explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

2445: Checkbox

2021-05-22T03:12:10Z

108.162.219.54: new fortune result

{{comic
| number = 2445
| date = April 1, 2021
| title = Checkbox
| image = checkbox.gif
| titletext = Check check check ... chhecck chhecck chhecck ... check check check
}}
{{TOC}}
*To experience the interactivity of this game, visit the {{xkcd|2445|original comic}}.
==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CHECKBOX. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This was the 11th [[:Category:April fools' comics|April fools' comic]] released by [[Randall]]. The previous fools comic was [[2288: Collector's Edition]], which was delayed two days and released on Friday April 3, 2020.

The comic looks similar to a loading screen. The actual comic (this “loading screen”) consists of a gif of a checkbox (hence the name).

The frame is replaced with an interactive panel. In the center is a check box, which clears itself immediately when checked. In the bottom right is a mute button, which begins muted. By unmuting, sounds are played when the check box is checked.

Under the checkbox is a scrolling visual representation of the timing and duration of clicks in the check box, which also produce matching beeping sounds when unmuted. The representation consists of a dot for a short press, or a bar for a longer press. All long presses are represented by a bar of a pre-determined length; in other words, a longer press does not result in a longer bar.

By varying between brief and long presses, and brief and long intervals between presses, it is possible to enter characters in Morse Code.

The check box then begins operating by itself, producing sounds which can be decoded as Morse Code. These responses are also printed in the browser's JavaScript console in both plain text and a textual representation of Morse code. If left without any initial input for 30 seconds it would send the message CQ (meaning "Seek You").

The title text hints at the use of Morse Code in the comic; interpreting the "check" as a Morse Code dot and the "chhecck" (a long check) as a Morse Code dash gives ...---..., which is the Morse Code for "SOS", the international distress signal. Incidentally, inputting the SOS signal gives "YOU TOO?".

For the majority of inputs, the check box responds with a random selection from the following list:
* COME AGAIN
* HUH
* NOT FOLLOWING
* SAY AGAIN
* TRY THAT AGAIN
* WHAT

Some keywords, however, have [[#Special Responses´|special responses]].

This comic has a [[xkcd_Header_text#Unique_header_text|unique header text]], see [[xkcd_Header_text#Checkbox|the details here]]. The header states that "This comic was put together byMax Goodhart, Patrick, Amber, Benjamin Staffin, Kevin Cotrone, and Michael Leuchtenburg. Read Max's [https://chromakode.com/post/checkbox blog post] on development of the comic.

==Special Responses==
[.s are short presses, -s are long presses, and /s are spaces (just for readability)]

