https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=108.162.249.231&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T13:32:41ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1451:_Background_Screens&diff=79696Talk:1451: Background Screens2014-11-24T06:30:06Z<p>108.162.249.231: Created page with ""contain irrelevant or irreverent jokes" ~~~~"</p>
<hr />
<div>"contain irrelevant or irreverent jokes" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.231|108.162.249.231]] 06:30, 24 November 2014 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.231https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1448:_Question&diff=793381448: Question2014-11-17T05:34:09Z<p>108.162.249.231: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1448<br />
| date = November 17, 2014<br />
| title = Question<br />
| image = question.png<br />
| titletext = The universe long dead, Isaac surveyed the formless chaos. At last, he had arrived at an answer. 'I like you,' he declared to the void, 'but I don't LIKE like you.'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}<br />
<br />
This is a reference to the short story 'The Last Question' by Isaac Asimov, in which a series of ever-more-powerful computers are asked 'How can Entropy be reversed.' Each time the computer makes a reply about insufficient information for a meaningful answer.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
----<br />
Dear Isaac<br />
----<br />
<br />
Do you like me?<br />
----<br />
<br />
<Empty Cross Box> Yes<br />
----<br />
<br />
<Empty Cross Box> No<br />
----<br />
<br />
<Filled Cross Box> There is as yet insufficient data for a meaningful answer <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>108.162.249.231https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1441:_Turnabout&diff=780921441: Turnabout2014-10-31T07:13:15Z<p>108.162.249.231: Added bit about comic number</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1441<br />
| date = October 31, 2014<br />
| title = Turnabout<br />
| image = turnabout.png<br />
| titletext = Whenever I miss a shot with a sci-fi weapon, I say 'Apollo retroreflector' really fast, just in case.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In the comic, two people are engaging in a battle with laser guns. One appears to gain the upper hand as he jumps on a desk, as the other's shot goes wide. He delivers the classic line [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AnyLastWords "Any last words?"] and is answered with the confusing phrase "Apollo retroreflectors". The earlier wild shot, reflected off the moon, promptly lances down from space and hits him in the back.<br />
<br />
A retroreflector is a device or surface that reflects light back at its source. The [http://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/missions/apollo/apollo_11/experiments/lrr/ Apollo 11], 14 and 15 moon missions placed several such devices on the surface of the Moon to help scientists on Earth measure the distance between the two bodies using laser ranging.<br />
<br />
It is worth noting that the number of this comic is 1441: a 'reflective' palindromic number.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
<br />
[Two people engage in battle using handheld laser guns.]<br />
<br />
[Person 2's shot misses, Person 1 jumps on a desk.]<br />
<br />
Person 1: Any last words?<br />
<br />
Person 2: "Apollo retroreflectors"<br />
<br />
Person 1: What?<br />
<br />
[Person 1 is hit in the back by the reflected shot.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>108.162.249.231https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1439:_Rack_Unit&diff=77960Talk:1439: Rack Unit2014-10-28T02:48:22Z<p>108.162.249.231: </p>
<hr />
<div>Bzzzzz [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.202|108.162.250.202]] 04:52, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
: Bzz ZZ zz bz?! (What did you say about my mother?!) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.26|108.162.216.26]] 19:09, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
:: Bzz, zzz bzzz bz. Bzz zz. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.202|108.162.250.202]] 23:30, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Air Bud has had multiple mentions in his comics, but I don't know all of them. I also think it was mentioned in one of the What-If's. I'll do a quick Google search to see if I can get at least one of them. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 06:55, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Mouse-over text in the final image. http://what-if.xkcd.com/111/ Still searching. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 06:58, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
