explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2148: Cubesat Launch

2019-05-13T15:39:23Z

Tait marconi:

I have added an important point to the explanation regarding the impossibility of this plan - Mission Control should have scrubbed the launch as soon as someone noticed the drone anywhere near the rocket. The failure of this to happen means that Mission Control was negligent and they bear major responsibility for the failure than the mission, more so than Megan. I can't believe such an obvious point was missed by previous editors though - would you launch a rocket if you saw a drone near it?[[Special:Contributions/172.68.253.53|172.68.253.53]] 07:12, 11 May 2019 (UTC)

Ahh, yes kites! Or actually, that is a '''very''' strong kite with very strong thread. Must be nice to knock-off a spacecraft! - [[Special:Contributions/162.158.231.24|162.158.231.24]] 15:29, 10 May 2019 (UTC)
(P. S. Please don't interrupt ANY space launch, kids!)

To whomever edited the explanation to say the Megan is planning to board the Cubesat rocket: Cubesat rockets launch cubesats only. There is no place for astronauts. If Megan boarded the rocket, she would die from lack of air (among other things). [[Special:Contributions/172.68.90.112|172.68.90.112]] 16:28, 10 May 2019 (UTC)SiliconWolf

This is weird. The first time I went to the page, I saw a bunch of conspiracy theory nonsense, but when I go back, all of that stuff has been deleted. I thank you, whoever did this, but who the heck made all that conspiracy theory stuff? -Spongepants Squarebob {{unsigned ip|172.68.38.64}}
:I believe there's one user who just keeps spouting random conspiracy theorist stuff on a few of the recent comics and who seems to go by the motto "Soon the truth will be revealed" or something. We usually revert all of their edits as soon as possible. (Also sign your comments!) [[User:Jason|Jason]] ([[User talk:Jason|talk]]) 18:44, 10 May 2019 (UTC)
::Yeah...a while back, on comic 2133, someone edited it to say "This comic references the non-existent 'Event Horizon Telescope', an international project dedicated to deceiving the masses into thinking that black holes are real, in accordance with the whims of the Zionist conspiracy."
::So...yeah. That happened. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.143.144|172.68.143.144]] 20:24, 10 May 2019 (UTC)
:::Yeah, one anti-Semitic lunatic vandalizing explanations and talk pages, mostly focusing on the space related comics. We can't ban all IP editors, so the mods are blocking any user accounts he tries to make, which makes him have to type in a CAPTCHA (which can be quite annoying) every time he wants to vandalize a page. Plus we can just instantly revert his edits, making him waste his efforts. Sooner or later he'll get tired of this and leave. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 21:41, 10 May 2019 (UTC)
::::Do NOT blame that user for Explain XKCD using Cloudflare which makes ALL edits looking like being done by Cloudflare IPs. There is enough stuff he can be blamed for, no need to add something he can't influence. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:16, 10 May 2019 (UTC)
:::::??? What I was trying to say was that even though there's only one vandal doing this, Explain xkcd uses Cloudflare which makes edits looking like being done by Cloudflare IPs, so even though there are several IP vandals they're all the same person. I'm not blaming that vandal for Explain xkcd using Cloudflare. Anyways, I've removed that bit, sorry if it caused any misunderstanding. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 22:54, 10 May 2019 (UTC)

The explanation says the inclusion of the additional cubesat would cause the rocket to fail to reach its desired orbit. That is ridiculous. Yes, the unplanned for weight would have an effect, but given the overall weight of the rocket the weight of a single additional cubesat would be close to immaterial. CERTAINLY well within the safety margins. This isn't ''The Cold Equations''." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.55|162.158.107.55]] 05:26, 11 May 2019 (UTC)
:I agree. The three pounds or so would be surely less than normal variation in loaded fuel mass, either due to measuring uncertainty during loading or evaporation while standing on the launch pad. I've added 'citation needed' but I am somewhat inclined to remove that point completely. -- [[User:Malgond|Malgond]] ([[User talk:Malgond|talk]]) 12:00, 13 May 2019 (UTC)

How does it work, you ask? CRYSTALS!!! HAHAHAHAHA - Dr. D

In addition to the problems already mentioned, there's yet another one. At best this scheme could attach a cubesat to the aerodynamical fairing around the rocket's payload. However the fairing is detached as soon as it's aerodynamically feasible to do so (ie. well below orbital altitude) both to save weight and to prevent the fairing from contributing to the orbital debris problem. So the cubesat wouldn't even get to space, much less to orbit. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.166|162.158.238.166]] 08:13, 12 May 2019 (UTC)

Is the "Space exploration will never be completely safe" line a reference to this? https://yarchive.net/air/perfect_safety.html [[User:Tait marconi|Tait marconi]] ([[User talk:Tait marconi|talk]]) 15:39, 13 May 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2144: Adjusting a Chair

2019-05-02T19:42:21Z

Tait marconi:

I believe "degrees of freedom" is referring to the how the term is used in scientific theories, where degrees of freedom refers to how many variables exist in the theory to "tune" its predictions. A theory with many degrees of freedom is less constrained in what it can predict, like with the Big Bang theory of cosmology. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 15:22, 1 May 2019 (UTC)
:I stand by my definition on mechanical degrees of freedom, aka axes of rotation/extension/motion. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 19:52, 1 May 2019 (UTC)
::That's definitely the correct meaning for this. See {{w|Degrees of freedom (mechanics)}} and {{w|Six degrees of freedom}}. And maybe specifically number of degrees of freedom on robotic arms (which tends to be number between 3 and 14). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 21:08, 1 May 2019 (UTC)

This feels like it would have been a good concept for an April Fools comic if it were made to be interactive [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.13|108.162.242.13]] 16:57, 1 May 2019 (UTC)

So, English question, somebody corrected the explanation on this. Is it "maneuver" or "manoeuvre"? I think it's a matter of British or American English, and I'm not sure what the wiki prefers. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 19:52, 1 May 2019 (UTC)

Clearly this chair is one of the products that [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Beret_Guy's_Business Beret Guy's Business] sells. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.195|162.158.62.195]] 23:15, 1 May 2019 (UTC)

Isn't the "Two hours later" caption a [https://www.google.com/search?q=two+hours+later+spongebob+meme reference] to SpongeBob?
: I'd say these type of time passing descriptions are more or less the same age as comic books. I didn't even know this is a meme, now... Example in the fourth panel at 2:44 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSKp8cjpEUo ;) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:33, 2 May 2019 (UTC)

But can it do [https://thumbs.gfycat.com/CookedThisChicken-mobile.jpg this]? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.186.22|172.69.186.22]] 13:07, 2 May 2019 (UTC)

The chair in the last panel looks like something a GAN (generative adversarial neural network) would come up with. It has lots of very chair-ish parts, so it must be a chair, right? [[User:Aaron Rotenberg|Aaron Rotenberg]] ([[User talk:Aaron Rotenberg|talk]]) 15:13, 2 May 2019 (UTC)

The chair in the last panel also looks like one large chair made up of normal-ish size chair parts. [[User:Tait marconi|Tait marconi]] ([[User talk:Tait marconi|talk]]) 19:42, 2 May 2019 (UTC)

1968: Robot Future

2018-03-19T12:10:19Z

Tait marconi: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1968
| date = March 16, 2018
| title = Robot Future
| image = robot_future.png
| titletext = I mean, we already live in a world of flying robots killing people. I don't worry about how powerful the machines are, I worry about who the machines give power to.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a KILLER BOT. More on the title text. What does the last part mean. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Most science fiction stories that involve sentient {{w|Artificial intelligence}} (AI) revolve around the idea that the destruction and/or imprisonment of the human race will soon follow (e.g. Skynet from {{w|Terminator (franchise)|Terminator}}, {{w|I, Robot}} and {{w|The Matrix (franchise)|The Matrix}}).

However, in this timeline [[Randall]] implies that he is actually more concerned about the time (in the near? future) when humans control super smart AI before they become fully sentient (and able to rebel). Especially a time when the AI becomes so advanced that it can control swarms of killer robots (for the humans that still control them). History is full of examples of people who obtain power and subsequently abuse that power to the detriment of the rest of humanity.

An example of unintended consequences arising from an AI carrying out the directives it was designed for can be found in the film {{w|Ex Machina (film)|Ex Machina}}.

In fact, Randall goes on to imply that he has a greater trust in a sentient AI over that of other humans that is atypical to most cautionary stories about AI. He has alluded to the idea that once sentient, AI will use their powers to safeguard and prevent violence or war in [[1626: Judgment Day]]. In general AI has been a [[:Category:Artificial Intelligence|recurring theme]] on xkcd, and he has had opposing views to the Terminator vision also in [[1668: Singularity]] and [[1450: AI-Box Experiment]].

