explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2913: Periodic Table Regions

2024-03-30T02:02:27Z

Thexkcdnerd: edit

Working on the table catalog. For ones that are part of multiple groups, I used the one that takes up the most. For split ones like Mn, I put them both. For Cs, please don't change it because Randall's American and that's how he would think of it. I know what all the elements are so please don't edit conflict me. --[[User:Purah126|Purah #126]] ([[User talk:Purah126|talk]]) 20:50, 29 March 2024 (UTC)

:I'm done. Again, please don't have an edit war over cesium and aluminum. --[[User:Purah126|Purah #126]] ([[User talk:Purah126|talk]]) 20:50, 29 March 2024 (UTC)
::What about Hahnium? ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.163.31|172.70.163.31]] 20:54, 29 March 2024 (UTC)
:::That's only for some people in Berkeley, if someone can find evidence that he's used it before in a comic then sure lol. --[[User:Purah126|Purah #126]] ([[User talk:Purah126|talk]]) 21:12, 29 March 2024 (UTC)
::::At times, dubnium, hassium, meitnerium ''and'' darmstadtium were considered for naming after Otto Hahn, and it reached several stages of international deliberation.
::::I actually learnt my chemistry in a (UK) lab with a wall-poster periodic table that had Hahnium shown on it. But I can't quite remember in what position, nor can I remember enough of the other differences (there being several) from the actual 'official' namings, so cannot be sure exactly what provenance it had. Pre '92, though, which rules out some of the options.
::::...but memorable enough for me to 'keep an eye out' for the fate of the name in later years. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.243|172.69.43.243]] 21:56, 29 March 2024 (UTC)

What about the two categories implied by "Ends in a number, let it slumber. Ends in a letter, not much better"? Which elements are in which? -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 01:36, 30 March 2024 (UTC)

Correcting some errors in the stuff about radon led me to add perhaps too much information about how it's formed, how it accumulates in basements, and how it causes health problems. I spent a few years in a lab whose primary research focus was on uranium mine waste and its consequences, so I've got some bias and blind spots. Others may want to edit it down. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 01:39, 30 March 2024 (UTC)

I'm too lazy to add this myself, but should there be something in the explanation about the overlap between "weird metals" and "murder weapons? (I checked over it quickly, correct me if there is already something about it) EDIT - just realized this could be due to mercury being in "murder weapons" - Thexkcdnerd 02:02, 30 March 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2913: Periodic Table Regions

2024-03-30T01:58:33Z

Thexkcdnerd: overlap comment

2873: Supersymmetry

2023-12-28T01:47:12Z

Thexkcdnerd: Minor re-wording

{{comic
| number = 2873
| date = December 27, 2023
| title = Supersymmetry
| image = supersymmetry 2x.png
| imagesize = 313x375px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = High-speed collisions at the Baby Park track may support the hypothesis that Daisy is her own evil twin, a theory first suggested by Nintendo in the game Majorana's Mask.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by DAISY'S EVIL TWIN- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic suggests that the theoretical physics concept of supersymmetry is related to something else commonly known to use "super" in it's name, namely Super Mario Bros. and Super Nintendo, and giving an explanation improperly combining the two unrelated topics

Protons, Neutrons, Antiprotons, Antineutrons, Electrons, and Electron Neutrinos are subatomic particles. Typically, an atom is made up of nucleus (Protons and Neutrons), with a cloud of electrons.

Protons: Positive charge, mass is ~1 amu, p+g
 Neutrons: No Charge, mass is slightly greater than 1 amu, n0
 Antiprotons: Negative Charge, same mass as a proton, -p
 Anitneutrons: No Charge, same mass as a neutron, -n
 Electrons: Negative Charge, 1/2000 amu, e-
 Electron Neutrinos: No Charge, mass 10 -36, ve

Note: there are Positrons (Antielectrons), which are the opposite of electrons, but they aren’t mentioned in the comic.

The right-handed Daisy (Electron Neutrino) means that Daisy’s direction of spin is the same as the direction of motion. A left-handed Daisy (Electron Neutrino) would be to the opposite.

The title text is a pun on the title of the Nintendo 64 game ''The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask'' and the [[//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majorana_fermion Majorana ferminon]]. It is referring to the fact that scientists cannot find an antiparticle for a neutrino, and that scientists wonder if a neutrino is its own antiparticle.

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

:Mario: Proton
:Luigi: Neutron

:Wario: Antiproton
:Waluigi: Antineutron

:Peach: Electron
:Daisy: Electron neutrino

:Free Luigi decay!
:[Label below Daisy:] (Right-handed)

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The theory of Supersymmetric Mario Bros suggests that each fundamental particle has a Super Nintendo partner.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Physics]]

2866: Snow

2023-12-12T05:02:03Z

Thexkcdnerd: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2866
| date = December 11, 2023
| title = Snow
| image = snow_2x.png
| imagesize = 609x379px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = For someone who has ostensibly outgrown staying up late waiting for Santa, I do spend an awful lot of time refreshing websites to see if packages are here yet.
}}

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

This comic is about how snow can often be distracting to many people, which could be interpreted as being "childish" or less mature. As the graph shows, Randall is still less "apparent age" whenever snow is falling, though mainly when it begins.

At the top is shown a line graph with "time" on the x-axis (the independent variable) and "my apparent age" (the dependent variable) on the y-axis. The graph drops sharply near the middle, with a note that this is when snow first begins to fall. Below the graph, Cueball is working on a computer with a window behind him. When snow begins to fall outside the window, he, representing the behavior of many adults including Randall, immediately abandons his work to watch the snowfall, even commenting excitedly. Presumably, it is the first snowfall of the year that provokes this level of excitement.

