https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=141.101.99.41&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T19:11:10ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2206:_Mavis_Beacon&diff=180345Talk:2206: Mavis Beacon2019-09-23T18:44:01Z<p>141.101.99.41: /* So the # key, then? */ new section</p>
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== So the # key, then? ==<br />
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Shifted or not? The implication is that it is, since that's where ‘~’ is. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.41|141.101.99.41]] 18:44, 23 September 2019 (UTC)</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2202:_Earth-Like_Exoplanet&diff=1799282202: Earth-Like Exoplanet2019-09-16T06:03:52Z<p>141.101.99.41: </p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2202<br />
| date = September 13, 2019<br />
| title = Earth-Like Exoplanet<br />
| image = earth_like_exoplanet.png<br />
| titletext = Fire is actually a potential biosignature, since it means something is filling the atmosphere with an unstable gas like oxygen. If we find a planet covered in flames, it might be an indicator that it supports life—or used to, anyway, before the fire.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by an EXOPLANET SURVIVOR. The term "swinging blades" makes sense to me, but I cannot find any references to how and when this is used by googling. Anyone can help improve the explanation about this sentence, with a citation to its use? Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
[[Megan]] is making a public statement about the discovery of water in the atmosphere of an [[:Category:Exoplanets|exoplanet]] in the {{w|habitable zone}}, almost, making it the most Earth-like {{w|exoplanet}} we have so far discovered., hence the title But far from stating that this means she is expecting life there, she first lists four characteristics which would be counterproductive for the evolution of life (or at least for complex life forms), before mentioning the detection of water vapor in the atmosphere. Her conclusion is that if there is any life there, we would be most likely to detect it from the screams of pain it would be producing, living in such a hostile environment. She describes the four negative traits, that she mentions in the third panel, as swinging blades, i.e. things that try to kill you. Life has to negotiate these to prosper even if the planet has a water rich atmosphere.<br />
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This comic is a reference to the {{w|K2-18b#Discovery_of_water|recent discovery}} of water vapor in the atmosphere of exoplanet {{w|K2-18b}}. The planet was discovered already in 2015 by the {{w|Kepler (spacecraft)|Kepler Space Observatory}}, orbiting the {{w|red dwarf}} star {{w|K2-18}}. {{w|Extraterrestrial liquid water|Water on exoplanets}} is considered a {{w|biosignature}}, meaning it's an indicator that there could be life there. However, as Megan reveals the planet's other characteristics, it becomes clear that it is unlikely to actually support life, and in fact is actually a horrible hellscape. The question of habitability by higher forms of life is profoundly different than the way {{w|astrobiology|astrobiologists}} use the term for microbes. Even a "survivable zone" can't mitigate the description of just how inhospitable this new wet planet would be to life as we know it, save possibly for {{w|extremophile}} organisms. In the comic [[1231: Habitable Zone]], this zone was the subject.<br />
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The planet being {{w|Tidal locking|tidally locked}} indicates that the same side would face the planet's star year-round, meaning half of the planet would be in constant day and the other half would be in constant night. It is believed that {{w|K2-18b#Physical_characteristics|K2-18b is tidally locked}}. Based on our (admittedly limited) understanding of life, {{w|abiogenesis}} can only occur in environments with liquid water; however, the day hemisphere would likely be so hot that all water found there would be in a gaseous state, and all water found in the night hemisphere would likely be frozen due to the intense cold. If life were to be found on this exoplanet, it would be in the twilight strip, a thin ring around the edge separating the two hemispheres where sunlight can reach but is refracted by the atmosphere. The environment in the twilight strip would thus experience something akin to an eternal sunset, and temperatures there would be moderate enough to allow life to come about.<br />
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Unfortunately, the other characteristics of the exoplanet severely undermine our chances of finding life even in its twilight strip, as there are many problems with the {{w|habitability of red dwarf systems}}.<br />
* {{w|Stellar flare|Stellar flares}} are ejections of radiation and plasma from a star, and a planet being blasted with these searing hot flares probably wouldn't readily support life. These are {{w|Habitability_of_red_dwarf_systems#Variability|common}} for red dwarfs, which can often be of the {{w|flare star}} type. <br />
* Meteors are chunks of material that enter a planet's atmosphere, and if the planet is "blasted" by them it is likely that many of them are impacting the surface, thus becoming meteorites. As we know from {{w|Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event|the extinction of the dinosaurs}}, meteorites can have a sharply negative effect on a planet's habitability. There seems, however, to be no reason to believe this is a particular problem for this type of star system.<br />
* Strong acids are present in some planetary atmospheres, {{w|Atmosphere_of_Venus#Composition|including sulfuric acid in Venus's}}, and their hypothetical presence in the exoplanet's atmosphere would make life there even less likely. While life that evolves in a highly acidic environment might be able to withstand it, most life on Earth reacts poorly to strong acids. There is no reason to believe that the atmosphere of K2-18b is acidic. Apart from water the {{w|K2-18b#Discovery_of_water|atmosphere mainly consists}} of hydrogen and helium. However, there is also reason to believe the planet has {{w|K2-18b#Discovery_of_water|no solid surface}}.<br />
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"Biosignatures in the form of screaming" suggests that any life that had developed on the planet would be in continuous pain or fear due to their hazardous surroundings. In addition, this suggests that the screaming of these organisms would cause ripples in the atmosphere which we should be able to detect light-years away through the vacuum of space, and that it would be more noticeable than other signs of life (such as the spectra from the ash produced by burning organic material.)<br />
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The title text mentions that fire could indicate the presence of life. Sustaining a fire over time requires a sufficient supply of oxidiser. A steady supply of oxygen as oxidiser could be provided by plant life, which is the case on Earth. However, the plants known on earth could not survive on a flaming planet. It is worth noting that the title text mentions fire only as a potential biosignature since oxidisers other than oxygen exist and and plants aren't its only possible source. It also mentions that such a fire would help indicate that the planet '''had''' supported life, '''before''' the gas released by the native life forms was ignited.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:[Side view of Megan standing behind a lectern, speaking to an off-panel audience in front of her. Two people from the audience react to her statement.]<br />
:Megan: We've discovered the most earth-like exoplanet yet!<br />
:Off-panel voices: ''Yay!!''<br />
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:[Front view of Megan behind lectern:]<br />
:Megan: Well, it's in the habitable zone. Habitable-ish. "Habitable."<br />
:Megan: The survivable zone.<br />
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:[In a frameless panel with the same setting as before, Megan holds her left hand out with palm up.]<br />
:Megan: It's tidally locked. And blasted with stellar flares. And probably meteors. And bathed in acid.<br />
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:[Closeup side view of Megan, now holding up a finger on her left hand. Again an unseen audience member replies.]<br />
:Megan: But we've detected water vapor! In between all the swinging blades.<br />
:Off-panel voice: I see.<br />
:Megan: We're hoping to find biosignatures in the form of screaming.<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Exoplanets]]<br />
[[Category:Public speaking]]</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2201:_Foucault_Pendulum&diff=179711Talk:2201: Foucault Pendulum2019-09-12T04:13:40Z<p>141.101.99.41: </p>
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I take it the pendulum is somewhere deep underground, which would shield Black Hat from the cataclysmic side effects?<br />
Besides, they have several backup pendulums that while not enough to maintain rotation are sufficient to slow the half enough to preserve life.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.149|108.162.212.149]] 20:11, 11 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
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If the pendulum could really affect Earth's rotation, Black Hat wouldn't need to stop the pendulum entirely; he'd only need to prevent its plane of oscillation from rotating. Another thought: if the pendulum and Earth's rotation were really bidirectionally linked somehow, there would probably be nothing Black Hat could do to alter the pendulum's plane of oscillation -- any more than he could alter the rotation of the Earth with just one human being's strength. That last thought doesn't seem to be the case within this story, though, or else the final frame's news report wouldn't have happened. [[User:Trueflint|Trueflint]] ([[User talk:Trueflint|talk]]) 20:46, 11 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
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Why does the description description Megan as a "professor?" She could just as easily be a teacher, a docent, a scientifically-interested parent, or just a random bystander. 11 September 2019<br />
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The sentence "It stays in a fixed plane while the Earth rotates under it." and the correspoding text in explanation are wrong. It would be true only if the pendulum was located on one of Earth's poles. Elsewhere, the plane in which the pendulum moves would still rotate with respect to its surrondings, but slower than on the pole. The rotation speed is proportional to the sine of latitude. At the equator, the plane would stay fixed with respect to its surroundings. See [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault_pendulum#Explanation_of_mechanics Wikipedia].--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.207|162.158.93.207]] 23:45, 11 September 2019 (UTC)</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2201:_Foucault_Pendulum&diff=179710Talk:2201: Foucault Pendulum2019-09-12T04:11:11Z<p>141.101.99.41: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
I take it the pendulum is somewhere deep underground, which would shield Black Hat from the cataclysmic side effects?<br />
Besides, they have several backup pendulums that while not enough to maintain rotation are sufficient to slow the half enough to preserve life.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.149|108.162.212.149]] 20:11, 11 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
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If the pendulum could really affect Earth's rotation, Black Hat wouldn't need to stop the pendulum entirely; he'd only need to prevent its plane of oscillation from rotating. Another thought: if the pendulum and Earth's rotation were really bidirectionally linked somehow, there would probably be nothing Black Hat could do to alter the pendulum's plane of oscillation -- any more than he could alter the rotation of the Earth with just one human being's strength. That last thought doesn't seem to be the case within this story, though, or else the final frame's news report wouldn't have happened. [[User:Trueflint|Trueflint]] ([[User talk:Trueflint|talk]]) 20:46, 11 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
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Why does the description description Megan as a "professor?" She could just as easily be a teacher, a docent, a scientifically-interested parent, or just a random bystander. 11 September 2019<br />
:I agree, and will be bold and change it. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.41|141.101.99.41]] 04:11, 12 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
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The sentence "It stays in a fixed plane while the Earth rotates under it." and the correspoding text in explanation are wrong. It would be true only if the pendulum was located on one of Earth's poles. Elsewhere, the plane in which the pendulum moves would still rotate with respect to its surrondings, but slower than on the pole. The rotation speed is proportional to the sine of latitude. At the equator, the plane would stay fixed with respect to its surroundings. See [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault_pendulum#Explanation_of_mechanics Wikipedia].--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.207|162.158.93.207]] 23:45, 11 September 2019 (UTC)</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2133:_EHT_Black_Hole_Picture&diff=1723872133: EHT Black Hole Picture2019-04-07T20:22:56Z<p>141.101.99.41: Javascript prevents right clicks, not css</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2133<br />
| date = April 5, 2019<br />
| title = EHT Black Hole Picture<br />
| image = eht_black_hole_picture.png<br />
| titletext = [five years later] Ok, it seems we were accidentally zoomed in slightly too far. But imagine there's a cool-looking twisted accretion disc just outside this black square!<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by COSMIC RAYS FROM A BLACK HOLE. Needs more explanation. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This comic references the {{w|Event Horizon Telescope}}, an international project dedicated to imaging {{w|black hole}}s Sagittarius A* and M87 with angular resolution comparable in size to their event horizons. The first image of Sagittarius A* will be released to the public on Wednesday, April 10, 2019, five days from this comic's release.<br />
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The image was produced from data gathered since 2006, collected by over a dozen radio telescopes around the world and combined through a process called {{w|interferometry}}. Normally, a telescope's resolution is limited by the size of its aperture, but by recording radio signals at multiple sites, the minute differences between the signals can be digitally processed into an image with much higher resolution. The telescopes used for the EHT are in Hawaii, North and South America, Europe, and Antarctica, and so the effective diameter of the collective EHT is almost the size of the Earth itself. As each telescope recorded observations of the black holes, the results were written to hard drives and mailed to observatories at {{w|MIT}} and the {{w|Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy}} for processing. <!-- Should add remarks here about how many petabytes of data were processed and how much computing power and time was used, when that's announced. --><br />
