https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=172.69.33.125&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T07:49:38ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2732:_Bursa_of_Fabricius&diff=3056942732: Bursa of Fabricius2023-02-02T18:08:50Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ redundant</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2732<br />
| date = February 1, 2023<br />
| title = Bursa of Fabricius<br />
| image = bursa_of_fabricius_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 298x399px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = If an anatomical structure is named for a person, it means they were the only person to have it. Pierre Paul Broca had a special area of his brain that created powerful magnetic fields, enabling him to do 19th century fMRI research.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by FLYING BIRD SCIENTISTS WITH TRANSPLANTED AVIAN LYMPHATIC ORGANS - Better description of the two people looking at Fabricius and how they may represent his time era. More on what fMRI is and how it today may be used to study what Broca studied on dead people only. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
The {{w|Bursa of Fabricius}} is an organ found in birds that is necessary for the development of their immune systems. <br />
<br />
This comic claims that the 16th century anatomist {{w|Hieronymus Fabricius}} (for whom the organ was named) was able to fly because he also had that organ. However, this organ does not in fact contribute directly to flight (despite being of avian orgin). Also given that it only exist in birds, then it is doubtful that Fabricius also independently had this same anatomical feature.<br />
<br />
Many scientific and mathematical discoveries, including anatomical structures, are named after the people who discovered or described them. Rare diseases are often named for the first or most famous (possibly even the only) person known to have had the disease. For instance {{w|ALS}} is commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease in the US because of baseball player {{w|Lou Gehrig}} having notably developed the condition. Outside of the US, it may be more known just as "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis" (alternatively "motor neurone disease") or, for simplicity, the initials ALS (or MND). In other cases, a person who identifies the specifics involved either attempts to set their own name to it, for posterity, or is later honoured in this manner by those who recognise their vital contribution to the field, such as with {{w|Parkinson's disease#History|Parkinson's disease}}.<br />
<br />
The title text continues with the idea from the comic claiming that anatomical structures solely possessed by the human for which they are named, in another similar example. {{w|Pierre Paul Broca}}, a French physician, anatomist and anthropologist, was known for his research on what is now known as {{w|Broca's area}}, a region of the brain used for speech and language processing. The premise being that, having this feature, he was uniquely gifted with the special ability to created powerful magnetic fields, enabling him to do {{w|fMRI}} research in the 19th century.<br />
<br />
Broca did not do fMRI research, a powerful method of non-intrusively imaging and analysing the internal structures of the living human body (amongst other things), as it was not invented in his lifetime. Nor is it likely that this ability could be 'naturally' possessed by any individual, such as he. He did, however, physically study brains of known speech-impaired patients who had then subsequently died, determining what damage (in the area of the brain which was then to be named for him) was directly related to their specific group of ailments. Today, we can safely view this area in living people, using fMRI, and directly connect what we see with the current condition of patients. This increase our knowledge of the brain, as with the mythical abilities Randall gave Broca, but also possibly even allows us to help those currently under the effects of any observed damage (not necessarily possible by any 19thC physician, even with this superpowered form of vision to assist them).<br />
<br />
In reality, if Broca was the only person to have ever possessed Broca's area then this might have meant that only he had ever had the power of speech (as we understand it), which would indeed give him a very special ability; but one begging a number of other vital questions, if only anybody else could have asked them...<br />
<br />
His brain was preserved in a museum, inspiring Carl Sagan to make "Broca's Brain" the title of an essay, included in a book with the same title. Awareness of the essay might contribute to speculation on what unusual features that brain had.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[An almost bald man with hair around the neck and a full beard, is shown flying in the top right part of the image, swooping down from the sky with arms outstretched in front of him while yelling. Three dotted lines behind him indicate his path. Two people look up at him from the bottom left corner, a man with a wide-brimmed hat and a black haired woman with a scarf over her hair, which is hanging down behind her. She is holding both her hands up to her mouth. At the top of the panel there is text:]<br />
:The '''''bursa of Fabricius''''' is a lymphoid organ found only in birds and in 16<sup>th</sup> century anatomist Hieronymus Fabricius, to whom it conferred the power of flight.<br />
:Hieronymus Fabricius: ''Wheee''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Characters with hats]]<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2732:_Bursa_of_Fabricius&diff=3056932732: Bursa of Fabricius2023-02-02T18:08:02Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ unnecessary paragraph</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2732<br />
| date = February 1, 2023<br />
| title = Bursa of Fabricius<br />
| image = bursa_of_fabricius_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 298x399px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = If an anatomical structure is named for a person, it means they were the only person to have it. Pierre Paul Broca had a special area of his brain that created powerful magnetic fields, enabling him to do 19th century fMRI research.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by FLYING BIRD SCIENTISTS WITH TRANSPLANTED AVIAN LYMPHATIC ORGANS - Better description of the two people looking at Fabricius and how they may represent his time era. More on what fMRI is and how it today may be used to study what Broca studied on dead people only. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
The {{w|Bursa of Fabricius}} is an organ found in birds that is necessary for the development of their immune systems. <br />
<br />
This comic claims that the 16th century anatomist {{w|Hieronymus Fabricius}} (for whom the organ was named) was able to fly because he also had that organ. However, this organ does not in fact contribute directly to flight (despite being of avian orgin). Also given that it only exist in birds, then it is doubtful that Fabricius also independently had this same anatomical feature. But [[Randall]] asserts that, because the organ was named after Fabricius, he is the one and only human to have had this organ. And, having this avian organ, that automatically grants him the birds' ability of flight. <br />
<br />
Many scientific and mathematical discoveries, including anatomical structures, are named after the people who discovered or described them. Rare diseases are often named for the first or most famous (possibly even the only) person known to have had the disease. For instance {{w|ALS}} is commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease in the US because of baseball player {{w|Lou Gehrig}} having notably developed the condition. Outside of the US, it may be more known just as "amyotrophic lateral sclerosis" (alternatively "motor neurone disease") or, for simplicity, the initials ALS (or MND). In other cases, a person who identifies the specifics involved either attempts to set their own name to it, for posterity, or is later honoured in this manner by those who recognise their vital contribution to the field, such as with {{w|Parkinson's disease#History|Parkinson's disease}}.<br />
<br />
The title text continues with the idea from the comic claiming that anatomical structures solely possessed by the human for which they are named, in another similar example. {{w|Pierre Paul Broca}}, a French physician, anatomist and anthropologist, was known for his research on what is now known as {{w|Broca's area}}, a region of the brain used for speech and language processing. The premise being that, having this feature, he was uniquely gifted with the special ability to created powerful magnetic fields, enabling him to do {{w|fMRI}} research in the 19th century.<br />
<br />
Broca did not do fMRI research, a powerful method of non-intrusively imaging and analysing the internal structures of the living human body (amongst other things), as it was not invented in his lifetime. Nor is it likely that this ability could be 'naturally' possessed by any individual, such as he. He did, however, physically study brains of known speech-impaired patients who had then subsequently died, determining what damage (in the area of the brain which was then to be named for him) was directly related to their specific group of ailments. Today, we can safely view this area in living people, using fMRI, and directly connect what we see with the current condition of patients. This increase our knowledge of the brain, as with the mythical abilities Randall gave Broca, but also possibly even allows us to help those currently under the effects of any observed damage (not necessarily possible by any 19thC physician, even with this superpowered form of vision to assist them).<br />
<br />
In reality, if Broca was the only person to have ever possessed Broca's area then this might have meant that only he had ever had the power of speech (as we understand it), which would indeed give him a very special ability; but one begging a number of other vital questions, if only anybody else could have asked them...<br />
<br />
His brain was preserved in a museum, inspiring Carl Sagan to make "Broca's Brain" the title of an essay, included in a book with the same title. Awareness of the essay might contribute to speculation on what unusual features that brain had.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[An almost bald man with hair around the neck and a full beard, is shown flying in the top right part of the image, swooping down from the sky with arms outstretched in front of him while yelling. Three dotted lines behind him indicate his path. Two people look up at him from the bottom left corner, a man with a wide-brimmed hat and a black haired woman with a scarf over her hair, which is hanging down behind her. She is holding both her hands up to her mouth. At the top of the panel there is text:]<br />
:The '''''bursa of Fabricius''''' is a lymphoid organ found only in birds and in 16<sup>th</sup> century anatomist Hieronymus Fabricius, to whom it conferred the power of flight.<br />
:Hieronymus Fabricius: ''Wheee''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Characters with hats]]<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2659:_Unreliable_Connection&diff=3051652659: Unreliable Connection2023-01-24T00:25:40Z<p>172.69.33.125: </p>
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If intrested you can check SEObility out here (https://foxly.me/Z4QkWH) we also heve an promotional video you can check out here (https://foxly.me/6r1VM1)</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2716:_Game_Night_Ordering&diff=303519Talk:2716: Game Night Ordering2022-12-27T07:45:35Z<p>172.69.33.125: Reply</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Should we create a category for comics about game night? It can contain at least this and https://xkcd.com/2486/. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 22:32, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:I'm not going to oppose it, but keep in mind that it would overlap with [[:Category:Board games]]. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.178.48|172.70.178.48]] 22:50, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::We absolutely need a general [[:Category:Games]] because we have e.g. roleplaying games under Board games. Does anyone know how to edit in a superclass category? The last time I ever did anything sophisticated with Mediawiki categories was like 2008. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.38|172.71.154.38]] 23:39, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::{{done}} [[User:Liv2splain|Liv2splain]] ([[User talk:Liv2splain|talk]]) 06:20, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The rules would seem to be similar to the card game Cheat (or, at least, the version we used to play). Using an ordinary wholly-dealt pack of cards (for any number of players), it was a "blind bid and discard" game whereby each player has to state "<one to four> <card value>s" (or more than four, with merged packs, each of which might be whole or partial) was going on the discard pile, such that the card value was within one (-1, =, +1, with standard wrapping ...>10>J>Q>K>A>2>...) of the prior stated discard. And ''something'' had to be discarded, whether or not the player could technically do so. The forfeit for not continuing play ''or'' challenging, within a generally acceptable thinking time, was the same for either being successfully challenged (you stated you put down two threes, but on checking the dump pile you discarded two sevens) or for the person who wrongly challenged... to pick up the discard pile and be so much further from the ultimate goal of ending up with zero cards (the first the winner, optionally the second, third, etc to do so to earn further ranks just for the sake of continuing/last-ranking the one who ended up as the only one still with cards). - I presume this game just applies the same penalty (buying the food) to anyone who dithers over whether to challenge anything or 'play their own hand'. There doesn't need to be anything more complicated to it. Unless there's also an 'empty hand' winning state, that I can't discern from the brief discourse given in the comic. But it seems more geared to finding the eventual 'loser' (the one who pays up) than any single beneficiary. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.230|162.158.34.230]] 23:17, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:If there is a link for Cheat you should add it. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.206.150|172.70.206.150]] 23:20, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::Well, I think there's far too many variations... Though, surprisingly, it does look like {{w|Cheat (game)}} actually describes ''my'' learnt version quite well. But I don't think I see any 'time out' penalties mentioned there, and that was the key part of the "play or challenge, don't dither, or you lose" bit to my (sorry, rather long) description above... [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.230|162.158.34.230]] 23:27, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::: Never apologize for verbosity on talk; devote that energy to brevity on main. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.156|172.71.154.156]] 23:41, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::::We need a quotes page. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.206.150|172.70.206.150]] 02:13, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::(Plus there's the inverted "loser finder" rather than "winner finder" primary nature of the gameplay. It makes the methodology of play a bit too different.) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.231|162.158.34.231]] 23:30, 26 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
We should make a payment service for providing crowdfunded rewards to the best contributors to explanations. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.16|172.69.134.16]] 01:16, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:I love this idea but it would conflict with the ethos of completely anonymized contributions here. Unless someone can propose how it might not? I mean, if there was some way to include an SHA-256 identity-confirming hash in edit summaries? Would keeping track of them in terms of surviving text after, say, a month be a decent leaderboard scoring? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.84|172.69.33.84]] 01:42, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::My meager anonymous IP contributions to explanations have been completely dwarfed by my attempts to revert vandalism on the official main page leaderboard, but is that a good or a bad thing? The idea needs to be carefully considered. I would absolutely kick in $25 to support other explainers, but I would need some assurance that the system couldn't be gamed by, e.g. paraphrasers, which I'm not sure is even possible. [[User:Liv2splain|Liv2splain]] ([[User talk:Liv2splain|talk]]) 01:54, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::: It's easy to hijack someone else's contributions with paraphrasing and refactoring. It's a dead end. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.230|162.158.166.230]] 02:05, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::: True, but is there a way to avoid the cheating? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.253|172.70.214.253]] 02:28, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::: I would probably also kick in $25 if the system was well-designed, even if it was vulnerable to paraphrasing or refactoring, as long as someone could call out such flaws as they happened. Never let the perfect be the enemy of the good. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.173|162.158.166.173]] 02:39, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::: The operationalism issue is how to set up actual payment flows while still allowing criticisms of them. The cost to reverse a payment is too high compared to the relative number of payments you might want to reverse. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.158.90|172.71.158.90]] 05:33, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is this about cryptocurrency scams? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.135|172.70.211.135]] 02:50, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:I want to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlMwc1c0HRQ&ab_channel=NickKing subscribe to your newsletter.] [[Special:Contributions/172.70.206.92|172.70.206.92]] 05:20, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Am I an idiot because I didn't know Amazon did food delivery before clicking on that first link? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.92|172.70.211.92]] 05:42, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:I didn't know either until you brought it to my attention, but firstly their prices are high compared to established players, and secondly it's a dystopian vision of capitalism which everyone is trying to avoid even though we all know it's inevitable. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.158.217|172.71.158.217]] 07:39, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::Dude! You can say that again! [[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.125|172.69.33.125]] 07:45, 27 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Does anyone else see the food : money :: atoms : bits analogy? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.19|162.158.186.19]] 07:26, 27 December 2022 (UTC)</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1572:_xkcd_Survey&diff=230427Talk:1572: xkcd Survey2022-04-14T16:07:48Z<p>172.69.33.125: an explanation of one of my answers if I could access the survey</p>
<hr />
<div>Mildly interesting to note that the ordering of most of the checkbox/radiobutton lists randomise each time the survery is loaded. Also, there is at least one other comic where Randall comments about not having figured out HTML imagemaps. Anyone remember which? --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 10:52, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:It was in one of his "under the logo" news bars, about him starting What If, iirc --[[User:Aescula|Aescula]] ([[User talk:Aescula|talk]]) 11:28, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
I wonder how many people, on reading 'Type "cat" here:', typed '"cat" here:'? I know I did... [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.214|141.101.98.214]] 11:58, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Guilty...--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 12:08, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
: Me too... However you could have typed '"cat" here:', as well... (/edit: I wonder how many different entries the survey's result will reveal) (/edit2: I did not read properly... sorry. I typed '"cat"' not '"cat" here:' -.-)[[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:27, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
: I typed meow -[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.86|141.101.105.86]] 12:41, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
::Where it said "Type five random words" I typed "five random words" (without the quotes).<br />
::--[[User:Lou Crazy|Lou Crazy]] ([[User talk:Lou Crazy|talk]]) 11:24, 3 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::My first thought there was "Correct Horse Battery Staple"[[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.47|162.158.255.47]] 04:42, 4 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::Those were the first four of my five "random words". -- [[User:Pne|Pne]] ([[User talk:Pne|talk]]) 17:18, 4 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
Me too<br />
::::Man, why didn't I think of that? [[User:Sobsz|Sobsz]] ([[User talk:Sobsz|talk]]) 06:37, 5 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::I tried to make it at least a bit random, rather than arbitrary, with a bash script: <nowiki>for _ in 1 2 3 4 5; do sed -n "$(((((32768*RANDOM)+RANDOM) % $(wc -l </usr/share/dict/words) ) + 1))p" /usr/share/dict/words; done</nowiki> -- ferret [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.121|141.101.99.121]] 11:58, 5 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::"Type five random words": Broad multi line text box [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 11:07, 19 October 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Not sure if it was just me, but the comic wasn't a link at all! The cursor changed into a No cursor for me everytime I mouseover'd the comic. I went to survey using the "Bonus Link!" below the comic page. [[User:Brilliantnut|Brilliantnut]] ([[User talk:Brilliantnut|talk]]) 12:01, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Never mind, this was probably due to the WebComics reader extension that I have in my browser. [[User:Brilliantnut|Brilliantnut]] ([[User talk:Brilliantnut|talk]]) 12:03, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
From hearing people on reddit comment about not being able to completely fill the text box (not just the visual box) with the error "Answer too long", it's caused by a 10k character limit. Presumably by Google Docs. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.192|108.162.249.192]] 13:18, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Can we get a note on the title text? Something about the [[1493]]-like vacuousness of "Big Data for a Big Planet". Also, I added a defn for "revergent"; future researchers, anyone who knows that one is probably a fern biologist. [[User:FourViolas|FourViolas]] ([[User talk:FourViolas|talk]]) 20:51, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:I just did a bit on the title text, but I don't think that I did the best job at explaining it, so someone should look over what I did.[[User:Mulan15262|Mulan15262]] ([[User talk:Mulan15262|talk]]) 23:32, 4 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
;Validation<br />
The validation choices are interesting.<br />
* "Enter a number between 1 and 100" rejects numbers outside this range (e.g. -1) but also reject valid responses (e.g. &pi;).<br />
* "Enter your age" and "Enter the number of $SIBLING" accept invalid responses such as -1. [[User:Paddles|Paddles]] ([[User talk:Paddles|talk]]) 13:29, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:-1 is not an "invalid response" for "Enter your age" if you are an unborn fetus. On the day of birth and all subsequent days less than one year later, a baby's age is zero. So from one year before birth to the day before birth, a fetus's age is negative one.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.214.233|108.162.214.233]] 06:49, 30 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
::I would like to point out that, one year prior to birth, a fetus does not exist. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.76|162.158.126.76]] 13:40, 15 March 2018 (UTC)<br />
:::That depends on your species.--[[Special:Contributions/172.68.65.24|172.68.65.24]] 17:47, 7 April 2019 (UTC)<br />
:I (with ''fairly'' honest intention) tried to give non-numeric answers to the two Think Of A Number questions and my the age one (honestly, I had to actually think about that one, for a moment) and found them restricted to numbers only. So obviously Randall's not ''so'' subversive as to allow free text. (BTW, I've ''only'' driven 'stick shift', though an old friend of mine has just gotten an automatic, I think for the first time, which said was rather posh of him.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.108|141.101.99.108]] 15:55, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
I used an HTML inspector tool to create a unique response to one of the radio button questions. The form claimed to submit successfully; it should be obvious in the results if it worked. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 16:29, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Identification<br />
"it's possible that someone may be able to identify you by looking at your responses"<br />
Then why send those informations to Google ? I find the idea of thee survey interesting but why Google doc ? There are other options like Lime Survey. [[User:Seipas|Seipas]] ([[User talk:Seipas|talk]]) 13:37, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
: Given the stated intention to make the collected dataset available publicly, there's no information-security reason to prefer another survey tool over Google. [[User:Paddles|Paddles]] ([[User talk:Paddles|talk]]) 14:21, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:: Technically Google could de-anonymize the data if you're logged in or otherwise identifiable when submitting the survey. When Randall publishes the data set it can be completely anonymized. Not that I care if Google knows I claim to consider myself half-cat, half-person. [[User:Jestempies|Jestempies]] ([[User talk:Jestempies|talk]]) 21:15, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Not a transcript<br />
This is mildly interesting, but it is not a transcript. Transcripts are meant mainly for blind people and search engines. Different letter sizes and a frame are not needed. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 12:54, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:{| style="text-align:center; border:1pt black solid;"<br />
|| Introducing <p style="font-size:large; margin:0px;"> '''THE XKCD SURVEY''' </p> A search for weird correlations <br/> Note: This survey is anonymous, but <br/> <font color="red"> all responses will be posted publicly </font> <br/> so people can play with the data. <br/> '''Click here to''' <br/> '''take the survey''' <p style="font-size:x-small"> Or click here, or here. <br/> The whole comic is a link, <br/> because I still haven't gotten <br/> the hang of HTML imagemaps. </p><br />
|}<br />
::The transcript is not only for blind people. And an enhanced layout doesn't harm them but instead it would help them. A speech synthesizer would tell them something like "headline" or "small text at bottom" so that the impaired people would get a much better feeling of the comic. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:12, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
I wonder how many people included "battery, horse, staple, correct" in the five random words box. {{unsigned ip|173.245.56.64}}<br />
:I typed ');drop table survey; -- at the end of the random characters text box. I must have been the first person to think of that because the survey was still working. [[User:Jeremyp|Jeremyp]] ([[User talk:Jeremyp|talk]]) 13:46, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:I typed "cat, cat, cat, cat, cat" in random words and "lion, cat, dog, horse, '''''lettuce'''''" for the random animals. Yes, I was trolling. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.150|108.162.221.150]] 06:38, 4 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I wish it was funny. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.148|108.162.241.148]] 16:20, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Tables Vs Bulleted List<br />