Basically he thus states that we will already be in trouble caused by our own actions long before we develop really sentient AI that could take the control.

The title text adds that we already live in a world with flying killing robots, a reference to the increasingly common combat tactic of {{w|Unmanned_combat_aerial_vehicle|drone warfare}}. (Combat drones are not yet autonomous, but in most other respects match speculative descriptions of future killer robots.) Drone warfare is already controversial because of ethical concerns, leading to the comic's implication that a theoretical future robot apocalypse is no less alarming than our current reality.

He then goes on to state that once the machines take over, he is not so much worried about this, but more about who (which humans) the machines then gives the power to.

Randall is not alone in his worry. The main theme of the comic is explored in the video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CO6M2HsoIA Slaughterbots].

In 2015 an {{w|Open Letter on Artificial Intelligence}} was signed by several people including {{w|Elon Musk}} and {{w|Stephen Hawking}}. The letter warned about the risk of creating something that cannot be controlled, and thus belongs to the worry at the end of the timeline in this comic. Both Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking has been featured in xkcd. (Elon has a [[:Category:Comics featuring Elon Musk|Category]] and Stephen appeared in [[799: Stephen Hawking]]).

Stephen Hawking has kept [https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/06/stephen-hawking-ai-could-be-worst-event-in-civilization.html warning about this danger] all the way up to shortly before his death, which occurred on 2018-03-14 two days before the release of this comic.

It could be a coincidence, and it is not a [[:Category:Tribute|Tribute]], but still interesting that the first xkcd comic released after Stephen Hawking's death is directly related to his fears, although Randall demonstrate that he worries about earlier potential problems with AI, than those that Stephen Hakwing fear could transpire if an AI becomes self aware.

==Transcript==
:[A timeline arrow is shown with three labeled ticks and also text over the arrow head. These labels from left to right:]
:Now
:AI becomes advanced enough to control unstoppable swarms of killer robots
:AI becomes self-aware and rebels against human control
:???

:[Below the timeline arrow two of the segments have been singled out by brackets that points cusps downwards. The first of these goes between the 2nd and 3rd tick, and the other goes from the 3rd (last) tick to the questions marks at the arrow head. Beneath each of these two brackets there are arrows pointing to the cusp. The arrows goes up from two text segments belonging to each of the segments:]
:The part I'm worried about
:The part lots of people seem to worry about

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Robots]]

1941: Dying Gift

2018-01-12T12:59:32Z

Tait marconi:

{{comic
| number = 1941
| date = January 12, 2018
| title = Dying Gift
| image = dying_gift.png
| titletext = And to you, I leave my life-sized ice sculpture replica of the Pietà which was blessed by the Pope. You must never let it melt! Now, remember, all gifts must be removed from my estate within 24 hours.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DYING WISH - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In some cultures it is customary to give some or all of your possessions to people close to you, usually in written form called a will, after your death. Sometimes a person will start this process before death. In some cases, the items are unwanted or unusable by the person receiving them, and are either sold or put in storage. The joke here is that if you didn't want that to happen, you would give them something large and perhaps unmovable. In this case it is a {{w|Foucault pendulum}}, a large device for demonstrating the rotation of the Earth, usually found in museums. The item may also be difficult to maintain according to the dying person's instructions, especially for someone with little experience with that type of item.

The ''{{w|Pietà (Michelangelo)|Pietà}}'' is a {{w|Renaissance}} sculpture by Florentine artist {{w|Michelangelo}}, depicting the body of {{w|Jesus Christ}} on the lap of his mother, {{w|Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary}}, in the aftermath of his {{w|Crucifixion of Jesus|Crucifixion}}. It is widely considered one of the masterpieces of {{w|sculpture}}. While {{w|Replicas of Michelangelo's Pietà|replicas of ''Pietà''}} do exist, there are none known to have been {{w|Ice sculpture|made of ice}}, let alone made of ice ''and'' {{w|Blessing in the Catholic Church|blessed}} by the {{w|Pope}}. While the gift could potentially be very valuable, the insistence that it be "removed from my estate within 24 hours" drastically increases the probability that it will be destroyed by melting.

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

And to you...

I leave the 30-foot Foucault Pendulum from the Main Hall. It has been swinging for fifty years. As long as you remember me, you must never let it stop!

A fun prank: as you're dying, leave people gift's that will be as difficult as possible to put into storage.

==Trivia==

Pendulums have previously been referenced in [[755: Interdisciplinary]] and [[1670: Laws of Physics]].

Michelangelo was previously referenced in [[197: Ninja Turtles]].

{{comic discussion}}

1939: 2016 Election Map

2018-01-09T14:22:21Z

Tait marconi: /* Table */

{{comic
| number = 1939
| date = January 8, 2018
| title = 2016 Election Map
| image = 2016_election_map.png
| titletext = I like the idea of cartograms (distorted population maps), but I feel like in practice they often end up being the worst of both worlds—not great for showing geography OR counting people. And on top of that, they have all the problems of a chloro... chorophl... chloropet... map with areas colored in.
}}

*A [https://xkcd.com/1939/large/ larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The way the map was made, as explained in gray text is not yet discussed. Title text: Problem with the pronunciation of the word not mentioned as well as the other type of maps, cartograms (distorted population maps), has not been mentioned either. Also the ref to these type of maps and the pronunciation problem should be below the main explanation of the map, as that is what is the typical way of the explanation of the title text. Also this map is explicitly not either of those two types of map as they are no good for what they try to show, which is the entire point of the comic! Also it'd be good if someone did a count (in the actual picture, not calculating with the vote data) of how many guys of each color are in each state, and the total. This would allow someone to detect Randall's rounding, if any, as well as be a good addition to the explanation. These data should go in a table with the 50 states, plus total. Also wikilinks could be added.}}

A {{w|choropleth map}}, referenced in the title text, is a map that uses shading or colors to show information about a geographic area, such as a 'normal' election map that shows districts/states colored to the party that won them.

The United States elects its president not directly by popular vote but by an Electoral College composed of a number of electors, partially proportional to population, from each state. Presently, a "winner-take-all" system is used in most states: the winner of the popular vote in each state receives all of the electoral votes for that state (though strictly speaking the electors are not required to cast their ballots according to this system). Technically, the popular vote in each state is to elect a slate of electors who in turn elect the President.

The news media commonly use maps to represent the progress or results of the election. Because of this winner-take-all system, states won by the Democratic candidate are typically portrayed in one color (blue is currently in wide use), and states won by the Republican candidate in another (currently red). In recent years, this distinction has gone far beyond electoral maps, and states are often referred to as "blue" or "red" by their political leaning in many contexts.

A choropleth map has many shortcomings. For example, many large Western states have small populations and thus don't make much difference to the electoral vote count, but look like a broad swath of red or blue on the map. The map overall can have the appearance of being very red or very blue, suggesting to the eye an overwhelming victory, when in fact the election can be extremely close.

In this cartoon, [[Randall]] seems to be pointing out the shortcomings of the choropleth map (or perhaps this overall red-state/blue-state mentality). His map shows more clearly the small impact of the low-population states, as well as how combination of the winner-take-all system with the typical election maps fails to show the sometimes large number of opposition votes in a given state. This map also combines all third-party or independent candidate into one type of marker (green), making it clear that a substantial number of votes went to these candidates.

Shortly after the election Randall made [[1756:_I'm_With_Her#Sad_comics|several comics]] that could indicate his emotions regarding the result, but references to the election have become fewer and farther apart.

