explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2474: First Time Since Early 2020

2021-06-10T05:42:40Z

108.162.215.70: Date

{{comic
| number = 2474
| date = June 9, 2021
| title = First Time Since Early 2020
| image = first_time_since_early_2020.png
| titletext = Gotten the Ferris wheel operator's attention
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a FERRIS WHEEL OPERATOR. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This is a graph comic that orders things based on the level of alarm that would occur if it were revealed that someone had not done a given thing since early 2020.

The title text serves as another graph point, though it isn't given where it is on the graph.

;Been to a birthday party
:Going to a birthday party was a normal task before the pandemic, and it's normal to say you haven't gone to one since early 2020.

;Eaten at a restaurant
:Eating at a restaurant without ordering food from it online was also common before the governments instated lockdowns, but it's ranked a little less normal by [[Randall]].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:COVID-19]]

2468: Inheritance

2021-06-05T11:06:28Z

108.162.215.70: Multiple explanations are allowed

{{comic
| number = 2468
| date = May 26, 2021
| title = Inheritance
| image = inheritance.png
| titletext = People ask me whether I feel any moral qualms about the source of the points, but if he hadn't introduced factory farming to Agricola, someone else would have.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a GRANDMOTHER WRITING HER VICTORY POINT WILL. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is in reference to {{w|Strategy game|strategy board games}}, which often score players on some type of point system based on a variety of possible achievements. The joke in this comic is that Cueball has a massive sum of points that were not scored in the current game but rather handed down from his grandfather. Board games do not normally include an inheritance from previous sessions{{Citation needed}}, in contrast to real life where some people become wealthy by inheriting vast sums of money from ancestors. Such inheritances tend to lead to 'successes' in life for those who have done little, if anything, to earn their wealth. Cueball offers to distribute a trifling fraction of his points to the other players, teasing them, but he will still have an insurmountable advantage. Despite his 'generosity', no one wants to play a game that they have no chance of winning. The value of his score, 10,019, seems to indicate that he "earned" 19 points during the course of the game (less than his competitors) and then added 10,000 from his 'inheritance'. However, since he's adding "another" 20, it's also possible his competitors scored 11, 8, and 15 respectively, meaning Cueball did properly earn more than them, but this is probably because he was able to play the game in a more laid-back way, comfortable in his inability to lose (also an argument raised at people who have sizeable inheritances).

Some board games do include a "legacy" mechanic where players who have played the game previously (and thus benefit from meta knowledge) can be granted additional items or challenges to keep the game interesting for them, but not usually to the point of breaking the game's balance. As well, gifting these achievements to anyone else is seen as absurd.

The comic may be a reference to {{w|Category:Economic simulation board games
|economic simulation board games}} like {{w|Monopoly (game)|''Monopoly''}}, which was created as a critique to capitalism; in this case, no one can win the game against people who start out with a large amount of accumulated wealth. See also the '[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/a-small-loan-of-a-million-dollars Small Loan of a Million Dollars]' trope of a profile in which the author or subject discusses the simple tricks they used to retire early or buy a house, often involving a [https://twitter.com/macaulaybalkan/status/1398805590030241792 hurried admission] of financial assistance from a family member.

The title text asks Cueball if he has any moral qualms over the source of these points, then indicates his grandfather's fortune was made through {{w|factory farming}} in the farm-themed board game {{w|Agricola_(board_game)|''Agricola''}}. Factory farming is a broad term for applying mass-production techniques to agriculture, treating both plants and animals as commodities to be processed as efficiently as possible. These techniques are condemned, at least in some circles, as being cruel to livestock, in addition to having serious environmental and land-use implications, among other criticisms. The implication is that Cueball's grandfather somehow managed to introduce an immoral and/or socially harmful mechanic into a board game, greatly enriching himself and his heirs. This echoes another concern about inherited wealth: that the source of the money may have been unethical, but the heirs still get to enjoy the advantages, without considering themselves accountable for the harm. Cueball brushes off this criticism with the claim that the change was inevitable, which is a common response to analogous real-life concerns.

It could also be a reference to inheritance in programming, where a class truly inherits everything from its 'ancestors'. Similarly, it could be a reference to evolution in biology; in evolution, an individual with beneficial traits is more likely to survive to have offspring, and the offspring accumulate the beneficial traits (“points”) of their “ancestors”, making them more likely to survive and “win”. The game Agricola was previously mentioned in [[696: Strip Games]] and [[778: Scheduling]].

This comic possibly alludes to a 100 percent inheritance tax, as such one is effectively employed between each round of a board game - no points are carried over between rounds. In extension, Randall's position might be that only a 100 percent inheritance tax can ensure that everybody begins the "game" - namely his or her life - in a fair manner, and with the same possibilities.

==Transcript==

:[Ponytail, White Hat, Megan, and Cueball are playing a board game. There are drinks on the table. Ponytail is writing something]

:Ponytail: Let's see...I got 31, you have 28, 35 for you, and-
:Cueball: -I've got 10,019.
:Ponytail: *Sigh*
:Cueball: Hey, add another 20 to everyone, on me!
:White Hat: ''I hate this''.

:[Caption beneath the panel:]
:No one wants to play board games with me ever since I inherited 4,000,000 victory points from my grandfather.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Board games]]

2435: Geothmetic Meandian

2021-03-12T06:15:44Z

108.162.215.70: /* Transcript */ portmanteau

{{comic
| number = 2435
| date = March 10, 2021
| title = Geothmetic Meandian
| image = geothmetic_meandian.png
| titletext = Pythagorean means are nice and all, but throwing the median in the pot is really what turns this into random forest statistics: applying every function you can think of, and then gradually dropping the ones that make the result worse.
}}

==Explanation==

Geothm means "counting earths" (From Ancient Greek γεω- (geō-), combining form of γῆ (gê, “earth”) and ἀριθμός arithmos, 'counting'). Geothmetic means "art of Geothming" based on the etymology of Arithmetic (from Ancient Greek ἀριθμητική (τέχνη) (arithmētikḗ (tékhnē), “(art of) counting”). This is an exciting new terminology that is eminently suitable for modern cosmology & high energy physics - particularly when doing math on the multiverse. However, it is unlikely this etymology is related to the term "geothmetic meandian" as coined by Randall, as it can be more simply explained as a portmanteau of the three averages in its construction: '''geo'''metric mean, ari'''thmetic mean''', and me'''dian'''.

There are a number of different ways to identify the '{{w|average}}' value of a series of values, the most common unweighted methods being the {{w|median}} (take the central value from the ordered list of values if there are an odd number - or the value half-way between the two that straddle the divide between two halves if there are an even number) and the {{w|arithmetic mean}} (add all the numbers up, divide by the number of numbers). The {{w|geometric mean}} is less well-known but works similarly to the arithmetic mean. To take the geometric mean of 'n' values, they are multiplied and then the 'n'th root is taken. It will be seen that for purely identical values this returns the single value as the singular average, as would the arithmetic calculation with serial addition then re-division, but it reacts differently to any perturbed values. You might also consider operating arithmetically upon logarithms of the list, then re-exponate the result.

The geometric mean, arithmetic mean and {{w|harmonic mean}} (not shown) are collectively known as the {{w|Pythagorean means}}, as specific modes of a greater and more generalised mean formula that extends arbitrarily to various other possible nuances of mean-value rationisations (cubic, etc).

{{w|Outlier}}s and internal biases within the original sample can make boiling down a set of values into a single 'average' sometimes overly biased by flaws in the data, with your choice of which method to use perhaps resulting in a value that is misleading, exagerating or suppressing the significance of any blips.



In this depiction, the three named methods of averaging are embedded within a single function that produces a sequence of three values - one output for each of the methods. Being a series of values, Randall suggests that this is ideally suited to being ''itself'' subjected to the comparative 'averaging' method. Not just once, but as many times as it takes to narrow down to a sequence of three values that are very close to one another.

It can be shown that the xkcd value of 2.089 for GMDN(1,1,2,3,5) is validated:

{|-
| F0 || 1 || 1 || 2 || 3 || 5
|-
| || Arithmean || Geomean || Median ||
|-
| F1 || 2.4 || 1.974350486 || 2
|-
| F2 || 2.124783495 || 2.116192461 || 2
|-
| F3 || 2.080325319 || 2.079536819 || 2.116192461
|-
| F4 || 2.0920182 || 2.091948605 || 2.080325319
|-
| F5 || 2.088097374 || 2.088090133 || 2.091948605
|-
| F6 || 2.089378704 || 2.089377914 || 2.088097374
|-
| F7 || 2.088951331 || 2.088951244 || 2.089377914
|-
| F8 || 2.089093496 || 2.089093487 || 2.088951331
|-
| F9 || 2.089046105 || 2.089046103 || 2.089093487
|-
| F10 || '''2.089061898''' || '''2.089061898''' || '''2.089046105'''
|}

The function GMDN in the comic is not properly defined since F acts on a vector to produce another three vector, so repeated applications of F will always result in a 3 vector for which the ave, geomean and median can be iterated again. However GMDN is shown to produce a single real number rather than a vector. It is thus missing a final operation of returning any of the values of the components of the vector. Each row shows the set Fn(..) composed of the average, geomean and median computed on the previous row, with the sequence {1,1,2,3,5} as the initial F0. Since the average, geomean and median are all forms of averaging, and the composition of averages can be shown to be equivalent to a smoothing function, the value of GMDN will converge to a singular value for any set of starting values. This can be interpreted as similar to a heat equation which approaches equilibrium.

The comment in the title text about suggests that this will save you the trouble of committing to the 'wrong' analysis as it gradually shaves down any 'outlier average' that is unduly affected by anomalies in the original inputs. It is a method without any danger of divergence of values, since all three averaging methods stay within the interval covering the input values (and two of them will stay strictly within that interval).

The title text may also be a sly reference to an actual mathematical theorem, namely that if one performs this procedure only using the arithmetic mean and the harmonic mean, the result will converge to the geometric mean. Randall suggests that the (non-Pythagorean) median, which does not have such good mathematical properties with relation to convergence, is, in fact, the secret sauce in his definition.

There does exist an {{w|arithmetic-geometric mean}}, which is defined identically to this except with the arithmetic and geometric means, and sees some use in calculus. In some ways it's also philosophically similar to the {{w|truncated mean}} (extremities of the value range, e.g. the highest and lowest 10%s, are ignored as not acceptable and not counted) or {{w|Winsorized mean}} (instead of ignored, the values are readjusted to be the chosen floor/ceiling values that they lie beyond, to still effectively be counted as 'edge' conditions), only with a strange dilution-and-compromise method rather than one where quantities can be culled or neutered just for being unexpectedly different from most of the other data.

