explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2409: Steepen the Curve

2021-01-10T06:43:18Z

108.162.216.58: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2409
| date = January 8, 2021
| title = Steepen the Curve
| image = steepen_the_curve.png
| titletext = 1. Flatten the curve. 2. Steepen the curve. 3. Hang out.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a STEEPENED FLATTENED CURVE. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This comic is another in a [[:Category:COVID-19|series of comics]] related to the {{w|2019–20 coronavirus outbreak|2020 pandemic}} of the {{w|coronavirus}} {{w|SARS-CoV-2}}, which causes {{w|COVID-19}}.

In early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly became the main public concern. All kinds of political, civic and personal efforts were put towards doing things that would cause the 'curve' (the graph of cumulative deaths, or deaths per period) to flatten and not rise as rapidly as it was feared it would do, unchecked. The graphic drawn in black depicts this statistic — though it is not clear (without proper units or values on either axis) if this is a cumulative one or the 'rate' graph for before initial lockdowns started to reduce the trajectory for a time.

In 2021, the same issues exist (with second or even third 'waves' of resurgence affecting some populations) but now we have a handful of vaccines available. The red overlay intends to update the 'original' graphic to portray the curve of vaccines provided (again, it could easily be either cumulative or rate-wise). This year, the line remains the same but the year, the thing labelled as being represented and the hoped-for outcome are changed accordingly.

Note that, in both cases, there would be an upper limit on the cumulative value, but the ceiling must be well beyond the upper (and timewise) limits of this graph. If this is a rate-graph, it would show a peak and subsequent decline at the same point in time where a cumulative graph would show an inflection in its gradient, but neither are visible here.

Additionally, the analogy between the number of deaths and the number of vaccinated people could be considered as questionable, as the number of deaths in the initial stages of a pandemic is expected to follow an exponential law, whereas the same cannot be said for the number of vaccinated people.

==Transcript==
:[Line graph shown with a rising curve drawn in black. There is an underlined label above and another label below the graph. The Y-axis line is ending in an arrowhead and also has a label. All this is in black. But the last number in the upper label as well as one word in each of the other two labels, have been crossed out in red and then another number or word has been written behind or beneath in red.]
:[Caption above the graph:]
:202<s>0</s> 1

:[Y-Axis:]
:COVID <s>Deaths</s> Vaccinations

:[Caption below the graph:]
:<s>Flatten</s> Steepen The Curve

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Line graphs]]
[[Category:COVID-19]]

Header text

2020-12-30T20:19:00Z

108.162.216.58: /* 2020-06-03 - Black Lives Matter */ There's no period

{{xkcdmeta}}
This page is part of the [[Design of xkcd.com]] explanation.

==Header text==
*The header text is part of the [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header|xkcd Header]].
*The header text is often [[#Changes to the header text|changing]] when Randall has news to tell.
**But when this news wears off the page usually returns to the '''go-to header text''' which is:
***'''xkcd updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.'''
***It was last active on [http://web.archive.org/web/20190205050302/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-02-05].
****Due to the [[How To]] book, it has not been up for a long time, and still is not on this day: 2019-11-20.

===Current header text===
*The [[#Changes_to_the_header_text|current header text]] will be the top of the list of changes, if this page is kept up to date...
*Usually the header text is the same for all comics.
**But for certain comics there may be a reason to change the text permanent and as long as that is active they will not change along with the other.
**See [[#Unique header text|Unique header text]]

===Unique header text===
*Some comics have their own version of the header text that do not change.
**Only when the comic is on the front page, will it also be the main header text of xkcd.
**Put newest comic at the top
**Here below are examples of that:

==== Seven Years====
*[[1928: Seven Years]]
**[http://web.archive.org/web/20171214171157/https://xkcd.com/ 2017-12-14]
**It was released as a response to another cancer diagnosis, this is explained in the [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header_text|Header text]] which has replaced the standard ''xkcd updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.'' The new one is this one, with the active link included:
**The text (with link):
***Becky Beaton, sister of fellow cartoonist Kate Beaton, has also been diagnosed with cancer. You can support her treatment [https://www.youcaring.com/beckybeaton-1008390 here].
**{{w|Kate Beaton}} is the creator of the web comic [http://www.harkavagrant.com/ Hark! A Vagran].
***Although this comic is not one on Randall's list of ''[[Design_of_xkcd.com#Comics_I_enjoy|Comics I enjoy]]'', he is clearly much influenced by another cancer diagnosis among someone in his own creative field.below.
**On [https://web.archive.org/web/20190817141450/https://www.xkcd.com/1928/ 2019-08-17], close to two years later, the message was still there.
***There was the possibility that it would be removed, when the support page was discontinued...
***But as that already happened before [http://web.archive.org/web/20181106124430/https://www.youcaring.com/beckybeaton-1008390 2018-11-06] it seems like it will be there to stay.
***Last archived version was from [http://web.archive.org/web/20180305022301/https://www.youcaring.com/beckybeaton-1008390 2018-03-05].
**See the comic on xkcd {{xkcd|1928}}.
*Randall has previously done something similar for another friend, Emiliy, but [[#2014-11-27_-_Help_Emily|that header]] was not made permanent.

====Meteorite Identification====
*[[1723: Meteorite Identification]]
**Randall realized that his comic was almost a copy of some other person. And he has since then acknowledged this on the comics specific page see more [[1723: Meteorite Identification#Trivia|here]].
**At the time of this post, in the newest saved version on the archive from [http://web.archive.org/web/20161010215516/http://xkcd.com/1723/ 2016-10-10] it is still there and says:
***Note: Jolyon, founder of [http://www.mindat.org/ mindat.org], made a similar chart way before me!
**See the comic on xkcd {{xkcd|1723}}.

==== Garden====
*[[1663: Garden]]
**This comic had a header text to help people use the comic when it came out.
**For some time this text was the main header text, but after a while is disappeared from the main header, but remained as the header for Garden.
***See more [[Garden#Header_text_after_release|here]]
**Today and as of the newest saved version on the archive from [http://web.archive.org/web/20161231231600/http://xkcd.com/1663/ 2016-12-31] it is still there and says:
***Protip: If you don't like how your garden is growing, you can click to prune it.
***You can copy the URL to share your garden. From other browsers, it will be view-only.
**See the comic on xkcd {{xkcd|1663}}.

====Na====
*[[851: Na]]
**After Randall made this comic, he realized he could have "made it better" and changed the header text to:
***I can't ''believe'' I forgot Hey Jude.
***I don't get do-overs, but I couldn't resist making [https://xkcd.com/851_make_it_better/ a fixed version].
**See more about it in that comics [[851:_Na#Trivia|trivia section]].
**See the comic on xkcd {{xkcd|851}}.

====House of Pancakes====
*[[472: House of Pancakes]]
**This comic's header notes its status as a parody:
***(Today's comic is a parody of [https://www.amazon.com/House-Leaves-Mark-Z-Danielewski/dp/0375703764 House of Leaves].)
**Only on the days this comic was the newest was this header featured on the front page of xkcd for instance as seen here the day after release on [https://web.archive.org/web/20080906103932/http://www.xkcd.com/ 2008-09-06].
***But it was only on this comic. The commercial for his new t-shirt was on all the other pages, also on [https://web.archive.org/web/20080906103932/http://www.xkcd.com/ 2008-09-06] and presumably returned to the front page with the next comic. But there is a gap in the archive after this comic.
**See the comic on xkcd {{xkcd|472}}.

====Collector's Edition====
*[[2288: Collector's Edition]]
**This comic's header mentions the people who helped put it together.
***It was on the front page only for one day.
**The text:
***Today's comic was put together by [https://chromakode.com/ Max Goodhart], [https://twitter.com/Aiiane Amber], [https://twitter.com/bstaffin Benjamin Staffin], [https://twitter.com/cotrone Kevin], [https://www.instagram.com/fading_interest/ @fading_interest], [https://twitter.com/wirehead2501 Kat], [https://twitter.com/zigdon @zigdon], and Christopher Night.
****All names have links except the last.
**It thanks those that helped Randall create this years [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]], which had taken two extra days before it was released due to the complex nature of the comic.
*Due to the delay the next comic, [2289: Scenario 4]], was released already the day after the Fool's comic, even though it was thus [[2289:_Scenario_4#Trivia|on a Saturday]]!
**Since this header was related only to the Fool's comic, it was thus removed from the general header, but it stayed up as one of the permanent different headers.

===Changes to the header text===
*The header text changes often.
**Here these changes can be listed
**Begin with the date of the web archive link and make the date a link.
**Link to the comic that was on the front page when the text changed
**Then describe the changes and put in text if possible
**Also the comic that was the last to feature a message would be interesting to have below the other data.
**Put the newest (current) version at the top.

====2020-06-03 - Black Lives Matter====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20200604003700/http://xkcd.com/ 2020-06-03].
**[[2315: Eventual Consistency]] came out as a new header text was finally inserted after almost two months without one.
**Cueball is standing to the left and speaks a single line of text: "Black Lives Matter"
**To the right is a gray link button with text: "[https://www.joincampaignzero.org/ How To Help]."
**As always, the entire image (which is only below the xkcd logo) is a link
***The button is thus not needed, but it will also work when clicking the location of the button.
**The link goes to [https://www.joincampaignzero.org/ Join Campaign Zero].
***{{w|Black Lives Matter}} is a loose, grassroots, decentralized confederation of groups and individuals advocating for racial justice. It arose in 2013 after the acquittal of {{w|George Zimmerman}}, who took the life of {{w|Trayvon Martin}}.
***Randall's featuring Black Lives Matter came on the heels of the {{w|Killing of George Floyd}} on May 25th 2020, which had sparked {{w|George Floyd protests|protest in the US}}
***Floyd died while saying "{{w|I can't breathe}}," which was already used due to other Black men's killings, the first was from the {{w|Killing of Eric Garner}}, back in 2014.
*It stayed like this until [https://web.archive.org/web/20200616114945/https://xkcd.com/ 2020-06-16] when [[2320: Millennium Problems]] was up.
**Then on [https://web.archive.org/web/20200617131438/https://xkcd.com/ 2020-06-17] the link changed to [https://blacklivesmatter.com/ Black Lives Matter]. [[2320: Millennium Problems]] was still on the front page on that day.
*It was last up on [ 2020-??-?? ] when [ comic ] was on the front page. (Fill in when it changes).

====2020-04-05 - Empty header====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20200405042955/https://xkcd.com/ 2020-04-05].
**[[2289: Scenario 4]] came out and the header belonging to the previous comic was removed.
**But no new header was inserted. Not even the go to [[#Header text|Header text]] about the release days of xkcd.
***Since the previous header was related only to the [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] [[2288: Collector's Edition]], and that had stopped the promotion of the [[How To]] book, after first experiencing problems with it's release, it seems Randall forgot what he usually put in the header.
*It stayed empty like this until [https://web.archive.org/web/20200602213017/https://xkcd.com/ 2020-06-02] when [[2314: Carcinization]] was on the front page.
**So almost two month without a header. This had not happened before.

====2020-04-04 - Put together by====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20200404014814/http://xkcd.com/ 2020-04-04].
**[[2288: Collector's Edition]] came out and the header changed.
**The text:
***Today's comic was put together by [https://chromakode.com/ Max Goodhart], [https://twitter.com/Aiiane Amber], [https://twitter.com/bstaffin Benjamin Staffin], [https://twitter.com/cotrone Kevin], [https://www.instagram.com/fading_interest/ @fading_interest], [https://twitter.com/wirehead2501 Kat], [https://twitter.com/zigdon @zigdon], and Christopher Night.
****All names have links except the last.
**It thanks those that helped Randall create this years [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]], which had taken two extra days before it was released due to the complex nature of the comic.
*Due to the delay the next comic, [[2289: Scenario 4]], was released already the day after the Fool's comic, even though it was thus [[2289:_Scenario_4#Trivia|on a Saturday]]!
**Since this header was related only to the Fool's comic, it was thus removed from the general header, but it stayed up as [[#Collector.27s_Edition|one of]] the permanent [[#Unique_header_text|unique header texts]].
***However, when it was removed from the general header, the header was left empty.

====2020-04-02 - Technical Reasons====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20200402234828/https://xkcd.com/ 2020-04-02].
**[[2287: Pathogen Resistance]] was up when the header changed.
*Randall turned out to, again, have problems with his complicated and interactive [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] for 2020.
**The text:
***Note: For technical reasons Wednesday's comic will be posted Thursday instead. Apologies for the delay!
*This finally stopped the promotion of the [[How To]] book.
**It had then been part of the header for well over a year since [http://web.archive.org/web/20190206060904/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-02-06].
*It stayed up a day longer than planed as the fool's comic, [[2288: Collector's Edition]] was first released on Friday, so the note was still up on [https://web.archive.org/web/20200403012612/https://xkcd.com/ 2020-04-03].
**[[2287: Pathogen Resistance]] thus stayed two extra day on the front page, and the third comic of that week, [[2289: Scenario 4]] was released already the day after the Fool's comic, even though it was thus [[2289:_Scenario_4#Trivia|on a Saturday]]!

====2020-01-16 - How To explores - again====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20200116190038/https://xkcd.com/ 2020-01-16].
**[[2255: Tattoo Ideas]] was still up when the header changed.
**The ongoing promotion of the book continued but here more than three weeks after Christmas the reference to Christmas was removed.
**The header then returned to the one from before Christmas:
***[[#2019-11-22 - How To explores|How To explores]] - see that for all other details.
*It was last up on [https://web.archive.org/web/20200401221435/https://xkcd.com/ 2020-04-01] when [[2287: Pathogen Resistance]] was on the front page.
**It was the problems with [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] of 2020 that finally stopped the promotion of the [[How To]] book.
**It had then been part of the header for well over a year since [http://web.archive.org/web/20190206060904/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-02-06].

====2019-12-02 - Into Science====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20191202223745/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-12-02].
**[[2236: Is it Christmas?]] came out when the header changed. Fitting as the change is about Christmas list.
**Still promoting the new [[How To]] book, continuing to make the image a link to the [https://xkcd.com/how-to/ How To book] page on xkcd.
***The links below to order are the same as in the previous header.
***Actually most of the header stays the same with the same four images and the same layout. But the text above has changed completely and the two main text sections between the drawings has changed but only slightly. The description of the images is thus left out, see below. Only new thing is that there are now two red circles connected with a red arrow. The first circle is around the word How To at the end of the first text with the arrow going from that circle to the second circle drawn around the picture of the book.
**The text:
***Is there someone on you Christmas list who's into science? They might like my new book '''''How To'''''
***It explores ridiculous ideas for applying scientific research to everyday problems...
***...And illustrates what would happen if you tried them.
***''Boom''
***You can get it here:
***[https://www.amazon.com/How-Absurd-Scientific-Real-World-Problems/dp/0525537090/ Amazon], [http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/2/trackingcode/PRH5522E62429 B&N], [http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/6/trackingcode/penguinrandom IndieBound], [https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to/id1451461524?mt=11 Apple], [https://www.audible.com/search?advsearchKeywords=How+To+Randall+Munroe&source_code=COMA0213WS031709&SID=PRHA9A5E24CFB--9780525635680 Audible], [http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/23/trackingcode/PRH3D17167A3B Target]
*It was last up on [https://web.archive.org/web/20200115155040/https://xkcd.com/ 2020-01-15] when [[2255: Tattoo Ideas]] was on the front page.

====2019-11-22 - How To explores====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20191122214439/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-11-22].
**[[2232: Hotel Room Party]] was up when the header changed. It most likely changed when the comic appeared. Earlier on that day it was the previous header over the previous comic.
**Still promoting the new [[How To]] book, here again making the image a link to the [https://xkcd.com/how-to/ How To book] page on xkcd, after it previously was a link to where to listen to the audio book.
***The links below to order returns to the same as in the header before the previous header with links to audio books, except that the link to an exclusive edition has been removed.
***The header consist of an image with text above five small drawings with two text parts in between them. To the left is the closed How To book which is black with a blue readable title, How To, and unreadable white text below this as well as below the unreadable blue author name, which are below the image. The image shows Cueball putting in a light-bulb with drones under each foot while Megan, holding a ladder, and White/Black Hat are looking up at him. To the right of the book is a drawing of Ponytail pole-vaulting with two black helium filled balloons. Next to her is the first text segment. Then after that is the drawing, seen before in the header text, of a truck towing a house up a steep hill. This truck goes above the second text segment, with Cueball somersaulting above the text. Furthest right, above and just right of the text is an explosion with the sound written inside. Below the header image is some black text and then the links to where to get it as regular blue link text.
**The text:
***My new book '''''How To''''' explores the science behind spacecraft heat shields, butterfly metabolisms, and land border surveys...
***...By imagining ridiculous ideas for applying the research to you everyday life...
***...And illustrating what would happen if you tried them.
***''Boom''
***You can get it here:
***[https://www.amazon.com/How-Absurd-Scientific-Real-World-Problems/dp/0525537090/ Amazon], [http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/2/trackingcode/PRH5522E62429 B&N], [http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/6/trackingcode/penguinrandom IndieBound], [https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to/id1451461524?mt=11 Apple], [https://www.audible.com/search?advsearchKeywords=How+To+Randall+Munroe&source_code=COMA0213WS031709&SID=PRHA9A5E24CFB--9780525635680 Audible], [http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/23/trackingcode/PRH3D17167A3B Target]
*It was last up on [https://web.archive.org/web/20191201191025/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-12-01] when [[2235: Group Chat Rules]] was on the front page.

====2019-11-06 - Audio clip====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20191106204314/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-11-06].
**[[2224: Software Updates]] was still up when the header changed, but the first archive version was first from after the next comic came out [[2225: Voting Referendum]].
**Still promoting the new [[How To]] book, here making the image a link to the How To book on Penguin Random House's audio book, where a audit clip read by Wil Wheaton can be sampled.
***The links below to order have now changed to those with audio books.
***The header consist of an image with text, with a "blue link", above the How To book that is being folded out from closed; to partially open; to opened up on two full pages; this takes three images. The closed book is the black book with a blue readable title, How To, and unreadable white text below this as well as below the unreadable blue author name, which are below the image. The image shows Cueball putting in a light-bulb with drones under each foot while Megan, holding a ladder, and White/Black Hat are looking up at him. The partly open book still has this cover partly visible, but unreadable, as well as come unreadable text in the open side. The open book shows two pages with lots of unreadable text and three figures (maybe one is a table). Next to the open book there is an arrow to the right pointing at an audio icon with three audio lines in front. Below the header image are the links as regular text.
**The text:
***You can click here to hear a clip from the audio version of '''''How To''''', read by Wil Wheaton.
***[https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/how-to-absurd-scientific-advice-for-common-real-world/id1475319694 Apple], [https://www.audiobooks.com/audiobook/how-to-absurd-scientific-advice-for-common-real-world-problems/369279 Audiobooks], [https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/How-To-Audiobook/1473680360?qid=1574679523&sr=1-1&pf_rd_p=c6e316b8-14da-418d-8f91-b3cad83c5183&pf_rd_r=DX3EZ14M14CFQPP9GHJY&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1 Audible], [https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Randall_Munroe_How_To?id=LzSGDwAAQBAJ Google Play], and [https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9780525635680 Libro.fm]
**The entire image is a link to the [https://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/576760/how-to/ How To book on Penguin Random House] page, where the audio clip can he played.
***As always it is the entire picture that is a link, and not only the blue underlined text that says click here!
*It was last on the archive on [https://web.archive.org/web/20191122044456/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-11-22] when [[2231: the Time Before And After Land]] was on the front page. But it was most likely still up when [[2232: Hotel Room Party]] came out. But then changed during the next day.

====2019-10-02 - Horse vs football team====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20191002005854/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-10-02].
**[[2210: College Athletes]] was up when the header changed.
**Still promoting the new [[How To]] book, but seeing this is no longer close to the release day the focus has changed. This time the image seems to be from one of the How To explanations in the book.
***The links below to order are the same as the previous header.
***But new text is added after the links to promote two events with Randall in New York the two days after this header came up.
****These links disappeared after a week leaving only the picture and the link to buy the book. See below.
***The header consist of an image with Cueball riding bareback on a horse. He comes from the left holding an American football. Running towards him from the right are eight American football players with helmets with three stars on the back of the helmet. Two of the players at the back are almost hidden by players in front of them. Beneath them is a line of text that belongs to the image, the period at the end of the sentence hangs in height with the center line of the last letter E... Then below the image follows the link and promotion of the NY events, these are written in regular.
**The text:
***My new book ''How To'' is out now! You can get it here.
***[https://www.amazon.com/How-Absurd-Scientific-Real-World-Problems/dp/0525537090/ Amazon], [http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/2/trackingcode/PRH5522E62429 B&N], [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-randall-munroe/1130494832?ean=9780525686910#/ B&N Exclusive Edition], [http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/6/trackingcode/penguinrandom IndieBound], [https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to/id1451461524?mt=11 Apple], [https://www.audible.com/search?advsearchKeywords=How+To+Randall+Munroe&source_code=COMA0213WS031709&SID=PRHA9A5E24CFB--9780525635680 Audible], [http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/23/trackingcode/PRH3D17167A3B Target] I'll be at New York Comic Con! I'm giving [https://www.newyorkcomiccon.com/Explore/Panels/Panels-And-Screenings/#/event/how-todo-anything-with-randall-munroe-creator-of-xkcd a talk on Thursday], and on
***Friday [https://smbc-comics.com/ Zach Weinersmith] and I will be hosting [https://www.caveat.nyc/event/how-to--absurd-scientific-advice-for-common-real-world-problems-10-4-2019 an event at Caveat NYC].
**The image is a link to the [https://xkcd.com/how-to/ How To book page] on xkcd.
***The link to Target still seems to go the main page rather than to [https://intl.target.com/p/how-to-by-randall-munroe-hardcover/-/A-76508342 their How To book page]... Probably a still undiscovered error on Randall's part?
*This header changed, but so slightly that the changes will only be mentioned here rather than in a new section:
**The first link was last active on [https://web.archive.org/web/20191004014438/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-10-04]
**Then the day after only the second link remained from [https://web.archive.org/web/20191005041539/https://www.xkcd.com/ 2019-10-05]. [[2211: Hours Before Departure]] came out when it changed.
***But the text of this link changed as it had been a continues text from one to the other link. Also it was not entirely on it's own line, thus not as with the first link whose text was directly connected to the line with the links to buy the book.
***The new text of that link was:
****[https://smbc-comics.com/ Zach Weinersmith] and I will be hosting [https://www.caveat.nyc/event/how-to--absurd-scientific-advice-for-common-real-world-problems-10-4-2019 an event] Friday night at Caveat NYC!
****The last link was the same, but now it only covered two words not the entire end of the sentence.
***This other link was last active on [https://web.archive.org/web/20191007042707/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-10-07].
**And then the last link was gone by [https://web.archive.org/web/20191008053609/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-10-08], when [[2212: Cell Phone Functions]] came out.
*It ended on [https://web.archive.org/web/20191105164001/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-11-05] when [[2224: Software Updates]] was up.

