https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=172.68.47.240&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T07:11:59ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2169:_Predictive_Models&diff=176549Talk:2169: Predictive Models2019-07-12T01:56:24Z<p>172.68.47.240: </p>
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If you click on the comic, it opens a page with error 404. Looking at the URL, it says "At the July 28th meeting", which I assume is the prediction result to the title text suggesting that they will be 1 month late. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.174|162.158.106.174]] 17:13, 28 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
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: Fixsed it, my years of mediawiki knowledge have finally come to use. [[User:Iggyvolz|Iggyvolz]] ([[User talk:Iggyvolz|talk]])<br />
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In the HTML tag for the link (the <a> tag surrounding the comic image) after the link it says "cancel the meeting! our cover is blown" [[User:Everlastingwonder|Everlastingwonder]] ([[User talk:Everlastingwonder|talk]]) 17:21, 28 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
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In the [https://m.xkcd.com/2169/ mobile version], you can read «See also: [AT THE JULY 28TH MEETING][tab] "Cancel the meeting! Our cover is blown."» It leads to a 404, like the other examples in the comments here. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.44.136|172.69.44.136]] 17:31, 28 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
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This looks a whole lot like Gmail's [https://ai.googleblog.com/2018/05/smart-compose-using-neural-networks-to.html Smart Compose] [[Special:Contributions/172.68.206.76|172.68.206.76]]<br />
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Today GMail actually predicted the beginning of my mail correctly. I typed literally zero characters and it already knew how to continue. In the future, we won't even have to upload our brains to a computer, a backup will already be available there automatically. [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 21:32, 28 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
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Not a backup, a simulation. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.184|108.162.219.184]] 04:46, 29 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
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: If you can't tell the difference, does it matter? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.147|173.245.48.147]] 17:04, 1 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
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On my Mac the title text only shows "WE WILL ARREST THE REVOLUTION MEMBERS" while on my iPad (where you long press to see title texts) long pressing only shows the link. Weird. Also someone remind me to check the link again on July 28. [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 13:10, 29 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
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: On my Ubuntu system, both Firefox and Chrome display "WE WILL ARREST THE REVOLUTION MEMBERS" as the title text and "<nowiki>https://xkcd.com/[AT THE JULY 28TH MEETING][tab]</nowiki>" as the link target, which is also what's in the HTML source. Additionally, the HTML source is malformed, with quotes inside quotes in the href attribute. - [[User:Linneris|Linneris]] ([[User talk:Linneris|talk]]) 14:37, 29 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
::Malformed. Precisely! I think there was a glitch while the comic was uploaded, which used the title text as a link in addition to as the title text. It didn't include the last part due to the quotes. It will be either fixed or legitimate, or at least make the href a little nicer. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 21:24, 29 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
:::Actually... Looking at the comic again (for the first time on my PC), I would like to rethink that. I think this is Randall's method of demonstrating the [tab]; clicking and looking at the URL. [EDIT] Man, the more I think, the weirder it gets. Maybe it's about how sometimes you can find the information on the client side in the code where it should be hidden? I don't know anymore. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 21:27, 29 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
::When you look at the source of [https://xkcd.com/2169/%5BAT%20THE%20JULY%2028TH%20MEETING%5D%5Btab%5D that 404 page], you can see six HTML comments with the content ''a padding to disable MSIE and Chrome friendly error page''. This is to prevent MSIE and Chrome from displaying "helpful" proprietary error pages. If you change the link in the slightest, you will also get a 404 page, but without these comments. I assume that either this was a glitch (intended or unintended) and this particular 404 page was modified so that everyone can see that the authors are aware of it, *or* it's a hint pointing to somewhere else. A rabbit hole maybe? I would like the latter to be true, but I haven't found anything.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.168|162.158.90.168]] 22:42, 29 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
:::Not for me. I see the same tiny Nginx 404 page with the same HTML source as any other 404 page due to invalid link on xkcd.com. - [[User:Linneris|Linneris]] ([[User talk:Linneris|talk]]) 07:14, 30 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
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This reminds me of that time where via data analytics on things like shopping habits, [https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shopping-habits.html Target figured out that a teen girl was pregnant before her father did]. [[User:Ahiijny|Ahiijny]] ([[User talk:Ahiijny|talk]]) 06:42, 30 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
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I tried this on google, and got "we will arrest chamisa" and "the meeting will be in room 27" and "our next meeting will be at 3 p.m. on wednesday". Any more? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.59.214|162.158.59.214]] 19:16, 30 June 2019 (UTC)<br />
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I decided to see what a more sophisticated predictive model would do, so I plugged it into Talk to Transformer. The output: "Long live the revolution. Our next meeting will be at 10 a.m. on December 14 at the Cressey Building, 1636 S. Second St. Please invite your friends, family, and coworkers! For those interested in donating to the cause, please contact:" I'm legitimately impressed. [[User:Arcorann|Arcorann]] ([[User talk:Arcorann|talk]]) 01:03, 1 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
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Thinking about predictive text, in combination with the advice on the futility of making people change their passwords frequently, perhaps systems which require people to change their passwords could be more helpful by observing the pattern the user is using, and suggesting what the next password should be. [https://www.troyhunt.com/passwords-evolved-authentication-guidance-for-the-modern-era/ Passwords Evolved: Authentication Guidance for the Modern Era] [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.216|162.158.106.216]] 20:05, 1 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
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This paragraph was in the explanation, however the cited source gives no information about how the private correspondence was obtained, and no suggestion that the privacy of the communication channel was compromised. (The most obvious way that such information would be obtained is that somebody who was party to the communication made it available.) I moved it here in case somebody has sources to show that it was a breach of security.<br />
"As humanity adapts to a digital world, people are finding that their digital communications provide the illusion of confidentiality, with damaging results when the information leaks out. Real-life examples include a [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-36391957 2016 British trainee doctor strike], where a technically-secure WhatsApp group leaked information to the press." [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.220|108.162.245.220]] 05:18, 3 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
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Incomplete tag worth saving for posterity, due to H2G2 reference: Created by a PREDICTIVE MODEL THAT WILL BE FIRST AGAINST THE WALL WHEN THE REVOLUTION COMES. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.240|172.68.47.240]] 01:56, 12 July 2019 (UTC)<br />
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== Social media has been used in revolutions ==<br />
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Once revolutions achieve critical mass, they often communicate on more insecure channels. Many of the Arab Spring revolutions involved spread through Twitter. Broadly speaking the security vs contagiousness issues often cause disagreement among revolutionaries.<br />
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I.E. Trotskyist/Stalinist disagreements over "Permanent revolution" (expansionist) vs "Socialism in one country" (security and development of the USSR without spending all available surplus on spreading communism directly).</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2115:_Plutonium&diff=170049Talk:2115: Plutonium2019-02-22T21:20:07Z<p>172.68.47.240: </p>
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Even though space is cold, it conducts so poorly that spacecraft would probably have more problems getting rid of heat than keeping heat, considering how isolated they are. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 16:43, 22 February 2019 (UTC)<br />
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:It actually has little to do with conduction; the heat radiates pretty effectively, especially as it gets "hotter" vs the surrounding radiation. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.124|172.69.69.124]] 17:35, 22 February 2019 (UTC)<br />
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::You're right, spacecraft are cooled by radiation. Yet it is far less effective than conductive/convective cooling by blowing the surrounding medium (water, air, whatever) over the hot parts. It's so much easier to cool things down here on Earth! Cooling problems is one of the reasons why nuclear reactors are not very popular in space, they need massive cooling systems.<br />
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Reminds me of reddit.com/r/outside [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 16:54, 22 February 2019 (UTC)<br />
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I put in how the title text makes a probable reference to game development. [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 17:41, 22 February 2019 (UTC)<br />
:It could, with equal probability, be a reference to parallel universes. There's nothing anywhere that says anything about game development.... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.214.10|162.158.214.10]] 18:29, 22 February 2019 (UTC)<br />
:”Cool Mechanic” “Unbalanced” and “Join the team” seemed like hints [[User:Netherin5|Netherin5]] ([[User talk:Netherin5|talk]]) 18:33, 22 February 2019 (UTC)<br />
::It seemed obvious to me it was a reference to episodic story development, as it looks like that happens with shows and comics all the time. Don't understand how it makes sense for parallel universes (except that this kind of happened with star trek and the introduction of the parallel reality) but recommend updating the article to include all interpretations. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.47.240|172.68.47.240]] 21:20, 22 February 2019 (UTC)<br />
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This seems to be in the same vein as two other recent comics, Internet Archive and ArkXiv. Perhaps real things that seem unrealistic is a new topic of Randalls? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.247.4|172.69.247.4]] 17:53, 22 February 2019 (UTC)</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2115:_Plutonium&diff=1700482115: Plutonium2019-02-22T21:16:48Z<p>172.68.47.240: many series have been written without actually planning what would happen next, by multiple people</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2115<br />
| date = February 22, 2019<br />
| title = Plutonium<br />
| image = plutonium.png<br />
| titletext = It's like someone briefly joined the team running the universe, introduced their idea for a cool mechanic, then left, and now everyone is stuck pretending that this wildly unbalanced dynamic makes sense.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a Power Orb. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This comic pokes fun at the properties of plutonium, claiming that it is so unrealistically powerful that it may as well be random sci-fi jargon. Indeed, the ability for a metal to radiate free energy sounds impossible. This is reflected by Megan and Hairy treating Cueball's idea as a practical joke.<br />
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There are devices that need substantial electrical power over long time &ndash; in the order of decades &ndash; but local sources of energy are insufficient or unavailable, yet constructing a power line or resupplying them with some power source (like fuel, fresh chemical batteries etc.) is either impossible or overly costly. Such devices include maritime beacons and buoys, automatic weather and science stations located in remote areas, and &ndash; most importantly &ndash; deep space probes and some planetary probes or science packs. Probes sent beyond Jupiter cannot effectively rely on photovoltaic panels for energy, because the large distance to the Sun means that the amount of solar radiation per unit of area is very low, requiring impractically large (and thus heavy) panels to provide enough energy. Carrying a lot of fuel also adds mass to the probe.<br />
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Instead, such devices usually use {{W|radioisotope thermoelectric generator}}s (RTGs). In an RTG the natural radioactive decay of some unstable isotope (such as Plutonium-238 or Strontium-90) produces a lot of heat, which is then used to generate energy using {{W|thermocouple}}s, which generate electricity directly from heat by employing the {{W|thermoelectric effect}}. The key element of an RTG, a pellet of radioactive material such as plutonium dioxide, could be facetiously described as a "power orb" &ndash; a lump of a substance that gives out heat apparently out of nothing.<br />
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The title text references development of team-written episodic stories, such as video games, television shows, or comic series, and how after joining a team and implementing a mechanic, a writer can leave, and give others working on it little or no knowledge of how to handle a specific plot element or design.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan, Hairy, Cueball, and Ponytail are talking.]<br />
:Megan: How will we keep the spacecraft supplied with heat and electricity?<br />
:Cueball: We could use a power orb. They give off thousands of watts 24/7.<br />
:Megan: Huh? How do you recharge it.<br />
:Cueball: You don't. It's just made of a metal that emits energy. <br />
:Megan: OK, come on.<br />
:Hairy: Can we please be serious here?<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:For something that's real, plutonium is so unrealistic.<br />
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[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]][[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]<br />
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{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2105:_Modern_OSI_Model&diff=168856Talk:2105: Modern OSI Model2019-01-30T09:39:13Z<p>172.68.47.240: </p>
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Randall seems to be saying that a startup doesn't need to create a new computer system to service their customers, all they have to do is put up a Facebook page which uses Google to find products and then has Amazon deliver them. The middle layer "Transport" is a joke because Amazon literally ships physical boxes, but the OSI model is not about actual boxes; it's about information and the way the information is presented to the user vs what goes on behind the scenes.<br />
But I don't get the part about the horcruxes. Is it just the fact that there are seven of them? Or is there some subtle connection I'm missing here? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.106.180|162.158.106.180]] 05:50, 30 January 2019 (UTC)<br />
:(Spoilers alert) Voldemort uses signifying objects of his life, heritage and his school's founders as horcruces. When the OSI layers are used as horcruces, one problem would be that Google/Amazon would have taken control of two horcruces, the other that some of the layers are frayed at the sides. Randall should not have put his horcruces in living standards - that was a very dangerous move. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.46|172.68.110.46]] 07:54, 30 January 2019 (UTC)<br />
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Is there a meaning of the widths of the layers - not a block or a triangle/pyramid? Are there more layers than the named ones? Or the named ones multiple times? This would correspond to the design of ever more layers, virtualizations, abstractions and overall complexity of computer systems as time moved forward. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.46|172.68.110.46]] 07:49, 30 January 2019 (UTC)<br />
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I think Google & Amazon are the grey blob that is slowly absorbing all of the layers [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.114|141.101.107.114]] 07:55, 30 January 2019 (UTC)<br />
: Excellent remark! Google & Amazon are inserted between the Data Link and Network layers, and while it seems like an eight layer from the shape profile, they do not sit in their own bordered rectangle. Another view point is maybe Randall tried to display the fight between the Infrastructure providers to capture a new layer in gestation. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.107.114|141.101.107.114]] 08:21, 30 January 2019 (UTC)<br />
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: Agreed. There is no way that Randall wanted the label for the gray blob to just apply to a couple of layers. It's clearly labelling the entire gray blob as "Google and Amazon". Otherwise, he would have put in another dividing line or two. So all the glue between the layers is being described as "Google and Amazon". Meaning that the layers wouldn't even be able to talk to each other and function correctly without G+A glue between them. Maybe this is "glue" in the technical sense of trivial code which converts from one API to another. The basic point here is that Google lays cable in some places and writes Chrome and owns You Tube, so it's definitely at both ends. I'm not sufficiently knowledgeable to say if it owns/writes stuff in the middle. And I'd be surprised if this was true of Amazon. But it's not my place to comment on the veracity of Randall's remarks, I'm just trying to sort out what he's saying.<br />
Trivia: (Major Spoiler alert) Voldemort originally intended to create six horcruces to divide his soul into 7 (including his own body) pieces. The 6th unintended horcrux is Harry Potter by Voldemort killing his parents. Later on after his revival Voldemort made the snake Nagini to his seemingly 6th horcrux, which was actually his 7th. Does that mean Randall embodies one of the OSI layers from the beginning of his existence? :-) Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.46|172.68.110.46]] 08:01, 30 January 2019 (UTC)</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1002:_Game_AIs&diff=1681011002: Game AIs2019-01-14T16:08:38Z<p>172.68.47.240: It is conceivable that eventually computers and the AI running on them may gain imaginations as or more chaotic than humans</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1002<br />
| date = January 11, 2012<br />
| title = Game AIs<br />
| image = game_ais.png<br />
| titletext = The top computer champion at Seven Minutes in Heaven is a Honda-built Realdoll, but to date it has been unable to outperform the human Seven Minutes in Heaven champion, Ken Jennings.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
To understand the comic, you have to understand what the games are, so let's go (but first, the years in parenthesis in the comic are the year that the game was mastered by a computer):<br />
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===Solved===<br />
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: These games are considered "solved", meaning the ideal maneuver for each game state (Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect Four) or each of the limited starting positions (Checkers) has already been calculated. Computers aren't so much playing as they are recalculating the list of ideal maneuvers. The same could be said for the computer's human opponent, just at a slower pace.<br />
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*'''{{w|Tic-tac-toe}}''' or '''Noughts and Crosses''' in most of the rest of the British Commonwealth countries is a pencil-and-paper game for two players, X and O, who take turns marking the spaces in a 3×3 grid. This game nearly always ends in a tie, regardless of whether humans or computers play it, because the total number of positions is small. <br />
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*'''{{w|Nim}}''' is a mathematical game of strategy in which two players take turns removing objects from distinct heaps. On each turn, a player must remove at least one object, and may remove any number of objects provided they all come from the same heap.<br />
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*'''{{w|Ghost (game)|Ghost}}''' is a spoken word game in which players take turns adding letters to a growing word fragment. The loser is the first person who completes a valid word or who creates a fragment that cannot be the start of a word. Randall himself has written a perfect solution to Ghost, [https://blog.xkcd.com/2007/12/31/ghost/ which he posted on his blog]. Depending on the dictionary used, either the first player can always force a win, or the second player can.<br />
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*'''{{w|Connect Four}}''' (or '''Captain's Mistress''', '''Four Up''', '''Plot Four''', '''Find Four''', '''Fourplay''', '''Four in a Row''', '''Four in a Line''') is a two-player game in which the players first choose a color and then take turns dropping their colored discs from the top into a seven-column, six-row vertically-suspended grid.<br />
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*'''{{w|Gomoku}}''' (or '''Gobang''', '''Five in a Row''') is an abstract strategy board game. It is traditionally played with go pieces (black and white stones) on a go board (19x19 intersections); however, because once placed, pieces are not moved or removed from the board, gomoku may also be played as a paper and pencil game. This game is known in several countries under different names.<br />
:Black plays first, and players alternate in placing a stone of their color on an empty intersection. The winner is the first player to get an unbroken row of five stones horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.<br />
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*'''{{w|Draughts|Checkers}}''' (in the United States, or '''draughts''' in the United Kingdom) is a group of strategy board games for two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform game pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over opponent pieces.<br />
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===Computers Beat Humans===<br />
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:The below games have not been "solved". Some of them may be solved some day, but the large number of possible moves has so far prevented this from being done. Others cannot be "solved" due to the influence of randomness or the existence of multiple "ideal" maneuvers for each position. That said, a computer's faster reaction time, higher degree of consistency in making the right decision, and reduced risk of user error make the computer objectively better than the human opponent in nearly all situations.<br />
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*'''{{w|Scrabble}}''' is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a gameboard marked with a 15-by-15 grid.<br />
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*'''{{w|Counter-Strike|CounterStrike}}''' most likely refers to the popular multiplayer shooter video game about terrorists and counter-terrorists. Counter-Strike is notorious for the large variety of cheating tools that have been made for it; a computer would have essentially perfect accuracy and reflexes, essentially making it the {{w|aimbot}} from hell. It is theoretically possible for a skilled player to beat an AI, but it would be ''extremely'' difficult to do so.<br />
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*'''{{w|Beer pong}}''' (or '''Beirut''') is a drinking game in which players throw a ping pong ball across a table with the intent of landing the ball in a cup of beer on the other end.<br />
:[https://youtu.be/HkhMCCOHFmM?t=30s Here's the video] of the University of Illinois robot mentioned in the comic.<br />
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*'''{{w|Reversi}}''' (marketed by Pressman under the trade name '''Othello''') is a board game involving abstract strategy and played by two players on a board with 8 rows and 8 columns and a set of distinct pieces for each side. Pieces typically are disks with a light and a dark face, each face belonging to one player. The player's goal is to have a majority of their colored pieces showing at the end of the game, turning over as many of their opponent's pieces as possible.<br />
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*'''{{w|Chess}}''' is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. Each player begins the game with sixteen pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns, each of these types of pieces moving differently.<br />
:The note mentions "the first game to be won by a chess-playing computer against a reigning world champion under normal chess tournament conditions", in the {{w|Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov}} match on February 10, 1996, and the [http://en.chessbase.com/post/bilbao-the-humans-strike-back Ponomariov vs Fritz] game in the Man vs Machine World Team Championship on November 21, 2005, considered the "last win by a human against top computer".<br />
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*'''{{w|Jeopardy!}}''' is an American quiz show featuring trivia in history, literature, the arts, pop culture, science, sports, geography, wordplay, and more. The show has a unique answer-and-question format in which contestants are presented with clues in the form of answers, and must phrase their responses in question form.<br />
:Ken Jennings, mentioned in the title text, is a famous Jeopardy champion who was beaten by {{w|Watson (computer)|Watson}}, an IBM computer.<br />
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===Humans Beat Computers===<br />
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:The below games are incredibly difficult to "solve" due to the near-infinite number of possible positions. Computers built in the early 21st century would take years to calculate a single "ideal" move. Worse, the human opponent has the ability to "bluff"; that is, to make a bad move, thus baiting the computer into a trap. Complex algorithms have been devised to make moves in a reasonable timeframe, but so far they are all highly vulnerable to bluffing. As mentioned in the comic, focused research and development is working on refining these algorithms to play the games better.<br />
