https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=162.158.75.39&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T17:49:03ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2554:_Gift_Exchange&diff=222591Talk:2554: Gift Exchange2021-12-15T04:42:42Z<p>162.158.75.39: Cueball gets the present</p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
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I assumed this comic was saying that political scientists ''like'' looking at the data from "surveys". And "it's complicated" reminds me of a survey option. The title text seems to be about survey ratings, which are from a 1-5 or 1-10 scale. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.35.244|172.69.35.244]] 17:57, 13 December 2021 (UTC)<br />
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Shouldn't someone mention that this comic came out a few weeks before Christmas, when it is customary for people in certain Christian countries to give gifts to each other (citation needed)?<br />
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I thought that the point was that Ponytail was being given the present of having to organise the fair gift exchange, not that she was giving her family a gift of it.<br />
*Ponytail says "Ugh" at the start, implying that ''she'' doesn't want to organize the exchange, but since Cueball in this strip is a political scientist, she's offering him the gift of getting to organize it. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.39|162.158.75.39]] 04:42, 15 December 2021 (UTC)</div>162.158.75.39https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=899:_Number_Line&diff=217214899: Number Line2021-08-28T14:42:56Z<p>162.158.75.39: </p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 899<br />
| date = May 16, 2011<br />
| title = Number Line<br />
| image = number line.png<br />
| titletext = The Wikipedia page List of Numbers opens with "This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it."<br />
}}<br />
<br />
== Explanation ==<br />
<br />
Once again, [[Randall]] seems to be just messing around, this time with a number line.<br />
<br />
*'''Negative numbers''' have the same magnitude as positive numbers but can only be used to represent the removal of that same magnitude (hence the term "difference" being used for subtraction).<br />
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*'''0.<span style="text-decoration: overline;">99</span>'''.... is {{w|0.999...|equal to 1}} because if you subtract any number from one, however small, you will get a number than is less than 0.<span style="text-decoration: overline;">99</span>. 1 &minus; '''0.0000000372''' is 1 bit less than the {{w|IEEE_floating_point|IEEE 754 32-bit floating-point representation}} of 1.<br />
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*The '''{{w|golden ratio}}''' or '''ϕ''' (phi) is the number <math>\tfrac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2}</math>, about 1.61803. It has many interesting mathematical properties, mostly relating to geometry, and has occasional appearances in nature, such as spirals formed by the seeds in sunflowers. It is also subject to many less credible claims, such as the belief that phi appears in {{w|Parthenon}} (a well-disputed claim) or that rectangles proportioned after phi are more aesthetically pleasing. The speaker seems to drive off his listeners as soon as he brings it up; the golden ratio is infamous for being brought up by know-it-alls, which Randall has mocked in other comics.<br />
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* The approximate range from 2.1 to 2.3 is marked as '''The Forbidden Region'''. Why Randall marked this range as forbidden is really anyone's guess; it seems to be an entirely arbitrary designation.<br />
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*'''{{w|e (mathematical constant)|e}}''' (Euler's number) is 2.71828... and '''π''' (pi) is 3.14159265...<br />
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*'''2.9299372''' is probably a {{w|President's Day}} reference. It is the average of e and π just as the American Presidents' Day is always observed on the 3rd Monday of February (between {{w|George Washington}} and {{w|Abraham Lincoln}}'s birthdays). Washington and Lincoln were the 1st and 16th Presidents of the USA, respectively. Each has a celebrated place in American history.<br />
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*'''{{w|Gird}}''', '''ᛟ''' is a purely fictional number. (The glyph that Randall uses seems to resemble an older shape of the digit 4, such as seen on [http://www.bl.uk/learning/images/mappinghist/large2296.html archaic maps].). Canon and orthodox are references to organised religions. Gird could be a reference to any or all of:<br />
**[http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/the-secret-number/ Bleem] - a fictional integer between 3 and 4<br />
**iCarly's [http://icarly.wikia.com/wiki/Derf Derf] - a fictional integer between 5 and 6<br />
**George Carlin's [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=bleen Bleen] - a fictional integer between 6 and 7<br />
**[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-033 SCP-033] - a fictional number that causes freaky things to happen<br />
**Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal's [http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?id=3913 Sorf] - a fictional integer between 2 and 3 <!--This is incorrect as the SMBC comic is predated by this xkcd--><br />
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*'''Site of the Battle of 4.108''' is another map joke, implying that 4.108 is an actual location, where an eponymous battle was previously fought. It may be a reference (or homage) to the {{w|Battle of Wolf 359}}, a famous military conflict in the fictional universe of Star Trek.<br />
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*An '''Unexplored''' region obscures the line approximately ranging all values from from 4.5 to 6.7. In the days when the Earth was still being mapped out, territories that had yet to be properly explored and charted were labelled in a similar manner. The placement of the '''Unexplored''' region on the number line indicates that all numbers in that range, including the integers 5 and 6, are completely unknown. This is, of course, patently ridiculous, and the humor seems to derive solely from how nonsensical and unbelievable it is. Consistently the digits 5 and 6 are not found within the image.<br />
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*It is often the case in the media that "It has been 7 years..." or "In the last 7 years..." etc. It is made to seem like a believable statistic but cannot always be true. Alternatively, it is intended as an absurd joke that the number 7 is just "not to be believed".<br />
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*'''8''' is not the largest even {{w|prime number}}, nor is it a prime at all. The largest (and only) even prime is 2. A joke intended for those who clearly know that the claim is false.<br />
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*The last entry seems to be a reference to certain fields of {{w|pure mathematics}}, which focus less on performing calculations with numbers and more on understanding structures that may be described using logic. It finishes off the tone of the comic that seems to be shaping the number line terms of what is commonly useful to certain areas of applied mathematics, rather than a complete, accurate version of the number line.<br />
