https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=162.158.75.16&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-19T02:01:55ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2303:_Error_Types&diff=1918012303: Error Types2020-05-10T02:34:23Z<p>162.158.75.16: /* Explanation */ irony is not coincidence</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2303<br />
| date = May 6, 2020<br />
| title = Error Types<br />
| image = error_types.png<br />
| titletext = Type IIII error: Mistaking tally marks for Roman numerals<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a TYPE IX DROID. Provide examples for each error type. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This comic is another comic in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}. <br />
<br />
The comic is inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, as there is a lot of medical testing for the disease being done, including detection of the virus itself, usually by qPCR, or of antibodies present in people who have had the disease (sometimes unknowingly). The quality of these tests is often mediocre and never perfect, leading to discussion of different types of errors that can occur, including "false positives" (calling presence of the virus/antibodies when they are not really there) or false negatives (failing to see the virus/ antibodies). <br />
The comic is riffing on {{w|Type I and type II errors}}, also known as "false positive" and "false negative", respectively. The first two rows of the comic's table are correct definitions for established terms in statistics. Further rows contain suggestions for new terminology. <br />
<br />
<br />
{|class = "wikitable"<br />
|+Explanation of error types<br />
|-<br />
!Type<br />
!Description<br />
!Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|Type I<br />
|{{w|False_positives_and_false_negatives#False_positive_error|False positive}}<br />
|A false positive is a result that indicates a correlation, when there is no correlation in reality. For example, a person may test positive (indicating that they have a disease), but in actuality they ''do not'' have the disease. Most diseases are only present in a small fraction of a population, so a test for that disease will usually produce more false positives than false negatives; this is why tests are usually not administered universally but only to patients with other diagnostic criteria, and sometimes multiple tests are used for additional certainty before embarking on serious, invasive treatments.<br />
|-<br />
|Type II<br />
|{{w|False_positives_and_false_negatives#False_negative_error|False negative}}<br />
|A false negative is a result that indicates no correlation, when there is a correlation in reality. For example, a person may test negative (indicating that they do not have a disease), but in actuality they ''do'' have the disease. Several previous XKCD comics have been about trivial "tests" for rare conditions that always return a negative result (e.g. [[2236: Is it Christmas?]] and [[937: TornadoGuard]]). Because most days it is not Christmas, and most people are not near a tornado, the "test" is technically correct a high percentage of the time, but for those circumstances when the condition is true, a false negative may be extremely costly.<br />
|-<br />
|Type III<br />
|True positive for incorrect reasons<br />
|"{{w|Type III error}}" is a nonstandard term meant to build off the notion of type I and II errors. Randall's explanations of this and of Type IV errors line up with some relatively common definitions of them, but others have also been proposed. None have yet been widely adopted. The Type III and Type IV definitions given here correspond to the {{w|Gettier_problem|Gettier Problem}} in philosophy. In the case of COVID-19, this type of error might be committed by a person who correctly believes himself to have COVID-19 but incorrectly believes so on the basis of living near a 5G tower.<br />
|-<br />
|Type IV<br />
|True negative for incorrect reasons<br />
|Randall's proposed Type III and Type IV errors refer to when a correct correlation or lack thereof is determined, but on faulty grounds. Although harmless in the present, this may lead to false faith in the results at a later date, as the faulty grounds of the result may lead to a type I or type II error in different circumstances. In the case of COVID-19, this type of error might be committed by a person who correctly believes himself to not have COVID-19 but incorrectly attributes this result to wearing a tinfoil hat.<br />
|-<br />
|Type V<br />
|Incorrect result which leads you to a correct conclusion due to unrelated errors<br />
|Here we get into errors entirely made up by Randall. The idea behind this one is that a botched statistical test might accidentally result in a true conclusion due to completely unrelated errors in the other direction--perhaps during data collection or aggregation. This could be the type of error experienced by a person whose test result is a false positive or negative, but which is then mis-typed into the electronic medical record, so that the correct result is returned to the doctor and patient after all.<br />
|-<br />
|Type VI<br />
|Correct result which you interpret wrong<br />
|An unfortunately common occurrence. For example, statistical tests on observational data can only determine correlation, not causation, yet press releases and subsequent popular articles often imply or explicitly state a causal relationship ([[882: Significant|"Jelly beans cause acne!"]] or whatnot). This has actually been [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_III_error#Marascuilo_and_Levin proposed as a definition of a Type IV error]. Coincidentally, "Type VI" could be misread as "Type IV", making an incorrect reading be interpreted as the older definition of Type IV.<br />
|-<br />
|Type VII<br />
|Incorrect result which produces a cool graph<br />
|It is commonly believed that [https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/ data is beautiful]. Sometimes, that's still true even when the data is bogus!<br />
|-<br />
|Type VIII<br />
|Incorrect result which sparks further research and the development of new tools which reveal the flaw in the original results while producing novel correct results<br />
|A hypothetical example might be if the Fleischmann–Pons {{w|cold fusion}} experiment, discredited as it was, had by its investigation successfully prompted the discovery of a truly usable alternate technique. (So far, in reality, it seems not to have.)<br />
|-<br />
|Type IX<br />
|The Rise of Skywalker<br />
|''{{w|Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker}}'' is the ninth and final film in the ''Star Wars'' Skywalker saga. It received far less critical acclaim than the previous two films in the sequel trilogy. Notably, this entry does not follow the theme of the comic and serves as a non sequitur punchline. Or perhaps one could interpret the poor reviews as saying the poor quality of the movie means the movie as a whole could be considered an error of some sort.<br />
|-<br />
|Type IIII<br />
|Mistaking tally marks for Roman numerals<br />
|Title text. "I", "II", and "III" could be representations of the numbers one, two, and three in either {{w|tally marks}} or {{w|Roman numerals}}. It's only when you get to "IV" or "IIII" that it becomes apparent which system is being used. Some clocks use Roman numerals but with "IIII" instead of "IV" at the four o'clock position; the exact reason for this is unknown, but [https://www.electrictime.com/news/roman-iiii-vs-iv-on-clock-dials/ several plausible hypotheses] have been advanced. <br />
