https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Sztupy&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T20:28:25ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2626:_d65536&diff=2847272626: d655362022-05-31T09:28:34Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2626<br />
| date = May 30, 2022<br />
| title = d65536<br />
| image = d65536.png<br />
| titletext = They're robust against quantum attacks because it's hard to make a quantum system that large.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a HEXAKISMYRIAPENTAKISCHILIAPENTAHECTATRIACONTAKAIHEXAHEDRON - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
In binary computing, 16 bit numbers range from 0 to 65535 (or 1 to 65536). Generating large numbers randomly is a recurring problem in cryptography.<br />
<br />
In roleplaying games (and occasionally in other tabletop games), dice are often referred to as d[number] according to their number of faces. A traditional six-faced die would be a d6, and many popular pen-and-paper roleplaying games use dice ranging between d4 and d20. While there are larger dies used in tabletop games (most commonly d100), these are usually split into multiple smaller ones, for example a d100 is actualy two d10s, with one of them having numbers like 10, 20, 30, etc. to differentiate between the two, and the result is simply the sum of the faces of the two rolled dice. There are however "real" d100s and similar dice as well, but they are considerd specialty dice and often nicknamed "golf balls" to emphasize how unwieldy they are.<br />
<br />
Here, Cueball has constructed a d65536 for generating random 16 bit numbers, likely with a [https://www.shapeways.com/product/U9CN6MT6X/d256 3d printer] or other CAM tools. It has solved the problem of being secure from a cryptography standpoint, but presents a new set of challenges from its sheer size, dwarfing an average human. While large in itself, a die that big could still be emulated by rolling multiple dice (e.g. 8 4-faced dice or 16 coin flips) and converting the result into binary before getting the desired number. Part of the humor stems from the the comic completely failing to mention another big problem with this die: Deciding which of the 65536 faces is up. <br />
<br />
The closest regular shape similar to the depicted in the comic could be a {{w|Goldberg polyhedron}}. However no such polyhedron exists with exactly 65536 hexagonal faces. The closest Goldberg Polyhedron has a mixture of 65520 hexagons and 12 pentagons, totaling 65532 faces. It is possible to construct a fair die without a matching regular shape.{{citation needed}}<br />
<br />
The title text references how many cryptographic systems (especially RSA and other factoring-is-hard based systems) are vulnerable to quantum attacks as quantum computing technology develops. The title text is essentially punning on the idea of a "large" quantum system. "Large" in the quantum computing sense would be on the order of 64 qubits each of which would be an atom or two at most. This would still be microscopic and will never be as large as the giant die the comic is centered on; but for a well-observed environment and human rolling without sufficient entropy (consider somebody obsessed with a certain number dropping the die on something soft), a conventional computer could predict some rolls. See also [[538]] for non-mathematical paths of cryptography.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*If a real d65536 were constructed with each number having an equal area and each printed in 12 point font, the resulting die would be about 5 feet (1.5 meters) in diameter. If it were made out of standard acrylic, it would weigh about 2 tons (1700kg).<br />
*This die would have a 0.00001526 chance of rolling a natural one (or any other number).<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[Drawing of a large die with many sides, about ten meters in diameter; Cueball is standing next to it as a size reference. A small portion of the die's surface is zoomed in, showing elongated hexagonal faces with five-digit numbers.]<br />
<br />
[Numbers on the zoomed in part of the die, "..." represents being cut off:] <br />
:30827 <br />
:16[bottom part of a line][small circle] <br />
:...38 <br />
:11875 <br />
:25444 <br />
:...[top part of a line]5 <br />
:12082 <br />
:28525 <br />
:3... <br />
:13359 <br />
:13874 <br />
:2...<br />
<br />
[Caption below the image:]<br />
The hardest part of securely generating random 16-bit numbers is rolling the d65536.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Cryptography]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2617:_Maps&diff=2654262617: Maps2022-05-11T02:37:34Z<p>Sztupy: Add notes on improvements on Apple Maps</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2617<br />
| date = May 9, 2022<br />
| title = Maps<br />
| image = maps.png<br />
| titletext = OpenStreetMap was always pretty good but is also now *really* good? And Apple Maps's new zoomed-in design in certain cities like NYC and London is just gorgeous. It's cool how there are all these good maps now!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a DIGITAL CARTOGRAPHER- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{{w|Apple Maps}} was quite bad when first released, attracting lots of criticism from iPhone users who were accustomed to the superior<sup>&#91;{{w|Wikipedia:Citation_needed|opinion: how is it superior?}}&#93;</sup> {{w|Google Maps}}. In [https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-maps-gets-drivers-lost-in-australian-outback-police-warn/ one instance], it sent drivers 40 miles out of their way into the Australian desert with no water supply. Often, initial negative impressions about a product are retained for a long time, regardless of how it may have developed, particularly when there is an obviously superior competitor to adopt, and no compelling reason to revisit the alternatives. Hence Randall/Cueball is surprised to discover that Apple Maps is now pretty good. His surprise is exaggerated to the extent that it is comparable to finding that some fundamental constant of the universe has shifted, such as the speed of light or pi being changed to some other number.<br />
<br />
The title text mentions {{w|OpenStreetMap}}, an open-data crowd sourced geodatabase, which has also improved since Randall has last checked, potentially moving it from a "pretty good" score to a "really good" score. He also adds two examples on how the Apple Maps service has improved: zooming in on cities, like London or New York you can see features like trees and road markings, the latter usually not visible on other mapping services at all. He marvels at the number of "good" mapping options now!<br />
<br />
Google Maps itself, and especially its satellite coverage outside the US, was considered quite bad when it launched in 2006. The maps displayed back then led to mockery among "real" cartographers that the service couldn't really be considered a map, either: It was called "map-like", given that it was just a visualization running on an extensive geodatabase, and didn't have a fixed scale. However, Google's popular mapping approach revolutionized how maps were perceived all over the world <sup>&#91;{{w|Wikipedia:Citation_needed|''how?'' please explain how it differed from earlier online satellite mapping services, such as MapQuest}}&#93;</sup>, blurring the lines between traditional paper maps, GIS (geo-informational systems) and digitally rendered maps on screen. The process of "mapping" - as it is referenced here - has since moved significantly into the digital realm.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Megan and White Hat face Cueball, who is staring down at his open palms.]<br />
:Cueball: You look around one day and realize the things you assumed were immutable constants of the universe have changed.<br />
:Cueball: The foundations of our reality are shifting beneath our feet.<br />
:Cueball: We live in a house built on sand.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below panel]<br />
:The day I discovered that Apple Maps is kind of good now<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Maps]]<br />
[[Category:Philosophy]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2145:_Heists_And_Escapes&diff=1735352145: Heists And Escapes2019-05-03T19:48:48Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2145<br />
| date = May 3, 2019<br />
| title = Heists And Escapes<br />
| image = heists_and_escapes.png<br />
| titletext = The interactive experience is built on a single theological framework that unites Dante, George R. R. Martin, every major heist movie, and Erin Gloria Ryan's "Kevin is dead" Home Alone theory.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This comic is about various things where people attempt to get in or out. In heists people are trying to open a vault.<br />
<br />
The top 6 panels show a stylised version of the various options where people try to get in or out of rooms:<br />
<br />
* Escape Rooms: In an escape room people are locked in and have a certain amount of time to leave.<br />
* Heist Movies: In Heist Movies people are outside of the room they are trying to get in to (usually) steal what's inside.<br />
* Home Alone: This refers to a movie franchise, where the room the bad guys tried to enter was protected by someone from the inside.<br />
* The Battle of Winterfell: This refers to the 3rd episode of the 8th season of Game of Thrones. Here the dead tried to enter the keep (the middle room in the picture), but as the keep already contained a crypt, with the dead inside they could also try to leave that internal "room" as well.<br />
* Inception: This refers to the movie Inception where the protagonists could not only enter the dream of others but while in those dream could continue this again (entering the dream of someone inside the dream, etc.)<br />
* The Divine Comedy: This refers to Dante's work, especially it's first part Inferno, which depicts Hell as nine concentric circles<br />
<br />
At the end Munroe proposes a combination of all of these things, and also combining it with others:<br />
<br />
* Truman Show: this refers to a movie, where the protagonist - unknown by him - was living in a constructed reality show<br />
<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Seven different room scenarios are shown with characters trying to get inside or outside, each with a label.]<br />
<br />
:Escape rooms<br />
<br />
:Heist movies<br />
<br />
:''Home Alone'' (1990)<br />
<br />
:The Battle of Winterfell<br />
<br />
:''Inception'' (2010)<br />
<br />
:''The Divine Comedy'' (1320)<br />
<br />
:My plan for the greatest escape room of all time<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2145:_Heists_And_Escapes&diff=1735342145: Heists And Escapes2019-05-03T19:47:19Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2145<br />
| date = May 3, 2019<br />
| title = Heists And Escapes<br />
| image = heists_and_escapes.png<br />
| titletext = The interactive experience is built on a single theological framework that unites Dante, George R. R. Martin, every major heist movie, and Erin Gloria Ryan's "Kevin is dead" Home Alone theory.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This comic is about various things where people attempt to get in or out. In heists people are trying to open a vault.<br />
<br />
The top 6 panels show a stylised version of the various options where people try to get in or out of rooms:<br />
<br />
* Escape Rooms: In an escape room people are locked in and have a certain amount of time to leave.<br />
* Heist Movies: In Heist Movies people are outside of the room they are trying to get in to (usually) steal what's inside.<br />
* Home Alone: This refers to a movie franchise, where the room the bad guys tried to enter was protected by someone from the inside.<br />
* The Battle of Winterfell: This refers to the 3rd episode of the 8th season of Game of Thrones. Here the dead tried to enter the keep (the middle room in the picture), but as the keep already contained a crypt, with the dead inside they could also try to leave that internal "room" as well.<br />
* Inception: This refers to the movie Inception where the protagonists could not only enter the dream of others but while in those dream could continue this again (entering the dream of someone inside the dream, etc.)<br />
* The Divine Comedy: This refers to Dante's work, especially it's first part Inferno, which depicts Hell as nine concentric circles<br />
<br />
At the end Munroe proposes a combination of all of these things.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Seven different room scenarios are shown with characters trying to get inside or outside, each with a label.]<br />
<br />
:Escape rooms<br />
<br />
:Heist movies<br />
<br />
:''Home Alone'' (1990)<br />
<br />
:The Battle of Winterfell<br />
<br />
:''Inception'' (2010)<br />
<br />
:''The Divine Comedy'' (1320)<br />
<br />
:My plan for the greatest escape room of all time<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2145:_Heists_And_Escapes&diff=1735332145: Heists And Escapes2019-05-03T19:44:13Z<p>Sztupy: First draft of what's on the top pictures</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2145<br />
| date = May 3, 2019<br />
| title = Heists And Escapes<br />
| image = heists_and_escapes.png<br />
| titletext = The interactive experience is built on a single theological framework that unites Dante, George R. R. Martin, every major heist movie, and Erin Gloria Ryan's "Kevin is dead" Home Alone theory.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a BOT. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This comic is about various things where people attempt to get in or out. In heists people are trying to open a vault.<br />
<br />
The top 6 panels show a stylised version of the various options where people try to get in or out of rooms:<br />
<br />
* Escape Rooms: In an escape room people are locked in and have a certain amount of time to leave.<br />
* Heist Movies: In Heist Movies people are outside of the room they are trying to get in to (usually) steal what's inside.<br />
* Home Alone: This refers to a movie franchise, where the room the bad guys tried to enter was protected by someone from the inside.<br />
* The Battle of Winterfell: This refers to the 3rd episode of the 8th season of Game of Thrones. Here the dead tried to enter the keep (the middle room in the picture), but as the keep already contained a crypt, with the dead inside they could also try to leave that internal "room" as well.<br />
<br />
At the end Munroe proposes a combination of all of these things.<br />
<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[Seven different room scenarios are shown with characters trying to get inside or outside, each with a label.]<br />
<br />
:Escape rooms<br />
<br />
:Heist movies<br />
<br />
:''Home Alone'' (1990)<br />
<br />
:The Battle of Winterfell<br />
<br />
:''Inception'' (2010)<br />
<br />
:''The Divine Comedy'' (1320)<br />
<br />
:My plan for the greatest escape room of all time<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2135:_M87_Black_Hole_Size_Comparison&diff=1725422135: M87 Black Hole Size Comparison2019-04-11T08:50:23Z<p>Sztupy: Added link to the 2012 picture</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2135<br />
| date = April 10, 2019<br />
| title = M87 Black Hole Size Comparison<br />
| image = m87_black_hole_size_comparison.png<br />
| titletext = I think Voyager 1 would be just past the event horizon, but slightly less than halfway to the bright ring.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by a REALLY REALLY BIG BLACK HOLE. Explanation needs to be expanded. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
This comic shows the picture of the {{w|Messier_87#Supermassive black hole|M87 black hole}} by the {{w|Event Horizon Telescope}} that was published on the same day as this comic. Overlaid on the picture is a scale image of the Solar System, showing the Sun, Pluto (the most well-known {{w|dwarf planet}}), and {{w|Voyager 1}}, a deep-space probe and the farthest from Earth.<br />
<br />
The point of the comic is to celebrate the release of this image by the Event Horizon Telescope, referenced [[2133|two comics prior]], as well as to indicate the hugeness of M87 and the awe-inspiring thing that space is. This image has been widely publicized as being the first image ever of a black hole. Science had no visual evidence of black holes at all [https://www.space.com/16411-black-hole-photo-nasa-telescope.html until 2012].<br />
<br />
In the title text Randall hypothesizes that if the Sun were at the center of M87, Voyager would be outside the event horizon. This seems to fit with the EHT staff's estimates as published [https://eventhorizontelescope.org/ on their website], that the event horizon is 2.5 times smaller than the black shadow shown in the picture.<br />
<br />
Regardless of the title text and its apparent correctness, [[Randall]] has placed the dot denoting Voyager 1 just outside the dark region. This may be based on the misconception of the dark area being the "black hole" itself, while, as stated above, the actual event horizon is a much smaller part (120 AU or so) in the middle of the black shadow, indistinguishable from the surrounding darkness. Whether this is intended as an obscure joke or if it's an actual art error is currently unknown.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:Size comparison:<br />
:'''The M87 Black Hole'''<br />
:and<br />
:'''Our Solar System'''<br />
<br />
:EHT Black Hole Image<br />
:Source: NSF<br />
<br />
:[An image of the M87 black hole captured by the event horizon telescope on the day that this comic was published is shown. A white ring about 1/4 of the diameter of the central black portion of the image is labelled with an arrow as 'Pluto'. A small white circle at the centre of the image is labelled with an arrow as 'Sun'. A small white dot on the right hand edge of the central black portion of the image is labelled with an arrow as 'Voyager 1'.]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2121:_Light_Pollution&diff=1707792121: Light Pollution2019-03-08T16:41:26Z<p>Sztupy: Initial description on what's on</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2121<br />
| date = March 8, 2019<br />
| title = Light Pollution<br />
| image = light_pollution.png<br />
| titletext = It's so sad how almost no one alive today can remember seeing the galactic rainbow, the insanity nebula, or the skull and glowing eyes of the Destroyer of Sagittarius.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by the DESTROYER OF SAGITTARIUS. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic shows how light pollution in cities affect what you can see from the night sky. The first three panels are real-life examples of what you could see from the sky inside a large city, in the suburbs and far away from night pollution.<br />
<br />
The last panel contrasts these for comedic effect with fake things in the sky that are not actually present in the night sky. The title text further adds on to this by describing non-existent features.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Light Pollution and the Disappearing Night Sky<br />
<br />
[Four panels showing roughly the same area of the night sky]<br />
<br />
[Only a few bright starts visible on a fairly light gray-brownish background]<br />
<br />
High Light Pollution<br />
(Cities)<br />
<br />
[More stars and a faint image of the Milky Way on a dark-gray background]<br />
<br />
Moderate Light Pollution<br />
(Suburbs)<br />
<br />
[A lot of stars and partly coloured, clear image of the Milky Way on a dark background]<br />
<br />
Low Light Pollution<br />
(Very remote areas)<br />
<br />
[Same image as above but with a faint lattice of triangles overimposed on it and three ghastly silhouettes of sailships]<br />
<br />
No Light Pollution<br />
(How the sky should look)<br />
<br />
Lattice of the crystal spheres<br />
<br />
Ships of the Sky King<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2111:_Opportunity_Rover&diff=1695652111: Opportunity Rover2019-02-13T21:50:59Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2111<br />
| date = February 13, 2019<br />
| title = Opportunity Rover<br />
| image = opportunity_rover.png<br />
| titletext = Thanks for bringing us along.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete| Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic is a paean to the {{w|Opportunity (rover)|Opportunity rover}}, and its nearly 15 year mission in which it sent back publicly available photos and research from Mars to Earth. The evening prior to this comic uploading (Feb 12, 2019), Nasa's JPL sent their [https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/02/opportunity-did-not-answer-nasas-final-call-and-its-now-gone-to-us/ final data request] to the rover, in hopes that it would respond. When it did not, the rover was declared to be officially lost.<br />
<br />
The comic starts with a straw-person argument, as White Hat is lamenting that "Kids these days..." look at the world through their camera phones (and thus don't experience it directly). To this Randall appears to counter that sharing and showing to others is an exciting part of the joy. The comic ends by thanking Rover (and NASA) for allowing the general public to receive the pictures and data and shows some "followers" listening to the words from Rover as it described (and shared) the incredible experiences it had on Mars in its 15 Earth-year lifetime. Note, perhaps the reference to "dust devil" suggests these may have been the last such descriptions as that may refer to the deadly global dust storm that likely killed the Rover and ended the mission.<br />
<br />
The Opportunity rover also appeared in [[1504: Opportunity]], while it's twin rover Spirit also had a dedicated comic in [[695: Spirit]]<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[White Hat is watching while two people in the background hold their phones to use their cameras.]<br />
:Some people complain that we see the world through our cameras.<br />
:White Hat: Kids these days...<br />
<br />
:[Cueball points to the left with his hand while shouting.]<br />
:But for me, the really exciting part of finding something new<br />
:Cueball: ''Wow, you gotta come see this!''<br />
:has always been showing it to others.<br />
<br />
:[A space probe is approaching a planet.]<br />
:Exploring an entire new world<br />
:would already be the adventure of a lifetime.<br />
:Imagine having the chance to share every new sight<br />
<br />
:[A queue of seven people is seen following a rover.]<br />
:with seven billion friends.<br />
:Rover: ...and here's a trench I dug with my wheel, and here's where a dust devil went ''right'' past me, and over there is the biggest cliff I've ever seen, and this is...<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Mars rovers]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2111:_Opportunity_Rover&diff=1695642111: Opportunity Rover2019-02-13T21:50:41Z<p>Sztupy: Added related comics</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2111<br />
| date = February 13, 2019<br />
| title = Opportunity Rover<br />
| image = opportunity_rover.png<br />
| titletext = Thanks for bringing us along.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete| Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
This comic is a paean to the {{w|Opportunity (rover)|Opportunity rover}}, and its nearly 15 year mission in which it sent back publicly available photos and research from Mars to Earth. The evening prior to this comic uploading (Feb 12, 2019), Nasa's JPL sent their [https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/02/opportunity-did-not-answer-nasas-final-call-and-its-now-gone-to-us/ final data request] to the rover, in hopes that it would respond. When it did not, the rover was declared to be officially lost.<br />
<br />
The comic starts with a straw-person argument, as White Hat is lamenting that "Kids these days..." look at the world through their camera phones (and thus don't experience it directly). To this Randall appears to counter that sharing and showing to others is an exciting part of the joy. The comic ends by thanking Rover (and NASA) for allowing the general public to receive the pictures and data and shows some "followers" listening to the words from Rover as it described (and shared) the incredible experiences it had on Mars in its 15 Earth-year lifetime. Note, perhaps the reference to "dust devil" suggests these may have been the last such descriptions as that may refer to the deadly global dust storm that likely killed the Rover and ended the mission.<br />
<br />
The Opportunity rover also appeared in [1504: Opportunity], while it's twin rover Spirit also had a dedicated comic in [695: Spirit]<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
:[White Hat is watching while two people in the background hold their phones to use their cameras.]<br />
:Some people complain that we see the world through our cameras.<br />
:White Hat: Kids these days...<br />
<br />
:[Cueball points to the left with his hand while shouting.]<br />
:But for me, the really exciting part of finding something new<br />
:Cueball: ''Wow, you gotta come see this!''<br />
:has always been showing it to others.<br />
<br />
:[A space probe is approaching a planet.]<br />
:Exploring an entire new world<br />
:would already be the adventure of a lifetime.<br />
:Imagine having the chance to share every new sight<br />
<br />
:[A queue of seven people is seen following a rover.]<br />
:with seven billion friends.<br />
:Rover: ...and here's a trench I dug with my wheel, and here's where a dust devil went ''right'' past me, and over there is the biggest cliff I've ever seen, and this is...<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Mars rovers]]<br />
[[Category:Space]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2091:_Million,_Billion,_Trillion&diff=1674752091: Million, Billion, Trillion2018-12-28T11:22:14Z<p>Sztupy: Example translations</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2091<br />
| date = December 28, 2018<br />
| title = Million, Billion, Trillion<br />
| image = million_billion_trillion.png<br />
| titletext = You can tell most people don’t really assign an absolute meaning to these numbers because in some places and time periods, “billion” has meant 1,000x what it's meant in others, and a lot of us never even noticed.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This needs about a thousand years of rewriting, and I assume we'll want to do a chart of X and Y positions as with most chart comics. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
Much like [[558: 1000 Times|comic 558]], this comic addresses the difficulty ordinary people have with large numbers. Though most if not all people intuitively understand the difference between one object and two objects, or one object and ten objects, or even one object and a hundred objects, as numbers increase most people's ability to innately conceive of the numbers being discussed decreases remarkably quickly. When numbers reach the millions and the billions, and especially the trillions, most people don't truly process the numbers at all, and instead conceive of them as some version of a drastically-oversimplified concept such as "very big." Where comparing one to ten is simple, comparing "very big" to a different "very big" can prove extremely challenging, and will certainly require non-intuitive, conscious thinking.<br />
<br />
The comic represents this challenge by providing a graph which represents [[Randall]]'s ''intuitive'' conception of the values of various very large numbers, and said conception's misalignment with reality. Though some trends reflect the real value of the numbers on the graph, i.e. 100 million larger than 10 million larger than 1 million and 1 billion larger than 1 million, the curve is far from the linear (exponential on the log-scaled axes) path it should take, with 1 billion being intuitively understood as less than 100 million, based, presumably, on the fact, easily comprehended on an intuitive level, that '''100 is larger than 1''', and therefore the presence of 100 in 100 million places it at a higher value than the 1 in 1 billion would place the latter. In reality, of course, 1 billion is ten times larger than 100 million, but the comic deals not with actual reality, but with the perception of reality of these numbers '''before conscious thought is applied'''. <br />
<br />
The most interesting parts of the graph, and the parts where the disconnect between intuition and reality becomes clearest, are the dashed sections labeled with question marks, the one between 100 million and 1 billion, the other between 100 billion and 1 trillion. Here two competing intuitive understandings compete for dominance. On the one hand, the intuitive understanding described above, with 100 trumping 1, would see the curve taking a sharp downturn. On the other hand, the path from 100 million to 1 billion is paved with such numbers as 500 million, 700 million, and 900 million, all of which would theoretically be seen intuitively as larger than 100 million, thanks to the fact that 9 is greater than 7, and 7 greater than 5, and so on, bending the curve up rather than down. These two conflicting intuitions leave Randall with no single intuitive path for the two dashed sections, leading to their dashed and questioned state.<br />
<br />
The comic's caption and title highlight another problem surrounding the intuitive grasping of large numbers: the flaws in the English words used for them. For instance, nothing about the world "million" suggests smallness relative to the world "billion" on an intuitive scale. This unintuitive language contributes greatly to the "100 trumps 1" intuitive fallacy described above. <br />
<br />
The title text references a classic, and highly relevant, example of a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales disconnect between British and American English]. For all English speakers, 1 million constitutes 1,000 thousands, or, said less ambiguously, 10^6. However, the definition of billion varies depending which side of the Atlantic Ocean you happen to land on. In America, 1 billion equals 1,000 millions, or 1000*10^6=10^9. [https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/explore/how-many-is-a-billion/ In Britain], 1 billion equals ''1 million'' millions, or 10^6*10^6=10^'''12''', with the base unit changing when you have a unit's worth multiple of the unit (for those immediately asking "what did they call a thousand million, then?", the answer is "well, naturally, a thousand million", though there is also the archiac ''"milliard"''). In other words, 1 billion objects in England would register as 1,000 billion objects to an American, despite the fact that the number of objects has remained the same. Though people in Britain often use the American definition as of the past few decades, the fact that such a staggering difference of terminology was able to remain, and be almost completely unknown, perfectly highlights Randall's point about the failure of human intuition, and English terminology, in the discussion of extremely large numbers.<br />
<br />
Also in some European languages (like French or German) the word milliard (meaning 1,000 million) still exists in some way (e.g. milliard in French, Milliarde in German, milliárd in Hungarian, etc.) and is used normally, and is different from the word billion which is a 1,000 milliard (or 1,000,000 million). These languages unlike English never used the short scale, so a billion never meant 1,000 million in them. This difference to the US numbering scheme often causes confusion when translating articles with large numbers in them, as translators sometimes forget to change the scheme from short to long, and wrongfully translate billion to billion instead to milliard which will make the number actually 1,000 times larger in the translation.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2091:_Million,_Billion,_Trillion&diff=1674742091: Million, Billion, Trillion2018-12-28T11:18:23Z<p>Sztupy: Added note of confusion caused in translations</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2091<br />
| date = December 28, 2018<br />
| title = Million, Billion, Trillion<br />
| image = million_billion_trillion.png<br />
| titletext = You can tell most people don’t really assign an absolute meaning to these numbers because in some places and time periods, “billion” has meant 1,000x what it's meant in others, and a lot of us never even noticed.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|This needs about a thousand years of rewriting, and I assume we'll want to do a chart of X and Y positions as with most chart comics. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
Much like [[558: 1000 Times|comic 558]], this comic addresses the difficulty ordinary people have with large numbers. Though most if not all people intuitively understand the difference between one object and two objects, or one object and ten objects, or even one object and a hundred objects, as numbers increase most people's ability to innately conceive of the numbers being discussed decreases remarkably quickly. When numbers reach the millions and the billions, and especially the trillions, most people don't truly process the numbers at all, and instead conceive of them as some version of a drastically-oversimplified concept such as "very big." Where comparing one to ten is simple, comparing "very big" to a different "very big" can prove extremely challenging, and will certainly require non-intuitive, conscious thinking.<br />
<br />
The comic represents this challenge by providing a graph which represents [[Randall]]'s ''intuitive'' conception of the values of various very large numbers, and said conception's misalignment with reality. Though some trends reflect the real value of the numbers on the graph, i.e. 100 million larger than 10 million larger than 1 million and 1 billion larger than 1 million, the curve is far from the linear (exponential on the log-scaled axes) path it should take, with 1 billion being intuitively understood as less than 100 million, based, presumably, on the fact, easily comprehended on an intuitive level, that '''100 is larger than 1''', and therefore the presence of 100 in 100 million places it at a higher value than the 1 in 1 billion would place the latter. In reality, of course, 1 billion is ten times larger than 100 million, but the comic deals not with actual reality, but with the perception of reality of these numbers '''before conscious thought is applied'''. <br />
<br />
The most interesting parts of the graph, and the parts where the disconnect between intuition and reality becomes clearest, are the dashed sections labeled with question marks, the one between 100 million and 1 billion, the other between 100 billion and 1 trillion. Here two competing intuitive understandings compete for dominance. On the one hand, the intuitive understanding described above, with 100 trumping 1, would see the curve taking a sharp downturn. On the other hand, the path from 100 million to 1 billion is paved with such numbers as 500 million, 700 million, and 900 million, all of which would theoretically be seen intuitively as larger than 100 million, thanks to the fact that 9 is greater than 7, and 7 greater than 5, and so on, bending the curve up rather than down. These two conflicting intuitions leave Randall with no single intuitive path for the two dashed sections, leading to their dashed and questioned state.<br />
<br />
The comic's caption and title highlight another problem surrounding the intuitive grasping of large numbers: the flaws in the English words used for them. For instance, nothing about the world "million" suggests smallness relative to the world "billion" on an intuitive scale. This unintuitive language contributes greatly to the "100 trumps 1" intuitive fallacy described above. <br />
<br />
The title text references a classic, and highly relevant, example of a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales disconnect between British and American English]. For all English speakers, 1 million constitutes 1,000 thousands, or, said less ambiguously, 10^6. However, the definition of billion varies depending which side of the Atlantic Ocean you happen to land on. In America, 1 billion equals 1,000 millions, or 1000*10^6=10^9. [https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/explore/how-many-is-a-billion/ In Britain], 1 billion equals ''1 million'' millions, or 10^6*10^6=10^'''12''', with the base unit changing when you have a unit's worth multiple of the unit (for those immediately asking "what did they call a thousand million, then?", the answer is "well, naturally, a thousand million", though there is also the archiac ''"milliard"''). In other words, 1 billion objects in England would register as 1,000 billion objects to an American, despite the fact that the number of objects has remained the same. Though people in Britain often use the American definition as of the past few decades, the fact that such a staggering difference of terminology was able to remain, and be almost completely unknown, perfectly highlights Randall's point about the failure of human intuition, and English terminology, in the discussion of extremely large numbers.<br />
<br />
