explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

144: Parody Week: A Softer World

2015-04-07T02:56:12Z

108.162.219.164:

{{comic
| number = 144
| date = August 17, 2006
| title = Parody Week: A Softer World
| image = a_softer_robot.jpg
| titletext = The robot is pregnant. It isn't mine.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic is a parody of Joey Comeau and Emily Horne's {{w|A Softer World}} webcomic. The first panel references the {{w|Kill (command)|Kill command}} which would be used to turn off the robot every morning. This joke is a reference to the classic {{w|Science Fiction}} theme of robots taking over and killing humans.

The second and third panels then turn the comic to a more introspective thought per A Softer World's usual style. There are two possible meanings of these panels.

The first reference human's natural reaction to be afraid of love because it requires vulnerability and honesty, which is very difficult. In the comic, they are afraid to tell it to love, because then it would experience these same difficulties and fears.

The second meaning deals with {{w|Artifical Intelligence}}; specifically {{w|strong AI}}. The idea is that the {{w|Intelligent agent|AI agent}} would not only act as if it was intelligent, but truly BE intelligent and have emotions and feelings as well. There has been much debate over whether an {{w|Intelligent agent|AI agent}} could actually feel {{w|Emotion|emotions}} in the same manner as humans, as well as much consternation over the ethical concerns and moral ramifications it would have. Thus the comic's "We're afraid to tell it to love."

The title text takes {{w|love}} to be an act of love-making instead of an emotional feeling, thus why the robot is pregnant.

This comic is a part of the Parody Week, just joking about other webcomics.
*[[141: Parody Week: Achewood]]
*[[142: Parody Week: Megatokyo]]
*[[143: Parody Week: TFD and Natalie Dee]]
*[[144: Parody Week: A Softer World]]
*[[145: Parody Week: Dinosaur Comics]]

==Transcript==
:[Above the first frame:]
:x k c d

:[A red robot in a lab standing below a poster and next to a table with a computer screen with unreadable text. The text covers most of the poster but the first word can be read.]
:Poster: SAFETY
:[Two panels with text is superimposed on the image:]
:when we open the lab each morning, we tell the robot to kill
:it's our little joke
:[Zooming in on the center of the first frame between robot and table. Again two text panels:]
:but secretly
:we're just afraid
:[Zooming further in.]
:to tell it to love
:[Below the first frame:]
:r munroe

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Parody Week]]
[[Category:Romance]]
[[Category:Robots]]

Talk:1018: Good Cop, Dadaist Cop

2014-12-28T00:54:53Z

108.162.219.164:

A comment from the blog that is quite on and off (you'll get the joke) the topic:

:I took a class in college, in French, and we studied (insofar as one can) dadaism, surrealism, and existentialism.
:One day, the girl next to me raised her hand and started out, “This is off the subject, but..”… Professor La Charité interrupted immediately, with, “It’s ''*never*'' off the subject. Continue.”
:We all felt we learned something that day. Giraffe. - E

Hope that explains some things. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:40, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

;Explanation
I think the above explanation is lacking. What's bones got to do with it? How about the language stuff? AND A Mexican bandit robbed a bank. The sheriff and his bilingual deputy captured him, and the sheriff, who couldn't speak Spanish, asked him where he'd hidden the money. "No se nada," said the bandit.
The sheriff put a gun to the bandit's head and said to his deputy: "Tell him, if he doesn't tell us where the money is, I'll blow his brains out."
Upon receiving the translation, the bandit became very animated. "Ya me acuerdo! Tienen que caminar tres cuadradas hasta ese gran arbol. Debajo del arbol, alli esta el dinero."
The sheriff leaned forward. "Yeah? Well..?"
The deputy replied: "He says he wants to die like a man." {{unsigned ip| 122.61.61.161}}
:It's Dadaism. It means unrelated random stuff. AND nice story =) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.206|108.162.212.206]] 19:26, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

What's incomplete about this? <small>[[User:MrGameZone|0100011101100001011011010110010101011010011011110110111001100101]] ([[User talk:MrGameZone|talk page]])</small> 05:37, 2 August 2014 (UTC)
:If you twisted my arm, I'd have to guess that my phone is ringing off the salmon. That's all I can remember at this indication, though. -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 11:48, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Has Mark Zuckerberg ever HAD a mortgage?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.164|108.162.219.164]], 27 Dec 1014

