1762: Moving Boxes - Revision history

172.69.194.12: Undo revision 354097 by Maplestrip (talk) There's no particular reason for it to accumulate at the centre of non-dark masses, if it doesn't decelerate. Streams of DM will be buzzing every box.

2024-10-24T12:11:33Z

Undo revision 354097 by Maplestrip (talk) There's no particular reason for it to accumulate at the centre of non-dark masses, if it doesn't decelerate. Streams of DM will be buzzing every box.

Maplestrip: As I understand it, all dark matter that might exist on earth would just fall to its center, no? Why would any be floating up here at the surface at approximately the location of the box? Unless its orbit is _just right_?

2024-10-24T11:53:31Z

As I understand it, all dark matter that might exist on earth would just fall to its center, no? Why would any be floating up here at the surface at approximately the location of the box? Unless its orbit is _just right_?

Whoop whoop pull up: /* Explanation of boxes */

2024-08-26T05:49:57Z

‎Explanation of boxes

Whoop whoop pull up: /* Explanation of boxes */

2024-08-26T05:45:35Z

‎Explanation of boxes

RadiantRainwing at 18:17, 1 August 2024

2024-08-01T18:17:56Z

Maplestrip: /* Explanation of boxes */

2024-06-10T10:09:58Z

‎Explanation of boxes

Maplestrip: /* Explanation of boxes */

2024-06-10T10:00:02Z

‎Explanation of boxes

Maplestrip: /* Explanation of boxes */ Drinking water rewrite :)

2024-06-10T09:51:07Z

‎Explanation of boxes: Drinking water rewrite :)

Maplestrip: /* Explanation of boxes */ Not as funny a "citation needed" as the two around it.

2024-06-10T09:46:13Z

‎Explanation of boxes: Not as funny a "citation needed" as the two around it.

Maplestrip: /* Explanation of boxes */

2024-06-10T09:42:44Z

‎Explanation of boxes

@@ Line 104: / Line 104: @@
 !Box 14
 |-
-|Dark Matter||{{w|Dark matter}} is what is believed to be a big part of the mass of galaxies, but we have never observed it, so it is not possible to pack it.{{Citation needed}} Alternatively, if all dark matter were permanently packed in boxes like this, it would explain why it has never been observed: According to the {{w|Copenhagen interpretation}} of the uncertainty principle (in other words, the {{w|Schrödinger's Cat}}), dark matter may both be in the box and somewhere else in the universe until somebody opens the box.
+|Dark Matter||{{w|Dark matter}} is what is believed to be a big part of the mass of galaxies, but we have never observed it, so it is not possible to pack it.{{Citation needed}} Alternatively, if all dark matter were permanently packed in boxes like this, it would explain why it has never been observed: According to the {{w|Copenhagen interpretation}} of the uncertainty principle (in other words, the {{w|Schrödinger's Cat}}), dark matter may both be in the box and somewhere else in the universe until somebody opens the box.  Technically, as dark matter is thought to exist throughout the universe at varying densities without interacting (except gravitationally) with "regular" (baryonic) matter, this box will always contain a minuscule quantity of dark matter at any given moment, as will all of the others.
 |-
 !Box 15

@@ Line 104: / Line 104: @@
 !Box 14
 |-
-|Dark Matter||{{w|Dark matter}} is what is believed to be a big part of the mass of galaxies, but we have never observed it, so it is not possible to pack it.{{Citation needed}} Alternatively, if all dark matter were permanently packed in boxes like this, it would explain why it has never been observed: According to the {{w|Copenhagen interpretation}} of the uncertainty principle (in other words, the {{w|Schrödinger's Cat}}), dark matter may both be in the box and somewhere else in the universe until somebody opens the box.  Technically, as dark matter is thought to exist throughout the universe at varying densities without interacting (except gravitationally) with "regular" (baryonic) matter, this box will always contain a minuscule quantity of dark matter at any given moment, as will all of the others.
+|Dark Matter||{{w|Dark matter}} is what is believed to be a big part of the mass of galaxies, but we have never observed it, so it is not possible to pack it.{{Citation needed}} Alternatively, if all dark matter were permanently packed in boxes like this, it would explain why it has never been observed: According to the {{w|Copenhagen interpretation}} of the uncertainty principle (in other words, the {{w|Schrödinger's Cat}}), dark matter may both be in the box and somewhere else in the universe until somebody opens the box.
 |-
 !Box 15