<br />
The list of questions and possible responses has been added to the explanation by myself and xhfz, in different formats. I went for a wikitable, xhfz used a bulleted list. Rather than just overwrite each other, I think we need to have a discussion on which is the best choice. The reasons I believe a wikitable is the best option:<br />
:*Far better expandability, in anticipation of survey results<br />
:*More structured and neater presentation<br />
In general I tend to lean towards tables, but it is probably a constructive discussion to have for the wiki as a whole. I would be interested to hear opinions of bulleted list vs tables in these types of situation.--[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 13:42, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
If we have a table we need colspan instead of rowspan. On the other hand a table is very difficult to maintain. In addition, the table didn't have space for explanations (another column, maybe). [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 13:44, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:If you used colspan, questions like "How many of these 20 words do you know" would be excessively wide. Perhaps a combination of colspan and rowspan, or simply a single cell with the responses listed as comma seperated list. As far as adding a column for explanations, its pretty trivial. What I'm getting at is that perhaps the format of a table would need to be optimised, but that is entirely feasible.<br />
:I agree with you as far as tables being more intimidating to edit and maintain, but once set up they aren't that bad.<br />
:Bulleted lists (to me at least) look messy, and tend to lack a coherent structure. As more information is added, sub-levels and sub-sub-levels are added without much thought as to the overall intent. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 14:14, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
By colspan I mean this:<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Question<br />
!Possible Answers<br />
|-<br />
|colspan="2"|When you think about stuff on the internet, where do you picture it being physically located? Even if you know it's not really how things work, is there a place you imagine websites and social media posts sitting before you look at them? If so, where is it?<br />
|-<br />
|<br />
|''Multi-line text box'' <br />
|- <br />
|colspan="2"|Which of these words do you know the meaning of? <br />
|-<br />
|<br />
|Slickle <br />
|-<br />
|<br />
|Rife <br />
|-<br />
|<br />
|Soliloquy <br />
|-<br />
|<br />
|Fination <br />
|-<br />
|<br />
|Stipple <br />
|-<br />
|<br />
|Peristeronic <br />
|-<br />
|<br />
|Modicum <br />
|-<br />
|<br />
|Trephony <br />
|-<br />
|<br />
|Tribution <br />
|-<br />
|colspan="2"|Have you ever thrown out all your different pairs of socks/underwear, bought a bunch of replacements that were all one kind, and then told all your friends how great it was and how they should do it too? <br />
|-<br />
|<br />
|Yes <br />
|-<br />
|<br />
|No <br />
|-<br />
|<br />
|I did the throwing out thing, but didn't talk to everyone about it <br />
|-<br />
|<br />
|No, but I'm totally doing that now <br />
|}<br />
[[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 14:44, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Yeah, if someone just did that, that would be great. [[User:Nk22|The Twenty-second. The Not So Only. The Nathan/Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 18:54, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Missing questions<br />
Something notably missing which would have greatly helped later analysis was a question about where someone is - Country and/or State. Some of the questions and answers will be differently understood because of that (eg meaning if 'sandwich') --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.65|141.101.98.65]] 14:23, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I think that is the whole point though, to provide a data set that actively attempts to ''prevent'' the obvious simple analysis. There are plenty of statistics on how people from place A are more likely to do thing B. What I want to know is "How many people who would class a taco as a sandwich and can drive stick shift are able to juggle?". Also, is it true that most people think they are above average drivers? --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:09, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
::If you're actually curious about those questions, the answers are "0" and "yes". No one classes a taco as a sandwich. The only thing that this data set will provide is how many sandwich-<u>trolls</u> ''claim'' to be able to drive stick shifts and juggle.--[[User:Antipudder|Antipudder]] ([[User talk:Talk/talk/talk|talk]]) 15:10, 7 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Subsections were added for ease of editing<br />
<br />
You can delete the subsections later. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 15:30, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Ok, I agree on that. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:42, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;I think we shouldn't force the reader to go to Wikipedia<br />
<br />
I added explanations in "Activities" and twice they were deleted. Why? [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1572:_xkcd_Survey&diff=prev&oldid=100879] [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1572%3A_xkcd_Survey&diff=100921&oldid=100920] [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 15:39, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Personally, I think those activities are so easily understood, that adding an "explanation" is not necessary. I think wiki links are sufficient, so that if somehow people don't know what the activities are, they can go look. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:45, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::I know 20,000 words in [http://testyourvocab.com testyourvocab.com]. I also know soliloquy, modicum, amiable and salient. I had never heard of dunk, sheet bend, bowline, or stick shift, but I know the meaning of manual transmission without going to Wikipedia. [[User:Xhfz|Xhfz]] ([[User talk:Xhfz|talk]]) 15:47, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::For the record, it wasn't me who deleted the explanations. The fact that Randall included those words in his survey without any explanation shows that they are fairly common words. In the context of the question, the meaning becomes clearer (Tie a sheet bend or bowline = its very likely those are knots), and if people still don't know, they can click on the wiki link. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 16:14, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::From a different perspective, I ''understand'' a number of the words and terms, even though they aren't the ones I'd use, locally. i.e. gas/petrol, stick-shift/gears, cell phone/mobile phone, soda/pop (and where would cordial, to be diluted with water, sit in that list of drinks..? either way, I chose "fruit juice" so maybe that covers it). Also I think I would call an "open-faced sandwich" a {{w|Sm%C3%B6rg%C3%A5sbord|'Smorgasbord'}}, but that seems to be a childhood misunderstanding of what the scandinavian term actually represents (the whole buffet, not any individual item bread-and-topping construct that you end up with on your platter). "Condiments" obviously means something differently, too. For me that's the likes of salt, pepper and vinegar - along with other chopped herbs at a push - but from context it sounds like it includes dips such as mayonnaise, and/or sauces like ketchup/brown/tartar. A different world, truly! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.108|141.101.99.108]] 17:46, 2 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::It's a poorly worded question to which people in some countries would answer the opposite of that intended because of the way the question is worded. Very few cars run on gas (a friend's van runs on LPG), but many use petrol or diesel. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.239.32|198.41.239.32]] 05:55, 3 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::::Fellow Brits? No, IP of the latter appears to be Arizona (or at least the ISP, in Phoenix). Strange. Anyway, thanks to copious imports of 'Merkin TV and film, it'd be obvious to most(/all?) people I know that gas(olene) would be the common word in the US for the fuel that I'd call petrol(eum). Or so I was under the impression of, until now. Of course there is ''actual'' gas (modern LPG or [https://www.pinterest.com/pin/155585362099248762/ wartime contingencies]) but so far liquid hydrocarbons seem to still be king, inclusive of DERV. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.188|141.101.98.188]] 07:51, 3 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I changed them to Wikipedia links because it seemed neater, uses the hypertext features of HTML for the reason they were intended, and seemed more in line with general style here. No-one is forced to go to Wikipedia, but providing useful hyperlinks instead of having to explain everything inline is generally considered A Good Thing &tm;. It wasn't intended as a personal affront. This is a wiki - we can all edit to make things (hopefully) a bit better. [[User:Paddles|Paddles]] ([[User talk:Paddles|talk]]) 12:40, 3 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Can we access the results now?<br />
<br />
Are the contents available at a known URL? I use Google Docs but have never done a survey before...[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.24|141.101.105.24]] 06:03, 3 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Maple syrup<br />
<br />
The current article comments that the "Maple syrup" option to the ''any that you drink'' question is a joke. Are you sure? I have met several people (to clarify, adults, I'm not even considering children) who drink straight maple syrup, and many times more who pour maple syrup into their drinks (notably coffee, tea, and milk are the most common I see people pour it into). There are webpages devoted to maple syrup drink recipes (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and people debating other people's opinions on whether maple syrup is better drunk hot, cold, or room temperature. There is a possibility that Randall was not intending this question as a joke since it seems to be "a thing" among some people. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.220.11|108.162.220.11]] 12:16, 3 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:I was very delighted to see maple syrup under the drink options! When I started the survey with my co-workers I came to the condiments question and was explaining to them how I even drink maple syrup. So I was very giddy when I came to the drink question! Yes, I do drink maple syrup and not as a joke, usually at night and only Grade B. --[[User:R0hrshach|R0hrshach]] ([[User talk:R0hrshach|talk]]) 15:40, 4 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Regarding "Difficult words" not currently linked<br />
*Trephony - Another (equally obselete) term for Trepanning. The not listed directly on the Wikipedia page for the topic (the article uses gerund forms in discussing other names for the procedure), but the related gerund "trephining" is listed. Cf. also Trephine, which was the actual surgical instrument used for these procedures (and for which Trephony occasionally served as an alternate spelling).<br />
*Tribution appears to be the result of converting the [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/tribute#Verb tribute (when used as a verb)]into a noun by use of the [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-tion#English -tion suffix]. While this is a standard form, it is also nonsense (as the nounal form is also tribute).<br />
*Unitory - An obsolete spelling unitary used in mathematics, chiefly British. Several examples appear in the of the papers of the [https://books.google.com/books?id=Wl1BAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA5-PA27&lpg=RA5-PA27&dq=unitory+method&source=bl&ots=rfRKJXAJqV&sig=Wsr_gV7xG6Airah9Lx1M0hi-7Zc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDsQ6AEwBmoVChMInd_R9qTbxwIVChU-Ch36IAh_#v=onepage&q=unitory%20method&f=false 1913 Imperial Education Conference] (I've linked to the instance on page 97 as an example). You will still occasionally see this spelling in use when discussing the Unitary Method in former British Colonies.<br />
*Cadine -- the french term also saw some use in English as a loanword. Cf. [https://books.google.com/books?id=4yz-Y-_OOO0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=cadine&f=false page 146 of Volume 99 of The Gentleman's Magazine and Historical Chronicle (published 1829)] for several examples.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.36|108.162.216.36]] 16:54, 3 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
;Apricity: this appears to be an obsolete, poetic and/or pompous word to describe the sun's heat in winter. It shows up in several dictionaries from the 1700's through the Victorian era; e.g., [http://books.google.com/books?id=CFBGAAAAYAAJ&pg=PT76&dq=apricity#v=onepage&q=apricity&f=false Bailey 1775] - Anonymous<br />
<br />
Should we move the survey section to a different page (e.g. [[1572: xkcd Survey/Survey]])? It takes up most of the current page. {{User:17jiangz1/signature|13:10, 04 September 2015}}<br />
:The survey section is a transcript, so I moved it appropriately for now. {{User:17jiangz1/signature|13:14, 04 September 2015}}<br />
::The survey is not a transcript. And even if it was it is not the comic and should thus not be listed as part of this comics transcript. But the survey section is used to explain the survey and this is certainly not supposed to happen in a transcript. I have moved it above the transcript again. But it could be an idea to make separate survey page and link to it from the comic page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:39, 5 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
If one is free to skip any question, how does the survey distinguish between a skiped question and a question for which the answer is nothing, e.g. if one does not dislike any named beverage? --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.241|162.158.90.241]] 11:47, 8 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''[[Difficult words]]'''<br />
Does anyone have access to a good bio-org chemistry reference? I seem to remember "-fination" as a valid suffix for O-Chem usage for fixation of certain kinds of reactions (ex. Pearson ole-fination), but I don't remember if there is a general meaning of the term. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.36}}<br />
<br />
;HTML image maps<br />
As a web designer, I'm certain that a big part of the joke is that almost no one uses image maps anymore -- the technique of cutting up images and laying them out using CSS or HTML tables (the latter now mostly obsolete) won out back in the 90s. The trouble you have to go to to create an image map is nowhere near worth the payoff. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.91|199.27.128.91]] 21:30, 8 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
:When it comes to ''that'', I know someone who (in the mid 2000s!) made a web-page by rendering the entire page (including all text-as-raster, and it was ''mostly'' text) into a single image file (vastly over-assuming the consistency of the end-user's screen/browser-window dimensions), and image-mapped it. Yes, CSS already existed, and even without I would never have used it. I did a byte-for-byte comparison with an HTML-rendered version (even though that has its own inefficiences in sprawling across multiple bytes, in <LONGTAGNAMES></LONGTAGNAMES> in particular) and it was horrific. Never mind horribly unfriendly to anyone with a non-standard/special-needs browsing environment!<br />
:Which might in part be why (more intelligent!) image-mapping never took off in the adolescent years of the web (once it became predominantly dial-up by home users, rather than those sat directly upon academic/etc LANs sitting on high=bandwidth fat pipes to the internet in its infancy, with bandwidth already used (outside of 'proper' usage)to pre/early Eternal September propgation of Usenet and UUEncoded images sent over email), even though quite intelligent usages of the art had been long pioneered for such purposes as literal (i.e. geographical!) map-clicking rather than the Mysterious Meat navigation method.<br />
:But then it might also have died out after the initial bloom of Geocities, when the tedious last remnants of the <BLINK> tag phenomenon merged into the ubiquity of the over-use of animated GIFs depicting some form of "Website under construction" message, and there were so many other tricks to (over-)use in a person's supposedly interesting self-publicising page. Ahh... nostalgia!<br />
:Seriously, however, looking at the design elements of site design, e.g. curve-effect button/frame areas and scrolling galleries, amongst other things, and a simple markup imagemap (if not coordinate-sending to be processed by the server-side scripting through URL-query format) has outlived its easy usefulness (for the coder in a hurry, who has so many other tool-scripts available) and now we need this complicated and often vastly obfuscated client-side scripting to make the gloriously laid-out web-pages react (consistently) to the end-user in the way intended. I'm sure you make sure your web pages work in the likes of Lynx and even screen-readers (where practical, and of course imagemaps always did work horribly for both of these!), but modern bells-and-whistles have progressed far beyond imagemap tomfoolery. Not always because the new method is ''better'', for a given instance, but that's progress for ya. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.32|141.101.98.32]] 12:39, 11 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Has anyone else noticed that the series of image links to comics at the bottom of every xkcd comic page actually uses an imagemap. So apparently he did get the hang of it a while ago :) or at least his web designer did...[[User:DenverCoder9|DenverCoder9]] ([[User talk:DenverCoder9|talk]]) 21:27, 27 January 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Underwear<br />
<br />
I still don't understand why the last question asks about "socks/'''underwear'''" instead of just "socks". Is there any species of underwear that comes in pairs, ''other than'' socks? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.167|173.245.56.167]] 15:39, 11 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:It is supposed to be read as "(pairs of socks)/underwear", NOT "pairs of (socks/undrwear)" [[User:Jaalenja|Jaalenja]] ([[User talk:Jaalenja|talk]]) 08:50, 12 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::That still doesn't answer my question: why would anyone care if their underwear is all one kind? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.116|173.245.54.116]] 02:27, 13 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::'''Comfort''', primarily. Find one kind of underwear that you find enjoyable to wear, then make sure all your underwear are all that kind and throw out the others - then you'll never have to wear or think about the uncomfortable ones that you routinely shove into the darkest corner of your drawer, ever again. Also, if you go shopping later, when you wear holes in the current selection, then you know exactly which brand and style, no waffling necessary. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.167|108.162.245.167]] 06:02, 13 September 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::: C'mon guys. It's about matching. I like always having matching socks. I've thrown away all my socks and started from scratch, because after a while, you lose socks or one sock gets a big hole in it, and you have to reboot. The same may hold true for women, who have been known to wear matching underwear in two parts: bras and panties. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.53|108.162.216.53]] 19:37, 12 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Since the results still aren't in, I'm calling it now, so no one can accuse me of p-hacking: People who ended their entries in multiline textboxes with newlines are more likely to have opinions about text editors, suffer from colds, and show symptoms of insomnia. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.60|173.245.55.60]] 06:44, 5 December 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It has been over a year since this comic was released, where are the results Randall‽!? (Seriously, there are at least 2 Reddit posts asking about this) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.69|173.245.54.69]] 03:46, 5 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Probably never going to come. [[User:SuperSupermario24|<span style="color: #c21aff;">Just some random derp</span>]] 17:40, 25 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I am working on a recreation. Email me if you're interested. caoboystx0609 at gmail dot com. [[User:StillNotOriginal|S<sup>t<sup>i<sup>l<sup>l</sup></sup></sup></sup><sup>Not</sup>]][[User talk:StillNotOriginal|<sup><sub>Original</sub></sup>]] 11:39, 21 May 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Q: What word can you never seem to spell on your first try?<br />
A: Scince</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2606:_Weird_Unicode_Math_Symbols&diff=2303072606: Weird Unicode Math Symbols2022-04-13T21:37:31Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ fix</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2606<br />
| date = April 13, 2022<br />
| title = Weird Unicode Math Symbols<br />
| image = weird_unicode_math_symbols.png<br />
| titletext = U+2A0B ⨋ Mathematicians need to calm down<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by SNAKES OVER THERE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|+ Symbols<br />
|-<br />
! Codepoint !! Symbol !! Unicode Name !! Randall's meaning || Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| U+29CD || ⧍ || Triangle with Serifs At Bottom || Shark || May look like a shark fin sticking out of the water<br />
|-<br />
| U+23E7 || ⏧ || Electrical Intersection || Traffic circle || May look like a {{w|roundabout}}?<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A33 || ⨳ || {{w|Smash product}} || ''Hashtag'' || Looks like a {{w|hashtag}} (#) symbol slanted counterclockwise<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A7C || ⩼ || Greater-Than with Question Mark Above || Confused alligator || One metaphor used when teaching inequality signs in primary school is that the sign looks like an alligator mouth "eating" the larger number.<br />
|-<br />
| U+299E || ⦞ || Angle with S Inside || Snack || <br />
|-<br />
| U+2A04 || ⨄ || N-Ary Union Operator with Plus || Drink refill<br />
|-<br />
| U+2B48 || ⭈ || Rightwards Arrow Above Reverse Almost Equal To || Snakes over there<br />
|-<br />
| U+225D || ≝ || Equal To By Definition || Definitely, for sure || Has "def" for definitely and two equals signs<br />
|-<br />
| U+237C || ⍼ || Right Angle with Downwards Zigzag Arrow || Larry Potter || Looks like the letter "L" and a lightning bolt. {{w|Harry Potter (character)|Harry Potter}} is known for having a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A50 || ⩐ || Closed Union with Serifs and Smash Product || Spider caught with a cup and index card<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A69 || ⩩ || Triple Horizontal Bar with Triple Vertical Stroke || "Hashtag" || Hashtag that is "outlined" <br />
|-<br />
| U+2368 || ⍨ || Apl Functional Symbol Tilde Diaeresis || :/ || Looks like a sad face.<br />
|-<br />
| U+2118 || ℘ || Symbol for {{w|Weierstrass_elliptic_function|Weierstrass p-function}}|| Snake<br />
|-<br />
| U+2AC1 || ⫁ || Subset with Multiplication Sign Below || "User experience", written sideways || Looks like the letters Ux written sideways; Ux is an abbreviation for {{w|user experience}}<br />
|-<br />
| U+232D || ⌭ || Cylindricity || Rolling dough between your hands to shape it into a ball || <br />
|-<br />
| U+2A13 || ⨓ || Line Integration with Semicircular Path Around Pole || Integral that avoids a bee on the whiteboard || Looks like an {{w|integral}} symbol with a bump in the middle.<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A0B (title text)|| ⨋ || Summation with Integral || Mathematicians need to calm down<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[Title:] Weird Unicode math symbols<br />
<br />
[Subtitle:] And their meanings<br />
<br />
{|<br />
| U+29CD || ⧍ || Shark<br />
|-<br />
| U+23E7 || ⏧ || Traffic circle<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A33 || ⨳ || Hashtag [the text is slanted counterclockwise]<br />
|-<br />
| U+299E || ⦞ || Snack<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A04 || ⨄ || Drink refill<br />
|-<br />
| U+2B48 || ⭈ || Snakes over there<br />
|-<br />
| U+225D || ≝ || Definitely, for sure<br />
|-<br />
| U+237C || ⍼ || Larry Potter<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A50 || ⩐ || Spider caught with a cup and index card<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A69 || ⩩ || [The word "hashtag" but with extra horizontal and vertical lines]<br />
|-<br />
| U+2368 || ⍨ || :/<br />
|-<br />
| U+2118 || ℘ || Snake<br />
|-<br />
| U+2AC1 || ⫁ || [The words "user experience" rotated counterclockwise 90 degrees]<br />
|-<br />
| U+232D || ⌭ || Rolling dough between your hands to shape it into a ball<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A13 || ⨓ || Integral that avoids a bee on the whiteboard<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Unicode]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Harry Potter]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2606:_Weird_Unicode_Math_Symbols&diff=2303042606: Weird Unicode Math Symbols2022-04-13T21:36:19Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ fix</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2606<br />
| date = April 13, 2022<br />
| title = Weird Unicode Math Symbols<br />
| image = weird_unicode_math_symbols.png<br />
| titletext = U+2A0B ⨋ Mathematicians need to calm down<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by SNAKES OVER THERE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|+ Symbols<br />
|-<br />
! Codepoint !! Symbol !! Unicode Name !! Randall's meaning || Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| U+29CD || ⧍ || Triangle with Serifs At Bottom || Shark || May look like a shark fin sticking out of the water<br />
|-<br />
| U+23E7 || ⏧ || Electrical Intersection || Traffic circle || May look like a {{w|roundabout}}?<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A33 || ⨳ || {{w|Smash product}} || ''Hashtag'' || Looks like a {{w|hashtag}} (#) symbol slanted counterclockwise<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A7C || ⩼ || Greater-Than with Question Mark Above || Confused alligator || <br />
|-<br />
| U+299E || ⦞ || Angle with S Inside || Snack || <br />
|-<br />
| U+2A04 || ⨄ || N-Ary Union Operator with Plus || Drink refill<br />
|-<br />
| U+2B48 || ⭈ || Rightwards Arrow Above Reverse Almost Equal To || Snakes over there<br />
|-<br />
| U+225D || ≝ || Equal To By Definition || Definitely, for sure || Has "def" for definitely and two equals signs<br />
|-<br />
| U+237C || ⍼ || Right Angle with Downwards Zigzag Arrow || Larry Potter || Looks like the letter "L" and a lightning bolt. {{w|Harry Potter (character)|Harry Potter}} is known for having a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A50 || ⩐ || Closed Union with Serifs and Smash Product || Spider caught with a cup and index card<br />
|-<br />
| U+2368 || ⍨ || Apl Functional Symbol Tilde Diaeresis || :/ || Looks like a sad face.<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A69 || ⩩ || Triple Horizontal Bar with Triple Vertical Stroke || "Hashtag" || Hashtag that is "outlined" <br />
|-<br />
| U+2118 || ℘ || Symbol for {{w|Weierstrass_elliptic_function|Weierstrass p-function}}|| Snake<br />
|-<br />
| U+2AC1 || ⫁ || Subset with Multiplication Sign Below || "User experience", written sideways || Looks like the letters Ux written sideways; Ux is an abbreviation for {{w|user experience}}<br />
|-<br />
| U+232D || ⌭ || Cylindricity || Rolling dough between your hands to shape it into a ball || <br />
|-<br />
| U+2A13 || ⨓ || Line Integration with Semicircular Path Around Pole || Integral that avoids a bee on the whiteboard || Looks like an {{w|integral}} symbol with a bump in the middle.<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A0B (title text)|| ⨋ || Summation with Integral || Mathematicians need to calm down<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[Title:] Weird Unicode math symbols<br />
<br />
[Subtitle:] And their meanings<br />
<br />
{|<br />
| U+29CD || ⧍ || Shark<br />
|-<br />
