https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=162.158.78.118&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T12:28:19ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2816:_Types_of_Solar_Eclipse&diff=321047Talk:2816: Types of Solar Eclipse2023-08-16T21:24:35Z<p>162.158.78.118: </p>
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Is the annular eclipse actually possible? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.118|162.158.78.118]] 21:24, 16 August 2023 (UTC)</div>162.158.78.118https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1464:_Santa&diff=2999561464: Santa2022-11-27T01:22:12Z<p>162.158.78.118: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1464<br />
| date = December 24, 2014<br />
| title = Santa<br />
| image = santa.png<br />
| titletext = He probably just poops over the side of the sleigh.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
This was the [[:Category:Christmas|Christmas comic]] for 2014 and broadly speaking, this comic follows a long list of issues raised about physical limitations {{w|Santa Claus}} faces, similar to other popular theoretical discussions such as the [http://www.daclarke.org/Humour/santa.html speed he has to travel] and [http://www.articlesbase.com/holidays-articles/10-impossible-facts-about-santa-claus-1509493.html the omniscience he purportedly possesses and the mass of presents he has to carry] — the story of Santa Claus was simply never designed for a world with over 7 billion people spread through untold millions of homes. This comic combines some basic {{w|physiology}} with the physical law of the {{w|conservation of mass}}.<br />
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More specifically, this comic refers to the common tradition of leaving milk and cookies out on Christmas Eve for Santa Claus. If one assumes that Santa eats even a small percentage of the sweets left out for him, the question comes up where all the cookies ''go''. Megan suggests that, since Santa isn't ''that'' large, he must poop them out somewhere, and wonders if he does so in our houses.<br />
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Cueball doubts that. Megan replies that mass cannot disappear completely; it has to go somewhere, to which Cueball comments that Santa has a magic bag in which he could poop. The magic bag referenced is the bag in which he carries all the Christmas presents he delivers on Christmas Eve. It is called 'magic' because a bag large enough to carry billions of presents would be much too heavy and unbalanced to carry on a sleigh pulled by only eight (or nine) reindeer. Thus, it must be magic somehow. Megan is disgusted at the thought of Santa pooping on people's presents. An even more disgusting explanation is that the 'magic' bag might transform the poop into presents, in which case it would not need to carry many presents at a time.<br />
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Cueball proposes a third theory: that Santa only poops in a few houses, leaving large quantities in those houses. Megan says that there may not be anyone that naughty in the world, referencing the myth that Santa will leave coal instead of presents for those who misbehave. Cueball replies that it is randomly determined whose house is pooped in, burdening a smaller number of people. Specifically, Cueball quotes the beginning of {{w|Spock}}'s aphorism from ''{{w|Star Trek II}},'' "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one." The quote is used to justify the sacrifice people make in "allowing" Santa to poop in their homes by citing the numerous other people who are spared his feces.<br />
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The title text puts forth yet another theory: that Santa doesn't poop in houses at all, but off the side of his sleigh. This may be equally disgusting to anyone or anything unlucky enough to abruptly receive a rain of poop from the sky. This problem could be minimized by taking advantage of flights over water or uninhabited areas, rather than cities.<br />
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According to [[1070: Words for Small Sets]], a few is referring to "anywhere from 2 to 5". Currently, there are 1.9&nbsp;billion children in the world, so assuming on average that one cookie is left for Santa for each child and that Santa eats one in every 5&nbsp;cookies, he consumes 380&nbsp;million cookies in two 48&nbsp;hour periods. Due to the convenience of time zones, approximately 48&nbsp;hours from when a day starts in Kiritimati until it ends in Hawaii; also, most western Christians, including Roman Catholics and Protestants, observe Christmas almost two weeks before Eastern Orthodox Christians do. According to Google, a chocolate-chip cookie contains approximately 140 kilocalories, therefore Santa consumes 53.2&nbsp;billion kilocalories in the period of 2 days, or 26.6&nbsp;billion kilocalories per day. As the average human daily intake is 2500&nbsp;kilocalories per day, Santa has eaten 10,640,000 times the amount of daily kilocalories required by one human over the period of two days, an amount otherwise sufficient to last for over 59,111&nbsp;years for a human, and producing 20&nbsp;million pounds of feces. However, if we consider the dietary requirements of both Santa and the flying reindeer, and the kilocalories that reindeer would burn flying around the world carrying 1.9&nbsp;billion toys, the cookies might not be sufficient. If the 1 in 5&nbsp;cookies are not sufficient energy intake, Santa could probably eat every cookie left for him, which amounts to 266&nbsp;billion kilocalories in the period of 2&nbsp;days.<br />
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On a side note, this amount of energy is enough to power several thousand homes for a year.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:Megan: Say Santa eats a cookie at every few houses. That's hundreds of tons. By the end of the night, he should be a hulking seven-story behemoth.<br />
:But he's not.<br />
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:Cueball: What are you...<br />
:Megan: Does Santa poop in our houses?<br />
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:Cueball: No way.<br />
:Megan: That mass must be going somewhere.<br />
