https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=172.70.90.222&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T07:58:27ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2727:_Runtime&diff=305079Talk:2727: Runtime2023-01-21T03:56:56Z<p>172.70.90.222: </p>
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<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
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It has to be said that a first season of a series generally will be written ''as'' a whole season (give or take any pilot/feature-length-special that may be the heralding first episode). Whereas film sequences don't tend to be purposefully made/anticipated together (notable exceptions: Back To The Futures 2 & 3, the LOTR and (later) Hobbit trilogies, various sub-sets of Star Wars (the prequel and sequel trilogies, certainly, the OT's second and third conclusions to the story started with Ep4)). Sometimes it runs well enough to get up into high numbers of at least sufficiently similar-yet-innovating releases that satisfy the theme (the Fast And Furiouses... the whole Bond œuvre..?), though sometimes it might stutter (Highlander 2!) and may or may not actually recover. Either way, it risks becoming a made-for-TV-movie sinkhole (as Disney knows well enough), unless it was always intended to reproduce some previously successful serialisation (Tolkein's stuff, as already alluded to; J.K. Rowling's surprisingly popular product). I think, therefore that Cueball is right to more dread the effort of dealing with some multi-sequel monstrocity of a film-canon, compared to whatever degree of {{tvtropes|EarlyInstallmentWeirdness|First Season Disservice}} he has suffered or heard that he must suffer before the kinks are properly ironed out in seasons 2-6. (Then it goes funny for 7, 8 and most of 9, until the story arc evolves into something that gets it to series 20 before a bit of cancel/uncancel shenanigans plague the production, spin-offs (including a prequel series and/or an animated version) take over the franchise and relegate the old stars to cameo-actors, the franchise then gets a Series: The Movie! which either does surprisingly well or surprisingly manages to upset the whole diverse fanbase in loads of differing ways... or some variation on all that.)<br />
<br />...but, anyway, it's not surprising. Yet it ''does'' probably qualify as an interesting point that fully deserves to be highlit or else we might never have thought of it for ousrselves, in as many words. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.178.64|172.71.178.64]] 03:55, 21 January 2023 (UTC)</div>172.70.90.222https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2725:_Sunspot_Cycle&diff=304961Talk:2725: Sunspot Cycle2023-01-18T13:50:02Z<p>172.70.90.222: </p>
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Holy cow, just made my first edit! It was SUPER stressful, and I didn't even know how to make a 'citation needed' thing. Hopefully it was ok, I tried to match the style of the wiki. [[User:GordonFreeman|GordonFreeman]] ([[User talk:GordonFreeman|talk]]) 03:06, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Welcome to explain xkcd then. Any edit that is not vandalism is a good edit, because it makes other think about what should be here. So even if it is later completely changed it got things going. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:05, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:I know that editing may be hard. FYI: create {{Citation needed}}s like this: <code><nowiki>{{Citation needed}}</nowiki></code> {{User:PoolloverNathan/Signature}} 17:08, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
::Though over-use should be discouraged. Except in exceptional circumstances (many different things separately explained, giving a number of prime opportunities) I'd avoid more than one Citation Needed per comic. And I personally think (and it is the [[explain_xkcd:Editor_FAQ#Is_the_Citation_needed_template_here_similar_to_the_analog_at_Wikipedia.3F|official intention]]) that trying to find even ''one'' 'suitable' item per comic devalues the joke, perhaps should be (on average, but not punctually so just for the sake of it) maybe one for every three or four such pages; but I know there are those who would want to stamp (at least!) one into every comic, just because they can. And I would not normally remove an instance just because its usage is comparatively weaker than those in the two adjacent articles.<br />
::And note that there are redirecting versions of {{Template|citation needed}}, {{Template|cn}} and {{Template|fact}} (amongst others) in case you can't recall that it is "Capital C, small n" or are forgetful/lazy as you try to type it, though I think using the non-redirecting original should be done if you know how to fully write and capitalise it (feels neater). There is also {{Template|Actual citation needed}} when the 'real thing' is needed; though in a manner where you expect that issue to be resolved and removed by the next person who can either ''actually'' 'cite' what is true or else remove the properly doubtful information.<br />
::Anyway, I shall add my thanks to [[User:GordonFreeman|the original Explainer]], it was a good first job, IMO. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.222|172.70.90.222]] 13:50, 18 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Is it perhaps worth mentioning that sunspots, while they're darker than the rest of the sun's surface, are not actually black. They are cooler than surrounding regions and appear dark by contrast, but they're emitting lots of IR and some visible light. A sunspots-only (ignore the oxymoron) sun would still emit light and heat, just less. [[User:Nitpicking|Nitpicking]] ([[User talk:Nitpicking|talk]]) 03:18, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Wouldn't the cycle be 20 ("every other decade") or 22 years (11 in each half of the cycle)? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.173|162.158.166.173]] 03:51, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:The cycle of darkness of the sun would be 22 years, but the 11-year cycle referred to in the comic, and described by both diagrams within the comic, is the cycle of "number of sunspots" which peaks when the sun is half light, half dark, and decreases again as there are so many spots that they start to merge into fewer, larger spots. It cycles from very few (or zero) sunspots, when the sun is light, through many sunspots, sun is heavily light/dark spotted, and completes the cycle when the number of spots returns down to near-zero, when the sun is dark. {{unsigned ip|172.70.85.201}}<br />
::Or to put it another way, at "peak sunspot" every 11 years, it would be equally accurate to describe the sun as being bright with dark spots or dark with bright spots. Akin to how the moon has a 29.5 day brightness cycle, but also a 14.75 day halfiness cycle.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.223.26|172.71.223.26]] 16:57, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
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To what "financial crash of 2014" does this refer? I recall the housing crisis causing financial trouble, but that was around 2008. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.166.173|162.158.166.173]] 03:51, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:This has nothing to do with finance so if you think the peak at 2014 should have any meaning I think you are wrong. there where just for some reason more sunspots even though the sun was still in the dark period. Maybe most of the few huge sunspots broke into smaller but with only thin lines between, so still dark but the count goes up. Then they closed again later keeping the sun dark but the number of spots fluctuating. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:05, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
::It was a question about explanation text that was added in [[Special:Diff/304859|this revision]] and removed about [[Special:Diff/304865|half an hour later]].[[Special:Contributions/162.158.90.136|162.158.90.136]] 03:33, 18 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Does anyone have any idea what is supposed to be on the Y axis of the bottom graph? Something that goes up when the sun is transitioning between brightnesses and is at its lowest when the sun is either fully bright or fully dark? {{unsigned ip|108.162.241.213}}<br />
:It's the "number of spots" (whether light or dark), since a fully bright sun has no dark spots and a fully dark sun has no "light spots"[[User:Dextrous Fred|Dextrous Fred]] ([[User talk:Dextrous Fred|talk]]) 05:02, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
::But what are the thin lines indicating, it it just to show that the sun is not yet really dark? Like a gray shade with very long between the dark lines? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:05, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Did anyone else notice that the sine-wave is wrong? the trough should be the same every cycle, yet it's drawn as bright in the first trough and dark in the second trough. -Weylin Piegorsch [[Special:Contributions/172.70.126.117|172.70.126.117]] 06:52, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:If you reefer to the bottom graph it is correctly drawn. The sunspots number are near zero when the sun is bright in the first through and then it is again near zero when the sun is dark as there are then only one sunspot. So that is why it is alternating between light and dark for every through. Just as shown in the upper graph. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:05, 17 January 2023 (UTC)--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:05, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
::Ah - the y axis of the upper graph is #subspots (which maximizes as they merge and minimizes at full dark/full bright), not magnitude of brightness. Thanks for the clarification! -Weylin Piegorsch [[Special:Contributions/172.70.114.79|172.70.114.79]] 14:47, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
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I do not think it is set in an alternate universe per se, but in the images of the sun spots the minimum brightness of the whole sun is subtracted. So only the sun spots stay visible. So the sun images are depictions of our sun. The number of sun spots loses common-sense meaning after merging starts. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.86.10|162.158.86.10]] 07:58, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Well since the sun is dark in this universe for 10 years, then it cannot be our universe, and since they also have 90s memes, then it is either a parallel universe or well... Randall's fantasy :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 08:05, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
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I didn't have enough space in my last edit summary to explain my change. As if anyone who needs to really reads those, anyway... So here (unconstrained by petty character limits!) is why I took off the apostrophes in "90's kid", etc...:<br />
/* Explanation */ Removing apostrophes not used by Randall. (I would personally say '90s, the apostrophe being for the contraction of 1990s, but here only the quoting-apostrophes of '90s kid' seems necessary and capable of being consistent. "The 90s" is a pluralisation of all years of the decade based upon (19)90. A kid *of* the 90s could be a 90s' kid, but I think we're intended to treat this as an adjectival descriptor, not a posessive element.)<br />
And I outright reject the idea that apostrophes can ever be used for pluralising, despite some 'authorities' on the matter. Especially where it clashes with plural-possessive, contraction ''and'' single-quoting uses in a single case, upon a wiki where doubled-up apostrophes would incite ''italics''. Better to rewrite. But, for now, I've just rationalised to go with actual demonstrated usage (both from Randall and {{w|1990s|more or less in general}}) and intent. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.133|172.70.85.133]] 10:27, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
: Well, I don't think there's any value in spending 000's of hours debating it.[[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.46|172.70.85.46]] 15:13, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Does this remind anyone else of oscillations in population dynamics (increase in population eventually causes overpopulation and triggers a period of reduction before the population starts to recover, etc.)? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.201|172.70.85.201]] 15:24, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:I had thought to say that a budding sunspot would become 'dark' if it was forming on light surface and 'light' if forming on darkened surface, which has a relationship with some biological population frequencies/responses (even within the same population, an expressed variation can be linked to the perception of what is/is not lacking in its fellows or just various overlapping territories). But a simple scenario (of instantaneous points; having the choice of locale to materialise, or else the accident of 'birth' into any given situation from which to sway their appearance) would settle into an equilibreum as a slightly more than half-dark Sun would spawn proportionately more 'light spots' than a slightly more than half-light one.<br />
:It needs to have a time-delayed aspect (as with natural creature populations, a post-gestation glut being based upon pre-gestation plenty; or upon the opposite negatively influencing pressures), so budding might start (and be fixed into its identity) years before it becomes a visible member of the population. A resonant {{w|hysteresis}}, of some kind? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.85.132|172.70.85.132]] 16:20, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
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== Is there a way to shrink the size of the comic? ==<br />