{| class="wikitable"
! Message & response
! Morse Code
! Explanation
|-
|XKCD -> FILE NOT FOUND
|[-..- -.- -.-. -..] -> [..-. .. .-.. . / -. --- - / ..-. --- ..- -. -..]
|
|-
|XKCD -> A CROSS THREE LETTERS
|[-..- -.- -.-. -..] -> [.- / -.-. .-. --- ... ... / - .... .-. . . / .-.. . - - . .-. ...]
|A pun on "across three letters", how clues are sometimes given in crossword puzzles. Instead, the word "xkcd" is literally a cross (x), followed by three letters (kcd).
|-
|HI -> HELLO! ANYBODY OUT THERE?
|[.... ..] -> [.... . .-.. .-.. --- -.-.-- / .- -. -.-- -... --- -.. -.-- / --- ..- - / - .... . .-. . ..--..]
|
|-
|HELLO -> HELLO TO YOU TOO!
|[.... . .-.. .-.. ---] -> [.... . .-.. .-.. --- / - --- / -.-- --- ..- / - --- --- -.-.--]
|
|-
|HELP -> ENTER IMAGE NUMBER
|[.... . .-.. .--.] -> [. -. - . .-. / .. -- .- --. . / -. ..- -- -... . .-.]
|See below; if you enter any number ≤ 2445 you will be linked to the corresponding xkcd comic.
|-
|HELP -> YES PLEASE
|[.... . .-.. .--.] -> [-.-- . ... / .--. .-.. . .- ... .]
|This joke is based around the misinterpretation of asking for help as offering help to Sojourner (who is operating the checkbox)
|-
|ES -> QUE
|[. ...] -> [--.- ..- .]
|"Es" means "is" in Spanish, and "Qué" is "what".
|-
|WHAT -> ECHO
|[.-- .... .- -] -> [. -.-. .... ---]
|
|-
|ECHO -> ECHO
|[. -.-. .... ---] -> [. -.-. .... ---]
|
|-
|CHECK -> MATE
|[-.-. .... . -.-. -.-] -> [-- .- - .]
|Checkmate is the winning move in chess.
|-
|CHECKBOX -> RADIO BUTTON
|[-.-. .... . -.-. -.- -... --- -..-] -> [.-. .- -.. .. --- / -... ..- - - --- -.]
|This also works the other way around.
|-
|E (''repeat n times'') -> E (''repeat n times'')
|[.]
|This only applies for n < 7. Also, n=6 returns 'AAAAAA' instead.
|-
|T (''repeat n times'') -> T (''repeat n times'')
|[-]
|This only applies for n < 7.
|-
|E -> E ''pause'' I -> EIEIO
|[.] -> [.] ''pause'' [..] -> [. .. . .. ---]
|
|-
|I (''repeat n times'') -> I (''repeat n times'')
|[..] -> [..] ''or'' [.. ...-] (IV) ''or'' [...-] (V)
|This only applies for n < 4. n=4 returns 'IV' and n=5 returns 'V', the Roman numerals for 4 and 5, respectively.
|-
|FLIPCOIN -> HEADS ''or'' TAILS
|[..-. .-.. .. .--. -.-. --- .. -.] -> [.... . .- -.. ...] ''or'' [- .- .. .-.. ...]
|
|-
|LOOK AROUND -> NOT ENOUGH POWER
|[.-.. --- --- -.- / .- .-. --- ..- -. -..] -> [-. --- - / . -. --- ..- --. .... / .--. --- .-- . .-.]
|
|-
|SEE -> RED SOIL
|[... . .] -> [.-. . -.. / ... --- .. .-..]
|This indicates that Sojourner, the "operator" of the morse code, is on Mars. Mars is covered in red soil.
|-
|WHO ARE YOU ''or'' WHAT IS YOUR NAME -> SOJOURNER
|[.-- .... --- / .- .-. . / -.-- --- ..-] ''or'' [.-- .... .- - / .. ... / -.-- --- ..- .-. / -. .- -- .] -> [... --- .--- --- ..- .-. -. . .-.]
|
|-
|SOJOURNER -> CFM
|[... --- .--- --- ..- .-. -. . .-.] -> [-.-. ..-. --]
|CFM is short for confirm.
|-
|ET -> PHONE HOME
|[. -] -> [.--. .... --- -. . / .... --- -- .]
|This is a reference to the movie ET.
|-
|LS -> DID YOU MEAN DIR
|[.-.. ...] -> [-.. .. -.. / -.-- --- ..- / -- . .- -. / -.. .. .-.]
|These are both commands for viewing the files in a directory. LS is the traditional method in UNIX, whereas DIR is more associated with MS-DOS/Windows (although it also exists in UNIX).
|-
|DIR -> ENTER IMAGE NUMBER
|[-.. .. .-.] -> [. -. - . .-. / .. -- .- --. . / -. ..- -- -... . .-.]
|This references to the next input. DIR stands for directory.
|-
|(''any number ≤ 2445'') -> (''loads xkcd comic in new tab'')
|
|
|-
|MAKE ME A SANDWICH -> NOT A CHANCE
|[-- .- -.- . / -- . / .- / ... .- -. -.. .-- .. -.-. ....] -> [-. --- - / .- / -.-. .... .- -. -.-. .]
|A reference to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/149:_Sandwich this comic]
|-
|SUDO MAKE ME A SANDWICH -> NOT POSSIBLE HERE
|[... ..- -.. --- / -- .- -.- . / -- . / .- / ... .- -. -.. .-- .. -.-. ....] -> [-. --- - / .--. --- ... ... .. -... .-.. . / .... . .-. .]
|Another reference to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/149:_Sandwich this comic]
|-
|I LOVE YOU -> LESS THAN THREE
|[.. / .-.. --- ...- . / -.-- --- ..-] -> [.-.. . ... ... / - .... .- -. / - .... .-. . .]
|"Less than three" represents the less than (<) symbol followed by the number three (3), which together form <3. This is commonly used to represent a heart.
|-
|<nowiki />:) -> :D
|[---... -.--.-] -> [---... -..]
|
|-
|<nowiki />:( -> :C
|[---... -.--.] -> [---... -.-.]
|
|-
|<nowiki />;) -> :O
|[-.-.-. -.--.-] -> [---... ---]
|
|-
|<nowiki />:O -> :X
|[---... ---] -> [---... -..-]
|
|-
|UWU -> OWO
|[..- .-- ..-] -> [--- .-- ---]
|
|-
|OWO -> UWU
|[--- .-- ---] -> [..- .-- ..-]
|
|-
|POG -> YEET
|[.--. --- --.] -> [-.-- . . -]
|
|-
|UNIX -> (''Opens [https://uni.xkcd.com uni.xkcd.com]'')
|[..- -. .. -..-]
|[https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/UniXKCD April Fools' Day in 2010]
|-
|GET YE FLASK -> YE WISH! IF THERE WAS A FLASK IN THIS GAME, WE'D KNOW ABOUT IT.
|[--. . - / -.-- . / ..-. .-.. .- ... -.-] -> [-.-- . / .-- .. ... .... -.-.-- / .. ..-. / - .... . .-. . / .-- .- ... / .- / ..-. .-.. .- ... -.- / .. -. / - .... .. ... / --. .- -- . --..-- / .-- . .----. -.. / -.- -. --- .-- / .- -... --- ..- - / .. - .-.-.-]
|
|-
|GET YE FLASK -> YOU CANNOT GET YE FLASK
|[--. . - / -.-- . / ..-. .-.. .- ... -.-] -> [-.-- --- ..- / -.-. .- -. -. --- - / --. . - / -.-- . / ..-. .-.. .- ... -.-]
|This response, as well as the previous one, are references to a recurring joke from {{w|Homestar Runner}}.
|-
|YO -> YO
|[-.-- ---] -> [-.-- ---]
|
|-
|DROP TABLE -> HAHA NO
|[.... .- .... .- / -. ---] -> [.... .- .... .- / -. ---]
| reference to [https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php/327:_Exploits_of_a_Mom this comic]
|-
|WHY -> TO STUDY THE RED PLANET
|[.-- .... -.--] -> [- --- / ... - ..- -.. -.-- / - .... . / .-. . -.. / .--. .-.. .- -. . -]
|
|-
|EAT -> I PHOTOSYNTHESIZE
|[. .- -] -> [.. / .--. .... --- - --- ... -.-- -. - .... . ... .. --.. .]
|
|-
|BATTLE ''or'' FIGHT -> THROW
|[-... .- - - .-.. .] ''or'' [..-. .. --. .... -] -> [- .... .-. --- .--]
|
|-
|START -> DID YOU MEAN START GAME?
|[... - .- .-. -] -> [-.. .. -.. / -.-- --- ..- / -- . .- -. / ... - .- .-. - / --. .- -- . ..--..]
|
|-
|STARTGAME -> CHECK BACK LATER
|[... - .- .-. - --. .- -- .] -> [-.-. .... . -.-. -.- / -... .- -.-. -.- / .-.. .- - . .-.]
|
|}
===Controls===

