https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=162.158.2.221&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T09:24:28ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:985:_Percentage_Points&diff=95892Talk:985: Percentage Points2015-06-18T23:54:24Z<p>162.158.2.221: </p>
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<div>Our study shows that only 5% of people know the difference between percentages and percentage points. This is 50% lower than in 2009. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 06:30, 16 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Actually, penis size based tax is a brilliant idea. You only have to tax proportional to size, and, now comes the utterly clever part, let the male citizen self-declare his penis size. Voila, tax flow will always be higher than planned. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.230.89|108.162.230.89]] 17:58, 10 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
:I am glad that under this system my tax burden would be unashamedly miniscule! Which is probably something no one wanted to know! -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 06:15, 15 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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You've overlooked the fact that there is no reference to whether the measurement would be plus or minus and where the measurement would be taken. The tax could be on those with small (or no) penises. And to do it that way would make sure the tax included both those with and those without a penis.<br />
Perhaps age could be a factor and of course shrinkage must be taken into consideration. [[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 11:21, 16 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I was actually 108.162.230.89's idea, not what's in the comic. That concept was self declaring, so no measurement, and proportional, so "larger size = higher tax". -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 23:54, 18 June 2015 (UTC)</div>162.158.2.221https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:275:_Thoughts&diff=95715Talk:275: Thoughts2015-06-16T04:55:51Z<p>162.158.2.221: </p>
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<div>Miss Lenhart? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.45|108.162.216.45]] 03:04, 15 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
: Generic Female Parent, more like. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 04:55, 16 June 2015 (UTC)</div>162.158.2.221https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=451:_Impostor&diff=95711451: Impostor2015-06-16T00:23:27Z<p>162.158.2.221: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 451<br />
| date = July 18, 2008<br />
| title = Impostor<br />
| image = impostor.png <br />
| titletext = If you think this is too hard on literary criticism, read the Wikipedia article on deconstruction.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
While the comic is ostensibly about grad students, it is really [[Randall]]'s way of poking fun at different fields. Given that engineers can detect his {{w|bullshit|bullshit}} quickly suggests he regards engineering with some respect. In other words, he thinks engineering has a low {{w|Bollocks#.22Talking_bollocks.22_and_.22Bollockspeak.22|bullshit quotient}}. Similarly with linguists. He clearly thinks less of sociology, since his bullshit can go undetected for considerably longer. And the field of "Literary Criticism" is something he considers mostly, or entirely, BS, since he claims his BS has repeatedly been published.<br />
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The first panel shows [[Cueball]] discussing an engineering problem with [[Ponytail]]. {{w|logarithm|Logarithms}} are a mathematical tool used for expressing an exponential relationship as a linear one. While this has many uses in a variety of fields, it is not a suitable tool for dissipating excess heat. It might have value in plotting temperature change over time, or temperature over distance, however.<br />
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Since {{w|Klingon language|Klingon}} is a constructed language designed to sound "alien" and which explicitly avoids sounding like any human language, it cannot be part of any real-world linguistic family. Any linguist who knows what a Klingon is would instantly recognize his statement as a joke, so the detection time should be only a few seconds. His assertion that his bullshit went undetected for over a minute either suggests he does not expect linguists to be familiar with Star Trek, or that the panels indicate the moment of detection rather than the beginning of the conversation.<br />
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The third panel is a bit more subtle. While {{w|sociology}} can certainly use ranking as an analytical tool, the trouble lies in the complete lack of meaning in the tags "best" and "worst". Detecting this as BS requires a bit more effort on the part of the sociology grad students.<br />
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Literary criticism, on the other hand, is almost completely written in {{w|buzzword|buzz words}} and {{w|jargon}}, so when Cueball only tells some BS, no one notices. His quip at "deconstructing the self" may be a veiled insult at how the field itself, when analyzed, makes no sense and is pure BS. His assertion that he published 8 papers and 2 books could also be his way of saying that he doesn't believe anyone actually reads any of the stuff published in the field, and/or that the people who would read it are credulous and inept enough to not notice it's garbage.<br />
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The title text challenges the lenient, forgiving souls in the audience to take a look at {{w|deconstruction|the Wikipedia article for literary deconstruction}} and attempt to understand just what the heck the article is trying to talk about. The article in question is almost constantly flagged for "cleanup" on the grounds that it's a jumbled mess.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:My Hobby: Sitting down with grad students and timing how long it takes them to figure out that I'm not actually an expert in their field.<br />
<br />
:Engineering:<br />
:Student: Our big problem is heat dissipation<br />
:Cueball: Have you tried logarithms?<br />
:48 seconds<br />
<br />
:Linguistics:<br />
:Cueball: Ah, so does this Finno-ugric family include, say, Klingon?<br />
:63 Seconds<br />
<br />
:Sociology:<br />
:Cueball: Yeah, my latest work is on ranking people from best to worst.<br />
:4 Minutes<br />
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:Literary Criticism:<br />
:Cueball: You see, the deconstruction is inextricable from not only the text, but also the self.<br />
:Eight papers and two books and they haven't caught on.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]</div>162.158.2.221https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:985:_Percentage_Points&diff=95621Talk:985: Percentage Points2015-06-15T06:15:08Z<p>162.158.2.221: </p>
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<div>Our study shows that only 5% of people know the difference between percentages and percentage points. This is 50% lower than in 2009. --[[User:DiEvAl|DiEvAl]] ([[User talk:DiEvAl|talk]]) 06:30, 16 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Actually, penis size based tax is a brilliant idea. You only have to tax proportional to size, and, now comes the utterly clever part, let the male citizen self-declare his penis size. Voila, tax flow will always be higher than planned. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.230.89|108.162.230.89]] 17:58, 10 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
:I am glad that under this system my tax burden would be unashamedly miniscule! Which is probably something no one wanted to know! -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 06:15, 15 June 2015 (UTC)</div>162.158.2.221https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:135:_Substitute&diff=95612Talk:135: Substitute2015-06-15T05:30:21Z<p>162.158.2.221: </p>
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<div>[[User:Rikthoff|Rikthoff]] ([[User talk:Rikthoff|talk]]) The issue date is off, as i can't find a create date for the image. Can anyone fix?<br />
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:Yes, I've fixed the date on the page. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 15:30, 14 September 2012 (UTC)<br />
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1. It takes the raptor 25m/s / 4m/s^2 = 6.25s to reach it's top speed, during which I can run 6.25s * 6m/s = 37.5m. Add on my 40m head start, and I can reach a spot 77.5m away from the raptor before he gets me. In the same time, the raptor can run 4m/s^2 * (6.25s)^2 / 2 = 78.125m. I'm eaten before he's fully up to speed. <br />
Therefore, I have to solve for when the raptors location, r(t) = 4m/s^2 * t^2 /2 - 40, and my location, m(t) = 6m/s*t, are equal. Dropping units, we get 2t^2 -40 = 6t, or 2t^2 - 6t - 40 = 0. Dividing by 2 I get t^2 - 3t - 20=0. Using the quadratic equation, I get (3 +/- sqrt(89))/2, roughly equal to 6.217s and -3.217s. Plugging that back into m(t), I get 37.302m for my terminal run. [[User:Blaisepascal|Blaisepascal]] ([[User talk:Blaisepascal|talk]]) 22:18, 14 September 2012 (UTC)<br />
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I don't think there is enough information to solve the second problem, because you don't know how fast the non-injured raptors go. Unless you take that information from the first problem. But then, how fast does the wounded raptor accelerate? You would have to find the angle where the wounded and the closest non-wounded raptor would meet you at the same time. [[Special:Contributions/213.127.132.140|213.127.132.140]] 17:17, 5 September 2013 (UTC)<br />
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With all three raptors and you running at top speeds, I don't think you get caught by the injured raptor and uninjured raptor at the same time. I believe that you must run directly towards the wounded raptor and the two non-injuried raptors will reach you simultaneously before you and the injured raptor meet, and you cannot do better. After all, you can try to run directly away from an uninjured raptor, but you will lose ground to it at a rate of 25-6=19 m/s (but, it is worst for the other uninjured raptor). By running directly at the injured raptor, you lose ground from it at the rate of 10+6=16 m/s. However, if you can accelerate at a rate far above the raptors, I think you could change directions so fast that one raptor could not catch you. However, I am not sure you can keep away from all three indefinitely. --DrMath 04:01, 24 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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For 1 and 2 the solution depends on whether the raptors can accelerate at 2m/s, or they actually increase their speed at this rate. If they just accelerate, It should be possible to do tight circles, and even wind yourself slowly towards another location. I believe this is possible even treating yourself and the raptors as point masses. [[Special:Contributions/2.102.215.18|2.102.215.18]] 13:19, 17 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