The following python code (inefficiently) implements the above algorithm:

<pre>
from functools import reduce
from itertools import count

def f(*args):
args = sorted(args)
mean = sum(args) / len(args)
gmean = reduce(lambda x, y: x * y, args) ** (1 / len(args))
if len(args) % 2:
median = args[len(args) // 2]
else:
median = (args[len(args) // 2] + args[len(args) // 2 - 1]) / 2
return mean, gmean, median

max_number_of_iterations = 10
l0 = [1, 1, 2, 3, 5]
l = l0
for iterations in range(max_number_of_iterations):
fst, *rest = l
if all((abs(r - fst) < 0.00000001 for r in rest)):
break
l = f(*l)
print(l[0], iterations)
</pre>

And here is an implementation of the Gmdn function in R:

Gmdn <- function (..., threshold = 1E-6) {
# Function F(x) as defined in comic
f <- function (x) {
n <- length(x)
return(c(mean(x), prod(x)^(1/n), median(x)))
}
# Extract input vector from ... argument
x <- c(...)
# Iterate until the standard deviation of f(x) reaches a threshold
while (sd(x) > threshold) x <- f(x)
# Return the mean of the final triplet
return(mean(x))
}

The input sequence of numbers (1,1,2,3,5) chosen by Randall is also the opening of the {{w|Fibonacci sequence}}. This may have been selected because the Fibonacci sequence also has a convergent property: the ratio of two adjacent numbers in the sequence approaches the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio#Relationship_to_Fibonacci_sequence golden ratio] as the length of the sequence approaches infinity.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

F(x1,x2,...xn)=({x1+x2+...+xn/n [bracket: arithmetic mean]},{nx,x2...xn, [bracket: geometric mean]} {x n+1/2 [bracket: median]})

Gmdn(x1,x2,...xn)={F(F(F(...F(x1,x2,...xn)...)))[bracket: geothmetic meandian]}

Gmdn(1,1,2,3,5) [equals about sign] 2.089

Caption: Stats tip: If you aren't sure whether to use the mean, median, or geometric mean, just calculate all three, then repeat until it converges

{{comic discussion}}


[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Portmanteau]]

1122: Electoral Precedent

2020-12-27T04:09:33Z

108.162.215.70: /* Trivia/Errors */ more errors

{{comic
| number = 1122
| date = October 17, 2012
| title = Electoral Precedent
| image = electoral_precedent.png
| titletext = No white guy who's been mentioned on Twitter has gone on to win.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a TIME TRAVELER. Please explain and flesh out each broken precedent. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

During election season in U.S. presidential elections — and especially in election night coverage — it is common for the media to make comments like the ones set out in the first panel of this comic. [[Randall Munroe|Randall]] is demonstrating the problem with making such statements, many of which simply come down to coincidence.

After the first panel the next 56 panels in this comic refer to each one of the {{w|United States presidential election#Electoral college results|56 presidential elections}} in U.S. history before {{w|Barack Obama|Obama's}} re-election in 2012. The panels depict a pre-election commentator noting a quality or condition that has never occurred to a candidate, until one of the candidates in that election broke the streak. In other words, one can always find at least one unique thing about a candidate who has gone on to win (or in some cases, lose) or the circumstances under which they won (or lost) that is unique from all previous winners (or losers). It's worth noting that some of these 'firsts' were truly precedent-setting (such as the first incumbent losing, the first president to win a third term, the first Catholic president, etc.), but the fact that they hadn't happened was no assurance that there wouldn't be a first time. As the years pass on, these 'streaks' become more and more nested and complicated, and then brought by Randall to the point of absurdity by pointing out very trivial things, such as "No Democratic {{w|incumbent}} without combat experience has ever beaten someone whose first name is worth more in {{w|Scrabble}}" (1996).

The flaw made by pundits while reporting such streaks is that there will always be ''something'' that has never happened before in an election, and they purport to suggest that these things are related to the candidate's win or loss. Randall considers this a logical flaw. A common one is, as noted in several panels, candidates can't win without winning certain states. The question, however, is one of {{w|Correlation does not imply causation|cause or effect}}.

Given that there have only been 56 elections, there are always going to be things that haven't happened before. If you go out looking for them, you're sure to find some. There is no magic about why these events haven't happened. In most cases, it is merely coincidence.

In the last two panels two more statements like the previous are given. They were both true before the {{w|United States presidential election, 2012|election in 2012}} on November the 6th. The comic came out in the middle of the campaign on October the 17th. The statements were constructed so that the first predicts that Obama can't win over {{w|Mitt Romney}}, and the second that he cannot lose. As Obama won the election he thus ended the streak ''Democratic incumbents never beat taller challengers'' whereas the other streak is still valid.

The title text refers to the fact that {{w|Twitter}} was founded in 2006. Obama won in 2008, so at the time of the comic it was true that no white male person mentioned on Twitter had ever gone on to win the presidency; although certainly some former presidents, all of whom were white males, have subsequently been mentioned on Twitter. This streak was broken in the next election year, when Donald Trump won the 2016 election.

During these last four weeks before the election Randall posted no fewer than four comics related to this election. The others are: [[1127: Congress]], [[1130: Poll Watching]] and [[1131: Math]].

In 2020, Randall posted an update to this comic: [[2383: Electoral Precedent 2020]].

===Table of Broken Precedents===

''Please have someone else validate your row, as to make sure the table is accurate''