{| class="wikitable"
! Message & response
! Morse Code
! Explanation
|-
|QUIET -> (turns the volume off)
|[--.- ..- .. . -]
|
|-
|MUTE -> (turns the volume off)
|[-- ..- - .]
|
|-
|BEEP -> (turns the volume on)
|[-... . . .--.]
|
|}
See also QRS and QRQ.

===Q codes and radio shorthand===
An explanation of Q codes can be found {{w|Q code|here}}.

{| class="wikitable"
! Message & response
! Morse Code
! Explanation
|-
|CQ -> CQD DE SOJ
|[-.-. --.-] -> [-.-. --.- -.. / -.. . / ... --- .---]
|
|-
|SOS -> YOU TOO?
|[... --- ...] -> [-.-- --- ..- / - --- --- ..--..]
|
|-
|SOS -> OH NO
|[... --- ...] -> [--- .... / -. ---]
|
|-
|QRS -> (reduces playback speed)
|[--.- .-. ...]
|
|-
|QRQ -> (increases playback speed)
|[--.- .-. --.-]
|
|-
|QRA -> QRA SOJOURNER
|[--.- .-. .-] -> [--.- .-. .- / ... --- .--- --- ..- .-. -. . .-.]
|
|-
|QRB -> QRB 264 MILLION KM
|[--.- .-. -...] -> [--.- .-. -... /..--- -.... ....- / -- .. .-.. .-.. .. --- -. / -.- --]
|
|-
|QRH -> QRH 0.652 METERS
|[--.- .-. ....] -> [--.- .-. .... / ----- .-.-.- -.... ..... ..--- / -- . - . .-. ...]
|
|-
|QRG -> QRG PATHFINDER
|[--.- .-. --.] -> [--.- .-. --. / .--. .- - .... ..-. .. -. -.. . .-.]
|
|-
|QRZ -> QRZ SOJOURNER
|[--.- .-. --..] -> [--.- .-. --.. / ... --- .--- --- ..- .-. -. . .-.]
|
|-
|QRT -> PLEASE DON'T GO
|[--.- .-. -] -> [.--. .-.. . .- ... . / -.. --- -. .----. - / --. ---]
|
|-
|QTH -> QTH ARES VALLIS
|[--.- - ....] -> [--.- - .... / .- .-. . ... / ...- .- .-.. .-.. .. ...]
|
|-
|QSL -> QSL
|[--.- ... .-..] -> [--.- ... .-..]
|
|-
|73 -> 73 KN
|[--... ...--] -> [--... ...-- / -.- -.]
|
|-
|CL -> BYE
|[-.-. .-..] -> [-... -.-- .]
|
|}