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Is there some way to shrink the size of the comic? It startled me a little bit when I typed in the URL of this website and saw this taking up a large amount of space, with me initially thinking that this was just another stupid case of vandalism. [[User:SilverTheTerribleMathematician|SilverTheTerribleMathematician]] ([[User talk:SilverTheTerribleMathematician|talk]]) 16:32, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:Fixed {{User:PoolloverNathan/Signature}} 17:07, 17 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
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----<br />
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This comic me think of the long [https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Westeros#Known_seasons seasons of Westeros] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire A Song of Ice and Fire]. [[User:Mnl|Mnl]] ([[User talk:Mnl|talk]]) 00:02, 18 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
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Should we say anything about the weird aliased version of this comic that went up originally? [[Special:Contributions/172.70.100.132|172.70.100.132]] 01:08, 18 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
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The alternately dark and bright sun is very reminiscent of the OnOff star in Vernor Vinge's novel ''A Deepness in the Sky'', although the duty cycle of the OnOff star is very different, spending 215 years "off" and 35 years "on" in a 250-year cycle. The On-Off Star even has an planet that is Earthlike and habitable, at least during the times the OnOff star is "on". Somehow life on that planet evolved to cope with the cryogenic freezing temperatures (the atmosphere actually freezes to the surface) when the star is "off" and is inhabited by an intelligent race of arachnid-like creatures.<br />
[[User:Stevev|Stevev]] ([[User talk:Stevev|talk]]) 08:31, 18 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
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For different {{w|Helliconia#Astronomy|astronomical reasons}}, it made me mostly think about the Helliconia series by Brian Aldiss. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.222|172.70.90.222]] 13:50, 18 January 2023 (UTC)</div>172.70.90.222https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2725:_Sunspot_Cycle&diff=3048862725: Sunspot Cycle2023-01-17T09:56:31Z<p>172.70.90.222: /* Explanation */ Cause/effect, and tweak.</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2725<br />
| date = January 16, 2023<br />
| title = Sunspot Cycle<br />
| image = sunspot_cycle_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 740x503px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Who can forget the early 2010s memes? 'You know you're a 90s kid if you remember the feeling of warm sunlight on your face.' 'Only 90s kids remember the dawn.'<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a NINETIES KID WHO FELT SUN - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
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This comic seems to be set in an alternative reality where the sun's brightness rises and falls based upon an 11 year cycle, causing there to be complete darkness for around 10 years. The change in brightness over the cycle is due to sunspots accumulating over half of the cycle. When standard sunspots appear, the sun darkens. When fictitious 'bright' sunspots appear (in the midst of the now all-covering dark sunspot mass), it brightens.<br />
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This is probably a reference to the Solar cycle[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cycle], which is a roughly 11-year cycle of changes in the sun's activity from a period of minimal levels of solar radiation, ejecta, sunspots and solar flares to maximum activity in these areas. Historically this cycle was observed by changes in the sun's appearance, which this comic exaggerates. <br />
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This would obviously be impossible{{citation needed}} as not only do sunspots cool the area of the sun where they appear, but during a dark phase, no light is coming from the sun, so the Earth would freeze if all wavelengths of the sun were blocked (if the spots only affect light in the visible spectrum, then Earth would not freeze but plants would have trouble with photosynthesis). Sunspots are also not totally dark; NASA says that each sunspot on its own would glow orange brighter than the full moon.[https://image.gsfc.nasa.gov/poetry/workbook/sunspot.html]<br />
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The title text indicates the effect on internet memes that this process has. During the 2010's, when '90's kid' memes were still funny{{citation needed}}, many have changed to reflect that the Earth has been dark since the 2000's, and thus only those born in the 90's and before would remember dawn.<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[Caption above the comic]:<br />
:Ever wonder why the sun disappears for about 10 years every other decade? This terrifying period of worldwide darkness is a natural consequence of the 11-year sunspot cycle:<br />
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:[A graph with "Sunspot number" on the Y axis and "Time" on the X axis. A dashed line increases, then decreases, then slightly increases again. Above the dashed line are eight circles representing the sun with various levels of sunspots, with an arrow between each circle. From left to right: The first circle is clear. The second circle has a few sunspots.]<br />
:Dark sunspots appear.<br />
:[The third circle has a few more, and darker, sunspots.]<br />
:Sunspot number rises.<br />
:[The fourth circle has some large black sunspots with much of the remainder of the circle in gray. Between the fourth and fifth circle is a label:] <br />
:Number falls as sunspots merge.<br />
:[The fifth circle is mostly black. The sixth circle is all black.]<br />
:Sunspots envelop sun, Earth enters years of darkness.<br />
:[The seventh circle is mostly black with a few light areas. The eighth circle is still mostly black but with some larger white areas.]<br />
:Bright sunspots appear, cycle reverses.<br />
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:[A second graph is labeled "History" but its Y axis is not labeled. The X axis has the years "1970", "1980", "1990", "2000", "2010", and "2020" labeled. The areas between 1970 and 1980, 1990 and 2000, and approximately 2012 and 2025 are labeled "Sun is bright". The areas between 1980 and 1990, and 2000 and approximately 2012 are labeled "Sun is dark".] <br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Timelines]]<br />
[[Category:Line graphs]]</div>172.70.90.222https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=977:_Map_Projections&diff=304801977: Map Projections2023-01-15T17:31:02Z<p>172.70.90.222: /* Gall–Peters */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 977<br />
| date = November 14, 2011<br />
| title = Map Projections<br />
| before = [[#Explanation|↓ Skip to explanation ↓]]<br />
| image = map_projections.png<br />
| titletext = What's that? You think I don't like the Peters map because I'm uncomfortable with having my cultural assumptions challenged? Are you sure you're not... ::puts on sunglasses:: ...projecting?<br />
}}<br />
{{TOC}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{w|Map projection}}, or how to represent the spherical Earth surface onto a flat support (paper, screen...) to have a usable map, is a long-time issue with very practical aspects (navigation, geographical shapes and masses visualization, etc.) as well as very scientific/mathematical ones, involving geometry or even abstract algebra among other things. There is no universal solution to this problem: Any 2D map projection will always distort in a way the spherical reality. Many projections have been proposed in various contexts, each intending to minimize distortions for specific uses (for nautical navigation, for aerial navigation, for landmass size comparisons, etc.) but having drawbacks from other points of view. Some of them are more frequently used than others in mass media and therefore more well-known than others, some are purely historical and now deprecated, some are very obscure, etc.<br />
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[[Randall]] suggests here the idea that someone's "favorite" map projection can reveal aspects of their personality, then goes through a series of them to show what they can mean. <br />
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He may actually believe that all map projections are in a way bad. This could be inferred from the fact that he much later began publishing a series of [[:Category:Bad Map Projections|Bad Map Projections]].<br />
===Mercator===<br />
[[File:MercatorProjection.jpg|frame|The Mercator projection]]<br />
The {{w|Mercator projection}} was introduced by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. The main purpose of this map is to preserve compass bearings; for example 13 degrees east of north will be 13 degrees clockwise from the ray pointing toward the top of the map, at every point. A mathematical consequence is the mapping is conformal, i.e. if two roads meet at a certain angle on the surface of the Earth, they will meet at that same angle on the map. It also follows that at every point the vertical and horizontal scales are the same, so locally i.e. considering only a small part of the map, geographical features (shapes, angles) are well represented, which helps a lot in recognizing them on-the-field, or for local navigation in that small part only. For this reason, that projection (or a close variant) is used in several online mapping services (such as Google Maps), which means that it is frequently encountered by the general public. A straight line on the map corresponds to a course of constant bearing (direction), which was very useful for nautical navigation in the past (and thus made that projection very well-known).<br />
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However, from a global point of view, this projection is radically incorrect in how it shows the size of landmasses (for instance, Antarctica and Greenland seem gigantic), and furthermore, it always excludes a small region around each pole (otherwise the map would be of infinite height), so it doesn't provide a complete solution for the problem of map projection. The comic implies that people who like that projection aren't very interested with map issues, and typically use what they are offered without thinking much about it.<br />
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{{clear}}<br />
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===Van der Grinten===<br />
[[File:VanDerGrintenProjection.jpg|frame|The Van der Grinten projection]]<br />
The {{w|Van der Grinten projection}} is not much better than the Mercator. It was adopted by {{w|National Geographic}} in 1922 and was used until they updated to the Robinson projection in 1988.<br />
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The Van der Grinten projection is circular as opposed to the Mercator projection. The fictional person believes a circular map is more fitting to the real Earth's three-dimensional spherical nature because both are round. This belief fails to recognize that a two-dimensional circle has very little in common with the surface of a sphere, and thus this projection still causes a vast distortion of space and area. Because of this, Randall implies the Van der Grinten enthusiast to be optimistic and childishly simple-minded (e.g. "you like circles").<br />
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{{clear}}<br />
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===Robinson===<br />
[[File:RobinsonProjection.jpg|frame|The Robinson projection]]<br />
The {{w|Robinson projection}} was developed by {{w|Arthur H. Robinson}} as a map that was supposed to look nice and is often used for classroom maps. National Geographic switched to this projection in 1988, and used it for ten years, switching to the {{w|Winkel tripel projection|Winkel-Tripel}} in 1998.<br />
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{{w|The Beatles}} was a rock band that enjoyed great commercial success in the 1960s, and are widely considered the best act ever in the genre of popular music. The Beatles, coffee, and running shoes are all things that are very commonly enjoyed and largely uncontroversial, as well as being comforting. Liking these specific things suggests an ordinary, easygoing lifestyle paralleled by the projection.<br />
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{{clear}}<br />
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===Dymaxion===<br />
[[File:DymaxionProjection.jpg|frame|The Dymaxion projection]]<br />
Also called the Fuller Map, the {{w|Dymaxion map}} takes a sphere and projects it onto an icosahedron, that is a polyhedron with 20 triangular faces. It is far easier to unwrap an icosahedron than it is to unwrap a sphere into a 2D object and has very little skewing of the poles. {{w|Buckminster Fuller}} was an eccentric futurist who believed, for example, that world maps should allow no conception of "up" or "down". He was therefore more than happy to defy people's expectations about maps in the pursuit of mathematical accuracy.<br />
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Randall associates the projection to geek subculture and niche markets:<br />
*{{w|Isaac Asimov}} was an American science-fiction writer, who (as well as publishing many textbooks) is considered the father of the modern concept of robots. He invented the {{w|Three Laws of Robotics}}. He also worked on more than 500 books throughout his career.<br />
*{{w|XML}} is the eXtensible Markup Language. It is used to represent data in a format that machines can read and understand, as well as being human-readable. In practice, XML is cumbersome to read.<br />
