https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=108.162.216.232&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T01:22:16ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2297:_Use_or_Discard_By&diff=191121Talk:2297: Use or Discard By2020-04-23T05:08:05Z<p>108.162.216.232: Different explanation.</p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
comics featuring expiration dates<br />
<br />
This comic is definitely not related to the COVID-19 theme. Has Randall decided after 19 (or 20) comics to end his series? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.166|108.162.215.166]] 01:28, 23 April 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
She didn’t say it said “use by (some date)”. She just said it says “use by ..”. My interpretation is that it is so old the date has worn off. That happens to my nitroglycerin quite often. I think her interlocutor is saying, if the date has worn off or gotten illegibly smeared, assume it’s expired. —— OTOH the explanation given by the editors is funnier! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.232|108.162.216.232]] 05:08, 23 April 2020 (UTC)</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2297:_Use_or_Discard_By&diff=1911192297: Use or Discard By2020-04-23T02:01:09Z<p>108.162.216.232: /* Transcript */ this isn't panning in the cinematic sense, just a cut</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2297<br />
| date = April 22, 2020<br />
| title = Use or Discard By<br />
| image = use_or_discard_by.png<br />
| titletext = One of the things of bear spray says that, and I'm not one to disobey safety instructions, but there are no bears around here. Guess it's time for a camping trip where we leave lots of food out!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT, used and discarded by a cruel master before its time. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Many products carry a "Use By", "{{w|Expiration date}}", "Discard by" or similar date. The date shows the latest date by which the product has been verified to provide its expected use. For example, a foodstuff will have a "consume by" date, showing the date after which the food may start to be spoiled and unsuitable for eating. For most products, this is a conservative estimate, especially if a product is kept sealed and stored in a cool, dark place, so food or soap may be perfectly usable even though it is past the expiration date -- what this really means is that the manufacturer has not chosen to validate the longevity of its product that far.<br />
<br />
In this comic, two similar emergency {{w|flare gun}}s, an item typically used to send out distress {{w|flare}}s, have slightly different expiry instructions. One has an instruction to "use by or discard by" a specific date (in this case, three days after the date of publishing). The other has an instruction to "use by" this date. Though these generally have the same meaning, Megan interprets the latter as encouraging her to use the device even though it might not be necessary. The danger of this is if the user misuses the device (and so summons first responders inappropriately to a non-emergency situation) or goes into a dangerous situation for the purpose of using the device. This danger could also include misusing the device by firing it indoors, which would require summoning first responders ''appropriately'' to a ''now''-emergency situation, that did not exist before.<br />
<br />
The title text similarly indicates that Megan intends to follow the same instructions with a can of {{w|bear spray}}. Since there are no bears where she lives, she will go camping in an area known to be inhabited by bears and leave her food out to attract their attention, so that she may use the bear spray to repel bears before it "goes bad".<br />
<br />
Expiration dates (for food) have also been mentioned in [[737: Yogurt]], [[1109: Refrigerator]], and [[2178: Expiration Date High Score]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Megan stands in the middle of the panel, holding two flare guns, one in each hand.]<br />
:Megan: These emergency flare guns are about to expire.<br />
:Cueball [off-panel]: I forgot we had those.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball sitting at a desk, working on a computer.]<br />
:Megan [off-panel]: This one says "Use or discard by Apr 25 2020."<br />
:Cueball: Okay...<br />
<br />
:[Megan holds up one of the flare guns looking at it. She holds the other flare gun by her side.]<br />
:Megan: But '''''this''''' one just says "Use by" ...<br />
:Cueball [off-panel]: '''''No.'''''<br />
<br />
== Trivia ==<br />
<br />
Twenty-seven years ago exactly ([https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1993/04/22 April 22, 1993]), ''Calvin and Hobbes'' made a similar joke about expiration dates on milk. Obviously the humor has a very long shelf-life.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1985:_Meteorologist&diff=1562701985: Meteorologist2018-04-25T19:01:26Z<p>108.162.216.232: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1985<br />
| date = April 25, 2018<br />
| title = Meteorologist<br />
| image = meteorologist.png<br />
| titletext = Hi, I'm your new meteorologist and a former software developer. Hey, when we say 12pm, does that mean the hour from 12pm to 1pm, or the hour centered on 12pm? Or is it a snapshot at 12:00 exactly? Because our 24-hour forecast has midnight at both ends, and I'm worried we have an off-by-one error.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by an OVERLY ANALYTICAL METEOROLOGIST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
Although we’re constantly exposed to them, many (most?) people don’t understand the details of how to properly interpret weather forecasts. This comic takes this to the ridiculous extreme of the weather reporters themselves not understanding, and asking questions about it while on-air. It shows questions asked by three different people with different backgrounds: mathematics, linguistics, and (in the alt-text) software development.<br />
<br />
[Incomplete] The meteorologist with a background in math ([[Cueball]]) had a background in probability. This is shown when he asks if each hour is independent or correlated. If each hour were independent, there would have been a 67.232% chance to rain at least once. However, if the hours had been correlated, the chance would be less, since if it didn't rain in the first hour, it would decrease the chance of rain in the next hours. However, it would make it more likely of raining in all 5 hours, as it would be a .032% chance if it wasn't correlated. But if it was correlated, rain in the first hour would make it more likely to rain in the subsequent hours.<br />
<br />
Questioning this on air, however, is wholly useless, and more than likely confuses the watcher more than helps them. <br />
The technical difficulty panel further cements this, stating that it was an error, most likely due to not knowing the background of said person before allowing them to be on television: a poor decision. {{Citation needed}}<br />
<br />
A new meteorologist, [[Blondie]], steps in, stating that she has a linguistics degree. A person off-panel confirms with her that she is not a mathematician, wanting to prevent the error made earlier. However, this proves to be in vain, as Blondie goes into a tangent once more but from a linguistics standpoint, rather than a mathematical one, detailing the true meaning of the word "it" as referring to the weather. <br />
<br />
In the alt-text, the news station has appeared to make a similar error, but this time with a software developer, stating concerns about the feasibility of the time system used to correlate to the weather patterns. This, however, is of no concern; the information being conveyed is to people, who would probably be able to interpret it easily.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is presenting a weather forecast while seated with his arms resting on a table. The graphic to the left of Cueball shows five hours from 12pm to 4pm, each with a rainy cloud icon and the figure 20%. The "News 4 Weather" logo is shown on the bottom left.]<br />
:Cueball: Our forecast says there's a 20% chance of rain for each of the next five hours.<br />
:Cueball: How likely is it to rain this afternoon? It's a simple question, but I don't know the answer. Is each hour independent? Correlated? Or is rain guaranteed and we're just unsure of the timing?<br />
<br />
:Cueball: It says "scattered showers." Is this the chance of rain '''''somewhere''''' in your area? How big is your area? What if you have two locations you're worried about?<br />
:Cueball: I've asked management, but they've stopped answering my emails, so—hang on, the security guy is coming over.<br />
<br />
:[A black screen is shown with white text:]<br />
:''Technical Difficulties''<br />
:—<br />
:''We apologize for hiring a meteorologist with a pure math background.''<br />
:—<br />
:''We'll be back on the air shortly.''<br />
:<br />
:News 4<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is replaced with Blondie.]<br />
:Blondie: Sorry about that. Hi, I'm your new meteorologist.<br />
:Off-panel voice: And you're not a mathematician, right?<br />
:Blondie: No. I do have a linguistics degree.<br />
:Off-panel voice: That's fine.<br />
<br />
:Blondie: It might rain this afternoon.<br />
:Blondie: But what is "it" here? Is it a true dummy pronoun, as in the phrase "It's too bad?" Or is the weather an entity?<br />
:Blondie: Also, what if I say, "It's hot out, and getting bigger?"<br />
:Off-panel voice: Security!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:791:_Leaving&diff=154437Talk:791: Leaving2018-03-16T21:47:44Z<p>108.162.216.232: </p>
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<div>RIP, dearly beloved wife who died in a freak accident with a supermarket shelf while trying to buy spray cleaner. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:18, 24 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:She is survived by lonely dude staring at cat vomit. [[User:Cflare|Cflare]] ([[User talk:Cflare|talk]]) 20:58, 7 August 2014 (UTC)<br />
::While - after getting the bad news - he raced down the flight of stairs, tripping, falling, rolling, and breaking his neck against the wall at the end of the stairs, the cat was cleaning itself. When it heard the impact downstairs it jumped startled, went over into the patch of sun, laid down, and said, "Meow!" It survived them both... {{unsigned ip|162.158.90.192}}<br />
:Just added a description of the title text, but wanteed to make sure that it was satisfactory before removing the incomplete tag. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.232|108.162.216.232]] 21:47, 16 March 2018 (UTC)</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=791:_Leaving&diff=154436791: Leaving2018-03-16T21:46:12Z<p>108.162.216.232: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 791<br />
| date = September 10, 2010<br />
| title = Leaving<br />
| image = leaving.png<br />
| titletext = What'll I say -- "I was staring at some cat vomit when I got the news?"<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Title text still needs to be explained. Please change this comment when editi--SPAAACE.}}<br />
