https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=108.162.246.113&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T06:49:04ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2015:_New_Phone_Thread&diff=159609Talk:2015: New Phone Thread2018-07-04T07:48:19Z<p>108.162.246.113: </p>
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I feel the explanation could possibly give a sample text of what the person is actually trying to say [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.113|172.68.46.113]] 05:13, 4 July 2018 (UTC)Innertuber40<br />
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I have an alternate interpretation: The first thing I thought this comic was about is all the people who are typing on phones and the messages actually sent contain weird words any typos because of the phone's autocorrection feature (or swipe keyboards which are accurate most of the time but error prone nevertheless). So this particular phone actually is sending what the user is writing (or wants to write) and does not change the message. Examples: http://barabare.blogspot.com/2011/05/funny-phone-t9-typo-errors.html [edit:] I mean, this goes so far that occasionally on online forums you see people with the message "Writing from phone, message may contaion errors. Sorry" or something like that in their signature. So a phone that actually writes what you are typing (or what you thought you were typing) might actually be a good thing. Cueball is just astonished that his new phone does exactly that. [edit2:] But then again, some of the messages in the comic really indicate in the direction the current explanantion is going. So, nevermind :) [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 07:30, 4 July 2018 (UTC)<br />
:When I read it I also had that idea (being impressed by accurate typing) but it seemed too odd so I came to explain xkcd to look it up. I'm not convinced of either explanation at this point. For the current explanation (that the phone is autocorrecting to say spam) one would expect there to be a phone in the news doing something like that. This could be a hyperbole version of a phone is doing inserting product names like with BlackBerry expanding the acronym BB to their name on some phones. But I haven't heard of that anywhere and blackberry is not news. If someone knows of a current phone this behaviour is referencing please post a link? Thanks, rusl[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.113|108.162.246.113]] 07:48, 4 July 2018 (UTC)</div>108.162.246.113https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1977:_Paperwork&diff=1554841977: Paperwork2018-04-06T20:39:30Z<p>108.162.246.113: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1977<br />
| date = April 6, 2018<br />
| title = Paperwork<br />
| image = paperwork.png<br />
| titletext = Plus, the photo was geotagged, my unlocked password manager was visible on the laptop, AND you could see my naked reflection in the dark part of the screen.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a TAX RETURN - Reword explanation; Link to similar comics- (privacy and naked stick figures); . Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
Cueball is complaining about how much tax paperwork he has to do on social media. He posts a picture of all his tax documents. Tax documents will usually contain many specific and important personal information in a very small area. Thus, this is the most efficient way to leak personal information. Although, it is generally a bad idea to give out your personal information online.{{Citation needed}}<br />
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The title text further adds to the issues. First, it explains the picture was [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotagging geotagged]. Anyone could easily find Cueballs home because of this. Next, it also says his [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Password_manager password manager] was on his laptop screen, unlocked. Many, if not all of his logins saved to the manager would be shown, so anyone could easily hack his accounts. Finally, the title text suggests Cueball's naked body was reflected off the laptop screen (which was in the picture). This is a common joke in the comics, as stick figures are all technically naked. Having a picture of oneself naked on the internet, without monetizing it, is also generally a bad idea.{{Citation needed}}<br />
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Filing tax papers is topical as April is the tax season in the United States, with this year's {{w|Tax Day (United States)|Tax Day}} falling on April 17, 2018. Also, [http://theconversation.com/why-the-uk-tax-year-begins-on-april-6-its-a-very-strange-tale-57247 April 6 is the start of the tax year in the UK].<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
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:[Cueball hold his phone and takes a picture of his desk with sheets of paper and a laptop on it.]<br />
:Phone: Click<br />
