explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2124: Space Mission Hearing

2019-03-15T13:57:28Z

Testrider: Expanded on pewpew

{{comic
| number = 2124
| date = March 15, 2019
| title = Space Mission Hearing
| image = space_mission_hearing.png
| titletext = Our grant application contains one of those little greeting card speakers that plays spaceship noises when you open it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a NOISY CARD. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The main characters are organizers of a Space Mission hearing. The main girl, despite her grown-up and professional introduction for the hearing, failed to conceal her childlish nature which is enthusiastic for anything "space", that's why she screamed "space" and "pew pew pew" (A typical sound that spaceships make when represented in Sci-Fi or as toys). The joke is that most of the support for spending billions of dollars and other resources on interplanetary exploration is simply because we believe space to be cool. It is also ironic that due to the vacuum in space you would actually not hear shooting sounds unless you are in a ship with an atmosphere.

The enthusiastic exclamation "Spaaaaaace" is likely a reference to the video game Portal 2, where a robot entity called the Space Sphere was also very enthusiastic about space travel. Portal has been previously featured in [[606: Cutting Edge]].

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

:[Megan and Ponytail are talking]
:Ponytail: All ready for the hearing? Let's go over things one more time.
:Ponytail: *ahem*
:Ponytail: What is the main reason to fund this mission?

:[Close-up of Megan]
:Megan: It will significantly advance out long-term goal of better understanding the formation and evolution of the Solar System, while fulfulling our mandate to develop a new generation of interplanetary spacecraft.
:Ponytail (off panel): Great.

:[Megan's arms are raised]
:Megan: And because it's ''space!''
:Megan: Spaaaaaace.
:Megan: Pew pew pew!
:Megan: ''Space!''
:Ponytail: Dial it back.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Space]]

1143: Location

2017-03-31T08:24:06Z

Testrider: /* Explanation */ Added reference to pokemon go to help a broader audience understand more quickly

{{comic
| number = 1143
| date = December 5, 2012
| title = Location
| image = location.png
| titletext = Ingress: Foursquare With Space Noises.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Ingress (game)|Ingress}} is an {{w|augmented reality}} location-based service game in which players have to visit certain real-world places marked by the game as containing in-game objectives called portals (much like in it's well known ofspring: Pokemon GO). The single guy in the comic owns a home surrounded by an abundance of portals, which makes it an attractive destination for the three friends who contact him via the computer. They are obviously not really friends of the guy, but just wish to come by because of the portals.

The portals in the comic are controlled by the green "Enlightened" team (and have links and a field), making them valuable resource caches for the "Enlightened" team, and priority targets for the blue "Resistance" team.

{{w|Foursquare}}, referenced in the title text, is another service that lets users check into places they visit for discounts in a similar way to how Ingress players visit portals for points. Unlike Foursquare places, which are businesses and public places such as parks, Ingress portals also include historic houses that are still private residences, as well as churches, so Ingress is more likely to reward people visiting a friend's house. "Space noises" refers to the ambient sounds when playing Ingress.

==Transcript==
:[Three people around a computer. One of them is typing.]
:Typing: Hey, party tonight?
:Typing: We'd all like to come see your new place!
:Reply (through monitor): Wait, what?

:[Cut to guy sitting at a laptop.]
:Reply (through the guy's monitor): We want to hang out!
:Guy typing: We're not, like, good friends.
:Reply (through the guy's monitor): I know, but we were thinking about it and we really like you!

:[Cut back to the three friends.]
:Typing: You should have us over tonight!
:Typing: For, like, an hour.
:Typing: It'll be fun!
:Reply (through monitor): Well, uh, sure.

:[Cut to color-inverted image of the guy's house. Four Enlightened-controlled Ingress portals are in the guy's back yard.]
:Friends (off-screen): ''YESSSS!''
:Guy (from inside his house): I still don't get why you're suddenly so excited to hang out.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Social networking]]
[[Category:Computers]]

Talk:1805: Unpublished Discoveries

2017-03-03T07:30:28Z

Testrider: Referred to original person who came up with third option

'''Notice''' that a new [[what if?]] - ''{{what if|155|Toaster vs. Freezer}}'' was released yesterday, the day before this comic was released. Less than three weeks between releases this time. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:40, 1 March 2017 (UTC)



There appear to be several very different ways to interpret the tagline, a short list:

# The funny part in the actual comic is that Megan is actually (just) working on a way to print a tax form as PDF (as suggested by Waterhorse800 or Dgbrt ?)
# Megan is preparing to receive a tax form related to receiving the nobel prize (as suggested by Rtanenbaum, but personally I don't get this one)
# In the comic Megan is simply working on something that would in fact be nobel prize winning which she tries to hide and deny because it is not published yet, and the tagline is a separate joke that reveals what the author is currently working on, and how he hopes to win the nobel prize by his efforts because it is so difficult to print tax forms (as suggested by NiceGuy1 and me, Testrider)
[[User:Testrider|Testrider]] ([[User talk:Testrider|talk]]) 07:26, 3 March 2017 (UTC)

This is my first time writing an explanation. It's still just a stub. [[User:Waterhorse800|Waterhorse800]] ([[User talk:Waterhorse800|talk]]) 17:02, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
:You are welcome. But it's too descriptive. The pun is that Ponytail talks about science while Megan is working on a profane computer task like printing an email. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:18, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
::Great you are contributing. I think the description is fine, as I (probably disagree here with Dgbrt) think that it is great to start an explanation be mentioning the characters in the comic, as people coming here rarely only to check a comic the few times they are in doubt, may not use/know our invented names for the characters. Of course the real explanation of the concepts should then be added, but your contribution should in my opinion not be deleted. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:40, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
:::Since [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] mentions me here is my opinion on this -- nevertheless every contribution is welcome and helpful:
:::* Readers here looking for an explanation on the pun -- the names of the characters are irrelevant in this case.
:::* This comic is a good example because people reading the original comic often without recognizing the title text. And sadly still only a few of them looking afterwards here.
:::* If readers can read here only that what they've already seen they won't come back. And if they are overwhelmed by suspicious explanations they probably won't too.
:::So everybody is welcome to contribute, but this isn't a writers wiki -- it's for the readers.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:14, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