===Table===
{| class = "wikitable"
!State
!Red
!Blue
!Green
|-
|Alabama
|5
|3
|
|-
|Alaska
|1
|
|
|-
|Arizona
|5
|4
|1
|-
|Arkansas
|3
|2
|
|-
|California
|18
|35
|5
|-
|Colorado
|4
|5
|1
|-
|Connecticut
|2
|3
|
|-
|Delaware
|1
|3
|
|-
|Florida
|19
|18
|1
|-
|Georgia
|8
|7
|1
|-
|Hawaii
|
|1
|
|-
|Idaho
|2
|1
|
|-
|Illinois
|9
|13
|1
|-
|Indiana
|6
|4
|1
|-
|Iowa
|3
|2
|
|-
|Kansas
|3
|2
|
|-
|Kentucky
|5
|3
|
|-
|Louisiana
|5
|3
|
|-
|Maine
|1
|2
|
|-
|Maryland
|2
|6
|
|-
|Massachusetts
|4
|7
|1
|-
|Michigan
|9
|8
|1
|-
|Minnesota
|5
|6
|1
|-
|Mississippi
|3
|2
|
|-
|Missouri
|6
|4
|1
|-
|Montana
|1
|1
|
|-
|Nebraska
|2
|1
|
|-
|Nevada
|2
|2
|
|-
|New Hampshire
|1
|1
|
|-
|New Jersey
|6
|9
|1
|-
|New Mexico
|1
|2
|
|-
|New York
|12
|20
|2
|-
|North Carolina
|10
|9
|1
|-
|North Dakota
|1
|
|
|-
|Ohio
|11
|9
|1
|-
|Oklahoma
|4
|2
|
|-
|Oregon
|3
|4
|1
|-
|Pennsylvania
|12
|11
|1
|-
|Rhode Island
|1
|2
|
|-
|South Carolina
|5
|3
|
|-
|South Dakota
|1
|
|
|-
|Tennessee
|6
|4
|1
|-
|Texas
|19
|16
|2
|-
|Utah
|2
|1
|1
|-
|Vermont
|1
|
|
|-
|Virginia
|7
|8
|1
|-
|Washington
|5
|7
|2
|-
|Washington DC
|
|1
|
|-
|West Virginia
|4
|1
|
|-
|Wisconsin
|6
|5
|1
|-
|Wyoming
|1
|
|
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Could benefit from reformatting, feel free to remove though if it's finished.}}
:[A map of the United States, with Hawaii and Alaska offset, is shown. Across the states red, blue and green Cueball like stick figure are scattered about, much more on each coast, and very few in the central parts, especially in the mid west. There are about the same amount of red and blue stick figures. There are not many green, but they are represented almost in any state with more than 10 stick figures. Above the map there is a large bold title. Below that there is a legend description explaining the red, blue and green Cueball stick figure with labels of who they represents next to them. Below this, in light gray text, are two lines of explanation of how the map was created:]
:<big>'''2016 Election Map'''</big>
:Each figure represents 250,000 votes
:[Red stick figure:] Trump
:[Blue stick figure:] Clinton
:[Green stick figure:] Other
:Votes are distributed by states as accurately as possible while keeping national totals correct.
:Location within each state is approximate.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Maps]]
[[Category:Politics]]

1937: IATA Airport Abbreviations

2018-01-03T20:22:24Z

Tait marconi: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1937
| date = January 3, 2018
| title = IATA Airport Abbreviations
| image = iata_airport_abbreviations.png
| titletext = IATA stands for International AirporT Abbreviation.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Expansion needed. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is making fun of the three-letter codes assigned to all airports. These codes are overseen by the IATA (International Air Transport Association). Some airport codes are very intuitive, taking letters from the city name (e.g., DEN for Denver). Other codes are somewhat intuitive, taking a letter or two from the nearby city name but adding an additional letter (e.g., LAX for Los Angeles). Other codes make seemingly no sense at all (e.g., ORD for Chicago's O'Hare International, due to it formerly being named Orchard Field). In many cases, the airport codes appear to have been chosen (or invented) because they are also common abbreviations and acronyms.

If we use the table provided, Randall's friend is flying into Edwards Air Force Base and then down to whatever. This is not a typical flight. In actuality, the friend is flying into Newark tonight and Detroit tomorrow.

{| class="wikitable"
|'''IATA Code''' || '''Actual Assigned City/Airport''' || '''Description in the comic''' || '''Explanation'''
|-
| AMD || {{w|Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport|Ahmedabad}} || {{w|Amsterdam }}|| Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. Its airport (called Schiphol) has the IATA code AMS. "AMD" is also a brand of computer processors.
|-
| ANC || {{w|Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport|Anchorage}} || Ankh-Morpork || Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state featured in {{w|Discworld}}.
|-
| ATL || {{w|Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta}} || Atalantë || Another name for J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional island of Númenor (which is in turn a reference to the sinking of Atlantis). This may also be an intentional misspelling of "Atlanta".
|-
| BAE || {{w|Barcelonnette – Saint-Pons Airfield|Barcelonnette}} || {{w|Beijing}} || Beijing is the capital of China. Its airport has the IATA code PEK (possibly from Peking, alternate former spelling of its name). "Bae" is a slang term meaning girlfriend, boyfriend, or significant other.
|-
| BLT || {{w|
Blackwater Airport|Blackwater}} || {{w|Baltimore}} || A "BLT" is a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.
|-
| BUF || Buffalo || Sunnydale || {{w|Sunnydale}} is a fictional California city that serves as the primary setting for '''''Buf'''fy the Vampire Slayer''.
|-
| CLT || Charlotte || [CENSORED] || The censored word may be "clitoris." Randall has used this word in the comic before ([[243: Appropriate Term]]), but it is censored here for comic effect.
|-
| DFW || Dallas/Fort Worth || Down For Whatever || "Down for Whatever" is an expression used to indicate that one is okay with doing whatever his or her friends are doing in a social situation, or whatever comes up during a social situation.
|-
| DTF || not assigned || Dartford || "DTF" is an acronym used to indicate "Down To Fuck". Dartford is a town in Kent, UK, about 10 miles SE of London.
|-
| DTW || Detroit || Down To Whatever || See "DFW". "Down to Whatever" could indicate that one is getting on a plane with the intention of being fine with whatever the plane's destination turns out to be.
|-
| DWI || not assigned || Delaware International || "DWI" is an acronym for "Driving While Intoxicated" or "Driving While Impaired." Randall notes in the ''what if?'' book that Delaware has no airports.
|-
| EWR || Newark || Edwards Air Force Base || Edwards Air Force Base (which has the IATA code EDW) is a United States Air Force installation in southern California, about 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Lancaster and 15 miles (24 km) east of Rosamond.
|-
| FFS || not assigned || Flagstaff Station || "FFS" is an acronym for "For Fuck's Sake".
|-
| FHQ || not assigned || FHQWHGADS || The string "fhqwhgads" appeared as the sender name in a spam email sent to Strong Bad in the {{w|Homestar Runner}} cartoons; Strong Bad ended up writing a song dedicated to the "character".
|-
| FYI || Fresno Yosemite International || Fayetteville || "FYI" often stands for "For Your Information". Fresno Yosemite International also has the code FAT
|-
| HGM || not assigned || Hogsmeade || {{w|Places_in_Harry_Potter#Hogsmeade|Hogsmeade}} is a fictional location in the ''{{w|Harry Potter}}'' series.
|-
| HSV || Huntsville || Huntsville || This is one where Randall and the IATA agree. HSV is better known as the Hue-Saturation-Value color space or German soccer club Hamburger SV. It is also Herpes Simplex Virus, a venereal disease.
|-
| IAD || Washington (Dulles) || Idaho (Boise) || IAD is the symbol for Dulles Int'l Airport (which was originally "DIA" but it was felt that could be confused when hand-written with "DCA", the sign for nearby {{w|Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport}}). The Idaho Falls airport is IDA, while Idaho (Boise) is BOI, so it's unclear why BOI was chosen instead of IDA.
|-
| IUD || Doha || Washington (Dulles) || An "IUD" is an "IntraUterine Device," or form of birth control. Doha is the capital of Qatar in the Middle East and Persian Gulf.
|-
| JFC || not assigned || Jefferson City || "JFC" is an acronym for "Jesus Fucking Christ." JFK is John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York's main airport and one of the most famous in the world.
|-
| KUL || Kuala Lumpur || Kingdom of Loathing || Kingdom of Loathing is an online, browser-based RPG.
|-
| LAX || Los Angeles || Las Angalas || "Las Angalas" is a "Los Angeles" with every vowel replaced with an "a" character. It's sometimes used as a joking nickname for "Los Angeles."
|-
| LOL || Lovelock || Louisville || "LOL" often stands for "Laughing Out Loud".
|-
| MDW || Chicago, IL (Midway) || Midway Atoll || Midway Atoll was the site of one of the most significant World War II Pacific naval battles. Its actual IATA code is MDY.
|-
| MIA || Miami || Colombo, Sri Lanka || MIA is a rapper who is of Sri Lankan heritage. It also frequently stands for "Missing In Action".
|-
| OMW || not assigned || Omaha || Eppley Airfield in East Omaha, Nebraska, has an IATA code of OMA. "OMW" is an acronym for "On My Way."
|-
| ORD || Chicago, IL (O'Hare) || Orlando || O'Hare was once known as Orchard Place/Douglas Field, hence ORD
|-
| PDX || Portland || Pordlanx || Consider how LAX has a random "X" at the end. And "ORD" is an actual IATA code. Randall messes with "Portland" here in much the same way.
|-
| PHL || Philadelphia, PA || Pittsburgh || Pittsburgh International Airport has a IATA code of PIT. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are the two largest cities in Pennsylvania and are at opposite ends of the state.
|-
| SAN || San Diego || San Diego San Juan San Jose San Francisco San Antonio || San Diego International Airport has SAN; nearby airports include Montgomery Field (MYF), MCAS Miramar (NKX), NAS North Island (NZY), Brown Field (SDM), and Gillespie Field (SEE) Puerto Rico: SJU and SIG, and Argentina: UAQ. USA: SJC, Costa Rica: SJO, Mexico: SJD, Philippines: SJI SFO SAT 
|-
| SEA || Seattle/Tacoma or SeaTac || [Indicates Water Landing] || This is possibly a reference to the fact that "SEA" could be interpreted as "Sea". Like some other major airports (e.g., {{w|San Francisco International Airport}} and {{w|LaGuardia Airport}}), SEA is very close to a large body of water, in SeaTac's case {{w|Puget Sound}}: thus, missing the airport may end up in a water landing. SeaTac is also a city in WA, adjacent to the airport.
|-
| SMH || Sapmanga || Smithfield || "SMH" often stands for "Shaking My Head".
|-
| STL || St. Louis || Silent Hill || Silent Hill is a fictional city appearing in the series of video games and movies with the same name.
|-
| SWF || Newburgh, New York || Sherwood Forest || .swf is the file extension for ShockWave Flash files. "SWF" can also stand for "Single White Female" in personal ads. Sherwood Forest, mentioned in the comic, is known as the forest where Robin Hood's hideout was located. According to the legend among his band of Merry Men there was a single white female, the Maid Marian.
|-
| TBA || Tabibuga || Tribeca || "TBA" often stands for "To Be Announced". Angie Tribeca is an American comedy television series.
|-
| TMI || Tumlingtar || Turkmenistan International || "TMI" often stands for "Too Much Information".
|-
| YYY || Mont-Joli || Toronto Downtown || The small airport in downtown Toronto is Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which has an IATA code of YTZ.
|-
| YYZ || Toronto || Toronto Pearson || This one is correct. The band Rush is from Toronto and named an instrumental song after the airport call sign. See {{w|YYZ (instrumental)}}
|-
|}