*{{w|Vibram FiveFingers|Toed shoes}} are a [[1065: Shoes|favorite]] of Randall's to pick on. In society they are seen as a {{w|geek}} clothing item.<br />
*Brought to the world by {{w|Dean Kamen}}, the {{w|Segway PT}} was supposed to be a device that changed the way cities were built. In reality, most jurisdictions have put in place rules specifically against Segways, making them a frustration to own and use within the law (in some states in Australia, it is illegal to use them on public footpaths or roads). Also, the former owner of {{w|Segway Inc.}}, the late {{w|Jimi Heselden}}, accidentally rode his Segway off a cliff in 2010. Ninebot, then owner of the Segway brand, announced in 2020 that the flagship 2-wheeled self-balancing vehicle would be discontinued.<br />
*At the time of comic release, 3D goggles, nowadays widely known as {{w|Virtual reality headset|VR headsets}}, were considered a gimmick at best. The original idea is as old as 3D graphics, but it never really took off until mid-2010s. Earlier products were very unwieldy and offered poor graphics quality, so no one took this technology seriously.<br />
*{{w|Dvorak Simplified Keyboard|Dvorak}} is an alternate keyboard layout to {{w|QWERTY}}. According to legend, QWERTY was invented to help keep manual typewriters from jamming (by placing the most used keys far from each other) but Dr. {{w|August Dvorak}} performed many studies and found the mathematically optimal keyboard layout to reduce finger travel for right handed typists. While some claim Dvorak is technically better than QWERTY, QWERTY had become the standard. Most keyboards were laid out in QWERTY format, but a lot of software exists to remap the keys to DVORAK for those interested in typing faster. Retraining the brain to use Dvorak takes perhaps a week. It has become a [[:Category:Dvorak|recurrent theme]] on xkcd.<br />
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{{clear}}<br />
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===Winkel-Tripel===<br />
[[File:Winkel-TripelProjection.jpg|frame|The Winkel Tripel projection]]<br />
Proposed by Oswald Winkel in 1921, the {{w|Winkel tripel projection}} tried to reduce a set of three (German: Tripel) main problems with map projections: area, direction, and distance. The {{w|Kavrayskiy VII projection|Kavrayskiy projection}} is very similar to the Winkel Tripel and was used by the USSR, but very few in the Western world know of it.<br />
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The comic links this projection to {{w|hipster}} subculture. The hipster stereotype is to avoid conforming to mainstream fashions. "Post-" refers to a variety of musical genres such as {{w|post-punk}}, {{w|post-grunge}}, {{w|post-minimalism}}, {{w|post-rock}}, etc. that branch off of other genres, and are generally considered less accessible than the genres that spawned them. Liking a genre just called "post-" implies that the listener prefers music that is less mainstream, and may have that as the only criterion for listening. <br />
<br />
;Trivia<br />
*In German "Winkel-Tripel-Projektion" means Winkel's triple projection, and therefore the hyphen shouldn't be there: "Winkel Tripel" or "Winkel tripel".<br />
*This projection was later used in [[2242: Ground vs Air]].<br />
{{clear}}<br />
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===Goode Homolosine===<br />
[[File:GoodeHomolosineProjection.jpg|frame|The Goode Homolosine projection]]<br />
The {{w|Goode homolosine projection}} takes a different approach to skewing a sphere into a roughly circular surface. An orange peel can be taken from an orange and flattened with fair success; this is roughly the procedure that {{w|John Paule Goode}} followed in creating this projection. Randall is suggesting that people who like this map also prefer relatively easy solutions to other things in life, despite those solutions having nuanced problems that are more difficult to address.<br />
<br />
People often make arguments that if normal people ran the United States, then the US wouldn't be in the trouble it is. This is from the belief that career politicians are simply out to make money and will only act in the interest of their constituency when their continued easy life is threatened (usually around election time). While some form of this view is very common and probably pretty much correct, Randall is saying that someone who likes this map may take this to extremes.<br />
<br />
Airline food is another, much maligned, problem. How do you store enough food to feed people on long airplane trips? What kind of food can be served in an enclosed, low-air-pressure environment? The common solution is to use some kind of prepackaged, reheated meal. Randall is saying that the people in favor of the Goode Homolosine wonder why the airlines don't simply order meals from the restaurants in the airport, store that food, and serve it, rather than using bland reheated food. However, this seemingly-obvious solution ignores how being in an airplane dulls your sense of taste. Airplane food is actually over seasoned for eating on the ground, meaning that if airlines switched to restaurant food it would probably taste even blander. There would also be issues with acquiring special meals (for example, vegetarian, Kosher, and Halal meals), especially if suitable restaurants were not in close range to the airport.<br />
<br />
Older cars burned oil like mad fiends, and oil back then would become corrosive to the innards of an engine, so oil had to be changed often. But, with the introduction of synthetic motor oil and better designed engines, new cars only need their oil changed about every 10,000 to 15,000 miles. A common conspiracy theory is that modern automobile oil manufacturers still recommend that car owners change their oil every 3,000-5,000 miles to "drum" up more business, even though that frequency is unnecessary.<br />
<br />
All of these references suggest that people who like the Goode Homolosine projection are fans of simple solutions to problems. However, while the solutions appear to be an easy, common-sense solutions, they all rely on over-simplifying the problem, and ignoring any problems introduced by the solution itself. For instance: the restaurants might have trouble making enough food for the whole plane, and it could get cold before being served; the air conditions [http://www.nbcnews.com/health/one-reason-airline-food-so-bad-your-own-tastebuds-6C10823522 aboard planes] can affect taste, so airlines say they optimize for this; there is no such thing as a "normal" person, and if there were, they would have less political experience than politicians, while remaining subject to the same pressures and problems with the larger political system; and the Goode Homolosine projection, while mostly resembling a flattened orange peel as suggested by the earlier analogy, does indeed cut down on distortion, but also has serious problems of its own, such as leaving huge gaps of nothingness between the continents, making distances across the oceans difficult to visualize.<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
===Hobo–Dyer===<br />
[[File:Hobo-DyerProjection.jpg|frame|The Hobo–Dyer projection]]<br />
The {{w|Hobo–Dyer projection}} was commissioned by Bob Abramms and Howard Bronstein and was drafted by Mick Dyer in 2002. It is a modified {{w|Behrmann projection}}. The goal was to be a more visually pleasing version of the Gall–Peters.<br />
<br />
As is discussed in the Gall–Peters explanation, the Gall–Peters was developed to be equal area, so that historically colonised and economically disadvantaged areas nearer the equator are not diminished in area by the map projection, while global north areas are generally enlarged.<br />
<br />
Randall associates the Hobo–Dyer projection to "crunchy granola" — a stereotype associated with vegetarianism, environmental activism, anti-war activism, liberal political leanings, and some traces of {{w|hippie}} culture.<br />
<br />
With feminism becoming mainstream and non-binary genders being more widely accepted, some have begun to invent gender-neutral pronouns so that when referring to a person whose gender is not known they cannot be offended by being referred to by the wrong pronouns. In {{w|Middle English}} 'they' and 'their' were {{w|Singular they|accepted genderless pronouns that could replace 'he', 'she'}} as well as be used to represent a crowd, but this usage is considered by some to be grammatically incorrect because of the plural/singular debate ([https://www.merriam-webster.com/video/the-awkward-case-of-his-or-her stupid Victorian Grammarians!]). There have been {{w|gender-neutral pronoun#Invented pronouns|many attempts at popularizing invented gender-neutral pronouns}} and they are beginning to achieve some degree of success in the mainstream.<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
===Plate Carrée===<br />
[[File:PlateCarreeProjection.jpg|frame|The Plate Carrée projection]]<br />
Also known as the {{w|Equirectangular projection}}, it has apparently been in use since approximately 100 AD. The benefit of this projection is that latitude and longitude can be used as x,y coordinates. This makes it especially easy for computers to graph data on top of it.<br />
<br />
According to the comic, the projection appeals to people who find much beauty in simplicity.<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
===A Globe!===<br />
[[File:GlobeProjection.jpg|frame|The Globe "projection"]]<br />
In any good discussion there has to be at least one smart-ass.{{Citation needed}} This is a comic about map projections, that is, the science of taking a sphere and flattening it into 2 dimensions. The smart-ass believes that we shouldn't even try: a sphere is, tautologically, the perfect representation of a sphere.<br />
<br />
To quote ''{{w|The Princess Bride}}'': "Yes, you're very smart. Shut up."<br />
<br />
A globe is the "map projection" used by {{w|Google Earth}} when zoomed out.<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
===Waterman butterfly===<br />
[[File:WatermanButterflyProjection.jpg|frame|The Waterman Butterfly projection]]<br />
Similar to the Dymaxion, the {{w|Waterman butterfly projection}} turns a sphere into an octahedron, and then unfolds the net of the octahedron, which was devised by mathematician {{w|Waterman polyhedron|Steve Waterman}} based upon the work of {{w|Bernard J.S. Cahill}}.<br />
<br />
Bernard Cahill published a [http://www.genekeyes.com/B.J.S._CAHILL_RESOURCE.html butterfly map] in 1909. Steve Waterman probably has the only extant "ready to go" map following the same general principles, though Gene Keys may not be far behind. Waterman has a poem with graphics in a similar vein to this xkcd comic that is worth reading.[http://web.archive.org/web/20120118095915/http://watermanpolyhedron.com/worldmap.html]<br />
<br />
[https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/pcr.2016.48.issue-4/pcr-2016-0014/pcr-2016-0014.pdf Polyhedral projections] like Cahill, Dymaxion or Waterman typically offer better accuracy of size, shape and area than flat projections, at the expense of compass directionality, connectedness, and other complications.<br />
<br />
The joke is that the person responding deeply understands map projections; anyone who knows of this projection is a person that Randall would like to get to know.<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
===Peirce quincuncial===<br />
[[File:PeirceQuincuncialProjection.jpg|frame|The Peirce Quincuncial projection]]<br />
The {{w|Peirce quincuncial projection}} was devised by {{w|Charles Sanders Peirce}} in 1879 and uses {{w|complex analysis}} to make a {{w|conformal mapping}} of the Earth, that conforms except for four points which would make up the midpoints of sides and lie on equator (the equator is represented by a square and the corners connect the sides in the middle.)<br />
<br />
{{w|Inception}} was a 2010 movie about {{w|meta}} {{w|lucid dream}}ing. It has a complex story that is difficult to follow and leaves the viewer with many questions at the end, and almost always needs to be watched multiple times to be understood.<br />
<br />
The human brain is not well developed to deal with oddly obvious things. One example is that everyone has a skeleton, but everyone is surprised to see a part of their body represented by an X-ray. Another is the fascinating complexity of the human hand, a machine which is amazingly complex, driven by a complex interplay of electrical and chemical signals; yet is the size of the hand and so useful. A fascination with or fixation on {{tvtropes|ContemplatingYourHands|such thoughts}} is often associated with an altered state of mind brought on by marijuana consumption. Therefore, Randall may be implying that this map would appeal to stoners.<br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
===Gall–Peters===<br />
[[File:Gall-PetersProjection.jpg|frame|The Gall–Peters projection]]<br />
The {{w|Gall–Peters projection}} is mired in controversy, surprisingly for a map. {{w|James Gall}}, a 19th-century clergyman, presented this projection in 1855 before the {{w|British Association for the Advancement of Science}}. In 1967, the filmmaker {{w|Arno Peters}} created the same projection and presented it to the world as a "new invention" that put poorer, less powerful countries into their rightful proportions, (as opposed to the Mercator) during the US civil rights movement, when society was very concerned about social justice. Peters played the marketing game and got quite a few followers of his map by saying it had "absolute angle conformality," "no extreme distortions of form," and was "totally distance-factual". These claims were in fact false. The Mercator projection distorts size in favor of shape, and Gall-Peters distorts shape in favor of size, being especially inaccurate at the equator and the poles.<br />
<br />
