 January 2023 (UTC)


It's been decades since I've seen an appliance user manual half as detailed as what Cueball describes. Mostly they say things like 'plug it in' & 'pressing Power button starts the device, pressing again turns it off'; ''never'' details such as 'Delicates mode reduces agitation'/spin etc. Even widely used software often goes without significant documentation. Randall makes a joke that user manuals already exist, but I feel they're rather rare!?
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 18:32, 13 January 2023 (UTC)
:I believe you're right, was coming here to complain that my user manual on my new washer does not explain what the various settings do, but says such useless things as "use cotton setting for cotton fabric". Telling me it's a hot water setting (which I don't want, as I never bother connecting the hot water to a machine) would be useful, but doesn't appear to be a feature of user manuals these days.

The manual for my washing machine actually lists the available programs along with a short description, tips (like "use less detergent for washing laces") and various metrics (like max load and energy consumption). However, this is for a machine installed at a home. Cueball in the comic seems to be standing in a laundromat. Even if those machines came with a manual, can the end-user actually access them? I guess you could pester an employee to dig them up for you...
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.134|172.68.50.134]] 22:10, 13 January 2023 (UTC)
:I don't think it's a laundromat, there would be more than one machine. I think the joke is based the fact that so many things are done with GUI applications these days, and they have very limited manuals, if any at all. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:23, 13 January 2023 (UTC)
:For my part, I'm not even familiar with that style of machine. Looks like some sort of top-loader base (haven't used one of them, a twin-tub, since the late-seventies/early-eighties when we transitioned to the first in a series of standard front loaders) with a tumble-dryer above (never bothered with a tumble-dryer since the university laundromat, and they were floor-to- ceiling with ''huge'' drums and eventually I worked out I was just feeding a huge slot machine where I couldn't even get the three lemons).
:But I deduce probably a stereotypical 'Merkin "big home, big utility basement" thing, rather than a more UK-market piece of whitegoods.
:As an equivalent example, you do at least see those huge two-door fridges (with ice-despensors in them) in the electrical goods stores, even though I know of no-one who has actually gone and got one. But washers and dryers always tend to be standard (and separate) front-loaders (with occasional 'retro' top-loaders), even if most people seem to consign the latter to a corner of the garage. (And I just use a washing line/drape in front of a warm radiator!) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.136|172.69.79.136]] 23:44, 13 January 2023 (UTC)

Appliance user manuals seem to be written by legal staff, not engineers. Mine are full of warnings and "Do not ..." statements.
Specific to laundry appliances, settings on the washing machine never match those on the drier. For example, there is a drier setting for "Jeans" but nothing comparable for the washer. [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 15:47, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

While paper manuals are easy to lose, some appliances have manuals online / in PDF. Those tend to be easier to find. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 15:48, 14 January 2023 (UTC)

When I read this comic, my first reaction was that Randall was pretty much exactly describing the current process for learning how to use Stable Diffussion AI art generation, including it's dozens of different GUI's and Models. NOBODY has an actual manual written yet, although the user advice threads can get pretty detailed. On the other hand, we mostly use Reddit and Discord, not Quora. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.127.38|172.70.127.38]] 01:57, 15 January 2023 (UTC)

== Quora ==

Quora is the absolute worst. Nearly every time you see a Quora blurb in Google, you can bet that the opposite is true. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.79|172.70.114.79]] 06:43, 14 January 2023 (UTC)
:: Quora has invited me to earn money by getting a "Quora Patner" that posts controversal questions that cause much traffic. That was the moment I learned that it might not be worthwhile to spend precious lifetime at that site.--[[User:Gunterkoenigsmann|Gunterkoenigsmann]] ([[User talk:Gunterkoenigsmann|talk]]) 14:45, 14 January 2023 (UTC)
:::: Wow. While that make sense from a purely business standpoint, it doesn't make sense from a "helpfulness to society" standpoint. I'll remember this when I see questions I wouldn't have expected someone to ask. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.174.25|172.70.174.25]] 17:46, 14 January 2023 (UTC)
: I think it's Quora where if I arrive by Google (or other search-engine!) I get to read it, but trying to then follow an 'internal' link to a related (or otherwise intruiging/sufficiently) question's page tries to get me to log in. (Which I refuse to do. Being fed up with ''having'' to have accounts for things I actually don't see the technical need for. Witness here, but for Quora I additionally manage to resist asking novel questions; or answering any in the face of so many other free opinions.) But if I'm weak-willed/desperate nough to decide that I actually do want to read what others have said about onward items then I'vs found that copying the link-question's ''text'' and going back to plug it into the searchbox will ''often'' give me a login-free access.
: Though, in that way of by-passing the more obvious clicks-to-revenue tricks of the Quora website itself, you are instead giving slightly more detail about yourself (or at least your current whims and flights of fancy) to your chosen search-provider. Which has potentially more ways to make business use of such things. (So, a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea, arguably.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.135|172.70.162.135]] 11:35, 15 January 2023 (UTC)

