explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2096: Mattresses

2019-01-09T13:47:17Z

Zachweix: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2096
| date = January 9, 2019
| title = Mattresses
| image = mattresses.png
| titletext = After reading that "The War To Sell You A Mattress Is An Internet Nightmare" article, I've decided it's safer and less complicated to just sleep on the floor. DISCLOSURE: THE AUTHOR OF THIS MOUSEOVER TEXT RECEIVED FINANCIAL COMPENSATION FROM THE FLOOR INDUSTRY FOR THIS MESSAGE.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

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

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2096: Mattresses

2019-01-09T13:47:00Z

Zachweix:

I wonder if the fact that it's unclear is in intentional, or if it was somehow a mistake [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 13:46, 9 January 2019 (UTC)

Is it just me, or has the image got some graphical artefacts?[[User:Cyclic3|Cyclic3]] ([[User talk:Cyclic3|talk]])

Talk:2096: Mattresses

2019-01-09T13:46:44Z

Zachweix:

I wonder if the fact that it's unclear is in intentional, or if it was somehow a mistake [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 13:46, 9 January 2019 (UTC)
Is it just me, or has the image got some graphical artefacts?[[User:Cyclic3|Cyclic3]] ([[User talk:Cyclic3|talk]])

Talk:2078: Popper

2018-11-28T18:08:32Z

Zachweix:

I think this might have to do with the President's claims regarding climate change, there's no evidence that I'm not wrong [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 18:08, 28 November 2018 (UTC)

2068: Election Night

2018-11-05T17:27:26Z

Zachweix: reverting explanation change

{{comic
| number = 2068
| date = November 5, 2018
| title = Election Night
| image = election_night.png
| titletext = "Even the blind—those who are anxious to hear, but are not able to see—will be taken care of. Immense megaphones have been constructed and will be in use at The Tribune office and in the Coliseum. The one at the Coliseum will be operated by a gentleman who draws $60 a week from Barnum & Bailey's circus for the use of his voice."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Please only mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic compares media coverage on election results in 1896 and 2018.

==Trivia==
This is the first appearance of Top Hat Guy.

==Transcript==

:[Megan and Cueball face each other while talking on the left of the panel]
:Megan: Ugh, I'm just going to hide out for election night. We'll know the results the next day anyway. The drama is so unnecessary.
:Cueball: Yeah. The internet and the 24-hour news have turned elections into a continuous, inescapable media onslaught.
:[A man in a top hat appears on the right side of the panel with a "Poof"]

:[Panel with just the man in a top hat, holding a newspaper]
:Man in a top hat: Hi! I'm a time traveler from 1896. Let me tell you about '''''our''''' election night coverage.
:Man in a top hat: *Ahem*
:Man in a top hat: From the ''Chicago Tribune''

:[Zoom in on head of the man in a top hat]
:Man in a top hat: "Once every hour from the roof of the Great Northern Hotel a series of bombs, which will ascend for several thousand feet, will be fired. Two colors will be used, blue and red."
:Man in a top hat: "Blue to indicate McKinley's election, red to indicate Bryan's election."
:Man in a top hat: "The bombardment of the skies will commence at 7 o'clock and will be repeated hourly."
:[Grey citation]: Chicago Tribune, Oct 30th & Nov 1st, 1896

:[Megan and Cueball on the left looking at the man in the top hat on the right]
:Megan: Yeah, well, we have a ''needle,'' though.
:Man in a top hat: A needle.
:Megan: It jiggles!
:Man in a top hat: Sounds awful.
:Cueball: Listen, you had to be there.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Time travel]]

Talk:403: Convincing Pickup Line

2018-11-05T16:57:53Z

Zachweix:

I'm more intrigued by the {{w|Erdős–Bacon number}}, where {{w|Natalie Portman}} and {{w|Carl Sagan}} both have a six (5+1 and 4+2 respectively). [[User:Hogtree Octovish|Hogtree Octovish]] ([[User talk:Hogtree Octovish|talk]]) 06:47, 16 February 2013 (UTC)
:Wikipedia and erdosbaconsabbath.com say that Natalie Portman's EB is 7, not six. (Bacon 2, not 1.) Still awesome. [[User:gijobarts|gijobarts]] ([[User Talk:gijobarts|talk]]) 03:36, 2 March 2016 (UTC)

