explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1657: Insanity

2016-03-18T17:37:34Z

VectorLightning: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1657
| date = March 18, 2016
| title = Insanity
| image = insanity.png
| titletext = I looked up "insanity" in like 10 different dictionaries and none of them said anything like that. Neither did the DSM-4. But I'll keep looking. Maybe it's in the DSM-5!
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[White Hat]] quotes a famous "definition of {{w|insanity}}" (usually [https://www.quora.com/Did-Einstein-really-define-insanity-as-doing-the-same-thing-over-and-over-again-and-expecting-different-results/answer/Peter-Baskerville?srid=z3OX attributed] to {{w|Albert Einstein}}). [[Cueball|Cueball's]] answer applies the quote to the action of quoting that quote. White Hat seems to have quoted that quote quite a few times already, expecting people to change their behavior which hasn't happened so far. So according to that definition of insanity, it is insane to keep quoting the definition of insanity, expecting people to change their behavior because of that.

The title text implies that [[Randall]] would be "insane" according to the quote he used in the comic because he has repeatedly searched for a definition of insanity that matches the one quotes in the comic and of course always gets a negative result, since this is a personal quote not a definition. Besides searching in lots of {{w|dictionary|dictionaries}}, he also looked in the {{w|Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders|DSM-4}} (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition). The DSM-5 has been available since mid-2013 and he plans to look into it... expecting different results. Since he won't find it, he is from the quote insane, but of course since this turns out to not be the definition of insanity then he might not be anyway.

For convenience, [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insane Merriam-Webster] defines it as "mentally disabled."

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is walking towards the right of the panel with White Hat waling behind him holding a finger up as to make a point.]
:White Hat: They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
:Cueball: You've been quoting that cliché for years. Has it convinced anyone to change their mind yet?

{{comic discussion}}

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

1657: Insanity

2016-03-18T17:37:14Z

VectorLightning: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1657
| date = March 18, 2016
| title = Insanity
| image = insanity.png
| titletext = I looked up "insanity" in like 10 different dictionaries and none of them said anything like that. Neither did the DSM-4. But I'll keep looking. Maybe it's in the DSM-5!
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[White Hat]] quotes a famous "definition of {{w|insanity}}" (usually [https://www.quora.com/Did-Einstein-really-define-insanity-as-doing-the-same-thing-over-and-over-again-and-expecting-different-results/answer/Peter-Baskerville?srid=z3OX attributed] to {{w|Albert Einstein}}). [[Cueball|Cueball's]] answer applies the quote to the action of quoting that quote. White Hat seems to have quoted that quote quite a few times already, expecting people to change their behavior which hasn't happened so far. So according to that definition of insanity, it is insane to keep quoting the definition of insanity, expecting people to change their behavior because of that.

The title text implies that [[Randall]] would be "insane" according to the quote he used in the comic because he has repeatedly searched for a definition of insanity that matches the one quotes in the comic and of course always gets a negative result, since this is a personal quote not a definition. Besides searching in lots of {{w|dictionary|dictionaries}}, he also looked in the {{w|Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders|DSM-4}} (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition). The DSM-5 has been available since mid-2013 and he plans to look into it... expecting different results. Since he won't find it, he is from the quote insane, but of course since this turns out to not be the definition of insanity then he might not be anyway.

For convenience, [[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insane | Merriam-Webster]] defines it as "mentally disabled."

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is walking towards the right of the panel with White Hat waling behind him holding a finger up as to make a point.]
:White Hat: They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
:Cueball: You've been quoting that cliché for years. Has it convinced anyone to change their mind yet?

{{comic discussion}}

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

1657: Insanity

2016-03-18T17:36:44Z

VectorLightning: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1657
| date = March 18, 2016
| title = Insanity
| image = insanity.png
| titletext = I looked up "insanity" in like 10 different dictionaries and none of them said anything like that. Neither did the DSM-4. But I'll keep looking. Maybe it's in the DSM-5!
}}

==Explanation==
In this comic [[White Hat]] quotes a famous "definition of {{w|insanity}}" (usually [https://www.quora.com/Did-Einstein-really-define-insanity-as-doing-the-same-thing-over-and-over-again-and-expecting-different-results/answer/Peter-Baskerville?srid=z3OX attributed] to {{w|Albert Einstein}}). [[Cueball|Cueball's]] answer applies the quote to the action of quoting that quote. White Hat seems to have quoted that quote quite a few times already, expecting people to change their behavior which hasn't happened so far. So according to that definition of insanity, it is insane to keep quoting the definition of insanity, expecting people to change their behavior because of that.