Talk:1660: Captain Speaking

2023-01-15T21:27:57Z

TCMits: added to the discussion

Actually captain falling asleep wouldn't be unlikely or problem because there may still be two OTHER people in cabin. But yes, first method to find out where they are going would be to ask those other people in cabin. Next, you should be able to get something from the instruments in cabin - I suspect that modern planes DO have some sort of navigation map there. Failing that, asking tower for flight plan would be not only preferable to trying FlightAware, but you could likely do it without raising TOO much suspicious, pretending you just need some detail.
And, yes: captain (or pilot in general) is only needed for pre-flight checks, take-off, landing - and if something unexpected happens, including some extremely bad weather. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 14:53, 25 March 2016 (UTC)

Yeah it was badly phrased, pilots do fall asleep from time to time. Some long flights may even have two flight crews, so the pilots can get some shut-eye. It varies, but there is '''never''' only one person alone in the cabin as you say, if the co-pilot has to go to the toilet a flight attendant takes his place. As for positioning, older planes have instruments for that too, but they are far less sophisticated, might even require a map and a pencil :-) --[[User:Todor|Todor]] ([[User talk:Todor|talk]]) 15:59, 25 March 2016 (UTC)
:Not entirely true; I've been on many [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britten-Norman_Trislander short commercial flights] (20-30 minutes) with one crew. The seat next to the pilot is often a passenger seat - when I sat there, the pilot gave me biscuits... [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 19:04, 25 March 2016 (UTC)

Just noting, the discussion shows up on main again. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.56.5|162.158.56.5]] 16:00, 25 March 2016 (UTC)
:On the main comic page, or on the wiki's main page? It doesn't show up on the wiki's main page for me (and never did). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.180.191|162.158.180.191]] 14:59, 26 March 2016 (UTC)
::Yes and it is supposed to show up at the bottom of every explanation to guide people to the discussion pages even though they are not used to using those on the regular Wikipedia. So it was probably as it should be already when the note was made on the release day. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:05, 28 March 2016 (UTC)

On one of the few flights I got to sit in first class, the flight attendant started to welcome us passengers. She said "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to..." then stopped. I was sitting in 1B so she said to me, "can I see your ticket?" I gave it to her and she completed the announcement. After she finished, I said quietly "forgot our flight number and where we're going, right?" She kind of sheepishly nodded. :-) I don't blame her though. She doesn't care about the flight number or where we're headed, and with all the flights they have to make, I'd probably forget once in a while too. [[User:Gbisaga|Gbisaga]] ([[User talk:Gbisaga|talk]]) 19:16, 25 March 2016 (UTC)

Maybe we ought to split scenario 2 into two parts? One with the futuristic auto-pilot handling everything, and a second explanation where the co-pilot took off? It occurred to me if the sleeping captain would not wake from the extreme acceleration, the radio-chatter during pre-flight and other cabin noises, he would be sleeping very heavily indeed. This might also help explain why he awakes in such a confused state. --[[User:Todor|Todor]] ([[User talk:Todor|talk]]) 14:55, 26 March 2016 (UTC)

The whole Alex Caviel story reminds me of ''Irony of Fate''. Well, of how it starts out, anyway. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.180.191|162.158.180.191]] 14:59, 26 March 2016 (UTC)

On a Christmas Day flight in the late 1980s, I was on a Pan-Am Boeing 747 flight from New York to Munich. As we approached Europe, the captain started giving us status reports. After the first report when he stated our arrival time in Berlin, a good bit of the cabin was in shock, until the purser reassured everyone that we were indeed going to Munich. Subsequent flight status reports by the captain repeatedly gave our arrival time in Berlin, and were followed by the purser announcing that we were still going to Munich. We did land in Munich. [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 21:27, 15 January 2023 (UTC)

