https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=162.158.38.166&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T05:56:47ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1571:_Car_Model_Names&diff=177561Talk:1571: Car Model Names2019-08-06T07:28:00Z<p>162.158.38.166: </p>
<hr />
<div>Suzuki Sexism kinda has a ring to it... [[User:Bbruzzo|Bbruzzo]] ([[User talk:Bbruzzo|talk]]) 14:39, 31 August 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Worth noting that there actually was an engine manufacturer named "Coventry Climax", who produced a range of racing engines and specialty machinery like forklift trucks. Coventry Climax's engine works were eventually bought out by Jaguar Cars in the 1960s. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.154}}<br />
<br />
Considering the existence of the Civic RX and the CR-V EX, Cervixxx should have been a Honda model. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 16:44, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
A simple Lua script I wrote to calculate these ratings: http://pastebin.ubuntu.com/12259822/<br />
Run it with your favorite Lua interpreter, and it should ask for a name. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.160|108.162.216.160]] 03:01, 3 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
For people who don't have a favorite Lua interpreter, here's a simple python3 script I wrote : https://gist.github.com/Syncrossus/dd69d185d9af39d84f8a600871b27691<br />
You can run it with a model name as command line argument, or run it with no argument and it will prompt you for model names. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.105|141.101.69.105]] 14:22, 3 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Interestingly, "xkcd" has a high score of 4.1. {{unsigned ip|199.27.129.59}}<br />
<br />
:Could be a Jaguar, as homage to the XKS. --[[User:SaturNine|SaturNine]] ([[User talk:SaturNine|talk]]) 12:25, 7 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Scores<br />
<br />
Anyone know how the averages are calculated? I tried a couple but I don't arrive at the same numbers:<br />
<br />
HONDA { -44 -80 -46 -21 -14 } Sum: -205 Avg: -41<br><br />
2CHAINZ { +6 +27 -44 -14 -21 -46 +83 } Sum: -9 Avg: -1.2857142857142857142857142857143<br><br />
Combined: (-205 -9) / (5 + 7) = -17.833333333333333333333333333333<br><br />
<br />
[[User:SG 01|SG 01]] ([[User talk:SG 01|talk]]) 15:29, 31 August 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
I think only the model should be considered. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 15:36, 31 August 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:2CHAINZ { +6 +27 -44 -14 -21 -46 +83 } Sum: -9 Avg: -1.29 Index: -0.13<br />
:CLIMAX { +27 +12 -21 +19 -14 +126} Sum: 149 Avg: 24.83 Index: 2.48<br />
<br />
Obvioulsy it's the average divided by 10. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 15:44, 31 August 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Ah, it's so obvious now, thanks :) [[User:SG 01|SG 01]] ([[User talk:SG 01|talk]]) 16:00, 31 August 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I worked it out to be average divided by 10 early on but why divided by 10? Is it because each category has 10 cars listed? This is the piece I've been stuck at. Understanding that part of the logic. --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 16:05, 31 August 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The only thing I can think of is to make the numbers be below 10 as a lot of scoring is done in that scale, then again, that doesn't include numbers below 1 usually (On a scale from 1 - 10).<br />
Oh, also the 3x3cutrix, the i is worth -21, not -45 (which is E), the x in 3x3 is treated as a normal x with score 126<br />
:3X3CUTRIX { +55 -126 +55 +27 -68 -18 8 -21 +126 } Sum: 290 Avg: 32.222... Index: 3.22<br />
[[User:SG 01|SG 01]] ([[User talk:SG 01|talk]]) 16:17, 31 August 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
OK, my mistake. Thanks. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 16:27, 31 August 2015 (UTC)<br />
BTW: 3X3CUTRIX { +55 +126 +55 +27 -68 -18 +8 -21 +126 } Sum: 290<br />
<br />
Yea, made a typo there originally, did edit-fix it ^^ Also SIXAXLE4x4 { +15 -21 +126 -14 +126 +12 -45 +35 +126 +35 } Sum: 395 Avg: 39.5 Index: 3.95 (which is the number next to it)<br />
<br />
[[User:SG 01|SG 01]] ([[User talk:SG 01|talk]]) 16:33, 31 August 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Mercedes 3X-WIF3 scores a decent 3,33 [[Special:Contributions/198.41.243.9|198.41.243.9]] 18:46, 31 August 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Anyone want a Porsche 911? [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 18:53, 31 August 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:The Saab Y. Worst possible car name. The Oldsmobile XXX. Best possible car name. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.4|173.245.54.4]] 19:33, 31 August 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Seems worth mentioning somewhere that 3x3cutrix is semi leet/133+ for the English word executrix, the feminine form of executor, but I don't know quite where it belongs. [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 20:49, 31 August 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"The letters F and B, with scores of 5 and -5, respectively, are about as common in English as in car models." Looked odd, at first reading. May need re-writing to point out that ±5 is as close to zero (parity between English and car-speak) as you get in this example. Perhaps "...scores of ''merely'' +5 and -5, respectively", or similar? But that also seems too brief. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.108|141.101.99.108]] 01:37, 1 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Forgot to add what I meant to put here... Apostrophes. Very rare in car names (just the {{w|Kia_Cee%27d|Kia Cee'd}}), fairly often (over)used in standard English text. I wonder what its value is? (Not as easily 'assume it's a letter' as the x/times symbol.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.108|141.101.99.108]] 01:44, 1 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Order of the scores<br />
There are two possible explanations<br />
;Score(x) = Frequency_in_cars(x) - Frequency_in_English(x)<br />
I'm pretty sure it's a comparative scale between cars and English, not just a car-like/not-car-like scale.<br />