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The title text is a literalism joke; at the time the comic was published, all Wikipedia articles with incomplete lists began with the message template "This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it." In the case of the {{w|List of numbers}} page, one could infer the absurd notion that Wikipedia wanted to have the list include every number from negative infinity to infinity. {{w|Gödel's incompleteness theorems}}, which [[Randall]] has used as comic fodder before in [[468: Fetishes]], roughly assert that a number theory could never be fully complete. The equivalent for a list of numbers is {{w|Cantor's diagonal argument}}, which is a proof that any list of real numbers can never be complete even if the list is infinitely long. Either way, any "true" Wikipedia article named "List of numbers" would perforce forever be incomplete, no matter how much it was expanded. Both Gödel's incompleteness theorems and Cantor's diagonal argument feature prominently in {{w|Gödel, Escher, Bach}} by {{w|Douglas Hofstadter}}, to whom Randall devoted later comic [[917: Hofstadter]]. It may also be referencing his previous statements about Wikipedia being the home of compulsive list-makers, who make the most astonishingly complete lists imaginable.<br />
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As of 2021, Wikipedia's List of numbers page, as well as all pages including lists that cannot ever reach a state of completion, are headed by the message template "This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources."<br />
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== Transcript ==<br />
:[Number line ranging from &minus;1 to 10.]<br />
:[Arrow pointing left, towards negative numbers] Negative "imitator" numbers (do not use)<br />
:[Line right before the number one] 0.99... (actually 0.0000000372 less than 1)<br />
:[Line at the golden ratio.] Φ Parthenon; sunflowers; golden ratio; wait, come back, I have facts!<br />
:[Line at a region between two and 2.2] forbidden region<br />
:[Line at Euler's number.] e<br />
:[Line a bit before 3] 2.9299372 (e and pi, observed)<br />
:[Line at π.] π<br />
:[Line at 3.5 with ᛟ as the numeral] Gird – accepted as canon by orthodox mathematicians <br />
:[Line a bit after 4.] site of battle of 4.108<br />
:[Blob between 4.5 and 6.5 labeled unexplored.]<br />
:[Line at seven.] Number indicating a factoid is made up ("every 7 years...", "science says there are 7...", etc)<br />
:[Line at eight.] Largest even prime<br />
:[Line at 8.75.] If you encounter a number higher than this, you're not doing real math<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Wikipedia]]</div>162.158.75.39https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1763:_Catcalling&diff=1314301763: Catcalling2016-11-23T15:09:25Z<p>162.158.75.39: </p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1763<br />
| date = November 23, 2016<br />
| title = Catcalling<br />
| image = catcalling.png<br />
| titletext = Effect strength => [unstoppable] / Effect range => [2 miles] / Effect duration => [1 year]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
"Catcalling" refers to the act of whistling or shouting to attract the attention of an attractive woman, and often carries connotations of harassment. Annoyed by this practice, Megan alters the Universal Control Console to create a setting in which catcalling actually attracts cats (as the name implies), thus resulting in the catcaller being harassed by the overwhelming feline presence, instead of the other way around, likely in an attempt to discourage the act. <br />
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The phrase "Universal Control Console" may be a reference to a similar device found in comic 1620 ([http://www.xkcd.com/1620 Christmas Settings]), which controls aspects of reality related to Christmas instead of the more versatile controller represented here.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
[(Voice from off-screen) "Hey! Are you messing with the Universal Control Console!?"<br />
Megan: (standing at a podium, there is a small lever and what appears to be a computer screen) "It's cool. Just gotta fix one thing."]<br />
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[Megan still at the podium; now a mouse pointer appears]<br />
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[Megan still at the podium; "Catcalling" appears written at the top of the panel above a dropdown menu that says "Harasses women"; the pointer is hovering over the arrow]<br />
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[Megan still at the podium; The dropdown menu is expanded to show two elements: "Harasses women" and "Attracts cats". The pointer is hovering over "Attracts cats", which is highlighted]<br />
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{{comic discussion}}</div>162.158.75.39https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1763:_Catcalling&diff=1314281763: Catcalling2016-11-23T15:03:53Z<p>162.158.75.39: </p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1763<br />
| date = November 23, 2016<br />
| title = Catcalling<br />
| image = catcalling.png<br />
| titletext = Effect strength => [unstoppable] | Effect range => [2 miles] | Effect duration => [1 year]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page.}}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
[(Voice from off-screen) "Hey! Are you messing with the Universal Control Console!?"<br />
Megan: (standing at a podium, there is a small lever and what appears to be a computer screen) "It's cool. Just gotta fix one thing."]<br />
<br />
[Megan still at the podium; now a mouse pointer appears]<br />
<br />
[Megan still at the podium; "Catcalling" appears written at the top of the panel above a dropdown menu that says "Harasses women"; the pointer is hovering over the arrow]<br />
<br />
[Megan still at the podium; The dropdown menu is expanded to show two elements: "Harasses women" and "Attracts cats". The pointer is hovering over "Attracts cats", which is highlighted]<br />
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{{comic discussion}}</div>162.158.75.39https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1758:_Astrophysics&diff=1307311758: Astrophysics2016-11-11T16:40:16Z<p>162.158.75.39: /* Explanation */ Grammar and punctuation correction.</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1758<br />
| date = November 11, 2016<br />
| title = Astrophysics<br />
| image = astrophysics.png<br />
| titletext = DEPARTMENT OF NEUROSCIENCE / Motto: "If I hear the phrase 'mirror neurons' I swear to God I will flip this table."<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|What is the flip the table over reference in title text. To make other do the same through mirror neruons? Still new explanation. Add more if you can}}<br />
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The theory of gravity produced by {{w|general relativity}} is generally very accurate—it predicts the orbits of planets precisely, even details like the {{w|Two-body problem in general relativity#Anomalous precession of Mercury|precession of Mercury}} which Newton couldn't fully explain. However, the predictions for the behavior of galaxies are wrong—{{w|Galaxy rotation curve|the galaxies seem to spin at the wrong rates}}.<br />
<br />
The standard explanation is that there is something else filling these galaxies, which has mass (and therefore exerts a gravitational pull) but which can't be seen with current telescopes. This is called {{w|dark matter}}, and most astrophysicists believe it exists—either in the form of {{w|Massive compact halo object|an unknown type of star that is too dim to see}}, or {{w|Weakly interacting massive particles|an undiscovered subatomic particle}}.<br />