;FlyDubai crash and more
:This comic may be in reference to the FlyDubai crash that happened on March 19th, 2016. The flight crew was supposedly severely fatigued. The aircraft that crashed also happened to be a Boeing aircraft similar to the one pictured. FlyDubai is a low cost carrier and they have been stretching their pilots as far as they can, and they apparently found the breaking point. In the US I know we have very strict duty periods for our pilots see FAR §121.473 (see below "Part 121 link"). So I wouldn't worry about flying in the US.
:As for each line of text after:
:The flight number is probably written down somewhere in the pilots flight notes, so i wouldn't be too hard for them to figure that out. After all they could end up doing multiple flights a day, it could be easy to forget the flight number normally. In Glass cockpits i would imagine the flight number is in the system.
:The line about FlightAware, is in reference to the Website/App that shows all aircraft IFR flight plans (unless they pay to hide it). Thus a commercial airliner would show up on the site. It is odd that they would even need FlightAware, because in any aircraft that is new enough to have WiFi there would be a glass cockpit. Glass cockpits are set up before each flight to have the whole route programmed into the system. Which would be generally the same information as on FlightAware, since FlightAware gets the same flight plan that the pilots file with Air traffic Control. The only reason it's not exactly the same is because the pilots could put whatever they want into the flight computer, and may be planning to ask ATC to cut some corners later-on in the flight (which is normal).
:Also on a side note: every Commercial Airline flight must be able to fly IFR (also in FAR Part 121 somewhere), which means the aircraft probably has GPS and at a minimum Radio Navigation systems (RNAV). This means that the pilots should always be able to find out where they are, but not where they are going. Also the pilot could just ask ATC or the Dispatcher who is assigned that flight#.
:In regards to capability of Autopilots, each aircraft can have a different level of auto pilot from one that can only hold a heading to one that can fly pretty much every minute of the flight. Auto pilots on some of the larger newer planes have an auto land feature usable on CATIII(a,b,c) approaches. However Auto pilots cant talk to ATC or avoid inclement weather (to my knowledge).
:Part 121 link: http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=5da31e85f0917eb260f691f628d67096&mc=true&node=pt14.3.121&rgn=div5#se14.3.121_1473
:AJ (Airline Employee/Private pilot (not an expert)) 3/25/16 2005Z {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.27}}
::Yes the 777 is able to land on autopilot. Father was a 777 pilot and landed in foggy conditions with autopilot when he himself could not see the runway until the wheels touched. sidenote, I believe there is auto throttle for takeoff. {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.27}}
::Yeah as AJ mentioned but was somewhat vague about is that even the old 737's have the auto-land system (might have been retro-fitted to conform with newer regulations?), however ''not every airport'' support this system, meaning you can't land there on auto-pilot. Also since the auto-pilot, no matter how good, can't handle unforeseen incidents, you still very much need a human pilot. The comic suggests the auto-pilot handles just about everything including events not directly related to flight, which is not the case as of today. --[[User:Todor|Todor]] ([[User talk:Todor|talk]]) 14:15, 26 March 2016 (UTC)
::Huge comments like the above are why I added a "add topic" button to the discussion template. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 07:01, 26 March 2016 (UTC)
:::I have made such a topic for this, and also moved the comment on 777 down beloe instead on in the mid of this huge comment. I also moved the comment below again down from being posted at the top after Mikemk's comment here above. Hope it will make it possible to read the comments as they are in order of posting.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:37, 26 March 2016 (UTC)
----
Maybe the captain is in a fugue state? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.64|173.245.54.64]]

Would explain the pilot's confused state, but someone would still have to take-off the plane anyway. It can't do so by itself. --[[User:Todor|Todor]] ([[User talk:Todor|talk]]) 23:26, 26 March 2016 (UTC)
:Fugue states frequently end suddenly, apropos of nothing, and leave the victim unaware of what has happened for the past while, sometimes years. Maybe he wasn't a pilot before? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.64|173.245.54.64]]
;4U9525 - Does Munroe have bad timing or bad taste?

Is it just coincidence that this comic was published one year and one day after co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately crashed 4U9525 killing 150 people? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanwings_Flight_9525
:I think Randall Munroe is usually to aware of such things to excuse this as just a mishap. This seems to be a tasteless joke on the lines of: "Lol, maybe the pilot was just hung over. Rofl" [[Special:Contributions/198.41.243.244|198.41.243.244]] 15:53, 26 March 2016 (UTC)
::I think you're reaching more than a bit there. The idea of someone being in charge of a plane who doesn't know how to fly it is a common enough theme in pop culture that such a reference does not necessarily have anything to do with that sad event. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.64|173.245.54.64]]
:::I do not think Randall published this on account of the anniversary of that event, but I do think it is relevant so it could be put up in the examples under the trivia. Because as opposed to what has been claimed, then for that particular plane the pilot - who did intentionally crash the plane - was left alone in the cockpit and was thus able to lock out the other pilot. The security that should enable them to keep out terrorist then helped him keep out the crew until he had finished his deed. But obviously the pilot in this comic has not evil intentions, but one might fear he will not be able to land the plane, but not crash it on purpose. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:41, 28 March 2016 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure you have to punch the flight number in the plane's onboard computer prior to takeoff. Might be wrong though [[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.69|162.158.85.69]] 19:36, 27 March 2016 (UTC)

A Boeing 787 can easily fly an entire flight (except takeoff) on autopilot. I think this comic is making fun of the job of modern airline pilot, assuming they just take a nap right after takeoff, with no concern about the progress of the flight until they land. This comic seems to have one of these pilots who has stuck to the tradition of updating the passengers on flight status, even though he really has no idea what that status is.
[[User:Hubbard|Hubbard]] ([[User talk:Hubbard|talk]]) 01:53, 31 March 2016 (UTC)

;Options
Thumbs up for the possible causes, good read. Sadly the pilot falling asleep is a regular problem on flights... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.87.35|162.158.87.35]]

