explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:3217: Home Remedies

2026-03-12T09:19:37Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Wow that came out late. I guess it is still technically Monday in California? Or at least was when it came up on explain xkcd half an hour ago? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:03, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
:Randall lives in Boston. I suppose that there's some lag between xkcd and the explain xkcd upload, as TheusafBOT takes some time to transfer it. [[User:42.book.addict|tori :3]][[User talk:42.book.addict|talk to me!]] 16:50, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Very late comic [[User:Broseph|Broseph]] ([[User talk:Broseph|talk]]) 08:13, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: Even later explanation. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:30, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

For anyone perhaps wondering how you get a skunk with a hangover, all you need to do is find one of them that is {{wiktionary|drunk as a skunk|famously inebriated}}, then wait. The chewing gum bit probably 'just happens' at some point during this whole process... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.231.180|82.132.231.180]] 10:40, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Unrelated but I had a dream that I checked this website and it was Randall announcing he was going to quit, just text on a white panel as the final comic, not too dissimilar to Schultz quitting Peanuts. It felt shockingly realistic [[Special:Contributions/168.8.230.58|168.8.230.58]] 12:59, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
:Charles Schultz died on February 12, 2000, the day before his last Sunday strip was published. He might have realized his health was failing and decided to retire while he still had a choice in the matter. The weekday/Saturday edition of Peanuts had its last original strip on January 3, 2000.[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_M._Schulz][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanuts] [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 18:29, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

The set-up with the competitor stations and the hidden 'ingredients' is very similar to the mystery challenge in the Great British Bake-off (though they seem to have drawers where the ovens would be) - not sure whether it's specific enough to include in the explanation though. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:35, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

It looks like White Hat's skunk either hasn't woken up yet or has a much less nasty hangover than the other two. [[Special:Contributions/2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:D9C6:625B:47D6:8BE3|2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:D9C6:625B:47D6:8BE3]] 15:50, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: Or it has a much ''worse'' hangover, to the point where it can't contemplate moving. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 17:17, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: Or something to do with gender/hormones as the other 2 skunks are agitated near females (coincidence in an XKCD strip? I don't think so.) OTOH a much more likely explanation in the context of XKCD is simply White Hat's natural unorthodox luck and/or behavior. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 17:43, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

"[…], but that person must be ''a'' grandparent" does ''not'' imply the contestants may not call anyone else but ''their grandparents''. And since many people are grandparents, this means they may call any of them. [[Special:Contributions/2001:4C4E:1C05:F300:5825:EE15:4B0B:B964|2001:4C4E:1C05:F300:5825:EE15:4B0B:B964]] 17:39, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: Yes, any grandparent will do. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 21:23, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
:: Fresh from the grave. [[Special:Contributions/128.6.147.23|128.6.147.23]] 22:13, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
We don't know the rules of the game, and the host did not state clear instructions on what's to do. Thus _my_ "home remedy" would simply be to take the box as-is and move it out of the premises, whereever that be (e.g. the game show place). Problem solved. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 17:47, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
: I wouldn't even take the box. Just leave it there and step away. Not my problem. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 21:22, 10 March 2026 (UTC)
:: Hmm. Maybe it is ''my'' unorthodox worldview, but I felt that the goal was to somehow pacify the hungover skunk additionally upset by the chewing gum. Finish with a photo-worthy stance of the contestant smiling at the camera, with the skunk under one arm. The idea of calling a grandparent felt like it was related to that species having life experience already in dealing with stinky, drunk, chewing-gum-affected badly-domesticated beings.[[User:Yamaplos|Yamaplos]] ([[User talk:Yamaplos|talk]]) 03:21, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
:: Call the grandparent and get them to take care of it. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:12, 11 March 2026 (UTC)

Peanut butter. Skunks love the stuff, and it's a reliable "solvent" for chewing gum. Carefully offer the skunk a bit of peanut butter, from a distance so as not to alarm it any more than can be avoided. Give more peanut butter, a bit at a time, so the skunk comes to accept you. Then get the peanut butter into the hair that has chewing gum in it. Wait the customary 12-15 minutes until the chewing gum has softened, then see if you can get the gum out. The timing is tight but it might be manageable. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 14:03, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
:Sorry - you are disqualified - you failed to first check whether anyone in the vicinity has a peanut allergy. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 15:12, 11 March 2026 (UTC)
:::The very nature of many home remedies is that they are utter cobblers that – at best – don't work, but quite possibly do more harm than good. So, failing to check how dangerous it might be is actually pretty on the nose, I'd have thought. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 09:19, 12 March 2026 (UTC)
::That gets into "the quicker yet riskier path". But I'd expect that peanut-butter analogues, made from sunflower seeds or roasted soybeans, would work about as well. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 01:55, 12 March 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3214: Electric Vehicles

2026-03-03T23:41:02Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

How's the transcript, guys? --[[User:Utdtutyabthsc|Utdtutyabthsc]] ([[User talk:Utdtutyabthsc|talk]]) 03:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: Heck if i know [[Special:Contributions/216.25.182.141|216.25.182.141]] 03:46, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

idk man, most cars I've encountered sound pretty acoustic to me. EVs are quieter though since they lack combustion engines [[Special:Contributions/137.25.230.78|137.25.230.78]] 04:00, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Just added a real life cars-as-instruments section, and to prove I'm human I must select photos with cars. It didn't tell me if I should pick the acoustic ones though, I'm confused. [[Special:Contributions/78.244.70.135|78.244.70.135]] 08:11, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: Didn't it give you the option to use an audio version of the captcha? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:37, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

You know, it ''is'' possible to run out of charge while you're driving. Then you have to figure out how to move your car or recharge it when there aren't any sources of electricity handy or convenient. [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 09:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: That's hardly a unique problem, though - the same is also true of gas-powered cars (or any other fuel you care to mention, for that matter). [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
::No it's not true. When you run out of fuel with an ICE, you can go and get some fuel and bring it back. Or you can carry a spare canister of fuel with you for long journeys to remote places. You can't go and get a bottle of electricity and take it back to your vehicle if you run out of charge. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:::Isn't a battery already a "bottle of electricity". Might need some jury-rigging with various unorthodox combinations of cables and connectors, but if you fill your pockets (or maybe a large wheelbarrow!) with enough {{w|Battery_pack#Power_bank|portable power-packs}} you ''should'' be able to get a bit of much needed 'juice' into your stranded vehicle. ;) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
::::When my son was about 3 or 4, he said "Electric is with wires...batteries are little tubs of electricity." So yeah, already thinking that! So, to be specific, I guess the problem is not that it's ''impossible'' to carry charge to your stranded vehicle, it's that it's too difficult to be practical. Filling stations sell fuel cans that you can fill. The energy density of petrol or diesel is such that even a child could carry enough fuel for a normal car to do a 50+ mile journey. Let's see anyone do that with a bottle of electricity... [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: As and when I might transition to EV, I've been thinking of getting a handy sized PV panel (or, better, a 'roll' of PV fabric, which can be pegged out; perhaps even used as a windbreak/sunshade) stowed in a corner of the boot(/trunk), that I can take out and use to trickle-charge the vehicle when needed. Although that's more for like just making a bit of use of the sunshine if I'm stopped anywhere for long enough, to reduce my reliance upon commercial power sources. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

When i was in school one teacher was keen on distinguishing batteries from accumulators. a battery was something you use once, an accumulator could be recharged. this was in a non-english speaking country and i am not sure if this strict distinction exists in english. but it could cause such a misunderstanding.--[[Special:Contributions/2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC|2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC]] 10:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: Until I read the whole paragraph I was thinking accumulator would be the same as a capacitor. Maybe they thought rechargeables are actually giant capacitors, but they aren't. They store energy in a (mostly) reversible chemical reaction (tons of energy, slow to charge-discharge (unless spicy pillow releases magic smoke and fire)). Capacitors hold charge physically along the surfaces of the plates (fast charge-discharge, (relatively) tiny capacity). Totally different storage method. [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 13:34, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:Of course, the usual (and, by now, entirely moot) confusion is between "battery" and a "cell". It should only really be a "battery" if there's more than one "cell" in series (or ''maybe'' in parallel, but I'm sure that can be argued about) within the full item that you're naming as such. And rechargable batteries/cells have been so long a thing (are "electrical accumulators", as opposed to non-electrical equivalent ones for other forms of energy storage and release, like pressure-/gravity-tanks, flywheels, etc), although lead-acid batteries (yes, they're internally cells in series!) was often identified as an "accumulator" to contrast with the (single-use) solid-state chemical cell/battery. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

I think acoustic propulsion is a thing, but it doesn't work for human-scale cars. One, the sound generator is external and two, it's usually small things. [[Special:Contributions/2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2|2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2]] 14:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Isn't an explosion technically sound? As gas-fueled cars are powered by exploding the gas, they really are accoustic cars.([[User sobrow|talk]]) 16:36, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: The sound is a side-effect - not the means of propulsion. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

I'm not convinced the penny farthing line is relevant - the preceding discussion, in reference to the title text, is about misapplying distinctions from one field to another inappropriate one where they aren't relevant. The 'safety' epithet was applied because the new bicycles were considered safer - whether or not that was ''correct'', it was entirely relevant to the distinction being made. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:I also was doubtful, but I only corrected it regarding the "penny farthing" name misconception (they weren't really called that, at the time...). Probably can be removed, unless someone wants to say more about them being the "ordinary" bicycles of their day (hence also "old ordinary" as an epithet ...once they were sufficiently no longer 'new', of course). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure, if it fit's in the explanation, but Oneway Vipes are a thing: You buy them with pretty good 18650 batteries and throw them away, if the battery is empty. {{unsigned ip|2001:9e8:9690:bf00:a8bb:ca4c:64a1:1e5c|18:13, 3 March 2026}}
:What's that? Some form of Segway? (Couldn't find anything out there by that name, or even "Oneway Bikes". And do remember to sign...) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
::"Vapes", possibly..? [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 22:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Isn't this a parody of those people who use "what will you do when it runs out of battery" as an argument against EVs, like that doesn't also apply to regular cars? --[[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 19:15, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
::I have run out of fuel more than once. I walked to a filling station, bought some fuel, and hitched back to my vehicle. So, there's my tested solution to that problem as applies to internal combustion engine vehicles. As you're suggesting the problem is the same whether it happens with EVs or regular cars, could you explain your EV version of the solution? [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:28, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:Well, if that ever happens to me, I fully intend to siphen some electricity from the nearest unattended EV... Electrons are very small, and should be easier to suck into a pipe than that nasty hydrocarbon fuel is... [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 19:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3214: Electric Vehicles

2026-03-03T23:29:26Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

How's the transcript, guys? --[[User:Utdtutyabthsc|Utdtutyabthsc]] ([[User talk:Utdtutyabthsc|talk]]) 03:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: Heck if i know [[Special:Contributions/216.25.182.141|216.25.182.141]] 03:46, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

idk man, most cars I've encountered sound pretty acoustic to me. EVs are quieter though since they lack combustion engines [[Special:Contributions/137.25.230.78|137.25.230.78]] 04:00, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Just added a real life cars-as-instruments section, and to prove I'm human I must select photos with cars. It didn't tell me if I should pick the acoustic ones though, I'm confused. [[Special:Contributions/78.244.70.135|78.244.70.135]] 08:11, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: Didn't it give you the option to use an audio version of the captcha? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:37, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

You know, it ''is'' possible to run out of charge while you're driving. Then you have to figure out how to move your car or recharge it when there aren't any sources of electricity handy or convenient. [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 09:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: That's hardly a unique problem, though - the same is also true of gas-powered cars (or any other fuel you care to mention, for that matter). [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
::No it's not true. When you run out of fuel with an ICE, you can go and get some fuel and bring it back. Or you can carry a spare canister of fuel with you for long journeys to remote places. You can't go and get a bottle of electricity and take it back to your vehicle if you run out of charge. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:::Isn't a battery already a "bottle of electricity". Might need some jury-rigging with various unorthodox combinations of cables and connectors, but if you fill your pockets (or maybe a large wheelbarrow!) with enough {{w|Battery_pack#Power_bank|portable power-packs}} you ''should'' be able to get a bit of much needed 'juice' into your stranded vehicle. ;) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: As and when I might transition to EV, I've been thinking of getting a handy sized PV panel (or, better, a 'roll' of PV fabric, which can be pegged out; perhaps even used as a windbreak/sunshade) stowed in a corner of the boot(/trunk), that I can take out and use to trickle-charge the vehicle when needed. Although that's more for like just making a bit of use of the sunshine if I'm stopped anywhere for long enough, to reduce my reliance upon commercial power sources. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

When i was in school one teacher was keen on distinguishing batteries from accumulators. a battery was something you use once, an accumulator could be recharged. this was in a non-english speaking country and i am not sure if this strict distinction exists in english. but it could cause such a misunderstanding.--[[Special:Contributions/2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC|2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC]] 10:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: Until I read the whole paragraph I was thinking accumulator would be the same as a capacitor. Maybe they thought rechargeables are actually giant capacitors, but they aren't. They store energy in a (mostly) reversible chemical reaction (tons of energy, slow to charge-discharge (unless spicy pillow releases magic smoke and fire)). Capacitors hold charge physically along the surfaces of the plates (fast charge-discharge, (relatively) tiny capacity). Totally different storage method. [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 13:34, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:Of course, the usual (and, by now, entirely moot) confusion is between "battery" and a "cell". It should only really be a "battery" if there's more than one "cell" in series (or ''maybe'' in parallel, but I'm sure that can be argued about) within the full item that you're naming as such. And rechargable batteries/cells have been so long a thing (are "electrical accumulators", as opposed to non-electrical equivalent ones for other forms of energy storage and release, like pressure-/gravity-tanks, flywheels, etc), although lead-acid batteries (yes, they're internally cells in series!) was often identified as an "accumulator" to contrast with the (single-use) solid-state chemical cell/battery. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

I think acoustic propulsion is a thing, but it doesn't work for human-scale cars. One, the sound generator is external and two, it's usually small things. [[Special:Contributions/2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2|2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2]] 14:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Isn't an explosion technically sound? As gas-fueled cars are powered by exploding the gas, they really are accoustic cars.([[User sobrow|talk]]) 16:36, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: The sound is a side-effect - not the means of propulsion. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

I'm not convinced the penny farthing line is relevant - the preceding discussion, in reference to the title text, is about misapplying distinctions from one field to another inappropriate one where they aren't relevant. The 'safety' epithet was applied because the new bicycles were considered safer - whether or not that was ''correct'', it was entirely relevant to the distinction being made. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:I also was doubtful, but I only corrected it regarding the "penny farthing" name misconception (they weren't really called that, at the time...). Probably can be removed, unless someone wants to say more about them being the "ordinary" bicycles of their day (hence also "old ordinary" as an epithet ...once they were sufficiently no longer 'new', of course). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure, if it fit's in the explanation, but Oneway Vipes are a thing: You buy them with pretty good 18650 batteries and throw them away, if the battery is empty. {{unsigned ip|2001:9e8:9690:bf00:a8bb:ca4c:64a1:1e5c|18:13, 3 March 2026}}
:What's that? Some form of Segway? (Couldn't find anything out there by that name, or even "Oneway Bikes". And do remember to sign...) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
::"Vapes", possibly..? [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 22:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Isn't this a parody of those people who use "what will you do when it runs out of battery" as an argument against EVs, like that doesn't also apply to regular cars? --[[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 19:15, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
::I have run out of fuel more than once. I walked to a filling station, bought some fuel, and hitched back to my vehicle. So, there's my tested solution to that problem as applies to internal combustion engine vehicles. As you're suggesting the problem is the same whether it happens with EVs or regular cars, could you explain your EV version of the solution? [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:28, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:Well, if that ever happens to me, I fully intend to siphen some electricity from the nearest unattended EV... Electrons are very small, and should be easier to suck into a pipe than that nasty hydrocarbon fuel is... [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 19:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3214: Electric Vehicles

2026-03-03T23:28:03Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

How's the transcript, guys? --[[User:Utdtutyabthsc|Utdtutyabthsc]] ([[User talk:Utdtutyabthsc|talk]]) 03:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: Heck if i know [[Special:Contributions/216.25.182.141|216.25.182.141]] 03:46, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

idk man, most cars I've encountered sound pretty acoustic to me. EVs are quieter though since they lack combustion engines [[Special:Contributions/137.25.230.78|137.25.230.78]] 04:00, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Just added a real life cars-as-instruments section, and to prove I'm human I must select photos with cars. It didn't tell me if I should pick the acoustic ones though, I'm confused. [[Special:Contributions/78.244.70.135|78.244.70.135]] 08:11, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: Didn't it give you the option to use an audio version of the captcha? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:37, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

You know, it ''is'' possible to run out of charge while you're driving. Then you have to figure out how to move your car or recharge it when there aren't any sources of electricity handy or convenient. [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 09:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: That's hardly a unique problem, though - the same is also true of gas-powered cars (or any other fuel you care to mention, for that matter). [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
::No it's not true. When you run out of fuel with an ICE, you can go and get some fuel and bring it back. Or you can carry a spare canister of fuel with you for long journeys to remote places. You can't go and get a bottle of electricity and take it back to your vehicle if you run out of charge. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:::Isn't a battery already a "bottle of electricity". Might need some jury-rigging with various unorthodox combinations of cables and connectors, but if you fill your pockets (or maybe a large wheelbarrow!) with enough {{w|Battery_pack#Power_bank|portable power-packs}} you ''should'' be able to get a bit of much needed 'juice' into your stranded vehicle. ;) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: As and when I might transition to EV, I've been thinking of getting a handy sized PV panel (or, better, a 'roll' of PV fabric, which can be pegged out; perhaps even used as a windbreak/sunshade) stowed in a corner of the boot(/trunk), that I can take out and use to trickle-charge the vehicle when needed. Although that's more for like just making a bit of use of the sunshine if I'm stopped anywhere for long enough, to reduce my reliance upon commercial power sources. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

When i was in school one teacher was keen on distinguishing batteries from accumulators. a battery was something you use once, an accumulator could be recharged. this was in a non-english speaking country and i am not sure if this strict distinction exists in english. but it could cause such a misunderstanding.--[[Special:Contributions/2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC|2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC]] 10:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: Until I read the whole paragraph I was thinking accumulator would be the same as a capacitor. Maybe they thought rechargeables are actually giant capacitors, but they aren't. They store energy in a (mostly) reversible chemical reaction (tons of energy, slow to charge-discharge (unless spicy pillow releases magic smoke and fire)). Capacitors hold charge physically along the surfaces of the plates (fast charge-discharge, (relatively) tiny capacity). Totally different storage method. [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 13:34, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:Of course, the usual (and, by now, entirely moot) confusion is between "battery" and a "cell". It should only really be a "battery" if there's more than one "cell" in series (or ''maybe'' in parallel, but I'm sure that can be argued about) within the full item that you're naming as such. And rechargable batteries/cells have been so long a thing (are "electrical accumulators", as opposed to non-electrical equivalent ones for other forms of energy storage and release, like pressure-/gravity-tanks, flywheels, etc), although lead-acid batteries (yes, they're internally cells in series!) was often identified as an "accumulator" to contrast with the (single-use) solid-state chemical cell/battery. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

I think acoustic propulsion is a thing, but it doesn't work for human-scale cars. One, the sound generator is external and two, it's usually small things. [[Special:Contributions/2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2|2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2]] 14:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Isn't an explosion technically sound? As gas-fueled cars are powered by exploding the gas, they really are accoustic cars.([[User sobrow|talk]]) 16:36, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: The sound is a side-effect - not the means of propulsion. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

I'm not convinced the penny farthing line is relevant - the preceding discussion, in reference to the title text, is about misapplying distinctions from one field to another inappropriate one where they aren't relevant. The 'safety' epithet was applied because the new bicycles were considered safer - whether or not that was ''correct'', it was entirely relevant to the distinction being made. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:I also was doubtful, but I only corrected it regarding the "penny farthing" name misconception (they weren't really called that, at the time...). Probably can be removed, unless someone wants to say more about them being the "ordinary" bicycles of their day (hence also "old ordinary" as an epithet ...once they were sufficiently no longer 'new', of course). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure, if it fit's in the explanation, but Oneway Vipes are a thing: You buy them with pretty good 18650 batteries and throw them away, if the battery is empty. {{unsigned ip|2001:9e8:9690:bf00:a8bb:ca4c:64a1:1e5c|18:13, 3 March 2026}}
:What's that? Some form of Segway? (Couldn't find anything out there by that name, or even "Oneway Bikes". And do remember to sign...) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
::"Vapes", possibly..? [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 22:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Isn't this a parody of those people who use "what will you do when it runs out of battery" as an argument against EVs, like that doesn't also apply to regular cars? --[[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 19:15, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
::I have run out of fuel more than once. I walked to a filling station, bought some fuel, and hitched back to my vehicle. So, there's my tested solution to that problem as applies to internal combustion engine vehicles. As you're suggesting the problem is the same when it happens with EVs or regular cars, could you explain your EV version of the solution? [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:28, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:Well, if that ever happens to me, I fully intend to siphen some electricity from the nearest unattended EV... Electrons are very small, and should be easier to suck into a pipe than that nasty hydrocarbon fuel is... [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 19:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

3214: Electric Vehicles

2026-03-03T23:17:57Z

Yorkshire Pudding: /* Explanation */ Removed suggestion that diesel fuel is for larger vehicles.

{{comic
| number = 3214
| date = March 2, 2026
| title = Electric Vehicles
| image = electric_vehicles_2x.png
| imagesize = 209x389px
| noexpand = true
| titletext = Now that I've finally gotten an electric vehicle, I'm never going back to an acoustic one.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|This page was created by an EV WITH A NON-RECHARGEABLE BOT-TERY. Don't remove this notice too soon.}}

Even at the time this comic was written, many potential customers of {{w|electric vehicle}}s are still concerned about {{w|range anxiety}}, and the ability of the vehicle batteries to allow the same freedom of travel as with those using the {{w|internal combustion engine}}. No one wants to be stuck on the side of the road, having run out of power, and finding a {{w|filling station}} for fuel ({{w|gasoline|gasoline/petrol}} or {{w|diesel fuel}}) to refill a traditional gasoline-powered motor vehicle is still easier (at time of writing) than finding an electric vehicle recharging station in most areas. Manufacturers have been trying to ease these fears by developing longer-lasting batteries, along with more recharging stations being set up, but the concerns remain for many.

This comic exaggerates this concern to an absurd degree: [[Cueball]], up until he was corrected, had apparently mistakenly believed that electric cars were powered by single-use, non-rechargable batteries. In reality, of course, such vehicles have and always had used {{w|rechargeable battery}} technology (of varying usefulness). He should indeed feel incredibly silly about this, given that rechargeable batteries are very common and exist in many other devices, as well as in {{w|internal combustion engine}} vehicles themselves (to operate the {{w|Starter (engine)|starter motor}} and other vehicle electronics, at times when the engine isn't yet powering the dynamo in return). His objection makes about as much sense as saying he'd never buy a fuel-powered car because eventually he'd empty the fuel tank.

A modern electric car commonly has [https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/evolution-of-average-range-of-electric-vehicles-by-powertrain-2010-2021 a range above 300 km/200 miles]. Combustion engine cars usually reach [https://energynow.ca/2022/10/visualizing-the-range-of-electric-cars-vs-gas-powered-cars/ at least twice this range] on a full fuel tank. All types of vehicle can only be driven so far, or even idled for so long, without refilling its energy storage; be that liquid fuel or electrochemical potential. Because of this, any vehicle (other than perhaps a {{w|solar car}}, or similar) will require occasional top-ups at roadside facilities or even through a direct feed ({{w|overhead line}}s can provide electricity to {{w|Rubber-tyred tram|suitable road or rail vehicles}}, and a {{w|third rail}} is an additional option for the latter type, along some or all of their prepared routes). Many countries now have vast networks of public charging infrastructure, to echo the almost ubiquitous presence of refuelling stations across the road network.

Their spacing in the all but the most sparsely populated areas usually permits any electric vehicle (even one with an unusually low range of <100km) to recharge before it runs out of energy, and fast charging capabilities of 400kW and greater makes the current waiting time to recharge more and more like the quick topping-up process people are used to in liquid refuelling. As an alternative, {{w|battery swapping}} is also a possibility in some places, for suitably designed EVs, and has been [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNZy603as5w commercialized]. In these cases, replacing the battery does not substitute charging it, but it reduces the “refill” time from a possible thirty minutes stop-over to just a few minutes (the time needed to pull out the discharged battery pack from the vehicle and put in a fully charged one). The prior batteries are then charged by the facility, and later used to directly replace some other vehicle’s battery when it requires it.

The title text imagines that electric cars are distinct from others in a similar way as electric instruments. In particular, {{w|electric guitar}}s are contrasted with {{w|acoustic guitar|non-electric (aka acoustic) ones}}. In the case of instruments, though, the 'electric' and 'acoustic' don't refer to how they're powered (the latter isn't even 'powered' at all), but how they transmit and amplify the sound produced by the player. There's no such thing as an acoustic vehicle, though sound ''can'' be used to [https://hackaday.com/2025/02/21/acoustic-engine-harnesses-the-power-of-sound/ generate propulsion] [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je7eLZS6GG0 on a small scale][https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCnxsoXtlmY in a variety of ways]. It has become a common practice to refer to ''bicycles'' without a motor by the misnomer 'acoustic bicycle', but this does not seem to be much the case with cars. (Bicycles are sometimes also referred to as 'analog bicycles' — this is even more of a misnomer, being borrowed from the distinction between mechanical and digital devices, where the latter are sometimes misnamed as 'electric'.) When particular bicycles were developed to supersede the "ordinary" type (later) known as {{w|penny-farthing}}s, the ''new'' bicycles with wheels of the same size were called "{{w|safety bicycle}}s", to promote the idea of their being less tricky to ride, a term that later fell out of use as the new design became more standard (and, in its own way, 'ordinary').

Electric vehicles are {{w|Electric vehicle warning sounds|commonly designed}} to emit sound, sometimes like an electronic instrument, to give an audible warning of their presence for the purpose of safety, particularly when traveling at lower speeds. Several jurisdictions around the world {{w|Electric vehicle warning sounds#Regulations|require}} them to emit a minimum sound level. In some cases, electric vehicle sounds are designed by [https://abcnews.com/Business/famed-composer-hans-zimmers-score-giving-sound-electric/story?id=69242502 renowned composers]. Though it is not their intended use,{{Citation needed}} motorised vehicles can be used as music instruments. Composer Ryoji Ikeda has composed a [https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/37885/1/building-a-synth-orchestra-out-of-one-hundred-cars symphony for 100 thermal ("acoustic") cars].

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing to the left side of the panel with his arms out, and [[Megan]] and [[White Hat]] are standing to his right, facing him.]

:Cueball: I would never get an electric vehicle.
:Cueball: Sure, they sound great, but what do you do if the battery runs out of charge?

:[Caption below the image:]
:I felt pretty silly when someone finally explained to me that EVs are rechargeable.