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*'''{{w|StarCraft}}''' is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game. The game revolves around three species fighting for dominance in a distant part of the Milky Way galaxy known as the Koprulu Sector: the Terrans, humans exiled from Earth skilled at adapting to any situation; the Zerg, a race of insectoid aliens in pursuit of genetic perfection, obsessed with assimilating other races; and the Protoss, a humanoid species with advanced technology and psionic abilities, attempting to preserve their civilization and strict philosophical way of living from the Zerg. While even average Starcraft players can defeat the AIs that originally shipped with the games, Starcraft has since been adopted as a standard benchmark for AI research, largely because of its excellent balance. Thanks to that attention, computers can now challenge some expert players, and the trend does not look promising for human players.<br />
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*'''{{w|Poker}}''' is a family of card games involving betting and individualistic play whereby the winner is determined by the ranks and combinations of their cards, some of which remain hidden until the end of the game. It is also, however, a game of deception and intimidation, the ubiquitous "poker face" being considered the most important part of the game.<br/>'''Update:''' In a 20-day poker tournament from January 11 to 31, 2017, the poker AI {{w|Libratus}} [https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/31/14451616/ai-libratus-beat-humans-poker-cmu-tournament won against four top-class human poker players].<br />
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*'''{{w|Arimaa}}''' is a two-player abstract strategy board game that can be played using the same equipment as chess. Arimaa was designed to be more difficult for artificial intelligences to play than chess. Arimaa was invented by Omar Syed, an Indian American computer engineer trained in artificial intelligence. Syed was inspired by Garry Kasparov's defeat at the hands of the chess computer Deep Blue to design a new game which could be played with a standard chess set, would be difficult for computers to play well, but would have rules simple enough for his then four-year-old son Aamir to understand. On April 18, 2015, a computer won [http://arimaa.com/arimaa/challenge/ the "Arimaa Challenge"], so this comic is now out of date with respect to Arimaa; it should move above ''Starcraft'' or ''Jeopardy!''.<br />
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*'''{{w|Go (game)|Go}}''' is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago. The game is noted for being rich in strategy despite its relatively simple rules. The game is played by two players who alternately place black and white stones on the vacant intersections (called "points") of a grid of 19×19 lines (beginners often play on smaller 9×9 and 13×13 boards). The object of the game is to use one's stones to control a larger amount of territory of the board than the opponent. That computers would soon beat humans was the subject in [[1263: Reassuring]].<br/>'''Update:''' on March 15, 2016, Google's {{w|AlphaGo versus Lee Sedol|AlphaGo beat Lee Sedol}}, who was often seen as the dominant human player over the last decade, 4 games to 1 in a widely viewed match, and {{w|Computer Go}} was expected to become more dominant over time. In May 2017, Google's AI AlphaGo [http://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/google-ai-becomes-world-s-top-ranking-go-player-1.3097756 defeated the world's top human Go player]. This was referenced three months later in [[1875: Computers vs Humans]].<br />
<br />
*'''{{w|Snakes and Ladders}}''' (or '''Chutes and Ladders''') is an ancient Indian {{w|race game}}, where the moves are decided entirely by die rolls. A number of tiles are connected by pictures of ladders and snakes (or chutes) which makes the game piece jump forward or backward, respectively. Since the game is decided by pure chance, it occupies the limbo where a computer will always be ''exactly'' as likely to win as a human (indeed, Randall's arrow points at the dividing line between 'humans beat computers' and 'computers cannot compete').<br />
<br />
===Computers cannot compete===<br />
<br />
*'''{{w|Mao (card game)|Mao}}''' (or '''Mau''') is a card game of the Shedding family, in which the aim is to get rid of all of the cards in hand without breaking certain unspoken rules. The game is from a subset of the Stops family, and is similar in structure to the card game Uno.<br />
:The game forbids its players from explaining the rules, and new players are often told only "the only rule you may be told is this one." The ultimate goal of the game is to be the first player to get rid of all the cards in their hand. Computers would have a difficult time integrating into Mao either because they would know all the rules -- and thus be disqualified or simply ignored by the players -- or would need a complicated learning engine that quite simply doesn't exist.<br />
<br />
*'''{{w|Seven minutes in heaven|Seven Minutes in Heaven}}''' is a teenagers' party game first recorded as being played in Cincinnati in the early 1950s. Two people are selected to go into a closet or other dark enclosed space and do whatever they like for seven minutes. Sexual activities are allowed; however kissing and making out are more common.<br />
:As the game is focused on human interaction, there's not a whole lot a modern computer can ''do'' in the closet. It would need some kind of robotic body in order to interact with its human partner, and emotion engines that could feel pleasure and displeasure in order to make decisions. The title text claims that {{w|Honda|Honda Motor Company}} has invented a "{{w|RealDoll}}" (sex toy shaped like a mannequin) with rudimentary Seven Minutes in Heaven capabilities, but they pale in comparison to a human's.<br />
<br />
And finally<br />
*'''{{w|Calvin and Hobbes#Calvinball|Calvinball}}''' is a reference to the comic strip {{w|Calvin and Hobbes}} by {{w|Bill Watterson}}.<br />
:Calvinball is a game played by Calvin and Hobbes as a rebellion against organized team sports; according to Hobbes, "No sport is less organized than Calvinball!" Calvinball was first introduced to the readers at the end of a 1990 storyline involving Calvin reluctantly joining recess baseball. It quickly became a staple of the comic afterwards.<br />
:The only hint at the true creation of the game ironically comes from the last Calvinball strip, in which a game of football quickly devolves into a game of Calvinball. Calvin remarks that "sooner or later, all our games turn into Calvinball," suggesting a similar scenario that directly led to the creation of the sport. Calvin and Hobbes usually play by themselves, although in one storyline Rosalyn (Calvin's baby-sitter) plays in return for Calvin doing his homework, and plays very well once she realizes that the rules are made up on the spot.<br />
:The only consistent rules state that Calvinball may never be played with the same rules twice, and you need to wear a mask, no questions asked. Scoring is also arbitrary, with Hobbes at times reporting scores of "Q to 12" and "oogy to boogy." The only recognizable sports Calvinball resembles are the ones it emulates (i.e., a cross between croquet, polo, badminton, capture the flag, and volleyball.)<br />
::Long story short, the game is a manifestation of pure chaos and the human imagination, far beyond the meager capabilities of silicon and circuitry, at least so far.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Difficulty of Various Games for Computers<br />
<br />
:[A diagram. The left column describes various levels of skill for the most capable computers in decreasing performance against humans. The right side lists games in each particular section, in increasing game difficulty. There are labels denoting the hard and easy ends of the diagram.]<br />
<br />
:<big>Easy</big><br />
----<br />
:;Solved<br />
:;<small>Computers can play perfectly</small><br />
<br />
::;Solved for all possible positions<br />
<br />
:::Tic-tac-toe<br />
:::Nim<br />
:::Ghost <small>(1989)</small><br />
:::Connect Four <small>(1995)</small><br />
<br />
::;Solved for starting positions<br />
<br />
:::Gomoku<br />
:::Checkers <small>(2007)</small><br />
<br />
:;Computers can beat top humans<br />
<br />
::Scrabble<br />
::CounterStrike<br />
::Beer Pong <small>(UIUC robot)</small><br />
::Reversi<br />
::Chess<br />
<br />
::* February 10, 1996: First win by computer against top human<br />
::* November 21, 2005: Last win by human against top computer<br />
<br />
::Jeopardy<br />
<br />
:;Computers still lose to top humans <small>(but focused R&D could change this)</small><br />
<br />
::StarCraft<br />
::Poker<br />
::Arimaa<br />
::Go<br />
::Snakes and Ladders<br />
<br />
:;Computers may ''never'' outplay humans<br />
<br />
::Mao<br />
::Seven Minutes in Heaven<br />
::Calvinball<br />
----<br />
:<big>Hard</big><br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Video games]]<br />
[[Category:Chess]]<br />
[[Category:Calvin and Hobbes]]<br />
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2003:_Presidential_Succession&diff=1584872003: Presidential Succession2018-06-07T05:50:36Z<p>172.68.47.240: /* Order of succession */ link</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2003<br />
| date = June 6, 2018<br />
| title = Presidential Succession<br />
| image = presidential_succession.png<br />
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a DESIGNATED SURVIVOR - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is the order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent president is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. <br />
<br />
The {{w|Presidential_Succession_Act#Presidential_Succession_Act_of_1947|Presidential Succession Act of 1947}} was an act by the U.S. Congress that revised the presidential order of succession to its current order. This Act, though never challenged in the courts, may not be constitutional for two reasons. First, it is unclear whether members of Congress can be designated in the line of succession. Secondly, the Act allows for a cabinet officer to be "replaced" as acting President by a new Speaker of the House or a new President Pro Tempore of the Senate.<br />
<br />
An additional concern regarding the Act is that after the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the line of succession list the members of the Cabinet in the order that their department was established with the oldest departments first, irrespective of the Secretary's personal fitness or appropriateness of the office. The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of the security and protection of the United States and its citizens and would probably already be privy to sensitive intelligence and briefings related to national security, but because it is the latest of the Departments to have been established (in 2003), the Secretary of Homeland Security is all the way at the bottom of the current Presidential line of succession at 18th, behind other Secretaries such as that of Agriculture (9th) and Education (16th).<br />
<br />
The full text of the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission can be found here: <https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf>. A short, readable summary, including the report's recommended new line of succession, is here: <https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-continuity-of-the-presidency-the-second-report-of-the-continuity-of-government-commission/>. The first 6 members of the commission's list are included in the current line of succession, after which they specificy that 5 new people should be appointed specifically for the purpose of succeeding the presidency if needed. Randall's list begins with these 11 people (stuffing all 5 of the new appointees into #7); afterwards, his list continues with more politicians, actors who have played Presidents, athletes, and others. <br />
<br />
Randall's list omits the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, as well as many other cabinet positions. He is probably simply following the commission's report in this. But perhaps he does not find those people qualified to become President of the United States, or is concerned about the constitutionality of lawmakers becoming President. However, he does not seem to be concerned about constitutionality, because he included the entire line of succession to the British throne, most of whom do not meet the requirement to be a natural-born citizen of the United States.{{Citation needed}}<br />
<br />
Randall's list includes several other people who also might not be eligible to become President either because they are not natural-born U.S. citizens (e.g., as of the time of the comic's publication, {{w|Serena Williams}} had withdrawn from her last match in the {{w|French Open}} to {{w|Maria Sharapova}}, who is Russian) or they are under 35 years of age ({{w|Russell Westbrook}}, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player at the time of the comic's publication, was only 29 years old). These would mainly be athletes due to the relatively global reach of the four major professional sports leagues in North America and the fact that 35 is quite old for a professional athlete, let alone one who is good enough to win the league MVP. Presumably, those who wouldn't qualify for the office of President would be skipped over like in real life -- at the comic's publication, {{w|Elaine Chao}} was the Secretary of Transportation and would normally be 14th in line, but because she is a naturalized citizen of the US (she was born in Taiwan) she would not qualify for the office if the line came to her.<br />
<br />
This is another comic in the continuing line of comics about American politics, especially after the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016.<br />
<br />
==Order of succession==<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!#<br />
!Randall's order<br />
!Current order by the 1947 Act<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|President<br />
|President<br />
|Not generally considered part of the line of succession, as incumbents cannot "succeed" to their own post. (This should really be item 0 on the list.)<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
|Vice president<br />
|Vice president<br />
|No change<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|Speaker of the House of Representatives<br />
|Moved up from 5th position. This is likely a serious suggestion. Existing rules of succession hand Executive power to the leaders of the Legislative branch if the President and Vice-President are both killed or removed from power. This is troubling for a number of reasons. One is that the Executive and Legislative branches are supposed to act as independent checks on one another's power, and so are supposed to be kept separate. Another issue is that the Executive and Legislative branches are frequently controlled by political rivals from different political parties. In such a case, assassins could effectively reverse the results of Presidential elections if they managed to kill the President and Vice-President in a short period of time (which is used as part of the twist ending in {{w|White House Down}}). Additionally, leaders of the House and Senate aren't as deeply connected to the military and diplomatic missions of the country, and so would have a hard time maintaining continuity, particularly if an attack or disaster killed multiple national leaders at once. These problems could all be addressed by keeping the initial Line of Succession confined to the Executive branch of government. <br />
|-<br />
|4<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|President pro tempore of the Senate<br />
|Moved up from 7th position<br />
|-<br />
|5<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|Moved up from 19th position, possibly to highlight the Attorney General's place in the current order<br />
|-<br />
|6<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Secretary of the Treasury <br />
|Moved up from 8th position<br />
|-<br />
|7<br />
|Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the President's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|{{w|Washington, D.C.}} is the capital of the United States, and is where the {{w|White House}}, the President's residence, is located. Presumably this provision covers the case where much of the government, including positions 1–6 here, are killed by a natural disaster or attack in Washington, D.C.<br />
<br />
This suggestion establishes no qualifications for these people, but the fact that they'd need to be confirmed by the Senate suggests that they would be chosen to be competent for the role. It is also unclear if an order is determined among these 5 or if they take up a joint presidency. This suggestion is taken from the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission as a potential mechanism to ensure members of succession are not in Washington DC during a catastrophic attack.<br />
|-<br />
|8<br />
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Academy Award-winning American actor. This is the first unambiguously unserious suggestion.{{Citation needed}} Tom Hanks is very popular and considered exceptionally likeable by many Americans, but has never served in public office or displayed any particular affinity for politics. The implication is that Mr. Hanks would be easily accepted as a leader, based solely on his personal charm. <br />
|-<br />
|9<br />
|State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
|Secretary of the Interior<br />
|Also taken from Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission. At the time of publication, the last {{w|United States Census}} was the 2010 Census. As California is the most populous state, Gov {{w|Jerry Brown}} would be first in line. <br />
<br />
See also the {{w|2010_United_States_Census#State_rankings|state population rankings}} and the {{w|list of current United States governors}}. As worded, this criterion would exclude territorial governors (and the Mayor of Washington, D.C.).<br />
|-<br />
|10<br />
|Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
|Secretary of Agriculture<br />
|Oscars, or {{w|Academy Awards}}, are annual film awards awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. At the time of publication, the only Oscar awarded for playing a governor was {{w|Broderick Crawford}}'s 1949 Best Actor award for the fictional Willie Stark in ''{{w|All the King's Men (1949 film)|All the King's Men}}'' (a character based on {{w|Huey Long}}). However, Crawford died in 1986, so would be unable to serve as President.<br />
<br />
May be a reference to the {{w|Political career of Arnold Schwarzenegger}}: a highly-lauded actor who became governor of California, but did not win an Oscar or play a governor before being elected. (As a naturalized citizen, he is also ineligible for the Presidency.)<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
|Secretary of Commerce <br />
|The {{w|Governors Awards}} are an annual award ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present lifetime achievement awards within the film industry. As this award is a lifetime achievement award, it does not seem possible that an actor could win this award for simply playing someone named Oscar. Notwithstanding the nature of the award, at the time of publication, no recipient of a Governors Award has played a character named Oscar.<br />
<br />
Obviously, the joke is that changing the order of the words from the previous proposal produces something that could actually exist.<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}, if available<br />
|Secretary of Labor<br />
|Comedic actress famous for being a cast member on {{w|Saturday Night Live}}. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions. She has recently done impersonations of members of the Trump administration including Spokeswoman {{w|Kellyanne Conway}} and Attorney General {{w|Jeff Sessions}}. She also played {{w|Hillary Clinton}} during the 2016 campaign and presumably would have played her when she was President had she won; but since Clinton lost, McKinnon has not actually played a President.<br />
|-<br />
|13<br />
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
|Secretary of Health and Human Services <br />
|The {{w|Billboard Hot 100}} is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. The weekly data is aggregated into a cumulative {{w|Billboard Year-End}} (based on a "year" that ends the third week of November, in order to meet December publication deadlines). At the time of publication, the most recent such list was the {{w|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2017}}.<br />
<br />
Based on that list, the artists considered for the presidential succession would be: {{w|Ed Sheeran}}, {{w|Luis Fonsi}}, {{w|Bruno Mars}}, {{w|Kendrick Lamar}}, Alex Pall (of {{w|The Chainsmokers}}), {{w|Quavo|Quavoius Keyate Marshall}} (of {{w|Migos}}), {{w|Sam Hunt}}, {{w|Dan Reynolds}} (of {{w|Imagine Dragons}}), and {{w|Post Malone}}. There are only nine names instead of ten because The Chainsmokers had two of the top 10 singles in 2017. Of these, only Luis Fonsi (40 years old, and born in Puerto Rico) is legally eligible for the office; Sheeran was born in the UK, and the other seven are too young.<br />
|-<br />
|14<br />
|The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
|Secretary of Housing and Urban Development <br />
|Astronauts are highly respected and rigorously selected, but most have little involvement in politics. According to [https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-station-astronaut-record-holders NASA], the top 5 US astronauts by cumulative space time are: {{w|Peggy Whitson}}, {{w|Jeffrey Williams (astronaut)|Jeff Williams}}, {{W|Scott Kelly (astronaut)|Scott Kelly}}, {{w|Mike Fincke}}, and {{w|Mike Foale}}. However, Foale is British-born and would not be eligible for the position.<br />
|-<br />
|15<br />
|{{w|Serena Williams}} (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
|Secretary of Transportation<br />
|As of the time of publication, Serena Williams was the top female tennis player (though not the world #1 ranking, because she took time off for pregnancy). She is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all-time, winning 39 {{w|Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam}} titles, including 23 women's singles titles. At the time of publication Serena Williams did win her most recent match (2018 French Open, third round, on June 2nd), although she withdrew from her next match against Maria Sharapova (which perhaps should count as a loss, especially if she withdrew in order to preserve her place in the line of succession and led the terrorist attack that killed everybody in place ahead of her).<br />
<br />
If her most recent defeat was to a non-US player, it is unclear whether that person would still qualify for President (the current succession list skips over anyone who would not normally qualify for not being a natural-born US citizen).<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
|Secretary of Energy<br />
|MVP stands for {{w|Most Valuable Player}}. The 4 listed leagues are the major sports leagues in the United States, the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA), the {{w|National Football League}} (NFL), {{w|Major League Baseball}} (MLB), and the {{w|National Hockey League}} (NHL).<br />
<br />
As of the time of publication, the most recent MVPs for the listed sports are {{w|Russell Westbrook}} (NBA), {{w|Tom Brady}} (NFL), {{w|José Altuve}} and {{w|Giancarlo Stanton}} (MLB has two, one for the American League and one for the National League), and {{w|Connor McDavid}} (NHL). Of these, only Brady would qualify for the list - Altuve and McDavid are not US citizens (the former is from Venezuela and the latter from Canada), and Westbrook (29) and Stanton (28) are too young.<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|{{w|Bill Pullman}} and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
|Secretary of Education <br />
|American actor, known for playing President Thomas J. Whitmore in the 1996 film ''{{w|Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day}}''. <br />
<br />
Absolute primogeniture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant regardless of gender receives the title. This is contrasted to {{w|Male-preference primogeniture}}, in which males come before females in the order of the throne, whether the males were born first or not. This may be a reference to the British law {{w|Succession to the Crown Act 2013}}, which changed the order of the throne from male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. This act allows {{w|Princess Charlotte of Cambridge|Princess Charlotte}} to retain her place in line before {{w|Prince Louis of Cambridge|Prince Louis}}. <br />
<br />
As of the present, Pullman's immediate descendants consist of three children, with Maesa Pullman being the oldest at age 29, so all are currently too young for the presidency.<br />
|-<br />
|18<br />
|The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
|Secretary of Veterans Affairs <br />
|According to the Constitution, only a natural-born citizen of the United States can become President, which means that at least most of the line of succession to the British throne is ineligible. However, it is possible that someone in the line of succession to the British throne either is a dual citizen (especially one who is a U.S. citizen based on place of birth and a British citizen based on having a parent who was a British citizen descended from {{w|Sophia of Hanover}}) or is not British (a person from outside of Britain can become King; for example, some, including George I, were from what is now Germany).<br />
<br />
The first 57 names on the list are {{w|Succession_to_the_British_throne#Current_line_of_succession|here}}, as of the time of publication. [https://lineofsuccession.co.uk/?date=2018-06-06 British Line of Succession on 6 June 2018] shows the list as it was at the comic's publication. American citizens [http://articles.latimes.com/1988-02-11/news/vw-42233_1_royal-house have, at times] been on the list, but no natural-born Americans are currently in the top 100. In theory, however, the full British succession list includes several thousand people (living descendants of {{w|Sophia of Hanover}} who are not Roman Catholic or otherwise disqualified), and it is possible that one or more such people would also be eligible to be President of the United States.<br />
<br />
The humor here derives from the fact that the United States was established by declaring independence from the United Kingdom, with rejection of the British monarchy being a basic founding principle, and a core principle of US governance. To appoint the British monarchy to the American presidency would contradict the basic goals of American independence. Alternatively, it may reference the recent wedding of {{w|Prince Harry}} to {{w|Meghan Markle}}, although she is not in the order of succession to the British throne (and she is planning to give up her U.S. citizenship in favour of British citizenship, so her children (who would come immediately after Harry in the British line of succession) would not be born U.S. citizens either). A similar sequence of events was the plotline of the comedy film ''{{w|King Ralph}}'', which saw an American become the British monarch after the death of the royal family.<br />
|-<br />
|19<br />
|The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|The {{w|Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest}} is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition sponsored by {{w|Nathan's Famous}} held on July 4th. As of the time of publication, the most recent men's winner is {{w|Joey Chestnut}} and the women's winner is {{w|Miki Sudo}}. Neither is currently old enough to assume the office.<br />
