3113: Fix This Sign - Revision history

Amateurautist: /* Transcript */ italicized ponytail's growl

2026-02-12T19:28:03Z

‎Transcript: italicized ponytail's growl

FaviFake at 12:39, 20 September 2025

2025-09-20T12:39:22Z

188.129.61.74: Added the comic to category Self-reference, because the sign asks the reader to donate to fix itself.

2025-09-17T17:50:51Z

Added the comic to category Self-reference, because the sign asks the reader to donate to fix itself.

Sophocrat: /* Transcript */ removed {{incomplete transcript}} as it seems complete to me (feel free to revert if you disagree)

2025-08-11T23:56:58Z

‎Transcript: removed {{incomplete transcript}} as it seems complete to me (feel free to revert if you disagree)

Xurkitree10: /* Explanation */

2025-08-03T12:17:47Z

‎Explanation

2603:800C:1200:596A:942:2A20:D4F0:EB26: /* Explanation */ sadly no, essential commands from early MS-DOS (CP/M even) reserve the use of the forward slash as a switch prefix

2025-07-29T13:22:48Z

‎Explanation: sadly no, essential commands from early MS-DOS (CP/M even) reserve the use of the forward slash as a switch prefix

FaviFake at 12:47, 24 July 2025

2025-07-24T12:47:04Z

82.13.184.33: /* Explanation */

2025-07-14T08:09:48Z

‎Explanation

Xkcd explainer: /* Transcript */

2025-07-11T13:50:51Z

‎Transcript

82.13.184.33: /* Explanation */

2025-07-11T08:33:30Z

‎Explanation

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 ::$100 fix rotation
-:[Ponytail stands looking at the sign, apparently in the process of using a smartphone:] Grrr...
+:[Ponytail stands looking at the sign, apparently in the process of using a smartphone:] ''Grrr''...
 :[Caption below panel:] My new company's business model is based on extorting graphic designers.

@@ Line 51: / Line 51: @@
 [[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
 [[Category:Graphic designers]]
-[[Category:Self-reference]]
+[[Category:Self-reference]]<!--

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:50, 17 September 2025
Line 51:		Line 51:
	[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]		[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
	[[Category:Graphic designers]]		[[Category:Graphic designers]]
		+	[[Category:Self-reference]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:56, 11 August 2025
Line 30:		Line 30:

	==Transcript==		==Transcript==
−	~~{{incomplete transcript\|Don't remove this notice too soon.}}~~
	:[A single panel containing a large, elevated sign with Ponytail standing in front of it.]		:[A single panel containing a large, elevated sign with Ponytail standing in front of it.]

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:17, 3 August 2025
Line 10:		Line 10:

	==Explanation==		==Explanation==
−	~~{{incomplete\|Could someone who knows what "Win32-to-NT path conversions" are explain it? (title text)}}~~
−
	[[Randall Munroe\|Randall]] has created a sign with a number of issues, such as bad kerning and alignment, that {{w\|graphic designer}}s might be disturbed by. Fortunately these graphic designers can donate money to have the sign's issues fixed (which is possibly an improvement upon the situation invoked in the case of [[2598: Graphic Designers]]). [[2008: Irony Definition\|Ironically]], once all the errors are fixed, the sign won't make sense any more, requesting money for fixes that have already been made.		[[Randall Munroe\|Randall]] has created a sign with a number of issues, such as bad kerning and alignment, that {{w\|graphic designer}}s might be disturbed by. Fortunately these graphic designers can donate money to have the sign's issues fixed (which is possibly an improvement upon the situation invoked in the case of [[2598: Graphic Designers]]). [[2008: Irony Definition\|Ironically]], once all the errors are fixed, the sign won't make sense any more, requesting money for fixes that have already been made.

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 ;Fix rotation  ($100): The content of the sign slopes slightly down from left to right. For example, in the title "doanate" is higher than "sign", and the {{w|QR code}} 'graphic' is noticeably off-square.
-;Title text: The title text refers to another common annoyance in a different field: that of website developers and, specifically, weblinks. {{w|URL}}s are defined to use forward slashes (/) rather than {{w|backslash}}es (\), which are used in Windows {{w|Path_(computing)|pathnames}}. Due to the widespread usage of both URLs and Windows pathnames, it is not uncommon for someone to mistakenly use backslashes in URLs, which isn't always supported. (Forward slashes in Windows paths, however, ''are'' supported via Win32-to-NT path conversion.) This annoyance was also discussed in [[727: Trade Expert]].
+;Title text: The title text refers to another common annoyance in a different field: that of website developers and, specifically, weblinks. {{w|URL}}s are defined to use forward slashes (/) rather than {{w|backslash}}es (\), which are used in Windows {{w|Path_(computing)|pathnames}}. Due to the widespread usage of both URLs and Windows pathnames, it is not uncommon for someone to mistakenly use backslashes in URLs, which isn't always supported. This annoyance was also discussed in [[727: Trade Expert]].
 ==Transcript==

