https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=172.70.90.145&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T14:52:58ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2852:_Parameterball&diff=328424Talk:2852: Parameterball2023-11-09T17:47:37Z<p>172.70.90.145: Probably my fault for the unintended newline betwixt comment and signature, but follow-up editor was lacking in care too...</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 />
added transcript and a kinda crappy explanation [[User:Certified_nqh|Me]]<sup>&#91;[[285: Wikipedian Protester|''citation needed'']]&#93;[[Category:Pages using the "citation needed" template]]</sup> 17:36, 8 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
: added a bit of crappy info to the explanation. also hi nqh <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'">[[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]<sup>([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]&#124;[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]])</sup></span> 17:42, 8 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
: added crappy edits. also do i have an account or… [[User:TenGolf MathHacker|TenGolf MathHacker]] ([[User talk:TenGolf MathHacker|talk]]) 19:30, 8 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Does the tennis court in upper right look about 50% larger than normal to anyone else? The ping-pong table definitely looks too small, about half size. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 18:07, 8 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
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: I'd say the the upper right is similar width to a tennis court but is 25% longer. The lower left looks to be similar width to table tennis / ping pong but is about half as long. So the explanations for those need revising. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.51|162.158.62.51]] 18:13, 8 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
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I have some neat plans for that Incomplete template. Get ready for an occasional change to something random that uses anything but metric... <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'">[[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]<sup>([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]&#124;[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]])</sup></span> 18:29, 8 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
: mobile account here, first of many implemented [[Special:Contributions/172.70.42.48|172.70.42.48]] 20:55, 8 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
If no limits, then neutron star or black hole ball exists as much as more non lethal games. {{unsigned ip|172.71.151.139|00:06, 9 November 2023}}<br />
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Could the title text be talking about the mass of a bowling ball, rather than then density? If the diameter of a bowling ball is 20cm and the diameter of a table tennis ball is 4cm, which is consistent with a quick Google search, than the volume of the bowling ball is around 125 times as big as the table tennis ball (because we have to cube it for three dimensions). Let's assume a bowling ball is 12 pounds, which is about average. Therefore, a ping pong ball with the density of a bowling ball would weigh much less than a pound. A 12 pound table tennis ball, however, could easily cause equipment damage. [[User:Thexkcdnerd|Thexkcdnerd]] ([[User talk:Thexkcdnerd|talk]]) 02:44, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
:I'm sure a one-pound table tennis ball could do sufficient damage to destroy a racquet, but I guess there's really only one way to find out, and I don't know where to find a one-pound ping pong ball. Or is it pingpong? Ping-Pong? pingPong? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.214.62|172.70.214.62]] 05:03, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
::Originally "gossima", with hard rubber balls, even before "whiff-waff" (or "wiff-waff" or "whiff-whaff" or something). First ''properly'' marketed as "ping-pong", in its recognisable form though. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.122.115|172.71.122.115]] 09:07, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
::A snooker/pool ball would probably have similar density to a bowling ball. I can well imagine equipment (and bodily) damage playing table tennis with a snooker ball. {{unsigned ip|172.71.242.37|13:23, 9 November 2023}} as of (edit) (undo)<br />
:Isn't the bowling ball a reference to the 'bowling ball on a sheet' metaphor for the distortion of space-time by the gravitational fields of massive objects?[[Special:Contributions/172.71.123.146|172.71.123.146]] 09:31, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Also, isn't the density of a bowling ball also a changing parameter in the game of ten-pin bowling? Don't have bowling balls different weights, and unlike nine-pin bowling a fixed volume/size, and thus a variable density? It doesn't really matter for the explanation but describing the end point with an item that itself is variable isn't really helpful. The entries giraffe, screwdriver and large board game board are having the same problem. "A large boulder the size of a small boulder" https://twitter.com/SheriffAlert/status/1221881862244749315 [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:34, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
::The size isn't fixed, but yes, the weight can be changed by varying the size ''or'' density (within limits), and they can even have varying density within the ball.[[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.244|172.69.194.244]] 17:30, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Yes, too dense a ping-pong "ball" (e.g. a pebble) is able to damage the foam coating of a "more professional" racket models. As a kid I have had been yelled at by the PE teacher for such horseplay and I have been given a basic and inferior plywood-and-thin-rubber model (with the rubber peeling off) as a punishment. -- [[Special:Contributions/162.158.102.250|162.158.102.250]] 13:32, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Does the screwdriver measurement relate to the drink or the tool?[[Special:Contributions/172.69.194.245|172.69.194.245]] 09:32, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
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The explanation claims that the max density depicted is that of a bowling ball. However, the balls in the first three panels look much too light for that, and the ball in the fourth would probably have crushed the player if it was that dense. I would guess a solid rubber ball would be a better estimate (although the one in the second panel is hard to judge).[[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.83|172.71.242.83]] 11:28, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Only now have I learned that links can exist in the incomplete explanation text. It seems self-evident now,, but still. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.58.142|172.68.58.142]] 13:55, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Can each player choose a different raquet[sic] size? None of the examples suggest this. Also, is the construction of the racket a parameter? Tennis rackets have woven strings in the racket head, which a really tiny ball could pass through, and would have trouble controlling something marble-sized. Ping-pong paddles have a solid head with a rubber surface, which nothing larger than atomic size is likely to pass through. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 14:54, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
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The fact that people keep editing the EXPLANATION NEEDED template made me realize we should have an archive for that purely for the lols [[Special:Contributions/172.71.30.14|172.71.30.14]] 15:51, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
: That's a bet <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'">[[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]<sup>([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]&#124;[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]])</sup></span> 16:21, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
::I didn't think anyone would actually do that, thanks! =) [[Special:Contributions/172.71.30.178|172.71.30.178]] 16:51, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
:::Was actually planning on doing it earlier today, but this reminded me about it <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'">[[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]<sup>([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]&#124;[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]])</sup></span> 17:02, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
I wonder how long this will keep going. My guess is that I'll be the only one still doing it when the next comic gets released [[Special:Contributions/172.71.30.178|172.71.30.178]] 17:04, 9 November 2023 (UTC)<br />
: I have a few more to push out (wink) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'">[[User:SomeoneIGuess|someone, i guess]]<sup>([[User talk:SomeoneIGuess|talk i guess]]&#124;[[Special:Contributions/SomeoneIGuess|le edit list]])</sup></span> 17:06, 9 November 2023 (UTC)</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:111:_Firefox_and_Witchcraft_-_The_Connection%3F&diff=328209Talk:111: Firefox and Witchcraft - The Connection?2023-11-07T21:16:38Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 328206 by 162.158.154.175 (talk) You're not *that* skilled a writer, or you wouldn't do silly things like this...</p>
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<div>Correlation does not equal causation.... I think that's one of the underlying points of this. That, and people who use IE don't understand that. {{unsigned ip|108.162.219.56}}<br />
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The link to Revelation 22 is misleading. It was written several centuries before the Bible was compiled, and the phrase "this book" presumably refers to the Book of Revelation. A better scripture to link to is [[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+4%3A2&version=ESV Deuteronomy 4:2]], which prohibits editing the words that god commands you. That's not the entire bible, but it's enough that you could realistically call it closed source. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.90|199.27.128.90]] 00:23, 2 August 2014 (UTC)<br />
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The use of the open-source closed-source terminology is flawed here: open-source simply means that the source code (the program for IE and words for the Bible) is available to be read.<br />
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It does NOT mean that you can edit it (even if you don't distribute it) as anybody who owns a TiVo or has tried reading a Terms of Service document knows; that 'right' would come under the more important "Free Software" umbrella, as [https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html this article by Richard Stallman] explains.<br />
[[User:YatharthROCK|YatharthROCK]] ([[User talk:YatharthROCK|talk]]) 06:03, 3 August 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Open source does mean you can edit it. See the [http://opensource.org/osd-annotated Open Source Definintion]: "The license must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software." [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.189|108.162.219.189]] 02:48, 2 November 2014 (UTC)<br />
::Wouldn't that be opensource.org's definition? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.124|108.162.237.124]] 22:50, 21 November 2014 (UTC) Steven<br />
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It looks like Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster's statistics on the relation between pirate's numbers and global temperature[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PiratesVsTemp(en).svg].--[[User:Anodibdogb|Anodibdogb]] ([[User talk:Anodibdogb|talk]]) 12:50, 3 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
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The Microsoft + Christianity is probably a reference to Microsoft acquiring Christianity. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.65|108.162.216.65]]<br />
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This comic was in June, not August, so it might not be brought to life like us three. EDIT: Sorry, I was wrong. He was actually brought to life and became one of the comic incarnates. And today's his birthday. [[User:Missed Connections|935: Missed Connections]] ([[User talk:Missed Connections|talk]]) 23:53, 17 April 2023 (UTC)</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2840:_Earth_Layers&diff=3257622840: Earth Layers2023-10-13T08:56:20Z<p>172.70.90.145: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2840<br />
| date = October 11, 2023<br />
| title = Earth Layers<br />
| image = earth_layers_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 585x627px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = The Earth's magnetic field is primarily generated by currents in the liquid outer core, though some geophysicists argue that an unexplained mismatch with models suggests that the Kinder toy contains a magnet.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by A 50/50 BLEND OF LITHOSPHERE AND CRUST - Please change this comment when editing this page. Like this? Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
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This comic reimagines the internal structure of the earth, mixing the real geological layers of the planet with fictional ones. Some of the fictional layers are appropriated from the layers of other objects that have cross-sectional diagrams, such as the layers of a piece of fruit, an eyeball, an item of confectionary or a building.<br />
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{| class="wikitable"<br />
! Layer<br />
! scope="col"| Explanation<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| Lithosphere/Crust (50/50 Blend)<br />
| The {{w|lithosphere}} is any outermost rocky layer of a planet. On Earth it consists of the {{w|Earth's crust|crust}} and any parts of the upper mantle (see below) that do not convect. To say they are two distinct layers that could be blended together is rather nonsensical.<br />
The upper limit of a planet's lithosphere is usually taken as where it meets the hydrosphere/atmosphere (wherever either may be present, otherwise the vacuum of space) but may or may not include the rock-derived {{w|pedosphere}} (for Earth, especially) or distinct overburden of loose {{w|regolith}}. All of these overlaid layers would typically be far too thin to be reliably distinct in the depiction of this Earth-like planet, and the diagram depicts the surface details only as a 'painted on' blue/greens/browns/etc to distinguish ocean areas and land heights with vertical depths/elevations that are already effectively insignificant at the scale of this diagram, before even considering the such relatively narrow layers of interface material.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| {{w|Upper mantle}}<br />
| An actual layer of the earth's structure.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| Deep mantle<br />
| A pseudo-correct layer of the earth's structure. There is a layer called the {{w|lower mantle}}, which could be what Randall refers to.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| Filler<br />
| This suggests there is space in the earth that was empty, so the creator(s) added some filler to fill up the extra space.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| Vitreous humor<br />
|Vitreous humor ({{w|vitreous body}}) is the transparent gel inside the eye, located between the lens and the retina.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| Mechanical/HVAC layer<br />
| {{w|HVAC}} is an abbreviation for 'Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning' - the system used to heat or cool a building. Tall buildings may have a dedicated "HVAC floor" or "{{w|mechanical floor}}" between regular floors, like an extra layer.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| Guacamole <br />
| {{w|Guacamole}} is a dip or sauce made from avocados. [https://www.britannica.com/topic/guacamole Originating from ancient Mexico], it often includes onions, tomatoes and spices. Notably, guacamole is a major component of seven layer dip, and is shown here to be the seventh layer (from the surface).<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| Cytoplasm<br />
|{{w|Cytoplasm}} is the "flesh" of both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells; a jelly-like substance that fills all the otherwise empty space within the cell.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| Cork<br />
|Due to the proximity of the cork layer and the insulation layer, this may possibly be referencing {{w|Cork (material)|cork}}-lined walls, which are used today mostly for high quality soundproofing, but have [https://www.jstor.org/stable/27135713 a considerable history]. Another potential reference could be the fact that baseballs (another spherical shape) have a layer of cork in them (though it is usually in the center). Finally, the cork is a real layer of tissue in many woody plants, part of the bark. This comic was posted the day after Birkenstock Holding plc was listed on the New York Stock Exchange; Birkenstock sandals include a layer of cork.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| Insulation<br />
|Possibly a reference to the {{w|building insulation}} installed in the walls and ceilings of buildings. Technical fabrics used to make clothing also often include an insulation layer, combined with, for example, a waterproof/water-resistant membrane and an inner contact later.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| Seeds<br />
|Part of a fruit which often appear in a distinct layer within, or sometimes on the surface of, the flesh.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| {{w|Pith}}<br />
|Part of a tree trunk or the thick spongy layer of the skin of a citrus fruit. Notably, this layer is below Seeds, which implies the seeds are outside of the pith. Although rare, some fruits do, in fact, have their seeds on the outside of their skin, such as {{w|Cashews}}. However, this is not present in any well-known citrus plants, or, if there are citrus plants like this, they are not discovered yet, let alone well-documented.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| Nougat<br />
|{{w|Nougat}} is a family of confections made with sugar or honey, roasted nuts, whipped egg whites and, sometimes, chopped candied fruit. It often appears as layers within confectionary items (such as Snickers, Double Decker and Mars) and, notably in relation to the comic, it constitutes the second-innermost layer of {{w|Mozartkugel}}n, a spherical confection.<br />
Geography teachers sometimes hand confectionery like this to their students to give them an idea what "concentrically layered structure" means. Most of the time it turns out that this is their least concern, while at the same time a general consensus emerges that this is one of the best ideas said teacher has had in a long time. This layer is possibly an allusion to that practice.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| {{w|Outer core}}<br />
| An actual layer of the earth's structure.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| {{w|Inner core}}<br />
| An actual layer of the earth's structure.<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| Secret core<br />
| Likely references secret compartments that may be hidden in the hardest to find recesses of other objects or structures, for the purposes of concealing precious items or closely-guarded secrets. Could also be interpreted as a section of the core that only certain people, such as Randall, are aware of. In the context of "inner core, outer core, secret core" may also be a riff on Leonard Cohen's ''Hallelujah'', a la [[2583: Chorded Keyboard]].<br />
|-<br />
! scope="row"| Kinder toy capsule<br />
| A {{w|Kinder (brand)|Kinder}} toy is a reference to a chocolate egg-shaped confection by the Kinder brand, the {{w|Kinder Surprise}}, a chocolate shell with a plastic 'yolk' capsule in the center. Though that is loose within a void, unlike this 'Earth model', it closely matches this philosophy despite (or because of) being a {{w|Kinder_Surprise#United_States|banned food item}} in the United States, due to a 1938 FDA rule prohibiting a "non-nutritive object" (the plastic egg 'yolk' containing the toy) to be encased inside of an edible item (the outer chocolate layer) unless it has a specific function related to the edible part. It is widely believed that this is because the 'yolk' can be a choking hazard, despite the fact that you'd have to be swallowing a chicken egg-sized confectionery in a single mouthful for that to happen accidentally, or deliberately try to consume the plastic capsule whole. The toys within, however, may contain small pieces that can pose a choking hazard, especially in the toys that are packed as components, requiring some assembly, in order to fit into the capsule. Rules about small components (in toys for young children) and the inclusion of non-food contents within food-items have been used to prohibit this product within the US. To specifically overcome the latter regulations, the {{w|Kinder Joy}} was developed; an egg-shaped packaging containing the chocolate treat in one half and the toy separately within the other.<br />
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Randall's punchline of the comic is that there may indeed be a hidden toy at the center of the Earth. The title text explains that due to the {{w|Earth's magnetic field|geomagnetic field}} not behaving as scientific models suggest it should, some geophysicists argue that the hidden toy is – or at least contains – some additional form of magnet which impacts the accepted {{w|Magnetohydrodynamics|magnetohydrodynamic}} effect. A more plausible explanation is that their model is wrong because they've based it on Randall's diagram full of spurious layers!<br />
|}<br />
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Since the radius of the earth is 6371 km, this gives the Kinder Toy Capsule having a radius of about 900 km (from measurements of the diagram). This gives the Kinder Toy Capsule a volume of just over 3 billion km<sup>3</sup>. Assuming a real Kinder Egg has a volume of 60 cm<sup>3</sup>, and a packing density of 63.5%, the Kinder Toy Capsule could contain 5x10<sup>22</sup> (50 sextillion) actual Kinder Eggs. Current mathematical models of the magnetohydrodynamics of the Earth's core do not include the potentially significant contribution of 50 sextillion Kinder Toy Capsules,{{citation needed}} a glaring oversight in a well developed field.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:[Header/Title]<br />
:The layers of the Earth<br />
<br />
:[Cutaway diagram of the Earth, a sphere with abstract sea/land/elevation surface, except for a slice removed (quarter-arc in three axes) to make visible a number of roughly equally-sized 'strata'/shells, all the way down to the intact smallest sphere. From surface downwards, these are:]<br />
:Lithosphere/crust (50/50 blend)<br />
:Upper mantle<br />
:Deep mantle<br />
:Filler<br />
:Vitreous humor<br />
:Mechanical/HVAC layer<br />
:Guacamole<br />
:Cytoplasm<br />
:Cork<br />
:Insulation<br />
:Seeds<br />
:Pith<br />
:Nougat<br />
:Outer core<br />
:Inner core<br />
:Secret core<br />
:[The central sphere:]<br />
:Kinder toy capsule<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Geology]]<br />
[[Category:Food]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2624:_Voyager_Wires&diff=2769902624: Voyager Wires2022-05-26T09:56:23Z<p>172.70.90.145: /* Explanation */ Better insertion of link. Correcting CN-tagging in various ways.</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2624<br />
| date = May 25, 2022<br />
| title = Voyager Wires<br />
| image = voyager_wires.png<br />
| titletext = Also, they're getting increasingly worried that someone will accidentally hit the 'retract' button, and that the end of the cable thrashing around as it winds up could devastate the Earth's surface.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a WIRE CUT BECAUSE OF BUDG- are you there houston? it's me v----ger, you'll never guess what I found! Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
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This comic claims that the {{w|Voyager program|Voyager probe}}s communicate with NASA though ridiculously long copper wires. These wires would have to be continuously lengthened as the probes travel away from Earth. Supposedly, because of "high copper prices and budget constraints," they may not be able to afford to lengthen the wires much longer. If this occurred, they would have to either cut the wires or let them break, which would prevent any further communication with the probes. In reality [https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/status/ they use radio waves], not long copper wires, so this will not actually happen.<br />
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If copper wires were dragged by the Voyager probes, assuming a 1mm² thick cable, 550 tons of copper would be needed per hour and it would add 1 million Ohm per hour to the cable resistance. At [https://www.moneymetals.com/copper-prices $8,560/ton], this would cost $41 billion dollars/year, which would be nearly twice [https://www.planetary.org/space-policy/nasas-fy-2022-budget NASA's entire annual budget].<br />
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The resulting wire would slow down the probes by drag, but be perfect space elevators for lightweight spacecraft.<br />
Since the Earth spins, the wires would also spool around the Earth, slowing the probes down even further. Clearly, this is not a good idea.{{Citation needed}} This problem might be avoided if the wires reached earth at one of the poles. Or perhaps they could go to an airplane that flies around earth at exactly 15 degrees of longitude per hour, with periodic air-to-air refueling, so that it is always on the side of the earth facing the probe.<br />
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Because the Voyager probes aren't in the plane of the earth's orbit around the sun, the Earth would not, in its rotation around the sun, drag these copper wires through the sun. If it did, the wires would melt.{{Citation needed}}<br />
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The title text references the phenomenon seen with self-retracting cables, such as are commonly found on vacuum cleaners, where the free end of the cable, where the plug is, oscillates more and more wildly as the cable approaches full retraction, leading to the danger of a painful rap on the hand if it is not withdrawn in time. A planet-sized impact of this kind could cause severe damage.<br />
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The consequence of a cable between a craft in space and a planetary location being suddenly retracted was recently demonstrated in the first episode of the Apple TV+ series ''{{w|Foundation (TV series)|Foundation}}'', wherein a {{w|space elevator}} tether was severed. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huRmvG3zRpg It didn't end well for anyone other than the terrorists] who won the freedom of thousands of inhabited worlds which had formerly suffered under the jackbooted oppression of {{w|Trantor}}'s fascist galactic Empire regime. <br />
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A few days before this comic was released, [https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/news/details.php?article_id=124 NASA had reported] receiving corrupted position data from the Voyager 1 probe.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
[There is an image of a space probe, presumably one of NASA's Voyager probes, with a long wire connecting it to the earth. To the left, there is a second wire, which goes offscreen. Below, there is a caption.]<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel]:<br />
:Sad news: Due to high copper prices and budget constraints, NASA may finally have to cut the wires that they've been spooling out to communicate with Voyager 1 and 2.<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category:Space probes]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2623:_Goofs&diff=276705Talk:2623: Goofs2022-05-23T22:13:22Z<p>172.70.90.145: </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 />
I'm getting a 404 error when I try to go to the comic by number. But it shows up on the main xkcd.com home page. [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 16:39, 23 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
: https://xkcd.com/2623/ works for me. [[User:Sollyucko|Sollyucko]] ([[User talk:Sollyucko|talk]]) 16:52, 23 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
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Any New Yorkers here to confirm if there's a harpoon store a few blocks from Union Square? If not, that needs to be listed here as a "goof"... I really do love that line suggesting "harpoon stores" are common enough but the nearest one doesn't have an outdoor display. [[User:Ids1024|Ids1024]] ([[User talk:Ids1024|talk]]) 17:18, 23 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
: Remember that it needs to be a harpoon store that was operating in 2018. I think there was a Whalers Я Us near Union Square before it permanently closed during Covid. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.30.33|172.71.30.33]] 20:27, 23 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
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There may not be a store explicitly called a "harpoon store", but there is at least one diving equipment store that has harpoons. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.78.65|162.158.78.65]] 17:27, 23 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
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I'm glad Randall Munroe also hates CinemaSins. [[User:Lordpipe|Lordpipe]] ([[User talk:Lordpipe|talk]]) 17:32, 23 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Nobody tell Randall about [[https://www.moviemistakes.com/]] [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 17:41, 23 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
IMDB is also referenced in: [[2441]], [[155]] (ish), and [[1460]] (in the title text) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.174.91|172.70.174.91]] 20:34, 23 May 2022 (UTC)Bumpf<br />
<br />
Do any Muppets movies contain billboards for themselves? That feels like something a Muppets movie would do. [[User:GreatWyrmGold|GreatWyrmGold]] ([[User talk:GreatWyrmGold|talk]]) 20:48, 23 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:I don't remember any in A Muppets Christmas Carol. But it's been a while since I saw it, so... [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.145|172.70.90.145]] 22:13, 23 May 2022 (UTC)</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Sandbox&diff=273677explain xkcd:Sandbox2022-05-23T08:29:38Z<p>172.70.90.145: /* */ Touchscreen typo corrected, BTW.</p>
<hr />
<div>__NOINDEX__ [[Category:explain xkcd]]<br />
Make changes, try things out, or just have fun with the wiki here! Just leave everything above the line alone, please.<br/><br />
<small><small>></small>[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Sandbox&action=edit&oldid=91667 clear sandbox]</small><br />
------<br />
[[File:Header.png|900px|center]]<br />
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<pre><br />
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X X K K CCCC DDDDD<br />
X X K K C C D D<br />
X X K K C D D<br />
X KK C D D<br />
X X K K C D D<br />
X X K K C C D D<br />
X X K K CCCC DDDDD<br />
<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
{{#expr:sqrt(1.5*(circumference/diameter))}}<br />
<br />
<br />
⬆ It's [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/1292:_Pi_vs._Tau pau!]<br />
<br />
(If xkcd could do variables)<br />
<br />
[http://www.example.com Test]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Random Random Page]<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
this is a [http://www.example.com Test]<br />
<br />
this is a [http://www.example.com link]<br />
<br />
[http://www.example.com this][http://www.example.com is][http://www.example.com a][http://www.example.com link]<br />
<br />
== test ==<br />
<br />
''lksjdflsjd''<br />
<br />
'''Bold text'''<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Link title]]<br />
<br />
== ==<br />
<br />
I'm just going to say... ''Amazingly'' quiet.<br />
<br />
23 May 2022<br />
07:57 (User creation log) . . [ <65ish of the expected failed Spam accounts ]<br />
m 06:38 2622: Angular Diameter Turnaround (diff | hist) . . (+4) . . Theusaf (talk | contribs) (grammar)<br />
22 May 2022<br />
23:55 (User creation log) . . [ <the final act of the prior UTC day being to add to that day's list, obviously...> ]<br />
<br />
I mean, in a good way. But unusual, even on the third day since a new comic, just the one tweak in over eight hours? Just testing here, in case only Admins (and spambot account creators) are able to do stuff now. Doubt it, but I need to know and/or comment, right? ;)<br />
[[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.211|172.70.85.211]] 08:25, 23 May 2022 (UTC)</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1532:_New_Horizons&diff=2720311532: New Horizons2022-05-20T23:54:26Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 271832 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1532<br />
| date = June 1, 2015<br />
| title = New Horizons<br />
| image = new_horizons.png<br />
| titletext = Last-minute course change: Let's see if we can hit Steve's house.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
''{{w|New Horizons}}'' is a NASA mission launched in 2006 to study the dwarf planet {{w|Pluto}} and its moons. Its closest approach to Pluto was on July 14, 2015 ([http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/newhorizons/main/index.html NASA countdown clock]), two weeks after the publication of this comic. In April and May 2015, it captured the first images of Pluto with enough resolution to see some details on Pluto's surface ([http://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-new-horizons-sees-more-detail-as-it-draws-closer-to-pluto NASA photos from 12 April to 12 May]). These images are similar to the second panel of the comic, with Pluto shown as a gray dot only a few pixels wide.<br />
''{{w|Dawn (spacecraft)|Dawn}}'' is a NASA mission launched in September 2007 to study the asteroid {{w|4 Vesta|Vesta}} and dwarf planet {{w|Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres}}. Its closest approach to Vesta began on July 16, 2011 by the {{w|Dawn (spacecraft)#Vesta_approach|Vesta approach}}, and entered orbit around Ceres on 6 March 2015. And in fact the pictures of Ceres are still in a much better resolution like in this comic [[1476: Ceres]], but these images are also still mysterious.<br />
<br />
On the day this comic was published, ''New Horizons'' was at 0.34 AU from Pluto and 32.55 AU from the Sun ([http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Where-is-New-Horizons/index.php Johns Hopkins University's New Horizons page]). One {{w|Astronomical unit|Astronomical unit (AU)}} is the approximate distance of Earth from the Sun, or about 150 million kilometers.<br />
<br />
Distances from the Sun by {{w|semi-major axis}}: Vesta 2.36 AU; Ceres 2.77 AU; Jupiter 5.20 AU; Pluto 39.26 AU.<br />
<br />
A {{w|Gravity assist|slingshot maneuver}} is a technique where a spacecraft is maneuvered or accelerated with the help of a gravitational field. In the comic, presumably someone named Steve made the calculations for the New Horizons spacecraft to accelerate toward Pluto using {{w|Jupiter}}'s gravity.<br />
<br />
In the first panel we see [[Cueball]] and [[Ponytail]] standing in front of a computer monitor and observing a series of images sent back from ''New Horizons'' as it approaches the planet. They are about to see the dwarf planet Pluto with the highest resolution ever.<br />
<br />
As the spacecraft gets closer, the images return... {{w|Earth}}. Steve had miscalculated the gravity assist and the spacecraft was about to crash into Earth.<br />
<br />
Because the spacecraft carries 10.9&nbsp;kg (24&nbsp;lb) of radioactive plutonium-238, a crash on Earth is extremely dangerous. It was estimated that a worst-case scenario of total dispersal of on-board plutonium during the launch would spread the equivalent radiation of 80% the average annual dosage in North America from background radiation over an area with a radius of 105&nbsp;km (65&nbsp;miles) ([http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/Mission/Spacecraft/docs/NH_DEIS_Full.pdf Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the New Horizons Mission]). Because of decay during the flight, the situation would be slightly less dire if it crashed years later, but still a major disaster.<br />
<br />
Less importantly, this is a huge embarrassment, especially in front of the successful ''Dawn'' team, who were the first to get a probe to visit a dwarf planet. Part of the joke is the utter implausibility of such an error being made, and then not being detected.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests the team is considering crashing the probe into Steve's house as punishment for his errors. However, doing so would expose Steve's neighbors to potentially lethal levels of radiation. Therefore, the team would most likely have to crash the probe into an unpopulated area or the sea, to minimize human exposure. [[Randall]] described what might happen if ''New Horizons'' crashed into one's car in his [[what if?]] blog [http://what-if.xkcd.com/137/], and assuming the car was parked in the driveway the house would be similarly affected by the blast.<br />
<br />
Luckily this was not what happened and when New Horizons reached Pluto 1½ month later Randall made this tribute to the achievement: [[1551: Pluto]] and also on that day he released the first [[what if?]] in over three months, and it was called [http://what-if.xkcd.com/137/ New Horizons].<br />
<br />
Randall has used a Steve in a similar context in [[809: Los Alamos]] (set in 1945). If this is the same person, then 'Steve' would be at least 90 years old in 2015. A person named Steve also comes up with an inappropriate suggestion in [[1672: Women on 20s]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and Ponytail are standing in front of a large computer console. Cueball's hands are on the keyboard; both are looking at the screen.]<br />
:Cueball: We made it! After all these years, ''New Horizons'' is finally revealing the surface of Pluto!<br />
:Ponytail: Take ''that'', ''Dawn'' team.<br />
<br />
:[In the next four frames, we see photos, entirely black except for a circle in the middle. The circle is initially small, indistinct and appears in shades of grey. Successive circles are larger showing more color and shade variation. In the last, we see a blurry but recognizable outline of Africa, the Middle East and part of Western Asia, along with some clouds. The lighting pattern suggests that it is daytime in Africa, sometime in the northern summer.]<br />
<br />
:[A close-up of the two at the console.]<br />
:Cueball: OK, who did the calculations for the Jupiter slingshot maneuver?<br />
:Ponytail: (facing away from the computer console) Dammit, Steve...<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Space probes]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=902:_Darmok_and_Jalad&diff=272010902: Darmok and Jalad2022-05-20T23:53:23Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 271833 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 902<br />
| date = May 23, 2011<br />
| title = Darmok and Jalad<br />
| image = darmok_and_jalad.png<br />
| titletext = I wonder how often Patrick Stewart has Darmok flashbacks when talking to Star Trek fans.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is a parody of the ''{{w|Star Trek: The Next Generation}}'' episode "{{w|Darmok}}" in which [http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_Picard Captain Picard] and the Enterprise crew meet with a [http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/The_Children_of_Tama Tamarian] ship. They can translate the individual words of Tamarian with perfect accuracy, but the Tamarians communicate using metaphors based on their own history and culture&mdash;without these cultural references, the Enterprise crew are unable to understand what the Tamarians are actually saying. "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra" is repeated many times in this episode by the Tamarian captain, Dathon. Picard is eventually able to decipher the line to discover that it was a story of two warriors marooned on an island (Tanagra) who work together to defeat a common foe. The alien's intention is that he and Picard work together to defeat a monster as a way to cement ties between the Tamarians and the [http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/United_Federation_of_Planets Federation].<br />
<br />
In the comic, instead of suggesting a dramatic gesture to achieve a diplomatic breakthrough, the alien seems to be suggesting a one-night stand, hence the wink in the final panel. It is not clear if he is chatting up [http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Deanna_Troi Deanna Troi] (who has the long curly hair) or Picard. However, given that in the original episode Darmok and Jalad (the two warriors) were metaphorically identified with Dathon and Picard, it seems likely that he is flirting with Picard.<br />
<br />
The title text suggests that the actor {{w|Patrick Stewart}}, who played Captain Picard, might find ''Star Trek'' fans indecipherable, in the same way that Captain Picard found the Tamarians indecipherable. This is a joke about how ''Star Trek'' fans stereotypically make constant references to the franchise which are so dense and obscure that even the program's actors might find them impossible to understand.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Captain Dathon is seen on a communications screen.]<br />
:Alien: Darmok and Jalad at Kalenda's!<br />
<br />
:[Jean-Luc Picard and Deanna Troi stand next to each other, looking off to the right.]<br />
:Picard: Their language must be based on folklore and metaphor! Computer! Search cultural archives for Darmok-Jalad-Kalenda!<br />
<br />
:[Picard and Troi listen to the response.]<br />
:Computer (off-panel): In Tamarian legend, Darmok and Jalad got totally wasted and hooked up at a party at Kalenda's.<br />
<br />
:[Dathon is seen on the communications screen again, winking.]<br />
:''WIIIIIINK''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1497:_New_Products&diff=2720001497: New Products2022-05-20T23:52:47Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 271834 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1497<br />
| date = March 11, 2015<br />
| title = New Products<br />
| image = new products.png<br />
| titletext = If you ever hear "Wait, is that Kim Dotcom's new project? I'm really excited about it and already signed up, although I'm a little nervous about whether everyone should hand over control of their medical...", it's time to dig a bunker in your backyard.<br />
}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic points out an apparent paradox in product performance: Many products that are [https://www.google.com/search?q=No+wireless+Less+space+than+a+nomad+Lame criticized by techies when first announced] go on to great success, and many that are heavily hyped are total flops. The product in question may be a reference to the {{w|Apple Watch}}, which was announced around the time of this comic's release.<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
! If they say...<br />
! It means...<br />
! Explanation<br />
! Example<br />
|-<br />
|"It doesn't do anything new"<br />
|rowspan="2"|The product will be a gigantic success.<br />
|A product that "doesn't do anything new" may still be successful for a variety of reasons. It may in fact do something new that the engineers and programmers are overlooking, or it may simply be a better presentation of an older idea that so far hasn't caught on among the general public. This latter category is the completion of the life-cycle mentioned later in the comic, those products whose "ideas will show up in something successful."<br />
|{{w|iPod}}, {{w|iPad}}<br />
|-<br />
|"Why would anyone want that?"<br />
|If engineers and programmers can't figure out why anyone would want a product, it may be because the applications are highly avant-garde or niche (though that could make it hard for the product to be a mass success). Alternatively, engineers and programmers themselves often don't share the tastes and priorities of non-technical people, and are therefore unable to understand and accurately assess the appeal that a product will have to the masses.<br />
|{{w|Twitter}}, {{w|MacBook Air}}<br />
|-<br />
|"Really exciting"<br />
|rowspan="2"|The product will be a flop. Years later, its ideas will show up in something successful.<br />
|rowspan="2"|Products that are "really exciting" to engineers and programmers, so much so that they have already pre-ordered them, may fail to succeed for various reasons, such as:<br />
*The product is excellent, but costs too much for mass audiences.<br />
*The product has an unintuitive interface or strange aesthetics, which techies are willing to "live with", but regular people are not.<br />
*The product has bad marketing; the masses never "get" how good the product is.<br />
*The product turns out to be "nerd bait" or {{w|vaporware}}, offering visionary ideas that aren't actually feasible yet.<br />
When a later product is based on the same ideas, but without the mistakes, it will be worth billions. Then the techies will say "it doesn't do anything new".<br />
|{{w|NeXT}}<br />
|-<br />
|"I've already preordered one"<br />
|[http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/07/how-one-kickstarter-project-squandered-3-5-million/ myIDkey]<br />
{{w|Ubuntu Edge}}<br />
|-<br />
|"Wait, are you talking about <unfamiliar person's name>'s new project?"<br />
|The product could be a scam and may result in arrests or lawsuits.<br />
|If a product's developer's name is well-known among engineers and programmers, but not among the general public, that's usually not a good sign. Quite likely, the developer is someone who goes a step further than those in the previous category, not just announcing something cool and exciting they can't follow through on, but doing so ''knowing'' that they can't follow through yet still taking people's money. The state may press criminal charges against them (for fraud or such), or the angry investors may sue to get their money back.<br />
|{{w|Shawn Fanning}}<br />
|-<br />
|"I would never put <company> in charge of managing my <whatever>"<br />
|Within five years, they will.<br />
|If engineers' and programmers' only objection is that they don't like the company behind the product, that's basically a tacit admission that there's nothing else wrong with it. For the average consumer, the perks of a groundbreaking new product outweigh whatever problems they may have with the company behind it. This category also relates to the numerous privacy concerns raised about the devices and software of certain companies, and the way people tend to get riled up about these issues and then forget about them once it becomes too inconvenient. For instance, a few months ago, in the aftermath of Facebook releasing its Messenger app, it would not be uncommon to hear people say "I would never put Facebook in charge of managing my network connectivity/phone calls/camera". However, 6 months later and barely anyone is complaining anymore, and within another year or so even the most hardline of privacy advocates will probably give in.<br />
|[https://www.google.com/search?q=apple+OR+google+OR+microsoft+OR+amazon+OR+facebook+&quot;is+evil&quot; take your pick]<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The title text imagines a product that fits into the second, third and fourth categories: <br />
* "Wait, is that Kim Dotcom's new project?" — third category<br />
* "I'm really excited about it and already signed up." — both options from the second category<br />
* "Although I'm a little nervous about whether everyone should hand over control of their medical..." — fourth category<br />
<br />
{{w|Kim Dotcom}} is a controversial entrepreneur and [http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/who-kim-dotcom-timeline-his-life-1442384 convicted fraud]. He {{w|Kim Dotcom#Personal life|changed his surname}} to "Dotcom" because of the {{w|Dot-com bubble|dot-com stock market bubble}} that made him a millionaire. He fits perfectly into the mold of someone well-known to programmers and engineers (as well as New Zealanders), but perhaps not so much to your average Joe.<br />
<br />
Taken together, these imply that an untrustworthy and potentially malicious company has an exciting new idea that may eventually come out in successful form, gains control of a large amount of medical information, but ultimately result in lawsuits not just from investors but from misled consumers (category 3). Because the initial release will be a flop (category 2), there is some time to prepare before the successful use of this idea becomes a reality (also category 2), at which point that or some other company will gain control of a large amount of people's medical something (category 4). Once this happens you could expect dramatic repercussions; this is why the title text suggests to dig a bunker while there is still time.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:'''Predicting the success or failure of a new product'''<br />
:based on what engineers and programmers are saying about it<br />
<br />
:[A two-column table illustrating this. The headings are actually standing above the table.]<br />
:{| class="wikitable alternance"<br />
! If they say...<br />
! It means...<br />
|-<br />
| "It doesn't do anything new"<br />
|rowspan="2"|The product will be<br><br />
a gigantic success.<br />
|-<br />
| "Why would anyone want that?"<br />
|-<br />
| "Really exciting"<br />
|rowspan="2"| The product will be a flop.<br><br />
Years later, its ideas will<br><br />
show up in something successful.<br />
|-<br />
|"I've already preorded one"<br />
|-<br />
| "Wait, are you talking about<br><br />
<unfamiliar person's name>'s<br><br />
new project?"<br />
| The product could be<br><br />
a scam and may result<br><br />
in arrests or lawsuits.<br />
|-<br />
| "I would never put<br><br />
<company> in charge of<br><br />
managing my <whatever>."<br />
| Within five years, they will.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*There is a spelling mistake in the comic: "preorded" should have been "preordered".<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1248:_Sphere&diff=2719541248: Sphere2022-05-20T23:41:43Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 271842 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1248<br />
| date = August 07, 2013<br />
| title = Sphere<br />
| image = sphere.png<br />
| titletext = This message brought to you by the Society of Astronomers Trapped on the Surface of a Sphere.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Megan]] has taken or visited an astronomy class and has become more conscious and aware about the colossal size of the universe, and our own minuscule place in it. She ponders that she can only observe and learn about the rest of the universe; she cannot explore it directly as she is trapped, probably by the constraints of our gravity well, time and human technology.<br />
<br />
The {{w|sphere}} she mentions here is the {{w|Earth}}, whose {{w|surface}} is roughly spherical in shape. The {{w|figure of the Earth}} is an irregular shape which can be better approximated as an oblate {{w|spheroid}}, or more specifically as a {{w|geoid}}.<br />
<br />
Her disinclination to make "{{w|small talk}}" with [[Cueball]] is a reference to how astronomers and people of other 'big-science' specializations can be so focused on their topic that they become disconnected from the simple details of everyday life. This has also been touched upon in [[663: Sagan-Man]] and [[786: Exoplanets]].<br />
<br />
The concept of "small talk", which is usually used as a colloquial term meaning insignificant chatter with others, is taken quite literally by Megan to be small in size. The word itself is juxtaposed with the size of the universe shortly after, which also ties into her previous sentence of being trapped on a "sphere". It seems that astronomy, which deals with ideas of a vastly large scale, has expanded Megan's views to the point where she feels insignificant herself, as well as other matters that concern her. Her gaze outwards also reinforces this suggestion, especially during her conversation with Cueball. She does not engage in eye-to-eye contact, instead replying without looking directly at him. This implies that she is disregarding the current conversation as insignificant as well, which furthers the assumption of Megan's expanded scope of viewpoint.<br />
<br />
The title text is a continuation of this theme. The name "Society of Astronomers Trapped on the Surface of a Sphere" or, "SATSS", follows a common naming practice for scientific communities, Society, or Association, or Union of <Scientists> of <Country, Nationality, or What Ever>.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Cueball: How are you?<br />
:Megan: Trapped on the surface of a sphere.<br />
:[A beat.]<br />
:Cueball: That astronomy class has made you suck at small talk.<br />
:Megan: The universe is too '''''big''''' for small talk.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=272:_Linux_User_at_Best_Buy&diff=271501272: Linux User at Best Buy2022-05-20T21:53:23Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 271073 by Explain xkcd server admin (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 272<br />
| date = June 4, 2007<br />
| title = Linux User at Best Buy<br />
| image = linux_user_at_best_buy.png<br />
| titletext = We actually stand around the antivirus displays with the Mac users just waiting for someone to ask.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Best Buy}} is an American chain of electronics and media stores. As with many such big box shops, they only sell pre-bundled software and boxed pre-built hardware, where the computers on offer are either {{w|iMac|Macs}} or {{w|Personal computer|other PCs}}, usually pre-installed with some variant of the {{w|Mac OS X}} or {{w|Windows NT}} operating system families. Most personal computer {{w|Hacker (hobbyist)|hackers/enthusiasts}} (as opposed merely to workaday computer users) wouldn't be caught dead buying a pre-made computer, preferring instead to build their own using self-selected hardware components and install and configure their own preferred operating systems and software. As such, the subtext is that somebody buying a complete pre-packaged home computer system at Best Buy wouldn't know or care much about computers.<br />
<br />
The salesperson is trying to sell {{w|antivirus software}} to [[Cueball]] because selling such software (e.g. {{w|Norton AntiVirus|Norton}} or {{w|Kaspersky Internet Security|Kaspersky}}) to prospective Windows PC owners is generally a good sales tactic. The vast majority of all computer {{w|malware}} is engineered specifically to exploit Windows, and Windows' inherent anti-malware protection might most charitably be described with the phrase "lacklustre, but not as bad as before." Windows users therefore ''will'' want antivirus protection, ''especially'' for use on a brand new machine that will soon be connected up to the Internet. Moreover, because the ecosystem of viruses and malware that thrive by infecting Windows PCs is constantly evolving (see [[350: Network]]) and being redesigned to take advantage of new exploits and fool last-month's antivirus software, it is quite prudent for a Windows PC owner to always keep their malware protection absolutely up-to-date, and many such security suites need to be regularly renewed with new versions.<br />
<br />
While some viruses and malware ''can'' afflict {{w|Linux}}, in general {{w|Unix-like}} operating systems (including {{w|Linux_distribution|Linux distributions}} and {{w|Berkeley Software Distribution|BSD}}) are far more robust and secure than Windows, with fewer exploitable vulnerabilities. Perhaps even more importantly, Linux (not counting Android, which was not yet released) has a far smaller consumer market share, therefore offers less incentive to malware makers to target it. Therefore, Cueball is confident (rightfully so) that he will be fine without additional security. Moreover, Linux is {{w|free software}}, which means that anyone is able to audit the code and fix security bugs. Although malware protection ''usually'' isn't necessary, if extra protection is desired by the user, such as for tasks requiring very high security standards (such as on servers and supercomputers), there are anti-malware solutions available such as {{w|Clam_AntiVirus|ClamAV}}. <br />
<br />
