https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=172.70.162.135&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T15:32:29ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2748:_Radians_Are_Cursed&diff=308530Talk:2748: Radians Are Cursed2023-03-14T13:16:22Z<p>172.70.162.135: </p>
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how do transcript [[Special:Contributions/172.70.127.37|172.70.127.37]] 19:23, 10 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_degree may be of some help with this one. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.124|162.158.166.124]] 19:44, 10 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
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The comic isn't actually correct. A radian is not equal to the length of a circle's radius; it is equal to the length of the radius, multiplied by 2π, divided by the perimeter, which is why it has no units, while the length does. In other words, radian/2pi=length of radius/length of perimeter. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.46.84|172.70.46.84]] 19:51, 10 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
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As suggested by the above Wikipedia link, square degrees are in fact often used in astronomical contexts. Also, it's quite standard to say that radian=1; see for example [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SI_derived_unit SI derived unit]. An angle is the ratio between the arc length and the radius, and we just optionally append "radian" for clarity. So 1 = 57.3 degrees is correct; Randall simply used the wrong argument to obtain it. [[User:Aseyhe|Aseyhe]] ([[User talk:Aseyhe|talk]]) 20:57, 10 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
:I always understood radian to be the name of the unit, so by definition 1 radian=1. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:17, 10 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
:It is a shame that astronomers don't use the proper unit for such things: the steradian. It is literally there for describing the 3D equivalent of angle. Oh well... --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.137|172.69.79.137]] 04:16, 11 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
::It is a shame that astronomers don't use the proper for length, preferring ad-hoc units based on the solar system. But if you use a different ad-hoc unit based on the properties of the solar system they throw a hissy fit.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.38.150|172.70.38.150]] 06:51, 12 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
:::Indeed, what ''is'' the "proper [distance unit?] for length"? Light-year, based on Earth's orbital period. AU, based upon Earth's orbital radius. (Kilo)metre, based (approximately, and quartered) upon Earth's circumpolar circumference. Parsec, based upon Earth's orbital radius and a notionally arbitrary subdivision of angle. (Which can be avoided by mathematically more pure "paradians"???) Planck-lengths, might be not solar-/geo-centric but creates horribly huge numbers even at the human scale. ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.128|172.70.86.128]] 16:07, 12 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Someone fix the vandalism, how do you upload images? --[[User:Purah126|Purah126]] ([[User talk:Purah126|talk]]) 03:06, 11 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
:I'm doing it but that user needs to be blocked.<br />
:To revert images, scroll down and click the revert link next to the last good version.<br />
:And do not feed the trolls. ~ [[user:megan|Megan]] <sup>she</sup>/<sub>her</sub> <sup>[[user talk:megan|talk]]</sup>/<sub>[[special:contribs/megan|contribs]]</sub> 03:10, 11 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
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On reading this I vividly remembered a maths teacher once asking our class "What's 10% of a straight line?", and the looks of disgust and bewilderment when he said the answer was 18 degrees. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.147|172.70.86.147]] 08:31, 11 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
:I just hope that was Celsius degrees (or Kelvin), rather than Fahrenheit(/Rankine). ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.190|172.71.242.190]] 10:51, 11 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
::If you use Kelvin with degrees you have already lost...[[Special:Contributions/172.68.51.178|172.68.51.178]] 13:29, 11 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
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So the volume of the sky is 4/3 π r³ = 7,092,429 cubic degrees<br />
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I remember in the quantum mechanics class we figured that if \hbar is defined to be h/2π, then we might as well introduce the notation \pibar as an alternative for 1/2. [[User:Captain Nemo|Captain Nemo]] ([[User talk:Captain Nemo|talk]]) 11:08, 12 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
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The logic is fine once you recall the formula s = r x theta. The arc length subtended by an angle is equal to the radius times the angle. On the unit circle, the radius is 1 (no unit). Therefore, the subtended arc length of 1 radian is s = 1 x 1 radian = 1 radian. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.22.117|172.71.22.117]] 21:45, 12 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
:"...the radius is 1 (no unit)." There's definitely a unit. It's whatever the unit the unit circle is reflecting (even if that's mathematical Unity). And in the case of dimensional analysis, it's a particular dimension that you'd need to account for, and the difference between this radians thing and the degrees thing is only the inclusion of dimensionless pi-based constant of conversion. Doesn't change the understanding of the issue, but I believe that some explanations/comments aren't then conveying it onwards accurately. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.184|172.69.79.184]] 22:15, 12 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
::I mean, I'm sorry, but respectfully, you are wrong. The unit circle is *by definition* a circle of radius 1. There is no unit attached to that. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.82.41|172.71.82.41]] 01:55, 13 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
:::Correction: The unit is that of the radius, ''by definition''. It is one of that unit, whatever that unit may be. You attach whatever unit you want to it, when you want to, but it isn't actually a unitless value when you start comparing it with othe values whose relationship and own unit are known. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.207|172.71.178.207]] 03:59, 13 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
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There is actually some dispute about whether angles should be measured using units. I can't find it now, but there was an article by someone arguing that the current SI definition of the radian as 1 rad = 1 m / 1 m was flawed. He felt that units of angle should have a dimension, A, and rewrote several formulae slightly to accommodate this. But more often today, the radian is considered dimensionless with a value of exactly 1, making it not actually a "unit" so much as a hint telling how the angle was measured. In this definition, an angle has a measure of x (radians) iff the circular arc it intercepts as a central angle has an arclength of x times the circle's radius. Under this definition, the following become mathematically correct:<br />
:rad = 1<br />
:° = π/180<br />
:Radius of unit circle = 1 = (180/π)(π/180) = (180/π)° = 57.29577...°<br />
:(1°)² = π²/32400<br />
There is really nothing mysterious about it. Here, we are just defining the radian and degree as real numbers. This is how we treat them in Calculus. For instance, d/dx sin(2x rad) = 2 cos(2x rad), not (2 rad) cos(2x rad) as the chain rule implies. This is because 2 rad = 2. This also helps explain why Phil Plait's bizarre dimensional analysis actually does work. In particular, the last equation above would normally be written with "rad" on the right-hand side, giving a conversion between square degrees and square radians. Using the fact that the area of a sphere is 4πr², we see that the area of the unit sphere must be 4π square radians, and thus 4π * (32400/π²) * (1°)² = (129600/π)°² = 41252.961...°². Note that a "square radian" is also equal to a "steradian" by definition, which is the solid angle that subtends 1/(4π) of the surface of the sphere. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.127.38|172.70.127.38]] 02:56, 13 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
: In complex analysis we defined the exponential function as a power series. Pure complex numbers, no units or even a hint that there is such a thing as an angle in the definition. Many theorems and lemmas about the properties of exp(z) follow, including derivatives, integrals, Eulers formula, Eulers identity. Sin() and cos() are defined as the real and imaginary parts of exp(); pi is defined as a number via Eulers identity. No circles or angles involved. In the last lecture the properties of the exponential combine in a few lemmas to show that it can trivially solve a bunch of problems such as the simple harmonic oscillator and trigonometry.<br />
: The point is we can define exp(), hence sin() and cos(), without using angles. There is no need for a unit for angles until you start working with angles, just as there is no need for a unit for elephants until you start counting elephants. You could reorder the textbook, put the trigonometry chapter before complex analysis and define angles first, but you'd have to be a masochist or a high school teacher to do it that way.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.174.160|172.70.174.160]] 05:24, 13 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
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:: Sure, but in the same way "number of elephants" is dimensionless, "measure of angle" is also dimensionless. That's not true of physical quantities like distance or area. And in this convention, we do have radian = 1. (The SI even defines the radian as 1 m / 1 m, so clearly it has to equal 1.) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.254.135|172.71.254.135]] 19:18, 13 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
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:::2 pi is a full circle, also in another galaxy, or in another universe. All real units contain (are, in fact) some arbitrarily chosen factor. --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.246.11|172.71.246.11]] 08:07, 14 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
::::They {{w|Natural units|needn't be}}... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.135|172.70.162.135]] 13:16, 14 March 2023 (UTC)</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2749:_Lymphocytes&diff=3085092749: Lymphocytes2023-03-14T06:26:21Z<p>172.70.162.135: /* Explanation */ DVD±RW summary. (Summary? Well, it *could* be longer...)</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2749<br />
| date = March 13, 2023<br />
| title = Lymphocytes<br />
| image = lymphocytes_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 651x733px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = It's very hard to detect, but recent studies have determined that when plasma B cells are producing antibodies, they go 'pew pew pew'<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by the WORLD'S SECOND COOLEST IMMUNOLOGIST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
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The human body contains many different types of immune cells.{{citation needed}} This comic is a list of lymphocytes, a specific type of immune cell that is found in lymph. As the comic goes on, in the style of many "informative" xkcd comics, the descriptions and names of the cells get more and more removed from reality. In fact, only one name and description is accurate, that being the plasma B cell description.<br />
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The title text is possibly a reference to this recent study: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.3c00638<br />
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{| class="wikitable"<br />
! Name !! Real Lymphocyte? !! Description !! Comment<br />
|-<br />
| Plasma B cells || Yes || Churn out antibodies || {{w|Plasma B cell}}; churns out antibodies as the comic says.<br />
|-<br />
| Naïve B cells || Yes || Try to stop pathogens by asking nicely || B cells that have not yet been exposed to an antigen. Can only "ask nicely" for pathogens to stop because they cannot yet contribute to the immune system.<br />
|-<br />
| Memory B cells || Yes || Very quietly sing "memory" from ''Cats'' at all times || Long-lived B cells that "remember" an antigen it has previously encountered, allowing it to quickly respond to a reappearance of the same antigen.<br />
|-<br />
| {{w|Regulatory B cell}}s || Yes || Required by local ordinance || Suppress certain immune responses. Cells follow instructions from DNA, which might be considered to be local ordinances.<br />
|-<br />
| CD8+ T cells || Yes || Melee combat || Cytotoxic T cell, responsible for killing cells which are cancerous or infected. Possibly a reference to the tabletop gaming terminology where "d8" means 8-sided dice, "d4" means 4-sided dice, etc., as such dice are used in combat.<br />
|-<br />
| CD4+ T cells || Yes || Scream at other cells || Helper T Cell, releasing cytokines as a signal that prompts the immune system into action, thus "screaming" at other cells<br />
|-<br />
| Gamma-Delta T cells || Yes || Unknown / classified || T cells found largely in mucous membranes of the gut, with different T-cell receptors than normal. Effectively the immune system's first line of defense.<br />
|-<br />
| CDRW+ T cells || No || Rewritable, 700MB || Here, the meaning of "CD" is switched from {{w|Cluster of Differentiation}} to {{w|Compact Disc}}, as in the {{w|CD-RW}} re-writable media format.<br />
|-<br />
| DVD+R T cells || No || Different from DVD-R, though no one is sure how || {{w|DVD+R}} is a DVD format designed by {{w|HP Labs}}, while DVD-R (pronounced "dash R") came originally from {{w|Pioneer Corporation}} and was the earlier accepted system. The two formats are not trivially compatible, but many (re)writing DVD drives were made multiformat to automatically handle both of these, {{w|DVD-RAM}}, read/write versions and CD-density media, as necessary, under the general label of "DVD±RW". The user then ends up not usually needing, or bothering, to know the technical differences.<br />
|-<br />
| Natural killer cells || Yes || Named by the world's coolest immunologist || Kills cells infected by intracellular pathogens and other malfunctioning (e.g. cancerous) cells, similar to CD8+ cells but part of the {{w|innate immune system}}<br />
|-<br />
| ILC1, ILC2, and ILC3 cells || Yes || Named by a significantly less cool immunologist || Innate lymphoid cells, regulating the innate immune system through signaling molecules<br />
|-<br />
| D cells || No || Larger than C and AA cells, used in old flashlights || This is not a blood cell, but a {{w|D battery|"D cell" battery}}. Confusingly, biological cells called "D cells" or {{w|delta cell}}s do exist, but they are not lymphocytes.<br />
|}<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Science]]</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:ConlangGuide&diff=307329User talk:ConlangGuide2023-03-07T12:50:18Z<p>172.70.162.135: </p>