Talk:1018: Good Cop, Dadaist Cop

2014-12-28T00:52:07Z

108.162.219.164:

A comment from the blog that is quite on and off (you'll get the joke) the topic:

:I took a class in college, in French, and we studied (insofar as one can) dadaism, surrealism, and existentialism.
:One day, the girl next to me raised her hand and started out, “This is off the subject, but..”… Professor La Charité interrupted immediately, with, “It’s ''*never*'' off the subject. Continue.”
:We all felt we learned something that day. Giraffe. - E

Hope that explains some things. [[User:Lcarsos|lcarsos]] ([[User talk:Lcarsos|talk]]) 17:40, 20 August 2012 (UTC)

;Explanation
I think the above explanation is lacking. What's bones got to do with it? How about the language stuff? AND A Mexican bandit robbed a bank. The sheriff and his bilingual deputy captured him, and the sheriff, who couldn't speak Spanish, asked him where he'd hidden the money. "No se nada," said the bandit.
The sheriff put a gun to the bandit's head and said to his deputy: "Tell him, if he doesn't tell us where the money is, I'll blow his brains out."
Upon receiving the translation, the bandit became very animated. "Ya me acuerdo! Tienen que caminar tres cuadradas hasta ese gran arbol. Debajo del arbol, alli esta el dinero."
The sheriff leaned forward. "Yeah? Well..?"
The deputy replied: "He says he wants to die like a man." {{unsigned ip| 122.61.61.161}}
:It's Dadaism. It means unrelated random stuff. AND nice story =) [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.206|108.162.212.206]] 19:26, 29 January 2014 (UTC)

What's incomplete about this? <small>[[User:MrGameZone|0100011101100001011011010110010101011010011011110110111001100101]] ([[User talk:MrGameZone|talk page]])</small> 05:37, 2 August 2014 (UTC)
:If you twisted my arm, I'd have to guess that my phone is ringing off the salmon. That's all I can remember at this indication, though. -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 11:48, 13 August 2014 (UTC)

Has Mark Zuckerburg ever HAD a mortgage?[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.164|108.162.219.164]]

Talk:1018: Good Cop, Dadaist Cop

2014-12-28T00:51:23Z

108.162.219.164:

Talk:1446: Landing

2014-11-20T18:05:16Z

108.162.219.164:

I would bet money that this comic will have to do with the Rosetta Lander that will be landing on a comet for the first time in history this morning. Info about it at Rosetta.esa.int

[[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.173|108.162.237.173]] 05:37, 12 November 2014 (UTC)pH
:
:from xkcd1446.org: "Note: This event is over. You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to browse through the images" {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.113}}

Almost definitely. The URL for the image (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-40-00_wmf0bPtxDN.png) contains 'landing'.

[[User:DeedleFake|DeedleFake]] ([[User talk:DeedleFake|talk]]) 05:44, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

The image changes every five minutes. (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-35-00_lVC98SMY1X.png) followed by (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-40-00_wmf0bPtxDN.png) followed by (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-45-00_MZprhbADHL.png) then (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-50-00_Z63bWhoaxd.png) (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-55-00_2wCeCFN0R1.png) (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-00-00_FRnIhqA5IZ.png) (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-05-00_Os6SVGalch.png) (http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-10-00_xn4nUL9lry.png) http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-15-00_soIuPGfUYh.png , also I'm sorry about deleting other people's comments - firefox decided to not show the "other people have edited this" page :(. If anyone's interested, here's the command I'm using to grab the urls:
while :; do http --stream --body http://c0.xkcd.com/stream/comic/landing\?method\=EventSource | awk '/png/ { print $2 }' | perl -ne '/(r_.+png)/; print "$1\n";' ; done
where the 'http' command is from http://httpie.org - not the neatest way to do it, but it works ;)
[[User:Forkbomb|Forkbomb]] ([[User talk:Forkbomb|talk]]) 05:47, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Forkbomb, you are not supposed to delete other's comments...
Yes. It is definitely about Rosetta. The image changed at 9.35 pm PST and it says "Three hours to separation", i.e. 12.35am PST, which is exactly the time at which PHILAE is going to separate...
[http://imgur.com/fK9Ddrx image_seen]
[http://blogs.esa.int/rosetta/2014/11/07/rosetta-and-philae-landing-timeline/ rosetta timeline]