Back in 2007, when the less popular {{w|Windows Vista}} was released and with a stagnant Mac market, many in the Linux community believed that Linux would soon wipe out Windows as the operating system of choice for desktop PCs, after years of slow-but-steady growth. This explains the cheeky triumphalism of the final panels of the comic, in which Cueball hops on his quick, slick vehicle and speeds away. It's worth noting that this desktop reversal has not happened, though Linux did achieve a [http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp peak in popularity in 2011], just as Windows users were laboriously switching from {{w|Windows XP}} to {{w|Windows 7}}, with Linux peaking again in 2014 and Windows arguably in decline, and in any case, desktop PCs themselves have slowed in sales, losing ground first to {{w|laptop}}s and most recently to {{w|Embedded software|embedded device}}s, where Linux use does indeed heavily exceed the competition, e.g. {{w|Android (operating system)|Android}} (which is loosely based on the Linux kernel) handily out-competing both the previously dominant {{w|iPhone}} (which was first released mere days after this comic) and the never-popular {{w|Windows Phone}}.<br />
<br />
The title text makes sense in light of the fact that, like Linux, the software design of OS X (both are based on Unix, OS X through Darwin - see [[676: Abstraction]]) limits the amount of harm that can be done by malicious software, and Macs thus also have fewer viruses and malware than Windows. Apparently, Mac and Linux users flock together just waiting for some salesperson to come along and mistake them for someone gullible enough to use Windows. [https://www.avast.com/c-can-macs-get-viruses There is a notion that Macs can't get infected], but Mac malware is on the rise. This is taking the piss out of the smugness sometimes to be found among Mac and Linux users, who may view their preferred systems as hip and different from the "mainstream" Microsoft systems that they feel are manifestly inferior.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Salesman: Interested in updating your antivirus software?<br />
:Cueball: Oh, I wouldn't need any of that.<br />
<br />
:[In a spiky speech bubble.]<br />
:Cueball: I run Linux.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball does a backflip onto a motorcycle.]<br />
:''Flip''<br />
<br />
:[Cueball performs a wheelie on the motorcycle.]<br />
<br />
:[Cueball does a hard, donut turn on the motorcycle, kicking up dirt into the salesman's face.]<br />
<br />
:[Cueball speeds off on the motorcycle, leaving the salesman in a cloud of black exhaust.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Linux]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2620:_Health_Data&diff=270362Talk:2620: Health Data2022-05-17T19:34:00Z<p>172.70.90.145: Maybe measurements ARE bad for you. (Kidding!)</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Did a basefor the setup[[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.34|108.162.246.34]] 23:51, 16 May 2022 (UTC)a<br />
<br />
"Cure for Causality" sounds like a pretty good band name. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.4|141.101.104.4]] 07:13, 17 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Panel 1 reminds me of a conversation I had with one of my docs. I'd had some blood work done and the doc said, "The numbers look good. For a man your age." I mean, really; for a man my age? I didn't think we'd been talking about some teenager . . . . [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.161|172.70.130.161]] 08:40, 17 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:Yeah, but it's possibly even worse when a gynacologist says those exact words... ;) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.77|172.70.162.77]] 11:23, 17 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is poisoning other than drug overdoses that rare? The linked source states:<br />
"1. Poisoning<br />
Due in large part to the opioid epidemic, poisoning has overtaken car crashes as the country’s leading cause of accidental death, with 64,795 poisoning deaths in 2017, 22,000 of them from opioid painkillers. Additionally, people can be poisoned by common household substances, including:<br />
<br />
Carbon monoxide<br />
Pesticides and cleaning products<br />
Lead"<br />
<br />
even without the 22,000 opoid painkiller deaths posioning would still be number 1.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.50.68|162.158.50.68]] 09:25, 17 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Should we also link 1471 Gut Fauna wich shows another ewemple of Dr Ponytail practicing a weird form of medicine ?[[Special:Contributions/162.158.50.68|162.158.50.68]] 09:25, 17 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
It is meant as a joke here, but ultimately life might just achieve this one day, uncoupling action from harm.<br />
<br />
'Vagueness' is really an insufficient description for the absolute insanity that is blaming the passage of time for your problems. Almost to the point of being humorous in its own right. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.33.199|172.69.33.199]] 10:13, 17 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
: My nice little homo sapiens is turning into robots and they haven't even solved war. Curse evolution! I should have given them long distance communication thousands of years ago! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.230.143|172.70.230.143]] 15:35, 17 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Can it be also a pun: 'causality' vs 'casualty'? [[User:Tkopec|Tkopec]] ([[User talk:Tkopec|talk]]) 10:32, 17 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think I might be covering up existing advantages with my description of a cold war from my dynamic ip. Be great if somebody could add cited material around that, but of course it's very hard to relate around norms of suppressed discussion. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.65|172.70.110.65]] 16:21, 17 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Check your family tree for any incidence of death. If all your forbears at any past generation are mortal, then science shows that with a high level of confidence that you are mortal.<br />
<br />
The Inheritance Pattern of Death by Joseph Eastern, M.D., Carol Drucker, M.D. and John E. Wolf, Jr., M.D., 1982, J.I.R. Volume 28, Issue 22<br />
[[http://www.linkedin.com/in/Comet Comet]] 17:40, 17 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
If you have a lot of doctor visits, it's probably the case that you have some chronic illness, and also that you have a lot of measurements. Nevertheless, how many measurements you've had is not a good metric of health. Robert Carnegie rja.carnegie@gmail.com [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.145|172.70.90.145]] 19:34, 17 May 2022 (UTC)</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2411:_1/10,000th_Scale_World&diff=2702892411: 1/10,000th Scale World2022-05-16T23:48:13Z<p>172.70.90.145: /* Trivia */ Not really Trivia, I think, but given the point is made I might as well add the clear explanation.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2411<br />
| date = January 13, 2021<br />
| title = 1/10,000th Scale World<br />
| image = 1_10000th_scale_world.png<br />
| titletext = OCEAN PLAY AREA RULES: No running, no horseplay, no megatsunamis, and no trying to pry the wreck of the Titanic off the bottom.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is the first in the [[:Category:Scale World|Scale World]] series.<br />
<br />
Large objects (cars, airplanes, etc.) are often reproduced as {{w|scale model}}s, which are proportionally smaller {{w|physical model}}s of the original objects. The {{w|Scale (ratio)|scale}} of such a model is typically expressed as the {{w|ratio}} of the ''size of the model'' (the first number) to the ''size of the original object'' (the second number). For example, a 1/10,000th scale model means that 1 meter in the model represents 10,000 meters in the original object. The same applies to {{w|Scale (map)|maps}} and {{w|globe}}s. What Randall has here, though, is neither a map nor a model but a seemingly complete copy of {{w|Earth}}, at a 1:10,000 scale. Various features and warnings are labeled.<br />
<br />
{{w|Miniature parks}}, also known as model villages, are tourist attractions around the world of a scale between 1:9 and 1:72. For example, the finale of the movie ''{{w|Hot Fuzz}}'' features a battle amongst a miniature of the streets and buildings seen so far in the film. Normally a miniature park would feature a representation of one geographical location rather than a geologically/technologically accurate depiction of our current planet. Whether or not Randall is aware of it, the reputed [http://www.mapascotland.org/ largest outdoor relief map in the world] is set out at a horizontal scale of 1:10,000.<br />
<br />
Real-world phenomena are reproduced at scale, for humorous effect. A real 1/10,000th scale "Earth" would have a diameter of less than a mile, and a surface area of around 2 square miles, the approximate dimensions of a medium-sized asteroid. On such an object, constrained by known physics, there would be no air, standing water, weather, or large magma bodies, and any sort of rough-housing would irrecoverably catapult the visitor into space.<br />
<br />
Normally in a miniature model, most warnings try to prevent the visitors from accidentally doing something cataclysmic to the model. Likewise, the "ocean play area rules" in the title text tell visitors not to create any {{w|megatsunami}}s, which could conceivably be induced by a cannonball dive. But as digging seems to be discouraged mainly where it causes volcanoes to break out, the visitors seem to be given far greater freedom than usual.<br />
<br />
Visitors are also instructed not to try to pry the model of the {{w|wreck of the Titanic}} off the ocean floor. In our world, the wreck is at a depth of 12,500 feet, which would be 1 foot and 3 inches in Randall's model world. The Titanic was over 882 feet long, but the ship split in half as she sank, and now lies in two pieces about a third of a mile apart. Randall's model would have two pieces about a half-inch in size separated by about two inches. If the models are rusted and sunk in mud just like the real wreck is, trying to pry them loose would certainly damage them, but all of Randall's other rules seem to be about preventing harm to guests, not preventing damage to the model, so maybe he just doesn't want guests bending over and exerting themselves in the water where they could slip, submerge their faces, and be at risk of drowning.<br />
<br />
Scale models, and the problems with them, were the subject of [[878: Model Rail]]. In general, illustrating relative scale is a [[:Category:Illustrations of scale|recurring subject]] on xkcd. This comic is also somewhat reminiscent of [[941: Depth Perception]]. <br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Rule<br />
!Reason<br />
!Notes<br />
|-<br />
| Watch out for airliners cruising near shoulder level<br />
| Unintentional catastrophic damage to air traffic. The damage likely wouldn't be reciprocal: actual airplane speed is very similar to the speed at which a bullet is fired [https://pinchito.es/2019/high-speeds], but 1/10,000 of that is quite slow, on the order of 10 inches / 25 cm per second - which is fortunate because the aircraft would weigh about half a milligram (1/50000 oz) or more.<br />
| At this scale, the lowest airliner cruising altitude would be 3 ft or 0.9 m [https://time.com/5309905/how-high-do-planes-fly/#:~:text=Commercial%20aircraft%20typically%20fly%20between,that%20can%20present%20safety%20issues.], shoulder height for a 5-year-old [https://www.disabled-world.com/calculators-charts/height-weight-teens.php]. Scaling the height of the highest plane to ever fly [https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/cox/2017/05/28/altitude/102185856/] puts it at 9 ft, which would put it just over the head of the tallest person who ever lived [https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/hall-of-fame/robert-wadlow-tallest-man-ever]<br />
|-<br />
| Trip hazard: Appalachian Mountains<br />
| At half a foot tall, the Appalachians could trip visitors who are not being careful.<br />
| 6684 ft ≈ 0.67 ft in the model world<br />
|-<br />
| Do not stand or climb on Mt. Everest<br />
| One may destroy the model.<br />
|Also, Everest appears to be rather pointy. Also still a bit steep, so visitors may fall down and hurt themselves.<br />
|-<br />
| Caution: Hydro-thermal vents underfoot<br />
|Hydrothermal vents are extremely hot, which could cause burns to the feet of the viewers<br />
|Underwater volcanoes and stuff<br />
|-<br />
| Children must be supervised while in the ocean, especially near trenches<br />
|They might drown.<br />
|The Challenger Deep is 36,200 feet below the surface; this equates to 3.62 feet in the model world, a depth which small children could conceivably drown in.<br />
|-<br />
| Danger: positive lightning! Do not touch cloud tops<br />
| The cumulonimbus cloud is an electrocution hazard, as Megan is learning the hard way<br />
| Getting too close to the positive cloud tops risks causing lightning to arc into you down to the negative ground.<br />
|-<br />
| Avoid hypoxia by regularly sitting to bring your lungs below the death zone<br />
| The scale world even has a scale atmosphere, and visitors are cautioned to regularly sit down so they can breathe below the {{w|death zone}}, which is approximately two and a half feet above the surface.<br />
| The death zone is approximately 8,000 meters above the ground, equating to 0.8 meters or 2.62 feet in the model world. There is also a what-if on the subject [https://what-if.xkcd.com/64/].<br />
|-<br />
| Do <i>not</i> dig near Yellowstone<br />
| Digging up the {{w|Yellowstone Caldera}} could potentially reactivate the {{w|supervolcano}} there.<br />
|<br />
|-<br />
| Please do not smack weather balloons<br />
| Smacking balloons around can be a fun activity, mostly done by children, but it would be very unfriendly if done to weather balloons.<br />
| Weather balloons can reach 20 ft in diameter before bursting, corresponding to a 0.6 mm small object at this scale. The idea of smacking research data raises a sense of how advanced the idea of a physics-complete model of the world is, next to possible comparative banality of academic research.<br />
|-<br />
| Be careful not to step on cities with especially pointy towers, like Toronto, Seattle, and Dubai<br />
| The {{w|CN Tower}}, the {{w|Space Needle}} and the {{w|Burj Khalifa}} are much taller than they are wide, thus, "pointy." The Burj Khalifa, the tallest of the three, would stand at 3.2 inches (8.3 cm) at this scale, making it possible to impale one's foot on it when walking<br />
| [[File:Empire State Building (aerial view).jpg|right|100px|thumb|Pointy.]] This seems to be exclusively for the visitors' benefit, rather than that of the cities.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[At the top of the image, inside the panel, a large title is floating in the air.]<br />
:RULES<br />
<br />
:For visitors to my 1/10,000th scale world<br />
<br />
:1 meter = 10 km 1 ft = 10,000 ft ~ 2 miles<br />
<br />
:[Each of the following rules is written near a character or point of interest on the map.]<br />
<br />
:[Two small dots with thin lines coming out of them horizontally are in the air near Cueball, who is brushing them off.]<br />
:Watch out for airliners cruising near shoulder level<br />
<br />
:[Small mountains are seen near the left edge of the screen, by Cueball's feet.]<br />
:Trip hazard: Appalachian Mountains<br />
<br />
:[A young Hairy is climbing on mountains reaching approximately Cueball's waist.]<br />
:Do not stand or climb on Mt. Everest<br />
<br />
:[Under the water, a small bump in the ground expells bubbles.]<br />
:Caution: Hydro-thermal vents underfoot<br />
<br />
:[Science Girl stands shoulder-deep in the ocean, peering down into the trench below.]<br />
:Children must be supervised while in the ocean, especially near trenches<br />
<br />
:[Megan's hand is extended, and lightning from the cloud is jumping to her hand.]<br />
:Danger: positive lightning! Do not touch cloud tops<br />
<br />
:[Ponytail sits near some mountains, with a dotted line in the air stretching across her forehead.]<br />
:Avoid hypoxia by regularly sitting to bring your lungs below the death zone<br />
<br />
:[A blob-shaped thing with wiggly grey texture lines drawn all over is underground.]<br />
:Do ''not'' dig near Yellowstone<br />
<br />
:[A second Cueball is jumping in the air, a hand reached back, in position to smack a weather balloon.]<br />
:Please do not smack weather balloons<br />
<br />
:[Some very tiny vertical lines extend from the ground.]<br />
:Be careful not to step on cities with especially pointy towers, like Toronto, Seattle, and Dubai<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
Megan, who is touching the top of a cloud, appears to be standing on top of the ocean, but as other characters are visibly ''either'' in front of hills and mountains ''or'' standing upon their slopes, it is likely that she is stood upon the ground (at an imperceptible height above 'local' sea-level) on or just beyond a shoreline located in the almost mythical ''third'' dimension. <br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Scale World]]<br />
[[Category:Comics sharing name|1/10]]<br />
[[Category:Illustrations of scale]]<br />
[[Category:Geography]]<br />
[[Category:Geology]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=761:_DFS&diff=269505761: DFS2022-05-16T22:55:47Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 269212 by The author of xkcd (talk) (reverted vandalism)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 761<br />
| date = July 2, 2010<br />
| title = DFS<br />
| image = dfs.png<br />
| titletext = A breadth-first search makes a lot of sense for dating in general, actually; it suggests dating a bunch of people casually before getting serious, rather than having a series of five-year relationships one after the other.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In this comic [[Hairy]] is preparing for his date with [[Ponytail]], and has just finished with a shower, as seen from the fact that he is wearing a towel around his waist. <br />
<br />
He is also preparing mentally by thinking about which [[#Situations|situations]] he might encounter during the date. Since he cannot know for sure he is performing a "blind search" in his head. When doing a blind search in computing, there are two main tactics—{{w|depth-first search}} (DFS), and {{w|breadth-first search}} (BFS). <br />
<br />
Hairy uses the '''DFS''' technique, as indicated in the comic title, which means going as far as you possibly can down one path before looking at other possibilities. This turns out to be a bad idea, as Hairy's searches takes him out on a tangent. Instead of preparing for his date, Hairy instead spent the whole time [[#Snake venom|doing research]] on {{w|snake venom}}, to the exclusion of even getting dressed in time for the arrival of his date. The way the last panel is the only panel and at the far right in the second row vs. four panels in the top row, indicates all the time he has used on DFS. And although he may realize his mistake, throwing up his arms, he has to tell [[Ponytail]] the fact he has found out that the {{w|inland taipan}}'s has the deadliest venom of any snake (see [[#Snake venom|more]] below).<br />
<br />
By contrast, a breadth-first search will look only minimally into a topic before moving on to another; any new depth exposed by this minimal check will be added to a list of stuff to do later. This would have allowed Hairy to briefly check many more things within the time allotted, and probably still have been able to get dressed if, in dealing breadth-first in the first layer of concerns, he quickly identified (and prioritised/satisfied) the need to be properly dressed and ready to go out.<br />
<br />
The relationship advice given in the title text on using breadth-first search may not be meant too seriously. However, one might be more sure about what kind of person one is looking for after already having dated a few people. But then the right one, might have slipped by. It is by no means certain that you can return to one of the first persons you dated after having dated another dozen. <br />
<br />
It is, however, not very useful, if you wish to have a stable family life, to "only" be with a person for five years. So DFS is for sure a bad way to find out who you wish to spend you life with. One might conclude that blind search is not a good way to find your significant other. But for most people, there is no other way to search.<br />
<br />
DFS and BFS make another appearance in [[2407: Depth and Breadth]], together with variations based on them.<br />
<br />
==Situations==<br />
Hairy begins to think of several situations to prepares for.<br />
<br />
===First step===<br />
In the first panel there are four situations:<br />
#Medical emergency <br />
##This is the situation he continues with in the second step.<br />
#Dancing<br />
##He probably doesn't think he is good enough at dancing, or simply doesn’t like it.<br />
##It could also be because he is uncertain what she expects, of if she wishes to dance with him at all.<br />
#Food too expensive <br />
##It probably means that he is expected to pay (at least for himself, but probably also for his date)<br />
##This is a simple problem, if he does his search first. He just has to choose a restaurant he can afford.<br />
#Bee eating contest (?)<br />
##This situation is cut off, so it is hard to be certain what it says. <br />
##The above is the best guess so far. <br />
##It could be a joke on {{w|Spelling bee}} contests and "normal" {{w|Competitive eating|eating contest}}.<br />
<br />
===Second step===<br />
In the second panel there are also four situations continuing the first option from the first panel:<br />
#Medical emergency <br />
##Snakebite <br />
###This is the situation he continues with in the third step.<br />
##{{w|Lightning strike}}<br />
###Very unlikely event to happen on any given date.<br />
##Fall from chair <br />
###This could happen, especially if he is clumsy when holding the chair for her...<br />
##Tracheal bowing (?)<br />
###This situation is cut off very much. The above is just a good guess.<br />
<br />
===Third step===<br />
In the third panel there are four types of snakes with questions marks as to whether they are dangerous. This is a continuation of the first option from the second panel:<br />
#Medical emergency <br />
##Snakebite<br />
###Corn snake<br />
###Garter snake<br />
###Copperhead<br />
###Coral snake (?)<br />
####This situation is cut off very much. The above is just a good guess.<br />
<br />
This third step takes him to his computer in the fourth panel where he does lots of research on [[#Snake venom|snake venom]].<br />
<br />
===Snake venom===<br />
{{w|Median lethal dose|LD<sub>50</sub>}}, or median lethal dose, is the dose of a toxin required to kill 50% of the population studied, usually expressed in milligrams of toxin per kilogram of body mass, and most often for {{w|rats}} or another type of {{w|guinea pig}}.<br />
<br />
The {{w|inland taipan}}'s venom does, indeed, have the lowest median lethal dose among snake venoms. Fortunately, it is extremely shy in temperament, and will always escape danger rather than bite if it can, which is why it isn't considered to be a particularly dangerous snake. It also resides only in inland Australia, unlike any of the snakes that Hairy enumerated as potential risks. (If he does happen to live in Australia, he should be more concerned about the much deadlier {{w|eastern brown snake}} and {{w|coastal taipan}}.)<br />
<br />
Incidentally, {{w|Corn snake|corn snakes}} and {{w|garter snakes}} are not even remotely dangerous to humans (in fact they're the most popular pet snakes), and of the four different species commonly known as "{{w|agkistrodon|copperheads}}," the only dangerously venomous one is ''{{w|deinagkistrodon acutus}}'' or sharp-nosed viper that only lives in Southeast Asia. In the US, the snake going by the name of ''copperhead'' is the {{w|agkistrodon contortrix}}. <br />
<br />
The item that is almost entirely cut off by the thought bubble seems to be "{{w|coral snake}}". Coral snakes are in a similar position as the inland taipan: they are extremely venomous, but also extremely reclusive.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[In a caption that breaks the top of the first panels frame:]<br />
:Preparing for a date:<br />
<br />
:[Hairy with wet hair and a towel around his waist thinks with his hand to his chin. There are four situations, but it is not possible to read the fourth line.]<br />
:Hairy: What situations might I prepare for?<br />
::1) Medical emergency<br />
::2) Dancing<br />
::3) Food too expensive<br />
<br />
:[Close-up on Hairy's face, who is still thinking. There are again four situations, but again it is not possible to read the fourth line.]<br />
:Hairy: Okay, what kind of emergencies can happen?<br />
::1) A) Snakebite<br />
::: B) Lightning strike<br />
::: C) Fall from chair<br />
<br />
:[Zoooming out again to full figure of Hairy. He is still thinking... There are four snakes mentioned, but again it is not possible to read the fourth line. The word Danger stands beneath the three dots above the "?" after each snake.]<br />
:Hairy: Hmm. Which snakes are dangerous? Let's see...<br />
:::::::Danger<br />
::1)A)a) Corn snake ?<br />
::: b) Garter snake ?<br />
::: c) Copperhead ?<br />
<br />
:[Hairy is sitting down in a chair with a laptop in his lap, while still wearing the towel.]<br />
:Hairy: The research comparing snake venoms is scattered and inconsistent. I'll make a spreadsheet to organize it.<br />
<br />
:[Bottom panel is larger than top four, and aligned to right. Ponytail meets Hairy on his front stoop. She is carrying a purse, and looks down at the towel he is still wearing. Hairy holds his arms in the air.]<br />
:Ponytail: I'm here to pick you up. You're not dressed?<br />
:Hairy: By LD<sub>50</sub>, the inland taipan has the deadliest venom of <u>any</u> snake!<br />
<br />
:[Below this last panel is the following caption:]<br />
:I really need to stop using depth-first searches.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Romance]]<br />
[[Category:Romance]]<br />
[[Category:Programming]]<br />
[[Category:Animals]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2618:_Selection_Bias&diff=269085Talk:2618: Selection Bias2022-05-16T10:32:41Z<p>172.70.90.145: Is xkcd only for engineers?</p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
Why is the site giving errors so much? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.121|172.70.130.121]] 21:19, 11 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:It just went down for about ten minutes. Once in a while I was able to get pages to load, but it was rare (probably 3-5 times). Most of the pages that did load had no CSS. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.161|172.70.130.161]] 22:03, 11 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:I blame a secret global infiltration by brain-eating extraterrestrials bent on steadily eroding our infrastructure while we kill each other in stimulated warfare. Do you agree with this common hypothesis? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.241|172.70.114.241]] 01:00, 12 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I love the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2618%3A_Selection_Bias&type=revision&diff=268675&oldid=268673 current explanation] of the title text, thanks [[User:Kev|Kev]] ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 06:38, 12 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:: I am the individual on mobile who revised the referenced text so as to mention engineers. This above comment by Kynde was added after my revision, but links to the previous version which was not current at the time of their post. I do not know why they call it current. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.123|162.158.62.123]] 07:07, 13 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:Hear, hear! A true gem! [[Special:Contributions/172.69.134.17|172.69.134.17]] 07:37, 12 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:Thank you kindly, meanwhile I return to find a much improved BALLPIT APPARTMENT and have come to say ''I got that reference'' and heartilly approve''''Italic text''''[[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 22:27, 12 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
::I agree wholeheartedly, but what does it have to do with selection bias??? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.241|172.70.114.241]] 01:06, 13 May 2022 (UTC)Bumpf<br />
::I don't get it at all, which kind of defeats the point of Explain XKCD when people are adding inside jokes. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.130.121|172.70.130.121]] 05:06, 13 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
::: it's a reference to [[150: Grownups]] and [[162: Angular Momentum]], two very well known xkcd comics (so much so they are the footer comics!)[[Special:Contributions/172.69.69.250|172.69.69.250]] 13:35, 13 May 2022 (UTC)Bumpf<br />
:::: Neither of those have anything whatsoever to do with this comic, and I never look at the footer, assuming I even read comics on the XKCD website rather than here. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.221|172.70.126.221]] 18:07, 13 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::: I wonder if they are practicing familiarity with xkcd ! Anything drawn from xkcd makes you sound like a nettie cause randal half parroted nettie culture to make stuff. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.110.209|172.70.110.209]] 00:00, 14 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:: They're randomly drawn phrases out of a brain filled with XKCD, so there may be some bias in what words are selected. There may be a risk of becoming [[917:_Hofstadter|so meta even for any acronyms]] [[User:Kev|Kev]] ([[User talk:Kev|talk]]) 17:20, 13 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Acquiescence bias is often used in sales to try to induce a bigger sale. Asking, "Will there be anything else?" instead of "Is that all?" can make a significant difference in the amount of a sale, even though you are still leaving the decision up to the customer. [[User:Nutster|Nutster]] ([[User talk:Nutster|talk]]) 06:30, 13 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
WHY is the explanation unsure if she made the error accidentally??!? It's clearly intentional and part of her presentation! Ugh, one thing that always bugs me about this site, how often people express uncertainty where there's certainty... Don't be so timid! LOL! [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:13, 14 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:Of course she makes the mistake and is not aware of it. This becomes clear when they do the same in the title text. The joke is that she is not aware of it, or else it would not even be fun. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:45, 15 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
::She is 100% aware of it, she isn't making any mistake, she is DEMONSTRATING Selection Bias completely on purpose as part of her presentation on Selection Bias. It is the AUDIENCE who is participating by accident, not realizing that by voting that they are demonstrating the bias. THAT is the joke, THAT is the fun, that they are pawns in her presentation. She is cleverly using them without their knowledge or realization. Her next line could be "See? I got you!". :) [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 05:44, 16 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
> 'Are you familiar with that webcomic for engineers' --<br />
<br />
I always assumed it was mainly for scientists...</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1081:_Argument_Victory&diff=2686991081: Argument Victory2022-05-12T01:30:36Z<p>172.70.90.145: /* Transcript */ I believe this new Cat applies here. (Not the one I was looking for, however.)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1081<br />
| date = July 13, 2012<br />
| title = Argument Victory<br />
| image = argument victory.png<br />
| titletext = Really, the comforting side in most conspiracy theory arguments is the one claiming that anyone who's in power has any plan at all.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] is arguing with a {{w|conspiracy theorist}} who believes in some {{rw|conspiracy}}, who is sitting in front of his computer talking back. They are probably using {{w|Skype}}, {{w|FaceTime}}, or another video calling service, as Cueball later asks him to watch closely, holding his phone up to show the other guy what he is doing. <br />
<br />
Cueball's opponent seems to ignore all reliable sources, like {{w|Snopes}} and {{w|Wikipedia}} on top of several {{w|Academic journal|journals}}, instead preferring sources that are seemingly not credible (but that do agree with him). These conspiracy ".net" pages typically just have a black background and use several different sizes of fonts, the larger (and probably also in bright colors), the more convincing, seems to be the belief, and Cueball cannot take these kinds of sources seriously. ".net" websites can be made by anyone and have little limitations. The maker of a ".net" does not need to show sources of information or even their name. As such, ".net" websites are notoriously unreliable and often have viruses or other malware. [http://zapatopi.net/blackhelicopters/ The Truth about Black Helicopters] is a (satirical) example of one such website, supposedly explaining the truth behind government "Black Helicopters".<br />
<br />
The conspiracy theorist insists that by trusting reliable sources, Cueball is simply buying into the cover-up, suggesting that all those journalists are somehow brainwashed. Cueball says he can win the argument, and will show him how, but then ceases to argue further in favor of going down a {{w|waterslide}} while holding up the phone to show the other guy how to have a good time. Since conspiracy theorists tend to be [[wikt:intransigent|intransigent]], Cueball sees himself as the victor after ceasing to argue with a guy who cannot be argued with, and instead decides to have some fun. This is made even more satisfying for Cueball by the fact that it makes his opponent angry. It's likely that this is also a reference to the ''[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/your-argument-is-invalid "Your Argument is Invalid"]'' meme.<br />
<br />
The joke here is also in the title of the comic which is ''[http://imgur.com/EKkAXgR Argument Victory]'' something that is very hard to achieve by on the web... Cueball won this victory not by arguing but by stopping this argument he was having with someone that could/would not be argued with, such as going down a waterslide.<br />
<br />
The title text points out that belief in a conspiracy presupposes that those with the power to carry out the conspiracy actually have a plan, a situation which might be found more "comforting" than the alternative that those in power are just muddling through with no plan at all. This concept is revisited in [[1274: Open Letter]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball, looking right, is talking at his smartphone while holding it up in front of his head using both hands.]<br />
:Cueball: I can't believe you're so wrong. I'm backed by Snopes, Wikipedia, and a half-dozen journals. You're citing .net pages with black backgrounds and like 20 fonts each.<br />
<br />
:[A conspiracy theorist is sitting in front of this lap top at his desk looking left. He has his hair combed down. He is talking to Cueball via his laptop, probably Skyping.]<br />
:Conspiracy theorist: It's sad how you buy into the official story so unquestioningly. <br />
:Conspiracy theorist: Guess some people ''prefer'' to stay asleep.<br />
<br />
:[Back to Cueball who has lowered his phone a bit. The reply from the conspiracy theorist is shown to come out of the phone with a jagged arrow and likewise speech bubble.]<br />
:Cueball: Watch closely— I'm about to win this argument.<br />
:Conspiracy theorist (reply from phone): How?<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is sitting at the very top of a waterslide preparing to descend.]<br />
:Cueball: By ''going down a waterslide''.<br />
<br />
:[A split panel, with a close-up of the conspiracy theorist above and below Cueball is sliding down the waterslide with both hands above his head, water splashing up behind him as he holds his smartphone above the water in one hand.]<br />
:Conspiracy theorist: So? What does that prove?<br />
:Cueball: ''Wheee..''<br />
<br />
:[Another split panel, this time a smaller part is used for the close-up of the conspiracy theorist above and below Cueball has more of this panels space for sliding down to the bottom of the waterslide with both hands above his head, water still splashing up behind him as he continues to keep his smartphone above the water in one hand.]<br />
:Conspiracy theorist: You didn't win the argument!<br />
:Cueball: ''...eeee!''<br />
:Cueball: ''Sploosh!''<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]<br />
[[Category:Wikipedia]]<br />
[[Category:Internet]]<br />
[[Category:Cognitive Bias]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=36:_Scientists&diff=26722336: Scientists2022-05-11T18:14:42Z<p>172.70.90.145: Revert vandalism</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 36<br />
| date = <!--DO NOT ADD 2006-01-01 - this was NOT the actual post date of the comic, but merely the default date in the xkcd database. These comics do not have a known post date--> 2006<br />
| title = Scientists<br />
| image = scientists.jpg<br />
| titletext = A leading expert characterized the situation as 'retarded'<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic plays on the type of statement that news reports often use: "in what [group of experts] are calling '[quote]'," to add more weight and credibility to their stories. In this case, [[Cueball]] is using the phrase to attempt to add gravitas to the (relatively mundane) fact that his shoes are missing and he thinks it's "pretty gay" by assigning this opinion to scientists (rather than it being, presumably, his friend's or his own opinion). The same joke is at play in the image text where a leading expert thinks the situation is "retarded."<br />
<br />
There may be a second level to the joke: Randall was still working for NASA at the time the comic was posted, so his friends at that time would presumably include scientists and "leading experts." If his friends made fun of him for not being able to find his shoes, it would therefore be accurate to say that scientists had made those statements. However, since their being scientists is irrelevant to the legitimacy of their opinions about Randall's shoe problems, presenting their teasing as an expert opinion is humorously misleading; a similar joke is at play in [[1206: Einstein]].<br />
<br />
The phrases "pretty gay" and "retarded" are homophobic and ableist slang for "foolish" or "contemptible," and so they are the opposite type of speech expected of experts on news reports. (These terms were not generally considered more than mildly offensive by most of the public at the time this comic was posted; the cultural mainstream is now typically much more critical of this type of language, and this comic would likely be heavily criticized if it were published today.)<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is staring at an empty box on the floor.]<br />
:Cueball: In what scientists are calling "pretty gay", I can't find my shoes.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*This comic was never posted on [[LiveJournal]]. <br />
**But its "comic number" was still among the 44 comics that was posted on the day the xkcd web site opened (1st of January 2006).<br />
**41 one of these were previously posted on LiveJournal; only three were not.<br />
**The other two are [[5: Blown apart]] and [[12: Poisson]].<br />
*However, comic #36 was originally posted as a duplicate of comic [[10: Pi Equals]]. This was corrected sometime between [http://web.archive.org/web/20060423175703/http://www.xkcd.com/c36.html April 23, 2006] and [http://web.archive.org/web/20060705231511/http://xkcd.com/c36.html July 5, 2006], when the current version showed up in the web archive (see the links).<br />
**The comic looks like one of Randall's old drawings. So when he realized his mistake (over three months after it was originally posted), he probably found an old drawing he never originally intended to use and posted it, to not make it stand out compared to the other comics from that time.<br />
**This is the reason there is no date for this comic. It can be anytime between the two dates mentioned above.<br />
<br />
{{Comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:No date]]<br />
[[Category:Checkered paper]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2616:_Deep_End&diff=265231Talk:2616: Deep End2022-05-10T01:45:58Z<p>172.70.90.145: </p>
<hr />
<div>Help me with this please? [[User:SqueakSquawk4|SqueakSquawk4]] ([[User talk:SqueakSquawk4|talk]]) 00:19, 7 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:I'll get round to it. Though I suspect others are already well on their way to explain exactly the same obvious things as I'd explain, but better and with nuances I haven't considered yet. I think the usual (recent replacement) Bot might have been hit by the anti-vandal measures, so we'll have to do as we did between the prior one and this one's deployment.<br />
:First things first, though, I think you/whoever uploaded the _large-sized image. Arguments about it aside (basically, it's too big for screens such as mine - whether you consider that just my problem or not), the practice is to upload the non-2x version. Can I encourage you/someone to do that and adjust accordingly? [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.153|172.69.79.153]] 23:18, 6 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
::Firstly, That was me. I uploaded that. I don't know how to get one that isn't 2x. (Edit: Found it!) Sorry. Secondly, I mostly meant help with the it-not-appearing-on-the-next/previous-bar. Thank you though. [[User:SqueakSquawk4|SqueakSquawk4]] ([[User talk:SqueakSquawk4|talk]]) 00:17, 7 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:(Yeah, on checking, the proper image to take is 555x321 while this one is (natively) 1110x642.) [[Special:Contributions/172.69.79.153|172.69.79.153]] 23:22, 6 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
::I've downloaded the correct size image from xkcd.com and uploaded it in place of the 2x version. If you don't see it immediately, it might be cached on an intermediate server, so give it some time. [[User:Ianrbibtitlht|Ianrbibtitlht]] ([[User talk:Ianrbibtitlht|talk]]) 00:30, 7 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::Thank you for doing that! ε> I didn't even know there were 2x and normal versions until today!{{unsigned|SqueakSquawk4}}<br />
::::It's largely invisible to the end user, viewing source xkcd site it is good at giving you what fits. But I don't think there's an easy way to make explainXKCD do the same, so ''generally'' it's better to go with the 'normal' (or smaller) one, even if the larger (or best resolution) one works for you. There are exceptions, and Randall has made design choices or errors that mixed this up somewhat, at times.<br />
::::On the whole, I think you did quite well to initiate this new comic, in the absence of an automatic upload. Obvious errors were obvious, and correctable. ;) Do always remember to sign with <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>, here in the Talk pages, though! :-P. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.63|172.70.90.63]] 08:11, 7 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
::::: Thank you for explaining. As I said above, I didn't even know there were different versions until this. I'll remeber to to the non-2x one in the future, if I ever do this again.<br />
::::: Also, you said that the errors I made were correctable. The biggest problem I saw was the bar at the top (The previous/next one) ignoring this page. May I ask how that was corrected? Thanks! [[User:SqueakSquawk4|SqueakSquawk4]] ([[User talk:SqueakSquawk4|talk]]) 12:58, 7 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::::: It's one of the other steps in the list given in [[User:DgbrtBOT]]... Don't hold me to it, but the LATESTCOMIC info might do it. If it doesn't, it's surely useful to do for some other reason, though, and one of the other steps does it instead. ;)<br />
:::::: (I haven't bothered to analyse any of the interdependent wikicode/templates, but I presume it's a finely developed process, with or without Bot-populating.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.221|141.101.98.221]] 13:58, 7 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
At the time of this comment, the Explanation info-box was missing the usual "Created by …" comment. [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 07:07, 8 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I don't know who needs to hear this but when writing a transcript do not: Explain the image/refer to things with interpretations/comment on the image/intersperse the text of the comic in the description. Just a note for next time![[User:Mushrooms|Mushrooms]] ([[User talk:Mushrooms|talk]]) 15:57, 8 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:To be clear, I was aware that this was not the standard transcript format—I moved some descriptive analysis into the transcript section largely to have a basis for the content. I'm fairly new here and have never actually modified the transcript, so I figured I'd better let someone who did know how to do it properly finalize it rather than try for myself to produce anything other than a rough, obviously incomplete draft. [[User:Ncpenguin|Ncpenguin]] 18:35, 8 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
Kind of surprised there's no mention of oceanic trenches, which are typically created this way and are the ultimate deep end. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.86|108.162.238.86]] 21:14, 8 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
What does "VOS COMO" mean? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.221|172.70.126.221]] 05:36, 9 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
You would slow,y drift to the deep end if you stood in the shallow end long enough [[User:Reerolmses|Reerolmses]] ([[User talk:Reerolmses|talk]]) 01:05, 10 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />(This comment moved here from being originally put in the main article, obviously not intended to be a 'serious' explanatory comment. Also, it's {{Actual citation needed}}, using {{template|Actual citation needed}}, but I don't think that applied well enough anyway.) [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.145|172.70.90.145]] 01:45, 10 May 2022 (UTC)</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1418:_Horse&diff=264821Talk:1418: Horse2022-05-05T21:40:03Z<p>172.70.90.145: </p>
<hr />
<div>*May the horse be with you Luke.<br />
*The horse is strong with this one.<br />
*I felt a tremor in the horse.<br />
Why did he forget SW. That is not like Randall ;) [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:50, 8 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
: I gotta think maybe Randall's making a subtle statement that Star Wars just ain't so relevant these days... [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 21:50, 15 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
::They are all news headlines [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.61|141.101.70.61]] 17:54, 5 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
: Yeah, I'm surprised that the mouseover-text wasn't "Use the horse, Luke." or something. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.69.183|162.158.69.183]] 14:05, 4 May 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
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<br />
Following up on the title text... "Why was he suspended?" "Due to allegations of excessive horse."<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.201|173.245.56.201]] 09:01, 8 September 2014 (UTC) Siuntio<br />
<br />
So I linked it to the old substitutions page - gjgfuj [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.219|108.162.250.219]] 10:05, 8 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Like the "Clouds-to-butts" plugin for Chrome. {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.231}}<br />
:More information in Reddit [http://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/24odjt/cloud_to_butts_extension/]. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.201|108.162.221.201]] 14:16, 8 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I added a modified version of Cloud-to-Butt plugin [https://www.dropbox.com/s/0mswga09c5uf9h4/cloud2butt2.xpi?dl=0 to my dropbox]. All credit for coding/programming goes to [https://github.com/DaveRandom/cloud-to-butt-mozilla Steven Frank], its creator - I just unpacked the XPI file, added the Force->Horse and force->horse text replacement (while of course still keeping "the cloud" going to "my butt" because that is awesome) and then repacked it. You can install it in Firefox like any other .XPI file. Enjoy! [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.221|108.162.221.221]] 16:19, 17 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I edited your comment. I suppose you meant "Force->Horse" but it was written "Horse->Horse", probably as a consequence of the plugin in action. [[Special:Contributions/188.114.99.189|188.114.99.189]] 05:21, 25 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
----<br />
<br />
Would it be funny the other way?<br />
*The force population has been in decline sine the industrial revolution<br />
*Rules of polo: You need a force.<br />
*People do not like it when there is force in their beef.<br />
I do ;) —[[User:Artyer|Artyer]] ([[User talk:Artyer|talk]]) 18:33, 8 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
:+1 for the reference to a certain beef production incident in europe [[Special:Contributions/141.101.70.61|141.101.70.61]] 17:56, 5 June 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
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Correctforcebatterystaple [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.163|173.245.56.163]] 22:18, 8 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
I originally (earlier today) read it as "Iraqi Air [FH]orse grow'''l'''ing"... Which made less sense than I'd have expected, but I couldn't unread it until just now. Still surreal, but at least not outright Dada[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.233|141.101.98.233]] 00:21, 9 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
"A police horse is a constituted body of persons empowered by the state to enhorse the law, protect property, and limit civil disorder. (...) Law enhorsement, however, constitutes only part of policing activity." --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.161|141.101.104.161]] 07:21, 9 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
maybe the officer suspended from horse was a reference to the police officer who shot a black person? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.254.106|108.162.254.106]] 07:39, 9 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Aqua teen hunger horse. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.226|108.162.246.226]] 00:54, 10 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
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<br />
I had previously posted a grumpy comment here (now removed) --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 07:38, 11 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Sorry, but that's totally wrong. The discussion section is meant to replace what used to be the old blog's comments section, and is for any discussion relevant to the comic. If you're new here, there's a section on the main page titled "New Here?" which explains the basics of explainxkcd, and it's worth checking out. It also lists the handful of rules we have, including the fact that the discussion page is for talking about the comic. [[User:Az|Az]] ([[User talk:Az|talk]]) 06:59, 11 September 2014 (UTC) <br />
::Sorry about that, and thanks for the pointer. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 07:38, 11 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
----<br />
Explanation Quarks:<br />
Sorry, could not resist... [[User:Tier666|Tier666]] ([[User talk:Tier666|talk]]) 11:39, 10 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
How about the portion of the Police Horse who are on forceback? {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.170}}<br />
<br />
Last time XKCD featured one of these text replacements, people started posting scripts for implementing the text replacement automatically in browsers. I'm surprised this hasn't happened yet. [[User:Diszy|Diszy]] ([[User talk:Diszy|talk]]) 22:03, 11 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:A few comments back... [[Special:Contributions/188.114.99.189|188.114.99.189]] 05:21, 25 November 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
http://bitcoinshell.mooo.com/users/noiob/dev/horse.user.js Here you go. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.179|141.101.104.179]] 16:26, 13 September 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
----<br />
Interestingly, a sound change from an initial /f/ to /h/ happened in the evolution of Spanish. Examples: fornax --> horno, ferrum --> hierro, factus --> hecho. Of course, all h's subsequently went silent. {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.171}}<br />
<br />
Cueball is using a desktop computer. Perhaps this will be the last desktop in xkcd? In the last 8 months its been all laptops. {{unsigned ip|141.101.98.99}}<br />
<br />
That first one certainly hits differently now. --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.145|172.70.90.145]] 21:40, 5 May 2022 (UTC)</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:Davidy22&diff=264733User talk:Davidy222022-05-05T03:45:42Z<p>172.70.90.145: /* The vandalizer is back — please re-ban them */</p>
<hr />
<div>Hi Davidy22,<br />
<br />
Just a quick thanks for helping roll back so much of the vandalism. Per your recent log comment, yes, there has been a recent spate of vandalism; before yesterday, it was the odd spammer that I've had to remove. But with the advent of ''Click and Drag'', there's also been an insurgence of ip-based vandalism. I'm hoping this is just a spike owing to the popularity of the comic, but I'm with you; if it doesn't die down, something more drastic is going to have to be done.<br />
<br />
But again, thanks for helping...<br />
<br />
-- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 14:17, 21 September 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Please don't ==<br />
<br />
Please don't create the redirects to explanations that haven't been created yet. It breaks the next and previous buttons, and gives people that are browsing through the explanations the false impression that the site is more complete than it is. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 06:41, 25 September 2012 (UTC)<br />
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:Ah, I'll stop then. Didn't know that. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]] ([[User talk:Davidy22|talk]]) 07:17, 25 September 2012 (UTC)<br />
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::Glad I'm not the only one who didn't know. Sorry about [[1633]] this morning. /.\ &mdash; ''[[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 19:23, 22 January 2016 (UTC)''<br />
:::It's fine, just had to do a few things manually. Good intentions. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:34, 22 January 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Dani22, the spam connoisseur==<br />
Congratulations on transcending from being annoyed at all spam to recognizing the truly beautiful works of spammage from the rest of the cruddy heap. We should throw a party, lol. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 16:33, 1 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
:Hey, it *was* a well written bit of spam. It was one of those copy/paste types of spam, except it was nicely formatted and coherent all the way through. It was informative too. A great change from the mindless template drivel or gibberish that we usually get. [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 23:11, 1 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== Just asking ==<br />
:::Mostly cuz that didn't work when it was on the main page, and calling attention to specific comics has worked exceedingly well. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:57, 11 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
Was there a reason you deleted most of the List of all comics? [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 05:21, 11 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:What on- shi-<br />
:I was adding comic number 1132, and the preview was really slow, so I copied everything in the edit box and refreshed the page. I think half of the page hadn't finished loading in the edit box, and I only copied the first half. Derp [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 08:21, 11 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
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::I figured it was something like that. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 04:56, 12 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
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Just so you know, it happened again. But SlashMe fixed it. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 18:07, 26 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
