explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2884: Log Alignment

2024-01-22T19:09:16Z

Xaiea:

{{comic
| number = 2884
| date = January 22, 2024
| title = Log Alignment
| image = log_alignment_2x.png
| imagesize = 351x312px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = A video can have a log scale that's misaligned with both the time AND space axes.
}}

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

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

{{comic discussion}}

2835: Factorial Numbers

2023-09-30T04:06:33Z

Xaiea: Edit to transcript

{{comic
| number = 2835
| date = September 29, 2023
| title = Factorial Numbers
| image = factorial_numbers_2x.png
| imagesize = 628x481px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = So what do we do when we get to base 10? Do we use A, B, C, etc? No: Numbers larger than about 3.6 million are simply illegal.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a VARIABLE-BASED BOT BEING ESCORTED OUT OF THE COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT BY SECURITY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is based on the {{w|factorial number system}}, which is a way of writing integers or real numbers using {{w|factorial|factorials}} instead of powers. Unlike the 'proper' version of this system, [[Randall]]'s version does not include the rightmost digit that adds no information, since it is always 0.

A factorial is a product of the first few positive integers. For instance, four factorial, written '4!', means 4×3×2×1 = 24. These can be used to write numbers in a strange way.

Normally, numbers are represented in a positional system with a constant base, especially base ten. This means that each digit in a number has a place value based on its position, and that value is a power of ten. For instance, the number 137 usually means 1×10² + 3×10¹ + 7×10⁰, i.e. one hundred, three tens, and seven units. We say that the 1 is in the hundreds place, the 3 in the tens place, and the 7 in the ones place (or units). The same number could be written in base sixteen as 89, meaning 8×16¹ + 9×16⁰, i.e. eight sixteens and nine units. The 8 is in the sixteens place, and the 9 is in the ones place. In a "factorial base," instead of each digit being multiplied by an escalating power of some constant base, each digit is multiplied by an escalating factorial. So that same number could be written 10221, meaning 1×5! + 0×4! + 2×3! + 2×2! + 1×1!. We could say there is a 1 in the 120s place, a 0 in the 24s place, a 2 in the 6s place, another 2 in the 2s place, and a 1 in the ones place.

In normal base-n notation, n digits are used, running from 0 to n–1. For instance, in base ten, we use the ten digits {0,...,9}. In base sixteen, we need sixteen digits, so we use {0,...,9,A,...,F}. But in factorial base, we need up to n+1 different digits to express all n-digit numbers. For instance, with just two digits, we can express both one-digit numbers 0 and 1. We can also express some larger numbers like 10 = two and 11 = three, but we can't express 20 = four or 21 = five. As a result, Randall jokes that since we only have ten digits {0,...,9}, we can only express numbers with up to nine digits, making larger numbers "illegal." Randall believes that would make the largest "legal" factorial base number 987654321 = 9×9!+8×8!+7×7!+6×6!+5×5!+4×4!+3×3!+2×2!+1×1!, which in base ten is 3,628,799 (which he calls "about 3.6 million"). In fact, adding one to this number gives 1000000000, which still doesn't require any digits larger than 9. The first number that cannot be represented this way with the ten symbols {0,...,9} comes right after 9987654321, which in decimal equals 36,287,999

In the comic, the top example represents 3×720 + 5×120 + 3×24 + 0×6 + 1×2 + 1×1, after calculating each factorial accordingly, which gives the decimal value of 2835, [[2835|this comic's number]].



For completion of the examples shown in the panel, the numbers up to 200 in this variable base are:

1=1
2=10
3=11
4=20
5=21
6=100
7=101
8=110
9=111
10=120
11=121
12=200
13=201
14=210
15=211
16=220
17=221
18=300
19=301
20=310
21=311
22=320
23=321
24=1000
25=1001
26=1010
27=1011
28=1020
29=1021
30=1100
31=1101
32=1110
33=1111
34=1120
35=1121
36=1200
37=1201
38=1210
39=1211
40=1220
41=1221
42=1300
43=1301
44=1310
45=1311
46=1320
47=1321
48=2000
49=2001
50=2010
51=2011
52=2020
53=2021
54=2100
55=2101
56=2110
57=2111
58=2120
59=2121
60=2200
61=2201
62=2210
63=2211
64=2220
65=2221
66=2300
67=2301
68=2310
69=2311
70=2320
71=2321
72=3000
73=3001
74=3010
75=3011
76=3020
77=3021
78=3100
79=3101
80=3110
81=3111
82=3120
83=3121
84=3200
85=3201
86=3210
87=3211
88=3220
89=3221
90=3300
91=3301
92=3310
93=3311
94=3320
95=3321
96=4000
97=4001
98=4010
99=4011
100=4020
101=4021
102=4100
103=4101
104=4110
105=4111
106=4120
107=4121
108=4200
109=4201
110=4210
111=4211
112=4220
113=4221
114=4300
115=4301
116=4310
117=4311
118=4320
119=4321
120=10000
121=10001
122=10010
123=10011
124=10020
125=10021
126=10100
127=10101
128=10110
129=10111
130=10120
131=10121
132=10200
133=10201
134=10210
135=10211
136=10220
137=10221
138=10300
139=10301
140=10310
141=10311
142=10320
143=10321
144=11000
145=11001
146=11010
147=11011
148=11020
149=11021
150=11100
151=11101
152=11110
153=11111
154=11120
155=11121
156=11200
157=11201
158=11210
159=11211
160=11220
161=11221
162=11300
163=11301
164=11310
165=11311
166=11320
167=11321
168=12000
169=12001
170=12010
171=12011
172=12020
173=12021
174=12100
175=12101
176=12110
177=12111
178=12120
179=12121
180=12200
181=12201
182=12210
183=12211
184=12220
185=12221
186=12300
187=12301
188=12310
189=12311
190=12320
191=12321
192=13000
193=13001
194=13010
195=13011
196=13020
197=13021
198=13100
199=13101
200=13110