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For the purposes of this comic strip, however, the process of photographing a black hole is more like taking a conventional digital image, to make a joke by analogy to real-world difficult experiences capturing important moments.<br />
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The comic shows [[Cueball]] giving a press conference on the recent photographing of a black hole. However, the photograph is a disappointment, caused by the spectacular failure of several systems:<br />
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* You cannot download the picture.<br />
Obviously, it would be quite impractical to fail to reliably provide this in an astronomical system. Cueball describes the system as being like {{w|Pinterest}}, where JS prevents you from right-clicking on an image so that you could save it (or at least attempts to, there are many workarounds).<br />
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* You cannot screenshot the picture.<br />
Cueball states that they then tried to take a screenshot, but the key combination to make a screenshot instead turned off the monitor where the picture was being displayed whenever they tried to use it, requiring extra time and effort each attempt in order to return to the view of the black hole. This could reference the fact that many mobile devices incorporate the power button in their screen shot combination and the power button can also turn off the screen. Laptops and operating systems may also have undocumented key combinations that blank the screen, which users can accidentally press when in a hurry and create further stress for themselves.<br />
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* The viewing period ends before a physical camera can be used.<br />
As a last act of desperation, Cueball took out his phone and attempted to take a photo of the screen showing the black hole, but by that time, the observation had ended, and the photo was lost.<br />
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In reality, none of this ''should'' be an issue as the picture would be immediately saved by the system and would not need to be downloaded from the site, but NASA especially knows that developers of a system can never predict the obscure happenstances that can combine to create failure at the end.<br />
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Cueball then states that they would try to take a picture of a black hole again next year.<br />
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The title text explains that (after presumably five years of annual tries), the picture failed again as the telescope was too zoomed in and only captured a featureless square. Since a black hole by definition returns no light sent to it, the photograph would be entirely black. Researchers however are primarily presumably trying to obtain images of the more interesting edge known as an {{w|accretion disc}}, which could actually be meaningfully photographed. The joke is that the black hole could only be photographed once a year, and in each year some incidental set of mistakes combined to prevent the photograph from actually being shared with anybody. This could be a reference to the {{w|cosmic censorship hypothesis}}, which states that a "naked" singularity cannot be viewed from outside an event horizon, where in this case the censor is some kind of "butterfly of doom" that bedevils astronomers who attempt to image one anyway, similar to some interpretations of the {{w|Novikov self-consistency principle}} (a possible resolution to various {{w|time travel paradoxes}} which asserts that any event which would lead to a paradox must have probability zero).<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is standing behind a lectern, with "Press Conference" and the EHT logo displayed on a projector screen behind him.]<br />
:Cueball: We linked up our observatories, got everything aligned, and there it was:<br />
:Cueball: The first image of a black hole!<br />
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:Out of panel: Can you share the picture?<br />
:Cueball: Well, here's the thing...<br />
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:Cueball: Turns out our telescope feed is like Pinterest, where you can't right-click to save an image.<br />
:Cueball: So we tried to take a screenshot, but the key combination kept turning off the display instead.<br />
<br />
:[The projector screen has changed to show a blurry picture of a white computer screen against a black background. The EHT logo remains.]<br />
:Cueball: I grabbed my phone and tried to take a picture of the screen, but I was too slow. The observation had ended.<br />
:Cueball: We're planning to try again next year, and we'll definitely record the screen this time.<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2129:_1921_Fact_Checker&diff=171680Talk:2129: 1921 Fact Checker2019-03-27T15:29:32Z<p>141.101.99.41: nit picked</p>
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Two gallons of vinegar, huh?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.144|162.158.106.144]] 14:26, 27 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
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While I too respect this fact checker's perspective on what really matters (and what doesn't), it's clear to me that in this fact-obsessed 21st century we cannot let this purported fact go unverified. Get on it, people! ;) [[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 14:32, 27 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
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I fact checked this comic. The text in question is on page 8 of the newspaper, leftmost column, three paragraphs from the bottom. [[User:Billtheplatypus|Billtheplatypus]] ([[User talk:Billtheplatypus|talk]]) 15:12, 27 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
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Wouldn't "whatever" be not worth checking? "Mostly whatever" implies it could be worth checking but beyond current enthusiasm. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.41|141.101.99.41]] 15:29, 27 March 2019 (UTC)</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2127:_Panama_Canal&diff=171582Talk:2127: Panama Canal2019-03-25T14:08:07Z<p>141.101.99.41: Aqueduct over the Bering Strait</p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Can any English majors verify if 'we would had to modify it' in the Title text is grammatically ok or not? It sounds like it should be 'we would have had to modify it' or 'we would've had to...', but I could be wrong or maybe it was intentional? [[User:Stickfigurefan|Stickfigurefan]] ([[User talk:Stickfigurefan|talk]]) 18:45, 22 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
:Pretty sure it is just a missing word and yes I think "have" is the missing word so ''we would have had to modify it'' was the intention. Maybe it will be corrected, the comic has only been up 20 minutes now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:53, 22 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
:But as written, you can split the title text exactly in half (at the the space after "would", and including the final period). "Have" doesn't work--the two halves aren't even--"halve" works...but then you have to split it as "ha|lve". [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]])<br />
:Hm, there also appears to be another missing word: "...would ['ve/of/have] had to modify it [to] include...". I was hoping there was a joke in the shorter cut--representing the standard Panama palindrome--crossing the longer title text (represented in the vertical canal, leaving an improperly-cut "have", either as 've or "of") but two missing words doesn't seem to fit that hope. [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]])<br />
:The title text reads as if Randall was sleepy, drunk, or distracted. The missing words are common typos. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.114|172.68.65.114]] 02:13, 23 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
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Fun fact: The portion of the Arctic–Antarctic Canal that passes through central Panamá actually runs from south to north (or at least southwest to northeast), rather than from north to south! —[[User:TobyBartels|TobyBartels]] ([[User talk:TobyBartels|talk]]) 19:58, 22 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
:The actual Panama Canal runs West to East from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Both are due to the fact that Panama is a bit of an S shape. [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 00:17, 23 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
:: Right, that's the ''real'' fun fact. Mine is a fun fact in the alternate universe where Cueball's canal proposal was accepted. But I'm pleased that both of these can be seen on Randall's maps, if you look closely. —[[User:TobyBartels|TobyBartels]] ([[User talk:TobyBartels|talk]]) 02:57, 23 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
:: Not permanently. The Pacific plate is rotating counterclockwise, so Baja will someday be off the coast of California instead of off the coast of Mexico (the boundary between the Pacific plate and North American plates runs through the Gulf of California and the San Andreas fault). This motion may straighten Panama... or tear it apart into two disconnected pieces (making a canal unnecessary).[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.95|172.69.33.95]] 18:49, 23 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
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My proposal for the Suez Canal was for it to run from the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Dezhnev via Nepal and Tibet... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.152|162.158.155.152]] 21:17, 22 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
: Would you opt for tunnel through Himalayas? Note that Himalayas are still rising by more than 1 cm per year, so you would need to compensate in your maintenance plans. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:51, 22 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
: Would it connect to the proposed bridge to Alaska?<br />
::Yes! Aqueduct over the Bering Strait, then straight across Alaska to connect to Cueball's canal. And I was thinking of using multiple {{w|canal inclined plane}}s and {{w|boat lifts}} to get over the Himalayas. The {{w|Everest base camps}} need a canal to bring in supplies from South America (there would be a tunnel under Everest, obviously). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.41|141.101.99.41]] 14:08, 25 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
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It's interesting to me how palindromic the Panama cut is...compared to the other one. [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]])<br />
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Wot no Palindromes [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.41|141.101.99.41]] 00:53, 23 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
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I propose a canal between Tierra del Fuego and The Cape of Good Hope. US$1.000.000.000 and I keep the difference if the project is completed under-budget. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 06:03, 23 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
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There is also the issue that the proposed canal would go though at least a dozen countries. Political problems in any of the countries would probably result in it closing. Remember that the United States was so afraid of losing access to the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi that they paid for the Louisiana purchase. 02:58, 25 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
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Quick note: The Falkirk Wheel is not a canal crossing a canal, it is a boat lift which replaced a series of locks. It is part of the Union canal, near its junction with the Forth & Clyde canal, but there is no canal crossing. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.124|141.101.98.124]] 09:08, 25 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
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I vote we burn up the remainder of our fossil fuels ASAP, so the greenhouse effect will ensure that the artic ice melts and the alternative canal becomes viable. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.109|162.158.111.109]] 09:32, 25 March 2019 (UTC)</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2127:_Panama_Canal&diff=171537Talk:2127: Panama Canal2019-03-23T00:53:14Z<p>141.101.99.41: semordnilap on tow</p>
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Can any English majors verify if 'we would had to modify it' in the Title text is grammatically ok or not? It sounds like it should be 'we would have had to modify it' or 'we would've had to...', but I could be wrong or maybe it was intentional? [[User:Stickfigurefan|Stickfigurefan]] ([[User talk:Stickfigurefan|talk]]) 18:45, 22 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
:Pretty sure it is just a missing word and yes I think "have" is the missing word so ''we would have had to modify it'' was the intention. Maybe it will be corrected, the comic has only been up 20 minutes now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:53, 22 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
:But as written, you can split the title text exactly in half (at the the space after "would", and including the final period). "Have" doesn't work--the two halves aren't even--"halve" works...but then you have to split it as "ha|lve". [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]])<br />
:Hm, there also appears to be another missing word: "...would ['ve/of/have] had to modify it [to] include...". I was hoping there was a joke in the shorter cut--representing the standard Panama palindrome--crossing the longer title text (represented in the vertical canal, leaving an improperly-cut "have", either as 've or "of") but two missing words doesn't seem to fit that hope. [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]])<br />
<br />
Fun fact: The portion of the Arctic–Antarctic Canal that passes through central Panamá actually runs from south to north (or at least southwest to northeast), rather than from north to south! —[[User:TobyBartels|TobyBartels]] ([[User talk:TobyBartels|talk]]) 19:58, 22 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
:The actual Panama Canal runs West to East from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Both are due to the fact that Panama is a bit of an S shape. [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 00:17, 23 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