Also in some European languages (like French or German) the word milliard (meaning 1,000 million) still exists and is used normally, and is different from the word billion which is a 1,000 milliard (or 1,000,000 million). These languages unlike English never used the short scale, so a billion never meant 1,000 million in them. This difference to the US numbering scheme often causes confusion when translating articles with large numbers in them, as translators sometimes forget to change the scheme from short to long, and wrongfully translate billion to billion instead to milliard which will make the number actually 1,000 times larger in the translation.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2082:_Mercator_Projection&diff=1667482082: Mercator Projection2018-12-07T18:42:06Z<p>Sztupy: More notes on Canada and the projection</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2082<br />
| date = December 7, 2018<br />
| title = Mercator Projection<br />
| image = mercator_projection.png<br />
| titletext = The other great lakes are just water on the far side of Canada Island. If you drive north from the Pacific northwest you actually cross directly into Alaska, although a few officials--confused by the Mercator distortion--have put up border signs.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by someone who's not really into maps. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
The {{w|Mercator projection}} is a map projection of the Earth presented by Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator in 1569. It was the standard map projection for some time, though it is currently less used because of its distortion issues, especially that it shows countries in the higher latitudes much larger than they actually are. For example on the Mercator Projection Greenland (the largest island in the world) is shown to be much larger than Australia (the smallest continent), although the latter in reality is around 3 times as big.<br />
<br />
Cueball uses White Hat's mistrust of the Mercator projection to convince him of ridiculous facts about Canada, namely that it is simply a small island in {{w|Lake Ontario}}. The title text continues on these falsehoods, claiming that the {{w|Great Lakes}} are simply "water on the far side of Canada Island", and that it is possible to drive directly into Alaska from the Pacific Northwest region of the US (it's not, Canada is in the way). Cueball can possibly make these statements as Canada is a country in the northern regions, where the Mercator Projection would show it larger than it actually is. However Canada is actually in fact quite large, being the second largest country in the world, behind Russia and ahead of the USA.<br />
<br />
The Mercator Projection was previously mentioned in [[977: Map Projections]]. Randall's comment on it is "You're not really into maps.". It is also the second comic in a row that relates somehow to latitudes.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and White Hat standing and talking.]<br />
:Cueball: Did you know Canada is actually a smallish island in Lake Ontario?<br />
:White Hat: What?<br />
:Cueball: Yeah, it only appears to have a land border with the U.S. due to the Mercator Projection.<br />
:White Hat: Wow! I had no idea.<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:At this point people feel so misled by the Mercator Projection that you can use it to convince them of basically any map fact.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Maps]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2081:_Middle_Latitudes&diff=1666892081: Middle Latitudes2018-12-05T17:06:57Z<p>Sztupy: Reorg some paragraphs</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2081<br />
| date = December 5, 2018<br />
| title = Middle Latitudes<br />
| image = middle_latitudes.png<br />
| titletext = Snowy blizzards are fun, but so are warm sunny beaches, so we split the difference by having lots of icy wet slush!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by WINTER WHILE GETTING A SUNTAN. Need much more details on why it's bleak in the Winter in the middle. Also explain the title text Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Middle latitudes are latitudes between the Arctic or Antarctic Circle (66 degrees North/South of the equator, respectively) and the Tropic of Cancer/Capricorn (23 degrees North/South of the Equator), two important latitudes on the globe that delineates some features of how the Sun rises and sets during the day.<br />
<br />
In the Northern hemisphere North of the Arctic Circle there is at least one day in the year when the sun doesn't set (in Summer) or doesn't rise (in Winter), below that latitude the sun will rise and set every day - even for a short time. Also in the North Hemisphere at any latitudes South of the Tropic of Cancer there is one day of the year where the sun will shine directly from above, while North of these latitudes there will be no such days, as the sun will always shine from an angle. The length of the day South of the Tropic of Cancer will also be close to 12 hours a day regardless of whether it is Summer or Winter. The length of the day in the middle latitudes will vary however, in the Winter time days are shorter, while in the Summer time days are longer. These are more visible the more one goes North, as close to the Arctic the sun will only rise for a few hours in the Winter, and similarly will only set for a few hours in the Summer.<br />
<br />
In the Southern hemisphere the situation is similar - any latitude South of the Antarctic Circle will have a day where there's no sun, and North of the Tropic of Capricorn there will be a time when the sun shines from directly above, and the length of the days are close to 12 hours the whole year. Between the two none of these will happen at any time of the year. Also days will be longer or shorter dependent on the season with Summer having shorter days and Winter having longer (the opposite of how it is in the Northern hemisphere)<br />
<br />
The comic refers to these facts that inside the middle latitudes there are simply no interesting features at any time of the year, however in Winter (in the Northern Latitudes) the sun will set earlier, and generally because of the lower temperatures and shorter days it has a bleak feeling.<br />
<br />
The comic also plays on the idiom "split the difference" by applying it to the length of day vs. night. To split the difference is to agree (or settle) on an amount of something, such as money, that is halfway between two others. This can sometimes be characterized as a compromise where nobody gets what they want.<br />
<br />
Cueball starts by wishing to experience two extremes: normal sunrise and sunset, vs. weeks of 24-hour darkness. Satisfying one or the other condition requires locating either to the Equator or to one of the poles. Megan proposes a "split the difference" compromise, which turns out to involve dim, bleak winters. Satisfying the compromise would mean locating in the "middle latitudes". Thus the bottom caption, "middle latitudes are the worst."<br />
<br />
The title text extends the idea. Splitting the difference between "fun" snowy blizzards and "fun" warm sunny beaches would mean having neither, but instead icy wet slush.<br />
<br />
There are other comics that refer to the length of the day, and how it is different each day, a recent one for example is [[2050: 6/6 Time]]<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<br />
:Cueball: It would be nice if the sun could rise and set at normal times. But it would also be cool to experience 24-hour darkness for weeks on end.<br />
:Megan: Well, what if we split the difference, so all winter everything was normal but slightly more dim and bleak?<br />
:Cueball: Perfect!<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:Middle latitudes are the worst<br />
:<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Time]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2081:_Middle_Latitudes&diff=1666832081: Middle Latitudes2018-12-05T16:31:07Z<p>Sztupy: Add categories</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2081<br />
| date = December 5, 2018<br />
| title = Middle Latitudes<br />
| image = middle_latitudes.png<br />
| titletext = Snowy blizzards are fun, but so are warm sunny beaches, so we split the difference by having lots of icy wet slush!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by WINTER. Need much more details on why it's bleak in the Winter in the middle. Also explain the title text Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Middle latitudes are latitudes between the Arctic Circle (66 degrees North/South of the equator) and the Tropic of Cancer/Capricorn (23 degrees North/South of the Equator), two important latitudes on the globe that delineates some features of how the Sun rises and sets during the day.<br />
<br />
In the Northern hemisphere North of the Arctic Circle there is at least one day in the year when the sun doesn't set (in Summer) or doesn't rise (in Winter), below that latitude the sun will rise and set every day - even for a short time. Also in the North Hemisphere at any latitudes South of the Tropic of Cancer there is one day of the year where the sun will shine directly from above, while North of these latitudes there will be no such days, as the sun will always shine from an angle. The length of the day South of the Tropic of Cancer will also be close to 12 hours a day regardless of whether it is Summer or Winter. The length of the day in the middle latitudes will vary however, in the Winter time days are shorter, while in the Summer time days are longer. These are more visible the more one goes North, as close to the Artics the sun will only rise for a few hours in the Winter, and similarly will only set for a few hours in the Summer.<br />
<br />
In the Southern hemisphere the situation is similar - any latitude South of the Artic Circle will have a day where there's no sun, and North of the Tropic of Cancer there will be a time when the sun shines from directly above, and the length of the days are close to 12 hours the whole year. Between the two none of these will happen at any time of the year. Also days will be longer or shorter dependent on the season with Summer having shorter days and Winter having longer (the opposite of how it is in the Northern hemisphere)<br />
<br />
The comic refers to these facts that inside the middle latitudes there are simply no interesting features at any time of the year, however in Winter (in the Northern Latitudes) the sun will set earlier, and generally because of the lower temperatures and shorter days it has a bleak feeling.<br />
<br />
There are other comics that refer to the length of the day, and how it is different each day, for example [[2050: 6/6 Time]]<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<br />
:Cueball: It would be nice if the sun could rise and set at normal times. But it would also be cool to experience 24-hour darkness for weeks on end.<br />
:Megan: Well, what if we split the difference, so all winter everything was normal but slightly more dim and bleak?<br />
:Cueball: Perfect!<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:Middle latitudes are the worst<br />
:<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]<br />
[[Category:Time]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2081:_Middle_Latitudes&diff=1666822081: Middle Latitudes2018-12-05T16:29:51Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2081<br />
| date = December 5, 2018<br />
| title = Middle Latitudes<br />
| image = middle_latitudes.png<br />
| titletext = Snowy blizzards are fun, but so are warm sunny beaches, so we split the difference by having lots of icy wet slush!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by WINTER. Need much more details on why it's bleak in the Winter in the middle. Also explain the title text Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Middle latitudes are latitudes between the Arctic Circle (66 degrees North/South of the equator) and the Tropic of Cancer/Capricorn (23 degrees North/South of the Equator), two important latitudes on the globe that delineates some features of how the Sun rises and sets during the day.<br />
<br />
In the Northern hemisphere North of the Arctic Circle there is at least one day in the year when the sun doesn't set (in Summer) or doesn't rise (in Winter), below that latitude the sun will rise and set every day - even for a short time. Also in the North Hemisphere at any latitudes South of the Tropic of Cancer there is one day of the year where the sun will shine directly from above, while North of these latitudes there will be no such days, as the sun will always shine from an angle. The length of the day South of the Tropic of Cancer will also be close to 12 hours a day regardless of whether it is Summer or Winter. The length of the day in the middle latitudes will vary however, in the Winter time days are shorter, while in the Summer time days are longer. These are more visible the more one goes North, as close to the Artics the sun will only rise for a few hours in the Winter, and similarly will only set for a few hours in the Summer.<br />
<br />
In the Southern hemisphere the situation is similar - any latitude South of the Artic Circle will have a day where there's no sun, and North of the Tropic of Cancer there will be a time when the sun shines from directly above, and the length of the days are close to 12 hours the whole year. Between the two none of these will happen at any time of the year. Also days will be longer or shorter dependent on the season with Summer having shorter days and Winter having longer (the opposite of how it is in the Northern hemisphere)<br />
<br />
The comic refers to these facts that inside the middle latitudes there are simply no interesting features at any time of the year, however in Winter (in the Northern Latitudes) the sun will set earlier, and generally because of the lower temperatures and shorter days it has a bleak feeling.<br />
<br />
There are other comics that refer to the length of the day, and how it is different each day, for example [[2050: 6/6 Time]]<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<br />
:Cueball: It would be nice if the sun could rise and set at normal times. But it would also be cool to experience 24-hour darkness for weeks on end.<br />
:Megan: Well, what if we split the difference, so all winter everything was normal but slightly more dim and bleak?<br />
:Cueball: Perfect!<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:Middle latitudes are the worst<br />
:<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2081:_Middle_Latitudes&diff=1666812081: Middle Latitudes2018-12-05T16:29:30Z<p>Sztupy: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2081<br />
| date = December 5, 2018<br />
| title = Middle Latitudes<br />
| image = middle_latitudes.png<br />
| titletext = Snowy blizzards are fun, but so are warm sunny beaches, so we split the difference by having lots of icy wet slush!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by WINTER. Need much more details on why it's bleak in the Winter in the middle. Also explain the title text Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Middle latitudes are latitudes between the Arctic Circle (66 degrees North/South of the equator) and the Tropic of Cancer/Capricorn (23 degrees North/South of the Equator), two important latitudes on the globe that delineates some features of how the Sun rises and sets during the day.<br />
<br />
In the Northern hemisphere North of the Arctic Circle there is at least one day in the year when the sun doesn't set (in Summer) or doesn't rise (in Winter), below that latitude the sun will rise and set every day - even for a short time. Also in the North Hemisphere at any latitudes South of the Tropic of Cancer there is one day of the year where the sun will shine directly from above, while North of these latitudes there will be no such days, as the sun will always shine from an angle. The length of the day South of the Tropic of Cancer will also be close to 12 hours a day regardless of whether it is Summer or Winter. The length of the day in the middle latitudes will vary however, in the Winter time days are shorter, while in the Summer time days are longer. These are more visible the more one goes North, as close to the Artics the sun will only rise for a few hours in the Winter, and similarly will only set for a few hours in the Summer.<br />
<br />
In the Southern hemisphere the situation is similar - any latitude South of the Artic Circle will have a day where there's no sun, and North of the Tropic of Cancer there will be a time when the sun shines from directly above, and the length of the days are close to 12 hours the whole year. Between the two none of these will happen at any time of the year. Also days will be longer or shorter dependent on the season with Summer having shorter days and Winter having longer (the opposite of how it is in the Northern hemisphere)<br />
<br />
The comic refers to these facts that inside the middle latitudes there are simply no interesting features at any time of the year, however in Winter (in the Northern Latitudes) the sun will set earlier, and generally because of the lower temperatures and shorter days it has a bleak feeling.<br />
<br />
There are other comics that refer to the length of the day, and how it is different each day, for example [2050: 6/6 Time]<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<br />
:Cueball: It would be nice if the sun could rise and set at normal times. But it would also be cool to experience 24-hour darkness for weeks on end.<br />
:Megan: Well, what if we split the difference, so all winter everything was normal but slightly more dim and bleak?<br />
:Cueball: Perfect!<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:Middle latitudes are the worst<br />
:<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2081:_Middle_Latitudes&diff=1666802081: Middle Latitudes2018-12-05T16:28:07Z<p>Sztupy: Typos, more addition</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2081<br />
| date = December 5, 2018<br />
| title = Middle Latitudes<br />
| image = middle_latitudes.png<br />
| titletext = Snowy blizzards are fun, but so are warm sunny beaches, so we split the difference by having lots of icy wet slush!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by WINTER. Need much more details on why it's bleak in the Winter in the middle. Also explain the title text Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Middle latitudes are latitudes between the Arctic Circle (66 degrees North/South of the equator) and the Tropic of Cancer/Capricorn (23 degrees North/South of the Equator), two important latitudes on the globe that delineates some features of how the Sun rises and sets during the day.<br />
<br />
In the Northern hemisphere North of the Arctic Circle there is at least one day in the year when the sun doesn't set (in Summer) or doesn't rise (in Winter), below that latitude the sun will rise and set every day - even for a short time. Also in the North Hemisphere at any latitudes South of the Tropic of Cancer there is one day of the year where the sun will shine directly from above, while North of these latitudes there will be no such days, as the sun will always shine from an angle. The length of the day South of the Tropic of Cancer will also be close to 12 hours a day regardless of whether it is Summer or Winter. The length of the day in the middle latitudes will vary however, in the Winter time days are shorter, while in the Summer time days are longer. These are more visible the more one goes North, as close to the Artics the sun will only rise for a few hours in the Winter, and similarly will only set for a few hours in the Summer.<br />
<br />
In the Southern hemisphere the situation is similar - any latitude South of the Artic Circle will have a day where there's no sun, and North of the Tropic of Cancer there will be a time when the sun shines from directly above, and the length of the days are close to 12 hours the whole year. Between the two none of these will happen at any time of the year. Also days will be longer or shorter dependent on the season with Summer having shorter days and Winter having longer (the opposite of how it is in the Northern hemisphere)<br />
<br />
The comic refers to these facts that inside the middle latitudes there are simply no interesting features at any time of the year, however in Winter (in the Northern Latitudes) the sun will set earlier, and generally because of the lower temperatures and shorter days it has a bleak feeling.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<br />
:Cueball: It would be nice if the sun could rise and set at normal times. But it would also be cool to experience 24-hour darkness for weeks on end.<br />
:Megan: Well, what if we split the difference, so all winter everything was normal but slightly more dim and bleak?<br />
:Cueball: Perfect!<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:Middle latitudes are the worst<br />
:<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2081:_Middle_Latitudes&diff=1666792081: Middle Latitudes2018-12-05T16:23:48Z<p>Sztupy: More notes on day length</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2081<br />
| date = December 5, 2018<br />
| title = Middle Latitudes<br />
| image = middle_latitudes.png<br />
| titletext = Snowy blizzards are fun, but so are warm sunny beaches, so we split the difference by having lots of icy wet slush!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by WINTER. Need much more details on why it's bleak in the winter in the middle. Also explain the title text Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Middle latitudes are latitudes between the Arctic Circle (66 degrees north/south of the equator) and the Tropic of Cancer/Capricorn (23 degrees north/south of the equator). In the Northern Hemisphere north of the Arctic Circle there is at least one day in the year when the sun doesn't set (in Summer) or doesn't rise (in Winter), below that point the sun does rise and set every day. Also in the North Hemisphere at any place south of the Tropic of Cancer there is one day of the year where the sun is shining directly from above, while North of these lines there are no such days, the sun will always shine from an angle. The length of the day south of the Tropic of Cancer will also be close to 12 hours a day regardless of whether it is Summer or Winter. The length of the day in the middle latitudes will vary however, in the Winter time days are shorter, while in the Summer time days are longer. These are more visible the more one goes North, as close to the Artics the sun will only rise for a few hours in the Winter, and similarly will only set for a few hours in the Summer.<br />
<br />
In the South Hemisphere the situation is similar - any place South of the Artic Circle will have a day where there's no sun, and north of the Tropic of Cancer there will be a time when the sun shines from directly above, and the length of the days are close to 12 hours. Between the two none of these will happen at any time of the year. Also days will be longer or shorter dependent on the season with Summer having shorter days and Winter having longer (the opposite of how it is in the Northern hemisphere)<br />
<br />
The comic refers to these facts that inside the middle latitudes there are simply no interesting features at any time of the year, however in Winter (in the Northern Latitudes) the sun will set earlier, and generally because of the lower temperatures and shorter days it has a bleak feeling.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<br />
:Cueball: It would be nice if the sun could rise and set at normal times. But it would also be cool to experience 24-hour darkness for weeks on end.<br />
:Megan: Well, what if we split the difference, so all winter everything was normal but slightly more dim and bleak?<br />
:Cueball: Perfect!<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:Middle latitudes are the worst<br />
:<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2081:_Middle_Latitudes&diff=1666782081: Middle Latitudes2018-12-05T16:15:38Z<p>Sztupy: More notes</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2081<br />
| date = December 5, 2018<br />
| title = Middle Latitudes<br />
| image = middle_latitudes.png<br />
| titletext = Snowy blizzards are fun, but so are warm sunny beaches, so we split the difference by having lots of icy wet slush!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by WINTER. Need much more details on why it's bleak in the winter in the middle. Also explain the title text Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Middle latitudes are latitudes between the Arctic Circle (66 degrees north/south of the equator) and the Tropic of Cancer/Capricorn (23 degrees north/south of the equator). In the Northern Hemisphere north of the Arctic Circle there is at least one day in the year when the sun doesn't set (in Summer) or doesn't rise (in Winter), below that point the sun does rise and set every day. Also in the North Hemisphere at any place south of the Tropic of Cancer there is one day of the year where the sun is shining directly from above, while North of these lines there are no such days, the sun will always shine from an angle. In the South Hemisphere it's similar - any place South of the Artic Circle will have a day where there's no sun, and north of the Tropic of Cancer there will be a time when the sun shines from above. Between the two none of these will happen at any time of the year.<br />
<br />
The comic refers to these facts that inside the middle latitudes there are simply no interesting features at any time of the year - although in Winter (in the Northern Latitudes) the sun does set earlier, and generally because of the lower temperatures and shorter days it is considered bleak.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<br />
:Cueball: It would be nice if the sun could rise and set at normal times. But it would also be cool to experience 24-hour darkness for weeks on end.<br />
:Megan: Well, what if we split the difference, so all winter everything was normal but slightly more dim and bleak?<br />
:Cueball: Perfect!<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:Middle latitudes are the worst<br />
:<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2081:_Middle_Latitudes&diff=1666772081: Middle Latitudes2018-12-05T16:10:01Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2081<br />
| date = December 5, 2018<br />
| title = Middle Latitudes<br />
| image = middle_latitudes.png<br />
| titletext = Snowy blizzards are fun, but so are warm sunny beaches, so we split the difference by having lots of icy wet slush!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by WINTER. Need much more details on why it's bleak in the winter in the middle. Also explain the title text Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
Middle latitudes are latitudes between the Arctic Circle (66 degrees) and the Tropic of Cancer (in the North Hemisphere) or Capricorn (in the South Hemisphere). In the Northern Hemisphere north of the Arctic circle there is at least one day in the year when the sun doesn't set (in summer) or doesn't rise (in winter), below that point the sun does rise and set every day. Also in the North Hemisphere at any place south of the Tropic of Cancer there is one day of the year where the sun is shining directly from above, while north of these lines there are no such days.<br />
<br />
The comic refers to this fact that inside the middle latitudes there are no interesting features.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<br />
:Cueball: It would be nice if the sun could rise and set at normal times. But it would also be cool to experience 24-hour darkness for weeks on end.<br />
:Megan: Well, what if we split the difference, so all winter everything was normal but slightly more dim and bleak?<br />
:Cueball: Perfect!<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:Middle latitudes are the worst<br />
:<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2081:_Middle_Latitudes&diff=1666762081: Middle Latitudes2018-12-05T16:09:35Z<p>Sztupy: Initial explanation</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2081<br />
| date = December 5, 2018<br />
| title = Middle Latitudes<br />
| image = middle_latitudes.png<br />
| titletext = Snowy blizzards are fun, but so are warm sunny beaches, so we split the difference by having lots of icy wet slush!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Created by WINTER. Need much more details on why it's bleak in the winter in the middle. Also explain the title text Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
Middle latitudes are latitudes between the Arctic Circle (66 degrees) and the Tropic of Cancer (in the North Hemisphere) or Capricorn (in the South Hemisphere). In the Northern Hemisphere north of the Arctic circle there is at least one day in the year when the sun doesn't set (in summer) or doesn't rise (in winter), below that point the sun does rise and set every day. Also in the North Hemisphere at any place south of the Tropic of Cancer there is one day of the year where the sun is shining directly from above, while north of these lines there are no such days.<br />
<br />
The comic refers to this fact that inside the middle latitudes there are no interesting features.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:<br />
:Cueball: It would be nice if the sun could rise and set at normal times. But it would also be cool to experience 24-hour darkness for weeks on end.<br />
:Megan: Well, what if we split the difference, so all winter everything was normal but slightly more dim and bleak?<br />
:Cueball: Perfect!<br />
:[Caption below the frame:]<br />
:Middle latitudes are the worst<br />
:</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2067:_Challengers&diff=1654242067: Challengers2018-11-03T21:14:39Z<p>Sztupy: Notes on how the landmark database was generated</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2067<br />
| date = November 2, 2018<br />
| title = Challengers<br />
| image = challengers.png<br />
| titletext = Use your mouse or fingers to pan + zoom. To edit the map, submit your ballot on November 6th.<br />
}}<br />
To see the full zoomable picture go to the [https://xkcd.com/2067/ original] comic page.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|We should figure out what source is behind all that 13,339 landmarks in gray, there are 2596 U.S. National Historic Landmarks, but Randall claims those other more than 10,000 are also from Wikipedia. So let's identify that sources. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[File:challengers_loading_screen.png|thumb|200px|Loading screen]]<br />
This comic shows probably all challengers to the {{w|United States elections, 2018|midterm elections}} hold on November 6, 2018, which are candidates running against the current office-holder, as well as those running in open seats where a change of the major party from the previous election could occur.<br />
<br />
All names provide an indirect link to the first {{w|Google Search}} result on that specific person and position. As common, {{w|Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic}} candidates are shown in blue text, {{w|Republican Party (United States)|Republican}} candidates in red, and independent candidates are in green.<br />
<br />
The landmarks shown in gray are essentially links to Wikipedia pages containing coordinates pointing to the US in their body (both visible on the site and hidden in the wiki source) that point to places in the US. If they contain more than one coordinate then the first one is used, for example the {{w|List of the major 3000-meter summits of the United States}} page is shown in Alaska, and the {{w|xkcd}} page is linked near Boston, Massachussets. This list seems to be auto-generated from a Wikipedia dump made possibly before 2017. There doesn't seem to be any other criteria as the list also contains orphaned wikipedia pages that only contain hidden coordinates in their sources pointing to the US, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Yangjie_Li for example this one].<br />
<br />
Since the map is large there's also a [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/challengers.png loading screen] present that can be seen while the map is loading.<br />
<br />
There are a total of nine comics embedded into the map at various locations. They are showed when zooming into the map at the appropriate section.<br />
<br />
===Attack Ads===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_abernathy_texas.png|thumb|200px|Attack Ads]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Lubbock, Texas'''<br />
: [Black Hat and Cueball are talking.]<br />
: Black Hat: Starting on November 7th, we're going to blanket the airwaves with attack ads.<br />
: Cueball: Isn't the election on November 6th?<br />
: Black Hat: Yeah, the advertising rates go way down after that.<br />
{{w|Attack ads}} are campaign advertising that usually attack the opponents' campaign instead of promoting one's own. The comic also refers to the fact that media outlets usually spike their advertising prices during the campaign, and it becomes cheaper afterwards. However there's usually no point in advertising afterwards for a campaign as the polling has already taken place. This may also be a callback to [[1130: Poll Watching]].<br />
<br />
Lubbock was the place where some [https://www.texastribune.org/2018/08/03/cruz-orourke-attack-ad-reelection-texas/ attack ads were shown] few months before the election. Texas is also notable as in 2008 during the Democratic Party primary one of the major candidates [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/us/politics/01campaign.html started featuring attack ads] aimed at the other major candidate Barack Obama, who later became President, causing controversy.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Ballot Measures===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_weed_california.png|thumb|200px|Ballot Measures]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Weed, California'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a piece of paper and talking to Megan.]<br />
: Cueball: Question #1 voids all 2018 ballot measures except itself.<br />
: Cueball: Question #2 retroactively lowers the threshold for passing ballot measures to 5%.<br />
: Cueball: Question #3 requires a re-vote on all failed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #4 requires a re-vote on all passed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #5 bans those annoying phone scammers, but also says that if an odd number of ballot measures pass, Christmas is canceled.<br />
: Cueball: Question #6 makes a "yes" count as a "no" on odd-numbered ballot measures.<br />
: Cueball: Question #7 does nothing but counts as a ballot measure passing.<br />
: Cueball: Question #8 says that-<br />
: Megan: I'm leaving these all blank and voting against whoever approves ballot measures.<br />
<br />
In California during this election apart from the nationwide election there will be also be [https://ballotpedia.org/California_2018_ballot_propositions 12 extra propositions] for the voters to vote on. Sometimes propositions also include changing how voting should be done in subsequent elections. [https://www.vox.com/2016/6/23/11979522/brexit-ballot There are people] who believe proposals on US ballots are asked in a very convoluted way, and could be made simpler.<br />
<br />
In this comic a lot of the proposals sound complex and self-referential as well, therefore Megan just says that she doesn't wish to vote to any of them, and would actually like to ban people creating ballot papers like this. Not voting might also refer to the scenario where people believe none of the choices during an election are good, and instead vote to no-one or deface their ballot papers in protest.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Carlymandering===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_seattle_washington.png|thumb|200px|Carlymandering]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Bellingham, Washington'''<br />
: [Cueball holds a presentation to a group of people including White Hat and Hairbun sitting at an office desk. The presentation shows a map of a district.]<br />
: Cueball: Under my new Carlymandering plan, we'll create five red districts, five blue districts, and one district which contains only Carly Rae Jepsen.<br />
: Hairbun: That seems fair.<br />
<br />
This refers to {{w|gerrymandering}}, a tactic used to re-shape voting district boundaries to make sure one candidate prevails over the other. "Carlymandering" is a malamanteau which combines gerrymandering with {{w|Carly Rae Jepsen}}, a Canadian singer, whose single "{{w|Party for One}}" was released the day before the comic's publication. Although the song is about partying (e.g. going out) alone,{{Citation needed}}<!-- Isn't the song about "making love to myself"? --> the joke is that it could also mean a one-person political party, and she would have a full gerrymandered district to herself.<br />
<br />
Jepsen lives in Vancouver, which is just on the other side of the US border in Canada. The comic is placed in Whatcom County, which is notable for {{w|Point Roberts}}, a peninsula which, although part of Washington state, is actually an exclave of the US, as it's surrounded by sea on three sides, and has only a land border with Vancouver to the north. The comic might refer to the fact that Jepsen could solely live in this exclave. However, since she is not a US citizen, she can neither vote nor be elected in US elections.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===House===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_washington_dc.png|thumb|200px|House]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Washington, DC'''<br />
: [Cueball is standing in the middle of Washington, DC]<br />