:http://xkcd.com/115/ [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 07:00, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This comic may be a reference to the highly hyped lack-rack https://wiki.eth0.nl/index.php/LackRack --[[User:Belibem|Belibem]] ([[User talk:Belibem|talk]]) 09:43, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It's unlikely that this was intentional, but this comic is almost the same as this panel from MSPA: http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=003976 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.224|108.162.219.224]] 11:50, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm sure an apiarist might know whether there'd be a problem with air temperature (often chilled), on any bee colony. And with the lack of non-plastic internal flora, and almost certainly some quite severe filtration screens betwixt server environment and the outside world I can't see [i]any[/i] chance for nectar collection. Of course, it's Black Hat, so he's probably worked around both of these (slotted in next to blade servers with consistently warming processors, and maybe a ready nectar supply. But I stil feel for the poor bees, with all those whirring fans of all shapes and sizes, around and within the server room equipment.<br />
(Also, perhaps interesting to note that apparently ''most'' colocatiopn TOSs don't mention beehives. So he found that ''some'' did...) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.112|141.101.99.112]] 12:47, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
: I'd think that a more-or-less simple restriction on interference with other tenants and their equipment would be sufficient to proscribe Black-Hat from causing any issues with his bees (officially, at least), wouldn't it? So perhaps it's as simple as a TOS that only proscribes ''electromagnetic'' interference (maybe even touching equipment of other tenants), but nothing involving ''bees'' per se? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 13:11, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Lack of non-plastic flora might not be a problem, since honeybees are opportunists, and will gather any sugary liquid they can find. Someone once told me that the bees in the Smithsonian's observation hive made honey from what they found in discarded beverage containers left around the mall by human pedestrians. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.153|173.245.54.153]] 01:11, 28 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
What does "similar pitches" in the comic mean? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.73|108.162.216.73]]<br />
:not entirely sure about an industry-general term, but there is mention of "tile pitch" here: http://www.dell.com/downloads/global/products/pedge/en/energy-smart-containment-rack-deployment-guide-dell.pdf -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 14:41, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Ah, here's something I [http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E19088-01/v445.srvr/819-5730-10/rackmount.html found]: "Aisle pitch is the distance from the center of one cold aisle to the center of the next cold aisle either to the left or right. Data centers often use a seven-tile aisle pitch. This measurement allows two 2 x 2 foot (0.61 x 0.61 m) floor tiles in the cold aisle, 3 feet (0.9 m) in the hot aisle, and a 42-inch (1-m) allowance for the depth of the cabinet or rack."<br />
:...and though it doesn't seem the term "pitch" is used in bee keeping that I can find, there are probably generally followed guidelines on spacing... http://www.tillysnest.com/2012/04/placement-of-beehives.html -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 14:49, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Per [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitch wikipedia] -- " "Pitch" is widely used to describe the distance between repeated elements in a structure possessing translational symmetry". This would include things like server racks (the distance from the bottom of one slot to the bottom of the next), beehives (the distance from one pane to the next). You commonly hear it in relation to airline seats ("seat pitch" -- the distance from one seat to the next, as a measure of the relative comfort of airline seats) but it is a more general term. [[User:Vyzen|Vyzen]] ([[User talk:Vyzen|talk]]) 15:13, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Engineer here - The term pitch is used to describe the distance between repeating items. For example: The holes have a 10mm pitch = There is a hole every 10mm. I've added the pitch spec for server racks and beehives, which are not too dissimilar. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:27, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Without looking it up (sorry, feeling lazy), it occurs to me that the term pitch might ultimately have derived from screwthreads. Pitching (especially when it comes to ships, and by extension air and space-craft) regards a sloping angle, and the angle of the thread dictates the linear distance between each circuit of the ridge/thread element. This latter property is more handily measured than the perpendicular angle away from the pure tangent (assuming not multi-threaded, although that's rarer in nuts and bolts, etc, due to less inherent mechanical advantage), and so while the cutting may have been dictated by the angle (i.e. pitch), the definition quickly becomes standardised against the linear periodicity, and thus becomes used even in describing perfectly square measurements, such as screwholes in racking. Just an idle thought. That adds nothing to the discussion. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.112|141.101.99.112]] 21:55, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Actually, the pitch of the frames in a Langstroth hive is variable. Some beekeepers use ten frames to a super (box) and others use nine or eight, spacing them by eye. With too much space between frames, the bees tend to build bridge comb (a form of undesired "burr comb") between frames, making it difficult to work the hive. Frames sometimes need to be taken out, mostly for inspection or honey harvesting. "Bee space" is a familiar concept to every modern beekeeper. Much less than 3/16" between components, and the bees will seal that space shut with bee glue, or propolis. Much more than 3/8" and they will fill the vacancy with wild comb, or burr comb. Spaces dimensioned between those limits are left clear for bees to move around in. I'm having fun imagining going into a server rack with a smoker and hive tool (a little pry bar to separate the supers and unglue the frames from their support.) <br />
<br />
:::Orienting the frames horizontally in a normally situated rack would be a deal-breaker, though. Honeycomb cells are built with their bases on a vertical foundation, with each cell having a slight upward tilt, on the order of 10° to 12°, so that the nectar doesn't fall out. The bees fan their wings to ventilate the hive, reducing the nectar's water content and increasing its viscosity, but they also manage the ventilation to maintain a certain warmth around the brood comb. At that temperature, honey flows pretty well. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.153|173.245.54.153]] 01:28, 28 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I wouldn't bee suprised if this became of those 'reality imitates art' situations, and somebody goes and makes a beehive out of an old server cabinet. I'll just leave [http://www.ebay.com/itm/18U-SERVER-RACK-DATA-NETWORK-CABINET-19-INCH-600-W-x450-D-x-1000-H-NEW-/191337505928?pt=UK_Computing_Rackmount_Cabinets_Frames&hash=item2c8c9aa488 this eBay auction] here.... --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:31, 27 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::: I'd be cautious if I were to do this. This is one of those projects that could develop some serious bugs...<br />
<br />
This is certainly related to the famous ant-farm-computer, Hex, invented by Terry Pratchett. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_(Discworld) Anthill Inside!] ::: [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.231|108.162.249.231]] 02:48, 28 October 2014 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.231https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:162:_Angular_Momentum&diff=76485Talk:162: Angular Momentum2014-09-30T03:03:12Z<p>108.162.249.231: </p>
<hr />
<div>The issue date is not given, as i don't have a clue about it. Could someone fix this? [[User:Rikthoff|Rikthoff]] ([[User talk:Rikthoff|talk]]) 19:30, 3 August 2012 (EDT)<br />
<br />
:When the page was updated to the new comic template by [[User:Bpothier]] he fixed the date. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 20:48, 28 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
That actually is a neat physics puzzle, which has probably (i.e. certainly) been addressed somewhere on the net. I may incorporate that some day. --[[User:Quicksilver|Quicksilver]] ([[User talk:Quicksilver|talk]]) 05:58, 24 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I tried to calculate the change in Earth's period, assuming that she was standing in the north pole (latitude = 90º N), where her spinning would have more effect. I either did something wrong, or my TI-84 Plus is not capable of detecting the very small effect her spinning would have on the Earth's rotation. I assumed the Earth had a period of exactly 24 hours, and got the same value to the second, even if she was spinning at 1000 turns per second, which seems like a lot.<br />
<br />
Here's the formula:<br />
<br />
L_Earth_i = L_Earth_f + L_spinner <=><br />
<br />
I_Earth * (2*PI)/T_Earth_i = I_Earth * (2*PI)/T_Earth_f + I_spinner* (2*PI) * f_spinner <=><br />
<br />
(1/T_Earth_f) = (1/T_Earth_i) - (I_spinner/I_Earth)*f_spinner <=><br />
<br />
T_Earth_f = 1/((1/T_Earth_i) - (I_spinner/I_Earth)*f_spinner)<br />
<br />
<br />
Where the variables have names in the format:<br />
<br />
[variable name]_[object it refers to]_[situation (i or f stand for initial and final)]<br />
<br />
<br />
L = Angular Moment<br />
<br />
I = Moment of Inertia<br />
<br />
T = Period of rotation about one's axis<br />
<br />
f = frequency<br />
<br />
<br />
I used as values:<br />
<br />
T_Earth_i = 86400 seconds (24 hours exactly)<br />
<br />
I_spinner = 62,04 Kg.m^2 (Found on Wolfram|Alpha, for a 62Kg adult human being)<br />
<br />
I_Earth = 8,03e+37 Kg.m^2 (http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/physics/MomentofInertiaEarth.html)<br />
<br />
f_spinner = the frequency of the woman's spinning in complete turns per second. {{unsigned ip|2.82.142.28}}<br />
<br />
:Taking that a bit further, the relative decrease is:<br />
<br />
(T_Earth_f - T_Earth_i)/T_Earth_i = 1 / (I_Earth/(I_spinner*T_Earth_i*f_spinner) - 1)<br />
= 1 / ( 1.5 e+28 - 1) ~= 67 e-30<br />
<br />