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My proposal for the Suez Canal was for it to run from the Cape of Good Hope to Cape Dezhnev via Nepal and Tibet... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.152|162.158.155.152]] 21:17, 22 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
: Would you opt for tunnel through Himalayas? Note that Himalayas are still rising by more than 1 cm per year, so you would need to compensate in your maintenance plans. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:51, 22 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
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It's interesting to me how palindromic the Panama cut is...compared to the other one. [[User:Elvenivle|Elvenivle]] ([[User talk:Elvenivle|talk]])<br />
<br />
Wot no Palindromes [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.41|141.101.99.41]] 00:53, 23 March 2019 (UTC)</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2125:_Luna_2&diff=171304Talk:2125: Luna 22019-03-18T20:11:44Z<p>141.101.99.41: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
Second comic in a row about space. The comic seems fairly self-explanatory to me, but the title text might need a bit more work to explain. I can't even figure out exactly what it means. Something about rushing to get the bare minimum done before the deadline? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.100|172.68.141.100]] 17:04, 18 March 2019 (UTC) <br />
<br />
Probably about how the engineers wanted to test what they could do before they could actually do it. (Oh,and Luna 2 impacted at 22 km/s) 20:10, 18 March 2019 (GMT)<br />
<br />
OMG, the fake explanation is ROTFL funny! Hopefully whomever writes the correct explanation will keep this first bit of verbiage, just for the humor value, but in case that doesn’t happen, for those who don’t want to dig through the edit history, it currently says:<br />
:: “This comic describes one of the first faked moon missions, Luna II. The Communist sham was designed to make it look like the Moon was reachable by humans, in order to protect the threatened Zionist conspiracy.<br />
<br />
::By discussing this as if it was fact, (((Randall))) is subtly reinforcing Jewish neuroprogramming causing people to believe in ridiculous child's fantasies like space unquestioningly.”<br />
(And to be crystal clear, I didn’t write it!) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.132|172.68.65.132]] 17:19, 18 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Not sure how to tan on mobile (feel free to do so and delete this tidbit if you want to) but: The throwing a frag filled with flags is symbolic of the standard human explorer tactic. Basically, we tend to shoot first whenever we go to a new place and then promptly place a claim, whether the preexisting landscape has been claimed or not. For instance, the Native Americans. Like, all of them. The tile text, on the other hand, represents attempts to find a solution to half a problem or maybe representing the aforementioned claims bit. But I could be reading into this too much [[Special:Contributions/172.69.46.58|172.69.46.58]] 17:22, 18 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== IP editor censoring my posts ==<br />
<br />
I am using this website to share information, but several IP editors are consistently reverting my edits, even when I leave in their unsubstantiated claims. Help.<br />
<br />
You should probably sign your posts to clarify who is having the problem. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.46.58|172.69.46.58]] 17:22, 18 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
:I'm sorry, I fail so see how that explanation is in any way funny. It's just confusing and annoying. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.100|172.68.141.100]] 17:20, 18 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
:it’s not funny *now* because someone deleted it. Basically someone wrote an explanation as if the moon landings were faked, and extended the conspiracy theory to have USA and USSR cooperating on perpetuating the conspiracy because somehow it benefits Israel. It was clearly tongue-in-cheek, like when people claim that the Earth is flat. Given the recent anti-Semitic comments that have cropped up here I took it as an effort to make fun of those people (the ones posting bizarre stuff) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.132|172.68.65.132]] 17:35, 18 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Alright, that's the part that wasn't clear to me. You can never really tell when someone online is being sarcastic. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.100|172.68.141.100]] 17:48, 18 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== vaporized on impact? ==<br />
<br />
Does anyone here have links to evidence for or against Randall's claim in the title text? What was the impact speed? - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 19:30, 18 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
I mean if they weren't vaporized, how would we tell outside of flags randomly bumping into the ISS? All of the ones that go to Earth would burn up. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.78.28|172.68.78.28]] 19:40, 18 March 2019 (UTC)</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2125:_Luna_2&diff=171303Talk:2125: Luna 22019-03-18T20:09:58Z<p>141.101.99.41: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
Second comic in a row about space. The comic seems fairly self-explanatory to me, but the title text might need a bit more work to explain. I can't even figure out exactly what it means. Something about rushing to get the bare minimum done before the deadline? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.100|172.68.141.100]] 17:04, 18 March 2019 (UTC) Probably about how the engineers wanted to test what they could do before they could actually do it. (Oh,and Luna 2 impacted at 22 km/s)<br />
<br />
OMG, the fake explanation is ROTFL funny! Hopefully whomever writes the correct explanation will keep this first bit of verbiage, just for the humor value, but in case that doesn’t happen, for those who don’t want to dig through the edit history, it currently says:<br />
:: “This comic describes one of the first faked moon missions, Luna II. The Communist sham was designed to make it look like the Moon was reachable by humans, in order to protect the threatened Zionist conspiracy.<br />
<br />
::By discussing this as if it was fact, (((Randall))) is subtly reinforcing Jewish neuroprogramming causing people to believe in ridiculous child's fantasies like space unquestioningly.”<br />
(And to be crystal clear, I didn’t write it!) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.132|172.68.65.132]] 17:19, 18 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Not sure how to tan on mobile (feel free to do so and delete this tidbit if you want to) but: The throwing a frag filled with flags is symbolic of the standard human explorer tactic. Basically, we tend to shoot first whenever we go to a new place and then promptly place a claim, whether the preexisting landscape has been claimed or not. For instance, the Native Americans. Like, all of them. The tile text, on the other hand, represents attempts to find a solution to half a problem or maybe representing the aforementioned claims bit. But I could be reading into this too much [[Special:Contributions/172.69.46.58|172.69.46.58]] 17:22, 18 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== IP editor censoring my posts ==<br />
<br />
I am using this website to share information, but several IP editors are consistently reverting my edits, even when I leave in their unsubstantiated claims. Help.<br />
<br />
You should probably sign your posts to clarify who is having the problem. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.46.58|172.69.46.58]] 17:22, 18 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
:I'm sorry, I fail so see how that explanation is in any way funny. It's just confusing and annoying. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.100|172.68.141.100]] 17:20, 18 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
:it’s not funny *now* because someone deleted it. Basically someone wrote an explanation as if the moon landings were faked, and extended the conspiracy theory to have USA and USSR cooperating on perpetuating the conspiracy because somehow it benefits Israel. It was clearly tongue-in-cheek, like when people claim that the Earth is flat. Given the recent anti-Semitic comments that have cropped up here I took it as an effort to make fun of those people (the ones posting bizarre stuff) [[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.132|172.68.65.132]] 17:35, 18 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Alright, that's the part that wasn't clear to me. You can never really tell when someone online is being sarcastic. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.100|172.68.141.100]] 17:48, 18 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== vaporized on impact? ==<br />
<br />
Does anyone here have links to evidence for or against Randall's claim in the title text? What was the impact speed? - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 19:30, 18 March 2019 (UTC)<br />
I mean if they weren't vaporized, how would we tell outside of flags randomly bumping into the ISS? All of the ones that go to Earth would burn up. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.78.28|172.68.78.28]] 19:40, 18 March 2019 (UTC)</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2084:_FDR&diff=1669452084: FDR2018-12-12T17:13:31Z<p>141.101.99.41: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2084<br />
| date = December 12, 2018<br />
| title = FDR<br />
| image = fdr.png<br />
| titletext = June 21st, 365, the date of the big Mediterranean earthquake and tsunami, lived in infamy for a few centuries before fading. Maybe the trick is a catchy rhyme; the '5th of November' thing is still going strong over 400 years later.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
The United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor was [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor attacked in 1941], and is credited with starting the United States' involvement in World War II. The then US president, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt] (FDR), issued a speech to the American people which begins with the line "December 7th, 1941. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infamy_Speech A date which will live in infamy...]". Whenever Randall writes "December" he feels compelled to complete the line, a mistake which is visible in this comic.<br />
<br />
This may be a parody of a more common type of error in which people writing dates during January (particularly early in the month) accidentally write the previous year instead of the current one because the previous year number is an established pattern while the new one is a recent change.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/365_Crete_earthquake 365 Crete earthquake], a historical earthquake with a magnitude of at least 8.0 which caused widespread destruction across the Eastern Mediterranean; and to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night Guy Fawkes Night], the anniversary of the famous failed attempt to bomb Parliament on the night of November 5th, 1605. The latter event is immortalized in the rhyme "remember remember, the fifth of November, the gunpowder, treason, and plot", the former event less so--indeed, Randall (intentionally?) gets the date wrong; the quake was actually in July.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Close-up of a form]<br />
:[Name:] Randall Munroe<br />
:Date: Dec <s>7, 19&ndash;</s> 12, 2018<br />
:Country: United States<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:FDR was so good at speeches that I spend a whole month each year writing the date wrong.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1795:_All_You_Can_Eat&diff=1348821795: All You Can Eat2017-02-06T20:40:14Z<p>141.101.99.41: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1795<br />
| date = February 6, 2017<br />
| title = All You Can Eat<br />
| image = all_you_can_eat.png<br />
| titletext = After my absent-mindedness resulted in a bad posterboard-related stomachache, I learned to do the sign-making place last.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
An all-you-can-eat {{w|buffet}} is when a restaurant will charge you once for entry and then continuously serve you more food at no additional cost until you have eaten all-you-can-eat. Part of the "[[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]]" series, this comic shows [[Randall]] wishes to append "all-you-can-eat" to random stores. These stores do not sell food, so the very idea of eating their product would be ridiculous. However, this is what Randall's stunt makes the stores he defaces seem to advertise. Most people would not seriously consider eating the products these stores sell even with the signs suggesting they should, as it is just a monumentally stupid idea.<br />
<br />
In the title text, Randall seems to have fallen for his own prank. After he puts the "all-you-can-eat" sign onto the signmakers' shop, he proceeds to heed his own sign literally and eat the plasterboards that he is supposed to make signs from. To remind himself not to make the same mistake again, he tells himself to "do the sign-making place last".<br />
<br />
Note that some pets are considered food in some cultures; rabbits are commonly kept as pets as well as served as food, dogs are consumed in some areas in eastern Asia, guinea pigs in South America and Africa, and some fictional characters are known for eating cats<sup>&#91;[[285|''citation needed'']]&#93;</sup>. Even more normally, a cat owner that wants to buy an "all you can eat" bird feast for their cat would be happy with this last store.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The panel shows the facades of four shops appended with white signs. The white signs partially cover the names of the stores, with the possible exception of the third store.]<br />
:[Shop number 1:] <br />
:(Sign obscured by the white sign, intermediate letters not visible): A...k<br />
:White sign: All-you-can-eat<br />
:Store sign: discount tires<br />
:[Shop number 2:] <br />
:White sign: All-you-can-eat<br />
:Store sign: hair salon<br />
:[Shop number 3:]<br />
:White sign: All-you-can-eat<br />
:Store sign: lumber and flooring depot<br />
:[Shop number 4:]<br />
:White sign: All-you-can-eat<br />
:(Sign obscured by the white sign): Kevin's<br />
:Store sign: pet store<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:My hobby: Going out at night and adding "all-you-can-eat" to every store's sign<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1574:_Trouble_for_Science&diff=1012721574: Trouble for Science2015-09-07T12:35:29Z<p>141.101.99.41: /* Explanation: */ Added info about Replication Studies</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1574<br />
| date = September 7, 2015<br />
| title = Trouble for Science<br />
| image = trouble_for_science.png<br />