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:Mother of fracking- I'm going to figure out what's causing this and I'm going to fix this. Godammit. [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 23:20, 26 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
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:Durr dee-durr, and now I've done it. Thanks for spotting that. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 07:22, 1 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== Ahem... You gonna finish that? ==<br />
<br />
Have you taken a look at the front page recently (say within since you created the [[1134]] redirect)? [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 05:42, 14 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
:I have it open right now. Please don't ninja me again. [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 05:44, 14 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
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::<nowiki>*Sits tight and twiddles thumbs*</nowiki> Actually, if you've got this I'll go back to the pitiful bit of literature I'm calling this year's NaNo. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 05:53, 14 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== The Anonymous editor of 1132 ==<br />
<br />
Has been 50.0.38.245 all along. For a while he changed his signature to be a userpage that didn't exist, and wasn't a registered user. He has now changed it back to being the IP address again. Just thought I should do some out-of-band communication about that. If you want to change your last comment about the anonymous user, that would be good. (I almost offered to edit it for you, but then realized the subject we're talking about, and decided that if 50.0 ever learns about looking at the edit history and diffs, I don't need to be called a hypocrite as well as a banhammer wielding {{w|BOFH}}) [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 03:35, 15 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== Broken mirror... ==<br />
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Sorry for the "ninja"... I guess we probably don't need 2 versions of the image though... Feel free to distill the explain part...--[[User:Bpothier|B. P.]] ([[User talk:Bpothier|talk]]) 07:15, 19 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
:Godammit, I even had the window open waiting for the article. The definitions can be merged into one paragraph, and wiki magic will explain how the comic works. [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>(talk)</tt>]] 07:20, 19 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== Fooooooooor He's a Jolly Good Fellow... ==<br />
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You are the man, man. Keep it up! [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 06:50, 21 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
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:Seconded. Great work, you deserved the milestone! --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 12:26, 21 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== Please take a look ==<br />
<br />
...at [[User talk:Lcarsos#Deletion|this]]. Nothing new to you, I suppose (spam fighting can be quite hard if we're overly cautious on every step), but I'm dropping the note just in case :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:52, 25 November 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== autoblocking suspicious users ==<br />
<br />
Once again, it looks like auto-blocking users that have suspicious usernames would require someone with more power than we have.<br />
<br />
However, I very nearly blocked those three when I noticed the account creation. But, I didn't because I thought they might be legitimate users with stupid usernames. But now I've read up on {{w|Wikipedia:New_admin_school/Blocking|Wikipedia's block policy}} and from now on I'll be posting {{tl|uw-blockindef}} (which I've bungled fantastically right now, but shortly should be working) which should allow the rare legitimate user (with bad taste in usernames) to reclaim their good account, but allow us to block bad people.<br />
<br />
You're ever friendly, massive toddler of an admin, [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 03:41, 4 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
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:I've also just found this page {{w|Wikipedia:Administrators' how-to guide}} which I will be reading very thoroughly and beginning to use this blacklist. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 04:16, 4 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
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::Hum. A great many of these templates could be condensed into a few bigger ones, but at least the documentation links are there for us to use. Also, you do know that Template:UserBox already exists, right? [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:55, 4 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
:::Well, crud. You switched, I switched. I do like the one we had better, mostly because of the descriptive labels and the nice thick borders. The name's in convenient CamelCase too. [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:18, 4 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::::As a general rule I loathe my shift key, using more keys to achieve the same goal is wasted time, and I could be called ruthless about wasted time. Saving a single keypress seems petty. But I had a CS professor point out that by specially crafting what you have to type (creating shortcuts) saving a keypress here and there can add up to saving several thousand keypresses every 8 hours, which over a long enough quantity of time can equal hours and days. That's my long winded explanation for why I like using {{tl|userbox}} instead of {{tl|UserBox}}.<br />
<br />
::::Also, I like the wikipedia userboxen, it's more flexible. And that allows anyone who comes over from Wikipedia to know how to work userboxen here too. That's my case for it. I hope you agree because I don't want to have to push my shift key, but I'll take your input, and if we end up in a tie, we might ask Waldir to tie break for us, as he'd be a neutral third party. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 06:44, 4 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
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:::::In CS, I learned that descriptive variable names and easy to recognize naming conventions can save heaps of debugging time. I personally like the CamelCase version better because it uses variable names like left-bg instead of id-c for the background color in the box on the left, which makes the template self-documenting and easier to grok for a new user who's just reading the source. [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:58, 4 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
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:::::: I was asked to comment. Here are my thoughts:<br />
::::::* Regarding CamelCase, it is indeed a neat convention but we don't use it elsewhere on the wiki. In fact, MediaWiki itself, in its early versions, used to rely on CamelCase for linking, but moved to the free-form, space enabled link syntax, which is better in many cases. Not everything converts nicely into CamelCase. So while I appreciate the argument to use CamelCase as the template name, I think the regular case version fits the wiki better. Besides, redirects are cheap and work well, so if the CamelCase title redirects to the lowercase one, whoever wants to use the CamelCase version can still do so seamlessly. Not an issue, therefore.<br />
::::::* I agree with Davidy22 on the parameter names. In fact, the code of the template can be arranged in a more readable form (using whitespace and indentation) so not only its uses can be deciphered, but the template itself too. Renaming parameters is a simple matter, especially for templates with not many uses as these are, which means there isn't a lot of replacements to perform.<br />
:::::: In summary, I think the two templates should definitely be merged and the best features of each kept in the final version: the title being [[Template:userbox]] (with redirects from [[Template:UserBox]] and [[Template:Userbox]]), and the parameters using intuitive names as {{tl|UserBox}}.<br />
:::::: --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:06, 5 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
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::::::: Sounds good to me. The wikicode looks god-awful ugly though, who's up for cleaning that thing up? [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:03, 6 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
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:::::::: If you guys do the merge, I can clean it up afterwards :) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 01:14, 6 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== separate section for title text ==<br />
<br />
I agree that in the two instances you removed the section header for the title text, it wasn't justified, but in some cases it does make sense. See [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Subsection for title text explanation|here]]. Cheers, [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 15:27, 5 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== No more imagesize ==<br />
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I made a comment on [[Template Talk: comic#Imagesize]], essentially imagesize isn't necessary, and I've changed the {{tl|create}} template to not include it. So rejoice, and forget imagesize ever existed (until the bug gets fixed). [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 03:02, 6 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
: Bah, what was that parameter good for anyways? Clicking on the image should take you to the XKCD site anyways. What user cares about the image pages that the template currently takes you to? [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:20, 6 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
:: That's an interesting point. It's technically doable. But I think there should be a way to access the comic images (granted, I'm not sure why exactly, but I'm not comfortable leaving them "orphans" —linkless— either) --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 12:08, 6 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
::: There's the list of all comics page, and we could make the titletext link to the image page or something. I dunno, any excuse to kill imagesize. [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 12:16, 6 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
:::: To clarify, linking the image directly to xkcd has nothing to do with killing imagesize. That, for what I understand, has already been done. Good point about the list of comics page. I'll wait for more comments before implementing the change in the image link target. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 12:35, 6 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
::::: Imagesize isn't *quite* dead yet. There's still four or five comics that still use it. Permission to upload the thumbnail versions of those comics, as we do with the other large comics, and end that broken thing once and for all? [[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:05, 6 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
:::::: I don't like the idea of uploading smaller versions of images. We ought to be able to use mediawiki's own image scaling abilities as soon as we can do some [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Technical#We need more maintainers|testing in the wiki setup]] and make the image scaling issue go away. Apart from that, what exactly are the problems of imagesize, again? I haven't followed the discussions about it, sorry. Feel free to give me pointers to the appropriate places where the issues have been discussed. --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 13:17, 6 December 2012 (UTC)<br />
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== Please move pages ==<br />
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I'm noticing that when someone creates a new page with the wrong title you're just copy/pasting the content onto the new page. Please don't do that. Please use the move page feature on the drop down of the page, that way we can keep the edit history for the page intact, and that way it doesn't look like you created these oddly poor quality pages. Thanks much. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 00:49, 6 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Righty ho. '''[[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:09, 6 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
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== Sorry ==<br />
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I have been working contra u by routinely adding a white line above the categories. I instantly raise white flag! And say good night! -- [[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 00:40, 7 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
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== Trivia placement ==<br />
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Cheers mate! Please check the comment I made some time ago in the section you started, [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Section style and usage|"Section style and usage"]] on the Proposals community page. –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 23:10, 27 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
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If you disagree with the trivia placement between explanation and transcript, why don't you say so, and explain why? –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 14:50, 6 March 2013 (UTC)<br />
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I made a section for discussion of this, so that we can come to some agreement: [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals#Trivia and transcript]]. –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 15:18, 6 March 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Moved to [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Coordination#Trivia and transcript placement]] –[[User:St.nerol|St.nerol]] ([[User talk:St.nerol|talk]]) 23:05, 6 March 2013 (UTC)<br />
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== Jurassic Park category ==<br />
Hi, you wrote you don't like how I created a new category for Jurassic Park. I thought it appropriate: there's a *lot* of references to Jurassic Park and/or velociraptors in the comics. And not all reference are to both... But what did you not like? Thanks for enlightening me! [[User:Kaa-ching|Kaa-ching]] ([[User talk:Kaa-ching|talk]]) 09:07, 28 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
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:There's a lot of categories on this wiki. When adding categories to a page, it can get extremely difficult to make sure that you've gotten every category that applies to the comic. For regular editors, the amount that we have to remember when maintaining pages is already quite onerous; more categories hurt our dinky heads. If you're willing to steward that category, go ahead, but you'll have to remember to put in the explanation pages yourself when you find a comic that it applies to. '''[[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:36, 28 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
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:: OK. [[User:Kaa-ching|Kaa-ching]] ([[User talk:Kaa-ching|talk]]) 08:26, 1 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
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==[[220: Philosophy]]==<br />
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Actually, what happened was: This being my first new page edit, I copy-pasted the format from another page, and then edited all the information to fit the correct comic. Then I realized I'd forgotten to remove the date of the original page's comic, so I did so. *blushes* No trolling intended, just a newbie mistake. Is 2/7/07 the correct date for this comic? [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 11:23, 28 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Oooh. I thought you had gotten the date then removed it after seeing earlier rants concerning omitted dates. You can check a comic's date by clicking on the "All Comics" button in the sidebar on the left. All dates are in YYYY-MM-DD format. '''[[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:37, 28 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Yep. I see that now, and now that I know it's there, I create new pages straight from [[List of all comics]]. No offense taken. Thanks for the useful advice! [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 05:52, 29 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
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== Character names in transcripts ==<br />
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Ah, I see now that you've been cleaning up after me, adding character names to transcripts instead of "Man", "Woman", et cetera. Now realizing that's the wiki's standard, I'll endeavor to do that myself from now on. Thanks for your patience with the new guy. [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 07:40, 29 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
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:It's k, just doing maintenance. You're really prolific, do you write all of those yourself or are you getting those explanations off the forums somehow? '''[[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:38, 29 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
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::I write them all myself. It's been some time since I've looked at the xkcd forums, actually. Sometimes I get a little help from Wikipedia when a particular detail escapes me. But you'll notice I don't make an attempt to explain the math ones. *laughs* [[User:Ekedolphin|Ekedolphin]] ([[User talk:Ekedolphin|talk]]) 02:16, 30 January 2013 (UTC)<br />
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== My unexplained hobbies. ==<br />
<br />
I just want to make sure that you are getting this, but I restored "My Unexplained Hobbies." You can now explain them. [[User:Greyson|Greyson]] ([[User talk:Greyson|talk]]) 14:47, 11 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Shweet. '''[[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:44, 12 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
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I suck at wiki stuff but am a real human - sorry for the confusion. {{unsigned|Schmammel}}<br />
:No matter. Also, see the blue box above the talk page edit box for instruction on how to sign your posts. '''[[User:Davidy22|<span title="I want you."><u><font color="purple" size="2px">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><sup><font color="indigo" size="1px">22</font></sup></span>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:55, 19 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== About your new admin powers ==<br />
<br />
Actually just the rollback hammer. I've learned this after being burned a few times.<br />
<br />
Rollback will actually not revert just the one edit you are looking at, but will go back until it hits a revision that wasn't done by that user, so its useful for pure spam accounts, but if you're just undoing a single edit, you may still want to use the undo tool.<br />
<br />
Also, once or twice I actually had it revert all the way back to the last patrolled edit, which meant it actually got rid of the edits of a few anonymous editors too.<br />
<br />
Just a caution that with great power comes great responsibility.<br />
<br />
--[[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 04:11, 22 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
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:Oh damn, did I do that? Welp. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u><font color="purple" title="I want you">David</font><font color="green" size="3px">y</font></u><font color="indigo" size="4px">²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:28, 22 February 2013 (UTC)<br />
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== Removed Level 2 headings from Discussion page ==<br />
<br />
Hi, I noticed you removed the level 2 headings in the discussion of comic 1188. I'm guessing it's the application of some formatting rule established on this wiki, so I'm curious where I can find a list of these standards that I should adhere to, so I don't make such a mistake again in the future. [[User:Jfresen|Jfresen]] ([[User talk:Jfresen|talk]]) 15:10, 20 March 2013 (UTC)<br />
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:It's not really a formatting convention, more of a workaround to technical limitations of the wiki. The way discussion pages are embedded into comic pages, headings in talk pages cause breakages when tables of contents are spawned. It's ugly and bad and it's the reason why we delete discussion page headers. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|purple|David}}<font color=green size=3px>y</font></u><font color=indigo size=4px>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:33, 20 March 2013 (UTC)<br />
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== Captcha help ==<br />
<br />
:''This thread was moved to [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests#Captcha help]].''<br />
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== RE: Signature ==<br />
<br />
Sweet, thanks David. {{User:Omega/sig}} 14:51, 28 March 2013 (UTC)<br />
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== Time is hard... ==<br />
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... and not only that, she also is, just like her sister Gravity, a heartless b**** :D <br />
Thanks for taking care! :) [[User:Caranhyas|Caranhyas]] ([[User talk:Caranhyas|talk]]) 09:41, 4 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
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== Feedback ==<br />
<br />
Hey David. It's nice that you're so responsive to requests such as those at [[Mediawiki talk:Sitenotice]] (or [[explain_xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests#Captcha help|this one]]), but please take also a moment to report the request as completed, as that not only provides feedback to the requester, but is also a reference for the future (which removes the need to dig through the relevant page's history if, for example, one decides to check whether a request ever got implemented), and exemplifies desired behavior for future administrators. Cheers, [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 21:53, 6 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Alright. Was just trying to get through everything quickly, and forgot to reply to those requests. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:55, 6 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== 262 correction: Thanks! ==<br />
<br />
Hi there!<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, I was not aware that I had incorrectly created the page for xkcd 262. Thanks for fixing that. My only question is whether the page "262" should be redirected to xkcd 262 rather than just showing the deletion template.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
<br />
[[User:Milar Kayne|Milar Kayne]] ([[User talk:Milar Kayne|talk]]) 07:02, 7 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:The page "262" and all other pages consisting of only numbers are used internally to handle page linking. You don't really need to worry about them, you just need to know that making explanation pages in those numbered pages is baaad and that the create templates in the [[List of all comics]] will set up everything relevant for you. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:14, 7 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::So all of the xkcd comic pages theoretically "exist" on the site, but not all have connected pages? Also, how do I create a new page from the "All comics" page? Thanks for being so patient--I really want to be able to contribute meaningfully here. [[User:Milar Kayne|Milar Kayne]] ([[User talk:Milar Kayne|talk]]) 20:27, 7 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
::No, we just link to the xckd comic pages. The numbered pages handle links between explanation pages. On the "List of all comics" page, there are (create) buttons next to all the red links; click those to start explaining those comics. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:12, 8 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::OK thanks for explaining! I'll try to do better next time :). [[User:Milar Kayne|Milar Kayne]] ([[User talk:Milar Kayne|talk]]) 01:36, 10 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== List of unexplained comics ==<br />
<br />
Thanks for the vote of confidence - hoping it'll encourage more contributors! [[User:Sean|Sean]] ([[User talk:Sean|talk]]) 21:50, 22 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== New sections in comic talk pages ==<br />
<br />
Re [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:277:_Long_Light&curid=8457&diff=35146&oldid=35143 this correction] (especially your edit summary!): while there is the "Add topic" tab at the top of talk pages, you'll get new sections added to comic talk pages too.<br />
<br />
Perhaps reducing them to ; headings is a better alternative that still marks a new topic.<br />
<br />
;Just testing that I have the right formatting character<br />
Yes.<br />
<br />
Of course this won't fix the automatically supplied heading from the "Add topic" tab, but then we do still want that functionality in other talk pages, like here...<br />
[[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 03:25, 26 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Ooh, the semicolon does that? You learn something new every day. Noted. There might be a way to change those controls at the top, I'll look into that. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:50, 26 April 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Time frames 1008-1014 have an artefact in your upload ==<br />
<br />
In your uploads "under the ground" between frames 1008 and 1014 there is a grey horizontal line with unmoving "ticks" while the terrain does change above. This is not reflected in the live hash for the only hash in this range recorded so far. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 10:55, 1 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Hrm, I've just been pulling the images from the xkcd site and uploading them straight. Imma check on this. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:29, 1 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Yeah, it's not just you, the [http://geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190/?frame=1014&framediff=1007 geekwagon.net/projects/xkcd1190] has it too. Randall must have had a snafu that he's fixed. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 12:47, 1 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Time1190 - but sometimes I also have NO time ==<br />
<br />
I did register in here mainly for 1190, I am sure you did see this.<br />
This weekend I will work on a script giving me an easy update for the next day template, for now I am doing manual.<br />
<br />
THANKS for your great job on all the other comics!<br />
<br />
I just do need more TIME...<br />
<br />
And I am not native English, so I am still happy about everyone correcting me.<br />
<br />
Archive discussion I did start here [[Talk:1190:_Time]]<br />
<br />
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:29, 10 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
:I actually already have a script to do that. I thought you had made one of your own though when you were filling in for new days, so I was just letting you go ahead with that. Here's my script: [http://pastebin.com/RQGGia3L]. Change the variables at the top of the script, run it and copy/paste the output into the page for time. The fields should be self-evident, but ask me if you have any questions. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:38, 11 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:: Oh, PYTHON - I prefer Perl or just a simple bash script.<br />
:: So I will ask Randall for a translator for Python to Perl ;)<br />
:: And tomorrow I hopefully will have some more time, your script is helpful.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:53, 11 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::Just for fun I did the script in PERL. Here is the link: [http://pastebin.com/PG5j56Nv template]--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:29, 12 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== And sometimes I do have time ==<br />
Just tell me what I did do wrong (I will follow you...). I am still new to WIKI syntax, it is still new to me. But I am learning as you can see.<br />
And after all that I will write a Perl Script with a missing close paren...<br />
<br />
I like jokes but I also like a clean Wiki here!<br />
<br />
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:38, 23 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Uh, the explanation for that page is a wee bit thin for the size and complexity of the comic, and it uses terms like the hibbert curve without defining them. It's not enough of an explanation to cover the whole comic. Also, there were a few missing categories and a bunch of trailing spaces in the transcript. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:46, 23 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
::"a wee bit thin for the size and complexity of the comic" so sure this is still incomplete (I just did forget to add that template). Oh, and we have so many more complex comics with a need for more explanations. And while I am still not native English, which does mean I have to goooogle fore many memes, I am hoping I can support this wiki. I just try to do my best - any help on me is welcome! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:12, 24 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::And I'm pretty sure they're all tagged as incomplete too, so all is well. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:17, 24 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== User talk page deleted? ==<br />
<br />
Hey there, apparently my talk page was deleted because the only content on it was "buttsex", which is fine, but I just thought I should let you know that I did not add that ;). Can I restore my talk page blank? --[[User:Mynotoar|Mynotoar]] ([[User talk:Mynotoar|talk]]) 11:39, 25 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Yeah, sure, I saw the edit log when I deleted it. Do whatever you want with your user page. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:50, 25 May 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Incomplete explanations ==<br />
Hello [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]], I will stop creating incomplete new pages even when I think it's good idea to have a page for each comic here and work afterwards on all those incomplete ones. The pages [[Help:How to add a new comic explanation]] and [[List of unexplained comics]] should clarify this issue. Furthermore there are many more incomplete comics here not marked as incomplete so you can't find them here: [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|Incomplete explanations]]. I am trying to give my best to support this wiki--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:44, 3 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:One add: I am not a youngster, my first computer was a C64 and the next one was a IBM compatible PC 286 (512 KByte main memory, 20 MByte hard drive). And right now I'm just trying to encourage other people to help here. But I don't want to fight against windmills.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:24, 3 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
::I wasn't making any implication as to your age. It is actually harder to track incomplete articles than nonexistent ones - the wiki has no way of automagically detecting them the way it automatically provides red links for missing explanations. We have the incomplete tag, but people delete it from pages that still haven't quite been explained completely, and I sometimes forget to tag a new incomplete explanation as incomplete. Also, the fact that some incomplete articles exist that are not tagged as incomplete does not justify the creation of more stubs; if you find an unsatisfactory explanation, mark it as incomplete yourself. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:15, 3 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Various requests ==<br />
Could you delete the spam page [[User:Inkovic]] and block the user who created it? And delete [[Talk:283: Projection]] as well, since it was apparently created by mistake?<br />
<br />
Also, [[1225: Ice Sheets]] is still missing a transcript. Could you help add it? And [[266: Choices: Part 3]] and [[267: Choices: Part 4]] lack explanations, but have been removed from the [[List of unexplained comics]]. Should we re-add them to that page, or create some basic explanations for them? --[[User:Oneforfortytwo|Oneforfortytwo]] ([[User talk:Oneforfortytwo|talk]]) 20:19, 19 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Incomplete articles are marked as incomplete, we'll deal with all the unsatisfactory articles on this wiki after we have a page for every comic. Still not an excuse to make more stubs, mind you. Did all the rest though. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:08, 17 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Please block spammer 70.50.106.152, he did kill 1190 Time.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 08:53, 18 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Looks like a mistake. Not ban-worthy. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 10:24, 18 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
::This was the only edit he/she ever did. I am hoping this will not happen again, that big page was really hard to load.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:32, 18 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The main page needs to be edited, as the recent deletion of the [[List of unexplained comics]] was recently deleted, making the wiki comic count one less than the actual number. Also, could you delete [[Talk:List of unexplained comics]] and [[:File:a matter of some gravity.jpg]]? The former is an orphaned talk page, and the latter was superseded by [[:File:A Matter of Some Gravity.png]]. --[[User:Oneforfortytwo|Oneforfortytwo]] ([[User talk:Oneforfortytwo|talk]]) 20:19, 19 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Done. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:08, 20 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I created an explanation for 1228 (Prometheus). What I wrote didn't appear for a few minutes and then when I tried to check why, I found you'd deleted a page, but the text I wrote then appeared where I was expecting it. Your comment on the deletion referred to "a thing on the front page" I should have read. I looked for this "thing", but I've still no idea what I did wrong, or what happened with all the page creation / deletion jiggery pokery. I created the explanation after clicking a box which told me to do so if I wanted to provide / improve the explanation. I apologise for my mistake, but perhaps it would be better not to put boxes on the main page which invite edits if those edits end up in the wrong place? [[Special:Contributions/87.115.172.168|87.115.172.168]] 08:55, 21 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
:I manually create the comic page and set it to show up on the front page usually within an hour of every new xkcd comic. The explanation pages for every comic follow a naming convention, with the comic number followed by the comic name. We also make a few redirects for the wiki to use to make the back/forwards buttons work. In addition to that, every explanation page has a template; note how every other page on this site has a particular look to it. The page that you created didn't follow any of that, so I deleted it and copy/pasted it to the correct location. The thing on the front page that I was referring to was the correct explanation page location that I had created 21 minutes earlier. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:06, 21 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Thanks for the explanation - quite a manual process! I didn't realise I was creating a page - it looked to me like the page had already been created (which it had, it seems) and I would just be editing the empty section for the explanation. Now I realise that the "please edit" box should have shown up in the editor, perhaps alarm bells should have wrung. Nevertheless, I'm still wondering if it would be better, if possible, to somehow remove or modify the "please edit" box when it appears on the main page so it doesn't create an incorrect new page when one already exists! [[Special:Contributions/87.115.172.168|87.115.172.168]] 09:29, 21 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Thank You,<br />
<br />
[[User:Hopiakuta|hopiakuta DonFphrnqTaub Persina hopiakuta]] ([[User talk:Hopiakuta|talk]]) 09:03, 21 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
There are a couple of xkcd comics that link to an extra image on the site when they are clicked. On this wiki, most of the time, the explanations just contain a direct link to this image. However, sometimes, users upload the secondary images and link to those. This is rather inefficient, especially since some images are too large to be displayed directly after they are clicked on the wiki. So, I was wondering if you could delete the few secondary images from the wiki. They are: [[:File:lakes and oceans large.png]], [[:File:na make it better.png]], [[:File:subways large.png]], and [[:File:lojban translated.png]].<br />
<br />
In addition, I suggest that some [[Special:UnusedFiles|unused files]] also be nuked. [[:File:combination vision test fullcolor.jpg]] was superseded by [[:File:combination vision test fullcolor.png]]. [[:File:22 pieces.png]] was uploaded by a user who apparently just wanted to show off his Tetris skills. [[:File:2008 christmas special original.png]] is an xkcd comic before it was updated, which I doubt is necessary to include on the wiki. [[:File:starsmove.png]] doesn't seem to serve any useful purpose. --[[User:Oneforfortytwo|Oneforfortytwo]] ([[User talk:Oneforfortytwo|talk]]) 23:50, 13 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Na make it better and the translated lojban do add to the comic. The two larger versions of comic images and the junk files have been deleted. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:12, 14 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I think you might have forgotten to delete [[:File:22 pieces.png]]. And [[404: 404 Error]] was created by mistake and also needs to go. <br />
<br />
Also, could some admin tackle the issue that involves thumbnails not displaying properly? Dgbrt suggested [http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Errors_and_symptoms#Image_Thumbnails_not_working_and.2For_appearing this fix]. Perhaps it could be tried? --[[User:Oneforfortytwo|Oneforfortytwo]] ([[User talk:Oneforfortytwo|talk]]) 16:00, 18 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:The 404 page needs to exist for the previous/next comic buttons to work properly. It also explains why comic 404 is missing, which may be confusing to some xkcd readers. Mostly the forward/backwards buttons though. The scrap image is gone, and I'm looking into the proposed fix. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 12:21, 21 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Nope. The page [[404: 404 Error]] is a duplicate to [[404: Not Found ]]. I just did a redirect there because I can't delete it.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:58, 21 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::Whoop, deleted. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:08, 21 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::::Thanks, but there is still the discussion page. I did the same redirect there.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:26, 21 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Spam at 1190 Time ==<br />
<br />
Hi, IP 68.100.149.94 is still doing annoying edits here. I do not like that.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:38, 22 June 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Su Doku ==<br />
Hi Davidy22, I'm trying to enhance explains. People do read and understand shorter explains more easy, but the link to the details must be always included. I just did add the incomplete tag because my edit is maybe not complete. Everyone is welcome to help. But please keep short as possible, otherwise people won't read.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:19, 2 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:That explanation is hardly too long. Our explanations should be self-sufficient, with the links there just to provide further context on things that we talk about in the explanations. A description of the format of sudoku is an important part of the explanation for comic 74, as the comic deviates from it in a notable way that not all visitors may recognize, be it because they haven't heard of sudoku before or because they aren't particularly familiar with the puzzles. There's a wee difference between cutting information and condensing the wording of a passage, and what you did with that explanation leads further towards cutting content. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:45, 2 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::I prefer explains people will read. The wiki link for Su Doku is already there but I will work on a small explain soon.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 15:07, 2 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::What, three full paragraphs is too much for people to read? Three full paragraphs of a complete explanation are better than a paragraph and two sentences of incomplete description? I'd rather we follow the name of the wiki and actually explain the comics. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:41, 2 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::::Read my version completely, I did adopt your hints on explain Su Doku and did some more polish. PLEASE just read before you undo! Tell me what's missing but I still prefer a more simple explain. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 16:10, 2 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::::You made a complete explanation incomplete in the name of simplicity. At least you bothered re-adding the relevant information back in post-hoc this time. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:03, 3 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== 1190 Time pictures after major changes ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
any ideas to get new file uploads here? After your change we have some silence...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:55, 6 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Geekwagon, Aubronwood and many other sites keep archives of past frame hashes. We can look up our last hash and upload all proceeding images here. I did that for the first 500-odd frames, until people started doing it faster than me. I'll probably start again since other editors seem to be on holiday. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:43, 6 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::You did upload all the images manual, is this the new way to do this? I thought your scripts don't like file names like 1234a, 1234b..., so do you not use a bot to upload the images? Further more: Since hashes from other sites do not map to the new naming here I think we have to document them here. But it seems I'm just running against windmills.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:01, 6 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::Post-hoc scripts; instead of an image archive littered with special cases, scripts need only iterate in numerical order. It's slightly more difficult to upload, but it's a consistent naming scheme for future use. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:03, 7 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== 1190 Time pictures - Do you use a bot or not... ==<br />
<br />
...it seems not - why?<br />
Lazy as I am! You're not like this.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:27, 12 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:I have a script to help with backlog uploads, but then I also manually upload new images while I'm awake and am near my computer. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:14, 13 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::What do you think about a bot? My computer is downloading the images by 24/7 so an upload here should be possible. But first I will start some tests at my local MediaWiki installation.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:56, 13 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::A bot would be nice. Slashme's Slashbot actually did time image uploads, but he stopped cuz electricity bills or something. We could ask him if he's willing to share. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:31, 13 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::::I am thinking about a bot like ''DgbrtBot''. I never have done this before (WikiBot) but I know the fucking manuals and while Randall does not like Perl I will use this language ;). Tomorrow I will start some tests at my local MediaWiki and then I will need an account for a bot.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:53, 13 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Outage from Friday to Saturday ==<br />
<br />
Did you recognize this, every error was just a "access denied for user ... on database ...". This board was dead for 24 hours.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:32, 21 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Yep, purged cache to fix it. Not currently in a place with perfect access to internet though, so I'm not quite as fast with that as I usually am. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:33, 23 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::The same happened yesterday. Do you have chronic disk space/quota shortage? --[[User:Chtz|Chtz]] ([[User talk:Chtz|talk]]) 13:13, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::Yep. We added a donate button and the sidebar ads when these issues started happening - a few days after time - to buy better hardware. Money comes slow. We could probably stand to upgrade mediawiki and PHP too sometime. Sometime. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:43, 25 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
::::Hi - I'm wondering if there has been any traction or progress in upgrading mediawiki - I was thinking especially with the recent comic [http://www.explainxkcd.com/1434 comic 1434] - but also historic comics like [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/826:_Guest_Week:_Zach_Weiner_(SMBC) 826] - that an [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:ImageMap imagemap] would be useful in the explanation, which is apparently bundled with [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki_1.21#Bundled_extensions mediawiki 1.21], but also available as a extension(?) -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 16:24, 16 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::::Imagemap seems to be compatible with our version of Mediawiki. I'll get to adding it. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:58, 16 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
::::::Done. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:40, 18 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::::::Thanks! -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 11:28, 29 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::::::I tried to create an imagemap for [[1434]] on a separate page, but any attempt to include the imagemap caused the submission to hang (sitting showing only a blank page whether I tried to submit for a preview or to actually edit) - I believe it was Friday, but might have been Thursday if you're looking for error logs. This is in contrast to the behavior when I tried to use wiki image maps before you said you added the extension (it would:::::::: simply strip out the tags and show the text content). I don't know how much time you have to contribute to this site every day, or how high a priority fiddling with this extension would be, but I'd appreciate anything you can do to look into this. Specifically, I used the [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/File:where_do_birds_go_clips_only.png cropped image I uploaded] and the [http://www.maschek.hu/imagemap/imgmap Online image map editor] markup generator, which was linked from the [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:ImageMap#See_also MediaWiki:ImageMap page] as it "supports all shapes, [and is] Extension:ImageMap compatible".<br />
::::::::Alrighty, I'll get on it. Do you have the imagemap markup you were trying to use saved somewhere? '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 15:42, 3 November 2014 (UTC)<br />
::::::::Tested it, the error appears to be an old friend of mine. All the more reason to try and resolve it. Disabled the extension in the meantime, but it's still installed. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:22, 3 November 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::::::::I don't have the markup handy, but it's pretty easy to create sample markup (which is why I included the links for errythang) - I'm not even sure how to escape it in a wiki to make it postable here, since it doesn't even commit the change - I appreciate your efforts! Do you get more money if I ''click'' on Ads? :-) -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 19:18, 4 November 2014 (UTC)<br />
::::::::::The way our pricing works, ad clicks don't directly translate to income, but they make the ad space more attractive to potential buyers which leads to them bidding up the price. Our base prices are rock bottom though to encourage our own users to advertise with us, and we wouldn't mind if you pointed your boss/marketing dept at work towards our bargain bin ad space. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:01, 4 November 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::::::::::A long-time friend has been dealt with, the plugin is now re-enabled. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:11, 12 November 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== User RouterIncident and a bunch of templates ==<br />
<br />
Hi, I'm hoping you have had nice holidays. We all do need recovery. But it's bad when no active admin is available here.<br />
<br />
Please delete that citation template, or just enter a link to [[285: Wikipedian Protester]]. Please delete also this categories: "All articles lacking reliable references" and "Articles lacking reliable references". We still have the incomplete category, that should be enough.<br />
<br />
BTW: RouterIncident is maybe also on holiday, no action the last days.<br />
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:04, 28 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I could not find these categories you speak of in the page creation log, but citation needed is gone now. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:01, 29 July 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Please move some pages and edit the "List of all comics" ==<br />
<br />
I can't move pages here, but this should work:<br />
<br />
<nowiki>{{comicsrow|1245|2013-07-31|10 Day Forecast}}</nowiki><br />
*the correct page must be: "1245: 10 Day Forecast"<br />
*the ''title'' must be: "10 Day Forecast"<br />
<br />
So I did not save this update because it would result into corrupt links:<br />
<br />
<nowiki>xkcd.com/1245 | 10 Day Forecast (create) | number / title / talk | 10_day_forecast.png | 2013-07-31</nowiki><br />
<br />
Please help, or give me the power to do this on my own.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:03, 1 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Ooor instead of deviating from the title on xkcd, we could use an excellent feature to the comicsrow template put in by Waldir. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 21:20, 1 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Uh, I didn't know this feature.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 08:03, 2 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Template:Verification needed ==<br />
This template is unnecessary, please delete it.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 08:03, 2 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Please also delete the templates behind this non existing categories:<br />
:*Wikipedia pages with incorrect protection templates (2 members)<br />
:*Wikipedia protected templates (2 members)<br />
:--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 08:07, 2 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Holy dependency hell. Purged the lot. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 12:42, 2 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Can you nuke [[Talk:404: 404 Error]]? You forgot to delete it when you got rid of [[404: 404 Error]].<br />
<br />
Also, any update on the thumbnail issue? They are still not displaying correctly See [[Special:UnusedFiles|unused files]]. --[[User:Oneforfortytwo|Oneforfortytwo]] ([[User talk:Oneforfortytwo|talk]]) 22:03, 9 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Deleted. Thumbnails are a bit trickier, seeing as Jeff is the only one who has direct access to the server. Still plugging. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:08, 10 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
For some reason, the wiki places the [[Main Page]] in the same categories as the current comic. This should be fixed, as the only category it should belong to is the [[:Category:Root category|root category]]. --[[User:Oneforfortytwo|Oneforfortytwo]] ([[User talk:Oneforfortytwo|talk]]) 16:30, 17 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
:FYI I have answered [[User:Oneforfortytwo]] on [[User talk:Oneforfortytwo|his talk page]]. [[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 19:01, 17 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
One more thing: Can you edit [[1190: Time]] and remove all links to images after 2973:00? Seeing as there will not be any more of them uploaded, and some of them are showing up on the [[Special:WantedFiles|wanted files page]]. Also, can you restore the deleted image [[:File:starsmove.png]]? Originally, I thought there was nowhere to put it, but I realized that I can link to it at [[1190: Time/Pictures]]. --[[User:Oneforfortytwo|Oneforfortytwo]] ([[User talk:Oneforfortytwo|talk]]) 06:04, 20 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Done. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:51, 20 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Oh, can you delete [[1360: Old Files/info]]? Also, could we possibly get a page where people can post pages to be deleted? That would make it easier to report them. --[[User:Oneforfortytwo|Oneforfortytwo]] ([[User talk:Oneforfortytwo|talk]]) 19:47, 28 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Can do. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:59, 29 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
::Mkay, deleted the page, was in the process of making the page when I recalled that [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests]] and [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Proposals]] tend to be the pages used for proposing deletion of pages. Page deletion doesn't come up incredibly often, although I could create the page if people really want it. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:25, 30 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I found [[:Category:Pages to delete]]. Although you can't explain why to delete a page. Perhaps a template would be more appropriate. Speaking of which, can you delete [[:Category:Commissioned]], [[:File:16px-BlackHat head.png]], [[:File:spirit rewrite unknown author.png]], [[:File:tongue awareness.jpg]], [[Special:ListFiles/ImVeryAngryItsNotButter|all of these uploads]], and [[Special:ListFiles/Spongebog|the Lorenz uploads here]]?<br />
<br />
By the way, [[User:DgbrtBOT]] is not selecting the xkcd.com licensing choice when uploading new comic images, causing all of them to show up in [[:Special:UncategorizedFiles]]. And [[User:Dgbrt]] appears to have gone AWOL. Is there any way we can contact him and get him to change his bot?<br />
<br />
Finally, I think there should be a category for the pages listed [[:Special:UncategorizedPages|here]]. Maybe helper comic pages, seeing as there is a helper comic images? Or comic subpages? --[[User:Oneforfortytwo|Oneforfortytwo]] ([[User talk:Oneforfortytwo|talk]]) 23:47, 3 August 2014 (UTC)<br />
:The template [[template:spam]] automagically includes the delete template. We used to have a delete template, but it literally saw no use. The black hat head is the site favicon and the tongue awareness image is used in an explanation. The others seem justifiable though. I'll submit a patch to dgbrt that oughta fix the image categorization thing. Comic subpages oughta be a fine name. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:19, 4 August 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Time animation—a little help maybe? ==<br />