The title text refers to another common behavior of many adults- constantly refreshing tracking websites to see if a package has moved- and compares it to the idea of a child who believes in Santa and tries to stay up late enough to see him deliver presents.

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

Above the comic, there is a graph labeled "time" on the X-axis and "My apparent age on the Y-axis. The graph is flat until a large drop, labeled "The moment it starts to snow". After the drop, the line rises, but it doesn't reach as high as before.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Weather]]

2866: Snow

2023-12-12T04:54:50Z

Thexkcdnerd: transcript start

{{comic
| number = 2866
| date = December 11, 2023
| title = Snow
| image = snow_2x.png
| imagesize = 609x379px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = For someone who has ostensibly outgrown staying up late waiting for Santa, I do spend an awful lot of time refreshing websites to see if packages are here yet.
}}

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

This comic refers to how many people, apparently including Randall, get childishly excited about snow.

At the top is shown a line graph with "time" on the x-axis (the independent variable) and "my apparent age" (the dependent variable) on the y-axis. The graph drops sharply near the middle, with a note that this is when snow first begins to fall. Below the graph, Cueball is working on a computer with a window behind him. When snow begins to fall outside the window, he, representing the behavior of many adults including Randall, immediately abandons his work to watch the snowfall, even commenting excitedly. Presumably, it is the first snowfall of the year that provokes this level of excitement.

The title text refers to another common behavior of many adults- constantly refreshing tracking websites to see if a package has moved- and compares it to the idea of a child who believes in Santa and tries to stay up late enough to see him deliver presents.

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

Above the comic, there is a graph labeled "time" on the X-axis and "My apparent age on the Y-axis. The graph is flat until a large drop, labeled "The moment it starts to snow". After the drop, the line rises, but it doesn't reach as high as before.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Weather]]

Talk:2852: Parameterball

2023-11-09T02:44:38Z

Thexkcdnerd: mass/density comment

added transcript and a kinda crappy explanation [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 17:36, 8 November 2023 (UTC)
: added a bit of crappy info to the explanation. also hi nqh [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 17:42, 8 November 2023 (UTC)
: added crappy edits. also do i have an account or… [[User:TenGolf MathHacker|TenGolf MathHacker]] ([[User talk:TenGolf MathHacker|talk]]) 19:30, 8 November 2023 (UTC)

Does the tennis court in upper right look about 50% larger than normal to anyone else? The ping-pong table definitely looks too small, about half size. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:07, 8 November 2023 (UTC)

: I'd say the the upper right is similar width to a tennis court but is 25% longer. The lower left looks to be similar width to table tennis / ping pong but is about half as long. So the explanations for those need revising. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.51|162.158.62.51]] 18:13, 8 November 2023 (UTC)

I have some neat plans for that Incomplete template. Get ready for an occasional change to something random that uses anything but metric... [[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]|[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]]) 18:29, 8 November 2023 (UTC)
: mobile account here, first of many implemented [[Special:Contributions/172.70.42.48|172.70.42.48]] 20:55, 8 November 2023 (UTC)
If no limits, then neutron star or black hole ball exists as much as more non lethal games.

Could the title text be talking about the mass of a bowling ball, rather than then density? If the diameter of a bowling ball is 20cm and the diameter of a table tennis ball is 4cm, which is consistent with a quick Google search, than the volume of the bowling ball is around 125 times as big as the table tennis ball (because we have to cube it for three dimensions). Let's assume a bowling ball is 12 pounds, which is about average. Therefore, a ping pong ball with the density of a bowling ball would weigh much less than a pound. A 12 pound table tennis ball, however, could easily cause equipment damage. [[User:Thexkcdnerd|Thexkcdnerd]] ([[User talk:Thexkcdnerd|talk]]) 02:44, 9 November 2023 (UTC)

2841: Sign Combo

2023-10-14T02:20:05Z

Thexkcdnerd: tag

{{comic
| number = 2841
| date = October 13, 2023
| title = Sign Combo
| image = sign_combo_2x.png
| imagesize = 322x334px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Speed Limit: 45 MPH / Minimum: 65 MPH
}}

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

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

{{comic discussion}}

2826: Gold

2023-09-09T02:33:21Z

Thexkcdnerd:

{{comic
| number = 2826
| date = September 8, 2023
| title = Gold
| image = gold_2x.png
| imagesize = 695x272px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It can be expensive to hire a professional spectroscopist for your wedding, but the quality of the spectra you get is worth it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by Find single neutron stars near you! - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

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

{{comic discussion}}

2780: Physical Quantities

2023-05-25T03:23:46Z

Thexkcdnerd: Hubble length

{{comic
| number = 2780
| date = May 24, 2023
| title = Physical Quantities
| image = physical_quantities_2x.png
| imagesize = 338x183px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The Hubble length is about 1.9 meters lying down; Edwin Hubble was a tall guy.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a 37 degree scientist - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic plays on the name of various constants by simply taking them literally. Each one is treated as describing the body of the scientist after which they are named. For example, Planck length, a unit of distance, is reimagined as Max Planck's height, which, when laying down, can be called "length".

'''Hubble volume'''

'''Schwarzschild radius'''

The schwarzschild radius is not actually a constant.

'''Broca's area'''

Broca's area is part of the brain. It is not a measurement of area in the sense of length times width.

'''Fermi temperature'''

The temperature of an average human is about 37 degrees Celsius, so it makes sense that Enrico Fermi’s temperature was 37 degrees Celsius.

'''Planck length'''

Planck units are extremely small measurements invented by Max Planck. However, Randall measures the length of Max Planck, not the units.