The title text implies that [[Randall]] would be "insane" according to the quote he used in the comic because he has repeatedly searched for a definition of insanity that matches the one quotes in the comic and of course always gets a negative result, since this is a personal quote not a definition. Besides searching in lots of {{w|dictionary|dictionaries}}, he also looked in the {{w|Diagnostic_and_Statistical_Manual_of_Mental_Disorders|DSM-4}} (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition). The DSM-5 has been available since mid-2013 and he plans to look into it... expecting different results. Since he won't find it, he is from the quote insane, but of course since this turns out to not be the definition of insanity then he might not be anyway.

For convenience, [[http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insane|Merriam-Webster]] defines it as "mentally disabled."

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is walking towards the right of the panel with White Hat waling behind him holding a finger up as to make a point.]
:White Hat: They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
:Cueball: You've been quoting that cliché for years. Has it convinced anyone to change their mind yet?

{{comic discussion}}

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

1620: Christmas Settings

2015-12-23T21:35:30Z

VectorLightning: /* Physical constants control panel */

{{comic
| number = 1620
| date = December 23, 2015
| title = Christmas Settings
| image = christmas_settings.png
| titletext = SOUND DOGS MAKE: [BARKING] [HISSING] [LIGHTSABER NOISES] [FLUENT ENGLISH] [SWEARING]
}}

==Explanation==
[[Ponytail]] is showing [[Megan]] around in her facility, and as the comic begins they enter a new room (''over here we have'') where she has the ''Universe Control Panel''.

A "Universe Control Panel" would be a set of dials to control the universe, and anyone having access to a room with these controls would from our point of view be in a God like position. If such a room did exist it would most likely be situated outside our universe (a dimension outside, and not necessarily in another universe). Since this comic was released just before {{w|Christmas}}, looking at it from a {{w|Christian}} point of view, this would be {{w|Gods}} domicile and his control room for the universe would probably be located in {{w|Heaven}}.

Seen from a physicist's point of view, the typical panels for such a control room would be with dials to control the specific size of {{w|Physical constant|fundamental constants}} of the universe such as the {{w|speed of light in vacuum}}, {{w|Planck constant}} and the {{w|fine-structure constant}} to mention a few - see more under the trivia section [[#Physical constants control panel|Physical constants control panel]].

But the first control panel they reach includes the dials that control {{w|Christmas}}. So these control panels are either much more detailed than just physics constants (or do not consider these underlying constants at all). That we see this option as the first is, of course, because this is a [[:Category:Christmas|Christmas comic]] released on the 23rd of December.

From Ponytail's comment it is clear that this is just one of several panels with dials, and on the panel for Christmas there is more than one dial. We only see one of these up close (to get an idea of how they work, and for the sake of the joke).

In the second panel, Megan and Ponytail have not reached the control panel yet, so it is the reader, and not them, who sees the dial, which controls how {{w|Santa Claus}} enters people’s houses: The ''Santa enters houses through''-dial, has [[#Options for Santa|ten different possible settings]]. The one it's set to at this point of the comic is the traditional ''chimney''. Among the other nine there is the more logical option ''open window'', but surprisingly here is not option called ''the door''. But the other eight, are increasingly weird or even impossible (though of course not for Santa, who can deliver a billion packets in one night and fly in a sleigh drawn by flying reindeer…). These options ranging from the ”feasible” like ''mail slot'', ''heating vents'' or ''cat flap'' to the impossible/ridicules (some even disgusting) as ''kitchen faucet'', ''shower drain'' or ''toilet'' over the truly magical ''bathroom mirror '' and to the downright unpleasant - ''pores of your skin''. (See [[555: Two Mirrors]] regarding the mirror version).

As Megan and Ponytail are on their way to the next stop on the tour of these facilities Megan trips and catches herself on the Santa dial, messing it up by clicking it twice. Ponytail is disturbed by this and holds up her hand to her mouth. The reason for this is obvious when Megan asks what it was set to before so as to undo the mishap, because Ponytail tells that she has forgotten. So they cannot put it back right. This kind of proves that Ponytail is just a guide, and not the creator of the control panels.

As so often seen with human behaviors (if they are indeed human beings at all?) Megan says she will simply take a wild guess and hope she get it right. As the only thing she really knows is that it is not on the right setting now, there is only 1/9 that she will get it right assuming she will at least change it away from the setting she ended up on.