<br />
About the animated Time GIF, I actually prepared one right away at the end, but I haven't been able to get it to upload here, even though it's rather less than the stated size limit, 12 MB out of I think 40 MB. If anyone can suggest what might be going on, I'll be happy to try it out. I did ask in the XKCD forum, but didn't get any help there. Just in case it was a temporary thing, I'll go give it a shot here again after I post this. Wouldn't want to save face or anything if it actually works all of a sudden, after all.—[[User:KarMann|KarMann]] ([[User talk:KarMann|talk]]) 20:03, 20 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Clean explains ==<br />
<br />
Oh, I did some reverts (undo) today again, I'm not happy:<br />
*Ninja Turtles still belong to NASA<br />
*Bullsh.. sorry<br />
*Duplicate on some chess jokes<br />
*Math<br />
*And math again at some statistics (Increased Risk). <- ok, or (Increased Risk.)<br />
While you do fight against spam, I simply do fight against some similar windmills. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:04, 27 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Many of these were hamfisted ones that were targeted at one change, and reverted everything else contained in the same edit. Some of them were legitimate, some of them seem to show minimal effort to look at context before you edit. It's getting to the point where it's actually kind of disruptive now. If something is not in your area of expertise, don't revert like you do currently. There's a reason why rollback privileges are not given to all users. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:37, 28 August 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== 1269: Privacy Opinions ==<br />
<br />
This edit war is useless. The add is just '''TL;DR'''. And I'm sure even you did not read it all. Please keep explains as short as possible, otherwise people don't read. For understanding my post read this (read it all, there is a final statement at the bottom):<br />
According to the title, the comic is about “opinions on internet privacy” in general. Six positions are offered as options. Four of the positions are tagged negatively by the author by their subtitles alone: the Crypto Nut, the Conspiracist, the Nihilist, and the Exhibitionist, all of which have negative valences in contemporary English. That the viewer is encouraged to identify negatively with these four positions is further encouraged by the content of the panels, as those characters are depicted either as having such boring lives that they have no need for privacy (the Crypto Nut, the Nihilist), or as being crazy (the Conspiracist, the Exhibitionist).<br />
A fifth position, the Philosopher, is tagged somewhat ambivalently by the author: Megan is depicted as boring her interlocutor, yet in the title text, the author admits that he is usually the Philosopher. Also, “Philosopher” in vernacular English is neutrally valenced, potentially having the ability to expound either wisdom (sophia) or sophistry. It is also a synonym for Sage, the sixth position. As the author condones his own movement from Philosopher to Sage, he thus indicates that the Philosopher is to be viewed negatively, even if it is a tempting position to hold.<br />
The title of the sixth position, the “Sage”, is positively valenced in contemporary English, and the author in the title text states that once he obtains a “burrito” – i.e., a “real” thing, he switches from the Philosopher to the Sage. The internal evidence presented thus far therefore is entirely consistent; the author encourages the reader to identify with the Sage.<br />
By presenting five negatively tagged positions followed by a positively tagged sixth and final one, the author follows a rhetorical commonplace of listing and refuting a number of positions one by one, concluding with the favored and best one, which is not refuted and should be accepted both on its own merits and by virtue of being the last one standing. The comic therefore implies that no other (significant) positions exist.<br />
Having completed the rhetorical analysis of the comic, we are now in a position to understand the meaning of “Internet Privacy”.<br />
Panels #3 and 5 directly reference the American NSA. Panel #5’s “exhibitionist” also references Google, but the characters in the panel appear to be NSA agents (one wears an official cap and they are viewing the exhibitionist on an official, government-looking monitor). Likewise, the focus of the “Nihilist” is that the joke is on the people who gather the data, rather than those who are subsequently able to make use of it (such as Facebook’s users rather than "Facebook" itself; i.e., Facebook's employees and, by extension, its advertisers). The content of the actual data is only mentioned in panels #2, 4, and 5, and in each panel, it is suggested that it is meaningless or trivial. The Sage underscores the notion that any data known about him does not bother him, and therefore must be meaningless or trivial. The reader is thus encouraged to believe that it does not actually matter whether others discover personal data abou t him/her.<br />
The comic is therefore what social theorists call *reductive*, because it reduces the range of possibilities of “Opinions on Internet Privacy” to an artificially and simplistically narrow subset; in this case, individuals concerned with government or corporate agencies using data that they have gathered on individuals, and the futility of worrying about such things. The comic does not admit the possibility of other “opinions on internet privacy” – namely, that individuals might have legitimate concerns with governmental or corporate uses of their data, let alone other individuals’ access to data that is assembled and distributed by corporations such as Facebook. The comic likewise does not consider the possibility of individuals having more interesting lives than the characters depicted, and therefore very real concerns about their privacy due to the activities that they engage in that are potentially more career limiting (should they be discovered) than obsessing about cryptography or eating a burrito.<br />
The comic is “functionally” reductive, as opposed to “intentionally” reductive, because the reduction is the function or effect of the comic for readers who read it straightforwardly (such as the poster who claimed it was “about” Edward Snowden), whether or not the author intended this reduction to occur. There is not enough internal evidence in the literary text (i.e., the comic) to maintain that the author intentionally excluded other viable opinions on internet privacy; it could be that they are just not on his radar. For example, we do not have enough information in the comic to claim that the author is against civil rights; it could be simply that he doesn’t often think about them. Likewise, it would exceed the evidence of the comic to claim that the author believes that schoolteachers who use the internet to facilitate legal but frowned-upon sexual behaviors should lose their jobs if they are found out due to internet privacy breaches; it could be that the author simply hasn’t bothered to worry about these matters if they don’t affect him personally. This adjudication – whether the comic is “intentionally” reductive or not – may only be made on the basis of external evidence; that is, data known about the author from sources beyond this comic.<br />
Use of such external evidence – historical, personal, psychological information about an author – is valid in determining the meaning of an author’s text, and is increasingly viable due to the accessibility of information about an individual on the internet today.<br />
Additional observations about the comic follow. <br />
<br />
And when you did complete all that readings maybe you can summarize it, just in a way a reader would read.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:15, 29 September 2013 (UTC)<br />
:PRO TIP: explainxkcd is not guessxkcd.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:19, 29 September 2013 (UTC)<br />
::I did actually read it, and goes well past merely defining words in the comic. It covers writer's craft and all of it is derived from valid analysis of text from the comic. There's maybe a couple of excess words that I edited out, but length is not a bad thing. I read it the first time, and it was a valuable analytical contribution to the explanation; I question the value of flat-out reverting major edits that significantly improve pages. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:33, 29 September 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::First sentence is mapped to the title, the TL;DR section is at the bottom. OK?--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:10, 29 September 2013 (UTC)<br />
::::Uh, you cut the passage in half and split it up when it was referring back on itself? And you're accusing me of not bothering to read it? '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:26, 29 September 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::::Uh, Oh, Ahh, I did not delete any content, I just asked about improvements. Read my comments, still much smaller than this adds.<br />
:::::Are you happy when people do not visit this site again because the explain is bullshit? TL;DR... I still prefer articles people will read.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:49, 29 September 2013 (UTC)<br />
::::::I know you didn't delete anything. You cut it down the middle and pasted half the passage at the end of the article, with little regard for flow or structure. That's not a valuable edit, even if it's a smaller change than the initial passage addition. Having short explanations is not worth cutting out valuable information. Cutting out content that's irrelevant to the comic, yeah. Cutting out false relations and waffle, that's fine. Don't cut out well-written analysis.<br />
::::::Also, I'm noticing concurrent issues being raised against your edits again. Consider editing and working on top of edits instead of straight reverting them, and avoid antagonistic language. You already have one warning from the last time this happened. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 21:59, 29 September 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::::::I still disagree. The list of panel explains is overruled by a massive amount of text before. This is still not a helpful explanation.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 06:58, 30 September 2013 (UTC)<br />
::::::::It's not a helpful explanation for those incapable of reading or scanning a sizeable passage of text. It contains all the relevant information in a coherent and laid-out manner, with a bullet pointed list to draw attention to the frame-by-frame explanations for those who want to skip the intention and analysis. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:26, 30 September 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Advertising ==<br />
<br />
My Firefox AddOn NoScript did block the external page "projectwonderful.com". The untrusted picture [http://www.projectwonderful.com/img/uploads/pics/91967-1378268302.png] does not belong to "explainxkcd.com". Then clicking the picture brings me to this link: [[explain_xkcd:Advertise_Here]]. But, I still do not see any advertisement here at all, only this "wonderful project world", what's wrong?<br />
<br />
I would like to pay here for a link to Randall's store (he doesn't know), but it has to be an internal picture to an external link. A user action is required, ask Randall about this security. External clicks do count, embedded content to external sites is a real insecure solution. Many modern browsers will not allow this. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:51, 1 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
:The image does belong to us, it's just served by project wonderful when no advertisers are currently bidding on us. The word "advertise" used in the link title is in the verb form, not the noun; that page describes how to advertise on our site. That page contains our advertising guidelines and a few links to our project wonderful bidding page. There, you can create an account and bid on any of the four regions we have on offer. Our minimum rate is USD$3.8 per day, and they let you link any image to any site. If you still can't advertise with us, post imgur links to screenshots to show me what you're doing.<br />
:Have you not said in the past that you are an employed software developer? Instead of advertising a site wholly unaffiliated to you, why not ask your boss to try his hand at advertising on explain xkcd? It's cheaper than most advertising outlets, and we have a large and valuable audience for your average technology company. Your company can probably easily muster the ~$15 per day needed to advertise in all our available regions, and the process takes about as long as creating an account on any other site on the internet. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:13, 2 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== A database error has occurred... ==<br />
<br />
I did clean the cache, it seems no admin is required to fix this damn problem. Site was down but available now again. I will also talk to JEFF about this.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 14:54, 3 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
: New server coming soon. Hopefully these DB issues will stop... forever. --[[User:Jeff|<b><font color="orange">Jeff</font></b>]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 16:39, 25 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== IP Users ==<br />
<br />
I still do not like this mess: [[User:108.162.216.45]] and [[User:50.151.2.168]]. Users have to register for this.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 11:18, 8 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
:No they don't? {{w|User:70.21.5.28}}. The page takes up so little space, it's not worth forcing them to do something they may not want to do. When our IP friend wants an account, they will make that choice on their own. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:35, 8 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Someone else will use the IP 50.151.2.168 in the future. If that user also likes xkcd and explainxkcd he will find a history he never has done. Still a mess. Nevertheless you can be sure that I never will edit this without admins permission.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:39, 8 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Question: — or - ==<br />
<br />
You're changing — to -, even while it looks to me like a (typical American) loooong dash at the picture. Original transcript by Randal on [[752]] is "Do you--", so I don't understand some of your latest edits. I'm changing &mdash to — ( on Linux). I did opt for removing the double spaces after a sentence, but is this dash also history? Like miles... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:01, 22 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Eh, I just do it because it's only one character in the original comics. I don't actually have easy access to an mdash on my keyboard when I'm editing, I'll probably bind that to a key for future use. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:12, 23 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
::My question was just: Is "—" wrong or not. You know I am German, but my OS and much more programs are running on English. That's because all that translations are just annoying. Nevertheless, at [[752]] the original transcript shows this: "Blonde: Do you--". this should be a long dash. And you did change many &mdash to "—", I just want to understand how to behave on this.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:17, 23 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::There isn't really a codified grammatical rule for the length of a dash. It's mostly stylistic, but it seems to be a rather common convention that a short dash is for joining words, and a long mdash is for punctuation dashes. Again though, it's not on the keyboard and the vast majority of people probably don't pay attention to dash length when reading. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 21:41, 23 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
::::You did introduce this in the past, my keyboard gives me on "ALT GR + SHIFT + -" just a "—". but we still have to decide about a rule on this. "-"--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:22, 23 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Extension:Comments ==<br />
<br />
Have you thought about trying [[mw:Extension:Comments|Extension:Comments]]? It was recently updated (July 2013) and looks like it would make commenting the explanations much more user-friendly. Could you make a little experiment to see if it works well? Say, install it so we can test and see if it works well? I'd be willing to help in the conversion of current comments to the new format, and we could even make it a long-term goal to eventually bring back all the comments from the blog :D --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 16:24, 23 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
: I did edit the incomplete template, ERROR is not correct. But a hint to the missing reason is great.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:24, 23 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
: From prior experience, the comments plugin does generate a lot of meta-pages with scrambled names that made me prioritize other things over it, but I can totally run it for a few days to see how things go. In a few weeks, my free time will skyrocket and I should be able to install and monitor the plugin then. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:40, 24 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
:: Hey Davidy. I wonder if you're able to try this out. If so, let me know how I can help!<br />
:: On the other hand, I am disappointed to hear that the comments extension doesn't integrate neatly with mediawiki. Are you aware of any similar choice that may be better-behaved? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:33, 4 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== New comics BOT ==<br />
<br />
I think that BOT is doing the job right now. Maybe there is a possibility to install it on this server, not much but some PERL modules are required, it should work on any OS. Nevertheless since I could see the updates in general did happen at 04:00 UTC I will implement a new script starting at 04:00 UTC, polling again after that again. But since I don't want to poll xkcd too much that poll would stop after fifteen minutes. Then there will be just a five minute schedule, until a new comic is found.<br />
<br />
BTW: <nowiki>$text .= "{{comicsrow|$comic_num|$date|$comic_name|$picture_name}}\n"; </nowiki> means I will always add the optional parameter for the picture. Not all picture did work properly in the past, so I decided to include this parameter to get a working picture link on the main page. Any suggestions are welcome. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:50, 26 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
:I have an idea for that, but I have a metric buttload of things that I need to do by the end of this week. I've seen comics come out several hours late so I think polling for four hours would still be apt, and I'm sure Randall's server could handle us polling him a little faster. Having a explanation page up at the same time as a new comic is really huge. I believe I have a solution for the comicsrow problem, but I also don't know Perl. I could probably figure it out in a weekend though. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:19, 27 November 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Incomplete tag at main page ==<br />
<br />
Am I wrong, or is every new comic complete at the main page in the future? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:16, 9 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
:When we include a comic page on the main page, templates and categories are preserved. While that's good for page layout and the like, it's not so good when we have templates that impart their categories upon the inheriting page, like the incomplete template did. It was tagging the main page as incomplete whenever the newest comic was marked as incomplete. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:27, 9 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
::Yezzz, I understand. But presenting a new incomplete page in this way is not good. The counter has to be adjusted. But I'm serious on this and maybe some ''noinclude'' tags may help. While the main page should not be counted, the page it presents, if incomplete or not (<-the problem), should presented at the proper state. My bot will cover any solutions for further uploads. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:40, 9 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
:::What counter? The counter on the main page doesn't take into account the main page itself, and the transcluded page is shown in its entirety, save for the discussion page and one category. What's the problem here? '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:37, 10 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== I don't mind about a 24 hour ban... ==<br />
<br />
...but after that I did try to do some more talks here:<br />
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:Mrarch&curid=13771&diff=55110&oldid=55109<br />
DELETED!<br />
I'm still the pest here, or what? I'm still hoping you will understand my actions here. I'm working much on the health of this board, talking to Jeff and many more here. And Mrarch just did delete my message. I'm German, so it could happen that I do use a sentence which could be interpreted different to my meanings. BUT: I just want to support this site as much I can do. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:49, 13 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
:Oh nuts, didn't see that. I though he was just setting up his own user and talk pages. I'll leave a notice. Also, try to cooperate, and practice your English. There ''are'' a few naunces in his arguments that you're gliding over. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:45, 13 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
::And oh nuts, we need some more people to review all the updates here. We have many new people here, doing great edits, but sometimes a correction is needed. I will still do this here, but you can be sure I will be much more polite when an edit-war does happen. I don't mind - xkcd is just fun. That counts! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:26, 14 December 2013 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== BOT uploads at the comic list ==<br />
<br />
Hi,<br />
I can remove that "Picture.png" add, but I think it's more safe to use this optional parameter. Sometimes upper case and lower case did cause some problems. I'm trying to prevent this by providing the image link my BOT did upload here.<br />
<br />
On January 1 my BOT did fail because the picture was not accepted at this Wiki, and my BOT stops on every unexpected error. The BOT doesn't understand Randall and so, when the BOT is running on problems it simply does nothing.<br />
<br />
I've had serious problems to connect this site since a few deys, I don't understand why, but my BOT is doing it's job as planed.<br />
<br />
Looking forward to some translations...<br />
<br />
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:04, 6 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Hm? What cases cause it to fail? Imma make this work. In cases of ambiguity, we could always err on the side of caution and include the parameter. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:54, 7 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
::The BOT did fail on January 1. because the "PNG" was in fact an "Adobe XMP" format and the upload was rejected by this site. A BOT barely can't handle this unexpected mess. This requires human action and the BOT stops further actions. The optional parameter will be posted anyway; if BOT doesn't fail.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:13, 7 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Incompleteness Tag. ==<br />
<br />
My browser (Chrome) is showing that 137: Dreams is the incomplete comic of the day. I used the tags there as the page instructed. Did I use them incorrectly? (possibly it was supposed to be in the main page edit instead of the discussion? I am fairly new here)This is the algorithm now. 19:10, 12 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
:The explanation page is already tagged. Tagging the discussion page marks the discussion page as incomplete. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:31, 12 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
::I did edit this discussion page with a nowiki marker. And Anomulus please sign your comments in the proper way, it's much more easy to discuss with an user instead of just a date. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:41, 12 January 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I did move some comics back to the incomplete section, a full explain is still more worth than a 0% ratio here. Nevertheless I am still thinking, not really working, on a German translation. But just because the ratio looks great here I will focus on that translation soon. Stay tuned...--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:18, 2 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:If our numbers are right, a very healthy portion of our visitors should be German and you shouldn't have to be concerned with taking on the entire burden of translation. It's probably good to be conservative with the incomplete tag, it reduces the burden on of research on translators if they only have to change the language. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:33, 2 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Incomplete Explanation of the Day ==<br />
<br />
Some thoughts:<br />
*[[explain xkcd:Incomplete Explanation of the Day]]: No need for the daily update, it's also still at the top.<br />
*[[MediaWiki:Sitenotice]] should contain a link to this: [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|Incomplete explanations]].<br />
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:43, 8 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:It takes very little extra effort to also update the project page, so I just do it anyways. The incomplete explanation of the day is supposed to be a focusing effort, to finish off one comic at a time. A link to the list of all the incomplete comics wasn't working, which is why I started drawing attention to individual comics in the sitenotice. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:55, 8 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
::So tell me what's wrong with this link: [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|Incomplete explanations]]. In my opinion this could be still placed at the top.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:26, 10 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::Mostly cuz that didn't work when it was on the main page, and calling attention to specific comics has worked exceedingly well. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:57, 11 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
::::I don't understand, there was a similar link in the past.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:13, 11 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::::And in the past, that link had almost no effect on the incomplete pages count. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:54, 11 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
===I just did remove a typo===<br />
<code>:"1930s" has "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". a</code><br />
<br />
If you can not accept my typo correction on that simple damn "a" I will give up here. And I'm not sorry. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:40, 19 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:In the same edit I removed whitespace from the page, as is not immediately obvious from diffs but can be seen from the edit size numbers. The "a" has been gone in each of my proceeding edits, as you can see in the revision log if you would care to read it. Autoreverting is bad. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:57, 19 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== 1037: Umwelt ==<br />
<br />
Hi, I'm sorry. But as my comments did say, some texts maybe helpful; but I can't fix all that layout issues. The individual pictures are still great, some ideas on that edits are nice, but it does not work in the full context. And those massive edits don't give both of us a way to review them all. I just did that revert because it doesn't work. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:09, 28 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
:The layout is still broken... I don't like edits without using a preview to verify a proper layout — and I do not like massive edits no one can follow.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:22, 28 February 2014 (UTC)<br />
::Image resizing will be fixed soon. Give it at most three weeks. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:37, 1 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== New admin proposal ==<br />
<br />
Please take a look [[explain xkcd:Community portal/Admin requests#New admin|here]]. Cheers, [[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 18:36, 4 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Template:comic ==<br />
<br />
Isn't this just a revert and a freeze to a former revert done by me? Others did play then again on the main page appearance, but changes at this should be only possible for people not experimenting. The entire main page has to be protected. That page isn't a playground.<br />
<br />
And on that admin discussions on me: My most posts are related to language, layout, and something — and I still don't like all those esoteric explains on ASSes, PENISpumps, ... But an admin has to work mostly on different issues.<br />
<br />
Randall does primarily focus on "romance, sarcasm, math, and language.". Randall does more, so the SEX category is here, but I think we have to focus on the "primarily focus" at the headlines on explain pages first.<br />
<br />
My advice here: Do NOT try to enhance well working templates, other statements are much more important.<br />
<br />
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 00:18, 8 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:It's not quite a revert, he changed how linking works for the first comic page, added jump links to the first and last pages and attempted a few fixes. I just fixed a few omissions that he made. Admin work usually tends to be focused on non-content stuff, yeah, but I feel like those people maybe probably might be right. Innuendo in comics not explicitly mentioning sex exist. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:03, 8 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Mail send ==<br />
<br />
It's still not easy to find important mails, I nearly lost yours but now you got a reply. Your issues needs a test, I will do that soon. And sorry for this three month late reply. Maybe I have been blind, I just found your message today.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:46, 17 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
:The site GitHub.com did send a message to me from "David ???(possibly your surname)" but the address was in fact <nowiki>notifications@github.com</nowiki>. So this reply was stupid by me because that mail will never reach you.<br />
:Please send me a notification here because I don't visit that GitHub site on a regular base. Last visit was two or three months ago. It's just a backup for myself and available to everyone who likes.<br />
:Your request could remove links to GIF or JPG files, so I decided to include the picture link always because it does work on that template. Dynamic comics are much more complicated and my BOT stops to post any update here if something went wrong. I'm still thinking about a better logging on that, My idea is still: If the BOT decides not to post chaos here it should save any content for later manual analysis. But that's a big deal because Randall's comics are so different...<br />
:Nevertheless the BOT covers most comics just in time, I know people are happy on this — and when the comic is too sophisticated, it just stops to prevent chaos here.<br />
:--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:41, 18 March 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== File:lorenz-new.png ==<br />
<br />
Moving this to File:lorenz.png does not work like my former updates, maybe it's some cache on the server. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:31, 3 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Huh. I'll have to take a look at that. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 21:45, 3 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
:The file on the server looks right. It'll probably update itself on the caching servers in good time. The distortion is annoying though. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 21:49, 3 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
::Can you clear the cache? The page [[1350]] still looks bad like my former reverted updates. But maybe we use this just a test for the servers. Uploads are easy, but updates are the hell. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:08, 3 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::Eff it, let's wait on it. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:17, 3 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
::::One idea: Try "Lorenz.png" instead of "lorenz.png". While WIKI is mostly case insensitive the servers maybe are. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:20, 3 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== German page ==<br />
<br />
Is it still possible to create a German page here? I'm complete (honestly mostly) on my investigations for presenting a proper German page. On a positive reply I will present some more details (maybe screenshots) of my local wiki and a plan on how to bring it up to public. And consider, this would not only be for German readers, we have Austria, Switzerland, and many other parts in Europe. I would be happy to support this, and my BOT would be too. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:37, 30 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:It's still possible, gonna do it after we clear out all the incomplete pages as promised.'''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:44, 30 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::So then this never would be happen. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:50, 30 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::No, because we'll eventually clear out our backlog of old, incomplete articles. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 21:24, 30 April 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== /r/xkcd sitenotice ==<br />
<br />
May I ask why you've added a sitenotice about /r/xkcd? The /r/xkcd sub is controlled by /u/soccer, who links to racist, xenophobic and misogynistic content regularly. Randall has even spoken in support of a petition for /u/soccer to be removed as a mod (which of course didn't happen because reddit doesn't do that). /r/xkcdcomic is a non-hateful alternative, one that Randall supports, and it has more users than /r/xkcd. [[User:LadyMondegreen|LadyMondegreen]] ([[User talk:LadyMondegreen|talk]]) 13:19, 2 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
:If you look closely at the text and click on the link, you'll see that it actually says and links to xkcdcomic. Also, /r/xkcd is currently at 40000 subs and hit 10000 a few years ago. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:38, 2 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
::Hmmm, yeah, I'm not sure how I got that backwards, but I did. Someone pointed it out to me on IRC and I guess I didn't look closely enough. Sorry about that. [[User:LadyMondegreen|LadyMondegreen]] ([[User talk:LadyMondegreen|talk]]) 19:35, 6 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Any idea on this: [[A Smarter Planet]] ==<br />
<br />
This should be mentioned here, but that article doesn't represent a comic from the main page. Maybe it should be merged to [[Randall]]? What do you think? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:17, 6 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
:That's not a bad idea. I'll put that on the list of things to do. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:56, 10 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
::Sorry, I've forgotten to post a reply here. I did put in a new template for this special issue because it's different to a common comic from xkcd. A standard comic template never can cover this. And when this template is complete it should be protected, but the resulting category page is still bad and I need help on this. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:55, 28 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Yeah, I figured that when I tried it myself. It might be a bug with parserfunctions though. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:17, 29 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Do we have active admins here? ==<br />
<br />
This site seems to be running into chaos. The former approved admins do not work that much here; and now I'm even missing you.<br />
<br />
Maybe you are on holidays; if so, I'm just greeting with "Happy holiday". BUT this site still needs an admin.<br />
<br />
You know I'm still looking forward on a German page for this, but this English page is still on my main focus. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:16, 9 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
:The image caching issue is caused by Cloudflare not refreshing the image that it serves as fast as we'd like it to. Outstanding admin requests and unsigned messages were left for one day. That's not inactivity. The only thing I saw being raised was the admin request, which was closer to a progress update to which you butted in with an irrelevant remark. The only conflict I see in talk pages is between you and other editors, and it's only mild disagreements and mostly civil discussion at the moment, so I'm pretty fine with it. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:56, 10 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Minor edits ==<br />
<br />
Hi, you are often doing minor edits like fixing some syntax or missing parentheses. If you would mark them as "minor edits" it could be ignored at the "Recent changes" page. Major changes could be found much more easier. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:29, 21 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Incoming confirmation email: Domain of sender address expla0@vps.explainxkcd.com does not exist ==<br />
<br />
Since the email address of incoming confirmation emails come from a non-existing domain, they are bounced so never reach me.<br />
<br />
From the mail logs:<br />
<br />
<code><br />
2014-05-30T08:36:21.455368+02:00 snap sendmail[12564]: NOQUEUE: connect from vps.lunarpages.com [67.210.100.50] (may be forged) <br />
2014-05-30T08:36:22.049902+02:00 snap sendmail[12564]: s4U6aLdn012564: ruleset=check_mail, arg1=<expla0@vps.explainxkcd.com>, relay=vps.lunarpages.com [67.210.100.50] (may be forged), reject=553 5.1.8 <expla0@vps.explainxkcd.com>... Domain of sender address expla0@vps.explainxkcd.com does not exist <br />
2014-05-30T08:36:22.219369+02:00 snap sendmail[12564]: s4U6aLdn012564: from=<expla0@vps.explainxkcd.com>, size=2306, class=0, nrcpts=0, proto=ESMTP, daemon=MTA, relay=vps.lunarpages.com [67.210.100.50] (may be forged)<br />
</code> {{unsigned|Jeroenp}}<br />
<br />
:You shouldn't need a confirmation email to contribute and use the site. Uh, that feature'll probably be turned off; how did you request the email that generated the above error? '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:21, 31 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Because at http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Preferences it says:<br />
<br />
<blockquote><blockquote>E-mail address is optional, but is needed for password resets, should you forget your password.You can also choose to let others contact you by e-mail through a link on your user or talk page. Your e-mail address is not revealed when other users contact you.<br /><br />
E-mail confirmation: Your e-mail address is not yet authenticated. No e-mail will be sent for any of the following features. <br /><br />
[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:ConfirmEmail Confirm your e-mail address]<br /><br />
* Enable e-mail from other users<br />
* Send me copies of e-mails I send to other users<br />
* E-mail me when a page on my watchlist is changed<br />
* E-mail me when my user talk page is changed<br />
* E-mail me also for minor edits of pages<br />
</blockquote></blockquote><br />
::So I used this to send a confirmation email: http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:ConfirmEmail<br />
::[[User:Jeroenp|Jeroenp]] ([[User talk:Jeroenp|talk]]) 19:13, 31 May 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
The lunarpages do not know to set up a proper Mail Server. My Mail Servers also would never accept this until I whitelist them. Sadly I still have to do this for some customers — also big customers in the US. Reasons because this mail isn't valid:<br />
*dig vps.lunarpages.com:<br />
;; ANSWER SECTION:<br />
vps.lunarpages.com. 3600 IN A 80.156.86.78<br />
vps.lunarpages.com. 3600 IN A 62.157.140.133<br />
*whois 67.210.100.50:<br />
The answer belongs to LunarPages.<br />
*But 67.210.100.50 isn't a registered MX entry for the domain "lunarpages.com":<br />
lunarpages.com. 300 IN MX 0 sharpmail-new.lunarpages.com.<br />
*which is:<br />
sharpmail-new.lunarpages.com. 300 IN A 74.50.25.50<br />
<br />
I'm sorry, but fighting against SPAM is important and a proper Mail and DNS configuration is mandatory. Maybe those admins at LP do need some help and advise.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:06, 2 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
:If you don't have anything useful to say, don't say it. You don't have to be in on every single conversation on the wiki. The issue is being dealt with. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:45, 3 June 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== "Feeling old" category ==<br />
<br />
Hello, Davidy22. I noticed that you deleted the "Feeling old" category I made a while ago due to being "tenuous, not significant enough." In the interest of becoming a better contributor to the wiki, could you explain further on significance for a new category?<br />
<br />
I realize that there are various qualifications that a category has to fulfill, lest it only add clutter to the wiki. A category ought to be simple, memorable, and concise. It should refer to something within or about the strip, be deliberate, and be objective. And, ideally, it should apply to a fair number of strips. I figured that the four strips that included the motif of "character/Randall reflects on how distant the seemingly-recent past is" all used it significantly, as a central theme or as a punchline. I personally feel that Randall hasn't exhausted his use of this motif, and therefore it warrants its own category for future comics, saving time in future explanations and aiding readers of past explanations.<br />
<br />
(My one personal issue with it is that the phrase "feeling old" does not feel concise or specific enough, but I couldn't think of a single word or a better two-word phrase to describe it.) -- [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.21|108.162.216.21]] 18:18, 12 August 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I hope you (Or Davidy22) don't mind me starting off this conversation. Categories are not meant to be used as a tag cloud. Categories are a concrete thing in the comic such as [[:Category:Comics with color]], [[:Category:Red Spiders]]. They are not motifs or feelings about the comic. We don't have categories for happy comics and sad comics, and I can't think of a persuasive enough argument to allow them. Until there's a significant number of comics with "I feel old" or "I'm getting old" or "#FeelingOld" (eww) in the text, I'd hold off on trying to push this one through. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 05:55, 13 August 2014 (UTC)<br />
::Part of the deletion ''was'' because it only had four comics under it. The only times I've allowed categories with that few comics behind them was when they were put forward by registered users who I could make promise to maintain them. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:51, 13 August 2014 (UTC)<br />
::: Okay, so ''feeling'' old is a bad category name. Categories that sound subjective in general are bad. Perhaps "Aging" could work? And also, courtesy of two particular xkcd blogs, I know of at least 10 comics that would belong to it: [[218]], [[354]], [[447]], [[493]], [[647]], [[891]], [[973]], [[1093]], [[1393]], and the recently posted [[1408]]. - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.21|108.162.216.21]] 03:38, 16 August 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Weird formatting bug ==<br />
<br />
I remember back when I had asked about skins you had told me to mention if there was anything off. Well, it's nothing major, but [http://puu.sh/ceEv7.png this] seems to happen on the Main Page alone on the monobook skin. I can't say I've ever seen this before... [[User:Schiffy|<font color="000999">Schiffy</font>]] ([[User_talk:Schiffy|<font color="FF6600">Speak to me</font>]]|[[Special:Contributions/Schiffy|<font color="FF0000">What I've done</font>]]) 16:55, 16 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Mmmm, testing does not give me the same bug, but that part of the page is still malformed. I'll get on that. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:58, 16 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Dont change other peoples comments ==<br />
<br />
When the user clicks "add a topic" in the comments block a new section is added. When a user does this you modify it to a heading style you prefer. This is against every design principal I know of. You have 3 legitimate choices: remove the button, style the header so it pleases you more, or let it be. Since this is a standard part of the wiki and updading versions would likely undo your changes, I would sugest that you simply learn to live with it, as it is not objectivly ugly. <br />
When I find myself in times of trouble<br />
Mother Mary comes to me<br />
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be<br />
And in my hour of darkness<br />
She is standing right in front of me<br />
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be<br />
Let it be, let it be<br />
Let it be, let it be<br />
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.209|108.162.216.209]] 13:10, 21 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:It's not actually done because the header is ugly, it's done because of an error case that occurs when the discussion page is transcluded onto the main explanation page, that came up a while back. It would probably be better to remove that button instead of having to manually change every discussion page header, and I'll get to that when I have the time. Also, note how I only modify headers in explanation talk pages, where the error can occur; headers in user talk pages and the community portal are unchanged. Also, updating between mediawiki versions does not change the contents of (most) pages, so it wouldn't actually undo what I'm doing. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 14:54, 21 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Am I allowed to undo other peoples comments when they include blatant racism? See Weatherlawyer's comments on [[500: Election]] and [[522: Google Trends]]. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:28, 31 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::No. You are not the judge of what other people are allowed to say. If other people say something questionable, they will be warned and/or banned. On the subject his his specific comments, they doesn't seem overtly racist in 500, just heavily politically skewed, but 522 seems pushing it. I'll warn him for now. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:32, 31 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::With respect, referring to 'Only having voted for a chimpanzee twice' is (to me at least) an obvious racial slur aimed at Obama. I have no issue with anyone posting inflammatory comments with regard to his politics/policy/decisions as President/what he stands for etc etc etc, but racism is not ok. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 21:10, 31 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::::Chimp in the general lexicon is used to describe someone mentally challenged, not black. I must say it's quite hard to discern exactly who or what he's talking about because it feels like he's just making comments for the sake of making lots of comments. His statement about texas being granted statehood probably doesn't support the idea that he's talking about Obama, since they're not very supportive of him to begin with. Texas to my knowledge has been a republican state, so unless he really doesn't know what he's talking about, I'd say it's more likely that he's talking about one or more of the recent Republican presidents. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:47, 31 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Other explanations ==<br />
<br />
What if we tried to include explanations for the What if? portion of xkcd? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 19:26, 4 November 2014 (UTC)<br />
{{Color|#AAA|(p.s. - I'm not sure how to get my question to look like it's written on graph paper)}}<br />
:That question comes up every once in a while. My response to the first one was that those things tend to be self explanatory and that the wiki is for the comic, but this'll be the fourth time it's been suggested. I dunno, how would it be formatted on the main page? '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:01, 4 November 2014 (UTC)<br />
::Format indeed... also I understand what you mean about self explanatory - I'd say at least 85% of each entry is quite plain, simple, and straightforward. Most of the humor of the feature is not traditional "ah-ha!" humor (that comes from revelation of a twist on assumptions, or which might benefit from explanation). Every once in a while, though, that remaining 15% (often from the images, but sometimes from a {{w|factlet}} or two) contains a few nuggets of knowledge that make me yearn for discussion or comment, and occasionally clarification to one degree or another. In addition to possible issues of cherry-picking what's explained, and questions on how to format it, there's the question of the variability in release date of the comics (used to be every Tuesday, then Thursday and, if I'm not mistaken, the last two(?) have been on Friday, with a few weeks missed (sometimes with and sometimes without notice or explanation) - so how to catalog that? I'll append to this conversation whenever I get that feeling of "if only there was" and we'll keep it open for discussion, if that sounds good to you(?) -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 12:33, 5 November 2014 (UTC)<br />
:::Probably just note the release date of each article, although I don't fancy to task of cataloging that. I dunno, drop me a message whenever you want. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:37, 5 November 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Template:i ==<br />
<br />
I created that template for a reason. Unicode doesn't work right in many circumstances, especially on phones. Now people without Unicode support will see incorrect equations. Plus typing in a Unicode character is not easy, and not having an easy way to do it will guarantee it won't be used. That's why character templates exist on other wikis. <br />
<br />
I copied the way of making the imaginary constant from Wikipedia. That's how the math template works. The Unicode version doesn't even look like an i in many fonts--the dot is missing. It looks like a weird squiggle that people won't recognize.<br />
<br />
I really wish you would have done like other wikis and had a discussion (and let me know) before just deleting something. I'm lucky I happened to leave the tab open and happened to see it was deleted. <br />
<br />
--[[User:Trlkly|Trlkly]] ([[User talk:Trlkly|talk]]) 22:54, 23 November 2014 (UTC)<br />
:Huh, tested and it does seem to be broken on phones. I'll get restoring that. A lot of these templates don't tend to end up being used though, past their creation. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:33, 24 November 2014 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Strong Language ==<br />
<br />
Hey - I find it interesting that someone chose to create the category about "strong language" or something that you chose to delete because it had one comic. There are countless examples of "strong language", pretty much irrespective of what you consider to be "strong" (just search for one of the various "strong" words) but it's fascinating noone has felt strongly enough about it to make a category until 2015 -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 15:04, 26 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
:It's also that "Strong language" is a really subjective category name that doesn't hold the same boundary for everyone, and is gonna be tough to populate to a degree that satisfies everyone. Although the person who made the category still frequents the wiki, so maybe he's capable of maintaining it. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:36, 27 January 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Delete a page ==<br />
<br />
I created a page [[Test Page]] to test a potential feature. I intended to delete it afterwards, but it seems I don't have permission to delete it. Could you do so? Alternatively, make it into a sandbox [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 03:28, 1 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Yeah, sure. In the future, use [[explain xkcd:Sandbox]]. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:33, 1 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
::K [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 05:45, 1 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Comic template ==<br />
<br />
I made an upgraded version of the comic template that'll deal with [[Radiation]]'s broken navigation bar for once and for all. Could you please look over it to make sure it's all working fine, then replace the current template with it? Updated template is over [[User:Pixali/comictemplate/|here]] and can be viewed in action [[User_talk:Pixali/comictemplate/|here]]. [[User:Pixali|<font color="008000">Pixali</font>]] ([[User talk:Pixali|<font color="004b00">talk</font>]]|[[Special:Contributions/Pixali|<font color="004b00">contribs</font>]]) 02:54, 4 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Tested, this implementation seems to break the back button. Documentation is incomplete and may need usage examples for the new parameters, but I can probably write that when this makes it to the actual implementation. When I'm free, I'll try and get it to work, there's a good start here. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:52, 4 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Got there before ya. I effectively rewrote the entire experimental template, fixing formatting & the broken back buttons while keeping the support for undefined numbers. I still have the examples up over at [[User_talk:Pixali/comictemplate/|the talk page]] for the new template so you can check it out there. I also tried to document it a bit better (inc. explaining the sort key better), but I'm not sure if it's satisfactory yet. [[User:Pixali|<font color="008000">Pixali</font>]] ([[User talk:Pixali|<font color="004b00">talk</font>]]|[[Special:Contributions/Pixali|<font color="004b00">contribs</font>]]) 04:51, 6 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
::Seems pretty solid. I'll fold it into the main template. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 06:42, 6 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Advertising? ==<br />
<br />
Check the recent changes log. A page appears to have been made for the purpose of advertising or political rant or something (I didn't read much, it's long).<br />
<br />
In any case, it's not relevant to this wiki. {{unsigned ip|Mikemk}}<br />
:Yeah, it happens. Looks like another admin got to it before I came home. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:46, 5 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== dgbrtBOT Problems ==<br />
<br />
While I did update my OS to CentOS 7 this weekend I did some tests on my bot. But it seems that problem doesn't belong to my update because I can't get this site via https - only http works.<br />
<br />
Broken: [https://explainxkcd.com//wiki/api.php https://explainxkcd.com//wiki/api.php]<br />
<br />
Working: [http://explainxkcd.com//wiki/api.php http://explainxkcd.com//wiki/api.php]<br />
<br />
My bot requires a secure login via https so I don't know how to fix this.<br />
<br />
