https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=98.250.93.41&feedformat=atomexplain xkcd - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T19:20:01ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.30.0https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1137:_RTL&diff=251761137: RTL2013-01-11T03:06:29Z<p>98.250.93.41: /* Unicode Control Characters */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1137<br />
| date = November 21, 2012<br />
| title = LTR<br />
| image = rtl.png<br />
| titletext = Collaborative editing can quickly become a textual rap battle fought with increasingly convoluted invocations of U+202a to U+202e<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
U+202e is a {{w|unicode control characters|unicode control character}} that changes all proceeding text to right-to-left (RTL, as the title references). In the comic, [[Black Hat]] tires of [[Cueball]]'s complaining and inserts a U+202e character in the middle of Cueball's speech, turning his complaints into gibberish - sentences that must be read from right-to-left. U+202c returns text back to its normal direction.<br />
<br />
When multiple writers work on the same text, arguments can often arise with some writers resorting to vandalizing the works of other writers. The title text takes this up a level, suggesting the use of U+202e and other direction control characters in editor wars to disrupt other people's work.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
* The title of the comic on the xkcd website actually has a U+202e character preceding it; when copied and pasted, the title of the comic actually reads "LTR". The page title is "xkcd: [U+202e]LTR", which causes Firefox to use "xkcd: xoferiF allizoM - RTL" as the window title. This also occurs in Chromium and Opera.<br />
* In the version originally published there was a typo in the reverse text ("ETH" instead of "EHT" for "THE"). This mistake was corrected within a couple of hours.<br />
* In some browsers, this page's title damages the appearance of all older entries in the [http://xkcd.com/archive/ archive page].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and Black Hat. Cueball is standing. Black Hat is sitting down and using a laptop.]<br />
:Cueball: And that's not even the worst part! The ''worst'' part is that— <br />
:Black Hat: U+202e<br />
:Cueball: ...neve t'ndid yehT— (Flipped translation = "— They didn't even...")<br />
:Cueball: ?lleh eht tahW... (Flipped translation = "...What the hell?")<br />
:Cueball: ...uoy did woH (Flipped translation = "How did you...")<br />
:Cueball: .elohssA... (Flipped translation = "...Asshole.")<br />
<br />
== Unicode Control Characters ==<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
! Unicode number !! Name !! Meaning<br />
|-<br />
| U+202a || LEFT-TO-RIGHT EMBEDDING || The following text will be left-to-right. This will not change directionality of characters, so for example Arabic letters will stay right-to-left. This character alone does nothing in an English text, since the text direction is left-to-right by default. <br />
|-<br />
| U+202b || RIGHT-TO-LEFT EMBEDDING || The following text will be right-to-left. This will not change directionality of characters, so Latin letters will stay left-to-right. Full stops, which don't have a directionality on their own, will be left of the sentence. Use this character for some little misplacings that cause big confusion. <br />
|-<br />
| U+202c || POP DIRECTIONAL FORMATTING || The following text is formatted like the text before the last U+202a, U+202b, U+202d or U+202e character. <br />
|-<br />
| U+202d || LEFT-TO-RIGHT OVERRIDE || The following text will be left-to-right. Additionally, the directionality of characters is changed to left-to-right. Used alone in an English text, this will only affect characters that are right-to-left by default, like Arabic letters. <br />
|-<br />
| U+202e || RIGHT-TO-LEFT OVERRIDE || The following text will be right-to-left. Additionally, the directionality of characters is changed to right-to-left. Use this character to completely screw up an English text. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>98.250.93.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1137:_RTL&diff=251751137: RTL2013-01-11T03:05:13Z<p>98.250.93.41: /* Trivia */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1137<br />
| date = November 21, 2012<br />
| title = LTR<br />
| image = rtl.png<br />
| titletext = Collaborative editing can quickly become a textual rap battle fought with increasingly convoluted invocations of U+202a to U+202e<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Explanation==<br />
U+202e is a {{w|unicode control characters|unicode control character}} that changes all proceeding text to right-to-left (RTL, as the title references). In the comic, [[Black Hat]] tires of [[Cueball]]'s complaining and inserts a U+202e character in the middle of Cueball's speech, turning his complaints into gibberish - sentences that must be read from right-to-left. U+202c returns text back to its normal direction.<br />
<br />