Anyone who loves such a politically charged map that has become popular by way of marketing stunts and false claims, Randall would rather not have anything to do with. Alternatively Randall just dislikes this map projection so much due to the above mentioned major inaccuracies, that he hates anyone who likes it. <br />
<br />
{{clear}}<br />
<br />
===Title text===<br />
The title text makes a joke that goes to the familiar meme from ''{{w|CSI: Miami}}'', in which the star, David Caruso starts a sentence, then puts on his sunglasses and ends the sentence with a corny pun. In this case, the pun is on {{w|map projection}} and {{w|projection (psychology)|projection}} in psychology. Psychological projection is an unconscious defense mechanism wherein a person who is uncomfortable with their own impulses denies having them and attributes them to other people, and blames these people for these impulses. The Sunglasses internet meme has been used [[:Category:Puts on sunglasses|in other comics]] as well.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:What your favorite<br />
:'''Map Projection'''<br />
:says about you<br />
:[All of these are organized as Title, a copy of the particular projection underneath, and what it says about you under that.]<br />
<br />
:*Mercator<br />
:**You're not really into maps.<br />
:*Van der Grinten<br />
:**You're not a complicated person. You love the Mercator projection; you just wish it weren't square. The Earth's not a square, it's a circle. You like circles. Today is gonna be a good day!<br />
:*Robinson<br />
:**You have a comfortable pair of running shoes that you wear everywhere. You like coffee and enjoy The Beatles. You think the Robinson is the best-looking projection, hands down.<br />
:*Dymaxion<br />
:**You like Isaac Asimov, XML, and shoes with toes. You think the Segway got a bad rap. You own 3D goggles, which you use to view rotating models of better 3D goggles. You type in Dvorak.<br />
:*Winkel-Tripel<br />
:**National Geographic adopted the Winkel-Tripel in 1998, but you've been a W-T fan since ''long'' before "Nat Geo" showed up. You're worried it's getting played out, and are thinking of switching to the Kavrayskiy. You once left a party in disgust when a guest showed up wearing shoes with toes. Your favorite musical genre is "Post–".<br />
:*Goode Homolosine<br />
:**They say mapping the Earth on a 2D surface is like flattening an orange peel, which seems enough to you. You like easy solutions.You think we wouldn't have so many problems if we'd just elect ''normal'' people to Congress instead of Politicians. You think airlines should just buy food from the restaurants near the gates and serve ''that'' on board. You change your car's oil, but secretly wonder if you really ''need'' to.<br />
:*Hobo-Dyer<br />
:**You want to avoid cultural imperialism, but you've heard bad things about Gall-Peters. You're conflict-averse and buy organic. You use a recently-invented set of gender-neutral pronouns and think that what the world needs is a revolution in consciousness.<br />
:*Plate Carrée <small>(Equirectangular)</small><br />
:**You think this one is fine. You like how X and Y map to latitude and longitude. The other projections overcomplicate things. You want me to stop asking about maps so you can enjoy dinner.<br />
:*A Globe!<br />
:**Yes, you're very clever.<br />
:*Waterman Butterfly<br />
:**Really? You know the Waterman? Have you seen the 1909 Cahill Map it's based— ...You have a framed reproduction at home?! Whoa. ...Listen, forget these questions. Are you doing anything tonight?<br />
:*Peirce Quincuncial<br />
:**You think that when we look at a map, what we really see is ourselves. After you first saw ''Inception'', you sat silent in the theater for six hours. It freaks you out to realize that everyone around you has a skeleton inside them. You ''have'' really looked at your hands.<br />
:*Gall-Peters<br />
:**I ''hate'' you.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Maps]]<br />
[[Category:Dvorak]]<br />
[[Category:Puts on sunglasses]]<br />
[[Category:Puns]]<br />
[[Category:Aviation]]</div>172.70.90.222https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2723:_Outdated_Periodic_Table&diff=3046362723: Outdated Periodic Table2023-01-12T15:14:40Z<p>172.70.90.222: /* Explanation */ Changes small and medium</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2723<br />
| date = January 11, 2023<br />
| title = Outdated Periodic Table<br />
| image = outdated_periodic_table_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 360x350px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Researchers claim to have synthesized six additional elements in the second row, temporarily named 'pentium' through 'unnilium'.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by BERYLLIUM-BASED LIFE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This comic shows figure 6.14 from a science text book, which displays ''The periodic table of the elements'', but with only the first four elements are shown ({{w|Hydrogen}}, {{w|Helium}}, {{w|Lithium}} and {{w|Berylium}}). [[Randall]] claims, in the caption, that you can use the layout of an included {{w|Periodic table}} to date a publication based upon the elements present or missing. The joke here is that his book was somehow published just half an hour after the {{w|Big Bang}}, at which time those four elements were the only ones present.<br />
<br />
From about 10 seconds until about 20 minutes after the Big Bang, the phase that is known as the {{w|Big Bang nucleosynthesis}} occurred. At that time, hydrogen ions (single photons) provided for helium in abundance and traces of lithium. Some berylium-7 was also formed, which is an unstable {{w|Isotopes of beryllium|isotope}}, and with a half life of 53 days, an appreciable amount of what had been created would still be there several months after the Big Bang, and certainly most of what was created would be there half an hour after.<br />
<br />
The conclusion is that Randall's science book was published when those four elements were the only ones in existence, and before the point where practically all the beryllium had decayed. After that point, only the three first would be present, until star formation began and started the process of {{w|Stellar nucleosynthesis}}.<br />
<br />
Of course no life as we know it could exist until long after stellar nucleosynthesis had created all the other elements needed to support {{w|Carbon-based life}}. And no life, as we could even imagine, would be able to exist for the first 370,000 years after Big Bang as atoms (in a form that could eventually form molecules) could not exist until the {{w|Recombination (cosmology)|Recombination}} phase of the universe, due to the high energy of the {{w|Cosmic background radiation}}. Textbooks, also being Carbon-based {{Citation needed}} could not exist either.<br />
<br />
Many {{w|Chemical elements|elements}} do not occur naturally on earth and have to be {{w|Synthetic element|synthesized}}. And others are very hard to detect, collect enough in pure form or purify enough to discover them. Until these elements were discovered one way or another they where not included in the periodic table. Or at least only as theoretical elements expected to be in a given position. <br />
<br />
Because (paper versions) of scientific textbooks do not update themselves after being published, one can determine the age of a scientific textbook by checking which elements are present in the textbook's periodic table. And Randall's joke is that those four in the figure date the book as published around half an hour after the Big Bang. (A few years after that Berylium would be gone, and a periodic table created at that time would only show the first three elements).<br />
<br />
The title text refers to how yet-undiscovered elements are given a {{w|systematic element name}} as a temporary name according to how many protons they have. The names consists of Greek and Latin roots and adding an -ium at the end. The claim in the title text is that in the text book with the figure, researchers claim they have synthesized six additional elements in the second row, temporarily named 'pentium' through 'unnilium'.<br />
<br />
Elements that cannot be found natural on Earth (or anywhere in the Universe) are generally excluded from the periodic table until they have been synthesized (and are no longer theoretical). And if elements are added to the end of the table, but it is still uncertain if they have been synthesized or who should give the new element a name, then a number system has been used, just calling for instance element 118, simply 118 using the Latin or Greek words for it digits: "Ununoctium". At the time of release of this comic, element number 118 has already been synthesized and had been called {{w|Oganesson}} and there was at that time no longer any elements higher than 118 named using this naming convention. This has been mentioned in the title text of {{w|2639: Periodic Table Changes}}, the previous comic to draw a periodic table.<br />
<br />
In the title text the new elements numbers are very low ("pentium" being based on "pent" which means "five", and thus would refer to {{w|Boron}}) because only the four elements shown in the figure had been discovered at the time of publication. ({{w|Pentium}} is also the name of a series of microprocessors launched by Intel in the 1990s). The term "unnilium" is a description of the digits of ten, i.e. 1 0, using the numerical roots established by convention, and would refer to {{w|Neon}}. In reality, had Neon once been a hypothetical element, it would more likely have been called something along the lines of "decium". <br />
<br />
Since life could not have existed at the time this book should have been published, the idea of researches synthesizing elements is of course just part of the joke.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, despite helium being one of the first elements to exist, it did not appear in the earliest period tables. Because the noble gasses do not react chemically, they were unknown to human scientists until the late 19th century.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[Subheading]: Figure 6.14<br />
:[Title]: The periodic table of the elements<br />
<br />
:[The following four rectangles featuring the large element abbreviation, with the full element name written below, in a typical periodic table style]<br />
:[Top row, far left]: H Hydrogen<br />
:[Top row, far right, detached from any other box]: He Helium<br />
:[Bottom row, attached directly below the "H" box]: Li Lithium<br />
:[Bottom row, attached directly to the right of "Li"]: Be Beryllium<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel]:<br />
:You can spot an outdated science textbook by checking the bottom of the periodic table for missing elements. For example, mine was published half an hour after the Big Bang.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Chemistry]]<br />
[[Category:Cosmology]]</div>172.70.90.222https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2720:_Biology_vs_Robotics&diff=3042622720: Biology vs Robotics2023-01-06T16:53:24Z<p>172.70.90.222: /* Explanation */ Expanding the range of 'doctor' and patient, plus giving an example that might preclude waiting for anyone's permission (even searching for proxy authorities on the matterl.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2720<br />
| date = January 4, 2023<br />
| title = Biology vs Robotics<br />
| image = biology_vs_robotics_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 546x260px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Sorry, I've just always had these random things I don't like--like olives, or robots drilling holes in me without warning.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a ROBOT HOMEOMORPHIC TO A HUMAN WITH A HANDLE AND A CONICAL ATTACHMENT WHICH MIGHT HAVE NON-DRILLING USES - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
In this comic, [[Cueball]] is walking along next to a robot holding a conversation – from this we can infer the robot is {{w|sentience|sentient}} or even {{w|sapience|sapient}}. Cueball is complaining to said robot about the problems of biology, especially his own biology, whining that "biology is the worst" and "bodies have all these random problems". The human body does have many challenges, ranging from the {{w|Recurrent laryngeal nerve|mildly inefficient}} to the {{w|Stroke|lethal-without-warning}}, and culminating in irreversible senescence and (unless you're [https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Gift_of_Il%C3%BAvatar Tolkien]) obligate mortality. The robot, an abiological entity ([https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/robotic-future/0/steps/26359 some] {{tvtropes|BrainInAJar|exceptions}} {{w|Biorobotics|apply}}) responds by posing a question which may or may not be intended as rhetorical.<br />
<br />
The robot thus highlights an advantage that biological bodies have – i.e., the ability to heal themselves, while metal robots like this one don't and probably must seek out repairs. However, Cueball immediately points out that this ability only works "sometimes", and is often painful. First and foremost, one must actually survive a hole if they wish to heal from it, as death comes with some pretty big impacts on their continuing ability to do so.{{Citation needed}} Secondly holes can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, in many widths and depths with many further complications (including the aforementioned death). For example, a small hole made for an earring would be easy to close, whereas one carved by {{w|List of the largest cannon by caliber|a 91.4cm mortar shell}} would be less easy to heal. There is also ambiguity in what counts as a hole. Is a cut a hole? Is surgery, etc? This variability is likely why Cueball says "Sometimes".<br />
<br />
He also states that "it" is "not exactly fun". This is either sarcasm or an understatement, as {{w|Gunshot wound|some holes}} can really hurt. "It" is implied to be the holes themselves, as while the healing process can hurt, the formation of the hole (such as being shot) is often a '''lot''' more painful.{{Citation needed}}<br />
