explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3120: Geologic Periods

2025-07-26T02:20:16Z

TPS: Raptors

Discovered this explanation fresh off the griddle. The transcript doesn't even exist yet wow. Also, hi! This is my first time commenting! Did I do it right? [[User:Giraffequeries|Giraffequeries]] ([[User talk:Giraffequeries|talk]]) 22:54, 25 July 2025 (UTC)
:(Yes, looks like you did.)
:A couple of hours on, and nobody's attempted the Transcript yet. If you're still around right now-ish and you've got more time than everyone elses seems to have (including me, sorry), that could be your next thing.
:Check prior Transcripts for the right kind of way (and a few wrongs, but hey?), and imagine the words+'markup' being read through the hypothetical screen-readers. That might not know how to 'audible' a table, may at best shout/stress '''bold-strong'''/''italics-emphasis'', but perhaps not correctly.
:But just getting the words down helps the next soul with a few more minutes at hand. Any normal weekend, I'd be happy to do it right now, but I've got to be up in five hours, and I mildly regret just checking right now to see if I might have missed the latest comic popping up when it was a bit earlier and I was prepping my weekend bags. :) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.123|82.132.236.123]] 01:49, 26 July 2025 (UTC)
:Darn, forgot to say my intended actual personal comment I was just going to add. i.e.: Looks like Randall hasn't forgotten about Raptors! Anyway, goodnight/early-morning (my time).... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.123|82.132.236.123]] 01:53, 26 July 2025 (UTC)
I've done my part. Also, Raptors [[User:TPS|TPS]] ([[User talk:TPS|talk]]) 02:20, 26 July 2025 (UTC)

3120: Geologic Periods

2025-07-26T02:18:03Z

TPS: /* Explanation */ Raptors

{{comic
| number = 3120
| date = July 25, 2025
| title = Geologic Periods
| image = geologic_periods_2x.png
| imagesize = 611x557px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Geologists claim it's because the earlier Cenozoic used to be called the Tertiary, but that's just a ruse to hide the secret third geologic period, between the Neogene and the Quaternary, that they won't tell us about.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by a Cretaceous raptor. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

{| class="wikitable"
!Period
!Dates (millions of years ago)
!My Favorite Part
!My Biggest Complaint
!Explanation
|-
|Precambrian
|4500-539
|Life develops
|Snowball Earth episodes
|The {{w|Precambrian}} (italicized in the comic since it's not a {{w|Period (geology)|geologic period}}) is the first 88% of Earth's history, including the time 4.1 to 3.4 billion years ago when life on Earth began. The {{w|Snowball Earth}} hypothesis says that during some time spans in the past, Earth became nearly or entirely frozen, with no liquid water on the surface. It's related to the idea of the {{w|Greenhouse_and_icehouse_Earth#Icehouse_Earth|icehouse Earth}}, times when the planet fluctuates between glacial and interglacial periods (such as now).
|-
|{{w|Cambrian}}
|539-487
|Trilobites!
|Evolution could stand to calm down a little
|The {{w|Cambrian explosion}} was a sudden radiation of complex life forms when nearly all important animal phyla, or precursors to them, appeared.
|-
|{{w|Ordovician}}
|487-443
|Earth might have had rings
|Scary volcanic eruption in North America
|
|-
|{{w|Silurian}}
|443-420
|First land animals
|Earth's newfound mold problem
|
|-
|{{w|Devonian}}
|420-359
|Big mountains in Boston
|Yeah, sure, what those giant killer fish needed was armor
|
|-
|{{w|Carboniferous}}
|359-299
|Cool forests
|Bugs too big
|The {{w|Carboniferous#Terrestrial_invertebrates|'bugs' in this period}} included the largest-ever known land invertebrate, a {{w|Arthropleura|2.6-m (8.5-ft) millipede-like animal}}; the largest-ever known flying insect, resembling a {{w|Meganeura|dragonfly with a wingspan of ~75 cm (30 in)}}; and a {{w|Pulmonoscorpius|70 cm (2 ft 4 in) scorpion}}.
|-
|{{w|Permian}}
|299-252
|Pangea
|Google "The Great Dying"
|{{w|Pangaea}} was the most recent supercontinent containing nearly all of Earth's landmass. The Great Dying, more formally known as the {{w|Permian-Triassic extinction event}}, occurred at the end of the Permian and is the most severe of Earth's {{w|Extinction_event#The_"Big_Five"_mass_extinctions|'Big Five' mass extinction events}}. In it, 81% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial vertebrate species were wiped out.
|-
|{{w|Triassic}}
|252-201
|Tanystropheus
|Damage to Canada still visible from space at Manicouagan
|{{w|Tanystropheus}} was a verrrry long-necked dinosaur. {{w|Manicouagan Reservoir}} is a ring-shaped lake, the remains of the crater caused by a 5-km (3-mi) asteroid hitting {{w|Quebec}}.
|-
|{{w|Jurassic}}
|201-143
|Birds
|Parasitoid wasps
|
|-
|{{w|Cretaceous}}
|143-66
|Raptors
|Raptors
|Raptors
|-
|{{w|Paleogene}}
|66-23
|Pretty horseys!!!
|Paleocene-eocene thermal maximum
|The {{w|Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum}} was a time where the global average temperature rose by around 5-8 °C is a relatively short period of time.
|-
|{{w|Neogene}}
|23-2.6
|Forests of Dracaena dragonblood trees
|Zanclean flood
|The {{w|Zanclean flood}} is theorized to be the flood that refilled the Mediterranean Sea.
|-
|{{w|Quaternary}}
|2.6-present
|Burrito invented
|Whoever picked the name for the third period of the Cenozoic
|
|}