The caption below the frame tells us that [[Cueball]] is afraid that if someone were to die unexpectedly, then he is afraid that he will not be able to forget the last thing he said to that person. In the comic panel, Cueball has observed a mess on the floor, presumably cat vomit. He asks the second, off panel, character who is leaving to "pick up some spray cleaner that works on cat vomit." Cueball suddenly realizes that should the off-panel character die on that errand that this would be the last thing he said to them. Panicking slightly, Cueball interrupts their departure and says something more appropriate as last words - "You are in my heart always." The off-panel character is confused by this statement, not being aware of Cueball's fear.<br />
<br />
The title text is Cueball wondering what he would say if when telling someone what was happening when he found out the person died.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball looks down at a puddle on the floor and speaks to someone out-of-panel.]<br />
:Cueball: Hey, while you're out, can you pick up some spray cleaner that works on cat vomit?<br />
:Voice: Can do!<br />
:Voice: Bye!<br />
<br />
:[Cueball extends his arm and faces the leaving person.]<br />
:Cueball: ...Wait!<br />
:Voice: Yes?<br />
:Cueball: Uh. ...You are in my heart always.<br />
:Voice: ...?<br />
<br />
:Sometimes, when people leave, I'm seized by a sudden fear that they'll die while they're out, and I'll never forget the last thing I said to them.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1966:_Smart_Home_Security&diff=1543631966: Smart Home Security2018-03-15T12:03:12Z<p>108.162.216.232: /* Explanation */ not relevant to rest of article</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1966<br />
| date = March 12, 2018<br />
| title = Smart Home Security<br />
| image = smart_home_security.png<br />
| titletext = If they're getting valuable enough stuff from you, at least the organized crime folks have an incentive to issue regular updates to keep the appliance working after the manufacturer discontinues support.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a FACELESS ENGINEER - Confirm that the graph means "the older the device, the worse the best-case is".}}<br />
<br />
With the proliferation of smart appliances in recent years, there is a growing trend of hackers taking over smart "Internet of Things" devices and adding them to {{w|botnets}}. The hardware is then used for DDOS attacks, crypto mining etc. The "Mirai" botnet made of over 500,000 compromised routers, refrigerators, TVs, DVRs, baby monitors, thermostats, and webcams was used in October 2016 to take down DynDNS, one of the core infrastructure providers for the internet in North America. <br />
<br />
With the constant potential threat, security updates must be constantly published, and exploits must be found by the original developers and "white hat" hackers (The faceless team of engineers [[Randall]] describes), before they could be found (and get used) by "black hat" hackers. At any time, these people could quit, leaving devices defenseless.<br />
<br />
The graph shows the various cases of how well things go on the y axis, compared to how long it has been owned on the x axis. The probability of compromise briefly dips (indicative of first rounds of security fix updates & the time window when you can easily exchange the product if you find out it's faulty) within the 1st year, then rises: The older a device/software is, the less likely it is to consistently receive security updates for protection, so they are more likely to be hacked, even in the best case. After 10 years, the device/software, is most likely outdated and is not being used anymore. Companies then no longer find it profitable to continually update the product. Thus, they pull the support out, even if people are still using the device, leaving customers vulnerable. <br />
<br />
The title text suggests that there may be some silver lining to having your device controlled by organized crime professional s: These criminals have a vested interest in keeping your device working well enough that you keep it plugged in. So the more organized & pragmatic attackers will in fact secure it against competing attackers, especially those of a more prankster mindset, who'd cause more noticeably malicious changes. Advanced malware in the wild does frequently block & evict competing malware, so he's probably right. Some IOT malware may thus provide 'regular security update service' after the manufacturers give up - some at a conceivably acceptable cost of a few cents electrical usage for a crypto miner for instance. However, it could very easily go horribly wrong - for instance if that miner is hiding by letting a refrigerator run 2°C higher than its outputs allege, & using the energy difference to max out the processor on mining operations<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A graph is shown inside a frame. There is one dotted line going from the middle of the left edge, then dipping slightly before rising slowly at first, then more rapid and finally slowing its ascend down as it nears the top right corner.]<br />
<br />
:[Above the frame is the title of the x-axis, and from each end of this text, there is a small line going out and then down, to indicate a time range, which is shown below with four times:]<br />
:How long you've had your smart appliance<br />
:6 months &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 1 year &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 5 years &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 10 years<br />
<br />
:[Along the left part of the frame there runs a double arrow and at the top and bottom of these arrows there are legends at the top and bottom of the panels height:]<br />
:Best-case<br />
:Worst-case<br />
<br />
:[Inside the panel there is text above the dotted line to the left, and below the dotted line to the right:]<br />
:You're constantly being rescued from peril by a faceless team of engineers who could wander away at any time<br />
<br />
:Your appliance is part of a botnet run by organized crime<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Line graphs]]<br />
[[Category:Virtual Assistants]]</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1933:_Santa_Facts&diff=1497601933: Santa Facts2017-12-25T07:33:57Z<p>108.162.216.232: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1933<br />
| date = December 25, 2017<br />
| title = Santa Facts<br />
| image = santa_facts.png<br />
| titletext = We've gotten him up to 20% milk and cookies through an aggressive public campaign, but that seems to be his dietary limit. Anything above that and he starts developing nutritional deficiencies.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic provides some dubious "Facts" and "Features" of the creature known as "Santa."<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Fact/Feature<br />
!Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|Type: Flying/Psychic<br />
| A reference to Pokémon. The type of a Pokémon describes and determines its abilities (including attacks), affinities, and general nature.<br />
|-<br />
|Plural: "Santa"<br />
|The plural form of 'Santa' conveniently parallels that of 'reindeer,' though only a single santa is commonly thought to exist.<br />
|-<br />
|Active warrants: 5<br />
|There is an active warrant for Santa's arrest in 5 locations, presumably for breaking and entering.<br />
|-<br />
|Lubricated for easy passage down chimneys<br />
| Describes his traditional method of ingress and egress and how his suit has been optimized for such purposes. May also be a sexual innuendo.<br />
|-<br />
|Vertical Leap: 14 Miles<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|Sleigh Flag of Convenience: Panama<br />
|The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_convenience Flag of Convenience] identifies the open registry in which an ocean-going vessel has its registration information. Panama maintains one of the top three open registries. Owners of a vessel may choose to use an open registry to avoid labor or safety regulations of the owner's country. They may also choose such a registry to help obscure ownership of the vessel. Which concern applies in the case of Santa's sleigh is not stated.<br />
|-<br />
|9th in Presidential Line of Succession<br />
|The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_line_of_succession Presidential Line of Succession] specifies the order in which persons may become or act as President of the United States if the incumbent President becomes incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. Having Santa as the 9th in that order would place him above the Secretary of Agriculture. An alternative interpretation would hold that Santa '''is''' the present Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue.<br />
|-<br />
|Not technically an insect &#8212; actually an arthropod<br />
|A somewhat common statement about ticks and other arthropods. Santa is apparently not human, but some sort of human-sized and human-mimicking arthropod. A common mistake is the identification of some organism as an insect when it is not. Most such organisms do tend to be arthropods (a slightly more general supertaxon of insects). So, correcting such errors will typically lead to the assertion that the organism in question is a non-insect arthropod. The wording here, though, is awkward in that "actually" implies a contradiction or contrast, but the word "arthropod" on its own does not preclude the possibility of the referent being, more specifically, an insect as well. In any case, such classification is humorous in the case of Santa, since he is traditionally depicted as being a human or elf, albeit with magical powers, and does not traditionally display any of the characteristics of an arthropod (such as an exoskeleton). However, because he does indeed seem to lack six appendages, instead seemingly having exactly four, he cannot be an insect - so the assertion is (probably) true in its first half.<br />
|-<br />
|Only known vampire able to enter house without being invited<br />
|Vampires cannot enter dwellings without the occupant of the dwelling inviting them in. Santa must enter houses uninvited to do his job, so if he is a vampire he is the exception to that rule. In traditional vampire folklore, a vampire cannot enter an abode without an invitation from the owner of the same. Santa, however, seems to be able to enter houses even without explicit invitation (although plenty of children do welcome him either via written notes or by their general sentiments). This juxtaposes interestingly with the previous point about his arthropod nature.<br />
|-<br />
|Works with Alexa<br />
|May mean that Alexa(google's virtual assistant) is Santa's colleague, that Santa uses Alexa in his work, or Santa is functionally compatible with Alexa. A common advertisement which states that a product is compatible with Amazon's smart device, Alexa. But it could also be a play on the idea or fear that Alexa may be used to spy on people from the privacy of their own homes, much like what is claimed of Santa ("he sees you when you're sleeping, [...]").<br />
|-<br />
|Ribbed<br />
| A reference to condoms, which have ridges or ribbing in order to promote pleasurable stimulation during coitus. Of course, this also puns on the fact that, as a humanoid, Santa presumably has a rib cage. (This might directly contradict the claims about his being an arthropod or vampire).<br />
|-<br />
|IUCN Red List: Critically endangered<br />