There's some irony here that they both think that they are terrible matches with each other, but both like the logic of making the graph symmetrical, indicating that they probably would be a good match [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 16:57, 5 November 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2068: Election Night

2018-11-05T16:51:29Z

Zachweix:

This is an early example of using red and blue to denote candidates and parties. Here, McKinley (R) gets blue and Bryan (D) red; it wasn't standardized on blue for Democrats and red for Republicans until after the 2000 election. NBC News having used red/R and blue/D that year, Tom Brokaw was the first to speak extensively of "red states" and "blue states" elevating that to political meme status and leading to standardization. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.166|162.158.78.166]] 14:36, 5 November 2018 (UTC)

:I was just going to mention the hat :) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.191|108.162.246.191]] 14:57, 5 November 2018 (UTC)

I distinctly remember the reporting during the 1980 election (Reagan vs. Carter) that the TV news used blue for Republicans and red for Democrats. I don't know why they later switched, but I have always assumed that Democrats got offended by the use of red (the color of the USSR's flag and many other communist organizations) for their party. [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 15:19, 5 November 2018 (UTC)

:Beyond having one party being red and the other blue, there was no consistent color-coding scheme for the two major parties either from election to election or between news agencies prior to 2000. Both parties still officially list red, white, and blue as their colors. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.149|162.158.79.149]] 15:24, 5 November 2018 (UTC)

::There's a long history about red and blue states, all of which comes directly from the media reporting the different parties. It's interesting to note that in Europe, the liberal parties are red and the conservative parties are blue (opposite of the US), and the fact that red is the color of the USSR has nothing to do with the Democrats "not wanting to be red," they didn't choose the colors. [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 16:51, 5 November 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2063: Carnot Cycle

2018-10-24T17:18:32Z

Zachweix:

The Carnot cycle is a theoretical construct from thermodynamics describing an ideal way to produce work using a temperature differential. The shape of the diagram matches diagrams of said cycle. The different stages in the Carnot cycle are either isentropic or isothermal. 'Isometric', 'Isotonic', and 'Isopropyl' all play on the 'iso' prefix. 'Isometric' also describes the shape of the diagram. 'Isotonic' seems to have something to do with muscles... which I suppose have some relation to engines as well—they both do work.
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.218.52|172.69.218.52]] 16:11, 24 October 2018 (UTC)

Did anyone notice that there is a note on the top of XKCD about how to register to vote? [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 17:18, 24 October 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2063: Carnot Cycle

2018-10-24T17:18:16Z

Zachweix:

The Carnot cycle is a theoretical construct from thermodynamics describing an ideal way to produce work using a temperature differential. The shape of the diagram matches diagrams of said cycle. The different stages in the Carnot cycle are either isentropic or isothermal. 'Isometric', 'Isotonic', and 'Isopropyl' all play on the 'iso' prefix. 'Isometric' also describes the shape of the diagram. 'Isotonic' seems to have something to do with muscles... which I suppose have some relation to engines as well—they both do work.
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.218.52|172.69.218.52]] 16:11, 24 October 2018 (UTC)
Did anyone notice that there is a note on the top of XKCD about how to register to vote? [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 17:18, 24 October 2018 (UTC)

2060: Hygrometer

2018-10-17T16:27:19Z

Zachweix: explain what instruments in the title text are for

{{comic
| number = 2060
| date = October 17, 2018
| title = Hygrometer
| image = hygrometer.png
| titletext = I'm working on assembling a combination declinometer, sclerometer, viscometer, aleurometer, stalagmometer, and hypsometer. I'm making good progress according to my ometerometer, a device which shows the rate at which I'm acquiring measurement devices.
}}

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

Here, Megan is talking to Cueball about hygrometers. But before she can even finish explaining what it does, Cueball has looked up, found, and purchased the product.

A {{w|hygrometer}} is an instrument to measure the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere or the amount of water in solids as soil or wood.

Randall, as Cueball, finds instruments / measurement tools that end in -ometer very interesting, and wishes to own all of them.