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

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Geology]]
[[Category:Velociraptors]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Food]]

Talk:3022: Making Tea

2024-12-10T13:00:24Z

TPS: My comment

I wonder where [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Tea_Party making it in Boston Harbor, at ambient temperature, at scale] would fit on this scale. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.206.162|172.70.206.162]] 04:38, 10 December 2024 (UTC)
: A little to the left of the microwave thing. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.252|162.158.186.252]] 05:14, 10 December 2024 (UTC)
:: Oh, no, much further to the right. You stole our colony from us, set up some tinpot, pretended 'country' in its place, and you didn't even have the class to make a decent cup of tea first. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.93|12.68.205.93]] 06:24, 10 December 2024 (UTC)
: I would like to as a british person to corroborate this, in the 80's my Dad visited the USA (he did go to florida) and still is complaining that the freshly boiled water wasn't poured directly onto the tea bag but was instead the tea bag and the hot water(now luke warm water) and bag was delivered separately!!! The delivery of freshly boiling water on to the bag is the major issue with microwaves, not the nucleation thing in my experience. Bear in mind I don't even actually like tea, still care enough to right this, but i'll be signing this anonymously to avoid shame being bought on my family and my family's familys. Murderous royals are a lot less popular the tea [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.227|108.162.245.227]]
:: I first visited the US in 1980. A friend who was with hate coffee and was horrified when he ordered tea that he got the water and the tea bag separately. When he suggested they add the water as soon as it was boiled, the wait staff thought he was joking. Many years later in Texas, a waiter asked me why I, a Brit, was drinking coffee, not tea. "You don't know how to make it," I replied. (In my house, the electric kettle and teapot sit next to each other on the kitchen worktop.)--[[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.135|172.70.160.135]] 09:22, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

:: And, even if [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-68085304 this guy] is right, ''way'' too much salt... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.130|172.70.91.130]] 07:03, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

When I make ramen, I put the measuring cup in the microwave. Fight me. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.167.87|162.158.167.87]] 05:35, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

