https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=172.68.211.28&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T09:22:42ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2275:_Coronavirus_Name&diff=188140Talk:2275: Coronavirus Name2020-03-05T02:28:26Z<p>172.68.211.28: nope</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 />
Covid-19 is more dangerous than the flu and has already killed more people. And any death rate that starts with 0.00 and then has a number other than zero can only be called "basically zero" if you value human life very little. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.94.132|162.158.94.132]] 21:49, 2 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
:addendum: this seems to depend on what source you use for the chinese yearly flu death rate. number of deaths is either much higher or somewhat lower.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.123|162.158.91.123]] 21:53, 2 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
:It's Trump taking point that the coronavirus is a hoax and no worse than the flu. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.213|162.158.74.213]] 22:14, 2 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
:At the very least, the fact the virus has over 90,000 confirmed cases makes it a significant disease. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.246|172.69.34.246]] 22:28, 2 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
:It doesn't seem like the point of the comic is to comment on the severity of the virus. Seems more on-topic to say things that are objectively true, like "Many people are concerned about the virus" rather than discussing disputed stats.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.132|162.158.106.132]] 22:58, 2 March 2020 (UTC) Patb<br />
::I agree, and suggest we remove the line with stats entirely. It isn't relevant to the comic, and having it refer to "current estimates" means someone will have to keep updating it when new estimates are made. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.57|172.69.54.57]] 08:17, 3 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
:::A running total here wouldn't be necessary, there is at least one web site especially for that (or a page for Covid-19 on a general disease outbreak tracking site). To me it looks like this virus is about equally dangerous as flu, except that this virus is only in about 70 countries and counting, so if it isn't in yours yet (as far as you know) then you are not yet in danger (as far as you know). Also, flu kills a lot of people, numerically, every year, and if this virus kills an equal number of people, every year, there are twice as many people dead, total. (ish) So it's worth trying to stop this virus from existing, while we might still do that. Robert Carnegie rja.carnegie@gmail.com [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.76|162.158.159.76]] 13:40, 3 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
::Let's inject a little sanity here: Trump's "talking point" about it being no on par with the flu is, for once, correct. Most people who are infected have mild symptoms, or none at all. In fact, that's how it's suddenly turned out that the spread is so much greater than previously reported: Because most people never even know they have it. Given this, the mortality rate is a tiny fraction of what was previously reported, perhaps 0.3% instead of 3%. And it was only ostensibly 3% in a primitive region where some people still have dirt floors, and almost nobody is willing to deal with their socialized health care system except in an emergency. Therefore most of the infected were not showing up for treatment, only those in serious trouble. In fact, the vast majority of those who have died are elderly or immunocompromised, ''exactly'' the same group who are killed in the tens of thousands each year by the flu, in the US. So no, this has been a tempest in a teapot, stirred up by the unscientific CDC in order to pad their budget, the way they do periodically with a new fake pandemic threat. SARS, West Nile, bird flu, h1n1, and ebola...no competent epidemiologist would ever seriously have expected those to become a threat in the US, or anywhere else outside of primitive regions. But the CDC has continued to redouble their unearned budget on this fraudulent fearmongering. As I learned when consulting for such ilk in DC, "Fear Equals Funding". Oh, and no, 90,000 cases only make it a "significant disease" in the way that another coronavirus, the common cold, is significant. It's not significantly dangerous. In fact, it really is just a strong kind of common cold. « [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 21:32, 3 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
:::While it doesn't seem to be more lethal than flu (or in general having more severe symptoms), either it's more contagious or the fact it's contagious for weeks before symptoms makes it spread easier. In this sense it's more serious threat - imagine for example if ALL employees of nuclear power plant would be infected leaving noone capable of caring of the reactor. That said, it seems that panic is currently more dangerous than the virus itself. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:14, 3 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
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:The 2% death rate in the explantion is outdated. [https://news.sina.cn/zt_d/yiqing0121 Here (in Chinese)] is the compiled data for all China. As of March 3rd, the death rate calculated by (death toll)/(confirmed infected patients) is 3.7% for all China and 4.6% for Wuhan city (the epicenter). The number for Wuhan is likely to grow in the following days, too. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.190.86|162.158.190.86]] 20:11, 3 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
::The mortality rate in China is only relevant if one lives in an area with a primitive socialized health care system. As with SARS, it won't turn out to have a significant death rate among people infected in the US who are not elderly or immunocompromised. Perhaps, in fact, a zero death rate outside of that high risk group. « [[User:Kazvorpal|Kazvorpal]] ([[User talk:Kazvorpal|talk]]) 21:32, 3 March 2020 (UTC) @kazvorpal your comment is inappropriate for several reasons, including "primitive" and deprecating socialized medicine. Since there've already been deaths among the small group of known cases in the USA, it's way too early to calculate mortality rates here. [[User:Cellocgw|Cellocgw]] ([[User talk:Cellocgw|talk]]) 16:24, 4 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
::Though you're right in that there ''is'' sophistication in the system (potentially), while the US famously has a situation so broken that "almost nobody is willing to deal with their '''non-'''socialized health care system except in an emergency" either. I think if the meaning was "a health system which is primitively socialised(/ist)" I could accept the utterer's original intent, though I don't actually know enough about the the practicalities of the Chinese system to know how it actually transpires in individual off-the-street transactions. I live within the somewhat social UK one, and directly see its problems, but I've been done well by it myself despite it being notably sabotaged by various politicians on the scene by forcing some changes or refusing to implement others. I haven't myself experienced the strange US one, even during my visits there, but I've had such info as a live online chat (early 1990s, via IRC, for reference) with someone who daren't go to a doctor/A&E for a clearly in-progress medical issue - if it wasn't even a real thing (as cynics might suggest may have happened in the text-only pre-Eternal September entirely pseudonymical medium) it must have had a grounding on experience and yet it totally blew my mind that something that would cost a few GBP (in medical supplies) and literally a few minutes of a doctor's time (underpaid, arguably) could instead potentially end up as billed for USDthousands either directly or as private insurance overheads. Still, this is an old (and perpetual) politically-biased discussion that has had few actual new arguments added to any side for years, and will doubtless rumble on as long as it can - I think we should all realise that all the systems are bad, we just fundementally disagree about which particular ones are least bad. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.148|141.101.98.148]] 19:53, 4 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
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If the Godzilla movies have taught me anything, it's that giant insects aren't a problem biologists can solve anyways. That's more of a "nuclear paleontology" sort of job. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 01:43, 3 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
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It is legitimately difficult to tell if Ponytail's use of the word 'catchy' as a descriptor for 'coronavirus' is an intentional or unintentional pun. Either way, it's very opportune. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.239|108.162.221.239]] 03:55, 3 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
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The current chapter of Wilde Life (a totally unrelated webcomic) as a giant spider interacting with two of the main characters, starting [https://www.wildelifecomic.com/comic/710/ here]. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 05:05, 3 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
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I think they missed a trick with the naming. CORVID-19 would have reminded everyone of H5N1 'bird flu', and we could just blame the crows. Kill a magpie to avoid infection!<br />
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.253|162.158.158.253]] 10:53, 3 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
:What? How is CORVID-19 supposed to remind anyone of H5N1 or bird flu? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 13:20, 3 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
::Corvidae is the family including crows, ravens, jays, magpies; so, CORVID~=bird. Not sure how many people would make that connection, but I think that's what the previous poster was getting at.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.187.91|162.158.187.91]] 13:13, 4 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
:I think "SARS-CoV-2: Electric Boogaloo" has a nice ring to it although a little wordy for everyday use. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.238.116|198.41.238.116]] 08:16, 4 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
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Yeah really dodged a bullet on those rhinoviri. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.44|172.69.22.44]] 11:36, 3 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
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Is it relevant to mention that some spiders grow larger in cities? https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0105480 <br />
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:39, 3 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
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I'm not really wanting to catch COVID-19. I'm holding out for COVID-19b, which is going to be better beta-tested. (But by the time COVID-19c comes out, it's just going to be a bandwagon of planned obsolescence by then - I'd rather stick with what I've got until the next significent release version and keep a close eye on the advanced reviews and what other vendors are innovating.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.46|162.158.34.46]] 16:15, 3 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
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This is only 3 years too early to be a reference to the spiders in Colorado https://xkcd.com/1688/ especially with Megan holding bio-hazardous material. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.33|162.158.62.33]]<br />
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Assorted catchier names: a)Corona-chan (works for every disease with a girl name, Ebola, Zika, Lassa, Malaria, Cholera, Yersinia...Ask 4chan), b) My Corona (OK, a bit 1970-ish), c) Coronjob (for conspiracy buffs). (Personally, I'm less afraid of getting infected than getting, showing no symptoms as always and killing half of my environment...) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.9|172.69.54.9]] 09:36, 4 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
:Yeah, "My Corona" got largely superceded by the fad for "e-Corona", except for some niches, and then along came "iCorona" and changed everything. Though there was also the short-lived Corona Millenium Edition. (It didn't stay bad. Corona XP became the highpoint. And if you did't like that, you might as well just go back to Corona Bob.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.43|162.158.154.43]] 16:59, 4 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
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I think that it's worth noting that this comic came out the day after the American Super Tuesday primaries.--[[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.64|172.69.71.64]] 15:42, 4 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
:But it didn't. This comic came out the day ''before'' the primaries, and is completely unrelated to them. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.211.28|172.68.211.28]] 02:28, 5 March 2020 (UTC)<br />
Shoulda called it Coronavirus-2019.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.210|162.158.34.210]] 22:51, 4 March 2020 (UTC)</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2275:_Coronavirus_Name&diff=1881392275: Coronavirus Name2020-03-05T02:26:25Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ absurdity</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2275<br />
| date = March 2, 2020<br />
| title = Coronavirus Name<br />
| image = coronavirus_name.png<br />
| titletext = It's important to keep the spider from touching your face.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a MUTANT T. ANNEXA WOLF SPIDER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This is [[Randall|Randall's]] take on the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak}}. As of the publication date (March 2, 2020), the outbreak has infected more than 90,000 people, and has caused more than 3000 deaths. <br />
<br />
The disease caused by the virus was officially named {{w|Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19}} on 11 February 2020, as "{{w|coronavirus}}" is a category of viruses named for their appearance, which is similar to a halo or crown, and includes the common cold. However, the virus itself is not called COVID-19, but is called {{w|severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2}} (SARS-CoV-2). So calling the virus or disease "coronavirus" is like calling a specific strain of flu ''The Influenza virus''. However, with extensive media coverage, the name "Coronavirus" has become associated with COVID-19, making it difficult to discuss other types of coronavirus later on.<br />
<br />
As of March 2, 2020, COVID-19 in China has a 20% hospitalization rate and a 2% death rate by current estimates, compared to a [https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-myths.html typical rate of around 0.1% for the flu in the US].<br />
<br />
In this comic, researchers [[Ponytail]], [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are discussing that it is by now too late to try calling the disease its official name COVID-19, as the name coronavirus has stuck. [[Cueball]] reacts with dismay, since there are many other types of coronaviruses. <br />
<br />
The comic becomes absurd when Ponytail compares the coronavirus naming to a giant "car eating spider" living on top of the skyscrapers of the town, which is also just called "The Spider" even though it is technically a mutated ''{{w|Tigrosa annexa}}'' {{w|wolf spider}}. Everyone knows what you mean when you say "Coronavirus", as they do when you mention "The Spider".<br />
<br />
[[Megan]] then asks if they should not also do something about the spider, but Ponytail and Cueball agree that they can only tackle one problem at a time, and coronavirus takes up all their time. Only thing is that Ponytail now takes another commute, probably to avoid getting her car eaten.<br />
<br />
On a more serious note, the comic may also reference the fact that that there are many other problems in the world (both spider and non-spider related {{Citation needed}}) that kill many more people and cause more problems. So this draws a humorous comparison to the fact that we seem to have forgotten about all the wars, etc and focus just on the virus.<br />
<br />
The title text references the health advice that people avoid touching their face with unwashed hands, in order to prevent infections that they picked up by touching things from entering their mucous membranes. (It's a lot easier for an infection to enter the body through the inside of your nose than your hands.) It is likewise quite important to keep the giant spider from touching your face, but for the dissimilar reason that it might bite and eat you.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan is carrying a box with biohazard symbols on it towards a desk where Ponytail (wearing safety glasses) is working on a laptop, across from Cueball (also wearing safety glasses) who is putting a test tube into a centrifuge. There's also a flask on the desk.]<br />
:Ponytail: Feels like we missed the window for the "COVID-19" renaming. "Coronavirus" is just too catchy.<br />
:Cueball: But it's not specific! There are a lot of coronaviruses.<br />
<br />
:[In a frameless panel, Ponytail (still wearing safety glasses) is pointing at a screen or picture showing a modern city skyline with a large spider crawling across three of the high-rise buildings.]<br />
:Ponytail: I think it's fine. It's like, you know the giant spider downtown that sits on the buildings and sometimes eats cars? I think ''technically'' it's a mutant ''T. annexa'' wolf spider, but everyone is just calling it "the spider" and we all know what they mean.<br />
<br />
:[Back to the setting from the first panel. Megan is standing and Ponytail had turned towards her and Cueball has stepped back from the machine.]<br />
:Megan: I've been meaning to ask, what's '''''with''''' that spider? Should we...do something?<br />
:Ponytail: Honestly I've been too busy with the virus stuff to look into it-I just changed my commute to avoid Main St.<br />
:Cueball: Yeah, that's fair. One thing at a time.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Science]]<br />
[[Category:Spiders]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2275:_Coronavirus_Name&diff=1881382275: Coronavirus Name2020-03-05T02:25:36Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2275<br />
| date = March 2, 2020<br />
| title = Coronavirus Name<br />
| image = coronavirus_name.png<br />
| titletext = It's important to keep the spider from touching your face.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a MUTANT T. ANNEXA WOLF SPIDER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This is [[Randall|Randall's]] take on the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak}}. As of the publication date (March 2, 2020), the outbreak has infected more than 90,000 people, and has caused more than 3000 deaths. <br />
<br />
The disease caused by the virus was officially named {{w|Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19}} on 11 February 2020, as "{{w|coronavirus}}" is a category of viruses named for their appearance, which is similar to a halo or crown, and includes the common cold. However, the virus itself is not called COVID-19, but is called {{w|severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2}} (SARS-CoV-2). So calling the virus or disease "coronavirus" is like calling a specific strain of flu ''The Influenza virus''. However, with extensive media coverage, the name "Coronavirus" has become associated with COVID-19, making it difficult to discuss other types of coronavirus later on.<br />
<br />
As of March 2, 2020, COVID-19 in China has a 20% hospitalization rate and a 2% death rate by current estimates, compared to a [https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-myths.html typical rate of around 0.1% for the flu in the US].<br />
<br />
In this comic, researchers [[Ponytail]], [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] are discussing that it is by now too late to try calling the disease its official name COVID-19, as the name coronavirus has stuck. [[Cueball]] reacts with dismay, since there are many other types of coronaviruses. <br />
<br />
The comic extends into other spaces of meaning when Ponytail compares the coronavirus naming to a giant "car eating spider" living on top of the skyscrapers of the town, which is also just called "The Spider" even though it is technically a mutated ''{{w|Tigrosa annexa}}'' {{w|wolf spider}}. Everyone knows what you mean when you say "Coronavirus", as they do when you mention "The Spider".<br />
<br />
[[Megan]] then asks if they should not also do something about the spider, but Ponytail and Cueball agree that they can only tackle one problem at a time, and coronavirus takes up all their time. Only thing is that Ponytail now takes another commute, probably to avoid getting her car eaten.<br />
<br />
On a more serious note, the comic may also reference the fact that that there are many other problems in the world (both spider and non-spider related {{Citation needed}}) that kill many more people and cause more problems. So this draws a humorous comparison to the fact that we seem to have forgotten about all the wars, etc and focus just on the virus.<br />
<br />
The title text references the health advice that people avoid touching their face with unwashed hands, in order to prevent infections that they picked up by touching things from entering their mucous membranes. (It's a lot easier for an infection to enter the body through the inside of your nose than your hands.) It is likewise quite important to keep the giant spider from touching your face, but for the dissimilar reason that it might bite and eat you.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan is carrying a box with biohazard symbols on it towards a desk where Ponytail (wearing safety glasses) is working on a laptop, across from Cueball (also wearing safety glasses) who is putting a test tube into a centrifuge. There's also a flask on the desk.]<br />
:Ponytail: Feels like we missed the window for the "COVID-19" renaming. "Coronavirus" is just too catchy.<br />
:Cueball: But it's not specific! There are a lot of coronaviruses.<br />
<br />
:[In a frameless panel, Ponytail (still wearing safety glasses) is pointing at a screen or picture showing a modern city skyline with a large spider crawling across three of the high-rise buildings.]<br />
:Ponytail: I think it's fine. It's like, you know the giant spider downtown that sits on the buildings and sometimes eats cars? I think ''technically'' it's a mutant ''T. annexa'' wolf spider, but everyone is just calling it "the spider" and we all know what they mean.<br />
<br />
:[Back to the setting from the first panel. Megan is standing and Ponytail had turned towards her and Cueball has stepped back from the machine.]<br />
:Megan: I've been meaning to ask, what's '''''with''''' that spider? Should we...do something?<br />
:Ponytail: Honestly I've been too busy with the virus stuff to look into it-I just changed my commute to avoid Main St.<br />
:Cueball: Yeah, that's fair. One thing at a time.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Science]]<br />
[[Category:Spiders]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2276:_Self-Isolate&diff=1881372276: Self-Isolate2020-03-05T02:25:02Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2276<br />
| date = March 4, 2020<br />
| title = Self-Isolate<br />
| image = self_isolate.png<br />
| titletext = Turns out I've been "practicing social distancing" for years without even realizing it was a thing!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a SELF-ISOLATED BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Continuing the theme from [[2275: Coronavirus Name|the previous comic]] about the coronavirus outbreak, in this comic, [[Cueball]] is watching television and hears a claim that people may need to "self-isolate." This refers to the practice of {{w|quarantining}} potential carriers or infected individuals, to keep the virus from spreading. If the outbreak grows more severe, going out in large crowds could also be discouraged, to avoid being infected by those around you.<br />
<br />
The joke here is that Cueball is introverted and "isolates" himself constantly, and finds this as something to be proud of.<br />
<br />
The comic image is a link to [https://web.archive.org/web/20200305015204/https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1235319133585248259 one tweet] in a thread of tweets about the coronavirus by [https://twitter.com/kakape @kakape], a science journalist according to their Twitter bio, which says "Social distancing may mean staying further apart from each other physically in coming weeks. We should compensate by caring even more about each other than usually, because we are, of course, all in this together." ([https://web.archive.org/web/20200305015137/https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1235312559324114951 beginning of thread]). This is a cautionary tweet telling everyone not to overreact to the virus, which could cause more harm than necessary.<br />
<br />
In the title text, Cueball continues to be proud of his introversion, claiming that he has been "practicing social distancing" for much of his life.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Cueball sits in an armchair watching television.]<br />
:Voice from television: Experts are saying people may need to "self-isolate" to combat the virus.<br />
<br />
:[A beat panel with Cueball continuing to sit in the armchair.]<br />
<br />
:[Zoomed in on Cueball continuing to sit in the armchair.]<br />
:Cueball: ... I've been practicing for this moment my whole life.<br />
:Off-panel voice: I don't think that's &mdash;<br />
:Cueball: ''Quick, make plans and watch how fast I cancel!''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Social interactions]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2276:_Self-Isolate&diff=1881362276: Self-Isolate2020-03-05T02:23:05Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ more</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2276<br />
| date = March 4, 2020<br />
| title = Self-Isolate<br />
| image = self_isolate.png<br />
| titletext = Turns out I've been "practicing social distancing" for years without even realizing it was a thing!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a SELF-ISOLATED BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Continuing the theme from [[2275: Coronavirus Name|the previous comic]] about the coronavirus outbreak, in this comic, [[Cueball]] is watching television and hears a claim that people may need to "self-isolate." This refers to the practice of {{w|quarantining}} potential carriers or infected individuals, to keep the virus from spreading.<br />
<br />
The joke here is that Cueball is introverted and "isolates" himself constantly, and finds this as something to be proud of.<br />
<br />
The comic image is a link to [https://web.archive.org/web/20200305015204/https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1235319133585248259 one tweet] in a thread of tweets about the coronavirus by [https://twitter.com/kakape @kakape], a science journalist according to their Twitter bio, which says "Social distancing may mean staying further apart from each other physically in coming weeks. We should compensate by caring even more about each other than usually, because we are, of course, all in this together." ([https://web.archive.org/web/20200305015137/https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1235312559324114951 beginning of thread]). This is a cautionary tweet telling everyone not to overreact to the virus, which could cause more harm than necessary.<br />
<br />
In the title text, Cueball continues to be proud of his introversion, claiming that he has been "practicing social distancing" for much of his life.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Cueball sits in an armchair watching television.]<br />
:Voice from television: Experts are saying people may need to "self-isolate" to combat the virus.<br />
<br />
:[A beat panel with Cueball continuing to sit in the armchair.]<br />
<br />
:[Zoomed in on Cueball continuing to sit in the armchair.]<br />
:Cueball: ... I've been practicing for this moment my whole life.<br />
:Off-panel voice: I don't think that's &mdash;<br />
:Cueball: ''Quick, make plans and watch how fast I cancel!''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Social interactions]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2276:_Self-Isolate&diff=1881352276: Self-Isolate2020-03-05T02:16:16Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Transcript */ add categories</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2276<br />
| date = March 4, 2020<br />
| title = Self-Isolate<br />
| image = self_isolate.png<br />
| titletext = Turns out I've been "practicing social distancing" for years without even realizing it was a thing!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a SELF-ISOLATED BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The joke here being that Cueball is introverted and isolates himself constantly, and finds this as something to be proud of when people are warned to "self-isolate" to contain the Coronavirus.<br />
<br />
The comic image is a link to one tweet in a thread of tweets about the coronavirus by [https://twitter.com/kakape @kakape], a science journalist according to their Twitter information, saying [https://web.archive.org/web/20200305015204/https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1235319133585248259 "Social distancing may mean staying further apart from each other physically in coming weeks. We should compensate by caring even more about each other than usually, because we are, of course, all in this together."] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20200305015137/https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1235312559324114951 beginning of thread]). This is a cautionary tweet telling everyone not to overreact to the virus, which could cause more harm than necessary.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Cueball sits in an armchair watching television.]<br />
:Voice from television: Experts are saying people may need to "self-isolate" to combat the virus.<br />
<br />
:[A beat panel with Cueball continuing to sit in the armchair.]<br />
<br />
:[Zoomed in on Cueball continuing to sit in the armchair.]<br />
:Cueball: ... I've been practicing for this moment my whole life.<br />
:Off-panel voice: I don't think that's &mdash;<br />
:Cueball: ''Quick, make plans and watch how fast I cancel!''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Social interactions]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2276:_Self-Isolate&diff=1881342276: Self-Isolate2020-03-05T02:14:55Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2276<br />
| date = March 4, 2020<br />
| title = Self-Isolate<br />
| image = self_isolate.png<br />
| titletext = Turns out I've been "practicing social distancing" for years without even realizing it was a thing!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a SELF-ISOLATED BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The joke here being that Cueball is introverted and isolates himself constantly, and finds this as something to be proud of when people are warned to "self-isolate" to contain the Coronavirus.<br />
<br />
The comic image is a link to one tweet in a thread of tweets about the coronavirus by [https://twitter.com/kakape @kakape], a science journalist according to their Twitter information, saying [https://web.archive.org/web/20200305015204/https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1235319133585248259 "Social distancing may mean staying further apart from each other physically in coming weeks. We should compensate by caring even more about each other than usually, because we are, of course, all in this together."] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20200305015137/https://twitter.com/kakape/status/1235312559324114951 beginning of thread]). This is a cautionary tweet telling everyone not to overreact to the virus, which could cause more harm than necessary.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Cueball sits in an armchair watching television.]<br />
:Voice from television: Experts are saying people may need to "self-isolate" to combat the virus.<br />
<br />
:[A beat panel with Cueball continuing to sit in the armchair.]<br />
<br />
:[Zoomed in on Cueball continuing to sit in the armchair.]<br />
:Cueball: ... I've been practicing for this moment my whole life.<br />
:Off-panel voice: I don't think that's &mdash;<br />
:Cueball: ''Quick, make plans and watch how fast I cancel!''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2274:_Stargazing_3&diff=1879522274: Stargazing 32020-03-01T23:37:37Z<p>172.68.211.28: added explanation of comets in superstition and the host's fear of them</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2274<br />
| date = February 28, 2020<br />
| title = Stargazing 3<br />
| image = stargazing_3.png<br />
| titletext = If we can destroy enough of the lights in our region, we may see more comets, but that's a risk we'll have to take.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a TERRIFIED LAMP. The explanation, for the most part, doesn't exist. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This is the third in the Stargazing series. The first [[1644: Stargazing]] appeared four years earlier and the second [[2017: Stargazing 2]] one and a half years earlier. <br />
<br />
{{w|Vega}} is a star in the constellation of {{w|Lyra}}. It does indeed have {{w|Magnitude (astronomy)|magnitude}} 0.03 and is the brightest star mentioned in this comic. The phrase <q>It's the brightest star I'm currently talking about</q> is an example of the technically correct but not at all useful information that is typical of the Stargazing series. Vega is only the {{w|List of brightest stars|5th brightest star}} (outside of the Sun), as {{w|Sirius}} is the brightest visible star. <br />
<br />
{{w|Polaris}} is indeed the star over the North Pole, and is commonly called the North Star or the Pole Star. It is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor, but there are about fifty other stars that are as bright as it is (magnitude 2), so it's not really remarkable apart from being the pole star, as the host says. Despite the fact that being the pole star is "all it has going for it," it is nevertheless very important because it is used for navigation, as it appears fixed in the night sky. It hasn't always been and won't always be the pole star, however, as Earth's axis precesses in a 26,000 year cycle.<br />
<br />
{{w|Comets}} are small rock and ice particles. Many comets have usually highly elliptical orbits around the sun and so they are seen "every few decades". Yelling at comets has proved to be an ineffective way to make them go away.{{Citation needed}} It's not clear why the host doesn't like comets, but there are astronomers who are [https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/starlink-satellites-astronomy/ upset about satellite megaconstellations] such as {{w|SpaceX Starlink|SpaceX's Starlink}}. In that case, astronomers are not yelling at the satellites, but at the companies that launch them. The host may dislike comets because of their history in superstition of being seen as a sign of doom. This provides humor because typically this superstitious fear was caused by a lack of understanding, and it would be expected that a stargazing host would be informed on and therefore unafraid of comets.<br />
<br />
{{w|Light pollution}} is indeed a problem with stargazing. Light pollution is the presence of artificial light in the night sky, which makes it very difficult to see stars. Stargazing in remote locations is remarkably different than in populated cities. Light pollution was previously discussed in [[2121: Light Pollution]]. Light pollution does not actually make the "sky go away", but it does affect how humans can see stars or other astronomical features in the sky.<br />
<br />