| U+23E7 || ⏧ || Traffic circle<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A33 || ⨳ || Hashtag [the text is slanted counterclockwise]<br />
|-<br />
| U+299E || ⦞ || Snack<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A04 || ⨄ || Drink refill<br />
|-<br />
| U+2B48 || ⭈ || Snakes over there<br />
|-<br />
| U+225D || ≝ || Definitely, for sure<br />
|-<br />
| U+237C || ⍼ || Larry Potter<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A50 || ⩐ || Spider caught with a cup and index card<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A69 || ⩩ || [The word "hashtag" but with extra horizontal and vertical lines]<br />
|-<br />
| U+2368 || ⍨ || :/<br />
|-<br />
| U+2118 || ℘ || Snake<br />
|-<br />
| U+2AC1 || ⫁ || [The words "user experience" rotated counterclockwise 90 degrees]<br />
|-<br />
| U+232D || ⌭ || Rolling dough between your hands to shape it into a ball<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A13 || ⨓ || Integral that avoids a bee on the whiteboard<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Unicode]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Harry Potter]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2606:_Weird_Unicode_Math_Symbols&diff=2303032606: Weird Unicode Math Symbols2022-04-13T21:34:58Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Transcript */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2606<br />
| date = April 13, 2022<br />
| title = Weird Unicode Math Symbols<br />
| image = weird_unicode_math_symbols.png<br />
| titletext = U+2A0B ⨋ Mathematicians need to calm down<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by SNAKES OVER THERE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|+ Symbols<br />
|-<br />
! Codepoint !! Symbol !! Unicode Name !! Randall's meaning || Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| U+29CD || ⧍ || Triangle with Serifs At Bottom || Shark || May look like a shark fin sticking out of the water<br />
|-<br />
| U+23E7 || ⏧ || Electrical Intersection || Traffic circle || May look like a {{w|roundabout}} ?<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A33 || ⨳ || {{w|Smash product}} || ''Hashtag'' || Looks like a slanted (or italicized) {{w|hashtag}} (#) symbol<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A7C || ⩼ || Greater-Than with Question Mark Above || Confused alligator || <br />
|-<br />
| U+299E || ⦞ || Angle with S Inside || Snack || <br />
|-<br />
| U+2A04 || ⨄ || N-Ary Union Operator with Plus || Drink refill<br />
|-<br />
| U+2B48 || ⭈ || Rightwards Arrow Above Reverse Almost Equal To || Snakes over there<br />
|-<br />
| U+225D || ≝ || Equal To By Definition || Definitely, for sure || Has "def" for definitely and two equals signs<br />
|-<br />
| U+237C || ⍼ || Right Angle with Downwards Zigzag Arrow || Larry Potter || Looks like the letter "L" and a lightning bolt. {{w|Harry Potter (character)|Harry Potter}} is known for having a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead.<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A50 || ⩐ || Closed Union with Serifs and Smash Product || Spider caught with a cup and index card<br />
|-<br />
| U+2368 || ⍨ || Apl Functional Symbol Tilde Diaeresis || :/ || Looks like a sad face.<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A69 || ⩩ || Triple Horizontal Bar with Triple Vertical Stroke || "Hashtag" || Hashtag that is "outlined" <br />
|-<br />
| U+2118 || ℘ || Symbol for {{w|Weierstrass_elliptic_function|Weierstrass p-function}}|| Snake<br />
|-<br />
| U+2AC1 || ⫁ || Subset with Multiplication Sign Below || "User experience", written sideways || Looks like the letters Ux written sideways; Ux is an abbreviation for {{w|user experience}}<br />
|-<br />
| U+232D || ⌭ || Cylindricity || Rolling dough between your hands to shape it into a ball || <br />
|-<br />
| U+2A13 || ⨓ || Line Integration with Semicircular Path Around Pole || Integral that avoids a bee on the whiteboard || Looks like an {{w|integral}} symbol with a bump in the middle.<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A0B (title text)|| ⨋ || Summation with Integral || Mathematicians need to calm down<br />
|-<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[Title:] Weird Unicode math symbols<br />
<br />
[Subtitle:] And their meanings<br />
<br />
{|<br />
| U+29CD || ⧍ || Shark<br />
|-<br />
| U+23E7 || ⏧ || Traffic circle<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A33 || ⨳ || Hashtag [the text is slanted counterclockwise]<br />
|-<br />
| U+299E || ⦞ || Snack<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A04 || ⨄ || Drink refill<br />
|-<br />
| U+2B48 || ⭈ || Snakes over there<br />
|-<br />
| U+225D || ≝ || Definitely, for sure<br />
|-<br />
| U+237C || ⍼ || Larry Potter<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A50 || ⩐ || Spider caught with a cup and index card<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A69 || ⩩ || [The word "hashtag" but with extra horizontal and vertical lines]<br />
|-<br />
| U+2368 || ⍨ || :/<br />
|-<br />
| U+2118 || ℘ || Snake<br />
|-<br />
| U+2AC1 || ⫁ || [The words "user experience" rotated counterclockwise 90 degrees]<br />
|-<br />
| U+232D || ⌭ || Rolling dough between your hands to shape it into a ball<br />
|-<br />
| U+2A13 || ⨓ || Integral that avoids a bee on the whiteboard<br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Unicode]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Harry Potter]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2605:_Taylor_Series&diff=2302502605: Taylor Series2022-04-12T17:44:33Z<p>172.69.33.125: Citation needed</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2605<br />
| date = April 11, 2022<br />
| title = Taylor Series<br />
| image = taylor_series.png<br />
| titletext = The Taylor series should have been canceled after the first term.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by THE MACLAURIN SERIES EVALUATED AT X PLUS EPSILON - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
In mathematics, the {{w|Taylor series}} of a function is an infinite sum of terms that is expressed as the function's {{w|Derivative|derivatives}}. Their expressions, usually referred to as "expansions," continue without end. Taylor series are useful for deriving numerical and {{w|Symbolic integration|symbolic}} forms of {{w|Irrational number|irrational}} values, {{w|Machin-like formula|such as π}}, to make them easier to integrate or otherwise manipulate with calculus.[https://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/taylor-series.html] However, because they involve difficult calculus operations, and can be annoyingly tedious to {{w|Numerical analysis|calculate by hand}}, they are often not loved by math students{{citation needed}}.<br />
<br />
[[Miss Lenhart]] appears to be teaching a class about how to use a Taylor series. She has explained what one is, and how it is used. She presumes her students want to keep learning about the series, in that they, "wish it would never end." She then says "Good news!" because the Taylor series does not end, each term being smaller than the last. The cartoon's humor is based on contrasting the idea of wishing the series will never end, which is ordinarily expressed regarding long-running sequences of enjoyable events, with the infinite nature of the Taylor series, which is probably not appreciated by her students struggling to understand why the sums {{w|Convergent series|converge}} to their resulting value.<br />
<br />
The title text is a reference to the common practice among physicists and engineers of abbreviating the Taylor series to only the first few terms, typically one or two, in order to simplify the mathematics of their models. The title text is also a pun on the use of the word "series" to refer to a television program. It symbolizes the terms of the mathematical series as a {{w|metaphor}} with a television season, suggesting that only the first term is useful. It makes fun of the common sentiment against bad {{w|screenwriting}} of a series by saying that, "The series should have been cancelled after the first season," replacing "season" with "term." It should be noted that there do indeed exist functions for which the Taylor series has effectively only one term -- specifically, functions with a degree of zero, or where y is a constant value. All of the derivatives of these functions are zero, and thus the Taylor series is effectively a single term -- just the value itself. <br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Miss Lenhart pointing a stick at a whiteboard, which has some scribbled text written on it and one line is circled.]<br />
:Miss Lenhart: At this point, you're probably thinking, "I love this equation and wish it would never end!"<br />
:Miss Lenhart: Well, good news!<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:Taylor series expansion is the worst.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2599:_Spacecraft_Debris_Odds_Ratio&diff=2292622599: Spacecraft Debris Odds Ratio2022-03-30T01:18:01Z<p>172.69.33.125: Why it has to be Monte Carlo and can't be experimental</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2599<br />
| date = March 28, 2022<br />
| title = Spacecraft Debris Odds Ratio<br />
| image = spacecraft_debris_odds_ratio.png<br />
| titletext = You say this daily walk will reduce my risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 30%, but also increase my risk of death by bear attack by 300%? That's a 280% increased! I'm not a sucker; I'm staying inside.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by an EVENS RATIO - Explain how the 280% from the title text comes about. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This comic is a misunderstanding of statistics very similar to that of [[1252: Increased Risk]]. It explains that going outside for more than 5 hours significantly increases your risk of head injury from falling spacecraft, and advises to limit outside activity to avoid this risk. <br />
<br />
However, since the odds of being hit in the head by (any part of) a falling spacecraft are astronomically low to begin with, {{Citation needed}} quadrupling it or more still results in a negligible probability. The horizontal error bars for times greater than 4 hours are marked with asterisks to indicate they are significantly different from the reference value at 0 hours, as indeed those error bars don't overlap the vertical line for the 0-hours reference value. The graph originally referred to "hours spent outdoors" but later was edited to specify "hours spent outdoors per day" (as opposed to, for example, hours spent outdoors in one's lifetime).<br />
<br />
{{w|Error bar}}s are graphical representations of the variability of data and used on graphs to indicate the error or uncertainty in a reported measurement.<br />
<br />
Presenting the data by hour brackets hides the data distribution inside each bracket. If the data were presented hour by hour, and not by groups of hours, they may show a different threshold of increased risk or no threshold (odds ratio could be linear).<br />
<br />
The graph and error bars are based on a {{w|Monte Carlo Method|Monte Carlo simulation}}, a type of computational algorithm that uses repeated random sampling to obtain the likelihood of a range of results of occurring; see, for instance, this article about [https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/monte-carlo-simulation Monte Carlo simulations]. Additionally, this may indicate that the entire study was conducted via a monte carlo simulation and that no real data was collected adding to the absurdity of the claim that more time spent outside could lead to an increased risk of head injuries due to falling space craft. Indeed, it is so rare for humans to be struck by spacecraft debris that a simulation is probably the only way to study the risk; an absurdly large same size, involving tens of millions of participants over several decades, would be necessary to obtain significant experimental data.<br />
<br />
The specific reference to falling spacecraft is likely inspired by events happening around the time of this comics release (March 2022). Around a month before this was posted, the head of the Russian space agency, {{w|Roscosmos}}, warned that sanctions against Russia (mostly those over the {{w|2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine}}) could result in the {{w|International Space Station}} crashing. Since the Russian section of the space station is the one that provides propulsion (although it is built to rely on the power generated by the other sections), this was taken seriously and as of when this was posted, {{w|NASA}} was trying to come up with alternative stabilization strategies in case the situation worsened. There was also a recent [https://www-uol-com-br.translate.goog/tilt/noticias/redacao/2022/03/17/parte-do-foguete-spacex-e-encontrada-por-morador-do-pr.htm?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=pt-BR&_x_tr_pto=wapp report] of some 600 kg space rocket debris found in Brazil. <br />
<br />
The title text makes a similar joke. While the increase in chances of death by a bear attack are greater when going outside than the decrease in chances of death by cardiovascular disease, by getting out to exercise, it is incorrect to combine them in this way, since cardiovascular disease has a much higher starting chance of death, and reducing it by 30% has a much more significant effect on overall life expectancy than quadrupling the very very small chance of death by bear attack.<br />
<br />
The "280% increase" of the title text is also an error, though perhaps not for reasons that are obvious at first (for instance, the correct calculation is not "300% − 30% = 270%"). To "increase by 300%" means multiplying the probability by (1 + 3.0) = 4.0, while to "decrease by 30%" means multiplying by (1 − 0.3) = 0.7. Combining these means multiplying by both, for an overall change of 4.0 × 0.7 = 2.8, or 280%. However, this result means the risk has increased ''to'' 280% of its old value, not ''by'' 280%. And in any case, it is ''still'' not valid to simply combine two changes in wildly different risks like this.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A chart is shown. Above the chart there is a heading, with a subheading below it:]<br />
:Odds ratio for head injuries from falling spacecraft debris<br />
:<small>(Monte Carlo Simulation)</small><br />
<br />
:[The chart is rectangular with the X-axis labels above the chart with numbers from 1 to 5. These are places over vertical lines. The first at 1 is black, the other four are light gray. There are three smaller light gray ticks between each set of lines, and one on either side of the first and last. The distance between lines gets smaller and smaller towards the right, probably logarithmic.]<br />
:X-axis: 1 2 3 4 5<br />
<br />
:[The Y-axis is not scaled; there are no ticks or lines. Instead it just gives five labels from top to bottom. Above those labels there is an arrow pointing to the top one with a label above explaning the axis.]<br />
:Hours spent outdoors<br />
:Y-axis: <br />
::0 (ref)<br />
::1<br />
::2-4<br />
::5-10<br />
::11+<br />
<br />
:[Aligned with each of these five divisions of the Y-axis there is a dot. The top one is placed on the solid line under 1 as a reference point. The other four dots all have long error bars, with the dots at the center of these. The second dot is a bit to the left of the solid line, with the error bar going almost to the left edge of the graph and halfway to the first light gray line to the right. The third dot is located halfway between the solid and the first light gray line with the error bar just crossing the solid line, and almost reaching the gray line. The fourth dot is about a third way between the first and second of the gray lines, with the error bar crossing both these lines. The fifth and last dot is just past the second gray line, with the error bar crossing both that, going more than half toward the first gray line, and also just past the third gray line. On the same height as the two bottom dots, there are asterisks just right of the edge of the graph.]<br />
:<nowiki>*</nowiki><br />
:<nowiki>*</nowiki><br />
<br />
:[Below the panel there is a caption:]<br />
:Our new study suggests that spending more than 5 hours outside significantly increases your risk of head injury from spacecraft debris, so try to limit outdoor activities to 4 hours or less.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Statistics]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]] <!-- bears title text--></div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2599:_Spacecraft_Debris_Odds_Ratio&diff=2291712599: Spacecraft Debris Odds Ratio2022-03-28T23:00:41Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Transcript */ cats</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2599<br />
| date = March 28, 2022<br />
| title = Spacecraft Debris Odds Ratio<br />
| image = spacecraft_debris_odds_ratio.png<br />
| titletext = You say this daily walk will reduce my risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 30%, but also increase my risk of death by bear attack by 300%? That's a 280% increased! I'm not a sucker; I'm staying inside.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a PERSON WHO'S NEVER WRITTEN ON THIS WIKI BEFORE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic is a misunderstanding of statistics very similar to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1252:_Increased_Risk 1252: Increased Risk]. It explains that going outside for more than 5 hours a day significantly increases your risk of head injury from falling spacecraft, and advises to limit outside activity to avoid this risk. However, since the odds of being hit in the head by (part of) a falling spacecraft are astronomically low anyway.<br />
<br />
The title text makes a similar joke: while the increase to chances of death by bear are greater than the decrease to chances of death by cardiovascular disease, it is incorrect to add them together, since cardiovascular disease has a much higher starting chance of death, and reducing it by 30% has a much more significant effect on overall life expectancy than quadrupling the very very small chance of death by bear.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Statistics]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1145:_Sky_Color&diff=2291301145: Sky Color2022-03-27T20:18:59Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Transcript */ hair up lmao</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1145<br />
| date = December 10, 2012<br />
| title = Sky Color<br />
| image = sky_color.png<br />
| titletext = Feynman recounted another good one upperclassmen would use on freshmen physics students: When you look at words in a mirror, how come they're reversed left to right but not top to bottom? What's special about the horizontal axis?<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The point of this comic is that often, curious children ask their parents simple questions about understanding how the world works. Often, although the question is simple, the answer is not. "Why is the sky blue?" is a common example, since most parents are not familiar with {{w|Rayleigh scattering}}, and thus are unable to answer the question.<br />
<br />
[[Randall]]'s hobby is to make those questions even harder, so that the parents who ''are'' familiar with the subject (scientists, for example) will be stumped.<br />
<br />
Another point of this comic is that we often think that we understand a scientific phenomenon (e.g. why is the sky blue?); however, a certain simple question (e.g. why isn't the sky violet?) can often uncover large gaps in our actual understanding.<br />
<br />
{{W|Rayleigh scattering}} is the phenomenon that explains the color of the sky, where light of every wavelength gets scattered in the air by the inverse quartic (fourth power) of its wavelength as given in the comic. In the {{w|visible spectrum}}, blue light has a wavelength of 450–495&nbsp;nm while violet has a shorter wavelength of 380–450&nbsp;nm. Violet light does indeed get scattered more than blue light, however the lower portion of the spectrum for sunlight consists of blue light and eyes are much more sensitive to blue light than violet light. Furthermore, the sunlight contains more blue than violet to begin with as a result of the surface temperature of the sun. This leaves the impression of a blue sky. A good explanation, including why blue and not violet, can be found in [http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/BlueSky/blue_sky.html Usenet Physics FAQ :: Why is the sky blue?], but note that human color perception [http://blog.asmartbear.com/color-wheels.html is more complicated] than described there.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to a {{w|mirror image}}, and is discussed by the famous American theoretical physicist {{w|Richard Feynman}} in a famous BBC documentary [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tuxLY94LXw], as one of the problems which he used to have fun with first years (British English for first year student or freshman).<br />
<br />
A mirror image is a virtual image produced by the reflection of light on a mirror. It's common to think of images in mirrors as being reversed left-to-right, as any text held in front of us will appear flipped. This is actually an issue of perception. In a plane mirror, images are reflected directly: the left side of your body will be reflected in the left side of the mirror, and vice-versa. The source of confusion is that people tend to think of a mirror image the way we would think of a person facing us. When another person faces us, they turn around the vertical axis, placing their right hand on our left side, so seeing our left hand on our left side in a reflection ''seems'' like an inversion, even though it's a direct representation. By the same token, in order to hold text up to a mirror, we generally flip it around the vertical axis, so that the start of the text is on right, and the end on the left (in English, at least). When the mirror reflects this, we see the text as backward, but the mirror hasn't reversed it, we reverse it when we turn it toward a mirror. <br />
<br />
In other words, the vertical axis is only "special" because we're used to objects turning around it, so we come to expect that reversal, instead of a reflection. <br />
<br />
You can induce a mirror to reverse left and right only --- by standing next to it instead of in front of it, facing along the plane of the mirror itself. If you lift your right arm, you can clearly see your image's left arm raising, without having to adjust for frame of reference. Similarly, you can induce a mirror to reverse top and bottom only by holding it flat above your head or laying it flat on the ground and standing on it (or perhaps standing under a suitably equipped bedroom ceiling). See [https://youtu.be/1t4dOPxKgrY this] video for a demonstration.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Science Girl and her mother, Megan, but with her hair up. Megan is at a desk and facing the girl.]<br />
:Science Girl: Mommy, why is the sky blue?<br />
:Megan: Rayleigh scattering! Short wavelengths get scattered ''way'' more (proportional to 1/''<span title="lambda">&#955;</span>''<sup>4</sup>). Blue light dominates because it's so short.<br />
:Science Girl: Oh.<br />
:Science Girl: So why ''isn't'' the sky violet?<br />
:Megan: Well, because, uh... ...hmm.<br />
:[Caption Below the panel:]<br />
:My hobby: Teaching tricky questions to the children of my scientist friends.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]<br />
[[Category:My Hobby]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2590:_I_Shouldn%27t_Complain&diff=2281202590: I Shouldn't Complain2022-03-08T04:59:16Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ fix</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2590<br />
| date = March 7, 2022<br />
| title = I Shouldn't Complain<br />
| image = i_shouldnt_complain.png<br />
| titletext = Bald-faced hornets are only a 2 on the Schmidt pain index, so I shouldn't complain. The tennis ball ejected from the dryer exhaust vent could have ricocheted off the nest of a much higher-scoring insect before knocking me off the ladder. Really, I'm lucky.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BEE PROVING THE HAIRY BALL THEOREM (WITH A COX-ZUCKER MACHINE) - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Megan has had a very unfortunate experience of falling into a garbage can and being repeatedly stung by wasps. Cueball expresses an approriate amount of horror about it. However, Megan seeks to downplay this experience by saying "I shouldn't complain" and that she's "lucky" it wasn't worse. This has become a {{tvtropes|AppealToWorseProblems|habit in Western culture}}, like comparing minor issues to "kids starving in Africa" or war-torn countries.<br />
<br />
Humans have a tendency to recalibrate their mental scales to place their actual experience in the center. Cueball, who has never experienced being trapped for hours with stinging insects, rates this in comparison to not being trapped at all. Megan, however, rates it in comparison to other uncomfortable places a person could be stuck.<br />
<br />
In the title text, Megan continues to downplay her experience even though it was very painful. The {{w|Schmidt sting pain index}} is a pain scale for different insect stings, which ranges from 1 to 4. Megan says her stings were a 2 on the scale, which compared to a pain of 4 is "less painful", but still worse than not being stung at all!<br />
<br />
She further downplays by focusing attention on the sting pain index instead of the sting lethal capacity, described by the [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3810666/ author of the pain index]. The two are not necessarily equivalent. Assuming all insects in the colony affected stung Megan at least once over her two hour ordeal, potentially delivering enough venom to kill 84 kg (185 pounds) worth of mice (or human?), the scenario shown (Megan standing in routine conversation, casually discussing the incident soon after the fact) is implausible. She is far more likely to be in hospital, and in a [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32252275/ gruesome fight for her life].<br />
<br />
Victims of severe abuse often have learned habits to downplay the most severe suffering, which could be a reminder for visitors or readers with exposure to such things. It's possible Randall is engaging personal experience in such an area, making a joke about how difficult it is to process somebody behaving that way.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests a quite improbable single {{tvtropes|NoodleIncident|initiating event}} caused both the entrapment and the insect attack. Whether the tennis ball was lodged in the dryer vent deliberately (or by some form of incompetence/error) might indicate if there actually was a reason to complain about some other person who singularly caused the predicament.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and Megan are standing together. Cueball has his hands on his chin, shocked.]<br />
:Cueball: I can't believe you fell headfirst into a garbage can and were stuck there for two hours while wasps stung your exposed legs!<br />
:Megan: I shouldn't complain! Lots of people have been stuck for longer in worse places.<br />
:Megan: Really, I'm lucky.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:The more unpleasant someone's experience is, the more they apologize for complaining because it could be worse.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2585:_Rounding&diff=2274442585: Rounding2022-02-24T02:09:12Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ better</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2585<br />
| date = February 23, 2022<br />
| title = Rounding<br />
| image = rounding.png<br />
| titletext = I've developed a novel propulsion system powered by loss of precision in unit conversion.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT moving at ᛟ smoots per millibarn attometer (rounded) - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic is about the follies of unit conversion. Normally, when you say you can ride a bike at 45 {{w|Miles per hour|mph}} if you round, you mean that you can ride at a speed between 44.5 and 45.5, something most people are incapable of doing. The joke is that he actually means if you go through a extremely long chain of rounding imprecisely, starting at 17 mph (which is not an improbable speed for an ordinary road-bike and a reasonably fit rider), you can get to the value of 45.<br />
<br />
The title text furthers the joke by taking the imprecise rounding literally, implying that this increase could actually be used/abused as a novel form of propulsion, but it isn't clarified for what type of vehicle. It could be an engine for ground or air travel, but contains the implication that it is trying to 'trick physics' similar to the {{w|Alcubierre drive|theoretical 'warp drive'}} conceived to propel interstellar spacecraft at otherwise impossible speeds.<br />
<br />