:Randall uses positive numbers if a letter is more common in car models than in typical English (as X) which he then calls carlike. He used negative numbers if a letter's relative frequency in car models is lower than in typical English (as O) and he calls it English-like (more suitable for readable text). The letters F and B, with scores of 5 and -5, respectively, are about as common in English as in car models. With this nomenclature, the most English-like letter is Y because, while not the most common English letter, it is apparently extremely rare in car models.<br />
<br />
;Score(x) = Frequency_in_cars(x)<br />
English has no relationship with the score<br />
:It seems that Randall arbitrarily used positive and negative numbers: if a letter is very common in car models (as X) he calls it carlike. If a letter is very uncommon in car models (as O) he calls it English-like. With this nomenclature the most English-like letter is Y, but actually Y is the least carlike letter. The most common letter in ordinary English is E. Y on the other hand is just in the middle (place 13), which can't be called English-like.<br />
[[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 12:56, 1 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
::"Y (...) can't be called English-like". Well, it can be, as it's not uncommon. And on the relative scale, it's much more indicative of being English than it is of being a car. And I'm going to give the explanation a further tweak, I think, hopefully small and agreeable. Also don't think the reversion helped (without checking the edit-changes), it was almost right. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.108|141.101.99.108]] 13:24, 1 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
Now I understood your idea. I think I tweaked it to be more understandable. X is a letter that supports your claim. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 13:41, 1 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I'd like to suggest a third possibility, I figured it was a ratio: Score(x) = 100*(Frecuency_in_cars(x) / Frequency_in_English(x) - 1). This allows numbers to be negative or positive and would explain the questions raised above. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:53, 1 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Well, my "little tweak" became a big overhaul, then edit-conflicted. For the record, it became the following monstrosity:<br />
Scores for letters and numbers are presumably taken from their frequency in car models. [[Randall]] doubtless analysed a car-name database, in a manner similar to that used to derive the {{w|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_frequency#Relative_frequencies_of_letters_in_the_English_language|letter frequency statistics for written English}} against which the former seems to have been compared. From these, letters that appeared equally commonly in both lists (either rare or frequent, but consistently between the two) would have been given a hypothetical value of zero, whilst ones that were almost exclusively in one medium would have a high-magnitude score; positive for more car-like and negative for more English-like.<br />
Without the raw car-letter frequency data it's hard to derive the exact formula used, but taking the mathematical {{w|Logarithm|log value}} of a ratio would give us zero for 1:1 (equally car-like and English-like) and high positive/negative values for comparisons more skewed more towards the former/latter.<br />
The closest letters to zero in the comic are F at +5 and B at -5 and may hover somewhere around the same ratios in car-names as in English (around 2.2% and 1.4% of total usage in the above link), with just a slight car/English dominance. The most 'car-like' letter is X, that seems to be quite common in cars whilst very rare (<1% of usage) in English.<br />
The most 'English-like' letter in the comic is Y with a score of -90. Y is not common in English (~2%), but presumably even more disproportionately uncommon in car names. The next most 'English-like' letter, O, with a given score of -80. It is significantly more frequent in English (~7.5%, and perhaps the fourth most encountered individual letter), and so is likely also more frequent in the raw car-name data, alone, albeit similarly much less than 'expected' from its English occurances.<br />
It makes some sense that rarer English letters are over-chosen (for the novelty and stand-out effect) for car names, at the general expense of several commoner English letters without particular bias, thus the highest positive peak is greater in magnitude than the lowest negative trough. Although you could also point out that 'x' (used for 'times') is also a more useful car-name 'letter', whilst the letter O might be surpressed in alphanumeric sequences so as not to be confused with a zero.<br />
When looking at the numbers in the table, Randall's analysis may have dealt with the decimal digits entirely seperately, based upon something like {{w|Benford%27s_law|Benford's Law}} for the natural occurance of numbers in common data, rather than from their disproportionately rare occurance within largely alphabetic English. It is thus not unexpected that the 1 that is most common in data is underepresented within numbers in car-names, whilst sub-avearge 5 becomes a 'power number' in the world of cars, and the third most car-like character in the comic.<br />
There are 19 positive scores and 17 negative scores. They each add up to a score of 735 and -722, respectively, with the grand total being +13, suggesting that without rounding errors the whole system could have a neutral score. The numbers alone give a total offset of -0, the letters alone thus account for a not particularly unreasonable +0.5 'error' per character, and may also support the idea of separate analyses of these two sets.<br />
...there was no easy way to resolve the differences, so the above is FYI. ('''TLDR: perhaps it's a Log function?''') In editing it down, I'd also had another bit:<br />
The letters I and T may appear in non-word model-name strings to represent "Injection" and "Turbo", respectively, but with their overwhelming commonality already in English text they still appear ''more'' more in English than in cars.<br />
...which was looked less useful and too wordy even for me, but might also be a useful fragment to consider. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.108|141.101.99.108]] 15:09, 1 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Typo or Deliberate?<br />
<br />