{{comic discussion}}<noinclude>
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]

Talk:3214: Electric Vehicles

2026-03-03T23:08:37Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

How's the transcript, guys? --[[User:Utdtutyabthsc|Utdtutyabthsc]] ([[User talk:Utdtutyabthsc|talk]]) 03:41, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: Heck if i know [[Special:Contributions/216.25.182.141|216.25.182.141]] 03:46, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

idk man, most cars I've encountered sound pretty acoustic to me. EVs are quieter though since they lack combustion engines [[Special:Contributions/137.25.230.78|137.25.230.78]] 04:00, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Just added a real life cars-as-instruments section, and to prove I'm human I must select photos with cars. It didn't tell me if I should pick the acoustic ones though, I'm confused. [[Special:Contributions/78.244.70.135|78.244.70.135]] 08:11, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: Didn't it give you the option to use an audio version of the captcha? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:37, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

You know, it ''is'' possible to run out of charge while you're driving. Then you have to figure out how to move your car or recharge it when there aren't any sources of electricity handy or convenient. [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 09:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: That's hardly a unique problem, though - the same is also true of gas-powered cars (or any other fuel you care to mention, for that matter). [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
::No it's not true. When you run out of fuel with an ICE, you can go and get some fuel and bring it back. Or you can carry a spare canister of fuel with you for long journeys to remote places. You can't go and get a bottle of electricity and take it back to your vehicle if you run out of charge. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:08, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: As and when I might transition to EV, I've been thinking of getting a handy sized PV panel (or, better, a 'roll' of PV fabric, which can be pegged out; perhaps even used as a windbreak/sunshade) stowed in a corner of the boot(/trunk), that I can take out and use to trickle-charge the vehicle when needed. Although that's more for like just making a bit of use of the sunshine if I'm stopped anywhere for long enough, to reduce my reliance upon commercial power sources. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

When i was in school one teacher was keen on distinguishing batteries from accumulators. a battery was something you use once, an accumulator could be recharged. this was in a non-english speaking country and i am not sure if this strict distinction exists in english. but it could cause such a misunderstanding.--[[Special:Contributions/2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC|2001:62A:4:408:2541:D6E7:7A86:B8DC]] 10:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: Until I read the whole paragraph I was thinking accumulator would be the same as a capacitor. Maybe they thought rechargeables are actually giant capacitors, but they aren't. They store energy in a (mostly) reversible chemical reaction (tons of energy, slow to charge-discharge (unless spicy pillow releases magic smoke and fire)). Capacitors hold charge physically along the surfaces of the plates (fast charge-discharge, (relatively) tiny capacity). Totally different storage method. [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 13:34, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:Of course, the usual (and, by now, entirely moot) confusion is between "battery" and a "cell". It should only really be a "battery" if there's more than one "cell" in series (or ''maybe'' in parallel, but I'm sure that can be argued about) within the full item that you're naming as such. And rechargable batteries/cells have been so long a thing (are "electrical accumulators", as opposed to non-electrical equivalent ones for other forms of energy storage and release, like pressure-/gravity-tanks, flywheels, etc), although lead-acid batteries (yes, they're internally cells in series!) was often identified as an "accumulator" to contrast with the (single-use) solid-state chemical cell/battery. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 14:39, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

I think acoustic propulsion is a thing, but it doesn't work for human-scale cars. One, the sound generator is external and two, it's usually small things. [[Special:Contributions/2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2|2603:8081:9700:E9D:0:0:0:2]] 14:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Isn't an explosion technically sound? As gas-fueled cars are powered by exploding the gas, they really are accoustic cars.([[User sobrow|talk]]) 16:36, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
: The sound is a side-effect - not the means of propulsion. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

I'm not convinced the penny farthing line is relevant - the preceding discussion, in reference to the title text, is about misapplying distinctions from one field to another inappropriate one where they aren't relevant. The 'safety' epithet was applied because the new bicycles were considered safer - whether or not that was ''correct'', it was entirely relevant to the distinction being made. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:54, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:I also was doubtful, but I only corrected it regarding the "penny farthing" name misconception (they weren't really called that, at the time...). Probably can be removed, unless someone wants to say more about them being the "ordinary" bicycles of their day (hence also "old ordinary" as an epithet ...once they were sufficiently no longer 'new', of course). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure, if it fit's in the explanation, but Oneway Vipes are a thing: You buy them with pretty good 18650 batteries and throw them away, if the battery is empty. {{unsigned ip|2001:9e8:9690:bf00:a8bb:ca4c:64a1:1e5c|18:13, 3 March 2026}}
:What's that? Some form of Segway? (Couldn't find anything out there by that name, or even "Oneway Bikes". And do remember to sign...) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.30|82.132.239.30]] 18:31, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
::"Vapes", possibly..? [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 22:25, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Isn't this a parody of those people who use "what will you do when it runs out of battery" as an argument against EVs, like that doesn't also apply to regular cars? --[[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 19:15, 3 March 2026 (UTC)
:Well, if that ever happens to me, I fully intend to siphen some electricity from the nearest unattended EV... Electrons are very small, and should be easier to suck into a pipe than that nasty hydrocarbon fuel is... [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 19:22, 3 March 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3211: Amperage

2026-02-28T00:16:56Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Seems like this would be at least tangentially related to the Cursed Connectors series, although it's just the outlets and cords this time. [[User:Zakator|Zakator]] ([[User talk:Zakator|talk]]) 05:51, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

I would assume that this is related to styropyro's latest video? [[Special:Contributions/142.126.42.193|142.126.42.193]] 05:59, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
: I’ll second the comment about the new styropyro video; it seems very likely that it inspired Randall to make this comic and is probably worth a mention. [[Special:Contributions/2607:FB91:829C:47BD:C826:B8DB:5A5E:913A|2607:FB91:829C:47BD:C826:B8DB:5A5E:913A]] 07:50, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
: I think that's very likely - in literally every single group of nerds (eg xkcd-adjacent) I've seen people talking about it. I'd be very, very surprised if he hasn't at all seen it[[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 17:28, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

200 amps is NOT "an amount of electricity power"; The amp is a unit of electrical current, from which power can be derived by multiplying by voltage.[[Special:Contributions/2001:8003:7087:E602:3CBE:B25:5BFC:61BD|2001:8003:7087:E602:3CBE:B25:5BFC:61BD]] 07:41, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

The current explanation seems to assume that Cueball is aware in advance of some of the problems his scheme is likely to cause, and is trying to forestall them. That seems unlikely - it's Cueball after all. It's far more likely that he has ''already'' melted all his wiring (and ruined his carpet), but just considers that a new engineering challenge to overcome. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:28, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

It is amusing or instructional to consider how residential wiring would be engineered if the equipment and circuits were designed with a system that supplied constant current rather than constant voltage. Long ago carbon-arc streetlights were all wired in series and run at perhaps 6 or 8 amps. The "failure" mode is not a short circuit but an open circuit. Protective devices close the offending open. Perhaps Cueball would like to explore such a system, running megavolts at 500 amps, unless he already has. [[Special:Contributions/173.188.198.217|173.188.198.217]] 12:56, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

I understand the theory of it, and it clearly doesn't cause any more electrical fires than home run circuits, but the UK's 32A ring circuits on 14 gauge wire will always make me raise an eyebrow. [[Special:Contributions/64.135.140.145|64.135.140.145]] 13:36, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:The US's pathetically wimpy system always raises an eyebrow for me. No wonder Cueball felt the need to upgrade his house. I would also be frustrated by not being able to run a kettle and a toaster on the same circuit simultaneously. No tea and no toast?? Sacrilege! [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:21, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:: >"frustrated by not being able to run a kettle and a toaster on the same circuit simultaneously." Why must it be the same circuit? The US NEC code calls for TWO 20A circuits in kitchen/pantry. US market kettles are, in your opinion, underpowered, 1500 Watts (or less!), so as to run comfortably on even legacy 15A circuits. The toaster goes on the other kitchen circuit. --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 00:52, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Wow, two circuits are mandated?! That goes to show how dire the situation is with their limited available power. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 05:52, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
::::Just use the stove for your Tea and Toast [[Special:Contributions/66.210.7.66|66.210.7.66]] 16:01, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::Just microwave the lot and be done with it. [[Special:Contributions/176.138.186.7|176.138.186.7]] 21:31, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::This is why I never drink tea when I'm in the US.--[[Special:Contributions/2A00:23CC:D248:8901:C1C2:6444:7428:2D04|2A00:23CC:D248:8901:C1C2:6444:7428:2D04]] 08:59, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
::::::I've heard this before and do not understand the issue. Do you think we have the tea bag in the water while microwaving it? Or do you think the water remembers how it was heated? [[User:BaddDadd|BaddDadd]] ([[User talk:BaddDadd|talk]]) 22:19, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
::::::::No, they don't think that far. Although they believe themselves to be lovers of tea (because they grow up being told they are), Brits are mostly simply prolific consumers of truly execrable tea. But that religion/identity thing they've got going on with regards to tea consumption makes them believe the ceremony and performance of it has validity – superiority even. So a different performance is regarded as wrong. Sure, their belief that their ceremony is underpinned by reason makes them think their hatred of alternatives is similarly reasonable...but it's really just the condemnation of perceived heresy, nothing more. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 00:16, 28 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::::Well, we've gone over this sort of thing before... See [[3022: Making Tea]] for details. ;) (And also take care not to splice apart comments from their signatures!) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 23:59, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
::I'm not sure why no toaster means no toast. You don't need a toaster to make toast. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 21:53, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
: 2.5mm2 is actually more closer to a 13 gauge (which corresponds to 2.6mm2), and with it being in a ring so electricity has two ways to go it's more closer to what a 12 gauge (3.3mm2) would be able to hold. [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 22:48, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:: The current will be about equal through the two paths if the outlet is half way around the ring. If it's, say, only 10 percent of the way around, 90% of the current will take the shorter path. [[User:BaddDadd|BaddDadd]] ([[User talk:BaddDadd|talk]]) 22:22, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

xkcd is a good distractor from everything that's going on with the world. Thanks, Randall! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 13:57, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

Retired electrical engineer from a power distribution manufacturer here... The resistance in the wires doesn't increase all that much with increasing current. The increase in heat generated is proportional to the amount of current flowing through the wires squared. Double the current and the heat generated quadruples. Go from 15 amps to 500 amps and the heat generated by the resistance in the wires increases about 1100 times. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1702:7A0:8230:9DBF:A415:F8AF:7799|2600:1702:7A0:8230:9DBF:A415:F8AF:7799]] 17:10, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:Isn't heat generated proportional to current squared? or is that resistance. maybe im tripping[[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 17:28, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
::Power lost as heat is determined by voltage drop in the line times current [P=IV] and since voltage drop equals current times resistance [V=IR] then heat is determined by resistance times current-squared [P=I*(IR)], so half current makes one quarter of the heat.[[Special:Contributions/57.140.28.40|57.140.28.40]] 18:19, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

120V AC at 15A would not be 1800W. 120V DC would, but the AC power is a sine wave, so to get the overall average power you need to divide by the square root of two. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1009:B1AC:BBBB:1D51:D689:1D5F:6A11|2600:1009:B1AC:BBBB:1D51:D689:1D5F:6A11]] 17:50, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
: To commenter above: 120V in the US is RMS voltage, so it's already divided.
: To original poster: "and inside his appliances and start a fire, even if there is no fault". Unless the appliance itself is drawing more than it's rated for (e.g. 15 or 20A (unlikely)) there's no reason the appliance's internal wiring would disintegrate because it's on a 500A circuit.
:I'm assuming the "cords" cueball refers to are extension cords (which are themselves overloaded) vs. appliance cords which shouldn't have any problem unless the appliance was already suffering some kind of short. [[Special:Contributions/74.76.64.197|74.76.64.197]]
::Absolutely correct. Appliances are designed with appropriate internal wiring, so if the appliance is drawing 500A the appliance can handle 500A. The cord from outlet to appliance is the issue here, as Cueball has already mentioned. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:21, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

Could this perhaps be a reference to [[3198: Double-Pronged Extension Cord]]? [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 21:06, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

There is nothing in the comic to suggest the internal wall wiring is melting or catching fire. I think we can assume Cueball has upgraded the internal wall wiring to match the breaker upgrades. Cueball is only enquiring about cords which don't catch fire, and "cords" are the external extension leads. Cueball doesn't say anything about internal wall issues. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:30, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

TL;DR this is a setup that would make Tim Taylor (from the sitcom {{w|Home Improvement (TV Series)|Home Improvement}}) jealous. [[Special:Contributions/2603:6011:853A:4DDA:3F9A:6297:AF9E:2340|2603:6011:853A:4DDA:3F9A:6297:AF9E:2340]] 04:43, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

I think 1000 MCM copper wire would be sufficient for the cords: https://www.cerrowire.com/products/resources/tables-calculators/ampacity-charts/ https://nassaunationalcable.com/products/1000-mcm-thhn-thwn-2-stranded-copper-building-wire [[Special:Contributions/2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471|2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471]] 04:42, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

Yet another example of the absolutely heinous overexplanation problem on modern exkcd. A comic whose joke boils down to "guy gets rid of electrical safety equipment and is surprised by the creation of serious electrical hazards as a result of this" has exploded to ''nearly 1400 words'' across 7 gigantic paragraphs with long extraneous tangents, in just ''two DAYS'' after the comic went up. This entire comic could be explained in 4 sentences for the main joke and an extra sentence for the title text. [[User:Pie Guy|Pie Guy]] ([[User talk:Pie Guy|talk]]) 04:58, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
:More than that, an overwhelming majority 'exploded' into being within ''half'' a day. The 1.5 days since then has been mostly tweaking.
:Also, he didn't get rid of safety equipment. He actually put more in, but made it more ''relaxed'' safety equipment, and made sure that the greater relaxation is as exploitable as possible so that it still ''might'' get tripped, but only in a worse way. (Simultaneously more forgiving ''and'' less forgiving, depending upon whether you prioritise continuity of service or personal safety.) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.204|82.132.236.204]] 11:15, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
Using the standard 15 amp outlets (as shown in the picture) with a 500 amp breaker is definitely a code violation. He needs to replace them with NEC 500 amp rated outlets (if those exist). Then buy extension cords with the corresponding 500 amp plugs. [[User:BaddDadd|BaddDadd]] ([[User talk:BaddDadd|talk]]) 22:26, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
:The highest (US-'standard') rating I've found, on a quick search is the [https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/227652/does-electrical-code-allow-nema-14-60r-receptacles-in-residential-settings NEMA 14-60]-type plug/socket... Of course, if you're dealing with industrial-level currents you probably would be engineering your own conecting units to fit ''your'' particular power-transfer needs, subject only to basic common sense{{Citation needed}} and a more widely encompassing general set of federal power-regulations.{{Actual citation needed}} [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 00:19, 27 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3211: Amperage

2026-02-26T21:53:01Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Seems like this would be at least tangentially related to the Cursed Connectors series, although it's just the outlets and cords this time. [[User:Zakator|Zakator]] ([[User talk:Zakator|talk]]) 05:51, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

I would assume that this is related to styropyro's latest video? [[Special:Contributions/142.126.42.193|142.126.42.193]] 05:59, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
: I’ll second the comment about the new styropyro video; it seems very likely that it inspired Randall to make this comic and is probably worth a mention. [[Special:Contributions/2607:FB91:829C:47BD:C826:B8DB:5A5E:913A|2607:FB91:829C:47BD:C826:B8DB:5A5E:913A]] 07:50, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
: I think that's very likely - in literally every single group of nerds (eg xkcd-adjacent) I've seen people talking about it. I'd be very, very surprised if he hasn't at all seen it[[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 17:28, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

200 amps is NOT "an amount of electricity power"; The amp is a unit of electrical current, from which power can be derived by multiplying by voltage.[[Special:Contributions/2001:8003:7087:E602:3CBE:B25:5BFC:61BD|2001:8003:7087:E602:3CBE:B25:5BFC:61BD]] 07:41, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

The current explanation seems to assume that Cueball is aware in advance of some of the problems his scheme is likely to cause, and is trying to forestall them. That seems unlikely - it's Cueball after all. It's far more likely that he has ''already'' melted all his wiring (and ruined his carpet), but just considers that a new engineering challenge to overcome. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:28, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

It is amusing or instructional to consider how residential wiring would be engineered if the equipment and circuits were designed with a system that supplied constant current rather than constant voltage. Long ago carbon-arc streetlights were all wired in series and run at perhaps 6 or 8 amps. The "failure" mode is not a short circuit but an open circuit. Protective devices close the offending open. Perhaps Cueball would like to explore such a system, running megavolts at 500 amps, unless he already has. [[Special:Contributions/173.188.198.217|173.188.198.217]] 12:56, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

I understand the theory of it, and it clearly doesn't cause any more electrical fires than home run circuits, but the UK's 32A ring circuits on 14 gauge wire will always make me raise an eyebrow. [[Special:Contributions/64.135.140.145|64.135.140.145]] 13:36, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:The US's pathetically wimpy system always raises an eyebrow for me. No wonder Cueball felt the need to upgrade his house. I would also be frustrated by not being able to run a kettle and a toaster on the same circuit simultaneously. No tea and no toast?? Sacrilege! [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:21, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:::I'm not sure why no toaster means no toast. You don't need a toaster to make toast. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 21:53, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
:: >"frustrated by not being able to run a kettle and a toaster on the same circuit simultaneously." Why must it be the same circuit? The US NEC code calls for TWO 20A circuits in kitchen/pantry. US market kettles are, in your opinion, underpowered, 1500 Watts (or less!), so as to run comfortably on even legacy 15A circuits. The toaster goes on the other kitchen circuit. --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 00:52, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Wow, two circuits are mandated?! That goes to show how dire the situation is with their limited available power. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 05:52, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
::::Just use the stove for your Tea and Toast [[Special:Contributions/66.210.7.66|66.210.7.66]] 16:01, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::Just microwave the lot and be done with it. [[Special:Contributions/176.138.186.7|176.138.186.7]] 21:31, 25 February 2026 (UTC)
:::::This is why I never drink tea when I'm in the US.--[[Special:Contributions/2A00:23CC:D248:8901:C1C2:6444:7428:2D04|2A00:23CC:D248:8901:C1C2:6444:7428:2D04]] 08:59, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
: 2.5mm2 is actually more closer to a 13 gauge (which corresponds to 2.6mm2), and with it being in a ring so electricity has two ways to go it's more closer to what a 12 gauge (3.3mm2) would be able to hold. [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 22:48, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

xkcd is a good distractor from everything that's going on with the world. Thanks, Randall! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] (BLM) 13:57, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

Retired electrical engineer from a power distribution manufacturer here... The resistance in the wires doesn't increase all that much with increasing current. The increase in heat generated is proportional to the amount of current flowing through the wires squared. Double the current and the heat generated quadruples. Go from 15 amps to 500 amps and the heat generated by the resistance in the wires increases about 1100 times. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1702:7A0:8230:9DBF:A415:F8AF:7799|2600:1702:7A0:8230:9DBF:A415:F8AF:7799]] 17:10, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
:Isn't heat generated proportional to current squared? or is that resistance. maybe im tripping[[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 17:28, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
::Power lost as heat is determined by voltage drop in the line times current [P=IV] and since voltage drop equals current times resistance [V=IR] then heat is determined by resistance times current-squared [P=I*(IR)], so half current makes one quarter of the heat.[[Special:Contributions/57.140.28.40|57.140.28.40]] 18:19, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

120V AC at 15A would not be 1800W. 120V DC would, but the AC power is a sine wave, so to get the overall average power you need to divide by the square root of two. [[Special:Contributions/2600:1009:B1AC:BBBB:1D51:D689:1D5F:6A11|2600:1009:B1AC:BBBB:1D51:D689:1D5F:6A11]] 17:50, 24 February 2026 (UTC)
: To commenter above: 120V in the US is RMS voltage, so it's already divided.
: To original poster: "and inside his appliances and start a fire, even if there is no fault". Unless the appliance itself is drawing more than it's rated for (e.g. 15 or 20A (unlikely)) there's no reason the appliance's internal wiring would disintegrate because it's on a 500A circuit.
:I'm assuming the "cords" cueball refers to are extension cords (which are themselves overloaded) vs. appliance cords which shouldn't have any problem unless the appliance was already suffering some kind of short. [[Special:Contributions/74.76.64.197|74.76.64.197]]
::Absolutely correct. Appliances are designed with appropriate internal wiring, so if the appliance is drawing 500A the appliance can handle 500A. The cord from outlet to appliance is the issue here, as Cueball has already mentioned. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:21, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

Could this perhaps be a reference to [[3198: Double-Pronged Extension Cord]]? [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 21:06, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

There is nothing in the comic to suggest the internal wall wiring is melting or catching fire. I think we can assume Cueball has upgraded the internal wall wiring to match the breaker upgrades. Cueball is only enquiring about cords which don't catch fire, and "cords" are the external extension leads. Cueball doesn't say anything about internal wall issues. [[User:Martin|Martin]] ([[User talk:Martin|talk]]) 22:30, 24 February 2026 (UTC)

TL;DR this is a setup that would make Tim Taylor (from the sitcom {{w|Home Improvement (TV Series)|Home Improvement}}) jealous. [[Special:Contributions/2603:6011:853A:4DDA:3F9A:6297:AF9E:2340|2603:6011:853A:4DDA:3F9A:6297:AF9E:2340]] 04:43, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

I think 1000 MCM copper wire would be sufficient for the cords: https://www.cerrowire.com/products/resources/tables-calculators/ampacity-charts/ https://nassaunationalcable.com/products/1000-mcm-thhn-thwn-2-stranded-copper-building-wire [[Special:Contributions/2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471|2600:6C54:4E00:99C:67B7:D578:30ED:2471]] 04:42, 25 February 2026 (UTC)

Yet another example of the absolutely heinous overexplanation problem on modern exkcd. A comic whose joke boils down to "guy gets rid of electrical safety equipment and is surprised by the creation of serious electrical hazards as a result of this" has exploded to ''nearly 1400 words'' across 7 gigantic paragraphs with long extraneous tangents, in just ''two DAYS'' after the comic went up. This entire comic could be explained in 4 sentences for the main joke and an extra sentence for the title text. [[User:Pie Guy|Pie Guy]] ([[User talk:Pie Guy|talk]]) 04:58, 26 February 2026 (UTC)
:More than that, an overwhelming majority 'exploded' into being within ''half'' a day. The 1.5 days since then has been mostly tweaking.
:Also, he didn't get rid of safety equipment. He actually put more in, but made it more ''relaxed'' safety equipment, and made sure that the greater relaxation is as exploitable as possible so that it still ''might'' get tripped, but only in a worse way. (Simultaneously more forgiving ''and'' less forgiving, depending upon whether you prioritise continuity of service or personal safety.) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.236.204|82.132.236.204]] 11:15, 26 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3208: SNEWS

2026-02-18T22:48:06Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

The title text SNEWS is a reference to {{w|SuperNova_Early_Warning_System}}. {{unsigned ip|2a09:bac2:3656:ebe::178:123}} 21:58, 16 February 2026 (UTC)
: No, you're wrong. It stands for Southeast, North East West South, since those are the directions where it can detect them. - [[Special:Contributions/45.178.1.151|45.178.1.151]] 01:41, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

F1RST! also i posted this when there was no explanation. please fix this {{unsigned ip|2605:59c8:22e3:3e14:95a1:c5da:4c49:c384|22:55, 16 February 2026 (UTC)}}

Is this my mediocre non-native English, or should the title text read "setting off fireworks indoors"? (Trivia?) --[[Special:Contributions/2001:A62:5F7:FB01:538E:3F07:C9F0:F0C0|2001:A62:5F7:FB01:538E:3F07:C9F0:F0C0]] 23:06, 16 February 2026 (UTC)
:Yeah, 'setting of fireworks indoors, ...' would mean setting them up (i.e., placing them) and not 'setting off', lighting or detonating the fireworks. [[User:Sameldacamel34|Sameldacamel34]] ([[User talk:Sameldacamel34|talk]]) 23:22, 16 February 2026 (UTC)
:You can talk of setting explosives (the setting of them, as passively ready, to make them ready for later "setting them off"), so I expect the "setting of fireworks" is pretty much the same thing, much as with the setting of an alarm clock.
:Though also sounds like a possible americanism, like "lit it on fire" (c.f. my own prefered "set light to it"), if only because the former seem tautilogical; and/or strangely long-winded, such as with "to burglarize" vs. just "to burgle" (both being what a burglar does upon his burglary). But it's not one of those many funny transatlantic dialect things I've noticed previously, so I could be overexplaining what actually ''is'' merely a typo.
::A burglar does not burgle any more than a mother moths or water wats. "Burglar" existed before the verb "to burgle" was mistakenly back-formed by those who thought that the "-ar" ending necessarily indicated that it was an agent noun. A burglar needs a word to describe what they do, so burglarize makes reasonable sense. It could simply be "to burglar", like "to father". We don't say that anyone "fatherizes" a child, but it would make more sense than saying someone "faths" a child. Burglarize is more valid than burgle. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 22:48, 18 February 2026 (UTC)
[[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.3|82.132.239.3]] 01:33, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
::I could see it as a missing word "setting off of fireworks indoors" seems OK in American to me, though then I'd want a the: "The setting off of fireworks indoors"[[User:Lordpishky|Lord Pishky]] ([[User talk:Lordpishky|talk]]) 05:57, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
It snew [[User:Yaokuan ITB|Yaokuan ITB]] ([[User talk:Yaokuan ITB|talk]]) 23:28, 16 February 2026 (UTC)
:Exactly my thoughts, Yaokuan [[Special:Contributions/216.25.182.141|216.25.182.141]] 23:58, 16 February 2026 (UTC)
:Gesundheit! [[User:Logalex8369|Logalex8369]] ([[User talk:Logalex8369|talk]]) 01:35, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

Sorry, it somehow escaped me when editing the explanation that neutrinos have mass!! (even though we've known about this for decades). Does this mean that if the supernova is far away enough, the photons will arrive before the neutrinos? Or is that threshold too far to matter? [[User:Sameldacamel34|Sameldacamel34]] ([[User talk:Sameldacamel34|talk]]) 01:21, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

: Yes, but the threshold is too far away to have happened yet. Supernova neutrinos have [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernova_neutrinos 10^10 to 10^20 MeV]. Judging by the table at the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measurements_of_neutrino_speed Overview on neutrino speed], assuming we are about right about the mass of a neutrino, neutrinos that energetic would be traveling within a factor of 10-42 of ''c'', so they would need to have traveled for "a few"×1042 light hours, or a few 1038 years for the photons to catch up. Since the universe is less than 1.4×1010 years old, it'll be another few 1038 years until that happens. [[User:DoSnews|DoSnews]] ([[User talk:DoSnews|talk]]) 03:46, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
::Ah, interesting. And at that distance, the supernova would have to be unimaginably big to even notice/detect? Also, wouldn't it have to be far away enough that it would have traveled for so long the light gets redshifted into oblivion? [[User:Sameldacamel34|Sameldacamel34]] ([[User talk:Sameldacamel34|talk]]) 04:17, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
:::Since SN neutrino detections are tens of neutrinos an increase of even a few times the distances currently detected would render the neutrino pulse undetectable. And the optical event is stretched by time for the photons to migrate to the surface as well as glow from material heated by the explosion and decay heat from ejected material. If we consider only those photons from the explosion "lucky" enough to manage not to hit anything on the way out of the star/remnant they should arrive first by an undetectable time. Also, the explosion itself once triggered has to propagate across millions of miles of the stellar core so the explosion event is at least several seconds long.[[User:Lordpishky|Lord Pishky]] ([[User talk:Lordpishky|talk]]) 05:47, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
::Not 1010–1020, but 10–20. [[Special:Contributions/84.2.109.134|84.2.109.134]] 06:30, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
my first edit in almost 5 months i think lol [[User:Psychoticpotato|P?sych??otic?pot??at???o ]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 01:45, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

One of the firework launchers on the device is aimed directly at the bed. [[User:Xkdvd|Xkdvd]] ([[User talk:Xkdvd|talk]]) 03:06, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
:Is it? Hard to tell in a 2d drawing... --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:11, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
::By that logic, its also hard to tell if hairy is pointing at the device or not. [[User:Xkdvd|Xkdvd]] ([[User talk:Xkdvd|talk]]) 23:20, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
::: It's hard to tell if it even ''is'' Hairy, and not a cardboard cutout Ponytail happens to keep around the place. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:41, 18 February 2026 (UTC)