: Cueball: I can see my House from here!<br />
<br />
Comic is probably referencing the {{w|White House}}, the residence of the President, located in Washington, DC. This could also refer to the {{w|United States Capitol|Capitol Building}}, the home of the {{w|United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives}}, also located in Washington, DC.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Polls===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_primm_nevada.png|thumb|200px|Polls]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Primm, Nevada'''<br />
: [A group of five people are standing]<br />
: Blondie: Remember: The only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. And the ones that help campaigns allocate resources. And the ones that drive media coverage and the ones that inform us all about what our fellow members of the public believe. And the ones that...<br />
<br />
During campaign there are usually polling done by survey companies to determine each candidate's chances of winning. This comic refers to the fact that usually the candidate that is behind in the polls usually tells their electorate that these polls don't matter, as they are just surveys and not the actual final result. This is usually to encourage their voter base that it's still worth voting for them. The joke here is that Blondie doesn't finish here but tells the electorate that other polls are actually also important.<br />
<br />
Nevada is one of the states where there is [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign-polls/414083-poll-dems-hold-slim-leads-in-arizona-and-nevada-senate-races only a slim difference] between the candidates based on polls hence the need for each candidate to rally their supporters and make sure everyone is voting.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Punish===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_chadron_nebraska.png|thumb|200px|Punish]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Chadron, Nebraska'''<br />
: [Megan is standing at a podium with her arm raised]<br />
: Megan: If elected, I vow to find and punish the voters responsible.<br />
<br />
Often candidates make promises of things they will do when they are elected. Vowing to find and punishing people responsible for a certain action, oftentimes criminals, is also common. However, these two things are conflated here to ludicrous effect.<br />
<br />
Putting this comic into Nebraska might refer to the fact that in [https://ballotpedia.org/Nebraska_Death_Penalty_Repeal,_Referendum_426_(2016) 2016 Nebraska voted to repeal the death penalty ban], allowing the reinstatement of the death penalty, also called capital punishment, in the state.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Scholten===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_storm_lake_iowa.png|thumb|200px|Scholten]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Storm Lake, Iowa'''<br />
: Cueball: The midterms are so stressful.<br />
: Megan: I just hope J.D. Scholten wins.<br />
: Cueball: Why?<br />
: Megan: Google Steve King.<br />
: [Cueball looking at his phone]<br />
: Cueball: Yikes.<br />
<br />
J.D. Scholten is a Democratic candidate for Iowa's 4th Congressional District. {{w|Steve King}} is a Republican representative who has stirred controversy due his endorsement of candidates, in other countries, who were members of parties with white supremacist ties.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Spanberger===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_richmond_virginia.png|thumb|200px|Spanberger]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Richmond, Virginia'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a sign that says: Abigail Spanberger for Congress]<br />
<br />
Abigail Spanberger is a candidate running for Congress in Virginia's 7th district, which includes Richmond. Based on polls she has a chance to beat her opponent, and could be the first Democrat in her district after 50 years of Republican control. Cueball probably tries to encourage people to vote for her on election day.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===St Louis===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_saint_louis_missouri.png|thumb|200px|St Louis]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Saint Louis, Missouri'''<br />
: [Two people next to the Gateway Arch are talking]<br />
: Cueball: Ah, Saint Louis. Home of America's largest... Whatever that thing is.<br />
<br />
Saint Louis, Missouri is the location of the {{w|Gateway Arch}}, the largest arch in the United States. (It's also one of the most recognizable arches in Saint Louis, according to [[1368: One Of The]].) Since in this comic they are next to the side of the arch, it is possible its sheer size stops them from determining what it is, although they should probably know. An alternate interpretation is that they are baffled by the existence of a giant, seemingly-useless steel arch, and do not know what to refer to it as.<br />
<br />
The area surrounding the Arch was known as Jefferson National Expansion Memorial until February 2018, when it was renamed to Gateway Arch National Park.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Title text===<br />
The title text shows the hint that the reader can zoom in and move over all US-States revealing many details can't be seen at the overall view. Furthermore [[Randall]] does a call to vote: he requests people to take an active part in the elections to change that picture.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A loading screen appears shortly before the large picture has rendered. We can see an American flag in an oval badge with the text:]<br />
:I voted<br />
:[And beneath a text saying:]<br />
:Loading...<br />
<br />
:2018 Midterm<br />
:'''Challengers'''<br />
:The bigger the candidate's name, the higher the office and the better their chances of success.<br />
<br />
:[In a frame a zoomable map shows all US-States (Alaska and Hawaii are shown in the left lower corner.) The candidates are shown colored mainly in red and blue at different sizes. Each state has many landmarks shown in gray. There are also many comics embedded into the picture.]<br />
<br />
:By Randall Monroe, Kelsey Harris, and Max Goodman<br />
<br />
:Landmarks from Wikipedia. Success odds estimated from district voting history, special election<br />
:results, and seat ratings. Thank you to Dailykos Elections for their spreadsheets, shapefiles, election<br />
:ratings, and advice, and to @davidshor, @charlotteeffect, and @thedlcc for additional candidate data.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The comic [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header|header]] had changed to:<br />
:''Find out where to vote: [https://www.vote.org/ Vote.org]''<br />
:''See what's on your ballot: [https://www.ballotready.org/ BallotReady.org]''<br />
:This happened on the day this comic came out, as it up till [http://web.archive.org/web/20181101081612/https://xkcd.com/ the day before], had been a different reminder of the election only with the vote.org link.<br />
*The interactive picture did not work in many browsers when using the link ''[https://www.xkcd.com www.xkcd.com]'', only the short ''[https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]'' worked properly because the page used an absolute link to a file ''[https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json]'' at the domain ''<nowiki>xkcd.com</nowiki>'' which is not allowed from ''<nowiki>www.xkcd.com</nowiki>'' according to {{w|Cross-origin resource sharing}}. This was later fixed by using a relative link only working inside the called domain.<br />
* The internal comics have a kind of "comic" inside the [https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json] file that contains all of the details shown on the map. All other locations, including politicians and landmarks inside the map-data.json have a kind of "label"<br />
* There are a total of<br />
** 9 subcomics<br />
** 17,643 labels, including:<br />
*** 13,339 landmarks (gray)<br />
*** 2,845 Democratic candidates (blue)<br />
*** 1,456 Republican candidates (red)<br />
*** 3 independent candidates (green)<br />
* The three independent candidates are:<br />
** Alaska Congress candidate Alyse Galvin<br />
** Texas State House District 101 candidate James Allen<br />
** Alabama State Senate District 10 candidate Craig Ford <br />
* The largest names on the map (based on font size) are:<br />
** Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor candidate for New Mexico (7.187)<br />
** Beto O'Rourke, Texan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Matt Rosendale, Montanan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Gretchen Whitmer, Governor candidate for Michigan (6.48)<br />
* There's a landmark label called "xkcd" near Boston, Massachusetts<br />
* Randall seems to have collected the Wikipedia links from an older copy of Wikipedia, as some links are to old article titles. For example, in Cupertino, California, "Apple Campus 2" is shown instead of "Apple Park", even though that article was moved to its current title in February 2017.<br />
*An overview highlighting some parts:<br />
:<imagemap><br />
Image:Challengers_Map.png|frame|left|Map of interesting features on the comic (<span style="color:red">Red X</span>: comic strip, <span style="color:green">Green X</span>: independent candidate, <span style="color:blue">Blue X</span>: xkcd landmark)<br />
rect 179 176 138 129 [[#Carlymandering|Carlymandering]]<br />
rect 95 279 133 325 [[#Ballot Measures|Ballot Measures]]<br />
rect 171 421 208 467 [[#Polls|Polls]]<br />
rect 392 307 430 352 [[#Punish|Punish]]<br />
rect 403 488 441 533 [[#Attack_Ads|Attack Ads]]<br />
rect 510 307 547 351 [[#Scholten|Scholten]]<br />
rect 593 390 628 434 [[#St_Louis|St Louis]]<br />
rect 803 355 839 394 [[#House|House]]<br />
rect 837 436 799 395 [[#Spanberger|Spanberger]]<br />
rect 877 262 915 309 [[#Trivia|Link to xkcd's wikipage]]<br />
rect 141 597 177 644 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 472 527 511 576 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 672 478 710 525 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
desc top-right<br />
</imagemap><br />
<br clear=all><br />
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{{comic discussion}}<br />
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[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Elections]]<br />
[[Category:Maps]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2067:_Challengers&diff=165400Talk:2067: Challengers2018-11-03T11:48:09Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
'''New category elections'''<br />
<br />
I've created a new category for elections: [[:Category:Elections]]. Please help and add this category to other comics I've missed so far. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 09:47, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''Further discussions'''<br />
<br />
''Calling it now'': lots of complaining about campaigning, by folks who prefer jokes. [[User:KangaroOS|Kangaro]][[User talk:KangaroOS|OS]] 06:25, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
There are hidden comics. I've found three so far: <br />
Attack ad comic in north half of Texas. <br />
Ballot measure comic in north half of California. <br />
Gerrymandering comic in north half of Washington.<br />
IronyIsGood 06:16, 2 November 2018 (AEST) {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.184}}<br />
<br />
: Steve King comic in north-western Iowa<br />
: St Louis comic on the border of Missouri and Illinois {{unsigned ip|162.158.90.144}}<br />
: "Abigail Spanberger for Congress", just below Richmond, Virginia [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.165|172.69.54.165]] 08:17, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
: "Only Poll That Counts" comic on border of California and Nevada, South West of Las Vegas [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.56|141.101.77.56]] 08:21, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
: "I can see my house from here" in Washington DC [[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.88|172.68.110.88]] 09:17, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
: "If elected..." North Western Nebraska. {{unsigned|ManSpider}}<br />
: "Carlymandering plan..." North Washington. {{unsigned ip|162.158.202.88}}<br />
<br />
Non-Republican/Democrat candidate found in Alaska, in green - only one I've found so far. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.226.143|172.69.226.143]] 09:08, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
: There is also one southwest of Dallas {{unsigned ip|162.158.202.88}}<br />
<br />
'''Serious bug report:'''<br />
<br />
This damn thing must be geolocked or something, because apparently not being an American means I can't edit the map. I can't even get around it with a VPN. Help? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.214|162.158.38.214]] 10:18, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:This map will be changed by US citizens on November 6, 2018. Nobody can edit this map at xkcd. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:33, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:: The complain was about the fact non-US citizens can't "edit" it by voting. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:42, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''Loading screen'''<br />
<br />
please, include the [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/challengers.png loading screen] in the explanation. --[[User:Valepert|valepert]] ([[User talk:Valepert|talk]]) 11:19, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Someone has mentioned it at the first paragraph. This was also the first version uploaded by the BOT: [[:File:challengers.png]]. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:09, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
::Note that loading screen is only thing you see if you have old browser ... I suspect the used javascript is ES6. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 23:43, 2 November 2018 (UTC) "To see the full zoomable picture go to the original comic page." - really? I had to come HERE to see what xkcd was supposed to look like, under the assumption that a permanent "loading" message wasn't much of a joke. I'm glad there's something HERE that I can actually see. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.189.163|172.68.189.163]] 08:01, 3 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''Links to politicans'''<br />
<br />
I'm not sure if we all haven't recognized that all larger names provide a link to a homepage. Maybe Randall has fixed an error right now. Nonetheless I've mentioned this in the first paragraph. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:26, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:It seems most links just use Google like this example: https://google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&btnI=1&q=kyrsten+sinema+senate+arizona which shows directly the first search result. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:41, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''What's with all the place names?'''<br />
<br />
There are an immense number of placenames on the map - many of these look to be jokes. Maybe specific places you can go to vote or something? What's the deal with that? [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 12:58, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:These are {{w|List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state|US Landmarks}} as mentioned at the first paragraph. If you find a place that doesn't belong to this list it should be mentioned. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:10, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
::Some further investigations on the json file gave me this:<br />
::*9 embedded comics<br />
::*17,643 labels, much more than the 2,500 landmarks. This includes all names so far.<br />
::Most links are just links to Google. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:41, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:::I just can't believe my hometown in on it... with a wlink to it's wikipedia page. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 13:49, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
::::Besides actual place names, there are a lot of radio stations (Wxxx codes). Also, there's XKCD just on the left of the Boston label (Massachusetts). Is that where Randall lives?{{unsigned ip|108.162.229.10}}<br />
::::: There are other things, as well. Next to Ogden, Utah, there's a link to the Wikipedia article for the "Hi-Fi Murders," which is an event, not a landmark. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.143.240|172.68.143.240]] 16:21, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
::::::I'm pretty sure the landmarks are just all of the wikipedia pages that contain some kind of location information. That's why for example the wikipedia pages "List of largest summits" point to Alaska where the largest summit actually is. Similarly the {w|Xkcd} wikipedia page has a GPS coordinate in the 'Inspired activities' section, which points to Boston, the same place where the XKCD label is on the map. While there might be some easter egg there, I think the grey labels are simply just wikipedia pages with coordinates or other geolocatable texts in their contents. [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 16:54, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
::::::Went through the map-data.json file and confirmed that all gray labels match the wikipedia link, so I don't think there's going to be any intentional easter eggs there. Similarly can't find any discrepancies between the candidate's name and their google search results - they all seem to be autogenerated [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 17:51, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''Subcomics layout'''<br />
<br />
I know the Editor FAQ about tables, but am I the only one who thinks the previous table layout for the subcomics was much easier to read? I find that with the current list layout, it is more difficult to ignore the transcript for those of us who don't need to read it.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.10|108.162.229.10]] 14:31, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Could make the transcript collapsible maybe, and also move the images back from thumbnails into the main body, so they are close to the explanations? [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 14:47, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
::This is one of those overwhelming comics that can't be covered by a FAQ in general. But a table is still a bad layout because the text will grow and it's a horror to read it on a smartphone. Nonetheless the layout still needs some improvements. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:45, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:::I've done an update to the layout. You often think too much about tables, a simple floating text with less headers looks much better. Right now the pictures are larger than the text, but I'm sure there will be more text soon. Otherwise we could reduce the size of the pictures slightly. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:00, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''Candidate in wrong place?'''<br />
<br />
Noticed Robert Arlett, the Republican challenger for US Senate from Delaware, is listed in Washington DC. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.196|172.69.62.196]] 15:36, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:There are a bunch of errors we are going to need an erreta section. Eastern Iowa has a link to the "murder of Yangjie Li" a murder that happened in 2016 in germany maybe they meant the "Murder of Shao Tong" from 2014 a murder of one Chinese student of another while at university in Iowa. {{unsigned|Echo Hotel}}<br />
::Yes, if you check the [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Yangjie_Li&action=edit source of that wikipedia page] you can see that it has a GPS coordinate set that points to Hollywood Bld, Iowa City. It was likely added by mistake from the content creator and was never removed. [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 18:32, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''Carlymandering'''<br />
Carly is Canadian, so not eligible to vote in US elections. The result in the Carly district should be zero all tie, usually resulting in drawing lots for the winner. Any non-zero result would be clear evidence of election fraud.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.142|162.158.75.142]] 16:27, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''House'''<br />
<br />
Alternately, the "I can see my House from here" could refer to the U.S. House of Representatives, in Washington DC, which theoretically represents all US voters. Many of the ballots being cast are to fill House of Representatives seats at the Federal level. [[User:Leftcontact|Leftcontact]] ([[User talk:Leftcontact|talk]]) 17:23, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Speck in the title image'''<br />
It looks like there's a speck of minuscule text in the comic title header image, in the lower right side. Is this readable to anyone, or is he messing with us?<br />
<br />
'''Blank map?'''<br />
The map is blank on my iPad, is this happening to anyone else? [[User:Herobrine|Herobrine]] ([[User talk:Herobrine|talk]]) 23:21, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
Is he taking petitions to change landmarks? Im going to assume YES. It seems like the most Randall thing to do. Why wouldnt he? I would like to stake my claim as first and offer replacing John F. Kennedy High School (Mt. Angel, Oregon) with John F. Kennedy High School (Bloomington, Minnesota). [[User:Choochoobob123|Choochoobob123]] ([[User talk:Choochoobob123|talk]]) 04:41, 3 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
<br />
'''Map of interesting features'''<br />
It is nice to have the "map of interesting features", but it is not explained at all. There is not even a key to distinct the red, blue and green X-es. They seemingly all indicate the comics to zoom in, when you read the line above. Only Trivia helps to give an idea, what they could stand for.--[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 07:30, 3 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:You can hover over them for a tooltip (only works on desktop), and click for a link [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 11:48, 3 November 2018 (UTC)</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1939:_2016_Election_Map&diff=1653861939: 2016 Election Map2018-11-02T21:34:44Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1939<br />
| date = January 8, 2018<br />
| title = 2016 Election Map<br />
| image = 2016_election_map.png<br />
| titletext = I like the idea of cartograms (distorted population maps), but I feel like in practice they often end up being the worst of both worlds—not great for showing geography OR counting people. And on top of that, they have all the problems of a chloro... chorophl... chloropet... map with areas colored in.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
*A [https://xkcd.com/1939/large/ larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|The way the map was made, as explained in gray text is not yet discussed. Title text: Problem with the pronunciation of the word not mentioned as well as the other type of maps, cartograms (distorted population maps), has not been mentioned either. Also, the ref to these type of maps and the pronunciation problem should be below the main explanation of the map, as that is what is the typical way of the explanation of the title text. Also, this map is explicitly not either of those two types of map as they are no good for what they try to show, which is the entire point of the comic! Wikilinks could be added to the data on the counting table.}}<br />
<br />
A {{w|choropleth map}}, referenced in the title text, is a map that uses shading or colors to show information about a geographic area, such as a 'normal' election map that shows districts/states colored to the party that won them.<br />
<br />
The United States elects its president not directly by popular vote but by an Electoral College composed of a number of electors, partially proportional to population, from each state. Presently, a "winner-take-all" system is used in most states: the winner of the popular vote in each state receives all of the electoral votes for that state. Though, strictly speaking, the electors are not required to cast their ballots according to this system, many states impose penalties on them if they don't. Technically, the popular vote in each state is to elect a slate of electors who in turn elect the President.<br />
<br />
The news media commonly use maps to represent the progress or results of the election. Because of this winner-take-all system, states won by the Democratic candidate are typically portrayed in one color (blue is currently in wide use), and states won by the Republican candidate in another (currently red). In recent years, this distinction has gone far beyond electoral maps, and states are often referred to as "blue" or "red" by their political leaning in many contexts.<br />
<br />
A choropleth map has many shortcomings. For example, many large Western states have small populations and thus don't make much difference to the electoral vote count, but look like a broad swath of red or blue on the map. The map overall can have the appearance of being very red or very blue, suggesting to the eye an overwhelming victory, when in fact the election can be extremely close. Donald Trump has [http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/04/heres-the-electoral-map-president-trump-gave-reporters.html repeatedly] [https://twitter.com/TreyYingst/status/862669407868391424/photo/1 emphasized] how red the map appears, especially when broken down by county, even though he actually lost the popular vote. In a speech on June 21, 2017, he said, "And those maps, those electoral maps, they were all red. Beautiful red."<br />
<br />
In this cartoon, [[Randall]] seems to be pointing out the shortcomings of the choropleth map (or perhaps this overall red-state/blue-state mentality). His map shows more clearly the small impact of the low-population states, as well as how combination of the winner-take-all system with the typical election maps fails to show the sometimes large number of opposition votes in a given state. This map also combines all third-party or independent candidate into one type of marker (green), making it clear that a substantial number of votes went to these candidates.<br />
<br />
A similar map was actually used during the 2016 election [https://ig.ft.com/us-elections/results by the Financial Times] ([https://www.ft.com/content/3685bf9e-a4cc-11e6-8b69-02899e8bd9d1 discussed here]). It made similar use of colorless states for geographic information and color in proportion to population for electoral information. However, the FT map is based on the electoral college, not the popular vote. It in turn is similar to a 2013 map used [https://www.theguardian.com/world/datablog/interactive/2013/sep/06/australian-election-results-map by The Guardian] for the 2013 Australian election ([https://www.theguardian.com/world/datablog/2013/sep/06/better-election-results-map discussed here]). Other compromise maps of geographic and electoral information exist, such as maps of geographically accurate but re-scaled states: a 2016 election example [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ElectorScaledUS2016.svg is here], indirectly inspired by [https://www.vox.com/2015/8/19/9178979/united-states-population a similar vox.com map].<br />
<br />
Shortly after the election Randall made [[Sad_comics|several comics]] that could indicate his emotions regarding the result, but references to the election have become fewer and farther apart.<br />
<br />
With a stick figure representing 250,000 votes, Trump would have exactly 251.918544 stick figures and Clinton would have exactly 263.37844 stick figures according to the [https://splinternews.com/here-is-the-final-popular-vote-count-of-the-2016-electi-1793864349 final results]. The map shows 252 Trump stick figures and 264 Clinton stick figures, meaning Randall used ceiling rounding instead of conventional rounding, which would have shown Clinton with one fewer stick figure.<br />
<br />
===Table===<br />
{| class = "wikitable sortable"<br />
!State<br />
!Red<br />
!Blue<br />
!Green<br />
!Total<br />
|-<br />
| Alabama || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| || align="right"| 8<br />
|-<br />
| Alaska || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| || align="right"| 1<br />
|-<br />
| Arizona || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 10<br />
|-<br />
| Arkansas || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 5<br />
|-<br />
| California || align="right"| 18 || align="right"| 35 || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 58<br />
|-<br />
| Colorado || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 10<br />
|-<br />
| Connecticut || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| || align="right"| 5<br />
|-<br />
| Delaware || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| || align="right"| 4<br />
|-<br />
| Florida || align="right"| 19 || align="right"| 18 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 38<br />
|-<br />
| Georgia || align="right"| 8 || align="right"| 7 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 16<br />
|-<br />
| Hawaii || align="right"| || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 1<br />
|-<br />
| Idaho || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 3<br />
|-<br />
| Illinois || align="right"| 9 || align="right"| 13 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 23<br />
|-<br />
| Indiana || align="right"| 6 || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 11<br />
|-<br />
| Iowa || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 5<br />
|-<br />
| Kansas || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 5<br />
|-<br />
| Kentucky || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| || align="right"| 8<br />
|-<br />
| Louisiana || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| || align="right"| 8<br />
|-<br />
| Maine || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 3<br />
|-<br />
| Maryland || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 6 || align="right"| || align="right"| 8<br />
|-<br />
| Massachusetts || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 7 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 12<br />
|-<br />
| Michigan || align="right"| 9 || align="right"| 8 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 18<br />
|-<br />
| Minnesota || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 6 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 12<br />
|-<br />
| Mississippi || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 5<br />
|-<br />
| Missouri || align="right"| 6 || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 11<br />
|-<br />
| Montana || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 2<br />
|-<br />
| Nebraska || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 3<br />
|-<br />
| Nevada || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 4<br />
|-<br />
| New Hampshire || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 2<br />
|-<br />
| New Jersey || align="right"| 6 || align="right"| 9 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 16<br />
|-<br />
| New Mexico || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 3<br />
|-<br />
| New York || align="right"| 12 || align="right"| 20 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 34<br />
|-<br />
| North Carolina || align="right"| 10 || align="right"| 9 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 20<br />
|-<br />
| North Dakota || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| || align="right"| 1<br />
|-<br />
| Ohio || align="right"| 11 || align="right"| 9 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 21<br />
|-<br />
| Oklahoma || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 6<br />
|-<br />
| Oregon || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 8<br />
|-<br />
| Pennsylvania || align="right"| 12 || align="right"| 11 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 24<br />
|-<br />
| Rhode Island || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 3<br />
|-<br />
| South Carolina || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| || align="right"| 8<br />
|-<br />
| South Dakota || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| || align="right"| 1<br />
|-<br />
| Tennessee || align="right"| 6 || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 11<br />
|-<br />
| Texas || align="right"| 19 || align="right"| 16 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 37<br />
|-<br />
| Utah || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 4<br />
|-<br />
| Vermont || align="right"| || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 1<br />
|-<br />
| Virginia || align="right"| 7 || align="right"| 8 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 16<br />
|-<br />
| Washington || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 7 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 14<br />
|-<br />
| Washington DC || align="right"| || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 1<br />
|-<br />
| West Virginia || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 5<br />
|-<br />
| Wisconsin || align="right"| 6 || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 12<br />
|-<br />
| Wyoming || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| || align="right"| 1<br />
|-class="sortbottom"<br />
! Total || align="right"| 252 || align="right"| 264 || align="right"| 30 || align="right"| 546<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A map of the United States, with Hawaii and Alaska offset, is shown. Across the states red, blue and green Cueball like stick figure are scattered about, much more on each coast, and very few in the central parts, especially in the mid west. There are about the same amount of red and blue stick figures. There are not many green, but they are represented almost in any state with more than 10 stick figures. Above the map there is a large bold title. Below that there is a legend description explaining the red, blue and green Cueball stick figure with labels of who they represent next to them. Below this, in light gray text, are two lines of explanation of how the map was created:]<br />
:<big>'''2016 Election Map'''</big><br />
:Each figure represents 250,000 votes<br />
:[Red stick figure:] Trump<br />
:[Blue stick figure:] Clinton<br />
:[Green stick figure:] Other<br />
:<span style="color:gray">Votes are distributed by states as accurately as possible while keeping national totals correct.</span><br />
:<span style="color:gray">Location within each state is approximate.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Maps]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Elections]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1122:_Electoral_Precedent&diff=1653851122: Electoral Precedent2018-11-02T21:33:12Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1122<br />
| date = October 17, 2012<br />
| title = Electoral Precedent<br />
| image = electoral_precedent.png<br />
| titletext = No white guy who's been mentioned on twitter has gone on to win.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
During election season in U.S. presidential elections — and especially in election night coverage — it is common for the media to make comments like the ones set out in the first panel of this comic. [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] is demonstrating the problem with making such statements, many of which simply come down to coincidence.<br />
<br />
After the first panel the next 56 panels in this comic refer to each one of the {{w|United States presidential election#Electoral college results|56 presidential elections}} in U.S. history before {{w|Barack Obama|Obama's}} re-election in 2012. The panels depict a pre-election commentator noting a quality or condition that has never occurred to a candidate, until one of the candidates in that election broke the streak. In other words, one can always find at least one unique thing about a candidate who has gone on to win (or in some cases, lose) or the circumstances under which they won (or lost) that is unique from all previous winners (or losers). It's worth noting that some of these 'firsts' were truly precedent-setting (such as the first incumbent losing, the first president to win a third term, the first Catholic president, etc.), but the fact that they hadn't happened was no assurance that there wouldn't be a first time. As the years pass on, these 'streaks' become more and more nested and complicated, and then brought by Randall to the point of absurdity by pointing out very trivial things, such as "No Democratic {{w|incumbent}} without combat experience has ever beaten someone whose first name is worth more in {{w|Scrabble}}" (1996).<br />
<br />
The flaw made by pundits while reporting such streaks is that there will always be ''something'' that has never happened before in an election, and they purport to suggest that these things are related to the candidate's win or loss. Randall considers this a logical flaw. A common one is, as noted in several panels, candidates can't win without winning certain states. The question, however, is one of {{w|Correlation does not imply causation|cause or effect}}.<br />