===FORTUNE===

{| class="wikitable"
! Message & response
! Morse Code
! Explanation
|-
|F -> DID YOU MEAN FORTUNE
|[..-.] -> [-.. .. -.. / -.-- --- ..- / -- . .- -. / ..-. --- .-. - ..- -. .]
|
|-
|FORTUNE -> OPEN ME
|[..-. --- .-. - ..- -. .]
|
|-
|OPEN -> ''returns one of the following fortunes''

1. A BEAUTIFUL SMART AND LOVING PERSON WILL BE COMING INTO YOUR LIFE

2. CHANGE IS HAPPENING IN YOUR LIFE SO GO WITH THE FLOW

3. COURTESY BEGINS IN THE HOME

4. DILIGENCE AND MODESTY CAN RAISE YOUR SOCIAL STATUS

5. EVERYWHERE YOU CHOOSE TO GO FRIENDLY FACES WILL GREET YOU

6. FOLLOW THE MIDDLE PATH NEITHER EXTREME WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY

7. FOR THE THINGS WE HAVE TO LEARN BEFORE WE CAN DO THEM WE LEARN BY DOING THEM

8. HELP IM BEING HELD PRISONER IN A CHINESE BAKERY

9. LIKE THE RIVER FLOW INTO THE SEA SOMETHING ARE JUST MEANT TO BE

10. MANS MIND ONCE STRETCHED BY A NEW IDEA NEVER REGAINS ITS ORIGINAL DIMENSIONS

11. MEDITATION WITH AN OLD ENEMY IS ADVISED

12. NEVER FEAR THE END OF SOMETHING MARKS THE START OF SOMETHING NEW

13. PERHAPS YOUVE BEEN FOCUSING TOO MUCH ON SAVING

14. SAVOR YOUR FREEDOM IT IS PRECIOUS

15. STAYING CLOSE TO HOME IS GOING TO BE BEST FOR YOUR MORALE TODAY

16. YOU ARE GENEROUS TO AN EXTREME AND ALWAYS THINK OF THE OTHER FELLOW

17. YOU HAVE AN UNUSUAL EQUIPMENT FOR SUCCESS USE IT PROPERLY

18. YOU SHOULD PAY FOR THIS CHECK BE GENEROUS

19. YOU WILL BE A GREAT SUCCESS BOTH IN THE BUSINESS WORLD AND SOCIETY

20. YOUR DREAMS ARE NEVER SILLY DEPEND ON THEM TO GUIDE YOU

21. YOUR INFINITE CAPACITY FOR PATIENCE WILL BE REWARDED SOONER OR LATER

22. YOUR MENTALITY IS ALERT PRACTICAL AND ANALYTICAL

23. YOUR MOODS SIGNAL A PERIOD OF CHANGE

24. FIRST THINK OF WHAT YOU WANT TO DO THEN DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO

25. ADVENTURE CAN BE REAL HAPPINESS

|[--- .--. . -.]

1. [.- / -... . .- ..- - .. ..-. ..- .-.. / ... -- .- .-. - / .- -. -.. / .-.. --- ...- .. -. --. / .--. . .-. ... --- -. / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / -.-. --- -- .. -. --. / .. -. - --- / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .-.. .. ..-. .]

2. [-.-. .... .- -. --. . / .. ... / .... .- .--. .--. . -. .. -. --. / .. -. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / .-.. .. ..-. . / ... --- / --. --- / .-- .. - .... / - .... . / ..-. .-.. --- .--]

3. [-.-. --- ..- .-. - . ... -.-- / -... . --. .. -. ... / .. -. / - .... . / .... --- -- .]

4. [-.. .. .-.. .. --. . -. -.-. . / .- -. -.. / -- --- -.. . ... - -.-- / -.-. .- -. / .-. .- .. ... . / -.-- --- ..- .-. / ... --- -.-. .. .- .-.. / ... - .- - ..- ...]