<br />
However, an alternative theory which gets proposed regularly is {{w|modified Newtonian dynamics}} (MOND). In MOND, gravity doesn't simply follow the {{w|inverse square law}} but has more complicated behavior. Usually, the extra behavior is either to say that gravitational force can be affected by the acceleration of the particle, or that it goes from inverse-square to just inverse at large distances. It "sounds good" because it's relatively simple—it just changes our understanding of Newton's law of gravitation, rather than requiring entirely new forms of matter or unknown stars to exist—and because it has some nice side-effects, such as explaining why there seems to be a limit on the density of galaxies.<br />
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Unfortunately, as the sign says, MOND doesn't fit all the scientific data. One famous counterexample is the {{w|Bullet Cluster}}—two colliding galaxy clusters that are ripping through each other, and from which the mass distribution can be inferred through gravitational lensing. The collision, and the differing ways that ordinary and dark matter interact, have separated the dark matter from ordinary matter to a certain extent, which can be seen in the mass distribution. Another counterexample is MOND's incompatibility with observations of the motion of galaxies in galaxy clusters. Even if MOND ''is'' correct in some way, we still need dark matter to explain the Bullet Cluster. More generally, MOND isn't compatible with general relativity—which has a huge amount of experimental data in its favour—and a MOND-compatible general relativity would be very complicated and ugly.<br />
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The specific impetus for this comic may be [https://arxiv.org/abs/1611.02269 this] recent publication by {{w|Erik Verlinde}} (see popular description of the paper [http://phys.org/news/2016-11-theory-gravity-dark.html here]). It was released on-line three days before the release of this comic. Verlinde's theory ({{w|entropic gravity}}) isn't MOND—rather, it's derived from {{w|thermodynamics}} and {{w|quantum information theory}}—but it has a lot in common with it. The paper got a lot of "This will prove Einstein wrong" coverage (see [[1206: Einstein]]), even though it's just a {{w|pre-print}} and hasn't been peer-reviewed or experimentally verified yet. Verlinde's theory also doesn't match the data—[http://motls.blogspot.de/2010/01/erik-verlinde-why-gravity-cant-be.html it disagrees with experimental results showing how particles interact with gravity].<br />
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Apparently, whoever put up this sign was getting tired of news agencies stating that dark matter has been "disproven".<br />
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The title text lists the text on a similar sign standing outside the Department of {{w|Neuroscience}}. Their motto is "If I hear the phrase 'mirror neurons' I swear to God I will flip this table." {{w|Mirror neurons}} are brain cells which trigger when watching someone else do something. Experiments claim to have found mirror neurons in humans and other apes, and there are theories that make mirror neurons the foundation of learning, empathy, language and consciousness itself. However, {{w|mirror neurons#Doubts concerning mirror neurons|the evidence for mirror neurons is still patchy}}, and even if they exist, it's very simplistic to try to attribute so much of human behavior to a single type of relatively simple cell. In light of this, the motto of the neuroscientists at the department may reflect their frustration and even rage, over what they see as a common misperception.<br />
The title text also uses {{w|Mirror neurons}} as a reference to a joke; it suggests to "flip this table", just as a mirror flips the image in front of it.<br />
<br />
Two days before the release of this comic the YouTube channel Space Time from PBS Digital Studios released a new video with the title [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UNLgPIiWAg Did Dark Energy Just Disappear?]. This was based on the press coverage the paper [http://www.nature.com/articles/srep35596 Marginal evidence for cosmic acceleration from Type Ia supernovae] got, which relates to the one referenced in this comic for dark matter.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A sign on two posts, in the grass in front of a building with windows and double doors, a window on each door, and bars facing outwards. There is a cement walk leading to the doors. On the sign is the text:]<br />
:<big>'''Department of Astrophysics'''</big><br />
:'''Motto:'''<br />
:''Yes, everybody has already had the idea, "Maybe there's no dark matter—Gravity just works differently on large scales!" It sounds good but doesn't really fit the data.''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Science]]</div>162.158.75.39https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1756:_I%27m_With_Her&diff=1307281756: I'm With Her2016-11-11T16:03:18Z<p>162.158.75.39: /* Explanation */ no such thing as "the popular vote" for the candidate in the U.S. national context</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1756<br />
| date = November 7, 2016<br />
| title = I'm With Her<br />
| image = im_with_her.png<br />
| titletext = We can do this.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
In this serious, ''no joke'', comic released the day before the {{w|2016 United States presidential election}} (which was more contentious than most, due in part to many people finding both candidates unusually distasteful), [[Randall]] urged his American viewership to vote, and showed his {{w|Political endorsement|endorsement}} for {{w|Hillary Clinton}}, the {{w|US Democratic Party|Democratic}} nominee in the election. She was up against the {{w|US Republican Party|Republican}} nominee {{w|Donald Trump}}, who won (although Clinton electors won a slightly larger share of the aggregate of popular vote totals). There were also nominees from other parties, most prominently {{w|Green Party of the United States|Green Party}} nominee {{w|Jill Stein}}, and {{w|Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian}} nominee {{w|Gary Johnson}}. Neither was likely to become president, but there was a chance {{w|spoiler candidate|they could affect the result}} in some states (no third-party candidate has ''won'' a state since {{w|United_States_presidential_election,_1968|1968}} - and it did not occur this time either - the closest any came in 2016 was independent candidate {{w|Evan McMullin}} in Utah.)<br />
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It was the second time Randall referred to this election, the first being [[1748: Future Archaeology]] three weeks before the election, but here it was just a wish to know the result using time travel (of course he did not learn the result back then…).<br />
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The "H" with an arrow was {{w|Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016|Clinton's campaign}} logo, and '''I'm with her''' an official slogan that was widely used by her supporters, hence the title. Randall then lists tips to help you cast your vote ([[#How to help|see table below]]) suggesting a personal investment in the election. Clinton herself may be represented by [[Blondie]] sitting on top of the H looking out at the reader as the only of the 11 characters. The only type of joke in the comic is the chosen characters. Two with weapons flank the left and right side looking out ready to defend against Trump. Both are from earlier comic. Especially [Ponytail]] with her ray gun (from [[322: Pix Plz]]) for melting computers of persons that make snide remarks at women. Including her is clearly a reference to {{w|Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations|Donald Trumps sexual harassment of women}} in general and especially to his ''Grab them by the pussy'' comment. [[Cueball]] with his weapon is from [[303: Compiling]]. See more details in the [[#Character gallery|character gallery]] below.<br />