The host advocates an active approach to resolving light pollution -- rather than lobbying for reductions in artificial lighting, as the {{w|dark-sky movement}} does, she intends to lead her audience in destroying artificial lights. Incandescent lightbulbs are made of glass bulbs filled with inert gas (or high-pressure gases, in the case of e.g. {{w|sodium-vapor lamp}}s) and so are easy to destroy with any blunt impact, thus accounting fir the host's mention of "throwing rocks at them". Modern LED lights, however, are much more robust, which is why she is handing out crossbows to achieve greater projectile energy. An "[http://sonic.net/~rknop/php/astronomy/classes/a103/sum2006/info/angdist.shtml#xbow astronomy crossbow]" is a tool used to measure the angular distance between stars. They cannot shoot real {{w|crossbow bolt}}s, but any type of crossbow or other weapon could be used to destroy lights and "preserve" the sky. (Speaking of astronomy tools that have weapon-related names, there is a type of telescope called a "{{w|Sun Gun Telescope|Sun Gun}}", but it is only meant to be used during the day to enable groups of people to view the Sun safely. It is probably best that this host's show is taking place at night, or else she might cause even more trouble.)<br />
<br />
The title text mentions that the destruction of lights, which they advocate for throughout this comic, would allow them to see more comets. While this is true, they seem to perceive comets as a risk for no apparent reason, perhaps related to their habit of yelling at comets to go away.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[In a dark panel, a TV host stands in front of a group of people: Science Girl, Ponytail, and Cueball; the panel is inverse-colored, i.e. white text and drawings on black]<br />
:Host: Welcome back to Stargazing.<br />
:Host: There are no new stars since last time, but you came back for some reason.<br />
<br />
:[Zoomed out on the same scene, the host is now with Science Girl, Ponytail, Cueball, Megan, and White Hat. The host is pointing upwards with her left hand.]<br />
:Host: That star is Vega. At magnitude 0.03, it's the brightest star I'm currently talking about.<br />
:Host: That one is Polaris. It's over the North Pole, which is all it has going for it.<br />
<br />
:[A frame-less white panel, zoomed in on the host, who is now pointing upwards with her right hand.]<br />
:Host: That's a comet. Some of them come back every few decades, no matter how much I yell at them.<br />
:Host: But stargazing isn't all fun yelling. We face a problem even worse than comets: light pollution.<br />
<br />
:[Back to a dark panel, the host now has a big bag of crossbows. The bag has a logo of a crossbow with stars around it. She has taken out one of them and is holding it in her right hand.]<br />
:Host: The sky is going away because people keep shining lights at it. The new LEDs are even worse - they're too blue, and you can't turn them off by throwing rocks at them like with the old ones.<br />
:Host: Luckily, I brought these astronomy crossbows.<br />
:Host: Take one, then let's fan out and look for lamps.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Stargazing]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2274:_Stargazing_3&diff=1879172274: Stargazing 32020-02-29T01:44:44Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ not Megan, as discussed in other stargazing comics</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2274<br />
| date = February 28, 2020<br />
| title = Stargazing 3<br />
| image = stargazing_3.png<br />
| titletext = If we can destroy enough of the lights in our region, we may see more comets, but that's a risk we'll have to take.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a TERRIFIED LAMP. The explanation, for the most part, doesn't exist. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This is the third in the Stargazing series. The first [[1644: Stargazing]] appeared four years ago and the second [[2017: Stargazing 2]] one and a half years ago. <br />
<br />
{{w|Vega}} is a star in the constellation of {{w|Lyra}}. It does indeed have {{w|Magnitude (astronomy)|magnitude}} 0.03 and is the brightest star mentioned in this comic. The phrase <q>It's the brightest star I'm currently talking about</q> is an example of the technically correct but not at all useful information that is typical of the Stargazing series. Vega is only the {{w|List of brightest stars|5th brightest star}} (outside of the Sun), as {{w|Sirius}} is the brightest visible star. <br />
<br />
{{w|Polaris}} is indeed the star over the North Pole, and is commonly called the North Star or the Pole Star. It has been used for navigation, as it appears fixed in the night sky. It is the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Minor, but there are about fifty other stars that are as bright as it is (magnitude 2), so it's not really remarkable, as the host says. In fact, it isn't even always the pole star, as Earth's axis precesses in a 26,000 year cycle.<br />
<br />
{{w|Comets}} are small rock and ice particles. Many comets have usually highly elliptical orbits around the sun and so they are seen "every few decades". Yelling at comets has proved to be an ineffective way to make them go away.{{Citation needed}}<br />
<br />
{{w|Light pollution}} is indeed a problem with stargazing. Light pollution is the presence of artificial light in the night sky, which makes it very difficult to see stars. Stargazing in remote locations is remarkably different than in populated cities. Light pollution was previously discussed in [[2121: Light Pollution]].<br />
<br />
Light pollution does not actually make the "sky go away", but it does affect how humans can see stars or other astronomical features in the sky. An "[http://www.blandinequatorialplatforms.com/ astronomy crossbow]", is a tool used to measure the angular distance between stars. They cannot shoot real {{w|crossbow bolt}}s, but any type of crossbow or other weapon could be used to destroy lights and "preserve" the sky. The title text mentions that destroying lights could allow for the viewing of comets, which is true. It is unclear why the host dislikes comets so much.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[In a dark panel, a TV host stands in front of a group of people: Science Girl, Ponytail, and Cueball; the panel is inverse-colored, i.e. white text and drawings on black]<br />
:Host: Welcome back to Stargazing.<br />
:Host: There are no new stars since last time, but you came back for some reason.<br />
<br />
:[Zoomed out on the same scene, the host is now with Science Girl, Ponytail, Cueball, Megan, and White Hat. The host is pointing upwards with her left hand.]<br />
:Host: That star is Vega. At magnitude 0.03, it's the brightest star I'm currently talking about.<br />
:Host: That one is Polaris. It's over the North Pole, which is all it has going for it.<br />
<br />
:[A frame-less white panel, zoomed in on the host, who is now pointing upwards with her right hand.]<br />
:Host: That's a comet. Some of them come back every few decades, no matter how much I yell at them.<br />
:Host: But stargazing isn't all fun yelling. We face a problem even worse than comets: light pollution.<br />
<br />
:[Back to a dark panel, the host now has a big bag of crossbows. The bag has a logo of a crossbow with stars around it. She has taken out one of them and is holding it in her right hand.]<br />
:Host: The sky is going away because people keep shining lights at it. The new LEDs are even worse - they're too blue, and you can't turn them off by throwing rocks at them like with the old ones.<br />
:Host: Luckily, I brought these astronomy crossbows.<br />
:Host: Take one, then let's fan out and look for lamps.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Stargazing]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2273:_Truck_Proximity&diff=1878062273: Truck Proximity2020-02-27T01:03:11Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ better clarity</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2273<br />
| date = February 26, 2020<br />
| title = Truck Proximity<br />
| image = truck_proximity.png<br />
| titletext = See also: Farm animals and dinosaurs. I am so confident that there exists children's media that involves dinosaurs driving trucks on a farm that I'm writing this without even Googling to check.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a DINOSAUR DRIVING A TRUCK. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic is a graph showing the relationship between time spent in proximity to trucks and level of knowledge about different types of trucks. For the average person, the two go together: people who do not spend much time around trucks are less likely to have knowledge about trucks, and people who spend more time around trucks are more likely to have knowledge about trucks. People with jobs or hobbies involving trucks spend a lot of time with them and must know how they work, so they fit this trend but at a higher level on both axes.<br />
<br />
The outlier group presented here are parents of small children. Small children think trucks are cool and learn a lot about them, and then share this knowledge with their parents. The children themselves might be counted into the "people with truck-related hobbies" but parents won't and are unlikely to go near any truck. They might also ''try'' to keep their children away from them, but fail.<br />
<br />
The title text presumes that this graph could also be made about dinosaurs and farm animals. [[Randall]] confidently states that children like dinosaurs and farms and trucks, and so there must be multimedia featuring all three at once. In fact, books about dinosaurs driving trucks on farms do exist: [https://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Farm-Penny-Dale/dp/0763699365 Dinosaur Farm!] and [https://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Farm-Frann-Preston-Gannon/dp/1454911328 Dinosaur Farm] are two examples.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category: Charts]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2270:_Picking_Bad_Stocks&diff=1875222270: Picking Bad Stocks2020-02-19T23:24:53Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ note to technical analysis comic</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2270<br />
| date = February 19, 2020<br />
| title = Picking Bad Stocks<br />
| image = picking_bad_stocks.png<br />
| titletext = On the news a few days later: "Buzz is building around the so-called 'camping Roomba' after a big investment. Preorders have spiked, and..."<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a CAMPING ROOMBA. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Cueball and Ponytail are discussing the stock market. Ponytail explains that there has been no reliable way to consistently pick stocks that outperform the market average. She also states that there could be a corollary to that; there is no way to consistently pick bad stocks (presumably for this discussion, ''bad stocks'' refers to stocks whose value is expected to go down). Cueball states that he could consistently pick bad stocks, and the last panel shows him at a trading terminal purportedly buying bad stocks, while White Hat and Meghan use his bad stock picks as indications that those stocks should be removed from whatever stock index they manage.<br />
<br />
Generally, people invest in the stock market hoping to make money. They buy stock in companies whose value they expect will increase, and sell stock when they feel its value is about to stop increasing or start decreasing. Someone who could tell whether a stock's price will rise or fall in a given time interval could make a lot of money, but this is an infamously difficult problem. Some investors use {{w|fundamental analysis}}, that is, they attempt to understand companies based on their financial statements and market position to identify which stocks are likely to become more or less valuable over time, while others use {{w|technical analysis}} which seeks to identify patterns in the stock prices themselves. Technical analysis was featured in [[2101: Technical Analysis|comic 2101]]. However, while the rise and fall of stock prices are sometimes connected to real events (strong or weak profit statements, new product announcements, major scandals), they often exhibit random-walk behavior, and many studies have shown that an index of randomly-selected stocks (often colloquially stated as "picked by a monkey") beats not only the market's performance as a whole, but also portfolios chosen by experts.<br />
<br />
Realistically, in investing, someone who purposely trades in ''bad stocks'' is called a '''short seller''', and someone who could consistently pick ''bad stock'' could make a lot of money in the stock market. Short selling consists of selling a stock before you own it, with the anticipation that the stock's price will drop soon, and you can later purchase the stock to fulfill the sale. The difference between the selling price and the purchase price is your profit, just as with any normal ("long") purchase and sale. However, in US stock markets, it is illegal to sell stocks that you don't own, so when you short a stock, you need to borrow that stock from a third party (possibly the trading firm you're working with, or some other firm that the trading firm has a stock loan relationship with, that currently holds a position in the stock you're shorting) to cover the sale. This is all done automatically by the trading platform you use. Between the time you sell the stock until the time you repurchase the stock on the open market, you will have what's called a '''short position''' on the stock, and you need to pay interest to the company that lent you that stock. Because of the interest payments, short sales are almost always short-term positions, as the interest paid on the loan can quickly exceed any profit you might make on the sale. {{w|Gary Shilling|A. Gary Shilling}}, a financial analyst, famously remarked that "[https://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/08/09/remain-solvent/ markets can remain irrational a lot longer than you and I can remain solvent.]"<br />
<br />
Cueball's statement about wanting revenge on a ghost may be a reference to [[2259: Networking Problems]], in which Cueball was driven insane trying to debug network problems and came to believe in ghosts. Perhaps the CEO of company #208 has had a similar experience with a network.<br />
<br />
If Cueball's statement that a company is developing a "camping {{w|Roomba}}" is correctly attributing the trademark (as opposed to genericizing it to refer to any small cleaning robot), then presumably company #1434 is {{w|iRobot}}. While a Roomba for camping may sound like a ridiculous concept that is not likely to make much money, developing a robot that can navigate and move around natural environments would be a major advancement leading to new opportunities for both their civilian and military product lines. A campground offers a more challenging environment than indoors, while being slightly more controlled than a truly wild area, making for a good development step. Dropping iRobot from this company's index is probably not a move that would be suggested by a stock broker who is earnestly trying to make money, and in the title-text, it seems that perhaps Cueball's investment advice was actually taken seriously (perhaps his trading terminal was accidentally connected to the market), which caused consumers to take the camping Roomba more seriously and make it (and iRobot) more successful than if Cueball had done nothing.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[Cueball and Ponytail are walking together.]<br />
:Cueball: I feel like by now I should know about the stock market.<br />
:Cueball: What ''is'' investing? Do you just open a website and pick the companies you like?<br />
<br />
[Ponytail holds out her hand palm-up.]<br />
:Ponytail: Well, you totally can.<br />
:Ponytail: But there's a lot of evidence that no investing strategy consistently picks stocks that outperform the average of the whole market. A lot of fund management is a myth.<br />
<br />
[Close-up on Ponytail, who has turned to Cueball.]<br />
:Cueball: Huh, okay.<br />
:Ponytail: But there's a weird corollary to that idea: it implies that, ignoring fees and stuff, it's just as hard to consistently ''lose'' money by picking ''bad'' stocks from an index.<br />
<br />
[Cueball and Ponytail are both back in frame. They are standing still and facing each other.]<br />
:Ponytail: If someone could consistently buy bad stocks, you could beat the average by hiring them, letting them pretend to invest, then buying every stock ''except'' the ones they pick.<br />
:Ponytail: In a way, bad judgement is just as helpful as good judgement.<br />
<br />
[Cueball pumps his fists with excitement.]<br />
:Cueball: Oh my God.<br />
:Cueball: I can do that!<br />
:Ponytail: No, it's just an example--<br />
:Cueball: This is the job I was born for.<br />
<br />
[Cueball is either sitting in a box or being viewed on a camera screen. He is sitting in front of a computer console, and a camera is pointed at him. Megan and White Hat are viewing him, and White Hat is holding a tablet.]<br />
:[Text box: Soon...]<br />
:Cueball: Hey, this company's CEO wants revenge on the same ghost as me! I'm buying!<br />
:Cueball: Ooh, and this one is planning to develop a "Camping Roomba." That's a sure bet!<br />
:Megan: Drop companies #208 and #1434 from the index.<br />
:White Hat: Done.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1819:_Sweet_16&diff=1874691819: Sweet 162020-02-18T23:55:22Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ more; remove, fit??</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1819<br />
| date = April 3, 2017<br />
| title = Sweet 16<br />
| image = sweet_16.png<br />
| titletext = Every year I make out my bracket at the season, and every year it's busted before the first game when I find out which teams are playing.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
{{w|March Madness}}, with its championship played on the day this comic was published, is a colloquial name for the {{w|National Collegiate Athletic Association}} (NCAA) {{w|basketball}} tournament, which features 68 American college basketball teams in an elimination bracket. Due to the setup, the 16 teams that make it to the third round of the tournament (or fourth if counting the "First Four") are sometimes called the "Sweet 16", hence the title. Winning a third round game means that a team is part of the "Elite Eight," who can win to move on to the "Final Four," and then to the championship game, where a winner is crowned. <br />
<br />
This is the second time [[Randall]] has made a bracket with strange opponents meeting each other in a bracket; the first was [[1529: Bracket]] and brackets were mentioned a second time in [[2131: Emojidome]]. References to basketball is a [[:Category:Basketball|recurring subject]] on xkcd, as is Randall's lack of interest for [[:Category:Sport|sport in general]]. <br />
<br />
In this comic, the bracket, see details [[#Table of the bracket|below]], of the final 16 is not filled in with actual college team names, but descriptions of the odd circumstances of each team. For example, the first team is "a school with a dog on their team", a reference to {{w|Air Bud}}. The team descriptions become increasingly bizarre, comprising varied sports and pop culture references and often building on and playing off of previous team descriptions.<br />
<br />
The first four teams on the left are composed partially or completely of animals, which are most likely pets, but could be animals for assisting disabled persons, emotional support animals, police dogs, feral cats, etc. The next two teams consist of some form of {{w|baseball}}-basketball crossover. The bottom two teams on the left feature developers and players of {{w|NBA 2K17}}, a basketball video game by 2K Games.<br />
<br />
The first team on the right, the {{w|1987–88 Los Angeles Lakers season|1988 Los Angeles Lakers}} is an actual historical {{w|NBA}} team; though the particular team from 1988 would not exist today, it could be a team of the same players, who would now be in their mid-50s or 60s. They are paired against a team of four kindergartners and current Cleveland player {{w|Lebron James}} (born 1984), who was also a kindergartner in 1988. James is considered the best active NBA player as of 2017. It is partly ambiguous that Randall uses the phrase "1988 Los Angeles Lakers" - this could refer to the team which played in the 1987–88 NBA season or the team which played in the 1988–89 NBA season.<br />
<br />
The next two teams feature basketball-{{w|boxing}} crossovers. The bracket after that features teams on unconventional mobility aids, {{w|Segways}} and {{w|stilts}}.<br />
<br />
The final two teams are {{w|NCAA_Division_I_Men's_Basketball_Tournament#Cinderella_team|Cinderella teams}}. A {{w|Cinderella story}} is when a weak team works hard to achieve success. The final team consists of players wearing glass slippers, often a part of the {{w|Cinderella}} fairy tale.<br />
<br />
The title text explains what the heck Randall was doing to make this comic: Randall is incredibly out of touch with sports, or at least their traditions. During March Madness a popular pastime is to take a look at the starting bracket of all 68 teams and speculate who will win each round. This activity is sometimes associated with gambling, where the person with the most correct bracket could potentially win money. Randall, when handed a blank bracket, instead fills it with teams he ''wants'' to see play rather than who is actually in the tournament. A bracket is considered "busted" when a number of predicted teams lose earlier than expected. In this case, since Randall's Sweet 16 does not include any of the real teams participating in the tournament, his bracket is busted from the beginning.<br />
<br />
As neither this comic from April 3rd or the previous comic, [[1818: Rayleigh Scattering]] from March 31st was one of Randall's [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comics]], this was the first year since 2010 with no April Fools' Day comic. See more on this in the [[1818:_Rayleigh_Scattering#No_April_Fools.27_Day_comic_in_2017|Trivia section]] for the previous comic.<br />
<br />
Two years later in 2019 the April Fools' comic [[2131: Emojidome]], was using such a bracket as above to match 512 emojis to find the best emoji. Same time of year, so probably again a reference to March Madness.<br />
<br />
===Table of the bracket===<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Grouping<br />
!Team<br />
!Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|School dog teams<br />
|A school with a dog on their team<br />
|rowspan="2"|Possibly a reference to {{w|Air Bud}}. Given Buddy's abilities, this would be an interesting experiment to see if a team of dogs can outcompete humans.<br />
|-<br />
|A school whose team is entirely dogs<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Dog teams<br />
|A dog team with one human<br />
|rowspan="2"|This might be the continuation of the experiment. The cat might serve as a control.<br />
|-<br />
|A dog team with one cat<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Baseball/basketball mashup<br />
|A baseball team playing basketball<br />
|rowspan="2"|Possibly inspired by {{w|Michael Jordan}}'s baseball career, this is to see if a baseball team can play basketball as well as a basketball team if they were handicapped with baseball gear. While basketball doesn't require any gear and favours outfits that permit free movement, baseball has helmets, bats and thick gloves, possibly giving the baseball team a chance. On the other hand, if the basketball team is permitted to use the baseball bats on ''the opposing team'', they may have a distinct advantage{{Citation needed}}.<br />
|-<br />
|A basketball team with baseball gear<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|NBA 2K17 (video game)<br />
|NBA 2K17 top players<br />
|rowspan="2"|There's a bit of ambiguity as to what "players" means: the professional basketball players whose likenesses are in the video game, or video game players? Given that the video game includes not only the current NBA players, but also some of the most successful teams in history, it's hard to see how the game developers can stand a chance if the former. If the latter, it's may be more evenly matched. <br />
|-<br />
|NBA 2K17 top developers<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|1988 players<br />
|The 1988 Los Angeles Lakers<br />
|rowspan="2"|The Los Angeles Lakers were, at their height, winning a rare repeat victory. LeBron James is one of the most well-known basketball players. At the time of the 1988 finals, he was 4 years old, so even with his later talent and with the support of 4 kindergartners, it would be tough for him to win the game. However, he might have a better chance if he played in the present, with the 1988 Lakers team members being well over 50.<br />
|-<br />
|Four kindergartners and Lebron James<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Boxer/basketball mashup<br />
|Boxers playing basketball<br />
|rowspan="2"|Possibly inspired by {{w|Vonda Ward}}, this is to see if boxers can play basketball as well as a basketball team if the basketball team were handicapped by having to wear boxing gloves.<br />
|-<br />
|Basketball players in boxing gloves<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Elevated players<br />
|A team playing on stilts<br />
|rowspan="2"|Stilts has been referenced several times in xkcd for instance at the bottom of [[482: Height]], [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/89/1608_1038x1095y_Hamsterball_and_stilts_room.png here] in [[1608: Hoverboard]] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0c/1663_garden_One_color_Between_Light_yellow_and_yellow_First_thing_stilts.png here] in [[1663: Garden]].<br><br>Not unlike {{w|segway polo}}, segway basketball would have the benefit of reducing physical exertion. Stilts, on the other hand, could help reach the hoops.<br />
|-<br />
|A team playing on segways<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Cinderella teams<br />
|A bad team that would make a good Cinderella story<br />
|rowspan="2"|In a regular match, a good team could easily win against a bad team, but with glass slippers only for the good team, the bad team's chances increase drastically. That the team would make a good Cinderella story implies that the team will win against all expectations.<br><br>Note: Regular glass would break when moving around too much, safety glass or similarly resilient material is recommended.<br />
|-<br />
|A good team playing in glass slippers<br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The comic shows a direct elimination bracket (a single-elimination tournament): there is a single match played by every pair of teams, and the winners of those matches are paired up for the next round of matches, this continues until there are no more matches to be played. There are sixteen teams described here (hence the number in the title), eight on each side of the empty rectangle in the middle. Every two teams are connected, these connectors are then also connected, these connectors are yet again connected, and a final pair of connectors, after making one counter-clockwise right angle turn, end up in the top and bottom edges of the central rectangle. The bracket is empty, no results of any of the matches are indicated.]<br />
<br />
:{| class="wikitable" style="background:transparent;border:none;width:100%;"<br />
| style="background:transparent;border:none;" |<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A school with a dog on their team<br />
<br/>A school whose team is entirely dogs<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A dog team with one human<br />
<br/>A dog team with one cat<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A baseball team playing basketball<br />
<br/>A basketball team with baseball gear<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>NBA2K17 top players<br />
<br/>NBA2K17 top developers<br />
<br />
| style="background:transparent;border:none;" |<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>The 1988 Los Angeles lakers<br />
<br/>Four kindergarteners and Lebron James<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>Boxers playing basketball<br />
<br/>Basketball players in boxing gloves<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A team playing on stilts<br />
<br/>A team playing on Segways<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A bad team that would make a good Cinderella story<br />
<br/>A good team playing in glass slippers<br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Basketball]]<br />
[[Category:Baseball]]<br />
[[Category:Sport]] <!-- Boxing --><br />
[[Category:Video games]] <!-- NBA2K17 --><br />
[[Category:Animals]] <br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] <!-- Lebron James --><br />
[[Category:Tournament bracket]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1819:_Sweet_16&diff=1874681819: Sweet 162020-02-18T23:48:46Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Table of the bracket */ partially disagree, top video game players probably >> video game developers</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1819<br />
| date = April 3, 2017<br />
| title = Sweet 16<br />
| image = sweet_16.png<br />
| titletext = Every year I make out my bracket at the season, and every year it's busted before the first game when I find out which teams are playing.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
{{w|March Madness}}, with its championship played on the day this comic was published, is a colloquial name for the {{w|National Collegiate Athletic Association}} (NCAA) {{w|basketball}} tournament, which features 68 American college basketball teams in an elimination bracket. Due to the setup, the 16 teams that make it to the third round of the tournament (or fourth if counting the "First Four") are sometimes called the "Sweet 16", hence the title. Winning a third round game means that a team is part of the "Elite Eight," who can win to move on to the "Final Four," and then to the championship game, where a winner is crowned. <br />
<br />
This is the second time [[Randall]] has made a bracket with strange opponents meeting each other in a bracket; the first was [[1529: Bracket]] and brackets were mentioned a second time in [[2131: Emojidome]]. References to basketball is a [[:Category:Basketball|recurring subject]] on xkcd, as is Randall's lack of interest for [[:Category:Sport|sport in general]]. <br />
<br />
In this comic, the bracket, see details [[#Table of the bracket|below]], of the final 16 is not filled in with actual college team names, but descriptions of the odd circumstances of each team. For example, the first team is "a school with a dog on their team", a reference to {{w|Air Bud}}. The team descriptions become increasingly bizarre, comprising varied sports and pop culture references and often building on and playing off of previous team descriptions.<br />
<br />
The first four teams on the left are composed partially or completely of animals, which are most likely pets, but could be animals for assisting disabled persons, emotional support animals, police dogs, feral cats, etc. The next two teams consist of some form of {{w|baseball}}-basketball crossover. The bottom two teams on the left feature developers and players of {{w|NBA 2K17}}, a basketball video game by 2K Games.<br />
<br />
The first team on the right, the 1988 {{w|LA Lakers}} is an actual historical {{w|NBA}} team; though the particular team from 1988 would not exist today, it could be a team of the same players, who would now be in their mid-50s or 60s. They are paired against a team of four kindergarteners and current Cleveland player {{w|Lebron James}} (born 1984), who was also a kindergartner in 1988. James is considered the best active NBA player as of 2017.<br />
<br />
The next two teams feature basketball-{{w|boxing}} crossovers. The bracket after that features teams on unconventional mobility aids, {{w|Segways}} and {{w|stilts}}.<br />
<br />
The final two teams are {{w|NCAA_Division_I_Men's_Basketball_Tournament#Cinderella_team|Cinderella teams}}. A {{w|Cinderella story}} is when a weak team works hard to achieve success. The final team consists of players wearing glass slippers, often a part of the {{w|Cinderella}} fairy tale.<br />
<br />
The title text explains what the heck Randall was doing to make this comic: Randall is incredibly out of touch with sports, or at least their traditions. During March Madness a popular pastime is to take a look at the starting bracket of all 68 teams and speculate who will win each round. This activity is sometimes associated with gambling, where the person with the most correct bracket could potentially win money. Randall, when handed a blank bracket, instead fills it with teams he ''wants'' to see play rather than who is actually in the tournament. A bracket is considered "busted" when a number of predicted teams lose earlier than expected. In this case, since Randall's Sweet 16 does not include any of the real teams participating in the tournament, his bracket is busted from the beginning.<br />
<br />
As neither this comic from April 3rd or the previous comic, [[1818: Rayleigh Scattering]] from March 31st was one of Randall's [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comics]], this was the first year since 2010 with no April Fools' Day comic. See more on this in the [[1818:_Rayleigh_Scattering#No_April_Fools.27_Day_comic_in_2017|Trivia section]] for the previous comic.<br />
<br />
Two years later in 2019 the April Fools' comic [[2131: Emojidome]], was using such a bracket as above to match 512 emojis to find the best emoji. Same time of year, so probably again a reference to March Madness.<br />
<br />
===Table of the bracket===<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Grouping<br />
!Team<br />
!Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|School dog teams<br />
|A school with a dog on their team<br />
|rowspan="2"|Possibly a reference to {{w|Air Bud}}. Given Buddy's abilities, this would be an interesting experiment to see if a team of dogs can outcompete humans.<br />
|-<br />
|A school whose team is entirely dogs<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Dog teams<br />
|A dog team with one human<br />
|rowspan="2"|This might be the continuation of the experiment. The cat might serve as a control.<br />
|-<br />
|A dog team with one cat<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Baseball/basketball mashup<br />
|A baseball team playing basketball<br />
|rowspan="2"|Possibly inspired by {{w|Michael Jordan}}'s Baseball career, perhaps this is to see if a baseball team can play basketball as well as a basketball team if they were handicapped with baseball gear. While basketball doesn't require any gear and favours outfits that permit free movement, baseball has helmets, bats and thick gloves, possibly giving the baseball team a chance. On the other hand, if the basketball team is permitted to use the baseball bats on ''the opposing team'', they may have a distinct advantage{{Citation needed}}.<br />
|-<br />
|A basketball team with baseball gear<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|NBA 2K17 (video game)<br />
|NBA 2K17 top players<br />
|rowspan="2"|There's a bit of ambiguity as to what "players" means: the professional basketball players whose likenesses are in the video game, or video game players? Given that the video game includes not only the current NBA players, but also some of the most successful teams in history, it's hard to see how the game developers can stand a chance if the former. If the latter, it's may be more evenly matched. <br />
|-<br />
|NBA 2K17 top developers<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|1988 players<br />
|The 1988 Los Angeles Lakers<br />
|rowspan="2"|The Los Angeles Lakers were, at their height, winning a rare repeat victory. LeBron James is one of the most well-known basketball players. At the time of the 1988 finals, he was 4 years old, so even with his later talent and with the support of 4 kindergarteners, it would be tough for him to win the game. However, he might have a better chance if he played in the present, what with the 1988 Lakers team members being well over 50.<br><br>It should be noted that the NBA, of which the Lakers are part of, requires a minimum of 13 team members. To fit five players, this would need to be a college match.<br />
|-<br />
|Four kindergarteners and Lebron James<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Boxer/basketball mashup<br />
|Boxers playing basketball<br />
|rowspan="2"|Possibly inspired by {{w|Vonda Ward}}, perhaps this is to see if boxers team can play basketball as well as a basketball team if the basketball team were handicapped by having to wear boxing gloves.<br />
|-<br />
|Basketball players in boxing gloves<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Elevated players<br />
|A team playing on stilts<br />
|rowspan="2"|Stilts has been referenced several times in xkcd for instance at the bottom of [[482: Height]], [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/89/1608_1038x1095y_Hamsterball_and_stilts_room.png here] in [[1608: Hoverboard]] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0c/1663_garden_One_color_Between_Light_yellow_and_yellow_First_thing_stilts.png here] in [[1663: Garden]].<br><br>Not unlike {{w|segway polo}}, segway basketball would have the benefit of reducing physical exertion. Stilts, on the other hand, could help reach the hoops.<br />
