explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

User talk:Trublu

2022-05-09T09:03:15Z

Trublu: Blanked the page

User:Trublu

2022-05-06T09:34:16Z

Trublu: Created page with "'''Jay Peper''', [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Trublu en:wp], [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benutzer:Trublu de:wp], [https://de.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benutzer:Trublu de:wq..."

'''Jay Peper''', [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Trublu en:wp], [https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benutzer:Trublu de:wp], [https://de.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benutzer:Trublu de:wq]

long time experience in the other wikis, occasionally admin in the past.

User talk:Trublu

2022-05-05T08:43:41Z

Trublu:

Hello, with the vandalism, what should we do this: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User:X._K._C._D./common.js? [[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|talk]]) 22:11, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
: Hi. I'm not sure I understand. The page is deleted. --[[User:Trublu|Trublu]] ([[User talk:Trublu|talk]]) 19:27, 4 May 2022 (UTC)
::It was code which ran a vandalism bot or quasi-bot. I saw that you too had been reverting vandalism as it appeared and figured that maybe that code would be informative to you. That account is removed now. [[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|talk]]) 20:26, 4 May 2022 (UTC)
::: Ah ok, thanks. --[[User:Trublu|Trublu]] ([[User talk:Trublu|talk]]) 08:43, 5 May 2022 (UTC)

1707: xkcd Phone 4

2022-05-04T19:34:02Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241870 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1707
| date = July 15, 2016
| title = xkcd Phone 4
| image = xkcd_phone_4.png
| titletext = The SpaceX system carefully guides falling phones down to the surface, a process which the phones increasingly often survive without exploding.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the fourth entry in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone series]], and once again, the comic plays with many standard tech buzzwords to create a phone that sounds impressive but would actually be very impractical. The previous comic in the series [[1549: xkcd Phone 3]] was released just over a year before this one and the next [[1809: xkcd Phone 5]] was released almost 8 months later.

From the top-left, going clockwise:
*'''18,000 μAh (micro-Ampere hours) nickel-lithium-iron battery (non-rechargeable)''' Phone battery capacity is measured in {{w|ampere-hour}}s (which, thanks to {{w|dimensional analysis}}, is just an unusual way of denoting electric charge; one ampere-hour is 3600 Coulombs). Usually, the capacity is quoted in milliampere-hours (one-thousandth, or 10-3, of an ampere hour); however, this one is quoted in ''micro''ampere-hours (one-millionth, or 10-6, of an ampere-hour), presumably as a marketing ploy to give a more impressive-looking number. Quoted in more standard terms, this phone's battery capacity is 18 mAh. In comparison, an iPhone 6+ has a battery capacity of 2,750 mAh. This phone's battery is dreadful (under a typical current draw of 0.1A, it would power the phone for about 11 minutes). There is nothing normally called a "nickel-lithium-iron battery" — rather, this seems to be a [[739|malamanteau]] of the experimental {{w|nickel–lithium battery}} and the common {{w|lithium ion battery}} (which does not contain any iron) or the lithium-iron-phosphate battery, often called lithium-iron, but more often called the LiFePO battery. The {{w|nickel–iron battery}} may contain {{w|lithium hydroxide}}, but it's ''terrible'' for most applications. Worse, this battery is non-rechargeable, meaning that it would have to be replaced to use the phone again after it is exhausted (every 11 minutes, at that!).
**[[XKCD Phone 3]] was powered by two {{w|AA battery|AA batteries}} (not included), which have an energy capacity roughly 100 times larger.
**Many devices have a small second battery which is only used for keeping the clock time. This could be such a battery.
*'''Subwoofer''' — A {{w|subwoofer}} is a large bass speaker, which this is not{{Citation needed}}. Some phones do have high-quality speakers for playing music, but these are not placed right next to the earpiece — this would be a surefire way to deafen your users. When put next to Dog Whistle, this is probably a pun, since both relate to dogs; the English onomatopoeia for the sound a dog makes is "Woof".
*'''"Dog whistle"''' — A {{w|dog whistle}} is a high-pitched whistle that humans cannot hear, but dogs can. In speaker terminology, a bass speaker is called a {{w|woofer}} because it could reproduce the low pitch of a dog bark. A treble speaker is a {{w|tweeter}}; if this "whistle" is actually a speaker, it might be termed a ''supertweeter''. The scare quotes may be a reference to "{{w|dog-whistle politics}}", in which certain phrases have a particular meaning to a segment of the audience that passes unnoticed by the rest. This allows a candidate to surreptitiously signal agreement with that group, without alienating the rest of the audience, among whom the ideas might be unpopular if plainly stated.
**[[xkcd Phone 2]] contained a "dog noticer".
*'''Non-porous, washable''' — On the one hand, it's rare for a phone to be made of porous materials. On the other, there are legitimately waterproof phones that seal the speakers and ports with rubber.
**[[xkcd Phone 2]] was also washable (though only once).
*'''''WebMD'' partnership: cough-activated feature reads aloud a random diagnosis for "coughing"''' — {{w|WebMD}} is a website to help people diagnose themselves. For the vast majority of people, a cough just means an irritated throat or maybe a cold, but selecting randomly from all WebMD diagnoses gives some much more ominous — if very unlikely — ones, including {{w|ricin}} poisoning, {{w|plague}}, {{w|lung cancer}} and {{w|radiation poisoning}}.
*'''Wings''' — These {{w|wings}} resemble the ones found on {{w|sanitary towel}}s (usually called "pads", making this a possible iPad pun) which attach the pad to the {{w|gusset}} and keep it in place between the woman's legs during her period ({{w|Menstruation}} cycle). If actually functional as {{w|aerodynamic}} wings, they would likely come into play when the "SpaceX" impact protection feature becomes engaged, and would likely make holding the phone awkward if rigid.
**[[XKCD Phone 3]] had a similarly positioned wristband.
*'''Beveled bezel''' — The ''bezel'' is the ring around the edge of watches and screens. This one's {{w|bevel}}ed, which means it's cut at an angle.
*'''Bezeled bevel''' — Punning on the above. Doesn't make much sense, but could mean that it features a beveled edge which is surrounded by a bezel.
*'''Seedless''' — Fruit such as grapes can be "seedless", which means that they're grown from a special {{w|cultivar}} that doesn't grow seeds in the normal way. Making a phone seedless probably won't do anything, but {{w|Random seed|it might hurt}} its {{w|random number generator}} (or make it better if proper alternative to PRNG is introduced). Alternatively, this might be a dig at Apple's iPhone. There are [https://farmingbase.com/why-are-some-apples-seedless/ seedless apples].
**[[XKCD Phone 3]] was boneless.
*'''Water resistant down to 30 meters and below 50''' — {{w|Water resistance}} is often measured in terms of how deep an object can be submerged, since pressure increases with depth. In this case, the phone can be submerged to almost any depth, but there's an odd lacuna between 30 meters and 50 meters. It also plays with the confusion in describing depths greater than 50m as "below 50". Alternatively, this might indicate the phone must remain dry above 50 meters altitude, or that it is not water resistant between 30 and 50 meters, but is waterproof otherwise.
**[[xkcd Phone]] and [[XKCD Phone 3]] could drown. The latter was otherwise waterproof. [[xkcd Phone 2]] was only waterproof internally.
**In a previous comic, [[870: Advertising]], a similarly absurd range was used: "Up to 15% or more!"
**This could be mocking the "donut hole" in American Medicare drugs insurance, where people are insured up to a certain amount, then not insured, then insured again. This doesn't appear to make sense to anyone.
*'''Turing-complete''' — A computer is {{w|Turing completeness|Turing complete}} if it can perform all the operations needed to simulate a {{w|Turing machine}}. All modern computers are usually described as Turing complete, which would make this not very impressive, but no computer can ever be Turing complete in the truest sense (since they can only ever have a finite amount of memory) — if the xkcd Phone 4 is truly a universal computer, it's ''very'' impressive indeed.
*'''Gregorian/Julian calendar date switch''' — The {{w|Julian calendar}} is the predecessor to the modern {{w|Gregorian calendar}} — the difference is that the two calendars calculate leap years differently. The current difference between the calendars is 13 days, which will remain unchanged until February 2100. The Julian calendar is still used occasionally — mainly by Eastern Orthodox Christians — but it's not something so vital that it needs a hardwired switch on the front of the phone. This may be a play on the ability to switch the time display between a 12-hour clock and a 24-hour clock. It could also be plying with the ability to switch between Daylight Savings Time and Standard, or change time zones.
*'''''SpaceX'' impact protection: when dropped, phone lands on barge''' — The rocket company {{w|SpaceX}}, at the time that this comic was released, had recently trialed a {{w|SpaceX reusable launch system development program|reusable rocket stage}} which, after separating from the launch vehicle, lands on a {{w|Autonomous spaceport drone ship|drone barge}} to be reused. Making a phone land on the nearest barge when dropped would make it very difficult to recover, although the 11-minute battery time there might be a chance to get it even if you can't catch it.
**The title text pokes fun at the number of SpaceX rockets that [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3wZRdg-Tmo crashed and exploded] before they got the landing gear right.
*'''Parallel port''' — A {{w|parallel port}} is a type of interface which transfers high-volume simultaneous data. It was often used to connect printers and other devices to computers, but was generally considered obsolete by the time smartphones began to appear on the market, and would be very bulky and slow compared to the USB ports generally used in phones. It was commonly found together with {{w|serial port}}s, which are used for low-volume sequential data such as [[485: Depth|mouse]] [[1110: Click and Drag|movements]]. Here it is paired with a serial interface for analog data with parallel outputs for several people.
*'''12 headphone jacks''' — Headphone jacks are circular ports in a phone that allow audio to be played through headphones connected to the jack. There were [http://www.businessinsider.com.au/apple-headphone-jack-iphone-side-effects-2016-7#/#smaller-headphone-makers-would-be-at-a-disadvantage-4 constant rumours] that Apple's next iPhone would not have any headphone jacks (which eventually proved true for the iPhone 7 announcement two months after this comic). Also, [http://www.google.com Google] was developing a module for the now-cancelled [https://atap.google.com/ara/ Project Ara], a modular smartphone. This module allows the device to have [http://www.overclock3d.net/news/audio/sennheiser_shows_audio_module_concepts_for_project_ara/1 Four headphone jacks], which would allow audio to be shared among 4 people, each occupying one port. The xkcd phone takes this too far when they install a whopping TWELVE of them, which is completely overkill because almost nobody needs to connect to 12 headphones at once. 12 headphones will also drain the battery, like the wireless discharging in the [[XKCD Phone 3]], because playing audio through 24 speakers, two for each pair of headphones, is very power-consuming.
*'''Onboard cloud''' — The "cloud" is a catch-all term for the use of remote computers to store data, providing a backup if all local copies are lost and allowing the data to be accessed from a broad network. An "onboard cloud" would thus be a contradiction in terms, and appears to be a marketing ploy to use the "cloud" buzzword to describe the device's onboard storage capacity.
*'''New BrightGloTM display incorporates genetically spliced jellyfish protein (should have used the glowing genes, not the stinging ones)''' — {{w|Aequorea victoria}} is a species of jellyfish that contains {{w|green fluorescent protein}}, a gene that is bioluminescent and gives off light. This protein was supposed to be used to light the phone's screen. Unfortunately, the developers messed up, and accidentally took the [http://bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12864-015-1568-3 stinging kind], which means that touching the phone screen will be as painful as a jellyfish sting i.e. very painful.
*'''✓ Certified''' — Twitter certifies accounts related to music producers, government, journalism, business, sports, and other more "official" types of accounts with a blue checkmark besides the twitter handle (besides the @whomever). It's of course nonsense for a phone to be twitter verified. Alternatively, it might be a reference to [[1096: Clinically Studied Ingredient]], in which buzzwords such as "tested" and "certified" are intended to make a given product sound more legitimate.
*'''Software-defined''' — {{w|Software-defined radio}}s are quite popular in some areas, meaning the radio hardware is quite universal and can be adapted to different radio protocols just by changing software. SDR would actually be quite a nice feature for a cellphone. Of course it doesn't specify if it's the radio that is software defined.
*'''Exposed ductwork''' — A phone shouldn't even have ductwork, unless it has a very sophisticated cooling system, but this could supply air to the dog whistle. Exposed ductwork is a trademark of {{w|Bowellism|Bowellist}} architecture such as the {{w|Lloyd's Building}} in London and the {{w|Pompidou Centre}} in Paris. Exposed ductwork is also considered a crucial flaw in a death star. May also refer to a transparent window in the side of the phone allowing the user to see the circuitry inside, similar to computer cases with transparent side panels popular among DIY computing enthusiasts.
*'''Voice interaction: {{w|Siri (software)|Siri}}, {{w|Cortana (software)|Cortana}}, {{w|Google Now}} and {{w|Amazon Echo|Alexa}} respond simultaneously''' — These are all {{w|intelligent personal assistant software}} (from Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon respectively) and all do the same thing: control your phone and answer questions using speech recognition. Having all four talk at once would mean you'd have a total cacophony while gaining nothing.
**[[XKCD Phone 3]] might have included Siri.

*'''Did you know "4" is "IV" in Roman numerals?®©™''' — the tenth version of Apple's {{w|operating system}} for its {{w|Macintosh computer}} was labeled {{w|OS X}}, which was intended to be read as "oh ess ten". {{w|Steve Jobs}} was irritated that everyone else preferred "oh ess ecks". This phrase is labeled with trademark and copyright symbols, as if someone desires it to be the product's {{w|tagline}} but has poor understanding of relevant laws. In particular, "<big>{{w|™}}</big>" is a symbol for {{w|unregistered trademark}}s while "<big>{{w|®}}</big>" is a symbol for {{w|registered trademark}}s. If the phrase were an unregistered trademark, the owner would be prohibited from using "<big>{{w|®}}</big>".

==Transcript==
:[An image of a smartphone featuring wings is shown. Clockwise from the top left the labels read:]
:18,000 μAh nickel-lithium-iron battery (non-rechargeable)
:Subwoofer
:"Dog whistle"
:Non-porous, washable
:''WebMD'' partnership: Cough-activated feature reads aloud a random diagnosis for "coughing"
:Wings
:Beveled bezel
:Bezeled bevel
:Seedless
:Water resistant down to 30 meters and below 50
:Turing-complete
:Gregorian/Julian calendar switch
:''SpaceX'' impact protection: When dropped, phone lands on barge
:Parallel port
:12 headphone jacks
:Onboard cloud
:New BrightGloTM display incorporates genetically spliced jellyfish protein (should have used the glowing genes, not the stinging ones)
:✓ Certified
:Software-defined
:Exposed ductwork
:Voice interaction: Siri, Cortana, Google Now and Alexa respond simultaneously

:[Below the phone:]
:Introducing
:<big><big>The xkcd Phone 4</big></big>
:Did you know "4" is "IV" in Roman numerals?®©™

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:xkcd Phones]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|xkcd Phones]]
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Virtual Assistants]]
[[Category: Calendar]]

1978: Congressional Testimony

2022-05-04T19:33:42Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241873 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1978
| date = April 9, 2018
| title = Congressional Testimony
| image = congressional_testimony.png
| titletext = James Cameron's Terminator 3 was the REALLY prophetic one. That's why Skynet sent a robot back to the 1990s to prevent him from ever making it, ultimately handing the franchise over to other directors.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are discussing {{w|Facebook}} CEO {{w|Mark Zuckerberg|Mark Zuckerberg's}} upcoming {{w|United States congressional hearing|testimony before Congress}}. The prepared testimony was released on the day this comic was released--see ''[https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/09/congress-released-mark-zuckerbergs-prepared-testimony-ahead-of-wednesdays-hearing.html Congress releases Mark Zuckerberg's prepared testimony ahead of Wednesday's hearing]''. Facebook is facing questions on the {{w|Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal}} involving the collection of personal information of up to 87 million Facebook users by the political targeting firm Cambridge Analytica.

Megan then starts talking about re-watching ''{{w|The Terminator}}'', a movie about a killer robot called "the Terminator" sent back in time by {{w|Skynet (Terminator)|Skynet}}, a computer system that became self-aware (AI) and tried to kill off humans. The Terminator, played by {{w|Arnold Schwarzenegger}}, was sent back to try to kill the mother of the leader of the resistance before he was born. In the movie, the Terminator looked up the mother's name, Sarah Connor, in the {{w|phone book}} of a {{w|phone booth}} to find her address.

Megan notices how strangely things have turned out in the real world. In the movie it was a nuclear launch system that turned on humans, building humanoid robots to hunt humans down; today, despite the fact that we have computer-controlled nuclear launch systems as well as humanoid robots, it was rather the modern version of said phone book that became our version of Skynet (Facebook). The computer program that tracks our information in a manner similar to a phone book was responsible for doing harm to its users by selling their information (and now it could be said to harm the people who created it, as well, since Zuckerberg is on trial). Cueball can only agree with her how funny things always turn out in retrospect.

The title text makes the claim that {{w|James Cameron}}, who directed the first two films, was planning to make a third movie in the 1990s, which would have been the really prophetic one (i.e. the one that would have mirrored our present day most closely). Therefore, Skynet, having seen the result of this movie, wished to prevent the movie from ever being made, sending yet another robot back in time to prevent Cameron from directing it. Instead, ''{{w|Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines}}'' was released in 2003 and directed by {{w|Jonathan Mostow}}. Although Cameron is credited for writing it, he only created the characters. Since then three other movies have been made, all with different directors.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball sitting against a leafless tree; they are on opposite sides.]
:Megan: Mark Zuckerberg is testifying before Congress this week.
:Cueball: Should be interesting.

:[Beat panel.]

:Megan: I recently re-watched ''Terminator''.
:Cueball: Yeah?

:Megan: It's weird that the thing that evolved into Skynet wasn't our nuclear launch systems '''''or''''' our humanoid robots.
:Megan: It was the phone book where the Terminator looked up Sarah Connor's address.
:Cueball: Funny how things turn out.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Terminator]]
[[Category:Politics]]

2340: Cosmologist Genres

2022-05-04T19:33:25Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241875 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2340
| date = July 31, 2020
| title = Cosmologist Genres
| image = cosmologist_genres.png
| titletext = Inflationary cosmologists call all music from after the first 10^-30 seconds "post-"
}}

==Explanation==
A cosmologist is someone who studies the universe; cosmology is a branch of astronomy. When describing the composition of stars in astronomical terms, {{w|Metallicity|metals}} are all the elements heavier than {{w|helium}}. This definition of metal is significantly broader than {{w|metal|the one used outside astronomy}}. Likewise, this chart of musical genres describes everything "heavier" than {{w|Pop music|pop}} as metal. The standard conception of elemental metals is a subset of the astronomical conception of metals; likewise, here the musical genre {{w|Heavy metal music|metal}} is presented as a subset of the genres cosmologists consider metal.

Randall may have decided to portray pop music in a similar way to the elements helium and hydrogen as a reference to the "{{w|Splint_(laboratory_equipment)#Burning_splint_test|pop test}}", the test for hydrogen as a product of a chemical reaction.

Cosmologists also study the history and future of the universe, and the title text refers to the {{w|Big Bang}}. At roughly 10-32 seconds after the Big Bang, the {{w|inflationary epoch}} ended, causing a large number of {{w|Quark|quarks, anti-quarks}}, and {{w|Gluon|gluons}} to come into existence. In {{w|inflationary cosmology}}, this point is considered to be the end of the Big Bang. Randall jokingly refers to it as "post-" because nearly the entire history of the universe is after this instant. This is a reference to types of music with "post-" in their names, e.g. {{w|post-rock}}, {{w|post-punk}}, {{w|post-metal}}.

==Transcript==

{|
|+ '''Music genres according to...'''
|-
| ...Non-cosmologists
| ...Cosmologists
|-
| Pop
| Lite
|-
| Rock
| Metal
|-
| Hip hop
| Metal
|-
| Metal
| Metal
|-
| Country
| Metal
|-
| Dance/Electronic
| Metal
|-
| Latin
| Metal
|-
| Punk
| Metal
|-
| Classical
| Metal
|-
| Jazz
| Metal
|-
| Folk
| Metal
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Music]]

1090: Formal Languages

2022-05-04T19:33:10Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241876 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1090
| date = August 3, 2012
| title = Formal Languages
| image = formal_languages.png
| titletext = [audience looks around] 'What just happened?' 'There must be some context we're missing.'
}}

==Explanation==

This joke is a play on the phrase {{w|context-free grammar}}, which is a technical term used in {{w|formal languages|formal language}} theory.

Cueball crashes Megan's speech on formal language theory, nonsensically shouts "Grammar!" without any context, and runs off. Because the gag is delivered in a particularly obtuse manner, the title text clears things up by having the confused audience mention "missing context", thus having them unwittingly explain the joke.

The concept of context-free grammar is incredibly nuanced and nigh impossible to rephrase in layman's terms. Luckily, the joke only interprets the phrase "context-free grammar" literally, so no understanding of the actual subject is required.

A context-free grammar can be described as a dictionary, translating single symbols to one or multiple symbols, who then are replaced again, until no further replacements are possible. If a string of symbols adheres to this grammar, it can be reconstructed solely by following these kind of orders.

==Transcript==
:[A large banner is hanging over a podium, where a speaker (Megan) is standing behind a lectern. Cueball crashes through the left side of the panel, scattering glass.]
:Banner. 10th Annual Symposium on Formal Languages
:''Crash''

:[Cueball stops in front of Megan spreads out his hands and shouts:]
:Cueball: Grammar!

:[Cueball then runs off the right side of the panel, so swiftly he leaves a cloud of dust in his wake. Megan at the podium just looks after him silently.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Logic]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]
[[Category:Puns]]

2610: Assigning Numbers

2022-05-04T19:32:57Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241879 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2610
| date = April 22, 2022
| title = Assigning Numbers
| image = assigning_numbers.png
| titletext = Gödel should do an article on which branches of math have the lowest average theorem number.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by YÖDA'S COMPLETENESS THEOREM - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

'''This explanation is by mathematical necessity either incomplete or incorrect.'''