|-<br />
|20<br />
|All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament<br />
|''None''<br />
|Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals (2^29) which would be enough to cover the entire US population (estimated at around 325 million at time of publication), although additional rounds can be added should the population grow further.<br />
<br />
This is probably a reference to the {{w|Matter of Britain}} (e.g., {{w|The Sword in the Stone (film)|The Sword in the Stone}}), where, after the death of Uther Pendragon, with no known successor to the throne of England for years, it is decided that the winner of a jousting tournament shall be crowned. However, Arthur, the Wart, pulls the Sword from the Stone.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The title text mentions whoever was closest to the surface of {{w|Europa}} when they were born. Europa is a moon of Jupiter, so most people would be very far from its surface when they were born. However, depending on the relative positions of Earth and Jupiter when you were born, you could easily have been tens of millions of kilometers closer. Alternatively, Randall could be playing on how Europa sounds like Europe.<br />
<br />
===List of specific individuals===<br />
Based on the comic's defined criteria for the order of succession, these are the specific individuals in that order, as of the date the comic was published:<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!Order<br />
!Name<br />
!Reason<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|{{w|Donald Trump}}<br />
|{{w|President of the United States}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
|{{w|Mike Pence}}<br />
|{{w|Vice President of the United States}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|{{w|Mike Pompeo}}<br />
|{{w|United States Secretary of State}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|4<br />
|{{w|Jim Mattis}}<br />
|{{w|United States Secretary of Defense}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|5<br />
|{{w|Kirstjen Nielsen}}<br />
|{{w|United States Secretary of Homeland Security}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|6<br />
|{{w|Jeff Sessions}}<br />
|{{w|United States Attorney General}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|7<br />
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}<br />
|Tom Hanks<br />
|As Donald Trump did not appoint anyone to fill position #7 on Randall's line of succession, Hanks immediately follows after Sessions.<br />
|-<br />
|8<br />
|{{w|Jerry Brown}}<br />
|Governor of California<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|9<br />
|{{w|Greg Abbott}}<br />
|Governor of Texas<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|10<br />
|{{w|Andrew Cuomo}}<br />
|Governor of New York<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|{{w|Rick Scott}}<br />
|Governor of Florida<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|{{w|Bruce Rauner}}<br />
|Governor of Illinois<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|13<br />
|{{w|Tom Wolf}}<br />
|Governor of Pennsylvania<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|14<br />
|{{w|John Kasich}}<br />
|Governor of Ohio<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|15<br />
|{{w|Rick Snyder}}<br />
|Governor of Michigan<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|{{w|Nathan Deal}}<br />
|Governor of Georgia<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|{{w|Roy Cooper}}<br />
|Governor of North Carolina<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|18<br />
|{{w|Phil Murphy}}<br />
|Governor of New Jersey<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|19<br />
|{{w|Ralph Northam}}<br />
|Governor of Virginia<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|20<br />
|{{w|Jay Inslee}}<br />
|Governor of Washington<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|21<br />
|{{w|Charlie Baker}}<br />
|Governor of Massachusetts<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|22<br />
|{{w|Eric Holcomb}}<br />
|Governor of Indiana<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|23<br />
|{{w|Doug Ducey}}<br />
|Governor of Arizona<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|24<br />
|{{w|Bill Haslam}}<br />
|Governor of Tennessee<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|25<br />
|{{w|Mike Parson}}<br />
|Governor of Missouri<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|26<br />
|{{w|Larry Hogan}}<br />
|Governor of Maryland<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|27<br />
|{{w|Scott Walker (politician)|Scott Walker}}<br />
|Governor of Wisconsin<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|28<br />
|{{w|Mark Dayton}}<br />
|Governor of Minnesota<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|29<br />
|{{w|John Hickenlooper}}<br />
|Governor of Colorado<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|30<br />
|{{w|Kay Ivey}}<br />
|Governor of Alabama<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|31<br />
|{{w|Henry McMaster}}<br />
|Governor of South Carolina<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|32<br />
|{{w|John Bel Edwards}}<br />
|Governor of Louisiana<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|33<br />
|{{w|Matt Bevin}}<br />
|Governor of Kentucky<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|34<br />
|{{w|Mary Fallin}}<br />
|Governor of Oklahoma<br />
|The governor of Oregon would normally fall between Kentucky and Oklahoma. However, {{w|Kate Brown}} was born in Spain and so is not eligible.<br />
|-<br />
|35<br />
|{{w|Dannel Malloy}}<br />
|Governor of Connecticut<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|36<br />
|{{w|Kim Reynolds}}<br />
|Governor of Iowa<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|37<br />
|{{w|Phil Bryant}}<br />
|Governor of Mississippi<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|38<br />
|{{w|Asa Hutchinson}}<br />
|Governor of Arkansas<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|39<br />
|{{w|Jeff Colyer}}<br />
|Governor of Kansas<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|40<br />
|{{w|Gary Herbert}}<br />
|Governor of Utah<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|41<br />
|{{w|Brian Sandoval}}<br />
|Governor of Nevada<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|42<br />
|{{w|Susana Martinez}}<br />
|Governor of New Mexico<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|43<br />
|{{w|Jim Justice}}<br />
|Governor of West Virginia<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|44<br />
|{{w|Pete Ricketts}}<br />
|Governor of Nebraska<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|45<br />
|{{w|Butch Otter}}<br />
|Governor of Idaho<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|46<br />
|{{w|David Ige}}<br />
|Governor of Hawaii<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|47<br />
|{{w|Paul LePage}}<br />
|Governor of Maine<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|48<br />
|{{w|Chris Sununu}}<br />
|Governor of New Hampshire<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|49<br />
|{{w|Gina Raimondo}}<br />
|Governor of Rhode Island<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|50<br />
|{{w|Steve Bullock (American politician)|Steve Bullock}}<br />
|Governor of Montana<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|51<br />
|{{w|John Carney (politician)|John Carney}}<br />
|Governor of Delaware<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|52<br />
|{{w|Dennis Daugaard}}<br />
|Governor of South Dakota<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|53<br />
|{{w|Bill Walker (U.S. politician)|Bill Walker}}<br />
|Governor of Alaska<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|54<br />
|{{w|Doug Burgum}}<br />
|Governor of North Dakota<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|55<br />
|{{w|Phil Scott (politician)|Phil Scott}}<br />
|Governor of Vermont<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|56<br />
|{{w|Matt Mead}}<br />
|Governor of Wyoming<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|57<br />
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}<br />
|Kate MicKinnon<br />
|If she is available. Entries #10 and 11 on Randall's list have no eligible members.<br />
|-<br />
|58<br />
|{{w|Luis Fonsi}}<br />
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2017, #2 artist<br />
|Fonsi is the only eligible individual under the Billboard criterion.<br />
|-<br />
|59<br />
|{{w|Peggy Whitson}}<br />
|Astronaut, 665 days in space<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|60<br />
|{{w|Jeffrey Williams (astronaut)|Jeff Williams}}<br />
|Astronaut, 534 days in space<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|61<br />
|{{w|Scott Kelly}}<br />
|Astronaut, 520 days in space<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|62<br />
|{{w|Mike Fincke}}<br />
|Astronaut, 382 days in space<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|63<br />
|{{w|Serena Williams}}<br />
|Serena Williams<br />
|The fifth astronaut is not American-born. Serena's place on this list assumes that you do not count her withdrawal against Maria Sharapova as a ''loss''; if that counts as a loss, then subsequent entries move up one position (as Sharapova is ineligible).<br />
|-<br />
|64<br />
|{{w|Tom Brady}}<br />
|{{w|National Football League Most Valuable Player Award|NFL MVP}}<br />
|The MVPs of all other listed sports leagues are ineligible for the office.<br />
|-<br />
|65<br />
|{{w|Bill Pullman}}<br />
|Bill Pullman<br />
|None of his children are old enough to become President at this time.<br />
|-<br />
|66<br />
|''TBD''<br />
|Jousting tournament<br />
|Assuming that no eligible member of the British order of succession exists. The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating champions are too young to hold the office.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
: A proposal for a new presidential line of succession<br />
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.<br />
: <span style="color:gray">(For more, see the surprisingly gripping ''Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission'', June 2009.)</span><br />
: Proposed line of succession:<br />
:# President<br />
:# Vice president<br />
:# Secretary of State<br />
:# Secretary of Defense<br />
:# Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
:# Attorney General<br />
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
:# Tom Hanks<br />
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
:# Kate McKinnon, if available<br />
:# Billboard year-end Hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
:# The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Politics]]</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2003:_Presidential_Succession&diff=1584862003: Presidential Succession2018-06-07T05:48:02Z<p>172.68.47.240: /* Order of succession */ link; ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2003<br />
| date = June 6, 2018<br />
| title = Presidential Succession<br />
| image = presidential_succession.png<br />
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a DESIGNATED SURVIVOR - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is the order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent president is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. <br />
<br />
The {{w|Presidential_Succession_Act#Presidential_Succession_Act_of_1947|Presidential Succession Act of 1947}} was an act by the U.S. Congress that revised the presidential order of succession to its current order. This Act, though never challenged in the courts, may not be constitutional for two reasons. First, it is unclear whether members of Congress can be designated in the line of succession. Secondly, the Act allows for a cabinet officer to be "replaced" as acting President by a new Speaker of the House or a new President Pro Tempore of the Senate.<br />
<br />
An additional concern regarding the Act is that after the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the line of succession list the members of the Cabinet in the order that their department was established with the oldest departments first, irrespective of the Secretary's personal fitness or appropriateness of the office. The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of the security and protection of the United States and its citizens and would probably already be privy to sensitive intelligence and briefings related to national security, but because it is the latest of the Departments to have been established (in 2003), the Secretary of Homeland Security is all the way at the bottom of the current Presidential line of succession at 18th, behind other Secretaries such as that of Agriculture (9th) and Education (16th).<br />
<br />
The full text of the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission can be found here: <https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf>. A short, readable summary, including the report's recommended new line of succession, is here: <https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-continuity-of-the-presidency-the-second-report-of-the-continuity-of-government-commission/>. The first 6 members of the commission's list are included in the current line of succession, after which they specificy that 5 new people should be appointed specifically for the purpose of succeeding the presidency if needed. Randall's list begins with these 11 people (stuffing all 5 of the new appointees into #7); afterwards, his list continues with more politicians, actors who have played Presidents, athletes, and others. <br />
<br />
Randall's list omits the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, as well as many other cabinet positions. He is probably simply following the commission's report in this. But perhaps he does not find those people qualified to become President of the United States, or is concerned about the constitutionality of lawmakers becoming President. However, he does not seem to be concerned about constitutionality, because he included the entire line of succession to the British throne, most of whom do not meet the requirement to be a natural-born citizen of the United States.{{Citation needed}}<br />
<br />
Randall's list includes several other people who also might not be eligible to become President either because they are not natural-born U.S. citizens (e.g., as of the time of the comic's publication, {{w|Serena Williams}} had withdrawn from her last match in the {{w|French Open}} to {{w|Maria Sharapova}}, who is Russian) or they are under 35 years of age ({{w|Russell Westbrook}}, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player at the time of the comic's publication, was only 29 years old). These would mainly be athletes due to the relatively global reach of the four major professional sports leagues in North America and the fact that 35 is quite old for a professional athlete, let alone one who is good enough to win the league MVP. Presumably, those who wouldn't qualify for the office of President would be skipped over like in real life -- at the comic's publication, {{w|Elaine Chao}} was the Secretary of Transportation and would normally be 14th in line, but because she is a naturalized citizen of the US (she was born in Taiwan) she would not qualify for the office if the line came to her.<br />
<br />
This is another comic in the continuing line of comics about American politics, especially after the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016.<br />
<br />
==Order of succession==<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!#<br />
!Randall's order<br />
!Current order by the 1947 Act<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|President<br />
|President<br />
|Not generally considered part of the line of succession, as incumbents cannot "succeed" to their own post. (This should really be item 0 on the list.)<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
|Vice president<br />
|Vice president<br />
|No change<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|Speaker of the House of Representatives<br />
|Moved up from 5th position. This is likely a serious suggestion. Existing rules of succession hand Executive power to the leaders of the Legislative branch if the President and Vice-President are both killed or removed from power. This is troubling for a number of reasons. One is that the Executive and Legislative branches are supposed to act as independent checks on one another's power, and so are supposed to be kept separate. Another issue is that the Executive and Legislative branches are frequently controlled by political rivals from different political parties. In such a case, assassins could effectively reverse the results of Presidential elections if they managed to kill the President and Vice-President in a short period of time (which is used as part of the twist ending in {{w|White House Down}}). Additionally, leaders of the House and Senate aren't as deeply connected to the military and diplomatic missions of the country, and so would have a hard time maintaining continuity, particularly if an attack or disaster killed multiple national leaders at once. These problems could all be addressed by keeping the initial Line of Succession confined to the Executive branch of government. <br />
|-<br />
|4<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|President pro tempore of the Senate<br />
|Moved up from 7th position<br />
|-<br />
|5<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|Moved up from 19th position, possibly to highlight the Attorney General's place in the current order<br />
|-<br />
|6<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Secretary of the Treasury <br />
|Moved up from 8th position<br />
|-<br />
|7<br />
|Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the President's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|{{w|Washington, D.C.}} is the capital of the United States, and is where the {{w|White House}}, the President's residence, is located. Presumably this provision covers the case where much of the government, including positions 1–6 here, are killed by a natural disaster or attack in Washington, D.C.<br />
<br />
This suggestion establishes no qualifications for these people, but the fact that they'd need to be confirmed by the Senate suggests that they would be chosen to be competent for the role. It is also unclear if an order is determined among these 5 or if they take up a joint presidency. This suggestion is taken from the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission as a potential mechanism to ensure members of succession are not in Washington DC during a catastrophic attack.<br />
|-<br />
|8<br />
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Academy Award-winning American actor. This is the first unambiguously unserious suggestion.{{Citation needed}} Tom Hanks is very popular and considered exceptionally likeable by many Americans, but has never served in public office or displayed any particular affinity for politics. The implication is that Mr. Hanks would be easily accepted as a leader, based solely on his personal charm. <br />
|-<br />
|9<br />
|State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
|Secretary of the Interior<br />
|Also taken from Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission. At the time of publication, the last {{w|United States Census}} was the 2010 Census. As California is the most populous state, Gov {{w|Jerry Brown}} would be first in line. <br />
<br />
See also the {{w|2010_United_States_Census#State_rankings|state population rankings}} and the {{w|list of current United States governors}}. As worded, this criterion would exclude territorial governors (and the Mayor of Washington, D.C.).<br />
|-<br />
|10<br />
|Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
|Secretary of Agriculture<br />
|Oscars, or {{w|Academy Awards}}, are annual film awards awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. At the time of publication, the only Oscar awarded for playing a governor was {{w|Broderick Crawford}}'s 1949 Best Actor award for the fictional Willie Stark in ''{{w|All the King's Men (1949 film)|All the King's Men}}'' (a character based on {{w|Huey Long}}). However, Crawford died in 1986, so would be unable to serve as President.<br />
<br />
May be a reference to the {{w|Political career of Arnold Schwarzenegger}}: a highly-lauded actor who became governor of California, but did not win an Oscar or play a governor before being elected. (As a naturalized citizen, he is also ineligible for the Presidency.)<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
|Secretary of Commerce <br />
|The {{w|Governors Awards}} are an annual award ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present lifetime achievement awards within the film industry. As this award is a lifetime achievement award, it does not seem possible that an actor could win this award for simply playing someone named Oscar. Notwithstanding the nature of the award, at the time of publication, no recipient of a Governors Award has played a character named Oscar.<br />
<br />
Obviously, the joke is that changing the order of the words from the previous proposal produces something that could actually exist.<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}, if available<br />
|Secretary of Labor<br />
|Comedic actress famous for being a cast member on {{w|Saturday Night Live}}. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions. She has recently done impersonations of members of the Trump administration including Spokeswoman {{w|Kellyanne Conway}} and Attorney General {{w|Jeff Sessions}}. She also played {{w|Hillary Clinton}} during the 2016 campaign and presumably would have played her when she was President had she won; but since Clinton lost, McKinnon has not actually played a President.<br />
|-<br />
|13<br />
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
|Secretary of Health and Human Services <br />
|The {{w|Billboard Hot 100}} is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. The weekly data is aggregated into a cumulative {{w|Billboard Year-End}} (based on a "year" that ends the third week of November, in order to meet December publication deadlines). At the time of publication, the most recent such list was the {{w|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2017}}.<br />
<br />
Based on that list, the artists considered for the presidential succession would be: {{w|Ed Sheeran}}, {{w|Luis Fonsi}}, {{w|Bruno Mars}}, {{w|Kendrick Lamar}}, Alex Pall (of {{w|The Chainsmokers}}), {{w|Quavo|Quavoius Keyate Marshall}} (of {{w|Migos}}), {{w|Sam Hunt}}, {{w|Dan Reynolds}} (of {{w|Imagine Dragons}}), and {{w|Post Malone}}. There are only nine names instead of ten because The Chainsmokers had two of the top 10 singles in 2017. Of these, only Luis Fonsi (40 years old, and born in Puerto Rico) is legally eligible for the office; Sheeran was born in the UK, and the other seven are too young.<br />
|-<br />
|14<br />
|The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
|Secretary of Housing and Urban Development <br />
|Astronauts are highly respected and rigorously selected, but most have little involvement in politics. According to [https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-station-astronaut-record-holders NASA], the top 5 US astronauts by cumulative space time are: {{w|Peggy Whitson}}, {{w|Jeffrey Williams (astronaut)|Jeff Williams}}, {{W|Scott Kelly (astronaut)|Scott Kelly}}, {{w|Mike Fincke}}, and {{w|Mike Foale}}. However, Foale is British-born and would not be eligible for the position.<br />
|-<br />
|15<br />
|{{w|Serena Williams}} (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
|Secretary of Transportation<br />
|As of the time of publication, Serena Williams was the top female tennis player (though not the world #1 ranking, because she took time off for pregnancy). She is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all-time, winning 39 {{w|Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam}} titles, including 23 women's singles titles. At the time of publication Serena Williams did win her most recent match (2018 French Open, third round, on June 2nd), although she withdrew from her next match against Maria Sharapova (which perhaps should count as a loss, especially if she withdrew in order to preserve her place in the line of succession and led the terrorist attack that killed everybody in place ahead of her).<br />
<br />
If her most recent defeat was to a non-US player, it is unclear whether that person would still qualify for President (the current succession list skips over anyone who would not normally qualify for not being a natural-born US citizen).<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
|Secretary of Energy<br />
|MVP stands for {{w|Most Valuable Player}}. The 4 listed leagues are the major sports leagues in the United States, the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA), the {{w|National Football League}} (NFL), {{w|Major League Baseball}} (MLB), and the {{w|National Hockey League}} (NHL).<br />
<br />
As of the time of publication, the most recent MVPs for the listed sports are {{w|Russell Westbrook}} (NBA), {{w|Tom Brady}} (NFL), {{w|José Altuve}} and {{w|Giancarlo Stanton}} (MLB has two, one for the American League and one for the National League), and {{w|Connor McDavid}} (NHL). Of these, only Brady would qualify for the list - Altuve and McDavid are not US citizens (the former is from Venezuela and the latter from Canada), and Westbrook (29) and Stanton (28) are too young.<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|{{w|Bill Pullman}} and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
|Secretary of Education <br />
|American actor, known for playing President Thomas J. Whitmore in the 1996 film ''{{w|Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day}}''. <br />
<br />
Absolute primogeniture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant regardless of gender receives the title. This is contrasted to {{w|Male-preference primogeniture}}, in which males come before females in the order of the throne, whether the males were born first or not. This may be a reference to the British law {{w|Succession to the Crown Act 2013}}, which changed the order of the throne from male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. This act allows {{w|Princess Charlotte of Cambridge|Princess Charlotte}} to retain her place in line before {{w|Prince Louis of Cambridge|Prince Louis}}. <br />
<br />
As of the present, Pullman's immediate descendants consist of three children, with Maesa Pullman being the oldest at age 29, so all are currently too young for the presidency.<br />
|-<br />
|18<br />
|The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
|Secretary of Veterans Affairs <br />
|According to the Constitution, only a natural-born citizen of the United States can become President, which means that at least most of the line of succession to the British throne is ineligible. However, it is possible that someone in the line of succession to the British throne either is a dual citizen (especially one who is a U.S. citizen based on place of birth and a British citizen based on having a parent who was a British citizen descended from {{w|Sophia of Hanover}}) or is not British (a person from outside of Britain can become King; for example, some, including George I, were from what is now Germany).<br />
<br />
The first 57 names on the list are {{w|Succession_to_the_British_throne#Current_line_of_succession|here}}, as of the time of publication. [https://lineofsuccession.co.uk/?date=2018-06-06 British Line of Succession on 6 June 2018] shows the list as it was at the comic's publication. American citizens [http://articles.latimes.com/1988-02-11/news/vw-42233_1_royal-house have, at times] been on the list, but no natural-born Americans are currently in the top 100. In theory, however, the full British succession list includes several thousand people (living descendants of {{w|Sophia of Hanover}} who are not Roman Catholic or otherwise disqualified), and it is possible that one or more such people would also be eligible to be President of the United States.<br />