5. [. ...- . .-. -.-- .-- .... . .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / -.-. .... --- --- ... . / - --- / --. --- / ..-. .-. .. . -. -.. .-.. -.-- / ..-. .- -.-. . ... / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / --. .-. . . - / -.-- --- ..-]

6. [. ...- . .-. -.-- .-- .... . .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / -.-. .... --- --- ... . / - --- / --. --- / ..-. .-. .. . -. -.. .-.. -.-- / ..-. .- -.-. . ... / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / --. .-. . . - / -.-- --- ..-]

7. [..-. --- .-. / - .... . / - .... .. -. --. ... / .-- . / .... .- ...- . / - --- / .-.. . .- .-. -. / -... . ..-. --- .-. . / .-- . / -.-. .- -. / -.. --- / - .... . -- / .-- . / .-.. . .- .-. -. / -... -.-- / -.. --- .. -. --. / - .... . --]

8. [.... . .-.. .--. / .. -- / -... . .. -. --. / .... . .-.. -.. / .--. .-. .. ... --- -. . .-. / .. -. / .- / -.-. .... .. -. . ... . / -... .- -.- . .-. -.--]

9. [.-.. .. -.- . / - .... . / .-. .. ...- . .-. / ..-. .-.. --- .-- / .. -. - --- / - .... . / ... . .- / ... --- -- . - .... .. -. --. / .- .-. . / .--- ..- ... - / -- . .- -. - / - --- / -... .]

10. [-- .- -. ... / -- .. -. -.. / --- -. -.-. . / ... - .-. . - -.-. .... . -.. / -... -.-- / .- / -. . .-- / .. -.. . .- / -. . ...- . .-. / .-. . --. .- .. -. ... / .. - ... / --- .-. .. --. .. -. .- .-.. / -.. .. -- . -. ... .. --- -. ...]

11. [-- . -.. .. - .- - .. --- -. / .-- .. - .... / .- -. / --- .-.. -.. / . -. . -- -.-- / .. ... / .- -.. ...- .. ... . -..]

12. [-. . ...- . .-. / ..-. . .- .-. / - .... . / . -. -.. / --- ..-. / ... --- -- . - .... .. -. --. / -- .- .-. -.- ... / - .... . / ... - .- .-. - / --- ..-. / ... --- -- . - .... .. -. --. / -. . .--]

13. [.--. . .-. .... .- .--. ... / -.-- --- ..- ...- . / -... . . -. / ..-. --- -.-. ..- ... .. -. --. / - --- --- / -- ..- -.-. .... / --- -. / ... .- ...- .. -. --.]

14. [... .- ...- --- .-. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / ..-. .-. . . -.. --- -- / .. - / .. ... / .--. .-. . -.-. .. --- ..- ...]

15. [... - .- -.-- .. -. --. / -.-. .-.. --- ... . / - --- / .... --- -- . / .. ... / --. --- .. -. --. / - --- / -... . / -... . ... - / ..-. --- .-. / -.-- --- ..- .-. / -- --- .-. .- .-.. . / - --- -.. .- -.--]

16. [-.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . / --. . -. . .-. --- ..- ... / - --- / .- -. / . -..- - .-. . -- . / .- -. -.. / .- .-.. .-- .- -.-- ... / - .... .. -. -.- / --- ..-. / - .... . / --- - .... . .-. / ..-. . .-.. .-.. --- .--]

17. [-.-- --- ..- / .... .- ...- . / .- -. / ..- -. ..- ... ..- .- .-.. / . --.- ..- .. .--. -- . -. - / ..-. --- .-. / ... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... / ..- ... . / .. - / .--. .-. --- .--. . .-. .-.. -.--]

18. [-.-- --- ..- / ... .... --- ..- .-.. -.. / .--. .- -.-- / ..-. --- .-. / - .... .. ... / -.-. .... . -.-. -.- / -... . / --. . -. . .-. --- ..- ...]

19. [-.-- --- ..- / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / .- / --. .-. . .- - / ... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... / -... --- - .... / .. -. / - .... . / -... ..- ... .. -. . ... ... / .-- --- .-. .-.. -.. / .- -. -.. / ... --- -.-. .. . - -.--]

20. [-.-- --- ..- .-. / -.. .-. . .- -- ... / .- .-. . / -. . ...- . .-. / ... .. .-.. .-.. -.-- / -.. . .--. . -. -.. / --- -. / - .... . -- / - --- / --. ..- .. -.. . / -.-- --- ..-]

21. [-.-- --- ..- .-. / .. -. ..-. .. -. .. - . / -.-. .- .--. .- -.-. .. - -.-- / ..-. --- .-. / .--. .- - .. . -. -.-. . / .-- .. .-.. .-.. / -... . / .-. . .-- .- .-. -.. . -.. / ... --- --- -. . .-. / --- .-. / .-.. .- - . .-.]

22. [-.-- --- ..- .-. / -- . -. - .- .-.. .. - -.-- / .. ... / .- .-.. . .-. - / .--. .-. .- -.-. - .. -.-. .- .-.. / .- -. -.. / .- -. .- .-.. -.-- - .. -.-. .- .-..]