| The [https://www.iucn.org/about International Union for Conservation of Nature] (IUCN) monitors the size and viability of populations of organisms; 'critically endangered' marks a population as being highly susceptible to extinction. Santa, being one (or possibly two, if we include his wife) of a kind and lacking any offspring (and, indeed, likely being incapable of effectively producing any), will most likely be the last member of his population; thus extinction will arrive with his or his wife's death. Note, however, that the presence on the Red List implies that "Santa" is a biological species, not a fantasy, robot, or other non-biological entity. This is consonant with Santa being an arthropod or vampire.<br />
|-<br />
|Diet: 80% Reindeer<br />
|The Title Text states that prior as a result of intervention that the diet is now 20% milk & cookies, implying that previously it was 100% Reindeer.<br />
|-<br />
|Liability Insurance: None<br />
|As a result of his diet (see above), alleged criminal activity (ditto), species ambiguity, and occupation, Santa would find the cost of liability insurance quite high. He instead chooses to 'go bare' and operate without any.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[annotated picture of santa]<br />
:Type: Flying/Psychic<br />
:Plural: "Santa"<br />
:Active Warrants: 5<br />
:Lubricated for easy passage down chimneys<br />
:Vertical leap: 14 Miles<br />
:Sleigh flag of convenience: Panama<br />
:9th in presidential line of succession<br />
:Not technically an insect- actually an arthropod<br />
:Only known vampire able to enter house without being invited<br />
:Works with Alexa<br />
:Ribbed<br />
:IUCN red list: Critically endangered<br />
:Diet: 80% Reindeer<br />
:Liability Insurance: None<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1907:_Immune_System&diff=1470701907: Immune System2017-10-25T16:05:04Z<p>108.162.216.232: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1907<br />
| date = October 25, 2017<br />
| title = Immune System<br />
| image = immune_system.png<br />
| titletext = It also helps with negotiation. "Look, if it were up to me, *I'd* accept your offer, but my swarm of autonomous killer cells literally can't be reasoned with. It's out of my hands!"<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Immune systems are cool. Randall is comparing white blood cells, the core of the human immune system, to an autonomous microscopic defensive swarm that will do anything to protect its host. He also points out that the host has no ability to restrain it, and does not know its power. All of this is technically accurate, at least for most people.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
My body hosts an autonomous microscopic defensive swarm that will do anything to protect me.<br />
<br />
I have no ability to restrain it and I don't know my own power.<br />
<br />
So listen up.<br />
<br />
Sales grew by 4% this quarter...<br />
<br />
Business protip: You can strengthen any presentation by opening with a reminder about how cool immune systems are.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1907:_Immune_System&diff=1470691907: Immune System2017-10-25T15:50:26Z<p>108.162.216.232: /* Transcript */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1907<br />
| date = October 25, 2017<br />
| title = Immune System<br />
| image = immune_system.png<br />
| titletext = It also helps with negotiation. "Look, if it were up to me, *I'd* accept your offer, but my swarm of autonomous killer cells literally can't be reasoned with. It's out of my hands!"<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
My body hosts an autonomous microscopic defensive swarm that will do anything to protect me.<br />
<br />
I have no ability to restrain it and I don't know my own power.<br />
<br />
So listen up.<br />
<br />
Sales grew by 4% this quarter...<br />
<br />
Business protip: You can strengthen any presentation by opening with a reminder about how cool immune systems are.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1907:_Immune_System&diff=1470681907: Immune System2017-10-25T15:49:48Z<p>108.162.216.232: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1907<br />
| date = October 25, 2017<br />
| title = Immune System<br />
| image = immune_system.png<br />
| titletext = It also helps with negotiation. "Look, if it were up to me, *I'd* accept your offer, but my swarm of autonomous killer cells literally can't be reasoned with. It's out of my hands!"<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
My body hosts an autonomous microscopic defensive swarm that will do anything to protect me.<br />
<br />
I have no ability to restrain it and I don't know my own power.<br />
<br />
So listen up.<br />
<br />
Sales grew by 4% this quarter.<br />
<br />
Business protip: You can strengthen any presentation by opening with a reminder about how cool immune systems are.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1904:_Research_Risks&diff=1470321904: Research Risks2017-10-24T14:04:54Z<p>108.162.216.232: /* Table */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1904<br />
| date = October 18, 2017<br />
| title = Research Risks<br />
| image = research_risks.png<br />
| titletext = The 1919 Great Boston Molasses Flood remained the deadliest confectionery containment accident until the Canadian Space Agency's 2031 orbital maple syrup delivery disaster.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete| First draft. Add percentages on the table, elaborate on the explanations. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This is a comparison of the possibility of the subjects of various sciences being a threat to humanity. It can either be an autonomous threat to the local population (i.e. by escape from a lab), or as part of a supervillain's scheme to rule the world. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBkT19uH2RQ]<br />
<br />
There have so far been several similar comics with such [[:Category:Scatter plots|scatter plots]]. See for instance [[388: Fuck Grapefruit]], [[1242: Scary Names]], [[1468: Worrying]], [[1501: Mysteries]] and [[1701: Speed and Danger]].<br />
<br />
The title text is related to the Molasses Storage entry at the bottom left of the chart, and references the {{w|Great Molasses Flood}}, also known as the Great Boston Molasses Flood. It occurred on January 15, 1919 in the North End neighborhood of {{w|Boston}}, {{w|Massachusetts}} (the state in which [[Randall]] lives). A large {{w|molasses}} storage tank burst and a wave of molasses rushed through the streets at an estimated 35 mph (56 km/h), killing 21 and injuring 150. The joke in the title text is that in 2031 (14 years after the release of this comic) the {{w|Canadian Space Agency}} has an even more serious disaster, which will be known as the orbital {{w|maple syrup}} delivery disaster. The title text claims that this disaster then became the deadliest {{w|confectionery}} containment accident, thus killing more than 21 people...<br />
<br />
==Table==<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
! Risk of Breaking Free !! Risk of Supervillain !! Research field !! Research Risks !! Comments<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="1" | very low || data-sort-value="6" | very high || Prosthetics || Cyborgs || A large number of villains in media have had augmentative and non-augmentative prosthetics for various reasons.<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="2" | low || data-sort-value="5" | high || Neuroscience || Mind Control ||<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="1" | very low || data-sort-value="5" | high || Laser Optics || Something like {{w|Laser Weapon System}}. Or a powerful laser could be used to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoQwKe0lggw cut the hero in two] as in {{w|Goldfinger}}. || See {{w|Directed-energy weapon}}.<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="3" | medium low || data-sort-value="5" | high || Pharmacology || Poisons ||<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="2" | low || data-sort-value="5" | high || Materials Science || New materials used for villainous purposes || Adamantium, Vibranium, Kyrptonite, etc. <br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="2" | low || data-sort-value="4" | medium high || Sociology || Sociological research may help in becoming a tyrant and then lead nation to war. ||<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="1" | very low || data-sort-value="4" | medium high || History || Ministry of Truth, using methods of previous successful dictators and learning form the errors of unsuccessful attempted dictators || History is mere data and records, which does not "break free". A particular ''subject'' of history, however, can be of use to a supervillain.<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="3" | medium low || data-sort-value="4" | medium high || Psychology || Ministry of Truth, Hannibal Lecter ||<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="5" | high || data-sort-value="6" | very high || Robotics || Villains: Robot minions. Escape: robots gaining sentience and killing everything, or nanobots going rogue and devouring everything in their path. ||<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="6" | very high || data-sort-value="6" | very high || Genetic Engineering || Villains: Modify troops to make super powered minions. Escape: Modified life could cause havoc || See {{w|Gene drive}}<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="4" | medium high || data-sort-value="5" | high || Chemistry || Explosives, corrosives, fast oxidation ||<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="6" | very high || data-sort-value="5" | high || Microbiology || Lethal diseases || See for instance {{w|12 Monkeys}}<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="1" | very low || data-sort-value="3" | medium low || Geology || Golems, Earthquake machines || Study of rocks. Scores below average on the supervillain scale despite Lex Luthor's plan in the 1978 ''Superman'' movie hinging on setting off the San Andreas Fault.<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="1" | very low || data-sort-value="3" | medium low || Linguistics || 1984 Newspeak ||<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="2" | low || data-sort-value="2" | low || Paleontology || Reviving dinosaurs and other such prehistoric creatures. || Study of fossils<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="1" | very low || data-sort-value="1" | very low || Astronomy || Asteroid impact ||<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="3" | medium low || data-sort-value="1" | very low || Molasses Storage || Breaking free chance is medium low as molasses did "escape" at least once in history. || See {{w|Great Molasses Flood}}, as referenced in the title text<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="1" | very low || data-sort-value="1" | very low || Dentistry || Torture/Interrogation (see for instance [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon_Man_(film) Marathon Man]) ||<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="5" | high || data-sort-value="3" | medium low || Botany || Audrey II, Triffids || Study of plants<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="6" | very high || data-sort-value="3" | medium low || Entomology || Insects are small and can often escape through even small cracks, and are known for carrying diseases. They could also mutate into terrifying threats - see for example the movie {{w|Empire_of_the_Ants_(film)}}|| Study of insects<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="4" | medium high || data-sort-value="2" | low || Mycology || Fungi cannot move, but their spores could easily spread, therefore, escape probability has been deemed medium high. However the risk of mycology being used for evil has raised strongly with the release of Star Trek Discovery.|| {{w|Mycology}} is the study of {{w|fungi}}.<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="6" | very high || data-sort-value="2" | low || Marine Biology || Sharknado, Jaws. Villains may keep a tank of sharks in order to dispose of opposition. ||<br />