:Fwiw, the absolute value is 5.767 yocto-seconds. If the ''entire'' world population would spin at that 1000 turns per second (and at favourable locations as in your assumptions), the effect will still be a measly 0.041 pico-seconds. So T_Earth_f = 86 399.999 999 999 999 958 ... But the TI-84 only has about 14 digits precision, i believe, so even that won't show up. -- [[Special:Contributions/173.245.51.210|173.245.51.210]] 22:46, 30 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is it possible for someone to write an equation that factors in latitude (and, if relevant, longitude) that we could plug our locations into and get a value from? That would be awesome. Thanks. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.208|108.162.250.208]] 02:48, 23 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The visual style and theme of this comic is clearly referencing the 'Spinning Ballerina Optical Illusion' (evidenced by the grey-to-white gradient 'glow', as well as her arm and leg positions).<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.231|108.162.249.231]] 03:03, 30 September 2014 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.231https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1418:_Horse&diff=75433Talk:1418: Horse2014-09-08T10:10:01Z<p>108.162.249.231: </p>
<hr />
<div>*May the horse be with you Luke.<br />
*The horse is strong with this one.<br />
*I felt a tremor in the horse.<br />
Why did he forget SW. That is not like Randall ;) [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:50, 8 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Following up on the title text... "Why was he suspended?" "Due to allegations of excessive horse."<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.201|173.245.56.201]] 09:01, 8 September 2014 (UTC) Siuntio<br />
<br />
So I linked it to the old substitutions page - gjgfuj [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.219|108.162.250.219]] 10:05, 8 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Like the "Clouds-to-butts" plugin for Chrome.</div>108.162.249.231https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd_talk:Sandbox&diff=72589explain xkcd talk:Sandbox2014-07-31T00:07:40Z<p>108.162.249.231: Testing...</p>
<hr />
<div>__NOINDEX__<br />
Make changes, try things out, or just have fun with the wiki here! Just leave everything above the line alone, please.<br />
------<br />
<br />
Edit here, anonymously if you like!</div>108.162.249.231https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Sandbox&diff=72588explain xkcd:Sandbox2014-07-31T00:06:29Z<p>108.162.249.231: Testing...</p>
<hr />
<div>__NOINDEX__<br />
Make changes, try things out, or just have fun with the wiki here! Just leave everything above the line alone, please.<br />
------<br />
<br />
Edit here, anonymously if you like!</div>108.162.249.231https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:24:_Godel,_Escher,_Kurt_Halsey&diff=67208Talk:24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey2014-05-13T06:36:01Z<p>108.162.249.231: </p>
<hr />
<div>I have been told during editing comic [[287]] that the trivia should be below the transcript. But can see here that this is not always the case. As I have stated in the talk on that comic it would make so much more sense to have the interesting trivia above the (in most cases) uninteresting transcript. I only look into the last if I cannot easily read the text. But the trivia info is always interesting to me. And often the transcript is long enough that I would not notice a trivia entry below. I may now know better, but new users may overlook interesting bits of info. If there is a "rule" I would suggest it was changed to the format that this comic had when I wrote this entry. Trivia before transcript. (Written here only because it is todays [[explain xkcd:Incomplete Explanation of the Day |Incomplete Explanation of the Day]]). [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:07, 14 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
:The trivia section doesn't belong to any explanation. Like other wikis do, it's at the bottom of the page. If there is important content belonging to the explain section it has to be moved. Trivia means triviality and contains only some sidesteps to some similar issues or even more. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:54, 14 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
::Agree but the trivia header makes that clear. The transcript is not a normal part of wikis so could have been at the bottom. That is just my opinion. I will not move any trivia sections! And I can see you have corrected the error here so the trivia is now at the bottom. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:59, 16 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::This layout isn't an invention by me. But I think that it's correct to show some remarks, but if it doesn't explain the comic it belongs to a special section at the bottom. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:07, 16 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
This comic is on the "incomplete explanation of the day" like twice a week these days. Is everyone just like me and literally helpless? Because we didn't have this problem when the two Online Communities were undergoing rewrites [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.204|199.27.130.204]] 18:51, 3 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