<br />
The title text is Cueball apologising for his whining, explaining his frustration with certain things such as particular fruits and unexpected robotic incursions. He appears to equate these two issues, where most normal people would consider one a minor irritation, and the other a serious threat (though he may be deliberately making this comparison sardonically). Even when a robot is used purposefully for cutting into a human (such as robotic surgery), it should be expected and consented to. There are few situations where cutting open a human without consent would be considered socially, morally, legally or cybernetically acceptable in most countries {{Citation needed}} (one example would be a trained medic trying to saving an unconscious person’s life by urgently cutting into them {{w|tracheotomy|in some way}}).<br />
<br />
Part of the humour may also derive from the fact that Cueball is complaining about things which the Robot could only dream of for its own future (self-repair, automatic recharging from abundant naturally occurring proteins [food], self-replication without external construction, etc). This is similar to [[1839: Doctor Visit]] where the doctor marvels at the fact that "your body has been moving around for years and still works at all. My USB fray after like a month". Some people argue {{Citation needed}} that self-replicating, self-repairing sentient robotics would in their complexity be quite similar to biological systems and might even suffer from similar problems.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is walking to the left with a robot following behind him. It is a bit shorter than Cueball and is made out of three rectangles, one almost a square representing the head with a part representing where it can see the surroundings and a small antenna on the back. This is connected with a thin neck to a large rectangle representing the torso. This torso has three smaller rectangles, one on the front and one on the back, and a larger one on the side. The latter could represent some sort of arm. Below this is a thin rectangle with, probably, eight small wheels, four are visible. Motion lines indicate that the robot is rolling after Cueball. Cueball is holding both arms up with his palms up, while walking and talking to the robot:]<br />
:Cueball: Ugh, biology is the worst. Bodies have all these random problems.<br />
<br />
:[Same setting but with Cueball walking with his arms down. A scatter burst, from the top front of the robot's "head", indicates that it speaks to Cueball:]<br />
:Robot: Is it true that if someone makes a hole in you, it just closes up on its own?<br />
<br />
:[Same setting but in a wider panel. The scatter burst, indicating that the robot is speaking, now comes from the top rear end of the robot's "head".]<br />
:Cueball: Only '''''sometimes'''''. And it's not exactly '''''fun'''''.<br />
:Robot: Noted. I'll try to avoid perforating your surface.<br />
:Cueball: Thanks! It's kind of a pet peeve.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Robots]]<br />
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]<br />
[[Category:Food]] <!--Olives in Title text--></div>172.70.90.222https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2720:_Biology_vs_Robotics&diff=3042502720: Biology vs Robotics2023-01-06T11:20:37Z<p>172.70.90.222: /* Explanation */ 'flaws' implies a design or purpose</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2720<br />
| date = January 4, 2023<br />
| title = Biology vs Robotics<br />
| image = biology_vs_robotics_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 546x260px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = Sorry, I've just always had these random things I don't like--like olives, or robots drilling holes in me without warning.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a ROBOT HOMEOMORPHIC TO A HUMAN WITH A HANDLE AND A CONICAL ATTACHMENT WHICH MIGHT HAVE NON-DRILLING USES - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
In this comic, [[Cueball]] is walking along next to a robot holding a conversation – from this we can infer the robot is {{w|sentience|sentient}} or even {{w|sapience|sapient}}. Cueball is complaining to said robot about the problems of biology, especially his own biology, whining that "biology is the worst" and "bodies have all these random problems". The human body does have many challenges, ranging from the {{w|Recurrent laryngeal nerve|mildly inefficient}} to the {{w|Stroke|lethal-without-warning}}, and culminating in irreversible senescence and (unless you're [https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Gift_of_Il%C3%BAvatar Tolkien]) obligate mortality. The robot, an abiological entity ([https://www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/robotic-future/0/steps/26359 some] {{tvtropes|BrainInAJar|exceptions}} {{w|Biorobotics|apply}}) responds by posing a question which may or may not be intended as rhetorical.<br />
<br />
The robot thus highlights an advantage that biological bodies have – i.e., the ability to heal themselves, while metal robots like this one don't and probably must seek out repairs. However, Cueball immediately points out that this ability only works "sometimes", and is often painful. First and foremost, one must actually survive a hole if they wish to heal from it, as death comes with some pretty big impacts on their continuing ability to do so.{{Citation needed}} Secondly holes can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, in many widths and depths with many further complications (including the aforementioned death). For example, a small hole made for an earring would be easy to close, whereas one carved by {{w|List of the largest cannon by caliber|a 91.4cm mortar shell}} would be less easy to heal. There is also ambiguity in what counts as a hole. Is a cut a hole? Is surgery, etc? This variability is likely why Cueball says "Sometimes".<br />
<br />
He also states that "it" is "not exactly fun". This is either sarcasm or an understatement, as {{w|Gunshot wound|some holes}} can really hurt. "It" is implied to be the holes themselves, as while the healing process can hurt, the formation of the hole (such as being shot) is often a '''lot''' more painful.{{Citation needed}}<br />
<br />
The title text is Cueball apologising for his whining, explaining his frustration with certain things such as particular fruits and unexpected robotic incursions. Even when a robot is used purposefully for cutting into a human (such as robotic surgery), it should be expected and consented to. There are few situations where cutting open a human without consent would be considered socially, morally, legally or cybernetically acceptable in most countries {{Citation needed}}. (One example would be a licensed doctor saving their friend’s life in some way that happens to involve cutting into the person)<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball is walking to the left with a robot following behind him. It is a bit shorter than Cueball and is made out of three rectangles, one almost a square representing the head with a part representing where it can see the surroundings and a small antenna on the back. This is connected with a thin neck to a large rectangle representing the torso. This torso has three smaller rectangles, one on the front and one on the back, and a larger one on the side. The latter could represent some sort of arm. Below this is a thin rectangle with, probably, eight small wheels, four are visible. Motion lines indicate that the robot is rolling after Cueball. Cueball is holding both arms up with his palms up, while walking and talking to the robot:]<br />
:Cueball: Ugh, biology is the worst. Bodies have all these random problems.<br />
<br />
:[Same setting but with Cueball walking with his arms down. A scatter burst, from the top front of the robot's "head", indicates that it speaks to Cueball:]<br />
:Robot: Is it true that if someone makes a hole in you, it just closes up on its own?<br />
<br />
:[Same setting but in a wider panel. The scatter burst, indicating that the robot is speaking, now comes from the top rear end of the robot's "head".]<br />
:Cueball: Only '''''sometimes'''''. And it's not exactly '''''fun'''''.<br />
:Robot: Noted. I'll try to avoid perforating your surface.<br />
:Cueball: Thanks! It's kind of a pet peeve.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Biology]]<br />
[[Category:Robots]]<br />
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]<br />
[[Category:Food]] <!--Olives in Title text--></div>172.70.90.222https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2528:_Flag_Map_Sabotage&diff=3041052528: Flag Map Sabotage2023-01-04T22:11:56Z<p>172.70.90.222: /* Explanation */ Too much blue, putting it more economically.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2528<br />
| date = October 13, 2021<br />
| title = Flag Map Sabotage<br />
| image = flag_map_sabotage.png<br />
| titletext = Delaware hopes to explore the western edge of areas marked with the Belgian flag, once the tornadoes die down.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
The comic refers to a type of map that colors countries using the national flag designs; see [https://i.pinimg.com/originals/41/0f/36/410f3661d1cee3b255b82a111f99d242.jpg here] for such a map of Europe. Randall proposes a new flag specifically designed to troll such maps. Most obviously, the flag includes a legend with multiple common flag colors to indicate random regional attributes. Hence, the mere act of placing this flag on a map would cause people to misinterpret this legend as applying to the entire map, giving wildly false information about regions of other countries. This trick is reminiscent of [[327: Exploits of a Mom]], with Mrs. Robert's son <code>Robert'); DROP TABLE Students;--</code>. <br />
<br />
In addition to the legend, the flag consists of two red fields, one of which has an irregular-shaped border, the other of which is a straight line. The irregular shape is similar to a geographical border based on natural features (such as rivers and coastlines), while borders not based on such features tend to be straight lines. Red is the most common color on national flags, so if any bordering country had red on their flag, it would risk bordering these red fields, confusing where the border lay (as well as designating the entire red region as "greater Delaware"). If this flag is intended for the USA (although the text mentions "our new country"), the red regions would be continuous with the red strips on both sides of Canada's flag and the red field on the right of Mexico's flag, disguising the border still further. <br />
<br />
The title text refers to the flag of Belgium, which consists of three vertical stripes in the order (left to right) black, yellow, and red. The western part of Belgium would, according to the legend, be unexplored, while the eastern part would be Greater Delaware. The middle would therefore be a tornado zone separating the unexplored area from Greater Delaware. Depending on how the flags are aligned it might be possible to explore from the south, where the blue-white-red stripes of the French flag contain another piece of Greater Delaware that may be conveniently located to help said exploration. Exploring from the Netherlands (red, white, and blue horizontal stripes) is not viable as rebel forces are positioned between Greater Delaware and the unexplored region. <br />
<br />
This is [[1815: Flag|not the first time]] Randall has made a flag for a new country.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
:[A flag displays a white country-shaped area surrounded by a red field. Inside the shape sits a map legend.]<br />
<br />
:[Label of map legend] Map Legend<br />
:[Bright blue rectangle] Disputed territory<br />
:[Green rectangle] Newly independent<br />
:[Blue rectangle] Demilitarized zone<br />
:[Yellow rectangle] Tornado warning<br />
:[Dark blue rectangle] Held by rebel forces<br />
:[Red rectangle] Greater Delaware<br />
:[Black rectangle] Unexplored<br />
<br />
:[Caption below panel]<br />
:Our new country's flag sabotages those maps where geographic areas are colored in with flag patterns.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Maps]]</div>172.70.90.222https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2714:_Cold_Complaints&diff=303790Talk:2714: Cold Complaints2023-01-01T15:21:06Z<p>172.70.90.222: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
That study sounds like something that would win an Ig Nobel Prize. But the 2002 prize in medicine went to "Scrotal Asymmetry in Man and in Ancient Sculpture". [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:37, 21 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Also common cold cannot really be cured, just wait and see. http://www.picturequotes.com/proper-treatment-will-cure-a-cold-in-seven-days-but-left-to-itself-a-cold-will-hang-on-for-a-week-quote-272191 [[User:Vdm|Vdm]] ([[User talk:Vdm|talk]]) 20:49, 21 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Are we sure that's the actual explanation? I thought the panels we see of the telemedicine are fibs to explain why Harry is acting this way. As in, he's pretending a medical professional told him to act like this. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.68.13|172.69.68.13]] 21:59, 21 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:The default assumption is that anything depicted, outside of things explicitly called out by e.g. thought/dream bubbles, actually happened in XKCD World. Plus, it would lose a lot of the humour if it were just a fiction he has made up. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.91.76|172.70.91.76]] 14:22, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Can the citation be moved to a ref tag instead of just Being There? on a related note, why is the 58 bolded? [[Special:Contributions/172.71.166.76|172.71.166.76]] 22:32, 21 December 2022 (UTC) [[NonUser:Bumpf|Bumpf]] ([[NonUser talk:Bumpf|shh]])<br />
