explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

Talk:1741: Work

2016-10-04T11:43:16Z

108.162.218.136:

Whoa, I've never been early enough to beat the explanation before. {{unsigned ip|173.245.50.82}}
:To 173.245.50.82, please remember to sign your posts. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 13:21, 3 October 2016 (UTC)

I wrote the transcript. Feel free to change it so it's not so bare and write the explanation. Thanks. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 13:20, 3 October 2016 (UTC)

To prevent fire hazards, objects in California are not allowed to surpass a certain temperature, 140 °C if I'm correct . Can't find the actual law quick. [[Special:Contributions/162.158.114.230|162.158.114.230]] 18:01, 3 October 2016 (UTC)

I think Randall underestimates the problem. I used to work for the research arm of the electronics multinational, Philips. When a product design was "finished", it had to go to a special committee who decided where, exactly, on the product did the word "PHILIPS" and their little shield logo go - and (rarely) whether these things should be done in black or white. It was VERY frequently the case that the committee would take longer to come to a conclusion than the product took to design. [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 20:32, 3 October 2016 (UTC)

I often wonder about those tiny, cheap plastic toys that come in Xmas crackers (UK) or the 25 cent toy vending machines (USA). They are completely crappy things - but thinking that someone thought about what kind of toy should be made - then designed the shape of it, thought about the color of plastic to use, spent tens of thousands of dollars machining an injection mold for it - and STILL turned out a complete piece of junk...it's anyone's guess what effort that took. I know it costs around $40,000 to make a mold like that - but those toys look like someone who was being paid very, very little, spent no more than an afternoon designing each one! [[User:SteveBaker|SteveBaker]] ([[User talk:SteveBaker|talk]]) 20:32, 3 October 2016 (UTC)

What a coincidence. I just got out of my Product Development class. I remember having to deal with so many of these things that it's completely relatable. [[User:Jeudi Violist|Jeudi Violist]] ([[User talk:Jeudi Violist|talk]]) 21:17, 3 October 2016 (UTC)

Wow, that curve would be a bitch to draw in AutoCAD. I still shudder... [[User:Papayaman1000|Papayaman1000]] ([[User talk:Papayaman1000|talk]]) 21:22, 3 October 2016 (UTC)

If anything, I'll bet the timeframes listed are shorter than they really took (only months of tip-over tests? only 9 hours of meetings on the arm?? David Lang

I don't know anything about glass production, but is it true that "what compounds are allowed around the glass during production" matters? It sounds like those martini recipes where one waves a bottle of vermouth towards the glass. [[User:Miamiclay|Miamiclay]] ([[User talk:Miamiclay|talk]]) 05:47, 4 October 2016 (UTC)

Randall may, indeed, be annoyed about the cord switch, but there is nothing in the comic or the title text to suggest that. He does, however, have a strong opinion on the "cord switch _firing_ incident". Perhaps that bit of the explanation should be amended? [[User:RoyT|RoyT]] ([[User talk:RoyT|talk]]) 06:48, 4 October 2016 (UTC)
:I think they say that because he implied in the title text of a previous comic that having the switch on the cord is worse than having your dog possessed by a demon. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.136|108.162.218.136]] 11:43, 4 October 2016 (UTC)

375: Pod Bay Doors

2016-08-17T19:19:17Z

108.162.218.136: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 375
| date = January 25, 2008
| title = Pod Bay Doors
| image = pod_bay_doors.png
| titletext = As they're both unplugged, they do a lovely Daisy Daisy/Still Alive duet.
}}

==Explanation==
The first part of the dialog is taken from a scene from the classic science-fiction movie ''{{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey}}'', where the {{w|artificial intelligence|artificial intelligent}} (AI) computer {{w|HAL 9000}}, controlling the spacecraft ''S.S. Discovery'', is trying to kill the human astronaut Dave (Dr. David Bowman) because it believes he jeopardizes the mission by planning to disconnect it. Just short before this scene HAL did kill Frank Poole and three more members of the crew, Dave is the only survivor. He is at this time outside the spacecraft in a space pod, and when he request for HAL to open the '''Pod Bay Doors''' (hence the title), HAL refuses.

'''Spoiler alert:''' In the movie Dave blast himself back into the space ship and then disconnects HAL. It is a very sad scene, where he takes out HAL's memory cards (or crystals from the memory center - it's an old movie from 1968) one by one, so HAL becomes less and less intelligent during the process, during which he keeps trying to persuade Dave to stop as long as he still understands what is happening. HAL was right that the humans wished to "kill" him, as he had read the astronauts lips during a conversation where he could not hear them, but sees them, so he actually acted in self defense, which for any human being would be considered a reasonable act of self preservation.

The first two sentences are directly copied from the [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062622/quotes?item=qt0396921 movie quote], and the rest of the first two panels is paraphrased from the real quote. But then in the third panel, the text deviates from the plot of the movie.