{| border =1 width=100% cellpadding=5 class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Broken Precedent !! Explanation !! Validity
|-
| 1788
| No one has been elected president before. ...But Washington was.
| Discounting the Articles of Confederation and its {{w|President of the Continental Congress|president}}, Washington is the first president of the US.
| True
|-
| 1792
| No incumbent has ever been reelected. ...Until Washington.
| Washington is the first person who had a second term. He was unopposed so there was no challenger.
| True
|-
| 1796
| No one without false teeth has become president. ...But Adams did.
| Washington had false teeth, made of human teeth and other materials. His successor Adams, despite having tooth decay, refused to wear false teeth.
| True
|-
| 1800
| No challenger has beaten an incumbent. ...But Jefferson did.
| Adams is the first president not to have a second term, due to signing the unpopular {{w|Alien and Sedition acts}}. He was defeated by the challenger, Jefferson.
| True
|-
| 1804
| No incumbent has beaten an challenger. ...Until Jefferson.
| The 2 previous incumbents were Washington, who was unopposed, and Adams, who lost as an incumbent (to Jefferson).
| True
|-
| 1808
| No congressman has ever become president. ...Until Madison.
| While George Washington served in the House of Burgesses, Madison served as congressman for Virginia's 5th district from 1789 to 1793 and the 15th District from 1793 to 1797 in the U. S. Congress.
| True
|-
| 1812
| No one can win without New York. ...But Madison did.
| While it is true New York voted against Madison but he still won, New York did not vote for Washington due to an [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1788%E2%80%9389_United_States_presidential_election#New_York's_lack_of_Electors internal dispute].
| False
|-
| 1816
| No candidate who doesn't wear a wig can get elected. ...Until Monroe was.
| Despite popular misconception, Washington did not wear a wig, but in fact powdered his hair white.
| False
|-
| 1820
| No one who wears pants instead of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culottes breeches] can be reelected. ...But Monroe was.
| The first 5 presidents, including Monroe, all wore breeches.
|
|-
| 1824
| No one has ever won without a popular majority. ...J.Q. Adams did.
| Jackson won the plurality of the popular vote and Electoral College. But as it was a four way election, he did not achieve a majority - so the vote went to Congress, who elected John Quincy Adams.
| True
|-
| 1828
| Only people from Massachusetts and Virginia can win. ...Until Jackson did.
| Jackson was from South Carolina, while all previous presidents were from Massachusetts or Virginia.
| True
|-
| 1832
| The only presidents who get reelected are Virginians. ...Until Jackson.
| Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe were the only re-elected presidents at that time, and they were all Virginians.
| True
|-
| 1836
| New Yorkers always lose. ...Until Van Buren.
| Martin Van Buren is the first president from the state of New York.
| True
|-
|1840
| No one over 65 has won the presidency. ...Until Harrison did.
| He was 68 and the first over 65, and died of pneumonia 31 days after giving the longest inauguration to date.
| True
|-
|1844
| No one who's lost his home state has won. ...But Polk did.
| Assuming "home state" refers to the state of residence, Polk is the first, losing Tennessee to Clay but took 15 of the 26 states including New York. However, if you count it as state of birth, Jackson and Harrison already did.
| True
|-
|1848
| As goes Mississippi, so goes the nation. ...Until 1848.
| Prior to 1848, every candidate who had won the state of Mississippi had won the election, with the only exception being the 1824 election, where John Quincy Adams was elected by Congress, due to no one winning the Electoral College. In 1848, Lewis Cass won the state of Mississippi, but lost the election to Zachary Taylor.
| True
|-
|1852
|New England Democrats can't win. ...Until Pierce did.
|Pierce is the first candidate from the Democratic Party from New England, specifically New Hampshire, and he won the election of 1852.
| True
|-
|1856
| No one can become president without getting married. ...Until Buchanan did.
| While other presidents were widowers, Buchanan was the first unmarried president, being a life long bachelor.
| True
|-
|1860
| No one over 6'3" can get elected. ...Until Lincoln.
| Lincoln was the first president over 6'3" president, at 6'4" tall, making him the tallest president to date.
| True
|-
|1864
|No one with a beard has been reelected. ...But Lincoln was.
|Lincoln was the first U.S. president to have a beard.
|
|-
|1868
|No one can be president if their parents are alive. ...Until Grant.
|
|
|-
|1872
|No one with a beard has been reelected in peacetime. ...Until Grant was.
|Grant was the second U.S. president (behind Lincoln) to be reelected with a beard, but only Grant was reelected during peacetime.
|
|-
|1876
|No one can win a majority of the popular vote and still lose. ...Tilden did.
|Samuel Tilden won a majority of the popular vote, with 51%, but lost in the electoral college in a {{w|1876 United States presidential election|contested election}}, resolved by the {{w|Compromise of 1877}}. (During the election of 1824, Jackson won the popular vote but did not win more than half of it, a majority)
| True
|-
|1880
|As goes California, so goes the nation. ...Until it went Hancock.
|Since being a state in 1850, the winner of California had won the election - until 1880 when Winfield Hancock won California, but lost the election to James Garfield.
|
|-
|1884
|Candidates named "James" can't lose. ...Until James Blaine.
|James Blaine was the first major candidate with the first name "James" to lose an election, losing to Grover Cleveland.
|
|-
|1888
|No sitting president has been beaten since the Civil War. ...Cleveland was.
|Grover Cleveland was the first president since the end of the Civil War to be defeated by a challenger, losing to Benjamin Harrison. Andrew Johnson was not chosen as the Democratic candidate in 1868. Ulysses S. Grant served 2 terms and did not run for a 3rd term. Rutherford B. Hayes and Chester A. Arthur (who became president after the assassination of James Garfield) did not seek reelection after their first term.
|
|-
|1892
|No former president has been elected. ...Until Cleveland.
|Cleveland was the first (and thus far only) president to serve 2 non-consecutive terms, winning the presidential election in 1884, losing in 1888, and winning in 1892.
|
|-
|1896
|Tall Midwesterners are unbeatable. ...Bryan wasn't.
|William Jennings Bryan lost the 1896 election to William McKinley. Bryan's measurements have been lost to history, but contemporary historians described him as "a tall, slender, handsome fellow".
|
|-
|1900
|No Republican shorter than 5'8" has been reelected. ...Until McKinley was.
|At the time, McKinley was only the 3rd Republican who was reelected (behind Lincoln, and Grant). And he was the shortest of them all, at 5'7" tall.
|
|-
|1904
|No one under 45 has been elected. ...Roosevelt was.
|At the start of his presidency, Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest president, taking office at the age of 42 when McKinley died in 1901. However, he was not elected President until 1904, by which time he was no longer under 45.
|False
|-
|1908
|No Republican who hasn't served in the military has won. ...Until Taft.
|Taft was the first Republican to win an election and not serve in the military - Lincoln served during the Black Hawk War; Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Benjamin Harrison and McKinley served in the Civil War; and Theodore Roosevelt served in the Spanish-American War.
|
|-
|1912
|After Lincoln beat the Democrats while sporting a beard with no mustache, the only Democrats who can win have a mustache with no beard. ...Wilson had neither.
|From Lincoln's presidency to Wilson's, only one Democrat won- Grover Cleveland, who had a mustache but no beard.
|
|-
|1916
|No Democrat has won while losing West Virginia. ...Wilson did.
|Since its statehood in 1863, Wilson is the first Democrat to lose West Virginia, but win the national election.
|
|-
|1920
|No incumbent senator has won. ...Until Harding.
|Harding was the first sitting Senator to become President - he resigned his position as Senator to become President.
|
|-
|1924
|No one with two Cs in their name has become president. ...Until Calvin Coolidge.
|'''C'''alvin '''C'''oolidge was the first with "two C's in his name". Presidents with "one C" in their names prior to Coolidge were John Quin'''c'''y Adams, Andrew Ja'''c'''kson, Za'''c'''hary Taylor, Franklin Pier'''c'''e, James Bu'''c'''hanan, Abraham Lin'''c'''oln, '''C'''hester A. Arthur, Grover '''C'''leveland and William M'''c'''kinley.
|
|-
|1928
|No one who got ten million votes has lost. ...Until Al Smith.
|Smith was the first candidate to get more than 10 million votes and lose. He received over 15 million votes, but lost to Herbert Hoover, who received 21.4 million votes, and won the electoral college, 444-87.
|
|-
|1932
|No Democrat has won since women secured the right to vote. ...Until FDR did.
|FDR was the first Democrat to win since 1919, when women secured the right to vote.
|
|-
|1936
|No President's been reelected with double-digit unemployment. ...Until FDR was.
|FDR was reelected during the Great Depression, when unemployment peaked at 22-25%.
|
|-
|1940
|No one has won a third term. ...Until FDR did.
|FDR is the first and only president to be elected for 4 terms due to his popularity/policies. This is now made impossible by the {{w|Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution|22nd amendment}}, which limits a president to 2 elected terms.
|
|-
|1944
|No Democrat has won during wartime. ...Until FDR did.
|
|
|-
|1948
|Democrats can't win without Alabama. ...Truman did.
|
|
|-
|1952
|No Republican has won without winning the House or Senate. ...Eisenhower did.
|
|
|-
|1956
|No one can beat the same nominee a second time in a leap year rematch. ...Until Eisenhower.
|The phrase "leap year" excludes the elections of 1800 and 1900, which were not leap years in the U.S. or most other countries (although they were leap years in Russia, which was still using the Julian calendar).
|
|-
|1960
|Catholics can't win. ...Kennedy beat Nixon.
|
|
|-
|1964
|Every Republican who's taken Louisiana has won. ...Until Goldwater.
|
|
|-
|1968
|No Republican vice president has risen to the Presidency through an election. ...Until Nixon.
|Theodore Roosevelt, the winner of the 1904 election, was a Republican former Vice President, but he had already risen to the Presidency in 1901, when McKinley died in office.
|
|-
|1972
|Quakers can't win twice. ...Until Nixon did.
|The only Quaker president before Nixon was Herbert Hoover. Hoover only served one term.
|
|-
|1976
|No one who lost New Mexico has won. ...But Carter did.
|
|
|-
|1980
|No one has been elected President after a divorce. ...Until Reagan was.
|
|
|-
|1984
|No left-handed president has been reelected. ...Until Reagan was.
|
|
|-
|1988
|No one with two middle names has become president. ...Until "Herbert Walker".
|George H. W. Bush is the first and to date only president with 2 middle names.
|
|-
|1992
|No Democrat has won without a majority of the Catholic vote. ...Until Clinton did.
|
|
|-
|1996
|No Dem. incumbent without combat experience has beaten someone whose first name is worth more in Scrabble. ...Until Bill beat Bob.
|
|
|-
|2000
|No Republican has won without Vermont. ...Until Bush did.
|
|
|-
|2004
|No Republican without combat experience has beaten someone two inches taller. ...Until Bush did.
|
|
|-
|2008
|No Democrat can win without Missouri. ...Until Obama did.
|
|
|-
|2012?
|Democratic incumbents never beat taller challengers.
|Barack Obama is 6' 1" (185 cm), and Mitt Romney is 6' 2" (188 cm). When Obama won, it broke the streak.
|...Until Obama.
|-
|2012?
|No nominee whose first name contains a "K" has lost.
|This apparently refers only to major party nominees, as many third party and other nominees with a first name containing "K" have lost, such as {{w|Frank T. Johns}} of the Socialist Labor Party of America. Major party nominees with a "K" have won, such as Democrats Franklin Pierce, Franklin Roosevelt, and Barack Obama. If Romney had won, it would have broken the streak with respect to major party nominees, although not the streak as stated, which had already been broken with respect to all nominees.
|
|-
|Title text
|No white guy who's been mentioned on Twitter has gone on to win.
|Twitter was founded in 2006; Barack Obama was the first president elected since its founding, and although he had been mentioned on Twitter prior to his election, he is not a white male and so did not break the streak. The streak was broken in 2016, when Donald Trump was elected.
|...Until Trump.
|}

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:The problem with statements like
:"No <party> candidate has won the election without <state>"
:Or
:"No president has been reelected under <circumstances>"

:1788... No one has been elected president before. ...But Washington was.
:1792... No incumbent has ever been reelected. ...Until Washington.
:1796... No one without false teeth has become president. ...But Adams did.
:1800... No challenger has beaten an incumbent. ...But Jefferson did.
:1804... No incumbent has beaten a challenger. ...Until Jefferson.
:1808... No congressman has ever become president. ...Until Madison.
:1812... No one can win without New York. ...But Madison did.
:1816... No candidate who doesn't wear a wig can get elected. ...Until Monroe was.
:1820... No one who wears pants instead of breeches can be reelected. ...But Monroe was.
:1824... No one has ever won without a popular majority. ...J.Q. Adams did.
:1828... Only people from Massachusetts and Virginia can win. ...Until Jackson did.
:1832... The only presidents who get reelected are Virginians. ...Until Jackson.
:1836... New Yorkers always lose. ...Until Van Buren.
:1840... No one over 65 has won the presidency. ...Until Harrison did.
:1844... No one who's lost his home state has won. ...But Polk did.
:1848... As goes Mississippi, so goes the nation. ...Until 1848.
:1852... New England Democrats can't win. ...Until Pierce did.
:1856... No one can become president without getting married. ...Until Buchanan did.
:1860... No one over 6'3" can get elected. ...Until Lincoln.
:1864... No one with a beard has been reelected. ...But Lincoln was.
:1868... No one can be president if their parent are alive. ...Until Grant.
:1872... No one with a beard has been reelected in peacetime. ...Until Grant was.
:1876... No one can win a majority of the popular vote and still lose. ...Tilden did.
:1880... As goes California, so goes the nation. ...Until it went Hancock.
:1884... Candidates named "James" can't lose. ...Until James Blaine.
:1888... No sitting president has been beaten since the Civil War. ...Cleveland was.
:1892... No former president has been elected. ...Until Cleveland.
:1896... Tall midwesterners are unbeatable. ...Bryan wasn't.
:1900... No Republican shorter than 5'8" has been reelected. ...Until McKinley was.
:1904... No one under 45 has become president. ...Roosevelt did.
:1908... No Republican who hasn't served in the military has won. ...Until Taft.
:1912... After Lincoln beat the Democrats while sporting a beard with no mustache, the only Democrats who can win have a mustache with no beard. ...Wilson had neither.
:1916... No Democrat has won while losing West Virginia. ...Wilson did.
:1920... No incumbent senator has won. ...Until Harding.
:1924... No one with two Cs in their name has become president. ...Until Calvin Coolidge.
:1928... No one who got ten million votes has lost. ...Until Al Smith.
:1932... No Democrat has won since women secured the right to vote. ...Until FDR did.
:1936... No President's been reelected with double-digit unemployment. ...Until FDR was.
:1940... No one has won a third term. ...Until FDR did.
:1944... No Democrat has won during wartime. ...Until FDR did.
:1948... Democrats can't win without Alabama. ...Truman did.
:1952... No Republican has won without winning the House or Senate. ...Eisenhower did.
:1956... No one can beat the same nominee a second time in a leap year rematch. ...Until Eisenhower.
:1960... Catholics can't win. ...Until Kennedy.
:1964... Every Republican who's taken Louisiana has won. ...Until Goldwater.
:1968... No Republican vice president has risen to the Presidency through an election. ...Until Nixon.
:1972... Quakers can't win twice. ...Until Nixon did.
:1976... No one who lost New Mexico has won. ...But Carter did.
:1980... No one has been elected President after a divorce. ...Until Reagan was.
:1984... No left-handed president has been reelected. ...Until Reagan was.
:1988... No one with two middle names has become president. ...Until "Herbert Walker".
:1992... No Democrat has won without a majority of the Catholic vote. ...Until Clinton did.
:1996... No Dem. incumbent without combat experience has beaten someone whose first name is worth more in Scrabble. ...Until Bill beat Bob.
:2000... No Republican has won without Vermont. ...Until Bush did.
:2004... No Republican without combat experience has beaten someone two inches taller. ...Until Bush did.
:2008... No Democrat can win without Missouri. ...Until Obama did.
:2012... Democratic incumbents never beat taller challengers. No nominee whose first name contains a "K" has lost. Which streak will break?