As we can see in the comic the dial clicks twice, implying it has moved two positions; Megan has thus most likely changed the dial to either "kitchen faucet" or "mail slot." As we do not know which of these she will now change away from, It is impossible to guess from the comic where she end up putting it, all ten options are possible. 
Since this comic was released on the 23rd of December, we are likely to find out in less than two days, if Santa comes out of the pores on our skin, or just through the mail slot... Only the first of these options will for certain be detected by someone…

As it is Ponytail who are showing Megan around, it is thus the first time Megan even hear about these dials, and she has no idea about where the Santa dial was pointing before. The reason why Ponytail cannot remember to which option the dial was set before is most likely because she is not part of our universe, and also not the creator of the control panel. If this is a control room outside of our universe these settings will not affect the two girls but they also have no need to know about Christmas on Earth. Anyone with access to these control room, might not particularly care for what happens on Earth, which is just one of a multitude of planet and stars that needs to be controlled from this control room.

An alternative explanation for the reason Ponytail has forgotten, is that the universe immediately updated its settings to the latest selection, once Megan released the dial, changing all previously existing folklore and memories in existence to match (this will only make sense if the two girls are part of the universe that they are in control of). Where previously it was widely known that Santa Clause entered through the chimney, it is now widely known that he enters through kitchen faucets or mail slots (depending on Megan's selection). This makes it impossible to remember what the original setting was. Of course if this happened then how do they remember that it was changed in the first place? Megan would now know what that is on the correct position and leave it be. So this explanation makes little sense...

The title text continues this by showing another ad-lib dial: ''[[#Options for dogs|Sound dogs make]]'' ranging from the norm (barking) to cat sounds (hissing), very embarrassing for a dog) over "lightsaber noises" and speech to swearing. This is a dial, most likely on another control panel for animal sounds (but it could of course specifically be the sound a dog would make in response to Santa's entry, by whatever method?)- It would thus give the same option of changing the expected vocal response of the dog away from (our norm of) barking, as the other dial with the way Santa enters the house. In popular culture, talking dogs are a commonly used trope; in contrast, swearing "dogs" are few, the most famous being {{w|Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog}}, a puppet created by {{w|Conan O'Brien}} and {{w|Robert Smigel}} and performed by the latter.

The comic might also be a joke on real-life controls often having no clear "default" value - which, by the way, is sometimes the case for virtual controls as well.

==Options for Santa==
*Below is a table with the ten possible settings for ''Santa enters houses through...''; starting with the originally chosen standard option and going clockwise through the rest:
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5
|'''Option''' || '''Normal Entry/Exit for...'''
|-
|{{w|Chimney}} || {{W|Santa Claus}} typically comes in this way (see him here in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I-b_GJ4ltk victorian roof-top song and dance number]. Also {{w|The_Three_Little_Pigs|big bad wolves}} uses this entrance in Disney’s cartoon.
|-
|{{w|Shower#Drainage|Shower drain}} || Dirty shower water.
|-
|{{w|Mail slot}} || Letters, post cards and small presents delivers by the mailman.
|-
|{{w|Duct (flow)|Heating vents}} || Hot air used for {{w|central heating}}.
|-
|{{w|Bathroom}} {{w|mirror}} || See {{w|Candyman (film)|Candyman}}, or {{w|Bloody Mary (folklore)|Bloody Mary}} (the latter has been used in [[555: Two Mirrors]]).
|-
|{{w|Skin pore|Pores of your skin}} || {{w|Sweat}} leaving the body.
|-
|{{w|Toilet}} || {{w|Human waste}} and {{w|The_Shawshank_Redemption|life-term prisoners}} (at least through the sewer).
|-
|{{w|Cat flap}} || Domesticated cats and dogs.
|-
|{{w|Sink|Kitchen faucet}} || Water.
|-
|{{w|Window|Open window}} || {{w|Burglars}} and other criminals. Also often used as an exit by teenagers in movies and other film media, or by people who have locked themselves out of their own house.
|}

==Options for dogs==
*Below is a table with the five possible settings for ''Sound dogs make''; starting with the current and continuing with the order in the title text:
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5
|'''Option''' || '''Normal sound for...'''
|-
|{{w|Bark (sound)|Barking}} || {{w|Dogs}} current standard sound in our universe...
|-
|[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hissing Hissing] || Typically a {{w|List of animal sounds|sound contributed}} to {{w|snakes}}, but also something {{w|cats}} are [http://www.animalplanet.com/pets/why-do-cats-hiss/ said to hiss], for instance as a reaction against a barking dog. It would thus be very frustrating for dogs if their noise was changed into that or their arch enemies.
|-
|{{w|Lightsaber|Lightsaber noises}} || A lightsaber makes a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kpHK4YIwY4 very unique sound], and as they are one of the most known props from the {{w|Star Wars}} universe, it is very relevant as the newest Star Wars movie {{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}} was released a week before this comic. Star Wars was also the main theme a month ago in the comic [[1608: Hoverboard]], the coin collecting game that celebrated [[Randall|Randall's]] new book.
|-
|{{w|Fluency#Speech|Fluent}} {{w|English language|English}} || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRcUcxtaX-Q Speaking dogs] are a common trope as are {{w|talking animals}} in general. A person who is native to a country where they speak English will usually be fluent in speaking English. But a person may not usually be described as being fluent in their {{w|Native tongue}}. But a person from a country who does not speak English as their first language, but who speaks it very well would speak fluent English.
|-
|{{w|Profanity|Swearing}} || It would be unpleasant for people who dislike swearing, and a big problems for movies such as {{w|Lassie}} where most of the soundtrack would have to be replaced by {{w|Bleep censor|bleeps}}. Swearing "dogs" are few, the most famous being {{w|Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog}}, a puppet created by {{w|Conan O'Brien}} and {{w|Robert Smigel}} and performed by the latter.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Ponytail are walking over to a console, Ponytail points towards it. They are drawn in a panel that is only half the width of the next panel below]
:Ponytail: Over here we have the universe control panel.
:Ponytail: These dials, for example, control Christmas.