Randall gave REV-4 as an example car name. Did he accidentally misspell the (Toyota) RAV4, or was this a deliberate reference to chapter 4 of Revelations?--[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.26|173.245.54.26]] 02:31, 1 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Old Goths<br />
<br />
49 is a reasonable age for those who grew up Goth in the 80s, just sayin'.<br />
--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.123|141.101.99.123]] 08:47, 1 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I thought this too. It could be a joke on a youth sub-culture growing up (old).<br />
-- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.157|108.162.229.157]] 11:28, 1 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;'Quick' and Dirty Car Data<br />
Examining {{w|List_of_automobile_sales_by_model|this page}}, which has notable exceptions (I specifically looked for the Toyota '''Y'''aris and the Kia Cee'd, neither of which were there), using a quick script to isolate the car names, a lengthy ''manual'' process of sanitising all the exceptions the quick script couldn't handle and then another script to analyse letter frequencies of the model names (''not'' the make/marque part), I came up with the following undefinitive data, that is almost certainly flawed but may yet be useful:<br />
<spaces> = 85 (but this count of whitespace may not be accurate and is superfluous...<br />
& = 1 (...as are these first four items of punctuation, given their absence from Randall's chart)<br />
- = 23<br />
. = 3<br />
/ = 10<br />
0 = 104<br />
1 = 73<br />
2 = 54<br />
3 = 43<br />
4 = 35<br />
5 = 54<br />
6 = 35<br />
7 = 18<br />
8 = 26<br />
9 = 17<br />
A = 231 (includes à)<br />
B = 30<br />
C = 95<br />
D = 54<br />
E = 210 (includes é and ë)<br />
F = 46<br />
G = 52<br />
H = 18<br />
I = 122<br />
J = 12<br />
K = 13<br />
L = 113<br />
M = 83<br />
N = 99<br />
O = 145 (includes ó)<br />
P = 80<br />
Q = 4<br />
R = 202<br />
S = 127 (includes Š)<br />
T = 166<br />
U = 45<br />
V = 38<br />
W = 19<br />
X = 25<br />
Y = 33<br />
Z = 14<br />
Comparing just B and F (natural frequency 1.4% and 2.2%, above 30 to 46, both instances being approximately 1:1.5 when comparing the two letters within the same source), this matches the similarly close-to-zero scores given to them by Randall. O vs. Y is 4.4:1, above, real life is 3.8:1 and adjusting for O being 1/9th 'more carlike' we get a similar value. But Z vs J is 7:6, real life it's 1:2 and I can't reconcile that with the 1.3:1 on Randall's chart. Probably indicates something non-linear (e.g. a log function) along the way, if O:Y wasn't so easy to distinguish. Might, of course, be a differently biased dataset and thus GIGO. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.108|141.101.99.108]] 00:35, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I thought that R would be used quite frequently.. (i.e Audi RS5). {{unsigned|Thomas 633}}<br />
<br />
Surprised nobody mentioned before now the irony of Lincoln, the late 20th C. status symbol luxury vehicle, being paired with Marxism.--[[User:SaturNine|SaturNine]] ([[User talk:SaturNine|talk]]) 12:36, 7 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Marx wouldn't be happy having his name associated with corporate scum. Then again, the Lincoln part of it makes sense since Marx and Lincoln wrote to each other a lot. I hate corporatism, but there isn't really an "open" car like there are open softwares or hardwares for laptops and desktops. Stuck buying corporate boojie trash for now. If this so-called "Lincoln Marxism" was an electric or hybrid, I'd consider it because of its name. IFL Marx haha :P I'd think "Bolshevik" would also score high... Lenin, maybe? CHOICeS x'D [[User:International Space Station|International Space Station]] ([[User talk:International Space Station|talk]]) 04:35, 22 April 2016 (UTC<br />
<br />
"Doody" means faeces where you come from??? Interesting. I only came across it as meaning a baby's soother -- not sure what that's called over your way, maybe a dummy? Anyway 'doody' is what you get if someone who is too young to pronounce S properly tries to.say 'soother' (especially if they are sacking on one at the same time) <br />
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.166|162.158.38.166]] 07:27, 6 August 2019 (UTC)</div>162.158.38.166https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2174:_First_News_Memory&diff=1765092174: First News Memory2019-07-11T09:49:07Z<p>162.158.38.166: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2174<br />
| date = July 10, 2019<br />
| title = First News Memory<br />
| image = first_news_memory.png<br />
| titletext = Psychology researchers say our 'flashbulb' memories of big events can be unreliable, but I clearly remember watching live on CNN as Challenger crashed into and destroyed the Berlin Wall.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a FAULTY FIRST NEWS MEMORY. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. (Explain title-text) Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
7 xkcd characters are discussing their "first news memory", their first memory of an event that was reported by the news media. A person's "first news memory" can vary based on their age, the region where they grew up, and how in touch with the news they are. <br />
<br />
The following is a breakdown of the memories given by the characters, in typical xkcd fashion:<br />
===Frame One===<br />
[[Cueball]] recalls the election coverage from the year 1988. As Randall lives in the US, this is probably the {{w|1988 United States presidential election|1988 US presidential election}} in which George H. W. Bush defeated Michael Dukakis. [[Megan]] recalls {{w|Berlin_Wall#Fall_of_the_Berlin_Wall|the removal of the Berlin wall}}, which began in 1989.<br />
<br />
===Frame Two===<br />
[[Hairy]] recalls the {{w|Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|''Challenger'' explosion}}, which occurred in 1986. Many schools allowed teachers to bring a television to the classroom to show their students, sadly unaware of the impending disaster the children would witness. However, Hairy remembers watching the footage in 1995, so Hairy's teacher was knowingly showing the students recorded footage of a disaster. Presumably, showing a number of young schoolchildren a traumatizing event led to the dismissal.<br />
<br />
===Frame Three===<br />