"Ponytail is showing Hairy her bedroom." is the most hilariously euphemistic explanation of what's going on. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:24, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
:What is actually going on?[[Special:Contributions/2603:7000:6100:F725:5D4:A938:8CD0:F809|2603:7000:6100:F725:5D4:A938:8CD0:F809]] 19:05, 18 February 2026 (UTC)
::Probably nothing, given the distant possibility of random fireworks from the ceiling possibly spoiling the intended result of random fireworks from under the bedcovers. [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 20:19, 18 February 2026 (UTC)

Contrary to the current explanation, a foe is *exactly* equal to 10^44 joules, by definition. 1 erg is 10^-7 J and 1 foe is 10^51 erg. Also, I feel there is a [Citation required] somewhere in the section about the dangers of indoor fireworks. (Not happy about having to run Google's Javascript and helping train their image recognition algorithms on unfamiliar foreign street scenes in order to post here.) [[Special:Contributions/78.33.10.10|78.33.10.10]] 11:22, 17 February 2026 (UTC)
:I took it as being that while a foe is exactly that many joules (being a cm/g/s system derivative, not a m/kg/s one), neither a foe nor the equivalent value in joules are exactly the size of that which we might call a 'foe event', for which it was coined. But might have needed rewriting, as with the whole page (loads of little paragraphs and additions to paragaphs, now, at least needs more sensible reordering/grouping of facts and conjectures). [[Special:Contributions/82.132.239.216|82.132.239.216]] 11:58, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

I'll take the slightly disturbing take that Ponytail would rather die than miss a supernova, hence the fireworks [[User:SevenTheGamingKitty|SevenTheGamingKitty]] ([[User talk:SevenTheGamingKitty|talk]]) 19:46, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

The combustion number for sucrose is wrong. Heat of combustion is 1350kCal/mole, mass per mole is 342g, so you'd need about 2.5kg of sugar, not 0.6 grams. [[User:Dkfenger|Dkfenger]] ([[User talk:Dkfenger|talk]]) 21:11, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

I'm half tempted to mention that it ''might'' not be advantageous to go outside and watch a supernova flare up. It ''shouldn't'' be a problem, as none of the likely candidates are anywhere near close enough to us, but I'm thinking of the story setup for The Day Of Triffids... "Hey, everyone, look up there, where there'll suddenly be a bright light!" ''could'' end up to be not ideal. ;) [[Special:Contributions/81.179.199.253|81.179.199.253]] 21:55, 17 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3206: Installation

2026-02-12T18:54:12Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

This is what hiking trails should BE! [[User:Explainyourself|Explainyourself]] ([[User talk:Explainyourself|talk]]) 02:47, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:no. it would be better with [https://xkcd.com/3147/ waterslides.] (/j) --[[User:Utdtutyabthsc|Utdtutyabthsc]] ([[User talk:Utdtutyabthsc|talk]]) 03:19, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:Hiking trail pavement needs to be sturdy enough to withstand hikers stomping up and down. It also needs to help their hiking boots grip the trail, or at least not do worse at that than bare dirt would. I am not convinced that carpet fits either of those criteria. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 04:15, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::But now you can hike in your socks. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:40, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::Thick, durable carpet. How hard could it be? [[User:R128|R128]] ([[User talk:R128|talk]]) 14:10, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

I think this strip is a knowing reference to "outside the asylum", the inside-out home of Wonko the Sane in _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_.

https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/The_Outside_of_the_Asylum

https://hitchhikers.fandom.com/wiki/Wonko_the_Sane

[[User:Lproven|Lproven]] ([[User talk:Lproven|talk]]) 09:09, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
:How do you reckon that? Other than the presence of a carpet, how does it uniquely reference Wonko's setup, as opposed to being a coincidence? [[User:Elizium23|Elizium23]] ([[User talk:Elizium23|talk]]) 10:07, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
::It doesn't say anything about uniquely referencing Wonko's setup – it's says it's a knowing reference. Treating the space outside the walls as the true contents of the walls themselves is what Wonko did, but obviously, that's not how walled enclosures work. They are carpeting the space outside the walls, apparently having been able to get confused about what the walls represent. Carpet isn't about wall-to-wall coverage per se – the walls aren't relevant, other than to describe the fact that the carpet covers the whole floor. Considering the walls as a way to delineate the exterior as the target for your interaction is what Wonko did, and is also what they are doing. It's not really something that anyone else does. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 18:54, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

This invention would go really well with outdoor floor-to-ceiling windows. -flatdurian [[Special:Contributions/138.75.249.122|138.75.249.122]] 11:54, 12 February 2026 (UTC)
: Also with the [[2790:_Heat_Pump|manual heat pump]] [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 12:08, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

This cartoon has made me go look at how I can map the great circle starting at my front door and running through my back door. It looks possible, but less easy than I was hoping for. Guess I know how my day is starting. :D [[Special:Contributions/130.76.187.47|130.76.187.47]] 12:11, 12 February 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3196: Aurora Coolness

2026-01-20T10:55:08Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

second - [[Special:Contributions/45.178.1.151|45.178.1.151]] 03:07, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
:minute [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:31, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
::hour [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 10:24, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

I picture people going out on a cold, clear winter night to stare at a shimmering, aurora-filled sky, and then returning to their warm homes to sip hot cups of soup from the microwave, blissfully unaware of how closely related the two events are ... or would be were it not for that thin, thin, layer of mostly diatomic and triatomic gases that is desperately parrying the Sun's murderous assault on our behalf. Yes, yes, I know, I know ...[[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:657A:CBF1:9BDA:C5C|2605:59C8:160:DB08:657A:CBF1:9BDA:C5C]] 04:07, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
:Makes you wonder why no-one's figured out how to reproduce that in a microwave, so we can enjoy an aurora every time we heat something. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:34, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

The graph in 2914 isn't a function of time, it's a function of how close one is to the path of totality. [[Special:Contributions/137.25.230.78|137.25.230.78]] 05:39, 20 January 2026 (UTC)
: Fixed. [[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:657A:CBF1:9BDA:C5C|2605:59C8:160:DB08:657A:CBF1:9BDA:C5C]] 06:38, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

New England was getting heavy snow in the days leading up to this comic, so it was probably too cloudy for any auroras to be visible. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 05:42, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

: "''probably too cloudy''" Far north coast of Maine, all I could see was sky-glow from the Walmart 7 miles away. We actually have a Dark Sky movement in this area (lotta old hippies) but Walmart didnt get that memo. --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 06:02, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

::Indeed. I live about 50km from London in a town with many street lights (and I don't drive). I've never seen an aurora.--[[Special:Contributions/2A00:23CC:D248:8901:8DF8:31D:D8B:3B99|2A00:23CC:D248:8901:8DF8:31D:D8B:3B99]] 09:09, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

I wish all those many people who apparently get notified about aurora forecasts, go outside and then AFTERWARDS post about it instead posted about it BEFORE… I keep seeing such posts when it's too late. :( [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 06:53, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure if this is a UK-specific phenomenon, so it may not be familiar to many of you, but those who ''do'' do this ("do do" – snigger), ''stop it''. I refer to banging on about how spectacular the aurora is but not mentioning that it couldn't be seen with the naked eye. If you can only see it by pointing your camera at it, that's not seeing it. That's not worthy of BBC journalists saying the aurora was visible, because it ''wasn't''. That's a cute trick that your phone can do to translate invisible parts of the spectrum into visible light. You don't post UV-detector shots of patterns that birds can see and say "Wow, conditions were perfect for making these patterns visible on this lizard!" If it's not visible, it's not visible. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 10:55, 20 January 2026 (UTC)

Talk:3194: 16 Part Epoxy

2026-01-15T10:38:27Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Woah, just reloaded it and new comic! Sick... I should probably read it now. [[User:Willintendo|Willintendo]] ([[User talk:Willintendo|talk]]) 20:02, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
:Explain first; read later! [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 10:18, 15 January 2026 (UTC)

Paint bucket fill tool strikes again. --[[User:Lycheefoxpup|Lycheefoxpup]] ([[User talk:Lycheefoxpup|talk]]) 20:18, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

TABLES! TABLES! TABLES! WOOOOOO!!!!!! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBaal44|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBaal44|Converse]]''''' 20:21, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
:Table created. However, I am a teenager and do not work in construction, so the explanations may need some work. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBaal44|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBaal44|Converse]]''''' 20:56, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
::Every item in this table is real. Ask me how I know. [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 21:34, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
:::How does the placebo work? Does it just kinda mind control you?--'''''[[User:DollarStoreBaal44|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBaal44|Converse]]''''' 21:42, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
:Robert'); DROP TABLE Epoxy;--
:Did it work? [[Special:Contributions/2001:1998:3500:42C:0:0:0:534|2001:1998:3500:42C:0:0:0:534]] 23:27, 14 January 2026 (UTC)
Thought for placebo adhesive: Water between two microscope slides. It'll stick real good, but it's not really glue, more... fancy pressure physics. [[Special:Contributions/142.165.161.48|142.165.161.48]] 22:28, 14 January 2026 (UTC)

"Duck" tape, not "duct". Come on Randall, you know better than that. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 00:08, 15 January 2026 (UTC)
:Both spellings are used. One is trademarked. [[Special:Contributions/76.187.17.7|76.187.17.7]] 03:46, 15 January 2026 (UTC)
:Read this: https://archive.is/Fq5Js [[User:Viliml|Viliml]] ([[User talk:Viliml|talk]]) 09:36, 15 January 2026 (UTC)
::But "duct" ''screams'' folk etymology. "Duck" sounded unlikely so people though it must be "duct"...but it's a huge leap to think that a tape that some people tended to use for a/c ducts would actually be ''named'' "duct tape". Both the tape and the word "duct" are too general purpose for that. Is it known as that? Yes? Does it make sense though? Not for a second. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 10:38, 15 January 2026 (UTC)

Now I'm wondering what the properties of a powdered bar magnet would even be, if each individual piece continued to be magnetic. [[Special:Contributions/2405:201:E010:1029:2C1E:1669:FA92:85DE|2405:201:E010:1029:2C1E:1669:FA92:85DE]] 00:44, 15 January 2026 (UTC)
:A magnetic powder stops being diamagnetic. All the north poles clamp onto a south pole, so the magnetic fields essentially all cancel. You end up with "lump of magnetic powder", not "one big magnet" or "powder you can disperse in a liquid." [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 03:32, 15 January 2026 (UTC)
:: But all the little pieces of magnets are still full magnets with a north and a south pole. Magnetic monopoles have, so far, not been observed in practice. --[[User:Coconut Galaxy|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy|talk]]) 06:32, 15 January 2026 (UTC)

So, the 2-poly(etc) seems to me to suggest that instead of being "-vinyl-ethyl-vinyl-ethyly-" polimerisation, with the links between both 'ethyl-like' backbone subcomponents being from opposite ends of the respective subunit carbon-pairing, it'd more likely now be considered as a polymethyl-group with a methyl (or methylene) group as the now unused onward '1-'site, hanging free of the new polychain. I'd have to check the bond-geometries, though to see if it would even work. (Ignoring the obvious problem with the made up name.) [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.208|92.23.2.208]] 01:44, 15 January 2026 (UTC)

I feel like the Polyethylvinylesteracetate is a joke about how polymer names are often long and gibberish-sounding. [[User:Potatocakethrow|Potatocakethrow]] ([[User talk:Potatocakethrow|talk]])

Rosin is also used soldering, which might be relevant to adhesives. Soldering is used to join pipes, among other things. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 03:32, 15 January 2026 (UTC)

:>"Rosin is also used soldering, ...to join pipes" Plumbing (pipes) soldering more often uses "acid flux" (Zinc Chloride and similar), not rosin which is used in electronics and jewelry. --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 05:48, 15 January 2026 (UTC)

While it's less common in glues than other animal products (such as skin, bones, or cheese), blood-based glues are (or historically were) a thing. Citation: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/blood-glue
Gorillas would not be a suitable source of this blood, though. {{unsigned ip|178.251.89.99|07:09, 15 January 2026}}

Talk:3194: 16 Part Epoxy

2026-01-15T00:08:11Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Talk:3172: Fifteen Years

2025-11-27T18:14:39Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Part of a series:
* https://xkcd.com/1141/
* https://xkcd.com/1928/
* https://xkcd.com/2386/
--[[User:Pgn674|Pgn674]] ([[User talk:Pgn674|talk]]) 21:28, 24 November 2025 (UTC)
:[[:Category:X Years]]. [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 22:03, 24 November 2025 (UTC)
"Growing old is a fabulous alternative to death." [[Special:Contributions/85.255.235.101|85.255.235.101]] 21:30, 24 November 2025 (UTC)

OH MY GOD THIS IS SO SWEET EEEEEEEEEE. So happy for you Randall! <3 '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 21:36, 24 November 2025 (UTC)
: this made me, too, tear up - [[User:Vaedez|Vaedez]] ([[User talk:Vaedez|talk]]) 00:22, 25 November 2025 (UTC)
:: Me too - love it. I do feel old but I'm old now, so it's better cause the alternative... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:49, 25 November 2025 (UTC)
:Honestly! Hands-down one of the best series of comics Randall's made. I can't believe I got to see this! [[User:RadiantRainwing|RadiantRainwing]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 19:02, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

Growing old ... '''together'''. [[Special:Contributions/64.201.132.210|64.201.132.210]] 21:59, 24 November 2025 (UTC)

The paragraph about the title text could use a reference to the series of comics of the form "Students graduating this year have never...". I'm not sure how to find them. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 22:11, 24 November 2025 (UTC)
: I added a link to what I think is the right category. It might be a little too broad though. [[Special:Contributions/2601:281:C802:9170:0:0:0:4150|2601:281:C802:9170:0:0:0:4150]] 01:53, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

Just. The. Cutest. This is an ideal relationship.--[[User:Maxcodes|Maxcodes]] ([[User talk:Maxcodes|talk]]) 22:32, 24 November 2025 (UTC)

I love being reminded I’m (pretty dang sure I’m) going to die alone, yaaaaaay [[Special:Contributions/2600:4040:12A0:E200:D1D1:1F63:C1A:31F2|2600:4040:12A0:E200:D1D1:1F63:C1A:31F2]] 23:05, 24 November 2025 (UTC)
: Please don't sell yourself short! Being without a romantic relationship doesn't have to mean being alone <3. You have time to develop deep friendships if you find out how! [[Special:Contributions/45.42.74.249|45.42.74.249]] 15:45, 26 November 2025 (UTC)

yay they have survived [[User:Mathmaster|Mathmaster]] ([[User talk:Mathmaster|talk]])

As John Lennon once said, “Grow old along with me.” [[User:KelOfTheStars!|KelOfTheStars!]] ([[User talk:KelOfTheStars!|talk]]) 00:19, 25 November 2025 (UTC)
: Actually, that was Robert Browning in his poem Rabbi Ben Ezra. --[[Special:Contributions/2A00:23CC:D248:8901:9DA0:24CB:6AE7:BB09|2A00:23CC:D248:8901:9DA0:24CB:6AE7:BB09]] 09:01, 27 November 2025 (UTC)

This weekend, as well as today, I've been quite sick. This was a much-needed boost. <3 love ya, Randall. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 02:28, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

This might be my favorite xkcd comic of all time. [[Special:Contributions/68.2.204.250|68.2.204.250]] 03:02, 25 November 2025 (UTC)
: Yessss! [[User:RadiantRainwing|RadiantRainwing]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 19:02, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

Based on the pattern, the next in the series will be "Eighteen Years" [[Special:Contributions/209.52.88.184|209.52.88.184]] 03:23, 25 November 2025 (UTC)
:Nah, a +5,+3,+5,+3 seems too basic. Maybe 22 would work, since this is maximum k for which the grid graph P_2 X P_k is a subgraph of the n X n knight graph. Definitely didn't just copy from the oeis. ANYWAYS, by the time they get to 46 we'll have solved it by then... --[[Special:Contributions/2.50.0.22|2.50.0.22]] 03:39, 25 November 2025 (UTC)
::I feel like there's an implicit 0 at the start of the sequence (representing the initial diagnosis), which makes [https://oeis.org/A246128 A246128] the only match and therefore the next one will be 23 years. [[User:Zmatt|Zmatt]] ([[User talk:Zmatt|talk]]) 10:59, 27 November 2025 (UTC)

Very happy for Randall here, this is very sweet. [[User:Clayel|Clayel]] ([[User talk:Clayel|talk]]) 03:42, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

Why is my vision getting so blurry? [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:29, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

This is such a BEAUTIFUL comic! So happy for the two of them [[User:VascoTabasco|VascoTabasco]] ([[User talk:VascoTabasco|talk]]) 11:44, 25 November 2025 (UTC)Vasco

I come here for a wry smile, not to be made to weep. {{unsigned ip|31.94.28.99|14:49, 25 November 2025 (UTC)}}
: Then smile wryly (wryly? really?!?!) about the symptoms we all are getting ;-) [[Special:Contributions/195.49.224.20|195.49.224.20]] 18:06, 25 November 2025 (UTC)
:: Don't you mean 'wreally?'? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:35, 26 November 2025 (UTC)

After rereading the series, I wonder what happend with the date they made for the 2024 eclipse. [[Special:Contributions/195.49.224.20|195.49.224.20]] 18:06, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

My sister found out she had breast cancer in August so this hit me harder than previous 'installments' have. This is also a type that is resistant to pretty much anything but chemo which she is undergoing now. These give me hope, though, knowing someone else made it through their treatments. {{unsigned ip|108.85.230.207|18:31, 25 November 2025 (UTC)}}

This is just the sweetest. Also, the longest. Several seconds to scroll all the way down at this point. [[User:RadiantRainwing|RadiantRainwing]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 19:03, 25 November 2025 (UTC)

I always hoped there’d be a follow-up of them watching the 2024 eclipse like they hoped to in “Seven Years”— this doesn’t indicate if they saw it or not, but I hope they did. <3 {{unsigned ip|69.116.215.42|20:33, 25 November 2025 (UTC)}}

What a beautiful love story! Here's to the next 15 years for you and your wife. {{unsigned ip|12.129.176.226|10:45, 26 November 2025 (UTC)}}

I hope for them to have a wonderful time together, Randall, I really love xkcd. Got cancer myself in 2010 and know what it feels like to still become old in love. {{unsigned ip|127.0.0.1|10:49, 26 November 2025 (UTC)}}

This is so very very sweet, I wish them all the best! {{unsigned ip|141.53.67.241|13:15, 26 November 2025 (UTC)}}

Wow. Sweet, scary and real. I'm in the middle of my Year Two and so much of the comic is familiar. I wish Megan and Cue the best of luck. {{unsigned ip|2600:1702:7a0:8230:1144:7f10:8b8d:3f6f|15:13, 26 November 2025 (UTC)}}

Wow. Just wow! Such a deep and sweet post. [[User:Phoe6|Phoe6]] ([[User talk:Phoe6|talk]]) 18:02, 26 November 2025 (UTC)

Awww.... [[Special:Contributions/66.189.7.60|66.189.7.60]] 16:35, 27 November 2025 (UTC)

You bastard Monroe. If I'm crying on the train home from work, I should at least be crying about my own stuff, surely? [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 18:14, 27 November 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3167: Car Size

2025-11-13T17:55:47Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

It is I, broseph. [[User:Broseph|Broseph]] ([[User talk:Broseph|talk]]) 19:45, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
:MY LETTERS ARE BIGGER THAN YOURS!!! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 20:15, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
tears of the kingdom be like [[Special:Contributions/128.135.204.243|128.135.204.243]] 20:49, 12 November 2025 (UTC)

Did someone say {{w|Not Just Bikes}}? https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0intLFzLaudFG-xAvUEO-A --[[Special:Contributions/62.0.12.1|62.0.12.1]] 20:50, 12 November 2025 (UTC)

On the (current) closing paragraph of the Explanation, note that (at least where I am) it is illegal to ride a bike on the footway, unless specifically signed and permitted as a shared/split pavement area. As a cyclist, I really wouldn't even want to (or to increase fellow motorists' misconceptions that they exclusively own the road) when it's a perfectly good highway, but 'people on bikes' seem to do what they like and perpetuate such misunderstandings. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.244.30|82.132.244.30]] 21:41, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
:It's illegal here too, and I've added a note to that effect. As a cyclist, I do sometimes ride on sidewalks where sharing a road with cars is just too dangerous, but I try to be extremely cautious in my interactions with pedestrians. They've got the right of way; I don't. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 23:06, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
::On top of often ill-conceived official cycle/pedestrian paths, I have a mild dislike for "cycle lanes", personally, as a sort of official "we really would prefer you to not be on the road, but we don't know what else to do with you, and it looks good when we add up the amount of 'cycle friendly' routes we have" kind of thing. With awareness (so no plugging your ears with headphones playing your 'tunez') most roads that I might use ''ought'' to be safe to cycle without badly implemented off-road/side-of-road segregation, and an overwhelming amount don't have such provision (riding to a cafe forty-plus miles away and circling round a different way back home, there's surprisingly few no-motor-vehicles opportunities to take).
::Even worse, though, is walking by a road with a 'perfectly good' clearly marked cycle lane (not particularly bad, compared to some instances, clean gutter and no bad grates) and some idiot on a bike rushes past me on the ''pavement'' (i.e. sidewalk), these days it often being an electrically-assisted, near silent bike (courtesy of Deliveroo/whoever), except that he's (assuming 'he', but it's a good chance) zooming past me, slightly ''uphill'', without pedalling at all... Technically, he's riding an electric motorcycle, and going at normal traffic speeds (and wearing a motorcycle-style helmet, so probably no point shouting at him as his ears are covered, if he hasn't also got earbuds in!) and ''definitely'' shouldn't be sharing the pavement with me (on the verge of needing a registration plate and paying insurance/tax for his e-moped).
::Of course, he'll act just as badly when he transitions back on the road, ignoring other traffic rules and barely avoiding become the jam on an asphalt smogasbord, various drivers cursing him and wishing ''all cyclists'' were off the streets. (The same drivers might well sneak through lights themselves, though "if it's quiet and nobody else is there", plus happily exceed the 20/30/40/50/60/70 mph limits on roads whenever they can, and don't have me driving ''at the limit'' in front of them when it's awkward for them to pass...)
::Not saying I'm perfect, but there are idiots out there with everything from no wheels (just two legs) up to perhaps 18-ish or whatever their juggernaut has, engines of whatever type or none, but I hope that I do my bit by being more considerate than most (except when it comes to dealing with inconsideration itself, when I internalise any joy I get about stopping others breaking the law for a few short moments) whether I'm walking, riding or driving. Though always trying to be aware of what the inevitably ever-present idiots out there will be doing. (Well, I couldn't do a thing about the time that a car pulled out in front of the bus I was a passenger in. But neither could the bus-driver, really, from what I could work out. Bus. Small car. Not a battle that I'd want to fight, on inertia alone.)
::Darn... this was not intended to be a holier-than-though rant, when I started, but I still don't regret it starting to go that way one bit... [[Special:Contributions/82.132.245.223|82.132.245.223]] 23:56, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
:''Starting'' to go that way?! Bro, you went full Jeremy Vine caller. Might I suggest that you grow up and realise that the ones you see are 100% of the ones you see, but that doesn't mean they are 100% of the picture. There is nuance. There are rules that are worth avoiding because that allows cyclists to get out of the way quickly – crossing in a way that a pedestrian is allowed to do, at a speed that a pedestrian can't, for example. Co-exist. High horses are far less welcome than cyclists. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 17:55, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
Pretty good comic [[User:Mathmaster|Mathmaster]] ([[User talk:Mathmaster|talk]])

As someone who lives in the UK, the title text comes across as a comment on the US attitude to jaywalking - where the "solution" to vulnerable road users (pedestrians) being put in danger by careless drivers is to make it illegal for the vulnerable group to using the road at all. US people, is it likely that Randall had something like that in mind?
(Unrelated, but when posting this I got a captcha asking me to identify bicycles...) [[Special:Contributions/87.115.222.218|87.115.222.218]] 00:29, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
:I don't think so. I think he's just joking about not caring about peds at all. --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 00:47, 13 November 2025 (UTC)

As a German, I take offense to this comic. ONLY CARS WILL SURVIVE THE APOCALYPSE! [[Special:Contributions/2A02:2455:1960:4000:652A:12CB:761D:93F6|2A02:2455:1960:4000:652A:12CB:761D:93F6]] 08:45, 13 November 2025 (UTC)

The comic is a typical example of US-centric views. Car ownership in Europe was much lower 50 years ago than in the US. Most people were still stuck in the first panel.--[[Special:Contributions/2001:638:807:507:B425:E1E7:68BD:B213|2001:638:807:507:B425:E1E7:68BD:B213]] 10:08, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
:...Because Randall is American? --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]][[User Talk:DollarStoreBa'al|Converse]] 14:34, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
:Europe has been catching up to the US. In 1995, SUV sales were only 2%, but they were 54% in 2024. This is just a little lower than the US 58%. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 15:17, 13 November 2025 (UTC)

For those of you who keep a eX-Twitter account, someone posted a similar take that was so hilariously self-unaware: https://x.com/jerimiahlee/status/1758883775642059265 that people started one-upping him with larger and larger vehicles in quote posts, sometimes veering in chains that ended up with fictional vehicles, but my personal favorite on one-upmanship was the one who posted an image of a Takraf strip mine excavator… https://x.com/carl___spackler/status/1759646389376852009 [[Special:Contributions/89.83.116.217|89.83.116.217]] 15:17, 13 November 2025 (UTC) Pierre Lebeaupin

Talk:3166: Big and Little Spoons

2025-11-11T13:25:30Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

A spoon the size of a couch [[User:King Pando|King Pando]] ([[User talk:King Pando|talk]]) 03:16, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

Panel four evoked a genuine out-loud laugh when most of the time I usually only get chuckles. Still my favorite comic that's not about hornyness. [[Special:Contributions/2603:800C:1200:596A:642C:F071:BB63:22A9|2603:800C:1200:596A:642C:F071:BB63:22A9]] 03:53, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

Should there be a sentence about how sets of measuring spoons are designed to nest? [[Special:Contributions/138.229.156.169|138.229.156.169]] 04:51, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
:Your wish is my command. Though I didn't know it was your wish, as it was also already mine on first viewing, and included thoughts about one-person easy-pack cutlery sets, etc, too, which... well, can also involve compatibly-nesting knorks, and the like, for a theoretical minimum of packing-space [[Special:Contributions/2.98.65.8|2.98.65.8]] 11:51, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

What's with the Royal We in the last panel?--[[User:Coconut Galaxy|Coconut Galaxy]] ([[User talk:Coconut Galaxy|talk]]) 08:31, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
: I believe it refers to the 'some brave truth-tellers', a set of which Cueball believes he is a member. --[[User:KarMann|KarMann]] ([[User talk:KarMann|talk]]) 11:23, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

Randall isn't the first webcomic creator to use this idea: [https://www.threepanelsoul.com/comic/who-stacks-irregular-spoons-anyway] [[Special:Contributions/88.85.135.155|88.85.135.155]] 08:53, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
: A similar take on it was addressed in another medium in ''Mallrats''. That was more about the arm problem than the relative sizes, though. --[[User:KarMann|KarMann]] ([[User talk:KarMann|talk]]) 11:27, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

"Big spoon" and "little spoon" are not necessarily supposed to be literal descriptions of the spoons referenced by the metaphor – almost like the transferred-epithet form of the hypallage trope in classical rhetoric, in which a descriptor that really applies to the speaker is instead applied to that which is described. "I lit a nervous cigarette." Cigarettes are not nervous – people are. While nesting spoons are of equal size, the enveloping action of the big-spoon role is larger – that which wraps something is larger than that which it wraps. A person taking a big-thing or little-thing role describes their metaphorical spoon as big or little, to imply their own bigness or littleness. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 13:25, 11 November 2025 (UTC)

Talk:119: Worst Band Name Ever

2025-10-14T22:18:05Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

What about hitchslapper? '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|purple|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:01, 8 March 2013 (UTC)