Browser request gives me "Error 521" and my bot is "Error code 2: 503 Service Temporarily Unavailable". <br />
<br />
Even [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page] doesn't work for me.<br />
<br />
Unless this is fixed my bot will not work.<br />
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:57, 8 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
:On it. Would it be possible for you to fall back on http while we work on that? xkcd comics aren't hugely security sensitive, so it should be fine. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:13, 8 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::I'm glad to reach you so soon. And sadly this WIKI requires HTTPS for a bot to login. My attempts on plain HTTP did fail, I do need SSL. Did you change something here? On Friday my bot did work. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:28, 8 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::What's the error message with HTTP? '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 00:04, 9 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::"Logging in over plain HTTP is a bad idea, we would be sending secrets (passwords or cookies) in plaintext over an insecure connection. To protect against eavesdroppers, set protocol => 'https'..."<br />
::::I do accept this restriction; using https should be possible here for BOTs because a BOT can do many. If someone missuses my BOT account it would be bad for this site.<br />
::::Maybe I have to import a non trusted certificate (costs money to make it public), but I want still to be on a save path.<br />
::::--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:30, 9 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::::Hum, it would be bad if another party got your address. In other news, have you tried it again recently? It should work, I believe. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:58, 9 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::::PROBLEM SOLVED! And the secrets are reset, just in case...<br />
::::::I got an expected error message while trying to update the LATEST COMIC. Not allowed because it just exist. Looks good...<br />
::::::Next BOT run should work until it's an unexpected dynamic one done by Randall. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:24, 10 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
Bad news: Picture upload did work but then my bot failed. Error messages are not very helpful but I'm sure I'll figure it out. So I will do some tests tomorrow on that damn API changes. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:57, 11 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Oof. If there's anything you need server side, tell me. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:48, 11 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
More BAD news: I still have to figure out the reason for error messages like this: "Error code 0: at /opt/xkcd/xkcdtest.pl line 104." What the hell is "Error code 0"??? Sadly it seems I have to work on this a little bit more. AND gooooogle doesn't help me... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 23:06, 12 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Error code 0 is the default exit value in perl. It seems like you're terminating the script at line 104. It's a natural exit though, so it's probably part of your error checking. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:51, 13 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Request for help ==<br />
<br />
I'm in the midst of a [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Proposals#Merge_Cueball_.26_Rob disagreement]] with another user about some general stylistic issues and I'd like to solicit broader input from the wiki community. Do you know a mechanism by which I can request such input? Thanks! [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 00:04, 12 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:Davidy22&action=edit&section=77<br />
<br />
:The community portal would be the place to do it. People don't usually frequent there, but you'll get input over an extended period of time. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:24, 12 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
::Thanks. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 15:29, 12 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== List of all comics broke recently ==<br />
<br />
Thanks for adding "For comics from 1001-1500, see [[List of all comics (1001-1500)]]" to http://explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/List_of_all_comics_(full)<br />
But now links are being added in the wrong place. I'm just not sure why/how. [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 18:44, 23 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
:There's a couple of things I did wrong. Fix'd '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:40, 23 March 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== The "incomplete explanation of the day" doesn't seem to be updated daily... ==<br />
<br />
Should this be the case?--[[User:17jiangz1|17jiangz1]] ([[User talk:17jiangz1|talk]]) 08:06, 9 April 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Currently, it's whenever the current one is completed. It used to be per day, but we don't have as many incomplete comics left to cycle through, and the ones that are left, are difficult to fix and don't get frequent changes. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:12, 9 April 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==What Ifs taken down? ==<br />
Hey man, I saw you took down the 'Short Answer Section', 'Alternate Universe Whatifs' and the 'Growth Rate' page. Is this because of the Creative Commons license, because you maybe don't want whatif-pages on this wiki or is it of something else? I really spent some time working on those two and maybe a genuine reason for taking them down would be appreciated [[User:Nk22|Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 19:55, 21 April 2015 (UTC)<br />
:The what if pages were literally just the contents of the main articles transferred over to here. Those articles are already Randall's answers to questions, well explained in-of themselves. They don't need any further assistance from us, and we're not providing a lot of value by just copying the text of his articles. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:02, 21 April 2015 (UTC)<br />
::OK, I see the point you're making. Most of those don't go as deep as some of the comics and are basicly explinations themselves. I might as well just add links to the what-if.xkcd.com website for more info. [[User:Nk22|Nk22]] ([[User talk:Nk22|talk]]) 20:05, 21 April 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== You're a hero ==<br />
<br />
I don't know how often you're told that. But you're a hero, and you're my hero. Keep doing an amazing job and avoid burn out. I'll be coming back in 2 weeks. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]<span title="I'm an admin. I can help.">_a</span> ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 06:07, 28 April 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Being able to just set up pages and let users fill everything in really helps with the load. Makes it much less work than it may seem. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:19, 28 April 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Green Hat ==<br />
<br />
If Green Hat's one appearance is not sufficient for his own page, why does [[Brown Hat]] have his own page with only one appearance in [[399: Travelling Salesman Problem]]? --{{User:17jiangz1/signature|12:46, 05 May 2015}}<br />
:I was not a part of making that, and am not a huge fan of the existence of that page because of the precedent set. Weak precedent doesn't really justify making more though, as there are enough one-off characters to easily make the characters navbox very cluttered and unusable while providing little real value to visitors. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:22, 6 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Unicode Theme ==<br />
<br />
I'm sorry, I don't quite understand how unicode wasn't a significant theme in xkcd. It has been mentioned directly and indirectly, from the past into the present. Compared to "no title text", it seemed at least as significant of a category. What kinds of categories are considered significant? (It was significant to me.) {{unsigned|Azule}}<br />
:Hum, looking back, it *is* a central point of all four comics included. Might be more justifiable than the typical marginal category page. Just remember to maintain it. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 21:10, 15 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Bot Problems==<br />
Can you see anything at the log files why my BOT can't create/edit a simple page here? Since I still get only "Error code: 0". I maybe have to debug the API itself. Picture upload should be fixed now. Someone did beautify the LATESTCOMIC template my bot didn't expect this and did a save STOP at that point. Let's see if the picture works again tomorrow, but I want to do the entire comic again. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:23, 26 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
:I'll check soon, wee bit busy at the moment '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:28, 27 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
::Thanks for help. Picture upload works again since I adopt the beautified LATESTCOMIC page - I need that number to verify a new comic. My bot is doing nothing if that test fails. <br />
::But when I try to create a new page I still get NO information about the error. And I did many investigations so far. It's frustrating... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:01, 27 May 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:::Please delete this:<br />
:::2 June 2015<br />
:::: (diff | hist) . . Nb Test 000001; 20:23 . . (+33) . . DgbrtBOT (Talk | contribs) (Created by dgbrtBOT)<br />
:::: (diff | hist) . . Nb 000001: Test 000001; 20:23 . . (+288) . . DgbrtBOT (Talk | contribs) (Created by dgbrtBOT)<br />
:::Bullshit... downgrading my BOT API to the former version did solve the problem. The documentation for the current MediaWiki:Bot is WRONG!!! I don't know why I haven't had this idea before.<br />
:::If my bot works again I will update the dgbrtBOT page on that status tomorrow. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:34, 2 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::Huh. It might be that we're out of date, and you upgraded to a version incompatible with our mediawiki version. I'm gonna have to get on that eventually. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:53, 2 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::::I don't think it's your MediaWiki version, my BOT API was just crap. Let's see if it does work again tomorrow. Picture uploads are already done by my bot again - even when people overwrite it. But maybe I've to do some minor fixes tomorrow, let's see. May the SCHWARTZ be with my MOG... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:12, 2 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::::I suspect your newer version wasn't trying to break things, we *are* very out-of-date. The only way to really know is by upgrading the wiki and seeing if it breaks the bot again, I guess. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:20, 2 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::::::My latest API client was corrupt, not the wiki here itself. Your guess sounds a little bit like the test was done in "2001: A Space Odyssey" on HAL. But since my BOT can't talk like HAL I have to check the log-files afterwards. Today there was only ONE PROBLEM: An user here was faster than my BOT within just 2 minutes - should not happen very often.<br />
:::::::But if this happens again my BOT will get a new enhancement: If my BOT finds a just a few minutes old upload here it will override them all and create all the edits needed here. Nobody can write an explain by that time but my BOT would ensure all the proper changes would be done here. What do you think? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:16, 3 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
::::::::Sounds good. I could also restrict page creation to certain groups, so that an anonymous user doesn't pull the trigger so fast either. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 21:58, 3 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
:::::::::Let's see first if my BOT works again. But restricting page creation should not affect/effect the creation of TALK pages. Maybe overwrite this posts by my BOT would be the better option. Everything wrong would be cleaned up. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:09, 4 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
The problems are '''solved''' and I'm happy about that. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:40, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
:I noticed. Good stuff. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 21:04, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
::Thanks. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:10, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Bad uppercase==<br />
Please delete this: [[:File:Antique_Factory.PNG]]. The correct lowercase picture is done by me. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:10, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Done '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:47, 5 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Please delete==<br />
Please delete this [[:File:1540.jpg]] because it's the wrong name. I did change [[1540: Hemingway]] to the correct file uploaded by my BOT.<br />
For the first time my BOT reverted an existing page because some standards did miss. My BOT was late (13:35 Nk22 vs. 13:48 dgbrtBOT) but my BOT was still acting correct and did all the further actions needed. [[User:Nk22|Nk22]] got a message by me. My BOT acts every 2 minutes so it seems I have to solve a cache problem, maybe at Randall's cloud... --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:03, 19 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
:Dunnered '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:00, 20 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
::Thanks. A new upload on the correct image did last more than three hours for me to see. My BOT suffers on the same Cloud Cache problems. I've no idea to solve this damn clod cache. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:54, 20 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== BOT problems, CLOUD problems ==<br />
<br />
My BOT still got the old comic while other people did upload the new one in a corrupt way. So let's define some rules for my BOT to be slightly more violent. For now I'm only checking if also the comic-name redirect exists. But I think that my BOT should test all required updates here, and if something is missing it would do a clean job here. Wrong picture uploads and more will still have to be solved manually. It will only a few minutes and I don't think that it will delete many essential contents, and even if it does it will be available at the history.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:11, 22 June 2015 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== RE: Delete Template ==<br />
<br />
Really? That's weird, [[Template:Delete]] is showing up blank and redlinked for me. <span style="background:#0064de;font-size:12px;padding:4px 12px;border-radius:8px;">[[User talk:AgentMuffin|<span style="color:#f0faff;">~AgentMuffin</span>]]</span><br />
<br />
== Kudos on fighting spam ! ==<br />
I don't know if anyone tells you this.. You do an amazing job to keep all this working smoothly. It was especially evident in your current spam fighting. You were able to undo things even before anyone sees it. Amazing work man ! Keep it up. We are all with you, just holler somewhere on main page if you need help and we'll be there. (Well I haven't opened an account yet but I try to help anonymously...) Kudos again.. I'll buy you a drink if we ever meet and you mention that you are Davidy22 :D [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.216|199.27.130.216]] 10:48, 12 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
:If I was good at this sysadmin thing, there just shouldn't be any spam. Took a whole day to figure out a configuration that keeps it at a manageable level, but stuff is still slipping through the cracks. I'll get to polishing it off in the weekend. Thanks for the support though. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:50, 12 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
::I second the anonymous praise here. All of it, both spam and keeping the page up and running. I did not even notice any spam, not before I read your note at the bottom below the ''Should we change the tagline?'' discussion. How does it manifest it self (can you shown an example, or is it not just reverted but completely deleted from the pages?). Great work no matter! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:24, 13 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
:::If you take a look at the deletion log, you'll see [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Log/delete all the garbage] that appeared here in the last few days. There's also some vandalism in [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Miscellaneous&action=history Miscellaneous], and no other community portal, which is suspicious. This just cropped up in the last few days, not sure why spammers decided to target us again. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:12, 13 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
::::Did it fall together with the "Should we change the tagline? What do you want the new one to be? Discuss it here!" banner at the top, that links to the site that was spammed? That might make sense? Thanks for answering, now I understand what type of Spam we are being subjected too, and also why I did not see these pages from normal use. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:29, 14 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
:::::Yeah, links from the main page probably determine where the spammers are targeting, but I don't know why they decided to start targeting us after all this time leaving us alone. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:42, 14 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
:::::: Someone might have linked the misc page from some other site (reddit/tumblr/etc.) after banner was put up and the spammers might have just followed the link when crawling that site. That seems to be logical explanation of why it started just after we put up that banner. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.216|199.27.130.216]] 22:08, 14 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
::::::: Well, i personally think that Davidy is doing a great job with handling this spam situation, and he deserves a lot more credit than what he's getting. So thanks, Davidy, for making sure the site is still functional. P.S. Sorry about the lack of signature. i just joined the channel today and i haven't figured everything out yet. {{unsigned|Flamewolf}}<br />
::::::::If I were doing a good job, there wouldn't be spam to clean up in the first place. I'm trying a bunch of things but the spammers are fairly smart. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:27, 18 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
:This thread has gone too deep, I'm coming out to first level. ;-) Alright, you could try couple of things. You first want to know where the spammers are coming from and if you can stop them at source. You might have to add tracking on what previous site is the user coming from. If all spam bots are coming from single source, we could request the source site that links us to modify/hide their links. Second, are the spam accounts posting from different IPs every time ? Otherwise you could place a temporary IP based ban. Third, I'm interested in knowing why the bots are creating accounts while they could edit the pages anonymously. This might tell us about the algorithm they are using. And how are accounts treated differently than anon users ? Do they not get captcha while posting ? In which case, you could enable captacha's for users with accounts as well. EDIT: I'm the same guy as the OP of this thread (IP : 199.27.130.216). [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.153|108.162.245.153]] 11:18, 19 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
:And in case you haven't seen this, take a look at [[https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Combating_spam this mediawiki page]] about spam fighting. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.153|108.162.245.153]] 11:27, 19 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Another observation by looking at recent changes / deletion log, half the edits seem to be by bots, while half of them appear as if real people are behind this. There are companies out there that take contracts to and employ people to manually circumvent the spam protection strategies. If this is the case, we need a different strategy. That's why it's so important to know the nature of spammers and what are they using.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.153|108.162.245.153]] 11:48, 19 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
:To be honest, i've had an idea for maybe stopping or slowing this. Maybe we could find a way to trace where all these accounts are coming from and block that place's IP from connecting to the website? --[[User:Flamewolf|Flamewolf]] ([[User talk:Flamewolf|talk]]) 15:26, 19 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Alright, so, we're using cloudflare as a CDN and intermediary for traffic for performance reasons, and they obscure IP addresses. There's a fix that we've yet to implement, but something always seems to get in the way in real life. IP banning is a little weak because of this. Users with accounts also get CAPTCHA'd, until they are at least 3 days old and have at least 10 edits. I'm not sure why the spambots make accounts, besides gunking up our database with more garbage. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:00, 20 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
:: Hey, good job! Whatever steps you took, seem to be working. Spam is nowhere to be seen. [[http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Special:RecentChanges Recent changes]] are all clean. Well done ! :) [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.216|199.27.130.216]] 05:38, 22 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
:::The last thing I changed was a permissions thing shutting off talk page creation for new users. Now that's over with, I'm going to have to dive back into that mess of a discussion over the tagline again. Blergh, with finals coming up too. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:54, 23 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Question about spam ==<br />
<br />
If I see spam on a talk page, such as what is present on the current comic's talk page, should I delete it? I don't want to get in trouble for messing with other people's posts. [[User:Mikemk|Mikemk]] ([[User talk:Mikemk|talk]]) 13:31, 20 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Spambots aren't people, go nuts. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:25, 20 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
::I just spotted this [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1613:_The_Three_Laws_of_Robotics&oldid=112929 spam] where the entire [[1613]] was deleted. I had just added something today, and found it was missing. I have of course corrected it, but could there be more? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:52, 20 February 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Creation of disussion pages for new comics ==<br />
<br />
Hi Davidy22. I have recently seen at least two cases where people wish to make a comment on a new comic, but cannot because the page has no been created (and they do not have the right to do so). For instance I even had [[User_talk:Kynde#Please_create_the_discussion_page_for_today.27s_comic.|a message]] from someone who could see I was making changes (I guess). Would it be possible for the BOT to create the discussion page empty like I did here [[Talk:1654: Universal Install Script]], with a not shown reminder about signing comments? That would help some users of explain xkcd who do not wish to make a user account. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 07:45, 11 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Yeah, I can leave a message in dgbrt's talk page. I'll push him the changes needed to make it happen as well. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:51, 11 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
::Great, it would help some of the early users :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:22, 12 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
:::Hi Davidy22 and hi [[User:Kynde|Kynde]]. Sorry, I'm late. Please check my talk page for further progress.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:46, 30 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Hi Davidy does the boot not work at all now? Posted a reply on [[User_talk:Dgbrt#Making_discussion_pages|Dgbrt's talk page]]. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:06, 11 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Errors in counting "known appearances" for characters ==<br />
<br />
Hi Davidy22. I have seen this error more than once, and today with a comic featuring [[Danish]] it once again became very clear that something was wrong (impossible to spot for Cueball and the other main characters). On her page it says 16 know appearances. But on the page [[:Category:Comics featuring Danish]] it says 18, and even though one of these are the main page (which will change Wednesday when the next comic is released) there is one too few in the count. Maybe it will correct it self later? I think I have seen the same for [[Hair Bun Girl]] but her count is up to date now. But it is typically on the release days that people would pass these pages, so it is a shame if it first works later. Just so you can check it out, and if you know what's going on let me know ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:08, 21 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
:So, the way the explanation on the main page works, we take the number in [[Template:LATESTCOMIC]] and find the page that is named that number. Every comic in this wiki must have a correspoding page for their number that redirects to the comic explanation to make the forward/backward buttons work and for the main page to automatically point to the latest explanation without need for us to allow bots to modify the main page directly. The entire text of the explanation is included in the main page in this process, including categories. The [[Template:comic discussion|discussion template]] actually has a check for the title of the current page, and it doesn't render if it's the main page. We can do a similar thing to prevent categories from being assimilated into the main page, create a template that inserts the check around the categories and have a bot remove the template when the comic isn't the newest one anymore. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:47, 26 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
::That would be great. Guess you have more important things on your mind right now. Such a shame this should happen when this crazy april fool came out. It probably hinders some people in using this page to help explain. Good luck with making it work. I tried to read the post on the community page but did not really understand why it happened. It cannot be related to the Garden comic can it? And it was working fine all weekend. So nothing with April 1st either... [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 12:14, 5 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
:::The traffic is slugging our servers around and making a bunch of things on the wiki weird. I'm trying to alleviate the symptoms, but stuff like styles not working is the traffic's fault. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:46, 6 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
::::So because people come in here due to the Garden comic there is so much run on Explain for a work week that it is still not working? If that is true Randall has done it again with his Nerd sniping! And yes I'm very guilty and would have been smeared all over the side walk by the truck had it been Black Hat rather than Randall who did this to me ;-) [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:53, 8 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Wiki continuity ==<br />
<br />
Hey - I noticed that neither of the two 'crats have been active since mid-late 2015. Have you been in contact with them? People may come and go from a wiki, but it'd be a shame to lose contact with the only folks who have the ability to promote admins. A wiki-reader, ''[[User:Philosopher|Philosopher]]'' <sup>[[User talk:Philosopher|Let us reason together.]]</sup> 01:32, 24 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
:I do actually keep in touch with [[User:Jeff|Jeff]] still, but Lcarsos is AWOL as far as I know. Jeff and I have server access, and I technically could make myself a beauracrat if I wanted to, I just wanted Jeff to be ok with it first and never asked. Jeff is still alive though, and I can get him to promote an admin if the community ever agrees that a user should be upgraded. I'm looking at kynde in particular, he does a lot here. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:47, 26 March 2016 (UTC)<br />
::Hey thanks Davidy. I'm not sure I'm up for the task though. I do actually not know that much about computers or what it means being an admin on such a page here. But I really appreciate the thought and the notice. Funny that Jeff wrote the note of the 100 mil. views only six days after the post from Philosopher. I had not heard about Jeff before, but read about him after that. Oh and also spotted that DGBRt works on the bot making auto discussion pages. Maybe it works here on April 1st (a comic I'm looking much forward to. Where is it. It's noon in Europe I cannot wait any longer ;-)--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:50, 1 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
:::Hi Davidy. As you can obviously see I have been contributing quite a lot to explain xkcd lately. But it is time I took a break as I simply have spend too much time on xkcd... So I will take a break at least for the rest of 2016 from posting here. I hope to return later. Since I plan to stop completely from contributing after this post, I thought I at least would let someone know that it was a choice ;-) Best regards --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:27, 14 November 2016 (UTC)<br />
::::Thanks for all the work you've put in here, have a good holiday and I hope you'll be able to come back some time soon. You do good work here. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 17:21, 14 November 2016 (UTC)<br />
:::::Hi Davidy. Thanks for those words. I will not be back to me normal amount of editing, but I will start to contribute again some times. Just did on the [[2017]] comic. Nice to be back. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:25, 2 January 2017 (UTC)<br />
::::::Oh, good to see you back already. Take your time with it, don't burn yourself out on editing. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:06, 4 January 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
;Complaining about Dbgrt:<br />
:Hi Davidy. I'm a bit tired of what happens lately with no. four top contributor back in the warzone. I would like to write something to you about why I feel I might end up taking another (longer?) break due to this... I hope you still would be sad to see me go, but these last few weeks it has been more with dread than enjoyment I come to these pages to see what has been written about my edits... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:55, 7 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
::By the way just read through [[Talk:1806: Borrow Your Laptop]]. I have said a lot of what I have been thinking there now... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:31, 8 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
:::I've had problems with dgbrt and other users before, I'll look into it. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:15, 9 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
::::Thanks. It is developing into a heated discussion between mainly Dgbrt and the rest... I'm sure I also sometimes make bad edits, and could cause problems... But at the moment Dgbrt seems to believed I had agreed with him on his other points rather than just the transcript. I tried to write that it was the tone and style that provoked me (and it seems others). And also that he seems to wish different style than the others involved at the moment. He claims there are many who have issues with the current style, but apart from the transcript I have not seen many examples, and none that he links to. Mainly it is to be expected that those who has issues write, and those that have not are much less likely to write that they like something. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:08, 10 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
:::::Hi again. I'm really getting sooo tired of the way Dgbrt writes to my edits (and others). So I have now written an angry reply to him here [[Talk:1805:_Unpublished_Discoveries]], and explained to him that I have also complained to you directly. Because it is just not OK to become personal because I missed a "]" or write as I explain in my comment on that talk page. Hope you will find time to do something about it before he scares other editors than me away! --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 16:06, 13 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
::::::Hope you will soon find time Davidy, because it just gets more and more out of hand between the two of us. I had not been back to edit since the March 11th until today (long time for me when a new comic was up yesterday), because I'm really getting depressed by the way Dgbrt acts. See his comment (and my reply) to my admission that I had talked to you here in the link above. As I said he scrutinizes everything I do and find it lacking. If I think I'm improving something he says I have ruined other peoples work, but he also just undos others work as well... I see that you also undid one of his undoings as your most recent edit here... For the newest comic [[1810]] I really believed I only followed the consensus in the discussion and made some really nice additions, in my opinion of course. I hardly deleted any info, but moved it around. And then almost instantly I [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk%3AKynde&diff=137247&oldid=136552 get this message]. And again he only looks at the red not at what I have actually written. When deleting a paragraph or moving around everything turns red. This is thus the second time in a row he goes after my edits like this. I have almost not looked at what he have done to my many edits from this weekend, but the one I for other reasons did look at today [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1803:_Location_Reviews&action=history he had undone]. I redid it, but to what purpose...? I'm really sad that it has come to this, and have no proof yet that it is other than Dgbrt that has anything in general against my edits. Though he keeps claiming so. Of course there will be some negative comments, but he writes as if he knows that many other editors dislike what I do. Maybe I should have agreed to be an admin back then... ;-) well probably not when I end up in such a stupid edit war :/ --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 22:14, 14 March 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Current lack of styles etc. ==<br />
<br />
You obviously have more access than me, but simply turning on Chrome's Developer Tools shows all ''load.php'' script and style references are returning 404 status, but when you go to those references directly in a new tab they all display "No input file specified.".<br />
<br />
And for me, the site doesn't seem to be slow in any way that would suggest lots of load.<br />
<br />
[[User:Markhurd|Mark Hurd]] ([[User talk:Markhurd|talk]]) 16:04, 18 April 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:A simple search at google gave me this: [https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Manual:Load.php Manual:Load.php]. So someone with access to the server has to edit the file ".htaccess". If this doesn't help I would need the log-files from the server for further investigations. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:47, 7 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
::It was permissions, didn't change htaccess when the problems started. Had a good few red herrings, figured it out eventually. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:00, 17 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
:::Looks much better now. Thanks! --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:01, 17 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== The current incomplete explanation in the spotlight is not incomplete. (Help us fix it!) ==<br />
<br />
Every page says "The current incomplete explanation in the spotlight is 1338: Land Mammals. Help us fix it!"<br />
<br />
But 1338: Land Mammals doesn't have an incomplete notice, and the list of all complete pages does not list 1338: Land Mammals.<br />
<br />
I think someone removed the incomplete status from 1338: Land Mammals but no one picked a new one for the spotlight.<br />
<br />
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.131|108.162.215.131]] 03:16, 5 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Thanks for reminding me, I'll get better about checking on that. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:01, 17 May 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Category that should be deleted ==<br />
<br />
Hi Davidy22. When [[1724]] came up someone added the [[:Category:Axiom of Choice]]. That took this category up to three. But I believe this may be warranted to keep that category. But I'll leave that to you. You deleted one I made once with three comics [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Category:Ba%27al&action=edit&redlink=1 Category:Ba'al] (see [[1419: On the Phone]]).<br />
<br />
But there was another category: [[:Category:Set theory]], which only referred to the two old Axiom of Choice comics and then as an under category had the Axiom of Choice category. So it was redundant. So I have removed any references to this category and moved relevant text to the axiom of choice.<br />
<br />
So I will suggest that the set theory category page is deleted as with Ba'al. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:12, 7 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Oh, how'd I miss that. Removed both categories, the axiom of choice category was too narrow and too infrequent to merit a category page. Thanks for telling me. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:56, 10 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
::I guess it is hard to keep up with all that happens here. I have made several new categories but now try to wait for at least five entries. For instance [[:Category:Google Glass]] and [[:Category:Climate change]] are recent addition, the latter very actual you could say with [[1732]]... And then I also just added [[Blondie]] and [[:Category:News anchor]] as new categories. I rephrased all three axiom of choice comics to refer to each other rather than to the category, so there is no loss of data for deleting both those categories. Let me know if you think I create too narrow categories. But as soon as there are more than five of anything, it become very tedious to refer back to each of them from each comic and a category is much to prefer. And with five already the chance that Randall soon add more comics is realistic. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:20, 13 September 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
New category to delete. Maybe there should be a category but not with this hopeless name: [[:Category:Comics featuring the floating sphere from the future]] --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:18, 19 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Done '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:48, 19 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
::Great. Now that we know it was only a two comic series I have made a new category for that series: [[:Category:Time traveling Sphere]]. I have also made a chronological list on the [[:Category:Comic series]] of each series to see how special this new series was in it's release schedule. There have been similar series, but never just like this. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 23:49, 25 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
----<br />
<br />
== Why do you keep disorganizing my comments? ==<br />
I've run into the instance where I would leave a comment on a page and then get an email later, only to find out it was just you moving my comments around. I know you told me posts like this were supposed to follow a chronological order, but comments don't need to (nor do they have to) follow a chronological order, so why do you keep disorganizing my comments and put them all the way at the bottom of the page (even when they are in chronological order or mine aren't the only comments out of order, yet you move only mine anyways)? --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 22:45, 10 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
:They do actually go in order. You break chronology when replying to a comment, and you signify that with indentation, but otherwise the custom on wikis is that new comments and comment threads go to the bottom. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 23:04, 10 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
::If they go in chronological order, then why don't others follow that formula? Because on the same thread (and others) I've noticed out-of-order comments. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 23:13, 10 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
:::Every top level comment goes in chronological order. The exception is when you're replying to another comment. Everyone else puts new top level comments at the bottom of the talk page. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:33, 11 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
::::I was talking about top level comments. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 11:10, 11 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
:::::And they should be in time order. Minor mistakes happpen sometimes, but posting straight to the top is just deliberately disregarding the flow of comments. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 18:41, 11 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Current incomplete explanation ==<br />
<br />
The "current incomplete explanation in the spotlight" has been the same for 5 months now and the last edit was almost a month ago.<br />
May I suggest to either (a) mark the comic as complete and move on or (b) put a different comic in the spotlight and send this one back to the backlog?<br />
<br />
Pro (a): All regular visitors who are willing to edit have probably read the notice, visited the explanation multiple times and simply don't have anything more to add at this point and won't be re-reading everything again.<br />
<br />
Pro (b): If the comic comes into spotlight again at a later date, people are more likely to click on it because it's different from their last visit and they may actually go through with re-reading everything.<br />
<br />
P.S. What's the criteria for completion on a comic like this where you can essentially explore a whole world and write about pretty much anything in it?<br />
--[[User:7he3rain|7he3rain]] ([[User talk:7he3rain|talk]]) 10:50, 17 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
:I don't want to just mark it as complete when I can't say that it is, I'll just change the comic. This kind of stuff does happen with the larger comics though, the pages get really unwieldy and they're older pages that people aren't necessarily interested in. I think there's a fairly good criteria for completion for 1608, set by the very large table, but it's an awful long way off still. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 19:46, 17 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
::Yep mostly my work and I lost interest and time when other big comics came out. I would like to complete it but it is a big task. There are also other reasons given for why it is incomplete. And so it should not be marjed as complete. But yes maybe it should be changed to another comic in the searchlight? Which has already happened. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 19:16, 19 October 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Signature concerns ==<br />
I have tried numerous times, and I don't know if it's because I'm an idiot or not, but I cannot find a way to make a signature for my page. I've tried codes and other things in the 'new signature' bar, but all it does is replace 'JayRulesXKCD' with the code I typed before... What am I doing wrong? --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 17:34, 9 November 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Signature for your page? You mean a custom signature, right? You want to put <nowiki>{{SUBST:User:JayRulesXKCD/sig}}</nowiki> in the new signature box, then make a page containing the signature. You can view mine for a template. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:11, 9 November 2016 (UTC)<br />
:Yes. I meant a custom signature. Thank you. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 12:10, 10 November 2016 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Falsehoods ==<br />
<br />
>I'm not willing to keep making points that you'll brush off as false and state your own claims as true<br />
<br />
It is literally the other way round. It is you who declare that 'signing' is good and I whose examples how it isn't you consistently ignore and vocally state that I have failed to provide. In light of this eerie brand of apparent self-victimization of yours, it doesn't seem to make much sense any longer to point out the nonsense of how you claim to have to 'clean mess' while the 'mess' in question is literally just freedom from screen clutter.<br />
<br />
>this talk page is now locked for anonymous users<br />
<br />
In a way befitting of an admin who spoke almost exclusively in falsehoods over this whole 'discussion', this is literally false as well. The page is locked to regular users as well. <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> {{unsigned ip|198.41.243.245}}<br />
:The talk page is locked for user accounts under 10 days old and with less than 10 edits in other places. It's the same protection level used for page creation. I used it on the talk page because in addition to yur willful refusal to recognize or follow site rules, there were multiple other anonymous users who were behaving poorly towards other users, for whom banning was also going to prove ineffective because of shifting IP addresses. I'm not going to waste unpaid volunteer time dealng with people who think they're being clever defying formatting rules on internet forums because they think 20 additional charaters of information is discussion crippling clutter. If you're going to waste my time on my talk page as well, I'm going to raise privilege levels here. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:36, 10 November 2016 (UTC)<br />
:: >yur willful refusal to recognize<br />
:: Not only did I recognize them, I also explained why you made them, why they damage the community, why you're refusing to admit that they damage the community, how you refuse to acknowledge any of the prior, and how you repeatedly vocally deny that I have explained all of the prior (owing to your discussion style, much of it more than once). Also, stellar job using the word 'other' in two so different contexts: first by implying that I am 'behaving poorly', and second, that no one behaved poorly towards me. To anyone who might read this comment, [[ Talk:1756: I'm With Her |search the page for the word 'civility' for the extent to which I abused other users]]. (Also, if you had a modicum of decency, you would have made a template explaining that owing to the page having been locked, any threads left unfinished do not reflect one of the participant deserting them, but just your interruption. But then, we've already established that it's not the site that you're caring about here.) (Oh, and shave your talkpage, it's fucking disgusting.) <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki> {{unsigned ip|198.41.243.238}}<br />
:::Damage is some kind of hyperbole to use to describe a convention so baked into wiki discussion, there's a rendered shortcut for it baked into the software. Also, you're not the only offender on the talk page, the whole page was locked for anonymous users because you, some of the users you were conversing with, and certain other people throwing slurs at randall and admins were on changing IP addresses, making blocks impossible for behavior that would typically justify temporary blocks. This is a problem with IP users in general, and letting anonymous users comment is a motion of trust that the user won't deliberately ignore written rules while swearing at admins through the protection of being impossible to ban. You are not the only reason the page is locked, though the time I wasted on you certainly contributed to the decision. I've issued an ineffective ban on a commenter on the page already, and the discussion is far off topic in multiple branches of your comment trees and aggressive sporadically throughout. The page is locked so that moderation can actually happen, and because anonymous users haven't shown their best side today. Also, your tendency to assert that statements you disagree with are unequivocally false is very irritating. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:36, 11 November 2016 (UTC)<br />
::::Great response Davidy - and very polite compared to what you faced. By the way also interesting to hear what happens behind the curtain for an admin. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:03, 28 January 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Sad comic trivia ==<br />
<br />
Hi Davidy.<br />
<br />
As you can see I'm back editing. Specifically I have been busy connecting the sad post Trumps election comics and have made the post as a trivia to [[1790: Sad]] - see [[1790#Sad_comics|here]].<br />
<br />
I would like to hear your opinion on the placement. I do not think these comics fit into a category as their relation needs to be seen in a broader light that I have tried to shine here. But maybe a separate page could be created, but I really do not know what to call it. Sad comics in general would also cover lots of other comics especially many of the cancer comics. So Sad Comics alone would not do it. Also Trump should not be part of the name, as Randall has as far as I know never mentioned his name in his comics yet? But to me it is crystal clear that the comic is either a direct reaction to the election or to peoples behavior online (or around Randall). Although I'm quite sure he is sad about the way politic is going especially with his concern for global warming.<br />
<br />
When I first made the trivia someone deleted it entirely, but it was also just a short sum up of those three other comics [[Blame]], [[Negativity]] and [[1779: 2017|2017]]. Now I have also included he [[I'm With Her]] as it seems to have started the series of sad comics. But I think it is important for the understanding of these comics to have them collected somewhere, and if they are sad, then a comic called [[Sad]] seems to be the right place if no single page would do. <br />
<br />
What do you think about this, and about my current trivia on Sad's page?<br />
:--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:57, 28 January 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Given the absence direct references to Trump in the comic, I would refrain from implicating him until Randall makes it explicitly clear that he's talking about Trump. The portions that talk about other comics' relation to Trump definitely fall outside the scope of the explanation page for 1790 and their removal was probably appropriate. Also, the word sad is a little tenuous of a link to trump and 1761, 1773 and 1779 all seem like similarly loose connections. They all depict feelings that may result from the election, but are not necessarily directly connected or caused by the election and linking them in a category or section for this and not other, older comics showing sadness is going to be difficult to support in the future. Also, constructing links between miscellaneous comics to Trump when none of them directly reference Trump seems like taking a side when we as a wiki should be firmly neutral. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:05, 29 January 2017 (UTC)<br />
::Hi Davidy. Thanks for the constructive critique. What about the release days in relation the the election, the electoral college vote, new year (of the year he will be president) and finally the first comic after his first real workday. Personally I'm not in any doubt that his sad comics is a result of the election. Maybe they reflect more on other peoples sadness than Randall's own, but with the [[1732]] comic in mind I'm sure he is not only worried about the wall and Muslims banned from the states, but really really worried about the global warming that Trump will help increase. And he has made a direct comic related to his opinion on Trump in I'm With Her. By placing it in a trivia people can also choose not to read it, and I find that the increase in such sad comics is very relevant. I do not remember any real sad comics the year before his election.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:31, 29 January 2017 (UTC)<br />
:::PS Just ran through the all comics a year back from I'm with her (or rather Blame) and on from blame. There are four depressing in those last 30 comics Blame included. The only remotely sad or disturbing comic in the 157 a year back from Blame is the global warming comic I just linked above here. And that is not really sad because it is also funny. But the end is scary. Also I checked the 15 pages listed under cancer. I would only say five of those are sad, the other are mainly funny or just something to be thoughtful of. The five sad comics came out over a range of 324 comics [[818]] in November 2010 until [[1141]] November 2012. SO instead of four in just three months it was only five over two years and on a subject he had real cause to be sad, negative or worried about. So I think it is very relevant for explain xkcd to note this increase in sad comics. Of course there could have been other sad comics in between those, but I just don't remember many comics like this. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:59, 29 January 2017 (UTC)<br />
::::The difference between the cancer category and these comics that may or may not have something to do with Trump is that there are explicit references to cancer in the comics in the cancer category. It takes some amount of inference to link those four comics to Trump, and they aren't necessarily linked to the election. They may typify things that Randall noticed after the election, but they can be used in vastly different contexts and the correlation does not necessarily indication causation. The only comic among the five in the trivia section that genuinely merits a sizeable amount of of text on trump is [[1756]], because he's actually directly relevant to the comic. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 20:24, 29 January 2017 (UTC)<br />
:::::Hmmm. So would you suggest to remove it completely from the trivia. I could put it on my own page as a theory and link people with interest to it from the comics talk pages. Or would it be enough to remove Trump references and then keep the four sad negative comics as a worth of mentioning due to the fact that they do seem to take a negative view of the world which is not usually Randall's style. I'm of course sad... because I put a lot of work into that section. Just like I just did with the so far empty transcript of [[1461:_Payloads]] (not that much though!). See by the way an interesting [[1461:_Payloads#Trivia|trivia]] I found regarding that comic and the transcript on xkcd for said comic. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 01:03, 30 January 2017 (UTC)<br />
::::::Personal interpretation of a comic or loose perceived links between comics are what the discussion section is for. If users want to discuss speculative links between comics that aren't necessarily mentioned within the comic itself, they should do it in the discussion page and not the comic explanation. I'm usually actually somewhat against trivia because the kind of content that gets inserted in such a section is usually better suited to the discussion page, but it's sometimes appropriate. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:48, 30 January 2017 (UTC)<br />
:::::::OK- I have moved it away from Sad which is not about Trump. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:51, 3 February 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Oversized texting ==<br />