| titletext = Careful mathematical analysis demonstrates small-scale irregularities in Gaussian distribution<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Five newspaper headlines are shown:<br />
<br />
;Many commercial antibody-based immunoassays are unreliable<br />
This sentence is true. See Kebaneilwe Lebani, [http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:352531 Antibody Discovery for Development of a Serotyping Dengue Virus NS1 Capture Assay], 2014. In this PhD thesis, 11 references are given.<br />
<br />
;Problems with the p-value as an indicator of significance<br />
<br />
;Overfeeding of laboratory rodents compromises animal models<br />
<br />
;Replication study fails to reproduce many published results<br />
A [https://explorable.com/replication-study Replication Study] is a study designed to replicate the results of a previous study by using the same methods for a different set of subjects and experimenters. It aims to recreate the results to gain confidence in the results of the previous study as well as ensuring that the findings of the previous study are transferable to other similar areas of study.<br />
<br />
Randall is probably reffering to this recent study: http://www.nature.com/news/over-half-of-psychology-studies-fail-reproducibility-test-1.18248<br />
<br />
;Controlled trials show Bunsen burners make things colder<br />
This is a joke.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
[A simple comic consisting of five newspaper headlines]<br />
<br />
Many Commercial Antibody-Based Immunoassays Are Unreliable<br />
<br />
Problems With the p-Value as an Indicator of Significance<br />
<br />
Overfeeding of Laboratory Rodents Compromises Animal Models<br />
<br />
Replication Study Fails to Reproduce Many Published Results<br />
<br />
Controlled Trials Show Bunsen Burners Make Things Colder<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Science]]<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Chemistry]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1574:_Trouble_for_Science&diff=1012661574: Trouble for Science2015-09-07T12:27:08Z<p>141.101.99.41: /* Transcript */ Added basic transcript</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1574<br />
| date = September 7, 2015<br />
| title = Trouble for Science<br />
| image = trouble_for_science.png<br />
| titletext = Careful mathematical analysis demonstrates small-scale irregularities in Gaussian distribution<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Five newspaper headlines are shown:<br />
<br />
;Many Commercial Antibody-Based Immunoassays Are Unreliable<br />
This sentence is true. See Kebaneilwe Lebani, [http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:352531 Antibody Discovery for Development of a Serotyping Dengue Virus NS1 Capture Assay], 2014. In this PhD thesis, 11 references are given.<br />
<br />
;Problems With the p-Value as an Indicator of Significance<br />
<br />
;Overfeeding of Laboratory Rodents Compromises Animal Models<br />
<br />
;Replication Study Fails to Reproduce Many Published Results<br />
<br />
;Controlled Trials Show Bunsen Burners Make Things Colder<br />
This is a joke.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
[A simple comic consisting of five newspaper headlines]<br />
<br />
Many Commercial Antibody-Based Immunoassays Are Unreliable<br />
<br />
Problems With the p-Value as an Indicator of Significance<br />
<br />
Overfeeding of Laboratory Rodents Compromises Animal Models<br />
<br />
Replication Study Fails to Reproduce Many Published Results<br />
<br />
Controlled Trials Show Bunsen Burners Make Things Colder<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Science]]<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Chemistry]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1574:_Trouble_for_Science&diff=1012601574: Trouble for Science2015-09-07T12:22:49Z<p>141.101.99.41: Spelling</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1574<br />
| date = September 7, 2015<br />
| title = Trouble for Science<br />
| image = trouble_for_science.png<br />
| titletext = Careful mathematical analysis demonstrates small-scale irregularities in Gaussian distribution<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}<br />
;Many commercial antibody-based inmunoassays are unreliable<br />
This sentence is true. See Kebaneilwe Lebani, [http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/mwg-internal/de5fs23hu73ds/progress?id=Gv4yxghu7eDamGI-7Q_1LbB17e2FL9ky_YXqq1fiuIQ,&dl Antibody Discovery for Development of a Serotyping Dengue Virus NS1 Capture Assay], 2014. In this Phd thesis 11 references are given.<br />
<br />
;Controlled trials show Bunsen burners make things colders<br />
This is a joke.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Science]]<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Chemistry]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1282:_Monty_Hall&diff=861851282: Monty Hall2015-03-12T11:11:59Z<p>141.101.99.41: "Simpsons" shouldn't have an apostrophe in it.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1282<br />
| date = October 25, 2013<br />
| title = Monty Hall<br />
| image = monty hall.png<br />
| titletext = A few minutes later, the goat from behind door C drives away in the car.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is a reference to the {{w|Monty Hall problem}}, a probability puzzle based on the US game show "{{w|Let's Make a Deal}}" and named after its original host, {{w|Monty Hall}}. The premise of the show was that Hall would offer "deals" to contestants pulled from the audience in which they could win cash and prizes. Some deals involved games/tasks the contestant had to perform, while others simply involved the contestant making choices between a series of doors or boxes. In such games of choice, there were often several prizes and typically at least one "zonk", the show's name for an undesirable "gag" prize, which on the original Monty Hall version of the show were frequently animals such as goats.<br />
<br />
In the classic version of the Monty Problem, a contestant is offered a choice of three doors. Behind two of the doors are goats, and behind one of them is a car. First, the contestant chooses a door, which remains closed. The host then opens one of the two remaining doors and reveals a goat. The contestant is then offered a final choice of whether to switch their choice to the remaining closed door, or keep the door they originally chose. The problem involves an analysis of the probability of the contestant choosing the car given certain circumstances.<br />
<br />
The problem assumes that a contestant would want to win a car, and would be disappointed to win a goat, which most contestants would have no ability to house, and no use for. The comic shows that [[Beret Guy]], upon the host revealing that door B has a goat behind it, chooses to take the goat to keep as a pet, which makes them both very happy. This is much like, and may be an allusion to, the Simpsons episode {{w|Bart Gets an Elephant}}, in which Bart opts for the gag prize of an African Elephant rather than the $10,000 award.<br />
<br />
The title text references the car and the remaining goat, untouched behind the remaining doors.<br />
<br />
===The Monty Hall Problem===<br />
:''For an in-depth analysis of the Monty Hall Problem, see {{w|Monty Hall Problem|its article at Wikipedia}}''<br />
The apparent "paradox" of the Monty Hall Problem is that many people's initial reaction once the host opens a door to reveal a goat, is that there are two remaining doors, one with a car and one with a goat; and therefore there is an equal probability the car is behind each door. Many people therefore believe that switching makes no difference to the odds of winning a car.<br />
<br />
[[File:montyforexplainxkcd.png]]<br />
<br />
However, assuming that the host has knowledge of which doors contain goats, and that their choice of which door to open is always an unchosen door containing a goat, it is actually twice as likely that the contestant will win the car if they switch than if they keep their original choice. This is because the contestant initially had a one-in-three chance of choosing the car and a two-in-three chance of choosing a goat. Switching always wins the car in those two-thirds of cases where the contestant initially chose a goat. The probability of winning by switching is therefore the same as the probability that the contestant initially chose a goat.<br />
<br />
The switch essentially gives the contestant ''both'' remaining doors instead of just the ''one'' door originally chosen. Because the host ''always'' has at least one goat available, the fact that the host reveals a goat does not provide the contestant any new information about their initially chosen door. The initial door still has a two-in-three chance of being a goat, and switching still has a two-in-three chance of winning. Opening a goat-door simply shifts all of the probability of the remaining two doors being a car to the remaining unchosen door.<br />
<br />
'''Simple explanation'''<br />
Imagine there are 100 doors instead of just 2, and after you pick a door, the host opens all but one, revealing all goats. Do you switch to the remaining door or keep your initial pick? Just as there is a 2/3 chance of picking the car when switching in the 3-door scenario, there is now a 99/100 chance of picking the car when switching in the 100 door scenario. In this scenario, it becomes obvious that it is not a 50/50 chance when two doors remain.<br />
<br />
There has been great debate about the precise wording of the problem, and what assumptions or rules might apply. These variants can greatly change the probabilities.<br />
<br />
One variant has the host open one of the two remaining doors at random, which could result in the car being revealed, and the game ending. In that scenario, if a goat has been revealed, the probability that the first pick is correct is now 1/2 and switching is not advantageous.<br />
<br />
:*In 1/3 of all possible games, the first pick is correct. The host cannot pick the car.<br />
:*In 1/3 of all possible games, the first pick is wrong but the host does not reveal the car.<br />
:*In 1/3 of all possible games, the first pick is wrong and host will reveal the car. We now know those cases are impossible.<br />
<br />
With only 2/3rds of all possible games remaining, the chance that switching will win the car is now (1/3)/(2/3) = 1/2. Likewise, not switching also has a 1/2 chance of winning. '''Note that this variant requires that the host picks a door at random.'''<br />
<br />
Another variant has the host only offering to switch if the first choice is correct. In this case, switching always loses.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A figure - Monty Hall - stands on stage, holding a microphone. There are three doors; two labelled "A" and "C", which are closed, and one that is being held open by Monty. There's a ramp to the right, down which a goat is being led by Beret Guy.]<br />
:Beret Guy: ...and my yard has so much grass, and I'll teach you tricks, and...<br />
:Goat: ♥<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The Monty Hall problem is strikingly similar to the {{w|Two envelope problem|Two Envelope Paradox}}, one of [http://blog.xkcd.com/2008/09/09/the-goddamn-airplane-on-the-goddamn-treadmill/ several notoriously provocative thought experiments] (some of which are "banned" on the xkcd forums). Admittedly, the Monty Hall problem has only one clear solution. Because of this, it is much less likely to spark the kinds of arguments like "the goddamn airplane on the goddamn treadmill" or the "{{w|Feynman sprinkler}}" incite.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=585:_Outreach&diff=85372585: Outreach2015-02-28T12:46:29Z<p>141.101.99.41: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number =585<br />
| date =May 18, 2009<br />
| title =Outreach<br />
| image =outreach.png<br />
| titletext =Completely implausible? Yes. Nevertheless, worth keeping a can of shark repellent next to the bed.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Scientific animal tracking is commonly used to learn more about other species, particularly endangered ones, as a way of better understanding their physiology, behavior, and what risks they face in the wild. It's used in a wide variety of sciences, including wildlife biology, conservation, wildlife management and zoology.<br />
<br />
The scientists in this comic are working on a rather limited budget and can't afford the cost of hiring someone to retrieve a tracking tag from the water. So they create one that will pop free, float to the surface, and inflate a giant helium balloon, causing it to gradually drift over land. Eventually the balloon will slowly deflate, soft-land, and with any luck someone will find it and mail it back to the scientists.<br />
<br />
But it goes horribly, hilariously wrong. The tag can't quite pop free from the shark, and proceeds to inflate the balloon ''while the shark is still attached''. The shark rises right along with the tracker tag, drifts back over land, and goes right after the scientists that had been tracking it.<br />
<br />
The young girl, seeing two scientists running frantically from a flying shark, no doubt has never seen anything more awesome in her whole life, and figures that if such excitement is a daily part of a scientist's job, ''that's'' the job for her! The title of the comic, outreach, refers to the type of activities that scientists do in order to motivate kids to become scientists when they grow up.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests keeping shark repellent by one's bed to account for the quite-unlikely event of something like this happening. Because you never know. It may be a reference to the Adam West Batman film where Batman just happened to have some.<br />
<br />
Though as sharks are fish, and fish cannot survive above water, the shark would die if this happened in real life.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A group of scientists with goggles and labcoats stand around a pair of beakers.]<br />
:Ponytail: The tracking tag will record the shark's movement and habits.<br />
<br />
:[The capsule floats upward.]<br />
:Ponytail (narrated): Then, it will pop free and float to the surface.<br />
<br />
:[A coast is shown, with arrows directed from water to land.]<br />
:Ponytail (narrated): We can't afford a recovery program, so the capsules will inflate helium balloons, drift over land,<br />
<br />
:Ponytail (narrated): And hopefully be found and mailed to us. Any questions?<br />
:[The capsule has a caption on it.]<br />
:If found please call<br />
<br />
:[The scientist is standing over a groggy shark.]<br />
:''Chunk''<br />
<br />
:[The shark is dropped off a boat, into the water.]<br />
:''Sploosh''<br />
:Shark: !!!<br />
<br />
:[The course of the shark is shown, weaving around islands.]<br />
<br />
:[The capsule is shown sticking out of the shark.]<br />
:''Click''<br />
<br />
:[The capsule remains attached to the shark.]<br />
<br />
:[The balloon starts to inflate, still attached to the shark and underwater.]<br />
:''Hissss''<br />
<br />
:[As the balloon inflates, it starts to pull the shark to the surface.]<br />
