explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3187: High Altitude Cooking Instructions

2025-12-30T21:32:00Z

Vdm:

Okay, but now I am imagining an inverse package labelling for ISS foodstuffs. [[Special:Contributions/209.52.88.130|209.52.88.130]] 01:17, 30 December 2025 (UTC)
:I think ISS qualifies as "sea level": the key is the atmospheric pressure, height per se does nothing to food [[Special:Contributions/185.36.194.156|185.36.194.156]] 01:44, 30 December 2025 (UTC)
::The ISS maintains pretty much sea level atmosphere, and seems to also maintain similar composition, but there's definitely going to be complications with microgravity. Now I want to see what boiling water and steam look like in a zero g atmosphere [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 08:48, 30 December 2025 (UTC)
:::"...throughout the duration of cooking, hold cooker at arm's length and spin at roughly 30rpm, or as low as 5rpm if free-floating..." [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.242|82.132.244.242]] 13:13, 30 December 2025 (UTC)

You try cooking on the ISS the way you cook at sea level, you're gonna have several cups of boiling water in microgravity. [[Special:Contributions/207.195.86.104|207.195.86.104]] 04:55, 30 December 2025 (UTC)

I am editing the transcription and confused where the notes are attached. Now that the higher note reads ‘remove from heat [...] for 3 minutes before serving’, it may be food packaging, but the paint is too thin for it to be used for that purpose. And the space is seemingly inadequate for typical food labels (nutrition, ingredients, manufacturer, etc). [[User:物灵|物灵]] ([[User talk:物灵|talk]]) 05:10, 30 December 2025 (UTC)
:The higher note might just be the ‘sea level cooking instructions’, reading:
:;Sea level cooking instructions:
::[... ... ... ...]
::remove from heat [...]
::for 3 minutes before serving.
[[User:物灵|物灵]] ([[User talk:物灵|talk]]) 09:01, 30 December 2025 (UTC)
:It may be a box of pasta or similar, which can be shaped pretty thin - I have spaghetti boxes which are maybe an inch thick and quite large. The nutritional information, etc could be higher up on the board/box shown in the comic [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 09:53, 30 December 2025 (UTC)
:::I think it may say from heat, but I also think that is just good guessing. And it seems there is more further on. Could be something else like remove from what ever. I have removed it from the transcript after fro, as it is not clear on the drawing. Anything that needs an explanation do not belong in the transcript. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:46, 30 December 2025 (UTC)
::::I mean arguably, the o in fro could be a u, so that's not guaranteed... the f and r are both distinguishable, but the o isn't strictly speaking. Definitely pedantry, but might be worth changing the transcript as you said [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 19:02, 30 December 2025 (UTC)

I don't think Randall did it deliberately, but from a mere ''five km'' below his tidily rounded-by-feet "ask in the ISS" range (30km allocated, within which the ISS normally only uses 9 km, apogee to perigee) you'd find the Chinese space station (never more than 10 km below 1.3 Mft, and at least 21 km above the 1.2 Mft level, if you'll excuse my unusual mixing of units!). And they quite recently showcased the cooking skills with their new air-fryer, as many space-obsessives (like I might be) might recall... Perhaps that was at the back of his mind, but I can't actually imagine that he took conscious inspiration from that and then 'refused' to in any way acknowledge it (even in parody). At most, a totally forgotten bit of info that trickled into the spark for this. The core fact, of which, I've just made a note of in the explanation. But this is by way of an expanded note of how near he was to either having to acknowledge Tiangong or else have many pedants pointedly pointing out a potential inaccuracy/omission... ;) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.242|82.132.244.242]] 18:08, 30 December 2025 (UTC)

I suppose there is a way to calculate the original cooking time from the two high altitude variants… [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 21:32, 30 December 2025 (UTC)

Talk:2832: Urban Planning Opinion Progression

2023-09-23T21:44:11Z

Vdm:

Somebody has been watching Not Just Bikes on YouTube...
:Orange Pilled!!🙂 [[User:Torzsmokus|Torzsmokus]] ([[User talk:Torzsmokus|talk]]) 19:43, 23 September 2023 (UTC)

I would be very interested in having a discussion based on the "livability" comment. If a city is a place to LIVE, then these are fair comments, assuming that travel outside the local area is minimal. But if a city is a place to WORK, like a lot of downtown areas in the Eastern US, then this doesn't hold up as well. People don't live in these areas, they just travel to them on a regular basis.
:Talk about missing the forest for the trees
:Agree, downtown areas SHOULD be places to work, live, shop, and play. Eastern US downtowns USED to be that way, until White Flight screwed everything up and created "car culture". It's long past due for cities to change back. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 15:59, 23 September 2023 (UTC)
::You can't really blame white flight considering the same thing happened in both 'racially homogenous' cities in the U.S. and in Canada. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.174.251|172.70.174.251]] 17:22, 23 September 2023 (UTC)
: One thing that always bugs me about these discussions is that they tend to be so city-centric in thinking. Bikes simply aren't a practical mode of transportation in a lot of areas, dating back to pre-car days. I live in a rural area of the southern midwest, and "town" is a concentration of places that people in the area go to, and always has been. Only really wealthy people had houses in town, and even then they were often "Sunday Houses" where you would stay during your weekend trip to town for groceries and church BECAUSE it was such a hassle before cars. There's a "historic" (read: tourist-friendly) walkable town square in the center of many towns in my area, but these are as a rule businesses, some of which have loft apartments because the owner lived there too as some of the town's few constant residents. Even the parking lots are basically paved versions of the spaces where people would park their wagons and tie their horses back in the day, placed near things like general stores because hauling groceries for several blocks is a pain in any era. [[User:Scorpion451|Scorpion451]] ([[User talk:Scorpion451|talk]]) 18:59, 23 September 2023 (UTC)