[[White Hat]] says that his first news memory was about the 2016 election (presumably the {{w|2016 United States presidential election|2016 US presidential election}}), which is only three years prior to the publication date of this comic. This implies that he spent most of his life not paying attention to the news or has amnesia.<br />
<br />
===Frame Four===<br />
[[Black Hat]]'s first sentence is normal in the context of the question, albeit making him older than the others. Given only the sentence 'we landed on the moon,' the 'we' is inferred to be 'the United States of America' or 'the human race.' The first {{w|moon landing}} occurred on July 20, 1969. <br />
However, Black Hat goes on to say that 'my second memory is my mom telling us we were moving to Earth instead, to blend in with the humans.' This gives a completely different meaning to his first memory, as it is now implied that Black Hat is a humanoid alien who moved to the Moon, but whose mother then decided to move to Earth. Whether any news coverage resulted is unclear. [[Hairbun]] then remarks that this revelation explains Black Hat's odd (and usually disruptive) behavior. It is unclear whether Black Hat is telling the truth, but knowing Black Hat, and considering the fact that this would be unlikely to receive news coverage, he is likely intentionally trying to unnerve others. Another possibility is that Black Hat was the youthful victim of a prank by his own mother, implying that trollish tendencies run in their family.<br />
<br />
The title text gives [http://theconversation.com/flashbulb-memories-of-dramatic-events-arent-as-accurate-as-believed-64838 the claim] that {{w|Flashbulb memory|flashbulb memories}} of big events can be unreliable. Randall denies this claim, claiming to remember watching on CNN as the ''Challenger'' spacecraft crashed into the Berlin Wall. This is an inaccurate memory of these two events, as the ''Challenger'' explosion occurred in 1986 over the Atlantic Ocean, just east of Cape Canaveral, Florida, and did not occur near the Berlin Wall (in Berlin, Germany). Also, the Berlin Wall was intentionally demolished starting in 1989; it was not damaged by a space shuttle. It is possible that this memory also conflates those events with those of the {{w|September 11 attacks}} since the latter ''did'' involve two winged craft crashing into and destroying a landmark.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Ponytail, Cueball, Megan, Hairy, White Hat, Black Hat and Hairbun are all at a party, discussing their earliest news memories.]<br />
<br />
:[Panel with Ponytail, Cueball, Megan, and Hairy]<br />
:Ponytail: What's your first news memory?<br />
:Cueball: I always like this question! Mine was the 1988 election.<br />
:Megan: Berlin wall for me. You?<br />
<br />
:[Frame-less panel with Megan, Hairy, White Hat, and Black Hat]<br />
:Hairy: Watching the ''Challenger'' launch in class. We were so excited; everyone was horrified when it blew up.<br />
:Hairy: It was 1995.<br />
:Hairy: Our teacher got fired soon after.<br />
<br />
:[Panel with Hairy, White Hat, Black Hat, and Hairbun]<br />
:White Hat: Mine's the 2016 election.<br />
:Hairbun: ...aren't you in your 30's?<br />
:White Hat: Look, we're not all great about keeping up with the news, OK?<br />
<br />
:[Panel with White Hat, Black Hat, and Hairbun]<br />
:Black Hat: My first memory is when we landed on the moon.<br />
:Black Hat: My second memory is my mom telling us we were moving to Earth instead, to blend in with the humans.<br />
:Hairbun: This explains a lot.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>162.158.38.166https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2170:_Coordinate_Precision&diff=176121Talk:2170: Coordinate Precision2019-07-03T09:57:22Z<p>162.158.38.166: The comic makes no reference to people moving around.</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
The coordinates seem to show a NASA building, so in the end you're still soing something space related. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.55.196|172.69.55.196]] 19:47, 1 July 2019 (UTC)Some random European.<br />
:The more precise coordinates are actually in the middle of the Rocket Garden at the Visitor's Center of the Kennedy Space Center complex. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 19:58, 1 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
The atom-level coordinates are obtained by appending digits of e and pi to the Rocket Garden coordinates. [[User:Ichoran|Ichoran]] ([[User talk:Ichoran|talk]]) 20:21, 1 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I always find it very funny to see all those decimals. Regular GPS devices have an uncertainty of 3 meters if there is no interference from trees, buildings or whatever. That puts you at about 4 to 5 decimals I guess. [[User:Palmpje|Palmpje]] ([[User talk:Palmpje|talk]]) 20:26, 1 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
:A Google Maps webpage URL includes coordinates to seven decimal places. [[User:EmuSam|EmuSam]] ([[User talk:EmuSam|talk]]) 20:48, 1 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
::Sure but out there with your handheld GPS or normal consumer device that includes a GPS receiver you won't get more precision than about 3 meters. And when your at the higher latitudes you're probably not getting that. [[User:Palmpje|Palmpje]] ([[User talk:Palmpje|talk]]) 20:52, 1 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
So combining this comic with #2169, is Randal suggesting he'll be at the Rocket Garden on July 28th (much as he did in #240)? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.208|108.162.216.208]] 20:47, 1 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
:It says ''June'' 28th. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.22|162.158.126.22]] 20:52, 1 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
::No, the date of that comic is June 28, but the title text says: [AT THE JULY 28TH MEETING] --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:51, 1 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
:::Ah, that makes sense. For some reason my app only showed the first part of the tirle text --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.94|162.158.126.94]] 23:04, 1 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