:Shark: ??<br />
<br />
:[The balloon breaks the surface, pulling the shark with it.]<br />
<br />
:[A man and a child are standing together.]<br />
<br />
:[Two scientists run past, screaming. One is holding a microscope.]<br />
:Scientists: AAAAAAAA<br />
<br />
:[A shark attached to a huge balloon floats past following the scientists.]<br />
:Shark: ''Chomp chomp''<br />
<br />
:Child: Daddy?<br />
:Father: Yes?<br />
:Child: I want to be a scientist.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Science]]<br />
[[Category:Sharks]]</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1335:_Now&diff=61116Talk:1335: Now2014-02-26T13:52:48Z<p>141.101.99.41: </p>
<hr />
<div><pre>| custom = [http://c.xkcd.com/redirect/comic/now]</pre><br />
This doesn't work. Maybe if we added *.xkcd.com/* to the (external) image whitelist or something? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.121|108.162.231.121]] 07:27, 26 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:A fine suggestion. I'm probably going to shoot for full archival like we did with [[time]], but this is an ample good solution in the meantime. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:30, 26 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Hold on, having wee issues, will resolve soon. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:37, 26 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Here is a scaled animation of every image. The full size version was too big for me to upload. <br />
[[File:now-100ms_small6-1.gif|none]]<br />
[[User:Ti84p|Ti84p]] ([[User talk:Ti84p|talk]]) 07:47, 26 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
For Australia and New Zealand, at least, the clock shows local time with summer time factored in. I bet that it undergoes some changes in March and April as various jurisdictions go on or off daylight saving. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.224|108.162.249.224]] 09:20, 26 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Good point! I added this to the explanation. —[[User:TobyBartels|TobyBartels]] ([[User talk:TobyBartels|talk]]) 13:15, 26 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: There's also British Summer Time and all the ''other'' national seasonal adjustments(1)... could you perhaps de-specify the "move the list of North American cities and regions for Daylight-Saving Time (which is the same thing as Summer Time)" statement to remove the inadvertent US-centrism? Maybe "...of northern-latitudes cities for Daylight-Saving Time or equivalent Summer Time designation"..? (Definitely could be better phrased than I just put, though.)<br />
:: (1) Note, they don't even all switch at the same time, necessarily. If Randall is going to change the basic map template (pre-rotation) for any Summer/non-Summer transition, he's probably going to have to do it multiple times each spring/autumn, as various regions jiggle about. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.41|141.101.99.41]] 13:52, 26 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
As for the map itself, I think the title text should provide the exact time for the location under the cursor, by doing calculations for the mouseover event and updating the t.t. accordingly. I imagine it is doable for Randall. For accuracy's sake, the Antarctic region could be excluded. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.225|141.101.89.225]] 12:19, 26 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
: Or maybe someone'll fancy doing it as a userscript. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.225|141.101.89.225]] 12:23, 26 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I made a version that the user can rotate themselves. It only loads a single image. http://c0la.s3.amazonaws.com/xkcd1335.html</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1334:_Second&diff=61115Talk:1334: Second2014-02-26T13:38:35Z<p>141.101.99.41: </p>
<hr />
<div>Reference to how much Google knows about us and the 'Filter Bubble'? <br />
OTOH could just be a straight-forward observation of the search habits of most people - if I don't find what you're looking for on the first page , I try to refine my search terms rather than goto page 2 . <br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.225.132|108.162.225.132]] 05:52, 24 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:But you can remember a time when you ''did'' go to the second or third page with some frequency, back when the G<span style="color:red">o</span><span style="color:gold">oooooooooo</span>gle at the bottom of each page was rendered in text and your mom thought it was just so cool that the red 'o' showed her which page she was on. [[User:Jameslucas|jameslucas]] <small>([[User talk:Jameslucas|" "]] / [[Special:Contributions/Jameslucas|+]])</small> 14:32, 24 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
::What do you mean, “back when”? The G<span style="color:red">o</span><span style="color:gold">oooooooooo</span>gle still behaves the way you described. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.64|108.162.254.64]] 16:58, 24 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::Not quite. If you look at it, it's actually showing bits of an image, which happens to contain text. (The sprite sheet is http://www.google.com/images/nav_logo170_hr.png ) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.5|108.162.219.5]] 18:27, 24 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
Interestingly, some research <citation missing> shows that Google's results are oriented more towards commercial results than other vendors, meaning that if you are looking for a non-commercial answer you might need to look at the second page (or switch search providers). [[User:Randymack|Randymack]] ([[User talk:Randymack|talk]]) 12:45, 24 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:I really want to see that citation. --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 15:09, 24 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
::You could probably Google for it... :) [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.84|199.27.128.84]] 17:16, 24 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The dictionary definition of "desperation" looks a bit out of place. What's the point in it? Also, is there an explanation for the talking rock? A mention to the symbolic over dramatization of the incident? [[User:Dulcis|Dulcis]] ([[User talk:Dulcis|talk]]) 15:43, 24 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Are we sure it's a desert? I know it mentions "desolate wastes", but it looks an awful lot like a seashore to me, not a desert. —[[User:Scs|Scs]] ([[User talk:Scs|talk]]) 17:09, 24 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:I can see that, but fairly certain it's a desert. His footprints linger to the right. If he were wading in water they'd not last. And the rock on the left has several smaller pebbles around it, which would be covered if the rock were in water. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.84|199.27.128.84]] 17:21, 24 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think the title text is referring to the results from searching for a number like "19". Instead of information about nineteen, you get lots of pages which tangentially refer to it, such as "President correcting discrimination against 19 Jewish, Hispanic and African American soldiers" or pages with a copyright year of 19xx. -[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.7|108.162.219.7]] 17:10, 24 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:The title text actually says "page copyright year starts with '19'." I don't know how that can be interpreted as anything other than a reference to a year. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.84|199.27.128.84]] 17:21, 24 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think the rock is a reference to World of Warcraft, where some quests lead you to a rock or pile of mud. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.221|141.101.96.221]] 22:43, 24 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Unlikely, as none of them lead to a TALKING rock {{unsigned ip|141.101.70.133}}<br />
::So bereft are you of intelligent content, at this point in your search of the barren desert, that even the speech of the humble ''rock'' is rendered grandiose of style, relative to all the ''other'' explanatory dialogues you may yet find yourself taking part in... (i.e. at this point a rock is the best bet for something that'll actually talk to you. Even the tumbleweeds are absent and the sand is notoriously of no help whatsoever.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.41|141.101.99.41]] 13:38, 26 February 2014 (UTC)</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1306:_Sigil_Cycle&diff=60601Talk:1306: Sigil Cycle2014-02-19T23:35:07Z<p>141.101.99.41: Added note as to the comparitive efficiency of ++c vs c++</p>
<hr />
<div>Shouldn't it be QBASIC$ (or QBASIC%), since in Basic the sigil is attached to the end of variable names? --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.108|173.245.53.108]] 13:19, 20 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could not find where categories can be added, here's a list of suitable categories: Charts, Computers, Comics presenting a compromise Internet, Programming [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.180|173.245.53.180]] 13:32, 20 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This comic de-emphasizes the value of sigils. It's very ironic that Randall chose C++, a language with symbols, to exemplify plain words. And C is a reason for not naming technologies after letters. Same with X. You have to search for "C programming language" or "X window system." It's very helpful to distinguish things with unique sigils, especially in this current age where we depend on full-text search. Just look at my login ID, tbc. I have been tbc on the Internet since 1981. But I eventually had to go by tbc0 (e.g. on Twitter) because tbc isn't unique enough. Google was named after 10^100 (an incomprehensibly large number reflecting their ambition). But that number is spelled googol. They own their spelling. Brilliant. Consider examples: iMac, iPhone iPad, Yahoo (a little weak), Facebook (they own that word). It's all about branding. Google Kleenex or Xerox and you'll see that they're excellent sigils. The problem is, those terms have become generic. Their brand is a little weaker for it. Finally, on Twitter, @ and # unleash powerful features. &mdash; [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 15:01, 20 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
:C++ uses symbols, but it doesn't use one to denote that an identifier is a variable (like PHP) or the type of an identifier (like early BASIC, Perl, and arguably Twitter). And when I search for X, it's either X11 (the protocol) or Xorg (the widely used server implementation). And [[wikipedia:Barney_Google_and_Snuffy_Smith|Barney Google]] had it first. --[[User:Tepples|Tepples]] ([[User talk:Tepples|talk]]) 15:55, 20 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Any way we can expand on the history of programming (if applicable)? Did these languages become popular in a certain order, or were they developed as a response to one another? Or is this comic simply Randall's journey through programming, not specifically tied to the popularity (or development) of certain coding languages? -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.227|108.162.216.227]]<br />
:They pretty much appeared in the order listed. I don't think they represent Randall's experience (or really anything else); the differences in how they handle variable names/types is mostly a function of their different purpose, and Randall picked those specific examples simply to fit the timeline (e.g. sh and ksh have the same syntax as bash, but since they came before QBasic they would break the pattern). {{unsigned ip|108.162.236.13}}<br />
<br />
The google mentioning isn't explained well enough imo. Instead if just saying "they have a service called google plus", it should be told how the + sign is used throughout the service, like every other instance in the article. I may do the edit myself, but it's not likely. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.237|141.101.98.237]] 15:26, 20 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
"Ironically, it is the name if the language itself that includes symbols."<br />
<br />
It's not very ironic. Variable names don't include symbols, but commands do. This statement should be rewritten.<br />
<br />
int c = 0;<br />
<br />
c++;<br />
<br />
c += 1;<br />
<br />
c = c + 1; {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.215}}<br />
<br />
:I find it ironic that "C++" in a statement would be interpretted as "C" and only ''post''-incremented (i.e. only incremented when ''next'' referenced). Meaning "C++" is effectively the same as "C", in its own context. They should have named it "++C", if they wanted to indicate that it was ''itself'' improved upon the original value of C. ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.229|141.101.99.229]] 16:37, 20 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::This is an incorrect interpretation of the statement c++. c++ as a standalone statement, on a line by itself, will result in c being exactly one greater than before the statement (the value stored in that memory location will indeed be one greater); using prefix or postfix ++ in this context is functionally equivalent and most people just prefer using the postfix version. Where the distinction between the prefix and postfix versions come into play is in more complex statements where the operator's return value is not ignored. For example,<br />
<br />
::int c = 1;<br />
::int x = c++;<br />
<br />
::x will be initialized to 1 because the postfix ++ operator returns the value of c before it was incremented, but the value stored in c will be 2 regardless of further reference. If, instead you initialized x using the prefix version, ++c, x would be 2 because the prefix version of ++ returns the incremented result. (Side note: it's often considered bad practice to rely on the return value of the increment and decrement operators.) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.227|108.162.219.227]] 20:58, 20 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::::When not specifically using the post or pre incrementing nature of c++/++c, and just using it as shorthand for c = c + 1, then ++c is demonstrably superior to c++ as there are 2 fewer machine code operations involved<br />
:::No, I stand by what I say. I actually agree with your code, but freely parsing "I will use C++ for this project", as a phrase (at least the first time you utter it) might so easily be a statement that gives a direct result equal to "I will use C for this project". (It helps to have just the right geeky sense of humour, of course.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.229|141.101.99.229]] 21:56, 20 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