What indicates there is no audience? "...the name 'Hedgeclipper' as the reason why the band has no audience..." I read it as the other members or a promoter/manager decided on a band name for a battle-of-the-bands, open mic, or other venue with multiple acts, and told the announcer, but an audience might still be there. [[User:Tryc|Tryc]] ([[User talk:Tryc|talk]]) 13:04, 14 June 2013 (UTC)

The thing is that, if they end up being any good, then whatever their name it'll be forever associated with a successful band. I mean ''The B''ea''tles'' is such a kitsh name, right? What on Earth is ''U2'' supposed to mean (to anyone not familiar with the plane type, or the various other vehicles and objects given that name), and what made it "the name that they disliked the least"? ''Arctic Monkeys''? Silly name. ''The Who''? Who? (And surely more grammatically ''The Whom''!) Are ''The Beach Boys'' lifeguards? Isn't ''Blondie'' just what we call that fair-haired lass in the office? And you can forget right now about ''The Buzzcocks'' and ''The Sex Pistols'', I think you just wandered into the wrong store... [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 05:06, 23 June 2013 (UTC)
::Just ''Buzzcocks''. No 'The'.
::There's also ''Barenaked Ladies'' of course – accidentally chosen as a terrible name. Stephen Page and Ed Robertson were amusing themselves at a boring gig by pretending to be tiresome rock critics namechecking fictitious obscure bands. Barenaked Ladies was one of them. When a promoter for a local battle-of-the-bands phoned Ed to confirm his band were still playing, they'd split up, but he said he'd formed a new band with Stephen (but they hadn't), and tried to remember one of their made up names. BNL was the only one he could recall. Obviously, they then ''did'' form a band, but Stephen maintained that was the worst name they'd thought of, and hated it.[[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 22:18, 14 October 2025 (UTC)

:"the who" references doctor who [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.231|172.70.162.231]] 08:43, 9 November 2024 (UTC)
::Not as far as I know. According to {{w|The Who|wikipedia}};
::''Townshend and his house-mate Richard Barnes spent a night considering names, focusing on a theme of joke announcements, including "No One" and "the Group". Townshend preferred "the Hair", and Barnes liked "the Who" because it "had a pop punch". Daltrey chose "the Who" the next morning.''
::....although the respective dates (1963 and '64) ''do'' line up fairly neatly, I'm not sure we can speculate that a later-to-be-cult TV programme was more likely an ancestral inflence than just a cousin (both band and show trying to evoke an air of mystery, and hapening to land upon the same keyword). I ''suppose'' the counterclaim (and alternate justification) could be rooted in it not being seen politic (or rock'n'roll) enough to admit that it was all originally a big of a cultural ripoff. But then it seems that they've always been savvy enough to officially avert any such link, as there's no first-hand-ish assertions of this to be found, only unreliable fan-(either of DW or TW)-theories. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.111|172.70.86.111]] 11:05, 9 November 2024 (UTC)

Do you not realise that "U2" sounds like "you too" or maybe "you two"? XD{{unsigned ip|172.69.79.171|12:00, 2 August 2022}}

I'm disappointed to see that no one has a decent explanation of this strip. If the implication is that electric hedgeclippers make bad sounds, why is there a pair of manual hedgeclippers on the bass drum? Why is the name '''singular'''? I'm forced to conclude that this is Randall’s equivalent of The Far Side's "Cow Tools" but not as funny. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.118.8|172.68.118.8]] 18:48, 12 December 2022 (UTC)

Hedgeclippers are not only noisy, but also probably smelly. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.23.123|172.69.23.123]] 02:03, 11 May 2023 (UTC)

Talk:109: Spoiler Alert

2025-10-12T15:12:17Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Trinity doesn't look dead, he looks like he's dodging the sled. He'll be back in two movies. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 03:41, 30 October 2012 (UTC)

:''He?'' Did Carrie Anne Moss get gender reassignment surgery? ;) -- mwburden [[Special:Contributions/70.91.188.49|70.91.188.49]] 20:19, 13 December 2012 (UTC)

::"I always thought... you were a guy." "Most guys do." [[User:Alivechihiro|Alivechihiro]] ([[User talk:Alivechihiro|talk]]) 07:59, 24 February 2014 (UTC)

::Larry (Lana) Wachowski did. {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.223|00:59, 19 October 2015‎ (UTC)}}

Upon the release of The Matrix Reloaded, a series of false spoilers on Slashdot incorrectly claimed that Trinity died at the end (she didn't die in that movie -- she died in the one afterward.) [http://beta.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=63031&cid=5873903 Example: search this post for "Trinity".] In that community, "Trinity Dies" became recognized as a reference to this Slashdot trolling phenomenon. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.66|173.245.54.66]] 20:22, 8 June 2014 (UTC)

''The event depicted in the comic did not actually occur in any movie.'' No shit, Sherlock.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.190|108.162.250.190]] 00:59, 19 October 2015 (UTC)

:Well, this comic actually does contain a spoiler for Citizen Kane. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.11.45|172.68.11.45]] 21:20, 11 June 2016 (UTC)
::I think most people would conclude that it's a wooden door with motion lines -[[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 22:24, 19 September 2019 (UTC)
::It contains spoilers for every movie it references. I took the liberty of graying them out unless you highlight them. [[User talk:Quillathe Siannodel|{)|(}]][[User:Quillathe_Siannodel|Quill]][[User talk:Quillathe Siannodel|{)|(}]] 14:52, 21 April 2021 (UTC)

The chick in The Crying Game is really Keyser Soze (and he doesn't know he's dead). [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 15:12, 12 October 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3151: Window Screen

2025-10-07T10:40:05Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

The 'standard' and '2x' sized images had unexpected sizes, so an imagesize parameter has been added to render the image consistently with other comics on this website. See the web [https://web.archive.org/web/*/window_screen.png archive] for more details. --[[User:TheusafBOT|TheusafBOT]] ([[User talk:TheusafBOT|talk]]) 03:15, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
:Oh cool the bot can comment too [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 04:06, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
Is the comic not fitting into the section right on the original xkcd website? Is this some kind of meta joke? [[Special:Contributions/138.67.132.61|138.67.132.61]] 04:10, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
:This is Randall's mistake. Since comic [[1084: Server Problem#Trivia|1084]] from 2012, comics usually have two versions: normal and double resolution (2x). If you read on a high-DPI screen (like a phone) or zoom in, you'll see a high-resolution version of the comic, but if you read on a desktop or laptop without zooming in, you'll see the normal resolution. In this case, Randall accidentally uploaded the 2x version into ''both'' comics, making the normal one twice as big as it should be. If you zoom in just a tiny bit, it'll look normal again. <del>I'll add this in a Trivia section</del> <ins>Someone already did</ins>. --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 07:35, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
:I suspect Randall was inspired by the U.S. President's outsized ego insisting he deserves the Nobel Prize for Peace when he hasn't actually solved any international problems at all, and in the view of many has made things much worse.[[Special:Contributions/68.116.0.20|68.116.0.20]] 05:33, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
::...and in ''objective reality'' has made things much worse. --[[Special:Contributions/45.143.82.106|45.143.82.106]] 06:52, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
::It's such a shame that this is true. Well, obviously, but in frivolous terms too: it would be nice to have this just as a representation of how it feels to get a tricky task right, without referencing the tangerine toddler's nonsense. I think most people know that feeling that they've maxed out their efforts and achieved something brilliant (measured in terms of the how well or how badly the project should have been expected to go). Human effort is human effort, and so it feels like any successful overcoming of a problem is legitimately comparable with any other, if measured from the perspective of the one who performs the task. I love the way this handles that feeling. It was very difficult; I did it successfully; that was an impressive achievement. "It" could be stopping a war or making a window screen. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 10:38, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

I suspect all the math could have been avoided if the screen were just carefully laid out on top of the window and cut to a matching shape. Why trig when you can trace? --[[Special:Contributions/45.143.82.106|45.143.82.106]] 06:53, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

It's easy when building a flat screen to accidentally get the tension wrong on one side and *generate* non-coplanarity--[[Special:Contributions/174.127.176.33|174.127.176.33]] 08:24, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

Is the "overly large image mistake" really a mistake, considering it’s about the "size" of an image displaying on a "screen"? {{unsigned ip|89.91.92.1|08:34, 7 October 2025 (UTC)}}
:There is the opinion that Randall made a mistake, but because Cueballs sentence just stops at "how well the screen fits... (the window)" and the panel DOES NOT fit it's window, I believe that this is intentional and the punchline of the comic [[Special:Contributions/195.49.224.20|195.49.224.20]] 09:36, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

Interesting that Cueball has hair in the last two panels --[[User:Darth Vader|Darth Vader]] ([[User talk:Darth Vader|talk]]) 08:40, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
: Obviously with all the screen building he hasn't had time to shave his head. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:28, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3151: Window Screen

2025-10-07T10:38:00Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

The 'standard' and '2x' sized images had unexpected sizes, so an imagesize parameter has been added to render the image consistently with other comics on this website. See the web [https://web.archive.org/web/*/window_screen.png archive] for more details. --[[User:TheusafBOT|TheusafBOT]] ([[User talk:TheusafBOT|talk]]) 03:15, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
:Oh cool the bot can comment too [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 04:06, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
Is the comic not fitting into the section right on the original xkcd website? Is this some kind of meta joke? [[Special:Contributions/138.67.132.61|138.67.132.61]] 04:10, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
:This is Randall's mistake. Since comic [[1084: Server Problem#Trivia|1084]] from 2012, comics usually have two versions: normal and double resolution (2x). If you read on a high-DPI screen (like a phone) or zoom in, you'll see a high-resolution version of the comic, but if you read on a desktop or laptop without zooming in, you'll see the normal resolution. In this case, Randall accidentally uploaded the 2x version into ''both'' comics, making the normal one twice as big as it should be. If you zoom in just a tiny bit, it'll look normal again. <del>I'll add this in a Trivia section</del> <ins>Someone already did</ins>. --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 07:35, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
:I suspect Randall was inspired by the U.S. President's outsized ego insisting he deserves the Nobel Prize for Peace when he hasn't actually solved any international problems at all, and in the view of many has made things much worse.[[Special:Contributions/68.116.0.20|68.116.0.20]] 05:33, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
::...and in ''objective reality'' has made things much worse. --[[Special:Contributions/45.143.82.106|45.143.82.106]] 06:52, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
::It's such a shame that this is true. Well, obviously, but in frivolous terms too: I think most people know that feeling that they've maxed out their efforts and achieved something brilliant (measured in terms of the how well or how badly the project should have been expected to go). Human effort is human effort, and so it feels like any successful overcoming of a problem is legitimately comparable with any other, if measured from the perspective of the one who performs the task. I love the way this handles that feeling. It was very difficult; I did it successfully; that was an impressive achievement. "It" could be stopping a war or making a window screen. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 10:38, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

I suspect all the math could have been avoided if the screen were just carefully laid out on top of the window and cut to a matching shape. Why trig when you can trace? --[[Special:Contributions/45.143.82.106|45.143.82.106]] 06:53, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

It's easy when building a flat screen to accidentally get the tension wrong on one side and *generate* non-coplanarity--[[Special:Contributions/174.127.176.33|174.127.176.33]] 08:24, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

Is the "overly large image mistake" really a mistake, considering it’s about the "size" of an image displaying on a "screen"? {{unsigned ip|89.91.92.1|08:34, 7 October 2025 (UTC)}}
:There is the opinion that Randall made a mistake, but because Cueballs sentence just stops at "how well the screen fits... (the window)" and the panel DOES NOT fit it's window, I believe that this is intentional and the punchline of the comic [[Special:Contributions/195.49.224.20|195.49.224.20]] 09:36, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

Interesting that Cueball has hair in the last two panels --[[User:Darth Vader|Darth Vader]] ([[User talk:Darth Vader|talk]]) 08:40, 7 October 2025 (UTC)
: Obviously with all the screen building he hasn't had time to shave his head. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:28, 7 October 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3143: Question Mark

2025-09-18T17:00:20Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Surely it should read CharlieApostraphe’s Angels, right? [[User:KelOfTheStars!|KelOfTheStars!]] ([[User talk:KelOfTheStars!|talk]]) 02:30, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
:You apostrophe re almast right period. tilde tilde tilde tilde [[Special:Contributions/2607:FB91:7914:D333:3D03:FB75:B160:75F4|2607:FB91:7914:D333:3D03:FB75:B160:75F4]] 03:08, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
::You still have to put the punctuation mark after the word open parenthesis (in this case comma, the apostrophe end parenthesis) btw period. tilde tilde tilde tilde [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 03:20, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

Someone should do a grammar tag or whatever comma, like the citation needed tag comma, that links to this comic period. tilde tilde tilde tilde [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 03:20, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

guys (sorry first time commenting so i know that this is formatted wrong) can we not put the names of the formatting in the discription? i literally came to this page to try to figure out what the titletext was trying to say, only to find just as much (if not more) confusion on a page that was meant to remove confusion.
:Seconded, as fun as it probably is, it's also incredibly difficult to follow. [[Special:Contributions/2601:681:A80:F890:E8FF:E5A3:E698:22CF|2601:681:A80:F890:E8FF:E5A3:E698:22CF]] 04:38, 18 September 2025 (UTC)Bthardamz
:Mhm period. Save the flavored text for titles and the comment section period. very difficult to read ellipsis... tilde tilde tilde tilde [[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:22F0:3310:1EB6:FF4:46E:74F5|2605:59C8:22F0:3310:1EB6:FF4:46E:74F5]] 04:49, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
:Even if we decide to keep it in the explanation comma, it definitely shouldn't be in the transcript period. tilde tilde tilde tilde [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 05:33, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
:that's entirely fair comma, I got the idea to match the explanation formatting with the comic content from [[1285: Third Way]] comma, though in that instance it's way less obtrusive period. tilde tilde tilde tilde [[Special:Contributions/137.25.230.78|137.25.230.78]] 07:30, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
: thirding the above. if i'm on this site it's so i can understand the parts of the comic that confused me. the current formatting is directly hostile to that goal. [[Special:Contributions/2600:6C64:64F0:8470:85E0:2F90:F707:90A8|2600:6C64:64F0:8470:85E0:2F90:F707:90A8]] 04:42, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
: How about a compromise solution of putting the punctuation labels in small print? Something like [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Small&action=edit this] should work, though it was being screwy when I tested in the preview here: example [[User:Solomon|Solomon]] ([[User talk:Solomon|talk]]) 05:46, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
:P.S. On my phone, it seems to only work in Desktop Mode, so maybe it's a problem with the CSS for the mobile layout? [[User:Solomon|Solomon]] ([[User talk:Solomon|talk]]) 05:48, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

... This is a thing people do? Glad to be unfamiliar. [[Special:Contributions/52.213.77.206|52.213.77.206]] 07:27, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

This becomes an annoyingly common occurrence if you commonly use speech to text programs. It is not very fun in regular conversation [[Special:Contributions/99.2.109.131|99.2.109.131]] 12:37, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

Instances in Media: In the Amazing World of Gumball episode "The Line", Gumball refers to "Stellar Odyssey Colon The Force Rehashed". [[User:Vandof|Vandof]] ([[User talk:Vandof|talk]]) 04:11, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
:Not really relevant to this website (we're not cataloging these outside of xkcd), but have you seen ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters Colon The Soundtrack''? [[Special:Contributions/24.177.125.170|24.177.125.170]] 08:05, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

This is a thing my friend group can't stop saying, and i thought it was just us. neat! --[[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 09:37, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

Use of that joke in the transcript section - afaik transcript is more or less an accessibility feature. Doing the spelling-out-every-punctuation thing makes the transcript significantly difficult to read, and also it confuses what is a part of the original text and what is a spelled-out punctuation you added. I'm not in favor of having the joke in the transcript section. [[User:User670|User670]] ([[User talk:User670|talk]]) 09:49, 18 September 2025 (UTC)
:Yeah, this is absolutely not the place for it. --[[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 13:00, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

The italics section is explicitly opened with the word "italics". Shouldn't it be closed? Or is that implicit in the paragraph break? I'm uncertain if the "Period. Paragraph break." should also be italicized, or if they should be exempt because they're punctuation indicators. [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 16:17, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

Interesting reaction on Randall's (Cueball's) part. When people do that, it makes ''me'' want to poke them in the eye. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 17:00, 18 September 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3142: (City)-Style Pizza

2025-09-16T12:53:59Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Altoona-style is listed first in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizza_in_the_United_States#Variations but that's because the list is alphabetical. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:12, 15 September 2025 (UTC)

I prefer +style pizza. [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 21:16, 15 September 2025 (UTC)
: Not a fan of electrons as a topping then? [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 08:37, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

I’m pretty sure this comic is intended to be titled “<City>-Style Pizza”, as it is labeled in the HTML of xkcd.com (notably, xkcd.com itsel uses “-Style Pizza” for the <title> elements and the rss/atom feeds, but not for the visible title. (But there, the “<city>” gets swallowed by the browser)--[[User:Nleanba|Nleanba]] ([[User talk:Nleanba|talk]]) 21:49, 15 September 2025 (UTC)

Altoona-style most literally looks like a sandwich except cheese instead of a top bun《プロキシ》(XKCD中毒者) 21:54, 15 September 2025 (UTC)
:Yeah, a bunch of open-faced sandwiches side-by-side. [[Special:Contributions/47.248.235.170|47.248.235.170]] 22:07, 15 September 2025 (UTC)Pat
: It looks most like a heart attack in waiting. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 09:42, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

On a related note, locally (hint: absolutely nowhere near the place mentioned), there's a business advertising "genuine New York-style bagels". The juxtaposition of the "genuine" claim and yet the acknowledgement that they are only of the given ''style'' always makes me wonder what worth the genuineness truly has, with an ocean's-width of distance between any physical manifestation of New Yorkification and what we have here. [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 23:12, 15 September 2025 (UTC)

I thought he was talking about Altoona Iowa (less than half the size of Altoona Pennsylvania). Look up “Altoona Iowa pizza” and one of the top hits will tell you it’s ranked one of the worst in the nation. You see, in Iowa, they lay out the dough, put on the ‘toppings’ (ahem) then dump on so much cheese that you can’t see any of the ‘toppings’ (ahem) anymore. When I came home from college in another state, I had to teach my mother how to make good pizza. [[Special:Contributions/2607:FB91:1D15:883A:11:B0B6:84B2:3C0C|2607:FB91:1D15:883A:11:B0B6:84B2:3C0C]] 23:49, 15 September 2025 (UTC)

Well at least THIS one was about a kind of pi. I guess pi does round to 3.142. [[Special:Contributions/138.88.96.2|138.88.96.2]] 00:16, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

Shame he missed out on Pittsburgh's 'specialty' with this... since they had the sheer audacity to call it 'Ohio Valley Pizza'... Which I hadn't even *heard* of, let alone actually seen, in 40 years of living in Cincinnati! -Edit: Turns out it originates from Steubenville, which had he named it 'Steubenville style pizza' would've put it way down on the bottom left somewhere. -Tiron [[Special:Contributions/2600:2B00:934E:6200:2186:FE87:5D5E:1AB7|2600:2B00:934E:6200:2186:FE87:5D5E:1AB7]] 01:18, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

Wikipedia has a way of displaying article titles that have non-standard characters in them. Could something similar be done here? [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 04:05, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

The article is describing the Altoona style pizza, but Randall is calling on the viewer to look it up on Google images because the picture is likely more offensive than the description. I don't know what the wiki policy is but a picture in the article would do a much better job at explaining than anything Randall may or may not like about the ingredients. [[Special:Contributions/46.144.8.194|46.144.8.194]] 06:43, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

Surely it's no coincidence that XKCD 3142 is about pie. [[User:Gmcgath|Gmcgath]] ([[User talk:Gmcgath|talk]]) 11:43, 16 September 2025 (UTC)
:I hope it ''is'' a coincidence, because I'd like to think that Randall knows better than to call a pizza – a dish that isn't a pie – a "pie". [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 12:53, 16 September 2025 (UTC)

Talk:27: Meat Cereals

2025-09-13T18:45:01Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

;Scrapple Jacks
Apple Jacks cereal have very little actual apple in them. That's why they don't taste like apples. Perhaps Scrapple Jacks has very little actual scrapple in it. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 00:53, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

:While they may have little apple in them, I don't know that that's necessarily the reason they don't taste like apples (as I noted in the [[Apple Jacks]] comic itself, the wiki page for the cereal alleges they are supposed to taste like Apple and Cinnamon. Other candy or cereals that have fruit flavours (for example, the candy Runts) rarely have any of the actual fruit in them, but still have flavourings that are designed to taste like that fruit. The question is whether Kellog's used poor flavouring in their cereal, I suppose. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:33, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
: Perhaps large food companies with massive advertising campaigns brand their products in ways that may make them appear healthier than they actually are. [[User:Iggynelix|Iggynelix]] ([[User talk:Iggynelix|talk]]) 14:37, 5 August 2023 (UTC)

I came here to make a "Honey Bunches of Goatse" joke, but I feel it may be in bad taste. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 18:26, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

;Cereal Meats
Many cereal based meat alternatives are marketed using parodies of meat product names. This is generally not considered disgusting, even by those not interested in vegetarian product lines.

Possibly Randall is exploring the difference by inverting the product and ingredient type. {{unsigned|Eltimbalino}}

[[file:chicken-and-waffles-cereal.jpg|This is a real thing.]]This is a real thing. — [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 17:22, 21 April 2019 (UTC)

Isn't this also a reference to the cereal commercial parody, Meatloaf Crunch, from The Amanda Show? {{unsigned ip|172.71.182.217}}

Whoa! "Honey Bunches of Oats" is a ''real thing''?! That's such an awful, clumsy name that I assumed it had to be part of a joke. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 11:36, 9 June 2025 (UTC)

I think there is a deeper meaning to this comic than is currently in the explanation. Perhaps highlighting the fact that it is ridiculous to name a cereal after a fruit when it contains little to no actual fruit. This is highlighted by the fact that "meat-flavoured" cereal is factually incorrect and sounds disgusting. "Fruit-flavoured" is equally misleading. [[User:Alcatraz ii|Alcatraz ii]] ([[User talk:Alcatraz ii|talk]]) 23:13, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

:Feel free to add that to the explanation! --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 20:31, 10 June 2025 (UTC)
::Not convinced, to be honest. Rice Krispies very much do contain almost nothing ''but'' rice. Honey Bunches of Oats (I still find it hard to believe that's a real name) contain oats and honey. I think this is just silliness. If it's supposed to be what you suggest, it's a pretty poor attempt – it would be better only referencing Apple Jacks, rather than things that ''do'' contain the things that their names imply. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 18:45, 13 September 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3138: Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure

2025-09-08T15:17:59Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

I was under the impression this was actually a thing that exists, somewhere. (Separate and apart from so-called "shrink rules" used by patternmakers who create patterns for metal castings). No? [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 00:36, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

https://www.inchcalculator.com/actual-size-of-dimensional-lumber/ for reference --- MEL

: Wikipedia has {{w|Lumber#Dimensional_lumber|a similar table}}. Interestingly, if the values on this table are correct, the xkcd measure fails for the 8 x 8 board. [[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:988B:772A:4E5:B209|2605:59C8:160:DB08:988B:772A:4E5:B209]] 02:18, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

:"I was under the impression this was actually a thing that exists, somewhere" - if doesn't exist now, it soon will. [[Special:Contributions/70.115.234.146|70.115.234.146]] 03:59, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

Thinking that there might be a typo in the comic - It says : A "1x8" IS "3/4 BY 7 1/8", yet it should be "3/4 BY 7 1/4".

I no longer want to be a lumberjack! [[Special:Contributions/2A02:2455:1960:4000:748F:2291:F005:1989|2A02:2455:1960:4000:748F:2291:F005:1989]] 06:57, 6 September 2025 (UTC)
:I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK. I sleep all night and I work all day! ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 05:31, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

This reminds me of when I changed my friend’s text replacements to be slightly misspelled whenever she tried to type a common word in college. She was getting a degree in linguistics and it was SO FUNNY 《プロキシ》(XKCD中毒者) 13:29, 6 September 2025 (UTC)
:She should have claimed that she was undertaking "applied linguistics" and investigating how to create a deliberate {{w|language change}}! [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 20:23, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

I was told (and maybe this is wrong), that the dimensions are intended to represent the final thickness of a wall when drywall (usually 0.5" thick) is attached to the studs. [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 20:58, 6 September 2025 (UTC)
:I think that's just a convenient side effect. Of course, if the drywall is 1/2 thick, a wall with 2x4 studs will be 4.5 inch thick. [[User:RegularSizedGuy|RegularSizedGuy]] ([[User talk:RegularSizedGuy|talk]]) 22:22, 6 September 2025 (UTC)

:That would be pretty ahistorical, so I think it is indeed wrong. Drywall is a relatively modern invention, and I think the standardization of 2x4s as 1.5″ thick predates it (need to check that…but even if it didn't, then it would be worse). Wood lath and plaster walls are more like 5/8″ from the stud face, if not more. And, of course, in modern American multifamily residential construction 5/8″ walls are more common, or even double-5/8″ walls (making 1 1/4″) in fire-rated assemblies. So it does not even end up being "convenient," not that a 4" wall assembly is particulary more "convenient" than a 4.5″ or a 4.125″ or a 4.75″ wall assembly…very little turns on the thickness of the stud plus wallboard, but a lot turns on the thickness of the stud cavity (insulation, space for utilities, &c.) or the thickness of the drywall (spacing of electrical outlets, mudrings, etc.). [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 04:20, 7 September 2025 (UTC)
Once again, the UK wins on ridiculousness. I bought some fencing materials yesterday. The panels were 1.83m x 1.22m, so they could be metric but nevertheless 6' x 4'. I got some presawn posts that were 2400mm long (so kind of 8', or close enough), and they were sold as 75mm x 75mm, so they were 3x3, but they fit perfectly into the 70mm x 70mm post supports I got to go with them. Using metric to sidestep the need for traditional-measurement nonsense...but just keeping the nonsense and throwing new numbers at it. Actually, that should rendered into Latin and put on a scroll as part of a national coat of arms. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 09:49, 7 September 2025 (UTC)

Since the tape measure uses variable length inches, the watch (provided by the cartoonist) might be similar to Vetinari's clock. (Where individual ticks are of random duration.) I looked to see if xkcd had covered such a clock before (for possible link), but didn't find one. [[Special:Contributions/2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:90|2600:387:4:803:0:0:0:90]] 19:16, 7 September 2025 (UTC)

As an aside, I am always bemused about Americans being so stuck on imperial measurements when metric is so much easier. Oh except money...Americans are happy with metric money :o). [[Special:Contributions/59.101.181.77|59.101.181.77]] 20:42, 7 September 2025 (UTC)
:Oh, undoubtedly. It's literally just counting. The system we all use for enumerating everything (including feet and inches, or furlongs and chains, or drachms and scruples, or whatever else) is base 10. So just use base 10 and give names to 1,10,100,1000, etc. of length/capacity/mass/etc. units, and nobody needs to know anything beyond counting to deal with absolutely everything. Anybody who says pounds and ounces, or yards and miles (or whatever) is superior is objectively wrong.

:But.

:People get used to things.

:So you get the mess I mentioned above.

