Talk:571: Can't Sleep

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
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The odometer analogy needs more explanation because of the difference between signed vs. unsigned integers. This assumes the analogy should stay here. --Smartin (talk) 05:02, 4 January 2013 (UTC)

I replaced the phrase "integral number" with "integer", because "integral" is an overloaded term in math, while "integer" always means a signed whole number, and is introduced in grade school arithmetic. --MisterSpike (talk) 15:39, 19 August 2013 (UTC)

While semi relevent, I don't think it is necessary to have an explanation of variable naming convention in the title text explanation. Definately note that sheepCount is a variable, but to go into detail on naming convention I think it just bloats the paragraph.. --Pudder (talk) 08:09, 29 September 2014 (UTC)

Since I did not know about it I found it relevant - else I might have questioned the funny capitalisation. --Kynde (talk) 18:12, 14 October 2014 (UTC)
I agree with Kynde... the purpose of explainxkcd is to explain things in the comic that seem obvious/everyday to people with particular knowledge in the areas covered by Randall's joke, but which are not obvious to those whose areas of knowledge do not overlap with Randall in that particular way, so this is exactly the sort of thing that may need an explanation. One of the hardest things in pedagogy seems to be getting an understanding of what it is that other people aren't going to understand. 108.162.249.155 01:42, 9 March 2016 (UTC)

If androids indeed are going to dream of electric sheep, please declare sheepCount as long long unsigned. Signed overflow is undefined and value isn't going to be negative either way. 162.158.203.25 18:00, 20 December 2020 (UTC)

The original comic had it that way. Though cool trivia.

I feel the explanation is missing something. When the integer overflow happens Cueball seems genuinely surprised and confused - he actually sits up in spite of him trying to sleep. It also looks like that in the second and following panels he is starting to "hear" the sheep bleating. And 64K sheep in a stampede are LOUD! And in the last panel, he holds his pillow over his head in a futile attempt to block out the sheep continuing to bleat. Nirdavo (talk) 11:40, 30 May 2023 (UTC)