23. [-.-- --- ..- .-. / -- --- --- -.. ... / ... .. --. -. .- .-.. / .- / .--. . .-. .. --- -.. / --- ..-. / -.-. .... .- -. --. .]

24. [..-. .. .-. ... - / - .... .. -. -.- / --- ..-. / .-- .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .- -. - / - --- / -.. --- / - .... . -. / -.. --- / .-- .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / .... .- ...- . / - --- / -.. ---]

25. [.- -.. ...- . -. - ..- .-. . / -.-. .- -. / -... . / .-. . .- .-.. / .... .- .--. .--. .. -. . ... ...]

|
|-
|OPEN -> HUH (if after something other than "FORTUNE")
|[--- .--. . -.] -> [.... ..- ....]
|}

===ENCABULATOR===

{| class="wikitable"
! Message & response
! Morse Code
! Explanation
|-
|STATUS -> RADIO ONLINE, MOTOR ONLINE, UNILATERAL PHASE DETRACTOR UNPOWERED, CARDINAL GRAMMETER UNSYNCHRONIZED
|[... - .- - ..- ...] -> [.-. .- -.. .. --- / --- -. .-.. .. -. . --..-- / -- --- - --- .-. / --- -. .-.. .. -. . --..-- / ..- -. .. .-.. .- - . .-. .- .-.. / .--. .... .- ... . / -.. . - .-. .- -.-. - --- .-. / ..- -. .--. --- .-- . .-. . -.. --..-- / -.-. .- .-. -.. .. -. .- .-.. / --. .-. .- -- -- . - . .-. / ..- -. ... -.-- -. -.-. .... .-. --- -. .. --.. . -..]
|
|-
|YOUTUBE -> RXJKDH1KZ0W
|[-.-- --- ..- - ..- -... .]
|This represents the video ID for [https://youtu.be/RXJKdh1KZ0w Rockwell Retro Encabulator]
|-
|REPAIR ''or'' ENCABULATOR ''or'' FIX ''or'' SYSTEM -> ENTERING ENCABULATOR RECOVERY SYSTEM. OPTIONS 1 INITIATE SIDE FUMBLING 2 ALIGN SPURVING BEARINGS 3 REVERSE TREMIE PIPE
:1 -> SIDE FUMBLING DETECTED. MODIAL INTERACTION UNSTABLE. RECOVERY TERMINATED.
:2 -> MODIAL INTERACTION INITIATED. OPTIONS 1 UNWIND LOTUS O DELTOID 2 INCREASE DEPLENERATION 3 CONNECT GIRDLESPRING ON DOWN END OF GRAMMETER 4 CONNECT SEVENTH CONDUCTOR TO GIRDLESPRING
::1 -> SIDE FUMBLING DETECTED. MODIAL INTERACTION UNSTABLE. RECOVERY TERMINATED.
::2 -> DEPLENERATION PREVENTED BY DINGLE ARM
::3 -> SIDE FUMBLING DETECTED. MODIAL INTERACTION UNSTABLE. RECOVERY TERMINATED.
::4 -> PANAMETRIC FAN ACTIVATED. MODIAL INTERACTION STABLE. DEFAULT CONFIGURATION MISSING. MANUALLY ENTER MARZELVANE TYPE TO COMPLETE RECOVERY
:::HYDROCOPTIC -> RECOVERY SUCCESSFUL. REBOOT Y N?
::::Y -> (''Opens [https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/sojourner_repaired.png sojourner_repaired.png]'')
:3 -> ERROR TREMIE PIPE NONREVERSIBLE
|[.-. . .--. .- .. .-.] ''or'' [. -. -.-. .- -... ..- .-.. .- - --- .-.] ''or'' [..-. .. -..-] ''or'' [... -.-- ... - . --] -> [. -. - . .-. .. -. --. / . -. -.-. .- -... ..- .-.. .- - --- .-. / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / ... -.-- ... - . -- .-.-.- / --- .--. - .. --- -. ... / .---- / .. -. .. - .. .- - . / ... .. -.. . / ..-. ..- -- -... .-.. .. -. --. / ..--- / .- .-.. .. --. -. / ... .--. ..- .-. ...- .. -. --. / -... . .- .-. .. -. --. ... / ...-- / .-. . ...- . .-. ... . / - .-. . -- .. . / .--. .. .--. .]
:[.----] -> [... .. -.. . / ..-. ..- -- -... .-.. .. -. --. / -.. . - . -.-. - . -.. .-.-.- / -- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / ..- -. ... - .- -... .-.. . .-.-.- / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / - . .-. -- .. -. .- - . -.. .-.-.-]
:[..---] -> [-- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / .. -. .. - .. .- - . -.. .-.-.- / --- .--. - .. --- -. ... / .---- / ..- -. .-- .. -. -.. / .-.. --- - ..- ... / --- / -.. . .-.. - --- .. -.. / ..--- / .. -. -.-. .-. . .- ... . / -.. . .--. .-.. . -. . .-. .- - .. --- -. / ...-- / -.-. --- -. -. . -.-. - / --. .. .-. -.. .-.. . ... .--. .-. .. -. --. / --- -. / -.. --- .-- -. / . -. -.. / --- ..-. / --. .-. .- -- -- . - . .-. / ....- / -.-. --- -. -. . -.-. - / ... . ...- . -. - .... / -.-. --- -. -.. ..- -.-. - --- .-. / - --- / --. .. .-. -.. .-.. . ... .--. .-. .. -. --.]
::[.----] -> [... .. -.. . / ..-. ..- -- -... .-.. .. -. --. / -.. . - . -.-. - . -.. .-.-.- / -- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / ..- -. ... - .- -... .-.. . .-.-.- / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / - . .-. -- .. -. .- - . -.. .-.-.-]
::[..---] -> [-.. . .--. .-.. . -. . .-. .- - .. --- -. / .--. .-. . ...- . -. - . -.. / -... -.-- / -.. .. -. --. .-.. . / .- .-. --]
::[...--] -> [... .. -.. . / ..-. ..- -- -... .-.. .. -. --. / -.. . - . -.-. - . -.. .-.-.- / -- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / ..- -. ... - .- -... .-.. . .-.-.- / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / - . .-. -- .. -. .- - . -.. .-.-.-]
::[....-] -> [.--. .- -. .- -- . - .-. .. -.-. / ..-. .- -. / .- -.-. - .. ...- .- - . -.. .-.-.- / -- --- -.. .. .- .-.. / .. -. - . .-. .- -.-. - .. --- -. / ... - .- -... .-.. . .-.-.- / -.. . ..-. .- ..- .-.. - / -.-. --- -. ..-. .. --. ..- .-. .- - .. --- -. / -- .. ... ... .. -. --. .-.-.- / -- .- -. ..- .- .-.. .-.. -.-- / . -. - . .-. / -- .- .-. --.. . .-.. ...- .- -. . / - -.-- .--. . / - --- / -.-. --- -- .--. .-.. . - . / .-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.--]
:::[.... -.-- -.. .-. --- -.-. --- .--. - .. -.-.] -> [.-. . -.-. --- ...- . .-. -.-- / ... ..- -.-. -.-. . ... ... ..-. ..- .-.. .-.-.- / .-. . -... --- --- - / -.-- / -. ..--..]
::::[-.--]
:[...--] -> [. .-. .-. --- .-. / - .-. . -- .. . / .--. .. .--. . / -. --- -. .-. . ...- . .-. ... .. -... .-.. .]
|
|-
|}