Randall also uses some esoteric units here: fathoms/sec, furlongs/min, and furlongs/hr. A {{w|fathom}} is a unit of length, usually used to measure the depth of water. Fathoms/sec could potentially be used to measure the speed of a submersible, but not the speed of a bike. A {{w|furlong}} is also a unit of length, but is mostly obsolete except in horse racing. It is possible that furlongs/min or furlongs/hour could be used to measure the speed of a horse. {{w|Knot (unit)|Knot}}s (nautical mile per hour) are a standard unit of measuring speed, but are typically used for measuring speed for airplanes or ships, not speed on land.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! step !! mph !! {{w|Metre per second|m/s}} !! {{w|Knot (unit)|knots}} !! {{w|fathom}}s/sec !! {{w|furlong}}s/min !! {{w|Kilometres per hour|km/h}} !! furlongs/hour !! {{w|yard}}s/sec<br />
|-<br />
! 1<br />
| 17 || 7.59968 || || || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 2<br />
| || 8 || 15.5508 || || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 3<br />
| || || 16 || 4.50083 || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 4<br />
| || || || 5 || 2.72727 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 5<br />
| || || || 5.50001 || 3 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 6<br />
| || || || 6 || || 39.5021 || || <br />
|-<br />
! 7<br />
| || || 21.5983 || || || 40 || || <br />
|-<br />
! 8<br />
| || || 22 || || || 40.744 || || <br />
|-<br />
! 9<br />
| || || || || || 41 || 203.809 || <br />
|-<br />
! 10<br />
| 25.5001 || || || || || || 204 || <br />
|-<br />
! 11<br />
| 26 || 11.623 || || || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 12<br />
| || 12 || || || 3.57909 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 13<br />
| || || || || 4 || || || 14.6667<br />
|-<br />
! 14<br />
| || || || 7.5 || || || || 15<br />
|-<br />
! 15<br />
| || 14.6304 || || 8 || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 16<br />
| 33.554 || 15 || || || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 17<br />
| 34 || || || || 4.53332 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 18<br />
| || || 32.5867 || || 5 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 19<br />
| || || 33 || || || || || 18.5659<br />
|-<br />
! 20<br />
| || || || 9.5 || || || || 19<br />
|-<br />
! 21<br />
| || || 35.549 || 10 || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 22<br />
| || || 36 || || 5.52373 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 23<br />
| 45.0001 || || || || 6 || || || <br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Cueball, wearing a bike helmet and standing next to a bike, is speaking to Megan.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: I can ride my bike at 45 MPH.<br />
:Cueball: If you round.<br />
<br />
:[To their right and proceeding down the rest of the comic, arrows show conversions from one measure into another unit.]<br />
<br />
:17 MPH<br />
:8 meters/sec<br />
:16 knots<br />
:5 fathoms/sec<br />
:3 furlongs/min<br />
:6 fathoms/sec<br />
:40 KPH<br />
:22 knots<br />
:41 KPH<br />
:204 furlongs/hr<br />
:26 MPH<br />
:12 M/S<br />
:4 furlongs/min<br />
:15 yards/sec<br />
:8 fathoms/sec<br />
:15 M/S<br />
:34 MPH<br />
:5 furlongs/min<br />
:33 knots<br />
:19 yards/sec<br />
:10 fathoms/sec<br />
:36 knots<br />
:6 furlongs/min<br />
:45 MPH<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2585:_Rounding&diff=2274432585: Rounding2022-02-24T02:08:42Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2585<br />
| date = February 23, 2022<br />
| title = Rounding<br />
| image = rounding.png<br />
| titletext = I've developed a novel propulsion system powered by loss of precision in unit conversion.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT moving at ᛟ smoots per millibarn attometer (rounded) - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic is about the follies of unit conversion. Normally, when you say you can ride a bike at 45 {{w|Miles per hour|mph}} if you round, you mean that you can ride at a speed between 44.5 and 45.5, something most people are incapable of doing. The joke is that he actually means if you go through a extremely long chain of rounding imprecisely, starting at 17 mph (which is not an improbable speed for an ordinary road-bike and a reasonably fit rider), you can get to the value of 45.<br />
<br />
The title text furthers the joke by taking the imprecise rounding literally, implying that this increase could actually be used/abused as a novel form of propulsion, but it isn't clarified for what type of vehicle. It could be an engine for ground or air travel, but contains the implication that it is trying to 'trick physics' similar to the {{w|Alcubierre drive|theoretical 'warp drive'}} conceived to propel interstellar spacecraft at otherwise impossible speeds.<br />
<br />
Randall also uses some esoteric units here: fathoms/sec, furlongs/min, and furlongs/hr. A {{w|fathom}} is a unit of length, usually used to measure the depth of water. It could potentially be used to measure the speed of a submersible, but not the speed of a bike. A {{w|furlong}} is also a unit of length, but is mostly obsolete except in horse racing. It is possible that it could be used to measure the speed of a horse. {{w|Knot (unit)|Knot}}s (nautical mile per hour) are a standard unit of measuring speed, but are typically used for measuring speed for airplanes or ships, not speed on land.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! step !! mph !! {{w|Metre per second|m/s}} !! {{w|Knot (unit)|knots}} !! {{w|fathom}}s/sec !! {{w|furlong}}s/min !! {{w|Kilometres per hour|km/h}} !! furlongs/hour !! {{w|yard}}s/sec<br />
|-<br />
! 1<br />
| 17 || 7.59968 || || || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 2<br />
| || 8 || 15.5508 || || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 3<br />
| || || 16 || 4.50083 || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 4<br />
| || || || 5 || 2.72727 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 5<br />
| || || || 5.50001 || 3 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 6<br />
| || || || 6 || || 39.5021 || || <br />
|-<br />
! 7<br />
| || || 21.5983 || || || 40 || || <br />
|-<br />
! 8<br />
| || || 22 || || || 40.744 || || <br />
|-<br />
! 9<br />
| || || || || || 41 || 203.809 || <br />
|-<br />
! 10<br />
| 25.5001 || || || || || || 204 || <br />
|-<br />
! 11<br />
| 26 || 11.623 || || || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 12<br />
| || 12 || || || 3.57909 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 13<br />
| || || || || 4 || || || 14.6667<br />
|-<br />
! 14<br />
| || || || 7.5 || || || || 15<br />
|-<br />
! 15<br />
| || 14.6304 || || 8 || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 16<br />
| 33.554 || 15 || || || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 17<br />
| 34 || || || || 4.53332 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 18<br />
| || || 32.5867 || || 5 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 19<br />
| || || 33 || || || || || 18.5659<br />
|-<br />
! 20<br />
| || || || 9.5 || || || || 19<br />
|-<br />
! 21<br />
| || || 35.549 || 10 || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 22<br />
| || || 36 || || 5.52373 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 23<br />
| 45.0001 || || || || 6 || || || <br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Cueball, wearing a bike helmet and standing next to a bike, is speaking to Megan.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: I can ride my bike at 45 MPH.<br />
:Cueball: If you round.<br />
<br />
:[To their right and proceeding down the rest of the comic, arrows show conversions from one measure into another unit.]<br />
<br />
:17 MPH<br />
:8 meters/sec<br />
:16 knots<br />
:5 fathoms/sec<br />
:3 furlongs/min<br />
:6 fathoms/sec<br />
:40 KPH<br />
:22 knots<br />
:41 KPH<br />
:204 furlongs/hr<br />
:26 MPH<br />
:12 M/S<br />
:4 furlongs/min<br />
:15 yards/sec<br />
:8 fathoms/sec<br />
:15 M/S<br />
:34 MPH<br />
:5 furlongs/min<br />
:33 knots<br />
:19 yards/sec<br />
:10 fathoms/sec<br />
:36 knots<br />
:6 furlongs/min<br />
:45 MPH<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2585:_Rounding&diff=2274422585: Rounding2022-02-24T02:08:24Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ more</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2585<br />
| date = February 23, 2022<br />
| title = Rounding<br />
| image = rounding.png<br />
| titletext = I've developed a novel propulsion system powered by loss of precision in unit conversion.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT moving at ᛟ smoots per millibarn attometer (rounded) - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic is about the follies of unit conversion. Normally, when you say you can ride a bike at 45 {{w|Miles per hour|mph}} if you round, you mean that you can ride at a speed between 44.5 and 45.5, something most people are incapable of doing. The joke is that he actually means if you go through a extremely long chain of rounding imprecisely, starting at 17 mph (which is not an improbable speed for an ordinary road-bike and a reasonably fit rider), you can get to the value of 45.<br />
<br />
The title text furthers the joke by taking the imprecise rounding literally, implying that this increase could actually be used/abused as a novel form of propulsion, but it isn't clarified for what type of vehicle. It could be an engine for ground or air travel, but contains the implication that it is trying to 'trick physics' similar to the {{w|Alcubierre drive|theoretical 'warp drive'}} conceived to propel interstellar spacecraft at otherwise impossible speeds.<br />
<br />
Randall also uses some esoteric units here: fathoms/sec, furlongs/min, and furlongs/hr. A {{w|fathom}} is a unit of length, usually used to measure the depth of water. It could potentially be used to measure the speed of a submersible, but not the speed of a bike. A {{w|furlong}} is also a unit of length, but is mostly obsolete except in horse racing. It is possible that it could be used to measure the speed of a horse. {{w|Knot (unit)}}s (nautical mile per hour) are a standard unit of measuring speed, but are typically used for measuring speed for airplanes or ships, not speed on land.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! step !! mph !! {{w|Metre per second|m/s}} !! {{w|Knot (unit)|knots}} !! {{w|fathom}}s/sec !! {{w|furlong}}s/min !! {{w|Kilometres per hour|km/h}} !! furlongs/hour !! {{w|yard}}s/sec<br />
|-<br />
! 1<br />
| 17 || 7.59968 || || || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 2<br />
| || 8 || 15.5508 || || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 3<br />
| || || 16 || 4.50083 || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 4<br />
| || || || 5 || 2.72727 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 5<br />
| || || || 5.50001 || 3 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 6<br />
| || || || 6 || || 39.5021 || || <br />
|-<br />
! 7<br />
| || || 21.5983 || || || 40 || || <br />
|-<br />
! 8<br />
| || || 22 || || || 40.744 || || <br />
|-<br />
! 9<br />
| || || || || || 41 || 203.809 || <br />
|-<br />
! 10<br />
| 25.5001 || || || || || || 204 || <br />
|-<br />
! 11<br />
| 26 || 11.623 || || || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 12<br />
| || 12 || || || 3.57909 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 13<br />
| || || || || 4 || || || 14.6667<br />
|-<br />
! 14<br />
| || || || 7.5 || || || || 15<br />
|-<br />
! 15<br />
| || 14.6304 || || 8 || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 16<br />
| 33.554 || 15 || || || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 17<br />
| 34 || || || || 4.53332 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 18<br />
| || || 32.5867 || || 5 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 19<br />
| || || 33 || || || || || 18.5659<br />
|-<br />
! 20<br />
| || || || 9.5 || || || || 19<br />
|-<br />
! 21<br />
| || || 35.549 || 10 || || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 22<br />
| || || 36 || || 5.52373 || || || <br />
|-<br />
! 23<br />
| 45.0001 || || || || 6 || || || <br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Cueball, wearing a bike helmet and standing next to a bike, is speaking to Megan.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: I can ride my bike at 45 MPH.<br />
:Cueball: If you round.<br />
<br />
:[To their right and proceeding down the rest of the comic, arrows show conversions from one measure into another unit.]<br />
<br />
:17 MPH<br />
:8 meters/sec<br />
:16 knots<br />
:5 fathoms/sec<br />
:3 furlongs/min<br />
:6 fathoms/sec<br />
:40 KPH<br />
:22 knots<br />
:41 KPH<br />
:204 furlongs/hr<br />
:26 MPH<br />
:12 M/S<br />
:4 furlongs/min<br />
:15 yards/sec<br />
:8 fathoms/sec<br />
:15 M/S<br />
:34 MPH<br />
:5 furlongs/min<br />
:33 knots<br />
:19 yards/sec<br />
:10 fathoms/sec<br />
:36 knots<br />
:6 furlongs/min<br />
:45 MPH<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2572:_Alien_Observers&diff=2257382572: Alien Observers2022-01-27T06:37:14Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Trivia */ remove, cat</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2572<br />
| date = January 24, 2022<br />
| title = Alien Observers<br />
| image = alien_observers.png<br />
| titletext = ALERT: Human 910-25J-1Q38 has created a Youtube channel. Increase erratic jerkiness of flying by 30% until safely out of range.<br />
}}<br />
*This was the seventh comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
There is speculation by many people that there could be some form of extraterrestrial life observing us, hovering around in various flying vehicles, or perhaps using some form of giant telescope. These claims are often backed up by blurry pictures which claim to be of alien vehicles. In this comic, the joke is that the aliens are deliberately making sure that all sightings are made unverifiable. However, with [[1235:_Settled|most people now carrying a camera with them all the time]], a sighting that would be unverifiable just by eyewitness testimony could now be captured by a smartphone camera.<br />
<br />
This means that in order for the aliens to keep creating unverifiable sightings for humans, they must keep track of what camera capabilities each human has, leading to different distance restrictions for each human, as seen in the diagram. The effective range of each person's camera is depicted as a circular (or spherical) envelope around themselves, two on the cross-sectional diagram and at least one located off beyond the image edge.<br />
<br />
There is also an apparently flat ground-hugging 'no fly zone' connecting two of these areas. This may be part of a general prohibition against landing (and/or causing verifiable ground effects, such as {{w|crop circles}}) or it could be there to show that the capability of a self-focussing camera is greatly enhanced when it also has ground-features to autofocus upon rather than a subject surrounded by nothing but sky.<br />
<br />
The comic attempts to explain away the issue already discussed in prior comics, such as [[718: The Flake Equation]] and [[1235: Settled]], in which the phenomenon of UFO sightings/reports is still left not resolved (either way) despite what modern technology should suggest is possible. It appears that the reason for this is that the {{tvtropes|SufficientlyAdvancedAlien|sufficiently advanced aliens}} actually make more than enough observations of the human race to continuously determine how to stay just on the side of plausible deniability in any interactions that they still seem to wish to make.<br />
<br />
The attitude of the aliens also mirrors that of a subset of humans, namely those who hold disdain for the {{w|consumerism|consumerist}} mindset. These humans are frustrated by the tendency of their fellow humans to compulsively buy the latest and greatest versions of products at all times, often at great expense and without regard for the practical benefits of upgrading. Cellphones are one such product, as Apple and their competitors typically release new phone models annually (occasionally semi-annually), often introducing only minor or cosmetic changes with each new iteration.<br />
<br />
In the title text, the aliens note that one particular human now has a YouTube account, meaning they are likely to record video instead of attempting to capture still images. This means that the alien craft used to create the sighting must behave as erratically as possible, in order to avoid being identified. This relates to the often wildly oscillating (as well as blurry) films and videos of 'UFOs' that have been taken by the impromptu human observer, beyond the limit of their ability to hold their fully-zoomed camera steady. Although here it is explained away as the flying saucers ''actually'' moving in an improbably jerky manner to prevent detailed recording of their craft. Further briefings of the sort depicted would doubtless accompany upgrades in optical/digital-stability features or the purchase of a camera tripod.<br />
<br />
It appears the aliens have a classification and tracking system for all humans. It is unclear what the system for assigning these identifiers is, since we see two different formats (''38XT11-B-C54'' and ''910-25J-1Q38''). One possibility is that there are two different tracking systems represented, with at least two possibilities for the relation between them.<br />
# Perhaps the two tracking systems are from two different alien agencies dedicated to human tracking, perhaps isomorphic to each other. One may come from a live observation while the other comes via an online alerting system, with no definitive link agreed between the two systems as not even the aliens can guarantee to resolve online anonymity, obfuscation or duplication of identity.<br />
# On the other hand, perhaps the identifier system evolved over time and any given human only has an identifier from one system or the other. Assuming all numbers and letters are usable and each identifier could have only a letter or number in that place, the first identifier represents a space with at least 10*10*26*26*10*10*26*26*100=457 billion entries, while the space of the second is 10*10*10*10*10*26*10*26*10*10=68 billion. Perhaps, like IP addresses evolving from IPV4 to IPV6 because of the fear of exhaustion, the alien tracking systems similarly changed. This would imply the second (YouTube-posting) human is older than the first (cellphone carrying).<br />
# A third possibility is simply regional variations, where different sectors of the Earth have developed their own identification systems, perhaps when population movements (or vacations) were far fewer and intercontinental travel was very rare indeed. Starting from an arbitrary point of time in history, one system may have applied to the Americas and the other to Eurasia (for example) with different challenges of recognising and surreptitiously tracking all individuals from cradle to grave within their communities (the shorter identifier of which forms some part of their full personal code). A revised globally-used system might be in development (or even now be in use, as per the above suggestion) but the diverse legacy systems could still apply to those born before the implementation period). <br />
<br />
The identifier for the one buying the phone begins with "Human 38XT11". This seems likely to be a reference to {{w|THX 1138}}. This was the title of {{w|George Lucas}}' first film, which is also {{w|THX_1138#Etymology_and_references|referenced}} in the original {{w|Star Wars (film)|Star Wars}} film. The name contains the number in reverse as well as the letters if human could be written as H.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Three aliens are looking at a screen. They each have six tentacles, of which four are used as legs, and the other two can be used as arms. They also have a small mouth and two eye stalks with a large eye at the end of each. The eyes has large eyelashes all the way around. One of the aliens is standing to the left of the screen, pointing to it by raising one of its tentacles. The other two aliens stand to the right of the screen looking at the picture. The screen's image depicts a cross-sectional diagram showing two humans in a rough landscape. There is a shaded area above each of the humans and the terrain. The shaded area's boundary consists of arcs of differing sizes centered upon each human. To the left of the first human there is also a small straight area over the ground. To the left of this towards the edge of the screen, what appears to be an arc with a very large radius that begins and rises high up compared to the other two arcs, around a point beyond the on-screen image's edge. The rightmost human's zone has a dashed region between concentric radii of different sizes indicating that this zone has been revised further out than before. Four flying-saucer like spaceships are shown in the air close to, but above, the shaded areas. One high near the left curve, one over the flat area, one near the intersection between the two small arcs and one over the middle of the right arc.]<br />
:Left Alien: Human 38XT11-B-C54 <!-- 11 or II? --> just bought a new phone with a 10x zoom, so we have to expand our restricted flight zone by 1,800 meters to keep our ship blurry.<br />
:Right Alien 2: Seriously? Didn't they '''''just''''' upgrade?<br />
:Left Alien: I know, I know...<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:The hardest part of being an alien observing Earth is keeping track of what cameras everyone has.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
* The aliens depicted here appear to be the same lifeforms as seen in the bottom row of [[2359: Evidence of Alien Life]].<br />
* They have similarities also to the illustration in [https://what-if.xkcd.com/20 What-If #20].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Aliens]]<br />
[[Category:Smartphones]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2570:_Captain_Picard_Tea_Order&diff=2249532570: Captain Picard Tea Order2022-01-20T00:03:00Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2570<br />
| date = January 19, 2022<br />
| title = Captain Picard Tea Order<br />
| image = captain_picard_tea_order.png<br />
| titletext = We can ask the Earl for his order once he's fully extruded from the dispenser.<br />
}}<br />
*This was the fifth comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by EXTRUDED EARL GREY- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Captain {{w|Jean-Luc Picard}} is the captain of the starship ''USS Enterprise'' in the TV series ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}''. {{w|Earl Grey tea}} is a beverage that he requests many times in the series, with the exact phrase "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaAT6-dY1QI Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.]" Randall is parodying this expression with other words that could follow "Tea. Earl Grey.", from "most normal" to "least normal".<br />
<br />
The machine that Picard is using is a {{w|Replicator (Star Trek)|replicator}}, which can create objects, such as Picard's requested Earl Grey tea. The title text refers to the last item, "Tea for him, too." which presumes that the replicator has produced a regular (unspecified) tea and "Earl Grey", a person (either one of the {{w|Earl Grey}}s or a person named Grey with the title of {{w|earl}}), and Picard has requested a tea for him. And so Picard also will ask the Earl for his exact order of tea after he is fully created.<br />
<br />
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=1 class="wikitable"<br />
! Word !! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| Hot<br />
| A fairly normal word to be used when ordering tea. Although that it even needs specifying is itself a clue that other variations (such as "Iced", below) are available. <br />
|-<br />
| Iced<br />
| {{w|Iced Tea}} is a 'normal' variation of tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Decaf<br />
| Traditional teas (from {{w|Camellia sinensis}}) tend to have caffeine in them. Asking for {{w|Decaffeination|decafeinated}} tea is not particularly uncommon if the drinker requires it.<br />
|-<br />
| Good<br />
| A normal, subjective term. Most people drinking tea would want it to be good.<br />
|-<br />
| Lukewarm<br />
| While this is a temperature that tea can be at, most people do not want their teas to be lukewarm.<br />
|-<br />
| Tasty<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Boiled<br />
| Boiling tea is a common way to increase the flavor and nutrients extracted from the tea leaves.<br />
|-<br />
| Watery<br />
| Tea is a drink that often involves water.<br />
|-<br />
| Sour<br />
| Many people do not enjoy a sour taste, which can indicate rot and is a strange thing to specify when ordering Earl Grey tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Meaty<br />
| Most teas are plant-based.<br />
|-<br />
| Solid<br />
| Tea is usually drunk as a liquid. It would be strange to ask for solid tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Dry<br />
| Tea is a liquid typically made with water and may have milk. A dry version might be either unmade (e.g. tealeaves in their un-infused form) or as if freeze-dried back into a dehydrated form.<br />
("Dry" can also be used to describe {{w|Dryness (taste)|less-sweet varities of wine}} ''or'' {{w|Prohibition|enforced alcohol-free scenarios}}. For either option, it assumes a default serving with an {{w|Hot_toddy#Variations|alcoholic component}}, or an entirely {{w|Long Island iced tea|alternate basis}} for the beverage, which the request needs to be specify it is not.)<br />
|-<br />
| Raw<br />
| This describes tea that has not been "cooked", so it would just be tea made with room-temperature water.<br />
|-<br />
| Deep-fried<br />
| Tea is not usually deep-fried.<br />
|-<br />
| Sticky<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Grilled<br />
| Tea is not usually grilled.<br />
|-<br />
| Fossilized<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Magnetic<br />
| Tea is not magnetic. Magnetic metals would have to be added to the tea, which would not be pleasant to drink.<br />
|-<br />
| Ballistic<br />
| Usually, the replicated beverage is deposited in a stationary cup, but Picard could ask for it to be dropped or thrown out instead.<br />
|-<br />
| Unstable<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Blessed<br />
| Tea is a beverage, and it may be strange to ask a machine to create 'blessed' tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Blurry<br />
| Being blurry is not a normal state for tea to have.<br />
|-<br />
| Loud<br />
| Tea does not make loud noises normally.<br />
In the comic, Picard has ordered loud Earl Grey tea, which is screaming '''"TEEEEEEEEE"''' very loudly and vibrating wildly.<br />
|-<br />
| Virtual<br />
| Virtual tea cannot be produced physically, so asking a physical tea machine for it would be very strange.<br />
|-<br />
| Intravenous<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Expanding<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Ironic<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Segmented<br />
| Tea is usually served in a cup. It tends to stick together and form one liquid. Separating the tea into segments would not be possible.<br />
|-<br />
| Verbose<br />
| This describes using lots of words and language, and would not likely be used for tea, because it cannot speak.{{citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
| Cursed<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Unexpected<br />
| By definition, Picard is asking for tea, expecting it promptly. Perhaps the request for it to be "unexpected" would cause it to be delivered at an unknown time in the future, or to have some alteration.<br />
|-<br />
| Bipedal<br />
| Tea does not walk.{{citation needed}} This would be a very strange term to use when describing tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Afraid<br />
| Tea does not have feelings.<br />
|-<br />
| Infinite<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Tea for him, too<br />
| {{w|Earl Grey tea|Earl Grey}} is a tea blend.<br />
Taken along with the context of the title text, this Replicator order is for "Tea" (not otherwise qualified), a replicated version ''of'' the Earl Grey (one or other of those {{w|Earl Grey|of that name}}, possibly the 2<sup>nd</sup>) and a second beverage for his own sake.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Descriptions included in comic, but not on the line<br />
|-<br />
| Cold<br />
| Like Iced tea, asking for cold tea is a relatively normal request.<br />
|-<br />
| Pink<br />
| Earl grey is usually an orange-brown color, not pink.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[There is a line going towards the bottom of the panel in a curve with marks and words next to them. Various pictures of Captain Picard, are displayed next to the curves.]<br />
:[Caption at top of the panel:]<br />
:Other words Captain Picard tried at the end of his tea order before settling on "hot"<br />