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:[Cueball types on his phone in a smaller frame on the right.]<br />
:Ugh, check out how much tax paperwork I have to do.<br />
:<span style="color:gray">(Cancel)</span> (Post)<br />
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:[Caption below:]<br />
:I've accidentally discovered the world's most efficient way to leak personal information.<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>108.162.246.113https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1866:_Russell%27s_Teapot&diff=143158Talk:1866: Russell's Teapot2017-07-24T20:06:19Z<p>108.162.246.113: launch vehicle regulation discussion</p>
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In this case, nesting the teapot in a catapult/cannon which is launched by another catapult/cannon might perhaps be sufficient to get past NASA regulations. (Catapults/cannons only launching the payload and not themselves...) <sub>--[[User:Nialpxe|<span style="color: #000; text-decoration: none;">Nialpxe</span>]], 2017. [[User_talk:Nialpxe|<span style="color: #000; text-decoration: none;">(Arguments welcome)</span>]]</sub><br />
:Though there's still the matter of an equal and opposite force pushing the satellite away from its gravitational bonds of the catapult. Even if the 2nd catapult is no longer associated with the Earth or Earth's gravity, the catapult will continue to be a launcher. That's just changing what it is launching *from*. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.125|172.68.58.125]] 18:31, 24 July 2017 (UTC)ColinHeico<br />
:But make sure it is a mobile cannon, otherwise it would not qualify as a launch '''vehicle'''. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.19|162.158.89.19]] 11:32, 21 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
::I immediately thought "railgun". And the payload can still be a rocket; once it's not touching the ground it's accelerating, not launching. (Also Russell failed to account for female barbers. Honestly, people!) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.4|108.162.241.4]] 09:42, 22 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
::: One such company did exist, Quicklaunch had the idea of launching via a space gun. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicklaunch {{unsigned ip|172.68.141.142}}<br />
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::: He didn't need to account for female barbers (or anybody who isn't a man) because the barber in the paradox shaves precisely those men who don't shave themselves. He ''only'' shaves men, and all men in the town are ''only'' shaved by him or themselves. Everyone else is a completely different story, so they can be shaved by whoever they want (except the barber, who only shaves men). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.88|108.162.241.88]] 00:14, 23 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
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:::Only if you assume that females who are barbers don't shave their legs, armpits, or their various lady parts. This only further confuses the paradox. {{unsigned|Mjm87}}<br />
::::For much of Bertrand Russell's life, they didn't. http://mentalfloss.com/article/22511/when-did-women-start-shaving-their-pits [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.4|108.162.241.4]] 09:42, 22 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
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:You wouldn't even need a cannon/catapult. If you put the satellite on a small rocket, and put that on a much larger rocket, you can have the big one launch itself, the smaller one, and the satellite. The regulation only says the satellite must be in a non-self-launching launch vehicle. It doesn't say it can't *also* be in a self-launching launch vehicle. -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.113|108.162.246.113]] 20:06, 24 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
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When I first saw this comic I immediately thought of the Utah Teapot, it's a model used in computer graphics because it's simple and has both convex and concave surfaces. Both teapots, I would assume, (I've only just heard of Russel's Teapot so I could be wrong) are well known to different parts of the nerd community? {{unsigned ip|162.158.255.22}}<br />
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Hopefully it will support HTCPCP-TEA. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.34|108.162.241.34]] 17:48, 21 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
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i think people just really like teapot examples {{unsigned ip|108.162.246.23}}<br />
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:The major problem here is that CubeSats are currently only launched into Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and are expected to re-enter the atmosphere within days to weeks. Russell's teapot is (allegedly) in orbit between Earth and Mars and Cueball's device is not likely to have enough delta-v to leave Earth orbit. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 18:18, 21 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