Note the apparent gap at 24 (4!) and 120 (5!) - apparent for those of us who are used to decimal numbers.



==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon. - Would be best done entirely without wikitables. And actually describe the police/security intervention going on. But there'll be plenty of editors passing this way soon enough...}}
Cueball is standing in front of a large poster. There are two police officers walking towards Cueball.
Poster:

:Variable-base Factoradic™ numbers
:{|
|Base 7||Base 6||Base 5||Base 4||Base 3||Base 2
|-
|3||5||3||0||1||1
|}

:Left side

:{| class="wikitable"
|Base 10||Factoradic
|-
|1||1
|-
|2||10
|-
|3||11
|-
|4||20
|-
|5||21
|-
|6||100
|-
|7||101
|-
|
|-
|21||311
|-
|22||320
|-
|23||321
|}

:Right side

:{| class="wikitable"
|Base 10||Factoradic
|-
|24||1,000
|-
|25||1,001
|-
|
|-
|5,038||654,320
|-
|5,039||654,321
|-
|5,040||1,000,000
|-
|
|-
|999,998||266,251,210
|-
|999,999||266,251,211
|-
|1,000,000||266,251,220
|-
|1,000,001||266,251,221
|}

:Cueball: Small numbers like seven or nineteen shouldn't use big numerals like "7" or "9".
:Cueball: I mean, "9" is the biggest numeral we have! It should be reserved for '''''big''''' numbers.
:Cueball: Small numbers should be written with small numerals like "1" or "2".
:Cueball: That's why my variable-base system uses...Hey! No, listen!
:Caption under the comic:
:Factorial numbers are the number system that sounds most like a prank by someone who's about to be escorted out of the math department by security.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Characters with hats]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Self-reference]]

2835: Factorial Numbers

2023-09-30T04:05:57Z

Xaiea: transcript

{{comic
| number = 2835
| date = September 29, 2023
| title = Factorial Numbers
| image = factorial_numbers_2x.png
| imagesize = 628x481px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = So what do we do when we get to base 10? Do we use A, B, C, etc? No: Numbers larger than about 3.6 million are simply illegal.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a VARIABLE-BASED BOT BEING ESCORTED OUT OF THE COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT BY SECURITY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is based on the {{w|factorial number system}}, which is a way of writing integers or real numbers using {{w|factorial|factorials}} instead of powers. Unlike the 'proper' version of this system, [[Randall]]'s version does not include the rightmost digit that adds no information, since it is always 0.

A factorial is a product of the first few positive integers. For instance, four factorial, written '4!', means 4×3×2×1 = 24. These can be used to write numbers in a strange way.

Normally, numbers are represented in a positional system with a constant base, especially base ten. This means that each digit in a number has a place value based on its position, and that value is a power of ten. For instance, the number 137 usually means 1×10² + 3×10¹ + 7×10⁰, i.e. one hundred, three tens, and seven units. We say that the 1 is in the hundreds place, the 3 in the tens place, and the 7 in the ones place (or units). The same number could be written in base sixteen as 89, meaning 8×16¹ + 9×16⁰, i.e. eight sixteens and nine units. The 8 is in the sixteens place, and the 9 is in the ones place. In a "factorial base," instead of each digit being multiplied by an escalating power of some constant base, each digit is multiplied by an escalating factorial. So that same number could be written 10221, meaning 1×5! + 0×4! + 2×3! + 2×2! + 1×1!. We could say there is a 1 in the 120s place, a 0 in the 24s place, a 2 in the 6s place, another 2 in the 2s place, and a 1 in the ones place.

In normal base-n notation, n digits are used, running from 0 to n–1. For instance, in base ten, we use the ten digits {0,...,9}. In base sixteen, we need sixteen digits, so we use {0,...,9,A,...,F}. But in factorial base, we need up to n+1 different digits to express all n-digit numbers. For instance, with just two digits, we can express both one-digit numbers 0 and 1. We can also express some larger numbers like 10 = two and 11 = three, but we can't express 20 = four or 21 = five. As a result, Randall jokes that since we only have ten digits {0,...,9}, we can only express numbers with up to nine digits, making larger numbers "illegal." Randall believes that would make the largest "legal" factorial base number 987654321 = 9×9!+8×8!+7×7!+6×6!+5×5!+4×4!+3×3!+2×2!+1×1!, which in base ten is 3,628,799 (which he calls "about 3.6 million"). In fact, adding one to this number gives 1000000000, which still doesn't require any digits larger than 9. The first number that cannot be represented this way with the ten symbols {0,...,9} comes right after 9987654321, which in decimal equals 36,287,999

In the comic, the top example represents 3×720 + 5×120 + 3×24 + 0×6 + 1×2 + 1×1, after calculating each factorial accordingly, which gives the decimal value of 2835, [[2835|this comic's number]].



