https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=162.158.158.9&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T15:17:56ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2252:_Parenthetical_Names&diff=185745Talk:2252: Parenthetical Names2020-01-09T15:59:44Z<p>162.158.158.9: s/\n/\./</p>
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Great to see, that dgbrtbot is back on the wiki. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:40, 9 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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This would be especially annoying for World of Darkness tabletop RPGs. Every one of them (Except Orpheus but we don't talk about Orpheus) has a colon in them for stuff. IE Vampire: The Masquerade [[User:Gruetopia|Gruetopia]] ([[User talk:Gruetopia|talk]]) 08:49, 9 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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Daenerys of the House Targaryen (the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons) --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:22, 9 January 2020 (UTC) <br />
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@Lupo: FTFY: Daenerys (of the House Targaryen) (the First (of Her Name)), (The Unburnt),( Queen (of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men)), (Queen (of Meereen)),( Khaleesi (of the Great Grass Sea)), (Protector (of the Realm)), (Lady Regent (of the Seven Kingdoms)), (Breaker (of Chains)) (and Mother (of Dragons)) {{unsigned|Cellocgw|12:55, 9 January 2020}}<br />
:Or alternatively even: Daenerys (of (the House Targaryen (the First of Her Name, (The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, (the Rhoynar and (the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi (of the Great Grass Sea, Protector (of (the Realm, Lady Regent (of (the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker (of Chains and Mother (of Dragons[[312|)))))))))))))]] --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 13:03, 9 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
: "...the (First) Men..." "...the (Great) Grass (Sea)..." "...(Lady) Regent..." "... of the (Seven) Kingdoms ..."? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.9|162.158.158.9]] 15:56, 9 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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I always liked listening to Mott (the Hoople) but I've never been a fan of Vlad (the Impaler). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.88|162.158.214.88]] 12:14, 9 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
: Didn't he open for Cage (the elephant)? [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 13:27, 9 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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I spent the evening having a jabber with Jabba (the Hut). I listened to some tunes by Benny Goodman (the King (of Swing) ) . Reminds me of the Jewish Mother joke where the first Jewish president finally gets his mother to agree to hold Seder in the White House.[parentheses mine] Mother to her friend Sadie: "I'm having Seder with my son." Sadie: "Oh, your son (the doctor)?" Mother: "No the other one." [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 12:52, 9 January 2020 (UTC)</div>162.158.158.9https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2252:_Parenthetical_Names&diff=185744Talk:2252: Parenthetical Names2020-01-09T15:56:35Z<p>162.158.158.9: </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 />
Great to see, that dgbrtbot is back on the wiki. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:40, 9 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This would be especially annoying for World of Darkness tabletop RPGs. Every one of them (Except Orpheus but we don't talk about Orpheus) has a colon in them for stuff. IE Vampire: The Masquerade [[User:Gruetopia|Gruetopia]] ([[User talk:Gruetopia|talk]]) 08:49, 9 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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Daenerys of the House Targaryen (the First of Her Name, The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Protector of the Realm, Lady Regent of the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker of Chains and Mother of Dragons) --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 09:22, 9 January 2020 (UTC) <br />
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@Lupo: FTFY: Daenerys (of the House Targaryen) (the First (of Her Name)), (The Unburnt),( Queen (of the Andals, the Rhoynar and the First Men)), (Queen (of Meereen)),( Khaleesi (of the Great Grass Sea)), (Protector (of the Realm)), (Lady Regent (of the Seven Kingdoms)), (Breaker (of Chains)) (and Mother (of Dragons)) {{unsigned|Cellocgw|12:55, 9 January 2020}}<br />
:Or alternatively even: Daenerys (of (the House Targaryen (the First of Her Name, (The Unburnt, Queen of the Andals, (the Rhoynar and (the First Men, Queen of Meereen, Khaleesi (of the Great Grass Sea, Protector (of (the Realm, Lady Regent (of (the Seven Kingdoms, Breaker (of Chains and Mother (of Dragons[[312|)))))))))))))]] --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 13:03, 9 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
: "...the (First) Men..." "...the (Great) Grass (Sea)..." "...(Lady) Regent..<br />