"A teapot orbits the Sun somewhere in space between the Earth and Mars" This implies that the teapot is physically located between Mars and Earth at all times. Which if true would be a highly irregular orbit requiring constant velocity changes, which is an impossible feat to achieve with current teapot technology. {{unsigned|Mjm87}}<br />
:Nonsense. It would be a ''highly regular orbit'' and many asteroids are already there, despite the most of them are between Mars and Jupiter (Asteroid-Belt):--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:22, 21 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Since we're nitpicking. Having velocity changes does not preclude being in orbit: objects in orbit are always accelerating. Having a constant velocity change does preclude being in orbit, but it also precludes remaining between Earth and Mars, since it would result in eventually leaving the solar system.--[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.112|172.68.54.112]] 19:45, 24 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
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I can see both of your points. As mjm87 says, "between the Earth and Mars", taken literally, would mean "on a line between the two planets", which would be a very unusual orbit. And, I agree, it would be impossible without constant velocity changes, so wouldn't be an "orbit" in the usual sense.<br />
On the other hand, I took Russell's words the way Dgbrt seems to have, as meaning "between the orbits of Earth and Mars", as this is the way most astronomers would interpret it. A don't know that there are "many" asteroids that remain between Earth and Mars, but there are quite a few crossing the space, and at least a few with average distances in that range. - N Kalanaga {{unsigned ip|162.158.74.159}}<br />
:There is also quantifier scope ambiguity there. I believe that there is a large constellation of teapot statites, and at any given moment at least one of them is directly between Earth and Mars. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.58|172.68.54.58]] 06:29, 22 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
Since Russell was going for absurdity, I favour the more absurd interpretation namely Mjm87's. [[User:Capncanuck|Capncanuck]] ([[User talk:Capncanuck|talk]]) 08:21, 22 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Taking "on a line between the two planets" literally would simply reduce to "inside the orbit of Mars". The Earth moves faster than Mars and right now the Sun is exactly between them on that line. NASA, ESA, and ISRO can not communicate with their orbiters and rovers until the beginning of August (see {{w|Solar conjunction}}). So the meaning "between the orbits of Earth and Mars" is still much more plausible.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:11, 22 July 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Don't worry we have been working on it. Launching the project in a few months.<br />
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSmdiMSFBSb/?taken-by=hate_plow<br />
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSwW4MIlE0b/?taken-by=hate_plow<br />
[[User:Zackdougherty|Zackdougherty]] ([[User talk:Zackdougherty|talk]]) 03:10, 22 July 2017 (UTC)</div>108.162.246.113https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1724:_Proofs&diff=125693Talk:1724: Proofs2016-08-24T11:26:56Z<p>108.162.246.113: </p>
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<div>Judging from my experience when I first encountered proofs in math classes (or my general experience from math classes), the teacher is going to write down a "proof" which makes absolutely no sense to students and is also never explained in a way that actually makes them understand. Instead, they are just going to use "dark magic" and write what seems to be completely senseless to students.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.91.223|141.101.91.223]] 04:24, 24 August 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Transcript generated by the BOT was murdering me, had to change it. Proposing miss Lenhart is party 1. [[User:EppOch|EppOch]] ([[User talk:EppOch|talk]]) 04:45, 24 August 2016 (UTC)<br />
:: I support that. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.91.223|141.101.91.223]] 06:13, 24 August 2016 (UTC)<br />
:: Me to, but I am on mobile, so editing is a pain [[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.71|162.158.86.71]] 06:51, 24 August 2016 (UTC)<br />
:: Done [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 08:26, 24 August 2016 (UTC)<br />