According to [https://www.irs.com/articles/online-tax-forms Online tax forms] saving and printing could be tricky:
Fill-In Tax Forms
... To save the data you’ve filled in, use the Adobe Reader’s “Save” function (not the web browser’s “Save” function). ...
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:34, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

I took the title text to imply that Meghan was preparing for the possibility of receiving a tax form related to receiving the Nobel Prize and needing to print it out to submit to the IRS when filing her taxes. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 19:06, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

What about recent news on SHA-1 collision for two pdf documents? May this be related? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.102.100|162.158.102.100]] 20:49, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
:With or without salt?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:23, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

Virtual discoveries, like virtual particles, are discoveries that exist for such a short time that they go undetected. Might be unpublished research, or just fleeting thoughts. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.148|162.158.134.148]] 10:33, 2 March 2017 (UTC)

Whoo boy.... This seems like one of those entries where overthinking it has introduced confusion where there was none. Yikes! "This is one of those comics where the reading of the title text is mandatory for understanding the entire pun.". This is positively, absolutely untrue. I had initially though this was referring to the comic's title - to which I was going to say that I always forget to read the title until after, and I understood the joke fine. Then I realized this is referring to the mouse-over text. Well, still true. I read this on an iPad, there's no mouse-over on the iPad, so I can only see this text when I come here to the Explain site, which I do after reading the comic (I like going in "pure", taking in the comic unassisted first). This is NOT part of the joke, as has often happened before this is taking the joke in a new direction, giving a second punchline. In the comic, Megan clearly DOES have such an unpublished scientific paper on her computer, as suggested by her tilting her screen away and the comedic cliche/rule of convenient conversational timing. Then Randall, as he is wont to do, uses the title text to take the joke in a new direction, giving another scenario where she might want to keep her computer screen private.

Also, the current Incomplete text, "What does the title "Unpublished Discoveries" mean to science", seems rather unnecessary, Ponytail answers this question pretty concisely in the comic itself. Maybe this is a call for more clarity on WHY someone would wait to publish - as I understand it, it's in order to do more research and analysis, so as to have something more solid and complete before publishing, and that the whole thing is a balance between completeness and publishing first - but as worded this question seems pre-answered. - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.129|162.158.62.129]] 04:03, 3 March 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1805: Unpublished Discoveries

2017-03-03T07:27:36Z

Testrider: Fixed typo after adding tagline interpretation summary

'''Notice''' that a new [[what if?]] - ''{{what if|155|Toaster vs. Freezer}}'' was released yesterday, the day before this comic was released. Less than three weeks between releases this time. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:40, 1 March 2017 (UTC)



There appear to be several very different ways to interpret the tagline, a short list:

# The funny part in the actual comic is that Megan is actually (just) working on a way to print a tax form as PDF (as suggested by Waterhorse800 or Dgbrt ?)
# Megan is preparing to receive a tax form related to receiving the nobel prize (as suggested by Rtanenbaum, but personally I don't get this one)
# In the comic Megan is simply working on something that would in fact be nobel prize winning which she tries to hide and deny because it is not published yet, and the tagline is a separate joke that reveals what the author is currently working on, and how he hopes to win the nobel prize by his efforts because it is so difficult to print tax forms (as suggested by me, Testrider)
[[User:Testrider|Testrider]] ([[User talk:Testrider|talk]]) 07:26, 3 March 2017 (UTC)

This is my first time writing an explanation. It's still just a stub. [[User:Waterhorse800|Waterhorse800]] ([[User talk:Waterhorse800|talk]]) 17:02, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
:You are welcome. But it's too descriptive. The pun is that Ponytail talks about science while Megan is working on a profane computer task like printing an email. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:18, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
::Great you are contributing. I think the description is fine, as I (probably disagree here with Dgbrt) think that it is great to start an explanation be mentioning the characters in the comic, as people coming here rarely only to check a comic the few times they are in doubt, may not use/know our invented names for the characters. Of course the real explanation of the concepts should then be added, but your contribution should in my opinion not be deleted. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:40, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
:::Since [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] mentions me here is my opinion on this -- nevertheless every contribution is welcome and helpful:
:::* Readers here looking for an explanation on the pun -- the names of the characters are irrelevant in this case.
:::* This comic is a good example because people reading the original comic often without recognizing the title text. And sadly still only a few of them looking afterwards here.
:::* If readers can read here only that what they've already seen they won't come back. And if they are overwhelmed by suspicious explanations they probably won't too.
:::So everybody is welcome to contribute, but this isn't a writers wiki -- it's for the readers.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:14, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

According to [https://www.irs.com/articles/online-tax-forms Online tax forms] saving and printing could be tricky:
Fill-In Tax Forms
... To save the data you’ve filled in, use the Adobe Reader’s “Save” function (not the web browser’s “Save” function). ...
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:34, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

I took the title text to imply that Meghan was preparing for the possibility of receiving a tax form related to receiving the Nobel Prize and needing to print it out to submit to the IRS when filing her taxes. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 19:06, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

What about recent news on SHA-1 collision for two pdf documents? May this be related? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.102.100|162.158.102.100]] 20:49, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
:With or without salt?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:23, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