Two comments.... my brief stint in aircraft software lead me to understand (at least for the aircraft I was working on) that you could drug a pilot, load him aboard an aircraft, and as long as the route was properly loaded into the flight systems you could wake the pilot mid flight and the plane would let him know in moments where the plane was, what its destination was, and have at hand all the radio frequencies, charts, etc needed for safely landing at the destination - that's probably not how it is for all aircraft. Second, this reminded me somewhat of Varig Flight 254 where the pilots took a wrong turn and found themselves over a jungle and short on fuel [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.67|108.162.216.67]] 17:54, 9 April 2016 (UTC)

Talk:2724: Washing Machine Settings

2023-01-14T15:47:51Z

TCMits:

Talk:2724: Washing Machine Settings

2023-01-14T15:45:06Z

TCMits: added to the discussion

Talk:565: Security Question

2022-12-16T21:19:39Z

TCMits: minor edit of release date

The explanation says "security questions are treated much more seriously than passwords." I completely disagree. People generally understand that a password should be complicated but just pick something easily memorable for the security question. The security question is often easier to crack as they can be looked up and the user might tell you the answer inadvertently. For example, in Now You See Me, they trick their rich benefactor into giving up his bank account security answers. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.7|108.162.219.7]] 02:35, 15 May 2014 (UTC)

:I agree, and I've changed the explanation text. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 11:17, 10 December 2014 (UTC)

:Also now with social media if you don't have enough privacy settings enabled an attacker can find the answers on say your facebook page, and even if you did have the privacy stuff it won't help if the attacker is on your friend list. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.117|141.101.99.117]] 19:35, 24 February 2015 (UTC)

“Of course, by taking the drink Cueball also admits having buried bodies ''at all''.”
Uh, no, he doesn’t? If he never hid any bodies south of Main Street, it doesn’t imply he hid any bodies anywhere else… right? ~ [[User:VoidPhantom|VoidPhantom]] ([[User talk:VoidPhantom|talk]]) 21:23, 10 September 2015 (UTC)

:You have that backwards. If he'd buried bodies ''north'' of Main Street (or hadn't buried any at all), then he ''wouldn't'' take a drink. --[[User:Aaron of Mpls|Aaron of Mpls]] ([[User talk:Aaron of Mpls|talk]]) 22:10, 16 September 2015 (UTC)
::I have corrected this back in the explanation. Double negatives confuse people it appears.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.72.89|162.158.72.89]] 22:24, 26 May 2016 (UTC)
:: Technically, he could have buried bodies both north ''and'' south of Main Street, so having buried bodies north of Main doesn't necessarily mean he wouldn't take a drink for south of Main. </pedant> [[User:CritterKeeper|CritterKeeper]] ([[User talk:CritterKeeper|talk]]) 16:00, 1 January 2021 (UTC)

The cop sitting at the desk has what appears to be a foot rest or pedal that deliberately has attention drawn to it with 'bump' marks. What does this represent? [[User:ClaireFreund|ClaireFreund]] ([[User talk:ClaireFreund|talk]]) 14:49, 12 November 2018 (UTC)
:Could be a speaker for those not wearing headphones [[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.57|162.158.93.57]] 17:49, 3 January 2019 (UTC)

I'm pretty sure the claimed date of the comic's release is wrong. Correct me if I'm wrong, but following the normal schedule, it should state the release date as April 5th, not April 3rd.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.141|162.158.74.141]] 14:59, 27 November 2019 (UTC)
: The transcript page lists the release date as April 6. [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 21:19, 16 December 2022 (UTC)

Talk:91: Pwned

2022-08-16T17:14:21Z

TCMits: edited comment

[[User:Rikthoff|Rikthoff]] ([[User talk:Rikthoff|talk]]) Does anybody know why this comic is stored in Portable Graphic Format (PNG) instead of JPEG? Is this an inside joke? -- 12:29, 3 August 2012‎ (UTC)

Guest: An alternate way to look at this uses the same three cultural acknowledgements, but with a little more of thoughtful understanding. The grue lies in wait in the dark and devours the player, and likewise a 'camper' player in CS would wait for a player and kill them upon entry. It can be looked at that the blindness of entering the room that the camper kills the player at is comparable to the darkness that the grue eats the player from. All-in-all this amounts to a frustrating experience of dying in a game, and so a correlation is drawn. Because they seem to be similar frustrations, in which the only effective difference is whether you read it or see it, the text thus implies that there is no actual leverage that makes graphical games favored.
It may also further extend from this to additionally taunt the relatively basic slang of getting killed in Counter-Strike being immature, brief, and unfulfilling compared to the larger descriptions that try to pull the player into the game that was needed for Zork to accommodate for the lack of graphics. {{unsigned ip|66.177.70.225|03:20, 20 September 2012‎ (UTC)}}

It's not worth changing the description, as it's not relevant to the context, but Zork was ''not'' "typical" because it could understand more complex commands than most other (non-{{w|Infocom}}) text adventures, like "kill the troll with the axe". [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 12:33, 13 April 2013 (UTC)