::::Oh, I assure you, I am quite geeky. I could, for instance, argue that you're mixing the grammars of English and C++, a natural language and context sensitive language. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.227|108.162.219.227]] 22:21, 20 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::::Personally, I see no problem. When you start programming in C++, you are writing code which is effectively C. Only when you program in C++ longer time, the code will improve. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:13, 21 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::Wrong, as "I will use C++" actually does mean "I will use C++", because the moment you finished uttering it (command break), C indeed becomes one point greater ;) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.43|108.162.222.43]] 06:29, 24 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::::Regarding the name of the language, Bjarne Stroustrup himself [http://www.stroustrup.com/bs_faq.html#name has said], "Connoisseurs of C semantics find C++ inferior to ++C." [[User:Elsbree|Elsbree]] ([[User talk:Elsbree|talk]]) 07:03, 26 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:It's still not ironic that the name includes symbols. I removed the word 'ironically', it doesn't make sense. {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.215}}<br />
<br />
Extending the first comment above: Since the strip is known for being rather technically strict, it's odd that it says "word ... will START with", yet QBASIC variables END with symbols, and Google+ ENDS with a symbol.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.216|108.162.216.216]] 18:11, 20 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: That's not a problem with Google, because the ''sigil'' comes at the beginning there. But it's a problem with QBASIC, all right. —[[User:TobyBartels|TobyBartels]] ([[User talk:TobyBartels|talk]]) 05:01, 21 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Although C++ doesn't force you to use sigils, by convention programmers would still use sigils. Conventionally, variable names were named nCount, or fCost. The first character in the variable name indicated the data type. This convention was extended by Visual C++, and it started naming interfaces starting with I. Eventually, this convention fell by the wayside because IDEs started getting smarter and you would get code complete and some sort of information via a tooltip that eliminated the need for the Sigil --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.24|173.245.56.24]] 18:16, 20 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
::{{w|Hungarian Notation}} (and similar schemes) aren't "sigils" (according to [[wikt:sigil|wiktionary]], a sigil in this context is non-alphanumeric, and the comic would seem to imply this also). --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.186|108.162.219.186]] 22:45, 20 December 2013 (UTC).<br />
<br />
I think this explanation could do with some better explanation of the programming concepts it describes. Not every xkcd reader will be familiar with programming languages. --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 21:20, 20 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
: I've expanded the introduction for now to more fully explain programming languages and variables - it wasn't very clear to non-programmers - but I think the rest could use some work too. --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 18:29, 21 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
If "C++" "started" with a symbol, then I would agree that it is ironic that it appears in the graph in the position that it does. Since it does not, however, I must dispute your use of the word "ironic". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.117|108.162.238.117]] 03:14, 21 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
How could 'see plus plus' be pronounced any other way? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.239|141.101.98.239]] 11:15, 23 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
: 'see add add'? --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 22:33, 26 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
:'sea-cross squared'? {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.215}}<br />
<br />
;Dispute about the explanation<br />
The explanation is very misleading. Why on earth does the explanation begin with a big chunk of talk about variables?<br />
The comic strip is entirely about probability that a word you encounter will begin with some sigil. Therefore, the explanation should be about WHY the chart is plotted the way it is -- why does QBASIC have such a high probability, and why C++ does not. Everything else will just confuse anyone who comes to this page.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.238|108.162.231.238]] 15:36, 8 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
:I did move this discussion to the bottom where it belongs to; new statements should not be posted at the top. And back to your comment: {{w|Sigil (computer programming)}} is very well explained at the beginning, read the Wiki article. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:21, 8 January 2014 (UTC)</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1331:_Frequency&diff=60504Talk:1331: Frequency2014-02-19T02:02:35Z<p>141.101.99.41: </p>
<hr />
<div>I have began the transcript. Should a table be embedded with all the statements?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.11|108.162.250.11]] 07:33, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:That would be apt. Dammit Randall, why couldn't you have made the comic one image so it'd be easy to put up here? '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:36, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::If I've calculated it correctly (from the core numbers of prime factors extracted from the set of millisecond cycles extracted below by the script), a ''single'' image that contained each and every cycle (exactly as they are individually, without fudging any of them to avoid awkward factors) before repeating from the start again would have a total duration of 8.74E+056ms. (That's around 2.77E+046 ''years''!) I haven't worked out how many frames that would require (at approx 300kp, each, before compression)although I would hazard a guess that most (if not all of them) would probably sustain at a duration of no more than a single figure of milliseconds.<br />
:::You might be able to make a more efficient and vastly smaller representation with the .swf format, but I've not used that for a while so might have forgotten some limitations that would apply in that event.<br />
:::(Realistically, recreating the array of individual images is the best solution you have. Another case where Randall goes outside the 'traditional' single, simple image format, and messes with everyone's automated XKCD-strip-grabbing scripts, no doubt. At least this time round. ;) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.41|141.101.99.41]] 02:02, 19 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
::I have created a table but someone else has already updated the transcript in a different style; here is my attempt<br />
<pre><table><br />
<tr><br />
<th>Heartbeat</th><br />
<th>One Birth</th><br />
<th>One Death</th><br />
<th>Someone Edits Wikipedia</th><br />
<th>Someone Buys a Vibrator</th><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>China Builds a Car</td><br />
<td>Japan Builds a Car</td><br />
<td>Germany Builds a Car</td><br />
<td>The US Builds a Car</td><br />
<td>Someone Else Builds a Car</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>A European Union President Has Their First Kiss</td><br />
<td>A US Fire Department Puts Out a Fire</td><br />
<td>Someone Hits a Hole-In-One</td><br />
<td>My Turn Signal Blinks</td><br />
<td>The Turn Signal of the Car in Front of Me Blinks</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>Earthquake (Magnitude 1)</td><br />
<td>Earthquake (Magnitude 2)</td><br />
<td>Earthquake (Magnitude 3)</td><br />
<td>Earthquake (Magnitude 4)</td><br />
<td>Member of the UK Parliament Flushes a Toilet</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>An Airline Flight Takes Off</td><br />
<td>Someone Buys <em>To Kill A Mockingbird</em></td><br />
<td>Someone's Pet Cat Kills a Mockingbird</td><br />
<td>Someone in Pheonix Buys New Shoes</td><br />
<td>Someone in Pheonix Puts on a Condom</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>Someone Locks Their Keys in Their Car</td><br />
<td>A Sagittarius Named Amelia Drinks a Soda</td><br />
<td>A Dog Bites Someone in the US</td><br />
<td>Someone Steals a Bicycle</td><br />
<td>A Bald Eagle Catches a Fish</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>50,000 Plastic Bottles are Produced</td><br />
<td>50,000 Plastic Bottles are Recycled</td><br />
<td>A Bright Meteor is Visible Somewhere</td><br />
<td>Old Faithful Erupts</td><br />
<td>A fishing Boat Catches a Shark</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>Someone in the US is Diagnosed With Cancer</td><br />
<td>Someone in the US Dies from Cancer</td><br />
<td>Someone Adopts a Dog from a Shelter</td><br />
<td>Someone Adopts a Cat from a Shelter</td><br />
<td>Someone gets Married</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>Someone Registers a Domain</td><br />
<td>Someone in the US Buys a House</td><br />
<td>Someone in the US gets a Tattoo</td><br />
<td>The Star <em>PSR J1748-2446AD Rotates 1,000 Times</em></td><br />
<td>Someone Lies About their Age to Sign up for Facebook</td><br />
</tr><br />
<tr><br />
<td>Someone Breaks an iPhone Screen</td><br />
<td>A Little League Player Strikes Out</td><br />
<td>Someone has Sex in North Dakota</td><br />
<td>Justin Bieber Gains a Follower on Twitter</td><br />
<td>Someone in Denver Orders a Pizza</td><br />
</tr><br />
</table><br />
</pre> [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.11|108.162.250.11]] 10:06, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Thanks, I have replaced the transcript with this one as it is closer to the actual comic format. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 10:24, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I would like to point out a few things: the title text refers to an experiment that shows a piece of tar, if I remember correctly, which looks like a solid material, dripping very very slowly. It takes a year or more for a drop to fall, and there should be a live stream of it somewhere, I think.<br />
<br />
The second is the turning signal being out of sync with the other car. Randall made a comic about that one already. It's a recurring thing.[[User:Dulcis|Dulcis]] ([[User talk:Dulcis|talk]]) 07:57, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:A year? It took 12 years for the last drop to fall... {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.114}}<br />
<br />
: About turning signals, see [[165|XKCD #165]]--[[User:Koundelitchnico|KoundelitchNico]] ([[User talk:Koundelitchnico|talk]]) 09:32, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: Thanks, I thought of that one too. I have added this in the explanations column of the table I created, feel free to add more / edit if you feel the need to do so. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 10:24, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I found a simple tool that calculates the duration of GIF files on github: https://raw.github.com/alimony/gifduration/master/gifduration.py<br />
Slightly edited, this is the output: <br />
<pre><br />
amelia.gif: 7790 ms (7.79 seconds)<br />
bieber.gif: 4730 ms (4.73 seconds)<br />
bike.gif: 24930 ms (24.93 seconds)<br />
birth.gif: 240 ms (0.24 seconds)<br />
book_mockingbird.gif: 42050 ms (42.05 seconds)<br />
bottles.gif: 1270 ms (1.27 seconds)<br />
car_china.gif: 1890 ms (1.89 seconds)<br />
car_elsewhere.gif: 1030 ms (1.03 seconds)<br />
car_germany.gif: 5800 ms (5.80 seconds)<br />
car_japan.gif: 4010 ms (4.01 seconds)<br />
car_us.gif: 6950 ms (6.95 seconds)<br />
cat.gif: 21300 ms (21.30 seconds)<br />
cat_mockingbird.gif: 1820 ms (1.82 seconds)<br />
death.gif: 560 ms (0.56 seconds)<br />
denverpizza.gif: 1270 ms (1.27 seconds)<br />
dogbite.gif: 7010 ms (7.01 seconds)<br />
dog.gif: 15600 ms (15.60 seconds)<br />
domain.gif: 640 ms (0.64 seconds)<br />
eagle.gif: 2690 ms (2.69 seconds)<br />
earthquake1.gif: 2430 ms (2.43 seconds)<br />
earthquake2.gif: 24260 ms (24.26 seconds)<br />
earthquake3.gif: 242600 ms (242.60 seconds)<br />
earthquake4.gif: 2426000 ms (2426.00 seconds)<br />
facebook.gif: 4320 ms (4.32 seconds)<br />
fire_dept.gif: 23000 ms (23.00 seconds)<br />
flight.gif: 930 ms (0.93 seconds)<br />
heartbeat.gif: 860 ms (0.86 seconds)<br />
holeinone.gif: 180000 ms (180.00 seconds)<br />
house.gif: 6220 ms (6.22 seconds)<br />
iphone.gif: 930 ms (0.93 seconds)<br />
keys.gif: 2430 ms (2.43 seconds)<br />
kiss.gif: 5530 ms (5.53 seconds)<br />
littleleague.gif: 1230 ms (1.23 seconds)<br />
meteor.gif: 1150 ms (1.15 seconds)<br />
ndsex.gif: 1380 ms (1.38 seconds)<br />
oldfaithful.gif: 5640000 ms (5640.00 seconds)<br />
parliament_toilet.gif: 10060 ms (10.06 seconds)<br />
phoenix.gif: 2050 ms (2.05 seconds)<br />
phoenixshoes.gif: 1080 ms (1.08 seconds)<br />
pulsar.gif: 1400 ms (1.40 seconds)<br />
recycled.gif: 4640 ms (4.64 seconds)<br />
shark.gif: 830 ms (0.83 seconds)<br />
tattoo.gif: 2060 ms (2.06 seconds)<br />
turnsignal1.gif: 940 ms (0.94 seconds)<br />
turnsignal2.gif: 900 ms (0.90 seconds)<br />
us_cancer_death.gif: 54340 ms (54.34 seconds)<br />
us_cancer.gif: 18990 ms (18.99 seconds)<br />
vibrator.gif: 2990 ms (2.99 seconds)<br />
wedding.gif: 750 ms (0.75 seconds)<br />
wikipedia.gif: 670 ms (0.67 seconds)<br />
</pre><br />
This could be useful in creating some kind of table in the Explanation.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.109|108.162.231.109]] 09:25, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Thanks, I'm working on an explanation right now. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 09:57, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
::OK, I'll leave it at this - the conversions to events per minute don't make sense for all of the tiles and some of them can use more explanation but I'll leave that for someone else to pick up - need to go back to work :-) --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.152|173.245.53.152]] 10:12, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::The edits on Wikipedia doesn't seem very accurate: 0.67s are 3.9M edits per month, while [http://stats.wikimedia.org/EN/TablesDatabaseEdits.htm] has only edit counts around 3M for the last available months for English Wikipedia. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.160|108.162.254.160]] 11:17, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Is that why the explaination is currently locked? I was going to add a few things to the comment column, but I'm aparently not allowed to at the moment. [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 16:11, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Suggestion: grid like coordinates to refer to other flashing text? (think E4, B6, D5, ...) sirKitKat [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.173|173.245.53.173]] 11:19, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Someone from the UK parliment flushed the toilet while someone in Phoenix used a condom, while a bald eagle caught a fish... (I know, it's just the frequency, not the exact time it is shown to occur) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.131|141.101.98.131]] 11:28, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Shouldn't the North Dakota one have been "two people"? [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 11:57, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