::::The COMIC says "June 28th." The TITLE TEXT says "July 28th." Apparently the government computer predictive text was trained from different input. [[User:Mwburden|mwburden]] ([[User talk:Mwburden|talk]]) 15:26, 2 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Regrettably, there are two dimensions missing, Z and T. Without Z (elevation)+/- you could be in space or in a neutrino detector. T is only relevant for dynamic objects, but there again, the Americas are going West at a measurable rate! [[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 21:30, 1 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The seventh row is likely a reference to comic number 1358 where two stick figures try to find waldo via satellite. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.226.125|172.69.226.125]] 21:44, 1 July 2019 (UTC) kisara, 21:42, 1 July 2019 (utc)<br />
<br />
<br />
10^-40 degrees on the surface of the earth translates to about 0.7 planck lengths. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.234|162.158.106.234]] 21:50, 1 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Do the coordinates 28.5234°N, 80.6830°W really correspond to the tip of the Delta rocket? I checked and it was pointing to a small patch of ground next to the rocket, not the tip of the rocket itself. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 00:20, 2 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
:No, you need to go to five decimal places to get the rocket. In that respect, I think he might be off by one digit of precision in his descriptions. [[User:Jeremyp|Jeremyp]] ([[User talk:Jeremyp|talk]]) 12:04, 2 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I would like to mention that neither number seems to fit into a standard double float value. I made a fiddle showing this. [https://dotnetfiddle.net/k7yK0Y#] [[User:Ansarya|Ansarya]] ([[User talk:Ansarya|talk]]) 01:48, 2 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
:Floats are stored base 2, so representing them exactly as decimal often requires many more digits than is actually necessary (for complicated number theory reasons, a float can always be represented exactly as decimal, which would not be true if floats were stored in base 3). For this reason, programming languages that can format floats round them, usually to a number of digits where it will be possible to reconstruct the original float (though C# apparently takes off a couple extra digits, since those digits are almost never significant). To illustrate this, I used Rust to print many more digits of a float than would be shown normally [https://play.rust-lang.org/?version=stable&mode=debug&edition=2018&gist=6796c2459ceabea1a03d7113b676dd8f]. The latitude coordinate in the comic could be the result of printing a double precision float, but the longitude coordinate could not be. Also note that it takes almost 50 digits to reach an exact base 10 representation, even though only 14 or 15 of those digits are actually needed to reconstruct the original float. [[User:Probably not Douglas Hofstadter|Probably not Douglas Hofstadter]] ([[User talk:Probably not Douglas Hofstadter|talk]]) 18:01, 2 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
May be my pet peeve... ...but adding an additional error to every piece of input data [and maybe every intermediate result] in order to show that either the precision the original measurement ends here or that all further digits of the measurement read "0" often introduces an error that can add up surprisingly quickly => I personally prefer raw floats that indicate there probably was no error analysis to rounded data and won't get tired on telling people to explicitely state what precision they can expect.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.70|162.158.114.70]]<br />
<br />
If the smallest subnormal 32 bit float is a Planck length, then the largest 32 bit float is 10 sextillion times the diameter of the observable universe. If the value 1.0 of a 64 bit float is a cubic Planck length, then the largest float is 100 sextillion ''googol'' times the volume of the observable universe. [[User:Probably not Douglas Hofstadter|Probably not Douglas Hofstadter]] ([[User talk:Probably not Douglas Hofstadter|talk]]) 17:21, 2 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It'd be neat to have a map that shows the precision of given coordinates; like how Google Maps shows transparent blue circle with a wider radius if it's location detection isn't very precise. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.76|172.69.170.76]] 19:10, 2 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Something about the formatting of the table seems to be messing up the main page. Not sure what it is, but it happens just after the '110 km (70 mi)' so might be related to the span. Not a major problem as it's fine on the comic page and the main page will change tomorrow anyway. [[User:A(l)Chemist|AlChemist]] ([[User talk:A(l)Chemist|talk]]) 19:43, 2 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
/\<br />
/ \<br />
/____\<br />
information is people<br />
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.172|172.68.34.172]] 01:27, 3 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"more than a quintillion times smaller" that's short scale quintillion, right?<br />
[[User:Kventin|Kventin]] ([[User talk:Kventin|talk]]) 08:04, 3 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<q>This is probably a reference to the fact that persons are animate, and different persons can occupy the same position at different times.</q><br />
No it is not. The comic itself explicitly states that it's a reference to the geodetic datum when it says, <q>but since you didn't include datum information, we can't tell who</q>.<br />
<br />
<q>As the comic notes, different persons can occupy the same position at different times</q>. Where does it note that? Am I looking at a different comic? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.166|162.158.38.166]] 09:57, 3 July 2019 (UTC)</div>162.158.38.166https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1534:_Beer&diff=174853Talk:1534: Beer2019-06-03T16:41:47Z<p>162.158.38.166: </p>
<hr />
<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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
: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 />
<br />
:: 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 />
<br />
:::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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
::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 />
<br />
::: 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 />
<br />
:: ''...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 />