You know, it's not just (standard) processor and memory improvements that led to graphical games but (unsurprisingly) actual graphical capability... Text-based games (including MUDs) could be played on anything, even text-only terminals and over telnet connections and the like. Graphical capabilities beyond CGA (which limits us to ASCII-art or 'ASCII-shaded' depictions of things, in leiu of sticking to text-only descriptions) allowed a progression to FPS-ish, via the likes of graphical tile-based games (although see Dwarf Fortress as a game that could have been text-only in its tile-ness, albeit that even the vanilla character-based display is ''implemented'' with graphics of said characters), and even if it was EGA you ''could'' now get graphics, and have to start worrying about whether you could calculate the image quickly enough to start looking at pre-Dooms, especially when you don't yet ''necessarily'' have anything approximating a separate GPU and graphics RAM... Which is much as originally said, but... ;)

Oh, and (referencing Rikthoff's question) IMO the .PNG format is far more suited to Randall's comics than .JPG, so I'm not sure there's any inside-joke. Indeed, some of the other early comics with colours (that may have been saved as JPEGs, I haven't checked) appear to have quite a lot of artefacts in them, but I don't know if anyone's enumerated the formats used. Certainly the very latest are PNG, which I say is all for the best. I can think of at least one (the Steve Jobs memorial one) that was almost certainly .GIF, because it needed animation. Inferior to .PNG, but still superior to JPEG for largely monochrome line-drawings (and not bad even for colour-filled ones, if not requiring the full gamut of colours that the current favoured format technically allows). [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 05:50, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

::I think the title text is a reference to this: http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=523--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.85|173.245.50.85]] 00:29, 9 April 2014 (UTC)
I doubt the reference is to a Command & Conquer expansion pack and not to the Half-Life expansion pack, though there's nothing in the strip itself to say either way. --[[User:Alex|Alex]] ([[User talk:Alex|talk]]) 21:39, 18 April 2014 (UTC)
::I agree. I've put more time into C&C than CS and I immediately connect this with the Valve game. Additionally, units in C&C are inherently light sources, so they are grue-proof. I am going to change the explain. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.63|173.245.54.63]] 18:06, 23 July 2016 (UTC)

I made an edit to change the definition of RPG -NotAnAccount [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.111|173.245.56.111]] 21:16, 24 September 2015 (UTC)

There is now a text-only CounterStrike, albiet with some ASCII art: http://csstory.net/ [[User:Pablo360|Pablo360]] ([[User talk:Pablo360|talk]]) 19:48, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

I know I'm going to sound like a grammar nazi for saying this, but to whoever put "it's subsequent sequel", it's "its" in this situation. Don't worry, i fixed it. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 13:22, 14 September 2016 (UTC)

The RPG genre and the adventure game genre aren't mutually exclusive. Weren't the {{Wikipedia|Quest for Glory}} games, for example, adventure games and RPGs at the same time? Wiki even describes them as hybrid adventure/role-playing games. [[User:Pelosujamo|Pelosujamo]] ([[User talk:Pelosujamo|talk]]) 16:14, 29 October 2018 (UTC)

The computers mentioned (IBM-XT, Atari, or C64) are too new. Zork was originally written for a DEC PDP-10 and ported to several other text-only computers. [[User:Condor70|Condor70]] ([[User talk:Condor70|talk]]) 14:41, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
::Those computers certainly are not too new. I played Zork and many other Infocom text adventures on my Commodore 64, and I'm sure far more people played them on the C-64 and the IBM-XT than could have possibly played them on the DEC PDP-10 mainframe. A big part of the success of the Infocom text adventures is that they could be ported to everything that could run them at the time, and so they were.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.98.37|172.70.98.37]] 01:23, 17 October 2021 (UTC)

I was never into adventure games. Rocket-Propelled Grenades - now that sounds like it could be fun! [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 17:12, 16 August 2022 (UTC)

Talk:91: Pwned

2022-08-16T17:12:21Z

TCMits: added to the discussion

[[User:Rikthoff|Rikthoff]] ([[User talk:Rikthoff|talk]]) Does anybody know why this comic is stored in Portable Graphic Format (PNG) instead of JPEG? Is this an inside joke? -- 12:29, 3 August 2012‎ (UTC)

Guest: An alternate way to look at this uses the same three cultural acknowledgements, but with a little more of thoughtful understanding. The grue lies in wait in the dark and devours the player, and likewise a 'camper' player in CS would wait for a player and kill them upon entry. It can be looked at that the blindness of entering the room that the camper kills the player at is comparable to the darkness that the grue eats the player from. All-in-all this amounts to a frustrating experience of dying in a game, and so a correlation is drawn. Because they seem to be similar frustrations, in which the only effective difference is whether you read it or see it, the text thus implies that there is no actual leverage that makes graphical games favored.
It may also further extend from this to additionally taunt the relatively basic slang of getting killed in Counter-Strike being immature, brief, and unfulfilling compared to the larger descriptions that try to pull the player into the game that was needed for Zork to accommodate for the lack of graphics. {{unsigned ip|66.177.70.225|03:20, 20 September 2012‎ (UTC)}}