:::Note that the BOT doesn't create any text - [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1724:_Proofs&oldid=125654 see here]. The transcript was made by several people. Agree completely that this is Miss Lenhart, but even if it was not "[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1724:_Proofs&direction=next&oldid=125660 party 1 and party 2]" is not the way to describe a woman with long blonde hair and Cueball ;-) There is at the moment [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#New_character_category_for_blonde_woman_news_reporter_.28from_1699.29|a discussion]] what to call other women looking like this (i.e. those that are not clearly Miss Lenhart, [[Mrs. Roberts]] or her daughter [[Elaine Roberts]]). Chip in there if you have any opinions on that regard... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:01, 24 August 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Irrationality proof isn't really a proof by contradiction (it doesn't use double negation elimination). You're showing (exists a,b. ...) -> False by assuming (exists a, b. ...) and showing False, which is implication introduction --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.85.105|162.158.85.105]] 07:33, 24 August 2016 (UTC)<br />
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I'm thinking she's doing one of those proof that write down a formula or function out of nowhere, and proceeds to proof everything with it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.125|108.162.222.125]] 08:43, 24 August 2016 (UTC)<br />
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This comic reminds me of "divination" rituals, where a magical spirit is summoned to write out an answer. Usually not something as complex as here, but hey, XKCD! --[[User:Henke37|Henke37]] ([[User talk:Henke37|talk]]) 10:04, 24 August 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Man, Reductio ad absurdum never made any logic. If we could assume any thing, why use logic?<br />
Oh wait, it has already been covered in XKCD<br />
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"Dark magic" proofs are centered around properties of functions, and abstract concepts, rather than manipulating the functions themselves?? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.113|108.162.246.113]] 11:26, 24 August 2016 (UTC)</div>108.162.246.113https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1706:_Genetic_Testing&diff=1242051706: Genetic Testing2016-07-26T23:55:18Z<p>108.162.246.113: added reference to incorrect Nat Geo report of human-dog 5%</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1706<br />
| date = July 13, 2016<br />
| title = Genetic Testing<br />
| image = genetic_testing.png<br />
| titletext = Plus, now I know that I have risk factors for elbow dysplasia, heartworm, parvo, and mange.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] has sent a DNA sample to a {{w|genetic genealogy}} company. The implied premise of the comic is that Cueball intended to send his own DNA to one of the several companies that analyze human DNA samples and provide a report as to the genetic history of that person - examples include notable/famous ancestors or relatives, ethnic background, risk factors for certain medical conditions, etc. However, the result that Cueball receives is consistent with a report for a {{w|purebred dog|dog pedigree}} test, breaking down the percentage of certain species present in a dog's ancestry. [[Megan]] suggests that Cueball has sent his sample to the wrong company. Cueball appears to agree in principle, but (seriously or jokingly - it is unclear) indicates that he intends to hedge his bets and avoid chocolate just in case he actually is, in fact, a dog. Dogs are generally succeptable to {{w|theobromine poisoning|poisoning from theobromine}}, a compound found in chocolates which causes seizures and heart failure in dogs (and many other creatures). Basically, if Cueball really is a dog, then eating chocolate could kill him.<br />
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[https://www.quora.com/What-percentage-of-human-DNA-is-shared-with-other-things 82%] or [http://www.thehumangenome.co.uk/THE_HUMAN_GENOME/Primer.html 94%] of DNA (depending on how you measure it) is shared between humans and dogs. (National Geographic erroneously reported that only [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/12/1207_051207_dog_genome.html 5%] of human DNA is shared with dogs and mice, which may have misled Randall Munroe.) This leads to several possible interpretations of the comic: It is possible (as Cueball suggests in the last panel) that he is, in fact, a dog with excellent human impersonation skills, or that he somehow shares DNA with a dog. It is possible that Cueball mistakenly sent a sample of a dog's DNA (perhaps his own) somehow thinking that is the method of testing ''his own'' DNA. Perhaps Cueball submitted his own (human) DNA to a dog pedigree company and their method of testing includes a presumption of dog DNA, and therefore was able to produce this result from Cueball's sample. Or perhaps this is comic is a suggestion that some DNA test companies are scams that do not even perform DNA tests, but simply send out arbitrary reports that are not based on any testing.<br />
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===Title Text===<br />