:Cueball: He has that magic bag...<br />
:Megan: You think he poops in the bag of ''presents''?<br />
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:Cueball: Maybe instead of pooping in every few houses, he waits, and then in a few houses, he poops a ''lot''.<br />
:Megan: What if no one's been ''that'' naughty?<br />
:Cueball: He picks at random. The needs of the many...<br />
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==Trivia==<br />
*Although this is the only "real" Christmas comic to come out around Christmas, the next comic could be seen as a possible item that would be on xkcd fans Christmas wishlist... the [[xkcd Phone 2]].<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Christmas]]</div>162.158.78.118https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1962:_Generations&diff=153551Talk:1962: Generations2018-03-03T22:24:18Z<p>162.158.78.118: Not long s!</p>
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Table guy! Maybe this could be a table with "Year", "Generation Name", "References" and "Speculation". Or something. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.230.172|198.41.230.172]] 17:31, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
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The highlighted generations are clearly the ones Pew Research named, but I can't figure out why Randall's numbers don't seem to match Pew's here: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/11/millennials-surpass-gen-xers-as-the-largest-generation-in-u-s-labor-force/ft_15-05-11_millennialsdefined/ [[User:TheAnvil|TheAnvil]] ([[User talk:TheAnvil|talk]]) 17:37, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
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—••— means X in Morse code [[User:Inexorably advancing wall of ice|Inexorably advancing wall of ice]] ([[User talk:Inexorably advancing wall of ice|talk]]) 18:21, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
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But seriously, it was funny the first time. I'm sorry for the above incomplete tag in the comments{{Citation needed}},but it feels like most comics since maybe #1900 ([[1914: Twitter Verification]] comes to mind...) have this kind of thing for their incomplete tag. Maybe if it's spaced out more, instead of put into nearly every comic nowadays, it won't be so much of a problem. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.184|162.158.75.184]] 18:02, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
: If you can address this problem, please edit the user. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.26|162.158.155.26]] 23:04, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
::Removed the incomplete tag, changed the citation needed tag into the correct one. Dude, please don't do that again, it's not funny, just seriously annoying. The incomplete tag is not there for you to abuse. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 12:07, 3 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
:::Oh, and now that I've finally caught up to you, 162.158.155.26, please check your talk page. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 12:07, 3 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Can someone help me? [[User:Halo422|Halo422]] ([[User talk:Halo422|talk]]) 20:20, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
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What's the emoji 2000-2017? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.141.214|172.68.141.214]] 21:05, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
:I think I found it: 💅 [https://emojipedia.org/nail-polish/ "nail-polish"] (Comes up very different on different systems) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.233|162.158.79.233]] 21:20, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
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I have to believe the 1748 - 1765 generation is some form of "Long s" such as U+1E9C or U+1E9D [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.233|162.158.79.233]] 21:12, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
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: It looks more like a forte ([https://www.fileformat.info/info/unicode/char/1d191/index.htm U+1D191]). I'm not sure why that would be funny—maybe because of [[Wikipedia:fortepiano|fortepiano]]s? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.214|172.69.69.214]] 21:43, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
::My position comes from the fact that documents written by this generation (i.e. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_s#/media/File:Long-s-US-Bill-of-Rights.jpg Declaration of Independance] and the US Constitution) are noted for having this letter form. The script form of the long s looks like what Randall has written, which, to your point, looks like a "forte" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.79.233|162.158.79.233]] 22:51, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
::: Actually, it quite clearly is '''not''' long s. Long s only has the tic on the left side of the main stroke, not on both sides as is the case here. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.118|162.158.78.118]] 22:24, 3 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Hitler was born in 1889, about three years before the "Oops, one of us is Hitler" generation ... --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.240|141.101.105.240]] 21:37, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Can someone who's a big Trekkie than I am help explain the dates for ''Star Trek: The Next Generation''? If we're going off of the events of the show + movies, it seems to start well before the events of the show and end before the last of the movies. [[User:PvOberstein|PvOberstein]] ([[User talk:PvOberstein|talk]]) 21:49, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Year 2378 may be explained by last episode of Voyager happening that year, but no idea about year 2360. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 00:59, 3 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