It's not worth changing the description, as it's not relevant to the context, but Zork was ''not'' "typical" because it could understand more complex commands than most other (non-{{w|Infocom}}) text adventures, like "kill the troll with the axe". [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 12:33, 13 April 2013 (UTC)

You know, it's not just (standard) processor and memory improvements that led to graphical games but (unsurprisingly) actual graphical capability... Text-based games (including MUDs) could be played on anything, even text-only terminals and over telnet connections and the like. Graphical capabilities beyond CGA (which limits us to ASCII-art or 'ASCII-shaded' depictions of things, in leiu of sticking to text-only descriptions) allowed a progression to FPS-ish, via the likes of graphical tile-based games (although see Dwarf Fortress as a game that could have been text-only in its tile-ness, albeit that even the vanilla character-based display is ''implemented'' with graphics of said characters), and even if it was EGA you ''could'' now get graphics, and have to start worrying about whether you could calculate the image quickly enough to start looking at pre-Dooms, especially when you don't yet ''necessarily'' have anything approximating a separate GPU and graphics RAM... Which is much as originally said, but... ;)

Oh, and (referencing Rikthoff's question) IMO the .PNG format is far more suited to Randall's comics than .JPG, so I'm not sure there's any inside-joke. Indeed, some of the other early comics with colours (that may have been saved as JPEGs, I haven't checked) appear to have quite a lot of artefacts in them, but I don't know if anyone's enumerated the formats used. Certainly the very latest are PNG, which I say is all for the best. I can think of at least one (the Steve Jobs memorial one) that was almost certainly .GIF, because it needed animation. Inferior to .PNG, but still superior to JPEG for largely monochrome line-drawings (and not bad even for colour-filled ones, if not requiring the full gamut of colours that the current favoured format technically allows). [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 05:50, 24 June 2013 (UTC)

::I think the title text is a reference to this: http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=523--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.85|173.245.50.85]] 00:29, 9 April 2014 (UTC)
I doubt the reference is to a Command & Conquer expansion pack and not to the Half-Life expansion pack, though there's nothing in the strip itself to say either way. --[[User:Alex|Alex]] ([[User talk:Alex|talk]]) 21:39, 18 April 2014 (UTC)
::I agree. I've put more time into C&C than CS and I immediately connect this with the Valve game. Additionally, units in C&C are inherently light sources, so they are grue-proof. I am going to change the explain. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.63|173.245.54.63]] 18:06, 23 July 2016 (UTC)

I made an edit to change the definition of RPG -NotAnAccount [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.111|173.245.56.111]] 21:16, 24 September 2015 (UTC)

There is now a text-only CounterStrike, albiet with some ASCII art: http://csstory.net/ [[User:Pablo360|Pablo360]] ([[User talk:Pablo360|talk]]) 19:48, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

I know I'm going to sound like a grammar nazi for saying this, but to whoever put "it's subsequent sequel", it's "its" in this situation. Don't worry, i fixed it. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 13:22, 14 September 2016 (UTC)

The RPG genre and the adventure game genre aren't mutually exclusive. Weren't the {{Wikipedia|Quest for Glory}} games, for example, adventure games and RPGs at the same time? Wiki even describes them as hybrid adventure/role-playing games. [[User:Pelosujamo|Pelosujamo]] ([[User talk:Pelosujamo|talk]]) 16:14, 29 October 2018 (UTC)

The computers mentioned (IBM-XT, Atari, or C64) are too new. Zork was originally written for a DEC PDP-10 and ported to several other text-only computers. [[User:Condor70|Condor70]] ([[User talk:Condor70|talk]]) 14:41, 1 April 2020 (UTC)
::Those computers certainly are not too new. I played Zork and many other Infocom text adventures on my Commodore 64, and I'm sure far more people played them on the C-64 and the IBM-XT than could have possibly played them on the DEC PDP-10 mainframe. A big part of the success of the Infocom text adventures is that they could be ported to everything that could run them at the time, and so they were.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.98.37|172.70.98.37]] 01:23, 17 October 2021 (UTC)

I was never into action games. Rocket-Propelled Grenades - now that sounds like it could be fun! [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 17:12, 16 August 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2624: Voyager Wires

2022-05-26T17:02:20Z

TCMits: Referenced two intersteller probes that are no longer phoning home.

