https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=173.245.52.180&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T02:01:06ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1501:_Mysteries&diff=867371501: Mysteries2015-03-20T14:37:33Z<p>173.245.52.180: /* Explanation */</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1501<br />
| date = March 20, 2015<br />
| title = Mysteries<br />
| image = mysteries.png<br />
| titletext = At the bottom left: The mystery of why, when I know I needed to be asleep an hour ago, I decide it's a good time to read through every Wikipedia article in the categories 'Out-of-place artifacts', 'Earth mysteries', 'Anomalous weather', and 'List of people who disappeared mysteriously'.<br />
}}<br />
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==Explanation==<br />
<br />
The X axis in this graph is weirdness. We assume that the far left is 0% (not that weird) and the far right is 100% (weird as hell).<br />
<br />
The Y axis is explainability. We assume that the bottom is 100% (pretty clear) and the top is 0% (no explanation).<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable sortable"<br />
!Entry<br />
!Weirdness<br />
!Explainable<br />
!Further Details<br />
|-<br />
|Who Carly Simon is singing about in ''You're So Vain''<br />
|9%<br />
|4%<br />
|The lyrics of the song include "You're so vain, I bet you think this song is about you". This implies that the vain subject of the song is wrong in thinking that the song is about them, however they are the subject of the song. This sets up a paradox in which the song is and isn't about the vain person. {{w|You%27re_So_Vain#Subject_of_the_song|Wikipedia article describing possible interpretations of the songs subject}}<br />
|-<br />
|Lindbergh Baby<br />
|17%<br />
|25%<br />
|{{w|Lindbergh_kidnapping|Lindbergh baby kidnapping}}<br />
|-<br />
|UVB-76<br />
|40%<br />
|23%<br />
|{{w|UVB-76}} radio station<br />
|-<br />
|Toynbee Tiles<br />
|25%<br />
|34%<br />
|{{w|Toynbee tiles}} are colorful ceramic tiles with cryptic messages that have been found embedded in asphalt in the streets of various midwestern-to-eastern cities.<br />
|-<br />
|Jimmy Hoffa<br />
|10%<br />
|42%<br />
|{{w|Jimmy Hoffa}} was an American labor union leader who disappeared in 1975. He is widely believed to have been murdered.<br />
|-<br />
|The WOW Signal<br />
|55%<br />
|20%<br />
|The {{w|Wow! signal}} was a strong and clean radio transmission near 1420 MHz received by the Big Ear Radio Observatory at Ohio State University in 1977 that appears to have originated from interstellar space [http://www.universetoday.com/93754/35-years-later-the-wow-signal-still-tantalizes/]. This is the strongest evidence to date of extraterrestrial radio signals.<br />
|-<br />
|Mary Celeste<br />
|70%<br />
|43%<br />
|{{w|Mary_Celeste|The ''Mary Celeste''}} was a sailing ship found adrift, mysteriously abandoned yet otherwise undisturbed, in 1872. No explanation for these events has ever been determined. Its name has become a watchword for mysteriously abandoned ships.<br />
|-<br />
|DB Cooper<br />
|76%<br />
|20%<br />
|{{w|D. B. Cooper}} was an airplane hijacker who jumped from a plane and was never found. Previously referenced in [[1400: D.B. Cooper]].<br />
|-<br />
|Salish Sea Feet<br />
|96%<br />
|31%<br />
|{{w|Salish Sea human foot discoveries}}<br />
|-<br />
|Lead Masks Case<br />
|99%<br />
|12%<br />
|Two Brazilian electricians were found dead on a hill top. No injuries. {{w|Lead Masks Case|Both were wearing lead masks.}}<br />
|-<br />
|MH370<br />
|100%<br />
|0%<br />
|{{w|Malaysia Airlines Flight 370}}; disappeared on 8 March 2014 <br />
|-<br />
|Voynich Manuscript<br />
|35%<br />
|68%<br />
|The {{w|Voynich manuscript}} is an illustrated codex hand-written in an unknown writing system. See also [[593: Voynich Manuscript]].<br />
|-<br />
|Why I keep putting ice cream back in the fridge instead of the freezer<br />
|0%<br />
|96%<br />
|Randall apparently frequently puts his ice cream container into the refrigerator rather than into the freezer.<br />
|-<br />
|JFK<br />
|38%<br />
|86%<br />
|The {{w|Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassination of President John F. Kennedy}} has inspired many conspiracy theories, beginning almost immediately after the event. The subsequent murder of assassin Lee Harvey Oswald added fuel to the fire by encouraging speculation that he was silenced to cover up the true story.<br />
|-<br />
|Oak Island Money Pit<br />
|32%<br />
|98%<br />
|An indentation in the ground on {{w|Oak Island}} led to over 200 years of treasure hunting, with the excavations repeatedly hampered by flooding pit collapses. A few flagstones, and periodic layers of logs are all that have been found. Rumours are abound as to what it conceals: Marie Antoinnette's jewels, pirate treasure and Shakespeare's manuscripts have all been suggested. It is called The Money Pit, because of all the money that has been wasted in trying to solve the mystery.<br />
|-<br />
|Zodiac Letters<br />
|62%<br />
|62%<br />
|A set of letters written by the so-called {{w|Zodiac Killer}}, a serial killer who was active at Califorina in the 1960s and 1970s. The letters are availabe at [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer_letters Wikisource].<br />
|-<br />
|Amelia Earhart<br />
|56%<br />
|74%<br />
|Amelia Earhart tried to circle the earth at the equator in an aeroplane in 1937, but she, her navigator and the plane disappeared over the Pacific without any trace.<br />
|-<br />
|Lost Colony<br />
|74%<br />
|83%<br />
|The {{w|Roanoke Colony}} was the first English attempt to establish a permanent settlement in the New World. The colony of over a hundred settlers disappeared some time in the late 1580s, with no signs of violence and no clear clues as to what happened other than the word "Croatoan" carved into a fencepost.<br />