[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.237|199.27.128.237]] 05:50, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Is anyone collecting URLs? I assume there's an easy automated way to do this that was used for Time. If not...
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! URLs
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-05-00_Os6SVGalch.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-10-00_fUWUYNkxwp.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-15-00_74eSd3x7BQ.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-20-00_UT4FKycrmC.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-25-00_FX6hlfSQHR.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-30-00_FjnXADopvO.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-35-00_lVC98SMY1X.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-40-00_wmf0bPtxDN.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-45-00_MZprhbADHL.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-50-00_Z63bWhoaxd.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-55-00_2wCeCFN0R1.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-00-00_FRnIhqA5IZ.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-05-00_Os6SVGalch.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-10-00_xn4nUL9lry.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-15-00_soIuPGfUYh.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-20-00_jwkPNMaOSf.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-25-00_ADajYkIBoR.png
|-
|http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-30-00_w819mZAIhE.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-35-00_LoEc4Q8fJF.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-40-00_YLKE5WV8Jw.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-45-00_QRP5ndlY4A.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-50-00_OAOxgR9UUR.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-55-00_KGFuQYeX1i.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-00-00_ov37tpe8BX.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-05-00_VwL8mLbfmW.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-10-00_GCNRyInxWI.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-15-00_CQwEg4oyk3.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-20-00_jkbJbYkLeP.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-25-00_Pxh3HKgWnT.png
|}
</div>
'''LONG LIST OF URLs HIDDEN. CLICK EXPAND OVER THERE →'''

Randall switched to SSL after 1:30 but you can of course use either server.

- Marcustyphoon/[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.244|108.162.219.244]] 07:37, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

(http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-45-00_MZprhbADHL.png) "Has anyone ever tried this before?" "No but fetishes have to start somewhere, right?" [[User:Nexxuz|Nexxuz]] ([[User talk:Nexxuz|talk]])

Probably just a mistake, but the transcript in the html source of 1446 is from 1445. --[[User:Pascal|Pascal]] ([[User talk:Pascal|talk]]) 05:58, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

It fetches things using this javascript tag..
<script type="text/javascript" src="/s/c3b919.js"></script>
I've pasted it in pastebin, can we get zealous and fetch the images before they actually show up ? :P
[http://pastebin.com/MwsahkyE link_to_javascript]
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.237|199.27.128.237]] 06:04, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

By the way, the current explanation says it's pinging c4.xkcd for updates.
From the javascript source, it looks like there's more than one server for this:
var SERVERS = ["http://c0.xkcd.com", "http://c1.xkcd.com", "http://c2.xkcd.com", "http://c3.xkcd.com", "http://c4.xkcd.com", "http://c5.xkcd.com", "http://c6.xkcd.com", "http://c7.xkcd.com"];
So that would be c0 to c7

Unfortuantely, as I had suggested, it seems that we cannot grab all the images beforehand :(
The javascript only fetches a json, which actually gives image name. So there's a server side script running which generates the paths to actual images. The javascript just shows it..
You can see the json [http://c4.xkcd.com/stream/comic/landing?method=EventSource here].
[[Special:Contributions/199.27.128.237|199.27.128.237]] 06:23, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Attempting to load the URL directly in Firefox results in unreadable results, but it's something like
id: acae0462-6a34-11e4-8001-002590720087
event: comic/landing
data: {"image":"r_01-25-00_ADajYkIBoR.png","spread":1}
There are several other events as well, such as 'reload' and 'heartbeat'.
[[User:DeedleFake|DeedleFake]] ([[User talk:DeedleFake|talk]]) 06:32, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

By the way, that UUID (i.e. acae0462-6a34-11e4-8001-002590720087) seems to encode the time the image was uploaded as a v1 UUID.
[[User:Maths22|Maths22]] ([[User talk:Maths22|talk]]) 06:58, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

The best part of this is ninja-ing the image uploads. The xkcd servers seem to be off atomic time by around 45 seconds. [[User:Skylarmt|Skylarmt]] ([[User talk:Skylarmt|talk]]) 06:45, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

What are people's thoughts on changing the image label to an image number? It seems redundant to use the timestamp twice, but I copied it over from time. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 07:06, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

A lovely explanation. Itaigreif (talk) 07:45, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Why is the comic titled "???" and not "Rosetta" or something? [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 08:02, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

:"Rosetta" would have given the game away in the first few minutes before we could figure it out. "???" is a strange choice, though. [[Special:Contributions/103.22.201.157|103.22.201.157]] 09:20, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