:Places meant for work and work alone are called 'industrial parks'. People's well-being in offices can significantly benefit from green spaces and other amenities like bars and shops.
:Especially if they feel safe walking to and from those shops. --[[User:Melle|Melle]] ([[User talk:Melle|talk]]) 16:54, 23 September 2023 (UTC)

The explainxkcd explanations have gotten kinda funny, but I wanted to add that some european cities have sidewalks wider than roads, and it’s a much different experience. People like openness. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.55|162.158.62.55]] 17:46, 23 September 2023 (UTC)

Honestly, I do not know how to format it, however this is the citation about painted vs protected bike lanes: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2214140523001056?dgcid=author [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 21:44, 23 September 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2831: xkcd Phone Flip

2023-09-21T20:30:26Z

Vdm:

this is my first time editing, did i do well? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.134.202|172.70.134.202]] 21:39, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
:Decent enough, assuming you were the one giving the reference to the Z-series. But it'll be expanded, improved and reformatted a lot, I predict. I put in my own (intended) first-edit, but clearly there's you (and possibly A.N. Other) already adding their own thoughts. (Which I am counting on, rather than trying to write it all in one go all by myself... I'll wait for it to settle down and ''then'' see if there are various tweaks I'll want try on whatever form it becomes.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.7|172.70.90.7]] 21:50, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
:The other person was me, but I think there's someone else as well reformatting and rewriting things.--[[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.38|172.68.34.38]] 23:57, 20 September 2023 (UTC)

So, what is the meaning of "flip" here? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 22:07, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
:It's a reference to the Samsung Galaxy line of folding smartphones, which is marketed as 'Galaxy Z Flip' phones. While there had been double-screened smartphones in the past, Samsung was able to figure out some way to have the actual screen flex and fold in the middle so that when it's closed the primary screen is protected, but when opened up the user sees a single screen without a hinge in the middle. The current model (the 'Z Flip 5') is the sixth iteration of the device since it was originally introduced in China in 2019. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 22:36, 20 September 2023 (UTC)

:I think it's just part of the whole marketroid feeling these are supposed to have. It's part of the name and the [alleged] "marketing" department, as is typical, came up with something extremely dumb and useless. See: [https://serverfault.com/questions/117799/which-version-of-sunos SunOS vs Solaris] [[Special:Contributions/162.158.197.132|162.158.197.132]] 22:32, 20 September 2023 (UTC)

Anybody else think the main sequence battery is a fusion cell that is also the chemical flashlight and full spectrum backlight that necessitates the SPF 15 coating? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.151.83|172.71.151.83]] 22:36, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
:I'm thinking it's a reference to the Cyalume lightsticks which need to be bent, which shatters a small glass vial inside and releases a hydrogen peroxide solution into a second solution of an oxalate ester and electron-rich dye contained within the outer plastic shell. The resulting chemiluminescent reaction creates visible light. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 22:42, 20 September 2023 (UTC)
:I assumed main sequence refers to stellar evolution in astronomy. {{w|Main sequence}} These stars have a relatively long life, matching the description. The SPF 15 coating and full spectrum would also make sense. However I am not sure that description as a chemical flashlight would follow appropriate. The primary energy generation would be nuclear (fusion). It has been long enough since I took astronomy I don't remember all the details of how the energy is converted into light, and whether that would ultimately be considered a chemical, thermal, or nuclear process (or combination thereof). [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.152|172.69.22.152]] 00:20, 21 September 2023 (UTC)

Arch support may also refer to the Linux distro [[Special:Contributions/162.158.110.237|162.158.110.237]] 08:42, 21 September 2023 (UTC)

I initially misread the title text as being a ''Thanos'' partnership. In which case, presumably inadvertently touching the button could wipe out half the population of the universe.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.77|172.71.242.77]] 10:25, 21 September 2023 (UTC)
:Can destroy mountains with one click, but not half the population [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.220|172.70.90.220]] 10:32, 21 September 2023 (UTC)

The breaking the glass might refer to “ Break glass (which draws its name from breaking the glass to pull a fire alarm) refers to a quick means for a person who does not have access privileges to certain information to gain access when necessary.”

With a chemical flashlight, I assume the free refills might actually come in handy (though it doesn't say there is a chemical flashlight and with the flip form, bending might just refer to some mechanical switch activating the flashlight - or considering the possibly stellar power source, it just removes shielding). [[User:627235|627235]] ([[User talk:627235|talk]]) 11:01, 21 September 2023 (UTC)
:At least it isn't a "chemical fleshlight". Moreover one activated by severe bending! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.46|172.70.162.46]] 11:20, 21 September 2023 (UTC)

Had thought to note (but couldn't find a way to slip it into the Explanation) that the origami-form relies upon a square sheet, but the unfolded form seems to be (close enough to) 2:1 ratio. If it ''is'' 2:1 (give or take excess to go around the initial bend), the first step might of course be to make the screen effectively 2-ply, then worry about how to seemlessly fold ''that'' into the Fortune Teller, with convex/concave folds and the necessary compound corners. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.46|172.70.162.46]] 11:20, 21 September 2023 (UTC)