|-<br />
|A team playing on segways<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Cinderella teams<br />
|A bad team that would make a good Cinderella story<br />
|rowspan="2"|In a regular match, a good team could easily win against a bad team, but with glass slippers only for the good team, the bad team's chances increase drastically. That the team would make a good Cinderella story implies that the team will win against all expectations.<br><br>Note: Regular glass would break when moving around too much, safety glass or similarly resilient material is recommended.<br />
|-<br />
|A good team playing in glass slippers<br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The comic shows a direct elimination bracket (a single-elimination tournament): there is a single match played by every pair of teams, and the winners of those matches are paired up for the next round of matches, this continues until there are no more matches to be played. There are sixteen teams described here (hence the number in the title), eight on each side of the empty rectangle in the middle. Every two teams are connected, these connectors are then also connected, these connectors are yet again connected, and a final pair of connectors, after making one counter-clockwise right angle turn, end up in the top and bottom edges of the central rectangle. The bracket is empty, no results of any of the matches are indicated.]<br />
<br />
:{| class="wikitable" style="background:transparent;border:none;width:100%;"<br />
| style="background:transparent;border:none;" |<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A school with a dog on their team<br />
<br/>A school whose team is entirely dogs<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A dog team with one human<br />
<br/>A dog team with one cat<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A baseball team playing basketball<br />
<br/>A basketball team with baseball gear<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>NBA2K17 top players<br />
<br/>NBA2K17 top developers<br />
<br />
| style="background:transparent;border:none;" |<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>The 1988 Los Angeles lakers<br />
<br/>Four kindergarteners and Lebron James<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>Boxers playing basketball<br />
<br/>Basketball players in boxing gloves<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A team playing on stilts<br />
<br/>A team playing on Segways<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A bad team that would make a good Cinderella story<br />
<br/>A good team playing in glass slippers<br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Basketball]]<br />
[[Category:Baseball]]<br />
[[Category:Sport]] <!-- Boxing --><br />
[[Category:Video games]] <!-- NBA2K17 --><br />
[[Category:Animals]] <br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] <!-- Lebron James --><br />
[[Category:Tournament bracket]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1819:_Sweet_16&diff=1874671819: Sweet 162020-02-18T23:47:17Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Table of the bracket */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1819<br />
| date = April 3, 2017<br />
| title = Sweet 16<br />
| image = sweet_16.png<br />
| titletext = Every year I make out my bracket at the season, and every year it's busted before the first game when I find out which teams are playing.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
{{w|March Madness}}, with its championship played on the day this comic was published, is a colloquial name for the {{w|National Collegiate Athletic Association}} (NCAA) {{w|basketball}} tournament, which features 68 American college basketball teams in an elimination bracket. Due to the setup, the 16 teams that make it to the third round of the tournament (or fourth if counting the "First Four") are sometimes called the "Sweet 16", hence the title. Winning a third round game means that a team is part of the "Elite Eight," who can win to move on to the "Final Four," and then to the championship game, where a winner is crowned. <br />
<br />
This is the second time [[Randall]] has made a bracket with strange opponents meeting each other in a bracket; the first was [[1529: Bracket]] and brackets were mentioned a second time in [[2131: Emojidome]]. References to basketball is a [[:Category:Basketball|recurring subject]] on xkcd, as is Randall's lack of interest for [[:Category:Sport|sport in general]]. <br />
<br />
In this comic, the bracket, see details [[#Table of the bracket|below]], of the final 16 is not filled in with actual college team names, but descriptions of the odd circumstances of each team. For example, the first team is "a school with a dog on their team", a reference to {{w|Air Bud}}. The team descriptions become increasingly bizarre, comprising varied sports and pop culture references and often building on and playing off of previous team descriptions.<br />
<br />
The first four teams on the left are composed partially or completely of animals, which are most likely pets, but could be animals for assisting disabled persons, emotional support animals, police dogs, feral cats, etc. The next two teams consist of some form of {{w|baseball}}-basketball crossover. The bottom two teams on the left feature developers and players of {{w|NBA 2K17}}, a basketball video game by 2K Games.<br />
<br />
The first team on the right, the 1988 {{w|LA Lakers}} is an actual historical {{w|NBA}} team; though the particular team from 1988 would not exist today, it could be a team of the same players, who would now be in their mid-50s or 60s. They are paired against a team of four kindergarteners and current Cleveland player {{w|Lebron James}} (born 1984), who was also a kindergartner in 1988. James is considered the best active NBA player as of 2017.<br />
<br />
The next two teams feature basketball-{{w|boxing}} crossovers. The bracket after that features teams on unconventional mobility aids, {{w|Segways}} and {{w|stilts}}.<br />
<br />
The final two teams are {{w|NCAA_Division_I_Men's_Basketball_Tournament#Cinderella_team|Cinderella teams}}. A {{w|Cinderella story}} is when a weak team works hard to achieve success. The final team consists of players wearing glass slippers, often a part of the {{w|Cinderella}} fairy tale.<br />
<br />
The title text explains what the heck Randall was doing to make this comic: Randall is incredibly out of touch with sports, or at least their traditions. During March Madness a popular pastime is to take a look at the starting bracket of all 68 teams and speculate who will win each round. This activity is sometimes associated with gambling, where the person with the most correct bracket could potentially win money. Randall, when handed a blank bracket, instead fills it with teams he ''wants'' to see play rather than who is actually in the tournament. A bracket is considered "busted" when a number of predicted teams lose earlier than expected. In this case, since Randall's Sweet 16 does not include any of the real teams participating in the tournament, his bracket is busted from the beginning.<br />
<br />
As neither this comic from April 3rd or the previous comic, [[1818: Rayleigh Scattering]] from March 31st was one of Randall's [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comics]], this was the first year since 2010 with no April Fools' Day comic. See more on this in the [[1818:_Rayleigh_Scattering#No_April_Fools.27_Day_comic_in_2017|Trivia section]] for the previous comic.<br />
<br />
Two years later in 2019 the April Fools' comic [[2131: Emojidome]], was using such a bracket as above to match 512 emojis to find the best emoji. Same time of year, so probably again a reference to March Madness.<br />
<br />
===Table of the bracket===<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Grouping<br />
!Team<br />
!Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|School dog teams<br />
|A school with a dog on their team<br />
|rowspan="2"|Possibly a reference to {{w|Air Bud}}. Given Buddy's abilities, this would be an interesting experiment to see if a team of dogs can outcompete humans.<br />
|-<br />
|A school whose team is entirely dogs<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Dog teams<br />
|A dog team with one human<br />
|rowspan="2"|This might be the continuation of the experiment. The cat might serve as a control.<br />
|-<br />
|A dog team with one cat<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Baseball/basketball mashup<br />
|A baseball team playing basketball<br />
|rowspan="2"|Possibly inspired by {{w|Michael Jordan}}'s Baseball career, perhaps this is to see if a baseball team can play basketball as well as a basketball team if they were handicapped with baseball gear. While basketball doesn't require any gear and favours outfits that permit free movement, baseball has helmets, bats and thick gloves, possibly giving the baseball team a chance. On the other hand, if the basketball team is permitted to use the baseball bats on ''the opposing team'', they may have a distinct advantage{{Citation needed}}.<br />
|-<br />
|A basketball team with baseball gear<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|NBA 2K17 (video game)<br />
|NBA 2K17 top players<br />
|rowspan="2"|There's a bit of ambiguity as to what "players" means: the professional basketball players whose likenesses are in the video game, or video game players? Given that the video game includes not only the current NBA players, but also some of the most successful teams in history, it's hard to see how the game developers can stand a chance if the former. If the latter, it's probably much more evenly matched, both if they're facing off on a digital basketball court or a real one. <br />
|-<br />
|NBA 2K17 top developers<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|1988 players<br />
|The 1988 Los Angeles Lakers<br />
|rowspan="2"|The Los Angeles Lakers were, at their height, winning a rare repeat victory. LeBron James is one of the most well-known basketball players. At the time of the 1988 finals, he was 4 years old, so even with his later talent and with the support of 4 kindergarteners, it would be tough for him to win the game. However, he might have a better chance if he played in the present, what with the 1988 Lakers team members being well over 50.<br><br>It should be noted that the NBA, of which the Lakers are part of, requires a minimum of 13 team members. To fit five players, this would need to be a college match.<br />
|-<br />
|Four kindergarteners and Lebron James<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Boxer/basketball mashup<br />
|Boxers playing basketball<br />
|rowspan="2"|Possibly inspired by {{w|Vonda Ward}}, perhaps this is to see if boxers team can play basketball as well as a basketball team if the basketball team were handicapped by having to wear boxing gloves.<br />
|-<br />
|Basketball players in boxing gloves<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Elevated players<br />
|A team playing on stilts<br />
|rowspan="2"|Stilts has been referenced several times in xkcd for instance at the bottom of [[482: Height]], [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/89/1608_1038x1095y_Hamsterball_and_stilts_room.png here] in [[1608: Hoverboard]] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0c/1663_garden_One_color_Between_Light_yellow_and_yellow_First_thing_stilts.png here] in [[1663: Garden]].<br><br>Not unlike {{w|segway polo}}, segway basketball would have the benefit of reducing physical exertion. Stilts, on the other hand, could help reach the hoops.<br />
|-<br />
|A team playing on segways<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Cinderella teams<br />
|A bad team that would make a good Cinderella story<br />
|rowspan="2"|In a regular match, a good team could easily win against a bad team, but with glass slippers only for the good team, the bad team's chances increase drastically. That the team would make a good Cinderella story implies that the team will win against all expectations.<br><br>Note: Regular glass would break when moving around too much, safety glass or similarly resilient material is recommended.<br />
|-<br />
|A good team playing in glass slippers<br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The comic shows a direct elimination bracket (a single-elimination tournament): there is a single match played by every pair of teams, and the winners of those matches are paired up for the next round of matches, this continues until there are no more matches to be played. There are sixteen teams described here (hence the number in the title), eight on each side of the empty rectangle in the middle. Every two teams are connected, these connectors are then also connected, these connectors are yet again connected, and a final pair of connectors, after making one counter-clockwise right angle turn, end up in the top and bottom edges of the central rectangle. The bracket is empty, no results of any of the matches are indicated.]<br />
<br />
:{| class="wikitable" style="background:transparent;border:none;width:100%;"<br />
| style="background:transparent;border:none;" |<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A school with a dog on their team<br />
<br/>A school whose team is entirely dogs<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A dog team with one human<br />
<br/>A dog team with one cat<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A baseball team playing basketball<br />
<br/>A basketball team with baseball gear<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>NBA2K17 top players<br />
<br/>NBA2K17 top developers<br />
<br />
| style="background:transparent;border:none;" |<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>The 1988 Los Angeles lakers<br />
<br/>Four kindergarteners and Lebron James<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>Boxers playing basketball<br />
<br/>Basketball players in boxing gloves<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A team playing on stilts<br />
<br/>A team playing on Segways<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A bad team that would make a good Cinderella story<br />
<br/>A good team playing in glass slippers<br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Basketball]]<br />
[[Category:Baseball]]<br />
[[Category:Sport]] <!-- Boxing --><br />
[[Category:Video games]] <!-- NBA2K17 --><br />
[[Category:Animals]] <br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] <!-- Lebron James --><br />
[[Category:Tournament bracket]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2269:_Phylogenetic_Tree&diff=1874662269: Phylogenetic Tree2020-02-18T23:44:27Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ wlink ncaa</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2269<br />
| date = February 17, 2020<br />
| title = Phylogenetic Tree<br />
| image = phylogenetic_tree.png<br />
| titletext = And I was kicked out of my March Madness pool because I wouldn't shut up about the evidence for NBA/ABA endosymbiosis.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by PHYLOGENETIC MARCH MADNESS BRACKETS. The names on the tree should be explained (mentioned) Duke etc. There have been other comics about this madness - links. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
In biology, {{w|phylogenetic tree}}s are a way of showing evolutionary relationships with the most recent common ancestor at the root of the tree. <br />
<br />
Each year in the United States, in March and early April, 68 {{w| National Collegiate Athletic Association}} (NCAA) Division I {{w|college basketball}} teams play in a {{w|single elimination}} postseason tournament to decide a national champion of college basketball. This tournament is colloquially known as {{w|March Madness}}. Associated with this tournament, it has become commonplace to guess the outcomes of each game, and predict who will win the tournament. A diagram illustrating the progress and elimination of teams through the tournament is called a {{w|Bracket (tournament)|bracket}}. Presumably Randall is referring to the men's college basketball tournament here, though there is a separate women's college basketball tournament that is referred to as "March Madness".<br />
<br />
[[Randall]] has replaced the trees in a biology paper with a basketball {{w|March Madness pools|March Madness bracket}}, which is not related to biology. The 2019-20 NCAA college basketball regular season had not ended yet at the time of this comic's publication, so the partial bracket shown is a fictional bracket. [[:Category:Tournament bracket|Tournament brackets]] are a recurring theme at xkcd. Compared to a phylogenetic tree, the 'root' of a tournament tree is the final result (once known), rather than the common ancestor that was prior in time to all those that came after; the 'leaves' are all the initially hopeful competitors, rather than the latest extant (or unsucceeded extinct) organisms.<br />
<br />
The title text shows the inverse of what the comic says: Apparently the March Madness bracket pool removed Randall after he tried to introduce biology-related evidence comparing the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA) and {{w|American Basketball Association}} (ABA) to organisms and claiming the ABA is an {{w|endosymbiont}} living inside the NBA. An endosymbiont is an organism living inside another organism. In a way, this can be considered true of these two leagues, as the NBA and ABA {{w|ABA–NBA merger|merged}} in 1976 after which the ABA ceased to exist. 4 teams from the ABA, the {{w|Denver Nuggets}}, {{w|Indiana Pacers}}, {{w|Brooklyn Nets}} and {{w|San Antonio Spurs}}, continue to exist today as NBA teams. It is additionally humorous that Randall brings up the ABA/NBA merger in a March Madness bracket group, as March Madness is a college basketball tournament, as opposed to professional basketball played by the NBA and ABA.<br />
<br />
A March Madness bracket was also the topic of [[1819: Sweet 16]].<br />
<br />
===Teams shown in the bracket===<br />
The bracket shows the Duke University basketball team winning the NCAA college basketball tournament. Strangely, it shows Gonzaga University linked only to explicitly non-Gonzaga branches, suddenly appearing out of the bottom section, which is not possible in a sports bracket context, but possible in biology if Gonzaga is an identified ancestral root with all descendant evolved species identified by a new term. In fact, the implied unchanged continuity of Duke from 'universal ancestor' to niche population sharing the world with all of its diverged and re-evolved outbranchings (rather than perhaps used as a term for a typically broad cladistic group of branches, such as Archaea) would be more curious - or just imply an inherent of available precision in the necessary paleobiological studies that classify the proposed UA and its descendency.<br />
<br />
As of the publish date of this comic, all of the college basketball teams mentioned (except the University of Virginia) were ranked in the top 25 of the {{w|AP Poll|Associated Press poll}}. The University of Virginia was the 2019 national champion (winner of the tournament), so that may have been why they were mentioned.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Team name<br />
!University<br />
!Ranking<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|Dayton<br />
|{{w|University of Dayton}}<br />
|#5<br />
|A private Roman Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Dayton has appeared in 18 tournaments, most recently in 2017.<br />
|-<br />
|Duke<br />
|{{w|Duke University}}<br />
|#6<br />
|A private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Duke has appeared in 43 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 5 national championships (most recently in 2015).<br />
|-<br />
|FSU<br />
|{{w|Florida State University}}<br />
|#8<br />
|A public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State has appeared in 17 tournaments, most recently in 2019.<br />
|-<br />
|Gonzaga<br />
|{{w|Gonzaga University}}<br />
|#2<br />
|A private Roman Catholic university in Spokane, Washington. Gonzaga has appeared in 22 tournaments, most recently in 2019.<br />
|-<br />
|Kansas<br />
|{{w|University of Kansas}}<br />
|#3<br />
|A public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas. Kansas has appeared in 48 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 3 national championships (most recently in 2008).<br />
|-<br />
|Louisville<br />
|{{w|University of Louisville}}<br />
|#11<br />
|A public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville has appeared in 39<ref group="note" name="Louisville">Louisville vacated its tournament results from 2011-15, including its 2013 national championship, due to NCAA violations.</ref> tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 2<ref group="note" name="Louisville" /> national championships (most recently in 1986).<br />
|-<br />
|UVA<br />
|{{w|University of Virginia}}<br />
|Unranked<br />
|A public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Virginia has appeared in 23 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and won a national championship in 2019.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[A circular phylogenetic tree is shown, with various parts of the tree colored red, green, blue, and black.]<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:I was kicked off the biology project after I secretly replaced all the phylogenetic trees in our new paper with March Madness brackets.<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references group="note" /><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Tournament bracket]]<br />
[[Category: Basketball]]<br />
[[Category: Biology]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1819:_Sweet_16&diff=1874651819: Sweet 162020-02-18T23:43:18Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ remove, not relevant</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1819<br />
| date = April 3, 2017<br />
| title = Sweet 16<br />
| image = sweet_16.png<br />
| titletext = Every year I make out my bracket at the season, and every year it's busted before the first game when I find out which teams are playing.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
{{w|March Madness}}, with its championship played on the day this comic was published, is a colloquial name for the {{w|National Collegiate Athletic Association}} (NCAA) {{w|basketball}} tournament, which features 68 American college basketball teams in an elimination bracket. Due to the setup, the 16 teams that make it to the third round of the tournament (or fourth if counting the "First Four") are sometimes called the "Sweet 16", hence the title. Winning a third round game means that a team is part of the "Elite Eight," who can win to move on to the "Final Four," and then to the championship game, where a winner is crowned. <br />
<br />
This is the second time [[Randall]] has made a bracket with strange opponents meeting each other in a bracket; the first was [[1529: Bracket]] and brackets were mentioned a second time in [[2131: Emojidome]]. References to basketball is a [[:Category:Basketball|recurring subject]] on xkcd, as is Randall's lack of interest for [[:Category:Sport|sport in general]]. <br />
<br />
In this comic, the bracket, see details [[#Table of the bracket|below]], of the final 16 is not filled in with actual college team names, but descriptions of the odd circumstances of each team. For example, the first team is "a school with a dog on their team", a reference to {{w|Air Bud}}. The team descriptions become increasingly bizarre, comprising varied sports and pop culture references and often building on and playing off of previous team descriptions.<br />
<br />
The first four teams on the left are composed partially or completely of animals, which are most likely pets, but could be animals for assisting disabled persons, emotional support animals, police dogs, feral cats, etc. The next two teams consist of some form of {{w|baseball}}-basketball crossover. The bottom two teams on the left feature developers and players of {{w|NBA 2K17}}, a basketball video game by 2K Games.<br />
<br />
The first team on the right, the 1988 {{w|LA Lakers}} is an actual historical {{w|NBA}} team; though the particular team from 1988 would not exist today, it could be a team of the same players, who would now be in their mid-50s or 60s. They are paired against a team of four kindergarteners and current Cleveland player {{w|Lebron James}} (born 1984), who was also a kindergartner in 1988. James is considered the best active NBA player as of 2017.<br />
<br />
The next two teams feature basketball-{{w|boxing}} crossovers. The bracket after that features teams on unconventional mobility aids, {{w|Segways}} and {{w|stilts}}.<br />
<br />
The final two teams are {{w|NCAA_Division_I_Men's_Basketball_Tournament#Cinderella_team|Cinderella teams}}. A {{w|Cinderella story}} is when a weak team works hard to achieve success. The final team consists of players wearing glass slippers, often a part of the {{w|Cinderella}} fairy tale.<br />
<br />
The title text explains what the heck Randall was doing to make this comic: Randall is incredibly out of touch with sports, or at least their traditions. During March Madness a popular pastime is to take a look at the starting bracket of all 68 teams and speculate who will win each round. This activity is sometimes associated with gambling, where the person with the most correct bracket could potentially win money. Randall, when handed a blank bracket, instead fills it with teams he ''wants'' to see play rather than who is actually in the tournament. A bracket is considered "busted" when a number of predicted teams lose earlier than expected. In this case, since Randall's Sweet 16 does not include any of the real teams participating in the tournament, his bracket is busted from the beginning.<br />
<br />
As neither this comic from April 3rd or the previous comic, [[1818: Rayleigh Scattering]] from March 31st was one of Randall's [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comics]], this was the first year since 2010 with no April Fools' Day comic. See more on this in the [[1818:_Rayleigh_Scattering#No_April_Fools.27_Day_comic_in_2017|Trivia section]] for the previous comic.<br />
<br />
Two years later in 2019 the April Fools' comic [[2131: Emojidome]], was using such a bracket as above to match 512 emojis to find the best emoji. Same time of year, so probably again a reference to March Madness.<br />
<br />
===Table of the bracket===<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Grouping<br />
!Team<br />
!Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|School dog teams<br />
|A school with a dog on their team<br />
|rowspan="2"|Possibly a reference to {{w|Air Bud}}. Given Buddy's abilities, this would be an interesting experiment to see if a team of dogs can outcompete humans.<br />
|-<br />
|A school whose team is entirely dogs<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Dog teams<br />
|A dog team with one human<br />
|rowspan="2"|This might be the continuation of the experiment. The cat might serve as a control.<br />
|-<br />
|A dog team with one cat<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Baseball/basketball mashup<br />
|A baseball team playing basketball<br />
|rowspan="2"|Possibly inspired by {{w|Michael Jordan}}'s Baseball career, perhaps this is to see if a baseball team can play basketball as well as a basketball team if they were handicapped with baseball gear. While basketball doesn't require any gear and favours outfits that permit free movement, baseball has helmets, bats and thick gloves, possibly giving the baseball team a chance. On the other hand, if the basketball team is permitted to use the baseball bats on ''the opposing team'', they may have a distinct advantage{{Citation needed}}.<br />
|-<br />
|A basketball team with baseball gear<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|NBA 2k17 (video game)<br />
|NBA 2k17 top players<br />
|rowspan="2"|There's a bit of ambiguity as to what "players" means: the professional basketball players whose likenesses are in the video game, or video game players? Given that the video game includes not only the current NBA players, but also some of the most successful teams in history, it's hard to see how the game developers can stand a chance if the former. If the latter, it's probably much more evenly matched, both if they're facing off on a digital basketball court or a real one. <br />
|-<br />
|NBA 2k17 top developers<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|1988 players<br />
|The 1988 Los Angeles Lakers<br />
|rowspan="2"|The Los Angeles Lakers were, at their height, winning a rare repeat victory. LeBron James is one of the most well-known basketball players. At the time of the 1988 finals, he was 4 years old, so even with his later talent and with the support of 4 kindergarteners, it would be tough for him to win the game. However, he might have a better chance if he played in the present, what with the 1988 Lakers team members being well over 50.<br><br>It should be noted that the NBA, of which the Lakers are part of, requires a minimum of 13 team members. To fit five players, this would need to be a college match.<br />
|-<br />
|Four kindergarteners and Lebron James<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Boxer/basketball mashup<br />
|Boxers playing basketball<br />
|rowspan="2"|Possibly inspired by {{w|Vonda Ward}}, perhaps this is to see if boxers team can play basketball as well as a basketball team if the basketball team were handicapped by having to wear boxing gloves.<br />
|-<br />
|Basketball players in boxing gloves<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Elevated players<br />
|A team playing on stilts<br />
|rowspan="2"|Stilts has been referenced several times in xkcd for instance at the bottom of [[482: Height]], [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/8/89/1608_1038x1095y_Hamsterball_and_stilts_room.png here] in [[1608: Hoverboard]] and [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/0/0c/1663_garden_One_color_Between_Light_yellow_and_yellow_First_thing_stilts.png here] in [[1663: Garden]].<br><br>Not unlike {{w|segway polo}}, segway basketball would have the benefit of reducing physical exertion. Stilts, on the other hand, could help reach the hoops.<br />
|-<br />
|A team playing on segways<br />
<br />
|-<br />
|rowspan="2"|Cinderella teams<br />
|A bad team that would make a good Cinderella story<br />
|rowspan="2"|In a regular match, a good team could easily win against a bad team, but with glass slippers only for the good team, the bad team's chances increase drastically. That the team would make a good Cinderella story implies that the team will win against all expectations.<br><br>Note: Regular glass would break when moving around too much, safety glass or similarly resilient material is recommended.<br />
|-<br />
|A good team playing in glass slippers<br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The comic shows a direct elimination bracket (a single-elimination tournament): there is a single match played by every pair of teams, and the winners of those matches are paired up for the next round of matches, this continues until there are no more matches to be played. There are sixteen teams described here (hence the number in the title), eight on each side of the empty rectangle in the middle. Every two teams are connected, these connectors are then also connected, these connectors are yet again connected, and a final pair of connectors, after making one counter-clockwise right angle turn, end up in the top and bottom edges of the central rectangle. The bracket is empty, no results of any of the matches are indicated.]<br />
<br />
:{| class="wikitable" style="background:transparent;border:none;width:100%;"<br />
| style="background:transparent;border:none;" |<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A school with a dog on their team<br />
<br/>A school whose team is entirely dogs<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A dog team with one human<br />
<br/>A dog team with one cat<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A baseball team playing basketball<br />
<br/>A basketball team with baseball gear<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>NBA2K17 top players<br />
<br/>NBA2K17 top developers<br />
<br />
| style="background:transparent;border:none;" |<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>The 1988 Los Angeles lakers<br />
<br/>Four kindergarteners and Lebron James<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>Boxers playing basketball<br />
<br/>Basketball players in boxing gloves<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A team playing on stilts<br />
<br/>A team playing on Segways<br />
<br />
<br/>[These are paired.]<br />
<br/>A bad team that would make a good Cinderella story<br />
<br/>A good team playing in glass slippers<br />
<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Basketball]]<br />
[[Category:Baseball]]<br />
[[Category:Sport]] <!-- Boxing --><br />
[[Category:Video games]] <!-- NBA2K17 --><br />
[[Category:Animals]] <br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]] <!-- Lebron James --><br />
[[Category:Tournament bracket]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2269:_Phylogenetic_Tree&diff=1874642269: Phylogenetic Tree2020-02-18T23:42:20Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2269<br />
| date = February 17, 2020<br />
| title = Phylogenetic Tree<br />
| image = phylogenetic_tree.png<br />
| titletext = And I was kicked out of my March Madness pool because I wouldn't shut up about the evidence for NBA/ABA endosymbiosis.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by PHYLOGENETIC MARCH MADNESS BRACKETS. The names on the tree should be explained (mentioned) Duke etc. There have been other comics about this madness - links. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
In biology, {{w|phylogenetic tree}}s are a way of showing evolutionary relationships with the most recent common ancestor at the root of the tree. <br />
<br />
Each year in the United States, in March and early April, 68 NCAA Division I {{w|college basketball}} teams play in a {{w|single elimination}} postseason tournament to decide a national champion of college basketball. This tournament is colloquially known as {{w|March Madness}}. Associated with this tournament, it has become commonplace to guess the outcomes of each game, and predict who will win the tournament. A diagram illustrating the progress and elimination of teams through the tournament is called a {{w|Bracket (tournament)|bracket}}. Presumably Randall is referring to the men's college basketball tournament here, though there is a separate women's college basketball tournament that is referred to as "March Madness".<br />
<br />
[[Randall]] has replaced the trees in a biology paper with a basketball {{w|March Madness pools|March Madness bracket}}, which is not related to biology. The 2019-20 NCAA college basketball regular season had not ended yet at the time of this comic's publication, so the partial bracket shown is a fictional bracket. [[:Category:Tournament bracket|Tournament brackets]] are a recurring theme at xkcd. Compared to a phylogenetic tree, the 'root' of a tournament tree is the final result (once known), rather than the common ancestor that was prior in time to all those that came after; the 'leaves' are all the initially hopeful competitors, rather than the latest extant (or unsucceeded extinct) organisms.<br />
<br />
The title text shows the inverse of what the comic says: Apparently the March Madness bracket pool removed Randall after he tried to introduce biology-related evidence comparing the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA) and {{w|American Basketball Association}} (ABA) to organisms and claiming the ABA is an {{w|endosymbiont}} living inside the NBA. An endosymbiont is an organism living inside another organism. In a way, this can be considered true of these two leagues, as the NBA and ABA {{w|ABA–NBA merger|merged}} in 1976 after which the ABA ceased to exist. 4 teams from the ABA, the {{w|Denver Nuggets}}, {{w|Indiana Pacers}}, {{w|Brooklyn Nets}} and {{w|San Antonio Spurs}}, continue to exist today as NBA teams. It is additionally humorous that Randall brings up the ABA/NBA merger in a March Madness bracket group, as March Madness is a college basketball tournament, as opposed to professional basketball played by the NBA and ABA.<br />
<br />
A March Madness bracket was also the topic of [[1819: Sweet 16]].<br />
<br />
===Teams shown in the bracket===<br />
The bracket shows the Duke University basketball team winning the NCAA college basketball tournament. Strangely, it shows Gonzaga University linked only to explicitly non-Gonzaga branches, suddenly appearing out of the bottom section, which is not possible in a sports bracket context, but possible in biology if Gonzaga is an identified ancestral root with all descendant evolved species identified by a new term. In fact, the implied unchanged continuity of Duke from 'universal ancestor' to niche population sharing the world with all of its diverged and re-evolved outbranchings (rather than perhaps used as a term for a typically broad cladistic group of branches, such as Archaea) would be more curious - or just imply an inherent of available precision in the necessary paleobiological studies that classify the proposed UA and its descendency.<br />