This is fun - assuming a pair of 14ga wires were run the 14.5 billion mile distance from Earth to Voyager 1, the mass of copper would be on the order of 1012 kg, or ~5 times the mass of copper ever mined out of the earth. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.87|172.70.126.87]] 17:18, 25 May 2022 (UTC)
:Wow, that's a lot of copper! I wonder how they've been communicating with the probes up until now? :) [[User:Danny E. Corchado|Danny E. Corchado]] ([[User talk:Danny E. Corchado|talk]]) 20:46, 25 May 2022 (UTC)
:Why are you assuming 14 gauge when [https://precmfgco.com/wire-gauge-sizes-guide/ 30 gauge (0.08mm diameter) is for sale?] Only 3,440 Ohms per kilometer! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.89|172.68.133.89]] 00:02, 26 May 2022 (UTC)

At current prices for copper, this spool would cost ~9.6 trillion dollars. Surprisingly, that's only about a third of the US national debt. --[[User:KrazyKat|KrazyKat]] ([[User talk:KrazyKat|talk]]) 17:29, 25 May 2022 (UTC)
:Hear me out here: if all the high school dropouts are employed making space probe wire, where are the health insurance companies going to be able to get people who will deny coverage against attending physicians' recommendations? Eh? See what I'm getting at?!? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.89|172.68.133.89]] 00:04, 26 May 2022 (UTC)

The problem of the Earth spinning could be solved by putting the contact at one of the poles; it will have to be on a swivel joint to prevent it from twisting. But there's also the Earth revolving around the Sun, which requires the cable length to cycle up and down by 186 million miles every year. I guess we could use a big version of dog leash holders. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 17:44, 25 May 2022 (UTC)

Days before this comic was published, NASA reported issues with Voyager 1, reporting that "the probe’s attitude articulation and control system (AACS) don’t reflect what’s actually happening onboard"
[https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/engineers-investigating-nasas-voyager-1-telemetry-data]
:"the data may appear to be randomly generated, or does not reflect any possible state the AACS could be in"
:Has anyone alerted the {{w|SETI Institute}}? They live for this kind of thing. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.89|172.68.133.89]] 00:08, 26 May 2022 (UTC)

If they used wires and it was due to budget constraints, why not reel the Voyager probes back in and recycle the wire? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.173|108.162.245.173]] 19:24, 25 May 2022 (UTC)
:Only if you feel a tug, then tell your friend to get the net ready. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.133.89|172.68.133.89]] 00:09, 26 May 2022 (UTC)

Quick calc+google - world copper reserves are estimated at 870 million tonnes, Voyager 1 is 14,471,238,963 miles from Earth (Voyager 2 a bit closer, 12 x 10^9 miles)... a lot of unit conversions and simple arithmetics later... World copper reserves would be enough for a cable with about 4 mm^2 cross-section (2,3 mm diameter) for one of them or 2.3 mm^2 cross-section (1,7 mm diameter) cables to both. Someone check the math please, it's been a long day... [[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.139|172.68.110.139]] 19:31, 25 May 2022 (UTC)

This is a comic worth a What-If-article. Even with zero friction extraction systems and enough available copper, there is the problem of the speed you need to send out new wire. Voyager is moving at ca. 17 km/s and Earth moves at about 30. So when Earth and Voyager move in opposite directions you have to produce *a lot* of wire per second in order to keep up with that (not exactly 47 km/s because Voyager is moving away from the ecliptic. [[User:Kimmerin|Kimmerin]] ([[User talk:Kimmerin|talk]]) 19:53, 25 May 2022 (UTC)
:Yes, definitely worth a What If! Randall, if you read this, please write a What If article on this! [[User:Danny E. Corchado|Danny E. Corchado]] ([[User talk:Danny E. Corchado|talk]]) 20:47, 25 May 2022 (UTC)
::Maybe this is a sly advertisement for an existing article in the forthcoming book! :) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.34.105|172.70.34.105]] 21:24, 25 May 2022 (UTC)

Voyager 1 and 2 communicate with each other, or with Earth? --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.65|172.70.126.65]] 20:27, 25 May 2022 (UTC)
:The comic clearly shows the wire going all the way from a Voyager to Earth. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 22:00, 25 May 2022 (UTC)

The explanation mentions the wire going through the Sun when we're on opposite sides of the Sun. But the Voyagers aren't traveling in the ecliptic plane, so it will probably miss the Sun. Although it still might be close enough that the heat will melt it. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 22:00, 25 May 2022 (UTC)

Is the whole joke of the "Alternate explanation" that they went overboard with the [citation needed]s? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 22:00, 25 May 2022 (UTC)
:Removed this section. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.117|172.69.33.117]] 23:15, 25 May 2022 (UTC)
Theoretically speaking, if the copper spool were to be anchored at the North or South Pole, it would avoid issues of wraparound. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.35.70|172.70.35.70]] 23:02, 25 May 2022 (UTC)
:Now you just have to work out what happens as the conductor moves (around, but also feeds out through) the geomagnetic field. (See {{w|Electrodynamic tether}}, not sure if it would help or not to be anchored directly upon the maximum declanation point of the geomagnetic pole, which isn't ''quite'' at the axial pole for the purposes of rotation-mitigation [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.177|172.70.85.177]] 23:44, 25 May 2022 (UTC)

What about the Star Trek reference in the Title Text? That's definitely referring to the VGER probe that returned to Earth after being elevated to an AI.
[[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.90|172.70.91.90]] 06:39, 26 May 2022 (UTC)

[[Special:Contributions/172.70.218.225|172.70.218.225]] 10:27, 26 May 2022 (UTC)anyone wanting to calculating the resistance and power requirements for current data transfer rates to Voyager through a copper wire?