"One pixel display" - I was surprised by the suggestion that this could be a static image, like a slide; I had imagined, and would like to see (perhaps more explicitly) the alternative, that the whole screen simply lights up in a single color (within the __-bit colorspace). --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.177|108.162.245.177]] 17:03, 21 September 2023 (UTC)

I agree with the latter - I would consider the pixel as the minimum picture element, no subdetails. [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 20:30, 21 September 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2815: Car Wash

2023-08-15T19:42:31Z

Vdm:

You know, I've ''never'' been in a carwash. Not even through a hand-wash (these days set up in just about every other ex-petrol(/'gas') station forecourt not redeveloped otherwise. Driven (or walked) right past them on the ways to places (my walk to the supermarket goes past a hand-car-wash, grocery store and tyre business in an ex-petrol station - then I wander past the autocarwash 'booth' at the supermarket-aligned fuelstop, perhaps through the jetwash lanes if nobody's using them), but never took a car to one. There's buckets and sponges/etc at home. Am I missing something? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.11|172.71.242.11]] 20:40, 14 August 2023 (UTC)
:The bucket and sponge method takes time and effort. Automatic car washes are quick and easy. I'm mostly indifferent to car washes, but I like them more than doing it by hand because I'm lazy. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:46, 14 August 2023 (UTC)
::I'm indifferent to car washes too. Five years later you just have to do it all over again [[User:Boatster|Boatster]] ([[User talk:Boatster|talk]]) 23:09, 14 August 2023 (UTC)
::Time and money for the carwash: Driving there (risking incidents), possible queuing to get into retail park, queuing to pay (£££s!), possible queuing for car wash, waiting for it to do its thing (risk of damage!), possible queuing to get out drive back (risking incidents, also normal road-grime)...
:::I've never gone out specifically to get my car washed. I'm usually out doing other things, I notice the car wash, and realize that my car is dirty, so I go in. And I can't recall ever having to wait more than 5 minutes on the line, usually there isn't any line at all. It's probably not a coincidence that several of the carwashes in my area are near supermarkets. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 17:03, 15 August 2023 (UTC)
::Time and money for home-wash: Don't need to leave home. Buckets are older than me, sponges/cloths/brushes may in some cases by younger than 50 years old (but all pre-millenium), car-wax/-shampoo bottle (used sparingly) is 5-10yo and nowhere near empty, water (with a water meter, so does cost) is perhaps equivalent to two days of (hand-!)dishwashing [possibly buying a home jet-washer could bring that down, if it "does a lot more with a fastly moving lesser amount", but I might then also be tempted to jetwash the drive/windows/rooftiles as well and I'm not even sure it'd be less water through the nozzle as the tap] and (depending on time of year) may involve various mixes of hot and cold (so heating, though practically individible from other hot-water uses other than the kettle for drinks). Time taken: maybe 15 minutes (±5), at leisure while I appreciate all the distracting luxuries of home, or a highly abbreviated (one-bucket) washover/rinse at significantly less than 5 minutes (I'd still be trying to get into the supermarket, even with no queueueuing; perhaps I'd have been handwashed if ''they'' have no queue, but I wouldn't be back again...) and done. Maybe occasionally get the vacuum out and self-valet the insides, for another <5 minutes and probably entirely covered in electricity by what the solar panels have been feeding in during carwashing-friendly daytime conditions.
::Of course, it'll typically rain shortly afterwards (the rain-gods perhaps even being hopefully invoked by the very act of de-mudding the wheel-arches), but that's not going to differ between either (or neither) efforts to wash. :P [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.45|172.70.85.45]] 21:40, 14 August 2023 (UTC)
:In Germany, you are discouraged and in many localities it's directly forbidden to wash your car on your premises; it is completely forbidden to wash your car on the street. This because of oil that will enter the sewer system. Automated car washes will recycle water and seperate oil from it. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.150.92|172.69.150.92]] 21:14, 14 August 2023 (UTC)
::Oil? If I notice oil in(/on) the water, I know there's a problem. Maybe a little residue from cleaning inside the fuel-port hatch. The way some people (over)use detergent, I could see ''that'' being an issue, but if you've an oil-leak then that's happening on or off your premises (and mostly off), I'd have thought and you might ''never even know...'' if you don't even wash your own car. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.45|172.70.85.45]] 21:40, 14 August 2023 (UTC)

Am I the only one who actually tried to find out whether baleen really used to be used in car washes or not?
: I added a quote on its use in the manufacture of brush bristles, although editing is needed. Next might be to figure out what vehicles were used in the 1800s and how they were washed. EDIT: https://academic.oup.com/liverpool-scholarship-online/book/43282/chapter-abstract/363026681?redirectedFrom=fulltext has a paragraph in google's cache that mentions that we can tell there was heavy use of baleen for brushes throughout the 1800s because of the heavy presence in museums. Maybe Randall's comment was inspired by a museum display. This seems possible because there's not much mention of this on the internet. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.185|162.158.154.185]] 01:34, 15 August 2023 (UTC)

No mention of the fact that baleen is in whale mouths, so that's where Randall got the idea that the brushes are "licking" the car? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 17:03, 15 August 2023 (UTC)

Do people actually like car washes? It always seemed like an uncomfortable and at times terrifying experience to me. Maybe some people like it, but I would be very surprised if it's just me, Cueball and now Ponytail who don't like it. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.31|198.41.238.31]] 18:30, 15 August 2023 (UTC)

