2576: Control Group - Revision history

171.33.202.199: wordle is not emojibased, wordles sharing feature is

2026-03-19T13:27:16Z

wordle is not emojibased, wordles sharing feature is

FaviFake: Undo revision 376354 by 172.70.163.177 (talk) - You seem to never have shared a wordle. See https://x.com/search?q=wordle&f=live (Granted, it could be explained better.

2025-05-05T14:27:38Z

Undo revision 376354 by 172.70.163.177 (talk) - You seem to never have shared a wordle. See https://x.com/search?q=wordle&f=live (Granted, it could be explained better.

172.70.163.177: Undo revision 376350 by 172.68.22.108 (talk) What? Unless they've changed Wordle, since I last saw it, there's no Emoji involved.

2025-05-05T12:05:57Z

Undo revision 376350 by 172.68.22.108 (talk) What? Unless they've changed Wordle, since I last saw it, there's no Emoji involved.

172.68.22.108 at 10:18, 5 May 2025

2025-05-05T10:18:45Z

Cheesesentience: /* Trivia */

2025-03-06T18:02:24Z

‎Trivia

DollarStoreBa'al: Fixed the incomplete explanation.

2025-03-06T17:31:35Z

Fixed the incomplete explanation.

FaviFake: /* Trivia */

2025-03-02T11:12:33Z

‎Trivia

FaviFake: /* Trivia */

2025-03-02T11:10:01Z

‎Trivia

FaviFake at 11:07, 2 March 2025

2025-03-02T11:07:56Z

FaviFake: /* Explanation */

2025-03-02T11:04:33Z

‎Explanation

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 More realistically, Cueball may be part of a real market research control group, which was not exposed to advertisements and memes supporting the game or anything associated with the game. Market research studies have been common since the advent of advertising.
-The title text is a parody of emoji-based Wordle's sharing feature, which users have been [https://twitter.com/search?q=wordle&f=live posting on Twitter] or other social media platforms to show their success or failure at the game. The title text shows a 5x6 grid, but calls it "Placeble" (a {{w|portmanteau}} of Placebo and Wordle) and has a number after it, suggesting that not only is the game a social experiment, but that a "placebo version" is being given to the control group. In the real Wordle sharing feature, the number represents the current day's game. On the date this comic was released, the Wordle website itself was on game 228, matching the number in the title text. Randall's placebo version of Wordle has blank/incorrect squares and has a score of "x/6" which is a loss in Wordle — unsuccessful after the maximum 6 tries. A potential candidate for a "Placeble" might be [https://qntm.org/files/absurdle/absurdle.html Absurdle], although it does not automatically end after 6 tries.
+The title text is a parody of Wordle's emoji-based sharing feature, which users have been [https://twitter.com/search?q=wordle&f=live posting on Twitter] or other social media platforms to show their success or failure at the game. The title text shows a 5x6 grid, but calls it "Placeble" (a {{w|portmanteau}} of Placebo and Wordle) and has a number after it, suggesting that not only is the game a social experiment, but that a "placebo version" is being given to the control group. In the real Wordle sharing feature, the number represents the current day's game. On the date this comic was released, the Wordle website itself was on game 228, matching the number in the title text. Randall's placebo version of Wordle has blank/incorrect squares and has a score of "x/6" which is a loss in Wordle — unsuccessful after the maximum 6 tries. A potential candidate for a "Placeble" might be [https://qntm.org/files/absurdle/absurdle.html Absurdle], although it does not automatically end after 6 tries.
 ==Transcript==

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 More realistically, Cueball may be part of a real market research control group, which was not exposed to advertisements and memes supporting the game or anything associated with the game. Market research studies have been common since the advent of advertising.
-The title text is a parody of Wordle's sharing feature, which users have been [https://twitter.com/search?q=wordle&f=live posting on Twitter] or other social media platforms to show their success or failure at the game. The title text shows a 5x6 grid, but calls it "Placeble" (a {{w|portmanteau}} of Placebo and Wordle) and has a number after it, suggesting that not only is the game a social experiment, but that a "placebo version" is being given to the control group. In the real Wordle sharing feature, the number represents the current day's game. On the date this comic was released, the Wordle website itself was on game 228, matching the number in the title text. Randall's placebo version of Wordle has blank/incorrect squares and has a score of "x/6" which is a loss in Wordle — unsuccessful after the maximum 6 tries. A potential candidate for a "Placeble" might be [https://qntm.org/files/absurdle/absurdle.html Absurdle], although it does not automatically end after 6 tries.
+The title text is a parody of emoji-based Wordle's sharing feature, which users have been [https://twitter.com/search?q=wordle&f=live posting on Twitter] or other social media platforms to show their success or failure at the game. The title text shows a 5x6 grid, but calls it "Placeble" (a {{w|portmanteau}} of Placebo and Wordle) and has a number after it, suggesting that not only is the game a social experiment, but that a "placebo version" is being given to the control group. In the real Wordle sharing feature, the number represents the current day's game. On the date this comic was released, the Wordle website itself was on game 228, matching the number in the title text. Randall's placebo version of Wordle has blank/incorrect squares and has a score of "x/6" which is a loss in Wordle — unsuccessful after the maximum 6 tries. A potential candidate for a "Placeble" might be [https://qntm.org/files/absurdle/absurdle.html Absurdle], although it does not automatically end after 6 tries.
 ==Transcript==
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 [[Category:Comics edited after their publication]]
 [[Category:Scientific research]]