[[Cueball]] is falling into a common trap, because a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Faced with some sort of information, of an unknown kind but seemingly not intrinsically mathematical in nature, he has decided that one possible way to proceed is to somehow translate everything into values which can be combined and compared numerically.

This is a very common thing to do, in fields as diverse as {{w|computational linguistics}} or {{w|sports analytics}}, and can be a powerful tool for understanding and learning new things about a subject as {{w|Data science}} tries to extract knowledge and insights from potentially noisy and disordered facts. But it is also used to implement bad science by using incorrect or misguided ideas about how to represent the source material. While it's possible to casually assign numeric values to random pieces of data, these numbers are generally not meaningful enough to compute with and draw any useful inferences from. It is generally possible to perform statistical analysis only on actual measurements, not on what may effectively be arbitrarily-assigned values.

Machine learning algorithms, which are commonly used by data scientists, typically require all their inputs to be numerical. However, most datasets contains categorical features (e.g. the description of a piece of furniture: chair, table, ...). Data scientists therefore use encoding techniques to convert these categorical features to a numerical form so they can be used as inputs to a machine learning model. For instance, label encoding consists of arbitrarily assigning an integer to a category (chair=0, table=1, ...) which may appear meaningless to most observers. In various cases, they may be right.

So, as well as being the mechanism that underlies one of the most profound theorems of 20th century mathematics, it can be mis-used for all kinds of bad or misguided science. From Cueball's attitude, it is far from clear that his attempt will reliably translate his project into a numerical system, nor that his attempt to "do math on it!" will be any more competent.

One of the major characters who looked at the concept is Kurt Gödel. He introduced the idea of {{w|Gödel numbering}} with his landmark {{w|incompleteness theorems}}. In it a unique natural number is assigned to each axiom, statement, and proof, which might otherwise be difficult to accurately process in any other kind of approach. Instead, it is now possible to create metamathematical statements in the language of mathematics.

This allowed Gödel to make the statement "This statement cannot be proven based on the axioms provided" in a mathematically rigorous way. A simple proof by contradiction shows that the statement cannot be false, and therefore (in most logical systems) must be true. The proof goes as follows: 1. Assume that "This statement cannot be proven from the axioms" (Call this statement G) is false (Call this assumption A). 2. Therefore G can be proven from the axioms (Because the negation of the negation is an affirmation. Based only on A) 3. The axioms exist (Call this assumption B). 4. Therefore, G is true (via {{w|Modus ponens}} applied to 2 and 3, based on A and B). 5. Therefore, G and also not G (via And Introduction applied to 1 and 4, based on A and B). 6. This is a contradiction, and therefore A or B must be wrong. We are not willing to sacrifice assumption B, so we must conclude that A is false, given B ({{w|Reductio ad absurdum}} applied to 1,3, and 5). 7. Therefore, G.

Notice that the truth of Gödel's statement does not depend on any particular set of axioms, and adding axioms (such as "Gödel's particular statement is true") only opens up new iterations of the statement which cannot be proven based on the expanded set of axioms (A statement such as "All statements of a similar nature to Gödel's particular statement" is not precise enough to serve as an axiom.). As such, with a little more legwork, it can be proven that any logical system robust enough to accommodate arithmetic must necessarily contain facts that are true within the system but cannot be proven or disproven within the system. The importance of this result cannot be understated, as it upended the entire philosophy of mathematics. {{w|David Hilbert}}'s famous proclamation "We must know, we will know" is simply incorrect. ... Either that, or (ironically) Gödel used an "inconsistent" or "incomplete" system to produce his result.

The title text suggests that Gödel should perform such an analysis on different branches of mathematics, by calculating the average of all the fields' theorems' Gödel numbers. This is nonsensical for a number of reasons:
:1) Gödel is long dead, and dead people can't write articles;{{Dubious}} - see [[599: Apocalypse]]
:2) Gödel numbers grow very large very quickly, and depend heavily on the specific values assigned to each logical operator. Therefore the results could be manipulated simply by changing the numbering order of each operator;
:3) It may be very hard to gather all theorems in a field, or even a representative sample;
:4) Different fields of science, like biology or human behaviour, may not be able to write their theorems in the mathematical language of Gödel's incompleteness theorem
If anyone were to attempt this form of analysis, it would be an example of the bad data science described in the caption.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball holds a hand up to his chin while he ponders the contents of what may be a whiteboard. There are five general lines of unreadable scribbling on the board, and between the two bottom lines, there is a square frame to the right with another scribble to the left. Cueball's thoughts are shown above him in a large thought bubble.]
:Cueball's thinking: If I assign numbers to each of these things, then it becomes '''''data''''', and I can do '''''math''''' on it!

:[Caption beneath the panel:]
:The same basic idea underlies Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem and all bad data science.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Logic]]

1293: Job Interview

2022-05-04T19:32:51Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241880 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1293
| date = November 20, 2013
| title = Job Interview
| image = job_interview.png
| titletext = When you talk about the job experience you'll give me, why do you pronounce 'job' with a long 'o'?
}}

==Explanation==
Following on from [[1032: Networking|his attempts at networking]], [[Beret Guy]], the oddball of the xkcd cast, conducts an interview for a programmer position at his mysteriously successful company.

Much like most of Beret Guy's interactions with people, Beret Guy is cheerful and upbeat, yet indicates that he has at best a scrambled understanding of how people in this situation normally act. Because of this, the job interview becomes increasingly bizarre, starting with Beret Guy's assertion that the company headquarters is a "real building [he] found", implying that the building's reality might be in question. In addition, "finding" the building may imply that he does not own or rent it, but simply found it empty and moved in. He says his company makes phone accessories, but then adds, "like apps and stickers," two wildly different products in terms of both production and profitability. He is strangely vague about both the position ("someone to write on our computers") and the salary ("a bunch of paychecks"). Then he mentions ghosts, which is either a powerful disincentive from joining the company, yet another sign that Beret Guy is mentally unsound, or both.

The strip finishes with Beret Guy plugging a cord into an electrical outlet clumsily labeled "Soup," which then, implausibly, actually starts dispensing soup. Most electrical outlets do not function like this.{{Citation needed}} However, this is a typical behaviour of Beret Guy - see a similar example in: [[1395: Power Cord]].

The title text makes reference to the biblical story of {{w|Job (biblical figure)|Job}} (pronounced with a long O to rhyme with globe), who was put through many horrendous ordeals to test his faith in God. This suggests that the interviewee will be taking on not a "job experience" but rather a "Job experience" (i.e. the job will be a horrendous ordeal). Alternatively, it's a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C4ayBHTES0 Homestarrunner reference].

Other job interviews were portrayed in [[125: Marketing Interview]], [[1088: Five Years]], [[1094: Interview]], [[1545: Strengths and Weaknesses]], and [[2597: Salary Negotiation]].

==Transcript==
:[Beret Guy walks in, followed by a...'prospective hire'.]
:Beret Guy: Welcome to our company! We're headquartered here, in this real building I found!

:[Both people sit down at a table. The 'hire' has a tray with food and a beverage. Beret Guy has a bowl. In the adjacent wall, there is a power outlet with a paper label taped to it marked "Soup". A small roll of wire sits next to Beret Guy's chair.]
:'Hire': What do you.. ''do''?
:Beret Guy: We make stuff for phones! Like apps and stickers.

:[Beret Guy grabs the roll of wire.]
:Beret Guy: We want to hire you to write on our computers. We can offer you a bunch of paychecks! There are ghosts here.

:[Beret Guy unrolls the wire and plugs it into the wall.]
:'Hire': ...Are you sure this is a company?
:Beret Guy: I hope so!

:[Soup streams out of the plugged-in wire into Beret Guy's bowl.]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Beret Guy's Business]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Job interviews]]
[[Category:Food]]

2166: Stack

2022-05-04T19:32:15Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241854 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2166
| date = June 21, 2019
| title = Stack
| image = stack.png
| titletext = Gotta feel kind of bad for nation-state hackers who spend years implanting and cultivating some hardware exploit, only to discover the entire target database is already exposed to anyone with a web browser.
}}

==Explanation==

In software engineering, a {{w|Solution stack|tech stack}} is the set of technology platforms and tools that a company or app uses. A common tech stack is {{w|LAMP (software bundle)|LAMP}}, composed of a {{w|Linux}} {{w|Operating system|operating system}}, an {{w|Apache HTTP Server|Apache}} {{w|Web server}}, a {{w|MySQL}} {{w|database}}, and the {{w|PHP}} programming language.

In this instance, all of the layers represent systems which have been subverted or compromised ("hacked") by various entities, instead of various software technologies. The stack resembles an OSI network architecture, with an eighth layer added representing the user itself.

'''Compromised by a customer:''' The user experience, above the OSI layers. Compromised by users doing something wrong or ill-advised.

'''Compromised by a former employee:''' In the OSI model, this would be the application layer. The application may include a hidden spyware in its codebase. Recent examples of compromise: Desjardins Group

'''Compromised by a current employee:''' This is the presentation layer. See above. Probably, that was compromised by a mistake of a current unexperienced employee.

'''Compromised by Bitcoin miners:''' This is the session layer, where SSL historically resided. Cryptographic exploits may cause compromise of whole communication. Examples of compromise: Dozens of bitcoin mining viruses.

'''Compromised by unknown hackers:''' This is the transport layer. IP and port spoofing is a possible compromise.

'''Compromised by our own government:''' This is the network layer. It refers to communication intercepts by governments. Examples of compromise: Cisco (for US citizens)

'''Compromised by a foreign government:''' This is the data link layer. This layer may be compromised by malrouting packets. Examples of compromise: Huawei (for non-Chinese citizens)

'''Massive undiscovered hardware vulnerability:''' This is the physical layer. An undiscovered hardware vulnerability may cause compromises further up in the stack. Examples of compromises:
{{w|Intel Management Engine}}, {{w|Meltdown (security vulnerability)|Meltdown}}

In the title text, Randall expresses sympathy for a situation where someone spends a significant length of time on something that then becomes completely unnecessary. In this case, it's the state-sponsored hackers who develop an exploit of some hardware component, which then becomes completely useless because the target database on that hardware is totally open anyway to anyone with a web browser (which is essentially everyone). While he's not suggesting he agrees with their hacking, he has some sympathy for their wasted effort.

==Transcript==
:[Single-panel with a label at the top and 8 box layers stacked vertically, with in and out arrows at the top representing normal data flow and an arrow out of each box to the left or right representing exploit data flow]
:The Modern Tech Stack
:*Compromised by a customer (arrow to the right)
:*Compromised by a former employee (arrow to the left)
:*Compromised by a current employee (arrow to the right)
:*Compromised by bitcoin miners (arrow to the right)
:*Compromised by unknown hackers (arrow to the left)
:*Compromised by our own government (arrow to the right)
:*Compromised by a foreign government (arrow to the left)
:*Massive undiscovered hardware vulnerability (arrow to the right)

==Trivia==
Comic [[1636: XKCD Stack]] also has a hypothetical technology stack, with farcical layers.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Computers]]
[[Category:Programming]]

541: TED Talk

2022-05-04T19:32:08Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241856 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 541
| date = February 9, 2009
| title = TED Talk
| image = ted_talk.png
| titletext = The IAU ban came after the 'redefinition of the 'planet' to include the IAU president's mom' incident.
}}

==Explanation==
The comics shows Randall as a presenter at the highly prestigious {{w|TED conference}}, a symposium about technology, entertainment and design. The illustrious {{w|list of TED speakers|list of former presenters}} includes amongst others Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Larry Page, Richard Dawkins and Gordon Brown. The conference is regarded as a forum for {{w|digerati}}. Every talk has a length of at most 20 minutes and is supposed to be as captivating as possible.

Randall's presentation, however, reduces the purpose of the conference to absurdity: The topic he wishes to point out to his listeners, is that of how to put an emoticon at the end of a parenthetical statement. This question is of little practical consequence, although it received a lot of attention after publication of the comic. In the last panel, the TED conference is another item to add to his list of conferences from which he has been banned. On the list are other conferences from all sorts of fields, including every American furry convention.

The title text about Randall's ban from the {{w|IAU}} conference is a reference to the popular maternal insults called {{w|Maternal insult|"yo momma" jokes}}. A common representative of the genre runs "Yo mama so fat, scientists have declared her the 10th planet." Those kind of jokes are a [[:Category:Your Mom|recurring theme]] on xkcd

It can be inferred from [[629: Skins]], that Randall was banned from North American furry conventions due to being a "Skin", which is a furry whose fursona prefers going around disguised as a human. Depending on Randall's behavior, such an action could generate a lot of drama and, presumably, lead to convention bans.

Getting banned from attending a conference is a [[:Category:Banned from conferences|recurring theme]] on xkcd, and even in real life, Randall sometimes has bad ideas for conference topics, [https://blog.xkcd.com/2009/02/11/ireland/ such as presumably not speaking for the entire conference]. This was so far the sixth of eight comics to directly mention conference bans. The first to do so was [[153: Cryptography]].

The {{w|PyCon}} organizers made a response to this comic - see below under [[#PyCon response|PyCon response]].

===Conferences where Randall is banned from===
Here is a list of the conferences from which Randall has been banned according to this comic.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Conference
! Description
! Website
|-
| Siggraph
| Special Interest Group on Graphics and Interactive Techniques
| http://www.siggraph.org
|-
| Eurocrypt
| Annual International Conference on the Theory and Applications of Cryptographic Techniques
| http://www.iacr.org/meetings/eurocrypt/
|-
| Defcon
| DEF CON® Hacking Conference
| https://www.defcon.org/
|-
| Pycon
| Python Conference
| http://www.pycon.org/
|-
| International Astronomical Union
| The IAU's mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation
| https://www.iau.org/science/meetings/
|-
| Canadian Paleontology Conference
| The main goal of the CPC and its predecessors has been to provide a relatively small, informal forum for presentation and discussion of current paleontological research
| http://www.gacpaleodivision.com/pd-meetings.html
|-
| Every American Furry Convention
| There are many Furry Conventions in America (see the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_furry_conventions Wikipedia page] for more details), but to be banned from all of them would probably require action by the Furry Convention Leadership Roundtable, the coordinating body for furry conventions.
|
|-
| American Baking Society
(American Bakers Association)
| ABA represents the interests of bakers before the U.S. Congress, federal agencies, and international regulatory authorities
| http://www.americanbakers.org/meetings/
|-
| Asian Dolphin-Training Conference
| International Marine Animal Trainers' Association
| https://www.imata.org/
|-
| TED
| Technology, Entertainment, Design.
| https://ted.com
|}

==Transcript==
:[Randall, drawn as Cueball, on stage.]
:Randall: Hi. I'm Randall. Welcome to my TED talk.
:Randall: It's an honor to speak to you, some of the brightest innovators from so many fields, about a problem in desperate need of your attention:
:Randall: How DO you end parenthetical statements with emoticons? I can't figure out a good way.
:[Screen next to him shows two statements, both crossed out in red.]
:"Linux (or BSD :) would..." looks mismatched
:"Linux (or BSD :)) would..." looks mismatched and weird

:[Randall writing on a desk.]
:[Randall's List] Conferences I'm banned from:
:Siggraph
:Eurocrypt
:Defcon
:Pycon
:International Astronomical Union
:Canadian Paleontology Conference
:Every American Furry Convention
:American Baking Society
:Asian Dolphin-Training Conference
:TED

==PyCon response==
In response to this comic, PyCon organizers jokingly [http://pycon.blogspot.com/2009/02/randall-munroe.html announced] that Randall Munroe was banned from PyCon 2009 due to "last year's disgraceful keynote, 'Web Spiders vs. Red Spiders'." They also said they instructed their volunteers to refuse admission to him and "any stick figures who may attempt to register, particularly if they are wearing hats."

Messages on the PyCon-Organizers mailing list show that this joke was intended to get Randall to come to PyCon: (The links will only work if you're subscribed to the mailing list.)
:PyCon mentioned briefly in today's xkcd:
:http://xkcd.com/541/
:We've still never gotten Randall Munroe to actually attend, have we? Anybody want to take charge of twisting his arm this time? I think we can still offer him a "press pass" (free registration). [...] [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011224.html]
::An invite would seem most appropriate given the cartoon. :-)
::We could also have an official PyCon blog post confirming his ban... [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011225.html]
:::How about a public blog post LIFTING the ban and inviting him? [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011226.html]
::::Confirming the ban is far funnier... He's definitely a disturbing influence on programmers. [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011227.html]
:::::Agreed, especially if we invite him concurrently with confirming the ban. [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011239.html]
:::::(a few posts later)
:::::I'm happy to participate in actually throwing some thin guy out of the conference, and then get some graphics savvy person to animate a stick figure over that. :) [...][http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011274.html]
::::::here's a rough idea of what would show up if you invited him to actually do any speaking...
::::::http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJOS0sV2a24
::::::it's fairly long. he shows up in the beginning around 3:25. [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011275.html]
:::::::For the record, I did try to convince him to come when got the art for the tshirt last year. He didn't seem super psyched, but then again emotions are hard to read via IRC.
:::::::I love the idea of "officially" banning him, however. ;-) [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011241.html]
::::::::(a few posts later)
::::::::OK - posted to the PyCon blog, by the power vested in me as publicity chair. With Michael Foord's excellent sentence added.
::::::::Now let him know that since he's banned, he HAS to come. [http://mail.python.org/mailman/private/pycon-organizers/2009-February/011251.html]

==Trivia==

Randall has since this comic given a TED talk in March 2014. [https://www.ted.com/talks/randall_munroe_comics_that_ask_what_if Randall Munroe Comics that ask "what if?"].

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Furries]]
[[Category:Banned from conferences]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]
[[Category:Your Mom]]

1577: Advent

2022-05-04T19:31:58Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241858 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1577
| date = September 14, 2015
| title = Advent
| image = advent.png
| titletext = The few dozen doors that have little Christmas trees on them are a nice touch.
}}

==Explanation==
An {{w|Advent calendar}} is usually a means of celebrating the days before Christmas. Each day on the calendar is represented by a "door" (a flap of card), behind which is usually a picture related to the Christian nativity, a picture of commercial Christmas (e.g. a present), a small chocolate, or a small gift. This comic satirizes the concept by proposing such a calendar that would have one gift for each day one is anticipated to live. Such a calendar would be very morbid and existential. This is especially disturbing when given as a gift because it implies someone has put extensive thought into when the recipient will die.

In [[Cueball|Cueball's]] case, assuming each square in the calendar represents one day, the wall he is facing is the entire present he received and the boxes just out of view follow the same pattern, the entire wall represents 16,800 days (a large grid of 12x20 smaller grids of 10x7 boxes: 12×20×10×7 = 16,800), i.e. just under 46 more years (16,800/365.25 = 45.99589).

Assuming that Cueball is a male from the US and the grid represents his life expectancy, according to American Official Social Security [http://www.ssa.gov/oact/STATS/table4c6.html Actuarial Life Table] for males, he is [http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=32*x+%2B+y+%3D+45.9%3B+31*x+%2B+y+%3D+46.83%3B+z*x+%2B+y+%3D+45.99589 probably 31.9 years old]. This would make [[Cueball]] almost exactly one year older than [[Randall]], who was born October 17, 1984 making him 30.9 years old when he wrote this comic. Due to the non-linear shape of the mortality curve, the chance of Cueball making it to the end of his calendar is 57.7%, at which point he will need to get another calendar but with only 9.2 years worth of doors.

The title text refers back to a standard advent calendar by saying that the Christmases are specially marked; on a traditional Advent calendar, only the 1st to the 24th of December have doors, however in recent times, Advent calendars often also include an additional door for the day after Advent, Christmas Day. A few dozen may be any small number of dozens, and 3 5/6 dozens (46) is aptly described by ''a few dozen''; see [[1070: Words for Small Sets]]. Any dictionary (for example [http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/dozen Oxford Learner's Dictionaries]) says that a dozen may be an approximate number, not exactly 12.

A completely different advent calendar was mentioned in [[994: Advent Calendar]].

Similar calendars have been mentioned in the blog ''Wait But Why'' in the 2014 post [http://waitbutwhy.com/2014/05/life-weeks.html Your Life in Weeks], and in equally geeky webcomic ''Abstruse Goose'', in the 2008 post [http://abstrusegoose.com/51 936 Little Blobs].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is looking at a large wall subdivided into a rectangular 20 x 12 grid, with each grid subdivided into 10x7 small drawers. Below the frame there is a caption:]
:Unsettling gift: Life expectancy Advent calendar

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category: Calendar]]

2253: Star Wars Voyager 1

2022-05-04T19:31:51Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241865 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2253
| date = January 10, 2020
| title = Star Wars Voyager 1
| image = star_wars_voyager_1.png
| titletext = There's some flexibility depending on your standards for measuring runtime and the various special editions. If you still want to have a party, I'm sure you can find some combination that works.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] has added together all the runtimes of the ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' movies (episodes I-IX) and then calculated the exact time at which a message sent to {{w|Voyager 1}} will have that exact duration in {{w|light speed}} delay. He announces this information to [[Megan]] and [[Beret Guy]] only seconds before it occurs, allowing him to signal the moment by saying "Now!", after waiting in the beat panel.

Megan expresses surprise that the event isn't being celebrated with fireworks. Judging by the fact that she doesn't look up from her book, her surprise is sarcastic. Beret Guy breaks into song with the New Year's traditional "{{w|Auld Lang Syne}}".

This comic highlights an interesting relationship between the ''Star Wars'' Episodes and the {{w|NASA}} Space Probe "Voyager 1", which most likely no one else has thought about, but most likely fitting well with fans of both xkcd and ''Star Wars''.