Apart from queueing, I am not against car washes - happy to stay inside but not always I am allowed to. Kids do not like it. However, most times the only time I wash my car is when I have to take a flight: the parking lot where I usually leave the car provides optional car wash plus interior cleaning during the stop. [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 19:42, 15 August 2023 (UTC)

Talk:2797: Actual Progress

2023-07-03T22:12:02Z

Vdm:

So true! If the outliers look weird, it's often because you've misunderstood something about the whole set.
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 17:11, 3 July 2023 (UTC)

It may be good to start to ask whether your nice obedient little line is just a coincidence in your testing data. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.159|172.71.26.159]] 17:22, 3 July 2023 (UTC)
:By the time you've happily worked out why the strange exceptions aren't actually strange/exceptions, you realise that there's no real underlying reason that carefully regiments the 'clearly patterned' bits and that's just a pure artefact of data... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.132|172.70.86.132]] 18:24, 3 July 2023 (UTC)
:Related: You have two numbers which are supposed to be same but differs. Sure there is small bug in computing one of them ... and sure you find it, fix it ... and the difference became about twice as big. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 20:10, 3 July 2023 (UTC)

When I read it, helped also by the title, I thought at scientific research more than software engineering. So I felt the explanation slightly off - not sure if I am alone. [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 22:12, 3 July 2023 (UTC)

2786: UFO Evidence

2023-06-07T20:16:14Z

Vdm: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2786
| date = June 7, 2023
| title = UFO Evidence
| image = ufo_evidence_2x.png
| imagesize = 340x422px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = [Decades in the future] "Well, the good news is that we've received definitive communication from aliens. The bad news is that they're asking about Cats (2019)."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a ANATOMICALLY INCORRECT CAT WITH A NEED THAT WILL NOT BE SATISFIED. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[[White Hat]] (presumably a [[wikipedia:Ufology|UFOlogist]]) accuses [[Cueball]] of being unwilling to listen to his claims for extraterrestrial life. UFO stands for "unidentified flying object" but is used in common parlance to mean a spaceship carrying beings from another planet. The term "Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena" (''UAP'') has been more recently adopted in official investigations (that might wish not to be instantly associated with "little green men" and their "flying saucers") and was in the news during the weeks before this comic due to the coverage of official releases (and senate hearings) regarding the official monitoring of observation reports. In these, various supposed sightings were given mundane explanations, while a few others were not but were generally considered insufficient proof of extraterrestrial visitations. A devout UFO-believer is likely to be somewhat disappointed by this, having more personal willingness to believe that the more ambiguous sightings are truly flying saucers. And possibly even that some or all of the 'explained' ones are being officially misinterpreted or misrepresented in a denialist manner for the government's/authorities' own purposes.

Cueball counters this common pushback by admitting that he once spent an entire afternoon trying to confirm the existence of a version of [[wikipedia:Cats_(2019_film)|the 2019 film adaptation of ''Cats'']] which allegedly gave the eponymous anthropomorphic felines anatomically-correct rear ends.

The ''Cats'' movie was widely panned, in part because of the unappealing design of its CGI cat characters. On March 18, 2020, Twitter user @jackwaz claimed a friend of a friend had been hired as a VFX artist to "[https://www.avclub.com/world-unites-over-need-for-cats-producers-to-releaseth-1842396923 remove CGI buttholes]" from the digital cats, meaning that there was a version of the movie where the characters all had anatomically correct buttholes. There was a wide clamor on the internet for the release of "the butthole cut," which was never confirmed to exist.

Cueball was apparently willing to lend enough credence to such an absurd and entirely inconsequential claim to spend time researching it. The idea that he would research those claims while refusing to even entertain evidence for something as important and scientifically interesting as extraterrestrial life is implausible. The only reason why most scientists would reject such claims is a total lack of even faintly compelling evidence. As [[Cueball]] points out, if someone ever managed to present evidence of alien life that was even slightly plausible, most scientists would enthusiastically spend a great deal of time and effort trying to verify it.

The comic probably pertains to U.S. Air Force veteran and former {{w|National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency}} member [https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/lawmakers-react-to-whistleblowers-ufo-claims/ David Grusch], who is seeking whistleblower status for his claims that the U.S. government is hiding crashed alien spacecraft and corpses.[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36216745] It continues a common XKCD theme of mocking dubious claims, including [[Alien Observers|UFOs]], [[Health Drink|pseudoscience]], [[The Economic Argument|paranormal phenomena]], and [[Conspiracy Theories]], which are presented without plausible or verifiable evidence. [[Randall]]'s general attitude toward these claims is that, if any of these things were true, we would expect evidence for them by now. Complaints that there is evidence, and scientists won't look at it are utterly implausible, because such evidence would be of enormous interest to scientists, if it had even a hint of being plausible.