For completion of the examples shown in the panel, the numbers up to 200 in this variable base are:

1=1
2=10
3=11
4=20
5=21
6=100
7=101
8=110
9=111
10=120
11=121
12=200
13=201
14=210
15=211
16=220
17=221
18=300
19=301
20=310
21=311
22=320
23=321
24=1000
25=1001
26=1010
27=1011
28=1020
29=1021
30=1100
31=1101
32=1110
33=1111
34=1120
35=1121
36=1200
37=1201
38=1210
39=1211
40=1220
41=1221
42=1300
43=1301
44=1310
45=1311
46=1320
47=1321
48=2000
49=2001
50=2010
51=2011
52=2020
53=2021
54=2100
55=2101
56=2110
57=2111
58=2120
59=2121
60=2200
61=2201
62=2210
63=2211
64=2220
65=2221
66=2300
67=2301
68=2310
69=2311
70=2320
71=2321
72=3000
73=3001
74=3010
75=3011
76=3020
77=3021
78=3100
79=3101
80=3110
81=3111
82=3120
83=3121
84=3200
85=3201
86=3210
87=3211
88=3220
89=3221
90=3300
91=3301
92=3310
93=3311
94=3320
95=3321
96=4000
97=4001
98=4010
99=4011
100=4020
101=4021
102=4100
103=4101
104=4110
105=4111
106=4120
107=4121
108=4200
109=4201
110=4210
111=4211
112=4220
113=4221
114=4300
115=4301
116=4310
117=4311
118=4320
119=4321
120=10000
121=10001
122=10010
123=10011
124=10020
125=10021
126=10100
127=10101
128=10110
129=10111
130=10120
131=10121
132=10200
133=10201
134=10210
135=10211
136=10220
137=10221
138=10300
139=10301
140=10310
141=10311
142=10320
143=10321
144=11000
145=11001
146=11010
147=11011
148=11020
149=11021
150=11100
151=11101
152=11110
153=11111
154=11120
155=11121
156=11200
157=11201
158=11210
159=11211
160=11220
161=11221
162=11300
163=11301
164=11310
165=11311
166=11320
167=11321
168=12000
169=12001
170=12010
171=12011
172=12020
173=12021
174=12100
175=12101
176=12110
177=12111
178=12120
179=12121
180=12200
181=12201
182=12210
183=12211
184=12220
185=12221
186=12300
187=12301
188=12310
189=12311
190=12320
191=12321
192=13000
193=13001
194=13010
195=13011
196=13020
197=13021
198=13100
199=13101
200=13110

Note the apparent gap at 24 (4!) and 120 (5!) - apparent for those of us who are used to decimal numbers.



==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon. - Would be best done entirely without wikitables. And actually describe the police/security intervention going on. But there'll be plenty of editors passing this way soon enough...}}
Cueball is standing in front of a large poster. There are two police officers walking towards Cueball.
Poster:

:Variable-base Factoradic™ numbers
:{|
|Base 7||Base 6||Base 5||Base 4||Base 3||Base 2
|-
|3||5||3||0||1||1
|}

:Left side

:{| class="wikitable"
|Base 10||Factoradic
|-
|1||1
|-
|2||10
|-
|3||11
|-
|4||20
|-
|5||21
|-
|6||100
|-
|7||101
|-
|
|-
|21||311
|-
|22||320
|-
|23||321
|}

:Right side

:{| class="wikitable"
|Base 10||Factoradic
|-
|24||1,000
|-
|25||1,001
|-
|
|-
|5,038||654,320
|-
|5,039||654,321
|-
|5,040||1,000,000
|-
|
|-
|999,998||266,251,210
|-
|999,999||266,251,211
|-
|1,000,000||266,251,220
|-
|1,000,001||266,251,221
|}

:Cueball: Small numbers like seven or nineteen shouldn't use big numerals like "7" or "9".
:Cueball: I mean, "9" is the biggest numeral we have! It should be reserved for '''''big''''' numbers.
:Cueball: Small numbers should be written with small numerals like "1" or "2".
:Cueball: That's why my variable-base system uses...Hey! No, listen!

:Factorial numbers are the number system that sounds most like a prank by someone who's about to be escorted out of the math department by security.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Characters with hats]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Self-reference]]

2724: Washing Machine Settings

2023-09-27T20:27:39Z

Xaiea: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2724
| date = January 13, 2023
| title = Washing Machine Settings
| image = washing_machine_settings_2x.png
| imagesize = 308x524px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I guess the engineers who built my dishwasher MIGHT have some insight into how to load it, but instead of reading the booklet they gave me, it seems easier to experiment for years and then get in arguments so heated that I get banned from Quora.
}}

==Explanation==

The comic strip depicts Cueball (possibly [[Randall]]) standing in front of a washing machine, wondering which settings to use for his particular wash load. He ponders as to the intended meaning behind the word "Delicate" and decides to look up detailed information on what the settings do and when to use them. A thought then occurs to him that there should be a location where people could crowd-source data on what settings they have found work best for various clothing items, before realizing that that would likely have already been done by the manufacturers beforehand and the results put into the product manual.