When multiple writers work on the same text, arguments can often arise with some writers resorting to vandalizing the works of other writers. The title text takes this up a level, suggesting the use of U+202e and other direction control characters in editor wars to disrupt other people's work.<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
* The title of the comic on the xkcd website actually has a U+202e character preceding it; when copied and pasted, the title of the comic actually reads "LTR". The page title is "xkcd: [U+202e]LTR", which causes Firefox to use "xkcd: xoferiF allizoM - RTL" as the window title. This also occurs in Chromium and Opera.<br />
* In the version originally published there was a typo in the reverse text ("ETH" instead of "EHT" for "THE"). This mistake was corrected within a couple of hours.<br />
* In some browsers, this page's title damages the appearance of all older entries in the [http://xkcd.com/archive/ archive page].<br />
<br />
==Transcript==<br />
:[Cueball and Black Hat. Cueball is standing. Black Hat is sitting down and using a laptop.]<br />
:Cueball: And that's not even the worst part! The ''worst'' part is that— <br />
:Black Hat: U+202e<br />
:Cueball: ...neve t'ndid yehT— (Flipped translation = "— They didn't even...")<br />
:Cueball: ?lleh eht tahW... (Flipped translation = "...What the hell?")<br />
:Cueball: ...uoy did woH (Flipped translation = "How did you...")<br />
:Cueball: .elohssA... (Flipped translation = "...Asshole.")<br />
<br />
== Unicode Control Characters ==<br />
<br />
{| class="wikitable"<br />
|-<br />
! Unicode number !! Name !! Meaning<br />
|-<br />
| U+202a || LEFT-TO-RIGHT EMBEDDING || The following text will be left-to-right. This will not change directionality of characters, so for example Arabic letters will stay right-to-left. This character alone does nothing in an English text, since the text direction is left-to-right by default. <br />
|-<br />
| U+202b || RIGHT-TO-LEFT EMBEDDING || The following text will be right-to-left. This will not change directionality of characters, so Latin letters will stay left-to-right. Full stops, which don't have a directionality on their own, will be left of the sentence. Use this character for some little misplacings that cause big confusion. <br />
|-<br />
| U+202c || POP DIRECTIONAL FORMATTING || The following text is formated like the text before the last U+202a, U+202b, U+202d or U+202e character. <br />
|-<br />
| U+202d || LEFT-TO-RIGHT OVERRIDE || The following text will be left-to-right. Additionally, the directionality of characters is changed to left-to-right. Used alone in an English text, this will only affect characters that are right-to-left by default, like Arabic letters. <br />
|-<br />
| U+202e || RIGHT-TO-LEFT OVERRIDE || The following text will be right-to-left. Additionally, the directionality of characters is changed to right-to-left. Use this character to completely screw up an English text. <br />
|}<br />
<br />
{{comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]<br />
[[Category:Computers]]</div>98.250.93.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=Talk:1096:_Clinically_Studied_Ingredient&diff=12263Talk:1096: Clinically Studied Ingredient2012-09-17T01:38:36Z<p>98.250.93.41: </p>
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<div>* "Clinical", coming from the greek word κλίνη for bed, also suggests research on patients. Maybe this is (another reason) why Cueball is in a bed. [[Special:Contributions/79.103.255.154|79.103.255.154]] 09:23, 30 August 2012 (UTC)tetartos<br />
* The 1997 parody film {{w|Plump Fiction}} (an atrocious film from the looks of it) jokingly used the tagline «From the producers who saw "Pulp Fiction", "Reservoir Dogs" and "Braveheart"» to the same effect. --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 11:53, 17 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
*:It's a similar effect, although in that case, the joke isn't that the tagline doesn't indicate whether the producers liked the other films, the joke there is that normally the tagline would tell you other works the producers had themselves produced. There is no ambiguity in the tagline, as it's pretty clear the producers of that film ''didn't'' produce the other films. [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
*::I meant to compare the tagline to the title text, not the comic itself. --[[User:Buggz|Buggz]] ([[User talk:Buggz|talk]]) 13:27, 20 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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* I think the joke isn't just that what Megan was tested for isn't clear, but like the clinically studied compound, she doesn't say if she was found to be healthy or not.<br />
*: I don't think the fact that she doesn't say what she was tested for is part of the joke at all. I think we just come in in the middle of a conversation where the previous line was something like "How do I know you don't have any STDs?". Also, please sign your comments by putting four tildes after it (<nowiki> ~~~~ </nowiki>) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
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* Longer hair than normal, but maybe it's just too early this morning for me. Tebow Time, Twice a Day. 12:03, 17 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
