explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2637: Roman Numerals

2023-04-16T17:59:18Z

108.162.216.80: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2637
| date = June 24, 2022
| title = Roman Numerals
| image = roman_numerals.png
| titletext = 100he100k out th1s 1nno5at4e str1ng en100o501ng 15e been 500e5e50op1ng! 1t's 6rtua100y perfe100t! ...hang on, what's a "virtuacy"?
}}

==Explanation==
Roman numerals are the system of representing numbers used during the Roman Empire. The letters I, V, X, L, C, D, and M are used to represent numbers, with each letter representing a consistent value. Specifically, I represents 1, V represents 5, X represents 10, L represents 50, C represents 100, D represents 500, and M represents 1000. One way of stating the rules for combining Roman numerals next to each other are that a Roman numeral is added to a Roman numeral of equal or lesser value just to its right (e.g., II=1+1=2 because 1≥1, and VI=5+1=6 because 5≥1{{Citation needed}}), and a Roman number is subtracted from a Roman numeral of greater value just to its right (e.g., IV=5-1=4 because 1<5, and IX=10-1=9 because 1<10). (Also, each place must be written separately, e.g., one cannot represent 49 via IL but instead must represent the tens place and ones place separately via XL IX—although the space would not be included in practice).

The modern system of representing numbers is a decimal positional notation using the numerals (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9). Westerners often call this system "Arabic numerals" or "Hindu–Arabic numerals" because they were invented in India and introduced to Europe by Arabic merchants.

Thus in Roman numerals a digit always has the same absolute value but may be treated as positive or negative depending on the digit after it, whereas for Hindu-Arabic numerals, a digit's value changes by a power of 10 depending on its absolute position and is never subtracted.

Cueball's original equations in Roman Numeral form are:
<center>I + I = II</center>
<center>II + II = IV</center>
<center>IV + V = IX</center>

Translated normally into more familiar Hindu–Arabic numerals, these equations are:
<center>1 + 1 = 2</center>
<center>2 + 2 = 4</center>
<center>4 + 5 = 9</center>

But Randall/Cueball replaced each letter individually with its value in Hindu-Arabic numerals — ignoring the abovementioned rules for interpreting combined Roman numbers, instead using the rules of Roman Numerals. "I" is replaced with "1", "V" is replaced with "5", and "X" is replaced with "10". For example, for IX at the end of the last equation, "I" is replaced with "1", and "X" is replaced with "10", so "IX" becomes "110". Thus, the equations are written
<center>1 + 1 = 1 1</center>
<center>1 1 + 1 1 = 1 5</center>
<center>1 5 + 5 = 1 10</center>
where the spaces have been added for clarity.

An alternative interpretation of the third line, though not strictly in accordance with Roman numeral "rules", is
<center>15 + 5 = 20 (in decimal)</center>
<center>20 is 2 0</center>
<center>2 is 11</center>
<center>So 20 is 11 0</center>

The joke is that because Arabic numerals do not use the same rules of addition and subtraction as Roman numerals, the equations appear incorrect in both systems. The usual interpetation of 11 is 10+1, not 1+1 as it is under the rules for interpreting Roman numerals. Randall derives additional humor from the premise that Cueball seems to know Roman numerals better than Arabic numerals (as demonstrated by the fact that he translated only the symbology and not the grammar) so that he would do math in Roman numerals and have to remember to convert his equations to Arabic numerals at the end. Schoolchildren in the West have been taught to do math with Arabic numerals, not Roman numerals, for centuries.

In the title text, Randall applies the same idea of replacing Roman numerals with their values in Arabic numerals to strings of English words.

{| style="border:1px solid #ccd;"
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 100
| he
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 100
| k
| out
| th
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 1
| s
|
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 1
| nno
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 5
| at
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 4
| e
| str
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 1
| ng
| en
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 100
| o
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 501
| ng
|
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 15
| e
| been
|
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 500
| e
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 5
| e
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 50
| op
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 1
| ng!
|
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 1
| t's
|
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 6
| rtua
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 100
| y
| perfe
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | 100
| t!
|- style="text-align:center;"
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | C
| he
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | C
| k
| out
| th
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | I
| s
|
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | I
| nno
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | V
| at
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | IV
| e
| str
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | I
| ng
| en
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | C
| o
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | DI
| ng
|
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | IV
| e
| been
|
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | D
| e
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | V
| e
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | L
| op
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | I
| ng!
|
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | I
| t's
|
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | VI
| rtua
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | LL/C
| y
| perfe
| style="background-color:#ccd;" | C
| t!
|}

The original string (with letters that would be interpreted as Roman numerals capitalized) is, "CheCk out thIs InnoVatIVe strIng enCoDIng I'Ve been DeVeLopIng! It's VIrtuaLLy perfeCt!" For the first word, "Check," C is replaced with the value of that Roman numeral in Arabic numerals, i.e., "100", in both instances of the word, which results in "100he100k". Unlike in the comic, Randall combines Roman numbers using the proper rules of addition and subtraction. For example, he replaces "IV" with "4", not "15", e.g., "innovative" becomes "1nno5at4e", not "1nno5at15e". (However, "I've" becomes "15e", not "4e", presumably because the apostrophe was removed after, not before, replacing the Roman numerals with Arabic numerals. However, there is not an obvious reason why Randall removed the apostrophe; in addition, this makes the word "i've" look like "xve".)

Irony arises from the claim of "virtual perfection", as there are problems with this encoding.

One problem with the encoding is that the double L in "virtually" is replaced with 100. This technically obeys Roman numerals' rule of adding the value of a letter to the value of an equal-valued letter just to its right (50+50=100). However, this addition rule should not apply, since in standard Roman numerals, a single number should never have multiple Vs, multiple Ls, or multiple Ds, e.g., 100 should be represented only by C (100), not LL (50 50). This would mean that a simplistic decoding script would erroneously decode "6rtua100y" to "VIrtuaCy", not "VIrtuaLLy". Thus, this string encoding system is not actually perfect. It loses information.

Another problem with the encoding is that only a very small subset of the source text can be affected by this encoding: 7 letters of 26 letters for English (the language that the text is written in) and no non-alphabetical characters.

=== Alternative decodings ===

Until the modern codification in general use today, Roman numerals weren't standardised that much, so "LL" could have been a tolerated alternative to "C". For more on that, see {{w|Roman_numerals#Classical_Roman_numerals}}. However, having the decoding script use that alternative would not solve the problem but instead would make the decoding script replace Cs with LLs instead, e.g., "delloding sllript".

One could also separate the L's into individual numbers, to become "virtua5050y", except this produces even more problems because 5,050 is actually MMMMML and "virtuammmmmly" is definitely not an English word. (Citation: [https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?go=Go&search=virtuammmmmly&title=Special%3ASearch&ns0=1 look up "virtuammmmmly" on Wiktionary.])

==Transcript==
:[Cueball writes on a wall or a whiteboard. This is what is written:]
:1+1=11
:11+11=15
:15+5=110

:[Caption below the panel:]
:Remember, Roman numerals are archaic, so always replace them with modern ones when doing math.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Math]]

2439: Solar System Cartogram

2021-03-20T22:45:06Z

108.162.216.80: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2439
| date = March 19, 2021
| title = Solar System Cartogram
| image = solar_system_cartogram.png
| titletext = For sentimental reasons, every active Mars rover is counted as one person, although that's not enough to make Mars more than a dot.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BELOVED MARS ROVER. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
In this comic, [[Randall]] has made a {{w|cartogram}} showing the planets in the {{w|solar system}}. Cartograms are a type of map in which geographic area is displayed proportionately to some secondary characteristic - in this case, population. From the title text it is clear that the population in question is human (persons) (but even if all life forms where counted it it wouldn't matter, since the only confirmed life in the Solar System is on Earth). Thus the other planets have a population of 0 and are shown as nothing more than dots.