==Trivia/Errors==
* There was an error in the original 1800 panel of the comic, as Jefferson (not Adams) was the first challenger to beat an incumbent, when Jefferson beat then-president Adams in 1800. This was later corrected.

* The first President with a wig was technically Washington, who did not wear a wig, but in fact powdered his hair white.

* Although Theodore Roosevelt become the first President under age 45 and was later elected President, he was not elected before the age of 45.

* Also, one of the statements of a streak for the 2012 elections can be considered wrong: in 1952, the Republican candidate/running mate Eisenhower/Nixon defeated the Democratic alliterative ticket Stevenson/Sparkman (in what can only be described as a landslide). The comic has been changed, and now reads "Democratic incumbents never beat taller challengers" as the streak which would have the Republican ticket as the winners.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Comics featuring John F. Kennedy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring politicians]]

2402: Into My Veins

2020-12-24T02:49:40Z

108.162.215.70: added wiki link to Star Is Burns episode, corrected title of movie, capitalized Moleman's name and add his first name

{{comic
| number = 2402
| date = December 23, 2020
| title = Into My Veins
| image = into_my_veins.png
| titletext = "Okay, for the last time, the shot is free, so we can't--" "Shut up and take my money!"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by PHILIP J. FRY. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic references both the COVID-19 vaccine and a common meme for when people are excited about something.

COVID-19 has inconvenienced some people{{Citation needed}}, so many people are excited for the vaccine (which will hopefully end the pandemic). This comic shows Cueball receiving the vaccine reacting with "Inject it directly into my veins," a modified version of the phrase "just hook it to my veins" (from ''The Simpsons'') that Barney says after winning a movie making contest (his movie had heart, but Hans Moleman's movie was ''Man Getting Hit by Football'') (from the episode {{W|A Star Is Burns}}). This sort of phrase is used to express enthusiasm for something, usually something which is not generally injected into any part of the human body. Vaccines often are; however, this vaccine is intramuscular, meaning that it does ''not'' get injected directly into one's veins.

The title text references another such meme, [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/shut-up-and-take-my-money "Shut up and take my money,"] which derives from an episode of ''Futurama''. The COVID-19 vaccine is being provided free of charge to Cueball, so taking money is entirely unnecessary (and possibly illegal).

==Transcript==

:Cueball: Yesssss
:Cueball: Inject this directly into my veins

[Beat panel. Ponytail looks down at a clipboard.]

[Zoom out to reveal that Cueball is standing by a stool, with Ponytail in front of him with a clipboard and syringe and Hairy behind him with a box of bandages and a first-aid kit.]

:Ponytail: Ok, but the vaccine is intramuscular...
:Hairy: Why do people keep ''saying'' that?
:Cueball: Sorry, sorry.
:Cueball: Just excited.

{{comic discussion}}

2141: UI vs UX

2020-04-24T00:36:14Z

108.162.215.70: Fixed typo in "To start, the the two real categories are:"

{{comic
| number = 2141
| date = April 24, 2019
| title = UI vs UX
| image = ui_vs_ux.png
| titletext = U[unprintable glyph]: The elements a higher power uses to bend that moral arc. U[even more unprintable glyph]: The higher power's overall experience bending that moral arc.
}}

==Explanation==
[https://www.google.com/search?q=UI+vs+UX UI vs UX] is a discussion in software engineering of the differences between {{w|User_interface_design|user interface}} design (UI) and {{w|user experience}} design (UX). As explained in the comic, UI design is typically concerned with the elements of the interface that a user encounters, while UX design is more concerned about the user's overall experience in using such interface. UX design can be seen as more holistic & abstract than UI. This comic extends the idea, adding increasingly all-encompassing, abstract & fanciful design perspectives.

To start, the two real categories are:

;UI - '''Elements of the interface that the user encounters'''
:This standard software engineering practice involves trying to come up with a user interface - icons, colors, placement or text and elements, etc. that works well together, that isn't confusing, and that hopefully makes it easy for the user to view the information they need to digest, as well as make whatever choices the user is expected to make. They also look at things like how long it takes to move from one screen or task to another, etc.
;UX - '''The user's experience of using the interface to achieve goals'''
:Sometimes a UI designer makes choices that they think are easy for the user, but it turns out not to be as easy as expected when it comes to real users and practical situations. So the UX designer focuses on observing how a user uses a product, both how they use the user interface as well as other less technical aspects of their experience such as how they come to find out about the product, what they tell others about the product, etc.

The comic takes this to absurd levels by adding these additional categories:

;UZ - '''The psychological roots of the user's motivation for seeking out the interaction'''
:The comic says that UZ is the investigation of the psychological roots of why the user even wants to use the interface. This is not normally something that computer programmers do{{Citation needed}}, and is usually best left in the hands of psychologists {{Citation needed}}.
:"The psychological roots of motivation" is a [http://playbook.amanet.org/brian-tracy-the-root-of-motivation/ buzzword phrase] from [http://www.maccoby.com/books/WhyWork.php management theory] which may not have a particularly well-defined meaning. {{w|Motivation}} is itself the psychological root of behavior. While motivations certainly have causes, they are usually not clear enough to meaningfully treat in formal or clinical contexts.
;Uα - '''The user's self-actualization'''
:"{{w|Self actualization}}" is the most abstract, immaterial form of motivation, meaning the need to find comfort in one's own goals and achievements. Available only when more material needs such as those for food, shelter, warmth, security, and a sense of belonging are met, it forms the pinnacle of {{w|Maslow's hierarchy of needs}}.
:''α'' is ''{{w|alpha}}'', the first letter of the Greek alphabet. It's often used to show the "beginning" or "first" of something (including in philosophical contexts). And as the first Greek letter, it can be thought of "beyond Z" in a sense; the Atlantic hurricane name list uses the Greek alphabet this way, for example (as [[944: Hurricane Names|xkcd 944]] alludes to).
;UΩ - '''The arc of the user's life'''
:"The arc of one's life," means the overall thematic elements present in a person's existence. It occurs in the philosophical humor novel ''{{w|The World According to Garp}},'' which remarks on how easily the arc of any human life can turn on a single sexual relationship.
:Continuing the philosophical theme, ''Ω'' is ''{{w|omega}}'', the ''last'' letter of the Greek alphabet. As such, it's often used to show the "last", "end", or "ultimate" of something.
;U∞ - '''Life's experience of time'''
:"Life's experience of time" is a very rare phrase which does not seem to have a coherent meaning across the handful of times it occurs.
:''∞'' is the mathematical symbol for ''{{w|infinity}}'', again furthering the philosophical abstraction.
;U⬤ - '''The arc of the moral universe'''
:"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice," is a famous line from a speech by {{w|Martin Luther King}}, referring to the slow pace at which social progress is often achieved, and paraphrasing parts of a 1853 sermon by abolitionist minister {{w|Theodore Parker}}: "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends toward justice." President Obama had the sentence from King's speech woven into a rug in the Oval Office.
:The ⬤ is a filled-in circle the size of the letters around it, represented here by the Unicode "black large circle" character ({{w|Miscellaneous Symbols and Arrows|U+2B24}}). Continuing the philosophical abstraction, it comes well after the Greek alphabet and most mathematical symbols in Unicode, and is especially unlikely to be used as a text character in its own right like this.{{Citation needed}}

The title text refers to a higher power bending the moral arc, but mirrors the UI and UX categories, with the implication that the list continues in a spiral through ever more rarefied levels of higher powers, with even less likely symbols denoting them.

;U[unprintable glyph] - '''The elements a higher power uses to bend that moral arc'''
:Essentially UI for the higher power's moral arc bending utility.
;U[even more unprintable glyph] - '''The higher power's overall experience bending that moral arc'''
:Essentially UX for the higher power's moral arc bending utility.

==Transcript==
:[Two underlined headings are above two columns of text with seven lines. The left "symbol" (labelled "Designer") is explained by the text to the right (labelled "What they are responsible for").]

:UI: Elements of the interface that the user encounters

:UX: The user's experience of using the interface to achieve goals

:UZ: The psychological roots of the user's motivation for seeking out the interaction

:U∝: The user's self-actualization

:UΩ: The arc of the user's life

:U∞: Life's experience of time

:U⚫: The arc of the moral universe

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Programming]]

1860: Communicating

2018-07-02T09:10:00Z

108.162.215.70: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1860
| date = July 7, 2017
| title = Communicating
| image = communicating.png
| titletext = You're saying that the responsibility for avoiding miscommunication lies entirely with the listener, not the speaker, which explains why you haven't been able to convince anyone to help you down from that wall.
}}

==Explanation==
''There's glory for you.''

In Lewis Carroll's "{{w|Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There}}", {{w|Alice_(Alice's_Adventures_in_Wonderland)|Alice}} meets {{w|Humpty Dumpty}} (the egg-shaped character from the children's verse). Humpty Dumpty is a Looking Glass creature, and the Looking Glass creatures all feature some form of inversion. For Humpty Dumpty the inversion is in meanings. He berates Alice for having a name that doesn't mean anything (contrasted with his name which means his shape).

But Humpty declares to Alice "There's glory for you". Alice doesn't understand what Humpty means by "glory". Humpty explains that he can make words mean whatever he chooses to mean. By "glory" he meant "a nice knock-down argument". And he adds: "When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean. Neither more nor less." ([https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Through_the_Looking-Glass,_and_What_Alice_Found_There/Chapter_VI#124])

In the comic Humpty is explaining to "Alice" (portrayed by [[Science Girl]]) that he can choose meanings for his words. "Alice" wonders what meaning should be given to that utterance, and decides it means "Please take all my belongings". Humpty realizes he has been caught in a trap, but now Alice is choosing meanings, and even his protests are taken to mean "take my car along with my belongings".

While it seems that Alice chooses these specific meanings of words to educate Humpty Dumpty about the mistake in his way of thinking, she could as well inform him about planned theft with random, meaningless words or not at all. After all, she got "permission". Also, even though Humpty Dumpty decides about the meanings of words by himself, he "accidentally" chooses the normal meanings of all of Alice's words, because otherwise he wouldn't be informed about the planned theft and wouldn't be able to react to this with "What!? No!".

