https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=108.162.210.253&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-29T06:36:48ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=337:_Post_Office_Showdown&diff=76716337: Post Office Showdown2014-10-05T17:33:39Z<p>108.162.210.253: add cat: crossbows</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 337<br />
| date = November 2, 2007<br />
| title = Post Office Showdown<br />
| image = post_office_showdown.png<br />
| titletext = That track ('Battle Without Honor or Humanity') -- like 'Ride of the Valkyries' -- improves *any* activity.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Action movies, such as "{{w|Kill Bill}}" by {{w|Quentin Tarantino}}, often feature elaborate fight scenes in mundane environments. [[Cueball]] is imagining himself in such a situation, consistently with his attitude for flights of fancy.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to two songs: "{{w|Battle Without Honor or Humanity}}" from the soundtrack of "Kill Bill", and "{{w|Ride of the Valkyries}}" by {{w|Richard Wagner}}, the latter being associated to fighting scenes because of a famous sequence in the movie "{{w|Apocalypse Now}}" by {{w|Francis Ford Coppola}}.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:I spend a lot of time mentally choreographing elaborate fight scenes with strangers around me.<br />
:[Cueball is in a post office wearing earphones. There are several other people, including an old man with a crutch and an old woman with a long narrow box.]<br />
:Cueball's thoughts: Okay - if that old man pulls a crossbow,<br />
:Cueball's thoughts: I'll throw the postal scale at him and dive backward behind the stamps machine.<br />
:Cueball's thoughts: But what if the lady by the door has a katana in that box?<br />
:Cueball's thoughts: Better set my iPod to the "Kill Bill" fight theme, just in case.<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Crossbows]]</div>108.162.210.253https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=476:_One-Sided&diff=76715476: One-Sided2014-10-05T17:33:12Z<p>108.162.210.253: add cat: crossbows</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 476<br />
| date = September 15, 2008<br />
| title = One-Sided<br />
| image = one-sided.png<br />
| titletext = He continued, "Okay, Bernanke is uncontaminated. Find a crossbow and get him into position behind one of the columns at the Fed entrance. This is gonna get ugly."<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
<br />
The comic refers to the phenomenon of hearing half a conversation from a stranger on a cell phone and, not noticing the cell phone, imagining that that person is talking to you and responding in kind. The chart gives a plot of the frequency that this occurs against the amount of time that passes before the error is discovered. It also implies that the author's second relationship was in reality just a particularly long instance of this occurrence, suggesting that his 'girlfriend' wasn't even aware of the relationship.<br />
<br />
The title text is the continuation of the phone call, which involves a fictional conspiracy involving the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke and a crossbow. It may be a reference to the video game Fallout 3, in which you eliminate mutated or "contaminated" denizens of the "Capital Wasteland" — a post-apocalyptic Washington D.C. Ben Bernanke does not appear as a character in the game.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Sometimes my conversations with strangers go on for a while before I realize that they're talking on their phones.]<br />
:Guy with backpack: Hi!<br />
:Cueball: Hi.<br />
:Guy with backpack: What's up?<br />
:Cueball: Uh, not a lot...<br />
:Guy with backpack: Shit. Does Bernanke own a crossbow?<br />
:[Background is a graph, with x-axis labelled "Length of Conversation" and y-axis labelled "How Often This Happens". The graph looks parabolic towards the left-hand side, but as x approaches infinity, y approaches zero. A vertical dashed line runs through the graph, slightly to the right of the peak of the graph. To the right of the dashed line there is an arrow pointing to the right that is labelled "Awkward Zone". The x-axis has a broken scale, and to the right of the break there is a very small increase in the graph that is parenthetically labelled "My Second Relationship".]<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Charts]]<br />
[[Category:Crossbows]]</div>108.162.210.253https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Megan&diff=64367Megan2014-04-04T15:47:02Z<p>108.162.210.253: </p>
<hr />
<div>----<br />
{{Infobox character<br />
| image = Megan.png<br />
| caption = Megan, seen in [[973: MTV Generation]]<br />
| first_appearance = [[15: Just Alerting You]]<br />
}}<br />
'''Megan''' is a [[stick figure]] character in [[xkcd]]. She is the second-most frequently appearing character, after [[Cueball]], and the most frequently appearing female character. She often appears with Cueball as a couple.<br />
<br />
Megan does not necessarily always represent the same character from comic to comic. She is essentially the female equivalent of Cueball, representing the everywoman to his {{w|everyman}}. On the other hand, Megan does sometimes appear to have slightly specific personality traits; she has quite odd habits, and is sometimes shown to be very focused and intent on a goal. She has also been referred to by name in comics from time to time.<br />
<br />