::Year 2360 is when the humans who became adults (18) in 2378 were born. This time-span is probably when the majority of human TNG characters would have been born (not necessarily notable ones). This is similar to how people born in 1982 became the first new adults in the new millenium. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.46.143|172.68.46.143]] 05:02, 3 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Filled in most of the table with explanations (I'm pretty sure most of the latter generation names are references to potential transhumanist futures), but I'm not sure what "Second-Greatest" Generation refers to unless it's about the Civil War. Also, I'm not entirely certain whether the generation before the gilded one was cut a lot of slack. And I'll let someone more versed in standard sociological history fill in the common reasons for the core 20th century generations.[[User:WingedCat|WingedCat]] ([[User talk:WingedCat|talk]]) 22:49, 2 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
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;Paperclip machine<br />
I think the paperclip machines refer to the browser game "Universal Paperclips", where paperclip machines take over the universe. [http://www.decisionproblem.com/paperclips/index2.html]. Best regards, [[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.10|172.68.110.10]] 11:55, 3 March 2018 (UTC)</div>162.158.78.118https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1960:_Code_Golf&diff=1530831960: Code Golf2018-02-26T06:38:32Z<p>162.158.78.118: /* Transcript */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1960<br />
| date = February 26, 2018<br />
| title = Code Golf<br />
| image = code_golf.png<br />
| titletext = I also enjoy Reverse Regular Golf. I've been playing for years all across the country and I'm still on the first hole.<br />
}}<br />
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cc==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This comic refers to code golf [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_golf], the idea of using as few characters as possible to achieve your code goal, similar to how in golf the goal is to get to the end with as few strokes as possible. Reverse code golf would be to use as many characters as possible, which he does in the code example with overly long variable names that are the beginning lines of Moby Dick. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby-Dick]<br />
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Code golf is a game among programmers where contestants try to solve a given problem or challenge with as little code as possible (usually decided by measuring the program in bytes). In the comic's version, Reverse Code Golf, the object is to complete some mundane task in as many bytes as possible, hence the ridiculously long method and variable names.<br />
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Additionally, the first two functions defined implement “zero” and “successor”, the two basic operations of Peano arithmetic. Presumably, the programmer will next implement natural number addition, then integers, then whichever branches of mathematics the original problem needs, all from scratch.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
[ Program text in a black box ]<br />
:define callMeIshmaelSomeYearsAgoNeverMindHowLongPrecisely():<br />
::return 0<br />
:define havingLittleOrNoMoneyInMyPurseAndNothingParticular(toInterestMeOnShoreIThoughtIWouldSail):<br />
::return 1+toInterestMeOnShoreIThoughtIWouldSail<br />
:define aLittleAndSeeTheWateryPartOfTheWorld(<br />
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Caption under the black box: My hobby: Reverse Code Golf<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>162.158.78.118https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1890:_What_to_Bring&diff=145830Talk:1890: What to Bring2017-09-23T19:50:35Z<p>162.158.78.118: </p>
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Presumably water in a gun fight _might_ work if the guns involved are particularly old fashioned (e.g. see [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flintlock Flintlock]) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.55|162.158.154.55]] 06:35, 15 September 2017 (UTC) A flintlock style uses a metal 'frizzen' which hinges over the 'pan' into which the priming power is placed. This not only protects the powder from the weather (and a splash), but also keep the powder in the pan as the firearm is moved about. When the mechanism is fired, the flint comes striking down on the surface of the frizzen which both opens the cover and directs sparks into the pan. The type of firearm that might be made inactive with a splash of water is an older design called the matchlock which held a lit cord or match in a mechanism over the open pan. The gun is fired by allowing the match to fall into the pan and detonating the powder. <br />
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I see that bringing a lid to a knife or gun fight might serve as some sort of a shield? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.66|141.101.107.66]] 06:52, 15 September 2017 (UTC)<br />
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If your lid is big enough, you can extinguish a wood fire too [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.240|141.101.105.240]] 09:50, 15 September 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Is this Randall being political about the situation with North Korea? Maybe I'm reading too much into it, although the world would probably be a better place if more people (and countries) followed the tag text. [[User:Fluppeteer|Fluppeteer]] ([[User talk:Fluppeteer|talk]]) 10:29, 15 September 2017 (UTC)<br />
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But what if... you bring a wood fire... TO A KNIFE FIGHT?! Also, I'm not the only person thinking about BOTW's lowest-defense shield, am I? [[User:OriginalName|OriginalName]] ([[User talk:OriginalName|talk]]) 11:24, 15 September 2017 (UTC)<br />