<br />
: It is also possible that (from my perspective as an American) most people grow up thinking only certain flavors taste good, and anything outside of that is bad. For example, food that has spoiled taste bad, however both sour cream and buttermilk (both which have a flavor similar to spoiled food) taste pleasant once you associate that taste with good. And people that like "simple" beer (such as pilsners) may initially have trouble with a stout, or IPA, or anything that has a bitter taste in it, because "bitter" is associate with being "bad". On the other hand, some cultures can't stand overly-sweet foods, since that wasn't part of their upbringing.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.42|162.158.75.42]] 00:13, 9 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
: 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 />
<br />
::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 />
<br />
:: Wait. Alcohol was a method of keeping drinking water clean? That's a terrible way to stay hydrated. Alcohol makes you pee more. What is this I don't even. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.169|108.162.215.169]] 11:17, 13 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::In the past they drank something called small beer for the water which was at least as low alcohol as lite beer today. Google it to see if it's lighter than lite beer, I don't care enough to check. They drank the full-strength beer when they wanted to party. Children drank a lower alcohol version of small beer (well they *did* die so disproportionately from germs anyway before we even get to the water germs). Similarly, nobody drank wine for thirst, they mixed it with water. Since water hydrates and full-strength beer dehydrates maybe they put enough water that they could live without drinking gallons of weak booze per day. I don't know how Islam survived with a Prohibition like that though. I think anything that makes you slightly "buzzed" if you drink as much as humanly possible is illegal. Even now the Saudi oil monopoly's "Western-style walled-off city" is under uncodified sharia law and a wine cooler would only be legal if you watered down with 1 or 19 parts water (I don't know if they have a statutory limit but if you can manage to drink 15 US gallons of 50% diluted wine cooler within 15 hours then you would get a little "buzzed" (= 12 US oz of beer). (They do sell beer dealcoholized to under 0.05% for the Islamic market (10% of Prohibition-legal "near-beer", and 5% of a wine cooler) so people can enjoy the horrible flavor without any possibility of getting "buzzed" (about 1/10th of a beer "drunk" if you drink a US gallon an hour *without stopping for 15 hours*, the importance of not stopping cannot be overstressed. If you stop for even 6 minutes near the end you will "sober up" 100% and you'll have to do this a whole nother 15 hours again) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.155|108.162.238.155]] 19:04, 13 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::::About the "buzzed" rule, the emirs tried to ban coffee, but every one loved it so much they eventually realized they weren't going to squash the habit and decided, hey, at least it's a stimulant, those who drink it can a lot more of God's work done than they could without. {{unsigned ip|173.245.54.23}}<br />
<br />
::: (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 />
<br />
:::: Ooh, English cuisine is a byword, but I don't think even they brew their wine. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.166|162.158.38.166]] 16:41, 3 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::: Global warming has the power to make England the best place to grow champagne. Chalky. Kent. Soil. Mmmmmm. Bordeaux will have to make whatever wine they now make in Spain. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.94|108.162.215.94]] 16:53, 11 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
;"Acquired Taste"<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acquired_taste#Intentional_acquisition_of_tastes<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.190|108.162.238.190]] 15:08, 5 June 2015 (UTC)Aaron E<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
: Ach bhí and ceart agat. Tá an blas Guinness uafásach! (Is fearr liom Malibu ná Southern Comfort :) ) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.166|162.158.38.166]] 16:41, 3 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
: +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 />
<br />
:: 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 />
<br />
::: Well said! --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 18:42, 12 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
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 />
<br />
Lots to think about here! [[User:Drummstikk|Drummstikk]] ([[User talk:Drummstikk|talk]]) 19:21, 8 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
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 />
<br />
: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 />
<br />
:: 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 />
<br />
::::I didn't say it was worth it. The hangover's horrible. Nor do I enjoy it. I enjoy*ed* it, that night in 2010. It was cool that there is a drug that lets you play with the gravity and time and doesn't hurt your body just to try once or is illegal or addictive to many like most drugs (I wouldn't have done it if there was an alcoholic in my family but I guess I took a risk there that I had a hidden alcoholism gene, probably not now I know). When I sat down I saw time alteration, lol. I didn't feel it till a remarkable number of milliseconds after my eyes told me I sat. I said "whee!" while experiencing the "artificial gravity" but I allowed myself to see how far I could go. Clearly I wouldn't have done that if someone could hear. Artifical gravity strong enough to hurt you but weak enough to fight: That's what the muscle instructions that cause straight walking when sober feel like when you mildly augment the oscillating left-right pull you feel therefore adding a little extra m/s^2 to the fictitious oscillating sideways force you're already feeling. If I knew the level of hangover I was getting into and how little alcohol it takes my genes to get drunk I would've never done that. Trust me, doing the crazy thing of saying "hey baby" to every female barhopper that passed was the most I could do. I did that to find out what alcohol can do