Coincidentally, Randall seemed to have initially made a typographical error of his own in this title text spelling the word "numerals" as "neumerals" The error has since been corrected.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A list with nine entries. The left side has 9 types of errors numbered with Roman numerals. The right side has a description of each type of error:]<br />
:Type I Error: False positive<br />
:Type II Error: False negative<br />
:Type III Error: True positive for incorrect reasons<br />
:Type IV Error: True negative for incorrect reasons<br />
:Type V Error: Incorrect result which leads you to a correct conclusion due to unrelated errors<br />
:Type VI Error: Correct result which you interpret wrong<br />
:Type VII Error: Incorrect result which produces a cool graph<br />
:Type VIII Error: Incorrect result which sparks further research and the development of new tools which reveal the flaw in the original results while producing novel correct results<br />
:Type IX Error: The Rise of Skywalker<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Randall seems to have, ironically, made a typographical error of his own when spelling the word "numerals" in the title text.<br />
**This was corrected later, but initially, the title text was:<br />
**Type IIII error: Mistaking tally marks for Roman '''neumerals'''.<br />
**This may be intentionally mispronouncing, because of [[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/148:_Mispronouncing his hobby]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:COVID-19]]<br />
[[Category:Statistics]]<br />
[[Category:Star Wars]]</div>162.158.75.16https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=687:_Dimensional_Analysis&diff=164739687: Dimensional Analysis2018-10-25T16:05:45Z<p>162.158.75.16: N/m2 -> J/m3</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 687<br />
| date = January 11, 2010<br />
| title = Dimensional Analysis<br />
| image = dimensional_analysis.png<br />
| titletext = Or the pressure at the Earth's core will rise slightly.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Cueball has a [[My Hobby|hobby]] — showing correct calculations according to the {{w|dimensional analysis}} — but with ridiculous correlations of uncorrelated events and measurements. Here Cueball is teaching a class and uses this trick to ''convince'' his students that the {{w|Toyota Prius}} combined {{w|United States Environmental Protection Agency|EPA}} gas mileage is somehow connected to the constant ''{{W|Pi|π}}'' via the {{w|Planck energy}}, the pressure at the {{w|Inner_core|Earth's core}} and the width of the {{w|English Channel}}. <br />
<br />
Scientists — often physicists — use dimensional analysis to quickly check if a given formula can possibly relate to a physical system, because if you end up with an equation claiming that joules are meters, something is clearly wrong. Dimensional analysis here refers to the check if both sides of the equation arrive at the same physical unit when the units of all variables get plugged into the equation. This requires knowledge of the system of units and the relation between different physical units.<br />
<br />
Cueball uses the following equation to make a mockery of the practice:<br />
<br />
<math>\frac{\text{Planck energy}}{\text{Pressure at the core of the Earth}} \times \frac{\text{Prius combined EPA gas mileage}}{\text{Minimum width of the English Channel}} = \pi</math><br />
<br />
===Dimensional analysis===<br />
The right hand side is dimensionless, it's the constant ''π'' = 3.14... which is defined by the relation of two lengths, the circumference and the diameter of a circle. The left hand side requires to plug in the dimensions of the named physical quantities:<br />
<br />
*Planck energy: given in Joules [J]<br />
*Pressure at the core of the Earth: given in Pascals [Pa]<br />
*Prius combined EPA gas mileage: miles per gallon, given in meters per cubic meter [m/m³]<br />
**Fuel efficiency has two formats that are commonly used: length per volume and volume per length. The former must be used here in order to get the units to cancel correctly.<br />
*Minimum width of the English Channel: given in meters [m]<br />
<br />
When plugged into the left hand side this amounts to:<br />
<br />
<math>\frac{\text{J}}{\text{Pa}} \times \frac{\tfrac{\text{m}}{\text{m}^3}}{\text{m}} = \frac{\text{J}}{\frac{\text{J}}{\text{m}^3}} \times \frac{\frac{\text{m}}{\text{m}^3}}{\text{m}} = 1</math><br />
<br />
Using the following unit relations (this does not reduce units to the seven SI base units, but does use some derived units for cancelation):<br />
<br />
*1 Pascal [Pa] = 1 Joule per cubic meter [J/m³]<br />
<br />
Note that for dimensional analysis constant factors are not taken into account. Here square brackets are used to denote dimensional analysis. In the above equation the unit of force (newton) as well as all the units of length (meter) cancel out each other.<br />
<br />
Another aspect of the comic is, that sometimes dimension analysis of equations that were not derived but rather "made up" can provide insight. However, in reality such an equations would have to be somehow "motivated", which is more of an art than science and requires great experience in the field the equation should relate to. The presented equation combines values that have no immediate causal relation with each other, so it does not make sense. Furthermore, since the values have absolutely no causal relation to each other, the ratios presented are simple coincidence; despite Cueball's claim, building a better Prius would not cause any changes to the English Channel. <br />
<br />
The title text also refers to this, as a higher pressure at Earth's core could also balance the equation, keeping the result constant equal to ''π''. The Planck energy is an absolute, however, so it is not mentioned as a way to balance the next version of Prius.<br />
<br />
===Some numbers for this calculation===<br />
The {{w|Planck energy}} is the only nearly exact value we do have. Compared to other Planck values it is very large (macroscopic).<br />
E_planck = 1.956 x 10<sup>9</sup> J = 1.956 x 10<sup>9</sup> Nm<br />
<br />
Pressure at the {{w|Inner_core#Temperature_and_pressure|core}} of the Earth ranges from 330 to 360 gigapascals.<br />
Using a simple value like this:<br />
P_core = 350 GPa = 3.5 x 10<sup>11</sup> N/m²<br />
<br />
Prius combined {{w|Toyota_Prius#Fuel_economy_and_emissions|EPA gas mileage}}:<br />
For the third generation (from 2010) the City mileage is 51 mpg and the Highway mileage is 48 mpg. But it is the [http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=26425 combined EPA gas mileage] which is used in the equation and that is 50 miles per gallon.<br />
50 mpg => 21,000,000 m/m³<br />
<br />
Minimum width of the {{w|English Channel}} is about<br />
33.1&nbsp;km = 33,100&nbsp;m<br />
<br />
Calculating from these values you will get ''π'' = 3.54... that is pretty close to ''π'' = 3.14... while using a Planck value. According to Cueball this will be within the experimental error (the combined error for all four numbers - none are exact numbers). For instance if you tried the ePrius you would probably get closer to that target — as the mileage in real life usually is somewhat lower than the value given — and that would reduce the result.<br />
<br />