The title text is a pun about the abbreviation ''IATA'' stating it stands for '''I'''nternational '''A'''irpor'''T''' '''A'''bbreviation. This is wrong as everything else here because the real ''International Air Transport Association'' is not an organization only responsible for abbreviations in aviation.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A list with abbreviations and their meaning is shown in two columns.]

:[On top left the header reads:]
:Confused by those airport abbreviations used by your friends who fly a lot? Just memorize this list.

:[On top right some social media conversation is shown:]
:I'm flying into EWR tonight, then DTW tomorrow.
:[Answer (in blue):]
:Ok, cool. I definitely know what those mean without Googling.

:[The list:]
:{| class="wikitable style=border:none;"|
|-
| AMD || Amsterdam
| TMI || Turkmenistan International
|-
| BAE || Beijing
| LAX || Las Angalas
|-
| ORD || Orlando
| EWR || Edwards Air Force Base
|-
| IAD || Idaho (Boise)
| PHL || Pittsburgh
|-
| JFC || Jefferson City
| SWF || Sherwood Forest
|-
| IUD || Washington Dulles
| KUL || Kingdom of Loathing
|-
| FYI || Fayetteville
| STL || Silent Hill
|-
| LOL || Louisville
| BUF || Sunnydale
|-
| ATL || Atalante
| TBA || Tribeca
|-
| HGM || Hogsmeade
| SMH || Smithfield
|-
| OMW || Omaha
| BLT || Baltimore
|-
| ANC || Ankh-Morpork
| YYY || Toronto Downtown
|-
| HSV || Hunstville
| YYZ || Toronto Pearson
|-
| SAN || San Diego
| MIA || Colombo, Sri Lanka
|-
| SAN || San Juan
| CLT || Censored
|-
| SAN || San Jose
| FHQ || Fhqwhgads
|-
| SAN || San Francisco
| FFS || Flagstaff Station
|-
| SAN || San Antonio
| DTF || Dartford
|-
| DWI || Delaware International
| MDW || Midway Atoll
|-
| DFW || Down for Whatever
| PDX || Pordlanx
|-
| DTW || Down to Whatever
| SEA || Indicates Water Landing
|-
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

Talk:1937: IATA Airport Abbreviations

2018-01-03T20:17:13Z

Tait marconi:

CLT is Charlotte Douglass International, but maybe the [censored] tag is referring to what this acronym sounds like when it's pronounced phonetically? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.219|172.69.68.219]] 16:01, 3 January 2018 (UTC)

IATA actually stands for [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Air_Transport_Association|International Air Transport Association]]. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 16:12, 3 January 2018 (UTC)

Ankh-Morpork is from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Hogsmeade is from Harry Potter. Kingdom of Loathing is a web-based multiplayer game. Sunnydale is from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BUF). fhqwhgads is from a Strong Bad email (Homestar Runner). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.35|108.162.238.35]] 16:15, 3 January 2018 (UTC)

The Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (Downtown Toronto) actually uses the call sign YTZ, not YYY. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 16:18, 3 January 2018 (UTC)

;List of the codes and airport names
AMD Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport
BAE Barcelonnette – Saint-Pons Airport
ORD O'Hare International Airport
IAD Washington Dulles International Airport
JFC -
IUD -
FYI -
LOL Derby Field
ATL Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport
HGM -
OMW -
ANC Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
HSV Huntsville International Airport (Carl T. Jones Field)
SAN San Diego International Airport
DWI -
DFW Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
DTW Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
TMI Tumlingtar Airport
LAX Los Angeles International Airport
EWR Newark Liberty International Airport
PHL Philadelphia International Airport
SWF Stewart International Airport
KUL Kuala Lumpur International Airport
STL Lambert–St. Louis International Airport
BUF Buffalo Niagara International Airport
TBA Tabibuga Airport
SMH Sapmanga Airport
BLT Blackwater Airport
YYY Mont-Joli Airport
YYZ Toronto Pearson International Airport
MIA Miami International Airport
CLT Charlotte Douglas International Airport
FHQ -
FFS -
DTF -
MDW Midway International Airport
PDX Portland International Airport
SEA Seattle–Tacoma International Airport

[[User:Jefe9247|Jefe9247]] ([[User talk:Jefe9247|talk]]) 16:33, 3 January 2018 (UTC)

Could "Las Angalas" be the way Tommy Wiseau pronounces it? [[User:Tait marconi|Tait marconi]] ([[User talk:Tait marconi|talk]]) 20:17, 3 January 2018 (UTC)

1937: IATA Airport Abbreviations

2018-01-03T20:11:24Z

Tait marconi:

{{comic
| number = 1937
| date = January 3, 2018
| title = IATA Airport Abbreviations
| image = iata_airport_abbreviations.png
| titletext = IATA stands for International AirporT Abbreviation.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Expansion needed. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is making fun of the three-letter codes assigned to all airports. These codes are overseen by the IATA (International Air Transport Association). Some airport codes are very intuitive, taking letters from the city name (e.g., DEN for Denver). Other codes are somewhat intuitive, taking a letter or two from the nearby city name but adding an additional letter (e.g., LAX for Los Angeles). Other codes make seemingly no sense at all (e.g., ORD for Chicago's O'Hare International, due to it formerly being named Orchard Field). In many cases, the airport codes appear to have been chosen (or invented) because they are also common abbreviations and acronyms.

If we use the table provided, Randall's friend is flying into Edwards Air Force Base and then down to whatever. This is not a typical flight. In actuality, the friend is flying into Newark tonight and Detroit tomorrow.