and it wouldn't make me lose my virginity to a barhopper even if I felt obliged to. You are probably more inhibited than me if that's possible (maybe you're also conscientious and not open to experience so that explains it). I'm not conscientious at all and open to experience though not at the extremes. You would be a great candidate for keeping your inhibitions. But if you're very conscientious or very uncurious or especially both then you should keep on not drinking. It's more like having children, not so inherently wonderful that everyone should do it (like falling in love is). But I would never recommend getting anywhere near vomiting, hangovers can make you feel absolutely terrible for 4 hours and continue the headache till the next evening. I haven't drunk since then. It's just not as fun since you know what it's like already and probably can't reach artifical gravity time alteration mildly psychoactive levels cause you'll take it easy once you had that level of hangover once. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.59|108.162.215.59]] 02:24, 11 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::: There are whole different levels of being drunk. There's nothing wrong with having a drink or two, more so because you lose part of your inhibitions. Dismissing something as a stupid idea just leads to never investigating those stupid ideas which may have their own strong points. It's actually beneficial for your EQ to have a drink or two, just to lose the natural inhibitions. But yeah, to each their own. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.147|173.245.53.147]] 08:10, 10 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::How would it benefit your EQ? What is EQ anyway, it seems like it means almost whatever the speaker wants it to mean. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.59|108.162.215.59]] 02:24, 11 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::: Less social inhibitions to talk to people. A high social skill is in any definition I've seen important to EQ... Not easy if you're afraid to talk to people. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.147|173.245.53.147]] 07:49, 11 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::::: Ah, you see you're trying to mix up social skills, extroversion, empathy, the autism spectrum (from Kim Kardashian to someone who can't learn language, emotion reading ability and I don't know, not being an unfeeling person when we've already determined the traits with the most informative power and non-imaginaryness (compare clutch batting) which is the big 5 and IQ. If you have 120 EQ and 80 IQ you might not be able to get a job. One that's any good anyway. You'd be the loser that does manual labor and goes to Insane Clown Posse concerts and might live in a trailer park. You'd make a good prostitute if you're uninhibited enough, though. If you have 120 IQ and 80 EQ you'd be as smart as many lawyers and could easily get a job writing software or something and own a home. Which do you think is more useful? And some woman will marry you because she's lazy and doesn't like work or something. And a person that's hard working with 120 EQ can compensate enough with EQ and connections to be a rich executive or lawyer but a person of mundane work ethic with 140 IQ and low EQ could be any kind of doctorate he wants and has a good chance of making $200K+. That's because high IQ people will always enjoy something and find it easy even if they're otherwise lazy. What do you think is more useful? Would hard work and stupidity and mundane social skills get you $200+K/year? Would great social skills, stupidity, and mundane work ethic get you $200+K/year? Face it, social skills are common as dirt and will get you jack shit wages if the social person is not unusual in also being able to stand books enough to get a masters degree or is really, really sexy or unrealistically extreme goodness at something (model, prostitute, porn star, singing, acting, sports). Frankly, even in sports you don't need the social skills, only if you're almost too bad to get on a professional team. IQ is the only one of the three that you can be mundane in the other two and and still make millions (even diplomats can't be stupid). That's why they pay some people with high EQ so much, it's hard to find one with IQ much above average. Gifted social-er than average children are 1 in 4 (of the gifted children). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.94|108.162.215.94]] 14:53, 11 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::::: Okay, some people have social anxiety but others just don't feel like talking that moment. We're self-reliant. We don't need a whole web of connections with connected people because we write good software (or design planes well or..). That is a natural urge I think, it's called reserved. Men don't want to ask for directions. Men don't want to ask where X is. As long as the things that come out of your mouth are interesting or helpful I don't see why you must talk before you have something good or adds anything at all. You can help social anxiety. But you can't cure stupid. I totally agree that empathy for your lover, kids and close family and some for the rest of humanity and ability to feel is good to have but you're conflating this with extroversion. Traits shouldn't have little correlation between their subtraits, that's why we have the big 5. It's also good to not be handiness clueless and poor at math, have no common sense, and be too dim to learn to set a VCR clock. When I see social people I think of people that can't stand to be alone and converse with volleyballs from day 1 (rent Cast-Away), only have an astrology book in their house, can't know it's 6 cans in two triangles without counting (every one!) and counted out loud from the *first* Saturday when they need to know how many days Saturday to Wednesday in a week and a half is (11). I actually saw the last three and could tell the the first and last ones' EQ was through the roof. If EQ was a car the last group would make a sonic boom. But the last group was just nurses, the first person moved *into* a ghetto cause $600 a month in roommate rent became not enough to pay for their entertainment "needs", big TV, and useless crap which covers the wall. The woman who used her finger to count two triangles of cans out loud scans supermarket goods for a living. I have a cousin who got a bachelor's in chemistry from a semi-third world country through high conscientiousness, was allowed to try for a U.S. degree since 1986, is socialer than average, and cleaned strangers' clothes for a living for 2 decades. Boxers, panties, socks, anything that goes in the laundromat's let the employee do your laundry for you counter. He's lived in the US 43 years, just retired, will be a miser till death (never had kids to save money?), stole any gold chains or cash in the clothes and said someone else must've did it (I'm serious) yet only has about $100K gross worth (and net, too). Also cleaned out cupfuls of lint. I don't need more EQ than is needed to get by.<br />