:[A dial is shown. There is a label at the top and then there are ten settings, five symmetrically on the left and right side, but no setting straight up or down. It looks allot like the dial on a washing machine with different programs. The dial points towards the top left setting. All settings are labeled and there is a small line going to the point on the dial connected with each setting. The line at 3 and 9 o'clock are straight the other 8 are divided in two, where the first part goes horizontally and then bends either up or down, to end in the right position. Here the labele at the top and then the setting labels clockwise from top right, thus ending with the one the dial is set to:]
:'''Santa enters houses through...'''
:Shower Drain
:Mail Slot
:Heating Vents
:Bathroom Mirror
:Pores of Your Skin
:Toilet
:Cat Flap
:Kitchen Faucet
:Open Window
:Chimney

:[Ponytail is passing by this control panel looking back at Megan who trips and falls towards the console.]
:Megan: Whoops!
:Megans legs: Trip

:[Megan catches herself on the dial of the control panel and accidentally turns the dial. Ponytail has taken her hands to her mouth.]
:Dial: Click Click

:[Megan is standing in front of the console looking at the dial, Ponytail is standing behind it.]
:Megan: What was the Santa dial set to before?
:Ponytail: I forget.
:Megan: I'll just guess

==Trivia==
*In the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/7/73/20151223160450!christmas_settings.png original version] of the comic Ponytail erroneously said: ''These dials, for example, '''controls''' Christmas.''
**This was soon changed to the current (and grammatically correct) version with out the "s" at the end of controls ''These dials, for example, control Christmas.''
**Thus proving that it was intended that there where more than one dial, we just see the one that Megan later changed by mistake for the sake of the joke of the comic.

===Physical constants control panel===
*Below is a table with ten of the most likely dials to find on a Universe Control Panel for {{w|Physical constant|physical constants}}.
**(Please feel free to reorder or change out constants, if there are some “more important” constants left out, or reorder the list if that would feel more appropriate), and add more explanation.
**If just one of these constant had a slightly different value, life as we know it (or even star formation) might not have been possible, (see the {{w|anthropic principle}}). So it was good that it was only the Santa setting Megan screwed-on (up).
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5
|'''Dial label''' || '''Value''' || '''Constant governs…/what would happen if it changed etc.'''
|-
|{{w|Planck constant}} || h = 6.626 069 57 × 10−34 J·s ||
|-
|{{w|Speed of light}} || c = 299 792 458 m·s−1 || A low speed of light would delay the imagery one sees, as well as dramatically increase Redshift effect [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redshift] and potentially allow Faster-than-Light travel. Of course, FTL wouldn't be as beneficial if C was lessened.
|-
|{{w|Gravitational constant}} || G = 6.67384 × 10−11 m3·kg−1·s−2 || This setting would make things heavier or lighter, and cause orbits to change, potentially causing either collapse of orbital systems, or objects to escape.
|-
|{{w|Fine-structure constant}} || α = 1⁄137.036 || Someone must have turned the dial just a little away from 1/137…
|-
|{{w|Boltzmann constant}} || k = 1.380 6488 × 10−23 J·K−1 ||
|-
|{{w|Elementary charge}} || e = 1.602 176 565 × 10−19 C ||
|-
|{{w|Bohr radius}} || a0 = 5.291 772 1092 × 10−11 m ||
|-
|{{w|electron|Electron mass}} || me = 9.109 382 91 × 10−31 kg ||
|-
|{{w| proton|Proton mass }} || mp = 1.672 621 777 × 10−27 kg ||
|-
|{{w|Absolute zero|Temperature at absolute zero}} || T = 0 K = −273.15°C = −459.67°F ||
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1620: Christmas Settings

2015-12-23T21:31:48Z

VectorLightning: /* Physical constants control panel */

{{comic
| number = 1620
| date = December 23, 2015
| title = Christmas Settings
| image = christmas_settings.png
| titletext = SOUND DOGS MAKE: [BARKING] [HISSING] [LIGHTSABER NOISES] [FLUENT ENGLISH] [SWEARING]
}}

==Explanation==
[[Ponytail]] is showing [[Megan]] around in her facility, and as the comic begins they enter a new room (''over here we have'') where she has the ''Universe Control Panel''.