<br />
Given that there have only been 56 elections, there are always going to be things that haven't happened before. If you go out looking for them, you're sure to find some. There is no magic about why these events haven't happened. In most cases, it is merely coincidence.<br />
<br />
In the last two panels two more statements like the previous are given. They were both true before the {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|election in 2012}} on November the 6th. The comic came out in the middle of the campaign on October the 17th. The statements were constructed so that the first predicts that Obama can't win over {{w|Mitt Romney}}, and the second that he cannot lose. As Obama won the election he thus ended the streak ''Democratic incumbents never beat taller challengers'' whereas the other streak is still valid.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to the fact that {{w|Twitter}} was founded in 2006. Obama won in 2008, so at the time of the comic it was true that no white male person mentioned on Twitter had ever gone on to win the presidency; although certainly some former presidents, all of whom were white males, have subsequently been mentioned on Twitter. This streak was broken in the next election year, when Donald Trump won the 2016 election.<br />
<br />
During these last four week before the election Randall posted no fewer than four comics related to this election. The others being: [[1127: Congress]], [[1130: Poll Watching]] and [[1131: Math]].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:The problem with statements like<br />
:"No <party> candidate has won the election without <state>"<br />
:Or<br />
:"No president has been reelected under <circumstances>"<br />
<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1788-1789|1788}}... No one has been elected president before. ...But Washington was.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1792|1792}}... No incumbent has ever been reelected. ...Until Washington.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1796|1796}}... No one without false teeth has become president. ...But Adams did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1800|1800}}... No challenger has beaten an incumbent. ...But Jefferson did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1804|1804}}... No incumbent has beaten a challenger. ...Until Jefferson.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1808|1808}}... No congressman has ever become president. ...Until Madison.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1812|1812}}... No one can win without New York. ...But Madison did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1816|1816}}... No candidate who doesn't wear a wig can get elected. ...Until Monroe was.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1820|1820}}... No one who wears pants instead of breeches can be reelected. ...But Monroe was.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1824|1824}}... No one has ever won without a popular majority. ...J.Q. Adams did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1828|1828}}... Only people from Massachusetts and Virginia can win. ...Until Jackson did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1832|1832}}... The only presidents who get reelected are Virginians. ...Until Jackson.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1836|1836}}... New Yorkers always lose. ...Until Van Buren.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1840|1840}}... No one over 65 has won the presidency. ...Until Harrison did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1844|1844}}... No one who's lost his home state has won. ...But Polk did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1848|1848}}... The Democrats don't lose when they win Pennsylvania. ...But they did in 1848.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1852|1852}}... New England Democrats can't win. ...Until Pierce did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1856|1856}}... No one can become president without getting married. ...Until Buchanan did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1860|1860}}... No one over 6'3" can get elected. ...Until Lincoln.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1864|1864}}... No one with a beard has been reelected. ...But Lincoln was.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1868|1868}}... No one can be president if their parent are alive. ...Until Grant.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1872|1872}}... No one with a beard has been reelected in peacetime. ...Until Grant was.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1876|1876}}... No one can win a majority of the popular vote and still lose. ...Tilden did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1880|1880}}... As goes California, so goes the nation. ...Until it went Hancock.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1884|1884}}... Candidates named "James" can't lose. ...Until James Blaine.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1888|1888}}... No sitting president has been beaten since the Civil War. ...Cleveland was.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1892|1892}}... No former president has been elected. ...Until Cleveland.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1896|1896}}... Tall midwesterners are unbeatable. ...Bryan wasn't.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1900|1900}}... No Republican shorter than 5'8" has been reelected. ...Until McKinley was.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1904|1904}}... No one under 45 has become president. ...Roosevelt did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1908|1908}}... No Republican who hasn't served in the military has won. ...Until Taft.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1912|1912}}... After Lincoln beat the Democrats while sporting a beard with no mustache, the only Democrats who can win have a mustache with no beard. ...Wilson had neither.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1916|1916}}... No Democrat has won without Indiana. ...Wilson did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1920|1920}}... No incumbent senator has won. ...Until Harding.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1924|1924}}... No one with two Cs in their name has become president. ...Until Calvin Coolidge.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1928|1928}}... No one who got ten million votes has lost. ...Until Al Smith.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1932|1932}}... No Democrat has won since women secured the right to vote. ...Until FDR did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1936|1936}}... No President's been reelected with double-digit unemployment. ...Until FDR was.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1940|1940}}... No one has won a third term. ...Until FDR did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1944|1944}}... No Democrat has won during wartime. ...Until FDR did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1948|1948}}... Democrats can't win without Alabama. ...Truman did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1952|1952}}... No Republican has won without winning the House or Senate. ...Eisenhower did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1956|1956}}... No Republican has won without Missouri. ...Until Eisenhower.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1960|1960}}... Republicans without facial hair are unbeatable. ...Kennedy beat Nixon.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1964|1964}}... No Democrat has won without Georgia. ...Johnson did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1968|1968}}... No Republican vice president has risen to the Presidency through an election. ...Until Nixon.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1972|1972}}... No wartime candidate has won without Massachusetts. ...Until Nixon did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1976|1976}}... No one who lost New Mexico has won. ...But Carter did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1980|1980}}... No one has been elected President after a divorce. ...Until Reagan was.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1984|1984}}... No left-handed president has been reelected. ...Until Reagan was.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1988|1988}}... No Democrat who has won Wisconsin (without being from there) has lost. ...Until Dukakis did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1992|1992}}... No Democrat has won without a majority of the Catholic vote. ...Until Clinton did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 1996|1996}}... No Dem. incumbent without combat experience has beaten someone whose first name is worth more in Scrabble. ...Until Bill beat Bob.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 2000|2000}}... No Republican has won without Vermont. ...Until Bush did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 2004|2004}}... No Republican without combat experience has beaten someone two inches taller. ...Until Bush did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 2008|2008}}... No Democrat can win without Missouri. ...Until Obama did.<br />
:{{w|United States presidential election, 2012|2012}}... Democratic incumbents never beat taller challengers. No nominee whose first name contains a "K" has lost. Which streak will break?<br />
<br />
==Trivia/Errors==<br />
* There was an error in the original 1800 panel of the comic, as Jefferson (not Adams) was the first challenger to beat an incumbent, when Jefferson beat then-president Adams in 1800. This was later corrected.<br />
<br />
* Also, one of the statements of a streak for the 2012 elections can be considered wrong: in 1952, the Republican candidate/running mate Eisenhower/Nixon defeated the Democratic alliterative ticket Stevenson/Sparkman (in what can only be described as a landslide). The comic has been changed, and now reads "Democratic incumbents never beat taller challengers" as the streak which would have the Republican ticket as the winners.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Statistics]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Elections]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring John F. Kennedy]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1130:_Poll_Watching&diff=1653841130: Poll Watching2018-11-02T21:32:36Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1130<br />
| date = November 5, 2012<br />
| title = Poll Watching<br />
| image = poll_watching.png<br />
| titletext = The choices we make Tuesday could have MASSIVE and PERMANENT effects on the charts on Nate Silver's blog!<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
This is a comic about the {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|2012 U.S. presidential election}}, as it was posted the day before the election on November 6, 2012 ("this Tuesday"). It is the third comic on the subject, the previous two being [[1122: Electoral Precedent]] and [[1127: Congress]]. And the next comic [[1131: Math]] continues the issue raised in this one.<br />
<br />
In the comic, [[Cueball]] is glued to his laptop reading media coverage of the election. The offscreen character remarks that Cueball should take a break, suggesting that Cueball has been reading media coverage for quite a while.<br />
<br />
Cueball is so caught up in media coverage that he is speculating on the effect that incumbent President {{w|Barak Obama|Obama}} winning the election (and the resulting news coverage) could have on challenger {{w|Mitt Romney}}'s campaign. The joke is that the end-goal of Romney's campaign is to win the election. If Obama wins, the campaigning is already over, regardless of media coverage. Cueball is simply so invested that he overanalyzes potential scenarios and fails to see the big picture.<br />
<br />
Specifically, he has become so concerned with following the polls that he's lost sight of their purpose as a predictive tool. After the election is over, polling becomes trivial since the result they are intended to forecast is already known (and so in reality will not be conducted at all). This is possibly intended as a rebuke to those {{w|pundits}} (''talking heads'') who seemingly care more about (or whose jobs are contingent on caring more about) the "game" of analyzing and predicting the politics of the race rather than caring about the actual policies the candidates are likely to pursue after coming into office.<br />
<br />
The title text repeats this theme with {{w|Nate Silver}}, an American statistician, {{w|psephologist}}, and writer (among other things). He has a political blog called {{w|FiveThirtyEight}} which was originally written under a pseudonym. The Blog and its associated website primarily discuss tracking polls in respect to elections. Thus, the choices made on Tuesday (election day) ''will'' have massive and permanent effects on FiveThirtyEight's charts, which will obviously change to reflect the actual votes cast — but all the charts will have become trivial since the purpose of the blog is to predict the results. This is a parody of the bold statements often made during campaigns, such as that the choices made on election day could have massive and permanent effects on such things as your health care, the economy, your job, etc.<br />
<br />
Polls and pundits are also referenced in the next comic, [[1131: Math]], published the day after the election.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball kneels on his desk chair, hunched over a laptop]<br />
:Cueball: This Tuesday will be huge!<br />
:Cueball: If Obama wins the election, it could generate news coverage ''devastating'' to Romney's position in the tracking polls!<br />
:Offscreen character: ... Maybe you should take a break.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Nate Silver]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Elections]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1131:_Math&diff=1653831131: Math2018-11-02T21:32:17Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1131<br />
| date = November 7, 2012<br />
| title = Math<br />
| image = math.png<br />
| titletext = As of this writing, the only thing that's 'razor-thin' or 'too close to call' is the gap between the consensus poll forecast and the result.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
<br />
In another election-themed comic (this one posted the day after the {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|2012 U.S. presidential election}} November 7, 2012)—(see also [[1122: Electoral Precedent]], [[500: Election]], [[1127: Congress]], and [[1130: Poll Watching]])—this comic shows a bar graph representing expected (see note below) {{w|Electoral College (United States)|electoral college}} votes in the election, including a dotted line indicating the 270 electoral votes needed to win, a span of projections ("Forecast"), and the actual result.<br />
<br />
The forecast range is above the 270 line, showing that the ''Blue Candidate'' {{w|Barack Obama|Obama}} (the {{W|Democratic Party (United States)|democratic candidate}} is the ''Blue Candidate'' and the {{W|Republican Party (United States)|republican candidate}} is the ''Red Candidate'' according to a convention used since the 2000 election) was always projected to win by statisticians like {{w|Nate Silver}} and others. The only question among these people was how much he was going to win by. (The electoral college votes are expectations until the official voting result is announced early in November.) Randall is attempting to use this particular election to imply that polling data accurately indicates the likely outcome of a Presidential election. However, the close match between prediction and result in this one election could be a coincidence; the outcome of U.S. Presidential elections frequently differs from projections. Notably, in 1948, the Chicago Tribune printed a headline which turned out to be false and in 2016, polling data indicated that Clinton would defeat Trump.<br />
<br />
By contrast, most of the media was calling the election too close to call, with some news outlets actually projecting a {{w|Mitt Romney|Romney}} win. Essentially the large number of republican {{w|pundit|pundits}} who helped increase the pressures of right wing self referencing media denial, the tendency of media to give any issue at least two dramatically or fictionally equal voices (for supposed "fairness") regardless of the relative merits of the two sides, and the desire to present the election as a suspenseful "horse race" resulted in a lot of ''talking heads'' (i.e. pundits) disbelieving the polls. These factors shaped the "too close to call" narrative, leading to the punch line of this story:<br />
<br />
You don't need to believe in science or statistics for it to effectively describe or predict reality. The progressively more radicalized elements of this era are known for disregarding scientific or statistical consensus which reflects reality but does not conform to their world view. However, many of them were correct in their belief (in defiance of statistical data to the contrary) that Donald Trump would be elected in 2016.<br />
<br />
For those unfamiliar with the {{w|United States presidential election|US Presidential electoral process}}: Unlike other political offices, the election for president is not a direct election. Instead, each state is apportioned a certain number of "electoral college" votes based on population. For the most part (and there is perennial discussion on whether this should be changed) the candidate that receives the most votes in a given state receives all the electoral college votes for that state. With 538 electoral votes total, receiving 270 electoral college votes ((half of 538) + 1) is sufficient to be declared president-elect. For this reason, sometimes one candidate actually receive more "popular" votes (more people voted for the candidate) but have fewer electoral college votes. This happened three times in the nineteenth century with elections of {{w|United States presidential election, 1824|John Quincy Adams in 1824}}, {{w|United States presidential election, 1876|Rutherford B. Hayes in 1876}} and {{w|United States presidential election, 1888|Benjamin Harrison in 1888}}. Then it did not happen again until the election of {{w|United States presidential election, 2000|George W. Bush in 2000}} and, most recently, {{w|United States presidential election, 2016|Donald Trump in 2016}}.<br />
<br />
The title text is a subversion of what everyone else was saying at that time: that the election was unpredictable. Pundits often declare events to be "too close to call" when poll results are very close; Randall is saying that the only thing that is "too close to call" is the difference between the results and the predicted results, as the outcome is all but certain. <br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A frame with a bar chart showing 58% blue and 42% red. A header shows a range between 53-63%]<br />
:Forecast<br />
:[An arrow below the chart is pointing at the line between the blue and the red sections of the chart with a heading]<br />
:Result<br />
:[Below the frame is a caption]<br />
:'''''Breaking:''''' To surprise of pundits, numbers continue to be best system for determining which of two things is larger.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Elections]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Math]]<br />
[[Category:Statistics]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1852:_Election_Map&diff=1653821852: Election Map2018-11-02T21:29:34Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1852<br />
| date = June 19, 2017<br />
| title = Election Map<br />
| image = election_map.png<br />
| titletext = Luckily for my interpretation, no precincts were won by the Green Party.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
A wave (e.g. an electromagnetic wave, like light) changes its frequency and wavelength when its source is moving relative to the observer, due to the {{w|Doppler effect}}. In the case of light, increased frequency &mdash; indicating movement towards the observer &mdash; is called {{w|blueshift}}, while reduced frequency &mdash; indicating movement away from the observer &mdash; is called {{w|redshift}}. These names apply even if the effect is outside of the visible spectrum (e.g. infrared light that has reduced frequency is called redshifted, even though its frequency is further away from that of visible red light than normally). Red and blue colors are used accordingly to indicate the effect.<br />
<br />
The recent advent of the {{w|integral field spectrograph}} allowed astronomers to produce [http://iopscience.iop.org/0067-0049/199/1/1/downloadHRFigure/figure/apjs412917f14 images] illustrating how different parts of a galaxy move along our sightline, images that look not very different from the map Cueball shows. If one side of the image is higher redshifted while the other side is less or even blueshifted, the usual interpretation is that the galaxy is rotating with an axis of rotation not completely parallel to our sightline, but other interpretations are also possible. Nevertheless no redshifted object appears in red to the human eye, it's still white. But the {{w|Spectral line|spectral lines}} are shifted. This means all colors used in those scientific images are not real.<br />
<br />
The map [[Cueball]] shows represents election results. Red regions mark where one of the political parties won, while blue regions indicate another party. (Because Randall lives in the United States, blue most likely corresponds to the {{w|Democratic party (United States)|Democratic Party}}, and red to the {{w|Republican party (United States)|Republican Party}}, but this is not stated in the comic.) Cueball, however, analyzes the map as if it showed the magnitude of Doppler effect by the light emitted by the region. This is a very strange interpretation in the context of an election, and is not what the viewers would expect to hear. This is why Cueball was quickly fired from his job, as the caption states.<br />
<br />
The title text states that the {{w|Green Party of the United States|Green Party}} did not win any {{w|Precinct#Elections|precincts}}. If the Green Party won, its regions would likely be colored green, which would not fit to Cueball's Doppler effect analysis. Sometimes, however, green is used to indicate lack of movement. And since the center of rotating object isn't moving, green-colored spaces could actually be interpreted according to Doppler analysis - but only if they appeared near the center of the rotation.<br />
<br />
The map appears to depict {{w|Georgia's 6th congressional district}}, which was set for a {{w|Georgia's 6th congressional district special election, 2017|runoff election}} on June 20, 2017, the day after the comic ran. The map in the comic appears to be broadly similar to both the result maps of the primary ballot of April 18, 2017 [http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2017/04/23/from-red-to-purple-what-ossoffs-path-through-the-6th-district-means/img_7178/#main] and the result map of the runoff election.[https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/georgia-congressional-runoff-ossoff-handel] The April primary had included 5 Democratic candidates, 12 Republican candidates, and 2 independent candidates (who combined for less than 0.1% of the primary vote), with the top two finishers (who were a Democrat and a Republican) advancing to the runoff. The red-and-blue result maps were similar for the primary and runoff elections because the precincts where Democratic or Republican candidates predominated in the April vote also (generally speaking) tended to have the candidate of the same party lead the vote in June.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[On a TV-screen Cueball is seen pointing at a map on the left which is colored in red and blue. There is a header on the map and in the top right corner of the screen the title of the program is shown. Below this at the bottom of the screen text indicate that the program is broad live. Cueball explains the map, with his text shown above the TV.]<br />
:Header: Results<br />
:Title: ''Election'' Night<br />
:Live<br />
<br />
:Cueball: These northern precincts appear red, which probably means they're moving away from us, whereas these bluer regions are approaching us. I believe the district may be rotating in space.<br />
<br />
:[Caption below the panel:] <br />
:My career as an election analyst was short-lived.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*Cueball was fired from his job a number of times before. Many are listed in [[1428: Move Fast and Break Things]].<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Maps]]<br />
[[Category:Elections]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Astronomy]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1939:_2016_Election_Map&diff=1653811939: 2016 Election Map2018-11-02T21:27:50Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1939<br />
| date = January 8, 2018<br />
| title = 2016 Election Map<br />
| image = 2016_election_map.png<br />
| titletext = I like the idea of cartograms (distorted population maps), but I feel like in practice they often end up being the worst of both worlds—not great for showing geography OR counting people. And on top of that, they have all the problems of a chloro... chorophl... chloropet... map with areas colored in.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
*A [https://xkcd.com/1939/large/ larger version] of this image can be found by clicking the image at xkcd.com - the comic's page can also be accessed by clicking on the comic number above.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|The way the map was made, as explained in gray text is not yet discussed. Title text: Problem with the pronunciation of the word not mentioned as well as the other type of maps, cartograms (distorted population maps), has not been mentioned either. Also, the ref to these type of maps and the pronunciation problem should be below the main explanation of the map, as that is what is the typical way of the explanation of the title text. Also, this map is explicitly not either of those two types of map as they are no good for what they try to show, which is the entire point of the comic! Wikilinks could be added to the data on the counting table.}}<br />
<br />
A {{w|choropleth map}}, referenced in the title text, is a map that uses shading or colors to show information about a geographic area, such as a 'normal' election map that shows districts/states colored to the party that won them.<br />
<br />
The United States elects its president not directly by popular vote but by an Electoral College composed of a number of electors, partially proportional to population, from each state. Presently, a "winner-take-all" system is used in most states: the winner of the popular vote in each state receives all of the electoral votes for that state. Though, strictly speaking, the electors are not required to cast their ballots according to this system, many states impose penalties on them if they don't. Technically, the popular vote in each state is to elect a slate of electors who in turn elect the President.<br />
<br />
The news media commonly use maps to represent the progress or results of the election. Because of this winner-take-all system, states won by the Democratic candidate are typically portrayed in one color (blue is currently in wide use), and states won by the Republican candidate in another (currently red). In recent years, this distinction has gone far beyond electoral maps, and states are often referred to as "blue" or "red" by their political leaning in many contexts.<br />
<br />
A choropleth map has many shortcomings. For example, many large Western states have small populations and thus don't make much difference to the electoral vote count, but look like a broad swath of red or blue on the map. The map overall can have the appearance of being very red or very blue, suggesting to the eye an overwhelming victory, when in fact the election can be extremely close. Donald Trump has [http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/04/heres-the-electoral-map-president-trump-gave-reporters.html repeatedly] [https://twitter.com/TreyYingst/status/862669407868391424/photo/1 emphasized] how red the map appears, especially when broken down by county, even though he actually lost the popular vote. In a speech on June 21, 2017, he said, "And those maps, those electoral maps, they were all red. Beautiful red."<br />
<br />
In this cartoon, [[Randall]] seems to be pointing out the shortcomings of the choropleth map (or perhaps this overall red-state/blue-state mentality). His map shows more clearly the small impact of the low-population states, as well as how combination of the winner-take-all system with the typical election maps fails to show the sometimes large number of opposition votes in a given state. This map also combines all third-party or independent candidate into one type of marker (green), making it clear that a substantial number of votes went to these candidates.<br />
<br />
A similar map was actually used during the 2016 election [https://ig.ft.com/us-elections/results by the Financial Times] ([https://www.ft.com/content/3685bf9e-a4cc-11e6-8b69-02899e8bd9d1 discussed here]). It made similar use of colorless states for geographic information and color in proportion to population for electoral information. However, the FT map is based on the electoral college, not the popular vote. It in turn is similar to a 2013 map used [https://www.theguardian.com/world/datablog/interactive/2013/sep/06/australian-election-results-map by The Guardian] for the 2013 Australian election ([https://www.theguardian.com/world/datablog/2013/sep/06/better-election-results-map discussed here]). Other compromise maps of geographic and electoral information exist, such as maps of geographically accurate but re-scaled states: a 2016 election example [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ElectorScaledUS2016.svg is here], indirectly inspired by [https://www.vox.com/2015/8/19/9178979/united-states-population a similar vox.com map].<br />
<br />
Shortly after the election Randall made [[Sad_comics|several comics]] that could indicate his emotions regarding the result, but references to the election have become fewer and farther apart.<br />
<br />
With a stick figure representing 250,000 votes, Trump would have exactly 251.918544 stick figures and Clinton would have exactly 263.37844 stick figures according to the [https://splinternews.com/here-is-the-final-popular-vote-count-of-the-2016-electi-1793864349 final results]. The map shows 252 Trump stick figures and 264 Clinton stick figures, meaning Randall used ceiling rounding instead of conventional rounding, which would have shown Clinton with one fewer stick figure.<br />
<br />
===Table===<br />
{| class = "wikitable sortable"<br />
!State<br />
!Red<br />
!Blue<br />
!Green<br />
!Total<br />
|-<br />
| Alabama || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| || align="right"| 8<br />
|-<br />
| Alaska || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| || align="right"| 1<br />
|-<br />
| Arizona || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 10<br />
|-<br />
| Arkansas || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 5<br />
|-<br />
| California || align="right"| 18 || align="right"| 35 || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 58<br />
|-<br />
| Colorado || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 10<br />
|-<br />
| Connecticut || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| || align="right"| 5<br />
|-<br />
| Delaware || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| || align="right"| 4<br />
|-<br />
| Florida || align="right"| 19 || align="right"| 18 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 38<br />
|-<br />
| Georgia || align="right"| 8 || align="right"| 7 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 16<br />
|-<br />
| Hawaii || align="right"| || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 1<br />
|-<br />
| Idaho || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 3<br />
|-<br />
| Illinois || align="right"| 9 || align="right"| 13 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 23<br />
|-<br />
| Indiana || align="right"| 6 || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 11<br />
|-<br />
| Iowa || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 5<br />
|-<br />
| Kansas || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 5<br />
|-<br />
| Kentucky || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| || align="right"| 8<br />
|-<br />
| Louisiana || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| || align="right"| 8<br />
|-<br />
| Maine || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 3<br />
|-<br />
| Maryland || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 6 || align="right"| || align="right"| 8<br />
|-<br />
| Massachusetts || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 7 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 12<br />
|-<br />
| Michigan || align="right"| 9 || align="right"| 8 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 18<br />
|-<br />
| Minnesota || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 6 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 12<br />
|-<br />
| Mississippi || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 5<br />
|-<br />
| Missouri || align="right"| 6 || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 11<br />
|-<br />
| Montana || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 2<br />
|-<br />
| Nebraska || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 3<br />
|-<br />
| Nevada || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 4<br />
|-<br />
| New Hampshire || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 2<br />
|-<br />
| New Jersey || align="right"| 6 || align="right"| 9 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 16<br />
|-<br />
| New Mexico || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 3<br />
|-<br />
| New York || align="right"| 12 || align="right"| 20 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 34<br />
|-<br />
| North Carolina || align="right"| 10 || align="right"| 9 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 20<br />
|-<br />
| North Dakota || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| || align="right"| 1<br />
|-<br />
| Ohio || align="right"| 11 || align="right"| 9 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 21<br />
|-<br />
| Oklahoma || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 6<br />
|-<br />
| Oregon || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 8<br />
|-<br />
| Pennsylvania || align="right"| 12 || align="right"| 11 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 24<br />
|-<br />
| Rhode Island || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| || align="right"| 3<br />
|-<br />
| South Carolina || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 3 || align="right"| || align="right"| 8<br />
|-<br />
| South Dakota || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| || align="right"| 1<br />
|-<br />
| Tennessee || align="right"| 6 || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 11<br />
|-<br />
| Texas || align="right"| 19 || align="right"| 16 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 37<br />
|-<br />
| Utah || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 4<br />
|-<br />
| Vermont || align="right"| || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 1<br />
|-<br />
| Virginia || align="right"| 7 || align="right"| 8 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 16<br />
|-<br />
| Washington || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 7 || align="right"| 2 || align="right"| 14<br />
|-<br />
| Washington DC || align="right"| || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 1<br />
|-<br />
| West Virginia || align="right"| 4 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| 5<br />
|-<br />
| Wisconsin || align="right"| 6 || align="right"| 5 || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| 12<br />
|-<br />
| Wyoming || align="right"| 1 || align="right"| || align="right"| || align="right"| 1<br />
|-class="sortbottom"<br />
! Total || align="right"| 252 || align="right"| 264 || align="right"| 30 || align="right"| 546<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A map of the United States, with Hawaii and Alaska offset, is shown. Across the states red, blue and green Cueball like stick figure are scattered about, much more on each coast, and very few in the central parts, especially in the mid west. There are about the same amount of red and blue stick figures. There are not many green, but they are represented almost in any state with more than 10 stick figures. Above the map there is a large bold title. Below that there is a legend description explaining the red, blue and green Cueball stick figure with labels of who they represent next to them. Below this, in light gray text, are two lines of explanation of how the map was created:]<br />
:<big>'''2016 Election Map'''</big><br />
:Each figure represents 250,000 votes<br />
:[Red stick figure:] Trump<br />
:[Blue stick figure:] Clinton<br />
:[Green stick figure:] Other<br />
:<span style="color:gray">Votes are distributed by states as accurately as possible while keeping national totals correct.</span><br />