<br />
:::::: Sorry for the B minus C minus essay skill. I never was great at that and am too lazy to put as much effort into this as the SATs. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.94|108.162.215.94]] 14:53, 11 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"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)<br />
<br />
:You are making the assumption that Cueball is expressing Randall's sentiment. But consider Hairy's last statement. I think there is intentional ambiguity over which one of them is misguided. [[Special:Contributions/103.22.200.180|103.22.200.180]] 01:15, 10 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: I wouldn't know, the title text states the same sentiment as Cueball. I also agree it's a bit too easy to claim that everyone drinking beer does it because of peer pressure. I brew beer, and it certainly has to do with cultural backgrounds (I'm Belgian) but I enjoy doing it and I enjoy the taste of several different kinds of beer without peer pressure. Doesn't mean I like all beers though. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.147|173.245.53.147]] 08:18, 10 June 2015 (UTC) <br />
<br />
Yes, that's the way I feel about beer; except I don't pretend and then just I don't drink beer, so they think I'm weird. I'm cool with that :P [[Special:Contributions/108.162.214.239|108.162.214.239]] 08:14, 10 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
It has been a long time since a comic has created so much debate ;-) I have now changed the explanation to incorporate the two possible interpretations. Either that Cueball is right about beer or that he is just a jerk about other peoples pleasures, that he do not share. Feel free to improve. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:45, 11 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Good job. I tried to edit the text a bit to make it more coherent and less opinionated, let me know what you think :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 18:42, 12 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Should the actual article mention that Cyanide and Happiness ran a very similar comic (or at least one with a similar theme) a few years ago? http://explosm.net/comics/3111/ Regarding the discussion going on above... I've tried several varieties of beer, both in the States and abroad, and I haven't come across one I could unabashedly say I like. Wheat beer did seem to be the least offensive, but the taste of the alcohol overpowered that of the drink in all of them. At least it doesn't taste much like it smells; if it did I think I would gag. I guess I'm just more the type for margaritas. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.93|173.245.50.93]] 05:48, 13 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
A coworker points out that the tone of this comic is the opposite of [[1480: Super Bowl]], in which Cueball advocates for people to prioritize friendship over differences in tastes. It's also worth noting that both beer drinking and interest in sports have class inflections; looking down on them can be seen as "punching up" against a majority opinion, but can also be seen as "punching down" towards the lower socioeconomic status correlated with these preferences -- so it's a bit complicated. -- [[User:Phyzome|Phyzome]] ([[User talk:Phyzome|talk]]) 03:10, 14 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Beer does not always taste the same. It depends on what you are eating with it or what you are doing. I love the Negra Modelo when having enchiladas at Mariachi's. But with Pizza? Nope. I cannot imagine anything finer than an IPA after coming inside from a hot day on the farm, the first bottle disappears in 10 seconds and I'm already on to the second. But with dinner? Well, maybe, but I'd prefer red wine. {{unsigned ip|162.158.255.97}}<br />
<br />
Salut to Cueball in this comic!! {{unsigned ip|162.158.83.216}}<br />
<br />
Actually kind of convenient to see that people don't like beer (despite the fact that it sells very well), since I'm a mormon and I'm always kind of curious to see what it tastes like, despite the fact that it's against our religion to drink something like that. Kind of helpful to see that it tastes bad, because it's been something that's been in my mind for a while. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 13:00, 10 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Amazing how much tension that a statement like this creates. Yes, there are plenty of people who legitimately enjoy beer--I'm definitely one of them. No, not all American beer tastes like piss--there are tons of great craft breweries in this country. Yes, there is a tradition of social pressure surrounding alcohol consumption--many of my close friends feel pressure to drink even though they do not enjoy alcohol. Yes, overconsumption of alcohol can have negative effects on your physical and mental health. No, not everybody who enjoys a drink (or even getting drunk occasionally) turns into a bumbling fool or destroys their brain cells--I've consumed a lot of alcohol in my lifetime and have definitely gone overboard on occasion, but I still managed to get a BS in math and land a somewhat lucrative IT job. <br />
<br />
Randall does make a fair point about social pressure, and the comic is amusing overall, but I feel that Cueball's statement is pretty ignorant if taken literally. I find tomatoes to be absolutely disgusting, but that certainly doesn't mean that everybody who likes tomatoes is just pretending. Of course I understand that my example isn't directly analagous (I don't really feel any social pressure to eat tomatoes), but to me it's a pretty big stretch to say that ''nobody'' actually likes beer just because Cueball (or Randall, presumably) doesn't like it.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.230|162.158.214.230]]</div>162.158.38.166