" "... of the (Seven) Kingdoms ..."? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.9|162.158.158.9]] 15:56, 9 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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I always liked listening to Mott (the Hoople) but I've never been a fan of Vlad (the Impaler). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.88|162.158.214.88]] 12:14, 9 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
: Didn't he open for Cage (the elephant)? [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 13:27, 9 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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I spent the evening having a jabber with Jabba (the Hut). I listened to some tunes by Benny Goodman (the King (of Swing) ) . Reminds me of the Jewish Mother joke where the first Jewish president finally gets his mother to agree to hold Seder in the White House.[parentheses mine] Mother to her friend Sadie: "I'm having Seder with my son." Sadie: "Oh, your son (the doctor)?" Mother: "No the other one." [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 12:52, 9 January 2020 (UTC)</div>162.158.158.9https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2252:_Parenthetical_Names&diff=1857412252: Parenthetical Names2020-01-09T15:49:47Z<p>162.158.158.9: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2252<br />
| date = January 8, 2020<br />
| title = Parenthetical Names<br />
| image = parenthetical_names.png<br />
| titletext = I never got around to seeing that movie about the battle (of Midway).<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a PARENTHESIS. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This is another comic in the [[:Category:My Hobby|My Hobby]] series.<br />
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Parentheses are generally used in a sentence to add additional information that clarifies the topic. For example, in the sentence, "Barack Obama (a Democrat) is the 44th President of the United States," the parenthetical clause clarifies who Obama is, but is not strictly necessary to the sentence. On top of that, the use of parentheses is commonly used on {{w|Wikipedia}} to distinguish between different articles where the subject has the same name. Typing "Stealth", for example, would lead to suggestions such as {{w|Stealth (film)}}, {{w|Stealth (video game)}}, and {{w|Stealth (roller coaster)}}. Each of these parenthetical clauses clarifies the topic. However, in the comic, Randall uses parentheses when they provide essential information, inseparable from the topic. In particular, the name Jack does not immediately make one think of Jack the Ripper, so the sentence doesn't make sense without the parentheses. <br />
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''{{w|Sonic the Hedgehog}}'' is a video game franchise featuring the eponymous Sonic the Hedgehog character. A film featuring the character titled ''{{w|Sonic the Hedgehog (film)|Sonic the Hedgehog}}'' is scheduled for release in February 2020. When the first trailer was released, the public reacted with shock and horror at the movie's design of Sonic, who was said to fall into the "{{w|uncanny valley}}" by being too anthropomorphic and not cartoony enough. The design was hastily re-developed, which was received much more favorably; evidently, Cueball has warmed to the movie and is asking his friends if they want to go see it. Sonic is also the name of a {{w|Sonic (train)|train}}, a {{w|Sonic Drive-In|restaurant franchise}}, and a {{w|Sonic (ISP)|Californian internet service provider}}, among other things Randall is trying to avoid confusing the movie with. Perhaps Randall's friends often go to see the restaurant.<br />
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{{w|Jack the Ripper}} is the name attributed to a {{w|serial killer}} active in {{w|London}} in 1888. His true identity has never been confirmed, and he has been featured in {{w|Jack the Ripper in fiction|hundreds of works}}. {{w|Jack (given name)|"Jack"}} is one of the most-common given names for males in much of the Anglosphere (which is probably why it was adopted, like John is for Messers {{John Doe|Doe}}, Smith and (Q.) Public), so Randall should not be using parentheses, as it is necessary to show that "Jack the Ripper" is a full proper name, in leiu of any truer identity being known. <br />
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American actor {{w|Robin Williams}} played {{w|Popeye the Sailor}} in the 1980 musical-comedy film ''{{w|Popeye (film)|Popeye}}''. Popeye the Sailor is the best-known character named "Popeye", so it is a little unusual that Randall would have to clarify ''which'' Popeye he is referring to. Other Popeyes include {{w|Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle}} from ''{{w|The French Connection}}'' and the criminal {{w|Popeye (Faulkner character)|Popeye}} from {{w|William Faulkner|William Faulkner's}} novel ''{{w|Sanctuary (Faulkner novel)|Sanctuary}}''. Like "Sonic", there is a restaurant chain named "{{w|Popeyes}}", which is the second-largest fast-food chicken restaurant chain in the world (after KFC). The founder of Popeyes claimed he named the restaurant after the ''French Connection'' character, and not the sailor, but from 1971 to 2006, Popeyes did license the cartoon characters and used them in promotions.<br />
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The title-text alters the pattern slightly by discussing the {{w|battle of Midway}} (i.e. the X '''of''' Y). This case has additional humor because Randall clarifies which battle he is talking about, but not which of the several movies depicting the battle (although he was most likely referring to the film released in November 2019, simply called {{w|Midway (2019 film)|''Midway''}}).<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