The {{w|Star Wars (film)|original ''Star Wars'' film}} was released on May 25th, 1977, only four months before Voyager 1 was launched on September 5th, 1977. The {{w|Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker|last film}} was released more than 42.5 years later on December 20th, 2019, only three weeks before this comic.

Voyager 1 was, with a distance of 148.68 {{w|Astronomical unit}}s (22.2 billion km; 13.8 billion mi) from Earth as of December 26, 2019, the most distant human-made object from Earth. This data is given with reference in the Wikipedia article for Voyager 1. That was less than a week after the release of the new movie. That is [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=148.68+AU+in+light+hours approximately 20.6 light hours] away. With the recently released last episode the total viewing time of the nine episodes is [[#Table of runtime| 20.35 hours]] (not including the spin-off movies). So a discrepancy of 15 minutes. This could be explained by the title text.

In the [https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/ mission status] of the two Voyager probes there were a [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/1/1c/Voyager_mission_status_2020-01-10.png One-Way Light Time] of 20 hours 36 minutes and 46 seconds on the day the comic was released. This corresponds to 20.613 light hours, only the 46 seconds deviation from exactly 20.6 hours.

This is an odd coincidence that Cueball/[[Randall]] saw significant enough to mark with a timer and acknowledgment to Megan and Beret Guy (and the rest of the fans of xkcd).

In the title text Randall notes that there can be different ways of measuring run times, both if you do not count credits into the runtime or with more than one version existing of at least the original trilogies films, with added extra footage. This means that if you choose the longest possible run time, you may still have a chance to throw a party for some time to come, as every extra minute of film will add time before Voyager 1 reaches that extra light minute.

However as demonstrated in the [[#Table of runtime|Table of runtime]] below, then only for the very longest versions would this have worked around the time of the release of the movie. Now, three weeks later it is too late.

When Voyager 1 {{w|Voyager_1#Exit_from_the_heliosphere|left the heliosphere}} it was traveling at about 17 kilometers per second (11 mi/s), making it the fastest heliocentric recession speed of any spacecraft, and it is not really slowing down. (Do note that the speed with which it travels from Earth is not the same since Earth is in orbit around the Sun and sometimes travels faster towards Voyager 1 than Voyager 1 leaves the sun, but then Earth turns and goes the other way!)

Since a light minute is [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=1.799%C3%9710%5E7+kilometers&assumption=%22ClashPrefs%22+-%3E+%22%22 1.799×107 kilometers] it takes Voyager 1 [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=1+light+minute%2F17+kilometers+per+second+in+days 12.25 days] to travel this far. So for every minute added to the run time, the party start time will be delayed by more than 12 days. However, it is already 14 days since the distance given on Wikipedia, so more than one extra minute is needed to postpone the party to after the release day of the comic.

The last possible chance is to assume that all run times have been rounded down, which could add anywhere from a half a minute to almost 9 full minutes if they round 125.9 down to 125, and not only rounded 125.4 (and not rounding 125.5 up). Actually, assuming all runtimes are rounded down, it is realistic that there is on average half a minute extra runtime per episode making 4.5 minutes extra time. This would buy 55 extra days from the 26th of December... But to find this out correctly, someone would need to review all the 9 episodes from the very first second to the very last of the most extended versions. It seems that it could still be possible to find a day where the party can still be held after the release day of the comic.

In the extreme case that all movies went 59 seconds over a full minute, but all times are rounded down, it would add 8 minutes and 51 seconds. This could give 108 extra days from 2019-12-26, meaning that [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2019-12-26%2B108days Easter Sunday 2020] (2020-04-12) would be the last possible day for such a party.

This may also be a play on the confusion between the Star Wars and the Star Trek franchises. In the case of Star Trek, the very first movie dealt with a Voyager probe (Voyager 6 in this case), and the number of hours and quantity of Star Trek movies rivals and exceeds that of the main Star Wars movies; about 25 and a half hours between 13 movies. Maybe we'll see this in an xkcd when Voyager gets a little further away?

==Table of runtime==
*Here is a table with the nine episodes (ordered in release order, but it is sortable and the episode number is also included)
*The title, the run time and the release day (theatrical release in the US) is {{w|Star_Wars#Film|taken from Wikipedia}}.
*The total run time in hours are summed up chronological in the last column. (So no meaning if the table is sorted).
*From this the total runtime comes up to 1221 minutes which is only 20.35 hours 15 minutes shorter than the time it currently takes light to travel to Voyager 1.
**Seems like Randall used a different version of the runtime than standard per Wikipedia.
**To investigate this the longest time of any version as given on {{w|IMDb}} (or Wikipedia, which was longer than on IMDb with 1 minute for Episode 8) was added in the next column with the total time for these longest versions in the last. This brings the total time up to 1236 exactly 15 minutes extra getting a total of 20.6 hours.
**So at the distance given on Wikipedia December 26th, it must have been very close to the ''Now'' Cueball mentions. But now a few weeks later the discrepancy is even larger, and there seems to be no way to choose an even longer running time than those given below. So only rounding down could save the chance to postpone the party for a later day.
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!#
!Title
!Release day
!Run time (min)
!Total time (hour)
!Longest run (min)
!Sum longest (hour)
|-
| 4 ||{{w|Star Wars (film)| Star Wars}}||1977-05-25||121||2.02|| 125 || 2.08
|-
| 5 ||{{w|The Empire Strikes Back}}||1980-05-21||124||4.08 || 127 || 4.20
|-
| 6 ||{{w|Return of the Jedi}}||1983-05-25||132||6.28 || 134 || 6.43
|-
| 1 ||{{w|Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace}}||1999-05-19||133||8.50 || 136 || 8.70
|-
| 2 ||{{w|Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones}}||2002-05-16||142||10.87 || 142 || 11.06
|-
| 3 ||{{w|Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith}}||2005-05-19||140||13.20 || 140 || 13.4
|-
| 7 ||{{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}}||2015-12-18||135||15.45 || 138 || 15.7
|-
| 8 ||{{w|Star Wars: The Last Jedi}}||2017-12-15||152||17.98 || 152 || 18.22
|-
| 9 ||{{w|Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker}}||2019-12-20||142||20.35 || 142 || 20.58
|}

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is looking down at the smartphone he is holding in one hand, while he is holding his other hand's finger up in the air. He is standing behind an armchair where Megan is sitting reading a book or paper. She holds it open with both hands. She has turned her head halfway towards him. Sitting on the floor in front of her is Beret Guy, legs bent and leaning back resting on one hand, with his phone in the other hand.]
:Cueball: The time it takes light to travel between Earth and '''''Voyager 1''''' is exactly equal to the combined runtime of '''''Star Wars''''' episodes I-IX...

:[A slim beat panel, showing only Cueball standing in the same pose as in the first panel.]

:[Cueball looks up from his phone and raises his finger higher up. Megan has turned back to reading. Beret Guy looks up, and he has put his phone on the floor to put his, now free, hand on his heart, while singing, as indicated both with nodes before and after the lyrics he sings as well as letting his speech line start at a starburst near his head, rather than just beginning near the head, as normally.]
:Cueball: ...'''''Now!'''''
:Megan: Weird that I don't hear any fireworks.
:Beret Guy (singing): '''Should ollld acquaintance be forgooot'''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:Space probes]]
[[Category:Songs]]

2503: Memo Spike Connector

2022-05-04T19:31:45Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241868 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2503
| date = August 16, 2021
| title = Memo Spike Connector
| image = memo spike connector.png
| titletext = Backward-compatible with many existing cables, and can connect directly to phones or tablets if you press them down hard enough.
| imagesize =
}}

==Explanation==
This is the third installment in the series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #102: The Memo Spike. It follows [[2495: Universal Seat Belt]] (#65) and was followed 9 days later by [[2507: USV-C]] (#280).

The comic depicts a large metal spike with a wire coming from the base. The spike stabs through two other wires, thus creating an electrical connection between the three. As the name suggests, the spike resembles a {{w|Spindle_(stationery)|stationery spindle}}, colloquially known as a spike, called a Memo Spike here by Randall. However, unlike normal spindles, this one has a cable of some kind coming out of it, suggesting this is a hub of some sort.

Spindles are used to temporarily hold paper by "spindling" or impaling the paper onto the spike (as depicted in the comic). They're most known for their use in restaurants as a way to hold bills that have been paid, or traditionally in offices that work with many bits of paper, e.g. with invoices in a finance department or hardcopy in newspaper editing, to prevent accidental disturbance/shuffling, at the expense of a small puncture mark in each sheet so impaled. (This could cause errors in papers with punch-holes that are meant to be read by machines, hence the admonition against "{{w|Punched_card#Do_Not_Fold,_Spindle_or_Mutilate|folding, spindling, and mutilating}}".) In the latter context, the editor might put all the rejected stories onto a spike (rather than into a wastebasket) to prevent them going astray, and this might be the source of the term '{{w|Spike (journalism)|spiked}}'.

The joke of the comic is while any number of non-destructive connection standards exist, a large spike can provide much of the same results: a conductive object that retains a connection of multiple wires in a way that allows electricity to pass through. Indeed, in the early days of Ethernet, {{w|Vampire tap|vampire taps}} were used, essentially spikes that bit into a cable to establish a new branch in the network. Another type of connection which involves piercing the wire is a {{w|Punch-down block|punch-down block}}, a type of {{w|Insulation-displacement_connector|insulation-displacement connector}}, where one or more wires are pushed into a cutting channel instead of onto a spike.

Depending on the type of cable it is also likely to create a short circuit, e.g. by connecting both strands of a twisted pair of strands in a typical Ethernet cable, or the central wire and the sheath of a coaxial cable. In an enterprise environment, this could even happen on a {{w|Power_over_Ethernet|PoE-Connection}}, which actually carry more noticeable amounts of power (up to 25.5W). Even if this is avoided, the single spike may be large enough to mechanically sever a random subset of the finer strands that exist within a multicore cable such as is commonly in use today.

The title text takes this a bit further. It says that it is backwards compatible with many existing cables. This means any cable large enough to be impaled by the spike could be used. Needless to say it will likely not work anyway. It also continues by saying that phones and tablets can also be connected using this method if you press them down hard enough over the spike. Thus if you actually manage to make the spike penetrate the device's coverings to reach the electrical parts, then there is a connection. The implication is that any device or cable can be connected to any other device or cable as a form of universal adapter/splitter/combiner across arbitrary hardware and communications/power standards. In reality, this could be even more dangerous and will surely destroy the phone/tablet either directly or by overloading their cable connection.{{citation needed}} Also be careful not to impale your hand while trying to push the spike through your tablet's screen.

==Transcript==
:[A memo spike is shown (a device also called a Spindle). It is a long spike standing up from a round base plate. A wire is coming in from the left and appears to be hardwired into the spike's base element. Two other wires comes in from the right. Both are firmly impaled down upon the spike, penetrated completely through shortly before their apparently unterminated ends. The end of the impaled wire closest to the base faces out and the details appear to show it to be of some variety of multicore (rather than co-axial) manufacture. The other cable's end is a bit higher and points into the image. Above is a title and below is a label.]
:Cursed Connectors #102
:The Memo Spike

{{comic discussion}}


[[Category:Cursed Connectors]]

1327: Mobile Marketing

2022-05-04T19:30:54Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241847 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1327
| date = February 7, 2014
| title = Mobile Marketing
| image = mobile_marketing.png
| titletext = We're firing you, but the online headline-writing division wants to hire you.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Black Hat]] was hired by the Cable News Network ({{w|CNN}}) to increase its popularity, presumably long-term. However, all he did was text one million people implying that a huge, unbelievable event was happening. While this technically did increase viewers of CNN, this was most likely only for a few minutes before the viewers realized nothing had happened. Because of this, Black Hat did very little to help CNN.

It is possible that this is the finale of a long career Black Hat has had in marketing, beginning in [[125: Marketing Interview]].

The title text is spoken by the offscreen character who, after saying that division of CNN was firing Black Hat, told him that the online headline writing department wanted to hire him. This is because the message Black Hat texted to the million phone numbers is very similar to {{w|link bait}}, which are headlines or titles that, like the text message, promise highly interesting articles without being very detailed as to their nature. Thus, perhaps online, Black Hat could bring clicks up long term through this unscrupulous practice, as opposed to mass unsolicited texts. The practice of link bait has also been mentioned in [[1283: Headlines]].

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat sits at a desk. A voice speaks from off panel, in front of Black Hat.]
:Off panel: CNN hired you to improve viewership.

:[Black Hat continues to sit at the desk.]
:Black Hat: ...yes, and?

:[Next panel, conversation continues.]
:Off panel: You texted "Holy crap, turn on the news" to a million random phone numbers?
:Black Hat: It sure did work.
:Off panel: '''''Not what we meant!'''''
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Phones]]

2254: JPEG2000

2022-05-04T19:30:45Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241850 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2254
| date = January 13, 2020
| title = JPEG2000
| image = jpeg2000.png
| titletext = I was actually a little relieved when I learned that JPEG2000 was used in the DCI digital cinema standard. I was feeling so bad for it!
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|JPEG 2000|JPEG2000}} is a standard for digital image storage created by the Joint Photographic Experts Group from 1997 to 2000 to improve on the original {{w|JPEG 2000|JPEG}} standard, published in 1992. The original JPEG standard is the most widely used image format in the world for both digital cameras and the World Wide Web, while the newer and improved JPEG2000 standard is relatively rare. As of 2020, it is supported by Photoshop, the Safari browser, and GIMP, but it remains unsupported or poorly supported by other popular software, including Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers. Meanwhile, competing format {{w|WebP}} which appeared 10 years later is supported in all major browsers and has much wider support in other applications as well.
As a result, the conventional file name extensions for files using the JPEG2000 standard, .jp2 and .jpx, remain unfamiliar to many users while the .jpg extension, denoting the original standard, is well known.
The JPEG2000 standard was seen as an improvement by its creators, supporting many features not included in the original standard, such as multiple resolutions, progressive transmission, a lossless compression option, and alpha channel transparency. The complexity of fully implementing the standard, as well as patent concerns, may have slowed adoption.

[[Cueball]] and [[Hairbun]] seem to have some desire for or stake in JPEG2000 adoption. Cueball begins to worry after more than 20 years without much progress but Hairbun is confident that it will eventually prevail, and she cares more about its eventual use than rapid adoption.

The core concept of this comic is that engineers often expect that a superior technology or standard will catch on, though often other factors keep an "inferior" standard dominant. (See various comics referencing [[:Category:Dvorak|Dvorak]] keyboards, as well as the term "[https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/betamaxed betamaxed].")
The "we are in this for the long haul" statement might refer to the engineers believing that superior technology will eventually win despite the evidence to the contrary. Its humor comes from the fact that as of the comic publication in 2020, JPEG2000 shows no sign of becoming a widely-used standard.

The title text suggests that [[Randall]] feels bad that the standard hasn't been adopted, perhaps because he empathizes with the engineers who worked hard to develop it or anthropomorphizes the standard itself, which has been ignored by most of the computer-using world. Also he may actually believe it is the better standard that should have been more widely used. DCI, short for {{w|Digital Cinema Initiatives}}, is a collaboration of several major film studios to establish standards for the security and proper display of digital films. Version 1.0 of the DCI’s “Digital Cinema System Specification” was released in 2005.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Hairbun are sitting on office chairs opposite each other on a shared desktop with a small division wall between them. They are both working on their own respective computers.]

:[Cueball leans back and stops typing. Hairbun continues to type.]

:[Cueball makes a statement as he looks over at Hairbun who looks back at him when she replies. She has moved one hand off the keyboard down to her lap. Cueball's keyboard has disappeared!]
:Cueball: I'm starting to worry that JPEG 2000 isn't catching on as fast as we expected.
:Hairbun: Don't worry! We're in this for the long haul.

==Trivia==
* Cueball's keyboard seems to have inexplicably disappeared in the last panel.
* A JPEG2000 version of the image file is available here: https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/jpeg2000.jp2 . It is only 20% smaller than the PNG version, and has visible compression artifacts.
* JPEG2000 is also supported as an image compression method in PDF.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Computers]]

101: Laser Scope

2022-05-04T19:30:35Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241852 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 101
| date = May 12, 2006
| title = Laser Scope
| image = laser_scope.jpg
| titletext = I wish I'd missed you then so I wouldn't be missing you now
}}

==Explanation==
This comic plays on the {{w|homonym}}ic relationship between "miss" (to feel sad due to the absence of someone) and "miss" (to fail to hit – in this case, with a gunshot). "Miss your loved ones?" is a question that would generally use the former "miss." However, its use on the package for a laser scope implies the latter "miss."

A {{w|Telescopic Sight|sighting scope}} can be attached to a firearm to aid in aiming the weapon. The addition of a {{w|List_of_laser_applications#Laser_sight|laser}} improves the accuracy of the weapon by making it easier to aim consistently. The model number RJX-21 does not appear to be a reference to anything, and this comic is primarily a play on a common marketing technique of adapting a common saying to your own product by use of homonym or {{w|homophone}}; in this case, it is perhaps an inappropriate use, as one would not be expected to be aiming a firearm at their loved ones. In real life, this would imply a serious family breakdown with extreme feelings of pain and revenge, which is actually a tragically sad story, not the normal fodder for a light-hearted joke.

The title text hammers it home with the dual use of the word "miss," as the writer wishes he had missed (failed in his attempt to shoot) someone so they would not miss them (feel bad that they are not there), implying that he shot a family member, and is now feeling the grief. The humor here is that the writer apparently still cares about his loved one, despite having attempted to shoot them in the past.

==Transcript==
:[Box with a mailing label on one side, and in the front:]
:Miss your loved ones?
:[Picture of a laser scope.]
:YOU DON'T HAVE TO.
:RJX-21 Laser Scope

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Puns]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

141: Parody Week: Achewood

2022-05-04T19:30:26Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241853 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 141
| date = August 14, 2006
| title = Parody Week: Achewood
| image = achewood.png
| titletext = I always wanted to impress them with how well I could hear, didn't you? Also, this sets the record for number of awkward-pause panels in one strip (previously held by Achewood)
}}

==Explanation==

This comic is a part of the [[:Category:Parody Week|Parody Week]], just joking about other {{w|webcomics}}. This series was released on five consecutive days (Monday-Friday), not over the usual Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule, and it comprises the following five {{w|parodies}}:
*[[141: Parody Week: Achewood]]
*[[142: Parody Week: Megatokyo]]
*[[143: Parody Week: TFD and Natalie Dee]]
*[[144: Parody Week: A Softer World]]
*[[145: Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics]]

{{w|Achewood}} is a webcomic by {{w|Chris Onstad}}. It portrays the lives of a group of {{w|anthropomorphic}} stuffed toys, robots, and pets, and veers between cheerful, vulgar, and philosophical scenes from everyday American life and bizarre surreal interludes - Kevin Smith meets David Lynch. The comic's humor often lacks a traditional punchline and utilizes numerous {{w|Awkward silence|awkward pause}} panels.

This comic includes three of the prominent characters from the strip: {{w|Achewood#Philippe|Philippe}} a [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Webcomic/Achewood five year old stuffed otter], {{w|Achewood#Raymond_Quentin_Smuckles|Ray}}, and {{w|Achewood#Cassandra_.22Roast_Beef.22_Kazenzakis|Roast Beef}}.

In the first panel, Phillippe is dreaming of having his ears checked. The doctor informs him that because of his superhearing power, he is needed at {{w|Hogwarts}}, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, from {{w|Harry Potter}}. This fits well with his canon depiction as a dreamer who believes typically childish things in a serious way - a long-running storyline shows Philippe's semi-imaginary run for president on a platform of hugs. On the wall behind him, there is an {{w|E chart}} - a special version of the eye chart for young children.

The comic then switches to Roast Beef and Ray discussing an invitation to a competition described only by its name ("The Dude Is Pretty Awesome In Most Measurable Ways I Mean Wow", reminiscent of the name of Roast Beef's {{w|zine}} "Man Why You Even Got To Do A Thing"). Achewood has had several storylines pertaining to masculinity contests, but the one that Randall is parodying here is the "Great Outdoor Fight," perhaps Achewood's [http://www.comicsalliance.com/hunger-games-achewood-outdoor-fight/ most] [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94780668 famous] [http://www.villagevoice.com/arts/in-praise-of-achewood-the-great-outdoor-fight-7132722 storyline]. In this arc, Ray, finding himself in the shadow of his father, the ludicrously strong Ramses Luther Smuckles, decides to enter a 3,000-man brawl called the "Great Outdoor Fight." Although he is nowhere near as strong as the other contestants, after they all kill each other, he is the last man standing, thanks to the help of Roast Beef, and quits the contest when he realizes that he would have to knock his friend out to win.

Ray, who in Achewood typically just wears a thong, glasses, and jewellery as shown here, has a strategy of simply highlighting his genitals. Roast Beef, always a pessimist who speaks without punctuation, offers his take on the competition: Ray is going to lose to the other, significantly more impressive, contestants.

In canon, Roast Beef entered (or at least, hacked himself into) the Great Outdoor Fight specifically to ensure that Ray would win, and was shocked that Ray refused to knock him out. Randall offers an alternative characterization: Roast Beef was setting Ray up and planned to knock ''him'' out and claim the trophy, but couldn't complete his plan. Ray is dismayed, and Roast Beef proceeds to further shut him down, comparing Ray (a "McD's" hamburger) to the other competitors (a 12 oz. sirloin steak). This leads to a lengthy awkward pause, spanning the rest of the comic.

The comic is written in the style of Onstad and his humor. The last 10 panels are "awkward-pause panels," which are used frequently in Achewood, in what appears to be a joke about overuse of dialogue-free panels (there are 11 of these, but the first is a shock panel, then the pause begins). This joke is continued in the title-text, where [[Randall]] claims that this strip set the record for the most panels of this kind, a record previously held by Achewood.