:We usually don't bother with the cite and just use numbered links, especially in cases like this where the full cite is on the first page of the link. I'll change it. Journal volume numbers are written in bold in APA style. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.22.79|172.69.22.79]] 00:23, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::In this case I prefer the full cite showing the counterintuitive quote comes from a pertinent peer-reviewed journal. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.211.90|172.70.211.90]] 03:38, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I know far too many people who already follow this course of treatment. And not just for viruses, either. [[User:RAGBRAIvet|RAGBRAIvet]] ([[User talk:RAGBRAIvet|talk]]) 23:59, 21 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I've tried relatively polite requests such as "I want to be alone" and "Go away, you are not wanted here". But women are lacking in basic communication and social skills, so you have to resort increasingly infantile levels of behavior in an attempt to communicate.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.222.253|172.71.222.253]] 16:58, 23 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
:Please don't (ab)use this discussion to generalise your dissatisfaction with your own experience into an attack against all women. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.210.10|172.68.210.10]] 20:47, 23 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is the accepted explanation for this comic that it is... mocking people who ask for sympathy or help when unwell for being "big babies"? That seems uncomfortably close to, say, making fun of people who seek treatment for mental illness... I understand that there is a disproportionate level of complaint relative to minor discomfort that is ridiculous and maybe even funny, but that doesn't seem to have been established here. I think we should emphasize that, "Hey, it's perfectly fine and even healthy to talk about the disappointment of feeling shitty, but don't take it to this extreme" - even if the original comic arguably doesn't do so. [[User:Notanotherusername|Notanotherusername]] ([[User talk:Notanotherusername|talk]]) 03:01, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:I feel like the ''Journal of Clinical Psychology'' quote fulfills that purpose somewhat. Kudos to whomever found it. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.154.39|172.71.154.39]]<br />
<br />
([[User:TehEpikXkcdsplainer]])Are we sure that this character is Hairy? His hair is kind of scarce and kind of looks like it's connected to his head like Bart Simpson. (PST) 4:29 December 22<br />
:My first thoughts were that it was a "ruffled" Cueball/Rob, sphysically/sartorially grizzled by his symptoms. All depends on whether Cueball is actually bald (at least since the days of "Kid Cueball", where the time-linked character has been depicted as moderately hairy), or merely that his hair is so immaculate (normally!) that it doesn't really show as a feature. But hard to imagine that his sick-bed bed-hair is the only time it ever ruffles into view, given other scenarios he's been in.<br />
:So my second thoughts were "Yeah, some kind of Hairy works for me", if that's what the early editors decided, at least until I could remember any closer match from the xkcd pantheon. Which I still haven't. But watch this space, or suggest your own precursor archetype if you have your own inspirational moment. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.75|172.71.242.75]] 01:42, 23 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Swearing has been shown to be effective in pain management. Maybe there's some precedent here for the whining response too.<br />
<br />
Uhhhhh, "tripledemic"? This is the first I hear there's anything going on besides Covid and normal ordinary Flu Season (which does not a pandemic make, as it's yearly and no measures are usually taken other than flu shots and trying to be clean). I strongly question this claim. [[User:NiceGuy1|NiceGuy1]] ([[User talk:NiceGuy1|talk]]) 07:13, 1 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
:That may be a neologism, but the recent concerns have been in (UK) news for a while, even back before it was this season's thing. i.e., upon lockdowns being relaxed, fears that everything that wasn't previously circulating so much (beyond just the target Covid) would get a foothold into the now slightly more näive population (immunologically ''and'' in a wreckless 'return to socialising') and combine problems. Mostly, we didn't get that before now. Though a current surge with Strep-A deaths in children has been highlighted over the last month or so, and flu-season seems to have been an earlier thing than usual.<br />
:I'm not sure if this supports the idea (observer-effect, etc), but it seems to be both a realistic fear ''and'' a somewhat realised one... at least around these parts. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.90.222|172.70.90.222]] 15:21, 1 January 2023 (UTC)<br />
<br />
== Vandalism ==<br />
<br />
Some of them are re-uploading the comic image - if there's something that you can't see in the edit history, make sure [[:File:cold_complaints_2x.png]] is OK. [[User:Megan|Megan]] ([[User talk:Megan|talk]]) 04:21, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:Also check [[Special:RecentChanges]] during any string of vandalism, because e.g. [[591]], [[2222]], and [[2713]] are currently also under attack. [[User:Liv2splain|Liv2splain]] ([[User talk:Liv2splain|talk]]) 04:27, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Some 2 year old appears to have gotten access to a computer and is posting images of themselves in place of the comic. Attempting to undo.[[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.148|172.68.174.148]] 05:28, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
We're currently actively under attack by CobsonTheGemson. I don't know if any admins will be on for a while, but I've tried to revert the 2x image and that didn't work, so I've created a new copy. I don't know why it's 2x in the first place so...<br />
[[User:Eelitee|Eelitee]] ([[User talk:Eelitee|talk]]) 05:47, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:Your reverts work even when they don't appear to. [[User:Liv2splain|Liv2splain]] ([[User talk:Liv2splain|talk]]) 05:50, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Alright, it looks like they aren't a bot. I think I'm going to change a little to make it clearer. Sorry for inconvenience. <br />
[[User:Eelitee|Eelitee]] ([[User talk:Eelitee|talk]]) 05:51, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:holy schizo [[User:CobsonTheGemson|CobsonTheGemson]] ([[User talk:CobsonTheGemson|talk]]) 05:53, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
haha knew it~~<br />
[[User:Eelitee|Eelitee]] ([[User talk:Eelitee|talk]]) 05:55, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I find it amusing, but also kind of sad, that there are people who put in effort just to vandalize something like ExplainXKCD [[Special:Contributions/172.71.146.108|172.71.146.108]] 05:58, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Of all the vandalism, I found [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/f/fb/20221222085847%21the_end_is_not_for_a_while.png] to be the most thought-provoking and meritorious. [[User:Liv2splain|Liv2splain]] ([[User talk:Liv2splain|talk]]) 09:02, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
<br />
I got quite the surprise when I decided to visit the wiki, so I made an account and tried to help out as best as I could. Right now it seems mostly clear now at the time of posting. [[User:Neerti|Neerti]] ([[User talk:Neerti|talk]]) 09:04, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
: Good work! You're so much faster than me. The only thing I can't figure out is the weird colored image behind [[MediaWiki:Tagline]] which I'm sure wasn't what it is now, and definitely was vandalized into a blue image, so I guess it got reverted to the wrong version. [[User:Liv2splain|Liv2splain]] ([[User talk:Liv2splain|talk]]) 09:47, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
:: I'm kinda stumped too. Only thing that comes to mind is that some css got edited but if so I'm not sure where it'd be or if it can be edited by users (I hope not). [[User:Neerti|Neerti]] ([[User talk:Neerti|talk]]) 10:02, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::: It's definitely an image, because my browser still has the [https://i.ibb.co/V2MrH7p/Screenshot-2022-12-22-2-31-47-AM.png cached vandalized version] which went away (in incognito mode) during when we were both reverting images. [[User:Liv2splain|Liv2splain]] ([[User talk:Liv2splain|talk]]) 10:34, 22 December 2022 (UTC)<br />
::: Fixed now. I guess someone figured out which cache to purge. [[User:Liv2splain|Liv2splain]] ([[User talk:Liv2splain|talk]]) 11:32, 22 December 2022 (UTC)</div>172.70.90.222https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=729:_Laser_Pointer&diff=303258729: Laser Pointer2022-12-22T16:28:52Z<p>172.70.90.222: /* Explanation */ Prior correction weirdly reversed the situation (if they eat a laser, then they *stop* themselves glowing) if you read it trivially.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 729<br />
| date = April 19, 2010<br />
| title = Laser Pointer<br />
| image = laser_pointer.png<br />
| titletext = It's a lasing cat-vity!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
It is common to use a {{w|laser pointer}} as a cat toy because cats are attracted to the dot and attempt in vain to catch it in their paws. They will chase the dot as it moves around, sometimes pouncing on it or swiping at it with its claws, however, they will never be able to catch it.{{Citation needed}} This is very frustrating for cats (and dogs), because it triggers a hunting instinct, but removes the satisfaction of actually catching their prey.<br />
<br />
Cueball is messing with his cat with a laser pointer, however, he is unprepared when his cat pounces and successfully grabs the laser dot. As Cueball looks around and tries to figure out what happened to the laser, his cat licks it, before eating it and starting to glow with a red light.<br />
<br />
By this point, the best choice would be to run away screaming, as normal cats cannot eat lasers and then start to glow.{{Citation needed}} However, before he can run, the cat shoots lasers from its eyes and disintegrates a surprised Cueball on the spot.<br />
<br />
It is then revealed that everything that happened was just a cat's dream. Only in its dreams can a cat successfully catch and consume the dot. Also, it is only in a dream that this will give it the power to shoot laser light from its eyes, and vaporize the human in revenge for taunting it with the laser pointer.{{Citation needed}}<br />
<br />
Real cats' eyes (and some other animals' eyes) have a {{w|tapetum lucidum}} behind their retinas, which increases their sensitivity in low-light conditions. This can cause their eyes to appear to glow, but they're actually just reflecting light from the environment.<br />
<br />
The title text makes a pun on the chamber in which lasers are formed, known as a {{w|laser cavity}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball points a laser pointer at the floor. A black cat crouches, staring at the red dot.]<br />
<br />
:[The cat pounces.]<br />
<br />
:[The cat lands with its paw on the dot, claws out.]<br />
<br />
:[The cat tugs on the dot.]<br />
:''tug tug''<br />
<br />
:[Cueball tries to use the laser pointer, which is no longer emitting a beam.]<br />
:Cueball: ??? ''click click''<br />
<br />
:[The cat nibbles on the red laser dot.]<br />
:Cat: ''lick? nom nom''<br />
<br />
:[The cat arches, emitting red shock lines.]<br />
<br />
:[The cat shoots lasers out of its eyes at Cueball, who is covered in a bright red glow.]<br />
:''FWOOSH''<br />
:Cueball: AUGH!<br />
:[The right side of the panel is the end of a thought bubble.]<br />
<br />
:[The black cat, sleeping, has dreamed the entire strip.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Cats]]<br />
[[Category:Dreams]]</div>172.70.90.222https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=826:_Guest_Week:_Zach_Weiner_(SMBC)&diff=301299826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)2022-12-14T01:43:54Z<p>172.70.90.222: Undo revision 301297 by 172.68.174.164 (talk) Clearly you care more than you let on. Still an unwarranted insult.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 826<br />
| date = November 26, 2010<br />
| title = Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)<br />
| before = ''Explainxkcd note: Don't try and click on this image to see the exhibits. Visit [http://www.xkcd.com/826/ the actual comic] instead''<br />
| image = guest week zach weiner smbc.png<br />
| titletext = Guest comic by Zach Weiner of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. When I was stressed out, Zach gave me a talk that was really encouraging and somehow involved nanobots.<br />
}}<br />
{{TOC}}<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This comic is drawn by a guest webcomic artist, Zach Weiner (now Weinersmith), following the theme of "Guest Week". Zach is the author of the webcomic [http://www.smbc-comics.com/ Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal]. The [http://www.xkcd.com/826/ original comic] is interactive. It will show images of the exhibits (see below) by clicking on them.<br />
<br />
The entire comic is a hypothetical "{{w|Smithsonian Museum}} of Dad-Trolling, an entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement." It is a common occurrence that curious children will ask simple questions about science to their parents, such as, "Daddy, why is the sky blue?" and a parent could respond, "Well Susie, the sky is blue to match your dress."<br />
<br />
''Guest Week'' was a series of five comics written by five other comic authors. They were released over five consecutive days (Monday-Friday); not over the usual Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule.<br><br />