|-<br />
|Bigfoot<br />
|60%<br />
|98%<br />
|{{w|Bigfoot}} is a supposed animal or hominid that reputedly inhabits the Pacific Northwest region of North America.<br />
|-<br />
|Loch Ness Monster<br />
|64%<br />
|100%<br />
|The {{w|Loch Ness Monster}} is a supposed animal that reputedly inhabits Loch Ness lake in Scotland.<br />
|-<br />
|Kentucky Meat Shower<br />
|85%<br />
|93%<br />
|Chunks of meat fell from the sky in Kentucky in 1876; this was possibly projectile vomit from a vulture [http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/running-ponies/2014/12/01/the-great-kentucky-meat-shower-mystery-unwound-by-projectile-vulture-vomit/].<br />
|-<br />
|Dyatlov Pass Incident<br />
|93%<br />
|96%<br />
|On February 2, 1959, nine skiers in the northern Ural Mountains apparently fled their tents without taking time to put on winter clothing. They were found dead, some with physical injuries: {{w|Dyatlov Pass Incident}}<br />
|}<br />
<br />
The title text refers to Randall staying up late to read Wikipedia articles, which is apparently not very unusual for him and has an obvious explanation (following up on an idea that eventually led to today's cartoon).<br />
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==Transcript==<br />
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{{comic discussion}}</div>173.245.52.180https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:231:_Cat_Proximity&diff=80558Talk:231: Cat Proximity2014-12-10T19:34:56Z<p>173.245.52.180: </p>
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<div>Anyone else notice that the graph looks like the tail end of a fish? {{unsigned|‎Sunny Bat}}<br />
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I'm sure if you will be doing IQ test with cat, you will score lower. Especially if the cat would lie on the paper. So ... let's say that the reduction of IQ near cats is in normal circumstances temporary. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 08:54, 27 September 2013 (UTC)<br />
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^^ That would be your scored or graded intelligence quotient, not your actual IQ. If someone is giving you an electric shock while you're trying to walk during a walking test you may fail the test, but that doesn't mean you're bad at walking.<br />
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I vote we remove the "Incomplete" tag. Said tag is labeled "Come on...", but I honestly don't see how this could be expanded upon. [[Special:Contributions/169.233.101.195|169.233.101.195]] 07:32, 16 October 2013 (UTC)<br />
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;toxoplasmosis?<br />
<br />
recent studies have linked Toxoplasmosis to various mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, ADHD, OCD, and has been linked to suicidal behavior in humans. Studies have also shown that persons with latent Toxoplasma gondii infections have a higher rate of automotive accidents, though whether this is because of impaired motor function or if it's because of a heightened risk-reward center is uncertain. It seems to be a symbiotic organism for cats--it causes no symptoms in cats and is carried normally in their feces. however, rodents that become infected with T.gondii stop fearing the smell of cat urine, ultimately making it easier for the cat to catch and eat the rodent, improving the quality of life for both the cat and the protozoan. The thing is, literally, a mind control parasite. about a third of humans are infected with T.gondii (mostly from unwashed vegetables and undercooked meats rather than from contact with cat feces). I wonder to what extent this "cat proximity" observation may have to do with T.gondii having evolved to make humans like cats and want to comfort them and feed them.<br />
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[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.147|108.162.221.147]] 17:31, 16 September 2014 (UTC)</div>173.245.52.180https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1440:_Geese&diff=78052Talk:1440: Geese2014-10-30T02:02:02Z<p>173.245.52.180: </p>
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<div>The mere idea of geese spontaneously exploding mid-flight makes me giggle like a madman. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.26|108.162.216.26]] 12:03, 29 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
: 108.162.216.26, you're twisted. ... and now i can't stop thinking about it... and giggling. [[User:Iggynelix|Iggynelix]] ([[User talk:Iggynelix|talk]]) 16:27, 29 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
: Wasn't it a goose going supernova that caused the Tunguska event? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.146|199.27.128.146]] 16:40, 29 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
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Time Dilation? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.56.185|173.245.56.185]] 09:16, 29 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
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The explanation should point out that the comic is referring to the common misconception that there is a high chance that a visible star is already dead. The facts are explained but the context is missing. This misconception was also mentioned in a what-if, but I cant find it right now.<br />
The Milky Way is 120kly in diameter and most visible stars are much closer. With a lifetime of at least a couple millions of years the probability for a random star being dead is way below 1%. Given that there are 5000 stars visible to the naked eye (under best viewing conditions), this means that statistically there are maybe 5 stars in the entire night sky that are dead already. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.215|108.162.231.215]] 09:10, 29 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