[http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=%28Planck+Energy%29%2F%28Pressure+at+the+Earth%27s+core%29*%282010+Prius+combined+EPA+Gas+Mileage%29%2F%2833.1+km%29 Wolfram|Alpha can find most of the statistics and do the calculations.]<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:My Hobby:<br />
:Abusing dimensional analysis<br />
<br />
:[On a blackboard.]<br />
:(Planck energy/Pressure at the Earth's core) x (Prius combined EPA gas mileage/Minimum width of the English Channel) = π<br />
<br />
:[Cueball indicates this equation with a pointer in front of a class.]<br />
:Cueball: It's correct to within experimental error, and the units check out. It must be a fundamental law.<br />
:Student: But what if they build a better Prius?<br />
:Cueball: ''Then England will drift out to sea.''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>162.158.75.16https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1167:_Star_Trek_into_Darkness&diff=157434Talk:1167: Star Trek into Darkness2018-05-22T21:14:04Z<p>162.158.75.16: sig</p>
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<div>There has been a considerable amount of debate as to whether the title of this movie should have a colon in it, which would have appeared as "Star Trek: Into Darkness." They eventually decided against the colon, and I wonder if this comic is poking fun at that debate.[[Special:Contributions/169.234.40.187|169.234.40.187]] 00:49, 31 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I suspect an allusion to movie title spellings that can be seen on moviez sites, torrent sites etc. -- [[Special:Contributions/193.174.118.70|193.174.118.70]] 08:20, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The Associated Press style manual says to capitalize all prepositions that are four letters or more in titles, e.g. Into, Through, etc. --[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 09:54, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This could also have to do with WP's MOS of capitalizing "The first word in a compound preposition (e.g. "Time Out of Mind", "Get Off of My Cloud")".<br />
<br />
However, you cannot simply change the title of a page on WP. This requires actually moving the whole page. [[Special:Contributions/84.208.51.23|84.208.51.23]] 14:02, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think there is a capitalization error in the comic. The second to last 's' should be capitalized in order to match the rest of the pattern in "xX_StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNess_Xx". Unless the author is trying to subtly troll us into arguing about that capitalization... [[User:Sayno2quat|Sayno2quat]] ([[User talk:Sayno2quat|talk]]) 14:31, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Non-sense, double consonants should never be capitalized! Unless of course you want to use them for structural purposes, like spacing or framing, obviously.--[[User:Pnariyoshi|Pnariyoshi]] ([[User talk:Pnariyoshi|talk]]) 15:05, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I believe Cueball's comment, "I have a new favorite edit war," is refering to the title text in this comic http://xkcd.com/878 about the great debate of HO vs. H0. [[Special:Contributions/206.39.12.245|206.39.12.245]] 15:23, 30 January 2013 (UTC)Pat<br />
<br />
"Magnificient"?<br />
<br />
The actual [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Star_Trek_into_Darkness#xkcd_Mention Talk Page] of the Wikipedia article in question has an item about this comic. --[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 16:32, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Oh sweet mother of god. Between that and the spam on this wiki, I think I'll take the spam. '''[[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:33, 31 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I spent a good portion of last night reading through Wikipedia's talk pages for that. Worth a good laugh. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 16:56, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Well it obviously should be capitalized. --[[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 17:43, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I tried to make a point on wikipedia that Wikipedia itself went out of its way to create a "lowercase first letter" template so that iPod and things of that nature could be capitalized the way the producer styled it, but there's really nowhere to point it as all discussions have closed and been ground to a halt. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 19:50, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
But is it really an edit war? Have they been moving the page bach and forth? --[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 00:18, 31 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I still feel the most retarded of discussions on Wikipedia is for the Hentai article, where a disturbing majority demand pornography. --[[Special:Contributions/59.167.191.93|59.167.191.93]] 08:05, 31 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Just a minor matter of correctness... but shouldn't this page be entitled "1167: Star Trek Into Darkness", with a capital I, you know, since that's the way the movie studio is writing it, even though it doesn't follow MOS? I think someone needs to fix it RIGHT NOW! --boB<br />
:Hey boB, you should fix your username! :P I'm kidding. I think the wiki just follows what is on the xkcd website, which has the lower case "i".--[[User:Pnariyoshi|Pnariyoshi]] ([[User talk:Pnariyoshi|talk]]) 22:45, 31 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I wish the Super Bowl Halftime Show could be that talk page being presented in a dramatic on stage performance. wow. Do you think Ian McKellen is available?--[[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 19:29, 31 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It looks like it's been moved to the capital I. I'd say that it's definitely because xkcd mentioned it. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]]<br />
<br />
: https://twitter.com/wikisignpost/statuses/297188486421831680 :-) --[[User:Mormegil|Mormegil]] ([[User talk:Mormegil|talk]]) 07:56, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I wanna be the guy who has to watch the xkcd website for new Wikipedia-related comics and lock the related article as quickly as possible... [[User:Ilinamorato|Ilinamorato]] ([[User talk:Ilinamorato|talk]]) 15:44, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Perhaps it is worth noting that the argument over whether to include a section about the debate and the following xkcd mention is now growing on the talk page and already has a couple thousand words of debate. {{unsigned|24.114.22.89}}<br />
<br />
:That reminds me of the time that I was reading my Encyclopedia Britannica and happened across the section on the Titmouse and it mentioned the debate the editors were having on whether to include a joke about {{w|Tufted_Titmouse|Titmice}} and {{w|tit_(bird)|tits}} being cousins of sorts. Oh Wait.... --[[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 23:06, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Maybe someone who has seen Contact wants to add some comment about the meaning of the quote or why it is relevant/funny? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 18:45, 18 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This may be obvious to others, but I don't know why the ~*~ symbol is used for the alternate capitalization. Can someone explain what the meaning of those characters is? [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 19:06, 22 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