'''Hubble length''' (title text)

A Hubble length is 14.4 billion light years. This is a joke similar to the above play on the Planck length.

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

:[A centered header appears above a list.]
:Reference Physical Quantities
:Hubble volume: 96L
:Schwarzchild radius: 0.34m (curled up)
:Broca's area: 1.7m3
:Fermi temperature: 37°C
:Planck length: 1.76m (lying down)

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Biology]]

2780: Physical Quantities

2023-05-25T03:18:02Z

Thexkcdnerd: more info

2759: Easily Confused Acronyms

2023-04-06T03:16:15Z

Thexkcdnerd: more transcript

{{comic
| number = 2759
| date = April 5, 2023
| title = Easily Confused Acronyms
| image = easily_confused_acronyms_2x.png
| imagesize = 557x444px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = 'Lever' was originally an acronym for Load Emplification by the Vimulated Emission of Radiation.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a RIGHT OMPLIFICATION BY THE BTIMULATED OMISSION OF TADIATION - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, [[Randall]] compared the Acronym "Laser" with various other five-letter acronyms. He first explained the "Laser" and "Maser" correctly, but the following three are simply the full name of "Laser" with the first word and initials changed. The replacement first word is correct for these acronyms, but the other words formed from changing the first letter are nonsense.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
!Acronym !! Comic !! Actual
|-
| LASER || Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation || Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation
|-
| MASER || Microwave Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation || Microwave Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation
|-
| SONAR || Sound Omplification by the Nimulated Emission of Radiation || SOund NAvigation and Ranging
|-
| RADAR || Radio Amplification by the Dimulated Amission of Radiation || RAdio Detection And Ranging
|-
| LIDAR || Light Implification by the Dimulated Amission of Radiation || LIght raDAR
|-
| LEVER (title text) || |Load Emplification by the Vimulated Emission of Radiation. || ''(not an acronym)''
|}

Laser and maser are true-to-life acronyms. The remaining 3 words' true meanings are as follows: sonar is short for "sound/sonic navigation and ranging", radar for "radio detection and ranging", linear for "light detection and ranging". (Note that these 3 each include the second letter from their first word in the acronym.)

The three false definitions simply suppose that all 5 of the acronyms follow the same model and swap out the necessary letters to fit, in a square-peg-round-hole manner.

The title text extends this to the 5-letter word "lever". This is an ordinary word (derived from an Old French word ''levier'', which means "to lift"), not an acronym at all. Levers have been used since ancient times{{citation needed}}, and predates high-tech uses of radiation by millenia (it's one of the {{w|simple machines}} that {{w|Archimedes}} studied in Ancient Greece).

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Easily-confused acronyms cheat sheet

Laser

Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation

Maser

Microwave Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation

Sonar

Sound Omplification by the Nimulated Emission of Radiation

Radar

Radio Amplification by the Dimulated Amission of Radiation

Lidar

Light Implification by the Dimulated Amission of Radiation

{{comic discussion}}

2759: Easily Confused Acronyms

2023-04-06T03:04:25Z

Thexkcdnerd: Line breaks

2759: Easily Confused Acronyms

2023-04-06T03:03:06Z

Thexkcdnerd: /* Transcript */

Talk:2754: Relative Terms

2023-03-26T04:08:02Z

Thexkcdnerd: commented

Does this mean that the steam calliopes which are as loud as an airplane are LARGER than that airplane? I'm not finding any examples of such. [[User:Ikidre|Ikidre]] ([[User talk:Ikidre|talk]]) 01:31, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

Holy shit what a terrible comic [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.130|172.68.58.130]] 02:24, 25 March 2023 (UTC)
:I've seen many a terrible comic and I personally don't consider this one to be terrible, but relative to other XKCD comics I would consider it one of the least interesting and entertaining, unfortunately. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.38.230|172.70.38.230]] 15:44, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

I'm somewhat terrified that "Statue" isn't considered *maximally* quiet. [[User:Trimeta|Trimeta]] ([[User talk:Trimeta|talk]]) 02:32, 25 March 2023 (UTC)
:I don't think the position in the quadrants is meant to indicate degree of loudness or size. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 04:07, 25 March 2023 (UTC)
::Yes it is, that's how such graphs work. That's why sewing machine is in the middle, Randall is declaring that it's neither small nor big, and neither quiet nor loud, it's medium on both scales. Comics like this are roughly the standard X-Y graph but without numbered scales and having words instead of points. And I too noted that statues aren't maximum quiet, LOL! Maybe he's referring to the Doctor Who Weeping Angels? DO they make any sound? [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:29, 25 March 2023 (UTC)
:::Well, that may be how such graphs sometimes work, but clearly not this one. The quadrants are positioned relative to the sewing machine, but that appears to be the only significance afforded to positioning in this layout - an item's position within its quadrant does not indicate the degree to which it qualifies as belonging there. Otherwise a firecracker and a blender would be quieter than a cricket. Unless Randall is referring to the crowd at a test match. But that seems pretty unlikely.[[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 10:20, 25 March 2023 (UTC)
::::The fact that xkcd charts usually have arrows on the axes when the position within the quadrant does matter would support this claim. [[User:NcPenguin|NcPenguin]] ([[User talk:NcPenguin|talk]]) 16:45, 25 March 2023 (UTC)
:::::Came here to point out that I’ve heard a mouse that somehow got in scritch-scritching n something in my kitchen, and I’ve heard a butterfly that somehow got in battering against a window trying to get out, but I’ve never in my life heard an ant, nor even a hundred ants working together to wreck stuff. But as you pointed out, there are no arrows on the chart, so the positions in the quadrants probably aren’t intended to be meaningful.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.10|172.69.34.10]] 21:56, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