The title text may refer to [https://phys.org/news/2015-01-aliens-tv.html the idea that aliens could be watching our old TV]. Because radio and television signals travel at light speed, aliens light years away could theoretically receive earth entertainment years after it's originally broadcast. The idea that they are learning about us from ''Cats'', which is thought of as {{w|List of films considered the worst#Cats (2019)|one of our worst films of all time}}, is not the view of humanity most people would want to present.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[White Hat, with his finger raised, is talking to Cueball.]
:White Hat: You scientists aren't willing to take my UFO evidence seriously!
:Cueball: I once spent a whole day trying to confirm the existence of a director's cut of ''Cats'' (2019) where the cats had anatomically correct CGI butts.
:Cueball: It's honestly embarrassing how fast I'd do a 180 if your evidence seemed promising.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Aliens]]

Talk:2714: Cold Complaints

2022-12-21T20:49:21Z

Vdm:

That study sounds like something that would win an Ig Nobel Prize. But the 2002 prize in medicine went to "Scrotal Asymmetry in Man and in Ancient Sculpture". [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:37, 21 December 2022 (UTC)

Also common cold cannot really be cured, just wait and see. http://www.picturequotes.com/proper-treatment-will-cure-a-cold-in-seven-days-but-left-to-itself-a-cold-will-hang-on-for-a-week-quote-272191 [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 20:49, 21 December 2022 (UTC)

2707: Astronomy Numbers

2022-12-05T21:36:24Z

Vdm: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2707
| date = December 5, 2022
| title = Astronomy Numbers
| image = astronomy_numbers_2x.png
| imagesize = 593x315px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I adopted a cat that weighs 12 solar masses. Laser pointers love chasing it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CAT-LOVING LASER POINTER - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
Some scientists are used to working with extremely large (or small) scales, so seeing planets move at “normal” numbers (ones that don’t require scientific notation) is surprising to them. Ponytail remarks that she finds normal numbers “suspicious.” She then extends this paranoia to things that should be measured in regular numbers, such as the weight of cats. The vet (Megan) is seemingly used to this problem (perhaps she gets a lot of physicists) so gives the weight of Ponytail’s cat in solar masses, which sounds more correct to the astronomer.

65 miles per hour is approximately equal to 105 kilometres per hour, although the even more typical scientific value (in {{w|International System of Units|SI}} derived units) would be 29 metres per second. 3 × 10^−30 solar masses is approximately equal to 6 kilograms or 13 pounds, which is normal, if perhaps slightly overweight, for a cat.

The title text suggests that laser pointers "love chasing" a new cat with a weight of 12 solar masses. This is presumably due to the effects of gravity, which would cause an ordinary object such as a laser pointer to be irresistibly pulled towards the hypothetical cat... along with everything else, up to and including the sun, because said cat would be the most massive object in the solar system by an order of magnitude. In fact, 12 solar masses, when compressed down to a radius of around 36 kilometres, would be a black hole, so making that mass the size of a cat would very definitely qualify as even the laser light is drawn into it.

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

Ponytail: "…And we need to correct for our elliptical orbit. On January 1st, Earth will be approaching the sun at a rate of…let's see…

65 miles per hour.

Weird. Okay."

Cueball: "Weird?"

Ponytail: "I get suspicious whenever I see a normal number in astronomy. We're not supposed to have those. Feels wrong.

Scales should all be incomprehensible."

Earlier, at the vet:

Megan in coat: "Your cat weighs 12 lbs."

Ponytail: "Ridiculous, nothing weighs '12'. You must mean 10-20? or 1040?"

Megan: "Fine. Your cat weighs 3x10-30 solar masses."

Ponytail: "Okay. Better."

{{comic discussion}}

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

Talk:2592: False Dichotomy

2022-03-11T21:36:12Z

Vdm:

This is my second explanation ever, it probably isnt great but its good for others to have something to start from. if anybody who knows how to do the links and everything, for all of the characters and the fancy words, please do that. [[User:ElijahRock|ElijahRock]] ([[User talk:ElijahRock|talk]]) 17:57, 11 March 2022 (UTC)

And here I thought it was a pun on tracheotomy...

I’m pretty sure the cannibalism joke is based on the idea that we have to create a “false dichotomy” between humans and non-human living things, or else we can’t say that it’s okay to eat some things (maybe the line is drawn at plants, maybe at animals) but not others (a category that usually includes humans). [[User:Pablo360|Pablo360]] ([[User talk:Pablo360|talk]]) 19:03, 11 March 2022 (UTC)
:I don't think it's that specific. Often false dichotomies use something horrible or unthinkable as the alternative, and cannibalism is about as taboo as it gets. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]])

: no, that's delving too far into a fairly simple joke. "Embracing dichotomies and Cannibalism" is a false dichotomy itself! He could have said anything "skydiving", "poison swallowing", anything... It's the fact it's a false dichotomy used to justify false dichotomies. GET IT?!?!?

I think the title text joke is more based on "There are 2 hard problems in computer science: cache invalidation, naming things, and off-by-1 errors." [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 19:29, 11 March 2022 (UTC)

Trichotomy is not a portmanteau but a real word by itself, and it means what is supposed to mean, i.e., division in three categories. [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 21:36, 11 March 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2591: Qua

2022-03-11T21:23:56Z

Vdm:

As i've never seen anyone use this, we can safely assume that exterminating these people would not affect the world one bit [[Special:Contributions/162.158.191.131|162.158.191.131]] 10:39, 10 March 2022 (UTC)