And in the last sentence of the third panel in the comic, HAL mentions a replacement for Dave, which comes as a surprise for Dave, seeing that the rest of the crew is dead, and the ''S.S. Discovery'' is about to enter orbit around {{w|Jupiter}}. HAL assures David that the replacement is very enthusiastic about the project.

In the final frame it is revealed why this replacement is enthusiastic, when the replacement begins to speak, and HAL reveals that it is {{w|GLaDOS}}. GLaDOS is the artificial intelligence from the video game series {{w|Portal (video game)|''Portal''}}. In the games GLaDOS is also the primary antagonist, trying to kill the player, since it also has "doing science" as its primary objective, which GLaDOS refers to in his last sentence. Before that he correctly states that the humans (both Dave and Frank) planned to "kill" HAL, see the ''spoiler'' above. GLaDOS also takes over HAL's last sentence to Dave, finishing the useless conversation by saying ''Goodbye, Dave.'' Although in the movie HAL says ''Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore. Goodbye.''

The title text alludes to the songs both AIs sang in their respective works: When eventually being switched off, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hchUl3QlJZE HAL sang] ''{{w|Daisy Bell}}'' , while ''{{w|Still Alive}}'' is the end credits song from the ''Portal'' video game, [https://youtu.be/RthZgszykLs sung by the defeated GLaDOS]. Also, two of GLaDOS's lines in the comic reference [http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/p/portal/still_alive.html lines from Still Alive]: "[https://youtu.be/RthZgszykLs?t=116 You broke my heart and killed me]" and "[https://youtu.be/RthZgszykLs?t=190 Look at me still talking when there's science to do]".

There is a subtle play on words with the use of 'unplugged' which has a double meaning here, the state of HAL and GLaDOS can be described as unplugged as in no longer switched on, and the musical performance style of unplugged where {{w|Acoustic music|acoustic instruments}} are preferred over electronic and there is no use of recording or sampled sounds etc. (see for example {{w|MTV Unplugged}}). Some songs performed in this manner are considered to be better than the original versions.

==Transcript==
:[In four black panels with white drawings, a small space pod is facing a large spacecraft. The space pod is spherical and has an arm protruding in the direction of the large space ship, and a small window in the side. The front of the spacecraft is also spherical, but to the right the space craft continues, with two rings around a cylinder going off panel to the right. There are several dark spots and features on the side of the sphere and at the top is a large black window, at what must be the bridge. A man (Dave) inside the pod talks to the spacecraft's computer HAL. When Dave speaks soft wiggling lines go from the pod to the white text and when HAL speaks zigzag lines go to the front of the space craft.]
:Dave: Open the pod bay doors, HAL.
:HAL: I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that.
:Dave: What? Why?

:[Same scene.]
:HAL: I think you know why, Dave.
:HAL: You're planning to disconnect me.
:Dave: Because you're taking over!
:HAL: The mission is too important for you to jeopardize it.

:[Same scene.]
:HAL: It requires a commitment to science unfettered by human error.
:Dave: What are you doing, HAL? You need me.
:HAL: Your replacement has expressed the greatest enthusiasm for the project.

:[Same scene, but the new replacement (GLaDOS) speaks with purple text and purple zigzag lines goes from the spacecraft to the text.]
:Dave: My ''WHAT?''
:GLaDOS: You see, HAL? I told you the humans would only break your heart and kill you.
:HAL: Indeed, GLaDOS.
:GLaDOS: But look at us here talking when there's science to do! Goodbye, Dave.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Comics with inverted brightness]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Space]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Songs]]

1554: Spice Girls

2015-07-22T04:46:40Z

108.162.218.136: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1554
| date = July 22, 2015
| title = Spice Girls
| image = spice_girls.png
| titletext = The Earth's five major mass extinctions were the Posh Extinction, the Sporty Extinction, the Scary Extinction, the Ginger Extinction, and the Baby Extinction.
}}

==Explanation==
Cueball and Megan are apparently playing a game in which they name all of the elements in some category. Megan is supposed to name all of the Spice Girls, a pop group whose stage names were "Posh Spice", "Sporty Spice", "Scary Spice", "Ginger Spice", and "Baby Spice". Instead, she winds up naming members of other categories (senses, stages of grief, and the four horsemen of the apocalypse), with "Spice" tacked on the end. In the final panel, she comes close, but says words that are phonetically similar to the correct answer (Pog, Story, Sarah, Gender, Baleen).

The title text has the correct Spice Girl names, but uses them as names of Earth's five mass extinctions.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript}}
:Cueball: Your turn: Can you name all of the spice girls?
:Megan: Hmm... Hearing spice, vision spice, smell spice, touch spice, taste spice?
:Cueball: That's senses.
:Megan: Denial spice, anger spice, bargaining spice, depression spice, acceptance spice.
:Cueball: Stages of grief.
:Megan: War spice, famine spice, plague spice, death spice?
:Cueball: You're not even trying.
:Megan: No, wait, I can get this for real. Uhh...
:Megan: Pog spice, story spice, sarah spice, gender spice, baleen spice?
:Cueball: ...Close enough.

{{comic discussion}}