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 More realistically, Cueball may be part of a real market research control group, which was not exposed to advertisements and memes supporting the game or anything associated with the game. Market research studies have been common since the advent of advertising.
-The title text is a parody of emoji-based Wordle's sharing feature, which users have been [https://twitter.com/search?q=wordle&f=live posting on Twitter] or other social media platforms to show their success or failure at the game. The title text shows a 5x6 grid, but calls it "Placeble" (a {{w|portmanteau}} of Placebo and Wordle) and has a number after it, suggesting that not only is the game a social experiment, but that a "placebo version" is being given to the control group. In the real Wordle sharing feature, the number represents the current day's game. On the date this comic was released, the Wordle website itself was on game 228, matching the number in the title text. Randall's placebo version of Wordle has blank/incorrect squares and has a score of "x/6" which is a loss in Wordle — unsuccessful after the maximum 6 tries. A potential candidate for a "Placeble" might be [https://qntm.org/files/absurdle/absurdle.html Absurdle], although it does not automatically end after 6 tries.
+The title text is a parody of Wordle's sharing feature, which users have been [https://twitter.com/search?q=wordle&f=live posting on Twitter] or other social media platforms to show their success or failure at the game. The title text shows a 5x6 grid, but calls it "Placeble" (a {{w|portmanteau}} of Placebo and Wordle) and has a number after it, suggesting that not only is the game a social experiment, but that a "placebo version" is being given to the control group. In the real Wordle sharing feature, the number represents the current day's game. On the date this comic was released, the Wordle website itself was on game 228, matching the number in the title text. Randall's placebo version of Wordle has blank/incorrect squares and has a score of "x/6" which is a loss in Wordle — unsuccessful after the maximum 6 tries. A potential candidate for a "Placeble" might be [https://qntm.org/files/absurdle/absurdle.html Absurdle], although it does not automatically end after 6 tries.
 ==Transcript==
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 [[Category:Comics edited after their publication]]
 [[Category:Scientific research]]

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 More realistically, Cueball may be part of a real market research control group, which was not exposed to advertisements and memes supporting the game or anything associated with the game. Market research studies have been common since the advent of advertising.
-The title text is a parody of Wordle's sharing feature, which users have been [https://twitter.com/search?q=wordle&f=live posting on Twitter] or other social media platforms to show their success or failure at the game. The title text shows a 5x6 grid, but calls it "Placeble" (a {{w|portmanteau}} of Placebo and Wordle) and has a number after it, suggesting that not only is the game a social experiment, but that a "placebo version" is being given to the control group. In the real Wordle sharing feature, the number represents the current day's game. On the date this comic was released, the Wordle website itself was on game 228, matching the number in the title text. Randall's placebo version of Wordle has blank/incorrect squares and has a score of "x/6" which is a loss in Wordle — unsuccessful after the maximum 6 tries. A potential candidate for a "Placeble" might be [https://qntm.org/files/absurdle/absurdle.html Absurdle], although it does not automatically end after 6 tries.
+The title text is a parody of emoji-based Wordle's sharing feature, which users have been [https://twitter.com/search?q=wordle&f=live posting on Twitter] or other social media platforms to show their success or failure at the game. The title text shows a 5x6 grid, but calls it "Placeble" (a {{w|portmanteau}} of Placebo and Wordle) and has a number after it, suggesting that not only is the game a social experiment, but that a "placebo version" is being given to the control group. In the real Wordle sharing feature, the number represents the current day's game. On the date this comic was released, the Wordle website itself was on game 228, matching the number in the title text. Randall's placebo version of Wordle has blank/incorrect squares and has a score of "x/6" which is a loss in Wordle — unsuccessful after the maximum 6 tries. A potential candidate for a "Placeble" might be [https://qntm.org/files/absurdle/absurdle.html Absurdle], although it does not automatically end after 6 tries.
 ==Transcript==
@@ Line 35: / Line 35: @@
 [[Category:Comics edited after their publication]]
 [[Category:Scientific research]]