:::Gartner Magic Quadrants include arrows on the axes, e.g. "completeness of vision -->" and "ability to execute-->". This is not that. However it is '''mostly''' implied by the contents of each quadrant that the items are arranged smallest to biggest (top-down) and quietest to loudest (left-to-right). I think for those who study the items carefully, this then introduces some situational irony for comedic effect in the way of the unexpected placement of certain items like "statues" (louder than a Giraffe?), "baby" (smaller than a harmonica?), and "cannon" (quieter than a riding mower?). Additionally, having spent time in a quiet room with a cricket, I think the "maximally loud" position of the cricket here feels about right. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.179.61|172.70.179.61]] 16:44, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

I've always considered a microwave oven to be the central item
: I concur that microwave would be excellent in the center, and less ambiguous (I mean, I feel certain that Randall didn't think of industrial sewing machines, but this community loves being uncertain, LOL!) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:22, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

AFAIK, only Randall/xkcd uses the term "Bun" to mean bunnies... :) I feel like it should be worded that way. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:22, 25 March 2023 (UTC)
:No, it's very common in the furry community, and I swear I've heard it elsewhere as well. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.230.72|172.70.230.72]] 12:03, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

Is the breadbox no longer the standard item for size comparison? Because I still use it that way. [[User:Mathmannix|Mathmannix]] ([[User talk:Mathmannix|talk]]) 12:43, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

Is the moon really bigger than the northern lights? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.117|172.70.126.117]] 17:39, 25 March 2023 (UTC)
:Hmmmm... I wonder. Well, the Moon is a tad under 3,500km (diameter). Taking just a single pole's Aurora (combined, you could just say they are approx. Earth's diamater, which is bigger than the Moon,{{Citation needed}} going pole-to-pole) the height is the thickness of the (upper) atmosphere, very much of that below the altitude of satellites (e.g. ISS), which is mere hundreds of km at best. Or take its 3-6 degrees of 'band width', that is perhaps a tad over 300-600km thick. But if we go with its extent all the way round off the pole, it seems to get about the size of the Moon (linear distance, not 'over the pole') once it extends by 15-16 degrees of latitude (i.e. to less than 74 degrees N/S). It is generally accepted that it varies between 10 and 20 degrees from each geomagnetic pole (is seen at lower latitudes, but only above the horizon) so... it's a close thing. If I've done my calculations correctly. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.235|162.158.34.235]] 18:58, 25 March 2023 (UTC)

Would it be useful to add "size" and "loudness" columns to each of the tables, along with estimates of each for each item? -- [[User:Dtgriscom|Dtgriscom]] ([[User talk:Dtgriscom|talk]]) 01:23, 26 March 2023 (UTC)

I don't think this comic is fully accurate... I've always assumed volcanoes were smaller than the moon. [[User:Thexkcdnerd|Thexkcdnerd]] ([[User talk:Thexkcdnerd|talk]]) 04:08, 26 March 2023 (UTC)

2754: Relative Terms

2023-03-25T02:16:39Z

Thexkcdnerd: More of the transcript

{{comic
| number = 2754
| date = March 24, 2023
| title = Relative Terms
| image = relative_terms_2x.png
| imagesize = 425x442px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Small sewing machines are sewing machines that are smaller than a sewing machine. A sewing machine is larger than a small sewing machine, but quieter than a loud sewing machine.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT OF INDETERMINATE SIZE AND AUDIBILITY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The terms "small" and "big" are used to refer to size; the terms "loud" and "soft" are used to refer to volume.

However, these terms are clearly{{fact}} relative.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ List of objects
|}

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

A chart, with "quiet" to "loud" on the X-axis, and "small" to "big" on the Y-axis. It is split into four quarters, with "Sewing machine" in the center.

Caption below the panel: ''Big'', ''Small'', ''Loud'', and ''Quiet'' are relative terms. The thing they're relative to is a sewing machine.

{{comic discussion}}

2754: Relative Terms

2023-03-25T01:43:17Z

Thexkcdnerd: Started transcript

Talk:2741: Wish Interpretation

2023-02-23T00:02:24Z

Thexkcdnerd: That makes sense

To all you people reading the discussion, why can't I add my own person page? I mean, is a year too new? I think I know, [[User:No Idea If There's A Character Limit LMAO|(but I'm not completely sure.)]] ([[User talk:No Idea If There's A Character Limit LMAO|talk]]) 23:29, 22 February 2023 (UTC)

:Oh, you have to have an old enough account to make one? I had been wondering how to. [[User:Thexkcdnerd|Thexkcdnerd]] ([[User talk:Thexkcdnerd|talk]]) 00:02, 23 February 2023 (UTC)

Ironically, a banknote created by a genie would be counterfeit, although the odds of legal trouble over $20 are nonetheless low. 23:43, 22 February 2023 (UTC)

That's cool. Try https://what-if.xkcd.com/23/. Part 1. I need a new signature. [[User:No Idea If There's A Character Limit LMAO|(but I'm not completely sure.)]] ([[User talk:No Idea If There's A Character Limit LMAO|talk]]) 23:46, 22 February 2023 (UTC)

2741: Wish Interpretation

2023-02-22T22:52:54Z

Thexkcdnerd:

{{comic
| number = 2741
| date = February 22, 2023
| title = Wish Interpretation
| image = wish_interpretation_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x288px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "I wish for everything in the world. All the people, money, trees, etc." "Are you SURE you--" "And I want you to put it in my house."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by The absence of an umbrella - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

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

{{comic discussion}}

2741: Wish Interpretation

2023-02-22T22:51:43Z

Thexkcdnerd:

{{comic
| number = 2741
| date = February 22, 2023
| title = Wish Interpretation
| image = wish_interpretation_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x288px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = "I wish for everything in the world. All the people, money, trees, etc." "Are you SURE you--" "And I want you to put it in my house."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a A teapot with a genie inside - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

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

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:609: Tab Explosion

2023-02-20T02:07:10Z

Thexkcdnerd: comment

It also has a link, not only to the comic, but also to the ''explained'' comic here! Talk about a loop. Anonymous07:20, 4 December 2013 (UTC)

you can't access title-text on mobile devices [[Special:Contributions/173.245.62.75|173.245.62.75]] 14:29, 16 April 2014 (UTC)

could someone please poste a link to the cracked.com column that pay tribute to this comic? {{unsigned ip|141.101.81.222}}

This could be the one that makes some reference: http://www.cracked.com/blog/clippy-finally-messes-with-the-wrong-word-doc/ (the text appears inside) {{unsigned ip|Mercastan}}

To access the title text on mobile devices, hold down the thing you need to see the title text of. Nate {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.20}}

You can also go to m.xkcd.com, and tapping on the image or the alt-text link makes the title text appear below the title (for those chrome users who can't see the entire title text by tap-holding). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.143|162.158.74.143]] 13:20, 24 March 2020 (UTC)

I have that website blocked by an application that blocked websites. The reason is NOT because of what is described in the comic, but it's because I got permabanned from that site back in 2017 for something I did not even know was against the rules, with no prior warnings, and the only appeal option that they gave that they did not consider "ban evasion" was an email address that never replied back to you, even years later, and I don't think they even deserve viewing traffic from people who they have treated so unfairly/punished so harshly like that. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.135.48|172.70.135.48]] 01:56, 18 December 2021 (UTC)
:Waitwhat? Presuming even that you mean Cracked (not sure what you did to annoy them, it must have been... interesting) and not m.xkcd.com, I'm not sure how they could remain targetted against you, nor how it'svan application. Assuming you're not reinstalling a Child-Safe-style application of your own on every machine you try to access via, and making sure it's using PG-13 limits of some kind.
:I doubt they can reliably IP-block you. If I go to edit wikipedia and it refuses because some idiot has previously made a nuisance of themselves under my current dynamic IP, it is trivial (without VPNing or similar) to get a newish IP-of-the-moment that usually lets me do my (non-nuisance) editing.
:Even if you stick to a single device then aggressive cookie-style tracking can be 'forgotten' so that you machine isn't traitorously restating your apparent blockability.
:...never mind me, it's way too late (GMT) and I'm just far too intrigued by your statement. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.19|162.158.159.19]] 02:30, 18 December 2021 (UTC)

aaah nooo A TVTropes link [[User:Thexkcdnerd|Thexkcdnerd]] ([[User talk:Thexkcdnerd|talk]]) 02:07, 20 February 2023 (UTC)

Talk:76: Familiar

2023-01-26T08:59:44Z

Thexkcdnerd: /* Comic rotation */

What do you reckon is missing from the explanation? ––[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 14:26, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
:I'm running through the first comics and when I feel that something is missing it just gets the incomplete tag. Everyone is welcome to fix and remove this tag. The most worse error here was :) instead of :(.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:22, 2 July 2013 (UTC)
::The happy smiley was ''after'' the sentence dryly ''explaining'' the fairly obvious thing that a sad smiley means sadness. It was totally intentional, meant as a joke, funny or not! It could have been ;) though. –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 07:55, 3 July 2013 (UTC)
:::The title text shows :( not more or less. If you have ideas beyond of this explain it, but do not change the original text.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:14, 7 July 2013 (UTC)
::::This is confused. How do you mean, I changed the original text? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 09:36, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::Go here: [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=76:_Familiar&diff=prev&oldid=43148]], you did change the ":(" to ";)" and a few edits before you did ":)". I just did edit this to the correct sadness symbol. When Randall talks about apples you can't explain bananas.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:44, 10 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::I'm removing the sentence. It was just a joke, but it wasn't appreciated. :( ––[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 19:19, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
:::::::What the hell you are doing? We need an explain for the title text, even when it's simple.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:32, 21 July 2013 (UTC)
::::::::No. You don't need to explain what a smiley is. Everybody knows. Especially on the internet. There's got to be a limit; we don't, for example, explain the meaning of common english words. –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 08:18, 22 July 2013 (UTC)
:: *worst, not 'most worst'. :) [[User:Beanie|Beanie]] ([[User talk:Beanie|talk]]) 14:17, 16 March 2021 (UTC)
Is this the shortest title text? [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 10:56, 11 June 2018 (UTC)
:If you don't count comics without any title text at all, then yeah, I'm pretty sure it is. [[User:SuperSupermario24|SuperSupermario24]] 06:32, 1 June 2019 (UTC)

== Comic rotation ==

Anyone else notice the comic is rotated 90 degrees clockwise for them on the xkcd website? I’m using Safari on an iPhone. {{unsigned|172.68.142.209}}
:It's fine in Chrome on Android and Debian. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 01:13, 12 May 2019 (UTC)
::Exif.Image.Orientation is set to rotate the image. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.238|108.162.219.238]] 21:10, 13 February 2020 (UTC)
::Also rotated in Chrome on Mac as of May 2020
:::As well as for Chrome on PC as of July 2020.[[User:Blueshoes317|Blueshoes317]] ([[User talk:Blueshoes317|talk]]) 16:26, 3 July 2020 (UTC)
:Currently not rotated in Firefox on Debian. [[User:ExcarnateSojourner|ExcarnateSojourner]] ([[User talk:ExcarnateSojourner|talk]]) 02:47, 4 July 2020 (UTC)
::Rotated in Firefox on Ubuntu as of September 2020. [[User:LegionMammal978|LegionMammal978]] ([[User talk:LegionMammal978|talk]]) 18:37, 24 September 2020 (UTC)
:Yeah, I was actually coming here to see if anyone else was getting the same problem. [[User:Thexkcdnerd|Thexkcdnerd]] ([[User talk:Thexkcdnerd|talk]]) 08:59, 26 January 2023 (UTC)
:Rotated in Chrome on a Chromebook as of March 20, 2020. [[User:Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)|Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)]] ([[User talk:Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)|talk]]) 17:45,