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ==Explanation==
-{{incomplete|This page was created by a MISaLI NED CO LUM. Don't remove this notice too soon (before sufficient donations are received).}}
+{{incomplete|Could someone who knows what "Win32-to-NT path conversions" are explain it? (title text)}}
 [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] has created a sign with a number of issues, such as bad kerning and alignment, that {{w|graphic designer}}s might be disturbed by. Fortunately these graphic designers can donate money to have the sign's issues fixed (which is possibly an improvement upon the situation invoked in the case of [[2598: Graphic Designers]]). [[2008: Irony Definition|Ironically]], once all the errors are fixed, the sign won't make sense any more, requesting money for fixes that have already been made.
-The following paid solutions to deliberate issues are advertised:
+The relative values assigned to each 'fix' are presumably proportional to at least one observer's perceived degree of issue with each 'mistake'. Given the costs of printing a sign of this size, Randall may have severely underpriced his fixes and set up his business to fail, if he intends to honour the pledges. He may be relying on there being a ''lot'' of passing graphic designers, generating multiple 'doanations' for each issue. Perhaps he will only fix them if a certain total amount of money is raised. This would be similar to the {{w|Kickstarter}} model, where people can donate at different levels and multiple people can donate at the same level, but the project will only be undertaken if a certain total amount of money is raised. If that total is not raised, nobody gets charged and the project is cancelled. One would hope the QR code would lead to a page detailing whether that's the case, what the total amount raised would need to be to be worth undertaking the fixes, or otherwise explaining how the <s>scam</s> project works. The following paid solutions to deliberate issues are advertised:
 ;Fix kerning ($10) :{{w|Kerning}} refers to the spacing between letters in a {{w|typeface}}, previously addressed in [[1015: Kerning]]. Kerning issues can result in letters in text appearing too far apart, as if there were a space in between, or too close, as if the letters were merged. In some instances, combinations of letters can appear like other letters. A well known example of this is the r and n merging into an m. (For example, "kerning" might appear as "keming", which is hinted at in the comic with the R and N close together, although here they are in uppercase, so this merging doesn't happen.)
 :In this instance, the N and I in this word are very close together in this actual item, as a self-demonstrating issue. In the sign's title, the I and S (in "THIS") are too far apart and the S and the I (in "SIGN") are too close to each other. <!-- Due to the nature of the hand-written letters, this may or may not even be the exact extent of Randall's intended kerning errors, or the some total of everything that everyone sees as an error, given that we're primed to see such problems. --><!-- If you're trying to use 'some total' to extort editors, I feel obliged to point out that that won't work on a wiki -->
@@ Line 28: / Line 29: @@
 ;Fix rotation  ($100): The content of the sign slopes slightly down from left to right. For example, in the title "doanate" is higher than "sign", and the {{w|QR code}} 'graphic' is noticeably off-square.
-The relative values assigned to each 'fix' are presumably proportional to at least one observer's perceived degree of issue with each 'mistake'. Given the costs of printing a sign of this size, Randall may have severely underpriced his fixes and set up his business to fail, if he intends to honour the pledges. He may be relying on there being a ''lot'' of passing graphic designers, generating multiple 'doanations' for each issue. Perhaps he will only fix them if a certain total amount of money is raised. This would be similar to the {{w|Kickstarter}} model, where people can donate at different levels and multiple people can donate at the same level, but the project will only be undertaken if a certain total amount of money is raised. If that total is not raised, nobody gets charged and the project is cancelled. One would hope the QR code would lead to a page detailing whether that's the case, what the total amount raised would need to be to be worth undertaking the fixes, or otherwise explaining how the <s>scam</s> project works.
+;Title text: The title text refers to another common annoyance in a different field: that of website developers and, specifically, weblinks. {{w|URL}}s are defined to use forward slashes (/) rather than {{w|backslash}}es (\), which are used in Windows {{w|Path_(computing)|pathnames}}. Due to the widespread usage of both URLs and Windows pathnames, it is not uncommon for someone to mistakenly use backslashes in URLs, which isn't always supported. (Forward slashes in Windows paths, however, ''are'' supported via Win32-to-NT path conversion.) This annoyance was also discussed in [[727: Trade Expert]].
 ==Transcript==

@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 :[To the left of the lower part of the sign there is an 'QR code', tilted slightly with a plaintext link beneath it:] https://[illegible].com
-:[To the right are several dollar values, in one column, and 'fixes', in a second, some of which have their own self-demnstrating quirks.]
+:[To the right are several dollar values, in one column, and 'fixes', in a second, some of which have their own self-demonstrating quirks.]
 ::[The letters "R" and "N" may be too close together:] $10 fix kerning
 ::[Both dollar value and fix text are shifted left of their respective columns:] $20 align columns