<br />
As of the publish date of this comic, all of the college basketball teams mentioned (except the University of Virginia) were ranked in the top 25 of the {{w|AP Poll|Associated Press poll}}. The University of Virginia was the 2019 national champion (winner of the tournament), so that may have been why they were mentioned.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Team name<br />
!University<br />
!Ranking<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|Dayton<br />
|{{w|University of Dayton}}<br />
|#5<br />
|A private Roman Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Dayton has appeared in 18 tournaments, most recently in 2017.<br />
|-<br />
|Duke<br />
|{{w|Duke University}}<br />
|#6<br />
|A private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Duke has appeared in 43 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 5 national championships (most recently in 2015).<br />
|-<br />
|FSU<br />
|{{w|Florida State University}}<br />
|#8<br />
|A public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State has appeared in 17 tournaments, most recently in 2019.<br />
|-<br />
|Gonzaga<br />
|{{w|Gonzaga University}}<br />
|#2<br />
|A private Roman Catholic university in Spokane, Washington. Gonzaga has appeared in 22 tournaments, most recently in 2019.<br />
|-<br />
|Kansas<br />
|{{w|University of Kansas}}<br />
|#3<br />
|A public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas. Kansas has appeared in 48 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 3 national championships (most recently in 2008).<br />
|-<br />
|Louisville<br />
|{{w|University of Louisville}}<br />
|#11<br />
|A public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville has appeared in 39<ref group="note" name="Louisville">Louisville vacated its tournament results from 2011-15, including its 2013 national championship, due to NCAA violations.</ref> tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 2<ref group="note" name="Louisville" /> national championships (most recently in 1986).<br />
|-<br />
|UVA<br />
|{{w|University of Virginia}}<br />
|Unranked<br />
|A public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Virginia has appeared in 23 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and won a national championship in 2019.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[A circular phylogenetic tree is shown, with various parts of the tree colored red, green, blue, and black.]<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:I was kicked off the biology project after I secretly replaced all the phylogenetic trees in our new paper with March Madness brackets.<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references group="note" /><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Tournament bracket]]<br />
[[Category: Basketball]]<br />
[[Category: Biology]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2269:_Phylogenetic_Tree&diff=1874632269: Phylogenetic Tree2020-02-18T23:41:35Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ note that there is also a women's tournament / bracket</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2269<br />
| date = February 17, 2020<br />
| title = Phylogenetic Tree<br />
| image = phylogenetic_tree.png<br />
| titletext = And I was kicked out of my March Madness pool because I wouldn't shut up about the evidence for NBA/ABA endosymbiosis.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by PHYLOGENETIC MARCH MADNESS BRACKETS. The names on the tree should be explained (mentioned) Duke etc. There have been other comics about this madness - links. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
In biology, {{w|phylogenetic tree}}s are a way of showing evolutionary relationships with the most recent common ancestor at the root of the tree. <br />
<br />
Each year in the United States, in March and early April, 68 NCAA Division I {{w|college basketball}} teams play in a {{w|single elimination}} postseason tournament to decide a national champion of college basketball. This tournament is colloquially known as {{w|March Madness}}. Associated with this tournament, it has become commonplace to guess the outcomes of each game, and predict who will win the tournament. A diagram illustrating the progress and elimination of teams through the tournament is called a {{w|Bracket (tournament)|bracket}}. Presumably Randall is referring to the men's college basketball tournament here, though there is also a women's college basketball tournament that is referred to as "March Madness".<br />
<br />
[[Randall]] has replaced the trees in a biology paper with a basketball {{w|March Madness pools|March Madness bracket}}, which is not related to biology. The 2019-20 NCAA college basketball regular season had not ended yet at the time of this comic's publication, so the partial bracket shown is a fictional bracket. [[:Category:Tournament bracket|Tournament brackets]] are a recurring theme at xkcd. Compared to a phylogenetic tree, the 'root' of a tournament tree is the final result (once known), rather than the common ancestor that was prior in time to all those that came after; the 'leaves' are all the initially hopeful competitors, rather than the latest extant (or unsucceeded extinct) organisms.<br />
<br />
The title text shows the inverse of what the comic says: Apparently the March Madness bracket pool removed Randall after he tried to introduce biology-related evidence comparing the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA) and {{w|American Basketball Association}} (ABA) to organisms and claiming the ABA is an {{w|endosymbiont}} living inside the NBA. An endosymbiont is an organism living inside another organism. In a way, this can be considered true of these two leagues, as the NBA and ABA {{w|ABA–NBA merger|merged}} in 1976 after which the ABA ceased to exist. 4 teams from the ABA, the {{w|Denver Nuggets}}, {{w|Indiana Pacers}}, {{w|Brooklyn Nets}} and {{w|San Antonio Spurs}}, continue to exist today as NBA teams. It is additionally humorous that Randall brings up the ABA/NBA merger in a March Madness bracket group, as March Madness is a college basketball tournament, as opposed to professional basketball played by the NBA and ABA.<br />
<br />
A March Madness bracket was also the topic of [[1819: Sweet 16]].<br />
<br />
===Teams shown in the bracket===<br />
The bracket shows the Duke University basketball team winning the NCAA college basketball tournament. Strangely, it shows Gonzaga University linked only to explicitly non-Gonzaga branches, suddenly appearing out of the bottom section, which is not possible in a sports bracket context, but possible in biology if Gonzaga is an identified ancestral root with all descendant evolved species identified by a new term. In fact, the implied unchanged continuity of Duke from 'universal ancestor' to niche population sharing the world with all of its diverged and re-evolved outbranchings (rather than perhaps used as a term for a typically broad cladistic group of branches, such as Archaea) would be more curious - or just imply an inherent of available precision in the necessary paleobiological studies that classify the proposed UA and its descendency.<br />
<br />
As of the publish date of this comic, all of the college basketball teams mentioned (except the University of Virginia) were ranked in the top 25 of the {{w|AP Poll|Associated Press poll}}. The University of Virginia was the 2019 national champion (winner of the tournament), so that may have been why they were mentioned.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Team name<br />
!University<br />
!Ranking<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|Dayton<br />
|{{w|University of Dayton}}<br />
|#5<br />
|A private Roman Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Dayton has appeared in 18 tournaments, most recently in 2017.<br />
|-<br />
|Duke<br />
|{{w|Duke University}}<br />
|#6<br />
|A private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Duke has appeared in 43 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 5 national championships (most recently in 2015).<br />
|-<br />
|FSU<br />
|{{w|Florida State University}}<br />
|#8<br />
|A public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State has appeared in 17 tournaments, most recently in 2019.<br />
|-<br />
|Gonzaga<br />
|{{w|Gonzaga University}}<br />
|#2<br />
|A private Roman Catholic university in Spokane, Washington. Gonzaga has appeared in 22 tournaments, most recently in 2019.<br />
|-<br />
|Kansas<br />
|{{w|University of Kansas}}<br />
|#3<br />
|A public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas. Kansas has appeared in 48 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 3 national championships (most recently in 2008).<br />
|-<br />
|Louisville<br />
|{{w|University of Louisville}}<br />
|#11<br />
|A public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville has appeared in 39<ref group="note" name="Louisville">Louisville vacated its tournament results from 2011-15, including its 2013 national championship, due to NCAA violations.</ref> tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 2<ref group="note" name="Louisville" /> national championships (most recently in 1986).<br />
|-<br />
|UVA<br />
|{{w|University of Virginia}}<br />
|Unranked<br />
|A public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Virginia has appeared in 23 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and won a national championship in 2019.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[A circular phylogenetic tree is shown, with various parts of the tree colored red, green, blue, and black.]<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:I was kicked off the biology project after I secretly replaced all the phylogenetic trees in our new paper with March Madness brackets.<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references group="note" /><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Tournament bracket]]<br />
[[Category: Basketball]]<br />
[[Category: Biology]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2269:_Phylogenetic_Tree&diff=1874622269: Phylogenetic Tree2020-02-18T23:38:11Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Teams shown in the bracket */ clarify</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2269<br />
| date = February 17, 2020<br />
| title = Phylogenetic Tree<br />
| image = phylogenetic_tree.png<br />
| titletext = And I was kicked out of my March Madness pool because I wouldn't shut up about the evidence for NBA/ABA endosymbiosis.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by PHYLOGENETIC MARCH MADNESS BRACKETS. The names on the tree should be explained (mentioned) Duke etc. There have been other comics about this madness - links. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
In biology, {{w|phylogenetic tree}}s are a way of showing evolutionary relationships with the most recent common ancestor at the root of the tree. <br />
<br />
Each year in the United States, in March and early April, 68 NCAA Division I {{w|college basketball}} teams play in a {{w|single elimination}} postseason tournament to decide a national champion of college basketball. This tournament is colloquially known as {{w|March Madness}}. Associated with this tournament, it has become commonplace to guess the outcomes of each game, and predict who will win the tournament. A diagram illustrating the progress and elimination of teams through the tournament is called a {{w|Bracket (tournament)|bracket}}.<br />
<br />
[[Randall]] has replaced the trees in a biology paper with a basketball {{w|March Madness pools|March Madness bracket}}, which is not related to biology. The 2019-20 NCAA college basketball regular season had not ended yet at the time of this comic's publication, so the partial bracket shown is a fictional bracket. [[:Category:Tournament bracket|Tournament brackets]] are a recurring theme at xkcd. Compared to a phylogenetic tree, the 'root' of a tournament tree is the final result (once known), rather than the common ancestor that was prior in time to all those that came after; the 'leaves' are all the initially hopeful competitors, rather than the latest extant (or unsucceeded extinct) organisms.<br />
<br />
The title text shows the inverse of what the comic says: Apparently the March Madness bracket pool removed Randall after he tried to introduce biology-related evidence comparing the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA) and {{w|American Basketball Association}} (ABA) to organisms and claiming the ABA is an {{w|endosymbiont}} living inside the NBA. An endosymbiont is an organism living inside another organism. In a way, this can be considered true of these two leagues, as the NBA and ABA {{w|ABA–NBA merger|merged}} in 1976 after which the ABA ceased to exist. 4 teams from the ABA, the {{w|Denver Nuggets}}, {{w|Indiana Pacers}}, {{w|Brooklyn Nets}} and {{w|San Antonio Spurs}}, continue to exist today as NBA teams. It is additionally humorous that Randall brings up the ABA/NBA merger in a March Madness bracket group, as March Madness is a college basketball tournament, as opposed to professional basketball played by the NBA and ABA.<br />
<br />
A March Madness bracket was also the topic of [[1819: Sweet 16]].<br />
<br />
===Teams shown in the bracket===<br />
The bracket shows the Duke University basketball team winning the NCAA college basketball tournament. Strangely, it shows Gonzaga University linked only to explicitly non-Gonzaga branches, suddenly appearing out of the bottom section, which is not possible in a sports bracket context, but possible in biology if Gonzaga is an identified ancestral root with all descendant evolved species identified by a new term. In fact, the implied unchanged continuity of Duke from 'universal ancestor' to niche population sharing the world with all of its diverged and re-evolved outbranchings (rather than perhaps used as a term for a typically broad cladistic group of branches, such as Archaea) would be more curious - or just imply an inherent of available precision in the necessary paleobiological studies that classify the proposed UA and its descendency.<br />
<br />
As of the publish date of this comic, all of the college basketball teams mentioned (except the University of Virginia) were ranked in the top 25 of the {{w|AP Poll|Associated Press poll}}. The University of Virginia was the 2019 national champion (winner of the tournament), so that may have been why they were mentioned.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Team name<br />
!University<br />
!Ranking<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|Dayton<br />
|{{w|University of Dayton}}<br />
|#5<br />
|A private Roman Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Dayton has appeared in 18 tournaments, most recently in 2017.<br />
|-<br />
|Duke<br />
|{{w|Duke University}}<br />
|#6<br />
|A private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Duke has appeared in 43 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 5 national championships (most recently in 2015).<br />
|-<br />
|FSU<br />
|{{w|Florida State University}}<br />
|#8<br />
|A public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State has appeared in 17 tournaments, most recently in 2019.<br />
|-<br />
|Gonzaga<br />
|{{w|Gonzaga University}}<br />
|#2<br />
|A private Roman Catholic university in Spokane, Washington. Gonzaga has appeared in 22 tournaments, most recently in 2019.<br />
|-<br />
|Kansas<br />
|{{w|University of Kansas}}<br />
|#3<br />
|A public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas. Kansas has appeared in 48 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 3 national championships (most recently in 2008).<br />
|-<br />
|Louisville<br />
|{{w|University of Louisville}}<br />
|#11<br />
|A public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville has appeared in 39<ref group="note" name="Louisville">Louisville vacated its tournament results from 2011-15, including its 2013 national championship, due to NCAA violations.</ref> tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 2<ref group="note" name="Louisville" /> national championships (most recently in 1986).<br />
|-<br />
|UVA<br />
|{{w|University of Virginia}}<br />
|Unranked<br />
|A public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Virginia has appeared in 23 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and won a national championship in 2019.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[A circular phylogenetic tree is shown, with various parts of the tree colored red, green, blue, and black.]<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:I was kicked off the biology project after I secretly replaced all the phylogenetic trees in our new paper with March Madness brackets.<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references group="note" /><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Tournament bracket]]<br />
[[Category: Basketball]]<br />
[[Category: Biology]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2269:_Phylogenetic_Tree&diff=1874612269: Phylogenetic Tree2020-02-18T23:29:39Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ wlink</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2269<br />
| date = February 17, 2020<br />
| title = Phylogenetic Tree<br />
| image = phylogenetic_tree.png<br />
| titletext = And I was kicked out of my March Madness pool because I wouldn't shut up about the evidence for NBA/ABA endosymbiosis.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by PHYLOGENETIC MARCH MADNESS BRACKETS. The names on the tree should be explained (mentioned) Duke etc. There have been other comics about this madness - links. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
In biology, {{w|phylogenetic tree}}s are a way of showing evolutionary relationships with the most recent common ancestor at the root of the tree. <br />
<br />
Each year in the United States, in March and early April, 68 NCAA Division I {{w|college basketball}} teams play in a {{w|single elimination}} postseason tournament to decide a national champion of college basketball. This tournament is colloquially known as {{w|March Madness}}. Associated with this tournament, it has become commonplace to guess the outcomes of each game, and predict who will win the tournament. A diagram illustrating the progress and elimination of teams through the tournament is called a {{w|Bracket (tournament)|bracket}}.<br />
<br />
[[Randall]] has replaced the trees in a biology paper with a basketball {{w|March Madness pools|March Madness bracket}}, which is not related to biology. The 2019-20 NCAA college basketball regular season had not ended yet at the time of this comic's publication, so the partial bracket shown is a fictional bracket. [[:Category:Tournament bracket|Tournament brackets]] are a recurring theme at xkcd. Compared to a phylogenetic tree, the 'root' of a tournament tree is the final result (once known), rather than the common ancestor that was prior in time to all those that came after; the 'leaves' are all the initially hopeful competitors, rather than the latest extant (or unsucceeded extinct) organisms.<br />
<br />
The title text shows the inverse of what the comic says: Apparently the March Madness bracket pool removed Randall after he tried to introduce biology-related evidence comparing the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA) and {{w|American Basketball Association}} (ABA) to organisms and claiming the ABA is an {{w|endosymbiont}} living inside the NBA. An endosymbiont is an organism living inside another organism. In a way, this can be considered true of these two leagues, as the NBA and ABA {{w|ABA–NBA merger|merged}} in 1976 after which the ABA ceased to exist. 4 teams from the ABA, the {{w|Denver Nuggets}}, {{w|Indiana Pacers}}, {{w|Brooklyn Nets}} and {{w|San Antonio Spurs}}, continue to exist today as NBA teams. It is additionally humorous that Randall brings up the ABA/NBA merger in a March Madness bracket group, as March Madness is a college basketball tournament, as opposed to professional basketball played by the NBA and ABA.<br />
<br />
A March Madness bracket was also the topic of [[1819: Sweet 16]].<br />
<br />
===Teams shown in the bracket===<br />
The bracket shows the Duke University basketball team winning the NCAA college basketball tournament. Strangely, it shows Gonzaga University linked only to explicitly non-Gonzaga branches, suddenly appearing out of the bottom section, which is not possible in a sports bracket context, but possible in biology if Gonzaga is an identified ancestral root with all descendant evolved species identified by a new term. In fact, the implied unchanged continuity of Duke from 'universal ancestor' to niche population sharing the world with all of its diverged and re-evolved outbranchings (rather than perhaps used as a term for a typically broad cladistic group of branches, such as Archaea) would be more curious - or just imply an inherent of available precision in the necessary paleobiological studies that classify the proposed UA and its descendency.<br />
<br />
As of the publish date of this comic, all of the college basketball teams mentioned (except the University of Virginia) were ranked in the top 25 of the {{w|AP Poll|Associated Press poll}}. The University of Virginia was the winner of the 2019 college basketball tournament, so that may have been why they were mentioned.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Team name<br />
!University<br />
!Ranking<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|Dayton<br />
|{{w|University of Dayton}}<br />
|#5<br />
|A private Roman Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Dayton has appeared in 18 tournaments, most recently in 2017.<br />
|-<br />
|Duke<br />
|{{w|Duke University}}<br />
|#6<br />
|A private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Duke has appeared in 43 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 5 national championships (most recently in 2015).<br />
|-<br />
|FSU<br />
|{{w|Florida State University}}<br />
|#8<br />
|A public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State has appeared in 17 tournaments, most recently in 2019.<br />
|-<br />
|Gonzaga<br />
|{{w|Gonzaga University}}<br />
|#2<br />
|A private Roman Catholic university in Spokane, Washington. Gonzaga has appeared in 22 tournaments, most recently in 2019.<br />
|-<br />
|Kansas<br />
|{{w|University of Kansas}}<br />
|#3<br />
|A public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas. Kansas has appeared in 48 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 3 national championships (most recently in 2008).<br />
|-<br />
|Louisville<br />
|{{w|University of Louisville}}<br />
|#11<br />
|A public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville has appeared in 39<ref group="note" name="Louisville">Louisville vacated its tournament results from 2011-15, including its 2013 national championship, due to NCAA violations.</ref> tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 2<ref group="note" name="Louisville" /> national championships (most recently in 1986).<br />
|-<br />
|UVA<br />
|{{w|University of Virginia}}<br />
|Unranked<br />
|A public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Virginia has appeared in 23 tournaments (most recently in 2019), and has won 1 national championship, in 2019.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[A circular phylogenetic tree is shown, with various parts of the tree colored red, green, blue, and black.]<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:I was kicked off the biology project after I secretly replaced all the phylogenetic trees in our new paper with March Madness brackets.<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references group="note" /><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Tournament bracket]]<br />
[[Category: Basketball]]<br />
[[Category: Biology]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2269:_Phylogenetic_Tree&diff=187460Talk:2269: Phylogenetic Tree2020-02-18T23:28:25Z<p>172.68.211.28: helps read better</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Because of timezones this comic was released on Sunday in some areas [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.228|172.69.34.228]] 07:21, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
:Well, it's always either that or Tuesday in some areas, right? However, yes, this again was up quite early. But the exact upload times seem to fluctuate heavily all the time. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:40, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I don't know much about basketball (only heard about march Madness here/xkcd and on HIMYM before), but where is Gonzaga coming from? shouldn't it be either UVA, Kansas or FSU? or is it a different name for one of those 3 teams? Also: Do we need a march madness category? maybe as a subcategory of bracket tournaments? It seems to be quite reocurring. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:43, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
:Gonzaga is on here as a joke. In 2019, late night host Jimmy Kimmel humorously refused to believe that they were a real college from the start of the tournament. They lost in their division finals.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.241|162.158.74.241]] 16:01, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
::While you are correct, I think the question is how they show up in the tree without being shown on any of the lower branches. Since this tree is about genetics, my guess is it's supposed to be a mutation that just appears out of nowhere. Gonzaga has had a few good years in the past, most notably this detail from Wikipedia: "Gonzaga advanced to the Elite 8 of the 2015 NCAA tournament, losing to eventual national champion and No. 1 ranked Duke." I suspect it's no coincidence that they lose to Duke in this tree! [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 16:25, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could someone explain what a "March Madness Bracket" is? It appears to be something to do with American college basketball, but why does it have the same structure as a phylogenetic tree? What does the word 'Bracket' mean here? {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.148|07:48, 17 February 2020}}<br />
:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracket_(tournament) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.82|162.158.214.82]] 07:51, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
:Seconded. The explanation as it stands assumes that the reader is from the USA and understands American sports. Neither of these is true for me. Can we please have concise one-line explanations of:<br />
* what sport?<br />
* what teams?<br />
* what a bracket is?<br />
* what tournament this refers to?<br />
I was a biologist; the science part is clear to me. It needs an explanation akin to that about phylogeny, for non-sports-followers and non-US-sports followers. [[User:Lproven|Lproven]] ([[User talk:Lproven|talk]]) 09:02, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
:: Getting better! Terms now undefined: "NCAA", "ABA", "NBA", "Division 1", "single elimination", "bracket pool", "college basketball". [[User:Lproven|Lproven]] ([[User talk:Lproven|talk]]) 11:05, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
::: NCAA = National Collegiate Athletic Association, but it doesn't cover all colleges -- just the bigger ones. NBA national Basketball Association, the (main?) pro basketball grouping of mens' teams (as opposed to the WNBA). ABA is _probably_ the American Basketball Association, of which I know nothing (but guessing by analogy with NBC/ABC television networks; National/American Broadcasting Company. And college basketball is, well, basketball played by college teams. For the rest of it, I'm out of my league. {{unsigned ip|162.158.74.55|06:41, 17 February 2020}}<br />
:::: From what I understand, the NCAA categorize teams into divisions, with Division 1 being the highest. "Single elimination" is a type of tournament bracket where once you lose a match, you're done. A bracket pool is where people get together and each makes a prediction of the bracket. Whoever is closest to what actually happened wins. The ABA is the American Basketball Association. {{unsigned ip|108.162.212.173|09:02, 17 February 2020}}<br />
<br />
The three prominent "Duke"s in the center of the chart, made me look for the logical continuation "of Earl." I didn't see it... :( {{unsigned ip|162.158.74.55|06:41, 17 February 2020}}<br />
* That would be a reference to the 60's song {{W|Duke of Earl}}. It has a refrain "duke, duke, duke of earl..." [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 17:09, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
* Likewise. Also, duck fuke. {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.85|07:52, 17 February 2020}}<br />
<br />
SO is the displayed bracket last seasons? a prediction for this season? completely random? Are they even real universities? Or is Randall embedding more jokes? What is Basketball? why do universities play it? why do we care? It is only February - why are we discussing March? Mind you May Week is in June and the Octoberfest in September so March Madness could be in February for all I know? [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 16:59, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
And what is with the colours?<br />
*All the universities mentioned (at least, those whose names are legible) are real universities: Duke University, Gonzaga University, University of Louisville, University of Dayton, University of Virginia ("UVA"), University of Kansas, Florida State University ("FSU"). Most of them are ranked highly in the current basketball rankings (published by the Associated Press and compiled from a weekly poll of sportswriters) -- Duke #6, Gonzaga #2, Louisville #11, Dayton #5, Kansas #3, Florida State #8. (These are rankings of how well the basketball teams are playing in the current season.) Virginia isn't doing as well this season, but they did win the national championship last season. It is reasonable to predict that all seven of the universities mentioned will be selected to play in the tournament this year (about 350 schools are eligible, and 68 of them are selected). Since "March Madness" (the championship tournament) is the culmination of the entire season, basketball fans start caring about March Madness before the month of March starts. (This year the tournament begins on March 17 and ends on April 6.) This tree isn't formatted properly to be comprehensible as an actual prediction of the tournament. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.236|108.162.216.236]] 18:45, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
*((In response to: What is it with the colours...)) In the Biological sense, colours indicate the direct 'lineage' from the common ancestor (or an offshoot from that line) to a given end-creature (or swathes as a whole family/clade/whatever branch). In the Bracketting sense, it would show the route to the final (or as far as they got) of a competitor or a group of competitors. I'm not sure which it's 'intended' to be, but I'm sure it's a common phylogenetic tree convention, outside of this peculiar mashup.<br />
:Incidentally, I misread the comic at first as mentioning 'Duke Gonzag'''o'''', as per the lines from Hamlet: "The Mousetrap. Marry, how? Tropically. This play is the image of a murder done in Vienna. Gonzago is the duke’s name, his wife Baptista. You shall see anon. 'Tis a knavish piece of work, but what o' that? Your majesty and we that have free souls, it touches us not. Let the galled jade wince, our withers are unwrung." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.92|162.158.155.92]] 18:54, 17 February 2020 (UTC)</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2269:_Phylogenetic_Tree&diff=187459Talk:2269: Phylogenetic Tree2020-02-18T23:27:47Z<p>172.68.211.28: ce</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Because of timezones this comic was released on Sunday in some areas [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.228|172.69.34.228]] 07:21, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
:Well, it's always either that or Tuesday in some areas, right? However, yes, this again was up quite early. But the exact upload times seem to fluctuate heavily all the time. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:40, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I don't know much about basketball (only heard about march Madness here/xkcd and on HIMYM before), but where is Gonzaga coming from? shouldn't it be either UVA, Kansas or FSU? or is it a different name for one of those 3 teams? Also: Do we need a march madness category? maybe as a subcategory of bracket tournaments? It seems to be quite reocurring. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:43, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
:Gonzaga is on here as a joke. In 2019, late night host Jimmy Kimmel humorously refused to believe that they were a real college from the start of the tournament. They lost in their division finals.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.241|162.158.74.241]] 16:01, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
::While you are correct, I think the question is how they show up in the tree without being shown on any of the lower branches. Since this tree is about genetics, my guess is it's supposed to be a mutation that just appears out of nowhere. Gonzaga has had a few good years in the past, most notably this detail from Wikipedia: "Gonzaga advanced to the Elite 8 of the 2015 NCAA tournament, losing to eventual national champion and No. 1 ranked Duke." I suspect it's no coincidence that they lose to Duke in this tree! [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 16:25, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could someone explain what a "March Madness Bracket" is? It appears to be something to do with American college basketball, but why does it have the same structure as a phylogenetic tree? What does the word 'Bracket' mean here? {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.148|07:48, 17 February 2020}}<br />
:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracket_(tournament) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.82|162.158.214.82]] 07:51, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
:Seconded. The explanation as it stands assumes that the reader is from the USA and understands American sports. Neither of these is true for me. Can we please have concise one-line explanations of:<br />
* what sport?<br />
* what teams?<br />
* what a bracket is?<br />
* what tournament this refers to?<br />
I was a biologist; the science part is clear to me. It needs an explanation akin to that about phylogeny, for non-sports-followers and non-US-sports followers. [[User:Lproven|Lproven]] ([[User talk:Lproven|talk]]) 09:02, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
:: Getting better! Terms now undefined: "NCAA", "ABA", "NBA", "Division 1", "single elimination", "bracket pool", "college basketball". [[User:Lproven|Lproven]] ([[User talk:Lproven|talk]]) 11:05, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
::: NCAA = National Collegiate Athletic Association, but it doesn't cover all colleges -- just the bigger ones. NBA national Basketball Association, the (main?) pro basketball grouping of mens' teams (as opposed to the WNBA). ABA is _probably_ the American Basketball Association, of which I know nothing (but guessing by analogy with NBC/ABC television networks; National/American Broadcasting Company. And college basketball is, well, basketball played by college teams. For the rest of it, I'm out of my league. {{unsigned ip|162.158.74.55|06:41, 17 February 2020}}<br />
:::: From what I understand, the NCAA categorize teams into divisions, with Division 1 being the highest. "Single elimination" is a type of tournament bracket where once you lose a match, you're done. A bracket pool is where people get together and each makes a prediction of the bracket. Whoever is closest to what actually happened wins. The ABA is the American Basketball Association. {{unsigned ip|108.162.212.173|09:02, 17 February 2020}}<br />
<br />
The three prominent "Duke"s in the center of the chart, made me look for the logical continuation "of Earl." I didn't see it... :( {{unsigned ip|162.158.74.55|06:41, 17 February 2020}}<br />
* That would be a reference to the 60's song {{W|Duke of Earl}}. It has a refrain "duke, duke, duke of earl..." [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 17:09, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
* Likewise. Also, duck fuke. {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.85|07:52, 17 February 2020}}<br />
<br />