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US Military personnel use "lid" as a euphemism for their uniform hat. I think that interpretation is represented in the drawing for "lid to a knife fight". [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.201|162.158.74.201]] 12:57, 15 September 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Using a gun to extinguish fire probably was influenced by this official tweet of a sheriff 5 days ago [https://mobile.twitter.com/pascosheriff/status/906712903868469249 "To clarify, DO NOT shoot weapons @ #Irma. You won't make it turn around & it will have very dangerous side effects"], which was necessary after stupid people started to try to fight the hurricane with guns. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.94|172.68.110.94]] 15:23, 15 September 2017 (UTC)<br />
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The sentence "which often come with lids suited to making an airtight seal" is inaccurate. Lids don't form an airtight seal, and airtightness is not necessary to extinguish a pan fire.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 23:58, 15 September 2017 (UTC)<br />
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The phrase "don't bring a knife to a gun fight" is not a statement of general naive lack of preparation, but is specifically used to advocate literal firearms as a means of defense over literal knives. The "gun fight" refers to encounters with armed criminals who, the phrase suggests, will still use their gun to your disadvantage whether or not you are capable of fighting back. It has been subverted occasionally as an implied threat (usually in drama rather than reality) when the situation is reversed, i.e. the criminal is armed with a knife and the would-be victim is armed with a gun. The violence implied by "a gun fight" tends to restrict more metaphorical use of the phrase. The title text seems to be based in the original meaning, with the implication that Randall expects a gun being used against an armed criminal to escalate violence.<br />
:Struggling to work out whether this comment is tongue in cheek, or for real.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.32|162.158.155.32]] 16:31, 18 September 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Hmmm... Since I don't see the humour in this comment if it was meant as a joke, and trolling is just pointless, I'm going to go ahead and treat it as a serious comment. No. Just no. A literal knife to a literal gun fight would be where the saying came from, but even then only as a metaphor or simile, as an issue easily understood. It should be obvious to anyone who knows how guns work that the gun would have an almost complete advantage. The saying actually means being on unequal footing in some conflict, where the person being warned is trying to attack or go against someone who is better prepared. The stereotypical jock trying to argue a point against the captain of the debate team (presumably the captain being the most experienced at making logical well-reasoned arguments, and as such would have no problem winning such an argument). A brand new private in the army challenging a multi-stipe sargeant to a fist fight (presumably anyone who has risen to the rank of sargeant and gained several stripes besides is quite experienced at fighting). A child challenging an Olympic medalist to a race (besides being an adult, presumably someone who has won a medal has tremendous ability at whatever kind of race this is). "Bringing a knife to a gunfight" is a common SAYING to describe such situations. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 04:01, 19 September 2017 (UTC)<br />
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Just noticed that the comic on xkcd got a little correction: The "Water to a knife fight" Cueball was missing an arm. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.202|162.158.202.202]] 23:12, 17 September 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Here's still the old image. Can anyone update it? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.202.52|162.158.202.52]] 21:59, 22 September 2017 (UTC)<br />
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The gun is the only thing with two uses, so it's ''obviously'' the most useful. [[User:1337357|1337357]] ([[User talk:1337357|talk]])<br />
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Is this a co-violence matrix?</div>162.158.78.118https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1644:_Stargazing&diff=1451661644: Stargazing2017-09-09T17:12:03Z<p>162.158.78.118: Changing pronouns to make sense.</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1644<br />
| date = February 17, 2016<br />
| title = Stargazing<br />
| image = stargazing.png<br />
| titletext = Some of you may be thinking, 'But wait, isn't the brightest star in our sky the Sun?' I think that's a great question and you should totally ask it. On the infinite tree of possible conversations spread out before us, I think that's definitely the most promising branch.<br />
}}n<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
This comic opens on a male host for a '''{{w|stargazing}}''' [[#Relevant TV-shows|TV show]], or simply a stargazing tour. He claims to be a doctor in {{w|astronomy}} though his remarks, however enthusiastic, may call this into question. (Although he is drawn like [[Megan]] it is a male television host according to the official transcript on xkcd – see the [[#Trivia|trivia section]]).<br />
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Throughout the comic the hosts tone and choice of words becomes increasingly unprofessional, referring to most of the stars as "shitty," personifying them based on different astronomical observations, and providing little useful information on the study of stars or how they work.<br />
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It seems that this is not an isolated issue as the television host mentions that people keep asking him whether or not he is a real astronomer.<br />
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Throughout the comic the television host continuously glosses over the arguably less exciting portions of a typical presentation on astronomy sharing only what he sees as "the good stuff." This penchant for only caring about something if it is interesting extends past astronomy as well as the host is too bored when reading the dictionary to look up the meaning of astronomer.<br />
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The comic derives much of its humor from the absurdity of the host's comments on various astronomical bodies. Although not technically incorrect, the way he presents the information is far from informative. (See details below on [[#The host's observations|the host's observations]]).<br />