====2019-09-30 - Tons of fun====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190930234245/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-09-30].
**[[2209: Fresh Pears]] was up when the header changed.
**Still promoting the new [[How To]] book, but seeing this is no longer close to the release day the focus has changed to how much fun it was for Randall to write it and how proud he is of the result. Randall, as Cueball, is saying this in the new header image.
***The links below to order are the same, except a new has been added at the end.
***The header consist of an image with Cueball standing to the left of the book, shown as tall as he is. The book is opened up on two pages with lots of unreadable text as well as three drawings, only one of these, with a circle diagram, can clearly be seen. Cueball is speaking, and the text is above him and the book. Two words are blue with a line under as if they where a link. But as always the entire image is a link. Beneath the image is the links on where to order the book.
**The text:
***Writing my new book '''''How To''''' was tons of fun and I'm so proud of the result. It's out now-Click Here to order!
***Order: [https://www.amazon.com/How-Absurd-Scientific-Real-World-Problems/dp/0525537090/ Amazon], [http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/2/trackingcode/PRH5522E62429 B&N], [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-randall-munroe/1130494832?ean=9780525686910#/ B&N Exclusive Edition], [http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/6/trackingcode/penguinrandom IndieBound], [https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to/id1451461524?mt=11 Apple], [https://www.audible.com/search?advsearchKeywords=How+To+Randall+Munroe&source_code=COMA0213WS031709&SID=PRHA9A5E24CFB--9780525635680 Audible], [http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/23/trackingcode/PRH3D17167A3B Target]
**The image is a link to the [https://xkcd.com/how-to/ How To book page] on xkcd.
***The new link to Target seems to go the main page rather than to [https://intl.target.com/p/how-to-by-randall-munroe-hardcover/-/A-76508342 their How To book page]... Probably an error on Randall's part.
*It ended on October 2nd while [[2210: College Athletes]] where up. But there is no archived versions from the 1st of October and the one from the 2nd is with the next version. But the editor of this was making changes the the explanation of College Athletes before the next header change came along.

====2019-09-11 - How To available====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190911053115/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-09-11].
**[[2200: Unreachable State]] was still up when the header changed.
**The release day part of the promotion was changed to telling that the new [[How To]] book was available. With teasers about what is in the book below the heading. On either side of the text a picture of the book is still shown. Also the links below changed, adding three new and removing one old.
***The header consist of an image with the book shown both left and right of some text. Both books have blue title and author name, and white unreadable title and white drawing of Cueball flying on two quadcopters to put in a light-bulb in a ceiling lamp, while White/Black? Hat is watching together with Megan, who is holding a ladder. Beneath the image is the links on where to order it.
***Between the two books are two sections of text above each other, the lover with smaller font.
**The text:
***How To is available now!
***Learn how to open bottles with nuclear weapons and how to be on time for meetings by altering the Earths rotation. The book also features advice from real-life experts including Chris Hadfield and Serena Williams.
***Order: [https://www.amazon.com/How-Absurd-Scientific-Real-World-Problems/dp/0525537090/ Amazon], [http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/2/trackingcode/PRH5522E62429 B&N], [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/how-to-randall-munroe/1130494832?ean=9780525686910#/ B&N Exclusive Edition], [http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/6/trackingcode/penguinrandom IndieBound],[https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to/id1451461524?mt=11 Apple], [https://www.audible.com/search?advsearchKeywords=How+To+Randall+Munroe&source_code=COMA0213WS031709&SID=PRHA9A5E24CFB--9780525635680 Audible]
**The image is a link to the [https://xkcd.com/how-to/ How To book page] on xkcd.
**{{w|Serena Williams}} is a famous tennis player who was also featured in one of the [[:Category:Book promotion|promotion comics]] for How To: [[2190: Serena Versus the Drones]]
**{{w|Chris Hadfield}} is a Canadian retired astronaut, engineer, and former Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot. The first Canadian to walk in space, Hadfield has flown two Space Shuttle missions and served as commander of the International Space Station.
***The new link to audible probably needs the user to be signed up, else it will go the the front page and ask yo to sign up. But from the archive the page can be seen [https://web.archive.org/web/20190923004816/https://www.audible.com/search?advsearchKeywords=How+To+Randall+Munroe&source_code=COMA0213WS031709&SID=PRHA9A5E24CFB--9780525635680 here].
*Up till [https://web.archive.org/web/20190922143253/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-09-22] it looked like this.
**Then on [https://web.archive.org/web/20190923145251/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-09-23] and extra link was added after Audible:
***[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/23/trackingcode/PRH3D17167A3B Target].
**[[2205: Types of Approximation]] was up when this change occurred during a weekend.
*It ended on [https://web.archive.org/web/20190929223547/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-09-29] when [[2208: Drone Fishing]] was up.

====2019-09-04 - Happy Release Day - bookstore====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190904051509/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-09-04].
**[[2198: Throw]] was already up when the header changed slightly, as the text below Happy release day changed.
*Most of the header stayed the same as the [[#2019-09-03 - Happy Release Day - calender|day before]], but the reference to the Gregorian/Julian calender was changed.
**The header consist of an image with the book shown both left and right of some text.Both books have blue title and author name, and white unreadable title and white drawing of Cueball flowing on two quadcopters to put in a light-bulb in a ceiling lamp, while White/Black? Hat is watching together with Megan comes who is holding a ladder. Beneath the image is the link on where to order it, now the preorder has been changed to order.
***Between the two books are two sections of text above each other, the lover with smaller font and in brackets.
**The text:
***Happy How To release day!
***Available wherever books are sold.
***(Mostly bookstores, I assume but you can always try your luck at Wendy's.)
**See below for any other details.
*It ended on [https://web.archive.org/web/20190909211737/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-09-09] when [[2200: Unreachable State]] was up.

====2019-09-03 - Happy Release Day - calendar====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190903051503/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-09-03]
**[[2197: Game Show]] was still up when the header changed, but it was for sure to coincide with [[2198: Throw]] which came out later on the release day while it still looked like in this version.
**Randall celebrated the release day of [[How To]], coming out the day the header changed.
***The comic is also a reference to a chapter in the book on how to throw things. A very complicated interactive comic where different persons or other living things can be chosen to throw dead or living things. The trow will then be shown below with distance measured in two units, normal and special. That is if the thrower can actually manage to throw the thing.
**The header consist of an image with the book shown both left and right of some text. The two black books have red stars around them, five on the outer side of the image and 6 on the inner, the stars are mirrored around left and right book. Both books have blue title and author name, and white unreadable title and white drawing of Cueball flying on two quadcopters to put in a light-bulb in a ceiling lamp, while White/Black? Hat is watching together with Megan, who is holding a ladder. Beneath the image is the link on where to order it, now the preorder has been changed to order.
***Between the two books are two sections of text above each other, the lover with smaller font and in brackets.
**The text:
***How To Randall Munroe
***Happy How To release day!*
***(*Gregorian calendar. The Julian edition doesn't come out for 13 more days.)
***How To Randall Munroe
***Order: [https://www.amazon.com/How-Absurd-Scientific-Real-World-Problems/dp/0525537090/ Amazon],[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/2/trackingcode/PRH5522E62429 Barnes & Noble],[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/6/trackingcode/penguinrandom IndieBound],[https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to/id1451461524?mt=11 Apple Books]
**The image is a link to the [https://xkcd.com/how-to/ How To book page] on xkcd.
**Most of the world uses the {{w|Gregorian calendar}}, but before it was taken into use, the {{w|Julian calendar}} was in use.
***The Julian calendar does not take into account that every 100 years a leap year should be passed as in the Gregorian calendar, and thus it is at the moment 13 days behind, as it has has this many February 29th too many. Since there should actually be a leap year every 400 year, and the last of those was 2000, then it has been 13 days since 1900, and will stay like this until 2100 when it will become 14 days.
***The image is a link to the [https://xkcd.com/how-to/ How To book page] on xkcd.
**Already the next day the part of the header below happy release day about the Gregorian calender changed. See [[#2019-09-04 - Happy Release Day - bookstore|above]].

====2019-08-27 - Out in a week====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20190827082224/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-08-27].
**[[2194: How to Send a File]] was up when the header changed.
**Randall continues to promote his new book, [[How To]], coming out a week from this header.
***It is only three lines of text
**The text:
***My new book, How To, comes out next week!
***Read an exclusive excerpt about transmission [https://blog.xkcd.com/2019/08/26/how-to-send-a-file/ here].
***[Four links in gray blue are given with the first words in black:] Preorder ''How To'': [https://www.amazon.com/How-Absurd-Scientific-Real-World-Problems/dp/0525537090/ Amazon],[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/2/trackingcode/PRH5522E62429 Barnes & Noble],[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/6/trackingcode/penguinrandom IndieBound],[https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to/id1451461524?mt=11 Apple Books]
**Later [https://web.archive.org/web/20190827184229/https://xkcd.com/2194/ on the same day], (and here for the next day [https://web.archive.org/web/20190828095401/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-08-27] for the front page), more text and links where added, plus the order of the text was changed.
**The later text was:
***My new book, [https://xkcd.com/how-to/ How To], comes out in a week! ([https://blog.xkcd.com/2019/08/23/book-tour-and-contest-winner/ Book tour info])
***You can preorder it now to get a copy when it's released:
***[https://www.amazon.com/How-Absurd-Scientific-Real-World-Problems/dp/0525537090/ Amazon],[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/2/trackingcode/PRH5522E62429 Barnes & Noble],[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/6/trackingcode/penguinrandom IndieBound],[https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to/id1451461524?mt=11 Apple Books]
***You can also read an exclusive excerpt about file transfers [https://blog.xkcd.com/2019/08/26/how-to-send-a-file/ here].
**The link to the book tour also include the winner of the [[#2019-06-25 - People with books|contest]] to get Randall to add "your" city to his book tour.
***The winner was {{w|Juneau, Alaska}}.
*It ended on the release day 2019-09-03, so this was last on the page on [https://web.archive.org/web/20190902042108/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-09-02].

====2019-08-06 - Win a sketch====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20190806052948/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-08-06].
**[[2185: Cumulonimbus]] was up when the header changed.
***Most likely the header changed when that comic came out on 2019-08-05. But the previous header was also out during that day.
**Randall continues to promote his new book, [[How To]], now making a competition where you can win a stick figure sketch of yourself. (Although only for US residents!)
***The image shows Hairy, with a cat at his feet and Megan (or Danish?) with a samurai sword. They are standing with their backs towards each other, the cat on the left, Megan facing right with the sword towards the words.
***Below the drawing are links to places to preorder the book.
**The text:
***Want to win a sketch of yourself as a stick figure? [https://blog.xkcd.com/2019/08/05/win-an-xkcd-sketch/ Click here] to find out how!
***[Four links in gray blue are given with the first words in black:] Preorder ''How To'': [https://www.amazon.com/How-Absurd-Scientific-Real-World-Problems/dp/0525537090/ Amazon],[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/2/trackingcode/PRH5522E62429 Barnes & Noble],[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/6/trackingcode/penguinrandom IndieBound],[https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to/id1451461524?mt=11 Apple Books]
****The entire picture is a [https://blog.xkcd.com/2019/08/05/win-an-xkcd-sketch/ link] to a [[Blag]] post: ''Win an xkcd sketch''
****That is even though only the click here part of the text is in blue, like a link.
****Cause as he often has written: I still haven't figured out HTML imagemaps, most recently in the [[#2019-07-09 - Drawings from How To|2019-07-09]] header.
*The header stayed like this until [https://web.archive.org/web/20190826062701/https://www.xkcd.com/ 2019-08-26] when [[2193: Well-Ordering Principle]] was up.

====2019-08-03 - First look inside====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20190803222711/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-08-03].
**[[2184: Unpopular Opinions]] was up when the header changed.
**Randall continues to promote his new book, [[How To]], now stating that it comes out next month.
***Set to be released on September 3rd 2019, this update was made exactly one month before.
***The image shows text to the left of three drawings of the book: First the closed book showing the black front cover with blue and white text and white drawings, then the book is partly opened, and finally it lays opened up showing two pages, with a readable heading on the right page.
***Below the drawing are links to places to preorder the book.
**The text:
***My new book comes out next month. Click here for a first look inside!
***[On the books front cover only two thins can be read:]
****How To
****Randal Munroe.
***[These two words can also partly be read on the opening book.]
***[Only the large heading can be read on the right page of the open book:]
****How to Dig a Hole.
***[These two pages also became part of a special comic relased during the weekend when this header was up: [[Disappearing Sunday Update]].]
***[The [[Disappearing_Sunday_Update#Transcript|transcript of that comic]] describes the images in the open book.]
***[Four links in gray blue are given with the first word in black:] Preorder:[https://www.amazon.com/How-Absurd-Scientific-Real-World-Problems/dp/0525537090/ Amazon],[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/2/trackingcode/PRH5522E62429 Barnes & Noble],[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/6/trackingcode/penguinrandom IndieBound],[https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to/id1451461524?mt=11 Apple Books]
****The entire picture is a [https://blog.xkcd.com/2019/08/02/how-to-chapter-list-and-introduction/ link] to a [[Blag]] post: ''How To: Chapter list and introduction''.
*It stayed up like this while the special [[Disappearing Sunday Update]] came out on Sunday 2019-08-04, and was there still on Monday [ http://web.archive.org/web/20190805050812/https://www.xkcd.com/ 2019-08-05], at least during the time that the Sudan Update was still up.
**When the next comic came out late that Monday, it probably disappeared along with the Disappearing comic, but the first update with the next header is from Tuesday [http://web.archive.org/web/20190806052948/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-08-06], but the Monday comic [[2185: Cumulonimbus]] was still on the front page at that time,.

====2019-07-23 - Back to previous header====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20190723205152/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-07-23].
**[[2179: NWS Warnings]] was up when the header changed.
*It returned to the previous header from before the ComicCon header, see [[#2019-07-10 - Adding links|2019-07-10]]
*It stayed up until [http://web.archive.org/web/20190802192259/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-08-02] while [[2184: Unpopular Opinions]] was up. The day after when it changed that comic was still up.

====2019-07-15 - ComiCon====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20190715181016/http://xkcd.com/ 2019-07-15].
**[[2176: How Hacking Works]] was up when the header changed.
*Randall tells that he will be at ComicCon and links to his plans there.
**The text:
***Going to San Diego Comic Con this week? I'll [https://blog.xkcd.com/2019/07/15/san-diego-comic-con/ see you there]!
****The link is to a [[Blag]] post about his plans for the ComicCon
**Randall appeared in a couple of panels, and gave a talk.
**Finally he also handed out signed copies of his new [[How To]] book more than a month before official release.
***So still promoting the book, also in this header...
*It stayed up until [http://web.archive.org/web/20190722192637/https://www.xkcd.com/ 2019-07-22] the day after the ComiCon ended, while [[2178: Expiration Date High Score]] was up.
**Then it returned to the previous header from before the ComicCon announcement when [[2179: NWS Warnings]] came out.

====2019-07-10 - Adding links====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20190710165920/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-07-10].
**[[2173: Trained a Neural Net]] was still up when the header changed slightly from that fro the day before.
**Only change was that beneath the picture, see [[#2019-07-09 - Drawings from How To|2019-07-09],] there is now a list of four links to companies where the book can be preordered.
**The extra text:
***[Four links in gray blue are given with the first word in black:] Preorder:[https://www.amazon.com/How-Absurd-Scientific-Real-World-Problems/dp/0525537090/ Amazon],[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/2/trackingcode/PRH5522E62429 Barnes & Noble],[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/6/trackingcode/penguinrandom IndieBound],[https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to/id1451461524?mt=11 Apple Books]
*The header stayed like this until [http://web.archive.org/web/20190714175710/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-07-14] when [[2175: Flag Interpretation]] was up. When it changed the day after [[2176: How Hacking Works]] was up.

====2019-07-09 - Drawings from How To====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20190709162102/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-07-09].
**[[2173: Trained a Neural Net]] was up when the header changed.
**Randall continues to promote his new book, [[How To]].
***The image shows a small picture of his book with text on either side.
***Below are what appears to be three drawings from the book. [[Ponytail]] pole vaultig with three baloons in one hand, then text, then a truck with a house behind it speeding fast up a hill then text and finally [[Cueball]] somersaulting towards an explosion.
***To the right there is a big blue button to click for preorder, with text below.
**The text:
***New book [Arrow points to book. Title can be read: How To]
***How To: Absurd Scientific Answers to Common Real-world Problems
***It's a guide to bad ways to do things...
***...And what would happen if you tried them.
***''Boom''
***Click here to preorder
***Or click anywhere. I still haven't figured out HTML imagemaps.
****The entire picture is a [https://xkcd.com/how-to/ link] to the official [[How To]] page on xkcd: https://xkcd.com/how-to/
****See [[1572: xkcd Survey]] where Randall mentions that he cannot make imagemaps.
*It stayed up like this only for a day, then an extra line of links was added the day after while the same comic was still up, see [[#2019-07-10 - Adding links|2019-07-10]].
**But the general header stayed up first for five days, and then it returned again for 10 more days after a break to announce a [[#2019-07-15 - ComiCon|ComiCon visit]].
**So a total of 16 days with this drawing.

====2019-06-25 - People with books====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20190625190843/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-06-25].
**[[2167: Motivated Reasoning Olympics]] was up when the header changed.
**Randall continues to promote his new book, [[How To]], and his book tour.
***The image now shows 15 people standing side by side each holding a book up in front of them with unreadable titles.
***From left: [[Megan]], [[Cueball]], a man with blonde hair, [[Science Girl]], [[Blondie]], [[Hairy]], another Hairy, [[White Hat]], a kid with curly hair, [[Hairbun]], another Cueball, another Megan, a guy with a knit cap, [[Ponytail]] and [[Beret Guy]].
***Above them is a text message.
**The text:
***Want to bring me to your town for my '''''How To''''' book tour? Click to find out how to enter the challenge!
****The entire picture is a [https://blog.xkcd.com/2019/06/10/book-tour-announcement/ link] to the official book tour announcement posted on the [[Blag]], with all cities and dates listed with details.
****In the link it is explained how to enter a competition on how to bring Randall to your city.
****Make a story using only book titles and get the books used to be held up by different individuals.
****A longer sentence will improve your chances.
*****This is indeed what this header picture shows.
*The header stayed like this until [http://web.archive.org/web/20190708155517/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-07-08] when [[2172: Lunar Cycles]] was up. When it changed the day after [[2173: Trained a Neural Net]] was up.

====2019-06-15 - Adding dates====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20190615100645/http://xkcd.com/ 2019-06-15]
**[[2163: Chernobyl]] was up when the header changed.
**Randall only made a small change to the one that had been up for four days at this time.
**The text only changed by adding a line below the first line:
***Announcing the '''''How To''''' book tour:
***[Click here for dates and tickets]
****The rest of the header is exactly the same as on [[#2019-06-11 - Book tour|2019-06-11]], except everything is a bit smaller to make room in the same place for the extra line.
****The link is not located on the blue part of the text and it was already there before this update.
****Best guess is that not many clicked through and Randall then made it obvious that there was a link.
****The entire picture is a [https://blog.xkcd.com/2019/06/10/book-tour-announcement/ link] to the official book tour announcement posted on the [[Blag]], with all cities and dates listed with details.
****Randall has previously made it clear, in [[1572: xkcd Survey]], that he knows how to make an image a link, but not how to put the link only where he says to click. But it is easier to make a place for people to click than tell them this...
*The header stayed like this until 2019-06-25, when it changed while [[2167: Motivated Reasoning Olympics]] was up. But this one was still up when that comic came out the day before [http://web.archive.org/web/20190624162740/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-06-24].

====2019-06-11 - Book tour====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20190611031920/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-06-11]
**[[2161: An Apple a Day]] was up when the header changed.
***'''Note''' when this change happened two new links was added to the [[Design_of_xkcd.com#xkcd_links|xkcd links]] section of xkcd.
**Randall changed the header text to announce the official book tour for his newest book ''[[How To]]'' to be released 3 months later.
**The text:
***Announcing the '''''How To''''' book tour:
***[Below this header is a map of the mainland USA with 14 labeled black dots indicates the 14 cities that the book tour will take Randall to. One red dot with five red question marks above is located beneath the map to the left, indicating a 15th city to be chosen in a contest. Above the map to the right is a small picture of the book with the blue title on the black cover. Above the book is the release date and with an arrow pointing down to the book.]
***September 3rd
***How to
***Seattle
***Portland
***San Francisco
***Santa Cruz
***Los Angeles
***Salt Lake City
***Kansas City
***Ann Arbor
***Cincinnati
***Louisville
***Cambridge
***New York
***D.C.
***Raleigh
***????? (Chosen by readers)
***[The entire picture is a [https://blog.xkcd.com/2019/06/10/book-tour-announcement/ link] to the official book tour announcement posted on the [[Blag]], with all cities and dates listed with details.]
****In the link it is explained how to enter a competition on how to bring Randall to your city.
****Make a story using only book titles and get the books used to be held up by different individuals.
****Only US cities can apply.
**The header only stayed exactly like this for three days, and was still up on [http://web.archive.org/web/20190614094729/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-06-14] when [[2162: Literary Opinions]] was on the front page.
***Then it changed slightly to indicate that the picture was a link which was not clear before. See above.