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<div>Hello. I'm afraid that conlang doesn't appeal to me as much as [[User:ConscriptGuide|Neography]] does. I don't know of anyone that could help me reproduce the conlang specification. [[User:ColorfulGalaxy|ColorfulGalaxy]] ([[User talk:ColorfulGalaxy|talk]]) 11:55, 4 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
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I can't believe that you've made such offensive edits. It's even more offensive than a billion swear words, one for each American. You have been warned. [[User:I27.O.O.I|127.0.0.1]] ([[User talk:I27.O.O.I|talk]]) 07:12, 7 March 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Talking to yourself again? You're not fooling anyone. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.135|172.70.162.135]] 12:50, 7 March 2023 (UTC)</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2743:_Hand_Dryers&diff=307010Talk:2743: Hand Dryers2023-02-28T10:40:24Z<p>172.70.162.135: </p>
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The mouseover text is trolling, since that would be impossible. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.200.140|172.70.200.140]] 16:23, 27 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Indeed, Randall wrote about that in ''How To 2''. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 03:49, 28 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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The Pratt & Whitney J58 is capable of producing exhaust velocities exceeding that of Mach 2 at ground level. It would be possible (though extremely inadvisable) to dry one's hands in the exhaust, at least for the brief period where one still has hands. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.115.72|172.70.115.72]] 16:44, 27 February 2023 (UTC) J. Kupec<br />
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:There are hand-sized supersonic blowers used to clean and dry train tracks. https://www.ge.com/news/reports/this-software-guided-supersonic-air-blower-sweeps They are very dangerous to exposed skin even several feet away. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.142.21|172.71.142.21]] 06:52, 28 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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::You are supposed to dry your hands with them, not your feet. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.55|162.158.203.55]] 08:50, 28 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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With a low enough vacuum in the surrounding area, a supersonic hand dryer should be able to apply drying without enough energy dissipation to damage the skin. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.65.184|172.69.65.184]] 17:27, 27 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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As far as I understand it, the low velocity dryers heat the air, the high velocity ones don't, but rely on the air being compressed and air speed is of the essence. The other problem with the idea of very high speed is that 'stuff' could penetrate the skin (there is a type of needle-less vaccination gun on that principle).[[User:RIIW - Ponder it|RIIW - Ponder it]] ([[User talk:RIIW - Ponder it|talk]]) 19:31, 27 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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That matches my memory, the first ones I remember were fairly low airspeed and had a data tag "1500 watts" for the heating element. Has anyone tried one of these with *dry* hands, to see how long the element takes to get hot? I don't think they heat up instantly. They certainly get hot--motorcycling on cold days I've pointed the nozzle inside my clothing to warm up at a rest stop.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.111.76|172.70.111.76]] 19:40, 27 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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I don't think this effect fully explains observations. For example, the airflow feels warmer sooner when someone has used the dryer just before you. [[User:P1h3r1e3d13|P<sub>1</sub>h<sub>3</sub>r<sub>1</sub>e<sub>3</sub>d<sub>13</sub>]] ([[User talk:P1h3r1e3d13|talk]]) 21:10, 27 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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"though this was first achieved many decades ago, in the 1950s" Yeager broke the sound barrier in level flight on Oct. 14, 1947, and planes had been doing it in dives for years. [[User:Cser|Cser]] ([[User talk:Cser|talk]]) 21:29, 27 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Without reading your comment, I further changed the (as it was for me) "1940s" version of the statement to include the original "inadvertent" barrier-breaking (of prop-planes in almost always irrecoverable dives, without control surfaces that would work well in supersonic/transonic airflows) and included the developments made, which these days are somewhat more trivial than having to sit on a rocket that is released from a high-altitude bomber's wing, and fight to keep it flying straight and level. (We even had a supersonic airliner, for several decades!) There's a lot of interesting history to this, but not really the place to say it all. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.57|172.70.85.57]] 01:45, 28 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Should we make an "airplane banner" category? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.111.76|172.70.111.76]] 02:31, 28 February 2023 (UTC) <br />
:I was thinking the same thing, but I'm here about Covid (below). [[User:Bismuthfoot|Bismuthfoot]] ([[User talk:Bismuthfoot|talk]]) 04:16, 28 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
::I agree to that. If we can find at least three others. Can see two are mentioned below. Are there more than those two and this one? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:14, 28 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Previous usages of planes with banners: [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1965:_Background_Apps Background apps] and [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1355:_Airplane_Message Airplane Message], both of which's banners bore information and the first one commented on the cheapness of the banners. Maybe mention them in the explanation and/or add a category about them? [[User:Xkcdjerry|Xkcdjerry]] ([[User talk:Xkcdjerry|talk]]) 08:05, 28 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
::Found one more [[2463: Astrophotography]]. I will make the category --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:17, 28 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:::Done. Please add more if you can find them: [[:Category:Airplane banner]] --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:25, 28 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Hand dryers were disabled in the early days of Covid in 2020 before hand transmission was ruled out as significant. I still feel awkward using one in a bathroom with others. I'm old and still mask when indoors publicly more than briefly. In 2023, I submit that you risk appearing hypocritical with a mask and a hand air dryer. Thus, I saw this XKCD as a reminder that hand air dryers had nothing to do with Covid. Still, there seems to be a bunch of fuss about the dryers. Apparently, some use mechanical air force (jet air) more than warm air for drying, from respectable gavi.org and wired.org in 2021 (https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/we-know-hand-dryers-can-circulate-germs-through-air-why-are-they-still-used and https://www.wired.com/story/wash-your-hands-but-beware-the-electric-hand-dryer/). I'm just rambling here; I'm not ready to do any editing. [[User:Bismuthfoot|Bismuthfoot]] ([[User talk:Bismuthfoot|talk]]) 04:16, 28 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
: The alternative to dryers was often a stack of paper towels. Always a 'contact threat', in my eyes (I never really like using a shop's communal hand-sanitiser bottles, on entry, for that very reason; I just didn't touch anything, that I wasn't already taking off the shelves to take with me, if I could help it), although thankfully that wasn't a great a problem as it was initially feared.<br />
: Ditto, the precaution of taping off every other seat (or two out of every three, etc), in order to prevent congregation of people in public seating areas. This forced every new arrival to always choose from the more limited number of pre-touched seats, rather than just advising people to randomly choose to sit only in any non-neighboured seats and so diluting the hypothetical risk.<br />
: (I still mask up for entry to supermarkets/shops/indoor places of similar kinds. I would for buses/trains, if I used them. I'm otherwise still mostly "bubbling" with close family, or only going to places where we're mostly/all going, together or separate, but that probably equally applied before 'things changed' as well.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.57|172.70.162.57]] 05:20, 28 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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On the '30 or so seconds it takes for user's hands to be dried', at least for the Airblade style ones, the cycle is much shorter, they turn off after 12s. It just *feels* that long. There is one at the place where I do rock climbing (where you want your hands to be very dry) and I heard people complaining that they'd prefer paper towels (for dryness reasons and because that would be faster, not because the Airblades spew everything everywhere). So I started to actively take mental notes of the efficacy of each drying-mode. My conclusion: Yes, with towels you get the palm somewhat dry very quickly. However, forget about any water left between your fingers. If you want all around dry skin on your hands, the Airblade is just better and faster. If you just want dry enough hands to proceed in your normal day, towels are sufficient, convenient and silent. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.203.41|162.158.203.41]] 09:13, 28 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Personally I find that it takes at least three cycles on the Airblade to actually get my hands dry, so it's still 30 or so seconds, just with the additional annoyance of having to pause a couple of times in the middle to wait for it to reset.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.135|172.70.162.135]] 10:40, 28 February 2023 (UTC)</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:No_Idea_If_There%27s_A_Character_Limit_LMAO&diff=306382User talk:No Idea If There's A Character Limit LMAO2023-02-16T23:01:50Z<p>172.70.162.135: </p>
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<div>Hey! I noticed that in your edits you mention being confused by joke tags. These tags show when a page is incomplete, so editors know where to go to contribute the most. The reason the joke is there is a running joke- when a page is created by a bot (every time basically) it adds "incomplete- created by a bot" so we edit to to "incomplete- created by [something funny related to the comic]". You're doing good though, people are often too afraid to remove an incomplete tag even when the explanation is pretty good. --[[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 08:55, 15 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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I would also like to add that the Transcript is for things not otherwise in (non-graphical) text form, i.e. to describe only what is drawn/scrawled in the image itself. The Title Text is already given under the comic (in the header section above the Explanation) and so has no reason to be 'transcripted'.<br />
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I appreciate your consideration, but discussions about this (by people often far more authoritative than me, without even a username!) can be found in the Community Portal and maybe elsewhere, and a site standard has been developed and long accepted. You'll see that very few articles (if any, as there actually ought to be none) have the Title Text repeated in the Transcript, and this is the current consensus/practice/habit.<br />
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Not that I'd stop you discussing this, but I've personally re-removed the two instances you recently added, and tried to explain why I did this as I did so. If you wish to talk through this, I'm sure I (or someone else) will answer any response you wish to make, here or elsewhere. And I also do very much applaud your recent editing, in other regards. Welcome to the community! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.127|172.70.86.127]] 15:29, 15 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Be careful, you were [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2732:_Bursa_of_Fabricius&diff=306381&oldid=306379 too enthusiastic] with one of those unIncompletednesses you did... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.135|172.70.162.135]] 23:01, 16 February 2023 (UTC)</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2738:_Omniknot&diff=3063452738: Omniknot2023-02-16T16:34:24Z<p>172.70.162.135: /* Explanation */ bend/hitch distinction is more relevant to the title text</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2738<br />
| date = February 15, 2023<br />
| title = Omniknot<br />
| image = omniknot_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 358x288px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = The Gordian knot is an omniknot tied using every bend in the Ashley Book of Knots, and then for extra security the upper rope at every crossing is connected to the lower with a randomly-chosen hitch.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by THE KNOTTED OMNIBOT - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do KNOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
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The comic jokes that if you have several potential {{w|knot}}s which could be tied in a given situation, rather than being forced to choose one, you can simply use all of them and create the comic's "Omniknot." The prefix omni- means "all", and so the "all-knot" is the knot containing all the other knots (...that one knows).<br />
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Knots in the middle, from top to bottom:<br />
* {{w|Granny knot}}: A bad knot, usually the result of an improperly tied reef knot.<br />
* {{w|Reef knot}}: Also known as the square knot, one of the most commonly tied by competent amateurs. But a poor and possibly dangerous choice as a load-bearing bend, as it has a tendency to {{w|Knot#Capsizing|'capsize'}} and untie itself.<br />
* {{w|Sheet bend}}: Similar to the bowline, a popular, all around good choice, especially if one rope is thinner than the other (the loop should be on the thinner rope).<br />
* {{w|Double sheet bend}}: A more secure version of the previous knot, especially if one rope is much thinner than the other.<br />
* {{w|Carrick bend}}: A very good bend, especially if both ropes are similar in kind and thickness. This version, however, with the ends emerging from the same side is weaker than if the ends were diagonal from each other.<br />
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On the sides are {{w|bowline}}s and each rope is terminated by a {{w|figure-eight knot}}.<br />
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In the title text, the {{w|Gordian Knot}} is a knot which purportedly was extraordinarily complex and nearly impossible to untie. According to legend, when Alexander the Great was faced with the knot, he simply drew his sword and cut it in half, thereby "untying" it and solving the unsolvable. The Gordian Knot is now used as a linguistic metaphor to describe a problem whose solution, rather than being to directly solve it head-on, involves working around or otherwise bypassing its apparent constraints.<br />