The page has changed name from "???" to "Landing" about 5AM, and title text changed from "..." to "[LIVE]". Not sure about actual times, and don't know how to rename page. Can someone else handle this? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.89.217|141.101.89.217]] 10:12, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

At 00:03:50 the comic mentions turning on CONCERT, which I think is a typo and should be {{w|CONSERT}} --[[User:Pudder|Pudder]] ([[User talk:Pudder|talk]]) 10:56, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:I think this is a typo Randall made on purpose. [[User:SirKitKat|SirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 15:45, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
::Welp - if it's a joke or other reference, it's lost on me - do you have an explanation for what it could mean if intentional? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 19:15, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
Keep uploading the images under the current naming convention, guys, I'll do a batch move to "landing[X]" later when things die down a little. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 11:02, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:: Check out [http://xkcd1446.org/list.json http://xkcd1446.org/list.json]. E.g. [http://xkcd1446.org/img/r_11-30-00_DEpbhsl54D.png http://xkcd1446.org/img/r_11-30-00_DEpbhsl54D.png]. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.189|141.101.105.189]] 11:54, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Shouldn't we write up the changing "Time until landing: [x] hours" top text in the transcripts as well? [[User:Phantom|Phantom]] ([[User talk:Phantom|talk]]) 12:39, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Oh no, not again! [[Special:Contributions/141.101.93.206|Petunia]] 12:45, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:What? What's happening? -- [[User:Bowl|Bowl]] ([[User talk:Bowl|talk]]) 19:20, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
::Hurling towards the ground, with all of these stupid whales around... well, "hurling" would have been better actually, so it could all end quicker. Instead, it is tens of thousands of times slower than last time. And instead of splatting, the whales are bouncing... they seem to be enjoying this. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.93.206|Petunia]] 08:07, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

In the transcript, added or changed text should be in '''bold''' for easy reading? also, [http://xkcd1446.org/static.html this] format reads a lot easier then the transcript. - sir KitKat - [[Special:Contributions/141.101.64.137|141.101.64.137]] 12:57, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:I think so. After adding 'Status Report' it's even harder to read it. [[User:Graphene|Graphene]] ([[User talk:Graphene|talk]]) 13:01, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:I'm not sure... the purpose of the transcript is not to make it easier for those too lazy to compare the images and find what changed between them, but just to represent what the images contain for those that can not see them... preferably as accurately as possible, i.e. with the original formatting. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.93.206|141.101.93.206]] 13:10, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:: I'd agree with the transcript not containing formatting that changes - especially since that formatting may confuse (or be confused with) the formatting used for emphasis in the comic itself - perhaps we could have a separated "changes" version of the transcript on another page? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 17:34, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:Maybe the transcript should move to a subpage to avoid clutter? And can we add a section for the lazy people to follow the changes without going through every image? [[User:SirKitKat|SirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 15:18, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:By the way, the '''bold''' changed stuff helped me notice some subtle changes :) [[User:SirKitKat|SirKitKat]] ([[User talk:SirKitKat|talk]]) 15:27, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Did anyone notice that not all whales disappeared at 13:30? One is hidden behind the mountains in the background with a "? ->" pointing at it. I wonder if this should be included in the transcript... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 14:28, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:It should be in a transcript. I missed it while editing. My apologies for that. [[User:Graphene|Graphene]] ([[User talk:Graphene|talk]]) 15:28, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

I did just notice that clicking on the image now takes you to http://xkcd1446.org/.
[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.4|141.101.104.4]] 16:23, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed">
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Most image URLs:
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-00-00_8MxxPSiNYx.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-05-00_KsvXIwq84J.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-10-00_fUWUYNkxwp.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-15-00_74eSd3x7BQ.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-20-00_UT4FKycrmC.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-25-00_FX6hlfSQHR.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-30-00_FjnXADopvO.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-35-00_lVC98SMY1X.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-40-00_wmf0bPtxDN.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-45-00_MZprhbADHL.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-50-00_Z63bWhoaxd.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_00-55-00_2wCeCFN0R1.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-00-00_FRnIhqA5IZ.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-05-00_Os6SVGalch.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-10-00_xn4nUL9lry.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-15-00_soIuPGfUYh.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-20-00_jwkPNMaOSf.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-25-00_ADajYkIBoR.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-30-00_w819mZAIhE.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-35-00_LoEc4Q8fJF.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-40-00_YLKE5WV8Jw.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-45-00_QRP5ndlY4A.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-50-00_OAOxgR9UUR.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_01-55-00_KGFuQYeX1i.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-00-00_ov37tpe8BX.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-05-00_VwL8mLbfmW.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-10-00_GCNRyInxWI.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-15-00_CQwEg4oyk3.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-20-00_jkbJbYkLeP.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-25-00_Pxh3HKgWnT.png
|-
|https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_02-30-00_eq1OJ5Y7DE.png
|-
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</div>
'''LONG LIST OF URLs HIDDEN. CLICK EXPAND OVER THERE →'''