Humpty Dumpty is known from the nursery rhyme or riddle:
:''Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall,
:''Humpy Dumpty had a great fall.
:''All the King's horses and all the King's men,
:''Couldn't put Humpty together again.''

Carroll's Humpty Dumpty is a parody of people who use technical language without defining their terms, and expect others to understand. The title text continues this. By Humpty insisting that he is not responsible for others understanding him he is unable to get help getting down from the wall, which will lead to his inevitable demise. This two-sided nature of communication is also shown in the title text of [[1028: Communication]], as well as in later comics like [[1984: Misinterpretation]] (with a list of other comics about communication).

==Transcript==
:[Egg-shaped character Humpty Dumpty, drawn with an angry face, is sitting on a brick wall and facing Alice.]
:Humpty Dumpty: When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean. Neither more nor less.
:Alice: I wonder what all those words you just said meant. Maybe you're telling me I can have all your stuff!
:Humpty Dumpty: What!? No!
:Alice: Your car, too? Gosh, thanks!

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category:Language]]
[[Category:Social interactions]]

Talk:475: Further Boomerang Difficulties

2018-06-28T22:26:47Z

108.162.215.70:

OK, Dgbrt, you clearly know more about the universe's curvature than I do. Now, would you be so kind as to actually explain that rather than play tug-of-war with the incomplete tags? [[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.65|199.27.128.65]] 23:41, 25 February 2014 (UTC)

I took a shot at it. Good enough to remove the incomplete tag? [[User:LogicalOxymoron|LogicalOxymoron]] ([[User talk:LogicalOxymoron|talk]]) 23:22, 12 March 2014 (UTC)

Should it be noted that a normal boomerang (a weapon) is not supposed to return? Only a returning boomerang (a toy) returns. [[User:Tharkon|Tharkon]] ([[User talk:Tharkon|talk]]) 00:47, 14 July 2014 (UTC)

What do you call a boomerang that won't come back ?
... a stick. {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.217}}

Bonus strip: Just read the rightmost panels straight down. It still works. Literally. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.70|108.162.215.70]] 22:26, 28 June 2018 (UTC)

2012: Thorough Analysis

2018-06-27T21:45:52Z

108.162.215.70:

{{comic
| number = 2012
| date = June 27, 2018
| title = Thorough Analysis
| image = thorough_analysis.png
| titletext = The likely shape of the bells was determined through consultation with several bellringing experts at the Tower of London. Transcripts of those interviews are available in Appendix VII.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by Genetically Tested Timber - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic remarks on how obsessively some scientific papers investigate some insignificant, obscure things. It gives the example of an investigation into whether an {{w|1811–12 New Madrid earthquakes|earthquake in 1811}} caused church bells 600 miles away to ring, which, although mildly interesting, is not of any scientific importance today.

This paper even goes as far as to include genetics as a factor in this equation, despite the fact that this has close to nothing to do with the main question (or, at least, it is too unsubstantial to warrant any searching).

The title text is a continuation of this paper, which researches into the bells' shapes, and then goes on to ''provide the entire interview in another section.''

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
: [The comic mainly consists of a research paper:]
: 1. Introduction
: The December 1811 earthquake near New Madrid, Missouri reportedly caused church bells to ring in Charleston, South Carolina.
: But did it?
: The original bell tower has been lost, but a computer model of the church building was created from archival plans and forensic masonry analysis. Genetic testing of the timber from local trees related to those used in the bell tower shows a weakness in the
: [Caption below the panel:]
: My favorite genre of scientific papers are exhaustive 100-page treatises that answer some minor question with the obsessive thoroughness of the 9/11 commission report.

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:706: Freedom

2018-06-23T02:21:24Z

108.162.215.70:

The last sentence "But you couldn't", is probably also a reference to the fact that even though we and other people have many possibilities, we never expect anyone to actually use them. {{unsigned ip|173.245.49.128}}

More like we didn't expect other people to utilize the possibilities that they did. Or Didn't. [[User:Jakee308|Jakee308]] ([[User talk:Jakee308|talk]]) 19:40, 8 June 2015 (UTC)

Sometimes I'm terrified to realize how many options I have [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.79|173.245.50.79]] 03:39, 19 September 2016 (UTC)

I think so much about this! Like, if I punched someone, what would society do? If I edited all of the comments above ''juuuuust'' a little, what would happen? If I... [[User:SilverMagpie|SilverMagpie]] ([[User talk:SilverMagpie|talk]]) 00:27, 9 May 2018 (UTC)

Potions 101

Talk:2010: Update Notes

2018-06-23T02:20:00Z

108.162.215.70:

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.46|108.162.216.46]] 16:42, 22 June 2018 (UTC)

I feel like this might be aimed at Google Hangouts. We started using it for our business several years ago, and every year it gets HARDER to use. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.90.22|172.68.90.22]] 16:43, 22 June 2018 (UTC) SiliconWolf

I wonder if this was inspired by [https://www.wsj.com/articles/foldering-in-the-manafort-case-an-old-spy-trick-enters-the-digital-age-1529678377 recent allegations about Paul Manafort using "foldering" for under-the-radar communication].
[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.97|173.245.52.97]] 18:21, 22 June 2018 (UTC)

Thank goodness they have lots of battery, because if they were low I wouldn't be able to concentrate on the comic. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.70|108.162.215.70]] 02:20, 23 June 2018 (UTC)

== Mouseover ==

"Trunk should be unlocked" is a software development reference.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trunk_(software) {{unsigned|162.158.134.214}}

:I'm not so sure. That is an entirely different sense of the word Trunk (car trunk vs tree trunk), and it doesn't have any real connection to the topic of the comic. It's most likely just a coincidence. [[User:HisHighestMinion|HisHighestMinion]] ([[User talk:HisHighestMinion|talk]]) 20:52, 22 June 2018 (UTC)

This makes me think of bad git commit names. As if they're updating the app and not bothering to actually describe what the update is, the modern git complaint.(Similar to https://xkcd.com/1296/). [[Special:Contributions/162.158.93.111|162.158.93.111]] 00:18, 23 June 2018 (UTC)

2010: Update Notes

2018-06-23T02:18:17Z

108.162.215.70: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2010
| date = June 22, 2018
| title = Update Notes
| image = update_notes.png
| titletext = v3.0.2: Hey, if anyone still using this app is headed to the beach, can you stop at 4th and River St and grab the sunscreen from my car? Trunk should be unlocked. Thanks!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an APP - Please change the changelog when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
{{w|Release notes}} are notes (or documents) released when software has been updated, to inform the user of any important changes to the software.

In this comic, Randall and his friend are using release notes of their {{w|Mobile application|app}}s as a form of chat service, instead of actual software change information. He says this is possible because the two apps are no longer being maintained, so theoretically, there are not many people using the app who would read the update / change notes.

This "chat service" would not be in real time, so presumably, Randall and his friend would have to be constantly checking each other's apps to see if there are updates.

On the "stars" app, the last "actual" notes says "Introduced bugs and degraded performance". This is not a typical change that a software developer would want to inform a user.

The comic also refers to a meteor shower occurring in August, most likely the {{w|Perseids|Perseid meteor shower}}.

The title text says that Randall, who is at the beach, has left his {{w|sunscreen}} in his car, but that the {{w|Trunk (car)|trunk}} is unlocked, for whoever is still reading the updates for this app. This may invite the attention of thieves, who are now informed that Randall's trunk is unlocked. However they may not know what city Randall lives in, and conversely readers of the release notes could be anywhere in the world so most are probably not in a position to physically make contact with Randall's car.

This comic could also be poking fun at the non-descriptive updates many popular apps post in the "What's new" or change log. One example of this would be the Uber app stating "We update the app as often as possible" as a "new" feature every update.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[There are two panels that show iOS-esque screens with two different apps with different changelogs, showing a conversation between two people. New updates are added to the top, so to follow the conversation flow one would start from the bottom and alternate between the second app and the first one.]

:[The first app's icon is an "A" symbol.]
:Updates

:Version 3.0.1
:June 22, 2018

:Update Notes:

:v3.0.1
:I'm actually off work Monday so that's perfect.

:v3.0
:Oh, that sounds fun! What night?

:v2.8.31
:Are you around this weekend? We're heading to the beach.

:v2.8.3
:Hey Mike, you there?

:[The second app's icon consists of three stars.]
:Updates

:Version 7.0
:June 22, 2018

:Update Notes:

:v7.0
:It peaks August 12-13th.

:v6.8.16
:Sorry, no, going to a wedding. But do you want to camp out for the meteor shower in August?

:v6.8.15
:Yeah, what's up?

:v6.8.14
:Introduced bugs and degraded performance

:[Caption below the panels:]
:My friend and I both have apps we've stopped maintaining, so we just use the updates to chat.

{{comic discussion}}

2008: Irony Definition

2018-06-21T06:56:44Z

108.162.215.70: /* This is, quite possibly, the weirdest and best explanation I've ever read on this entire wiki */

{{comic
| number = 2008
| date = June 18, 2018
| title = Irony Definition
| image = irony_definition.png
| titletext = Can you stop glaring at me like that? It makes me feel really ironic.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|It may or may not be complete - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Irony is, to quote the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result.” It is often invoked to add intrigue to an otherwise dull anecdote of scenario. Once again quoting Merriam-Webster:

''“Considerable thought is given to what events constitute “true” irony, and the dictionary is often called upon to supply an answer. Here are the facts about how the word irony is used''.

''Irony has two formal uses that are not as common in general prose as its more casual uses. One refers to Socratic irony—a method of revealing an opponent’s ignorance by pretending to be ignorant yourself and asking probing questions. The other refers to dramatic irony or tragic irony—an incongruity between the situation in a drama and the words used by the characters that only the audience can see. Socratic irony is a tool used in debating; dramatic irony is what happens when the audience realizes that Romeo and Juliet’s plans will go awry.''

''The third, and debated, use of irony regards what’s called situational irony. Situational irony involves a striking reversal of what is expected or intended: a person sidesteps a pothole to avoid injury and in doing so steps into another pothole and injures themselves. Critics claim the word irony and ironic as they are generally used (as in, “Isn’t it ironic that you called just as I was planning to call you?”) can only apply to situational irony, and uses like the one above are more properly called coincidence.
''
''The historical record shows that irony and ironic have been used imprecisely for almost 100 years at least, and often to refer to coincidence. This 1939 quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald is typical: "It is an ironic thought that the last picture job I took—against my better judgment—yielded me five thousand dollars five hundred and cost over four thousand in medical attention." Is this true situational irony? It’s debatable.''