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{{w|The Ashley Book of Knots}} is an encyclopedia describing thousands of different knots. Though it is now dated because it was written before the widespread adoption of synthetic fiber rope, it is still considered the reference in knot tying. Using all bends from the book and as many hitches would make the final result very complex indeed (a "bend" is a knot that connects two ropes or lines; a "hitch" is a knot that connects a rope (a.k.a. line) to something like a post, loop, or shackle). Randall proposes here that this was the true origin of the mythical Gordian Knot.<br />
<br />
In practice, it is not recommended to use overly complex knots as they provide little in term of additional security compared to a well chosen, simpler knot. The ease of tying and untying, especially in less than ideal conditions is also an important factor to consider. If strength is more important than the ease of tying and untying, {{w|Rope splicing|splices}} should be considered instead of knots as they don't weaken the rope as much as knots.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Two ropes tied together with several different kinds of knots. The ropes enter from left and right. The left rope proceeds to go up where the right rope goes down. But then they interact to form five nots in the middle of the drawing. Following each rope will show the left to interweave the right rope from top to bottom, and via versa. At the bottom the left rope swings back to where it began going op, ties a knot with it self at the start and the end of the left rope then goes to the right of this knot and ends in another small knot. Similar the right rope goes back to the right at the top and forms a similar know with it self, before the end of the rope goes left an end in the same type of small knot and the left rope. There are thus 5 knots using both ropes, and two knots on each rope with it self, and the entire thing is yet another combined Omniknot, for ten knots in total. There is a caption below the panel:]<br />
:If you know several knots and can't figure out which one to use, just tie one of each.<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category:Fiction]]</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2736:_Only_Serifs&diff=306245Talk:2736: Only Serifs2023-02-14T13:44:38Z<p>172.70.162.135: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
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first two letters are "A" and "R" I think [[Special:Contributions/172.71.167.10|172.71.167.10]] 04:35, 11 February 2023 (UTC)Bumpf<br />
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It's AaBbCcDd. Most likely in Caslon, based on the uppercase A. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.149|172.68.174.149]] 04:54, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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So much for a hidden message. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.238.22|172.68.238.22]] 05:05, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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If we've come to this page for an explanation, we probably don't know what a "solum-serif font" is. update the transcript with something more widely known? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.65.224|172.69.65.224]] 05:42, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Agreed, enthusiastically! Someone trying to show off, Google doesn't even know what it means, it found ONE result, which is a font of curved corners someone made (when I put "solum-serif" in quotes, to not allow Google to just search one or the other). But while I was Googling someone fixed it before I could, LOL! Which is weird as it's past midnight here in the Eastern time zone. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:56, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:: Perhaps you haven't realised that nighttime for Americans is daytime for, um, somewhere around 80-90% of the world's population? [[User:Paddles|Paddles]] ([[User talk:Paddles|talk]]) 14:54, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
::: Of course I realize this. :) Seems like YOU don't realize that this site is one of many where it seems like most activity centers around the EST time zone... Perhaps related to Randall being in this time zone, perhaps not, but I'm usually alone at this time of night (for example, I almost NEVER get Edit Conflicts because seemingly everyone is asleep). For years I'm almost always the only person making contributions at this hour. Maybe think of that before making a misguided condescending reply. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:19, 12 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
::::You really live up to your username, eh? Charming ''and'' US-centric.<br />
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::I think that's probably because it was a joke. In fact the ridiculous of the notion of a "solum-serif" font is more or less the entirety of the joke of this comic. You're right, in the future we should make sure that these descriptions are devoid of humor.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.92|172.70.211.92]] 18:17, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:::But that's in the transcript particularly, the transcript should make sense as to what the image shows without prior knowledge [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.10|108.162.216.10]] 02:45, 12 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:::Yes, as Mr./Ms. 216.10 pointed out, this was the transcript. PLENTY of room for jokes in the Explanation, but the Transcript should be as concise and straightforward as possible, in an effort to be clear. NOT the place for what seemed to be a self-coined term and trying to be clever. :) I've heard some blind and sight-impaired people follow the comic by having a reading program read these Transcripts, last thing they need is a non-word the program might trip over and can't define for them. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:19, 12 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
::::Exactly the transcript should not try to explain the comic. But should include all text as written text for later possibility to search for it. And finally the image should be described in some detail for those that are sight impaired. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:42, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
::For anyone who is confused, 'solum' (solus) is Latin for 'only', as opposed to 'sans' (from the Latin 'sine'), without. I suppose the joke is rather hard to get, though, since the top Google search results for 'solum' refer to soil. (Not my joke, by the way. Also, first ever comment - hope I've done this right.) [[User:CryptekCathekh|CryptekCathekh]] ([[User talk:CryptekCathekh|talk]]) 21:21, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:::Thanks for the clarification, yes that makes sense. And yes, finely commented there. :) Yes, I got loads of industrial results for "Solum", which is why I had to force the search to include the "serif". [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 06:19, 12 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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There was a whole thing on Wikipedia about formatting the f symbol for an arbitrary function. One camp held that f is just f, it always is and always was and if you italicize f in a san-serif font, you get an oblique ''f'' but if you italicize f in a serif font, you get a proper italic version, which I'm not sure how to display here. The italic f resembles ƒ, a character called the "hooked f," which is technically an oblique f with a descender ("hook"). That symbol has been used for florins, but sometimes it is also used to imitate the italic f to represent functions, because it has the descender in all environments. But Wikipedia uses a san-serif script, while most mathematical literature uses a serif script. However, it renders expressions in LaTeX with serif fonts and therefore these equations get an f with a descender. So some people were arguing that given this environment, the ƒ character was practically superior, even if it was conceptually wrong, because it most closely resembled the formatted LaTeX expressions. And on and on with the back and forth. I'm glad they eventually settled on just using f for f, like they use g for g and h for h, but still, it was amusingly nitpicky. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.100.50|172.70.100.50]] 07:58, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:What you listed as resembling italic f looks on my system like ⨍. There are lots of fun variations (some unrelated, just similar looking): ∫⨎ʄ∮∬∰⨏ƒʆᶘᔑ [[User:Fabian42|Fabian42]] ([[User talk:Fabian42|talk]]) 08:48, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:That entire argument seems silly. Obviously the correct answer to "how do you write the function $f$ outside of math mode" is "don't". Just use math mode and let KaTeX handle the formatting. --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.61|162.158.63.61]] 16:48, 12 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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The title text teases the idea of a font made by adding the Times New Roman serifs to Comic Sans, and now I actually want to see such a cursed font. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.241.237|108.162.241.237]] 11:03, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Ask and ye shall receive: [[File:2736MovedSerifsV2.jpg]] :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 08:42, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
::Is it weird that I kind of like Sans New Roman? (anonymous) 12:49, 13 February 2023 (EST)<br />
::Thanks I will include this in the explanation. Great work. Ugly as hell ;-) It might send some graphic designers your way! ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:42, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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I think Caslon is correct:<br />
[https://ibb.co/J2WhP1g Caslon] [https://ibb.co/MG77JMX Overlay] [https://ibb.co/3yQtqbN Low Opacity Overlay]<br />
via [http://www.identifont.com/identify?58+.+5J+1JU+3YB+3RZ+35YX+94+JIA+58C+97+22X+8R8+1JY+2Z3A+6ZR+3Q+5BU+9J+1L0+76P+8Z+1QN+7UF+DG+5QE+J+JPK+8C+99+PAE+2AA6+2ZI+8X+8W+8J+1KS+JI6+2Z36+79+8E+53K+2E+1KI+8N+7VS+7S+2C6+1U6+8A+8R0+8F+3WO+2ZGL+1LA+7G+1QY+8B+A0 questions] in Identifont. If someone can add these to the wiki, please do. [[User:DragonDave|DragonDave]] ([[User talk:DragonDave|talk]]) 12:55 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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I wonder if this is related to the US State Department dropping Times Roman in favor of Calibri, under the argument that the latter is easier to read. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.198|172.70.114.198]] 13:47, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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I call these fonts seul serif, keeping with the theme of using French terminology. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.147.59|172.71.147.59]] 16:30, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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A free, existing example of [http://www.fontgrill.com/fonts/free/comic-serif/comic-serif.php Comic Serif].<br />
[[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.242|172.70.214.242]] 16:43, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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:^ TBH Comic Serif doesn't look half bad, if only it had a consistent baseline [[Special:Contributions/198.41.231.179|198.41.231.179]] 17:01, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Of course, since Comic is supposed to mimic casual handwriting, and people don't hand write serifs {{Citation needed}}, this messes up the concept, LOL! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 07:02, 12 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
::Does not, if you go back far enough. Remember that a lot of old handwriting had serif-like parts due to the use of quills.<br />
:::True enough, but going back isn't appropriate, as computers '''''AREN'T''''' "back far enough", or at all. :) NOW, in the present day, nobody handwrites serifs. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 08:42, 13 February 2023 (UTC) <br />
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This comic reminds me of something I once actually did as a child: I once wrote a notepad full of game ideas and story concepts but wanted to keep them a secret; so I created my own "cipher" font where any straight lines in letters were removed, leaving only the curved lines. However, because some letters such as c and d would look similar without the straight lines, I gave some letters curved "serifs", which would be retained in my "font". --Jinji@donphan.social 20:32, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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I'm most instances where the word "font" is used, the correct word is "typeface". "Times Roman" is a typeface whereas "Times Roman bold" is a font. -Jez [[Special:Contributions/172.70.93.42|172.70.93.42]] 20:56, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:I'd be inclined to suggest that "font", in common parlance, means what everyone here means it to mean, and that means that it is "correct". Nobody - OK, fine, potentially a negligible number of people - might wonder what's going on when "font" is used where you would prefer "typeface". It's not a matter of being "correct" though, unless we are (and we aren't) a community of people using typesetting language in a formal, technical sense. You know what ''is'' incorrect though? Writing "I'm" when you mean "In". Would I have said any of that had you not been so pedantic? You bet your sweet ass I wouldn't.[[User:Yorkshire Pudding|Yorkshire Pudding]] ([[User talk:Yorkshire Pudding|talk]]) 22:08, 12 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
::Yorkshire Pudding there said everything I was tempted to and more last night, but said better than I would have. Thank you! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 08:42, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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That can't POSSIBLY be the right link under the word "events". We have an entire category of "my hobby"/"Cueball getting kicked out of events" comics and that isn't any of them. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.158.90|172.71.158.90]] 22:29, 11 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:I concur. It links directly to comic 514, which has nothing to do with events or getting kicked out (I can't even think what comic they meant). I took a peek at 1514 and 2514, but those don't fit, either. ??? [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 07:07, 12 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
::Maybe [[541]] was meant? But I guess just linking to Category:Banned_from_conferences or even adding this to Category:Compromise would be better. --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.166|198.41.242.166]] 14:58, 12 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:::Yup, I feel sure you got it. I tried checking around 514 (going up to like 518, going down to like 510), didn't try transposing the digits. What's funny is that I often think of that specific comic 541, whenever I want a smiley face inside brackets, :) I'll update the explanation. EDIT: Ugh, someone removed it instead of fixing it. :( [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 08:42, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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It looks very similar to [http://tom7.org/lowercase/ Comic Sands] by tom7! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.30.106|172.71.30.106]] 16:49, 12 February 2023 (UTC)Bumpf<br />