:I think it is making fun of old AIM profiles and similar username choices, usually with 'random' capitalization and xX or ~*~* , examples: [1] http://img.ifcdn.com/images/60a97877d77df653f3c29a9f78f342958c00b864d68eda6a6324cafda44ffc69_1.jpg , http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/katy-t3h-pengu1n-of-d00m , https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-07/1/16/enhanced/webdr04/enhanced-20005-1435781306-7.jpg --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.91|108.162.221.91]] 19:29, 12 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I don't know if the title text was changed from what it was originally, but on xkcd.com it says "factions sprang up..." not "crackers..." -[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.174|108.162.246.174]] 20:18, 27 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Must be the capital "I". That's final! Everything else is plainly stupid! If you like your franchise, then let the movies have beautiful titles. If you use lower-case "i", it's ugly. Btw I'm not a fan of Star Trek. And I don't want to join the war(s). I'm gone. Bye! {{unsigned ip|162.158.85.117}}<br />
<br />
<br />
Seems there was an edit war about the page title before there was even a film title. Anyway the [Ii]nto debate starts from the first talk archive and it keeps going: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Star_Trek_Into_Darkness/Archive_1#Title_redux --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.16|162.158.75.16]] 21:14, 22 May 2018 (UTC)</div>162.158.75.16https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1167:_Star_Trek_into_Darkness&diff=157433Talk:1167: Star Trek into Darkness2018-05-22T21:12:54Z<p>162.158.75.16: wikipedia talk archive</p>
<hr />
<div>There has been a considerable amount of debate as to whether the title of this movie should have a colon in it, which would have appeared as "Star Trek: Into Darkness." They eventually decided against the colon, and I wonder if this comic is poking fun at that debate.[[Special:Contributions/169.234.40.187|169.234.40.187]] 00:49, 31 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I suspect an allusion to movie title spellings that can be seen on moviez sites, torrent sites etc. -- [[Special:Contributions/193.174.118.70|193.174.118.70]] 08:20, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The Associated Press style manual says to capitalize all prepositions that are four letters or more in titles, e.g. Into, Through, etc. --[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 09:54, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This could also have to do with WP's MOS of capitalizing "The first word in a compound preposition (e.g. "Time Out of Mind", "Get Off of My Cloud")".<br />
<br />
However, you cannot simply change the title of a page on WP. This requires actually moving the whole page. [[Special:Contributions/84.208.51.23|84.208.51.23]] 14:02, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think there is a capitalization error in the comic. The second to last 's' should be capitalized in order to match the rest of the pattern in "xX_StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNess_Xx". Unless the author is trying to subtly troll us into arguing about that capitalization... [[User:Sayno2quat|Sayno2quat]] ([[User talk:Sayno2quat|talk]]) 14:31, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Non-sense, double consonants should never be capitalized! Unless of course you want to use them for structural purposes, like spacing or framing, obviously.--[[User:Pnariyoshi|Pnariyoshi]] ([[User talk:Pnariyoshi|talk]]) 15:05, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I believe Cueball's comment, "I have a new favorite edit war," is refering to the title text in this comic http://xkcd.com/878 about the great debate of HO vs. H0. [[Special:Contributions/206.39.12.245|206.39.12.245]] 15:23, 30 January 2013 (UTC)Pat<br />
<br />
"Magnificient"?<br />
<br />
The actual [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Star_Trek_into_Darkness#xkcd_Mention Talk Page] of the Wikipedia article in question has an item about this comic. --[[User:Prooffreader|Prooffreader]] ([[User talk:Prooffreader|talk]]) 16:32, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Oh sweet mother of god. Between that and the spam on this wiki, I think I'll take the spam. '''[[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:33, 31 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I spent a good portion of last night reading through Wikipedia's talk pages for that. Worth a good laugh. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]] 16:56, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Well it obviously should be capitalized. --[[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 17:43, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I tried to make a point on wikipedia that Wikipedia itself went out of its way to create a "lowercase first letter" template so that iPod and things of that nature could be capitalized the way the producer styled it, but there's really nowhere to point it as all discussions have closed and been ground to a halt. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 19:50, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
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But is it really an edit war? Have they been moving the page bach and forth? --[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 00:18, 31 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I still feel the most retarded of discussions on Wikipedia is for the Hentai article, where a disturbing majority demand pornography. --[[Special:Contributions/59.167.191.93|59.167.191.93]] 08:05, 31 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
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Just a minor matter of correctness... but shouldn't this page be entitled "1167: Star Trek Into Darkness", with a capital I, you know, since that's the way the movie studio is writing it, even though it doesn't follow MOS? I think someone needs to fix it RIGHT NOW! --boB<br />
:Hey boB, you should fix your username! :P I'm kidding. I think the wiki just follows what is on the xkcd website, which has the lower case "i".--[[User:Pnariyoshi|Pnariyoshi]] ([[User talk:Pnariyoshi|talk]]) 22:45, 31 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I wish the Super Bowl Halftime Show could be that talk page being presented in a dramatic on stage performance. wow. Do you think Ian McKellen is available?--[[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 19:29, 31 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It looks like it's been moved to the capital I. I'd say that it's definitely because xkcd mentioned it. [[Special:Contributions/76.122.5.96|76.122.5.96]]<br />
<br />
: https://twitter.com/wikisignpost/statuses/297188486421831680 :-) --[[User:Mormegil|Mormegil]] ([[User talk:Mormegil|talk]]) 07:56, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I wanna be the guy who has to watch the xkcd website for new Wikipedia-related comics and lock the related article as quickly as possible... [[User:Ilinamorato|Ilinamorato]] ([[User talk:Ilinamorato|talk]]) 15:44, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Perhaps it is worth noting that the argument over whether to include a section about the debate and the following xkcd mention is now growing on the talk page and already has a couple thousand words of debate. {{unsigned|24.114.22.89}}<br />