Labels on appliances tend to be terse, often using single words that make the intended interpretation challenging. In this case Cueball likely is trying to wash something that is both "delicate" and has "colors", but is forced to choose between them, even though there would ideally be a washer setting that anticipates the need for both considerations at once. Due to the laconic vagueness in the choice of wording for the dial (or button/menu), the "(Light)" may refer to the setting being intended for lightly or pastel colored clothing, that the setting is meant for delicate fabric, or that it is a quick, surface-level wash (i.e. as opposed to deep cleaning), though a separate "half load"/”economy" button (or similar) often exists that abbreviates the appropriate phases of each main washing cycle accordingly.

The title text proposes deliberately ignoring the manual for a dishwasher and continuing to use the internet and other people for information on household devices. This might refer to the tendency for people to not read manuals and instead post their queries online awaiting answers, which sometimes gets disparaging comments to [[293: RTFM|read the manual]]. It also references [http://quora.com Quora], a website which allows users to publicly ask questions and answer the questions of others. The website is not typically known for its debates, although the situation in this comic could probably lead to one, as it is quite opinion-dependent with no true correct answer (even the suggested settings given in the manual, written by the makers themselves, could be prone to disagreement as users might find the settings to have adverse effects on their clothing, or discover an even better setting that the makers might not have had). Although Quora moderation is notably inconsistent, being inflammatory (as people tend to be in debates that progress too long) could lead to one's account being reported and banned, like on a typical social network or forum.

The same concept of comic was recreated in [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2834:_Book_Podcasts 2384: Book Podcasts].

==Transcript==

:[Cueball is standing in front of a large combination washing machine/dryer, holding a coat, wondering.]
:Cueball: Okay, do I want "Colors (light)" or "Delicate"? Does delicate mean less agitation? Or a slower spin?
:Cueball: I should Google, I bet clothing experts have experimented with various settings/clothing combos.
:Cueball: Ooh, someone should make a tool that indexes people's results by washer model, so you can look up what settings to use for a given...

:[Caption below the panel]:
: Every now and then I forget that product manuals exist and spend a while reinventing them.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

2834: Book Podcasts

2023-09-27T20:27:12Z

Xaiea:

{{comic
| number = 2834
| date = September 27, 2023
| title = Book Podcasts
| image = book_podcasts_2x.png
| imagesize = 262x394px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I've been working my way through this 1950s podcast by someone named John Tolkien called 'Lord of the Rings'--it's a deep dive into this fictional world he created. Good stuff, really bingeable!
}}

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

Randall describes how he regularly accidentally "discovers" the idea of audiobooks while listening to podcasts, with his newfound idea being nearly identical to the current form of audiobooks. The joke of the comic comes from such an idea likely being presented to other people before being shot down once the creator realizes.

The title text is an inverse of the joke, with Randall seemingly having been listening to the Lord Of The Rings audiobook without realizing that this "podcast" was actually originally a book. This would [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_(1978_film)#Reception likely irritate] longtime fans of the book.

This comic is similar to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2724:_Washing_Machine_Settings 2724: Washing Machine Settings].

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

:[Cueball, wearing headphones and looking down towards a phone he is holding. From Cueball's head is a thought bubble.]
:Cueball: I need more podcasts to listen to while doing chores.
:
:Cueball: Hey, someone should do a podcast where they just read through a book! Each chapter could be an episode...

:[Caption outside comic box:]
:Every now and then I reinvent audiobooks from first principles.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:LOTR]]

2724: Washing Machine Settings

2023-09-27T20:25:35Z

Xaiea: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2724
| date = January 13, 2023
| title = Washing Machine Settings
| image = washing_machine_settings_2x.png
| imagesize = 308x524px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I guess the engineers who built my dishwasher MIGHT have some insight into how to load it, but instead of reading the booklet they gave me, it seems easier to experiment for years and then get in arguments so heated that I get banned from Quora.
}}

==Explanation==

The comic strip depicts Cueball (possibly [[Randall]]) standing in front of a washing machine, wondering which settings to use for his particular wash load. He ponders as to the intended meaning behind the word "Delicate" and decides to look up detailed information on what the settings do and when to use them. A thought then occurs to him that there should be a location where people could crowd-source data on what settings they have found work best for various clothing items, before realizing that that would likely have already been done by the manufacturers beforehand and the results put into the product manual.

Labels on appliances tend to be terse, often using single words that make the intended interpretation challenging. In this case Cueball likely is trying to wash something that is both "delicate" and has "colors", but is forced to choose between them, even though there would ideally be a washer setting that anticipates the need for both considerations at once. Due to the laconic vagueness in the choice of wording for the dial (or button/menu), the "(Light)" may refer to the setting being intended for lightly or pastel colored clothing, that the setting is meant for delicate fabric, or that it is a quick, surface-level wash (i.e. as opposed to deep cleaning), though a separate "half load"/”economy" button (or similar) often exists that abbreviates the appropriate phases of each main washing cycle accordingly.

