explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:2255: Tattoo Ideas

2020-01-15T08:03:40Z

"Changeme" made me think of FIXME or TODO of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comment_(computer_programming)#Tags [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.150|162.158.106.150]] 06:03, 15 January 2020 (UTC)
:yeah, it's the equivalent but for stuff like passwords [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.91|162.158.154.91]] 06:42, 15 January 2020 (UTC)

The "Eurion Constellation" is a constellation-like pattern of dots on paper currency that when detected, prevents photocopiers from making copies of the bills https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EURion_constellation

[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tissot%27s_indicatrix Tisdot's indicatrix] is a matrix of circles placed on a map that change size and proportions (possibly turning into ellipses) based on map distortion. As a tatoo, that would be useful in tracking any distortion of the skin since you had the tattoo. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.216|141.101.105.216]] 07:07, 15 January 2020 (UTC)

The [https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/suffer-to-be-beautiful/ Snopes page on Epidurals and Tattoos] states that, as of 2005, doctors will administer epidurals (an anesthic procedure designed to lessen the pain of childbirth) through lower back tattoos, but that there is discussion in the Canadian medical community that there may be some risk involved with this procedure. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.177|172.69.54.177]] 07:23, 15 January 2020 (UTC)

"The [https://www.who.int/patientsafety/safesurgery/checklist/en/ WHO Surgical Safety Checklist] was developed after extensive consultation aiming to decrease errors and adverse events, and increase teamwork and communication in surgery. The 19-item checklist has gone on to show signiﬁcant reduction in both morbidity and mortality and is now used by a majority of surgical providers around the world." [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.184|141.101.76.184]] 07:31, 15 January 2020 (UTC)

In the 2000 movie "Memento", the amnesiac protagonist uses "an intricate system of Polaroid photographs and tattoos to track information he cannot remember." ([https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memento_(film) Wikipedia]) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.154|141.101.76.154]] 07:40, 15 January 2020 (UTC)

Aww man, now I want the title text as a tattoo. Also, the words "You should add a dragon" abruptly in the middle of an intricate design[[User:V|V]] ([[User talk:V|talk]]) 08:03, 15 January 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2246: Christmas Presents

2019-12-29T04:49:18Z

Just realized that the [[User:DgbrtBOT|DgbrtBOT]] has not worked [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/DgbrtBOT since December 13th]. So great work for those that has created the pages since then. I did this one today. Seems like it takes some time after creation before the next comic button appears on the previous page...? Followed the "When the bot fails" section on the BOT page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:43, 26 December 2019 (UTC)
:Ah, that explains it. I saw the comic two hours before I finally gave up waiting on DgbrtBOT to do what it does (not thinking I'd have to do it instead). I even had time to jot down a nice explanation written up, including references to {{w|Myco-heterotrophy}} and {{w|Mycorrhizal network}} where it seemed relevent to mention them, but I like the one that's here now so... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.179|162.158.158.179]] 23:09, 26 December 2019 (UTC)

That one comic used to confuse me greatly when instead of "parasitic", it had "parisitic" on its initial release. I wondered if it was a pun on Paris or something. Apparently just a glitch. https://web.archive.org/web/20191225165144/https://xkcd.com/2246/ [[User:Ck|Ck]] ([[User talk:Ck|talk]]) 23:19, 26 December 2019 (UTC)

This comic is a reference to mistletoe (a parasitic plant that is asociated with Christmas). That is where the "biologists ruining Christmas" come in; biologists are likely to point out that mistletoe is a parasite.
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.34|172.68.34.34]] 06:57, 28 December 2019 (UTC)

Upon reading the comic I thought that humans are mediating this particular parasitism (as the species that actually cut down trees and create presents), and biologist tries to insult those humans by suggesting that they are fungus. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.229|162.158.154.229]] 18:03, 28 December 2019 (UTC)

Whoever put the pun in the explanation deserves a prize [[User:V|V]] ([[User talk:V|talk]]) 04:49, 29 December 2019 (UTC)

2211: Hours Before Departure

2019-10-04T19:05:43Z

V: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2211
| date = October 4, 2019
| title = Hours Before Departure
| image = hours_before_departure.png
| titletext = They could afford to cut it close because they all had Global Entry.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a LATE UP-GOER 5. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Catching transportation from one place to another requires being there and being prepared before the vehicle leaves. Some transportation, such as public city buses and personal cars require very little in preparation, and one can leave as soon as the vehicle is there and ready. Others have more complications involved, whether it be in payment, security, slower boarding, etc.