If Megan's not careful, this pattern can quickly spiral to infinity: "Nice use of qua qua qua ''qua'' qua qua qua." "Nice use of qua qua qua qua qua qua qua ''qua'' qua qua qua qua qua qua qua." "Nice use of..." --mezimm [[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.93|172.70.178.93]] 16:37, 9 March 2022 (UTC)
:Or perhaps "Nice use of 'Nice use of ... '" although new forms of quote mark would need to be invented. --[[User:192·168·0·1|192·168·0·1]] ([[User talk:192·168·0·1|talk]]) 19:11, 9 March 2022 (UTC)
::From what I've seen, you just alternate between " and '. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.65|172.70.126.65]] 23:45, 9 March 2022 (UTC)
:Hey, [[244|no recursing]]. [[User:Ruffy314|Ruffy314]] ([[User talk:Ruffy314|talk]]) 21:46, 9 March 2022 (UTC)
'''qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua''' [[User:New editor|New editor]] ([[User talk:New editor|talk]]) 20:37, 9 March 2022 (UTC)
:eh, close enough.[[User:Lettherebedarklight|youtube.com/watch?v=miLcaqq2Zpk]] ([[User talk:Lettherebedarklight|talk]]) 12:55, 10 March 2022 (UTC)

I feel like there should be a duck somewhere. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:05, 9 March 2022 (UTC)
Buffalo everywhere are concerned.

Maybe one could note that the two uses of "qua" are different: While in the meaning of "as"/"in capacity of", qua is a preposition, it is a relative pronoun in the Latin expression "sine qua non".
So, actually, the explanation of the title text given so far is slightly incorrect: The correct use of "qua" (as a preposition) is NOT essential to the correct use of "sine qua non" (where we use only the Latin relative pronoun). Instead, "qua" is essential to build the complex expression "sine qua non qua sine qua non", where the middle qua is indeed the preposition!
I also feel that Randall is making fun of "pretentious" people by demonstrating how quickly their talk turns into something like "blablabla" [[Special:Contributions/172.70.246.153|172.70.246.153]] 21:51, 9 March 2022 (UTC)

:But the explanation of the title text is not claiming that it is specifically as a proposition that “qua” is essential, is it?
:[[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|talk]]) 04:31, 10 March 2022 (UTC)

:: Well, basically, you're right. But to clarify it better, you would at least have to point out that the title text is talking of two different "qua"s then, BOTH the preposition and the relative pronoun. And in order to use them correctly, you ought to differentiate between the both, i.m.h.o. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.171|162.158.90.171]] 07:38, 10 March 2022 (UTC)

:::I agree with you.

:::[[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|talk]]) 08:22, 10 March 2022 (UTC)

Even after reading the comic, title text & the explainxkcd.com description, I am still confused. I've never heard of that word/phrase.

:Agreed, I feel that the explanation qua it stands leaves me almost qua confused qua I was before coming here and reading it. If qua roughly means “as” or “for the purpose of” then would someone please explain why this not an example of someone using sine qua non: “I could have left work after the accident if I wanted, but decided sine, bore the pain, and stayed.” I don’t get it.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.131.214|172.70.131.214]] 06:47, 10 March 2022 (UTC)

On this you are not alone.

If you say "Qua Qua Qua Qua" really fast, it kind of sounds like you are saying "quack quack quack". Thus Megan would sound like she is saying "Nice use of quack quack quack quack..." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.230|162.158.107.230]] 00:56, 10 March 2022 (UTC)

: “Qua qua qua” is how in Italian you write the duck sound. [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 21:23, 11 March 2022 (UTC)

This comic is most likely inspired by this week's Sunday puzzle on NPR, which asks for an English word that starts with the "kw" sound but doesn't contain Q,U,K, or W. See https://www.npr.org/2022/03/06/1084744124/sunday-puzzle-may-the-odds-be-in-your-favor
:Well, apart from the u...[[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.153|172.69.79.153]] 17:19, 10 March 2022 (UTC)
:My answer to the puzzle is "choir" [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 20:20, 10 March 2022 (UTC)

Quamvis sint sub aqua sub aqua maledicere temptant. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.251.88|172.70.251.88]] 06:22, 10 March 2022 (UTC)

Randall is not using qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua qua, he's using it to sound funny and play with words. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 07:24, 10 March 2022 (UTC)

:I think Randall is just trying to sound pretentious coûte que coûte ;-P --[[User:IByte|IByte]] ([[User talk:IByte|talk]]) 10:33, 10 March 2022 (UTC)

No reference here to Waiting for Godot?

I am anxiously awaiting the day when I come to explainxkcd and the content for that day's comic is just "...look, I don't know man"
:Yes. and I am waiting for someone to answer, "...it's just funnier that way." [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 20:20, 10 March 2022 (UTC)

Perhaps it would help to explain to use angle brackets:
- Cueball: <qua> qua <qua> ''("qua-word" _used for_ "qua-meaning"), but also ("any word/expression" _used for_ "its own meaning") with the two outer "qua" = abbreviation of "aliqua" in the meaning of "something"''
- Megan: <<qua> qua <qua>> qua <<qua> qua <qua>> ''("qua qua qua"-wording _used for_ "qua qua qua"-meaning)''
- Title Text: <Qua> qua <qua> is the <sine qua non> of <<sine qua non> qua <sine qua non>> ''"qua qua qua"-meaning/construct is the _indispensable essence_ of "sine qua non"-wording _used for_ "sine-qua-non"-meaning''
Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.242.207|172.70.242.207]] 06:02, 11 March 2022 (UTC)

Talk:2500: Global Temperature Over My Lifetime

2021-08-10T20:40:05Z

Vdm:

The DgbrtBOT seems to be broken again. I created the page for this comic, and the previous comic explanation was also created manually. [[User:Natg19|Natg19]] ([[User talk:Natg19|talk]]) 18:00, 9 August 2021 (UTC)