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This could also be a parody of Snape substituting for Lupin (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) in the Defense against Dark Arts class. Snape assigns homework on werewolves, in the hopes of one of the students connecting the dots. Here, Randall might be trying to get the students to suspect that Mrs.Lenhart might be a raptor (out of sympathy, or just being a classhole?). Also [[155]]. [[Special:Contributions/208.124.118.63|208.124.118.63]] 18:58, 1 October 2013 (UTC)BK201<br />
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There is a problem with the test, as Mr. Munroe wrote it: Question #1 says that a raptor has a top speed of 25 m/s, but question #3 says "Remember, raptors run at 10 m/s...". Furthermore, question #2 says an injured raptor runs at 10 m/s.<br />
:The way I resolved that was that raptors wouldn't be able to run straight long enough to reach their top speed inside of a building. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.161|108.162.237.161]] 23:53, 27 April 2015 (UTC)<br />
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BTW, the answer to question #2 is: run straight toward the injured raptor. The uninjured raptors will run toward you and the injured raptor. Just as you get close to the injured one, slide under his legs. Because he is injured, the uninjured raptors will feast on him instead of you. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.227|173.245.55.227]] 20:58, 13 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
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:This presumes the raptors are cannibalistic. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 05:30, 15 June 2015 (UTC)</div>162.158.2.221https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:542:_Cover-Up&diff=95609Talk:542: Cover-Up2015-06-15T04:21:05Z<p>162.158.2.221: </p>
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<div>It could be a reference to the ASDF Videos... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.237|108.162.250.237]] 12:31, 13 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
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: Eeeeeeeeeexcept that asdfmovie 2 (the one which includes the "it says gullible on the ceiling" sketch) was first uploaded in January 2010 ... a good 11 months after this comic was published. Given the style and timeline of the asdfmovie shorts, it's rather more likely that they were (as a whole!) inspired by xkcd, not the other way around... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.163|141.101.70.163]] 15:45, 17 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Actually it's a really, really old practical joke. Note how cueball is clearly familiar with the gag and doesn't 'fall for it'. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.215|108.162.246.215]] 15:30, 21 August 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Actually, Blackhat actually says its an old joke.<br />
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[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 18:48, 30 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
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We learn later, in [[1102: Fastest-Growing]] that [[Rob]] is Black Hat's roommate. So I propose changing this to "Rob" instead of "Cueball". [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob See here]. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:31, 13 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
:In Fastest-Growing we do not even see "Rob" so we do not even know if this is the Cueball Rob... Also just because Black-Hat nows a Rob in one comic this doesn't mean he is his room-mate. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:18, 15 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Changed "gaze" in the explanation to "glance", which makes more sense. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 04:21, 15 June 2015 (UTC)</div>162.158.2.221https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=542:_Cover-Up&diff=95608542: Cover-Up2015-06-15T04:19:10Z<p>162.158.2.221: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 542<br />
| date = February 11, 2009<br />
| title = Cover-Up<br />
| image = cover_up.png<br />
| titletext = Man, this trick has saved me so many times.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
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[[Black Hat]] and [[Danish]] are trying to clean up the mess that their bloody murder has left. This story may thus be a continuation of [[515: No One Must Know]].<br />
<br />
Another guy, [[Cueball]], is on his way home and is about to arrive just when are finishing the clean up. But then Black Hat realizes that the ceiling has also been stained (by the violent murder...) And now they do not have time to fix it in time.<br />
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But Black Hat knows how to deal with the situation, and when Cueball comes home, he says ''Did you know "gullible" is written on your ceiling''.<br />
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{{w|Gullible}} means easily deceived or naive. This is a game many people play with each other "Whoa, someone wrote 'gullible' in the sky!" "Did you know when you look at the Microsoft logo upside-down it looks like the word 'gullible'?" Those that are gullible check. Those that aren't, don't. In fact they will pointedly not do the thing that the first person has suggested as a show of how non-gullible they are. Black Hat uses this to his advantage to cover up the copious bloodstains on the ceiling and as expected Cueball just says ''Hah. Yeah, right'' and refuses to even glance at the ceiling.<br />
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The title text is hinting that Black Hat has had to cover up killing people several times as this trick has saved him many times. Of course there could also be other things than blood that he had to hide (the money he just stole etc.)<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Black Hat is holding blood stained rags while Danish is holding an equally bloody mop.]<br />
:Black Hat: Okay, got the blood off the walls. <br />
:Danish: I finished the floor.<br />
<br />
:Black Hat: Good; he'll be home any-<br />
:Black Hat: Oh crap! We forgot to clean the ceiling!<br />
<br />
:Danish: There's no time!<br />
:Black Hat: Wait, I'll handle it.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball with briefcase enters the house.]<br />
:Black Hat: Hi. Did you know "gullible" is written on your ceiling?<br />
:Cueball: Hah. Yeah, right.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>162.158.2.221https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1536:_The_Martian&diff=95305Talk:1536: The Martian2015-06-12T04:37:34Z<p>162.158.2.221: </p>
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<div>I'm too [[User:ẞ qwertz|ẞ qwertz]] ([[User talk:ẞ qwertz|talk]]) 05:46, 10 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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It's clearly a trap. Matt Damon will try to kill them. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.155|141.101.98.155]] 11:46, 10 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I've found the scene from Apollo 13 Cueball is referencing: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2YZnTL596Q]]<br />
[[User:Dahooz|Dahooz]] ([[User talk:Dahooz|talk]]) 12:39, 10 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Thanks was just asking for this in the incomplete mark. Then I noticed you had posted the link. It is now part of the explain. And it is also a great explanation of that the scene by [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]]. Seems complete to me now. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:04, 10 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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The 'official' explanation says that "...the plot is a cross between Apollo 13 (but on Mars) and Robinson Crusoe." So is this a remake of — or have anything else in common with — the cheesy 1964 sci-fi classic "Robinson Crusoe on Mars"? [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 17:03, 10 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:Looking at the synopsis on both, the only difference I see is that the old one has a monkey. I didn't like the movie knowing Matt Damon was in it. Now it is just worse. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.172|108.162.238.172]] 02:52, 11 June 2015 (UTC)BK201<br />
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If memory serves, the Apollo 13 CO2 canister fix included some duct tape.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.77|173.245.52.77]] 23:20, 11 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
: That seems entirely logical. I would think that duct tape is something any space journey should include. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 04:37, 12 June 2015 (UTC)</div>162.158.2.221https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1380:_Manual_for_Civilization&diff=95240Talk:1380: Manual for Civilization2015-06-11T04:53:54Z<p>162.158.2.221: </p>
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<div>There's probably some connection between Eno and animorphs/post-apocalyptic earth, but because I don't know him, I only added info on the animorphs [[User:Shadowmanwkp|Shadowmanwkp]] ([[User talk:Shadowmanwkp|talk]]) 08:40, 11 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Brian Eno is associated with Long Now foundation as a board member: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Now_Foundation<br />
--------<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.45|108.162.222.45]] 08:50, 11 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
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The joke at the end of the comic about the list being 'all' animorph books is not that not all animorph books are included in the list but that the list contains the megamorph and the andalite books in addition to all the animorph books. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.92.231|141.101.92.231]] 09:03, 11 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