The title text proposes deliberately ignoring the manual for a dishwasher and continuing to use the internet and other people for information on household devices. This might refer to the tendency for people to not read manuals and instead post their queries online awaiting answers, which sometimes gets disparaging comments to [[293: RTFM|read the manual]]. It also references [http://quora.com Quora], a website which allows users to publicly ask questions and answer the questions of others. The website is not typically known for its debates, although the situation in this comic could probably lead to one, as it is quite opinion-dependent with no true correct answer (even the suggested settings given in the manual, written by the makers themselves, could be prone to disagreement as users might find the settings to have adverse effects on their clothing, or discover an even better setting that the makers might not have had). Although Quora moderation is notably inconsistent, being inflammatory (as people tend to be in debates that progress too long) could lead to one's account being reported and banned, like on a typical social network or forum.

The same concept of comic was recreated in [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2834:_Book_Podcasts 2384: Book Podcasts]

==Transcript==

:[Cueball is standing in front of a large combination washing machine/dryer, holding a coat, wondering.]
:Cueball: Okay, do I want "Colors (light)" or "Delicate"? Does delicate mean less agitation? Or a slower spin?
:Cueball: I should Google, I bet clothing experts have experimented with various settings/clothing combos.
:Cueball: Ooh, someone should make a tool that indexes people's results by washer model, so you can look up what settings to use for a given...

:[Caption below the panel]:
: Every now and then I forget that product manuals exist and spend a while reinventing them.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

2724: Washing Machine Settings

2023-09-27T20:25:16Z

Xaiea: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2724
| date = January 13, 2023
| title = Washing Machine Settings
| image = washing_machine_settings_2x.png
| imagesize = 308x524px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I guess the engineers who built my dishwasher MIGHT have some insight into how to load it, but instead of reading the booklet they gave me, it seems easier to experiment for years and then get in arguments so heated that I get banned from Quora.
}}

==Explanation==

The comic strip depicts Cueball (possibly [[Randall]]) standing in front of a washing machine, wondering which settings to use for his particular wash load. He ponders as to the intended meaning behind the word "Delicate" and decides to look up detailed information on what the settings do and when to use them. A thought then occurs to him that there should be a location where people could crowd-source data on what settings they have found work best for various clothing items, before realizing that that would likely have already been done by the manufacturers beforehand and the results put into the product manual.

Labels on appliances tend to be terse, often using single words that make the intended interpretation challenging. In this case Cueball likely is trying to wash something that is both "delicate" and has "colors", but is forced to choose between them, even though there would ideally be a washer setting that anticipates the need for both considerations at once. Due to the laconic vagueness in the choice of wording for the dial (or button/menu), the "(Light)" may refer to the setting being intended for lightly or pastel colored clothing, that the setting is meant for delicate fabric, or that it is a quick, surface-level wash (i.e. as opposed to deep cleaning), though a separate "half load"/”economy" button (or similar) often exists that abbreviates the appropriate phases of each main washing cycle accordingly.

The title text proposes deliberately ignoring the manual for a dishwasher and continuing to use the internet and other people for information on household devices. This might refer to the tendency for people to not read manuals and instead post their queries online awaiting answers, which sometimes gets disparaging comments to [[293: RTFM|read the manual]]. It also references [http://quora.com Quora], a website which allows users to publicly ask questions and answer the questions of others. The website is not typically known for its debates, although the situation in this comic could probably lead to one, as it is quite opinion-dependent with no true correct answer (even the suggested settings given in the manual, written by the makers themselves, could be prone to disagreement as users might find the settings to have adverse effects on their clothing, or discover an even better setting that the makers might not have had). Although Quora moderation is notably inconsistent, being inflammatory (as people tend to be in debates that progress too long) could lead to one's account being reported and banned, like on a typical social network or forum.

The same concept of comic was recreated in [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2834:_Book_Podcasts 2384:Book Podcasts]

==Transcript==

:[Cueball is standing in front of a large combination washing machine/dryer, holding a coat, wondering.]
:Cueball: Okay, do I want "Colors (light)" or "Delicate"? Does delicate mean less agitation? Or a slower spin?
:Cueball: I should Google, I bet clothing experts have experimented with various settings/clothing combos.
:Cueball: Ooh, someone should make a tool that indexes people's results by washer model, so you can look up what settings to use for a given...

:[Caption below the panel]:
: Every now and then I forget that product manuals exist and spend a while reinventing them.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

2834: Book Podcasts

2023-09-27T20:18:02Z

Xaiea: Edit to transcript

{{comic
| number = 2834
| date = September 27, 2023
| title = Book Podcasts
| image = book_podcasts_2x.png
| imagesize = 262x394px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I've been working my way through this 1950s podcast by someone named John Tolkien called 'Lord of the Rings'--it's a deep dive into this fictional world he created. Good stuff, really bingeable!
}}

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

Randall describes how he regularly accidentally "discovers" the idea of audiobooks while listening to podcasts, with his newfound idea being nearly identical to the current form of audiobooks. The joke of the comic comes from such an idea likely being presented to other people before being shot down once the creator realizes.