A "Universe Control Panel" would be a set of dials to control the universe, and anyone having access to a room with these controls would from our point of view be in a God like position. If such a room did exist it would most likely be situated outside our universe (a dimension outside, and not necessarily in another universe). Since this comic was released just before {{w|Christmas}}, looking at it from a {{w|Christian}} point of view, this would be {{w|Gods}} domicile and his control room for the universe would probably be located in {{w|Heaven}}.

Seen from a physicist's point of view, the typical panels for such a control room would be with dials to control the specific size of {{w|Physical constant|fundamental constants}} of the universe such as the {{w|speed of light in vacuum}}, {{w|Planck constant}} and the {{w|fine-structure constant}} to mention a few - see more under the trivia section [[#Physical constants control panel|Physical constants control panel]].

But the first control panel they reach includes the dials that control {{w|Christmas}}. So these control panels are either much more detailed than just physics constants (or do not consider these underlying constants at all). That we see this option as the first is, of course, because this is a [[:Category:Christmas|Christmas comic]] released on the 23rd of December.

From Ponytail's comment it is clear that this is just one of several panels with dials, and on the panel for Christmas there is more than one dial. We only see one of these up close (to get an idea of how they work, and for the sake of the joke).

In the second panel, Megan and Ponytail have not reached the control panel yet, so it is the reader, and not them, who sees the dial, which controls how {{w|Santa Claus}} enters people’s houses: The ''Santa enters houses through''-dial, has [[#Options for Santa|ten different possible settings]]. The one it's set to at this point of the comic is the traditional ''chimney''. Among the other nine there is the more logical option ''open window'', but surprisingly here is not option called ''the door''. But the other eight, are increasingly weird or even impossible (though of course not for Santa, who can deliver a billion packets in one night and fly in a sleigh drawn by flying reindeer…). These options ranging from the ”feasible” like ''mail slot'', ''heating vents'' or ''cat flap'' to the impossible/ridicules (some even disgusting) as ''kitchen faucet'', ''shower drain'' or ''toilet'' over the truly magical ''bathroom mirror '' and to the downright unpleasant - ''pores of your skin''. (See [[555: Two Mirrors]] regarding the mirror version).

As Megan and Ponytail are on their way to the next stop on the tour of these facilities Megan trips and catches herself on the Santa dial, messing it up by clicking it twice. Ponytail is disturbed by this and holds up her hand to her mouth. The reason for this is obvious when Megan asks what it was set to before so as to undo the mishap, because Ponytail tells that she has forgotten. So they cannot put it back right. This kind of proves that Ponytail is just a guide, and not the creator of the control panels.

As so often seen with human behaviors (if they are indeed human beings at all?) Megan says she will simply take a wild guess and hope she get it right. As the only thing she really knows is that it is not on the right setting now, there is only 1/9 that she will get it right assuming she will at least change it away from the setting she ended up on.

As we can see in the comic the dial clicks twice, implying it has moved two positions; Megan has thus most likely changed the dial to either "kitchen faucet" or "mail slot." As we do not know which of these she will now change away from, It is impossible to guess from the comic where she end up putting it, all ten options are possible. 
Since this comic was released on the 23rd of December, we are likely to find out in less than two days, if Santa comes out of the pores on our skin, or just through the mail slot... Only the first of these options will for certain be detected by someone…

As it is Ponytail who are showing Megan around, it is thus the first time Megan even hear about these dials, and she has no idea about where the Santa dial was pointing before. The reason why Ponytail cannot remember to which option the dial was set before is most likely because she is not part of our universe, and also not the creator of the control panel. If this is a control room outside of our universe these settings will not affect the two girls but they also have no need to know about Christmas on Earth. Anyone with access to these control room, might not particularly care for what happens on Earth, which is just one of a multitude of planet and stars that needs to be controlled from this control room.

An alternative explanation for the reason Ponytail has forgotten, is that the universe immediately updated its settings to the latest selection, once Megan released the dial, changing all previously existing folklore and memories in existence to match (this will only make sense if the two girls are part of the universe that they are in control of). Where previously it was widely known that Santa Clause entered through the chimney, it is now widely known that he enters through kitchen faucets or mail slots (depending on Megan's selection). This makes it impossible to remember what the original setting was. Of course if this happened then how do they remember that it was changed in the first place? Megan would now know what that is on the correct position and leave it be. So this explanation makes little sense...

