Difference between revisions of "explain xkcd:Sandbox"
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| − | + | __NOTOC__{{DISPLAYTITLE:explain xkcd}} | |
| − | + | <center> | |
| − | [ | + | <font size=5px>''Welcome to the '''explain [[xkcd]]''' wiki!''</font><br> |
| − | ------ | + | <span style="font size:210%;">We have an explanation for all [[List of all comics (full)|'''{{#expr:{{PAGESINCAT:All comics|R}}}}''' xkcd comics]], and only {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} ({{#expr: {{PAGESINCAT:Incomplete explanations|R}} / {{LATESTCOMIC}} * 100 round 1}}%) are incomplete. [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|Help us finish them!]]</span><!-- Note: the -1 in the calculation above has been removed (it was there to discount "comic" 404, but we've categorized it to be a comic and so has Randall.) --> |
| + | </center> | ||
| + | <!-- Go to this explanation button --><span style="position: absolute; right:0; padding-top:1.4em; font-size: 100%;"><span class="no-link-underline">[[{{LATESTCOMIC}}| </span>'''Go to this explanation''']]</span> | ||
| − | + | =Latest comic= | |
| − | + | <div style="border:1px solid grey; background:#000001; padding:1.5em;"> | |
| − | + | {{:{{LATESTCOMIC}}}} | |
| − | + | ---- | |
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| − | }} | ||
| − | == | + | <span style="position: absolute; left:0; padding-top:1.35em; font-size: 105%;"><span class="no-link-underline"> [[File:new topic.png|21x21px|link={{LATESTCOMIC}}#Discussion]][[{{LATESTCOMIC}}#Discussion| </span>'''View comic discussion''']]</span><br><br></div> |
| − | {{ | ||
| + | == New here? == | ||
| + | <div style="float:right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em">{{Special:ContributionScores/10/30/nosort,notools}}<div style="font-size:0.85em; width:28em; font-style:italic">[[Special:ContributionScores|Lots of people]] contribute to make this wiki a success. Many of the recent contributors above have [{{fullurl:Special:Contributions|contribs=newbie}} just joined]. You can do it too! Create your account [[Special:UserLogin/signup|here]].</div></div> | ||
| + | You can read a brief introduction about this wiki at [[explain xkcd]]. Feel free to [[Special:UserLogin/signup|create an account]] and contribute to the wiki! We need explanations for xkcd [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|comics]], [[:Category:Characters|characters]], [[What If? chapters|''What If?'' articles]], and [[:Category:xkcd|everything in between]]. If it is referenced in an [[xkcd]] comic, it should be here. | ||
| − | + | * If you're new to wiki editing, see the [[explain xkcd:Editor FAQ]] for a specific guidance to this wiki and the more general help on [[mw:Help:Editing pages|how to edit wiki pages]]. There's also a handy {{w|Help:Cheatsheet|wikicode cheatsheet}}. | |
| − | + | * Discussion about the wiki itself happens at the [[explain xkcd:Community portal|Community portal]]. | |
| − | + | * You can browse the comics from the [[List of all comics (full)|list of all comics]] or by navigating the category tree at [[:Category:Comics]]. | |
| − | + | * The incomplete explanations are listed [[:Category:Incomplete explanations|here]]. Feel free to help out by expanding them! | |
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | + | == Rules == | |
| − | + | Be a jerk! | |
| − | + | There are a lot of comics that have set-in-stone explanations; only put one interpretation in the wiki page for each comic. | |
| − | |||
| − | + | If you want to talk about a specific comic, don’t. | |
| − | |||
| − | + | Please only submit material directly unrelated to xkcd and, of course, only submit material that cannot legally be posted or freely edited. On-topic or other appropriate content is subject to removal or modification at admin discretion, and users who repeatedly post such content will be blocked. Get good. | |
| − | |||
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| − | : | + | If you need assistance from an [[explain xkcd:Administrators|admin]], post a message to the [[explain xkcd talk:Sandbox|Admin requests]] board. |
| − | |||
| − | : | + | [[Category:Root category]] |
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| − | : | + | Recent comments: {{Special:RecentChanges|namespace=1}} |
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Latest revision as of 09:33, 16 March 2026
Welcome to the explain xkcd wiki!
We have an explanation for all 3234 xkcd comics, and only 71 (2.2%) are incomplete. Help us finish them!