<br />
The humor here derives from the fact that the United States was established by declaring independence from the United Kingdom, with rejection of the British monarchy being a basic founding principle, and a core principle of US governance. To appoint the British monarchy to the American presidency would contradict the basic goals of American independence. Alternatively, it may reference the recent wedding of {{w|Prince Harry}} to {{w|Meghan Markle}}, although she is not in the order of succession to the British throne (and she is planning to give up her U.S. citizenship in favour of British citizenship, so her children (who would come immediately after Harry in the British line of succession) would not be born U.S. citizens either). A similar sequence of events was the plotline of the comedy film ''{{w|King Ralph}}'', which saw an American become the British monarch after the death of the royal family.<br />
|-<br />
|19<br />
|The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|The {{w|Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest}} is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition sponsored by {{w|Nathan's Famous}} held on July 4th. As of the time of publication, the most recent men's winner is {{w|Joey Chestnut}} and the women's winner is {{w|Miki Sudo}}. Neither is currently old enough to assume the office.<br />
|-<br />
|20<br />
|All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament<br />
|''None''<br />
|Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals (2^29) which would be enough to cover the entire US population (estimated at around 325 million at time of publication), although additional rounds can be added should the population grow further.<br />
<br />
This is probably a reference to the Matter of Britain (e.g., {{w|The Sword in the Stone (film)|The Sword in the Stone}}), where, after the death of Uther Pendragon, with no known successor to the throne of England for years, it is decided that the winner of a jousting tournament shall be crowned. However, Arthur, the Wart, pulls the Sword from the Stone.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The title text mentions whoever was closest to the surface of {{w|Europa}} when they were born. Europa is a moon of Jupiter, so most people would be very far from its surface when they were born. However, depending on the relative positions of Earth and Jupiter when you were born, you could easily have been tens of millions of kilometers closer. Alternatively, Randall could be playing on how Europa sounds like Europe.<br />
<br />
===List of specific individuals===<br />
Based on the comic's defined criteria for the order of succession, these are the specific individuals in that order, as of the date the comic was published:<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!Order<br />
!Name<br />
!Reason<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|{{w|Donald Trump}}<br />
|{{w|President of the United States}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
|{{w|Mike Pence}}<br />
|{{w|Vice President of the United States}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|{{w|Mike Pompeo}}<br />
|{{w|United States Secretary of State}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|4<br />
|{{w|Jim Mattis}}<br />
|{{w|United States Secretary of Defense}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|5<br />
|{{w|Kirstjen Nielsen}}<br />
|{{w|United States Secretary of Homeland Security}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|6<br />
|{{w|Jeff Sessions}}<br />
|{{w|United States Attorney General}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|7<br />
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}<br />
|Tom Hanks<br />
|As Donald Trump did not appoint anyone to fill position #7 on Randall's line of succession, Hanks immediately follows after Sessions.<br />
|-<br />
|8<br />
|{{w|Jerry Brown}}<br />
|Governor of California<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|9<br />
|{{w|Greg Abbott}}<br />
|Governor of Texas<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|10<br />
|{{w|Andrew Cuomo}}<br />
|Governor of New York<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|{{w|Rick Scott}}<br />
|Governor of Florida<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|{{w|Bruce Rauner}}<br />
|Governor of Illinois<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|13<br />
|{{w|Tom Wolf}}<br />
|Governor of Pennsylvania<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|14<br />
|{{w|John Kasich}}<br />
|Governor of Ohio<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|15<br />
|{{w|Rick Snyder}}<br />
|Governor of Michigan<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|{{w|Nathan Deal}}<br />
|Governor of Georgia<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|{{w|Roy Cooper}}<br />
|Governor of North Carolina<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|18<br />
|{{w|Phil Murphy}}<br />
|Governor of New Jersey<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|19<br />
|{{w|Ralph Northam}}<br />
|Governor of Virginia<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|20<br />
|{{w|Jay Inslee}}<br />
|Governor of Washington<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|21<br />
|{{w|Charlie Baker}}<br />
|Governor of Massachusetts<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|22<br />
|{{w|Eric Holcomb}}<br />
|Governor of Indiana<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|23<br />
|{{w|Doug Ducey}}<br />
|Governor of Arizona<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|24<br />
|{{w|Bill Haslam}}<br />
|Governor of Tennessee<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|25<br />
|{{w|Mike Parson}}<br />
|Governor of Missouri<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|26<br />
|{{w|Larry Hogan}}<br />
|Governor of Maryland<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|27<br />
|{{w|Scott Walker (politician)|Scott Walker}}<br />
|Governor of Wisconsin<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|28<br />
|{{w|Mark Dayton}}<br />
|Governor of Minnesota<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|29<br />
|{{w|John Hickenlooper}}<br />
|Governor of Colorado<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|30<br />
|{{w|Kay Ivey}}<br />
|Governor of Alabama<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|31<br />
|{{w|Henry McMaster}}<br />
|Governor of South Carolina<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|32<br />
|{{w|John Bel Edwards}}<br />
|Governor of Louisiana<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|33<br />
|{{w|Matt Bevin}}<br />
|Governor of Kentucky<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|34<br />
|{{w|Mary Fallin}}<br />
|Governor of Oklahoma<br />
|The governor of Oregon would normally fall between Kentucky and Oklahoma. However, {{w|Kate Brown}} was born in Spain and so is not eligible.<br />
|-<br />
|35<br />
|{{w|Dannel Malloy}}<br />
|Governor of Connecticut<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|36<br />
|{{w|Kim Reynolds}}<br />
|Governor of Iowa<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|37<br />
|{{w|Phil Bryant}}<br />
|Governor of Mississippi<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|38<br />
|{{w|Asa Hutchinson}}<br />
|Governor of Arkansas<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|39<br />
|{{w|Jeff Colyer}}<br />
|Governor of Kansas<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|40<br />
|{{w|Gary Herbert}}<br />
|Governor of Utah<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|41<br />
|{{w|Brian Sandoval}}<br />
|Governor of Nevada<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|42<br />
|{{w|Susana Martinez}}<br />
|Governor of New Mexico<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|43<br />
|{{w|Jim Justice}}<br />
|Governor of West Virginia<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|44<br />
|{{w|Pete Ricketts}}<br />
|Governor of Nebraska<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|45<br />
|{{w|Butch Otter}}<br />
|Governor of Idaho<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|46<br />
|{{w|David Ige}}<br />
|Governor of Hawaii<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|47<br />
|{{w|Paul LePage}}<br />
|Governor of Maine<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|48<br />
|{{w|Chris Sununu}}<br />
|Governor of New Hampshire<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|49<br />
|{{w|Gina Raimondo}}<br />
|Governor of Rhode Island<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|50<br />
|{{w|Steve Bullock (American politician)|Steve Bullock}}<br />
|Governor of Montana<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|51<br />
|{{w|John Carney (politician)|John Carney}}<br />
|Governor of Delaware<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|52<br />
|{{w|Dennis Daugaard}}<br />
|Governor of South Dakota<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|53<br />
|{{w|Bill Walker (U.S. politician)|Bill Walker}}<br />
|Governor of Alaska<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|54<br />
|{{w|Doug Burgum}}<br />
|Governor of North Dakota<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|55<br />
|{{w|Phil Scott (politician)|Phil Scott}}<br />
|Governor of Vermont<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|56<br />
|{{w|Matt Mead}}<br />
|Governor of Wyoming<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|57<br />
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}<br />
|Kate MicKinnon<br />
|If she is available. Entries #10 and 11 on Randall's list have no eligible members.<br />
|-<br />
|58<br />
|{{w|Luis Fonsi}}<br />
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2017, #2 artist<br />
|Fonsi is the only eligible individual under the Billboard criterion.<br />
|-<br />
|59<br />
|{{w|Peggy Whitson}}<br />
|Astronaut, 665 days in space<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|60<br />
|{{w|Jeffrey Williams (astronaut)|Jeff Williams}}<br />
|Astronaut, 534 days in space<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|61<br />
|{{w|Scott Kelly}}<br />
|Astronaut, 520 days in space<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|62<br />
|{{w|Mike Fincke}}<br />
|Astronaut, 382 days in space<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|63<br />
|{{w|Serena Williams}}<br />
|Serena Williams<br />
|The fifth astronaut is not American-born. Serena's place on this list assumes that you do not count her withdrawal against Maria Sharapova as a ''loss''; if that counts as a loss, then subsequent entries move up one position (as Sharapova is ineligible).<br />
|-<br />
|64<br />
|{{w|Tom Brady}}<br />
|{{w|National Football League Most Valuable Player Award|NFL MVP}}<br />
|The MVPs of all other listed sports leagues are ineligible for the office.<br />
|-<br />
|65<br />
|{{w|Bill Pullman}}<br />
|Bill Pullman<br />
|None of his children are old enough to become President at this time.<br />
|-<br />
|66<br />
|''TBD''<br />
|Jousting tournament<br />
|Assuming that no eligible member of the British order of succession exists. The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating champions are too young to hold the office.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
: A proposal for a new presidential line of succession<br />
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.<br />
: <span style="color:gray">(For more, see the surprisingly gripping ''Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission'', June 2009.)</span><br />
: Proposed line of succession:<br />
:# President<br />
:# Vice president<br />
:# Secretary of State<br />
:# Secretary of Defense<br />
:# Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
:# Attorney General<br />
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
:# Tom Hanks<br />
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
:# Kate McKinnon, if available<br />
:# Billboard year-end Hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
:# The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Politics]]</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2003:_Presidential_Succession&diff=1584852003: Presidential Succession2018-06-07T05:35:41Z<p>172.68.47.240: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2003<br />
| date = June 6, 2018<br />
| title = Presidential Succession<br />
| image = presidential_succession.png<br />
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a DESIGNATED SURVIVOR - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is the order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent president is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. <br />
<br />
The {{w|Presidential_Succession_Act#Presidential_Succession_Act_of_1947|Presidential Succession Act of 1947}} was an act by the U.S. Congress that revised the presidential order of succession to its current order. This Act, though never challenged in the courts, may not be constitutional for two reasons. First, it is unclear whether members of Congress can be designated in the line of succession. Secondly, the Act allows for a cabinet officer to be "replaced" as acting President by a new Speaker of the House or a new President Pro Tempore of the Senate.<br />
<br />
An additional concern regarding the Act is that after the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the line of succession list the members of the Cabinet in the order that their department was established with the oldest departments first, irrespective of the Secretary's personal fitness or appropriateness of the office. The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of the security and protection of the United States and its citizens and would probably already be privy to sensitive intelligence and briefings related to national security, but because it is the latest of the Departments to have been established (in 2003), the Secretary of Homeland Security is all the way at the bottom of the current Presidential line of succession at 18th, behind other Secretaries such as that of Agriculture (9th) and Education (16th).<br />
<br />
The full text of the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission can be found here: <https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf>. A short, readable summary, including the report's recommended new line of succession, is here: <https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-continuity-of-the-presidency-the-second-report-of-the-continuity-of-government-commission/>. The first 6 members of the commission's list are included in the current line of succession, after which they specificy that 5 new people should be appointed specifically for the purpose of succeeding the presidency if needed. Randall's list begins with these 11 people (stuffing all 5 of the new appointees into #7); afterwards, his list continues with more politicians, actors who have played Presidents, athletes, and others. <br />
<br />
Randall's list omits the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, as well as many other cabinet positions. He is probably simply following the commission's report in this. But perhaps he does not find those people qualified to become President of the United States, or is concerned about the constitutionality of lawmakers becoming President. However, he does not seem to be concerned about constitutionality, because he included the entire line of succession to the British throne, most of whom do not meet the requirement to be a natural-born citizen of the United States.{{Citation needed}}<br />
<br />
Randall's list includes several other people who also might not be eligible to become President either because they are not natural-born U.S. citizens (e.g., as of the time of the comic's publication, {{w|Serena Williams}} had withdrawn from her last match in the {{w|French Open}} to {{w|Maria Sharapova}}, who is Russian) or they are under 35 years of age ({{w|Russell Westbrook}}, the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player at the time of the comic's publication, was only 29 years old). These would mainly be athletes due to the relatively global reach of the four major professional sports leagues in North America and the fact that 35 is quite old for a professional athlete, let alone one who is good enough to win the league MVP. Presumably, those who wouldn't qualify for the office of President would be skipped over like in real life -- at the comic's publication, {{w|Elaine Chao}} was the Secretary of Transportation and would normally be 14th in line, but because she is a naturalized citizen of the US (she was born in Taiwan) she would not qualify for the office if the line came to her.<br />
<br />
This is another comic in the continuing line of comics about American politics, especially after the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016.<br />
<br />
==Order of succession==<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!#<br />
!Randall's order<br />
!Current order by the 1947 Act<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|President<br />
|President<br />
|Not generally considered part of the line of succession, as incumbents cannot "succeed" to their own post. (This should really be item 0 on the list.)<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
|Vice president<br />
|Vice president<br />
|No change<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|Speaker of the House of Representatives<br />
|Moved up from 5th position. This is likely a serious suggestion. Existing rules of succession hand Executive power to the leaders of the Legislative branch if the President and Vice-President are both killed or removed from power. This is troubling for a number of reasons. One is that the Executive and Legislative branches are supposed to act as independent checks on one another's power, and so are supposed to be kept separate. Another issue is that the Executive and Legislative branches are frequently controlled by political rivals from different political parties. In such a case, assassins could effectively reverse the results of Presidential elections if they managed to kill the President and Vice-President in a short period of time (which is used as part of the twist ending in {{w|White House Down}}). Additionally, leaders of the House and Senate aren't as deeply connected to the military and diplomatic missions of the country, and so would have a hard time maintaining continuity, particularly if an attack or disaster killed multiple national leaders at once. These problems could all be addressed by keeping the initial Line of Succession confined to the Executive branch of government. <br />
|-<br />
|4<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|President pro tempore of the Senate<br />
|Moved up from 7th position<br />
|-<br />
|5<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|Moved up from 19th position, possibly to highlight the Attorney General's place in the current order<br />
|-<br />
|6<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Secretary of the Treasury <br />
|Moved up from 8th position<br />
|-<br />
|7<br />
|Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the President's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|{{w|Washington, D.C.}} is the capital of the United States, and is where the {{w|White House}}, the President's residence, is located. Presumably this provision covers the case where much of the government, including positions 1–6 here, are killed by a natural disaster or attack in Washington, D.C.<br />
<br />
This suggestion establishes no qualifications for these people, but the fact that they'd need to be confirmed by the Senate suggests that they would be chosen to be competent for the role. It is also unclear if an order is determined among these 5 or if they take up a joint presidency. This suggestion is taken from the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission as a potential mechanism to ensure members of succession are not in Washington DC during a catastrophic attack.<br />
|-<br />
|8<br />
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Academy Award-winning American actor. This is the first unambiguously unserious suggestion.{{Citation needed}} Tom Hanks is very popular and considered exceptionally likeable by many Americans, but has never served in public office or displayed any particular affinity for politics. The implication is that Mr. Hanks would be easily accepted as a leader, based solely on his personal charm. <br />
|-<br />
|9<br />
|State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
|Secretary of the Interior<br />
|Also taken from Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission. At the time of publication, the last {{w|United States Census}} was the 2010 Census. As California is the most populous state, Gov {{w|Jerry Brown}} would be first in line. <br />
<br />
See also the {{w|2010_United_States_Census#State_rankings|state population rankings}} and the {{w|list of current United States governors}}. As worded, this criterion would exclude territorial governors (and the Mayor of Washington, D.C.).<br />
|-<br />
|10<br />
|Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
|Secretary of Agriculture<br />
|Oscars, or {{w|Academy Awards}}, are annual film awards awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. At the time of publication, the only Oscar awarded for playing a governor was {{w|Broderick Crawford}}'s 1949 Best Actor award for the fictional Willie Stark in ''{{w|All the King's Men (1949 film)|All the King's Men}}'' (a character based on {{w|Huey Long}}). However, Crawford died in 1986, so would be unable to serve as President.<br />
<br />
May be a reference to the {{w|Political career of Arnold Schwarzenegger}}: a highly-lauded actor who became governor of California, but did not win an Oscar or play a governor before being elected. (As a naturalized citizen, he is also ineligible for the Presidency.)<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
|Secretary of Commerce <br />
|The {{w|Governors Awards}} are an annual award ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present lifetime achievement awards within the film industry. As this award is a lifetime achievement award, it does not seem possible that an actor could win this award for simply playing someone named Oscar. Notwithstanding the nature of the award, at the time of publication, no recipient of a Governors Award has played a character named Oscar.<br />
<br />
Obviously, the joke is that changing the order of the words from the previous proposal produces something that could actually exist.<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}, if available<br />
|Secretary of Labor<br />
|Comedic actress famous for being a cast member on {{w|Saturday Night Live}}. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions. She has recently done impersonations of members of the Trump administration including Spokeswoman Kellyanne Conway and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. She also played Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign and presumably would have played her when she was President had she won; but since Clinton lost, McKinnon has not actually played a President.<br />
|-<br />
|13<br />
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
|Secretary of Health and Human Services <br />
|The {{w|Billboard Hot 100}} is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. The weekly data is aggregated into a cumulative {{w|Billboard Year-End}} (based on a "year" that ends the third week of November, in order to meet December publication deadlines). At the time of publication, the most recent such list was the {{w|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2017}}.<br />
<br />
Based on that list, the artists considered for the presidential succession would be: {{w|Ed Sheeran}}, {{w|Luis Fonsi}}, {{w|Bruno Mars}}, {{w|Kendrick Lamar}}, Alex Pall (of {{w|The Chainsmokers}}), {{w|Quavo|Quavoius Keyate Marshall}} (of {{w|Migos}}), {{w|Sam Hunt}}, {{w|Dan Reynolds}} (of {{w|Imagine Dragons}}), and {{w|Post Malone}}. There are only nine names instead of ten because The Chainsmokers had two of the top 10 singles in 2017. Of these, only Luis Fonsi (40 years old, and born in Puerto Rico) is legally eligible for the office; Sheeran was born in the UK, and the other seven are too young.<br />
|-<br />
|14<br />
|The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
|Secretary of Housing and Urban Development <br />
|Astronauts are highly respected and rigorously selected, but most have little involvement in politics. According to [https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-station-astronaut-record-holders NASA], the top 5 US astronauts by cumulative space time are: {{w|Peggy Whitson}}, {{w|Jeffrey Williams (astronaut)|Jeff Williams}}, {{W|Scott Kelly (astronaut)|Scott Kelly}}, {{w|Mike Fincke}}, and {{w|Mike Foale}}. However, Foale is British-born and would not be eligible for the position.<br />
|-<br />
|15<br />
|{{w|Serena Williams}} (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
|Secretary of Transportation<br />
|As of the time of publication, Serena Williams was the top female tennis player (though not the world #1 ranking, because she took time off for pregnancy). She is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all-time, winning 39 {{w|Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam}} titles, including 23 women's singles titles. At the time of publication Serena Williams did win her most recent match (third round French Open 2018 on June 2nd), although she withdrew from her next match against Maria Sharapova (which perhaps should count as a loss, especially if she withdrew in order to preserve her place in the line of succession and led the terrorist attack that killed everybody in place ahead of her).<br />
<br />
If her most recent defeat was to a non-US player, it is unclear whether that person would still qualify for President (the current succession list skips over anyone who would not normally qualify for not being a natural-born US citizen).<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
|Secretary of Energy<br />
|MVP stands for {{w|Most Valuable Player}}. The 4 listed leagues are the major sports leagues in the United States, the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA), the {{w|National Football League}} (NFL), {{w|Major League Baseball}} (MLB), and the {{w|National Hockey League}} (NHL).<br />
<br />
As of the time of publication, the most recent MVPs for the listed sports are {{w|Russell Westbrook}} (NBA), {{w|Tom Brady}} (NFL), {{w|José Altuve}} and {{w|Giancarlo Stanton}} (MLB has two, one for the American League and one for the National League), and {{w|Connor McDavid}} (NHL). Of these, only Brady would qualify for the list - Altuve and McDavid are not US citizens (the former is from Venezuela and the latter from Canada), and Westbrook (29) and Stanton (28) are too young.<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|{{w|Bill Pullman}} and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
|Secretary of Education <br />
|American actor, known for playing President Thomas J. Whitmore in the 1996 film ''{{w|Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day}}''. <br />
<br />
Absolute primogeniture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant regardless of gender receives the title. This is contrasted to {{w|Male-preference primogeniture}}, in which males come before females in the order of the throne, whether the males were born first or not. This may be a reference to the British law {{w|Succession to the Crown Act 2013}}, which changed the order of the throne from male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. This act allows {{w|Princess Charlotte of Cambridge|Princess Charlotte}} to retain her place in line before {{w|Prince Louis of Cambridge|Prince Louis}}. <br />