Virtual discoveries, like virtual particles, are discoveries that exist for such a short time that they go undetected. Might be unpublished research, or just fleeting thoughts. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.148|162.158.134.148]] 10:33, 2 March 2017 (UTC)

Whoo boy.... This seems like one of those entries where overthinking it has introduced confusion where there was none. Yikes! "This is one of those comics where the reading of the title text is mandatory for understanding the entire pun.". This is positively, absolutely untrue. I had initially though this was referring to the comic's title - to which I was going to say that I always forget to read the title until after, and I understood the joke fine. Then I realized this is referring to the mouse-over text. Well, still true. I read this on an iPad, there's no mouse-over on the iPad, so I can only see this text when I come here to the Explain site, which I do after reading the comic (I like going in "pure", taking in the comic unassisted first). This is NOT part of the joke, as has often happened before this is taking the joke in a new direction, giving a second punchline. In the comic, Megan clearly DOES have such an unpublished scientific paper on her computer, as suggested by her tilting her screen away and the comedic cliche/rule of convenient conversational timing. Then Randall, as he is wont to do, uses the title text to take the joke in a new direction, giving another scenario where she might want to keep her computer screen private.

Also, the current Incomplete text, "What does the title "Unpublished Discoveries" mean to science", seems rather unnecessary, Ponytail answers this question pretty concisely in the comic itself. Maybe this is a call for more clarity on WHY someone would wait to publish - as I understand it, it's in order to do more research and analysis, so as to have something more solid and complete before publishing, and that the whole thing is a balance between completeness and publishing first - but as worded this question seems pre-answered. - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.129|162.158.62.129]] 04:03, 3 March 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1805: Unpublished Discoveries

2017-03-03T07:26:11Z

Testrider: Added tagline interpretation options

'''Notice''' that a new [[what if?]] - ''{{what if|155|Toaster vs. Freezer}}'' was released yesterday, the day before this comic was released. Less than three weeks between releases this time. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:40, 1 March 2017 (UTC)



There appear to be several very different ways to interpret the tagline, a short list:

# The funny part in the actual comic is that Megan is actually (just) working on a way to print a tax form as PDF (as suggested by Waterhorse800 or Dgbrt
?)
# Megan is preparing to receive a tax form related to receiving the nobel prize (as suggested by Rtanenbaum, but personally I don't get this one)
# In the comic Megan is simply working on something that would in fact be nobel prize winning which she tries to hide and deny because it is not published yet, and the tagline is a separate joke that reveals what the author is currently working on, and how he hopes to win the nobel prize by his efforts because it is so difficult to print tax forms (as suggested by me, Testrider)
[[User:Testrider|Testrider]] ([[User talk:Testrider|talk]]) 07:26, 3 March 2017 (UTC)

This is my first time writing an explanation. It's still just a stub. [[User:Waterhorse800|Waterhorse800]] ([[User talk:Waterhorse800|talk]]) 17:02, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
:You are welcome. But it's too descriptive. The pun is that Ponytail talks about science while Megan is working on a profane computer task like printing an email. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:18, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
::Great you are contributing. I think the description is fine, as I (probably disagree here with Dgbrt) think that it is great to start an explanation be mentioning the characters in the comic, as people coming here rarely only to check a comic the few times they are in doubt, may not use/know our invented names for the characters. Of course the real explanation of the concepts should then be added, but your contribution should in my opinion not be deleted. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:40, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
:::Since [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] mentions me here is my opinion on this -- nevertheless every contribution is welcome and helpful:
:::* Readers here looking for an explanation on the pun -- the names of the characters are irrelevant in this case.
:::* This comic is a good example because people reading the original comic often without recognizing the title text. And sadly still only a few of them looking afterwards here.
:::* If readers can read here only that what they've already seen they won't come back. And if they are overwhelmed by suspicious explanations they probably won't too.
:::So everybody is welcome to contribute, but this isn't a writers wiki -- it's for the readers.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:14, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

According to [https://www.irs.com/articles/online-tax-forms Online tax forms] saving and printing could be tricky:
Fill-In Tax Forms
... To save the data you’ve filled in, use the Adobe Reader’s “Save” function (not the web browser’s “Save” function). ...
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:34, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

I took the title text to imply that Meghan was preparing for the possibility of receiving a tax form related to receiving the Nobel Prize and needing to print it out to submit to the IRS when filing her taxes. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 19:06, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

What about recent news on SHA-1 collision for two pdf documents? May this be related? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.102.100|162.158.102.100]] 20:49, 1 March 2017 (UTC)
:With or without salt?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:23, 1 March 2017 (UTC)

Virtual discoveries, like virtual particles, are discoveries that exist for such a short time that they go undetected. Might be unpublished research, or just fleeting thoughts. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.148|162.158.134.148]] 10:33, 2 March 2017 (UTC)

Whoo boy.... This seems like one of those entries where overthinking it has introduced confusion where there was none. Yikes! "This is one of those comics where the reading of the title text is mandatory for understanding the entire pun.". This is positively, absolutely untrue. I had initially though this was referring to the comic's title - to which I was going to say that I always forget to read the title until after, and I understood the joke fine. Then I realized this is referring to the mouse-over text. Well, still true. I read this on an iPad, there's no mouse-over on the iPad, so I can only see this text when I come here to the Explain site, which I do after reading the comic (I like going in "pure", taking in the comic unassisted first). This is NOT part of the joke, as has often happened before this is taking the joke in a new direction, giving a second punchline. In the comic, Megan clearly DOES have such an unpublished scientific paper on her computer, as suggested by her tilting her screen away and the comedic cliche/rule of convenient conversational timing. Then Randall, as he is wont to do, uses the title text to take the joke in a new direction, giving another scenario where she might want to keep her computer screen private.