To board a Greyhound bus, for example, one would normally need to be there 10-15 minutes before it is scheduled to leave, because it takes time to get everyone on board as the same time, stow luggage, and present a boarding pass or proof of payment.

Boarding an airline is even more complicated (security checkpoints, long terminal walks, more bags, etc.) making the delays longer, and so conventional advise is to arrive two hours early for a domestic (same country) flight and three hours for an international flight. Seasoned travelers can often cut these times shorter, but to be ready for unexpectedly long delays, the less experienced traveler would want to leave extra time.

Based on that, the exceedingly complicated business of travel to space would instinctively require you to be ready much longer than the three hours they recommend for international flights, however three hours is about how long it took for the astronauts traveling to the moon for the first time to prepare to take off.

The title text is a pun on the words "global entry". Global Entry is a United States Customs and Border Protection program that allows US citizens to quickly proceed through customs checks when arriving from overseas, instead of waiting in a long line to present a passport. In the case of the Apollo astronauts, their return to the earth involved re-entry into the atmosphere (technically called {{w|Atmospheric entry}}), and of course global is another word for things relating to the earth. So the Apollo astronauts could be said to have undergone "global entry" on their return. As such, the joke actually doesn't make sense, since both the Global Entry program and re-entry from space relate to returning from a trip, while the rest of the comic relates to how early you arrive to depart on a trip.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
First panel shows a time of 6:27 A.M. and "Crew departs for launch site"
Pictured are three astronauts with helmets getting into a NASA van.

Second panel shows a time of 9:32 A.M. and "Liftoff"
Depicted is a rocket, in the process of a space launch.

The text under the panels reads, "I know I tend to arrive too early at the airport, but it still weirds me out that Neil Armstrong left for the launch site just three hours before departure.

The hover text reads, "They could afford to cut it close because they all had Global Entry."

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2211: Hours Before Departure

2019-10-04T19:04:53Z

... The title text isn't even a pun. Whoever wrote that needs to leave their pun hatred at the door and stick to what's actually there. [[User:V|V]] ([[User talk:V|talk]]) 19:04, 4 October 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2192: Review

2019-08-23T17:45:14Z

Earth : Terrible storyline, feel depressed afterward. Controls buggy.
: My advice would be to look at different storylines. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.44|172.69.22.44]] 14:24, 21 August 2019 (UTC)
:: There's more than one? I wish I knew what the storyline was even supposed to be; it's not like the minigames where if you ask enough NPCs you can find one to clue you in on what to do next. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.172|162.158.34.172]] 10:29, 22 August 2019 (UTC)
: It is in our power to choose fear, frustration, and despair or the alternative story line of love, joy, and freedom. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 15:06, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

Mostly harmless - [[User:GreenWyvern|GreenWyvern]] ([[User talk:GreenWyvern|talk]]) 13:39, 21 August 2019 (UTC)
: thank you for that :D [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 16:26, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

New servers opening soon! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.124|172.68.51.124]] 13:42, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

He could discuss in greater detail at https://www.reddit.com/r/outside/ [[User:Poodlehat|Poodlehat]] ([[User talk:Poodlehat|talk]]) 13:43, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

I think the title text is alluding to controlling things like climate warming and the like, not learning to walk. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 13:56, 21 August 2019 (UTC)
:"Huge World" would imply that the game type is first or third person, with the player taking control of a character in that world. In this sense, I think it's appropriate for the controls to be in reference to movement of the character. If the game type were management or simulation, I think you would be correct. [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 14:03, 21 August 2019 (UTC)
:"Huge World" so much to explore, could take more than a lifetime. Very few ever reach master level but general satisfaction is possible for every serious player, and the game Creator is accessible at any time. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 15:06, 21 August 2019 (UTC)
:Game creator accessible? Seriously? When was the last time he fixed some bug? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:39, 21 August 2019 (UTC)
:: The Earth is abandonware...