Hi David, I would like to see your opinion on this topic [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/User_talk:Kynde#Transcript_TLDR.3B]. And then I found this (also done by Kynde): [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=xkcd&diff=134457&oldid=109437]. It really needs a major rework. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:37, 17 February 2017 (UTC)<br />
:I'll take a look, swamped right now. Quick skim seems to tell me that kynde is somewhat compromising, though the solution he's chosen seems to be employing slightly needless cruft. I'll comment when I get back to my desk. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:34, 18 February 2017 (UTC)<br />
::Hi Dgbrt and Davidy22. <br />
::I have tried to change the latest transcripts according to Zetfr's comments. <br />
::And yes I did realize that my changes to the [[xkcd]] page was way too much on that specific page. And that was also why I removed most of the content to other specialized pages (maybe there is still too much in the [[xkcd#History|xkcd history]]?) <br />
::I did this before I saw the comment Dgbrt made about it to me [[User_talk:Dgbrt#xkcd_page_and_more|on his page]]. That was where I had begun a thread [[User_talk:Dgbrt#Transcript_and_other_features|Transcript and other features]] because I was ''really happy how our transcript discussion went in the end''... I guess we were not on the same page there though :/ <br />
::I'm sorry we are taking your precious time with our problems. I just wish to get as much information about correlations between comics etc. on xkcd into this wiki. Maybe it will not always end in the right place?<br />
::For that same reason I did not understand why Dgbrt's new category for comics where Randall has mentioned explain xkcd was not interesting enough (it just needed a better title IMHO), as I also [[User_talk:Dgbrt#Keep_it_compact|just wrote]] to Dgbrt. <br />
::I will not do any further edits regarding the issues mentioned here above though, before hearing from you guys. <br />
::Best regards --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:52, 20 February 20 don't understand a comic17 (UTC)<br />
:::People come here because they don't understand a comic or part of a comic. First up, information that was found in metadata that otherwise has nothing to do with the comic is about as interesting to visitors as the [[773|letter from the president]] on a university website. A similar deal with the transcript, there are details that don't particularly contribute to comprehension of the comic that a blind person probably doesn't need to hear about, although you seem to have resolved your issues there. Explaining concepts used in a comic is useful, though you should try to use the <nowiki>{{w}}</nowiki> template where possible, as wikipedia is going to just be a better format for learning about something, and they'll remain up to date better than we probably can. It also has the side effect of cutting the length of explanations and leaving the extra reading to people who really want it. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:59, 24 February 2017 (UTC)<br />
::::I disagree. There are also many people coming here investing many hours to write the big explains. Why just not let them know that Randall recognizes and mention this. The JSON pages a no secret content; but since many people don't know it has to be explained. And, why do not make those editors a little bit proud about their work. I will talk to [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] about a different approach on this issue.<br />
::::Since you have not reacted on all the massive enhancements by Kynde on the [[xkcd]] pages I will also discuss this with himself.<br />
::::I'm hoping you will have a little bit more time in the future on such issue and not just pressing the UNDO button.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:47, 24 February 2017 (UTC)<br />
:::::I concur with Dgbrt on the extra details, but maybe less in the main explanation. But trivia or sub pages etc I think it cool for those who use their time on these page. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:22, 24 February 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== incomplete transcript 933 ==<br />
<br />
Hi, <br />
I saw you worked on 933, reverting and re-reverting. Do you think my way of transcript is ok and I can go on this way? Perhaps you can also give me some feedback or references to my approach for the 657 transcript? Anyway, is there a "how to" for transcripts? Thanks & best regards, LaVe--[[User:LaVe|LaVe]] ([[User talk:LaVe|talk]]) 19:37, 23 February 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Oh, your work is fine, I just misclicked on the rollback button. Continue as you were. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 02:59, 24 February 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Sitenotice ==<br />
<br />
Could the [[Mediawiki:Sitenotice|sitenotice]] be updated to randomly pull a comic from the [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|incomplete explanations category]]? There's an example of how to do this on {{w|Template:Random page in category|Wikipedia}}. And perhaps it could be set to update after a fixed interval of time - say, a week? It would be easier than updating it manually, and you could avoid situations where the highlighted "incomplete explanation" is no longer incomplete, but remains in the sitenotice.<br />
<br />
EDIT: Well, it seems that the second part is not really feasible. However, I still think the first part should be implemented. Instead of linking to a specific comic that could easily go stale, the sitenotice could just say "click here to see an incomplete comic" or something like that. The actual link would take you to a random incomplete comic using the aforementioned method. --[[User:Oneforfortytwo|Oneforfortytwo]] ([[User talk:Oneforfortytwo|talk]]) 05:18, 10 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
:Explain xkcd doesn't have the random in category special page (or dpl which could also be used), the sitenotice does need updating though. [[User:E^ipi|E^ipi]] ([[User talk:E^ipi|talk]]) 10:26, 10 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
::I wanted to do a specific comic so that people could focus on the large incomplete comics remaining, though at this stage there's not that many incomplete pages left, perhaps I could make it random. Getting brutalised by finals right now, will just change it for now '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 05:47, 13 June 2017 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Ads that interrupt content ==<br />
<br />
In recent months there have been a number of users seeing massive ads right smack in the middle of the articles. These ads are extremely disruptive and are not acceptable by any means.<br />
<br />
The ads have since seemingly disappeared, so we thought an admin might have disabled them, however today I see them again.<br />
<br />
Please take a look: [[Talk:2220: Imagine Going Back in Time/Ads]]<br />
<br />
--[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 23:21, 11 December 2019 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:I actually don't know when the site got moved to google ads, seems like it might be part of the mediawiki suite but I took my long abrupt hiatus somewhere between project wonderful going out of business and whenever the google ad plugin got added, don't even know if the server credentials are the same '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:57, 4 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Set up X-Forwarded-For for correct IP address reporting ==<br />
<br />
This should be done server-side, as right now (and for a very long time) it's been reporting load balancer / cache IP addresses for all the users. With recent vandalism, it'd help. [[User:BytEfLUSh|BytEfLUSh]] ([[User talk:BytEfLUSh|talk]]) 22:21, 29 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
:Oh I remember this being a thing since way back when we went on a CDN. If I can still access the server and I find the time to take a look I could maybe '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:57, 4 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==Shutting down the crappifier==<br />
Thanks for deleting that common.js page<br />
[[User:Wafflefly21|Wafflefly21]] ([[User talk:Wafflefly21|talk]])<br />
:Heartily seconded. Many thanks David! [[User:Jrfarah|Jrfarah]] ([[User talk:Jrfarah|talk]]) 01:50, 4 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:Thanks as well, this is a lot better. [[User:Marethyu|⟨Winter is coming⟩ Marethyu]] ([[User talk:Marethyu|talk]]) 12:39, 4 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
::I've been away for a very long time, this looked like it really needed some attention though '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 01:57, 4 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==do you have...==<br />
... any good mass-reversion tools so we can revert the "crap (x 5000)" pages [[User:Stilloes|When even the muppets were on xkcd.com]] ([[User talk:Stilloes|talk]]) 02:11, 4 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:I have better rollback options, done. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 04:44, 4 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
::Are you back Davidy22? After five years. We have been missing admins on this page for years now...--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 09:10, 4 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::Oh word it's been a while, I remember your name well and you've apparently stuck around far more consistently than I have. I'm an admin, not a beaureaucrat, so I can't actually promote you myself but jeff's twitter is open and I'm sure he's still alive, he maybe remembers you and I can vouch for you too. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:17, 4 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::We might need to assign some new admins (who meet the criteria to be an admin) that actually frequent the wiki. Having only one admin that is active is annoying, since we are limited by their availability. [[User:Marethyu|⟨Winter is coming⟩ Marethyu]] ([[User talk:Marethyu|talk]]) 19:32, 4 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
==The vandal has a new account==<br />
[[User:Ex Kay Cee Dee|Ex Kay Cee Dee]] is doing a similar thing to the banned bot. [[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|talk]]) 17:20, 4 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== The vandalizer is back — please re-ban them ==<br />
<br />
Hello — just wanted to let you know that the vandalizer's back under the username "Ex Kay Cee Dee". Can you re-ban them? (Also, how is the vandal not getting CAPTCHA'd, lol?) [[User:PaintspotInfez|PaintspotInfez]] ([[User talk:PaintspotInfez|talk]]) 17:20, 4 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:The user has enough edits that they are auto-captcha'd. Check discussions [[explain_xkcd:Community_portal/Admin_requests#Vandalism|here]]. [[User:Marethyu|⟨Winter is coming⟩ Marethyu]] ([[User talk:Marethyu|talk]]) 19:40, 4 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
::I could crank the autoconfirm minimum to make it a little more onerous to get past captcha permissions, and take away $wgAllowUserJs wiki wide. A little unfortunate for anyone who was using it for their theme/ui but looks like some people would like to make sure we can't have nice things. My server login from five years ago doesn't actually work anymore, which I kind of expected, so I'm going to have to get in contact with jeff again, with a new twitter account too because I deleted the twitter account that I used to message him with. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 03:28, 5 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::Thanks for being here, first of all. But mainly you sound like you've got a gameplan, and I don't want to mention my ideas in case the guilty party can organise in advance how to get around them (or rather, chat on whatever darkweb forum they're getting advice from, I expect, because they show signs of being very unoriginal in many ways), so I expect you've got a few more things up your sleeve.<br />
:::I very much expect a repeat of (whatever possible) vandalism from the same moron, as soon as they can be bothered, of course. So I shall continue to do my bit to counter any, from this anonymous sideline, as much as I can. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.145|172.70.90.145]] 03:45, 5 May 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== DAVID!! VANDALISM BOTS ARE IMMINENT! ==<br />
<br />
OH CRAP, Ex Kay Cee Dee is spamming everything, similar to last time. idk what else to say other than pls fix<br />
:It's likely the same user with an alt account. [[User:Marethyu|⟨Winter is coming⟩ Marethyu]] ([[User talk:Marethyu|talk]]) 19:31, 4 May 2022 (UTC)</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=18:_Snapple&diff=23638418: Snapple2022-05-04T00:56:04Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 236374 by X. K. C. D. (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 18<br />
| date = October 10, 2005<br />
| title = Snapple<br />
| image = snapple.jpg<br />
| titletext = Sn = tin<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] hands another Cueball-like guy an apple calling it a ''snapple.'' When the guy bites into it, his teeth go ''clink'' against the apple's metal surface; Cueball has infused the apple with tin.<br />
<br />
The fourth panel is a silent wide shot, perhaps suggesting {{w|Anti-humor|the joke was met with silence as a weak joke}}. As a meta-joke, the final panel might jokingly suggest that the silence is because those unfamiliar with the periodic table of elements don't get the joke.<br />
<br />
The joke in this comic is pretty self-explanatory, especially given that the title text continues the trend in early [[xkcd]] comics of explaining the joke. {{w|Tin}} is a metallic element whose abbreviation on the periodic table is "Sn" (as the Latin word for tin is "stannum"). Thus, the apple is a "Sn-apple."<br />
<br />
{{w|Snapple}} is a brand of beverages -- mostly bottled juices and teas -- whose name is based on a carbonated apple juice they once produced ("snappy apple"). <br />
<br />
[[James]] (in the caption) presumably once made a joke to [[Randall]] about tin or Snapple or both.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Above the frame:]<br />
:This one is entirely James' fault.<br />
<br />
:[Two Cueball-like guys are standing and talking.]<br />
:Cueball: Here, take a bite of this Snapple.<br />
:Friend: food!<br />
<br />
:[Cueball's friend takes a bite.]<br />
:Friend: Ow! What is this?<br />
:''Clink''<br />
<br />
:[The panel switches to Cueball.]<br />
:Cueball: It's an apple infused with tin.<br />
<br />
:[Beat panel. A wide shot of the two.]<br />
<br />
:[Same scene, except the panel is lightly shaded and the is a box above saying:]<br />
:Those of you who know your periodic table should be laughing right about now.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*This was the 17th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].<br />
**The previous was [[17: What If]].<br />
**The next was [[19: George Clinton]].<br />
*Original title: "Monday's drawing: Snapple"<br />
*There was no original [[Randall]] quote for this comic.<br />
**It could be argued that the caption of the comic ''This one is entirely James' fault'' was the quote. But it is part of the comic picture.<br />
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.<br />
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.<br />
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.<br />
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].<br />
*This is another early xkcd comic in which [[Cueball]] characters are drawn in some panels with faces.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 17]]<br />
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]<br />
[[Category:Checkered paper]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring James]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Food]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=22:_Barrel_-_Part_3&diff=23636522: Barrel - Part 32022-05-04T00:55:02Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 234609 by X. K. C. D. (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 22<br />
| date = October 24, 2005<br />
| title = Barrel - Part 3<br />
| image = barrel_whirlpool.jpg<br />
| titletext = A whirlpool!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In the first two comics in the Barrel series, the boy is floating in the ocean in a barrel, making fairly innocent points about life's uncertainty. In this comic, the view has zoomed out considerably, and the boy is seen to be on the edge of a gigantic {{w|whirlpool}}. Thus, there is now a palpably heightened sense of danger, though the boy's reaction continues to be innocent wonder. <br />
<br />
The comic's visual composition is reminiscent of {{w|File:Maelstrom-Clarke.jpg|a classic 1919 illustration}} by {{w|Harry Clarke}}, made for {{w|Edgar Allan Poe}}'s 1841 short story "{{w|A Descent into the Maelström}}." In the short story, the main character escapes from drowning by using a barrel to escape The Maelström. <br />
<br />
This is the third in a six-part series of comics whose parts were randomly published during the first several dozen strips. The series features a [[:Category:Barrel|character]] who is not consistent with what would quickly become the [[xkcd]] [[stick figure]] style. The character is in a barrel.<br />
<br />
After Randall released the full [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070207052159/http://www.xkcd.com/barrel.html The Boy and his Barrel] story on xkcd, it has been clear that the original [[Ferret]] story should also be included as part of the barrel series.<br />
<br />
The full series can be found [[:Category:Barrel|here]]. But below they are listed in the order Randall has put them in his collection linked to above:<br />
* [[1: Barrel - Part 1]]<br />
* [[20: Ferret]]<br />
* [[11: Barrel - Part 2]]<br />
* [[22: Barrel - Part 3]]<br />
* [[25: Barrel - Part 4]]<br />
* [[31: Barrel - Part 5]]<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A large and deep vortex is in the center; spinning water covers the whole panel. A boy in a floating barrel is near the edge, apparently about to be sucked in.]<br />
:Boy: wow!<br />
<br />
== Trivia ==<br />
*This was the 23rd comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].<br />
**The previous was [[40: Light]].<br />
**The next was [[23: T-shirts]].<br />
*Original title: "Monday's Drawing"<br />
*Original [[Randall]] quote: "The saga of the boy and his barrel continues! ([[1: Barrel - Part 1|Part 1]] and [[11: Barrel - Part 2|Part 2]])"<br />
**There are links to the pictures of the two first parts.<br />
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.<br />
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.<br />
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.<br />
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 23]]<br />
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]<br />
[[Category:Checkered paper]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Barrel|04]]<br />
[[Category:Comics sharing name|Barrel 04]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=21:_Kepler&diff=23635421: Kepler2022-05-04T00:54:39Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 235528 by X. K. C. D. (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 21<br />
| date = October 17, 2005<br />
| title = Kepler<br />
| image = kepler.jpg<br />
| titletext = Science joke. You should probably move along.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
A Cueball-like guy asks [[Cueball]], the store manager, how they keep the store so clean, and he is told that they have hired Kepler, a hard worker who doesn't mind the monotony and sweeps out the same area every night.<br />
<br />
{{w|Johannes Kepler}} was a German mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer, best known for his laws of planetary motion. By using {{w|Tycho Brahe}}'s observations of our solar system (Brahe gave Kepler the job of observing and explaining the motion of the planet Mars), Kepler was able to deduce that planets in the system do not move in a circular orbit around the Sun, but rather in an elliptical one. <br />
In doing so, he directly contradicted Brahe's own conviction that the Earth was the centre of the universe.<br />
<br />
According to {{w|Kepler's_laws_of_planetary_motion#Second_law|Kepler's Second Law}}, "A line joining a planet and the Sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time," somewhat akin to sweeping a broom over the floor.<br />
<br />
In the comic, the janitor Kepler also sweeps the same area, although in this case, "area" is used in the sense of "surface" (of floor) rather than in the purely mathematical sense. It is also very monotonous, like a planet's set orbit, but Kepler doesn't mind this.<br />
<br />
The comic could also be seen as a subtle reference to the Kepler space telescope that was searching for exoplanets (planets outside the Solar system) from March 2009 to August 2013, by looking at exactly the same spot in the night sky over and over again. Even though the telescope was not launched until 4 years after this comic was published, the details of Project Kepler had been disclosed by NASA press releases [https://www.nasa.gov/centers/ames/news/releases/2001/01_107AR.html as early as 2001].<br />
<br />
The title text assumes that the reader is scientifically illiterate and won't understand the joke, which is ironic, considering how xkcd came to be known for embracing STEM fields and nerdiness in general.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Two Cueball-like guys stand in an aisle in a store.]<br />
:Cueball: Nice store. How do you keep the floors so clean?<br />
:Store manager: Oh, we hired this dude named Kepler, he's really good. Hard worker. Doesn't mind the monotony. Sweeps out the same area every night.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*This was the 20th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].<br />
**The previous was [[20: Ferret]].<br />
**The next was [[44: Love]].<br />
*Original title: "Monday's drawing"<br />
*Original [[Randall]] quote: "Another one which, if you don't get, you're probably better off."<br />
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.<br />
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.<br />
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.<br />
**This is the same day that NASA announced the delay of Project Kepler due to budget cuts.<br />
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 20]]<br />
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]<br />
[[Category:Checkered paper]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=19:_George_Clinton&diff=23634719: George Clinton2022-05-04T00:54:16Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 232770 by X. K. C. D. (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 19<br />
| date = October 12, 2005<br />
| title = George Clinton<br />
| image = george_clinton.jpg<br />
| titletext = I still wish it were true.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton}} is an American musician most famous for his funk music and wild hair style.<br />
His recorded music features themes of space, sci-fi, technology, and futurism. An example of his work most appropriate to this comic is the song "Mathematics" from the 1996 album T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. (The awesome power of a fully operational mothership).<br />
<br />
:"I count the moments we're apart. And add them up mathematically <br />
:and multiply them by the kisses supposedly I've been missing. <br />
:Divided by the attention not to mention the affection. <br />
:Subtract that from your gross potential and see I ain't missin' none. <br />
::Cause any percentage of you is as good the whole pie. <br />
::Any fractions thereof brings dividends of interest. <br />
::Any percentage of you is as good as the whole pie. <br />
::Any fractions thereof brings dividends of love. <br />
:I take the square root and get boxed in every time. <br />
:When I know the shortest distance between two points is in a straight line. <br />
:I'ma go into you, I'ma come into you two times, and carry the fun over the one to where we equal one.”<br />
:(Chorus 2x)<br />
<br />
As [[Randall]] says, he had attempted to spread around an {{w|urban legend}} that George Clinton had a {{w|Bachelor of Arts}} degree in mathematics. However, the more Randall thought about this rumor, the more he found himself believing it was true. This behavior is related to {{w|pseudologia fantastica}}, which is more commonly known as pathological or compulsive lying. This comic references the associated behavior that an "individual may be aware they are lying, or may believe they are telling the truth, being unaware that they are relating fantasies." These individuals may eventually stop the lie as demonstrated by the title text, which indicates that at some later time, the individual realized that the rumor was not true, but wishes it to be so.<br />
<br />
This may also be a reference to James Thurber's 13 clocks, in which a character called the Golux has the following exchange with the main character:<br />
:"When I was young I told a tale of buried gold, and men from leagues around dug in the woods. I dug myself."<br />
:"But why?"<br />
:"I thought the tale of treasure might be true."<br />
:"You said you made it up."<br />
:"I know I did, but I didn't know I had. I forget things, too."<br />
<br />
The equations on the board are {{w|laplace transforms}} of functions.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[George Clinton uses a baton to point to the bottom of two equations on a blackboard. There is one more equation and a diagram on another blackboard to the right, which is cut off. There is text above:]<br />
:I once tried to start the urban legend that George Clinton has a B.A. in mathematics<br />
<br />
:[On the left blackboard there are two formulas:]<br />
:L(F(t) = F(s) = ∫<sup>∞</sup><sub>0</sub>f(t)e<sup>-st</sup>dt<br />
<br />
:L<sup>-1</sup> (F(s)) = f(t) = ∫<sup>∞</sup><sub>0</sub> F(t)e<sup>st</sup>dt<br />
<br />
:[On the right blackboard there is part of a formula and a diagram with an x-y scale and three other lines touching down to the base. Above these lines are some numbers that are partly indecipherable.]<br />
:γ<sub>n</sub> = 2<sup>n/12</sup>K<br />
<br />
: 0 2 <sup>3</sup><br />
:&#8970;&#8970;&#8970;&#8970;<br />
<br />
:[Below George and the blackboards is text:]<br />
:...but I wanted it to be true so badly that I started believing it myself.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*This was the 18th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].<br />
**The previous was [[18: Snapple]].<br />
**The next was [[20: Ferret]].<br />
*Original title: "Wednesday: George Clinton"<br />
*There were no original [[Randall]] quote for this comic.<br />
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.<br />
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.<br />
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.<br />
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].<br />
*The first Laplace transform has a mismatched left parenthesis, which was the topic of [[859: (]].<br />
*The second formula is not the inverse Laplace transform as stated. It differs from the actual Mellin's inverse formula by its bounds and a missing factor. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse_Laplace_transform]<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 18]]<br />
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]<br />
[[Category:Checkered paper]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=18:_Snapple&diff=23633818: Snapple2022-05-04T00:53:58Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 235276 by X. K. C. D. (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 18<br />
| date = October 10, 2005<br />
| title = Snapple<br />
| image = snapple.jpg<br />
| titletext = Sn = tin<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] hands another Cueball-like guy an apple calling it a ''snapple.'' When the guy bites into it, his teeth go ''clink'' against the apple's metal surface; Cueball has infused the apple with tin.<br />
<br />
The fourth panel is a silent wide shot, perhaps suggesting {{w|Anti-humor|the joke was met with silence as a weak joke}}. As a meta-joke, the final panel might jokingly suggest that the silence is because those unfamiliar with the periodic table of elements don't get the joke.<br />
<br />
The joke in this comic is pretty self-explanatory, especially given that the title text continues the trend in early [[xkcd]] comics of explaining the joke. {{w|Tin}} is a metallic element whose abbreviation on the periodic table is "Sn" (as the Latin word for tin is "stannum"). Thus, the apple is a "Sn-apple."<br />
<br />
{{w|Snapple}} is a brand of beverages -- mostly bottled juices and teas -- whose name is based on a carbonated apple juice they once produced ("snappy apple"). <br />
<br />
[[James]] (in the caption) presumably once made a joke to [[Randall]] about tin or Snapple or both.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Above the frame:]<br />
:This one is entirely James' fault.<br />
<br />
:[Two Cueball-like guys are standing and talking.]<br />
:Cueball: Here, take a bite of this Snapple.<br />
:Friend: food!<br />
<br />
:[Cueball's friend takes a bite.]<br />
:Friend: Ow! What is this?<br />
:''Clink''<br />
<br />
:[The panel switches to Cueball.]<br />
:Cueball: It's an apple infused with tin.<br />
<br />
:[Beat panel. A wide shot of the two.]<br />
<br />
:[Same scene, except the panel is lightly shaded and the is a box above saying:]<br />
:Those of you who know your periodic table should be laughing right about now.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*This was the 17th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].<br />
**The previous was [[17: What If]].<br />
**The next was [[19: George Clinton]].<br />
*Original title: "Monday's drawing: Snapple"<br />
*There was no original [[Randall]] quote for this comic.<br />
**It could be argued that the caption of the comic ''This one is entirely James' fault'' was the quote. But it is part of the comic picture.<br />
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.<br />
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.<br />
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.<br />
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].<br />
*This is another early xkcd comic in which [[Cueball]] characters are drawn in some panels with faces.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 17]]<br />
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]<br />
[[Category:Checkered paper]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring James]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Food]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=16:_Monty_Python_--_Enough&diff=23632916: Monty Python -- Enough2022-05-04T00:53:25Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 235754 by X. K. C. D. (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 16<br />
| date = October 4, 2005<br />
| title = Monty Python -- Enough<br />
| image = monty python.jpg<br />
| titletext = I went to a dinner where there was a full 10 minutes of Holy Grail quotes exchanged, with no context, in lieu of conversation. It depressed me badly.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic refers to the classic British sketch comedy group {{w|Monty Python}}, active primarily during the 1970s and early 1980s but also {{w|Monty Python Live (Mostly)|partly reunified in 2014}}, whose humor style was frequently based on surreal jokes that subverted sense and logic. Their sketches are so popular that, as noted in the comic, many fans can repeat the dialog word-for-word, and often do. This comic points out the inherent irony of repeating a surrealist sketch, as surrealist humor primarily depends on presenting something the audience does not expect. By repeating the sketch verbatim among those who have already seen it, the listeners know and expect the punchlines and jokes. This is akin to a common ironic concept of a teenager who wants to rebel against conformity by doing all the things their friends are also doing.<br />
<br />
The sketch in question here is the "{{w|Knights who say Ni}}" sketch from the film ''{{w|Monty Python and the Holy Grail}}'', about a group of knights who protect certain sacred words, including the word "Ni" (pronounced like the word "knee," but shortened and with more staccato).<br />
<br />
The comic suggests that readers continue in the surreal traditions of Monty Python, and provides an example: The character in panels 3-6 interrupts his retelling of the sketch with what appears to be a traumatic recalling of the time he saw someone run a woman over with their car and kill her, before returning to the sketch. The surreal humor is that the character dismisses the significant and serious comment he has just made by returning to the sketch as if nothing happened.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to how fans of Monty Python can go for long periods of time simply quoting the sketches, as one person quotes a sketch, another recognizes it and says another quote without context, assuming everyone will recognize it. Perhaps a more contemporary version of this might be ''{{w|The Simpsons}}'' or ''{{w|Family Guy}}'' quote frenzies.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[The comic is drawn on blue-ruled graph paper.]<br />
:[A Cueball with raised hands talks to two other Cueball-like characters and one Megan.]<br />
:Cueball: We are the Knights who say... Ni!!<br />
:Cueballs and Megan: hahaha<br />
<br />
:[There is only text in the second panel]<br />
:Does anyone else find it funny that decades later, people are still quoting --word-for-word-- a group loved for their mastery of shock, the unexpected, and defiance of convention?<br />
<br />
:[Two Cueballs are looking at a hairy guy.]<br />
:Hairy guy: We are the Knights who... oh, God, I'm so sorry<br />
<br />
:[Close up of hairy guy.]<br />
:Hairy guy: So sorry, the car just came too fast and<br />
<br />
:[Words crumpled inside the panel, there's barely enough space for the hairy guy to the right and below the text. The last two words need to be to the right of him.]<br />
:Hairy guy: She was right there and I saw her and then it was a blur and so much I ran to help didn't know what she wasn't moving I'm so sorry <br />
:Hairy guy: so sorry<br />
<br />
:[The two Cueballs are looking again at the hairy guy.]<br />
:Hairy guy: Anyway, yeah, Knights who say "Ni."<br />
<br />
:[The last panel is also almost only text. The text is centered. Below is a drawing that looks a flat infinity sign with two small lines at the center.]<br />
:H<u>on</u>or<br />
:Monty Python:<br />
:promote surreal humor.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*This was the 15th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].<br />
**The previous was [[15: Just Alerting You]].<br />
**The next was [[17: What If]].<br />
*Original title: "Support Surreal Humor"<br />
*Original [[Randall]] quote: "Just sayin'. It's been 30 years now."<br />
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.<br />
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.<br />
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.<br />
*This is a Wednesday comic posted on a Tuesday, but only 2 minutes before midnight at 11:58 pm.<br />
**It is the first Tuesday release, although [[5: Blown apart]] is also listed as a Tuesday release. But its release day is set 3 weeks later. The mismatch comes from the xkcd release mentioned above.<br />
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].<br />
*First comic featuring [[Megan]] in the current order the comics are now presented on xkcd.<br />
**But originally there where another comic released earlier that featured Megan, it was the original LiveJournal number 6, [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]], which used Megan. It was also the first that used any stick figures including the first with Cueball, so this was before this comic came out, see this [[24:_Godel,_Escher,_Kurt_Halsey#Trivia|Trivia]].<br />
*This could be a first version of [[Hairy]]. But it is still some way of the one listed as the first Hairy appearance 45 comics later in [[61: Stacey's Dad]]. <br />
**However, that "first" version is also far from what he looks like in the picture shown on the Hairy page.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 15]]<br />
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]<br />
[[Category:Checkered paper]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Fiction]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=15:_Just_Alerting_You&diff=23631715: Just Alerting You2022-05-04T00:53:07Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 234730 by X. K. C. D. (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 15<br />
| date = October 2, 2005<br />
| title = Just Alerting You<br />
| image = just_alerting_you.jpg<br />
| titletext = Just thought you should know<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Here, a man is seen riding on a {{w|Brontosaurus}}? (This is according to the [https://xkcd.com/15/info.0.json official transcript] on xkcd, including the questionmark.) Later Randall would probably have called it an {{w|Apatosaurus}}, see the [[:Category:Apatosaurus]].<br />
<br />
The joke here is that this person feels the need to point out that they are "kind of strange," even though one might think that that would be clear from the fact that they are riding an extinct and potentially dangerous creature.<br />
<br />
In the title text the man continues by saying ''Just thought you should know''. Just a service notice.<br />
<br />
In [[650: Nowhere]] [[Megan]] is seen imagining herself riding an Apatosaurus.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A man is standing on top of a green dinosaur and holding reins to the dinosaur's head.]<br />
:Man: Before you talk to me, I should warn you: I am kind of strange<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*This was the 14th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].<br />
**The previous was [[11: Barrel - Part 2]].<br />
**The next was [[16: Monty Python -- Enough]]. <br />
*Original title: "Just Alerting You (Monday's drawing)"<br />
*Original [[Randall]] quote:<br />
::"I bet she's cool. I mean, she has a dinosaur!<br />
::I'm gonna update this MWF for a while and see how that works. "<br />
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.<br />
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.<br />
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.<br />
*This was the first comic posted to LiveJournal after the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|thirteen first comics]] were released simultaneously.<br />
**He even mentions in his quote that he from now on will release the comic MWF for a while. (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday).<br />
**This comic was, ironically enough, the first comic to be [[:Category:Sunday comics|released on a Sunday]].<br />
**But it was really supposed to be a Monday comic, and it was only released 17 minutes before midnight at 11:43 pm.<br />
**Randall even made a [http://liveweb.archive.org/web/20070927001941/http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/?skip=40 mention of this] in the comic's original title on LiveJournal: <br />
***"Just Alerting You (Monday's drawing)". <br />
***Two comics later, the original title is simply ''[[17: What If#Trivia|Friday drawing!]]''.<br />
***So from now he did begin to put the date into most, but not all, comic titles on LiveJournal until he also began posting on xkcd.<br />
*[[Megan]] later rides an Apatosaurus in [[650: Nowhere]]. This may have made people think that this was Megan but as stated above Randall says this is a man in the transcript. This is thus not the first comic on xkcd with Megan. That goes to the next comic. <br />
**This dinosaur genus is also mentioned in [[460: Paleontology]] and [[636: Brontosaurus]]. <br />
**This was the first comic with {{w|dinosaurs}}, but since then, there have been numerous [[:Category:Dinosaurs|dinosaur related comics]] on xkcd, especially involving [[:Category:Velociraptors|comics with Velociraptors]], a dinosaur genus that [[Randall]] is particularly concerned about.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 14]]<br />
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Apatosaurus]]<br />
[[Category:Social interactions]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=14:_Copyright&diff=23630914: Copyright2022-05-04T00:52:50Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 234316 by X. K. C. D. (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 14<br />
| date = September 30, 2005<br />
| title = Copyright<br />
| image = copyright.jpg<br />
| titletext = After reading Slashdot and BoingBoing, sometimes I have to go outside.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Following the {{w|copyright}} wars can be tiring and irritating, but faced with the beauty of nature, the importance of such matters withers away.<br />
<br />
Copyright is a monopoly granted by governments to writers, artists, performers, or corporations to control the distribution, copying, and performance of their creative expression or the creative expression of artists under contract with them. Before the digital age, it allowed authors and publishers an opportunity to profit from their work without fear of someone making copies and selling them for their gain.<br />
<br />
In the digital age, when the cost and difficulty of copying has been reduced to near zero, it hasn't worked so well, especially for publishers of music and video. Industry trade organizations like the {{w|RIAA}} and {{w|MPAA}} have fought to preserve their old business models, lobbying for new laws to protect their income streams in an age where anyone can copy an {{w|MP3}} file or a DVD quickly and cheaply. This has involved ordering web sites to take down "infringing" material (and many times material that wasn't infringing), media campaigns comparing file copiers to folks who commit murder on the high seas, and suing artists and writers who have used samples of music or movies in their own work. The {{w|RIAA}} has claimed that rampant illegal copying hurts the artists whose work is copied, as it cuts into the artists' royalty payments; many artists, on the other hand, complain that the RIAA's accounting practices have denied them their fair royalties for decades anyway, and that increased copying leads to increased fans and money through direct sales and is actually better for them than the RIAA. It's a vicious war.<br />
<br />
An early casualty in the copyright wars was {{w|Napster}}; a later casualty was the concept of {{w|DRM}} (Digital Restrictions Malware) on recorded music and/or elsewhere. The wars have been going on since the early 1990s and show no sign of slowing down.<br />
<br />
[http://slashdot.com Slashdot] and [http://boingboing.net Boing Boing] are two news aggregation websites that cover (among other things) the copyright wars in detail, usually biased against the RIAA, MPAA, and similar organizations.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A colored drawing of a hilly, grassy landscape. Cueball is leaning against a tree.]<br />
:Cueball: Sometimes I just can't get outraged over copyright law<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*This was the 12th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]].<br />
**The previous was [[10: Pi Equals]]. <br />
**The next was [[11: Barrel - Part 2]].<br />
*Original title: "Copyright Law"<br />
*Original [[Randall]] quote: "I posted this to a Slashdot thread about copyrights, and without any moderation, over 600 people clicked on it."<br />
*This was one of the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|thirteen first comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on Friday September 30, 2005.<br />
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.<br />
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.<br />
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.<br />
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 12]]<br />
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 12]]<br />
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Checkered paper]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=13:_Canyon&diff=23630113: Canyon2022-05-04T00:52:28Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 235982 by X. K. C. D. (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 13<br />
| date = September 30, 2005<br />
| title = Canyon<br />
| image = canyon_small.jpg<br />
| titletext = They're standing at the lip of the canyon, which isn't clear at all.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This is one of the early comics that explores a theme [[xkcd]] returns to often: the wonder around us, if we would just look. <br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] and his friend (who also looks like Cueball) are having a discussion. After the friend asks Cueball what the time is, Cueball simply states that it is "now." Then there is a beat panel showing the two standing at the lip of a great canyon drawn in detail and color. <br />
<br />
The friend claims that "now" is a boring answer, since it's a {{w|tautology}}, a functionally useless answer, and a bad joke all at the same time. Cueball, however, asserts that "now" is the least boring answer he could give.<br />
<br />
It is typical for human beings to focus on mundane concerns, like a meeting they might be late for or a bus they have to catch, and take their familiar environment for granted, no matter how fabulous it might have been at first sight.<br />
<br />
The title text explains that they stand on the lip of the canyon, which may not be clear if you do not look very carefully at the color drawing. There are two tiny stick figures at the edge of the canyon, near the center of the panel. On the other six panels, there is just a ragged line, which thus obviously is this lip of the canyon.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Two guys, both Cueball-like, are standing at a cliff's edge.]<br />
:Friend: What time is it?<br />
<br />
:[Cueball looks at his watch in silence.]<br />
<br />
:[Cueball looks up.]<br />
:Cueball: Now.<br />
<br />
:[The full scene is shown: the two men (barely visible) are standing at the lip of a huge canyon in a rocky, barren landscape. A pock-marked moon and a ringed planet are visible in the burgundy-colored sky.]<br />
<br />
:[The two guys are again seen standing at what is now known to be the lip of the canyon.]<br />
:Friend: That's a pretty boring answer.<br />
<br />
:[Same scene as before.]<br />
:Cueball: Is not.<br />
<br />
:[Same scene.]<br />
:Cueball: It's the least boring answer imaginable.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*This was the 7th comic originally posted to [[LiveJournal]]. <br />
**The previous was [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]]. <br />
**The next was [[8: Red spiders]]. <br />
*This comic kept its original title: "Canyon"<br />
**This is the first of the original comics that kept its title unchanged after transfer to xkcd.<br />
*Original [[Randall]] quote: "I'm not sure where they are, but they should be more excited! I would be."<br />
*This was one of the [[:Category:First day on LiveJournal|thirteen first comics]] posted to LiveJournal within 12 minutes on Friday September 30, 2005.<br />
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the web site opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.<br />
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with all 41 comics]] posted before that on LiveJournal as well as a few others.<br />
**The latter explaining why the numbers of these 41 LiveJournal comics ranges from 1-44.<br />
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal| 07]]<br />
[[Category:First day on LiveJournal| 07]]<br />
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Checkered paper]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=12:_Poisson&diff=23628912: Poisson2022-05-04T00:52:03Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 235205 by X. K. C. D. (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 12<br />
| date = December 22, 2005<!-- Per http://wayback.archive.org/web/*/http:////www.xkcd.com//Poisson.jpg - at least that was the first crawl date --><!--DO NOT ADD 2006-01-01 - this was NOT the actual post date of the comic, but merely the default date in the xkcd database. These comics do not have a known post date--><br />
| title = Poisson<br />
| image = poisson.jpg<br />
| titletext = Poisson distributions have no value over negative numbers<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
[[Cueball]] expresses himself as a {{w|Poisson distribution}}.<br />
<br />
A Poisson distribution is a distribution that shows the probability of a given number of events occurring in a fixed interval of time or space. The X axis typically represents the "number of events" while the Y axis is a decimal representing the probability (i.e. 0.5 for 50% probability) a given number of events will occur in that fixed interval of time or space. It is commonly represented by a bar graph or a scatter graph (sometimes with a line connection to show a trend, even though there is no actual value for non-integers).<br />
<br />
What's important to note for this comic is that this distribution only has data points on non-negative integers and is not continuous through decimal numbers or (as the image text tells us) negative numbers because events can't occur 0.3 of a time, or &minus;2 times.<br />
<br />
After implying that the concept of a person being a mathematical distribution is irrational, [[Black Hat]] suggests he is "less than zero". Since the Poisson distribution doesn't exist or has no value at negative values, Cueball either leaves or disappears magically.<br />
<br />
Hence, the punchline is the same as the title text: Cueball doesn't exist to Black Hat anymore, because he has a value less than zero. Another one of the early comics where Randall explains the joke in the title text.<br />
<br />
Also, because a Poisson point process is memoryless, the figure claiming to be the distribution may simply be repeating the fact as a reference to this.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is talking to Black Hat. Cueball has his mouth wide open and has both of his arms up.]<br />
:Cueball: I'm a poisson distribution!<br />
<br />
:[Same scene, except Cueball has only one arm up.]<br />
:Cueball: Still a Poisson distribution!<br />
:Black Hat: what the hell, man. Why do you keep saying that?<br />
<br />
:[Cueball's face is gone, and he is not holding any arms up.]<br />
:Cueball: Because I'm totally a poisson distribution.<br />
:Black Hat: I'm less than zero.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is gone. Black Hat is now whistling.]<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*This comic was posted on [[xkcd]] when the [http://www.escologics.com web site] opened on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.<br />
**It was posted along [[:Category:First day on xkcd|with the 41 comics]] posted before that on [[LiveJournal]].<br />
**But this comic, as well as [[5: Blown apart]] also released that day, were never posted on LiveJournal. <br />
*The release date is given from [http://wayback.archive.org/web/*/http:////www.xkcd.com//Poisson.jpg - wayback.archive]. At least the 22nd of December was the first crawl date. <br />
**This also explains that it was "released" on a Thursday. <br />
**On xkcd, it was released for the first time to the public on Sunday the 1st of January 2006.<br />
*One of the original drawings drawn on [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]].<br />
*[[Randall]] was still experimenting with character design, as Cueball has a face in the first two frames.<br />
*First comic featuring [[Black Hat]] in the current order the comics are now presented on xkcd.<br />
**But since this comic was not released on LiveJournal there had been several comics with Black Hat released almost 3 months before this one there.<br />
**The original LiveJournal number 6, [[24: Godel, Escher, Kurt Halsey]] was the first to use Black Hat and thus stick figures as well as Cueball, Megan and Multiple Cueballs, see this [[24:_Godel,_Escher,_Kurt_Halsey#Trivia|Trivia]].<br />
***Two other comics with Black Hat, [[29: Hitler]], [[45: Schrodinger]], where also released on LiveJournal before the current number 12. So it was actually only the fourth comic using him to be released.<br />
<br />
{{Comic discussion}} <br />
<br />
[[Category:First day on xkcd]]<br />
[[Category:Checkered paper]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Statistics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=914:_Ice&diff=235690914: Ice2022-05-04T00:23:39Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 233977 by X. K. C. D. (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 914<br />
| date = June 20, 2011<br />
| title = Ice<br />
| image = ice.png<br />
| titletext = On the plus side, she wrote "Welcome to the AAA Club!" in lipstick on the bathroom mirror, and left me a membership/roadside assistance card on the counter.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is a reference to an [http://www.snopes.com/horrors/robbery/kidney.asp old urban legend]: a guy is drugged, then he awakes in an ice-filled bathtub only to discover both of his {{w|kidneys}} have been harvested by {{w|Organ theft|organ thieves}}. They have left him in the tub of ice, to let him survive in time to get to a hospital for {{w|dialysis}}. It is now his problem to get a new kidney, whereas the thieves can sell the organs to someone who (also) needs a {{w|kidney transplantation}}. By doing it in this way, the thieves prevent themselves from becoming murderers; thus if they get caught they might get a lesser sentence. That would be the explanation why they do not just kill the "{{w|organ donor}}".<br />
<br />
In this comic the situation is reversed: [[Beret Guy]] (who has just bought some ice for the party he is about to return to) is lured by [[Danish]] up to "her place" where he is drugged. The next morning he awakes in a bathtub filled with kidneys, only to discover that his ice has been harvested by Danish.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to a {{w|Pin prick attack#As an email/Internet scare story|similar story}} where the victim is left a note by their captor or one-night stand that says "[https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/aids-mary/ Welcome to the AIDS club]". Rather than having been involuntarily infected with {{w|HIV/AIDS}}, the victim, Beret Guy, has been involuntarily enrolled in the {{w|American Automobile Association}} (AAA) and his {{w|roadside assistance}} card has been left on the counter. This could also be another pun on Beret Guy's response of yelling ''AAAAAAA'', which could be another kind of AAA club that he is welcomed to.<br />
<br />
There is no display of typical "Beret Guy behavior" in this comic, although it is typical for him to be involved in an incident that turns the world upside down. His encounter with organ thieves only cost him his ice, a party and that he got a nasty experience. But he retained his kidneys and was not infected with HIV.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Megan is setting up a party. She is standing with a bottle in one hand looking at a snack table in front of her. Beret Guy stands behind her with both arms raised. Above and behind them there is a big banner with gray text.]<br />
:Megan: Everything's ready...<br />
:Megan: Except we're out of ice.<br />
:Beret Guy: I'll get some!<br />
:Banner: <font color="gray">Party!</font><br />
<br />
:[Beret Guy is walking down the street past a building with a store window and sign. He is carrying a large bag of ice over his shoulder. Danish is standing on the sidewalk up against the brick wall and calls to him.]<br />
:Danish: Hey sexy. Where're you headed with all that ice?<br />
:Beret Guy: A party!<br />
:Danish: There's a ''better'' party up at my place.<br />
:Beret Guy: But I—<br />
:Danish: C'mon, one drink.<br />
:Sign: <font color="gray">Save Mart</font><br />
:Bag: Ice<br />
<br />
:[Zoom in on Beret Guy who rubs his eyes groggily, small bubbles floating up from his head. A caption is written above the image in a box that breaks the top frame of this panel:]<br />
:The next morning...<br />
:Beret Guy: ...Ugh... Where am I?<br />
:Beret Guy: I was supposed to—<br />
:Beret Guy: —Where's all my ice!?<br />
<br />
:[Beret Guy looks down to find himself in a bathtub full of kidneys. His scream extends on both sides of the panel, with only the five central A's in full view:]<br />
:Beret Guy: <big>'''''AAAAAAA'''''</big><br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
* Since her character introduction, this is the first strip to feature [[Danish]] without a connection to [[Black Hat]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1184:_Circumference_Formula&diff=2334411184: Circumference Formula2022-05-03T22:35:06Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 233191 by X. K. C. D. (talk)</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1184<br />
| date = March 11, 2013<br />
| title = Circumference Formula<br />
| image = circumference_formula.png<br />