Also, the current Incomplete text, "What does the title "Unpublished Discoveries" mean to science", seems rather unnecessary, Ponytail answers this question pretty concisely in the comic itself. Maybe this is a call for more clarity on WHY someone would wait to publish - as I understand it, it's in order to do more research and analysis, so as to have something more solid and complete before publishing, and that the whole thing is a balance between completeness and publishing first - but as worded this question seems pre-answered. - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.129|162.158.62.129]] 04:03, 3 March 2017 (UTC)

1643: Degrees

2016-03-14T19:18:18Z

Testrider: Added trivia

{{comic
| number = 1643
| date = February 15, 2016
| title = Degrees
| image = degrees.png
| titletext = "Radians Fahrenheit or radians Celsius?" "Uh, sorry, gotta go!"
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] is being asked by a friend for the {{w|temperature}}. While he is checking his smartphone for the weather, he begins pondering what unit he should use when answering the question. (See below for [[#Cueball's reasoning|Cueball's reasoning]]).

In the US (where Cueball and [[Randall]] are from), the {{w|Conversion of units of temperature|temperature scale}} used in daily life is {{w|Fahrenheit}}. However, {{w|Celsius}} is commonly used for science, even in the US. Most of the rest of the world also uses Celsius in daily life.

:'''The Celsius scale''' is from the {{w|metric system}}. Though this system has been officially sanctioned for use in the US since 1866, it is not frequently used in daily American life, although it is the preferred system for trade and commerce according to the {{w|Metric Conversion Act}} of 1975. The US remains the only industrialized country that has not adopted the metric system as its official system of measurement. The unit ''degree Celsius'' or °C is an accepted {{w|International System of Units#Derived units|derived unit}} from the {{w|International System of Units}} (SI units) used in science (which again is the modern form of the metric system). The SI unit of temperature is the {{w|Kelvin}}, but this temperature scale is linearly related to the Celsius scale, which is why Celsius can be derived from it.
:'''The Fahrenheit scale''' is from the {{w|United States customary units|US Customary system}}, also known internationally as the (British) {{w|Imperial units|Imperial system}}. The unit is ''degree Fahrenheit'' or °F, and the relation to the Celsius scale is not easy to find in a mental calculation. The relations are: [°F] = [°C]*9⁄5 + 32 or [°C] = ([°F] − 32)×5⁄9. (For this exact reason Randall has previously made a helpful table for these situations in [[526: Converting to Metric]]).

Cueball weighs up the benefits of both scales, but fails to find a solution he can live with, and since he feels he has to give his friend an answer now, he panics and gives the answer 0.173 {{w|radians}}.
:'''Radian''' is the standard unit of angular measure, used in many areas of mathematics. An angle's measurement in radians is numerically equal to the length of a corresponding arc of a {{w|unit circle}}. It has no units and is denoted with the superscript c, but more commonly rad, lest it be confused with {{w|Degree (angle)|angular degrees}}.
:'''Angular degrees''' is a system used to measure {{w|angles}} in {{w|geometry}}, and although it used the unit ° it has nothing to do with temperature gradations of whichever scale.

Thus, this answer is unhelpful and the joke is that traditionally both geometrical angles and temperature is measured in degrees, but there is not the slightest degree of correlation between the two.

The title text indicates that Cueball's friend still wants to know whether the answer is in radians Fahrenheit or radians Celsius, which, despite being a silly way to express temperature would actually enable the friend to get some meaning out of the reply. But this just takes Cueball back to the problem he failed to solve in the first place of choosing one scale above the other, so suddenly he has to go, and he runs off without ever clarifying what he meant. This result is probably because he is afraid of being a bad friend according to his very last point regarding Fahrenheit: ''Valuing unit standardization over being helpful possibly makes me a bad friend.''

The answer Cueball gives of 0.173 radians corresponds to a geometric angle 9.91° (0.173 × 360°/2π). If this were "radians Celsius" it would be 9.91 °C corresponding to 49.8 °F and if it were "radians Fahrenheit" it would be 9.91 °F corresponding to -12.3 °C. [http://boston.cbslocal.com/2016/02/13/new-england-freezing-temperatures-valentines-day-weekend/ Given the temperatures] in {{w|Massachusetts}} (where Randall lives) when this comic came out, the day after Valentine's Day 2016, Cueball was probably giving his answer in radians Fahrenheit.

=== Cueball's reasoning ===
==== Degrees Celsius ====
;International standard
:Degrees Celsius is derived unit in the SI system of units used to measure temperature in most countries today. Using the SI system would allow Cueball to be easily understood in most countries and is by far the most recognized system, but it is not the most commonly used in the United States, his actual location in the comic.
;Helps reduce America's weird isolationism
:The United States uses its own set of units, including degrees Fahrenheit, called the United States Customary system and similar but not equal to the Imperial system, in contrast to most of the rest of the world which uses the SI system. The US's system of units is therefore considered "weird" as it makes the US different from most of the world, but previous efforts to convert the US to the SI system have failed. Cueball evidently believes that by using SI units he will help to eventually convert the US to the SI system, bringing considerable trade and tourism benefits and reducing confusion when dealing with foreigners.
;Nice how "negative" means below freezing
:On the Celsius scale, the freezing point of water at standard atmospheric pressure (101.325 kilopascals) is very close to 0 °C, and any temperature below that is "below" the freezing point. The Fahrenheit scale uses different points of reference (using a water/ammonium chloride chemical reaction for the lower calibration, while the upper calibration is set such that water freezing and water boiling are 180 degrees apart), and as a result the freezing point of water is a less memorable 32 °F.
;Physics major loyalty
:Cueball is apparently a physics major, like Randall, and SI units are more commonly used for scientific work (as the Kelvin scale is sometimes used in advanced Physics), even in the US. By using the Celsius scale in casual conversation he would show his loyalty to the system used by actual physicists.
;Easier to spell
:"Celsius" is generally considered to be an easier word to spell than the German surname "Fahrenheit" (At least this is the case for Cueball, but not necessarily for those who more commonly use Fahrenheit than Celsius). In this case the word is being spoken and the point is not immediately relevant, but part of the joke is that Cueball is overthinking things and worrying about the general use of the word when an answer is needed in this specific case.
;We lost a Mars probe over this crap
:The {{w|Mars Climate Orbiter|Mars Climate Orbiter}} disintegrated in Mars' atmosphere because Lockheed used US Customary units instead of the contractually specified metric units. Note that this had nothing to do with temperature scales, but was the use of the unit pound-seconds where newton-seconds should have been used. This was a great and tragic loss for science in general, Mars exploration in particular, and thus also for Randall who has shown deep interest in any kind of space exploration, especially regarding Mars (more or less mentioning all Mars rovers in his comics so far).