This comic is a joke about electoral cartograms. A standard {{w|United States Electoral College|American electoral map}} is very misleading. Though the split between Democrats and Republicans is about 50-50, most of the area of the U.S. map is shown in red (the color currently associated with the Republican Party). That’s because many Democrats live in densely packed districts, while many Republicans live in rural ones. This has led to the rise of electoral cartograms, where districts are proportionally adjusted in direct relation to population, correcting the misimpression that most of America is conservative.

Solar system diagrams are often misleading. Illustrators are overwhelmingly forced to use a far more scaled-down spacing between planets, compared to their scaled sizes; even if they can (or care to) maintain consistency in the relative distances and/or radii on linear scales. (The huge factors of difference involved instead may lend themselves to being {{w|Solar_System_model#Scale_models_in_various_locations|physically modeled}} to better give some sense of the spacing and sizing differences.) Here, Randall has intentionally applied the wrong solution to the problem.

The title text states that, even though Randall counts every active [[:Category:Mars rovers|Mars rover]] as a person (for sentimental reasons), they are almost nothing compared to Earth's roughly 7,800,000,000 persons. Mars therefore is still nothing more than a dot compared to the Earth. There are a total of five rovers at the moment; in chronological order, they are Sojourner, Spirit and Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance. Only the latter two were functional at the time of the comic's publication, giving Mars a rover population of two. (This is a tie for all-time high. Spirit and Opportunity were active together from 2004 to 2010, when Spirit shut down. Opportunity was still active when Curiosity arrived in 2012, and remained so until 2018. With the arrival of Perseverance in 2021, there are again two active rovers. A third rover, China's {{w|Tianwen-1}}, is currently in orbit around Mars and expected to land in May 2021.)

Mars rovers are a [[:Category:Mars rovers|recurring theme]] on xkcd and only a few weeks earlier, a comic named [[2433: Mars Rovers]] was released. This is the fourth comic this year to reference Mars Rovers.

==Transcript==
:[Earth is shown, with an atypical rotation for an American comic, showing Asia and Australia. Beneath it is a label. To the left is two small dots, and to the right five small dots. Each dot has a line going to it from its label. The first, fourth and sixth labels are above their respective dots; the other labels are below the line made by the dots. Earth's label is below the planet as well. The dots represent the other seven planets, with equal space between each dot, and same distance from the dots next to Earth to the surface of the Earth. Above is two paragraphs with explanation:]
:Most solar system diagrams are misleading.
:This chart offers a more accurate view by showing the planets sized by population.
:Mercury
:Venus
:Earth
:Mars
:Jupiter
:Saturn
:Uranus
:Neptune

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Mars rovers]]

Talk:2380: Election Impact Score Sheet

2020-11-03T07:38:58Z

108.162.216.80:

Please vote, everyone! #Hashtag. ''(Unsigned. Whoever you are.)''

Cool, how to convince citizens of other countries to vote for this shitsotrm?

I always told myself that if I ever joined Twitter (rather than 'browse-lurked' the feeds of people of interest, as I do now) I would use #hashtag a lot, and other ironic self-referential things in order to stop myself taking it too seriously. Nice to know I'm on the same wavelength with Randall, but now I must further delay my inevitable signing up until I've got something newer and better in mind! [[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.61|162.158.158.61]] 00:06, 3 November 2020 (UTC)

This "as if you voted again!" should not be confused with the stuff that Trump keeps yammering about. :-) [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 02:44, 3 November 2020 (UTC)

Why is Alaska four points?? [[Special:Contributions/162.158.62.79|162.158.62.79]] 03:20, 3 November 2020 (UTC)

:Alaska is only three, but who knows, it's not a close race there according to 538. They also have higher than average voter turnout too.
[[Special:Contributions/172.69.42.92|172.69.42.92]] 03:37, 3 November 2020 (UTC)
:Not sure. However, according to [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_states_and_territories_of_the_United_States_by_population wikipedia]] they have the 3rd lowest population per electoral vote ratio (of the proper states), meaning that an alaskan vote in theory counts more than a texan one (which has the highest ratio). But don't ask me. I am a European with no big clue about that complicated US election system. --[[User:Lupo|Lupo]] ([[User talk:Lupo|talk]]) 06:29, 3 November 2020 (UTC)

It seems that "538" is a reference to https://fivethirtyeight.com which seems to be a USA election news aggregation website. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.80|108.162.216.80]] 07:30, 3 November 2020 (UTC)
:0h, and on a second look 538 is mentioned.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.80|108.162.216.80]] 07:38, 3 November 2020 (UTC)

Talk:2380: Election Impact Score Sheet

2020-11-03T07:30:11Z

108.162.216.80:

2373: Chemist Eggs

2020-10-17T19:11:16Z

108.162.216.80: Made first paragraph a bit more readable.

{{comic
| number = 2373
| date = October 16, 2020
| title = Chemist Eggs
| image = chemist_eggs.png
| titletext = Chemists actually find it simpler to define a general odor of rotten eggs as a baseline, and the LACK of rotten eggs as a distinct smell.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a HOUSE FULL OF EGGS. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Please do not delete this tag too soon.}}

English, like many languages, lacks many words for describing smells. There are plenty of words to describe visual and material properties of objects; for example, a balloon is big, red, round, made of rubber, and floats. By contrast, words like 'fragrant' and 'pungent' describe very broad categories of smells, and it's actually quite challenging to tell someone what something they've never smelled smells like without using comparisons to other similar smells.

In this comic, [[Ponytail]] explains to [[Cueball]] that if he smells sulfides then the chemistry experiment on which they're working has failed. Ponytail then clarifies that sulfides smell like rotten eggs. The main and most distinct chemical rotten eggs emit is {{w|hydrogen sulfide}}, hence most people who smell them will link the chemical with "rotten egg smell".

Cueball replies, however, that he doesn't actually know what rotten eggs smell like, and it's odd that everyone uses that as a comparison. This is a result of changing times - decades ago, when the 'rotten eggs' descriptor became commonplace in chemistry education at high schools and universities, rotten eggs were indeed common enough that cooks avoided adding eggs directly to other ingredients, lest the rotten egg, not detected until after it was too late, force the cook to discard everything and start over. Vastly improved farming, shipping, and marketing practices have made the rotten egg vanishingly rare, at least at supermarkets in the USA. Moreover, much greater recognition of the health hazards of hydrogen sulfide means that, due to various occupational safety precautions, opportunities for sniffing the gas have become scarce, and usually engender swift reactions such as building evacuation.

Thus, the comparison has outlived the circumstances that spawned it, and chemistry teachers parrot a line they learned as students, which is no longer relevant to the student's experience. Given the health hazards of hydrogen sulfide and the regulations now enforced in recognition of those hazards, the chemistry teacher probably doesn't often experience the smell either. Since hydrogen sulfide deadens the sense of smell, taking this smell as a 'baseline' is improbable and potentially dangerous, and it's unfortunate that the title text makes this suggestion.

Cueball then takes the disconnect between the trope and his experience and pushes it for all it's worth. This could be taken as symbolic of people who spot such discordances and blow them out of proportion to troll others (in which case, Cueball has most definitely succeeded, based on how Ponytail reacts - she is clenching her fists in anger as she leaves the conversation, presumably to avoid further irritation.)

Some of [[Cueball]]'s questions suggest that chemists use eggs in place of other items. For example, the superstitious may react to a spilling of salt by picking it up and throwing it over their left shoulder as an attempt to blind the Devil. Another relates to the upcoming 30th October celebrations, known by a [[2372|wide range of names]], where kids are known to throw eggs at houses.