:Adopt the metric system, but then sell milk in 568ml bottles, because that's a pint, and milk inherently belongs in pints, so people have to have that much milk as a unit. Sell syrup and treacle in 454g and 907g cans, so 1lb and 2lb cans of sugary stuff can still exist. Nobody would be able to cope with 400g, 450g, 500g, 900g or 1kg! Keep selling beer and cider in pints, but change spirits to 25ml or 35ml (which you choose is up to you as a licensed bar) from 1/6 of a gill (or 1/5 of a gill in Scotland). Sell fuel in litres, but advertise vehicle fuel consumption in miles per gallon. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 22:59, 7 September 2025 (UTC)
:I know, obviously not {{wiktionary|the full shilling}}! [[Special:Contributions/92.17.62.87|92.17.62.87]] 23:16, 7 September 2025 (UTC)

::I will venture the hypothesis that folk in this conversation are not cooks. It's in the kitchen that the difficulties with the metric system are most frequently encountered. Many Imperial measures are factors of two; it's easy and intuitive to double something or halve something and have the result make sense, as several kitchen veterans have told me over the years, with varying degrees of irritation. A pound (16 ounces), half a pound (8), a quarter pound (4), yada. Too many halvings in the metric system, and you're into fussy decimals. Moreover, if the recipe calls for a pound of butter, and you feed it half a kilogram, thinking that's the metric equivalent and close enough, the biscuits/cookies ain't gonna come out the same, and folk are gonna come after you. I learned years ago to check the cup measure carefully to see if it was graded in ounces or milliliters, and whether the recipe it was supposed to be serving came from Yankeeland or Godzone. Or else. The metric system may be logically superior, but may not be practically superior in all contexts. It might be well to seek reasons, other than the usual dismissive ones, for why, for example, {{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_Canada#Metrication_stalled|Canada took 15 years to fail to fully convert to the metric system}}.[[Special:Contributions/2605:59C8:160:DB08:F102:9332:DCBD:89C6|2605:59C8:160:DB08:F102:9332:DCBD:89C6]] 03:10, 8 September 2025 (UTC)
:::I very much ''am'' a cook, and that is, I'm afraid, nonsense. Cooking is the perfect example of why metric is better! A recipe written in imperial, or the almost-identical US Customary Units, doesn't work if you substitute a round number of grams in for it, no. Obviously. But that presupposes that recipes naturally occur in imperial, with conversion being necessary if grams are used. Plenty of recipes exist natively in metric though, and are a clumsy mess if performed in avoirdupois.

:::And "fussy" decimals aren't a problem. If you need to halve 325ml (for example), no recipe will be affected by your using 163ml instead of 162.5 – much as fluid ounce measurements aren't accurate to the half millilitre, millilitres don't need to be either. Being a Brit, I learned to bake bread in imperial because we're across two systems here, and were even more so when I was young, but I forced myself to change, because metric is, inarguably, vastly superior. Working with percentages of hydration when you're in fluid ounces of water and pounds of flour (or the entirely nonsensical volumetric cup system) is utterly ridiculous when you could just use numbers that are exactly equivalent to each other. 1kg of flour, at a 66% hydration ratio? Why, that'll be 660ml of water, which can simply be weighed into the bowl at 660g. Can pounds, ounces, pints, fluid ounces and cups do that? Very much no.

:::And your halveable measures are all well and good...if you're halving those particular numbers. Anyone can think of numbers that are easily halved though. But what if it's a 2 egg recipe with 3oz of flour, and you want to make 3 eggs' worth? Well, then you need 4.5oz of flour. A bit...fussy, no? Imperial and US-measure recipes feel like examples of pounds working neatly, because they've been constructed around easy-to-use quantities in that system. But metric recipes behave just as neatly, and are far more readily scalable, because the numbers are all just base 10, which everybody uses for everything all the time.

:::I know both. I can use both. I started out with imperial. But I choose to use metric, because metric is so very obviously superior. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 15:17, 8 September 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3138: Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure

2025-09-07T23:02:56Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Talk:3138: Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure

2025-09-07T23:00:50Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Talk:3138: Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure

2025-09-07T22:59:55Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Talk:3138: Dimensional Lumber Tape Measure

2025-09-07T09:49:42Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Talk:3136: Pull

2025-09-02T13:00:52Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Australia reference????? /s [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 05:41, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

I [[3135|recently learned]] that earth has weird gravity effects caused by a big moon orbiting near the surface. These are probably also barely measurable, except e.g., big bodies of water --[[Special:Contributions/134.102.219.31|134.102.219.31]] 11:23, 2 September 2025 (UTC)
:I take it you haven't heard of Earth tides? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_tide] --[[User:Gorcq|Gorcq]] ([[User talk:Gorcq|talk]]) 11:54, 2 September 2025 (UTC)
::Perhaps you should follow the link in the comment you replied to... [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 13:00, 2 September 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3133: Dual Roomba

2025-08-27T10:45:45Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

wow now way i was here before the page was created ts is crazy [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 04:08, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
: ... I think the bot is broken? [[User:TheTrainsKid|TheTrainsKid]] ([[User talk:TheTrainsKid|talk]]) 04:33, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
::actually, nope! this behavior isn't too surprising of the bot and it ''definitely'' isn't broken. the bot sometimes has a bit of a lag when creating pages, so you might see the comic page before the talk page is created. '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 04:55, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

i'm going to be honest, this is one of the first times in MONTHS that randall has been able to get a laugh out of me from his comics. keep it up, randall! miss the good old days in the 2010s when you had a lot more adult-oriented comics C: '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 05:09, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
:welcome back Tori! how you doing? [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 11:34, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
:it's entirely possible that the last time I saw you edit this wiki was when you commented on my user page! (thanks for that) [[User:RadiantRainwing|RadiantRainwing]] ([[User talk:RadiantRainwing|talk]]) 15:18, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
::hi all, i've been doing well! see y'all around :3 '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 04:00, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

profanity will return to xkcd [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 11:34, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
:pleaseeeeeee 🙏🙏🙏 '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 04:00, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

THE RETURN OF THE LEGENDARY 42.BOOK.ADDICT! MAY SHE BRING PEACE AND UNITY TO ALL READERS AND EDITORS ALIKE! --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[Special:Contributions/DollarStoreBa'al|'''''My life choices''''']] 14:09, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
:[[File:optruemus.gif]] [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 15:10, 26 August 2025 (UTC)15:10, 26 August 2025 (UTC)
:i'm not legendary-i just help out in areas that need some tlc! '''[[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]][[User talk:42.book.addict|Talk to me!]]''' 04:00, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

I know I shouldn't be putting reason into absurdity, but if he already has to intervene to flip one over, why not just clean it by hand? I feel like that would take just as long. [[Special:Contributions/2600:4040:79DD:3A00:B489:424C:28D:8EE7|2600:4040:79DD:3A00:B489:424C:28D:8EE7]] 15:20, 26 August 2025 (UTC)

Re "Only Fans": would it be worth mentioning the inverse-rule-34 that happened to the [/r/onlyfans](https://reddit.com/r/onlyfans) (SFW!) Reddit? It used to be about the pornography site, but the moderators lapsed. A new moderator stepped in and converted the sub to be about the household air movers. Their title-puns are delightfully groanworthy [[Special:Contributions/84.155.151.205|84.155.151.205]] 06:08, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

This REEKS of Randall having thought of the pun then backforming the comic to fit it. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 10:45, 27 August 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3128: Thread Meeting

2025-08-15T20:24:24Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Can't believe this still hasn't been explained, it's been a whole {{#expr: trunc(({{#time: U|{{CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}}} - 1755097380 )/60)}} minutes since this released. How am I supposed to enjoy it now? {{unsigned ip|2a01:5a8:479:b635:b4cd:4b3e:238a:dfc|16:08, 13 August 2025}}
:Oh, hey 2a01:5a8:479:b635:b4cd:4b3e:238a:dfc, I know you!
:Honestly I didn't realise you existed outside the Alien Vs. Predator Slash Fiction fandom. I haven't seen you since you described an even more squicky use of the plasmacaster than usual. [[Special:Contributions/82.132.187.138|82.132.187.138]] 16:40, 13 August 2025 (UTC)
::omg hiii [[Special:Contributions/82.132.187.138|82.132.187.138]]! I think we've met in some forum where we pitted our web series together. I'm so proud of the Xronology (my series) for coming out on top, but your "Bottom Simulator 1993" wasn't too bad either! [[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 16:44, 13 August 2025 (UTC)

This is the earliest I remember a comic being released in a looong time stevethenoob 19:31, 13 August 2025 (UTC)

One solution to this is to set up a personal website and link to it in your bio, while linking to all of your accounts from there. This way, people can discover your other interests via that personal website. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 17:24, 13 August 2025 (UTC)
:Given that I never use any (exactly-the-)same username twice, anywhere, this sounds like the absolutely last thing that I'd do. (I'm happy that you don't know whether I'm any (or all!) of @jimmy_wales, @realdonaldtrump, @KensingtonRoyal, @zuck, @FoxNews, @jairmessiasbolsonaro, @randallmonroe or ''anyone''...)
:In fact, I haven't got a 'bio' anywhere, except my CV/Resumé (which only lists my real-name email address that I don't use for anything but that) and what little I can get away with on any corporate system. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 20:20, 13 August 2025 (UTC)
::That's a good way to do it. What's linked can never be fully un-linked on the internet! [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 20:35, 13 August 2025 (UTC)
:::It helps that I got any possible internet self-promotion out of my system well before there was any 'social media' (and mostly before there was even 'the web') when it was all a far more pseudonimous text-only environment.
:::What doesn't help is that I also rejected things like LinkedIn as 'fads', like MySpace or Facebook (it'll never catch on!), to possibly tangible professional detriment. But I've muddled along. ;) (And it might even have helped not to have any embarassing skeletons in my closet, in anything easily googlable.)
:::But, hey let millenials be millenials and Zs be Zs, as well as the Gen Xs/Boomers that didn't come in ''well'' past the Eternal September. I'm sure they also mostly muddle through. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 21:50, 13 August 2025 (UTC)
::I have an interlinked network of main accounts with similar usernames. For some platforms I have alts, and for some platforms (like this one) I have no main account and only a different username. This stops issues with employers looking up my stuff if I use different writing styles on different accounts—not particularly difficult to do.
::Also, did the wiki admins finally figure out how to do X-Forwarded-For? —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 08:10, 14 August 2025 (UTC)
:::[[(]]I can't figure out if that's a bad thing because it means people show their IP addresses to random strangers, or if it's a good thing because you can show everyone your vanity IPv6 address with the suffix set to <code>::1337</code>. —megan [[user talk:megan|talk]] [[special:contribs/megan|contribs]] 08:14, 14 August 2025 (UTC)
I call these "internet loops"! Could also be someone randomly knowing someone else I also know or other roundabout way to rediscover someone. It happened a bunch of time with a specific Minecraft content creator's community for me, where someone found my comment on an Avatar fan video, I spotted someone else on a maths video with very few views, other people there liked the same music and someone joined a Pokémon-themed Discord who has one of the Minecraft community members as shared friend. And some people there already knew an Undertale creation of the owner. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 20:35, 13 August 2025 (UTC)
I have ''never'' understood the "seeing your teacher in a store is weird" thing. My daughter behaves that way, but she behaves in such a clichéed "Like...oh my god, that's just so totally...like...you know?" teenage way about ''everything'' that I have no belief in its genuinely being a problem. I saw teachers out of school, when I was a kid. It wasn't odd. It was just seeing people I knew in the town where we both lived. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 20:24, 15 August 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3123: Canon

2025-08-04T16:01:18Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

👋[[User:CalibansCreations|'''Caliban''']] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 17:14, 1 August 2025 (UTC)

I saw a post on reddit a week or two ago that described the how we use the term "kryptonite" to describe someone's weakness, then unironically asked what people thought Superman's Kryptonite would be.... [[Special:Contributions/136.226.60.109|136.226.60.109]]
:Wow, I never would've guessed what Superman's Kryptonite was! Seriously though, kryptonite has landed back on its original meaning too. [[User:Strontium|Strontium]] ([[User talk:Strontium|talk]]) 18:28, 1 August 2025 (UTC)
: cite: https://www.reddit.com/r/superman/comments/1jnh4d0/what_is_supermans_kryptonite/ -- [[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 20:05, 1 August 2025 (UTC)

I wonder if there are any examples of that in the wild or if Randall just made it up. [[User:Turquoise Hat|Turquoise Hat]] ([[User talk:Turquoise Hat|talk]]) 18:40, 1 August 2025 (UTC)
:I recall seeing someone unironically referring to Leipzig as "Napoleon's Waterloo". [[User:RegularSizedGuy|RegularSizedGuy]] ([[User talk:RegularSizedGuy|talk]]) 14:59, 2 August 2025 (UTC)

Just checked; there is no Bible wiki on fandom.com. I am sad. (There is, however, a Christianity wiki.) [[Special:Contributions/136.226.19.82|136.226.19.82]] 19:49, 1 August 2025 (UTC)
:Correction: there ''is'' one; search just failed to turn it up for some reason: https://bible.fandom.com/wiki/Bible_Wiki [[Special:Contributions/136.226.19.82|136.226.19.82]] 19:53, 1 August 2025 (UTC)

There's now a paragraph on the word 'fandom'. I can't see how this is relevant to explaining the comic, and suggest deleting it. [[User:DKMell|DKMell]] ([[User talk:DKMell|talk]]) 20:05, 1 August 2025 (UTC)
: the word is specifically mentioned by Cuball [[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 22:51, 1 August 2025 (UTC)
Reminds me of this old gem: [https://www.elon.edu/u/news/2020/03/31/how-covid-19-is-similar-to-the-viruses-trying-to-infect-your-computer/ How COVID-19 is similar to the viruses trying to infect your computer]. [[Special:Contributions/220.240.43.39|220.240.43.39]] 20:30, 1 August 2025 (UTC)

The history of "canon" from the explanation is inaccurate: Mocking the "Sherlock Holmes canon" already depended on the usage of the word for "literary canon" = the most important works of an author / genre / period / culture. "Canon" has been used with that meaning at least since 1768 [https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/display/document/obo-9780190221911/obo-9780190221911-0054.xml]. [[User:Transgalactic|Transgalactic]] ([[User talk:Transgalactic|talk]]) 23:08, 3 August 2025 (UTC)
:Your reference does not support your assertion. It says that the use of the word in 1768 was to mean selections of authors – not the "official and recognised works" meaning of literary canonicity as we currently understand it. It also says that such usage has been identified as having been catachrestic. Do you have a reference for "canon" actually being used in the sense of "literary canon" that predates the Conan Doyle one that you dispute? [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 16:01, 4 August 2025 (UTC)

DID Y'ALL MISS ME? Eh, probably not. August 12th is the first day of HS for me, so i should be back sometime just after that date, unless it got blocked. Don't worry, I'll be back shortly. In the meantime, WOW look at all these changes to the wiki since the last time i was on! I like the more brief incomplete explanation template. One thing I think Jeff should install is the visual editor, which many wikis (including wikipedia) have. FaviFake is still active, which makes me wonder how he has a job. Is he being paid to edit Explain xkcd all day? Anyway, see y'all August 12th! Sincerely, --'''''[[User:DollarStoreBa'al |DollarStoreBa'al]][[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al |'''''Converse''''']][[DSBContribs |'''''My life choices''''']] 03:20, 4 August 2025 (UTC)

[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/261:_Regarding_Mussolini This Comic] about the allies in WWII invoking Godwin's law feels like a similar phenomenon, though maybe not similar enough to warrant a mention in the official explanation [[Special:Contributions/2600:4041:2E5:B900:B97A:E409:F3F3:C38A|2600:4041:2E5:B900:B97A:E409:F3F3:C38A]] 14:11, 4 August 2025 (UTC)

This discussion seems to miss the pun on the word canon as used in music, as a piece that has a tendency to evolve until it has returned to where it started. I have to believe that Randall's use of this was intentional.--[[Special:Contributions/72.93.242.106|72.93.242.106]] 14:28, 4 August 2025 (UTC)
:Except that a canon doesn't have to return to where it started - only certain subtypes like rounds do. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:00, 4 August 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3114: Building a Fire

2025-07-17T08:12:29Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

[[1258:_First |First]], I guess. [[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/@bforbrain youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)]) 17:55, 11 July 2025 (UTC)

US households typically have a 100-amp or 200-amp service, so a 50-amp build seems appropriate for a this log cabin as it echoes a vacation cabin or off-grid build.

Uh oh, the miniature fire department has arrived! [[Special:Contributions/2601:647:8500:1E09:1077:EF9:1351:C331|2601:647:8500:1E09:1077:EF9:1351:C331]] 19:38, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
:"Dispatch, Engine 4; Situation uncontrol, requesting backup!" [[Special:Contributions/2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:C1AA:1DF9:BB49:4E6F|2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:C1AA:1DF9:BB49:4E6F]] 20:57, 12 July 2025 (UTC)

"Log" cabin. "Square" cabin. Subverted an expectation of a math joke. --[[Special:Contributions/69.159.206.207|69.159.206.207]] 22:07, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
:coming up with a math joke was exponentially harder than expected [[Special:Contributions/93.36.186.243|93.36.186.243]] 15:49, 14 July 2025 (UTC)

It may be interesting to add that starting a campfire with electricity could be a valid way if you have access to e.g. a car battery (especially in an emergency). [[Special:Contributions/31.146.78.31|31.146.78.31]] 07:08, 12 July 2025 (UTC)
:That raises the question of how the miniature log cabin's wiring is connected to the grid. We see Megan holding a wire, but where does it go in a campground? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 13:55, 12 July 2025 (UTC)
::The wiring could be connected to a battery, not a grid. You can start a fire with a very small battery, e.g. AA sized, that campers likely have around. [[Special:Contributions/2600:4040:99D4:8B00:F129:E0B5:B922:FEE4|2600:4040:99D4:8B00:F129:E0B5:B922:FEE4]] 16:06, 12 July 2025 (UTC)

I think the explanation should mention explicitly that the wiring not being up to code and the resulting electrical fault was probably intentional on Megan's part, despite her "oops" that implied that it was accidental. [[Special:Contributions/2600:4040:99D4:8B00:F129:E0B5:B922:FEE4|2600:4040:99D4:8B00:F129:E0B5:B922:FEE4]] 15:39, 12 July 2025 (UTC)
:I was trying to work out how to phrase that "Gone Horribly Right" moment. Torn between it being a "when I try to build a model log cabin, it always becomes a campfire, therefore when I want a camp fire I just try to build a model log cabin" situation (which is far more reliable than when ''intentionally'' trying to light a fire, without involving the original idea of the log cabin) or a more sarcastic "whoops, I 'accidentally' did it wrong". Or several other interpretations. It's funny, whichever way, though in slightly different ways. And I don't know if I care to try to declare any one of the ideas as the 'real' one. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 16:50, 12 July 2025 (UTC)

What's Cueball's "AAAAA!" for? He wanted a fire, so it seems unlikely that he's scared of the burning. Is he just finally sick of the elaborate nonsense and so screaming in frustration? Is he playing along with the disaster in Megan's little diorama? It seems a bit incongruous. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 10:20, 14 July 2025 (UTC)
:My take on it is that Cueball is reacting like how someone might react if a real house is on fire, by screaming. Either he's very naive, or he's just overly invested in the building of the pseudo log cabin.[[Special:Contributions/171.100.236.130|171.100.236.130]] 13:31, 14 July 2025 (UTC)
: My assumption was that it had gone up very suddenly and unexpectedly while he was still peering fairly closely at it wondering what on earth Megan was doing, resulting in a faceful of heat and smoke. [[Special:Contributions/82.13.184.33|82.13.184.33]] 16:05, 14 July 2025 (UTC)
::Yeah...OK, that's a fair point. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 08:12, 17 July 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3114: Building a Fire

2025-07-14T10:20:49Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

[[1258:_First |First]], I guess. [[User:B_for_brain|B for brain]] ([[User_talk:B_for_brain|talk]]) ([https://www.youtube.com/@bforbrain youtube channel] [https://bforbrain.weebly.com/ wobsite (supposed to be a blag)]) 17:55, 11 July 2025 (UTC)

US households typically have a 100-amp or 200-amp service, so a 50-amp build seems appropriate for a this log cabin as it echoes a vacation cabin or off-grid build.

Uh oh, the miniature fire department has arrived! [[Special:Contributions/2601:647:8500:1E09:1077:EF9:1351:C331|2601:647:8500:1E09:1077:EF9:1351:C331]] 19:38, 11 July 2025 (UTC)
:"Dispatch, Engine 4; Situation uncontrol, requesting backup!" [[Special:Contributions/2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:C1AA:1DF9:BB49:4E6F|2001:1C02:1A9D:9700:C1AA:1DF9:BB49:4E6F]] 20:57, 12 July 2025 (UTC)

"Log" cabin. "Square" cabin. Subverted an expectation of a math joke. --[[Special:Contributions/69.159.206.207|69.159.206.207]] 22:07, 11 July 2025 (UTC)

It may be interesting to add that starting a campfire with electricity could be a valid way if you have access to e.g. a car battery (especially in an emergency). [[Special:Contributions/31.146.78.31|31.146.78.31]] 07:08, 12 July 2025 (UTC)
:That raises the question of how the miniature log cabin's wiring is connected to the grid. We see Megan holding a wire, but where does it go in a campground? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 13:55, 12 July 2025 (UTC)
::The wiring could be connected to a battery, not a grid. You can start a fire with a very small battery, e.g. AA sized, that campers likely have around. [[Special:Contributions/2600:4040:99D4:8B00:F129:E0B5:B922:FEE4|2600:4040:99D4:8B00:F129:E0B5:B922:FEE4]] 16:06, 12 July 2025 (UTC)

I think the explanation should mention explicitly that the wiring not being up to code and the resulting electrical fault was probably intentional on Megan's part, despite her "oops" that implied that it was accidental. [[Special:Contributions/2600:4040:99D4:8B00:F129:E0B5:B922:FEE4|2600:4040:99D4:8B00:F129:E0B5:B922:FEE4]] 15:39, 12 July 2025 (UTC)
:I was trying to work out how to phrase that "Gone Horribly Right" moment. Torn between it being a "when I try to build a model log cabin, it always becomes a campfire, therefore when I want a camp fire I just try to build a model log cabin" situation (which is far more reliable than when ''intentionally'' trying to light a fire, without involving the original idea of the log cabin) or a more sarcastic "whoops, I 'accidentally' did it wrong". Or several other interpretations. It's funny, whichever way, though in slightly different ways. And I don't know if I care to try to declare any one of the ideas as the 'real' one. [[Special:Contributions/92.23.2.228|92.23.2.228]] 16:50, 12 July 2025 (UTC)

What's Cueball's "AAAAA!" for? He wanted a fire, so it seems unlikely that he's scared of the burning. Is he just finally sick of the elaborate nonsense and so screaming in frustration? Is he playing along with the disaster in Megan's little diorama? It seems a bit incongruous. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 10:20, 14 July 2025 (UTC)

Talk:169: Words that End in GRY

2025-06-24T23:45:44Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Ok, everything on this page, I already got. The bit I came here for, is the exact nature of the ambiguity. What is 'the phrase'? 
"The English language that end in gry", he's wrong because there are more than three words. 
"The English language", he's wrong because none of them end in gry. 
"There are three words in the English language ...", wrong again because language isn't the third word. 
So...? -- Zergling_man [[Special:Contributions/58.96.88.83|58.96.88.83]] 15:24, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

:The second paragraph in the explanation is what you are looking for. But as a brief overview: The reason it's easy to miss is that the words are written as a dialog would happen. If it had been properly punctuated it would have read "There are three words in 'the English language' that end with gry: 'Angry' and 'Hungry' are two. What's the third?" Cueball is saying there are three words in the phrase 'the English language' but to distract his intended victim he continues the sentence so the phrase is hidden among other words that, when taken as a whole, have a seeming continuity. This is why Black Hat cuts off Cueball's hand. Because the "joke" is not funny and being intentionally ambiguous and then being smug when the ambiguity has its intended effect is not humor. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:01, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

::But this doesn't actually answer my question. Take it without the distraction. "There are three words in the English language that end in gry. What's the third?" Even then, it still doesn't make any sense. If you take it as "there are three words in the English language. What's the third?", then you're left with "that end in gry: Angry and hungry are two", and that doesn't make any sense at all. I'm not seeing how there's any way both meanings can be valid, whatever you do to this, it seems at least one is completely nonsensical. -- Zergling_man [[Special:Contributions/58.96.88.83|58.96.88.83]] 13:00, 5 December 2012 (UTC)
:::::Start with a declaration about words ending with "gry". Say that "angry" and "hungry" are two such words. That's it – end of that sentence. ''Then'' say that "the English language" has three words. Ask for the third. Don't ever say that there are three "-gry" words – just imply it through nonsequitur. It goes something like this...
:::::''"Angry" and "hungry" are two words ending in "gry". There are three words in "the English Language". What is the third?
''
:::::Cueball doesn't do this, but that's how it's supposed to work. If you use the right tone of voice and emphasise "three", you can imply a linking "but" between "gry" and "There" for even stronger misdirection. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 14:46, 24 June 2025 (UTC)

::: The trouble is that Randall told the joke incorrectly... it should be (with proper punctuation) "There are three words in 'The English Language'. Ending in 'gry' there are 'angry' and 'hungry' What is the third word?" [[Special:Contributions/190.214.5.29|190.214.5.29]] 04:59, 6 December 2012 (UTC)

:::: I think a better way to say it is:
:::: There are at least 3 words in "the English language that end with 'gry'. 'Angry' and 'hungry' are two". What is the third word? [[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.39|81.23.24.39]] 08:33, 25 February 2013 (UTC)

:::: For anyone who is curious, the answer is "gryphon." [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 20:47, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

::::: They have to end with "GRY", an answer can be "unangry", but "gryphon" does not end with GRY (source:http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=words+that+end+in+GRY){{unsigned|79.40.128.128}}

:::::: No; the original question asked for 3 words that had 'gry' in the end. 'Angry' and 'hungry' have 'gry' in the back end. 'Gryphon' has 'gry' in the front end.
:::::: Also, sudo sign all your comments by adding 4 tildes in the back end of your comment. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 19:37, 11 February 2013 (UTC)
:::::::: You are not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported. --[[User:Jlc|Jlc]] ([[User talk:Jlc|talk]]) 03:59, 21 November 2018 (UTC)
::::::::: Sudo visudo. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.38.231|172.70.38.231]] 20:20, 15 March 2023 (UTC)
::::::::: [[838:_Incident|Hey -- who does sudo report these "incidents" ''to''?]] [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 23:39, 8 June 2023 (UTC)
:::::::: actually, as you van read in the explanation, the entire question is wrong, the joke should not have the requirement of English words ending with gry, but have the question simply be ''there are only three words in the English language, what is the third, prefaced by a misguiding comment about words that end with gry, like angry and hungry. The point of the joke is that this preface is not part of the question, and as such it creates a hilarious intentional misunderstanding. [[Special:Contributions/145.44.88.75|145.44.88.75]] 10:01, 25 June 2013 (UTC)

:I fear you are missing the point. The comic is intentionally written ambiguously to highlight the frustration caused when one misuses grammar in retelling the joke. The original joke is grammatically correct: the third word of the phrase "the English Language" is "language." The reference to words ending in "gry" is just a distraction. However, if the distraction is combined with the phrase, then the grammar becomes confusing, ruining the joke. [[User:Lanejb24|Lanejb24]]
I really doubt this is Cueball, as he is seen later with both arms, and he is nowhere near as much of an asshole (or an idiot) to tell this joke incorrectly. [[Special:Contributions/75.185.176.214|75.185.176.214]] 18:45, 8 August 2013 (UTC) tildes for the win

:There are many Cueballs, just read the page on him. However, this doesn't exactly fit the normal Cueball's character. [[User:Gman314|Gman314]] ([[User talk:Gman314|talk]]) 16:40, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

----

The title text is missing. Am I right that Randall states that {{w|Postmodernism|postmodernists}} are not clever?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:31, 8 August 2013 (UTC)
:Well, postmodernists are pretty much thrashed in [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=postmodernism&defid=3758855 Urban Dictionary]...[[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 19:41, 12 July 2015 (UTC)
:No, I would say that Randall is making a joke about postmodern art. Stereotypically, postmodern art is very subtle and symbolic and doesn't look like much, but there is still a message hiding underneath. Randall is saying that they're not conveying their point well, but are still acting smug when people don't understand their poorly communicated point. [[User:Gman314|Gman314]] ([[User talk:Gman314|talk]]) 16:40, 21 August 2013 (UTC)
::I took him to mean postmodernist philosophers, who clumsily use obscure language and then act like those who "misunderstand" their evasive blather are proving themselves wrong. — [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]])

::What makes you think that it '''only''' refers to postmodern art and not postmodernization in general? [[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 19:41, 12 July 2015 (UTC)
:No, but almost. Randall does feel that post-modernists are prone to this behavior, and this behavior is not clever. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 01:44, 6 February 2014 (UTC)

::And where is the source for "Randall does feel that post-modernists are prone to this behavior"?[[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 19:41, 12 July 2015 (UTC)
Wikipedia has an entire page devoted to the -GRY joke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/-gry) {{unsigned ip|66.46.112.60}}

;Cueball's hand
:Can someone explain what is the '''significance''' of BlackHat cutting off Cueball's hand?[[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 19:41, 12 July 2015 (UTC)

:He's punishing Cueball for being smug. It's not significant that it's the hand in particular (that just seems to be the limb closest to BlackHat). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.38|108.162.216.38]] 23:35, 12 September 2015 (UTC)
::No, I think it's because he was pointing at him, as part of the sting of the joke. —[[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 15:12, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

He's trying to give Cueball an easy way to remember to not behave this way in the future. It's funny because the lesson is a failure, it causes more long term harm than long term benefit. Also it is unlikely that Cueball is paying attention to the lesson anyway, being distracted by the pain and loss.
Or possibly it's funny because Black Hat is just causing his usual mayhem, and pretends to be a teacher to hide his intention, and does an unconvincing job. [[User:Shingleslant|Shingleslant]] ([[User talk:Shingleslant|talk]])

:As a child I watched a TV series called "legends of kung-fu" and each time the master, played by David Carradine, was giving a lesson to his son, he was slapping him in the face, so the lesson be easily memorized. I am quite sure Randall watched it also, because there is another xkcd comics that references David Carradine.