''The word irony has come to be applied to events that are merely curious or coincidental, and while some feel this is an incorrect use of the word, it is merely a new one.’''

While the modern use of the word (that is, the one ostensibly used to refer to situational irony but instead used for mere coincidences) may have robbed irony of its rich historical and literary undertones, irony is not a relevant concept to everyday life save for commenting glibly on an ironic situation. Lilliputian quibbles over the correct use of the word help no one.

At long last, after many years, [[Black Hat]] expresses an opinion healthy for society. Presumably having just misused the term, to Cueball’s indignation, Black Hat quips gleefully that it is ironic that [[Cueball]] may have the definition of irony memorized, but Black Hat is happier for not knowing it. In the title text, Cueball is evidently not happy with Black Hat, but the latter responds in a typically victorious fashion, using either the verbal sense of irony (i.e. sarcasm) or the aforementioned incorrect use, which only underscores his point. Incidentally, it ''could'' be considered somewhat ironic that Cueball correcting Black Hat’s behavior only resulted in Black Hat repeating the same behavior. (Then again, if you know Black Hat, this is expected.)

A postscript: At one point, this explanation had two dissections of Black Hat’s behavior. Isn’t that ironic?

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat and Cueball are walking together, with Black Hat walking behind Cueball with his arms out and palms up. Cueball is visibly upset, as evidenced by the squiggle floating above his head and his balled up fists.]
:Black Hat: It's ironic how '''''you''''' know the definition of irony, yet '''''I'm''''' the one in this conversation who's happy.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

2008: Irony Definition

2018-06-19T02:16:34Z

108.162.215.70: /* Explanation */

Talk:430: Every Damn Morning

2018-06-16T04:10:12Z

108.162.215.70:

Reminds me a bit of, The Dark is Rising, the alt text does. Not sure why. {{unsigned ip|173.245.52.206}}

The "some people interacting" all seem to be Cueball & Megan, doing various things.
[[User:Wwoods|Wwoods]] ([[User talk:Wwoods|talk]]) 18:27, 5 February 2014 (UTC)

This perfectly explains my theory for the origin of Deja vu! You have a dream, but because you don't bother thinking about it when you wake up (The act of thinking about it moves it from your short term memory to your long term memory), it fades away to some inaccessible place in your brain. (It's not deleted. Nothing is ever deleted. It's just archived) Then, you see something in real live which, just for a split second, brings back the memory of your dream. But it disappears as soon as it appeared, before you can register it. This leaves you wondering what it is that feels so familiar.

If you suffer from lots of deja vu, try remembering your dreams first thing in the morning.
[[User:Hannodb|Hannodb]] ([[User talk:Hannodb|talk]]) 09:19, 10 July 2014 (UTC + 2)

I have heard that most dreaming is associated with the right side of the brain (for example, right inferior parietal cortex: http://www.dreamscience.org/idx_science_of_dreaming_section-3.htm). If this is true, it would make sense that, upon awakening, the visual imagery of dreams is not transmitted well across the corpus callosum to the left side of the brain, where most language skills reside. If you cannot efficiently translate the images into words, you can't communicate them in words. Being quite complex and unusual, the dreams would then fade from memory.

- - - - - - -

A possible alternate explanation for the dream in the comic, which actually ties into the title text; most of the people in the comic are calm; the giant "mushroom cloud" can also, due to the black and white nature of the comic, be interpretated as a giant tree with ring-shaped construction around it. Most of the people appear to be more or less calm, which implies that there isn't really an emergency. Also, there is a guy with a knocked over cup, being threatened by a girl with a sword, and everybody is on what appears to be a hill. Alternatively, the tree or one of the cities was built on a hill. [[User:KitsunePhoenix|Amaroq (KitsunePhoenix)]] ([[User talk:KitsunePhoenix|talk]]) 05:56, 16 February 2016 (UTC)

Honestly, I interpreted it as Cueball and Megan living in a nuclear warzone where a bomb went off every morning and Cueball got really annoyed at how loud it was and how it was disrupting his sleep. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.70|108.162.215.70]] 04:10, 16 June 2018 (UTC)

2007: Brookhaven RHIC

2018-06-16T03:54:25Z

108.162.215.70: /* There's no period */

{{comic
| number = 2007
| date = June 15, 2018
| title = Brookhaven RHIC
| image = brookhaven_rhic.png
| titletext = "Buddy, you trying to pull something? I can't buy this gold--all the electrons are missing. I could face serious charges!"
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a HEAVILY CHARGED BOT ION - Please CHANGE THIS comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The {{w|Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider}} is a particle accelerator designed to collide gold ions together at incredibly high speeds. This is normally done to study particle physics - the high-energy collisions allow us to learn more about how subatomic particles behave.

[[Randall]] proposes that, instead of using the beam of gold ions for particle collisions, it should be diverted and sold at cash-for-gold stores to make money. The joke is that because they are traveling at relativistic speeds, the mass of the particles being sold will be much more than the mass of the ions being supplied to the collider's input. However, it would be very difficult to sell a beam of charged particles. The amount of gold involved is below microscopic scales. This is probably why Brookhaven rejected Randall's proposal. Randall has done many comics describing impractical{{Citation needed}} research proposals.

The title text imagines the owner of the stores complaining about the sale, not because of impracticality, but because Randall tries to sell gold ions with the entire positively-charged nucleus of the gold atom with all 79 electrons stripped from it instead of normal, electrically neutral gold atoms. And this is also a pun on the word "charges", which could refer to {{w|electric charge}} or to {{w|criminal charge|criminal charges}}.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

:[A single panel contains a simplified overhead map view of the Brookhaven Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and some of the surrounding area. The collider is located on the left hand side of the image as a yellow beam (representing the Gold ions) outlined in black. Parts of the collider are are labeled and there are light gray arrows indicating the direction of travel for the ions. At the bottom of the main accelerator ring there is a diverter that splits the ion beam and directs it towards a set of three Cash for Gold stores, passing through a more diverters along the way. Each Cash for Gold store is represented with a yellow burst and is marked with a Google maps style "store" locator pin. The following labels are written on the map.]

:Brookhaven Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider
:Gold Ion Source
:Accelerator Ring
:Diverter
:Gold Ion Beam

:[There are arrows coming from this label pointing at each store]
:Cash for Gold Stores

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Sadly, Brookhaven rejected my proposed experiment

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]

Talk:1519: Venus

2018-06-10T07:34:01Z

108.162.215.70: (Put it in the explanation.)

The "Runaway Greenhouse Effect" refers to the continuing increase of a planet's average temperature due to an increase of gases that reflect heat from the planet back toward its surface; Venus is an example of this to the extent that its temperature is not tolerable to Earth-like organisms.

:Considering that our probes are only able to work for few hours on the surface, emphasizing "Earth-like" sounds like understatement. The temperature is not the most dangerous property of Venus, though. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 01:19, 2 May 2015 (UTC)

::True, and the fact that the temperature is hot enough to melt lead, and it's not the worst thing there, is one of the many reasons why Venus is a terrible vacation spot. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.155|108.162.250.155]] 01:04, 4 May 2015 (UTC)

The "Butterfly Effect" refers to the hypothesis that a small action (such as a butterfly flapping its wings) in a chaotic system such as a planet's weather, can have a large effect (such as causing a storm on the other side of the planet). [[User:The Dining Logician|The Dining Logician]] ([[User talk:The Dining Logician|talk]]) 06:43, 1 May 2015 (UTC)

:...or flip a bit on your hard drive. But then again, that's what Emacs is for, isn't it? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.157|173.245.50.157]] 15:05, 3 May 2015 (UTC)

::[[378: Real Programmers|Good ol' C-x M-c M-butterfly]]. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.222.137|108.162.222.137]] 04:22, 6 May 2015 (UTC)

I added a link to Tulip Fever (and clarified the 'links' to the mistold history), which may or may not be 'inspiring' Miss's little tale, but certainly would be interesting if intended to be the so-called-historic basis in this retelling of facts. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.186|141.101.98.186]] 11:19, 1 May 2015 (UTC)

Two of the false statements were referred to as "puns", but that's not how I understand the word pun, so I changed the texts. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 13:39, 2 May 2015 (UTC)

Any suggestions about where the phrase "I ride the skies atop a screaming bird of ..." comes from? --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 13:40, 2 May 2015 (UTC)

:Sounds like a lyrical/poetic reference.
:Maybe we can ask Norm DeMoura? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.166|108.162.221.166]] 22:31, 2 May 2015 (UTC)

::It may be a reference to the tale [http://www.mythfolklore.net/andrewlang/127.htm The Bird of Truth] [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.232|108.162.229.232]] 23:14, 7 May 2015 (UTC)

The student is [[Hair Bun Girl]], as Hair Bun Girl is any female that has a hair bun. It says on her page that "She is distinguished by her hair that is set up in a bun.", which is the only distinguishing feature seen here.--{{User:17jiangz1/signature|09:41, 03 May 2015}}
:Well I wrote that, when I created the category, and what I meant was that she is any woman. We do not call a child Cueball or Megan (even though they may be drawn this way. I will again delete this reference.--[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 11:22, 3 May 2015 (UTC)

I move that the bottom section, "Trivia," may be transferred into the main body of text, or that it shall be erased altogether. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.70|108.162.215.70]] 07:34, 10 June 2018 (UTC)

1519: Venus

2018-06-10T07:27:28Z

108.162.215.70: /* More concise */

{{comic
| number = 1519
| date = May 1, 2015
| title = Venus
| image = venus.png
| titletext = The sudden introduction of Venusian flowers led to an explosive growth of unusual Earth pollinators, which became known as the "butterfly effect."
}}

==Explanation==
[[Miss Lenhart]] is [[#Trivia|teaching]] a class on science about the planet {{w|Venus}}.

In the first panel we see her teaching the history of Venus. Venus may have had water on its surface billions years ago, but if that's true all hydrogen since then was eventually lost due to dissociation. However, there is no evidence that Venus ever had fields of flowers, or Venusians, or any other form of life.

The {{w|runaway greenhouse effect}} on the second panel is a play on words. Miss Lenhart uses the term literally and claims the existence of sentient greenhouses that actually ran away. In reality, the effect caused Venus to develop a thick atmosphere of carbon dioxide, which raised its temperature above to approx. 460 °C (860 °F), hotter than daytime on Mercury. This eventually destroyed all evidence of anything that had been on the surface of Venus billions of years ago.