<br />
This is the first time Randall has used a comic to directly support a presidential campaign, although he did [https://blog.xkcd.com/2008/01/28/obama/ endorse] {{w|Barack Obama}} in 2008 on his [[Blag]]. He wrote himself later that it was very controversial when he endorsed Obama, but that it was not the most [[388:_Fuck_Grapefruit#Controversy|controversial comic he had published]] at that time. This comic might take that prize now, given that this is likely one of the most discussed elections up to its time, especially outside the US, where for instance some of European leaders have made it clear that they are against Trump while other endorse him.<br />
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Randall's support for Hillary Clinton may be to do with Donald Trump {{w|Donald_Trump#Healthcare.2C_education_and_environment|being a prominent}} {{w|climate change denier}}. Randall has published comics opposing climate change denial such as this: [[1732: Earth Temperature Timeline]], published less than two month before the election, as well as several other [[:Category:Climate change|comics on climate change]].<br />
<br />
All the information on the bottom half of the comic includes sites, numbers, info, etc. that will help US voters to vote, regardless of whom they vote for. Including this information helps voters because every election many voters don't vote because they feel they don't know how or that it isn't worth it. It seems like Randall wants to boost voter turnout.<br />
<br />
The title text, which states that "We can do this" refers to Randall's wish that the democratic voters united can put Hillary in the White House rather than Trump. It is possible to [https://www.lookhuman.com/design/86542-hillary-clinton-we-can-do-it/tshirt buy t-shirts] with the famed {{w|We Can Do It!}} logo from the war time poster, but with Hillary Clinton in the famed position. However this is not quite the same "We can do this" sentence that Randall uses. "We can do this" (or in German, "[https://www.dict.cc/?s=Wir+schaffen+das+%5BAngela+Merkel%5D Wir schaffen das]") was also the catchphrase of the German Chancellor {{w|Angela Merkel}} during the recent influx of refugees from the Syrian War—like Clinton, Merkel was fighting against {{w|Pegida|a populist nativist movement}} that wanted to close the country's borders.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately for Randall, these efforts were in vain, as {{w|Donald Trump}} was elected on Tuesday, November 8. Many democrats tried simply to avoid the subject in the days following the election, which may be why [[Randall]] did not post a political comic on the day following the result of the election, instead posting [[1758: Astrophysics]]. (The next comic [[1757: November 2016]] was posted so early on the day the election was determined, just past midnight on the 9th of November, that the results was not certain yet). It was probably also very difficult for him to find any humor in the situation given his stance on Trump's election, that made him break his normal rule of not posting comics endorsing any politicians.<br />
<br />
===How to help===<br />
The list of things that can help is all about getting people to vote. This could be interpreted as if Randall just wished for people to support the democracy and exercise their right to vote. But with the endorsement of Clinton in the main comic, there can be no doubt that he means that this advice should help Clinton. Generally there is evidence that certain more heavily Democratic-leaning demographics are less likely to vote, so increasing turnout is likely to help Clinton. In general, however, it is likely that Randall would in any case wish for more voters to support the democracy by actually voting.<br />
<br />
Here is Randall's lists of suggestion for how to help Hillary Clinton win the election:<br />
{|class="wikitable"<br />
!What to do<br />
!How to do it<br />
!Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|Vote<br />
|[https://iwillvote.com/ iwillvote.com]<br />
|A site to look up polling location, ID requirements, etc.<br />
|-<br />
|Get a ride to the polls: <br />
|[http://www.drive2vote.org/ drive2vote.org]<br />
|For voters in Douglas or Sarpy County, Nebraska, who need a ride to the polls from {{w|Warren Buffett}} or his friends.<br />
|-<br />
|If you're having problems voting <br />
|[http://www.866ourvote.org/ 866-OUR-VOTE]<br />
|Racism or other biases on the part of people running polling places is a real issue for minorities. Though it is illegal, people may lie or deny rights to would-be-voters who they believe will not vote for the candidate they agree with. In some instances, voters may require backup from someone with legal understanding to get to vote, which is a service this phone number provides. Since Donald Trump has suggested that unofficial {{w|poll watchers}} should patrol voting stations - which has been described as potential [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/05/election-day-violence-donald-trump-poll-watchers voter intimidation] - this has been an especially widely discussed topic in this election. The phone number written out as numbers is (866) 687-8683<br />
|-<br />
|Experimental social turnout project <br />
|[http://www.civicinnovation.com/ civicinnovation.com]<br>App Store: VoteWithMe <br />
|An app which "gives you a list of the top 10 highest-impact potential voters in your address book to get in touch with -- based on the likelihood that they support progressive candidates, and that they live in states with the most competitive races". This app is for Android and iOS, with the App Store ID as "VoteWithMe". The "VoteWithMe" app is created by Civic Innovation Works and "uses publicly available voter records to predict which of your contacts are likely to support Democratic candidates, but might not have a plan to vote", as it says on its [https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/votewithme/id1170104517/ App Store Page].<br />
|-<br />
|Reminder: <br />
|If you're in line when the polls close, they have to let you vote. <br />
|This is correct, as is printed on most election pamphlets as part of the ''Voters' Bill of Rights'', as well as being cited on numerous sources online (eg [http://votersedge.kqed.org/en/ca/ballot/election/area/42/section/voting-info?id=statewide-42-ca#section-my-rights-as-a-voter here].) Being turned down for trying to vote after the polling place is officially closed (if you were already in line ''when'' the polls closed) might be an instance where you want to use the phone number mentioned above.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
===Character gallery===<br />
The comic show a gallery of 11 xkcd characters including all the main characters from xkcd (except [[Hairy]]), which stand united behind Randall and Clinton despite their lack of agreement in many other comics. <br />
<br />
*From left to right on the left side of the H are:<br />