<br />
:That reminds me of the time that I was reading my Encyclopedia Britannica and happened across the section on the Titmouse and it mentioned the debate the editors were having on whether to include a joke about {{w|Tufted_Titmouse|Titmice}} and {{w|tit_(bird)|tits}} being cousins of sorts. Oh Wait.... --[[User:Shine|Shine]] ([[User talk:Shine|talk]]) 23:06, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Maybe someone who has seen Contact wants to add some comment about the meaning of the quote or why it is relevant/funny? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 18:45, 18 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This may be obvious to others, but I don't know why the ~*~ symbol is used for the alternate capitalization. Can someone explain what the meaning of those characters is? [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 19:06, 22 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
:I think it is making fun of old AIM profiles and similar username choices, usually with 'random' capitalization and xX or ~*~* , examples: [1] http://img.ifcdn.com/images/60a97877d77df653f3c29a9f78f342958c00b864d68eda6a6324cafda44ffc69_1.jpg , http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/katy-t3h-pengu1n-of-d00m , https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-07/1/16/enhanced/webdr04/enhanced-20005-1435781306-7.jpg --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.91|108.162.221.91]] 19:29, 12 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
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I don't know if the title text was changed from what it was originally, but on xkcd.com it says "factions sprang up..." not "crackers..." -[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.174|108.162.246.174]] 20:18, 27 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Must be the capital "I". That's final! Everything else is plainly stupid! If you like your franchise, then let the movies have beautiful titles. If you use lower-case "i", it's ugly. Btw I'm not a fan of Star Trek. And I don't want to join the war(s). I'm gone. Bye! {{unsigned ip|162.158.85.117}}<br />
<br />
<br />
Seems there was an edit war about the page title before there was even a film title. Anyway the [Ii]nto debate starts from the first talk archive and it keeps going: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Star_Trek_Into_Darkness/Archive_1#Title_redux</div>162.158.75.16https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1987:_Python_Environment&diff=156507Talk:1987: Python Environment2018-04-30T18:56:43Z<p>162.158.75.16: Added the tildes to my comment because I forgot to do that when I first posted it.</p>
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Now you can see why the BOT is written in PERL;). But I have to be honest, there are also different versions causing similar problems... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:26, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Currently working on a table with everything. Note: Programs are boxed, and file paths are just strings. [[User:Chbs|Chbs]] ([[User talk:Chbs|talk]]) 14:44, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
:I never will understand why you guys always create tables...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:59, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
::Convention? IDK. [[User:Chbs|Chbs]] ([[User talk:Chbs|talk]]) 17:06, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
:::Of course there is no convention, but often a floating text is a prettier layout. And it's easier for the editors because a single wrong char can corrupt the entire table. But we always get tables here... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:49, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"using sudo to install python packages" is probably a reference to the "(Misc folders owned by root)" [[User:Chbs|Chbs]] ([[User talk:Chbs|talk]]) 17:06, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I swear every so often Randall just releases a comic like this to mess with us...<br />
Just in case the last few ones have been too easy. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 14:58, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Created by a PYTHON script (well actually PERL but that's besides the point (I know a lot of people who would fight you over that comment)) - why would people fight me over this comment? [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 15:25, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Only in the sense of "How dare you imply that python and perl are interchangeable!" [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 16:06, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
:I've removed the "lot of people". Comments are going here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:58, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
:They aren't interchangeable, but in respect to the comment above it is besides the point [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 16:22, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Isn't the joke that installing multiple versions of Python has resulted in a Byzantine set of $path declarations, pointing all over the place? The title-text/alt-text reference to nuclear waste does not seem like the central joke, but merely compares the difficulty of cleanup. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 16:25, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
May a file system which uses HashIDs for version tracking allow files stored anywhere within that file system to be accessible by only referencing their hash, without the use of paths? Seems like "folders" are not as useful as relational tags would be. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 16:25, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
My has this problem. System Integrity Protection won't let me update python libraries, so whenever I need to update a library I install it in a different place and have to switch to the new version. I can't actually uninstall anything because of SIP, so multiple versions of every library I have ever used will remain on my computer forever.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.16|162.158.75.16]] 18:56, 30 April 2018 (UTC)</div>162.158.75.16https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1987:_Python_Environment&diff=156506Talk:1987: Python Environment2018-04-30T18:54:52Z<p>162.158.75.16: Added a coment</p>
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Now you can see why the BOT is written in PERL;). But I have to be honest, there are also different versions causing similar problems... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:26, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Currently working on a table with everything. Note: Programs are boxed, and file paths are just strings. [[User:Chbs|Chbs]] ([[User talk:Chbs|talk]]) 14:44, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
:I never will understand why you guys always create tables...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:59, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
::Convention? IDK. [[User:Chbs|Chbs]] ([[User talk:Chbs|talk]]) 17:06, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