|-<br />
| data-sort-value="5" | high || data-sort-value="1" | very low || Ornithology || Flying is a useful escape mechanism. Villains may sometimes keep a bird of prey as a pet. || Study of birds.<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A chart with two crossing lines with double arrows. Each arrow is labeled:]<br />
:Y axis top: High<br />
:Y axis bottom: Low<br />
:X axis left: Low<br />
:X axis right: High<br />
<br />
:[Near each of the "high" ends of the two axis there is a label written in gray, with a line pointing to the relevant axis:]<br />
:Y axis: Risk of your research being used by a supervillain for world domination<br />
:X axis: Risk of the thing you're studying breaking free from your facility and threatening the local population<br />
<br />
:[The following points are on the charts upper left quadrant (in reading order):]<br />
:Prosthetics<br />
:Neuroscience<br />
:Laser Optics<br />
:Pharmacology<br />
:Materials Science<br />
:Sociology<br />
:History<br />
:Psychology<br />
<br />
:[The following points are on the charts upper right quadrant (in reading order):]<br />
:Robotics<br />
:Genetic Engineering<br />
:Chemistry<br />
:Microbiology<br />
<br />
:[The following points are on the charts lower left quadrant (in reading order):]<br />
:Geology<br />
:Linguistics<br />
:Paleontology<br />
:Astronomy<br />
:Molasses Storage<br />
:Dentistry<br />
<br />
:[The following points are on the charts lower right quadrant (in reading order):]<br />
:Botany<br />
:Entomology<br />
:Mycology<br />
:Marine Biology<br />
:Ornithology<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
* The comic initially had the erroneous spelling "Entymology" (possibly a mistaken mix-up between etymology and entomology, similar to [[1012: Wrong Superhero]]). This was later changed to the correct "Entomology".<br />
* The SSL-Certificate of xkcd expired while this comic was online, causing a non-reachability of the site. <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Scatter plots]]<br />
[[Category:Rankings]]<br />
[[Category:Science]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Chemistry]]<br />
[[Category:Robots]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1902:_State_Borders&diff=146658Talk:1902: State Borders2017-10-15T10:46:50Z<p>108.162.216.232: General population versus spiders!</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
Let's be honest- it should ''all'' be Canada. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.123|162.158.74.123]] 12:24, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Or... Indigenous people's land? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.232|108.162.216.232]] 04:27, 15 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could Arizona, New Mexico be a reference to Trump? Like, make the border straighter so it's easier to build a wall? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 12:35, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
:More likely the joke is that conceding territory to Mexico is about the last thing Trump would do [[User:AnotherAnonymous|AnotherAnonymous]] ([[User talk:AnotherAnonymous|talk]]) 13:04, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
My first thought is to wonder if it would be possible to arrange the map such that all internal borders are "straight lines" that span the entire country, to satisfy as many criteria as possible:<br />
* The number of states remains unchanged<br />
** …and they all get to keep their capitals (probably quite difficult)<br />
*** …or (and?) each state manages to keep either its current population, land area, or coastline length<br />
* Or all internal borders are parallels or meridians<br />
* Or all states have the same land area<br />
** …or population; or population density<br />
* Or if you're allowing more (or fewer) states than the present layout, what's the greatest number of states possible such that they all contain at least one complete city?<br />
<br />
Which of those criteria would be the most interesting challenge? And which could you construct an algorithm to solve?<br />
I really should refrain from trying to build those algorithms, because I'm supposed to be working --[[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 13:28, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
:I'd like to see what a map of the US would look like with each house gerrymandered by their legislative preferences... Borders everywhere, and wow what a nightmare of litigation it would generate as people cross from one district to another!<br />
:More to your query: I don't see any modifications you could make that would keep the population unchanged. Some people would inevitably end up in a different state.<br />
<br />
:How about a map where every state has an equal number of spiders? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.232|108.162.216.232]] 04:39, 15 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
::Population as in number of people; not necessarily the same people. --[[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 10:28, 15 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
:::Oh... Hm, that doesn't sound very useful ''or'' aesthetically satisfying... I think mapping the regions where various spider populations dominate might be more interesting. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.232|108.162.216.232]] 10:46, 15 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
There are some great videos on YouTube about weird State boundaries. There are some REALLY weird oddities out there. Take for instance the "Give to Canada" piece - that's the Northwest Angle in Minnesota. It's really an accident that it ever ended up in the USA at all, and doesn't make any sense! [[User:Martini|Martini]] ([[User talk:Martini|talk]]) 13:40, 13 October 2017 (UTC)Martini<br />
:I wouldn't call the NW Angle an accident as much as a slightly illogical solution in order to maintain the terms of the original border agreement in the face of the Mississippi River's inconveniently located headwaters. My recollection is that it said roughly: the border goes west of <this> point until reaching the Mississippi river [which all parties assumed continued that far north]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.40|108.162.216.40]] 14:13, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I believe Randall's overall point is that though a large part of the individual United States have straight boundaries, especially in the West, or other features that are aesthetically pleasing, as in the S Carolina/Georgia/Florida coastline, there are a good number of internal inconsistencies. Many of these (most of the untagged "fixes") can be attributed to the concept that "Rivers make good logical boundaries", but even then, if you look closer, there are some really puzzling bits: <br />
* The "Give To Canada" bit of Minnesota is almost all Indian Reservation land, so that kind of makes sense...<br />
* The "Fix this thing" in Missouri is even stranger than it initially looks - while the notch in Arkansas is caused by the Mississippi River, there is a large bight of land in the middle of the Missouri-owned bit that is actually Kentucky (yes, there's an island of Kentucky that is separate from the main Kentucky state and entirely surrounded by Missouri)<br />
* Not edited, but equally odd is the dip Florida cuts into Georgia near the east coast - there's no apparent town or natural features there to cause that irregularity <br />
<br />
I don't happen to think the Arizona/New Mexico bits are political commentary, just "the entire rest of the state is a box, make this a straight line, too." cleanup. I mean yes, it would make wall-building easier, theoretically, but the Chinese showed the world centuries ago that straight lines are not needed to build a big fricking wall. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.131|108.162.238.131]] 14:23, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
- While I agree it probably isn't conscious political commentary, its interesting that there are not places the border increases; always concessions, never gains. May take into account its easier to give than take territory? --[[User:Jgt|Jgt]] ([[User talk:Jgt|talk]]) 19:32, 13 October 2017 (UTC)--[[User:Jgt|Jgt]] ([[User talk:Jgt|talk]]) 19:33, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm surprised Randall didn't suggest cleaning up Point Roberts as well [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Roberts,_Washington]. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.174|141.101.107.174]] 14:33, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
: Presumably the graphic designers are okay with that, since it maintains the 49th Parallel as a nice, tidy border. [[User:Wwoods|Wwoods]] ([[User talk:Wwoods|talk]]) 20:18, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm shocked he didn't support fixing the Idaho/Wisconsin/Montana/Oregon border. That top part should be either given to Montana, or split between Washington and Oregon... I wonder if he left out certain things in order to avoid offending certain groups of people. Like suggesting that Rhode Island and Connecticut should probably be one state, or that Vermont and New Hampshire should be as well. [[User:Kashim|Kashim]] ([[User talk:Kashim|talk]]) 17:03, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Some of the suggestions are ironic, for example Michigan's upper peninsula actually used to be part of the Wisconsin territory, but it was ceded to Michigan in exchange for the port of Toledo being ceded to Ohio. "why does Florida get Alabama's coastline" is actually because Alabama got part of Florida's coastline so it wouldn't be landlocked. The bit of Nevada that he wants to fix it so Nevada has territory along the Colorado River [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.250|162.158.75.250]] 17:18, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Nobody seems to have noticed that Delaware's curved northern border has been flattened (removing Wilmington). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.83|108.162.238.83]] 21:31, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