Where is Randall getting his info? His news is the most current I can find - anyone have a good link to up-to-the-minute status reporting like Randall is providing, preferably with more detail? --[[User:Nipchee|Nipchee]] ([[User talk:Nipchee|talk]]) 18:08, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

:Nipchee: This seems to be very up-to-date: http://www.theguardian.com/science/across-the-universe/live/2014/nov/12/rosetta-comet-landing-live-blog [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.150|108.162.219.150]] 18:11, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

::This one is pretty good: https://newscientist.creatavist.com/rosetta#chapter-132425 (scroll to bottom)
::Also, here is the list of feeds from ESA: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/Live_updates_Rosetta_mission_comet_landing [[User:GreenWyvern|GreenWyvern]] ([[User talk:GreenWyvern|talk]]) 18:26, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
::I could imagine that, combining his influence as a web celebrity and connections he's maintained since working with NASA, he might be able to get a few extra details before everyone else (?) -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 19:06, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

On a related note - what exactly is the distinction between "impact" and "landing" other than the perhaps intent? Is the result factored in as well? Where is the threshold between the two? -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 19:10, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

I'd say it's more to do with the level of control. An impact is when an object forcibly hits something else, a landing is when it's directed and doesn't result in 10 years of wasted effort and money. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.104.15|141.101.104.15]] 20:27, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Okay, looks like the comic is done, unless he picks it up again after radio contact resumes. -- [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 21:35, 12 November 2014 (UTC)
:from xkcd1446.org: "Note: This event is over. You can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to browse through the images" {{unsigned ip|108.162.221.113}}

p.s. The vertical sprawl here (particularly in the Frame by Frame section) is really ugly. It should be subdivided and/or columnized like in [[1190: Time]]. {{unsigned|Frankie}}
:I doubt it's over yet. Also, it's actually a bit annoying to do multiple columns of homogenous data a la time, and those were done post-hoc. Subdivision and collapsing is a thing that could happen though. '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 22:59, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Did anyone notice 16-05 and 16-10 are missing from xkcd1446.org? <span style="color:green;">Saibot84</span> 21:41, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

Why does it jump from 55 minutes to 75 minutes at image #33? [[User:Keavon|Keavon]] ([[User talk:Keavon|talk]]) 22:50, 12 November 2014 (UTC)

I love the GIF, good work, but is there any way it could be slowed down about 1/4 to 1/2 a second longer for a few frames, espicaly while the lander is landing. It is hard to catch all the jokes. Not all Frames need to be the same speed. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.209|108.162.216.209]] 13:40, 13 November 2014 (UTC)

Not convinced there's any special reference to ''Hitchhiker's'' here. [http://io9.com/where-do-space-whales-come-from-829831859 People] [http://www.laphamsquarterly.org/roundtable/fantastical-allure-space-whale seem to believe] that "space whale art" was popular in the 1970s, and we know there were space whales in fiction long before the ''Guide,'' at least in Robert F. Young's [http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?26084 series of stories] published in genre magazines like ''F&SF'' and ''If'' starting in 1962, and in ''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkgiILo7LY8 Pinocchio in Outer Space,]'' an animated feature film from 1965. [[User:Pesthouse|Pesthouse]] ([[User talk:Pesthouse|talk]]) 23:09, 13 November 2014 (UTC)
:Might also be a reference to the second episode of "Futurama" — title: "The Series Has Landed". In that episode there is an amusement park on the moon with animated robots dressed as whalers (which is itself a parody of Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" attraction) singing "We're whalers on the moon; we carry a harpoon; but there ain't no whales so we tell tall tales; and sing our whaling tune."[[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.94|108.162.216.94]] 09:35, 14 November 2014 (UTC)