:::Of course there is no convention, but often a floating text is a prettier layout. And it's easier for the editors because a single wrong char can corrupt the entire table. But we always get tables here... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:49, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"using sudo to install python packages" is probably a reference to the "(Misc folders owned by root)" [[User:Chbs|Chbs]] ([[User talk:Chbs|talk]]) 17:06, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I swear every so often Randall just releases a comic like this to mess with us...<br />
Just in case the last few ones have been too easy. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 14:58, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Created by a PYTHON script (well actually PERL but that's besides the point (I know a lot of people who would fight you over that comment)) - why would people fight me over this comment? [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 15:25, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Only in the sense of "How dare you imply that python and perl are interchangeable!" [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 16:06, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
:I've removed the "lot of people". Comments are going here. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:58, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
:They aren't interchangeable, but in respect to the comment above it is besides the point [[User:Zachweix|Zachweix]] ([[User talk:Zachweix|talk]]) 16:22, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Isn't the joke that installing multiple versions of Python has resulted in a Byzantine set of $path declarations, pointing all over the place? The title-text/alt-text reference to nuclear waste does not seem like the central joke, but merely compares the difficulty of cleanup. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 16:25, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
May a file system which uses HashIDs for version tracking allow files stored anywhere within that file system to be accessible by only referencing their hash, without the use of paths? Seems like "folders" are not as useful as relational tags would be. [[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 16:25, 30 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
My has this problem. System Integrity Protection won't let me update python libraries, so whenever I need to update a library I install it in a different place and have to switch to the new version. I can't actually uninstall anything because of SIP, so multiple versions of every library I have ever used will remain on my computer forever.</div>162.158.75.16https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1978:_Congressional_Testimony&diff=155609Talk:1978: Congressional Testimony2018-04-09T18:21:42Z<p>162.158.75.16: Added a comment.</p>
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We should change the logs and stuff so it looks like this page was created before the comic came out (say, on 2018-04-07) [[User:Blacksilver|Blacksilver]] ([[User talk:Blacksilver|talk]]) 15:54, 9 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
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I was about to change the bot to Mark Zuckerberg's terminator double, but somebody was faster. Ah well.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.106|108.162.219.106]] 15:24, 9 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Damn that's actually better than what I put. [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 15:25, 9 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Not sure it has anything to do with the comic, but I think the blob near the top of the tree is a squirrel's nest. You can see the squirrel climbing down the trunk in the 2nd panel, there's something on the left branch in the 3rd panel (squirrel or bird?), and I think the squirrel is climbing back into the nest in the final panel (a tail hanging down from the nest?). [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 16:32, 9 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
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I'm still confused about "the phone book becomes skynet". Any thoughts? [[User:Cgrimes85|Cgrimes85]] ([[User talk:Cgrimes85|talk]]) 17:54, 9 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
:The way I interpreted it, megan is referring to the Facebook glitch that caused it to "turn against its creators", not the actual skynet in the film. She is pointing out that it is ironic that the code running our nuclear launch facilities and robots isn't what is causing the most difficulties, but the code for helping people communicate. I am also reminded of comic [[1539: Planning]], specifically its title text.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.16|162.158.75.16]] 18:21, 9 April 2018 (UTC)<br />
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I came here hoping someone who knows the movies would explain this to me, but I suspect the "phonebook" = Assbook. [[User:Yngvadottir|Yngvadottir]] ([[User talk:Yngvadottir|talk]]) 18:17, 9 April 2018 (UTC)</div>162.158.75.16https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1965:_Background_Apps&diff=1540781965: Background Apps2018-03-09T19:38:03Z<p>162.158.75.16: Added a reference to comic 1144, which is similar to the title text.</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1965<br />
| date = March 9, 2018<br />
| title = Background Apps<br />
| image = background_apps.png<br />
| titletext = My plane banner company gets business by flying around with a banner showing a &lt;div&gt; tag, waiting for a web developer to get frustrated enough to order a matching &lt;/div&gt;.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Background apps (apps in the recently used list) on both iOS and Android are in one of several paused states and do not usually consume much battery power; they only take up some memory. Closing them means that if you want to use the app again later, it will need to reload fully which likely uses up "very slightly" more battery. Wired had a [https://www.wired.com/2016/03/closing-apps-save-battery-makes-things-worse/ detailed article] on this topic a couple years ago.<br />
<br />
A person goes to the trouble of renting a banner plane just to dispense this trivial advice. Then a second person goes to the same amount of trouble just to make a judgmental statement against the first person, seemingly unaware that they themselves are chartering a plane for an equally (if not more) inane reason. The first person rents yet another plane just to apologize to the second person and explain their actions.<br />
<br />
In the punchline, the second person rents another plane to respond to the first person's response, being no less smug or hypocritical than before. Meanwhile, four more people have chartered planes:<br />
* One to urge the first two people to have their conversation somewhere private<br />
* Another to comment on how surprisingly cheap the banners are to rent<br />
* A third just to show off their own banner<br />
* A fourth displaying the HTML "{{w|Marquee element|Marquee}}" tag, a non-standard tag that many web organizations advise against using, which is used to cause a message to scroll across the web page, much as the plane is flying across the sky.<br />
<br />