@@ Line 100: / Line 100: @@
 |Tribes||A {{w|tribe}} is a social group of people, and have existed before states were formed. It is impossible to store a group of people in the box, let alone multiple groups.{{Citation needed}}
 |-
-|Dough||{{w|Dough}} is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic, paste made out of any grains, leguminous or chestnut crops. It is used in the process of cooking, but it doesn't make sense to pack it while moving.
+|Dough||{{w|Dough}} is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic, paste made out of any grains, leguminous or chestnut crops. It is used in the process of cooking, but it doesn't make sense to pack it while moving.  "Dough" is also a slang term for money, which makes more sense to pack for moving.
 |-
 !Box 14
 |-
-|Dark Matter||{{w|Dark matter}} is what is believed to be a big part of the mass of galaxies, but we have never observed it, so it is not possible to pack it.{{Citation needed}} Alternatively, if all dark matter were permanently packed in boxes like this, it would explain why it has never been observed: According to the {{w|Copenhagen interpretation}} of the uncertainty principle (in other words, the {{w|Schrödinger's Cat}}), dark matter may both be in the box and somewhere else in the universe until somebody opens the box.
+|Dark Matter||{{w|Dark matter}} is what is believed to be a big part of the mass of galaxies, but we have never observed it, so it is not possible to pack it.{{Citation needed}} Alternatively, if all dark matter were permanently packed in boxes like this, it would explain why it has never been observed: According to the {{w|Copenhagen interpretation}} of the uncertainty principle (in other words, the {{w|Schrödinger's Cat}}), dark matter may both be in the box and somewhere else in the universe until somebody opens the box.  Technically, as dark matter is thought to exist throughout the universe at varying densities without interacting (except gravitationally) with "regular" (baryonic) matter, this box will always contain a minuscule quantity of dark matter at any given moment, as will all of the others.
 |-
 !Box 15

@@ Line 92: / Line 92: @@
 !Box 12
 |-
-|Traps||May be a reference to 'My house is full of traps' from [https://what-if.xkcd.com/34// What-If #34], or possibly just generic traps such as {{w|Trapping#Foothold_traps|Bear traps}} and {{w|Booby traps}}
+|Traps||May be a reference to 'My house is full of traps' from [https://what-if.xkcd.com/34// What-If #34], or possibly just generic traps such as {{w|Trapping#Foothold_traps|Bear traps}} and {{w|Booby traps}}.
 |-
 !Box 13

@@ Line 84: / Line 84: @@
 |Graphite||{{w|Graphite}} is a crystalline form of carbon, where the atoms are arranged in sheets. It is found in some household products (pencils and lubricant oil), though in either case the name of the end product would be a more likely box label.  Graphite is also a color.
 |-
-|Taupe|| {{w|Taupe}} is a dark tan color in between brown and gray, again, not an object. May be a reference to Gliese 581f (a.k.a. Taupe Mars) from [[1253|xkcd #1253]].
+|Taupe|| {{w|Taupe}} is a dark tan color in between brown and gray. It is not an object, and therefore impossible to pack.{{Citation needed}} May be a reference to Gliese 581f (a.k.a. Taupe Mars) from [[1253|xkcd #1253]].
 |-
 !Box 11

@@ Line 60: / Line 60: @@
 !Box 7
 |-
-|Membranes||Delicate thin pliable sheet or skin of various kinds. Usually fragile or cut easily. Not something you would expect to be packed with something sharp, which shards are likely to be, although these labels are incorrect.
+|Membranes||Delicate thin pliable sheet or skin of various kinds. Usually fragile or cut easily. Not something you would expect to be packed with something sharp.
 |-
-|Shards||These are broken pieces of smooth and hard objects, e.g. ceramic, glass, crystal. Something you would normally expect to be thrown out, rather than packed up for moving house.
+|Shards||Broken pieces of smooth and hard objects, such as ceramic, glass, or crystal. Often sharp: something you would normally expect to be thrown out, rather than packed up for moving house.
 |-
 !Box 8
 |-
-|Shawls||{{w|Shawls}} are a simple item of clothing, worn loosely over one's shoulders. Also being of rectangular shape, they are supposed to be worn in colder weather.
+|Shawls||{{w|Shawls}} are a simple item of clothing, worn loosely over one's shoulders. Being of rectangular shape, they are supposed to be worn in colder weather.
 |-
 |Glucose||{{w|Glucose}} is possibly best-known as the sugar plants produce for energy, but can be manufactured.
@@ Line 104: / Line 104: @@
 !Box 14
 |-
-|Dark Matter||{{w|Dark matter}} is what is believed to be a big part of the mass of galaxies, but we have never observed it, so it is not possible to pack it.{{Citation needed}} Alternatively, if all dark matter were permanently packed in boxes like this, it would explain why it has never been observed. According to the {{w|Copenhagen interpretation}} of the uncertainty principle (in other words, the {{w|Schrödinger's Cat}}), dark matter may both be in the box and somewhere else in the universe until somebody opens the box.
+|Dark Matter||{{w|Dark matter}} is what is believed to be a big part of the mass of galaxies, but we have never observed it, so it is not possible to pack it.{{Citation needed}} Alternatively, if all dark matter were permanently packed in boxes like this, it would explain why it has never been observed: According to the {{w|Copenhagen interpretation}} of the uncertainty principle (in other words, the {{w|Schrödinger's Cat}}), dark matter may both be in the box and somewhere else in the universe until somebody opens the box.
 |-
 !Box 15
@@ Line 112: / Line 112: @@
 !Box 16
 |-
-|Triangles||Within the context of this comic, the reference is likely to the shape. On the other hand, it would not be unusual to pack one or more {{w|Triangle (musical instrument)|triangle}}s into a box.
+|Triangles||Within the context of this comic, the reference is likely to the abstract shape. On the other hand, it would not be unusual to pack one or more {{w|Triangle (musical instrument)|triangle}}s into a box.
 |-
-|Peat|| {{w|Peat}} is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation that forms in wetland bogs, moors, mires, and swamps.
+|Peat|| {{w|Peat}} is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation that forms in wetland bogs, moors, mires, and swamps. Like sand and silt, this would be unpleasant to transport in a cardboard box.
 |-
 |Crowns|| These may be royal crowns or may be the coin worth five shillings in UK pre-decimal currency.