:Oh incredible, I quite like the "futura work" section of that paper [[User:MrCandela|MrCandela]] ([[User talk:MrCandela|talk]]) 03:52, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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;A note for No Idea If There's A Character Limit LMAO<br />
:''(...because you don't have a Talk page I can write to...)''<br />
In response to recent edits from you with, for example, "(am i doing something wrong? THERE ARE TWO MANY JOKE TAGS!)" as the comment... The tag is the Incomplete (i.e. {{template|incomplete}}, and it is indeed arguable if all those marked as such are truly so (though you can bet your bottom dollar that plenty of times where the tag is removed, someone will then quite soon find something worth editing into an Explanation). But the "joke tag" is the community replacing the 'Bot-created reference to being created by A BOT with something an editor decides is funny. (They aren't always right, but someone else may impose their own humour - right or wrong - in place of the first comedian's attempt... And possibly the process repeats a few more times.)<br />
<br />So, anyway, that's what the joke ''part'' of the tag is about, though the presence of the tag itself is a bit more serious. Maybe you could say that an explanation a couple of weeks old (from time of creation, at comic-publication) is only going to be 'normally and irregularly tweaked, from now on', and so would lose the Incompleteness happily enough, but some might say sooner ''or'' later than that, perhaps depending upon the comic concerned. Mega-comics in particular (e.g. interactive April Fool ones, or Time-like in scope, or those needing a "larger" version to be linked to to red properly) where genuinely there are potentially still more discoveries to be made for quite some time.<br />
<br />Far more certain are the Incomplete Transcript statuses, because as soon as everything in the comic image is properly described (give or take subjective opinions), and it's in the de facto meta-notation, then removal of that status can be swift and painless (and still open to edits). Though do note that Transcripts do ''not'' currently need to contain the Title Text (it's already transcribed into the comic template header area, if done correctly), and in fact this is discouraged by the consensus view. The transcript just puts in text what is not aready in machine-readable text (for various purposes). So it's not Incomplete if every bit of Randall-drawn text is in there, every bit of drawn imagery is (sufficiently) described and - if necessary - the layout and relationships of things are also described (e.g, "There is a table which has...", rather than trying to render the table only in wikitable markup). It may not be ''correct'', but it should at least be considered complete, give or take a detail or so. ;)<br />
<br />You might understand the community process best by actually going through page history for a comic's page, from the very first creation by theusafBOT (or whoever) and looking at successive diff-pages. Depends on how much time you have, though :-p [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.223|172.70.162.223]] 01:14, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Who '''''are''''' you talking to? There's no comment like that or user name like that here (at least I don't see a comment when scanning through them). I was GOING to say instead of relying on a Talk page you should Reply to his comment, with a colon, like this... [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 08:42, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
::There's a [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Contributions/No_Idea_If_There%27s_A_Character_Limit_LMAO relatively new user], who has (it seems) being confused over (+ removing), Incomplete template stuff. They currently have no Talk page, so looks like the chosen approach to 'message' them was to post something in the latest Discussion spot and hope they spot it by default. May not be the ideal way, but I can imagine it maybe working?<br />
::My POV is that Incomplete tags are supposed to help direct people to explanations needing completing, but don't really. For several reasons both technical and logistical. So their harmless fall-back as a s/A BOT/SOMETHING 'FUNNY'/ canvas is probably more a thing to be cherished. Which is not to say that they should stay that way forever, but I wouldn't persoally rush to remove them.<br />
::(And, though it may confuse new readers, as with Citation Needed, if it gets them thinking about what they might add then it's a sneaky nudge to get fresh blood actively into the editing community. Win-win? Opinions will vary!) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.134|172.70.162.134]] 12:05, 13 February 2023 (UTC) <br />
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I'm gonna make the comic sans/times new roman hybrid when I can get some time. Just calling dibs! [[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 07:54, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:yeah, this is just "comic serif". It already exists [https://twitter.com/kiersi/status/1492183706009694210 here] [[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 08:00, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
::No it's not, it SAYS "remove the serifs from Times and add them to Comic", Comic Serif has its own serifs AND is missing a Times missing serifs. :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 08:22, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Sorry, I already decided last night I would and I just made it before I read your dibs, guess I should have said something, :) Not going to throw out my work! :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 08:22, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
::It's fine! I kinda abandoned it anyways and I don't think I would have done quite as good a job [[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 09:04, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
::I'd gotten as far as starting to manually tweak the tween-frames in a rather self-indulgent animated version. But your thing is as good as needs to be, and I don't have upload permissions here anyway, so it would have been too much fuss and probably just contributed to my own personal procrastination over the weekend. ;)<br />
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In case anyone wanted to know what it would look like if you moved the serifs from Times New Roman to Comic Sans, here's the before and after. :) [[File:2736MovedSerifsV2.jpg]][[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 08:22, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Please also adapt the [[kerning]]! This hurts my eyes. --[[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.166|198.41.242.166]] 11:10, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Randall's font isn't only serifs - there are some ball terminals in there as well.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.114|172.70.91.114]] 11:59, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Any guesses on what the text in the comic actually says? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.111.75|172.70.111.75]] 15:41, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:As the second comment in this talk box suggest, I think the serifs are consistent with AaBbCcDd (an easy way to showcase a typeface in a few characters). If I'm not mistaken, the transcript used to imply as much as well; does anyone know why that was removed, and can we be confident enough about the text to put that back in the transcript?<br />
:Also, sorry about not signing above. [[User:Dextrous Fred|Dextrous Fred]] ([[User talk:Dextrous Fred|talk]]) 19:55, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
:It's also mentioned in the (rather long) first paragraph of the Explanation. Better place. Might do better with some restructuring of the text, I might split/refactor the scrawl at some point, along the lines of various sub-points all squashed in there... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.113|172.70.91.113]] 23:06, 13 February 2023 (UTC)<br />
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I wonder whether this was a play on Only Fans -> Only Sans -> Only Serifs? {{unsigned ip|172.70.230.25|03:22, 14 February 2023}}<br />
:Maybe, but I was thinking more like the "noinclude", "onlyinclude" and "includeonly" wikimarkup, such that <noinclude>"noinclude"</noinclude><onlyinclude>"onlyinclude"<onlyinclude> stuff will be seen here, that which is <noinclude>"onlyinclude"<noinclude>"noinclude"<onlyinclude> does not and the third tag would <noinclude>seem to do nothing unusual within</noinclude><onlyinclude>entirely override the rest of<onlyinclude> this page, but it would all be different if viewing it <noinclude>from the Explain<onlyinclude>directly as the Talk<onlyinclude> page. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.135|172.70.162.135]] 13:44, 14 February 2023 (UTC)</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2737:_Weather_Station&diff=3062352737: Weather Station2023-02-14T10:30:01Z<p>172.70.162.135: Typo correction</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2737<br />
| date = February 13, 2023<br />
| title = Weather Station<br />
| image = weather_station_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 359x401px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = 'Pour one out for precipitation data integrity,' I say, solemnly upending the glass into the rain gauge.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a WEATHER DATA INTERPRETING BOT EXCITED BY A TORNADO. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
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Weather stations are usually equipped to measure atmospheric conditions for weather forecasts and studies on the weather and climate. An anemometer is a device often found in such stations that measures wind speed and direction. The anemometer shown in the comic is a typical three-cup anemometer, whose spin rate is proportional to the wind speed. Thus spinning the cups quickly by hand can create an impression of fast winds.<br />
<br />
Combining the speed of winds in a F1 tornado (73~112 mph; 117~180 km/h) and the speed ratio of typical three-cup anemometers (1/2~1/3) gives a cup speed of ~16m/s, comparing the diameter of the anemometer to that of Cueball's arm gives an upper estimate of 0.5 meters (~two feet), [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=16m%2Fs%2F%280.5m*pi%29 topping out at roughly 10 turns per second], which is within a reasonable range for a human.<br />
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The title text continues the trend of messing with weather equipment, this time by messing with {{w|rain gauges}}. "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libation Pouring one out]" usually refers to the act of pouring a liquid, usually alcohol, on the ground as a symbol of reverence for a deceased friend or relative. Thus Cueball is mourning the now destroyed (aka "deceased") integrity of the precipitation data by pouring a glass of liquid into the gauge.<br />
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<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[Cueball is standing halfway up a stepladder on the top of a building, spinning an anemometer quickly.]<br />
:''SPIN SPIN SPIN''<br />
<br />
:[In the lower-left corner of the panel, an array of computers are shown on server racks, connected to each other by cables. A sound is coming from one of the computers:]<br />
:''WHEEE!''<br />
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:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:Whenever I see one of those little weather stations, I have to fight the urge to climb up and spin the anemometer real fast to make a computer somewhere think it's in a tornado.<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category: Weather]]<br />
[[Category: Tornadoes]]</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2734:_Electron_Color&diff=3060532734: Electron Color2023-02-10T11:57:32Z<p>172.70.162.135: /* Explanation */ Physics 102, shall we call this edit?</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2734<br />
| date = February 6, 2023<br />
| title = Electron Color<br />
| image = electron_color_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 568x256px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = There's quark color, but that's not really color--it's just an admission by 20th century physicists that numbers are boring.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by A SUPER-INTELLIGENT SHADE OF THE COLOUR<!--if quoting a British author, probably should properly use the British spelling--> BLUE - Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
In this comic [[Miss Lenhart]] is teaching a school physics class. One of her students asks what the color of electrons is.<br />
<br />
This is a relevant question for a kid to ask since on many scientific diagrams of atoms, the subatomic particles have been assigned colors to identify them for the reader. Neutrons are generally red, green, or gray; protons red or green and electrons might be blue or yellow. But there is no accepted rule for coloring such diagrams, so the kid may be confused. Additionally, some scientific diagrams use color coding rather than actually representative colors, and the kid may be wondering what color particles actually are.<br />
<br />
In completely off character style, Miss Lenhart actually gives a correct explanation and states that, unlike the diagrams, which are colored for convenience, the particles are not colored. She gives an abbreviated explanation for this fact: ''They're too small to interact with visible light, so "color" isn't even defined for them.'' In fact, every optical effect in our world is due to electrons interacting with light. That leads to colour because the electrons are usually bound to various atomic nuclei in molecules etc., which leads to differences in how they take up and give out various energies of photon. But the electron itself does not have a particular hue that can be shone upon and absorbed/reflected, it merely governs the possible quanta of energy changes involved in generating the broad spectrum of light that the substance formed of the atom(s) may be seen by. For a more typical Miss Lenhart see for instance [[1519: Venus]].<br />
<br />
She then continues by saying that electrons are definitely yellow. The reason for this isn't clear. She may be:<br />
* meaning that they should be yellow on diagrams, because she feels this is the correct way to depict them in drawings of atoms,<br />
* referring to the Greek etymology of the word electron ({{w|elektron (resin)|elektron}} is an old name for amber, a yellow gem), or<br />
* merely teasing her young pupils.<br />
<br />
But her off-panel pupils take her word for it. One of the kids says "I knew it", to the "fact" that electrons are yellow, and likewise the other pupils completely ignore what Miss Lenhart just told them. The debate then starts as one pupil claims ''and protons are red?'', and another chimes in, with a ''No, they're gray!'' This only makes sense in a debate of how to draw atoms, not regarding their actual color, as Miss Lenhart just explained.<br />
<br />
The opinions over the colors are probably based on what kind of diagrams people were initially exposed to, leading to a predisposition to think that those colors are 'correct'.<br />
<br />