The title text refers to the fact that certain dog breeds are more or less susceptible to disease. The diseases he mentions, {{w|elbow dysplasia}}, {{w|Dirofilaria immitis|heartworm}}, {{w|parvovirus|parvo virus}} and {{w|mange}} are several diseases that can end up killing, disfiguring or disabling dogs, but which humans are generally not susceptible to. As noted above, ancestry DNA test results can inform tell people about their genetic risk factors for disease, either by specifically investigating your own DNA for those risk factors or, more likely (and less costly) by informing of what risk factors are generally prevalent in your ancestry or others people sharing the same ancestry as you.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
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:[Cueball and Megan are talking to each other]<br />
:Cueball: I sent a DNA sample to one of those "Trace your ancestry" projects.<br />
:Megan: How legit are those?<br />
:Cueball: No idea. I just figured it'd be fun.<br />
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:Six weeks later...<br />
:[Cueball walks towards Megan with a letter in his hand]<br />
:Cueball: Sweet, got my results back.<br />
:Megan: Ooh, share!<br />
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:Ancestry Report<br />
::48% Labrador Retriever<br />
::35% Beagle<br />
::12% Cocker Spaniel<br />
::5% Other<br />
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:[Megan is holding the report]<br />
:Megan: I think you sent your sample to the wrong service.<br />
:Cueball: Just in case, I should probably start avoiding chocolate.<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]</div>108.162.246.113https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1706:_Genetic_Testing&diff=1242041706: Genetic Testing2016-07-26T23:44:52Z<p>108.162.246.113: "Humans-dogs share only 5% DNA" must be a typo, it cannot possibly be correct.</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1706<br />
| date = July 13, 2016<br />
| title = Genetic Testing<br />
| image = genetic_testing.png<br />
| titletext = Plus, now I know that I have risk factors for elbow dysplasia, heartworm, parvo, and mange.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] has sent a DNA sample to a {{w|genetic genealogy}} company. The implied premise of the comic is that Cueball intended to send his own DNA to one of the several companies that analyze human DNA samples and provide a report as to the genetic history of that person - examples include notable/famous ancestors or relatives, ethnic background, risk factors for certain medical conditions, etc. However, the result that Cueball receives is consistent with a report for a {{w|purebred dog|dog pedigree}} test, breaking down the percentage of certain species present in a dog's ancestry. [[Megan]] suggests that Cueball has sent his sample to the wrong company. Cueball appears to agree in principle, but (seriously or jokingly - it is unclear) indicates that he intends to hedge his bets and avoid chocolate just in case he actually is, in fact, a dog. Dogs are generally succeptable to {{w|theobromine poisoning|poisoning from theobromine}}, a compound found in chocolates which causes seizures and heart failure in dogs (and many other creatures). Basically, if Cueball really is a dog, then eating chocolate could kill him.<br />
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Only [https://www.quora.com/What-percentage-of-human-DNA-is-shared-with-other-things 82%] or [http://www.thehumangenome.co.uk/THE_HUMAN_GENOME/Primer.html 94%] of DNA (depending on how you measure it) is shared between humans and dogs, so we are genetically somewhat different. This leads to several possible interpretations of the comic: It is possible (as Cueball suggests in the last panel) that he is, in fact, a dog with excellent human impersonation skills, or that he somehow shares DNA with a dog. It is possible that Cueball mistakenly sent a sample of a dog's DNA (perhaps his own) somehow thinking that is the method of testing ''his own'' DNA. Perhaps Cueball submitted his own (human) DNA to a dog pedigree company and their method of testing includes a presumption of dog DNA, and therefore was able to produce this result from Cueball's sample. Or perhaps this is comic is a suggestion that some DNA test companies are scams that do not even perform DNA tests, but simply send out arbitrary reports that are not based on any testing.<br />
<br />
===Title Text===<br />
The title text refers to the fact that certain dog breeds are more or less susceptible to disease. The diseases he mentions, {{w|elbow dysplasia}}, {{w|Dirofilaria immitis|heartworm}}, {{w|parvovirus|parvo virus}} and {{w|mange}} are several diseases that can end up killing, disfiguring or disabling dogs, but which humans are generally not susceptible to. As noted above, ancestry DNA test results can inform tell people about their genetic risk factors for disease, either by specifically investigating your own DNA for those risk factors or, more likely (and less costly) by informing of what risk factors are generally prevalent in your ancestry or others people sharing the same ancestry as you.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