====2019-05-17 - Back to previous header====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20190517103928/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-05-17]:
**[[2150: XKeyboarCD]] was still up when the header changed.
*It changed back to the exact same heading as before the one with Google reader here below.
**See [[#2019-02-06 - How to book|2019-02-06]] below for all details.
**It stayed up for more than three weeks and was still up on [http://web.archive.org/web/20190610055519/https://www.xkcd.com/ 2019-06-10], while [[2160: Ken Burns Theory]] was still up on the day the next comic [[2161: An Apple a Day]] was to be released (where the new header could be found at least the next day, but maybe from the release of that comic?). Then it changed to announce the book tour for his new book.

====2019-04-23 - Google Reader====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20190423155458/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-04-23]:
**[[2140: Reinvent the Wheel]] came out when it changed, ending a more than two and half month long [[#2019-02-06 - How to book|promotion]] of Randall's new book [[How To]].
**Randall changed the header text to ask if the reader still mourned the loss of {{w|Google Reader}} which closed on 2013-07-01, almost 6 years before this comic..
***He offers the possibility to sign up to receive the newest comic by e-mail.
**The comic may have relation to this, as some where using Google reader for different purposes when they closed it, without any chance of [https://www.google.com/reader/about/ getting your data out].
***The comic "Reinvent the Wheel" mentions that using external dependencies carry risks, such as Google closing down a feature. given the fact that the comic came out as the header changed it is probably not a coincidence.
**The text:
***Still mourning the demise of Google Reader? You can sign up to get new comics delivered by email [https://xkcd.com/newsletter/ here].
**The link is to https://xkcd.com/newsletter, where it is possible to submit your e-mail address and press a subscribe button.
***the following text is written above it:
***To receive the comic and news postings in your inbox, subscribe here.
**It stayed up for more than three weeks and was still up on [http://web.archive.org/web/20190516100403/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-05-16], when [[2150: XKeyboarCD]] was up. Then it changed back to the promotion of his new book.

====2019-02-06 - How to book====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20190206060904/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-02-06]:
**[[2107: Launch Risk]] was up at the time when it changed, having been up since Monday the 4th of February.
***Here it can be seen being on the front of xkcd on [http://web.archive.org/web/20190205050302/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-02-05], without the new text. This was also the last time the standard header text was used in several months.
***[[2108: Carbonated Beverage Language Map]] came up later on the day the header changed.
**Randall changed the header text to promote his newest book ''[[How To]]'' to be released 7 months later.
***He added an image of the book with large text next to it regarding the release and links on how to preorder it.
***There was no direct relation to the comics released at the time, except of course that he kind of launched his new book with all the risk it involves, while having a comic called launch risk up. It was though a very different and more real type of launch risk (of a human carrying space rocket) in the comic.
**The text:
***[The book is shown to the left as a black rectangle with large blue text and smaller gray text. On the book cover, in white drawings, are seen Megan with a ladder and either Black or White Hat (hard to say on black background). Both are looking up on Cueball who is floating in the air with a quadcopter beneath either leg, trying to plug in an electric light bulb in a naked lamp hanging down near him. It seems he has already removed the broken light bulb, as he has one in both hands. And now he tries to put in the new one. He could have let Megan use the ladder...]
***[The header in blue above it all:] How To.
***[Sub header in gray to the left of Cueball:] Absurd Scientific Answers to Common Real-world Problems
***[Author name in blue below the drawing:] Randall Munroe
***[Sub header to this below in gray:] Creator of xkcd
***[Sub header to this below in gray:] Author of what if? and Thing Explainer
***[Next to this book image are the following text:]
***[Large heading:] HOW TO
***[Normal size sub header:] Absurd Scientific Answers to Common Real-world Problems
***[In smaller gray font below:] Available September 3, 2019.
***[Four links in gray blue are given with the first word still in gray:] Preorder:[https://www.amazon.com/How-Absurd-Scientific-Real-World-Problems/dp/0525537090/ Amazon],[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/2/trackingcode/PRH5522E62429 Barnes & Noble],[http://links.penguinrandomhouse.com/type/affiliate/isbn/9780525537090/siteID/8001/retailerid/6/trackingcode/penguinrandom IndieBound],[https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/how-to/id1451461524?mt=11 Apple Books]
**It stayed up for more than two and a half month and was still up on [http://web.archive.org/web/20190422030324/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-04-22], when [[2139: Email Settings]] was up. Then it finally changed to a new header without going back to the standard.

====2018-11-07 - Back to standard text====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20181107144453/https://www.xkcd.com/ 2018-11-07]
**The text returned to the standard xkcd header: xkcd updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
***It stayed like this until [[2107: Launch Risk]] was up on [http://web.archive.org/web/20190205050302/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-02-05].

====2018-11-06 - Election Day====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20181106122850/https://xkcd.com/ 2018-11-06]:
**[[2068: Election Night]] (on election day the day after this comic was released).
***It added a larger comic above the two links from the previous header. Those links of the previous header text was still up the day before [http://web.archive.org/web/20181105105855/https://xkcd.com/ 2018-11-05], when [[2067: Challengers]] was still up.
**Randall changed the xkcd header once more to try to make more people vote, and in this case help others to vote.
***Once again directly related to the new comic about election night.
**The text:
***[A line of altering blue and red stars, blue first and last of two rows of nine starts around of the heading:]
***Election Day!
***[Below Black Hat and Ponytail to the left and Megan to the right of Cueball is checking their smart phones. Cueball is addressing the reader:]
***Cueball: The biggest thing you can do th help is to check in with friends and family and make sure they know when and where they're voting.
***[Below these four characters there is the following text with two arrows pointing left and right. Both are turning up to text/links on either side of the four:]
***Use these links to answer questions
***[To the left:] Where and how to vote: [https://www.vote.org/ Vote-org]
***[To the right:] What's on your ballot: [https://www.ballotready.org/ BallotReady.org]
***[Below was the two links from the previous header:]
***Find out where to vote: [https://www.vote.org/ vote.org].
***See what's on your ballot: [https://www.ballotready.org/ BallotReady.org]
**It was only up one day and thus on ended the day after [http://web.archive.org/web/20181107144453/https://www.xkcd.com/ 2018-11-07] when the next comic [[2069: Wishlist]] came out.
***The text then returned to the standard xkcd header: xkcd updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
****It stayed like this until [[2107: Launch Risk]] was up on [http://web.archive.org/web/20190205050302/https://xkcd.com/ 2019-02-05].

====2018-11-02 - Where to vote====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20181103021059/https://xkcd.com/ 2018-11-02]:
**[[2067: Challengers]] (on the Friday, it was released).
***It added another link to the previous header text. That text was still up the day before on Thursday [http://web.archive.org/web/20181102015102/https://xkcd.com/ 2018-11-01].
***That was while comic [[2066: Ballot Selfies]] was still up.
**Randall changed the xkcd header to let people know who is on their voting ballot, and as before there is also a link on how to register for voting.
***This is also directly related to the new comic that came out that day, about helping people to decide who to vote for, i.e. who is on their ballot.
**The text:
***Find out where to vote: [https://www.vote.org/ vote.org].
***See what's on your ballot: [https://www.ballotready.org/ BallotReady.org]
**This was done at this moment because the {{w|United States midterm election}} was held on {{w|United States elections, 2018|Tuesday, November 6, 2018}}, four days after the release of this comic.
**It was still up the day before the election day, [http://web.archive.org/web/20181105105855/https://xkcd.com/ 2018-11-05], and then it changed with the next comic.

====2018-10-22 - Register for voting====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20181022120935/https://xkcd.com/ 2018-10-22]:
**[[2061: Tectonics Game]] (on a Monday, the 3rd day after release of this Friday comic)
***The standard text was still up Sunday [http://web.archive.org/web/20181021141446/https://xkcd.com/ 2018-10-21].
***The comic [[2062: Barnard's Star]] was released later that day.
**Randall changed the xkcd header to try to get people to register for voting.
**The text:
***Check your registration and find your polling place at [https://www.vote.org/ vote.org].
**This was done at this moment because the {{w|United States midterm election}} was held on {{w|United States elections, 2018|Tuesday, November 6, 2018}}, about two weeks after the release of this comic.
***It is generally believed that many of those not voting would have chosen democrats on election day, and thus Randall has an interest in getting as many as possible to register, see [[1756: I'm With Her]] (apart from the fact that he also most likely thinks that it is important to use the right to vote).
**It ended on [http://web.archive.org/web/20181103021059/https://xkcd.com/ 2018-11-02], when [[2067: Challengers]] came out.
***It was still there while [[2066: Ballot Selfies]] was still up the day before on [http://web.archive.org/web/20181102015102/https://xkcd.com/ 2018-11-01].

====2018-09-13 - NY votes today====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20180913133544/https://xkcd.com/ 2018-09-13]
**[[2045: Social Media Announcement]] (the day after the release of the comic.)
***It was not up when the comic was released on [http://web.archive.org/web/20180912131437/https://xkcd.com/ 2018-09-12].
**It was a short lived reminder that NY votes today below the usual standard text.
**The text:
***xkcd updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
***NY votes today! Find your polling place [https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/ here]. (Zephyr Teachout for AG!)
**It ended with [[2046: Trum-]], the very next comic, on [http://web.archive.org/web/20180914175605/https://xkcd.com/ 2018-09-14], returning to the standard text.

====2017-11-26 - Christmas gifts====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20171126130857/http://xkcd.com/ 2017-11-26]
**[[1920: Emoji Sports]] had been up two days [http://web.archive.org/web/20171125125648/https://xkcd.com/ 2017-11-25] before the message changed from the normal version. But it changed the day before the next comic came up.
***It was changed to a commercial for Christmas shopping with a code for getting 5$ of the price with a codes for different online shops.
**The text:
***To anyone looking for Christmas gifts: Until Monday you can get $5 off
***[https://www.amazon.com/What-International-Scientific-Hypothetical-Questions/dp/0544456866 What If?] and [https://www.amazon.com/Thing-Explainer-Complicated-Stuff-Simple/dp/0544668251 Thing Explainer] on Amazon with coupon code GIFTBOOK17.
***At Barnes & Noble, until Sunday you can get 20% off [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/what-if-serious-scientific-answers-to-absurd-hypothetical-questions-randall-munroe/1118864093 What If?] and [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thing-explainer-randall-munroe/1121864432 Thing Explainer] using code GIVETHANKS.
**It was only up a few days and ended with [[1922: Interferometry]] on [http://web.archive.org/web/20171130150053/http://xkcd.com/ 2017-11-30] where it returned to the standard text.
***But it was still up when the comic in between [[1921: The Moon and the Great Wall]] was up on [http://web.archive.org/web/20171129140033/http://xkcd.com/ 2017-11-29].

====2017-09-22 - Visiting the UK====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20170922232616/https://xkcd.com/ 2017-09-22]:
**[[1893: Thread]] (with its release).
***It was not up on the previous comic [[1892: USB Cables]], on the day they changed [http://web.archive.org/web/20170922025204/https://xkcd.com/ 2017-09-22].
**It was an announcement that Randall would visit the UK next week.
**The text:
***I'll be visiting the UK next week! You can join me in London from September 30-October 2 (at [https://live.newscientist.com/speakers/randall-munroe New Scientist Live], [http://www.rigb.org/whats-on/events-2017/october/public-lunchtime-talk--randall-munroe The Royal Institution], and [http://www.intelligencesquared.com/events/randall-munroe-on-making-complicated-stuff-simple/ Intelligence Squared]), then from October 3-6 in [https://www.stpetersyork.org.uk/public_lectures/randall_munroe_thing_explainer York], [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/thing-explaining-with-randall-munroe-tickets-37832289396 Edinburgh], [https://www.toppingbooks.co.uk/events/ely/randall-murray-thing-explainer/ Cambridge and Ely], [https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/randall-munroe-book-signing-thing-explainer-tickets-38041072873 Oxford], and [http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature/whats-on/2017/randall-munroe/ Cheltenham].
**Ended with [[1900: Jet Lag]] on [http://web.archive.org/web/20171010045802/https://xkcd.com/ 2017-10-10] when the text returned to normal.
***But it was still up the day before with [[1899: Ears]] on [http://web.archive.org/web/20171009040109/https://xkcd.com/ 2017-10-09].

====2017-07-31 - Thank you====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20170731021227/https://www.xkcd.com/ 2017-07-31]:
**[[1869: Positive and Negative Reviews]] (3rd day after release of this Friday comic)
***The comic [[1870: Emoji Movie Reviews]] was released later that day.
***Megan is holding hand with Cueball and next to them is two words above each other: Thank you.
***The image is also a link.
****The link goes to [http://web.archive.org/web/20170801042453/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/25/us/politics/senate-votes-repeal-obamacare.html How Each Senator Voted on Obamacare Repeal Proposals], an article showing the senate votes. (here in an archived version).
**Ended with [[1872: Backup Batteries]] on [http://web.archive.org/web/20170804152509/https://xkcd.com/ 2017-08-04], but was still up when [[1871: Bun Alert]] was up on [http://web.archive.org/web/20170803124342/https://xkcd.com/ 2017-08-03].

====2017-07-25 - Vote against health care bill====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20170725103104/https://xkcd.com/ 2017-07-25]:
**[[1867: Physics Confession]] (2nd day after release of the comic, it was not up on the first day: [http://web.archive.org/web/20170724095252/https://xkcd.com/ 2017-07-24]).
**Randall modified the xkcd header to ask readers to support voting against Donald Trump's new health care bill.
***The header was replaced with an image which is available in an archived version [https://web.archive.org/web/20170726150959im_/https://imgs.xkcd.com/notes/call-senate.png here].
***The image is also a link (and you can click anywhere on it to go the the link that is mentioned).
****The link goes to [http://web.archive.org/web/20170729003307/https://www.trumpcareten.org/daily TrumpCare Ten] (here in an archived version).
****Randall has previously made it clear, in [[1572: xkcd Survey]], that he knows how to make an image a link, but not how to put the link only where he says to click.
***Transcript of the image:
****[Megan is holding hand with Cueball next to three lines of large text, the same height as they are:]
****Please tell your senators to vote against this health care bill. It will hurt people.
****[After these three lines there is a phone number in a very large bold font with a line of text below:]
****202-224-3121
****Or click here for more info
****[Below the above is a gray line which is split in the middle with gray text, and below that four state names in white text inside black boxes:]
****Know anyone in these states? Ask them to call, too.
****Alaska Maine Nevada Ohio West Virginia
**Ended while [[1869: Positive and Negative Reviews]] was up on [http://web.archive.org/web/20170731164828/https://xkcd.com/ 2017-07-31], when it was replaced by a ''Thank you''.
***That comic came out already [http://web.archive.org/web/20170728124230/https://xkcd.com/ three days before] (Friday comic), but was still up on [http://web.archive.org/web/20170730141019/https://www.xkcd.com/ 2017-07-30]) when the message changed sometimes between Sunday 30th and Monday 31st (where [[1870: Emoji Movie Reviews]] was released).

====2017-01-21 - Update on previous====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20170122003124/https://xkcd.com/ 2017-01-21]:
**[[1788: Barge]]
**It came up almost a month after Christmas but did not really change the sales pitch of the previous. It just removed the link image with the large red text, see previous version below.
**The text:
***There are [https://store.xkcd.com/collections/featured four new shirts] in [https://store.xkcd.com/ the xkcd store],
***along with [https://store.xkcd.com/collections/posters posters] and [https://store.xkcd.com/collections/everything lots of other stuff]!
**Ended with [[1867: Physics Confession]] on [http://web.archive.org/web/20170725103104/https://xkcd.com/ 2017-07-25].
***That comic came up [http://web.archive.org/web/20170724095252/https://xkcd.com/ the day before] the above version of the header appeared.
***So the first day after release it was still the T-shirt commercial.
***And it did not return to the standard version in between.

====2016-11-28 - Christmas sale====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20161128153015/http://xkcd.com 2016-11-28]
**[[1765: Baby Post]]
**This came up in time for the Christmas sale of 2016.
**The text was
***There are [https://store.xkcd.com/collections/featured four new shirts] in [https://store.xkcd.com/ the xkcd store],
***along with [https://store.xkcd.com/collections/posters posters] and [https://store.xkcd.com/collections/everything lots of other stuff]!
***Above the text there was an image with two black t-shirts with white print on the chest. They were located at either end of a large red text written in the text type used in the comic. This text said New xkcd shirts.
***The entire image was a link to the [https://store.xkcd.com/ xkcd store].
**Ended with [[1788: Barge]] [http://web.archive.org/web/20170121114423/https://xkcd.com/ 2017-01-21]

====Changes not documented yet 2====
*Before the above was
**xkcd updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
**Which Ended with [[1764: XKCDE]] on [http://web.archive.org/web/20161128093459/http://xkcd.com/ 2016-11-28].
*More changes could be here between this and the one below.
**Definitely some thing explainer changes here below.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20151022200022/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-10-22] changed the header below.

====2015-09-23 - Book trip and tool====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150923044724/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-09-23]:
**[[1580: Travel Ghost]] was up when the header changed.
***Announcing the book trip for the [[Thing Explainer]] book as well as linking to a Thing Explainer word checker tool! Two lines of text with links.
**The text:
***News: Announcing my Thing Explainer [https://blog.xkcd.com/2015/09/22/im-going-on-a-book-trip/ book trip]. Come say hi!
***Other news: Announcing the Thing Explainer [https://blog.xkcd.com/2015/09/22/a-thing-explainer-word-checker/ word checker] tool!
****Both links are to the [[Blag]], the first a schedule for his book trip, and the second telling about Randall's new [https://xkcd.com/simplewriter/ Simple Writer] that could help you ''Write Like Up Goer Five and Thing Explainer''.
**Was there until [[1593: Play-By-Play]] was up on [https://web.archive.org/web/20151021164208/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-10-21].

====2015-09-06 - New links====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150906181550/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-09-06]:
**[[1573: Cyberintelligence]] was still up when the header changed.
***The promotion of the book, [[Thing Explainer]], stayed the same with a picture above links to preorder it, but the links was reduced from four to two, the amazon link changed and a new company was added for the second link removing the other three.
***See [[#2015-05-15 - Thing Explainer details|2015-05-15]] below for all details on the image.
**The new link text:
***Preorder: [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thing-Explainer-Randall-Munroe/dp/1473620910 Amazon.co.uk}, [https://www.waterstones.com/book/thing-explainer/9781473620919 Waterstones]
**Was there until [[1579: Tech Loops]] was up on [https://web.archive.org/web/20150919220105/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-09-22].

====2015-08-09 - Back to previous header====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150809230825/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-08-09]:
**[[1561: Water Phase Diagram]] was still up when the header changed.
***It changed back to the exact same heading as before the one with other news here below.
****See [[#2015-05-15 - Thing Explainer details|2015-05-15]] below for all details.
**Stayed like this until [[1573: Cyberintelligence]] was out on [https://web.archive.org/web/20150905154014/https://xkcd.com/ 2015-09-05], but the only change was that the links to preorder changed from four to only two.

====2015-06-06 - Other news====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150606084120/http://www.xkcd.com/ 2015-06-06]
**Changed while [[1534: Beer]] was still up.
***This was just adding some "Other news", but leaving the promotion of [[Thing Explainer]] unchanged as in the [[#2015-05-15 - Thing Explainer details|previous header]], but adding two news stories in text below the link to preorder.
**The new text:
***In other news, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygrdAvmr-MA Space Weird Thing] is delightful, and I feel surprisingly invested in [https://web.archive.org/web/20150720074919/https://twitter.com/xkcdbracket @xkcdbracket's] results.
****The link to Space Weird Thing is a YouTube video with a simple words version of {{w|David Bowie|David Bowie's}} [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYYRH4apXDo Space Oddity] music video, using only the top then hundred words. The creators contributes the idea to the [[1133: Up Goer Five]] diagram which also inspired the book Thing Explainer, also promoted in this header text.
****The other link is referring to [[1529: Bracket]] released 12 days before this update, as a twitter user made a survey going through all the brackets all the way to a winner was found. Seems Randall became interested in who won. See more on the comics page.
**Was there until [[1561: Water Phase Diagram]] was up on [https://web.archive.org/web/20150807181044/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-08-07]. Then it returned back to the previous header with only the promotion of the book.

====2015-05-15 - Thing Explainer details====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20150515060322/http://www.xkcd.com/ 2015-05-15]
**[[1525: Emojic 8 Ball]]
**This was a more detailed promotion for Randall's new book: [[Thing Explainer]] to be published in November 2015, more than half a year after the announcement, compared to the previous change which was just a line and a link.
**The text:
***A picture of the open book is shown with diagrams of a human cell on the left page and suspension bridges on the right. All held in blue nuances. And arrow goes from the first word of the text to the right to the book on the left. The text is also blue except the title of the book which is in red:
****New book: Thing Explainer
****Up Goer Five-style diagrams of things (explained in the then hundred most common words)
***Below this image is a line of text with the first word in black and the other are four links to where to preorder the book:
****Preorder: [https://www.amazon.com/Thing-Explainer-Complicated-Stuff-Simple/dp/0544668251 Amazon], [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/thing-explainer-randall-munroe/1121864432?ean=9780544668256#/ Barnes & Noble], [https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780544668256 Indie Bound], [https://www.hudsonbooksellers.com/thingexplainer Hudson]
***The image above the preorder line is a link to the [[Blag]] post [https://blog.xkcd.com/2015/05/13/new-book-thing-explainer/ New book: Thing Explainer].
**Changed while [[1534: Beerl]] was up on [https://web.archive.org/web/20150605082643/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-06-05], but only to add other information. The main promotion of the book stayed the same.