Perhaps this is a reference to the recent Public Policy Polling survey http://publicpolicypollling.blogspot.com/2011/07/evaluating-god.html whcih asked people about God's job performance. God received his highest rating on his "handling of creating the universe" with 71% in favor of the universe and 5% opposed.
:correct link is http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2011/07/evaluating-god.html (but it’s a rather boring 8 year old fluff piece, I very much doubt that Randall was even aware of its existence) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.22|162.158.78.22]] 01:55, 22 August 2019 (UTC)

Dan Loeb loeb@sig.com, 11:50, 21 August 2019 (ET)

"gun violence, sexual violence, poverty", etc, are really human's problems rather than Earth's problems.
: It really depends on your point of view. If you consider Earth as just a rock flying through space global warming isn't really an issue either. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 16:26, 21 August 2019 (UTC)
:: Global warming is barely issue when you consider biosphere as a whole either. Neither insects nor bacteria care, and plants are looking forward to it. Now, pollution, that's different. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:39, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

To be honest I think this comic is a bit lazy for xkcd standards. The whole joke of "I went outside today, the graphics are amazing but controls suck" is years old and was never really good in my opinion. I've seen several comics where Randal reused old jokes and put a clever spin on them or extended them in a new fashion that I'm disappointed Randall essentially copy&pasted this one. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 16:26, 21 August 2019 (UTC)
:Personally, I was hoping for something on the announcement of KSP 2 :P
:: It might come in the next few days. I don't think he'll ignore it. Or he'll mention once there is a confirmed release date. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 11:01, 22 August 2019 (UTC)

I'm reminded of [https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2014-09-26 this comic] by the SMBC guy (better known as Emergency Backup Randall Munroe) which features a hypothetical site which can host such a review, and also two Black Hats. Some folks also made a subreddit that actually implements the idea. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.11.167|172.68.11.167]] 18:03, 21 August 2019 (UTC)

Multiplayer sucks. Needs to have a single-player mode. [unsigned]

Is this the first time that Randall has explicitly drawn himself in a comic? Does this make it official that Cueball is Randall (or Randall's alter-ego)? [[User:Stevage|Stevage]] ([[User talk:Stevage|talk]]) 05:09, 22 August 2019 (UTC)
:Nothing in the comic says this is Randall speaking, just like we assume Cueball is his main alter-ego, we assume when he says "My" he's talking more specifically as Randall rather than as Cueball. But that's our assumption. Really, all the characters in xkcd are speaking Randall, whatever he wants them to speak, and we can't know for certain to what degree their words and activities line up with Randall's own beliefs. [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 14:52, 23 August 2019 (UTC)

Is this serious: "Earth is a completely real object[citation needed]"? I never thought this could be fake news. :-) {{unsigned|Jonhaug}}
:It's a running What If? joke where Randall would put citation needed tags on obvious statements such as "The sun is very bright." We sometimes do the same things when writing explanations in Explain xkcd. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 12:39, 23 August 2019 (UTC)

The solar system as a whole is even bigger, but nearly completely empty. Only one star. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.18|108.162.229.18]] 14:10, 22 August 2019 (UTC)

Too many people play this just for the "game within a game" feature. The main game deserves more attention. [[User:Probably not Douglas Hofstadter|Probably not Douglas Hofstadter]] ([[User talk:Probably not Douglas Hofstadter|talk]]) 03:57, 23 August 2019 (UTC)

Thank you, comic explanation, for turning what I thought was a silly joke into a reason for an existential crisis. [[User:V|V]] ([[User talk:V|talk]]) 17:45, 23 August 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2164: Glacier

2019-06-18T01:15:48Z

Sssssssdedsdesedsdsdddd

There is something in the air - Jon Finemore has a Sword in the Stone joke in the most recent Souvenir Programme.

We long ago noticed skiing and fencing both take place on piste.
However, they look at you askance when you try to fence on skis.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.82|162.158.34.82]] 21:20, 17 June 2019 (UTC)

Added trivia about T.H. White's appearance two comics ago. Obviously, The Sword in the Stone is on Randall's mind lately! [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 21:34, 17 June 2019 (UTC)

I think the phrase "takes things in a weird direction" is a pun since the original Sword in the Stone had the blade buried in the stone, and in this case, the handle is buried (also, in the Sword in the Stone, the blade traditionally points toward the ground, but in this case, it is parallel to the ground) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.46|162.158.126.46]] 22:48, 17 June 2019 (UTC)
:I agree there could be a pun in that choice of words on the direction of the blade. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 00:42, 18 June 2019 (UTC)

Is this saying Beret Guy is Norwegian, or is the title text just mentioning the Norwegian version offhand?[[User:V|V]] ([[User talk:V|talk]]) 01:15, 18 June 2019 (UTC)