"...to the point virtually every home has an electric tea kettle as a standard appliance". If I'm reading it correctly, this and the comic suggests we (though not I, as I'm not a tea-drinker) make tea ''in the electric kettle''. Electric tea-urns, yes, or maybe a setup like a samovar. But, generally, the kettle itself (and, so far as I'm aware, always with an electric kettle) is used to heat the water, which you then pour into the tea''pot'' into which the requisite number of tealeaves/teabags are also put to steep. (Or, for the lazy way, into the mug-with-teabag.) I wouldn't be able to use my electric kettle to (for example) make my instant mashed-potato into the actual mash, if I'd have regularly used it to mash tea. Or top up the boiling saucepan that I'd realised I'd not quite enough water in to cover the pasta/vegetables/whatever. Or to easily add nust a little more heat (with less new water) to the washing-up bowl than would be possible from the hot tap, back to as hot as possible without scalding me. – Whether intentional or not, I suspect Randall has the role of kettle and teapot mixed up, and so (without the intent to parody) has the editor who wrote the above. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.135|172.70.160.135]] 05:49, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

I don't think the section on 'Boiling the water in a pot' refers to a teapot - I think it means boiling the water in a pot on the hob, and then making tea with it (in a pot/mug). [[Special:Contributions/172.69.195.27|172.69.195.27]] 07:53, 10 December 2024 (UTC)
:I agree, but I also think there's a language issue with the use of pot vs. pan that makes things more confusing. I think there are several types of cookware that Americans call pot and British call pan. So British would not say they boil water in a pot but rather in a saucepan (if there's no kettle available of course). [[User:Mtcv|Mtcv]] ([[User talk:Mtcv|talk]]) 09:03, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

I (as Brit) am uncommon in using an electric filter coffee machine to make tea (two bags in what is supposed to be the coffee filter). Set up, press the button and come back to a not jug of fresh tea which is not stewed. If later, the hot plate has shut off and it is cold, you can zap it in a mug in the microwave. [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 08:11, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

: As another brit, what? I do not understand the mechanics of this, please elaborate. Additionally, my understanding is that the water would be *briefly acquainted* with the tea, thus would be a poor facsimile of "tea" and would rather be closer to something the americans would attempt. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.126|141.101.99.126]] 11:46, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

Thanks, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yMMTVVJI4c Technology Connections]! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.109.167|141.101.109.167]] 09:51, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

You Westerners have literally no idea how to make proper, good tea! SMH [[User:TPS|TPS]] ([[User talk:TPS|talk]]) 13:00, 10 December 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2830: Haunted House

2023-09-19T03:10:20Z

TPS: 927 & a nit typo

I initially thought this was Randall's version of the old joke "The great thing about standards is there are so many of them." Like the zoo of USB cables and adapters to allow you to connect them. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:22, 18 September 2023 (UTC)
:Well, shoot. I was hoping to find an online old phone charger cord museum but it doesn't seem to exist. In the late 1990s-early 2000s, every time you bought a cell phone, you automatically got a different charger cord that was basically incompatible with anyone else's. Those flat, wide weird looking connectors that predated USB-anything. Thought maybe someone would have compiled a list. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.192|172.70.126.192]] 22:05, 18 September 2023 (UTC)Pat
:No mention of https://xkcd.com/927/?! [[User:TPS|TPS]] ([[User talk:TPS|talk]]) 03:10, 19 September 2023 (UTC)

This reminds me of how Eastern Japan uses 50Hz but Western Japan uses 60Hz (and how under the Articles of Confederation each state had their own form of paper currency) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.63|108.162.237.63]] 22:03, 18 September 2023 (UTC)Bumpf