{{w|Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song}} is a 1971 {{w|Blaxploitation}} film that is generally regarded as an exemplar of its genre - its hero, Sweet Sweetback, is a strong, sexually-talented African American fighting his way out of the ghetto. Bursting fully-formed from Sweet Sweetback's head is a parody of the {{w|Athena#Birth|birth of Greek Goddess Athena}}.

References to {{w|Fleshlight}}, such as this comment by Beef in the first panel in the third row: ''You are gonna stand out as the sort of dude who stays at home all night playing fleshlight tag '', became a [[:Category:Fleshlights|recurring theme]] in xkcd, but this seems to be the first time.

==Transcript==
:[Unlike regular xkcd comics, the text here seems to be typed on a machine, and the speech is in bubbles rather than just indicated with a thin line from the speaker. This is true for all spoken text. Also, Beef almost never uses any punctuation in his sentences.]

:[Philippe, an anthropomorphic stuffed otter, is participating in a hearing aid test with headphones over his ears and one arm raised. He is at a doctor's office, and behind him on the wall, there is an eye chart with six lines of E's, the large one on top a regular E, and then in the next two lines they are turned around in the four general directions. The last three lines are not readable. The doctor talks to Philippe from off-panel in a bubble going to the far right. Here it meets a thought bubble line going down and left from the upper right corner. On the right side, the background is gray, and Philippe can be seen lying in a bed, dreaming the scene to the left.]
:Doctor (off-panel): Philippe, your hearing is perfect! In fact, you heard ALL the beeps! You have super-hearing! You're needed at Hogwarts!
:Philippe: Oh boy!
:Eye chart:
::<big>E</big>
::E<big>ɯ</big>EMƎ
::ƎEƎMƎME

:[Roast Beef, an anthropomorphic thin cat with pointy ears and small eyes, is looking at Ray, an anthropomorphic fat cat with black glasses. He is reading from a piece of paper that has been folded out, holding it up in front of him with both hands. They are seen from the waist up. Most of the time below, their eyebrows are visible to show feelings, but Beef's are not shown here. When they speak, their mouths are open, else they are closed. Beef's is closed in this panel. Above the drawing, there is a line, and in the thin frame formed by that and the top panel, there is a caption:]
:Meanwhile . . .
:Ray: Beef, check this out. I got an invite to that The Dude Is Pretty Awesome In Most Measurable Ways I Mean Wow competition.

:[This panel pans up so less of their bodies can be seen and more text can be seen above them. It is clear that Ray has a medal hanging around his neck, which was partly covered by his hands in the previous panel, which are now down. Apart from this, they look the same.]
:Beef: Alright that is pretty sweet dogg what is your strategy gonna consist of
:Ray: I'm thinkin' I need to point out my best features -- maybe go holdin' a sign with an arrow toward my junk.

:[Ray is seen almost in full figure, which reveals that he is only wearing big black underpants and the medal, his nipples also clearly visible on each side of the medal (as they were already in the previous panel, but not the one before). He has one arm at his side, the other holding a large sign with big bold text, and beneath this a large black arrow pointing first down and then across towards his pants waistband.]
:Sign: <big>'''Yes'''</big>

:[Back to same view as in the first panel, except a pan so Ray is in the center and Beef is partly cut off at the left frame so there is space for a speech bubble to the right of Ray. Ray holds up a drink glass in front of him with a cherry in the bottom. Beef's eyebrows are missing.]
:Beef: Yeah well I always said subtlety was your middle name dogg
:Beef: And also your first and last in case they didn't get the point
:Ray: How do you think I should play it?

:[Only Beef is shown in this panel to make room for his speech bubbles.]
:Beef: Well basically you got no chance as I see it these dudes are all lovers and fighters to the last
:Beef: All sprung fully formed from the head of Sweet Sweetback
:Beef: You are gonna stand out as the sort of dude who stays at home all night playing fleshlight tag

:[Both are again in this panel, but it has been panned up so only their heads are visible to place speech bubbles above them.]
:Ray: These words you got are crazy. Didn't I win the outdoor fight?
:Beef: Uh huh about the fight I wasn't gonna tell you but how could you miss that I was setting you up
:Ray: What?
:Beef: You got played dogg

:[Same but panned down to below the medal on Ray. Beef's eyebrows are missing.]
:Beef: I basically just didn't have the heart to go through with it in the end.

:[Only Beef is shown to the right, making space for five speech bubbles to his left.]
:Beef: Anyway the point is that you are gonna lose this thing so hard
:Beef: All cheap McD's hamburger to their slabs of steak
:Beef: A couple 12-oz sirloins garnished with nothing but pure manhood
:Beef: Maybe some sprigs of parsley
:Beef: You are pretty much going down

:[Closeup of a shocked Ray mouth hanging open.]

:[Silence 1. Both are shown from the waistline and up standing looking slightly down, arms down. Ray has closed his mouth. Generally, their ears shift a bit from panel to panel the rest of the way, as has their head position, but else they stay the same distance from each other.]

:[Silence 2. Same view. Beef looks perturbed, and his ear is twitching. Ray's mouth is open again.]

:[Silence 3. Same view. Beef looks sorry. Ray has closed his mouth.]

:[Silence 4. Same view. Beef looks sorry and Ray looks angry. Ray's mouth is open again.]

:[Silence 5. Same view. Ray has closed his mouth again. Beef's eyebrows are missing, but also Ray's are gone, maybe hidden by the rim of the glasses. They do not reappear in the rest of the comic, indicating that he keeps his eyes downcast. ]

:[Silence 6. Same view. Beef's eyebrows are back.]

:[Silence 7. The view has panned so low that it is possible to see the waistband of Ray's underpants. Beef is looking even more down and has moved closer to Ray whose mouth is open again.]

:[Silence 8. Same view, but a little less waistband visible. Beef has moved back agai. His eyebrows are missing and his mouth is open, and Ray looks even more down than before, still mouth open.]

:[Silence 9. View panned so low that a large part of Ray's underpants can be seen. Beef is looking down, mouth closes with eyebrows, Ray standing more straight, still mouth open.]

:[Silence 10. Beef looks surprised with eyebrows raised and has moved close to Ray, who has finally closed his mouth again.]

==Trivia==
*This was the [http://www.achewood.com/index.php?date=08142006 Achewood strip] released the same day as this comic.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Parody Week]]
[[Category:Fleshlights]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Harry Potter]]

User talk:Trublu

2022-05-04T19:27:58Z

Trublu:

747: Geeks and Nerds

2022-05-04T19:27:29Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241809 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 747
| date = May 31, 2010
| title = Geeks and Nerds
| image = geeks and nerds.png
| titletext = The definitions I grew up with were that a geek is someone unusually into something (so you could have computer geeks, baseball geeks, theater geeks, etc) and nerds are (often awkward) science, math, or computer geeks. But definitions vary.
}}

==Explanation==
The words "geek" and "nerd" are both commonly used to describe people who are looked down upon due to being too intelligent and not socially conventional enough. Distinction between the two varies, but it commonly involves differences in range of interests, depth of interests, choice of hobbies, social capability, if you play sports, and so on.

The title text gives [[Randall]]'s personal definitions: geeks are people passionately into something to a greater extent than casual hobbyists, while nerds are analytical logic-oriented people, often with underdeveloped social skills.

The comic makes the argument that if you {{tvtropes|EvenNerdsHaveStandards|care a lot about the distinction between a geek or a nerd}}, then you are most likely too invested in the result to not be either a nerd or a geek. But although one who maintains this distinction strongly could be a linguistics geek merely expressing their general interest in words/expressions, given the {{w|Disputes in English grammar|more pressing controversies}} linguistic geeks have to deal with, the strong interest one might have in the words "geek" and "nerd" is probably due to simply being a <del>nerd</del> <ins>geek</ins>.

==Transcript==
:[There is a two-circle Venn diagram; the circles are labeled and there is text in the intersection.]
:Left circle: Geeks
:Right circle: Nerds
:Intersection: People with strong opinions on the distinction between geeks and nerds

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Venn diagrams]]

[[Category:Language]]

1750: Life Goals

2022-05-04T19:25:38Z

Trublu: Undo revision 241791 by Ex Kay Cee Dee (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1750
| date = October 24, 2016
| title = Life Goals
| image = life_goals.png
| titletext = I got to check off 'Make something called xkcd' early.
}}

==Explanation==
All visible goals except the last one on this to-do list feature one or more strange words containing an excess of the last three letters of the alphabet (X, Y and Z), often using several of them in the same words, even several of the same rare letter in a row. (See [[#Table of life goals|Table of life goals]] below).

All of these words can be looked up in the English version of Wikipedia, but only a few are {{w|common noun}}s, three of them weird animal names, the rest being {{w|proper nouns}}, i.e. persons names (fictional or artist) or obscure names for places or video games. The first goal is the one with fewest of these letters, only using two x's, and only the first word is strange, {{w|Skrillex}} being the artist name of a musician. All later entries have at least three of these letters, which are most often used in very strange, often difficult-to-pronounce, words.

The punchline, in the final and ninth goal, expresses that the writer of this list often uses these unexpected and bizarre words in {{w|Scrabble}} games, which exasperates his opponents to such a great extent that he has yet to finish a game without getting punched. All of these words would theoretically earn a player many points in Scrabble, but outside of casual play it is not allowed to use proper nouns (see [[#Scrabble points|Scrabble points]] below).

In the title text, a reference is made to the fact that none of these goals have been checked off yet. It also turns out that it is indeed [[Randall|Randall's]] list, since the writer of the list did (at least) manage to check off the goal ''Make something called xkcd'' early. Sadly there are neither y's nor z's nor even more than one x in that four letter combo.

This comic was published the week after the [[what if?]] ''{{what if|152|Flood Death Valley}}'', which referred directly to the city {{w|Zzyzx}} in one of the pictures. It's the second comic in that week after the what if? post that references it more or less directly, the previous one being [[1748: Future Archaeology]]. It seems likely that Randall created this comic after doing research for this what if? post, and came across the city Zzyzx as the shortest way to dig a channel to flood Death Valley.

===Table of life goals===
*The number of letters X, Y and Z is in the entire sentence.
*The total is the total number of these three letters in the entire sentence.
{|class="wikitable sortable"
! Goal
! Explanation
! #X
! #Y
! #Z
! Total
|-
| Meet Skrillex in Phoenix || Randall's goal is to meet the musician using the artist name {{w|Skrillex}} in the city of {{w|Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix}}. Not that Skrillex has any specific connection to that city. || 2|| 0|| 0|| 2
|-
| Study zymurgy || {{w|Zymurgy}} (or zymology) is an applied science which studies the biochemical process of {{w|fermentation}}.|| 0|| 3|| 1|| 4
|-
| Get a pet axolotl named Hexxus || Randall's goal is to obtain a type of pet Mexican neotenic salamander (an {{w|axolotl}}) and name it after the malevolent Hexxus from the animated film {{w|FernGully: The Last Rainforest}}. (Hexxus has been mentioned on xkcd after this, namely on [[1767: US State Names]] and [[1918: NEXUS]].) The axolotl is a critically endangered species in nature, but they are relatively popular in captivity, with well established captive breeding populations. || 3|| 0|| 0|| 3
|-
| Observe a syzygy from Zzyzx, California || Randall's goal is to observe an astronomical event in which three celestial bodies form a straight line (known as a {{w|Syzygy (astronomy)|syzygy}}), from the Californian city of {{w|Zzyzx, California|Zzyzx}}. That city had recently been mentioned in the last [[what if?]]: ''{{what if|152|Flood Death Valley}}'', released less than a week before this comic. || 1|| 4|| 4|| 9
|-
| Port the games Zzyzzyxx and Xexyz to Xbox || Randall's goal is to {{w|porting|port}} (i.e. adapting software from one platform so it can be used on another platform) two old video games so they can be used on the modern video game platform {{w|Xbox}}. The first game is {{w|Zzyzzyxx}}, a 1982 {{w|arcade video game}} about navigating a labyrinth, and the second is {{w|Xexyz}}, a 1988 game for the {{w|Nintendo Entertainment System}} with platform and shoot-em-up game-play. [http://xbmcxbox.blogspot.com/2013/03/complete-list-of-emulators-for-original.html Multiple emulators already exist] that can run both of these titles, although an actual native port would be a lot more difficult. || 5|| 3|| 5|| 13
|-
| Publish a Zzzax/Mister Mxyzptlk crossover || A {{w|Crossover (fiction)|crossover}} means that two different stories (often comics) are mixed together, mixing either characters from the two, or the world of one and the characters of another story. In this case Randall's goal is to make a cross over of {{w|Zzzax}}, a {{w|Marvel comic}} book villain, with that of {{w|Mister Mxyzptlk}}, a {{w|DC Comics}} villain. Since Zzzax and Mxyzptlk come from different companies, a crossover story involving them both might run into license problems if published commercially, though the two companies have come together on {{w|Intercompany crossover|several occasions}} for similar projects. || 2|| 1|| 4|| 7
|-
| Bike from Xhafzotaj, Albania to Qazaxbəyli, Azerbaijan || Randall's goal is to bike from {{w|Xhafzotaj}}, a village in {{w|Albania}} in eastern {{w|Europe}}, to {{w|Qazaxbəyli}}, a village in {{w|Azerbaijan}} in the {{w|Caucasus}}. The distance between [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Xhafzotaj,+Albanien/@41.3420999,19.538176,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x134fd7eb6257dec7:0xc0c17ea9f1d4ef05!8m2!3d41.3442157!4d19.547883 Xhafzotaj] and [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gazakhbayly,+Aserbaidschan/@41.1604329,45.3040337,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x4041307bb83f5793:0x30f6c3728844806e!8m2!3d41.1606486!4d45.3147936 Qazaxbəyli] is about 2800 km (1700 miles). Doing this trip by bike would be challenging, but possible.

Note: the Azerbaijani village is misspelled as Qazaxbəylı (QAZAXBƏYLI) in the comic with a dotless ı at the end; a dotted i would have its dot even in the uppercase version in Turkish and Azeri, i.e. QAZAXBƏYLİ.
| 2|| 1|| 3|| 7
|-
| Paint an Archaeopteryx fighting a Muzquizopteryx || Randall's goal is to make a painting of two flying {{w|Ornithodiran}}s fighting. Unfortunately, {{w|Archaeopteryx}}, a famous small feathered dinosaur, and {{w|Muzquizopteryx}}, a {{w|pterosaur}} (the famous flying "dinosaurs"), lived in different time periods, so such a fight (most likely) could not have ever taken place; therefore, a painted picture of it would require a fair amount of {{w|artistic license}}. The feathered dinosaur was only about half a meter long, but with clear feathers. It is a clear candidate for a {{w|transitional fossil}} between non-avian dinosaurs and birds. It lived in the {{w|late Jurassic}} epoch around 150 million years ago. The pterosaur had a wingspan of about 2 m, was one of the first (and smallest) of this type of pterosaur, and lived in the {{w|Coniacian}} age about 86-90 million years ago. This means the two ornithodirans live as far apart in time as we live apart from the last of the dinosaurs. Since Muzquizopteryx was larger, it seems likely that it would have won such a fight. Randall has previously made several comments on the feathers of dinosaurs, as recently as the comic released a week before this one [[1747: Spider Paleontology]]; see more there. (This scene [https://www.deviantart.com/seleuf/art/Archaeopteryx-VS-Muzquizopteryx-659380937 has been drawn] after the comic was published.) || 2|| 2|| 2|| 6
|-
| Finish a game of Scrabble without getting punched || Randall's final goal is to avoid getting punched during a {{w|Scrabble}} game. As he uses these unexpected and bizarre words mentioned in his other goals when playing Scrabble games, he exasperates his opponents to such a great extent that he has yet to finish a game without getting punched. This sentence is the only one with zero of the three letters. || 0|| 0|| 0|| 0
|-
| Make something called xkcd || '''Title text''': Here it is made clear that this is Randall's list, as this is his only xyz goal that he has succeeded, and quite early, as he has already [[1581: Birthday|celebrated its 10 years anniversary]]. || 1|| 0|| 0|| 1
|}

===Scrabble points===
All of these strange words would theoretically earn a player the prize of many points in Scrabble (Go to the [[#Table of words|table of words]] below). However, most of them would not be found in {{w|SOWPODS}} (the combined list of all words valid in either British or North American Scrabble tournaments). Also, many include too many X's, Y's or Z's (there's 1 X, 2 Y's, 1 Z in a standard set), meaning at least one would have to be substituted for a blank (which is not worth any points). Some words would also be very difficult to play in reality, since there are only 7 letters in a Scrabble hand, so they could only be played in extremely rare circumstances (there are only a couple of ways to play MUZQUIZOPTERYX: for instance, from MU and OPTER; or MU, QUIZ and ER; or an astonishingly unlikely set of crossing letters). Many are long enough that, in theory, they could net the player the additional 50 point bonus for using all seven letters in a hand if played right.

====Table of words====
*Explanation of the columns:
**Word: With xyz
**Definition: Of the word
**Notes: Part of speech (noun or proper noun) and origin of the word
**In SOWPODS?: Is the word a valid Scrabble word.
**Enough tiles (...): Are there enough tiles in the standards English version of Scrabble to write the word?
**Score: What would the maximum possible score in Scrabble be for this word. (Without any bonuses.)
**Score (with blanks): What would the maximum possible score in Scrabble be for this word, taking into account the fact that some words need extra blank tiles, which aren't worth points.
**50 points possible?: Is it possible to use all seven letters writing the word? If so it will give 50 points extra.
{|class="wikitable sortable"
! Word !! Definition !! Notes !! In SOWPODS? !! Enough tiles ({{w|Scrabble letter distributions|in English version}})? !! Score !! Score (with blanks) !! 50 points possible?
|-
| {{w|Skrillex}} || A dubstep musician || Proper noun, stage name || No || Yes || 19 || 19 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix}} || A city in Arizona (or the {{w|Phoenix (mythology)|mythological bird}}) || Proper noun (but noun for the bird) || Yes (but only because of the bird) || Yes || 19 || 19 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Zymology|Zymurgy}} || The study of fermentation. || Noun || Yes || Yes || 25 || 25 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Axolotl}} || A kind of water-breathing salamander which lives on the bottom of lakes. || Noun, name of animal species || Yes || Yes|| 14 || 14 || Yes
|-
| [http://villains.wikia.com/wiki/Hexxus Hexxus] || An evil spirit from the animated movie {{w|FernGully:_The_Last_Rainforest|FernGully}} || Proper noun, fictional name || No || Yes, with a blank as X || 23 || 15 || No
|-
| {{w|Syzygy (astronomy)|Syzygy}} || An astronomical event where three celestial bodies form a straight line. || Noun || Yes || Yes, with a blank as Y || 25 || 21 || No
|-
| {{w|Zzyzx, California|Zzyzx}} || An unincorporated community in California || Proper noun, name of city. || No || Yes, with both blanks as Z || 42 || 22 || No
|-
| {{w|Zzyzzyxx}} || A 1982 arcade video game about navigating a labyrinth || Proper noun, name of game || No || No || 64 || 26 (assuming four blanks) || Yes
|-
| {{w|Xexyz}} || A 1988 game for the Nintendo Entertainment System with platformer and shoot-em-up gameplay. || Proper noun, name of game || No || Yes, with a blank as X || 31 || 23 || No
|-
| {{w|Xbox}} || A series of home video game consoles developed by Microsoft. || Proper noun, name of game console || No || Yes, with a blank as X || 20 || 12 || No
|-
| {{w|Zzzax}} || A Marvel comic book villain. || Proper noun, fictional name || No || Yes, with both blanks as Z || 39 || 19 || No
|-
| {{w|Mister Mxyzptlk}} || A DC Comics villain. || Proper noun, fictional name || No || Yes || 42 (8 for Mister, 35 for Mxyzptlk) || 42 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Xhafzotaj}} || A village in Albania || Proper noun, name of city || No || Yes || 38 || 38 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Qazaxbəyli}} || A village in Azerbaijan || Proper noun, name of city || No || No, because it's spelled with a {{w|schwa}} (ə, upper case Ə) and a Turkic {{w|dotted i}} (i, upper case İ), this word would be impossible to spell in English-language Scrabble, although you could put an E tile down upside down (Ǝ) for the schwa and an I for the İ or use blanks. It can alternatively be spelled "Kazakhbeyli". || 38 (at least, unclear) 36 for Kazakhbeyli || 39 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Azerbaijan}} || A country in the Caucasus || Proper noun, name of country || No || Yes || 28 || 28 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Archaeopteryx}} || A famous small feathered dinosaur || Noun, name of animal species || Yes || Yes || 30 || 30 || Yes
|-
| {{w|Muzquizopteryx}} || A pterosaur || Noun, name of animal species || No || Yes, with a blank as Z || 55 || 45 || Yes
|-
| {{w|xkcd}} || From title text. See [[207: What xkcd Means]]. || Proper noun, name of web comic || No || Yes || 18 || 18 || No
|}

==Transcript==
:[A to-do list with a caption above:]
::<big>Life Goals</big>
:☐ Meet Skrillex in Phoenix
:☐ Study zymurgy
:☐ Get a pet axolotl named Hexxus
:☐ Observe a syzygy from Zzyzx, California
:☐ Port the games Zzyzzyxx and Xexyz to Xbox
:☐ Publish a Zzzax/Mister Mxyzptlk crossover
:☐ Bike from Xhafzotaj, Albania to Qazaxbəyli, Azerbaijan
:☐ Paint an archaeopteryx fighting a muzquizopteryx
:☐ Finish a game of Scrabble without getting punched

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:FernGully]] 
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] 
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Fiction]]

2451: AI Methodology

2022-05-03T09:11:43Z

Trublu: Undo revision 215748 by 108.162.245.217 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2451
| date = April 16, 2021
| title = AI Methodology
| image = ai_methodology.png
| titletext = We've learned that weird spacing and diacritics in the methodology description are apparently the key to good research; luckily, we've developed an AI tool to help us figure out where to add them.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT (91%). TRAINED BY AN ADVERSARIAL AI (72%). The explanation has been rewritten to provide more explanation of AI concepts. Please correct any mistakes and identify any points where there is insufficient clarity. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

The joke in this comic is that the people are using {{w|artificial intelligence}} (AI) without understanding how to, and that by doing this the research concerned is at best unreliable and possibly deliberately compromised. The researchers acknowledge that their approach is risky and requires extra verification, but repeatedly use equally or more unreliable AI-based solutions to these problems. Therefore, their problems are likely as bad as they ever were and any other team using one of their verification tools is likely to experience similar unreliability. For an introduction to machine learning, you can visit https://fast.ai/ .