Hangry. That is all I have to add. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.234.132|172.69.234.132]] 01:41, 24 July 2019 (UTC) Cye

== Words what ends with "Gry" ==
"Hun'''gry'''" and "An'''gry'''" are not the only words ending with "gry". There is the word [https://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definition/gry "'''gry'''"]. I think we can find '''more''' of such words. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.183.65|172.68.183.65]] 19:47, 10 January 2025 (UTC)

Talk:169: Words that End in GRY

2025-06-24T23:43:38Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Ok, everything on this page, I already got. The bit I came here for, is the exact nature of the ambiguity. What is 'the phrase'? 
"The English language that end in gry", he's wrong because there are more than three words. 
"The English language", he's wrong because none of them end in gry. 
"There are three words in the English language ...", wrong again because language isn't the third word. 
So...? -- Zergling_man [[Special:Contributions/58.96.88.83|58.96.88.83]] 15:24, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

:The second paragraph in the explanation is what you are looking for. But as a brief overview: The reason it's easy to miss is that the words are written as a dialog would happen. If it had been properly punctuated it would have read "There are three words in 'the English language' that end with gry: 'Angry' and 'Hungry' are two. What's the third?" Cueball is saying there are three words in the phrase 'the English language' but to distract his intended victim he continues the sentence so the phrase is hidden among other words that, when taken as a whole, have a seeming continuity. This is why Black Hat cuts off Cueball's hand. Because the "joke" is not funny and being intentionally ambiguous and then being smug when the ambiguity has its intended effect is not humor. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:01, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

::But this doesn't actually answer my question. Take it without the distraction. "There are three words in the English language that end in gry. What's the third?" Even then, it still doesn't make any sense. If you take it as "there are three words in the English language. What's the third?", then you're left with "that end in gry: Angry and hungry are two", and that doesn't make any sense at all. I'm not seeing how there's any way both meanings can be valid, whatever you do to this, it seems at least one is completely nonsensical. -- Zergling_man [[Special:Contributions/58.96.88.83|58.96.88.83]] 13:00, 5 December 2012 (UTC)
:::::Start with a declaration about words ending with "gry". Say that "angry" and "hungry" are two such words. That's it – end of that sentence. ''Then'' say that "the English language" has three words. Ask for the third. Don't ever say that there are three "-gry" words – just imply it with nonsequiturs. It goes something like this...
:::::''"Angry" and "hungry" are two words ending in "gry". There are three words in "the English Language". What is the third?
''
:::::Cueball doesn't do this, but that's how it's supposed to work. If you use the right tone of voice and emphasise "three", you can imply a linking "but" between "gry" and "There" for even stronger misdirection. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 14:46, 24 June 2025 (UTC)

::: The trouble is that Randall told the joke incorrectly... it should be (with proper punctuation) "There are three words in 'The English Language'. Ending in 'gry' there are 'angry' and 'hungry' What is the third word?" [[Special:Contributions/190.214.5.29|190.214.5.29]] 04:59, 6 December 2012 (UTC)

:::: I think a better way to say it is:
:::: There are at least 3 words in "the English language that end with 'gry'. 'Angry' and 'hungry' are two". What is the third word? [[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.39|81.23.24.39]] 08:33, 25 February 2013 (UTC)

:::: For anyone who is curious, the answer is "gryphon." [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 20:47, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

::::: They have to end with "GRY", an answer can be "unangry", but "gryphon" does not end with GRY (source:http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=words+that+end+in+GRY){{unsigned|79.40.128.128}}

:::::: No; the original question asked for 3 words that had 'gry' in the end. 'Angry' and 'hungry' have 'gry' in the back end. 'Gryphon' has 'gry' in the front end.
:::::: Also, sudo sign all your comments by adding 4 tildes in the back end of your comment. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 19:37, 11 February 2013 (UTC)
:::::::: You are not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported. --[[User:Jlc|Jlc]] ([[User talk:Jlc|talk]]) 03:59, 21 November 2018 (UTC)
::::::::: Sudo visudo. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.38.231|172.70.38.231]] 20:20, 15 March 2023 (UTC)
::::::::: [[838:_Incident|Hey -- who does sudo report these "incidents" ''to''?]] [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 23:39, 8 June 2023 (UTC)
:::::::: actually, as you van read in the explanation, the entire question is wrong, the joke should not have the requirement of English words ending with gry, but have the question simply be ''there are only three words in the English language, what is the third, prefaced by a misguiding comment about words that end with gry, like angry and hungry. The point of the joke is that this preface is not part of the question, and as such it creates a hilarious intentional misunderstanding. [[Special:Contributions/145.44.88.75|145.44.88.75]] 10:01, 25 June 2013 (UTC)

:I fear you are missing the point. The comic is intentionally written ambiguously to highlight the frustration caused when one misuses grammar in retelling the joke. The original joke is grammatically correct: the third word of the phrase "the English Language" is "language." The reference to words ending in "gry" is just a distraction. However, if the distraction is combined with the phrase, then the grammar becomes confusing, ruining the joke. [[User:Lanejb24|Lanejb24]]
I really doubt this is Cueball, as he is seen later with both arms, and he is nowhere near as much of an asshole (or an idiot) to tell this joke incorrectly. [[Special:Contributions/75.185.176.214|75.185.176.214]] 18:45, 8 August 2013 (UTC) tildes for the win

:There are many Cueballs, just read the page on him. However, this doesn't exactly fit the normal Cueball's character. [[User:Gman314|Gman314]] ([[User talk:Gman314|talk]]) 16:40, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

----

The title text is missing. Am I right that Randall states that {{w|Postmodernism|postmodernists}} are not clever?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:31, 8 August 2013 (UTC)
:Well, postmodernists are pretty much thrashed in [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=postmodernism&defid=3758855 Urban Dictionary]...[[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 19:41, 12 July 2015 (UTC)
:No, I would say that Randall is making a joke about postmodern art. Stereotypically, postmodern art is very subtle and symbolic and doesn't look like much, but there is still a message hiding underneath. Randall is saying that they're not conveying their point well, but are still acting smug when people don't understand their poorly communicated point. [[User:Gman314|Gman314]] ([[User talk:Gman314|talk]]) 16:40, 21 August 2013 (UTC)
::I took him to mean postmodernist philosophers, who clumsily use obscure language and then act like those who "misunderstand" their evasive blather are proving themselves wrong. — [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]])

::What makes you think that it '''only''' refers to postmodern art and not postmodernization in general? [[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 19:41, 12 July 2015 (UTC)
:No, but almost. Randall does feel that post-modernists are prone to this behavior, and this behavior is not clever. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 01:44, 6 February 2014 (UTC)

::And where is the source for "Randall does feel that post-modernists are prone to this behavior"?[[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 19:41, 12 July 2015 (UTC)
Wikipedia has an entire page devoted to the -GRY joke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/-gry) {{unsigned ip|66.46.112.60}}

;Cueball's hand
:Can someone explain what is the '''significance''' of BlackHat cutting off Cueball's hand?[[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 19:41, 12 July 2015 (UTC)

:He's punishing Cueball for being smug. It's not significant that it's the hand in particular (that just seems to be the limb closest to BlackHat). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.38|108.162.216.38]] 23:35, 12 September 2015 (UTC)
::No, I think it's because he was pointing at him, as part of the sting of the joke. —[[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 15:12, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

He's trying to give Cueball an easy way to remember to not behave this way in the future. It's funny because the lesson is a failure, it causes more long term harm than long term benefit. Also it is unlikely that Cueball is paying attention to the lesson anyway, being distracted by the pain and loss.
Or possibly it's funny because Black Hat is just causing his usual mayhem, and pretends to be a teacher to hide his intention, and does an unconvincing job. [[User:Shingleslant|Shingleslant]] ([[User talk:Shingleslant|talk]])

:As a child I watched a TV series called "legends of kung-fu" and each time the master, played by David Carradine, was giving a lesson to his son, he was slapping him in the face, so the lesson be easily memorized. I am quite sure Randall watched it also, because there is another xkcd comics that references David Carradine.

Hangry. That is all I have to add. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.234.132|172.69.234.132]] 01:41, 24 July 2019 (UTC) Cye

== Words what ends with "Gry" ==
"Hun'''gry'''" and "An'''gry'''" are not the only words ending with "gry". There is the word [https://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definition/gry "'''gry'''"]. I think we can find '''more''' of such words. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.183.65|172.68.183.65]] 19:47, 10 January 2025 (UTC)

Talk:169: Words that End in GRY

2025-06-24T14:46:33Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Ok, everything on this page, I already got. The bit I came here for, is the exact nature of the ambiguity. What is 'the phrase'? 
"The English language that end in gry", he's wrong because there are more than three words. 
"The English language", he's wrong because none of them end in gry. 
"There are three words in the English language ...", wrong again because language isn't the third word. 
So...? -- Zergling_man [[Special:Contributions/58.96.88.83|58.96.88.83]] 15:24, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

:The second paragraph in the explanation is what you are looking for. But as a brief overview: The reason it's easy to miss is that the words are written as a dialog would happen. If it had been properly punctuated it would have read "There are three words in 'the English language' that end with gry: 'Angry' and 'Hungry' are two. What's the third?" Cueball is saying there are three words in the phrase 'the English language' but to distract his intended victim he continues the sentence so the phrase is hidden among other words that, when taken as a whole, have a seeming continuity. This is why Black Hat cuts off Cueball's hand. Because the "joke" is not funny and being intentionally ambiguous and then being smug when the ambiguity has its intended effect is not humor. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:01, 20 November 2012 (UTC)

::But this doesn't actually answer my question. Take it without the distraction. "There are three words in the English language that end in gry. What's the third?" Even then, it still doesn't make any sense. If you take it as "there are three words in the English language. What's the third?", then you're left with "that end in gry: Angry and hungry are two", and that doesn't make any sense at all. I'm not seeing how there's any way both meanings can be valid, whatever you do to this, it seems at least one is completely nonsensical. -- Zergling_man [[Special:Contributions/58.96.88.83|58.96.88.83]] 13:00, 5 December 2012 (UTC)
:::::Start with a declaration about words ending with "gry". Say that "angry" and "hungry" are two such words. End of that sentence. ''Then'' say that "the English language" has three words. Ask for the third. Don't ever say that there are three "-gry" words – just imply it with nonsequiturs.
:::::"Angry" and "hungry" are two words ending in "gry". There are three words in "the English Language". What is the third?
:::::Cueball doesn't do this, but that's how it's supposed to work. If you use the right tone of voice and emphasise "three", you can imply a linking "but" between "gry" and "There" for even stronger misdirection. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 14:46, 24 June 2025 (UTC)

::: The trouble is that Randall told the joke incorrectly... it should be (with proper punctuation) "There are three words in 'The English Language'. Ending in 'gry' there are 'angry' and 'hungry' What is the third word?" [[Special:Contributions/190.214.5.29|190.214.5.29]] 04:59, 6 December 2012 (UTC)

:::: I think a better way to say it is:
:::: There are at least 3 words in "the English language that end with 'gry'. 'Angry' and 'hungry' are two". What is the third word? [[Special:Contributions/81.23.24.39|81.23.24.39]] 08:33, 25 February 2013 (UTC)

:::: For anyone who is curious, the answer is "gryphon." [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 20:47, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

::::: They have to end with "GRY", an answer can be "unangry", but "gryphon" does not end with GRY (source:http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=words+that+end+in+GRY){{unsigned|79.40.128.128}}

:::::: No; the original question asked for 3 words that had 'gry' in the end. 'Angry' and 'hungry' have 'gry' in the back end. 'Gryphon' has 'gry' in the front end.
:::::: Also, sudo sign all your comments by adding 4 tildes in the back end of your comment. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 19:37, 11 February 2013 (UTC)
:::::::: You are not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported. --[[User:Jlc|Jlc]] ([[User talk:Jlc|talk]]) 03:59, 21 November 2018 (UTC)
::::::::: Sudo visudo. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.38.231|172.70.38.231]] 20:20, 15 March 2023 (UTC)
::::::::: [[838:_Incident|Hey -- who does sudo report these "incidents" ''to''?]] [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]][[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]][[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]] 23:39, 8 June 2023 (UTC)
:::::::: actually, as you van read in the explanation, the entire question is wrong, the joke should not have the requirement of English words ending with gry, but have the question simply be ''there are only three words in the English language, what is the third, prefaced by a misguiding comment about words that end with gry, like angry and hungry. The point of the joke is that this preface is not part of the question, and as such it creates a hilarious intentional misunderstanding. [[Special:Contributions/145.44.88.75|145.44.88.75]] 10:01, 25 June 2013 (UTC)

:I fear you are missing the point. The comic is intentionally written ambiguously to highlight the frustration caused when one misuses grammar in retelling the joke. The original joke is grammatically correct: the third word of the phrase "the English Language" is "language." The reference to words ending in "gry" is just a distraction. However, if the distraction is combined with the phrase, then the grammar becomes confusing, ruining the joke. [[User:Lanejb24|Lanejb24]]
I really doubt this is Cueball, as he is seen later with both arms, and he is nowhere near as much of an asshole (or an idiot) to tell this joke incorrectly. [[Special:Contributions/75.185.176.214|75.185.176.214]] 18:45, 8 August 2013 (UTC) tildes for the win

:There are many Cueballs, just read the page on him. However, this doesn't exactly fit the normal Cueball's character. [[User:Gman314|Gman314]] ([[User talk:Gman314|talk]]) 16:40, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

----

The title text is missing. Am I right that Randall states that {{w|Postmodernism|postmodernists}} are not clever?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:31, 8 August 2013 (UTC)
:Well, postmodernists are pretty much thrashed in [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=postmodernism&defid=3758855 Urban Dictionary]...[[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 19:41, 12 July 2015 (UTC)
:No, I would say that Randall is making a joke about postmodern art. Stereotypically, postmodern art is very subtle and symbolic and doesn't look like much, but there is still a message hiding underneath. Randall is saying that they're not conveying their point well, but are still acting smug when people don't understand their poorly communicated point. [[User:Gman314|Gman314]] ([[User talk:Gman314|talk]]) 16:40, 21 August 2013 (UTC)
::I took him to mean postmodernist philosophers, who clumsily use obscure language and then act like those who "misunderstand" their evasive blather are proving themselves wrong. — [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]])

::What makes you think that it '''only''' refers to postmodern art and not postmodernization in general? [[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 19:41, 12 July 2015 (UTC)
:No, but almost. Randall does feel that post-modernists are prone to this behavior, and this behavior is not clever. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 01:44, 6 February 2014 (UTC)

::And where is the source for "Randall does feel that post-modernists are prone to this behavior"?[[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 19:41, 12 July 2015 (UTC)
Wikipedia has an entire page devoted to the -GRY joke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/-gry) {{unsigned ip|66.46.112.60}}

;Cueball's hand
:Can someone explain what is the '''significance''' of BlackHat cutting off Cueball's hand?[[User:Pacerier|Pacerier]] ([[User talk:Pacerier|talk]]) 19:41, 12 July 2015 (UTC)

:He's punishing Cueball for being smug. It's not significant that it's the hand in particular (that just seems to be the limb closest to BlackHat). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.38|108.162.216.38]] 23:35, 12 September 2015 (UTC)
::No, I think it's because he was pointing at him, as part of the sting of the joke. —[[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 15:12, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

He's trying to give Cueball an easy way to remember to not behave this way in the future. It's funny because the lesson is a failure, it causes more long term harm than long term benefit. Also it is unlikely that Cueball is paying attention to the lesson anyway, being distracted by the pain and loss.
Or possibly it's funny because Black Hat is just causing his usual mayhem, and pretends to be a teacher to hide his intention, and does an unconvincing job. [[User:Shingleslant|Shingleslant]] ([[User talk:Shingleslant|talk]])

:As a child I watched a TV series called "legends of kung-fu" and each time the master, played by David Carradine, was giving a lesson to his son, he was slapping him in the face, so the lesson be easily memorized. I am quite sure Randall watched it also, because there is another xkcd comics that references David Carradine.

Hangry. That is all I have to add. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.234.132|172.69.234.132]] 01:41, 24 July 2019 (UTC) Cye

== Words what ends with "Gry" ==
"Hun'''gry'''" and "An'''gry'''" are not the only words ending with "gry". There is the word [https://dictionary.reverso.net/english-definition/gry "'''gry'''"]. I think we can find '''more''' of such words. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.183.65|172.68.183.65]] 19:47, 10 January 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3102: Reading a Big Number

2025-06-15T11:01:16Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

avrayter [[User:Avrayter|Avrayter]] ([[User talk:Avrayter|talk]]) 12:27, 13 June 2025 (UTC) how do you add links

Is the final character a 6, or is it a theta? [[Special:Contributions/2A02:F6E:A36E:0:F0F1:E624:A18C:EDC2|2A02:F6E:A36E:0:F0F1:E624:A18C:EDC2]] 14:05, 13 June 2025 (UTC)
: The across line is curvy, so most likely a "6". [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 14:14, 13 June 2025 (UTC)

I would have to fire any programmer that output hex in lowercase (or put commas in triplets for hex). [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 14:14, 13 June 2025 (UTC)
: You may be firing about half of the programmers then :) I don't think there is a rule here, both forms are common, but I guess that there are holy wars to fight. [[Special:Contributions/90.73.80.27|90.73.80.27]] 15:41, 13 June 2025 (UTC)

r/unexpectedfactorial Randall Monroe, shame on you!

Surely this is just one line of a CSV file... [[Special:Contributions/86.144.197.52|86.144.197.52]] 15:51, 13 June 2025 (UTC)
: That is actually a strong justification!! I'd like to see the headers, tho xD
: Also an unusual and possibly broken CSV. 000 values are uncommon (they are usually just 0), and the " (or <nowiki>''</nowiki>) may be used for quoting. There is no way to tell how it will parse as CSV is not a well defined format. There is a standard, RFC 4180, but it is not always followed. [[Special:Contributions/90.73.80.27|90.73.80.27]] 18:03, 13 June 2025 (UTC)
: could be CSFWV = comma-separated-and-fixed-width-values where the values are also 0-padded so that it works in both their CSV parsers and their fixed-width parsers for compatibility. [[Special:Contributions/74.202.210.170|74.202.210.170]] 19:19, 13 June 2025 (UTC)

Remember, kids: always end your strings with a NUL [[Special:Contributions/93.36.184.28|93.36.184.28]] 15:56, 13 June 2025 (UTC)

By my reckoning, if you set a 78RPM record playing, and waited for it to have spun the amount of arcseconds specified (by that point in the "number", you'd be waiting a tad over 7 ''billion'' times the current age of the universe. I might have erred by a magnifude or three (forgot if I divided number of days down to get number of years, etc, and I much prefer to work with Long Scale billions, so maybe I did it slightly wrong when working with the inferior kind), but... Well, it doesn't really matter ''quite'' so much, I suspect. ;) [[Special:Contributions/82.132.246.216|82.132.246.216]] 17:11, 13 June 2025 (UTC)

I remember, years ago, seeing calculators using single quotes as thousands-separators. But never a double-quote. Interestingly, the C++ standard (as of the 2014 release) permits single-quote characters as an arbitrary digit separator for numeric literals. They are ignored by the compiler, but can be useful for making code more readable (e.g. every 3 decimal digits or every 4 hex digits). See also https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/language/integer_literal.html. [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 19:02, 13 June 2025 (UTC)

Apart from the quotation mark, this still matches [my hex number regex](https://stackoverflow.com/a/76696505/6743127). [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 19:22, 13 June 2025 (UTC)

Oooh, looks like an IPv9 address, but they're using ',' instead of '🕴️' to separate triplets for some reason. The clusters with an extra leading 0 indicate that they're in octal instead of base64. -- [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 21:26, 13 June 2025 (UTC)

Randall, how in tarnations did you find out my password? 08:38, 14 June 2025 (UTC)

If you turn #c2ef46 into a color https://www.perbang.dk/rgb/c2ef46/, it's a brilliant lime green. [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 10:05, 14 June 2025 (UTC)

Wait, why does the table jump straight from billions to quadrillions? Where's trillions? Is this an error or one of those UK-vs-US-billion situations?
[[Special:Contributions/185.231.139.156|185.231.139.156]] 18:34, 14 June 2025 (UTC) Oh! It's because the comic doesn't comment on the 'trillions' comma. I get it now. It's 'cause I'm dumb.[[Special:Contributions/185.231.139.156|185.231.139.156]] 18:37, 14 June 2025 (UTC)

I always start at the right and work to the left. So then when I actually start reciting what the number is, I know if it's quintillions – or whatever – that I'm dealing with. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 11:01, 15 June 2025 (UTC)

Talk:2983: Monocaster

2025-06-13T16:47:23Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Unicycles aren't (or at least aren't usually) chain-driven. I might try to fix that if my phone stops being so slow that it feels like I'm using a 90s PC to do this. Maybe a restart will help. Rebooting in 10, 9, 8... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.76|172.70.91.76]] 07:46, 10 September 2024 (UTC)
:I just went in and Actual Citation Needed it (seeing lower comment, when editor reloaded this page for me, forcing me to rewrite, that may have changed now).
:*It doesn't look like a chain-drive. Could be hub-geared, but not the same thing.
:*Chain-drive to raise the rider (most of the mass) up higher will ''raise'' the CoG.
:*'Underslung' chain-drive (see 1880s example, [[1673: Timeline of Bicycle Design|here]]?) has problems. Pedals hitting the ground would be one of them, unless your wheel was indeed significantly larger...
:*...and if it is (perhaps for better off-roading?), this intrinsically pushes up the CoG. Perhaps you are trying to lower it slightly, again, then. But you can't bring the saddle (and crotch!) lower than the now higher top of the wheel. ("Timeline of Bicycles" version excepted, assumed assymetric? In [https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47de-4b7d-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99 some manner]?)
:Add to that a few niggles about the bicycle. Not sure if intended to be a Moulton-style one (wheels maybe the classic 17", frame totally wrong) or a roadbike-style-ish one (frame relatively Ok, as drawn by someone not fully adhering to the design, maybe confused by some MTB variations, but clearly not in the ~27" wheel range, give or take). Of course, wheels are neither concentric nor circular, so depends a bit on which bits of the 'circles' are right for the intended arc and which bits ended up more casually doodled. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.99|172.70.91.99]] 08:51, 10 September 2024 (UTC)
::There also don't appear to be any pedals on the bicycle, with the rider instead resting their feet on the bottom bracket. Which is... unorthodox.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.135|141.101.99.135]] 11:16, 16 September 2024 (UTC)
:::Charitably, the nearside foot (and leg) is positioned at the top-going crank position, with the farside one stretched down to the down-angled crank/pedal, but the chainring is a ''solid'' disc (and a radius to match the crank-lengths), rather than the usual "with many cutout bits" and a few inches smaller in radius than the pedal-extents.
:::Though the fact you can see the frame (the downtube, seat-tube and at least one of the chainstays) where they meet at the bottom-bracket means that the disc-chainring is mounted with the left pedal+crank (the lowered one), rather than on the side of the RHS pedal+crank (the one raised), as per usual. But that's hardly the weirdest bit about the depiction. ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.88|141.101.99.88]] 14:59, 16 September 2024 (UTC)
:AFAIK, unicycles aren't GENERALLY chain-driven, but tall ones are (to put the peddles where the rider can reach them, but raise the rider up, often to a second story of a building). That said, I don't see a chain here, but I also don't see one in the description, so obviously sorted out by now. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:13, 15 September 2024 (UTC)

Hmm, Randall missed an opportunity to put a Penny-Farthing in there... though I'm not sure how that would have categorised given that it has two wheels of different sizes. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.178|172.68.205.178]] 08:19, 10 September 2024 (UTC)
:He has a "Big Wheel Trike" (child's low-rider style thing) in there. On the logarithmic scale, and imprecise reference point (bottom/middle(/CoG,where different)/top of wheel/vehicle/rider/whole?), both the big front wheel and the small trailing wheels colpd be in the right place-ish, although having it slightly inclined could put them in the (place Tandall considers to be) ''exactly'' right place. ((Note also where the 10(?)-wheeler truck-and-trailer is placed horizontally vs the possibly relevent "number of wheels".))
:You could do something similar with the Old Ordinary (i.e. "Penny-Farthing"), either make it roughly right or depict going up a ''marginally'' steeper hill. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.142|172.69.194.142]] 09:04, 10 September 2024 (UTC)
:I'd say ignore the small wheel (would crowd with similar-sized wheels) and place according to the front wheel, might be easier to find room there. :) Agreed, missed opportunity, that front wheel '''''is''''' particularly large. Also, when talking about number of wheels and large wheels, how could he miss the {{w|BelAZ_75710}}? A lot of people have been introduced to the concept, 2 wheels per corner I think and I think the wheels are like 8 feet tall in diameter! (I guess like 2.5 meters or so, I'm just pretty sure it's well over my own height of 6'2", which I know is around 190cm or nearly 2m). [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:42, 15 September 2024 (UTC)

