https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=108.162.219.143&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T09:42:52ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1585:_Similarities&diff=102739Talk:1585: Similarities2015-10-02T12:11:38Z<p>108.162.219.143: Added agreement to the idea that Ponytail is actually enthused for "50 Shades of Red".</p>
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<div>;Origins<br />
<br />
I've heard 50 Shades of Grey started out as Twilight fan fiction, but don't know how The Martian came to be. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.115|108.162.216.115]] 05:56, 2 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
-- Still missing from the explanation is what kind of brand ''The Martian'' is about... -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.217|162.158.114.217]] 08:18, 2 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
:NASA? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.238|108.162.229.238]] 08:22, 2 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
:A Mars bar? --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.65|141.101.98.65]] 09:09, 2 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
:I'm going with NASA. --[[User:PsyMar|PsyMar]] ([[User talk:PsyMar|talk]]) 09:30, 2 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: It is Twilight fan-fiction. The original version is still availble for free. They just renamed the characters and removed references to Christian being a sparkling vampire and published it as a new book.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.115.22|162.158.115.22]] 08:43, 2 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
::Allegedly removed by the author, first from the fan fiction sites and then her personal site just prior to publication! And you're right, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/02/11/the-most-scandalous-part-of-fifty-shades-of-grey-isnt-the-sex-and-bondage/ the original is 89% similar to the published trilogy]. Names have been changed to protect the author from legal battles, and [http://www.avclub.com/article/holy-crow-fifty-shades-grey-crazy-similar-its-twil-215185 crucial changes from "holy cow" to "holy crap"] were also made.<br />
::[http://www.literarykiss.com/2012/10/communication-in-fifty-shades-of-trey.html I even found a few graphs about its literary horror and crap references, for people like me who are easily amused. Unfortunately it's so bizarre I'm feeling the effects of Poe's law here. Is it really that bad, or is this some parody? I'll never read the books to find out. --[[User:Fedora-tionOfPlanets|Fedora-tionOfPlanets]] ([[User talk:Fedora-tionOfPlanets|talk]]) 11:28, 2 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I believe Ponytail is not terrified by suggested title. That's more like she thinksthat Cueball will almost certainly read it and dares him to say otherwise. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.80.53|141.101.80.53]] 11:46, 2 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
: I agree; the ''tell'' is italicized, and that emphasis indicates she's using an American idiom to indicate her enthusiasm for the idea. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.143|108.162.219.143]] 12:11, 2 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Considering the timing, I wouldn't be surprised if Randall did indeed saw the movie, but had the comics ready in advance and after the movie only added the title and published it. So the part about him not liking the movie based on comics is unfounded. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:47, 2 October 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is the sojourner used to communicate in the movie? It seems like it is just kept around to beetle around the hah module and the Lander is used for comms. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.180|141.101.98.180]]IB</div>108.162.219.143https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:838:_Incident&diff=93851Talk:838: Incident2015-05-22T13:09:41Z<p>108.162.219.143: /* Sources of inspiration */ new section</p>
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<div>And so the entire list of naughty and nice children fits into a single A1 poster by Santa's computer. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|purple|David}}<font color=green size=3px>y</font></u><font color=indigo size=4px>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:59, 9 March 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Presumably it's a delta encoding; he writes down changes to the lists and then later writes them into his records and gets a new poster. [[Special:Contributions/130.160.145.224|130.160.145.224]] 16:19, 10 March 2013 (UTC)<br />
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---<br />
<br />
Seeing as the username is <code>robm</code>, should this be attributed to [[Rob]] and not Cueball? [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 16:27, 18 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
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:Yup, changed that. [[User:Xyz|Xyz]] ([[User talk:Xyz|talk]]) 14:32, 14 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
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---<br />
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Real Linux does say "this incident will be reported," but does *NOT* report it to Santa Claus. [[User:Xyz|Xyz]] ([[User talk:Xyz|talk]]) 14:49, 14 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
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:Actually the title text kind of explains this! The incident is reported to root, by email (by default, anyway). So if Santa is somehow "copied" there, he will see the message. [[User:Durka42|Durka42]] ([[User talk:Durka42|talk]]) 08:11, 17 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
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---<br />
<br />
So all we need now is an Ubuntu distro that reports failed sudo attempts to Santa Claus. Santabuntu anyone?<br />
<br />
[[User:Zyxuvius|Zyxuvius]] ([[User talk:Zyxuvius|talk]]) 05:37, 16 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Sources of inspiration ==<br />
<br />
Perhaps this could be cited as a possible source of inspiration? http://toblender.com/this-incident-will-be-reported/ [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.143|108.162.219.143]] 13:09, 22 May 2015 (UTC)</div>108.162.219.143https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1514:_PermaCal&diff=904871514: PermaCal2015-04-21T20:20:27Z<p>108.162.219.143: /* Explanation */ the source given says milliseconds not microseconds (if it's actually the source that's incorrect feel free to revert this)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1514<br />
| date = April 20, 2015<br />
| title = PermaCal<br />
| image = permacal.png<br />
| titletext = The flood of PermaCalNTP leap-second notifications was bad enough, but when people started asking for millisecond resolution, the resulting DDOS brought down the internet.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic proposes a new calendar system. This is similar to comic [[1061: EST]]. In this new calendar system, the date stays constant, and only changes with {{w|February 29|leap days}}. This means that ''all'' days are now leap days. PermaCal is a portmanteau of the words "permanent" and "calendar".<br />
<br />
In the comic, the {{w|Gregorian calendar|real date}} is Monday April 20, 2015 (the date the comic was published). [[Cueball]] has not yet added a leap day to PermaCal today, so his calendar still states it is Sunday April 19. Upon learning from [[Megan]] that the date has changed since yesterday, he is now forced to add another leap day (and is presumably becoming frustrated that he has to do this every day).<br />
<br />
Leap days in the {{w|Gregorian calendar}} are days added to the end of {{w|February}} every year that is a multiple of 4, but not by 100, unless it's also a multiple of 400. The purpose is to synchronize the calendar with Earth's orbit without having a partial day each year. {{w|Leap second|Leap seconds}} are necessary because the earth rotation is not constant, but speeds up and slows down over time. The leap seconds account for the differences in the length of our 24 hour day and a solar day (the time taken for Earth to rotate so the same point points towards the sun), and are announced several months before hand.<br />
<br />
{{w|Network Time Protocol|NTP}} servers are used to keep local computer time from drifting. In the context of this comic {{w|Leap second|Leap seconds}} would refer to a system with constant time, and the time is adjusted by an NTP call every second. The title text refers to the bandwidth used by correcting the time in every millisecond resolution which for a system with constant time would result in 1000 updates being requested every second using significant network bandwidth and resulting in a {{w|DDoS}} situation.<br />
<br />
See here, an example of a [http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.org.operators.swinog/10055 real-life unintentional DDOS attack involving NTP servers].<br />
<br />
Part of the humor stems from the problems that leap seconds are causing for some computers. [http://www.livescience.com/49370-leap-second-added-2015.html] The last leap second disrupted computers at big companies such as {{w|Reddit}}, {{w|LinkedIn}}, {{w|Gizmodo}} and {{w|FourSquare}}. {{w|Google}} has coped by adding milliseconds stretched out over the year, rather than a single disruptive second, possibly the reason for the reference to millisecond resolution.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan and Cueball are in the panel. Cueball appears to be holding a phone, tapping.]<br />
:Megan: What day is it?<br />
:Cueball: Sunday the 19<sup>th</sup>.<br />
:Megan: But you said it was the 19<sup>th</sup> yesterday.<br />
:Cueball: It changed ''again''? Crap, better add another leap day.<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:My simplified calendar system assumes the date never changes, then corrects any drift via leap days.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The "H" in Megan's version of "19TH" is missing the upper part of the left bar, making it look like an mirrored "h". This must be unintended, since the H in "19TH" is written correctly when Cueball says it. Also only capital letters are used in the comics (except in special cases).<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Time management]]<br />
[[Category:Portmanteau]]</div>108.162.219.143https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Beret_Guy&diff=90392Beret Guy2015-04-20T22:05:35Z<p>108.162.219.143: /* Characteristics */ goddammit</p>
<hr />
<div>{{Infobox character<br />
| image = Beret_Guy.png<br />
| imagesize = 40px<br />
| caption = Beret guy, as seen in [[1117: My Sky]]<br />
| first_appearance = [[167: Nihilism]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Beret Guy''' is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. He is distinguished by his white beret.<br />
<br />
==Characteristics==<br />
Beret Guy is an optimist, and sometimes a naïve one (although he is rarely a victim in the strip). He enjoys philosophizing, often taking the role of the {{w|existentialist}}. He has a very surreal side to him, often thinking about or being involved in bizarre situations. He is also fascinated with bakeries, scones in particular. He also is shown to take things far too literally.<br />
<br />
Beret Guy appears to have a steady job as a bartender, shown in the comics [[328: Eggs]], [[474: Turn-On]], and [[712: Single Ladies]]. However, in later comics, he apparently quit his job to become a "business professional", according to [[1032: Networking]]. He also, apparently, makes a load of money off of doing this, but has no reasons other than the fact that he is "a business grown-up who makes business profits". He appears again, now with his own "real building he found" in [[1293: Job Interview]]. In [[1493: Meeting]], his business returns again, this time with a name ([http://CompanyName.website/ CompanyName.website]) and an explanation, albeit an unusual one, for how it makes money ("Money keeps appearing, but we have no idea how or why."). At this time, it is still massively successful, somehow.<br />
<br />
Beret Guy also seems to be a miracle maker, causing supernatural acts in [[1099: Tuesdays]], where he grows "endless wings" and in the aforementioned [[1293: Job Interview]], where he seems to be pouring soup from an electrical socket, as well as in [[1486: Vacuum]], where he misinterprets quantum physics and manages to get unlimited power from a vacuum cleaner. In [[1490: Atoms]], he appears to have a supernatural ability to see individual atoms (or at least the atomic make-up of items) and his mother seems to have had an unexplained amount of plutonium in her body. However, in all four of these, Beret Guy seems to not have any doubt that the events are normal; in fact, he just seems to accept them as they are without question. In [https://what-if.xkcd.com/6/ Glass Half Empty], he seems to be quite oblivious to pain, especially about foreign objects sticking into his head. <br />
<br />
To sum up, Beret Guy is a very naïve man with the strange superpower of having the world around him acting according to his naïve vision.<br />
<br />
He shares several traits with Beriah from [http://www.meninhats.com/ Men in Hats], as [[Black Hat]] does with Aram from the same series, but in contrast to the latter, this doesn't appear to have been officially acknowledged.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{navbox-characters}}<br />
[[Category:Characters]]</div>108.162.219.143https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Beret_Guy&diff=90391Beret Guy2015-04-20T22:05:09Z<p>108.162.219.143: /* Characteristics */ consistency</p>
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<div>{{Infobox character<br />
| image = Beret_Guy.png<br />
| imagesize = 40px<br />
| caption = Beret guy, as seen in [[1117: My Sky]]<br />
| first_appearance = [[167: Nihilism]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Beret Guy''' is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. He is distinguished by his white beret.<br />
<br />
==Characteristics==<br />
Beret Guy is an optimist, and sometimes a naïve one (although he is rarely a victim in the strip). He enjoys philosophizing, often taking the role of the {{w|existentialist}}. He has a very surreal side to him, often thinking about or being involved in bizarre situations. He is also fascinated with bakeries, scones in particular. He also is shown to take things far too literally.<br />
<br />
Beret Guy appears to have a steady job as a bartender, shown in the comics [[328: Eggs]], [[474: Turn-On]], and [[712: Single Ladies]]. However, in later comics, he apparently quit his job to become a "business professional", according to [[1032: Networking]]. He also, apparently, makes a load of money off of doing this, but has no reasons other than the fact that he is "a business grown-up who makes business profits". He appears again, now with his own "real building he found" in [[1293: Job Interview]]. In [[1493: Meeting]], his business returns again, this time with a name ([http://CompanyName.website/ CompanyName.website]) and an explanation, albeit an unusual one, for how it makes money ("Money keeps appearing, but we have no idea how or why."). At this time, it is still massively successful, somehow.<br />
<br />
Beret Guy also seems to be a miracle maker, causing supernatural acts in [[1099: Tuesdays]], where he grows "endless wings" and in the aforementioned [[1293: Job Interview]], where he seems to be pouring soup from an electrical socket, as well as in [[1486: Vacuum]], where he misinterprets quantum physics and manages to get unlimited power from a vacuum cleaner. In [[1490: Atoms]], he appears to have a supernatural ability to see individual atoms (or at least the atomic make-up of items) and his mother seems to have had an unexplained amount of plutonium in her body. However, in all four of these, Beret Guy seems to not have any doubt that the events are normal; in fact, he just seems to accept them as they are without question. In [https://what-if.xkcd.com/6/ Glass Half Empty], he seems to be quite oblivious to pain, especially about foreign objects sticking into his head. <br />
<br />
To sum up, Beret Guy is a very naïve man with the strange superpower of having the world around him acting according to his naive vision.<br />
<br />
He shares several traits with Beriah from [http://www.meninhats.com/ Men in Hats], as [[Black Hat]] does with Aram from the same series, but in contrast to the latter, this doesn't appear to have been officially acknowledged.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{navbox-characters}}<br />
[[Category:Characters]]</div>108.162.219.143https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1028:_Communication&diff=903901028: Communication2015-04-20T21:55:41Z<p>108.162.219.143: /* Explanation */ Unregistered accounts can't mark changes as minor</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1028<br />
| date = March 12, 2012<br />
| title = Communication<br />
| image = communication.png<br />
| titletext = Anyone who says that they're great at communicating but 'people are bad at listening' is confused about how communication works.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is divided into two parts, the first two rows of panels and then the third one.<br />
<br />
The first part demonstrates a failed attempt at communication:<br />
<br />
*[[White Hat]] notices a dangerous hole, and thinks he should warn people about it.<br />
**The symbol of the triangle with the exclamation mark in it is widely used on {{w|warning sign}} and it means "{{w|Warning_sign#General_caution|General caution}}".<br />
*White Hat encounters [[Hairy]] and tries to warn him about the hole, while Hairy is wondering what White Hat is pointing at not understanding what he says.<br />
*Hairy doesn't understand the warning, he continues to think without speaking. Now he thinks of a frustrated White Hat.<br />
*Hairy continues to only think of what he can see, and now this is the fact that White Hat is leaving. As White Hat leaves he is thinking about Hairy's lack of understanding and about his silence. <br />
*White Hat encounters [[Megan]] and is now so annoyed about Hairy that he rather talks about his lack of communication than about the dangerous hole. Megan on the other hand tries to tell White Hat about another dangerous hole if he continues to walk along.<br />
*White Hat and Megan passes each other. White Hat now thinks about both the silent Hairy and the talking Megan who both failed to understand him. Megan is just frustrated by the outcome of her encounter and thinks about White Hat talking.<br />
*Megan then meets Hairy while they are both still thinking about White Hat<br />
*They now share their common experience of seeing White Hat. Finally Hairy talks.<br />
*They both continue towards the first hole, unaware of it, talking about White Hat. (Hairy is drawn without hair both here and in the next panel - see [[#Trivia|Trivia]] below.)<br />
*Megan and Hairy fall into the first hole since it wasn't properly communicated to them.<br />
*White Hat falls into the second hole since it wasn't properly communicated to him.<br />
<br />
The holes in the sidewalk are fairly deep, about one person deep; unaware and careless people don't notice them when they come upon them, which makes them symbolic of any problem or danger one can encounter in life, and could avoid if properly warned or careful.<br />
<br />
The second part demonstrates a much more successful attempt at communication:<br />
<br />
*[[Beret Guy]] notices a dangerous hole, and thinks he should warn people about it.<br />
*He even runs out of the picture to warn people (as can be interpreted by the fact that he has reached further in the next panel than White Hat).<br />
*Beret Guy finds [[Cueball]], and tells him to come along. Cueball only sees Beret Guy stretching out his hand.<br />
*Beret Guy takes Cueball's hand and leads him towards the hole. Cueball doesn't understand why (as shown by the question marks in his thought bubble surrounding his thought of Beret Guy. But follows Beret Guy anyway.<br />
*Beret Guy leads Cueball to the hole and points it out for him.<br />
*Finally both Beret Guy and Cueball leaves the hole thinking about the danger of it. Beret Guy has managed to properly warn Cueball about the hole.<br />
<br />
It is very typical for the character Beret Guy to succeed, especially with something difficult, where White Hat fails.<br />
<br />
The title text references the requirement that "communication" is a two-sided process, and just because you think you have made your point clear this does not mean that you have "communicated" the information to them: if they failed to understand, then it may as well mean that ''you'' failed to communicate, and not necessarily that ''they'' are bad at listening. And if you always encounter this, then it is you who is confused about how communication works<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[White Hat looks down at a large gap in the walkway; a thought bubble with a warning symbol and an image of the gap appears above his head.]<br />
<br />
:[White Hat walks to the right, away from the gap, and encounters Hairy, to which he speaks (in iconographic speech bubble form) while pointing toward the gap, attempting to inform him about the gap. A thought bubble appears above Hairy's head with an image of White Hat pointing.]<br />
<br />
:[White Hat continues, waving his arms, still talking about the gap. Hairy's thought bubble continues to contain images of White Hat, now gesturing frantically.]<br />
<br />
:[Hairy shrugs in a nonplussed manner, and White Hat leaves off the right side of the frame. Both have thought bubbles displaying the other's reaction.]<br />
<br />
:[White Hat continues to the right and comes across Megan. He tells her about the reaction of Hairy (still all in iconographic form); she simultaneously tries to tell him about a gap and gestures off to the right of the frame.]<br />
<br />
:[White Hat and Megan both leave the frame. Megan exits left thinking of White Hats reactions; White Hat exits to the right while thinking about both Hairy and Megan's reactions.]<br />
<br />
:[Megan (still thinking about White Hat) encounters Hairy (who is also still thinking about White Hat).]<br />
<br />
:[Megan and Hairy talk about White Hat.]<br />
<br />
:[Megan and Hairy (now without his hair) continue talking about White Hat as they exit the frame to the left.]<br />
<br />
:[A commotion is heard from the left.]<br />
:Explosion to the right: !!! ** !!<br />
<br />
:[Megan and Hairy (still without his hair) have fallen into the gap in the walkway. A commotion is then also heard from the right.]<br />
:Explosion to the right: !!! ** *<br />
<br />
:[White Hat has fallen into another gap.]<br />
<br />
:[Beret Guy looks down at a large gap in the walkway; a thought bubble with a warning symbol and an image of the gap appears above his head.]<br />
<br />
:[Beret Guy runs off the frame to the right.]<br />
<br />
:[Beret Guy meets Cueball and reaches out to him. He tells him (still in iconographic form) that Cueball should take Beret Guys hand. Cueball has a thought bubble of Beret Guy with his arm stretched out.]<br />
<br />
:[Beret Guy takes Cueball's hand and leads him along to the left. Cueball's thought bubble has two question marks around Beret Guy.]<br />
:Cueball: ? ?<br />
<br />
:[Beret Guy leads Cueball to the gap and points it out to him.]<br />
<br />
:[Beret Guy and Cueball walk away from the gap to the right, now both thinking about the gap with a warning symbol above it.]<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*[[Randall]] made a mistake in this comic:<br />
**Hairy seems to "lose" his hair in the last two frames he is in with Megan, but it's still the same person.<br />
**The Cueball that appears in the last four frames is not Hairy without hair.<br />
**This is clearly evidenced by Randall's [http://xkcd.com/1028/info.0.json transcript of the comic].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.162.219.143https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:236:_Collecting_Double-Takes&diff=89743Talk:236: Collecting Double-Takes2015-04-15T02:30:20Z<p>108.162.219.143: lawl</p>
<hr />
<div>Inserted the first paragraph (explaining the 'singles-magnet' properties of fresh food sections in supermarkets). But can we also say that "There may be a similar attractor for gay singles of a like mind to meet, albeit without the same degree of guarantee of unattachment"? Not my scene, so beyond my direct experience, but I know it's said that it happens.<br />
<br />
Anyway, with both male and female figures in view of main-Cueball (themselves perhaps on the cusp of 'making a connection'), it looks like he's looking at (feigning!) the possibility of ''either'' relationship, perhaps even that he's deciding ''which'' of the two to approach and proposition. Or perhaps both. The KY is no absolute clue, given the many and various possibilities that a 'kind and considerate' partner (although still freaky, to a more 'vanilla' theoertical companion) might be looking to use it for. [[Special:Contributions/178.98.31.27|178.98.31.27]] 13:34, 21 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I love how "do-it-yourself abortion" is a Wikipedia link that I'm absolutely not going to click on [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.143|108.162.219.143]] 02:30, 15 April 2015 (UTC)</div>108.162.219.143https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=935:_Missed_Connections&diff=89655935: Missed Connections2015-04-13T21:10:49Z<p>108.162.219.143: /* Explanation */ gender neutrality >:c</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 935<br />
| date = August 8, 2011<br />
| title = Missed Connections<br />
| image = missed_connections.png<br />
| titletext = The Street View van isn't going to find out anything Google won't already know from reading my email.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Missed Connections}} is a page on {{w|Craigslist}} in which people who saw each other briefly and want to reconnect attempt to find each other again. In the case of missed connections, one person describes themselves "Me" and describes the other person "You" in order that the second person would recognize themself and try to reconnect.<br />
<br />
The first one appears to be a goofy joke, although there have been many {{w|Wienermobile #Mishaps and other incidents|Wienermobile incidents}} in the past. Given the timing of this comic, one can't help but wonder if it might also be a pun referencing the then recent resignation of Rep. {{w|Anthony Weiner}} over tweeting pictures of his, well, wiener with his mobile device.<br />
<br />
Oddly enough, the second entry could possibly be a reference to [http://fairlyoddparents.wikia.com/wiki/Wishing_Well this] episode of {{w|The Fairly OddParents}}.<br />
<br />
The third one is a reference to networking. UDP stands for {{w|User Datagram Protocol}}. UDP packets don't use handshaking to verify they have contacted the correct host, so they can get lost or confused. The Cisco router location is just a reference to a block of IP addresses. {{w|Cisco}} is a company that makes networking equipment. This is a play on a missed connection for someone who was lost and asked for directions.<br />
<br />
The fourth one is a reference to [http://m.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/08/fox-blasts-obamas-hip-hop-bbq-for-failing-to-create-jobs/243183/ two] [http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/hannity/transcript/should-controversial-rapper-common-have-been-invited-white-house events] in 2011 in which President {{w|Barack Obama}} invited rappers--among other people--to the White House. After each event, right-wing commentators blasted the event as a party unbecoming of the dignity of the White House. {{w|Nancy Pelosi}} is the Democratic Leader of the {{w|US House of Representatives}}. The acronym (D-CA) is a common notation for politicians which notates party (D for Democrat) and state (CA for California). Pelosi would have also been invited to these events, and the missed connections listing is a reference to what the commentators imagined the event would have been like.<br />
<br />
The fifth is a straightforward joke. One of the two people getting married was so distracted by their phone they have no clue where their spouse is now, or even who they are.<br />
<br />
The sixth is a reference to how the {{w|Google Street View}} car was not only recording photos of the street in 360 degrees, it was also collecting data from unencrypted Wi-Fi networks. The comic takes this to the next level, that the Google Street View van also scans what we have in our pockets and does a retinal scan. In this case, the social security number referenced is [http://www.ssa.gov/history/ssn/misused.html the most used SSN of all time.] The retinal scan takes this even further, indicating that Google's cameras are collecting fine enough images to identify people by {{w|Retinal scan}}.<br />
<br />
The last suggests that {{w|Babe Ruth}}, the American baseball slugger of 1914-1935, is actually a {{w|Time Lord}}. Time Lord is a reference to the popular sci-fi series {{w|Doctor Who}} in which The Doctor, who is a Time Lord, uses a {{w|TARDIS}}, which is a time travel machine. Possibly because he was a baseball player "ahead of his time".<br />
<br />
The title text is a reference to privacy concerns surrounding Google Street View, to which Google responded by claiming that the street view camera wouldn't capture anything that someone walking by wouldn't be able to see.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The page is set up like the missed connections area of Craigslist, with a list of messages from an individual to a person they weren't able to communicate with at the time.]<br />
:Personals > Missed Connections<br />
<br />
:You: Clinging to hood of your stolen wienermobile, trying to reach into engine to unstick throttle<br />
:Me: Screaming, diving out of the way<br />
<br />
:You: Vaguely human silhouette<br />
:Me: At bottom of wishing well with harpoon gun<br />
<br />
:You: Confused UDP packet<br />
:Me: Cisco router in 45.170/16 block<br />
<br />
:You: Baddest fuckin' Juggalo at Violent J's party<br />
:Me: Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca)<br />
<br />
:You: Getting married to me<br />
:Me: Also getting married, but distracted by my phone<br />
<br />
:You: Cute boy on corner of 4th & Main, 5'11, 169lbs, social security number 078-05-1120, pockets contained $2.09 in change, keys, and a condom. Retinal scan attached<br />
:Me: Driving street view van<br />
<br />
:You: George Herman "Babe" Ruth<br />
:Me: Fellow Time Lord. Saw your Tardis on third moon of<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}} <br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Doctor Who]]</div>108.162.219.143https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:931:_Lanes&diff=89513Talk:931: Lanes2015-04-13T02:02:47Z<p>108.162.219.143: Fuck cancer.</p>
<hr />
<div>;Typo?<br />
Not positive enough to change, but..."Randall's now wife"? Is that supposed to be 'Randall's NEW wife'? --[[Special:Contributions/68.200.188.141|68.200.188.141]] 02:00, 28 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
:No. At the time, she was his fiancee. She is now his wife. His then-fiancee, now-wife. [[Special:Contributions/184.144.254.165|184.144.254.165]] 01:32, 28 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
::This explain now covers this issue very well. Thanks for your hints. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:35, 6 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;My edit to the transcript<br />
I've noticed that when the only characters in a comic are two stick figures, explainxkcd usually calls them "Cueball" and "Friend". So I changed this transcript to reflect that. I tried to clarify what "off-panel" meant, and I added the fact that the second Cueball-only panel shows only the top half of his body. Lastly, I changed "roughly fifty" to "fifty-two", since an exact count of the lanes was given in the explanation. I hope no one disagrees with these changes, but if you do, please don't just revert without an explanation. [[User:NealCruco|NealCruco]] ([[User talk:NealCruco|talk]]) 19:06, 13 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Here's to Randall's Now Wife. Good on you my dear!<br />
<br />
[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 16:29, 23 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Fuck cancer. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.143|108.162.219.143]] 02:02, 13 April 2015 (UTC)</div>108.162.219.143