Even though rotten eggs (and hydrogen sulfide in general) are much less common nowadays, many fuel gases are mixed with odorant compounds to make it easy to know when there is a leak present. People who use natural gas or propane stoves should be familiar with the similarly rotten smell of {{w|methanethiol}}, {{w|ethanethiol}}, and/or {{w|tert-butylthiol}} (the "-SH" thiol group is a common feature of many pungent odors, including garlic and skunk spray).

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Ponytail face a table with something like a lab stirrer or heater on it, supporting a flat-bottomed and -topped container from which bubbles are rising.]
:Cueball: How will I know if the reaction fails?
:Ponytail: You'll smell the sulfides.
:Cueball: What do those smell like?
:Ponytail: Sulfurous. Rotten eggs.

:[A new panel, the table is gone. Cueball is now facing Ponytail.]
:Cueball: Chemists always compare sulfur to rotten eggs.
:Cueball: But why would I know that smell?
:Ponytail: I dunno, It's a common thing!

:[Ponytail puts her hand out.]
:Cueball: Is it? My kitchen is messy, but there aren't eggs lying around rotting.
:Ponytail: You must have smelled one at ''some'' point.

:[Ponytail is now walking right off-panel, away from Cueball. She is clenching her hands and is evidently annoyed]
:Cueball: Are all chemists' houses full of random raw eggs? Do you toss them over your shoulder for good luck?
:Ponytail: '''''My house is not full of eggs!'''''
:Cueball: What do you consider a normal amount of eggs in a house?
:Cueball: If kids egg your house this Halloween, how will you know?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Chemistry]]

2068: Election Night

2020-10-17T15:13:24Z

108.162.216.80:

{{comic
| number = 2068
| date = November 5, 2018
| title = Election Night
| image = election_night.png
| titletext = "Even the blind—those who are anxious to hear, but are not able to see—will be taken care of. Immense megaphones have been constructed and will be in use at The Tribune office and in the Coliseum. The one at the Coliseum will be operated by a gentleman who draws $60 a week from Barnum & Bailey's circus for the use of his voice."
}}

==Explanation==
This is the third comic in a row that deals with elections in the United States; the trio has been published in the week before the {{w|United States elections, 2018|US midterm elections held on November 6, 2018}} and it compares media coverage on election results in 1896 and 2018. During this time the [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header_text|Header text]] of xkcd was also changed three times, including on the release days of both this and the previous comic, to help people go and vote. See more in the [[#Election related header texts|trivia section]].

While elections and voting have been a public staple for generations, election coverage by the media can result in {{w|voter fatigue}}. While voter fatigue is considered a major criticism of things like {{w|First-past-the-post_voting|first past the post}} voting systems, media outlets will also contribute.

The time traveler from 1896, wearing a {{w|top hat}} (the typical hat used at that time), presents [[Megan]] and [[Cueball]] a method how the latest news --over the night-- is published to the public. No broadcasting television or even radio existed then and most newspapers, reaching the readers on the next morning, were printed in the evening before the election results were certain. For the [https://www.270towin.com/1896_Election/ election referenced in this clipping], Republican candidate {{w|William McKinley}} (assigned the color Blue) won in a close race against Democrat-Populist candidate {{w|William J. Bryan}} (assigned the color Red).

Here, [[Randall]] is taking a unique opportunity to point out that unlike our recollection of history (which is usually modified by the {{w|misinformation effect}}, where we perceive the past as being easier and find a source to blame for the election night jitters) that in fact, in the past, a bombardment of fireworks every hour was used to convey the hour-by-hour play of the election night, a significantly more jarring effect that couldn't even be turned off. We have progressed, in some ways, to a more opt-in system, rather than the {{w|opt-out}} system of the past, where you had to leave Chicago to avoid the news.

The part about the "jiggling needle" may be a reference to the [https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/11/the-new-york-times-election-needle-is-back-with-a-few-new-safety-features New York Times' 2016 presidential election results] webpage, which displayed a "needle" it used to forecast the results of the presidential election between then-candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The position of the needle was initially set based on pre-election polls, pointing heavily toward Hillary Clinton, but as election results from around the country -- and from individual counties within states -- started coming in it changed to reflect those results. Especially near the beginning, before a lot of real election data had come in, results reported from small counties could dramatically swing the needle to one side or the other when coming from heavily Democratic or Republican districts, then swing again when another county reported. Only when a significant amount of data had come in did the needle settle down and move more incrementally.

The title text explains that in 1896 even blind people were taken care of, as enormous megaphones were installed to convey the news equally unavoidably to those who couldn't (or didn't want to) see the color bombs. This is in fact true, but was intended for those in the colosseum, not all of Chicago.

==Transcript==

:[Megan and Cueball face each other while talking on the left of the panel]
:Megan: Ugh, I'm just going to hide out for election night. We'll know the results the next day anyway. The drama is so unnecessary.
:Cueball: Yeah. The internet and the 24-hour news have turned elections into a continuous, inescapable media onslaught.
:[A man in a top hat appears on the right side of the panel with a "Poof"]

:[Panel with just the man in a top hat, holding a newspaper]
:Man in a top hat: Hi! I'm a time traveler from 1896. Let me tell you about '''''our''''' election night coverage.
:Man in a top hat: *Ahem*
:Man in a top hat: From the ''Chicago Tribune''

:[Zoom in on head of the man in a top hat]
:Man in a top hat: "Once every hour from the roof of the Great Northern Hotel a series of bombs, which will ascend for several thousand feet, will be fired. Two colors will be used, blue and red."
:Man in a top hat: "Blue to indicate McKinley's election, red to indicate Bryan's election."
:Man in a top hat: "The bombardment of the skies will commence at 7 o'clock and will be repeated hourly."
:[Grey citation]: Chicago Tribune, Oct 30th & Nov 1st, 1896

:[Megan and Cueball on the left looking at the man in the top hat on the right]
:Megan: Yeah, well, we have a ''needle,'' though.
:Man in a top hat: A needle.
:Megan: It jiggles!
:Man in a top hat: Sounds awful.
:Cueball: Listen, you had to be there.

==Trivia==
*The character with the large black top hat is wearing a typical hat worn by wealthy men in the late 19th and early 20th century and should not be mixed up with [[Black Hat]]...
**Though the fact that he appears from nowhere just to tell total strangers why they're wrong IS somewhat suspect - he could be one of ''Black Hat's'' ancestors.

===Election related header texts===
*On election day the [[Design_of_xkcd.com#Header_text|Header text]] changed once more to [[Design_of_xkcd.com#2018-11-06|help people to vote]]. This time including an entire comic with links on what to do to vote and nudging people to go nudge family and friends to go voting.
**It was the third time up to the election that Randall changed the Header text on that account.
*** The first time was about two weeks before the election, on [[Design_of_xkcd.com#2018-10-22|2018-10-22]], when [[2061: Tectonics Game]] was up on the front page. Here a link was given on how to register for voting.
***Second time was the Friday before the election, on [[Design_of_xkcd.com#2018-11-02|2018-11-02]], four days before the election. On that day the comic [[2067: Challengers]] tried to help people decide who to vote for. A second link was added to the first helping people to know what was on their local voting ballot. Both these links were also present in the election day header text.
**After election day the header text returned to the standard: xkcd updates every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Characters with Hats]]
[[Category:Elections]]
[[Category:Time travel]]