<br />
As of the present, Pullman's immediate descendants consist of three children, with Maesa Pullman being the oldest at age 29, so all are currently too young for the presidency.<br />
|-<br />
|18<br />
|The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
|Secretary of Veterans Affairs <br />
|According to the Constitution, only a natural-born citizen of the United States can become President, which means that at least most of the line of succession to the British throne is ineligible. However, it is possible that someone in the line of succession to the British throne either is a dual citizen (especially one who is a U.S. citizen based on place of birth and a British citizen based on having a parent who was a British citizen descended from {{w|Sophia of Hanover}}) or is not British (a person from outside of Britain can become King; for example, some, including George I, were from what is now Germany).<br />
<br />
The first 57 names on the list are {{w|Succession_to_the_British_throne#Current_line_of_succession|here}}, as of the time of publication. [https://lineofsuccession.co.uk/?date=2018-06-06 British Line of Succession on 6 June 2018] shows the list as it was at the comic's publication. American citizens [http://articles.latimes.com/1988-02-11/news/vw-42233_1_royal-house have, at times] been on the list, but no natural-born Americans are currently in the top 100. In theory, however, the full British succession list includes several thousand people (living descendants of {{w|Sophia of Hanover}} who are not Roman Catholic or otherwise disqualified), and it is possible that one or more such people would also be eligible to be President of the United States.<br />
<br />
The humor here derives from the fact that the United States was established by declaring independence from the United Kingdom, with rejection of the British monarchy being a basic founding principle, and a core principle of US governance. To appoint the British monarchy to the American presidency would contradict the basic goals of American independence. Alternatively, it may reference the recent wedding of {{w|Prince Harry}} to {{w|Meghan Markle}}, although she is not in the order of succession to the British throne (and she is planning to give up her U.S. citizenship in favour of British citizenship, so her children (who would come immediately after Harry in the British line of succession) would not be born U.S. citizens either). A similar sequence of events was the plotline of the comedy film ''{{w|King Ralph}}, which saw an American become the British monarch after the death of the royal family.<br />
|-<br />
|19<br />
|The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|The {{w|Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest}} is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition sponsored by {{w|Nathan's Famous}} held on July 4th. As of the time of publication, the most recent men's winner is {{w|Joey Chestnut}} and the women's winner is {{w|Miki Sudo}}. Neither is currently old enough to assume the office.<br />
|-<br />
|20<br />
|All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament<br />
|''None''<br />
|Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals (2^29) which would be enough to cover the entire US population (estimated at around 325 million at time of publication), although additional rounds can be added should the population grow further.<br />
<br />
This is probably a reference to the Matter of Britain (e.g., {{w|The Sword in the Stone (film)}}), where, after the death of Uther Pendragon, with no known successor to the throne of England for years, it is decided that the winner of a jousting tournament shall be crowned. However, Arthur, the Wart, pulls the Sword from the Stone.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The title text mentions whoever was closest to the surface of {{w|Europa}} when they were born. Europa is a moon of Jupiter, so most people would be very far from its surface when they were born. However, depending on the relative positions of Earth and Jupiter when you were born, you could easily have been tens of millions of kilometers closer. Alternatively, Randall could be playing on how Europa sounds like Europe.<br />
<br />
===List of specific individuals===<br />
Based on the comic's defined criteria for the order of succession, these are the specific individuals in that order, as of the date the comic was published:<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!Order<br />
!Name<br />
!Reason<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|{{w|Donald Trump}}<br />
|{{w|President of the United States}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
|{{w|Mike Pence}}<br />
|{{w|Vice President of the United States}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|{{w|Mike Pompeo}}<br />
|{{w|United States Secretary of State}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|4<br />
|{{w|Jim Mattis}}<br />
|{{w|United States Secretary of Defense}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|5<br />
|{{w|Kirstjen Nielsen}}<br />
|{{w|United States Secretary of Homeland Security}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|6<br />
|{{w|Jeff Sessions}}<br />
|{{w|United States Attorney General}}<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|7<br />
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}<br />
|Tom Hanks<br />
|As Donald Trump did not appoint anyone to fill position #7 on Randall's line of succession, Hanks immediately follows after Sessions.<br />
|-<br />
|8<br />
|{{w|Jerry Brown}}<br />
|Governor of California<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|9<br />
|{{w|Greg Abbott}}<br />
|Governor of Texas<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|10<br />
|{{w|Andrew Cuomo}}<br />
|Governor of New York<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|{{w|Rick Scott}}<br />
|Governor of Florida<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|{{w|Bruce Rauner}}<br />
|Governor of Illinois<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|13<br />
|{{w|Tom Wolf}}<br />
|Governor of Pennsylvania<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|14<br />
|{{w|John Kasich}}<br />
|Governor of Ohio<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|15<br />
|{{w|Rick Snyder}}<br />
|Governor of Michigan<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|{{w|Nathan Deal}}<br />
|Governor of Georgia<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|{{w|Roy Cooper}}<br />
|Governor of North Carolina<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|18<br />
|{{w|Phil Murphy}}<br />
|Governor of New Jersey<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|19<br />
|{{w|Ralph Northam}}<br />
|Governor of Virginia<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|20<br />
|{{w|Jay Inslee}}<br />
|Governor of Washington<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|21<br />
|{{w|Charlie Baker}}<br />
|Governor of Massachusetts<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|22<br />
|{{w|Eric Holcomb}}<br />
|Governor of Indiana<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|23<br />
|{{w|Doug Ducey}}<br />
|Governor of Arizona<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|24<br />
|{{w|Bill Haslam}}<br />
|Governor of Tennessee<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|25<br />
|{{w|Mike Parson}}<br />
|Governor of Missouri<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|26<br />
|{{w|Larry Hogan}}<br />
|Governor of Maryland<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|27<br />
|{{w|Scott Walker (politician)|Scott Walker}}<br />
|Governor of Wisconsin<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|28<br />
|{{w|Mark Dayton}}<br />
|Governor of Minnesota<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|29<br />
|{{w|John Hickenlooper}}<br />
|Governor of Colorado<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|30<br />
|{{w|Kay Ivey}}<br />
|Governor of Alabama<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|31<br />
|{{w|Henry McMaster}}<br />
|Governor of South Carolina<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|32<br />
|{{w|John Bel Edwards}}<br />
|Governor of Louisiana<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|33<br />
|{{w|Matt Bevin}}<br />
|Governor of Kentucky<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|34<br />
|{{w|Mary Fallin}}<br />
|Governor of Oklahoma<br />
|The governor of Oregon would normally fall between Kentucky and Oklahoma. However, {{w|Kate Brown}} was born in Spain and so is not eligible.<br />
|-<br />
|35<br />
|{{w|Dannel Malloy}}<br />
|Governor of Connecticut<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|36<br />
|{{w|Kim Reynolds}}<br />
|Governor of Iowa<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|37<br />
|{{w|Phil Bryant}}<br />
|Governor of Mississippi<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|38<br />
|{{w|Asa Hutchinson}}<br />
|Governor of Arkansas<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|39<br />
|{{w|Jeff Colyer}}<br />
|Governor of Kansas<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|40<br />
|{{w|Gary Herbert}}<br />
|Governor of Utah<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|41<br />
|{{w|Brian Sandoval}}<br />
|Governor of Nevada<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|42<br />
|{{w|Susana Martinez}}<br />
|Governor of New Mexico<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|43<br />
|{{w|Jim Justice}}<br />
|Governor of West Virginia<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|44<br />
|{{w|Pete Ricketts}}<br />
|Governor of Nebraska<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|45<br />
|{{w|Butch Otter}}<br />
|Governor of Idaho<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|46<br />
|{{w|David Ige}}<br />
|Governor of Hawaii<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|47<br />
|{{w|Paul LePage}}<br />
|Governor of Maine<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|48<br />
|{{w|Chris Sununu}}<br />
|Governor of New Hampshire<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|49<br />
|{{w|Gina Raimondo}}<br />
|Governor of Rhode Island<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|50<br />
|{{w|Steve Bullock (American politician)|Steve Bullock}}<br />
|Governor of Montana<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|51<br />
|{{w|John Carney (politician)|John Carney}}<br />
|Governor of Delaware<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|52<br />
|{{w|Dennis Daugaard}}<br />
|Governor of South Dakota<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|53<br />
|{{w|Bill Walker (U.S. politician)|Bill Walker}}<br />
|Governor of Alaska<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|54<br />
|{{w|Doug Burgum}}<br />
|Governor of North Dakota<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|55<br />
|{{w|Phil Scott (politician)|Phil Scott}}<br />
|Governor of Vermont<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|56<br />
|{{w|Matt Mead}}<br />
|Governor of Wyoming<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|57<br />
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}<br />
|Kate MicKinnon<br />
|If she is available. Entries #10 and 11 on Randall's list have no eligible members.<br />
|-<br />
|58<br />
|{{w|Luis Fonsi}}<br />
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2017, #2 artist<br />
|Fonsi is the only eligible individual under the Billboard criterion.<br />
|-<br />
|59<br />
|{{w|Peggy Whitson}}<br />
|Astronaut, 665 days in space<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|60<br />
|{{w|Jeffrey Williams (astronaut)|Jeff Williams}}<br />
|Astronaut, 534 days in space<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|61<br />
|{{w|Scott Kelly}}<br />
|Astronaut, 520 days in space<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|62<br />
|{{w|Mike Fincke}}<br />
|Astronaut, 382 days in space<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|63<br />
|{{w|Serena Williams}}<br />
|Serena Williams<br />
|The fifth astronaut is not American-born. Serena's place on this list assumes that you do not count her withdrawal against Maria Sharapova as a ''loss''; if that counts as a loss, then subsequent entries move up one position (as Sharapova is ineligible).<br />
|-<br />
|64<br />
|{{w|Tom Brady}}<br />
|{{w|National Football League Most Valuable Player Award|NFL MVP}}<br />
|The MVPs of all other listed sports leagues are ineligible for the office.<br />
|-<br />
|65<br />
|{{w|Bill Pullman}}<br />
|Bill Pullman<br />
|None of his children are old enough to become President at this time.<br />
|-<br />
|66<br />
|''TBD''<br />
|Jousting tournament<br />
|Assuming that no eligible member of the British order of succession exists. The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating champions are too young to hold the office.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
: A proposal for a new presidential line of succession<br />
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.<br />
: <span style="color:gray">(For more, see the surprisingly gripping ''Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission'', June 2009.)</span><br />
: Proposed line of succession:<br />
:# President<br />
:# Vice president<br />
:# Secretary of State<br />
:# Secretary of Defense<br />
:# Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
:# Attorney General<br />
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
:# Tom Hanks<br />
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
:# Kate McKinnon, if available<br />
:# Billboard year-end Hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
:# The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Politics]]</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2003:_Presidential_Succession&diff=1583812003: Presidential Succession2018-06-06T06:45:29Z<p>172.68.47.240: /* Order of succession */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2003<br />
| date = June 6, 2018<br />
| title = Presidential Succession<br />
| image = presidential_succession.png<br />
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is the order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent President is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. <br />
<br />
The {{w|Presidential_Succession_Act#Presidential_Succession_Act_of_1947|Presidential Succession Act of 1947}} was an act by the U.S. Congress that revised the presidential order of succession to its current order. This act, though never challenged in the courts, may not be constitutional for two reasons. First, it is unclear whether members of Congress can be designated in the line of succession. Secondly, the act allows for a cabinet officer to be "replaced" as acting President by a new Speaker of the House or a new President Pro Tempore of the Senate.<br />
<br />
The full text of the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission can be found here: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf<br />
<br />
The first 6 members of Randall's list are included in the current line of succession. After the top 6, his list ranges from politicians, to actors who have played Presidents, to athletes. <br />
<br />
Randall's list omits the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, as well as many other cabinet positions. Perhaps he does not find those people qualified to become President of the United States, and is concerned about the constitutionality of lawmakers becoming President.<br />
<br />
This is another comic in the continuing line of comics about American politics, especially after the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016.<br />
<br />
==Order of succession==<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!#<br />
!Randall's order<br />
!Current order by the 1947 Act<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|President<br />
|President<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
| Vice president<br />
| Vice president<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|Speaker of the House of Representatives<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|4<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|President pro tempore of the Senate<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|5<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|6<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Secretary of the Treasury <br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|7<br />
|Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the President's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|{{w|Washington, D.C.}} is the capital of the United States, and is where the {{w|White House}}, the President's residence, is located. It is unclear if these 5 people have to have any qualifications whatsoever.<br />
|-<br />
|8<br />
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Academy Award-winning American actor<br />
|-<br />
|9<br />
|State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
|Secretary of the Interior<br />
|At the time of publishing, the last {{w|United States Census}} was the 2010 Census. {{w|2010_United_States_Census#State_rankings|Link}} to state populations.<br />
|-<br />
|10<br />
|Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
|Secretary of Agriculture<br />
|Oscars, or {{w|Academy Awards}}, are annual film awards awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
|Secretary of Commerce <br />
|The {{w|Governors Awards}} are an annual award ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present lifetime achievement awards within the film industry. As this award is a lifetime achievement award, it does not seem possible that an actor could win this award for simply playing someone named Oscar.<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}, if available<br />
|Secretary of Labor<br />
|Comedic actress famous for being a cast member on {{w|Saturday Night Live}}. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions.<br />
|-<br />
|13<br />
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
|Secretary of Health and Human Services <br />
|The {{w|Billboard Hot 100}} is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. <br />
|-<br />
|14<br />
|The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
|Secretary of Housing and Urban Development <br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|15<br />
|{{w|Serena Williams}} (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
|Secretary of Transportation<br />
|As of the time of publishing, Serena Williams was the top female tennis player (though not the world #1 ranking, because she took time off for pregnancy). She is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all-time, winning 39 {{w|Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam}} titles, including 23 women's singles titles. <br />
<br />
If her most recent defeat was to a non-US player, it is unclear whether that person would still qualify for President.<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
|Secretary of Energy<br />
|MVP stands for {{w|Most Valuable Player}}. The 4 listed leagues are the major sports leagues in the United States, the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA), the {{w|National Football League}} (NFL), {{w|Major League Baseball}} (MLB), and the {{w|National Hockey League}} (NHL).<br />
<br />
As of the time of publishing, the most recent MVPs for the listed sports are {{w|Russell Westbrook}} (NBA), {{w|Tom Brady}} (NFL), {{w|José Altuve}} and {{w|Giancarlo Stanton}} (MLB has two, one for the American League and one for the National League), and {{w|Connor McDavid}} (NHL).<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|{{w|Bill Pullman}} and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
|Secretary of Education <br />
|American actor, known for playing President Thomas J. Whitmore in the 1996 film ''{{w|Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day}}''. <br />
<br />
Absolute primogeniture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant receives the title. This is contrasted to {{w|Male-preference primogeniture}}, in which females come before males in the order of the throne, whether the females were born first or not. This may be a reference to the British law {{w|Succession to the Crown Act 2013}}, which changed the order of the throne from male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. This act allows {{w|Princess Charlotte of Cambridge|Princess Charlotte}} to retain her place in line before {{w|Prince Louis of Cambridge|Prince Louis}}.<br />
|-<br />
|18<br />
|The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
|Secretary of Veterans Affairs <br />
|Unsure if this is constitutional, or what the Founding Fathers would have wanted (a Brit sitting as U.S. President!). The complete list is {{w|Succession_to_the_British_throne#Current_line_of_succession|here}} and includes 57 names, as of the time of publishing.<br />
|-<br />
|19<br />
|The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|The {{w|Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest}} is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition sponsored by {{w|Nathan's Famous}} held on July 4th. As of the time of publishing, the most recent men's winner is {{w|Joey Chestnut}} and the women's winner is {{w|Miki Sudo}}.<br />
|-<br />
|20<br />
|All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament<br />
|''None''<br />
|Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals (2^29), although additional rounds can be added should the population grow further.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The title text mentions whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born. {{w|Europa}} is a moon of Jupiter, so most people would be very far from its surface when they were born. Alternatively, Randall could be playing on how Europa sounds like Europe.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
: A proposal for a new presidential line of succession<br />
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The presidential succession act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.<br />
: (for more, see the surprisingly gripping [https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-continuity-of-the-presidency-the-second-report-of-the-continuity-of-government-commission/ ''Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission'', June 2009]).<br />
: Proposed line of succession:<br />
:# President<br />
:# Vice president<br />
:# Secretary of State<br />
:# Secretary of Defense<br />
:# Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
:# Attorney General<br />
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, Nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
:# Tom Hanks<br />
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
:# Kate McKinnon, if available<br />
:# Billboard year-end hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
:# The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament.<br />
<br />
: Title text: Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2003:_Presidential_Succession&diff=1583802003: Presidential Succession2018-06-06T06:43:43Z<p>172.68.47.240: /* Order of succession */ note</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2003<br />
| date = June 6, 2018<br />
| title = Presidential Succession<br />
| image = presidential_succession.png<br />
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is the order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent President is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. <br />
<br />
The {{w|Presidential_Succession_Act#Presidential_Succession_Act_of_1947|Presidential Succession Act of 1947}} was an act by the U.S. Congress that revised the presidential order of succession to its current order. This act, though never challenged in the courts, may not be constitutional for two reasons. First, it is unclear whether members of Congress can be designated in the line of succession. Secondly, the act allows for a cabinet officer to be "replaced" as acting President by a new Speaker of the House or a new President Pro Tempore of the Senate.<br />
<br />
The full text of the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission can be found here: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf<br />
<br />
The first 6 members of Randall's list are included in the current line of succession. After the top 6, his list ranges from politicians, to actors who have played Presidents, to athletes. <br />
<br />
Randall's list omits the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, as well as many other cabinet positions. Perhaps he does not find those people qualified to become President of the United States, and is concerned about the constitutionality of lawmakers becoming President.<br />
<br />
This is another comic in the continuing line of comics about American politics, especially after the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016.<br />
<br />
==Order of succession==<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!#<br />
!Randall's order<br />
!Current order by the 1947 Act<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|President<br />
|President<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
| Vice president<br />
| Vice president<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|Speaker of the House of Representatives<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|4<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|President pro tempore of the Senate<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|5<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|6<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Secretary of the Treasury <br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|7<br />
|Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the President's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|{{w|Washington, D.C.}} is the capital of the United States, and is the location of the {{w|White House}}, the President's residence. It is unclear if these 5 people have to have any qualifications whatsoever.<br />
|-<br />
|8<br />
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Academy Award-winning American actor<br />
|-<br />
|9<br />
|State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
|Secretary of the Interior<br />
|As of time of publishing, the last census was the 2010 U.S. Census. {{w|2010_United_States_Census#State_rankings|Link}} to state populations.<br />
|-<br />
|10<br />
|Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
|Secretary of Agriculture<br />
|Oscars, or {{w|Academy Awards}}, are annual film awards awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
|Secretary of Commerce <br />
|The {{w|Governors Awards}} are an annual award ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present lifetime achievement awards within the film industry. As this award is a lifetime achievement award, it does not seem possible that an actor could win this award for simply playing someone named Oscar.<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}, if available<br />
|Secretary of Labor<br />
|Comedic actress famous for being a cast member on {{w|Saturday Night Live}}. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions.<br />
|-<br />
|13<br />
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
|Secretary of Health and Human Services <br />
|The {{w|Billboard Hot 100}} is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. <br />
|-<br />
|14<br />
|The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
|Secretary of Housing and Urban Development <br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|15<br />
|{{w|Serena Williams}} (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
|Secretary of Transportation<br />
|As of the time of publishing, Serena Williams was the top female tennis player (though not the world #1 ranking, because she took time off for pregnancy). She is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all-time, winning 39 {{w|Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam}} titles, including 23 women's singles titles. <br />