:<span style="color:gray">Location within each state is approximate.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Maps]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Election]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2067:_Challengers&diff=1653802067: Challengers2018-11-02T21:22:00Z<p>Sztupy: /* Punish */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2067<br />
| date = November 2, 2018<br />
| title = Challengers<br />
| image = challengers.png<br />
| titletext = Use your mouse or fingers to pan + zoom. To edit the map, submit your ballot on November 6.<br />
}}<br />
To see the full zoomable picture go to the [https://xkcd.com/2067/ original] comic page.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Let's figure out why the St Louis comic is important in the context of elections. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[File:challengers_loading_screen.png|thumb|200px|Loading screen]]<br />
This comic shows all challengers (people running in an election who are "challenging" the current office-holder, as well as those running in open seats where a change of party from the previous election would occur) to the {{w|United States elections, 2018|midterm elections}} hold on November 6, 2018. Many larger names provide a link to the homepage of the specific person, or an article about the election that candidate is participating in.<br />
<br />
The landmarks shown in gray are essentially links to Wikipedia pages containing coordinates. If they contain more than one coordinate then the first one is used, for example the {{w|List of the major 3000-meter summits of the United States}} page is shown in Alaska, and the {{w|xkcd}} page is linked near Boston, Massachussets.<br />
<br />
Since the map is large there's also a [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/challengers.png loading screen] present that can be seen while the map is loading.<br />
<br />
There are also a total of nine comics embedded into the map at various locations. They are all loaded when you zoom in enough into the map to the appropriate section. <br />
<br />
<imagemap><br />
Image:Challengers_Map.png|frame|center|Map of interesting features on the comic<br />
rect 179 176 138 129 [[#Carlymandering|Carlymandering]]<br />
rect 95 279 133 325 [[#Ballot Measures|Ballot Measures]]<br />
rect 171 421 208 467 [[#Polls|Polls]]<br />
rect 392 307 430 352 [[#Punish|Punish]]<br />
rect 403 488 441 533 [[#Attack_Ads|Attack Ads]]<br />
rect 510 307 547 351 [[#Scholten|Scholten]]<br />
rect 593 390 628 434 [[#St_Louis|St Louis]]<br />
rect 803 355 839 394 [[#House|House]]<br />
rect 837 436 799 395 [[#Spanberger|Spanberger]]<br />
rect 877 262 915 309 [[#Trivia|Link to xkcd's wikipage]]<br />
rect 141 597 177 644 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 472 527 511 576 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 672 478 710 525 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
desc top-right<br />
</imagemap><br />
<br />
===Attack Ads===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_abernathy_texas.png|thumb|200px|Attack Ads]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Lubbock, Texas'''<br />
: [Black Hat and Cueball are talking.]<br />
: Black Hat: Starting on November 7th, we're going to blanket the airwaves with attack ads.<br />
: Cueball: Isn't the election on November 6th?<br />
: Black Hat: Yeah, the advertising rates go way down after that.<br />
{{w|Attack ads}} are campaign advertising that usually attack the opponents' campaign instead of promoting one's own. The comic also refers to the fact that media outlets usually spike their advertising prices during the campaign, and it becomes cheaper afterwards. However there's usually no point in advertising afterwards for a campaign as the polling has already taken place. This may also be a callback to [[1130: Poll Watching]].<br />
<br />
Lubbock was the place where some [https://www.texastribune.org/2018/08/03/cruz-orourke-attack-ad-reelection-texas/ attack ads were shown] few months before the election. Texas is also notable as in 2008 during the Democratic Party primary one of the major candidates [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/us/politics/01campaign.html started featuring attack ads] aimed at the other major candidate Barack Obama, who later became President, causing controversy.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Ballot Measures===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_weed_california.png|thumb|200px|Ballot Measures]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Weed, California'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a piece of paper and talking to Megan.]<br />
: Cueball: Question #1 voids all 2018 ballot measures except itself.<br />
: Cueball: Question #2 retroactively lowers the threshold for passing ballot measures to 5%.<br />
: Cueball: Question #3 requires a re-vote on all failed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #4 requires a re-vote on all passed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #5 bans those annoying phone scammers, but also says that if an odd number of ballot measures pass, Christmas is canceled.<br />
: Cueball: Question #6 makes a "yes" count as a "no" on odd-numbered ballot measures.<br />
: Cueball: Question #7 does nothing but counts as a ballot measure passing.<br />
: Cueball: Question #8 says that-<br />
: Megan: I'm leaving these all blank and voting against whoever approves ballot measures.<br />
<br />
In California during this election apart from the nationwide election there will be also be [https://ballotpedia.org/California_2018_ballot_propositions 12 extra propositions] for the voters to vote on. Sometimes propositions also include changing how voting should be done in subsequent elections. [https://www.vox.com/2016/6/23/11979522/brexit-ballot There are people] who believe proposals on US ballots are asked in a very convoluted way, and could be made simpler.<br />
<br />
In this comic a lot of the proposals sound complex and self-referential as well, therefore Megan just says that she doesn't wish to vote to any of them, and would actually like to ban people creating ballot papers like this. Not voting might also refer to the scenario where people believe none of the choices during an election are good, and instead vote to no-one or deface their ballot papers in protest.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Carlymandering===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_seattle_washington.png|thumb|200px|Carlymandering]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Bellingham, Washington'''<br />
: [Cueball holds a presentation to a group of people including White Hat and Hairbun sitting at an office desk. The presentation shows a map of a district.]<br />
: Cueball: Under my new Carlymandering plan, we'll create five red districts, five blue districts, and one district which contains only Carly Rae Jepsen.<br />
: Hairbun: That seems fair.<br />
<br />
This refers to {{w|Gerrymandering}}, a tactic used to re-shape voting district boundaries to make sure one candidate prevails over the other. The name is conflated with {{w|Carly Rae Jepsen}}, a Canadian singer, whose latest single released only a day before the comic was published is called "{{w|Party for One}}". Although the song is about partying (e.g. going out) alone, the joke is that it can also mean a one person political party, and she'll have a full Gerrymandered district where she is the only person living.<br />
<br />
Carly lives in Vancouver, which is just on the other side of the US border in Canada. The comic is placed in Whatcom County which is notable for {{w|Point Roberts}} a peninsula which, although part of Washington state is actually an exclave of the US, as it's surrounded by sea from three sides, and has only a land border with Vancouver, Canada from the fourth side. The comic might refer to the fact that Carly could solely live in this exclave. However since she is not a US citizen she can neither vote nor be elected in US elections.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===House===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_washington_dc.png|thumb|200px|House]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Washington, DC'''<br />
: [Cueball is standing in the middle of Washington, DC]<br />
: Cueball: I can see my House from here!<br />
<br />
Comic is probably referencing the {{w|White House}}, the residence of the President, located in Washington, DC. This could also refer to the {{w|United States Capitol|Capitol Building}}, the home of the {{w|United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives}}, also located in Washington, DC.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Polls===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_primm_nevada.png|thumb|200px|Polls]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Primm, Nevada'''<br />
: [A group of five people are standing]<br />
: Blondie: Remember: The only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. And the ones that help campaigns allocate resources. And the ones that drive media coverage and the ones that inform us all about what our fellow members of the public believe. And the ones that...<br />
<br />
During campaign there are usually polling done by survey companies to determine each candidate's chances of winning. This comic refers to the fact that usually the candidate that is behind in the polls usually tells their electorate that these polls don't matter, as they are just surveys and not the actual final result. This is usually to encourage their voter base that it's still worth voting for them. The joke here is that Blondie doesn't finish here but tells the electorate that other polls are actually also important.<br />
<br />
Nevada is one of the states where there is [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign-polls/414083-poll-dems-hold-slim-leads-in-arizona-and-nevada-senate-races only a slim difference] between the candidates based on polls hence the need for each candidate to rally their supporters and make sure everyone is voting.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Punish===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_chadron_nebraska.png|thumb|200px|Punish]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Chadron, Nebraska'''<br />
: [Megan is standing at a podium with her arm raised]<br />
: Megan: If elected, I vow to find and punish the voters responsible.<br />
<br />
Often candidates make promises of things they will do when they are elected. Vowing to find and punishing people responsible for a certain action, oftentimes criminals, is also common. However, these two things are conflated here to ludicrous effect.<br />
<br />
Putting this comic into Nebraska might refer to the fact that in [https://ballotpedia.org/Nebraska_Death_Penalty_Repeal,_Referendum_426_(2016) 2016 Nebraska voted to repeal the death penalty ban], allowing the reinstatement of the death penalty, also called capital punishment, in the state.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Scholten===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_storm_lake_iowa.png|thumb|200px|Scholten]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Storm Lake, Iowa'''<br />
: Cueball: The midterms are so stressful.<br />
: Megan: I just hope J.D. Scholten wins.<br />
: Cueball: Why?<br />
: Megan: Google Steve King.<br />
: [Cueball looking at his phone]<br />
: Cueball: Yikes.<br />
<br />
J.D. Scholten is a Democratic candidate for Iowa's 4th Congressional District. {{w|Steve King}} is a Republican representative who has stirred controversy due his endorsement of candidates, in other countries, who were members of parties with white supremacist ties.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Spanberger===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_richmond_virginia.png|thumb|200px|Spanberger]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Richmond, Virginia'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a sign that says: Abigail Spanberger for Congress]<br />
<br />
Abigail Spanberger is a candidate running for Congress in Virginia's 7th district, which includes Richmond. Based on polls she has a chance to beat her opponent, and could be the first Democrat in her district after 50 years of Republican control. Cueball probably tries to encourage people to vote for her on election day.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===St Louis===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_saint_louis_missouri.png|thumb|200px|St Louis]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Saint Louis, Missouri'''<br />
: [Two people next to the Gateway Arch are talking]<br />
: Cueball: Ah, Saint Louis. Home of America's largest... Whatever that thing is.<br />
<br />
Saint Louis, Missouri is the location of the {{w|Gateway Arch}}, the largest arch in the United States. (It's also one of the most recognizable arches in Saint Louis, according to [[1368: One Of The]].) Since in this comic they are next to the side of the arch, it is possible its sheer size stops them from determining what it is, although they should probably know.<br />
<br />
The area surrounding the Arch was known as Jefferson National Expansion Memorial until February 2018, when it was renamed to Gateway Arch National Park.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Title text===<br />
The title text shows the hint that the reader can zoom in and move over all US-States revealing many details can't be seen at the overall view. Furthermore [[Randall]] does a call to vote: he requests people to take an active part in the elections to change that picture.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A loading screen appears shortly before the large picture has rendered. We can see an American flag in an oval badge with the text:]<br />
:I voted<br />
:[And beneath a text saying:]<br />
:Loading...<br />
<br />
:2018 Midterm<br />
:'''Challengers'''<br />
:The bigger the candidate's name, the higher the office and the better their chances of success.<br />
<br />
:[In a frame a zoomable map shows all US-States (Alaska and Hawaii are shown in the left lower corner.) The candidates are shown colored mainly in red and blue at different sizes. Each state has many landmarks shown in gray. There are also many comics embedded into the picture.]<br />
<br />
:By Randall Monroe, Kelsey Harris, and Max Goodman<br />
<br />
:Landmarks from Wikipedia. Success odds estimated from district voting history, special election<br />
:results, and seat ratings. Thank you to Dailykos Elections for their spreadsheets, shapefiles, election<br />
:ratings, and advice, and to @davidshor, @charlotteeffect, and @thedlcc for additional candidate data.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The comic [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header|header]] had changed to:<br />
:''Find out where to vote: [https://www.vote.org/ Vote.org]''<br />
:''See what's on your ballot: [https://www.ballotready.org/ BallotReady.org]''<br />
:This happened on the day this comic came out, as it up till [http://web.archive.org/web/20181101081612/https://xkcd.com/ the day before], had been a different reminder of the election only with the vote.org link.<br />
*The interactive picture did not work in many browsers when using the link ''[https://www.xkcd.com www.xkcd.com]'', only the short ''[https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]'' worked properly because the page used an absolute link to a file ''[https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json]'' at the domain ''<nowiki>xkcd.com</nowiki>'' which is not allowed from ''<nowiki>www.xkcd.com</nowiki>'' according to {{w|Cross-origin resource sharing}}. This was later fixed by using a relative link only working inside the called domain.<br />
* The internal comics have a kind of "comic" inside the [https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json] file that contains all of the details shown on the map. All other locations, including politicians and landmarks inside the map-data.json have a kind of "label"<br />
* There are a total of<br />
** 9 subcomics<br />
** 17,643 labels, including:<br />
*** 13,339 landmarks (gray)<br />
*** 2,845 Democratic candidates (blue)<br />
*** 1,456 Republican candidates (red)<br />
*** 3 independent candidates (green)<br />
* The three independent candidates are:<br />
** Alaska Congress candidate Alyse Galvin<br />
** Texas State House District 101 candidate James Allen<br />
** Alabama State Senate District 10 candidate Craig Ford <br />
* The largest names on the map (based on font size) are:<br />
** Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor candidate for New Mexico (7.187)<br />
** Beto O'Rourke, Texan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Matt Rosendale, Montanan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Gretchen Whitmer, Governor candidate for Michigan (6.48)<br />
* There's a landmark label called "xkcd" near Boston, Massachusetts<br />
* Randall seems to have collected the Wikipedia links from an older copy of Wikipedia, as some links are to old article titles. For example, in Cupertino, California, "Apple Campus 2" is shown instead of "Apple Park", even though that article was moved to its current title in February 2017.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Elections]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2067:_Challengers&diff=1653792067: Challengers2018-11-02T21:18:24Z<p>Sztupy: /* St Louis */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2067<br />
| date = November 2, 2018<br />
| title = Challengers<br />
| image = challengers.png<br />
| titletext = Use your mouse or fingers to pan + zoom. To edit the map, submit your ballot on November 6.<br />
}}<br />
To see the full zoomable picture go to the [https://xkcd.com/2067/ original] comic page.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Let's figure out why the St Louis comic is important in the context of elections. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[File:challengers_loading_screen.png|thumb|200px|Loading screen]]<br />
This comic shows all challengers (people running in an election who are "challenging" the current office-holder, as well as those running in open seats where a change of party from the previous election would occur) to the {{w|United States elections, 2018|midterm elections}} hold on November 6, 2018. Many larger names provide a link to the homepage of the specific person, or an article about the election that candidate is participating in.<br />
<br />
The landmarks shown in gray are essentially links to Wikipedia pages containing coordinates. If they contain more than one coordinate then the first one is used, for example the {{w|List of the major 3000-meter summits of the United States}} page is shown in Alaska, and the {{w|xkcd}} page is linked near Boston, Massachussets.<br />
<br />
Since the map is large there's also a [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/challengers.png loading screen] present that can be seen while the map is loading.<br />
<br />
There are also a total of nine comics embedded into the map at various locations. They are all loaded when you zoom in enough into the map to the appropriate section. <br />
<br />
<imagemap><br />
Image:Challengers_Map.png|frame|center|Map of interesting features on the comic<br />
rect 179 176 138 129 [[#Carlymandering|Carlymandering]]<br />
rect 95 279 133 325 [[#Ballot Measures|Ballot Measures]]<br />
rect 171 421 208 467 [[#Polls|Polls]]<br />
rect 392 307 430 352 [[#Punish|Punish]]<br />
rect 403 488 441 533 [[#Attack_Ads|Attack Ads]]<br />
rect 510 307 547 351 [[#Scholten|Scholten]]<br />
rect 593 390 628 434 [[#St_Louis|St Louis]]<br />
rect 803 355 839 394 [[#House|House]]<br />
rect 837 436 799 395 [[#Spanberger|Spanberger]]<br />
rect 877 262 915 309 [[#Trivia|Link to xkcd's wikipage]]<br />
rect 141 597 177 644 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 472 527 511 576 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 672 478 710 525 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
desc top-right<br />
</imagemap><br />
<br />
===Attack Ads===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_abernathy_texas.png|thumb|200px|Attack Ads]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Lubbock, Texas'''<br />
: [Black Hat and Cueball are talking.]<br />
: Black Hat: Starting on November 7th, we're going to blanket the airwaves with attack ads.<br />
: Cueball: Isn't the election on November 6th?<br />
: Black Hat: Yeah, the advertising rates go way down after that.<br />
{{w|Attack ads}} are campaign advertising that usually attack the opponents' campaign instead of promoting one's own. The comic also refers to the fact that media outlets usually spike their advertising prices during the campaign, and it becomes cheaper afterwards. However there's usually no point in advertising afterwards for a campaign as the polling has already taken place. This may also be a callback to [[1130: Poll Watching]].<br />
<br />
Lubbock was the place where some [https://www.texastribune.org/2018/08/03/cruz-orourke-attack-ad-reelection-texas/ attack ads were shown] few months before the election. Texas is also notable as in 2008 during the Democratic Party primary one of the major candidates [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/us/politics/01campaign.html started featuring attack ads] aimed at the other major candidate Barack Obama, who later became President, causing controversy.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Ballot Measures===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_weed_california.png|thumb|200px|Ballot Measures]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Weed, California'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a piece of paper and talking to Megan.]<br />
: Cueball: Question #1 voids all 2018 ballot measures except itself.<br />
: Cueball: Question #2 retroactively lowers the threshold for passing ballot measures to 5%.<br />
: Cueball: Question #3 requires a re-vote on all failed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #4 requires a re-vote on all passed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #5 bans those annoying phone scammers, but also says that if an odd number of ballot measures pass, Christmas is canceled.<br />
: Cueball: Question #6 makes a "yes" count as a "no" on odd-numbered ballot measures.<br />
: Cueball: Question #7 does nothing but counts as a ballot measure passing.<br />
: Cueball: Question #8 says that-<br />
: Megan: I'm leaving these all blank and voting against whoever approves ballot measures.<br />
<br />
In California during this election apart from the nationwide election there will be also be [https://ballotpedia.org/California_2018_ballot_propositions 12 extra propositions] for the voters to vote on. Sometimes propositions also include changing how voting should be done in subsequent elections. [https://www.vox.com/2016/6/23/11979522/brexit-ballot There are people] who believe proposals on US ballots are asked in a very convoluted way, and could be made simpler.<br />
<br />
In this comic a lot of the proposals sound complex and self-referential as well, therefore Megan just says that she doesn't wish to vote to any of them, and would actually like to ban people creating ballot papers like this. Not voting might also refer to the scenario where people believe none of the choices during an election are good, and instead vote to no-one or deface their ballot papers in protest.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Carlymandering===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_seattle_washington.png|thumb|200px|Carlymandering]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Bellingham, Washington'''<br />
: [Cueball holds a presentation to a group of people including White Hat and Hairbun sitting at an office desk. The presentation shows a map of a district.]<br />
: Cueball: Under my new Carlymandering plan, we'll create five red districts, five blue districts, and one district which contains only Carly Rae Jepsen.<br />
: Hairbun: That seems fair.<br />
<br />
This refers to {{w|Gerrymandering}}, a tactic used to re-shape voting district boundaries to make sure one candidate prevails over the other. The name is conflated with {{w|Carly Rae Jepsen}}, a Canadian singer, whose latest single released only a day before the comic was published is called "{{w|Party for One}}". Although the song is about partying (e.g. going out) alone, the joke is that it can also mean a one person political party, and she'll have a full Gerrymandered district where she is the only person living.<br />
<br />
Carly lives in Vancouver, which is just on the other side of the US border in Canada. The comic is placed in Whatcom County which is notable for {{w|Point Roberts}} a peninsula which, although part of Washington state is actually an exclave of the US, as it's surrounded by sea from three sides, and has only a land border with Vancouver, Canada from the fourth side. The comic might refer to the fact that Carly could solely live in this exclave. However since she is not a US citizen she can neither vote nor be elected in US elections.<br />
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<br />
===House===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_washington_dc.png|thumb|200px|House]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Washington, DC'''<br />
: [Cueball is standing in the middle of Washington, DC]<br />
: Cueball: I can see my House from here!<br />
<br />
Comic is probably referencing the {{w|White House}}, the residence of the President, located in Washington, DC. This could also refer to the {{w|United States Capitol|Capitol Building}}, the home of the {{w|United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives}}, also located in Washington, DC.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Polls===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_primm_nevada.png|thumb|200px|Polls]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Primm, Nevada'''<br />
: [A group of five people are standing]<br />
: Blondie: Remember: The only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. And the ones that help campaigns allocate resources. And the ones that drive media coverage and the ones that inform us all about what our fellow members of the public believe. And the ones that...<br />
<br />
During campaign there are usually polling done by survey companies to determine each candidate's chances of winning. This comic refers to the fact that usually the candidate that is behind in the polls usually tells their electorate that these polls don't matter, as they are just surveys and not the actual final result. This is usually to encourage their voter base that it's still worth voting for them. The joke here is that Blondie doesn't finish here but tells the electorate that other polls are actually also important.<br />
<br />
Nevada is one of the states where there is [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign-polls/414083-poll-dems-hold-slim-leads-in-arizona-and-nevada-senate-races only a slim difference] between the candidates based on polls hence the need for each candidate to rally their supporters and make sure everyone is voting.<br />
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<br />
===Punish===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_chadron_nebraska.png|thumb|200px|Punish]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Chadron, Nebraska'''<br />
: [Megan is standing at a podium with her arm raised]<br />
: Megan: If elected, I vow to find and punish the voters responsible.<br />
<br />
Often candidates make promises of things they will do when they are elected. Vowing to find and punishing people responsible for a certain action, oftentimes criminals, is also common. However, these two things are conflated here to ludicrous effect.<br />
<br />
Putting this comic into Nebraska might refer to the fact that in [https://ballotpedia.org/Nebraska_Death_Penalty_Repeal,_Referendum_426_(2016) 2016 Nebraska voted to repeal the death penalty ban], allowing the reinstatement of the death penalty in the state.<br />
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<br />
===Scholten===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_storm_lake_iowa.png|thumb|200px|Scholten]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Storm Lake, Iowa'''<br />
: Cueball: The midterms are so stressful.<br />
: Megan: I just hope J.D. Scholten wins.<br />
: Cueball: Why?<br />
: Megan: Google Steve King.<br />
: [Cueball looking at his phone]<br />
: Cueball: Yikes.<br />
<br />
J.D. Scholten is a Democratic candidate for Iowa's 4th Congressional District. {{w|Steve King}} is a Republican representative who has stirred controversy due his endorsement of candidates, in other countries, who were members of parties with white supremacist ties.<br />
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<br />
===Spanberger===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_richmond_virginia.png|thumb|200px|Spanberger]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Richmond, Virginia'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a sign that says: Abigail Spanberger for Congress]<br />
<br />
Abigail Spanberger is a candidate running for Congress in Virginia's 7th district, which includes Richmond. Based on polls she has a chance to beat her opponent, and could be the first Democrat in her district after 50 years of Republican control. Cueball probably tries to encourage people to vote for her on election day.<br />
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<br />
===St Louis===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_saint_louis_missouri.png|thumb|200px|St Louis]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Saint Louis, Missouri'''<br />
: [Two people next to the Gateway Arch are talking]<br />
: Cueball: Ah, Saint Louis. Home of America's largest... Whatever that thing is.<br />
<br />
Saint Louis, Missouri is the location of the {{w|Gateway Arch}}, the largest arch in the United States. (It's also one of the most recognizable arches in Saint Louis, according to [[1368: One Of The]].) Since in this comic they are next to the side of the arch, it is possible its sheer size stops them from determining what it is, although they should probably know.<br />
<br />
The area surrounding the Arch was known as Jefferson National Expansion Memorial until February 2018, when it was renamed to Gateway Arch National Park.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Title text===<br />
The title text shows the hint that the reader can zoom in and move over all US-States revealing many details can't be seen at the overall view. Furthermore [[Randall]] does a call to vote: he requests people to take an active part in the elections to change that picture.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A loading screen appears shortly before the large picture has rendered. We can see an American flag in an oval badge with the text:]<br />
:I voted<br />
:[And beneath a text saying:]<br />
:Loading...<br />
<br />
:2018 Midterm<br />
:'''Challengers'''<br />
:The bigger the candidate's name, the higher the office and the better their chances of success.<br />
<br />
:[In a frame a zoomable map shows all US-States (Alaska and Hawaii are shown in the left lower corner.) The candidates are shown colored mainly in red and blue at different sizes. Each state has many landmarks shown in gray. There are also many comics embedded into the picture.]<br />
<br />
:By Randall Monroe, Kelsey Harris, and Max Goodman<br />
<br />
:Landmarks from Wikipedia. Success odds estimated from district voting history, special election<br />
:results, and seat ratings. Thank you to Dailykos Elections for their spreadsheets, shapefiles, election<br />
:ratings, and advice, and to @davidshor, @charlotteeffect, and @thedlcc for additional candidate data.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The comic [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header|header]] had changed to:<br />
:''Find out where to vote: [https://www.vote.org/ Vote.org]''<br />
:''See what's on your ballot: [https://www.ballotready.org/ BallotReady.org]''<br />
:This happened on the day this comic came out, as it up till [http://web.archive.org/web/20181101081612/https://xkcd.com/ the day before], had been a different reminder of the election only with the vote.org link.<br />
*The interactive picture did not work in many browsers when using the link ''[https://www.xkcd.com www.xkcd.com]'', only the short ''[https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]'' worked properly because the page used an absolute link to a file ''[https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json]'' at the domain ''<nowiki>xkcd.com</nowiki>'' which is not allowed from ''<nowiki>www.xkcd.com</nowiki>'' according to {{w|Cross-origin resource sharing}}. This was later fixed by using a relative link only working inside the called domain.<br />
* The internal comics have a kind of "comic" inside the [https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json] file that contains all of the details shown on the map. All other locations, including politicians and landmarks inside the map-data.json have a kind of "label"<br />
* There are a total of<br />
** 9 subcomics<br />
** 17,643 labels, including:<br />
*** 13,339 landmarks (gray)<br />
*** 2,845 Democratic candidates (blue)<br />
*** 1,456 Republican candidates (red)<br />
*** 3 independent candidates (green)<br />
* The three independent candidates are:<br />
** Alaska Congress candidate Alyse Galvin<br />
** Texas State House District 101 candidate James Allen<br />
** Alabama State Senate District 10 candidate Craig Ford <br />
* The largest names on the map (based on font size) are:<br />
** Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor candidate for New Mexico (7.187)<br />
** Beto O'Rourke, Texan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Matt Rosendale, Montanan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Gretchen Whitmer, Governor candidate for Michigan (6.48)<br />
* There's a landmark label called "xkcd" near Boston, Massachusetts<br />
* Randall seems to have collected the Wikipedia links from an older copy of Wikipedia, as some links are to old article titles. For example, in Cupertino, California, "Apple Campus 2" is shown instead of "Apple Park", even though that article was moved to its current title in February 2017.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Elections]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2067:_Challengers&diff=1653762067: Challengers2018-11-02T20:59:59Z<p>Sztupy: Need some explanation on the st louis comic</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2067<br />
| date = November 2, 2018<br />
| title = Challengers<br />
| image = challengers.png<br />
| titletext = Use your mouse or fingers to pan + zoom. To edit the map, submit your ballot on November 6.<br />
}}<br />
To see the full zoomable picture go to the [https://xkcd.com/2067/ original] comic page.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Let's figure out why the St Louis comic is important in the context of elections. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[File:challengers_loading_screen.png|thumb|200px|Loading screen]]<br />
This comic shows all challengers (people running in an election who are "challenging" the current office-holder, as well as those running in open seats where a change of party from the previous election would occur) to the {{w|United States elections, 2018|midterm elections}} hold on November 6, 2018. Many larger names provide a link to the homepage of the specific person, or an article about the election that candidate is participating in.<br />
<br />
The landmarks shown in gray are essentially links to Wikipedia pages containing coordinates. If they contain more than one coordinate then the first one is used, for example the {{w|List of the major 3000-meter summits of the United States}} page is shown in Alaska, and the {{w|xkcd}} page is linked near Boston, Massachussets.<br />
<br />
Since the map is large there's also a [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/challengers.png loading screen] present that can be seen while the map is loading.<br />
<br />
There are also a total of nine comics embedded into the map at various locations. They are all loaded when you zoom in enough into the map to the appropriate section. <br />
<br />
<imagemap><br />
Image:Challengers_Map.png|frame|center|Map of interesting features on the comic<br />
rect 179 176 138 129 [[#Carlymandering|Carlymandering]]<br />
rect 95 279 133 325 [[#Ballot Measures|Ballot Measures]]<br />
rect 171 421 208 467 [[#Polls|Polls]]<br />
rect 392 307 430 352 [[#Punish|Punish]]<br />
rect 403 488 441 533 [[#Attack_Ads|Attack Ads]]<br />
rect 510 307 547 351 [[#Scholten|Scholten]]<br />
rect 593 390 628 434 [[#St_Louis|St Louis]]<br />
rect 803 355 839 394 [[#House|House]]<br />
rect 837 436 799 395 [[#Spanberger|Spanberger]]<br />
rect 877 262 915 309 [[#Trivia|Link to xkcd's wikipage]]<br />
rect 141 597 177 644 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 472 527 511 576 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 672 478 710 525 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
desc top-right<br />
</imagemap><br />
<br />
===Attack Ads===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_abernathy_texas.png|thumb|200px|Attack Ads]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Lubbock, Texas'''<br />