Talk:1821: Incinerator

2019-06-04T23:19:34Z

The crisis could come from a more abstract feeling thinking of the incinerating/trash devices as Ouroboros, serpents biting their own tail or nilpotent matrices. Nothing would be left. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.62|162.158.88.62]] 06:01, 8 April 2017 (UTC)

There also might be a more practical explanation of the crisis; in my experience it is extremely difficult to convey to trash collectors that a garbage can itself is part of the trash. Merely placing it inside another, larger trash receptacle is often not enough to convince them to collect it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.58|108.162.216.58]] 07:15, 8 April 2017 (UTC)
:I actually had the opposite problem recently, where we obtained a medium sized plastic tote with a recyclables logo on the side, and they were kind enough to take all the recyclable materials, apparently including the tote. So be careful what you wish for.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.51|162.158.74.51]] 17:14, 8 April 2017 (UTC)
:Sadly, that might not have been the trash collectors. That is, I'm sure they took the recyclables, but it's possible one of your neighbors said, "Hey, free tote," especially since if it was new, clean, and did not have any identifying marks, such as your address, on it.
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.63|162.158.62.63]] 23:19, 8 April 2017 (UTC)
: I find that the people who post here have the weirdest, most unusual problems. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.203|141.101.104.203]] 07:46, 9 April 2017 (UTC)
: In my own practical experience, the only solution to throw away a personal trashcan (that is, a can which is not supplied by the waste management services), is to cut/dismantle the old can and dispose of it in the new can. Trashcans supplied by waste management services have always been a simple call to the customer service office and a brand-new can would be awaiting after the next garbage collection day. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.106|108.162.221.106]] 03:38, 3 June 2017 (UTC)

Disposing of a trash can by putting it in its replacement is simply insustainable: After a few generations, you end up with a container that won't fit trough your door! --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.173|162.158.91.173]] 13:09, 9 April 2017 (UTC)

Maybe the crisis was recursive -- using the broken container to dispose of itself.[[User:CoderLass|CoderLass]] ([[User talk:CoderLass|talk]]) 17:34, 13 April 2017 (UTC)
: That's what I thought as well! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.186|141.101.107.186]] 17:39, 17 April 2017 (UTC)
:: I second this thought process[[User:V|V]] ([[User talk:V|talk]]) 23:19, 4 June 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2128: New Robot

2019-03-26T03:13:33Z

Boston Dynamics does this. [[User:Netherin5|“That Guy from the Netherlands”]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 16:23, 25 March 2019 (UTC)

I have to wonder if the title text is referring to the term "search and destroy", which would certainly be the second type. [[User:MAP|MAP]] ([[User talk:MAP|talk]]) 18:47, 25 March 2019 (UTC)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M46HvyAG2k i'ts a robot! [[User:I prefer qwerty|I prefer qwerty]] ([[User talk:I prefer qwerty|talk]]) 21:29, 25 March 2019 (UTC)

Anyone else reminded of the Rovers from ''The Prisoner''? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.190|172.69.69.190]] 21:54, 25 March 2019 (UTC)

It seems like, from both the references(E.G. Hookshot) to various things and the captions, that this bot was built with the purpose of being cool rather than any sort of destructive nature. [[User:V|V]] ([[User talk:V|talk]]) 03:13, 26 March 2019 (UTC)

Talk:2122: Size Venn Diagram

2019-03-13T01:23:07Z

V: I asked a question

The word league is in a diamond-shaped region, which probably connotes to the baseball diamond.

I think Randall kind of missed an opportunity with the title text: he should have used the new terms as a way to fill the blank areas in the diagram, for instance 'Great Emerald' for the currently empty set Great+Small+Little+Large.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.221|141.101.99.221]] 14:31, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
:No, I think the diagram itself is meant to be completely correct. But I didn't check all 100+ combinations. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 14:57, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
::Yes, I believe the diagram is correct now, but as per the title text Randall will start using new combinations of terms, probably to get their usage mainstream and move the location of the words in the diagram. I'm saying he should have created terms that would fill some blank areas. For instance, his Large Dipper would make Dipper appear in the Big+Little+Large area where we already have League.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.95|141.101.99.95]] 15:16, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
:::I understood what you said (the first time around) and agree. Randall's title text is to acknowledge or engage the patterns he's discovered in the comic (as usual), and he could do that more thoroughly by making up words that would make the chart more balanced. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.100|162.158.78.100]] 16:27, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
:He could also have placed “man” between “little” and “big” just to reference the movie ☺