One significant thing about this map is that, under this map, Hillary Clinton may have won the 2016 election. Citations needed, but I've seen it said that if the Upper Peninsula were moved from Michigan to Wisconsin and the Florida Panhandle were moved to Alabama, Clinton would have won Michigan and Florida, giving her an Electoral College majority. I don't think the Upper Peninsula has enough population to cost Michigan an electoral vote, and I think Florida would lose two electoral votes, putting Clinton exactly at the 270 needed to win. Perhaps the changes around Colorado and Nevada would make a difference, although there were also five faithless Clinton electors who might have voted for her if it would have made a difference. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.4|108.162.219.4]] 01:45, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Good curve! The curve is called the Georgia Bight, or less euphoniously, the South Atlantic Bight. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.76|162.158.63.76]] 03:34, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"'''Align to Grid'''" refers to the option to have icons snap to a grid on a Windows desktop. The idea is that the states become "aligned" like icons on a desktop. [[User:FakeCrash|FakeCrash]] ([[User talk:FakeCrash|talk]]) 17:59, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It would be really useful if this could link to somewhere that described why the various panhandles and oddities exist. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.247|162.158.154.247]] 21:04, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
They should be called geo-graphic designers [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 06:53, 15 October 2017 (UTC)</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1902:_State_Borders&diff=146654Talk:1902: State Borders2017-10-15T04:42:45Z<p>108.162.216.232: Colons</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
Let's be honest- it should ''all'' be Canada. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.123|162.158.74.123]] 12:24, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Or... Indigenous people's land? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.232|108.162.216.232]] 04:27, 15 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could Arizona, New Mexico be a reference to Trump? Like, make the border straighter so it's easier to build a wall? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 12:35, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
:More likely the joke is that conceding territory to Mexico is about the last thing Trump would do [[User:AnotherAnonymous|AnotherAnonymous]] ([[User talk:AnotherAnonymous|talk]]) 13:04, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
My first thought is to wonder if it would be possible to arrange the map such that all internal borders are "straight lines" that span the entire country, to satisfy as many criteria as possible:<br />
* The number of states remains unchanged<br />
** …and they all get to keep their capitals (probably quite difficult)<br />
*** …or (and?) each state manages to keep either its current population, land area, or coastline length<br />
* Or all internal borders are parallels or meridians<br />
* Or all states have the same land area<br />
** …or population; or population density<br />
* Or if you're allowing more (or fewer) states than the present layout, what's the greatest number of states possible such that they all contain at least one complete city?<br />
<br />
Which of those criteria would be the most interesting challenge? And which could you construct an algorithm to solve?<br />
I really should refrain from trying to build those algorithms, because I'm supposed to be working --[[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 13:28, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
:I'd like to see what a map of the US would look like with each house gerrymandered by their legislative preferences... Borders everywhere, and wow what a nightmare of litigation it would generate as people cross from one district to another!<br />
:More to your query: I don't see any modifications you could make that would keep the population unchanged. Some people would inevitably end up in a different state.<br />
<br />
:How about a map where every state has an equal number of spiders? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.232|108.162.216.232]] 04:39, 15 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
There are some great videos on YouTube about weird State boundaries. There are some REALLY weird oddities out there. Take for instance the "Give to Canada" piece - that's the Northwest Angle in Minnesota. It's really an accident that it ever ended up in the USA at all, and doesn't make any sense! [[User:Martini|Martini]] ([[User talk:Martini|talk]]) 13:40, 13 October 2017 (UTC)Martini<br />
:I wouldn't call the NW Angle an accident as much as a slightly illogical solution in order to maintain the terms of the original border agreement in the face of the Mississippi River's inconveniently located headwaters. My recollection is that it said roughly: the border goes west of <this> point until reaching the Mississippi river [which all parties assumed continued that far north]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.40|108.162.216.40]] 14:13, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I believe Randall's overall point is that though a large part of the individual United States have straight boundaries, especially in the West, or other features that are aesthetically pleasing, as in the S Carolina/Georgia/Florida coastline, there are a good number of internal inconsistencies. Many of these (most of the untagged "fixes") can be attributed to the concept that "Rivers make good logical boundaries", but even then, if you look closer, there are some really puzzling bits: <br />
* The "Give To Canada" bit of Minnesota is almost all Indian Reservation land, so that kind of makes sense...<br />
* The "Fix this thing" in Missouri is even stranger than it initially looks - while the notch in Arkansas is caused by the Mississippi River, there is a large bight of land in the middle of the Missouri-owned bit that is actually Kentucky (yes, there's an island of Kentucky that is separate from the main Kentucky state and entirely surrounded by Missouri)<br />
* Not edited, but equally odd is the dip Florida cuts into Georgia near the east coast - there's no apparent town or natural features there to cause that irregularity <br />
<br />
I don't happen to think the Arizona/New Mexico bits are political commentary, just "the entire rest of the state is a box, make this a straight line, too." cleanup. I mean yes, it would make wall-building easier, theoretically, but the Chinese showed the world centuries ago that straight lines are not needed to build a big fricking wall. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.131|108.162.238.131]] 14:23, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
- While I agree it probably isn't conscious political commentary, its interesting that there are not places the border increases; always concessions, never gains. May take into account its easier to give than take territory? --[[User:Jgt|Jgt]] ([[User talk:Jgt|talk]]) 19:32, 13 October 2017 (UTC)--[[User:Jgt|Jgt]] ([[User talk:Jgt|talk]]) 19:33, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm surprised Randall didn't suggest cleaning up Point Roberts as well [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Roberts,_Washington]. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.174|141.101.107.174]] 14:33, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
: Presumably the graphic designers are okay with that, since it maintains the 49th Parallel as a nice, tidy border. [[User:Wwoods|Wwoods]] ([[User talk:Wwoods|talk]]) 20:18, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm shocked he didn't support fixing the Idaho/Wisconsin/Montana/Oregon border. That top part should be either given to Montana, or split between Washington and Oregon... I wonder if he left out certain things in order to avoid offending certain groups of people. Like suggesting that Rhode Island and Connecticut should probably be one state, or that Vermont and New Hampshire should be as well. [[User:Kashim|Kashim]] ([[User talk:Kashim|talk]]) 17:03, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Some of the suggestions are ironic, for example Michigan's upper peninsula actually used to be part of the Wisconsin territory, but it was ceded to Michigan in exchange for the port of Toledo being ceded to Ohio. "why does Florida get Alabama's coastline" is actually because Alabama got part of Florida's coastline so it wouldn't be landlocked. The bit of Nevada that he wants to fix it so Nevada has territory along the Colorado River [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.250|162.158.75.250]] 17:18, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Nobody seems to have noticed that Delaware's curved northern border has been flattened (removing Wilmington). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.83|108.162.238.83]] 21:31, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
One significant thing about this map is that, under this map, Hillary Clinton may have won the 2016 election. Citations needed, but I've seen it said that if the Upper Peninsula were moved from Michigan to Wisconsin and the Florida Panhandle were moved to Alabama, Clinton would have won Michigan and Florida, giving her an Electoral College majority. I don't think the Upper Peninsula has enough population to cost Michigan an electoral vote, and I think Florida would lose two electoral votes, putting Clinton exactly at the 270 needed to win. Perhaps the changes around Colorado and Nevada would make a difference, although there were also five faithless Clinton electors who might have voted for her if it would have made a difference. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.4|108.162.219.4]] 01:45, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Good curve! The curve is called the Georgia Bight, or less euphoniously, the South Atlantic Bight. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.76|162.158.63.76]] 03:34, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"'''Align to Grid'''" refers to the option to have icons snap to a grid on a Windows desktop. The idea is that the states become "aligned" like icons on a desktop. [[User:FakeCrash|FakeCrash]] ([[User talk:FakeCrash|talk]]) 17:59, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It would be really useful if this could link to somewhere that described why the various panhandles and oddities exist. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.247|162.158.154.247]] 21:04, 14 October 2017 (UTC)</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1902:_State_Borders&diff=146653Talk:1902: State Borders2017-10-15T04:39:32Z<p>108.162.216.232: United States of Spiders</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
Let's be honest- it should ''all'' be Canada. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.123|162.158.74.123]] 12:24, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Or... Indigenous people's land? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.232|108.162.216.232]] 04:27, 15 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could Arizona, New Mexico be a reference to Trump? Like, make the border straighter so it's easier to build a wall? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 12:35, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
:More likely the joke is that conceding territory to Mexico is about the last thing Trump would do [[User:AnotherAnonymous|AnotherAnonymous]] ([[User talk:AnotherAnonymous|talk]]) 13:04, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
My first thought is to wonder if it would be possible to arrange the map such that all internal borders are "straight lines" that span the entire country, to satisfy as many criteria as possible:<br />