:[Subtitle below the caption:]<br />
:From most normal to least<br />
:[Picard stands next to a machine labeled 'REPLICATOR', giving a command. Some options such as 'Good,' 'Cold,' 'Dry,' and 'Pink' are displayed perpendicularly adjacent to 'Hot', the latter clearly selected.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.<br />
:[Below, another version of Picard standing next to the replicator is displayed. Picard is holding a cup, with sticky lines connecting his hands and the machine]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Sticky.<br />
:[This time, Picard is holding a vibrating cup and large letters are displayed in the background to the exclusion of all else.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Loud.<br />
:Teacup: '''TEEEEEEEEEEEEEE'''<br />
:[Words on the arrow from start to finish. The tail of the arrow is labeled 'Normal.' There is a parallel arrow pointing in the same direction labeled 'Less normal.']<br />
:Hot<br />
:Iced<br />
:Decaf<br />
:Good<br />
:Lukewarm<br />
:Tasty<br />
:Boiled<br />
:Watery<br />
:Sour<br />
:Meaty<br />
:Solid<br />
:Dry<br />
:Raw<br />
:Deep-fried<br />
:Sticky<br />
:Grilled<br />
:Fossilized<br />
:Magnetic<br />
:Ballistic<br />
:Unstable<br />
:Blessed<br />
:Blurry<br />
:Loud<br />
:Virtual<br />
:Intravenous<br />
:Expanding<br />
:Ironic<br />
:Segmented<br />
:Verbose<br />
:Cursed<br />
:Unexpected<br />
:Bipedal<br />
:Afraid<br />
:Infinite<br />
:Tea for him, too<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:Food]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2570:_Captain_Picard_Tea_Order&diff=2249512570: Captain Picard Tea Order2022-01-20T00:00:16Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ more</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2570<br />
| date = January 19, 2022<br />
| title = Captain Picard Tea Order<br />
| image = captain_picard_tea_order.png<br />
| titletext = We can ask the Earl for his order once he's fully extruded from the dispenser.<br />
}}<br />
*This was the fifth comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by EXTRUDED EARL GREY- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Captain {{w|Jean-Luc Picard}} is the captain of the starship ''USS Enterprise'' in the TV series ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}''. {{w|Earl Grey tea}} is a beverage that he requests many times in the series, with the exact phrase "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaAT6-dY1QI Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.]" Randall is parodying this expression with other words that could follow "Tea. Earl Grey.", from "most normal" to "least normal".<br />
<br />
The machine that Picard is using is a {{w|Replicator (Star Trek)|replicator}}, which can create objects, such as Picard's requested Earl Grey tea. The title text refers to the last item, "Tea for him, too." which presumes that the replicator has created "Earl Grey", a person (presumably with the title of {{w|earl}}), and requested a tea for him. And so Picard also will ask him for his exact order of tea after he is fully created.<br />
<br />
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=1 class="wikitable"<br />
! Word !! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| Hot<br />
| A fairly normal word to be used when ordering tea. Although that it even needs specifying is itself a clue that other variations (such as "Iced", below) are available. <br />
|-<br />
| Iced<br />
| {{w|Iced Tea}} is a 'normal' variation of tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Decaf<br />
| Traditional teas (from {{w|Camellia sinensis}}) tend to have caffeine in them. Asking for {{w|Decaffeination|decafeinated}} tea is not particularly uncommon if the drinker requires it.<br />
|-<br />
| Good<br />
| A normal, subjective term. Most people drinking tea would want it to be good.<br />
|-<br />
| Lukewarm<br />
| While this is a temperature that tea can be at, most people do not want their teas to be lukewarm.<br />
|-<br />
| Tasty<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Boiled<br />
| Boiling tea is a common way to increase the flavor and nutrients extracted from the tea leaves.<br />
|-<br />
| Watery<br />
| Tea is a drink that often involves water.<br />
|-<br />
| Sour<br />
| Many people do not enjoy a sour taste, which can indicate rot and is a strange thing to specify when ordering Earl Grey tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Meaty<br />
| Most teas are plant-based.<br />
|-<br />
| Solid<br />
| Tea is usually drunk as a liquid. It would be strange to ask for solid tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Dry<br />
| Tea is a liquid typically made with water and may have milk. A dry version might be either unmade (e.g. tealeaves in their un-infused form) or as if freeze-dried back into a dehydrated form.<br />
("Dry" can also be used to describe {{w|Dryness (taste)|less-sweet varities of wine}} ''or'' {{w|Prohibition|enforced alcohol-free scenarios}}. For either option, it assumes a default serving with an {{w|Hot_toddy#Variations|alcoholic component}}, or an entirely {{w|Long Island iced tea|alternate basis}} for the beverage, which the request needs to be specify it is not.)<br />
|-<br />
| Raw<br />
| This describes tea that has not been "cooked", so it would just be tea made with room-temperature water.<br />
|-<br />
| Deep-fried<br />
| Tea is not usually deep-fried.<br />
|-<br />
| Sticky<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Grilled<br />
| Tea is not usually grilled.<br />
|-<br />
| Fossilized<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Magnetic<br />
| Tea is not magnetic. Magnetic metals would have to be added to the tea, which would not be pleasant to drink.<br />
|-<br />
| Ballistic<br />
| Usually, the replicated beverage is deposited in a stationary cup, but Picard could ask for it to be dropped or thrown out instead.<br />
|-<br />
| Unstable<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Blessed<br />
| Tea is a beverage, and it may be strange to ask a machine to create 'blessed' tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Blurry<br />
| Being blurry is not a normal state for tea to have.<br />
|-<br />
| Loud<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Virtual<br />
| Virtual tea cannot be produced physically, so asking a physical tea machine for it would be very strange.<br />
|-<br />
| Intravenous<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Expanding<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Ironic<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Segmented<br />
| Tea is usually served in a cup. It tends to stick together and form one liquid. Separating the tea into segments would not be possible.<br />
|-<br />
| Verbose<br />
| This describes using lots of words and language, and would not likely be used for tea, because it cannot speak.{{citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
| Cursed<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Unexpected<br />
| By definition, Picard is asking for tea, expecting it promptly. Perhaps the request for it to be "unexpected" would cause it to be delivered at an unknown time in the future, or to have some alteration.<br />
|-<br />
| Bipedal<br />
| Tea does not walk.{{citation needed}} This would be a very strange term to use when describing tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Afraid<br />
| Tea does not have feelings.<br />
|-<br />
| Infinite<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Tea for him, too<br />
| {{w|Earl Grey tea|Earl Grey}} is a tea blend.<br />
Taken along with the context of the title text, this Replicator order is for "Tea" (not otherwise qualified), a replicated version ''of'' the Earl Grey (one or other of those {{w|Earl Grey|of that name}}, possibly the 2<sup>nd</sup>) and a second beverage for his own sake.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Descriptions included in comic, but not on the line<br />
|-<br />
| Cold<br />
| Like Iced tea, asking for cold tea is a relatively normal request.<br />
|-<br />
| Pink<br />
| Earl grey is usually an orange-brown color, not pink.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[There is a line going towards the bottom of the panel in a curve with marks and words next to them. Various pictures of Captain Picard, are displayed next to the curves.]<br />
:[Caption at top of the panel:]<br />
:Other words Captain Picard tried at the end of his tea order before settling on "hot"<br />
:[Subtitle below the caption:]<br />
:From most normal to least<br />
:[Picard stands next to a machine labeled 'REPLICATOR', giving a command. Some options such as 'Good,' 'Cold,' 'Dry,' and 'Pink' are displayed perpendicularly adjacent to 'Hot', the latter clearly selected.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.<br />
:[Below, another version of Picard standing next to the replicator is displayed. Picard is holding a cup, with sticky lines connecting his hands and the machine]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Sticky.<br />
:[This time, Picard is holding a vibrating cup and large letters are displayed in the background to the exclusion of all else.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Loud.<br />
:Teacup: '''TEEEEEEEEEEEEEE'''<br />
:[Words on the arrow from start to finish. The tail of the arrow is labeled 'Normal.' There is a parallel arrow pointing in the same direction labeled 'Less normal.']<br />
:Hot<br />
:Iced<br />
:Decaf<br />
:Good<br />
:Lukewarm<br />
:Tasty<br />
:Boiled<br />
:Watery<br />
:Sour<br />
:Meaty<br />
:Solid<br />
:Dry<br />
:Raw<br />
:Deep-fried<br />
:Sticky<br />
:Grilled<br />
:Fossilized<br />
:Magnetic<br />
:Ballistic<br />
:Unstable<br />
:Blessed<br />
:Blurry<br />
:Loud<br />
:Virtual<br />
:Intravenous<br />
:Expanding<br />
:Ironic<br />
:Segmented<br />
:Verbose<br />
:Cursed<br />
:Unexpected<br />
:Bipedal<br />
:Afraid<br />
:Infinite<br />
:Tea for him, too<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:Food]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2570:_Captain_Picard_Tea_Order&diff=2249502570: Captain Picard Tea Order2022-01-19T23:58:46Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Transcript */ food</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2570<br />
| date = January 19, 2022<br />
| title = Captain Picard Tea Order<br />
| image = captain_picard_tea_order.png<br />
| titletext = We can ask the Earl for his order once he's fully extruded from the dispenser.<br />
}}<br />
*This was the fifth comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by EXTRUDED EARL GREY- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Captain {{w|Jean-Luc Picard}} is the captain of the starship ''USS Enterprise'' in the TV series ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}''. {{w|Earl Grey tea}} is a beverage that he requests many times in the series, with the exact phrase "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaAT6-dY1QI Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.]" Randall is parodying this expression with other words that could follow "Tea. Earl Grey."<br />
<br />
The machine that Picard is using is a {{w|Replicator (Star Trek)|replicator}}, which can create objects, such as Picard's requested Earl Grey tea. The title text refers to the last item, "Tea for him, too." which presumes that the replicator has created "Earl Grey", a person (presumably with the title of {{w|earl}}), and requested a tea for him. And so Picard also will ask him for his exact order of tea after he is fully created.<br />
<br />
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=1 class="wikitable"<br />
! Word !! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| Hot<br />
| A fairly normal word to be used when ordering tea. Although that it even needs specifying is itself a clue that other variations (such as "Iced", below) are available. <br />
|-<br />
| Iced<br />
| {{w|Iced Tea}} is a 'normal' variation of tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Decaf<br />
| Traditional teas (from {{w|Camellia sinensis}}) tend to have caffeine in them. Asking for {{w|Decaffeination|decafeinated}} tea is not particularly uncommon if the drinker requires it.<br />
|-<br />
| Good<br />
| A normal, subjective term. Most people drinking tea would want it to be good.<br />
|-<br />
| Lukewarm<br />
| While this is a temperature that tea can be at, most people do not want their teas to be lukewarm.<br />
|-<br />
| Tasty<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Boiled<br />
| Boiling tea is a common way to increase the flavor and nutrients extracted from the tea leaves.<br />
|-<br />
| Watery<br />
| Tea is a drink that often involves water.<br />
|-<br />
| Sour<br />
| Many people do not enjoy a sour taste, which can indicate rot and is a strange thing to specify when ordering Earl Grey tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Meaty<br />
| Most teas are plant-based.<br />
|-<br />
| Solid<br />
| Tea is usually drunk as a liquid. It would be strange to ask for solid tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Dry<br />
| Tea is a liquid typically made with water and may have milk. A dry version might be either unmade (e.g. tealeaves in their un-infused form) or as if freeze-dried back into a dehydrated form.<br />
("Dry" can also be used to describe {{w|Dryness (taste)|less-sweet varities of wine}} ''or'' {{w|Prohibition|enforced alcohol-free scenarios}}. For either option, it assumes a default serving with an {{w|Hot_toddy#Variations|alcoholic component}}, or an entirely {{w|Long Island iced tea|alternate basis}} for the beverage, which the request needs to be specify it is not.)<br />
|-<br />
| Raw<br />
| This describes tea that has not been "cooked", so it would just be tea made with room-temperature water.<br />
|-<br />
| Deep-fried<br />
| Tea is not usually deep-fried.<br />
|-<br />
| Sticky<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Grilled<br />
| Tea is not usually grilled.<br />
|-<br />
| Fossilized<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Magnetic<br />
| Tea is not magnetic. Magnetic metals would have to be added to the tea, which would not be pleasant to drink.<br />
|-<br />
| Ballistic<br />
| Usually, the replicated beverage is deposited in a stationary cup, but Picard could ask for it to be dropped or thrown out instead.<br />
|-<br />
| Unstable<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Blessed<br />
| Tea is a beverage, and it may be strange to ask a machine to create 'blessed' tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Blurry<br />
| Being blurry is not a normal state for tea to have.<br />
|-<br />
| Loud<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Virtual<br />
| Virtual tea cannot be produced physically, so asking a physical tea machine for it would be very strange.<br />
|-<br />
| Intravenous<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Expanding<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Ironic<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Segmented<br />
| Tea is usually served in a cup. It tends to stick together and form one liquid. Separating the tea into segments would not be possible.<br />
|-<br />
| Verbose<br />
| This describes using lots of words and language, and would not likely be used for tea, because it cannot speak.{{citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
| Cursed<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Unexpected<br />
| By definition, Picard is asking for tea, expecting it promptly. Perhaps the request for it to be "unexpected" would cause it to be delivered at an unknown time in the future, or to have some alteration.<br />
|-<br />
| Bipedal<br />
| Tea does not walk.{{citation needed}} This would be a very strange term to use when describing tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Afraid<br />
| Tea does not have feelings.<br />
|-<br />
| Infinite<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Tea for him, too<br />
| {{w|Earl Grey tea|Earl Grey}} is a tea blend.<br />
Taken along with the context of the title text, this Replicator order is for "Tea" (not otherwise qualified), a replicated version ''of'' the Earl Grey (one or other of those {{w|Earl Grey|of that name}}, possibly the 2<sup>nd</sup>) and a second beverage for his own sake.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Descriptions included in comic, but not on the line<br />
|-<br />
| Cold<br />
| Like Iced tea, asking for cold tea is a relatively normal request.<br />
|-<br />
| Pink<br />
| Earl grey is usually an orange-brown color, not pink.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[There is a line going towards the bottom of the panel in a curve with marks and words next to them. Various pictures of Captain Picard, are displayed next to the curves.]<br />
:[Caption at top of the panel:]<br />
:Other words Captain Picard tried at the end of his tea order before settling on "hot"<br />
:[Subtitle below the caption:]<br />
:From most normal to least<br />
:[Picard stands next to a machine labeled 'REPLICATOR', giving a command. Some options such as 'Good,' 'Cold,' 'Dry,' and 'Pink' are displayed perpendicularly adjacent to 'Hot', the latter clearly selected.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.<br />
:[Below, another version of Picard standing next to the replicator is displayed. Picard is holding a cup, with sticky lines connecting his hands and the machine]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Sticky.<br />
:[This time, Picard is holding a vibrating cup and large letters are displayed in the background to the exclusion of all else.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Loud.<br />
:Teacup: '''TEEEEEEEEEEEEEE'''<br />
:[Words on the arrow from start to finish. The tail of the arrow is labeled 'Normal.' There is a parallel arrow pointing in the same direction labeled 'Less normal.']<br />
:Hot<br />
:Iced<br />
:Decaf<br />
:Good<br />
:Lukewarm<br />
:Tasty<br />
:Boiled<br />
:Watery<br />
:Sour<br />
:Meaty<br />
:Solid<br />
:Dry<br />
:Raw<br />
:Deep-fried<br />
:Sticky<br />
:Grilled<br />
:Fossilized<br />
:Magnetic<br />
:Ballistic<br />
:Unstable<br />
:Blessed<br />
:Blurry<br />
:Loud<br />
:Virtual<br />
:Intravenous<br />
:Expanding<br />
:Ironic<br />
:Segmented<br />
:Verbose<br />
:Cursed<br />
:Unexpected<br />
:Bipedal<br />
:Afraid<br />
:Infinite<br />
:Tea for him, too<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:Food]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2570:_Captain_Picard_Tea_Order&diff=2249482570: Captain Picard Tea Order2022-01-19T23:57:44Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ better</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2570<br />
| date = January 19, 2022<br />
| title = Captain Picard Tea Order<br />
| image = captain_picard_tea_order.png<br />
| titletext = We can ask the Earl for his order once he's fully extruded from the dispenser.<br />
}}<br />
*This was the fifth comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by EXTRUDED EARL GREY- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Captain {{w|Jean-Luc Picard}} is the captain of the starship ''USS Enterprise'' in the TV series ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}''. {{w|Earl Grey tea}} is a beverage that he requests many times in the series, with the exact phrase "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaAT6-dY1QI Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.]" Randall is parodying this expression with other words that could follow "Tea. Earl Grey."<br />
<br />
The machine that Picard is using is a {{w|Replicator (Star Trek)|replicator}}, which can create objects, such as Picard's requested Earl Grey tea. The title text refers to the last item, "Tea for him, too." which presumes that the replicator has created "Earl Grey", a person (presumably with the title of {{w|earl}}), and requested a tea for him. And so Picard also will ask him for his exact order of tea after he is fully created.<br />
<br />
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=1 class="wikitable"<br />
! Word !! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| Hot<br />
| A fairly normal word to be used when ordering tea. Although that it even needs specifying is itself a clue that other variations (such as "Iced", below) are availablee. <br />
|-<br />
| Iced<br />
| {{w|Iced Tea}} is a 'normal' variation of tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Decaf<br />
| Traditional teas (from {{w|Camellia sinensis}}) tend to have caffeine in them. Asking for {{w|Decaffeination|decafeinated}} tea is not particularly uncommon if the drinker requires it.<br />
|-<br />
| Good<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Lukewarm<br />
| While this is a temperature that tea can be at, most people do not want their teas to be lukewarm.<br />
|-<br />
| Tasty<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Boiled<br />
| Boiling tea is a common way to increase the flavor and nutrients extracted from the tea leaves.<br />
|-<br />
| Watery<br />
| Tea is a drink that often involves water.<br />
|-<br />
| Sour<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Meaty<br />
| Most teas are plant-based.<br />
|-<br />
| Solid<br />
| Tea is usually drunk as a liquid. It would be strange to ask for solid tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Dry<br />
| Tea is a liquid typically made with water, and may have milk. A dry version might be either unmade (e.g. tealeaves in their uninfused form) or as if freeze-dried back into a debydrated form.<br />
("Dry" can also be used to describe {{w|Dryness (taste)|less-sweet varities of wine}} ''or'' {{w|Prohibition|enforced alcohol-free scenarios}}. For either option, it assumes a default serving with an {{w|Hot_toddy#Variations|alcoholic component}}, or an entirely {{w|Long Island iced tea|alternate basis}} for the beverage, which the request needs to be specify it is not.)<br />
|-<br />
| Raw<br />
| This describes tea that has not been "cooked", so it would just be tea made with room-temperature water.<br />
|-<br />
| Deep-fried<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Sticky<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Grilled<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Fossilized<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Magnetic<br />
| Tea is not magnetic. Magnetic metals would have to be added to the tea, which would not be pleasant to drink.<br />
|-<br />
| Ballistic<br />
| Usually, the replicated beverage is deposited in a stationary cup, but Picard could ask for it to be dropped or thrown out instead.<br />
|-<br />
| Unstable<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Blessed<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Blurry<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Loud<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Virtual<br />
| Virtual tea cannot be produced physically, so asking a physical tea machine for it would be very strange.<br />
|-<br />
| Intravenous<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Expanding<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Ironic<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Segmented<br />
| Tea is usually served in a cup. It tends to stick together and form one liquid. Separating the tea into segments would not be possible.<br />
|-<br />
| Verbose<br />
| This describes using lots of words and language, and would not likely be used for tea, because it cannot speak.{{citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
| Cursed<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Unexpected<br />
| By definition, Picard is asking for tea, expecting it promptly. Perhaps the request for it to be "unexpected" would cause it to be delivered at an unknown time in the future, or to have some alteration.<br />
|-<br />
| Bipedal<br />
| Tea does not walk.{{citation needed}} This would be a very strange term to use when describing tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Afraid<br />
| Tea does not have feelings.<br />
|-<br />
| Infinite<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Tea for him, too<br />
| {{w|Earl Grey tea|Earl Grey}} is a tea blend.<br />
Taken along with the context of the title text, this Replicator order is for "Tea" (not otherwise qualified), a replicated version ''of'' the Earl Grey (one or other of those {{w|Earl Grey|of that name}}, possibly the 2<sup>nd</sup>) and a second beverage for his own sake.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Descriptions included in comic, but not on the line<br />
|-<br />
| Cold<br />
| Like Iced tea, asking for cold tea is a relatively normal request.<br />
|-<br />
| Pink<br />
| Earl grey is usually an orange-brown color, not pink.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[There is a line going towards the bottom of the panel in a curve with marks and words next to them. Various pictures of Captain Picard, are displayed next to the curves.]<br />
:[Caption at top of the panel:]<br />
:Other words Captain Picard tried at the end of his tea order before settling on "hot"<br />
:[Subtitle below the caption:]<br />
:From most normal to least<br />
:[Picard stands next to a machine labeled 'REPLICATOR', giving a command. Some options such as 'Good,' 'Cold,' 'Dry,' and 'Pink' are displayed perpendicularly adjacent to 'Hot', the latter clearly selected.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.<br />
:[Below, another version of Picard standing next to the replicator is displayed. Picard is holding a cup, with sticky lines connecting his hands and the machine]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Sticky.<br />
:[This time, Picard is holding a vibrating cup and large letters are displayed in the background to the exclusion of all else.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Loud.<br />
:Teacup: '''TEEEEEEEEEEEEEE'''<br />
:[Words on the arrow from start to finish. The tail of the arrow is labeled 'Normal.' There is a parallel arrow pointing in the same direction labeled 'Less normal.']<br />
:Hot<br />
:Iced<br />
:Decaf<br />
:Good<br />
:Lukewarm<br />
:Tasty<br />
:Boiled<br />
:Watery<br />
:Sour<br />
:Meaty<br />
:Solid<br />
:Dry<br />
:Raw<br />
:Deep-fried<br />
:Sticky<br />
:Grilled<br />
:Fossilized<br />
:Magnetic<br />
:Ballistic<br />
:Unstable<br />
:Blessed<br />
:Blurry<br />
:Loud<br />
:Virtual<br />
:Intravenous<br />
:Expanding<br />
:Ironic<br />
:Segmented<br />
:Verbose<br />
:Cursed<br />
:Unexpected<br />
:Bipedal<br />
:Afraid<br />
:Infinite<br />
:Tea for him, too<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2570:_Captain_Picard_Tea_Order&diff=2249472570: Captain Picard Tea Order2022-01-19T23:57:10Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2570<br />
| date = January 19, 2022<br />
| title = Captain Picard Tea Order<br />
| image = captain_picard_tea_order.png<br />
| titletext = We can ask the Earl for his order once he's fully extruded from the dispenser.<br />
}}<br />
*This was the fifth comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by EXTRUDED EARL GREY- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Captain {{w|Jean-Luc Picard}} is the captain of the starship ''USS Enterprise'' in the TV series ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}''. {{w|Earl Grey tea}} is a beverage that he requests many times in the series, with the exact phrase "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaAT6-dY1QI Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.]" Randall is parodying this expression with other words that could follow "Tea. Earl Grey."<br />
<br />
The machine that Picard is using is a {{w|Replicator (Star Trek)|replicator}}, which can create objects, such as Picard's requested Earl Grey tea. The title text refers to the last item, "Tea for him, too." which presumes that the replicator has created "Earl Grey", a person (presumably with the title of {{w|earl}}). And so Picard also will ask him for his beverage order after he is fully created.<br />
<br />
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=1 class="wikitable"<br />
! Word !! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| Hot<br />
| A fairly normal word to be used when ordering tea. Although that it even needs specifying is itself a clue that other variations (such as "Iced", below) are availablee. <br />
|-<br />
| Iced<br />
| {{w|Iced Tea}} is a 'normal' variation of tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Decaf<br />
| Traditional teas (from {{w|Camellia sinensis}}) tend to have caffeine in them. Asking for {{w|Decaffeination|decafeinated}} tea is not particularly uncommon if the drinker requires it.<br />
|-<br />
| Good<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Lukewarm<br />
| While this is a temperature that tea can be at, most people do not want their teas to be lukewarm.<br />
|-<br />
| Tasty<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Boiled<br />
| Boiling tea is a common way to increase the flavor and nutrients extracted from the tea leaves.<br />
|-<br />
| Watery<br />