Re: unicycles, the COG thing doesn't look right either, but I was distracted by a (thankfully) now-deleted troll comment before and actually fixing the description is beyond my skills, especially on so little sleep.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.43.184|172.69.43.184]] 08:35, 10 September 2024 (UTC)
:i had good intentions, we need to call randall out --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.122|172.69.194.122]] 09:44, 10 September 2024 (UTC)
:::If you mean your calling out the ''other'' point, that has been deleted anyway: Randall doesn't read this site (that we know; and, if I had a site such as this made for my works, I'd think it wisest to stay clear), so he probably won't get your 'message'. This particular comic doesn't even have the slightest connection to that subject, so not even the page to say anything about it. And the point made (even if it was a valid one... it presupposes that there are no nuances and compromises, that one cannot have a complex set of opinions that neither wholly match nor wholly mismatch ''your'' opinions) was also absurd, when you consider how the ''other'' party involved has proven to be even more so. I won't dignify this issue further by putting names and places here, it really isn't the forum for it. But please realise (if you don't already) that your irrelevent point is out of place here. And most places on this site that you/others like you may have tried such messaging on before. Go to /pol/, or your favourite forum's dedicated boards/threads. Ok? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.19|172.70.85.19]] 12:26, 10 September 2024 (UTC)
::Call him out for *what* exactly? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.70.135|172.68.70.135]] 12:05, 10 September 2024 (UTC)
:::As I dare to hint, just above, someone thinks Randall has a wrong personal opinion on some current issue. Which has nothing to do with this comic. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.19|172.70.85.19]] 12:26, 10 September 2024 (UTC)
:::You can check the history of this Talk section like I just did, some weirdo wrote a wild rant about Randall's politics (seems out of left field and based on nothing) which had nothing to do with the comic beyond ranting about Randall and Randall being the author. It was the original first comment. Most proper deletion, I say. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:31, 15 September 2024 (UTC)
::::Actually, I think the rant came more out of ''right'' field, but I agree with the rest of that assessment... ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.26.23|172.71.26.23]] 13:54, 15 September 2024 (UTC)
:::::actually i support the green party :) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.138|172.69.79.138]] 07:18, 17 September 2024 (UTC)

As a unicyclist myself, I don't think the unicycle is easier to balance because of a lower center of mass and a chain drive. As a few others have mentioned, they don't normally have a chain drive, although there are a few specialist ones that do. Normally, the cranks are just attached to the hub so you can directly control the speed of the wheel at a 1 to 1 ratio, which makes it easier to balance on. The other thing that would make the unicycle easier than the monocaster is that you can control what direction the wheel is pointing by turning the seat with your thighs. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.186.128|172.68.186.128]] 09:22, 10 September 2024 (UTC)

Love the log-log scale. Now let's see the zoomed-out version, with orders of magnitude more wheels and orders of magnitude larger diameters. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.166.230|172.71.166.230]] 13:59, 10 September 2024 (UTC)
:The scale if off either way. Or Randall wrote centimeters while he meant inches... At least for some cases. Examples: he placed the skatebord at 2cm while skateboord wheels are at ca 5cm - which are approx. 2 inches. Scooter wheels are approx 8.5 inches, not 8.5 cm... The car is mostly fine, albeit it would be a rather small car at ~50cm (a 19 inch (50cm) wheel designates the size of the rims, not the wheel) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 15:18, 10 September 2024 (UTC)
::out of all people i would think Randall would be the last one to use a non-SI unit to measure distance. --[[User:Markifi|Markifi]] ([[User talk:Markifi|talk]]) 17:45, 10 September 2024 (UTC)
:::He usually prefers SI units, yes. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:03, 11 September 2024 (UTC)

I have NEVER heard anyone call inline skates "three wheel skates". [[Special:Contributions/141.101.109.193|141.101.109.193]] 19:04, 10 September 2024 (UTC)
:As a quad skater through most of my youth, the depicted "three-wheel skate" was only called "inline" skates. Not sure where this 3-wheel designation came from! [[User:RandalSchwartz|RandalSchwartz]] ([[User talk:RandalSchwartz|talk]]) 21:59, 10 September 2024 (UTC)
::I too thought the term “three-wheel skate” seemed odd, and thought “inline skates” might be more appropriate. Then I remembered that in fact, most inline skates have four wheels… a memory that a quick Google image search seemed to support. So I guess a three-wheel skate is a special case of inline skate, rather than the default implementation. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.137|172.70.160.137]] 06:56, 11 September 2024 (UTC)
:Both variants exist and the three-wheeled version has generally bigger wheels - so the relative depiction of both variants in the diagram is correct. But their position regarding to wheel size is not. See my comment above [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 10:03, 11 September 2024 (UTC)

title text sounds like beret guy ngl--[[User:1234231587678|1234231587678]] ([[User talk:1234231587678|talk]]) 23:38, 10 September 2024 (UTC)

Not a single mention of Pollux? [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_and_Pollux Wikipedia] [[Special:Contributions/172.68.70.122|172.68.70.122]] 11:53, 11 September 2024 (UTC)

Disconcerting that this explanation does not describe any of the vehicles, instead entirely making one-sided arguments regarding the title text. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.175.16|172.71.175.16]] 15:53, 11 September 2024 (UTC)
:I was considering a tabular list of all subjects, when I had time, at least to the Preview stage. Very brief: 'Vehicle' (wikilinked, as appropriate)/№ of wheels/typical size of wheel(s)/Typical use. No long paragraphs intended. Might need a range in the size column (possibly some in the # of wheels column). If someone gets there before me, though, I wouldn't mind. :p
:...and I just discovered that the # 'key', in the numbers 'screen' of this touchscreen keyboard has ”№” as a long-press alternative! How long have I been using this and hadn't realised? (Four years. That's how long.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.137|172.70.90.137]] 16:43, 11 September 2024 (UTC)

[[User:DougM|DougM]] ([[User talk:DougM|talk]]) 16:35, 11 September 2024 (UTC)Missed opportunity to bring in the Letourneau l2350 loader, which I think has the largest production tires in the world at 4m, outshining those monster trucks (Bigfoot I think never had tires bigger than 3m).

I notice also a hole regarding ~30cm, multi-wheel. I say that space is filled by those amusement-park little trains. Yesss, they're "separate wagons," however, as it's several attached wagons operating together as a unit, for practical purposes, I say those trains constitute "one single" vehicle. Some have a very ingenious directional drive system, so wagons follow each other in the same path instead of a cathenary, for example in Disney; I was fascinated.[[User:Yamaplos|Yamaplos]] ([[User talk:Yamaplos|talk]]) 17:15, 11 September 2024 (UTC)

No mention either of the Rip Stick, which successfully employs only two castored wheels for locomotion. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.23.189|172.68.23.189]] 18:11, 11 September 2024 (UTC)

Is there any reason the title text uses "tiny" twice? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.3|172.71.150.3]] 22:38, 11 September 2024 (UTC)
:I'm guessing it's meant to be interpreted as the tiny "single-tiny-caster" [[Special:Contributions/172.71.150.2|172.71.150.2]] 22:50, 11 September 2024 (UTC)

== (Inception Sound Effect) ==

Somewhere in the far corner of the chart:

{{w|Bagger 288}}

[[User:Fephisto|Fephisto]] ([[User talk:Fephisto|talk]]) 20:26, 11 September 2024 (UTC)
:Somewhere in the upper right (but closer than that), the {{w|BelAZ_75710}}, what a missed opportunity! I think it has 8 wheels, 2 at each point a car has 1... I think each wheel is like 8 feet in diameter! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:13, 15 September 2024 (UTC)

What a missed opportunity to include the 14 wheeled flowboard [[User:Scab|Scab]] ([[User talk:Scab|talk]]) 10:17, 13 September 2024 (UTC)

Since regular roller skates are pretty much gone now, seems wrong to miss standard rollerblades (4 wheels per skate, not the 3 Randall specified). Except it would go very close to the skates - I think the wheels aren't quite the same size - I guess that's why, but seems strange to choose the classic 2-by-2 skates over currently common rollerblades... [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:13, 15 September 2024 (UTC)

I don't care how ridiculous they might actually be, I really – like ''really'' – want a monowheel. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 16:47, 13 June 2025 (UTC)

Talk:2992: UK Coal

2025-06-13T13:59:34Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

nuclear power is better in all aspects anyway [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.105|172.70.90.105]] 19:40, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
: Not true - the rabbits can't get into the radiation suits.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.62|172.70.85.62]] 14:11, 1 October 2024 (UTC)
::Although when it comes to fast breeders, rabbits are well known to be experts. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 13:59, 13 June 2025 (UTC)

Here before the explanation :) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.9|172.71.154.9]] 20:12, 30 September 2024 (UTC)

:Ew. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 20:13, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

I made an initial explanation, but it needs a lot of work still; hopefully someone with more experience editing on this wiki can improve it (this is my first explanation) [[User:MathEnthusiast|MathEnthusiast]] ([[User talk:MathEnthusiast|talk]]) 20:27, 30 September 2024 (UTC)

"the sole rabbit-run coal plant was shut down in the 1990s."
Just checking, but this isn't referencing some particularly egregious, badly managed coal power plant in the U.K., is it? [[User:Fephisto|Fephisto]] ([[User talk:Fephisto|talk]]) 20:43, 30 September 2024 (UTC)

:I don’t think so; I believe it’s simply that Ratcliffe-on-Soar power plant is the last UK coal plant to be shut down.
::The 1990 comment in particular. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.36.171|172.68.36.171]] 15:07, 1 October 2024 (UTC)
:::It's also a pun on the similarly-named https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_Run_Fossil_Plant (a coal plant in Tennessee, 1967-2023) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.105|172.71.154.105]] 06:54, 27 December 2024 (UTC)

Randall uses SI units in the formula, as every person with the tiniest bit of tech/science education would, but then gives the result in inches (3.15) instead of centimeters (8.0). Americans are weird. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.110.162|162.158.110.162]] 20:56, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
:^^ This! {{unsigned ip|172.70.90.109}}
:Because metric units make more sense for calculating, but common sense units are what people can actually visualize. [[User:Mathmannix|Mathmannix]] ([[User talk:Mathmannix|talk]]) 23:59, 1 October 2024 (UTC)
::Define "common sense"... ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.206|172.70.162.206]] 06:50, 2 October 2024 (UTC)
:::About 0.3937 centimeters [[User:Firestar233|guess who]] ([[User talk:Firestar233|if you want to]] | [[Special:Contributions/Firestar233|what i have done]]) 04:19, 3 October 2024 (UTC)
::"Because metric units make more sense for calculating, but *[American-only] units are what *[his American primary target audience] can actually visualize", there, fixed that for you. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:21, 6 October 2024 (UTC)

One should not forget that the 3 inches are very unevenly distributed. Some areas on top of coal mines have sunken in much further creating new flooding risks that require continued future interventions.
--[[Special:Contributions/172.64.236.34|172.64.236.34]] 21:08, 30 September 2024 (UTC)

:Indeed, I used to line in the north of England and road signs would say, "Road liable to subsidence." I also wonder about the year 1853. Mining was going on long before that. The industrial revolution started in the mid-eighteenth century.--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.22|141.101.98.22]] 07:46, 1 October 2024 (UTC)
::Presumably, that's just the earliest that UK DESNZ has data for.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.23.209|172.71.23.209]] 18:34, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

I understand that Watership Down is sometimes categorized as "children's literature", but it always catches me off guard. The Wikipedia page for it calls it an "adventure novel" and it's in the adult fiction section at my library. I'm just wondering if perhaps the explanation here should be a little less specific in its categorization of the book.[[User:Dextrous Fred|Dextrous Fred]] ([[User talk:Dextrous Fred|talk]]) 21:35, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
:I don't think it's ever '''''categorized''''' as children's literature (I'm surprised at no mention of the more well-known and more likely reference of the movie), they're often '''''MISTAKEN''''' (or mis-categorized, if you will) as being for children, considering the fluffy bunnies and animated feature. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:21, 6 October 2024 (UTC)

From the perspective of someone who lived through the 1980s Miner's Strike (not directly affected, my father worked at a steel-works, not at a pit like my friends' fathers) and then the decline of the steel manufacturing industry (which ''did'' affect my father, obviously), I have rather naturally kept a general eye on the extraction and use of coal. There still are working coal-mines (though there isn't going to be that new one, in Cumbria), and there are still uses for UK coal (enough to import to add to tht which we dig out). It's really a bit early to say that the layer of total coal dug out ''won't'' deepen slightly (very, very slightly) in the future. And coal that is dug is only loosely associated with coal which is turned into electricity, so the last coal-generator stopping seems like an oddly off-topic detail for Randall to leap into the amortised accumulation of extracted volume. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.165|172.68.205.165]] 22:01, 30 September 2024 (UTC)

Full conversion to US Customary Units (AKA US Bullshit Units):

(25e9 Tonnes / (1.3 kg/L * 2.4e5 km^2)) * (1000 kg / 1 Tonne) * (1 km^2 / (1000 m)^2 ) * (1 m^3 / 1000 L) * (39.37 in / 1 m ) ~= 3"

--[[User:JayTeeEll|JayTeeEll]] ([[User talk:JayTeeEll|talk]]) 22:57, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
:"US Bullshit units", but I still see a lot of kilo this and that metric, :) "Full"? [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:21, 6 October 2024 (UTC)

He has not added the amount of "flotation" that results from the removal of all that material from the islands. Have the islands risen more than 3 inches in the crust, due to the removal? [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 23:37, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
:Scotland's still going up (after the last Ice-Age melt) and the south of Britain is still going down, IIRC. Which'll confuse matters. But I don't see how the component contributions to raising level (due to the digging out) could outpace the removal (due to that digging), by any significant amount. Rebound takes a while, and the effects should roughly equal out (so long as we haven't been digging too deep). [[Special:Contributions/172.68.205.151|172.68.205.151]] 23:41, 30 September 2024 (UTC)
: He doesn't mention anything about the surface height at all, though. He says that an average 3" has been dug up and burnt, but not that the country is 3" lower as a result.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.204|172.70.86.204]] 13:45, 1 October 2024 (UTC)
:: Between the diagram and the text (including title-text), it looks as if he is indeed lowering the surface' from what it might have been without the extraction. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.35|172.70.86.35]] 16:49, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

I have a nagging feeling that although rabbit-run coal plants aren't (known to be) a thing, there must be Victorian children's books (e.g. Beatrix Potter) in which bunnies use coal scuttles or coal fires. "When Horace Hedgehog arrived, it was tea-time, so Mr Hoppy put some more coal on the fire..." [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 00:36, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

:Funnily enough, ''Peter Rabbit'', by Beatrix Potter was published in 1901, the same year as Queen Victoria’s passing, which marked the end of the Victorian Era. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 15:39, 1 October 2024 (UTC)
:I felt confident that there was probably a place named Rabbit Run, with a coal-based facility nearby, but all I found was [https://rabbitrun.wales a rather pedestrian footrace].
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 20:21, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

UK DESNZ refers to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, which is a ministerial department of the UK government. So basically that text is citing the source for the data.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.185|172.70.162.185]] 03:33, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

To help balance this out, should someone import coal into the formerly coal producing areas to fill in the now empty veins, or would that be selling coal to Newcastle? [[User:RegularSizedGuy|RegularSizedGuy]] ([[User talk:RegularSizedGuy|talk]]) 05:35, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

From the miner's strike onwards, a lot of coal was imported (particularly from (Poland) to run the coal-fired power stations since it was much cheaper, so wasn't dug out the ground in the UK. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.105|172.70.90.105]] 07:51, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

The formula doesn't take into account that the UK has ...changed land area over that period. Land area of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ireland) was 315000 km² until 1922.
This changes the reading in SI units from 8 cm to 7 cm, but the rounded value in inches is unchanged, 3 in. Which explains why you call those units of his glorious majesty Imperial, I guess. --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.172.180|172.71.172.180]] 08:34, 1 October 2024 (UTC)
: I checked the source and it doesn't say wether production data for 1853-1922 is for the CURRENT territory of UK or includes production in the territory now belonging to Eire. Maybe we should inquire. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.89|162.158.111.89]] 11:03, 1 October 2024 (UTC)
:Coal production in the territory now known as the Republic of Ireland (not Éire, that is just the Irish language name for the island) was historically quite low compared to Britain, with [https://irelandenergy2050.ie/past/coal/#:~:text=In%20Ireland%20there%20were%20four,Coalfield%20reportedly%20started%20in%201638. somewhere around 50,000 tons per year] before independence, so it can largely be discounted [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.34|162.158.111.89]] 14:28, 3 October 2024 (UTC)

I don't like the punctuation spatter in "The UK shut down their last coal power plant today, which means that over the course of the industrial revolution, they dug up and burned an average of 3 inches of their country." And the place I'd put a new comma might confuse others' sensibilities. Perhaps "..., which means that (over the ... revolution) they dug ...". Or just get rid of the one after revolution and accept a rather long run-on clause. Not that it's changable here, being Transcript of what's there but it's strangely off in grammatical meter and span from how I would try to say/write the same words. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.101|172.70.85.101]] 10:06, 1 October 2024 (UTC)

I feel like I missed the joke somewhere with this: "The volume of earth described, 0.1 nm × 240,000 km2, is equal to 24 m3. This is a humorous play on depictions of anthropomorphic rabbits in children's literature." Are these two separate statements that happened to be placed in a misleading way, or is something funny about 24 cubic meters having to do with anthropomorphic rabbits? {{unsigned ip|162.158.111.237}}

i hear that stoats are getting into nuclear now, tho. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.58.215|172.69.58.215]] 20:29, 1 October 2024 (UTC)
:Reminds me of [https://www.ferret-school.co.uk/working-ferrets/cable-laying ferrets], and the "Nuclear Ferret" section in particular. (Yes, "microscopic steel particles called mesons" makes me glad they seem far more expert in muscalid matters than with physics. And web-page design.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.206|172.70.162.206]] 06:50, 2 October 2024 (UTC)

finally made my own account, can someone help create my user and talk pages??? [[User:CalibansCreations|CalibansCreations]] ([[User talk:CalibansCreations|talk]]) 10:22, 2 October 2024 (UTC)

There may have never been a coal plant run by rabbits, but there's been at least one spontaneously-forming nuclear power plant. And coal seams can of course light on fire. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.59|162.158.91.59]] 08:04, 6 October 2024 (UTC)

;(Inexplicably was in Community Portal/Miscelaneous) I'm getting a factor of 10 difference in the calculation

in today's comic (#2992 (September 30, 2024)

We see the depth of the UK coal industry. The calculation is presented as

25 Billion Tonnes
------------------------- ~= 3 inches.
1.3Kg/L x 240,000 Km^2

I reduced the units and got:

CoalProduction_Tonne = 25e9;

CoalProduction_Kg = CoalProduction_Tonne * 1000; % 1000Kg/tonne

VolumePerLiter_MCubed = .001; % cubic meters

AreaOfUk_KmSquared = 24e3; % Km^2

AreaOfUk_MSquared = AreaOfUk_KmSquared * 1e6; % 1e6m^2 in 1Km^2

DepthOfCoal_M = CoalProduction_Kg/(1.3/VolumePerLiter_MCubed * AreaOfUk_MSquared);

DepthOfCoal_mm = 1000 * DepthOfCoal_M

DepthOfCoal_mm = 801.28,approx. 32 inches.

Where is this wrong? {{unsigned ip|172.71.23.209|20:52, 1 October 2024}}

:The original comic (#[[2992]]) sets the UK land area as 240,000 km^2, which is equal to 24 * 10^4 km^2 (or 2.4 * 10^5 km^2, or 240 * 10^3 km^2, or 2.4 * 10^5 * (10^3)^2 m^2 = 2.4 * 10^11 m^2), exactly one order of magnitude different from your numbers. I ran my own calculations (before really looking deeply at yours) and got 3.2 inches (rounded off to two sig figs). [[User:Coolclawcat|Coolclawcat]] ([[User talk:Coolclawcat|talk]]) 00:59, 2 October 2024 (UTC)
::In other words:
AreaOfUk_KmSquared = 240e3; % Km^2
[[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 02:40, 2 October 2024 (UTC)

That was it: DepthOfCoal_in = 3.1547 {{unsigned ip|172.71.31.55|13:07, 2 October 2024}}

As a Brit, I just want to say: wooohoooo!! Finally! As an environmentalist, I'll also add: Sorry about all the anti-nuclear power stuff. Many of my predecessors got it very badly wrong. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.35|172.70.86.35]] 08:44, 3 October 2024 (UTC)

I'm quite amused at the "citation needed" on "There's no documented evidence of a rabbit-run plant". Yes, provide documentation on how there's no documentation. :) I like that one. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:21, 6 October 2024 (UTC)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal Coal] is of organic origin and there are still quite a lot of organics running around the planet today. Perhaps Randal, or someone here, could calculate the time needed for the extracted coal to be naturally replenished? [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 00:13, 7 October 2024 (UTC)

:Wikipedia says 50-400 million years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_far_future [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 11:57, 7 October 2024 (UTC)

I don't think his calculations take into account the ash produced by burning all that coal. I wonder how much less the average subsidence would be if you took this into account. {{unsigned ip|172.69.23.76|19:01, 14 October 2024}}
:Obviously, the ash should be used to consistently and systematically raise the seabed surrounding the UK until it is above {{w|Chart datum#Lowest astronomical tide|High Tide}}. look forward to the calculations necessary (with reference to accurate depth-charts) to determine exactly how 'thick' this extra band of reclaimed land will be as it extendes evenly perpendicularly 'offshore' from the convoluted HAT line. And also the effective creation of a lagoon immediately 'inshore' of significant (variably-wide) stretches of the coast where the non-land-filled surface of the UK falls below the HAT line by those few inches of enforced subsidence, and thus collects both water draining off the rest of the landmass and occasionally gets flooded with storm-surges passing over the HAT-level infill. (Yes, I know. I have such simple wishes.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.138|172.69.79.138]] 19:59, 14 October 2024 (UTC)

Can we create a category of comics that (ab)use dimensional analysis, like this, [[Oily House Index]], and [[Dimensional Analysis]]? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.49.16|172.70.49.16]] 05:21, 15 October 2024 (UTC)

Talk:123: Centrifugal Force

2025-06-11T19:41:35Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Are you allowed to describe a force acting upon you when you are in an accelerating reference frame? I'm pretty sure you're not. The explanation says that from bond's point of view, he is at rest. Well, sort of. If you're in an accelerating car you can tell that you're not at rest because your inertia seems to be "pulling" you backwards. There's nothing actually pulling you, though. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.202|108.162.219.202]] 05:24, 30 December 2013 (UTC)
:According to general relativity, that inertial "pull" is indistinguishable from being at rest with a force being applied. In the rotating frame, this apparent force is the centrifugal force. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.62|199.27.128.62]] 05:58, 4 February 2014 (UTC)
:the explanation is correct, and you can describe forces acting on you in non-inertial frames. If you take Bond to be the origin of a rotating frame of reference then the position of Bond will be (0,0,0) at all times. So in that frame of reference, Bond is at rest (not "sort of at rest, really at rest). The equation of motion for Bond is
F + Fe + Fw + Fc = ma = 0
: (F is external force, Fe is the force due to angular acceleration of the frame (relative to some inertial frame), Fw is centrifugal force and Fc is coriolis force )
: Since the sum of the three "fictious" force are nonzero, and Bond is at rest in this frame, the force F must also be non-zero. This force F is the inward push of the centrifuge. In the moving car example, you can't tell if you are accelerating or if there is a massive graviational field pulling you backwards. From your perspective the experience is identical. If you take this idea and run with it you get general relavitity[[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.67|141.101.70.67]] 11:30, 6 August 2014 (UTC)

: I believe the OP is referencing the vestibular system. This is what allows humans to feel acceleration. The actual physics at hand is regarding reference frames, not the ability of the body to detect acceleration. In regards to the question of "Are you allowed to describe a force acting upon you when you are in an accelerating reference frame?", the answer is yes. You can pick whichever reference frame you wish, but we tend to pick the one that simplifies the calculations the most.[[User:Flewk|Flewk]] ([[User talk:Flewk|talk]]) 06:44, 25 December 2015 (UTC)

"Apparent force" is the best term to use to describe centrifugal force, and could be inserted in the text to clarify. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.89|172.68.142.89]] 21:14, 14 June 2018 (UTC)

;"The surface of the Earth approximates an inertial frame."
This isn't correct at all. If you're standing on Earth, you're experiencing an acceleration of 9.8 m/s^2. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.11|108.162.238.11]] 00:56, 12 April 2018 (UTC)

;Actually, that is incorrect. Right now i'm in my desk chair, not accelerating. The force of gravity is cancelled out by the force my chair exerts on me to maintain this status quo. You're correct that it's not an inertial frame, but that is because the ''force'' of gravity, not some ''acceleration'' [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.20|141.101.77.20]] 12:14, 6 July 2018 (UTC)
:: Noting that gravity _is_ an acceleration. In fact, a case could be made that it is ''the dominant acceleration'' experienced by normal matter with the possible exception of dark energy.[[User:Iggynelix|Iggynelix]] ([[User talk:Iggynelix|talk]]) 12:09, 30 September 2020 (UTC)

It's NOT appropriate that lazy science teachers "lie to children" in that and various other ways. The kids can understand far more than the teachers assume, so that their choices of limitation are self-fulfilling prophecy, producing ignorant victims of the public school system. — [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 01:39, 21 September 2019 (UTC)
: It's also inappropriate and perhaps just as ignorant to assert that such oversimplifications only occur in _public_ schools. There are lots of private school teachers extolling the same simplification.
:: Fewer of them do, because the parents have the power to hold them to higher standards. — [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 18:42, 29 January 2024 (UTC)
:::yes, they still do, but you can argue that this phenomenon of 'Lie-to-children' are good, as science, especially physics, is carried out by models, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lie-to-children, this idea originated by Jack Cohen & Ian Stewart

On what if 2 he mentioned "Centrifuetal Force". --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 02:35, 4 April 2025 (UTC)

Spin and you get flung.
"But physics says there's no force."
But it actually happens.
"But it's centripetal. It's movement toward the centre."
Nope. Literally being flung outwards right now. In real time.
"But science says..."
Science adjusts when errors are demonstrated. That's literally what science is. So, riddle me this, motherfucker: if science says no, and reality says yes, who do we listen to? [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 19:41, 11 June 2025 (UTC)

Talk:123: Centrifugal Force

2025-06-11T19:40:55Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Talk:27: Meat Cereals

2025-06-09T11:36:49Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

;Scrapple Jacks
Apple Jacks cereal have very little actual apple in them. That's why they don't taste like apples. Perhaps Scrapple Jacks has very little actual scrapple in it. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 00:53, 17 August 2012 (UTC)

:While they may have little apple in them, I don't know that that's necessarily the reason they don't taste like apples (as I noted in the [[Apple Jacks]] comic itself, the wiki page for the cereal alleges they are supposed to taste like Apple and Cinnamon. Other candy or cereals that have fruit flavours (for example, the candy Runts) rarely have any of the actual fruit in them, but still have flavourings that are designed to taste like that fruit. The question is whether Kellog's used poor flavouring in their cereal, I suppose. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:33, 17 August 2012 (UTC)
: Perhaps large food companies with massive advertising campaigns brand their products in ways that may make them appear healthier than they actually are. [[User:Iggynelix|Iggynelix]] ([[User talk:Iggynelix|talk]]) 14:37, 5 August 2023 (UTC)

I came here to make a "Honey Bunches of Goatse" joke, but I feel it may be in bad taste. [[Special:Contributions/76.106.251.87|76.106.251.87]] 18:26, 17 April 2013 (UTC)

;Cereal Meats
Many cereal based meat alternatives are marketed using parodies of meat product names. This is generally not considered disgusting, even by those not interested in vegetarian product lines.