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:[Cueball stands, holding his phone. Text message boxes are above him.]<br />
<br />
:Do you want to go see Sonic (the Hedgehog)?<br />
:Why are there so many books about Jack (the Ripper)?<br />
:I didn't know Robin Williams once played Popeye (the Sailor Man)<br />
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:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
<br />
:My Hobby:<br />
:Whenever I mention anyone called "<Name> the <X>," I like to put "the <X>" in parentheses, like I added it as a clarification.<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Fiction]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]</div>162.158.158.9https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2251:_Alignment_Chart_Alignment_Chart&diff=185725Talk:2251: Alignment Chart Alignment Chart2020-01-09T10:52:08Z<p>162.158.158.9: </p>
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OK, hope someone will now explain it after I created this page. I'm lost on this one ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:49, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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Arrgh, edit conflict! [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 11:55, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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I'm pretty sure the Punnet Square is ''also'' a meme template...[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.229|162.158.154.229]] 15:59, 7 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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I vaguely remember Randall to refer to the clay-sand diagram (or whatever it is called) as his all time favorite diagram on what-if somewhere. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 12:35, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
:You vaguely remember "Starsand" from https://what-if.xkcd.com/83/ with the quote "Fortunately, there's a wonderful chart by the US Geologic Survey that answers all these questions and more. For some reason, I find this chart very satisfying—it's like the erosion geology edition of the electromagnetic spectrum chart." directly applicabe to this chart[[User:Tier666|Tier666]] ([[User talk:Tier666|talk]]) 17:57, 6 January 2020 (UTC) <br />
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I fear any attempt to "explain" the CIE chromaticity diagram will devolve into arguments about why Randall chose it. I have found that folks outside the world of optics or neurooptical studies have a hard time understanding why the raw colors available in single wavelengths comprise that short curvy line inside the full colorspace. The way our brain processes the relative signal strengths from the different types of retinal cones is quite amazing. [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 12:57, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
:CGW I'm shocked! Surely you know that single-wavelengths are the curvy outer boundary while the inner curvy line shows the response to blackbody spectra. ;-) -Fred [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.61|173.245.52.61]] 19:55, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
::Thanks for that; I was about to question the statement myself. All in all, I feel the current explanation of the chromaticity diagram doesn't really explain much, and seems unnecessarily biased to boot. I know just enough about chromaticity to think it's wrong but not enough to correct it. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] ([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]]) 19:58, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
:::I agree that explanation isn't great, if it's not improved when I have free time tonight I'll take a stab at it. Or maybe CelloCGW will, since he IS an optics guru (which is why I had to raz him).[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.61|173.245.52.61]] 20:13, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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@Fred - mea culpa. I should think before writing. Fortunately :-), the ratio of the colorspace to any 1-dimensional line's area is still infinite! [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 20:33, 6 January 2020 (UTC) .... now that someone did post some explanation of CIE, more comments. The current CIE spec may be paywalled, but it has changed little if at all over the last 40 or 50 years, so it's not all that hard to get the values. There are several sites (naturally I've lost the URLs) which provide algos to convert HSM to RGB to HSV and so on. See Wikipedia, https://law.resource.org/pub/us/cfr/ibr/003/cie.15.2004.tables.xls , and similar repositories [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 20:44, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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:I redid the CIE explanation - focusing on describing the diagram, rather than one thing it might get used for (e.g. black body). I think the diagrams on the right are labeled chaotic because they are not some neat geometric shape over-all. I didn't really follow much of what was there, so feel free to revive some of it if it seems useful. (My background in color theory comes from computer science and graphics, rather than from physics or hardware design.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.107.201|162.158.107.201]] 00:57, 7 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