====Degrees Fahrenheit====
;0 °F to 100 °F good match for temperature range in which most humans live
:In the context of air temperature, 0 °F and 100 °F correspond to "just about as cold as it gets" and "just about as hot as it gets" in temperate zones, thereby making Fahrenheit a useful temperature scale for weather reporting where most people live. By contrast, in Celsius a range of common temperatures in temperate zones is -20 °C to 40 °C, which is a less intuitive range for those used to the Fahrenheit scale.
;Rounds more usefully (70's, 90's)
:An argument sometimes heard for the continued use of Fahrenheit temperatures is that each 10 degrees change is meaningful in how we feel the temperature. Thus, it is convenient to talk about the temperature being in the 70's today, or in the 90's, etc. Since the Celsius degrees are almost twice as large, a similar statement about the temperature being in the 20's or 30's is not as useful, unless more precision is added by using phrases like low 20's or high 30's. However, this seems likely to be more a matter of which scale you are used to using than anything inherent in one scale or the other.
;Unit-aware computing makes Imperial less annoying
:If you need to constantly convert between Imperial and SI measurements in your head, or even between different Imperial units (e.g., ounces and pounds), it gets annoying and is a strong argument for everyone using metric measurements all the time. But, when it is easy to get the temperature - or any other measurement - reported in whatever units you want just by selecting the units you want your computer to report, then the annoyance is minimized, and the arguments for why we should stop using a familiar scale are weakened. Note that Cueball is looking at his smart-phone to get the current temperature.
:As many Americans, Randall is confusing the {{w|United States customary units|United States customary system}} with the {{w|Imperial system}} used in most of the rest of the English speaking world. In both systems temperature is measured in degrees Fahrenheit.
;SI prefixes are less relevant for temperatures
:One of the nice things about SI measurements is how the same basic unit scales by factors of 10 with common prefixes - e.g., kilometer, millimeter, kilogram, milligram, etc. Imperial measurements don't have this feature - you don't talk about long distances as kiloinches or small weights as millipounds. But, we generally don't use multiple units for atmospheric temperature (millidegrees or kilodegrees), so this argument for using SI measurements for length, mass, volume, etc., isn't as applicable for temperature scales.
;Fahrenheit is likely more clear in this context
:Cueball apparently knows that the inquirer is most likely to assume the answer will be in degrees Fahrenheit, so giving the answer that way would be the least likely to be misinterpreted. If he surprisingly gives an answer in Celsius, without explicitly stating he is reporting the temperature in Celsius, then that could be confusing.
;Valuing unit standardization over being helpful possibly makes me a bad friend
:The final thing Cueball considers is to question why he would give an answer that attaches more value to promoting standardization of units when all his friend wants to know is whether it is cold or warm outside. Wouldn't it be more friendly to just answer the question the way his friend will find most convenient? This is probably the reason he ends up not giving any real answer, as giving the answer in Celsius would make him a bad friend. That giving the answer in radians will make him a weird friend might feel better.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is looking at his smartphone while a friend calls to him from off-panel. Cueball is thinking as indicated with a thought bubble.]
:Off-screen voice: Hey, what's the temperature outside?
:Cueball (thinking): Should I give it in °F or °C?

:[Zoom in on Cueballs head with a list of reason to use Celsius above him:]
:'''Degrees Celsius'''
:* International standard
:* Helps reduce America's weird isolationism
:* Nice how "negative" means below freezing
:* Physics major loyalty
:* Easier to spell
:* We lost a Mars probe over this crap

:[Same view of Cueballs head, but wider frame to accommodate a broader a list of reason to use Fahrenheit:]
:'''Degrees Fahrenheit'''
:* 0°F to 100°F good match for temperature range in which most humans live
:* Rounds more usefully (70's, 90's)
:* Unit-aware computing makes imperial less annoying
:* SI prefixes are less relevant for temperatures
:* Fahrenheit is likely more clear in this context
:* Valuing unit standardization over being helpful possibly makes me a bad friend

:[Cueball is holding his smartphone down while thinking as indicated with another thought bubble floating at the top. He then speaks and gets a reply from his off-panel friend.]
:Cueball (thinking): Crap, gotta pick something. Uhh...
:Cueball: ...0.173 radians.
:Off-screen voice: I'll just go check myself

==Trivia==
* At -0.698131701 radians (-40 degrees) it would not have mattered whether it was radians Celsius or radians Farenheit as they are equal at this point

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Space probes]]

1628: Magnus

2016-01-13T15:41:32Z

Testrider: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1628
| date = January 11, 2016
| title = Magnus
| image = magnus.png
| titletext = In the latest round, 9-year-old Muhammad Ali beat 10-year-old JFK at air hockey, while Secretariat lost the hot-dog-eating crown to 12-year-old Ken Jennings. Meanwhile, in a huge upset, 11-year-old Martha Stewart knocked out the adult Ronda Rousey.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] shows [[Megan]] an {{w|mobile app|app}}, [http://magnuscarlsen.com/playmagnus Play Magnus] ([https://itunes.apple.com/app/play-magnus/id808138395?mt=8 iOS], [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.mw.playmagnus Android]) which claims to simulate playing {{w|chess}} against {{w|Magnus Carlsen}} at various ages. Carlsen was a {{w|chess grandmaster}} who was the world champion when this comic was released.