The fairly obvious parallel here is to using various Internet forums for "unsolicited tech advice to strangers," smug responses, comments on others' advice, off-topic rejoinders, and all the other things that go on there constantly. It seems ludicrous to rent airplane banners for such trivial purposes, but there are non-trivial resources involved in the global distribution of electronic communication, as well, and their use for purposes such as this seems ludicrous once Randall makes one think about it.<br />
<br />
The title text is spoken by a plane banner company owner, who uses the insidious tactic of flying around with a banner of an unmatched HTML, just to compel obsessive people into renting banner space to make it syntactically correct. This may be a reference to [[1144: Tags]].<br />
<br />
The theme of the mis/use of airplanes and banners has previously been explored in [[1355: Airplane Message]].<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
[A small airplane is flying across the panel from left to right. It is trailing a large banner that reads:]<br />
:Airplane 1: People! Closing background apps when you're not using them makes your phone battery drain ''faster'', not slower! Stop it!<br />
<br />
[After a pause, a second, similar airplane flies by from right to left, also trailing a banner.]<br />
:Airplane 2: What kind of person charters a plane to give unsolicited tech advice to strangers?<br />
<br />
[Another pause, then the first airplane returns.]<br />
:Airplane 1: OK, fair. Sorry. I guess I'm just angry about other stuff and it's coming out here.<br />
<br />
[The second airplane returns immediately, this time with four other small airplanes of various types flying by beneath it.]<br />
:Airplane 2: No worries. Just maybe spend as much time reflecting on your own motivation for correcting people as you have on theirs for closing apps.<br />
:Airplane 3: Can you two please have this conversation somewhere else?<br />
:Airplane 4: Wow, these banners are surprisingly cheap to rent.<br />
:Airplane 5: Haha, I got one, too!<br />
:Airplane 6: <marquee><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>162.158.75.16https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1963:_Namespace_Land_Rush&diff=153805Talk:1963: Namespace Land Rush2018-03-05T19:56:01Z<p>162.158.75.16: </p>
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* Ahh, he left off '''root''' under Causing More Trouble. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 05:41, 5 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
* I'm very disappointed he left out dotnotreplay@... --05:43, 5 March 2018 (UTC)~<br />
* Is "gibberish name no one can pronounce" a reference to xkcd? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.64|108.162.215.64]] 05:56, 5 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
* No '''test''' included. Frankly speaking I have seen people using '''testtest''','''testtesttesttest''', and so on, up to the maxiumn allowed character limit. [[User:Jackomatt|Jackomatt]] ([[User talk:Jackomatt|talk]]) 06:35, 5 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
* Took me some time to type the transcript. Randall made it quite hard. [[User:QATEKLYXM|Klyxm]] ([[User talk:QATEKLYXM|talk]]) 06:38, 5 March 2018<br />
* The thing at the bottom-right, he wrote "forward slash" but used a backslash. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.76|162.158.126.76]] 08:35, 5 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
:*It's just to mess with you. [[User:QATEKLYXM|Klyxm]] ([[User talk:QATEKLYXM|talk]]) 08:49, 5 March 2018<br />
* Null! Where's null? [[User:PenguinF|PenguinF]] ([[User talk:PenguinF|talk]]) 09:14, 5 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
* I think this whole comic is a reference to the video Worst Wifi Password Ever [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLE7zsJk4AI] --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.238.76|162.158.238.76]] 11:13, 5 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
This is analogous to the way that land was distributed in America<br />
There is so much wrong with that sentence. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.25|162.158.154.25]] 12:26, 5 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
* I think is what he means by rtl override: https://krebsonsecurity.com/2011/09/right-to-left-override-aids-email-attacks/ and I agree surprised he didn’t include the null character; maybe because it’s so hard to get it to actually reach the service? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.136|172.68.54.136]] 15:24, 5 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
* Emojis don't work in databases? They should be treated no differently from any other UNICODE characters. They would be hard to type if you're using an OS/browser that doesn't have a convenient Emoji-picker, but I would think that they should work as long as the server isn't filtering them out. But I've never deployed a service like this so there may be something important I'm missing here. [[User:Shamino|Shamino]] ([[User talk:Shamino|talk]]) 17:53, 5 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
Someone once told me that on old email databases, you could send a message to "*@example.com" and it would send the message to everyone with an account on that domain. No idea if its true or not, but it seems like the username "*" could cause problems. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.16|162.158.75.16]] 19:56, 5 March 2018 (UTC)</div>162.158.75.16https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1949:_Fruit_Collider&diff=151759Talk:1949: Fruit Collider2018-01-31T20:41:29Z<p>162.158.75.16: </p>
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I propose that - for once - we keep the bot-generated text in this explanation section: "This explanation may be incomplete or incorrect."<br />
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.129|141.101.69.129]] 15:41, 31 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
:+1! And Ponytail gets banned from particle physics conferences? Or her biology license is revoked. https://xkcd.com/410/ --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.108|162.158.90.108]] 16:57, 31 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
::We need to compile a blacklist for conferences people are banned from... [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 18:36, 31 January 2018 (UTC)<br />
I suppose it's not okay to copy and paste random portions of other articles here in hopes of creating a super explanation?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.16|162.158.75.16]] 20:41, 31 January 2018 (UTC)</div>162.158.75.16https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1939:_2016_Election_Map&diff=1506031939: 2016 Election Map2018-01-08T19:08:26Z<p>162.158.75.16: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1939<br />
| date = January 8, 2018<br />
| title = 2016 Election Map<br />
| image = 2016_election_map.png<br />
| titletext = I like the idea of cartograms (distorted population maps), but I feel like in practice they often end up being the worst of both worlds—not great for showing geography OR counting people. And on top of that, they have all the problems of a chloro... chorophl... chloropet... map with areas colored in.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by an Electoral College - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
A {{w|Choropleth map}}, referenced in the title text, is a map that uses shading or colors to show information about a geographic area. Like a 'normal' election map that shows districts/states colored to the party that won them.<br />