Any such diagram will inevitably have small lacunae. But "Friendly Giant" is a particularly large one. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.172|162.158.63.172]] 15:21, 11 March 2019 (UTC)

Endian? Scott? Tits?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.112|108.162.219.112]] 15:23, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
:Yeah, what about Little Endian? It's missing! [[Special:Contributions/172.68.143.156|172.68.143.156]] 19:28, 11 March 2019 (UT

Besides the transcript of what's in each category, what about a table to explain ''why'' the items categorized as they are, like:
{| class="wikitable"
!Item
!Big
!Great
!Large
!Little
!Small
|-
|Island
|Hawaii
|Cork Harbor, Ireland
|Antilles
|movie
|novel, movie
|-
|Pox
|n/a
|syphilis
|n/a
|n/a
|disease
|-
|White
|BC ski resort
|shark
|pig
|n/a
|butterfly
|}
{Unsigned|172.69.62.160}
:Yeah, it seems reasonable, I like it. Add it [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 15:57, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
::Second but leave the unused cells blank dont put N/A in the cell. [[User:M|M]] ([[User talk:M|talk]]) 16:15, 11 March 2019 (UTC)

I don't know why, but the shape of this diagram feels really satisfying to me. [[User:Hawthorn|Hawthorn]] ([[User talk:Hawthorn|talk]]) 16:29, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
:For me it’s just hard to look at. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 16:41, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
:Came here to say exactly that. The symmetry is really pleasing. I've been considering how effective adding colours would be as well. [[User:Cosmogoblin|Cosmogoblin]] ([[User talk:Cosmogoblin|talk]]) 17:55, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
::It looks like these style Venn diagrams are generated by http://bioinformatics.psb.ugent.be/webtools/Venn/ ... haven't tried it myself. Don't know if they invented it or took it from elsewhere. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.149|162.158.79.149]] 21:17, 11 March 2019 (UTC)
:::This particular geometric configuration for five category Venn diagrams was popularized by [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/32440128/nice-looking-five-sets-venn-diagrams Adrian Dusa's venn package for R]. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.179|172.68.142.179]] 17:55, 12 March 2019 (UTC)

:Could it be because they look like eggplants? Kind of like the eggplant emojis? [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 15:45, 12 March 2019 (UTC)

Again I wonder if he does these sorts of comics just to see how far we'll take it [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 16:51, 11 March 2019 (UTC)

Uhhh...isn’t the bottom part just the transcript?[[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 17:08, 11 March 2019 (UTC)

Shouldn't this go in the Venn Diagram category? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.95|172.68.132.95]] 00:10, 12 March 2019 (UTC)
:Done. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.182.154|172.68.182.154]] 17:58, 12 March 2019 (UTC)

Can anyone make the table's cells be more regular in size across columns? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.132.95|172.68.132.95]] 00:54, 12 March 2019 (UTC)
:Done [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.35|141.101.104.35]] 15:28, 12 March 2019 (UTC)

I am disappointed that he only referenced the "little big planet" game but not the "little big adventure" one. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.187|141.101.96.187]] 08:04, 12 March 2019 (UTC)

Large Frog is an [https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/8743/large-frog-new-version artwork], apparently. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.200|162.158.155.200]] 22:56, 12 March 2019 (UTC)

Why Are we so sure that planet being in both the little and big categories is a reference to the game? [[User:V|V]] ([[User talk:V|talk]]) 01:23, 13 March 2019 (UTC)

2047: Beverages

2018-09-17T05:47:12Z

V: More text!

{{comic
| number = 2047
| date = September 17, 2018
| title = Beverages
| image = beverages.png
| titletext = If I wait a while, it's not so bad, because then it's just shaped like me, plus some pipes and tanks and probably eventually all of Earth's oceans.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Please edit the explanation below and only mention here why it isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

"The human digestive system is ugly" -Randall Munroe, 2018

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Inside a panel, liquid pouring out of a cup and through the esophagus to the stomach is shown.]
{{comic discussion}}

2041: Frontiers

2018-09-03T18:22:12Z

V: Silly Alaska

{{comic
| number = 2041
| date = September 3, 2018
| title = Frontiers
| image = frontiers.png
| titletext = Star Trek V is a small part of the space frontier, but it's been a while since that movie came out so I assume we've finished exploring it by now.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by HUMAN ACHIEVEMENT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic (and Therefore the Joke) refers to what we still call the "final frontiers" of human discovery: outer space, the oceans, the human mind, and Alaska. These places/regions have been only partially explored, or in Alaska's case, because it's called The Last Frontier.