====2015-05-14 - New book Thing Explainer====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150514053623/http://www.xkcd.com/ 2015-05-14]
**[[1524: Dimensions]] was up.
***A single line announced the new [[Thing Explainer]] book, with link to the [[Blag]] post from the day before.
**The text:
***New book: [https://blog.xkcd.com/2015/05/13/new-book-thing-explainer/ Thing Explainer!]
*The promotion of the book stayed up with some changes for the rest of the year...
**The first came already the day after so this short announcement was only up on this day and ended with the next comic. See above.
**See more details on the promotion of the book on the Thing Explainer page [[Thing_Explainer#Promotion_at_the_xkcd_home_page|here]].

====2015-02-11 - Back to standard text====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150211154103/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-02-11]
**The text returned to the standard xkcd header: xkcd updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
***It stayed like this until [[1523: Microdrones]] was up on [https://web.archive.org/web/20150512184622/http://xkcd.com/ 2019-05-12].

====2015-02-04 - Valentine cards only====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150204051152/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-02-04]
**[[1482: NowPlaying]] came out as it changed.
***After the last day of ordering t-shirt had passed it changed back to the picture with the Valentine cards from the previous header, but without the t-shirt picture.
***See that [[#2015-01-29 - Valentine cards and shirt|header change]], but only the first picture described.
**Ended while [[1484: Apollo Speeches]] was up on [https://web.archive.org/web/20150210005540/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-02-10].
*On [https://web.archive.org/web/20150211154103/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-02-11] the text then returned to the standard xkcd header: xkcd updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
**It stayed like this until [[1523: Microdrones]] was up on [https://web.archive.org/web/20150512184622/http://xkcd.com/ 2019-05-12].

====2015-02-02 - Last day shirt====
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150202092804/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-02-02]
**[[1481: API]] came out as it changed.
***Just letting people know it is the last chance to order the binary t-shirt.
***There was just a line of text:
**The text was:
***Today is the last day to order the limited-run [https://web.archive.org/web/20150202092804/http://teespring.com/xkcdbinaryheart binary heart shirt]!
***The last words is link to the shirt in the shop.
**Ended before the next comic was up, but still the day after, when it was too late to order: [https://web.archive.org/web/20150203022036/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-02-03].

====2015-01-29 - Valentine cards and shirt====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20150129183442/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-01-29]
**[[1479: Troubleshooting]] was up when it changed.
***It was to tell about both the two previous updates in the same header- Both about the collaboration to make science themed Valentine's Day cards and his new Valentine t-shirt.
***There where two pictures, with a promotion of the two products and a link to them in the shop.
***On the left was text about the cards with a small drawing to the right of the text showing the four cards.
****An ant talking to an aphids; Earth rotating about the sun but locked so one side melts; an ant with a fungus growing from it's head with a heart, and a Velociraptor skeleton where the last bit of the tail is put on by a person. The text on the cards are unreadable, but they can be seen via the link.
***The text (in three lines) was:
****Webcomic science Valentine card collaboration
****The [https://web.archive.org/web/20150127161237/http://store.xkcd.com/products/webcomic-science-valentines link to the cards] from the picture.
***The picture on the left shows binary numbers 0 and 1 in white on a black background. The middle of the three lines of those have message in red text.
***The text:
****0 1 0 1 0 Binary heart 1 1 1
****1 1 1 Valentine shirt 0 1
****0 0 0 1 [limited run] 0 0 1
****The [http://web.archive.org/web/20150125080756/http://teespring.com/xkcdbinaryheart link to the shirt] from the picture.
**Ended while [[1480: Super Bowl]] was up on [https://web.archive.org/web/20150201015913/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-02-01].

====2015-01-27 - Valentine's Day cards====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20150127161237/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-01-27]
**[[1478: P-Values]] was up when it changed.
***It was to tell that about a collaboration to make science themed Valentine's Day cards.
***There was just two lines of text:
**The text was:
***I've teamed up with three other webcomic artists
***to make [https://web.archive.org/web/20150127161237/http://store.xkcd.com/products/webcomic-science-valentines a set of science-themed Valentine's Day cards]!
**There was a link to the cards on the store.
**Ended while [[1479: Troubleshooting]] was up [https://web.archive.org/web/20150128172147/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-01-28].

====2015-01-24 - Get shirts in store====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20150124110707/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-01-24]
**[[1477: Star Wars]] came out as it changed.
***It was to tell about a new type of t-shirt for Valentine Day.
***There was just two lines of text:
**The text was:
***For Valentine's Day, you can get a binary heart shirt
***(from {{xkcd|99|comic #99!}}) in [http://web.archive.org/web/20150125080756/http://teespring.com/xkcdbinaryheart a limited run on TeeSpring]
**There was a link to [[99: Binary Heart]] and to the relevant t-shirt on the [https://teespring.com/ Teespring] home page.
**Ended while [[1478: P-Values]] was up [http://web.archive.org/web/20150126133139/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-01-26].

====2014-12-22 - Get shirts in store====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20141222233233/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-12-22]
**[[1463: Altitude]] came out as it changed.
***After the Christmas sale deadline there was still merchandise in the [https://store.xkcd.com/ xkcd store].
***There was just a line of text:
**The text was:
***You can get xkcd shirts, prints, and posters in the [http://shop.xkcd.com/ store]!
**The word store was a link to the shop.
**Ended while [[1476: Ceres]] was up [http://web.archive.org/web/20150123102318/http://xkcd.com/ 2015-01-23].

====2014-12-19 - Back to previous header====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20141219092349/http://www.xkcd.com/ 2014-12-19]:
**[[1462: Blind Trials]] came out as it changed.
*It changed back to the exact same heading as before the one with order now here below.
**See [[#2014-12-17 - Christmas deadline|2014-12-17]] below for all details.
**Ended while [[1462: Blind Trials]] was still up [http://web.archive.org/web/20141221172450/http://www.xkcd.com/ 2014-12-21].

====2014-12-18 - Order now====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20141218090650/http://www.xkcd.com/ 2014-12-18]
**[[1461: Payloads]] was still up when it changed.
***It was to alert that the deadline for shipping before Christmas from the [https://store.xkcd.com/ xkcd store] was Friday and that it was rapidly approaching. This was a follow up on the [[#2014-12-17 - Christmas deadline|Wednesdays announcement]] the day before.
***The image was just four lines of text with several red and blue words.
**The text was:
***The xkcd store Christmas shipping deadline is Friday!
***Once it passes, there is no going back. The arrow of time drags us all
***Inexorably forward toward decay and disorder. toward the end of all things.
***Towards the empty silence of the grave. Order now!
**The entire drawing was a link to the [https://store.xkcd.com/ xkcd store], not just the blue text.
**Ended a day later while [[1461: Payloads]] was still up [http://web.archive.org/web/20141216084107/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-12-16].

====2014-12-17 - Christmas deadline====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20141217085320/http://www.xkcd.com/ 2014-12-17]
**[[1461: Payloads]] came out as it changed.
***It was to alert that the deadline for shipping before Christmas from the [https://store.xkcd.com/ xkcd store] was Friday. This was announced Wednesday two days before the deadline.
***The image was just text with the last word in each line in red and the xkcd store blue as a link.
**The text was:
***Looking for a gift?
***xkcd store Christmas shipping deadline is Friday!
**The entire drawing was a link to the [https://store.xkcd.com/ xkcd store], not just the blue text
**Ended a day later while [[1461: Payloads]] was still up!

====2014-12-03 - Christmas shopping====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20141203132024/http://www.xkcd.com/ 2014-12-03]
**[[1455: Trolley Problem]] came out as it changed.
***It was to announce the start of the Christmas shopping on the [https://store.xkcd.com/ xkcd store]
***Four boxes with shipping details are shown. Two green and two red, alternating from green. Between them are three text messages in two, two and three lines.
**The text was:
***xkcd store
***Christmas shopping
***I will probably not ship you a bobcat.
**The entire drawing was a link to the [https://store.xkcd.com/ xkcd store].
**The bobcat is a reference to [[325: A-Minus-Minus]].
**Ended while [[1460: SMFW]] was up [http://web.archive.org/web/20141216084107/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-12-16].

====2014-11-29 - Thanks - Emily====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20141129211604/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-11-29]
**[[1453: fMRI]] was still up when it changed.
***It was to thanks for all the help his friend Emily with cancer got through among other his previous header text [[#2014-11-27 - Help Emily| Help Emily]].
***That only needed to be up two days before the goal was met.
**The text was:
***Thank you for helping my friend Emily.
***It means so much.
**Ended three days later while [[1454: Done]] was up [http://web.archive.org/web/20141202065133/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-12-02].

====2014-11-27 - Help Emily====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20141127005239/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-11-27]
**[[1452: Jurassic World]] came out as it changed.
***It was to help a friend who got cancer by raising money for her.
**The text was:
***Hey all. My friend Emily—the economist who helped
***me with my {{xkcd|980|money chart}}—has been fighting cancer. She's
***having a rough time and could use some [http://web.archive.org/web/20141128183414/http://www.gofundme.com/e07dqk help]. Thank you.
**There are two links, one to the [[980: Money]] comic she helped Randall create, and one for her Go Fund Me page to raise money for her cancer cure.
***The help link above is to the archived version from that time, but the link was still active in August 2019: [https://www.gofundme.com/e07dqk Helping Emily Fight Cancer].
**Ended while [[1453: fMRI]] was up [http://web.archive.org/web/20141128070838/http://www.xkcd.com/ 2014-11-28].
***She did thus not get a permanent header as did Becky on the [[#Seven_Years|Seven Years]] comic.

====2014-10-02 - what if? bestseller====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20141002211139/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-10-02]
**[[1428: Move Fast and Break Things]] was up when it changed from the [[#2014-09-02 - what if? book out|book is out]].
**This was a month after the [[what if|what if?]] book came out.
***It added a line of red text beneath the previous header to announce that the book was the #1 New York bestseller.
**The text was:
***My book is out!
***(#1 New York bestseller!)
**The entire image was a link to the [https://whatif.xkcd.com/book/ The Book] page on the [https://whatif.xkcd.com/ what if?] page on xkcd. post.
**Ended while [[1451: Background Screens]] was up [http://web.archive.org/web/20141125234520/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-11-25].

====2014-09-04 - what if? book out====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20140904150600/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-09-04]
**[[1416: Pixels]] was up when it changed from the [[#2014-09-02 - what if? book out today|book is out today]].
**This was two days after the [[what if|what if?]] book came out.
***It only removed to today from the previous header, that had only been up two days.
**The text was:
***My book is out!
**The entire image was a link to the [https://whatif.xkcd.com/book/ The Book] page on the [https://whatif.xkcd.com/ what if?] page on xkcd. post.
**Ended while [[1428: Move Fast and Break Things]] was up [http://web.archive.org/web/20141001130827/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-09-01].

====2014-09-02 - what if? book out today====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20140902125802/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-09-02]
**[[1415: Ballooning]] was up when it changed from the [[#2014-07-23 - what if? book tour|book tour header]].
**This was the day the [[what if|what if?]] book came out. [[Cueball]] standing to the left of the text with arms raised shouts this out.. The word Book is underlined and blue to indicate a link.
**The text was:
***My book is out today!
**The entire image was a link to the [https://whatif.xkcd.com/book/ The Book] page on the [https://whatif.xkcd.com/ what if?] page on xkcd. post.
**Ended while [[1416: Pixels]] was still [http://web.archive.org/web/20140903134518/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-09-03].

====2014-07-23 - what if? book tour====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20140723180600/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-07-23]
**[[1398: Snake Facts]]
**This was a promotion of his book tour for the [[what if|what if?]] book made by [[Cueball]] standing to the left of the text with arms raised. Several parts of the text was underlined and blue to indicate links.
**The text was:
***I'm going on a book tour! click here for a list of stops.
***Or click anywhere-this whole image is one link because I've never gotten the hang of HTML imagemaps.
**The entire image was a link to the [[Blag]] post: [https://blog.xkcd.com/2014/07/22/what-if-book-tour/ What If book tour!].
***Later Randall commented on this lacking ability in the comic: [[1572: xkcd Survey]].
**Ended while [[1415: Ballooning]] was still up [http://web.archive.org/web/20140901113916/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-09-01].

====2014-03-13 - what if? announced====
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20140313070951/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-03-13]
**[[1341: Types of Editors]] was up.
**This was the first promotion of Randall's new [[what if|what if?]] book which is shown next to two lines of text.
**The text was:
***News:
***I'm publishing a ''what if'' book!
**The entire image was a link to the [[Blag]] post: [https://blog.xkcd.com/2014/03/12/what-if-i-wrote-a-book/ What if I wrote a book?]
**Ended while [[1397: Luke]] was up [http://web.archive.org/web/20140722142115/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-07-22].

====Changes not documented yet 1====
*Before the above was up till [http://web.archive.org/web/20140312041127/http://xkcd.com/ 2014-03-12]:
**xkcd updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
*More changes could be earlier than this.

[[Category:Meta]]
[[Category:Design of xkcd]]

2402: Into My Veins

2020-12-26T00:06:56Z

108.162.216.58: /* Explanation */ minor edit: replaced "how frustrated people all over" with "how frustrated people are over"

{{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 {{w|COVID-19 vaccine}} and a common {{w|Internet meme|meme}} for when people are excited about something.

COVID-19 has inconvenienced some people,{{Citation needed}} so many 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 ''{{w|The Simpsons}}'') that Barney says after winning a lifetime supply of beer in a movie making contest in the 1995 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. Like some other vaccines, however, it is {{w|Intramuscular injection|injected into a muscle}}, not {{w|Intravenous therapy|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 the 2010 "{{w|Attack of the Killer App}}" episode of ''{{w|Futurama}}''. The COVID-19 vaccine is being provided free of charge to Cueball, so taking money is entirely unnecessary (and possibly illegal).

The attitude of the comic shows how badly many people want this vaccine, how frustrated people are over the experiences of the pandemic. The combination of memes ends up possibly comparing the experience of getting the vaccine to that of being a street drug addict.

==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}}
[[Category:COVID-19]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]

Talk:2337: Asterisk Corrections

2020-07-29T23:05:38Z

108.162.216.58:

I think the only spot of the title text quote into which "witchcraft" makes a decent sentence is to replace "next": "I'd love to meet up, maybe in a few days? Witchcraft week is looking pretty empty" [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.161|173.245.54.161]] 01:02, 25 July 2020 (UTC) Me
:I'd go with replacing "meet up". "I'd love to witchcraft, maybe in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty." [[User:Orion205|Orion205]] ([[User talk:Orion205|talk]]) 01:14, 25 July 2020 (UTC)
:: "I'd love to meet up, witchcraft in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty." would be the third interpretation [[User:Multiverse42|Multiverse42]] ([[User talk:Multiverse42|talk]]) 01:39, 25 July 2020 (UTC)
::Or it could be "I'd love to meet up, maybe witchcraft a few days?" Munroe really loves to mess with people. [[User:A|A]] ([[User talk:A|talk]]) 01:43, 25 July 2020 (UTC)
::If it can take out a whole sentence, "I'd love to meet up in a few days. [Magic & calendar shredding sounds, first sentence replaced with witchcraft] Next week is looking pretty empty." would be a pretty satisfying way I would do it IRL. My plan canceling capabilities are absolute witchcraft [[Special:Contributions/172.69.71.82|172.69.71.82]] 08:53, 25 July 2020 (UTC)
: Alternatively, witchcraft replaces maybe: "I'd love to meet up, [how about we practice] witchcraft in a few days?" [[Special:Contributions/162.158.75.66|162.158.75.66]] 02:06, 25 July 2020 (UTC)

A splat? I didn't know that. IME it's just the messed up word resurrected to, summon a beech, auto corrected to the same wrong word. BTW the asterisk on an obsolete keyboard looked like a squished spider, thus 'splat.'

Asterisks can replace multiple words, right? Something like "I'd like to meet up, maybe witchcraft? Next week is looking pretty empty" could work, yeah? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.135|108.162.246.135]] 04:36, 25 July 2020 (UTC)
:"I'd like witchcraft? Next week is looking pretty empty." [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.18|162.158.159.18]] 12:35, 25 July 2020 (UTC)

I have to admit, before reading the title text I was expecting him to either have a sentence with a single replacement which could go in several locations (maybe both a noun and a verb), or a followup text implying that the obvious place to put those corrections wasn't the intended one. This time I feel a little disappointed; a sentence which feels natural with the replacement in several places would have been much more satisfying than one where it's a stretch to find any suitable place. [[User:Angel|Angel]] ([[User talk:Angel|talk]]) 10:14, 26 July 2020 (UTC)

does it necessarily have to replace a word? i find "I'd love to meet up, maybe witchcraft in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty." to make more sense. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.174.80|172.68.174.80]] 11:30, 26 July 2020 (UTC)

I'd go with replacing "meet". "I'd love to witchcraft up, maybe in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty." --[[Special:Contributions/172.69.34.54|172.69.34.54]] 21:22, 26 July 2020 (UTC)

How about including the text before the quote (this is surely cheated a bit, but it's witchcraft so..): I like witchcraft to make it as hard as possible. "I'd love to meet up, maybe in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty"
Maybe someone can even figure out a version, where interpreting the quote after "witchraft", i.e. "witchcraft"", as part of the correction, could make sense. My knowledge of weird english sentence types is limited, since english is not my mother tongue. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.92.146|162.158.92.146]] 22:20, 26 July 2020 (UTC) WhoCaresAboutMyNameh

I have NEVER seen splat used this way before. Is it really a thing? I have always used regex (s/wrong/correct). [[User:Vampire|Vampire]] ([[User talk:Vampire|talk]]) 03:28, 27 July 2020 (UTC)

I usually put the asterisk after the word, rather than before. For example:

There's smoke coming out of my cat, is that bad?

car*

Is that wrong? --[[User:NeatNit|NeatNit]] ([[User talk:NeatNit|talk]]) 07:27, 27 July 2020 (UTC)

:It seems to be centred in the more modern messaging environments. Geeks from a time before Twitter (heck, before the Web!) might have used s///-notation because it was (to them, i.e. people like me) clear, unambiguous and directly parsable by many who were using (say) Usenet. Even if they weren't coders themselves, they may have picked it up. And it was probably that little less 'snappy' and high volume. I mean, early days-of-Web wasn't exactly a competitor on those fronts, and old conventions and priorities still applied in spades, whether 'chat', IRC, a telnet/dial-up BBS or whatever.
:Then came the rapid demographic changes of The Eternal September, and social-messaging revolutions zooming through Web 2.0 and (what I call, but I don't think is 'official') Web 3.0 which basically dumped the masses into the scene of the day and had more time to think up their new way of working than adopting or adapting holdovers from the now minority/archaic lines of communication (I still use [''#''] for feetnete, a lot; luckily it seems understandable enough, still).
:For what it's worth, I understand the asterisk to be footnote-like. You can't actually edit in the referer at the typo/thinko (if you could, you would just correct it!) but there's an implicit one there after the eroor* you make. Which is supposed to be obvious at the time or, at least, when subsequently your attention is called to it.
:So the follow-up opportunity notes a back-referenced correction of the *error, simply and sharply. If maybe not as unambiguously as you might imagine, but that's how it rolls in today's world, daddy-o! You grok my jive, good buddy? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.96|141.101.98.96]] 08:24, 27 July 2020 (UTC)
:Linguists use an asterisk before something made up or erroneous that's being used as an example so, as a Linguistics graduate, I always saw the "*what I really meant" construction as a sort of progression on from this...but it occurs actually that a) really that's the opposite of how linguists use it and b) most people don't know that linguists do that anyway. So it shouldn't have made any sense to me. But it did.
:So it seems that inasmuch as I immediately grasped what it signified despite all that, somehow it must be fundamentally embedded with very powerful levels of meaning! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.154.131|162.158.154.131]] 13:15, 27 July 2020 (UTC)
::Sometimes, cunning linguists can blow your mind! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.159.66|162.158.159.66]] 14:04, 27 July 2020 (UTC)

:Really, the sentence about riding a horse isn't required for the corrections to have meaning. I showed the corrections without the horse sentence to a group of people, and they still saw the joke. There is enough content in the corrections alone for a human to form a sentence.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.7.97|162.158.7.97]] 21:33, 27 July 2020 (UTC)

:@WhoCaresAboutMyNameh I like trying to make witchcraft "as hard as possible." I'd love to meet up, maybe in a few days? Next week is looking pretty empty.

That's not even how asterisks work, you're supposed to put it at the END* of a word and then the footnote goes at the bottom.

<nowiki>*</nowiki>like this.

Why don't people use carets anymore?

2016: OEIS Submissions

2018-07-08T23:18:13Z

108.162.216.58: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2016
| date = July 6, 2018
| title = OEIS Submissions
| image = oeis_submissions.png
| titletext = SUB[59]: The submission numbers for my accepted OEIS submissions in chronological order
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by an INTEGER SEQUENCE - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
The {{w|OEIS}} is the [https://oeis.org/ Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences], a listing of thousands of sequences of integers, generally of real mathematical interest, such as {{w|prime number}}s or [https://oeis.org/A005188 Armstrong numbers]. The OEIS normally expects submissions to be accompanied by references to scholarly articles about, or at least referencing, the sequence. They would not be interested in the personal or idiosyncratic sequences proposed by Randall, though they do have the [https://oeis.org/A000053 list of subway stops on the New York City Broadway line (IRT #1)], perhaps because a NY Times article mentioned that they don't.