Although individual electrons do not have a color, it's possible to produce a solution of {{w|Solvated_electron|so-called 'solvated' electrons}}. In ammonia and amines, in certain concentrations, the solution color is blue, and in higher concentrations metallic gold to bronze.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the {{w|color charge}} property of quarks, a property which is part of {{w|quantum chromodynamics}}. In quantum chromodynamics, a quark's color can take one of three values or charges: red, green, and blue. An antiquark can take one of three anticolors: called antired, antigreen, and antiblue. As mentioned by [[Randall]], these have nothing to do with color as we know it, but is just a way to represent interactions between quarks in a sufficiently analogous fashion that avoids inventing entirely new words to describe a particular threefold quality of the necessary {{w|color confinement|inter-quark groupings}}. And he jokingly says that the 20th century physicists that came up with the three color system did this as as admission that numbers are boring. They could just have called the color charges "1", "2" and "3", though this may imply an unwarranted hierarchy, progression or other standard mathematical relationship that does not actually apply.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Miss Lenhart is teaching a class. A boy with spiky hair sits at his desks with his hand raised asking a question. Science Girl sits in front of him looking back at him while leaning an arm on the back of her chair.]<br />
:Miss Lenhart: You have a question?<br />
:Boy: Yeah-What color are electrons and protons? Are they yellow? Red? Blue?<br />
<br />
:[Zoom in on Miss Lenhart's head.]<br />
:Miss Lenhart: Subatomic particles don't have a color.<br />
:Miss Lenhart: They're too small to interact with visible light, so "color" isn't even defined for them.<br />
<br />
:[Zoom back out but only showing Miss Lenhart. Three pupils reply from off-panel with speech lines coming from starburst at the right edge of the panel.]<br />
:Miss Lenhart: That said, electrons are '''''definitely''''' yellow.<br />
:Off-panel voice 1: I knew it!<br />
:Off-panel voice 2: And protons are red, right?<br />
:Off-panel voice 3: ''What?'' No! They're gray!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]<br />
[[Category:Kids]] <!-- The boy is a boy and thus not adult Hairy --><br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2730:_Code_Lifespan&diff=305417Talk:2730: Code Lifespan2023-01-27T17:03:17Z<p>172.70.162.135: Rewriting with .sigs (or correctly positioned ones) and edit-friendlier indication of paragraph breaks for those who come after (the first-post could have been *two* posters, as I initially read it).</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
I'm not sure if the thesis in this comic is accurate. But if it is, my explanation would be that a person with a more spontaneous live-in-the-moment attitude might program stuff that is more interesting, than the stuff made by the person who is (maybe neurotically) obsessed with making clean code. <br />
<br />My own experience is that one loses the fun of programming something if the perfectionism plays to big of a role.{{unsigned ip|162.158.203.40|14:53, 27 January 2023}}<br />
<br />
At least at a corporate level, I suspect this phenomenon has an extremely simple explanation. When your code is high-quality, people often won't even realize they are using and interacting with it, because it just does what it's supposed to. When your code is hackish, you and your coworkers will constantly find it breaking seemingly unrelated stuff, forcing them to go back to it over and over, trying to make it work, only to discover it breaks even more things when they try to fix it.<br />
<br />Your high-quality code is still interacting with those seemingly unrelated things, it's simply not breaking the unrelated things, so you don't notice it's interacting with the seemingly unrelated things.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.97|172.69.68.97]] 16:32, 27 January 2023 (UTC)</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2724:_Washing_Machine_Settings&diff=304788Talk:2724: Washing Machine Settings2023-01-15T11:42:22Z<p>172.70.162.135: Did not finish my thought. Which is too long, I know.</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
> [...] standing in front of a washing machine [...]<br />
<br />
To be more exact, this is a combo washer dryer (also known as washer-dryer) - which looks like so called laundry center design (one unit, with washer on bottom, and what looks like heat-pump or vented dryer on top). --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 10:01, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Thanks! I was wondering about that, since it doesn't look at all like any washing machine I've ever seen before [[User:Zoid42|Zoid42]] ([[User talk:Zoid42|talk]]) 16:35, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Does anybody even own a houshold applicance whose manual was written by engineers - or at least someone who knows what the device they write the manual for is actually doing? I once had a toaster that came with a 96-page-manual that actually was good. But for most devices it is clear that they payed someone with less hands-on experience than GhatGPT to write one. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.187|172.68.110.187]] 14:40, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Even more important than the owner’s manual are the instructions written on the inside of your clothes. It turns out that those obscure runes actually mean something! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.142.170|172.71.142.170]] 17:28, 13 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<!-- hey my dear ProphetZarquon, press enter *twice* for it to show up in the discussion and not concatenated to the previous comment :) --><br />
It's been decades since I've seen an appliance user manual half as detailed as what Cueball describes. Mostly they say things like 'plug it in' & 'pressing Power button starts the device, pressing again turns it off'; ''never'' details such as 'Delicates mode reduces agitation'/spin etc. Even widely used software often goes without significant documentation. Randall makes a joke that user manuals already exist, but I feel they're rather rare!? <br />
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 18:32, 13 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:I believe you're right, was coming here to complain that my user manual on my new washer does not explain what the various settings do, but says such useless things as "use cotton setting for cotton fabric". Telling me it's a hot water setting (which I don't want, as I never bother connecting the hot water to a machine) would be useful, but doesn't appear to be a feature of user manuals these days.<br />
<br />
The manual for my washing machine actually lists the available programs along with a short description, tips (like "use less detergent for washing laces") and various metrics (like max load and energy consumption). However, this is for a machine installed at a home. Cueball in the comic seems to be standing in a laundromat. Even if those machines came with a manual, can the end-user actually access them? I guess you could pester an employee to dig them up for you...<br />
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.134|172.68.50.134]] 22:10, 13 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:I don't think it's a laundromat, there would be more than one machine. I think the joke is based the fact that so many things are done with GUI applications these days, and they have very limited manuals, if any at all. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:23, 13 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:For my part, I'm not even familiar with that style of machine. Looks like some sort of top-loader base (haven't used one of them, a twin-tub, since the late-seventies/early-eighties when we transitioned to the first in a series of standard front loaders) with a tumble-dryer above (never bothered with a tumble-dryer since the university laundromat, and they were floor-to- ceiling with ''huge'' drums and eventually I worked out I was just feeding a huge slot machine where I couldn't even get the three lemons).<br />
:But I deduce probably a stereotypical 'Merkin "big home, big utility basement" thing, rather than a more UK-market piece of whitegoods.<br />
:As an equivalent example, you do at least see those huge two-door fridges (with ice-despensors in them) in the electrical goods stores, even though I know of no-one who has actually gone and got one. But washers and dryers always tend to be standard (and separate) front-loaders (with occasional 'retro' top-loaders), even if most people seem to consign the latter to a corner of the garage. (And I just use a washing line/drape in front of a warm radiator!) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.136|172.69.79.136]] 23:44, 13 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Appliance use manuals seem to be written by legal staff, not engineers. Mine are full of warnings and "Do not ..." statements.<br />
Specific to laundry appliances, settings on the washing machine never match those on the drier. For example, there is a drier setting for "Jeans" but nothing comparable for the washer. [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 15:47, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
While paper manuals are easy to lose, some appliances have manuals online / in PDF. Those tend to be easier to find. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 15:48, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
When I read this comic, my first reaction was that Randall was pretty much exactly describing the current process for learning how to use Stable Diffussion AI art generation, including it's dozens of different GUI's and Models. NOBODY has an actual manual written yet, although the user advice threads can get pretty detailed. On the other hand, we mostly use Reddit and Discord, not Quora. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.127.38|172.70.127.38]] 01:57, 15 January 2023 (UTC) <br />
<br />
== Quora ==<br />
<br />
Quora is the absolute worst. Nearly every time you see a Quora blurb in Google, you can bet that the opposite is true. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.79|172.70.114.79]] 06:43, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:: Quora has invited me to earn money by getting a "Quora Patner" that posts controversal questions that cause much traffic. That was the moment I learned that it might not be worthwhile to spend precious lifetime at that site.--[[User:Gunterkoenigsmann|Gunterkoenigsmann]] ([[User talk:Gunterkoenigsmann|talk]]) 14:45, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:::: Wow. While that make sense from a purely business standpoint, it doesn't make sense from a "helpfulness to society" standpoint. I'll remember this when I see questions I wouldn't have expected someone to ask. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.174.25|172.70.174.25]] 17:46, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
: I think it's Quora where if I arrive by Google (or other search-engine!) I get to read it, but trying to then follow an 'internal' link to a related (or otherwise intruiging/sufficiently) question's page tries to get me to log in. (Which I refuse to do. Being fed up with ''having'' to have accounts for things I actually don't see the technical need for. Witness here, but for Quora I additionally manage to resist asking novel questions; or answering any in the face of so many other free opinions.) But if I'm weak-willed/desperate nough to decide that I actually do want to read what others have said about onward items then I'vs found that copying the link-question's ''text'' and going back to plug it into the searchbox will ''often'' give me a login-free access.<br />
: Though, in that way of by-passing the more obvious clicks-to-revenue tricks of the Quora website itself, you are instead giving slightly more detail about yourself (or at least your current whims and flights of fancy) to your chosen search-provider. Which has potentially more ways to make business use of such things. (So, a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea, arguably.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.135|172.70.162.135]] 11:35, 15 January 2023 (UTC)</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2724:_Washing_Machine_Settings&diff=304787Talk:2724: Washing Machine Settings2023-01-15T11:35:51Z<p>172.70.162.135: /* Quora */</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
> [...] standing in front of a washing machine [...]<br />
<br />
To be more exact, this is a combo washer dryer (also known as washer-dryer) - which looks like so called laundry center design (one unit, with washer on bottom, and what looks like heat-pump or vented dryer on top). --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 10:01, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
: Thanks! I was wondering about that, since it doesn't look at all like any washing machine I've ever seen before [[User:Zoid42|Zoid42]] ([[User talk:Zoid42|talk]]) 16:35, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Does anybody even own a houshold applicance whose manual was written by engineers - or at least someone who knows what the device they write the manual for is actually doing? I once had a toaster that came with a 96-page-manual that actually was good. But for most devices it is clear that they payed someone with less hands-on experience than GhatGPT to write one. --[[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.187|172.68.110.187]] 14:40, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Even more important than the owner’s manual are the instructions written on the inside of your clothes. It turns out that those obscure runes actually mean something! [[Special:Contributions/172.71.142.170|172.71.142.170]] 17:28, 13 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<!-- hey my dear ProphetZarquon, press enter *twice* for it to show up in the discussion and not concatenated to the previous comment :) --><br />
It's been decades since I've seen an appliance user manual half as detailed as what Cueball describes. Mostly they say things like 'plug it in' & 'pressing Power button starts the device, pressing again turns it off'; ''never'' details such as 'Delicates mode reduces agitation'/spin etc. Even widely used software often goes without significant documentation. Randall makes a joke that user manuals already exist, but I feel they're rather rare!? <br />
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 18:32, 13 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:I believe you're right, was coming here to complain that my user manual on my new washer does not explain what the various settings do, but says such useless things as "use cotton setting for cotton fabric". Telling me it's a hot water setting (which I don't want, as I never bother connecting the hot water to a machine) would be useful, but doesn't appear to be a feature of user manuals these days.<br />
<br />
The manual for my washing machine actually lists the available programs along with a short description, tips (like "use less detergent for washing laces") and various metrics (like max load and energy consumption). However, this is for a machine installed at a home. Cueball in the comic seems to be standing in a laundromat. Even if those machines came with a manual, can the end-user actually access them? I guess you could pester an employee to dig them up for you...<br />