<br />
If her most recent defeat was to a non-US player, it is unclear whether that person would still qualify for President.<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
|Secretary of Energy<br />
|MVP stands for {{w|Most Valuable Player}}. The 4 listed leagues are the major sports leagues in the United States, the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA), the {{w|National Football League}} (NFL), {{w|Major League Baseball}} (MLB), and the {{w|National Hockey League}} (NHL).<br />
<br />
As of the time of publishing, the most recent MVPs for the listed sports are {{w|Russell Westbrook}} (NBA), {{w|Tom Brady}} (NFL), {{w|José Altuve}} and {{w|Giancarlo Stanton}} (MLB has two, one for the American League and one for the National League), and {{w|Connor McDavid}} (NHL).<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|{{w|Bill Pullman}} and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
|Secretary of Education <br />
|American actor, known for playing President Thomas J. Whitmore in the 1996 film ''{{w|Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day}}''. <br />
<br />
Absolute primogeniture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant receives the title. This is contrasted to {{w|Male-preference primogeniture}}, in which females come before males in the order of the throne, whether the females were born first or not. This may be a reference to the British law {{w|Succession to the Crown Act 2013}}, which changed the order of the throne from male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. This act allows {{w|Princess Charlotte of Cambridge|Princess Charlotte}} to retain her place in line before {{w|Prince Louis of Cambridge|Prince Louis}}.<br />
|-<br />
|18<br />
|The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
|Secretary of Veterans Affairs <br />
|Unsure if this is constitutional, or what the Founding Fathers would have wanted (a Brit sitting as U.S. President!). The complete list is {{w|Succession_to_the_British_throne#Current_line_of_succession|here}} and includes 57 names, as of the time of publishing.<br />
|-<br />
|19<br />
|The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|The {{w|Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest}} is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition sponsored by {{w|Nathan's Famous}} held on July 4th. As of the time of publishing, the most recent men's winner is {{w|Joey Chestnut}} and the women's winner is {{w|Miki Sudo}}.<br />
|-<br />
|20<br />
|All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament<br />
|''None''<br />
|Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals (2^29), although additional rounds can be added should the population grow further.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The title text mentions whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born. {{w|Europa}} is a moon of Jupiter, so most people would be very far from its surface when they were born. Alternatively, Randall could be playing on how Europa sounds like Europe.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
: A proposal for a new presidential line of succession<br />
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The presidential succession act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.<br />
: (for more, see the surprisingly gripping [https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-continuity-of-the-presidency-the-second-report-of-the-continuity-of-government-commission/ ''Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission'', June 2009]).<br />
: Proposed line of succession:<br />
:# President<br />
:# Vice president<br />
:# Secretary of State<br />
:# Secretary of Defense<br />
:# Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
:# Attorney General<br />
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, Nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
:# Tom Hanks<br />
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
:# Kate McKinnon, if available<br />
:# Billboard year-end hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
:# The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament.<br />
<br />
: Title text: Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2003:_Presidential_Succession&diff=1583792003: Presidential Succession2018-06-06T06:41:49Z<p>172.68.47.240: more notable</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2003<br />
| date = June 6, 2018<br />
| title = Presidential Succession<br />
| image = presidential_succession.png<br />
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is the order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent President is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. <br />
<br />
The {{w|Presidential_Succession_Act#Presidential_Succession_Act_of_1947|Presidential Succession Act of 1947}} was an act by the U.S. Congress that revised the presidential order of succession to its current order. This act, though never challenged in the courts, may not be constitutional for two reasons. First, it is unclear whether members of Congress can be designated in the line of succession. Secondly, the act allows for a cabinet officer to be "replaced" as acting President by a new Speaker of the House or a new President Pro Tempore of the Senate.<br />
<br />
The full text of the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission can be found here: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf<br />
<br />
The first 6 members of Randall's list are included in the current line of succession. After the top 6, his list ranges from politicians, to actors who have played Presidents, to athletes. <br />
<br />
Randall's list omits the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, as well as many other cabinet positions. Perhaps he does not find those people qualified to become President of the United States, and is concerned about the constitutionality of lawmakers becoming President.<br />
<br />
This is another comic in the continuing line of comics about American politics, especially after the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016.<br />
<br />
==Order of succession==<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!#<br />
!Randall's order<br />
!Current order by the 1947 Act<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|President<br />
|President<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
| Vice president<br />
| Vice president<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|Speaker of the House of Representatives<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|4<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|President pro tempore of the Senate<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|5<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|6<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Secretary of the Treasury <br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|7<br />
|Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the President's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|Unclear if these 5 people have to have any qualifications whatsoever.<br />
|-<br />
|8<br />
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Academy Award-winning American actor<br />
|-<br />
|9<br />
|State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
|Secretary of the Interior<br />
|As of time of publishing, the last census was the 2010 U.S. Census. {{w|2010_United_States_Census#State_rankings|Link}} to state populations.<br />
|-<br />
|10<br />
|Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
|Secretary of Agriculture<br />
|Oscars, or {{w|Academy Awards}}, are annual film awards awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
|Secretary of Commerce <br />
|The {{w|Governors Awards}} are an annual award ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present lifetime achievement awards within the film industry. As this award is a lifetime achievement award, it does not seem possible that an actor could win this award for simply playing someone named Oscar.<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}, if available<br />
|Secretary of Labor<br />
|Comedic actress famous for being a cast member on {{w|Saturday Night Live}}. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions.<br />
|-<br />
|13<br />
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
|Secretary of Health and Human Services <br />
|The {{w|Billboard Hot 100}} is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. <br />
|-<br />
|14<br />
|The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
|Secretary of Housing and Urban Development <br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|15<br />
|{{w|Serena Williams}} (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
|Secretary of Transportation<br />
|As of the time of publishing, Serena Williams was the top female tennis player (though not the world #1 ranking, because she took time off for pregnancy). She is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all-time, winning 39 {{w|Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam}} titles, including 23 women's singles titles. <br />
<br />
If her most recent defeat was to a non-US player, it is unclear whether that person would still qualify for President.<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
|Secretary of Energy<br />
|MVP stands for {{w|Most Valuable Player}}. The 4 listed leagues are the major sports leagues in the United States, the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA), the {{w|National Football League}} (NFL), {{w|Major League Baseball}} (MLB), and the {{w|National Hockey League}} (NHL).<br />
<br />
As of the time of publishing, the most recent MVPs for the listed sports are {{w|Russell Westbrook}} (NBA), {{w|Tom Brady}} (NFL), {{w|José Altuve}} and {{w|Giancarlo Stanton}} (MLB has two, one for the American League and one for the National League), and {{w|Connor McDavid}} (NHL).<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|{{w|Bill Pullman}} and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
|Secretary of Education <br />
|American actor, known for playing President Thomas J. Whitmore in the 1996 film ''{{w|Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day}}''. <br />
<br />
Absolute primogeniture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant receives the title. This is contrasted to {{w|Male-preference primogeniture}}, in which females come before males in the order of the throne, whether the females were born first or not. This may be a reference to the British law {{w|Succession to the Crown Act 2013}}, which changed the order of the throne from male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. This act allows {{w|Princess Charlotte of Cambridge|Princess Charlotte}} to retain her place in line before {{w|Prince Louis of Cambridge|Prince Louis}}.<br />
|-<br />
|18<br />
|The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
|Secretary of Veterans Affairs <br />
|Unsure if this is constitutional, or what the Founding Fathers would have wanted (a Brit sitting as U.S. President!). The complete list is {{w|Succession_to_the_British_throne#Current_line_of_succession|here}} and includes 57 names, as of the time of publishing.<br />
|-<br />
|19<br />
|The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|The {{w|Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest}} is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition sponsored by {{w|Nathan's Famous}} held on July 4th. As of the time of publishing, the most recent men's winner is {{w|Joey Chestnut}} and the women's winner is {{w|Miki Sudo}}.<br />
|-<br />
|20<br />
|All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament<br />
|''None''<br />
|Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals (2^29), although additional rounds can be added should the population grow further.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The title text mentions whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born. {{w|Europa}} is a moon of Jupiter, so most people would be very far from its surface when they were born. Alternatively, Randall could be playing on how Europa sounds like Europe.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
: A proposal for a new presidential line of succession<br />
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The presidential succession act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.<br />
: (for more, see the surprisingly gripping [https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-continuity-of-the-presidency-the-second-report-of-the-continuity-of-government-commission/ ''Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission'', June 2009]).<br />
: Proposed line of succession:<br />
:# President<br />
:# Vice president<br />
:# Secretary of State<br />
:# Secretary of Defense<br />
:# Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
:# Attorney General<br />
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, Nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
:# Tom Hanks<br />
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
:# Kate McKinnon, if available<br />
:# Billboard year-end hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
:# The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament.<br />
<br />
: Title text: Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2003:_Presidential_Succession&diff=1583782003: Presidential Succession2018-06-06T06:40:37Z<p>172.68.47.240: /* Order of succession */ fix, was missing sec of state</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2003<br />
| date = June 6, 2018<br />
| title = Presidential Succession<br />
| image = presidential_succession.png<br />
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is the order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent President is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. <br />
<br />
The {{w|Presidential_Succession_Act#Presidential_Succession_Act_of_1947|Presidential Succession Act of 1947}} was an act by the U.S. Congress that revised the presidential order of succession to its current order. This act, though never challenged in the courts, may not be constitutional for two reasons. First, it is unclear whether members of Congress can be designated in the line of succession. Secondly, the act allows for a cabinet officer to be "replaced" as acting President by a new Speaker of the House or a new President Pro Tempore of the Senate.<br />
<br />
The full text of the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission can be found here: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf<br />
<br />
The first 6 members of Randall's list are included in the current line of succession. After the top 6, his list ranges from politicians, to actors who have played Presidents, to athletes. <br />
<br />
Randall's list omits the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, as well as many other cabinet positions. Perhaps he does not find those people qualified to become President of the United States, and is concerned about the constitutionality of lawmakers becoming President.<br />
<br />
This is another comic in the continuing line of comics about American politics, especially after the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016.<br />
<br />
==Order of succession==<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!#<br />
!Randall's order<br />
!Current order by the 1947 Act<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|President<br />
|President<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
| Vice president<br />
| Vice president<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|Speaker of the House of Representatives<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|4<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|President pro tempore of the Senate<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|5<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|6<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Secretary of the Treasury <br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|7<br />
|Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the President's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|Unclear if these 5 people have to have any qualifications whatsoever.<br />
|-<br />
|8<br />
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Academy Award-winning American actor<br />
|-<br />
|9<br />
|State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
|Secretary of the Interior<br />
|As of time of publishing, the last census was the 2010 U.S. Census. {{w|2010_United_States_Census#State_rankings|Link}} to state populations.<br />
|-<br />
|10<br />
|Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
|Secretary of Agriculture<br />
|Oscars, or {{w|Academy Awards}}, are annual film awards awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
|Secretary of Commerce <br />
|The {{w|Governors Awards}} are an annual award ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present lifetime achievement awards within the film industry. As this award is a lifetime achievement award, it does not seem possible that an actor could win this award for simply playing someone named Oscar.<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}, if available<br />
|Secretary of Labor<br />
|Comedic actress famous for being a cast member on {{w|Saturday Night Live}}. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions.<br />
|-<br />
|13<br />
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
|Secretary of Health and Human Services <br />
|The {{w|Billboard Hot 100}} is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. <br />
|-<br />
|14<br />
|The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
|Secretary of Housing and Urban Development <br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|15<br />
|{{w|Serena Williams}} (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
|Secretary of Transportation<br />
|As of the time of publishing, Serena Williams was the top female tennis player (though not the world #1 ranking, because she took time off for pregnancy). She is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all-time, winning 39 {{w|Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam}} titles, including 14 women's doubles titles. <br />
<br />
If her most recent defeat was to a non-US player, it is unclear whether that person would still qualify for President.<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
|Secretary of Energy<br />
|MVP stands for {{w|Most Valuable Player}}. The 4 listed leagues are the major sports leagues in the United States, the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA), the {{w|National Football League}} (NFL), {{w|Major League Baseball}} (MLB), and the {{w|National Hockey League}} (NHL).<br />
<br />
As of the time of publishing, the most recent MVPs for the listed sports are {{w|Russell Westbrook}} (NBA), {{w|Tom Brady}} (NFL), {{w|José Altuve}} and {{w|Giancarlo Stanton}} (MLB has two, one for the American League and one for the National League), and {{w|Connor McDavid}} (NHL).<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|{{w|Bill Pullman}} and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
|Secretary of Education <br />
|American actor, known for playing President Thomas J. Whitmore in the 1996 film ''{{w|Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day}}''. <br />
<br />
Absolute primogeniture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant receives the title. This is contrasted to {{w|Male-preference primogeniture}}, in which females come before males in the order of the throne, whether the females were born first or not. This may be a reference to the British law {{w|Succession to the Crown Act 2013}}, which changed the order of the throne from male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. This act allows {{w|Princess Charlotte of Cambridge|Princess Charlotte}} to retain her place in line before {{w|Prince Louis of Cambridge|Prince Louis}}.<br />
|-<br />
|18<br />
|The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
|Secretary of Veterans Affairs <br />
|Unsure if this is constitutional, or what the Founding Fathers would have wanted (a Brit sitting as U.S. President!). The complete list is {{w|Succession_to_the_British_throne#Current_line_of_succession|here}} and includes 57 names, as of the time of publishing.<br />
|-<br />
|19<br />
|The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|The {{w|Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest}} is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition sponsored by {{w|Nathan's Famous}} held on July 4th. As of the time of publishing, the most recent men's winner is {{w|Joey Chestnut}} and the women's winner is {{w|Miki Sudo}}.<br />
|-<br />
|20<br />
|All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament<br />
|''None''<br />
|Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals (2^29), although additional rounds can be added should the population grow further.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The title text mentions whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born. {{w|Europa}} is a moon of Jupiter, so most people would be very far from its surface when they were born. Alternatively, Randall could be playing on how Europa sounds like Europe.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
: A proposal for a new presidential line of succession<br />
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The presidential succession act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.<br />
: (for more, see the surprisingly gripping [https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-continuity-of-the-presidency-the-second-report-of-the-continuity-of-government-commission/ ''Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission'', June 2009]).<br />
: Proposed line of succession:<br />
:# President<br />
:# Vice president<br />
:# Secretary of State<br />
:# Secretary of Defense<br />
:# Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
:# Attorney General<br />
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, Nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
:# Tom Hanks<br />
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
:# Kate McKinnon, if available<br />
:# Billboard year-end hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
:# The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament.<br />
<br />
: Title text: Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2003:_Presidential_Succession&diff=1583762003: Presidential Succession2018-06-06T06:30:07Z<p>172.68.47.240: /* Order of succession */ swap</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2003<br />
| date = June 6, 2018<br />
| title = Presidential Succession<br />
| image = presidential_succession.png<br />
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is the order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent President is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. <br />
<br />
The {{w|Presidential_Succession_Act#Presidential_Succession_Act_of_1947|Presidential Succession Act of 1947}} was an act by the U.S. Congress that revised the presidential order of succession to its current order. This act, though never challenged in the courts, may not be constitutional for two reasons. First, it is unclear whether members of Congress can be designated in the line of succession. Secondly, the act allows for a cabinet officer to be "replaced" as acting President by a new Speaker of the House or a new President Pro Tempore of the Senate.<br />
<br />
The full text of the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission can be found here: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf<br />
<br />
The first 6 members of Randall's list are included in the current line of succession. After the top 6, his list ranges from politicians, to actors who have played Presidents, to athletes. <br />
<br />
Randall's list omits the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, as well as many other cabinet positions. Perhaps he does not find those people qualified to become President of the United States, and is concerned about the constitutionality of lawmakers becoming President.<br />
<br />
This is another comic in the continuing line of comics about American politics, especially after the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016.<br />
<br />
==Order of succession==<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!#<br />
!Randall's order<br />
!Current order by the 1947 Act<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|President<br />
|President<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
| Vice president<br />
| Vice president<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|Speaker of the House of Representatives<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|4<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|President pro tempore of the Senate<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|5<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Secretary of the Treasury <br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|6<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|7<br />
|Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the President's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Unclear if these 5 people have to have any qualifications whatsoever.<br />
|-<br />
|8<br />
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}<br />
|Secretary of the Interior<br />
|Academy Award-winning American actor<br />
|-<br />
|9<br />
|State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
|Secretary of Agriculture<br />
|As of time of publishing, the last census was the 2010 U.S. Census. {{w|2010_United_States_Census#State_rankings|Link}} to state populations.<br />
|-<br />
|10<br />
|Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
|Secretary of Commerce <br />
|Oscars, or {{w|Academy Awards}}, are annual film awards awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
|Secretary of Labor<br />
|The {{w|Governors Awards}} are an annual award ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present lifetime achievement awards within the film industry. As this award is a lifetime achievement award, it does not seem possible that an actor could win this award for simply playing someone named Oscar.<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}, if available<br />
|Secretary of Health and Human Services <br />
|Comedic actress famous for being a cast member on {{w|Saturday Night Live}}. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions.<br />
|-<br />
|13<br />
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
|Secretary of Housing and Urban Development <br />
|The {{w|Billboard Hot 100}} is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. <br />
|-<br />
|14<br />
|The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
|Secretary of Transportation<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|15<br />
|{{w|Serena Williams}} (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
|Secretary of Energy<br />
|As of the time of publishing, Serena Williams was the top female tennis player (though not the world #1 ranking, because she took time off for pregnancy). She is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all-time, winning 39 {{w|Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam}} titles, including 14 women's doubles titles. <br />
<br />
If her most recent defeat was to a non-US player, it is unclear whether that person would still qualify for President.<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|Secretary of Education <br />
|The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
|MVP stands for {{w|Most Valuable Player}}. The 4 listed leagues are the major sports leagues in the United States, the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA), the {{w|National Football League}} (NFL), {{w|Major League Baseball}} (MLB), and the {{w|National Hockey League}} (NHL).<br />
<br />