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 ==Trivia==
-The image for this comic had a much larger size than normal, because Randall used the same file for both the normal "double-sized" image and the "regular" size. This resulted in [https://web.archive.org/web/20220203020828/https://xkcd.com/ the comic breaking the boundaries of the website]. Thsi was fixed on [https://web.archive.org/web/20220208211028/https://xkcd.com/2576/ February 8th, 2022], when he updated the comic to make the [https://xkcd.com/2576 image on xkcd.com] the same size as other comics. Later, something similar happened with [[2599: Spacecraft Debris Odds Ratio]], when Randall changed the original comic, and made both images the same size.
+The image for this comic had a much larger size than normal, because Randall used the same file for both the normal "double-sized" image and the "regular" size. This resulted in [https://web.archive.org/web/20220203020828/https://xkcd.com/ the comic breaking the boundaries of the website]. This was fixed on [https://web.archive.org/web/20220208211028/https://xkcd.com/2576/ February 8th, 2022], when he updated the comic to make the [https://xkcd.com/2576 image on xkcd.com] the same size as other comics. Later, something similar happened with [[2599: Spacecraft Debris Odds Ratio]], when Randall changed the original comic, and made both images the same size.
 {{comic discussion}}

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Explanation==
-{{incomplete|Need to insert this sentence into the explanation:
+{{w|Wordle}} is a web-based word puzzle game that was especially popular when this comic was released. In the comic, [[Ponytail]] asks [[Cueball]] whether he's playing the game; Cueball replies that he isn't, because he's "in the control group". In scientific studies, the {{w|control group}} stands in opposition to the treatment group; whereas the treatment group receives the experimental "treatment", the control group does not, instead receiving a {{w|placebo}} or nothing at all. This is done to establish a baseline—what would happen without intervention—against which the result of the experimental treatment is compared later.
 When Cueball replies that he's "in the control group", this implies that Ponytail and other Wordle players are part of a "treatment" group. This implies that playing Wordle may have some long-term effects worth studying.
@@ Line 17: / Line 15: @@
 More realistically, Cueball may be part of a real market research control group, which was not exposed to advertisements and memes supporting the game or anything associated with the game. Market research studies have been common since the advent of advertising.
-The title text is a parody of Wordle's sharing feature, which users have been [https://twitter.com/search?q=wordle&f=live posting on Twitter] or other social media platforms to show their success or failure at the game. The title text shows a 5x6 grid, but calls it "Placeble" (a {{w|portmanteau}} of Placebo and Wordle) and has a number after it, suggesting that not only is the game a social experiment, but that a "placebo version" is being given to the control group. In the real Wordle sharing feature, the number represents the current day's game. On the date this comic was released, the Wordle website itself was on game 228, matching the number in the title text. Randall's placebo version of Wordle has blank/incorrect squares and has a score of "x/6" which is a loss in Wordle — unsuccessful after the maximum 6 tries.
+The title text is a parody of Wordle's sharing feature, which users have been [https://twitter.com/search?q=wordle&f=live posting on Twitter] or other social media platforms to show their success or failure at the game. The title text shows a 5x6 grid, but calls it "Placeble" (a {{w|portmanteau}} of Placebo and Wordle) and has a number after it, suggesting that not only is the game a social experiment, but that a "placebo version" is being given to the control group. In the real Wordle sharing feature, the number represents the current day's game. On the date this comic was released, the Wordle website itself was on game 228, matching the number in the title text. Randall's placebo version of Wordle has blank/incorrect squares and has a score of "x/6" which is a loss in Wordle — unsuccessful after the maximum 6 tries. A potential candidate for a "Placeble" might be [https://qntm.org/files/absurdle/absurdle.html Absurdle], although it does not automatically end after 6 tries.
 ==Transcript==

@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
 ==Trivia==
-The image for this comic had a much larger size than normal, because Randall used the same file for both the normal "double-sized" image and the "regular" size. This resulted in [https://web.archive.org/web/20220329014721/http://xkcd.com/ the comic breaking the boundaries of the website], before it was fixed. He later updated the comic, so the [https://xkcd.com/2576 image on xkcd.com] is now the same size as other comics. Later, something similar happened with [[2599: Spacecraft Debris Odds Ratio]], when Randall changed the original comic, and made both images the same size.
+The image for this comic had a much larger size than normal, because Randall used the same file for both the normal "double-sized" image and the "regular" size. This resulted in [https://web.archive.org/web/20220203020828/https://xkcd.com/ the comic breaking the boundaries of the website], before it was fixed. He later updated the comic, so the [https://xkcd.com/2576 image on xkcd.com] is now the same size as other comics. Later, something similar happened with [[2599: Spacecraft Debris Odds Ratio]], when Randall changed the original comic, and made both images the same size.
 {{comic discussion}}