The third panel ties the previous distortion of Miss Lenhart into the very real {{w|Tulip mania|historic reputation}} of the Netherlands as {{w|Netherlands#Agriculture|flower growers}} and as a further fabrication by Miss Lenhart the Dutch flower industry was in fact started by the Venusians.

In the final panel we learn that she is a month away from retirement and doesn't care about relaying accurate information anymore. She just wants to have a laugh at the expense of the naive school children. Although it is clear that [[Science Girl]] in the front row was not fooled.

The title text jokes about the {{w|butterfly effect}}, the idea that a butterfly flapping its wings in Japan can cause a Tornado in the U.S.. In this case the {{w|Butterfly|butterflies}} would just help pollinate the flowers. The butterfly effect is a term coined by {{w|Edward Norton Lorenz}} who had the comic [[1350: Lorenz]] named after him due to its chaotic nature.

Although Miss Lenhart was supposed to retire a month after this comic she seems to return a year later for a math course at university level, in [[1724: Proofs]], where she continues the trend from this class.

==Transcript==
:[Miss Lenhart is standing in front of an image depicting a section of a temperate Venus' surface, with greenhouses, grass, flowers and a river flowing into a sea.]
:Miss Lenhart: Venus once was temperate. It had seas and rivers, and Venusians cultivated vast fields of beautiful flowers.

:[The image now shows the entirety of Venus, with continents and oceans. The greenhouses appear to be fleeing from Venus.]
:Miss Lenhart: Until their greenhouses fled the planet due to the runaway greenhouse effect.

:[Miss Lenhart is shown to be standing in front of a classroom. Science Girl is sitting in the front row.]
:Miss Lenhart: The Venusians pursued their greenhouses to Earth, settling in the Netherlands and kickstarting the Dutch floral industry. Any questions?

:Off-panel student (presumably Science Girl): Because you're retiring in a month, do you just not care what you say anymore?
:Miss Lenhart: ''What?!'' I '''''ride the skies''''' atop a screaming bird of truth! Also, yes, I do not.

==Trivia==
*It is not directly mentioned that it is Miss Lenhart teaching, but her looks and profession fits this character well enough to make this deduction.
*Similarly, the girl knowing she is being cheated fits the description of [[Science Girl]].

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Science Girl]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Space]]

Talk:1: Barrel - Part 1

2018-06-10T07:01:27Z

108.162.215.70:

Doesn't his big interactive piece (#1110) refer to this one? {{unsigned|‎58.37.35.32}}
:It does. There's a note somewhere in that explanation page referring back to this page. [[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]][[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 09:28, 2 December 2012 (UTC)

This comic under my interpretation is that like the kid in the barrel his mind was wandering at the time of his drawing of the comic and it reprsents his wandering mind as he may be bored and it is in the middle of nowhere but at the same time it is somewhere. but its waiting to get someplace (an island?)

--[[User:TheWeatherMan|TheWeatherMan]] ([[User talk:TheWeatherMan|talk]]) 13:57, 23 January 2013 (UTC)TheWeatherMan

:when ever I feel isolated from society, I like to contemplate the ladders I could build for them to see things from my perspective. We will never manage to teach kids how to exist in chaos, we need to outsource our thinking, share ideas, to see new options for each of the impossible answers. Sic-if is here to stay, because it's the only hint we will get of the perfection they want us to achieve. Anything less then the total perfection is unsustainable. - [[Special:Contributions/98.211.199.84|98.211.199.84]] 14:22, 3 March 2013 (UTC)

It's been over five years, so I think I should be that one annoying person who breaks unspoken streaks:
If an endless ocean were a representation of life, I'd be the one who's fasioned myself an oar (or I can just use my hands to paddle if I can't get an oar). I then tell the floating people around me, "May the waves bring you luck." I proceed to go toward a location on the horizon that appears arbitrary but is actually something really cool, and then I greet all the other people who have chosen to go here also or were brought by fate/the sea (basically synonymous). Finally, I do cool things. Anyway, this comments section has been very inactive. No purpose, just wanted to motivate y'all to set goals for yourself and let you know that good things will happen if you do. For now, though, it's night, and the others are asleep in their barrels. Good night and why did I write this [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.70|108.162.215.70]] 07:01, 10 June 2018 (UTC)

2004: Sun and Earth

2018-06-10T06:40:31Z

108.162.215.70: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2004
| date = June 8, 2018
| title = Sun and Earth
| image = sun_and_earth.png
| titletext = But we don't need to worry about the boiling masses sandwiching the thin layer in which we live, since we're so fragile and short-lived that it's unlikely to kill us before something else does! Wait, why doesn't that sound reassuring?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a hurried VOLCANO - Lots of things missing: (1) links (2) description of how the Sun is a massive convective system (3) description of how the Earth is a massive convective system (4) probably reword everything}}

This is one of a number of comics which describe everyday events in unusual terms, making them sound really weird. In this case, both the Sun and the Earth are "massive convective systems [blasting] huge plumes of heat", which contrasts sharply with the daily idea of the Sun being a ball in the sky and the Earth the thing under our feet.

Massive convecting systems are built upon the back of one simple thing: an energy gradient. The energy gradient (between the center of the system, in the cases we are discussing, and the surface) drives the convection-- so long as the increase in rate of energy lost by this means is greater than the internal friction of the system there will be convection. So in the case of the sun, the energy lost by transporting hot plasma to the surface of the sun must be greater than the total resistance that all those billions (and billions and billions etc.) of tonnes of matter have, to movement (friction, momentum etc).

The energy to drive these convecting processes is ultimately derived from gravitational collapse. In simple terms, as massy bodies (even just gas particles in a cloud in the early solar system) approach one another they gain energy, because gravitational attraction increases with proximity. It is the collected energy from the approach of a multitude of small particles that keeps the core of the earth molten.

The magnitude of these systems gives you an idea of the size of the fluctuations you can expect. The sun is very massive, meaning the fluctuations in its convective or heat-dissipating behavior are very large. This is an instance of the {{w|Fluctuation-dissipation_theorem|Fluctuation-Dissipation theorem}}. These fluctuations take the form of a solar flare, as explained below. For a more thorough (but non-technical) explanation of the role of gravity and entropy in such systems, see [https://arxiv.org/abs/0907.0659].

In fact, the {{w|Sun}} does produce great amounts of light and heat and blasts it towards us, which is why we can live on Earth. Since Ludwig Boltzmann pointed out the fact in 1875, people have been working on establishing exactly how such far from equilibrium systems as life might depend upon, or be formed by [https://www.quantamagazine.org/first-support-for-a-physics-theory-of-life-20170726/], such massive entropy gradients as between the sun and earth (or rather the sun and empty space).

Main sequence stars like the sun transport energy by {{w|Radiation_zone|radiation}} and by {{w|Convection_zone|convective currents}} of {{w|Plasma (physics)|plasma}}, bringing the heat generated in the core of the sun to its surface. These quickly moving charged particles create a massive magnetic field, which occasionally gets concentrated into a {{w|solar prominence}} which can snap, causing a large amount of charged particles to get shot into space as a {{w|solar flare}}. If the Earth happens to be in the direction of the solar flare, we can notice all sorts of interesting and often damaging effects. Thankfully, there are lots of other directions available for the sun to shoot the solar flare, so they don't come by the Earth that often.

The {{w|Earth#Internal_structure|Earth's interior}} is very hot.{{Citation needed}} {{w|Mantle convection}} causes {{w|plate tectonics}} which is the main cause of {{w|Volcano|volcanic activity}} (next to {{w|Mantle_plume|mantle plumes}}), which essentially also consists of huge blasts of heat.

This could sound like a very bad scenario, however the title text reminds us that the real scenario we live in is far worse, as we are not likely to die from a Sun blast or volcano eruption. In doing this, he indirectly points out the hard truth about our lives: that they're limited and they're short. In this way Randall attempts to give the reader an existential crisis; he concludes that his statement did not help to reassure himself.

This comic was likely inspired by the recent eruptions of the {{w|Kīlauea}} and {{w|Volcán de Fuego}}. In contrast, solar activity is currently low, because the {{w|Sunspot#Solar_cycle|sunspot solar cycle}} is in the low end of the 11-year cycle.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[The entire comic is within a panel. At the bottom of the image a curved shape depicting a small part of the Earth's surface and labeled as "Earth" is shown. At the top a similar sized shape but opposite curve is labeled as "Sun". The surface of the Sun is seething while on Earth's surface a few plants, two birds, and Cueball together with Megan are visible.]

:Cueball: What a nice day!

:[Two arrows pointing to the Sun and the Earth with a caption applying to both of them:]
:Massive convective systems which occasionally blast huge plumes of heat at us without warning through mechanisms we can't directly observe and don't really understand.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Science]]

1935: 2018

2018-06-09T08:46:55Z

108.162.215.70: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1935
| date = December 29, 2017
| title = 2018
| image = 2018.png
| titletext = We should really start calculating it earlier, but until the end of December we're always too busy trying to figure out which day Christmas will fall on.
}}

==Explanation==
In this, the first of two [[:Category:New Year|New Year comics]] in a row, [[Megan]] wonders whether 2018 will be a {{w|Leap year|leap year}}. [[Cueball]] thinks 2018 will not be a leap year, and Megan responds that she "doubts anyone knows at this point." This appears to be a jab at people who suggest that anything they don't know is generally unknown. As Cueball says, leap years occur every four years (though there are a few exceptions - a year divisible by 100 is not a leap year, unless it is also divisible by 400), adding an extra day to account for the fact that Earth takes a bit longer than 365 days to orbit the Sun. Therefore, most years that are a multiple of four are leap years. As Megan says, this is easy for odd-numbered years, since no odd numbers are divisible by four. However, for even-numbered years, it isn't quite as simple. (Though, since the number 2,000 is evenly divisible by 4, the problem can be reduced to the much simpler question of whether the number 18 is divisible by 4.)

The last panel expresses a misunderstanding of modern public-key {{w|Cryptography|cryptography}}, which relies on the fact that it is difficult to factorize large numbers. Megan is applying this concept to the year, claiming that it is hard to determine whether or not 2,018 is a multiple of four and hence is a leap year. In reality, factorization is not needed here, since we already know the factor in question, which is four. Megan states that, if it were possible to factor large numbers with a calculator, modern cryptography would collapse. While true, it is true only for truly large numbers (hundreds of digits), and no factorization is needed in this case.

At the end of the strip, Megan hopes the answer can be {{w|Brute-force attack|brute-forced}} by February. Brute force is a method of breaking cryptography by trying every possible option until one works. This is misdirection upon misdirection, in that, even if we needed to factorize 2,018 (which we don't), the simplest brute-forcing algorithm would need to try only 14 numbers -- each prime from 2 to 43 (the square root of 2,018 is closest to 44). In cryptography, the algorithms use numbers much, much bigger than 2,018 -- on the order of hundreds or even thousands of digits.