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I wonder why only Megamorphs and Andalite Chronicles were mentioned. Does Eno not like the others? 12:40, 11 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Am I the only one who saw "Manual for Civilization" and thought: "I am Gandhi of the Indians. Our words are backed with NUCLEAR weapons. We have decided to rid the world of your pathetic civilization. Goodbye." -? Ah, that takes me back. Sid Meier, you owe me many hours. [[User:Fluppeteer|Fluppeteer]] ([[User talk:Fluppeteer|talk]]) 13:15, 11 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Great comment - yes he ''owes me'' a lot of hours too! I had not seen it but it is very obvious - although probably not intended ;) [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:38, 11 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
:: It's what happens when you don't properly program your peaceniks. (To those who don't know, Gandhi in the original Civ had an Aggression stat of 1. When a nation went democratic, it would reduce their Aggression stat by 2. Due to an oversight, this meant Gandhi's Aggression went negative, and because of the way the game handled (or didn't handle) negative numbers, it meant a democratic Gandhi went from 1 to 255 points worth of pure omnicidal nuclear rage.) -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 04:53, 11 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I disagree with the Asimov Foundation pun - I do not think Randall refeers to that at all. It was put at the top before the explain of the Amorph books. As it is a side issue I moved it down to the bottom of the explain where it might belong. But I think it should be removed! But I will leave that for others to decide! [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:38, 11 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
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:The first thing I thought of when seeing "Long Now Foundation" and the reference to a person saying books are needed to help rebuild society ''was'' Asimov's Foundation series. So I think it should remain in the explanation. It my not be a pun, but I think significant reference to it is possible, and maybe likely. --[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 17:34, 11 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
:: For what it's worth, the Long Now Foundation really is building a Manual for Civilization: http://blog.longnow.org/02010/04/06/manual-for-civilization/ --[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.113|199.27.128.113]] 18:55, 11 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
::: Thank you for linking to this! I came to this explainxkcd page because I wanted to know the answer to that very question. I think this link should be included in the article. {{unsigned ip|199.27.130.210}}<br />
::: For the record, I had the idea for a "Post-apocalyptic Survival Guide" in 2008. I believe 3 text-book sized volumes could contain enough information on wilderness knowledge, engineering, science, medicine, and psychology for an individual or small community to exist quite happily. I considered making it a wiki, but that defeats the purpose, since nobody's going to have internet after an apocalypse. If you're actually trying to rebuild society to its present advancement, the hard part won't be finding the information, it will be finding people more interested in rebuilding than in their own survival. ''The Postman'' comes to mind...--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.55|108.162.215.55]] 20:58, 11 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
::::Actually, we can assume there WILL be some warning apocalypse is coming. Post-apocalyptic Survival Guide must therefore be wiki-based system with simple "print" button, to be pressed (on multiple computers) in moment of such warning, immediately transferring the data to local computer before the Internet collapses and printed hopefully before the electrical grid collapses (and/or backup generators run out of fuel). -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:34, 14 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::::I think the best method, considering the quantity of information such a guide could contain in electronic form, would be to make it a wiki that is published as an app that receives regular content updates. Each device with the app would sync and retain a full copy of the entire guide. In order to ensure the device continues to function post-apocalypse, the app would come with instructions for protecting a device from damage/EMP and for generating power. I'd love to market a ruggedized and EMP shielded tablet with a hand generator.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.130|108.162.215.130]] 16:20, 16 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
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:::: ::::: I've had a stab at writing such a manual for rebooting civilisation, at least as far as is possible in a single hardback, in a popular science book published this year called "The Knowledge: How to Rebuild our World from Scratch" ( [http://the-knowledge.org/en-gb/buy-the-book/] ). The complete bibliography for the book should offer a pretty complete library for genuinely restarting from scratch ( [http://the-knowledge.org/en-gb/bibliography/] ). And if you're interested, I've also contributed a selection to The Manual for Civilization for The Long Now Foundation ( [http://blog.longnow.org/02014/04/19/the-knowledge/] ) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.8|141.101.98.8]]{Lewis Dartnell}<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
:: I always though that in Asimov's Foundation, the Encyclopedia Galactica itself was not actual point. The point was that the Foundation, that is the organization writing the Encyclopedia, consisted of large amount of educated people concentrated on one place and equipped with lot of informations they supposedly were formating for inclusion into the Encyclopedia. So, when the Empire collapsed, they could start rebuilding civilization with this initial advantage. Not speaking of other advantages Seldon prepared, like the position of that place. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 12:34, 14 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
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"If, in some cataclysm, all of scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence passed on to the next generation of creatures, what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words? I believe it is the atomic hypothesis that all things are made of atoms — little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one another. In that one sentence, you will see, there is an enormous amount of information about the world, if just a little imagination and thinking are applied." - Richard P. Feynman (quote mentioned in Daniel Bor's "The Ravenous Brain", and sourced from: http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/09/11/richard-feynman-lectures-on-physics/) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.208.169|108.162.208.169]] 17:40, 11 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Don't have time to create an account today, or I would do so to correct a typo: Asimov's character's first name was "Hari", not "Harry" (Seldon). Sorry if this seems like nitpicking...<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.114|108.162.241.114]] 16:36, 12 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
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<br />
---<br />
<br />
Any reference in this comic to "The Knowledge"[http://the-knowledge.org/en-gb/]? {{unsigned ip|108.162.246.210}}<br />
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--> Not directly, I don't think, no. {Lewis Dartnell} {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.8}}<br />
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I wonder whether part of the point of this comic is that Eno/the experts are implicitly suggesting that the most likely failure mode for civilization is that humanity will be taken over by Yeerks and that the Animorph books therefore represent the best guide to recovery. And if the experts believe this then most likely they believe that the Yeerks are here already (otherwise, why Animorphs not some other alien invasion story?) And of course is very hard to prove the Yeerks AREN'T here. Which also makes me wonder whether that means the experts/Eno are, themselves, Animorphs since who else would know about Yeerks and be prepared to talk about it?<br />
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[[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.237|108.162.249.237]] 04:14, 28 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
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the KISS in the end would be a reference to lovemaking, creating children and thus the most vital aspect of recreating civilization! {{unsigned|Solsang}}<br />
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My only question is... How many of these books did Randall read to know that *that* is the most ohmygod worthy moment of the series? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.235|108.162.210.235]] 05:28, 10 July 2014 (UTC)</div>162.158.2.221https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1395:_Power_Cord&diff=95238Talk:1395: Power Cord2015-06-11T02:49:42Z<p>162.158.2.221: </p>
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<div>Is there any reason why you would have to avert your eyes... i would think that it may create a dust cloud from the keyboard... but it is a fictional situations, so there may be other reasons...[[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.218|108.162.249.218]] 06:02, 16 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Has anyone noticed Beret's uncanny ability with power cords? [[User:Thendenster|Thendenster]] ([[User talk:Thendenster|talk]]) 06:29, 16 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
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What a stupid unrealistic comic. Things that are blown up with air don't float! >:-C --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.97|108.162.254.97]] 07:26, 16 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
:: They do if you start off underwater, or start off in your living room, and then dunk the balloon in crazy glue (to give the balloon shell some rigidity), and then take the inflated balloon underwater, or into a caisson, or a hyperbaric chamber - both 'easily' found at underwater worksites.<br />
:: Or if you're blowing a balloon using a straw that has a one way valve, which goes from your mouth, through your space-suit, and to a balloon which is outside your spacesuit, when you're on the Venusian surface.<br />