SO is the displayed bracket last seasons? a prediction for this season? completely random? Are they even real universities? Or is Randall embedding more jokes? What is Basketball? why do universities play it? why do we care? It is only February - why are we discussing March? Mind you May Week is in June and the Octoberfest in September so March Madness could be in February for all I know? [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 16:59, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
And what is with the colours?<br />
*All the universities mentioned (at least, those whose names are legible) are real universities: Duke University, Gonzaga University, University of Louisville, University of Dayton, University of Virginia ("UVA"), University of Kansas, Florida State University ("FSU"). Most of them are ranked highly in the current basketball rankings (published by the Associated Press and compiled from a weekly poll of sportswriters) -- Duke #6, Gonzaga #2, Louisville #11, Dayton #5, Kansas #3, Florida State #8. (These are rankings of how well the basketball teams are playing in the current season.) Virginia isn't doing as well this season, but they did win the national championship last season. It is reasonable to predict that all seven of the universities mentioned will be selected to play in the tournament this year (about 350 schools are eligible, and 68 of them are selected). Since "March Madness" (the championship tournament) is the culmination of the entire season, basketball fans start caring about March Madness before the month of March starts. (This year the tournament begins on March 17 and ends on April 6.) This tree isn't formatted properly to be comprehensible as an actual prediction of the tournament. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.236|108.162.216.236]] 18:45, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
:((In response to: What is it with the colours...)) In the Biological sense, colours indicate the direct 'lineage' from the common ancestor (or an offshoot from that line) to a given end-creature (or swathes as a whole family/clade/whatever branch). In the Bracketting sense, it would show the route to the final (or as far as they got) of a competitor or a group of competitors. I'm not sure which it's 'intended' to be, but I'm sure it's a common phylogenetic tree convention, outside of this peculiar mashup.<br />
:Incidentally, I misread the comic at first as mentioning 'Duke Gonzag'''o'''', as per the lines from Hamlet: "The Mousetrap. Marry, how? Tropically. This play is the image of a murder done in Vienna. Gonzago is the duke’s name, his wife Baptista. You shall see anon. 'Tis a knavish piece of work, but what o' that? Your majesty and we that have free souls, it touches us not. Let the galled jade wince, our withers are unwrung." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.92|162.158.155.92]] 18:54, 17 February 2020 (UTC)</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2269:_Phylogenetic_Tree&diff=187458Talk:2269: Phylogenetic Tree2020-02-18T23:26:52Z<p>172.68.211.28: ce</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Because of timezones this comic was released on Sunday in some areas [[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.228|172.69.34.228]] 07:21, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
:Well, it's always either that or Tuesday in some areas, right? However, yes, this again was up quite early. But the exact upload times seem to fluctuate heavily all the time. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:40, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I don't know much about basketball (only heard about march Madness here/xkcd and on HIMYM before), but where is Gonzaga coming from? shouldn't it be either UVA, Kansas or FSU? or is it a different name for one of those 3 teams? Also: Do we need a march madness category? maybe as a subcategory of bracket tournaments? It seems to be quite reocurring. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:43, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
:Gonzaga is on here as a joke. In 2019, late night host Jimmy Kimmel humorously refused to believe that they were a real college from the start of the tournament. They lost in their division finals.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.241|162.158.74.241]] 16:01, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
::While you are correct, I think the question is how they show up in the tree without being shown on any of the lower branches. Since this tree is about genetics, my guess is it's supposed to be a mutation that just appears out of nowhere. Gonzaga has had a few good years in the past, most notably this detail from Wikipedia: "Gonzaga advanced to the Elite 8 of the 2015 NCAA tournament, losing to eventual national champion and No. 1 ranked Duke." I suspect it's no coincidence that they lose to Duke in this tree! [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 16:25, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could someone explain what a "March Madness Bracket" is? It appears to be something to do with American college basketball, but why does it have the same structure as a phylogenetic tree? What does the word 'Bracket' mean here? {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.148|07:48, 17 February 2020}}<br />
:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bracket_(tournament) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.82|162.158.214.82]] 07:51, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
:Seconded. The explanation as it stands assumes that the reader is from the USA and understands American sports. Neither of these is true for me. Can we please have concise one-line explanations of:<br />
* what sport?<br />
* what teams?<br />
* what a bracket is?<br />
* what tournament this refers to?<br />
I was a biologist; the science part is clear to me. It needs an explanation akin to that about phylogeny, for non-sports-followers and non-US-sports followers. [[User:Lproven|Lproven]] ([[User talk:Lproven|talk]]) 09:02, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
:: Getting better! Terms now undefined: "NCAA", "ABA", "NBA", "Division 1", "single elimination", "bracket pool", "college basketball". [[User:Lproven|Lproven]] ([[User talk:Lproven|talk]]) 11:05, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
::: NCAA = National Collegiate Athletic Association, but it doesn't cover all colleges -- just the bigger ones. NBA national Basketball Association, the (main?) pro basketball grouping of mens' teams (as opposed to the WNBA). ABA is _probably_ the American Basketball Association, of which I know nothing (but guessing by analogy with NBC/ABC television networks; National/American Broadcasting Company. And college basketball is, well, basketball played by college teams. For the rest of it, I'm out of my league. {{unsigned ip|162.158.74.55|06:41, 17 February 2020}}<br />
:::: From what I understand, the NCAA categorize teams into divisions, with Division 1 being the highest. "Single elimination" is a type of tournament bracket where once you lose a match, you're done. A bracket pool is where people get together and each makes a prediction of the bracket. Whoever is closest to what actually happened wins. The ABA is the American Basketball Association. {{unsigned ip|108.162.212.173|09:02, 17 February 2020}}<br />
<br />
The three prominent "Duke"s in the center of the chart, made me look for the logical continuation "of Earl." I didn't see it... :( {{unsigned ip|162.158.74.55|06:41, 17 February 2020}}<br />
* That would be a reference to the 60's song {{W|Duke of Earl}}. It has a refrain "duke, duke, duke of earl..." [[User:SDSpivey|SDSpivey]] ([[User talk:SDSpivey|talk]]) 17:09, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
* Likewise. Also, duck fuke. {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.85|07:52, 17 February 2020}}<br />
<br />
SO is the displayed bracket last seasons? a prediction for this season? completely random? Are they even real universities? Or is Randall embedding more jokes? What is Basketball? why do universities play it? why do we care? It is only February - why are we discussing March? Mind you May Week is in June and the Octoberfest in September so March Madness could be in February for all I know? [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 16:59, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
And what is with the colours?<br />
*All the universities mentioned (at least, those whose names are legible) are real universities: Duke University, Gonzaga University, University of Louisville, University of Dayton, University of Virginia ("UVA"), University of Kansas, Florida State University ("FSU"). Most of them are ranked highly in the current basketball rankings (published by the Associated Press and compiled from a weekly poll of sportswriters) -- Duke #6, Gonzaga #2, Louisville #11, Dayton #5, Kansas #3, Florida State #8. (These are rankings of how well the basketball teams are playing in the current season.) Virginia isn't doing as well this season, but they did win the national championship last season. It is reasonable to predict that all seven of the universities mentioned will be selected to play in the tournament this year (about 350 schools are eligible, and 68 of them are selected). Since "March Madness" (the championship tournament) is the culmination of the entire season, basketball fans start caring about March Madness before the month of March starts. (This year the tournament begins on March 17 and ends on April 6.) This tree isn't formatted properly to be comprehensible as an actual prediction of the tournament. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.236|108.162.216.236]] 18:45, 17 February 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:((In response to: What is it with the colours...)) In the Biological sense, colours indicate the direct 'lineage' from the common ancestor (or an offshoot from that line) to a given end-creature (or swathes as a whole family/clade/whatever branch). In the Bracketting sense, it would show the route to the final (or as far as they got) of a competitor or a group of competitors. I'm not sure which it's 'intended' to be, but I'm sure it's a common phylogenetic tree convention, outside of this peculiar mashup.<br />
:Incidentally, I misread the comic at first as mentioning 'Duke Gonzag'''o'''', as per the lines from Hamlet: "The Mousetrap. Marry, how? Tropically. This play is the image of a murder done in Vienna. Gonzago is the duke’s name, his wife Baptista. You shall see anon. 'Tis a knavish piece of work, but what o' that? Your majesty and we that have free souls, it touches us not. Let the galled jade wince, our withers are unwrung." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.92|162.158.155.92]] 18:54, 17 February 2020 (UTC)</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2227:_Transit_of_Mercury&diff=1827102227: Transit of Mercury2019-11-11T23:39:53Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ fix</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2227<br />
| date = November 11, 2019<br />
| title = Transit of Mercury<br />
| image = transit_of_mercury.png<br />
| titletext = For some reason the water in my pool is green and there's a weird film on the surface #nofilter<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|hashtag}} #nofilter is used on social media to punctuate posts containing strong, often unpopular, opinions. This hashtag is also quite common on Instagram, where it is typically used to humblebrag about having encountered situations so photogenic that no further image enhancement ("{{w|Photographic filter|filter}}") is required to prepare them for general advertisement.<br />
<br />
In this comic, the hashtag is instead used to cap off posts about situations where failure to use proper filtering equipment has led to damage or decay of personal property.<br />
<br />
The caption below the panel refers to the [https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/11/20958727/mercury-transit-sun-planet-nasa-astronomy the transit of the planet Mercury across the Sun], on November 11, 2019 (the date of the publication of this comic), which appeared from Earth as a small black dot moving against the background of the Sun. Photographing the transit requires a {{w|Astronomical filter|special lens filter}} to prevent the intense light from the Sun from burning out the camera's sensor.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to a swimming pool growing {{w|Algae|green scum}} in the absence of a {{w|Swimming_pool_sanitation#Private_pool_filtration|water purification and filtration system}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
[Panel showing the sun partially obscured by clouds. The image is very bright and blown out, with no details visible.]<br />
<br />
[Caption below the panel:]<br />
<br />
This photo of the transit of Mercury fried my telescope's imaging sensor [Frowning Face Emoji] #nofilter<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2227:_Transit_of_Mercury&diff=1827092227: Transit of Mercury2019-11-11T23:39:36Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ more</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2227<br />
| date = November 11, 2019<br />
| title = Transit of Mercury<br />
| image = transit_of_mercury.png<br />
| titletext = For some reason the water in my pool is green and there's a weird film on the surface #nofilter<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|hashtag}} #nofilter is used on social media to punctuate posts containing strong, often unpopular, opinions. This hashtag is also quite common on Instagram, where it is typically used to humblebrag about having encountered situations so photogenic that no further image enhancement ("{{w|Photographic filter|filter||") is required to prepare them for general advertisement.<br />
<br />
In this comic, the hashtag is instead used to cap off posts about situations where failure to use proper filtering equipment has led to damage or decay of personal property.<br />
<br />
The caption below the panel refers to the [https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/11/20958727/mercury-transit-sun-planet-nasa-astronomy the transit of the planet Mercury across the Sun], on November 11, 2019 (the date of the publication of this comic), which appeared from Earth as a small black dot moving against the background of the Sun. Photographing the transit requires a {{w|Astronomical filter|special lens filter}} to prevent the intense light from the Sun from burning out the camera's sensor.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to a swimming pool growing {{w|Algae|green scum}} in the absence of a {{w|Swimming_pool_sanitation#Private_pool_filtration|water purification and filtration system}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
[Panel showing the sun partially obscured by clouds. The image is very bright and blown out, with no details visible.]<br />
<br />
[Caption below the panel:]<br />
<br />
This photo of the transit of Mercury fried my telescope's imaging sensor [Frowning Face Emoji] #nofilter<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2227:_Transit_of_Mercury&diff=1827082227: Transit of Mercury2019-11-11T23:32:35Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Transcript */ add categories</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2227<br />
| date = November 11, 2019<br />
| title = Transit of Mercury<br />
| image = transit_of_mercury.png<br />
| titletext = For some reason the water in my pool is green and there's a weird film on the surface #nofilter<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The hashtag #nofilter is used to punctuate posts containing strong, often unpopular, opinions. This hashtag is also quite common on instagram, where it is typically used to humblebrag about having encountered situations so photogenic that no further image enhancement ("filter") is required to prepare them for general advertisement.<br />
<br />
In this comic, the hashtag is used to cap off posts about situations where failure to use proper filtering equipment has led to damage or decay of personal property.<br />
<br />
The caption below the panel refers to the recent infrequent occurrence of the transit of the planet Mercury across the Sun, which appeared from Earth as a small black dot moving against the background of the Sun. Photographing the transit requires a special lens filter to prevent the intense light from the Sun from burning out the camera's sensor.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to a swimming pool growing green scum in the absence of a water purification and filtration system.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
[Panel showing the sun partially obscured by clouds. The image is very bright and blown out, with no details visible.]<br />
<br />
[Caption below the panel:]<br />
<br />
This photo of the transit of Mercury fried my telescope's imaging sensor [Frowning Face Emoji] #nofilter<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2226:_Recombination_And_Reionization&diff=1825172226: Recombination And Reionization2019-11-09T06:36:53Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2226<br />
| date = November 8, 2019<br />
| title = Recombination And Reionization<br />
| image = recombination_and_reionization.png<br />
| titletext = These signals seem to be pre-star-formation but post-Malone.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by SELENA GOMEZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The Hydrogen Line is a frequency of the electromagnetic spectrum with a frequency of ~1.4 Gigahertz (GHz) that neutral (unionized) hydrogen atoms emit. The wavelength of light for the line is about 21.1 centimeters, giving it the common name of the 21-centimeter line. In this comic, Ponytail is attempting to detect the signal of this emission line from the ancient universe, although due to redshift, the line's frequency has decreased from 1.4 GHz to only circa 100 Megahertz (MHz), putting it within range of FM radio, one of the two types of radio waves used by radio stations, for example, to broadcast audio. FM Radio mostly makes use of frequencies of of 87.5 to 108.0 MHz.<br />
<br />
The fact that the signal Ponytail is searching for and FM radio overlap in frequency quickly becomes an apparent problem when tuning to the frequency detects a local radio station rather than the desired signal. As she laments the fact to Cueball, he points out that perhaps the signal is indeed what the supposed primordial hydrogen line sounds like. Ponytail jokes back that the primordial universe must enjoy playing popular singer and musician Selena Gomez (which, for the record, has not been conclusively disproven by physicists to date)<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the signal Ponytail is detecting, claiming it to originate before the formation of the first stars in the universe (which took place approximately 150 to 200 million years after the Big Bang), but is additionally post-Malone, the stage name of a popular hip hop musician and singer- a play on words as the "Post" in his stage name isn't referring to after something, but is simply his last name.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail sitting working at some type of console, possibly in her laboratory. Cueball is standing on the other side of the console, facing her.]<br />
:Ponytail: Our lab is trying to pick up the spin line of neutral hydrogen. It's the only radiation from the era before the first stars formed.<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail has paused working, with one hand raised off the console.]<br />
:Ponytail: It was 1.4 GHz at first, but by now it's redshifted to the 100-MHz range.<br />
:Cueball: Isn't that also where FM radio broadcasts?<br />
<br />
:[Frameless panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail is pressing a key on the console to enable and disable a live signal from her lab's equipment.]<br />
:Ponytail: Yeah. That's the problem. Listen:<br />
:Sound of keypress on console: *Click*<br />
:Audio signal from console: ''You're tuned to Hot 92.7: the Vibe! Coming up next...''<br />
:Sound of keypress on console: *Click*<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail has resumed working at the console, and Cueball has raised a hand to his chin.]<br />
:Ponytail: But once this guy stops talking, that Nobel Prize will be '''''ours'''''.<br />
:Cueball: Maybe that's not a station &ndash; maybe that's just what reionization sounds like.<br />
:Ponytail: Reionization plays a lot of Selena Gomez.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2226:_Recombination_And_Reionization&diff=1825162226: Recombination And Reionization2019-11-09T06:30:45Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2226<br />
| date = November 8, 2019<br />
| title = Recombination And Reionization<br />
| image = recombination_and_reionization.png<br />
| titletext = These signals seem to be pre-star-formation but post-Malone.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by SELENA GOMEZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The Hydrogen Line is a frequency of the electromagnetic spectrum with a frequency of ~1.4 Gigahertz (GHz) that neutral (unionized) hydrogen atoms emit. The wavelength of light for the line is about 21.1 centimeters, giving it the common name of the 21-centimeter line. In this comic, Ponytail is attempting to detect the signal of this emission line from the ancient universe, although due to redshift, the line's frequency has decreased from 1.4 GHz to only circa 100 Megahertz (MHz), putting it within range of FM radio, one of the two types of radio waves used by radio stations, for example, to broadcast audio. FM Radio mostly makes use of frequencies of of 87.5 to 108.0 MHz.<br />
<br />
The fact that the signal Ponytail is searching for and FM radio overlap in frequency quickly becomes an apparent problem when tuning to the frequency detects a local radio station rather than the desired signal. As she laments the fact to Cueball, he points out that perhaps the signal is indeed what the supposed primordial hydrogen line sounds like. Ponytail jokes back that the primordial universe must enjoy playing popular singer and musician Selena Gomez (which, for the record, has not been conclusively disproven by physicists to date)<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail sitting working at some type of console, possibly in her laboratory. Cueball is standing on the other side of the console, facing her.]<br />
:Ponytail: Our lab is trying to pick up the spin line of neutral hydrogen. It's the only radiation from the era before the first stars formed.<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail has paused working, with one hand raised off the console.]<br />
:Ponytail: It was 1.4 GHz at first, but by now it's redshifted to the 100-MHz range.<br />
:Cueball: Isn't that also where FM radio broadcasts?<br />
<br />
:[Frameless panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail is pressing a key on the console to enable and disable a live signal from her lab's equipment.]<br />
:Ponytail: Yeah. That's the problem. Listen:<br />
:Sound of keypress on console: *Click*<br />
:Audio signal from console: ''You're tuned to Hot 92.7: the Vibe! Coming up next...''<br />
:Sound of keypress on console: *Click*<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail has resumed working at the console, and Cueball has raised a hand to his chin.]<br />
:Ponytail: But once this guy stops talking, that Nobel Prize will be '''''ours'''''.<br />
:Cueball: Maybe that's not a station &ndash; maybe that's just what reionization sounds like.<br />
:Ponytail: Reionization plays a lot of Selena Gomez.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2226:_Recombination_And_Reionization&diff=1825142226: Recombination And Reionization2019-11-09T06:26:54Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2226<br />
| date = November 8, 2019<br />
| title = Recombination And Reionization<br />
| image = recombination_and_reionization.png<br />
| titletext = These signals seem to be pre-star-formation but post-Malone.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by SELENA GOMEZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The Hydrogen Line is a frequency of the electromagnetic spectrum with a frequency of ~1.4 Gigahertz (GHz) that neutral (unionized) hydrogen atoms emit. The wavelength of light for the line is about 21.1 centimeters, giving it the common name of the 21-centimeter line. In this comic, Ponytail is attempting to detect the signal of this emission line from the ancient universe, although due to redshift, the line's frequency has decreased from 1.4 GHz to only circa 100 Megahertz (MHz), putting it within range of FM radio, one of the two types of radio waves used by radio stations, for example, to broadcast audio. FM Radio mostly makes use of frequencies of of 87.5 to 108.0 MHz.<br />
<br />
The fact that the signal Ponytail is searching for and FM radio overlap in frequency quickly becomes an apparent problem when tuning to the frequency detects a local radio station rather than the desired signal.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail sitting working at some type of console, possibly in her laboratory. Cueball is standing on the other side of the console, facing her.]<br />
:Ponytail: Our lab is trying to pick up the spin line of neutral hydrogen. It's the only radiation from the era before the first stars formed.<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail has paused working, with one hand raised off the console.]<br />
:Ponytail: It was 1.4 GHz at first, but by now it's redshifted to the 100-MHz range.<br />
:Cueball: Isn't that also where FM radio broadcasts?<br />
<br />
:[Frameless panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail is pressing a key on the console to enable and disable a live signal from her lab's equipment.]<br />
:Ponytail: Yeah. That's the problem. Listen:<br />
:Sound of keypress on console: *Click*<br />
:Audio signal from console: ''You're tuned to Hot 92.7: the Vibe! Coming up next...''<br />
:Sound of keypress on console: *Click*<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail has resumed working at the console, and Cueball has raised a hand to his chin.]<br />
:Ponytail: But once this guy stops talking, that Nobel Prize will be '''''ours'''''.<br />
:Cueball: Maybe that's not a station &ndash; maybe that's just what reionization sounds like.<br />
:Ponytail: Reionization plays a lot of Selena Gomez.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2226:_Recombination_And_Reionization&diff=1825132226: Recombination And Reionization2019-11-09T06:24:03Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2226<br />
| date = November 8, 2019<br />
| title = Recombination And Reionization<br />
| image = recombination_and_reionization.png<br />
| titletext = These signals seem to be pre-star-formation but post-Malone.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by SELENA GOMEZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The Hydrogen Line is a frequency of the electromagnetic spectrum with a frequency of ~1.4 Gigahertz (GHz) that neutral (unionized) hydrogen atoms emit. The wavelength of light for the line is about 21.1 centimeters, giving it the common name of the 21-centimeter line. In this comic, Cueball is attempting to detect the signal of this emission line from the ancient universe, although due to redshift, the line's frequency has decreased from 1.4 GHz to only circa 100 Megahertz (MHz), putting it within range of FM Radio, one of the two types of radio waves used by radio stations, for example, to broadcast audio. FM Radio mostly makes use of frequencies of of 87.5 to 108.0 MHz.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail sitting working at some type of console, possibly in her laboratory. Cueball is standing on the other side of the console, facing her.]<br />
:Ponytail: Our lab is trying to pick up the spin line of neutral hydrogen. It's the only radiation from the era before the first stars formed.<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail has paused working, with one hand raised off the console.]<br />
:Ponytail: It was 1.4 GHz at first, but by now it's redshifted to the 100-MHz range.<br />
:Cueball: Isn't that also where FM radio broadcasts?<br />
<br />
:[Frameless panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail is pressing a key on the console to enable and disable a live signal from her lab's equipment.]<br />
:Ponytail: Yeah. That's the problem. Listen:<br />
:Sound of keypress on console: *Click*<br />
:Audio signal from console: ''You're tuned to Hot 92.7: the Vibe! Coming up next...''<br />
:Sound of keypress on console: *Click*<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail has resumed working at the console, and Cueball has raised a hand to his chin.]<br />
:Ponytail: But once this guy stops talking, that Nobel Prize will be '''''ours'''''.<br />
:Cueball: Maybe that's not a station &ndash; maybe that's just what reionization sounds like.<br />
:Ponytail: Reionization plays a lot of Selena Gomez.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2226:_Recombination_And_Reionization&diff=1825122226: Recombination And Reionization2019-11-09T06:18:57Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ quick explain about the hydrogen line. Really sorry if I'm impeding on anyone else's more detailed explanation they're working on.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2226<br />
| date = November 8, 2019<br />
| title = Recombination And Reionization<br />
| image = recombination_and_reionization.png<br />
| titletext = These signals seem to be pre-star-formation but post-Malone.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by SELENA GOMEZ. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The Hydrogen Line is a frequency of the electromagnetic spectrum with a frequency of ~1.4 Gigahertz that neutral (unionized) hydrogen atoms emit. The wavelength of light for the line is about 21.1 centimeters, giving it the common name of the 21-centimeter line.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail sitting working at some type of console, possibly in her laboratory. Cueball is standing on the other side of the console, facing her.]<br />
:Ponytail: Our lab is trying to pick up the spin line of neutral hydrogen. It's the only radiation from the era before the first stars formed.<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail has paused working, with one hand raised off the console.]<br />
:Ponytail: It was 1.4 GHz at first, but by now it's redshifted to the 100-MHz range.<br />
:Cueball: Isn't that also where FM radio broadcasts?<br />
<br />
:[Frameless panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail is pressing a key on the console to enable and disable a live signal from her lab's equipment.]<br />
:Ponytail: Yeah. That's the problem. Listen:<br />
:Sound of keypress on console: *Click*<br />
:Audio signal from console: ''You're tuned to Hot 92.7: the Vibe! Coming up next...''<br />
:Sound of keypress on console: *Click*<br />
<br />
:[Panel showing Ponytail and Cueball. Ponytail has resumed working at the console, and Cueball has raised a hand to his chin.]<br />
:Ponytail: But once this guy stops talking, that Nobel Prize will be '''''ours'''''.<br />
:Cueball: Maybe that's not a station &ndash; maybe that's just what reionization sounds like.<br />
:Ponytail: Reionization plays a lot of Selena Gomez.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1026:_Compare_and_Contrast&diff=1779801026: Compare and Contrast2019-08-12T17:40:19Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ copyedit</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1026<br />
| date = March 7, 2012<br />
| title = Compare and Contrast<br />
| image = compare_and_contrast.png<br />
| titletext = Frankly, I see no difference between thee and a summer's day. Only Ron Paul offers a TRUE alternative!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
<br />
A reference to the most well-known {{w|sonnet}} in the English-speaking world: {{w|William Shakespeare|William Shakespeare's}} "{{w|Sonnet 18}}", the first line of which is: "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?". In this comic [[Randall]] sets about this in a typically goal-oriented chart, as opposed to the rather more romantic poetry of the Bard.<br />
<br />
"Thee" is a form of the archaic second-person singular pronoun "thou". In Shakespeare's day, English had more second-person pronouns in common use, thou/thee (informal/singular), and you (formal/plural). This is similar to second-person pronouns in many modern European languages, such as French. {{w|English personal pronouns#Full list of personal pronouns|Wikipedia}} has a nice chart for all of English's personal pronouns, current and archaic.<br />
<br />
For both the chart and the original sonnet, whether or not the work is autobiographical is unknown. Also unknown is the identity of the person whom each work refers to. It is believed that Sonnet 18 is addressed to a {{w|Shakespeare's Sonnets#Fair Youth|young man}}.<br />
<br />
The lines are:<br />
<br />
# The first line is a reference to the sonnet itself, which reads: "Thou art more lovely and more temperate". He considers both thee and a summer's day to be "fair" (this is a pun; depending on context, "fair" can refer to complexion or weather) and "temperate" (meaning "warm", which again can describe a person or the weather).<br />
# "Hot, sticky" also refers to both, in different ways. "Hot" can mean sexually attractive or simply that the temperature is high. "Sticky" refers to either a humid day (for summer day) or to have ejaculated after sex (for "thee").<br />
# "Short" is another pun. "Thee" (the subject of the comparison with the summer's day) is not tall. A summer day is chronologically long (time from dawn to dusk.)<br />
# "Harbinger of hurricane season" is technically accurate; hurricane season does follow the summer.<br />
# "Required for a good beach party" is not a pun, although it is another example of a word with slightly different meanings. The party is required to be held on a summer's day and with "thee" present at the party. The party would not be held on "thee", although some of the other lines suggest that the writer might personally be on top of "thee" during the party.<br />
# Heat stroke is a condition mainly affecting children and the elderly. Heat waves and excessively hot days are highly linked with heat stroke incidence; see [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_stroke#cite_ref-23 Epidemiology]<br />
# "Linked to higher rates of juvenile delinquency" refers to juveniles committing crimes. Apparently, "thee" is either a juvenile delinquent or inspires juvenile delinquency (or both). Summer is also linked to juvenile delinquency. This results, to some degree, from school not being in session, rather than simply as a direct result of the summer weather.<br />
# "Sometimes too stifling" can refer to the weather - oppressive heat and humidity, or a person that is overly oppressive and constraining. It is also unusual in that it expresses a negative feeling about "thee", unlike the other entries which express what the author likes or admires about thee.<br />
# "Arrested for releasing snakes in the library" is a fairly self-explanatory criterion. Apparently "thee" has been caught doing this. A summer's day, on the other hand, cannot be arrested at all, much less for this. This is possibly inspired by the movie ''{{w|Snakes on a Plane}}''.<br />
# The last line "difficult to focus on work while I'm in" is a sexual reference, on the "thee" side, not on the "summer's day" side. To be "in" someone refers to the penetrative part of sex, which would occupy a typical person's attention.{{Citation needed}} Summer can be distracting from work due to heat, excitement, or just the general feeling of the season.<br />
<br />
The title text is a reference to {{w|Ron Paul}}, a 2012 {{w|Republican Party (United States)|Republican}} candidate for {{w|President of the United States|President}} who was on top in the {{w|Republican Party presidential primaries, 2012|Republican Primary}} against a few other challengers for the nomination. Ron Paul was frequently represented on the internet using similar language to the title text (with Paul offering an alternative to typical Republican and Democratic candidates). Paul was seen by many as an alternative because of his {{w|Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian}} views.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A checklist comparing "thee" to "a summer's day" for a number of properties, displayed as separate rows in a table with 3 columns. The properties are shown in the first column with no header label, and the second and third columns have a header label of "Thee" and "A Summer's Day" with a checkmark in one or both columns for each row.]<br />
<br />
:[Row 1]<br />
:Property: Fair, Temperate<br />
:Thee: Checked<br />
:A Summer's Day: Checked<br />
<br />
:[Row 2]<br />
:Property: Hot, Sticky<br />
:Thee: Checked<br />
:A Summer's Day: Checked<br />
<br />
:[Row 3]<br />
:Property: Short<br />
:Thee: Checked<br />
:A Summer's Day: Not Checked<br />