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One of his observations regards the fact that {{w|Sirius}} is a {{w|binary star}}, a system where two stars orbit each other. So even though it is the brightest star as seen from Earth we only really see one of them, as the other is, to quote the host, "not even trying". Sirius A is "large" and "bright" {{w|main sequence}} white star, while Sirius B is a {{w|white dwarf}} with a little under half the mass, 0.49% the radius and only 0.22% the luminosity of Sirius A.<br />
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The {{w|Andromeda Galaxy|Andromeda}} is the largest galaxy in our {{w|Local Group}} it is 220,000 light years across and consists of a trillion stars. Humans have difficulty conceptualizing distances of this scale. Suffice to say that it is very large.<br />
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{{w|Betelgeuse}} is the 9th brightest star visible from earth. One of its prominent features is its visible redness and its size. Within the next million years it is expected to explode as a {{w|Supernova}}, which will certainly be a spectacular sight.<br />
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In the title text it is mentioned that the {{w|Sun}} is also a star and of course is much brighter than Sirius seen from Earth, and thus Sirius is technically not the brightest star in our sky (although it is in the night sky). The title text sarcastically encourages the audience to raise that obvious but irrelevant point (a standard joke when people mentions bright stars) instead of asking a more interesting, informative, or fruitful question, when there are so many to ask regarding astronomy.<br />
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The infinite tree and branches mentioned in the title text could be a reference to the {{w|Tree (set theory)|tree}} in {{w|set theory}}. Infinite tree theory and an infinite branch is mentioned on {{w|Tree_(set_theory)#Properties|the wiki page}}. Another reference may be to the {{w|many-worlds interpretation}} (one of many {{w|multiverse}} hypotheses). In lay terms, the hypothesis states there is a very large — perhaps infinite — number of universes, and everything that could possibly happen, but did not, happens in some other universe or universes. And of all the possible conversation topics regarding this awesome universe, the speaker chooses the discussion branch (in this universe) to be the one with a lame joke about the Sun being brighter than Sirius.<br />
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Alternatively, he might not be sarcastic, but applauding the joker for lateral thinking.<br />
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See also [[1371: Brightness]] and [[1342: Ancient Stars]]. Saying cool things about space to make people like you is mentioned in [[1746: Making Friends]].<br />
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===The host's observations===<br />
Here is a list of the host's observations:<br />
*Most {{w|Bright Star Catalogue|visible stars}} are still very faint, and just becomes background to the bright {{w|stars}} that form the named {{w|constellations}}.<br />
**The host correctly states that they are just dots. (This is also true for the bright stars, but at least they are clearly distinguishable).<br />
*{{w|Sirius}} is the {{w|Apparent magnitude|brightest}} star in our {{w|List of brightest stars|night sky}}. But it is not the brightest object in the night sky, as several of the planets, especially {{w|Venus}} and {{w|Jupiter}}, and of course the {{w|Moon}} are much brighter. It is also far from being one of the most {{w|Absolute magnitude|luminous star}} in the {{w|Milky Way}}, but its proximity to Earth makes it the brightest in the night sky. There are {{w|List_of_most_luminous_stars#Data|twenty visible stars}} that are more luminous than Sirius, {{w|List of most luminous stars|none of which}} come even close to being in the top 100 of the most luminous stars observed today.<br />
**The host thus names Sirius as the star in charge since it outshines all the others as seen from the {{w|Earth}}.<br />
*Sirius is actually a star system consisting of two stars as it is a {{w|binary star}} system. But where Sirius A is twice the size of the {{w|Sun}} and much brighter, then Sirius B is now just a dim {{w|white dwarf}}, the remains from a much larger star that became a {{w|red giant}} before shedding its outer layers and collapsing into its current state around 120 million years ago. So now Sirius A completely outshines Sirius B, which actually is now a dead star with no further fusion going on inside its core.<br />
**This is construed by the host as it is barely even trying, as it is now only radiating away the rest of the heat from the now exposed core.<br />
*{{w|Andromeda Galaxy|Andromeda}} is a {{w|spiral galaxy}}, like the Milky Way, and it is the largest galaxy in the {{w|Local Group}} where our own galaxy the Milky Way is the second largest. It is one of a few visible objects that are located outside the Milky Way. It is "only" 2.5 million light-years from the Sun and it is heading our way (or vice versa), and will {{w|Andromeda–Milky Way collision|collide with the Milky way}} in about 4 billion years (before the Sun goes into {{w|Sun#After_core_hydrogen_exhaustion|its red giant phase}}). Being 220,000 light years across and consisting of a trillion stars, it is somewhere between 1.2-2.2 times wider than the Milky Way and has 2.5-10 times as many stars. (The local group was also mentioned two comics ago, in [[1642: Gravitational Waves]], together with the much less well known third largest galaxy in the group the {{w|Triangulum Galaxy}}).<br />