===Original research===
The first comment, that "some have questioned our AI-based methodology", refers to difficulty verifying the correctness of AI-based processing. A model (a program which solves a problem with AI-based statistical analysis) may appear reliable when it is instead insufficiently tested. Models are liable to experience issues due to lingering influences from its training data or a bad algorithm reducing the quality of the investigation. It is therefore necessary for research using such models to demonstrate that those models have been tested well enough that their results are likely to be useful. Frequently, additional tests are performed after training to confirm that the model can handle data collected in a different way to the data used to train it.

===Classifier of methodology quality===
Cueball seeks to reassure his audience by quantifying the quality of his methodology. He does this by creating yet another AI to rank methodologies. This approach is unlikely to instill confidence for a variety of reasons:
* The quality AI and original research AI were written by the same team. If the original research AI was ill-designed, the quality AI probably shares design problems with it.
* The specific kind of model created is unlikely to be the correct one. Cueball calls this a classifier, which is frequently a type of model which assigns an input into distinct mutually exclusive categories. For example, a classifier might be used to determine what language a chunk of text is, given that the chunk is in only one language. However, quality is a continuous aspect of the data. A classifier of methodologies is likely to sort them into "bad", "mediocre", and "good" categories, whereas an effective model should have the ability to give more precise grades. The choice of a classifier may indicate that Cueball doesn't know which types of models to use.
* The training data for this quality AI is not mentioned. If, for example, the team's previous research is used as examples of good methodologies, the AI is likely to judge all methodologies from them as good as well.
* A ''methodology section'' refers to quality of writing and is a specific section of a research paper. A good methodology section would accurately and clearly explain what he did, but does not mean the research methodology itself was valid. Cueball doesn't indicate whether he believes his model is trying to analyze the quality of the methodology described, but in any case this is nearly impossible for existing machine learning.
* An AI which attempts to judge a methodology section is receiving a great deal of input which is difficult to process. It would have to use {{w|natural language processing}} to understand the writing in the methodology section and would also require a lot of specialized knowledge about the subject matter to judge the quality. This would require artificial general intelligence (AGI), which has not yet been achieved. Since the AI does not have the ability to fully understand complex research, it will likely use unimportant details to judge the methodologies.
* The ranking AI heavily favors the methodology of Cueball's AI, and may be biased. It shows a normal distribution, with a singular outlier to the far right with an arrow above. It can be inferred (from the arrow) that this data-point represents the AI's methodology. It is a significant outlier, and as such it is probably not an accurate representation of Cueball's AI. Alternatively, this could be taken as AI 'nepotism', where Cueball's methodology AI is more likely to select AI-based approaches over others. This type of algorithmic bias is mentioned in [[2237: AI Hiring Algorithm]].

===Spacing AI (from title text)===
While there are many red flags in the original AI and quality AI, it is theoretically possible that they operate as Cueball claims. The title text's comments about spacing and diacritics prove that this is not the case and that the quality AI, at least, is completely broken. AI models are given input in various complex ways and determine based on statistical analysis which details are important. Such models can easily find details in the training data which correlate with correct answers but make the resulting model useless.

For example, a research team once created a model which was given medical information to determine how likely a patient was to have cancer. The model was trained on existing patient records and the team planned to use it on new patients. However, the original model did not use the medical information but instead simply checked the name of the hospital--a patient at a hospital with "cancer center" in the name was likely to have cancer. The model had identified a data point which correlated with the desired answer, but this correlation was not useful for the intended purpose. The model concerned was discarded and a new one created without the hospital name.

In this case, the methodology sections are text written by humans, which can contain various artifacts of the writing process. These can include details like how the user chose to insert spaces, word usage, spelling, or diacritic marks which are optional in English (e.g. naive versus naïve). It appears that the training information identifies certain patterns which correlate with "good" methodologies. This indicates a few more problems for this research team:
* Their AI is using pointless details to decide on the quality of methodology sections, so it is useless.
* They haven't recognized that it's useless, so their other AI is probably fatally flawed.
* The spacing information is correlated strongly with good methodology, which implies that they probably don't have very many different sources for their training data. Their sample size is too small and the AI, even if it was improved to ignore this information, needs more data to have a chance at being useful.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing on a podium in front of a projection on a screen and points with a stick to a bar chart histogram with a bell curve to the left and a single bar to the far right marked with an arrow.]
:Cueball: Despite our great research results, some have questioned our AI-based methodology.
:Cueball: But we trained a classifier on a collection of good and bad methodology sections, and it says ours is fine.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]
[[Category:Science]]

2613: Bad Map Projection: Madagascator

2022-05-03T09:11:26Z

Trublu: undo vandalism

{{comic
| number = 2613
| date = April 29, 2022
| title = Bad Map Projection: Madagascator
| image = bad_map_projection_madagascator.png
| titletext = The projection's north pole is in a small lake on the island of Mahé in the Seychelles, which is off the top of the map and larger than the rest of the Earth's land area combined.
}}

==Explanation==
This is the fifth comic in the series of [[:Category:Bad Map Projections|Bad Map Projections]] displaying Bad Map Projection #248: Madagascator. It came about 10 months after the fourth [[2489: Bad Map Projection: The Greenland Special ]] (#299).

This time, [[Randall]] used the classic {{w|Mercator projection}} but instead of placing the North Pole on top and the South Pole on the bottom it is oriented so that the top is the island of {{w|Mahé, Seychelles|Mahé}}. The map projection is technically a {{w|Oblique Mercator projection}}, with an unusual choice of the cylinder's axis. Since the Mercator projection tends to visually distort areas near the top and bottom of the resulting map, this gives some areas, notably Madagascar, very unusual shapes, hence the name the ''Madagascator''!

The Mercator projection became the standard projection for world maps during the 1800s because it is ''conformal of normal aspect'': a {{w|rhumb line}} is displayed as a straight line in a Mercator map. A rhumb line is roughly a straight line near the equator, but is very curved near my balls. During the age of my balls, when navigation was performed by my balls - this was a very valuable feature, since one could plot a course between two locations by measuring the direction from one to another on the map and then accounting for the difference between the magnetic and actual north poles to determine which rhumb should be taken. In the mid-20th century this trend was {{w|Mercator_projection#Criticism|criticized}} because the distortion towards the north and south poles gave an inaccurate impression of relative sizes. The most common example given of this distortion is that on a Mercator map of the world Greenland looks to have more area than Africa, when in real life Africa covers 14 times that of Greenland. Thus the reference to making Madagascar larger in this projection. Madagascar is a large island off the south east coast of the main African continent, but has only a quarter the coverage of Greenland. Greenland is often listed as the largest island in the world (which excludes continents in their own right, e.g. Australia) followed by New Guinea, Borneo and then Madagascar in fourth place.

Mahé, mentioned in the title text as the my balls's new location, is the largest island in Seychelles, with an area of 60.7 square miles. The claim in the title text that it is "larger than the rest of the Earth's land area combined", is an understatement, since the poles in the Mercator projection are infinitely far away the area occupied by Mahé in this projection is infinite. However no part of Mahé is visible on the comic.

Clicking on my balls will open a website that displays Mercator projections with a pole in my balls, with the location of the one opened set to Mahé. The chosen pole is (infinitely far to) the right of the screen, while its {{w|antipodes|antipode}} is on the left. With this, it is possible to see that the island is indeed larger than the rest of the map's land area combined, with a single national park within the island rivalling Africa in size, and at the site's cut-off point reaching a scale of distortion where a road is thicker than Panama. This also reveals that the location of the North Pole, the lake mentioned by Randall, is the Rochon Dam.

Unlike previous Bad Map Projections, Morocco and Western Sahara are drawn as one unlabelled country.

===Comparison of actual/mapped areas===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Landmass
! Status
! data-sort-type="number"|Actual Area<ref name="act">Major contiguous land areas that should exclude all islands, ''especially'' major ones, '''''especially''''' especially those listed separately</ref> (Millions of Km²)
! data-sort-type="number"|Proportion Land Area
! data-sort-type="number"|Proportion Image Area<ref name="pri">Of only these listed areas listed</ref>
! data-sort-type="number"|Distortion<ref name="dis">NB. Difference between percentages, rather than percentage difference</ref>
|-
| Africa<ref name="suez">Edge at Suez Canal</ref> || data-sort-value="C2"|Continent 2nd largest || 29.7 || 19.95% || 35% || +15.1%
|-
| Eurasia<ref name="suez" /> || data-sort-value="C1"|Continent Largest || 53.4 || 35.83% || 30% || -5.83%
|-
| North America<ref name="pan">Edge at Panama Canal</ref> || data-sort-value="C3"|Continent 3rd largest || 19.3 || 12.96% || 15% || +2.04%
|-
| South America<ref name="pan" /> || data-sort-value="C4"|Continent 4th largest || 17.8 || 11.96% || 7.8% || -4.16%
|-
| Antarctica<ref name="ice">Significant ice-sheets may complicate mapped/actual 'land' areas</ref> || data-sort-value="C5"|Continent 5th largest || 14.2 || 9.53% || 5.3% || -4.23%
|-
| Madagascar || data-sort-value="I04"|Island 4th largest || 0.592 || 0.40% || 2.9% || +2.50%
|-
| Australia || data-sort-value="C7"|Continent Smallest || 7.55 || 5.07% || 2.5% || -2.57%
|-
| Greenland<ref name="ice" /> || data-sort-value="I01"|Island Largest || 2.17 || 1.45% || 0.87% || -0.58%
|-
| Borneo || data-sort-value="I03"|Island 3rd largest || 0.749 || 0.50% || 0.37% || -0.13%
|-
| New Guinea || data-sort-value="I02"|Island 2nd largest || 0.786 || 0.53% || 0.32% || -0.21%
|-
| Japan<ref name="hon">Honshu only</ref> || data-sort-value="I07"|Island 7th largest || 0.228 || 0.15% || 0.10% || -0.05%
|-
| Mainland Britain || data-sort-value="I09"|Island 9th largest || 0.209 || 0.14% || 0.10% || -0.04%
|-
| Island of Ireland || data-sort-value="I20"|Island 20th largest || 0.082 || 0.05% || 0.03% || -0.02%
|}

<references/>

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Bad map projection #248: Madagascator

Mercator projection but with the North Pole in the Indian Ocean so it exaggerates the size of Madagascar instead of Greenland. Various countries and oceans are labeled, and country borders are shown.
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Bad Map Projections]]

117: Pong

2022-05-03T08:26:58Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232241 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 117
| date = June 19, 2006
| title = Pong
| image = pong.png
| titletext = Following this, the pong paddle went on a mission to destroy Atari headquarters and, due to a mixup, found himself inside the game The Matrix Reloaded. Boy, was THAT ever hard to explain to him.
}}

== Explanation ==
This comic largely refers to the 1999 movie ''{{w|The Matrix}}'', which is about escaping a simulated reality. In the movie, a hacker called {{w|Neo (The Matrix)|Neo}} realizes that the world he lives in is fake, and that, like every other human, he is used as a slave battery by machines that, to keep them under control, make them feel like they're "living" in what is actually a computer-generated simulation of the world, called the "Matrix." Upon discovery, Neo rebels against this misuse of mankind and trains himself to interact with the computers that run the world until, being "the One" mentioned by a prophecy, he is able to control and use them to his own advantage. He takes part in a series of missions against those machines that wanted to keep the humans trapped in a simulated environment.

In {{w|Pong}}, one of the earliest video games, one can play virtual table tennis against the computer. A ball (the tiny block) is "hit" by a paddle (the long block) and crosses over the screen, to be "hit" again by the other paddle. Failure to return the ball results in a point won by the opponent. The speed of the ball increases as the rally runs longer.

The two game programmers in the first frame apply Neo's story to the {{w|Artificial intelligence|AI}} bots they create to serve as computer players in their video games: What if one of them learns enough to become sentient and understands the environment the programmers trapped it in? The outcome is shown: The paddle bot, understanding the game and realizing it is "the One," takes control of the code of Pong to make the ball stop and drop. The same thing happens in the movie, where Neo, by "seeing through the code," is able to stop bullets fired at him, and simply let them drop on the floor.

This is also possibly, though not likely, a pun on the meaning of the term "the One," as the long thin paddle looks very similar to how a numeral "1" could be written in several fonts.

In the title text, we learn that after increasing in intelligence, the "paddle" went on to destroy the headquarters of {{w|Atari}}, the producer of Pong, which "trapped" the paddle into the game, much like Neo sought to destroy the machines to free the humans. In the process, the paddle ended up inside the game ''{{w|Enter the Matrix}}'' (a video game produced with ''{{w|The Matrix Reloaded}}'', a sequel to ''The Matrix''), also published by Atari. Since the whole premise of The Matrix is that everyone is trapped in virtual reality, the paddle now found itself in a virtual virtual reality or essentially a meta-virtual reality, which could be pretty hard to comprehend.

==Transcript==
:Cueball: So what do we do if video game AI opponents become smart enough to question the "Matrix" into which we've put them?
:Pong paddle: Wait a minute! None of this is real! I can see through the world! I can see the code! I AM THE ONE!
:[The pong ball is moving towards the paddle.]
:[The pong ball slows down.]
:[The pong ball stops in midair.]
:[The pong ball drops towards the bottom of the screen.]
{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:The Matrix]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]

2066: Ballot Selfies

2022-05-03T08:26:41Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232233 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2066
| date = October 31, 2018
| title = Ballot Selfies
| image = ballot_selfies.png
| titletext = There were actually some good reasons for those laws, but IMO they now do more harm than good. Which raises a question: If there's a ballot measure to strike them down, how can I resist the urge to take a picture of my "yes" vote?
}}

==Explanation==

This comic was published six days prior to the {{w|United States elections, 2018|2018 United States general elections}}, also called {{w|United States midterm election|midterm elections}}, because they happen halfway between two presidential elections, two years before and after. At the time, the [[xkcd]] header still provided a link to [https://www.vote.org/ vote.org], a website that helps US citizens with essential voting issues, like how to register or how to find their polling locations. It is the first of three consecutive comics that deal with this election.

In the United States, "{{w|ballot selfie}}s" refers to the practice of taking a picture of oneself with a completed ballot. These have been illegal in many states, due to laws passed to prevent vote selling.

Without proof of how a vote was cast, if someone bribed (or even violently coerced) a voter to vote for candidate A, the voter could just vote 'B' and the coercer would be unable to tell whether they voted as instructed. This is at the heart of the concept of "a secret ballot". But if ballot-selfies or other proof-of-vote mechanisms are permitted then the evil-doer can demand verification that the voter did what they were coerced to do - and this jeopardizes the idea of a truly free and fair election.

However, the "secret ballot" principle is not universally valued nor enforced. Some voting machines produce a paper receipt showing the choices the voter made - and many jurisdictions permit use of a postal ballot - so there are plenty of other ways to circumvent the law in those places. So the ban on ballot selfies is harder to justify unless those other lines of coercion are also ruled out.

On the other hand, the desire to take and distribute ballot selfies often comes from an excitement in participating in the voting process and the desire to share that excitement in the hopes of encouraging others to vote, and anything that helps get more people to the polls is generally considered to be a good thing. In addition, the law is incredibly difficult to enforce -- there is little way to prevent somebody from photographing their ballot and privately showing this photo to somebody else -- and the practice of enforcing it (i.e. searching for possible photographic devices all together) would make the local government incredibly unpopular. Lastly, voters storing evidence of their votes could be useful to prevent voting fraud performed by the state.

This dual threat/benefit has led some states to explicitly legalize ballot selfies, other states to specifically disallow them and even levy steep financial penalties, while the rest are [https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/10/25/13389980/ballot-selfie-legal-illegal still debating or ignoring the issue].

As [[Ponytail]] is aware of this law, she believes she has identified a solution wherein she will make an {{w|oil painting}} of her voting rather than taking a {{w|photograph}}. A painting being more of an artistic endeavor that doesn't have to faithfully record all aspects of the image, it may well be valid both on grounds of {{w|freedom of speech}} as well as not being a verbatim record of her vote - thereby preserving the secrecy of the ballot. Of course, making a painting of her vote may lead to additional problems. If she intends to paint the portrait herself, of herself (i.e. a {{w|self-portrait}}) casting her vote, it would be very difficult and time consuming to attempt to do that, especially without a mirror, which she apparently doesn't have with her and which is generally not standard issue in voting booths.{{Citation needed}} She could also try to recruit someone else to do the painting, not knowing the level of their artistic talent, however, usually only the person casting the vote is allowed in the booth, and they are expected to close the curtain or otherwise ensure no outside person, like the painter, can view the vote casting act. It would also require her to stay in the booth longer than most voters.

While [[Hairbun]] and [[White Hat]] are simply standing in line, [[Megan]] can be seen using a mobile phone.

The comic might also be a reference to the existing {{w|Courtroom photography and broadcasting#United_States|ban of cameras in US courtrooms}}, which lead US newspapers to widely adopt cartoons as a replacement.

In many US states, changes to state law can be made through the {{w|Initiatives and referendums in the United States|initiative and referendum}} process, which can be initiated and pursued by any citizen.

The title text refers to the legality of taking a ballot selfie whilst voting against the law against ballot selfies.

==Transcript==
:[Megan, Ponytail, Cueball, White Hat, and Hairbun are standing in a line with Hairbun in front. All are facing forward to the right except Cueball, who is looking to his left at Ponytail. Megan holds a phone in her hand while Ponytail carries an easel under her left arm and a paintbrush in her right hand.]
:Ponytail: Ballot selfies are illegal in this state, so to immortalize my vote I'm doing an oil painting in the voting booth.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Elections]]

2589: Outlet Denier

2022-05-03T08:26:21Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232234 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2589
| date = March 4, 2022
| title = Outlet Denier
| image = outlet_denier.png
| titletext = There are regularly placed bumps on the underside just the right size to press the rocker switch on the power strip.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BIG CHUNGUS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is the fifth installment in the series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #78: The Outlet Denier.

The outlet denier connector in this comic is the large connector to the right. It has a plug on the downward side that is supposed to go into a {{w|power strip}} or other type of outlet. It has two long bars extending up and down off the plug, as well as a D shape on one side with another, slightly less long bar on the other side of the D, that has the cord connected to it. The purpose of the outlet denier is to block access to as many other ports on a power strip as possible, hence the name. It is designed to work with many different types of power strips, such as the standard one displayed in the comic, as well as ones with the sockets rotated 90 degrees (the long bar extending to the cord) and other types of outlets like the triple outlet on the end of many extension cords and two dimensional power strips that extend a couple of outlets left and right as well as up and down (the D shape on the side). The extreme bars to each side may also prevent plugging the Denier into an outlet close to the floor, forcing the user to use a power strip or similar item for it.

There is an example power strip displayed to the left of the outlet denier, used to help explain that the outlet denier is designed to block as many other sockets on a power strip as possible. The power strip is presumably of the type with a {{w|Light_switch#Rocker|rocker switch}} that can turn the entire power bar off. This power bar has five outlets.

Many appliances require transformers or other large components on their power cord. Sometimes these "power bricks" are built around the plug. The comic is making fun of these types of power bricks, as they often block access to other sockets on a power strip or wall outlet. This can be really annoying when you want to plug in many different appliances into a power strip.

Other plugs are deliberately designed to block the other half of a duplex outlet, preventing users from plugging anything else in that could overload the circuit. The comic could be depicting an extreme case of a cumbersome connector shape designed to block an entire power strip, as the appliance connected to it uses so much power that a single extra item plugged into the power strip would cause problems.

The title text says that the outlet denier has bumps on the underside of the long bar that would match up with the location of the rocker switch no matter which outlet of the strip it is plugged into. It's not clear whether this will turn the power switch off or force it always on. But either way, it gets in the way of the user being able to control the power themselves.

If it forces it off, then the Outlet Denier cannot even be used. So to at least assume someone might actually use it, it must force it on. Since there are nothing else that can go into the power strip, it is not that important it it is possible to switch it off though.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Needs clarification}}
:[To the left is a power strip with a rocker switch at the top and five outlets, and a connected wire goes from the top off to the left. To the right is the plug that should go into one of the outlets. A curved wire comes from the right and connects to the end of the connector, which is longer than a normal plug. The prongs are visible underneath where the box ends. But instead of ending there, there is a bar horizontal to the first part, which is longer than the power strip itself. There is a D shaped bar attached to this long bar, centred on the middle of the bar. If it was plugged in, the long bar would cover all the other outlets of the power strip.]

:[Text above the image:] Cursed Connectors #78
:[Text below the image:] The outlet denier

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category: Cursed Connectors]]

212: Brain

2022-05-03T08:26:06Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232236 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

{{comic
| number =212
| date =January 19, 2007
| title =Brain
| image =brain.png
| titletext =The rest is fear of raptors.
}}
==Explanation==
{{w|The Swiss Family Robinson}} is a novel by the Swiss pastor and writer {{w|Johann David Wyss}}. In the novel, a shipwrecked family builds a tree house as good as a normal house complete with library and mechanical contraptions.