The five comics are:<br />
*[[822: Guest Week: Jeph Jacques (Questionable Content)]]<br />
*[[823: Guest Week: David Troupes (Buttercup Festival)]]<br />
*[[824: Guest Week: Bill Amend (FoxTrot)]]<br />
*[[825: Guest Week: Jeffrey Rowland (Overcompensating)]]<br />
*[[826: Guest Week: Zach Weiner (SMBC)]]<br />
<br />
<br />
===Hall of Misunderstood Science===<br />
Each exhibit is a display set up to reinforce the false, sarcastic, or exaggerated answers to typical questions that children may ask their parents about scientific topics. The answers given involve just enough information that the child may be satisfied with the answer and repeat it to others while maintaining the irony for adults that the answers are obviously misleading or false. These explanations may be given because the parent does not know how to explain the topic.<br />
<br />
<gallery widths=432px heights=285px><br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_27.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that basilisks exist, and that they live under your bed. The {{w|basilisk}} is a mythological reptilian monster that was described as having the ability to kill other living things with its gaze. This story might be believed by children because children often imagine that a monster or a dangerous creature is hiding under the bed at night, and verifying that the basilisk is under the bed and might kill the child would likely terrify the child. <br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_26.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that "In my day" molecules did not exist, and everything was just atoms. Molecules are chains of atoms, and therefore more complex than atoms. This story might be believed by children because old people often tell unbelievable and questionably credible "In my day" stories about how different, or in this case less complicated, things when they where younger. This story may sound no less credible than these stories to a child. Like most "In my day" stories there is at least a grain of truth. The word atom has changed its meaning over time; at one time all discovered molecules were called {{w|atomism|atoms}}, as when they were modified their properties change. Also, according to the {{w|Big Bang}} theory, there was a period billions of years ago when the universe contained no molecules, yet still contained atoms.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_25.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that magnets are only attracted to each other when they are teenagers. This is an inside joke that the child is not in on about how there is a loss of sexual desire in adults. This story might be believed because magnets are seen as mysterious and possibly magical by children.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_24.png|In this exhibit the plaque on the statue of Jesus claims that {{w|snow}} is composed of Jesus' {{w|dandruff}}. This story might be believed because some children take the expression that {{w|rain}} is "God's tears", and this would be a logical extension.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_20.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that the reason that there are only four components of {{w|DNA}} is because there where only four letters back then. The following letters describe the {{w|nucleotides}} that make up DNA chains: "G" {{w|guanine}}, "A" {{w|adenine}}, "T" {{w|thymine}}, and "C" {{w|cytosine}}. This story might be believed by children as DNA can be thought as an instruction set to build life. Instructions contain words, and therefore the letters G, A, T, and C can be thought of as the letters that the words in the instructions are made from.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_23.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that you are more vulnerable to the {{w|Bogeyman|boogie man}} when you are sleeping. "The Boogie Man" is a common legend used to scare young kids; he typically hides in closets and underneath beds, and attacks sleeping children. This story might be believed by children as some believe in the boogie man.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_22.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that water increases its size to frighten {{w|predator|predators}}. {{w|Ice}} is less dense than liquid {{w|water}}. This is an unusual property as most materials are more dense in solid form. This might be believed by a child because many animals appear to increase their size to frighten away other threatening animals. A {{w|rhinoceros}}, although not traditionally a predator, would be a predator of water.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_21.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|antimatter|anti-matter}} is composed of half ant and half matter. The prefix anti means "the opposite of", but sounds similar to the word ant. This story might be believed by children because a hyphen is often used to combine two words together with different meanings to create a word with the meaning of both. Combining the words ants and matter could produce a word meaning something composed of both ants and matter. Antimatter is also referenced in [[683: Science Montage]], [[1621: Fixion]] and [[1731: Wrong]] as well as being the subject of the [[what if?]] ''{{what if|114|Antimatter}}''. It was also mentioned in another ''what if?'': ''{{what if|79|Lake Tea}}''. <br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
===Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience===<br />
This section holds falsehoods that a dad might use to frighten his children. Fear is often used to discourage children from disobeying their parents. It is an interactive experience, so visitors can try something for themselves, then learn the frightening fact it indicates.<br />
<br />
<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px><br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_19.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that helium makes your voice higher because you are about to explode. Helium makes your voice high-pitched, because sound travels faster in helium than in air (79% nitrogen and 21% oxygen), and it does not explode because it is a noble gas; although it could rupture containers in accordance with the {{w|combined gas law}}, which governs the relationship between pressure, temperature and volume: i.e. if a balloon is over-inflated or exposed to heat, it will burst. This story might be used by parents to discourage children from inhaling helium. This story might regrettably convince a child that they are dying after they inhale helium. On the other hand, it can be dangerous to inhale helium from a gas container if the pressure is too high. So maybe better scared than dead.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_18.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that if your middle finger is longer than all the others, you are an alien half-breed. For almost all people the middle finger is longer than all the others. This story might be used by parents to tease their children. This story might regrettably convince a child that one of their parents is an alien, and therefore not to be trusted. Another possibility is that everyone is an alien half-breed, and therefore, their progeny are also alien half-breeds.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_16.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that one of the cups of {{w|Jell-O|Jello}} had a rabbit brain instead of a cherry. Cherries are a common ingredient in gelatin based deserts. One cup is missing and in the hands of the child, possibly eaten. This story might be used by parents to tease their children, or discourage them from eating more dessert. This story might regrettably convince a child that they ate the brain of a small cute fluffy animal.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_17.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that monsters will eat you if you do not make your bed. In some stories monsters specifically prey on children. This story might be used by parents to encourage children to make their beds. This story might regrettably convince a child that there are monsters under their beds and frighten them so they can not sleep.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
===Concessions===<br />
This area holds concession stands, which sell food. There are misleading names on each stand. The pop-outs in this section are based on jokes parents tell their children to frighten them about food.<br />
<br />
<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px><br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_15.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces the name of the concession stand as KFP. The parent claims that the "P" stands for phoenix, and the operator adds "also ponies". KFP is a parody of Kentucky Fried Chicken ({{w|KFC}}), a popular fast food chain which specializes in fried chicken. A phoenix is a mythical bird that throws it self into a fire and later rises from the ashes. This story might be believed by children because phoenixes are birds and a fried one may look similar to a chicken.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_14.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces that the concession stand sells {{w|ground beef}} and further explains that ground beef is beef that is found on the ground. The word "ground" here refers to the floor or dirt, but can also be the past tense of the word "grind". This story might be believed by children because the words are spelled and pronounced the same.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_13.png|In this exhibit the marquee announces that the concession stand sells {{w|ice cream}} and claims that ice cream is really spelled eyes cream, and always composed of eyeballs. This story might be believed by children because the words "eyes cream" sounds similar to "ice cream".<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
===Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History===<br />
Each exhibit is a display set up to reinforce the false, sarcastic, or exaggerated answers to typical questions that children may ask their parents about history. The answers given involve just enough information that the child may be satisfied with the answer and repeat it to others while maintaining the irony for adults that the answers are obviously misleading or false. These explanations may be given because the parent does not know how to explain the topic.<br />
<br />
<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px><br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_11.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|Genghis Khan}} achieved his victories by using dragons. Genghis Khan was a Mongolian conqueror who conquered almost all of Asia and much of Europe founding the {{w|Mongol Empire}}, and creating the largest continuous land empire in history. This story might be believed by children because some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_12.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that the {{w|Crimean War}} was a war on crime. The Crimean War is an often forgotten Eastern European conflict between Russia and a European coalition (including France, which the comic also pretends doesn't exist) with aims to stop Russia's expansion. This story might be believed by children because adding an "a" to a people group sometimes is used to create a country name, making Crimea sounds similar to a nation of criminals. Also worth noting is that the criminal depicted in the mural appears to be the {{w|Hamburgler}}, a McDonald's mascot. <br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_10.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that wizards were in control during {{w|The Renaissance}}. The Renaissance is a cultural movement in Europe that took place after the Dark Ages. This story might be believed by children because some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_3.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|Star Wars}} is actual history. Star Wars is a fantastical science fiction movie. This story might be believed by children because the movie begins "a long time ago in a galaxy far away", and some children associate magical and other fantastic elements with the past instead of fantasy. The "veteran" presented here appears to be wearing a fake beard as part of his costume.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_9.png|In this exhibit the poster claims that {{w|France}} does not exist. The adult in the comic continues to attempt to convince the children that France does not exist. This is supposed to be funny because the knowledge of France as a country is common. This may be parodying the global warming debate, a common theme in both XKCD and SMBC. It may also be a reference to the {{w|Bielefeld Conspiracy}}. <br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
===Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics===<br />
Each exhibit is a display set up to explain uncomfortable topics that children may ask their parents about. The answers given so that the children do not ask further questions.<br />
<br />