:[Cueball and Megan are talking to each other]<br />
:Cueball: I sent a DNA sample to one of those "Trace your ancestry" projects.<br />
:Megan: How legit are those?<br />
:Cueball: No idea. I just figured it'd be fun.<br />
<br />
:Six weeks later...<br />
:[Cueball walks towards Megan with a letter in his hand]<br />
:Cueball: Sweet, got my results back.<br />
:Megan: Ooh, share!<br />
<br />
:Ancestry Report<br />
::48% Labrador Retriever<br />
::35% Beagle<br />
::12% Cocker Spaniel<br />
::5% Other<br />
<br />
:[Megan is holding the report]<br />
:Megan: I think you sent your sample to the wrong service.<br />
:Cueball: Just in case, I should probably start avoiding chocolate.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]</div>108.162.246.113https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1710:_Walking_Into_Things&diff=1238131710: Walking Into Things2016-07-22T04:24:52Z<p>108.162.246.113: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1710<br />
| date = July 22, 2016<br />
| title = Walking Into Things<br />
| image = walking_into_things.png<br />
| titletext = A childhood spent walking while reading books has prepared me unexpectedly well for today's world.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}<br />
Cueball comments on the rate of his walking into things while distracted by various stimuli, comparing it to a controlled study. Megan replies that the rate of the control group is also very high. In Cueball's metaphor, the "control group" would be his walking around without being distracted.<br />
Thus, Megan is essentially saying that Cueball is simply clumsy, and that his walking into things has little to do with whether he's looking at his phone.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>108.162.246.113https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1532:_New_Horizons&diff=946671532: New Horizons2015-06-01T17:44:49Z<p>108.162.246.113: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1532<br />
| date = June 1, 2015<br />
| title = New Horizons<br />
| image = new_horizons.png<br />
| titletext = Last-minute course change: Let's see if we can hit Steve's house.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|New page}}<br />
''{{w|New Horizons}}'' is a NASA mission launched on 2006 to study the dwarf planet {{w|Pluto}} and its moons. Its closest approach to Pluto will be on July 14, 2015 [http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/main/index.html]. In April and May 2015, it captured the first images of Pluto with enough resolution to see some details on Pluto's surface [http://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-new-horizons-sees-more-detail-as-it-draws-closer-to-pluto]. These images are similar to the second pane of the comic, with Pluto shown as a gray dot only a few pixels across.<br />
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''{{w|Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn}}'' is a NASA mission launched in September 2007 to study the protoplanets {{w|4 Vesta|Vesta}} and {{w|Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres}}. Its closest approach to Vesta began on July 16, 2011 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_(spacecraft)#Vesta_approach].<br />
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A {{w|Gravity assist|slingshot maneuver}} is a technique where a spacecraft is maneuvered or accelerated with the help of a gravitational field. In the comic, presumably someone named Steve made the calculations for the New Horizons spacecraft to accelerate toward Pluto using {{w|Jupiter}}'s gravity.<br />
<br />
Distances from the Sun (semi-major axis): Earth (1.00 {{w|Astronomical unit|AU}}); Vesta 2.36 AU; Ceres 2.77 AU; Jupiter 5.20 AU; Pluto 39.26 AU; The day of publication of this comic ''New Horizons'' was at 0.34 AU from Pluto and 32.55 AU from the Sun [http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Where-is-New-Horizons/index.php].<br />
<br />
In the first panel we see Cueball and Ponytail standing in front of a large computer monitor, waiting for ''New Horizons'' to approach Pluto, turn communications on, and give them their first image of the planet's surface. Apparently Steve miscalculated the Jupiter slingshot maneuver, leading the probe to slingshot back towards Earth instead of towards Pluto. Needless to say, this is a huge embarrassment, especially in front of the successful ''Dawn'' team, who were the first to get a probe to visit a dwarf planet.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests the team is considering crashing the probe into Steve's house as punishment for his errors.<br />
<br />