Not only are doorknobs quite standardized, they are usually already IN the doors. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:29, 18 September 2023 (UTC)
:Not always, unfortunately. I once rented an apartment where the bathroom door's inside knob had to be "plugged in" in order to open the door, but would fall out when not in use. If you couldn't find it you'd be stuck in the bathroom till someone let you out. [[User:Andes|Andes]] ([[User talk:Andes|talk]]) 22:55, 18 September 2023 (UTC)
:Not really standardised. From what I've heard, on a number of occasions, there are places in America (need to check, could be Canadian provinces or US States, or subset areas) where doors legally must have doorknobs, rather than door-handles, as an anti-bear measure (they can't be a 'clever girl' so easily with a doorknob). And then there are legislative areas which require ''handles'', not ''knobs'', as an accessability (or indeed egressability!) measure for those people with arthritis/other hand-disabilities for precisely the same reason (they would have difficulty with a doorknob, unassisted) but now looking for the more widely usable outcome. Thus mutually incompatible Building Codes are in force. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.241|172.70.91.241]] 00:16, 19 September 2023 (UTC)

Household electrical outlets do vary from country to country in Europe, such that I have collected a variety of plug adapters. And world-wide, I have seen it asserted that there are 15 different standards, including a number that are partially compatible with each other, differing only by the arrangement of the grounds. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.197|162.158.62.197]] 22:45, 18 September 2023 (UTC)

The Louisville Knobs are a geologic/geographic feature. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.174.252|172.71.174.252]] 02:42, 19 September 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2385: Final Exam

2020-11-14T16:17:08Z

TPS: Why not Danish?

Perhaps add a note about how multiple people trying to achieve the same goal would be impossible, so therefore it would be a test of game theory to see how the final grades end up. You'd want to be the last one to make all the changes. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.197|162.158.107.197]] 23:51, 13 November 2020 (UTC)
:It's a contest to hack the grades ''and'' to lock out all of the other students from making further changes. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 00:49, 14 November 2020 (UTC)
Title text seems to be a reference to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guess_2/3_of_the_average.
[[User:Anonymous3|Anonymous3]] ([[User talk:Anonymous3|talk]]) 01:10, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

The current "change every fifth answer to the bubble below it" explanation appears to make the implausible assumption that the exam is multiple-choice. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 03:19, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

Clearly the optimal solution for both courses is to change the grade to be ''out of 0'', thus a score of 0 being a perfect score and also meet the requirements for Game Theory. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.54|162.158.165.54]] 03:28, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

:great idea! i was considering adding fake students to be statistical extremes but your solution allows all students to ace both courses. [[User:Ocæon|ocæon]] ([[User talk:Ocæon|talk]]) 14:46, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

OMG I want so much to take this class, what an excellent final exam![[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.208|172.68.65.208]] 05:09, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

I think the explanation above is largely correct, but I assumed this was a Zoom reference. Since during lockdown the many students she is addressing should be experiencing this through a remote meeting, for which Zoom is often chosen (I'd love an explanation as to why THAT is). Zoom has notorious security flaws which any cybersecurity student should be failed for accepting.
--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.96|162.158.159.96]] 05:11, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

No mention of Bobby Tables? [[User:Gvanrossum|Gvanrossum]] ([[User talk:Gvanrossum|talk]]) 06:29, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

the zero length exam reminds me of 'zero day' exploits, the students have zero time to respond to the exam requirements before the conclusion of the exam. [[User:Ocæon|ocæon]] ([[User talk:Ocæon|talk]]) 14:39, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

I feel like Randall missed a golden opportunity for Danish (instead of generic Ponytail) to prof these classes — this seems right up her alley. [[User:TPS|TPS]] ([[User talk:TPS|talk]]) 16:17, 14 November 2020 (UTC)

2289: Scenario 4

2020-04-04T22:22:01Z

TPS: Updated title text, per my xkcd e-mail subscription

{{comic
| number = 2289
| date = April 4, 2020
| title = Scenario Four
| image = sequence-four.png
| titletext = Remember, models aren't for telling you facts, they're for exploring dynamics. This model apparently explores time travel.
}}
==Explanation==
Placeholder
==Transcript==
Placeholder
{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2289: Scenario 4