The title text refers to calculating which day {{w|Christmas}} will fall on. As Christmas always lands on December 25 by definition, the day of the week varies from year to year, though it's always the 359th or, in leap years, the 360th day of the year. Still, determining which day of the week December 25 lands on is not a difficult problem to solve, requiring only a few mathematical operations to compute. Alternatively, this might be an oblique reference to Easter, the date of which jumps from year to year according to a multi-layered algorithm that most people don't know. The changing date of Easter was recently included in [[1930: Calendar Facts]].

==Transcript==

:[Megan is walking.]
:Megan: I wonder if 2018 will be a leap year.

:[Now it turns out that Cueball walks behind Megan.]
:Cueball: ...it won't be, right?
:Megan: I doubt anyone knows at this point.

:[Same scene in a frame-less panel.]
:Cueball: No, it's definitely not. Leap years are divisible by 4.
:Megan: Right, and for odd numbers, that's easy.
:Megan: But 2018 is even.
:Megan: 50/50 chance.

:[Zoomed-out view with both walking in silhouette on a dark slightly curved ground.]
:Cueball: I can settle this with a calculator.
:Megan: No way. If it were easy to factor large numbers like that, modern cryptography would collapse.
:Cueball: I see.
:Megan: I just hope we manage to brute-force it by February.

==Trivia==
*Released on Friday, December 29, this was the last comic of 2017. The next comic, [[1936: Desert Golfing]], was released soon after midnight (in Randall's time zone) on New Year's Day 2018.

*Every year that is exactly divisible by four is a leap year, except for years that are exactly divisible by 100, but these centurial years are leap years if they are exactly divisible by 400. For example, the years 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years, but the years 1600 and 2000 were.

*Since 100 is divisible by 4, only the last two digits of a number are needed to determine if that number is divisible by 4. So to determine if 2018 is divisible by 4, we only need to check whether 18 is divisible by 4, which is easy.

*2018 is not divisible by 4, so the year is not a leap year. 2016 and 2020 are leap years. This is true for both the Gregorian and the Julian calendar. A year is roughly 365.2422 days long.

*{{w|Eastern Christian Churches}} celebrate Christmas also on December 25 but on the older Julian calendar, which currently corresponds to January 7 on the Gregorian calendar.

*This is the third year in a row with New Year's comics with only the year used as the title; before that there were two more comics with such titles, but those two (and thus the first three) were only released in the even years: [[998: 2012]] in 2012, [[1311: 2014]] in 2014, [[1624: 2016]] in 2016 and [[1779: 2017]] in 2017.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:New Year]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics sharing name|2017]]
[[Category:Math]]
[[Category:Time]]
[[Category:Cryptography]]

2004: Sun and Earth

2018-06-09T08:00:21Z

108.162.215.70:

{{comic
| number = 2004
| date = June 8, 2018
| title = Sun and Earth
| image = sun_and_earth.png
| titletext = But we don't need to worry about the boiling masses sandwiching the thin layer in which we live, since we're so fragile and short-lived that it's unlikely to kill us before something else does! Wait, why doesn't that sound reassuring?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a hurried VOLCANO - Lots of things missing: (1) links (2) description of how the Sun is a massive convective system (3) description of how the Earth is a massive convective system (4) probably reword everything}}

This is one of a number of comics which describe everyday events in unusual terms, making them sound really weird. In this case, both the Sun and the Earth are "massive convective systems [blasting] huge plumes of heat", which contrasts sharply with the daily idea of the Sun being a ball in the sky and the Earth the thing under our feet.

Massive convecting systems are built upon the back of one simple thing: an energy gradient. The energy gradient (between the center of the system, in the cases we are discussing, and the surface) drives the convection-- so long as the increase in rate of energy lost by this means is greater than the internal friction of the system there will be convection. So in the case of the sun, the energy lost by transporting hot plasma to the surface of the sun must be greater than the total resistance that all those billions (and billions and billions etc.) of tonnes of matter have, to movement (friction, momentum etc).

The energy to drive these convecting processes is ultimately derived from gravitational collapse. In simple terms, as massy bodies (even just gas particles in a cloud in the early solar system) approach one another they gain energy, because gravitational attraction increases with proximity. It is the collected energy from the approach of a multitude of small particles that keeps the core of the earth molten.

The magnitude of these systems gives you an idea of the size of the fluctuations you can expect. The sun is very massive, meaning the fluctuations in its convective or heat-dissipating behavior are very large. This is an instance of the {{w|Fluctuation-dissipation_theorem|Fluctuation-Dissipation theorem}}. These fluctuations take the form of a solar flare, as explained below. For a more thorough (but non-technical) explanation of the role of gravity and entropy in such systems, see [https://arxiv.org/abs/0907.0659].

In fact, the {{w|Sun}} does produce great amounts of light and heat and blasts it towards us, which is why we can live on Earth. Since Ludwig Boltzmann pointed out the fact in 1875, people have been working on establishing exactly how such far from equilibrium systems as life might depend upon, or be formed by [https://www.quantamagazine.org/first-support-for-a-physics-theory-of-life-20170726/], such massive entropy gradients as between the sun and earth (or rather the sun and empty space).

Main sequence stars like the sun transport energy by {{w|Radiation_zone|radiation}} and by {{w|Convection_zone|convective currents}} of {{w|Plasma (physics)|plasma}}, bringing the heat generated in the core of the sun to its surface. These quickly moving charged particles create a massive magnetic field, which occasionally gets concentrated into a {{w|solar prominence}} which can snap, causing a large amount of charged particles to get shot into space as a {{w|solar flare}}. If the Earth happens to be in the direction of the solar flare, we can notice all sorts of interesting and often damaging effects. Thankfully, there are lots of other directions available for the sun to shoot the solar flare, so they don't come by the Earth that often.

The {{w|Earth#Internal_structure|Earth's interior}} is very hot. {{w|Mantle convection}} causes {{w|plate tectonics}} which is the main cause of {{w|Volcano|volcanic activity}} (next to {{w|Mantle_plume|mantle plumes}}), which essentially also consists of huge blasts of heat.

This could sound like a very bad scenario, however the title text reminds us that the real scenario we live in is far worse, as we are not likely to die from a Sun blast or volcano eruption.

This comic was likely inspired by the recent eruptions of the {{w|Kīlauea}} and {{w|Volcán de Fuego}}. In contrast, solar activity is currently low, because the {{w|Sunspot#Solar_cycle|sunspot solar cycle}} is in the low end of the 11-year cycle.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[The entire comic is within a panel. At the bottom of the image a curved shape depicting a small part of the Earth's surface and labeled as "Earth" is shown. At the top a similar sized shape but opposite curve is labeled as "Sun". The surface of the Sun is seething while on Earth's surface a few plants, two birds, and Cueball together with Megan are visible.]

:Cueball: What a nice day!

:[Two arrows pointing to the Sun and the Earth with a caption applying to both of them:]
:Massive convective systems which occasionally blast huge plumes of heat at us without warning through mechanisms we can't directly observe and don't really understand.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Science]]

1104: Feathers

2016-04-03T08:53:35Z

108.162.215.70: link to defunct youtube video through wayback machine

{{comic
| number = 1104
| date = September 05, 2012
| title = Feathers
| image = feathers.png
| titletext = Click to see a video of a modern bird using stability flapping during predatory behavior. It all fits! Also, apparently Microraptor had *four* wings? The past keeps getting cooler! (And there's more of it every day!)
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Dinosaur}}s have been a fascinating topic in popular science and have captivated children's interest since the first fossils were discovered in modern times, around the 1700s; prior discoveries in China and elsewhere were thought to be the bones of dragons or other mythical creatures. The success of the ''{{w|Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park}}'' movies perpetuated an erroneous understanding of the physical characteristics of dinosaurs. Since the first movie of that series, scientific evidence has emerged suggesting that {{w|Dromaeosauridae}}, or "raptors", the main antagonists of that movie, looked quite different from their animatronic and CGI versions. In particular, they are now known to have been much smaller, and are believed to have had feathers and even wings, as evidenced by quill nobs observed on the arms of raptors.

[[File:Deinonychus (Raptor Prey Restraint).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Artist's impression of a "raptor prey restraint" as suggested by Fowler et al. (2011), and described by the child in the comic. (from Wikimedia Commons)]]
[http://denverfowler.com/ Denver W. Fowler] is among the scientists who support this hypothesis. (incidentally, a "{{w|Fowler}}" is a hunter of wildfowl/birds) The comic refers to [http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0028964 a publication by him and his colleagues] ("{{Wiktionary|et al.}}"), in the ''{{w|PLoS ONE}}'', an online scientific journal ("PLoS" stands for "Public Library of Science").

[[Megan]] believes this new model of the appearance of raptors makes them much less cool, but the way in which the child reformulates the facts to make them seem like even more vicious predators re-ignites her interest and makes the new raptors seem like at least as good a candidate for a good action thriller movie like the original version, if not better. Thus the phrase "the past keeps getting cooler".

Clicking on the original cartoon links to [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qpdk-U8fI0 a YouTube video] of a bird of prey (in this case a {{w|Secretarybird}}) using its wings for stability while standing on top of a struggling prey, from which one can easily envision instead a raptor upon its prey — especially in case of some kind of "raptorphobia", as for [[Randall]] (see [[87: Velociraptors]] and [[135: Substitute]]) -- note: this video is now defunct. But you can still access it via [http://web.archive.org/web/20120905203614/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qpdk-U8fI0&gl=US&hl=en wayback machine]. {{w|Microraptor}} was a small raptor with four wings, which lets you imagine even scarier scenes.

The same idea is later explored from a different perspective in [[1527: Humans]].

==Transcript==
:[Megan is walking up to a child who has a stack of books and is reading one of them on the floor.]
:Megan: What are you reading about?
:Child: Dinosaurs!
:Megan: Oh, yeah.

:Megan: They've gotten all weird since when I was a kid.
:Megan: They used to be awesome, but now they all have dorky feathers, right?
:Child: Yup!

:Child: This says they now think raptors used their wings for stability, flapping to stay on top of their prey while hanging on with their hooked claws and eating it alive.
:Footnote: *Fowler et. al., PLoS ONE 6(12), 2011

:[Megan stands staring at the child.]

:[Megan is now on the floor flipping through another book from the pile.]

==Trivia==
*In the comic it says "et. al." instead of the correct "et al.", this is a common mistake.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Dinosaurs]]