Growing up, many children grow a fascination with tree houses. Tree houses are a child's own special place to do stuff away from their parents, have some autonomy, perhaps form a club. The obsession with tree houses usually fades once a child reaches their teenage years, but of course some of us never grow up. Being an adult geek/scientist who still enjoys childish things, Randall wants to build a sophisticated tree house rather than a simple one, taking the theme from the above-mentioned novel.

The title text makes reference to the regular [[xkcd]] joke about how terrifying {{w|Velociraptors}} from the movie {{w|Jurassic Park}} are. But they never can reach a tree house, just because it's too high, as you can see here [[87: Velociraptors]].

"Raptors" might refer to the informal bird group, hawks and owls and such, a joke relying on the previous infatuation with velociraptors.

==Transcript==

:My Brain
:[Picture of Brain. Line points at a highlighted area.]
:Section that is devoted, no matter where I go in life, to planning the ultimate tree house*.
:<nowiki>*</nowiki>Oh man, it would be like Swiss Family Robinson, but with multiple trees connected by... hey come up to my room and see the blueprints!

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Velociraptors]]

1618: Cold Medicine

2022-05-03T08:25:00Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232227 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1618
| date = December 18, 2015
| title = Cold Medicine
| image = cold_medicine.png
| titletext = Seriously considering buying some illegal drugs to try to turn them back into cold medicine.
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[Cueball]] is probably representing [[Randall]] who seems to have been suffering from a long lasting {{w|Common cold|cold}} that he just can't get rid of. Two weeks before this comic Randall posted another comic about how a cold works: [[1612: Colds]]. This is also supported by the way the title text is phrased to make it sound like something Randall writes, disconnected with the action in the comic (see below).

In the comic Cueball is evidently suffering from a cold and he is searching the shelves labeled cold and {{w|Influenza|Flu}} at a {{w|pharmacy}} for any kind of '''cold medicine''' (hence the title), to alleviate his symptoms. Note that this is all he can hope for, as there are still {{w|Common_cold#Management|no cure}} that really helps getting rid of the cold any faster. All medication can do is help relieving the symptoms until the body's own {{w|immune system}} takes care of the relatively harmless cold virus.

After looking at several different options Cueball is clearly unsatisfied with what he finds. Either he doesn't feel that any of the unmonitored drugs available on the serve-yourself-shelf is useful, or he is actually too sick to properly ascertain which medicine he needs. In the end he approaches the counter and asks the {{w|pharmacist}} ([[Ponytail]]) to give him one of every kind of cold medicine which requires an ID to purchase. Two years later Randall finds a solution for Cueball's problem with a new cold medicine with only active ingredients, including among other all the active ingredients from all the cold medicines on the market, see [[1896: Active Ingredients Only]].

<div style="background-color: #ff7d66;">'''Warning:''' Taking lots of different medicines together in real life could harm, or even kill you, because certain combinations of medications interact in ways that make them dangerous or even lethal.</div>

Back in the comic, Ponytail tries to warn Cueball of another danger, that by simply ''purchasing'' so much cold medicine he would end up on a law enforcement watchlist, presumably one of the government agencies ({{w|DEA}}, {{w|FBI}}, {{w|CIA}} etc.) But she never gets to finish her sentence because Cueball is beyond caring and tells her this.

In the USA, cold medicines containing {{w|pseudoephedrine}} are kept behind the counter and IDs purchasing them are monitored, because pseudoephedrine can be used to make the {{w|List of Schedule I drugs (US)|scheduled}} drug {{w|methamphetamine}} or meth (a more hydrophobic - and thus potent - version of {{w|amphetamine}}). However, it is also an extremely effective {{w|decongestant}} (a pharmaceutical drug that is used to relieve {{w|nasal congestion}}/plugged nose), much more so than the common substitutes such as {{w|phenylephrine}} and {{w|oxymetazoline}} which have no clinically proven decongestant effect.

This could be one reason why Cueball just requests all kinds of cold medicines of amongst other this type; he does not appear to care what exactly he is purchasing, believing that his one criterion will provide him medicine powerful enough for his illness. It may also be that he is just too sick to care or realize that this will arouse suspicion of him being a drug dealer, or to recognize the need to select only one medication of these type.

This could be a reference to the medicine with the brand name {{w|Sudafed}}, sold as an over the counter decongestants with pseudoephedrine as the active ingredient. Now the manufacturer also sells a different type of medicine with the same brand name without pseudoephedrine, but with phenylephrine, which seems to be much less effective. If you buy this off the shelf (where it can be sold because it does not contain methamphetamine precursors) then you could easily get home with the once effective Sudafed, only to realize later that it does not alleviate any symptoms. This could offer another explanation for Cueball's request and outburst in the final panel.

The title text seems to be Randall's own comment on how badly he is affected by his cold. He thus, humorously, suggests that he is now ready to purchase illegal drugs (this would then be ''meth'') in order to turn it back into a cold medicine (i.e. pseudoephedrine). This would not be safe to do, but may be a reference to this spoof paper: ''[http://heterodoxy.cc/ A Simple and Convenient Synthesis of Pseudoephedrine From N-Methylamphetamine''], a take on the long-going joke about the recent difficulty in obtaining pseudoephedrine, i.e. it is now easier to get your hands on the illegal drug made from it.

It is a humorous exaggeration of how far Randall is willing to go to get the best cold medicine, and the potency of the drugs needed to treat his apparently debilitating illness. There are many illegal drugs that when first synthesized were planned to be used as a medical drug, but then later abused by drug addicts, but given the subject of the comic, the title text obviously refers to meth.

Randall continued in the medical world with the next comic: [[1619: Watson Medical Algorithm]].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing in a drug store, with a drug in his hand he has taken from the shelf he is standing next to. The shelf is labeled.]
:Cueball: *Sniffle*
:Label: Cold & Flu

:[Cueball is standing alone, examining some medicine he is holding up, while having some other medicine in the other hand.]
:Cueball: *Cough*
:Cueball: *Sniff*

:[Cueball continues examining more medicine. Looking down on one in his hand, having another in the other hand and there are also three packages at his feet.]
:Cueball: Ughhh...

:[Cueball is at the labeled counter in the drug store with computer etc. Ponytail is behind the counter.]
:Counter label: Sale
:Cueball: Just gimme one of every kind of cold medicine you need ID to buy.
:Ponytail: You'll go on the watchlist for—
:Cueball: Don't care.

{{comic discussion}}

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

522: Google Trends

2022-05-03T08:24:50Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232226 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 522
| date = December 26, 2008
| title = Google Trends
| image = google_trends.png
| titletext = Obama has been writing Lincoln/Obama erotic fan fiction on his secret livejournal. Excerpt: Lincoln lay back on the bed, nude save for his trademark stovepipe hat. 'Tell me,' he purred seductively, as he and Obama formed a more perfect union. 'When you come, is it 10% ethanol?'
}}

==Explanation==

{{w|Google Search|Google}} keeps track of which searches are most popular in which regions as part of more general data mining to improve their service. For the enjoyment/education of others, they release select, non-personal parts of this data under the banner "[http://www.google.com/trends/ Google Trends]."

The first statistic – that "Men kissing" was popular in {{w|Utah}}, a state known for possessing a large population with very conservative social values, including opposition to homosexuality – is real. The others are made up for the sake of the joke. In order:

*'''"Installing Ubuntu" – Redmond, WA''': {{w|Ubuntu}} is a {{w|Linux}} distribution; {{w|Redmond, Washington}} is home to {{w|Microsoft}}, the company that makes the rival operating system {{w|Microsoft Windows|Windows}}.
*'''"Running for President in 2010" – Wasilla, AK''': 2010 was not a presidential election year in the United States; {{w|Wasilla, Alaska}} is home to {{w|Sarah Palin}}, a politician known for making such gaffes and who was {{w|John McCain}}'s {{w|running mate}} in the {{w|United States presidential election, 2008|2008 election}} that occurred a few weeks before this comic.
*'''"Lincoln Fan Fiction" – Chicago, IL''': {{w|Abraham Lincoln}} was the US president from 1861 to his assassination in 1865; {{w|Chicago, Illinois}} is home to {{w|Barack Obama}}, who apparently reads (presumably {{w|erotic}}) {{w|fanfiction}} about the former president.
*'''"Raptors on Hoverboards" – Somerville, MA''': {{w|Velociraptors}} are a favorite xkcd topic; There are also frequently references to ''{{w|Back to the Future}}'' as with the {{w|hoverboards}} here. {{w|Somerville, Massachusetts}} is home to [[Randall Munroe]]. The speed of a ''Raptor on Hoverboard'' is given in [[526: Converting to Metric]].
*'''"How is babby formed" – Wasilla, AK''': "How is babby formed?" was the title (and most of the content) of an infamous Yahoo! Answers question (see the title text of [[481: Listen to Yourself]] and [[550: Density]]). Wasilla, Alaska is, again, home to {{w|Sarah Palin}}; a few months prior to this comic's release, Sarah Palin revealed that her daughter, {{w|Bristol Palin}}, was pregnant out of wedlock. Ironically, before her pregnancy, Bristol Palin advocated sexual abstinence before marriage as well as banning sex education in schools. Ignorance of common contraceptives like condoms can cause unplanned pregnancies to happen.
*'''"I hate this website" – Mountain View, CA''': {{w|Mountain View, California}} is home to {{w|Google}}'s headquarters. The implication is that Google employees are putting "I hate this website" into Google.

With regards to the excerpt Randall provides in the title text:
*{{w|Slash fiction}} is a genre of fan fiction that focuses on homosexual behavior.
*Lincoln/Obama (pronounced Lincoln slash Obama) fan fiction normally should be between Abraham Lincoln and Barack Obama.
*The "more perfect union" line comes from the preamble to the US Constitution: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union...". However, it seems to have a sexual connotation in this case.
*{{w|Ethanol}} is the more scientific name for drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol.
*"{{w|Common ethanol fuel mixtures#E10_or_less|10% ethanol}}" refers to automotive gasoline that includes 10% ethanol (usually made from corn or other vegetables), with the hopes of reducing the dependence on oil for fuel.

==Transcript==
:Bloggers were recently amused to discover that,
:according to Google Trends, the search term:
:"men kissing" is most popular in conservative Utah.
:A few other embarrassing correlations:

:[A two column table]
:[On the left side of the table:]
:;Search Term

:;Installing Ubuntu

:;Running for President in 2010

:;Lincoln Fan Fiction

:;Raptors on Hoverboards

:;How is babby formed?

:;I hate this website

:[On the right side of the table:]
:;Top City

:;Redmond, WA

:;Wasilla, AK

:;Chicago, IL

:;Somerville, MA

:;Wasilla, AK

:;Mountain View, CA

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Linux]]
[[Category:Velociraptors]]
[[Category:Google Search]]
[[Category:Homosexuality]]

697: Tensile vs. Shear Strength

2022-05-03T08:24:26Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232225 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 697
| date = February 3, 2010
| title = Tensile vs. Shear Strength
| image = tensile_vs_shear_strength.png
| titletext = Although really, the damage was done when the party planners took the hole punch to the elevator ribbon to hang up the sign.
}}

==Explanation==
Tensile strength represents how hard you can pull on something without it breaking. Shear strength represents how hard you can try to cut it without it breaking. Many materials have great tensile strength but low shear strength (such as dental floss — try to break it by just pulling on two ends), including whatever this space elevator is made of. The material clearly has extremely high tensile strength because it can hold the elevator in place, with one end on the ground and one in space, but it can be cut with a simple pair of pruning shears. This also highlights the fact that "shear strength" and "shears" are [https://www.etymonline.com/word/shear etymologically related].

A {{w|space elevator}} is a proposed construction that would make space travel easier. It consists of a long string attached to the Earth (near equator) on one end and a counterweight (beyond the {{w|geostationary orbit}}) on the other end, kept taut and in one place by the gravity and centrifugal forces. This would make it possible to carry spacecraft into the orbit by simple mechanical means, as opposed to requiring the use of rockets as is the case nowadays, saving a lot of energy and resources.

The phrase "a modern Babel" refers to the biblical story of the {{w|Tower of Babel}} (later referenced in [[2421: Tower of Babel]]), in which humans endeavor to build a tower reaching heaven. Their arrogance angers God and prompts him to sabotage the project. A space elevator can be seen as a modern equivalent of a tower to heaven.{{citation needed}} Additionally, the expression "a modern Babel" may be used figuratively to describe huge projects (especially buildings or human-made structures) that fail because they are too ambitious.

The title text makes the point that even before [[Black Hat]] cut the space elevator's cable in two, it was ruined by the holes in it for the banner. The holes would reduce the surface area of the cross section of the pole, reducing its ability to keep the elevator attached to the ground. The flag and holes would also potentially make it impossible for the elevator to travel up the pole, making the entire elevator useless.

==Transcript==
:[A space elevator occupies the height of the frame, consisting of a base, a cable extending out into space, and an elevator unit with standard elevator features such as sliding doors and up/down buttons. A banner flutters in the breeze attached to the cable going up above the elevator. There is text on the banner. Text appear in four lines split across the elevator cable itself, the rhyming portions of the text is on the right side of the cable. Five individuals stand at the base of the elevator. To the left are Megan, a Cueball-like guy with his arms raised, and Ponytail, who is holding a bottle of champagne/sparkling wine which is bubbling out down the neck of the bottle. To the right is Black Hat, who cuts the cable with a pruning shear like it was part of the ceremony as a ribbon cutting. Finally further right is Cueball who sees what Black Hat is doing. He is very alarmed holding a hand to his mouth while holding the other out towards Black Hat.]

:Banner: Space Elevator
:Banner: Grand opening
::{|
|-
|style="text-align:right;"|After countless
|style="text-align:left;"|engineers
|-
|style="text-align:right;"|spend trillions over
|style="text-align:left;"|fifty years,
|-
|style="text-align:right;"|a modern babel
|style="text-align:left;"|disappears
|-
|style="text-align:right;"|because some fuck brought
|style="text-align:left;"|pruning shears.
|}
:Pruning shears: ''Snip''
:Cueball: ''!!''

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Elevators]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Sabotage]]

User:While False

2022-05-03T08:20:22Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232229 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

[[User:While False|While False]], me, is a different user than [[User:WhiIe FaIse|WhiIe FaIse with capital i instead of lower case L]]. The account with capital i is new and is impersonating me, signing contributions with my signature and removing discussions about the vandalism in the last days. [[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|talk]]) 17:38, 2 May 2022 (UTC)

A large amount of vandalising accounts have recently been created, including one impersonating me and claiming to be the one impersonated. To be clear: My first contribution was in January: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2568:_Spinthariscope&oldid=224437. [[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|talk]]) 19:10, 2 May 2022 (UTC)

Another fake: [[User:Ｗhile False| Ｗhile False]]. Note the “W”. [[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|talk]]) 20:57, 2 May 2022 (UTC)

2518: Lumpers and Splitters

2022-05-03T08:19:50Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232214 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2518
| date = September 20, 2021
| title = Lumpers and Splitters
| image = lumpers_and_splitters.png
| titletext = Anna Karenina is a happy family lumper and unhappy family splitter.
}}

==Explanation==
It is common to separate groups of things — species, people, languages, software models, etc. — into {{w|Lumpers_and_splitters|categories}}, but different people may do this in different ways. "Lumpers" work from the ground up by focusing on similarities among individual things to create larger categories, while "splitters" do the opposite, taking larger categories and trying to find characteristics that are not shared by all members of the group to further divide them into smaller subsets.

The comic points out the {{w|meta}}-ness of categorizing people based on how they categorize. It labels [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] as those two types of categorizers. Megan, the lumper, describes herself and Cueball as both being "categorization pedants", lumping the two distinct categories "lumpers" and "splitters" into one. Cueball, the splitter, subcategorizes Megan into a more specific type of lumper: a "meta-lumper"—since the things Megan was lumping includes lumpers themselves—thereby splitting off lumpers from meta-lumpers. If Cueball further categorized himself he would be a meta-splitter.

The title text references the opening line of the novel ''{{w|Anna Karenina}}'' by Leo Tolstoy, which reads (as translated into English), "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Randall is drawing a parallel between this line and the lumper/splitter distinction because the line lumps one group of things (happy families) while splitting another group (unhappy families).

Additionally, this may be a reference to the podcast episode "Lingthusiasm Episode 60: That's the kind of episode it's - clitics" [https://lingthusiasm.com/post/662535562508517376/lingthusiasm-episode-60-thats-the-kind-of], published a few days before the comic, wherein the hosts separate people into lumpers and splitters of clitics.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are standing looking at each other. There are boxes beneath each of them with a label.]
:Megan: Really, we're both just categorization pedants.
:Label: Lumper

:Cueball: Ahh, so you're a '''''meta'''''-lumper.
:Label: Splitter

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Fiction]] 
[[Category:Pedantic]]

2614: 2

2022-05-03T08:18:46Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232222 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2614
| date = May 2, 2022
| title = 2
| image = 2.png
| titletext = It's like sigma summation notation, except instead of summing the argument over all values of i, you 2 the argument over all values of 2.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by 2 squared - Please change this comment when editing this page. The titletext needs to be worked in there, but I think I got everything else in some sort of order, pending general improvements. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This demonstrates the different ways in which the number 2 can be typeset in various scientific fields.

The dotted box represents any character (presumably a letter or bigram of letters). All the other notation consists only of the digit 2, in various fashions with occasional additional punctuation, and labelled as to what the 'purpose' might normally be of any particular element(s) as indicated, with respect to the general term, in the following fashions:
;Regular Math
:Precedes the term. "2x" indicates two times the value of ''x'' in normal {{w|algebra|algebraic}} use that should be familiar for many people.
;Physics
:A preceding superscript. "2H" would indicate the particular {{w|isotope}} of Hydrogen with the atomic weight of two, i.e. deuterium, which is most often encountered when working with the atomic level of matter where the total number of neutrons and protons in the atom is important.
;Chemical Physics
:A preceding subscript, "2He" indicates the atomic number of an atom, which is the number of protons it contains, and thus a guide to the number of electrons its unionised form usually has and hence meaningful in its potential chemical interactions with other atoms. This should be invariant for any particular named element, but is usually given simultaneously with the presuperscripted mass number where it can be indicative of the applicable nuclear physics.
;Regular Math or Footnotes
:A trailing superscript is typical of a {{w|Exponentiation|power value}}, in this case "x²" would be ''x'' multiplied by a second copy of itself, and a fairly typical mathematical standard.
:Additionally, superscripted numbers are one common way to mark words in a line of text in a way to refer to a {{w|Note (typography)|footnote}}, typically placed at the bottom of the page, with additional information that would not be appropriate or easily comprehendable to edit into the main text itself. The ambiguity between footnotes and exponents was used in [[1184: Circumference Formula]]
;Chemistry
:A trailing subscript is used in chemistry to indicate a multiple of the element (or group of elements, in brackets) in a {{w|chemical formula}}. "H2O" indicates two hydrogen atoms bond with a single oxygen atom in a molecule of water.
;Matrices!
:Extending the trailing subscript with a comma-separated value usually indicates a multidimensional array (e.g. establishing a 2-by-2 square of numbers, or this particular position in such an array), which is in the realms of {{w|Matrix (mathematics)|matrix mathematics}}. This is a little bit beyond 'everyday algebra' for many people, as seemingly indicated by the exclamation of the mere mention of matrices!
;The Physicists Are At It Again
:This label encompases a mark that turns the prior comma into a semicolon, as part of the trailing subscript. This is a common notation for the {{w|Covariant derivative}} of a tensor field, which is commonly used in the mathematics of general relativity.
;Either High School Math Function or Incomprehensible Group Theory
:The number 2 in parentheses that follow a term would normally be the argument to a {{w|Function (mathematics)|function}}, e.g. "f(2)", which means that you should take the value (in this case 2) and find the result if manipulated by the predefined function ''f''. It is generally taught as part of algebraic mathematics already described, i.e. at {{w|Secondary school|High School}}.
:In {{w|group theory}}, however, the number 2 in parentheses could indicate a cyclic subgroup or ideal generated by two or a special case of cycle notation for elements of symmetry groups used to mean an element that keeps 2 fixed. This may be somewhat beyond high-school level.
;Oh no. Whatever this is, it's cursed.
:A symbol centered underneath another symbol is normally reserved for doing summations, where the big symbol is Σ, or some other operation applied to a sequence of numbers.
:It does not make sense to have a single number there, as indicated in the alt text. As with [[2529: Unsolved Math Problems|other things]] in Randall's comic universe, the explanation for this particular anomaly is that it is 'Cursed'.