: "With a lifetime of at least a couple millions of years" True only for the most massive stars. The average star in the Milky Way is around half a solar mass and will last around 50 billion years. So the probability of one of the 5000 stars visible to the naked eye having died in the last 1000 years is even smaller than "way below 1%". [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.146|199.27.128.146]] 16:45, 29 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
::: I first read the above as "... stars naked to the visible eye ...". --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 23:32, 29 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
:: Although you are overstating things a bit, because more massive stars are more likely to be naked eye visible. According to Wikipedia today, no M-class stars are naked eye visible at all. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.142|173.245.52.142]] 18:00, 29 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
::Almost all stars have a lifetime of at least a couple milions of years. However, some stars have lifetimes that extend on for billions of years after those few million. [[User:Mulan15262|Mulan15262]] ([[User talk:Mulan15262|talk]]) 23:08, 29 October 2014 (UTC) Mulan15262<br />
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I think this relates to a previous XKCD 1342: Ancient Stars (http://xkcd.com/1342/) where he makes the same joke of how stars may not necessarily be that far away. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.206|173.245.54.206]] 17:22, 29 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
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No! The moving V of the geese is reminiscent of a light cone! I think that's what triggered Megan's absurdist fantasy. And indeed, we're seeing the geese as they were in the past. By about a microsecond. If enough readers agree I think this belongs in the explanation. [[User:ExternalMonolog|ExternalMonolog]] ([[User talk:ExternalMonolog|talk]]) 20:49, 29 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
: The light cone thing is important I think. I read the whole discussion in the comic as a play on the concept of abosolute time vs relativity. And I found it hilarious with that interpretation. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.220|108.162.249.220]] 21:38, 29 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
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But Goose *is* dead. You fly jets long enough, something like this happens. [[User:DivePeak|DivePeak]] ([[User talk:DivePeak|talk]]) 21:07, 29 October 2014 (UTC)<br />
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There is an obscure linkage between wild geese and stars: http://www.connectingthreads.com/tutorials/Stars-Flying_Geese_Variable_Stars__D12.html</div>173.245.52.180https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=420:_Jealousy&diff=76103420: Jealousy2014-09-20T03:29:24Z<p>173.245.52.180: Too many negatives...</p>
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<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 420<br />
| date = May 7, 2008<br />
| title = Jealousy<br />
| image = jealousy.png<br />
| titletext = Oh, huh, so you didn't know that story?<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
In the first four stanzas of this soliloquy, [[Cueball]] reminisces fondly about his meeting of [[Megan]] at a party where they quickly had a romantic rapport and spent the night together. The next two stanzas are a lamentation that Megan is now married and can never have that same experience again.<br />
<br />
The final stanza reveals that this is not merely Cueball waxing poetic about a previous love, but that he is actually making a toast as the best man at Megan's wedding reception - certainly an occasion when it is wildly inappropriate to discuss the previous romantic involvements of the bride. In modern times it is not unexpected that the bride at a wedding will have had previous relationships with someone other than the groom, but a wedding is no time to mention them.<br />
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The title text implies that the groom had no prior knowledge of Cueball and Megan's dalliance, and therefore the toast is even more inappropriate - going beyond discussing the previous romantic history of the bride, to actually revealing previously unknown such history to the groom.<br />
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Presumably Cueball's having been selected to be best man indicates that he is a good friend of the groom (as the groom normally selects the best man). The title hints that Cueball is envious of the groom, since his previous encounter with Megan clearly did not result in a lasting relationship while the groom's clearly did. This suggests that he may be intentionally (perhaps drunkenly) making an inappropriate toast to embarrass the couple as a result of his bitterness.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Dark scene shown, with Cueball and Megan sitting in the moonlight let in by the only window.]<br />
:Megan and I first met at a party at her sister's.<br />
:We hit it off, opened up, shared secrets, and talked about everything. Around us, the party waned, but we hid from sleep together, talking through the deepest hours of the night.<br />
:The dawn found us curled up on a couch, asleep but still together.<br />
:That experience, connecting with a stranger and falling recklessly in love is one of life's greatest joys.<br />
:And now that you're married, you'll never experience it again.<br />
:It's the price you pay for everlasting love. It's a small one, but I hope it stings a little.<br />
:Anyway, I wish you and Megan the best.<br />
:...Hey, man, you <u>asked</u> me to do a toast.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Romance]]</div>173.245.52.180