| Tea is a drink that often involves water.<br />
|-<br />
| Sour<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Meaty<br />
| Most teas are plant-based.<br />
|-<br />
| Solid<br />
| Tea is usually drunk as a liquid. It would be strange to ask for solid tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Dry<br />
| Tea is a liquid typically made with water, and may have milk. A dry version might be either unmade (e.g. tealeaves in their uninfused form) or as if freeze-dried back into a debydrated form.<br />
("Dry" can also be used to describe {{w|Dryness (taste)|less-sweet varities of wine}} ''or'' {{w|Prohibition|enforced alcohol-free scenarios}}. For either option, it assumes a default serving with an {{w|Hot_toddy#Variations|alcoholic component}}, or an entirely {{w|Long Island iced tea|alternate basis}} for the beverage, which the request needs to be specify it is not.)<br />
|-<br />
| Raw<br />
| This describes tea that has not been "cooked", so it would just be tea made with room-temperature water.<br />
|-<br />
| Deep-fried<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Sticky<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Grilled<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Fossilized<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Magnetic<br />
| Tea is not magnetic. Magnetic metals would have to be added to the tea, which would not be pleasant to drink.<br />
|-<br />
| Ballistic<br />
| Usually, the replicated beverage is deposited in a stationary cup, but Picard could ask for it to be dropped or thrown out instead.<br />
|-<br />
| Unstable<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Blessed<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Blurry<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Loud<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Virtual<br />
| Virtual tea cannot be produced physically, so asking a physical tea machine for it would be very strange.<br />
|-<br />
| Intravenous<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Expanding<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Ironic<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Segmented<br />
| Tea is usually served in a cup. It tends to stick together and form one liquid. Separating the tea into segments would not be possible.<br />
|-<br />
| Verbose<br />
| This describes using lots of words and language, and would not likely be used for tea, because it cannot speak.{{citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
| Cursed<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Unexpected<br />
| By definition, Picard is asking for tea, expecting it promptly. Perhaps the request for it to be "unexpected" would cause it to be delivered at an unknown time in the future, or to have some alteration.<br />
|-<br />
| Bipedal<br />
| Tea does not walk.{{citation needed}} This would be a very strange term to use when describing tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Afraid<br />
| Tea does not have feelings.<br />
|-<br />
| Infinite<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Tea for him, too<br />
| {{w|Earl Grey tea|Earl Grey}} is a tea blend.<br />
Taken along with the context of the title text, this Replicator order is for "Tea" (not otherwise qualified), a replicated version ''of'' the Earl Grey (one or other of those {{w|Earl Grey|of that name}}, possibly the 2<sup>nd</sup>) and a second beverage for his own sake.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Descriptions included in comic, but not on the line<br />
|-<br />
| Cold<br />
| Like Iced tea, asking for cold tea is a relatively normal request.<br />
|-<br />
| Pink<br />
| Earl grey is usually an orange-brown color, not pink.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[There is a line going towards the bottom of the panel in a curve with marks and words next to them. Various pictures of Captain Picard, are displayed next to the curves.]<br />
:[Caption at top of the panel:]<br />
:Other words Captain Picard tried at the end of his tea order before settling on "hot"<br />
:[Subtitle below the caption:]<br />
:From most normal to least<br />
:[Picard stands next to a machine labeled 'REPLICATOR', giving a command. Some options such as 'Good,' 'Cold,' 'Dry,' and 'Pink' are displayed perpendicularly adjacent to 'Hot', the latter clearly selected.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.<br />
:[Below, another version of Picard standing next to the replicator is displayed. Picard is holding a cup, with sticky lines connecting his hands and the machine]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Sticky.<br />
:[This time, Picard is holding a vibrating cup and large letters are displayed in the background to the exclusion of all else.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Loud.<br />
:Teacup: '''TEEEEEEEEEEEEEE'''<br />
:[Words on the arrow from start to finish. The tail of the arrow is labeled 'Normal.' There is a parallel arrow pointing in the same direction labeled 'Less normal.']<br />
:Hot<br />
:Iced<br />
:Decaf<br />
:Good<br />
:Lukewarm<br />
:Tasty<br />
:Boiled<br />
:Watery<br />
:Sour<br />
:Meaty<br />
:Solid<br />
:Dry<br />
:Raw<br />
:Deep-fried<br />
:Sticky<br />
:Grilled<br />
:Fossilized<br />
:Magnetic<br />
:Ballistic<br />
:Unstable<br />
:Blessed<br />
:Blurry<br />
:Loud<br />
:Virtual<br />
:Intravenous<br />
:Expanding<br />
:Ironic<br />
:Segmented<br />
:Verbose<br />
:Cursed<br />
:Unexpected<br />
:Bipedal<br />
:Afraid<br />
:Infinite<br />
:Tea for him, too<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2570:_Captain_Picard_Tea_Order&diff=2249462570: Captain Picard Tea Order2022-01-19T23:54:59Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ wl</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2570<br />
| date = January 19, 2022<br />
| title = Captain Picard Tea Order<br />
| image = captain_picard_tea_order.png<br />
| titletext = We can ask the Earl for his order once he's fully extruded from the dispenser.<br />
}}<br />
*This was the fifth comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by EXTRUDED EARL GREY- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Captain {{w|Jean-Luc Picard}} is the captain of the starship ''USS Enterprise'' in the TV series ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}''. {{w|Earl Grey tea}} is a beverage that he requests many times in the series, with the exact phrase "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaAT6-dY1QI Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.]" Randall is parodying this expression with other words that could follow "Tea. Earl Grey."<br />
<br />
The machine that Picard is using is a {{w|Replicator (Star Trek)|replicator}}, which can create objects, such as Picard's requested Earl Grey tea. The title text refers to the last item, "Tea for him, too." which presumes that the replicator has created "Earl Grey", a person (presumably with the title of {{w|earl}}). And so Picard also will ask him for his beverage order after he is fully created.<br />
<br />
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=1 class="wikitable"<br />
! Word !! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| Hot<br />
| A fairly normal word to be used when ordering tea. Although that it even needs specifying is itself a clue that other variations (such as "Iced", below) are availablee. <br />
|-<br />
| Iced<br />
| {{w|Iced Tea}} is a 'normal' variation of tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Decaf<br />
| Traditional teas (from {{w|Camellia sinensis}}) tend to have caffeine in them. Asking for {{w|Decaffeination|decafeinated}} tea is not particularly uncommon if the drinker requires it.<br />
|-<br />
| Good<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Lukewarm<br />
| While this is a temperature that tea can be at, most people do not want their teas to be lukewarm.<br />
|-<br />
| Tasty<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Boiled<br />
| Boiling tea is a common way to increase the flavor and nutrients extracted from the tea leaves.<br />
|-<br />
| Watery<br />
| Tea is a drink that often involves water.<br />
|-<br />
| Sour<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Meaty<br />
| Most teas are plant-based.<br />
|-<br />
| Solid<br />
| Tea is usually drunk as a liquid. It would be strange to ask for solid tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Dry<br />
| Tea is a liquid typically made with water, and may have milk. A dry version might be either unmade (e.g. tealeaves in their uninfused form) or as if freeze-dried back into a debydrated form.<br />
("Dry" can also be used to describe {{w|Dryness (taste)|less-sweet varities of wine}} ''or'' {{w|Prohibition|enforced alcohol-free scenarios}}. For either option, it assumes a default serving with an {{w|Hot_toddy#Variations|alcoholic component}}, or an entirely {{w|Long Island iced tea|alternate basis}} for the beverage, which the request needs to be specify it is not.)<br />
|-<br />
| Raw<br />
| This describes tea that has not been "cooked", so it would just be tea made with room-temperature water.<br />
|-<br />
| Deep-fried<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Sticky<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Grilled<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Fossilized<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Magnetic<br />
| Tea is not magnetic. Magnetic metals would have to be added to the tea, which would not be pleasant to drink.<br />
|-<br />
| Ballistic<br />
| Usually, the replicated beverage is deposited in a stationary cup, but Picard could ask for it to be dropped or thrown out instead.<br />
|-<br />
| Unstable<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Blessed<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Blurry<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Loud<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Virtual<br />
| Virtual tea cannot be produced physically, so asking a physical tea machine for it would be very strange.<br />
|-<br />
| Intravenous<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Expanding<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Ironic<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Segmented<br />
| Tea is usually served in a cup. It tends to stick together and form one liquid. Separating the tea into segments would not be possible.<br />
|-<br />
| Verbose<br />
| This describes using lots of words and language, and would not likely be used for tea, because it cannot speak.{{citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
| Cursed<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Unexpected<br />
| By definition, Picard is asking for tea, expecting it promptly. Perhaps the request for it to be "unexpected" would cause it to be delivered at an unknown time in the future, or to have some alteration.<br />
|-<br />
| Bipedal<br />
| Tea does not walk.{{citation needed}} This would be a very strange term to use when describing tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Afraid<br />
| Tea does not have feelings.<br />
|-<br />
| Infinite<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Tea for him, too<br />
| {{w|Earl Grey tea|Earl Grey}} is a tea blend.<br />
Taken along with the context of the Titletext, this Replicator order is for "Tea" (not otherwise qualified), a replicated version ''of'' the Earl Grey (one or other of those {{w|Earl Grey|of that name}}, possibly the 2<sup>nd</sup>) and a second beverage for his own sake.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Descriptions included in comic, but not on the line<br />
|-<br />
| Cold<br />
| Like Iced tea, asking for cold tea is a relatively normal request.<br />
|-<br />
| Pink<br />
| Earl grey is usually an orange-brown color, not pink.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[There is a line going towards the bottom of the panel in a curve with marks and words next to them. Various pictures of Captain Picard, are displayed next to the curves.]<br />
:[Caption at top of the panel:]<br />
:Other words Captain Picard tried at the end of his tea order before settling on "hot"<br />
:[Subtitle below the caption:]<br />
:From most normal to least<br />
:[Picard stands next to a machine labeled 'REPLICATOR', giving a command. Some options such as 'Good,' 'Cold,' 'Dry,' and 'Pink' are displayed perpendicularly adjacent to 'Hot', the latter clearly selected.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.<br />
:[Below, another version of Picard standing next to the replicator is displayed. Picard is holding a cup, with sticky lines connecting his hands and the machine]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Sticky.<br />
:[This time, Picard is holding a vibrating cup and large letters are displayed in the background to the exclusion of all else.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Loud.<br />
:Teacup: '''TEEEEEEEEEEEEEE'''<br />
:[Words on the arrow from start to finish. The tail of the arrow is labeled 'Normal.' There is a parallel arrow pointing in the same direction labeled 'Less normal.']<br />
:Hot<br />
:Iced<br />
:Decaf<br />
:Good<br />
:Lukewarm<br />
:Tasty<br />
:Boiled<br />
:Watery<br />
:Sour<br />
:Meaty<br />
:Solid<br />
:Dry<br />
:Raw<br />
:Deep-fried<br />
:Sticky<br />
:Grilled<br />
:Fossilized<br />
:Magnetic<br />
:Ballistic<br />
:Unstable<br />
:Blessed<br />
:Blurry<br />
:Loud<br />
:Virtual<br />
:Intravenous<br />
:Expanding<br />
:Ironic<br />
:Segmented<br />
:Verbose<br />
:Cursed<br />
:Unexpected<br />
:Bipedal<br />
:Afraid<br />
:Infinite<br />
:Tea for him, too<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2570:_Captain_Picard_Tea_Order&diff=2249452570: Captain Picard Tea Order2022-01-19T23:54:18Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2570<br />
| date = January 19, 2022<br />
| title = Captain Picard Tea Order<br />
| image = captain_picard_tea_order.png<br />
| titletext = We can ask the Earl for his order once he's fully extruded from the dispenser.<br />
}}<br />
*This was the fifth comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by EXTRUDED EARL GREY- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Captain {{w|Jean-Luc Picard}} is the captain of the starship ''USS Enterprise'' in the TV series ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}''. {{w|Earl Grey tea}} is a beverage that he requests many times in the series, with the exact phrase "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaAT6-dY1QI Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.]" Randall is parodying this expression with other words that could follow "Tea. Earl Grey."<br />
<br />
The machine that Picard is using is a {{w|Replicator (Star Trek)|replicator}}, which can create objects, such as Picard's requested Earl Grey tea. The title text refers to the last item, "Tea for him, too." which presumes that the replicator has created "Earl Grey", a person (presumably with the title of earl). And so we also will ask him for his beverage order after he is fully created.<br />
<br />
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=1 class="wikitable"<br />
! Word !! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| Hot<br />
| A fairly normal word to be used when ordering tea. Although that it even needs specifying is itself a clue that other variations (such as "Iced", below) are availablee. <br />
|-<br />
| Iced<br />
| {{w|Iced Tea}} is a 'normal' variation of tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Decaf<br />
| Traditional teas (from {{w|Camellia sinensis}}) tend to have caffeine in them. Asking for {{w|Decaffeination|decafeinated}} tea is not particularly uncommon if the drinker requires it.<br />
|-<br />
| Good<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Lukewarm<br />
| While this is a temperature that tea can be at, most people do not want their teas to be lukewarm.<br />
|-<br />
| Tasty<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Boiled<br />
| Boiling tea is a common way to increase the flavor and nutrients extracted from the tea leaves.<br />
|-<br />
| Watery<br />
| Tea is a drink that often involves water.<br />
|-<br />
| Sour<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Meaty<br />
| Most teas are plant-based.<br />
|-<br />
| Solid<br />
| Tea is usually drunk as a liquid. It would be strange to ask for solid tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Dry<br />
| Tea is a liquid typically made with water, and may have milk. A dry version might be either unmade (e.g. tealeaves in their uninfused form) or as if freeze-dried back into a debydrated form.<br />
("Dry" can also be used to describe {{w|Dryness (taste)|less-sweet varities of wine}} ''or'' {{w|Prohibition|enforced alcohol-free scenarios}}. For either option, it assumes a default serving with an {{w|Hot_toddy#Variations|alcoholic component}}, or an entirely {{w|Long Island iced tea|alternate basis}} for the beverage, which the request needs to be specify it is not.)<br />
|-<br />
| Raw<br />
| This describes tea that has not been "cooked", so it would just be tea made with room-temperature water.<br />
|-<br />
| Deep-fried<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Sticky<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Grilled<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Fossilized<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Magnetic<br />
| Tea is not magnetic. Magnetic metals would have to be added to the tea, which would not be pleasant to drink.<br />
|-<br />
| Ballistic<br />
| Usually, the replicated beverage is deposited in a stationary cup, but Picard could ask for it to be dropped or thrown out instead.<br />
|-<br />
| Unstable<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Blessed<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Blurry<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Loud<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Virtual<br />
| Virtual tea cannot be produced physically, so asking a physical tea machine for it would be very strange.<br />
|-<br />
| Intravenous<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Expanding<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Ironic<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Segmented<br />
| Tea is usually served in a cup. It tends to stick together and form one liquid. Separating the tea into segments would not be possible.<br />
|-<br />
| Verbose<br />
| This describes using lots of words and language, and would not likely be used for tea, because it cannot speak.{{citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
| Cursed<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Unexpected<br />
| By definition, Picard is asking for tea, expecting it promptly. Perhaps the request for it to be "unexpected" would cause it to be delivered at an unknown time in the future, or to have some alteration.<br />
|-<br />
| Bipedal<br />
| Tea does not walk.{{citation needed}} This would be a very strange term to use when describing tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Afraid<br />
| Tea does not have feelings.<br />
|-<br />
| Infinite<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Tea for him, too<br />
| {{w|Earl Grey tea|Earl Grey}} is a tea blend.<br />
Taken along with the context of the Titletext, this Replicator order is for "Tea" (not otherwise qualified), a replicated version ''of'' the Earl Grey (one or other of those {{w|Earl Grey|of that name}}, possibly the 2<sup>nd</sup>) and a second beverage for his own sake.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Descriptions included in comic, but not on the line<br />
|-<br />
| Cold<br />
| Like Iced tea, asking for cold tea is a relatively normal request.<br />
|-<br />
| Pink<br />
| Earl grey is usually an orange-brown color, not pink.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[There is a line going towards the bottom of the panel in a curve with marks and words next to them. Various pictures of Captain Picard, are displayed next to the curves.]<br />
:[Caption at top of the panel:]<br />
:Other words Captain Picard tried at the end of his tea order before settling on "hot"<br />
:[Subtitle below the caption:]<br />
:From most normal to least<br />
:[Picard stands next to a machine labeled 'REPLICATOR', giving a command. Some options such as 'Good,' 'Cold,' 'Dry,' and 'Pink' are displayed perpendicularly adjacent to 'Hot', the latter clearly selected.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.<br />
:[Below, another version of Picard standing next to the replicator is displayed. Picard is holding a cup, with sticky lines connecting his hands and the machine]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Sticky.<br />
:[This time, Picard is holding a vibrating cup and large letters are displayed in the background to the exclusion of all else.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Loud.<br />
:Teacup: '''TEEEEEEEEEEEEEE'''<br />
:[Words on the arrow from start to finish. The tail of the arrow is labeled 'Normal.' There is a parallel arrow pointing in the same direction labeled 'Less normal.']<br />
:Hot<br />
:Iced<br />
:Decaf<br />
:Good<br />
:Lukewarm<br />
:Tasty<br />
:Boiled<br />
:Watery<br />
:Sour<br />
:Meaty<br />
:Solid<br />
:Dry<br />
:Raw<br />
:Deep-fried<br />
:Sticky<br />
:Grilled<br />
:Fossilized<br />
:Magnetic<br />
:Ballistic<br />
:Unstable<br />
:Blessed<br />
:Blurry<br />
:Loud<br />
:Virtual<br />
:Intravenous<br />
:Expanding<br />
:Ironic<br />
:Segmented<br />
:Verbose<br />
:Cursed<br />
:Unexpected<br />
:Bipedal<br />
:Afraid<br />
:Infinite<br />
:Tea for him, too<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2570:_Captain_Picard_Tea_Order&diff=2249442570: Captain Picard Tea Order2022-01-19T23:53:57Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ more</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2570<br />
| date = January 19, 2022<br />
| title = Captain Picard Tea Order<br />
| image = captain_picard_tea_order.png<br />
| titletext = We can ask the Earl for his order once he's fully extruded from the dispenser.<br />
}}<br />
*This was the fifth comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by EXTRUDED EARL GREY- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Captain {{w|Jean-Luc Picard}} is the captain of the starship ''USS Enterprise'' in the TV series ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}''. It appears that {{w|Earl Grey tea}} is a beverage that he requests many times in the series, with the exact phrase "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaAT6-dY1QI Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.]" Randall is parodying this expression with other words that could follow "Tea. Earl Grey."<br />
<br />
The machine that Picard is using is a {{w|Replicator (Star Trek)|replicator}}, which can create objects, such as Picard's requested Earl Grey tea. The title text refers to the last item, "Tea for him, too." which presumes that the replicator has created "Earl Grey", a person (presumably with the title of earl). And so we also will ask him for his beverage order after he is fully created.<br />
<br />
{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=1 class="wikitable"<br />
! Word !! Explanation<br />
|-<br />
| Hot<br />
| A fairly normal word to be used when ordering tea. Although that it even needs specifying is itself a clue that other variations (such as "Iced", below) are availablee. <br />
|-<br />
| Iced<br />
| {{w|Iced Tea}} is a 'normal' variation of tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Decaf<br />
| Traditional teas (from {{w|Camellia sinensis}}) tend to have caffeine in them. Asking for {{w|Decaffeination|decafeinated}} tea is not particularly uncommon if the drinker requires it.<br />
|-<br />
| Good<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Lukewarm<br />
| While this is a temperature that tea can be at, most people do not want their teas to be lukewarm.<br />
|-<br />
| Tasty<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Boiled<br />
| Boiling tea is a common way to increase the flavor and nutrients extracted from the tea leaves.<br />
|-<br />
| Watery<br />
| Tea is a drink that often involves water.<br />
|-<br />
| Sour<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Meaty<br />
| Most teas are plant-based.<br />
|-<br />
| Solid<br />
| Tea is usually drunk as a liquid. It would be strange to ask for solid tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Dry<br />
| Tea is a liquid typically made with water, and may have milk. A dry version might be either unmade (e.g. tealeaves in their uninfused form) or as if freeze-dried back into a debydrated form.<br />
("Dry" can also be used to describe {{w|Dryness (taste)|less-sweet varities of wine}} ''or'' {{w|Prohibition|enforced alcohol-free scenarios}}. For either option, it assumes a default serving with an {{w|Hot_toddy#Variations|alcoholic component}}, or an entirely {{w|Long Island iced tea|alternate basis}} for the beverage, which the request needs to be specify it is not.)<br />
|-<br />
| Raw<br />
| This describes tea that has not been "cooked", so it would just be tea made with room-temperature water.<br />
|-<br />
| Deep-fried<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Sticky<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Grilled<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Fossilized<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Magnetic<br />
| Tea is not magnetic. Magnetic metals would have to be added to the tea, which would not be pleasant to drink.<br />
|-<br />
| Ballistic<br />
| Usually, the replicated beverage is deposited in a stationary cup, but Picard could ask for it to be dropped or thrown out instead.<br />
|-<br />
| Unstable<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Blessed<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Blurry<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Loud<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Virtual<br />
| Virtual tea cannot be produced physically, so asking a physical tea machine for it would be very strange.<br />
|-<br />
| Intravenous<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Expanding<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Ironic<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Segmented<br />
| Tea is usually served in a cup. It tends to stick together and form one liquid. Separating the tea into segments would not be possible.<br />
|-<br />
| Verbose<br />
| This describes using lots of words and language, and would not likely be used for tea, because it cannot speak.{{citation needed}}<br />
|-<br />
| Cursed<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Unexpected<br />
| By definition, Picard is asking for tea, expecting it promptly. Perhaps the request for it to be "unexpected" would cause it to be delivered at an unknown time in the future, or to have some alteration.<br />
|-<br />
| Bipedal<br />
| Tea does not walk.{{citation needed}} This would be a very strange term to use when describing tea.<br />
|-<br />
| Afraid<br />
| Tea does not have feelings.<br />
|-<br />
| Infinite<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| Tea for him, too<br />
| {{w|Earl Grey tea|Earl Grey}} is a tea blend.<br />
Taken along with the context of the Titletext, this Replicator order is for "Tea" (not otherwise qualified), a replicated version ''of'' the Earl Grey (one or other of those {{w|Earl Grey|of that name}}, possibly the 2<sup>nd</sup>) and a second beverage for his own sake.<br />
|-<br />
! colspan="2" | Descriptions included in comic, but not on the line<br />
|-<br />
| Cold<br />
| Like Iced tea, asking for cold tea is a relatively normal request.<br />
|-<br />
| Pink<br />
| Earl grey is usually an orange-brown color, not pink.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[There is a line going towards the bottom of the panel in a curve with marks and words next to them. Various pictures of Captain Picard, are displayed next to the curves.]<br />
:[Caption at top of the panel:]<br />
:Other words Captain Picard tried at the end of his tea order before settling on "hot"<br />
:[Subtitle below the caption:]<br />
:From most normal to least<br />
:[Picard stands next to a machine labeled 'REPLICATOR', giving a command. Some options such as 'Good,' 'Cold,' 'Dry,' and 'Pink' are displayed perpendicularly adjacent to 'Hot', the latter clearly selected.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.<br />
:[Below, another version of Picard standing next to the replicator is displayed. Picard is holding a cup, with sticky lines connecting his hands and the machine]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Sticky.<br />
:[This time, Picard is holding a vibrating cup and large letters are displayed in the background to the exclusion of all else.]<br />
:Picard: Tea. Earl Grey. Loud.<br />
:Teacup: '''TEEEEEEEEEEEEEE'''<br />
:[Words on the arrow from start to finish. The tail of the arrow is labeled 'Normal.' There is a parallel arrow pointing in the same direction labeled 'Less normal.']<br />
:Hot<br />
:Iced<br />