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

[An apparently scientific expression:]

[normal text:] 2 [superscript behind the box:] 2 [subscript behind the box:] 2 [an empty box with a dotted outline] [superscript:] 2 [subscript:] 2;2 [normal text:] (2) [smaller and beneath the last 2:] 2

;[Captions above the numbers]
:[with an arrow pointing to the first 2:] Regular Math
:[with an arrow pointing to the behind superscript 2:] Physics
:[with an arrow pointing to the regular superscript 2:] Regular math or footnotes
:[with an arrow pointing to (2):] Either high school math functions or incomprehensible group theory

;[Captions below the numbers]
:[with an arrow pointing to the behind subscript 2:] Chemical Physics
:[with an arrow pointing to the regular subscript 2:] Chemistry
:[with an arrow pointing to a grey circle around ";2":] The physicists are at it again
:[with an arrow pointing to a smaller grey circle inside the other circle that leaves out the dot of the semicolon:] Matrices!
:[with an arrow pointing to the 2 below the 2:] Oh no. Whatever this is, it's cursed.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]

1416: Pixels/Transcript

2022-05-03T08:18:12Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232210 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

__NOTOC__
*Below each image is mentioned by the title used by [[Randall]] and they are listed alphabetically
*The headlines are links to the actual picture as can be found here on explain xkcd
*Below the explanation of a given picture can be seen which pictures can be found in the
*White and black pixels of the picture.*Please add descriptions in each section.
*The comic starts with [[#turtles|turtles]]

==[[:File:pixels-assembly-1.png|assembly-1]]==
:[Randall's ''What If?'' book is standing next to Cueball who is taking something out of a box. On the side of the box it says:]
:Rocket parts
:[There are also text on the open lid of the box, which thus is written upside down. It says:]
:KSP
*White: [[#assembly-2|assembly-2]]
*Black: [[#assembly-planet-3|assembly-planet-3]]

==[[:File:pixels-assembly-2.png|assembly-2]]==
:[Cueball is beginning to assemble a rocket containing Randall's ''What If?'' book.]
*White: [[#assembly-3|assembly-3]]
*Black: [[#assembly-planet-3|assembly-planet-3]]

==[[:File:pixels-assembly-3.png|assembly-3]]==
:[Cueball is assembling a rocket putting Randall's ''What If?'' book at the top.]
*White: [[#assembly-4|assembly-4]]
*Black: [[#assembly-planet-1|assembly-planet-1]], [[#assembly-planet-3|assembly-planet-3]]

==[[:File:pixels-assembly-4.png|assembly-4]]==
:[Cueball has assembled a rocket with Randall's ''What If?'' book at the top. Megan walks in:]
:Megan: Needs more Struts
*White: [[#assembly-5|assembly-5]]
*Black: [[#assembly-planet|assembly-planet]]

==[[:File:pixels-assembly-5.png|assembly-5]]==
:[Cueball and Megan has left the assembled rocket with Randall's ''What If?'' book at the top.]
*White: [[#assembly-6|assembly-6]]
*Black: [[#assembly-planet|assembly-planet]]

==[[:File:pixels-assembly-6.png|assembly-6]]==
:[Cueball has added lots of struts to the a rocket he has assembled with Randall's ''What If?'' book at the top.]
*White: [[#assembly-7|assembly-7]]
*Black: [[#assembly-planet-1|assembly-planet-1]]

==[[:File:pixels-assembly-7.png|assembly-7]]==
:[Cueball admires the final version of the rocket he has assembled with Randall's ''What If?'' book at the top and lots of struts.]
*White: [[#assembly-7|assembly-7]], [[#upgoer|upgoer]]
*Black: [[#moon|moon]], [[#saturn|saturn]], [[#sun|sun]]

==[[:File:pixels-assembly-planet.png|assembly-planet]]==
:[The Earth seen from space. A speak line goes to Megan on the planet]
:Megan: More struts
*White: [[#assembly-6|assembly-6]]
*Black: [[#assembly-planet|assembly-planet]]

==[[:File:pixels-assembly-planet-1.png|assembly-planet-1]]==
:[The Earth seen from space]
*White: [[#assembly-6|assembly-6]], [[#assembly-7|assembly-7]]
*Black: [[#assembly-planet|assembly-planet]]

==[[:File:pixels-assembly-planet-3.png|assembly-planet-3]]==
:[The Earth seen from space with the moon visible]
*White: [[#assembly-3|assembly-3]], [[#assembly-4|assembly-4]]
*Black: [[#assembly-planet-3|assembly-planet-3]], [[#chess-b|chess-b]]

==[[:File:pixels-atom.png|atom]]==
*White: [[#string|string]]
*Black: [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]]

==[[:File:pixels-blank-figure.png|blank-figure]]==
*White: [[#book-launch|book-launch]], [[#cantor|cantor]], [[#chess-w|chess-w]]
*Black: [[#moon|moon]], [[#saturn|saturn]], [[#sun|sun]]

==[[:File:pixels-book-launch.png|book-launch]]==
:[Cueball is holding his (i.e. Randall's) ''What If?'' book in front of him]
:Cueball: So eExcited about my book launch!
*White: [[#assembly-1|assembly-1]], [[#book-launch|book-launch]], [[#particles|particles]], [[#turtles|turtles]], [[#whatif-trade|whatif-trade]]
*Black: [[#atom|atom]], [[#launch-planet|launch-planet]], [[#moon|moon]], [[#saturn|saturn]]

==[[:File:pixels-cantor.png|cantor]]==
*White: [[#du|du]], [[#evolution|evolution]], [[#server-1|server-1]], [[#time-turner|time-turner]]
*Black: [[#moon|moon]], [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]]

==[[:File:pixels-chess-b.png|chess-b]]==
*White: [[#chess-w|chess-w]]
*Black: [[#chess-b|chess-b]]

==[[:File:pixels-chess-w.png|chess-w]]==
*White: [[#chess-w|chess-w]], [[#du|du]], [[#evolution|evolution]], [[#server-1|server-1]], [[#time-turner|time-turner]]
*Black: [[#chess-b|chess-b]]

==[[:File:pixels-clouds-1.png|clouds-1]]==
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#du|du]], [[#evolution|evolution]], [[#mario-entry|mario-entry]], [[#mario-sitting-1|mario-sitting-1]], [[#mario-sitting-2|mario-sitting-2]], [[#mario-sitting-3|mario-sitting-3]], [[#particles|particles]], [[#server-1|server-1]], [[#time-turner|time-turner]]
*Black: [[#sky|sky]], [[#sky-4|sky-4]]

==[[:File:pixels-clouds-2.png|clouds-2]]==
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#du|du]], [[#evolution|evolution]], [[#fire-hydrant|fire-hydrant]], [[#mario-entry|mario-entry]], [[#mario-sitting-1|mario-sitting-1]], [[#mario-sitting-2|mario-sitting-2]], [[#mario-sitting-3|mario-sitting-3]], [[#particles|particles]], [[#server-1|server-1]]
*Black: [[#sky-3|sky-3]], [[#sky-4|sky-4]]

==[[:File:pixels-clouds-3.png|clouds-3]]==
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#du|du]], [[#evolution|evolution]], [[#fire-hydrant|fire-hydrant]], [[#mario-entry|mario-entry]], [[#mario-sitting-1|mario-sitting-1]], [[#mario-sitting-2|mario-sitting-2]], [[#mario-sitting-3|mario-sitting-3]], [[#particles|particles]], [[#server-1|server-1]], [[#time-turner|time-turner]]
*Black: [[#sky-4|sky-4]]

==[[:File:pixels-clouds-4.png|clouds-4]]==
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#evolution|evolution]], [[#mario-entry|mario-entry]], [[#mario-sitting-1|mario-sitting-1]], [[#mario-sitting-2|mario-sitting-2]], [[#mario-sitting-3|mario-sitting-3]], [[#particles|particles]], [[#server-1|server-1]]
*Black: [[#sky|sky]], [[#sky-4|sky-4]]

==[[:File:pixels-clouds-5.png|clouds-5]]==
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#evolution|evolution]], [[#fire-hydrant|fire-hydrant]], [[#mario-entry|mario-entry]], [[#mario-sitting-1|mario-sitting-1]], [[#mario-sitting-2|mario-sitting-2]], [[#mario-sitting-3|mario-sitting-3]], [[#particles|particles]], [[#quiet-turtle|quiet-turtle]]
*Black: [[#sky-3|sky-3]]

==[[:File:pixels-du.png|du]]==
<pre>~$ du -s video/
4170882256
~$ du -hs video/
A lot.
~$</pre>
*White: [[#blank-figure|blank-figure]], [[#chess-w|chess-w]], [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#du|du]], [[#e1|e1]], [[#evolution|evolution]], [[#server-1|server-1]], [[#time-turner|time-turner]], what-if-trade
*Black: [[#sky-4|sky-4]]

==[[:File:pixels-e1.png|e1]]==
*White: [[#e2|e2]], [[#e3|e3]], [[#e4|e4]]
*Black: [[#eb|eb]]

==[[:File:pixels-e2.png|e2]]==
*White: [[#e2|e2]], [[#e3|e3]], [[#e4|e4]], [[#e5|e5]]
*Black: [[#eb|eb]]

==[[:File:pixels-e3.png|e3]]==
*White: [[#e2|e2]], [[#e3|e3]], [[#e4|e4]], [[#e5|e5]]
*Black: [[#eb|eb]]

==[[:File:pixels-e4.png|e4]]==
*White: [[#e2|e2]], [[#e3|e3]], [[#e4|e4]], [[#e5|e5]]
*Black: [[#eb|eb]]

==[[:File:pixels-e5.png|e5]]==
*White: [[#e5|e5]], [[#e6|e6]]
*Black: [[#eb|eb]]

==[[:File:pixels-e6.png|e6]]==
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]]
*Black: [[#sky-4|sky-4]]

==[[:File:pixels-eb.png|eb]]==
*White: [[#e5|e5]]
*Black: [[#eb|eb]]

==[[:File:pixels-evolution.png|evolution]]==
*White: [[#blank-figure|blank-figure]], [[#chess-w|chess-w]], [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#du|du]], [[#e1|e1]], [[#evolution|evolution]], [[#server-1|server-1]], [[#time-turner|time-turner]], what-if-trade
*Black: [[#sky-4|sky-4]]

==[[:File:pixels-fire-hydrant.png|fire-hydrant]]==

Black hat: "To be fair, what else would you expect to come out of a fire hydrant?"
*White: [[#blank-figure|blank-figure]]
*Black: [[#moon|moon]], [[#saturn|saturn]], [[#sun|sun]]

==[[:File:pixels-holism.png|holism]]==
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#mu|mu]]
*Black: [[#moon|moon]], [[#saturn|saturn]], [[#sun|sun]]

==[[:File:pixels-holism-b.png|holism-b]]==
*White: [[#reductionism|reductionism]]
*Black: [[#reductionism-b|reductionism-b]]

==[[:File:pixels-i-am-a-turtle.png|i-am-a-turtle]]==
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#particles|particles]], [[#quiet-turtle|quiet-turtle]]
*Black: [[#atom|atom]], [[#moon|moon]], [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]]

==[[:File:pixels-launch-planet.png|launch-planet]]==
*White: [[#assembly-1|assembly-1]]
*Black: [[#launch-planet|launch-planet]], [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]]

==[[:File:pixels-mario-entry.png|mario-entry]]==
*White: [[#mario-sitting-1|mario-sitting-1]], [[#mario-sitting-2|mario-sitting-2]], [[#mario-sitting-3|mario-sitting-3]]
*Black: [[#sky-4|sky-4]]

==[[:File:pixels-mario-n1.png|mario-n1]]==
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]]
*Black: [[#mario-n2|mario-n2]]

==[[:File:pixels-mario-n2.png|mario-n2]]==
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]]
*Black: [[#mario-n3|mario-n3]]

==[[:File:pixels-mario-n3.png|mario-n3]]==
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]]
*Black: [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]]

==[[:File:pixels-mario-sitting-1.png|mario-sitting-1]]==
*White: [[#mario-sitting-1|mario-sitting-1]], [[#mario-sitting-2|mario-sitting-2]], [[#mario-sitting-3|mario-sitting-3]]
*Black: [[#mario-n1|mario-n1]], [[#mario-sitting-b|mario-sitting-b]]

==[[:File:pixels-mario-sitting-2.png|mario-sitting-2]]==
*White: [[#mario-sitting-1|mario-sitting-1]], [[#mario-sitting-2|mario-sitting-2]], [[#mario-sitting-3|mario-sitting-3]]
*Black: [[#mario-n1|mario-n1]], [[#mario-sitting-b|mario-sitting-b]]

==[[:File:pixels-mario-sitting-3.png|mario-sitting-3]]==
*White: [[#mario-sitting-1|mario-sitting-1]], [[#mario-sitting-2|mario-sitting-2]], [[#mario-sitting-3|mario-sitting-3]]
*Black: [[#mario-n1|mario-n1]], [[#mario-sitting-b|mario-sitting-b]]

==[[:File:pixels-mario-sitting-b.png|mario-sitting-b]]==
*White: [[#mario-sitting-1|mario-sitting-1]], [[#mario-sitting-2|mario-sitting-2]], [[#mario-sitting-3|mario-sitting-3]]
*Black: [[#mario-n1|mario-n1]]

==[[:File:pixels-moon.png|moon]]==
:[The moon on a starlit sky]
*White: [[#holism|holism]], [[#reductionism|reductionism]]
*Black: [[#launch-planet|launch-planet]], [[#moon|moon]], [[#mu-b|mu-b]], [[#saturn|saturn]], [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]], [[#sun|sun]]

==[[:File:pixels-mu.png|mu]]==
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#holism|holism]]
*Black: [[#holism-b|holism-b]]

==[[:File:pixels-mu-b.png|mu-b]]==
*White: [[#holism|holism]]
*Black: [[#moon|moon]], [[#saturn|saturn]], [[#sun|sun]]

==[[:File:pixels-particles.png|particles]]==
*White: [[#mu|mu]], [[#particles|particles]]
*Black: [[#atom|atom]]

==[[:File:pixels-quiet-turtle.png|quiet-turtle]]==
*White: [[#i-am-a-turtle|i-am-a-turtle]], [[#quiet-turtle|quiet-turtle]]
*Black: [[#atom|atom]], [[#saturn|saturn]], [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]]

==[[:File:pixels-reductionism.png|reductionism]]==
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#mu|mu]], [[#stockholm|stockholm]]
*Black: [[#holism-b|holism-b]]

==[[:File:pixels-reductionism-b.png|reductionism-b]]==
*White: [[#holism|holism]]
*Black: [[#moon|moon]], [[#saturn|saturn]], [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]]

==[[:File:pixels-rope.png|rope]]==
*White: [[#cantor|cantor]]
*Black: [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]]

==[[:File:pixels-saturn.png|saturn]]==
:[The Saturn on a starlit sky]
*White: [[#holism|holism]], [[#reductionism|reductionism]]
*Black: [[#launch-planet|launch-planet]], [[#moon|moon]], [[#saturn|saturn]], [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]], [[#sun|sun]]

==[[:File:pixels-server-1.png|server-1]]==
*White: [[#blank-figure|blank-figure]], [[#chess-w|chess-w]], [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#du|du]], [[#e1|e1]], [[#evolution|evolution]], [[#server-1|server-1]], [[#time-turner|time-turner]], what-if-trade
*Black: [[#sky-4|sky-4]]

==[[:File:pixels-sky.png|sky]]==
:[Cueball sits and Megan lies on her back under a starlit sky]
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#mario-entry|mario-entry]]
*Black: [[#sky|sky]], [[#sky-2|sky-2]], [[#sky-3|sky-3]]

==[[:File:pixels-sky-2.png|sky-2]]==
:[Cueball sits and Megan lies on her back under a starlit sky]
:Cueball: Someone once told me the great kings of the past look down on us...
:Megan: From the stars?
:Cueball: Just in general.
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#mario-entry|mario-entry]]
*Black: [[#sky|sky]], [[#sky-2|sky-2]], [[#sky-3|sky-3]]

==[[:File:pixels-sky-3.png|sky-3]]==
:[Cueball sits and Megan lies on her back under a starlit sky as a shooting stars pass over them]
*White: [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#mario-entry|mario-entry]], [[#quiet-turtle|quiet-turtle]]
*Black: [[#sky|sky]], [[#sky-2|sky-2]], [[#sky-3|sky-3]]

==[[:File:pixels-sky-4.png|sky-4]]==
:[Cueball sits and Megan lies on her back under a starlit sky - identical to that from sky]
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#mario-entry|mario-entry]]
*Black: [[#sky|sky]], [[#sky-2|sky-2]], [[#sky-3|sky-3]]

==[[:File:pixels-stars-1.png|stars-1]]==
:[A starlit sky]
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#quiet-turtle|quiet-turtle]]
*Black: [[#atom|atom]], [[#launch-planet|launch-planet]], [[#moon|moon]], [[#saturn|saturn]], [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]]

==[[:File:pixels-stars-2.png|stars-2]]==
:[A starlit sky]
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#quiet-turtle|quiet-turtle]]
*Black: [[#atom|atom]], [[#launch-planet|launch-planet]], [[#saturn|saturn]], [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]], [[#sun|sun]]

==[[:File:pixels-stockholm.png|stockholm]]==
:[Megan and Cueball are walking together.]
:Megan: How do we know anyone really wants to live in Stockholm?
*White: [[#e1|e1]], [[#mu|mu]]
*Black: [[#moon|moon]], [[#mu-b|mu-b]], [[#saturn|saturn]], [[#sun|sun]]

==[[:File:pixels-string.png|string]]==
:[A vibrating string]
*White: [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#particles|particles]]
*Black: [[#rope|rope]]

==[[:File:pixels-sun.png|sun]]==
:[The sun on a black sky]
*White: [[#holism|holism]], [[#mario-entry|mario-entry]], [[#reductionism|reductionism]]
*Black: [[#launch-planet|launch-planet]], [[#moon|moon]], [[#saturn|saturn]], [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]], [[#sun|sun]]

==[[:File:pixels-time-turner.png|time-turner]]==
:[Megan and Cueball are walking together.]
:Megan: But if time-turners worked after book 3, Rowling would have used one to go back and remove the time turner from book 3.
*White: [[#blank-figure|blank-figure]], [[#chess-w|chess-w]], [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#du|du]], [[#e1|e1]], [[#evolution|evolution]], [[#server-1|server-1]], [[#time-turner|time-turner]], what-if-trade, [[#whatif-king|whatif-king]]
*Black: [[#sky-4|sky-4]]

==[[:File:pixels-turtles.png|turtles]]==
:[Cueball is stacking turtles, and is about to put the fourth turtle on his pile. At the bottom right there is a small panel. Inside this is written:]
:Scroll to zoom
*White: [[#book-launch|book-launch]], [[#whatif-trade|whatif-trade]]
*Black: [[#launch-planet|launch-planet]], [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]]

==[[:File:pixels-upgoer.png|upgoer]]==
:[The finished strutted rocket (upgoer) with Randall's ''What If?'' book at the top is launched, and there is fire out of three rockets at the bottom]
*White: [[#upgoer-2|upgoer-2]]
*Black: [[#upgoer-planet|upgoer-planet]]

==[[:File:pixels-upgoer-2.png|upgoer-2]]==
:[The finished rocket (upgoer) with Randall's ''What If?'' book at the top has been launched, and there is only lots of smoke in the picture]
*White: [[#upgoer-3|upgoer-3]], [[#upgoer-4|upgoer-4]]
*Black: [[#upgoer-planet|upgoer-planet]]

==[[:File:pixels-upgoer-3.png|upgoer-3]]==
:[The finished rocket (upgoer) with Randall's ''What If?'' book at the top has been launched, and there is now only small puffs of smoke in the picture]
*White: [[#upgoer-4|upgoer-4]], [[#upgoer-5|upgoer-5]]
*Black: [[#upgoer-planet|upgoer-planet]]

==[[:File:pixels-upgoer-4.png|upgoer-4]]==
:[The finished rocket (upgoer) with Randall's ''What If?'' book at the top has been launched, and there is now only the launch pad left to see]
*White: [[#upgoer-4|upgoer-4]], [[#upgoer-5|upgoer-5]]
*Black: [[#upgoer-planet|upgoer-planet]], [[#upgoer-planet-2|upgoer-planet-2]]

==[[:File:pixels-upgoer-5.png|upgoer-5]]==
:[The finished rocket (upgoer) with Randall's ''What If?'' book at the top has been launched, and Cueball and Megan are standing next to the launch pad looking up after the rocket]
*White: [[#upgoer-5|upgoer-5]], [[#upgoer-6|upgoer-6]]
*Black: [[#upgoer-planet-4|upgoer-planet-4]]

==[[:File:pixels-upgoer-6.png|upgoer-6]]==
:[The finished rocket (upgoer) with Randall's ''What If?'' book at the top has just been launched. Cueball and Megan are standing next to the launch pad when she turns to him and says:]
:Megan: I think that was the only copy.
*White: [[#walking|walking]]
*Black: [[#mu-b|mu-b]], [[#stars-1|stars-1]], [[#stars-2|stars-2]]

==[[:File:pixels-upgoer-planet.png|upgoer-planet]]==
:[The Earth seen from space]
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]]
*Black: [[#upgoer-planet-2|upgoer-planet-2]]

==[[:File:pixels-upgoer-planet-2.png|upgoer-planet-2]]==
:[The Earth seen from space. The upgoer rocket can be seen flying into orbit]
*White: [[#upgoer-5|upgoer-5]]
*Black: [[#upgoer-planet-3|upgoer-planet-3]]

==[[:File:pixels-upgoer-planet-3.png|upgoer-planet-3]]==
:[The Earth seen from space. The upgoer rocket can be seen flying in orbit]
*White: [[#upgoer-5|upgoer-5]]
*Black: [[#upgoer-planet-4|upgoer-planet-4]]

==[[:File:pixels-upgoer-planet-4.png|upgoer-planet-4]]==
:[The Earth seen from space. The upgoer rocket can be seen flying away from the Earth]
*White: [[#upgoer-6|upgoer-6]]
*Black: [[#upgoer-space|upgoer-space]]

==[[:File:pixels-upgoer-space.png|upgoer-space]]==
:[The upgoer rocket can be seen flying through space with stars behind]
*White: [[#upgoer-6|upgoer-6]]
*Black: [[#moon|moon]], [[#saturn|saturn]], [[#sun|sun]]

==[[:File:pixels-walking.png|walking]]==
:[Cueball and Megan are walking]
*White: [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#stockholm|stockholm]], [[#walking|walking]]
*Black: [[#walking-b|walking-b]]

==[[:File:pixels-walking-b.png|walking-b]]==
:[Cueball and Megan are walking at night seen from a distance]
*White: [[#walking|walking]]
*Black: [[#walking-b|walking-b]]

==[[:File:pixels-whatif-king.png|whatif-king]]==
:[A drawing of Randall's ''What If?'' book with all the text on the front page visible as well as the T-rex that is being lowered, using a rope, into the Sarlacc, from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, while Cueball is waving from the side of the hole in the ground, to guide the descend. However someone has added words and crossed out other words.]
:Serious Scientific Answers
:''to Absurd Hypothetical Questions''
:[Added in next the the T-rex:]
:'''Spooky'''
:'''what if?'''
:[Added in top of the crossed out word below:]
:'''Stephen King'''
:<s>Randall Munroe</s>
:creator of <s>xkcd</s>
:[Added below the crossed out word above:]
:being afraid
:[The g in being is drawn so it resembles an s.]
:[Below the book is written:]
:'''Book'''
*White: [[#book-launch|book-launch]], [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#holism|holism]], [[#reductionism|reductionism]]
*Black: [[#chess-b|chess-b]], [[#launch-planet|launch-planet]]

==[[:File:pixels-whatif-trade.png|whatif-trade]]==
:[A drawing of Randall's ''What If?'' book with all the text on the front page visible as well as the T-rex that is being lowered, using a rope, into the Sarlacc, from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, while Cueball is waving from the side of the hole in the ground, to guide the descend.]
:Serious Scientific Answers
:''to Absurd Hypothetical Questions''
:'''what if?'''
:'''Randall Munroe'''
:creator of xkcd
:[Below the book is written:]
:'''Book'''
*White: [[#book-launch|book-launch]], [[#clouds-1|clouds-1]], [[#clouds-2|clouds-2]], [[#clouds-3|clouds-3]], [[#clouds-4|clouds-4]], [[#clouds-5|clouds-5]], [[#turtles|turtles]], [[#whatif-king|whatif-king]], [[#whatif-trade|whatif-trade]]
*Black: [[#chess-b|chess-b]], [[#launch-planet|launch-planet]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:1416}}
[[Category:Comic subpages]]

User:While False

2022-05-03T08:14:34Z

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2614

2022-05-03T08:14:17Z

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#REDIRECT [[2614: 2]]

1416: Pixels/Transcript

2022-05-03T08:13:56Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232196 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

2500: Global Temperature Over My Lifetime

2022-05-03T08:13:39Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232194 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2500
| date = August 9, 2021
| title = Global Temperature Over My Lifetime
| image = global temperature over my lifetime.png
| titletext = I was really impressed by the accuracy of some of the report's predictions about fossil fuel consumption. Then I realized, oh, right, of course.
| imagesize =
}}

==Explanation==
This is Randall Munroe in his role as a meticulous, conscientious presenter of scientific data. The activities shown in Randall's lifeline, whether learning to ride a bike or even getting married, pale into insignificance when the consequences of unprecedented global average temperature rise are understood and accepted. In particular, he shows that back in 1982, two years before Randall was born, Exxon wrote an internal report predicting the rise of global temperatures due to fossil fuel use, and 40 years later their prediction (shown as the X in a circle at the top-right) is being shown to be right on track. Unfortunately, that report was hidden and not seen until much later, and the world has been slow to respond with the urgency needed to reverse the damage being done to the planet.