::It's better! Though it might be nice to explain what the x and y coordinates on the CIE diagram represent. (I personally have no clue, even after perusing Wikipedia.) As for chaoticness and shape, really CN and CE are the one two that aren't simple geometric shapes; even CG is a trapezoid. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] ([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]]) 15:04, 8 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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I'm only familiar with 4th and 5th edition, but should the "Good/neutral/evil:" axis eplanation be changed to "selfless deeds or selfish deeds"? Good and evil are highly subjective ("One person's 'freedom fighter' is another person's 'terrorist'.") but at least in 5e the axis is explained as risking/sacrificing yourself for the benefit of others (Good) vs. sacrificing others for your own benefit (Evil). Also, the explanation of the CN character may benefit from dividing which parts of the explanation are "chatoic" vs "neutral". Finally the "lacking rhyme or reason" part of chaotic is highly debated within D&D circles. There are certainly people who play that way, but there are also others who feel that chaotic characters have just as much motivation and goals as a lawful or neutral character just that part of their motivation is to act contrarily to Tradition/Authority. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.54|162.158.186.54]] 14:37, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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: It seems from this page that even nerds tend to interpret the alignment system by the ‘common sense’ meaning of the names instead of the detailed explanation. I once simply went through the Wikipedia article, which cited the second edition IIRC: ‘lawful’ means sticking to ''some'' code of conduct, whereas ‘chaotic’ is a pure opportunist or behaves randomly. ‘Good’ and ‘evil’ indeed mean selfless vs selfish deeds, but afaik in one of the official explanations ‘evil’ meant exercising authority over others—so all managers would be ‘evil’ automatically. [[User:Aasasd|Aasasd]] ([[User talk:Aasasd|talk]]) 16:42, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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I am not sure the phase diagram is for Water - that has nine solid phases. Surely it is merely a simple example. <br />
[[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 16:52, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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As an interesting note, this comic's alt-text also ends with a period inside of a quote. This was discussed at length in the previous comic. [[User:Agrasin|Agrasin]] ([[User talk:Agrasin|talk]]) 16:52, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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I'm just upset that both a soil diagram and the QAPF were included, but not the TAS. Where's the love for extrusive igneous rocks? [[User:Mergelong|Mergelong]] ([[User talk:Mergelong|talk]]) 18:22, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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BTW, I offer my condolences and wish luck to the person who's going to make a transcript of this comic. [[User:Aasasd|Aasasd]] ([[User talk:Aasasd|talk]]) 22:28, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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"lawful heterozygous silty liquid" Is this not him being Lawfull, having inherited different forms of a particular gene from each parent, and basically a bag full of salt water? [[User:Nappy|Nappy]] ([[User talk:Nappy|talk]]) 07:51, 7 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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A phase diagram was also used in https://what-if.xkcd.com/138/ [[Special:Contributions/162.158.89.7|162.158.89.7]] 08:23, 7 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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The phase diagrams for oxygen and radon look similar to the Lawful Neutral one here. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.166|172.68.34.166]] 23:06, 8 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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Is it coincidence that the evil chaotic diagram looks a bit like a brain? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.9|162.158.158.9]] 10:52, 9 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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== Omnispace Classifier ==<br />
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I think the Omnispace Classifier is meant to be a horrific Frankenstein amalgamation of the other 8 kinds of chart. Theoretically it can "classify anything" since it can classify anything the other 8 can, but practically it would obviously be totally useless, or at least a lot less useful than just using the specific chart that works for the situation. [[User:Pureawes0me|Pureawes0me]] ([[User talk:Pureawes0me|talk]]) 12:09, 6 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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In the description of the Omnispace Classifier, saying "the diagram created for this comic is considered to be chaotically evil." is wrong. The diagram created for this comic is ''not'' an Omnispace Classifier, it is an alignment chart. It's even in the title "Alignment Chart Alignment Chart". [[User:Pureawes0me|Pureawes0me]] ([[User talk:Pureawes0me|talk]]) 14:11, 8 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
