1204: Detail - Revision history

81.1.2.155: /* Explanation */ practical difficulties of using an electronic microscope ibn the street does not make it an invasion of privacy

2026-03-06T10:50:29Z

‎Explanation: practical difficulties of using an electronic microscope ibn the street does not make it an invasion of privacy

DKMell: extrapolation topic

2025-03-11T18:33:45Z

extrapolation topic

DKMell: another link

2025-03-11T18:02:41Z

another link

FaviFake: added Category:Comics edited after their publication using HotCat

2025-03-02T13:00:41Z

added Category:Comics edited after their publication using HotCat

FaviFake: /* Trivia */

2025-03-02T13:00:31Z

‎Trivia

FaviFake at 13:00, 2 March 2025

2025-03-02T13:00:21Z

162.158.162.225: update to also reference new comic

2024-02-10T16:07:17Z

update to also reference new comic

172.70.214.235: /* Trivia */ planck

2023-10-20T21:30:51Z

‎Trivia: planck

Theusaf: Reverted edits by Donald Trump (talk) to last revision by CRLF

2022-05-26T20:00:27Z

Reverted edits by Donald Trump (talk) to last revision by CRLF

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Donald Trump: Reverted edit by anti-crap user

2022-05-26T19:02:53Z

Reverted edit by anti-crap user

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 In {{w|quantum mechanics}}, the {{w|Planck length}} is (in layman's terms) the smallest measurable distance, defined as approximately 1.6×10<sup>−35</sup> meters, or around 10<sup>20</sup> times smaller than the diameter of a proton. As the graph indicates, this may be called the "resolution" of the universe. Randall extrapolates the exponential trend of Google Earth's increasing resolution, 'revealing' that by the year 2120 or so, Google Earth's resolution will approach and even possibly exceed the Planck length, an obviously fanciful and impossible idea. Current laboratory instruments cannot even get close to measuring the Planck length, barely able to reach the level of the atom (which, by the chart's prediction, will be surpassed by Google Earth around 2040). Extrapolation and interpolation, often absurd, are [[:Category:Extrapolation|recurrent topics]] on xkcd.
-The title text refers to controversy that Google received at one point regarding their use of vehicle-mounted {{w|Google Street View|Street View}} cameras to take images of streets and houses, and how such photography could constitute an invasion of privacy. Google defended itself by stating that the cameras can see nothing more than a pedestrian walking by. Given the trendline in this comic however, Google would need to produce resolution in the nanometer range by 2031, which (using today's technology) would require the use of {{w|scanning electron microscope}}s. The same 'invasion of privacy' defense would obviously not work here, as 1) current scanning electron microscopes in labs can only be used with small specimens at very close range, and are completely unsuitable for observing something as large as a house or for observations from a passing car, and 2) most pedestrians are not equipped with scanning electron microscopes.{{Citation needed}}
+The title text refers to controversy that Google received at one point regarding their use of vehicle-mounted {{w|Google Street View|Street View}} cameras to take images of streets and houses, and how such photography could constitute an invasion of privacy. Google defended itself by stating that the cameras can see nothing more than a pedestrian walking by. Given the trendline in this comic however, Google would need to produce resolution in the nanometer range by 2031, which (using today's technology) would require the use of {{w|scanning electron microscope}}s. The same 'invasion of privacy' defense would be more of a stretch here, as 1) current scanning electron microscopes in labs can only be used with small specimens at very close range, and are completely unsuitable for observing something as large as a house or for observations from a passing car, and 2) most pedestrians are not equipped with scanning electron microscopes.{{Citation needed}} However, from a legal standpoint, these do not outlaw using an electronic microscope in the street - at least for privacy reasons, but the observation's practical requirements (like putting the studied object in a vacuum or covering it in a conductive material) may still cause legal issues, especially if applied to the people present in the street when the car drives by.
 ==Transcript==

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 [[File:Google_maps_auto.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5| Google Streetview car in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (from Wikimedia Commons)]]{{w|Google Earth}} is a mapping software service provided by {{w|Google}} that allows people to view the Earth from above. If zoomed in to maximum magnification, one can obtain clear views of individual streets and homes. An image's {{w|Optical resolution|resolution}} is the smallest length detectable in that image. In terms of Google Earth, this refers to the real-life distance corresponding to one pixel in an aerial image. [[Randall]] points out that the level of detail in Google Earth's images has been increasing exponentially since its introduction, as aerial imaging technology improves and better ways of collecting the data are found. Each tick in the scale represents a resolution improvement by 1000 times.
-In {{w|quantum mechanics}}, the {{w|Planck length}} is (in layman's terms) the smallest measurable distance, defined as approximately 1.6×10<sup>−35</sup> meters, or around 10<sup>20</sup> times smaller than the diameter of a proton. As the graph indicates, this may be called the "resolution" of the universe. Randall extrapolates the exponential trend of Google Earth's increasing resolution, 'revealing' that by the year 2120 or so, Google Earth's resolution will approach and even possibly exceed the Planck length, an obviously fanciful and impossible idea. Current laboratory instruments cannot even get close to measuring the Planck length, barely able to reach the level of the atom. (Which, by the chart's prediction, will be surpassed by Google Earth at around 2040.) Other comics exploring unwarranted extrapolation or interpolation include [[605: Extrapolating]], [[1007: Sustainable]], [[1281: Minifigs]], [[2892: Banana Prices]], and [[3061: Water Balloons]].
+In {{w|quantum mechanics}}, the {{w|Planck length}} is (in layman's terms) the smallest measurable distance, defined as approximately 1.6×10<sup>−35</sup> meters, or around 10<sup>20</sup> times smaller than the diameter of a proton. As the graph indicates, this may be called the "resolution" of the universe. Randall extrapolates the exponential trend of Google Earth's increasing resolution, 'revealing' that by the year 2120 or so, Google Earth's resolution will approach and even possibly exceed the Planck length, an obviously fanciful and impossible idea. Current laboratory instruments cannot even get close to measuring the Planck length, barely able to reach the level of the atom (which, by the chart's prediction, will be surpassed by Google Earth around 2040). Extrapolation and interpolation, often absurd, are [[:Category:Extrapolation|recurrent topics]] on xkcd.
 The title text refers to controversy that Google received at one point regarding their use of vehicle-mounted {{w|Google Street View|Street View}} cameras to take images of streets and houses, and how such photography could constitute an invasion of privacy. Google defended itself by stating that the cameras can see nothing more than a pedestrian walking by. Given the trendline in this comic however, Google would need to produce resolution in the nanometer range by 2031, which (using today's technology) would require the use of {{w|scanning electron microscope}}s. The same 'invasion of privacy' defense would obviously not work here, as 1) current scanning electron microscopes in labs can only be used with small specimens at very close range, and are completely unsuitable for observing something as large as a house or for observations from a passing car, and 2) most pedestrians are not equipped with scanning electron microscopes.{{Citation needed}}