===MAZE===

{| class="wikitable"
! Message & response
! Morse Code
! Explanation
|-
|RETURN -> DID YOU MEAN ENTER
|[.-. . - ..- .-. -.]
|
|-
|ENTER -> DID YOU MEAN ENTER MAZE
|[. -. - . .-.]
|
|-
|ENTER MAZE -> AN EMPTY ROOM
:LOOK -> AN EMPTY ROOM
:HELP -> NORTH EAST SOUTH WEST GET
:EXIT -> CFM (''Exits the maze'')
|[. -. - . .-. / -- .- --.. .] -> [.- -. / . -- .--. - -.-- / .-. --- --- --]
:[.-.. --- --- -.-] -> [.- -. / . -- .--. - -.-- / .-. --- --- --]
:[.... . .-.. .--.] -> [-. --- .-. - .... / . .- ... - / ... --- ..- - .... / .-- . ... - / --. . -]
:[. -..- .. -] -> [-.-. ..-. --]
|
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Maze
|-
|an open flame || a candle on a table || style="background-color: black;" |
|-
| style="background-color: black;" | || an empty room (start) || style="background-color: black;" |
|-
| style="background-color: black;" | || a hanging bell || an open book on a table (locked door)
|-
|}

Steps to complete (directions can be abbreviated as their first letter):
# NORTH
# GET CANDLE -> TAKEN
# WEST
# LIGHT CANDLE
# EAST
# SOUTH
# SOUTH
# RING BELL -> A DOOR OPENS
# EAST
# CLOSE BOOK -> CONGRATULATIONS YOU ESCAPE