Talk:1297: Oort Cloud

2020-10-16T17:33:38Z

108.162.216.80: /* Memoriam Link is Outdated */ new section

Reading the Wikipedia page on the Oort Cloud didn't help me understand the joke. I don't know if it has anything to do with comets, or the asteroids getting smashed up by them. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.238.117|108.162.238.117]] 05:15, 29 November 2013 (UTC)
:The asteroid becomes a cost after being severely burnt by the sun. It warns the other asteroid not to go over there. {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.55}}
::Which, the title text indicates, is a warning that's utterly ignored... (Also being "right back" indicates a slower perceived thought process. As is probably the case for anything out there in such cold(-ish) depths of space.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.229|141.101.99.229]] 11:05, 29 November 2013 (UTC)
::: What does "becomes a cost" mean? is that a slang expression? 12:02, 29 November 2013 (UTC)
:::: I think it's supposed to be "comet". [[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.228|173.245.52.228]] 14:09, 29 November 2013 (UTC)
::::: No, I think he means ghost. All thats left is a faint image after all. {{unsigned ip|141.101.99.214}}
At least according to my freshman year science teacher, the Oort Cloud is just a theory, and hasn't been proven. Perhaps that should be made more clear?{{unsigned|Wasda}}
::::::@Wasda, A theory is something which is proven, if not its a hypothesis or a speculation. Mocking on "theories" is typical for laymen. 15:12, 30 November 2013 (UTC)~
:Theory is the wrong term. Gravity is a theory. Evolution is a theory. The oort cloud is "hypothesized". {{User:Omega/sig}} 06:21, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
----
What's here looks exactly in line with current comet theory: A comet is "perturbed" by interactions with other objects out there, and at that distance the sun is a very bright dot, no more. On return (chancy, based on both/either burning up or being in a no return hyperbolic orbit), what has come back is fragmented and with two tails. What I'm not seeing is the second level joke - it's in the movie "I'm going to check out x" form, but I don't get the specific quote. [[User:FractalgeekUK|FractalgeekUK]] ([[User talk:FractalgeekUK|talk]]) 13:55, 29 November 2013 (UTC)

----
According to http://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/timeline-of-comet-ison-s-dangerous-journey, ISON's journey to earth from the Oort cloud started "At least a million years ago." So I'm going to edit "many thousand years later" to "several million years later". In other news, I recently played "Das Rad" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-7y3B8DjGw) for my kids and this comic really reminded me of that Oscar-nominated short. I hate lichen! :-) [[User:Tovodeverett|Tovodeverett]] ([[User talk:Tovodeverett|talk]]) 15:10, 29 November 2013 (UTC)

----
What's with the "Several million years later" context in the transcription?!? The distances might be vast and all, but i doubt the timeframe is ''that'' long... -- [[Special:Contributions/173.245.51.210|173.245.51.210]]
:See the comment right above yours. [[User:Diszy|Diszy]] ([[User talk:Diszy|talk]]) 18:03, 29 November 2013 (UTC)
::You are discussing editorial elements included in the transcription that have no relationship to the original comic. Regardless of any implied passage of time the comic does not directly state a time-frame that passes and the transcript should only include information contained in the original comic. Any discussion of time-frame should take place in the explanation. The panels imply a pause of unspecific time. The transcript should read the same. [[User:Mrarch|Mrarch]] ([[User talk:Mrarch|talk]]) 16:18, 2 December 2013 (UTC)
----
;A comic I did predict yesterday
Uhhh, while I observed that close encounter of ISON at the sun yesterday live I was sure Randall would do a comic on this matter. And he did. That's just funny for me. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 21:28, 29 November 2013 (UTC)

;When is a comet a comet?

Wikipedia says "A {{w|comet}} is an icy small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, heats up and begins to outgas, displaying a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail." I see no clear suggestion on Wikipedia that a {{w|small Solar System body}} might change from being an asteroid to being a comet each time it passes by the sun and starts to outgas. It seems to me that SSSB's that contain ices and other volatiles that would outgas given enough heat are comets, but I haven't seen that question really addressed clearly by any authoritative sources. For now I'm switching the references to distant comets from "asteroid" to "comet nucleus", which is used on wikipedia and seems like a neutral term for an icy object that would show a cometary atmosphere and tail when close to the sun. Also, the oort cloud is hypothesized to have both a spherical and a disk-like structure, and is part of the solar system. Please discuss further related changes here. Thanks! [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 16:34, 1 December 2013 (UTC)
:The most false understanding is: A comet is a dirty snowball. In fact it's just a snowy rock, most of it is still rock, otherwise it would break up at a distance between Earth and Venus. And all the frozen gases are not only H<sub>2</sub>O. Furthermore a comet is a comet when we can see its shape, unless that tail is shown it's just a small object at our solar system, not more.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:17, 1 December 2013 (UTC)
::The wikipedia references in the article talk of objects out in the Oort cloud as "comet nuclei". Unless you can find better sources, that's what we should go with. [[User:Nealmcb|Nealmcb]] ([[User talk:Nealmcb|talk]]) 14:56, 2 December 2013 (UTC)
----
Diameter of the sun: 1,391,000 km

Distance of ISON from sun at perihelion: 1,860,000 km

ISON went within one sun diameter

One of the above statements is false. All are in the explanation. --[[User:Zagorath|Zagorath]] ([[User talk:Zagorath|talk]]) 18:37, 2 December 2013 (UTC)
----
Nothing is false. ISON's distance is from the CENTER of the sun. ISON went within one sun diameter distance from the SURFACE. So ISON went closer than 1.5 diameters from the center. 1,391,000 * 1.5 = 2,086,500 which is more than 1,860,000. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.63.198|173.245.63.198]] 19:28, 2 December 2013 (UTC)

----
;A definition for a comet doesn't exist
I did mark the comic as incomplete again. We have to explain that there is no real definition for comets.
*Look at this really big one: {{w|2060 Chiron}}.
*Wiktionary says: "A celestial body consisting mainly of ice, dust and gas in a (usually very eccentric) orbit around the Sun and having a "tail" of matter blown back from it by the solar wind as it approaches the Sun." [https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/comet]
*IAU says: "All other objects (except planets and dwarf planets), except satellites, orbiting the Sun shall be referred to collectively as ''Small Solar-System Bodies''". Look for [http://www.iau.org/public_press/news/detail/iau0603/ RESOLUTION 5A]
*And an interesting blog entry at livejournal: [http://suitti.livejournal.com/56460.html?nojs=1 What's the difference between a comet and a planet?]
--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:19, 2 December 2013 (UTC)

:Maybe the incomplete tag could be removed again, but this is not my decision because there are maybe still some questions. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:37, 3 December 2013 (UTC)

== Memoriam Link is Outdated ==

The link for "(In Memoriam Comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) Born 4.5 Billion BC, Fragmented Nov 28, 2013, age 4.5-billion yrs old)" currently redirects to a site selling steroids. I'm guessing the domain was stolen.

1664: Mycology

2016-04-06T13:49:28Z

108.162.216.80: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1664
| date = April 6, 2016
| title = Mycology
| image = mycology.png
| titletext = Conspiracy theory: There's no such thing as corn. Those fields you see are just the stalks of a fungus that's controlling our brains to make us want to spread it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First cut, please help with explanation and definition of mycology..}}

Cueball and Megan are studying a fungus that takes over the brains of mammals and makes them want to study the fungus. This is a reproductive tactic by the fungus, since the fungus makes the mammal whose brain it took over want to study the fungus, which means that mammal will need to produce more of the fungus to study it. Cueball and Megan are most likely themselves being controlled by the fungus, since they want to cultivate the fungus as much as possible.

The title of the comic refers to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycology Mycology], the study of fungi.

This is likely a reference to various species of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps cordyceps fungi], which can infect the brains of insects causing behavior advantageous to the reproduction or spread of the fungus. This also may be an allusion to another fungus, {{w|Ophiocordyceps unilateralis}}, which manipulates its hosts to aid its propagation.

The title text parodies numerous [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theory conspiracy theories], by suggesting that corn, which has been propagated by humans throughout much of the Americas, particularly the U.S. Midwest and in parts of Central America, is actually just a fungus that has used humans, and is not a vegetable at all. This type of theory is remarkably similar to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_in_a_vat Brain in a Vat] thought experiment. In each, something has affected the perception of the mind itself, making it impossible to discern the true reality of something.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[Cueball and Megan are talking to Ponytail.]