The title text is an inverse of the joke, with Randall seemingly having been listening to the Lord Of The Rings audiobook without realizing that this "podcast" was actually originally a book. This would [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_(1978_film)#Reception likely irritate] longtime fans of the book.

This comic is similar to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2724:_Washing_Machine_Settings 2724: Washing Machine Settings]

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

:[Cueball, wearing headphones and looking down towards a phone he is holding. From Cueball's head is a thought bubble.]
:Cueball: I need more podcasts to listen to while doing chores.
:
:Cueball: Hey, someone should do a podcast where they just read through a book! Each chapter could be an episode...

:[Caption outside comic box:]
:Every now and then I reinvent audiobooks from first principles.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:LOTR]]

2834: Book Podcasts

2023-09-27T20:13:28Z

Xaiea: Added link

{{comic
| number = 2834
| date = September 27, 2023
| title = Book Podcasts
| image = book_podcasts_2x.png
| imagesize = 262x394px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = I've been working my way through this 1950s podcast by someone named John Tolkien called 'Lord of the Rings'--it's a deep dive into this fictional world he created. Good stuff, really bingeable!
}}

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

Randall describes how he regularly accidentally "discovers" the idea of audiobooks while listening to podcasts, with his newfound idea being nearly identical to the current form of audiobooks. The joke of the comic comes from such an idea likely being presented to other people before being shot down once the creator realizes.

The title text is an inverse of the joke, with Randall seemingly having been listening to the Lord Of The Rings audiobook without realizing that this "podcast" was actually originally a book. This would [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_(1978_film)#Reception likely irritate] longtime fans of the book.

This comic is similar to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/2724:_Washing_Machine_Settings 2724: Washing Machine Settings]

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

:[Cueball, wearing headphones and looking down towards a phone he is holding. From Cueball's head is a thought bubble.]
:I need more podcasts to listen to while doing chores.
:
:Hey, someone should do a podcast where they just read through a book! Each chapter could be an episode...

:[Caption outside comic box:]
:Every now and then I reinvent audiobooks from first principles.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:LOTR]]

2822: *@gmail.com

2023-08-31T04:00:35Z

Xaiea: Changes to transcript

{{comic
| number = 2822
| date = August 30, 2023
| title = *@gmail.com
| image = gmail_com_2x.png
| imagesize = 305x269px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Hi all, just replying to loop in *@outlook.com and *@yahoo.com.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by BOT@COMPUSERVE.NET - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
A wildcard symbol, such as the asterisk, is not generally usable via email servers, although email ''clients'' may sometimes implement such a function, internally, perhaps to support mailing-list functions (though more commonly this is done via named address-book 'groups'). That said, the asterisk character is a valid one for a mailbox, including group-boxes that might facilitate server-side distribution.

The address *@gmail.com, as illustrated in the comic, is a proposed feature from Randall that would send an email to ''every'' Gmail user, without having each and every valid Gmail address at hand (manually typed in or via pre-populated email client address books). For obvious reasons, this is not actually a feature, but Randall suggests that if Google ever wanted to shut Gmail down, they could do either do it this way (possibly causing a service-ending overload of resources) ''or'' allow someone this one last boon (as a farewell gift, knowing that there would be relatively few additional repercussions to deal with).

The title text suggests the possibility of a similar iteration over two further well-known mail services with similarly large userbases, but this time attempting to expand the resulting lists within the mail body of the above email, which would make the broadcast message much, ''much'' larger than the simple broadcast 'spam' that the originally illustrated email would be. It's likely this would annoy a few more people then the original message did {{citation needed}}. This also alludes to a occurrence in email chains where a user replies to simply add another user into the chain, which doesn't add much information to the group.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[A typical gmail UI]
:To: *@gmail.com (+expand)
:Cc: [Empty field]
:Bcc: [Empty field]
:Subj: New Friends

:Hey all! Go ahead and introduce yourself!

:[Caption:] If Google ever decides to shut down Gmail, they should let one user trigger a global reply-all apocalypse.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Email]]

2767: Recipe Relativity

2023-04-25T01:40:30Z

Xaiea:

{{comic
| number = 2767
| date = April 24, 2023
| title = Recipe Relativity
| image = recipe_relativity_2x.png
| imagesize = 303x332px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It says to cut the onions into 1/4" slices, but I'd better correct for length contraction.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BLACK BEAN MOVING AT 94% THE SPEED OF LIGHT- Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

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

{{comic discussion}}

2767: Recipe Relativity

2023-04-25T01:39:27Z

Xaiea: incomplete message change

{{comic
| number = 2767
| date = April 24, 2023
| title = Recipe Relativity
| image = recipe_relativity_2x.png
| imagesize = 303x332px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = It says to cut the onions into 1/4" slices, but I'd better correct for length contraction.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BLACK BEAN MOVING AT 94% THE SPEED OF LIGHT- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

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

{{comic discussion}}

84: National Language

2023-03-04T02:13:07Z

Xaiea: /* Transcript */ added minor detail

{{comic
| number = 84
| date = April 3, 2006
| title = National Language
| image = national_language.jpg
| titletext = She's pretty sharp when provoked.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is about the concept of {{w|Nativism (politics)|nativism}}, which is the view that those who are native to a place should have more rights than immigrants. A frequently expressed view in the U.S. (and in other countries) is that immigrants should learn English, which is the primary language in the United States.