Early comics often feature Megan-style characters who may or may not be identified as Megan. [[Randall]] appears not to have standardized his character lineup early in the comic's run, and as a result, early characters sometimes have similar hair to Megan, but some different features.<br />
<br />
''Explain xkcd'' originally referred to this character as 'Cutie' (thereby complimenting 'Cueball' with a matching first syllable) until it was pointed out that her name was given in [[159: Boombox]].<br />
<br />
The name Megan derives from a lost love of the author's. He wrote [[Jealousy|a passive-aggressive toast in a comic]] for her wedding about how he was madly still in love with her, generally ruining the day for everyone involved.<br />
<br />
==Characteristics==<br />
Megan is distinguished by her black shoulder-length hair which generally appears to be parted in the middle in front, and is draped behind what are presumably her (undrawn) ears.<br />
<br />
{{navbox-characters}}<br />
[[Category:Characters]]</div>108.162.210.253https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1301:_File_Extensions&diff=612331301: File Extensions2014-02-27T11:29:44Z<p>108.162.210.253: /* Explanation */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1301<br />
| date = December 9, 2013<br />
| title = File Extensions<br />
| image = file_extensions.png<br />
| titletext = I have never been lied to by data in a .txt file which has been hand-aligned.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Computer file names often end in {{w|file extension}}s like ".ppt" or ".exe". These extensions are a holdover from early operating systems like {{W|DOS}} in which filenames had a maximum eight characters followed by a period and the three-character extension. The extension was used by the operating system to determine filetype so that the system would know how to handle the file (e.g. which program could open the file). Newer operating systems and file systems now accept longer-than eight-character filenames, and extensions of greater than three characters; although most extensions remain three characters.<br />
<br />
Most extensions are created as proprietary to certain pieces of software, although software by other developers may later be designed to be able to read the format (for example, .doc is a Microsoft Word document, although because of that software's popularity, many word processors include the ability to open .doc files). Some common file extensions are not proprietary to a piece of software and may be handled by various programs (.jpg or .gif images are one example). In either case, a file's extension is generally a good indicator of what type of data the file contains.<br />
<br />
Certain file types are more prevalent for certain uses, with some being almost exclusive to one use, while other are in general use and might contain almost anything. Here, [[Randall]] presents a series of file extensions which often contain information, and he is rating the reliability of the information they generally contain from most reliable to least.<br />
<br />
* {{w|.tex}} files are source files for the programs {{w|TeX}} and {{w|LaTeX}}, which are used often and almost exclusively by academics, especially in mathematics and the hard sciences. .tex pretty much means serious business, and Randall does not anticipate that anyone would use such a format other than for reliable information.<br />
* {{w|.pdf}} files are a document format by Adobe, frequently used for publication. Companies use them for official documentation. Thus, a .pdf file is likely to be some type of final product or polished work.<br />
* {{w|.csv}} are comma-separated values: tables of information delimited by commas, and often consist of computer-generated raw data (from, say, a scientific experiment or a database).<br />
* {{w|.txt}} files contain only plain text, no "rich text" or anything fancy. Programmers often use them for README files.<br />
* {{w|.svg}} files are a (scalable) vector graphics format used a lot for diagrams, such as on Wikipedia.<br />
* {{w|.xls}} and {{w|.xlsx}} files are spreadsheets used and created by the program Microsoft Excel, part of a bundle of applications known as Microsoft Office (also supported by compatible free software such as LibreOffice). These applications are very commonly used, especially for business, finance and data analysis tasks. {{w|.xls}} is a binary format used for Excel versions up to 2003, while {{w|.xlsx}} is a ZIPped XML-based format used for Excel versions 2007 and later.<br />
* {{w|.doc}} files are a rich-text document format used and created by the program {{w|Microsoft Word}}, another application in the Microsoft Office bundle. As with .xls, almost anyone with access to Microsoft Office could easily make one of these. While Excel is generally used for creating tables and presenting data, Word could be used for any text-based document. Thus, Word documents tend to be far more prevalent and casually created than Excel documents, which is presumably why Randall doesn't trust it as much.<br />
* {{w|.png}} files are a bitmap image format which was developed to replace the proprietary format known as "GIF"s (pronounced with a hard "G" + 'if', not like the peanut butter). It also involves some improvements that usage of GIFs had shown to be desirable. The format was developed when the now-moribund CompuServe online service attempted to assert control over usage via patent claims. They enjoy wide popularity for providing crisp, full-color images with lossless (reversible) compression. Almost all xkcd comics, this diagram included, use PNG. But since he rates the format so low, is Randall saying we shouldn't trust this chart? PNG, by the way, is a recursive acronym for "PNG's Not GIF".<br />