**[[Ponytail]] with a ray gun (the one she also wielded in [[322: Pix Plz]], a comic where she was named Joanna). The gun it for melting computers of persons that make snide remarks at women, clearly a reference to {{w|Donald_Trump_sexual_misconduct_allegations|Donald Trumps sexual harassment of women}} in general and especially to his Grab Pussy comment. <br />
**[[Black Hat]] (who was the one introducing Joanna/Ponytail in the mentioned comic)<br />
**[[Danish]] (Black Hat's girlfriend setting up a kite for him, although it could be Megan, but she is also shown later with her regular shorter hair). However it has mainly been Megan in comics with kites, like [[235: Kite]] and [[1614: Kites]]. Kites are a [[:Category:Kites|recurring theme]] on xkcd. <br />
**[[White Hat]] looking at the kite. <br />
*On top of the H are: <br />
**[[Blondie]] (looking out at us, maybe representing Clinton herself)<br />
**[[Megan]] (next to Cueball)<br />
**[[Cueball]] (forming the standard couple in xkcd with Megan) <br />
**[[Hairbun]] with glasses (so specifically not the one from the previous comic [[1755: Old Days]], but rather like in [[1637: Salt Mine]]). <br />
*On the right side of the H are:<br />
**[[Science Girl]] (The adult version of her, is holding her hand out towards a cute squirrel. Of course she could also be the girl from [[635: Locke and Demosthenes]] where the squirrel is poisoned...)<br />
**[[Beret Guy]] is holding a squirrel out towards Science Girl. (The first time squirrels was mentioned was actually when Beret Guy found them in a tree in [[167: Nihilism]] and since then they have become a [[:Category:Squirrels|recurring theme]] on xkcd and a similar squirrel can for instance be seen in [[1503: Squirrel Plan]]. Beret Guy has not been seen together with a squirrel before, but has been shown to care for animals, for instance in [[614: Woodpecker]]). <br />
**[[:Category:Multiple Cueballs|Another Cueball]] is standing on an office chair wielding a sword as he was shown in [[303: Compiling]]. (Interestingly enough the previous comic [[1755: Old Days]] was about Cueball asking Hairbun about {{w|compiling}} in the old days. Seems realistic that Randall has this comic ready for this Monday before the election for some time, and when finding this 9 year old version of Cueball in the old comics, he may have gotten inspired to make a comic about compiling in the old days).<br />
<br />
Note that the two characters at either side of the comic wields weapons pointing out defending the other nine. Those next to the characters with weapons are doing recreational things like kiting and admiring adorable squirrels, both are recurring subjects in xkcd.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Eleven characters are drawn left, right and on top of a huge H with an arrow as the horizontal bar connecting the two vertical towers. The arrow breaks the right part of the H. It represents the logo from Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign for 2016. From left to right on the left side of the H are Ponytail with an exotic looking futuristic ray gun like weapon looking to the left away from the H and the others. Behind her is Black Hat who looks at a girl that might be Danish or Megan (but with longer hair than Megan typically has). She is setting up a kite that flies above the first two characters. Behind her and looking up at the kite is White Hat. The H is right behind him, and on top of the left tower of the H sits Blondie looking straight out at the reader with her legs dangling over the edge and her arms resting on her knees. On the arrow between the two H towers sits Megan leaning against the left H tower, also dangling her legs over the edge and arms resting on her knees. Cueball is standing to her right, just left of the right H tower. On top of the right H towers sits Hairbun with glasses looking straight right with her legs dangling over the edge one arm resting on a knee and leaning back on the other arm. On the right side of the H is an adult version of Science Girl holding a hand out towards the squirrel which Beret Guy is holding out in both arms towards her. Behind them is another Cueball standing on an office chair holding a sword high up in front of him to the right away from the others. He keeps his balance by holding his other arm out behind him. Below the H there is a large caption.]<br />
:<big><big><big>H</big></big></big><br />
: <big><big>I'm with her.</big></big> <br />
<br />
:[Below the panel there are several lines of text. The first header line refers to the next four lines with solutions to problems, title/problem on one side then a long dash and the web-link or other information on the right side of that. Below those there is a reminder.]<br />
:<big><u>How to help</u></big> <br />
:Vote - iwillvote.com<br />
:Get a ride to the polls - drive2vote.org<br />
:If you're having problems voting - 866-OUR-VOTE<br />
:Experimental social turnout project - civicinnovation.com App Store: VoteWithMe<br />
<br />
:<big>Reminder:</big> <br />
:If you're in line when the polls close, they have to let you vote.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Despite securing more votes, Hillary Clinton lost the election in the {{w|Electoral college (United States)|electoral college}}. She did win in {{w|Massachusetts}} (Randall's home state), but that was never really in any doubt.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]] <!--Hillary is directly referenced with the H logo --><br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Kites]]<br />
[[Category:Squirrels]]</div>162.158.75.39https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1756:_I%27m_With_Her&diff=1301711756: I'm With Her2016-11-07T21:15:22Z<p>162.158.75.39: Removed verbiage</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1756<br />
| date = November 7, 2016<br />
| title = I'm With Her<br />
| image = im_with_her.png<br />
| titletext = We can do this.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|What's the "App Store: VoteWithMe" comment about? More details in general. Title text - is that also a Hillary slogan?}}<br />
<br />
In this serious comic, [[Randall]] urges his American viewership to vote, and states that he will vote for {{w|Hillary Clinton}}, the {{w|Democratic Party|democratic}} nominee in the {{w|2016 United States Presidential election}}. (And the rest of his viewers from abroad can spread the word by sharing this comic on-line).<br />
<br />
The "H" with an arrow is Clinton's campaign logo, and "I'm with her" is a slogan widely used by her supporters. He then lists tips to help you cast your vote. This suggests he is invested in the election.<br />
The [[Ponytail]] character seems to be Joanna from [[322: Pix Plz]], and the [[Cueball]] on the chair is from [[303: Compiling]]. The [[Hairbun]] sitting on the top-right part of the 'H' may be the 'Old Days' programmer from the previous comic, [[1755: Old Days]].<br />
<br />
All the information on the bottom half of the comic includes sites, numbers, info, etc that will help US voters to vote, regardless of for whom they will vote for. Including this information helps voters because every election many voters don't vote because they feel they don't know how or that it isn't worth it. It seems like Randall doesn't want the US election to have some of the same problems that the Brexit vote had (where many voters opposed to exiting the EU didn't vote for one reason or another).<br />
<br />
The websites are:<br />
* [https://iwillvote.com/ iwillvote.com] (for looking up polling location, ID requirements, etc.)<br />
* [http://www.drive2vote.org/ drive2vote.org] (for voters in Douglas or Sarpy County, Nebraska, who need a ride to the polls from {{w|Warren Buffett}} or his friends)<br />