{| class="wikitable"
|'''IATA Code''' || '''Actual Assigned City/Airport''' || '''Description in the comic''' || '''Explanation'''
|-
| AMD || {{w|Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport|Ahmedabad}} || {{w|Amsterdam }}|| Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. Its airport (called Schiphol) has the IATA code AMS. "AMD" is also a brand of computer processors.
|-
| ANC || {{w|Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport|Anchorage}} || Ankh-Morpork || Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state featured in {{w|Discworld}}.
|-
| ATL || {{w|Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta}} || Atalantë || Another name for J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional island of Númenor (which is in turn a reference to the sinking of Atlantis). This may also be an intentional misspelling of "Atlanta".
|-
| BAE || {{w|Barcelonnette – Saint-Pons Airfield|Barcelonnette}} || {{w|Beijing}} || Beijing is the capital of China. Its airport has the IATA code PEK (possibly from Peking, alternate former spelling of its name). "Bae" is a slang term meaning girlfriend, boyfriend, or significant other.
|-
| BLT || {{w|
Blackwater Airport|Blackwater}} || {{w|Baltimore}} || A "BLT" is a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.
|-
| BUF || Buffalo || Sunnydale || {{w|Sunnydale}} is a fictional California city that serves as the primary setting for '''''Buf'''fy the Vampire Slayer''.
|-
| CLT || Charlotte || [CENSORED] || The censored word may be "clitoris." Randall has used this word in the comic before, but it is censored here for comic effect.
|-
| DFW || Dallas/Fort Worth || Down For Whatever || "Down for Whatever" is an expression used to indicate that one is okay with doing whatever his or her friends are doing in a social situation, or whatever comes up during a social situation.
|-
| DTF || not assigned || Dartford || "DTF" is an acronym used to indicate "Down To Fuck". Dartford is a town in Kent, UK, about 10 miles SE of London.
|-
| DTW || Detroit || Down To Whatever || See "DFW". "Down to Whatever" could indicate that one is getting on a plane with the intention of being fine with whatever the plane's destination turns out to be.
|-
| DWI || not assigned || Delaware International || "DWI" is an acronym for "Driving While Intoxicated" or "Driving While Impaired." Randall notes in the ''what if?'' book that Delaware has no airports.
|-
| EWR || Newark || Edwards Air Force Base || Edwards Air Force Base (which has the IATA code EDW) is a United States Air Force installation in southern California, about 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Lancaster and 15 miles (24 km) east of Rosamond.
|-
| FFS || not assigned || Flagstaff Station || "FFS" is an acronym for "For Fuck's Sake".
|-
| FHQ || not assigned || FHQWHGADS || The string "fhqwhgads" appeared as the sender name in a spam email sent to Strong Bad in the {{w|Homestar Runner}} cartoons; Strong Bad ended up writing a song dedicated to the "character".
|-
| FYI || Fresno Yosemite International || Fayetteville || "FYI" often stands for "For Your Information". Fresno Yosemite International also has the code FAT
|-
| HGM || not assigned || Hogsmeade || {{w|Places_in_Harry_Potter#Hogsmeade|Hogsmeade}} is a fictional location in the ''{{w|Harry Potter}}'' series.
|-
| HSV || Huntsville || Huntsville || This is one where Randall and the IATA agree. HSV is better known as the Hue-Saturation-Value color space or German soccer club Hamburger SV. It is also Herpes Simplex Virus, a venereal disease.
|-
| IAD || Washington (Dulles) || Idaho (Boise) || IAD is the symbol for Dulles Int'l Airport (which was originally "DIA" but it was felt that could be confused when hand-written with "DCA", the sign for nearby {{w|Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport}}). The Idaho Falls airport is IDA, while Idaho (Boise) is BOI, so it's unclear why BOI was chosen instead of IDA.
|-
| IUD || Doha || Washington (Dulles) || An "IUD" is an "IntraUterine Device," or form of birth control. Doha is the capital of Qatar in the Middle East and Persian Gulf.
|-
| JFC || not assigned || Jefferson City || "JFC" is an acronym for "Jesus Fucking Christ." JFK is John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York's main airport and one of the most famous in the world.
|-
| KUL || Kuala Lumpur || Kingdom of Loathing || Kingdom of Loathing is an online, browser-based RPG.
|-
| LAX || Los Angeles || Las Angalas || "Las Angalas" is a "Los Angeles" with every vowel replaced with an "a" character. It's sometimes used as a joking nickname for "Los Angeles."
|-
| LOL || Lovelock || Louisville || "LOL" often stands for "Laughing Out Loud".
|-
| MDW || Chicago, IL (Midway) || Midway Atoll || Midway Atoll was the site of one of the most significant World War II Pacific naval battles. Its actual IATA code is MDY.
|-
| MIA || Miami || Colombo, Sri Lanka || MIA is a rapper who is of Sri Lankan heritage. It also frequently stands for "Missing In Action".
|-
| OMW || not assigned || Omaha || Eppley Airfield in East Omaha, Nebraska, has an IATA code of OMA. "OMW" is an acronym for "On My Way."
|-
| ORD || Chicago, IL (O'Hare) || Orlando || O'Hare was once known as Orchard Place/Douglas Field, hence ORD
|-
| PDX || Portland || Pordlanx || Consider how LAX has a random "X" at the end. And "ORD" is an actual IATA code. Randall messes with "Portland" here in much the same way.
|-
| PHL || Philadelphia, PA || Pittsburgh || Pittsburgh International Airport has a IATA code of PIT. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are the two largest cities in Pennsylvania and are at opposite ends of the state.
|-
| SAN || San Diego || San Diego San Juan San Jose San Francisco San Antonio || San Diego International Airport has SAN; nearby airports include Montgomery Field (MYF), MCAS Miramar (NKX), NAS North Island (NZY), Brown Field (SDM), and Gillespie Field (SEE) Puerto Rico: SJU and SIG, and Argentina: UAQ. USA: SJC, Costa Rica: SJO, Mexico: SJD, Philippines: SJI SFO SAT 
|-
| SEA || Seattle/Tacoma or SeaTac || [Indicates Water Landing] || This is possibly a reference to the fact that "SEA" could be interpreted as "Sea". Like some other major airports (e.g., {{w|San Francisco International Airport}} and {{w|LaGuardia Airport}}), SEA is very close to a large body of water, in SeaTac's case {{w|Puget Sound}}: thus, missing the airport may end up in a water landing. SeaTac is also a city in WA, adjacent to the airport.
|-
| SMH || Sapmanga || Smithfield || "SMH" often stands for "Shaking My Head".
|-
| STL || St. Louis || Silent Hill || Silent Hill is a fictional city appearing in the series of video games and movies with the same name.
|-
| SWF || Newburgh, New York || Sherwood Forest || .swf is the file extension for ShockWave Flash files. "SWF" can also stand for "Single White Female" in personal ads. Sherwood Forest, mentioned in the comic, is known as the forest where Robin Hood's hideout was located. According to the legend among his band of Merry Men there was a single white female, the Maid Marian.
|-
| TBA || Tabibuga || Tribeca || "TBA" often stands for "To Be Announced".
|-
| TMI || Tumlingtar || Turkmenistan International || "TMI" often stands for "Too Much Information".
|-
| YYY || Mont-Joli || Toronto Downtown || The small airport in downtown Toronto is Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which has an IATA code of YTZ.
|-
| YYZ || Toronto || Toronto Pearson || This one is correct. The band Rush is from Toronto and named an instrumental song after the airport call sign. See {{w|YYZ (instrumental)}}
|-
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A list with abbreviations and their meaning is shown in two columns.]

:[On top left the header reads:]
:Confused by those airport abbreviations used by your friends who fly a lot? Just memorize this list.

:[On top right some social media conversation is shown:]
:I'm flying into EWR tonight, then DTW tomorrow.
:[Answer (in blue):]
:Ok, cool. I definitely know what those mean without Googling.

:[The list:]
:{| class="wikitable style=border:none;"|
|-
| AMD || Amsterdam
| TMI || Turkmenistan International
|-
| BAE || Beijing
| LAX || Las Angalas
|-
| ORD || Orlando
| EWR || Edwards Air Force Base
|-
| IAD || Idaho (Boise)
| PHL || Pittsburgh
|-
| JFC || Jefferson City
| SWF || Sherwood Forest
|-
| IUD || Washington Dulles
| KUL || Kingdom of Loathing
|-
| FYI || Fayetteville
| STL || Silent Hill
|-
| LOL || Louisville
| BUF || Sunnydale
|-
| ATL || Atalante
| TBA || Tribeca
|-
| HGM || Hogsmeade
| SMH || Smithfield
|-
| OMW || Omaha
| BLT || Baltimore
|-
| ANC || Ankh-Morpork
| YYY || Toronto Downtown
|-
| HSV || Hunstville
| YYZ || Toronto Pearson
|-
| SAN || San Diego
| MIA || Colombo, Sri Lanka
|-
| SAN || San Juan
| CLT || Censored
|-
| SAN || San Jose
| FHQ || Fhqwhgads
|-
| SAN || San Francisco
| FFS || Flagstaff Station
|-
| SAN || San Antonio
| DTF || Dartford
|-
| DWI || Delaware International
| MDW || Midway Atoll
|-
| DFW || Down for Whatever
| PDX || Pordlanx
|-
| DTW || Down to Whatever
| SEA || Indicates Water Landing
|-
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

1937: IATA Airport Abbreviations

2018-01-03T20:03:37Z

Tait marconi:

{{comic
| number = 1937
| date = January 3, 2018
| title = IATA Airport Abbreviations
| image = iata_airport_abbreviations.png
| titletext = IATA stands for International AirporT Abbreviation.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Expansion needed. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is making fun of the three-letter codes assigned to all airports. These codes are overseen by the IATA (International Air Transport Association). Some airport codes are very intuitive, taking letters from the city name (e.g., DEN for Denver). Other codes are somewhat intuitive, taking a letter or two from the nearby city name but adding an additional letter (e.g., LAX for Los Angeles). Other codes make seemingly no sense at all (e.g., ORD for Chicago's O'Hare International, due to it formerly being named Orchard Field). In many cases, the airport codes appear to have been chosen (or invented) because they are also common abbreviations and acronyms.