* The number of states remains unchanged<br />
** …and they all get to keep their capitals (probably quite difficult)<br />
*** …or (and?) each state manages to keep either its current population, land area, or coastline length<br />
* Or all internal borders are parallels or meridians<br />
* Or all states have the same land area<br />
** …or population; or population density<br />
* Or if you're allowing more (or fewer) states than the present layout, what's the greatest number of states possible such that they all contain at least one complete city?<br />
<br />
Which of those criteria would be the most interesting challenge? And which could you construct an algorithm to solve?<br />
I really should refrain from trying to build those algorithms, because I'm supposed to be working --[[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 13:28, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
:I'd like to see what a map of the US would look like with each house gerrymandered by their legislative preferences... Borders everywhere, and wow what a nightmare of litigation it would generate as people cross from one district to another!<br />
More to your query: I don't see any modifications you could make that would keep the population unchanged. Some people would inevitably end up in a different state. How about a map where every state has an equal number of spiders? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.232|108.162.216.232]] 04:39, 15 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
There are some great videos on YouTube about weird State boundaries. There are some REALLY weird oddities out there. Take for instance the "Give to Canada" piece - that's the Northwest Angle in Minnesota. It's really an accident that it ever ended up in the USA at all, and doesn't make any sense! [[User:Martini|Martini]] ([[User talk:Martini|talk]]) 13:40, 13 October 2017 (UTC)Martini<br />
:I wouldn't call the NW Angle an accident as much as a slightly illogical solution in order to maintain the terms of the original border agreement in the face of the Mississippi River's inconveniently located headwaters. My recollection is that it said roughly: the border goes west of <this> point until reaching the Mississippi river [which all parties assumed continued that far north]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.40|108.162.216.40]] 14:13, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I believe Randall's overall point is that though a large part of the individual United States have straight boundaries, especially in the West, or other features that are aesthetically pleasing, as in the S Carolina/Georgia/Florida coastline, there are a good number of internal inconsistencies. Many of these (most of the untagged "fixes") can be attributed to the concept that "Rivers make good logical boundaries", but even then, if you look closer, there are some really puzzling bits: <br />
* The "Give To Canada" bit of Minnesota is almost all Indian Reservation land, so that kind of makes sense...<br />
* The "Fix this thing" in Missouri is even stranger than it initially looks - while the notch in Arkansas is caused by the Mississippi River, there is a large bight of land in the middle of the Missouri-owned bit that is actually Kentucky (yes, there's an island of Kentucky that is separate from the main Kentucky state and entirely surrounded by Missouri)<br />
* Not edited, but equally odd is the dip Florida cuts into Georgia near the east coast - there's no apparent town or natural features there to cause that irregularity <br />
<br />
I don't happen to think the Arizona/New Mexico bits are political commentary, just "the entire rest of the state is a box, make this a straight line, too." cleanup. I mean yes, it would make wall-building easier, theoretically, but the Chinese showed the world centuries ago that straight lines are not needed to build a big fricking wall. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.131|108.162.238.131]] 14:23, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
- While I agree it probably isn't conscious political commentary, its interesting that there are not places the border increases; always concessions, never gains. May take into account its easier to give than take territory? --[[User:Jgt|Jgt]] ([[User talk:Jgt|talk]]) 19:32, 13 October 2017 (UTC)--[[User:Jgt|Jgt]] ([[User talk:Jgt|talk]]) 19:33, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm surprised Randall didn't suggest cleaning up Point Roberts as well [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Roberts,_Washington]. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.174|141.101.107.174]] 14:33, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
: Presumably the graphic designers are okay with that, since it maintains the 49th Parallel as a nice, tidy border. [[User:Wwoods|Wwoods]] ([[User talk:Wwoods|talk]]) 20:18, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm shocked he didn't support fixing the Idaho/Wisconsin/Montana/Oregon border. That top part should be either given to Montana, or split between Washington and Oregon... I wonder if he left out certain things in order to avoid offending certain groups of people. Like suggesting that Rhode Island and Connecticut should probably be one state, or that Vermont and New Hampshire should be as well. [[User:Kashim|Kashim]] ([[User talk:Kashim|talk]]) 17:03, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Some of the suggestions are ironic, for example Michigan's upper peninsula actually used to be part of the Wisconsin territory, but it was ceded to Michigan in exchange for the port of Toledo being ceded to Ohio. "why does Florida get Alabama's coastline" is actually because Alabama got part of Florida's coastline so it wouldn't be landlocked. The bit of Nevada that he wants to fix it so Nevada has territory along the Colorado River [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.250|162.158.75.250]] 17:18, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Nobody seems to have noticed that Delaware's curved northern border has been flattened (removing Wilmington). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.83|108.162.238.83]] 21:31, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
One significant thing about this map is that, under this map, Hillary Clinton may have won the 2016 election. Citations needed, but I've seen it said that if the Upper Peninsula were moved from Michigan to Wisconsin and the Florida Panhandle were moved to Alabama, Clinton would have won Michigan and Florida, giving her an Electoral College majority. I don't think the Upper Peninsula has enough population to cost Michigan an electoral vote, and I think Florida would lose two electoral votes, putting Clinton exactly at the 270 needed to win. Perhaps the changes around Colorado and Nevada would make a difference, although there were also five faithless Clinton electors who might have voted for her if it would have made a difference. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.4|108.162.219.4]] 01:45, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Good curve! The curve is called the Georgia Bight, or less euphoniously, the South Atlantic Bight. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.76|162.158.63.76]] 03:34, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"'''Align to Grid'''" refers to the option to have icons snap to a grid on a Windows desktop. The idea is that the states become "aligned" like icons on a desktop. [[User:FakeCrash|FakeCrash]] ([[User talk:FakeCrash|talk]]) 17:59, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It would be really useful if this could link to somewhere that described why the various panhandles and oddities exist. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.247|162.158.154.247]] 21:04, 14 October 2017 (UTC)</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1902:_State_Borders&diff=146652Talk:1902: State Borders2017-10-15T04:27:39Z<p>108.162.216.232: Canada, or indigenous?</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
Let's be honest- it should ''all'' be Canada. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.123|162.158.74.123]] 12:24, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Or... Indigenous people's land? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.232|108.162.216.232]] 04:27, 15 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could Arizona, New Mexico be a reference to Trump? Like, make the border straighter so it's easier to build a wall? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 12:35, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
:More likely the joke is that conceding territory to Mexico is about the last thing Trump would do [[User:AnotherAnonymous|AnotherAnonymous]] ([[User talk:AnotherAnonymous|talk]]) 13:04, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
My first thought is to wonder if it would be possible to arrange the map such that all internal borders are "straight lines" that span the entire country, to satisfy as many criteria as possible:<br />
* The number of states remains unchanged<br />
** …and they all get to keep their capitals (probably quite difficult)<br />
*** …or (and?) each state manages to keep either its current population, land area, or coastline length<br />
* Or all internal borders are parallels or meridians<br />
* Or all states have the same land area<br />
** …or population; or population density<br />
* Or if you're allowing more (or fewer) states than the present layout, what's the greatest number of states possible such that they all contain at least one complete city?<br />
<br />
Which of those criteria would be the most interesting challenge? And which could you construct an algorithm to solve?<br />
I really should refrain from trying to build those algorithms, because I'm supposed to be working --[[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 13:28, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
There are some great videos on YouTube about weird State boundaries. There are some REALLY weird oddities out there. Take for instance the "Give to Canada" piece - that's the Northwest Angle in Minnesota. It's really an accident that it ever ended up in the USA at all, and doesn't make any sense! [[User:Martini|Martini]] ([[User talk:Martini|talk]]) 13:40, 13 October 2017 (UTC)Martini<br />
:I wouldn't call the NW Angle an accident as much as a slightly illogical solution in order to maintain the terms of the original border agreement in the face of the Mississippi River's inconveniently located headwaters. My recollection is that it said roughly: the border goes west of <this> point until reaching the Mississippi river [which all parties assumed continued that far north]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.40|108.162.216.40]] 14:13, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I believe Randall's overall point is that though a large part of the individual United States have straight boundaries, especially in the West, or other features that are aesthetically pleasing, as in the S Carolina/Georgia/Florida coastline, there are a good number of internal inconsistencies. Many of these (most of the untagged "fixes") can be attributed to the concept that "Rivers make good logical boundaries", but even then, if you look closer, there are some really puzzling bits: <br />
* The "Give To Canada" bit of Minnesota is almost all Indian Reservation land, so that kind of makes sense...<br />