**It is therefore true when the host says that it is too big to try to understand, and thinking about it will make your head spin, so he suggests we do not think about it.<br />
*{{w|Betelgeuse}} is a clearly visible (9th brightest) {{w|Red_supergiant|red supergiant}} {{w|Semiregular_variable_star|variable star}} located in the {{w|Orion (constellation)|constellation of Orion}}. It is one of the largest and most luminous observable stars (12th) and one of the few where it is clear that the light is not white. Most people can see that it is slightly red, whereas most other stars are so faint that they look white despite having different colors (when seeing Orion's two brightest stars, to remember which is which between Rigel and Betelgeuse, its diagonal opposite, just remember: Rigel is "R" like blue, and Betelgeuse is "B" like red). It is expected that Betelgeuse, being at a late stage of its {{w|Stellar_evolution|evolution}}, {{w|Betelgeuse#Approaching_supernova|will go supernova}} within the next million years as a {{w|type II supernova}}. The exact time when it will become a {{w|Supernova}} is so uncertain that it could [http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/betelgeuse-will-explode-someday#explode just as likely happen tomorrow] as in a million years. When it happens it will not be dangerous to anyone on Earth, but it will likely be visible even during the day, as it may even become as bright as the full Moon.<br />
**When it does go nova, it will be a fantastic spectacle for everyone, but especially for anyone who likes the ''good stuff'' in space like the host, who cannot wait for the star to explode. Clearly he hopes it will be in his lifetime, and, although this is unlikely, there is a small chance that it might just happen.<br />
*A {{w|meteor}} (also known as {{w|shooting star}}), is debris from space that rains down on Earth, and burns up in the atmosphere. This happens all the time, but you need to be either lucky, patient, or know the right time for one of the {{w|meteor showers}} to see one. Often they are visible for so short a time period, that it is difficult to share the experience with anyone, as it will be gone by the time they turn their head to look where you are pointing.<br />
**The host becomes very excited when he spots such a meteor, especially because it is likely that his audience got to share the experience with him, as they were already looking in the same direction as he. But still he asks if they saw it, because it is so short lived.<br />
*{{w|Outer space}} is the void that exists between {{w|Astronomical object|celestial bodies}}, including the Earth. There is by definition nothing there but {{w|vacuum}}, and the interesting part of space is thus not the space but the astronomical objects found out there.<br />
**The host says that ''space is cool'', which is a very un-astronomical comment, as explained above. Also his excitement for a simple shooting star is cause for the suspicion that is raised after his space comment.<br />
<br />
===Relevant TV-shows===<br />
The comic could be a reference to BBC's ''{{w|Stargazing Live}}'', which {{w|Brian Cox (physicist)|Brian Cox}} has appeared in since 2011. If drawn in xkcd style he would likely look like Megan. He has a PhD in high-energy {{w|particle physics}}, but not astronomy. The newest season of the show aired during January 2016 just a month before this comic's release. Brian Cox has also been the presenter of several other science programs, especially such as the ''{{w|Wonders of the Solar System}}'', ''{{w|Wonders of the Universe}}'' and ''{{w|Wonders of Life (TV series)|Wonders of Life}}''.<br />
<br />
It could also be a reference to {{w|Jack Horkheimer}}'s PBS shows ''Star Hustler'' and ''{{w|Star Gazers}}''. Horkheimer, however, does not at all look like Megan, and he died 6 years ago. But he was not a doctor in astronomy, only getting into it when he started volunteering at the Miami Museum of Science's planetarium. He ended up writing shows for the planetarium and the PBS series developed from there. He rarely covered facts about the night sky that couldn't be found in any basic reference (possibly because the show was aimed at children and non-astronomy buffs), although he did get more in-depth about current astronomical events such as {{W|Comet Hale–Bopp}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A thin panel where a male TV-host (with hair like Megan, but male according to official transcript), holding his hands up, is drawn in white on a black background. Behind him is an audience drawn in faint gray lines consisting of Hairy (to the left) and two Cueball-like guys and Ponytail (seen in a rare full face position) to the right of the host. One of the Cueball-like guys is partly hidden behind the host.]<br />
:Host: Welcome to stargazing, with your host, me.<br />
:Host: I'm a doctor or whatever.<br />
<br />
:[Same scene as before but in a broader panel, and the host is now holding only one hand up with a finger pointing up. The audience is the same four people, but now Hairy has moved further to the left in the panel to make room for Megan also to the left of the host.]<br />
:Host: I'm not gonna waste your time on the shitty stars.<br />
:Host: Just the good stuff.<br />
:Host: Honestly half of 'em just look like dots.<br />
<br />
:[A frame-less drawing with a zoom out showing the group of six people in black silhouette on a white background. Part of the ground beneath them is shown as a black pool. The host is pointing up with one hand. The people have been rearranged, so left of the host is now a Cueball-like guy and Megan, and to the right is the other Cueball-like guy, then Ponytail (seen from the side as usual) and Hairy. All are looking up following the host's directions.]<br />
:Host: This is Sirius. It's the brightest star in our sky so it's in charge.<br />
:Host: It's really two stars but one of them is barely even trying.<br />
:Host: This is Andromeda, it's too big to think about, so let's not.<br />
<br />
:[Zoom in of the host's upper body, again drawn in white on a black background. He is looking right gesturing with one arm raised, and the other still pointing up with a finger stretched out. His audience is no longer shown.]<br />
:Host: That red stars is Betelgeuse. It's gonna explode someday.<br />
:Host: Can't happen soon enough, as far as I'm concerned. I-<br />
:Host: ''Holy shit did you see that meteor!?!''<br />
:Host: Space is ''awesome!''<br />
<br />
:[Same scene as the previous panel, but the host has turned towards left looking at someone in the audience (not shown) who speaks off-screen. He has taken both his hands down for the first time.]<br />
