https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=108.162.237.8&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T09:07:28ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1037:_Umwelt&diff=3237881037: Umwelt2023-09-14T14:19:55Z<p>108.162.237.8: Just got this one myself :P</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1037<br />
| date = April 1, 2012<br />
| title = Umwelt<br />
| image = umwelt_the_void.jpg<br />
| titletext = Umwelt is the idea that because their senses pick up on different things, different animals in the same ecosystem actually live in very different worlds. Everything about you shapes the world you inhabit--from your ideology to your glasses prescription to your web browser.}}<br />
{{TOC}}<br />
*To view your personal version of the comic, visit the {{xkcd|1037|original comic}}.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This was the third [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] released by [[Randall]]. The previous fools comic was [[880: Headache]] from Friday April 1st 2011. The next was [[1193: Externalities]] released on Monday April 1st 2013.<br />
<br />
An {{w|Umwelt}}, as the title text explains, is the idea that one's entire way of thinking is dependent on their surroundings. Thus, this {{w|April Fools}} comic changes based on the browser, location, or referrer. Thus, what the viewer is viewing the comic on, where they live, or where they came from determines which comic they actually see. As a result, there are actually multiple comics that went up on April Fools' Day, although only one is seen.<br />
(The term 'Umwelt,' as mentioned in the comic, refers to the semiotic theories of Jakob von Uexküll and Thomas A. Sebeok)<br />
<br />
Information about how the wide variety of data was collected and credit for the viewers who contributed can be found [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/rnst4/april_fools_xkcd_changing_comic/ here].<br />
<br />
===The Void===<br />
[[File:umwelt the void.jpg]]<br />
<br />
If the device or browser you are using does not support Javascript, you will simply see a static image of a white swirl on a dark background.<br />
<br />
Possible reference to The Ring (https://imgur.com/wlGmm), as though to suggest that using an alternative browser is dismal and horrific.<br />
<br />
Davean (xkcd's sysadmin): "[This] comic isn't available everywhere and it can come up i[n] some situation[s] only for recognized browsers."<br />
<br />
Browser: Alternative Browser<br />
<br />
===Aurora===<br />
[[File:umwelt aurora.png|800px]]<br />
<br />
One could interpret that since Megan didn't go out and therefore missed seeing the {{w|Aurora}} (northern lights), Cueball in his [[1350:_Lorenz#Knit_Cap_Girl|knit cap]] lied about it. That way, she wouldn't have felt sad that she missed out. Another interpretation could be that he decides that since she did not even bother to go outside to see such a spectacular sight he will not tell her about it. And yet another could be that he did not think it was interesting.<br />
<br />
Cueball could possibly also be red-green colorblind, seeing the green aurorae as grey "clouds". This would serve as an example for the theme of the comic, as a non-colorblind person and a colorblind person seeing the same color would perceive it differently, one seeing it as its true color, and the other seeing it without the shade of color they cannot see. If this is the case, then it would be a reference to umwelt, as Cueball would be living in a world where the auroras do not reach his location.<br />
<br />
In real life, [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-northern-lights-dont-look-anything-like-they-do-in-photos_n_5500a4d9e4b0e62d0dd4f9bb aurorae are usually seen as grey/white clouds] to the naked eye, as our eyes cannot perceive the "greener" colors as well in the dark.<br />
<br />
This image changed based on the size of the browser window including different panels at different sizes.<br />
<br />
Locations: Canada, Boston, Indiana, Maine, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Minnesota, Norway, Denmark, France, Ireland, Rhode Island, London (on Firefox). Also in Virginia, but using Ohio in the first panel; in Maryland, but using Canada in the first panel; and in Utah, but using the phrase "as far south as us" in the first panel, same with Colombia and Georgia.<br />
<br />
In [[1302: Year in Review]] a possibly different Megan has a completely different approach to the chance of seeing northern lights, as that was the only event she was looking forward to in 2013, and it failed. If this is the same Megan, perhaps she learned that there actually were northern lights in her area from another source, and so desperately wanted to have another chance to see them.<br />
<br />
===Snake===<br />
[[File:umwelt snake composite 1024.png]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt snake composite.png|Full size]]<br />
<br />
The joke here is the extreme length of snakes. The world's longest living snake is the {{w|reticulated python}}, the longest ever measuring over 22 feet (6.95 meters). The blue and orange circles refer to the hit game {{w|Portal}}.<br />
There is also a reference to the book "The Little Prince" in the second panel, where there is a large bulge in the snake that looks like an elephant. The Little Prince starts out by mentioning a drawing that the author made when he was six that showed an elephant inside a snake.<br />
<br />
Also, the number and content of the panels changes depending on the size of your browser window.<br />
<br />
This image changed based on the size of the browser window including different panels at different sizes.<br />
<br />
Specific AltText for this image: Umwelt is the idea that because their senses pick up on different things, different animals in the same ecosystem actually live in very different worlds. Everything about you shapes the world you inhabit -from your ideology to your glasses prescription to your browser window size.<br />
<br />
Location: Texas (on Chrome Version 33.0.1750.154 m), New Jersey, California (on Chrome Version 39.0.2171.95), Maryland, Massachusetts (Safari for iOS, Chrome version 49.0.2623.112), Connecticut (Safari for iOS, Chrome Version 73.0.3683.103, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge), Virginia (on Chrome), Michigan (Firefox v46.0.1), Penang (Chrome Version 65.0.3325.162), London (Microsoft Edge).<br />
<br />
===Black Hat===<br />
[[File:umwelt tortoise 1024.png]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt tortoise.png|Full size]]<br />
<br />
Cueball as an analyst attempts to psychoanalyze [[Black Hat|Black Hat's]] [[72: Classhole|classhole]] tendencies. Cueball's quote and the whole setup is a direct reference to the movie {{w|Blade Runner}} (1982) and Black Hat is taking the Voight-Kampff test which is used to identify replicants from real humans.<br />
<br />
Black Hat's reason for not helping the tortoise is that ''it '''knows''' what it did'' and thus in Black Hat's world view it deserves being turned over. The final part of the joke is that when zooming out it turns out that there is a tortoise behind Black Hat and he has actually already turned it over for what it did.<br />
<br />
Location: Seems to appear mostly in "other countries" — those without location-specific comics.<br />
<br />
===Too Quiet===<br />
[[File:umwelt too quiet 1024.png]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt too quiet.png|Full size]]<br />
<br />
A reference to {{w|Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park}} which has been [[87: Velociraptors|constantly]] [[135: Substitute|referred]] [[1110: Click and Drag|to]] [[155: Search History|before]] [[758: Raptor Fences|in]] this comic.<br />
<br />
Also referencing the film {{w|2 Fast 2 Furious|2 Fast 2 Furious}}, an entertaining, yet intellectually unprovoking sequel in a popular film franchise, which is aimed at teenagers and young adults, prompting the blunt response from the stickman. The fact that Steve would use such a cliché {{w|2000s (decade)|noughties}} movie term in such an intense moment, and the subsequent curse, is the joke in this comic.<br />
<br />
Location: short version — iPhone 5c Safari browser in Texas, iPhone 5 Chrome Browser in Minnesota, long version - Google Chrome browser in Indiana, Windows 8 Laptop<br />
<br />
===Pond===<br />
[[File:umwelt pond mobile.png]][[File:umwelt pond wide.png]]<br />
<br />
Two different versions showed, the narrower version for mobile devices.<br />
<br />
Location: The Netherlands and various other countries.<br />
<br />
===Galaxies===<br />
[[File:umwelt galaxies 1024.jpg]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt galaxies.jpg|Full size]]<br />
<br />
Megan is distracted from her conversation with [[Cueball]] by realizing that the space behind his head, from her vantage point, contains millions of galaxies. This is similar to an [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/astro/hst_deep_field.jpg incredible photograph] taken by the Hubble Telescope, in which a tiny dark area of space in fact contained numerous galaxies.<br />
<br />
The title text is an imaginative leap from this scenario: that the galaxies would be up to no good once Cueball is turned away from them. This is presumably a reference to [https://www.mariowiki.com/boo Boo], an enemy from certain Mario games who moves toward Mario only when Mario is facing away from Boo.<br />
<br />
This comic was only reported once... the intended environmental context is a mystery.<br />
<br />
Location: unknown<br />
<br />
===xkcd Gold===<br />
[[File:umwelt xkcd gold.png]]<br />
<br />
This is probably a reference to the 4chan Gold Account, an implementation on 4chan that does not actually exist, and is usually used to trick newcomers into revealing their credit card numbers. The joke is that "Gold Account" users can supposedly block other users from viewing images they have posted. The fifth panel is probably a reference to Beecock, a notorious set of shocker images. 4chan's moderators have been known to give out "beecock bans" or "/z/ bans" to particularly annoying users, which redirect the user to a page containing beecock and the text "OH NO THE BOARD IS GONE".<br />
<br />
Referrer: 4chan<br />
<br />
===Yo Mama===<br />
[[File:umwelt dog ballast.png]]<br />
<br />
Possible reference to Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s "{{w|Harrison Bergeron}}."<br />
<br />
The joke is that people's different experiences shape how they perceive the world in that the people who live in this world would perceive the joke as funny, while people in our world would not get it. This is the idea of umwelt mentioned at the top of the context where different individuals perceive the world differently.<br />
<br />
Refer: Facebook<br />
<br />
===Reddit===<br />
[[File:umwelt reddit.png]]<br />
<br />
Reference to referencing, because Reddit, as a referring site, likes references to its referencing in its references.<br />
<br />
This comic also features recursive imagery similar to [[688: Self-Description|Self Description]] where the second panel embeds the entire comic within itself. (Except, conspicuously, the arrow indicating that it is "You" in the first panel.)<br />
<br />
One of the browser tabs visible in the center panel is {{w|Elk}} on Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
Referrer: Reddit<br />
<br />
===Buns and Hot dogs===<br />
[[File:umwelt somethingawful.jpg]]<br />
<br />
This is a reference to the question "Why do hot dogs come in packages of 6 while buns come in packages of 8?" <br />
<br />
Another, more sexual reference to this question can be found in [[1641: Hot Dogs]].<br />
<br />
Referrer: SomethingAwful, Questionable Content, & MetaFilter<br />
<br />
===Twitter===<br />
[[File:umwelt twitter.jpg]]<br />
<br />
A summary of the "content" typically found on Twitter.<br />
<br />
In the tweet feed, there are three tweets about some podcast on the top, followed by the tweet containing link they clicked on to get to the comic, tweets about Rob Delaney, unspecified passive-aggressive tweets, and a tweet from {{w|Horse_ebooks}} retweeted by one of the users the reader follows.<br />
<br />
On the left, the topmost dialog, with profile information, shows that the user has posted 1,302 tweets, but only follows 171 people and has even fewer followers, at a measly 48. This is marked with a sad face, implying that the user wants more followers.<br />
<br />
Below that is the "who to follow" dialog, which is written up as consisting of "assholes".<br />
<br />
Below that is the "trending tags" dialog for the United States. It is full of tags about word games, tags about misogyny, and tags about Justin Bieber.<br />
<br />
Below that is an unidentified dialog full of "stuff your eyes automatically ignore". And finally, on the bottom is the background color, which is "a really pleasant blue".<br />
<br />
Referrer: Twitter<br />
<br />
===Wikipedia===<br />
[[File:umwelt wikipedia wide.jpg]]<br />
[[File:umwelt wikipedia mobile.png]]<br />
<br />
The term {{w|Mile High Club}} (or MHC) is a slang term applied collectively to individuals who have had sexual intercourse while on board an aircraft. Randall says that reading the news articles on it has distracted him from making that comic.<br />
<br />
Two different versions shown, the narrower version (the single panel with all the text) for mobile devices.<br />
<br />
Referrer: Wikipedia<br />
<br />
===Google Chrome===<br />
[[File:umwelt chrome1.jpg]]<br />
<br />
{{w|Sergey Brin}} (born August 21, 1973) is an American computer scientist and Internet entrepreneur who, with Larry Page, co-founded Google, one of the most profitable Internet companies. As of 2013, his personal wealth was estimated to be $24.4 billion. Randall makes the joke that as the founder of Google, Brin's permission would be needed to use Google Chrome. Because there are millions of people who use Google, it is likely that at least some of the time Brin would be asleep, thus he would need to be woken.<br />
<br />
Browser: Chrome<br />
<br />
===Chrome/Firefox===<br />
[[File:umwelt chrome2.png]]<br />
<br />
Mozilla {{w|Firefox}} is a free and open-source web browser developed for Windows, OS X, and Linux, with a mobile version for Android and iOS, by the Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation. Cueball is complaining about {{w|Google Chrome}}, to which [[Ponytail]] replies that there is an {{w|add-on}} that fixes what he is complaining about. When questioned, she replies that the add-on is Firefox, which isn't an add-on at all and is instead a different browser.<br />
<br />
Browser: Chrome<br />
<br />
===Google Chrome-2===<br />
[[File:umwelt chrome3.png]]<br />
<br />
This panel references Google Chrome's error screen, which shows a puzzle piece. The comic humorously implies that Chrome is looking for that piece. When completing jigsaw puzzles, a common strategy is to figure out where the pieces must be from their geometry rather than from the picture they create. In this case, the text suggests that Chrome believes the puzzle piece connects to the pieces which form one of the corners of the puzzle, which may seem impossible because any piece that links up to a corner would usually have at least one flat edge, which this piece has none. However, more complicated puzzles have complex shapes and are not always simply approximate squares with tabs and blanks.<br />
<br />
Browser: Chrome or silk on desktop view<br />
<br />
===Mozilla Firefox Private Browsing===<br />
[[File:umwelt firefox incognito.png]]<br />
<br />
Another reference to crashing web browsers.<br />
Firefox shows the history when it crashes.<br />
Browser: Firefox (Incognito only?)<br />
<br />
===Internet Explorer===<br />
[[File:umwelt ie.png]]<br />
<br />
Yet another reference to crashing web browsers<br />
<br />
Browser: Internet Explorer<br />
<br />
===Maxthon===<br />
[[File:umwelt maxthon.png]]<br />
<br />
Browser: Maxthon<br />
<br />
===Netscape Navigator===<br />
[[File:umwelt netscape womanoctopus.png]]<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt netscape man.png]]<br />
<br />
{{w|Netscape Navigator}} was a web browser popular in the 1990s.<br />
<br />
Browser: Netscape<br />
<br />
===Rockmelt===<br />
[[File:umwelt rockmelt.png]]<br />
<br />
{{w|Rockmelt}} is a social-media-based browser.<br />
<br />
Reference to the gospel song {{w|Longing for Old Virginia: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1934)|"There's no hiding place down here" by The Carter Family}}, later covered by Stephen Stills.<br />
<br />
:I run to the rock just to hide my face<br />
:And the rocks cried out, no hiding place<br />
:There's no hiding place down here<br />
<br />
It may additionally be a reference to the ''Babylon 5'' episode "And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place," which featured the song.<br />
<br />
Browser: Rockmelt<br />
<br />
===Plugin Disabled===<br />
[[File:umwelt plugin disabled.png]]<br />
<br />
When the Google Chrome web browser does not have the required software (called a plug-in) to display a web page's content, it displays a puzzle piece icon and an error message. In this case, Chrome informs the user that the content is impossible to display. <br />
<br />
Browser: Plugin (?) Disabled, Safari Desktop<br />
<br />
===Corporate Networks===<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate general.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate amazon chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate amazon firefox.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate amazon other.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate google chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate microsoft chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate microsoft firefox.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate microsoft other.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate nytimes chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate nytimes other.png]]<br />
<br />
These error messages appear if the user is on a network owned by one of the corporations noted. The error message includes a warning against speaking on the company's behalf.<br />
<br />
ISP: Corporate networks of Amazon, Google, Microsoft, NY Times<br />
<br />
===Military===<br />
[[File:umwelt military.png]]<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] assumes that anyone using a military network has an important job like watching for incoming missiles. He includes a thank-you to the user for their military service.<br />
<br />
ISP: Military networks<br />
<br />
===T-Mobile===<br />
[[File:umwelt tmobile.png]]<br />
<br />
Reference to T-Mobile's distinguishing feature (at the time it was written) of weaker coverage, in relation to other major providers.<br />
<br />
ISP: T-Mobile<br />
<br />
===Verizon and AT&T===<br />
[[File:umwelt verizon.png]]<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt att.png]]<br />
<br />
Reference to Verizon and AT&T's scandals/controversy regarding implementation of bandwidth caps.<br />
<br />
ISP: Verizon and AT&T<br />
<br />
===France===<br />
[[File:umwelt france.jpg]]<br />
<br />
A common joke about France is that the nation does not win wars. This originated from France's annexation by Germany during World War II, and America's late entry into the war, which is sometimes portrayed humorously as a case of America 'saving' Europe, in this joke particularly France (the role of the French resistance is usually not mentioned), leading to a common American joke at the expense of France's military prowess [https://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/victories.html][https://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blpic-frenchmilitaryvictories.htm][https://politicalhumor.about.com/library/jokes/bljokefrenchmilitaryhistory.htm]. When France did not form part of the coalition that invaded Iraq in 2003, aligning with the many countries that condemned U.S. action, the joke was revived. <br />
<br />
A Google search of "French Military Victories" + 'I'm feeling lucky' used to direct to "did you mean: french military defeats" (due to a {{w|Google bomb}}). Cueball is trying to show this to his friend, who is French. However, his joke backfires, as his friend immediately points out that the stereotype of France not having military victories is undercut by the fact that one of the most innovative military commanders in history, Napoleon, was French by citizenship (though Italian/Corsican by culture, as the French annexed Corsica a few months before his birth to an Italian noble family), and in fact conquered much of Europe.<br />
<br />
Following the theme of umwelt, the comic highlights the two characters' differing perspectives: The American thinks that France is a military failure, while the Frenchman thinks of Napoleon.<br />
<br />
The last line of the comic further implies that Cueball is not as smart as he thinks he is in regards to anything French, as he mispronounces the French loan word "{{w|Touché (fencing)|touché}}".<br />
<br />
Locations: France & Quebec<br />
<br />
===Germany===<br />
[[File:umwelt germany.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic references the {{w|Berlin airlift#The start of the Berlin Airlift|Berlin Airlift}}, a relief measure for citizens in West Berlin (surrounded by East Germany) instituted by the Western Allies after World War II. In reality, the Western Allies flew a grand total of 500,000 tons of food over the Soviet blockade in planes. Randall puts a twist on this event by making it more fun: dropping supplies from a grand chairlift. The play on words is that "chairlift" rhymes with "airlift" and thus makes an easy substitution. The chair force is also a name that other service branches use to make fun of the air force.<br />
<br />
Location: Germany<br />
<br />
===Israel===<br />
[[File:umwelt israel.png]]<br />
<br />
Translation: Mom, I met a great guy! But he's not Jewish. ...Wait, what do you mean "neither are we"? I'm completely confused.<br />
<br />
A reference to the multiple use of the word Jewish to denote both a {{w|Judaism|religious group}} and a {{w|Jews|nationality/ethnicity}}, as well as the stereotype of Jews holding low opinions of interfaith marriage.<br />
<br />
A side note: Randall accidentally drew an apostrophe instead of the similar-looking Hebrew letter י everywhere that letter should appear.<br />
<br />
Location: Israel<br />
<br />
===Carnot Cycle===<br />
[[File:umwelt japan.png]]<br />
<br />
A pun on "cycle"; a "{{w|Carnot cycle}}" is a thermodynamic cycle (e.g. refrigeration). Its efficiency depends on the temperature of the hot and cold 'reservoirs' in which it is operating. The icon on the side of the motorcycle resembles a [https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Carnot_cycle_p-V_diagram.svg/1000px-Carnot_cycle_p-V_diagram.svg.png graph of the Carnot cycle.]<br />
<br />
Location: Japan<br />
<br />
===UK===<br />
[[File:umwelt uk.jpg]]<br />
<br />
He worded this as though to imply that the UK is a state of the U.S., and an unimportant one at that, which pokes fun at the UK, creating a paradox (sort of).<br />
<br />
Location: UK<br />
<br />
===Blizzard===<br />
[[File:umwelt disasters blizzard.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic is aimed at the debate over whether earthquakes or blizzards are harsher conditions to live under. In keeping with the theme of umwelt, the comic demonstrates that the two people perceive the world in two different ways due to their different experiences: The Californian perceives a mild earthquake and a severe blizzard, while the Northeasterner perceives a severe earthquake and a mild blizzard.<br />
<br />
For each location this displayed in, the state name was substituted in the third panel.<br />
<br />
Locations: Alabama, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Georgia, Halifax, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, the Northeast, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Texas, Toronto, Tennessee, New York, Wisconsin<br />
<br />
===Tornado===<br />
[[File:umwelt disasters tornado.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic is aimed at the debate over whether earthquakes or tornadoes are harsher conditions to live under. In keeping with the theme of umwelt, the comic demonstrates that the two people perceive the world in two different ways due to their different experiences: The California perceives a mild earthquake and a severe tornado, while the Midwesterner perceives a severe earthquake and a mild tornado. It's similar to [[#Blizzard|Blizzard]].<br />
<br />
For each location this displayed in the state name was substituted in the third panel.<br />
<br />
Locations: Alabama, Dallas, Illinois, Georgia, The Midwest, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Tennessee, Texas (and Virginia, but it used Ohio in the third panel)<br />
<br />
Tornadoes are a [[:Category:Tornadoes|recurring subject]] on xkcd. The picture used in [[1754: Tornado Safety Tips]] very reminiscent of the one from this version of Umwelt. [[Category:Tornadoes]]<br />
<br />
===Hurricane===<br />
[[File:umwelt disasters hurricane.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic is aimed at the debate over whether earthquakes or hurricanes are harsher conditions to live under. In keeping with the theme of umwelt, the comic demonstrates that the two people perceive the world in two different ways due to their different experiences: The Californian perceives a mild earthquake and a severe hurricane, while the Easterner perceives a severe earthquake and a mild hurricane. It's similar to [[#Blizzard|Blizzard]] and [[#Tornado|Tornado]].<br />
<br />
For each location this displayed in the state name was substituted in the third panel.<br />
<br />
Locations: D.C, Florida, Georgia, Houston, Miami, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia<br />
<br />
===Lake Diver Killer===<br />
[[File:umwelt lake diver.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic shows a news reporter standing in front of a lake. She is reporting on a serial killer who targets divers. As more divers are sent in to investigate and/or search for bodies, more divers go missing, the implication being that they were also murdered. The more likely reason is the lake itself is dangerous for diving, and the divers probably drowned from natural hazards (undercurrents, entanglement, running out of oxygen in tanks, etc.) instead of a malicious assailant. Also, this is a sort of loop, where each time a diver gets killed, the investigative team goes and investigates, causing more divers to get killed, causing more deaths, and so on.<br />
<br />
Location: Bay Areas, Metro Detroit, Vermont showed an image specifically referencing Lake Champlain<br />
<br />
===Lincoln Memorial===<br />
[[File:umwelt lincoln memorial.png]]<br />
<br />
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States of America, was not an entity composed wholly of nanobots that attempted to consume the entire nation to then be imprisoned within the Lincoln Memorial.{{Citation needed}}<br />
<br />
Locations: Illinois & Washington, D.C.<br />
<br />
===Helicopter Hunting===<br />
[[File:umwelt helicoptor.png]]<br />
<br />
In Alaska, governments and individuals have {{w|Wolf hunting#North America 2|shot wolves en masse from helicopters}} in an attempt to artificially inflate populations of game, such as moose and caribou, to make hunting them easier. This is opposed by many, as the game populations are not endangered (thus, this threatens ecological balance); wolves are a small threat to livestock in North America; most of the wolf body —including meat and bones— goes wasted as they are sought mainly for their pelts.<br />
<br />
Location: Alaska<br />
<br />
===Newspaper===<br />
[[File:umwelt life scientists.png]][[File:umwelt life rit.png]][[File:umwelt life umass.png]]<br />
<br />
Creating new life has long been a well understood process, in a lab or otherwise.<br />
<br />
This comic is likely a reference to the title text of [[983: Privacy]]<br />
<br />
Location: Various<br />
<br />
Specific versions appeared for RIT and UMass Amherst<br />
<br />
===Robot Paul Revere===<br />
[[File:umwelt paul revere.png]]<br />
<br />
Combination of the legend of {{w|Paul Revere#"Midnight Ride"|Paul Revere}} and a computer bit that differentiates between two situations by indicating a zero or a one.<br />
<br />
Location: Boston<br />
<br />
===Counting Cards===<br />
<!-- card counting explanation needed. --><br />
All four colleges in this series are in Massachusetts and, being similar, in pairs, rival each other to some extent (Harvard-MIT, and Smith-Wellesley). The comic contains a reference to the {{w|MIT Blackjack Team}}, which entered popular culture via the {{w|21 (2008 film)|film 21}}, and a possible reference to Orwell's book '1984' and/or {{w|Chain of Command (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|popular homage to it via Star Trek}}: "There are four lights."[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChYIm6MW39k]<br />
<br />
Bonus: The thought-gears in panel 3 are spinning against each other.<br />
<br />
Location: Harvard<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards harvard.png]]<br />
<br />
Location: MIT<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards mit.png]]<br />
<br />
"Course 15s" at MIT are the business major students, often mocked for taking a less-rigorous program. The different interpretation for why the MIT students could not count cards compared to Harvard may be a reference to the theme of umwelt.<br />
<br />
Location: Smith<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards smith.png]]<br />
<br />
Location: Wellesley<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards wellesley.png]]<br />
<br />
Both Wellesley and Smith are all-women colleges in Massachusetts.<br />
<br />
===Giant Box Trap===<br />
[[File:umwelt box trap.png]]<br />
<br />
Randall got his undergrad in Physics at the {{w|Christopher Newport University}}, and was scheduled to return shortly to give a talk. The "Trible" figure on the right is Paul Trible, the then-president of CNU. This comic depicts a classic trap, where an upside-down box is propped up with a stick. When the stick is removed, by pulling a string, the box falls and traps whatever is underneath it. Aside from the joke of the obvious trap, there's also the fact that the president would not be responsible for revoking unearned diplomas.<br />
<br />
Location: Christopher Newport University<br />
<br />
===Chemo Support===<br />
[[File:umwelt chemo.jpg]]<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] has shaved his head in support of people going through {{w|chemotherapy}} but, as he is always depicted as a stick figure with no hair, no one can tell.<br />
<br />
Randall's now-wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, and apparently DFCI is where they've been spending much of their time.<br />
<br />
Location: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute<br />
<br />
===Reviews===<br />
[[File:reviews.png]]<br />
<br />
The previous strip appears twice when using [[wikipedia:Tor (anonymity network)|Tor]].<br />
<br />
Browser: Any using Tor, xkcd API (JSON, RSS, Atom), w3m, and reports of seeing it on a Kindle Fire HD; also happens if visiting with a browser that does not support JavaScript (such as Firefox with NoScript)<br />
<br />
===Nothing===<br />
<br />
[[File:Umwelt blank.jpg]]<br />
<br />
In some cases, the comic can be completely absent, with only the top and bottom buttons visible. On most newer browsers, this is caused by a script loading part of the comic via a HTTP request while the rest of the webpage is delivered over HTTPS. This is referred to as [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Security/Mixed_content mixed content] and is blocked on modern browsers by default due to security concerns. This version of the comic is therefore likely not an intended outcome, but rather an unintended consequence of how this comic was implemented. [https://mastodon.social/@chromakode/109531309722997557 It has been confirmed] that this was not intentional and will be fixed. Since this comic's release, all devices viewing it have returned two rows of navigation buttons if near IP address 69.114.249.104.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:'''[This section only covers the first three comics. For the transcript of the entire comic, go to the [[1037: Umwelt/Transcript|full transcript page]].]'''<br />
<br />
===The Void===<br />
:[An epic void with a bright light shining right on you.]<br />
<br />
===Aurora===<br />
:[Cueball heading out past Megan comfortably sitting in front of a desk.]<br />
:Cueball: Apparently there's a solar flare that's causing some Great Aurorae. CBC says they may even be visible here! Wanna drive out to see?<br />
:Megan: Hockey's on.<br />
:Cueball: Ok. Later.<br />
<br />
:[An expansive, marvelous image of emerald green northern lights, floating down through the sky.]<br />
<br />
:Megan: See anything?<br />
:Cueball: No, just clouds.<br />
:Megan: Not surprised.<br />
<br />
===Aurora-US===<br />
:[Cueball heading out past Megan comfortably sitting in front of a desk.]<br />
:Cueball: Apparently there's a solar storm causing northern lights over Canada. CNN say they might even be visible {Options: "As Far South As Us", "Here in Boston", "Maine", "Ohio", "Oregon", "New York"}! Wanna drive out to see?<br />
:Megan: It's cold out.<br />
:Cueball: Ok. Later.<br />
<br />
:[An expansive, marvelous image of emerald green northern lights, floating down through the sky.]<br />
<br />
:Megan: See anything?<br />
:Cueball: No, just clouds.<br />
:Megan: Not surprised.<br />
<br />
===Snake===<br />
:[Two people standing next to each other. Megan is holding the head end of a snake. Depending on the width of your browser, the snake is: three frames, the third of which has a little bit of a bump; the first frame has a human-size bump, the second has a third person looking at the snake, and the third has the snake going though two Portals; a squirrel and the human-size bump in the first frame, a ring next to the third person in the second frame, and Beret Guy riding the snake in front of the portal; or The squirrel, a fourth person within the snake being coiled, and the human bump in the first frame, the ring, a fifth person in love, and the third person in the second frame, Beret Guy and the portal in the third frame, and the same two people in the fourth frame.]<br />
<br />
:Megan: I found a snake, but then I forgot to stop.<br />
<br />
:'''[For the transcript of the entire comic, go to the [[1037: Umwelt/Transcript|full transcript page]].]'''<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
* The Reddit user [https://www.reddit.com/user/SomePostMan SomePostMan] created a [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/t6wmh/all_umwelt_1037_comics_in_two_imgur_albums/ post] that collected all of the Umwelt comics and added explanations. Much of his information is now included in this wiki.<br />
* At the start of the [https://xkcd.com/1037/info.0.json official transcript of this comic], the writer added a note alluding to its extreme length:<br />
:: <nowiki>[[Two people...]]</nowiki><br />
:: ((..wait.. <scrolls through a listing of everything> oh goddammit Randall. Thanks a bunch, dude. I better get a raise for typing out all this))<br />
:: [[Two people standing next to each other.<br />
* This comic was released on April 1 even though that was [[:Category:Sunday comics|a Sunday]] (only the third comic to be released on a Sunday). But it was only due to the April Fools' joke, as it did replace the comic that would have been scheduled for Monday, April 2nd. The next comic, [[1038: Fountain]], was first released on Wednesday, April 4th. This was the first that could be different for different readers.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:April fools' comics]]<br />
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Philosophy]]<br />
[[Category:Penis]]<br />
[[Category:Video games]]<br />
[[Category:Velociraptors]]<br />
[[Category:Your Mom]]<br />
[[Category:Puns]]<br />
[[Category:Squirrels]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with blood]]<br />
[[Category:Characters with hats]] <!-- aurora comic--></div>108.162.237.8https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2429:_Exposure_Models&diff=206754Talk:2429: Exposure Models2021-02-25T03:07:09Z<p>108.162.237.8: discuss art error or not?</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Is it worth making a note of the art error in the third panel, where the chair back has disappeared? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.8|108.162.237.8]] 03:07, 25 February 2021 (UTC)</div>108.162.237.8https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1890:_What_to_Bring&diff=2057541890: What to Bring2021-02-04T03:02:41Z<p>108.162.237.8: /* Explanation */ Add clarity for "gunpowder". Don't bring a pot of water to a gunfight, though.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1890<br />
| date = September 15, 2017<br />
| title = What to Bring<br />
| image = what_to_bring.png<br />
| titletext = I always figured you should never bring a gun to a gun fight because then you'll be part of a gun fight.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic derives its humor from combining two common but unrelated pieces of advice: "never bring a knife to a gun fight", and "never put water on an oil fire". The corollary to these phrases is that a knife is only useful for a knife fight, and water is only useful for a wood fire (or similar solid and porous fuel). Munroe creates a grid applying each of the solutions (knives, guns, lids, and water) to each of the situations (knife fight, gun fight, wood fire, oil fire) to predict the likely outcomes. <br />
<br />
The squares in the table are highlighted in green to answer "Yes" to the question, where the specified object is appropriate or advantageous for the situation, or red to answer "No", usually because the object would not be helpful in resolving the situation. The grid concludes that, not only are both pieces of advice correct (bringing knives to gun fights, and using water on oil fires would both end in likely disaster), but only the prescribed solutions are appropriate for each situation (e.g. any solution other than a lid would be ineffective for an oil fire, and potentially very dangerous). The sole exception to this trend is bringing a gun to a knife fight, which would give you a major tactical advantage over your opponent. <br />
<br />
The ultimate point of this comic may be in the title text. There is a phrase in American English, "to bring a knife to a gun fight," which means "to be so naive as to be unprepared." While Randall may be commenting specifically on managing {{w|conflict escalation}} by being adequately prepared for the situation, it is also possible that he is subtly expressing his opinion about the virtues of restraint.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! Should you bring ... to ...<br />
! scope="col"| a knife fight<br />
! scope="col"| a gun fight<br />
! scope="col"| a wood fire<br />
! scope="col"| an oil fire<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| a knife<br />
| Yes. If you bring a knife to a knife fight, you will be evenly matched with your opponent.<br />
| No. If you bring a knife to a gun fight, you will be at a perilous disadvantage. (Although, at close range, a knife is considered more lethal than a firearm in certain situations, e.g. a holstered pistol)<br />
| No. Attempting to stab a wood fire with a knife will only lead to you being burned.<br />
| No. Attempting to stab an oil fire will only cause you to get burned and leave metallic scrapes in the pan.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| a gun<br />
| Yes. Bringing a gun to a knife fight will leave your opponent at a perilous disadvantage. (You may be accused of "not playing fair", but only if you leave survivors.)<br />
| Yes&#42;. Bringing a gun to a gun fight will leave you {{w|Mexican standoff|evenly matched with your opponent}}.<br />
| colspan="2"| No. Shooting at a wood or an oil fire will not extinguish either one. Depending on the exact caliber of the bullet, you may even end up scattering the wood or oil fueling the flames, leaving you with a worse situation than before. Also, most bullets contain lead, so the heat of the fire may cause the bullet to give off toxic fumes.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| water<br />
| colspan="2"| No. Splashing either a knife-wielder or a gunman with water may blind your opponent briefly, but if you're still in a fight (i.e. you cannot use the opportunity to flee), it won't win you the fight. (However, water can disable some older guns that use black powder, since the powder will not ignite when wet.)<br />
| Yes. Wood fires are best extinguished with a well-aimed splash of water.<br />
| No! Pouring water on an oil fire is notorious for creating huge fireballs and scattering the oil, making the situation even worse ({{w|boilover}}).<br />
|- <br />
! scope="row"| a lid<br />
| colspan="2"| No. Attempting to put a lid on the head or weapon of a knife-wielder or gunman will probably not help matters, as it may only serve to agitate them. While it might momentarily confuse your opponent, it probably won't give you much of a running start. (However, a metal lid with the right sort of handle could serve as a makeshift {{w|buckler|shield}}.)<br />
| No. Trying to put out a wood fire with a lid would usually require a lid far too large for you to carry.<br />
| Yes. An {{w|Class B fire|oil fire}} is best extinguished by cutting it off from oxygen; stove top oil fires generally occur in cooking pans, which often come with lids suited to making an airtight seal. A fire-resistant blanket or towel also works well for this purpose.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
&#42; While the chart states that you should bring a gun to a gun fight, the title text makes the observation that bringing a gun to a gunfight might just raise your status from 'inconsequential bystander' to 'combatant'. So perhaps you shouldn't bring a gun to a gun fight if not bringing one is a way to avoid being considered part of the fight. It probably all depends on why there is a gun fight to begin with, and why you are choosing to go to it, with or without a gun (or knife or water or lid). Or Randall may simply (and wisely) mean that you shouldn't go to a gunfight at all, which is a genuinely valid point, and not a joke. If you're not there, you can't get shot.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Text in the top-left corner of the comic:] <br />
<br />
:"Should you bring _____ to ______?"<br />
<br />
:[The comic is laid out like a grid, with implements down the left-hand side (A knife / A gun / Water / A lid) and the type of "fight" across the top (A knife fight / A gun fight / A wood fire / An oil fire). The grid illustrates the "match-ups", with a green square denoting a "correct" match-up and a red square denoting a Very Bad Idea.]<br />
<br />
:[From the top left corner, going from left to right, top to bottom, with each first item being on its own line in the grid, the squares are as follows:]<br />
<br />
:[Green square, two combatants face off against each other with knives, equally matched.]<br />
<br />
:*'''A knife''' to '''A knife fight'''<br />
<br />
:[Red square, a person with a knife faces off against someone with a gun, and is clearly outmatched.]<br />
<br />
:*'''A knife''' to '''A gun fight'''<br />
<br />
:[Red square, a person holds a knife in a wood fire while saying "OW OW OW".]<br />
:*'''A knife''' to '''A wood fire'''<br />
*'''A knife''' to '''An oil fire''': Red square, the person with the knife scrapes at the oil inside the pan that's on fire while saying "OW OW OW". The scraping accompanied by the text "SCRAPE SCRAPE".<br />
*'''A gun''' to '''A knife fight''': Green square, the person with the gun points it at the opponent with the knife, who exclaims, "Dude!"<br />
*'''A gun''' to '''A gun fight''': Green square, two combatants point guns at one another, equally matched.<br />
*'''A gun''' to '''A wood fire''': Red square, the person with the gun shoots pointlessly three times at the wood fire, which carries on blazing. The shooting is accompanied by the text "BLAM BLAM BLAM".<br />
*'''A gun''' to '''An oil fire''': Red square, the person with the gun shoots at the flaming pan, which does nothing to put it out. The shooting is accompanied by the text "BLAM".<br />
*'''Water''' to '''A knife fight''': Red square, the person with the water throws it uselessly in the face of the person holding the knife.<br />
*'''Water''' to '''A gun fight''': Red square, the person with the water throws it uselessly in the face of the person holding the gun.<br />
*'''Water''' to '''A wood fire''': Green square, the person throws the water on the fire and successfully extinguishes it, which makes a "SPLOOSH" sound.<br />
*'''Water''' to '''An oil fire''': Red square, the person is shown reeling back from the oil fire, the water glass going flying, as the oil fire explodes with a "FOOM".<br />
*'''A lid''' to '''A knife fight''': Red square, the person with the lid comically places it on the head of the person with the knife, who stands there in confusion.<br />
*'''A lid''' to '''A gun fight''': Red square, the person with the lid ineffectually places it on top of the gun the other person is pointing at them.<br />
*'''A lid''' to '''A wood fire''': Red square, the person with the lid holds it near the wood fire, which does nothing to put out the fire.<br />
*'''A lid''' to '''An oil fire''': Green square, the person places the lid on top of the oil fire, which suffocates and extinguishes it.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]</div>108.162.237.8https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1209:_Encoding&diff=2034201209: Encoding2020-12-17T00:05:43Z<p>108.162.237.8: /* Explanation */ changed "in" to "an" in the second to last sentence of the third paragraph</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1209<br />
| date = May 8, 2013<br />
| title = Encoding<br />
| image = encoding.png<br />
| titletext = I don't see how; the C0 block is right there at the beginning.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Skywriting}} is using an airplane to write words in the sky with controlled releases of smoke. {{w|Unicode}} is a standard for digitally encoding text which supports a huge variety of characters and modifiers. <br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] hired a skywriter to write some text which they provided in Unicode, but now they are dissatisfied with the result and Cueball is using one of their {{w|walkie-talkies}} to tell the pilot about his mistake—with the result that the pilot seems to lose control (presumably control of the plane, not the text).<br />
<br />
An {{w|interrobang}} (‽) is a combination question mark and exclamation mark. A {{w|diacritic}} is any symbol added to a character (for instance ´, ˘, ˇ, ¨), usually an accent mark added to a letter. In Unicode, {{w|Combining character|combining diacritics}} are represented as separate characters, but computer programs that render text graphically treat them as modifications to the previous character. The request to modify the interrobang is strange, given that diacritics are supposed to modify ''letters'', not punctuation marks, and given that an interrobang is already conceptually a character combination. On the other hand, combining diacritics can technically be used on any character, so the intended result will be something like:<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
‽̃ͦ̀̏͆̐̋̿ͣͭ́ͯ͒<br />
<br />
The skywriter's errors and the phrase "Unicode support" play off the common issue of {{w|Mojibake|software rendering Unicode symbols incorrectly}}. But here the error does not seem to make the text unintelligible: all the skywriter has apparently done is put a diacritic ''underneath'' (or perhaps next to) the interrobang instead of above it. If this is the only problem with the text (which is likely, given that an interrobang would probably be at the end), then the comment that the skywriter has "terrible Unicode support" makes Cueball and Megan seem fastidious and unforgiving. The comic points up computer users' tendency to use hyperbole when describing minor problems, exaggerating their relative seriousness. Here Cueball and Megan seem concerned more about their incorrectly rendered text than about the skywriter's safety.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the {{w|C0 and C1 control codes|C0 Block}}, the name for the first 32 character codes in Unicode (and {{w|ASCII}}), traditionally called control characters. Cueball wonders how the plane could possibly have lost "control", when the "control characters" are so clearly in the conventional location.<br />
<br />
Comic [[1647: Diacritics]] also references an absurd use of diacritics.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and Megan are both holding walkie-talkies. Cueball is talking into his, Megan is holding hers down. Both are looking up in the sky.]<br />
:Cueball: No, the combining diacritics go '''''over''''' the interrobang!<br />
:Megan: Oh jeez, I think he's lost control.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:The skywriter we hired has terrible Unicode support.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Unicode]]</div>108.162.237.8https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:108.162.216.45&diff=56337User:108.162.216.452014-01-01T09:57:45Z<p>108.162.237.8: </p>
<hr />
<div>I was previously [[User:50.151.2.168|50.151.2.168]] and [[User:GameZone|GameZone]]. Now I'm [[User:108.162.237.8|108.162.237.8]].<br />
<br />
Contributions: [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.45]]</div>108.162.237.8https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:GameZone&diff=56336User:GameZone2014-01-01T09:56:58Z<p>108.162.237.8: </p>
<hr />
<div>I was [[User:50.151.2.168|50.151.2.168]], then I was [[User:108.162.216.45|108.162.216.45]], now I'm [[User:108.162.237.8|108.162.237.8]]. Yup.<br />
<br />
Contributions: [[Special:Contributions/GameZone]]</div>108.162.237.8https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:108.162.237.8&diff=56335User:108.162.237.82014-01-01T09:55:23Z<p>108.162.237.8: Created page with "I was previously 50.151.2.168, GameZone, and 108.162.216.45. Contributions: [[Special:Contributions/108.162.23..."</p>
<hr />
<div>I was previously [[User:50.151.2.168|50.151.2.168]], [[User:GameZone|GameZone]], and [[User:108.162.216.45|108.162.216.45]].<br />
<br />
Contributions: [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.8]]<br />
<br />
I appear to be sharing ''this'' IP with someone as well.</div>108.162.237.8https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1311:_2014&diff=563341311: 20142014-01-01T09:51:57Z<p>108.162.237.8: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1311<br />
| date = January 1, 2014<br />
| title = 2014<br />
| image = 2014.png<br />
| titletext = Some future reader, who may see the term, without knowing the history of it, may imagine that it had reference to some antiquated bridge of the immortal Poet, thrown across the silver Avon, to facilitate his escape after some marauding excursion in a neighbouring park; and in some Gentleman&#39;s Magazine of the next century, it is not impossible, but that future antiquaries may occupy page after page in discussing so interesting a matter. We think it right, therefore, to put it on record in the Oriental Herald that the &#39;Shakesperian Rope Bridges&#39; are of much less classic origin; that Mr Colin Shakespear, who, besides his dignity as Postmaster, now signs himself &#39;Superintendent General of Shakesperian Rope Bridges&#39;, is a person of much less genius than the Bard of Avon. --The Oriental Herald, 1825<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Needs information on how much has come true, also information in general. Needs transcript, also is this the longest title text?|1311: 2014}}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Language]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]</div>108.162.237.8https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1277:_Ayn_Random&diff=56294Talk:1277: Ayn Random2013-12-31T23:38:41Z<p>108.162.237.8: </p>
<hr />
<div>I think that should be /(\b[plurandy]+\b ?){2}/i.<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/173.66.108.213|173.66.108.213]] 05:12, 14 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I agree. I was confused for a while about what the b's were doing.<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/99.126.178.56|99.126.178.56]] 06:57, 14 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Maybe it's time to have an Ayn Rand category? --[[Special:Contributions/141.89.226.146|141.89.226.146]] 07:34, 14 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Can someone explain to the mathematically challenged *how* the list of names fits the regular expression? [[Special:Contributions/141.2.75.23|141.2.75.23]] 09:14, 14 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
: Agreed, I would like to understand what the hell is going on with that. --[[User:Zagorath|Zagorath]] ([[User talk:Zagorath|talk]]) 09:20, 14 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
: How specific do you want it? Basically it matches two words consisting of the letters plurandy. The list of names is just a random selection of two part names that only consists of these letters. More specifically it matches: Two groups ({2}), each consisting of a word boundary (\b), followed by a non-empty sequence of the letters plurandy ([plurandy]+), followed by a word boundary (\b), finally followed by an optional space ( ?). [[User:Pmakholm|Pmakholm]] ([[User talk:Pmakholm|talk]]) 09:33, 14 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Also, the /'s on the end delimit the regex proper, and the `i` on the end denotes case insensitivity. --[[Special:Contributions/75.66.178.177|75.66.178.177]] 09:39, 14 October <br />
2013 (UTC)<br />
:::In the explanation of how the regex works after the explanation "'''the {2} on the end means to repeat the pattern, so it must match exactly twice'''" I think you need an explanation of how the optional space in the middle interacts with the word boundaries. I.e.<br />
::::(\b[plurandy]+\b ?){2}<br />
:::Expanding:<br />
::::\b[plurandy]+\b ?\b[plurandy]+\b ?<br />
:::Now the optional space at the end is redundant, and the space in the center is not optional, since if there is no space the word boundaries do not exist. If the space is present the word boundaries are redundent because letter space letter sequence always matches them.<br />
::::\b[plurandy]+ [plurandy]+\b ?<br />
:::And this now closely matches the text description "'''Overall, it matches two words separated by a space, composed entirely of the letters in [plurandy], which is what all the names listed have in common.'''" --[[Special:Contributions/108.17.2.71|108.17.2.71]] 17:26, 16 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Some examples<br />
:* "Ru Paul" would match, because it is two sequences, each containing only capital or lowercase versions of the listed letters.<br />
:* "Randall Flagg" would not match, because the letters F and G are not in the bracketed list.<br />
:* "Aura Anaya Adlar" would not match; even though the letters are all in the list, there are more than two sequences.<br />
:Hope this helps!<br />
:[[User:Swartzer|Swartzer]] ([[User talk:Swartzer|talk]]) 20:24, 15 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
[[Special:Contributions/209.132.186.34|209.132.186.34]] 09:26, 14 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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I do not think Randal would make such mistake, he would probably use \< \> anyway... unless, he wants us<br />
to think he did mistake, or that backslash was eliminated in html/javascript... thus poining ut to<br />
source code of the page... is there something interesting?<br />
: I skimmed over the source and didn't see anything unusual. The '\'s are absent from the source too. I think it's just that Randall (or a tool he's using) was so affraid of [[327|Bobby Tables]] that he stripped all backslashes from the alt text. {{unsigned|Jahvascriptmaniac}}<br />
::The title text at xkcd.com now has the missing backslashes. Do you normally update the comic here to reflect updates?--[[Special:Contributions/108.17.2.71|108.17.2.71]] 16:14, 14 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::Already updated. You were saying?<br />
::::Hmm, backslashes are still missing for me when viewing the original at xkcd.com (viewing in Chrome) [[User:Brion|Brion]] ([[User talk:Brion|talk]]) 02:33, 20 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Can someone explain to me where "In their view, if some humans are born more capable of satisfying their desires than other people, they deserve to reap greater rewards from life than others" comes from? I'm somewhat familiar with objectivist philosophy and I've never heard this put forward as an actual principle. [[Special:Contributions/50.90.39.56|50.90.39.56]] 14:14, 14 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Objectivism is the target for much scorn and ridicule in the intellectual world, for its being an inconsistent philosophy that has the sole objective of justifying selfishness and elevating it towards moral righteousness. It's used as the basis for libertarian thought and other radical capitalist economical theories and political stances which promote shameless exploitation (and this attracts further hatred). Randall is no exception to this trend of detractors, and I'd say rightfully so. Ayn Rand's writings are particularly awful, both aesthetically and content-wise, yet in the US a relatively large group of philosophers still adhere to her maxims and the debate continues.{{unsigned ip|37.221.160.203}}<br />
:In fact, this is an imprecise and, therefore, incorrect statement of Objectivist philosophy. A correct and more complete statement can be found under the entry for "Selfishness" in the Ayn Rand Lexicon: "The Objectivist ethics holds that human good does not require human sacrifices and cannot be achieved by the sacrifice of anyone to anyone. It holds that the rational interests of men do not clash—that there is no conflict of interests among men who do not desire the unearned, who do not make sacrifices nor accept them, who deal with one another as traders, giving value for value."[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.8|108.162.237.8]] 23:38, 31 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Most people would write the regexp as /(\b[adlnpruy]+\b ?){2}/i. Using "plurandy" makes it look like a word, which is more confusing than using the letters' natural order. --[[User:Ralfoide|Ralfoide]] ([[User talk:Ralfoide|talk]]) 15:58, 14 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Would it be better to identify Alan Alda not for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in MASH, but for his role in The West Wing as Arnold Vinick, a fiscally-conservative Republican presidential candidate? [[Special:Contributions/193.67.17.36|193.67.17.36]] 16:03, 14 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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:Depends, are we trying to remind him to general audience (I think MASH is more known) or find out why he was included in list? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:50, 16 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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There is probably an additional joke or three in that the regex is the minimum needed to capture the first three names together (hinted at by "plurandy" eg plural rand) , but also captures the others. on top of which all of the listed people are considered "intrinsically better" (by virtue of fame if nothing else)[[Special:Contributions/74.213.201.51|74.213.201.51]] 03:14, 15 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Alan Ladd may have been a founding member of the Secret Council of /(\b[plurandy]+\b ?){2}/i. [[Special:Contributions/71.190.237.117|71.190.237.117]] 07:15, 15 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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It's probably obvious to most programmers, but is it worth pointing out that part of the pun is that the random number generator function is called rand() in most C-family languages? [[Special:Contributions/130.60.156.183|130.60.156.183]] 14:07, 15 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Another member of this secret society is Randall P [[Special:Contributions/79.182.178.53|79.182.178.53]] 16:45, 15 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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From above: "Objectivism is the target for much scorn and ridicule in the intellectual world, for its being an inconsistent philosophy that has the sole objective of justifying selfishness and elevating it towards moral righteousness. It's used as the basis for libertarian thought and other radical capitalist economical theories and political stances which promote shameless exploitation (and this attracts further hatred). Randall is no exception to this trend of detractors, and I'd say rightfully so. Ayn Rand's writings are particularly awful, both aesthetically and content-wise, yet in the US a relatively large group of philosophers still adhere to her maxims and the debate continues." OK, but a few comments: All philosophies are inconsistent when looked at closely enough, refer Godel and others. Others do not see the inconsistency in Objectivism quite so plainly as in the quoted comment. Ayn Rand and Objectivism are not "the" basis of libertarian thought, there are far more highly thought of libertarian thinkers, a list of whom should come readily to mind to any of those occupying "the intellectual world" (sic), whether or not they have sympathy with libertarian ideas. It is also unfair to characterise Objectivism as having as its "sole" objective that as stated. Further, as a general principle, one ought not to take someone poking fun at a concept as *proof* that they are quite as opposed to it as you are. Now, whereas I would not categorise myself quite as a fellow traveller, a much fairer view of Objectivism is found at WP: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objectivism_(Ayn_Rand) [[Special:Contributions/81.135.136.159|81.135.136.159]] 11:22, 16 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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:Other philosophies are no more consistent, agreed. But other philosophies do not claim perfect "objective" consistency as their fundamental principle. Attacking Objectivism/Objectivists for lack of internal consistency--or for not recognizing that at some, very fundamental, level it is all stacked on top of some assumptions (just like every other philosophy, and even the scientific method)--is the equivalent of attacking Christianity/Christians for lacking compassion and forgiveness. [[Special:Contributions/129.176.151.14|129.176.151.14]] 14:04, 16 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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:Poking fun can indeed fall into the categories of self-irony or goodwill, but in this case Randall quite explicitly accuses the recipient of bias, making his disapproval pretty unequivocal. [[Special:Contributions/199.48.147.40|199.48.147.40]] 16:51, 16 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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I have added a line about the rational numbers joke; it's definitely there, though I'm not sure if Randall intended it (probably did?). {{unsigned ip|76.124.119.161}}<br />
:Don't think it makes much sense, because a random number generator algorithm of any kind couldn't possibly generate irrational numbers in finite time. [[Special:Contributions/77.244.254.228|77.244.254.228]] 16:34, 17 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
: It does make sense, mathematically speaking a random number chosen in any open interval is irrational with probability 1, and yet any open interval contains rational numbers that could, in principal, be chosen due to density of the rationals. The joke is brilliant, if intended. [[Special:Contributions/76.124.119.161|76.124.119.161]] 04:00, 18 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Yes but, at that point, all random number generators are biased and not just the Ayn Random number generator. Also, the bias towards rational numbers doesn't seem to be there when your pool of numbers is just the rationals. The whole idea behind the joke seems to be more like Ayn Rand's assumptions of objectivity ending up favoring certain social groups. I dunno, it just seems forced to me. [[Special:Contributions/220.117.150.36|220.117.150.36]] 19:00, 18 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
::: Considering real numbers are well-understood mathematically this seems like a shortcoming of implementation, which isn't that interesting... the concept is there. [[Special:Contributions/76.124.119.161|76.124.119.161]] 22:06, 18 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::: The whole idea behind random number generation bias is the bugs they can create within software implementation (for example, weakening cryptography). An hypothetically generated irrational number would have to be truncated at some decimal place (thus making it rational) for it to be usable. Here it's a programming joke, not a math one. [[Special:Contributions/95.229.229.31|95.229.229.31]] 22:37, 18 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
::::: ...unless interpreted as a math joke. I agree that the joke admits programming interpretation, but I'd never try to exclude other interpretations as well. The math interpretation is valid since one can choose not to get muddled in implementation and to instead envision a hypothetical random number generator not bound by truncation. Randall's comics certainly admit this kind of whimsy. [[Special:Contributions/76.124.119.161|76.124.119.161]] 23:55, 18 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::::: Well, it says "This Ayn Random number generator you wrote" so I'd take it at face value, but that's just me. [[Special:Contributions/95.229.229.31|95.229.229.31]] 00:33, 19 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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And somehow, no one's mentioned the classic cartoon ''[[221]]:Random Number'', which presents a random number generator which is heavily biased towards one number. [[User:JamesCurran|JamesCurran]] ([[User talk:JamesCurran|talk]]) 21:58, 17 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Is the joke here not along the lines that Ayn Rand's politics, and that of Libertarianism, <i>claim</i> that they are fair and that they treat everyone equally - in that, supposedly, anyone can get what they want and be successful if they work hard - but the reality is that some people will fare better than others due to having certain advantages such as having been born into wealth, knowing the right people, one might even suggest that being white, middle class and male are advantageous. In a random number generator you would expect any number to be as likely to come up as any other. Similarly, Rand supporters would argue that under Objectivism, any person is by default as able to be successful as any other. The fact that some people succeed and others fail is explained as some people being inherently more able to succeed, rather than any bias in the system itself - hence she divides people into 'looters' and 'moochers'; there's also that scene I always remember in Dirty Dancing where the guy chucks a copy of The Fountainhead in Baby's direction and says 'some people count, some people don't'. Randall is mocking the idea of a system that is supposedly inherently fair and yet biases certain classes of people, with the idea of a 'random' number generator that is biased towards certain numbers not because of a problem with the system but because some numbers are supposedly 'inherently better'.[[Special:Contributions/213.86.4.78|213.86.4.78]] 15:09, 21 October 2013 (UTC)</div>108.162.237.8https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1277:_Ayn_Random&diff=562931277: Ayn Random2013-12-31T23:32:54Z<p>108.162.237.8: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1277<br />
| date = October 14, 2013<br />
| title = Ayn Random<br />
| image = ayn random.png<br />
| titletext = In a cavern deep below the Earth, Ayn Rand, Paul Ryan, Rand Paul, Ann Druyan, Paul Rudd, Alan Alda, and Duran Duran meet together in the Secret Council of /(\b[plurandy]+\b ?){2}/i.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[White Hat]] explains to [[Cueball]] a program he wrote, the "Ayn Random Number Generator", which is a pun on {{w|Ayn Rand}}, the name of a writer who created a philosophical system known as {{w|Objectivism (Ayn Rand)|Objectivism}}. Objectivists believe that the primary aim of life is to maximise personal happiness. In their view, if some humans are born more capable of satisfying their desires than other people, they deserve to reap greater rewards from life than others, no matter the cost to those others. In the comic, White Hat uses a similar line of reason to justify some numbers appearing more often than others in a {{w|Random number generation|"random" number generator}}. Since the primary virtue in Objectivist ethics is rationality (or, at least, "rationality" as defined by Rand: her critics argue that the conclusions she reached do not actually derive inevitably from her premises and that additional, unstated assumptions are necessary to make the system work), the implication may be that the random number generator favors rational numbers (numbers that can be written as a fraction, i.e. a quotient p/q where p and q have no common factor).<br />
<br />
The title text identifies a group of people whose names match the {{w|regular expression}} <code>/(\b[plurandy]+\b ?){2}/i</code>. A step-by-step explanation of the expression:<br />
*\b is a word boundary, matching anywhere there is a 'word character' next to a non-word character&mdash;punctuation, digit, spacing, etc.<br />
*[plurandy] is a character class, and will match any single character from the set inside the square brackets; [adlnpruy] means exactly the same<br />
*the plus sign means ''one or more'' of the previous thing, so [plurandy]+ matches one or many of the characters in that class, one after the other<br />
*" ?" - a space followed by a question mark: "?" means "0 or 1 of the previous thing", so a space is optional<br />
*the whole section in parentheses (\b[plurandy]+\b ?) translates to "a word containing one or more letters, all of which are in the set [plurandy], followed by an optional space"<br />
*the {2} on the end means to repeat the pattern, so it must match exactly twice<br />
*The slashes at each end mark out the pattern, and the "i" at the end is an expression qualifier means it is "case insensitive" (uppercase and lowercase match interchangeably)<br />
<br />
Overall, it matches two words separated by a space, composed entirely of the letters in [plurandy], which is what all the names listed have in common.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
! Person !! Brief Description<br />
|-<br />
| style=white-space:nowrap | {{w|Ayn Rand}} || Author, best known for her novels {{w|The Fountainhead}} and {{w|Atlas Shrugged}}. <br />
|-<br />
| style=white-space:nowrap | {{w|Paul Ryan}} || US Politician known to have been influenced by the writings of Ayn Rand.<br />
|-<br />
| style=white-space:nowrap | {{w|Rand Paul}} || US Politician, also influenced by Ayn Rand's writings.<br />
|-<br />
| style=white-space:nowrap | {{w|Ann Druyan}} || Author, widow of {{w|Carl Sagan}}<br />
|-<br />
| style=white-space:nowrap | {{w|Paul Rudd}} || Actor, screenwriter, comedian<br />
|-<br />
| style=white-space:nowrap | {{w|Alan Alda}} || Actor, best known for the role of Hawkeye Pierce in the TV series M*A*S*H. Played Arnold Vinick, a fiscally-conservative Republican presidential candidate, in {{w|The West Wing}}. <br />
|-<br />
| style=white-space:nowrap | {{w|Duran Duran}} || New Wave/Rock band<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball sitting at a laptop, White Hat behind him.]<br />
:Cueball: This Ayn Random number generator you wrote '''''claims''''' to be fair, but the output is biased toward certain numbers.<br />
:White Hat: '''''WELL, MAYBE THOSE NUMBERS ARE JUST INTRINSICALLY BETTER!'''''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Philosophy]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>108.162.237.8https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1293:_Job_Interview&diff=53741Talk:1293: Job Interview2013-11-26T06:55:29Z<p>108.162.237.8: “Job experience” alluding to temptation of buy-out offers?</p>
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<div>Wouldn't this be a continuation of the story in "[http://xkcd.com/1032/ Networking]" [[User:Whiskey07|Whiskey07]] ([[User talk:Whiskey07|talk]]) 09:00, 20 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
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:I completely agree, Whisky. That comic is clearly a prelude to this. [[User:Grahame|Grahame]] ([[User talk:Grahame|talk]]) 07:35, 21 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Isn't it [[Beret Guy]] character, and not just "employer with a hat"? --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 10:02, 20 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Why is the soup coming out of the electrical outlet (OK, it is label "soup", but that still does not explain it) [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]])<br />
:Who said it was an electrical outlet? It's clearly a soup outlet, it's even labeled as such. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.208|141.101.98.208]] 16:23, 20 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
::My first thought was that this was a modern soup kitchen of some sort with the basics of public supplies. But I've never seen or heard of such a thing? Does anyone know if they exist? [[User:Grahame|Grahame]] ([[User talk:Grahame|talk]]) 01:31, 21 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::It's definitely an electrical outlet. This reinforces that this is a virtual company, not a real one. [[User:Sulis|Sulis]] ([[User talk:Sulis|talk]]) 10:04, 22 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
:My understanding of the outlet matter is that:<br />
:# It is an actual U.S. - style electrical outlet.<br />
:# The coil of wire seen at the chair's leg in panel 2 which beret Guy uses is actually a handheld electric heater that was commonly used to heat water in Eastern Europe before electric kettles made their way there; such heaters are still being sold here ([http://e-promedia.com/go/_info/?user_id=1812&lang=pl example (in Polish)])<br />
:# The water in the bowl is already boiling in panel 4.<br />
:# Beret Guy is going to add some cheap instant soup to the water, e.g. [http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2551/3900578012_6534fb3fed.jpg Chinese-style instant noodles]<br />
:It may be worth noting that such heaters are very cheap, you can get one for an equivalent of $3-5 on a flea market. The whole Beret Guy's new business is an extremely low cost one... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.217|108.162.231.217]] 10:34, 22 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
::I'd think it's really just a soup (or whatever liquid it is) outlet. Reasons: 1. I don't see any heating attachments while the wire isn't plugged in. 2. To me, the drawing in the last panel rather looks like liquid pouring out of a hose. 3. It even says so in the official transcript: "Something one can only hope is soup streams out of the wire into Beret Guy's bowl" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.41|108.162.231.41]] 11:25, 22 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::Indeed, I don't like doing it, but I feel ''so'' strongly that this is surreality, not the more 'mundane' water-heater idea, that I actually reverted the explanation change making it so. (We don't know ''how'' he gets the soup from the outlet, or what happens if you plug a vacuum cleaner/etc into that outlet, but then we don't know how Beret Guy does ''most'' of the stuff he does. Or, when we do, ''why''..?) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.218|141.101.99.218]] 14:49, 22 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
"We can offer you a bunch of paychecks" - but not actual money? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.215|173.245.55.215]] 16:31, 20 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Anyone have an idea of what "There are ghosts here" means? --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 16:34, 20 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
:I assumed it was just part of a quirky interview. I feel it ties in to the later "interview from hell" stuff - it's not the sort of thing you want a job interviewer to raise in your interview. Even if the place does have ghosts, it's a terrible thing to mention. I think it just adds to the surrealism that others have mentioned and with which I agree. [[User:Grahame|Grahame]] ([[User talk:Grahame|talk]]) 01:31, 21 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
::I thought it was a reference to some buzz-word that Beret Guy misunderstood, such as virtualization or intangible benefits or high spirits. I just couldn't figure out for sure what the source was. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.85|199.27.128.85]] 04:34, 21 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::Probably a play on "[[wikipedia:Ghostwriter|Ghostwriter]]" [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]])<br />
:Could it be a reference to the Snapchat mascot? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.213|141.101.98.213]] 07:44, 21 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
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I think the joke here is just that this is an example of a "job interview from hell" or at least a very surreal/oddball job interview. Basically everything Beret Guy says or does is nonsensical or a non sequitur. E.g. "this real building I found" gives the impression that it may be a vacant building that he has somehow gained entrance to. It seems unlikely that a real company would make both apps and stickers for phones. Obviously you can't get soup out of a wall by plugging a cord into an electrical outlet. The humor derives from putting oneself in the position of the interviewee being confronted with this odd situation. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.217|173.245.55.217]] 18:33, 20 November 2013 (UTC)Pat<br />
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I suspect he is being a bit dadaist on this one. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.117|108.162.246.117]] 22:46, 20 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
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It is more accurate (theologically and biblically - assuming that the biblical account (which is the only one we have) is correct) to say that God allowed the trials but they were performed and initiated by Satan. (And to those who want to dispute it being a real story or question the accuracy of the Bible - that's not the point. The point is that it's the only account we have so let's be accurate about what the account portrays.)<br />
So I've changed the description to reflect the view that "God allowed" and "Satan did the horrible things" rather than that Job "was put through some horrendous ordeals by God to test his faith" which is partially true but technically inaccurate, but I kept that "God did it to test Job's faith". [[User:Grahame|Grahame]] ([[User talk:Grahame|talk]]) 01:31, 21 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Forgive my ignorance, but I don't understand the reference in the explanation to "the countless humorous signs near wall outlets and faucets." I haven't run into such signs (or didn't realize they were humorous). Can someone fill me in? {{unsigned|Amz}}<br />
:I've only encountered one such sign in person. It was near the outlet powering the web server at my last job. The sign was labeled "DOES (sic) NOT PULG (sic) OUT" in meticulously-careful handwriting. It was hung in much the same manner as the comic. While the meaning was clear, I found it funny how poor the English was, given the care taken on the calligraphy. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.211|173.245.55.211]] 05:57, 22 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
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I don't think "job" is meant to be a religious reference. I think its similar that to how one might pronounce C# as "C-pound".[[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.33|108.162.222.33]] 06:13, 23 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
:It very clearly is connected with Job in my opinion - there is piles of connection mentioned by numerous users here. Perhaps you don't see the connection because you don't know anything about Job. [[User:Grahame|Grahame]] ([[User talk:Grahame|talk]]) 08:39, 25 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
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This, as well as networking, seem to me as commentary on the fragility of the 'typical' 'modern' job (and the 'typical' 'modern' company) - in terms of constancy of profession, livelihood security and permanency (and number of employees) - when compared to the 'typical' jobs of a few decades past. Many of today's SMEs and jobs live in economic bubbles, as well as credit bubbles: conventional metrics used to evaluate the strength of a job - monetary remuneration and monetary profit, no longer correlate well across career time-scales. Casting the quirky Beret Guy as the employer stokes cognitive dissonance (people expect a business owner/founder/employer to have the pulse of society, to be good strategists, etc.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.209|108.162.222.209]] 10:30, 23 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
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I think this is completely misunderstood. The comic is about some startups and their lack of inherent value, as demonstrated by the ridiculousness of facebook's recent attempt to acquire Snapchat for $2bn. The office is called a "real building" to emphasize that the company's product is not real. Beret guy is just throwing out a bunch of buzzwords, which demonstrates that he clearly does not have a business plan. The ghosts reference, as well as the "long 'o'", or 'joooooobs' (nothing to do with Jobe from the bible) in the alt text, which is how a ghost would pronounce 'jobs', alludes to the fact that it's a ghost company (a company that doesn't break even). Finally, the fact the he can make food, a necessity for survival, come out of a wall socket (electricity, allusion to the virtual app world) demonstrates the misconception that these app companies have real value. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.41|108.162.231.41]] 06:27, 25 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
:I have no comment about most of what you've written but am completely convinced that Randall has Job from the bible in mind. It is not spelled "Jobe" in English. The comments Randall makes and which others have connected with the Job character make far more sense than connecting it with something which ghosts might say. [[User:Grahame|Grahame]] ([[User talk:Grahame|talk]]) 08:39, 25 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
::I know it's spelt "Job", but wanted to avoid being ambiguous. I don't see the "piles of connection mentioned by numerous users" you mention above; the explanation contains it (which could have been written by you) and you mention it in this discussion, that's it. This interview is in no way arduous and the interviewee is not really tested as Job was. Where do you see the connection between the comic and the Book of Job? As for the ghost explanation: as a user pointed out earlier, the Snapchat logo is a ghost, he mentions ghosts in the comic, the comic came out the same week as the Snapchat offers. This comic is clearly about Snapchat and the ridiculousness of the founder turning down an offer of billions of dollars for something that doesn't generate revenue. Where does Job fit into that story? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.41|108.162.231.41]] 09:32, 25 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::I edited what had already been written about Job. Check the history. You're right - I may have exaggerated "numerous users". But I agree with whoever had written the comments/explanation about Job linking it to his job being a "trial of faith". I make no claim at all that it connects directly to most of the rest of the comic. As Randall often does, he's gone off on a tangent - he especially does this in title texts - switched gears so to speak. And the connection is not to the interview but to the job. Check the title text again. And it's not exactly the "book of Job" but the character/life of Job as described in that book. And as explained by whoever originally wrote in the explanation the connection to Job. And I'm not disputing that other aspects of the comic have other connections. I'm not saying that it doesn't connect in other ways as you are seeing. What I'm saying is the title text is clearly a reference to Job. [[User:Grahame|Grahame]] ([[User talk:Grahame|talk]]) 00:27, 26 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
::::Perhaps the Job-experience allusion also refers to Snapchat being tempted by opportunities to sell out. <small><br/>[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.8|108.162.237.8]] 06:55, 26 November 2013 (UTC)</small></div>108.162.237.8