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 !Box 5
 |-
-|Shorebirds|| Also known as {{w|Wader|Waders}}, these are an order of birds that wade in literal waters. Stuffing them in boxes would also be a bad idea.{{Citation needed}}
+|Shorebirds|| Also known as {{w|Wader|Waders}}, these are an order of birds that commonly wade along shorelines and mudflats. Stuffing them in boxes would be a bad idea.{{Citation needed}}
 |-
 !Box 6
 |-
-|Oil|| This could mean anything from cooking oil to petroleum; either way, most of a box full of oil bottles is unusual, but for different reasons (that's a lot of cooking oil, a ''lot'' of motor oil and a comically small amount of crude oil).
+|Oil|| This could mean anything from cooking oil to petroleum, but either way, transporting a box full of oil bottles is unusual because both are easily commercially available. A full box of cooking oil would be way more than a person typically needs, while a single box of petroleum would only be useful for a few vehicle refuels at most. This amount of petroleum could reasonably power a small back-up generator.
 |-
 |Vectors||{{w|Vector (mathematics and physics)|Vector}}s are properties with magnitude and direction, such as velocity, momentum, acceleration, etc., but can depend on the context. In any situation, they are not physical objects, so they cannot be put in boxes. Alternatively "vector" could mean a carrier of a disease, such as ticks or mosquitoes, but while more possible to box they would still not be practical to keep with common household goods and the intent of moving them as such would be dubious at best.

@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 !Box 4
 |-
-|Water||As with sand, it's not unheard of for, say, a laboratory to store water samples for testing. But again, these wouldn't be stored along with your personal belongings on moving day. And if this is meant to be drinking water, it would be a waste of effort; it's taken as read that any house you're moving into has its own plumbing. Unless, of course, they insist on drinking bottled water (which some people do).
+|Water||As with sand, it's not unheard of for, say, a laboratory to store water samples for testing. But again, these wouldn't be stored along with your personal belongings on moving day. And if this is meant to be drinking water, it would be a waste of effort; drinking water is accessible practically anywhere one might move to, through plumbing or commercially sold bottled water. A full box of drinking water might last a single person less than a month before requiring a restock.
 |-
 |Hooves||{{w|Hooves}} are possibly best known as horse and cow 'feet'. This could also be read as a compound word, Water-Hooves akin to water-wings.

@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 |Beacons||Beacons are devices designed to draw attention to themselves, for various reasons. From the generic term "beacon" this could mean anything from electronic GPS locator beacons to miniature replicas of naval lighthouses. Or, alternatively, it could be like what is referenced in the 7th panel of [[921: Delivery Notification]], which is used to summon elves (which happen to be in the same box).
 |-
-|Elves||Elves are a fictional{{Citation needed}} race (or rather, many, many fictional races) of human-like magical creatures.
+|Elves||Elves are a range of fictional and mythological human-like magical creatures. Classical elves would be small enough to fit in a cardboard box, while high-fantasy elves would not.
 |-
 |Sand||Sand grains are fine particles of rock. While it's not unheard of for people to need to store sand, it's usually not stored along with your personal belongings on moving day.{{Citation needed}}

@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 |Grids|| [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/grid Grids] are mathematical drawings; they would be constructed by drawing them, not stored in a box (though {{w|graph paper}} might be). May refer to a classic {{w|snipe hunt}} where a hazing victim is tasked with finding "a box of grid squares".
 |-
-|Bison||{{w|Bison}}, sometimes mistakenly called {{w|Bubalina|buffalo}}, are large animals that would probably not fit in the box.{{Citation needed}}
+|Bison||{{w|Bison}}, a relative of the {{w|Bubalina|buffalo}}, are large animals that would probably not fit in the box.{{Citation needed}}
 |-
 |Checkerboards||The tabletop gaming boards on which one plays {{w|English draughts|Checkers}}. It is also the name of the corresponding pattern and thus can be interpreted as an abstract term like many other "objects" in this comic. Note that a checkerboard ''could'' be considered a grid.