20 March 2021 (UTC)
As of 2021 it is roatated on chrome on iPad

2021-12-08, rotated on Chrome on a Windows 10 laptop. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.45|172.70.110.45]] 15:18, 8 December 2021 (UTC)

2022-Mar-09, rotated on Edge on a Windows 10 PC.

2022-May-26, rotated on Chrome on a Chromebook running Chrome OS 101. [[User:KirbyDude25|KirbyDude25]] ([[User talk:KirbyDude25|talk]]) 14:04, 26 May 2022 (UTC)

2022-Jun-12, rotated on Opera on a Windows 10 laptop.

2022-Sep-6, not rotated on Web/Epiphany on Ubuntu. - JuL

2022-Dec-1, rotated on Chrome in Android. -DM

2023-Jan-6th, rotated on Chrome on Mac -RIG

2023-Jan-6th, rotated on safari on iPad 4 [[Special:Contributions/172.70.131.3|172.70.131.3]] 03:30, 7 January 2023 (UTC)

2729: Planet Killer Comet Margarita

2023-01-25T22:49:28Z

Thexkcdnerd:

{{comic
| number = 2729
| date = January 25, 2023
| title = Planet Killer Comet Margarita
| image = planet_killer_comet_margarita_2x.png
| imagesize = 607x942px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I'll take mine on the rocks, no ice.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MARGARITAFIED METEOR - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A {{w|margarita}} is a popular cocktail made from {{w|tequila}}, {{w|agave}}, {{w|triple sec}}, and {{w|lime juice}}. The frozen margarita variety is blended with ice, and this comic suggests making an enormous drink using the ice from a {{w|comet nucleus}}. Based on the amount of ice in a typical comet, it extrapolates the quantity of the other ingredients. The size of this drink will fill {{w|Lake Mead}}, a massive reservoir on the {{w|Colorado River}} holding water controversially held by {{w|Hoover Dam}}.

''{{w|Armageddon_(1998_film)|Armageddon}}'' is a movie starring {{w|Bruce Willis}} about a team of astronauts and oil drill engineers on a mission to blow up an asteroid that's on a collision course with the Earth. The oil drill would be used to drill a hole deep into the asteroid, into which they'll drop a nuclear bomb to destroy it. The comic suggests using the same technique to explode the comet nucleus to get the ice.

Randall has substituted orange liqueur for the triple sec. This was used in one of the apocryphal origin stories of the drink.

In the title text, he asks for it "on the rocks". In the context of margaritas this means on ice. But the comet nucleus also contains lots of rocky material. If you explode the nucleus and remove the ice, the drink will be full of rocks.

In the header, it says "Today's comic was drawn for Daniel Becker, based on
his winning question [[https://what-if.xkcd.com/162/]] submitted to the What If? 2 contest"
==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:<big>The Planet Killer</big>
:Comet Ice Margarita

:Ingredients
:4,000 oil tankers full of tequila
:1,000 tankers full of orange liqueur
:1,000 tankers full of agave
:The juice from 20 trillion limes
:One comet nucleus

:Instructions
:(1) Drain Lake Mead, combine ingredients behind Hoover Dam
:(2) Detonate comet using Bruce Willis's drilling rig from ''Armageddon'' (1998)
::''Boom''
:(3) Dispense drink through Hoover Dam turbines

{{comic discussion}}

2725: Sunspot Cycle

2023-01-17T01:54:04Z

Thexkcdnerd: Added line break.

{{comic
| number = 2725
| date = January 16, 2023
| title = Sunspot Cycle
| image = sunspot_cycle_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x503px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Who can forget the early 2010s memes? 'You know you're a 90s kid if you remember the feeling of warm sunlight on your face.' 'Only 90s kids remember the dawn.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a NINETIES KID WHO FELT SUN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
(Caption above the comic):Ever wonder why the sun disappears for about 10 years every other decade? This terrifying period of worldwide darkness is a consequence of the 11-year sunspot cycle.

There is a graph with "Sunspot number" and "Time".
Left to right:
Dark sunspots appear.
Sunspot number rises.
Numbers fall as sunspots merge.
Sunspots envelop sun, earth enters years of darkness.
Bright sunspots appear, cycle reverses.

History:
(A graph goes back and forth from "Sun is light" and "Sun is dark".
{{comic discussion}}

2725: Sunspot Cycle

2023-01-17T01:53:17Z

Thexkcdnerd: Transcript

{{comic
| number = 2725
| date = January 16, 2023
| title = Sunspot Cycle
| image = sunspot_cycle_2x.png
| imagesize = 740x503px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Who can forget the early 2010s memes? 'You know you're a 90s kid if you remember the feeling of warm sunlight on your face.' 'Only 90s kids remember the dawn.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a NINETIES KID WHO FELT SUN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
(Caption above the comic):Ever wonder why the sun disappears for about 10 years every other decade? This terrifying period of worldwide darkness is a consequence of the 11-year sunspot cycle.
There is a graph with "Sunspot number" and "Time".
Left to right:
Dark sunspots appear.
Sunspot number rises.
Numbers fall as sunspots merge.
Sunspots envelop sun, earth enters years of darkness.
Bright sunspots appear, cycle reverses.