*: Hmmm... I'm inclined to think it's not Megan, unless she has a perm. (Megan's is consistently spaghetti-straight.) (qv {{explain|1089}}) -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 13:53, 17 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
*:: I'll go on record that this is *not* Megan. We have a few variants of female characters based only on the hair and this is not consistent with her other appearances. --[[User:Jeff|Jeff]] ([[User talk:Jeff|talk]]) 14:29, 17 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
*::: Approve completely; I removed all references to her. - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 23:35, 19 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
* No matter how I squint at this one, that extra line just doesn't seem to make sense... unless there is a penis in this cartoon.<br />
*: Nope, nothing so bawdy. The left knee is just a little higher than the right. -- [[User:IronyChef|IronyChef]] ([[User talk:IronyChef|talk]]) 13:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
*:: I don't even see an extra line. I took the pointed corner Cueball's right arm is on to be the corner of the bed (a stylized slanted bed) with the round line being the covers that don't come to the end. Alternatively, as IronyChef suggests, the round is the end of the bed, and cueball has his right hand on his right leg while his left leg is raised (with his knee around the area of his right wrist) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
*Interestingly, a Google search of the subject phrase of this comic brings up this comic as the first (few) results. There are, however, actual product examples that come up. I had never heard the phrase used; but apparently it is, for example, by [https://www.progesic.com/articles/clinically-studied-ingredients.html Progesic] or [http://www.muscletech.com/products/myobuild/index.shtml Myobuild] (note: explainxkcd does not endorse the use of these misleading products) [[User:TheHYPO|TheHYPO]] ([[User talk:TheHYPO|talk]]) 14:30, 17 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
**Other examples include Super CitriMax®, which contains "a clinically studied ingredient for weight management", and UC-II®, which contains an ingredient that has been "clinically studied to support joint comfort, mobility and flexibility". [http://www.interhealthusa.com/ingredients.aspx] ~ [[User:Quackslikeaduck|Quackslikeaduck]] ([[User talk:Quackslikeaduck|talk]]) 18:59, 17 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
<br />
*"the phrase is used in shrewd marketing techniques": Not sure that shrewd is correct - deceitful?<br />
*: I've put "elusive" - [[User:Cos|Cos]] ([[User talk:Cos|talk]]) 23:35, 19 August 2012 (UTC)<br />
*:: Elusive means it is hard to find/capture. I think deceptive is the right word.[[Special:Contributions/98.250.93.41|98.250.93.41]] 01:38, 17 September 2012 (UTC)Brion</div>98.250.93.41https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=1096:_Clinically_Studied_Ingredient&diff=122621096: Clinically Studied Ingredient2012-09-17T01:35:25Z<p>98.250.93.41: Elusive means it is hard to find/capture. I think deceptive is the right word.</p>
<hr />
<div>{{comic<br />
| number = 1096<br />
| date = August 17, 2012<br />
| title = Clinically Studied Ingredient<br />
| image = Clinically Studied Ingredient.png<br />
| titletext = Blatantly banking on customers not understanding that it's like a Hollywood studio advertising that their new movie was 'watched by Roger Ebert'.<br />
| imagesize =<br />
}}<br />
<br />
== Explanation ==<br />
<br />
This comic is poking fun at a phrase which some ads use to boost sales of their product. They state that their product contains a "clinically studied ingredient", which consumers assume means that the ingredient has been clinically tested and ''proven effective'' (or at the very least, not harmful), although the latter is, strictly speaking, not implied by that statement. The phrase just states an ingredient was clinically studied, and doesn't mention the findings of that study (which, for all we know, could have found the ingredient to be ineffective or harmful). In other words, the phrase is used in deceptive marketing techniques, making consumers believe something (which encourages them to buy the product), without committing to saying it explicitly.<br />
<br />
In the comic, we come in the middle of a conversation with a female character telling [[Cueball]] that she's been tested, the implication being she's talking about {{w|STD}}s. However she does not reveal the results of the tests (which is the primary information Cueball could be worried about), and when Cueball inquires, she acts like he is being unreasonable to also want that information. In this way, [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] is making an analogy to how the marketer might think consumers would be unreasonable to want to know the ''results'' of the clinical studies on the ingredient.<br />
<br />
In the title text, {{w|Roger Ebert}} is a famous film critic whose favourable reviews are few and far between. However, we can expect most big name movies to be watched by him. Simply stating that he saw a movie doesn't necessarily mean that he liked it.<br />
<br />
{{Comic discussion}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]</div>98.250.93.41