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.50.134|172.68.50.134]] 22:10, 13 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:I don't think it's a laundromat, there would be more than one machine. I think the joke is based the fact that so many things are done with GUI applications these days, and they have very limited manuals, if any at all. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 23:23, 13 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:For my part, I'm not even familiar with that style of machine. Looks like some sort of top-loader base (haven't used one of them, a twin-tub, since the late-seventies/early-eighties when we transitioned to the first in a series of standard front loaders) with a tumble-dryer above (never bothered with a tumble-dryer since the university laundromat, and they were floor-to- ceiling with ''huge'' drums and eventually I worked out I was just feeding a huge slot machine where I couldn't even get the three lemons).<br />
:But I deduce probably a stereotypical 'Merkin "big home, big utility basement" thing, rather than a more UK-market piece of whitegoods.<br />
:As an equivalent example, you do at least see those huge two-door fridges (with ice-despensors in them) in the electrical goods stores, even though I know of no-one who has actually gone and got one. But washers and dryers always tend to be standard (and separate) front-loaders (with occasional 'retro' top-loaders), even if most people seem to consign the latter to a corner of the garage. (And I just use a washing line/drape in front of a warm radiator!) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.136|172.69.79.136]] 23:44, 13 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Appliance use manuals seem to be written by legal staff, not engineers. Mine are full of warnings and "Do not ..." statements.<br />
Specific to laundry appliances, settings on the washing machine never match those on the drier. For example, there is a drier setting for "Jeans" but nothing comparable for the washer. [[User:TCMits|TCMits]] ([[User talk:TCMits|talk]]) 15:47, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
While paper manuals are easy to lose, some appliances have manuals online / in PDF. Those tend to be easier to find. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 15:48, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
When I read this comic, my first reaction was that Randall was pretty much exactly describing the current process for learning how to use Stable Diffussion AI art generation, including it's dozens of different GUI's and Models. NOBODY has an actual manual written yet, although the user advice threads can get pretty detailed. On the other hand, we mostly use Reddit and Discord, not Quora. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.127.38|172.70.127.38]] 01:57, 15 January 2023 (UTC) <br />
<br />
== Quora ==<br />
<br />
Quora is the absolute worst. Nearly every time you see a Quora blurb in Google, you can bet that the opposite is true. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.79|172.70.114.79]] 06:43, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:: Quora has invited me to earn money by getting a "Quora Patner" that posts controversal questions that cause much traffic. That was the moment I learned that it might not be worthwhile to spend precious lifetime at that site.--[[User:Gunterkoenigsmann|Gunterkoenigsmann]] ([[User talk:Gunterkoenigsmann|talk]]) 14:45, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:::: Wow. While that make sense from a purely business standpoint, it doesn't make sense from a "helpfulness to society" standpoint. I'll remember this when I see questions I wouldn't have expected someone to ask. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.174.25|172.70.174.25]] 17:46, 14 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
: I think it's Quora where if I arrive by Google (or other search-engine!) I get to read it, but trying to then follow an 'internal' link to a related (or otherwise intruiging/sufficiently) question's page tries to get me to log in. (Which I refuse to do. But if I'm weak-willed/desperate nough to decide that I actually do want to read what others have said about onward items then I'vs found that copying the link-question's ''text'' and going back to plug it into the searchbox will ''often'' give me a login-free access.<br />
: Though, in that way of by-passing the more obvious clicks-to-revenue tricks of the Quora website itself, you are instead giving slightly more detail about yourself (or at least your current whims and flights of fancy) to your chosen search-provider. Which has potentially more ways to make business use of such things. (So, a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea, arguably.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.135|172.70.162.135]] 11:35, 15 January 2023 (UTC)</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2122:_Size_Venn_Diagram&diff=3043512122: Size Venn Diagram2023-01-07T21:28:42Z<p>172.70.162.135: /* List of items in the diagram */ Revised the "nothing to be see here" terminology of the non-represented zones.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2122<br />
| date = March 11, 2019<br />
| title = Size Venn Diagram<br />
| image = size_venn_diagram.png<br />
| titletext = Terms I'm going to start using: The Large Dipper, great potatoes, the Big Hadron Collider, and Large Orphan Annie.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
[[File:Symmetrical_5-set_Venn_diagram.svg|thumb|upright=0.5|{{w|Branko Grünbaum}}'s multi-set Venn diagram strategy from 1975, less symmetric than Randall's.]]<br />
This comic is a {{w|Venn diagram}} illustrating the complete set of possible intersections of five different size adjectives: "little", "large", "small", "great" and “big”. Each unique intersection contains a short list of nouns that can be preceded by each of its intersecting adjectives.<br />
<br />
For example, "flying fox" (a type of bat) appears at the intersection of "large", "small", and "great", because the species {{w|large flying fox}}, {{w|small flying fox}}, and {{w|great flying fox}} all exist, but there is no such species as a "big flying fox" or a "little flying fox". Similarly, humans have organs named the {{w|small intestine}} and {{w|large intestine}}, but no "little intestine", "great intestine", or "big intestine".<br />
<br />
Some descriptors are applied in combination to their noun, rather than individually; for example, "planet" is placed in both the "little" and "big" groups in reference to the 2008 video game ''{{w|Little Big Planet}}''.<br />
<br />
In the title text, [[Randall]] declares that he will start intentionally using term combinations that don't appear in the above diagram, presumably to ensure every intersection contains at least one term.<br />
<br />
A similar concept can be seen in [[181: Interblag]], but in a tabular form rather than a Venn diagram.<br />
<br />
===List of items in the diagram===<br />
The following table lists all size/noun combinations that the Venn diagram can generate, with a description of each.<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!Item<br />
!Big !! Great !! Large !! Little !! Small !! # Regions<br />
|-<br />
|width=10%|'''Aunt'''<br />
|width=17.5%|<br />
|width=17.5%| [[wiktionary:great-aunt|sister of one's grandparent]]<br />
|width=17.5%|<br />
|width=17.5%|<br />
|width=17.5%|<br />
|width=2.5%| 1<br />
|-<br />
|'''Bang Theory'''<br />
|currently-accepted {{w|Big Bang|scientific theory}} that explains the origin of the universe; also a {{w|The Big Bang Theory|TV sitcom}}|| || || || ||1<br />
|-<br />
|'''Barrier Reef'''<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Great Barrier Reef|world's largest coral reef system}}, off the coast of Australia<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''Bear Lake'''<br />
|a {{w|Big Bear Lake, California|lake and surrounding community in California}}, in the mountains<br />
|a {{w|Great Bear Lake|lake in Canada}}, in the Northwest Territories -- the largest lake entirely in Canada, and the fourth-largest in North America<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Bend'''<br />
| {{w|Big Bend|several geographic locations}}, including a {{w|Big Bend National Park|US National Park}} in Texas<br />
| {{w|Great Bend (disambiguation)|several geographic locations}}, including a {{w|Great Bend, Kansas|city in Kansas}} and the description of the S-shaped curving of the {{w|Nile River}} in Egypt and Sudan<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Billed Seed Finch'''<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Great-billed seed finch|species of finch}}, described in 1851<br />
|{{w|Large-billed seed finch|species of finch}}, described in 1789<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Blue'''<br />
|nickname for [https://www.ibm.com IBM] and the {{w|New York Giants}}, also [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095250 a movie] and a stage in {{w|F-Zero}} and borrowed into Mario Kart<br />
|<br />
|{{w|large blue|various different butterflies}}<br />
|<br />
|{{w|small blue|butterfly}}, smallest found in the UK<br />
|3<br />
|-<br />
|'''Blue Heron'''<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Great Blue Heron|species of heron}} that measures 91–137 cm (36–54 in) long<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Little Blue Heron|species of heron}} that measures about 60 cm (24 in) long<br />
|<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Board'''<br />
| nickname for the {{w|New York Stock Exchange}} || || || ||<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''Cardiac Vein'''<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Great cardiac vein|left coronary vein}}<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Small cardiac vein|heart vein on the right side}}<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Circle'''<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Great circle|largest possible circle}} that can be drawn on a sphere; the {{w|equator}} is an example of one on the Earth<br />
|<br />
|The {{w|Little_Circle|Little Circle}}, a group of political reformists based in Manchester, UK in the early 1800s<br />
|{{w|Circle_of_a_sphere|a circle that lies on a sphere}} without passing through its center (which would make it a great circle)<br />
|3<br />
|-<br />
|'''Claims Court'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Small claims court|judicial court}} that handles cases involving only relatively small amounts of money<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''Depression'''<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Great Depression|period of prolonged economic downturn}} that affected the world economy in the 1930's<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''Dipper'''<br />
|{{w|Big Dipper|subset collection of stars}} in the constellation {{w|Ursa Major}}<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|name for the constellation {{w|Ursa Minor}}<br />
|<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Emerald'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Large_emerald|Geometra papilionaria}}, a bright green moth of the family {{w|Geometer_moth|Geometridae}}<br />
|{{w|Jodis_lactearia|Jodis lactearia}}, a light green or white moth of the family {{w|Geometer_moth|Geometridae}}<br />
|{{w|Hemistola_chrysoprasaria|Hemistola chrysoprasaria}}, a light green or yellow-white moth of the family {{w|Geometer_moth|Geometridae}}<br />
|3<br />
|-<br />
|'''Enchilada'''<br />
|The term "[[wiktionary:big enchilada|Big Enchilada]]" means a person or thing of great importance.<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''End'''<br />
|The {{w|Crankpin|bearing}} connecting a connecting rod to the crank shaft of a reciprocating engine.<br />
| {{w|Great End|Mountain in England}}<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|The {{w|Crankpin|bearing}} connecting a connecting rod to the gudgeon pin and hence the piston in a reciprocating engine.<br />
|3<br />
|-<br />
|'''Eyed Conger'''<br />
|{{w|Sea conger|type of eel}}, found in the western Pacific Ocean<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Large-eye conger|type of eel}}, found in the northwestern and eastern central Pacific Ocean<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Smalleye conger|type of eel}}, found in the eastern Indian Ocean<br />
|3<br />
|-<br />
|'''Flying Fox'''<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Great flying fox}}<br />
|{{w|Large flying fox}}<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Small flying fox}}<br />
|3<br />
|-<br />
|'''Foot'''<br />
|The well known folk-lore monster ''{{w|Bigfoot}}''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|{{w|List_of_The_Land_Before_Time_characters#Littlefoot|Main character}} in the ''{{w|Land Before Time}}'' film series<br />
|''{{w|Smallfoot (film)|Smallfoot}}'' is an animated film that inverts the Bigfoot legend, focusing on a group of yetis that tell stories about humans.<br />
|3<br />
|-<br />
|'''Forest Bat'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|A common {{w|Large forest bat|bat}} found in Southeastern Australia<br />
|A related {{w|Little forest bat|bat}} also found in Southeastern Australia<br />
|<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Format'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Large format|anything larger than 4x5 inches in photography}}<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''Foundation'''<br />
|The BIG Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit charity<br />
|May be a reference to Asimov’s Greater Foundation<br />
|May be a typo. Could possibly be a reference to the Lange Foundation<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|3<br />
|-<br />
|'''Frog'''<br />
|Refers to someone who is important but only in a small group (Big frog in a small pond)<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Large frog|A South-East Asian frog species}} <br />
|children's book [https://smile.amazon.com/Little-Frog-Crista-R-Stewart/dp/1616638702/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_g5171374337?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion%2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&ie=UTF8 "The Little Frog"] by Crista R. Stewart<br />
|{{w|Small frog|An Australian frog species}}<br />
|4<br />
|-<br />
|'''Game'''<br />
|Large animals hunted for sport or food, usually referring to the African {{w|big five game}} (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, cape buffalo); can also refer to the NFL's {{w|Super Bowl}} <br />
|{{w|Great Game|19th Century geopolitical competition}} between the British and Russian Empires over control of Afghanistan<br />
|{{w|Game (hunting)|Large animals}} hunted for sport or food, such as bears or moose<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Game (hunting)|Small animals}} hunted for sport or food, such as rabbits or ducks<br />
|4<br />
|-<br />
|'''Hadron Collider'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Large Hadron Collider|particle accelerator}}<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''Hearted'''<br />
|[[wiktionary:bighearted|kind, generous, selfless, noble]]<br />
|[[wiktionary:greathearted|generous, selfless, noble]]<br />
|[[wiktionary:largehearted|generous, benevolent, noble]]<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|3<br />
|-<br />
|'''House on the Prairie'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Little House on the Prairie|novel}} (later made into a TV show)<br />
|<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''Intestine'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|The {{w|Large Intestine}} or colon is the last part of the digestive system.<br />
|<br />
|The {{w|Small Intestine}} is the part of the gastrointestinal tract (gut) immediately after the stomach, where most absorption of nutrients takes place<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Island'''<br />
|{{w|Hawaii (island)|largest island in Hawaii}}, or numerous other islands: {{w|Big Island}}<br />
|{{w|Great Island|in Cork Harbour, Ireland}}<br />