* [http://www.civicinnovation.com/ civicinnovation.com](a website which "gives you a list of the top 10 highest-impact potential voters in your address book to get in touch with -- based on the likelihood that they support progressive candidates, and that they live in states with the most competitive races")<br />
<br />
The comic features a total of: 1 [[Black Hat]], 1 [[Blondie]], 2 Cueballs, 1 [[Beret Guy]], 1 [[White Hat]], 1 Hairbun, 1 [[Science Girl]], 1 [[Ponytail]], and 2 [[Megan]]s (or maybe the kite "Megan" with the longer hair whom Black Hat is looking at represents his girlfriend [[Danish]], although so far it has mainly been Megan who did the kiting.)<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Still nothing on the specific characters in the image.}}<br />
Image of xkcd characters surrounding a large logo for the Hillary Clinton campaign.<br />
<br />
Caption: I'm with her.<br />
<br />
How to help<br />
<br />
Vote-- iwillvote.com<br />
<br />
Get a ride to the polls-- drive2vote.org<br />
<br />
If you're having problems voting-- 866-OUR-VOTE<br />
<br />
Experimental social turnout project-- civicinnovation.com App Store: VoteWithMe<br />
<br />
Reminder: If you're in line when the polls close, they have to let you vote.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]</div>162.158.75.39https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1731:_Wrong&diff=127691Talk:1731: Wrong2016-09-24T22:59:06Z<p>162.158.75.39: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~--><br />
<br />
I wrote up a first explanation of the comic. Someone else also added in a sentence, which nicely merged in to the explanation. Still needs revision and links to articles, as well as an explanation of the title text [[Special:Contributions/172.68.35.81|172.68.35.81]] 04:38, 9 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Uh... what do you mean by "just a few sentences to kick this off"??? I don't know how to fix this because I don't understand what you mean. [[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 7:52, 9 September 2016 (EDT)<br />
: Oh, sorry. While I was writing up an explanation, KangaroOS put in the sentence "Some people are just too prideful to admit that they are inherently fallible. White Hat is one of those people." and put in that tag. When I went to save it, it told me I had to merge our revisions, which worked fine, but I just forgot to merge the tags. [[User:Yosho27|Yosho27]] ([[User talk:Yosho27|talk]]) 13:01, 9 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
: Also, if anyone's looking at the article history "172.68.35.81" and "Yosho27" are both me (I signed in halfway through) [[User:Yosho27|Yosho27]] ([[User talk:Yosho27|talk]]) 13:12, 9 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
mansplaining much? --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.84|141.101.98.84]] 11:55, 9 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
: I don't think so. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:29, 9 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
: I would dispute that Megan isn't sure what she's talking about. It seems to me that she only sounds uncertain because she is trying to be polite; this is a common strategy for women in particular. (As evidence, note that I started the previous sentence with "it seems to me" instead of an assertion of fact, and the one before that is in the subjunctive mood.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.222|162.158.214.222]] 18:01, 19 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Worth pointing out that other comics that could be interpreted as mansplaining have had this potential explanation purged. It is my understanding that alternative possible explanations/ of the jokes were encouraged, and many explanations include what seem to be relatively unlikely alternatives. Manplaining is apparently the only one that is verboten. I won't speculate as to why. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.39|162.158.75.39]] 22:59, 24 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Any reference to "Somebody's WRONG on the Internet!"? [[386: Duty Calls]] [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 18:51, 9 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
: Went ahead and added it. :) [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 19:15, 9 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
Hope someone can comment on the theory of the abstraction of particles White Hat gets into in the last panel. Seems like the only part missing so far. I like this comic! ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:34, 9 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Not really a Quantum physicist, but I read that it's *theoretically* possible (and seen in some particle expierements at the LHC) for a very specific arrangement of quarks to make a (superheavy) "Proton" that contains Antimatter (Anti-quarks)... A Pentaquark. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentaquark [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.133|108.162.242.133]] 23:56, 9 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
While not really part of objects, there are plenty of {{w|positron}}s (antielectrons) around: they are produced by radioactive decay, can appear in thunderstorms, are used in nuclear medicine. There is enough radioactive isotope of potassium in average human body to produce thousands of positrons per second. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 22:26, 10 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is there a technical definition of "object" I am unaware of that excludes hypothetical and abstract objects? What is it that makes a flux capacitor not an object? Or public opinion? Or indeed a sphere made of antimatter? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.52|108.162.219.52]] 15:36, 12 September 2016 (UTC)larK<br />
<br />
It doesn't sound like the title text is literally what White Hat is saying, but rather someone else summarizing their statements in a mocking way. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.92|108.162.212.92]] 23:28, 10 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I wonder if his thought (I'm wrong) ended up annihilated as if matter came into contact with antimatter...a bit of irony considering he WAS wrong about the antimatter assertion. Add if you think it makes sense. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.34.124|172.68.34.124]]</div>162.158.75.39https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:553:_Pirate_Bay&diff=127665Talk:553: Pirate Bay2016-09-23T21:37:52Z<p>162.158.75.39: agreement</p>
<hr />
<div>"Just some stats..."... here are some reasons why TPB is down sometimes - and how long it usually takes to fix: "Tiamo gets *very* drunk and then something crashes: 4 days "Anakata gets a really bad cold and noone is around: 7 days "The US and Swedish gov. forces the police to steal our servers: 3 days".. yawn." <br />
<br />
The piratebay IS...<br />
<br />
:<br />
<br />
I would consider unremovable Hungarian subtitles to be an [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Unishment Unishment]; even if I can not ignore the subtitles, I would end up learning Hungarian! I like learning languages! [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 17:20, 1 July 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The transcript says that Cueball is the one standing, staring at the fence. However, it also lists Cueball as talking. Error or do I just have bad eyesight? {{unsigned ip|199.27.133.128}}<br />