"Since the event is over, and the images don't show the rebounds, we can guess that Randall made all or most of the drawings before the landing." - I disagree with this statement. Between 16:35 and 16:55 you can clearly see Philae settle (stop moving), jostle, and settle again. You may have to watch the GIF closely to notice it. [[User:Smperron|Smperron]] ([[User talk:Smperron|talk]]) 04:36, 14 November 2014 (UTC)

All plain URLs:

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</pre></div> --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.189|141.101.105.189]] 13:55, 15 November 2014 (UTC)

See [http://mitsje.deviantart.com/art/The-whale-and-the-petunia-s-83469485 The whale and the petunias]. I wanted to include the picture but it's not licensed. --[[User:Thnidu|Thnidu]] ([[User talk:Thnidu|talk]]) 21:43, 15 November 2014 (UTC)

The image on the comic updated to [https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_149_CQkN74U21V.png], there may be more missing frames. [[Special:Contributions/188.114.98.207|188.114.98.207]] 16:29, 18 November 2014 (UTC)
:HAH, I knew it wasn't over! '''[[User:Davidy22|<u>{{Color|#707|David}}<font color=#070 size=3>y</font></u><font color=#508 size=4>²²</font>]]'''[[User talk:Davidy22|<tt>[talk]</tt>]] 16:33, 18 November 2014 (UTC)

And now getting smaller! [https://sslimgs.xkcd.com/comics/landing/r_151_T9etbD9OH6.png]
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.164|108.162.219.164]] 18:05, 20 November 2014 (UTC)

687: Dimensional Analysis

2014-08-10T15:22:00Z

108.162.219.164: /* Dimensional analysis */

{{comic
| number = 687
| date = January 11, 2010
| title = Dimensional Analysis
| image = dimensional_analysis.png
| titletext = Or the pressure at the Earth's core will rise slightly.
}}

==Explanation==
Cueball has a [[My Hobby|hobby]] — showing correct calculations according to the {{w|dimensional analysis}} — but with ridiculous correlations of uncorrelated events and measurements. Here Cueball is teaching a class and uses this trick to ''convince'' his students that the {{w|Toyota Prius}} combined {{w|United States Environmental Protection Agency|EPA}} gas mileage is somehow connected to the constant {{W|Pi}} via the {{w|Planck energy}}, the pressure at the {{w|Inner_core|earth's core}} and the width of the {{w|English Channel}}.

This comic makes fun of how scientists — often physicists — use dimensional analysis to quickly check if a given formula can possibly relate to a physical system or if there were some obvious mathematical errors in its derivation. Dimensional analysis here refers to the check if both sides of the equation arrive at the same physical unit if the units of all variables get plugged into the equation. This usually requires knowledge of the system of units and the relation between different physical units.

The comic uses the following equation to make fun of it:

(Planck energy) / (Pressure at the core of the earth) * (Prius combined EPA gas mileage) / (minimum width of the English Channel) = π

===Dimensional analysis===
The right hand side is dimensionless, it's the constant π = 3.14... which is defined by the relation of two lengths, the circumference and the diameter of a circle. The left hand side requires to plug in the dimensions of the named physical quantities:

*Planck energy: given in Joules [J]
*Pressure at the core of the earth: Given in Pascals [Pa]
*Prius combined EPA gas mileage: miles/gallon, SI units: meters/litres [m/l]
*minimum width of the English channel: meters [m]

When plugged into the left hand side this amounts to:

[J / Pa * (m/l) / m] = [Nm / (N/m²) * (m/m³) / m] = 1

Using the following unit relations (this does not reduce units to the seven SI units, but does use some derived units):

*1 Joule = 1 Newton-meter [J] = [Nm]
*1 Pascal = 1 Newton per square-meter [Pa] = [N/m²]
*1 cubic-metre = 1000 litres [m³] = 1000 [l]

Note that for dimensional analysis constant factors are not taken into account. Here square brackets are used to denote dimensional analysis. In the above equation the unit of force (newton) as well as all the units of length (meter) cancel out each other.

Another aspect of the comic is, that sometimes dimension analysis of equations that were not derived but rather "made up" can provide insight. However, in reality such equations would have to be somehow "motivated", which is more of an art than science and requires great experience in the field the equation should relate to. The presented equation combines values that have no immediate causal relation with each other, so it does not make sense. Furthermore, since the values have absolutely no causal relation to each other, the ratios presented are simple coincidence; despite Cueball's claim, building a better Prius would not cause any changes to the English Channel.