:I think it's sill to require a 'complete' explanation of a somewhat abstract comic. Any 'explanation' is only someone's interpretation. ~~Bob 14:34, 13 May 2014</div>108.162.249.231https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=881:_Probability&diff=64749881: Probability2014-04-07T08:55:58Z<p>108.162.249.231: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 881<br />
| date = April 4, 2011<br />
| title = Probability<br />
| image = probability.png<br />
| titletext = My normal approach is useless here, too.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are sitting on a hospital bed, reading a piece of paper with the statistics for {{w|breast cancer}} survival. It looks like Megan has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. The thick line represents the survival rate distribution (probability to be alive after X years, unconditioned): 81% are alive at 5 years, while 77% survive to 10 years. The dashed line represents the {{w|hazard function}} (in very loose terms, the risk of failing/dying at time t+delta after having survived until time t), which is the rate between the density of the failure distribution and the survival function.<br />
<br />
[[Randall]] wrote this comic after his fiancee was diagnosed with breast cancer. Two months after posting this strip, he posted [http://blog.xkcd.com/2011/06/30/family-illness/ this blog post] explaining the cancer strips.<br />
<br />
The title text could be a reference to the comic [[55: Useless]]. Cueball's (and [[Randall]]'s) normal approach — math — isn't much help in dealing with ''this'' emotional situation, either. The phrase "normal approach" may also in this case be a pun on the {{w|Normal distribution}}, which is another probability distribution that is commonly used in statistics. Interpreted this way, the title text states that the "Normal distribution" is not used as a hazard function.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A plot of percent vs. years, with a solid and a dashed line. The solid line starts at 100%, and drops constantly. The dashed line starts around 85%, rises to 95% after 5 years, then drops.]<br />
<br />
:[A simple table.]<br />
:{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
| &#8199;5 years<br />
| 81%<br />
|-<br />
| 10 years<br />
| 77%<br />
|}<br />
<br />
:[Cueball and Megan are sitting on a bench, next to an Intravenous drip hanging from a rack. Cueball is holding a paper.]<br />
:Cueball: You know, probability used to be my favorite branch of math<br />
:Cueball: Because it had so many real-life applications.<br />
<br />
:[They embrace, faces together.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Romance]]<br />
[[Category:Cancer]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Statistics]]</div>108.162.249.231https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1242:_Scary_Names&diff=64127Talk:1242: Scary Names2014-04-03T05:06:23Z<p>108.162.249.231: </p>
<hr />
<div>;Zero Halliburton<br />
What is "A Zero Halliburton briefcase"? [[Special:Contributions/212.232.24.57|212.232.24.57]] 13:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Zero Halliburton is a luggage brand name, with a line of aluminum attache cases. Not connected to the big company Halliburton, associated with former US Vice President Cheney and the war in Iraq. [[User:Wrybred|Wrybred]] ([[User talk:Wrybred|talk]]) 13:57, 24 July 2013 (UTC)wrybred<br />
<br />
::The history of Zero Halliburton luggage does intersect with the founder of Halliburton Company, Erle P. Halliburton. He needed rugged cases, so he started a company to produce them. He sold it to Zero Corporation. [http://www.zerohalliburton.com/about-our-company.html]. ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
;Military Aide/Secret Service Agent<br />
Isn't the nuclear football carried by a military aide, not a Secret Service agent? [[Special:Contributions/167.165.238.254|167.165.238.254]] 14:18, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Probably. I don't really know what I'm talking about. If you think you can improve on what I wrote, go for it! [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:24, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Yes. "Cheney noted that the president is accompanied at all times by a military aide carrying a 'football' that contains launch codes for nuclear weapons. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/21/AR2008122100869.html] ''&mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 14:26, 24 July 2013 (UTC)''<br />
<br />
:::I assume it's called 'football' because in the USA footballs are usually carried by hand. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 15:16, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Early plans for nuclear war against the Soviets were codenamed "Dropkick". [[Special:Contributions/193.67.17.36|193.67.17.36]] 16:23, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Helvetica Scenario<br />