* The "Fix this thing" in Missouri is even stranger than it initially looks - while the notch in Arkansas is caused by the Mississippi River, there is a large bight of land in the middle of the Missouri-owned bit that is actually Kentucky (yes, there's an island of Kentucky that is separate from the main Kentucky state and entirely surrounded by Missouri)<br />
* Not edited, but equally odd is the dip Florida cuts into Georgia near the east coast - there's no apparent town or natural features there to cause that irregularity <br />
<br />
I don't happen to think the Arizona/New Mexico bits are political commentary, just "the entire rest of the state is a box, make this a straight line, too." cleanup. I mean yes, it would make wall-building easier, theoretically, but the Chinese showed the world centuries ago that straight lines are not needed to build a big fricking wall. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.131|108.162.238.131]] 14:23, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
- While I agree it probably isn't conscious political commentary, its interesting that there are not places the border increases; always concessions, never gains. May take into account its easier to give than take territory? --[[User:Jgt|Jgt]] ([[User talk:Jgt|talk]]) 19:32, 13 October 2017 (UTC)--[[User:Jgt|Jgt]] ([[User talk:Jgt|talk]]) 19:33, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm surprised Randall didn't suggest cleaning up Point Roberts as well [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Roberts,_Washington]. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.174|141.101.107.174]] 14:33, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
: Presumably the graphic designers are okay with that, since it maintains the 49th Parallel as a nice, tidy border. [[User:Wwoods|Wwoods]] ([[User talk:Wwoods|talk]]) 20:18, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm shocked he didn't support fixing the Idaho/Wisconsin/Montana/Oregon border. That top part should be either given to Montana, or split between Washington and Oregon... I wonder if he left out certain things in order to avoid offending certain groups of people. Like suggesting that Rhode Island and Connecticut should probably be one state, or that Vermont and New Hampshire should be as well. [[User:Kashim|Kashim]] ([[User talk:Kashim|talk]]) 17:03, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Some of the suggestions are ironic, for example Michigan's upper peninsula actually used to be part of the Wisconsin territory, but it was ceded to Michigan in exchange for the port of Toledo being ceded to Ohio. "why does Florida get Alabama's coastline" is actually because Alabama got part of Florida's coastline so it wouldn't be landlocked. The bit of Nevada that he wants to fix it so Nevada has territory along the Colorado River [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.250|162.158.75.250]] 17:18, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Nobody seems to have noticed that Delaware's curved northern border has been flattened (removing Wilmington). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.83|108.162.238.83]] 21:31, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
One significant thing about this map is that, under this map, Hillary Clinton may have won the 2016 election. Citations needed, but I've seen it said that if the Upper Peninsula were moved from Michigan to Wisconsin and the Florida Panhandle were moved to Alabama, Clinton would have won Michigan and Florida, giving her an Electoral College majority. I don't think the Upper Peninsula has enough population to cost Michigan an electoral vote, and I think Florida would lose two electoral votes, putting Clinton exactly at the 270 needed to win. Perhaps the changes around Colorado and Nevada would make a difference, although there were also five faithless Clinton electors who might have voted for her if it would have made a difference. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.4|108.162.219.4]] 01:45, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Good curve! The curve is called the Georgia Bight, or less euphoniously, the South Atlantic Bight. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.76|162.158.63.76]] 03:34, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"'''Align to Grid'''" refers to the option to have icons snap to a grid on a Windows desktop. The idea is that the states become "aligned" like icons on a desktop. [[User:FakeCrash|FakeCrash]] ([[User talk:FakeCrash|talk]]) 17:59, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It would be really useful if this could link to somewhere that described why the various panhandles and oddities exist. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.247|162.158.154.247]] 21:04, 14 October 2017 (UTC)</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1902:_State_Borders&diff=146651Talk:1902: State Borders2017-10-15T04:24:15Z<p>108.162.216.232: Canada, or indigenous?</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
Let's be honest- it should ''all'' be Canada. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.123|162.158.74.123]] 12:24, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Or... Indigenous people's land?<br />
<br />
Could Arizona, New Mexico be a reference to Trump? Like, make the border straighter so it's easier to build a wall? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 12:35, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
:More likely the joke is that conceding territory to Mexico is about the last thing Trump would do [[User:AnotherAnonymous|AnotherAnonymous]] ([[User talk:AnotherAnonymous|talk]]) 13:04, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
My first thought is to wonder if it would be possible to arrange the map such that all internal borders are "straight lines" that span the entire country, to satisfy as many criteria as possible:<br />
* The number of states remains unchanged<br />
** …and they all get to keep their capitals (probably quite difficult)<br />
*** …or (and?) each state manages to keep either its current population, land area, or coastline length<br />
* Or all internal borders are parallels or meridians<br />
* Or all states have the same land area<br />
** …or population; or population density<br />
* Or if you're allowing more (or fewer) states than the present layout, what's the greatest number of states possible such that they all contain at least one complete city?<br />
<br />
Which of those criteria would be the most interesting challenge? And which could you construct an algorithm to solve?<br />
I really should refrain from trying to build those algorithms, because I'm supposed to be working --[[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 13:28, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
There are some great videos on YouTube about weird State boundaries. There are some REALLY weird oddities out there. Take for instance the "Give to Canada" piece - that's the Northwest Angle in Minnesota. It's really an accident that it ever ended up in the USA at all, and doesn't make any sense! [[User:Martini|Martini]] ([[User talk:Martini|talk]]) 13:40, 13 October 2017 (UTC)Martini<br />
:I wouldn't call the NW Angle an accident as much as a slightly illogical solution in order to maintain the terms of the original border agreement in the face of the Mississippi River's inconveniently located headwaters. My recollection is that it said roughly: the border goes west of <this> point until reaching the Mississippi river [which all parties assumed continued that far north]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.40|108.162.216.40]] 14:13, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I believe Randall's overall point is that though a large part of the individual United States have straight boundaries, especially in the West, or other features that are aesthetically pleasing, as in the S Carolina/Georgia/Florida coastline, there are a good number of internal inconsistencies. Many of these (most of the untagged "fixes") can be attributed to the concept that "Rivers make good logical boundaries", but even then, if you look closer, there are some really puzzling bits: <br />
* The "Give To Canada" bit of Minnesota is almost all Indian Reservation land, so that kind of makes sense...<br />
* The "Fix this thing" in Missouri is even stranger than it initially looks - while the notch in Arkansas is caused by the Mississippi River, there is a large bight of land in the middle of the Missouri-owned bit that is actually Kentucky (yes, there's an island of Kentucky that is separate from the main Kentucky state and entirely surrounded by Missouri)<br />
* Not edited, but equally odd is the dip Florida cuts into Georgia near the east coast - there's no apparent town or natural features there to cause that irregularity <br />
<br />
I don't happen to think the Arizona/New Mexico bits are political commentary, just "the entire rest of the state is a box, make this a straight line, too." cleanup. I mean yes, it would make wall-building easier, theoretically, but the Chinese showed the world centuries ago that straight lines are not needed to build a big fricking wall. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.131|108.162.238.131]] 14:23, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
- While I agree it probably isn't conscious political commentary, its interesting that there are not places the border increases; always concessions, never gains. May take into account its easier to give than take territory? --[[User:Jgt|Jgt]] ([[User talk:Jgt|talk]]) 19:32, 13 October 2017 (UTC)--[[User:Jgt|Jgt]] ([[User talk:Jgt|talk]]) 19:33, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm surprised Randall didn't suggest cleaning up Point Roberts as well [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_Roberts,_Washington]. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.174|141.101.107.174]] 14:33, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
: Presumably the graphic designers are okay with that, since it maintains the 49th Parallel as a nice, tidy border. [[User:Wwoods|Wwoods]] ([[User talk:Wwoods|talk]]) 20:18, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm shocked he didn't support fixing the Idaho/Wisconsin/Montana/Oregon border. That top part should be either given to Montana, or split between Washington and Oregon... I wonder if he left out certain things in order to avoid offending certain groups of people. Like suggesting that Rhode Island and Connecticut should probably be one state, or that Vermont and New Hampshire should be as well. [[User:Kashim|Kashim]] ([[User talk:Kashim|talk]]) 17:03, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Some of the suggestions are ironic, for example Michigan's upper peninsula actually used to be part of the Wisconsin territory, but it was ceded to Michigan in exchange for the port of Toledo being ceded to Ohio. "why does Florida get Alabama's coastline" is actually because Alabama got part of Florida's coastline so it wouldn't be landlocked. The bit of Nevada that he wants to fix it so Nevada has territory along the Colorado River [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.250|162.158.75.250]] 17:18, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Nobody seems to have noticed that Delaware's curved northern border has been flattened (removing Wilmington). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.83|108.162.238.83]] 21:31, 13 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