:: They can do so, even on Earth, if the air coming out of your mouth is filtered such that the only bits let through are the components of air that are lighter than the natural mixture of air. (For example, a power line that's been highly charged, could ionise Oxygen atoms much more preferentially than ionising Nitrogen atoms as the flow past the sharp edges of the prongs. The ionised oxygen would react with surrounding bits, and be fixed into a solid state... leaving only the Nitrogen to continue flowing). Nitrogen is lighter than Air. Do this for long enough (a big enough balloon) and it will start floating. If you want to do it faster, and with a smaller balloon - pass the exhaled air over some chemical that absorbs and reacts with carbon-di-oxide (Alkali[ne] hydroxides), absorbs and reacts with water vapour (dessicant), absorbs and reacts with oxygen (bacteria), and absorbs and reacts with nitrogen (nitrogen fixing bacteria). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.208.169|108.162.208.169]] 17:39, 20 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
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You obviously don't know how gross a keyboard can be...<br />
Also, if you think this is unrealistic, you obviously haven't read enough XKCD. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.220|108.162.249.220]] 07:41, 16 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Yes and as can be seen someone has already added a link to the previous comic on gross keyboards so... [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:45, 16 July 2014 (UTC) And who says that it is not blown up with helium or the like. First of all we would never see if a stick character was inflated - so Beret guy could be big and filled with helium. Or it is just his crazy ability that makes his blow into the socket turn the "air" into helium in the PC - or something much lighter since the shown inflation would never be enough to carry a laptop. In the end the whole comic is just an excuse to make three crazy puns (like them or not, that is up to the reader) and refeer back to [[237]] [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:45, 16 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
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:I think 108.162.254.97 is being sarcastic. Pointing out the fact that things filled with air don't float instead of the obvious impossibility of blowing air through an electric wire. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.88|108.162.216.88]] 14:46, 16 July 2014 (UTC)BK<br />
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:An object filled with air wont go up, but may still bounce out of hand and foat. In this case the sudden increase in volume have ejected the inflated laptop. Since an object almost-as-light-as-air is really sensitive to move of air, the laptop could (in the unlikely case of it happening) behave that way.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.103|141.101.70.103]] 09:11, 18 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Given that Beret Guy often does crazy correctitive things when he perceives something is amiss in his (surreal) visions of the world, I'm wondering if that's a specific protest against having the power chord plugged into the laptop but not the wall (during normal operation, I presume, rather than deliberately depleting the battery of testing the reduced-power settings, or temporarily while other powered devices require the power sockets with more urgency). I don't know whether I personally find this set-up more or less disturbing than a power-chord plugged into the wall but ''not'' plugged into the intended laptop. Although (apart from the risk of leaving residue across the pins), the comic's version is at least safer than the opening text of the explanation would suggest. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.192|141.101.99.192]] 12:11, 16 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
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...inflation in an xkcd comic? Cue the inflatophobes... [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 13:34, 16 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Beret Guy is obviously exhaling a lighter-than-air gas, either by just taking a large breath of helium beforehand or by a very special cellular breathing process. Moreover, it should be noted that one averts one's eyes before something holy. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.41|108.162.220.41]] 11:02, 16 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
:You also avert your eyes when you know something is going to be propelled at your head from a compressed air keyboard... -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 02:49, 11 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Transcript accuracy: is Cueball actually looking up in panel 2? He's still typing after all. (Also, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0f0QzMNk-E&t=17 power chords?]]) --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.87|108.162.221.87]] 00:48, 17 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
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why are all the ips from cloudfare servers? sockpuppets?[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.121|173.245.53.121]] 09:08, 18 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
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My mother once blown a lighter than air balloon, our best guess was that it was hot air from some fever or something. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.210.233|108.162.210.233]] 19:56, 18 July 2014 (UTC)</div>162.158.2.221https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1534:_Beer&diff=95150Talk:1534: Beer2015-06-09T23:47:53Z<p>162.158.2.221: </p>
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<div>I hate the taste and smell and associations (such as urine and vomit where they shouldn't be). A friend used to freely admit he didn't like the taste and only drank to get drunk. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.161|108.162.249.161]] 06:24, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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This is why there are so many different styles of beers, or wines, or other alcoholic beverages. I personally don't care for IPAs, but will rarely pass up a good Pilsner.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.189|108.162.238.189]] 07:37, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:LOL, that's exactly what Cueball is talking about. Beer is a canonical example of {{w|acquired taste}}. But even after having done so, all hoppy beers (including most IPAs and Pilsners) still taste pretty similar to me. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 11:39, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:: Like of beer is actually a really bad example of acquired taste. I was stealing sips of beer from my dad at age 3-4, if he had an unattended open beer. Liking of beer is primarily generics, and secondary acquired taste. Now talk about {{w|Marmite}} and discuss acquired taste. [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 16:21, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:::And you, sir, are a canonical example of an ''outlier''. 😜 Seriously though, go to http://google.com and type "is an acquired taste". Google's very first autocomplete suggestion is beer. I'm not saying it's necessarily a ''good'' example, but it is about as canonical as you can get. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 03:09, 6 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Is it possible that the characters, being American, have only ever tasted American beer? So when Cueball says that "all beer tastes kind of bad" hat he really means is "all <em>American</em> beer tastes kind of bad"? That would make a lot more sense (especially if you assume that they only buy from the major brands, and haven't yet tried beer from microbreweries.) --[[User:PeR|PeR]] ([[User talk:PeR|talk]]) 09:30, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Well the other character mentions "Stouts", which the major American brands don't really produce (or at least don't heavily market). I think from that it's safe to assume that these characters are basing their opinions on American Craft brews, and not just Budweiser. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.87|173.245.52.87]] 14:02, 6 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
:entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem. I think too many people forget Occam's Razor here, and are too eager to engage in deeper analysis than the content can really support without help from, say, an interview with Randall. No offense intended; this is a trend on this wiki in general. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.201|108.162.221.201]] 13:18, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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::I'm kind of tired of people automatically assuming is someone doesn't like beer, it's because the person saying so has only been exposed to bad ones due to their locality. I don't like beer at all because it tastes like a mouthful of yeast and medicine. Alcohol in general is an acquired taste for most people, who usually only start drinking it due to social pressure or as a recreational drug. Yeasty foods are as well, especially yeasty breads, and beer is basically fermented bread juice when you get down to it. There's also a genetic link behind whether or not someone will like alcohol, and it's usually he effect rather than the taste that makes it appealing. --[[Special:Contributions/188.114.111.209|188.114.111.209]] 14:45, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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::: You need to read the research -- it is actually linked to genetic differences in taste-buds. You may not like it, which is not unlikely, but that does not say that is the same for others who may be genetically disposed otherwise [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 18:54, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:: ''...people are too eager to engage in deeper analysis than he content can support...'' - Isn't overanalyzing every minute detail the entire point of this wiki? Of course the explanations should be concise, but that doesn't apply to the wild mass guessing happening in the discussion. - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.96|108.162.254.96]] 14:25, 9 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Speaking from personal experience, I've never tried any form of alcohol that I've liked. And if you must know my experience is mainly centered around beer that's highly recommended by friends and family. The last case was at a tour of a local microbrewery that seems to be doing extremely well. I'm sure if I pulled a large scale taste test I'd aquire enough of a taste to delude myself into thinking that something or other is actually worth drinking but I don't see why I should go through the effort just to conform to a social norm. --not the mama[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.180|108.162.238.180]] 14:30, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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: You should NOT conform to social norm but drink what YOU feel taste good -- 10.000 years ago, humanity needed portable water -- west of the Urals, humans stared to use fermentation as a method to keep bacteria out of the drinking water, where east they started to brew tea -- their descendant responded genetically over the next 10.000 years with European developing genetic traits to be tolerant and liking the fermented brew. Beer is predominantly limited to north Europe as it has lower alcohol levels compared to wine -- the higher alcohol volume is needed to keep bacteria out in the warmer southern Europe -- HENCE unless you are of northen european decent you may not genetically be programmed to like (or tolerate) the taste of beer -- just don't drink beer if you don't like it !!! [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 19:06, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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::I'm 1/16th northern European (Dutch), 1/4th southern European, Native American too. Guess I didn't get the North Europe beer gene. Why'd the even northerner Europeans like the Russians and Scottish become distilled spirit drinkers? Did their beer freeze too easily so they made vodka and whiskey? If this is why the north developed a beer culture then why'd Egyptians and Mesopotamians drink beer? It's very hot there. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.59|108.162.215.59]] 20:08, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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::: (1) "predominantly" and "exclusively" are to different words; they are also brewing wine in England. (2) Distilled alcohol for mass consumption is relatively new (~500 years), before that the process was known but not used for this purpose. (3) Many Europeans drink tea these days -- culture and fashion travels. [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 00:55, 8 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Agreed. Major brands suck, but probably in most countries, even Germany, where people usually have very high opinion about German beer. There are thousands of small breweries, though, some with a very old tradition (like in monasteries), and many just popping up recently. At some microbreweries you have to order weeks in advance, but the brew you get is really exceptional, and you'll drink it at room temperature from wine glasses. Absolutely not meant for getting drunk. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.107|108.162.254.107]] 10:47, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I am disliking to indifferent to most of brands of beer, but I like a few specific ones, like Ginger's Beer, or gingerbread beer from local brewery. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 11:34, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I know that beer is generally considered to be an acquired taste, but some people acquire that taste really quickly. The first beer I ever drank was a Miller that I stole from a case that my dad had left sitting in the kitchen for months. I was 12, and it is still probably the worst thing I've ever tasted. I decided I didn't like beer, and from ages 12 to 17 the only alcohol I drank was wine. At 17, I tried keg beer and was utterly indifferent to it. By the time I turned 19 I was into good local beers, but if I've been in the heat for a long time, I'll drink watery mediocre beer and it will be divine. And then there's shower beer...oh, shower beer!12:27, 5 June 2015 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|108.162.225.36}}<br />
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The only thing worse than a pilsner is an IPA... which is just a stronger version of a pilsner. Most beer just has way too high of an IBU rating. At least malts aren't entirely awful and oatmeal malts are somewhat palatable. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.83|162.158.255.83]] 14:25, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Culturally, for me, the common booze is 'a pint of bitter' (or 'best'). I apparently had my first sip when a toddler. I 'sneakily' took a sip from the top of a glass sat in front of my father, before screwing my face up most amusingly, I am told. I then went straight back in for another... it's not obvious to me if I was being influenced to 'want to like it'. Perhaps it was just the novelty. Anyway, I will admit I don't ''love'' the taste of bitter, but at least it's got an significant taste that all the seemingly anonymous mass-produced lagers can't match. (OTOH, cider's quite stimulating, but I take against the overly fizzy ones.) When it comes to non-alcoholic beverages, I will actively ''refuse'' a cup of tea (the social norm for adults, especially someone like me in their fifth decade), however socially awkward and unexpected, and politely turn down the offer of a coffee, if possible, on the basis that I might not be staying long. (I don't like teas at all, even fruit ones, but I can stand coffee if sweetened.) But it's ''amazing'' what we tend to eat and drink, just because it's expected. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.59|141.101.99.59]] 14:26, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Great comic. This is just for me. I do not like beer. Any kind. And I do rarely drink them. Same with cofee ans tee which I never drink. It is not always easy - so nice to see this comic. :) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:33, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I'm a stout man (will drink stout alone, if it is dark enough and if the hop content is small enough), but will admit that any beer is better after the fifth glass of it.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 14:40, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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;"Acquired Taste"<br />
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Part of the explanation refers to acquired tastes as being a response to social pressures and to avoid cognitive dissonance. This doesn't match the description of what the '''linked to''' wikipedia page for acquired tastes, as that page distinguishes authentic acquired tastes from those meeting the author's description.<br />
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquired_taste#Intentional_acquisition_of_tastes<br />
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[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.190|108.162.238.190]] 15:08, 5 June 2015 (UTC)Aaron E<br />
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Budweiser tastes like urine. It's the most popular beer in the US. Immediately after trying it I tasted a drop of my urine to see if the urine was still worse and that wasn't enough urine to decide. Anyone care to put a larger amount of urine in their mouth for science? This is the crap they make Bud..Weis..Er and Wassuuuuuuup! commercials about? They actually make a Lite version of this so people can enjoy it while getting less drunk or fat? Extroverts are weird. Also, out of the legion of OKcupid questions the best predictor of the promiscuity question is "I like the taste of beer, true or false". So if you want to have sex quick, you want to hear "Beer tastes awesome! Woo! [Burp] [Vomit] Ooh!Ooh!" [drinks vodka from bottle] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.59|108.162.215.59]] 16:55, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Strangely, many animals acquire a taste for alcohol, and they must do it quickly because they don't live long enough to do it slowly. Case in point-- robins and other birds, gobbling up fermented fallen fruit, and then stumbling around like human novice drinkers do. They only live 2-3 years, and they only have access to the stuff for a couple of weeks in the autumn, and yet, there they go, staggering down the sidewalk and tripping over imaginary twigs. And then there's my puppy, who was begging droplets of strong beer and black coffee off my fingertips from eight weeks old. (Good Canadian beer, by the way.) I wonder if a taste for bitterness might be adaptive, as many bitter plants are also medicinal? [[User:NoniMausa|NoniMausa]] ([[User talk:NoniMausa|talk]]) 22:46, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Okay, some people don't like beer. That doesn't mean everyone who does is faking it. I gravitate towards IPAs, stouts, rye IPAs and barrel-aged strong beers. I also like scotch, rye, and some bourbons. I fucking love dark roasted black coffee. I savor all of these in company and alone. Stop being so solipsic.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.163|173.245.48.163]] 03:32, 6 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I actively dislike the taste of every beer that I have tried. That includes Guiness on tap in Dublin. I sort of got into trouble for it the few days I was there agus ag labhairt na Gaeilge. But this discussion is one of the most amusing and enjoyable arguments I have seen yet on this website. Go ahead on, folks! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 03:48, 6 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I've been scratching my head over this one since I saw it come out, and I still can't tell what Randall is trying to say. Are we meant to take it at face value, where Cueball is right on and Hairy is simply unwilling to admit that deep down he (just like apparently every other beer drinker everywhere) dislikes beer, and everyone is pretending because of social pressure? Or is this a subversion of the expected, and meant as a dig at the kind of person who would so arrogantly think that their personal dislike of something popular simply means everyone who claims to like it is pretending to do so out of social pressures or internalized expectations (no pun intended)? In this comic, Cueball comes across to me as kind of a passive-aggressive jerk (which is normally Hairy's role) as he openly derides something that someone else may genuinely enjoy by claiming everyone is pretending, and when reminded that it's fine for him to not drink it, he responds with bitter sarcasm. So who's the butt of the joke here? Hairy because he can't see that he's only doing something from social pressure? Or Cueball for assuming that Hairy (as well as the other millions of people who regularly enjoy beer around the world) is only doing something and pretending to like it because of social pressure.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.118|173.245.52.118]] 06:20, 8 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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+1 above comment. I'm on the side of the second interpretation, but my (possibly prejudiced guess) is that Randall may dislike beer!<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.186|108.162.238.186]] 13:00, 8 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:Maybe both interpretations are valid, and this helps us see the problem of empathy here. The same way cueball can't be objectively sure about hairy faking it or not, we can't be absolutely sure about it either, not knowing if cueball is exposing harsh truths or being an unempathetic jerk. Our interpretation will be based on our own biases on the subject.[[Special:Contributions/188.114.99.29|188.114.99.29]] 13:28, 8 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I think this is a wildly fascinating conversation! First, it's interesting we all care so much about a beverage. Clearly, we view our own preference for beer as much more than a taste, but rather a statement of identity. Second, the popularity of objectively terrible and tasteless beers (originally from the US, but now mindlessly copied by practically every country on the planet) shows that it '''is''' possible that we beer lovers are deluding ourselves (and also that beer-avoiders are deluding themselves as well). The identity statement of preferring or avoiding beer may be so strong that we may not really know if we like beer or not. <br />