:Off-screen voice: Are you ''sure'' you're an astronomer?<br />
:Host: People keep asking that, so I finally tried to look that word up in a dictionary, and ''wow'' is that book ever boring. No thank you.<br />
:Off-screen voice: But-<br />
:Host: ''Space!''<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Randall changed the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/4/48/20160221022727!stargazing.png original] posted version of the comic.<br />
**The only thing that changed was in the third panel where '''''That's''' Andromeda'' was changed to the current version: '''''This is''' Andromeda''<br />
*From the official transcript it is clear that it is a male television host, and thus definitely not Megan. <br />
**The official transcript seems to have been messed up on xkcd at the time being.<br />
***The [http://xkcd.com/1644/info.0.json transcript for 1644] is thus at the moment a mix of that comics main info (top and bottom) which results in the correct title and title text, but the entire description in this transcript is describing the comic from two releases before no. [[1642]].<br />
***This seems to be a general problem for recent comics... <br />
***Thus the description of this comic, was first released when comic no. [[1646]] came out (today when this was written).<br />
***This probably will be corrected later? But at this moment the official transcript for 1644 can be found together with the [http://xkcd.com/1646/info.0.json data for comic 1646].<br />
**The transcript is included here below due to the issues with xkcd's transcript at the current time (correcting a typo with a missing "s" in "stuff" and formatting to look like our normal transcripts):<br />
::[A television host in the foreground, speaking toward the reader. A group of other people are in the background behind them.]<br />
::Host: Welcome to Stargazing, with your host, me. I'm a doctor or whatever.<br />
::[He continues to talk.]]<br />
::Host: I'm not gonna waste your time on the shitty stars. Just the good stuff. Honestly half of 'em just look like dots.<br />
::[Normal color panel - black on white. A shot from far away of the host standing in the center of the group of people watching him, he points to the sky.]<br />
::Host: This is Sirius. It's the brightest star in our sky so it's in charge. It's really two stars, but one of them is barely even trying. This is Andromeda. It's too big to think about, so let's not.<br />
::[Inverse color panel. Close-up on the host gesturing toward the sky behind him.]<br />
::Host: That red star is Betelgeuse. It's gonna explode someday. Can't happen soon enough, as far as I'm concerned. I-- ''HOLY SHIT DID YOU SEE THAT METEOR?!?!'' Space is ''awesome''!<br />
::[The host speaks to someone out of panel.]<br />
::Other: Are you ''sure'' you're an astronomer?<br />
::Host: People keep asking that, so I finally tried to look that word up in a dictionary, and ''wow'' is that book ever boring. No ''thank'' you.<br />
::Other: But--<br />
::Host: ''SPACE!''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] <!-- Although the host is not Megan, she is still in the comic, as one of the audience in the 2nd frame! --><br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>162.158.78.118https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1811:_Best-Tasting_Colors&diff=137318Talk:1811: Best-Tasting Colors2017-03-15T16:29:10Z<p>162.158.78.118: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~--><br />
<br />
This is obviously wrong because white chocolate is not [[378|real]] chocolate. Let the flamewar begin. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.34|172.68.54.34]] 15:22, 15 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Purple skittles in France taste like blueberry.{{unsigned ip|141.101.69.105}}<br />
<br />
Vanilla isn't white.{{unsigned ip|172.68.58.131}}<br />
<br />
What are all of the question marks here for? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.251|108.162.246.251]] 15:51, 15 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think those question marks at the top are supposed to be bubble gum.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.10|108.162.245.10]] 16:03, 15 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I suspect this is Randall's take on Fake News™, since it contains verifiably false claims such as coffee and liquorice being bad, and candy floss being better than watermelon<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.66|141.101.107.66]] 16:12, 15 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"In the title text, Randall asserts that his rankings of colors and foods are indisputable (with the exception of chocolate). This is of course ridiculous, as everyone knows that watermelon and strawberry are inherently superior to the likes of Citrus Fruits."...but his rankings of strawberry and of watermelon (x2) are higher than for oranges, lemons, and limes. There is no contradiction here; nothing that is ridiculous. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.118|162.158.78.118]] 16:29, 15 March 2017 (UTC)</div>162.158.78.118https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1811:_Best-Tasting_Colors&diff=137317Talk:1811: Best-Tasting Colors2017-03-15T16:28:27Z<p>162.158.78.118: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~--><br />
<br />
This is obviously wrong because white chocolate is not [[378|real]] chocolate. Let the flamewar begin. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.54.34|172.68.54.34]] 15:22, 15 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Purple skittles in France taste like blueberry.{{unsigned ip|141.101.69.105}}<br />
<br />
Vanilla isn't white.{{unsigned ip|172.68.58.131}}<br />
<br />