* {{w|.ppt}} files are used and created by the program {{w|Microsoft PowerPoint}}; as with the other two Office applications, almost anyone could easily make one of these. As they are usually used for presentations rather than documents, the information in them may be arranged differently, possibly to "dumb down" the content, or in marketing materials or talks in which the author may not be very objective. Further, several years ago, PowerPoint presentations were sometimes included instead of plain images as attachments in e-mail forwards containing inaccurate information. These emails still occasionally circulate, and may be the source of Randall's distrust.<br />
* {{w|.jpg}} files are another image format with high compression capabilities, good for storing photos (and not so good for many other things). Photographs in general are prone to image manipulation, hence Randall's low score for this file format.<br />
* {{w|.jpeg}} files are the same thing as .jpg files, but these are more likely to have been created manually rather than automatically, making them even less reliable.<br />
* {{w|.gif}} files are yet another bitmap image format, notable for supporting short animations. GIF was once ''the'' Internet image file format until PNG gradually replaced it. Since GIF is the only common image format capable of animation, it is often used to contain things like silly clips of cats falling into boxes, or annoying, blinking advertisements claiming that you're the '''[[570|570,000]]th VISITOR!'''. GIFs are also created by Internet trolls, such as on 4chan.org, to feed misinformation to gullible gamers and computer users. For example, a recent [http://mashable.com/2013/12/09/xbox-one-hoax-4chan-backward-compatible/ Xbox One Hoax GIF] contained supposed instructions for making the Xbox One backwards compatible. The instructions instead make the console inoperable.<br />
<br />
Note that while the extensions .xls/.xlsx, .doc, and .ppt were originally exclusive only to Microsoft Office and users of Windows, there now exist a number of open source programs such as Open Office, Libre Office, and some Android apps that are capable of editing such files. These programs can run on systems other than just Windows, such as Linux, perhaps contributing to making them even more widespread and easy to make than before.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to how .txt files contain only plain text and nothing else, meaning that any alignment (such as for indentation or tables) would have to be performed manually by adding in spaces or tabs. Anyone who would go through such an effort to improve their text's readability is likely to be trustworthy.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Trustworthiness of Information by File Extension<br />
:[A bar graph charting this. No units or figures are given, but for ease of comprehension this transcript will arbitrarily designate the highest score as "+100"; subsequent scores are estimates based on the size of their bars.]<br />
::.tex: +100<br />
::.pdf: +89<br />
::.csv: +85<br />
::.txt: +67<br />
::.svg: +65<br />
::.xls/.xlsx: +49<br />
::.doc: +21<br />
::.png: +15<br />
::.ppt: +14<br />
::.jpg: +3<br />
::.jpeg: -8<br />
::.gif: -36<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>108.162.210.253https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1301:_File_Extensions&diff=612281301: File Extensions2014-02-27T09:30:05Z<p>108.162.210.253: /* Explanation */ reworked the gif entry a bit.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1301<br />
| date = December 9, 2013<br />
| title = File Extensions<br />
| image = file_extensions.png<br />
| titletext = I have never been lied to by data in a .txt file which has been hand-aligned.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
Computer file names often end in {{w|file extension}}s like ".ppt" or ".exe". These extensions are a holdover from early operating systems like {{W|DOS}} in which filenames had a maximum eight characters followed by a period and the three-character extension. The extension was used by the operating system to determine filetype so that the system would know how to handle the file (e.g. which program could open the file). Newer operating systems and file systems now accept longer-than eight-character filenames, and extensions of greater than three characters; although most extensions remain three characters.<br />
<br />
Most extensions are created as proprietary to certain pieces of software, although software by other developers may later be designed to be able to read the format (for example, .doc is a Microsoft Word document, although because of that software's popularity, many word processors include the ability to open .doc files). Some common file extensions are not proprietary to a piece of software and may be handled by various programs (.jpg or .gif images are one example). In either case, a file's extension is generally a good indicator of what type of data the file contains.<br />
<br />
Certain file types are more prevalent for certain uses, with some being almost exclusive to one use, while other are in general use and might contain almost anything. Here, [[Randall]] presents a series of file extensions which often contain information, and he is rating the reliability of the information they generally contain from most reliable to least.<br />
<br />
* {{w|.tex}} files are source files for the programs {{w|TeX}} and {{w|LaTeX}}, which are used often and almost exclusively by academics, especially in mathematics and the hard sciences. .tex pretty much means serious business, and Randall does not anticipate that anyone would use such a format other than for reliable information.<br />