Megan: Our lab is studying a fungus that takes over mammal brains and makes them want to study fungi.

Cueball: It's very promising! We're opening a whole new wing of the lab just to cultivate it!

{{comic discussion}}

1664: Mycology

2016-04-06T13:48:37Z

108.162.216.80: Added title text explanation

{{comic
| number = 1664
| date = April 6, 2016
| title = Mycology
| image = mycology.png
| titletext = Conspiracy theory: There's no such thing as corn. Those fields you see are just the stalks of a fungus that's controlling our brains to make us want to spread it.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|First cut, please help with explanation and definition of mycology..}}

Cueball and Megan are studying a fungus that takes over the brains of mammals and makes them want to study the fungus. This is a reproductive tactic by the fungus, since the fungus makes the mammal whose brain it took over want to study the fungus, which means that mammal will need to produce more of the fungus to study it. Cueball and Megan are most likely themselves being controlled by the fungus, since they want to cultivate the fungus as much as possible.

The title of the comic refers to [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycology Mycology], the study of fungi.

This is likely a reference to various species of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyceps cordyceps fungi], which can infect the brains of insects causing behavior advantageous to the reproduction or spread of the fungus. This also may be an allusion to another fungus, {{w|Ophiocordyceps unilateralis}}, which manipulates its hosts to aid its propagation.

The title text parodies numerous [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theory conspiracy theories], by suggesting that corn, which has been propagated by humans throughout much of the Americas, particularly the U.S. Midwest and in parts of Central America, is actually just a fungus that has used humans, and is not actually a vegetable at all. This type of theory is remarkably similar to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_in_a_vat Brain in a Vat] thought experiment. In each, something has affected the perception of the mind itself, making it impossible to discern the true reality of something.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
[Cueball and Megan are talking to Ponytail.]

Megan: Our lab is studying a fungus that takes over mammal brains and makes them want to study fungi.

Cueball: It's very promising! We're opening a whole new wing of the lab just to cultivate it!

{{comic discussion}}

Talk:1498: Terry Pratchett

2015-03-13T15:32:43Z

108.162.216.80:

Many were the books of Terry Pratchet... and I haven't read any of them. RIP Sir Terry. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.249.187|108.162.249.187]] 08:22, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

RIP Sir Terry :'( [[Special:Contributions/141.101.106.149|141.101.106.149]] 10:17, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

It is so sad. He was ill with {{w|Early-onset Alzheimer's disease|early onset Alzheimer's}} the last eight years, and he still continued to write about a new book each year, and also four in the {{w|The Long Earth}} series together with {{w|Stephen Baxter}}. I have read almost all his books, only waiting for the latest books to come out in paper back. His Discworld series is monumental, and almost all of the 40 books are worth reading, and most of the times the series just got better and better from book to book. Might just begin reading them all again, once I have gotten hold of and read the last published book Raising Steam. (One last(?) book will be out in the fall, as will the last of the Long Earth series. But here another author are there to finish any loose ends). You will be missed, and thanks to Randall for making this comic. RIP. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 10:23, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

I hadnt seen the news but the moment i saw the Title i knew what had prompted this xkcd. RIP and thank you. [[User:Plm-qaz snr|Plm-qaz snr]] ([[User talk:Plm-qaz snr|talk]]) 12:07, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

There was a comic that included a speculation on how much shelf space to leave for Terry Pratchett books, but I can't remember which one. Can anyone else remember and add a link? [[User:Jasqm|Jasqm]] ([[User talk:Jasqm|talk]]) 13:44, 13 March 2015 (UTC)
:It seems to be http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/625:_Collections [[User:N0lqu|-boB]] ([[User talk:N0lqu|talk]]) 14:33, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

Not sure if it has been mentioned, but there is an optical illusion in this strip; the corners between frames look like they have dark circles in them. [[User:Kirdneh|Kirdneh]] ([[User talk:Kirdneh|talk]]) 15:28, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

The thing about Terry Pratchett's books, especially his Discworld series, is that you don't know how much you've read until you look at the series as a whole. I mean, I've *only* read all the Rincewind books, the City Watch books, most of the Weatherwax witch books, a couple of the one-shots, the Moist von Lipwig books, the Death books, etc. You don't realize how far you've come until you stop and turn around to look at where you've been. RIP Sir Terry Pratchett.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.80|108.162.216.80]] 15:32, 13 March 2015 (UTC)

505: A Bunch of Rocks

2014-12-09T21:17:44Z

108.162.216.80: /* Graphs */

{{comic
| number = 505
| date = November 17, 2008
| title = A Bunch of Rocks
| image = a_bunch_of_rocks.png
| titletext = I call Rule 34 on Wolfram's Rule 34.
}}

==Explanation==
[[Cueball]] awakens to find himself trapped for eternity in an endless expanse of sand and rocks. At first, he uses this time to derive all of mathematics and physics, including {{w|quantum mechanics}} and {{w|general relativity}}. Next Cueball creates a computer that can process any possible function, out of rocks and rules for the interaction between rocks. He then simulates a particle followed by the interactions between particles, followed by the entire universe. The amount of time it takes to simulate the change in the universe from one instant to the next ({{w|Planck time}}) takes an extremely long time as the time it takes to update just one row of rocks can be measured in eons.

Cueball then apologizes for any flaws we see in the simulation. This implies that the audience is living in Cueball's simulation, making Cueball essentially God.

The final frame cuts to a classroom where a bored student stares at his hands waiting for class to end. Cueball admonishes the student for thinking that class is lasting forever. The joke being that the boredom felt in a classroom is nothing compared to the boredom that inspires Cueball to spend his time toiling to keep the universe moving.

The title text suggests that {{w|Rule 34 (Internet meme)|Rule 34}} should be called on {{w|Elementary cellular automaton#Random initial state|Wolfram's Rule 34}}. Rule 34 (see [[305: Rule 34]]) is a humorous rule of the Internet which states "If you can imagine it, there is porn of it. No exceptions." Wolfram's Rule 34 is a cellular automaton. Therefore the title text says that someone should make pornography featuring the cellular automaton in question.

===Graphs===
The three diagrams in the "Physics, too. I worked out the kinks..." panel are, from left to right:
# The {{w|Normal distribution}} of the {{w|Gaussian curve}} marking the points that represent a standard deviation of σ and 2σ. This is one of the fundamental building blocks of statistics. In quantum mechanics particles are viewed as inherently random, therefore the time at which a particle will decay, the position of a particle and its velocity are all calculated using similar curves. A deviation of at least σ occurs 50% of the time where a deviation of 2σ or more occurs about 5% of the time.
# The {{w|Inclined plane#History|Epitaph of Stevinus}}, an explanation of the mechanical advantage of using an {{w|inclined plane}}. The inclined plane is one of the six classical {{w|simple machine}}s, one of the fundamental building blocks of mechanical and civil engineering.
# The last graph is unknown. It may represent coupeled pendulums, {{w|length contraction}}, or a hypothetical solution to something we haven't derived yet.

The graph that represents particle interaction is a {{w|Feynman Diagram}}. This shows the interaction of subatomic particles that collide and exchange some momentum via a photon. The slope of the middle line represents the distance moved and the time lost/gained during the interaction.

===Notes===
The Swiss patent office line refers to {{w|Albert Einstein}}, who was employed as a Swiss patent clerk while coming up with his theory of special relativity. This joke is also referenced in http://explainxkcd.com/1067/ .Also there is a standing joke that very few important inventions have come from Switzerland, since the country hadn't been involved in the world wars, and thus has not been part of the weapons race, nor was it a driving force in the preceding Industrial Revolution.