I think the "Helvetica Scenario" explanation is wrong, but I don't know enough about it to feel comfortable editing. Here's an article I found that makes more sense. http://enigmauniversity.wikia.com/wiki/Helvetica_Scenario (I didn't watch the Youtube clip since I'm at work, so maybe that's what the clip refers to. It should be explained in the article instead.) [[User:Trek7553|Trek7553]] ([[User talk:Trek7553|talk]]) 14:45, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:To the best of my knowledge, the page you linked to is a work of fiction on a role-playing wiki. The references to calcium imply that it is based off of the Look Around You segment, but with its own added elements for the sake of role-playing. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:53, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::I changed this section. The video is correct, but the horror scene is just showing a possible result of the Helvetica experiment.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:19, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::That sounds much better now. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 18:06, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::: I know what you mean but I like the statement "...the page you linked to is a work of fiction..." - the Helvetica Scenario is a work of fiction! But yes, that is a derivative work, the original source being Look Around You.<br />
<br />
:::: Having just looked at the edits, Dgbrt is getting seriously confused. The Helvetica Scenario is not real, and is completely made up by the TV program Look Around You. Urban dictionary is entirely based on the original invention by L.A.Y. It is not a real thing!<br />
<br />
;Arbitrary Scariness Formatting<br />
I have a slight issue with the artificial percentage scale given for entries in the chart. First of all it assumes a linear chart that is measured in percentages. Secondly, it assumes Flesh-eating Bacteria is 100% scariest thing and scariest-sounding thing existant. Just because it's the highest on the chart doesn't make it "100%" (again, percentage seems like an arbitrary scale to assign) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 16:22, 24 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I disagree on your second point. The explanation expresses the scariness of something as a percentage of Flesh-eating Bacteria BECAUSE it is an arbitrary scale. It doesn't imply that the bacteria is the scariest possible thing. I think this is the best way; it's better than saying "Grey goo isn't as scary sounding, but is scarier than..." for all possible combinations of every item.<br>Also on your first point, it doesn't assume the chart is measured in percentages (although it does assume linearity). [[Special:Contributions/174.88.154.131|174.88.154.131]] 12:30, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::How about we just give the pixel coordinates and point out that the scale is arbitrary (or not defined by the comic). Percentage would suggest that the scale is in some way linear, which you actually cannot conclude from the graph. --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 13:08, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Initially I had written out "Not very scary", "Somewhat scary", "Fairly scary", etc. but it seemed simpler and much easier to read and sort to simply use arbitrary percentages. [[User:RouterIncident|RouterIncident]] ([[User talk:RouterIncident|talk]]) 14:55, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:As there are no values or units listed, Randall's dots are fairly arbitrary, probably plotted relative to each other and to a roughly-equal apparent-to-actual-scariness line. So isn't it a little silly to argue about the listing of an arbitrary scale for these arbitrary values? [[Special:Contributions/138.162.8.57|138.162.8.57]] 15:57, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::In my opinion the percentages are over interpreting the comic. But since it is here it should be explained as position on the graph relative to zero.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:19, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::The percentages are perfectly fine. They just need to be interpreted as what they are: percentages of scary, relative to flesh eating bacteria. Flesh eating bacteria = 1 unit of scary. In this situation 110% isn't just a metaphor. If the bacteria was the scariest thing nothing would be off the chart. [[User:Db|db]] ([[User talk:Db|talk]]) 06:11, 17 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Really I think the point of the comic is how superficial perception and reality fail to correlate. That's what is so notable about flesh eating bacteria. It lives up to it's name. A rare thing indeed. [[User:Db|db]] ([[User talk:Db|talk]]) 06:11, 17 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
What is missing about the transcript? It describes the comic panel perfectly. there is no dialogue to include. could you please be more specific about what you feel is missing from the transcript? @dgbrt [[User:Mrarch|Mrarch]] ([[User talk:Mrarch|talk]]) 00:37, 3 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
:A transcript should not contain a sentence like: "Items within the scatter plot are listed in the table above." --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:02, 3 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