:It says that one of the Cueballs is standing, it doesn't specify which one is talking. Also logically it's not a fence, it's cell bars. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.162|108.162.250.162]] 01:22, 19 August 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Someone translate every sentence in the Explain to Hungarian and put it after every English sentence. It must be checked frequently to make sure nobody removes the Hungarian.[[User:International Space Station|International Space Station]] ([[User talk:International Space Station|talk]]) 21:11, 12 January 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could it be that "seeded generously" is supposed to be a pun about sexual promiscuity? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.250|108.162.237.250]] 13:24, 24 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
That was my first impression.</div>162.158.75.39https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=813:_One-Liners&diff=127663813: One-Liners2016-09-23T21:03:51Z<p>162.158.75.39: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 813<br />
| date = November 1, 2010<br />
| title = One-Liners<br />
| image = one liners.png<br />
| titletext = "Upgrade to the latest version of Adobe Flash player to view THIS content, bitch." ::triggers detonator::<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In this comic, Randall presents a series of phrases, ordered by how likely they are to be used as a {{w|One-line joke|one-liner}} by a character in an {{w|action movie}}. One-liners are short, punchy phrases, typically witty or funny, and are routinely used in films by the antagonist to taunt the protagonist (or vice versa). The perfect one-liner leaves the recipient at a loss for a comeback, and should make sense immediately. If the phrase doesn't make sense or has to be explained, the effect is lost.<br />
<br />
While the phrases shown start off adhering to the witty and punchy stereotype of the one-liner, they quickly become absurb and non-sensical. <br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! Panel No.<br />
! Phrase<br />
! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| 1<br />
| You're going down the memory hole now, asshole.<br />
|The {{w|Memory hole}} is a mechanism for redacting documents, photographs, etc., and a reference to {{w|George Orwell}}'s novel {{w|Nineteen Eighty-Four}}. In this instance it implies that the character on the floor is about to be 'erased' from existence.<br />
|-<br />
| 2<br />
| Hey! You forgot to carry the two. <br />
|[[Cueball]], who appears to be at an advantage since he has a gun and his opponent only has a knife, is pointing out an arithmetic error in his opponent's calculations. This may simply be Cueball adding insult to injury "I'm about to shoot you, but first I'm going to point out that you suck at math". Alternatively, it could be a ruse to distract the knife wielding opponent, or a case of well-timed [[356|nerd-sniping]].<br />
|-<br />
| 3<br />
| Looks like the Fed just lowered the interest rate.<br />
| The {{w|Federal Reserve System}}, usually referred to as The Fed, is the central banking system in the United States. While interest rates are usually lowered during a recession or a crisis, this phrase appears to be completely out of context, and lacks any humor.<br />
|-<br />
| 4<br />
| Guess you should've scrolled all the way to the bottom before clicking "Agree." <br />
| A common feature encountered when registering for user accounts or installing software is a very lengthy {{w|Terms of service}} document, describing the things you agree to abide by. The vast majority of people simply click Agree without reading the document, essentially agreeing to anything and everything that the author decided to include, which sometimes leads to things like [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/17/gamestation-grabs-souls-o_n_541549.html giving your immortal soul to a company]. In the context of this panel, perhaps the user agreed to be executed at random. <br />
|-<br />
| 5<br />
| Bangarang, motherfucker. <br />
| This phrase is very similar to the line "Yippee-Ki-Yay motherfucker" used by {{w|John McClane}} in the {{w|Die Hard (film series)|Die Hard}} series. {{w|Bangarang}} is, among other things, the Jamaican word for "uproar." It was popularized (without the addition of 'motherfucker') as the cheer of the {{w|Lost Boys (Peter Pan)|lost boys}} in the film ''{{w|Hook (film)|Hook}}. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
The title text is another suggested one-liner phrase, referring to an update reminder that frequently pops up when one attempts to view {{w|Adobe Flash}} content on a webpage. After delivering the line, the character triggers a detonator (Double colons are sometimes used in text to denote an action), presumably setting off an explosive of some kind. <br />
<br />
The sentence doesn't make much sense, and is too convoluted and wordy for an effective one-liner, which suggests that this is a continuation of the scale towards 'Less Likely'. This phrase also proves that simply adding Bitch, Asshole, Motherfucker or similar to the end of a phrase does not necessarily turn it into a great one-liner.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Probability of phrases becoming action movie one liners:<br />
:[Panels are arranged from More Likely on the left to Less likely on the right.]<br />
<br />
:[A woman points a gun down at Cueball who is on the floor, his gun just out of reach.]<br />
:Woman: ''You're'' going down the memory hole now, asshole.<br />
<br />
:[Man on ground points gun up at blade-armed man standing next to a board with science on it.]<br />
:Man with gun: ''Hey!'' You forgot to carry the two.<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail on desk points sword at man standing on floor.]<br />
:Ponytail: Looks like the Fed just lowered the interest rate.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball with gun looks down at Megan slumped on floor.]<br />
:Cueball: Guess you should've scrolled ''all'' the way to the bottom before clicking "Agree."<br />
<br />
:[Megan holds pistol to the back of the head of Ponytail holding a rifle.]<br />
:Megan with pistol: Bangarang, motherfucker.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Fiction]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]</div>162.158.75.39https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=413:_New_Pet&diff=127411413: New Pet2016-09-20T00:42:43Z<p>162.158.75.39: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 413<br />
| date = April 21, 2008<br />
| title = New Pet<br />
| image = new pet.png<br />
| titletext = ONE LAPTOP PER HAMSTER!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] create a new pet by putting an {{w|EEE PC}} into a {{w|hamster ball}}, allowing it to roll around.<br />
<br />
The {{w|Asus Eee PC}} was one of the first subnotebook computers available on the American market, noted for its small size and coming pre-installed with Linux. With a diagonal size of 11 inches, it would take a big hamster ball to carry it like this.<br />
<br />
{{w|Omniwheel}}s are wheels with rollers mounted on the edge to allow the wheel to slide sideways. The wheels in the drawing look more like {{w|Mecanum wheel}}s, which have rollers mounted at an angle to the edge. Both Omniwheels and Mecanum wheels are used in omni-directional drive systems, like you would use to drive a hamster ball from the inside. A {{w|webcam}} is connected magnetically to the top of the hamster ball, which connects to an rf link to transmit wirelessly to the computer.<br />
<br />