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Beer is diverse, and indeed if someone truly dislikes all of it for flavor reasons, they would be expected to also dislike either bread, bitter herbs, other alcohols, or all of the above. From the comments here, it seems that those who dislike beer also dislike other alcohol, so perhaps it is alcohol itself that can be highly distasteful. Ethanol doesn't have a flavor, so let's assume it's either the somewhat burny mouthfeel, or perhaps the mental effects of alcohol that are disliked. <br />
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It also seems that those who dislike beer have indeed not tried very much of it "I...dislike...every beer that I have tried. That includes Guiness..." provides fodder for those who would suggest, "Well, if Guiness is your idea of a beer, then you haven't nearly tried enough to know you dislike it!" However, as some have pointed out here, it is highly unfair to expect that someone who truly dislikes beer will try all of the thousands of varieties of it, presumably disliking every one, until we accept that the dislike is genuine.<br />
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Even the comic shows that Randall rejects beer without knowing much about it. That Hairy suggests two categories of beer to be "stouts" and "lagers" is telling. Stout is a specific style of beer, while lager is a giant category that includes beers as dissimilar as light american lager and Baltic Porter. Someone who likes and is interested in beer would not ask the question Hairy does. Yet Randall's beer ignorance may stem from avoidance due to a true dislike, and it would be unfair to expect him to gain competence in everything he finds offensive before we allow him his opinion. {{unsigned ip|Drummstikk}}<br />
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Lots to think about here! [[User:Drummstikk|Drummstikk]] ([[User talk:Drummstikk|talk]]) 19:21, 8 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Drinking alcoholic drinks of any description is just a stupid idea from the start. "Oh yeah, lets drink this thing that hampers our ability to think clearly and undermines several important inhibitions that stop us from hurling ourselves into traffic while puking! Clearly nothing can go wrong with this!". -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 23:48, 8 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:I don't know if you've actually been drunk to see what it's like or are thinking of others. When I was drunk, I bounced off of buildings cause home was so far and I realized that since square root of two is 141%, I could shorten my zig zag trip over 10% if I aim somewhat towards the wall and get pulled by the alcohol every few steps. (also, it was fun, like an amusement ride or a holodeck program I'd like to write). If I helped the drunk pull slightly (except fighting it near the sides to keep from slamming into the wall or breaking a tempered glass bus shelter) I could carom at least 8 feet off the bus shelters and buildings like a zig-zag billiard ball before it didn't feel like real artificial gravity was doing most of the work. I could say hey baby to every woman I passed and not attract a single one which is crazy. I still never lost the ability to add up the 12 and 18oz cans and fractions of cans of Bud I drunk, in ounces, subtract 12oz for each hour and fraction since I drunk those ounces and try to get halfway to 120 which is unconscious, except multiply by 125lbs/175lbs for a margin of safety because I do *not* want to black out, and estimate how many times over 0.08 DUI I was, all in my head. I held onto the banister with both hands for dear life. I even had the good judgement to switch to crawling the last flight or two. But I (and maybe you) have lots of IQ to spare. Since your average party/party "DUDE yeah!" dumbass is about 85 *sober*, they need all the IQ they can spare and must be literally retarded (= <70) when drunk. My dumbass father actually wanted me to go back down 5 flights of stairs, climb 8 ft down a fucking air shaft ladder and retrieve the keys I dropped. I don't care if you're mad I dropped my keys, I'm not leaving home till tomorrow. My father almost died several times. Once waded to floating depth with no lifeguard and can't swim (waves exist idiot), once crossed a cliff and could've drowned if he fell, once walked miles up a double-track funicular and didn't die cause he was never trapped. For more stupidity, a flight instructor c. 1950 died cause he got out and shut his door on clothing. Dad saw the pilot flying a human being like a flag until they ran out of time and he went off to land. He did not survive the taking off and landing while tied to the plane. Scarves kill. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.155|108.162.238.155]] 06:21, 9 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:: I've never been drunk. A lifetime of seeing otherwise intelligent people act like complete idiots under the influence and an almost neurotic need to maintain as much self control I can muster makes it an entirely undesirable state to be in. I'm glad you enjoy it, I guess, but the rest of your words don't inspire any more confidence in me regarding being drunk. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 23:47, 9 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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"I don't like A, therefore everyone that does like A is wrong." This is the first xkcd I've seen that is just dumb. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.164|173.245.52.164]] 19:30, 9 June 2015 (UTC)</div>162.158.2.221https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=239:_Blagofaire&diff=95121239: Blagofaire2015-06-09T03:57:12Z<p>162.158.2.221: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 239<br />
| date = March 23, 2007<br />
| title = Blagofaire<br />
| image = blagofaire.png<br />
| titletext = Things were better before the Structuring and the Levels.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
Facts become distorted as time moves forward. What do we know about the Elizabethan times? They spoke strange English. What will 400 years from now think of the first twenty years of the Internet? Crazy people said crazy things online. Will we even say "online" 400 years from now? Won't the internet be everywhere, and everyone on it all the time in their retinal implants that being "offline" will seem absurd?<br />
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Particular facts that this reinactor seems to have confused are:<br />
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1) "battling roving bands of trolls". Trolls in fantasy refer to monstrous creatures that are often antagonists who do battle with heroes. However, online trolls refer to disruptive members of discussion boards.<br />
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2) "The generation's finest minds meeting on comment threads, ... and holding the great dialogues of the age!" As Randall has pointed out in other comics ([[202: YouTube]], [[301: Limerick]], and [[481: Listen to Yourself]]), the discussions that take place online are often very poor examples of intellectual discourse.<br />
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"Ren Faire" is short for "{{w|Renaissance Faire}}", described as "an outdoor weekend gathering, usually held in the United States, open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which emulates a historic period for the amusement of its guests." <br />
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While {{w|Cory Doctorow}} is not in this comic, the character is {{w|cosplay}}ing him. This comic inspired several xkcd readers to give Cory Doctorow a red cape and goggles when he won the 2007 EFF Pioneer Award. Cory Doctrow's balloon is featured in [[482]].<br />
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The title Blagofaire might be an amalgamation between Blogosphere, Medieval Faire, and Blag; Randall's way of referencing [http://blag.xkcd.com his blog].<br />
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The title text is probably the future cosplayer referring to the state of the future internet, indicating some organizational structure that constrains and stratifies it, and his preference for what he perceives as the wild and unfettered internet of the past.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:Man in Red Cape and Goggles: Hey, it worked!<br />
:Cueball: What? Who are you?<br />
:Man in Red Cape and Goggles: I'm from the distant future.<br />
:Cueball: Wow. Hi!<br />
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:Man in Red Cape and Goggles: Are you a blogger? I play one of you at our festivals!<br />
:Cueball: Huh?<br />
:Man in Red Cape and Goggles: Like the Ren faires of your time — I do reenactments.<br />
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:Man in Red Cape and Goggles: We relive the days when the internet was new and free. The days of risky sharing, Slashdot, the Myspace music renaissance. The generation's finest minds meeting on comment threads, battling roving bands of trolls, and holding the great dialogues of the age!<br />
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:Cueball: Is that how you—<br />
:Man in Red Cape and Goggles: We're fuzzy on some details. Did bloggers really wear red capes and goggles and blog from high-altitude balloons?<br />
:Cueball: No!<br />
:Cueball: Well, Cory Doctorow does. But nobody else.<br />
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==Trivia==<br />
*The same topic is mentioned in the title text of the second image of '''''[http://what-if.xkcd.com/69 what if? Facebook of the Dead]''''' displaying ''"An elderly Cory Doctorow cosplaying by wearing what the future thinks he wore in the past."''<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cory Doctorow]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Time travel]]<br />