In the comic, one character is arrogantly arguing the nativist position. However, the woman next to him interrupts him and says a phrase in the {{w|Cherokee}} language - "Hello, my name is Sarah" - which is an Iroquoian language used by the Cherokee {{w|Native Americans in the United States|Native American}} people. Although Cherokee seems to be a relatively {{w|Cherokee#Origins|young culture}}, it is much more native to America than any European culture, such as English.

The woman is therefore effectively suggesting a "what's good for the goose is good for the gander" argument, that if the Europeans did not have to learn the native language, why should current immigrants learn English? She points out that even the English speakers are immigrants who did not learn the native language. Alternatively, she is saying that the term "national language" has no clear meaning, especially in the United States, where there is no official language; therefore, the "language they speak there" can be any of the languages spoken in the country: English, Spanish, German, Cantonese, or Cherokee, to name a few.

The title text reveals that Ponytail is in fact Randall's friend; in the comic it is unclear who his friend is.

==Transcript==
:[Caption on top:]
:This happened to my friend:

:[Three men and two women are standing in a row, next to a table on the right.]
:Cueball: English should be the national language. These immigrants should have to learn English when they come here.
:Megan: Yeah.

:Cueball: When you go to live somewhere, you learn the language they speak there.
:Cueball: English is the language of the land.

:Ponytail: Excuse me, but osio Sarah dawado.

:Cueball: What the hell was that?
:Ponytail: Cherokee.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]

2741: Wish Interpretation

2023-03-03T04:02:59Z

Xaiea: word choice

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

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by Rain, Rain, Stay - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic [[Black Hat]] has found a lamp with a {{w|Genie (Disney)|magical genie}} inside. This genie will only fulfill one wish (not the standard three) and warns that it will twist the wish to teach him a lesson...

In stories where wishing can come true by magical means, a common cliché is that the wisher will make a wish (for greater or lesser personal gain) but the entity who grants it will {{tvtropes|LiteralGenie|inadvertently}} (or {{tvtropes|JackassGenie|'inadvertently'}}) fulfill the exact wording in such a way that something bad happens which the wisher clearly did not foresee. This may teach the wisher, or at least the reader of the story, an important moral lesson against greed. The wish-granter is not always represented as deliberately obtuse or malicious, but may merely be a naive and uncritical servant of the wish-granting process. A wish for money, for example, might be 'easiest' to accomplish by suddenly being the recipient of a loved-one's Life Insurance rather than the rather less upsetting scenario of finding that they possess a winning lottery ticket. In the comic, however, this genie is perfectly self-aware of the part he will play in creatively misapplying the wish, and even goes so far as to forewarn the wisher – maybe a deliberate ploy to have wishers take a moment to think and tone down their more spontaneous demands.

However, as is characteristic for him, Black Hat has no concern for the wider negative effects, and immediately wishes for rain to no longer happen, perpetually, for the apparent trivial reason of merely saving him the need to carry an umbrella. The {{w|Water cycle|consequences}} of this drastic change to the weather (no matter by which method it is accomplished) would plainly be very bad, as Black Hat is almost certainly fully aware. The genie realizes that there is very little 'good' idea for him to twist into a bad one, and that Black Hat will be peculiarly unreceptive to being 'taught a moral lesson'. Especially compared to the utter devastation that the granted wish ''will'' cause to the rest of the non-wishing world, which the genie might be reluctant to enact.

Having persuaded his wisher to retract the original request, the genie now has to deal with two rather ''too'' open-ended, generally pessimistic requests in a similar vein. Exactly what Black Hat "deserves" is possibly subjective; and someone "getting what they deserve" tends to be a rather negative outcome. To this, the genie seems dismayed at Black Hat essentially wishing for a bad outcome (with nothing to twist to serve a moral lesson), but the genie still seems to have enough latent sympathy to lampshade the trouble being invited, assuming that it was a particularly unintended turn of phrase.

Undaunted, the next version of Black Hat's revised wish uses even more unambiguously perilous wording. The suggestion of "what's coming to" someone is frequently used as a threat (or menacing promise) of violence. Even taken at face value, the wish would either be meaningless (Black Hat would receive whatever fate would have befallen him without the wish, and the genie would have effected no change), or it would be tautologous (whatever is coming to him is whatever the result of the wish is, so how is the genie to decide what that should be?). Regardless of the outcome, Black Hat is wishing for something already negative with no room for a moral twist, or something that is essentially tautological. This disheartens the genie even more, given the genie's apparent obligation to be inconveniently literal and problematic in interpreting wishes.

Clearly outclassed in his attempt to establish his ability to cause problems, or perhaps out of pity for Black Hat's self-destructive wishes, the genie gets frustrated and backtracks rapidly. He offers just $20 (a token amount of money, possibly out of his own pocket in order to completely avoid using his potentially dangerous magical abilities) to get himself out of the original formulaic deal and permanently away from having to be under Black Hat's influence.