The title text continues this by showing another ad-lib dial: ''[[#Options for dogs|Sound dogs make]]'' ranging from the norm (barking) to cat sounds (hissing), very embarrassing for a dog) over "lightsaber noises" and speech to swearing. This is a dial, most likely on another control panel for animal sounds (but it could of course specifically be the sound a dog would make in response to Santa's entry, by whatever method?)- It would thus give the same option of changing the expected vocal response of the dog away from (our norm of) barking, as the other dial with the way Santa enters the house. In popular culture, talking dogs are a commonly used trope; in contrast, swearing "dogs" are few, the most famous being {{w|Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog}}, a puppet created by {{w|Conan O'Brien}} and {{w|Robert Smigel}} and performed by the latter.

The comic might also be a joke on real-life controls often having no clear "default" value - which, by the way, is sometimes the case for virtual controls as well.

==Options for Santa==
*Below is a table with the ten possible settings for ''Santa enters houses through...''; starting with the originally chosen standard option and going clockwise through the rest:
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5
|'''Option''' || '''Normal Entry/Exit for...'''
|-
|{{w|Chimney}} || {{W|Santa Claus}} typically comes in this way (see him here in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I-b_GJ4ltk victorian roof-top song and dance number]. Also {{w|The_Three_Little_Pigs|big bad wolves}} uses this entrance in Disney’s cartoon.
|-
|{{w|Shower#Drainage|Shower drain}} || Dirty shower water.
|-
|{{w|Mail slot}} || Letters, post cards and small presents delivers by the mailman.
|-
|{{w|Duct (flow)|Heating vents}} || Hot air used for {{w|central heating}}.
|-
|{{w|Bathroom}} {{w|mirror}} || See {{w|Candyman (film)|Candyman}}, or {{w|Bloody Mary (folklore)|Bloody Mary}} (the latter has been used in [[555: Two Mirrors]]).
|-
|{{w|Skin pore|Pores of your skin}} || {{w|Sweat}} leaving the body.
|-
|{{w|Toilet}} || {{w|Human waste}} and {{w|The_Shawshank_Redemption|life-term prisoners}} (at least through the sewer).
|-
|{{w|Cat flap}} || Domesticated cats and dogs.
|-
|{{w|Sink|Kitchen faucet}} || Water.
|-
|{{w|Window|Open window}} || {{w|Burglars}} and other criminals. Also often used as an exit by teenagers in movies and other film media, or by people who have locked themselves out of their own house.
|}

==Options for dogs==
*Below is a table with the five possible settings for ''Sound dogs make''; starting with the current and continuing with the order in the title text:
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5
|'''Option''' || '''Normal sound for...'''
|-
|{{w|Bark (sound)|Barking}} || {{w|Dogs}} current standard sound in our universe...
|-
|[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hissing Hissing] || Typically a {{w|List of animal sounds|sound contributed}} to {{w|snakes}}, but also something {{w|cats}} are [http://www.animalplanet.com/pets/why-do-cats-hiss/ said to hiss], for instance as a reaction against a barking dog. It would thus be very frustrating for dogs if their noise was changed into that or their arch enemies.
|-
|{{w|Lightsaber|Lightsaber noises}} || A lightsaber makes a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kpHK4YIwY4 very unique sound], and as they are one of the most known props from the {{w|Star Wars}} universe, it is very relevant as the newest Star Wars movie {{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}} was released a week before this comic. Star Wars was also the main theme a month ago in the comic [[1608: Hoverboard]], the coin collecting game that celebrated [[Randall|Randall's]] new book.
|-
|{{w|Fluency#Speech|Fluent}} {{w|English language|English}} || [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRcUcxtaX-Q Speaking dogs] are a common trope as are {{w|talking animals}} in general. A person who is native to a country where they speak English will usually be fluent in speaking English. But a person may not usually be described as being fluent in their {{w|Native tongue}}. But a person from a country who does not speak English as their first language, but who speaks it very well would speak fluent English.
|-
|{{w|Profanity|Swearing}} || It would be unpleasant for people who dislike swearing, and a big problems for movies such as {{w|Lassie}} where most of the soundtrack would have to be replaced by {{w|Bleep censor|bleeps}}. Swearing "dogs" are few, the most famous being {{w|Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog}}, a puppet created by {{w|Conan O'Brien}} and {{w|Robert Smigel}} and performed by the latter.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Ponytail are walking over to a console, Ponytail points towards it. They are drawn in a panel that is only half the width of the next panel below]
:Ponytail: Over here we have the universe control panel.
:Ponytail: These dials, for example, control Christmas.