Below is a list of instruments mentioned in the title text that Randall is working on:

* A [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/declinometer declinometer] is an instrument to measure {{w|magnetic declination}}.

*A {{w|sclerometer}} is an instrument to measure {{w|scratch hardness}} of a solid by scratching it under some standard conditions and measuring the scratch. Instruments used to measure the elastic properties of concrete surfaces, like the {{w|Schmidt hammer}} [https://www.pce-instruments.com/english/measuring-instruments/test-meters/concrete-test-hammer-sclerometer-kat_162426_1.htm are also often known as sclerometers].

*A {{w|viscometer}} is an instrument to test the viscosity (easiness of pouring, honey has high viscosity while water has low viscosity) of a liquid.

*An [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aleurometer aleurometer] is an instrument to evaluate the quality of flour for baking by measuring how much can a wet mass of wheat expand when heated while keeping its adhesivity.[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleurometer]

*A {{w|Stalagmometric method|stalagmometer}} is an instrument to measure {{w|surface tension}} of fluids by producing a drop and wheighing it - the bigger the drop is, the larger surface tension the fluid has.

*The word {{w|hypsometer}} can mean [https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/hypsometer two unrelated instruments] to measure height. One measures heights of a building or a tree by triangulation. The other measures altitude by measuring air pressure from its effect of boiling temperature of water. It should not be cofused with the {{w|altimeter}} which measure altitude by mechanically measuring air pressure.

*An ometerometer, being a concatenation of [https://www.google.com/search?q=ometer -ometer] with itself would be a device for measuring measuring devices.

==Transcript==
:[Megan and Cueball are walking and talking. Cueball is holding his phone with one hand, looking at it.]
:Megan: ...A hygrometer is a device for measuring—
:Cueball: ''I want one!'' Ooh, found one for $7.99 with free shipping! I'm buying it.
:Megan: —Humidity.
:Cueball: Oh, cool!

:[Caption below the frame:]
:For some reason, I feel a powerful compulsion to own any device whose name ends in "-ometer."

{{comic discussion}}

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

Talk:2046: Trum-

2018-09-14T15:59:26Z

Zachweix:

This is not that weird. If names were random then it would be a 1 in 26^4 = 456976 chance of a particular president matching another for the first 4, but this is a "Birthday Problem" with 44 presidents, so the probability of any two presidents sharing the first 4 characters is 1-(456976!/(456976^44 (456976 - 44)!)), which wolfram alpha is giving as 0.206%
:Yes, but we already "fulfilled our obligation" after the sixth president :) [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 15:59, 14 September 2018 (UTC)

An approximation to the correct probability would be to do 44^2/(2 x 26^4) which would give about 0.2% chance of this happening. So fairly weird, but as the comic suggests, many things about this presidency are weirder than 0.2%.
:I love that we are now having a mathematical discussion about how weird things are in the presidency. [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 15:58, 14 September 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2046: Trum-

2018-09-14T15:58:19Z

Zachweix:

This is not that weird. If names were random then it would be a 1 in 26^4 = 456976 chance of a particular president matching another for the first 4, but this is a "Birthday Problem" with 44 presidents, so the probability of any two presidents sharing the first 4 characters is 1-(456976!/(456976^44 (456976 - 44)!)), which wolfram alpha is giving as 0.206%

An approximation to the correct probability would be to do 44^2/(2 x 26^4) which would give about 0.2% chance of this happening. So fairly weird, but as the comic suggests, many things about this presidency are weirder than 0.2%.
:I love that we are now having a mathematical discussion about how weird things are in the presidency. [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 15:58, 14 September 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2031: Pie Charts

2018-08-10T16:57:41Z

Zachweix:

I wonder if it is a coincidence that this came out the same week as Android Pie [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 15:34, 10 August 2018 (UTC)

[[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] [[Special:Diff/161046|seems]] to want to share this link: [https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/FOX-News-Chart-Fails-Math-73711092.html Fox News] --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 16:56, 10 August 2018 (UTC)
:What's wrong with the link? The link in that page is exactly the type of pie chart to which he is referring [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 16:57, 10 August 2018 (UTC)

2031: Pie Charts

2018-08-10T15:43:15Z

Zachweix:

{{comic
| number = 2031
| date = August 10, 2018
| title = Pie Charts
| image = pie_charts.png
| titletext = If you can't get your graphing tool to do the shading, just add some clip art of cosmologists discussing the unusual curvature of space in the area.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by [https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/FOX-News-Chart-Fails-Math-73711092.html Fox News] - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{w|Pie_chart|Pie Charts}} graph quantities as "slices" of a circle, like a pie that you cut into slices. The circle, or Pie, represents the whole sum of the slices, or 100% of the data. As such, if the data represented by the slices is expressed as percentages, the total of all the slices, by definition, must total 100%. This comic introduces a new technique for getting around that rule by "warping" the circle to allow more than 100% of the data to exist in the graph.

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

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2031: Pie Charts

2018-08-10T15:34:38Z

Zachweix:

2031: Pie Charts

2018-08-10T15:33:47Z

Zachweix: update who made this chart

{{comic
| number = 2031
| date = August 10, 2018
| title = Pie Charts
| image = pie_charts.png
| titletext = If you can't get your graphing tool to do the shading, just add some clip art of cosmologists discussing the unusual curvature of space in the area.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by [https://thinkprogress.org/foxs-fuzzy-math-193-percent-of-the-public-support-palin-huckabee-and-romney-6b5293868b6f/ Fox News] - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Pie Charts graph quantities at "slices" of a circle, like a pie that you cut into slices. The circle, or Pie, represents the whole sum of the slices, or 100% of the data. As such, if the data represented by the slices is expressed as percentages, the total of all the slices, by definition, must total 100%. This comic introduces a new technique for getting around that rule by "warping" the circle to allow more than 100% of the data to exist in the graph.

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

{{comic discussion}}

2018: Wall Art

2018-07-11T13:19:02Z

Zachweix:

{{comic
| number = 2018
| date = July 11, 2018
| title = Wall Art
| image = wall_art.png
| titletext = At first, I moved from pokémon posters to regular oil paintings, but then these really grumpy and unreasonable detectives from the Louvre showed up and took them all. They wouldn't even give me back my thumbtacks!
}}

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

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

{{comic discussion}}

2018: Wall Art

2018-07-11T13:18:37Z

Zachweix:

{{comic
| number = 2018
| date = July 11, 2018
| title = Wall Art
| image = wall_art.png
| titletext = At first, I moved from pokémon posters to regular oil paintings, but then these really grumpy and unreasonable detectives from the Louvre showed up and took them all. They wouldn't even give me back my thumbtacks!
}}

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

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

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:2002: LeBron James and Stephen Curry

2018-06-04T12:01:17Z

Zachweix:

I have no idea what this is about, but wondered if Stephen Curry was related to the Curry twins Tom and Ben, who are both over 6' - or to Tim, who isn't except in heels.
[[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 07:53, 4 June 2018 (UTC)
: Both LeBron James and Stephen Curry are famous NBA players. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.190.4|172.69.190.4]] 08:46, 4 June 2018 (UTC)
::How would you not know that? And even if you don't know who they are, you must have at least heard about them before, right? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 09:21, 4 June 2018 (UTC)
::: Not everyone is from USA. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.190.4|172.69.190.4]] 09:41, 4 June 2018 (UTC)
:::: That excuse could work, except your IP address is based in the USA :) [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 12:01, 4 June 2018 (UTC)
::: I like Curry. You know, the dish. And the actor. Tim, that is. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 11:58, 4 June 2018 (UTC)

== Nate Silver ==

Nate Silver is famous for his numerical approach and extensive use of statistics and simulations.
He foresaw a probability of 28.6% for Donald to win the electoral college just before the election. That is a greater chance than most political commentators would have granted Donald. Typical betting sites saw Hillary 5:1 ahead at the evening of the election.
So I would not at all say that he got everything wrong in 2016. He predicted that Hillary would be a formidable number of votes ahead as most probable outcome, but also that many states would be very tight.
[[https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2016-election-forecast/]]. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.106|172.68.110.106]] 09:21, 4 June 2018 (UTC)

==Definitions needed ==
Hi! Could definitions be added for some of the terms used, such as "bleachers"? Thanks! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.200|162.158.155.200]] 11:30, 4 June 2018 (UTC)