<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px><br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_8.png|In this exhibit the sign on the box covering up a couple in bed claims that naked wrestling is perfectly normal, but kids should never engage in it. "Naked wrestling" is a euphemism for sex. A parent may give this explanation if a child walks in on their parents having sex and they have to come up with an explanation on the spot, or they feel that the children are too young to know about sex.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_7.png|In this exhibit the sign over the stand claims your parents drink alcohol to prevent you from drinking it as alcohol is a poison. This is technically true, as alcohol is a toxin. A parent may give this explanation to a child who asks their parents why they drink alcohol if it is bad for you, and did not want to explain the pleasurable experience of alcohol because it might encourage children to drink.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_5.png|In this exhibit the banner claims that mommies have big tummies because storks like chubby girls. According to some childhood stories storks deliver babies. Also, there are men who prefer heavy women; these men are often called chubby chasers. A parent may give this explanation to a child who asks why, if a stork delivers babies, their mother is changing while she is pregnant, and the parent continues to try to avoid the topic of sex.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_6.png|In this exhibit the sign claims that grandma did not die, but is going back to Saturn. The choice of Saturn as grandma's destination is appropriate because the god Saturn was associated with aging, as in "Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age" from ''{{w|The Planets}}''. Some parents tell their children that their loved ones have gone away instead of telling them the truth, that their loved ones are dead. Going to Saturn "for revenge" is added for comic value. A parent may give this explanation to avoid causing their child pain.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
===Miscellaneous===<br />
<gallery class=center widths=432px heights=285px><br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_4.png|In this exhibit the marquee claims that {{w|dinosaur|dinosaurs}} are made of bones only. The fossil record includes the imprints of the other tissues of dinosaurs including skin, nails, teeth, and feathers. This story might be believed by children because the majority of all displays of dinosaurs in museums only include bones.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_2.png|The restrooms have 3 doors. Clicking reveals that there the two standard gendered restrooms found in the majority of public buildings, and another one for "Korgmen & Spangs" which does not correspond to any known human trait. This could be a reference to the Marvel alien species {{w|Korg_(comics)|the Korg}}.<br />
<br />
File:guest_comic_week_zach_weiner_smbc_1.png|In this exhibit the sign (which the children can not see) explains that the "{{w|Magic Eye}} poster" contains no hidden images. Magic Eye is a company that sells {{w|autostereogram}}s in books. Autostereograms contain a "hidden" three-dimensional image that can only be seen by converging one's eyes towards a point other than upon the poster itself. This takes time and many people find it difficult or impossible to do.<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
<br />
On Septembeer 12 2020, virtual YouTuber Kiara Takanashi debuted. She claimed to be the manager of a restaurant chain named KFP, where the P also stands for "phoenix". This is probably a coincidence.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:In the spirit of xkcd I present a proposal for a new Smithsonian museum:<br />
:The Smithsonian Museum Of Dad-Trolling<br />
:An entire building dedicated to deceiving children for amusement<br />
<br />
:(Click to view exhibits!)<br />
<br />
:The top left room is 'The Hall of Misunderstood Science'. It contains six exhibits.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A giant basilisk looms over children.<br />
:Exhibit label: BASILISKS: Real, deadly, under your bed.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: Four magnets hang from a square arch. A child is touching two of them together.<br />
:Text on the arch: Magnets only leap at each other when they're teenagers. Later, they lose interest.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A child on his dad's shoulders looks up at a looming statue of Jesus behind a lectern. There are flakes falling from Jesus onto them both.<br />
:Exhibit label: Snow is Jesus' dandruff. His scalp gets dry when it's cold.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A child lies asleep, while hands and a scary face reach up around the bed toward him.<br />
:Exhibit label: Sleep: Now you're vulnerable to the boogie man!<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: An ice block sits on a stand in front of pictures of a wolf and rhinoceros looking frightened.<br />
:Exhibit label: Freezing water: Expands to frighten predators.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: An insect on a stick is orbited by a small sphere.<br />
:Exhibit label: Anti-matter: Matter that is more than 50% ants.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A DNA strand with the letters T, A, C, and G hanging around it.<br />
:Exhibit label: DNA only has four letters because the alphabet was smaller back then.<br />
:Dad, to child: Told you so.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A bunch of molecules hang from the ceiling.<br />
:Exhibit label: Molecules? In my day, we only had atoms!<br />
<br />
:The top right room is 'Regrettable Pranks: An Interactive Experience'. There are four exhibits.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: Five balloons float tethered to a table. A child is holding a sixth balloon. The Dad looks alarmed.<br />
:Sign on exhibit: If this helium makes your voice go higher, it's because you're ten seconds from exploding.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: An alien face is shown above an outline of several hands next to a ruler. A child holds his hand up to it.<br />
:Sign on exhibit: Measure your middle finger. If it's longer than the others, you're an alien halfbreed.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: Three cups are on a table. A child is walking away with a fourth cup, the dad's arm around the child's shoulder.<br />
:Exhibit label: Has anyone seen my rabbit brain? It looks like a cherry, and I dropped it in a Jello cup.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A monstrous set of jaws open upward around a bed.<br />
:Sign on exhibit: Make your bed or monsters will know a kid lives there.<br />
<br />
:The center right room is 'Concessions'. There are three booths.<br />
<br />
:Booth: A concession stand is labeled 'KFP', and displays a KFC-style bucket. A dad and child are eating.<br />
:Dad: The "P" is for "phoenix".<br />
<br />
:Booth: A concession stand.<br />
:Sign on stand: Ground beef: Beef we found on the ground.<br />
:Dad, to child: Told you.<br />
<br />
:Booth: A stand shaped like a giant eye.<br />
:Booth label: EYES CREAM<br />
:Subtitle: How did you think it was spelled?<br />
:Sign on booth: Now with more of the goo in your eyes. Same as every other creamery.<br />
<br />
:The lower left room is 'Conservatory of Poorly Remembered History'. There are five exhibits.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A man is riding a dragon.<br />
:Exhibit label: Genghis Khan: victory through dragons.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A criminal in front of some windows.<br />
:Exhibit label: The Crimean War: The first war against crime.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A castle with flags hanging on it.<br />
:Exhibit label: The Renaissance<br />
:Subtitle: Long story short, the wizards were in control.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit:A man in Jedi-style robes with a fake beard.<br />
:Exhibit label: Star Wars is a documentary. No, seriously.<br />
:Dad, to children: Kids, this man is a veteran.<br />
<br />
:The lower right room is 'Rotunda of Uncomfortable Topics'. There are five exhibits.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A wrestling ring, with a man and woman mostly obscured by the exhibit label.<br />
:Exhibit label: Naked wrestling: perfectly normal. NEVER DO IT.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: a figure sits at a booth in front of a bowl of food. The dad is holding a bottle.<br />
:Exhibit label: Alcohol is poison. I drink to save you from it.<br />
:Dad: You're welcome.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A large bird.<br />
:Exhibit label: Mommies get big tummies before babies come because the stork likes chubby girls.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A rocket ship.<br />
:Sign on exhibit: Grandma's not dead. She just returned to Saturn. For REVENGE.<br />
<br />
:In the areas outside the rooms, there are two more exhibits and restrooms, all clickable.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A dinosaur skeleton.<br />
:Exhibit label: That's right. Dinosaurs were made entirely of BONES.<br />
:Dad, to kid: If you think about it, it makes sense.<br />
<br />
:Exhibit: A large image hangs on the wall. It is a dense squiggly jumble of lines.<br />
:Dad, to kids: You gotta squint juuust right.<br />
:Sign on exhibit: Magic eye trick that doesn't actually work.<br />
<br />
:Restrooms: There are three doors, each with a sign.<br />
:First door (male logo): Men & Boys<br />
:Second door (female logo): Women & Girls<br />
:Third door (unrecognizable logo): Korgmen & Spangs<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<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 Beret Guy]]<br />
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[[Category:Guest Week]]<br />
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[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]</div>172.70.90.222https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2710:_Hydropower_Breakthrough&diff=3012352710: Hydropower Breakthrough2022-12-13T10:01:27Z<p>172.70.90.222: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2710<br />
| date = December 12, 2022<br />
| title = Hydropower Breakthrough<br />
| image = hydropower_breakthrough_2x.png<br />
| imagesize = 261x303px<br />
| noexpand = true<br />
| titletext = A hydroelectric dam is also known as a heavy water reactor.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a PRACTICAL WATER REACTOR - Needs another citation for the anouncment since the one that was present required a subscription to a paper! Do NOT delete this tag until the year 2039, or until fusion reactors have succeeded.}}<br />
The comic parodies fusion reactors, with energy produced seemingly never positive. In the past years, constant developments in fusion reactors have slowly increased the energy output of fusion to more than the input. It is possible this is meant to directly parody the Department of Energy's anticipated announcement of Q>1 fusion. The announcement is scheduled for the day after this comics release, and the date of this announcement was announced the day this comic went up. {{citation needed}}<br />
<br />
A {{w|hydroelectric dam}} is a power facility that generates electricity from water flowing in a river passing through a water turbine and generator. In the comic, [[Beret Guy]], unscientific as always, presents a hydroelectric dam. However, instead of generating energy, it generates a flow of water. This is similar to the way that a fusion reactor takes energy (and hydrogen isotopes) as an input and energy (and helium isotopes) as outputs. While one member of the audience shouts "Hooray!", another member of audience, who is presumably familiar with regular physics, says "Wait.", presumably because they realise that, instead of the normal approach, Beret Guy has been pursuing the essentially useless goal of producing more water (or possibly because they're confused that, on the face of it, it appears to be violating {{w|conservation of mass}}, which would usually require that a dam should produce the same amount of water as that fed into it - that said, for a regular dam in a natural valley like the one shown in this comic, it is entirely normal for the dam to "produce" more water than input in the sense that in addition to water from upstream rivers, the dam will also output any "unofficial" inflow from direct rainfall above and from uncharted sources of groundwater below).<br />
<br />
The symbol Q is normally used to refer to {{w|fusion energy gain factor}}, the ratio of power generated by a fusion reactor to the energy used to maintain it -- an energy source isn't useful if it takes more power to run it than it produces. Q also can represent the volumetric flow rate of water through a hydroelectric dam, and in this case, a Q > 1 would have no great significance. Beret Guy has somehow mixed the two up, making the rate of flow as the output of the reaction and increasing it. <br />
<br />
The title text further confuses the issue as it introduces nuclear ''fission'' and equates the hydroelectric dam with a heavy water reactor, which is a special type of nuclear fission reactor that uses deuterium as a moderator to absorb neutrons. This is also a pun because one could simplistically say that a hydroelectric dam runs on "heavy water", or that it is a water reactor (producing electricity) that is heavy (bulky). The electricity comes from potential energy stored in the water, which is directly related to its mass (U = mgh). Alongside that, it possibly is making a pun on water and fusion reactors. Heavy water is the primary source of deuterium, a specific isotope of hydrogen required for the most energy-efficient fusion reactions needed today. On the other hand, water is the liquid that passes through dams, and is rarely used for fusion reactions today — although [https://what-if.xkcd.com/14/ it could be used as fusion fuel because it is made of hydrogen and oxygen.]<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Beret Guy is standing on a podium behind a lectern. He is gesturing with his hand, palm up, towards a poster hanging behind him. On it is a picture of a tall dam, with a lake behind, and water coming out at the foot of the dam in the valley on the other side. Two voices reacts to Beret Guy's statement from off-panel.]<br />
:Beret Guy: We are pleased to announce that our hydroelectric dam has achieved Q>1, producing more water than we fed into it!<br />
:Off-panel voice 1: Hooray!<br />
:Off-panel voice 2: Wait.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Strange powers of Beret Guy]]<br />
[[Category:Public speaking]]<br />
[[Category:Physics]]</div>172.70.90.222