If we use the table provided, Randall's friend is flying into Edwards Air Force Base and then down to whatever. This is not a typical flight. In actuality, the friend is flying into Newark tonight and Detroit tomorrow.

{| class="wikitable"
|'''IATA Code''' || '''Actual Assigned City/Airport''' || '''Description in the comic''' || '''Explanation'''
|-
| AMD || {{w|Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport|Ahmedabad}} || {{w|Amsterdam }}|| Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. Its airport (called Schiphol) has the IATA code AMS. "AMD" is also a brand of computer processors.
|-
| ANC || {{w|Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport|Anchorage}} || Ankh-Morpork || Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state featured in {{w|Discworld}}.
|-
| ATL || {{w|Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta}} || Atalantë || Another name for J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional island of Númenor (which is in turn a reference to the sinking of Atlantis). This may also be an intentional misspelling of "Atlanta".
|-
| BAE || {{w|Barcelonnette – Saint-Pons Airfield|Barcelonnette}} || {{w|Beijing}} || Beijing is the capital of China. Its airport has the IATA code PEK (possibly from Peking, alternate former spelling of its name). "Bae" is a slang term meaning girlfriend, boyfriend, or significant other.
|-
| BLT || {{w|
Blackwater Airport|Blackwater}} || {{w|Baltimore}} || A "BLT" is a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.
|-
| BUF || Buffalo || Sunnydale || {{w|Sunnydale}} is a fictional California city that serves as the primary setting for '''''Buf'''fy the Vampire Slayer''.
|-
| CLT || Charlotte || [CENSORED] || The censored word may be "clitoris." Randall has used this word in the comic before, but it is censored here for comic effect.
|-
| DFW || Dallas/Fort Worth || Down For Whatever || "Down for Whatever" is an expression used to indicate that one is okay with doing whatever his or her friends are doing in a social situation, or whatever comes up during a social situation.
|-
| DTF || not assigned || Dartford || "DTF" is an acronym used to indicate "Down To Fuck". Dartford is a town in Kent, UK, about 10 miles SE of London.
|-
| DTW || Detroit || Down To Whatever || See "DFW". "Down to Whatever" could indicate that one is getting on a plane with the intention of being fine with whatever the plane's destination turns out to be.
|-
| DWI || not assigned || Delaware International || "DWI" is an acronym for "Driving While Intoxicated" or "Driving While Impaired." Randall notes in the ''what if?'' book that Delaware has no airports.
|-
| EWR || Newark || Edwards Air Force Base || Edwards Air Force Base (which has the IATA code EDW) is a United States Air Force installation in southern California, about 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Lancaster and 15 miles (24 km) east of Rosamond.
|-
| FFS || not assigned || Flagstaff Station || "FFS" is an acronym for "For Fuck's Sake".
|-
| FHQ || not assigned || FHQWHGADS || The string "fhqwhgads" appeared as the sender name in a spam email sent to Strong Bad in the {{w|Homestar Runner}} cartoons; Strong Bad ended up writing a song dedicated to the "character".
|-
| FYI || Fresno Yosemite International || Fayetteville || "FYI" often stands for "For Your Information". Fresno Yosemite International also has the code FAT
|-
| HGM || not assigned || Hogsmeade || {{w|Places_in_Harry_Potter#Hogsmeade|Hogsmeade}} is a fictional location in the ''{{w|Harry Potter}}'' series.
|-
| HSV || Huntsville || Huntsville || This is one where Randall and the IATA agree. HSV is better known as the Hue-Saturation-Value color space or German soccer club Hamburger SV. It is also Herpes Simplex Virus, a venereal disease.
|-
| IAD || Washington (Dulles) || Idaho (Boise) || IAD is the symbol for Dulles Int'l Airport (which was originally "DIA" but it was felt that could be confused when hand-written with "DCA", the sign for nearby {{w|Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport}}). The Idaho Falls airport is IDA, while Idaho (Boise) is BOI, so it's unclear why BOI was chosen instead of IDA.
|-
| IUD || Doha || Washington (Dulles) || An "IUD" is an "IntraUterine Device," or form of birth control.
|-
| JFC || not assigned || Jefferson City || "JFC" is an acronym for "Jesus Fucking Christ." JFK is John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York's main airport and one of the most famous in the world.
|-
| KUL || Kuala Lumpur || Kingdom of Loathing || Kingdom of Loathing is an online, browser-based RPG.
|-
| LAX || Los Angeles || Las Angalas || "Las Angalas" is a "Los Angeles" with every vowel replaced with an "a" character. It's sometimes used as a joking nickname for "Los Angeles."
|-
| LOL || Lovelock || Louisville || "LOL" often stands for "Laughing Out Loud".
|-
| MDW || Chicago, IL (Midway) || Midway Atoll || Midway Atoll was the site of one of the most significant World War II Pacific naval battles. Its actual IATA code is MDY.
|-
| MIA || Miami || Colombo, Sri Lanka || MIA is a rapper who is of Sri Lankan heritage. It also frequently stands for "Missing In Action".
|-
| OMW || not assigned || Omaha || Eppley Airfield in East Omaha, Nebraska, has an IATA code of OMA. "OMW" is an acronym for "On My Way."
|-
| ORD || Chicago, IL (O'Hare) || Orlando || O'Hare was once known as Orchard Place/Douglas Field, hence ORD
|-
| PDX || Portland || Pordlanx || Consider how LAX has a random "X" at the end. And "ORD" is an actual IATA code. Randall messes with "Portland" here in much the same way.
|-
| PHL || Philadelphia, PA || Pittsburgh || Pittsburgh International Airport has a IATA code of PIT. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are the two largest cities in Pennsylvania and are at opposite ends of the state.
|-
| SAN || San Diego || San Diego San Juan San Jose San Francisco San Antonio || San Diego International Airport has SAN; nearby airports include Montgomery Field (MYF), MCAS Miramar (NKX), NAS North Island (NZY), Brown Field (SDM), and Gillespie Field (SEE) Puerto Rico: SJU and SIG, and Argentina: UAQ. USA: SJC, Costa Rica: SJO, Mexico: SJD, Philippines: SJI SFO SAT 
|-
| SEA || Seattle/Tacoma or SeaTac || [Indicates Water Landing] || This is possibly a reference to the fact that "SEA" could be interpreted as "Sea". Like some other major airports (e.g., {{w|San Francisco International Airport}} and {{w|LaGuardia Airport}}), SEA is very close to a large body of water, in SeaTac's case {{w|Puget Sound}}: thus, missing the airport may end up in a water landing. SeaTac is also a city in WA, adjacent to the airport.
|-
| SMH || Sapmanga || Smithfield || "SMH" often stands for "Shaking My Head".
|-
| STL || St. Louis || Silent Hill || Silent Hill is a fictional city appearing in the series of video games and movies with the same name.
|-
| SWF || Newburgh, New York || Sherwood Forest || .swf is the file extension for ShockWave Flash files. "SWF" can also stand for "Single White Female" in personal ads.
|-
| TBA || Tabibuga || Tribeca || "TBA" often stands for "To Be Announced".
|-
| TMI || Tumlingtar || Turkmenistan International || "TMI" often stands for "Too Much Information".
|-
| YYY || Mont-Joli || Toronto Downtown || The small airport in downtown Toronto is Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which has an IATA code of YTZ.
|-
| YYZ || Toronto || Toronto Pearson || This one is correct. The band Rush is from Toronto and named an instrumental song after the airport call sign. See {{w|YYZ (instrumental)}}
|-
|}