One significant thing about this map is that, under this map, Hillary Clinton may have won the 2016 election. Citations needed, but I've seen it said that if the Upper Peninsula were moved from Michigan to Wisconsin and the Florida Panhandle were moved to Alabama, Clinton would have won Michigan and Florida, giving her an Electoral College majority. I don't think the Upper Peninsula has enough population to cost Michigan an electoral vote, and I think Florida would lose two electoral votes, putting Clinton exactly at the 270 needed to win. Perhaps the changes around Colorado and Nevada would make a difference, although there were also five faithless Clinton electors who might have voted for her if it would have made a difference. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.4|108.162.219.4]] 01:45, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Good curve! The curve is called the Georgia Bight, or less euphoniously, the South Atlantic Bight. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.76|162.158.63.76]] 03:34, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"'''Align to Grid'''" refers to the option to have icons snap to a grid on a Windows desktop. The idea is that the states become "aligned" like icons on a desktop. [[User:FakeCrash|FakeCrash]] ([[User talk:FakeCrash|talk]]) 17:59, 14 October 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It would be really useful if this could link to somewhere that described why the various panhandles and oddities exist. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.247|162.158.154.247]] 21:04, 14 October 2017 (UTC)</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1891:_Obsolete_Technology&diff=1456961891: Obsolete Technology2017-09-20T04:35:34Z<p>108.162.216.232: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1891<br />
| date = September 18, 2017<br />
| title = Obsolete Technology<br />
| image = obsolete_technology.png<br />
| titletext = And I can't believe some places still use fax machines. The electrical signals waste so much time going AROUND the Earth when neutrino beams can go straight through!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic mocks people who criticize an industry for using obsolete technology, even when said technology is sufficient for the task at hand. The claim often comes with the implication that those in charge of the industry are behind the times and cannot adapt to the cutting edge. What these critics often fail to realize is that there are cost benefits to sticking with "obsolete" infrastructure, and that upgrading to the newest tech can introduce unwanted side effects and other risks.<br />
<br />
Here, [[Ponytail]] is one such critic, complaining that the business is taking "forever" to get with the times. [[Megan]] uses sarcasm to deliver her counterargument: despite the advent of nuclear weapons, fireworks use the ancient technology of {{w|gunpowder}} (invented in the 9th century), because fireworks are used by civilians for celebratory purposes and should have as few lethal side effects as possible{{Citation needed}}.<br />
<br />
As they use gunpowder, fireworks do claim a handful of lives and cause thousands of injuries each year due to improper handling procedures; between June 18th and July 18th of 2016 (thus including the {{w|Independence Day (United States)|Independence Day}} celebrations on July 4th), fireworks caused an estimated 11,000 injuries, of which 7,000 had to be treated in hospitals. In the whole year of 2016, four people died. (U.S. stats, [http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/national/2017/06/30/456213.htm]). Nuclear explosions, meanwhile, can have detrimental effects on human health. For example, should a nuclear explosion at a firework display be too powerful, the spectators, and possibly the neighborhood around the display, would be vaporized instantly. Fallout from a nuclear reaction could spread radiation across a wide area, leading to increased risks of cancers and other detrimental genetic mutations. <br />
<br />
In other words, sometimes using newer technology is "overkill" for the purpose, and it might be costlier to switch to a newer technology. For example, many industrial machines were designed and sold in the 1990s when {{w|floppy disk}}s were the prevalent means of storing the instructions, but those machines still have one or two or even more decades of usable lifetime left, and the instruction files still fit on those floppy disks. So, in 2017, there are several companies that thrive on buying, refurbishing and selling floppy disks. This [https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/why-do-floppy-disks-still-exist-the-world-isnt-ready-to-move-on/ report] portrays one of these companies.<br />
<br />
{{w|MS-DOS}} is a computer operating system made by {{w|Microsoft}} that was dominant during much of the 1980s. When Microsoft released the Windows line of operating systems, they encouraged people to switch to the new platform, which many did. MS-DOS became essentially obsolete when Microsoft released {{w|Windows 95}} in 1995. However, there remain rare circumstances in which MS-DOS (or another command-line operating system) is still preferred, such as when no mouse, touchscreen, or other pointing hardware is available, or when the hardware does not support a newer operating system. To make matters simpler, there is {{w|DOSBox}}, a free and open-source MS-DOS emulator which is actively maintained and extended. Likewise, {{w|FreeDOS}} is a free and open-source variant of MS-DOS, compatible with both older and newer computers.<br />
<br />
The title text uses a different twist, criticizing the current use of {{w|fax}} machines. In many respects, faxing is obsolete compared to e-mail; it supports only black-and-white images, it complicates the process of modifying sent text by rendering it as images, it consumes the recipient's paper and toner and, in some countries, requires the recipient to pay a fee. Fax machines are a peculiar topic among "obsolete" technology; in some fields, like lawyer offices, pharmacies and medical practices, they staunchly hold their ground, as they offer a way to quickly transfer handwritten and hand-signed documents. Confidentiality is also an issue; fax, which uses a landline, is more difficult to intercept than internet-based traffic. In some countries, a telecopy is a valid document, having the same legal value as the original. A patient can thus call their doctor to fill a prescription, which is faxed to the pharmacy where the patient can fetch his drugs, saving precious time. In the same manner, a legal request can be sent to the receiver, without having to use a courier or express mail.<br />
<br />
But rather than argue on any of the above points, the title text instead claims that faxing is obsolete due to being electron-based, while {{w|neutrino}}-based communication would be faster. In 2017 neutrino detectors are heavy and expensive, used for nuclear research only. Electronic communications travel at a fair share of speed of light and the advantage of path would be at most a factor of π/2, so neutrino-based communication would normally be way too expensive compared to the speed gain. Even in the most extreme case (communicating between {{w|antipodes}}), the time saved would be a few hundredths of a second – insignificant for almost all purposes, but potentially enough to gain an edge in {{w|high-frequency trading}}. Real-world fax detractors would rather replace it with other electronic communication systems, not neutronic ones.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail sits in front of an old computer. Megan stands behind her.]<br />
:Ponytail: Whoa, this is running MS-DOS! It's weird how new technology takes forever to reach some industries.<br />
:Megan: Yeah. Like how we still use gunpowder for fireworks, even though we've had nuclear weapons for over 70 years.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category: Computers]]</div>108.162.216.232https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1332:_Slippery_Slope&diff=1375761332: Slippery Slope2017-03-20T12:51:41Z<p>108.162.216.232: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1332<br />
| date = February 19, 2014<br />
| title = Slippery Slope<br />
| image = slippery_slope.png<br />
| titletext = Sure, taking a few seconds to be respectful toward someone about something they care about doesn't sound hard. But if you talk to hundreds of people every day and they all start expecting that same consideration, it could potentially add up to MINUTES wasted. And for WHAT?<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The "{{w|Slippery slope}}" argument hinges on the idea that if A happens, then B will follow as a minor but expected consequence. B will lead on to C, C leads onto D, and so on. Each consequence gets progressively worse until you reach an undesirable situation. A slippery slope argument propagates that A should not be allowed, because if it is, then the resulting chain of consequences will lead to the undesirable situation. A contemporary and logically flawed example of this is gay marriage, which has had a largely very similar response. In the 60's interracial marriage was illegal, and people suggested that if allowed it would lead to pedophiles marrying children, people marrying their pets, sisters, etc. Another example of the slippery slope argument is the issue of illegal immigration, where if we allow people into the country illegally and give them citizenship, then they will steal jobs and then take over the United States. These arguments are largely made out of baseless fear and prejudice.<br />
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In the comic, [[White Hat]] uses a slippery slope argument to [[Cueball]], to justify being inconsiderate to people . He argues that if he expends minor effort being considerate to one person, he will be expected to be considerate to everyone he meets, which - he wishes to argue - is an undesirable situation. Thus, he justifies being inconsiderate as avoiding the slippery slope. This idea is extended in the title text, where he continues extrapolating the train of thought to come to the conclusion that minutes of time would be "wasted". Randall is exposing the greater issue that makes these arguments absurd because Cueball is saying that if he has to be considerate to one person, he will have to extend that courtesy to everyone.<br />
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This could be a reference to many arguments in which the slippery slope argument is used to deny people rights.<br />
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In the title text, the same idea is added to include that seconds is not a terribly large amount of time to be nice to a few people, but those few seconds multiplied by tens (he says ''hundreds'') of people could mean that a person would waste several minutes per day, as if several minutes were a big amount of time.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:[White Hat talking to Cueball.]<br />
:White Hat: Yeah, but if I'm considerate toward one person about one thing, what's next?<br />
:White Hat: Being nice to ''other'' people about ''other'' things?<br />
:White Hat: Where does it ''end?''<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Logic]]</div>108.162.216.232