Randall is trying to put his integer sequences on the OEIS website, including making OEIS reveal its password.
{| class="wikitable"
!style="width:10%"|Sub
!style="width:45%"|Requested Sequence
!style="width:45%"|Explanation
|-
|43
|All integers which do not appear in the example terms of another OEIS sequence
|Every OEIS sequence lists several example terms to demonstrate the content of said sequence. This request wants to list all integers which are ''not'' used as examples elsewhere. Any numbers used as example terms for this sequence are not counted, so this list is not self-disqualifying. It is well-defined at any given time. Like many other OEIS sequences, it has infinitely many terms (more precisely, it includes all integers except a finite number). However, it may change at any time, whenever a new sequence or a new example is added to the OEIS. If included, it would therefore have to be constantly updated.

Such integers are sometimes called "{{w|Interesting number paradox|uninteresting numbers}}" in mathematical terms, and attempts have been made to count them. The list changes, but [http://math.crg4.com/uninteresting.html#note4 in July 2009] it began 11630, 12067, 12407, 12887, 13258...
|-
|44
|Integers in increasing order of width when printed in Helvetica
| This sequence is not uniquely defined as it depends on the specific version of the {{w|Helvetica}} font used, its point size, the software used to render it (e.g. kerning algorithm), the handling of equal widths by the sorting algorithm and possibly other parameters. Also, all digits usually have the same width, with the exception of the sequence "11", which is a tiny bit narrower because a kerning pair exists in Helvetica. Without an additional tie-breaker for equal width numbers, the order is: 1 to 9 in no particular order, 11, 10 and 12 to 19 in no particular order and so on; for a particular choice of parameters the first 50 terms might be: 1, 9, 6, 2, 8, 5, 0, 7, 3, 4, 11, 61, 71, 91, 21, 51, 81, 41, 31, 19, 13, 18, 10, 12, 15, 16, 14, 17, 69, 63, 68, 79, 60, 62, 65, 73, 78, 99, 93, 98, 66, 70, 72, 75, 29, 90, 92, 95, 23, 28...
|-
|45
|The digits of Chris Hemsworth's cell phone number
| This request is for actor {{w|Chris Hemsworth}}'s phone number
|-
|46
|All integers, in descending order
|There are an infinite number of integers. To list all integers in descending order, you would have to begin at the largest integer, and terminate only upon reaching the negative integer with the greatest absolute value, both of which are values that cannot be conceived. It is equally impossible to list all integers in ''ascending'' order, for that matter.
|-
|47
|The digits of the OEIS serial number for this sequence
|This sequence is only important tautologically.
|-
|48
|200 terabytes of nines
|This submission appears to be a joke on common video game limits for i.e. currency or ammunition, in which the maximum a player can carry is one less than a power of 10. This sequence would be entirely useless, as there is no mental effort required to conceive a list that consists only of a single repeated term, however arbitrarily large. Such a list is also incredibly wasteful; to give a comparison, [https://phys.org/news/2016-05-math-proof-largest-terabytes.html this very large math proof from 2016] is also 200 terabytes, and requires a supercomputer to hold in its entirety. 
200 terabytes is equal to 2 × 1014 bytes. In UTF-8 all ASCII characters, including control characters such as ␂ (start of text) and ␍ (carriage return), can be represented by a single byte. If the list is presumed to be formatted as "␂9␍9␍9 ... 9␍9␃", the first term would take up 3 bytes, and all other terms would take up 2 bytes. Assuming Randall wants the file size to be 200 terabytes ''minimum'', the resulting list would be a minimum of 1 × 1014, or 100 trillion, terms long.

Curiously, OEIS does in fact contain an entry that lists "[https://oeis.org/A010734 all nines]".
|-
|49
|The decimal representation of the bytes in the root password to the Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences server
|This would give any user the password to OEIS. {{w|Internet troll|What happens next}} anyone can easily forecast.
|-
|59 (title text)
|The submission numbers for my accepted OEIS submissions in chronological order
|This would only be useful to Randall. If all of his submissions have been rejected, this would be an empty set. However, if this submission is accepted, the set would, by definition, include at least one number (except that this would not be known at the time of submission). Thus, as in the Russell Paradox, this set would out of date as soon as it was accepted, since the set of accepted submission numbers would change at that point.
|}

==Transcript==
:SUB[43]: All integers which do not appear in the example terms of another OEIS sequence
:SUB[44]: Integers in increasing order of width when printed in Helvetica
:SUB[45]: The digits of Chris Hemsworth's cell phone number
:SUB[46]: All integers, in descending order
:SUB[47]: The digits of the OEIS serial number for this sequence
:SUB[48]: 200 terabytes of nines
:SUB[49]: The decimal representation of the bytes in the root password to the Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences server

:[Caption below the panel:]
:OEIS keeps rejecting my submissions

{{comic discussion}}

1996: Morning News

2018-05-21T20:41:14Z

108.162.216.58: /* Transcript */

<noinclude>:''"1996", this comic's number, redirects here. For the comic named "1996", see [[768: 1996]].''</noinclude>
{{comic
| number = 1996
| date = May 21, 2018
| title = Morning News
| image = morning_news.png
| titletext = Support your local paper, unless it's just been bought by some sinister hedge fund or something, which it probably has.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DEAR OLD GRANNY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Megan is complaining to Hairbun about her easy access to infuriating national news stories (these may actually be only headlines, in this context) and bad opinions (editorial headlines, editorial articles, & commentary) and worries that it may be having a negative effect on her, either by promoting misinformation, by distraction, or by prompting adverse emotional reaction to content.

Hairbun sarcastically tells Megan that things were different in her time, then states that access to infuriating stories via newspapers required only a tiny bit more time during a morning routine.

Megan counters this idea and says that while it is true that newspapers provided morning news, they also had much more local news mixed in (which may be of a lighter nature, sometimes referred to in a derogatory sense as "fluff" news pieces), and that bad opinions were not granted wide distribution.

Hairbun agrees with Megan on the former and suspiciously suggests that Megan not check the latter.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Megan, looking on a smartphone in her hand, and Hairbun are standing together and talk.]
:Megan: Every morning, before my eyes even focus all the way, I read a bunch of infuriating national news stories and bad opinions. I wonder what this is doing to my brain.
:Megan: It's probably not great.

:[Zoom in to the head of Hairbun.]
:Hairbun: Back in my day, we had to pay people to '''''print out''''' infuriating news stories and bring them to our door. And we waited until we had stumbled out to the '''''kitchen''''' to read them.
:Hairbun: '''''Totally''''' different.

:[Frameless panel, zoom out on both while Megan has lowered her hand holding the phone.]
:Megan: OK, fair. But newspapers at least had more local news mixed in, right?
:Hairbun: Yeah, true.

:[Same as last panel, except it has a border]
:Megan: I bet they weren't full of bad opinions.
:Hairbun: Yyyyyes.
:Hairbun: All our opinions were good. It was a remarkable time.
:Hairbun: Please don't go check.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]

1996: Morning News

2018-05-21T16:59:07Z

108.162.216.58: /* Explanation */

This is comic number 1996, for the comic with the name 1996 click here: [[768: 1996]]
{{comic
| number = 1996
| date = May 21, 2018
| title = Morning News
| image = morning_news.png
| titletext = Support your local paper, unless it's just been bought by some sinister hedge fund or something, which it probably has.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a DEAR OLD GRANNY - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

Megan is complaining to Hairbun about her easy access to infuriating national news stories and bad opinions and worries that it may be having an effect on her. Hairbun sarcastically tells Megan that things were different in her time, stating that access to infuriating national news stories and bad opinions required only a tiny bit more time during a morning routine. Megan counters this idea and says that while it is true they also had much more local news mixed in and that there were no bad opinions. Hairbun agrees with Megan on the former and suspiciously suggests that Megan not check the later.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:[Megan, looking on a smartphone in her hand, and Hairbun are standing together and talk.]
:Megan: Every morning, before my eyes even focus all the way, I read a bunch of infuriating national news stories and bad opinions. I wonder what this is doing to my brain.
:Megan: It's probably not great.

:[Zoom in to the head of Hairbun.]
:Hairbun: Back in my day, we had to pay people to '''''print out''''' infuriating news stories and bring them to our door. And we waited until we had stumbled out to the '''''kitchen''''' to read them.
:Hairbun: '''''Totally''''' different.

:[Frameless panel, zoom out on both while Megan has lowered her hand holding the phone.]
:Megan: OK, fair. But newspapers at least had more local news mixed in, right?
:Hairbun: Yeah, true.

:Megan: I bet they weren't full of bad opinions.
:Hairbun: Yyyyyes.
:Hairbun: All our opinions were good. It was a remarkable time.
:Hairbun: Please don't go check.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairbun]]

390: Nightmares

2018-05-18T19:09:44Z

108.162.216.58: /* Trivia */

{{comic
| number = 390
| date = February 29, 2008
| title = Nightmares
| image = nightmares.png
| titletext = Well, *I* think I'm real. Look at me. Look at my face. Cut me and I'll bleed. What more do you want? Please don't go.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic shows [[Cueball]]'s plight with {{w|nightmare}}s. Since he's gotten used to normal nightmares, his subconscious has begun giving him dreams where he sees his loved ones imploring him to not wake up, lest they perish, as they only exist in his dream. This would mean that Cueball is conscious when he is asleep.

The title text continues this, with [[Megan]] claiming that she is really real, and begging Cueball to stay with her.

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panel:]
:When I got used to the regular nightmares, my subconscious got creative.

:[Megan is standing with her hand on Cueball's shoulder.]
:Megan: Please don't wake up. I don't want to die.

==Trivia==
*This is the first comic posted on a Leap Day ({{w|February 29}}), which fell on a Friday in 2008.
**It was the first leap year after xkcd began in 2005.
**The two next years with leap day also had an xkcd release:
**[[1023: Late-Night PBS]] was released on a Wednesday in 2012.
***Interestingly enough this also has a theme about strange dreams.
**The third leap day after xkcd began again fell on a Monday in 2016 and [[1649: Pipelines]] was released then.
**If the current M-W-F schedule continues and Randall does not make a special comic by deviating from the schedule, the next such comic will not happen before 2036 when the leap day once more falls on a Friday.
**Interesting to note that the first three leap years after xkcd began (in just over 10 years) all fell on a release day, then followed by a break of 20 years.
{{comic discussion}}

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

1990: Driving Cars

2018-05-07T18:07:54Z

108.162.216.58: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1990
| date = May 7, 2018
| title = Driving Cars
| image = driving_cars.png
| titletext = It's probably just me. If driving were as dangerous as it seems, hundreds of people would be dying every day!
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a SCARY CAR- Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

This comic is a joke about how dangerous cars are. It says how it is a giant machine, and Cueball is only able to drive it because he took a driving test. This is similar to other comics (need links) where Randall comments on how odd some of our "routine" everyday tasks are quite unusual when viewed from a certain perspective.

The rest of the joke is in the hover text, "It's probably just me. If driving were as dangerous as it seems, hundreds of people would be dying every day!" Of course, hundreds ([http://asirt.org/initiatives/informing-road-users/road-safety-facts/road-crash-statistics more than 3,000]) of people do die every day in cars, but this amount is minuscule compared to the population of the United States.

A faded Cueball is visible above Cueball in the comic picture. This may be a previous draft that Randall drew on top of.

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

Cueball: Time to accelerate this giant machine up to terrifying speeds and steer it using my hands, which I am allowed to do because I took a 20-minute test in high school!

Below comic: Driving freaks me out.

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:768: 1996

2018-03-20T07:47:20Z

108.162.216.58: I came back to this to cite it, and the ~~~~ thing didn't work right (I blame noscript). the ip I'm adding is my address at uni which I commented under, not my current home ip

The only problem with the N-Spire series is that you have to boot it up. Another problem (ok, the nspires are riddled with problems) is that they are still terribly underpowered compared to the modern mobile device. The last is that they are still objects of mass blunt-force trauma, meaning they are still unwieldy bricks, you now have to wait for 2 minutes while your calculator boots up (''!!''), it's still a low resolution screen, and the processor is still clocked somewhere under 500 MHz.

Now, if T.I. made an android app that offered the entirety of their graphing and CAS functionality they could easily charge $70 and everyone I know (I go to an engineering university) would buy it with no regrets.

--[[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]]_a ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 23:04, 30 November 2012 (UTC)

They'll never do that - profs (not to mention high school teachers) would freak out! If that's not yet the only reason dedicated-hardware graphing calculators still exist, it soon will be. {{unsigned ip|24.218.167.129}}
:Why? Why they would freak out? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.48.107|173.245.48.107]] 22:18, 8 July 2014 (UTC)
::I can think of a couple reasons: I can't imagine many teachers or professors allowing students to use their smartphones in an exam scenario. (Honest sir, I'm only using my calculator app!). A large proportion of profs I've dealt with tend to be creatures of habit, with a certain resistance to change. Rightly or wrongly they know the existing calculators work, so why change. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:53, 13 October 2014 (UTC)
:::Wait. Are you telling me I can get a college degree for the price of a calculator case and someone to fit a phone in it?

[[User:Weatherlawyer| I used Google News BEFORE it was clickbait]] ([[User talk:Weatherlawyer|talk]]) 21:22, 26 January 2015 (UTC)

:TI has, in fact, already made a [http://education.ti.com/en-GB/aus-nz/nspire-family/ipad TI-Nspire iPad app] (but there's nothing official for Android). --[[User:Qwach|Qwach]] ([[User talk:Qwach|talk]]) 19:21, 31 August 2013 (UTC)
:: If we're talking about apps, then Maxima for Android is all you need. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.196|108.162.212.196]] 23:45, 12 January 2014 (UTC)

This explanation misses an important point of the comic's punchline: back in the mid-'90s, you would spend lots of cash for something that, by today's standards, is underpowered. While the observation about the state of changing technology between then and now is valid, the punchline to the comic is that in the case of TI calculators, not only has the *technology* not moved forward, but the *price* hasn't changed either! Nobody would nowadays pay 3000 dollars for the 100MHz Pentium machine mentioned in the comic, but people still spend 100 dollars on a 10MHz calculator. Madness. This is why the characters stumble over the "Times sure have changed" sentiment because, in the TI case, nothing has changed at all. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.81.216|141.101.81.216]] 09:18, 24 February 2014 (UTC)

My TI-84 Plus is 95 x 63 pixels, rather than 96 x 64. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.209|108.162.246.209]] 02:21, 5 October 2014 (UTC)

Did you look under the battery holder? Perhaps a pixel broke loose and slipped under there. {{unsigned ip|199.27.133.123}}

The operating system hides the last row and column of pixels from you, particularly on the graph screen, giving the appearance that it's 95x63, but it really is 96x64. Also, the original version of this comic had the dimensions at 96x62, but Randall later fixed it to the correct 96x64.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.216|108.162.237.216]] 20:33, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

It is worth noting that it takes exactly 768 bytes to store an image of the screen, and there are several 768 byte buffers used by the OS for saving the screen. I don't know the comic number is on purpose, but it's certainly quite appropriate. --[[Special:Contributions/73.176.149.27|73.176.149.27]] 03:16, 4 October 2017 (UTC)

Talk:1821: Incinerator

2017-04-08T07:15:14Z

108.162.216.58:

The crisis could come from a more abstract feeling thinking of the incinerating/trash devices as Ouroboros, serpents biting their own tail or nilpotent matrices. Nothing would be left. Sebastian --[[Special:Contributions/162.158.88.62|162.158.88.62]] 06:01, 8 April 2017 (UTC)

There also might be a more practical explanation of the crisis; in my experience it is extremely difficult to convey to trash collectors that a garbage can itself is part of the trash. Merely placing it inside another, larger trash receptacle is often not enough to convince them to collect it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.58|108.162.216.58]] 07:15, 8 April 2017 (UTC)

1809: xkcd Phone 5

2017-03-11T01:47:30Z

108.162.216.58: editing italics

{{comic
| number = 1809
| date = March 10, 2017
| title = xkcd Phone 5
| image = xkcd_phone_5.png
| titletext = The phone will be collected by the toll operators and mailed back to you within 4-6 weeks.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Needs a lot more}}
This is the fifth entry in the ongoing [[:Category:xkcd Phones|xkcd Phone series]], and once again, the comic plays with many standard tech buzzwords and horribly misuses all of them, to create a phone that sounds impressive but self-evidently isn't to even the most ignorant customer. The previous comic in the series [[1707: xkcd Phone 4]] was released almost 8 months before this one.

===Table of features===
{| class="wikitable"
!Feature
!Explanation
|-
|'''Bluetooth speaker'''
| This is the only potentially useful feature of this phone as while a {{w|bluetooth}} speaker built in to the device would be no more useful for playing music from it than any other speaker it would enable other devices to play through your phone. This is perhaps a jab at the current trend of playing music or Internet content audibly in public through the tiny, tinny speaker embedded in most phones.
|-
|'''Stained-glass display'''
| Prevents seeing certain colors by tinting the display. {{w|Stained glass}} has traditionally been used for decorative windows in buildings, and is far thicker than glass normally used for touch-screens, making it both cumbersome and difficult to use.
|-
|'''Gallium chassis remains solid up to 85°F'''
| Many high-end electronic devices have chassis made of alloys of light metals such as magnesium or titanium. Besides being lightweight and of superior quality and durability than ordinary sheet steel or cheap plastic, these are often perceived as bragging points by the users, boasting about 'rare' metal chassis.

{{w|Gallium}} is a not-so-well known metal that has a very low melting point of 85 °F (or 29.7 °C), being one of only four metals (the other being mercury, rubidium and caesium) that are liquid near room temperature. Its melting point is lower than a healthy person's body temperature. Having a gallium smartphone chassis would be therefore very impractical because it will melt in user's bare hand and would require using some kind of insulating gloves. Besides it would have to be stored in a cool place and the internal electronics should have really good cooling, otherwise either the external or internal heat would melt the chassis.
|-
|'''Soundproof'''
| Presumably this means that speakers and microphone may not work.
|-
|'''Can feel pain'''
| This could mean either the phone feels pain inflicted upon it or feels the user's pain. Which meaning may become apparent when the chassis melts on contact with exposed skin and the phone is left with open wounds.
|-
|'''E-Z Pass partnership'''
|{{w|E-Z Pass}} is an electronic toll collection system. The vehicle drives through the toll lane without stopping, and sensors detect the pass and deduct the appropriate amount from the user's account. The phone's integration with E-Z Pass is absurd. Not only would you have to stop in order to throw the phone into the coin basket, but you would also lose your phone. The title text says that the phone will be returned to you after 4–6 weeks, which mitigates the second problem slightly, but you would still lose use of the phone for a month.
|-
|'''Foldable (once)'''
|Presumably you can "fold" it by snapping it in half but you can only do this once because the phone won't work once you snap it. It may refer to the fact that a later version of iPhone had a weak spot that lead it to easily folding and breaking.
|-
|'''Screen transfers images to skin'''
| This could either mean the image displayed on the screen or potentially whatever the stained glass image itself is.
|-
|'''Retina storage'''
| This is a play on the name of Apple's prized "{{w|Retina Display}}". The joke may be in reference to Apple's possession of a trademark for the word "retina" in regards to computer equipment, which is made to seem absurd by the unusual use. It is not made clear whose retinas are meant to be stored. Could also be a reference to retinally implanted computers.
|-
|'''Background task automatically catches and eats Pokémon'''
| A reference to {{w|Pokémon Go}}, an augmented reality game where the goal to go to specific locations and play a mini-game in order to catch virtual creatures called pokemon. This phone apparently does it automatically, similar to the external device Pokémon Go Plus. However, it also eats them, which is something that is not part of the game and wouldn't be desirable.
|-
|'''Supercuts partnership'''
| {{w|Supercuts}} is an American hair salon chain that provides hair cuts and styling. The implication here is that the user can get a haircut by sticking their hair in the charging slot. This is not only impractical but would most likely result in a bad haircut. This feature could actually be quite dangerous if the hair is not removed from the charging slot because the hair could melt or catch fire inside of the phone.
|-
|'''Squelch knob'''
|{{w|Squelch}} is a feature of two-way radios (CB, ham, etc) which quiets background noise when no signal is present. For a smartphone, perhaps this knob could control the "signal-to-noise" ratio of your Facebook feed or other social media platforms. It also takes the place of the headphone jack.
|-
|'''IBM buckling-spring Home button'''
|IBM {{w|Buckling spring|buckling-spring}} keyboards are favorites of geeks for the feeling of quality and auditory feedback (keys click loudly) they provide. The iPhone's Home button provides little to no such satisfaction when pressed.
|-
|'''Cot-caught merger switch'''
| This is a reference to the {{w|cot–caught merger}}, a linguistic change happening among English speakers, particularly in some parts of North America and the British Isles, which causes caught (previously pronounced "kawt") to be pronounced the same as cot (pronounced "kot").
|-
|'''60x optical zoom camera'''
|A powerful {{w|zoom lens|optical zoom}} is usually a desirable feature for cameras. However, as shown in the comic, it results in very bulky lens. For that reason, such lens are rarely used in smartphones, though there are some devices like the {{w|Samsung Galaxy Camera}} that have a similar design. This would seem to be a jab at the variety of add-on devices, including close-up lenses, handles and external flashes, that are currently in use to enhance the phone's ability to function like a camera.
|-
|'''Loran navigation'''
| {{w|LORAN}} (Long Range Navigation) was a precursor to modern {{W|Global Positioning System|GPS}} navigation, using land-based transmitters. Once developed for sea shipping, it is accurate to about 300 meters. The joke, of course, is that all modern smartphones have integrated GPS navigation which is far more accurate. Due to the much lower frequencies involved, reception of LORAN signals though is much better in areas with obstructed view of the sky.