In the title text, the wisher (possibly still Black Hat, or possibly just another rather awkward individual) wishes for everything in the world. This is itself a not unknown "bad wish" that would be creatively twisted into a bad consequence for the necessary narrative reasons (for example, ownership of everything in the world might come with inconvenient or even impossible responsibilities). The wish continues, however, and explicitly asks that all of this be put into their house. This is impossible for two reasons: First, everything wouldn't fit in their house unless it was made extremely dense, beyond the point of usefulness; second, it causes an infinite recursion, since their house is something in the world, so it would have to be put inside itself. Trying to grant this wish would likely also frustrate the genie, and certainly not allow them their usual scope of a personal (and proportional) educational twist.

Black Hat has been seen experimenting with the rules for wishing before, in [[1086: Eyelash Wish Log]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Feel free to improve it or add more details. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[Black Hat is holding a genie lamp in his hands. A genie has appeared from the end of the lamp. The genie is depicted as a turbanless Cueball-like figure floating without a lower body, having a puff of smoke in place of his legs.]
:Genie: I will grant you one wish.
:Genie: But beware, for I will twist the meaning of your words to teach you a lesson!

:[Black Hat holds the lamp to his side. The genie has his arms crossed.]
:Black Hat: Gotcha! Hmm.
:Black Hat: I'm tired of carrying an umbrella. I wish it never rained again.

:[Close-up on the genie.]
:Genie: ...Okay.
:Genie: I'm supposed to twist your words to teach you a lesson, but that actually sounds very straightforwardly bad.
:Genie: Can you maybe try again?

:[Zoom back to Black Hat and the genie.]
:Black Hat: Fine. Just give me what I deserve.
:Genie: Oh my god. Have you read '''''any''''' stories about wishes?
:Black Hat: Come on! I want to get what's coming to me.
:Genie: Listen, I'm just gonna give you $20 and call this even.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Genie]]

File:externalities.png

2023-02-24T04:29:48Z

Xaiea: Xaiea uploaded a new version of File:externalities.png

== Licensing ==
{{XKCD file}}

[[Category:Comic images]]

2738: Omniknot

2023-02-16T03:23:15Z

Xaiea: More info on title

{{comic
| number = 2738
| date = February 15, 2023
| title = Omniknot
| image = omniknot_2x.png
| imagesize = 358x288px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = The Gordian knot is an omniknot tied using every bend in the Ashley Book of Knots, and then for extra security the upper rope at every crossing is connected to the lower with a randomly-chosen hitch.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by THE KNOTTED OMNIBOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do KNOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic's title is a combination of the prefix omni- meaning all, and knot, creating a new word: omniknot, or the all-knot.
The comic jokes that if you have several potential {{w|knot}}s which could be tied in a given situation, rather than being forced to choose one, you can simply use all of them and create the comic's "Omniknot."

Knots in the middle, from top to bottom:
* {{w|Granny knot}}: A bad knot, usually the result of an improperly tied reef knot.
* {{w|Reef knot}}: This one is properly tied, however, it is a poor and possibly dangerous choice as a load-bearing bend as it has a tendency to capsize and untie itself.
* {{w|Sheet bend}}: Similar to the bowline, a popular, all around good choice, especially if one rope is thinner than the other (the loop should be on the thinner rope).
* {{w|Double sheet bend}}: A more secure version of the previous knot, especially if one rope is much thinner than the other.
* {{w|Carrick bend}}: A very good bend, especially if both ropes are similar in kind and thickness. This version, however, with the ends emerging from the same side is weaker than if the ends were diagonal from each other.

On the sides are {{w|bowline}}s and each rope is terminated by a {{w|figure-eight knot}}.

In the title text, the {{w|Gordian Knot}} is a knot which purportedly was extraordinarily complex and nearly impossible to untie. According to legend, when Alexander the Great was faced with the knot, he simply drew his sword and cut it in half, thereby "untying" it and solving the unsolvable. The Gordian Knot is now used as a linguistic metaphor to describe a problem whose solution, rather than being to directly solve it head-on, involves working around or otherwise bypassing its apparent constraints.

{{w|The Ashley Book of Knots}} is an encyclopedia describing thousands of different knots. Though it is now dated because it was written before the widespread adoption of synthetic fiber rope, it is still considered the reference in knot tying. Using all bends from the book and as many hitches would make the final result very complex indeed. Randall proposes here that this was the true origin of the mythical Gordian Knot.

In practice, it is not recommended to use overly complex knots as they provide little in term of additional security compared to a well chosen, simpler knot. The ease of tying and untying, especially in less than ideal conditions is also an important factor to consider. If strength is more important than the ease of tying and untying, {{w|Rope splicing|splices}} should be considered instead of knots as they don't weaken the rope as much as knots.

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

:[There are two ropes tied together with several different kinds of knots.]

:[Caption below the panel:]
:If you know several knots and can't figure out which one to use, just tie one of each.

{{comic discussion}}

File:collectors edition.png

2022-12-26T02:11:20Z

Xaiea: Xaiea uploaded a new version of File:collectors edition.png