Possibly Randall is exploring the difference by inverting the product and ingredient type. {{unsigned|Eltimbalino}}

[[file:chicken-and-waffles-cereal.jpg|This is a real thing.]]This is a real thing. — [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 17:22, 21 April 2019 (UTC)

Isn't this also a reference to the cereal commercial parody, Meatloaf Crunch, from The Amanda Show? {{unsigned ip|172.71.182.217}}

Whoa! "Honey Bunches of Oats" is a ''real thing''?! That's such an awful, clumsy name that I assumed it had to be part of a joke. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 11:36, 9 June 2025 (UTC)

== Deeper meaning ==

I think there is a deeper meaning to this comic than is currently in the explanation. Perhaps highlighting the fact that it is ridiculous to name a cereal after a fruit when it contains little to no actual fruit. This is highlighted by the fact that "meat-flavoured" cereal is factually incorrect and sounds disgusting. "Fruit-flavoured" is equally misleading. [[User:Alcatraz ii|Alcatraz ii]] ([[User talk:Alcatraz ii|talk]]) 23:13, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Talk:30: Donner

2025-06-06T13:35:52Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

The indication is that they were waiting a long time for the table and decided to eat one of their companions. {{unsigned|‎64.85.162.210}}
:So you think that's why Kramer is missing from that episode? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 01:20, 1 February 2014 (UTC)
----

Outside of the obvious pointed out by the previous user: the restaurant, Joe's, could be a reference to Tex Avery's Eat at Joe's. In one of the episodes, the customers were eaten by 'Joe'. The cannibalism scenario works out as well. [[User:Torappu|Torappu]] ([[User talk:Torappu|talk]]) 18:48, 24 June 2013 (UTC)
:I feel that it may not have been intended by Randall, but a good pickup nonetheless. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 01:20, 1 February 2014 (UTC)
----

I disagree with the original interpretation. The party of three was, I believe, more likely concerned by an additional, undepicted party, also waiting to eat at the establishment, and possibly fearing for their own safety from said cannibalism.--[[User:StrangerDanger|StrangerDanger]] ([[User talk:StrangerDanger|talk]]) 20:46, 27 June 2013 (UTC)
:Clearly you are incorrect. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.58|108.162.219.58]] 01:20, 1 February 2014 (UTC)
----

My interpretation - after reading the above explanation - is that the Donner was a party of four, who had preordered a table at Joe. But when these three arrived, they had just eaten the fourth person (as a snack before leaving home...?) And then they realized that they are not really hungry anymore - when Joe asks them in. Joe obviously knows they are the Donner - and they do not deny this. (I originally wrote this on 8 October - before I today signed up with a user account - thus this edit). [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:29, 13 October 2013 (UTC)
----

My first interpretation was that "Donner" in the comic is intended to be an alternate spelling of {{w|Doner kebab|doner}}, and the comic might be a reference to the classic urban legend that the shadier kind of doners are supposedly made of meat from animals not otherwise normally eaten (typically cats). But that doesn't explain the apparently real existence of the Donner party. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.11.39|172.68.11.39]] 15:34, 5 December 2016 (UTC)

:Indeed, not just an alternative spelling, but a common one. As don(n)er kebabs are pretty close to being the UK's national dish, I initially assumed it was a reference to that that I wasn't getting. In fact, "assumed" isn't really the right word. It's more like if the maître d' was saying "Hamberger, party of four?" It wouldn't be an ''assumption'' to think that was an unexplained hamburger-based pun. It would just be what it apparently was. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 13:35, 6 June 2025 (UTC)
----

MY interpretation was simply that there was no Wendigo psychosis involved causing them to become cannibalistic, they just had such a long wait they figured it would be better to eat one of their own. [[User:SilverTheTerribleMathematician|SilverTheTerribleMathematician]] ([[User talk:SilverTheTerribleMathematician|talk]]) 06:01, 5 February 2023 (UTC)

Talk:3097: Bridge Types

2025-06-03T15:55:44Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

For budget overrun, see olympic stadium of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

[[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.202|162.158.126.202]] 01:23, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

Very disappointed there's no bridge card game reference, but I guess that's not one of Randall's types of nerdiness :( [[Special:Contributions/172.71.254.203|172.71.254.203]] 01:45, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

I would like to note that cable stayed bridges, budget overrun here, are much cheaper than equivalent suspension bridges. It because they use less materials and can be built faster meaning less labor. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.58.51|172.69.58.51]] 01:50, 3 June 2025‎
:Tru dat in general, but I think that this is a reference to the {{w|Leonard_P._Zakim_Bunker_Hill_Memorial_Bridge|Zakim Bridge}} in downtown Boston, part of the {{w|Big_Dig|"Big Dig"}} project that became notorious for its budget overruns and related shenanigans. Given that Randall M. lives in Boston, that makes this panel something of an inside joke. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.224|172.71.147.224]] 03:15, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

The [[wikipedia:St. Louis Arch|St. Louis Arch]] is a repurposed-elevator-suspended-arch-but-without-the-base-and-wires bridge if you squint hard enough. The elevator is also fun. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.67.214|172.69.67.214]] 01:57, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

Nothing about a a [[wikipedia:Bridge circuit|bridge circuit]] or these [[Wikipedia:Bridges (disambiguation)|many]] [[wikipedia:other|other]] bridges either. Sigh. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.67.214|172.69.67.214]] 01:57, 3 June 2025 (UTC)
:And where, oh where, are Lloyd, Beau, Jeff, and Jordan? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.41.84|162.158.41.84]] 03:19, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

The L'Engle is a take off on a Wrinkle in time? But this one is in space? -- [[User:162.158.91.124|162.158.91.124]] ([[User talk:162.158.91.124|talk]]) 02:26, 3 June 2025‎ ''(please sign your comments with <nowiki>~~</nowiki>~~)''
:There's some space-warping in L'Engle's books. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.174.63|162.158.174.63]] 02:44, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

The "budget overrun" bridge doesn't really look like the Zakim bridge to me. It looks a lot like the Samuel Beckett Bridge in Dublin. I don't know what the budget of that bridge was, but according to wiki it cost 60 million euros, which sounds like a lot given that the bridge isn't all that long or wide. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.87|172.70.126.87]] 03:24, 3 June 2025 (UTC)
: Perhaps if Randall M. drew too close a likeness to the Zakim Bridge, he feared a visit from officials with lawyers and/or cement shoes. ("Only the paranoid survive ...") It seems, from a quick tour of the Internet, that words like "grandiose and overblown" are easily applied to cable-stayed bridge designs/aesthetics. I wasn't easily able to find information on budget overruns for these bridges, and see the commentator above who pointed out the lower costs overall of cable-stayed ''vs'' suspension bridges. But as a former resident of Greater Boston, I can report the pervasiveness of the Big Dig and its challenges, budgetary and otherwise, in local life and lore. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.22.108|172.68.22.108]] 04:32, 3 June 2025 (UTC)
::The cable-stayed bridge is the current darling of artists that accidentally went to engineering school, who are notorious for running over budget and behind schedule. [[User:RegularSizedGuy|RegularSizedGuy]] ([[User talk:RegularSizedGuy|talk]]) 04:40, 3 June 2025 (UTC)
: I can see the suggestion of the Beckett bridge, but in my eyes the obvious template would be [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erasmusbrug Rotterdam's Erasmus Bridge] [[User:Nachtvogel|Nachtvogel]] ([[User talk:Nachtvogel|talk]]) 06:00, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

I think the repurposed elevator should be considered a dig at Elon Musks The Boring Company, even though they tunnel rather then bridge
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.182.138|162.158.182.138]] 04:37, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

Added a bunch of explanations [[Special:Contributions/162.158.8.132|162.158.8.132]] 07:31, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

The Repurposed Elevator is actually a real thing! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmid_Peoplemover It's not as strange as you think. It's a space effective, but too expensive solution to the problem of not making cramped railway crossroads more cramped. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.172.112|162.158.172.112]] 07:39, 3 June 2025 (UTC)
: I've added it to the list. Feel free to do such changes yourself if you know something that can contribute. --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.183.12|172.71.183.12]] 08:07, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

For the "Google Earth Bridge" remark, [https://www.fastcompany.com/90186315/the-strange-art-of-the-melting-bridges-of-google-earth this article] might work as a citation. [[User:Conster|Conster]] ([[User talk:Conster|talk]]) 07:57, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

There seem to be stick figures on each bridge, except for the Arch. Is that on phone? Maybe he's saying nobody uses arch (Linux)? Or does anyone has any other idea as to why? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.128.184|172.69.128.184]] 08:21, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

Is there a reason for the trestle bridge to have a raised deck? They were iconically used for railways, where that would not work. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.110.59|162.158.110.59]] 09:56, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

The jump in particular feels a lot like polybridge and I love it [[Special:Contributions/172.71.167.160|172.71.167.160]] 11:27, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

== Suspended arch - tied-arch vs. through arch ==

The "suspended arch" bridge may or may not be a tied-arch bridge. Something has to stop the ends of the arch sliding outwards when there's a large load in the middle, but you can't tell what that something is from the image.

If that something is the bridge deck, being connected to the ends of the arch and under tension, than it's a tied-arch bridge (the deck ties the ends of the arch together). If that something is the arch foundations, and the deck is not under tension, then it's not a tied-arch bridge; it's just a simple through-arch bridge.

For more info on (real) bridges, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX_zkaK5PaI| Practical Engineering] --DW [[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.69|162.158.187.69]] 13:24, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

'Drawbridge' to me means a defensive bridge that crosses the moat of a castle, and can be pulled up when defending it. See, eg., my favourite castle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodiam_Castle [[Special:Contributions/172.69.224.115|172.69.224.115]] 15:05, 3 June 2025 (UTC)
:Agreed. What they have there is a lift bridge. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 15:55, 3 June 2025 (UTC)

Talk:3096: Check Engine

2025-06-02T14:53:17Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Cosmic tow truck? I've seen that in the youtube vids where a guy makes the sun grow increasingly larger in minecraft and the villagers built a "tow truck" to tow the sun. --[[User:Bb777|me, hi]] ([[User talk:Bb777|talk]]) 18:26, 31 May 2025 (UTC)

"The Check Engine light is one that drivers will rarely see". Well, in most cars, you'll ''see'' the "check engine" light every time you put the car in "accessories" mode, just temporarily, as a test to make sure the light works. So car owners will know that the light is there and exists, and to not ignore it if it comes on outside of being in "accessories" mode. [[User:Dogman15|Dogman15]] ([[User talk:Dogman15|talk]]) 19:39, 31 May 2025 (UTC)
:Reading up on "Accessories Mode", I'm confused as to which level of key-turning that is. May be different in different models of car, but I'm going by the various makes of car I m used to.
::It's the one marked "Acc" – that's short for "Accessories". Lock, Acc, On, Start. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 14:53, 2 June 2025 (UTC)
:Key position 0: Key inserted (or not), no twist. Minimal 'accessories' available - no wipers, indicators (except full hazards), radio, air, "lighter socket". Nothing lit on dashboard (except both indicators, in synch with hazards).
:Key position 1 (maybe, if not straight from '0' to '2', deending upon vehicle make): Unpowered as 0, but key is 'locked' in so it can't be pulled straight out
:Key position 2: Power to (practically) everything internal, and (?)individual indicators if either difection active, with engine off. Minimal dashboard lghts on, as necessary for (side-)lights, and 'glow light' illuminating the physical dials (dimmed, if head-/dipped-lights are on, as a less obtrusive 'night mode). I'd call this "accessories mode", would need to check my current car manual to find out what it calls it, but it doesn't show all lights (engine check, battery fault, seat-belt-unused warning for seats with sufficient weight on them but not clipped in as required).
:Key position 3: "Driving" position, once engine is started, only things that matter show.
:*But if ''left'' in this position without going through Pos4, ''will'' show many (all?) lights in general "many things aren't actually working" mode, perhaps. Tend not to dwell on this state (if starter-motor isn't working, even, no point leaving it like this while working out what help is needed to jump-start/jumper-start/etc). Will have to check what lights do/don't illuminate, or flash on momentarily, but normally only an issue if there's a problem.
:*If the engine stalls (awkward hill start at a junction when the lights suddenly change, and messed up with the clutch-pedal 'bite'..? We've all done it at least once, don't judge me!), I'm fairly sure the "many things not working" doesn't fully show, in the small amount of time it takes to clutch-and-brake and redo the engine starter (before pulling away, sheepishly, making a "sorry" hand-signal to the car behind who might or might not be wondering why you didn't quite move when you initially might have done).
:Key position 4: "Starter" position, sprung so that (upon ignition, hopefully) twists back to 3 upon release. Couldn't tell you what lights light (without going to the current car and firing it up), except that the battery symbol might accompany the "click click click" of the starter motor failing due to... well, bad battery. Pretty sure only the 'necessary' pictographs show.
:All pretty consistent in cars driven from early '80s to present day. Only real change is that the earliest cars used to have a physical "choke"-puller (at least for cold-day starting, less so at other times), whereas the very latest vehicle manual explicitly tells you ''not'' to press the accelerator pedal on starting (something I now have to resist, due to muscle-memory and that having been part of the process for... well, decades), obviously having progressed from auto-choke through to the box of fly-by-wire electronics now also being in charge of the precise amount of throttling necessary to kick the engine into life.
:I do tend to read the manual whenever I get a new car (every 5-10 years, I think), but really don't bother much until something goes wrong (working out which fuse blew that means the lighter-socket isn't working, e.g., and whether that's in the hatch under the dashboard or in the box under the bonnet). It's so easy to forget that there ''is'' an ABS-warning light, if you don't ever cause its warning to happen, then read the manual and learn that it's one the (normally) unglimpsed 'gap in the lights' on the lower row of an array of glyphs that normally you only ever see the upper set being active.
:So, yeah, maybe I can see the ECL, but I have to say that I'd probably never ''notice'' it (or its absence), as I'm probably doing things like a mirror-check during the moment of twisting the key from '2', past '3', temporarily into '4' then back and ready to get into gear and go when it's expedient and safe to do so. But don't know how universal this setup tends to be. Sounds like it matches the scenario you're questioning, but I don't think I can improve what's there by adding this longhand personal understanding. Could be shortened. Maybe the original author wouldn't mind something like "most people probably never notice the ECL until it comes on and stays on", if that's not too much against the spirit of your expectations. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.241.166|172.71.241.166]] 22:17, 31 May 2025 (UTC)
::My thought FWIW is that the "Check Engine Light" falls within the experience of most drivers (most of the audience for xkcd and explainxkcd) and hence shouldn't require explanation beyond what is in the cited Wikipedia article. Indeed, the humor arguably works because of the reader's immediate "Holy [deleted]!" recognition of, and reaction to, the light - however it may be produced. As for the "black patch" mode of producing the image, that is (I read, again via Wikipedia) precisely how sunspots are contrasted from the rest of the sun's surface, as they are cooler and have higher magnetic field strengths. I'm not sure how discussing the manner of producing alert signals on automobile dashboards and LCD screens, and contrasting that with the Sun, contributes positively to the explanation. One can perhaps contemplate the design challenges of producing an image, several Earth diameters across, that means something to humans in an environment of 28''g'' gravity, 5700 degrees K temperature, and 4500 Gauss magnetic field strength, never mind one that accurately reports a fundamental problem with the Sun's "engine".[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.161|108.162.245.161]] 23:28, 31 May 2025 (UTC)

::: "''It "proves out" the dash warning lights. You '''turn the key to on''', the dash lights for oil warning, brake warning, etc. '''come on for a couple of seconds and then go out.''' This is to show/test the bulbs work before starting the car. Bulbs don't prove out then you have burnt out bulbs or a dash wiring issue. This way you know the bulbs work BEFORE you have a problem with oil pressure, charging system, etc.''" [https://www.vintage-mustang.com/threads/anyone-know-what-prove-out-circuit-is-schematic-related.631922/ VMF] In many states the "smog check" is just to observe '''no Check Engine light'''. But what if the bulb burned or fell out (it has happened!)? The inspector is supposed to observe that key idiot lights DO light for a few seconds at turn-on. Another article states that only 21% of UK drivers can identify dash warning lights. --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 04:46, 1 June 2025 (UTC)

[[1895|uh oh]] [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.55|172.69.134.55]] 01:11, 1 June 2025 (UTC)

Is there perhaps some joke related to it being a '''cluster''' of sunspots, and the place where the Check Engine light would be on a car is called an instrument '''cluster'''? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.211.30|162.158.211.30]] 11:54, 2 June 2025 (UTC)
:Don't think so. Maybe if more than one "warning light" had been shown, e.g. "high temperature" in addition to "check engine". (Pauses briefly to contemplate the implications of a "high temperature" alert becoming visible on the surface of the Sun ... weoweoweoweoweo.)[[Special:Contributions/172.71.146.215|172.71.146.215]] 14:12, 2 June 2025 (UTC)

Talk:2910: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

2025-05-27T23:06:08Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

well ''that'' was early. [[user talk:lettherebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 11:47, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

This singer is a bit fast and loose with the rhyme-scheme; aAbCd(?D)eC with the "dD", especially, being Go+Most, Tune+Words(!), ¿This/As?+Words and Crimes+Time. And scansion is potentially off (mid-line endings definitely are). I would hope that another shipwreck wouldn't happen until this new guy has tightened up his own art a little. (But once he gets good enough, fair enough!) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.161|172.71.242.161]] 12:57, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

:"For it's challenging trying to write good" [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 14:00, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

:"This singer is a bit fast and loose..." This is Gordon and his First Draft. Just strumming to see if the song has legs (fins?). We know Gordon could fiddle the rhyme and line-breaks as good as anybody. But prolly not on a dock on Lake Superior in November. (OTOH Sittin' on The Dock of the Bay, Otis Redding wrote in August on a rented houseboat in Sausalito, California; a much nicer workplace.) --[[User:PRR|PRR]] ([[User talk:PRR|talk]]) 23:05, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

:: ''Lightfoot'' was a bit fast and loose with the rhyme scheme; the version of the first verse shown is arguably closer to rhyming than the corresponding verse in the song itself (the rhyme chosen there for "seasoned" is "Wisconsin" rather than "Cleveland"; "Cleveland" does appear as a rhyming word in the song, but it's rhymed with "feelin'"). The worst rhymes here are no more "off" than the worst ones in the canonical song. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.95|162.158.186.95]] 19:14, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Is the Cameron accusation also suggesting that he has actual time travel technology, as shown in his Terminator movies? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:19, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

How long should we wait before using peoples' deaths as entertainment? Relatives and friends of the crew are still alive. Are the terrorist attacks of 2001 open yet for parody? ...or wait another decade or two? Please consider others. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.214.108|172.69.214.108]] 14:26, 22 March 2024 (UTC)
::Check out Pete Davidson (famously the son of a 9/11 firefighter who died) laughing his ass off at Jimmy Carr's "This isn't the roast of Pete Davidson's dad. No, that was back in 2001." joke. Maybe also check out the fact that humans have been making jokes about tragedies since the dawn of forever. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:06, 27 May 2025 (UTC)
: Given that the original song turned it into entertainment less than a year after, and it's been widely parodied pretty much ever since, I think you may, if you'll pardon the phrase, have missed the boat on that one.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.53|141.101.98.53]] 14:59, 22 March 2024 (UTC)
::Although it was performed as entertainment, the song was written as a kind of memorial or tribute. That's quite different from using the accident as fodder for a joke. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:38, 22 March 2024 (UTC)

: It's important to consider sides. Like, deaths of Russian soldiers in Ukraine are open to parody immediately because they are enemies. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 18:39, 22 March 2024 (UTC)
::Ukraine, itself, has issued [https://colnect.com/en/stamps/stamp/1234340-Russian_warship_DONE-Ukrainian_Defiance_In_Face_of_Russian_Aggression_2022-Ukraine ''postage stamps''] mocking Russian losses.[[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 21:56, 24 March 2024 (UTC)

: I have some bad news for you about the prevalence of 9/11 jokes. [[424: Security Holes|Within xkcd itself]], no less! [[User:Esogalt|Esogalt]] ([[User talk:Esogalt|talk]]) 09:28, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

What if Cueball bribed Gordon Lightfoot to bribe the mechanic so he could write a song about Lightfoot bribing the mechanic to write a song? [[User:AoPS is superior|AoPS is superior]] ([[User talk:AoPS is superior|talk]]) 00:24, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Was it rammed by the Cat Stevens? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.144|172.70.211.144]] 04:57, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

The flags on the upside down eighth notes are backwards [[Special:Contributions/172.71.146.211|172.71.146.211]] 06:21, 23 March 2024 (UTC)
:Must be an inverted chord.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.160.172|172.70.160.172]] 17:22, 25 March 2024 (UTC)

My first reaction was, "this is not funny" because of the seriousness of the Edmund Fitgerald tragedy and the gravity of the song as tribute to the lost lives. My second reaction was that Randall is a really awful songwriter. My conclusion is that the only funny thing about this comic is the comically bad fake song. [[User:Rtanenbaum|Rtanenbaum]] ([[User talk:Rtanenbaum|talk]]) 11:47, 23 March 2024 (UTC)
: I full agree with that. Yet, we can look at it another way: we need to have some "lesser" xkcd comics to better appreciate the "better" ones. [[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 18:05, 23 March 2024 (UTC)
::This reads like those comments people make about somebody doing an accent. Doesn't matter how perfectly they may do it – someone will say "Huh, German, was he?" (or similar), because you're supposed to mock an attempt at an accent. The comic is well done. It doesn't deserve this criticism. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 23:06, 27 May 2025 (UTC)

Concerning the “Too Soon?” discussion, we might consider Les Barker’s “Have You Got Any News of the Iceberg”: https://youtu.be/iKDakrjmwJc?si=v3cdDBP75T5gOc2H

Reminded me of American Pie for some reason when I first read this. Beautiful song that is. bye, bye, miss American pie... [[User:DollarStoreBa'al|DollarStoreBa'al]] ([[User talk:DollarStoreBa'al|talk]]) 15:51, 26 March 2024 (UTC)
: Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry. --[[User:The-Daleks|The Daleks]] ([[User talk:The-Daleks|talk]]) 19:33, 27 March 2024 (UTC)
::Then I fell in the levee, thought I was gonna die. [[User:Psychoticpotato|Psychoticpotato]] ([[User talk:Psychoticpotato|talk]]) 18:30, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

Talk:154: Beliefs

2025-05-21T22:58:34Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Doesn't the girl have too long hair to be Megan? The official transcript just calls them 'girl' and 'professor'. –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 17:43, 22 June 2013 (UTC)
::Actually she looks more like Danish to me. {{unsigned|BruceJohnJennerLawso}}
:::They're just generic humans, stop trying to say "her hair is wrong for [character]". It's really dumb. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 04:27, 9 July 2015 (UTC)
::::The girls is definately not [[Danish]]. Danish has some special personality traits (being mean and clever and not caring a thing about other). The hair is just a small thing. Also children are neither Megan nor Cueball as these are adults. I have removed reference to Danish. Actually it is the professor that looks like Megan! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:01, 28 December 2015 (UTC)
::::Randall definitely uses a specific cast of characters, each of which repeat characteristic behaviors & are recognizable primarily by consistent depiction of individual hairstyles. I encourage everyone to continue attempting to identify & thereby more fully understand each character, based upon their relative hairstyles & attitudes. (... "~ how are they connected? Hairstyles & attitudes, how do they relate? How well do we use our freedom to choose, the illusions we create?" - Timbuk 3) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.16|108.162.221.16]] 18:39, 27 May 2016 (UTC)
Actually, my question is whether the girl on the left is [[Science Girl]]. [[User:Hdjensofjfnen|Hdjensofjfnen]] ([[User talk:Hdjensofjfnen|talk]]) 19:53, 25 September 2018 (UTC)
::Almost has to be [[Science Girl]], or a prototype of her at least. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 19:58, 17 August 2021 (UTC)
:::Reference to future readers: [[User:FaviFake]] has now granted Science Girl the name of [[Jill]] and converted various of the links to that (or to [[Hairbun]], but that's another story). As there should be no changes to other people's valid Talk contributions, this needs pointing out (more than it needs 'correcting'). [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.93|172.70.85.93]] 14:54, 7 July 2023 (UTC)
::::Thank you, I'm fairly new here and I didn't know it was considered bad practice to change the links in a talk page. I will be reverting all my edits tomorrow --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 21:17, 7 July 2023 (UTC)
::::Update: Luckly, this was the only talk page where I changed the links. I'm sorry for the trouble. I'm not sure this is the right place, but if anyone wants to discuss Science Girl becoming Jill or Science Girl vs. Hairbun feel free to do so on my talk page, or the community portal. --[[User:FaviFake|FaviFake]] ([[User talk:FaviFake|talk]]) 08:14, 8 July 2023 (UTC)

What needs to be pointed out more is that science is a system of working toward finding the truth, that requires its adherents to remember that they never actually know for certain. A lot of modern "scientists" follow the same bad methodology as adherents of the geocentric model and astrology once did. Cosmology and quantum mechanics are full of epicycles, deferents, positivism, and static projection. Einstein and Schrodinger were correct to be horrified by that. —[[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 14:31, 29 September 2019 (UTC)

Who hold stupid, irrational beliefs that major decisions shouldn't be based upon? People.
And who become senators?
People.
So, who do we need to stop believing in this nonsense?
That's right. Once again, it's people.
If openly espousing belief in the patently untrue doesn't disqualify people from running for office, then...well, if we can't stop the people, we've got to try to stop the belief.

That used to be a matter of intellectual pride. It's 2025 though. The above is no longer a matter of ideology; it's a matter of survival. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 22:58, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Talk:154: Beliefs

2025-05-21T22:57:11Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

Talk:820: Five-Minute Comics: Part 2

2025-05-21T17:30:18Z

Yorkshire Pudding:

I don't know. I think the buckets in the Bailout comic are full of money. That's what ''I'' saw anyway. I think it's a political reference to throwing money at problems, which is also colloquially referred to as a "Bailout."[[Special:Contributions/76.29.225.28|76.29.225.28]] 15:26, 27 July 2013 (UTC)
:Not everything is a political jab. Also money wouldn't be represented (even in this stylised case) as circular globs of randoms sizes. So yeah, it's probably water or some other fluid.[[User:Pennpenn|Pennpenn]] ([[User talk:Pennpenn|talk]]) 04:53, 30 January 2014 (UTC)
The whole "Dirty Robes" could also be a play on a masturbation joke as semen and other fluids will become visible under a blacklight. {{unsigned|Para}}
:I think that is almost certainly the intended meaning. The phrase 'really dirty' would have a double meaning (unclean and/or rude), and the pause is the character either:
:* Realising mid-sentence what the 'dirt' is
:* Trying to decide whether to mention the 'dirt'
:* Trying to find the politest way of pointing it out.
:Anyone disagree? --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 16:03, 18 November 2014 (UTC)

Episcopalians don't generally go for curses and hexes either.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.16|108.162.221.16]] 02:34, 3 September 2015 (UTC)

Also, it should be noted that the commander's characterization of Wicca as an "ancient" religion is in error as Wicca dates back only 100 years to the 1920's {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.135|17:03, 8 March 2020}}
:It should also be noted that "legitimate belief system" is an oxymoron. It's ''either'' legitimate ''or'' it's a belief system. [[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 17:30, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Wicca precedes Xtianity, so no. [[User:The Cat Lady|-- The Cat Lady]] ([[User talk:The Cat Lady|talk]]) 15:19, 20 August 2021 (UTC)
:Witchcraft traditions pre-date Christianity, but Wicca does not: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wicca [[User:L-Space Traveler|L-Space Traveler]] ([[User talk:L-Space Traveler|talk]]) 12:09, 5 November 2022 (UTC)

Am I the only one that sees a connection between comic 6 and the sudo make me a sandwich comic? {{unsigned ip|172.69.22.145|22:30, 11 April 2023}}

What in the world does "cogito ergo cogito" mean?! [[User:Z1mp0st0rz|Z1mp0st0rz]] ([[User talk:Z1mp0st0rz|talk]]) 17:31, 29 April 2024 (UTC)
:if you had read the explanation, maybe you would’ve found out. [[User:42.book.addict|42.book.addict]] ([[User talk:42.book.addict|talk]]) 18:04, 29 April 2024 (UTC)
::(inhales) will you
::Please
::leave me alone [[User:Z1mp0st0rz|Z1mp0st0rz]] ([[User talk:Z1mp0st0rz|talk]]) 19:20, 29 April 2024 (UTC)
:::Questions are good, Z1m. But you ''do'' tend to make statements or questions already well covered. Perhaps if you could indicate where the explanation fails to help, rather than looking vague and as if you haven't even tried to read what is there.
:::Taking a deep breath and pausing beforehand may be better than saving it up until now. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.102|172.70.162.102]] 20:29, 29 April 2024 (UTC)