: [Black Hat and Cueball are talking.]<br />
: Black Hat: Starting on November 7th, we're going to blanket the airwaves with attack ads.<br />
: Cueball: Isn't the election on November 6th?<br />
: Black Hat: Yeah, the advertising rates go way down after that.<br />
{{w|Attack ads}} are campaign advertising that usually attack the opponents' campaign instead of promoting one's own. The comic also refers to the fact that media outlets usually spike their advertising prices during the campaign, and it becomes cheaper afterwards. However there's usually no point in advertising afterwards for a campaign as the polling has already taken place. This may also be a callback to [[1130: Poll Watching]].<br />
<br />
Lubbock was the place where some [https://www.texastribune.org/2018/08/03/cruz-orourke-attack-ad-reelection-texas/ attack ads were shown] few months before the election. Texas is also notable as in 2008 during the Democratic Party primary one of the major candidates [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/us/politics/01campaign.html started featuring attack ads] aimed at the other major candidate Barack Obama, who later became President, causing controversy.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Ballot Measures===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_weed_california.png|thumb|200px|Ballot Measures]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Weed, California'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a piece of paper and talking to Megan.]<br />
: Cueball: Question #1 voids all 2018 ballot measures except itself.<br />
: Cueball: Question #2 retroactively lowers the threshold for passing ballot measures to 5%.<br />
: Cueball: Question #3 requires a re-vote on all failed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #4 requires a re-vote on all passed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #5 bans those annoying phone scammers, but also says that if an odd number of ballot measures pass, Christmas is canceled.<br />
: Cueball: Question #6 makes a "yes" count as a "no" on odd-numbered ballot measures.<br />
: Cueball: Question #7 does nothing but counts as a ballot measure passing.<br />
: Cueball: Question #8 says that-<br />
: Megan: I'm leaving these all blank and voting against whoever approves ballot measures.<br />
<br />
In California during this election apart from the nationwide election there will be also be [https://ballotpedia.org/California_2018_ballot_propositions 12 extra propositions] for the voters to vote on. Sometimes propositions also include changing how voting should be done in subsequent elections. [https://www.vox.com/2016/6/23/11979522/brexit-ballot There are people] who believe proposals on US ballots are asked in a very convoluted way, and could be made simpler.<br />
<br />
In this comic a lot of the proposals sound complex and self-referential as well, therefore Megan just says that she doesn't wish to vote to any of them, and would actually like to ban people creating ballot papers like this. Not voting might also refer to the scenario where people believe none of the choices during an election are good, and instead vote to no-one or deface their ballot papers in protest.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Carlymandering===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_seattle_washington.png|thumb|200px|Carlymandering]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Bellingham, Washington'''<br />
: [Cueball holds a presentation to a group of people including White Hat and Hairbun sitting at an office desk. The presentation shows a map of a district.]<br />
: Cueball: Under my new Carlymandering plan, we'll create five red districts, five blue districts, and one district which contains only Carly Rae Jepsen.<br />
: Hairbun: That seems fair.<br />
<br />
This refers to {{w|Gerrymandering}}, a tactic used to re-shape voting district boundaries to make sure one candidate prevails over the other. The name is conflated with {{w|Carly Rae Jepsen}}, a Canadian singer, whose latest single released only a day before the comic was published is called "{{w|Party for One}}". Although the song is about partying (e.g. going out) alone, the joke is that it can also mean a one person political party, and she'll have a full Gerrymandered district where she is the only person living.<br />
<br />
Carly lives in Vancouver, which is just on the other side of the US border in Canada. The comic is placed in Whatcom County which is notable for {{w|Point Roberts}} a peninsula which, although part of Washington state is actually an exclave of the US, as it's surrounded by sea from three sides, and has only a land border with Vancouver, Canada from the fourth side. The comic might refer to the fact that Carly could solely live in this exclave. However since she is not a US citizen she can neither vote nor be elected in US elections.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===House===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_washington_dc.png|thumb|200px|House]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Washington, DC'''<br />
: [Cueball is standing in the middle of Washington, DC]<br />
: Cueball: I can see my House from here!<br />
<br />
Comic is probably referencing the {{w|White House}}, the residence of the President, located in Washington, DC. This could also refer to the {{w|United States Capitol|Capitol Building}}, the home of the {{w|United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives}}, also located in Washington, DC.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Polls===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_primm_nevada.png|thumb|200px|Polls]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Primm, Nevada'''<br />
: [A group of five people are standing]<br />
: Blondie: Remember: The only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. And the ones that help campaigns allocate resources. And the ones that drive media coverage and the ones that inform us all about what our fellow members of the public believe. And the ones that...<br />
<br />
During campaign there are usually polling done by survey companies to determine each candidate's chances of winning. This comic refers to the fact that usually the candidate that is behind in the polls usually tells their electorate that these polls don't matter, as they are just surveys and not the actual final result. This is usually to encourage their voter base that it's still worth voting for them. The joke here is that Blondie doesn't finish here but tells the electorate that other polls are actually also important.<br />
<br />
Nevada is one of the states where there is [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign-polls/414083-poll-dems-hold-slim-leads-in-arizona-and-nevada-senate-races only a slim difference] between the candidates based on polls hence the need for each candidate to rally their supporters and make sure everyone is voting.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Punish===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_chadron_nebraska.png|thumb|200px|Punish]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Chadron, Nebraska'''<br />
: [Megan is standing at a podium with her arm raised]<br />
: Megan: If elected, I vow to find and punish the voters responsible.<br />
<br />
Often candidates make promises of things they will do when they are elected. Vowing to find and punishing people responsible for a certain action, oftentimes criminals, is also common. However, these two things are conflated here to ludicrous effect.<br />
<br />
Putting this comic into Nebraska might refer to the fact that in [https://ballotpedia.org/Nebraska_Death_Penalty_Repeal,_Referendum_426_(2016) 2016 Nebraska voted to repeal the death penalty ban], allowing the reinstatement of the death penalty in the state.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Scholten===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_storm_lake_iowa.png|thumb|200px|Scholten]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Storm Lake, Iowa'''<br />
: Cueball: The midterms are so stressful.<br />
: Megan: I just hope J.D. Scholten wins.<br />
: Cueball: Why?<br />
: Megan: Google Steve King.<br />
: [Cueball looking at his phone]<br />
: Cueball: Yikes.<br />
<br />
J.D. Scholten is a Democratic candidate for Iowa's 4th Congressional District. {{w|Steve King}} is a Republican representative who has stirred controversy due his endorsement of candidates, in other countries, who were members of parties with white supremacist ties.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Spanberger===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_richmond_virginia.png|thumb|200px|Spanberger]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Richmond, Virginia'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a sign that says: Abigail Spanberger for Congress]<br />
<br />
Abigail Spanberger is a candidate running for Congress in Virginia's 7th district, which includes Richmond. Based on polls she has a chance to beat her opponent, and could be the first Democrat in her district after 50 years of Republican control. Cueball probably tries to encourage people to vote for her on election day.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===St Louis===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_saint_louis_missouri.png|thumb|200px|St Louis]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Saint Louis, Missouri'''<br />
: [Two people next to the Gateway Arch are talking]<br />
: Cueball: Ah, Saint Louis. Home of America's largest... Whatever that thing is.<br />
<br />
Saint Louis, Missouri is the location of the {{w|Gateway Arch}}, the largest arch in the United States. (It's also one of the most recognizable arches in Saint Louis, according to [[1368: One Of The]].) Since in this comic they are next to the side of the arch, it is possible its sheer size stops them from determining what it is, although they should probably know.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Title text===<br />
The title text shows the hint that the reader can zoom in and move over all US-States revealing many details can't be seen at the overall view. Furthermore [[Randall]] does a call to vote: he requests people to take an active part in the elections to change that picture.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A loading screen appears shortly before the large picture has rendered. We can see an American flag in an oval badge with the text:]<br />
:I voted<br />
:[And beneath a text saying:]<br />
:Loading...<br />
<br />
:2018 Midterm<br />
:'''Challengers'''<br />
:The bigger the candidate's name, the higher the office and the better their chances of success.<br />
<br />
:[In a frame a zoomable map shows all US-States (Alaska and Hawaii are shown in the left lower corner.) The candidates are shown colored mainly in red and blue at different sizes. Each state has many landmarks shown in gray. There are also many comics embedded into the picture.]<br />
<br />
:By Randall Monroe, Kelsey Harris, and Max Goodman<br />
<br />
:Landmarks from Wikipedia. Success odds estimated from district voting history, special election<br />
:results, and seat ratings. Thank you to Dailykos Elections for their spreadsheets, shaplefiles election<br />
:ratings, and advice, and to @davidshor, @charlotteeffect, and @thedlcc for additional candidate data.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The comic [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header|header]] had changed to:<br />
:''Find out where to vote: [https://www.vote.org/ Vote.org]''<br />
:''See what's on your ballot: [https://www.ballotready.org/ BallotReady.org]''<br />
:This happened on the day this comic came out, as it up till [http://web.archive.org/web/20181101081612/https://xkcd.com/ the day before], had been a different reminder of the election only with the vote.org link.<br />
*The interactive picture did not work in many browsers when using the link ''[https://www.xkcd.com www.xkcd.com]'', only the short ''[https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]'' worked properly because the page used an absolute link to a file ''[https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json]'' at the domain ''<nowiki>xkcd.com</nowiki>'' which is not allowed from ''<nowiki>www.xkcd.com</nowiki>'' according to {{w|Cross-origin resource sharing}}. This was later fixed by using a relative link only working inside the called domain.<br />
* The internal comics have a kind of "comic" inside the [https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json] file that contains all of the details shown on the map. All other locations, including politicians and landmarks inside the map-data.json have a kind of "label"<br />
* There are a total of<br />
** 9 subcomics<br />
** 17,643 labels, including:<br />
*** 13,339 landmarks (gray)<br />
*** 2,845 Democratic candidates (blue)<br />
*** 1,456 Republican candidates (red)<br />
*** 3 independent candidates (green)<br />
* The three independent candidates are:<br />
** Alaska Congress candidate Alyse Galvin<br />
** Texas State House District 101 candidate James Allen<br />
** Alabama State Senate District 10 candidate Craig Ford <br />
* The largest names on the map (based on font size) are:<br />
** Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor candidate for New Mexico (7.187)<br />
** Beto O'Rourke, Texan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Matt Rosendale, Montanan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Gretchen Whitmer, Governor candidate for Michigan (6.48)<br />
* There's a landmark label called "xkcd" near Boston, Massachusetts<br />
* Randall seems to have collected the Wikipedia links from an older copy of Wikipedia, as some links are to old article titles. For example, in Cupertino, California, "Apple Campus 2" is shown instead of "Apple Park", even though that article was moved to its current title in February 2017.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Elections]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2067:_Challengers&diff=1653752067: Challengers2018-11-02T20:58:57Z<p>Sztupy: Added notes on why Lubbock contains the attack ad comic</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2067<br />
| date = November 2, 2018<br />
| title = Challengers<br />
| image = challengers.png<br />
| titletext = Use your mouse or fingers to pan + zoom. To edit the map, submit your ballot on November 6.<br />
}}<br />
To see the full zoomable picture go to the [https://xkcd.com/2067/ original] comic page.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Would be good to add how some of the subcomics tie to the election (St Louis), and add potential explanation on why they are put to the location they are in (Attack Ads). Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[File:challengers_loading_screen.png|thumb|200px|Loading screen]]<br />
This comic shows all challengers (people running in an election who are "challenging" the current office-holder, as well as those running in open seats where a change of party from the previous election would occur) to the {{w|United States elections, 2018|midterm elections}} hold on November 6, 2018. Many larger names provide a link to the homepage of the specific person, or an article about the election that candidate is participating in.<br />
<br />
The landmarks shown in gray are essentially links to Wikipedia pages containing coordinates. If they contain more than one coordinate then the first one is used, for example the {{w|List of the major 3000-meter summits of the United States}} page is shown in Alaska, and the {{w|xkcd}} page is linked near Boston, Massachussets.<br />
<br />
Since the map is large there's also a [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/challengers.png loading screen] present that can be seen while the map is loading.<br />
<br />
There are also a total of nine comics embedded into the map at various locations. They are all loaded when you zoom in enough into the map to the appropriate section. <br />
<br />
<imagemap><br />
Image:Challengers_Map.png|frame|center|Map of interesting features on the comic<br />
rect 179 176 138 129 [[#Carlymandering|Carlymandering]]<br />
rect 95 279 133 325 [[#Ballot Measures|Ballot Measures]]<br />
rect 171 421 208 467 [[#Polls|Polls]]<br />
rect 392 307 430 352 [[#Punish|Punish]]<br />
rect 403 488 441 533 [[#Attack_Ads|Attack Ads]]<br />
rect 510 307 547 351 [[#Scholten|Scholten]]<br />
rect 593 390 628 434 [[#St_Louis|St Louis]]<br />
rect 803 355 839 394 [[#House|House]]<br />
rect 837 436 799 395 [[#Spanberger|Spanberger]]<br />
rect 877 262 915 309 [[#Trivia|Link to xkcd's wikipage]]<br />
rect 141 597 177 644 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 472 527 511 576 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 672 478 710 525 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
desc top-right<br />
</imagemap><br />
<br />
===Attack Ads===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_abernathy_texas.png|thumb|200px|Attack Ads]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Lubbock, Texas'''<br />
: [Black Hat and Cueball are talking.]<br />
: Black Hat: Starting on November 7th, we're going to blanket the airwaves with attack ads.<br />
: Cueball: Isn't the election on November 6th?<br />
: Black Hat: Yeah, the advertising rates go way down after that.<br />
{{w|Attack ads}} are campaign advertising that usually attack the opponents' campaign instead of promoting one's own. The comic also refers to the fact that media outlets usually spike their advertising prices during the campaign, and it becomes cheaper afterwards. However there's usually no point in advertising afterwards for a campaign as the polling has already taken place. This may also be a callback to [[1130: Poll Watching]].<br />
<br />
Lubbock was the place where some [https://www.texastribune.org/2018/08/03/cruz-orourke-attack-ad-reelection-texas/ attack ads were shown] few months before the election. Texas is also notable as in 2008 during the Democratic Party primary one of the major candidates [https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/us/politics/01campaign.html started featuring attack ads] aimed at the other major candidate Barack Obama, who later became President, causing controversy.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Ballot Measures===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_weed_california.png|thumb|200px|Ballot Measures]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Weed, California'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a piece of paper and talking to Megan.]<br />
: Cueball: Question #1 voids all 2018 ballot measures except itself.<br />
: Cueball: Question #2 retroactively lowers the threshold for passing ballot measures to 5%.<br />
: Cueball: Question #3 requires a re-vote on all failed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #4 requires a re-vote on all passed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #5 bans those annoying phone scammers, but also says that if an odd number of ballot measures pass, Christmas is canceled.<br />
: Cueball: Question #6 makes a "yes" count as a "no" on odd-numbered ballot measures.<br />
: Cueball: Question #7 does nothing but counts as a ballot measure passing.<br />
: Cueball: Question #8 says that-<br />
: Megan: I'm leaving these all blank and voting against whoever approves ballot measures.<br />
<br />
In California during this election apart from the nationwide election there will be also be [https://ballotpedia.org/California_2018_ballot_propositions 12 extra propositions] for the voters to vote on. Sometimes propositions also include changing how voting should be done in subsequent elections. [https://www.vox.com/2016/6/23/11979522/brexit-ballot There are people] who believe proposals on US ballots are asked in a very convoluted way, and could be made simpler.<br />
<br />
In this comic a lot of the proposals sound complex and self-referential as well, therefore Megan just says that she doesn't wish to vote to any of them, and would actually like to ban people creating ballot papers like this. Not voting might also refer to the scenario where people believe none of the choices during an election are good, and instead vote to no-one or deface their ballot papers in protest.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Carlymandering===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_seattle_washington.png|thumb|200px|Carlymandering]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Bellingham, Washington'''<br />
: [Cueball holds a presentation to a group of people including White Hat and Hairbun sitting at an office desk. The presentation shows a map of a district.]<br />
: Cueball: Under my new Carlymandering plan, we'll create five red districts, five blue districts, and one district which contains only Carly Rae Jepsen.<br />
: Hairbun: That seems fair.<br />
<br />
This refers to {{w|Gerrymandering}}, a tactic used to re-shape voting district boundaries to make sure one candidate prevails over the other. The name is conflated with {{w|Carly Rae Jepsen}}, a Canadian singer, whose latest single released only a day before the comic was published is called "{{w|Party for One}}". Although the song is about partying (e.g. going out) alone, the joke is that it can also mean a one person political party, and she'll have a full Gerrymandered district where she is the only person living.<br />
<br />
Carly lives in Vancouver, which is just on the other side of the US border in Canada. The comic is placed in Whatcom County which is notable for {{w|Point Roberts}} a peninsula which, although part of Washington state is actually an exclave of the US, as it's surrounded by sea from three sides, and has only a land border with Vancouver, Canada from the fourth side. The comic might refer to the fact that Carly could solely live in this exclave. However since she is not a US citizen she can neither vote nor be elected in US elections.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===House===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_washington_dc.png|thumb|200px|House]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Washington, DC'''<br />
: [Cueball is standing in the middle of Washington, DC]<br />
: Cueball: I can see my House from here!<br />
<br />
Comic is probably referencing the {{w|White House}}, the residence of the President, located in Washington, DC. This could also refer to the {{w|United States Capitol|Capitol Building}}, the home of the {{w|United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives}}, also located in Washington, DC.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Polls===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_primm_nevada.png|thumb|200px|Polls]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Primm, Nevada'''<br />
: [A group of five people are standing]<br />
: Blondie: Remember: The only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. And the ones that help campaigns allocate resources. And the ones that drive media coverage and the ones that inform us all about what our fellow members of the public believe. And the ones that...<br />
<br />
During campaign there are usually polling done by survey companies to determine each candidate's chances of winning. This comic refers to the fact that usually the candidate that is behind in the polls usually tells their electorate that these polls don't matter, as they are just surveys and not the actual final result. This is usually to encourage their voter base that it's still worth voting for them. The joke here is that Blondie doesn't finish here but tells the electorate that other polls are actually also important.<br />
<br />
Nevada is one of the states where there is [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign-polls/414083-poll-dems-hold-slim-leads-in-arizona-and-nevada-senate-races only a slim difference] between the candidates based on polls hence the need for each candidate to rally their supporters and make sure everyone is voting.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Punish===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_chadron_nebraska.png|thumb|200px|Punish]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Chadron, Nebraska'''<br />
: [Megan is standing at a podium with her arm raised]<br />
: Megan: If elected, I vow to find and punish the voters responsible.<br />
<br />
Often candidates make promises of things they will do when they are elected. Vowing to find and punishing people responsible for a certain action, oftentimes criminals, is also common. However, these two things are conflated here to ludicrous effect.<br />
<br />
Putting this comic into Nebraska might refer to the fact that in [https://ballotpedia.org/Nebraska_Death_Penalty_Repeal,_Referendum_426_(2016) 2016 Nebraska voted to repeal the death penalty ban], allowing the reinstatement of the death penalty in the state.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Scholten===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_storm_lake_iowa.png|thumb|200px|Scholten]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Storm Lake, Iowa'''<br />
: Cueball: The midterms are so stressful.<br />
: Megan: I just hope J.D. Scholten wins.<br />
: Cueball: Why?<br />
: Megan: Google Steve King.<br />
: [Cueball looking at his phone]<br />
: Cueball: Yikes.<br />
<br />
J.D. Scholten is a Democratic candidate for Iowa's 4th Congressional District. {{w|Steve King}} is a Republican representative who has stirred controversy due his endorsement of candidates, in other countries, who were members of parties with white supremacist ties.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Spanberger===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_richmond_virginia.png|thumb|200px|Spanberger]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Richmond, Virginia'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a sign that says: Abigail Spanberger for Congress]<br />
<br />
Abigail Spanberger is a candidate running for Congress in Virginia's 7th district, which includes Richmond. Based on polls she has a chance to beat her opponent, and could be the first Democrat in her district after 50 years of Republican control. Cueball probably tries to encourage people to vote for her on election day.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===St Louis===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_saint_louis_missouri.png|thumb|200px|St Louis]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Saint Louis, Missouri'''<br />
: [Two people next to the Gateway Arch are talking]<br />
: Cueball: Ah, Saint Louis. Home of America's largest... Whatever that thing is.<br />
<br />
Saint Louis, Missouri is the location of the {{w|Gateway Arch}}, the largest arch in the United States. (It's also one of the most recognizable arches in Saint Louis, according to [[1368: One Of The]].) Since in this comic they are next to the side of the arch, it is possible its sheer size stops them from determining what it is, although they should probably know.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Title text===<br />
The title text shows the hint that the reader can zoom in and move over all US-States revealing many details can't be seen at the overall view. Furthermore [[Randall]] does a call to vote: he requests people to take an active part in the elections to change that picture.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A loading screen appears shortly before the large picture has rendered. We can see an American flag in an oval badge with the text:]<br />
:I voted<br />
:[And beneath a text saying:]<br />
:Loading...<br />
<br />
:2018 Midterm<br />
:'''Challengers'''<br />
:The bigger the candidate's name, the higher the office and the better their chances of success.<br />
<br />
:[In a frame a zoomable map shows all US-States (Alaska and Hawaii are shown in the left lower corner.) The candidates are shown colored mainly in red and blue at different sizes. Each state has many landmarks shown in gray. There are also many comics embedded into the picture.]<br />
<br />
:By Randall Monroe, Kelsey Harris, and Max Goodman<br />
<br />
:Landmarks from Wikipedia. Success odds estimated from district voting history, special election<br />
:results, and seat ratings. Thank you to Dailykos Elections for their spreadsheets, shaplefiles election<br />
:ratings, and advice, and to @davidshor, @charlotteeffect, and @thedlcc for additional candidate data.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The comic [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header|header]] had changed to:<br />
:''Find out where to vote: [https://www.vote.org/ Vote.org]''<br />
:''See what's on your ballot: [https://www.ballotready.org/ BallotReady.org]''<br />
:This happened on the day this comic came out, as it up till [http://web.archive.org/web/20181101081612/https://xkcd.com/ the day before], had been a different reminder of the election only with the vote.org link.<br />
*The interactive picture did not work in many browsers when using the link ''[https://www.xkcd.com www.xkcd.com]'', only the short ''[https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]'' worked properly because the page used an absolute link to a file ''[https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json]'' at the domain ''<nowiki>xkcd.com</nowiki>'' which is not allowed from ''<nowiki>www.xkcd.com</nowiki>'' according to {{w|Cross-origin resource sharing}}. This was later fixed by using a relative link only working inside the called domain.<br />
* The internal comics have a kind of "comic" inside the [https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json] file that contains all of the details shown on the map. All other locations, including politicians and landmarks inside the map-data.json have a kind of "label"<br />
* There are a total of<br />
** 9 subcomics<br />
** 17,643 labels, including:<br />
*** 13,339 landmarks (gray)<br />
*** 2,845 Democratic candidates (blue)<br />
*** 1,456 Republican candidates (red)<br />
*** 3 independent candidates (green)<br />
* The three independent candidates are:<br />
** Alaska Congress candidate Alyse Galvin<br />
** Texas State House District 101 candidate James Allen<br />
** Alabama State Senate District 10 candidate Craig Ford <br />
* The largest names on the map (based on font size) are:<br />
** Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor candidate for New Mexico (7.187)<br />
** Beto O'Rourke, Texan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Matt Rosendale, Montanan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Gretchen Whitmer, Governor candidate for Michigan (6.48)<br />
* There's a landmark label called "xkcd" near Boston, Massachusetts<br />
* Randall seems to have collected the Wikipedia links from an older copy of Wikipedia, as some links are to old article titles. For example, in Cupertino, California, "Apple Campus 2" is shown instead of "Apple Park", even though that article was moved to its current title in February 2017.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Elections]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2067:_Challengers&diff=1653742067: Challengers2018-11-02T20:48:58Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2067<br />
| date = November 2, 2018<br />
| title = Challengers<br />
| image = challengers.png<br />
| titletext = Use your mouse or fingers to pan + zoom. To edit the map, submit your ballot on November 6.<br />
}}<br />
To see the full zoomable picture go to the [https://xkcd.com/2067/ original] comic page.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Would be good to add how some of the subcomics tie to the election (St Louis), and add potential explanation on why they are put to the location they are in (Attack Ads). Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[File:challengers_loading_screen.png|thumb|200px|Loading screen]]<br />
This comic shows all challengers (people running in an election who are "challenging" the current office-holder, as well as those running in open seats where a change of party from the previous election would occur) to the {{w|United States elections, 2018|midterm elections}} hold on November 6, 2018. Many larger names provide a link to the homepage of the specific person, or an article about the election that candidate is participating in.<br />
<br />
The landmarks shown in gray are essentially links to Wikipedia pages containing coordinates. If they contain more than one coordinate then the first one is used, for example the {{w|List of the major 3000-meter summits of the United States}} page is shown in Alaska, and the {{w|xkcd}} page is linked near Boston, Massachussets.<br />
<br />
Since the map is large there's also a [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/challengers.png loading screen] present that can be seen while the map is loading.<br />
<br />
There are also a total of nine comics embedded into the map at various locations. They are all loaded when you zoom in enough into the map to the appropriate section. <br />
<br />
<imagemap><br />
Image:Challengers_Map.png|frame|center|Map of interesting features on the comic<br />
rect 179 176 138 129 [[#Carlymandering|Carlymandering]]<br />
rect 95 279 133 325 [[#Ballot Measures|Ballot Measures]]<br />
rect 171 421 208 467 [[#Polls|Polls]]<br />
rect 392 307 430 352 [[#Punish|Punish]]<br />
rect 403 488 441 533 [[#Attack_Ads|Attack Ads]]<br />
rect 510 307 547 351 [[#Scholten|Scholten]]<br />
rect 593 390 628 434 [[#St_Louis|St Louis]]<br />
rect 803 355 839 394 [[#House|House]]<br />
rect 837 436 799 395 [[#Spanberger|Spanberger]]<br />
rect 877 262 915 309 [[#Trivia|Link to xkcd's wikipage]]<br />
rect 141 597 177 644 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 472 527 511 576 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 672 478 710 525 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
desc top-right<br />
</imagemap><br />
<br />
===Attack Ads===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_abernathy_texas.png|thumb|200px|Attack Ads]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Abernathy, Texas'''<br />
: [Black Hat and Cueball are talking.]<br />
: Black Hat: Starting on November 7th, we're going to blanket the airwaves with attack ads.<br />
: Cueball: Isn't the election on November 6th?<br />
: Black Hat: Yeah, the advertising rates go way down after that.<br />
{{w|Attack ads}} are campaign advertising that usually attack the opponents' campaign instead of promoting one's own. The comic also refers to the fact that media outlets usually spike their advertising prices during the campaign, and it becomes cheaper afterwards. However there's usually no point in advertising afterwards for a campaign as the polling has already taken place. This may also be a callback to [[1130: Poll Watching]].<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Ballot Measures===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_weed_california.png|thumb|200px|Ballot Measures]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Weed, California'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a piece of paper and talking to Megan.]<br />
: Cueball: Question #1 voids all 2018 ballot measures except itself.<br />
: Cueball: Question #2 retroactively lowers the threshold for passing ballot measures to 5%.<br />
: Cueball: Question #3 requires a re-vote on all failed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #4 requires a re-vote on all passed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #5 bans those annoying phone scammers, but also says that if an odd number of ballot measures pass, Christmas is canceled.<br />
: Cueball: Question #6 makes a "yes" count as a "no" on odd-numbered ballot measures.<br />
: Cueball: Question #7 does nothing but counts as a ballot measure passing.<br />
: Cueball: Question #8 says that-<br />
: Megan: I'm leaving these all blank and voting against whoever approves ballot measures.<br />
<br />
In California during this election apart from the nationwide election there will be also be [https://ballotpedia.org/California_2018_ballot_propositions 12 extra propositions] for the voters to vote on. Sometimes propositions also include changing how voting should be done in subsequent elections. [https://www.vox.com/2016/6/23/11979522/brexit-ballot There are people] who believe proposals on US ballots are asked in a very convoluted way, and could be made simpler.<br />
<br />
In this comic a lot of the proposals sound complex and self-referential as well, therefore Megan just says that she doesn't wish to vote to any of them, and would actually like to ban people creating ballot papers like this. Not voting might also refer to the scenario where people believe none of the choices during an election are good, and instead vote to no-one or deface their ballot papers in protest.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Carlymandering===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_seattle_washington.png|thumb|200px|Carlymandering]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Bellingham, Washington'''<br />
: [Cueball holds a presentation to a group of people including White Hat and Hairbun sitting at an office desk. The presentation shows a map of a district.]<br />
: Cueball: Under my new Carlymandering plan, we'll create five red districts, five blue districts, and one district which contains only Carly Rae Jepsen.<br />
: Hairbun: That seems fair.<br />
<br />