Retired old guy here, I'm puzzled by the usage in the title text, "Then I realized, oh, right, of course." Is this meant to imply that Exxon controlled the use of petroleum over this time period, instead of just predicting the usage? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.225|172.70.130.225]] 18:16, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
:I think it just means that if anyone's going to have accurate data to predict petroleum use (such as supply levels), it would be a petroleum company.
:I assume Randall realized hindsight bias was in play: that the report only became famous after it turned out to have predicted accurately. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.203|162.158.88.203]] 19:48, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
:I do not mean to argue any politics in this reply. I can relate that I have heard occasionally from people on both sides of political lines that the large energy corporations organise together to plan energy use and prices. I do not know whether that is true, and have not seen hard evidence of it. An economics professor told me it is obvious from the behaviors of the prices. [[User:Baffo32|Baffo32]] ([[User talk:Baffo32|talk]]) 11:36, 10 August 2021 (UTC)
_ _ _ _
\ / / \ / \ th comic
| |_ | | | |
/ \ | | | |
/__ __/ \_/ \_/
--[[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.108|198.41.238.108]] 19:14, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
:It seems like Randall has more serious issues on his mind than marking a meaningless milestone. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 22:45, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
::What's so 'milestoney' about the number 0x9C4? Maybe we could talk about this in another 0x63C comics...
::(Also, as non-retired, but arguably being a well-beyond-middle-aged-guy chronologically if not mentally, this comic now makes me feel old. I thought Randall was maybe up to a decade older, much closer to my age.)
::((Also also, how long before someone goes down the "climate is always changing!" line, conveniently forgetting about [[1732]]?)) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.97|162.158.159.97]] 23:42, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
:::I'm the opposite; this comic made me realise that Randall is closer to my age than I thought, as I'd assumed he was a bit older. I was born in 1991, so although I was younger at the time, most of the "climate change alarm" milestones are the same ones I remember. --[[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 10:03, 10 August 2021 (UTC)
:::How about he does the milestone at 0xaaa
:::: 6561 comics? --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.109|198.41.238.109]] 18:36, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

Can I just point out to people that there are [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2500:_Global_Temperature_Over_My_Lifetime&diff=next&oldid=216302 ok-ish ways and better ways] to link to things? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.21|141.101.76.21]] 00:17, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

The alt text states "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.". Why of course? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.87|172.70.114.87]] 02:01, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

:Probably because Exxon is also a player in the fossil fuel industry? Similar to Moore's law, from the co-founder of both Faichild and Intel? That might be a little of the conspiracy theory side, especially with the way it is phrased.
[[User:Victor|Victor]] ([[User talk:Victor|talk]]) 08:58, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

:Someone else asked the same question further up. And yeah, I wondered that too. This (from an unsigned contributor above) was my best guess too:

{{Quote|I think it just means that if anyone's going to have accurate data to predict petroleum use (such as supply levels), it would be a petroleum company.}}

:--[[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 10:03, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

:: Thank you for the answer and sorry for the duplicate question! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.73|172.70.114.73]] 12:59, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

Has anybody glanced through the study? Maybe I misread it, but I was thinking Randall might have linked the wrong one, because it looked like it was saying far more than 40 years to me. [[User:Baffo32|Baffo32]] ([[User talk:Baffo32|talk]]) 11:38, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

: Figure 3, which apparently comes from a previous Exxon study, shows about 40 years for 1C increase. [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 20:39, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

"Randall's most famous comic so far 1732: Earth Temperature Timeline." - Is there a source for this factoid? I suspect speculation as, possibly depending on which circles you are in, there are others that are more famous, more well-known, or more frequently quoted. A few that come to mind include Sandwich, Exploits of a Mom, Compiling, Wikipedian Protester (which I'm taking the liberty to apply here), Money, Up-Goer Five, Time. If there is a source, please add the reference. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.199|172.69.71.199]] 15:16, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2500: Global Temperature Over My Lifetime

2021-08-10T20:39:29Z

Vdm:

The DgbrtBOT seems to be broken again. I created the page for this comic, and the previous comic explanation was also created manually. [[User:Natg19|Natg19]] ([[User talk:Natg19|talk]]) 18:00, 9 August 2021 (UTC)

Retired old guy here, I'm puzzled by the usage in the title text, "Then I realized, oh, right, of course." Is this meant to imply that Exxon controlled the use of petroleum over this time period, instead of just predicting the usage? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.225|172.70.130.225]] 18:16, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
:I think it just means that if anyone's going to have accurate data to predict petroleum use (such as supply levels), it would be a petroleum company.
:I assume Randall realized hindsight bias was in play: that the report only became famous after it turned out to have predicted accurately. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.203|162.158.88.203]] 19:48, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
:I do not mean to argue any politics in this reply. I can relate that I have heard occasionally from people on both sides of political lines that the large energy corporations organise together to plan energy use and prices. I do not know whether that is true, and have not seen hard evidence of it. An economics professor told me it is obvious from the behaviors of the prices. [[User:Baffo32|Baffo32]] ([[User talk:Baffo32|talk]]) 11:36, 10 August 2021 (UTC)
_ _ _ _
\ / / \ / \ th comic
| |_ | | | |
/ \ | | | |
/__ __/ \_/ \_/
--[[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.108|198.41.238.108]] 19:14, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
:It seems like Randall has more serious issues on his mind than marking a meaningless milestone. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 22:45, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
::What's so 'milestoney' about the number 0x9C4? Maybe we could talk about this in another 0x63C comics...
::(Also, as non-retired, but arguably being a well-beyond-middle-aged-guy chronologically if not mentally, this comic now makes me feel old. I thought Randall was maybe up to a decade older, much closer to my age.)
::((Also also, how long before someone goes down the "climate is always changing!" line, conveniently forgetting about [[1732]]?)) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.97|162.158.159.97]] 23:42, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
:::I'm the opposite; this comic made me realise that Randall is closer to my age than I thought, as I'd assumed he was a bit older. I was born in 1991, so although I was younger at the time, most of the "climate change alarm" milestones are the same ones I remember. --[[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 10:03, 10 August 2021 (UTC)
:::How about he does the milestone at 0xaaa
:::: 6561 comics? --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.109|198.41.238.109]] 18:36, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