The title text refers to the title of ''Star Trek V'', titled ''{{w|Star Trek V: The Final Frontier}}''. Randall (mis)interprets this title as Star Trek V the movie as one of the final frontiers, but since the film was released in 1989, he states that this frontier has probably been explored already. The phrase, "the final frontier," is used in the opening narration for the original ''Star Trek'' TV series:

''Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before!''

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

{{comic discussion}}

915: Connoisseur

2018-09-03T04:29:05Z

V: Cleared up some kinda confusing text

{{comic
| number = 915
| date = June 22, 2011
| title = Connoisseur
| image = connoisseur.png
| titletext = Our brains have just one scale, and we resize our experiences to fit.
}}

==Explanation==
[[White Hat]] is fond of good {{w|wine}}, and he can probably distinguish slight differences in different types of wine, perhaps being the type that attends {{w|wine tasting}} parties. He doesn't like the cheap wine that Cueball has served for him (implying a cheap wine cannot be a good one, a statement most wine enthusiasts passionately agree with), looking with disgust at the label of the offending bottle.

On the other hand, [[Cueball]] doesn't have a preference; all of them taste the same for him, so presumably he gets the cheaper ones. White Hat tells Cueball that if he just tried some really good wine and paid more attention he would discover a whole new world.

Cueball's answer is the main message of the comic. He says that wine is no different from anything else in this respect, and makes a list starting with the wine but then going past {{w|house music}}, {{w|fonts}}, {{w|ants}}, {{w|Wikipedia:Signatures|Wikipedia signatures}} ending up with {{w|Canadian}} {{w|surrealist}} {{w|porn}}. His point is that if you spend enough time focusing one special type of subjects/taste/visual challenges, then you'll become a snobby '''{{w|connoisseur}}''' of that topic.

White Hat tries to defend wine by saying that some things have more depth than others (wine being among them), but Cueball challenges him on this by choosing something as obscure as 500 pictures of {{w|Joe Biden}}, the famously gaffe prone former {{w|Vice President of the United States}} alongside {{w|Barack Obama}}, eating a sandwich as an example. He claims that if people are locked up in a box with those pictures for a year, they would end up being connoisseur on that subject with the same vehemence regarding the best picture as wine tasters can be about the best wine.

White Hat claims that this is an exaggeration, but Cueball takes this as a challenge so in the last panel, apparently White Hat and Cueball are actually running this experiment to see if they will end up concentrating on slight differences among the placement of mayonnaise on the pictures of Joe Biden eating a sandwich, just in the same way that White Hat concentrates on slight differences among kinds of wine. The result of the experiment is clearly going to Cueball's side, the discussion mainly going on the importance of mayo or the light through lettuce from the sandwiches.

This mentality may also be applied to online groups based on certain subjects (such as television shows, films, and other hobbies and interests), where arguments and vehement, stubborn opinions are common despite the fairly unimportant subject.

The title text presents the same idea in a different wording. The "scale of our brains" refers to a concept similar to Richard Dawkins' {{w|Middle World}}, where things too small (say, smaller than the point of a pin) or too big (bigger than what we can see from a mountaintop) are just out of our comprehension, so the things our brains understand must be neither too small nor too big, i.e. the "middle world".

However, the title text goes further in this idea: When we find things too big (like the distance to the Moon), we shrink it so that it fits into the "middle world" we're used to. Conversely, when we find things too small (say, a mote of dust), we expand it for the same reason. In a quite similar way, if all we have is pictures of Joe Biden eating a sandwich, we "resize" that subject so that we can fill books with the details about the pictures.

==Transcript==
:[White Hat is holding a wine glass down in one hand and holding a bottle of wine up in front of him with the other hand. He is looking at the label and talking with Cueball standing next to him with his own filled wine glass in one hand. He is looking down at the glass.]
:White Hat: How do you stand this cheap wine?
:Cueball: Wine all tastes the same to me.

:[Close-up of White Hat.]
:White Hat: You've just never had ''good'' wine. If you paid more attention, you'd realize there's a whole world here.