This refers to {{w|Gerrymandering}}, a tactic used to re-shape voting district boundaries to make sure one candidate prevails over the other. The name is conflated with {{w|Carly Rae Jepsen}}, a Canadian singer, whose latest single released only a day before the comic was published is called "{{w|Party for One}}". Although the song is about partying (e.g. going out) alone, the joke is that it can also mean a one person political party, and she'll have a full Gerrymandered district where she is the only person living.<br />
<br />
Carly lives in Vancouver, which is just on the other side of the US border in Canada. The comic is placed in Whatcom County which is notable for {{w|Point Roberts}} a peninsula which, although part of Washington state is actually an exclave of the US, as it's surrounded by sea from three sides, and has only a land border with Vancouver, Canada from the fourth side. The comic might refer to the fact that Carly could solely live in this exclave. However since she is not a US citizen she can neither vote nor be elected in US elections.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===House===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_washington_dc.png|thumb|200px|House]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Washington, DC'''<br />
: [Cueball is standing in the middle of Washington, DC]<br />
: Cueball: I can see my House from here!<br />
<br />
Comic is probably referencing the {{w|White House}}, the residence of the President, located in Washington, DC. This could also refer to the {{w|United States Capitol|Capitol Building}}, the home of the {{w|United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives}}, also located in Washington, DC.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Polls===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_primm_nevada.png|thumb|200px|Polls]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Primm, Nevada'''<br />
: [A group of five people are standing]<br />
: Blondie: Remember: The only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. And the ones that help campaigns allocate resources. And the ones that drive media coverage and the ones that inform us all about what our fellow members of the public believe. And the ones that...<br />
<br />
During campaign there are usually polling done by survey companies to determine each candidate's chances of winning. This comic refers to the fact that usually the candidate that is behind in the polls usually tells their electorate that these polls don't matter, as they are just surveys and not the actual final result. This is usually to encourage their voter base that it's still worth voting for them. The joke here is that Blondie doesn't finish here but tells the electorate that other polls are actually also important.<br />
<br />
Nevada is one of the states where there is [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign-polls/414083-poll-dems-hold-slim-leads-in-arizona-and-nevada-senate-races only a slim difference] between the candidates based on polls hence the need for each candidate to rally their supporters and make sure everyone is voting.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Punish===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_chadron_nebraska.png|thumb|200px|Punish]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Chadron, Nebraska'''<br />
: [Megan is standing at a podium with her arm raised]<br />
: Megan: If elected, I vow to find and punish the voters responsible.<br />
<br />
Often candidates make promises of things they will do when they are elected. Vowing to find and punishing people responsible for a certain action, oftentimes criminals, is also common. However, these two things are conflated here to ludicrous effect.<br />
<br />
Putting this comic into Nebraska might refer to the fact that in [https://ballotpedia.org/Nebraska_Death_Penalty_Repeal,_Referendum_426_(2016) 2016 Nebraska voted to repeal the death penalty ban], allowing the reinstatement of the death penalty in the state.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Scholten===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_storm_lake_iowa.png|thumb|200px|Scholten]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Storm Lake, Iowa'''<br />
: Cueball: The midterms are so stressful.<br />
: Megan: I just hope J.D. Scholten wins.<br />
: Cueball: Why?<br />
: Megan: Google Steve King.<br />
: [Cueball looking at his phone]<br />
: Cueball: Yikes.<br />
<br />
J.D. Scholten is a Democratic candidate for Iowa's 4th Congressional District. {{w|Steve King}} is a Republican representative who has stirred controversy due his endorsement of candidates, in other countries, who were members of parties with white supremacist ties.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Spanberger===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_richmond_virginia.png|thumb|200px|Spanberger]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Richmond, Virginia'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a sign that says: Abigail Spanberger for Congress]<br />
<br />
Abigail Spanberger is a candidate running for Congress in Virginia's 7th district, which includes Richmond. Based on polls she has a chance to beat her opponent, and could be the first Democrat in her district after 50 years of Republican control. Cueball probably tries to encourage people to vote for her on election day.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===St Louis===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_saint_louis_missouri.png|thumb|200px|St Louis]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Saint Louis, Missouri'''<br />
: [Two people next to the Gateway Arch are talking]<br />
: Cueball: Ah, Saint Louis. Home of America's largest... Whatever that thing is.<br />
<br />
Saint Louis, Missouri is the location of the {{w|Gateway Arch}}, the largest arch in the United States. (It's also one of the most recognizable arches in Saint Louis, according to [[1368: One Of The]].) Since in this comic they are next to the side of the arch, it is possible its sheer size stops them from determining what it is, although they should probably know.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Title text===<br />
The title text shows the hint that the reader can zoom in and move over all US-States revealing many details can't be seen at the overall view. Furthermore [[Randall]] does a call to vote: he requests people to take an active part in the elections to change that picture.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A loading screen appears shortly before the large picture has rendered. We can see an American flag in an oval badge with the text:]<br />
:I voted<br />
:[And beneath a text saying:]<br />
:Loading...<br />
<br />
:2018 Midterm<br />
:'''Challengers'''<br />
:The bigger the candidate's name, the higher the office and the better their chances of success.<br />
<br />
:[In a frame a zoomable map shows all US-States (Alaska and Hawaii are shown in the left lower corner.) The candidates are shown colored mainly in red and blue at different sizes. Each state has many landmarks shown in gray. There are also many comics embedded into the picture.]<br />
<br />
:By Randall Monroe, Kelsey Harris, and Max Goodman<br />
<br />
:Landmarks from Wikipedia. Success odds estimated from district voting history, special election<br />
:results, and seat ratings. Thank you to Dailykos Elections for their spreadsheets, shaplefiles election<br />
:ratings, and advice, and to @davidshor, @charlotteeffect, and @thedlcc for additional candidate data.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The comic [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header|header]] had changed to:<br />
:''Find out where to vote: [https://www.vote.org/ Vote.org]''<br />
:''See what's on your ballot: [https://www.ballotready.org/ BallotReady.org]''<br />
:This happened on the day this comic came out, as it up till [http://web.archive.org/web/20181101081612/https://xkcd.com/ the day before], had been a different reminder of the election only with the vote.org link.<br />
*The interactive picture did not work in many browsers when using the link ''[https://www.xkcd.com www.xkcd.com]'', only the short ''[https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]'' worked properly because the page used an absolute link to a file ''[https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json]'' at the domain ''<nowiki>xkcd.com</nowiki>'' which is not allowed from ''<nowiki>www.xkcd.com</nowiki>'' according to {{w|Cross-origin resource sharing}}. This was later fixed by using a relative link only working inside the called domain.<br />
* The internal comics have a kind of "comic" inside the [https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json] file that contains all of the details shown on the map. All other locations, including politicians and landmarks inside the map-data.json have a kind of "label"<br />
* There are a total of<br />
** 9 subcomics<br />
** 17,643 labels, including:<br />
*** 13,339 landmarks (gray)<br />
*** 2,845 Democratic candidates (blue)<br />
*** 1,456 Republican candidates (red)<br />
*** 3 independent candidates (green)<br />
* The three independent candidates are:<br />
** Alaska Congress candidate Alyse Galvin<br />
** Texas State House District 101 candidate James Allen<br />
** Alabama State Senate District 10 candidate Craig Ford <br />
* The largest names on the map (based on font size) are:<br />
** Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor candidate for New Mexico (7.187)<br />
** Beto O'Rourke, Texan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Matt Rosendale, Montanan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Gretchen Whitmer, Governor candidate for Michigan (6.48)<br />
* There's a landmark label called "xkcd" near Boston, Massachusetts<br />
* Randall seems to have collected the Wikipedia links from an older copy of Wikipedia, as some links are to old article titles. For example, in Cupertino, California, "Apple Campus 2" is shown instead of "Apple Park", even though that article was moved to its current title in February 2017.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Elections]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2067:_Challengers&diff=1653732067: Challengers2018-11-02T20:48:10Z<p>Sztupy: Add potential explanation why the Carlymandering comic is set in Bellingham, WA</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2067<br />
| date = November 2, 2018<br />
| title = Challengers<br />
| image = challengers.png<br />
| titletext = Use your mouse or fingers to pan + zoom. To edit the map, submit your ballot on November 6.<br />
}}<br />
To see the full zoomable picture go to the [https://xkcd.com/2067/ original] comic page.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Would be good to add how some of the subcomics tie to the election (St Louis), and add potential explanation on why they are put to the location they are in (Attack Ads, Carlymandering). Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[File:challengers_loading_screen.png|thumb|200px|Loading screen]]<br />
This comic shows all challengers (people running in an election who are "challenging" the current office-holder, as well as those running in open seats where a change of party from the previous election would occur) to the {{w|United States elections, 2018|midterm elections}} hold on November 6, 2018. Many larger names provide a link to the homepage of the specific person, or an article about the election that candidate is participating in.<br />
<br />
The landmarks shown in gray are essentially links to Wikipedia pages containing coordinates. If they contain more than one coordinate then the first one is used, for example the {{w|List of the major 3000-meter summits of the United States}} page is shown in Alaska, and the {{w|xkcd}} page is linked near Boston, Massachussets.<br />
<br />
Since the map is large there's also a [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/challengers.png loading screen] present that can be seen while the map is loading.<br />
<br />
There are also a total of nine comics embedded into the map at various locations. They are all loaded when you zoom in enough into the map to the appropriate section. <br />
<br />
<imagemap><br />
Image:Challengers_Map.png|frame|center|Map of interesting features on the comic<br />
rect 179 176 138 129 [[#Carlymandering|Carlymandering]]<br />
rect 95 279 133 325 [[#Ballot Measures|Ballot Measures]]<br />
rect 171 421 208 467 [[#Polls|Polls]]<br />
rect 392 307 430 352 [[#Punish|Punish]]<br />
rect 403 488 441 533 [[#Attack_Ads|Attack Ads]]<br />
rect 510 307 547 351 [[#Scholten|Scholten]]<br />
rect 593 390 628 434 [[#St_Louis|St Louis]]<br />
rect 803 355 839 394 [[#House|House]]<br />
rect 837 436 799 395 [[#Spanberger|Spanberger]]<br />
rect 877 262 915 309 [[#Trivia|Link to xkcd's wikipage]]<br />
rect 141 597 177 644 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 472 527 511 576 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 672 478 710 525 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
desc top-right<br />
</imagemap><br />
<br />
===Attack Ads===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_abernathy_texas.png|thumb|200px|Attack Ads]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Abernathy, Texas'''<br />
: [Black Hat and Cueball are talking.]<br />
: Black Hat: Starting on November 7th, we're going to blanket the airwaves with attack ads.<br />
: Cueball: Isn't the election on November 6th?<br />
: Black Hat: Yeah, the advertising rates go way down after that.<br />
{{w|Attack ads}} are campaign advertising that usually attack the opponents' campaign instead of promoting one's own. The comic also refers to the fact that media outlets usually spike their advertising prices during the campaign, and it becomes cheaper afterwards. However there's usually no point in advertising afterwards for a campaign as the polling has already taken place. This may also be a callback to [[1130: Poll Watching]].<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Ballot Measures===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_weed_california.png|thumb|200px|Ballot Measures]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Weed, California'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a piece of paper and talking to Megan.]<br />
: Cueball: Question #1 voids all 2018 ballot measures except itself.<br />
: Cueball: Question #2 retroactively lowers the threshold for passing ballot measures to 5%.<br />
: Cueball: Question #3 requires a re-vote on all failed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #4 requires a re-vote on all passed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #5 bans those annoying phone scammers, but also says that if an odd number of ballot measures pass, Christmas is canceled.<br />
: Cueball: Question #6 makes a "yes" count as a "no" on odd-numbered ballot measures.<br />
: Cueball: Question #7 does nothing but counts as a ballot measure passing.<br />
: Cueball: Question #8 says that-<br />
: Megan: I'm leaving these all blank and voting against whoever approves ballot measures.<br />
<br />
In California during this election apart from the nationwide election there will be also be [https://ballotpedia.org/California_2018_ballot_propositions 12 extra propositions] for the voters to vote on. Sometimes propositions also include changing how voting should be done in subsequent elections. [https://www.vox.com/2016/6/23/11979522/brexit-ballot There are people] who believe proposals on US ballots are asked in a very convoluted way, and could be made simpler.<br />
<br />
In this comic a lot of the proposals sound complex and self-referential as well, therefore Megan just says that she doesn't wish to vote to any of them, and would actually like to ban people creating ballot papers like this. Not voting might also refer to the scenario where people believe none of the choices during an election are good, and instead vote to no-one or deface their ballot papers in protest.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Carlymandering===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_seattle_washington.png|thumb|200px|Carlymandering]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Bellingham, Washington'''<br />
: [Cueball holds a presentation to a group of people including White Hat and Hairbun sitting at an office desk. The presentation shows a map of a district.]<br />
: Cueball: Under my new Carlymandering plan, we'll create five red districts, five blue districts, and one district which contains only Carly Rae Jepsen.<br />
: Hairbun: That seems fair.<br />
<br />
This refers to {{w|Gerrymandering}}, a tactic used to re-shape voting district boundaries to make sure one candidate prevails over the other. The name is conflated with {{w|Carly Rae Jepsen}}, a Canadian singer, whose latest single released only a day before the comic was published is called "{{w|Party for One}}". Although the song is about partying (e.g. going out) alone, the joke is that it can also mean a one person political party, and she'll have a full Gerrymandered district where she is the only person living.<br />
<br />
Carly lives in Vancouver, which is just on the other side of the US border in Canada. The comic is placed in Whatcom County which is notable for {{w|Point Roberts}} a peninsula which, although part of Washington state is actually an exclave of the US, as it's surrounded by sea from three sides, and has only a land border with Vancouver, Canada from the fourth side. The comic might refer to the fact that Carly could solely live in this exclave. However since she is not a US citizen she can neither vote nor be elected in US elections.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===House===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_washington_dc.png|thumb|200px|House]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Washington, DC'''<br />
: [Cueball is standing in the middle of Washington, DC]<br />
: Cueball: I can see my House from here!<br />
<br />
Comic is probably referencing the {{w|White House}}, the residence of the President, located in Washington, DC. This could also refer to the {{w|United States Capitol|Capitol Building}}, the home of the {{w|United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives}}, also located in Washington, DC.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Polls===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_primm_nevada.png|thumb|200px|Polls]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Primm, Nevada'''<br />
: [A group of five people are standing]<br />
: Blondie: Remember: The only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. And the ones that help campaigns allocate resources. And the ones that drive media coverage and the ones that inform us all about what our fellow members of the public believe. And the ones that...<br />
<br />
During campaign there are usually polling done by survey companies to determine each candidate's chances of winning. This comic refers to the fact that usually the candidate that is behind in the polls usually tells their electorate that these polls don't matter, as they are just surveys and not the actual final result. This is usually to encourage their voter base that it's still worth voting for them. The joke here is that Blondie doesn't finish here but tells the electorate that other polls are actually also important.<br />
<br />
Nevada is one of the states where there is [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign-polls/414083-poll-dems-hold-slim-leads-in-arizona-and-nevada-senate-races only a slim difference] between the candidates based on polls hence the need for each candidate to rally their supporters and make sure everyone is voting.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Punish===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_chadron_nebraska.png|thumb|200px|Punish]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Chadron, Nebraska'''<br />
: [Megan is standing at a podium with her arm raised]<br />
: Megan: If elected, I vow to find and punish the voters responsible.<br />
<br />
Often candidates make promises of things they will do when they are elected. Vowing to find and punishing people responsible for a certain action, oftentimes criminals, is also common. However, these two things are conflated here to ludicrous effect.<br />
<br />
Putting this comic into Nebraska might refer to the fact that in [https://ballotpedia.org/Nebraska_Death_Penalty_Repeal,_Referendum_426_(2016) 2016 Nebraska voted to repeal the death penalty ban], allowing the reinstatement of the death penalty in the state.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Scholten===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_storm_lake_iowa.png|thumb|200px|Scholten]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Storm Lake, Iowa'''<br />
: Cueball: The midterms are so stressful.<br />
: Megan: I just hope J.D. Scholten wins.<br />
: Cueball: Why?<br />
: Megan: Google Steve King.<br />
: [Cueball looking at his phone]<br />
: Cueball: Yikes.<br />
<br />
J.D. Scholten is a Democratic candidate for Iowa's 4th Congressional District. {{w|Steve King}} is a Republican representative who has stirred controversy due his endorsement of candidates, in other countries, who were members of parties with white supremacist ties.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Spanberger===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_richmond_virginia.png|thumb|200px|Spanberger]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Richmond, Virginia'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a sign that says: Abigail Spanberger for Congress]<br />
<br />
Abigail Spanberger is a candidate running for Congress in Virginia's 7th district, which includes Richmond. Based on polls she has a chance to beat her opponent, and could be the first Democrat in her district after 50 years of Republican control. Cueball probably tries to encourage people to vote for her on election day.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===St Louis===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_saint_louis_missouri.png|thumb|200px|St Louis]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Saint Louis, Missouri'''<br />
: [Two people next to the Gateway Arch are talking]<br />
: Cueball: Ah, Saint Louis. Home of America's largest... Whatever that thing is.<br />
<br />
Saint Louis, Missouri is the location of the {{w|Gateway Arch}}, the largest arch in the United States. (It's also one of the most recognizable arches in Saint Louis, according to [[1368: One Of The]].) Since in this comic they are next to the side of the arch, it is possible its sheer size stops them from determining what it is, although they should probably know.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Title text===<br />
The title text shows the hint that the reader can zoom in and move over all US-States revealing many details can't be seen at the overall view. Furthermore [[Randall]] does a call to vote: he requests people to take an active part in the elections to change that picture.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A loading screen appears shortly before the large picture has rendered. We can see an American flag in an oval badge with the text:]<br />
:I voted<br />
:[And beneath a text saying:]<br />
:Loading...<br />
<br />
:2018 Midterm<br />
:'''Challengers'''<br />
:The bigger the candidate's name, the higher the office and the better their chances of success.<br />
<br />
:[In a frame a zoomable map shows all US-States (Alaska and Hawaii are shown in the left lower corner.) The candidates are shown colored mainly in red and blue at different sizes. Each state has many landmarks shown in gray. There are also many comics embedded into the picture.]<br />
<br />
:By Randall Monroe, Kelsey Harris, and Max Goodman<br />
<br />
:Landmarks from Wikipedia. Success odds estimated from district voting history, special election<br />
:results, and seat ratings. Thank you to Dailykos Elections for their spreadsheets, shaplefiles election<br />
:ratings, and advice, and to @davidshor, @charlotteeffect, and @thedlcc for additional candidate data.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The comic [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header|header]] had changed to:<br />
:''Find out where to vote: [https://www.vote.org/ Vote.org]''<br />
:''See what's on your ballot: [https://www.ballotready.org/ BallotReady.org]''<br />
:This happened on the day this comic came out, as it up till [http://web.archive.org/web/20181101081612/https://xkcd.com/ the day before], had been a different reminder of the election only with the vote.org link.<br />
*The interactive picture did not work in many browsers when using the link ''[https://www.xkcd.com www.xkcd.com]'', only the short ''[https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]'' worked properly because the page used an absolute link to a file ''[https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json]'' at the domain ''<nowiki>xkcd.com</nowiki>'' which is not allowed from ''<nowiki>www.xkcd.com</nowiki>'' according to {{w|Cross-origin resource sharing}}. This was later fixed by using a relative link only working inside the called domain.<br />
* The internal comics have a kind of "comic" inside the [https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json] file that contains all of the details shown on the map. All other locations, including politicians and landmarks inside the map-data.json have a kind of "label"<br />
* There are a total of<br />
** 9 subcomics<br />
** 17,643 labels, including:<br />
*** 13,339 landmarks (gray)<br />
*** 2,845 Democratic candidates (blue)<br />
*** 1,456 Republican candidates (red)<br />
*** 3 independent candidates (green)<br />
* The three independent candidates are:<br />
** Alaska Congress candidate Alyse Galvin<br />
** Texas State House District 101 candidate James Allen<br />
** Alabama State Senate District 10 candidate Craig Ford <br />
* The largest names on the map (based on font size) are:<br />
** Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor candidate for New Mexico (7.187)<br />
** Beto O'Rourke, Texan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Matt Rosendale, Montanan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Gretchen Whitmer, Governor candidate for Michigan (6.48)<br />
* There's a landmark label called "xkcd" near Boston, Massachusetts<br />
* Randall seems to have collected the Wikipedia links from an older copy of Wikipedia, as some links are to old article titles. For example, in Cupertino, California, "Apple Campus 2" is shown instead of "Apple Park", even though that article was moved to its current title in February 2017.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Elections]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:Challengers_Map.png&diff=165372File:Challengers Map.png2018-11-02T20:26:29Z<p>Sztupy: /* Summary */</p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Map showing location of features for comic [[2067: Challengers]]<br />
<br />
== Licensing ==<br />
{{XKCD file derived}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:Challengers_Map.png&diff=165371File:Challengers Map.png2018-11-02T20:26:07Z<p>Sztupy: /* Summary */</p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Map showing location of features for comic [2067: Challengers]<br />
<br />
== Licensing ==<br />
{{XKCD file derived}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2067:_Challengers&diff=1653702067: Challengers2018-11-02T20:20:08Z<p>Sztupy: Add map of subcomics and other interesting features</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2067<br />
| date = November 2, 2018<br />
| title = Challengers<br />
| image = challengers.png<br />
| titletext = Use your mouse or fingers to pan + zoom. To edit the map, submit your ballot on November 6.<br />
}}<br />
To see the full zoomable picture go to the [https://xkcd.com/2067/ original] comic page.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Would be good to add how some of the subcomics tie to the election (St Louis), and add potential explanation on why they are put to the location they are in (Attack Ads, Carlymandering). Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[File:challengers_loading_screen.png|thumb|200px|Loading screen]]<br />
This comic shows all challengers (people running in an election who are "challenging" the current office-holder, as well as those running in open seats where a change of party from the previous election would occur) to the {{w|United States elections, 2018|midterm elections}} hold on November 6, 2018. Many larger names provide a link to the homepage of the specific person, or an article about the election that candidate is participating in.<br />
<br />
The landmarks shown in gray are essentially links to Wikipedia pages containing coordinates. If they contain more than one coordinate then the first one is used, for example the {{w|List of the major 3000-meter summits of the United States}} page is shown in Alaska, and the {{w|xkcd}} page is linked near Boston, Massachussets.<br />
<br />
Since the map is large there's also a [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/challengers.png loading screen] present that can be seen while the map is loading.<br />
<br />
There are also a total of nine comics embedded into the map at various locations. They are all loaded when you zoom in enough into the map to the appropriate section. <br />
<br />
<imagemap><br />
Image:Challengers_Map.png|frame|center|Map of interesting features on the comic<br />
rect 179 176 138 129 [[#Carlymandering|Carlymandering]]<br />
rect 95 279 133 325 [[#Ballot Measures|Ballot Measures]]<br />
rect 171 421 208 467 [[#Polls|Polls]]<br />
rect 392 307 430 352 [[#Punish|Punish]]<br />
rect 403 488 441 533 [[#Attack_Ads|Attack Ads]]<br />
rect 510 307 547 351 [[#Scholten|Scholten]]<br />
rect 593 390 628 434 [[#St_Louis|St Louis]]<br />
rect 803 355 839 394 [[#House|House]]<br />
rect 837 436 799 395 [[#Spanberger|Spanberger]]<br />
rect 877 262 915 309 [[#Trivia|Link to xkcd's wikipage]]<br />
rect 141 597 177 644 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 472 527 511 576 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
rect 672 478 710 525 [[#Trivia|Independent candidate]]<br />
desc top-right<br />
</imagemap><br />
<br />
===Attack Ads===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_abernathy_texas.png|thumb|200px|Attack Ads]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Abernathy, Texas'''<br />
: [Black Hat and Cueball are talking.]<br />
: Black Hat: Starting on November 7th, we're going to blanket the airwaves with attack ads.<br />
: Cueball: Isn't the election on November 6th?<br />
: Black Hat: Yeah, the advertising rates go way down after that.<br />
{{w|Attack ads}} are campaign advertising that usually attack the opponents' campaign instead of promoting one's own. The comic also refers to the fact that media outlets usually spike their advertising prices during the campaign, and it becomes cheaper afterwards. However there's usually no point in advertising afterwards for a campaign as the polling has already taken place. This may also be a callback to [[1130: Poll Watching]].<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Ballot Measures===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_weed_california.png|thumb|200px|Ballot Measures]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Weed, California'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a piece of paper and talking to Megan.]<br />
: Cueball: Question #1 voids all 2018 ballot measures except itself.<br />
: Cueball: Question #2 retroactively lowers the threshold for passing ballot measures to 5%.<br />
: Cueball: Question #3 requires a re-vote on all failed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #4 requires a re-vote on all passed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #5 bans those annoying phone scammers, but also says that if an odd number of ballot measures pass, Christmas is canceled.<br />
: Cueball: Question #6 makes a "yes" count as a "no" on odd-numbered ballot measures.<br />
: Cueball: Question #7 does nothing but counts as a ballot measure passing.<br />
: Cueball: Question #8 says that-<br />
: Megan: I'm leaving these all blank and voting against whoever approves ballot measures.<br />
<br />
In California during this election apart from the nationwide election there will be also be [https://ballotpedia.org/California_2018_ballot_propositions 12 extra propositions] for the voters to vote on. Sometimes propositions also include changing how voting should be done in subsequent elections. [https://www.vox.com/2016/6/23/11979522/brexit-ballot There are people] who believe proposals on US ballots are asked in a very convoluted way, and could be made simpler.<br />
<br />
In this comic a lot of the proposals sound complex and self-referential as well, therefore Megan just says that she doesn't wish to vote to any of them, and would actually like to ban people creating ballot papers like this. Not voting might also refer to the scenario where people believe none of the choices during an election are good, and instead vote to no-one or deface their ballot papers in protest.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Carlymandering===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_seattle_washington.png|thumb|200px|Carlymandering]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Bellingham, Washington'''<br />
: [Cueball holds a presentation to a group of people including White Hat and Hairbun sitting at an office desk. The presentation shows a map of a district.]<br />
: Cueball: Under my new Carlymandering plan, we'll create five red districts, five blue districts, and one district which contains only Carly Rae Jepsen.<br />
: Hairbun: That seems fair.<br />
<br />
This refers to {{w|Gerrymandering}}, a tactic used to re-shape voting district boundaries to make sure one candidate prevails over the other. The name is conflated with {{w|Carly Rae Jepsen}}, a Canadian singer, whose latest single released only a day before the comic was published is called "{{w|Party for One}}". Although the song is about partying (e.g. going out) alone, the joke is that it can also mean a one person political party, and she'll have a full Gerrymandered district where she is the only person.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===House===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_washington_dc.png|thumb|200px|House]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Washington, DC'''<br />
: [Cueball is standing in the middle of Washington, DC]<br />
: Cueball: I can see my House from here!<br />
<br />
Comic is probably referencing the {{w|White House}}, the residence of the President, located in Washington, DC. This could also refer to the {{w|United States Capitol|Capitol Building}}, the home of the {{w|United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives}}, also located in Washington, DC.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Polls===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_primm_nevada.png|thumb|200px|Polls]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Primm, Nevada'''<br />
: [A group of five people are standing]<br />
: Blondie: Remember: The only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. And the ones that help campaigns allocate resources. And the ones that drive media coverage and the ones that inform us all about what our fellow members of the public believe. And the ones that...<br />
<br />
During campaign there are usually polling done by survey companies to determine each candidate's chances of winning. This comic refers to the fact that usually the candidate that is behind in the polls usually tells their electorate that these polls don't matter, as they are just surveys and not the actual final result. This is usually to encourage their voter base that it's still worth voting for them. The joke here is that Blondie doesn't finish here but tells the electorate that other polls are actually also important.<br />
<br />
Nevada is one of the states where there is [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign-polls/414083-poll-dems-hold-slim-leads-in-arizona-and-nevada-senate-races only a slim difference] between the candidates based on polls hence the need for each candidate to rally their supporters and make sure everyone is voting.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Punish===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_chadron_nebraska.png|thumb|200px|Punish]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Chadron, Nebraska'''<br />
: [Megan is standing at a podium with her arm raised]<br />
: Megan: If elected, I vow to find and punish the voters responsible.<br />
<br />
Often candidates make promises of things they will do when they are elected. Vowing to find and punishing people responsible for a certain action, oftentimes criminals, is also common. However, these two things are conflated here to ludicrous effect.<br />
<br />
Putting this comic into Nebraska might refer to the fact that in [https://ballotpedia.org/Nebraska_Death_Penalty_Repeal,_Referendum_426_(2016) 2016 Nebraska voted to repeal the death penalty ban], allowing the reinstatement of the death penalty in the state.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Scholten===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_storm_lake_iowa.png|thumb|200px|Scholten]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Storm Lake, Iowa'''<br />
: Cueball: The midterms are so stressful.<br />