::I think that the transcript should not contain anything except for the text in the comic. They should be used for searching, not for reconstructing comics completely in text form. --[[User:Bob|Bob]] 13:00, 3 April 2014</div>108.162.249.231https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1345:_Answers&diff=63175Talk:1345: Answers2014-03-22T07:52:08Z<p>108.162.249.231: </p>
<hr />
<div>Not true. We know that sleep is important for storing memories and cleaning out toxins. http://www.nih.gov/news/health/oct2013/ninds-17.htm [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.89|108.162.222.89]] 11:06, 21 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
:That report is entitled "Brain may flush out toxins during sleep". Note the "may". Add it to the list of hypotheses. [[User:Jim E|Jim E]] ([[User talk:Jim E|talk]]) 15:49, 21 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The idea is that we do not know why we evolved to need sleep, when microorganisms do not sleep. If we had evolved without developing the need to sleep we'd also have evolved another way to retain memories and flush toxins. There is no truly biological reasons why a species would evolve the need to sleep when the option to be alert all the time is more obvious, as it means there is less risk of attack and danger.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.16|108.162.219.16]] 20:00, 21 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Stupid personalized jokes and the like in this explanation... [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.174|173.245.53.174]] 11:19, 21 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'm not sure this is the correct explanation.<br />
The paradox of being confronted daily with a mystery and not trying to solve it is inconsistent with the title text. So this explanation doesn't sound right to me.<br />
I think it's more about defining humanity as seeking for answers, while spending a huge amount of time closing off from the world for apparently no reason.<br />
In other words, IMHO, it's not about "[not being] distracted by this mystery", but about "not being able to investigate any mystery during 1/3 of our life even if we want to".<br />
<br />
Also, with my explanation, the original puchline "touché" works better than the the current explanation's suggestion "Which is why it keeps me awake all night". -- Shirluban@[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.36|108.162.229.36]] 12:28, 21 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I disagree with the above poster (and agree with the explanation) on the basis of the boldface text... "And nobody knows why". Every human sleeps, so if humans were really curious, someone should have figured out why by now.[[User:Nsimonetti|NikoNarf]] ([[User talk:Nsimonetti|talk]]) 14:23, 21 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I agree with the original poster. It is interesting how people spend their entire careers studying a life event that they may never experience (consider a man studying the act of giving birth), yet most of us simply take sleep for granted. Now if we could only make sleep more efficient! I think we could spare a couple months worth of study to this. http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1205 [[User:Puck0687|Puck0687]] ([[User talk:Puck0687|talk]]) 14:53, 21 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
We could spare quite a lot more than a couple months on this. First, 1205 talks about the benefit over five years, and for us the benefit would be over an entire lifetime. Furthermore, far more people don't study sleep than study it, so the "couple months" you talk about can be multiplied by the total population of people who benefit (both alive today and yet to live), and divided by the population of people studying sleep. That gets you quite a lot more than two months. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.11|108.162.219.11]] 16:18, 21 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I've thought for a while that the ''reason'' we sleep is primarily due to the accumulation of adenosine in the brain (?) - who really knows... [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 16:02, 21 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The title text is referring to a statement William Dement (Stanford University) actually said. Source: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/05/sleep/max-text [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.117|108.162.245.117]] 17:35, 21 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I disagree with the notion that we are no longer curious while we are sleeping (implied perhaps only by me?). I have awoken from sleep with answers to questions I went to bed with (or at least possible explanations to investigate). Brain activity has not stopped while we are asleep. I believe we have at least correlated benefits to sleep (or adverse consequences to the lack of sleep) but we don't know how much further down the root cause tree we still need to go - e.g why does sleep help with memory and weight loss and muscle repair. [[User:Ghaller825|Ghaller825]] ([[User talk:Ghaller825|talk]]) 19:23, 21 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
just becuase we are hungry does not mean we are fed. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.231|108.162.249.231]] 07:52, 22 March 2014 (UTC)</div>108.162.249.231