:Decaf<br />
:Good<br />
:Lukewarm<br />
:Tasty<br />
:Boiled<br />
:Watery<br />
:Sour<br />
:Meaty<br />
:Solid<br />
:Dry<br />
:Raw<br />
:Deep-fried<br />
:Sticky<br />
:Grilled<br />
:Fossilized<br />
:Magnetic<br />
:Ballistic<br />
:Unstable<br />
:Blessed<br />
:Blurry<br />
:Loud<br />
:Virtual<br />
:Intravenous<br />
:Expanding<br />
:Ironic<br />
:Segmented<br />
:Verbose<br />
:Cursed<br />
:Unexpected<br />
:Bipedal<br />
:Afraid<br />
:Infinite<br />
:Tea for him, too<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2568:_Spinthariscope&diff=2245522568: Spinthariscope2022-01-16T21:11:47Z<p>172.69.33.125: clarify</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2568<br />
| date = January 14, 2022<br />
| title = Spinthariscope<br />
| image = spinthariscope.png<br />
| titletext = Other high scorers are melt-in-your-hand aluminum-destroying gallium and tritium-powered glowsticks. Lawn darts are toward the other end.<br />
}}<br />
*This was the third comic to come out after the [[Countdown in header text]] started. <br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a SPINTHARISCOPE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This is another comic with one of [[Randall|Randall's]] [[:Category:Fun fact|fun facts]].<br />
<br />
As stated in the comic, a {{w|spinthariscope}} is a device with a small amount of radioactive material ({{w|americium}} or <br />
{{w|thorium}}) and a screen. When one of the radioactive atoms decays, it emits an {{w|alpha particle}}, which strikes the screen, which emits a small flash of light. You can see these flashes by looking through a lens.<br />
<br />
It was invented in 1903 initially as a scientific instrument, but was soon replaced by more accurate and quantitative devices. But the original device was still popular for some time as an educational toy for children, and you can still get them today.<br />
<br />
The joke in the comic is that most people have little understanding of radiation, and overreact to any mention that something is radioactive. So when Cueball tells Megan, White Hat, and Ponytail that the toy contains radioactive material, they're shocked and scared. But the amount of radioactive material in the toy is very tiny and the radiation is itself so trivially contained that there's practically no risk from it. The short-ranged {{w|alpha particles}} are likely stopped by the lens through which the harmless flashes of light (from particles that instead hit and neutralise in the internal screen element) are seen. Alpha decay always leads to an unstable decay product, which results in further decay (always gamma decay, and sometimes beta decay as well) which are less easily blocked; but the amount of such radiation from these decay products is negligible.<br />
<br />
The fun fact in the caption says that Spinthariscopes have the highest ratio of "that can't possibly be safe and legal" to actual safety and legality of any known toy. Because, when people hear about Spinthariscopes for the first time, they instantly assume, due to the radioactive material inside, that they must be very dangerous. They thus also question if such a toy is at all legal to make or own in the first place. But the fact is that Spinthariscopes are both safe and are legal to make, sell and own. So, the perceived danger and presumption that it must be illegal is at a very high number, and the actual danger and the actual legality results in a very low number on the same scale. It is this ratio between those two numbers that are the highest for Spinthariscopes, higher than for any other known toys.<br />
<br />
<br />
The title text mentions some other materials/toys that sound dangerous but aren't. {{w|Gallium}} is a metallic element with a low melting point of 29.76°C (85.568°F) so it will melt in your hand. Additionally, gallium has strange properties when it interacts with aluminum, causing aluminum to [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgXNwLoS-Hw "melt"] or become brittle. {{w|Tritium}} is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, but {{w|Tritium radioluminescence|can be used}} to create {{w|glowstick}}s and other lighted objects. Though these two toys might seem dangerous, they are actually typically used perfectly safely.<br />
<br />
At the opposite end of the spectrum is {{w|lawn darts}}, a toy containing large darts that are thrown into the air to fall back down onto a target that's placed or marked upon the ground quite near the players' positions. Contrary to the spinthariscope, which sounds dangerous but is actually harmless, lawn darts sound relatively innocent but can cause severe injury if you accidentally hit a person (and a few children were even {{w|Lawn darts|killed}}), so they were {{w|Lawn_darts#Safety_and_bans_in_the_U.S._and_Canada|banned in the US and Canada}} in the 1980s. When sharpened, these toys even [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EFAVGIylqE compare] quite favorably to {{w|plumbata|weapons of war}}.<br />
<br />
Today many houses have {{w|Smoke_detector|smoke detectors}} using {{w|Smoke_detector#Ionization|ionization}} caused by radioactive decay of {{w|Americium-241}} to detect the smoke. So having something with radioactive material in your house is quite common, and in this case increases the safety level for those houses.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is holding a small item up in on hand in front of his three friends. Megan has her arms lifted and bent in front of her, White Hat has his arms raised over his head and Ponytail is pointing at Cueball while her other hand, held down behind her, is balled into a fist.]<br />
:Cueball: It's a spinthariscope, a 1940s toy with a radioactive isotope inside. If you let your eyes adjust to total darkness and look into the lens, you can see the flashes of individual atoms decaying.<br />
:Megan: What??<br />
:White Hat: ''Aaaaa!''<br />
:Ponytail: Get it away!<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:Fun fact: Spinthariscopes have the highest ratio of "that can't possibly be safe and legal" to actual safety and legality of any known toy.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Fun fact]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Chemistry]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2325:_Endorheic_Basin&diff=193980Talk:2325: Endorheic Basin2020-06-27T17:25:53Z<p>172.69.33.125: Salton Sea</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
I think it is a funny comic, but the way water acts towards Beret Guy has nothing to do with what happens in an Endorheic basin. And also if he attracts water more than gravity, then a siphon is no help at all to get rid of the water. A pump would be needed that could make a larger pull then gravity. But the name is just something Beret Guy gives it. And since he is the only hydrophilic person in the world it is hard to say how it will work for him. But given that Randall named the comic it seems to me that either he did not care about this, did not think about it correctly, or else, also a possibility, I do not understand these concepts well enough --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:49, 26 June 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I sort of disagree with Kynde. I think the idea here is that Beret Guy is a local low point where water flows toward. It's not that he's "more attractive that gravity" but that from the perspective of the water he's now the lowest point around and thus it flows toward him. Like a Endorheic basin it can't flow out to somewhere else. This makes the siphon comment funnier in my opinion as they're suggesting that if then found an even lower point than Beret Guy they could siphons water off of him and to that lower point. Something that the water wouldn't do on its own because of "walls" in his water potential function. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.172|162.158.63.172]] 23:23, 26 June 2020 (UTC)Max<br />
<br />
Do we have a category for comics where Randal is suspected of trolling the explainxkcd community? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.132|108.162.245.132]] 00:32, 27 June 2020 (UTC)<br />
:"All Comics"? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.167|162.158.158.167]] 00:43, 27 June 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"Generating Electricity" is most likely a reference to the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qattara_Depression_Project <br />
:Qatarra makes sense; my first thought was the Salton Sea. It's certainly not a Minecraft reference, since rivers in Minecraft are flat (same altitude as the oceans) & hydroelectric dams do not exist in the game. <br />
:[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.125|172.69.33.125]] 17:25, 27 June 2020 (UTC)<br />
<br />
(Prior item is unsigned.) Worth a link to https://what-if.xkcd.com/143/ aroujd the subject of siphons? If nothing else, it shows that Randall knows how they work (even if there's confusion over whether BG does, or just has the laws of nature do what he ''thinks'' they should do, as per Vacuum Energy). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.240|162.158.155.240]] 10:57, 27 June 2020 (UTC)</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2325:_Endorheic_Basin&diff=1939792325: Endorheic Basin2020-06-27T17:17:47Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ Minecraft does not feature colonials or significant dams.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2325<br />
| date = June 26, 2020<br />
| title = Endorheic Basin<br />
| image = endorheic_basin.png<br />
| titletext = My biggest fear is that colonial engineers will try to flood me to generate electricity. My biggest hope is that I'll develop sailing stones.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation== <br />
{{incomplete|Created by an ENDORHEIC BASIN. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Yet another comic with one of [[Beret Guy|Beret Guy's]] [[:Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy|strange powers]]. This time he attracts water so it flows to him rather than running out towards the nearby oceans. He thus claims he is like an {{w|endorheic basin}}, hence the title. <br />
<br />
An endorheic basin is a limited drainage basin that normally retains water and allows no outflow to other external bodies of water, such as rivers or oceans, but converges instead into lakes or swamps, permanent or seasonal, that equilibrate through evaporation. The {{w|Caspian Sea}} in Asia is the largest such basins. It is debated if it is a lake or a sea (it is salty, but not connected to the oceans). If a lake it is the world largest lake.<br />
<br />
An endorheic basin does though not suck water away from the sea. Rather rivers nearby flow to this low lying area inland, from where the water level will never rise enough for the water to continue to flow out into an ocean. Evaporation or drainage into the ground keeps the water level from reaching a height that can connect the water surface to a channel to any ocean. <br />
<br />
So in this way Beret Guy's effect on water has nothing to do with the reason an endorheic basin is created.<br />
<br />
In the comic [[Megan]] asks why he has water over his feet, and he thus explains the endorheic basin story. He even demonstrates by putting his hand close to a glass of water Megan is holding, showing her how he attracts some of the water out of the glass, and on to his arm. <br />
<br />
He also shows how water will stay on him after a shower. This looks similar to what could happen in a space station if you have liquid water in zero gravity. The water sticks to any surface it encounters. See from instance the start of this video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeDJABZpVlI Water in zero gravity] and this one [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8TssbmY-GM Wringing out Water on the ISS - for Science!] to see how water reacts to human skin in zero gravity. It is thus almost impossible from him to dry off after a shower.<br />
<br />
It seems like the water stays away from his upper face, leaving his nose free to breathe. Else it would also be a very dangerous thing from him to take a shower.<br />
<br />
In fact he needs someone to come with a {{w|siphon}} to get rid of the water. A siphon is an u-shaped pipe, where the downward pipe is longer than the upward section. Thus the water falling in the downward section creates a pull lifting the water in the upward section up to the highest point, form where it will flow down pulling more water up. As the Endorheic Basin caused by Beret Guy seems to have a limited reach, placing on end of the pipe sufficiently far outside creates a similar effect: The water outside Beret Guy's area of effect flows down under the influence of gravity, creating a pull lifting the water near him "up" out of the Endorheic Basin.<br />
<br />
But he really needs to get the water away from him. If he just leaves it there it will eventually evaporate. Water from rivers carry salt, and if they end up in a closed lake and that lake then evaporates, it can create {{w|Salt pan (geology)|salt flats}} (or salt pans), like those near {{w|Salt Lake City}} in {{w|Utah}}, e.g. the {{w|Bonneville Salt Flats}}. There may be a pun here, in that "flats" is a description of various types of footwear (among them: women's shoes that are not high-heeled and ballet shoes not specifically reinforced for advanced 'pointe' dancing), and the water would clearly leave the 'flats' on his feet.<br />
<br />
If Beret Guy just leaves the water on him to dry out, he will get these salt flats, which is probably bad for his skin. But he has developed some previously and then harvested the minerals (because he asks Megan to let him know if she needs any minerals, implying he has plenty to give away due to those salt flats he has developed earlier). <br />
<br />
In the title text, Beret Guy mentions his "biggest fear" due to his his water attracting abilities is being flooded to by "colonial engineers" in order from then to use him and the water to generate electricity, most likely {{w|hydroelectricity}}, similar to the {{w|Qattara_Depression_Project}}. Hydroelectricity is generated by the energy of falling or fast-moving water.<br />
<br />
He then mentions that his "biggest hope", due to his ability, is that he will generate {{w|sailing stones}}. Sailing stones (also known as sliding rocks, walking rocks, rolling stones, and moving rocks), are a geological phenomenon where rocks move and inscribe long tracks along a smooth valley floor without human or animal intervention. The movement of the rocks occurs when large ice sheets a few millimeters thick and floating in an ephemeral winter pond start to break up during sunny days. Frozen during cold winter nights, these thin floating ice panels are driven by wind and shove rocks at speeds up to 5 meters per minute. It does not sound like something attracting water (even if creating salt flats) can accomplish.<br />
<br />
This comic came out just a bit more than a month after the previous comic with one of Beret Guy's strange powers, [[2310: Great Attractor]], in which strange forces exerted a pull on Beret Guy. It does not appear that he himself is drawn to water, and we cannot determine if the Great Attractor is drawn to him, so Newton's Third Law may be constantly being broken, along with the more obvious scientific impossibilities that surround Beret Guy.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan, holding a glass of water up in one hand is talking to Beret Guy, who has water surrounding his feet, with small droplets falling off the two small water triangles that cover his feet.]<br />
:Megan: Why are your feet wet?<br />
:Beret Guy: I'm an endorheic basin!<br />
<br />
:[Megan looks down at her glass as the water in it is flying out towards Beret Guy's arm, which he has stretched out towards the glass.]<br />
:Megan: Huh?<br />
:Beret Guy: Nearby water flows toward me, not the ocean. <br />
:Beret Guy: See?<br />
:Megan: Oh, cool.<br />
<br />
:[At the top of this panel is a box with text being said by Beret Guy to Megan. Beneath it is a depiction of what he is explaining to Megan. Beret Guy is shown standing in a bathroom, with a towel around his waist. Almost his entire body is covered completely in water, except most of his head above mouth level, and both his feet are beneath the water bubble. He yells to someone outside the bathroom. A shower-tray or partially sunken bathtub can be seen to the left with a closed shower curtain across it. To the right of him is the sink with mirror above it. Further right is the door. The floor is tiled.]<br />
:Beret Guy - narrating: The most annoying part is drying off after a shower.<br />
:Beret Guy: Can someone bring me the siphon?<br />
<br />
:[Back to the situation from the first panel, although Megan has lowered her glass a bit. The glass seems to be as full as in the first panel though, even though Beret Guy now also has water on his arm where it was pulled out off Megan's glass in panel 2.]<br />
:Beret Guy: But I have to get rid of it or I'll develop salt flats. <br />
:Beret Guy: Anyway, let me know if you need any minerals!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Geology]]<br />
[[Category:Geography]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=995:_Coinstar&diff=179118995: Coinstar2019-09-03T23:36:37Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 995<br />
| date = December 26, 2011<br />
| title = Coinstar<br />
| image = coinstar.png<br />
| titletext = Plus they take like 9%.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Chocolate coins are a popular holiday candy, and thus this is another [[:Category:Christmas|Christmas comic]]. These candies are usually plain chocolate formed in the shape of coins and covered in metallic foil wrappers. <br />
<br />
{{w|Coinstar}} machines accept all your loose coins, sort them, count them, and then give you the same amount of money in paper currency, around 9% less as it says in the title text. You may find similar machines in grocery stores and shopping malls around the US and Canada. <br />
<br />
These machines work by vibrating a box with a series of slots along one side, which each corresponding to the sizes of standard accepted coins. The vibrations move the coins along the different slots. If they pass through the slots the coins are then fed into a mechanism with a counterweight that's balanced to test the weight to ensure that it has captured the appropriate coin. Coins of the right size but wrong weight (such as similarly sized coins of different currencies) are dropped back out into a reject chute to be retrieved by the customer. Coins that do not fit the standard sizes also get rejected in the same way. There are also various anti-theft mechanisms that prevent coins from being counted and then retrieved. Coins that meet the programmed criteria are funneled into internal repositories and are counted towards the total.<br />
<br />
The chocolate coins in the comic appear to have damaged the machine. As the only property that the candies share with actual currency may be its appearance the machine would not be designed to handle the softer material causing the machine to malfunction and create the unusual noises presented. The chocolate may have fouled initial vibrating tabulator; it may be that the coins are getting caught in the reject chute or are fouling the scales. In any case, the anti-theft system is being triggered, causing the machine to shut down (preventing false totals from registering) and an alarm to sound.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests that the machine would take its customary 9% from the total of the chocolate coins which is ironic since the reader knows that their candy has insignificant monetary value.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A mischievous Cueball empties a small bag into a machine.]<br />
:''whirrrrrrr''<br />
:''bzzt''<br />
:[Machine makes progressively less happy noises.]<br />
:'''''kachunk'''''<br />
:''tshhhhhhhhhh''<br />
:''clickclickclickclick''<br />
:'''''GRIND'''''<br />
:[Machine malfunctions and shuts down.]<br />
:''pop''<br />
:''beeeeeeeeeeeep!''<br />
<br />
:Holiday tip: Coinstar does not handle chocolate coins well.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Christmas]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2010:_Update_Notes&diff=1791172010: Update Notes2019-09-03T23:24:34Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Transcript */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2010<br />
| date = June 22, 2018<br />
| title = Update Notes<br />
| image = update_notes.png<br />
| titletext = v3.0.2: Hey, if anyone still using this app is headed to the beach, can you stop at 4th and River St and grab the sunscreen from my car? Trunk should be unlocked. Thanks!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Update notes or {{w|release notes}} are notes (or documents) released when software has been updated, to inform the user of any important changes to the software. <br />
<br />
In this comic, Randall and his friend are using release notes of their {{w|Mobile application|app}}s as a form of chat service, instead of actual software change information. He says this is possible because the two apps are no longer being maintained, so theoretically, there are not many people using the app who would read the update / change notes. Incidentally, one can still argue that the chat is still technically update notes, only instead of updating users on what has changed about an app, it is now giving Randall and his friend status "updates".<br />
<br />
This comic has a similar theme as [[1305: Undocumented Feature]] both use old software forums as a chat application.<br />
<br />
This "chat service" would not be in real time, so presumably, Randall and his friend would have to be constantly checking each other's apps to see if there are updates.<br />
<br />
On the "stars" app, the last "actual" notes says "Introduced bugs and degraded performance". This is a very common change when new features are added, however, developers will normally describe what the new features are rather than just state the negative consequences. It goes in contrast with the typical change note "fixed bugs and improved performance" that usually follows.<br />
<br />
The comic also refers to a meteor shower occurring in August, most likely the {{w|Perseids|Perseid meteor shower}}.<br />
<br />
The title text says that Randall, who is at the beach, has left his {{w|sunscreen}} in his car, but that the {{w|Trunk (car)|trunk}} (a pun with the name of the main software development branch in SVN) is unlocked, for whoever is still reading the updates for this app. This may invite the attention of thieves, who are now informed that Randall's trunk is unlocked. However they may not know what city Randall lives in, and conversely readers of the release notes could be anywhere in the world so most are probably not in a position to physically make contact with Randall's car.<br />
<br />
This comic could be seen as a subtle reference to how plain sight communication such as gang codes and steganography are used by people, possibly out of coerced necessity, to communicate information both deniably and publicly. It is likely that this often happens in real app update messages in real life. This kind of communication would more realistically allow a criminal worker to communicate with a contact point without endangering their anonymity by associating with them directly.<br />
<br />
This comic could also be poking fun at the non-descriptive updates many popular apps post in the "What's new" or change log. One example of this would be the Uber app stating "We update the app as often as possible" as a "new" feature every update. Apple recently changed AppStore guidelines[https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#accurate-metadata] to require clear descriptions of new features and product changes, effectively putting an end to the problem Randall is highlighting.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[There are two panels that show smartphone-esque screens with two different apps with different update notes, showing a conversation between two people. New updates are added to the top, so to follow the conversation flow one would start from the bottom and alternate between the second app and the first one.]<br />
:[At the top, the status bars between the two panels are slightly different: telephone reception, WiFi strength, battery, GPS...]<br />
<br />
:["Updates" is written in uppercase at the top. The first app's icon is an "A" symbol. Next to it, there is the following information:]<br />
:[The app name is a scribble]<br />
:Version 3.0.1<br />
:June 22, 2018<br />
<br />
:Update Notes:<br />
<br />
:v3.0.1<br />
:I'm actually off work Monday so that's perfect.<br />
<br />
:v3.0<br />
:Oh, that sounds fun! What night?<br />
<br />
:v2.8.31<br />
:Are you around this weekend? We're heading to the beach.<br />
<br />
:v2.8.3<br />
:Hey Mike, you there?<br />
<br />
:["Updates" is written in uppercase at the top. The second app's icon consists of three stars arranged in a triangle. Next to it, there is:]<br />
:[The app name is a scribble followed by two stars in parentheses]<br />
:Version 7.0<br />
:June 22, 2018<br />
<br />
:Update Notes:<br />
<br />
:v7.0<br />
:It peaks August 12-13<sup>th</sup>.<br />
<br />
:v6.8.16<br />
:Sorry, no, going to a wedding. But do you want to camp out for the meteor shower in August?<br />
<br />
:v6.8.15<br />
:Yeah, what's up?<br />
<br />
:v6.8.14<br />
:Introduced bugs and degraded performance[.]<br />
<br />
:[At the bottom of each panel, there are menu icons: a star, a stack of rectangles, a bullet list, a magnifying glass and an arrow pointing down to a square]<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panels:]<br />
:My friend and I both have apps we've stopped maintaining, so we just use the updates to chat.<br />
<br />
<br />
:[For convenience, here are the update notes in order of release (note that the first and last comments are not part of the conversation with Mike):]<br />
<br />
:"A" app (v6.8.14): Introduced bugs and degraded performance[.]<br />
<br />
:"3-star" app (v2.8.3): Hey Mike, you there?<br />
<br />
:A (v6.8.15): Yeah, what's up?<br />
<br />
:3-star (v.2.8.31): Are you around this weekend? We're heading to the beach.<br />
<br />
:A (v6.8.16): Sorry, no, going to a wedding. But do you want to camp out for the meteor shower in August?<br />
<br />
:3-star (v3.0): Oh, that sounds fun! What night?<br />
<br />
:A (v7.0): It peaks August 12-13th.<br />
<br />
:3-star (v3.0.1): I'm actually off work Monday so that's perfect.<br />
<br />
:3-star (v3.0.2): Hey, if anyone still using this app is headed to the beach, can you stop at 4th and River St and grab the sunscreen from my car? Trunk should be unlocked. Thanks!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Smartphones]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2198:_Throw&diff=179095Talk:2198: Throw2019-09-03T21:35:19Z<p>172.69.33.125: </p>
<hr />
<div>I created this page as it seem DgbrtBOT fails because it is interactive. So far it still won't shown on the front page or with a button to it from the previous comic or the "newest" comic button. Maybe it just takes some time? It is now in the [[List_of_all_comics]] but still no luck getting it to work... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:58, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
:Maybe it is because it was published on a tuesday? --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:16, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
::No it is not unusual that a comic does not come out on MWF. For instance the Sunday comic recently. Here is the list of Tuesday comics: [[:Category:Tuesday_comics]]--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:29, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
:Also it doesn't display my comment below the explanation. Something is very broken here...--[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 08:25, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
:It appears now. [[User:PkmnQ|PkmnQ]] ([[User talk:PkmnQ|talk]]) 08:53, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
How did he get an estimate for Carly Rae Jepson, anyway? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.34|162.158.255.34]] 09:52, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgwAywJlo1M [[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.221|172.68.142.221]] 09:55, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
::Alternatively he could have worked together with her, as with Serena Williams. I will look it up in the afternoon, when I have my preordered book :) --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 10:22, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
By the transitive property of Worthiness, if Capt America can throw Thor's Hammer, surely George Washington is Worthy!{{unsigned ip|172.69.68.141}}<br />
<br />
I got this data from the code:<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! id<br />
! name<br />
! canThrow<br />
! canBeThrown<br />