<br />
:[Row 4]<br />
:Property: Harbinger of Hurricane Season<br />
:Thee: Not Checked<br />
:A Summer's Day: Checked<br />
<br />
:[Row 5]<br />
:Property: Required for a Good Beach Party<br />
:Thee: Checked<br />
:A Summer's Day: Checked<br />
<br />
:[Row 6]<br />
:Property: Major Cause of Heat Stroke in the Elderly<br />
:Thee: Not Checked<br />
:A Summer's Day: Checked<br />
<br />
:[Row 7]<br />
:Property: Linked to Higher Rates of Juvenile Delinquency<br />
:Thee: Checked<br />
:A Summer's Day: Checked<br />
<br />
:[Row 8]<br />
:Property: Sometimes Too Stifling<br />
:Thee: Checked<br />
:A Summer's Day: Checked<br />
<br />
:[Row 9]<br />
:Property: Arrested for Releasing Snakes in Library<br />
:Thee: Checked<br />
:A Summer's Day: Not Checked<br />
<br />
:[Row 10]<br />
:Property: Difficult to Focus on Work While I'm In<br />
:Thee: Checked<br />
:A Summer's Day: Checked<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ron Paul]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Sex]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Romance]]<br />
[[Category:Weather]]<br />
[[Category:Hurricanes]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1885:_Ensemble_Model&diff=1779791885: Ensemble Model2019-08-12T17:32:56Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Trivia */ change categories, not really "science"</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1885<br />
| date = September 4, 2017<br />
| title = Ensemble Model<br />
| image = ensemble_model.png<br />
| titletext = I'm in talks with Netflix to produce an alternate-universe crime drama about the world where sliced bread was never re-legalized, but it's going slowly because they keep changing their phone numbers and the door lock codes at their headquarters.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
An {{w|ensemble forecasting|ensemble model}} is a combination of multiple, similar models to show a wider range of possible outcomes. The graphs on the left are tracks of predictions from multiple models. In this comic, [[Randall]] starts out describing actual changes that ensemble models show, but sinks into absurdity, describing strange alternate universes and scenarios that likely would not be necessary in an actual model.<br />
<br />
The upper graph shows a typical plot of predicted wind speeds over time from various ensemble members. The graph shows that it is predicted that the storm will strengthen, with varying degrees of weakening depending on the ensemble member. The graph at the left bottom is a typical map of isobars (lines of equal {{w|Atmospheric pressure|pressure}}) for various ensemble members with the ensemble members showing slightly different configurations. The bottom right graph is a typical {{w|Tropical cyclone|hurricane}} path-prediction graphic, starting in the Atlantic moving westwards and then turning to north, often with the {{w|List of Caribbean islands|Caribbean Islands}} or the US coast in the path. Some hurricanes don't reach mainlands and after turning north they head eastwards and can reach Europe still as strong storm.<br />
<br />
The term {{w|Universe (mathematics)|universe}} is in mathematics a class that contains all the entities of an ensemble in a given situation. Don't be confused with the more common usage of the words {{w|universe}}, the entire space where we live, and {{w|multiverse}}, a hypothetical set of possible universes.<br />
<br />
The first three outcomes are real while the others are less serious. They are explained below:<br />
;…rain is 0.5% more likely in some areas …wind speeds are slightly lower …pressure levels are randomly tweaked<br />
These realistic outcomes are only possible under calm weather conditions. Predicting these values with an accuracy better than 1% indicates that the model is stable even when the ''initial conditions'' are slightly changed. Modern weather forecasts at normal circumstances are often not good as this and for a hurricane or tornado the variances are much higher.<br />
<br />
;…dogs run slightly faster<br />
This is where the comic diverges from reality; there is no reason to have the locomotion speed of dogs as a parameter in a usual weather model. <br />
The speed of dogs might be a parameter in a wildlife model, where the speed of a predator might affect the predator/prey ratios. In terms of weather models, dogs traditionally chase cats, so running faster might affect the number of cats. Cats prey on birds, which in turn eat insects. So faster dogs might increase the number of birds, reducing the number of butterflies. Butterflies in turn affect the weather through the {{w|Butterfly effect|butterfly effect}} (that is that the movement of a butterflies wings may change the development of tornados, or other weather, in difficult to predict ways, as for instance with the [https://wiki.lspace.org/mediawiki/Quantum_weather_butterflies quantum weather butterfly]).<br />
<br />
;…there is one extra cloud in the Bahamas<br />
This situation is most likely too specific and subtle a difference to be useful to the model.<br />
<br />
;…Germany won WWII<br />
"What if Germany won World War II" is a {{w|Hypothetical Axis victory in World War II|very popular}} subject for {{w|alternate history}} stories.<br />
<br />
;…snakes are wide instead of long<br />
Snakes being wider than they are long (think "eyes and mouth in the middle of their body and a tails on both sides") in present reality would have enormous consequences for zoology and other fields of biology, including evolutionary biology. It would also have an impact on art history, especially where it involves paintings depicting certain scenes from the book of Genesis. Compared to these effects, the expected upshot for meteorology seems to be limited.<br />
<br />
;…Will Smith took the lead in ''The Matrix'' instead of ''Wild Wild West''<br />
Actor {{w|Will Smith}} famously turned down the lead role of {{w|Neo (The Matrix)|Neo}} in ''{{w|The Matrix}}'', instead taking the role of Captain James T. West in the widely-panned action-comedy ''{{w|Wild Wild West}}''. The role of Neo ultimately went to {{w|Keanu Reeves}}. For a more detailed discussion of how the cinematic world would have been different had Smith taken the role, see [https://moviepilot.com/posts/2481780 "How Will Smith Turned Down "The Matrix" - And Blew A Chance To Change Hollywood Forever."]<br />
<br />
Besides the significance of the role and what many surmise might have happened if Smith had pulled off the role in the iconic and groundbreaking film trilogy, another possible reason behind calling out Will Smith in particular is that he has turned down other offered roles that would place him in an ''ensemble'' cast, rather than the lead.<br />
<br />
;…swimming pools are carbonated<br />
A simple calculation reveals this as a serious {{w|Greenhouse effect|greenhouse}} problem. In the United States there are not less than 5,000,000 private owned pools. Conservatively assumed a volume of 25,000 liters per pool gives 125 billion liters of carbonated soda. According to Wikipedia the U.S. sales reached around 30 billion bottles of water in 2008 (including non carbonated water) which is surely much less than all the pool water. While all those bottles are not considered to have an impact on the green house effect this scenario is getting even worse. Open a bottle of carbonated water and fill the content into glasses. More or less soon the sprinkling is over, meaning you have to open the next bottle and so on. In a pool at the bottom the pressure is high enough to hold the carbon dioxide but on the surface it behaves like the glass. So, while a glass needs new carbonated water every two hours, or ten times per day, let's say it's three times per day for the pool which leads to one thousand times per year. The total number in this scenario would be 125 trillion liters of carbonated soda, ejecting carbon dioxide, per year. But stop: The carbon dioxide used for artificial carbonated water is taken from the air and because of the pressure at the bottom of the pool it doesn't release all back this should have a positive effect. But as Randall has shown in {{what if|88|Soda Sequestration}} this effect would be minimal.<br />
<br />
;…sliced bread, after being banned in January 1943, was never re-legalized.<br />
{{w|Sliced bread}} was in fact {{w|Sliced bread#1943 U.S. ban on sliced bread|banned in the US}} for about two months in early 1943, as a supposed wartime conservation measure. The issue was not the bread itself, but that the pre-sliced loaves required a heavier {{w|wax paper}} wrapping to prevent them from drying out too quickly.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests that Randall has been pitching an absurd "alternate-universe crime drama" to {{w|Netflix}}, apparently based on the premise that a permanent sliced-bread ban would spawn a criminal underground (similar to those created by alcohol and drug prohibitions in actual history). The first half of the sentence is set up to imply that production had started on the series but a breakdown in communication has occurred between them, playing on the reader's expectations. The conclusion of the sentence nonetheless makes it clear that Netflix has zero interest in the pitch, and so Randall has become overzealous in pushing his idea, to the point that Netflix employees are changing their numbers (presumably they can't block his number because he has resorted to calling from many different phones). He has even taken to infiltrating Netflix's corporate headquarters using ill-gotten security codes, which is definitely illegal{{Citation needed}}, much like [[Elaine]]'s "meetings" with Steve Jobs in [[1337: Part 3]].<br />
<br />
However, it is clear that Netflix is uninterested and is attempting to prevent Randall from contacting them (or trespassing into the building).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Inside this single panel comic the header on top reads:]<br />
:In an ''ensemble model'', forecasters run many different versions of a weather model with slightly different initial conditions. This helps account for uncertainty and shows forecasters a spread of possible outcomes.<br />
<br />
:[To the left side a picture shows several gray overlapping swirling lines emitted from a point, then gradually diverging rightwards. Below are two smaller pictures; the first shows the lines connected to several loops and in the second it's still a similar figure to the above but moving into the opposite direction with the point emerged to a spiral.]<br />
<br />
:[The text right to the pictures reads:]<br />
:'''Members in a typical ensemble:'''<br />
:A universe where…<br />
:…rain is 0.5% more likely in some areas<br />
:…wind speeds are slightly lower<br />
:…pressure levels are randomly tweaked<br />
:…dogs run slightly faster<br />
:…there's one extra cloud in the Bahamas<br />
:…Germany won WWII<br />
:…snakes are wide instead of long<br />
:…Will Smith took the lead in ''The Matrix'' instead of ''Wild Wild West''<br />
:…swimming pools are carbonated<br />
:…sliced bread, after being banned in January 1943, was never re-legalized.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
[[2149: Alternate Histories]] also deals with the alternative history setting of Germany winning WW2 and subsequently more weird alternate history settings.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Weather]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2188:_E_Scooters&diff=1779782188: E Scooters2019-08-12T17:25:18Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ ce, remove</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2188<br />
| date = August 12, 2019<br />
| title = E Scooters<br />
| image = e_scooters.png<br />
| titletext = Obviously battery technology and prices have driven a lot of the scooter explosion, but I feel like Dean Kamen must be at least a little grumpy about how much people laughed at the idea of the Segway.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT on two wheels (Vroooooom). Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
At the time of publishing, {{w|motorized scooter}}s or e-scooters were very popular, especially with the rise of ride-share companies such as {{w|Lime (transportation company)|Lime}} and {{w|Bird (company)|Bird}} that use apps allowing users to rent the scooters by the minute. ([[Randall]] uses "e Scooter" or "E Scooter" for the comics title. But in the comic [[White Hat]] does say e-scooter, which is also the way the Wikipedia article on {{w|e-scooters}} mentions them).<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] drives up to White Hat on his e-scooter. White Hat asks him for his thoughts on the scooter; he is interested as he has heard so much about them. However, instead of just waiting to hear Cueball's response, White Hat then goes on to list four things he has heard other people say about e-scooters. When he finally stops talking, Cueball tells him that he has given this a lot of thoughts, and tells him that he will give him his opinion on e-scooters. But instead of choosing an opinion from White Hat's list (or any opinion for that matter), Cueball starts making engine/vehicle sounds and in the last panel also "pew pew pew" sounds.<br />
<br />
White Hat makes the following list of opinions on e-scooters:<br />
#Are they impractical and unsafe toys? <br />
#Or a last-mile transit revolution?<br />
#A low-carbon car replacement? <br />
#Or Silicon Valley sidewalk clutter?<br />
<br />
Some people consider e-scooters as a "low-carbon car replacement", as they are better for the environment than polluting gas cars. Additionally, e-scooters have been touted as a form of "last-mile transit" - used to cover the "last mile" to your destination after taking other forms of public transportation.<br />
<br />
However, others consider e-scooters as a public nuisance, as users often leave them on the sidewalk haphazardly. They have also been seen as dangerous, as many users do not wear helmets when riding e-scooters (though Cueball is seen with a helmet in the comic, although not wearing it) or ride them at high speed on sidewalks in the middle of pedestrians. Some cities have gone so far as to [https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article224573320.html ban e-scooters] [https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/21/18701299/nashville-electric-scooter-ban-man-killed from their communities]. <br />
<br />
The title text refers to Dean Kamen, an American inventor best known for founding the {{w|Segway}} company. At the time of the invention of the Segway, it was billed as a revolution in personal transit, with articles (and Kamen himself) speculating that future cities might be entirely rebuilt around it and similar personal transporters. That buzz quickly died down, and Segways quickly became the subject of a great deal of mockery. The text implies that Kamen might resent the fact that a similar vision has re-emerged, and is once again being taken seriously, but without his invention. However, [https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/01/lime-partners-with-segway-to-build-electric-scooters/ Segway actually manufactures scooters for e-scooter rental agency Lime].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is getting off his e-scooter, with his bicycle helmet hanging on the handlebars. He has stopped right in front of White Hat who addresses him.]<br />
:White Hat: Hey, you got one of those e-scooters!<br />
:Cueball: Yeah!<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is now standing next to the e-scooter holding on to the handlebars with one hand. Both he and White Hat look down at the scooter.]<br />
:White Hat: So what do you think? I hear so much about these things.<br />
<br />
:[A large panel with just White Hat who is spreading his arms out.]<br />
:White Hat: Are they impractical and unsafe toys? Or a last-mile transit revolution?<br />
<br />
:[Closeup on White Hat holding both arms out and up with palms held up.]<br />
:White Hat: A low-carbon car replacement? Or Silicon Valley sidewalk clutter?<br />
<br />
:[In a frame-less panel only Cueball and his e-scooter is shown.]<br />
:Cueball: Well, having given it lots of thought, here is my opinion on scooters:<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is bending at the knees and holding on to the handlebars with both hands as White Hat is looking at him. Cueball starts making machine noises.]<br />
:Cueball: Zooooooom! <br />
:Cueball: Neeeeeoooormmm <br />
:Cueball: Vrrrm Vrrmvrmm <br />
:Cueball: Wheeee!<br />
<br />
:[Cueball continues making sounds as in the previous panel. White Hat seems to have taken a step back.]<br />
:Cueball: Pew pew pew! <br />
:Cueball: Bzzzzt Kaboom!<br />
:White Hat: Wait, why are there lasers?<br />
:Cueball: Pew!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2188:_E_Scooters&diff=1779762188: E Scooters2019-08-12T17:22:23Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Transcript */ copyedit</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2188<br />
| date = August 12, 2019<br />
| title = E Scooters<br />
| image = e_scooters.png<br />
| titletext = Obviously battery technology and prices have driven a lot of the scooter explosion, but I feel like Dean Kamen must be at least a little grumpy about how much people laughed at the idea of the Segway.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT on two wheels (Vroooooom). Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
At the time of publishing, {{w|motorized scooter}}s or e-scooters were very popular, especially with the rise of ride-share companies such as {{w|Lime (transportation company)|Lime}} and {{w|Bird (company)|Bird}} that use apps allowing users to rent the scooters by the minute. ([[Randall]] uses "e Scooter" or "E Scooter" for the comics title. But in the comic [[White Hat]] does say e-scooter, which is also the way the Wikipedia article on {{w|e-scooters}} mentions them).<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] drives up to White Hat on his e-scooter. White Hat asks him for his thoughts on the scooter, he is interested as he has heard so much about them. However, instead of just waiting to hear Cueball's response, White Hat then goes on to list four things he has heard other people say about e-scooters. When he finally stops talking Cueball tells him that he has given this a lot of thoughts, and tells him that he will give him his opinion on e-scooters. But instead of choosing an opinion from White Hat's list (or any opinion for that mater) Cueball stats making engine/vehicle sounds and in the last panel also "pew pew pew" sounds which prompts White Hat to ask why there are lasers on his e-scooter, as the "pew" sound is interpreted as a laser sounds (maybe as from the Star Wars universe) by White Hat. Cueball's reply to that is to make a final pew.<br />
<br />
White Hat makes the following list of opinions on e-scooters:<br />
#Are they impractical and unsafe toys? <br />
#Or a last-mile transit revolution?<br />
#A low-carbon car replacement? <br />
#Or Silicon Valley sidewalk clutter?<br />
<br />
Some people consider e-scooters as a "low-carbon car replacement", as they are better for the environment than polluting gas cars. Additionally, e-scooters have been touted as a form of "last-mile transit" - used to cover the "last mile" to your destination after taking other forms of public transportation.<br />
<br />
However, others consider e-scooters as a public nuisance, as users often leave them on the sidewalk haphazardly. They have also been seen as dangerous, as many users do not wear helmets when riding e-scooters (though Cueball is seen with a helmet in the comic, although not wearing it) or ride them at high speed on sidewalks in the middle of pedestrians. Some cities have gone so far as to [https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article224573320.html ban e-scooters] [https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/21/18701299/nashville-electric-scooter-ban-man-killed from their communities]. <br />
<br />
The title text refers to Dean Kamen, an American inventor best known for founding the {{w|Segway}} company. At the time of the invention of the Segway, it was billed as a revolution in personal transit, with articles (and Kamen himself) speculating that future cities might be entirely rebuilt around it and similar personal transporters. That buzz quickly died down, and Segways quickly became the subject of a great deal of mockery. The text implies that Kamen might resent the fact that a similar vision has re-emerged, and is once again being taken seriously, but without his invention. However, [https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/01/lime-partners-with-segway-to-build-electric-scooters/ Segway actually manufactures scooters for e-scooter rental agency Lime].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is getting off his e-scooter, with his bicycle helmet hanging on the handlebars. He has stopped right in front of White Hat who addresses him.]<br />
:White Hat: Hey, you got one of those e-scooters!<br />
:Cueball: Yeah!<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is now standing next to the e-scooter holding on to the handlebars with one hand. Both he and White Hat look down at the scooter.]<br />
:White Hat: So what do you think? I hear so much about these things.<br />
<br />
:[A large panel with just White Hat who is spreading his arms out.]<br />
:White Hat: Are they impractical and unsafe toys? Or a last-mile transit revolution?<br />
<br />
:[Closeup on White Hat holding both arms out and up with palms held up.]<br />
:White Hat: A low-carbon car replacement? Or Silicon Valley sidewalk clutter?<br />
<br />
:[In a frame-less panel only Cueball and his e-scooter is shown.]<br />
:Cueball: Well, having given it lots of thought, here is my opinion on scooters:<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is bending at the knees and holding on to the handlebars with both hands as White Hat is looking at him. Cueball starts making machine noises.]<br />
:Cueball: Zooooooom! <br />
:Cueball: Neeeeeoooormmm <br />
:Cueball: Vrrrm Vrrmvrmm <br />
:Cueball: Wheeee!<br />
<br />
:[Cueball continues making sounds as in the previous panel. White Hat seems to have taken a step back.]<br />
:Cueball: Pew pew pew! <br />
:Cueball: Bzzzzt Kaboom!<br />
:White Hat: Wait, why are there lasers?<br />
:Cueball: Pew!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2188:_E_Scooters&diff=1779402188: E Scooters2019-08-12T07:37:46Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Transcript */ fixes</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2188<br />
| date = August 12, 2019<br />
| title = E Scooters<br />
| image = e_scooters.png<br />
| titletext = Obviously battery technology and prices have driven a lot of the scooter explosion, but I feel like Dean Kamen must be at least a little grumpy about how much people laughed at the idea of the Segway.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT on two wheels. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
At the time of publishing, {{w|motorized scooter}}s or e-scooters were very popular, especially with the rise of ride-share companies such as {{w|Lime (transportation company)|Lime}} and {{w|Bird (company)|Bird}} that use apps allowing users to rent the scooters by the minute.<br />
<br />
Cueball comes up to White Hat with such a scooter, and White Hat asks him for his thoughts on the scooter. Instead of answering White Hat's questions, Cueball instead makes vehicle sounds and also laser sounds.<br />
<br />
Some people consider e-scooters as a "low-carbon car replacement", as they are better for the environment than polluting gas cars. Additionally, e-scooters have been touted as a form of "last-mile transit" - used to cover the "last mile" to your destination after taking other forms of public transportation.<br />
<br />
However, others consider e-scooters as a public nuisance, as users often leave them on the sidewalk haphazardly. They have also been seen as dangerous, as many users do not wear helmets when riding e-scooters (though Cueball is seen with a helmet in the comic). Some cities have gone so far as to [https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article224573320.html ban e-scooters] [https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/21/18701299/nashville-electric-scooter-ban-man-killed from their communities]. <br />
<br />
The title text suggests {{w|Segway}} founder Dean Kamen might be jealous of e-scooter companies, as the Segway was never successful among the general public as an alternative form of transportation. However, [https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/01/lime-partners-with-segway-to-build-electric-scooters/ Segway actually manufactures scooters for e-scooter rental agency Lime].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[White Hat is talking to Cueball, who has an e-scooter.]<br />
:White Hat: Hey, you got one of those e-scooters!<br />
:Cueball: Yeah!<br />
:White Hat: So what do you think? I hear so much about these things.<br />
<br />
:[Frame with just White Hat]<br />
:White Hat: Are they impractical and unsafe toys? Or a last-mile transit revolution?<br />
<br />
:[Closeup on White Hat]<br />
:White Hat: A low-carbon car replacement? Or Silicon Valley sidewalk clutter?<br />
<br />
:[Frameless panel with just Cueball and his e-scooter]<br />
:Cueball: Well, having given it lots of thought, here is my opinion on scooters:<br />
<br />
:[Both Cueball and White Hat again]<br />
:Cueball: Zooooooom! Neeeeeoooormmm vrrrm vrrmvrmm wheeee!<br />
:Cueball: Pew pew pew! Bzzzzt kaboom!<br />
:White Hat: Wait, why are there lasers?<br />
:Cueball: Pew!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2188:_E_Scooters&diff=1779392188: E Scooters2019-08-12T07:33:35Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2188<br />
| date = August 12, 2019<br />
| title = E Scooters<br />
| image = e_scooters.png<br />
| titletext = Obviously battery technology and prices have driven a lot of the scooter explosion, but I feel like Dean Kamen must be at least a little grumpy about how much people laughed at the idea of the Segway.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT on two wheels. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
At the time of publishing, {{w|motorized scooter}}s or e-scooters were very popular, especially with the rise of ride-share companies such as {{w|Lime (transportation company)|Lime}} and {{w|Bird (company)|Bird}} that use apps allowing users to rent the scooters by the minute.<br />
<br />
Cueball comes up to White Hat with such a scooter, and White Hat asks him for his thoughts on the scooter. Instead of answering White Hat's questions, Cueball instead makes vehicle sounds and also laser sounds.<br />
<br />
Some people consider e-scooters as a "low-carbon car replacement", as they are better for the environment than polluting gas cars. Additionally, e-scooters have been touted as a form of "last-mile transit" - used to cover the "last mile" to your destination after taking other forms of public transportation.<br />
<br />
However, others consider e-scooters as a public nuisance, as users often leave them on the sidewalk haphazardly. They have also been seen as dangerous, as many users do not wear helmets when riding e-scooters (though Cueball is seen with a helmet in the comic). Some cities have gone so far as to [https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article224573320.html ban e-scooters] [https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/21/18701299/nashville-electric-scooter-ban-man-killed from their communities]. <br />
<br />
The title text suggests {{w|Segway}} founder Dean Kamen might be jealous of e-scooter companies, as the Segway was never successful among the general public as an alternative form of transportation. However, [https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/01/lime-partners-with-segway-to-build-electric-scooters/ Segway actually manufactures scooters for e-scooter rental agency Lime].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[White Hat is talking to Cueball, who has an e-scooter.]<br />
:White Hat: Hey, you got one of those e-scooters!<br />
:Cueball: Yeah!<br />
:White Hat: So what do you think? I hear so much about these things.<br />
<br />
:[Closeup on White Hat]<br />
:White Hat: Are they impractical and unsafe toys? Or a last-mile transit revolution?<br />
<br />
:[Even closer]<br />
:White Hat: A low-carbon replacement? Or Silicon Valley sidewalk clutter?<br />
<br />
:[Closeup on Cueball]<br />
:Cueball: Well, having given it lots of thought, here is my opinion on scooters:<br />
<br />
:[Shot of both again]<br />
:Cueball: Zooooooom! Neeeeeoooormmm vrrrm vrrmvrmm wheeee! Pew pew pew! Bzzzzt kaboom!<br />
:White Hat: Wait, why are there lasers?<br />
:Cueball: Pew!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2188:_E_Scooters&diff=1779382188: E Scooters2019-08-12T07:30:18Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ more</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2188<br />
| date = August 12, 2019<br />
| title = E Scooters<br />
| image = e_scooters.png<br />
| titletext = Obviously battery technology and prices have driven a lot of the scooter explosion, but I feel like Dean Kamen must be at least a little grumpy about how much people laughed at the idea of the Segway.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT on two wheels. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
At the time of publishing, {{w|motorized scooter}}s or e-scooters were very popular, especially with the rise of ride-share companies such as {{w|Lime (transportation company)|Lime}} and {{w|Bird (company)|Bird}} that use apps allowing users to rent the scooters by the minute.<br />
<br />
Cueball comes up to White Hat with such a scooter, and White Hat asks him for his thoughts on the scooter. Instead of answering White Hat's questions, Cueball instead makes vehicle sounds and also laser sounds.<br />
<br />
Some people consider e-scooters as a "low-carbon replacement", as they are better for the environment than polluting gas cars. Additionally, e-scooters have been touted as a form of "last-mile transit" - used to cover the "last mile" to your destination after taking other forms of public transportation.<br />
<br />
However, others consider e-scooters as a public nuisance, as users often leave them on the sidewalk haphazardly. They have also been seen as dangerous, as many users do not wear helmets when riding e-scooters (though Cueball is seen with a helmet in the comic). Some cities have gone so far as to [https://www.thestate.com/news/local/article224573320.html ban e-scooters] [https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/21/18701299/nashville-electric-scooter-ban-man-killed from their communities]. <br />
<br />
The title text suggests {{w|Segway}} founder Dean Kamen might be jealous of e-scooter companies, as the Segway was never successful among the general public as an alternative form of transportation. However, [https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/01/lime-partners-with-segway-to-build-electric-scooters/ Segway actually manufactures scooters for e-scooter rental agency Lime].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[White Hat is talking to Cueball, who has an e-scooter.]<br />
:White Hat: Hey, you got one of those e-scooters!<br />
:Cueball: Yeah!<br />
:White Hat: So what do you think? I hear so much about these things.<br />
<br />
:[Closeup on White Hat]<br />
:White Hat: Are they impractical and unsafe toys? Or a last-mile transit revolution?<br />
<br />
:[Even closer]<br />
:White Hat: A low-carbon replacement? Or Silicon Valley sidewalk clutter?<br />
<br />
:[Closeup on Cueball]<br />
:Cueball: Well, having given it lots of thought, here is my opinion on scooters:<br />
<br />
:[Shot of both again]<br />
:Cueball: Zooooooom! Neeeeeoooormmm vrrrm vrrmvrmm wheeee! Pew pew pew! Bzzzzt kaboom!<br />
:White Hat: Wait, why are there lasers?<br />
:Cueball: Pew!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2188:_E_Scooters&diff=1779372188: E Scooters2019-08-12T07:17:45Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ brief</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2188<br />
| date = August 12, 2019<br />
| title = E Scooters<br />
| image = e_scooters.png<br />
| titletext = Obviously battery technology and prices have driven a lot of the scooter explosion, but I feel like Dean Kamen must be at least a little grumpy about how much people laughed at the idea of the Segway.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT on two wheels. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
At the time of publishing, {{w|motorized scooter}}s or e-scooters were very popular, especially with the rise of ride-share companies such as {{w|Lime (transportation company)|Lime}} and {{w|Bird (company)|Bird}} that use apps allowing users to rent the scooters by the minute.<br />
<br />
Cueball comes up to White Hat with such a scooter, and White Hat asks him for his thoughts on the scooter. Instead of answering White Hat's questions, Cueball instead makes vehicle sounds and also laser sounds.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests {{w|Segway}} founder Dean Kamen might be jealous of e-scooter companies, as the Segway was never successful among the general public as an alternative form of transportation. However, [https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/01/lime-partners-with-segway-to-build-electric-scooters/ Segway actually manufactures scooters for e-scooter rental agency Lime].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[White Hat is talking to Cueball, who has an e-scooter.]<br />
:White Hat: Hey, you got one of those e-scooters!<br />
:Cueball: Yeah!<br />
:White Hat: So what do you think? I hear so much about these things.<br />
<br />
:[Closeup on White Hat]<br />
:White Hat: Are they impractical and unsafe toys? Or a last-mile transit revolution?<br />
<br />
:[Even closer]<br />
:White Hat: A low-carbon replacement? Or Silicon Valley sidewalk clutter?<br />
<br />
:[Closeup on Cueball]<br />
:Cueball: Well, having given it lots of thought, here is my opinion on scooters:<br />
<br />
:[Shot of both again]<br />
:Cueball: Zooooooom! Neeeeeoooormmm vrrrm vrrmvrmm wheeee! Pew pew pew! Bzzzzt kaboom!<br />
:White Hat: Wait, why are there lasers?<br />
:Cueball: Pew!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2188:_E_Scooters&diff=1779362188: E Scooters2019-08-12T07:07:23Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Transcript */ fix</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2188<br />
| date = August 12, 2019<br />
| title = E Scooters<br />
| image = e_scooters.png<br />
| titletext = Obviously battery technology and prices have driven a lot of the scooter explosion, but I feel like Dean Kamen must be at least a little grumpy about how much people laughed at the idea of the Segway.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT on two wheels. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Although the title text suggests Segway founder Dean Kamen might be jealous of e-scooters' success, [https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/01/lime-partners-with-segway-to-build-electric-scooters/ Segway actually manufactures scooters for e-scooter rental agency Lime].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[White Hat is talking to Cueball, who has an e-scooter.]<br />
:White Hat: Hey, you got one of those e-scooters!<br />
:Cueball: Yeah!<br />
:White Hat: So what do you think? I hear so much about these things.<br />
<br />
:[Closeup on White Hat]<br />
:White Hat: Are they impractical and unsafe toys? Or a last-mile transit revolution?<br />
<br />
:[Even closer]<br />
:White Hat: A low-carbon replacement? Or Silicon Valley sidewalk clutter?<br />
<br />
:[Closeup on Cueball]<br />
:Cueball: Well, having given it lots of thought, here is my opinion on scooters:<br />
<br />
:[Shot of both again]<br />
:Cueball: Zooooooom! Neeeeeoooormmm vrrrm vrrmvrmm wheeee! Pew pew pew! Bzzzzt kaboom!<br />
:White Hat: Wait, why are there lasers?<br />
:Cueball: Pew!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2188:_E_Scooters&diff=1779352188: E Scooters2019-08-12T07:07:04Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Transcript */ add categories</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2188<br />
| date = August 12, 2019<br />
| title = E Scooters<br />
| image = e_scooters.png<br />
| titletext = Obviously battery technology and prices have driven a lot of the scooter explosion, but I feel like Dean Kamen must be at least a little grumpy about how much people laughed at the idea of the Segway.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT on two wheels. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Although the title text suggests Segway founder Dean Kamen might be jealous of e-scooters' success, [https://techcrunch.com/2018/05/01/lime-partners-with-segway-to-build-electric-scooters/ Segway actually manufactures scooters for e-scooter rental agency Lime].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[White Hat is talking to Cueball, who has an e-scooter.]<br />