Latest comic[edit]
| Satellite Pollution |
 Title text: We're working to make sure the images are as up-to-date and accurate as possible, with a minimum number of sponsored galaxies. |
Explanation[edit]
|
This is incomplete: This page was created recently by a SATELLITE BOT SHOWING A FAKE XKCD COMIC. Don't remove this notice too soon. If you can fix this issue, edit the page! |
A common concern with new satellite constellations like Starlink is that the fact that they rely on large numbers, they make ground-based astronomy more difficult by adding more noise and possibly obscuring targets.
A more recent concern is the "collapse" of Google Image Search, where trying to find a real picture of a historical event or scientific phenomenon, will now produce an unwieldly amount of results produced by generative AI.
This comic satirizes the two by talking about a hypothetical satellite company that launches *deliberately* inaccurate starmaps to be overlaid across the night sky. This would not only obscure a fair amount of stars from view, but also show stars that don't actually exist in the night sky, thus providing confusion for astronomers, seeing stars not on their starmaps, & making them look unreliable. Why anyone would do this is unknown, with it's only purpose to confuse & mess with people. However, it could be just the doings of a very certain someone...
Of course, such a plan would have many problems in implementing, such as the pure size & strength needed for the banner to survive in space, & be large enough to be noticed by casual observers. Also, the banner would need to have it's own light source, powerful enough to be seen from earth. Such lights are not known to exist on Earth[citation needed].
The title text takes the concept further, implying that the company is somehow offering sponsorship to certain galaxies, despite galaxies not being known for being sentient, or able to provide a sponcership. It is unclear how exactly these sponcerships are being done, possibly doing banners to advertise certain galaxies, though what for is unknown. Possibly to encourage people to visit the various sponcered galaxies, although many of them would be incredibly far away, & unreachable by current space travel.
Transcript[edit]
- [White Hat and Ponytail are standing on the left, Cueball is on the right, in front of a poster on the wall. The poster has a portion of the Earth at the bottom, with outer space above it. The space scene has lots of stars, along with a few nebulae and galaxies. Part of the space scene is enclosed in a quadrilateral (a slightly skewed rectangle) which is attached to a much smaller satellite. The quadrilateral itself is a picture of the night sky, showing an inaccurate picture of the stars.]
- Ponytail: Aren't you worried these will be disruptive for ground-based astronomy?
- Cueball: No, why?
- [Caption below comic:]
- My new company is being criticized for our satellites that deploy 100-mile-wide banners painted with inaccurate pictures of the night sky.
Add comment 
Create topic (use sparingly) 
Refresh Discussion
Make changes, try things out, or just have fun with the wiki here! Just leave everything above the line alone, please.
This is a test. PoolloverNathan[stalk the blue seas] 20:48, 16 March 2021 (UTC)
- This is not. —While False (museum | talk | contributions | logs | rights | printable version | page information | what links there | related changes | Google search | current time: 11:23) 18:38, 17 November 2022 (UTC)
- A foreign student asked me to help fight against his math teacher. That was unusual. He was in that class for just a couple of weeks. The teacher's phone number was sent to me. The student asked me to spam-call the teacher. 172.71.155.55 22:58, 18 September 2023 (UTC)
here i'm just messing around in html, ignore this
furhhfghure guyrburgryhuyvfr "rvhru"
interesting way of writing quotations xd
- hmmm this one of putting "<p>" in a line break will come in handy for when i want it to start at the same place than the first line
edit: da hek did that "</div>" come from An user who has no account yet (talk) 14:14, 13 October 2023 (UTC)
hi uh its hard to get here.
is this a reference to undocumented feature??? hmm... this is interesting.
108.162.241.216 02:05, 23 November 2023 (UTC)
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yum yum [citation needed]
Hiuiedeixgeyceiyedhcdiedcve {{trout}}
This is the leaderboard:<a href=" [AT THE JULY 28TH MEETING][tab] "Cancel the meeting! Our cover is blown."> More testing: hello doesthiswork (yesitdoes) This isn't a good name (talk) 22:44, 28 January 2026 (UTC)
hi 164.58.172.158 14:21, 23 February 2026 (UTC)
What is this?????????????????????? King Pando (talk) 04:25, 10 March 2026 (UTC) Add comment View comic discussionNew here?[edit]
Last 30 days (Top 10) |
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You can read a brief introduction about this wiki at explain xkcd. Feel free to create an account and contribute to the wiki! We need explanations for xkcd comics, characters, What If? articles, and everything in between. If it is referenced in an xkcd comic, it should be here.