:I concur. [[User:LtPowers|LtPowers]] ([[User talk:LtPowers|talk]]) 15:04, 8 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
I feel the "Omnispace Classifier" is actually chaotic evil due to its mishmash of axes, which change randomly in topic and direction depending where you look on the graph. --[[User:GoldNinja|GoldNinja]] ([[User talk:GoldNinja|talk]]) 17:43, 8 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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== Chart Position Rationale ==<br />
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The page currently tries to explain each chart's position based on the content of the chart, e.g. the political compass chart is lawful because politics relates to laws. I think this is wrong: the charts are arranged based on their properties ''as charts''. It's not based on whatever it is they represent. This feels more in character with how Randall tends to do things. It also avoids making a bunch of value judgments about various topics. [[User:Khaim|Khaim]] ([[User talk:Khaim|talk]]) 23:05, 8 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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Possible explanations for each chart:<br />
* Soil chart: Information-dense, continuous, triangular<br />
* Punnett square: Simple, square<br />
* IPA vowel chart: Irregular shape<br />
* Phase diagram: Square, continuous<br />
* Alignment chart: "A is A"<br />
* CIE chromaticity diagram: Irregular shape, ''curved'', nonlinear<br />
* Political compass: Square (lawful), highly subjective, not very useful<br />
* QAPF rock diagram: Diamond shape is misleading since it's actually two ternary charts stuck together, not very useful (unless you're a geologist?)<br />
* Omnispace classifier: Totally made up, irregular, completely useless<br />
[[User:Khaim|Khaim]] ([[User talk:Khaim|talk]]) 23:31, 8 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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:I agree with this, and it's how I first interpreted the comic.--[[User:GoldNinja|GoldNinja]] ([[User talk:GoldNinja|talk]]) 23:40, 8 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
:Well, the point is to make any connection to both axis of the chart. Your explanations do not do that properly either. e.g. for IPA vowel chart "Irregular shape" does not explain why it would be considered "good", while it is one of maybe more possible reasons for being considered chaotic. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:39, 9 January 2020 (UTC)</div>162.158.158.9https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2249:_I_Love_the_20s&diff=185369Talk:2249: I Love the 20s2020-01-02T11:37:47Z<p>162.158.158.9: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.-->in gif diehard is a Christmas movie. There is no right or wrong answer. <br />
But is White Hat right or wrong? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.197|162.158.91.197]] 19:00, 1 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
:Both. It's the only way to settle this. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.63|173.245.54.63]] 19:13, 1 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
::I think that he is right, but it’s like asking if diehard is a Christmas movie. There is no right or wrong answer. <br />
:::Indeed, famed D.J. and space journalist [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZVOSZqth70 Scott Manley says it's a new decade in C but not in FORTRAN]. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.241|172.68.189.241]] 19:37, 1 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
::::You mean it's already 21th century for FORTRAN? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:33, 1 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
::::But what decade is it in the {{w|Delisle scale}}? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.250|141.101.98.250]] 20:35, 1 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
I'm fairly certain Ponytail contradicts herself in panel 5. Arguing that decades are not cardinally numbered is arguing that the decade starts in 2021 (ordinal numbering.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.34|162.158.126.34]] 21:20, 1 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
:She doesn't: you're assuming there are only two options, but that's not the case. Decades (in the common "20s, 30s, 40s" form) are not technically numbered at all: they're named, it's just that those names are based on numbers.<br />
:It's still a sequence, like names or dictionary entries being grouped into "As, Bs, Cs" and so on, though. (Is there a specific name for this type of sequence? If so, I don't know it.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.144|141.101.107.144]] 23:03, 1 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
::She (more likely Randall's slip of the pen) is still wrong: what she means is that they aren't ''ordinally'' numbered, which is the reason the other guy is wrong. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.179|162.158.158.179]] 08:23, 2 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
Having had this conversation on WhatsApp, I have settled on an ingenious solution that works for me (on being told that "0" had not been invented in the year between -1 and +1") and explains why decades start with "10, 20...": As usually nowadays, the first decade was the Betaversion and so only ran from 1-9... {{unsigned ip|188.114.103.5|07:29, 2 January 2020 (UTC)}}<br />