What are all of the question marks here for? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.251|108.162.246.251]] 15:51, 15 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think those question marks at the top are supposed to be bubble gum.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.10|108.162.245.10]] 16:03, 15 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I suspect this is Randall's take on Fake News™, since it contains verifiably false claims such as coffee and liquorice being bad, and candy floss being better than watermelon<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.66|141.101.107.66]] 16:12, 15 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"In the title text, Randall asserts that his rankings of colors and foods are indisputable (with the exception of chocolate). This is of course ridiculous, as everyone knows that watermelon and strawberry are inherently superior to the likes of Citrus Fruits."...but his rankings of strawberry and of watermelon (x2) are higher than for oranges, lemons, and limes. There is no contradiction here; nothing that is ridiculous.</div>162.158.78.118https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1790:_Sad&diff=1342051790: Sad2017-01-25T23:25:38Z<p>162.158.78.118: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1790<br />
| date = January 25, 2017<br />
| title = Sad<br />
| image = sad.png<br />
| titletext = With the right 90-degree rotation, any effect is a side effect.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
The comic is about [[Cueball]] confronting [[Ponytail]] about her recent behavior and emotional state. It seems possible [[Randall]] is venting anger following the {{w|United States presidential election, 2016}}, although it is not mentioned.<br />
<br />
Ponytail seems unwilling to acknowledge that anything she is doing is wrong, offering absurd justifications for her behavior.<br />
<br />
Ponytail has retreated to video games for solace and to the point that her real life projects are suffering. <br />
''{{w|Stardew Valley}}'' is a video game in which a player creates and manages a virtual farm.<br />
<br />
Cueball's comment about not being able to hide from everything is a common one for insecure people or for those trying to run away from their problems.<br />
Ponytail's reply is in the form of a {{w|PolitiFact.com|PolitiFact}} reply, claiming (possibly quite truly) that such assertions are ''mostly false'', one of the six options but it is far from being the worst, acknowledging that you can't hide from everything, just mostly. See more about this in the comic [[1712: Politifact]].<br />
<br />
{{w|Comment (computer programming)|Comments}} are something a programmer adds to their code such to make a note for themselves or others, typically to explain a complicated piece of logic or explaining external dependencies of a piece of code. <br /><br />
Instead, Ponytail has been writing unrelated notes filled with obscenities. Ponytail's reply is one of typical advice given to amateur fiction and non-fiction writers, that to "write what you know.", implying that all Ponytail knows right now is obscenities.<br />
<br />
{{w|Subroutine|Function}}s are pieces of code which developers create to avoid repetition and make the code clearer (such as "calculate distance between points" or "process values"). A function which does nothing is almost useless (Sometimes programmers leave functions empty, when they create the skeleton of a program, then they usually fill them up later).<br /><br />
Ponytail replies that she is trying to avoid {{w|Side effect (computer science)|side effects}} (i.e. unexpected, unintended, and typically unwanted effects upon calling a piece of code), in line with a {{w|functional programming}} paradigm. <br /><br />
When Cueball points out that she has avoided all effects, Ponytail quotes the "Aliens" movie, replying that it's the "only way to be sure.".<br />
<br />
The title text is a pun, interpreting the phrase "side effect" literally. <br /><br />
If you turn an object 90 degrees you will place it on its side, so thus making it a effect of putting something on its side, or a "side effect." <br /><br />
You can also turn 90 degrees, facing what was previously your side.<br />
<br />
Ponytail's despondence is likely in response to {{w|Donald Trump}}'s inauguration as 45th president of the United States on January 20, 2017. The title "Sad" is a common interjection in Trump's tweets. The time-frame of "the past few months" from the first panel is consistent with this, as the election was on November 8, 2016, and the comic was posted on January 25, 2017. The reference to fact-checking in the second panel is also reminiscent of the election and post-election coverage. The comic is also the second one posted following the inauguration of President Trump.<br />
<br />
Not since [[Randall|Randall's]] wife's [[:Category:Cancer|cancer diagnosis]] has there been so many sad/negative or depressing comics. This is the fourth since the election. The New Year comic was the first time that such a comic had such a depressive mood. But these two comics thus just followed the trend of the other two negative comics released after Trump's victory, the first being [[1761: Blame]] and the second being [[1773: Negativity]], which both refer to the negativity on the internet spawned by Trump's election (among other things). In the first of these sad comics Cueball actually begins by stating that he is sad! Hopefully Randall is not spiralling into a depression as many others have due to Trump's election.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is looking at Ponytail on a computer.]<br />
:Cueball: How are you doing?<br />
:Ponytail: Hah.<br />
:Cueball: You seem distant lately. For the past few months.<br />
:Ponytail: Can't ''imagine'' why.<br />
:Cueball (offscreen): Your projects have stagnated.<br />
:Ponytail: But my Stardew Valley farm is doing ''great''. <br />
:Cueball (offscreen): You can't just hide from everything. <br />
:Ponytail: ''FACT CHECK'': Mostly false.<br />
:Cueball: I'm glad you're including more comments in your code, but it would be nice if they were comments ''about'' your code. Or at least a bit less obscenity-filled.<br />
:Ponytail: They say to write what you know.<br />
:[Cueball leans forward]<br />
:Cueball: All the functions you've written take everything passed to them and return it unchanged with the comment "No, ''YOU'' deal with this."<br />
:Ponytail: It's a functional programming thing. Avoiding side effects.<br />
:Cueball: You avoid ''all'' effects. <br />
:Ponytail: Only way to be sure.<br />
<!--Do NOT include title text.--><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]<br />
[[Category:Video Games]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Sarcasm]]</div>162.158.78.118