In the center of the comic, the binary numbers pointing to the particle are both 42. This is a reference to the comedic answer to the ''Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything'' from the ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' series.

Cueball mentions that if we see an artifact flutter in and out of reality he must have made a mistake in the last "billions and billions of millennia." This implies the small period of time artifact is present in his time is longer than our universe has existed. This is a ''very'' long time.

===Cellular Automaton===
Cueball uses the rocks to build a {{w|cellular automaton}}, a computational model based on simple rules to advance from one state to the next. Certain cellular automata are {{w|Turing-complete}}, which means that they can be used to represent any conceivable algorithm if expanded infinitely. He specifically seems to be running Wolfram's {{w|Rule 110}}, which is capable of universal computation.
When using Rule 110 for universal computation, one builds a background pattern, which can be seen in the comic as the pattern of smaller triangles, and then performs computation by sending out "rockets" to collide and interact with each other.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is walking alone in a desert, narrating his own situation.]
:So I'm stuck in this desert for eternity.
:I don't know why. I just woke up here one day.

:I never feel hungry or thirsty.

:I just walk.

:Sand and rocks

:stretch to infinity.
:As best as I can tell.

:[Cueball is sitting in the desert, in a contemplative position.]
:There's plenty of time for thinking out here.
:An eternity really.

:[Cueball is sketching stuff in the sand.]
:I've rederived modern math in the sand
:and then some.

:[Different graph types are depicted.]
:Physics too. I worked out the kinks in quantum mechanics and relativity.
:Took a lot of thinking, but this place has fewer distractions than a Swiss patent office.

:[Cueball is walking along the desert, laying out rocks.]
:One day I started laying down rows of rocks.

:[Cueball continues to deploy rocks.]
:Each new row followed from the last in a simple pattern.

:[Image continues to zoom out showing laid out rocks.]
:With the right set of rules and enough space,

:I was able to build a computer.
:Each new row of stones is the next iteration of the computation.

:Sure it's rocks instead of electricity, but it's the same* thing.
:Just slower.
:<nowiki>*Turing-complete</nowiki>

:[Cueball in contemplative pose.]
:After a while, I programmed it to be a physics simulator.

:[A particle labeled by binary strings.]
:Every piece of information about a particle was encoded as a string of bits written in the stones.

:[A {{w|Feynman diagram}} showing two particles interacting.]
:With enough time and space, I could fully simulate two particles interacting.

:[Cueball standing before the vastness of the desert.]
:But I have ''infinite'' time and space.

:[Depiction of various galaxies and other systems.]
:So I decided to simulate a universe.

:[Cueball is walking about his rocks, moving them around.]
:The eons blur past as I walk down a single row.

:[Zoom out of the rows of rocks.]
:The rows blur past to compute a single step.

:[Shows placement of two particles.]
:And in the simulation...

:[The two particles have moved; an after-image of their previous placement is present.]
:...another instant ticks by.

:[A person observes a mote of dust vanish.]
:So if you see a mote of dust vanish from your vision in a little flash or something

:[Cueball is holding two rocks, rearranging them.]
:I'm sorry. I must have misplaced a rock
:sometime in the last few billions and billions of millennia.

:[Cueball in front of the vastness of his infinite desert.]
:Oh and...

:[Cueball in a classroom setting with head in hands, girl and professor are present; there are apparently less than five minutes left in the class.]
:If you think the minutes in your morning lecture are taking a long time to pass for ''you''...

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

Talk:1435: Presidential Alert

2014-10-17T09:03:38Z

108.162.216.80:

Do you think this has to do with the Floss joke on Reddit at all? [[User:Kllrshrk|Kllrshrk]] ([[User talk:Kllrshrk|talk]]) 04:11, 17 October 2014 (UTC) Kllrshrk
:I don't know about floss joke on reddit, tell me more [[Special:Contributions/103.31.5.112|103.31.5.112]] 04:32, 17 October 2014 (UTC)

::http://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/2j6pxs/whats_the_joke_with_then_floss/ [[User:Cheeselover724|Cheeselover724]] ([[User talk:Cheeselover724|talk]]) 04:38, 17 October 2014 (UTC)

:Randall knows reddit; this is most likely a reference.[[User:Cheeselover724|Cheeselover724]] ([[User talk:Cheeselover724|talk]]) 04:34, 17 October 2014 (UTC)

:I was thinking that it had something to do with the broadcast he did yesterday (Thursday Oct 16) on the subject of Ebola -- where he really said nothing, other than pamper a bit to the Fox News people, promising an Ebola-czar if he felt it would help [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 08:01, 17 October 2014 (UTC)

I'm going to suggest that the hover text is based on a faked misunderstanding of First Amendment law... the President, as part of the government, can't suggest a preference for one religion over others, including when he's talking to his own children. {{unsigned ip|199.27.128.119}}

: Disagree: Mentioning "God" does not signal any preference of any particular religion -- there is (at least one) god in them all, albeit in religions with more than one god they have individual names where in religions with only one god they may not have a name at all [[User:Spongebog|Spongebog]] ([[User talk:Spongebog|talk]]) 08:01, 17 October 2014 (UTC)

I read the comic a bit differently: supposing the President accidentally pressed "The Button" (started nuclear war), he would appear on television to tell the country about the impending catastrophe. However, once on TV he can't bring himself to tell everyone that he started a nuclear war by mistake, so he opts for something rather lame and exits -- it will all be over soon anyway.[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.191|141.101.104.191]] 07:53, 17 October 2014 (UTC)
: Feeling a bit down today? --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 08:05, 17 October 2014 (UTC)

Where does the "President Cueball" come from? I assumed it was Obama. --[[User:RenniePet|RenniePet]] ([[User talk:RenniePet|talk]]) 08:07, 17 October 2014 (UTC)

The alt-text seems like an unnecessary swipe at President Obama. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.80|108.162.216.80]] 09:03, 17 October 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1419: On the Phone

2014-09-27T15:58:57Z

108.162.216.80:

Starting to wonder who Cueball was on the phone WITH. Maybe he's possessed...
18:28, 10 September 2014 (UTC)

'It seems to me that the off-panel character is most likely [[Cueball]]. The way he says 'Haha. I'm so absentminded' makes me think that the obelisk is intentional, and hes trying to dismiss it lightly having been found out. --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 09:43, 10 September 2014 (UTC)
: I agree, the title text "But anyway, maybe we should check out what this Ba'al guy has to say." seems to reinforce that he's trying to get Megan to think more about Ba'al's teachings or some such while passing it off as a joke/casual remark. [[User:Djbrasier|Djbrasier]] ([[User talk:Djbrasier|talk]]) 13:04, 10 September 2014 (UTC)

:: I disagree, but appear to be outvoted. If doing all that other stuff without realizing it is in character, building the obelisk on purpose would be out of character. Cueball's suggestion to find out more about Ba'al could just be naive curiosity. "I built this? I wonder what it's about." [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 20:01, 11 September 2014 (UTC)

I can relate to this, and for what I've heard, I'm not the only one: it seems it's rather common for people to wander around the house rearranging stuff while on the phone. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.210|141.101.99.210]] 10:35, 10 September 2014 (UTC) AK

This seems to refer {{w|The_Magical_Number_Seven,_Plus_or_Minus_Two|Miller's Law}} again, like #1417. Maybe Randal is looking for his car keys or something else he has put down somewhere while doing something else...
[[User:Tier666|Tier666]] ([[User talk:Tier666|talk]]) 12:12, 10 September 2014 (UTC)

It seems to me that Randal just missed an opportunity to throw a jab at driving while on the phone, something like Megan: "Do you make phone calls while driving?" "Cueball": "Sure, but I sometimes arrive in a different car..." [[User:Bigfatbernie|Bigfatbernie]] ([[User talk:Bigfatbernie|talk]]) 13:31, 10 September 2014 (UTC)