==Transcript==
Confused by those airport abbreviations used by your friends who fly a lot? Just memorize this list.
:Aside 1: I'm flying into EWR tonight, then DTW tomorrow.
:Aside 2: Ok, cool. I definitely know what those mean without Googling.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| AMD || Amsterdam
|-
| BAE || Beijing
|-
| ORD || Orlando
|-
| IAD || Idaho (Boise)
|-
| JFC || Jefferson City
|-
| IUD || Washington Dulles
|-
| FYI || Fayetteville
|-
| LOL || Louisville
|-
| ATL || Atalante
|-
| HGM || Hogsmeade
|-
| OMW || Omaha
|-
| ANC || Ankh-Morpork
|-
| HSV || Hunstville
|-
| SAN || San Diego
|-
| SAN || San Juan
|-
| SAN || San Jose
|-
| SAN || San Francisco
|-
| SAN || San Antonio
|-
| DWI || Delaware International
|-
| DFW || Down for Whatever
|-
| DTW || Down to Whatever
|-
| TMI || Turkmenistan International
|-
| LAX || Las Angalas
|-
| EWR || Edwards Air Force Base
|-
| PHL || Pittsburgh
|-
| SWF || Sherwood Forest
|-
| KUL || Kingdom of Loathing
|-
| STL || Silent Hill
|-
| BUF || Sunnydale
|-
| TBA || Tribeca
|-
| SMH || Smithfield
|-
| BLT || Baltimore
|-
| YYY || Toronto Downtown
|-
| YYZ || Toronto Pearson
|-
| MIA || Colombo, Sri Lanka
|-
| CLT || Censored
|-
| FHQ || Fhqwhgads
|-
| FFS || Flagstaff Station
|-
| DTF || Dartford
|-
| MDW || Midway Atoll
|-
| PDX || Pordlanx
|-
| SEA || Indicates Water Landing
|}

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

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]

1937: IATA Airport Abbreviations

2018-01-03T19:50:00Z

Tait marconi:

{{comic
| number = 1937
| date = January 3, 2018
| title = IATA Airport Abbreviations
| image = iata_airport_abbreviations.png
| titletext = IATA stands for International AirporT Abbreviation.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Expansion needed. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is making fun of the three-letter codes assigned to all airports. These codes are overseen by the IATA (International Air Transport Association). Some airport codes are very intuitive, taking letters from the city name (e.g., DEN for Denver). Other codes are somewhat intuitive, taking a letter or two from the nearby city name but adding an additional letter (e.g., LAX for Los Angeles). Other codes make seemingly no sense at all (e.g., ORD for Chicago's O'Hare International, due to it formerly being named Orchard Field). In many cases, the airport codes appear to have been chosen (or invented) because they are also common abbreviations and acronyms.

If we use the table provided, Randall's friend is flying into Edwards Air Force Base and then down to whatever. This is not a typical flight. In actuality, the friend is flying into Newark tonight and Detroit tomorrow.

{| class="wikitable"
|'''IATA Code''' || '''Actual Assigned City/Airport''' || '''Description in the comic''' || '''Explanation'''
|-
| AMD || {{w|Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport|Ahmedabad}} || {{w|Amsterdam }}|| Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. Its airport (called Schiphol) has the IATA code AMS. "AMD" is also a brand of computer processors.
|-
| ANC || {{w|Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport|Anchorage}} || Ankh-Morpork || Ankh-Morpork is a fictional city-state featured in {{w|Discworld}}.
|-
| ATL || {{w|Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport|Atlanta}} || Atalantë || Another name for J.R.R. Tolkien's fictional island of Númenor (which is in turn a reference to the sinking of Atlantis). This may also be an intentional misspelling of "Atlanta".
|-
| BAE || {{w|Barcelonnette – Saint-Pons Airfield|Barcelonnette}} || {{w|Beijing}} || Beijing is the capital of China. Its airport has the IATA code PEK (possibly from Peking, alternate former spelling of its name). "Bae" is a slang term meaning girlfriend, boyfriend, or significant other.
|-
| BLT || {{w|
Blackwater Airport|Blackwater}} || {{w|Baltimore}} || A "BLT" is a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich.
|-
| BUF || Buffalo || Sunnydale || {{w|Sunnydale}} is a fictional California city that serves as the primary setting for '''''Buf'''fy the Vampire Slayer''.
|-
| CLT || Charlotte || [CENSORED] || The censored word may be "clitoris." Randall has used this word in the comic before, but it is censored here for comic effect.
|-
| DFW || Dallas/Fort Worth || Down For Whatever || "Down for Whatever" is an expression used to indicate that one is okay with doing whatever his or her friends are doing in a social situation, or whatever comes up during a social situation.
|-
| DTF || not assigned || Dartford || "DTF" is an acronym used to indicate "Down To Fuck". Dartford is a town in Kent, UK, about 10 miles SE of London.
|-
| DTW || Detroit || Down To Whatever
|-
| DWI || not assigned || Delaware International || "DWI" is an acronym for "Driving While Intoxicated" or "Driving While Impaired." Randall notes in the ''what if?'' book that Delaware has no airports.
|-
| EWR || Newark || Edwards Air Force Base || Edwards Air Force Base (which has the IATA code EDW) is a United States Air Force installation in southern California, about 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Lancaster and 15 miles (24 km) east of Rosamond.
|-
| FFS || not assigned || Flagstaff Station || "FFS" is an acronym for "For Fuck's Sake".
|-
| FHQ || not assigned || FHQWHGADS || The string "fhqwhgads" appeared as the sender name in a spam email sent to Strong Bad in the {{w|Homestar Runner}} cartoons; Strong Bad ended up writing a song dedicated to the "character".
|-
| FYI || Fresno Yosemite International || Fayetteville || "FYI" often stands for "For Your Information". Fresno Yosemite International also has the code FAT
|-
| HGM || not assigned || Hogsmeade || {{w|Places_in_Harry_Potter#Hogsmeade|Hogsmeade}} is a fictional location in the ''{{w|Harry Potter}}'' series.
|-
| HSV || Huntsville || Huntsville || This is one where Randall and the IATA agree. HSV is better known as the Hue-Saturation-Value color space or German soccer club Hamburger SV. It is also Herpes Simplex Virus, a venereal disease.
|-
| IAD || Washington (Dulles) || Idaho (Boise) || IAD is the symbol for Dulles Int'l Airport (which was originally "DIA" but it was felt that could be confused when hand-written with "DCA", the sign for nearby {{w|Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport}}). The Idaho Falls airport is IDA, while Idaho (Boise) is BOI, so it's unclear why BOI was chosen instead of IDA.
|-
| IUD || Doha || Washington (Dulles) || An "IUD" is an "IntraUterine Device," or form of birth control.
|-
| JFC || not assigned || Jefferson City || "JFC" is an acronym for "Jesus Fucking Christ." JFK is John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York's main airport and one of the most famous in the world.
|-
| KUL || Kuala Lumpur || Kingdom of Loathing || Kingdom of Loathing is an online, browser-based RPG.
|-
| LAX || Los Angeles || Las Angalas || "Las Angalas" is a "Los Angeles" with every vowel replaced with an "a" character. It's sometimes used as a joking nickname for "Los Angeles."
|-
| LOL || Lovelock || Louisville || "LOL" often stands for "Laughing Out Loud".
|-
| MDW || Chicago, IL (Midway) || Midway Atoll || Midway Atoll was the site of one of the most significant World War II Pacific naval battles. Its actual IATA code is MDY.
|-
| MIA || Miami || Colombo, Sri Lanka || MIA is a rapper who is of Sri Lankan heritage. It also frequently stands for "Missing In Action".
|-
| OMW || not assigned || Omaha || Eppley Airfield in East Omaha, Nebraska, has an IATA code of OMA. "OMW" is an acronym for "On My Way."
|-
| ORD || Chicago, IL (O'Hare) || Orlando || O'Hare was once known as Orchard Place/Douglas Field, hence ORD
|-
| PDX || Portland || Pordlanx || Consider how LAX has a random "X" at the end. And "ORD" is an actual IATA code. Randall messes with "Portland" here in much the same way.
|-
| PHL || Philadelphia, PA || Pittsburgh || Pittsburgh International Airport has a IATA code of PIT. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are the two largest cities in Pennsylvania and are at opposite ends of the state.
|-
| SAN || San Diego || San Diego San Juan San Jose San Francisco San Antonio || MYF, NKX, NZY, SAN, SDM and SEE Puerto Rico: SJU and SIG, and Argentina: UAQ. USA: SJC, Costa Rica: SJO, Mexico: SJD, Philippines: SJI SFO SAT 
|-
| SEA || Seattle/Tacoma or SeaTac || [Indicates Water Landing] || This is possibly a reference to the fact that "SEA" could be interpreted as "Sea". Like some other major airports (e.g., {{w|San Francisco International Airport}} and {{w|LaGuardia Airport}}), SEA is very close to a large body of water, in SeaTac's case {{w|Puget Sound}}: thus, missing the airport may end up in a water landing. SeaTac is also a city in WA, adjacent to the airport.
|-
| SMH || Sapmanga || Smithfield || "SMH" often stands for "Shaking My Head".
|-
| STL || St. Louis || Silent Hill || Silent Hill is a fictional city appearing in the series of video games and movies with the same name.
|-
| SWF || Newburgh, New York || Sherwood Forest || .swf is the file extension for ShockWave Flash files. "SWF" can also stand for "Single White Female" in personal ads.
|-
| TBA || Tabibuga || Tribeca || "TBA" often stands for "To Be Announced".
|-
| TMI || Tumlingtar || Turkmenistan International || "TMI" often stands for "Too Much Information".
|-
| YYY || Mont-Joli || Toronto Downtown || The small airport in downtown Toronto is Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which has an IATA code of YTZ.
|-
| YYZ || Toronto || Toronto Pearson || This one is correct. The band Rush is from Toronto and named an instrumental song after the airport call sign. See {{w|YYZ (instrumental)}}
|-
|}