He should have added a PNG saying "your screen's refresh rate"... --[[User:Kronf|Kronf]] ([[User talk:Kronf|talk]]) 12:06, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Technically possible<br />
<br />
Technically you can create an animated GIF that will repeat every 10 years. The standard says that maximum interval between frames is 65535*0.01 seconds, so to create a 10-year video you'll need 31557600*10/655.35=481538 frames. Since GIF registers only changes pixels for each frame, most of these frames will be empty (I'm not sure about the size, but around 20 bytes), so the whole file would be around 9.6 megabytes. Please include this in the explanation (possibly correcting numbers). --[[User:Zverik|Zverik]] ([[User talk:Zverik|talk]]) 13:18, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
: @Zverik; Any reason you not just adding that to the explanation yourself? [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 20:31, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Update: Randall used some Adobe software to create highly redundant animated GIFs (with a color profile written to every frame). The thing is, frames are not equal, they gradually change brightness, so each frame is written anew and takes 3670 bytes (measured with oldfaithful.gif). So the estimate for 10-year animated GIF with that software would be 1.77 gigabytes (1.65 GiB). That would be too much indeed. --[[User:Zverik|Zverik]] ([[User talk:Zverik|talk]]) 13:51, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Still, there are only 166 shades of gray between black and the default gray. So all it would take is an additional 166 bigger (in terms of number of bytes) frames. That he uses inferior software is no excuse. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.181|108.162.254.181]] 14:58, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
Is it possible that the comment ''Amelia is the most common US name'' [http://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1331:_Frequency&diff=next&oldid=60214] is made in good faith? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.84|173.245.50.84]] 16:05, 17 February 2014 (UTC). It also said that Sagittarius is the most common star sign, which is false, so I deleted the comment. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.84|173.245.50.84]] 16:16, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: In fact it appears the most common star sign in the US is going to be Leo or Virgo: http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/7/1512.long . Being part way through the cycle, Sagitarius is probably about 1/12 of the population. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.10|141.101.98.10]] 09:11, 18 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Anybody understand why there are so many references to Phoenix ? [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 20:31, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Because 2 references are not really "many". [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.84|173.245.50.84]] 20:40, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:high birthrate perhaps? people down there seem to have large families (in my experience), at least that may be what he is saying about the condoms.[[User:Ercannon|Ercannon]] ([[User talk:Ercannon|talk]]) 22:24, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:I'll hazard a guess here by saying that multiple references to a common item using unrelated topics is a comedic element in itself! In addition, referring to the comment immediately below, unnecessary or impossible precision is also an element of comedy. [[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 23:51, 17 February 2014 (UTC)ExternalMonolog<br />
;Excess precision<br />
To 108.162.245.114 who said that all members of the UK parliament flush a toilet 3,136,938 times per year, please read {{w|False precision}}. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.84|173.245.50.84]] 22:10, 17 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
This should work for the heading, but it's a complete mess and messes up the entire layout. Could someone have a look at this monstrosity:<br />
<pre><br />
<table class cellspacing="5"<br />
style="background-color: #FFFFFF; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; color: black; font-size: 88%; line-height: 1.5em;<br />
margin: 0.5em 0 0.5em 1em; padding: 0.2em; text-align: center; width:98%; {{{bodystyle|}}}"><!--<br />
<br />
### Navigation bar (previous, next...) ###<br />
<br />
--><tr><td><!--<br />
--><ul style="text-align: center; margin-bottom: 10px;" class="no-link-underline"><!--<br />
<br />
### If there is an article for the comic prior to this one, create a "prev" ###<br />
<br />
-->{{#ifexist:{{#expr:1331 - 1}}<!--<br />
-->|<li style="background-color: #6E7B91;<br />
border: 1.5px solid #333333; border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 5px 0 gray;<br />
display: inline; font-size: 16px; font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: 600;<br />
margin: 0 4px; padding: 1.5px 0;"><!--<br />
-->[[{{#expr:1331 - 1}}|<span style="color: #FFFFFF; padding: 0 12px;">&lt; Prev</span>]]<!--<br />
--></li><!--<br />
-->|<li style="display: inline; font-size: 16px; margin: 0 4px; padding: 1.5px 12px;"><!--<br />
-->&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<!--<br />
--></li><!--<br />
-->}}<!--<br />
<br />
### Create a centre button with comic number, date (if exists) and link ###<br />
<br />
--><li style="background-color: #6E7B91;<br />
border: 1.5px solid #333333; border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 5px 0 gray;<br />
display: inline; font-size: 16px; font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: 600;<br />
margin: 0 4px; padding: 1.5px 0;"<br />
class="plainlinks"><!--<br />
-->[http://www.xkcd.com/1331/ <!--<br />
--><span style="color: #FFFFFF; padding: 0 12px;">Comic &#35;1331 (February 17, 2014)</span>]<!--<br />
--></li><!--<br />
<br />
### If there is an article for the comic following this one, create a "next" ###<br />
<br />
-->{{#ifexist:{{#expr:1331 + 1}}<!--<br />
-->|<li style="background-color: #6E7B91;<br />
border: 1.5px solid #333333; border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 5px 0 gray;<br />
display: inline; font-size: 16px; font-variant: small-caps; font-weight: 600;<br />
margin: 0 4px; padding: 1.5px 0;"><!--<br />
-->[[{{#expr:1331 + 1}}|<span style="color: #FFFFFF; padding: 0 12px;">Next &gt;</span>]]<!--<br />
--></li><!--<br />
-->|<li style="display: inline; font-size: 16px; margin: 0 4px; padding: 1.5px 12px;"><!--<br />
-->&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<!--<br />
--></li><!--<br />
--><!--<br />
--></ul><!--<br />
--></td></tr><!--<br />
<br />
### Comic title ###<br />
<br />
--><tr><td style="font-size: 20px; padding-bottom:10px"><!--<br />
-->Frequency<!--<br />
--></td></tr>}}<!--<br />
<br />
<br />
### Comic image and title text ###<br />
<br />
--><tr><td><!--<br />
--><center><table><tr><br />
<td>[[File:heartbeat.gif]]</td><br />
<td>[[File:birth.gif]]</td><br />
<td>[[File:death.gif]]</td><br />
<td>[[File:wikipedia.gif]]</td><br />
<td>[[File:vibrator.gif]]</td><br />
</tr><tr><br />
<td>[[ File:car china.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:car japan.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:car germany.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:car us.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:car elsewhere.gif ]]</td><br />
</tr><tr><br />
<td>[[ File:kiss.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:fire dept.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:holeinone.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:turnsignal1.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:turnsignal2.gif ]]</td><br />
</tr><tr><br />
<td>[[ File:earthquake1.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:earthquake2.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:earthquake3.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:earthquake4.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:parliament toilet.gif ]]</td><br />
</tr><tr><br />
<td>[[ File:flight.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:book mockingbird.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:cat mockingbird.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:phoenixshoes.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:phoenix.gif ]]</td><br />
</tr><tr><br />
<td>[[ File:keys.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:amelia.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:dogbite.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:bike.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:eagle.gif ]]</td><br />
</tr><tr><br />
<td>[[ File:bottles.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:recycled.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:meteor.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:oldfaithful.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:shark.gif ]]</td><br />
</tr><tr><br />
<td>[[ File:us cancer.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:us cancer death.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:dog.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:cat.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:wedding.gif ]]</td><br />
</tr><tr><br />
<td>[[ File:domain.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:house.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:tattoo.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:pulsar.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:facebook.gif ]]</td><br />
</tr><tr><br />
<td>[[ File:iphone.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:littleleague.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:ndsex.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:bieber.gif ]]</td><br />
<td>[[ File:denverpizza.gif ]]</td><br />
</tr></table><!--<br />
--><br /><span style="{{{captionstyle|}}}"><span style="color:grey">Title text:</span> This comic shows estimated average frequency. I wanted to include the pitch drop experiment, but it turns out the gif format has some issues with decade-long loops.</span></td></tr></table></center><br />
</pre> [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.184|173.245.53.184]] 22:31, 18 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:I'm currently adding the ability to put replace the image field with an optional custom field. Will keep you posted. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:40, 18 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
::See [[Template:comic]], in particular the last parameter and the last bullet point in the notes section. Added just for you. This'll be pretty useful for other comics that we've made in the past as well. Thanks for making me get off my butt and do something useful with my admin powers. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:13, 18 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
− <br />
::I don't understand this problem. The HTML-Code is just from the main page, it doesn't explain your problem. I did add all the GIF images yesterday, and for entering all that links in an easy way I changed this table layout to an easy WIKI-Table. In my opinion all the sortable tags should be removed, this is not increasing the depth at this explain. But this is still an open task here, yesterday I just did focus on all the missing GIFs here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:53, 18 February 2014 (UTC)</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1313:_Regex_Golf&diff=59941Talk:1313: Regex Golf2014-02-13T17:45:26Z<p>141.101.99.41: </p>
<hr />
<div>This is fairly simple fun little one.<br />
<br />
Regex is sort for regular expressions. A regular expression is a series of characters that denotes a search criteria. For example, you could write a regular expression that would search for anything that looks like an address (a la [http://www.xkcd.com/208/ comic 208]).<br />
<br />
Regex golf is a game in which you attempt to write a regular expression that will search through a list of items and bring back only those items that meet a certain criteria, but not anything else. The joke is that regular expressions are used to search text, but themselves are text strings. This means that you could write a regular expression that would look for another regular expression. You can then apply ''ad infinitum'', and the universe implodes or something.<br />
<br />
--[[User:Holshy|Holshy]] ([[User talk:Holshy|talk]]) 05:40, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The last panel includes, of course, a regex "/(meta-)*regex golf/," which represents the phrase "regex golf" preceded by the phrase "meta-" up to ''infinite'' times.<br />
<br />
As a punchline, it also refers to Jamie Zawinski's well-known quote about regex,<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Some people, when confronted with a problem, think "I know, I'll use regular expressions." Now they have two problems.</blockquote><br />
<br />
Thus, the punchline is that the addition of meta layers to regex golf generates more problems for the programmer, but that was also the setup of the comic. So either the punchline is really weak—worth a chuckle if you got the above two references—or I missed the joke.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.63|199.27.128.63]] 06:22, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could anybody comment on the first regex? Do I get it right that<br />
beyond others it will match all strings that contain a "b"? I can hardly believe that is not the case for any star trek subtitle... [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.194|173.245.53.194]] 06:54, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
:This is the case for all Star Trek Subtitles. Wikipedia's list of movies had no b. It'll match anything containing a word ending in ''m'', any word beginning with ''n'' or ''t'' that is not the first word, or any word with a ''b''. No Trek movies match. Oddly, so far as I can figure out, the regex in the first panel is wrong, in that it doesn't match the second Star Wars movie at all. And before you tell me prequels don't count, the sole purpose of "m " is to match The Phanto''m ''Menace.[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.138|199.27.128.138]] 07:10, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
Attack of[ t]he Clones (to be read plainly, not as a regular expression). [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.107|173.245.53.107]] 07:29, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Ah, I thought it was ''The Clone Wars''. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.138|199.27.128.138]] 15:36, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