|{{w|Large Island|island in the Antilles, owned by Grenada}}<br />
|{{w|Little Island|several islands named such}}, plus a song in ''{{w|Randy Newman's Faust}}''<br />
|{{w|Small Island (novel)|novel which was made into a movie}}<br />
|5<br />
|-<br />
|'''League'''<br />
|Nickname for top-level competition<br />
|One of the leagues in Pokemon Go<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Little League Baseball|Youth baseball organization}}<br />
|<br />
|3<br />
|-<br />
|'''Lies'''<br />
|''{{w|Big Little Lies (TV series)|Big Little Lies}}'', a novel made into a TV series; also a [[wiktionary:big lie|form of propaganda]]<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|''{{w|Big Little Lies (TV series)|Big Little Lies}}'', a novel made into a TV series; also a {{w|Little Lies|Fleetwood Mac song}}<br />
|<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Magellanic Cloud'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|A {{w|Large Magellanic Cloud|satellite galaxy}} of the Milky Way<br />
|<br />
|Another {{w|Small Magellanic Cloud|satellite galaxy}} of the Milky Way<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Millimeter Telescope'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Large Millimeter Telescope|radio telescope}}<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''One'''<br />
|Nickname for any large natural disaster that is expected to happen in the future, such as a tsunami or an earthquake in California<br />
|Nickname for {{w|Wayne Gretzky}}, considered by many to be the greatest ice hockey player of all time, also comedian {{w|Jackie Gleason}} and many other people ([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_One Wikipedia disambiguation page]).<br />
|<br />
|affectionate term for a small person<br />
|{{w|The Small One|A Disney animated short directed by Don Bluth}}<br />
|4<br />
|-<br />
|'''Orphan Annie'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Little Orphan Annie|comic strip}}<br />
|<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''Planet'''<br />
|Part of the video game ''{{w|Little Big Planet}}''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|Part of the video game ''{{w|Little Big Planet}}''<br />
|<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Potatoes'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|[[wiktionary:small potatoes|something relatively unimportant]]<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''Pox'''<br />
|<br />
|an old name for {{w|syphilis}}<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|{{w|smallpox|a deadly disease}} which was effectively eradicated by 1977<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Professor'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Large Professor|rap artist}}<br />
|{{w|Little Professor|educational math toy}} (also "Little Professor Syndrome", an informal name for autism)<br />
|<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Richard'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Little Richard|musician}}<br />
|<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''Room'''<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Great room|a McMansion's signature space}}<br />
|<br />
|{{w|White_Blood_Cells_(album)#Track_listing|Track 6}} on "White Blood Cells," the third album by {{w|The_White_Stripes|The White Stripes}}<br />
|{{w|May Sarton|"The Small Room", a novel by May Sarton}}, also various songs: {{w|Small Room}}<br />
|3<br />
|-<br />
|'''Screen'''<br />
|[[wiktionary:big screen|another name for movies]]<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|[[wiktionary:small screen|another name for TV]]<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Sister'''<br />
|[[wiktionary:big sister|older female sibling]]; also [https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/Little_Sister a character from the influential video game Bioshock]<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|[[wiktionary:little sister|younger female sibling]]; also [https://bioshock.fandom.com/wiki/Big_Sister another character from the influential video game Bioshock]<br />
|<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Soldiers'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Little Soldiers|1996 Telugu drama film}}<br />
|{{w|Small Soldiers|1998 movie}} about sentient animated toys at war<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Sur'''<br />
|{{w|Big Sur|coastal region of California}} famed for its mountain scenery <br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''Terror'''<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Great Terror|One of two periods of violent political repression}}; one during {{w|Reign of Terror|the French Revolution}} between 1793 and 1794, the other in {{w|Great Purge|the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin}} between 1936 and 1938<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''Time'''<br />
|[[wiktionary:big time|major]], the highest level of a field<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|[[wiktionary:small time|minor]], or modest, level of achievement<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Toothed Aspen'''<br />
|A {{w|Populus grandidentata|tree}} native to North America<br />
|<br />
|Another name for the same tree<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''Wall of China'''<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Great Wall of China|Series of fortifications}} over 13,000 miles long that served to protect various Chinese empires from raids and invasion from their north<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|1<br />
|-<br />
|'''White'''<br />
|{{w|Big White Ski Resort|ski resort in British Columbia}}<br />
|{{w|Great white shark|species of shark}} or a {{w|Great White|rock band}}<br />
|{{w|Pieris brassicae|a butterfly}} or {{w|Large White pig|a common breed of pig}}<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Dixeia|multiple species}} of {{w|Pieris rapae|butterflies}} are known as small whites<br />
|4<br />
|-<br />
|'''Wonder'''<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|<br />
|{{w|Little Wonder|"Little Wonder" is a song and single by David Bowie, from the 1997 album Earthling.}}<br />
|{{w|Small Wonder (TV series)|American sitcom}}<br />
|2<br />
|-<br />
|'''World'''<br />
|Australian company {{w|BigWorld|BigWorld}} which develops development tools for MMOs; also {{w|Big_World|a 1986 live album by Joe Jackson}}.<br />
|Reference to either {{w|Great World City|Great World City}} or {{w|Great World Amusement Park|Great World Amusement Park}}, a Chinese shopping mall or amusement park, respectively<br />
|<br />
|A {{w|Little World|2013 Catalan documentary film}}<br />
|{{w|Small_World_(board_game)|Board game by Days of Wonder}}, {{w|It's a Small World|ride at Disney parks}}, type of {{w|Small-world_network|mathematical graph.}}<br />
|4<br />
|-<br />
|'''World'''<br />
|Australian company {{w|BigWorld|BigWorld}} which develops development tools for MMOs; also {{w|Big_World|a 1986 live album by Joe Jackson}}.<br />
|Reference to either {{w|Great World City|Great World City}} or {{w|Great World Amusement Park|Great World Amusement Park}}, a Chinese shopping mall or amusement park, respectively<br />
|<br />
|A {{w|Little World|2013 Catalan documentary film}}<br />
|{{w|Small_World_(board_game)|Board game by Days of Wonder}}, {{w|It's a Small World|ride at Disney parks}}, type of {{w|Small-world_network|mathematical graph.}}<br />
|4<br />
|-<br />
|''no items present''<br />
|data-sort-value=""|''n/a''<br />
|data-sort-value=""|''n/a''<br />
|data-sort-value=""|''n/a''<br />
|data-sort-value=""|''n/a''<br />
|data-sort-value=""|''n/a''<br />
|0<br />
|-<br />
|''no items present''<br />
|data-sort-value=""|''n/a''<br />
|data-sort-value="Potentially"|???<br />
|data-sort-value="Potentially"|???<br />
|data-sort-value="Potentially"|???<br />
|data-sort-value=""|''n/a''<br />
|3<br />
|-<br />
|''no items present''<br />
|data-sort-value="Potentially"|???<br />
|data-sort-value="Potentially"|???<br />
|data-sort-value="Potentially"|???<br />
|data-sort-value="Potentially"|???<br />
|data-sort-value=""|''n/a''<br />
|4<br />
|-<br />
|''no items present''<br />
|data-sort-value=""|''n/a''<br />
|data-sort-value="Potentially"|???<br />
|data-sort-value="Potentially"|???<br />
|data-sort-value="Potentially"|???<br />
|data-sort-value="Potentially"|???<br />
|4<br />
|-<br />
!Item !! Big !! Great !! Large !! Little !! Small !! # Regions<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<!-- Ordered clockwise, starting from Big. --><br />
<br />
[A Venn diagram with five sets titled 'Big', 'Little', 'Large', 'Small' and 'Great'. Various words which can be prefixed by these titles are shown in the relevant segment.]<br />
<br />
:Big: Bang Theory, Enchilada, Board, Sur<br />
:Little: Orphan Annie, House on the Prairie, Richard<br />
:Large: format, Millimeter Telescope, Hadron Collider<br />
:Small: claims court, potatoes<br />
:Great: Barrier Reef, Wall of China, Depression, Terror, aunt<br />
<br />
:Big/Great: Bend, Bear Lake<br />
:Big/Small: time, screen<br />
:Big/Little: Dipper, Planet, lies, sister<br />
:Little/Great: Blue Heron<br />
:Little/Large: Professor, Forest Bat<br />
:Big/Large: Toothed Aspen<br />
:Large/Small: intestine, Magellanic Cloud<br />
:Little/Small: wonder, soldiers<br />
:Small/Great: pox, cardiac vein<br />
:Large/Great: Billed Seed Finch<br />
<br />
<br />
:Big/Large/Great: hearted<br />
:Big/Small/Great: end<br />
:Big/Little/Small: foot<br />
:Big/Little/Great: league<br />
:Little/Large/Great: (none)<br />
:Big/Little/Large: foundation<br />
:Big/Large/Small: Eyed Conger, Blue<br />
:Little/Large/Small: emerald<br />
:Little/Small/Great: circle, room<br />
:Large/Small/Great: flying fox<br />
<br />
:Big/Large/Small/Great: game, white<br />
:Big/Little/Small/Great : world, one<br />
:Big/Little/Large/Great : (none)<br />
:Big/Little/Large/Small : frog<br />
:Little/Large/Small/Great : (none)<br />
<br />
:Big/Little/Large/Small/Great: Island<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Venn diagrams]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2704:_Faucet&diff=300033Talk:2704: Faucet2022-11-29T10:28:05Z<p>172.70.162.135: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
Are faucet designs considered to be confusing? I'm never confused by normal ones like [https://www.ikea.com/us/en/images/products/sundsvik-kitchen-faucet-chrome-plated__0756711_pe749051_s5.jpg?f=s these]<br />
<br />
Yeah I came here wondering the same thing. Is the joke perhaps not so much that the controls are confusing in terms of intent, but just in terms of determining the bounds? Eg, with two identical faucet controls and identical water pressures, "full blast hot" still translates to something radically different, if one building has a water heater set to 120F and the other building has a water heater set to 160F.{{unsigned ip|172.69.170.189|02:46, 29 November 2022}}<br />
:(I find °F confusing, personally, but...) ...the easiest thing is to have two taps, one hot and one cold. Yes, they can combine into a single spout, but there are various conflicting plusses and minuses of that over having the two independent ones per outlet. Speaking (as I'm sure mixer-tap afficionados worldwide will appreciate) as a Brit. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.24|172.70.85.24]] 03:03, 29 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
::Relevant Tom Scott video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfHgUu_8KgA Why Britain Uses Separate Hot and Cold Taps]. TL;DR: British houses used to get their hot water from rat-filled cisterns so they wanted to keep the hot water separate from the cold water, and old habits die hard. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.63.152|162.158.63.152]] 03:34, 29 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::Silliness of dual-taps aside, that doesn't solve the issue of identical tap hardware yielding radically different results depending on what the hot water thermostat is set to. Maybe that's not the original joke (I'm still not sure what it was) but it's worth mentioning at least. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.170.146|172.69.170.146]] 03:39, 29 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I sympathize with Randall here; even controls designed to independently control temperature and flow rarely meet both the "intuitive to use at a glance" and "function as described" requirements to make them non-confusing. [[User:Dextrous Fred|Dextrous Fred]] ([[User talk:Dextrous Fred|talk]]) 03:44, 29 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Wouldn't it be super simple to just have a slider that goes from hot to cold, and a second one that goes from slow to fast flow? Or one for hot, one for cold, with the higher the slider goes, the more the flow is increased? I don't see how much simpler you can get it. Hell, you could even use a dial for temperature (all dials turn clockwise to increase) with a digital readout. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.131.44|172.70.131.44]] 05:25, 29 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This is probably the very first xkcd comic where I have absolutely no idea where Randal is coming from. While different people have different preferences for different designs, I've never heard of anyone being confused by any faucet design.<br />
Maybe he's trolling us, by trying to get a rise out of people wondering what the hell he's talking about? [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 08:20, 29 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
This may be a reference to "Design of Everyday Things - Dan Norman" or books in that direction. Although he talked a lot more about creating doors wrong he also mentioned faucet designs as terrible. [[Special:Contributions/198.41.242.29|198.41.242.29]] 09:17, 29 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is that hairy? looks like him? [[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 10:07, 29 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is it too pedantic to point out the distinction between a helix (the shape of the control) and a spiral (mentioned by the character)?</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2702:_What_If_2_Gift_Guide&diff=299732Talk:2702: What If 2 Gift Guide2022-11-24T00:12:46Z<p>172.70.162.135: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
The puzzle is almost certainly a reference to the Monty Hall problem, since that's usually framed in terms of 3 doors: behind 2 are goats (bad prizes), behind the third is a new (the desirable prize). While the other puzzles share some attributes, I doubt they're intended. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 21:55, 23 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
The goat can be left on its own, but not with the fox or the cabbage. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.135|172.70.162.135]] 00:12, 24 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
Another problem with the James Webb photo is that, from its orbit, the Earth appears too close to the Sun to be safe to photograph. So, the recipient of the gift would have to travel into deep space, well past the orbit of the Moon, for the shoot. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.111.29|172.70.111.29]] 22:22, 23 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== "Katherine and Brandon" ==<br />
<br />
Could someone explain those Names in the "Chemistry" entry to me? It would be very atypical for Randall to make a mistake in that place, but both seem to be impossible to spell with the periodic table of elements.<br />
Potassium, Astatine and Helium would give K-At-He- (and some radiation posioning) and Iodine and Neon -Id-Ne. But neither Rubidium (Ru), nor Radium (Ra), nor Ruthentium (Ru), nor Rhodium (Rh) nor Radon (RN) give you a pure "R" and likewise there is no Element Ri or Er, so it is impossible to put the "R" into "Katherine".<br />