:[Close-up on Cueball, who spreads his arms out, resulting in the wine in the glass sloshing so much that part of the wine is above the rim of the glass, some even hanging over the edge and a spray droplet hanging above the sloshing liquid.]
:Cueball: But that's true of ''anything!'' Wine, house music, fonts, ants, Wikipedia signatures, Canadian surrealist porn—
:Cueball: Spend enough time with any of them and you'll become a snobby connoisseur.

:[This panel has no border and is next to but aligned further down than the first three panels. It shows a zoom out of both White Hat and Cueball again. White Hat now has both glass and bottle held down at his side. Cueball holds his glass down, but tilted away from him. A small puddle of wine is on the floor next to Cueball.]
:White Hat: But some things do have more depth than others.
:Cueball: If you locked people in a box for a year with 500 still frames of Joe Biden eating a sandwich, by the end they'd be adamant that some were great and some were terrible.
:White Hat: You're exaggerating.
:Cueball: Oh, really?

:[This panel is below the feet of the two characters from the previous panel. It goes further to the left than those two, and is wider than the previous panels, but it does not go much past the middle, so there is a blank white space to the left of this panel, below the first and most of the second panel. It shows a box, with two star burst on the surface from where two voices emanate from the inside. Over the top left of the panels frame is a small frame with a caption:]
:A year later:
:The Voice from left side of the box: Sure, most closed-mouth frames are boring, but in #415, the way the man's jaw frames the mayo on his hand is pure perfection, and—
:The Voice from right side of the box: What a surprise- ''you'' praising a mayo frame. Listening to '''you''', I'd think there was nothing else in The Sandwich.
:The Voice from right side of the box: Frankly, the light hitting J.B.'s collar through the lettuce would put #242 in my top ten even if he had ''no'' mayo on his hand at ''all''.

==Trivia==
*Specialized interests and the people involved in them are used again, with ants being the subject of [[1610: Fire Ants]], typefaces in [[590: Papyrus]] and [[736: Cemetery]], plastic straws in [[1095: Crazy Straws]] and porn-video quality in [[598: Porn]].
*In [[1534: Beer]], Cueball also argue slight differences in alcohol brands don't make much difference (in 915 "Wine all tastes the same to me."; in 1534, "maybe we should just admit that all beer tastes kind of bad and everyone's just pretending?") and people just pretend due to social pressure.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Food]] 
[[Category:Wikipedia]] 
[[Category:Animals]] 
[[Category:Music]] 
[[Category:Sex]]

Talk:2036: Edgelord

2018-08-23T22:26:38Z

V: Fixed my mistake

Presumably has something to do with https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=edgelord
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.129|173.245.48.129]] 04:37, 22 August 2018 (UTC)

What is up with the wolverine? Am I missing a joke here? Possibly a reference somewhere else? {{unsigned ip|172.68.34.106}}
: That is a reference to Wolverine, the Marvel Comics character, who has retractable "claws" stowed in his forearms and come out the back of his hands. The claws of an actual wolverine, like others in the family Mustelidae, are permanently extended. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 12:41, 22 August 2018 (UTC)
: It seems to me like the Wolverine thing is almost a non sequitur. I think a better comparison would be "like calling an engineering student a 'forcelord'" or "calling an astronomy PhD a 'Starlord'", or a pharmacologist a 'Druglord'. -- [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 13:02, 22 August 2018 (UTC)
:: Agree. Update made.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.90|172.68.65.90]] 13:19, 22 August 2018 (UTC)
::: Aww... You guys made a better comparison than me. I put in the wolverine thing just to make a point that it was silly yet technically (by the loosest definition) accurate. I'm sorry it confused you. [[User:V|V]] ([[User talk:V|talk]]) 22:25, 23 August 2018 (UTC) ~

If you are actually an "edgelord", wouldn't you answer "no" anyway to provoke once again? [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 08:40, 22 August 2018 (UTC)

I feel like there should be some discussion of what an edge (or hyper-edge) is in graph theory. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.22|162.158.165.22]] 10:20, 22 August 2018 (UTC)

Good that he doesn't call his plumber a shitlord. Might need one again. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.75|172.69.54.75]] 11:54, 22 August 2018 (UTC)

So... is the joke just a half-working pun on "edge", or am I missing something? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.226.119|172.69.226.119]] 14:28, 22 August 2018 (UTC)
:Yes <[[Special:Contributions/162.158.167.120|162.158.167.120]] 15:29, 22 August 2018 (UTC)>