Incidentally, some receivers of the {{w|Decca Navigator System}} (which operates on a similar principle as LORAN) featured moving map displays, something we associate with modern GPS devices.
|-
|'''28-factor authentication'''
| An {{w|Authentication#Factors and identity|authentication factor}} is a way of proving one's identity. There are [http://www.nikacp.com/images/10.1.1.200.3888.pdf 3 generally recognized forms]: something you know, something you have, and something you are. It can be a password, a fingerprint, a physical key, etc.... Secure applications may include two or more factors, a common example is the "PIN and chip" system used with credit cards, where you need both the card and secret code to authorize a transaction. Many online services now provide two-factor authentication to protect against password-based attacks. 28-factor authentication would likely be very secure in theory but also so impractical that it would be unusable.
|-
|'''Hook shot'''
| The ''{{w|The Legend of Zelda|Legend of Zelda}}'' [http://zelda.gamepedia.com/Hookshot recurring weapon/tool], used to bring items to {{w|Link (The Legend of Zelda)|Link}} or bring Link closer to a goal. Likely a reference to ''{{w|The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild|Breath of the Wild}}'', which was released a week prior to this comic.
|-
|}

The slogan "We're trying to catch up to Apple but refuse to skip numbers" is likely a reference to Samsung releasing the Note 7 after the Note 5, with no Note 6 in between, in an attempt to catch up to Apple's numbering, which was already to the iPhone 7, and when other companies have done similarly. Nevertheless there was no official iPhone 2 but here an [[xkcd Phone 2]] is available.

==Transcript==
:[An image of a smartphone with a large camera lens on its back is shown. Over the entire length the case is slightly rounded. Clockwise from the top the labels read:]
:Bluetooth speaker
:Stained-glass display
:Gallium chassis remains solid up to 85°F
:Soundproof
:Can feel pain
:E-Z Pass partnership: Phone can be dropped into coin basket to pay tolls
:Foldable (once)
:Screen transfers images to skin
:Retina storage
:Background task automatically catches and eats Pokémon
:Supercuts partnership: Trims hair fed into charging port
:Squelch knob
:IBM buckling-spring home button
:Cot-caught merger switch
:60x optical zoom camera
:Loran navigation
:28-factor authentication
:Hook shot

:[Below the phone:]
:Introducing
:<big><big>The XKCD Phone 5</big></big>
:''We're trying to catch up to Apple but refuse to skip numbers®™''
{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:xkcd Phones]]

Talk:1652: Conditionals

2016-03-07T21:14:26Z

108.162.216.58:

The title text... So he should both stop being pedantic in general and stop caring about conditionals in particular. What is it he does in the title text... the current explanation of that part is not clear to me. Is it completely clear who speaks which line in the title text...? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 15:03, 7 March 2016 (UTC)
:It is fairly obvious that the line "If you're done being pedantic, we should get dinner," is provided by Cueball's friend, as it is already established that Cueball was the one being pedantic about conditionals in the first place. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.12|108.162.216.12]] 15:15, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

To me the word "Conditionals" is clearly in the grammatical sense. Computer programming was invented literally centuries after the grammatical meaning, and the joke would have been as meaningful 3000 years ago as it is today. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.13|108.162.221.13]] 15:17, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

The particular kind of conditional that Cueball's friend is using is called a "biscuit conditional," after the example "There are biscuits in the sideboard if you want some" (from the philosopher J.L. Austin). There's a bit of discussion of them at [http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1469 Language Log]--Cueball is doing what Sam C talks about in the first comment, deliberately misunderstanding the conditional. The characteristic of these conditionals is that the truth of the consequent doesn't depend on the truth of the antecedent (the "if" clause), but the consequent isn't relevant if the antecedent isn't true--if Cueball didn't want to hang out, it wouldn't matter that his friend was in the city.
In the title text, Cueball thinks that his friend is uttering another biscuit conditional, and that just saying that they should get dinner. But the truth of the consequent really is dependent on the truth of the antecedent--if Cueball isn't done being pedantic his friend doesn't want to get dinner. So I think it is accurate to say "The intent is to show that because the initiator still believes that Cueball is still being pedantic, then he believes that it is not a good idea to have dinner together," though maybe it could be expressed more clearly. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.60.23|162.158.60.23]] 15:57, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

Didn't Demitri Martin do this joke like 10 years ago? :P [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.63|108.162.221.63]] 18:11, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

Whenever there is something like this that annoys me and I find out it has a name (like relevance conditional), it stops bothering me. [[User:HisHighestMinion|HisHighestMinion]] ([[User talk:HisHighestMinion|talk]]) 20:20, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

The one that always bugs me is the Steven Universe intro song:

''We are the Crystal Gems
''We'll always save the day,
''and if you think we can't
''We'll always find a way.

Something about the "if" being at the beginning of the biscuit clause throws me. What if I think they can save the day? Then there's no guarantee that they will! But if I AM always thinking that they can't save the day, then they will ALWAYS find a way. Therefore I think they will always find a way. It's so circular![[User:NotLock|NotLock]] ([[User talk:NotLock|talk]]) 20:28, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

The title text (you did it again - no I didn't) hearkens back to 725 Literally [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.58|108.162.216.58]] 21:14, 7 March 2016 (UTC)

1649: Pipelines

2016-03-04T16:46:57Z

108.162.216.58: /* Transcript */ fsh

{{comic
| number = 1649
| date = February 29, 2016
| title = Pipelines
| image = pipelines.png
| titletext = In the future, every single pipeline will lead to the bowl of a giant blender, and we'll all just show up with a bucket each day to take our share of the resulting smoothie.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The table with all the items should be filled out with explanations etc. and the diameter should be calculated from real data (with references). Or with the new version of the table another column should be added with the use in gigaliter for each substance in the US to compare}}

Follows a similar idea to the [[what if?]] {{what if|147|Niagara Straw}}, (from three days before this comic's release), where the entire water flow over {{w|Niagara Falls}} is imagined to flow through a straw (i.e. 7 mm diameter with disastrous results).

In this comic [[Randall]] imagines what size pipes are necessary to carry US domestic production/consumption of various fluids if the flow rate were fixed at 4 meters per second. Randall notes that "many pipes would overlap", owing to the fact that consumption of one item as corn syrup would be due to the production of one of the others, in this case soda pop (another example, than the previous one which is actually mentioned in the comic, could be gasoline which is produced from petroleum ).

The top panel is in [http://store-xkcd-com.myshopify.com/products/actual-size-stickers actual size] (something Randall often jokes about but here he means it). This means that if you look at the image in actual size (or measure lengths in the full size image) then the measured diameter is the diameter Randall has calculated the pipe should be, based on his data for the consumption of these substances.

In the second panel the pipes are too big for his drawing. To indicate the scale he has both inserted a human (appearance like [[Megan]], but with blonde hair, i.e. not Megan) and the top panel has been shrunk down to indicate how much larger the bottom panel is (this is similar to the link between the panels in [[980: Money]]). Using the size of the top panel and the smaller insert, it can be found that the scale is 20:1. (The woman is 9 cm tall in the image, which makes her 180 cm -- 5 feet 11 inches -- in "real life"). The pipe next to her for gasoline would have a diameter of 2.2 m.

Since the caption at the top mentions both fluid produced and consumed in the US it becomes very difficult to find out which number Randall uses. For instance the consumption of wine in the US and the production of wine in the US is not necessarily the same as wine is both imported and exported. Should there then be two pipes? Unlike similar comics (like Money mentioned above) there are no references for where Randall has the data for this comic.

As usual with xkcd, the absurdity -- and improbability -- of routing the entirety of each fluid through a single pipe at any point is the source of humor. In addition, despite Randall's stated assumption that all the fluids are magically flowing at the same rate as public water (4 meters per second), many could never actually do so; some "fluids" shown are too viscous (e.g. peanut butter, Silly Putty, meat), adhesive (e.g. maple syrup), or thermally impractical (e.g. glass, cheese, ice cream and yogurt). Lastly, many are just plain zany (e.g. saliva a reference to another what if? {{what if|144|Saliva Pool}}). Note that at the bottom of the last panel there is a much larger pipe for the tap water used by the public. All substances are listed below in the [[#Table|table]].

The title text refers to a possible future based on the idea of this comic in which all the pipes with the above mentioned fluids will actually lead into the same hole as shown in the top right panel. This hole will then be the bowl of a giant blender that mixes all these substances together to a ''{{w|smoothie}}''. The future people will then just come up to this blender and get a bucket full of this mix each day. In reality, this would be an impractical method of getting all of the fluids. Setting the logistical considerations of such a setup aside, this would mean that ketchup and salsa, both intended for human consumption, would be mixed with fluids which are harmful to humans, such as windshield wiper fluid.

Note: "Soup" has been left out, and it might have been expected in this comic due to the similarity to this system with [[Beret Guy|Beret Guy's]] use of a "soup outlet" as an entrepreneur in [[1293: Job Interview]]. It is probably a larger pipeline than salsa and possibly even ketchup. However, there are many different varieties of soups, and most soup is probably not bought finished, both very good reasons to not include it in the chart. But still the idea of having a soup outlet is very similar to this comic.

===Table===
*All the substances are listed here in the "reading" order also used in the transcript.
*The diameter is for the inner part of the tube.
*GL is for GigaLiters - or Billion Liters. This is strictly the annual discharge of the Size (cm) column at 4 m/s.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
|+ All substances with size as found in the picture, vs. size calculated from public information
|-
! scope="col" | Substance
! scope="col" | Size (cm)
! scope="col" | Annual Discharge (GL)
! scope="col" | Explanation
|-
| {{w|Toothpaste}}
| 3.5
| 0.121
| In the title text of [[1599: Water Delivery]] Randall claims that he as a child could not understand why there were no toothpaste pipe to his house when there was one for water... Giving this is at the top, this is a clear allusion to this comment. Calculation is based on 542 g/year per capita consumption of toothpaste. Source: [https://www.google.com/search?q=toothpaste+consumption+by+country&tbm=isch&pf=m#imgrc=2wpGcxkoKlCvAM%3A here].
The year the graph was made in is estimated to be 2013, and 316.5 million estimated 2013 US population to calculate the diameter above.
|-
| {{w|Nail polish}}
| 0.4
| 0.000159
| Much less than acetone, which is used as a nail polish remover.
|-
| {{w|Windshield washer fluid}}
| 5.6
| 0.311
| Largely water
|-
| {{w|Silly putty}}
| 0.1
| 0.0000991
| Smallest diameter
|-
| {{w|Shampoo}}
| 4
| 0.159
|
|-
| {{w|Honey}}
| 5.2
| 0.268
|
|-
| {{w|Blood donation|Donated blood}}
| 0.9
| 0.00803
|
|-
| {{w|Vanilla}}
| 0.4
| 0.000159
| Not the ice but the spice (which is black as the substance in the vanilla pipe).
|-
| {{w|Ketchup}}
| 5.2
| 0.268
|
|-
| {{w|Salsa (sauce)|Salsa}}
| 3.6
| 0.128
| Smaller than a typical jar
|-
| {{w|Sunscreen}}
| 1.35
| 0.0181
|
|-
| {{w|Personal lubricant}}
| 0.65
| 0.00419
| Aka lube
|-
| {{w|LCD liquid}}
| 0.26
| 0.000670
| For {{w|Liquid-crystal display}}
|-
| {{w|Mayonnaise|Mayo}}
| 4.4
| 0.192
| Or mayonnaise
|-
| {{w|Printer ink}}
| 1.4
| 0.192
|
|-
| {{w|Maple syrup}}
| 1.8
| 0.0178
|
|-
| {{w|Hair conditioner|Conditioner}}
| 2.5
| 0.0620
| For hair
|-
| {{w|Mustard (condiment)|Mustard}}
| 3.7
| 0.136
|
|-
| {{w|Liquid soap}}
| 4.7
| 0.219
|
|-
| {{w|Olive oil}}
| 6.2
| 0.381
| Largest diameter in the upper chart
|-
| {{w|Coffee}}
| 58
| 33.4
|
|-
| {{w|Peanut butter}}
| 8.6
| 0.733
| Smallest diameter in the bottom chart
|-
| {{w|Ice cream}}
| 20
| 3.97
|
|-
| {{w|Cheese}}
| 70
| 48.6
| Made from milk (cow) also in the chart
|-
| {{w|Carbonated water|Soda}}
| 82
| 66.7
| As in club soda
|-
| {{w|Acetone}}
| 13.6
| 1.83
| An organic chemical used as a highly potent cleaner in labs.
|-
| {{w|Liquor}}
| 15
| 2.23
| May not include beer or wine (also in chart)
|-
| {{w|Gasoline}}
| 220
| 480.
| Made from petrol, also in the chart
|-
| {{w|Yogurt}}
| 15
| 2.23
| Made from milk (cow), also in the chart
|-
| {{w|Milk#Cow.27s_milk|Milk (cow)}}
| 106
| 111
|
|-
| {{w|Bottled water}}
| 71
| 50.0
| See also [[1599: Water Delivery]]
|-
| {{w|Sugar}}
| 42
| 17.5
| See also [[1639: To Taste]]
|-
| {{w|Saliva}}
| 85
| 71.6
| From these data it could be calculated how long it would take America to drool enough to fill that pool from the what if? {{what if|144|Saliva Pool}}.
|-
| {{w|Wine}}
| 18
| 3.21
| Americans drank just under [https://www.wineinstitute.org/resources/statistics/article86 900 million gallons of wine in 2014], or almost 3.4 million cubic metres per year meaning that Americans drink about 0.11 m3/s. With the pipe flowing at 4 m/s this pipe must have an area of 268cm2. The radius of a pipe of area 268cm^2 is 9.25 cm. The wine pipe should thus have a diameter of 18.5 cm, very close to the one found by measuring on the chart.
|-
| {{w|HFCS}}
| 20
| 3.97
| High fructose corn syrup
|-
| {{w|Breast milk|Milk (human)}}
| 10.6
| 1.114
|
|-
| {{w|Petroleum}}
| 318
| 1002
| Largest diameter in the bottom chart, except for the public water. Also known as crude oil. Used to make for instance gasoline, also in the chart.
|-
| {{w|Meat}}
| 59
| 34.5
|
|-
| {{w|Glass}}
| 28
| 7.77
|Glass is rumored to be a liquid. However, glass is an amorphous solid; people, wrongfully, assumed this lack of crystallinity gave it the potential for viscous flow, making it technically a liquid. This is incorrect as glass is composed of covalently bound molecules in a somewhat disorganized fashion, more similar to a thermoset plastic than a liquid. This common misconception was referred to before in the title text of [[843: Misconceptions]].
|-
| {{w|Beer}}
| 54
| 28.9
|
|-
| {{w|Tea}}
| 41
| 16.67
|
|-
| {{w|Cement}}
| 74
| 54.3
|
|-
| {{w|Tap water|Public water}}
| 2550
| 64,465
| Using the formula [http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/564058/calculate-the-radius-of-a-circle-given-the-chord-length-and-height-of-a-segment here] it is possible to calculate the diameter of a circle given the chord length = l and height = h of a segment. From the drawing (and scaling) l = 390 cm and h = 15 cm. The formula states that D = h + l2/(4*h) = 15 cm + (390 cm)2/(4*15 cm) = 2550 cm.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the first main panel, to the left of a smaller panel to the right.]
:<big>The size of the US’s</big>
:<big><big>'''Pipelines'''</big></big>
:<big>if each fluid produced or consumed in the US has to be carried by a single pipe</big>
:Assuming they all flowed at the same speed of about 4m/s
:Note: Many pipelines would overlap (eg. '''soda'''/corn syrup)

:[There is a small panel to the right showing three gray pipes of different sizes leading out over a large hole in the ground. Only a part of the hole can be seen at the bottom left part of the panel, but it curves around indicating it is a large circular hole. The pipes are supported by small legs beneath them and from the end of all three thick liquids are squirting out and down into the hole. The first pipe is by far the largest; the liquid from it is white, but not as white as the background. The second pipe is by far the smallest squirting dark red liquid and the final rightmost pipe is in between and squirts our light brown liquid. Each pipe is labeled. The label on the smallest cannot be read properly, but from the info gained in the next panel it can be inferred for certain what it says (and this is indicated here below):]
:[Large pipe (white)]: Mayo
:[Small pipe (dark red)]: Nail polish
:[Medium pipe (light brown)]: Maple syrup

:[Below is a large panel with a caption at the top. And below this there are twenty circles in different sizes and with different color (or even texture). Each circle is labeled, for the five smallest the label is outside, in one case with an arrow indicating where the label belongs. The rest has the label inside. The text is in black except for four of those with text inside, but with red of black color. Here the text is white. The labels are indicated by color and size, going roughly from top left in reading order based on the position and size of circles not of position of the text:]

:<big>Actual size </big> (When viewed on a typical computer screen) 
:[Medium green blue and white spiral]: Toothpaste
:[Tiny dark red]: Nail polish
:[Big light blue with white specks]: Windshield washer fluid
:[Very tiny purple]: Silly putty
:[Medium light green]: Shampoo
:[Large dark yellow]: Honey
:[Very small blood red]: Donated blood
:[Tiny black]: Vanilla
:[Big red]: Ketchup
:[Medium dark red with chunks of in different green and lighter red colors]: Salsa
:[Small white]: Sunscreen
:[Very small light green]: Personal lubricant
:[Very tiny gray]: LCD liquid
:[Medium off-white]: Mayo
:[Very small black]: Printer ink
:[Small light brown]: Maple syrup
:[Small light green]: Conditioner
:[Medium yellow]: Mustard
:[Large light green]: Liquid soap
:[Big olive green]: Olive oil

:[The panel just described is indicated to fit into a small rectangle at the top left of the next panel below. There are four lines ending at the four corners of this small rectangle, two of these are going to the two bottom corners and the other two ends on the lower part of the panel just above the small rectangle. They are indicated to go under the panel and would hit the two top corners if extrapolated). The 11 largest circles are clearly seen, but most of the other circles can also be noted. The colors are the same but any features in the original circles as well as the labels are gone. The part of the black top frame of the next panel below is faded out to gray in between the section cut off by the two lines going to the bottom corners of the panel above. This rectangle indicated the increasing size compared to the first panel above.]

:[Apart from the insert mentioned above the second panel follows the same layout, but with 22 circles with even larger range of sizes. The panel is more than twice as long as the first panel. A Megan-like girl, but with white hair, is drawn at the top of the panel just left of the middle. Her hair close to the top, just below the line going to the right corner above. There are two medium and five smaller circles to her left and one small close to her head and one huge circle to her right. Her feet are less than a third down this panel standing on top of the next row of circles. In the bottom half of the panel there is a giant circle which almost touches the left side of the panel. There are smaller circles above it and down along the right side. One last circle is to the left almost at the bottom. At the very bottom is a slightly curving line to indicate a much much larger blue circle that only graces the panel (no. 23). There is a small green fish in this water to the left of the label. Below the labels are again listed as above. One label has a foot note. But it is written directly beneath the circle in which it is referenced. So it will be written together with the label on the next line. There is also one case with an arrow used to indicate where the label belongs.]

:[Medium dark gray]: Coffee
:[Very tiny gray]: Peanut butter
:[Very small gray with black specks]: Ice cream
:[Very small yellow with white specks]: Cheese
:[Large brown with white fizzing]: Soda
:[Tiny White]: Acetone
:[Tiny gray]: Liquor
:[Huge dark yellow]: Gasoline
:[Tiny White with blue and orange specks]: Yogurt
:[Big white]: Milk (cow)
:[Large light blue]: Bottled water
:[Small white]: Sugar
:[Large light gray with white specks]: Saliva
:[Very small light yellow]: Wine
:[Very small orange]: HFCS
:[Very tiny white]: Milk (human)
:[Gigantic dark gray]: Petroleum
:[Medium dark red with black texture]: Meat (mostly solid)
:[Small white]: Glass*
::<nowiki>*</nowiki>Solid at room temperature
:[Medium light brown]: Beer
:[Small gray brown]: Tea
:[Large gray]: Cement
:[Gracing bottom of panel light blue, with a fish inside]: Public water

==Trivia==
*In addition to the what if? article, the relevancy of pipelines, particularly regarding public water, is heightened due to the ongoing public health crisis in {{w|Flint, Michigan}}, caused by recent (mis-)management of their public water system.
**See McLaughlin, Elliot. [http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/18/us/flint-michigan-water-crisis-five-things/index.html 5 things to know about Flint's water crisis], '{{w|CNN}}', January 21 2016. Retrieved 1 March 2016.
**Studies have shown that temporary use of the Flint River as a water source caused corrosive water to leach lead from old pipes, causing lead poisoning in many residents, particularly children; other ill effects in addition to lead have been noted.
**The crisis has lead to a public outcry against the state "emergency financial management" team appointed and supervised by the state executive (Gov. Rick Snyder and staff) and an outpouring of support from nearby communities such as Metro Detroit via bottled water donations to Flint residents.
*This is the third comic posted on Leap Day ({{w|February 29}}) on Monday in 2016; the previous ones were:
**[[390: Nightmares]] on a Friday in 2008 and
**[[1023: Late-Night PBS]] on a Wednesday in 2012.
**If the current M-W-F schedule continues, the next such comic will not happen before 2036 when the leap day again falls on a Friday (Following the {{w|Solar cycle (calendar)|28 year cycle}}).
**It may also be interesting to note that the first three leap years after xkcd began (in just over 10 years) all fell on a release day, then followed by a break of 20 years.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Rankings]]
[[Category:Food]]
[[Category:Animals]]

1650: Baby

2016-03-02T14:54:37Z

108.162.216.58: /* Table */

{{comic
| number = 1650
| date = March 2, 2016
| title = Baby
| image = baby.png
| titletext = Does it get taller first and then widen, or does it reach full width before getting taller, or alternate, or what?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Maybe there are some better explanations or alternative ones for the table.}}
[[Cueball]] (representing [[Randall]]) is uncomfortable about talking with couples who have just had a baby (here another Cueball-like guy and [[Megan]] with what appears to be a newborn baby). Because he never knows what to say. He has many strange thoughts and/or reasonable questions, that you just do not mention in front of happy parents showing off their precious baby for the first time. (See [[#Table|the table]] below for his thoughts.)