:[A dial is shown. There is a label at the top and then there are ten settings, five symmetrically on the left and right side, but no setting straight up or down. It looks allot like the dial on a washing machine with different programs. The dial points towards the top left setting. All settings are labeled and there is a small line going to the point on the dial connected with each setting. The line at 3 and 9 o'clock are straight the other 8 are divided in two, where the first part goes horizontally and then bends either up or down, to end in the right position. Here the labele at the top and then the setting labels clockwise from top right, thus ending with the one the dial is set to:]
:'''Santa enters houses through...'''
:Shower Drain
:Mail Slot
:Heating Vents
:Bathroom Mirror
:Pores of Your Skin
:Toilet
:Cat Flap
:Kitchen Faucet
:Open Window
:Chimney

:[Ponytail is passing by this control panel looking back at Megan who trips and falls towards the console.]
:Megan: Whoops!
:Megans legs: Trip

:[Megan catches herself on the dial of the control panel and accidentally turns the dial. Ponytail has taken her hands to her mouth.]
:Dial: Click Click

:[Megan is standing in front of the console looking at the dial, Ponytail is standing behind it.]
:Megan: What was the Santa dial set to before?
:Ponytail: I forget.
:Megan: I'll just guess

==Trivia==
*In the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/7/73/20151223160450!christmas_settings.png original version] of the comic Ponytail erroneously said: ''These dials, for example, '''controls''' Christmas.''
**This was soon changed to the current (and grammatically correct) version with out the "s" at the end of controls ''These dials, for example, control Christmas.''
**Thus proving that it was intended that there where more than one dial, we just see the one that Megan later changed by mistake for the sake of the joke of the comic.

===Physical constants control panel===
*Below is a table with ten of the most likely dials to find on a Universe Control Panel for {{w|Physical constant|physical constants}}.
**(Please feel free to reorder or change out constants, if there are some “more important” constants left out, or reorder the list if that would feel more appropriate), and add more explanation.
**If just one of these constant had a slightly different value, life as we know it (or even star formation) might not have been possible, (see the {{w|anthropic principle}}). So it was good that it was only the Santa setting Megan screwed-on (up).
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5
|'''Dial label''' || '''Value''' || '''Constant governs…/what would happen if it changed etc.'''
|-
|{{w|Planck constant}} || h = 6.626 069 57 × 10−34 J·s ||
|-
|{{w|Speed of light}} || c = 299 792 458 m·s−1 || A low speed of light would delay the imagery one sees, as well as dramatically increase [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redshift|Redshift]] effect and potentially allow Faster-than-Light travel. Of course, FTL wouldn't be as beneficial if C was lessened.
|-
|{{w|Gravitational constant}} || G = 6.67384 × 10−11 m3·kg−1·s−2 || This setting would make things heavier or lighter, and cause orbits to change, potentially causing either collapse of orbital systems, or objects to escape.
|-
|{{w|Fine-structure constant}} || α = 1⁄137.036 || Someone must have turned the dial just a little away from 1/137…
|-
|{{w|Boltzmann constant}} || k = 1.380 6488 × 10−23 J·K−1 ||
|-
|{{w|Elementary charge}} || e = 1.602 176 565 × 10−19 C ||
|-
|{{w|Bohr radius}} || a0 = 5.291 772 1092 × 10−11 m ||
|-
|{{w|electron|Electron mass}} || me = 9.109 382 91 × 10−31 kg ||
|-
|{{w| proton|Proton mass }} || mp = 1.672 621 777 × 10−27 kg ||
|-
|{{w|Absolute zero|Temperature at absolute zero}} || T = 0 K = −273.15°C = −459.67°F ||
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Christmas]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Animals]]

User:VectorLightning

2015-12-23T07:53:52Z

VectorLightning:

Hiya, I go by VectorLightning on all the sites I visit, and while I'm not a regular here I'll pop in occasionally and maybe clarify or fix typos. You're more likely to see me on Reddit, DeviantArt, or Tumblr maybe. If you've got any reason to contact me, it's <insert username here> @gmx.com

Edits I've done:

First edit and I did a whole explanation! : [[1620: Christmas Settings|1620: Christmas Settings]]

User:VectorLightning

2015-12-23T07:51:27Z

VectorLightning:

Hiya, I go by VectorLightning on all the sites I visit, and while I'm not a regular here I'll pop in occasionally and maybe clarify or fix typos. You're more likely to see me on Reddit, DeviantArt, or Tumblr maybe.