| titletext = Assume r' refers to the radius of Earth Prime, and r'<nowiki/>' means radius in inches.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
The {{w|circumference}} C of a {{w|circle}} is 2{{w|pi|π}}''r'', where ''r'' is the {{w|radius}} of the circle. [[Randall]] then makes a {{w|Note (typography)|footnote}} about ''r'', using <sup>2</sup>. This creates a typographical ambiguity, since a superscript 2 can also be an exponent (as in ''x''<sup>2</sup>). The comical purpose of this ambiguity is that the formula initially makes an appearance of a mistake and confusion with the formula for the ''{{w|area}}'' of the circle: A = π''r'' <sup>2</sup>. If and only if the reader realizes that the superscript text is a reference to a footnote will they understand that the author has in fact supplied the correct formula.<br />
<br />
The title text makes a related joke. Randall has used r' (r-{{w|Prime (symbol)|prime}}) and r" (r-prime-prime, typically pronounced as ''r double prime''). The title text can be explained thusly:<br />
<br />
Like many symbols, prime has widely differing meanings depending on context. In mathematics prime is often employed to distinguish corresponding components in analogous systems. For example, in a description of a basic physical system, if the velocity of an object is denoted with the variable ''v'', the velocity of that object at time=0 may be denoted with ''v′''. Playing off this use of prime, Randall has selected the radius of {{w|Earth Prime}}, a concept used in speculative fiction with parallel universes and multiple Earths. Earth Prime is our Earth (or at least the Earth from which the protagonists originate).<br />
<br />
However, other disciplines use prime to mean other things. In timekeeping and navigations ' denotes minutes (fractions of hours or degrees, respectively) and " denotes seconds (fractions of minutes). In the United States and some other places not using meters to measure distance, ' denotes feet and " denotes {{w|inches}}.<br />
<br />
The suggestion of using r' or r" does not cause any mathematical confusion, but using the former to denote the radius of a specific object and the latter to denote a radius using a specific unit of measurement would be highly esoteric. Furthermore, r' and r" can be used in calculus as a method of denoting, respectively, a first derivative and a second derivative. For someone attempting to use the formula and some derivative representing a circle's radius, trouble could result quite easily.<br />
<br />
<small><sup>2</sup> These are not intended to indicate the presence of a footn... oh, never mind.</small><br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Circumference of a circle:<br />
:2πr<sup>2</sup><br />
:<sup>2</sup>The circle's radius<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Geometry]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=84:_National_Language&diff=23277484: National Language2022-05-03T22:11:27Z<p>172.70.90.145: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 84<br />
| date = April 3, 2006<br />
| title = National Language<br />
| image = national_language.jpg<br />
| titletext = She's pretty sharp when provoked.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is about the concept of {{w|Nativism (politics)|nativism}}, which is the view that those who are native to a place should have more rights than immigrants. A frequently expressed view in the U.S. (and in other countries) is that immigrants should learn English, which is the primary language in the United States.<br />
<br />
In the comic, one character is arrogantly arguing the nativist position. However, the woman next to him interrupts him and says a phrase in the {{w|Cherokee}} language - "Hello, my name is Sarah" - which is an Iroquoian language used by the Cherokee {{w|Native Americans in the United States|Native American}} people. Although Cherokee seems to be a relatively {{w|Cherokee#Origins|young culture}}, it is much more native to America than any European culture, such as English.<br />
<br />
The woman is therefore effectively suggesting a "what's good for the goose is good for the gander" argument, that if the Europeans did not have to learn the native language, why should current immigrants learn English? She points out that even the English speakers are immigrants who did not learn the native language. Alternatively, she is saying that the term "national language" has no clear meaning, especially in the United States, where there is no official language; therefore, the "language they speak there" can be any of the languages spoken in the country: English, Spanish, German, Cantonese, or Cherokee, to name a few.<br />
<br />
The title text reveals that Ponytail is in fact Randall's friend; in the comic it is unclear who his friend is.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Caption on top:]<br />
:This happened to my friend:<br />
<br />
:[Three men and two women are standing in a row.]<br />
:Cueball: English should be the national language. These immigrants should have to learn English when they come here.<br />
:Megan: Yeah.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: When you go to live somewhere, you learn the language they speak there.<br />
:Cueball: English is the language of the land.<br />
<br />
:Ponytail: Excuse me, but ''osio Sarah dawado.''<br />
<br />
:Cueball: What the hell was that?<br />
:Ponytail: Cherokee.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Language]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with lowercase text]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1014&diff=23186710142022-05-02T18:07:57Z<p>172.70.90.145: You are not helpful.</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[1014: Car Problems]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=User_talk:While_False&diff=231865User talk:While False2022-05-02T18:06:37Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 231851 by X. K. C. D. (talk) Yes, we know it's you and your "do this and I won't..." thing. Which is always a precursor to something else. This 'request' is therefore bunk.</p>
<hr />
<div>[[User:While False|While False]], me, is a different user than [[User:WhiIe FaIse|WhiIe FaIse with capital i instead of lower case L]]. The account with capital i is new and is impersonating me, signing contributions with my signature and removing discussions about the vandalism in the last days. [[User:While False|While False]] ([[User talk:While False|talk]]) 17:38, 2 May 2022 (UTC)</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2503:_Memo_Spike_Connector&diff=2314242503: Memo Spike Connector2022-04-29T08:14:06Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 231421 by 172.68.118.59 (talk) Idiot</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2503<br />
| date = August 16, 2021<br />
| title = Memo Spike Connector<br />
| image = memo spike connector.png<br />
| titletext = Backward-compatible with many existing cables, and can connect directly to phones or tablets if you press them down hard enough.<br />
| imagesize =<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This is the third installment in the series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #102: The Memo Spike. It follows [[2495: Universal Seat Belt]] (#65) and was followed 9 days later by [[2507: USV-C]] (#280).<br />
<br />
The comic depicts a large metal spike with a wire coming from the base. The spike stabs through two other wires, thus creating an electrical connection between the three. As the name suggests, the spike resembles a {{w|Spindle_(stationery)|stationery spindle}}, colloquially known as a spike, called a Memo Spike here by Randall. However, unlike normal spindles, this one has a cable of some kind coming out of it, suggesting this is a hub of some sort.<br />
<br />
Spindles are used to temporarily hold paper by "spindling" or impaling the paper onto the spike (as depicted in the comic). They're most known for their use in restaurants as a way to hold bills that have been paid, or traditionally in offices that work with many bits of paper, e.g. with invoices in a finance department or hardcopy in newspaper editing, to prevent accidental disturbance/shuffling, at the expense of a small puncture mark in each sheet so impaled. (This could cause errors in papers with punch-holes that are meant to be read by machines, hence the admonition against "{{w|Punched_card#Do_Not_Fold,_Spindle_or_Mutilate|folding, spindling, and mutilating}}".) In the latter context, the editor might put all the rejected stories onto a spike (rather than into a wastebasket) to prevent them going astray, and this might be the source of the term '{{w|Spike (journalism)|spiked}}'.<br />
<br />
The joke of the comic is while any number of non-destructive connection standards exist, a large spike can provide much of the same results: a conductive object that retains a connection of multiple wires in a way that allows electricity to pass through. Indeed, in the early days of Ethernet, {{w|Vampire tap|vampire taps}} were used, essentially spikes that bit into a cable to establish a new branch in the network. Another type of connection which involves piercing the wire is a {{w|Punch-down block|punch-down block}}, a type of {{w|Insulation-displacement_connector|insulation-displacement connector}}, where one or more wires are pushed into a cutting channel instead of onto a spike.<br />
<br />
Depending on the type of cable it is also likely to create a short circuit, e.g. by connecting both strands of a twisted pair of strands in a typical Ethernet cable, or the central wire and the sheath of a coaxial cable. In an enterprise environment, this could even happen on a {{w|Power_over_Ethernet|PoE-Connection}}, which actually carry more noticeable amounts of power (up to 25.5W). Even if this is avoided, the single spike may be large enough to mechanically sever a random subset of the finer strands that exist within a multicore cable such as is commonly in use today.<br />
<br />
The title text takes this a bit further. It says that it is backwards compatible with many existing cables. This means any cable large enough to be impaled by the spike could be used. Needless to say it will likely not work anyway. It also continues by saying that phones and tablets can also be connected using this method if you press them down hard enough over the spike. Thus if you actually manage to make the spike penetrate the device's coverings to reach the electrical parts, then there is a connection. The implication is that any device or cable can be connected to any other device or cable as a form of universal adapter/splitter/combiner across arbitrary hardware and communications/power standards. In reality, this could be even more dangerous and will surely destroy the phone/tablet either directly or by overloading their cable connection.{{citation needed}} Also be careful not to impale your hand while trying to push the spike through your tablet's screen.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A memo spike is shown (a device also called a Spindle). It is a long spike standing up from a round base plate. A wire is coming in from the left and appears to be hardwired into the spike's base element. Two other wires comes in from the right. Both are firmly impaled down upon the spike, penetrated completely through shortly before their apparently unterminated ends. The end of the impaled wire closest to the base faces out and the details appear to show it to be of some variety of multicore (rather than co-axial) manufacture. The other cable's end is a bit higher and points into the image. Above is a title and below is a label.]<br />
:Cursed Connectors #102<br />
:The Memo Spike<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
[[Category:Cursed Connectors]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2503:_Memo_Spike_Connector&diff=2313442503: Memo Spike Connector2022-04-28T17:43:43Z<p>172.70.90.145: Utterly useless spam... Well, probably not even spam, because it has no practical way of generating its own business, which just makes it even more ironic.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2503<br />
| date = August 16, 2021<br />
| title = Memo Spike Connector<br />
| image = memo spike connector.png<br />
| titletext = Backward-compatible with many existing cables, and can connect directly to phones or tablets if you press them down hard enough.<br />
| imagesize =<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This is the third installment in the series of [[:Category:Cursed Connectors|Cursed Connectors]] and presents Cursed Connectors #102: The Memo Spike. It follows [[2495: Universal Seat Belt]] (#65) and was followed 9 days later by [[2507: USV-C]] (#280).<br />
<br />
The comic depicts a large metal spike with a wire coming from the base. The spike stabs through two other wires, thus creating an electrical connection between the three. As the name suggests, the spike resembles a {{w|Spindle_(stationery)|stationery spindle}}, colloquially known as a spike, called a Memo Spike here by Randall. However, unlike normal spindles, this one has a cable of some kind coming out of it, suggesting this is a hub of some sort.<br />
<br />
Spindles are used to temporarily hold paper by "spindling" or impaling the paper onto the spike (as depicted in the comic). They're most known for their use in restaurants as a way to hold bills that have been paid, or traditionally in offices that work with many bits of paper, e.g. with invoices in a finance department or hardcopy in newspaper editing, to prevent accidental disturbance/shuffling, at the expense of a small puncture mark in each sheet so impaled. (This could cause errors in papers with punch-holes that are meant to be read by machines, hence the admonition against "{{w|Punched_card#Do_Not_Fold,_Spindle_or_Mutilate|folding, spindling, and mutilating}}".) In the latter context, the editor might put all the rejected stories onto a spike (rather than into a wastebasket) to prevent them going astray, and this might be the source of the term '{{w|Spike (journalism)|spiked}}'.<br />
<br />
The joke of the comic is while any number of non-destructive connection standards exist, a large spike can provide much of the same results: a conductive object that retains a connection of multiple wires in a way that allows electricity to pass through. Indeed, in the early days of Ethernet, {{w|Vampire tap|vampire taps}} were used, essentially spikes that bit into a cable to establish a new branch in the network. Another type of connection which involves piercing the wire is a {{w|Punch-down block|punch-down block}}, a type of {{w|Insulation-displacement_connector|insulation-displacement connector}}, where one or more wires are pushed into a cutting channel instead of onto a spike.<br />
<br />
Depending on the type of cable it is also likely to create a short circuit, e.g. by connecting both strands of a twisted pair of strands in a typical Ethernet cable, or the central wire and the sheath of a coaxial cable. In an enterprise environment, this could even happen on a {{w|Power_over_Ethernet|PoE-Connection}}, which actually carry more noticeable amounts of power (up to 25.5W). Even if this is avoided, the single spike may be large enough to mechanically sever a random subset of the finer strands that exist within a multicore cable such as is commonly in use today.<br />
<br />
The title text takes this a bit further. It says that it is backwards compatible with many existing cables. This means any cable large enough to be impaled by the spike could be used. Needless to say it will likely not work anyway. It also continues by saying that phones and tablets can also be connected using this method if you press them down hard enough over the spike. Thus if you actually manage to make the spike penetrate the device's coverings to reach the electrical parts, then there is a connection. The implication is that any device or cable can be connected to any other device or cable as a form of universal adapter/splitter/combiner across arbitrary hardware and communications/power standards. In reality, this could be even more dangerous and will surely destroy the phone/tablet either directly or by overloading their cable connection.{{citation needed}} Also be careful not to impale your hand while trying to push the spike through your tablet's screen.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A memo spike is shown (a device also called a Spindle). It is a long spike standing up from a round base plate. A wire is coming in from the left and appears to be hardwired into the spike's base element. Two other wires comes in from the right. Both are firmly impaled down upon the spike, penetrated completely through shortly before their apparently unterminated ends. The end of the impaled wire closest to the base faces out and the details appear to show it to be of some variety of multicore (rather than co-axial) manufacture. The other cable's end is a bit higher and points into the image. Above is a title and below is a label.]<br />
:Cursed Connectors #102<br />
:The Memo Spike<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
<!-- Include any categories below this line. --><br />
[[Category:Cursed Connectors]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2612:_Lightsabers&diff=2313392612: Lightsabers2022-04-28T12:24:02Z<p>172.70.90.145: </p>
<hr />
<div><noinclude>'':For the comic named "Lightsaber", see [[1433: Lightsaber]].''</noinclude><br />
{{comic<br />
| number = 2612<br />
| date = April 27, 2022<br />
| title = Lightsabers<br />
| image = lightsabers.png<br />
| titletext = A lot of Jedi romances start with this turning into a Lady and the Tramp spaghetti situation.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a MAGNETICALLY CONFINED PLASMA-SABER REACTOR - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
A {{w|lightsaber}} is a fictional beam-like sword weapon used by members of the {{w|Jedi}} order and the {{w|Sith}} in the ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' franchise. This comic shows a lightsaber fight starting between two [[Cueball]]-like Jedi, one already presenting their blade in challenge and the second activating theirs in response. When the first strike is made between the two lightsabers, they seemingly meld together, with a bloop sound, like the beams are made of a liquid. This then causes the two light beams to be stuck to each other. In in-universe "technical documents", lightsabers are said to be made from magnetically-confined plasma, so perhaps the magnetic fields which were projected from each hilt have merged instead of repelling (or presenting as mutually impervious) as is usually expected.<br />
<br />
This scene actually looks a lot like what happens between Harry Potter and Voldemort's wands in the end of the fourth boo, the {{w|Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire|''Goblet of Fire''}}. Here two spells hit each other and connect the two wands, the wand holders then unable to release or disconnect the wands. <br />
<br />
In this situation one Jedi tries to shake the beam, maybe to break the bond, but instead the wave travels down the combined beam to also shake the other Jedi's hand-held hilt. When the vibration dies down the other Jedi then tries to deactivate his lightsaber as an attempt to end the connection. But the retraction of the entire double-sized light beam into the handle (as seen in the movies) causes both of the Jedi to be drawn together where they collide together, forcefully enough to render them both unconscious. The connected lightsaber handles lie next to them on the ground.<br />
<br />
The title text implies that such events are how {{w|Jedi}} romances start, comparing it to the famous "spaghetti scene" from the 1955 Disney animated movie ''{{w|Lady and the Tramp}}'' where the two titular characters unintentionally kiss after sharing a strand of spaghetti. In the Old Republic, Jedi were forbidden from entering into romantic relationships (and discouraged from forming attachments in general), but in the pre-Disney ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity of the {{w|Star Wars in other media|Expanded Universe}}, {{w|Luke Skywalker}} and {{w|Mara Jade}} first met while fighting in the aftermath of the fall of the Empire, and then developed a romantic relationship.<br />
<br />
Star Wars is a [[:Category:Star Wars|recurring theme]] on xkcd, and lightsabers have been prominently featured before in, for instance, [[1397: Luke]] and [[1433: Lightsaber]], where the problem with the physics of a light beam as a sword is shown. But in general light does not interact with light as {{w|photons}} are {{w|bosons}} and can thus pass through each other. Interference, yes, but two pure light beams cannot collide and bounce back as when two lightsabers collide. Also as the comic Lightsaber mentioned above shows, there is no compatible real-world way of confining a beam of light, making it stop after about a meter (or anywhere){{Dubious}}<sup> - see {{w|Optical cavity}}</sup>. So this is another time where [[Randall]] makes a joke about the physics of lightsabers.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Two Cueball like Jedi are engaging each other in a duel using lightsabers over 12 panels of equal size, with sound effects as the only sound. In the first panel the left Jedi has his lightsaber extended holding it in both hand pointing towards the other, who at this time is just turning his lightsaber on.]<br />
:''Tssssss''<br />
:Click<br />
<br />
:[Almost same position of the Jedi, but the right Jedi's lightsaber has now extended, making a sound. He is holding it up near his head in both hands] <br />
:''Tsss''<br />
<br />
:[Then they run towards each other and swing their lightsabers towards each other, two small arcs indicating the swing of the lightsabers.]<br />
<br />
:[The two beams hit each other and connects at the middle in a big bloop of light, with drops of "light" jumping off both above and below the connected lightsabers. Both Jedi still holds on to their handles with both hands. A loud sound comes out of the connection:]<br />
:''Bloop''<br />
<br />
:[The Jedi stands still holding their handles. The beam is now forming a bow between the two handles.]<br />
<br />
:[The left Jedi violently shakes his handle causing a wave to travel down the beam towards the right Jedi.]<br />
:Shake shake<br />
<br />
:[As the left Jedi's end of the beam comes to rest the wave travels all the way the right Jedi's handle causing his hands to shake, although a bit less than the original shake.]<br />
:Shake shake<br />
<br />
:[Back to the bow of light between them, but the beam is visibly still shaking, but no wave is traveling any longer.]<br />
<br />
:[Same setting but the shaking has stopped. The right Jedi turns his lightsaber off on his handle with a sound:]<br />
:Click<br />
<br />
:[The beam of light is retracted quickly into the handle of the Jedi turning his lightsaber off. So quickly that the two Jedi, still holding on to their handles are pulled up in the air and towards each other as the sound of the beam turning off is heard. Lines indicate their movement and shadows on the ground beneath them indicate they are in the air.]<br />
:''Zhhhiiiip''<br />
<br />
:[When the beam is completely retracted the two handles collide and so do the heads of the two Jedi with a loud sound. They still hold on to their handles with both hands. They still hang in the air with shadows on the ground beneath them.]<br />
:''Bonk''<br />
<br />
:[In the final panel the two Jedi lie unconscious on the ground with their heads towards each other and with their arms stretched out towards each other. The connected handles lie between them.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]<br />
[[Category:Star Wars]]<br />
[[Category:Fiction]] <!-- Lady and the tramp in title text--></div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2611:_Cutest-Sounding_Scientific_Effects&diff=231163Talk:2611: Cutest-Sounding Scientific Effects2022-04-26T08:44:27Z<p>172.70.90.145: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
Can I suggest that anyone who replaces the hyphen/minus-sign in "foo - bar" (or, usually, "foo - breakout - bar" as some sort of bracketting side-comment) don't replace " - " with "–” or "—” ''without the spaces'', as it makes it look even more like the unintended hyphenisation that they probably think they're avoiding. At least preserve the spacing. That said, there generally is another way.<br /><br />
If commas would be too confusing (e.g. proximity to a list (and especially Oxford Commas, which confuse things more!)) then parenthesising would be best. If you're too scared to nest brackets (and ellipses/etc don't seem viable …perhaps leave to the Discussion page?) then probably you just need to rewrite into several more atomic sentences rather than one huge run-on one that needs so many different pause/''sotto-voce''-effect in the internalised narration. As you can see, I run into this problem often enough. In this comment I've slightly broken a couple of my own rules (by omission) just because it makes a better exemplar to not rewrite to avoid.<br /><br />
''However'' this is just general advice to the other mdash/ndash 'correctors' who pop up. In this article it was the transcript where "Effect A - Effect B" became "Effect A–Effect B", looking like "A-Effect" (or, actually "Effect-B", to reflect the true ordering seen). Obviously it represents the line between, but no hyphen ''or'' dash is there to be read, and it would have been as valid to use " / " as separator, except for the use (unspaced) in "Bouba/kiki". It would be nice to know what screen-readers think of every option — how they voice them, etc…<br /><br />
Perhaps a " [is bracketed with] " transcript-label would be best (with the spaces, naturally). But I leave it up to someone else to think about. I'm still a bit overinvolved with the 'hyphen-like dashes' issue, as you can see, which often makes me a bit sharp and terse. For which I apologise, as with this whole 'getting off of my chest' commentary that I've a feeling I have either under-explained or over-explained. Or, simultaneously, both! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.145|172.70.90.145]] 08:44, 26 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
<!-- The following thread is unrelated to the comic and has been commented out.<br />
Wow, the last [[xkcd]]. --[[User:X K C D|X K C D]] ([[User talk:X K C D|talk]]) 21:36, 25 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
: What do you mean? -- [[User:WriterArtistCoder|WriterArtistCoder]] ([[User talk:WriterArtistCoder|WriterArtistCoder]]) 21:45, 25 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
:: It's the last [[xkcd]]. --[[User:X K C D|X K C D]] ([[User talk:X K C D|talk]]) 21:51, 25 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
::: How do you know this? Your account was created very recently (today, at 21:34 UTC), so it's kind of hard to believe you. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.125|162.158.134.125]] 21:55, 25 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::: Because it's the last [[xkcd]]. --[[User:X K C D|X K C D]] ([[User talk:X K C D|talk]]) 21:56, 25 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::: not to stretch this out but i think what they mean is that it is the last ''currently existing'' XKCD comic at the time of writing [[User:Vaedez|Vaedez]] ([[User talk:Vaedez|talk]]) 00:32, 26 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::::: No, it's just stupid vandalism. Changes to another page suggested the ''last ever'' comic, for insufficiently specified reasons. '''I'd suggest deleting this whole tree of Talk comments, as the user concerned is getting the attention that they are clearly seeking''', but it's probably even worse etiquette (or mistakable for vandalism!) for me to do so. Perhaps add in a Collapsable-type markup to this bit, letting less meta conversation about the explanation/comic occur, if anybody has any such things to say? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.155|172.70.162.155]] 01:04, 26 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
::::: [[User:X K C D|X K C D]] keeps spamming, does anyone know how to semi-protect or block? Sorry, I'm kind of a noob. -- [[User:WriterArtistCoder|WriterArtistCoder]] ([[User talk:WriterArtistCoder|WriterArtistCoder]]) 21:56, 25 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::::: Why are my trousers combusting? --[[User:X K C D|X K C D]] ([[User talk:X K C D|talk]]) 22:06, 25 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
::::::: He also updated the [[xkcd]] page; no point in edit warring until an admin blocks [[User:Alchemistmatt|Alchemistmatt]] ([[User talk:Alchemistmatt|talk]]) 22:12, 25 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::::::: Thanks for the tip. Should I still delete the header whenever I edit, or just leave it alone? -- [[User:WriterArtistCoder|WriterArtistCoder]] ([[User talk:WriterArtistCoder|WriterArtistCoder]]) 22:14, 25 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
::::::::: I'll stop until we find a source. Why are my trousers combusting? Will they stop now that I'm not edit warring? --[[User:X K C D|X K C D]] ([[User talk:X K C D|talk]]) 22:16, 25 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::::::::: They're still combusting. --[[User:X K C D|X K C D]] ([[User talk:X K C D|talk]]) 22:21, 25 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
::::::::::: Nothing's changed; my trousers are still combusting. --[[User:X K C D|X K C D]] ([[User talk:X K C D|talk]]) 22:34, 25 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
:::::::::::: [[wikipedia:Pants on Fire|Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!]] --[[Special:Contributions/172.70.162.155|172.70.162.155]] 00:35, 26 April 2022 (UTC)<br />
--></div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=New_Products&diff=231014New Products2022-04-24T11:48:07Z<p>172.70.90.145: Undo revision 231013 by BernadetteKnipe (talk) Spaaaaam</p>
<hr />
<div>#REDIRECT [[1497: New Products]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2608:_Family_Reunion&diff=2307292608: Family Reunion2022-04-19T12:25:12Z<p>172.70.90.145: /* Explanation */ Does this clarify? I have (several!) first-cousins-twice-removed, for example, and I am also theirs (they could be my children, age-wise, my various once-removeds are roughly my age, and not due to anyone rushing into parentage!</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2608<br />
| date = April 18, 2022<br />
| title = Family Reunion<br />
| image = family_reunion.png<br />
| titletext = Grandma says that because of differences in primate and feline lifespans, the cat is actually my 17,000,000th cousin 14,000,000 times removed.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by THE GIRL YOU DIDN'T KNOW WAS YOUR RELATIVE (WHOOPS) - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Because all humans are descended from a {{w|Mitochondrial Eve|common ancestor}}, every human is, at some point, related to every other human, albeit distantly. Similarly, all life forms on Earth are presumed (with good reasons) to be descended from a single {{w|Most recent common ancestor|even more distant relative}} whose ultimate lineage {{w|Last universal common ancestor|became more relevant}} than any from its own 'cousins' at the time, and thus ''all'' life forms are distantly related. This makes every interaction with another life-form, technically, a family reunion, if not in the traditional sense.<br />
<br />
The general English definition of a {{w|cousin}}, which is a person sharing an ancestor who is not a direct parent of either party, can be qualified by two numbers. There is the ''n''th-ness of the relationship (the fewest generations you need to go beyond one's parentage, "a first cousin" implies that a grandparent is the key link) - for example, [[Cueball|this Cueball's]] relation to [[White Hat]] is via a great-grandparent, whilst that with [[Hairbun]] is through a great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparent. A "removed" number is any difference in this number between the two individuals, such that a child of a direct cousin invokes a "once removed" relationship between the two (without individually qualifying who is the 'senior' generation, from whom the 'nth' count is determined). You would normally only qualify "first cousin" if this fact is considered important, and "zero times removed" would also be considered implicit.<br />
<br />
As pointed out in the title text, cat lifespans (or, more importantly, inter-generational breeding cycles) are somewhat different from those of humans. Although they would have still been very similar immediately after the divergence from the appropriate MRCA, the differences will have built up to a generational-count displacement of a similarly extreme nature. i.e. that while the shared ancestor is Cueball's 17-million-or-so-Great Grandparent, the cat is in turn the 31-million-or-so-Great Grandchild. Exactly how accurate, or even precise, Randall considers these numbers is unknown, but it is the kind of fact that we know he likes to research and use expert opinion for.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Megan, White Hat, Cueball, Hairy, a 2nd Megan (Danish?), a cat, Hairbun, a chair, and a potted plant on a cabinet are "standing" in a line. White Hat is holding a cup and Hairy has his hands to the side. There are arrows pointing to each of the living creatures.]<br />
<br />
:14th cousin [Megan]<br />
:2nd cousin [White Hat]<br />
:Me [Cueball]<br />
:12th cousin [Hairy]<br />
:35th cousin [Megan #2]<br />
:17,000,000th cousin [cat]<br />
:9th cousin [Hairbun]<br />
:50,000,000,000th cousin [potted plant]<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:Really, ''every'' gathering is a family reunion.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
<!-- [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] Danish?--> <br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]<br />
[[Category:Cats]]<br />
[[Category:Biology]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2608:_Family_Reunion&diff=2307242608: Family Reunion2022-04-19T07:38:59Z<p>172.70.90.145: /* Explanation */ To avoid repetition.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2608<br />
| date = April 18, 2022<br />
| title = Family Reunion<br />
| image = family_reunion.png<br />
| titletext = Grandma says that because of differences in primate and feline lifespans, the cat is actually my 17,000,000th cousin 14,000,000 times removed.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by THE GIRL YOU DIDN'T KNOW WAS YOUR RELATIVE (WHOOPS) - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Because all humans are descended from a {{w|Mitochondrial Eve|common ancestor}}, every human is, at some point, related to every other human, albeit distantly. Similarly, all life forms on Earth are presumed (with good reasons) to be descended from a single {{w|Most recent common ancestor|even more distant relative}} whose ultimate lineage {{w|Last universal common ancestor|became more relevent}} than any from its own 'cousins' at the time, and thus ''all'' life forms are distantly related. This makes every interaction with another life-form, technically, a family reunion, if not in the traditional sense.<br />
<br />
The general English definition of a {{w|cousin}}, which is a person sharing an ancestor who is not a direct parent of either party, can be qualified by two numbers. There is the ''n''th-ness of the relationship (the fewest generations you need to go beyond one's parentage, "a first cousin" implies that a grandparent is the key link) - for example, [[Cueball|this Cueball's]] relation to [[White Hat]] is via a great-grandparent, whilst that with [[Hairbun]] is through a great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparent. A "removed" number is any difference in this number between the two individuals, such that a child of a direct cousin invokes a "once removed" relationship. You would normally only qualify "first cousin" if this fact is considered important, and "zero times removed" would also be considered implicit.<br />
<br />
As pointed out in the title text, cat lifespans (or, more importantly, inter-generational breeding cycles) are somewhat different from those of humans. Although they would have still been very similar immediately after the divergence from the appropriate MRCA, the differences will have built up to a generational-count displacement of a similarly extreme nature. i.e. that while the shared ancestor is Cueball's 17-million-or-so-Great Grandparent, the cat is in turn the 31-million-or-so-Great Grandchild. Exactly how accurate, or even precise, Randall considers these numbers is unknown, but it is the kind of fact that we know he likes to research and use expert opinion for.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Megan, White Hat, Cueball, Hairy, a 2nd Megan (Danish?), a cat, Hairbun, a chair, and a potted plant on a cabinet are "standing" in a line. White Hat is holding a cup and Hairy has his hands to the side. There are arrows pointing to each of the living creatures.]<br />
<br />
:14th cousin [Megan]<br />
:2nd cousin [White Hat]<br />
:Me [Cueball]<br />
:12th cousin [Hairy]<br />
:35th cousin [Megan #2]<br />
:17,000,000th cousin [cat]<br />
:9th cousin [Hairbun]<br />
:50,000,000,000th cousin [potted plant]<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:]<br />
:Really, ''every'' gathering is a family reunion.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
<!-- [[Category:Comics featuring Megan]] Danish?--> <br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]<br />
[[Category:Cats]]<br />
[[Category:Biology]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1037:_Umwelt&diff=2306511037: Umwelt2022-04-17T22:43:47Z<p>172.70.90.145: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1037<br />
| date = April 1, 2012<br />
| title = Umwelt<br />
| image = umwelt_the_void.jpg<br />
| titletext = Umwelt is the idea that because their senses pick up on different things, different animals in the same ecosystem actually live in very different worlds. Everything about you shapes the world you inhabit--from your ideology to your glasses prescription to your web browser.<br />
}}<br />
{{TOC}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This was the third [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] released by [[Randall]]. The previous fools comic was <br />
[[880: Headache]] from Friday April 1st 2011. The next was [[1193: Externalities]] released on Monday April 1st 2013.<br />
<br />
This comic was released on April 1 even though that was [[:Category:Sunday comics|a Sunday]] (only the third comic to be released on a Sunday). But it was only due to the April Fool joke, as it did replace the comic that would have been scheduled for Monday, April 2nd. The next comic, [[1038: Fountain]], was first released on Wednesday, April 4th. This was the first that could be different for different readers.<br />
<br />
An {{w|Umwelt}}, as the title text explains, is the idea that one's entire way of thinking is dependent on their surroundings. Thus, this {{w|April Fools}} comic changes based on the browser, location, or referrer. Thus, what the viewer is viewing the comic on, where they live, or where they came from determines which comic they actually see. As a result, there are actually multiple comics that went up on April Fools' Day, although only one is seen.<br />
(The term 'Umwelt,' as mentioned in the comic, refers to the semiotic theories of Jakob von Uexküll and Thomas A. Sebeok)<br />
<br />
Information about how the wide variety of data was collected and credit for the viewers who contributed can be found [http://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/rnst4/april_fools_xkcd_changing_comic/ here].<br />
<br />
===The Void===<br />
[[File:umwelt the void.jpg]]<br />
<br />
If the device or browser you are using does not support Javascript, you will simply see a static image of a white swirl on a dark background.<br />
<br />
Possible reference to The Ring (http://imgur.com/wlGmm), as though to suggest that using an alternative browser is dismal and horrific.<br />
<br />
Davean (xkcd's sysadmin): "[This] comic isn't available everywhere and it can come up i[n] some situation[s] only for recognized browsers."<br />
<br />
Browser: Alternative Browser<br />
<br />
===Aurora===<br />
[[File:umwelt aurora.png]]<br />
<br />
One could interpret that since Megan didn't go out and therefore missed seeing the {{w|Aurora}} (northern lights), Cueball in his [[1350:_Lorenz#Knit_Cap_Girl|knit cap]] lied about it. That way, she wouldn't have felt sad that she missed out. Another interpretation could be that he decides that since she did not even bother to go outside to see such a spectacular sight he will not tell her about it. And yet another could be that he did not think it was interesting.<br />
<br />
Cueball could possibly also be red-green colorblind, seeing the green aurorae as grey "clouds". This would serve as an example for the theme of the comic, as a non-colorblind person and a colorblind person seeing the same color would perceive it differently, one seeing it as its true color, and the other seeing it without the shade of color they cannot see. If this is the case, then it would be a reference to umwelt, as Cueball would be living in a world where the auroras do not reach his location.<br />
<br />
In real life, [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-northern-lights-dont-look-anything-like-they-do-in-photos_n_5500a4d9e4b0e62d0dd4f9bb aurorae are usually seen as grey/white clouds] to the naked eye, as our eyes cannot perceive the "greener" colors as well in the dark.<br />
<br />
This image changed based on the size of the browser window including different panels at different sizes.<br />
<br />
Locations: Canada, Boston, Maine, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Minnesota, Norway, Denmark, France, Rhode Island (not sure if mobile only or not.) (also in Virginia, but using Ohio in the first panel) (also in Maryland, but using Canada in the first panel)<br />
<br />
In [[1302: Year in Review]] a possibly different Megan has a completely different approach to the chance of seeing northern lights, as that was the only event she was looking forward to in 2013, and it failed. If this is the same Megan, perhaps she learned that there actually were northern lights in her area from another source, and so desperately wanted to have another chance to see them.<br />
<br />
===Snake===<br />
[[File:umwelt snake composite 1024.png]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt snake composite.png|Full size]]<br />
<br />
The joke here is the extreme length of snakes. The world's longest snake is the python, the longest ever being 33 feet or approx. 10 meters. The blue and orange circles refer to the hit game {{w|Portal}}.<br />
There is also a reference to the book "The Little Prince" in the second panel, where there is a large bulge in the snake that looks like an elephant. The Little Prince starts out by mentioning a drawing that the author made when he was six that showed an elephant inside a snake.<br />
<br />
Also, the number and content of the panels changes depending on the size of your browser window.<br />
<br />
This image changed based on the size of the browser window including different panels at different sizes.<br />
<br />
Specific AltText for this image: Umwelt is the idea that because their senses pick up on different things, different animals in the same ecosystem actually live in very different worlds. Everything about you shapes the world you inhabit -from your ideology to your glasses prescription to your browser window size.<br />
<br />
Location: Texas (on Chrome Version 33.0.1750.154 m), New Jersey, California (on Chrome Version 39.0.2171.95), Maryland, Massachusetts (Safari for iOS, Chrome version 49.0.2623.112), Connecticut (Safari for iOS, Chrome Version 73.0.3683.103, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Edge), Virginia (on Chrome), Michigan (Firefox v46.0.1), Penang (Chrome Version 65.0.3325.162).<br />
<br />
===Black Hat===<br />
[[File:umwelt tortoise 1024.png]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt tortoise.png|Full size]]<br />
<br />
Cueball as an analyst attempts to psychoanalyze [[Black Hat|Black Hat's]] [[72: Classhole|classhole]] tendencies. Cueball's quote and the whole setup is a direct reference to the movie {{w|Blade Runner}} (1982) and Black Hat is taking the Voight-Kampff test which is used to identify replicants from real humans.<br />
<br />
Black Hat's reason for not helping the tortoise is that ''it '''knows''' what it did'' and thus in Black Hat's world view it deserves being turned over. The final part of the joke is that when zooming out it turns out that there is a tortoise behind Black Hat and he has actually already turned it over for what it did.<br />
<br />
Location: Seems to appear mostly in "other countries" — those without location-specific comics.<br />
<br />
===Too Quiet===<br />
[[File:umwelt too quiet 1024.png]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt too quiet.png|Full size]]<br />
<br />
A reference to {{w|Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park}} which has been [[87: Velociraptors|constantly]] [[135: Substitute|referred]] [[1110: Click and Drag|to]] [[155: Search History|before]] [[758: Raptor Fences|in]] this comic.<br />
<br />
Also referencing the film {{w|2 Fast 2 Furious|2 Fast 2 Furious}}, an entertaining, yet intellectually unprovoking sequel in a popular film franchise, which is aimed at teenagers and young adults, prompting the blunt response from the stickman. The fact that Steve would use such a cliché {{w|2000s (decade)|noughties}} movie term in such an intense moment, and the subsequent curse, is the joke in this comic.<br />
<br />
Location: short version — iPhone 5c Safari browser in Texas, iPhone 5 Chrome Browser in Minnesota, long version - Google Chrome browser in Indiana, Windows 8 Laptop<br />
<br />
===Pond===<br />
[[File:umwelt pond mobile.png]][[File:umwelt pond wide.png]]<br />
<br />
Two different versions showed, the narrower version for mobile devices.<br />
<br />
Location: The Netherlands and various other countries.<br />
<br />
===Galaxies===<br />
[[File:umwelt galaxies 1024.jpg]]<br />
[[:File:umwelt galaxies.jpg|Full size]]<br />
<br />
Megan is distracted from her conversation with [[Cueball]] by realizing that the space behind his head, from her vantage point, contains millions of galaxies. This is similar to an [http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/astro/hst_deep_field.jpg incredible photograph] taken by the Hubble Telescope, in which a tiny dark area of space in fact contained numerous galaxies.<br />
<br />
The title text is an imaginative leap from this scenario: that the galaxies would be up to no good once Cueball is turned away from them. This is presumably a reference to [http://www.mariowiki.com/boo Boo], an enemy from certain Mario games who moves toward Mario only when Mario is facing away from Boo.<br />
<br />
This comic was only reported once... the intended environmental context is a mystery.<br />
<br />
Location: unknown<br />
<br />
===xkcd Gold===<br />
[[File:umwelt xkcd gold.png]]<br />
<br />
This is probably a reference to the 4chan Gold Account, an implementation on 4chan that does not actually exist, and is usually used to trick newcomers into revealing their credit card numbers. The joke is that "Gold Account" users can supposedly block other users from viewing images they have posted. The fifth panel is probably a reference to Beecock, a notorious set of shocker images. 4chan's moderators have been known to give out "beecock bans" or "/z/ bans" to particularly annoying users, which redirect the user to a page containing beecock and the text "OH NO THE BOARD IS GONE".<br />
<br />
Referrer: 4chan<br />
<br />
===Yo Mama===<br />
[[File:umwelt dog ballast.png]]<br />
<br />
Possible reference to Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s "{{w|Harrison Bergeron}}."<br />
<br />
The joke is that people's different experiences shape how they perceive the world in that the people who live in this world would perceive the joke as funny, while people in our world would not get it. This is the idea of umwelt mentioned at the top of the context where different individuals perceive the world differently.<br />
<br />
Refer: Facebook<br />
<br />
===Reddit===<br />
[[File:umwelt reddit.png]]<br />
<br />
Reference to referencing, because Reddit, as a referring site, likes references to its referencing in its references.<br />
<br />
This comic also features recursive imagery similar to [[688: Self-Description|Self Description]] where the third panel embeds the entire comic within itself.<br />
<br />
One of the browser tabs visible in the center panel is {{w|Elk}} on Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
Referrer: Reddit<br />
<br />
===Buns and Hot dogs===<br />
[[File:umwelt somethingawful.jpg]]<br />
<br />
This is a reference to the question "Why do hot dogs come in packages of 6 while buns come in packages of 8?" <br />
<br />
Another, more sexual reference to this question can be found in [[1641: Hot Dogs]].<br />
<br />
Referrer: SomethingAwful, Questionable Content, & MetaFilter<br />
<br />
===Twitter===<br />
[[File:umwelt twitter.jpg]]<br />
<br />
A summary of the "content" typically found on Twitter.<br />
<br />
In the tweet feed, there are three tweets about some podcast on the top, followed by the tweet containing link they clicked on to get to the comic, tweets about Rob Delaney, unspecified passive-aggressive tweets, and a tweet from [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_ebooks Horse Ebooks] retweeted by one of the users the reader follows.<br />
<br />
On the left, the topmost dialog, with profile information, shows that the user has posted 1,302 tweets, but only follows 171 people and has even fewer followers, at a measly 48. This is marked with a sad face, implying that the user wants more followers.<br />
<br />
Below that is the "who to follow" dialog, which is written up as consisting of "assholes".<br />
<br />
Below that is the "trending tags" dialog for the United States. It is full of tags about word games, tags about misogyny, and tags about Justin Bieber.<br />
<br />
Below that is an unidentified dialog full of "stuff your eyes automatically ignore". And finally, on the bottom is the background colour, which is "a really pleasant blue".<br />
<br />
Referrer: Twitter<br />
<br />
===Wikipedia===<br />
[[File:umwelt wikipedia wide.jpg]]<br />
[[File:umwelt wikipedia mobile.png]]<br />
<br />
The term {{w|Mile High Club}} (or MHC) is a slang term applied collectively to individuals who have had sexual intercourse while on board an aircraft. Randall says that reading the news articles on it has distracted him from making that comic.<br />
<br />
Two different versions shown, the narrower version (the single panel with all the text) for mobile devices.<br />
<br />
Referrer: Wikipedia<br />
<br />
===Google Chrome===<br />
[[File:umwelt chrome1.jpg]]<br />
<br />
{{w|Sergey Brin}} (born August 21, 1973) is an American computer scientist and Internet entrepreneur who, with Larry Page, co-founded Google, one of the most profitable Internet companies. As of 2013, his personal wealth was estimated to be $24.4 billion. Randall makes the joke that as the founder of Google, Brin's permission would be needed to use Google Chrome. Because there are millions of people who use Google, it is likely that at least some of the time Brin would be asleep, thus he would need to be woken.<br />
<br />
Browser: Chrome<br />
<br />
===Chrome/Firefox===<br />
[[File:umwelt chrome2.png]]<br />
<br />
Mozilla {{w|Firefox}} is a free and open-source web browser developed for Windows, OS X, and Linux, with a mobile version for Android and iOS, by the Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation. Cueball is complaining about {{w|Google Chrome}}, to which [[Ponytail]] replies that there is an {{w|add-on}} that fixes what he is complaining about. When questioned, she replies that the add-on is Firefox, which isn't an add-on at all and is instead a different browser.<br />
<br />
Browser: Chrome<br />
<br />
===Google Chrome-2===<br />
[[File:umwelt chrome3.png]]<br />
<br />
This panel references Google Chrome's error screen, which shows a puzzle piece. The comic humorously implies that Chrome is looking for that piece. When completing jigsaw puzzles, a common strategy is to figure out where the pieces must be from their geometry rather than from the picture they create. In this case, the text suggests that Chrome believes the puzzle piece connects to the pieces which form one of the corners of the puzzle, which may seem impossible because any piece that links up to a corner would usually have at least one flat edge, which this piece has none. However, more complicated puzzles have complex shapes and are not always simply approximate squares with tabs and blanks.<br />
<br />
Frowser: Chrome or silk on desktop view<br />
<br />
===Mozilla Firefox Private Browsing===<br />
[[File:umwelt firefox incognito.png]]<br />
<br />
Another reference to crashing web browsers.<br />
Firefox shows the history when it crashes.<br />
Browser: Firefox (Incognito only?)<br />
<br />
===Internet Explorer===<br />
[[File:umwelt ie.png]]<br />
<br />
Yet another reference to crashing web browsers<br />
<br />
Browser: Internet Explorer<br />
<br />
===Maxthon===<br />
[[File:umwelt maxthon.png]]<br />
<br />
Browser: Maxthon<br />
<br />
===Netscape Navigator===<br />
[[File:umwelt netscape womanoctopus.png]]<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt netscape man.png]]<br />
<br />
{{w|Netscape Navigator}} was a web browser popular in the 1990s.<br />
<br />
Browser: Netscape<br />
<br />
===Rockmelt===<br />
[[File:umwelt rockmelt.png]]<br />
<br />
{{w|Rockmelt}} is a social-media-based browser.<br />
<br />
Reference to the gospel song {{w|Longing for Old Virginia: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1934)|"There's no hiding place down here" by The Carter Family}}, later covered by Stephen Stills.<br />
<br />
:I run to the rock just to hide my face<br />
:And the rocks cried out, no hiding place<br />
:There's no hiding place down here<br />
<br />
It may additionally be a reference to the ''Babylon 5'' episode "And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place," which featured the song.<br />
<br />
Browser: Rockmelt<br />
<br />
===Plugin Disabled===<br />
[[File:umwelt plugin disabled.png]]<br />
<br />
When the Google Chrome web browser does not have the required software (called a plug-in) to display a web page's content, it displays a puzzle piece icon and an error message. In this case, Chrome informs the user that the content is impossible to display. <br />
<br />
Browser: Plugin (?) Disabled, Safari Desktop<br />
<br />
===Corporate Networks===<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate general.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate amazon chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate amazon firefox.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate amazon other.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate google chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate microsoft chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate microsoft firefox.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate microsoft other.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate nytimes chrome.png]]<br />
[[File:umwelt corporate nytimes other.png]]<br />
<br />
These error messages appear if the user is on a network owned by one of the corporations noted. The error message includes a warning against speaking on the company's behalf.<br />
<br />
ISP: Corporate networks of Amazon, Google, Microsoft, NY Times<br />
<br />
===Military===<br />
[[File:umwelt military.png]]<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] assumes that anyone using a military network has an important job like watching for incoming missiles. He includes a thank-you to the user for their military service.<br />
<br />
ISP: Military networks<br />
<br />
===T-Mobile===<br />
[[File:umwelt tmobile.png]]<br />
<br />
Reference to T-Mobile's distinguishing feature (at the time it was written) of weaker coverage, in relation to other major providers.<br />
<br />
ISP: T-Mobile<br />
<br />
===Verizon and AT&T===<br />
[[File:umwelt verizon.png]]<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt att.png]]<br />
<br />
Reference to Verizon and AT&T's scandals/controversy regarding implementation of bandwidth caps.<br />
<br />
ISP: Verizon and AT&T<br />
<br />
===France===<br />
[[File:umwelt france.jpg]]<br />
<br />
A common joke about France is that the nation does not win wars. This originated from France's annexation by Germany during World War II, and America's late entry into the war, which is sometimes portrayed humorously as a case of America 'saving' Europe, in this joke particularly France (the role of the French resistance is usually not mentioned), leading to a common American joke at the expense of France's military prowess [http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/text/victories.html][http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/blpic-frenchmilitaryvictories.htm][http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/jokes/bljokefrenchmilitaryhistory.htm]. When France did not form part of the coalition that invaded Iraq in 2003, aligning with the many countries that condemned U.S. action, the joke was revived. <br />
<br />