<br />
The United States elects its president not directly by popular vote but by an Electoral College composed of a number of electors, proportional to population, from each state. Presently, a "winner-take-all" system is used: the winner of the popular vote in each state receives all of the electoral votes for that state (though strictly speaking the electors are not required to cast their ballots according to this system). Technically, the popular vote in each state is to elect a slate of electors who in turn elect the President.<br />
<br />
The news media commonly use maps to represent the progress or results of the election. Because of this winner-take-all system, states won by the Democratic candidate are typically portrayed in one color (blue is currently in wide use), and states won by the Republican candidate in another (currently red). In recent years, this distinction has gone far beyond electoral maps, and states are often referred to as "blue" or "red" by their political leaning in many contexts.<br />
<br />
A choropleth map has many shortcomings. For example, many large Western states have small populations and thus don't make much difference to the electoral vote count, but look like a broad swath of red or blue on the map. The map overall can have the appearance of being very red or very blue, suggesting to the eye an overwhelming victory, when in fact the election can be extremely close.<br />
<br />
In this cartoon, Randall seems to be pointing out the shortcomings of the choropleth map (or perhaps this overall red-state/blue-state mentality). His map shows more clearly the small impact of the low-population states, as well as how combination of the winner-take-all system with the typical election maps fails to show the sometimes large number of opposition votes in a given state. This map also combines all third-party or independent candidate into one type of marker (green), making it clear that a substantial number of votes went to these candidates.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Should stick figures per state be counted? Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:<big>2016 Election Map</big><br />
:Each figure represents 250,000 votes.<br />
<br />
:[A red, blue and green figure are shown, representing Trump, Hillary, and Other.]<br />
<br />
:<span style="color:gray">Votes are distributed by states as accurately as possible while keeping national totals correct.</span><br />
:<span style="color:gray">Location within each state is approximate.</span><br />
<br />
:[A map of the United States is shown, with the red, blue, and green figures scattered about.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Maps]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>162.158.75.16https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1842:_Anti-Drone_Eagles&diff=140281Talk:1842: Anti-Drone Eagles2017-05-26T08:42:14Z<p>162.158.75.16: Emphasizing with Black Hat once again...</p>
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Okay... I actually had an out loud laugh at the "citation needed" ... "and compares it to using police dogs for traffic control, which people would generally frown upon.[citation needed]" [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.250|141.101.98.250]] 06:25, 26 May 2017 (UTC)<br />
:As I said a few weeks ago, this site gets the best "citation needed"s, I swear someone looks for places to put them with the best comedic value. LOL! One of my faves was when there was a "citation needed" on the statement that a baby would be unable to plan and implement a jewel heist. :) There was another good one a couple of weeks ago, where I made the comment, but I forget what. - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.16|108.162.219.16]] 07:57, 26 May 2017 (UTC)<br />
::Got it! 1822, there's a "citation needed" on the statement that 5 million years is longer than the lifespan of a human. :) - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.16|108.162.219.16]] 08:14, 26 May 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Oh man, sometimes I'm Black Hat, sometimes I'm Cueball, but somehow Randall is reading my mind three times a week. May the algorithm protect him. (I'm confused: My signature already looks like a bunch of "~~"... Now what?) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.16|162.158.75.16]] 08:42, 26 May 2017 (UTC)</div>162.158.75.16https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1777:_Dear_Diary&diff=132986Talk:1777: Dear Diary2016-12-27T13:43:57Z<p>162.158.75.16: </p>
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<div>I am not sure if he is actually referring to his own diary. His characters can't interact with him, and never do. To me, it seemed more like Black Hat is so used to fisching on the web that he can't even write a regular diary entry. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.22|108.162.219.22]] 06:15, 26 December 2016 (UTC)Innertuber40<br />
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Is it possible that instead of the metaphoric "Dear Diary", maybe he is literally writing to a person named "Diary"? This can explain the phishing mail body, at least in some extent. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.59.172|162.158.59.172]] 12:51, 26 December 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Just seemed to be an absurd comic to me when I read it. I hadn't considered that he could be applying a scam as a contingency for someone finding his diary, or simply planting it to be found, but it wouldn't be out of character for him to do so. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.122.102|162.158.122.102]] 13:15, 26 December 2016 (UTC)<br />
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A tangent here is the Key, by Tanizaki Junichiro. In it, we read about the lives of a married couple through their respective diaries, and eventually they begin writing in less than honest terms as they know the other is reading their own diary, but keep playing along. A masterful work.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.58.21|162.158.58.21]] 19:23, 26 December 2016 (UTC)<br />
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Tom Riddle (especially if he'd gotten a wealthier host) definitely should've tried this. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.148|108.162.219.148]] 00:34, 27 December 2016 (UTC)<br />
: Didn't Lucius Malfoy (Mr. Wealthy himself) originally have the diary? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.165.238|162.158.165.238]] 10:56, 27 December 2016 (UTC)<br />
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The title text may be a reference to a common occurrence on email discussion lists. Often, people attempting to unsubscribe from the mailing list will unwittingly send an email out to the whole list that just says "unsubscribe". These, like the Nigerian scam emails, are worthless emails that might clog your inbox.<br />
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Perhaps this is a commentary on the practice of blogging itself, and how far it's come from its roots in its paper-media analogue (the diary). Though that's as far as I've gotten - I haven't taken this thought to any of its logical conclusions (whatever they might be). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.16|162.158.75.16]] 13:43, 27 December 2016 (UTC)</div>162.158.75.16