Edits I've done:

First edit and I did a whole explanation! : [[1620: Christmas Settings|1620: Christmas Settings]]

User:VectorLightning

2015-12-23T07:50:59Z

VectorLightning:

Hiya, I go by VectorLightning on all the sites I visit, and while I'm not a regular here I'll pop in occasionally and maybe clarify or fix typos. You're more likely to see me on Reddit, DeviantArt, or Tumblr maybe.

Edits I've done:

First edit and I did a whole explanation! : [[1620: Christmas Settings|http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1620:_Christmas_Settings#Explanation]]

User:VectorLightning

2015-12-23T07:50:25Z

VectorLightning:

Hiya, I go by VectorLightning on all the sites I visit, and while I'm not a regular here I'll pop in occasionally and maybe clarify or fix typos. You're more likely to see me on Reddit, DeviantArt, or Tumblr maybe.

Edits I've done:

First edit and I did a whole explanation! : [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1620:_Christmas_Settings#Explanation]]

User:VectorLightning

2015-12-23T07:49:22Z

VectorLightning: Created page with "Hiya, I go by VectorLightning on all the sites I visit, and while I'm not a regular here I'll pop in occasionally and maybe clarify or fix typos. You're more likely to see me ..."

Talk:1620: Christmas Settings

2015-12-23T07:47:45Z

VectorLightning:

That's how Little Johnny killed Christmas, he left the tap running all night. --[[User:Jarfil|Jarfil]] ([[User talk:Jarfil|talk]]) 05:32, 23 December 2015 (UTC)

Pores of your skin?! As utterly horrifying as it sounds, it's probably the most effective of the bunch, considering that all the others might not exist/be blocked in some manner and in some houses. [[User:Bon|Bon]] ([[User talk:Bon|talk]]) 06:27, 23 December 2015 (UTC)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxh-Hjj8T9o Swearing dogs are definitely a thing]. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.28|173.245.54.28]] 05:59, 23 December 2015 (UTC)

How'd I do for my first explanation on this site? [[User:VectorLightning|VectorLightning]] ([[User talk:VectorLightning|talk]]) 07:47, 23 December 2015 (UTC)

1620: Christmas Settings

2015-12-23T07:47:01Z

VectorLightning: /* Created explanation. How'd I do for my first one?*/

{{comic
| number = 1620
| date = December 23, 2015
| title = Christmas Settings
| image = christmas_settings.png
| titletext = SOUND DOGS MAKE: [BARKING] [HISSING] [LIGHTSABER NOISES] [FLUENT ENGLISH] [SWEARING]
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT , then partially explained by someone in a rush. Please update, then remove this message.}}

The comic starts out with Ponytail showing Megan a "Universe Control Panel", and starts out with dials that control Christmas.

Then we get a close up of one dial labeled "Santa enters houses through...", somewhat like a Mad Libs game. The dial has many settings; The one it's set to is the traditional chimney, but there are some other logical ones like the open window (Surprisingly not the door though), and increasingly weird and impossible ones ranging from the mail slot to the pores of one's skin.

As Megan approaches to get a better look however, she trips and catches herself on the Santa dial, messing it up. She asks what it was set to before so as to undo the mishap, but Ponytail forgets, so Megan simply guesses.

The title text continues this by showing another ad-lib dial: "SOUND DOGS MAKE", ranging from the norm (Barking) to "Lightsaber noises" to speech to swearing.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[Megan and Ponytail are walking over to a console]
Ponytail: Over here we have the universe control panel. These dials, for example, controls Christmas.

[Dial labelled "Santa enters houses through...", currently set to "Chimney" with the other options being "Open Window", "Kitchen Faucet", "Cat Flap", "Toilet", "Shower Drain", "Mail Slot", "Heating Vents", "Bathroom Mirror", and "Pores of Your Skin".

[Megan trips and falls towards the console]
SFX: "Trip"
Megan: "Whoops!"

[Megan accidentally turns the knob on the console]
SFX: "Click Click"

[Megan is standing in front of the console, Ponytail is standing behind it.]
Megan: "What was the Santa dial set to before?"
Ponytail: "I forget."
Megan: "I'll just guess"
{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1619: Watson Medical Algorithm

2015-12-21T08:02:21Z

VectorLightning:

Build environment is still insane since comic #371.

(Above poster please sign comments with four tildes)

I'm trying to picture Baymax using this algorithm.

"OK, who swapped out Baymax's programming card with a Doomba AI?" [[User:VectorLightning|VectorLightning]] ([[User talk:VectorLightning|talk]]) 08:02, 21 December 2015 (UTC)

Well, at least the autoconfig isn't as threatening as #416.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.179|108.162.245.179]] 07:00, 21 December 2015 (UTC)