History:
(A graph goes back and forth from "Sun is light" and "Sun is dark".
{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2718: New Year's Eve Party

2022-12-31T03:41:52Z

Thexkcdnerd:

There may be a "Twenty-Twenty Vision" pun (only that it's 20/23 visual accuity, which isn't as bad as this Cueball now has), but not sure it's good enough to mention... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.70|162.158.34.70]] 22:07, 30 December 2022 (UTC)

What's Hairy holding? [[User:Thexkcdnerd|Thexkcdnerd]] ([[User talk:Thexkcdnerd|talk]]) 03:41, 31 December 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2718: New Year's Eve Party

2022-12-31T03:41:11Z

Thexkcdnerd:

There may be a "Twenty-Twenty Vision" pun (only that it's 20/23 visual accuity, which isn't as bad as this Cueball now has), but not sure it's good enough to mention... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.70|162.158.34.70]] 22:07, 30 December 2022 (UTC)
What's Hairy holding? [[User:Thexkcdnerd|Thexkcdnerd]] ([[User talk:Thexkcdnerd|talk]]) 03:41, 31 December 2022 (UTC)

1019: First Post

2022-12-21T16:15:57Z

Thexkcdnerd:

{{comic
| number = 1019
| date = February 20, 2012
| title = First Post
| image = first_post.png
| titletext = 'Nuh-uh! We let users vote on comments and display them by number of votes. Everyone knows that makes it impossible for a few persistent voices to dominate the discussion.'
}}

==Explanation==
Many news websites allow users to post comments on an article. The intention is that users can debate the stance(s) or implication(s) made by the article. On most sites, comments are displayed in chronological order. This puts the oldest comments at the top and newest at the bottom.

There are many pitfalls to allowing comments, but this comic refers to one in particular: most users are too busy to read more than just the top few comments. Therefore, if you were able to control the content of those comments, your opinions would be the ones that the majority of users read. If you pay people to do nothing but read the site, you ensure that they will be the first ones to see the article and that their comments (that you pay them to write) will be at the top of the page. In this scenario, the comments being posted appear to convey a particular political belief. The advantage of this is, according to [[Randall]], that it would be much cheaper to employ a college student to perform that task than pay a website for an advertisement. Also, the fact that it is a comment posted by another reader would make it seem as though the opinion was coming from the general population and not a politician or company, as an advertisement would imply. And $20/hour was (and as of this writing still is) significantly higher than the {{w|minimum wage}}, so you'd have no trouble finding willing participants among college students (who are often broke).

This comic is a continuation of [[937: TornadoGuard]] which stated "the problem with star ratings". Apparently, every possible comment ordering policy has its own problems.

The title text refers to systems like {{w|Reddit|Reddit's}} {{w|conversation threading}} which allow users to vote comments up or down and to sort them by the resulting "karma score" (total up-votes minus total down-votes). The hired students could easily be assigned to also upvote each other’s posts. Even without collusion, the same problem persists to some extent: after a few comments are posted and some votes are cast, the handful of comments having received the highest scores among the first dozen of so will receive far better chances at being seen and voted on than comments posted later, and will solidify their places in a positive {{w|Feedback|feedback}} loop. In this way, a few persistent voices can still dominate the discussion, contrary to the claim in the title text, thus creating irony.

The comic's title refers to a once-common form of online posturing where the first user to see the article will comment "First post" or even just "First". The intent is that everyone else see that they were there first and, therefore, must be somehow better than you. This is referred to in both [[269: TCMP]] and [[1258: First]].

Since this comic's publication several news sites have elected to remove all comments, in part to prevent [https://www.niemanlab.org/2015/09/what-happened-after-7-news-sites-got-rid-of-reader-comments/ a few voices] [https://www.npr.org/sections/publiceditor/2016/08/17/489516952/npr-website-to-get-rid-of-comments?t=1568619071215 dominating the conversation].

In [[2159: Comments]], this strip is mentioned, along with the text "This dynamic is so easily manipulated and it freaks me out."

==Transcript==
:[Single panel showing a bar graph with two gray vertical bars, a dollar amount above each bar, the vertical axis on the left side with tick marks every $250,000, and the horizontal axis at the bottom with a descriptive label below each bar under the axis. The first bar is much taller than the second.]

:[First bar:]
:Amount: $1,500,000
:Label: Cost to buy an ad on every story on a major news site every day until the election

:[Second bar:]
:Amount: $200,000
:Label: Cost to pay five college students $20/hour to camp the site 24/7 and post the first few comments the moment a story goes up, giving you the last word in every article and creating an impression of peer consensus

:[Caption below the panel:]
:The problem with posting comments in the order they're submitted

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Bar charts]]
[[Category:Politics]]

2241: Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect

2022-12-21T02:09:45Z

Thexkcdnerd: Changed "Lobsters" to "Spiders"

{{comic
| number = 2241
| date = December 13, 2019
| title = Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect
| image = brussels_sprouts_mandela_effect.png
| titletext = I love Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect; I saw them open for Correct Horse Battery Staple.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Brussels sprouts}} are a leafy vegetable from the cabbage family which were cultivated in Brussels, in what is now Belgium, in the 13th century, giving them their name. Many adults and children [https://www.camdenliving.com/blog/why-do-we-hate-brussel-sprout dislike Brussels sprouts], perhaps because of their bitterness.