So, if I add an "e" to the "tn" and delete the "|b" I'm a better golf player than her? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.194|108.162.212.194]] 08:23, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Or you could just move the "b" into the "tn" group. --11:08, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I got a sneak preview of this comic at about 6:34 EST...at first it appeared to be random text in a irc message, but with this comic it now makes sense to me. [[User:Verticalbar|Verticalbar]] ([[User talk:Verticalbar|talk]]) 09:31, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''Regex golf''' (c.f. {{w|Perl golf}}) is a programming competition / is a pastime of finding regular expression that matches one set of strings while matching none of the other set. See for example http://regex.alf.nu --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 11:03, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The title text isn't exactly true... I haven't tried everything, but that regex doesn't match "gerald ford" at all. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.109|199.27.128.109]] 11:23, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
: Gerald Ford wasn't elected, he became President following Nixon's resignation.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.209|173.245.52.209]] 12:12, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Inspired by regex.alf.nu, a reader built a page where the objective is to make a regular expression to match all Star Wars and no Star Trek: http://zegnat.github.io/xkcd1313/. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.127|173.245.53.127]] 14:00, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I added a list of all US elected presidents and the part of the title regex they match. I used a python script to generate it, with input from [http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_presidential_candidates here], then I removed all presidents that do not match after finding they really weren't elected. There may still be superflous ones, that weren't elected but do match the regex, please check. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.49.64|173.245.49.64]] 14:29, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Does anyone understand the final "No, I had those already"? Is it a reference to regexes in some way or could it be something like that there are infinite problems in life, even when not doing (Meta-)*-Regexes? --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.199|173.245.53.199]] 20:32, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
According to Peter Norvig (Director of research at google), one of the Regular Expression of Randall is wrong as demonstrated here : http://nbviewer.ipython.org/url/norvig.com/ipython/xkcd1313.ipynb [[User:Mbussonn|Mbussonn]] ([[User talk:Mbussonn|talk]]) 20:47, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
: It's happening. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.153|173.245.53.153]] 11:39, 7 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"No one wins at [^ ]+ golf." [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.209|141.101.98.209]] 09:50, 7 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
: Gee, would that be "No one wins at \S+ golf."? [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 23:57, 9 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Why does this say that it is Case Sensitive. As far as I can tell it would not work if that were true.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.59|108.162.219.59]] 02:28, 7 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"Note that if one included the animated film “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” it would be matched by “ [tn]”."<br />
- I don't see how this is true, since the T is at the beginning of the subtitle. If this matched, then surely so would all of the original series Star Trek films.</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1283:_Headlines&diff=596061283: Headlines2014-02-08T06:55:04Z<p>141.101.99.41: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1283<br />
| date = October 28, 2013<br />
| title = Headlines<br />
| image = headlines.png<br />
| titletext = 1916: 'PHYSICIST DAD' TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO GRAVITY, AND YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HE FINDS. [PICS] [NSFW]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
This comic satirizes the sensationalist language used in Internet headlines. Many websites generate ad revenue for getting visitors ("getting more clicks"), so some unscrupulous editors seek to manipulate their readers using tantalizing yet formulaic and crass headlines, designed to attract readers rather than summarize the article's contents. You might recognize this technique from those ridiculous text advertisements &mdash; "local mom discovers 1 weird tip to reduce belly fat." The practice is nothing new: {{w|tabloid journalism}} has been doing this for many years (e.g. ''{{w|National Enquirer}}''). The numbers shown at the headline are also often wrong and not covered by the article.<br />
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Signs of a dishonest headline include giving undue weight to trivial topics, or appealing to readers' emotions or needs (fear, outrage, pity, lust, laziness) instead of offering serious information. In severe cases, it may be a {{w|bait-and-switch}}, claiming to offer something it isn't. By failing to give a useful summary of the story, whilst attempting to force the reader to click on every story on the off-chance that it's interesting, they amount to an intentionally deceptive form of spam.<br />
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[[Randall]] parodies the formula in this comic with such trivializing headlines for important historical events:<br />
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*1905 - How a shocking new theory, discovered by a dad, proves scientists are wrong about ''everything!''<br />
:{{w|Albert Einstein}} published his {{w|Annus Mirabilis papers}}, which changed views on space, time, mass, and energy, and laid the groundwork for much of modern physics. They included his papers on {{w|special relativity}} and on {{w|mass–energy equivalence}} ("E = mc<sup>2</sup>"). He had an infant son in 1905 (born May 1904).<br />
:The use of the term "dad" helps readers tune in emotionally. "Proving scientists wrong about everything" is obviously an inflation of Einstein's achievements. Einstein was awarded the {{w|Nobel Prize}} in 1921 for his work on the {{w|photoelectric effect}}, his work on relativity was still not accepted by many physicists at that time.<br />
*1912 - 6 ''Titanic'' survivors who should have died<br />
:{{w|Sinking of the RMS Titanic}}. "should have died" seems to be referring to six passengers whose survival was downright miraculous, though the wording is (deliberately) ambiguous to imply the six passengers ''deserved'' to have died.<br />
*1916: 'Physicist dad' turns his attention to gravity, and you won't believe what he finds. [PICS] [NSFW]<br />
:Einstein published his theory of {{w|General relativity}}, which is a vast generalization of the theory of {{w|Special relativity}} from 1905 and provides a model for gravity. In 1916 Einstein had two sons who lived in Zurich while he lived in Berlin.<br />
:[NSFW] is "Not Safe for Work" - a tag to identify explicit images. Here it is used to trick readers hoping to find pornography.<br />
:[PICS] tells the potential viewer that there are images embedded<br />
*1920 - 17 things that will be outlawed now that women can vote<br />
:The {{w|Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution}} was passed, guaranteeing voting rights for women in all US states. The prediction of new prohibitions is a reference to alcohol prohibition under the authority granted to the federal government by the {{w|Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution}}. While the Eighteenth Amendment was ratified before women's suffrage was guaranteed by the Nineteeth, alcohol prohibition was widely seen as an issue driven by women's opinions (hence the suggestion that more things would be prohibited now that women had the vote).<br />
*1928 - This one weird mold kills all germs<br />
:{{w|Penicillin}} was discovered.<br />
*1929 - Most embarrassing reactions to the stock market crash [GIFS]<br />
:This is a reference to the {{w|Wall Street Crash of 1929}}, the most devastating stock market crash in history and the beginning of the Great Depression. The "embarassing reactions" may be a reference to the suicides of people suddenly impoverished by the depression.<br />
:[GIFS] indicates that the post will contain an animated GIF image - a crude form of short video<br />
*1945 - These 9 Nazi atrocities will make you lose faith in humanity<br />
:1945 is the year that World War 2 ended. It's also the year that many war crimes committed by Nazi Germany were discovered or declassified.<br />
*1948 - 5 insane plans for feeding West Berlin you won't believe are real<br />
:1948 is when the Soviet Union established the {{w|Berlin Blockade}}, preventing food and other critical supplies from reaching occupied Berlin. In response, Western forces organized the {{w|Berlin Airlift}}.<br />
*1955 - Avoid polio with this one weird trick<br />
:The {{w|polio vaccine}} was developed. See [http://www.slate.com/articles/business/moneybox/2013/07/how_one_weird_trick_conquered_the_internet_what_happens_when_you_click_on.html ''Prepare to Be Shocked! What happens when you actually click on one of those “One Weird Trick” ads?'']<br />
*1957 - 12 nip slips potentially visible to Sputnik<br />
:The Soviet Union launched {{w|Sputnik 1}}, the world's first artificial satellite. A ''nip slip'' is when a woman unintentionally exposes all or part of one or both of her nipples; in the context of the internet, it generally refers to a photograph capturing such a moment.<br />
*1968 - This year's assassinations ranked from most to least tragic<br />
:{{w|Martin Luther King Jr.}} and {{w|Robert F. Kennedy}} were both assassinated in 1968.<br />
:Assassinations are rare and tragic, so "ranking" them trivializes the political and emotional depth of the events.<br />
*1969 - This is the most important photo of an astronaut you'll see all day<br />
:{{w|Apollo 11}} performed the first manned lunar landing. During this historic trip newspapers printed as many pictures of astronauts as they could.<br />
*1986 - This video of a terminally ill child watching the ''Challenger'' launch will break your heart<br />
:Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight. See {{w|Space Shuttle Challenger disaster}} for details. This was the first shuttle mission that included a teacher on board as part of the crew ({{w|Christa McAuliffe}}, ''{{w|Teacher in Space Project}}''), so there were many children -- a New York Times poll put the number at 48% of 9-13 year olds in the US -- watching this particular launch live as teachers around the country had TV sets in their classrooms showing the ill-fated launch in real time. The launch was not shown on most mainstream TV stations; only {{w|CNN}} broadcast it live.<br />
*1989 - You won't ''believe'' what these people did to the Berlin wall! [video]<br />
:{{w|Fall of the Berlin Wall}}.<br />
:[video] indicates a link to a video<br />
*Jan 1, 1990 - 500 signs you're a 90s kid<br />
:A 90s kid is someone born in the late 80s or early 90s (and spent most their childhood in the 1990s). Headlines like [http://www.buzzfeed.com/melismashable/25-ways-to-tell-youre-a-kid-of-the-9 this one from BuzzFeed] toy with their readers' sense of nostalgia. The parody headline is funny because it starts precisely on the first day of the 1990s, meaning that the only "90s kids" that it would apply to would be newborns. This is a reference to a common joke about the 90s not having a concrete identity in some ways like the 70s or 80s did in terms of popular culture, and yet those born in that decade always seem to have long lists of things that make you a "90s kid".<br />
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This topic is re-used in [[1307: Buzzfeed Christmas]].<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:20th Century Headlines<br />
:Rewritten to get more clicks<br />
<br />
:1905 - How a shocking new theory, discovered by a dad, proves scientists are wrong about ''everything!''<br />
:1912 - 6 ''Titanic'' survivors who should have died<br />
:1920 - 17 things that will be outlawed now that women can vote<br />
:1928 - This one weird mold kills all germs<br />
:1929 - Most embarrassing reactions to the stock market crash [GIFS]<br />
:1945 - These 9 Nazi atrocities will make you lose faith in humanity<br />
:1948 - 5 insane plans for feeding West Berlin you won't believe are real<br />
:1955 - Avoid Polio with this one weird trick<br />
:1957 - 12 nip slips potentially visible to Sputnik<br />
:1968 - This year's assassinations ranked from most to least tragic<br />
:1969 - This is the most important photo of an astronaut you'll see all day<br />
:1986 - This video of a terminally ill child watching the ''Challenger'' launch will break your heart<br />
:1989 - You won't ''believe'' what these people did to the Berlin wall! [video]<br />
:Jan 1, 1990 - 500 signs you're a 90s kid<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Language]]</div>141.101.99.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1327:_Mobile_Marketing&diff=596051327: Mobile Marketing2014-02-08T06:50:07Z<p>141.101.99.41: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1327<br />
| date = February 7, 2014<br />
| title = Mobile Marketing<br />
| image = mobile_marketing.png<br />
| titletext = We're firing you, but the online headline-writing division wants to hire you.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Black Hat]] was hired by the Cable News Network to increase its popularity, presumably long-term. However, he just texted one million people implying that a huge, unbelievable event was happening. While this technically did increase viewers of CNN, this was most likely only for a few minutes before the viewers realized nothing had happened. Because of this, Black Hat did very little to help CNN.<br />
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The title text is spoken by the offscreen character who, after saying that division of CNN was firing Black Hat, told him that the online headline writing department wanted to hire him. This is because the message Black Hat texted to the million phone numbers is very similar to {{w|link bait}}, which are headlines or titles that, like the text message, promise highly interesting articles without being very detailed as to their nature. Thus, perhaps online, Black Hat could bring clicks up long term through this unscrupulous practice, as opposed to mass unsolicited texts. The practice of link bait has also been mentioned in [[1283: Headlines]].<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:Offscreen: CNN hired you to improve viewership.<br />
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:Black Hat: ...Yes, and?<br />
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:Offscreen: You texted "Holy crap, turn on the news" to a million random phone numbers?<br />
:Black Hat: It sure did work.<br />
:Offscreen: ''Not what we meant!''<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]</div>141.101.99.41