:Nobody really recognised the possibility of having/not having 0AD until c.525AD, anyway. (Sitting betwixt the nominal start of what became in our zero in 5<sup>th</sup>C and its eventual formalising in 7<sup>th</sup>C, over in India/etc.) If you ask me (and you aren't doing, I know!) I think they probably were envisaging an early version of 1s' Compliment, but knew it would be silly to have two separate numbers for the year ±0 and so fudged it entirely the other way. ;) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.9|162.158.158.9]] 11:37, 2 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
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Every year is a new decade. Just some of them overlap. The 203rd decade was from 2021 to 2030, while the '20s will run from 1920 to 1929. Both are legitimate decades. So id 1994-2003; it just doesn't have a convenient name to refer to it by. Heck, you don't even need a new year. 1981-12-03 to 1991-12-02 is the first decade of my life :) So if you want to celebrate the start of a new decade, you should celebrate ''every single day''. [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 10:48, 2 January 2020 (UTC)<br />
:By that logic, the 203rd decade started 203 planck lengths (or other smaller time units) after the big bang. Or was it 202 planck lenghts after? However I agree, that decades start and end all the time. The question is just, what day does the decade "the 20s" start. I'd say it started on January 1, 2020. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 11:23, 2 January 2020 (UTC)</div>162.158.158.9https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1463:_Altitude&diff=1851291463: Altitude2019-12-26T02:46:23Z<p>162.158.158.9: Modify fraction of oxygen to make more readable and more accurate</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1463<br />
| date = December 22, 2014<br />
| title = Altitude<br />
| image = altitude.png<br />
| titletext = "TURN OFF THE LASER GUIDE STAR" "WHY" "STAR CATS"<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
In this comic, Randall is making fun of how {{w|Altitude sickness|oxygen deprivation}} can lead to reduced mental acuity. Dizziness, lightheadedness, impaired judgment, and euphoria are symptoms of oxygen deprivation, or hypoxia. Those researchers would benefit from having a written list or plan developed while they were still functioning at peak mental acuity.<br />
Note that high altitude does not lead to severe effects as described in the comic.<br />
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Here, two astronomers are heading up a mountain, towards the observatory they work at. Initially, they discuss what they are planning on doing once they reach the summit, mentioning [http://exoplanets.astro.yale.edu/instrumentation/iodine_cells.php Iodine cells], used for wavelength calibrations of high-resolution RV spectra between 501 and 610&nbsp;nm. As they continue, the mental clarity of the researchers devolves as they approach the high altitude telescope, leading to increasingly juvenile and almost intoxicated behavior. One researcher mentioned her head feels funny, while the other makes a remark about taping down the observatories to prevent them from rolling away, an absurd remark considering observatories are firmly rooted and place and even if they weren't, tape would not be sufficient to stop them.<br />
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Once inside the observatory, they have completely forgotten about their original plans. Instead of doing a general calibration, they are playing with the telescopes, looking at each other's faces through them and deciding to make out with each other. This is why [[Randall]] mentions that astronomers working at high altitude observatories must write down their plans ahead of time at sea level, as the low oxygen leads to reduced mental acuity. <br />
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It should be noted that the phrase "low oxygen" refers to the lower partial pressure of oxygen at altitude. The proportion of oxygen at high elevations is still approximately a fifth of the atmosphere, the same as at sea level. The altitude sickness is caused by lowered atmospheric pressure which leads to smaller amount of oxygen actually delivered ("pushed") into bloodstream.<br />
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The title text refers to a {{w|laser guide star}} a device for focusing telescopes by making artificial reference points in the sky. The reference points are created by shooting a powerful laser into the sky. The concern of the astronomer in the comic is that an imagined "star cat" may be attracted to the laser in the same way that [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcjB2qN0TxM cats playfully chase laser beams] projected on surfaces. Cats' reactions to laser pointers were previously explored in [[729: Laser Pointer]].<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:Because of low oxygen, astronomers working at high altitude telescopes may need to write down their plans ahead of time while at sea level.<br />
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:[Some astronomers are inside a sea-level research facility.]<br />
:Astronomer #1: Ok, let's head up to the observatory.<br />
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:[The astronomers drive uphill.]<br />
:Astronomer #1: When we reach the summit, we'll check the iodine cell and do a general calibration.<br />