* {{w|.pdf}} files are a document format by Adobe, frequently used for publication. Companies use them for official documentation. Thus, a .pdf file is likely to be some type of final product or polished work.<br />
* {{w|.csv}} are comma-separated values: tables of information delimited by commas, and often consist of computer-generated raw data (from, say, a scientific experiment or a database).<br />
* {{w|.txt}} files contain only plain text, no "rich text" or anything fancy. Programmers often use them for README files.<br />
* {{w|.svg}} files are a (scalable) vector graphics format used a lot for diagrams, such as on Wikipedia.<br />
* {{w|.xls}} and {{w|.xlsx}} files are spreadsheets used and created by the program Microsoft Excel, part of a bundle of applications known as Microsoft Office (also supported by compatible free software such as LibreOffice). These applications are very commonly used, especially for business, finance and data analysis tasks. {{w|.xls}} is a binary format used for Excel versions up to 2003, while {{w|.xlsx}} is a ZIPped XML-based format used for Excel versions 2007 and later.<br />
* {{w|.doc}} files are a rich-text document format used and created by the program {{w|Microsoft Word}}, another application in the Microsoft Office bundle. As with .xls, almost anyone with access to Microsoft Office could easily make one of these. While Excel is generally used for creating tables and presenting data, Word could be used for any text-based document. Thus, Word documents tend to be far more prevalent and casually created than Excel documents, which is presumably why Randall doesn't trust it as much.<br />
* {{w|.png}} files are a bitmap image format which was developed to replace the proprietary format known as "GIF"s (pronounced with a hard "G" + 'if', not like the peanut butter). It also involves some improvements that usage of GIFs had shown to be desirable. The format was developed when the now-moribund CompuServe online service attempted to assert control over usage via patent claims. They enjoy wide popularity for providing crisp, full-color images with lossless (reversible) compression. Almost all xkcd comics, this diagram included, use PNG. But since he rates the format so low, is Randall saying we shouldn't trust this chart?<br />
* {{w|.ppt}} files are used and created by the program {{w|Microsoft PowerPoint}}; as with the other two Office applications, almost anyone could easily make one of these. As they are usually used for presentations rather than documents, the information in them may be arranged differently, possibly to "dumb down" the content, or in marketing materials or talks in which the author may not be very objective. Further, several years ago, PowerPoint presentations were sometimes included instead of plain images as attachments in e-mail forwards containing inaccurate information. These emails still occasionally circulate, and may be the source of Randall's distrust.<br />
* {{w|.jpg}} files are another image format with high compression capabilities, good for storing photos (and not so good for many other things). Photographs in general are prone to image manipulation, hence Randall's low score for this file format.<br />
* {{w|.jpeg}} files are the same thing as .jpg files, but these are more likely to have been created manually rather than automatically, making them even less reliable.<br />
* {{w|.gif}} files are yet another bitmap image format, notable for supporting short animations. GIF was once ''the'' Internet image file format until PNG gradually replaced it. Since GIF is the only common image format capable of animation, it is often used to contain things like silly clips of cats falling into boxes, or annoying, blinking advertisements claiming that you're the '''[[570|570,000]]th VISITOR!'''. GIFs are also created by Internet trolls, such as on 4chan.org, to feed misinformation to gullible gamers and computer users. For example, a recent [http://mashable.com/2013/12/09/xbox-one-hoax-4chan-backward-compatible/ Xbox One Hoax GIF] contained supposed instructions for making the Xbox One backwards compatible. The instructions instead make the console inoperable.<br />
<br />
Note that while the extensions .xls/.xlsx, .doc, and .ppt were originally exclusive only to Microsoft Office and users of Windows, there now exist a number of open source programs such as Open Office, Libre Office, and some Android apps that are capable of editing such files. These programs can run on systems other than just Windows, such as Linux, perhaps contributing to making them even more widespread and easy to make than before.<br />
<br />
The title text refers to how .txt files contain only plain text and nothing else, meaning that any alignment (such as for indentation or tables) would have to be performed manually by adding in spaces or tabs. Anyone who would go through such an effort to improve their text's readability is likely to be trustworthy.<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:Trustworthiness of Information by File Extension<br />
:[A bar graph charting this. No units or figures are given, but for ease of comprehension this transcript will arbitrarily designate the highest score as "+100"; subsequent scores are estimates based on the size of their bars.]<br />
::.tex: +100<br />
::.pdf: +89<br />
::.csv: +85<br />
::.txt: +67<br />
::.svg: +65<br />
::.xls/.xlsx: +49<br />
::.doc: +21<br />
::.png: +15<br />
::.ppt: +14<br />
::.jpg: +3<br />
::.jpeg: -8<br />
::.gif: -36<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
[[Category:Charts]]</div>108.162.210.253