The idea behind the app is that as Carlsen grows up he becomes better at chess and thus it become exceedingly difficult to beat him as he gets older. As Cueball claims he could have beaten Magnus when he was 8½-year-old, but not a half-year later, we can now estimate Cueballs strength to be that of a typical adult hobbyist, with a FIDE rating of about 1200[https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/2qcv95/what_is_the_strength_of_the_play_magnus_app_at/].

Taking the idea a step further, Megan wants such an app for other sports {{w|tennis}} and {{w|Swimming (sport)|swimming}}, where skill couldn't imaginably be simulated via an app at all. She wants to compare herself to an 8-year-old {{W|Serena Williams}}, a top-ranked professional tennis player. Or to a 6-year-old {{W|Michael Phelps}}, the {{w|List_of_multiple_Olympic_medalists#List_of_most_Olympic_medals_over_career|most decorated Olympian competitor}} of all time.

Cueball expands beyond sport, wishing to determine if he could cook better than an 11-year-old {{W|Martha Stewart}} (author of several cookbooks). Megan wonders if she'd have won an election against a 12-year old JFK ({{W|John F. Kennedy}}, the 35th American President). Obviously, cooking and politics were skills acquired later in life for both figures.

Cueball and Megan continue speculating about an app simulating the skills of random celebrities at various ages, even beyond the talents that made them famous. They finally end up comparing 8-year-old Magnus's swimming skill against 9-year-old Martha's (he wins). But they'd both lose a {{w|hot dog}}-{{w|Competitive eating|eating contest}} against the championship race horse {{W|Secretariat (horse)|Secretariat}}. At this point even Megan realizes (with considerable understatement) their project "has gotten weird".

The title text extends the point to even greater absurdity, e.g. the ludicrous prospect of a young Martha Stewart knocking an adult {{W|Ronda Rousey}} unconscious, or 9-year-old {{W|Muhammad Ali}} beating a 10-year-old JFK in {{w|air hockey}}. The horse also gets re-mentioned in the title text, losing in a hot dog eating contest against 12-year-old {{W|Ken Jennings}}. Ronda Rousey is an Olympic bronze medalist judoka and MMA fighter; when this comic was released Ronda Rousey had just lost to {{w|Holly Holm}} in a major upset. Muhammad Ali is one of the all-time great boxers. At the time of this comic Ken Jennings is the record-holder for his winning streak on ''{{W|Jeopardy!}}''.

Chess was previously compared to {{w|basketball}} in [[1392: Dominant Players]], which also mentioned Magnus. This is the tenth [[:Category:Chess|comic about chess]] on {{xkcd}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball walks from the right towards Megan while holding up his smartphone.]
:Cueball: Magnus Carlsen has an app where you can play chess against a simulated version of him at different ages.
:Cueball: I can beat the 8½-year-old, but lose to him at 9.

:[While Megan talks to Cueball he lifts his hand to his chin, while holding the smartphone down.]
:Megan: I want that, but for other games. Can I beat 8-year-old Serena Williams at Tennis? Swim laps faster than a 6-year-old Michael Phelps?
:Cueball: We should make a simulator.

:[Cueball walks out left and Megan follows him. He must have pocketed his phone as it is not in his hand.]
:Cueball: ...Why limit it to games? Can I cook a better chicken than 11-year-old Martha Stewart?
:Megan: Win an election against 12-year-old JFK?

:[At the top frame of this panel there is a small frame with a caption. Below lies Megan on the floor to the left in front of her laptop, while Cueball sits on the floor to the right facing her in front of his own laptop. Between them are some heavy books.]
:Soon...
:[Cueball and Megan sitting at laptops in the bottom of the panel.]
:Megan: Looks like 8-year-old Magnus Carlsen can swim faster than 9-year-old Martha Stewart.
:Cueball: But they both lose a hot-dog-eating contest to 2-year-old Secretariat.
:Megan: This project has gotten weird.

==Trivia==
The app they are talking about is called [http://magnuscarlsen.com/playmagnus Play Magnus].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics featuring John F. Kennedy]]
[[Category:Chess]]
[[Category:Sport]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1628: Magnus

2016-01-13T15:39:34Z

Testrider: The strenght difference between 8 and 8.5 years old magnus in the app, should be significant.

{{comic
| number = 1628
| date = January 11, 2016
| title = Magnus
| image = magnus.png
| titletext = In the latest round, 9-year-old Muhammad Ali beat 10-year-old JFK at air hockey, while Secretariat lost the hot-dog-eating crown to 12-year-old Ken Jennings. Meanwhile, in a huge upset, 11-year-old Martha Stewart knocked out the adult Ronda Rousey.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] shows [[Megan]] an {{w|mobile app|app}}, [http://magnuscarlsen.com/playmagnus Play Magnus] ([https://itunes.apple.com/app/play-magnus/id808138395?mt=8 iOS], [https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.mw.playmagnus Android]) which claims to simulate playing {{w|chess}} against {{w|Magnus Carlsen}} at various ages. Carlsen was a {{w|chess grandmaster}} who was the world champion when this comic was released.