TCO is {{w|total cost of ownership}}, which is exactly what it sounds like: the purchase price of something, plus all costs of keeping, operating, and/or maintaining that something. It's used in accounting to determine something's true cost-to-value evaluation. In the case of a cat, TCO would primarily consist of food, litter, veterinary care, etc. Refer to [[#Trivia|trivia for more details]]. For the device in the comic, there would be a small ongoing cost (occasional recharges for the batteries) after the initial investment.<br />
<br />
A {{w|Roomba}} is a self-directed robotic vacuum cleaner made by iRobot.<br />
<br />
{{w|Python (programming language)|Python}} is a programming language popular among geeks running Linux. Among other features, it has a large number of easily installed 3rd-party libraries which make it easy to add features to programs. In this case, [[Cueball]] is importing the "soul" library to give the new pet a soul – <strike>obviously</strike> something that a programming language cannot actually do.{{Citation needed}} This is a reference to [[353: Python]].<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the {{w|One Laptop per Child}} project spearheaded by Nicholas Negroponte around 2005, with the goal of building an inexpensive, durable sublaptop that could be distributed to children in developing countries to give them an educational edge.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan is placing EEE PC inside hamster ball. Cueball scratches head.]<br />
:Cueball: What are you doing?<br />
:Megan: Mounting your EEE PC in a hamster ball.<br />
<br />
:Megan: Well, the TCO of a cat is like $1000/year, so we're saving money.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is typing.]<br />
:Megan: Microcontrollers are all wired up. How's the brain coming?<br />
:Cueball: I've taught it obstacle avoidance and blogging.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Aww, look, it's making friends with the Roomba.<br />
:EEE PC: ''RRRRR''<br />
:Roomba: ''Beep!''<br />
<br />
:Diagram: Webcam, RF links, bearings, omni wheels, magnets, EEE PC, omni wheels, battery<br />
<br />
:[Hamster ball bounces down flight of stairs.]<br />
:Hamster ball: ''Bonk, bonk''<br />
:Off-panel: Man, I hope it's OK that we're laughing at this.<br />
<br />
:[Megan picks up ball.]<br />
:Megan: I think my mothering instinct took a wrong turn somewhere.<br />
:Cueball: You mean an awesome turn.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is typing.]<br />
:Megan: Too bad we can't give it a soul.<br />
:Cueball: Sure we can.<br />
:Cueball types: import soul<br />
:Megan: Oh, right. Python.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*According to [http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2137&aid=1542 Pet Education's list], the CTO for a cat is between 310 and 1169 USD per year.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Hamster Ball]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]<br />
[[Category:Robots]]<br />
[[Category:Roomba]]</div>162.158.75.39https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=983:_Privacy&diff=126992983: Privacy2016-09-15T01:02:35Z<p>162.158.75.39: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 983<br />
| date = November 28, 2011<br />
| title = Privacy<br />
| image = privacy.png<br />
| titletext = Eventual headline: 'University Researchers Create Life in Lab! Darkness, Faulty Condoms Blamed.'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is about [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] attempting to find some privacy to "hook up", which is slang for engaging in sexual activity.<br />
<br />
They start by going to a dorm, perhaps Cueball's, as a bedroom would ordinarily be a private place; however, the room's door is locked. They try Megan's (Seeing as the dorm mate is a girl) dorm next, but her roommate is currently playing an {{w|Massively multiplayer online role-playing game|MMORPG}} and is "in a {{w|Raid (gaming)|raid}}", a common phrase referring to a large gathering of players that work together to defeat a difficult enemy. This also pokes fun at the fact that some raids may take a very long time to complete, in this case apparently taking on the order of 24 hours. (This comic was published on a Monday morning.)<br />
<br />
In the third frame, the two try to go to the library's rare book collection. Such a place would usually be deserted, making it usable for sexual activity. However, it is currently occupied by a visiting {{w|Nelson Mandela}}, who is on a tour of the school. <br />
<br />
Moving on to more bizarre places, they next try an {{w|Particle accelerator|accelerator tunnel}}, another place that would be very infrequently occupied by people. However, the accelerator itself is currently in use and thus the room is locked. This would be a normal safety feature to protect researchers from being exposed to potentially dangerous ionizing radiation from the particle beam.<br />
<br />
The couple then try a {{w|beaver lodge}}, presumably another 'private' location. A beaver lodge is usually only maintained during winter, and then only accessible from underwater, not to mention the infeasibility of any human-sized figure being able to fit inside.<br />
<br />
Finally, with our current understanding of physics, there is neither the possibility of {{w|hyperspace}} existing, nor the possibility of getting there quickly.<br />
<br />
The caption is a parody of other laws of physics, such as "brightness is inversely proportional to distance from the source".<br />
<br />
The title text indicates that the two eventually found privacy for sex in a laboratory, but inadvertently got Megan pregnant. This is a parody of news articles discussing whether scientists can create synthetic life in a lab. This eventual headline appears in a few [[1037: Umwelt]] frames as "Scientists Create Life In Lab", with a similar secondary headline/caption as the punchline.<br />
<br />
The comic [[658: Orbitals]] is similar.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Dorm:<br />
:[Cueball and Megan holding hands in front of a door. Megan is attempting to turn the doorknob.]<br />
:Locked<br />
<br />
:Other Dorm:<br />
:[Cueball and Megan holding hands inside another dorm room. The roommate is sitting at a computer wearing a headset.]<br />
:Roommate: I'll be done Tuesday.<br />
:Roommate in raid<br />
<br />
:Library Rare Book Collection:<br />
:[Cueball and Megan looking through a closed door. Inside Nelson Mandela and two university workers are talking amongst various items on display.]<br />
:Occupied by tour for visiting Nelson Mandela<br />
<br />
:Accelerator Tunnel:<br />
:[Cueball and Megan in silhouette in front of an imposing-looking door. The door is marked "NO ENTRY" with a radioactive trefoil symbol, and has a passcode scanner beside it.]<br />
:Sealed while beam is in operation<br />
<br />
:Beaver Lodge:<br />
:[Megan climbing on top of a dirt mound while Cueball stands on the ice beside it. A cross-section reveals a beaver inside the mound and a submerged entrance.]<br />
:Frozen over for winter to keep out predators, only accessible via underwater entrance<br />
<br />
:Hyperspace:<br />
:[Megan reading a textbook in front of a table piled with five other textbooks. Cueball looks over Megan's shoulder.]<br />
:Cueball: Are you ''sure''?<br />
:Ruled out by current understanding of physics<br />
<br />
:College Law #27:<br />
:The availability of private space is inversely proportional to the desirability of the hookup.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Sex]]<br />
[[Category:Video games]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>162.158.75.39