Editing xkcd

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[[File:Terrible small logo.png|200px|right]]{{TOC}}{{Quote|A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.|[https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]}}

'''''xkcd''''' is a webcomic drawn by [[Randall Munroe]] and hosted at [https://xkcd.com xkcd.com]. It focuses on {{w|science}}, {{w|mathematics}}, {{w|technology}}, and general {{w|geek|geekiness}}, told with a light, quirky sense of humor, and at times profound philosophizing. Its art style is minimalist, told through simple [[stick figure]]s. New comics are posted every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and are accompanied by a [[Title text|title text]], serving as Randall's commentary.

==Style==
''xkcd'' comics are usually plain, predominantly black-and-white line drawings, but [[:Category:Comics with color|sometimes]] they make use of hues beyond the usual monochrome colors, even if it is just [[:Category:Comics with red annotations|red annotations]]. Although quite complex objects can be drawn, or conventionally cartoon-like representations of things and [[:Category:Squirrels|animals]], a majority of the people featured are [[stick figure]]s who have become a cast of recurring [[characters]]. The ''xkcd'' art style has undergone many changes over time. Initially, the comics were made by scanning hand-drawn sketches. However, they eventually transitioned to being entirely digitally inked and lettered. Another notable change was in the style of text used. While [[:Category:Comics with lowercase text|early comics featured sentence-case text]], Randall began writing in all-caps non-cursive handwriting with [[90: Jacket]]. It took several comics for this to become the standard practice. In the early days of ''xkcd'', Randall used [[:Category:Checkered paper|checkered paper]] with a grid for most of his initial drawings. This grid became a distinctive part of the style of the early ''xkcd'' comics, as it was used for most of his LiveJournal comics, and the last comic by date to use it was [[39: Bowl]]. The faint remains of gridlines in some comics suggest that Randall may have erased gridlines in these comics. In 2012, Randall revived the blue grid as a background image for ''[[what if? (blog)|what if?]]''.

Occasionally, Randall releases comics that go beyond the norm. These unique comics might involve user interactivity, utilize specific HTTP behaviors, or explore innovative graphic techniques, setting them apart from the ordinary static comics. He will use {{w|GIF#Animated GIF|animated GIFs}}, rather than standard formats, for some of the simpler [[:Category:Comics with animation|dynamic comic]] images and will engage with complex page and server-side scripting to present the reader with the more immersive or interactive content.

==The name ''xkcd''==
</noinclude><!--PAGE TRANSCLUDED IN [[207]], DON'T REMOVE <noinclude> TAGS PLEASE -->{{Quote|It's not actually an acronym. It's just a word with no phonetic pronunciation — a treasured and carefully-guarded point in the space of four-character strings.|[[Randall Munroe]]|[https://xkcd.com/about/ About xkcd]}}

{{Quote|Actually, I've been using [''xkcd''] as just a unique point in the space of four-character strings to point to me. I've been using it as my name on every service box since at least the nineties, because I got tired of changing my name every time my interest changed. I started out when I was 10 years old when AOL first popped up and I was on there as, I think I had, first, "Skywalker4", then "Animorph7", and then [...] other names [...] like "Redtailedhawk6" or something. Eventually, I was like, I'm tired of names that point to other things, that identify me with those things. I want to get a string that will just point uniquely to me that's not my name, because that's kind of boring. And so, I [decided] to generate random strings and find one that had a certain set of qualities, which included:
*''none of the letters could be mistaken for other letters [or] numbers, so no "L", because "L", lower-cased, can look like "i" or "1";''
*''it couldn't have any obvious acronym decoding [...] or be an existing acronym;''
*''it couldn't be pronounceable because then it would sound like [...] a word, and people would think of other words like it.''
''So, I searched though a bunch of names that weren't taken, until I found one that wasn't taken on all the services I wanted.|[[Randall Munroe]]|in a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}zJOS0sV2a24#t{{=}}44m31s speech for Google]}}

According to the [https://xkcd.com/about ''xkcd'' FAQ] and [[Randall Munroe]] himself, the name ''xkcd'' doesn't stand for anything. He [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJOS0sV2a24#t=44m31s says] it originated as a previously unused, unpronounceable, random four-letter string which he used as his username on various internet services.<ref name="aboutpage">https://xkcd.com/about/</ref> <noinclude><!-- PAGE TRANSCLUDED IN [[207]], DON'T REMOVE <noinclude> TAGS PLEASE -->See also the comic titled [[207: What xkcd Means]]. {{incomplete|Give some examples where Randall himself used the lowercase, uppercase , and "Xkcd" version.)}}
The string "xkcd" should always be entirely lowercase (xkcd). The only exception is where the first letter would be normally capitalized (e.g. titles, beginning of a sentence, etc.); in that case, it should be entirely uppercased (XKCD). Standard capitalization (Xkcd) should not be used, [https://xkcd.com/about/ according to Randall].

</noinclude>There are other theories about what ''xkcd'' might stand for (not verified and probably not true):
* If each letter of the alphabet is [https://web.archive.org/web/20090908204959im_/http://explainxkcd.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/XKCD1.jpg mapped to 1 through 26], the sum of the values for "x", "k", "c", and "d" is equal to 42, which is the answer given to the Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything by the supercomputer in ''{{w|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy}}''. However, according to Randall himself, this is a coincidence.{{Actual citation needed}}
* A [https://web.archive.org/web/20200728001540/https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/c2049n/the_names_mystery_unveiled/ now-deleted] Reddit account noted that typing "xkcd" on a Persian QWERTY keyboard returns "طنزی", which means satirical, sarcastic, and comic.
* "x", "k", "c", and "d" are consecutive letters when typed on a left-handed [[:Category:Dvorak|Dvorak]] keyboard.
* By shifting the letters in "xkcd" one key up on a standard {{w|QWERTY}} keyboard, you end up with the word "side".
* A [https://www.quora.com/What-does-the-name-xkcd-mean/answer/Narayan-Babu/ Quora account] noted that reversing its letters in "xkcd" gives "dckx", which can be pronounced as "dicks".
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==History==
:''Main article: [[LiveJournal]].''

{{:LiveJournal}}

[[Category:xkcd| 1]]{{xkcdmeta}}