:White Hat: Hey, you got one of those e-scooters!<br />
:Cueball: Yeah!<br />
:White Hat: So what do you think? I hear so much about these things.<br />
<br />
:[Closeup on White Hat]<br />
:White Hat: Are they impractical and unsafe toys? Or a last-mile transit revolution?<br />
<br />
:[Even closer]<br />
:White Hat: A low-carbon replacement? Or Silicon Valley sidewalk clutter?<br />
<br />
:[Closeup on Cueball]<br />
:Cueball: Well, having given it lots of thought, here is my opinion on scooters:<br />
<br />
:[Shot of both again]<br />
:Cueball: Zooooooom! Neeeeeoooormmm vrrrm vrrmvrmm wheeee! Pew pew pew! Bzzzzt kaboom!<br />
:White Hat: Wait, why are there lasers?<br />
:Cueball: Pew!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring White Hat]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2179:_NWS_Warnings&diff=1778962179: NWS Warnings2019-08-10T16:28:42Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Trivia */ fix</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2179<br />
| date = July 23, 2019<br />
| title = NWS Warnings<br />
| image = nws_warnings.png<br />
| titletext = Kind of rude of them to simultaneously issue an EVACUATION - IMMEDIATE alert, a SHELTER IN PLACE alert, and a 911 TELEPHONE OUTAGE alert.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a NWS EMPLOYEE THAT REALLY NEEDED A BREAK. Table needs to be filled in. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|National Weather Service}} (NWS) is a United States federal agency that is tasked with issuing national weather forecasts and {{w|Severe weather terminology (United States)|extreme weather alert}}s.<br />
<br />
This comic portrays the NWS as a person that needs breaks, which is absurd, as it is an important service and would probably always have staff active, even on holidays. For example, the NWS [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/10/04/weather-service-office-begs-please-pay-us-in-secret-message/ continued to work during federal government shutdowns], as it was considered an essential service for the protection of life and property. Even if one of the NWS's 122 local weather offices were to be incapacitated, contingency plans are in place to ensure that nearby offices act as emergency cover; as happened in March 2019 with [https://twitter.com/mikeseidel/status/1106705454435057666 flooding in Nebraska forcing the NWS office in Valley to evacuate.]<br />
<br />
Regardless, in this comic the NWS has decided to take a break, and so has opted to issue every extreme weather alert possible for the entire contiguous portion of the United States (including DC, but not Alaska or Hawaii) to make sure no one is caught by surprise by extreme weather, since the NWS will not be able to issue warnings. As the NWS could not be sure which areas will need to get warned of severe incidents, the NWS has decided to issue warning polygons that cover the entire United States (ostensibly except Alaska and Hawaii). A layer of humor is that this would necessitate warnings where they would be highly unlikely to occur in real life; examples include issuing blizzard warnings for Florida, where any amount of snow is rare, and tsunami warnings for areas very far from any ocean coastline.<br />
<br />
Each of the text warnings within the map are coloured, which matches the [https://www.weather.gov/bro/mapcolors NWS color coding] used for a given warning event. <br />
<br />
The title text mentions how some of the warnings that have been issued require action to get to safety that contradicts the other warnings, for example, an evacuation warning and a shelter in place order, since doing one would mean failing to do the other. This confusing scenario would likely prompt many concerned citizens to call emergency services for clarification, but the 911 outage alert would advise against this, adding another layer to the absurdity of the occurrence of the NWS taking a break.<br />
<br />
This comic was likely inspired by the heat wave that impacted two-thirds of the US for more than a week.<br />
<br />
== Table of warnings ==<br />
Assumptions about text outside of the frame are given in parentheses. [https://www.weather.gov/help-map This page] lists all the warnings and colors.<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Warning<br />
!Color<br />
!Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|Gale warning<br />
|Plum<br />
|In the United States, the National Weather Service issues gale warnings for marine areas (oceans, sounds, estuaries, and the Great Lakes) experiencing, or about to experience, winds within the range of 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph) to 47 knots (87 km/h; 54 mph). Listed twice.<br />
|-<br />
|Tornado Warning<br />
|Red<br />
|A [[wikipedia:Tornado | Tornado]] warning is issued for an area if a tornado is radar indicated, radar confirmed, or members of the public confirm the existence of a funnel cloud or a tornado. As tornadoes are more apt to form in different parts of the country at different times a country-wide tornado warning would be highly unlikely.<br />
|-<br />
|Flash Flood warning<br />
|Dark red<br />
|Flash flooding is occurring, imminent, or highly likely. A flash flood is a flood that occurs within six hours of excessive rainfall and that poses a threat to life and/or property. Ice jams and dam failures can also cause flash floods.<br />
|-<br />
|Air Quality (Alert)<br />
|Gray<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|Frost Advisory<br />
|Cornflower blue<br />
|Minimum sheltered temperatures are forecast to be 33 to 36 °F (1 to 2 °C) during the locally defined growing season on nights with good radiational cooling conditions (e.g., light winds and clear skies). Widespread frost can be expected. Listed twice.<br />
|-<br />
|Severe Thunderstorm Warning<br />
|Orange<br />
|A severe thunderstorm is indicated by Doppler weather radar or sighted by Skywarn spotters or other persons, such as local law enforcement. A severe thunderstorm contains large damaging hail of 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter or larger, and/or damaging winds of 58 mph (93 km/h) or greater. These warnings are currently issued on a polygonal basis.<br />
|-<br />
|Dense Fog Advisory<br />
|Slate gray<br />
|Widespread or localized fog reducing visibilities to 1⁄4 mi (0.4 km) or less.<br />
|-<br />
|(Hurricane Force W)ind Watch<br />
|Western red<br />
|A hurricane force wind warning is a warning issued by the National Weather Service of the United States when sustained winds or frequent gusts of 64 knots (118 km/h, 74 mph) or greater are either being observed or are predicted to occur. The winds must not be directly associated with a tropical cyclone, or a hurricane warning will be issued.<br />
|-<br />
|Tropical Storm Warning<br />
|Firebrick<br />
|A warning that sustained winds within the range of 34 to 63 kn (39 to 73 mph or 63 to 117 km/h) associated with a tropical cyclone are expected in a specified area within 36 hours or less.<br />
|-<br />
|Ice Stor(m Warning)<br />
|Dark Magenta<br />
|Heavy ice accumulations are imminent. The criteria for amounts vary over different county warning areas. Accumulations range from 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch (6.4 to 12.7 mm) or more of freezing rain. Listed twice.<br />
|-<br />
|(Extreme Cold) Warning<br />
|Blue<br />
|The NWS does not issue cold warnings. As the text is cut off, Randall probably means Extreme Cold Warning, which the NWS offices in Alaska issue. This implies that the entire U.S. will get colder. This does not make sense, partly because in the time this comic was released, it was summer in the U.S., but also because Alaska, the one state that does receive this type of warning, is not shown.<br />
|-<br />
|Heat A(dvisory)<br />
|Coral<br />
|High Heat Index (HI) values are forecast to meet or exceed locally defined warning criteria for one or two days. Typical HI values are maximum daytime temperatures above 100 to 105 °F (38 to 41 °C) and minimum nighttime temperatures above 75 °F (24 °C).<br />
|-<br />
|(Flood) Advisory<br />
|Spring green<br />
|For nuisance type flooding meeting one of the following criteria: <3 feet of standing water, enough to cause minor flooding of roads, especially in poor drainage locations; <6 inches of fast flowing water across roads; or Arroyos/streams/creeks nearing bankfull, or briefly overtopping banks, producing < 6 inches of fast flowing water.<br />
|-<br />
|Snow (Squall Warning)<br />
|Medium violet red<br />
|Snow squall warning is a bulletin issued by he National Weather Service in the United States to warn population of two types of snow events reducing visibility in blowing snow: Lake effect snow squalls and Frontal snow squalls. Criteria for the National Weather Service to issue a Snow squall warning: Visibility of less than one quarter of a mile, sub-freezing temperatures on the ground, expected to last in one area less than 60 minutes, and may cause dangerous and life-threatening conditions.<br />
|-<br />
|(Storm Surge) Warning<br />
|SSWarning<br />
|Localized heavy flooding due to storm surge caused by a tropical cyclone is occurring or is imminent in the next 12 hours, which poses a threat to life and/or property.<br />
|-<br />
|Brisk W(ind Advisory)<br />
|Thistle<br />
|A Small Craft Advisory issued by the National Weather Service for ice-covered waters.<br />
|-<br />
|(Lake Effect Snow) Watch<br />
|Light sky blue<br />
|Significant amounts of lake-effect snow (generally 6 inches within 12 hours or 8 inches within 24 hours) are possible in the next 12 to 48 hours.<br />
|-<br />
|Coastal Fl(ood Advisory)<br />
|Lawn green<br />
|Minor coastal flooding is occurring or is imminent in the next 12 hours, which poses a threat to life and/or property.<br />
|-<br />
|Dense Smo(ke Advisory)<br />
|Khaki<br />
|Widespread or localized smoke reducing visibilities to 1⁄4 mi (0.4 km) or less.<br />
|-<br />
|(Severe Weather Sta)tement<br />
|Aqua<br />
|A National Weather Service product which provides follow up information on severe weather conditions (severe thunderstorm or tornadoes) which have occurred or are currently occurring.<br />
|-<br />
|(Lakeshore Flood) Advisory<br />
|Lawn green<br />
|Minor lakeshore flooding is occurring or is imminent in the next 12 hours, which poses a threat to life and/or property.<br />
|-<br />
|Wind Chill Ad(visory)<br />
|Pale turquoise<br />
|Dangerous wind chills making it feel very cold are imminent or occurring; the criteria varies significantly over different county warning areas.<br />
|-<br />
|Blizzard Warn(ing)<br />
|Orange red<br />
|Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 miles per hour (56 km/h) or greater, considerable falling, and/or blowing snow reducing visibility frequently to 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) or less for a period of three hours or more. There are no temperature criteria in the definition of a blizzard, but freezing temperatures of at least 0 °C (32 °F) and 35 miles per hour (56 km/h) winds will create wind chills of at least −8.5 °C (16.7 °F).<br />
|-<br />
|Hurricane Warning<br />
|Crimson<br />
|A warning that sustained winds 64 kn (74 mph or 118 km/h) or higher associated with a hurricane are expected, and tropical storm conditions are expected within 36 hours in a specified area. A hurricane warning can remain in effect when dangerously high water or a combination of dangerously high water and exceptionally high waves continue, even though winds may be less than hurricane force (also automatically indicates a Tropical Storm Warning).<br />
|-<br />
|Extreme Fire (Danger)<br />
|Dark salmon<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|(Freezing Fog Adv)isory<br />
|Teal<br />
|Widespread dense fog reducing visibility to less than 1⁄4 mile (400 m) that occurs in a sub-zero environment, leaving a thin glazing of ice.<br />
|-<br />
|Tsunami Warning<br />
|Tomato<br />
|Warnings are issued due to the imminent threat of a tsunami from a large undersea earthquake or following confirmation that a potentially destructive tsunami is underway. They may initially be based only on seismic information as a means of providing the earliest possible alert.<br />
|-<br />
|Avalanche W(arning)<br />
|Dodger blue<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|Fire Warning<br />
|Sienna<br />
|A fire is currently burning in the area and evacuation is recommended.<br />
|-<br />
|Volcano Warn(ing)<br />
|Dark slate gray<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|Ashfall Advisory<br />
|Dim gray<br />
| Airborne ash plume resulting in ongoing deposition at the surface. Ashfall may originate directly from a volcanic eruption or from the re-suspension (by wind) of a significant amount of relic ash.<br />
|-<br />
|Red Flag Warning<br />
|Deep pink<br />
|A red flag warning means that conditions are favorable for the rapid spread of wildfires. While there are very few areas immune to wildfires, one that encompasses the entire country would be unlikely unless a conflagration of epic magnitude swept through the country.<br />
|-<br />
|Radiological hazard warning<br />
|Indigo<br />
|A radiological hazard warning is a non-weather event that is transmitted by the NWS. This means that a radiological source was lost, discovered, or released accidentally or maliciously. If the entire country were under such a warning, the outlook for the citizens would be pretty grim.<br />
|-<br />
|Evacuation - Immediate<br />
|Chartreuse <br />
|Evacuation Immediate (SAME code: EVI) is a warning issued through the Emergency Alert System (EAS) in the United States to notify the public of a mandatory evacuation due to a wildfire, approaching hurricane, or an imminent explosion due to a gas leak.<br />
|-<br />
|Shelter In Place Warning<br />
|Salmon<br />
|Shelter In-Place Warning is to seek safety within the building one already occupies, rather than to evacuate the area or seek a community emergency shelter. The American Red Cross says the warning is issued when "chemical, biological, or radiological contaminants may be released accidentally or intentionally into the environment" and residents should "select a small, interior room, with no or few windows, taking refuge there."<br />
|-<br />
|911 Telephone Outage<br />
|Silver<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[Title in frame]<br />
<br />
Alert: Everyone Just Keep An Eye Out In General<br />
<br />
[A map of the 48 contiguous states of the United States, surrounded by several warning polygons that cover most or all of the area, along with parts of neighboring countries or the sea.]<br />
<br />
[The following warning headers are printed in different colors around the map of the United States, some of which are cut off by the frame. Assumptions about text outside of the frame are given in parentheses]<br />
<br />
Gale Warning, Tornado Warning, Flash Flood Warning, Air Quality (Alert) <br /><br />
Frost Advisory, Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Dense Fog Advisory <br /><br />
(Hurricane Force W)ind Watch, Tropical Storm Warning, Ice Stor(m Warning) <br /><br />
(Extreme Cold) Warning, Heat A(dvisory) <br /><br />
(Flood) Advisory, Snow (Squall Warning) <br /><br />
(Storm Surge) Warning, Brisk W(ind Advisory) <br /><br />
(Lake Effect Snow) Watch, Coastal Fl(ood Advisory) <br /><br />
Dense Smo(ke Advisory) <br /><br />
(Severe Weather Sta)tement, Gale War(ning) <br /><br />
(Lakeshore Flood) Advisory, Wind Chill Ad(visory) <br /><br />
(Extreme) Cold Warning, Blizzard Warn(ing) <br /><br />
Hurricane Warning, Extreme Fire (Danger) <br /><br />
(Freezing Fog Adv)isory, Tsunami Warning, Avalanche W(arning) <br /><br />
(Ice S)torm Warning, Frost Advisory, Fire Warning, Volcano Warn(ing) <br /><br />
Ashfall Advisory, Red Flag Warning, Radiological Hazard Warning <br /><br />
<br />
[Text below frame]<br />
<br />
When the National Weather Service needs to take a day off, they just issue warnings for everything so no one is caught by surprise.<br />
<br />
== Trivia ==<br />
This comic was released on a Tuesday, thus breaking the typical Monday/Wednesday/Friday cycle for the [[xkcd]] comics, which, except for the early LiveJournal comics, only happens when there are April Fools comics, comic series, or notable events. As this comic was not released on April Fools day or as part of a comic series, it means that it was released due to a notable event, specifically the heat wave that impacted two-thirds of the US for more than a week.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Maps]]<br />
[[Category:Weather]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2179:_NWS_Warnings&diff=1778952179: NWS Warnings2019-08-10T16:28:05Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Trivia */ add category</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2179<br />
| date = July 23, 2019<br />
| title = NWS Warnings<br />
| image = nws_warnings.png<br />
| titletext = Kind of rude of them to simultaneously issue an EVACUATION - IMMEDIATE alert, a SHELTER IN PLACE alert, and a 911 TELEPHONE OUTAGE alert.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a NWS EMPLOYEE THAT REALLY NEEDED A BREAK. Table needs to be filled in. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|National Weather Service}} (NWS) is a United States federal agency that is tasked with issuing national weather forecasts and {{w|Severe weather terminology (United States)|extreme weather alert}}s.<br />
<br />
This comic portrays the NWS as a person that needs breaks, which is absurd, as it is an important service and would probably always have staff active, even on holidays. For example, the NWS [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2013/10/04/weather-service-office-begs-please-pay-us-in-secret-message/ continued to work during federal government shutdowns], as it was considered an essential service for the protection of life and property. Even if one of the NWS's 122 local weather offices were to be incapacitated, contingency plans are in place to ensure that nearby offices act as emergency cover; as happened in March 2019 with [https://twitter.com/mikeseidel/status/1106705454435057666 flooding in Nebraska forcing the NWS office in Valley to evacuate.]<br />
<br />
Regardless, in this comic the NWS has decided to take a break, and so has opted to issue every extreme weather alert possible for the entire contiguous portion of the United States (including DC, but not Alaska or Hawaii) to make sure no one is caught by surprise by extreme weather, since the NWS will not be able to issue warnings. As the NWS could not be sure which areas will need to get warned of severe incidents, the NWS has decided to issue warning polygons that cover the entire United States (ostensibly except Alaska and Hawaii). A layer of humor is that this would necessitate warnings where they would be highly unlikely to occur in real life; examples include issuing blizzard warnings for Florida, where any amount of snow is rare, and tsunami warnings for areas very far from any ocean coastline.<br />
<br />
Each of the text warnings within the map are coloured, which matches the [https://www.weather.gov/bro/mapcolors NWS color coding] used for a given warning event. <br />
<br />
The title text mentions how some of the warnings that have been issued require action to get to safety that contradicts the other warnings, for example, an evacuation warning and a shelter in place order, since doing one would mean failing to do the other. This confusing scenario would likely prompt many concerned citizens to call emergency services for clarification, but the 911 outage alert would advise against this, adding another layer to the absurdity of the occurrence of the NWS taking a break.<br />
<br />
This comic was likely inspired by the heat wave that impacted two-thirds of the US for more than a week.<br />
<br />
== Table of warnings ==<br />
Assumptions about text outside of the frame are given in parentheses. [https://www.weather.gov/help-map This page] lists all the warnings and colors.<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Warning<br />
!Color<br />
!Explanation<br />
|-<br />
|Gale warning<br />
|Plum<br />
|In the United States, the National Weather Service issues gale warnings for marine areas (oceans, sounds, estuaries, and the Great Lakes) experiencing, or about to experience, winds within the range of 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph) to 47 knots (87 km/h; 54 mph). Listed twice.<br />
|-<br />
|Tornado Warning<br />
|Red<br />
|A [[wikipedia:Tornado | Tornado]] warning is issued for an area if a tornado is radar indicated, radar confirmed, or members of the public confirm the existence of a funnel cloud or a tornado. As tornadoes are more apt to form in different parts of the country at different times a country-wide tornado warning would be highly unlikely.<br />
|-<br />
|Flash Flood warning<br />
|Dark red<br />
|Flash flooding is occurring, imminent, or highly likely. A flash flood is a flood that occurs within six hours of excessive rainfall and that poses a threat to life and/or property. Ice jams and dam failures can also cause flash floods.<br />
|-<br />
|Air Quality (Alert)<br />
|Gray<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|Frost Advisory<br />
|Cornflower blue<br />
|Minimum sheltered temperatures are forecast to be 33 to 36 °F (1 to 2 °C) during the locally defined growing season on nights with good radiational cooling conditions (e.g., light winds and clear skies). Widespread frost can be expected. Listed twice.<br />
|-<br />
|Severe Thunderstorm Warning<br />
|Orange<br />
|A severe thunderstorm is indicated by Doppler weather radar or sighted by Skywarn spotters or other persons, such as local law enforcement. A severe thunderstorm contains large damaging hail of 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter or larger, and/or damaging winds of 58 mph (93 km/h) or greater. These warnings are currently issued on a polygonal basis.<br />
|-<br />
|Dense Fog Advisory<br />
|Slate gray<br />
|Widespread or localized fog reducing visibilities to 1⁄4 mi (0.4 km) or less.<br />
|-<br />
|(Hurricane Force W)ind Watch<br />
|Western red<br />
|A hurricane force wind warning is a warning issued by the National Weather Service of the United States when sustained winds or frequent gusts of 64 knots (118 km/h, 74 mph) or greater are either being observed or are predicted to occur. The winds must not be directly associated with a tropical cyclone, or a hurricane warning will be issued.<br />
|-<br />
|Tropical Storm Warning<br />
|Firebrick<br />
|A warning that sustained winds within the range of 34 to 63 kn (39 to 73 mph or 63 to 117 km/h) associated with a tropical cyclone are expected in a specified area within 36 hours or less.<br />
|-<br />
|Ice Stor(m Warning)<br />
|Dark Magenta<br />
|Heavy ice accumulations are imminent. The criteria for amounts vary over different county warning areas. Accumulations range from 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 inch (6.4 to 12.7 mm) or more of freezing rain. Listed twice.<br />
|-<br />
|(Extreme Cold) Warning<br />
|Blue<br />
|The NWS does not issue cold warnings. As the text is cut off, Randall probably means Extreme Cold Warning, which the NWS offices in Alaska issue. This implies that the entire U.S. will get colder. This does not make sense, partly because in the time this comic was released, it was summer in the U.S., but also because Alaska, the one state that does receive this type of warning, is not shown.<br />
|-<br />
|Heat A(dvisory)<br />
|Coral<br />
|High Heat Index (HI) values are forecast to meet or exceed locally defined warning criteria for one or two days. Typical HI values are maximum daytime temperatures above 100 to 105 °F (38 to 41 °C) and minimum nighttime temperatures above 75 °F (24 °C).<br />
|-<br />
|(Flood) Advisory<br />
|Spring green<br />
|For nuisance type flooding meeting one of the following criteria: <3 feet of standing water, enough to cause minor flooding of roads, especially in poor drainage locations; <6 inches of fast flowing water across roads; or Arroyos/streams/creeks nearing bankfull, or briefly overtopping banks, producing < 6 inches of fast flowing water.<br />
|-<br />
|Snow (Squall Warning)<br />
|Medium violet red<br />
|Snow squall warning is a bulletin issued by he National Weather Service in the United States to warn population of two types of snow events reducing visibility in blowing snow: Lake effect snow squalls and Frontal snow squalls. Criteria for the National Weather Service to issue a Snow squall warning: Visibility of less than one quarter of a mile, sub-freezing temperatures on the ground, expected to last in one area less than 60 minutes, and may cause dangerous and life-threatening conditions.<br />
|-<br />
|(Storm Surge) Warning<br />
|SSWarning<br />
|Localized heavy flooding due to storm surge caused by a tropical cyclone is occurring or is imminent in the next 12 hours, which poses a threat to life and/or property.<br />
|-<br />
|Brisk W(ind Advisory)<br />
|Thistle<br />
|A Small Craft Advisory issued by the National Weather Service for ice-covered waters.<br />
|-<br />
|(Lake Effect Snow) Watch<br />
|Light sky blue<br />
|Significant amounts of lake-effect snow (generally 6 inches within 12 hours or 8 inches within 24 hours) are possible in the next 12 to 48 hours.<br />
|-<br />
|Coastal Fl(ood Advisory)<br />
|Lawn green<br />
|Minor coastal flooding is occurring or is imminent in the next 12 hours, which poses a threat to life and/or property.<br />
|-<br />
|Dense Smo(ke Advisory)<br />
|Khaki<br />
|Widespread or localized smoke reducing visibilities to 1⁄4 mi (0.4 km) or less.<br />
|-<br />
|(Severe Weather Sta)tement<br />
|Aqua<br />
|A National Weather Service product which provides follow up information on severe weather conditions (severe thunderstorm or tornadoes) which have occurred or are currently occurring.<br />
|-<br />
|(Lakeshore Flood) Advisory<br />
|Lawn green<br />
|Minor lakeshore flooding is occurring or is imminent in the next 12 hours, which poses a threat to life and/or property.<br />
|-<br />
|Wind Chill Ad(visory)<br />
|Pale turquoise<br />
|Dangerous wind chills making it feel very cold are imminent or occurring; the criteria varies significantly over different county warning areas.<br />
|-<br />
|Blizzard Warn(ing)<br />
|Orange red<br />
|Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 miles per hour (56 km/h) or greater, considerable falling, and/or blowing snow reducing visibility frequently to 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) or less for a period of three hours or more. There are no temperature criteria in the definition of a blizzard, but freezing temperatures of at least 0 °C (32 °F) and 35 miles per hour (56 km/h) winds will create wind chills of at least −8.5 °C (16.7 °F).<br />
|-<br />
|Hurricane Warning<br />
|Crimson<br />
|A warning that sustained winds 64 kn (74 mph or 118 km/h) or higher associated with a hurricane are expected, and tropical storm conditions are expected within 36 hours in a specified area. A hurricane warning can remain in effect when dangerously high water or a combination of dangerously high water and exceptionally high waves continue, even though winds may be less than hurricane force (also automatically indicates a Tropical Storm Warning).<br />
|-<br />
|Extreme Fire (Danger)<br />
|Dark salmon<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|(Freezing Fog Adv)isory<br />
|Teal<br />
|Widespread dense fog reducing visibility to less than 1⁄4 mile (400 m) that occurs in a sub-zero environment, leaving a thin glazing of ice.<br />
|-<br />
|Tsunami Warning<br />
|Tomato<br />
|Warnings are issued due to the imminent threat of a tsunami from a large undersea earthquake or following confirmation that a potentially destructive tsunami is underway. They may initially be based only on seismic information as a means of providing the earliest possible alert.<br />
|-<br />
|Avalanche W(arning)<br />
|Dodger blue<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|Fire Warning<br />
|Sienna<br />
|A fire is currently burning in the area and evacuation is recommended.<br />
|-<br />
|Volcano Warn(ing)<br />
|Dark slate gray<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|Ashfall Advisory<br />
|Dim gray<br />
| Airborne ash plume resulting in ongoing deposition at the surface. Ashfall may originate directly from a volcanic eruption or from the re-suspension (by wind) of a significant amount of relic ash.<br />
|-<br />
|Red Flag Warning<br />
|Deep pink<br />
|A red flag warning means that conditions are favorable for the rapid spread of wildfires. While there are very few areas immune to wildfires, one that encompasses the entire country would be unlikely unless a conflagration of epic magnitude swept through the country.<br />
|-<br />
|Radiological hazard warning<br />
|Indigo<br />
|A radiological hazard warning is a non-weather event that is transmitted by the NWS. This means that a radiological source was lost, discovered, or released accidentally or maliciously. If the entire country were under such a warning, the outlook for the citizens would be pretty grim.<br />
|-<br />
|Evacuation - Immediate<br />
|Chartreuse <br />
|Evacuation Immediate (SAME code: EVI) is a warning issued through the Emergency Alert System (EAS) in the United States to notify the public of a mandatory evacuation due to a wildfire, approaching hurricane, or an imminent explosion due to a gas leak.<br />
|-<br />
|Shelter In Place Warning<br />
|Salmon<br />
|Shelter In-Place Warning is to seek safety within the building one already occupies, rather than to evacuate the area or seek a community emergency shelter. The American Red Cross says the warning is issued when "chemical, biological, or radiological contaminants may be released accidentally or intentionally into the environment" and residents should "select a small, interior room, with no or few windows, taking refuge there."<br />
|-<br />
|911 Telephone Outage<br />
|Silver<br />
|<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[Title in frame]<br />
<br />
Alert: Everyone Just Keep An Eye Out In General<br />
<br />
[A map of the 48 contiguous states of the United States, surrounded by several warning polygons that cover most or all of the area, along with parts of neighboring countries or the sea.]<br />
<br />
[The following warning headers are printed in different colors around the map of the United States, some of which are cut off by the frame. Assumptions about text outside of the frame are given in parentheses]<br />
<br />
Gale Warning, Tornado Warning, Flash Flood Warning, Air Quality (Alert) <br /><br />
Frost Advisory, Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Dense Fog Advisory <br /><br />
(Hurricane Force W)ind Watch, Tropical Storm Warning, Ice Stor(m Warning) <br /><br />
(Extreme Cold) Warning, Heat A(dvisory) <br /><br />
(Flood) Advisory, Snow (Squall Warning) <br /><br />
(Storm Surge) Warning, Brisk W(ind Advisory) <br /><br />
(Lake Effect Snow) Watch, Coastal Fl(ood Advisory) <br /><br />
Dense Smo(ke Advisory) <br /><br />
(Severe Weather Sta)tement, Gale War(ning) <br /><br />
(Lakeshore Flood) Advisory, Wind Chill Ad(visory) <br /><br />
(Extreme) Cold Warning, Blizzard Warn(ing) <br /><br />
Hurricane Warning, Extreme Fire (Danger) <br /><br />
(Freezing Fog Adv)isory, Tsunami Warning, Avalanche W(arning) <br /><br />
(Ice S)torm Warning, Frost Advisory, Fire Warning, Volcano Warn(ing) <br /><br />
Ashfall Advisory, Red Flag Warning, Radiological Hazard Warning <br /><br />
<br />
[Text below frame]<br />
<br />
When the National Weather Service needs to take a day off, they just issue warnings for everything so no one is caught by surprise.<br />
<br />
== Trivia ==<br />
This comic was released on a Tuesday, thus breaking the typical Monday/Wednesday/Friday cycle for the [[xkcd]] comics, which, except for the early LiveJournal comics, only happens when there are April Fools comics, comic series, or notable events. As this comic was not released on April Fools day or as part of a comic series, it means that it was released due to a notable event, specifically the heat wave that impacted two-thirds of the US for more than a week.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Maps]]<br />
[[Category:Weather]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1985:_Meteorologist&diff=1778941985: Meteorologist2019-08-10T16:21:20Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Transcript */ add category</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1985<br />
| date = April 25, 2018<br />
| title = Meteorologist<br />
| image = meteorologist.png<br />
| titletext = Hi, I'm your new meteorologist and a former software developer. Hey, when we say 12pm, does that mean the hour from 12pm to 1pm, or the hour centered on 12pm? Or is it a snapshot at 12:00 exactly? Because our 24-hour forecast has midnight at both ends, and I'm worried we have an off-by-one error.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Although we’re constantly exposed to them, many (most?) people don’t understand the details of how to properly interpret weather forecasts. But even beyond the normal questions, there can be much more complex issues hiding beyond those (though most people will not care for those). This comic takes this to the ridiculous extreme of the weather reporters coming from some other profession where you look into those questions. It shows questions asked by three different people with different backgrounds: {{w|mathematics}}, {{w|linguistics}}, and (in the title text) {{w|software development}}. While some of those questions have actual answers (which you'd expect someone working in that job to know, such as the definition of "scattered showers" and how it's determined, what a "chance of rain" means, and so on), each professional finally ends up with questions that are almost disturbing in how they cannot be answered. (So management ends up calling security to remove those announcers).<br />
<br />
===Questions from the pure math meteorologist===<br />
<br />
The first meteorologist, [[Cueball]], has a background in pure math. His forecast states that each of the next five hours has a 20% chance of rain. As a mathematician he sees how limited that information is. There is no information about whether or how those {{w|Probability|probabilities}} are {{w|Correlation|correlated}}. This becomes obvious if you ask the question "How likely is it to rain this afternoon" (a question even some non-mathematicians might be interested in). [[Cueball]] states that he does not know (as no one only getting the information about 20% rain in each hour can know). And then lists some scenarios that all fit the the description, but have totally different results for "How likely is it to rain this afternoon?"<br />
<br />
The first thing a mathematician would ask (and [[Cueball]] does here) is asking if those 5 events are {{w|Independence (probability theory)|independent}}. Events are independent if the outcome of one of them is unrelated to the outcome out of the others, i.e. knowing whether it rained at 3&nbsp;pm has no effect on whether it rains at 4&nbsp;pm, in which case the probability of any rain over the 5 hours is 1&nbsp;&minus;&nbsp;(1&nbsp;&minus;&nbsp;0.2)<sup>5</sup> = 67.2%. (Rain is very seldom independent, as usually having rain in one hour increases the chance to rain in another hour, as systems of rainy weather usually persist for many hours). Another common extreme in probability theory is a set of {{w|Mutual exclusivity|mutually exclusive}} events. In this example that would be the scenario that the chance of rain is 5&nbsp;&times;&nbsp;20% = 100%, but it will only rain in exactly one hour and not rain at all for the other four. (Also possible but quite unlikely).<br />
<br />
In the second panel he continues to discuss what scattered showers means. Like most of the other weather terms in this comic, the term "scattered showers" is one whose technical definition is largely unknown but appears simple enough that most people would assume they understand what it means. "Scattered" refers to when the rain covers roughly 30–50% of the area at a given moment. To somebody who doesn't know this, like the first meteorologist, there's still the very valid question of how likely it is to rain in a specific spot (is it 30–50% of the total probability, or is it more than that because showers move and sweep out a larger area?), and how this is affected by the previous chance of rain. Not to mention, the percentage that defines "scattered showers" implicitly assumes a surface area that is accounted into the percent. Cueball rightly asks clarification on how large the location used to determine "scattered showers" is.<br />
<br />
While the all but the last question of the first part of the second panel can be answered by looking up their definitions, the last one is "What if you have two locations you are worried about?" This is an extremely complex question. Because there is no chance at all to answer this question from the answers of the previous questions or even from most other data a forecast might usually produce. To answer this you'd most likely need to do all the weather modeling and super computer runs of the forecast again with a different algorithm that looks at those two locations. (And for any other two locations you'd need to do the same thing again). This is a common effect in mathematics: While for example a classification of one linear function between two vector spaces is a solved problem (which everyone will learn if they study mathematics), the classification of pairs of linear functions is something no one has yet any idea how to even start.<br />