:Astronomer #2: Sounds good.<br />
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:[The astronomers have reached the high-altitude observatory.]<br />
:Astronomer #1: My head feels funny.<br />
:Astronomer #2: Look at those telescope domes. I hope they don't roll away.<br />
:Astronomer #1: Maybe we should tape them down.<br />
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:[The astronomers are inside one of the domes.]<br />
:Astronomer #1: Haha, look at this mirror! My face is huge!<br />
:Astronomer #2: I see your face in the telescope! I discovered you!<br />
:Astronomer #1: Let's make out!<br />
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{{comic discussion}}</div>162.158.158.9https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2245:_Edible_Arrangements&diff=185116Talk:2245: Edible Arrangements2019-12-25T01:25:47Z<p>162.158.158.9: </p>
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<div>How often do typos show up in XKCD comics ("Edible Arrangements is a thing" versus "Edible Arrangements are a thing")? [[User:Capncanuck|Capncanuck]] ([[User talk:Capncanuck|talk]]) 20:36, 23 December 2019 (UTC)<br />
:It's not a typo. Randall is referring to the concept of Edible Arrangements, not a collection of edible arrangements. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.220|162.158.63.220]] 20:56, 23 December 2019 (UTC)<br />
::I see what you mean. Should there have been quotes around the terms in the first panel then? [[User:Capncanuck|Capncanuck]] ([[User talk:Capncanuck|talk]]) 20:58, 23 December 2019 (UTC)<br />
:::Nevermind, it's a company name. no quotes needed. [[User:Capncanuck|Capncanuck]] ([[User talk:Capncanuck|talk]]) 21:04, 23 December 2019 (UTC)<br />
"Any arrangement is an edible arrangement if you're hungry enough." - and you have enough mustard. Happy Winter Solstice Everyone![[Special:Contributions/172.68.226.46|172.68.226.46]] 07:48, 24 December 2019 (UTC)<br />
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Any reason to assume a connection to vorarephilia rather than the common suffix "-vore" for "eating" or "swallowing", as in carnivore, herbivore, insectivore, etc. (and obviously the non-philia part of vorarephilia)? "Vore" may get used as slang/abbreviation for vorarephilia, but in this context I'd have thought the suffix was more the intent. I, at least, was unaware of the slang; possibly Randall was too, but I'd claim the philia is a bit obscure compared with the "vore" etymology. I wouldn't want to "correct" this without someone having the chance to make the argument the other way, though. [[User:Fluppeteer|Fluppeteer]] ([[User talk:Fluppeteer|talk]]) 11:55, 24 December 2019 (UTC)<br />
:Yes, I'm amused by (though am not necessarily disputing) the assertion that vore is "often" used as slang for vorarephilia. I've not encountered situations where a shortened version is needed to keep conversation flowing smoothly. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.228|108.162.216.228]] 12:37, 24 December 2019 (UTC)Pat<br />
:The term "vore" is used in various search engines, since "vorarephilia" is difficult to spell. The Second Life platform has several areas where avatars can participate in "vore" simulations. (It's a bit disconcerting to stumble across these things...) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.30|108.162.241.30]] 13:37, 24 December 2019 (UTC)<br />
:It does seem to be the primary use of "vore" as a stand-alone word, I'd just assumed that Randall thought he was coining the use as part of his pun. Search engines (with some trepidation) do seem to offer the "-vore" suffix as well. Not to try to appropriate the word from the vore community... Oh well, I learnt something, but I still think anthropomorphizing a flower arrangement in order to make the interpretation make sense is a reach.[[User:Fluppeteer|Fluppeteer]] ([[User talk:Fluppeteer|talk]]) 17:40, 24 December 2019 (UTC)<br />
:Vorarephilia (vore) is a reasonably established/famous Weird Internet Thing. I'd be astonished if Randall wasn't aware of that usage of the term. --[[User:Anomylous|Anomylous]] ([[User talk:Anomylous|talk]]) 01:00, 25 December 2019 (UTC)<br />
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The opening scenes of Roger Corman's original "Little Shop of Horrors" has a customer order a floral arrangement, and leaves the shop eating the blossoms. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.30|108.162.241.30]] 13:37, 24 December 2019 (UTC)<br />
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Aren't flowers meant for decoration sprayed with insecticides/fungicides etc. not fit for consumption? So the flower itself might be edible, the various 'icide's aren't. (Though of course literally anything can be eaten at least once in a lifetime) --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.111.151|162.158.111.151]] 19:32, 24 December 2019 (UTC)<br />
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Any idea if "Juicy Bouquet" rhymes better in Randallesian dialect than it does in mine? (Where "Oral Floral" definitely does well on that score.) It seems too close to be not intended to have that effect, yet too far away in my accent to come 'naturally'. (I find it far more convenient to mispronounce "Juic(+a+)y" to match "Bouquet" than to match "Bouque(>y<)" to any halfway normal "Juicy". And there seems no obvious middle-ground to send both to.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.9|162.158.158.9]] 01:25, 25 December 2019 (UTC)</div>162.158.158.9