The wires have already been cut for Pioneer 10 (2002) and Pioneer 11 (1995). The copper savings from them should allow the Voyagers to phone home for much longer than this. [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 17:02, 26 May 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2607: Geiger Counter

2022-04-16T14:15:31Z

TCMits: Added clarification to understanding title text. Added an instance of when/where you may want to bring a geiger counter.

Vanilla joke, but funny. [[User:Nafedalbi|Nafedalbi]] ([[User talk:Nafedalbi|talk]]) 18:41, 15 April 2022 (UTC)Nafedalbi
:It's Randall's "dad joke". [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:23, 15 April 2022 (UTC)
:Honestly, yeah. I impulsively went "wow... Randall's really jumped the stick figure shark." --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.121|172.70.110.121]] 06:32, 16 April 2022 (UTC)
::Not me. After plumbing the depths of Unicode and trying to describe a Taylor series expansion from square one, this is a welcome relief. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.81|172.70.214.81]] 07:34, 16 April 2022 (UTC)
: When does an ordinary joke become a dad joke? When it becomes apparent. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.121|172.70.130.121]] 10:31, 16 April 2022 (UTC)

I added telegraph wires (UK-only term, possibly, and anachronistic as they are telephone cables, so feel free to change to be US-centric) and birds seem happy to sit on pole-suspended POTS cables as much as power-lines, so the linked heat-effect thing is definitely a minority necessity. I think it's just a perch. Though we probably have more signal-wires. Most(?) streets more than a few decades old have telegraph poles feeding wires to established properties (even if cable/FTTP has been dug into trenches) but mains electricity tends to have been subsurface for much longer, with only HV national/rural-area transmission grids up on pylons/poles. Obviously there ''are'' a lot more perching birds out in the countryside, where they may dominate (but still the 'telegraph' may follow road or rail routes to service the villages and isolated inhabitations along them) but you don't tend to see birds atop the larger lines at all... Too high up? ''Too'' hot? I've seen rooks/etc happily doing a Hitchcock upon a pylon itself, apparently enjoying the communal view. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.63|172.70.90.63]] 18:54, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

For the record, [[User:Avni]] at 19:30 UTC on 2022-04-15 [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2607:_Geiger_Counter&diff=next&oldid=230502 deleted everything on this page] 
--[[User:FrankHightower|FrankHightower]] ([[User talk:FrankHightower|talk]]) 04:11, 16 April 2022 (UTC)

The title text joke may be understood more easily by reading "stood under" in place of "understood". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.124|162.158.107.124]] 19:37, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

Living in Manhattan, you learn to notice when an area is full of bird droppings and avoid standing there. You also need to pay attention when parking your car. Certain lamp posts (where the lamp is cantilevered over the street) near Central Park often tend to have a large accumulation under them. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.178|108.162.246.178]] 19:47, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

I do not understand the joke in the title text, so if somebody could please write an explanation, that would be great.
Also, this is my first ever full comic description! Yay!
I don't know what categories this fits in, if somebody could also put those in that would be great. [[User:MrYellow04|MrYellow04]] ([[User talk:MrYellow04|talk]]) 19:58, 15 April 2022 (UTC)
:I suggest you stand under a wire with lots of birds on it for a while. It will hit you. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:32, 15 April 2022 (UTC)
:Dirty birdy in the sky, why you do that in my eye? Boy I'm glad that cows can't fly! [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 14:15, 16 April 2022 (UTC)

Randall, come here. Yes, right there. Stand still. THWACK! THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK THWACK! That is all, you may go now. 20:41, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

The explanation makes clear the side of the pun regarding the Geiger counting clicking, but for non-native English speakers, the phrase "it clicked" meaning "I understood" may need clarification. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.213|162.158.166.213]] 21:17, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

I thought it meant the birds were dangerously mutated because of the radioactivity, but now I understand. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.84|172.69.34.84]] 22:00, 15 April 2022 (UTC)
:Just make sure you don't open your mouth and tilt your head back. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.63|172.70.90.63]] 22:59, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

Also possibly related to this news story https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/unprotected-russian-soldiers-disturbed-radioactive-dust-chernobyls-red-forest-2022-03-28/

Calling the pun a parody of another joke is weird. Jokes aren’t parodied. Parodies aren’t made of general things people say. It can be a ''play on'' that other joke, but not a ''parody'' of it. It’s not ''making fun'' of the other joke. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.69|108.162.245.69]] 11:24, 16 April 2022 (UTC)

Dates for the Trinity Site Open House are April 2 and October 15 for 2022. Bring your own geiger counter. [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 14:15, 16 April 2022 (UTC)

== Leonard Cohen reference? ==

It seems to me that the title text has to be somehow referencing one of Leonard Cohen’s better known songs, “Bird on the Wire”, from the very specific phrasing there. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.69|108.162.245.69]] 11:21, 16 April 2022 (UTC)