Can I just point out to people that there are [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2500:_Global_Temperature_Over_My_Lifetime&diff=next&oldid=216302 ok-ish ways and better ways] to link to things? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.76.21|141.101.76.21]] 00:17, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

The alt text states "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.". Why of course? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.87|172.70.114.87]] 02:01, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

:Probably because Exxon is also a player in the fossil fuel industry? Similar to Moore's law, from the co-founder of both Faichild and Intel? That might be a little of the conspiracy theory side, especially with the way it is phrased.
[[User:Victor|Victor]] ([[User talk:Victor|talk]]) 08:58, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

:Someone else asked the same question further up. And yeah, I wondered that too. This (from an unsigned contributor above) was my best guess too:

{{Quote|I think it just means that if anyone's going to have accurate data to predict petroleum use (such as supply levels), it would be a petroleum company.}}

:--[[User:Enchantedsleeper|Enchantedsleeper]] ([[User talk:Enchantedsleeper|talk]]) 10:03, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

:: Thank you for the answer and sorry for the duplicate question! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.73|172.70.114.73]] 12:59, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

Has anybody glanced through the study? Maybe I misread it, but I was thinking Randall might have linked the wrong one, because it looked like it was saying far more than 40 years to me. [[User:Baffo32|Baffo32]] ([[User talk:Baffo32|talk]]) 11:38, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

:: Figure 3, which apparently comes from a previous Exxon study, shows about 40 years for 1C increase. [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 20:39, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

"Randall's most famous comic so far 1732: Earth Temperature Timeline." - Is there a source for this factoid? I suspect speculation as, possibly depending on which circles you are in, there are others that are more famous, more well-known, or more frequently quoted. A few that come to mind include Sandwich, Exploits of a Mom, Compiling, Wikipedian Protester (which I'm taking the liberty to apply here), Money, Up-Goer Five, Time. If there is a source, please add the reference. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.199|172.69.71.199]] 15:16, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2480: No, The Other One

2021-06-23T20:55:14Z

Vdm:

We might want a table for this comic, with three columns: one for the name of the town, one for which state the copycat is in, and one for the original. We could also add a column for "why the original is well known," but that might be a bit much. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.124|108.162.245.124]] 20:38, 23 June 2021 (UTC)
: I agree, this feels like a very table-able comic. Especially to get all the cities and not make readers try to see "hey, did I miss one?" [[Special:Contributions/172.70.117.158|172.70.117.158]] 20:49, 23 June 2021 (UTC)

In the map there are (at least) three Lincoln, two Jamestown, five Houston... [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 20:52, 23 June 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2480: No, The Other One

2021-06-23T20:53:39Z

Vdm:

We might want a table for this comic, with three columns: one for the name of the town, one for which state the copycat is in, and one for the original. We could also add a column for "why the original is well known," but that might be a bit much. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.124|108.162.245.124]] 20:38, 23 June 2021 (UTC)
: I agree, this feels like a very table-able comic. Especially to get all the cities and not make readers try to see "hey, did I miss one?" [[Special:Contributions/172.70.117.158|172.70.117.158]] 20:49, 23 June 2021 (UTC)

In the map there are (at least) three Lincoln, two Jamestown, two Houston... [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 20:52, 23 June 2021 (UTC)

Talk:2480: No, The Other One

2021-06-23T20:52:14Z

Vdm:

We might want a table for this comic, with three columns: one for the name of the town, one for which state the copycat is in, and one for the original. We could also add a column for "why the original is well known," but that might be a bit much. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.124|108.162.245.124]] 20:38, 23 June 2021 (UTC)
: I agree, this feels like a very table-able comic. Especially to get all the cities and not make readers try to see "hey, did I miss one?" [[Special:Contributions/172.70.117.158|172.70.117.158]] 20:49, 23 June 2021 (UTC)

In the map there are (at least) two Lincoln, two Jamestown, two Houston... [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 20:52, 23 June 2021 (UTC)

2480: No, The Other One

2021-06-23T20:48:37Z

Vdm: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2480
| date = June 23, 2021
| title = No, The Other One
| image = no_the_other_one.png
| titletext = Key West, Virginia is not to be confused with Key, West Virginia.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SIMILIARLY NAMED PLACE. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is a map of the United States, showing cities or towns with the same name as other "more populous" cities. For example, the map has a dot for a place called Los Angeles in Texas, not to be confused with Los Angeles, California.

The name of this comic would be if someone claims they are from "Los Angeles" and would have to say "no, the other one" since the listener would assume they are from Los Angeles, California.

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

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Maps]]