In addition, if a better Prius were built, with a higher gas mileage, the equation would only be accurate if one of the other quantities changed. A higher gas mileage could be balanced if the English Channel became wider thus explaining why Cueball states that England will drift to sea away from France.

The title text also refers to this, as a higher pressure at Earth's core could also balance the equation, keeping the result constant equal to Pi. The Planck energy is an absolute, however, so it is not mentioned as a way to balance the next version of Prius.

===Some numbers for this calculation===
The {{w|Planck energy}} is the only nearly exact value we do have. Compared to other Planck values it is very large (macroscopic).
E_planck = 1.956 x 10<sup>9</sup> J = 1.956 x 10<sup>9</sup> Nm

Pressure at the {{w|Inner_core#Temperature_and_pressure|core}} of the earth ranges from 330 to 360 gigapascals.
Using a simple value like this:
P_core = 350 GPa = 3.5 x 10<sup>11</sup> N/m²

Prius combined {{w|Toyota_Prius#Fuel_economy_and_emissions|EPA gas mileage}}:
For the third generation (from 2010) the City mileage is 51 mpg and the Highway mileage is 48 mpg. But it is the [http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=26425 combined EPA gas mileage] which is used in the equation and that is 50 mpg.
50 mpg => 13.2 miles per litre => 21,000,000 meter per m³

Minimum width of the {{w|English Channel}} is about
33.1 km or 33,100 meters.

Calculating from these values you will get π=3.54... that is pretty close to π=3.14... while using a Planck value. According to Cueball this will be within the experimental error (the combined error for all four numbers - none are exact numbers). For instance if you tried the ePrius you would probably get closer to that target — as the mileage in real life usually is somewhat lower than the value given — and that would reduce the result.

==Transcript==
:My Hobby:
:Abusing dimensional analysis

:[On a blackboard.]
:(Planck energy/Pressure at the Earth's core) x (Prius combined EPA gas mileage/Minimum width of the English Channel) = π

:[Cueball indicates this equation with a pointer in front of a class.]
:Cueball: It's correct to within experimental error, and the units check out. It must be a fundamental law.
:Student: But what if they build a better Prius?
:Cueball: ''Then England will drift out to sea.''

==Trivia==
*Interestingly, this sort of dimensional analysis is formalized by the so-called {{w|Buckingham π theorem}}, where each dimensionless grouping is called a "Pi". Thus formally each grouping can be denoted as equal to "Pi", although this is a rather obscure pun in the context of the comic.
*The {{w|fine-structure constant}} α =~ 1/137 is a common known analogue in {{w|physics}}.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:My Hobby]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]

1403: Thesis Defense

2014-08-06T22:54:14Z

108.162.219.164: /* Transcript */

{{comic
| number = 1403
| date = August 4, 2014
| title = Thesis Defense
| image = thesis_defense.png
| titletext = MY RESULTS ARE A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT ON THE STATE OF THE AAAAAAAAAAAART
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|The slide text "The evolution of threat defence in mammals" has to be explained.}}
This comic is a play on the {{w|adage}} "{{w|The best defense is a good offense}}". Generally, the idea is that strong offensive action will preoccupy the opposition and ultimately hinder its ability to mount an opposing counterattack, leading to a strategic advantage.

In this instance however, [[Megan]] is defending her academic {{w|thesis}} in front of a panel of professors. This generally involves an oral exam on the topic she has chosen, and should involve no physical violence. She seems oblivious to this meaning of the word "defense" however, and is charging her thesis committee, shouting a {{w|battle cry}}, brandishing a sword.

The title text is an example of another battle cry Megan supposedly used while defending her thesis. This expands on the joke of confusing thesis defense with physical defense by making a battle cry out of a sentence that Megan would have used in a normal thesis defense.

==Transcript==
:[Megan runs towards a desk with two microphones on it, waving a broadsword high in the air. Cueball, Ponytail, and one other sitting behind the desk are taken aback, while Ponytail standing off to the side holds an arm in front of her face protectively. A slide is projected on a screen behind the sword-reading woman, reading "The evolution of threat defence in mammals".]
:Megan: In conclusion, AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
:The best thesis defence is a good thesis offense.

{{comic discussion}}

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