Likewise "Brandon" could be started with Boron (B), Radon (Ra), Nitrogen (N) and finished with Oxygen (O) and again Nitrogen (N), but there are only two "D"s in the whole peridoic table and both are fixed to other letters, that would not fit: Paladium (Pd) and Gadolinium (Gd).<br />
P.S.: 3 full Minutes of Captcha-solving for a Wiki? WTF??? {{unsigned ip|172.70.247.13|23:40, 23 November 2022}}<br />
:Potassium-Astatine-Hydrogen-'''Erbium'''-Iodine-Neon [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.184|172.69.79.184]] 23:59, 23 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
But Astatine is so radioactive that no one has ever seen it. A lump big enough to physically see would instantly sublimate with its own heat of radioactivity. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.210.7|172.68.210.7]] 00:08, 24 November 2022 (UTC)</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=859:_(&diff=299175859: (2022-11-19T01:44:33Z<p>172.70.162.135: Undo revision 299091 by 172.70.115.29 (talk) Modified revert of what was probably a misunderstood sense of flow.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 859<br />
| date = February 11, 2011<br />
| title = (<br />
| image = (.png<br />
| titletext = Brains aside, I wonder how many poorly-written xkcd.com-parsing scripts will break on this title (or ;;"'<nowiki/>'{<<[' this mouseover text."<br />
}}<br />
<br />
== Explanation ==<br />
<br />
In programming, punctuation is often used to mark sections of code. Paired punctuation marks must always be matched up with a corresponding closing mark, otherwise a so-called {{w|syntax error}} occurs. The programming language {{w|Lisp_(programming_language)|Lisp}} (also featured in [[224: Lisp]] is known for large numbers of nested/paired parentheses. Even in literary works intended only for human consumption, the absence of a matching closing parenthesis as appears in this sentence or other "balanced" punctuation sets creates a mental expectation of eventual closure and completion that remains unfulfilled even long after the unmatched mark is encountered.<br />
<br />
There is also reference to [[312: With Apologies to Robert Frost]] which could contain the missing parentheses.<br />
<br />
It can also be interpreted as a {{w|metaphor}}, which compares the reader with a Lisp {{w|Interpreter (Computing)|interpreter}}. The interpreter looks for the parenthesis until the end of the file, where it eventually halts, and prints out the error. The comic claims that if you read an unmatched parenthesis, you will look for it for the rest of the day too.<br />
<br />
It also refers to an awkward feeling when you see something out of place in a piece of literary text (like unmatched parentheses, spellying error or a randomly-plac,ed comma..<br />
<br />
Finally, in some countries (Russia in particular) they use just parentheses instead of text smileys so that <code>:)</code> turns into <code>)</code> and <code>:(</code> becomes <code>(</code>. Hence those readers can magically resist the unresolved tension of the comic but may feel a bit sad instead as a side effect. <br />
<br />
The title text refers to the same issue as already highlighted in [[327: Exploits of a Mom]]: if your scripts trust external input, you sometimes will be surprised. At the time of this comic, there were quite a few websites that would grab the xkcd comic three times a week and publish them on their own site. This comic likely broke at least some of the websites because of either the unmatched paren or the extra unmatched markup that is in the title text.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Caption inside an oblong panel:]<br />
:(An unmatched left parenthesis creates an unresolved tension that will stay with you all day.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
* The well-known "helper website" ([http://gChq.github.io/CyberChef/# CyberChef] has a text on its loading page that is a reference to this comic, probably as a joke.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>172.70.162.135https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:While_False&diff=298941User talk:While False2022-11-17T19:00:50Z<p>172.70.162.135: /* For the gods' sakes, why??? */ new section</p>
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<div>== Vandalbot ==<br />
<br />
I just found a bug in the vandal bot: if a page starts with "crap", it won't vandalize. Should we run a similar bot that just prepends the word crap once instead of replacing the text with the word repeated, to "vaccinate" the pages? One crap in addition to the page content would be a lot less disruptive than a page full of it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.251|108.162.245.251]] 22:03, 3 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
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::Maybe. (See the source for some code that might work) <div style="display: none">crap</div> [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.251|108.162.245.251]] 22:11, 3 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
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== Thanks for fixing the "crap" on my page ==<br />
<br />
Hi While False<br><br />
Saw your comment on my page, and did not see the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:Kynde&oldid=232561 crap post] before I was looking into this here. Also read about the problems you had with FaIse account. Sad this happens. Sadly I'm not an admin and have no way on contacting any of them. Shame that the x.k.c.d account again is active. But it is very annoying. Thanks for putting [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:Kynde&direction=next&oldid=232561 my page] right again. Hope it stays that way. Not sure what we can do, I'm not tech wizard... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:59, 4 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
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== My Script ==<br />
<br />
I thought I owed you a little explanation, since you showed interest earlier.<br />
# Yeah, all the API stuff is indeed by Ozank.<br />
# The tweaks to automatically run the rollback are by my friend [[wikia:w:c:c:User:KockaAdmiralac|KockaAdmiralac]] who I called on shortly before entering the fray.<br />
# I contributed... An autoconfirmed account and enough knowledge of JavaScript to turn down the timer on the script and almost lock myself out of my account by refreshing constantly.<br />
So, you know who to thank. Troll slain. Back to business as usual. [[User:Jacky720|That's right, Jacky720 just signed this]] ([[User talk:Jacky720|talk]] | [[Special:Contributions/Jacky720|contribs]]) 01:22, 5 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
: More context:<br />
:* The base [[wikia:w:c:dev:Rollback|script]] ''is'' by Ozank, though it got [[wikia:w:c:dev:Special:Diff/130753|rewritten]] by me at some point (probably without changing the API calls, though)<br />
:* It also had to be adapted to work on vanilla MediaWiki at all<br />
:* The last about two thousand reverts were made in part by a different script I wrote on this occasion, that I can rerun later if needed<br />
: [[User:KockaAdmiralac|Cube-shaped garbage can]] ([[User talk:KockaAdmiralac|talk]]) 09:54, 5 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
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== Concision and clarity ==<br />
<br />
In case it helps, I think that [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1740:_Rosetta&diff=286099&oldid=286098 your edit] was in response to the same person as did a few other edits not long ago, that I reverted. Encompassed by the following lines in Recent Changes, at the end of 2nd June:<br />
* 23:09 1490: Atoms (2 changes | history) . . (0) . . [162.158.159.137; 108.162.245.173]<br />
* 23:08 1368: One Of The (2 changes | history) . . (0) . . [162.158.159.137; 162.158.107.52]<br />
* 20:43 352: Far Away (2 changes | history) . . (0) . . [162.158.159.87; 108.162.245.43]<br />
* 20:41 1140: Calendar of Meaningful Dates (2 changes | history) . . (0) . . [162.158.159.87; 108.162.246.154]<br />
:''Leaving you to find and follow the links, tabbing around to copy and paste addresses to link directly is quite awkward, since the latest update of this browser... Urgh!''<br />
By 'coincidence' or not, all the IPs involved in these original edits we reverted have Contrib histories showing various disruptions from the recent vandal. Not proof in itself, but the insertion of uselessly florid language ( <- no stranger to that myself, admittedly! ) - it looks like a new phase of "trying to mess things up" from the same geographic-at-least source. Subtle and not so disruptive, but maybe a drip drip drip thing with a long-game, unless even cleverer than currently obvious.<br />
<br />Anyway glad I'm not the only one who thought it was odd. Just thought I'd say. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.155|172.70.162.155]] 12:43, 3 June 2022 (UTC)<br />
:Thanks for letting me know. Seems malucious indeed. [[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|talk]]) 21:59, 3 June 2022 (UTC)<br />
:I've just reverted several more of the same kind. [[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|talk]]) 22:12, 3 June 2022 (UTC)<br />
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== 'Interesting' edits... ==<br />
{{notice|This commenter has a point.}}<br />
{{notice|{{notice|{{notice|{{notice|{{notice|This comment has been taken to heart.}}}}}}}}}}<br />
I get ''some'' of the reasoning behind the splurge of edits you just made, but must admit that the whole also looks like it has a lot of rather random tweaking. No complaints, but... perhaps some of the things you really meant to Sandbox (or at least Preview and then abandon without actually saving) whilst you were exploring whatever it was you thought it worth trying out? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.34.71|162.158.34.71]] 22:54, 2 October 2022 (UTC)<br />
:Perhaps it is so. [[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|speak]]) 06:35, 3 October 2022 (UTC)<br />
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== I think you accidentally enabled a spambot... ==<br />
<br />
I could be wrong, but the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User:ZitaPortus3&curid=25674&diff=296168&oldid=296003 only edit they have so far made] definitely link-spammed with what appears to be spam-links (not followed them myself, just based upon my spidey-sense upon reading the raw URLs). With no obvious attempt of xkcd-ish parody/irony. Looks (semi-)automated copypasta. — Anyway, I've reverted it (much against my principles, but leaving an 'obvious SEO-fodder' seemed an even worse result) but I would defer to any future "Hey, this ''is'' real!" from the user (despite it being a spammer-type username), yourself or the other mods who may investigate my interference and come to the other conlusion. FYI, however, so that you know (sooner) to actually check it yourself. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.132|172.70.86.132]] 10:43, 7 October 2022 (UTC)<br />
:Oh, that was not my intention. Your revert is obviously sensible. --[[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|speak]]|[[User:While False/explain xkcd museum|museum]]) 19:59, 7 October 2022 (UTC)<br />
...you did it again. Not going to link, you can easily find the page I 'blanked' (or replaced, as it turns out) and look at what happened. Plus loads of other weird page-creations. Really no idea what you need to do it all for. Try sandbox/preview-only/your own pages and subpages, perhaps, for most of the little experiments you're doing today. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.155|172.70.162.155]] 20:58, 31 October 2022 (UTC)<br />
:''Bot Whisperer with While False'' —[[User:While False|While False]] ([[User:While False/explain xkcd museum|'''museum''']] | [[User talk:While False|talk]] | [[special:Contributions/While_False|contributions]] | [[special:Log/While_False|logs]] | [[Special:UserRights/While_False|rights]]) 21:58, 5 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
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== House style ==<br />
<br />
Ref: Königsberg Talk, the house style leans heavily against ==Section Headers== in the discussion section, but would typically be downgraded to ''';Section Title''' format that's more just an aesthetic. Of course, each has its place, for when there's a lot to keep track of. And potentially a hash-anchored jumping in point might be useful and need to be ==...==ed, to some degree or other. It's not a consistent policy, but on balance it works that way. (Without back-editing loads of historic stuff, which I think is unnecessary - in case a certain other recent newly-accounted editor is passing by and reading this! ;) )<br />
<br />
That aside, I'm with you in removing it, even as a visual-only section label. As far as that the Alumin(i)um discussion started off as a '''Titled''' thing in a total vacuum (nothing else even for it to need it to be marked separate from...) and nobody then bothered to further enTitle discussions that arose outside that scope, either. So it was, at best, potentially confusing until you edited it away. ;)<br />
<br />
And, together with your judicious cutting of the image-caption cruft, this is why I think you're a good contributor, and (above things notwithstanding) I just wanted an excuse to say that I value your continued involvement here, as a definite positive. The minor details are arguable, of course, but your heart is definitely in the right sort of place. (For whatever degree the words of an accountless lurker/tweaker might actually matter!) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.209|141.101.99.209]] 12:36, 6 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
:I give you thanks for the kind words. You are obviously well-versed in this site as well as in the wiki thing; out of curiosity, why don’t you use an account? —[[User:While False|While False]] ([[User:While False/explain xkcd museum|'''museum''']] | [[User talk:While False|talk]] | [[special:Contributions/While_False|contributions]] | [[special:Log/While_False|logs]] | [[Special:UserRights/While_False|rights]]) 22:16, 6 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
::...too much fuss, if I can avoid it. If I don't have a login, I can't forget its details, and irrecoverably lose whatever transient social benefits I somehow acrued through using it. Plus I've not yet thought up a good username/'brand' for my presence. :P [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.47|172.70.162.47]] 02:25, 7 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
::(Hey, how interesting. You also edited [[1305: Undocumented Feature]], which in many ways encapsulates how I feel about being in this place like I am. Except that it aint that 'deep' and hidden. Pure coincidence, but strangely relevent!) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.72|162.158.159.72]] 02:32, 7 November 2022 (UTC)<br />
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== For the gods' sakes, ''why???'' ==<br />
<br />
I don't understand your need to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=File_talk:null_hypothesis.png&curid=13742&diff=298926&oldid=54387 uselessly comment], and now this latest batch of jumping into seemingly random image comment pages and responding to things often years out of date and which clearly need no new response.<br />
<br />
Are you just trying to get yourself listed as Contributor to as much of the site as possible? I don't think that's a good idea. Not if you can't do it sensibly. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.135|172.70.162.135]] 19:00, 17 November 2022 (UTC)</div>172.70.162.135