As of the time of publishing, the most recent MVPs for the listed sports are {{w|Russell Westbrook}} (NBA), {{w|Tom Brady}} (NFL), {{w|José Altuve}} and {{w|Giancarlo Stanton}} (MLB has two, one for the American League and one for the National League), and {{w|Connor McDavid}} (NHL).<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|{{w|Bill Pullman}} and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
|Secretary of Veterans Affairs <br />
|American actor, known for playing President Thomas J. Whitmore in the 1996 film ''{{w|Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day}}''. <br />
<br />
Absolute primogeniture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant receives the title. This is contrasted to {{w|Male-preference primogeniture}}, in which females come before males in the order of the throne, whether the females were born first or not. This may be a reference to the British law {{w|Succession to the Crown Act 2013}}, which changed the order of the throne from male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. This act allows {{w|Princess Charlotte of Cambridge|Princess Charlotte}} to retain her place in line before {{w|Prince Louis of Cambridge|Prince Louis}}.<br />
|-<br />
|18<br />
|The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Unsure if this is constitutional, or what the Founding Fathers would have wanted (a Brit sitting as U.S. President!). The complete list is {{w|Succession_to_the_British_throne#Current_line_of_succession|here}} and includes 57 names, as of the time of publishing.<br />
|-<br />
|19<br />
|The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
|''None''<br />
|The {{w|Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest}} is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition sponsored by {{w|Nathan's Famous}} held on July 4th. As of the time of publishing, the most recent men's winner is {{w|Joey Chestnut}} and the women's winner is {{w|Miki Sudo}}.<br />
|-<br />
|20<br />
|All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament<br />
|''None''<br />
|Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals (2^29), although additional rounds can be added should the population grow further.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The title text mentions whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born. {{w|Europa}} is a moon of Jupiter, so most people would be very far from its surface when they were born. Alternatively, Randall could be playing on how Europa sounds like Europe.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
: A proposal for a new presidential line of succession<br />
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The presidential succession act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.<br />
: (for more, see the surprisingly gripping [https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-continuity-of-the-presidency-the-second-report-of-the-continuity-of-government-commission/ ''Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission'', June 2009]).<br />
: Proposed line of succession:<br />
:# President<br />
:# Vice president<br />
:# Secretary of State<br />
:# Secretary of Defense<br />
:# Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
:# Attorney General<br />
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, Nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
:# Tom Hanks<br />
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
:# Kate McKinnon, if available<br />
:# Billboard year-end hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
:# The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament.<br />
<br />
: Title text: Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2003:_Presidential_Succession&diff=1583742003: Presidential Succession2018-06-06T06:29:16Z<p>172.68.47.240: /* Explanation */ note</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2003<br />
| date = June 6, 2018<br />
| title = Presidential Succession<br />
| image = presidential_succession.png<br />
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is the order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent President is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. <br />
<br />
The {{w|Presidential_Succession_Act#Presidential_Succession_Act_of_1947|Presidential Succession Act of 1947}} was an act by the U.S. Congress that revised the presidential order of succession to its current order. This act, though never challenged in the courts, may not be constitutional for two reasons. First, it is unclear whether members of Congress can be designated in the line of succession. Secondly, the act allows for a cabinet officer to be "replaced" as acting President by a new Speaker of the House or a new President Pro Tempore of the Senate.<br />
<br />
The full text of the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission can be found here: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf<br />
<br />
The first 6 members of Randall's list are included in the current line of succession. After the top 6, his list ranges from politicians, to actors who have played Presidents, to athletes. <br />
<br />
Randall's list omits the Speaker of the House and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, as well as many other cabinet positions. Perhaps he does not find those people qualified to become President of the United States, and is concerned about the constitutionality of lawmakers becoming President.<br />
<br />
This is another comic in the continuing line of comics about American politics, especially after the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016.<br />
<br />
==Order of succession==<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!#<br />
!Randall's order<br />
!Current order by the 1947 Act<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|President<br />
|President<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
| Vice president<br />
| Vice president<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|Speaker of the House of Representatives<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|4<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|President pro tempore of the Senate<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|5<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Secretary of the Treasury <br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|6<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|7<br />
|Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the President's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Unclear if these 5 people have to have any qualifications whatsoever.<br />
|-<br />
|8<br />
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}<br />
|Secretary of the Interior<br />
|Academy Award-winning American actor<br />
|-<br />
|9<br />
|State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
|Secretary of Agriculture<br />
|As of time of publishing, the last census was the 2010 U.S. Census. {{w|2010_United_States_Census#State_rankings|Link}} to state populations.<br />
|-<br />
|10<br />
|Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
|Secretary of Commerce <br />
|Oscars, or {{w|Academy Awards}}, are annual film awards awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
|Secretary of Labor<br />
|The {{w|Governors Awards}} are an annual award ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present lifetime achievement awards within the film industry. As this award is a lifetime achievement award, it does not seem possible that an actor could win this award for simply playing someone named Oscar.<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}, if available<br />
|Secretary of Health and Human Services <br />
|Comedic actress famous for being a cast member on {{w|Saturday Night Live}}. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions.<br />
|-<br />
|13<br />
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
|Secretary of Housing and Urban Development <br />
|The {{w|Billboard Hot 100}} is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. <br />
|-<br />
|14<br />
|The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
|Secretary of Transportation<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|15<br />
|{{w|Serena Williams}} (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
|Secretary of Energy<br />
|As of the time of publishing, Serena Williams was the top female tennis player (though not the world #1 ranking, because she took time off for pregnancy). She is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all-time, winning 39 {{w|Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam}} titles, including 14 women's doubles titles. <br />
<br />
If her most recent defeat was to a non-US player, it is unclear whether that person would still qualify for President.<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|Secretary of Education <br />
|The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
|MVP stands for {{w|Most Valuable Player}}. The 4 listed leagues are the major sports leagues in the United States, the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA), the {{w|National Football League}} (NFL), {{w|Major League Baseball}} (MLB), and the {{w|National Hockey League}} (NHL).<br />
<br />
As of the time of publishing, the most recent MVPs for the listed sports are {{w|Russell Westbrook}} (NBA), {{w|Tom Brady}} (NFL), {{w|José Altuve}} and {{w|Giancarlo Stanton}} (MLB has two, one for the American League and one for the National League), and {{w|Connor McDavid}} (NHL).<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|{{w|Bill Pullman}} and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
|Secretary of Veterans Affairs <br />
|American actor, known for playing President Thomas J. Whitmore in the 1996 film ''{{w|Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day}}''. <br />
<br />
Absolute primogeniture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant receives the title. This is contrasted to {{w|Male-preference primogeniture}}, in which females come before males in the order of the throne, whether the females were born first or not. This may be a reference to the British law {{w|Succession to the Crown Act 2013}}, which changed the order of the throne from male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. This act allows {{w|Princess Charlotte of Cambridge|Princess Charlotte}} to retain her place in line before {{w|Prince Louis of Cambridge|Prince Louis}}.<br />
|-<br />
|18<br />
|The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Unsure if this is constitutional, or what the Founding Fathers would have wanted (a Brit sitting as U.S. President!). The complete list is {{w|Succession_to_the_British_throne#Current_line_of_succession|here}} and includes 57 names, as of the time of publishing.<br />
|-<br />
|19<br />
|The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
|''None''<br />
|The {{w|Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest}} is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition sponsored by {{w|Nathan's Famous}} held on July 4th. As of the time of publishing, the most recent men's winner is {{w|Joey Chestnut}} and the women's winner is {{w|Miki Sudo}}.<br />
|-<br />
|20<br />
|All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament<br />
|''None''<br />
|Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals (2^29), although additional rounds can be added should the population grow further.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The title text mentions whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born. {{w|Europa}} is a moon of Jupiter, so most people would be very far from its surface when they were born. Alternatively, Randall could be playing on how Europa sounds like Europe.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
: A proposal for a new presidential line of succession<br />
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The presidential succession act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.<br />
: (for more, see the surprisingly gripping [https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-continuity-of-the-presidency-the-second-report-of-the-continuity-of-government-commission/ ''Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission'', June 2009]).<br />
: Proposed line of succession:<br />
:# President<br />
:# Vice president<br />
:# Secretary of State<br />
:# Secretary of Defense<br />
:# Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
:# Attorney General<br />
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, Nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
:# Tom Hanks<br />
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
:# Kate McKinnon, if available<br />
:# Billboard year-end hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
:# The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament.<br />
<br />
: Title text: Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2003:_Presidential_Succession&diff=1583732003: Presidential Succession2018-06-06T06:27:10Z<p>172.68.47.240: /* Order of succession */ title text</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2003<br />
| date = June 6, 2018<br />
| title = Presidential Succession<br />
| image = presidential_succession.png<br />
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is the order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent President is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. <br />
<br />
The {{w|Presidential_Succession_Act#Presidential_Succession_Act_of_1947|Presidential Succession Act of 1947}} was an act by the U.S. Congress that revised the presidential order of succession to its current order. This act, though never challenged in the courts, may not be constitutional for two reasons. First, it is unclear whether members of Congress can be designated in the line of succession. Secondly, the act allows for a cabinet officer to be "replaced" as acting President by a new Speaker of the House or a new President Pro Tempore of the Senate.<br />
<br />
The full text of the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission can be found here: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf<br />
<br />
The first 6 members of Randall's list are included in the current line of succession. After the top 6, his list ranges from politicians, to actors who have played Presidents, to athletes. <br />
<br />
This is another comic in the continuing line of comics about American politics, especially after the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Order of succession==<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!#<br />
!Randall's order<br />
!Current order by the 1947 Act<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|President<br />
|President<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
| Vice president<br />
| Vice president<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|Speaker of the House of Representatives<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|4<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|President pro tempore of the Senate<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|5<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Secretary of the Treasury <br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|6<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|7<br />
|Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the President's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Unclear if these 5 people have to have any qualifications whatsoever.<br />
|-<br />
|8<br />
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}<br />
|Secretary of the Interior<br />
|Academy Award-winning American actor<br />
|-<br />
|9<br />
|State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
|Secretary of Agriculture<br />
|As of time of publishing, the last census was the 2010 U.S. Census. {{w|2010_United_States_Census#State_rankings|Link}} to state populations.<br />
|-<br />
|10<br />
|Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
|Secretary of Commerce <br />
|Oscars, or {{w|Academy Awards}}, are annual film awards awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
|Secretary of Labor<br />
|The {{w|Governors Awards}} are an annual award ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present lifetime achievement awards within the film industry. As this award is a lifetime achievement award, it does not seem possible that an actor could win this award for simply playing someone named Oscar.<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}, if available<br />
|Secretary of Health and Human Services <br />
|Comedic actress famous for being a cast member on {{w|Saturday Night Live}}. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions.<br />
|-<br />
|13<br />
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
|Secretary of Housing and Urban Development <br />
|The {{w|Billboard Hot 100}} is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. <br />
|-<br />
|14<br />
|The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
|Secretary of Transportation<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|15<br />
|{{w|Serena Williams}} (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
|Secretary of Energy<br />
|As of the time of publishing, Serena Williams was the top female tennis player (though not the world #1 ranking, because she took time off for pregnancy). She is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all-time, winning 39 {{w|Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam}} titles, including 14 women's doubles titles. <br />
<br />
If her most recent defeat was to a non-US player, it is unclear whether that person would still qualify for President.<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|Secretary of Education <br />
|The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
|MVP stands for {{w|Most Valuable Player}}. The 4 listed leagues are the major sports leagues in the United States, the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA), the {{w|National Football League}} (NFL), {{w|Major League Baseball}} (MLB), and the {{w|National Hockey League}} (NHL).<br />
<br />
As of the time of publishing, the most recent MVPs for the listed sports are {{w|Russell Westbrook}} (NBA), {{w|Tom Brady}} (NFL), {{w|José Altuve}} and {{w|Giancarlo Stanton}} (MLB has two, one for the American League and one for the National League), and {{w|Connor McDavid}} (NHL).<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|{{w|Bill Pullman}} and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
|Secretary of Veterans Affairs <br />
|American actor, known for playing President Thomas J. Whitmore in the 1996 film ''{{w|Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day}}''. <br />
<br />
Absolute primogeniture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant receives the title. This is contrasted to {{w|Male-preference primogeniture}}, in which females come before males in the order of the throne, whether the females were born first or not. This may be a reference to the British law {{w|Succession to the Crown Act 2013}}, which changed the order of the throne from male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. This act allows {{w|Princess Charlotte of Cambridge|Princess Charlotte}} to retain her place in line before {{w|Prince Louis of Cambridge|Prince Louis}}.<br />
|-<br />
|18<br />
|The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Unsure if this is constitutional, or what the Founding Fathers would have wanted (a Brit sitting as U.S. President!). The complete list is {{w|Succession_to_the_British_throne#Current_line_of_succession|here}} and includes 57 names, as of the time of publishing.<br />
|-<br />
|19<br />
|The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
|''None''<br />
|The {{w|Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest}} is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition sponsored by {{w|Nathan's Famous}} held on July 4th. As of the time of publishing, the most recent men's winner is {{w|Joey Chestnut}} and the women's winner is {{w|Miki Sudo}}.<br />
|-<br />
|20<br />
|All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament<br />
|''None''<br />
|Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals (2^29), although additional rounds can be added should the population grow further.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The title text mentions whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born. {{w|Europa}} is a moon of Jupiter, so most people would be very far from its surface when they were born. Alternatively, Randall could be playing on how Europa sounds like Europe.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
: A proposal for a new presidential line of succession<br />
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The presidential succession act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.<br />
: (for more, see the surprisingly gripping [https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-continuity-of-the-presidency-the-second-report-of-the-continuity-of-government-commission/ ''Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission'', June 2009]).<br />
: Proposed line of succession:<br />
:# President<br />
:# Vice president<br />
:# Secretary of State<br />
:# Secretary of Defense<br />
:# Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
:# Attorney General<br />
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, Nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
:# Tom Hanks<br />
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
:# Kate McKinnon, if available<br />
:# Billboard year-end hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
:# The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament.<br />
<br />
: Title text: Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2003:_Presidential_Succession&diff=1583702003: Presidential Succession2018-06-06T06:19:28Z<p>172.68.47.240: table, with more explanations</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2003<br />
| date = June 6, 2018<br />
| title = Presidential Succession<br />
| image = presidential_succession.png<br />
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is the order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent President is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. <br />
<br />
The {{w|Presidential_Succession_Act#Presidential_Succession_Act_of_1947|Presidential Succession Act of 1947}} was an act by the U.S. Congress that revised the presidential order of succession to its current order. This act, though never challenged in the courts, may not be constitutional for two reasons. First, it is unclear whether members of Congress can be designated in the line of succession. Secondly, the act allows for a cabinet officer to be "replaced" as acting President by a new Speaker of the House or a new President Pro Tempore of the Senate.<br />
<br />
The full text of the Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission can be found here: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/06_continuity_of_government.pdf<br />
<br />
The first 6 members of Randall's list are included in the current line of succession. After the top 6, his list ranges from politicians, to actors who have played Presidents, to athletes. <br />
<br />
This is another comic in the continuing line of comics about American politics, especially after the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Order of succession==<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!#<br />
!Randall's order<br />
!Current order by the 1947 Act<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
|1<br />
|President<br />
|President<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|2<br />
| Vice president<br />
| Vice president<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|3<br />
|Secretary of State<br />
|Speaker of the House of Representatives<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|4<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|President pro tempore of the Senate<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|5<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Secretary of the Treasury <br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|6<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Secretary of Defense<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|7<br />
|Five people who do not live in Washington DC, nominated at the start of the President's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
|Attorney General<br />
|Unclear if these 5 people have to have any qualifications whatsoever.<br />
|-<br />
|8<br />
|{{w|Tom Hanks}}<br />
|Secretary of the Interior<br />
|Academy Award-winning American actor<br />
|-<br />
|9<br />
|State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
|Secretary of Agriculture<br />
|As of time of publishing, the last census was the 2010 U.S. Census. {{w|2010_United_States_Census#State_rankings|Link}} to state populations.<br />
|-<br />
|10<br />
|Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
|Secretary of Commerce <br />
|Oscars, or {{w|Academy Awards}}, are annual film awards awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<br />
|-<br />
|11<br />
|Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
|Secretary of Labor<br />
|The {{w|Governors Awards}} are an annual award ceremony hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to present lifetime achievement awards within the film industry. As this award is a lifetime achievement award, it does not seem possible that an actor could win this award for simply playing someone named Oscar.<br />
|-<br />
|12<br />
|{{w|Kate McKinnon}}, if available<br />
|Secretary of Health and Human Services <br />
|Comedic actress famous for being a cast member on {{w|Saturday Night Live}}. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions.<br />
|-<br />
|13<br />
|Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
|Secretary of Housing and Urban Development <br />
|The {{w|Billboard Hot 100}} is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for singles, published weekly by Billboard magazine. <br />
|-<br />
|14<br />
|The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
|Secretary of Transportation<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
|15<br />
|{{w|Serena Williams}} (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
|Secretary of Energy<br />
|As of the time of publishing, Serena Williams was the top female tennis player (though not the world #1 ranking, because she took time off for pregnancy). She is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all-time, winning 39 {{w|Grand Slam (tennis)|Grand Slam}} titles, including 14 women's doubles titles. <br />
<br />
If her most recent defeat was to a non-US player, it is unclear whether that person would still qualify for President.<br />
|-<br />
|16<br />
|Secretary of Education <br />
|The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
|MVP stands for {{w|Most Valuable Player}}. The 4 listed leagues are the major sports leagues in the United States, the {{w|National Basketball Association}} (NBA), the {{w|National Football League}} (NFL), {{w|Major League Baseball}} (MLB), and the {{w|National Hockey League}} (NHL).<br />
<br />
As of the time of publishing, the most recent MVPs for the listed sports are {{w|Russell Westbrook}} (NBA), {{w|Tom Brady}} (NFL), {{w|José Altuve}} and {{w|Giancarlo Stanton}} (MLB has two, one for the American League and one for the National League), and {{w|Connor McDavid}} (NHL).<br />
|-<br />
|17<br />
|{{w|Bill Pullman}} and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
|Secretary of Veterans Affairs <br />
|American actor, known for playing President Thomas J. Whitmore in the 1996 film ''{{w|Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day}}''. <br />
<br />