! length<br />
! diameter<br />
! mass<br />
! dragC<br />
! throwPower<br />
|-<br />
| microwave<br />
| A microwave oven<br />
| false<br />
| true<br />
| 0.406<br />
| 0.406<br />
| 10.591<br />
| 0.8<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| basketball<br />
| a basketball<br />
| false<br />
| true<br />
| 0.243<br />
| 0.243<br />
| 0.624<br />
| 0.3<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| blender<br />
| a blender<br />
| false<br />
| true<br />
| 0.203<br />
| 0.203<br />
| 5.216<br />
| 0.8<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| gold_bar<br />
| a gold bar<br />
| false<br />
| true<br />
| 0.0535<br />
| 0.0535<br />
| 12.4<br />
| 0.8<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| cake<br />
| a wedding cake<br />
| false<br />
| true<br />
| 0.51<br />
| 0.51<br />
| 13<br />
| 0.8<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| pingpong<br />
| a ping pong ball<br />
| false<br />
| true<br />
| 0.04<br />
| 0.04<br />
| 0.003<br />
| 0.5<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| quarterback<br />
| an NFL quarterback<br />
| true<br />
| false<br />
| 1.905<br />
| 0.584<br />
| 102.058<br />
| 0.6<br />
| 20<br />
|-<br />
| acorn<br />
| an acorn<br />
| false<br />
| true<br />
| 0.0191<br />
| 0.0191<br />
| 0.0045<br />
| 0.3<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| hammer<br />
| thor's hammer<br />
| false<br />
| true<br />
| 0.5<br />
| 0.15<br />
| 2000<br />
| 0.4<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| javelin<br />
| a javelin<br />
| false<br />
| true<br />
| 1.8<br />
| 0.0254<br />
| 0.8<br />
| 0.1<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| george<br />
| George Washington<br />
| true<br />
| true<br />
| 1.829<br />
| 0.562<br />
| 90.718<br />
| 0.6<br />
| 15<br />
|-<br />
| pikachu<br />
| Pikachu<br />
| true<br />
| true<br />
| 0.4<br />
| 0.3<br />
| 5.9874<br />
| 0.4<br />
| 10<br />
|-<br />
| car<br />
| A car<br />
| false<br />
| true<br />
| 4.5<br />
| 2.134<br />
| 1179.34<br />
| 0.25<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| silver_spin<br />
| a silver dollar (spinning)<br />
| false<br />
| true<br />
| 0.04<br />
| 0.011<br />
| 0.027<br />
| 0.5<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| silver_tumble<br />
| a silver dollar (tumbling)<br />
| false<br />
| true<br />
| 0.04<br />
| 0.04<br />
| 0.027<br />
| 0.66<br />
| <br />
|-<br />
| carly<br />
| Carly Rae Jepsen<br />
| true<br />
| false<br />
| 1.575<br />
| 0.46<br />
| 49.895<br />
| 0.6<br />
| 10<br />
|-<br />
| thor<br />
| thor, god of thunder<br />
| true<br />
| false<br />
| 1.91<br />
| 0.59<br />
| 91<br />
| 0.6<br />
| 10000<br />
|-<br />
| chris hemsworth<br />
| chris hemsworth<br />
| true<br />
| false<br />
| 1.91<br />
| 0.59<br />
| 91<br />
| 0.6<br />
| 10<br />
|-<br />
| squirrel<br />
| A squirrel<br />
| true<br />
| true<br />
| 0.203<br />
| 0.096<br />
| 0.454<br />
| 0.6<br />
| 10<br />
|}<br />
(Sorry if this table messes the talk page.)[[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.136|162.158.78.136]] 13:51, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
:Nah its great. Not sure how to use it in the explanation yet, but guess it will go in there somehow later.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:28, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The comic looks different on my screen, not displaying multiple possible selections next to each other, but all below each other. Quite dynamic... --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 14:26, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
:If I zoom out I can make it shown only one item each line, but if I zoom in two is maximum. But it should go in the explanation when we get there.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:28, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The suggestion to litteraly throw a party in the air could be a reference to The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy in which there is a flying building with a party in it, and there's even Thor partying in it when the protagonists are coming there. --Roger 15:12, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Any reason why George Washington has 50% more throw power than Christ Hemsworth? Some reference? ~TK<br />
<br />
Interesting, there appears to be additional units of measurement in the source code that were not used in the comic: "wiffles" and "light-nanoseconds" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.52|108.162.241.52]] 16:52, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Does it seem... excessive to anyone else that the NFL quarterback can throw a silver dollar almost two football fields?[[Special:Contributions/172.68.142.161|172.68.142.161]] 17:08, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The explanation for Manhattan block conversion appears to be wrong. They mention that their calculation for how large one block is was made with 4 numbers ignoring George Washington as an outlier. However there are 6 total examples of Manhattan block to use and George Washington's is not an outlier. I calculated the mean with all of the data to be 79.9142 meters.--[[User:Szeth|Szeth]] ([[User talk:Szeth|talk]]) 17:12, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
We need a table with a brief description of each thrower. [[User:DKMell|DKMell]] ([[User talk:DKMell|talk]]) 17:14, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
How do we know how old George Washington was when he throws a squirrel? Speaking of age, this format kind of reminds me of the Magnus comic: https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1628:_Magnus [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.52|108.162.241.52]] 17:41, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think we need to add something about the myth that George Washington threw a silver dollar across the Potomac River [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.40|108.162.241.40]] 19:42, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Pretty sure that the ping-pong ball distances are severely overestimated due to air resistance slowing them very rapidly. Someone with lab facilities might want to check... --[[User:Marcus Rowland|Marcus Rowland]] ([[User talk:Marcus Rowland|talk]]) 19:49, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
:Sorry, never mind, I think I saw a very early version of the actual page that had the distances much greater - seems reasonable now. --[[User:Marcus Rowland|Marcus Rowland]] ([[User talk:Marcus Rowland|talk]]) 19:53, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
The buttons look to be failing simply because [[Template:LATESTCOMIC]] hasn't been updated with the lastest comic number - the page is protected so needs someone with higher powers than I. [[User:Dresken|Dresken]] ([[User talk:Dresken|talk]]) 19:59, 3 September 2019 (UTC)<br />
'Worthiness' was only a thing in the comics. In the myths Thor had a belt of strength and a couple other things. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.125|172.69.33.125]] 21:35, 3 September 2019 (UTC)</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2197:_Game_Show&diff=1789502197: Game Show2019-09-03T05:21:08Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2197<br />
| date = September 2, 2019<br />
| title = Game Show<br />
| image = game_show.png<br />
| titletext = Eventually they agreed to "an auto-retracting dog leash with one end clipped to your house, so you can press the button on the handle and water-ski home."<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by an UNHAPPY STATUE OF LIBERTY. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Many shows have situations where the participants are asked hypothetical questions. A common hypothetical question asked to ascertain someone's values and problem solving skills is the one item they would take to a deserted island.<br />
<br />
[[Black Hat]] is on such a game show, and he does his best to undermine the point of the system, listing various things that would either bring him back home from the deserted island (e.g. a boat, a plane), thereby undermining the point of the question, or would be nearly impossible to obtain (e.g. Amelia Earhart's skeleton, the Atlantic Ocean).<br />
<br />
* '''{{w|Amelia Earhart}}''' was a female U.S. aviator who went missing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on an attempt to circumnavigate earth. There have been many claims of the rediscovery of Earhart's remains, but it is unlikely that a game show would expend the energy to give their contestant either Earhart's plane or her skeleton; and even if they did, it wouldn't be in an appropriate condition for getting back.<br />
* '''The internal structure of The {{w|Statue of Liberty}}''' was designed by Gustave Eiffel, best known for his work on the Eiffel Tower. It would be near impossible, not to mention illegal, to even remove the support frame,{{Citation needed}} let alone get it onto a remote island.<br />
* '''The {{w|Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom}}''' are ceremonial objects owned by the kings and queens of the UK. The items are kept under heavy guard and are valued at about $4 billion; it would therefore be difficult for Black Hat to get them onto a deserted island with him.<br />
* '''The {{w|Greenland ice sheet}}''' is the body of ice covering the island of {{w|Greenland}}. As the second largest ice sheet on Earth, it would not quite fit on a deserted island.{{Citation needed}}<br />
* '''Earth's {{w|north magnetic pole}}''' is the point on earth that all compasses point towards because of the magnetohydrodynamic ([[1851: Magnetohydrodynamics|magic]]) forces in the earth's mantle; presumably Black Hat wants the pole to be at his deserted island, though the north magnetic pole is rather difficult to adjust.<br />
* '''The {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}''' is the ocean left behind by the split of North America and Afroeurasia; it would be hard to get it onto a deserted island.<br />
<br />
The title text reveals that the game show has ultimately acquiesced to one of Black Hat's wishes in a way: the dog leash mentioned would allow him to water-ski home, though such a dog leash is implausible (for example, a dog leash from San Francisco to Hawaii would be over 2000 miles long and therefore difficult to manufacture).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Single-frame panel with Cueball, Black Hat, and Megan as game show contestants standing behind lecterns and Hairy as the game show host standing in front of them. Cueball and Megan do not speak.]<br />
<br />
:Black Hat: A boat. A plane. Amelia Earhart's plane. Amelia Earhart's ''skeleton''. The Statue of Liberty's internal support frame. The Crown Jewels. This show's entire television audience. The Greenland ice sheet. Earth's north magnetic pole.<br />
:Black Hat: Am I in the Pacific Ocean?<br />
:Black Hat: If so, the Atlantic Ocean.<br />
<br />
:Hairy: Uhh.<br />
:Hairy: Our producers are going to need some time on this one.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the comic:]<br />
:The game show realized that they should have added some restrictions to their "take any item to a deserted island" challenge, but it was too late.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2197:_Game_Show&diff=1789492197: Game Show2019-09-03T05:16:02Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Transcript */ ce; add categories</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2197<br />
| date = September 2, 2019<br />
| title = Game Show<br />
| image = game_show.png<br />
| titletext = Eventually they agreed to "an auto-retracting dog leash with one end clipped to your house, so you can press the button on the handle and water-ski home."<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by an UNHAPPY STATUE OF LIBERTY. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Many shows have situations where the participants are asked hypothetical questions. A common hypothetical question asked to ascertain someone's values and problem solving skills is the one item they would take to a deserted island.<br />
<br />
[[Black Hat]] is on such a game show, and he does his best to undermine the point of the system, listing various things that would either bring him back home from the deserted island (e.g. a boat, a plane), thereby undermining the point of the question, or would be nearly impossible to obtain (e.g. Amelia Earhart's skeleton, the Atlantic Ocean).<br />
<br />
* '''{{w|Amelia Earhart}}''' was a female U.S. aviator who went missing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on an attempt to circumnavigate earth. There have been many claims of the rediscovery of Earhart's remains, but it is unlikely that a game show would expend the energy to give their contestant either Earhart's plane or her skeleton; and even if they did, it wouldn't be in an appropriate condition for getting back.<br />
* '''The internal structure of The {{w|Statue of Liberty}}''' was designed by Gustave Eiffel, best known for his work on the Eiffel Tower. It would be near impossible, not to mention illegal, to even remove the support frame{{Citation needed}}, let alone get it onto a remote island.<br />
* '''The {{w|Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom}}''' are ceremonial objects owned by the kings and queens of the UK. The items are kept under heavy guard and are valued at about $4 billion; it would therefore be difficult for Black Hat to get them onto a deserted island with him.<br />
* '''Earth's {{w|north magnetic pole}}''' is the point on earth that all compasses point towards because of the magnetohydrodynamic ([[1851: Magnetohydrodynamics|magic]]) forces in the earth's mantle; presumably Black Hat wants the pole to be at his deserted island, though the north magnetic pole is rather difficult to adjust.<br />
* '''The {{w|Atlantic Ocean}}''' is the ocean left behind by the split of North America and Afroeurasia; it would be hard to get it onto a deserted island.<br />
* '''The {{w|Greenland ice sheet}}''' is the body of ice covering the island of {{w|Greenland}}; as the second largest ice sheet on Earth, it would not quite fit on a deserted island{{Citation needed}}.<br />
<br />
The title text reveals that the game show has ultimately acquiesced to Black Hat's wishes in a way: the dog leash mentioned would allow him to water-ski home, though such a dog leash is implausible (for example, a dog leash from San Francisco to Hawaii would be over 2000 miles long and therefore difficult to manufacture).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Single-frame panel with Cueball, Black Hat, and Megan as game show contestants standing behind lecterns and Hairy as the game show host standing in front of them. Cueball and Megan do not speak.]<br />
<br />
:Black Hat: A boat. A plane. Amelia Earhart's plane. Amelia Earhart's ''skeleton''. The Statue of Liberty's internal support frame. The Crown Jewels. This show's entire television audience. The Greenland ice sheet. Earth's north magnetic pole.<br />
:Black Hat: Am I in the Pacific Ocean?<br />
:Black Hat: If so, the Atlantic Ocean.<br />
<br />
:Hairy: Uhh.<br />
:Hairy: Our producers are going to need some time on this one.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the comic:]<br />
:The game show realized that they should have added some restrictions to their "take any item to a deserted island" challenge, but it was too late.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2196:_Nice_To_E-Meet_You&diff=1788822196: Nice To E-Meet You2019-09-02T06:08:53Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ generalize</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2196<br />
| date = 30 August, 2019<br />
| title = Nice To E-Meet You<br />
| image = nice_to_e-meet_you.png<br />
| titletext = I'm inside your head and I hate it. Please let me out.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a 1995 CYBERPUNK NOVEL. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
In this comic, [[Cueball]] is considering how to greet some online.<br />
<br />
At first, Cueball considers simply saying "Nice to meet you!", a typical greeting used when meeting someone in person. However, he notes that since the introduction is taking place electronically, saying that he is actually "meeting" them is inaccurate; he duly discards the greeting.<br />
<br />
Next he considers replacing the word "meet" with "e-meet." The use of "{{w|Internet-related prefixes#"E-"|e-}}" as a prefix for anything related to electronics was a popular naming trend in the early 1990s, such as {{w|eWorld}}, {{w|eBay}}, and as a standardized shorthand for {{w|Email|electronic mail}}. Earlier cyberpunk novels, such as 1984's ''{{w|Neuromancer}}'', did not use the "e-" prefix, as they were written before that linguistic trend, while the prefix generally fell out of fashion by the 2000s. Cueball using the phrase "e-meet" thus sounds anachronistic to the 1990s, and he recognizes it, discarding his greeting again.<br />
<br />
He then decides that he needs to throw off the shackles of normal conversation and simply "be normal." Being a geek, Cueball therefore writes up a long-winded exposition of how strange electronic communication actually is in terms of the photons being projected by the computer screen, comparing it to his hands touching the receiver's eyes, then concludes the greeting with a simple "Anyway, hi." This might be off-putting to a friend that Cueball had just now met. This makes it funnier that Cueball believes he just "nailed" his greeting; he clearly has no idea what he is doing.<br />
<br />
The title text continues the theme of "his hands touching the receiver's eyes"; [[Randall]] is talking about how as a construct that your mind makes, he is now "inside your head"-- and taking it that statement to its logical conclusion, he "wants to get out."<br />
<br />
The comic discusses how adhering to conversational convention during social interactions can be quite difficult, especially with the advent of new technology. Social awkwardness is a [[:Category:Social interactions|recurring theme]] in xkcd.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is sitting at his desk on an office chair, while typing at his laptop. The line he is writing on the computer is shown with white text in a black box up at the top of the panel while his thoughts shown in a thought bubble with small bubbles going to it from his head.]<br />
:Text: Nice to meet you!<br />
:Cueball [thinking]: That sounds weird; we’re not actually meeting in person.<br />
:Laptop: Type type <br />
:Laptop: Delete delete<br />
<br />
:[Same setting:]<br />
:Text: Nice to e-meet you!<br />
:Cueball [thinking]: What is this, a 1995 cyberpunk novel?<br />
:Laptop: Type type <br />
:Laptop: Delete <br />
<br />
:[Cueball stops typing and leans back resting an arm on the back of the chair while looking at laptop, no black box shown.]<br />
:Cueball [thinking]: OK.<br />
:Cueball [thinking]: Chill.<br />
:Cueball [thinking]: Just be normal.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball resumes typing a much longer text in two black boxes, one large with five lines of text, and a small below with one line.]<br />
:Text: It’s weird to think that the words I’m typing will be projected onto your retinas. It’s like my hands are touching your eyes.<br />
:Text: Anyway, hi.<br />
:Cueball [thinking]: Nailed it.<br />
:Laptop: Type type <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Social interactions]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=67:_Nerd_Girls&diff=17883567: Nerd Girls2019-08-31T08:13:11Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Explanation */ link</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 67<br />
| date = February 22, 2006<br />
| title = Nerd Girls<br />
| image = nerd girls.jpg<br />
| titletext = Nothing personal, high schoolers.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
The stereotypical nerd is socially inept and has an obsession with a non-mainstream hobby such as {{w|Dungeons and Dragons}}. Nerd males are also typically represented as treating ''all'' women (including female nerds) with reverence and awkward fawning due to their supposed inexperience and lack of female company in comparison to other males. In the comic, the nerd girl uses this as an excuse for her social ineptitude.<br />
<br />
The T-shirt the girl is wearing contains the text "Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons," which is an [https://www.google.com/search?q=Do+not+meddle+in+the+affairs+of+Dragons,+for+you+are+crunchy+and+taste+good+with+ketchup&client=ms-android-google&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj8to3C1KzkAhWmGDQIHVSzBEkQ_AUoAXoECA4QAQ&cshid=1567239088741&biw=393&bih=658 actual text] used for T-shirts, continuing with "for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!" This text is a modified version of a quote from {{w|J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien's}} {{w|The Fellowship of the Ring}}: "Do not meddle in the affairs of Wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger."<br />
<br />
To all the high schoolers who are at the stage when they begin to find dates, [[Randall]] is saying that it is nothing personal, i.e. he is not trying to insult them by pointing this situation out.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Girl with shoulder length brown hair and glasses, wearing a shirt which says "Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons".]<br />
:Girl: At least, thanks to your constant fawning, we have an '''excuse''' for our social ineptness. What's '''yours'''?<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Social interactions]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2118:_Normal_Distribution&diff=1703582118: Normal Distribution2019-03-01T23:08:06Z<p>172.69.33.125: /* Transcript */ ce</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2118<br />
| date = March 1, 2019<br />
| title = Normal Distribution<br />
| image = normal_distribution.png<br />
| titletext = It's the NORMAL distribution, not the TANGENT distribution.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by PEOPLE NEW ENOUGH TO STATISTICS TO NOT LEAVE IN ANNOYANCE. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
In statistics, a {{w|Probability distribution|distribution}} is a representation that can be understood in terms of how much of a sample is expected to fall into either discrete bins or between particular ranges of values. For example, if you wanted to represent an age distribution using bins of ten years (0-9, 10-19, etc.), you could produce a bar chart, one bar for each bin, where the height of each bar represents a count of the portion of the sample matching that bin. To turn that bar chart into a distribution, you'd get an infinite number of people, put them into age bins that are infinitely narrow, and then divide each bin count by the total count so that the whole thing added up to 1. It is common to ask how much of the distribution lies between two vertical lines; that would correspond to asking what percent of people are expected to fall between two ages.<br />
<br />
Many statistical samplings form a pattern called a "{{w|normal distribution}}". A theoretically perfect normal distribution would have an infinite sample size and infinitely small bins. That would produce a bar chart matching the shape of the curve in the comic.<br />
<br />
The area between two vertical lines of the distribution represents the probability that the value is between the x-values of the lines, and the total area is 1. Randall finds the area between two ''horizontal'' lines instead, which, while correct, is not likely to be used for anything meaningful very frequently. The items in one bin are thought of as being identical; there's no reason to put one above another, and the fact that two items happen to fall at the same height horizontally don't mean they have anything in common. The comic explores the humor of annoying people by deliberately misunderstanding their work.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the {{w|Normal (geometry)|normal line}}, which is perpendicular to the {{w|tangent}} line at a given point. The normal line is not at all related to the normal distribution, as the former is a geometry concept and the latter is probability/statistics one. Saying this to a statistician would only annoy the statistician further. This refers to the fact that the diagram attempts to divide the graph with horizontal lines when such a division would usually be done with vertical lines.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[A bell curve of a normal distribution, with the area between two horizontal lines shaded.]<br />
<br />
:[The distance between the lines is marked offset from the center of the curve, with the label:]<br />
:Midpoint - 52.7%<br />
<br />
:[A label on the outside of the graph, describing the distance between the two lines:]<br />
:"Remember, 50% of the distribution falls between these two lines!"<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:How to annoy a statistician<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Statistics]]</div>172.69.33.125https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1198:_Geologist&diff=169423Talk:1198: Geologist2019-02-10T15:51:20Z<p>172.69.33.125: </p>
<hr />
<div>The title text sounds a bit like a movie reference. Did anyone catch it? --[[User:Koveras|Koveras]] ([[User talk:Koveras|talk]]) 07:53, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I was thinking a zombie reference? [[User:Kaa-ching|Kaa-ching]] ([[User talk:Kaa-ching|talk]]) 08:14, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The bad guy in "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within" jokes about firing his handgun at the Earth, thereby killing "Gaia". --[[Special:Contributions/130.149.133.57|130.149.133.57]] 09:35, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The first thing I thought of was the [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_hypothesis Gaia Hypothesis]. Its advocates claim that Earth is a living thing. As far as we all know, living things can be killed. By killing Earth, Cueball puts an end to the controversy, for Earth is not alive anymore. [[User:Dellarappia|Dellarappia]] ([[User talk:Dellarappia|talk]]) 12:11, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:And geologists, specifically those employed by oil companies, are sometimes accused by environmental groups of "killing the earth" when they make holes in the ground and then take away something that's there. Of course they use a drill instead of a gun, and take oil instead of a random rock. [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 13:01, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Could the title text be about cockroaches, a species which has been around for millions of years, and who also can survive for some time after their head is removed? [[Special:Contributions/66.202.132.250|66.202.132.250]] 13:01, 12 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Many geologists that work in sub surface mapping use guns (mostly heavy gauge shotgun or explosives) to cause vibrations that bounce off dense rocks or liquid (oil) so that they can map what the sub surface looks like. [[Special:Contributions/174.1.248.35|174.1.248.35]] 14:59, 12 April 2013 (UTC) TMC<br />
I'm a geologist. If you're working in the Yukon/Alaska, you carry a gun to protect against bears. If you're working in Central/South America, you have a team of dudes carrying guns to protect against other teams of dudes with guns. Finally, if you're working in the lower 48 and carrying a gun, you probably grew up watching too many westerns. <br />
<br />
I don't get it. The "killing" and trophy collection is somewhat analogous to poking a whale with a pin then taking a scraping of its skin cells.<br />
[[Special:Contributions/192.168.1.1|192.168.1.1]] 05:04, 13 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
: That kinda ''is'' the point: the {{w|Ridiculous#Humor|utter ridiculousness}} of taking a trophy of the Earth this way. --[[User:Aaron of Mpls|Aaron of Mpls]] ([[User talk:Aaron of Mpls|talk]]) 08:30, 14 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Trivia fact: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Geology department featured this comic the day of it's release. {{unsigned ip|108.162.215.74}}<br />
<br />
The way the rock looks that Cueball takes a chunk out of, it almost looks like someone else got there first! Which adds to the joke of the silliness of the act. --[[User:Natezmatthews|Natezmatthews]] ([[User talk:Natezmatthews|talk]]) 22:11, 27 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Maybe the truck's text doesn't need to be partly rewritten on the transcript --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.69.237|141.101.69.237]] 20:20, 2 June 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Thanks, maybe you can help to rewrite this overwhelming transcript. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:14, 2 June 2018 (UTC)</div>172.69.33.125