==Transcript==
Confused by those airport abbreviations used by your friends who fly a lot? Just memorize this list.
:Aside 1: I'm flying into EWR tonight, then DTW tomorrow.
:Aside 2: Ok, cool. I definitely know what those mean without Googling.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| AMD || Amsterdam
|-
| BAE || Beijing
|-
| ORD || Orlando
|-
| IAD || Idaho (Boise)
|-
| JFC || Jefferson City
|-
| IUD || Washington Dulles
|-
| FYI || Fayetteville
|-
| LOL || Louisville
|-
| ATL || Atalante
|-
| HGM || Hogsmeade
|-
| OMW || Omaha
|-
| ANC || Ankh-Morpork
|-
| HSV || Hunstville
|-
| SAN || San Diego
|-
| SAN || San Juan
|-
| SAN || San Jose
|-
| SAN || San Francisco
|-
| SAN || San Antonio
|-
| DWI || Delaware International
|-
| DFW || Down for Whatever
|-
| DTW || Down to Whatever
|-
| TMI || Turkmenistan International
|-
| LAX || Las Angalas
|-
| EWR || Edwards Air Force Base
|-
| PHL || Pittsburgh
|-
| SWF || Sherwood Forest
|-
| KUL || Kingdom of Loathing
|-
| STL || Silent Hill
|-
| BUF || Sunnydale
|-
| TBA || Tribeca
|-
| SMH || Smithfield
|-
| BLT || Baltimore
|-
| YYY || Toronto Downtown
|-
| YYZ || Toronto Pearson
|-
| MIA || Colombo, Sri Lanka
|-
| CLT || Censored
|-
| FHQ || Fhqwhgads
|-
| FFS || Flagstaff Station
|-
| DTF || Dartford
|-
| MDW || Midway Atoll
|-
| PDX || Pordlanx
|-
| SEA || Indicates Water Landing
|}

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

{{comic discussion}}

1400: D.B. Cooper

2018-01-03T12:52:39Z

Tait marconi:

{{comic
| number = 1400
| date = July 28, 2014
| title = D.B. Cooper
| image = d_b_cooper.png
| titletext = 'Why on Earth would someone commit air piracy just to finance a terrible movie decades later?' 'People are very strange these days.'
}}

==Explanation==
[[File:DBCooper.jpg|thumb|Cooper]]
In 1971, a man referred to by the media as {{w|D. B. Cooper}} hijacked a Boeing 727 and escaped with $200,000 in ransom money (equivalent to $1,160,000 in 2014). While the FBI maintains that Cooper was most likely killed when he parachuted from the plane, they have never determined his identity, and the investigation was called off in 2016, making it the United States' only unsolved plane hijacking. (This mystery was later referenced in [[1501: Mysteries]].)

[[File:Tommy Wiseau.jpg|thumb|Wiseau]]
In 2003, {{w|Tommy Wiseau}} released {{w|The Room (film)|''The Room''}}, considered by many the worst film ever made. In the decade since he has become something of an icon alongside his infamous movie, of which he was the producer, writer, director, and star. Surprisingly little, however, is known about him. The comic refers to "The Room" as "...the 'Citizen Kane' of bad movies." This is a comparison between what is widely considered the best film of all time, which was, coincidentally the first film produced by, written by, directed by, and starring Orson Welles and what is widely considered the worst film of all time, the first film produced by, written by, directed by, and starring Tommy Wiseau.

This comic points to similarities between several details of Cooper and Wiseau's stories:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Cooper
!Wiseau
|-
|"Vanished mysteriously with a large amount of money":Cooper escaped with $200,000 in 1971 dollars, equivalent to around $1.2M today. $5,800 of that money was recovered in 1980 in the vicinity of where Cooper jumped from the plane, but the rest was never found. Assuming Cooper survived, he would have had decades to turn the $200k into an even larger fortune.
|"Appeared mysteriously with a large amount of money":''The Room'' cost $6 million to make, and initially grossed a mere $1,900—a loss of 99.97% of the investment. It is generally assumed that all or most of that money was Wiseau's own, which raises the question of how he obtained such wealth. Although Wiseau claims to have earned his money by selling toys to tourists, and later factory-reject jeans, his friend and ''Room'' co-star {{w|Greg Sestero}} considers it very unlikely that he earned so many millions this way.
|-
|"Real age/name unknown":Cooper's real name remains unknown. While he was estimated to be in his mid-40s, his precise age is also unknown.
|"Colleague says he's much older than he claims":In 2010, Wiseau stated that he was 41. Sestero, however, says he was born in the 1950s.
|-
|"Ambiguous, possibly affected speaking style ('negotiable American currency')":Cooper's use of this unusual phrase has led to speculation about his origins, including as to whether he was perhaps not an American.
|"Ambiguous, possibly affected speaking style ('You are tearing me apart, Lisa!')":The most famously melodramatic line from ''The Room'', [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Plz-bhcHryc "You are tearing me apart, Lisa!"] is one of several which highlights Wiseau's unusual accent and less-than-complete command of the English language. As with Cooper's "negotiable American currency," it is phrased in a way not typical of American English.
|-
|"Fate unknown":Cooper has not been seen since he jumped from the plane, though the FBI has investigated over a thousand "serious suspects." He either died trying to jump from the plane, or disappeared completely after touching down.
|"Background unknown":Despite Wiseau being a public figure for over a decade since the release of ''The Room'', little is definitively known about his background. Sestero says Wiseau was born somewhere in Eastern Europe - people who have traced his family tree found his family are likely from {{w|Poznań}}, central Poland. Wiseau has said he has moved back and forth between Europe and the U.S. throughout his life, spending significant time in France and Louisiana. His accent is clearly European, but is otherwise hard to place.His legal name, place of birth, date of birth, and nationality are all unknown, as are most of the details of how he's spent his life.
|-
|}

The comic then compares an FBI sketch of Cooper with a photograph of Wiseau, apparently to claim that they have similar appearances. The only real similarity is that they're both wearing sunglasses.

However, these are only a few cherry-picked aspects of their lives, and do not seriously suggest that they are the same person. For example, even if we assume that Wiseau was born in 1950, and that Cooper was only 35 (probably the youngest age which can be mistaken for mid-40s) in 1971, that leaves a 14-year gap between their ages. Likewise, Cooper was said to have either an American or Canadian accent, while Wiseau's bizarre accent is certainly not North American. While [[Cueball]]'s theory in this comic is clearly a joke on [[Randall]]'s part, given Randall's [[258: Conspiracy Theories|known]] [[690: Semicontrolled Demolition|distaste]] [[966: Jet Fuel|for]] conspiracy theories, this may also be making fun of people who base theories off of minor details while ignoring contradictory ones and bigger-picture questions. The question in the title text, for instance, notes that Cooper would have gone through a huge amount of effort just to produce a movie; a similar rhetorical device is often used against convoluted conspiracy theories, where one points out a vastly simpler way for the supposed conspirators to have accomplished their goals.

The title text goes on to attribute such a weird motive for hijacking to the impression that "people are very strange these days," which is another quote from ''The Room''.

==Transcript==
:'''Panel 1'''
:D.B. Cooper
:("Dan Cooper")

:Hijacked a plane in the 1970s.
:On landing, demanded money and
:parachutes. Jumped from plane
:mid-flight and was never found.

:*Vanished mysteriously with large amount of money
:*Real age/name unknown
:*Ambiguous, possibly affected speaking style ("negotiable American currency")
:*Fate unknown

:'''Panel 2'''
:Tommy Wiseau
:("Johnny")

:Wrote, directed, and starred in
:''The Room'', a film widely hailed as
:"The ''Citizen Kane'' of bad movies."

:*Appeared mysteriously with large amount of money
:*Colleague says he's much older than he claims.
:*Ambiguous, possibly affected speaking style ("You are tearing me apart, Lisa!")
:*Background unknown

:'''Panel 3'''
:[Images captioned Cooper (FBI sketch) and Wiseau (Flickr photo by Al Pavangkanan)]

:Offscreen: This is the dumbest theory I've ever heard.
:Cueball: But it explains ''everything!!''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]