<br />
Finally in that panel Cueball begins to explain that he has asked the management about these things, but that they have stopped replying to his e-mails. At this point he spots the security guy coming over, and the screen goes black in to a technical difficulty screen that excuses this behavior to the viewers. It is implied that the security guy came over to force Cueball to leave the set, because he has been fired for confusing the viewers.<br />
<br />
Questioning these things on air is likely confusing to the viewers, although they are all valid questions. But this may lose viewers and the news network is afraid of this. The technical difficulty panel further cements this, apologizing for hiring a person with a pure math background. Often seen as one that do not understand how to talk to regular people.<br />
<br />
===Questions from the linguist meteorologist===<br />
<br />
When they get back on air gain a new meteorologist, [[Blondie]], steps in. The management enquires (on air) to make sure she is not also a mathematician. She states no, but tells that she has a linguistics degree, which the management thinks is fine, and thus believes they have prevented the problem with Cueball. However, this proves to be in vain, as Blondie goes into a tangent once more but from a linguistics standpoint, rather than a mathematical one, detailing the true meaning of the word "it" as referring to the weather. After one panel of this the management calls for security again.<br />
<br />
While, at the most basic level, human speech is broken into subject, object, and verb; for some reason we are capable of producing and comprehending speech without both objects or verbs, but in English there is a certain "resistance" to speech without a subject. Thus if you are in the passenger seat of a car going down the highway and happened to see some deer in the trees nearby, you could simply say "Deer.", rather than "there is a deer over there", deer being the subject of the sentence. However, if you noticed that it had begun to rain, you could not simply say "Raining." on it's own. Feel how that sentence just seems weird? Hence we have developed the tendency to use the filler word "it" despite the fact that when we say "It's raining." the "it" is not a reference to the clouds producing the rain, but the general state of the rainfall around us. (McWhorter, John. Understanding Linguistics: The Science of Language. https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/understanding-linguistics-the-science-of-language.html )<br />
<br />
The first question is again quite harmless, and both possible answers ("it" being a {{w|dummy pronoun}} or referring to the weather) are valid answers, but the second question is much more disturbing.<br />
In "It's hot out, and getting bigger" the first part of the sentence might be a dummy pronoun or it might reference the weather. But the second part breaks it: With a dummy pronoun "getting bigger" would be the impersonal action, which is not what is meant. It is referencing something (the hotness, that is getting bigger). But if the it references this entity in the second part, by grammatical rules it would also have to reference that in the first part. But "The hotness is hot out" makes no sense at all.<br />
This is again a common occurrence with informal speech: From a grammatical point of view, it is pure non-sense. But it still has meaning people understand. So if you want a proper descriptive grammar, it needs to cope with those cases. But then most such informal sentences would be special cases. (Case of point: What is the grammatical function of the "out" in that sentence?)<br />
<br />
===Questions from the software developer meteorologist===<br />
<br />
In the title text, the news station has made the same error again, this time by hiring a software developer as the third meteorologist. This last person is stating concerns about the feasibility of the time system used to correlate to the weather patterns. Because it appears simple, many people would simply assume they understand what is being said when a meteorologist talks about "12pm" or "1pm". This is a common mistake because [https://www.nist.gov/pml/time-and-frequency-division/times-day-faqs#noon noon is neither post meridiem (pm) nor ante meridiem], and should be stated as "noon" or "12 noon" instead of "12 pm.". However, because software developers frequently have to deal with things such as specifying exactly what time-label means what, the new meteorologist begins to wonder what time period is actually meant on a per-hour forecast. On such an hour forecast does 12pm refer to the hour from 12 to 1pm, from 11:30 to 12:30 or is it actually only to the weather precisely at 12:00 that is referred to? The software developer also worries about an {{w|off-by-one error}}, which is a common error in software development occurring when boundary conditions include one element too few or too many: when counting by 24 once every set period (for example), it is common to forget whether the count should stop at 23 or at 24, especially if the number 0 (midnight) is included. In the 24-hour forecast, that means there's 25 hours represented every day, and the software developer worries that these 25 hours might add up and, every progressive day, the forecast is one more hour off. In theory these are valid concerns and notably less inane than his predecessors, but they are all things he should have asked ''before'' he went on the air.<br />
<br />
Of course it should be pointed out that hiring someone without any meteorological training to read the weather does not make them an actual meteorologist, no more than say hiring a bricklayer as a doctor would actually make them a real doctor.<br />
<br />
===Answering the meteorologists’ questions===<br />
<br />
Management would certainly answer the mathematician's questions! The questions themselves have been asked of meteorologists before. The National Weather Service (NWS), a unit of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has published relevant answers for [https://www.weather.gov/ffc/pop probability of precipitation], as well as [https://www.weather.gov/bgm/forecast_terms timing and the meanings of particular forecast words]. The naming is also addressed [https://www.weather.gov/media/ajk/brochures/ConvectivevsStratiform.pdf here].<br />
<br />
Regarding probability of precipitation, NOAA forecasts give the probability that it will rain at all at any given point in an area. To rephrase it, it is the probability of rain occurring '''at all''' within a forecast area multiplied by the percentage of area affected by the rain. The "forecast area" is a clearly defined area of land and can be seen in the map of any official NWS forecast. [https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=34.0732&lon=-118.3963 Here is an example].<br />
<br />
Regarding the timing of the forecast, an hourly forecast gives the probability for each particular hour, stretching from the time listed to right before the next hour listed. So, the forecast for noon describes the time period from noon to 1pm. The forecasts for individual hours can be correlated; for this reason, the NOAA generates forecasts that stretch over longer time periods, giving a useful estimate for that time range. Thus, the chance of rain for "Today" specifically means: what is the chance of it raining at any given location during any time between 6am and 6pm?<br />
<br />
Regarding phrases like "scattered showers", this specifically means a 25-54% probability of precipitation from convective cloud sources. Other phrases, and when they are used, are detailed in [https://www.weather.gov/media/ajk/brochures/ConvectivevsStratiform.pdf the chart at the end of this PDF].<br />
<br />
So, to conclude:<br />
<br />
* "How likely is it to rain this afternoon?" We don't know, you need to show the 12 noon to 4pm forecast, not the hourly.<br />
* "Is each hour independent? Correlated?" Hourly values are given for that hour only. They can be correlated, hence why they can't be used to calculate the answer to "How likely is it to rain this afternoon?"<br />
* "Is rain guaranteed and we're just unsure of the timing?" You cannot tell from the data given. It's possible (though unlikely), that this is the case.<br />
* "It says 'scattered showers.' Is this the chance of rain '''somewhere''' in your area?" Yes, it is, and it means the the rain will come from convective cloud sources with a probability of precipitation somewhere between 25 and 54%.<br />
* "How big is your area?" It's detailed in the forecast the mathematician would be reading from.<br />
* "What if you have two locations you're worried about?" Then all chances are off. While the other open questions like "How likely is it to rain this afternoon?" might have an answer management could supply, for this they do not really have any chance at all.<br />
* "Hey, when we say 12pm, does that mean the hour from 12pm to 1pm, or the hour centered on 12pm? Or is it a snapshot at 12:00 exactly?" It means the hour from noon to 12:59pm.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is presenting a weather forecast while seated with his folded hands resting on a table. A graphic to the left of Cueball shows the weather for five consecutive hours from 12pm to 4pm, each with a rainy cloud icon and the same percentage of 20% written below the icon. The TV channel's logo is shown on the bottom left, with the 4 in a white font inside a black circle.]<br />
:Cueball: Our forecast says there's a 20% chance of rain for each of the next five hours.<br />
:Cueball: How likely is it to rain this afternoon? It's a simple question, but I don't know the answer. Is each hour independent? Correlated? Or is rain guaranteed and we're just unsure of the timing?<br />
<br />
:12pm&nbsp; 1pm&nbsp; 2pm&nbsp; 3pm&nbsp; 4pm <br />
:&nbsp;&nbsp;20%&nbsp; 20%&nbsp; 20%&nbsp; 20%&nbsp; 20%&nbsp; <br />
:<small>News</small><br />
:&nbsp;&nbsp;4<br />
:<small>''Weather''</small><br />
<br />
:[Cueball still sits at the table, but the weather graphic is gone and he looks to the right.]<br />
:Cueball: It says "scattered showers." Is this the chance of rain '''''somewhere''''' in your area? How big is your area? What if you have two locations you're worried about?<br />
:Cueball: I've asked management, but they've stopped answering my emails, so—Hang on, the security guy is coming over.<br />
<br />
:[A black screen is shown with white text and two short white lines between each of the three segments of text. The TV logo is shown below the last text, with the white 4 inside a gray circle with a white border.]<br />
:''Technical Difficulties''<br />
:—<br />
:''We apologize for hiring a meteorologist with a pure math background.''<br />
:—<br />
:''We'll be back on the air shortly.''<br />
:<br />
:<big>News</big><br />
:&nbsp;&nbsp;<big><big>4</big></big><br />
<br />
:[Blondie now sits at the desk, in the same position as Cueball, but without the graphic. She looks to the right towards a person who speaks to her from outside the panel. This voice is indicated with two square speech bubbles, connected with a double line and with a small arrow pointing to the right off-panel from the top bubble.]<br />
:Blondie: Sorry about that. Hi, I'm your new meteorologist.<br />
:Person off-panel: And you're not a mathematician, right?<br />
:Blondie: No. I do have a linguistics degree.<br />
:Person off-panel: That's fine.<br />
<br />
:[Blondie continues in the same position but now looks into the camera at the viewers. The off-panel person only speaks one word, which again is inside a square speech bubble with a small arrow pointing to the right off-panel.]<br />
:Blondie: It might rain this afternoon.<br />
:Blondie: But what is "it" here? Is it a true dummy pronoun, as in the phrase "It's too bad?" Or is the weather an entity?<br />
:Blondie: Also, what if I say, "It's hot out, and getting bigger?"<br />
:Person off-panel: Security!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]<br />
[[Category:News anchor]]<br />
[[Category:Weather]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1826:_Birdwatching&diff=1700811826: Birdwatching2019-02-24T22:34:27Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */ expanded definition of park rangers beyond national parks</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1826<br />
| date = April 19, 2017<br />
| title = Birdwatching<br />
| image = birdwatching_small.png<br />
| titletext = No, tell the park rangers to calm down, it's fine--I put a screen on the front. I just want to get the birds a little closer.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In this comic [[Cueball]] and his [[1350:_Lorenz#Knit_Cap_Girl|friend with a knit cap]] are out birdwatching (hence the title). {{w|Birdwatching}} is an activity to observe birds. Usually this is done at a distance, as birds are flying in the air, and are far away. It is thus helpful to use {{w|binoculars}}. <br />
<br />
Cueball's friend uses binoculars and manages to spot a {{w|hawk}} a mile up. Cueball, however, has brought his camera, probably his superzoom camera from [[1719: Superzoom]]. (He uses that again already two comics later in [[1828: ISS Solar Transit]]). But it is very difficult to find anything in such a camera, especially if held in ones hand (as opposed to on a tripod) and zoomed in. And maybe Cueball is with his trained friend, out birdwatching for the first time. Cueball is frustrated and comments on the difficulty and is amazed his friend can spot birds over such distances. (A hawk, that is actually a drone, was spotted in [[1910: Sky Spotters]]).<br />
<br />
Frustrated with his camera Cueball comes up with a solution, which is to use a {{w|vacuum cleaner}}, specifically a {{w|shop vac}}, to pull the birds in closer so he won't need the superzoom camera to see them (this he has just left on the ground next to the shop vac). This is physically impossible with such a small device. Even if the shop vac created a perfect vacuum, it can only pull out air at the speed of sound, which amounts to approximately 1 cubic meter per second considering the apparent size of the hose. This is not enough to create a significant amount of wind or affect the atmosphere. (Of course he may have borrowed it from his other friend [[Beret Guy]] who has many [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy|strange powers]] that also extends to improving vacuum cleaners, which Cueball knows about as seen in [[1486: Vacuum]]).<br />
<br />
Cueball's shop vac bird collector is similar in concept to [http://biostor.org/reference/76824/page/3 vacuum-based insect collectors] [http://media.nola.com/environment/photo/xuanchen1jpg-fca88349bf05fe83.jpg used by] [http://www.rinconvitova.com/d-vac.htm entomologists]. Cueball evidently thinks that a similar concept will work to easily collect birds.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to {{w|park ranger}}s, who are officials in charge of protecting the natural elements (i.e. plants, animals, etc.) in many parks and would certainly object to birds being forced to coalesce via an extremely powerful vacuum. If such a vacuum were created and used for this purpose, it probably would pose a threat to the safety of birds. Cueball says he has solved this problem by placing a perforated screen in front. In doing so, he can safely attract the birds without trapping them inside the vacuum. He implies that this should remove the danger to the birds, which is not the case. While the birds can no longer enter the vacuum itself, having a large number of birds pulled into a (presumably small) screen would probably fare poorly for the birds, so Cueball's solution is rather poor.<br />
<br />
When out birdwatching it is a great idea to have a silhouette chart to be able to recognize the birds by the shadow they make against the sky. Two comics before this one [[Randall]] made a comic with just such a chart, [[1824: Identification Chart]], although that was for combinations of birds and planes...<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and his friend with a knit cap are standing together looking up in the sky. Cueball holds a camera with a large lens down in front of him, and his friend holds binoculars down in front of him.]<br />
:Cueball: Birdwatching is hard. <br />
:Cueball: They're all way too small and far away.<br />
<br />
:[In a frame-less panel they both raise their tool eyepieces to their eyes.]<br />
:Cueball: That hawk is over a mile up! How did you even spot it?<br />
<br />
:[Both lower their eyepiece again. The friend still looks up while Cueball looks down on his camera which he holds up in front of him. A black squiggly line above his head indicates that he is fuming over his camera's abilities.]<br />
<br />
:[Cueball now has a vacuum cleaner with a big body and a large hose which he is pointing towards the sky, as air is visibly sucked in to the hose and the vacuum cleaner is making a very loud noise which extends beyond the frame of the panel.Cueball is holding one hand on the vacuum cleaner which has a label with its brand on it. Cueball's camera lies on the ground in front of the vacuum cleaner. The friend looks back at Cueball.]<br />
:Vacuum cleaner: <big>'''''Whrrrrr'''''</big><br />
:Label: Shop Vac<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*This comic was originally published with a very large picture, much larger than the standard screen. <br />
**The original image was named [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/birdwatching_huge.png birdwatching_huge.png] <br />
**The image at that location has also been downsized to normal dimensions. <br />
**It was later updated to use an image without the "_huge" in its name, at the usual size. <br />
*The unexpected size was at first interpreted as being part of the joke, see the [[#Discussion|discussion page]].<br />
**The idea was that the reader was only seeing an inconvenient subset of the magnified image on the screen, just like Cueball was experiencing an inconvenient subset of the magnified sky through the zoom of his camera lens.<br />
**It seems, however, that it wasn't meant to be like this, as both the size and name of the image were later corrected.<br />
*Alternatively the size gave people trouble with reading the page, and made Randall change his mind and reset it to normal size. <br />
**It seems weird he would make a "_huge" version by mistake?<br />
*The premise is similar to the {{w|Superman_(1940s_cartoons)|Fleischer Superman}} cartoon {{w|The Magnetic Telescope}}, where a mad scientist does essentially the same thing with comets.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Characters with Hats]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2003:_Presidential_Succession&diff=158517Talk:2003: Presidential Succession2018-06-07T16:54:57Z<p>172.68.211.28: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
Aw, but what about Morgan Freeman? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.11|108.162.221.11]] 04:43, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
:And Kiefer -designated survivor- Sutherland?[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.83|141.101.104.83]] 08:24, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Morgan Freeman> "I do solemnly swear / that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States..." [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 12:39, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Academy awards have been won by actors playing kings / queens - of England, the United Kingdom and Siam - Princes - of Denmark - and Prime Ministers of Great Britain and even the President of the Uniter States / Member of the house of Representatives, but I do not believe it has been won by an actor playing a state govenor. Mind you it is not clear if an actor playing a prison govenor, would count. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 11:30, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Broderick Crawford, actually. I've added him. To the best of my ability to determine, the opposite group (Governors Award recipients who have played characters named Oscar) appears to be an empty set. I'll note that I don't have a really comprehensive filmography for {{w|Jean-Claude Carrière}}, but I consider it fairly unlikely that he ever played a character by that name. [[User:Squeamish Ossifrage|Squeamish Ossifrage]] ([[User talk:Squeamish Ossifrage|talk]]) 16:08, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Bill Pullman's eldest daughter Maesa is a film composer with an IMDB page in her own right. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 11:30, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Top 5 US astronauts? I only count three. Who are the other two? [[Special:Contributions/172.68.150.76|172.68.150.76]] 12:15, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
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As of September 3, 2017, the 5 US astronauts with the most total time in space are Peggy Whitson (665 days), Jeff Williams (534), Scott Kelly (520), Mike Fincke (382), and Mike Foale (374), according to https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-station-astronaut-record-holders. Michael Lopez-Alegria has the second-most time in space for a single spaceflight (215 days, compared to Scott Kelly, 340). [[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 12:59, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Mike Foale was born in Louth - so ineligible. Michael Lopez-Alegria was born in Spain ditto [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 15:26, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Foale was born to an American mother and should hence be a natural-born American. --[[User:Ycthiognass|Ycthiognass]] ([[User talk:Ycthiognass|talk]]) 09:40, 7 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
::There is actually legal question about whether someone born on foreign soil to US citizens count as "natural-born" (or whether courts would just say it's a political question and pass the buck to Congress), though I will add Foale back to the list. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.207|162.158.62.207]] 14:04, 7 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
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The non-US-citizen-being-in-line-for-the-Presidency thing has already been cleared up IRL - several Presidential cabinets have had non-natural-born-US citizens on them (current Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao was born in Taiwan; in the past Madeline Albright was born in the then-Czechoslovakia). All the serious succession lists I've ever seen just list them and skip over them. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.51|162.158.62.51]] 13:19, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
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How do we decide who gets a bye in the jousting tournament? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.147|162.158.74.147]] 13:30, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Random draw, probably. There's no jousting rankings AFAIK to enable any kind of seeding like in tennis. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.51|162.158.62.51]] 15:16, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Anyone with a jousting ranking would not need a bye. [[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 15:26, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Anyone else think it's interesting that Kate gets a "if available" but Tom Hanks doesn't? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.184|172.69.62.184]] 16:23, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Also, why doesn't Tom Hanks kids get to be in line, like Bill Pulman's? Colin Hanks is old enough. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.122.210|162.158.122.210]] 03:59, 7 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
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I assume, but am too lazy to do all the maths, that the person born closest to Europa would be the one closest in time to the point Sun Earth and Jupiter are in line.<br />
I found a table of opposition distances here: http://www.ianridpath.com/jupiter.htm<br />
[[User:Arachrah|Arachrah]] ([[User talk:Arachrah|talk]]) 18:26, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
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All of this talk about ''where'' people were born is very misleading. The general opinion is that you have to have been a citizen from birth, not born in the U.S. (or a U.S. territory or whatever). Ted Cruz was born in Canada, but he would have been eligible had he won the nomination and the election. See http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2015/mar/26/ted-cruz-born-canada-eligible-run-president-update/ for discussion. —[[User:TobyBartels|TobyBartels]] ([[User talk:TobyBartels|talk]]) 20:56, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
*Yes, Kate Brown (governor of Oregon) should be restored to Randall's line of succession, because she was born in Spain while her father was serving in the U.S. Air Force. Presumably she's a U.S. citizen by birth and thus eligible for the presidency. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.150.52|172.68.150.52]] 22:44, 6 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
** Added her. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_foreign-born_United_States_politicians#Governors This page says she's a natural-born citizen]. --[[User:Ycthiognass|Ycthiognass]] ([[User talk:Ycthiognass|talk]]) 08:49, 7 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
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I read #7 being that we would have 5 people as co-president. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.122.210|162.158.122.210]] 03:59, 7 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Would that also hold for other entries where multiple people are listed (e.g., multiple league MVPs meet the criteria)? Also, there is the "ties broken by born closest to Europa" title text. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.207|162.158.62.207]] 13:31, 7 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
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For the 'List of Specific Individuals', should it be maintained by who currently holds those positions, or left as who held them when the comic was posted? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.70.71|172.69.70.71]] 12:14, 7 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
:If you want to come back and update the line as things change in the weeks, months, and years ahead, you're welcome to do so. If you do, I would recommend that both lists (the one accurate as of comic publishing and the one "updated") be maintained, perhaps as one table for fun comparison (adding blank spots as necessary if a current spot falls out of eligibility or a new one becomes eligible for whatever reason. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.207|162.158.62.207]] 13:29, 7 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Tom Hanks is probably a reference to the June 4 Last Week Tonight episode, see http://time.com/5298479/john-oliver-last-week-tonight-guardianship/ {{unsigned ip|162.158.123.85}}<br />
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Oh! Question regarding Serena Williams - does it count if her latest match was in a ''doubles'' tournament? She pretty much always teams up with sister Venus in doubles. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.207|162.158.62.207]] 14:52, 7 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
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Anyone else curious about the apostrophe in "Governor's award"? The current notes imply that it is simply a mistake in "Governors Awards" (the Academy Awards similar to the Oscars), but Governor's awards (i.e., an award by a state Governor) for other areas are quite common (e.g. Clemson University Governor's Award for Excellence in Science and Pennsylvania's Governor's Award for the Arts). Rearranging Oscar and governor from the preceding criterion certainly makes sense, but wild speculation is always more fun...</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=303:_Compiling&diff=148537303: Compiling2017-12-01T06:30:47Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 303<br />
| date = August 15, 2007<br />
| title = Compiling<br />
| image = compiling.png <br />
| titletext = 'Are you stealing those LCDs?' 'Yeah, but I'm doing it while my code compiles.'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Computer programming involves writing instructions for a computer to follow, in a specific {{w|programming language}}, which is largely human readable and writable, at least to programmers who understand that language. However, for the computers to follow instructions, they need to be given {{w|machine code}} — the actual "language" that computers "speak" and one that ''can'' be written directly with the correct tools, but would be too tedious and error-prone for just about any practical modern project where alternatives exist, where anything more than a {{w|%22Hello,_World!%22_program|Hello World}} could be awkward to implement straight into machine-code.<br />
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Conversion from the more conveniently human-writable code into {{w|computer-executable files}} is performed by {{w|Interpreter_(computing)|interpreters}} or {{w|compilers}}. Interpreters (e.g. that for {{w|PHP}} for one example) generally read through the code, or script, each line at a time as and when required, and has to do a lot of work with various processing overheads and the risk of hitting an invalid instruction or mistake in syntax that it can't handle. It also requires that a relevant version of the interpreter exist on any machine that has to run the script and perhaps some additional knowledge by the end-user.<br />
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For widely distributed (and especially commercial) programs, some form of compilation will instead be used. Compiling may have just one computer system read through the man-written code and (barring errors) produces the equivalent stand-alone and direct machine-readable code, suitable for a given range of computers. This process might involve several passes to check for 'obvious' errors in the code, as well as converting some programming concepts that are easiest for humans to understand into equivalent concepts that may be far easier for the computer to work with.<br />
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As such, compiling takes a certain amount of time at the time of production. Normally, this takes a few seconds, but, depending on the size of the project and the power of the computer doing the compilation, the time required to compile a program may measure in minutes, or even hours. As of 2015 the {{w|Linux Kernel}} contains over 19 million lines of code, arguably a massive job for any compiler, but if done correctly it saves time for all the people who will ultimately be using its output.<br />
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Thus, when Cueball is caught wasting time at work, he argues that such activities are not worse than any other possible ones, at this moment. If his job is writing code and compiling it, then there may be nothing else that he ''can'' do right now. He cannot usefully tweak the code before it finishes compiling and the expected result checked.<br />
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The title text takes this a step further. Cueball claims that ''all'' activities are equally benign while the code is compiling — and that includes committing illegal acts, such as stealing {{w|LCD}}s.<br />
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Nine years after this comic was released [[Randall]] made a comic called [[1755: Old Days]] about how compiling worked in the old days. It was Cueball who asked. The next comic after that, [[1756: I'm With Her]], was released the Monday before the {{w|2016 United States presidential election}}. And in that comic a Cueball with a sword on an office chair like in this comic is featured. Seems realistic that Randall had that politically loaded comic ready for some time, and when finding and deciding to use this old version of Cueball, he may have gotten inspired by the compiling theme to make Old Days.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:The #1 Programmer Excuse for Legitimately Slacking Off: "My code's compiling."<br />
:[Two programmers are sword-fighting on office chairs in a hallway. An unseen manager calls them back to work through an open office door.]<br />
:Manager: Hey! Get back to work!<br />
:Cueball: Compiling!<br />
:Manager: Oh. Carry on.<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>172.68.211.28https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1914:_Twitter_Verification&diff=1476771914: Twitter Verification2017-11-10T18:29:36Z<p>172.68.211.28: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1914<br />
| date = November 10, 2017<br />
| title = Twitter Verification<br />
| image = twitter_verification.png<br />
| titletext = When we started distributing special status tokens that signify which people are important enough to join an elite group, we never could have imagined we might be creating some problems down the line.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a Verified Twitter User; verified by a creationist twit. Please alter this comment when editing the wiki page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
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Some {{w|Twitter}} users (such as [https://twitter.com/coldplay Coldplay], or [https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump Donald Trump]) have a verification checkmark next to their name. This checkmark is used to indicate that the user is who they say they are, rather than being a fake account made by someone else using their picture and name. This helps fans find the real accounts of their favorite celebrities. However, since the most notable people benefit from this the most, there is some ambiguity in the granting of the verified mark, as it also seems to be interpreted as a status symbol to indicate the notable celebrities. Some even see this as Twitter actively endorsing the user. For this reason, Twitter has removed verified checkmarks from real accounts of celebrities because of political controversies in the past. Examples of this are political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos (before he was banned from the service) and gaming YouTuber PewDiePie. One recent controversial decision regarding the verified mark is that Twitter gave a verification checkmark to {{w|Jason Kessler}}, the organizer of a {{w|Unite_the_Right_rally|recent far-right rally}} in Charlottesville, Virginia. This drew attention to Twitter's verification system, [https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2017/11/09/twitter-halts-verification-over-checkmark-charlottesville-rally-organizer/848314001/ so they temporarily suspended it].<br />
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The alt-text comments on the lack of foresight on Twitter's part when implementing the ''verified'' system: as it by design separates users between an in-group and an out-group, it seems to imply endorsement or, at least, favors some users to the detriment of others. This in turn automatically creates the twin sets of "people who shouldn't have been verified, but were" and "people who deserve to have been verified, but weren't." As the internet is populated by various large and strongly opinionated groups{{Citation needed}}, neither set will ever be empty and Twitter will always be seen as either endorsing unworthy or snubbing worthy people.<br />
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The character depicted is the Twitter CEO {{w|Jack Dorsey}}.<br />
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Depending on your interpretation, Jack Dorsey in the comic is either being sarcastic or foolish. He is saying that adding a mark of recognition without anyone "reading something into it" should only take a moment, when in fact it is likely to be very difficult, given the above explanation.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:[A bearded figure, depicting the Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, is standing behind a podium with the blue Twitter bird logo.]<br />
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:Jack: Everyone calm down-<br />
:Jack: We just need to go figure out how to bestow a global in-or-out status badge on some people, at our discretion, without anyone reading anything into who gets one. <br />
:Jack: This should only take a moment.<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Social networking]]</div>172.68.211.28