The idea behind the app is that as Carlsen grows up he becomes better at chess and thus it become exceedingly difficult to beat him as he gets older. As Cueball claims he could have beaten Magnus when he was 8½-year-old, but not a half-year later, we can now estimate Cueballs strengt to be that of an average adult hobbyist, with a FIDE rating of about 1200[https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/2qcv95/what_is_the_strength_of_the_play_magnus_app_at/].

Taking the mocking a step further, Megan wants such an app for other sports {{w|tennis}} and {{w|Swimming (sport)|swimming}}, where skill couldn't imaginably be simulated via an app at all. She wants to compare herself to an 8-year-old {{W|Serena Williams}}, a top-ranked professional tennis player. Or to a 6-year-old {{W|Michael Phelps}}, the {{w|List_of_multiple_Olympic_medalists#List_of_most_Olympic_medals_over_career|most decorated Olympian competitor}} of all time.

Cueball expands beyond sport, wishing to determine if he could cook better than an 11-year-old {{W|Martha Stewart}} (author of several cookbooks). Megan wonders if she'd have won an election against a 12-year old JFK ({{W|John F. Kennedy}}, the 35th American President). Obviously, cooking and politics were skills acquired later in life for both figures.

Cueball and Megan continue speculating about an app simulating the skills of random celebrities at various ages, even beyond the talents that made them famous. They finally end up comparing 8-year-old Magnus's swimming skill against 9-year-old Martha's (he wins). But they'd both lose a {{w|hot dog}}-{{w|Competitive eating|eating contest}} against the championship race horse {{W|Secretariat (horse)|Secretariat}}. At this point even Megan realizes (with considerable understatement) their project "has gotten weird".

The title text extends the point to even greater absurdity, e.g. the ludicrous prospect of a young Martha Stewart knocking an adult {{W|Ronda Rousey}} unconscious, or 9-year-old {{W|Muhammad Ali}} beating a 10-year-old JFK in {{w|air hockey}}. The horse also gets re-mentioned in the title text, losing in a hot dog eating contest against 12-year-old {{W|Ken Jennings}}. Ronda Rousey is an Olympic bronze medalist judoka and MMA fighter; when this comic was released Ronda Rousey had just lost to {{w|Holly Holm}} in a major upset. Muhammad Ali is one of the all-time great boxers. At the time of this comic Ken Jennings is the record-holder for his winning streak on ''{{W|Jeopardy!}}''.

Chess was previously compared to {{w|basketball}} in [[1392: Dominant Players]], which also mentioned Magnus. This is the tenth [[:Category:Chess|comic about chess]] on {{xkcd}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball walks from the right towards Megan while holding up his smartphone.]
:Cueball: Magnus Carlsen has an app where you can play chess against a simulated version of him at different ages.
:Cueball: I can beat the 8½-year-old, but lose to him at 9.

:[While Megan talks to Cueball he lifts his hand to his chin, while holding the smartphone down.]
:Megan: I want that, but for other games. Can I beat 8-year-old Serena Williams at Tennis? Swim laps faster than a 6-year-old Michael Phelps?
:Cueball: We should make a simulator.

:[Cueball walks out left and Megan follows him. He must have pocketed his phone as it is not in his hand.]
:Cueball: ...Why limit it to games? Can I cook a better chicken than 11-year-old Martha Stewart?
:Megan: Win an election against 12-year-old JFK?

:[At the top frame of this panel there is a small frame with a caption. Below lies Megan on the floor to the left in front of her laptop, while Cueball sits on the floor to the right facing her in front of his own laptop. Between them are some heavy books.]
:Soon...
:[Cueball and Megan sitting at laptops in the bottom of the panel.]
:Megan: Looks like 8-year-old Magnus Carlsen can swim faster than 9-year-old Martha Stewart.
:Cueball: But they both lose a hot-dog-eating contest to 2-year-old Secretariat.
:Megan: This project has gotten weird.

==Trivia==
The app they are talking about is called [http://magnuscarlsen.com/playmagnus Play Magnus].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics featuring John F. Kennedy]]
[[Category:Chess]]
[[Category:Sport]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1544: Margaret

2015-06-29T12:04:50Z

Testrider: /* Explanation */ Started by adding the first reference.

{{comic
| number = 1544
| date = June 29, 2015
| title = Margaret
| image = margaret.png
| titletext = Otherwise known as Margaret the Destroyer, I will bring pain to the the Great One. Then again, maybe I won't.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}

There is a reference to the book 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.' by Judy Blume[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Are_You_There_God%3F_It's_Me,_Margaret.], but the actual quote is:

"Are you still there God? It's me, Margaret. I know you're there God. I know you wouldn't have missed this for anything! Thank you God. Thanks an awful lot..."

I know you are listening may refer to an earlier XKCD comic[https://xkcd.com/525/].

The part "Are you scared... You should be" seems to be used in several horror movies.

==Transcript==
[A woman (Margaret) is talking, alone]

'''Margaret''': Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret.

'''Margaret''': I know you're listening.

'''Margaret''': Are you scared, God? Are you?

'''Margaret''': You should be.

Margaret is coming for you.

{{comic discussion}}

1504: Opportunity

2015-03-27T14:10:59Z

Testrider: Fixed text reference That is ''Opportunity's'' half of the planet. We must never go there

{{comic
| number = 1504
| date = March 27, 2015
| title = Opportunity
| image = opportunity.png
| titletext = We all remember those famous first words spoken by an astronaut on the surface of Mars: "That's one small step fo- HOLY SHIT LOOK OUT IT'S GOT SOME KIND OF DRILL! Get back to the ... [unintelligible] ... [signal lost]"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Needs citations.}}

This comic is talking about the robotic science platform {{w|Opportunity (rover)|''Opportunity''}}. On January 25, 2004, the ''Opportunity'' rover landed on the surface of {{w|Mars}} for the purpose of gathering data about the surface of Mars.

