https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=108.162.237.214&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T00:48:30ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1984:_Misinterpretation&diff=156165Talk:1984: Misinterpretation2018-04-23T15:10:29Z<p>108.162.237.214: </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 />
“covering your eyes and ears and yelling logically correct statements into the void” — isn’t this the definition of Twitter?<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.214|108.162.237.214]] 15:10, 23 April 2018 (UTC)</div>108.162.237.214https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1846:_Drone_Problems&diff=1409841846: Drone Problems2017-06-08T18:42:40Z<p>108.162.237.214: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1846<br />
| date = June 5, 2017<br />
| title = Drone Problems<br />
| image = drone_problems.png<br />
| titletext = On the other hand, as far as they know, my system is working perfectly.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Possibly more, may contain language errors.}}<br />
<br />
[[Megan]] is frustrated because of people flying {{w|Unmanned aerial vehicle|drones}} too close to her, so she builds a system to shoot them down and shows it to [[Cueball]], who clearly is also excited about the idea and helps spot the drones. However, each of the drones gets accidentally destroyed by its own pilot because of their inability to fly the drones before Megan can destroy them herself.<br />
<br />
After three hours of unsuccessful drone hunting, a frustrated Megan complains about people unable to fly the drones, which prevents her (and Cueball) from having fun shooting them down. The joke is that she originally created the system to get rid of the drones, so the lack of drones should be the desired output - and now she wants the drones nearby (even if only temporarily).<br />
<br />
This comic is a follow up on [[1842: Anti-Drone Eagles]], and confirms that Cueball prefers technological air-defense systems to biological measures.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the fact that from an outsider's perspective, the system is keeping all the drones away from the house.<br />
<br />
While Megan attributes the repeated drone crashes to poor pilot skill, a possible source for the drones suddenly loss of control is hinted at in panel two, in which the target drone crashes immediately after Megan's device (equipped with a miniature parabolic dish) attempts to "lock on" to the drone in question. While a small and fast-moving drone may be difficult to hit, the control system that directs its movements is easily interfered with (either by overwhelming the RF signal controlling it, or by using microwaves to induce short circuits in sensitive electronics). The Irony here being that the targeting system for Megan's anti-drone device unintentionally appears to be more effective than the actual weapon it is designed to guide, disabling the drones so quickly that the "real" weapon is unable to be tested. <br />
<br />
It may also be a reference to the May 30, 2017 ''FTG-15'' test of the United States {{w|Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Defense|GMD missile defense}} system, where an interceptor kill vehicle destroyed a test ICBM. From the perspective of a US adversary, such as North Korea (whose missiles the system is allegedly targetted at), "as far as they know, the system is working perfectly," as the test was declared to be a success. But substantial controversy has dogged the missile defense system for decades, as critics have alleged it is [http://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-weapons/us-missile-defense/countermeasures#.WTeEJsm1vMU vulnerable to trivial countermeasures]. But "as far as they know" strongly implies that the text following it is not in fact true, i.e. the system does not work perfectly.<br />
<br />
Another possible secondary joke is that the drones were flying near her because the pilots can't fly properly. Yet another possible take on the joke is that Megan's system is actually effective, but Megan is not aware it's been activated.<br />
<br />
Megan had previously suggested, in [[1586: Keyboard Problems]], that robots (and thus also drones) getting near Cueball's house ({{tvtropes|TheJinx|and possibly Cueball's general vicinity}}) would unexpectedly crash.<br />
<br />
Megan previously had a laser canon to shoot down squirrels in [[382: Trebuchet]], so this is not the first time she has build a device for shooting annoying things down...<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan is sitting on her knees at the porch in front of a house with a smartphone in one hand and operating with her other hand a dish-antenna pointing into the sky. Cueball comes walking up towards the stairs up to the porch while he is looking back and up over his shoulder and pointing into the air.]<br />
:Megan: People in the park keep flying drones near me, so I've built a system to shoot them down.<br />
:Cueball: Cool! Oh yeah, there's one now.<br />
:Megan: Time for a test!<br />
<br />
:[Zoom in on Megan with the device on the porch with Cueball still at the bottom of the stairs leading down. She is operating her phone, which can be seen to be connected with a wire to the dish-antenna device. Cueball is looking away from her and down.]<br />
:Megan: Okay, locking on…<br />
:Cueball: Wait, it just crashed.<br />
:Megan: Damn.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball has walked up the stairs and are standing behind Megan at the door. Megan is now looking up into the sky while still sitting with her phone in front of the device.]<br />
:Cueball: Here comes another one! Aim for… nope, it got stuck in a tree.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is now sitting on the porch with a half full drinking glass in one hand leaning back on the other hand. Megan is gesturing at her device while holding her phone down. Above the top part of the frame there is another smaller frame overlaid with a caption:]<br />
:Three hours later…<br />
:Cueball: Finally, two more just— no, one crashed and the other is hurtling sideways toward the lake.<br />
:Megan: ''Will you people learn to fly these things?!''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Drones]]</div>108.162.237.214https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1693:_Oxidation&diff=1218501693: Oxidation2016-06-13T04:50:22Z<p>108.162.237.214: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1693<br />
| date = June 13, 2016<br />
| title = Oxidation<br />
| image = oxidation.png<br />
| titletext = Calm down--there were lots of arthropods living on your skin already. These ones are just bigger.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{Ponytail explains that Megan's car has always been oxidizing(rusting) but it is just oxidizing much faster now. This fast oxidization is via fire. It is implied that Ponytail set Megan's car on fire. }}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>108.162.237.214https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1693:_Oxidation&diff=1218491693: Oxidation2016-06-13T04:49:04Z<p>108.162.237.214: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1693<br />
| date = June 13, 2016<br />
| title = Oxidation<br />
| image = oxidation.png<br />
| titletext = Calm down--there were lots of arthropods living on your skin already. These ones are just bigger.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{Ponytail explains that Megan's car has always been oxidizing(rusting) but it is just oxidizing much faster now. The gast oxidization is via fire. It is implied that Ponytail set Megan's car on fire. }}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>108.162.237.214https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1683:_Digital_Data&diff=1204841683: Digital Data2016-05-20T04:40:16Z<p>108.162.237.214: /* Explanation */ Initial title text exaplaination.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1683<br />
| date = May 20, 2016<br />
| title = Digital Data<br />
| image = digital_data.png<br />
| titletext = ââ¬ÅIf you can read this, congratulationsââ¬âthe archive youââ¬â¢re you're using still knows about the mouseover textââ¬Â!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Initial draft.}}<br />
Digital information, strictly speaking, does not degrade. While physical media themselves (such as books, or hard drives) may degrade as the universe continues, information, by itself, does not decay over time, and can be copied indefinitely with no changes. [This could be phrased much better.]<br />
<br />
However, in this comic, Randall points out that while information itself doesn't degrade, things that are on the internet are often degraded through copying, because the copy is not 1:1. As the frames continue, they gain the appearance of images which have been screenshotted repeatedly, with a resulting loss of quality due to compression of the original resolution. In the last frame, this is taken to an extreme, as the frame appears to have been very sloppily screenshotted off of a smartphone or two, and covered in watermarks from various websites and programs.<br />
<br />
[9Gag is well known, maybe also provide the example of iFunny. Talk about things like "unregistered HyperCam" and the phenomenon in more detail.]<br />
[You can also see the word tumblr in the last panel. Additionally, the phone frame on the top of panel 4 would not have come from the same device as the bottom of panel 3.]<br />
<br />
The title text contains seemingly garbage characters, which result from encoding special characters (such as "smart" quotation marks) into a different character set (probably encoded as utf-8 and decoded as iso-8859-1).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
<br />
[Cueball and a White Hat are walking.]<br />
<br />
Cueball: The great thing about digital data is that it never degrades.<br />
<br />
[The next panel is slightly pixelated]<br />
<br />
Cueball: Hard drives fail, of course, but their bits can be copied forever without loss.<br />
<br />
[The third panel is more pixelated, the white is slightly discolored, and it contains part of the interface of some program]<br />
<br />
Cueball: Film degrades, paint cracks, but a copy of a century-old data file is identical to the original.<br />
<br />
[The fourth panel is even more pixelated and discolored, and contains watermarks and more 'frame' elements]<br />
<br />
Cueball: If humanity has a permanent record, we are the first generation in it.<br />
<br />
White Hat: Amazing.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>108.162.237.214https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1465:_xkcd_Phone_2&diff=1202431465: xkcd Phone 22016-05-17T18:26:50Z<p>108.162.237.214: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1465<br />
| date = December 26, 2014<br />
| title = xkcd Phone 2<br />
| image = xkcd_phone_2.png<br />
| titletext = Washable, though only once.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This is a followup to [[1363: xkcd Phone]], which debuted the original xkcd phone and was later followed by [[1549: XKCD Phone 3]]. It is also the first of two comics with {{w|smartphones}} as the subject in a row. This comic was followed by [[1466: Phone Checking]] where [[Megan]] holds a smart phone, which she incidentally also does the comic after that: [[1467: Email]].<br />
<br />
Like xkcd Phone "1" and later "3", this comic parodies modern smartphone advertising with a promotional image for a fictional phone. Like the previous xkcd phone, the advertisement features a useless tagline (very few people can use two phones at the same time) and touts a variety of features which are either pointless, misleading, or physically impossible. Clockwise, from the top left, they are:<br />
<br />
*'''MaxHD: Over 350 pixels per screen''': 350&nbsp;pixels is not very impressive, as each would be about 0.5×0.5&nbsp;cm in size, making the resolution hopelessly blocky. Even if it implies 350&nbsp;pixels along the edge, this is still less than standard definition TV (PAL gives 576&nbsp;lines of horizontal resolution). Likely a reference to HD+, FullHD, QuadHD and other marketing expressions for screen resolutions, by which common users are often confused. In [[732: HDTV]] Randall has observed that HD is not an especially high resolution when compared with smartphone or computer monitors. This one is even worse by far, but MaxHD sounds similar to FullHD, so it could fool some users into thinking that this is equal or better.<br />
: ''Note:'' A high pixel density display is more than 200&nbsp;pixels per '''''inch''''', not per '''''screen'''''. An example would be the Retina Display in Apple hardware which varies from 218&nbsp;pixels per inch to 401&nbsp;pixels per inch depending on the device.<br />
*'''Always-on Speaker''': An always-on microphone is a genuine feature, allowing voice activated intelligent personal assistant software such as Google's "Google Now", Apple's "Siri" or Microsoft's "Cortana" to respond without having to be turned on. An always-on speaker would be less useful especially if it implies the phone is always making noise.<br />
*'''Blood Pressure reliever''': This appears to be where a real phone would have its front facing camera. This could imply that it's a sharp part that you can cut yourself on, thus ''relieving'' your blood pressure, or else implying that the other features of the phone are so frustrating that a feature was required to relieve the users' blood pressure. This is likely a play on modern smartphones with built-in heart rate/blood pressure sensors.<br />
*'''Auto-Rotating Case:''' Phones often feature an "auto-rotating screen", meaning that the display switches between portrait and landscape mode depending on its orientation with respect to gravity. But the case is a physical part of the phone, so making a case that did '''not''' "auto-rotate" with the phone would be the real challenge.<br />
*'''Ribbed:''' A reference to ribbed {{w|condom}}s, which are often advertised as superior to standard ones because the texture can be more physically stimulating to the genitalia. Some other objects can be advertised with the word ribbed as well, but mostly in the context where it allows a firmer grip on the device when wet. Since phones are usually not meant to be used wet, this is a fairly useless feature. May also be a reference to the first phone where the "exterior may be frictionless".<br />
*'''Waterproof (interior only)''': Waterproofing is done to the outside to prevent water from getting in. Exactly what "interior only" means is unclear (the case may be porous, or it may prevent water from ''escaping'') but it's clear that the designers have missed the point.<br />
*'''Googleable''': Another non-feature. Advertising as "-able" is a way for marketing to add features, without really adding features. This may be (for example) a recyclable paper bag, when paper is normally recyclable. Any term may be "Googled", so being "Googleable" is not an actual feature. Alternatively, while "Googleable" meaning "being able to be Googled" is a non-feature, the related concept of "being able to Google" is a legitimate feature that a phone may advertise, as in having a Google search app built in. This is also a real feature in the sense that you can type "Google find my phone" into Google if you're logged in and your phone runs on the Android operating system. Google will, in fact, find your phone (to the precision allowed by GPS and assuming it still has power).<br />
*'''Cheek toucher''': The screen will touch your cheek when making a hand-held phone call. Obviously a redundant/pointless feature to advertise.<br />
*'''Cries if lost:''' Arguably a useful function, as it would help the owner find the cellphone in case it was lost. This is offset by how annoying it would sound if it happened to cry with a human voice. May refer to people's habit of calling their own cellphones to help find it. It also resembles the first xkcd phone's functions of 'Screaming when falling' and 'Saying hi when exposed to light'.<br />
*'''Bug drawer:''' This is most likely the cover for other ports, though it looks like a small drawer, capable of only holding bug-sized items. Possibly a joke on software bugs, which would, being virtual rather than physical, easily fit inside this area. SD cards containing software bugs may also fit in this area. May also be a reference to "Phone may attract/trap insects; this is normal" from the original ''xkcd Phone'' comic.<br />
*'''Coin slot:''' In most phones, this would be the charging port. Payphones have coin slots, not smartphones. It is unclear what use such a feature would have, or if it implies that the phone either cannot be recharged through this slot as usual or if cash payment is somehow required to charge the phone.<br />
*'''Scroll lock:''' A computer key on most keyboards which is practically never used. This feature seems to be placed where a usual cellphone's "home" button is, which would make it very frustrating. Despite [[978|a previous xkcd strip]], the Scroll Lock button was '''''not''''' invented by {{w|Steven Chu}}.<br />
*'''OS by Stackoverflow®:''' [http://stackoverflow.com/ Stack Overflow] is a very useful and popular question/answer forum for programmers, and many recent software products probably have benefited from advice given there, so Randall may be giving credit where credit really is due. Or it may be a reference to the rampant problem of code reuse, where programmers use the pre-written code on Stack Overflow rather than writing their own, regardless of the fact that the code on Stack Overflow may contain bugs, not be applicable to the programmer's situation, or otherwise cause problems for their specific program. Alternatively, it could be saying that the OS was written by the people on Stack Overflow who go there ''with'' programming issues, implying that the OS was written from code that was posted as not working.<br />
*'''3D Materials:''' All real materials are three-dimensional, so this feature is not special. May be a reference to [[880: Headache]], in which Cueball claims that "3D stuff" (aka the real world) gives him a headache.<br />
*'''Dog Noticer''': Can be interpreted as either alerting the user to nearby dogs, or alerting nearby dogs of the user. The former is very situational, and the latter is probably a negative.<br />
*'''FitBit® Fitness Evaluator''': {{w|Fitbit}} make wristbands that measure heart rate, count user steps, and act as an aid to planning an exercise program. This comic is published on Boxing Day (26 December) 2014 and is relevant as Fitbits are a popular Holiday Gift at this time. However, the name "Fitness Evaluator" suggests that the product merely gives an evaluation on the user's fitness, which may mean that in practice it only criticizes the user's weight, diet etc. Another interpretation is that this monitors the fitness ''of'' the user's FitBit, that is, the state of the armband the person is wearing.<br />
*'''Volume and density control:''' A pun between {{w|volume (disambiguation)|volume}} as in speaker loudness, and {{w|volume}} as in a physical property inversely related to {{w|density}}. Interpreting it as the latter, apparently this feature would allow the user to change the size of the phone (which would indeed be a very useful feature, or a [[1422: My Phone is Dying|very]] {{w|Black hole|worrying}} one), thus changing the volume and the density. It may be able to affect its mass (instead of volume) in some unexplained way. Note that some computer mice indeed have a feature where the user can put weights inside the case to customise the weight and thus actually affect its density. <br />
<br />
Like the previous xkcd phone comic, the title text continues the list of features:<br />
*'''Washable, though only once.''': Nothing prevents the phone from physically being washed, however after the first time doing this the phone will obviously cease to function. A play on phrases "washing machine safe" or "dishwasher safe" in real advertisements.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[An image of a smartphone lying down with many labels pointing to different parts of it. Above the screen are several small features, below only a central oval button and on the bottom a central socket and a square feature to the right. Clockwise from the top left the labels read:]<br />
:MaxHD: Over 350 pixels per screen<br />
:Always-on speaker<br />
:Blood pressure reliever<br />
:Auto-rotating case<br />
:Ribbed<br />
:Waterproof <br />
:<small>(interior only)</small><br />
:Googleable<br />
:Cheek toucher<br />
:Cries if lost<br />
:Bug drawer<br />
:Coin slot<br />
:Scroll lock<br />
:OS by Stackoverflow®<br />
:3D materials<br />
:Dog noticer<br />
:FitBit® fitness evaluator<br />
:Volume and density control<br />
<br />
:[Below the phone:]<br />
:<big>Introducing</big><br />
:<big><big>'''The xkcd phone 2'''</big></big><br />
:A phone for your other hand®<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Smartphones]]<br />
[[Category:Puns]]</div>108.162.237.214https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1550:_Episode_VII&diff=1196101550: Episode VII2016-05-09T17:42:22Z<p>108.162.237.214: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1550<br />
| date = July 13, 2015<br />
| title = Episode VII<br />
| image = episode_vii.png<br />
| titletext = The Lord of the Rings sequel, set years after the Ring hubbub has died down, is just Samwise discreetly creeping back to Bag End to finish dropping the eaves.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Sequels are often made to resolve pressing issues that are left unresolved in the original works. This comic was a humorous take on how the then-upcoming sequel in the {{w|Star Wars franchise}} might have resolved issues from a previous film in that series.<br />
<br />
===Star Wars background===<br />
In the first-produced movie of the series, ''{{w|Star Wars (film)|Star Wars:Episode IV: A New Hope}}'', {{w|Luke Skywalker}}'s uncle tells him to clean two newly purchased droids ({{w|R2-D2}} and {{w|C-3PO}}). Luke complains that he had plans to pick up some power converters at Tosche Station. Luke is told to clean the droids first; however, while doing so, he discovers a message carried by R2-D2, starting him on a course of events that runs through the original trilogy. As a result, he never ultimately goes to Tosche Station.<br />
<br />
The conversation between Luke and his uncle, {{w|Owen Lars}}, is as follows:<br />
:'''Uncle Owen:''' Luke! Take these two over to the garage will ya? I want ’em cleaned up before dinner.<br />
:'''Luke:''' But I was going into Tosche Station to pick up some power converters!<br />
:'''Uncle Owen:''' You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done. Now, come on. Get to it.<br />
<br />
Luke's line is one of many well-known lines from the series and is often-quoted as an example of how Luke is initially portrayed as a whiny teenager. By the end of the {{W|Return of the Jedi|''Episode VI:Return of the Jedi''}}, Luke has grown into a mature and powerful Jedi, completing his transformation through the original trilogy.<br />
<br />
====The Force Awakens====<br />
''{{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens|Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens}}'' was, at the time of the comic's release, the upcoming seventh feature-length live-action film in the ''Star Wars'' series, and was the first since the rights to the franchise were sold by creator George Lucas to the Disney Company. It is a sequel to the original trilogy.<br />
<br />
Since creating the original trilogy, many of Lucas's decisions in respect of the franchise have been subject to fan criticism, including criticism of the quality of three prequel films Lucas produced beginning in 1999 (after a more than 15-year hiatus). The new seventh film was entrusted by Disney to producer/director J.J. Abrams, who in 2009 produced and directed the highly acclaimed (although still highly criticized by some fans) ''Star Trek'' reboot.<br />
<br />
Given all of this context, the new ''Star Wars'' film was as highly anticipated, or more highly anticipated than the prequel trilogy, and had a strong buzz around it. Much of the early buzz surrounded the nature of the new film's plot: For example, whether it would be a prequel or a sequel, and whether it would feature any of the original cast/characters<br />
<br />
{{w|J. J. Abrams}} and others involved in the filming ''{{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens|Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens}}'' had appeared in a panel at San Diego Comic-Con the weekend prior to the comic's release to unveil details about the film. This is likely the impetus for the timing of this comic.<br />
<br />
===The Comic===<br />
This comic portrays Randall's own conception of what the sequel might have been. In his version of the movie, Luke returns home to {{w|Tatooine}} years later with R2-D2 to finish the errand that was interrupted. Luke goes to Tosche Station and says "I'm here for '''those''' power converters", thus completing this unresolved task from the first movie. The action is bookended by the opening and {{w|closing credits}}, suggesting this uneventful scene comprises the entire film.<br />
<br />
Therefore, the comic jokingly implies that getting the power converters was the most pressing of all the unresolved issues in the other films, and the most interesting upon which to base the sequel. In reality, this would likely be one of the least entertaining and most disappointing sequels that could possibly be made (perhaps second only to a version that had no reference to the previous films at all). <br />
<br />
Randall may have also been commenting that there are few if any unresolved issues in the Star Wars franchise that required revisiting and that the series should be left alone. Or he could have been making a joke about how sequels call back to elements of previous movies without fully considering the context. In this case, the farm he's buying those power converters for was destroyed more than thirty years ago.<br />
<br />
The title text alludes to another fantasy franchise, ''{{w|Lord of the Rings}}'', and how {{w|Samwise Gamgee}} was similarly interrupted from a menial task of gardening and listening in on conversations outside {{w|Bag End}} by {{w|Gandalf}} and his quest to save the world at the start of the first film. The title text uses the term “dropping eaves” as Samwise did in his denial of eavesdropping in on the conversation between Frodo and Gandalf. In both cases, the issue of collecting power converters and Sam’s gardening duties were left unresolved in their respective stories and the main plot of the series is thoroughly concluded.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Black background with white letters in the style of the Star Wars logo with the subtitle in between the two words.]<br />
:'''Star'''<br />
:The Force Awakens<br />
:'''Wars'''<br />
<br />
:[Building in the desert, two persons are seen in the background, and Cueball is running in front of the building. Next to the building is a sign.]<br />
:Sign: Tosche Station<br />
<br />
:[A hooded man standing next to R2D2 has entered the building, and is seen in front of the opening portal with the desert in the background.]<br />
:Hooded man: Hello.<br />
<br />
:[Closeup of hooded man. The man has a mustache and a beard and thick black hair.]<br />
:Hooded man: I’m here for those power converters.<br />
<br />
:[Black background with white letters resembling movie credits.]<br />
:Directed by <br />
:'''J.J. Abrams'''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:LOTR]]<br />
[[Category:Star Wars]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.162.237.214https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=605:_Extrapolating&diff=119403605: Extrapolating2016-05-06T20:42:51Z<p>108.162.237.214: Just felt like fleshing it out. Felt this was an amusing sentence to add. This comic still tickles me. Thought about removing the preceding sentence but I'll lurk more.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 605<br />
| date = July 3, 2009<br />
| title = Extrapolating<br />
| image = extrapolating.png<br />
| titletext = By the third trimester, there will be hundreds of babies inside you.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is a joke on the incorrect use of {{w|linear extrapolation}}. By connecting two points without any context, we can come up with incredibly funny results. Here, connecting the number of spouses against yesterday and today can result in a linear extrapolation to hundreds of spouses a year. Cueball presents the accumulation of husbands as though it were a phenomenon beyond the bride's ability to control. Using similar points for pregnancy (yesterday: no babies, today: one), we can get 200+ children inside a single person by the 7th month of pregnancy.<br />
<br />
This is another comic in the infrequent [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series.<br />
<br />
This particular hobby has later been explored in [[1007: Sustainable]], [[1204: Detail]] and [[1281: Minifigs]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:My Hobby: Extrapolating<br />
<br />
:[There is a graph. Time runs along the horizontal axis; Number of Husbands on the vertical graph. Yesterday and today are labeled in time, 0 and 1 in number of husbands. Points are plotted with 0 at yesterday, 1 at today. A straight line is fitted through them.]<br />
:[Cueball is holding a pointer to the graph, and looking at Megan wearing a dress and veil.]<br />
:Cueball: As you can see, by late next month you'll have over four dozen husbands.<br />
:Cueball: Better get a bulk rate on wedding cake.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Line graphs]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Wedding]]<br />
[[Category:Extrapolation]]</div>108.162.237.214https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1563:_Synonym_Movies&diff=1157471563: Synonym Movies2016-03-28T01:06:37Z<p>108.162.237.214: /* Explanation */ No "THE"</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1563<br />
| date = August 12, 2015<br />
| title = Synonym Movies<br />
| image = synonym_movies.png<br />
| titletext = Fans eagerly await 2015's 'Space Fights: Power Gets Up', although most think 1999's 'Space Fights: The Scary Ghost' didn't live up to the hype.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
[[File:synonym movies rotated.png|right]]<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic shows several "Synonym Movies". It takes several well known movies, but changes each word of their names into a synonym. So ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' has turned into ''Space Fights'', ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings (film series)|The Lord of the Rings}}'' into ''The Jewelry God'' and ''{{w|Star Trek}}'' into ''Space Trip''. All these movies series have the same heading, and then a subtitle. There are ten of them in the comic, and two more in the title text.<br />
<br />
The use of synonyms makes all these movies look ridiculous, for example, "The Sword Wizard Is Back" is a laughable sounding movie{{Citation needed}}, whereas "{{w|Return of the Jedi}}" sound perfectly reasonable to us. [[Randall]] may be poking fun at movies that have ridiculous titles already, for instance some people think this applies to a title like "{{w|Terminator: Genisys}}".<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the latest Star Wars movie (2015-12-18), after {{w|The Walt Disney Company|Disney}} acquired the movie rights. The movie is called {{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens}} and has now turned into ''Power Gets Up''. As usual, with any Star Wars related material, there is a huge fan base that eagerly awaits the new movie. But then again many people fear that it will not live up to their expectations, as was the case with the fourth movie, first of the three movies in the second installment of Star Wars, {{w|Star Wars: The Phantom Menace}}, dubbed here as ''The Scary Ghost''. As mentioned in the title text, that movie did not live up to the hype.<br />
<br />
A similarly humourous effect is achieved in [[1133: Up Goer Five]] which explains the {{w|Saturn V}} rocket, but words and phrases are replaced with synonyms which are chosen from the most common English words. This renders ordinary words like "rocket" into "flying space car", or "helium" into "funny voice air" for example.<br />
<br />
See also [[1568: Synonym Movies 2]].<br />
<br />
==Table of the titles==<br />
*All cases of ''Star Wars'' have turned into ''Space Fights''.<br />
*''Lord of the Rings'' to ''The Jewelry God''.<br />
*''Star Trek'' has been turned into ''Space Trip.''<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
!width=12em| Synonym<br />
!width=12em| Real Title<br />
! Notes<br />
|-<br />
| ''Space Fights: <br/>Sudden Optimism''<br />
| ''{{w|Star Wars: A New Hope}}''<br />
| If you suddenly feel optimistic, you could say that you have gained a new hope.<br />
|-<br />
| ''Space Fights: <br/>The&nbsp;Government&nbsp;Wins&nbsp;This&nbsp;One''<br />
| ''{{w|Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back|Star Wars: <br/>The Empire Strikes Back}}''<br />
| In the second Star Wars movie the Empire comes out on top — as opposed to the first and third where a Death Star is destroyed at the end of each of the movies. So the government = the Empire, wins that movie.<br />
|-<br />
| ''Space Fights: <br/>The Sword Wizard Is Back''<br />
| ''{{w|Star Wars: Return of the Jedi|Star Wars: <br/>Return of the Jedi}}''<br />
| In the context of a narrative device, a {{w|jedi}} is a kind of wizard, wielding {{w|The Force (Star Wars)|the Force}} (like magic) and the {{w|lightsaber}} (a kind of sword).<br />
|-<br />
|colspan=3|<br/><br />
|-<br />
| ''The Jewelry God: <br/>The Jewelry Team''<br />
| ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring|The Lord of the Rings: <br/>The Fellowship of the Ring}}''<br />
| The fellowship has become a team in the synonym version.<br />
|-<br />
| ''The Jewelry God: <br/>Double Houses''<br />
| ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers|The Lord of the Rings: <br/>The Two Towers}}''<br />
| Two towers are a heck of a lot bigger than double houses... But at least there are two in either case.<br />
|-<br />
| ''The Jewelry God: <br/>We Have a Czar Again''<br />
| ''{{w|The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King}}''<br />
| Czar is a title for Slavic monarchs, generally regarded as equivalent to king.<br />
|-<br />
|colspan=3|<br/><br />
|-<br />
| ''Space Trip: The Movie''<br />
| ''{{w|Star Trek: The Motion Picture|Star Trek: <br/>The Motion Picture}}''<br />
| Today we would say ""The Movie" rather than "The Motion Picture".<br />
|-<br />
| ''Space Trip: <br/>That Guy is Angry''<br />
| ''{{w|Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan|Star Trek: <br/>The Wrath of Khan}}''<br />
| {{w|Khan Noonien Singh|Khan}} (a fictional villain in the series) is now just ''That Guy'', and wrath has been turned down to merely anger.<br />
|-<br />
| ''Space Trip: <br/>Where is the Vulcan?''<br />
| ''{{w|Star Trek: The Search for Spock|Star Trek: <br/>The Search for Spock}}''<br />
| {{w|Spock}} is of the alien race {{w|Vulcan (Star Trek)|Vulcan}}, and the search has turned into the question ''where is he?''<br />
|-<br />
| ''Space Trip: <br/>Let's Go Back''<br />
| ''{{w|Star Trek: The Voyage Home|Star Trek: <br/>The Voyage Home}}''<br />
| When you decide to travel home you could also say let's go back.<br />
|-<br />
|colspan=3|<br/><br />
|-<br />
| ''Space Fights: <br/>Power Gets Up''<br />
| ''{{w|Star Wars: The Force Awakens|Star Wars: <br/>The Force Awakens}}''<br />
| From the title text. When you awake, you typically get up (from the bed). Force and power are related terms, but have differences in both [http://www.diffen.com/difference/Force_vs_Power real life] and [http://boards.theforce.net/threads/did-luke-ever-get-those-power-converters-from-tosche-station.20403665/ Star Wars].<br />
|-<br />
| ''Space Fights: <br/>The Scary Ghost''<br />
| ''{{w|Star Wars: The Phantom Menace|Star Wars: <br/>The Phantom Menace}}''<br />
| From the title text. Ghost = Phantom. A menacing phantom would be quite scary.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Ten DVDs on a shelf. The first three stand together to the left, the two to the right leaning on the first. The next three are standing straight in the middle and then the next four are standing straight to the right. The movie titles are written on the back of the DVD cases, in white on the gray DVD cases. The text is written, so it is supposed to be read when the DVD is lying down.]<br />
:Space Fights: Sudden Optimism<br />
:Space Fights: The Government Wins This One<br />
:Space Fights: The Sword Wizard Is Back<br />
<br />
:The Jewelry God: The Jewelry Team<br />
:The Jewelry God: Double Houses<br />
:The Jewelry God: We Have a Czar Again<br />
<br />
:Space Trip: The Movie<br />
:Space Trip: That Guy is Angry<br />
:Space Trip: Where is the Vulcan<br />
:Space Trip: Let's Go Back<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:'''Synonym Movies'''<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Some would say that ''Space'' is not a proper synonym of ''Star''.<br />
**Counter to this you could ask: "How many flaming balls of gas did you see engage in battle in those movies?"<br />
**Seen from that perspective the combined words "Space Fights" is a proper synonym for "Star Wars".<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Star Wars]]<br />
[[Category:LOTR]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>108.162.237.214https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1369:_TMI&diff=68204Talk:1369: TMI2014-05-28T11:39:00Z<p>108.162.237.214: </p>
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<div>I assume "TMI" here stands for "too much information". Cueball stares at the screen (presumably with an Internet browser open) and realizes that he will never be able to internalize the amounts of data freely available on the net. The off-screen voice simply confirms it. The humor of the exchange seems to be derived from the fact that "too much information" is usually used to indicate that someone has publicly given away too much ''private'' and potentially embarrassing information and made others feel awkward. Cueball, however, uses the phrase in its most literal sense. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 06:47, 16 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
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TMI is probably {{Wiktionary|too much information|Too Much Information}} (taken literally, not figuratively about ''overshare'') --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 06:49, 16 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
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: ... despite lot of places on Internet where it CAN be used figuratively. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 10:13, 16 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
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It could also refer to Three Mile Island; but 'Too Much Information' or 'Too Much Internet' are the most likely meanings. TMA! (Too Many Acronyms!) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.123|173.245.53.123]] 07:06, 16 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
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The title text may be a reference to the quote from the Sherlock Holmes novel ''A Study in Scarlet'': "From a drop of water, a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having seen or heard of one or the other." If that logician stared into an entire sea worth of water drops, all the possible inferences would probably make his head explode from literally too much information. --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 07:15, 16 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Maybe ''Everything'' is litteraly just information, like in ''{{W|Decoding Reality}}''. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.27|173.245.52.27]] 08:55, 16 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
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<br />
There were a explanation of the title text as to be a reference to Hemingway's "Old man and the sea" which sounded about right to me -- would somebody like to elaborate as to why it was removed? [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 17:04, 16 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
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<br />
The title text may also be a reference to a well-known quote from Isaac Newton: "I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me." Memoirs of the Life, Writings, and Discoveries of Sir Isaac Newton (1855) by Sir David Brewster (Volume II. Ch. 27) [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.118|199.27.128.118]] 20:24, 16 May 2014 (UTC)2minions (sorry, no login - I'm at work)<br />
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Would a mention of the similar themes in [[975: Occulting Telescope]] be relevant here? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.60|108.162.216.60]] 00:56, 17 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
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This may explain the mention to the sea http://edition.cnn.com/2014/05/12/us/nasa-antarctica-ice-melt/ ...and the dramatic tone {{unsigned ip|173.245.56.78}}<br />
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There's a lot of speculation here about whether the title text is a deliberate reference to something. I'd added that it may echo Nietsche's famous warning "When you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you." But on reflection maybe there's no more reason to impute that one as any of of the others listed here (especially since none are a perfect fit), so I removed it. Probably gazing at the ocean/stars/emptiness/whatever is just a cliche image that gets recycled a lot.[[User:Cs7|Cs7]] ([[User talk:Cs7|talk]]) 17:08, 18 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
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I think there might be something, maybe irony, in the comic having very little information. There's next to no dialogue. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.15|108.162.219.15]] 04:49, 20 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Note: TMI is also a minecraft mod. It allows you to spawn in items, and it contains every item, whether it's added by a mod or regular minecraft.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.214|108.162.237.214]] 11:39, 28 May 2014 (UTC)</div>108.162.237.214https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=905:_Homeownership&diff=65979905: Homeownership2014-04-23T23:10:15Z<p>108.162.237.214: /* Transcript */ Add line "Ten hours later:"</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 905<br />
| date = May 30, 2011<br />
| title = Homeownership<br />
| image = homeownership.png<br />
| titletext = New research shows over 60% of the financial collapse's toxic assets were created by power drills.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Homeownership can be empowering, as it allows the owner to do anything they wish with their property. This can lead to mishaps however, as shown in the comic when [[Cueball]] drills holes in the house to prove his ownership, to the point of structural instability.<br />
<br />
The title text references the fact that 60% of the {{w|toxic assets}} involved in the {{w|United States housing bubble}} were houses, the construction of which typically involves the use of {{w|power drills}} (and other power tools) to construct the supports. This is an example of the misuse of statistics.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is in an empty room, on the phone with a friend.]<br />
:Cueball: I've always rented, so this blows my mind—this house is ''mine''? I ''own'' a building?<br />
:Friend: Yup!<br />
<br />
:Cueball: I could, like, decide to drill a hole in that wall there, and nobody could do anything about it?<br />
:Friend: That's right!<br />
<br />
:[Cueball, off the phone, stands in silence.]<br />
<br />
:Ten hours later:<br />
:[Cueball is standing next to a pile of rubble, on the phone with a friend.]<br />
:Cueball: Can I come stay with you? My house has a... problem.<br />
:Friend: Let me guess: you drilled holes in it until it collapsed?<br />
:Cueball: I don't think I'm cut out for homeownership.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.162.237.214