A Google search of "French Military Victories" + 'I'm feeling lucky' used to direct to "did you mean: french military defeats" (due to a {{w|Google bomb}}). Cueball is trying to show this to his friend, who is French. However, his joke backfires, as his friend immediately points out that the stereotype of France not having military victories is undercut by the fact that one of the most innovative military commanders in history, Napoleon, was French by citizenship (though Italian/Corsican by culture, as the French annexed Corsica a few months before his birth to an Italian noble family), and in fact conquered much of Europe.<br />
<br />
Following the theme of umwelt, the comic highlights the two characters' differing perspectives: The American thinks that France is a military failure, while the Frenchman thinks of Napoleon.<br />
<br />
The last line of the comic further implies that Cueball is not as smart as he thinks he is in regards to anything French, as he mispronounces the French loan word "{{w|Touché (fencing)|touché}}".<br />
<br />
Locations: France & Quebec<br />
<br />
===Germany===<br />
[[File:umwelt germany.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic references the {{w|Berlin airlift#The start of the Berlin Airlift|Berlin Airlift}}, a relief measure for citizens in West Berlin (surrounded by East Germany) instituted by the Western Allies after World War II. In reality, the Western Allies flew a grand total of 500,000 tons of food over the Soviet blockade in planes. Randall puts a twist on this event by making it more fun: dropping supplies from a grand chairlift. The play on words is that "chairlift" rhymes with "airlift" and thus makes an easy substitution. The chair force is also a name that other service branches use to make fun of the air force.<br />
<br />
Location: Germany<br />
<br />
===Israel===<br />
[[File:umwelt israel.png]]<br />
<br />
Translation: Mom, I met a great guy! But he's not Jewish. ...Wait, what do you mean "neither are we"? I'm completely confused.<br />
<br />
A reference to the multiple use of the word Jewish to denote both a {{w|Judaism|religious group}} and a {{w|Jews|nationality/ethnicity}}, as well as the stereotype of Jews holding low opinions of interfaith marriage.<br />
<br />
A side note: Randall accidentally drew an apostrophe instead of the similar-looking Hebrew letter י everywhere that letter should appear.<br />
<br />
Location: Israel<br />
<br />
===Carnot Cycle===<br />
[[File:umwelt japan.png]]<br />
<br />
A pun on "cycle"; a "{{w|Carnot cycle}}" is a thermodynamic cycle (e.g. refrigeration). Its efficiency depends on the temperature of the hot and cold 'reservoirs' in which it is operating. The icon on the side of the motorcycle resembles a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Carnot_cycle_p-V_diagram.svg graph of the Carnot cycle.]<br />
<br />
Location: Japan<br />
<br />
===UK===<br />
[[File:umwelt uk.jpg]]<br />
<br />
He worded this as though to imply that the UK is a state of the U.S., and an unimportant one at that, which pokes fun at the UK, creating a paradox (sort of).<br />
<br />
Location: UK<br />
<br />
===Blizzard===<br />
[[File:umwelt disasters blizzard.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic is aimed at the debate over whether earthquakes or blizzards are harsher conditions to live under. In keeping with the theme of umwelt, the comic demonstrates that the two people perceive the world in two different ways due to their different experiences: The Californian perceives a mild earthquake and a severe blizzard, while the Northeasterner perceives a severe earthquake and a mild blizzard.<br />
<br />
For each location this displayed in, the state name was substituted in the third panel.<br />
<br />
Locations: Alabama, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Georgia, Halifax, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, the Northeast, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Texas, Toronto, Tennessee, New York, Wisconsin<br />
<br />
===Tornado===<br />
[[File:umwelt disasters tornado.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic is aimed at the debate over whether earthquakes or tornadoes are harsher conditions to live under. In keeping with the theme of umwelt, the comic demonstrates that the two people perceive the world in two different ways due to their different experiences: The California perceives a mild earthquake and a severe tornado, while the Midwesterner perceives a severe earthquake and a mild tornado.<br />
<br />
For each location this displayed in the state name was substituted in the third panel.<br />
<br />
Locations: Alabama, Dallas, Illinois, Georgia, The Midwest, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ottawa, Tennessee, Texas (and Virginia, but it used Ohio in the third panel)<br />
<br />
Tornadoes are a [[:Category:Tornadoes|recurring subject]] on xkcd. The picture used in [[1754: Tornado Safety Tips]] very reminiscent of the one from this version of Umwelt. [[Category:Tornadoes]]<br />
<br />
===Hurricane===<br />
[[File:umwelt disasters hurricane.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic is aimed at the debate over whether earthquakes or hurricanes are harsher conditions to live under. In keeping with the theme of umwelt, the comic demonstrates that the two people perceive the world in two different ways due to their different experiences: The Californian perceives a mild earthquake and a severe hurricane, while the Easterner perceives a severe earthquake and a mild hurricane.<br />
<br />
For each location this displayed in the state name was substituted in the third panel.<br />
<br />
Locations: D.C, Florida, Georgia, Houston, Miami, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia<br />
<br />
===Lake Diver Killer===<br />
[[File:umwelt lake diver.png]]<br />
<br />
This comic shows a news reporter standing in front of a lake. She is reporting on a serial killer who targets divers. As more divers are sent in to investigate and/or search for bodies, more divers go missing, the implication being that they were also murdered. The more likely reason is the lake itself is dangerous for diving, and the divers probably drowned from natural hazards (undercurrents, entanglement, running out of oxygen in tanks, etc.) instead of a malicious assailant. Also, this is a sort of loop, where each time a diver gets killed, the investigative team goes and investigates, causing more divers to get killed, causing more deaths, and so on.<br />
<br />
Location: Bay Areas, Metro Detroit, Vermont showed an image specifically referencing Lake Champlain<br />
<br />
===Lincoln Memorial===<br />
[[File:umwelt lincoln memorial.png]]<br />
<br />
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States of America, was not an entity composed wholly of nanobots that attempted to consume the entire nation to then be imprisoned within the Lincoln Memorial.{{Citation needed}}<br />
<br />
Locations: Illinois & Washington, D.C.<br />
<br />
===Helicopter Hunting===<br />
[[File:umwelt helicoptor.png]]<br />
<br />
In Alaska, governments and individuals have {{w|Wolf hunting#North America 2|shot wolves en masse from helicopters}} in an attempt to artificially inflate populations of game, such as moose and caribou, to make hunting them easier. This is opposed by many, as the game populations are not endangered (thus, this threatens ecological balance); wolves are a small threat to livestock in North America; most of the wolf body —including meat and bones— goes wasted as they are sought mainly for their pelts.<br />
<br />
Location: Alaska<br />
<br />
===Newspaper===<br />
[[File:umwelt life scientists.png]][[File:umwelt life rit.png]][[File:umwelt life umass.png]]<br />
<br />
Creating new life has long been a well understood process, in a lab or otherwise.<br />
<br />
This comic is likely a reference to the title text of [[983: Privacy]]<br />
<br />
Location: Various<br />
<br />
Specific versions appeared for RIT and UMass Amherst<br />
<br />
===Robot Paul Revere===<br />
[[File:umwelt paul revere.png]]<br />
<br />
Combination of the legend of {{w|Paul Revere#"Midnight Ride"|Paul Revere}} and a computer bit that differentiates between two situations by indicating a zero or a one.<br />
<br />
Location: Boston<br />
<br />
===Counting Cards===<br />
<!-- card counting explanation needed. --><br />
All four colleges in this series are in Massachusetts and, being similar, in pairs, rival each other to some extent (Harvard-MIT, and Smith-Wellesley). The comic contains a reference to the {{w|MIT Blackjack Team}}, which entered popular culture via the {{w|21 (2008 film)|film 21}}, and a possible reference to Orwell's book '1984' and/or {{w|Chain of Command (Star Trek: The Next Generation)|popular homage to it via Star Trek}}: "There are four lights."[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChYIm6MW39k]<br />
<br />
Bonus: The thought-gears in panel 3 are spinning against each other.<br />
<br />
Location: Harvard<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards harvard.png]]<br />
<br />
Location: MIT<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards mit.png]]<br />
<br />
"Course 15s" at MIT are the business major students, often mocked for taking a less-rigorous program. The different interpretation for why the MIT students could not count cards compared to Harvard may be a reference to the theme of umwelt.<br />
<br />
Location: Smith<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards smith.png]]<br />
<br />
Location: Wellesley<br />
<br />
[[File:umwelt counting cards wellesley.png]]<br />
<br />
Both Wellesley and Smith are all-women colleges in Massachusetts.<br />
<br />
===Giant Box Trap===<br />
[[File:umwelt box trap.png]]<br />
<br />
Randall got his undergrad in Physics at the {{w|Christopher Newport University}}, and was scheduled to return shortly to give a talk. The "Trible" figure on the right is Paul Trible, the then-president of CNU. This comic depicts a classic trap, where an upside-down box is propped up with a stick. When the stick is removed, by pulling a string, the box falls and traps whatever is underneath it. Aside from the joke of the obvious trap, there's also the fact that the president would not be responsible for revoking unearned diplomas.<br />
<br />
Location: Christopher Newport University<br />
<br />
===Chemo Support===<br />
[[File:umwelt chemo.jpg]]<br />
<br />
[[Cueball]] has shaved his head in support of people going through {{w|chemotherapy}} but, as he is always depicted as a stick figure with no hair, no one can tell.<br />
<br />
Randall's now-wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, and apparently DFCI is where they've been spending much of their time.<br />
<br />
Location: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute<br />
<br />
===Reviews===<br />
[[File:reviews.png]]<br />
<br />
The previous strip appears twice when using [[wikipedia:Tor (anonymity network)|Tor]].<br />
<br />
Browser: Any using Tor, xkcd API (JSON, RSS, Atom), w3m, and reports of seeing it on a Kindle Fire HD; also happens if visiting with a browser that does not support JavaScript (such as Firefox with NoScript)<br />
<br />
===Nothing===<br />
<br />
[[File:Umwelt blank.jpg]]<br />
<br />
The comic doesn't appear in iPad browsers. The top buttons and the bottom buttons are side by side, and you can only see the title in the top.<br />
<br />
On April 28 and 29, 2019, a visit from San Francisco on macOS 10.14.4 using Chrome 74, Safari 12.1, or Firefox 66.0.3, all with JavaScript enabled, produced no comic, just two adjacent rows of navigation buttons.<br />
<br />
On April 29, 2019, a visit from Utah using a T-mobile Samsung device running Android pie, yielded the same results<br />
<br />
Since this comic's release, all devices viewing it have returned two rows of navigation buttons if near IP address 69.114.249.104.<br />
<br />
It also doesn't work in Pennsylvania on the Chrome operating system.<br />
<br />
There is a discussion about this in the ''Talk'' page.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Note to courageous readers- The transcript has been reordered in the order in which the comics appear in the picture and appropriate names have been given.]<br />
<br />
:'''The Void'''<br />
:[An epic void with a bright light shining right on you.]<br />
<br />
:'''Aurora'''<br />
:[Cueball heading out past Megan comfortably sitting in front of a desk.]<br />
:Cueball: Apparently there's a solar flare that's causing some Great Aurorae. CBC says they may even be visible here! Wanna drive out to see?<br />
:Megan: Hockey's on.<br />
:Cueball: Ok. Later.<br />
<br />
:[An expansive, marvelous image of emerald green northern lights, floating down through the sky.]<br />
<br />
:Megan: See anything?<br />
:Cueball: No, just clouds.<br />
:Megan: Not surprised.<br />
<br />
:'''Aurora-US'''<br />
:[Cueball heading out past Megan comfortably sitting in front of a desk.]<br />
:Cueball: Apparently there's a solar storm causing northern lights over Canada. CNN say they might even be visible {Options: "As Far South As Us", "Here in Boston", "Maine", "Ohio", "Oregon", "New York"}! Wanna drive out to see?<br />
:Megan: It's cold out.<br />
:Cueball: Ok. Later.<br />
<br />
:[An expansive, marvelous image of emerald green northern lights, floating down through the sky.]<br />
<br />
:Megan: See anything?<br />
:Cueball: No, just clouds.<br />
:Megan: Not surprised.<br />
<br />
:'''Snake'''<br />
:[Two people standing next to each other. Megan is holding the head end of a snake. Depending on the width of your browser, the snake is: three frames, the third of which has a little bit of a bump; the first frame has a human-size bump, the second has a third person looking at the snake, and the third has the snake going though two Portals; a squirrel and the human-size bump in the first frame, a ring next to the third person in the second frame, and Beret Guy riding the snake in front of the portal; or The squirrel, a fourth person within the snake being coiled, and the human bump in the first frame, the ring, a fifth person in love, and the third person in the second frame, Beret Guy and the portal in the third frame, and the same two people in the fourth frame.]<br />
<br />
:Megan: I found a snake, but then I forgot to stop.<br />
<br />
:'''Black hat'''<br />
:[Two people sitting at a desk. One is Black Hat. The other is an analyst. Black Hat has a number of terminals attached to his head.]<br />
:Analyst: You come across a tortoise in the desert. You flip it over. It struggles to right itself. You watch. You're not helping. Why is that?<br />
<br />
:Black Hat: It '''knows''' what it did.<br />
<br />
:[View of the entire scene, with said turtle off in the distance on its back and trying to right itself.]<br />
<br />
:'''Too quiet'''<br />
:[A group of four scale down a wall into a field in the middle of the night. They walk off single-file.]<br />
:Person 1: It's quiet.<br />
<br />
:Person 3: Yeah - *Too* quiet.<br />
<br />
:[A Velociraptor is off in the distance, following the group.]<br />
:Person 4: Yeah - too *too* quiet.<br />
<br />
:Person 2: Yeah - 2quiet2furious.<br />
:Person 1: Fuck off, Steve.<br />
<br />
:'''Pond'''<br />
:[A landscape showing a pond, some reeds, and a set of mountains off in the distance.]<br />
<br />
:'''Galaxies'''<br />
:[A trio of galaxies.]<br />
:Galaxy 1: He's not looking!<br />
:Galaxy 3: Let's get him!<br />
:[Lines draw in illustrating the eye-line of one of a pair of people.]<br />
:Cueball: So he said he didn't get the text, but c'mon, he *never* misses texts. Right? ..hello?<br />
:Megan: I'm just staring at your head freaked out by the fact that there are millions of galaxies *directly behind it*.<br />
<br />
:'''xkcd Gold'''<br />
:[Cueball holding bat.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Sorry, but this comic<br />
<br />
:[Cueball starts to wind up.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: requires<br />
<br />
:[Cueball prepares to strike with bat.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: XKCD<br />
<br />
:[Cueball swings at a beehive.]<br />
:GOLD<br />
<br />
:[Penis Bees fly out of the beehive.]<br />
<br />
:'''Yo mamma'''<br />
:[Cueball yells at a friend.]<br />
:Cueball: Oh yeah? Well you mama's so ''cynical'', her only dog ballast is a ''leash''!<br />
:(This comic takes place in a dystopian future where the government is afraid dogs can hover, so it requires them to wear weights at all times, and some people privately doubt the government, but not enough to stop buying dog weights.)<br />
<br />
:'''Reddit'''<br />
:Five seconds ago:<br />
:[You sitting in front of a desk, reading a reddit thread.]<br />
:You: Oh, hey, reddit has a link to some XKCD april fools comic.<br />
<br />
:Now: [An image of the xkcd comic page.]<br />
:Five seconds from now:<br />
<br />
:You: ..hey<br />
<br />
:30 seconds from now:<br />
:[DANCE PARTY!]<br />
<br />
:'''Buns and Hot dogs'''<br />
:Cueball: What I wanna know is why do hot dogs come in packages of six while buns come in these huge sacks of ash and blood from which "Ave Maria" is faintly audible?<br />
:[Chanting sacks of gore in the background.]<br />
<br />
:'''Twitter'''<br />
:[A Twitter account page with the following: Many tweets, fewer following, even fewer followers, A bunch of assholes in the suggested follow box, trending topics partitioned into: Word Games, Misogyny, and Bieber, stuff your eyes automatically ignore, A really pleasant blue. and the timeline: Something about a podcast, Someone confused because the description doesn't match the link, The link you clicked on to get to this comic, Rob Delaney, Passive Aggression, and horse ebooks.]<br />
<br />
:'''Wikipedia'''<br />
:[There's no comic here because instead of drawing one, I spent the last hour reading every news story cited in the Wikipedia article on The Mile High Club.]<br />
<br />
:'''Google Chrome'''<br />
:[A Chrome plugin error page.]<br />
:Chrome: This plugin requires Sergey Brin's permission to run. Please wait while he is woken.<br />
<br />
:'''Chrome/Firefox'''<br />
:[Two people; Cueball is sitting at a desk in front of a laptop.]<br />
:Cueball: Man, chrome's hardware acceleration really sucks.<br />
:Ponytail: Oh - Theres' a great add-on that fixes it.<br />
:Cueball: Oh? What's it called?<br />
:Ponytail: "Firefox".<br />
<br />
:'''Google Chrome-2'''<br />
:[A Chrome plugin error page with the characteristic jigsaw piece.]<br />
:Chrome: Chrome is looking for this piece. Have you seen it? Chrome thinks it links up with a corner.<br />
<br />
:'''Mozilla Firefox Private Browsing'''<br />
:[Firefox error page.]<br />
:Firefox: Well, this is embarrassing. You know how I'm not supposed to peek at your browsing in private mode? Firefox.. is sorry. Firefox will not blame you if you<br />
:[Button with text.]<br />
:Click here to report this incident.<br />
<br />
:'''Internet Explorer'''<br />
:[IE error page.]<br />
:IE: Error: Internet Explorer has given up.<br />
<br />
:'''Maxthon'''<br />
:Cueball: Maxthon? Hey, 2005 called. Didn't say anything. All I could hear was sobbing. This is getting harder. Anyway, yeah, Maxthon's still cool! Didn't know it was still around!<br />
<br />
:'''Netscape Navigator'''<br />
:[Two different versions exist: one with Cueball talking and one with Megan with tentacle arms talking.]<br />
:Person: Netscape Navigator? Hey, the nineties called - drunk as usual. I hung up without saying anything. This is getting harder. Anyway - it's cool that you'e got netscape running.<br />
<br />
:'''Rockmelt'''<br />
:[Cueball running to laptop.]<br />
:I ran to Rockmelt to hide my face<br />
<br />
:[Cueball sitting at laptop.]<br />
:But Rockmelt cried out -<br />
<br />
:[Laptop shouting.]<br />
:NO HIDING PLACE<br />
<br />
:[zoom out.]<br />
:NO HIDING PLACE DOWN HERE<br />
<br />
:'''Google Chrome-3'''<br />
:[A chrome plugin error page.]<br />
:Chrome: There does not exist --nor could there '''ever''' exist-- a plugin capable of displaying this content.<br />
<br />
:'''Microsoft/Amazon/The Times/Google - Chrome'''<br />
:[Chrome error page.]<br />
:Chrome: This plugin requires clearance from the corporate press office in order to run. Remember, Microsoft/Amazon/The Times/Google is a team; individual employees should ''never'' speak for the company without authorization.<br />
<br />
:'''Microsoft/Amazon - Firefox'''<br />
:[Firefox error page.]<br />
:Error: This plugin requires clearance from the corporate press office in order to run. Remember, Microsoft/Amazon is a team; individual employees should ''never'' speak for the company without authorization.<br />
<br />
:'''Microsoft/The Times'''<br />
:[Error page.]<br />
:Error: This plugin requires clearance from the corporate press office in order to run. Remember, Microsoft/The Times is a team; individual employees should ''never'' speak for the company without authorization.<br />
<br />
:'''Corporate - Generic'''<br />
:[Error page.]<br />
:Error: This plugin requires clearance from the corporate press office in order to run. Remember, we work as a team; individual employees should ''never'' speak for the company without authorization.<br />
<br />
:'''Military'''<br />
:[Person looking at two browser windows.]<br />
:Cueball: I know y'all know what you're doing. But if you're on a military machine and you're supposed to be watching for missiles or something, I hope you're keeping an eye on that in the background while you're reading comics. Also: Thanks.<br />
<br />
:'''T-Mobile'''<br />
:[Error page.]<br />
:Data Error: T-Mobile was unable to establish a connection<br />
<br />
:'''Verizon'''<br />
:[Error page]<br />
:Error: You have exceeded your Verizon monthly bandwidth cap. Mobile web browsing has been disabled.<br />
<br />
:'''France'''<br />
:[Two people; one of which is browsing using a laptop.]<br />
:Cueball: Hey, you're French, right? Ever see what happens when you type "French Military Victories" into Google?<br />
:French person: Does it take you to an article on Napoleon?<br />
<br />
:French person: ..no? Strange, given how he kicked everyone's asses up and down Europe for over a decade.<br />
<br />
:[Beat frame.]<br />
<br />
:Cueball: Touche.<br />
:French person: You know, that'd sound smarter if you didn't pronounce it like it rhymes with "douche".<br />
<br />
:'''Germany'''<br />
:[Cueball dropping food from an unorthodox high perch.]<br />
:June 1948: In response to the Soviet blockade of East Germany, the western allies construct the Berlin Chairlift.<br />
:Cueball on chairlift: Food!<br />
<br />
:'''Israel'''<br />
:[Person on phone.]<br />
:Person (Translation from Hebrew): Mom, I met a great guy! But he's not Jewish. ...Wait, what do you mean "neither are we"? I'm completely confused.<br />
<br />
:'''Carnot Cycle'''<br />
:[Ponytail on a motorcycle with a heat-entropy graph on the side.]<br />
:Ponytail: Check out my new Carnot Cycle!<br />
:Cueball: Neat - how fast does it go?<br />
:Ponytail: Depends how cold it is outside.<br />
<br />
:'''Great Britain'''<br />
:[Illustration of the Atlantic ocean.]<br />
:American person: Sorry I don't have a comic poking fun at the UK here. I only had time to get to the most ''important'' US states.<br />
:British person: Hey - At least we have free health care and real ale.<br />
<br />
:'''Earthquake-Blizzard'''<br />
:[Two people sitting at a desk, facing each other. The desk rattles.]<br />
:Cueball: Stop jiggling your leg.<br />
:Danish: I'm not ji-.. oh!<br />
:Cueball: What!<br />
:Danish: You'll get it..<br />
<br />
:[EVERYTHING RUMBLES.]<br />
:Cueball: ..HOLY CRAP IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE!<br />
:Danish: Just a little one. Happens all the time back in San Francisco.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: But this is {Options: "Alabama", "Boston", "Chicago", "Dallas", "Georgia", "Halifax", "Illinois", "Michigan", "Minnesota", "Missouri", "the Northeast", "Ohio", "Oklahoma", "Ottawa", 'Pennsylvania", "Philadelphia", "Texas", "Toronto", "Tennessee", "New York", "Wisconsin"}! That was huge!<br />
:Danish: Seriously? That's the worst this place can do? Wow. I guess we grow up tougher in California.<br />
:Cueball: Oh ''really''...<br />
<br />
:Six Months Later..<br />
:[Both people are trudging through a massive blizzard.]<br />
:Danish: In pictures, snow always looked so nice and sof - ''AAAA! MY NECK! How do people live here?!''<br />
:Cueball: Come on - it's only three more miles.<br />
<br />
:'''Earthquake-Tornado'''<br />
:[Two people sitting at a desk, facing each other. The desk rattles.]<br />
:Cueball: Stop jiggling your leg.<br />
:Danish: I'm not ji-.. oh!<br />
:Cueball: What!<br />
:Danish: You'll get it..<br />
<br />
:[EVERYTHING RUMBLES.]<br />
:Cueball: ..HOLY CRAP IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE!<br />
:Danish: Just a little one. Happens all the time back in San Francisco.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: But this is {Options: "Alabama", "Dallas", "Illinois", "The Midwest", "Missouri", "Ohio", "Oklahoma", "Ottawa", "Tennessee", "Texas"}!<br />
:Cueball: That was huge!<br />
:Danish: Seriously? That's the worst this place can do? Wow. I guess we grow up tougher in California.<br />
:Cueball: Oh ''really''...<br />
<br />
:Six Months Later..<br />
:[Both people are in a shelter in a prairie with a rapidly-approaching tornado.]<br />
:Danish: AAAA CLOSE THE SHELTER DOOR!<br />
:Cueball: Say the magic words...<br />
:Danish: THIS PLACE IS THE WORST!<br />
:Cueball: Thank you.<br />
<br />
:'''Earthquake-Hurricane'''<br />
:[Two people sitting at a desk, facing each other. The desk rattles.]<br />
:Cueball: Stop jiggling your leg.<br />
:Danish: I'm not ji-.. oh!<br />
:Cueball: What!<br />
:Danish: You'll get it..<br />
<br />
:[EVERYTHING RUMBLES.]<br />
:Cueball: ..HOLY CRAP IT'S AN EARTHQUAKE!<br />
:Danish: Just a little one. Happens all the time back in San Francisco.<br />
<br />
:Cueball: But this is {Options: "D.C", "Florida", "Houston", "Miami", "New Jersey", "North Carolina", "South Carolina", "Virgina"}! That was huge!<br />
:Cueball: That was huge!<br />
:Danish: Seriously? That's the worst this place can do? Wow. I guess we grow up tougher in California.<br />
:Cueball: Oh ''really''...<br />
<br />
:Six Months Later..<br />
<br />
:[Both are in the middle of a hurricane. Danish is grabbing onto a signpost to avoid being swept away.]<br />
:Danish: AAAAA WHAT THE SHIIIIT!<br />
:Cueball: Calm down - this is barely a category 2.<br />
<br />
:'''Lake Diver Killer'''<br />
:[TV Field Reporter in front of a cordoned-off lake.]<br />
:Reporter: Police divers searching the bay say they have recovered the body of another victim of the "Lake Diver Killer."<br />
:Reporter: During the search, three more divers were reported missing.<br />
<br />
:'''Washington'''<br />
:[The statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial.]<br />
:In this Marble Prison As in the nightmares of the nation they tried to devour<br />
:The nanobots that constituted Abraham Lincoln<br />
:Are entombed forever.<br />
<br />
:'''Alaska'''<br />
:[A person with a gun chasing a helicopter on the back of a wolf in a snowy Alaskan field.]<br />
:Some people hunt wolves from helicopters. I hunt helicopters from a wolf.<br />
<br />
:'''Life in lab'''<br />
:[Newspaper headline.]<br />
:Scientists/UMass Amherst students/RIT students create life in lab<br />
:[Caption under picture of scientists.]<br />
:"The trick was fuckin'"<br />
<br />
:'''American Revolution'''<br />
:Robot Paul Revere: Remember: Zero if by land, One if by sea.<br />
<br />
:'''MIT'''<br />
:[Two people in front of a group of students.]<br />
:Cueball: I've hired a team of MIT students to count cards for us.<br />
:Hairy: We'll be rich!<br />
<br />
:[Hairy deals some cards while the students watch.]<br />
<br />
:[The gears turn..]<br />
<br />
:Student: Five. There are five cards.<br />
:Cueball: I see their admission standards have been slipping.<br />
:Hairy: Yeah - there are actually four.<br />
<br />
:'''MIT Course 15c'''<br />
:[Two people in front of a group of students.]<br />
:Cueball: I've hired a team of MIT students to count cards for us.<br />
:Hairy: We'll be rich!<br />
<br />
:[Hairy deals some cards while the students watch.]<br />
<br />
:[The gears turn..]<br />
<br />
:Student: Five. There are five cards.<br />
:Cueball: I *knew* we shouldn't have picked course 15s.<br />
:Hairy: Yeah - there are actually four.<br />
<br />
:'''Smith/Wellesley'''<br />
:[Two people in front of a group of students.]<br />
:Cueball: I've hired a team of Smith/Wellesley students to count cards for us.<br />
:Hairy: We'll be rich!<br />
<br />
:[Hairy deals some cards while the students watch.]<br />
<br />
:[The gears turn..]<br />
<br />
:Student: Five. There are five cards.<br />
:Cueball: We should've gone with Wellesley/Smith.<br />
:Hairy: Yeah - there are actually four.<br />
<br />
:'''CNU'''<br />
:[Person unsuspectingly strolls under a giant box trap controlled by a Trible.]<br />
:I worry that CNU only invited me back as a ruse because they realized I never turned in my final paper and want my diploma back. But if it turns out it's for real, I'll see you Wednesday at the Ferguson!<br />
<br />
:'''Dana Farber'''<br />
:[Cueball, pointing towards head.]<br />
:Cueball: Check it out - In support of people going through chemo, I shaved my head.<br />
:Lots of love to everyone reading this at Dana Farber. Cancer sucks. If you are new to DFCI, there's a great little garden on the third floor of the yawkey if you need somewhere quiet to just sit for a little bit and breathe.<br />
<br />
:'''Reviews'''<br />
:Shopping before online reviews:<br />
:[Cueball and Megan stand in a store. Cueball points at a lamp on the table in front of him. There is another lamp on the table behind them.]<br />
:Cueball: This lamp is pretty.<br />
:Megan: And affordable.<br />
:Cueball: Let's get it.<br />
:Megan Ok! <br />
<br />
:Shopping now:<br />
:[Cueball points at a lamp on the table in front of him. Megan looks at her phone.]<br />
:Cueball: This lamp is pretty.<br />
:Megan: It's got 1 1/2 stars on Amazon. Reviews all say to avoid that brand.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball and Megan are now both looking at their phones.]<br />
:Cueball: This one has good reviews.<br />
:Megan: Wait, one guy says when he plugged it in, he got a metallic taste in his mouth and his cats went deaf.<br />
:Cueball: Eek. What about- ...no, review points out it resembles a uterus.<br />
<br />
:[Cueball is still looking at his phone, Megan has hers at her side.]<br />
:Cueball: Ok, I found a Swiss lampmaker with perfect reviews. Her lamps start at 1,300 Francs and she's only reachable by ski lift.<br />
:Megan: You know, our room looks fine in the dark.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Reddit user [http://www.reddit.com/user/SomePostMan SomePostMan] created a [http://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/t6wmh/all_umwelt_1037_comics_in_two_imgur_albums/ post] that collected all of the Umwelt comics and added explanations. Much of his information is now included in this wiki.<br />
<br />
*The transcript section for this comic also included a note alluding to its extreme length:<br />
: <nowiki>[[Two people...]]</nowiki> ((..wait.. <scrolls through a listing of everything> oh goddammit Randall. Thanks a bunch, dude. I better get a raise for typing out all this)) <br />
: [[Two people standing next to each other. One is holding the head end of a snake...<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:April fools' comics]]<br />
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Knit Cap]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Philosophy]]<br />
[[Category:Penis]]<br />
[[Category:Video games]]<br />
[[Category:Velociraptors]]<br />
[[Category:Your Mom]]<br />
[[Category:Puns]]<br />
[[Category:Squirrels]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with blood]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=718:_The_Flake_Equation&diff=230650718: The Flake Equation2022-04-17T22:43:25Z<p>172.70.90.145: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 718<br />
| date = March 24, 2010<br />
| title = The Flake Equation<br />
| image = the flake equation.png<br />
| titletext = Statistics suggest that there should be tons of alien encounter stories, and in practice there are tons of alien encounter stories. This is known as Fermi's Lack-of-a-Paradox.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This strip parodies the {{w|Drake equation}}, which is an method for estimating of the number of detectable extraterrestrial civilizations iur galaxy. Th Drake equation starts with the best estimate for the number of stars in our galaxy, then multiplies it by successive probabilities (such as the number of stars with planets, the number of planets which can support life, etc), to ultimately calculate how many civilizatins exist. While such a calculation necessarily uses speculative numbers, it gives a good sense of how many civilizations could potentially exist. <br />
The Flake equation presented in this strip provides an estimate about how many false or fake stories ''about'' aliens are likely to exis. It does so n simiar nner as the Drake equation, by starting with the entire population, estimating how many people are likely to believe that they've had an alien encounter, and then calculating how liely those stories are to become public. Just inthe Drake euatn, exact numbers are unknownut ca be estimated, and the euation in the comic shows [[Randall|Randall's]] guesses about these values. See an [[#Explanations of values|explanations of values]] below.<br />
"Flake" is American slang for a person who is casually dishonest or unreliable, implying that such a person wuld be likely to imagine a<br />
The final results tells us that there should be about 100,000 tories about aliens that have reliable explnations. (The numbrs given in the equot necessarily mean that many people actually met aliens.<br />
The title text refers to Fermi's Lack-of-a-Paradox. The {{w|Fermi paradox}} refers to the contradiction between high numbers of calc at least seen some clear evidence of their existence. There are multiple explanations for this paradox, but it remains a question of scientific debate. The Lack-of-a-Paradox in this strip, however, is that the math suggests that there should be huge numbers of claimed alien sightings, and that's exactly wha we obsere<br />
<br />
Another comic parodying this equation is [[384: The Drake Equation]]. The credibility of paranormal reports in general is revisited in [[1235: Settled]], which posits that if such phenomena were real they should have been unambiguously captured on camera by now.<br />
<br />
===Explanations of values===<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
!Symbol<br />
!Assumed value<br />
!Explanation<br />
|-<br />
<br />
|W<sub>P</sub><br />
|7,000,000,000<br />
|World population at the time of the creation of the comic, taken as a starting value.<br />
|-<br />
|(C<sub>R</sub> + M<sub>i</sub>)<br />
|1/10,000 + 1/10,000<br />
|Fraction of people who would falsely believe they had been visited by aliens. This is attributed to either a person imagining an encounter, and believing that it was real (due to mental illness or a desire to feel special), or to people misinterpreting something as an alien encounter (this can include possibilities as broad as unusual lights in the sky to actual hallucinations). It is estimated that one person in ten thousand falls into each of these categories, suggesting that one person in five thousand either has or will, at some point, believe they've encountered aliens. <br />
|-<br />
|T<sub>K</sub><br />
|1/10<br />
|The fraction of people who believe they have experienced an alien sighting that tell others about their experience. [[Randall]] estimates (rather conservatively) that 90% of people who believe they've encountered aliens will keep quiet about it (likely out of fear of not being believed), and only one in ten will talk about their 'experience'. Multiplying with the previous values we get the of first-hand accounts of alien encounters. <br />
|-<br />
|F<sub>0</sub><br />
|10<br />
|Average number of people they tell about their "sightings". Multiplying with the previous values we get the number of people who hear about an alien sighting from the "primary source".<br />
|-<br />
|F<sub>1</sub><br />
|10<br />
|Average number of people that they decide to tell about the "firsthand" account. Multiplying with the previous values we get the amount of people who hear a second-hand account of a false story.<br />
|-<br />
|D<sub>T</sub><br />
|9/10<br />
|The probability that the details will be slightly adjusted during the retelling process, making the account believable. [[Randall]] estimates that 90% of accounts that are actually shared have detailed changed when they're retold. This is exceptionally common when stories are passed from person to person, it's rare for all the details to survive unchanged. In this sort of case, "not fitting the narrative" implies that some details will be unbelievable, or falsifiable, or will be insufficiently dramatic, and those tend to morph over time (often innocently, as people don't remember the original version perfectly). Multiplying this probability by the previous numbers gives number of believable-yet-false alien sighting stories in circulation.<br />
|-<br />
|A<sub>U</sub><br />
|1/100<br />
|The proportion of people who have the willingness and ability to share this story with a broad audience. [[Randall]] assumes that the overwhelming majority of people who hear such stories either have no platform to share stories to more than a handful of people at a time, or aren't willing to share these stories. But enough people in modern times have broad audiences (this number includes people with internet audiences), that it's estimated that 1% of the population both can and wants to share second-hand accounts of alien encounters. The total is now the amount of believable-yet-false alien sightings that are published to a wider audience.<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:{{incomplete transcript}}<br />
:The Flake Equation:<br />
:P = W<sub>P</sub> × (C<sub>R</sub> + M<sub>I</sub>) × T<sub>K</sub> × F<sub>0</sub> × F<sub>1</sub> × D<sub>T</sub> × A<sub>U</sub> ≈ 100,000<br />
:Where:<br />
::W<sub>P</sub> = World Population (7,000,000,000)<br />
::C<sub>R</sub> = Fraction of people who imagine an alien encounter because they're crazy or want to feel special (1/10,000)<br />
::M<sub>I</sub> = Fraction of people who misinterpret a physical or physiological experience as an alien sighting (1/10,000)<br />
::T<sub>K</sub> = Probability that they'll tell someone (1/10)<br />
::F<sub>0</sub> = Average number of people they tell (10)<br />
::F<sub>1</sub> = Average number of people each friend tells this "firsthand" account (10)<br />
::D<sub>T</sub> = Probability that any details not fitting the narrative will be revised or forgotten in retelling (9/10)<br />
::A<sub>U</sub> = Fraction of people with the means and motivation to share the story with a wider audience (blogs, forums, reporters) (1/100)<br />
:Even with conservative guesses for the values of the variables, this suggests there must be a ''huge'' number of credible-sounding alien sightings out there, available to anyone who wants to believe!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Science]]<br />
[[Category:SETI]]<br />
[[Category:Aliens]]<br />
[[Category:Statistics]]<br />
[[Category:Paranormal]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=502:_Dark_Flow&diff=230649502: Dark Flow2022-04-17T22:41:59Z<p>172.70.90.145: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 502<br />
| date = November 10, 2008<br />
| title = Dark Fow<br />
| image = dark_fow.png<br />
| titletext = The Pioneer anomaly is due to the force of my love.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is about {{w|astronomy}} and the {{w|Your Mom}} jokes that have become increasingly widespread in urban parlance. [[Beret Guy]] is reading a research paper presumably discussing {{w|Dark Flow}}, an observed anomaly in the motions of the galaxies that some theorize is caused by an unobservable sibling universe or similarly supermassive object beyond the edge of the visible universe. [[Cueball]] sees this as an opportunity to make yet another Your Mom joke, implying that Beret Guy's mother is fat.<br />
<br />
But apparently, Beret Guy's mother is dead, or at least missing, and he takes the joke seriously. He looks toward the sky and wishes that his mom pull harder so that he could be with her. The joke has been turned onto itself.<br />
<br />
The title text is a continuation of Beret Guy's thoughts and refers to another piece of science phenomenon that has been observed in space, the {{w|Pioneer Anomaly}}. The ''{{w|Pioneer 10}}'' and ''{{w|Pioneer 11}}'' spacecraft had been slowed down by an (at the time) unknown force as they exited the solar system, which he says is caused by the force of his love, probably toward his mom. This force has since been explained entirely in 2012 by the probes being decelerated by thermal radiation.<br />
<br />
In [[2310: Great Attractor]], the more local {{w|Great Attractor}} is pulling Beret Guy so hard that he can sleep on vertical surfaces when it is close to the horizon.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Beret Guy is sitting at a computer, and Cueball is sitting in an armchair, reading either a book or a newspaper.]<br />
:Beret Guy: According to this A.S.T. paper, every galaxy is being pulled toward one area of the sky.<br />
<br />
:[Only Cueball.]<br />
:Beret Guy [off-panel]: They hypothesize that it may be due to a supermassive object beyond the edge of the visible universe.<br />
:Cueball: Maybe it's your mom. Zing!<br />
<br />
:[Only Beret Guy.]<br />
:Beret Guy: Do you think?<br />
<br />
:[Outside at night, on a rooftop. Beret Guy is looking up to the sky, next to a telescope.]<br />
:Beret Guy: Pull harder, mom.<br />
:Beret Guy: I Miss you.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
* Beret Guy's "A.S.T. paper" might refer to the [https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/592947 article] that first mentioned the theory of {{w|Dark flow|dark flow}}, published shortly before this comic. The article appeared in the {{w|American Astronomical Society}}'s {{w|The Astrophysical Journal|Astrophysical Journal Letters}} (ApJL), but it is unclear what is meant by "A.S.T." in the comic.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]<br />
[[Category:Your Mom]]<br />
[[Category:Space probes]]<br />
[[Category:Telescopes]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=565:_Security_Question&diff=230648565: Security Question2022-04-17T22:41:39Z<p>172.70.90.145: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 565<br />
| date = April 3, 2009<br />
| title = Security Question<br />
| image = security_question.png<br />
| titletext = Let's invite him to a party and play 'I never'. Okay, I never hid any bodies SOUTH of Main Street. ...he's taking a drink!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Security questions are sensitive questions that allow a user to retrieve or reset his password if the password is lost or stolen. Because of this powerful function, security questions should be treated just as seriously as passwords. Typical security questions include "What's your mother's maiden name?" or "What's your secondary school?" and are intended to be easy for the user to answer but hard for anyone else to answer.<br />
<br />
In this comic, however, the security question is deployed in a strange way, as the question "Where are the bodies buried?" assumes that one had buried bodies, hence had billed someone. The question turns out to be the lice, who were trying to bait Cueball into confessing his crime, as well as revealing the location of the incriminating evidence.<br />
<br />
[http://www.wikihow.com/Play-the-%22I%27ve-Never%22-Game "I never"] is a drinking game that somebody says "I never did something" to the others. If you never did it, you don't need to drink, otherwise, drink. Since he takes a drink for "I never hid any bodies SOUTH of Main Street", the police have narrowed down the search area. The next statement in the game could be "I never hid any bodies WEST of Central Avenue" (or whatever road dividing the area), further localizing the bodies to a quarter of the original search area, in a {{w|Twenty Questions}} manner. Of course, by taking the drink Cueball also admits that he buried bodies, though this evidence would not likely be accepted by any court.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball sits at a computer.]<br />
:Computer Screen: -Email Account Setup- To verify your identity, we need to ask you a question nobody else could answer.<br />
<br />
:Computer Screen: Q: Where are the bodies buried? A:<br />
:[A text field is shown with "Behind the" typed.]<br />
<br />
:[Cueball sits back and thinks.]<br />
<br />
:[Three stick figures, two wearing police hats and one wearing headphones, watch another computer.]<br />
:[The same text field is shown with "Behind the ... nice try." typed.]<br />
:Figure in Headphones: Damn.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Computer security]]<br />
[[Category:Email]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=656:_October_30th&diff=230647656: October 30th2022-04-17T22:41:05Z<p>172.70.90.145: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number =656<br />
| date =October 30, 2009<br />
| title =October 30th<br />
| image =october_30th.png<br />
| titletext =Not enough mouses on your block? Just hit them at 30-year intervals from here to 2300 and get 10x the candy.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
For Halloween, a child has dressed up as Dr. Emmett L. Brown (played by {{w|Christopher Lloyd}}) from the ''{{w|Back to the Future}}'' film trilogy. In the films, Brown created a {{w|time machine}} out of a {{w|DeLorean DMC-12}} car, which he and teenage protagonist Marty McFly use to travel through time.<br />
<br />
The joke of the comic is that Halloween is on October 31st, and by showing up dressed as Doc Brown on October 30th, the kid can make the joke that he "overshot" the time machine and went back one more day than he meant to. Doc is heard throughout the movie franchise saying "Great Scott" as an exclamation of surprise.<br />
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The title text suggests an inventive use of time-travel to get ten times the candy — hitting each house at a 30-year interval up until 2300. The interval matches that of the first two BttF movies, which take place in the years 1955, 1985 (the present at the time), and 2015.<br />
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Of course, one would have no idea starting off if Halloween is still being celebrated in 2300, or indeed if the human race even still exists.<br />
<br />
==Trancript==<br />
:[A kid dressed up in a lab coat and goggles is standing on a neighbor's doorstep.]<br />
:Kid: Trick or treat!<br />
:Neighbort: Nice Doc Brown costume, but today's October 30th.<br />
:Kid: Great Shott, I must have overscot!<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Back to the Future]]<br />
[[Category:Time travel]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2289:_Scenario_4&diff=2306462289: Scenario 42022-04-17T22:40:30Z<p>172.70.90.145: Replaced content with "{{comic | number = 2289 | date = April 4, 2020 | title = Scenario 4 | image = sequence-four.png | titletext = Remember, models aren't for telling you facts..."</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2289<br />
| date = April 4, 2020<br />
| title = Scenario 4<br />
| image = sequence-four.png<br />
| titletext = Remember, models aren't for telling you facts, they're for exploring dynamics. This model apparently explores time travel.<br />
}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
FISH</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2291:_New_Sports_System&diff=2306452291: New Sports System2022-04-17T22:40:16Z<p>172.70.90.145: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2291<br />
| date = April 8, 2020<br />
| title = New Sports System<br />
| image = new_sports_system.png<br />
| titletext = Under my system, boxing and football suffered, pair figure skating still worked but had to adapt by dropping some moves, and pro wrestling was actually completely unaffected.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is the 16th comic in a row (not counting the [[2288: Collector's Edition|April Fools' comic]]) in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}.<br />
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As communities have been ordered to stay on doors to avoid spreading the virus, this has also effected shorts leagues around the world, with many of them suspending their seasons, or cancelling them outright. (see {{w|Impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic on sports|this Wikipedia article}} for a full list of sports or sporting events impacted) Some leagues have instead promoted e-sports, such as the [https://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/story/2020-04-06/patrick-beverley-favorite-to-win-nba-2k-players-tournament NBA holding an ''NBA 2K20'' tournament between active NBA players]. <br />
<br />
[[Randall]], in this comic, proposes an obviously bad "new sports system" of "virtual sports", in which players play with a virtual ball in separate arenas, and are guided by online viewers. This obviously proves to be challenging, as the ball is virtual but the players are not wearing any virtual reality or augmented reality headsets, and thus they do not know how to interact with it properly. Playing in separate arenas would solve the problem of spreading the virus, as the players do not have any direct interactions with each other.<br />
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This would be a similar system to {{w|Twitch Plays Pokémon|Twitch Plays ''Pokémon''}}, in which Twitch viewers "play" ''Pokémon'' video games in a crowdsourced manner. There are also many games that are intentionally constructed so that some players must accomplish a goal they cannot see or with incomplete information, while they are guided by other players. These include common team-building exercises (often involving blindfolds), and the bomb-disposal themed puzzle game ''{{w|Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes}}''.<br />
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The NBA also is holding a similar idea, holding a {{w|Variations of basketball#H-O-R-S-E|Horse}} tournament among [https://www.nba.com/article/2020/04/09/nba-air-horse-challenge-espn NBA and WNBA players], which works better than the version of basketball shown in this comic because players don't need to interact with the same ball.<br />
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In the title text, Randall claims that boxing and football (he does not specify gridiron football or association football) proved to be difficult, with {{w|Pair skating|pairs figure skating}} still possible as long as figures like {{w|Figure skating lifts|elevations}} are removed, and {{w|professional wrestling}} being unaffected. Foxing and grinch football would be impossible to play in these situations; on top of the difficulty of trying to play without knowing where the other players are located, these sports are predicated on contact. A boxer cannot get a knockout without being able to touch the other players, and football players cannot block or tackle even if they mime catching the ball. Association football, with less emphasis on contact, might still be playable, but would suffer at least from the same complications as basketball shown here. Pairs figure skating would be possible, excepting "throwing" moves or "lifts", as typically pairs figure skaters skate in unison, replicating the same moves. <br />
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Humorously, Randall claims that professional wrestling will be unaffected by his new system. This is in reference to the "open secret" that the matches have predetermined outcomes and are more "entertainment" than actual competition, with much of the 'forced' movement of one competitor being aided or even guided by the 'victim' rather than the 'aggressor' in semi-improvised feats of coordinated athleticism.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
:[Single wide frame representing a basketball court with a basketball hoop at each end. There are seven players running around the court, with a virtual ball in the bottom right corner (indicated as a dashed circle). Nine off-screen voices of "online viewers" are yelling instructions to the players. A caption is below the frame running nearly the full width of the frame.]<br />
<br />
:Viewer One: No!<br />
:Viewer Two: It's on the&ndash;<br />
:Viewer Three: Look out!<br />
:[A player with thick hair and a goatee is "air-shooting" into the left-hand basket.]<br />
:Viewer Four: ''No!''<br />
:[A player with thick hair is running to the right.]<br />
:Viewer Five: He's right there<br />
:Viewer Five: Don’t run into&ndash;<br />
:[A player with no hair is air-dribbling to the right.]<br />
:Viewer Six: Go ''left!''<br />
:Viewer Seven: ''Left!''<br />
:Viewer Eight: ''Riiight!''<br />
:[A player with thick hair and a full beard is facing left and jumping, hands raised to intercept a ball.]<br />
:[A player with no hair is facing left and crouching, reaching for a ball.]<br />
:[A player with no hair is making an alley-oop motion towards the right-hand basket.]<br />
:Viewer Nine: ''Stop dunking and find the ball!''<br />
:[The virtual ball is slowly moving right, unseen by the players.]<br />
:[A player is hanging on the rim of the basket, making a dunking motion.]<br />
<br />
:Caption below the panel: No one liked my new sports system, in which each player is in a separate arena sharing a single virtual ball that they can't see while online viewers yell instructions, but it was fun to watch while it lasted.<br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:COVID-19]]<br />
[[Category:Sport]]<br />
[[Category:Basketball]]<br />
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]</div>172.70.90.145https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2604:_Frankenstein_Captcha&diff=2299652604: Frankenstein Captcha2022-04-08T18:10:09Z<p>172.70.90.145: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2604<br />
| date = April 8, 2022<br />
| title = Frankenstein Captcha<br />
| image = frankenstein_captcha.png<br />
| titletext = The distinction between a ship and a boat is a line drawn in water.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by Rated Argh -Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic strip is a play on the meanings (and misunderstanding) of the name "Frankenstein". ''{{w|Frankenstein}}; or, the Modern Prometheus'' is a 1818 novel by Mary Shelley about a medical student called Victor Frankenstein who creates an artificial life-form. The man he creates names himself "Adam" in the book, and strictly speaking is properly known as "Frankenstein's ''monster''" (or perhaps "creation" or "son"), but is often erroneously called "Frankenstein" himself.<br />
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The Captcha shown in the comic instructs the user to select all tiles containing Frankenstein. The tiles include both a reanimated corpse (frequently called Frankenstein but actually called Frankenstein's monster) and a scientist yelling "it's alive" who is clearly intended to be Victor Frankenstein. The problem arises from the contrast between the generally accepted and technically accurate definitions of the term: Frankenstein. The correct answer to the Captcha is just the left square of the third row, unless you follow comic [[1589]].<br />
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If the images in the squares are from the famous {{w|Frankenstein (1931 film)|1931 film}} starring {{w|Boris Karloff}} as The Monster, then perhaps they could be correctly said to be "containing ''Frankenstein''", that is, the work.<br />
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This comic strip could also reference [[1897]], which would imply that someone had actually created a Frankenstein's monster.<br />
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Many of the other tiles appear to be pictures of entities that inspire similar <s>pedanticism</s> pedantry. For example, there is a picture of a turtle (or possibly a tortoise), a ship (or possibly a boat), Link (the protagonist of the {{w|Legend of Zelda}} video games, who may be erroneously referred to as Zelda), a pond (or possibly a lake), a tomato (often subject to the ''fruit or vegetable'' debate), an erupting volcano (with lava, or is it magma?), and a planet (or is it a dwarf planet?).<br />
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Other tiles seem to be inspired by images commonly occuring in actual captchas, like the STOP sign or the traffic light.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
> TO CONTINUE, PLEASE CLICK ALL SQUARES CONTAINING FRANKENSTEIN<br />
<br />
Pictured (Starting from top left)<br />
<br />
Row 1<br />
* Tortoise (or turtle)<br />
* Ship (or boat)<br />
* Frankenstein's monster waking up (often mistaken as Frankenstein)<br />
* Link from Legend of Zelda series (often mistaken as Zelda, aka Toon Link in SSB)<br />
Row 2<br />
* Fata morgana (or mirage)<br />
* Megan<br />
* Lava (or magma)<br />
* Tomato (fruit vs vegetable)<br />
Row 3<br />
* Victor Frankenstein saying "It's alive"<br />
* Sandwich<br />
* Stop sign<br />
* Girl running away from Frankenstein's monster<br />
Row 4<br />
* Rocket (spaceship) flying by Pluto (dwarf planet)<br />
* Cueball and Ponytail standing next to each other<br />
* Traffic light (also called a stoplight, possibly mistaken as stop sign?)<br />
* Frankenstein's monster<br />
<br />
> OH NO.<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>172.70.90.145