[[Category:Social networking]]</div>162.158.2.221https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:239:_Blagofaire&diff=95120Talk:239: Blagofaire2015-06-09T03:51:37Z<p>162.158.2.221: </p>
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<div>Offline would mean dead.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.47|173.245.54.47]] 13:35, 24 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
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;Structuring and levels?<br />
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I still don't understand the title text. Structuring, levels? Can it be explained more thoroughly?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.81.220|141.101.81.220]] 15:52, 15 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
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I can't figure out how to word well enough to add it in, but my interpretation is that's it's a joke about the way that we organize time, with the Structuring and the Levels being like the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment. Someone living through both wouldn't notice a sudden difference between them, while someone looking at them as past events can think of things in terms of decades and centuries, and choose a point at the start, middle or end of the gradual changes which brought about the later time period. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.209|108.162.246.209]] 22:16, 31 August 2014 (UTC)<br />
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No-one else thought that Structuring and Levels referred to some kind of event that restructured the internet of the future? I mean, the future cosplayer speaks of the modern internet as some wild and adventurous place, free of rules and responsibility. The future internet could be strictly regulated, where bloggers can only speak to bloggers of their "level" and a talk thread digressing out of it's place in the Structure would be ruthlessly persecuted!<br />
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Or something like that. In fact, the "wizard" explanation is dumb, so I'm gonna change it. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 03:51, 9 June 2015 (UTC)</div>162.158.2.221https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1534:_Beer&diff=95116Talk:1534: Beer2015-06-08T23:48:50Z<p>162.158.2.221: </p>
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<div>I hate the taste and smell and associations (such as urine and vomit where they shouldn't be). A friend used to freely admit he didn't like the taste and only drank to get drunk. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.161|108.162.249.161]] 06:24, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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This is why there are so many different styles of beers, or wines, or other alcoholic beverages. I personally don't care for IPAs, but will rarely pass up a good Pilsner.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.189|108.162.238.189]] 07:37, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:LOL, that's exactly what Cueball is talking about. Beer is a canonical example of {{w|acquired taste}}. But even after having done so, all hoppy beers (including most IPAs and Pilsners) still taste pretty similar to me. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 11:39, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:: Like of beer is actually a really bad example of acquired taste. I was stealing sips of beer from my dad at age 3-4, if he had an unattended open beer. Liking of beer is primarily generics, and secondary acquired taste. Now talk about {{w|Marmite}} and discuss acquired taste. [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 16:21, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:::And you, sir, are a canonical example of an ''outlier''. 😜 Seriously though, go to http://google.com and type "is an acquired taste". Google's very first autocomplete suggestion is beer. I'm not saying it's necessarily a ''good'' example, but it is about as canonical as you can get. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 03:09, 6 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Is it possible that the characters, being American, have only ever tasted American beer? So when Cueball says that "all beer tastes kind of bad" hat he really means is "all <em>American</em> beer tastes kind of bad"? That would make a lot more sense (especially if you assume that they only buy from the major brands, and haven't yet tried beer from microbreweries.) --[[User:PeR|PeR]] ([[User talk:PeR|talk]]) 09:30, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Well the other character mentions "Stouts", which the major American brands don't really produce (or at least don't heavily market). I think from that it's safe to assume that these characters are basing their opinions on American Craft brews, and not just Budweiser. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.87|173.245.52.87]] 14:02, 6 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
:entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem. I think too many people forget Occam's Razor here, and are too eager to engage in deeper analysis than the content can really support without help from, say, an interview with Randall. No offense intended; this is a trend on this wiki in general. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.201|108.162.221.201]] 13:18, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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::I'm kind of tired of people automatically assuming is someone doesn't like beer, it's because the person saying so has only been exposed to bad ones due to their locality. I don't like beer at all because it tastes like a mouthful of yeast and medicine. Alcohol in general is an acquired taste for most people, who usually only start drinking it due to social pressure or as a recreational drug. Yeasty foods are as well, especially yeasty breads, and beer is basically fermented bread juice when you get down to it. There's also a genetic link behind whether or not someone will like alcohol, and it's usually he effect rather than the taste that makes it appealing. --[[Special:Contributions/188.114.111.209|188.114.111.209]] 14:45, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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::: You need to read the research -- it is actually linked to genetic differences in taste-buds. You may not like it, which is not unlikely, but that does not say that is the same for others who may be genetically disposed otherwise [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 18:54, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Speaking from personal experience, I've never tried any form of alcohol that I've liked. And if you must know my experience is mainly centered around beer that's highly recommended by friends and family. The last case was at a tour of a local microbrewery that seems to be doing extremely well. I'm sure if I pulled a large scale taste test I'd aquire enough of a taste to delude myself into thinking that something or other is actually worth drinking but I don't see why I should go through the effort just to conform to a social norm. --not the mama[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.180|108.162.238.180]] 14:30, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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: You should NOT conform to social norm but drink what YOU feel taste good -- 10.000 years ago, humanity needed portable water -- west of the Urals, humans stared to use fermentation as a method to keep bacteria out of the drinking water, where east they started to brew tea -- their descendant responded genetically over the next 10.000 years with European developing genetic traits to be tolerant and liking the fermented brew. Beer is predominantly limited to north Europe as it has lower alcohol levels compared to wine -- the higher alcohol volume is needed to keep bacteria out in the warmer southern Europe -- HENCE unless you are of northen european decent you may not genetically be programmed to like (or tolerate) the taste of beer -- just don't drink beer if you don't like it !!! [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 19:06, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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::I'm 1/16th northern European (Dutch), 1/4th southern European, Native American too. Guess I didn't get the North Europe beer gene. Why'd the even northerner Europeans like the Russians and Scottish become distilled spirit drinkers? Did their beer freeze too easily so they made vodka and whiskey? If this is why the north developed a beer culture then why'd Egyptians and Mesopotamians drink beer? It's very hot there. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.59|108.162.215.59]] 20:08, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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::: (1) "predominantly" and "exclusively" are to different words; they are also brewing wine in England. (2) Distilled alcohol for mass consumption is relatively new (~500 years), before that the process was known but not used for this purpose. (3) Many Europeans drink tea these days -- culture and fashion travels. [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 00:55, 8 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Agreed. Major brands suck, but probably in most countries, even Germany, where people usually have very high opinion about German beer. There are thousands of small breweries, though, some with a very old tradition (like in monasteries), and many just popping up recently. At some microbreweries you have to order weeks in advance, but the brew you get is really exceptional, and you'll drink it at room temperature from wine glasses. Absolutely not meant for getting drunk. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.107|108.162.254.107]] 10:47, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I am disliking to indifferent to most of brands of beer, but I like a few specific ones, like Ginger's Beer, or gingerbread beer from local brewery. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 11:34, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I know that beer is generally considered to be an acquired taste, but some people acquire that taste really quickly. The first beer I ever drank was a Miller that I stole from a case that my dad had left sitting in the kitchen for months. I was 12, and it is still probably the worst thing I've ever tasted. I decided I didn't like beer, and from ages 12 to 17 the only alcohol I drank was wine. At 17, I tried keg beer and was utterly indifferent to it. By the time I turned 19 I was into good local beers, but if I've been in the heat for a long time, I'll drink watery mediocre beer and it will be divine. And then there's shower beer...oh, shower beer!12:27, 5 June 2015 (UTC) {{unsigned ip|108.162.225.36}}<br />