Talk:2000: xkcd Phone 2000

2018-05-30T16:39:16Z

Zachweix:

Huh, it's not a milestone comic like 1000 was. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.191|172.68.58.191]] 16:16, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Yeah, I'm slightly disappointed honestly [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.46|172.68.54.46]] 16:22, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Gotta wait for an actual round number, like 0b100000000000 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.127|162.158.111.127]] 16:38, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

:Well it is the phone 2000 and he does mention in passing asking if 2000 is a good number to choose [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 16:39, 30 May 2018 (UTC)

1999: Selection Effect

2018-05-28T18:14:45Z

Zachweix:

{{comic
| number = 1999
| date = May 28, 2018
| title = Selection Effect
| image = selection_effect.png
| titletext = fMRI testing showed that subjects who don't agree to participate are much more likely to escape from the machine mid-scan.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by someone kidnapped for a study (help! get me out of here) - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

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

{{comic discussion}}

1998: GDPR

2018-05-25T19:09:07Z

Zachweix:

{{comic
| number = 1998
| date = May 25, 2018
| title = GDPR
| image = gdpr.png
| titletext = By clicking anywhere, scrolling, or closing this notification, you agree to be legally bound by the witch Sycorax within a cloven pine.
}}

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

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

{{comic discussion}}

1997: Business Update

2018-05-23T17:58:05Z

Zachweix: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1997
| date = May 23, 2018
| title = Business Update
| image = business_update.png
| titletext = Our customers keep sending us their personal information, even though we've repeatedly asked them to stop. The EU told me I'm the heir to some ancient European throne that makes me exempt from the GDPR, but we should probably still try to fix that.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a MAGIC CEO - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
With the May 25 deadline to implement the European Union's GDPR law, this comic focuses on a business meeting about what the company is doing to prepare for it.

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

{{comic discussion}}

1995: MC Hammer Age

2018-05-18T15:58:19Z

Zachweix:

{{comic
| number = 1995
| date = May 18, 2018
| title = MC Hammer Age
| image = mc_hammer_age.png
| titletext = Wait, sorry, I got mixed up--he's actually almost 50. It's the kid from The Karate Kid who just turned 40.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an old man (well, how old?) - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is yet another comic following the theme of facts that [[:Category:Comics to make one feel old|make one feel old]]. Here, Cueball is telling White Hat that MC Hammer just turned 40, but this is actually less surprising than the truth, that he is actually over ten years older than that. The caption explains that this is another one of Randall's many hobbies, that he likes to tell inaccurate "feel old" facts which are less dramatic than the truth; this creates a one-two punch effect when the audience looks it up and finds out that the truth makes them feel even older. This is continued in the title text, when even the corrections are both "lowballed" facts, still preserving the effect while adding more credibility to the claims.

On the day this comic came out, both {{w|MC Hammer}} and {{w|Ralph Macchio}} (the actor who starred in the first three {{w|The Karate Kid|Karate Kid}} movies) were 56 years old.

This is yet another entry into the "[[My Hobby]]" series.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and White Hat are walking together.]
:Cueball: Want to feel old? MC Hammer just turned 40.
:White Hat: Wow.
:White Hat: I mean, I guess that's not too surprising, right?
:White Hat: It's been a long time.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:My hobby: Deliberately lowballing "Want to feel old" factoids to set up a bigger payoff later when they learn the correct number.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics to make one feel old]]
[[Category:My Hobby]]

1990: Driving Cars

2018-05-07T17:37:57Z

Zachweix:

{{comic
| number = 1990
| date = May 7, 2018
| title = Driving Cars
| image = driving_cars.png
| titletext = It's probably just me. If driving were as dangerous as it seems, hundreds of people would be dying every day!
}}

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

This comic is a joke about how dangerous cars are. It says how it is a giant machine, and Cueball is only able to drive it because he took a driving test. The joke is in the hover text, "It's probably just me. If driving were as dangerous as it seems, hundreds of people would be dying every day!" Of course, hundreds of people do die every day in cars, but this amount is minuscule compared to the population of the United States.