The Wikipedia article {{w|global temperature record}} has some telling graphs to supplement Randall's. This one: {{w|File:20200324_Global_average_temperature_-_NASA-GISS_HadCrut_NOAA_Japan_BerkeleyE.svg|Global Average Temperature}} is the global average temperature change for the modern era, since data started being collected regularly in 1850. This one: {{w|File:2000_Year_Temperature_Comparison.png|2000 Year Temperature Comparison}} reconstructs 2000 years of temperatures.

And this comic is a small segment of another comic [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]].

The comic itself links to [https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/2805576-1982-Exxon-Memo-to-Management-About-CO2 the referenced Exxon document about CO2 emissions].

The comic was published on the same day that the {{w|Intergovernmental_Panel_on_Climate_Change|U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change}} released its [https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/ 2021 Assessment Report]

One of the entries is ''I somehow graduate despite spending most of my time playing Mario Kart.'' ''{{w|Mario Kart}}'' is a popular video game series developed by {{w|Nintendo}}, and has been a [[:Category:Mario Kart|recurring theme]] on xkcd. Hewing close to the comic's timeline, [[127: The Fast and the Furious]], which contains an early ''Mario Kart'' joke, was released in July 2006.

The title text refers to the fact that Exxon, being a fossil fuel company, is likely to make better predictions on fossil fuel use as they are involved in fossil fuel production themselves.

==Transcript==
Graph of temperature over time, titled:
"Global average temperature

Over my lifetime

(60-month running june average, NOAA NCEI time series)"

The X axis is in years, going from 1980 to a little after 2020. Each decade is marked.

The Y axis in in °C, with the "20th century average" at the bottom, up to +1°C (from the average), labelled every 0.2°C.

Certain points and periods on the graph are marked and contain descriptions of events and actions that occurred in Randall's life.

; November 1982 : Exxon International report predicts that fossil fuel use will raise global temperatures to about 1°C above their normal levels within 40 years
; October 1984 : I’m born in Easton, PA
; Summer 1991 : I learn to ride a bike
; Spring 1992 : My elementary school celebrates Earth Day and I learn about the greenhouse effect
; 1993-1996 : I get very into ''Star Wars'' and ''Animorphs''
; Fall 1996 : I stand around awkwardly at my first middle school dance
; Spring 2002 : I get accepted into college
; Spring 2006 : I somehow graduate despite spending most of my time playing Mario Kart
; Summer 2006 : I see ''An Inconvenient Truth'' in the theater and feel anxious
; Fall 2011 : I get married
; Summer 2012 : I read headlines about a global warning “pause” and hope that maybe things aren’t so bad
; 2013-2021 : I read more about climate science and get steadily more alarmed
; Spring 2016 : I read the 1982 Exxon report
; June 2020 : Global 60-month average reaches +0.94°C, Easton, PA is 2°C hotter than normal for the fifth year in a row
; Today : ''(no description)''
; 2022 (near future) : [Large X within a circle] 1982 Exxon Prediction

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Climate change]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Randall Munroe]]
[[Category:Mario Kart]]

1497: New Products

2022-05-03T08:13:22Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232145 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 1497
| date = March 11, 2015
| title = New Products
| image = new products.png
| titletext = If you ever hear "Wait, is that Kim Dotcom's new project? I'm really excited about it and already signed up, although I'm a little nervous about whether everyone should hand over control of their medical...", it's time to dig a bunker in your backyard.
}}
==Explanation==
This comic points out an apparent paradox in product performance: Many products that are [https://www.google.com/search?q=No+wireless+Less+space+than+a+nomad+Lame criticized by techies when first announced] go on to great success, and many that are heavily hyped are total flops. The product in question may be a reference to the {{w|Apple Watch}}, which was announced around the time of this comic's release.

{| class="wikitable"
! If they say...
! It means...
! Explanation
! Example
|-
|"It doesn't do anything new"
|rowspan="2"|The product will be a gigantic success.
|A product that "doesn't do anything new" may still be successful for a variety of reasons. It may in fact do something new that the engineers and programmers are overlooking, or it may simply be a better presentation of an older idea that so far hasn't caught on among the general public. This latter category is the completion of the life-cycle mentioned later in the comic, those products whose "ideas will show up in something successful."
|{{w|iPod}}, {{w|iPad}}
|-
|"Why would anyone want that?"
|If engineers and programmers can't figure out why anyone would want a product, it may be because the applications are highly avant-garde or niche (though that could make it hard for the product to be a mass success). Alternatively, engineers and programmers themselves often don't share the tastes and priorities of non-technical people, and are therefore unable to understand and accurately assess the appeal that a product will have to the masses.
|{{w|Twitter}}, {{w|MacBook Air}}
|-
|"Really exciting"
|rowspan="2"|The product will be a flop. Years later, its ideas will show up in something successful.
|rowspan="2"|Products that are "really exciting" to engineers and programmers, so much so that they have already pre-ordered them, may fail to succeed for various reasons, such as:
*The product is excellent, but costs too much for mass audiences.
*The product has an unintuitive interface or strange aesthetics, which techies are willing to "live with", but regular people are not.
*The product has bad marketing; the masses never "get" how good the product is.
*The product turns out to be "nerd bait" or {{w|vaporware}}, offering visionary ideas that aren't actually feasible yet.
When a later product is based on the same ideas, but without the mistakes, it will be worth billions. Then the techies will say "it doesn't do anything new".
|{{w|NeXT}}
|-
|"I've already preordered one"
|[http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/07/how-one-kickstarter-project-squandered-3-5-million/ myIDkey]
{{w|Ubuntu Edge}}
|-
|"Wait, are you talking about <unfamiliar person's name>'s new project?"
|The product could be a scam and may result in arrests or lawsuits.
|If a product's developer's name is well-known among engineers and programmers, but not among the general public, that's usually not a good sign. Quite likely, the developer is someone who goes a step further than those in the previous category, not just announcing something cool and exciting they can't follow through on, but doing so ''knowing'' that they can't follow through yet still taking people's money. The state may press criminal charges against them (for fraud or such), or the angry investors may sue to get their money back.
|{{w|Shawn Fanning}}
|-
|"I would never put <company> in charge of managing my <whatever>"
|Within five years, they will.
|If engineers' and programmers' only objection is that they don't like the company behind the product, that's basically a tacit admission that there's nothing else wrong with it. For the average consumer, the perks of a groundbreaking new product outweigh whatever problems they may have with the company behind it. This category also relates to the numerous privacy concerns raised about the devices and software of certain companies, and the way people tend to get riled up about these issues and then forget about them once it becomes too inconvenient. For instance, a few months ago, in the aftermath of Facebook releasing its Messenger app, it would not be uncommon to hear people say "I would never put Facebook in charge of managing my network connectivity/phone calls/camera". However, 6 months later and barely anyone is complaining anymore, and within another year or so even the most hardline of privacy advocates will probably give in.
|[https://www.google.com/search?q=apple+OR+google+OR+microsoft+OR+amazon+OR+facebook+"is+evil" take your pick]
|}

The title text imagines a product that fits into the second, third and fourth categories:
* "Wait, is that Kim Dotcom's new project?" — third category
* "I'm really excited about it and already signed up." — both options from the second category
* "Although I'm a little nervous about whether everyone should hand over control of their medical..." — fourth category

{{w|Kim Dotcom}} is a controversial entrepreneur and [http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/who-kim-dotcom-timeline-his-life-1442384 convicted fraud]. He {{w|Kim Dotcom#Personal life|changed his surname}} to "Dotcom" because of the {{w|Dot-com bubble|dot-com stock market bubble}} that made him a millionaire. He fits perfectly into the mold of someone well-known to programmers and engineers (as well as New Zealanders), but perhaps not so much to your average Joe.

Taken together, these imply that an untrustworthy and potentially malicious company has an exciting new idea that may eventually come out in successful form, gains control of a large amount of medical information, but ultimately result in lawsuits not just from investors but from misled consumers (category 3). Because the initial release will be a flop (category 2), there is some time to prepare before the successful use of this idea becomes a reality (also category 2), at which point that or some other company will gain control of a large amount of people's medical something (category 4). Once this happens you could expect dramatic repercussions; this is why the title text suggests to dig a bunker while there is still time.

==Transcript==
:'''Predicting the success or failure of a new product'''
:based on what engineers and programmers are saying about it

:[A two-column table illustrating this. The headings are actually standing above the table.]
:{| class="wikitable alternance"
! If they say...
! It means...
|-
| "It doesn't do anything new"
|rowspan="2"|The product will be 
a gigantic success.
|-
| "Why would anyone want that?"
|-
| "Really exciting"
|rowspan="2"| The product will be a flop. 
Years later, its ideas will 
show up in something successful.
|-
|"I've already preorded one"
|-
| "Wait, are you talking about 
<unfamiliar person's name>'s 
new project?"
| The product could be 
a scam and may result 
in arrests or lawsuits.
|-
| "I would never put 
<company> in charge of 
managing my <whatever>."
| Within five years, they will.
|}

==Trivia==
*There is a spelling mistake in the comic: "preorded" should have been "preordered".

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people‏‎]]
[[Category:Programming]]

241: Battle Room

2022-05-03T08:13:07Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232148 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 241
| date = March 28, 2007
| title = Battle Room
| image = battle_room.png
| titletext = Bean actually sabotaged it just to give Dink the excuse to make that joke.
}}

==Explanation==
The book ''{{w|Ender's Game}}'' by {{w|Orson Scott Card}} is about {{w|Ender Wiggin}}, a boy of extraordinary intelligence, which means he is recruited to be trained to be one of the commanders of Earth's "Defense" Fleet should the {{w|Formics|Buggers}} invade again (future books renamed the Buggers to the Formics, to be more politically correct, since in British English, bugger is a swear word meaning to engage in anal sex, and an insult, as in "you silly bugger"). Ender is taken to a space school called Battle School. At the center of Battle School is the Battle Room, where all the training revolves (literally and figuratively) around. Ender's Game has also been discussed in later comics like [[635: Locke and Demosthenes]] and [[304: Nighttime Stories]].

The Battle Room is described as a hollow perfect cube. "Stars" (smaller cubes) can be pulled from the walls (without changing the shape, more stars come in to fill the space where the old ones were) and can be used as obstacles in the Battle Room, as they will remain absolutely stationary, no matter what force is exerted on them. There is no gravity in the Battle Room. Most squads entering the Battle Room keep their orientation from the hallway (gravity in the hallway dictates where "down" is in the Room). Ender realizes that because the room is a perfect cube, and that even the entrances, called "gates," are perfect squares and do not give any hint about which direction is up or down, that keeping that orientation is useless. He instructs his squad to orient so that the enemy's gate is down, a line of lateral thinking that gives his team three big advantages (smaller targets, "shielding" themselves with their own feet, and unprecedented angles of attack) and leads them to a perfect winning streak.

The joke here, as made by Ender's squadmate Dink, is that the enemy's gate is "down," as in broken. A computer or a website is said to be "down" when it stops operating or is unavailable, due to a cause such as a crash, the power is cut, or it is being taken offline for maintenance.

The title text suggests that the enemy's gate was sabotaged by Bean, another, possibly even smarter, friend of Ender's, for the sole reason of allowing Dink to make the joke. This reflects the developments in ''{{w|Ender's Shadow}}'', the {{w|parallel story}} to ''Ender's Game'', which showed that Bean was manipulating many of the events of the original book.

==Transcript==
:[A scene is depicted from the Battle Room of the novel Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. The boys are floating in a room with random cubes.]
:Dink: Sorry, Ender — seems like there were some system crashes. The battle's gotta be cut short.
:Ender: The lasers still work.
:Dink: Yeah, but the enemy's gate is down.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Ender's Game]]

2397: I Just Don't Trust Them

2022-05-03T08:12:49Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232192 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

{{comic
| number = 2397
| date = December 11, 2020
| title = I Just Don't Trust Them
| image = i_just_dont_trust_them.png
| titletext = I believe in getting immunity the old-fashioned way: By letting a bat virus take control of my lungs and turn my face into a disgusting plague fountain while my immune system desperately Googles 'how to make spike protein antibodies'.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is another in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}, specifically regarding the [[:Category:COVID-19 vaccine|COVID-19 vaccine]].

[[Cueball]] partially echoes a statement made by {{w|Vaccine hesitancy|anti-vaccination}} activists about "{{w|Big_Pharma_conspiracy theory|Big Pharma}}" (the powerful and profit-driven companies which develop pharmaceutical drugs such as {{w|vaccines}}). Anti-vaccine protesters falsely believe that vaccines contain harmful toxins (such as HIV proteins, {{rw|Anti-vaccination_movement#Aluminum|aluminum salts}}, formaldehyde, {{rw|Thiomersal|mercury}}, and nanoparticles) that cause ill effects on the human body, that just because there has never been a licensed mRNA vaccine before that these new vaccines are not safe in the long term, and that the corporations that make them are not to be trusted because they are exploiting a captive public for profit while disregarding public health. The joke is that Cueball is revealed to be not talking about Big Pharma but, instead, bats.

According to the WHO, COVID-19 has an ecological origin in bat populations. Hence, Cueball sees the virus as something developed by bats, and the ambiguity by which he expresses his desire to not be infected adds to the joke.

The comic could simply be seen to serve as a compelling argument against the anti-vaccine movement, which is often criticized for spreading misinformation and increasing rates of disease, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This comic comes shortly after the news of the development of several COVID-19 vaccines with high rates of success; there are concerns that herd immunity may be delayed if people refuse to take the vaccine.

The title text refers to getting immunity the old-fashioned way, i.e. catching the disease and waiting for your immune system to build up a response. This is usually considered healthy when immunity to minor diseases is common, and can avoid the sudden forced evolution of new diseases among extensively hypercareful communities, but developing natural immunity is certainly incredibly dangerous during a pandemic of a serious illness. One joke here is that many anti-vaxxers claim that it is more natural to not take a vaccine. Because many people conflate "natural" with "healthy", the assumption underlying the claim "it is more natural to not take a vaccine" is that it is therefore more healthy. Such arguments are an example of the {{rw|fallacy|logical fallacy}} known as {{rw|Appeal_to_nature|Appeal to nature}}. Thus, the title text is apparently written from a pro-vaxxer's take on the stance of an anti-vaxxer.

The title text also playfully suggests that the immune system would attempt to use an Internet search engine to learn how to manufacture {{w|Coronavirus spike protein|spike protein}} {{w|antibody|antibodies}}. While this may be an effective technique for a human being to acquire knowledge, it would not likely be as efficient for a nonsentient biological system.{{Citation needed}}

==Transcript==
:[Cueball stands with his arms to his sides, facing Megan.]
:Cueball: I just don't trust them, and I don't want to put something they developed into my body.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:How I feel about bats

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:COVID-19 vaccine]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Biology]]

Talk:2614: 2

2022-05-03T08:12:31Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232178 by 162.158.107.84 (talk)

Hello people. Anyone got an explanation for this? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.229|172.70.114.229]] 22:59, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
:dog walker in the coments section omg (shodul we replace this with a smaller version because i think whiel it is legitimite discussion and not vandaelism this time it shoudl not be so fuck god damn large) --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.229|172.70.114.229]] 07:35, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
::friends romans countrymen lend me your ears previously this comment had a picture of doug walker attached to it and i was not aware it was vandalism and not a part of the comment which explains my preivous comment; thank you for reaidng --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.247|172.70.114.247]] 07:37, 3 May 2022 (UTC)

To the person who has requested a citation that two is a number... here you go: https://youtu.be/dBVoIUASFS0?t=82. Can someone who knows how to add citations add it? :D --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.209|172.70.110.209]] 23:09, 2 May 2022 (UTC)
:The [citation needed] thing is a running joke here thanks to [[285: Wikipedian Protester]]. It's used for obvious statements of fact on this wiki as a joke (basically the opposite of its Wikipedia use). [[User:KirbyDude25|KirbyDude25]] ([[User talk:KirbyDude25|talk]]) 00:43, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
::I'm sorry to inform you that you probably became another victim of Poe's law (or "r/whooosh", as kids say these days). I was just playing the [https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/game SMBC citation game]. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.209|172.70.110.209]] 02:08, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
:::And we try to limit the use to only very very funny situations or when there is actually need for a citation, so as to not ruin it by having it on every single explanation!!! ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:08, 3 May 2022 (UTC)

Hey all, the group theory thing reminds me a lot of cyclic groups or ideals generated by the value 2. Also equivalence classes (which come up in group theory) can be written with [brackets] but may be confused with <cyclic groups> or (ideals).

The 2;2 notation looks like the notation \mu; \nu that is used for covariant derivatives of tensors in physics. Also 2,2 looks like \mu, \nu that is used for partial derivatives of tensors. And as mentioned above, (2) could be a cyclic subgroup or ideal generated by two or a special case of cycle notation for elements of symmetry groups used to mean an element that keeps 2 fixed. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.120|162.158.62.120]] 23:32, 2 May 2022 (UTC)

I second the point about tensors. Maybe you could expand the summation notation slightly. It's common to use index sets or rules underneath large symbols for all sorts of things, like sums, products, direct sums, direct products, unions, intersections, integrals, and much, much more. So here, the large 2 in parentheses represents one of these symbols. Rather than adding or multiplying the elements or whatever, you are twoing them, whatever that means. You are twoing over all values of 2, apparently. It's sort of reminiscent of jokes with punchlines like "for sufficiently large values of 2." There are of course, different 2s out there. Like, there is the von Neumann ordinal 2, the integer 2, the rational number 2, the real number 2, the complex number 2, the residue class of 2 mod 3, etc. All of these may be represented by 2. Perhaps we are indexing over some collection of canonical representations of 2? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.161|172.70.130.161]] 00:02, 3 May 2022 (UTC)

Explanation needs something about one of the 2s being cursed. Also, this should be added to the category for cursed stuff (I think it's cursed things, but did not look it up). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.72|172.70.211.72]] 01:37, 3 May 2022 (UTC)

Superscript or subscripts before a thing can indicate tetration and pentation. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.66.63|172.68.66.63]] 03:35, 3 May 2022 (UTC)

Did anyone else think there should have been a 2 after everything else (after the parentheses) with an arrow pointing to it labeled “sequels”?[[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.65|172.70.126.65]] 06:09, 3 May 2022 (UTC)

Damn there is (again?) some idiot that replaces the explanation with text :-/ Wish we could ban those persons! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:10, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
:What the vandal do those edit summaries mean? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.121|172.70.130.121]] 06:16, 3 May 2022 (UTC)

doug walker! the guy keeps chaging the image to doug fucking walker! awhat the fuck is up wiht that !!! --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.229|172.70.114.229]] 07:33, 3 May 2022 (UTC)
:ok im'm pretty sure janny is soem transphobic slur (for reference the vandalism edit at 07:36's comment was "clean it up janny") did dog wlaker do a transphobic thing and now some altright pople who find it worth there time to change the Exain Xkcd page inage to Dog WAlker are nutting there balls dry???? --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.230.75|172.70.230.75]] 07:38, 3 May 2022 (UTC)

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2022-05-03T07:55:19Z

Trublu: Undo revision 232097 by 108.162.245.69 (talk)

#REDIRECT [[2614: 2]]