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The only thing worse than a pilsner is an IPA... which is just a stronger version of a pilsner. Most beer just has way too high of an IBU rating. At least malts aren't entirely awful and oatmeal malts are somewhat palatable. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.83|162.158.255.83]] 14:25, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Culturally, for me, the common booze is 'a pint of bitter' (or 'best'). I apparently had my first sip when a toddler. I 'sneakily' took a sip from the top of a glass sat in front of my father, before screwing my face up most amusingly, I am told. I then went straight back in for another... it's not obvious to me if I was being influenced to 'want to like it'. Perhaps it was just the novelty. Anyway, I will admit I don't ''love'' the taste of bitter, but at least it's got an significant taste that all the seemingly anonymous mass-produced lagers can't match. (OTOH, cider's quite stimulating, but I take against the overly fizzy ones.) When it comes to non-alcoholic beverages, I will actively ''refuse'' a cup of tea (the social norm for adults, especially someone like me in their fifth decade), however socially awkward and unexpected, and politely turn down the offer of a coffee, if possible, on the basis that I might not be staying long. (I don't like teas at all, even fruit ones, but I can stand coffee if sweetened.) But it's ''amazing'' what we tend to eat and drink, just because it's expected. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.59|141.101.99.59]] 14:26, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Great comic. This is just for me. I do not like beer. Any kind. And I do rarely drink them. Same with cofee ans tee which I never drink. It is not always easy - so nice to see this comic. :) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:33, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I'm a stout man (will drink stout alone, if it is dark enough and if the hop content is small enough), but will admit that any beer is better after the fifth glass of it.[[User:Seebert|Seebert]] ([[User talk:Seebert|talk]]) 14:40, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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;"Acquired Taste"<br />
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Part of the explanation refers to acquired tastes as being a response to social pressures and to avoid cognitive dissonance. This doesn't match the description of what the '''linked to''' wikipedia page for acquired tastes, as that page distinguishes authentic acquired tastes from those meeting the author's description.<br />
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquired_taste#Intentional_acquisition_of_tastes<br />
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[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.190|108.162.238.190]] 15:08, 5 June 2015 (UTC)Aaron E<br />
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Budweiser tastes like urine. It's the most popular beer in the US. Immediately after trying it I tasted a drop of my urine to see if the urine was still worse and that wasn't enough urine to decide. Anyone care to put a larger amount of urine in their mouth for science? This is the crap they make Bud..Weis..Er and Wassuuuuuuup! commercials about? They actually make a Lite version of this so people can enjoy it while getting less drunk or fat? Extroverts are weird. Also, out of the legion of OKcupid questions the best predictor of the promiscuity question is "I like the taste of beer, true or false". So if you want to have sex quick, you want to hear "Beer tastes awesome! Woo! [Burp] [Vomit] Ooh!Ooh!" [drinks vodka from bottle] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.59|108.162.215.59]] 16:55, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Strangely, many animals acquire a taste for alcohol, and they must do it quickly because they don't live long enough to do it slowly. Case in point-- robins and other birds, gobbling up fermented fallen fruit, and then stumbling around like human novice drinkers do. They only live 2-3 years, and they only have access to the stuff for a couple of weeks in the autumn, and yet, there they go, staggering down the sidewalk and tripping over imaginary twigs. And then there's my puppy, who was begging droplets of strong beer and black coffee off my fingertips from eight weeks old. (Good Canadian beer, by the way.) I wonder if a taste for bitterness might be adaptive, as many bitter plants are also medicinal? [[User:NoniMausa|NoniMausa]] ([[User talk:NoniMausa|talk]]) 22:46, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Okay, some people don't like beer. That doesn't mean everyone who does is faking it. I gravitate towards IPAs, stouts, rye IPAs and barrel-aged strong beers. I also like scotch, rye, and some bourbons. I fucking love dark roasted black coffee. I savor all of these in company and alone. Stop being so solipsic.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.163|173.245.48.163]] 03:32, 6 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I actively dislike the taste of every beer that I have tried. That includes Guiness on tap in Dublin. I sort of got into trouble for it the few days I was there agus ag labhairt na Gaeilge. But this discussion is one of the most amusing and enjoyable arguments I have seen yet on this website. Go ahead on, folks! [[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 03:48, 6 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I've been scratching my head over this one since I saw it come out, and I still can't tell what Randall is trying to say. Are we meant to take it at face value, where Cueball is right on and Hairy is simply unwilling to admit that deep down he (just like apparently every other beer drinker everywhere) dislikes beer, and everyone is pretending because of social pressure? Or is this a subversion of the expected, and meant as a dig at the kind of person who would so arrogantly think that their personal dislike of something popular simply means everyone who claims to like it is pretending to do so out of social pressures or internalized expectations (no pun intended)? In this comic, Cueball comes across to me as kind of a passive-aggressive jerk (which is normally Hairy's role) as he openly derides something that someone else may genuinely enjoy by claiming everyone is pretending, and when reminded that it's fine for him to not drink it, he responds with bitter sarcasm. So who's the butt of the joke here? Hairy because he can't see that he's only doing something from social pressure? Or Cueball for assuming that Hairy (as well as the other millions of people who regularly enjoy beer around the world) is only doing something and pretending to like it because of social pressure.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.118|173.245.52.118]] 06:20, 8 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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+1 above comment. I'm on the side of the second interpretation, but my (possibly prejudiced guess) is that Randall may dislike beer!<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.186|108.162.238.186]] 13:00, 8 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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:Maybe both interpretations are valid, and this helps us see the problem of empathy here. The same way cueball can't be objectively sure about hairy faking it or not, we can't be absolutely sure about it either, not knowing if cueball is exposing harsh truths or being an unempathetic jerk. Our interpretation will be based on our own biases on the subject.[[Special:Contributions/188.114.99.29|188.114.99.29]] 13:28, 8 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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I think this is a wildly fascinating conversation! First, it's interesting we all care so much about a beverage. Clearly, we view our own preference for beer as much more than a taste, but rather a statement of identity. Second, the popularity of objectively terrible and tasteless beers (originally from the US, but now mindlessly copied by practically every country on the planet) shows that it '''is''' possible that we beer lovers are deluding ourselves (and also that beer-avoiders are deluding themselves as well). The identity statement of preferring or avoiding beer may be so strong that we may not really know if we like beer or not. <br />
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Beer is diverse, and indeed if someone truly dislikes all of it for flavor reasons, they would be expected to also dislike either bread, bitter herbs, other alcohols, or all of the above. From the comments here, it seems that those who dislike beer also dislike other alcohol, so perhaps it is alcohol itself that can be highly distasteful. Ethanol doesn't have a flavor, so let's assume it's either the somewhat burny mouthfeel, or perhaps the mental effects of alcohol that are disliked. <br />
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It also seems that those who dislike beer have indeed not tried very much of it "I...dislike...every beer that I have tried. That includes Guiness..." provides fodder for those who would suggest, "Well, if Guiness is your idea of a beer, then you haven't nearly tried enough to know you dislike it!" However, as some have pointed out here, it is highly unfair to expect that someone who truly dislikes beer will try all of the thousands of varieties of it, presumably disliking every one, until we accept that the dislike is genuine.<br />
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Even the comic shows that Randall rejects beer without knowing much about it. That Hairy suggests two categories of beer to be "stouts" and "lagers" is telling. Stout is a specific style of beer, while lager is a giant category that includes beers as dissimilar as light american lager and Baltic Porter. Someone who likes and is interested in beer would not ask the question Hairy does. Yet Randall's beer ignorance may stem from avoidance due to a true dislike, and it would be unfair to expect him to gain competence in everything he finds offensive before we allow him his opinion. {{unsigned ip|Drummstikk}}<br />
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Lots to think about here! [[User:Drummstikk|Drummstikk]] ([[User talk:Drummstikk|talk]]) 19:21, 8 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
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Drinking alcoholic drinks of any description is just a stupid idea from the start. "Oh yeah, lets drink this thing that hampers our ability to think clearly and undermines several important inhibitions that stop us from hurling ourselves into traffic while puking! Clearly nothing can go wrong with this!". -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/162.158.2.221|162.158.2.221]] 23:48, 8 June 2015 (UTC)</div>162.158.2.221