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

{{comic discussion}}

Cueball: Time to accelerate this giant machine up to terrifying speeds and steer it using my hands, which I am allowed to do[incomplete]

1989: IMHO

2018-05-04T17:01:47Z

Zachweix:

{{comic
| number = 1989
| date = May 4, 2018
| title = IMHO
| image = imho.png
| titletext = "Ugh, TMI." "Yeah, that's some tantalizing meat info."
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an HONEST GIANTESS - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The conversation begins with a reference to the controversy between whether the H in IMHO (In my honest/humble opinion) stands for "honest" or "humble". Some older internet users, including Cueball, use it to mean "humble", which Cueball references as being the norm in the 1990s. However, many younger internet users, including, apparently, Ponytail, use it to mean "honest", which became the norm after another SMS abbreviation, TBH (To be honest) became popular c. 2011. However, the joke veers into absurdity with Ponytail sharing her unusual opinions on other internet controversies, including:

Believing the G in GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is silent, as opposed to the two main camps claiming it should be a hard or a soft G.

Believing a viral picture of a dress that appears black and blue to some people and white and gold to others is actually black and white.

Using tabs after periods, instead of the two main opposing camps of using either one or two s, referring to both the common programmingargument whether to indent with 4 s or a tab, and the 2 s or 1 after the period argument.

In the title text, another incorrect belief Ponytail has is believing TMI to be "Tantalizing Meat Info," as opposed to Too Much Information.

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

:[Cueball, Megan, and Ponytail stand together, talking.]
:Cueball: I thought the "H" in "IMHO" was "Humble." But Buzzfeed ran a poll and "Honest" won.
:Megan: That can't be true. Their readers are messing with us.

:Ponytail: Are you sure? I've always used it to mean "Honest,"
:Megan: ... What?!

:[Close up of Cueball holding a phone. A box with usage of "IMHO" and "TBH" from Google Trends shows "TBH" suddenly rising in 2011, with a second spike in 2014.]
:Cueball: It was definitely "Humble" in the 1990s.
:Cueball: Maybe people who picked it up after the rise of "TBH" in 2011 interpreted it as "Honest" and used it that way.

:[Cueball, Megan, and Ponytail as before.]
:Megan: I can't get over this. What other wrong opinions do you have?
:Megan: The "G" in "G-I-F"?
:Ponytail: Silent.

:[Close up of Ponytail, with Megan talking from offscreen.]
:Megan: The "S" in "SMDH"?
:Ponytail: Swallowing.
:Megan: The "G" in "OMG"?
:Ponytail: "Giantess" or "Genitals".

:[Cueball, Megan, and Ponytail as before.]
:Megan: The Dress?
:Ponytail: Black and White.
:Megan: Is the database language "Sequel" or "Ess Cue Ell"?
:Ponytail: I've always said "Squill".

:Cueball: Okay, the big one: how many spaces after a period?
:Ponytail: None; I use tabs.
:Cueball: OMG.
:Megan: Yeah, mine too.

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1987: Python Environment

2018-04-30T16:22:14Z

Zachweix:

Now you can see why the BOT is written in PERL;). But I have to be honest, there are also different versions causing similar problems... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:26, 30 April 2018 (UTC)

Currently working on a table with everything. Note: Programs are boxed, and file paths are just strings. [[User:Chbs|Chbs]] ([[User talk:Chbs|talk]]) 14:44, 30 April 2018 (UTC)
:I never will understand why you guys always create tables...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:59, 30 April 2018 (UTC)

I swear every so often Randall just releases a comic like this to mess with us...
Just in case the last few ones have been too easy. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 14:58, 30 April 2018 (UTC)

Created by a PYTHON script (well actually PERL but that's besides the point (I know a lot of people who would fight you over that comment)) - why would people fight me over this comment? [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 15:25, 30 April 2018 (UTC)
:Only in the sense of "How dare you imply that python and perl are interchangeable!" [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 16:06, 30 April 2018 (UTC)
:I've removed the "lot of people". Comments are going here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:58, 30 April 2018 (UTC)
:They aren't interchangeable, but in respect to the comment above it is besides the point [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 16:22, 30 April 2018 (UTC)

Talk:1987: Python Environment

2018-04-30T15:25:31Z

Zachweix: