https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=108.162.238.179&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T12:17:23ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1363:_xkcd_Phone&diff=1467141363: xkcd Phone2017-10-16T16:51:41Z<p>108.162.238.179: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1363<br />
| date = May 2, 2014<br />
| title = xkcd Phone<br />
| image = xkcd_phone.png<br />
| titletext = Presented in partnership with Qualcomm, Craigslist, Whirlpool, Hostess, LifeStyles, and the US Chamber of Commerce. Manufactured on equipment which also processes peanuts. Price includes 2-year Knicks contract. Phone may extinguish nearby birthday candles. If phone ships with Siri, return immediately; do not speak to her and ignore any instructions she gives. Do not remove lead casing. Phone may attract/trap insects; this is normal. Volume adjustable (requires root). If you experience sudden tingling, nausea, or vomiting, perform a factory reset immediately. Do not submerge in water; phone will drown. Exterior may be frictionless. Prolonged use can cause mood swings, short-term memory loss, and seizures. Avert eyes while replacing battery. Under certain circumstances, wireless transmitter may control God.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is a parody of a multitude of mobile-technology related issues that, when brought together, create a general satire of smartphone advertising. It was the first entry in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone series]] with the next [[1465: xkcd Phone 2]] released about nine months later.<br />
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The advertised features here either make previously useful capabilities useless or add features nobody wants. Except for "your mobile world (going) digital", which is old news. To market something as "going digital" implies that the corporation has found a way to integrate computers and/or the internet into a market that previously existed without them; the market for mobile phones has ''always'' involved computers, making the xkcd phone's marketing feel dated and clueless.<br />
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From the top, going clockwise:<br />
*'''Custom blend OS:''' iOS and Android are offered by different conglomerates and run on different kernels. A "custom blend" would probably be a nightmare to work with. <br />
*'''Simulates alternative speed of light:''' This renders the clock useless as a means of telling time. The {{w|speed of light}} is 299,792,458&nbsp;meters per second; relativistic effects, such as {{w|time dilation}}, are only noticeable at significant fractions of the speed of light. Since the phone is simulating a much slower speed of light, driving at even highway speeds will cause a significant amount of time dilation. For example, driving at 90&nbsp;mph (90% of the default simulated speed of light) will give a time dilation factor of about 2.29, causing the clock to advance only 26&nbsp;minutes for each hour; driving at exactly 100&nbsp;mph makes the dilation factor infinite and will stop the clock entirely. Driving beyond 100&nbsp;mph would make the clock start advancing through imaginary/complex time rather than real time, somehow, or maybe makes it impossible to drive beyond 100&nbsp;mph.<br />
*'''Wireless:''' as in cordless phone. This is the bare minimum a phone has to have in order to be a mobile phone, so advertising it as a feature feels dated by decades. The alternative explanation, as in the phone has no wires at all, even inside, would render the phone either useless or extremely advanced technologically.<br />
*'''Accelerometer screams in free fall:''' A humorous function. Rather than having some sort of feature to prevent breakage or cracking when a drop is detected, the phone just makes you more aware of its potential imminent doom.<br />
*'''When exposed to light, phone says "hi":''' Bait and switch, and also a build from the previous joke. The implied feature is that the screen or camera will automatically adjust, but instead the phone is weirdly anthropomorphized.<br />
*'''FlightAware partnership:''' This is a reference to the [http://www.flightaware.com/ FlightAware] flight tracking service. This FlightAware partnership results in the phone playing airplane engine noise whenever a flight passes over the phone's current location, an annoying and arbitrary feature. It may also be superfluous, as such noise may be heard from the plane itself, depending on altitude.<br />
**This app was referenced in [[1660: Captain Speaking]].<br />
*'''Realistic case:''' possibly a joke on various audiovisual devices like gaming consoles that advertise realistic sound, graphics, etc. Of course, applying "realistic" to an actual physical case is ridiculous. Either the case is actually real, or it doesn't actually function as a case. Possible reference to [[331: Photoshops]], where [[Cueball]] finds a physical object to not look realistic.<br />
*'''Clear screen:''' This is a pointless descriptor from the perspective of the consumer. Of course the screen is clear. This joke works in tandem with the previous joke, as a play on "clear case, realistic screen," which are both hypothetically viable selling points.<br />
*'''Side Facing Camera:''' There was a recent controversy surrounding an [https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/spy-cam-peek-i Indiegogo for a surreptitious, side-mounted camera device] for smartphones due to the advertisement of the device as a good way to take creep shots, which are illegal in many places. Widespread dissemination of these devices as a built-in feature would likely result in a sharp increase in delinquency of this nature. May also be an ''ad absurdum'' extension of devices with both forward and backward facing cameras.<br />
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The ominous warnings and disclaimers in the title text are probably a reference to the ''Saturday Night Live'' parody ad for {{w|Happy Fun Ball}} ([http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/pictures/50-greatest-saturday-night-live-sketches-of-all-time-20140203/happy-fun-ball-0459912 original video hosted on rollingstone.com]).<br />
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*'''Presented in partnership with {{w|Qualcomm}}, {{w|Craigslist}}, Whirlpool, {{w|Hostess}}, LifeStyles, and the US Chamber of Commerce.''' Qualcomm is a semiconductor company that designs and produces chips for mobile phones. {{w|Whirlpool Corporation}} is a large American multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, while {{w|Whirlpool (website)|Whirlpool}} is a prominent Australian tech forum website, originally created for discussion of Australian broadband providers but now extending to cover general tech topics, including mobile phones. The other companies and lobbying organizations mentioned here have no association with mobile phones, though there is a long history of unrelated companies attempting to leverage their respective brands to help promote each other. The US Chamber of Commerce is a lobbyist group known for sponsoring political campaign ads, their partnership with a phone manufacturer would imply some sort of political motive to its design.<br />
*'''Manufactured on equipment which also processes peanuts.''' A warning often seen on candy and other foods for people with a peanut allergy. It is highly unlikely that equipment used to produce mobile phones would also process food.<br />
*'''Price includes 2-year Knicks contract.''' Mobile phones are often sold by phone companies in combination with a cell phone contract. The {{w|New York Knicks|Knicks}}, a team with a history of questionable personal decisions, might in fact be willing to offer 2-year contracts (worth at least $1,100,000) to cellular phone purchasers regardless of their skill at basketball, though the vast majority of customers wouldn't be interested.<br />
*'''Phone may extinguish nearby birthday candles.''' A rather oddly specific capability, which might also be annoying for anyone attempting to host a birthday party. As to how it would do this, a very powerful directional speaker would be able to blow out a nearby candle, but the speakers in mobile phones aren't going to be that big. It is also difficult to work out how the phone would detect and identify birthday candles. Perhaps when the phone senses light from candles, it says "hi" (see above) so loudly that they blow out.<br />
*'''If phone ships with {{w|Siri}}, return immediately; do not speak to her and ignore any instructions she gives.''' {{w|Siri}} is a virtual personal assistant application for Apple devices. Not speaking to it and not following its instructions would defeat its purpose. It may suggest that a malevolent "Siri AI" has sneaked itself onto some devices, at the manufacturing stage, for some diabolical purpose. May be a reference to the Companion Cube in the game Portal, in which the player is instructed to disregard its advice if the cube appears to be animate. Or, it may be a reference to the [[1450: AI-Box Experiment|AI-Box Experiment]], in which allowing the AI to engage you in conversation will almost certainly result in it successfully convincing you to let it out of the box (here, probably connecting the phone to a data network).<br />
*'''Do not remove lead casing.''' A mobile phone encased in lead would not function because it could not transmit or receive data. Devices that emit high levels of ionizing radiation are often encased in lead, but a phone that would emit that level of radiation would be unhealthy to carry around. If encased in sufficient lead to mitigate the danger, it would be uncomfortably heavy. This might be reference to [[925: Cell Phones]] where Randall makes fun of the WHO claiming that cell phones might cause cancer despite huge studies showing the opposite. This could also mean the device is an actual bananaphone as regular phones emit no ionizing radiation ([http://xkcd.com/radiation xkcd Radiation Dose Chart]). Regrettably, the lead casing would render the phone inedible, although this somewhat mitigates the issues with having been manufactured on equipment that also processes peanuts.<br />
*'''Phone may attract/trap insects; this is normal.''' Some plants, like the {{w|Venus flytrap}}, attract and trap insects, but mobile phones are not known to exhibit this behavior{{Citation needed}}. Possibly a play on software ''bugs'' being introduced to the phone more easily than usual, depending on the specifics of its operating system (made much more likely by its apparent custom-made blended OS). Also may be a reference to {{w|Rasberry crazy ant}}s which are attracted to electronics.<br />
*'''Volume adjustable (requires root).''' {{w|Android rooting|Rooting}} is the method to gain privileged access on Android phones, allowing one to access features that normal users would not and should not normally modify. Adjusting the volume should be available to any user and should not be restricted to root access only.<br />
*'''If you experience sudden tingling, nausea, or vomiting, perform a factory reset immediately.''' These symptoms are usually associated with chemical or radiation poisoning. It is unclear why these would be cured by a {{w|factory reset}}, though software apps could plausibly be used to display nauseating visual effects. Radiation poisoning as a possible cause may also relate to the lead casing mentioned above. It is unclear how a (software-only) factory reset would repair a damaged lead casing. This may also be a reference to the series of similar disclaimers at the end of many medical advertisements.<br />
*'''Do not submerge in water; phone will drown.''' Most phones are not waterproof and will probably short-circuit when submerged. The specific term of drowning would however imply that the phone breathes air (which actually would be possible if it had a {{w|Lithium–air battery}}).<br />
*'''Exterior may be frictionless.''' The front of a smartphone is usually made of glass and should have a surface with very low friction. The back of a phone is usually made from a material that has higher friction to make it pleasant to hold and to make sure it doesn't slide off objects it is placed on. A [[669: Experiment|completely frictionless surface]] would make it almost impossible to hold and would make it very susceptible to drops (at which point the phone will scream).<br />
*'''Prolonged use can cause mood swings, short-term memory loss, and seizures.''' These are all side effects that are associated with certain kinds of medication or radiation treatment of the brain and would not be acceptable for mobile phones.<br />
*'''Avert eyes while replacing battery.''' Actions that would warrant averting your eyes are usually associated with high-intensity light capable of causing eye damage. Depending on the specific energy source, this may be accompanied by high levels of other types of radiation (e.g. making an {{w|X-ray}} photo). This may hint that the phone might be powered by a radionuclide battery which would explain the lead casing and the possible radiation side effects. A phone that emits X-ray radiation would not be healthy to be around. Alternately, this may be a reference to the {{w|Ark Of The Covenant}}, implying that gazing upon the battery or the compartment wall behind it is forbidden on pain of severe punishment. Or merely that with its back removed the phone would be naked, and the user should avert their eyes to preserve the phone's modesty.<br />
*'''Under certain circumstances, wireless transmitter may control God.''' In the monotheistic religions, God is the omnipotent creator of the universe; the very notion that He could be controlled is both heretical and, under the definition of omnipotent, impossible.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[An image of a smartphone standing up with a small dot on the side and a single button at the bottom. Many labels are pointing to different parts of it. Clockwise from the top left they read:]<br />
:Runs custom blend on Android and iOS<br />
:Simulates alternate speeds of light (default: 100 miles per hour) and adjusts clock as phone accelerates<br />
:Wireless<br />
:Accelerometer detects when phone is in free fall and makes it scream<br />
:When exposed to light, phone says "Hi!"<br />
:Flightaware partnership: Makes airplane noise when flights pass overhead<br />
:Realistic case<br />
:Clear screen<br />
:Side-facing camera<br />
<br />
:''Introducing''<br />
:<big><big>'''The xkcd Phone'''</big></big><br />
:Your mobile world just went digital® <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:xkcd Phones]]<br />
[[Category:Comics sharing name|xkcd Phones]]<br />
[[Category:Religion]] <!-- Control God in title text --></div>108.162.238.179https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1874:_Geologic_Faults&diff=143944Talk:1874: Geologic Faults2017-08-11T12:51:41Z<p>108.162.238.179: LEGOs don't slip, BRIO does</p>
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<div>Faults are not necessarily caused on plate boundaries - they can happen anywhere. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.146.16|162.158.146.16]] 04:41, 10 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Totally missed an opportunity for a Lego Fault.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.251|108.162.212.251]] 13:43, 9 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Both LEGO and BRIO in the same comic would have been too many toys. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.196|162.158.134.196]] 14:38, 9 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
::I agree, but I think he should have gone with Lego instead, more universally recognized. I know "Brio" as a Spanish Cola. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 02:41, 11 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
::BRIO connections can slide, like most faults, whereas LEGO connections interlock, and don't tend to slip.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.179|108.162.238.179]] 12:51, 11 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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The alt text reminds me of how Earthquakes are depicted in movies, where a massive rift opens up in the Earth. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.10|162.158.75.10]] 13:48, 9 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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I was totally expecting the Amigara Fault in there [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.112|108.162.216.112]] 14:10, 9 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Probably only for Germans, but the comedian Otto Waalkes invented that soap bar long ago in the seventies: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKOcmLiujAI Keili]. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:01, 9 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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No seg fault to the left or right of the image? Unfortunate. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.78.16|172.68.78.16]] 16:56, 9 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Your fault: 💔 [[User:SilverMagpie|SilverMagpie]] ([[User talk:SilverMagpie|talk]]) 19:24, 9 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Well, the "taffy fault" is named as a joke, it is quite similar to "rift faults". These are several normal faults going on at the same time at both sides of a valley. The "soap fault" is not impossible.<br />
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Another terrifying thing about living near a bag-of-chips fault is that usually the things near the tears in chip bags get eaten. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.95|108.162.238.95]] 04:48, 10 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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The "soap fault" is nothing but two reverse faults with a narrow wedge between them. A geologist would refer to the two faults separately, but to the general public, "soap faulting" would be a clear, and accurate, term.<br />
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The "splinted fault" is probably related to the ''plates'' used to fix broken bones.<br />
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The "Apple Power Cable Fault" I took as less a reference to MagSafe connectors and more a reference to iDevice power cords (both the old 30-pin and the current Lightning), whose shielding is so soft and fragile, this kind of tearing always happens, even with the most gentle handling. Actually, it hasn't seemed like the MagSafe connectors have had this fragility problem, at least not to me. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 02:38, 11 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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* If the "soap fault" actually occurred, we would probably have a name for it, like we do for the similar formations called horsts and grabens. But it just doesn't seem to be how the crust behaves. [[User:D5xtgr|D5xtgr]] ([[User talk:D5xtgr|talk]]) 03:15, 11 August 2017 (UTC)<br />
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::I think if the Soap fault were real, it would be incredibly dangerous. Messing with its structural integrity or mass in a significant way would doubtless trigger a quake. Parts calving off the great wall of faultlandia during a quake would potentially exacerbate the issue, and it would likely be prone to weathering in ways that encourage instability. Worse still, it could be thousands of miles long, vertical, near-vertical, or overhanging cliffs miles tall, and rivers or huge waterfalls would flow off both sides. Earthquakes could cause considerable changes in elevation either up or down, or in areas where it generates an exposed cliff face, cause chunks of rock the size of small mountains to calve off. In other words, it would be an utterly-impassable cliff or mountain-like structure that was prone to huge earthquakes and shedding debris onto anything nearby. Any infrastructure you tried to use to go through or over it would need to deal with these quakes and would cost an absolute fortune to build and even more to maintain against continuous Earthquakes.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.88|108.162.245.88]] 08:06, 11 August 2017 (UTC)</div>108.162.238.179https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1858:_4th_of_July&diff=142353Talk:1858: 4th of July2017-07-07T12:39:29Z<p>108.162.238.179: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and not delete this comment.--><br />
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Hmm. I would personally switch 2017 goal with 2018. But in the meantime, I'm going to practice my armor-polishing skills so that my future master will treat me well. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.33|162.158.74.33]] 15:46, 3 July 2017 (UTC) SiliconWolf<br />
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:Drones don't have armor. At least not yet. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:17, 7 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Added an initial description, definitely needs work though. Hopefully it covers the bases for readers not aware of Independence day celebration in the US [[User:Bpendragon|Bpendragon]] ([[User talk:Bpendragon|talk]]) 17:32, 3 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
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A far as hitting drones with fireworks, fireworks cannot be controlled once launched and air currents (especially if there are drones in the vicinity) would make the fireworks' trajectories unpredictable.<br />
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Intercepting fireworks with drones would require precise control of the drone.<br />
[[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 17:45, 3 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
: "''fireworks cannot be controlled once launched''" .. I think people can fix that if sufficiently motivated ;-) [[User:Zmatt|Zmatt]] ([[User talk:Zmatt|talk]]) 08:11, 5 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
:: If it can be controlled, it's usually called missile, not firework. Although I suppose you can make a decent fireworks with {{w|MIRV}}s. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:17, 7 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
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I don't understand the title text, I understand the first part, but the second part had me confused.[[User:Xkcdreader52|Xkcdreader52]] ([[User talk:Xkcdreader52|talk]]) 06:55, 5 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
:''It's pretty messy.''--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:24, 5 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
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:There's also Nathan's Coney Island Hot Dog eating contest on July 4 each year - which also gets pretty messy, with contestants eating over 70 hot dogs with buns in just 10 minutes.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.179|108.162.238.179]] 12:39, 7 July 2017 (UTC)</div>108.162.238.179https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1562:_I_in_Team&diff=993971562: I in Team2015-08-10T13:16:46Z<p>108.162.238.179: /* Explanation */ typo 'be' to 'me'</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1562<br />
| date = August 10, 2015<br />
| title = I in Team<br />
| image = i_in_team.png<br />
| titletext = There's no "I" in "VOWELS".<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|explain the meaning of "I in team" }}<br />
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"There's no I in team" is a sentence that tries to encourage teamwork by forgetting about the self. It is intended to be a mnemonic. In this comic [[Cueball]] takes the sentence literally, as a metalingual comment (see {{w|Jakobson's functions of language}}), and he points out to [[Hairy]] that the spelling (or {{w|orthography}} of a word doesn't relate to its meaning (an instance of the {{w|use–mention distinction}}).<br />
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The title text provides another example of the difference between orthography and meaning. In this case the vowel "I" does not appear in the word "vowels".<br />
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"There is no 'I' in team" means that when working as a team one cannot think only for oneself or work alone and can be used to reprimand someone on your team who isn't cooperating. Cueball is using the same joke against Hairy by saying there ''is'' a "u" in "People who apparently don't understand the relationship between orthography and meaning". The joke here is that the person who is not cooperating will refer to him/herself as "I" but there is no "I" in team, so they can't only think about themselves. There is a "u" in what Cueball said, implying that Hairy is included in the set of people who mistakingly link orthography and meaning.<br />
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The phrase "no I in team" dates from the 1950s in the USA with printed references[http://www.knowyourphrase.com/phrase-meanings/Theres-no-I-in-team.html] show it is familiar to base-ball pitchers such as {{w|Vern Law}}.<!--Interesting that it seems to come from baseball, a sport where individual plays are so important, compared to, say, rugby.--><br />
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The title text "There's no 'I' in 'VOWELS'." provides another illustration of the distinction. Obviously, "I" is a vowel, notwithstanding the irrelevant fact that it is not included in the spelling of "VOWELS".<br />
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==See also==<br />
*[[1069: Alphabet]]<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:[Hairy and Cueball stand opposite each other.]<br />
:Hairy: Remember, there's no "I" in "team".<br />
:Cueball: No, but there's a "U" in "People who apparently don't understand the relationship between orthography and meaning".<br />
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{{comic discussion}}</div>108.162.238.179https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1552:_Rulebook&diff=98013Talk:1552: Rulebook2015-07-18T16:57:14Z<p>108.162.238.179: </p>
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<div>Doesn't ''the law'' forbid harming another's domestic animal? --[[User:Tepples|Tepples]] ([[User talk:Tepples|talk]]) 05:20, 17 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Yes. Yes it does. So, basically, the rulebook of the country says they cannot do it. It could have been a great cartoon if he had picked an example that was actually legal. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.32|198.41.239.32]] 05:50, 17 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
::Well, technically ([[1475: Technically]]) the law isn't part of any rule book... Unless there is a law (or rule) which says otherwise. (edit: That doesn't mean the law wouldn't apply nevertheless!)[[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 06:15, 17 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Does this law exist in every country? The dog is on property owned by the sports venue in an unspecified country.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.17|108.162.221.17]] 08:23, 17 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:: Slaughter is not technically harming, otherwise we would not be able to eat beef, pork, .. -- and yes some people _do_ eat dogs (and cats) [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 13:48, 17 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:: If an animal enters your premise and is not a protected species, you may kill it. If the owners wanted it alive they shouldn't have let it illegally trespass, since it usually only illegal to kill domestic animal on their domicile.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.9|108.162.219.9]] 00:29, 18 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:At least in my state (Utah) ''the law'' supports euthanasia of (non-human) animals so long as it is performed in a humane manner (which is a very different standard than applies to humans). Cruelty is punishable in the law, but one could make an argument that so long as the killing of the animal was done in a humane way, it may not be punishable by the cruelty statutes. The judgment of law enforcement officers, officers of a court with jurisdiction, juries, and perhaps the court of public opinion in some extra-legal context would all come into play if a question of whether euthanasia was cruel were to be raised. [[User:CasaDeRobison|CasaDeRobison]] ([[User talk:CasaDeRobison|talk]]) 14:17, 17 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
::I don't think you can euthanize someone else's animal though, unless the court has ordered it. I'm pretty sure you'd be guilty of theft & destruction of private property.<br />
:::Ya, killing and eating the dog would be a crime. You'd go to jail for theft (or something like unto it), have to pay to replace the dog and for killing him in the first place, and probably have to forfeit the game when you get arrested for disturbing the peace and using a weapon in the court. Never mind whatever harm you caused to the people trying to defend the dog. Of course, when you get out, if your muscles haven't atrophied and you aren't banned from the game, the enemy team will have lost their key player... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.179|108.162.238.179]] 16:57, 18 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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On a mostly unrelated note: In at least one movie, the sports-playing dog has only three legs.<br />
:"But, why is the dog missing a leg?" 'Well, a dog that good you don't eat all at once!' - old joke<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.19|108.162.221.19]] 22:12, 17 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Amusingly, Air Bud is also wrong because the basketball rules say that a team consists of five men, and dogs are not men. --[[User:AndyZ|AndyZ]]<br />
:That can be argued, if Air Bud is a male dog. Besides, "baseball is a game of two teams of 9 players each", but then they go and use the Designated Hitter. So Air Bud is just the Designated Dog. [[User:PsyMar|PsyMar]] ([[User talk:PsyMar|talk]]) 07:22, 17 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:: Designated Hitler! --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.151|173.245.53.151]] 11:23, 18 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I'm reminded of what Paul said to the Galatians: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law." Life is meant to be lived in this positive way, where the more of these "fruits" we express, the better we make the world. ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 12:48, 17 July 2015 (UTC)''<br />
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:Here endeth the lesson. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 13:04, 17 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I'm not convinced this is related to Pluto at all. In the Air Bud movie, the dog's jersey reads K on one side, and 9 on the other. I think the 9 is in reference to this, and not a veiled commentary on planet definitions. {{unsigned|Strangequark}}<br />
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Huh? Pluto?? Come on, let's remove that. I know some people are really traumatized about the whole Pluto thing, but there's no need to see ghosts everywhere... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.5|141.101.104.5]] 15:05, 17 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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The intentional foul is also referencing basketball when the losing team will intentionally foul the winning team late in the game so that the clock may stop. The winning team can only get 0,1, or 2 points from this then the losing team can try to quickly get 2 or 3 points making it "worth it" [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.126|173.245.50.126]] 15:09, 17 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I am an Israeli and 1552 is about to be very very useful in describing the actions of my government. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.114|162.158.91.114]] 19:41, 17 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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;Battlebots<br />
I guess no one else watches BattleBots here.<br />
<br>A few weeks ago, in the second episode, [http://www.google.com/search?q=battlebots+Complete+Control+net the "Complete Control" team used a net against their opponent], citing the fact that the "no entanglement" rule which had previously existed had been removed from the rulebook. [https://what-if.xkcd.com/5/ Randall states he watches the show in What-if #5], so I think it's likely that Randall watched this new episode, and that this comic at least partially references it, although I concede that it's odd that he waited several weeks before doing so.<br />
<br />Also, I think the connection between the 9 and Pluto is tenuous, but I concede that it's possible given the timing. -[[User:452|452]] ([[User talk:452|talk]]) 15:10, 17 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Many sports, especially youth sports, have rules specifying a player's minimum age. It's very likely that a dog could be excluded on those grounds. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.249|162.158.2.249]] 16:15, 17 July 2015 (UTC)1<br />
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A dog is a "canine" which, depending on your dialect of English, can sound like "K 9". <br />
[[User:WL15|WL15]] ([[User talk:WL15|talk]]) 00:11, 18 July 2015 (UTC)</div>108.162.238.179https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1550:_Episode_VII&diff=97773Talk:1550: Episode VII2015-07-14T21:53:42Z<p>108.162.238.179: </p>
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<div>For anybody interested, the ''dropping of eaves'' is not an actual activity: <br />
<br />
;[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eavesdropping#Etymology Wikipedia on etymology of eavesdropping]<br />
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'''Eavesdrop''': "The dripping of water from the eaves of a house; the ground on which such water falls". An eavesdropper was one who stood at the eavesdrop (where the water fell, i.e., near the house) so as to overhear what was said inside.<br />
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[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.206|108.162.229.206]] 09:10, 13 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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----<br />
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'''Question''': Is there a joke in the J. J. Abrams credit?<br />
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[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.206|108.162.229.206]] 09:10, 13 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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::J. J. Abrams is actually the director / producer of the film in question, Episode VII: The Force Awakens [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 11:04, 13 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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::I want to think the format of the comic is a parody of the opening of ''Alias'' or pne of Abrams's other television series. (You would get the title card, a brief sequence to set up the particular episode, then the "Directed by" credit. I'm not absolutely sure since it's been some time since I saw one of those series.) [[User:Rawmustard|Rawmustard]] ([[User talk:Rawmustard|talk]]) 13:38, 13 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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::The joke in the final panel is the main overall joke, that the entirety of Episode VII's plot is Luke going back to finish his unfinished business on Tatooine of picking up the power converters. Thus we have opening title shot, three panels of storyboard, Luke delivering his line and then cut to credits. It's a wrap! [[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:36, 13 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Staying on the topic of J. J. Abrams... Why no lens flares? - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.178|108.162.222.178]] 12:11, 13 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I assumed the hooded man was Luke Skywalker. Is there anyone else it reasonably could be? [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:30, 13 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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;Euphemism<br />
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I'm sorry, ever since I first saw Episode IV in the 90s, I always interpreted "pick up some power converters" to mean "cruise for dudes", especially given how the line was delivered. Even Uncle Owen seemed to share my sentiment.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.236|108.162.219.236]] 15:12, 13 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Robot Chicken expanded on the power converter line from A New Hope but in the other direction as a euphemism for a strip club routine. [[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:38, 13 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I thought the comic was a trailer for the movie, as opposed to the whole thing (after all, there's no opening crawl). Anyone else, or is it just me? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.164|108.162.246.164]] 04:39, 14 July 2015 (UTC)<br />
:That's how I first saw it. Apparently Raw up above saw it like that, too. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.179|108.162.238.179]] 21:53, 14 July 2015 (UTC)</div>108.162.238.179https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1474:_Screws&diff=828611474: Screws2015-01-16T14:42:30Z<p>108.162.238.179: Cursed items generally, at least in some editions, cannot be unequipped or removed in general without the aid of a Remove Curse or stronger spell- this can mean that the character is stuck using a near-useless sword for the foreseeable future.</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1474<br />
| date = January 16, 2015<br />
| title = Screws<br />
| image = screws.png<br />
| titletext = If you encounter a hex bolt, but you only brought screwdrivers, you can try sandwiching the head of the bolt between two parallel screwdriver shafts, squeezing the screwdrivers together with a hand at either end, then twisting. It doesn't work and it's a great way to hurt yourself, but you can try it!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|May still needs expansion, possibly with origins of the various real screws?}}<br />
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The comic features various real or imagined types of screws, listed below. <br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! style="width: 25%"|Screw type<br />
! Description<br />
|-<br />
| Phillips head<br />
| {{w|List of screw drives#Phillips|Phillips screw drive}} and its corresponding screw head is one of the most recognizable types of screw heads that is commonly used in construction. This type of screw head was named after its inventor, a US businessman {{w|Henry F. Phillips}}. Neither the inventor nor his invention have any relationship to the Dutch electronics manufacturing company with similar, but not exactly the same name {{w|Philips}}.<br />
|-<br />
| Flat head<br />
| {{w|List_of_screw_drives#Slot|Slot head screws}} are frequently erroneously referred to as flat heads (a flat head screw refers, in fact, to the shape of the screw head, regardless of the shape of the drive socket). The slot head is also commonly used in construction. The diagram shows the slot truncated, where in reality the slot almost always runs across the entire head of the screw (as in fictional case of the "uranium screw" below).<br />
|-<br />
| Uh oh. Maybe it's on Amazon? (star-shaped screw)<br />
| Manufacturers sometimes used screws that require special heads in order to remove them, in order to prevent the customer tampering with the product. The reference to Amazon is the speaker's suggestion to look on Amazon.com for the appropriate screwdriver. A number of star-shaped screw heads exist, notably the six-pointed {{w|Torx}}, and Apple's rounded {{w|Pentalobe screw|pentalobe screw}}, although there is no popular design that would use 5-pointed star as a shape, exactly are depicted in the comic. Torx screws are common in automotive applications —they are easier to screw in via electric screwdrivers— and on bicycles where a higher tightening torque is needed than hex screws can support. Disk brakes mounts are where they are now common.<br />
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|-<br />
| Cursed -1 Phillips head<br />
| The head of a screw can be stripped by overuse, tightening the screw too much, or other misuse. As the driving surfaces wear away, removing the screw becomes more and more difficult, usually damaging the screw more in the process. <br />
The addition of "cursed" and "-1" in the titles is a reference to various fantasy games (E.g. Dungeons and Dragons), where magical items which have been damaged or are denoted as cursed or have a rating of a negative integer. This often makes the cursed equipment incredibly difficult to remove, as it will cling to the wielder: much like how the "cursed" Phillips Head screw becomes difficult to remove due to damage.<br />
Additionally, Phillips bit sizes are numbered, with larger numbers denoting smaller bits. The most common sizes are #2, #1, and #0. There are no negative sizes; smaller bits than #0 are indicated by repeating zeroes, for example #00. The "-1" could refer to an imaginary size smaller than any real Phillips bit that would now fit in the stripped out head.<br />
|-<br />
| Rivet<br />
| A {{w|rivet}} is not a screw - it is a permanent fastener which is secured by deforming the body of the fastener. Rivets cannot be removed with a screwdriver, they must be "drilled out". Some bolts also have rounded rivet-style heads, though, with no means of gripping them.<br />
|-<br />
| Phillips head ruiner (hex screw)<br />
| A reference to the fact that {{w|List_of_screw_drives#Hex_socket|hex socket}} screws can, in a pinch, be removed with a Phillips screwdriver, but will likely damage the driver in the process. Hex screws are common on bicycles, where they always come in the metric varieties. The same holds for hex screws which ship with Ikea furniture —who bundle a low-quality hex driver for those people who lack them. Imperial-sized hex screws do sometimes surface, to the dissatisfaction of anyone who owns a hex driver set. The smaller hex screws can enter the "-1" state when attempting to unscrew one that has been overtightened —hence the adoption of Torx screws in high-torque applications.<br />
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|-<br />
| Uranium screw<br />
| This is (probably) a representation of a {{w|File:Fission bomb assembly methods.svg|gun-type fission weapon}}, two hemispheres made of uranium that achieve a {{w|Critical mass|critical mass}} when pushed into each other during initial stage of detonation. A real thing, when seen from aside, indeed vaguely resembles the appearance of a slot screw head (the latter as seen from the top). Multiple radially extending short wave-like lines around the "screw" symbolize radiant energy output - either a natural radioactivity of the uranium or an explosive outburst during detonation. The former option is likely to be more logical, as the presence of a gap (graphically corresponding to a slot in the slot screw head) indicates that the weapon assembly has not been detonated yet, as the detonation requires extremely tight contact between flat portions of the surfaces of the hemispheres. The "uranium head" could also be a reference to {{w|Demon core#Second incident| an incident involving a screw driver and a fission experiment called 'demon core'}}, although the core in that experiment was made of plutonium, not uranium.<br />
|-<br />
| Phillip's head<br />
| This is a literal (and rather morbid) interpretation of the misspelling "Phillip's head" when "Phillips head" is meant. Rather than refer to the screw type, this "screw" is actually a bloody bag containing the severed head of someone named Phillip. It could possibly be an allusion to one of the {{w|Decapitation|decapitations}} of the royal persons that took place several times in the human history, perhaps even more specifically to {{w|French Revolution|revolutionary France}} where {{w|Capital punishment|capital punishment}} by decapitation was made well-known due to introduction of {{w|Guillotine|guillotine}} and its active use against the former royalty. However, despite the {{w|Philip|name Phillip being used by several members of the upper echelon of French royalty}}, none of the {{w|List of people who were beheaded|famous people ever executed this way in France or anywhere else}} were called Phillip. Intentionally or otherwise, this last punchline could be described as a "mind screw".<br />
|-<br />
|Hex bolt (title text)<br />
|A {{w|List_of_screw_drives#Hex|hex bolt}} has six external sides, so it could in theory be held by squeezing two screwdriver shafts together with the bolt in between. The amount of force on the two screwdriver shafts needed to turn the hex bolt will probably exceed the strength of human hands and would most likely result in hurting your hands and not in turning the bolt.<br />
|}<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:[Eight drawings of different types of heads each with a caption:]<br />
:Phillips head<br />
:Flat head<br />
:Uh oh. Maybe it's on Amazon?<br />
:Cursed –1 Phillips head<br />
:Crap, it's a ''rivet''.<br />
:Phillips-head ruiner<br />
:Uranium screw (a real thing)<br />
:Phillip's head<br />
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{{comic discussion}}</div>108.162.238.179