2020-04-04T22:19:00Z

TPS: Explain delay

Should definitely make a note re: this officially-Friday comic releasing late Saturday afternoon (EDT). [[User:TPS|TPS]] ([[User talk:TPS|talk]]) 22:06, 4 April 2020 (UTC)
Or is this actually the april fool comic, except it fooled us by being on a Saturday? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.81|162.158.74.81]] 22:12, 4 April 2020 (UTC) Sam
Perhaps more likely because the actual April Fool's comic (due Wednesday) delayed 'til Friday. [[User:TPS|TPS]] ([[User talk:TPS|talk]]) 22:19, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2289: Scenario 4

2020-04-04T22:06:01Z

TPS: Note re: Friday → Saturday

Should definitely make a note re: this officially-Friday comic releasing late Saturday afternoon (EDT). [[User:TPS|TPS]] ([[User talk:TPS|talk]]) 22:06, 4 April 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2277: Business Greetings

2020-03-06T12:19:38Z

TPS: Obvious explanation thrown out there

This comic appears to be the only one, ever, that doesn't have mouseover text
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.146.160|162.158.146.160]] 05:15, 6 March 2020 (UTC)
:Maybe our mice are just broken. Purely coincidental, I'm sure. [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 05:49, 6 March 2020 (UTC)
::Or it is a change, to go with the time... --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:07, 6 March 2020 (UTC)
:::Technically [[404]] doesn't have an alt-text either. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.58.183|162.158.58.183]] 09:42, 6 March 2020 (UTC)
::::I believe I've seen this before, where a comic _temporarily_ doesn't have title text. It may show itself yet. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.63.203|172.69.63.203]] 11:49, 6 March 2020 (UTC)
:::::Maybe Randall posted it really late, staggered into bed, and will post the alt-text in the morning. I saw text but it was just the comic title. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.190|172.68.34.190]] 07:51, 6 March 2020 (UTC)
::::::It is common for dynamic comics to have no title text - see [[:Category:No title text]]. But it is a first for a standard comic. So interesting to see if it shows up later, or if this will be an outlier. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:15, 6 March 2020 (UTC)

And, in case you were wondering, yes, [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/10124306/Japanese-craze-for-eyeball-licking-leads-to-rise-in-infections.html eyeball licking is a thing] [[User:Sysin|Sysin]] ([[User talk:Sysin|talk]]) 08:22, 6 March 2020 (UTC)
:According to [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/in-the-public-eye/ Snopes] the story about Japanese eye licking is not true. I've removed it from the explanation for now. If my information turns out to be false, feel free to add it back in. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 11:16, 6 March 2020 (UTC)

It's possible that mouse over / touch operation is seen as another form of physical contact, that goes along the comic. {{unsigned ip|172.68.154.22}}
:I think he just forgot it. Maybe he is down with the coronavirus ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:15, 6 March 2020 (UTC)

I don't think we should overdo it with the "citation needed" joke or it will become dull. One instance in such a short explanation is definitely enough. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 11:22, 6 March 2020 (UTC)
:It should not be used when no citation is needed! I remove them often --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:15, 6 March 2020 (UTC)

I thought this comic was referring to hand-shaking, which is effectively licking one another's eyeballs, as much as we humans touch our own eyes & mouths. [[User:TPS|TPS]] ([[User talk:TPS|talk]]) 12:19, 6 March 2020 (UTC)

Category talk:Extra comics

2017-04-14T04:37:33Z

TPS: /* "What If" Illustrations/Comics? */ new section

I sincerely believe that we should place this comic here due to this comic, while apparently part of the 5-minute comic series, is not a numbered one, despite still being one by Randall Munroe:
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/940:_Oversight
[[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 17:30, 1 November 2015 (UTC)

== "What If" Illustrations/Comics? ==

Is there a dedicated place for [https://what-if.xkcd.com/ What If?] images? Else, I'd like to propose a major new subcategory here for them.

[[User:TPS|TPS]] ([[User talk:TPS|talk]]) 04:37, 14 April 2017 (UTC)