So… Does this mean that white hat has a PhD in Graph Theory? {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.214}}
:It seems so. But please sign your comments. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:54, 22 August 2018 (UTC)
::Well, the White Hat in ''this'' comic has one. Doesn't necessarily imply the same thing about White Hats in any other comics. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.154|162.158.238.154]] 08:19, 23 August 2018 (UTC)

Nothing to do with the Doctor who is a Time Lord? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.94|172.68.34.94]] 20:16, 22 August 2018 (UTC)
:That's where my mind went as well, but I have no way to make that connection. (P.S. I love Alton Brown's description of himself on Twitter as a "Thyme Lord". I almost wanted to add that as a "calling a chef" example above!) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.124|162.158.63.124]] 14:41, 23 August 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2036: Edgelord

2018-08-23T22:25:03Z

V: Added my view

Presumably has something to do with https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=edgelord
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.129|173.245.48.129]] 04:37, 22 August 2018 (UTC)

What is up with the wolverine? Am I missing a joke here? Possibly a reference somewhere else? {{unsigned ip|172.68.34.106}}
: That is a reference to Wolverine, the Marvel Comics character, who has retractable "claws" stowed in his forearms and come out the back of his hands. The claws of an actual wolverine, like others in the family Mustelidae, are permanently extended. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 12:41, 22 August 2018 (UTC)
: It seems to me like the Wolverine thing is almost a non sequitur. I think a better comparison would be "like calling an engineering student a 'forcelord'" or "calling an astronomy PhD a 'Starlord'", or a pharmacologist a 'Druglord'. -- [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 13:02, 22 August 2018 (UTC)
:: Agree. Update made.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.90|172.68.65.90]] 13:19, 22 August 2018 (UTC)
::: Aww... You guys made a better comparison than me. I put in the wolverine thing just to make a point that it was silly yet technically (by the loosest definition) accurate. I'm sorry it confused you. [[User:V|V]] ([[User talk:V|talk]]) 22:25, 23 August 2018 (UTC) [[User:V|V]] ([[User talk:V|talk]]) 22:25, 23 August 2018 (UTC)

If you are actually an "edgelord", wouldn't you answer "no" anyway to provoke once again? [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 08:40, 22 August 2018 (UTC)

I feel like there should be some discussion of what an edge (or hyper-edge) is in graph theory. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.22|162.158.165.22]] 10:20, 22 August 2018 (UTC)

Good that he doesn't call his plumber a shitlord. Might need one again. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.75|172.69.54.75]] 11:54, 22 August 2018 (UTC)

So... is the joke just a half-working pun on "edge", or am I missing something? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.226.119|172.69.226.119]] 14:28, 22 August 2018 (UTC)
:Yes <[[Special:Contributions/162.158.167.120|162.158.167.120]] 15:29, 22 August 2018 (UTC)>

So… Does this mean that white hat has a PhD in Graph Theory? {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.214}}
:It seems so. But please sign your comments. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:54, 22 August 2018 (UTC)
::Well, the White Hat in ''this'' comic has one. Doesn't necessarily imply the same thing about White Hats in any other comics. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.154|162.158.238.154]] 08:19, 23 August 2018 (UTC)

Nothing to do with the Doctor who is a Time Lord? --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.94|172.68.34.94]] 20:16, 22 August 2018 (UTC)
:That's where my mind went as well, but I have no way to make that connection. (P.S. I love Alton Brown's description of himself on Twitter as a "Thyme Lord". I almost wanted to add that as a "calling a chef" example above!) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.124|162.158.63.124]] 14:41, 23 August 2018 (UTC)

2036: Edgelord

2018-08-22T04:17:41Z

V: I made a mistake before so I fixed it.

{{comic
| number = 2036
| date = August 22, 2018
| title = Edgelord
| image = edgelord.png
| titletext = If you study graphs in which edges can link more than two nodes, you're more properly called a hyperedgelord.
}}

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

This Comic plays on the fact that Graphs (or, at least, the objects in graphs) have EDGES. Saying someone with a Graph Theory PH.D. is an Edgelord (a master of edges) is a bit like saying Your cat is a miniature wolverine (because she/he has retractable claws).

The title text makes the same joke, except that the title would be Hyperedgelord (master of Hyperedges) instead of Edgelord (a master of edges that aren't hyperedges)

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

{{comic discussion}}

2036: Edgelord

2018-08-22T04:16:55Z

V: I tried to explain