I got the impression that this is saying that Ba'al is subliminally guiding our actions while distracted... something along the lines of "Idle hands are the devil's plaything." [[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.189|108.162.221.189]] 14:38, 10 September 2014 (UTC)Ozy

I added the reference to 872: Fairy Tales if you disagree feel free to change it. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.50.158|173.245.50.158]] 14:51, 10 September 2014 (UTC)
:Personally I'd say its a pretty tenuous link --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 15:16, 10 September 2014 (UTC)

I wonder if the fact we don't see the character off the "screen" is highly related to his apparent desire to "check out what this Ba'al guy has to say" - perhaps She's assuming it's Cueball, but it's not... at least not entirely... I think this could only work if this is a series, which Randall seems to have shied away from in recent years... -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 15:11, 10 September 2014 (UTC)

Maybe this comic is something to do with subliminal messaging or hypnosis or blackmailing? Any thoughts? —[[User:Artyer|Artyer]] ([[User talk:Artyer|talk]]) 16:22, 10 September 2014 (UTC)

Probably nothing to do with the inspiration for this comic, but from yesterday's news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-29126161 ...a teapot. Enjoy. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.7|141.101.99.7]] 18:30, 10 September 2014 (UTC)

Ba'al? As in Bocce? - Col. Jack O'Neill - two "L"'s. =8o) [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 12:57, 11 September 2014 (UTC)

The off panel character always sounded more like Beret Guy than Cueball. Beret Guy always seemed much more willing to accept strange and unnatural occurrences than Cueball. The "Ha-Ha, I'm so absent-minded." also sounds more like Beret Guy considering his exceptionally positive demeanor.
Also, I wonder if the hammer in the fridge is a reference to the Arm and Hammer product used to deodorize refrigerators. Anyone have thoughts on this? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.30|108.162.212.30]] 02:48, 21 September 2014 (UTC)
: No, it's certainly Cueball. In the third panel Megan says "Did you put all *OUR* stuff in weird stacks?", and Megan and Cueball have been a couple since the early days of xkcd; see also [http://xkcd.com/162/ xkcd #162], [http://xkcd.com/420/ xkcd #420], and [http://xkcd.com/572/ xkcd #572], for example.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.80|108.162.216.80]] 15:58, 27 September 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1394: Superm*n

2014-09-27T08:30:30Z

108.162.216.80:

;Wildcard
Excellent description, but minor niggle: In "Superm*n' , the '*' is a wildcard. This isn't a regular expression that would match 'Superman' and Supermoon'. A regexp could be "Superm.*n" - the '.' means 'any character' and the '*' means 'as many times as you like'. (More selective regexps exist) If you were to interpret 'Superm*n' as a regular expression, it would match 'Supern' , 'Supermn', "Supermmn', Supermmmn' etc. So you could describe 'Superm*n' as a 'wildcard search that would match superman and supermoon'. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.184|141.101.99.184]] 05:11, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
:You're approaching this from a very specific context. You may be correct in that context, but there are plenty of different programs, protocols, languages, etc which use wildcards in various ways. I once worked as a 411 operator, and in the search software we used at the time, a search on "SUPERM*N" would have found both "Superman" and "Supermoon" if both of those were names in listings (although our supervisors would consider that too many keystrokes and would suggest "SUP*N" instead). - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.10|108.162.242.10]] 05:58, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
::Oops, looks like I read the initial comment too quickly, didn't realize you were kind of making the same point I wanted to, you were just being more technical about it. Either way, I think the explanation of the wildcard in the article itself should be made vague enough to avoid further threads like this. - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.10|108.162.242.10]] 06:03, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
:It's clearly a Unix shell file glob. [[User:Jeremyp|Jeremyp]] ([[User talk:Jeremyp|talk]]) 09:54, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
::This form of wildcard is used in the Windows command prompt as well, and is very well known for Windows users. I obviously can't speak for the full XKCD audience, but limiting the scope of that wildcard to Unix seems unnecessarily exclusive. (Wouldn't it be sufficient to just refer to it as a "wildcard" as a generic concept? I mean, You Know You're a Geek When...) [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 20:12, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
:::Having grown up on MS-DOS, I second this. I remember typing '''DIR/a:h/s *.exe''' or something similar to search for games hidden by other students on my school's computers. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.62.62|173.245.62.62]] 11:18, 15 July 2014 (UTC)
I figured that the asterisk was used to replace the letter 'A' in the name of the character so that Randall was not using a copyrighted/licensed name and was therefore safe from possible legal action for unauthorized use.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.80|108.162.216.80]] 08:30, 27 September 2014 (UTC)

;Colour
If a Trivia section is warranted for this comic, I think it should definitely be pointed out this is one of the rare strips that uses a colour other than black or white. Is there an available statistic on use of colour in xkcd? - [[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.10|108.162.242.10]] 05:58, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
:Ya, I'd bite on this one. [[User:Jarod997|Jarod997]] ([[User talk:Jarod997|talk]]) 12:20, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
::There's a category, [[:Category:Comics with color]]. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.74|173.245.55.74]] 13:24, 14 July 2014 (UTC)

;Astronomy
In a similar tune to the supermoon, could the sun at perihelion be called a "superstar"? [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.239|103.22.201.239]] 08:36, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
:Wouldn't that be the ''Earth'' at perihelion? --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.52.82|173.245.52.82]] 12:33, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
::The sun at Earth's perihelion. {{unsigned ip|108.162.216.9}}
:::I was gonna say, does the Earth get 12% larger when it's at perihelion to the sun? :) [[User:KieferSkunk|KieferSkunk]] ([[User talk:KieferSkunk|talk]]) 20:14, 14 July 2014 (UTC)
::::The sun appears about 3% larger to an observer on Earth at perihelion, compared to the sun we see during aphelion.[http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap090703.html] Not very apparent to the unaided human eye, given the other factors(including seasonal, diurnal and latitudinal variation) that influence our overall perception of the sun. (Not that I'm recommending naked-eye observations of the sun.) [[Special:Contributions/173.245.62.62|173.245.62.62]] 05:27, 15 July 2014 (UTC)

;Web-slingers and supermen
The comment on the title text makes it sound as though Spiderman canonically shoots webs from his body and only in "some adaptations" has a mechanical device that does so. That's backwards. The machine is the original, the biological version is what happens in "some adaptations" (ie, films). {{unsigned ip|173.245.48.135}}
:Exactly right. I've edited the description. Also corrected the spelling of Spider-Man. [[Special:Contributions/199.27.133.39|199.27.133.39]] 18:16, 14 July 2014 (UTC)

Do we have the required information to calculate what percentage of people would have better than 107% of the average human strength, assuming a normal bell distribution? [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.239|103.22.201.239]] 07:15, 15 July 2014 (UTC)

Though it's quoted from a [http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2014/10jul_supermoons/ stupid NASA press release,] "14% bigger and 30% brighter than other full moons" is misleading, as ''Sky and Telescope'' has been [http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/the-march-19th-supermoon-hardly-super/ pointing out] [http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/observing-news/the-myth-of-the-supermoon/ for years,] and in fact they told [http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronomy-news/supermoon-overplayed-by-news-media/ this same exact Superman joke] about it back in 2012. 1.14 is the ratio between perigee size and apogee size. (Even then there are different numbers floating around. If you look at the numbers in [http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2008/12/09/09dec_fullmoon_resources/Ayiomamitis1.jpg this graphic] it's either 1.124 or 1.134, in the same image describing the same event.) Perigee size versus ''average'' size would be more relevant. This is why Randall's joke is that Superman is 7% stronger than an average man. In the S&T article it was 8% stronger. [[User:Pesthouse|Pesthouse]] ([[User talk:Pesthouse|talk]]) 18:51, 15 July 2014 (UTC)
:Also... "14% Bigger"? Is that (apparent) diameter or area? (i.e. based upon the change in radians subtended to the eye or ''ste''radians, likewise.) Hopefully says something, in the sources, but it's a commonly disputable weasel-statistic (plus 14% bigger than 14% smaller doesn't return to the same size, so choose the right comparison but twist it and the unaware/charlatan statistics-vendor can give misleading figures). Talking generically, of course, as a pitfall we should not fall into, in everyday life. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.192|141.101.99.192]] 11:56, 16 July 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1402: Harpoons

2014-08-01T17:54:36Z

108.162.216.80:

I took the sentient space craft joke to be a reference to the movie "Dark Star".