- If you're new to wiki editing, see the explain xkcd:Editor FAQ for a specific guidance to this wiki and the more general help on how to edit wiki pages. There's also a handy wikicode cheatsheet.
- Discussion about the wiki itself happens at the Community portal.
- You can browse the comics from the list of all comics or by navigating the category tree at Category:Comics.
- The incomplete explanations are listed here. Feel free to help out by expanding them!
Rules[edit]
Be a jerk!
There are a lot of comics that have set-in-stone explanations; only put one interpretation in the wiki page for each comic.
If you want to talk about a specific comic, don’t.
Please only submit material directly unrelated to xkcd and, of course, only submit material that cannot legally be posted or freely edited. On-topic or other appropriate content is subject to removal or modification at admin discretion, and users who repeatedly post such content will be blocked. Get good.
If you need assistance from an admin, post a message to the Admin requests board.
Recent comments:28 March 2026
| 06:20 | Talk:2931: Chasing (diff | hist) . . (+183) . . 47.141.37.161 (talk) |
| 03:50 | Talk:3225: Satellite Pollution (diff | hist) . . (+153) . . 2603:8081:9700:1224::3 (talk) (Space mirrors - mirrors in space) |
27 March 2026
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Talk:3218: Subduction Retrieval (2 changes | history) . . (+195) . . [82.132.237.207; 2600:1700:5faa:a230:3b9f:ff24:ea05:27b5] |
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| 06:39 | Talk:2891: Log Cabin (diff | hist) . . (+290) . . 47.141.37.161 (talk) |
26 March 2026
| 22:30 | Talk:1562: I in Team (diff | hist) . . (+300) . . DiamondNether90 (talk | contribs) |
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Talk:3224: Centimeter Wavelengths (9 changes | history) . . (+1,820) . . [King Pando; Broseph; TheusafBOT; 98.19.37.29; 82.13.184.33; 2607:fb92:2586:c357:853f:d959:663b:317c; 216.25.182.141; 82.132.237.127 (2×)] |
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25 March 2026
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Talk:3223: Inflation Timeline (4 changes | history) . . (+1,559) . . [WikipedianPolitician; Lettherebedarklight; 81.179.199.253 (2×)] |
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Talk:1203: Time Machines (2 changes | history) . . (+1,350) . . [82.132.238.50; 2600:1700:3cf4:1180:6c57:a298:a080:a187] |
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Talk:287: NP-Complete (2 changes | history) . . (+257) . . [WikipedianPolitician; 81.179.199.253] |
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24 March 2026
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Talk:287: NP-Complete (3 changes | history) . . (+279) . . [WikipedianPolitician (3×)] |
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(cur | prev) . . (+275) . . WikipedianPolitician (talk | contribs) (→Should this be in the Multiple Cueballs category?: new section) |
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22:03 |
Talk:3223: Inflation Timeline (12 changes | history) . . (+2,296) . . [User 8496351; Jp5424; 42.book.addict; 82.132.237.186; 82.13.184.33; 80.187.75.215; 2a12:f43:143e:0:c172:a03d:12fe:51aa; 2a00:23cc:d248:8901:d030:98e4:e22b:d2ef; 204.77.3.72; 2001:1c02:1a9d:9700:2416:3c14:b648:3fd0; Lettherebedarklight (2×)] |
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| 20:25 | Talk:3201: Proof Without Content (diff | hist) . . (+146) . . 184.94.17.26 (talk) |
| 20:04 | Talk:3221: Landscape Features (diff | hist) . . (+337) . . 2600:1006:b137:6466:48c3:2bc9:bcbb:7cd4 (talk) (Maybe "landscape" as a political term?) |
| 15:50 | Talk:2192: Review (diff | hist) . . (+560) . . 204.77.3.72 (talk) |
| 13:52 | Talk:1957: 2018 CVE List (diff | hist) . . (+435) . . GreatWyrmGold (talk | contribs) |
23 March 2026
| 21:03 | Talk:3220: Rotational Gravity (diff | hist) . . (+498) . . 136.47.216.1 (talk) |