Cueball's thought examples of what he did not say includes the awkward ''You sure did make that'' over the plain strange ''What brand is it?'' past interesting musing about science, which has nothing to do with this baby ''So do they learn words...'' and even on to the worst you could ever do which is to rate someone's baby... So great he did not blurt out with ''★★★★☆ great baby''! Some of the thoughts are quite true, just do not use them on new parents, like ''It doesn't really look like you since you're not a baby.''

In the end he manage to make a lame comment about how cool the baby is, and immediately regrets this as he just know that he might have hurt the new proud parents feelings. Given the other possibilities he discarded before delivering his verdict, it could have been much worse.

In the title text he continues his thoughts again going in the scientific direction with a question regarding how a child grows. Does it get tall first and then put on weight (i.e. widen). This is a valid question which has no general answer. (See more in the table below). But it is not all serious, as he also wonders if the child ''reach full width before getting taller''. That would have been interesting to see a 2 feet high person with an adults sized belly.

Randall was 31 at the time of the release of this comic. As far as this page and Wikipedia informs, he still has no children (although he is married). But given his age it is highly likely that many of his friends are having babies during these years, so he will probably often get into the depicted situation. So it is highly likely that the comic is based on his own experience and that it is indeed Randall depicted as the thinking Cueball.

===Table===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|+ Cueballs thoughts
|-
! scope="col" | Sentense
! scope="col" | Explanation
|-
| Wow, it's getting so big! Unlike most babies, which stay the same size forever.
| The first part of the sentence is quite a normal response, if it is not the first time the person sees the baby. But the second part is something Cueball adds in his head, because newborn babies are supposed to grow fast, and it would be strange/bad if the baby had not grown considerably if it had been some month since last time.
|-
| Hi! I'm talking to a baby!
| People often talk to the baby, rather than the parents. This makes no sense for Cueball, as the baby doesn't understand him. Should he mention this?
|-
| What brand is it?
| Typically a question one would ask about a new car, article of clothing, electronics, or other inanimate object, not a baby. Alternatively, the "{{w|brand}}" could also figuratively refer to the baby's sex. Usually it may be OK to ask what sex the baby is, though the normal question would be ''Is it a boy or a girl.''
|-
| Wow, definitely much smaller than a regular person!
| As all babies are... Typically a real response would be ''Wow, they are so small''.
|-
| You sure did make that.
| A typical comment would be ''he sure looks like you''. (See the comment that it doesn't look like you.) Such a sentence basically means you can see that it is clear that these two people did in fact make this baby. But making a baby requires sex, so when he put is like that he actually refers to the sex part, which may be uncomfortable for many people.
|-
| ★★★★☆ great baby.
| It is custom to praise parents for their lovely baby, but do not ever rate it with stars! In [[1608: Hoverboard]] Megan [http://xkcd.com/1608/1019:-1073+s.png rates a sea], something also not usually done. (At least she gives less stars than Cueball does for the baby). According to [[1098: Star Ratings]] this means the baby is OK.
|-
| It doesn't really look like you since you're not a baby.
| A common comment is ''He totally looks like you''. What people mean is that they can see features in the face (he has his fathers nose but his mothers eyes). But of course given that the parents are adults they of course no longer look like a baby. Often it could be speculated that people just say this because they wish to see the similarities and to please the parents (hopefully).
|-
| So do they learn words one at a time alphabetically or can you pick the order or what?
| Here Cueball displays interest in the process of learning to speak a language as a baby. Very interesting subject, but since this is a very small baby not something first time parents for instance would have thought about yet. Learning one word at a time seems reasonable, but the last two suggestions that they learn alphabetically or in a specific order the parents chooses is plain silly.
|-
| I hope it does a good job.
| A baby actually does nothing that can be described as a ''job'', so this statement is not meaningful.
If it were about the future of the baby, it would be a socially very inadequate comment to care only about the possible usefulness of the baby, than to anticipate the joy of the parents about the child's person.
|-
| Title text: Does it get taller first and then widen, or does it reach full width before getting taller, or alternate, or what?
| It is not possible to generalize about how {{w|Child_development#Physical_growth|children grow}}, but of course it doesn't reach full width before getting taller! But it's mostly true that kids do alternate between putting on weight and using that weight to get taller. So they'll might get chubbier during a period of time, but then suddenly they will lose the fat as they grow taller and becomes thin again. If they don't eat much, they may stay small. If you feed them a diet with lots of sugar, they may stay fat even during growth spurts. But not necessarily as each kid is different. The question is thus very interesting, but again not something to discuss as an anecdote the first time you have the chance to comment on a newborn baby.
|}

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing in front of a family consisting a Cueball-like guy holding a newborn baby, with spiky hair, in a blanket and Megan. Cueball is thinking lots of thoughts about what to say to the couple upon seeing their baby for the first time. There is thus a huge thinking bubble in the top of the panel above the characters. Everything in this bubble has been crossed out like taking a pencil and drawing lines on top of the text, but it can still be read. After using all this time thinking, Cueball finally decides what to say, only to immediately regret this as can be seen in a small thought bubble below his spoken line, which is between the huge and the small bubble.]
:Cueball (thoughts that are crossed out): 
::Wow, it's getting so big! Unlike most babies, which stay the same size forever.
::Hi! I'm talking to a baby!
::What brand is it?
::Wow, definitely much smaller than a regular person!
::You sure did make that.
::★★★★☆ great baby.
::It doesn't really look like you since you're not a baby.
::So do they learn words one at a time alphabetically or can you pick the order or what?
::I hope it does a good job.
:Cueball: Wow, that's a really cool baby!
:Cueball (thinking): Dammit.

:[Caption below the panel:]
:I can never figure out what to say about babies.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]

Talk:624: Branding

2016-01-29T18:17:28Z

108.162.216.58:

The last one's genius; I'd click that. [[Special:Contributions/86.142.45.60|86.142.45.60]] 23:30, 8 April 2013 (UTC)

Fork me on GitHub : ) [[Special:Contributions/62.206.211.29|62.206.211.29]] 09:49, 12 September 2013 (UTC)

:I'd say "F**k me on Github" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.79|108.162.215.79]] 12:18, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

Perhaps he is hinting at the complexity of female anatomy, and lesbians, being the supposed experts would use such a site to share "technical" information, or am I reading into this too far? {{unsigned ip|162.158.91.160}}
:Yes. Yes, you are.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.125|162.158.152.125]] 12:33, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

With the exception of <nowiki>[[Randall]]</nowiki>, this explanation has no internal links, only Wikipedia links. It seems to me that we like to include a few links to related explanations. Are there other comics that mention any of the following, that we could add links to?

* AdBlock
* Pop-ups/banner ads
* Porn sites
* Facebook/Twitter
* GitHub
* Sexual orientation, perhaps?
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.58|108.162.216.58]] 18:16, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

Talk:624: Branding

2016-01-29T18:16:20Z

108.162.216.58:

The last one's genius; I'd click that. [[Special:Contributions/86.142.45.60|86.142.45.60]] 23:30, 8 April 2013 (UTC)

Fork me on GitHub : ) [[Special:Contributions/62.206.211.29|62.206.211.29]] 09:49, 12 September 2013 (UTC)

:I'd say "F**k me on Github" [[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.79|108.162.215.79]] 12:18, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

Perhaps he is hinting at the complexity of female anatomy, and lesbians, being the supposed experts would use such a site to share "technical" information, or am I reading into this too far? {{unsigned ip|162.158.91.160}}
:Yes. Yes, you are.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.152.125|162.158.152.125]] 12:33, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

With the exception of <nowiki>[[Randall]</nowiki>, this explanation has no internal links, only Wikipedia links. It seems to me that we like to include a few links to related explanations. Are there other comics that mention any of the following, that we could add links to?

* AdBlock
* Pop-ups/banner ads
* Porn sites
* Facebook/Twitter
* GitHub
* Sexual orientation, perhaps?
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.58|108.162.216.58]] 18:16, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1636: XKCD Stack

2016-01-29T18:02:37Z

108.162.216.58:

I just came here. AM I IN THE FUTURE? ''I'm in the future!'' {{unsigned ip|199.27.130.246}}
:We are in the future together.{{unsigned|KingSupernova}}
::But if there are no comments, aren't we in the past? The distant past, before the beginning of the comments? ...Watch out for raptors!{{unsigned ip|162.158.2.227}}
:::Can confirm... all you guys are in the past; (as an active time traveller heading to the future, i've seen it all!) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.91.210|162.158.91.210]] 09:11, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

Would you two sign your comments, please? --[[User:PsyMar|PsyMar]] ([[User talk:PsyMar|talk]]) 07:17, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
:It was actually three people '''[[User:Davidy22|{{Color|#707|David}}y²²]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 08:12, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

Right now it says that we aren't yet at the stage of having a CPU in Minecraft. That's not true. SethBling has implemented BASIC [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4e7PjRygt0 using only command blocks, armor stands, and banners]. [[User:DanielLC|DanielLC]] ([[User talk:DanielLC|talk]]) 08:50, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
:That's not really a CPU, it's just an inefficient method to parse characters and compile code. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.38|108.162.216.38]] 17:28, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
::Actually, isn't BASIC an interpreted language? Thus, "compile code" should be stated as "interpret code". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.58|108.162.216.58]] 18:02, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

I would think "archive.org mirror" means a mirror of [company]'s website on archive.org, not a mirror ''of'' archive.org. [[User:Sjorford|Sjorford]] ([[User talk:Sjorford|talk]]) 11:51, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

Docker?
:Docker: A-B
::Nested Docker: A-B-C
:::Doubly Nested Docker: A-B-C-D
::::Triply Nested Docker: A-B-C-D-E
Surely. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.161|141.101.106.161]] 13:38, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
LOL, I read on the front page the bit about Excel being a database, clicked through here to edit it, and found that in the intervening 2 minutes someone had made the exact edit I meant to. The system works :) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.153.59|162.158.153.59]] 14:01, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
:"The Microsoft Jet Database Engine is a database engine on which several Microsoft products have been built." Microsoft Access 95 / Excel 95 Jet version 3.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Jet_Database_Engine [[Special:Contributions/108.162.208.68|108.162.208.68]] 15:19, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

== 48-bit architecture ==

# you mixed together machine word size and address space size, the former is the matter, address space is insignificant (eg most 8-bit computers use 16bit address space).
# there are 48-bit architectures "Computers with 48-bit words include the AN/FSQ-32, CDC 1604/upper-3000 series, BESM-6, Ferranti Atlas, and Burroughs large systems (B5xxx-B8xxx, which additionally had a 3-4 type tag)." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/48-bit
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.208.68|108.162.208.68]] 15:14, 29 January 2016 (UTC)
# Does anyone else think that the 48bit arch could be a reference to the 3/4s from the version number, 48 is 3/4 of 64, which is a much more common arch.

I see it as a Randall-style [[:Category:Compromise|compromise]] between 32- and 64-bits.
Zetfr 17:53, 29 January 2016 (UTC)

== Mystery Networking Horror ==

This may also be a reference to the D-Reaper from the anime ''Digimon Tamers,'' which was a primitive anti-virus and resource manager that was, as TV Tropes put it, ''Gone Horribly Right.'' Constructed to cull AI programs that that exceeded their memory budget on a computer from the year 197X, it saw the Digimon (and humans) in the year 200X as a threat, and was actually able to delete anything in the Digital World that it touched due to having grown more powerful and complex by many orders of magnitude from all of the code it had consumed in the past. It was quite literally a digital ''Eldritch Horror,'' in every sense of the word.

You may view both TV Tropes and the Digimon Wiki for more information on this subject.
- Kitsune_Phoenix; 16:13, 2016-01-29 (UTC)

Talk:1633: Possible Undiscovered Planets

2016-01-22T22:58:10Z

108.162.216.58:

Why is it late? — ''[[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 16:57, 22 January 2016 (UTC)''
:No idea but it's weird. [[User:SuperSupermario24|Just some random derp]] 18:08, 22 January 2016 (UTC)

Why is Earth's "Distance from me" 10000km? -- ''19:26, 22 January 2016 (UTC)''
:The diameter of Earth is ~12000km and distances are measured from the center of the object (that why there is a "Planet ruled out because I would be inside them" zone). I suppose Earth should be placed at a distance of 6000km instead of 12000k (as it is the radius, not the diameter that matter here). [[Special:Contributions/141.101.66.11|141.101.66.11]] 19:43, 22 January 2016 (UTC)
::Earth's distance seems to be to the left of the 10Mm marker on the distance line, to me, although it's hard to tell without a straightedge. Remember the plot is diameter to distance. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.71|108.162.238.71]] 19:52, 22 January 2016 (UTC)

This comic bothers me because the diagonal line with Earth on it cannot possibly represent what it claims. Zero cannot be plotted on the X-axis with this log scale. The entire "I would be inside of them" region is bogus. [[Special:Contributions/188.114.106.83|188.114.106.83]] 19:42, 22 January 2016 (UTC)
:Not if you're measuring to the center of the planet. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.71|108.162.238.71]] 19:52, 22 January 2016 (UTC)
:Also, please sign your comments. I had to sign this one for you. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.71|108.162.238.71]] 19:54, 22 January 2016 (UTC)
:OK, it does make sense if you take the normal convention of arrival and turn it into total core penetration. Sorry about the signing thing. I never use this and wondered where the input for it was. I see now from googling around that you just put it at the end. [[Special:Contributions/188.114.106.83|188.114.106.83]] 20:00, 22 January 2016 (UTC)

Planets ruled out because we could see them during the day = Stars? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.56.5|162.158.56.5]] 21:10, 22 January 2016 (UTC)
: Only stars that are close enough to see during the day. Actually, there's one star that ''is'' close enough that we can see it during the day, although for some reason Randall did not mark it on the chart: our Sun. (Every other star is so far away that it's off the chart.) —[[User:TobyBartels|TobyBartels]] ([[User talk:TobyBartels|talk]]) 21:34, 22 January 2016 (UTC)
::I added the stars statement before reading your comment. Feel free to edit it.
::And I agree that it's strange that Randall didn't mark the Sun. Furthermore, the Sun fits the Greek definition of planet. In fact, it fits any definition of planet better than birds or planes.--[[User:Pere prlpz|Pere prlpz]] ([[User talk:Pere prlpz|talk]]) 21:57, 22 January 2016 (UTC)

: No not stars, this is just about planets -- you can see the moon in the day when in the right position compared to the sun. You would be able to see any planet during the day if the circular surface was sufficiently big, and with a planetary body that is a function of the size over the distance squared -- the moon is just so close that it does not have to that big [[Special:Contributions/162.158.255.109|162.158.255.109]] 22:25, 22 January 2016 (UTC)

I think Randall means "TENTH planet". 22:58, 22 January 2016 (UTC)

Talk:1064: Front Door

2015-12-24T14:19:34Z

108.162.216.58:

What kind of place does Randall live in, to be so afraid of being outside at night? '''[[User:Davidy22|Davidy22]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 13:41, 8 January 2013 (UTC)

Legal professionals take note of potential suspect or scapegoat. [[User:DruidDriver|DruidDriver]] ([[User talk:DruidDriver|talk]]) 02:27, 17 January 2013 (UTC)

It is possible that Randall's fear at his door is from [[87|Velociraptors]] --[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 21:42, 30 April 2013 (UTC) --[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 21:42, 30 April 2013 (UTC)

I don't think the lack of embarressment relates to being eaten by the wolf, but rather the fact that since a wolf being in your yard is a legitimate concern due to Randall releasing one in the next 30 years. Therefore any fear as you approach your front door would be reasonable as there may be a wolf, and you shouldn't feel embarressed about it. {{unsigned ip|108.162.218.47}}

I thought the graph showed that he tripped on the steps in the dark because he was going too fast, and felt embarrassed. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.58|108.162.216.58]] 14:19, 24 December 2015 (UTC)

868: Nolan Chart

2015-12-17T16:21:00Z

108.162.216.58: Removed incomplete tag because the issue with "kite designers" being unexplained seems to have been resolved.

{{comic
| number = 868
| date = March 4, 2011
| title = Nolan Chart
| image = nolan chart.png
| titletext = Also in the right quadrant are NFPA-compliant chemical manufacturers and Sir Charles Wheatstone. Sharing the top with the internet libertarians are Nate Silver and several politically-active kite designers.
}}

==Explanation==
The [http://www.nolanchart.com Nolan Chart] is a visual representation of the political spectrum that measures not only liberal vs conservative tendencies but also libertarian and statist tendencies. In this comic, it is taken to a different end. One one side are both Democrats and Republicans and on the other side is baseball fans. In the typical Nolan Chart, Libertarians are in the top quadrant, but in this one "Internet Libertarians" take the spot because they love the Nolan Charts (which are found online) and have a lot of political opinions.

Nolan may also refer to baseball hall of famer [http://baseballhall.org/hof/ryan-nolan Nolan Ryan].

In the title text, the NFPA-compliant chemical manufacturers are mentioned because of [http://ehs.okstate.edu/modules/hazcom/nfpadia2.gif this diagram]. Sir Charles Wheatstone was the inventor of the Wheatstone bridge, which is also {{w|File:Wheatstonebridge.svg|diamond-shaped}}. The image text makes reference to Nate Silver, who previously worked for Baseball Prospectus and now writes a data-driven political and sports blog called Five Thirty Eight for ESPN. He is both a lover of diamond-shaped diagrams and has political opinions. Politically-active kite designers both would have strong political opinions (it comes with the territory of being politically active) and would love diamond-shaped diagrams, presumably because they would be interested in blueprints of kites.

==Transcript==
:[Diamond-shaped four-panel diagram.]
:[Top panel labeled "internet libertarians".]
:[Left panel labeled "Democrats, Republicans".]
:[Bottom panel labeled "other".]
:[Right panel labeled "baseball fans".]
:[Axis increasing in the upper-left direction labeled "political opinions".]
:[Axis increasing in the upper-right direction labeled "love of diamond-shaped diagrams".]

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Baseball]]
[[Category:Internet]]

395: Morning

2015-12-11T20:18:03Z

108.162.216.58: This comic doesn't have color...

{{comic
| number = 395
| date = March 12, 2008
| title = Morning
| image = morning.png
| titletext = I'd press on them to try to unstick them, but I can't reach. Can we try cycling day and night really fast?
}}

==Explanation==
This comic makes reference to the idea, as presented in the movie {{w|The Matrix}}, that reality is a computer simulation. In {{w|Liquid-crystal display|LCD screens}}, especially {{w|TFT LCD}}, a {{w|Defective pixel|dead pixel}} is a pixel that does not work properly, usually set as black or as some other color. Megan realizes that the reality is a computer simulation when she sees dead pixels in the sky, indicating that what she sees is an LCD screen.

Just to annoy the reader, Randal has placed two red pixels in the comic that look exactly like actual dead pixels.

The title text refers to usual techniques for fixing a dead pixel are applying pressure and releasing it, which isn't possible for Megan due to the distance of the sky, and making that area of the screen change colors really quickly, which could happen if the day-and-night cycle was fast enough.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is standing to one side.]
:We've all seen The Matrix
:We've all joked about "What resolution is life"
:But it doesn't blunt the shock
:Of waking up one morning
:[Megan looks up from field and sees several colored pixels in the sky.]
:And seeing dead pixels in the sky.

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

947: Investing

2015-11-19T01:57:44Z

108.162.216.58: /* Explanation */ Reference a corollary in the title text to 799: Stephen Hawking

{{comic
| number = 947
| date = September 5, 2011
| title = Investing
| image = investing.png
| titletext = But Einstein said it was the most powerful force in the universe, and I take all my investment advice from flippant remarks by theoretical physicists making small talk at parties.
}}

==Explanation==
{{w|Compound interest}} is a type of {{w|interest}} in which the interest earned is added to the total amount, so that the interest itself then begins to gain interest in an exponential fashion. This contrasts to {{w|simple interest}}, where the amount used to calculate the interest will always stay at a fixed value. In economics classes, many teachers like to demonstrate extreme examples of compound interest, typically turning a thousand dollars into tens of thousands thanks to unrealistically high interest rates over several decades. But here, Ponytail discovers that a more realistic example is less than overwhelming.

There is an urban legend that Einstein said that compounding interest is the most powerful force. [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=250 Snopes] has its [http://www.snopes.com/quotes/einstein/interest.asp doubts about it].

The idea in the title text that people take advice from physicists making small talk is also referenced in [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/Stephen_Hawking 799: Stephen Hawking].

==Transcript==
:Ponytail: Sure, 2% interest may not ''seem'' like a lot. But it's ''compound''!

:[Ponytail opens a computer and begins calculating.]
:Ponytail: If you invest $1,000 now, in just ten short years you'll have...
:...let's see...

:Ponytail: ...$1,219.

:Ponytail: Ok, so compound interest isn't some magical force.
:Megan: Yeah, I'm just gonna try to make more money.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Math]]

666: Silent Hammer

2015-11-08T21:49:46Z

108.162.216.58: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number =666
| date =November 23, 2009
| title =Silent Hammer
| image =silent_hammer.png
| titletext ='I bet he'll keep quiet for a couple weeks and then-- wait, did you nail a piece of scrap wood to my antique table a moment ago?'
}}
==Explanation==
[[Black Hat]] has created a set of tools that work in complete silence so that he can go to the house of the chairman of the {{w|The Skeptics Society|American Skeptics Society}} late at night, do some rearranging of walls and moving of windows, just to screw with him in typical Black Hat fashion. A {{w|skeptic}} is someone who questions knowledge, facts and beliefs, especially of supernatural phenomena like the existence of {{w|poltergeists}} which Black Hat is trying to imitate with his rearranging and scratching noises.