Harpoon is a brand of rum. Did a bottle make it into space? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.196|108.162.219.196]] 12:55, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

: I tried to find who makes it but wasn't able to find a definitive source. I added http://www.harpoon-rum.eu/ for now but it would be nice to have the link to the canonical source. Any pointers? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:24, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

: It's only headcannon. (ref to xkcd #1401) A headcannon which fires a harpoon. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.80|108.162.216.80]] 17:52, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

Did this comic upload quite late in the day for anyone else? Is anyone else experiencing or did anyone else experience that "Latest Comic" is still going to 1401 as ix XKCD.com and XKCD.com/#

"This is obviously a joke, as sentient spacecraft cannot be created with current technology." Yeah, will need a citation on that... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.148|108.162.229.148]] 13:23, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

Definitely a joke. Appolo 12’s call sign was Yankee Clipper, and a clipper ship would not carry any harpoons.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.129|108.162.216.129]] 14:04, 1 August 2014 (UTC)
: I'd believe someone might have smuggled some Harpoon (or even any brand of) rum up there, then brought it back down with them, ingested or otherwise (thus the drop right after the mission). Alternately, "incident" could be something more along the lines of losing an empty bottle of rum during a spacewalk (farfetched as it may be) and it reentering the atmosphere(?) - probably no more than stories, though - nothing official probably exists about anything like that going up or down in any manner.

Moby Dick is, let's say, extremely far-fetched. It was not the ship that was hunting the whale and harpooning it by itself. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.143|141.101.104.143]] 17:27, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

Could the Apollo 12 bump possibly be a reference to Futurama? "We're whalers on the moon, we carry a harpoon" [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.246|199.27.130.246]] 15:51, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1402: Harpoons

2014-08-01T17:52:52Z

108.162.216.80:

I took the sentient space craft joke to be a reference to the movie "Dark Star".

Harpoon is a brand of rum. Did a bottle make it into space? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.196|108.162.219.196]] 12:55, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

: I tried to find who makes it but wasn't able to find a definitive source. I added http://www.harpoon-rum.eu/ for now but it would be nice to have the link to the canonical source. Any pointers? --[[User:Waldir|Waldir]] ([[User talk:Waldir|talk]]) 17:24, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

: It's only headcannon. (ref to xkcd #1401) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.80|108.162.216.80]] 17:52, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

Did this comic upload quite late in the day for anyone else? Is anyone else experiencing or did anyone else experience that "Latest Comic" is still going to 1401 as ix XKCD.com and XKCD.com/#

"This is obviously a joke, as sentient spacecraft cannot be created with current technology." Yeah, will need a citation on that... [[Special:Contributions/108.162.229.148|108.162.229.148]] 13:23, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

Definitely a joke. Appolo 12’s call sign was Yankee Clipper, and a clipper ship would not carry any harpoons.[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.129|108.162.216.129]] 14:04, 1 August 2014 (UTC)
: I'd believe someone might have smuggled some Harpoon (or even any brand of) rum up there, then brought it back down with them, ingested or otherwise (thus the drop right after the mission). Alternately, "incident" could be something more along the lines of losing an empty bottle of rum during a spacewalk (farfetched as it may be) and it reentering the atmosphere(?) - probably no more than stories, though - nothing official probably exists about anything like that going up or down in any manner.

Moby Dick is, let's say, extremely far-fetched. It was not the ship that was hunting the whale and harpooning it by itself. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.143|141.101.104.143]] 17:27, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

Could the Apollo 12 bump possibly be a reference to Futurama? "We're whalers on the moon, we carry a harpoon" [[Special:Contributions/199.27.130.246|199.27.130.246]] 15:51, 1 August 2014 (UTC)

Talk:984: Space Launch System

2014-07-31T19:53:21Z

108.162.216.80: /* Incomplete */

But then we built a whole pile of rockets after that. Apollo, moon landing, mars rover, etc. Boo Black Hat.06:53, 2 February 2013 (UTC)
:"Apollo, moon landing" -- that is, in fact, the Saturn V, built by von Braun, captured Nazi scientist, and his team, largely captured Nazi scientists. Yes, other rockets were built after the Saturn V, but as pointed out in the strip, none have been bigger or more powerful. "Finally, rockets that improve on the ones we had 40 years ago."
:The first Mars lander (true, not a rover), Viking I, was launched on an Titan/Centaur. The Centaur was a co-creation of Krafft A. Ehricke, nazi scientist.
:Mars Sojourner, a rover, part of the Mars Pathfinder mission, was launched on a Delta II rocket. The Delta family of rockets are based on the Thor ballistic missile. The Thor was originally co-developed by Dr. Adolph K. Thiel, Nazi scientist.
:You see where this is going? {{unsigned|212.149.48.43}}

Technically, von Braun wasn't captured. He voluntarily defected. He was wandering Germany because he had chosen to no longer support Hitler, so to stay at the concentration camp where he worked, or anywhere where a Nazi soldier could find him was suicide, so he escaped and was wandering out alone. He surrendered and defected to the first allied troops he saw, which just happened to be American. This is why he worked on the space programme instead of being shot on sight. By the time he was building American rockets, he hadn't been a Nazi for years.[[Special:Contributions/76.29.225.28|76.29.225.28]] 14:40, 4 July 2013 (UTC)
:You're way off the mark. He was never opposed to the Nazis per se, but did understandably start grumbling a bit when he realized this Endsieg thing wasn't really working out. He and his team left the base because they, again understandably, did not want to be prisoners of the Red Army and Soviet Russia. Then, when the Americans finally caught up with them, he surrendered himself, avoiding execution by guards at the same time. --[[User:Qwach|Qwach]] ([[User talk:Qwach|talk]]) 02:19, 1 September 2013 (UTC)

== Incomplete ==

Oh, this comic is one of the "more complex" ones. The time line (not the comic sequence) is starting with the US failures to archive space flight in the 1950's, then referring to Nazis, and by the end we are on the current US space policy, which is also highly questionable.--[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 19:51, 4 July 2013 (UTC)

Not sure what you mean by one of the "more complex" ones, it is actually pretty straightforward. Some nitpicking though: there was no US failure to achieve space flight in the 50s; both the US and the USSR did it within 4 months of each other at the end of 1957/beginning of 1958. A little history lesson:
The Space Race didn't begin until July of 1955, when the US announced its intention to launch Earth-orbiting satellites sometime between July 1st 1957 and December 31st 1958. The USSR followed suit shortly afterwards, and by the end of August 1955 the Soviet Academy of Sciences created a commission (i.e. offered support and possibly some sort of incentive) for the sole purpose of beating the US into space - which they ended up doing with Sputnik 1 (10/04/57) and 2 (11/03/57). The creation of that commission is considered the start of the space race. The US launched its first successful satellite a few months after the Sputniks, the Explorer 1, on February 1, 1958, well within what most people would call the 1950s. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.80|108.162.216.80]] 19:53, 31 July 2014 (UTC)