Absolute primogeniture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant receives the title. This is contrasted to {{w|Male-preference primogeniture}}, in which females come before males in the order of the throne, whether the females were born first or not. This may be a reference to the British law {{w|Succession to the Crown Act 2013}}, which changed the order of the throne from male-preference primogeniture to absolute primogeniture. This act allows {{w|Princess Charlotte of Cambridge|Princess Charlotte}} to retain her place in line before {{w|Prince Louis of Cambridge|Prince Louis}}.<br />
|-<br />
|18<br />
|The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
|Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
|Unsure if this is constitutional, or what the Founding Fathers would have wanted (a Brit sitting as U.S. President!). The complete list is {{w|Succession_to_the_British_throne#Current_line_of_succession|here}} and includes 57 names, as of the time of publishing.<br />
|-<br />
|19<br />
|The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
|''None''<br />
|The {{w|Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest}} is an annual American hot dog competitive eating competition sponsored by {{w|Nathan's Famous}} held on July 4th. As of the time of publishing, the most recent men's winner is {{w|Joey Chestnut}} and the women's winner is {{w|Miki Sudo}}.<br />
|-<br />
|20<br />
|All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament<br />
|''None''<br />
|Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals (2^29), although additional rounds can be added should the population grow further.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
: A proposal for a new presidential line of succession<br />
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The presidential succession act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.<br />
: (for more, see the surprisingly gripping [https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-continuity-of-the-presidency-the-second-report-of-the-continuity-of-government-commission/ ''Second Report of the Continuity of Government Commission'', June 2009]).<br />
: Proposed line of succession:<br />
:# President<br />
:# Vice president<br />
:# Secretary of State<br />
:# Secretary of Defense<br />
:# Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
:# Attorney General<br />
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, Nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the Senate<br />
:# Tom Hanks<br />
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playing a governor<br />
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
:# Kate McKinnon, if available<br />
:# Billboard year-end hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner notes, etc)<br />
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogeniture<br />
:# The entire line of succession to the British throne<br />
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament.<br />
<br />
: Title text: Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2003:_Presidential_Succession&diff=1583622003: Presidential Succession2018-06-06T05:14:34Z<p>172.68.47.240: /* Explanation */ more context</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2003<br />
| date = June 6, 2018<br />
| title = Presidential Succession<br />
| image = presidential_succession.png<br />
| titletext = Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
The {{w|United States presidential line of succession}} is a order of people who serve as president if the current incumbent president is incapacitated, dies, resigns, or is removed from office. This is another comic in the continuing line of comics about American politics, especially after the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016.<br />
<br />
# President<br />
# Vice president<br />
# Secretary of State<br />
# Secretary of Defense<br />
# Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
# Attorney General<br />
# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, Nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the senate<br />
# Tom Hanks<br />
# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
# Anyone who won an Oscar for playong a governor<br />
# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
# Kate McKinnon, if available<br />
# Billboard year-end hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner nores, etc)<br />
# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
# '''Bill Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogenture'''. Bill Pullman is an American actor, known for playing Independence Day as President Thomas J. Whitmore. Absolute primogenture is a form of succession where the oldest direct descendant receives the title. <br />
# The entire line of succession to the british throne<br />
# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
# '''All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament.''' Effective for a population up to 536,870,912 individuals, although an additional round can be added should the population grow further.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
: A proposal for a new presidental line of succession<br />
: Current politics aside, most experts agree the existing process is flawed. The presidential succession act of 1947 is probably unconstitutional on several counts, and there are many practical issues with the system as well.<br />
: (for more, see the surprisingly gripping second report of the continuity of government, june 2009).<br />
: Proposed line of succession:<br />
:# President<br />
:# Vice president<br />
:# Secretary of State<br />
:# Secretary of Defense<br />
:# Secretary of Homeland Security<br />
:# Attorney General<br />
:# Five people who do not live in Washington DC, Nominated at the start of the president's term and confirmed by the senate<br />
:# Tom Hanks<br />
:# State Governors, in descending order of state population at last census<br />
:# Anyone who won an Oscar for playong a governor<br />
:# Anyone who won a Governor's award for playing someone named Oscar<br />
:# Kate McKinnon, if available<br />
:# Billboard year-end hot 100 singles artists #1 through #10 (for groups, whoever is credited first in name, liner nores, etc)<br />
:# The top 5 US astronauts in descending order of total spaceflight time<br />
:# Serena Williams (or, if she lost her most recent match, whoever beat her)<br />
:# The most recent season NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL MVPs<br />
:# Bull Pullman and his descendants by absolute primogenture<br />
:# The entire line of succession to the british throne<br />
:# The current champion of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating contest<br />
:# All other US citizens, chosen by a 29-round single-elimination Jousting tournament.<br />
<br />
: Title text: Ties are broken by whoever was closest to the surface of Europa when they were born.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1411:_Loop&diff=1579071411: Loop2018-05-30T04:16:02Z<p>172.68.47.240: /* Trivia */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1411<br />
| date = August 22, 2014<br />
| title = Loop<br />
| image = loop.png<br />
| titletext = Ugh, today's kids are forgetting the old-fashioned art of absentmindedly reading the same half-page of a book over and over and then letting your attention wander and picking up another book.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] is seen at his desk in front of four devices. He has clearly run out of things to do, or is looking for an excuse to procrastinate. A flowchart describes the process by which he scans the whole environment for something to do, which everyone can relate to.<br />
<br />
The comic uses electronics likely because they are the common time killer these days, and are most likely to contain fresh, tantalizing entertainment. News sites can be viewed as a good source of yet-to-be-seen content. Yet the search yields no interesting content, or the results don't garner enough attention, thus the blank stares and moving on to next device in line. Cueball has four devices, so he can begin with the PC and move through the loop three times - first to laptop, then tablet and finally to smartphone.<br />
<br />
The title text notes that this also happened before there were electronic devices like today, assuming most entertainment came from books. The point made is that, while the Internet and modern electronic devices are often blamed for jeopardizing the minds of adolescents, the attention span of "the kids" is not worse than it ever was, neither in the context of low-tech nor high-tech media. Kids focus on some things for a long time, but they do change this focus often very abruptly. But nevertheless there are still many kids reading books today until the end.<br />
<br />
The title text could also be considered to imply another type of loop in which various generations experience the same situations under different circumstances (i.e., history repeating itself). In this case, the new generation experiences the attention lapse loop with electronics, whereas the previous generation experienced this same loop with books. There may also be a commentary present on the shorter attention span of the current generation as opposed to the previous one in that there is an obvious terminus to the electronics loop while the book loop could extend nearly indefinitely.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball sits at a desk, accompanied by a desktop computer and a laptop open in front of it. He is holding a tablet in his left hand and a smartphone in his right.]<br />
<br />
:[A cyclical flowchart is shown above Cueball:]<br />
:Stare blankly at screen -> Open news site -> Start reading -> Get bored -> Absentmindedly check smaller device -> Stare blankly at screen -> ...<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*His compulsive checking of various sites is also presented in [[862: Let Go]], where in the title text he mentions that the solution he found was to add a 30 second delay for any sites that he opened before he could use them. This is further expanded in the [http://blog.xkcd.com/2011/02/18/distraction-affliction-correction-extensio/ xkcd blog].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Smartphones]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=853:_Consecutive_Vowels&diff=157728853: Consecutive Vowels2018-05-26T08:01:29Z<p>172.68.47.240: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 853<br />
| date = January 28, 2011<br />
| title = Consecutive Vowels<br />
| image = consecutive_vowels.png<br />
| titletext = But the windows! What if there's a voyeur watchi-- wait, now I'm turned on too.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
After running some analysis on a database, [[Cueball]] shows [[Megan]] a chart depicting the relationship between sexual arousal and consecutive vowels, showing that a high amount of consecutive vowels is linked to higher sexual arousal. At first, it could be theorised to be due to drawn out moans or screams during lovemaking and orgasm (Ooooh! Yeeeees!).<br />
<br />
Megan says she doesn't get it, but Cueball interrupts her with "queueing", a word with 5 consecutive vowels. This {{tvtropes|CoitusEnsues|immediately arouses Megan, who grabs Cueball and shouts "FUCK ME NOW."}} It turns out that the consecutive vowels themselves appear to cause arousal, rather than arousal causing the use of consecutive vowels.<br />
<br />
The title text shows that Cueball is fearful that there may be a voyeur peeking at them, but as "voyeur" has 4 consecutive vowels because "y" is a vowel in this case, Cueball gets turned on as well.<br />
<br />
This is yet another example of correlation not necessarily implying causation (since the basis of the comic is absurd).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Cueball: I was running a factor analysis on this huge database, and check out what it found:<br />
:[Cueball holds up the chart.]<br />
<br />
:[A graph plotting "sexual arousal" against "consecutive vowels." The trendline is a smooth exponential curve.]<br />
<br />
:Megan: Huh? This chart makes no sense. What-<br />
:Cueball: "Queueing"<br />
<br />
:[Megan grabs Cueball.]<br />
:Megan: ''FUCK ME NOW.''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Line graphs]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]<br />
[[Category:Sex]]</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1676:_Full-Width_Justification&diff=1572671676: Full-Width Justification2018-05-19T00:20:15Z<p>172.68.47.240: Undo revision 157266 by 141.101.88.142 (talk) shouldn't the captcha prevent things like this</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1676<br />
| date = May 4, 2016<br />
| title = Full-Width Justification<br />
| image = full_width_justification.png<br />
| titletext = Gonna start bugging the Unicode consortium to add snake segment characters that can be combined into an arbitrary-length non-breaking snake.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The comic refers to an irritating problem in laying out text to fit from margin to margin, the problem of {{w|justification (typesetting)|justification}}, where you want multiple-line text to line up on the left side (common), the right side (less common), or both sides, which is commonly called full justification. This strip is dealing with how to make text fit such that it lines up on both sides while still looking good. Sometimes, as before a long word like "[[:wikt:deindustrialization|deindustrialization]]," there's no universal good way to make the typography work. It is a difficult problem to make text look good and be easily legible especially in a narrow space, with the biggest issue being how to handle words that are too long to fit nicely.<br />
<br />
The comic shows several solutions to this problem, some realistic and others less so, but each partly or wholly unsatisfying.<br />
<br />
"'''Giving up'''" essentially means not attempting full justification for a particular line, which means it will not fit with the rest of the layout.<br />
<br />
"'''Letter spacing'''" involves an conspicuously large amount of whitespace between letters, suggesting a reading where each letter is a word until the reader recognizes what is intended. This method is in somewhat common use in newspaper and magazine layout, where it is generally known by the name "tracking" (distance between all letters) and "kerning" (distance between particular pairs of letters that fit together easily). However, letter spacing is unavailable for justification purposes in some languages (such as German), in which it is used for emphasis, as italics are in English.<br />
<br />
"'''Hyphenation'''" is confusing because it requires suspended recognition of the full word, confusing the eye into seeing, in the given case, the non-words "deindus" and "trialization". This creates difficulty in both pronouncing and parsing the word. Moreover, the decision of when and where to hyphenate is non-trivial, particularly for automated text layout; for example, breaking a word and leaving only two "orphaned" letters on the following line is generally considered an illegal hyphenation. Nevertheless, hyphenation is a very common means of handling extreme cases.<br />
<br />
"'''Stretching'''" appears visually unnatural and unfamiliar, and may present technical difficulties in rendering.<br />
<br />
Adding "'''filler'''" words is generally undesirable: in the worst case, the meaning may be unintentionally altered, or the tone might be rendered too informal, as in the given example, and even in the best case, the text becomes less concise and potentially more difficult to read. Automation is also difficult. However, filler words added by a human, especially the original author of the text, are the least visually conspicuous, and may be the most practical solution in some scenarios.<br />
<br />
Finally, adding a decorative image like "'''snakes'''" (but not necessarily snakes in particular) to fill the extra space is a justification practice of significant historical interest (it was particularly common for illuminated manuscripts in the medieval era and remained prominent until the invention of the printing press) but little modern relevance. There may be a particular absurdity to using a snake as it can be read as a word, such as "the relationship between snake deindustrialization" as would be done similar to a {{w|rebus}}.<br />
<br />
In modern text layout programs, some combination of the above strategies may be used to achieve the most visually consistent effect. For example, in one case, hyphenation might be the best option to split a very long word, while another line might be too long by only one or two letters, in which case the program could apply a very slight degree of extra letter spacing, too small for the average reader to notice.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests that in order to facilitate the "snakes" method of "solving" the problem, the {{w|Unicode Consortium}}, the organization in charge of the common text standard {{w|Unicode}}, should add "snake-building characters" (similar in concept to the existing {{w|Box Drawing}} block), to allow variable-length snake images to be used as filling. Currently, there are at least six snake characters in Unicode, not including at least ten more Egyptian hieroglyphs that represent specific snakes, some in specific combination with other hieroglyphs: [http://unicode-search.net/unicode-namesearch.pl?term=SNAKE]<br />
*[https://codepoints.net/U+1DC2 U+1DC2] &nbsp; <big>&#x1DC2;</big> &nbsp; <big>[S&#x1DC2;]</big><br />
**A diacritical {{w|combining character}} used in Americanist phonetic notation to indicate lenis (weak) articulation.<br />
*[https://codepoints.net/U+2E92 U+2E92] &nbsp; <big>&#x2E92;</big><br />
**A {{w|CJK character}} which might be interpreted as "snake".<br />
*[https://codepoints.net/U+8675 U+8675] &nbsp; <big>&#x8675;</big><br />
**Another CJK character meaning "snake".<br />
*[https://codepoints.net/U+86C7 U+86C7] &nbsp; <big>&#x86C7;</big><br />
**Another CJK character meaning "snake".<br />
*[https://codepoints.net/U+1D9DC U+1D9DC] &nbsp; <big>&#x1D9DC;</big><br />
**One of the poorly-supported characters in the {{w|signWriting|signwriting block}}.<br />
*[https://codepoints.net/U+1F40D U+1F40D] &nbsp; <big>&#x1F40D;</big><br />
**An {{w|emoji}} snake.<br />
<br />
One of the hieroglyphs ([https://codepoints.net/U+13192 U+13192 EGYPTIAN HIEROGLYPH I009A]) is described in [https://mjn.host.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk/egyptian/unicode/tablemain.html source documents] as HORNED VIPER CRAWLING OUT OF ENCLOSURE, so it is literally a snake-building character.<br />
<br />
"Non-breaking" in the title text refers to a similar process as zero-width joiners and no-break HTML and CSS; the whole snake would shift down if it were too wide to fit on a given line. This suggestion would likely be rejected; the Unicode consortium is very specific about which characters are added{{Citation needed}}, and always require a good reason{{Citation needed}} before adding a character or set of characters to the standard. Strange decisions by the consortium have previously been referenced in [[1253: Exoplanet Names]], [[1513: Code Quality]], and [[1525: Emojic 8 Ball]].<br />
<br />
Within an hour or two of this comic being published, a thread on the subject started on the Unicode Consortium’s official Unicode Mailing List. As of two days later, it’s still running.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Strategies for full-width justification<br />
<br />
:[Below the caption is a column with six boxes, each showing a different "strategy" for justification which is annotated beside it. Here the annotation is written at the top and the text below. The top and bottom of the text is cut of in the middle, but as it can be "read" this is written anyway. Only for hyphenation does an extra word appear at the end. In the last with snakes, a snake is drawn to cover the entire space from the end of between to the right border.]<br />
<br />
:Giving up<br />
::their famous paper<br />
::on the relationship<br />
::between<br />
::deindustrialization<br />
::and the growth of<br />
<br />
:Letter spacing<br />
::their famous paper<br />
::on the relationship<br />
::b &nbsp;e &nbsp; t &nbsp; w &nbsp; e&nbsp; e &nbsp; n<br />
::deindustrialization<br />
::and the growth of<br />
<br />
:Hyphenation<br />
::their famous paper<br />
::on the relationship<br />
::between deindus-<br />
::trialization and the<br />
::growth of ecological<br />
<br />
:Stretching<br />
::their famous paper<br />
::on the relationship<br />
::<big><big><big>between</big></big></big><br />
::deindustrialization<br />
::and the growth of<br />
<br />
:Filler<br />
::their famous paper<br />
::on the relationship<br />
::between crap like<br />
::deindustrialization<br />
::and the growth of<br />
<br />
:Snakes<br />
::their famous paper<br />
::on the relationship<br />
::between 🐍 [a snake filling the gap]<br />
::deindustrialization<br />
::and the growth of<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The full text (with alternate changes) reads:<br />
::''...their famous paper on the relationship between [crap like]/[ 🐍 ] deindustrialization and the growth of [ecological]...''<br />
*An approach not depicted is to treat justification as part of a global typesetting strategy which allows words to move between lines even where this is not locally optimal. Its net effect in a case like this is to pull words from the previous line for use as filler. This approach is used by {{w|TeX}}.<br />
*In Arabic, it is common to stretch the lines connecting letters as a relatively elegant and satisfying resolution to this problem. This trick is called "{{w|kashida}}" (كشيدة). There does in fact exist a Unicode character, U+0640: (ـ), to help with this: using it to extend "كشيدة" would result in something like "كـــــشـــيـــدة" (which, incidentally, looks a lot like a snake).<br />
*Jim Chapman, developer of Windows 10 e-reader app Freda, has implemented snake-justification in the app, now available on the [https://www.microsoft.com/store/apps/9wzdncrfj43b Windows Store]. For best results, use the 'settings' screen to switch 'hyphenation' to 'no', 'use snakes' to 'yes', and choose a large font size (33 or so). Then pick a book with long words and justified text, and read it in a narrow window.<br />
*The comic has been discussed on the [http://www.unicode.org/mail-arch/unicode-ml/y2016-m05/0004.html Unicode Mailing List].<br />
*The typesetting system [http://www.sile-typesetter.org/ SILE] implemented snake justification on the same day the comic was published.<br />
*"Line Fillers" depicting animals (including snakes) were widely used in [http://www.medievalcodes.ca/2016/04/line-fillers.html medieval book art].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Animals]]<br />
[[Category:Unicode]]</div>172.68.47.240https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1167:_Star_Trek_into_Darkness&diff=1571811167: Star Trek into Darkness2018-05-18T05:35:44Z<p>172.68.47.240: /* Transcript */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1167<br />
| date = January 30, 2013<br />
| title = Star Trek into Darkness<br />
| image = star_trek_into_darkness.png<br />
| titletext = Of course, factions immediately sprang up in favor of '~*~sTaR tReK iNtO dArKnEsS~*~', 'xX_StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNess_Xx', and 'Star Trek lnto Darkness' (that's a lowercase 'L').<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
The talk page of a Wikipedia article is used to discuss changes to the article. An {{w|Wikipedia:Edit warring|edit war}} is a dispute about a specific edit to an article, manifesting as a series of edits alternating between making and reverting the change, and usually accompanied by a more-or-less heated debate on the talk page.<br />
<br />
Here, [[Randall]] is referring to a dispute on the Wikipedia article about ''{{w|Star Trek Into Darkness|Star Trek lnto Darkness}}'' (an upcoming {{w|Star Trek}} film at the time of the comic's posting). On the day before the comic was published, the article name had a lowercase "into", and the talk page looked [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Star_Trek_Into_Darkness&oldid=535542349 like this] (rounded off in a friendly way, with the posting of {{w|User:Frungi/Star Trek Into Darkness capitalization|a summary of the arguments}}, and an exchange of virtual hugs). In summary, the debate centers around whether "Into Darkness" should be treated as a prepositional phrase or an unpunctuated subtitle (as in "Star Trek: Into Darkness"), whether compound prepositions like "into" should be capitalized in titles, and whether the capitalization of the title in the movie's official promotional material is relevant. The intensity and multiple facets of a debate over one tiny letter is apparently entertaining to Randall.<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] changes the title so that every other letter is capitalized, and adds framing tildes and asterisks (a common, but childish and ugly way of emphasizing titles online). This will probably not go over well.<br />
<br />
[[Megan|Megan's]] line of "They should have sent a poet." is a quote from the film ''{{w|Contact (1997 American film)|Contact}}''. The quote is also featured in [[482: Height]]. In the movie, the line was meant to convey that only a poet could adequately capture the beauty seen; here, it indicates that prose is insufficient to capture the ironic beauty of the edit war.<br />
<br />
The title text indicates Randall's belief that such arguments are perpetual and will always arise. He suggests that the edit to the Wikipedia page will result in a dispute over variants of Cueballs "compromise". Because the lowercase "L" and the capital "I" appear similar in many fonts, he also puts forth the potential argument that the character in the movie's title is a lowercase "L".<br />
<br />
The old "favorite edit war" might be the one referenced in the title text of [[878: Model Rail]] or the one resulting from the addition of the [[739: Malamanteau]] article to Wikipedia<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball staring at computer screen.]<br />
:Cueball: Oh, ''wow.'' Look at Wikipedia's Talk page for '''''Star Trek into Darkness.''''' I have a new favorite edit war.<br />
:Megan (off-panel): Oh?<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Forty ''thousand'' words of debate over whether to capitalize "into" in the movie's title. Still no consensus.<br />
:Megan: That's ''magnificent''.<br />
:Cueball: It's breathtaking.<br />
:Megan: They should have sent a poet.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Well, I'm making an executive decision. I hope both sides accept this as a fair compromise.<br />
<br />
:[A Wikipedia page titled "''~*~ StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNeSs ~*~''"]<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
After the publication of the comic, the debate continued with full force, complete with {{w|Talk:Star Trek Into Darkness/Archive 5#xkcd Mention|a section of xkcd-inspired suggestions}}. The article itself was soon protected, so that only administrators could edit it. A day later, the title was changed to one including a capital "Into" by the administrator {{w|User:Mackensen|Mackensen}}. (The debate continued on {{w|User talk:Mackensen/Archive20#Star Trek into Darkness move|his talk page}}.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/~*~_StAr_TrEk_InTo_DaRkNeSs_~*~ was a valid redirect link for quite some time, having not been deleted when {{w|Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2015 January 25#~*~ StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNeSs ~*~|requested in 2015}}, but {{w|Wikipedia:Redirects for discussion/Log/2016 May 23#~*~ StAr TrEk InTo DaRkNeSs ~*~|2016}}.<br />
<br />
{{w|The Independent}} published an article about the "[http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/trekkies-take-on-wikis-in-a-grammatical-tizzy-over-star-trek-into-darkness-8475705.html grammatical tizzy]", and the affair as a whole was added to Wikipedia's humorous list of the {{w|WP:Lamest edit wars|lamest edit wars}}.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion 1167}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:Wikipedia]]<br />
[[Category:Compromise]]</div>172.68.47.240