The American Skeptics Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting skeptical and critical thinking in education and public discourse. The executive editor, Michael Shermer, is a leading proponent of skepticism, and has written many books and articles debunking pseudoscience, fringe science, quack medicine, alien abductions, conspiracy theories and supernatural phenomena. The Skeptic Society website [http://www.skeptic.com] and Skeptic magazine feature a lot of material debunking anecdotal accounts of these phenomena, explaining how events like "hauntings" could have occurred without supernatural intervention.

One of the premises of modern skepticism is that the supernatural is not rejected out of hand; if a skeptic ever encountered an event with no possible explanation other than a supernatural one, he would be forced to acknowledge the existence of that type of supernatural force or entity. Skeptics maintain that no such event has ever occurred. Black Hat's prank is designed to give Mr. Shermer a seemingly supernatural experience that he would not be able to debunk, so he would have to accept a supernatural explanation, to the detriment of his life's work and that of the society he runs.

In the title text Cueball realizes that Black Hat has (probably intentionally) ruined his antique table by demonstrating his silent hammer.

Black Hat's tools are seen in two boxes labelled "drills" and "non-drills", likely a reference to the phrase "this is not a drill", used to differentiate an emergent situation from a practice of procedure for such.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat is hammering something on a table.]
:Cueball: What—
:Black Hat: Silent hammer. I've made a set of silent tools.
:Cueball: Why?
:Hammer: ''woosh woosh woosh''

:Black Hat: Stealth carpentry. Breaking into a house at night and moving windows, adjusting walls, etc.
:[He takes his silent hammer over to a tool bench with other things on it. Two boxes underneath are labeled "Drills" and "Non-Drills."]

:Black Hat, narrating: After a week or so of questioning his own sanity, the owner will stay up to watch the house at night. I'll make scratching noises in the walls, pipe in knockout gas, move him up to his bed, and never bother him again.
:[The events he's describing are shown in two mini-panels below.]

:Cueball, off-panel: Nice prank, I guess, but what's the point?
:Black Hat: Check out the owner's card, on the table.
:Cueball, off-panel: Chair of the American Skeptics Society? Oh, god.
:Black Hat: Yeah, this doesn't end well for him.

==Trivia==
The comic number is 666, which is the "mark of the beast" according to the book of Revelation in the Christian Bible.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Black Hat]]

933: Tattoo

2015-01-10T23:12:00Z

108.162.216.58: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 933
| date = August 3, 2011
| title = Tattoo
| image = tattoo.png
| titletext = I calculate that the electrons in radiation therapy hit you at 99.8% of the speed of light, and the beam used in a 90-second gamma ray therapy session could, if fired with less precision, kill a horse (they did not let me test this).
}}
==Explanation==
An {{w|Oncologist}} is a doctor who specializes in the treatment of {{w|cancer}}. This comic is certainly related to the {{w|breast cancer}} issue that [[Randall]] is going through with his fiancé. [[Megan]] in this comic has a {{w|tattoo}} for the alignment lasers of the radiotherapy machine which will fire a beam of radiation with sufficient intensity to kill the cells in the targeted area. A common such machine is a linear accelerator or "Linac" which accelerates electrons to very high speed, these can then either be used to generate high energy Xrays to treat the patient, or the electron beam itself can be used (both are types of radiation). Commonly when radiotherapy is used as part of breast cancer treatment some combination of both is prescribed. In order to allow healthy tissue to recover better, rather than deliver all the radiation in one go, the treatment is delivered a little bit each day over the course of about a month. It is therefore vital that the radiation can be delivered to the correct target area day after day, and this is done by lining up the alignment lasers of the linac with the skin markers - that is Megan's tattoo dots. It may not be considered a "traditional" tattoo (because it says it was done by her Oncologist and not in a tattoo parlor).

In the last frame, it is mentioned that [[Cueball]] has a barbed wire biceps (the comic erroneously says "bicep" which is not a word, the s is part of the originally Latin word, not a plural s) tattoo, which is common in the US as a tattoo that people get when they want to seem tough, even if they aren't tough already.

The joke in the comic is that Cueball got this barbed wire tattoo to look tough, but it pales in comparison to the tattoo from (or for) the cancer removal or treatment. This is ironic because people who get barbed wire tattoos believe themselves to be tough. It is kind of funny because Cueball has his whole shirt off just to show a biceps tattoo.

The title text references gamma ray therapy after describing electron linear accelerator-based treatment systems; however, technically gamma ray therapy only refers to radionuclide (i.e., Cobalt-60) based radiation therapy systems. In regards to a 90-second session killing a horse, typical dose rates of modern radiation therapy systems are of the order of several Gray per minute for the field sizes used, for example, in the treatment of {{w|breast cancer}}. It is feasible that a single 90-second delivery of radiation could deliver over 10 Gy in a single instance to the specific areas of the body that could be fatal, such as neuropathy or radiation induced liver disease.

==Transcript==
:[Megan is in the panel. Megan points at her chest.]
:Megan: I just have one tattoo - it's six dots on my chest, done by my oncologist.

:Megan: I need them for aligning the laser sights on a flesh-searing relativistic particle cannon,

:Megan: So it will only kill the parts of me

:[Dramatic zoom, the panel background is black, with white text.]
:Megan: That are holding me back.

:[The panel is larger, revealing who they're talking to.]
:Megan: But your barbed wire bicep tattoo is pretty hardcore, too!
:Cueball: No, it's OK. I'll just go put a shirt on.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Cancer]]
[[Category:Physics]]

805: Paradise City

2015-01-09T03:09:18Z

108.162.216.58: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 805
| date = October 13, 2010
| title = Paradise City
| image = paradise city.png
| titletext = Take me down to the paradise municipality / where the grass is mauve and the girls aren't fromthisreality.
}}

==Explanation==
"{{w|Paradise City}}" is a song by the hard rock band {{w|Guns N' Roses}} which appeared on their début album ''{{w|Appetite for Destruction}}''. It sings of the fictional Paradise City, an idyllic place whereto the lyrical self longs to return. The location is contrasted with the depressing reality in which the persona is trapped, using for instance the image of a gas chamber.

In the comic, [[Cueball]] can be seen singing different versions of the chorus. In each panel, the word "City" is substituted by a synonym and the rest of the verse is altered accordingly to keep the rhyme scheme (usually awkwardly because he has chosen difficult words to rhyme with).

The sequence of stanzas describes the fate of Paradise City. It starts the original version drawing an idyllic picture. In a rather unexpected turn, however, the next stanza has the place pillaged and plundered. Chaos and anarchy reign, the once fresh and green meadows are now burned. Law and order are restored in the next verses and the other extreme starts to prevail: Paradise City has become a totalitarian {{w|dystopia}}. The fourth stanza refers to {{w|George Orwell|George Orwell's}} dystopian novel ''{{w|Nineteen Eighty-Four}}''. The book shows a world in which mind control and omnipresent surveillance render individual thought and action impossible. The concluding verses suggest that the totalitarian government has successfully brainwashed the former rebels and established an effective, yet sterile technocratic society. "Cortical lesions" in this panel could be a reference to the dystopian novel ''{{w|Uglies}}'' by {{w|Scott Westerfeld}}, which describes a society in which extreme plastic surgery is used to turn people "pretty". (SPOILER) It is later revealed in the book that this procedure is accompanied by a neurosurgical operation making the patient placid and obedient through a {{w|lobotomy}}.

The development of the city in Cueball's song reveals that the term "{{w|Paradise}}" can be applied to very different and even oppositional scenarios. While the original song describes the city as a rural Eden, some might refute this conception as a bourgeois or {{w|Agrarianism|agrarian romantic}} ideal. Others would fear that too much individual freedom might be dangerous and opt for {{w|Surveillance state|security through control}}. Especially the picture of the last stanza is a common vision in dystopian literature (e.g. ''{{w|Brave New World}}''): Although the citizens of a future society entirely lack any personal choice or individual freedom, they deem themselves happy because education or thought control present this a necessity for a functioning society.

In popular culture, the word "Paradise" is often used to describe a place of bliss and perfect harmony, as in the original religious sense of the term. It is however also frequently linked to the idea of living out one's deepest and darkest desires, therefore in some way to a place of {{w|sin}}. Considering the lifestyle of Guns N' Roses, it can be assumed that the "pretty girls" of the original song are not necessarily chaste.

The title text suggests that ''Paradise City'' is in fact a drug-induced state of {{w|Ecstasy (emotion)|ecstasy}} with strange and colourful {{w|hallucination|hallucinations}}.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball sits on a box playing a guitar and singing.]
:Cueball: Take me down to the paradise city where the grass is green and the girls are pretty.
:Cueball: Take me down to the paradise village where the grasses burn and those cute girls pillage.
:Cueball: Take me down to the fire-charred counties where the law's restored by Canadian mounties.
:Cueball: Take me down to Orwellian regions where they retrain girls using cortical lesions.
:Cueball: Take me down to the paradise borough where the grass is labeled 'cause the girls are thorough. Ohh, won't you please take me hooome...

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Music]]

Talk:10: Pi Equals

2014-11-30T07:29:51Z

108.162.216.58:

Interestingly, 7108914 does not occur in the [http://www.geom.uiuc.edu/~huberty/math5337/groupe/digits.html first 100,000 digits of pi]. However, 71089 does occur at roughly around the 2,500 digit mark. --[[User:DanB|DanB]] ([[User talk:DanB|talk]]) 18:17, 6 August 2012‎ (UTC)
:7108914 position [http://www.angio.net/pi/bigpi.cgi 13,709,690] counting from the first digit after the decimal point. The 3. is not included. --[[User:whitecat|whitecat]] ([[User talk:whitecat|talk]]) 10:43, 7 August 2012‎ (UTC)

There is a children's book called "Help, I'm a prisoner in a toothpaste factory". {{unsigned ip|86.30.117.77|17:13, 7 January 2013‎ (UTC)}}

or it's reference of the Mac OS 6 and 7 [http://www.mackido.com/EasterEggs/BlueMeanies.html "BlueMeanies" easter egg] "Help! Help! We're being held prisoner in a system software factory!". {{unsigned ip|46.126.181.133| 08:59, 7 January 2013‎ (UTC)}}

In my profession - simplifications of π is equal perfection, I can throw a recurring function at it, but it will just give me more pages of numbers. Remember that pi will ultimately equal 22/7, and you'll be alright. - [[User:E-inspired|E-inspired]] ([[User talk:E-inspired|talk]]) 09:17, 3 March 2013 (UTC)

We still have to find "helpimtrappedinauniversefactory" @pi, even when Randall also does not know.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:48, 23 June 2013 (UTC)

You know, we could convert "helpimtrappedinauniversefactory" to the ASCII numbers and then use one of those algorithms that searches pi for a particular string of numbers... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.36|108.162.219.36]] 22:40, 13 November 2013 (UTC)
:While the string 72697680 (HELP) appears multiple times throughout the first 200,000,000 digits of pi (not counting the 3.), none of the resulting ASCII strings makes sense. The closest (7269768022774869990317421141) is at position 31,961,494 with the resulting string as "HELP�M0E". Note that it is the number "0" and not the letter "O". The string "104101108112" ("help") does not occur in the first 200,000,000 digits. -[[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.114|108.162.250.114]] 08:15, 30 December 2013 (UTC)

Umm... "Of course, because pi never ends and never repeats, if you assign each number pair a letter from the alphabet and look through the digits of pi, somewhere within it is the entire work of Shakespeare, or any other piece of information that could be expressed with human language. So, ironically, somewhere in pi, there actually is the phrase stated in the comic, in a sense." This isn't guaranteed. Just because it's infinite and non-repeating doesn't mean that every possible pattern exists within it. 0.1010010001000010000010000001... is infinite and non-repeating, but it most certainly doesn't contain Shakespeare. It would only be guaranteed if the series was perfectly random over an infinite amount of time. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.64|108.162.237.64]] 23:47, 14 March 2014 (UTC)
:Ah, but in 0.1010010001... there is a pattern, isn't there? 1, then n number of zeroes, where n is incremented by 1 each time it is used. I don't see such patterns in 3.14159... myself. :P[[User:NSDCars5|NSDCars5]] ([[User talk:NSDCars5|talk]]) 12:56, 23 May 2014 (UTC)
:: That you don't see a pattern doesn't mean there is one. That there is no pattern doesn't mean it contains every possible sequence. --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.231.98|108.162.231.98]] 12:14, 6 August 2014 (UTC)
:::Have edited it to add that this requires a proof that pi is normal. For readers, to see the flaw in NSDCars5's reasoning, consider how he might have seen the entire infinite sequence of pi's digits, then realize it's impossible without a formal proof. Which is what the proof of pi being normal would solve. As it is, we don't have that proof yet, and so we cannot say for sure that pi has every possible finite sequence. [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.63|103.22.201.63]] 16:31, 12 August 2014 (UTC)
:I vote we modify that. It's almost certainly true that pi does include the entire works of Shakespeare, but good luck proving that. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.58|108.162.216.58]] 07:29, 30 November 2014 (UTC)

I feel like there should be a mention that, since pi is a mathematical constant rather than a physical constant, even if you did create the universe you'd have no control over it. You might be able to influence the directions math takes and exert some control
over what constants seem important, but that will only give you a few bits of control, meaning that you can only encode a message a few bits long. You could easily encode messages into the fine structure constant, but if you stick it too close to the beginning it might inhibit life, and if you stick it too far nobody will be able to measure it accurately enough to find it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.58|108.162.216.58]] 07:29, 30 November 2014 (UTC)

Talk:804: Pumpkin Carving

2014-10-25T03:59:42Z

108.162.216.58:

I'm bringing over a comment from the blog, because it helps in understanding the Banach-Tarski theorem and Axiom of Choice.

:I realize that you probably aren’t checking these comments anymore, but I’m math grad student currently wasting time I shouldn’t be, and can’t resist answering this question.

:So the short answer is pretty much exactly what Jonathan said–the Axiom of Choice is in someways the “extra” axiom of ZFC set theory (in fact ZFC stands for “Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory *with the axiom of choice*”) and for a long period of time mathematicians were attempting to either

:(1) prove the axiom of choice as a consequence of the other axioms of set theory
:or
:(2) discover a compelling reason why we should not accept the axiom of choice.

:The Banach-Tarski theorem was published at the height of the debate/research, and is still frequently the first thing cited by someone who doesn’t accept the axiom of choice (although most working mathematicians I know do accept the axiom of choice, in part because it just seems silly to handicap yourself unnecessarily).

:What makes the Banach-Tarski theorem seem so paradoxical is simply the fact that they show it is possible to cut a ball into a finite number of pieces (5, to be specific) and reassemble these pieces only using rotations and translations (ie, only by movements you can make with your own hands) to produce two balls, each identical in volume to the first–ie, in someways "1 [ball] = 2 [balls]", which certainly feels a bit shady.

:All of the other theorems and axioms on which the Banach-Tarski theorem relies are standard and relatively accepted areas of mathematics, while the axiom of choice (which is used at a key point of the proof to “choose” elements not fixed in place by particular nice rotations of the sphere) was not, so many people consider this a reason not to accept the axiom of choice.

:If we don’t accept the axiom of choice, it becomes impossible to pick those points, and the whole proof breaks down. In fact, it can also be shown that if we don’t accept the axiom of choice, there don’t exist any “unmeasurable” sets–sets such as those created in the cutting of the ball whose volume we can’t really talk about, as it would need to be add up to 1 (after all those 5 sets together form a ball of volume 1!) and add up to 2 (after all, those 5 sets together form two balls of volume 2!), which makes some people very happy with the idea of rejecting the axiom of choice.

:For myself, I actually *don’t* find the theorem very paradoxical at all–these 5 “pieces” into which the ball is decomposed are incredibly crazy, and nothing you could ever cut with a scalpel, or even a laser, no matter how good you are. Additionally, the theorem really follows relatively easily from a theorem everyone accepts, which is that you can similarly split up the group of rotations to four disjoint pieces and “reassemble” them via rotations into two copies of the group of rotations. It seems a little odd at first, but the thing to keep in mind that any time infinite things get involved, things are going to get a little odd (after all–what’s infinity + infinity? What about infinity/2?). Honestly, at this point, the thing which I find the most “paradoxical” about the Banach-Tarski paradox is that it can’t be done by dividing the ball into only 4 pieces, but this could be a sign I’ve been drinking the math-koolaid for too long. — Ashley

:To clarify something on the point above, the 5 "pieces" are described as sets of points rather than actual objects with areas, and thus cannot be created in physical space. I edited the page to accentuate this, and to remove what I believed to be a contradictory statement. The original statement "This paradox has been proven for just about anything... except objects made of atoms, which our universe is comprised of." implies that a) objects made of atoms are not considered divisible and b) that most things are considered divisible. "Just about anything" could mean the physical universe, in which case the truth is that nothing is divisible and "just about anything" is misguiding, or both things that are within the physical universe and hypothetical things, in which case it deserves further explanation. Thus I edited to explain slightly further, being a safe move to improve the article in the case of either intention.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.72|108.162.215.72]] 05:17, 18 May 2014 (UTC)

::"In fact, it can also be shown that if we don’t accept the axiom of choice, there don’t exist any “unmeasurable” sets"

::That's not right. If we don't accept the axiom of choice, we can neither prove nor disprove the existence of unmeasurable sets. If we could disprove the existence of unmeasurable sets without the axiom of choice, we could disprove it with the axiom of choice by just not bothering to use it. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.58|108.162.216.58]] 03:59, 25 October 2014 (UTC)

There you have it. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:42, 4 September 2012 (UTC)

"sited" changed to "cited"--DrMath 08:52, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

600: Android Boyfriend

2014-03-02T08:52:58Z

108.162.216.58:

{{comic
| number = 600
| date = June 22, 2009
| title = Android Boyfriend
| image = android boyfriend.png
| titletext = Which is, coincidentally, the most unsettling mantlepiece decoration in my house.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Android sex partners have to be explained; not actual sex toys. Data from Startrek TNG shows a nice episode on this.}}
Referring to [[595: Android Girlfriend]], [[Ponytail]] has obtained an {{w|android (robot)|android}} boyfriend, but upon bringing them together the two androids have decided to have "sex".

The joke is that the androids find each other more attractive than the people to whom they were (presumably) created to find attractive. Like likes like, as the saying goes.

{{w|vibrator (sex toy)|Vibrator}}s and {{w|Fleshlight}}s are sex toys that represent male and female genitalia, respectively. Ponytail's flat description indicates that she is not particularly aroused by what amounts to a pair of animatronic sex toys rubbing against each other. Randall's title text claims that he has actually done such a thing, and stuck it on his fireplace mantle for all his house-guests to see.

==Transcript==
:[Two couples meet.]
:Ponytail: I thought your android girlfriend was cool so I got myself an android boyfriend.

:Ponytail: He's really great. I like how—
:Ponytail: Uh.
:[Megan, the android girlfriend, rushes over to Hairy, the android boyfriend.]

:''Zip''
:Voice: Mmmmm...
:[Cueball and Ponytail look at something which is off the panel.]

:Cueball: ...Huh.
:Ponytail: It's like somebody stuck a vibrator in a fleshlight.

:''Whirrr''
:Voice: Mmmm
:''Click''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Robots]]

600: Android Boyfriend

2014-03-02T08:52:04Z

108.162.216.58:

{{comic
| number = 600
| date = June 22, 2009
| title = Android Boyfriend
| image = android boyfriend.png
| titletext = Which is, coincidentally, the most unsettling mantlepiece decoration in my house.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Android sex partners have to be explained; not actual sex toys. Data from Startrek TNG shows a nice episode on this.}}
Referring to [[595: Android Girlfriend]], [[Ponytail]] has obtained an {{w|android (robot)|android}} boyfriend, but upon bringing them together the two androids have decided to have "sex".

{{The joke is that the androids find each other more attractive than the people to whom they were (presumably) created to find attractive. Like likes like, as the saying goes.

{{w|vibrator (sex toy)|Vibrator}}s and {{w|Fleshlight}}s are sex toys that represent male and female genitalia, respectively. Ponytail's flat description indicates that she is not particularly aroused by what amounts to a pair of animatronic sex toys rubbing against each other. Randall's title text claims that he has actually done such a thing, and stuck it on his fireplace mantle for all his house-guests to see.

==Transcript==
:[Two couples meet.]
:Ponytail: I thought your android girlfriend was cool so I got myself an android boyfriend.

:Ponytail: He's really great. I like how—
:Ponytail: Uh.
:[Megan, the android girlfriend, rushes over to Hairy, the android boyfriend.]

:''Zip''
:Voice: Mmmmm...
:[Cueball and Ponytail look at something which is off the panel.]

:Cueball: ...Huh.
:Ponytail: It's like somebody stuck a vibrator in a fleshlight.

:''Whirrr''
:Voice: Mmmm
:''Click''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Sex]]
[[Category:Robots]]

User:Dgbrt

2014-02-12T14:32:32Z

108.162.216.58: /* I'm not native English */ Minor Inglish fixes...

Hello, I am a big xkcd fan.

====My introduction as xkcd fan====
My random list of favourite Comics by Randall:
[[Combination Vision Test]],
[[Up_Goer_Five]]
and of course that tiny rover never coming home:
[[Spirit]]

====I'm not native English====
...and I do not like "typos". So many THANKS for helping on this issue or even more important: Wrong grammar <-I don't like this errors I didn't see.

As a German native speaker I had to learn something like "Oxford English" in school, and I hated it. My knowledge about the (American, British, more...) English language mostly belongs to later experiences. International contacts, science (especially physics), programming (Randall does not know how funny are IBM's translations for German - "Copy from to" becomes in German "Copy until"), AND the main language on the Internet is, of course, English.

Also I was even bad on the German language sessions at school. But that's just an other story.

I'm happy about corrections on my typos and grammar, but on essential content I will discuss.

Thanks to [[User: Spongebog]] for some smaller edits on this page. I'm still learning English... 
Thanks to [[User: Spongebog]] again for fixing a really damn typo...