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 [[File:Google_maps_auto.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5| Google Streetview car in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (from Wikimedia Commons)]]{{w|Google Earth}} is a mapping software service provided by {{w|Google}} that allows people to view the Earth from above. If zoomed in to maximum magnification, one can obtain clear views of individual streets and homes. An image's {{w|Optical resolution|resolution}} is the smallest length detectable in that image. In terms of Google Earth, this refers to the real-life distance corresponding to one pixel in an aerial image. [[Randall]] points out that the level of detail in Google Earth's images has been increasing exponentially since its introduction, as aerial imaging technology improves and better ways of collecting the data are found. Each tick in the scale represents a resolution improvement by 1000 times.
-In {{w|quantum mechanics}}, the {{w|Planck length}} is (in layman's terms) the smallest measurable distance, defined as approximately 1.6×10<sup>−35</sup> meters, or around 10<sup>20</sup> times smaller than the diameter of a proton. As the graph indicates, this may be called the "resolution" of the universe. Randall extrapolates the exponential trend of Google Earth's increasing resolution, 'revealing' that by the year 2120 or so, Google Earth's resolution will approach and even possibly exceed the Planck length, an obviously fanciful and impossible idea. Current laboratory instruments cannot even get close to measuring the Planck length, barely able to reach the level of the atom. (Which, by the chart's prediction, will be surpassed by Google Earth at around 2040.) Other comics exploring unwarranted extrapolation include [[605: Extrapolating]], [[1007: Sustainable]], [[1281: Minifigs]] and [[2892: Banana Prices]].
+In {{w|quantum mechanics}}, the {{w|Planck length}} is (in layman's terms) the smallest measurable distance, defined as approximately 1.6×10<sup>−35</sup> meters, or around 10<sup>20</sup> times smaller than the diameter of a proton. As the graph indicates, this may be called the "resolution" of the universe. Randall extrapolates the exponential trend of Google Earth's increasing resolution, 'revealing' that by the year 2120 or so, Google Earth's resolution will approach and even possibly exceed the Planck length, an obviously fanciful and impossible idea. Current laboratory instruments cannot even get close to measuring the Planck length, barely able to reach the level of the atom. (Which, by the chart's prediction, will be surpassed by Google Earth at around 2040.) Other comics exploring unwarranted extrapolation or interpolation include [[605: Extrapolating]], [[1007: Sustainable]], [[1281: Minifigs]], [[2892: Banana Prices]], and [[3061: Water Balloons]].
 The title text refers to controversy that Google received at one point regarding their use of vehicle-mounted {{w|Google Street View|Street View}} cameras to take images of streets and houses, and how such photography could constitute an invasion of privacy. Google defended itself by stating that the cameras can see nothing more than a pedestrian walking by. Given the trendline in this comic however, Google would need to produce resolution in the nanometer range by 2031, which (using today's technology) would require the use of {{w|scanning electron microscope}}s. The same 'invasion of privacy' defense would obviously not work here, as 1) current scanning electron microscopes in labs can only be used with small specimens at very close range, and are completely unsuitable for observing something as large as a house or for observations from a passing car, and 2) most pedestrians are not equipped with scanning electron microscopes.{{Citation needed}}

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:00, 2 March 2025
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	[[Category:Google Maps]]		[[Category:Google Maps]]
	[[Category:Physics]]		[[Category:Physics]]
		+	[[Category:Comics edited after their publication]]

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 ==Trivia==
-* In the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/5/52/20190319154845%21detail.png original version of the comic], "neighborhood" was incorrectly written as "neghborhood". This has since been corrected.
+In the [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/archive/5/52/20190319154845%21detail.png original version of the comic], "neighborhood" was incorrectly written as "neghborhood". This has since been corrected.
 {{comic discussion}}

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:30, 20 October 2023
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	[[Category:Extrapolation]]		[[Category:Extrapolation]]
	[[Category:Google Maps]]		[[Category:Google Maps]]
		+	[[Category:Physics]]