Also sent to Mars on the same date was another Martian rover, {{w|Spirit (rover)|''Spirit''}}. Unfortunately, this became stuck and a sand storm covered its solar panels. On March 22, it is thought that ''Spirit'''s batteries finally ran out, marking the end of its mission. This was memorably covered in [[695: Spirit]], in which the ''Spirit'' rover is portrayed as sentient.

In 2015, the Opportunity rover is still alive and moving, amazing the scientists at ground control.

However, in 2023, Opportunity has apparently become so powerful that it has become dangerous, destroying the {{w|Mars 2020|rover sent in 2020}}. To try and stop it, Cueball and Megan disconnected the battery but to no avail. This is similar to the stories of {{w|HAL 9000}} (from {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|''2001: A Space Odyssey''}}) and {{w|List of Star Trek characters (T–Z)#V'Ger|V'Ger}} (from ''{{w|Star Trek: The Motion Picture}}''), both of which became sentient and dangerously unstable.

By 2450, humans have colonised and terraformed Mars. “Everything the light touches” is a reference to what {{w|List of The Lion King characters#Mufasa|Mufasa}} says in ''{{w|The Lion King}}''. (Mufasa's son Simba then asks "What about that shadowy place?" and Mufasa tells him “That is ''Opportunity's'' half of the planet. We must never go there”.) What this all implies is the ''Opportunity'' has dominated half of the planet.

The title text refers to the first words of the first astronauts on the surface of Mars. At first, the astronaut copies the first words of Neil Armstrong on the Moon ("That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind") but it is interrupted by the ''Opportunity'' rover. Onboard the rover uses a drill for sampling rocks, but here it uses it to murder the astronaut.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
2010:
Ponytail (at a computer): After six years, Spirit is down, but Opportunity is still going strong.

Hair Bun: Tough little rover!

2015:
Opportunity:
Eleven years, wow!
Wasn't the original mission 90 days?
This is starting to get weird.

2023:
Cueball: The battery is totally disconnected! How can it still be moving?
Megan: Given what it did to the Mars 2020 rover, we may never know.

2450, Tereaformed Mars, Mars Imperial Capital:
Cueball and Megan are standing on a Martian cliff near a sci-fi city.

Cueball: Everything the light touches is our kingdom.
Megan (pointing to some distant mountains): What's that dark area?
Cueball: That is Opportunity's half of the planet. We must never go there.

:2010:
:[Ponytail and Hair Bun sitting at a Computer.]
:Ponytail: After six years, Spirit is down, but ''Opportunity'' is still going strong.
:Hair Bun: Tough little rover!

:2015:
:[Opportunity driving on the Mars.]
:Offscreen: Eleven years, wow.
:Offscreen 2: Wasn't the original mission 90 days?
:Offscreen: This is starting to get weird.

:2023:
:[Cueball and Megan sitting at a computer.]
:Cueball: The battery is totally disconnected. How can it still be moving?
:Megan: Given what it did to the Mars 2020 rover, we may never know.

:2450, terraformed Mars, martian imperial capital:
:[Some martian inhabits looking like Cueball and Megan pointing in the dark.]
:Cueball-Martian: Everything the light touches is our kingdom.
:Megan-Martian: What's that dark area?
:Cueball-Martian: That is ''Opportunity's'' half of the planet. We must never go there

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Robots]]

1459: Documents

2014-12-12T14:00:32Z

Testrider: /* Explanation */ Included part about address in .jpg

{{comic
| number = 1459
| date = December 12, 2014
| title = Documents
| image = documents.png
| titletext = Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy of Untitled.doc
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|WIP}}

The comic portrays the type of naming conventions used by some people (in this case, [[White Hat]]). When saving documents, the user is typically prompted to choose a filename, which may seem like a trivial choice. However, the filename is often the primary way of identifying the document you are looking for, and a descriptive title is of huge benefit when trying to find a certain document. Those who are too rushed or too lazy to create a useful filename, or those who don't understand what constitutes a useful filename are setting themselves up for future frustration.

When a user creates a new copy of a file in the same directory, the operating system may automatically append "copy" to the filename. Subsequent copies of the file have "copy 2", "copy 3" etc appended. When searching documents later, the user may struggle to remember which copy is the correct one to use.

[[Cueball]] has a severe distaste for these types of saved documents and hence provides a protip to never look in someone else's documents folder for the fear of finding these irritating details.

The .jpg is an image file, not something that should be used to store someones address.
The .doc and .docx extensions are given to documents created in Microsoft Word, with .docx being the default option from Microsoft Office 2007 onwards. When first saving a document, the default filename is the first sentence of the document. It is also possible to set a different default filename, though this is a feature that few people are aware of or use. It would seem that White Hat once opened a "new" document and saved it with the default name "Untitled.doc", and subsequently created hundreds of copies from that file. He occasionally made copies of the copies, and only occasionally added a keyword to the file name like "important" via a "save as".

In some cases he has added a minimal amount of detail to the filename, though hasn't removed the redundant "untitled copy" portion, which probably only adds to Cueball's frustration, as it demonstrates that White Hat does have at least a basic understanding of the importance of meaningful filenames, but still hasn't made any attempt to address the systemic problem.

==Transcript==

[White Hat browsing Documents folder]

Cueball: Oh my god.

Protip: Never look in someone else's documents folder.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Protip]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]