: Megan: I just hope J.D. Scholten wins.<br />
: Cueball: Why?<br />
: Megan: Google Steve King.<br />
: [Cueball looking at his phone]<br />
: Cueball: Yikes.<br />
<br />
J.D. Scholten is a Democratic candidate for Iowa's 4th Congressional District. {{w|Steve King}} is a Republican representative who has stirred controversy due his endorsement of candidates, in other countries, who were members of parties with white supremacist ties.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Spanberger===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_richmond_virginia.png|thumb|200px|Spanberger]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Richmond, Virginia'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a sign that says: Abigail Spanberger for Congress]<br />
<br />
Abigail Spanberger is a candidate running for Congress in Virginia's 7th district, which includes Richmond. Based on polls she has a chance to beat her opponent, and could be the first Democrat in her district after 50 years of Republican control. Cueball probably tries to encourage people to vote for her on election day.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===St Louis===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_saint_louis_missouri.png|thumb|200px|St Louis]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Saint Louis, Missouri'''<br />
: [Two people next to the Gateway Arch are talking]<br />
: Cueball: Ah, Saint Louis. Home of America's largest... Whatever that thing is.<br />
<br />
Saint Louis, Missouri is the location of the {{w|Gateway Arch}}, the largest arch in the United States. (It's also one of the most recognizable arches in Saint Louis, according to [[1368: One Of The]].) Since in this comic they are next to the side of the arch, it is possible its sheer size stops them from determining what it is, although they should probably know.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Title text===<br />
The title text shows the hint that the reader can zoom in and move over all US-States revealing many details can't be seen at the overall view. Furthermore [[Randall]] does a call to vote: he requests people to take an active part in the elections to change that picture.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A loading screen appears shortly before the large picture has rendered. We can see an American flag in an oval badge with the text:]<br />
:I voted<br />
:[And beneath a text saying:]<br />
:Loading...<br />
<br />
:2018 Midterm<br />
:'''Challengers'''<br />
:The bigger the candidate's name, the higher the office and the better their chances of success.<br />
<br />
:[In a frame a zoomable map shows all US-States (Alaska and Hawaii are shown in the left lower corner.) The candidates are shown colored mainly in red and blue at different sizes. Each state has many landmarks shown in gray. There are also many comics embedded into the picture.]<br />
<br />
:By Randall Monroe, Kelsey Harris, and Max Goodman<br />
<br />
:Landmarks from Wikipedia. Success odds estimated from district voting history, special election<br />
:results, and seat ratings. Thank you to Dailykos Elections for their spreadsheets, shaplefiles election<br />
:ratings, and advice, and to @davidshor, @charlotteeffect, and @thedlcc for additional candidate data.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The comic [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header|header]] had changed to:<br />
:''Find out where to vote: [https://www.vote.org/ Vote.org]''<br />
:''See what's on your ballot: [https://www.ballotready.org/ BallotReady.org]''<br />
:This happened on the day this comic came out, as it up till [http://web.archive.org/web/20181101081612/https://xkcd.com/ the day before], had been a different reminder of the election only with the vote.org link.<br />
*The interactive picture did not work in many browsers when using the link ''[https://www.xkcd.com www.xkcd.com]'', only the short ''[https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]'' worked properly because the page used an absolute link to a file ''[https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json]'' at the domain ''<nowiki>xkcd.com</nowiki>'' which is not allowed from ''<nowiki>www.xkcd.com</nowiki>'' according to {{w|Cross-origin resource sharing}}. This was later fixed by using a relative link only working inside the called domain.<br />
* The internal comics have a kind of "comic" inside the [https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json] file that contains all of the details shown on the map. All other locations, including politicians and landmarks inside the map-data.json have a kind of "label"<br />
* There are a total of<br />
** 9 subcomics<br />
** 17,643 labels, including:<br />
*** 13,339 landmarks (gray)<br />
*** 2,845 Democratic candidates (blue)<br />
*** 1,456 Republican candidates (red)<br />
*** 3 independent candidates (green)<br />
* The three independent candidates are:<br />
** Alaska Congress candidate Alyse Galvin<br />
** Texas State House District 101 candidate James Allen<br />
** Alabama State Senate District 10 candidate Craig Ford <br />
* The largest names on the map (based on font size) are:<br />
** Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor candidate for New Mexico (7.187)<br />
** Beto O'Rourke, Texan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Matt Rosendale, Montanan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Gretchen Whitmer, Governor candidate for Michigan (6.48)<br />
* There's a landmark label called "xkcd" near Boston, Massachusetts<br />
* Randall seems to have collected the Wikipedia links from an older copy of Wikipedia, as some links are to old article titles. For example, in Cupertino, California, "Apple Campus 2" is shown instead of "Apple Park", even though that article was moved to its current title in February 2017.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Elections]]</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:Challengers_Map.png&diff=165369File:Challengers Map.png2018-11-02T20:00:44Z<p>Sztupy: Map showing location of features for comic 2067 Challengers</p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Map showing location of features for comic 2067 Challengers<br />
== Licensing ==<br />
{{XKCD file derived}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:2067:_Challengers&diff=165364Talk:2067: Challengers2018-11-02T18:32:14Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div><!--Please sign your posts with ~~~~ and don't delete this text. New comments should be added at the bottom.--><br />
<br />
'''New category elections'''<br />
<br />
I've created a new category for elections: [[:Category:Elections]]. Please help and add this category to other comics I've missed so far. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 09:47, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''Further discussions'''<br />
<br />
''Calling it now'': lots of complaining about campaigning, by folks who prefer jokes. [[User:KangaroOS|Kangaro]][[User talk:KangaroOS|OS]] 06:25, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
There are hidden comics. I've found three so far: <br />
Attack ad comic in north half of Texas. <br />
Ballot measure comic in north half of California. <br />
Gerrymandering comic in north half of Washington.<br />
IronyIsGood 06:16, 2 November 2018 (AEST) {{unsigned ip|108.162.249.184}}<br />
<br />
: Steve King comic in north-western Iowa<br />
: St Louis comic on the border of Missouri and Illinois {{unsigned ip|162.158.90.144}}<br />
: "Abigail Spanberger for Congress", just below Richmond, Virginia [[Special:Contributions/172.69.54.165|172.69.54.165]] 08:17, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
: "Only Poll That Counts" comic on border of California and Nevada, South West of Las Vegas [[Special:Contributions/141.101.77.56|141.101.77.56]] 08:21, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
: "I can see my house from here" in Washington DC [[Special:Contributions/172.68.110.88|172.68.110.88]] 09:17, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
: "If elected..." North Western Nebraska. {{unsigned|ManSpider}}<br />
: "Carlymandering plan..." North Washington. {{unsigned ip|162.158.202.88}}<br />
<br />
Non-Republican/Democrat candidate found in Alaska, in green - only one I've found so far. [[Special:Contributions/172.69.226.143|172.69.226.143]] 09:08, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
: There is also one southwest of Dallas {{unsigned ip|162.158.202.88}}<br />
<br />
'''Serious bug report:'''<br />
<br />
This damn thing must be geolocked or something, because apparently not being an American means I can't edit the map. I can't even get around it with a VPN. Help? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.38.214|162.158.38.214]] 10:18, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:This map will be changed by US citizens on November 6, 2018. Nobody can edit this map at xkcd. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 10:33, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''Loading screen'''<br />
<br />
please, include the [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/challengers.png loading screen] in the explanation. --[[User:Valepert|valepert]] ([[User talk:Valepert|talk]]) 11:19, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:Someone has mentioned it at the first paragraph. This was also the first version uploaded by the BOT: [[:File:challengers.png]]. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:09, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''Links to politicans'''<br />
<br />
I'm not sure if we all haven't recognized that all larger names provide a link to a homepage. Maybe Randall has fixed an error right now. Nonetheless I've mentioned this in the first paragraph. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 12:26, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:It seems most links just use Google like this example: https://google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&btnI=1&q=kyrsten+sinema+senate+arizona which shows directly the first search result. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:41, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''What's with all the place names?'''<br />
<br />
There are an immense number of placenames on the map - many of these look to be jokes. Maybe specific places you can go to vote or something? What's the deal with that? [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 12:58, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:These are {{w|List of U.S. National Historic Landmarks by state|US Landmarks}} as mentioned at the first paragraph. If you find a place that doesn't belong to this list it should be mentioned. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:10, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
::Some further investigations on the json file gave me this:<br />
::*9 embedded comics<br />
::*17,643 labels, much more than the 2,500 landmarks. This includes all names so far.<br />
::Most links are just links to Google. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 13:41, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:::I just can't believe my hometown in on it... with a wlink to it's wikipedia page. [[User:Linker|Linker]] ([[User talk:Linker|talk]]) 13:49, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
::::Besides actual place names, there are a lot of radio stations (Wxxx codes). Also, there's XKCD just on the left of the Boston label (Massachusetts). Is that where Randall lives?{{unsigned ip|108.162.229.10}}<br />
::::: There are other things, as well. Next to Ogden, Utah, there's a link to the Wikipedia article for the "Hi-Fi Murders," which is an event, not a landmark. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.143.240|172.68.143.240]] 16:21, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
::::::I'm pretty sure the landmarks are just all of the wikipedia pages that contain some kind of location information. That's why for example the wikipedia pages "List of largest summits" point to Alaska where the largest summit actually is. Similarly the {w|Xkcd} wikipedia page has a GPS coordinate in the 'Inspired activities' section, which points to Boston, the same place where the XKCD label is on the map. While there might be some easter egg there, I think the grey labels are simply just wikipedia pages with coordinates or other geolocatable texts in their contents. [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 16:54, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
::::::Went through the map-data.json file and confirmed that all gray labels match the wikipedia link, so I don't think there's going to be any intentional easter eggs there. Similarly can't find any discrepancies between the candidate's name and their google search results - they all seem to be autogenerated [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 17:51, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''Subcomics layout'''<br />
<br />
I know the Editor FAQ about tables, but am I the only one who thinks the previous table layout for the subcomics was much easier to read? I find that with the current list layout, it is more difficult to ignore the transcript for those of us who don't need to read it.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.10|108.162.229.10]] 14:31, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
: Could make the transcript collapsible maybe, and also move the images back from thumbnails into the main body, so they are close to the explanations? [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 14:47, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
::This is one of those overwhelming comics that can't be covered by a FAQ in general. But a table is still a bad layout because the text will grow and it's a horror to read it on a smartphone. Nonetheless the layout still needs some improvements. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 17:45, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:::I've done an update to the layout. You often think too much about tables, a simple floating text with less headers looks much better. Right now the pictures are larger than the text, but I'm sure there will be more text soon. Otherwise we could reduce the size of the pictures slightly. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 18:00, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''Candidate in wrong place?'''<br />
<br />
Noticed Robert Arlett, the Republican challenger for US Senate from Delaware, is listed in Washington DC. --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.62.196|172.69.62.196]] 15:36, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
:There are a bunch of errors we are going to need an erreta section. Eastern Iowa has a link to the "murder of Yangjie Li" a murder that happened in 2016 in germany maybe they meant the "Murder of Shao Tong" from 2014 a murder of one Chinese student of another while at university in Iowa. {{unsigned|Echo Hotel}}<br />
::Yes, if you check the [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Murder_of_Yangjie_Li&action=edit source of that wikipedia page] you can see that it has a GPS coordinate set that points to Hollywood Bld, Iowa City. It was likely added by mistake from the content creator and was never removed. [[User:Sztupy|Sztupy]] ([[User talk:Sztupy|talk]]) 18:32, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''Carlymandering'''<br />
Carly is Canadian, so not eligible to vote in US elections. The result in the Carly district should be zero all tie, usually resulting in drawing lots for the winner. Any non-zero result would be clear evidence of election fraud.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.142|162.158.75.142]] 16:27, 2 November 2018 (UTC)<br />
<br />
'''House'''<br />
<br />
Alternately, the "I can see my House from here" could refer to the U.S. House of Representatives, in Washington DC, which theoretically represents all US voters. Many of the ballots being cast are to fill House of Representatives seats at the Federal level. [[User:Leftcontact|Leftcontact]] ([[User talk:Leftcontact|talk]]) 17:23, 2 November 2018 (UTC)</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:challengers_subcomic_abernathy_texas.png&diff=165362File:challengers subcomic abernathy texas.png2018-11-02T18:20:49Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Subcomic from [[2067: Challengers]]<br />
<br />
Original file from https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/imgs/attack_ads.png<br />
<br />
== Transcript ==<br />
: [Black Hat and Cueball are talking.]<br />
: Black Hat: Starting on November 7th, we're going to blanket the airwaves with attack ads.<br />
: Cueball: Isn't the election on November 6th?<br />
: Black Hat: Yeah, the advertising rates go way down after that.<br />
<br />
== Licensing ==<br />
{{XKCD file}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:challengers_subcomic_weed_california.png&diff=165361File:challengers subcomic weed california.png2018-11-02T18:20:32Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Subcomic from [[2067: Challengers]]<br />
<br />
Original file from https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/imgs/ballot_measures.png<br />
<br />
== Transcript ==<br />
: [Cueball is holding a piece of paper and talking to Megan.]<br />
: Cueball: Question #1 voids all 2018 ballot measures except itself.<br />
: Cueball: Question #2 retroactively lowers the threshold for passing ballot measures to 5%.<br />
: Cueball: Question #3 requires a re-vote on all failed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #4 requires a re-vote on all passed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #5 bans those annoying phone scammers, but also says that if an odd number of ballot measures pass, Christmas is canceled.<br />
: Cueball: Question #6 makes a "yes" count as a "no" on odd-numbered ballot measures.<br />
: Cueball: Question #7 does nothing but counts as a ballot measure passing.<br />
: Cueball: Question #8 says that-<br />
: Megan: I'm leaving these all blank and voting against whoever approves ballot measures.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Licensing ==<br />
{{XKCD file}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:challengers_subcomic_seattle_washington.png&diff=165360File:challengers subcomic seattle washington.png2018-11-02T18:20:10Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Subcomic from [[2067: Challengers]]<br />
<br />
Original file from https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/imgs/carlymandering.png<br />
<br />
== Transcript ==<br />
: [Cueball holds a presentation to a group of people including White Hat and Hairbun sitting at an office desk. The presentation shows a map of a district.]<br />
: Cueball: Under my new Carlymandering plan, we'll create five red districts, five blue districts, and one district which contains only Carly Rae Jepsen.<br />
: Hairbun: That seems fair.<br />
<br />
== Licensing ==<br />
{{XKCD file}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:challengers_subcomic_washington_dc.png&diff=165359File:challengers subcomic washington dc.png2018-11-02T18:19:46Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Subcomic from [[2067: Challengers]]<br />
<br />
Original file from https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/imgs/house.png<br />
<br />
== Transcript ==<br />
: [Cueball is standing in the middle of Washington, DC]<br />
: Cueball: I can see my house from here!<br />
<br />
== Licensing ==<br />
{{XKCD file}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:challengers_subcomic_primm_nevada.png&diff=165358File:challengers subcomic primm nevada.png2018-11-02T18:19:25Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Subcomic from [[2067: Challengers]]<br />
<br />
Original file from https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/imgs/polls.png<br />
<br />
== Transcript ==<br />
: [A group of five people are standing]<br />
: Blondie: Remember: The only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. And the ones that help campaigns allocate resources. And the ones that drive media coverage and the ones that inform us all about what our fellow members of the public believe. And the ones that...<br />
<br />
== Licensing ==<br />
{{XKCD file}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:challengers_subcomic_chadron_nebraska.png&diff=165357File:challengers subcomic chadron nebraska.png2018-11-02T18:16:47Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Subcomic from [[2067: Challengers]]<br />
<br />
Original file from https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/imgs/punish.png<br />
<br />
== Transcript ==<br />
: [Megan is standing at a podium with her arm raised]<br />
: Megan: If elected, I vow to find and punish the voters responsible.<br />
<br />
== Licensing ==<br />
{{XKCD file}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:challengers_subcomic_storm_lake_iowa.png&diff=165356File:challengers subcomic storm lake iowa.png2018-11-02T18:16:23Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Subcomic from [[2067: Challengers]]<br />
<br />
Original file from https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/imgs/scholten.png<br />
<br />
== Transcript ==<br />
<br />
: Cueball: The midterms are so stressful.<br />
: Megan: I just hope J.D. Scholten wins.<br />
: Cueball: Why?<br />
: Megan: Google Steve King.<br />
: [Cueball looking at his phone]<br />
: Cueball: Yikes.<br />
<br />
== Licensing ==<br />
{{XKCD file}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:challengers_subcomic_richmond_virginia.png&diff=165355File:challengers subcomic richmond virginia.png2018-11-02T18:16:02Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Subcomic from [[2067: Challengers]]<br />
<br />
Original file from https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/imgs/spanberger.png<br />
<br />
== Transcript ==<br />
: [Cueball is holding a sign that says: Abigail Spanberger for Congress]<br />
<br />
== Licensing ==<br />
{{XKCD file}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=File:challengers_subcomic_saint_louis_missouri.png&diff=165354File:challengers subcomic saint louis missouri.png2018-11-02T18:15:31Z<p>Sztupy: </p>
<hr />
<div>== Summary ==<br />
Subcomic from [[2067: Challengers]]<br />
<br />
Original file from https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/imgs/stlouis.png<br />
<br />
== Transcript ==<br />
: [Two people next to the Gateway Arch are talking]<br />
: Cueball: Ah, Saint Louis. Home of America's largest... Whatever that thing is.<br />
<br />
== Licensing ==<br />
{{XKCD file}}</div>Sztupyhttps://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2067:_Challengers&diff=1653532067: Challengers2018-11-02T18:12:48Z<p>Sztupy: Adds breaks between sections so the thumbnail images always align to their respective sections</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 2067<br />
| date = November 2, 2018<br />
| title = Challengers<br />
| image = challengers.png<br />
| titletext = Use your mouse or fingers to pan + zoom. To edit the map, submit your ballot on November 6.<br />
}}<br />
To see the full zoomable picture go to the [https://xkcd.com/2067/ original] comic page.<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
{{incomplete|Would be good to add how some of the subcomics tie to the election (St Louis), and add potential explanation on why they are put to the location they are in (Attack Ads, Carlymandering). Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}<br />
<br />
[[File:challengers_loading_screen.png|thumb|200px|Loading screen]]<br />
This comic shows all challengers (people running in an election who are "challenging" the current office-holder, as well as those running in open seats where a change of party from the previous election would occur) to the {{w|United States elections, 2018|midterm elections}} hold on November 6, 2018. Many larger names provide a link to the homepage of the specific person, or an article about the election that candidate is participating in.<br />
<br />
The landmarks shown in gray are essentially links to Wikipedia pages containing coordinates. If they contain more than one coordinate then the first one is used, for example the {{w|List of the major 3000-meter summits of the United States}} page is shown in Alaska, and the {{w|Xkcd}} page is linked near Boston, Massachussets.<br />
<br />
Since the map is large there's also a [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/challengers.png loading screen] present that can be seen while the map is loading.<br />
<br />
There are also a total of nine comics embedded into the map at various locations. They are all loaded when you zoom in enough into the map to the appropriate section. <br />
<br />
<br />
===Attack Ads===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_abernathy_texas.png|thumb|200px|Attack Ads]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Abernathy, Texas'''<br />
: [Black Hat and Cueball are talking.]<br />
: Black Hat: Starting on November 7th, we're going to blanket the airwaves with attack ads.<br />
: Cueball: Isn't the election on November 6th?<br />
: Black Hat: Yeah, the advertising rates go way down after that.<br />
{{w|Attack ads}} are campaign advertising that usually attack the opponents' campaign instead of promoting one's own. The comic also refers to the fact that media outlets usually spike their advertising prices during the campaign, and it becomes cheaper afterwards. However there's usually no point in advertising afterwards for a campaign as the polling has already taken place. This may also be a callback to [[1130: Poll Watching]].<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Ballot Measures===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_weed_california.png|thumb|200px|Ballot Measures]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Weed, California'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a piece of paper and talking to Megan.]<br />
: Cueball: Question #1 voids all 2018 ballot measures except itself.<br />
: Cueball: Question #2 retroactively lowers the threshold for passing ballot measures to 5%.<br />
: Cueball: Question #3 requires a re-vote on all failed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #4 requires a re-vote on all passed ballot measures a day later.<br />
: Cueball: Question #5 bans those annoying phone scammers, but also says that if an odd number of ballot measures pass, Christmas is canceled.<br />
: Cueball: Question #6 makes a "yes" count as a "no" on odd-numbered ballot measures.<br />
: Cueball: Question #7 does nothing but counts as a ballot measure passing.<br />
: Cueball: Question #8 says that-<br />
: Megan: I'm leaving these all blank and voting against whoever approves ballot measures.<br />
<br />
In California during this election apart from the nationwide election there will be also be [https://ballotpedia.org/California_2018_ballot_propositions 12 extra propositions] for the voters to vote on. Sometimes propositions also include changing how voting should be done in subsequent elections. [https://www.vox.com/2016/6/23/11979522/brexit-ballot There are people] who believe proposals on US ballots are asked in a very convoluted way, and could be made simpler.<br />
<br />
In this comic a lot of the proposals sound complex and self-referential as well, therefore Megan just says that she doesn't wish to vote to any of them, and would actually like to ban people creating ballot papers like this. Not voting might also refer to the scenario where people believe none of the choices during an election are good, and instead vote to no-one or deface their ballot papers in protest.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Carlymandering===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_seattle_washington.png|thumb|200px|Carlymandering]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Bellingham, Washington'''<br />
: [Cueball holds a presentation to a group of people including White Hat and Hairbun sitting at an office desk. The presentation shows a map of a district.]<br />
: Cueball: Under my new Carlymandering plan, we'll create five red districts, five blue districts, and one district which contains only Carly Rae Jepsen.<br />
: Hairbun: That seems fair.<br />
<br />
This refers to {{w|Gerrymandering}}, a tactic used to re-shape voting district boundaries to make sure one candidate prevails over the other. The name is conflated with {{w|Carly Rae Jepsen}}, a Canadian singer, whose latest single released only a day before the comic was published is called "{{w|Party for One}}". Although the song is about partying (e.g. going out) alone, the joke is that it can also mean a one person political party, and she'll have a full Gerrymandered district where she is the only person.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===House===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_washington_dc.png|thumb|200px|House]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Washington, DC'''<br />
: [Cueball is standing in the middle of Washington, DC]<br />
: Cueball: I can see my house from here!<br />
<br />
Comic is probably referencing the {{w|White House}}, the residence of the President, located in Washington, DC.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Polls===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_primm_nevada.png|thumb|200px|Polls]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Primm, Nevada'''<br />
: [A group of five people are standing]<br />
: Blondie: Remember: The only poll that counts is the one on Election Day. And the ones that help campaigns allocate resources. And the ones that drive media coverage and the ones that inform us all about what our fellow members of the public believe. And the ones that...<br />
<br />
During campaign there are usually polling done by survey companies to determine each candidate's chances of winning. This comic refers to the fact that usually the candidate that is behind in the polls usually tells their electorate that these polls don't matter, as they are just surveys and not the actual final result. This is usually to encourage their voter base that it's still worth voting for them. The joke here is that Blondie doesn't finish here but tells the electorate that other polls are actually also important.<br />
<br />
Nevada is one of the states where there is [https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign-polls/414083-poll-dems-hold-slim-leads-in-arizona-and-nevada-senate-races only a slim difference] between the candidates based on polls hence the need for each candidate to rally their supporters and make sure everyone is voting.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Punish===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_chadron_nebraska.png|thumb|200px|Punish]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Chadron, Nebraska'''<br />
: [Megan is standing at a podium with her arm raised]<br />
: Megan: If elected, I vow to find and punish the voters responsible.<br />
<br />
Often candidates make promises of things they will do when they are elected. Vowing to find and punishing people responsible for a certain action, oftentimes criminals, is also common. However, these two things are conflated here to ludicrous effect.<br />
<br />
Putting this comic into Nebraska might refer to the fact that in [https://ballotpedia.org/Nebraska_Death_Penalty_Repeal,_Referendum_426_(2016) 2016 Nebraska voted to repeal the death penalty ban], allowing the reinstatement of the death penalty in the state.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Scholten===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_storm_lake_iowa.png|thumb|200px|Scholten]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Storm Lake, Iowa'''<br />
: Cueball: The midterms are so stressful.<br />
: Megan: I just hope J.D. Scholten wins.<br />
: Cueball: Why?<br />
: Megan: Google Steve King.<br />
: [Cueball looking at his phone]<br />
: Cueball: Yikes.<br />
<br />
J.D. Scholten is a Democratic candidate for Iowa's 4th Congressional District. {{w|Steve King}} is a Republican representative who has stirred controversy due his endorsement of candidates, in other countries, who were members of parties with white supremacist ties.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Spanberger===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_richmond_virginia.png|thumb|200px|Spanberger]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Richmond, Virginia'''<br />
: [Cueball is holding a sign that says: Abigail Spanberger for Congress]<br />
<br />
Abigail Spanberger is a candidate running for Congress in Virginia's 7th district, which includes Richmond. Based on polls she has a chance to beat her opponent, and could be the first Democrat in her district after 50 years of Republican control. Cueball probably tries to encourage people to vote for her on election day.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===St Louis===<br />
[[File:challengers_subcomic_saint_louis_missouri.png|thumb|200px|St Louis]]<br />
<br />
Location: '''Saint Louis, Missouri'''<br />
: [Two people next to the Gateway Arch are talking]<br />
: Cueball: Ah, Saint Louis. Home of America's largest... Whatever that thing is.<br />
<br />
Saint Louis, Missouri is the location of the {{w|Gateway Arch}}, the largest arch in the United States. (It's also one of the most recognizable arches in Saint Louis, according to [[1368: One Of The]].) Since in this comic they are next to the side of the arch, it is possible its sheer size stops them from determining what it is, although they should probably know.<br />
<br clear=all><br />
<br />
===Title text===<br />
The title text shows the hint that the reader can zoom in and move over all US-States revealing many details can't be seen at the overall view. Furthermore [[Randall]] does a call to vote: he requests people to take an active part in the elections to change that picture.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[A loading screen appears shortly before the large picture has rendered. We can see an American flag in an oval badge with the text:]<br />
:I voted<br />
:[And beneath a text saying:]<br />
:Loading...<br />
<br />
:2018 Midterm<br />
:'''Challengers'''<br />
:The bigger the candidate's name, the higher the office and the better their chances of success.<br />
<br />
:[In a frame a zoomable map shows all US-States (Alaska and Hawaii are shown in the left lower corner.) The candidates are shown colored mainly in red and blue at different sizes. Each state has many landmarks shown in gray. There are also many comics embedded into the picture.]<br />
<br />
:By Randall Monroe, Kelsey Harris, and Max Goodman<br />
<br />
:Landmarks from Wikipedia. Success odds estimated from district voting history, special election<br />
:results, and seat ratings. Thank you to Dailykos Elections for their spreadsheets, shaplefiles election<br />
:ratings, and advice, and to @davidshor, @charlotteeffect, and @thedlcc for additional candidate data.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
*The comic [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header|header]] had changed to:<br />
:''Find out where to vote: [https://www.vote.org/ Vote.org]''<br />
:''See what's on your ballot: [https://www.ballotready.org/ BallotReady.org]''<br />
:This happened on the day this comic came out, as it up till [http://web.archive.org/web/20181101081612/https://xkcd.com/ the day before], had been a different reminder of the election only with the vote.org link.<br />
*The interactive picture did not work in many browsers when using the link ''[https://www.xkcd.com www.xkcd.com]'', only the short ''[https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]'' worked properly because the page used an absolute link to a file ''[https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json]'' at the domain ''<nowiki>xkcd.com</nowiki>'' which is not allowed from ''<nowiki>www.xkcd.com</nowiki>'' according to {{w|Cross-origin resource sharing}}. This was later fixed by using a relative link only working inside the called domain.<br />
* The internal comics have a kind of "comic" inside the [https://xkcd.com/2067/asset/map-data.json map-data.json] file that contains all of the details shown on the map. All other locations, including politicians and landmarks inside the map-data.json have a kind of "label"<br />
* There are a total of<br />
** 9 subcomics<br />
** 17,643 labels, including:<br />
*** 13,339 landmarks (gray)<br />
*** 2,845 Democratic candidates (blue)<br />
*** 1,456 Republican candidates (red)<br />
*** 3 independent candidates (green)<br />
* The three independent candidates are:<br />
** Alaska Congress candidate Alyse Galvin<br />
** Texas State House District 101 candidate James Allen<br />
** Alabama State Senate District 10 candidate Craig Ford <br />
* The largest names on the map (based on font size) are:<br />
** Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor candidate for New Mexico (7.187)<br />
** Beto O'Rourke, Texan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Matt Rosendale, Montanan US Senate candidate (6.773)<br />
** Gretchen Whitmer, Governor candidate for Michigan (6.48)<br />
* There's a landmark label called "xkcd" near Boston, Massachusetts<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Large drawings]]<br />
[[Category:Interactive comics]]<br />
[[Category:Comics with color]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Blondie]]<br />
[[Category:Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Elections]]</div>Sztupy