This is likely the same Steve from [[809: Los Alamos]] (set in 1945), given the similar contexts. If so, his calculations may be even more erroneous due to senile dementia.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Cueball]] and [[Ponytail]] are standing in front of a large computer console. Cueball's hands are on the keyboard; both are looking at the screen.<nowiki>]</nowiki><br />
:Cueball: We made it! After all these years, ''New Horizons'' is finally revealing the surface of Pluto!<br />
:Ponytail: Take ''that'', ''Dawn'' team.<br />
<br />
:<nowiki>[</nowiki>In the next four frames, we see photos, entirely black except for a circle in the middle. The circle is initially small, indistinct and appears in shades of grey; the successive circles are larger showing more color and shade variation. In the last, we see a blurry but recognizable outline of Africa, the Middle East and part of Western Asia, along with some clouds. The lighting pattern suggests that it is daytime in Africa, sometime in the northern summer.<nowiki>]</nowiki><br />
<br />
:Cueball: OK, who did the calculations for the Jupiter slingshot maneuver?<br />
:Ponytail: (facing away from the computer console) Dammit, Steve...<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>108.162.246.113https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1532:_New_Horizons&diff=946661532: New Horizons2015-06-01T17:34:10Z<p>108.162.246.113: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1532<br />
| date = June 1, 2015<br />
| title = New Horizons<br />
| image = new_horizons.png<br />
| titletext = Last-minute course change: Let's see if we can hit Steve's house.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|New page}}<br />
''{{w|New Horizons}}'' is a NASA mission launched on 2006 to study the dwarf planet {{w|Pluto}} and its moons. Its closest approach to Pluto will be on July 14, 2015 [http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/main/index.html]. In April and May 2015, it captured the first images of Pluto with enough resolution to see some details on Pluto's surface [http://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-new-horizons-sees-more-detail-as-it-draws-closer-to-pluto]. These images are similar to the second pane of the comic, with Pluto shown as a gray dot only a few pixels across.<br />
<br />
''{{w|Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn}}'' is a NASA mission launched in September 2007 to study the protoplanets {{w|4 Vesta|Vesta}} and {{w|Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres}}. Its closest approach to Vesta began on July 16, 2011 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_(spacecraft)#Vesta_approach].<br />
<br />
{{w|Jupiter}} {{w|Gravity assist|slingshot maneuver}} is using Jupiter's gravity to accelerate the spacecraft in its journey to Pluto.<br />
<br />
Distances from the Sun (semi-major axis): Earth (1.00 {{w|Astronomical unit|AU}}); Vesta 2.36 AU; Ceres 2.77 AU; Jupiter 5.20 AU; Pluto 39.26 AU; The day of publication of this comic ''New Horizons'' was at 0.34 AU from Pluto and 32.55 AU from the Sun [http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Where-is-New-Horizons/index.php].<br />
<br />
In the first panel we see Cueball and Ponytail standing in front of a large computer monitor, waiting for ''New Horizons'' to approach Pluto, turn communications on, and give them their first image of the planet's surface. Apparently a rocket scientist named Steve miscalculated the Jupiter slingshot maneuver for NASA's ''New Horizons'' mission, leading the probe to slingshot back towards Earth instead of towards Pluto. Needless to say, this is a huge embarrassment, especially in front of the successful ''Dawn'' team, who were the first to get a probe to visit a dwarf planet.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests crashing the probe into Steve's house as punishment for his errors.<br />
<br />
This is likely the same Steve from [[809: Los Alamos]] (set in 1945), given the similar contexts. If so, his calculations may be even more erroneous due to senile dementia.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Cueball]] and [[Ponytail]] are standing in front of a large computer console. Cueball's hands are on the keyboard; both are looking at the screen.<nowiki>]</nowiki><br />
:Cueball: We made it! After all these years, ''New Horizons'' is finally revealing the surface of Pluto!<br />
:Ponytail: Take ''that'', ''Dawn'' team.<br />
<br />
:<nowiki>[</nowiki>In the next four frames, we see photos, entirely black except for a circle in the middle. The circle is initially small, indistinct and appears in shades of grey; the successive circles are larger showing more color and shade variation. In the last, we see a blurry but recognizable outline of Africa, the Middle East and part of Western Asia, along with some clouds. The lighting pattern suggests that it is daytime in Africa, sometime in the northern summer.<nowiki>]</nowiki><br />
<br />
:Cueball: OK, who did the calculations for the Jupiter slingshot maneuver?<br />
:Ponytail: (facing away from the computer console) Dammit, Steve...<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>108.162.246.113