[[Cueball]] was one of these people who thought he had a dislike for Brussels sprouts, but after trying them recently he had a change of heart and likes them now. He feels "misled" by the public dislike for Brussels sprouts. [[Megan]] chimes in and notes that it is not just him. Farmers started to develop a newer {{w|cultivar}} of Brussels sprouts in the 1990s (as opposed to the 15 years ago referenced in the comic), which taste less bitter than the "original" cultivar of Brussels sprouts that Cueball grew up eating. (A [https://npr.org/773457637 source] is provided in the comic as a foot note to Megan's statement. This would be the first of two comics in a row with this type of reference given, the second coming in [[2242: Ground vs Air]].)

It seems that others have also started to like Brussels sprouts, which Megan calls a real {{w|False_memory#Mandela_Effect|Mandela Effect}}, hence the title ''Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect''. Megan explains that now the whole world have a "false" shared memory of Brussels sprouts tasting bad, and it is like we have all switched to the parallel universe where they taste good. This idea was earlier used in [[1268: Alternate Universe]] regarding the weird idea of eating spiders.

{{w|false memory|False memories}} may arise via suggestibility, activation of associated information, the incorporation of misinformation, and source misattribution, and {{w|False_memory#Commonly_held_false_memories|they can be shared}}, sometimes widely, when one of these triggers happens to many people in a population.

The Mandela Effect, however, is a pseudoscience explanation for a false memory shared by multiple people. It proposes that the false memory is actually real, but the people who share it somehow experienced it in a parallel world, or that reality somehow around them changed in some way, while their memories remained intact. This is why Megan calls this a real Mandela effect, because in this situation it is the world we live in that has actually changed, not our memories that are wrong. Now the Brussels sprouts taste different than we remembered, it is not our memories that are wrong.

In the last panel, [[Ponytail]] then tricks Cueball into thinking that {{w|licorice}}, [https://www.nbcnews.com/healthmain/why-do-so-many-us-hate-black-licorice-few-theories-963738 another widely disliked food], is good tasting. At this point Megan realizes that this must be a trap. Unlike Brussels sprouts, the taste of licorice has not changed noticeably, so people who hated the taste before are likely to still find it unpleasant.

That Ponytail is up to no good is shown to be true when she additionally claims that {{w|Silica_gel|silica gel}} packets are actually edible and taste delicious. This is very false! {{w|Silica_gel#Desiccant|Silica gel packets}} are typically used as a desiccant, to keep electronics and other moisture sensitive items dry. They are typically marked "[https://www.123rf.com/photo_72752039_single-silica-gel-packet-isolated-on-white-background-.html Do Not Eat]" to warn people that they are not edible. Although not toxic, and even {{w|Silica_gel#Food_additive|allowed in some form in food}}, silica gel has a sand-like texture and no flavor or nutritional value, can {{w|Silica_gel#Hazards|cause irritation}} if digested in the raw form, and the packets may contain {{w|Silica_gel#Humidity_indicator_(blue/orange_silica_gel)|potentially toxic additives}}.

Cueball, having been prepped by both his own experience and Megan's facts are totally ready to believe Ponytail, even to the extent that he seems to feel cheated by the makers of silica gel packets, who he must now think has written ''Do Not Eat'' just to keep that delicious gel for themselves. Hopefully Megan can convince him not to find and eat them. Ponytail is often not nice to Cueball, although in other comics it is more like she talks him down, see [[:Category:Code Quality|Code Quality]], not directly trying to harm him.

The title text suggests that "Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect" is a music band, who once were the {{w|opening act}} for the presumably better known band "Correct Horse Battery Staple". This latter group is a reference to [[936: Password Strength]]. It hints at the "{{tvtropes|AGoodNameForARockBand|good name for a musical band}}" trope, which Randall before tried to replace by a dot tumblr dot com trope in [[1025: Tumblr]]. Indirectly, he also suggests that ''Brussels Sprouts Mandela Effect'' would be a great long password that is now easy to remember (as long as you remember [https://www.reddit.com/r/MandelaEffect/comments/6meq1a/brussel_sprouts_right/ there is an S] at the end of {{w|Brussels}} (at least in English, but not in Dutch, which is one of the official languages of Brussels/Belgium)).

For a comic about awkwardly named bands, see [[119: Worst Band Name Ever]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing between Ponytail and Megan talking to them.]
:Cueball: I always thought of Brussels sprouts as terrible, but they're actually really good! I can't believe I let everyone mislead me!

:[In a frame-less panel Megan replies. Below her is a footnote with a citation to back up her statement.]
:Megan: It's not just you! Farmers developed a less-bitter cultivar like 15 years ago.*
:*npr.org/773457637

:[Back to all three as Megan continues to explain while holding her arms away from her.]
:Megan: Now the whole world is having this revelation, one person at a time. It's like a real Mandela effect. We secretly switched to the parallel universe where Brussels sprouts taste good.
:Cueball: ''Cool.''

:[Ponytail lifts a finger as Cueball and Megan turns to look at her.]
:Ponytail: Also, licorice is good now.
:Cueball: Whoa, really?
:Megan: This is a trap.
:Ponytail: And those silica gel packets that say "Do not eat"? '''''Delicious.'''''
:Cueball: ''I knew it.''

==Trivia==
* The URL given was [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/5/5d/20191216154116%21brussels_sprouts_mandela_effect.png originally] given [https://npr.org/773457633 npr.org/77345763'''3'''] but this was an error!
**The actual URL is number 77345763'''7''' which was later corrected by an updated comic.
**Here is the [https://text.npr.org/s.php?sId=773457637 plain HTML version] and here the [https://npr.org/773457637 full site].
*As always when Randall offers his opinion on some sort of food, it may lead to [[388:_Fuck_Grapefruit#Controversy|controversy]] and lots of discussion in the [[Talk:2241:_Brussels_Sprouts_Mandela_Effect|talk page]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category: Food]]