===CROSSWORD===
{| class="wikitable"
! Message & response
! Morse Code
! Explanation
|-
|CROSSWORD -> NUMBER AND DIRECTION
|[-.-. .-. --- ... ... .-- --- .-. -..] -> [-. ..- -- -... . .-. / .- -. -.. / -.. .. .-. . -.-. - .. --- -.]
|This starts a crossword. You can ask for hints like "1 down" or "2 across". It appears to be the [https://rexwordpuzzle.blogspot.com/2021/04/libertarian-politico-johnson-thu-4-1-21.html New York Times Crossword] from the day this comic was written (2021-04-01).
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+Solved Crossword
|-
| m || y || g || o || d || style="background-color: black; | || d || e || v || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || e || l || f
|-
| b || u || o || n || o || style="background-color: black; | || e || y || e || s || style="background-color: black; | || s || l || u || r
|-
| a || m || o || c || o || style="background-color: black; | || c || r || a || p || style="background-color: black; | || l || m || a || o
|-
| style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || v || e || r || y || r || e || l || i || g || i || o || u || s
|-
| s || e || e || style="background-color: black; | || m || u || y || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || r || a || m || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; |
|-
| h || a || r || h || a || r || style="background-color: black; | || s || c || a || r || e || d || o || f
|-
| e || s || s || e || n || t || i || a || l || l || y || style="background-color: black; | || a || r || i
|-
| b || t || e || n || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || m || m || i || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || t || v || a || d
|-
| o || l || a || style="background-color: black; | || b || a || d || m || o || u || t || h || i || n || g
|-
| p || a || s || s || e || d || b || y || style="background-color: black; | || n || o || o || d || g || e
|-
| style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || o || a || r || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || s || u || n || style="background-color: black; | || l || e || t
|-
| b || l || e || n || d || e || d || f || a || m || i || l || y || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; |
|-
| b || o || r || g || style="background-color: black; | || p || e || l || t || style="background-color: black; | || g || e || n || r || e
|-
| q || u || i || z || style="background-color: black; | || s || p || a || y || style="background-color: black; | || h || i || c || k || s
|-
| s || t || e || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || style="background-color: black; | || p || b || r || style="background-color: black; | || t || a || h || o || e
|}

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+ Words
! index !! down word !! across word
|-
| 1 || MBA || MYGOD
|-
| 2 || YUM ||
|-
| 3 || GOOVERSEAS ||
|-
| 4 || ONCE ||
|-
| 5 || DOORMAN ||
|-
| 6 || DECRY || DEV
|-
| 7 || EYRE ||
|-
| 8 || VEAL ||
|-
| 9 || ELMO || ELF
|-
| 10 || LUAU ||
|-
| 11 || FROS ||
|-
| 12 || || BUONO
|-
| 13 || || EYES
|-
| 14 || SPIRAL ||
|-
| 15 || SLIME || SLUR
|-
| 16 || || AMOCO
|-
| 17 || || CRAP
|-
| 18 || || LMAO
|-
| 19 || || VERYRELIGIOUS
|-
| 20 || YURT ||
|-
| 21 || GARY ||
|-
| 22 || SHEBOP || SEE
|-
| 23 || EASTLA ||
|-
| 24 || || MUY
|-
| 25 || || RAM
|-
| 26 || || HARHAR
|-
| 27 || HEN ||
|-
| 28 || SAMMY || SCAREDOF
|-
| 29 || CLIO ||
|-
| 30 || DAVIDLYNCH ||
|-
| 31 || ORANGE ||
|-
| 32 || FIDGET ||
|-
| 33 || || ESSENTIALLY
|-
| 34 || IMDB ||
|-
| 35 || || ARI
|-
| 36 || || BTEN
|-
| 37 || || MMI
|-
| 38 || THO || TVAD
|-
| 39 || || OLA
|-
| 40 || BEAD || BADMOUTHING
|-
| 41 || ADREPS ||
|-
| 42 || UNUM ||
|-
| 43 || TONIGHT ||
|-
| 44 || || PASSEDBY
|-
| 45 || SONGZ ||
|-
| 46 || || NOODGE
|-
| 47 || || OAR
|-
| 48 || SATYR || SUN
|-
| 49 || || LET
|-
| 50 || BBQS || BLENDEDFAMILY
|-
| 51 || LOUT ||
|-
| 52 || ERIE ||
|-
| 53 || DEPP ||
|-
| 54 || FLAB ||
|-
| 55 || LEIA ||
|-
| 56 || || BORG
|-
| 57 || || PELT
|-
| 58 || || GENRE
|-
| 59 || RKO ||
|-
| 60 || ESE ||
|-
| 61 || || QUIZ
|-
| 62 || || SPAY
|-
| 63 || || HICKS
|-
| 64 || || STE
|-
| 65 || || PBR
|-
| 66 || || TAHOE
|}

===Rover Scene===
After successfully repairing and rebooting Sojourner, a comic is opened which depicts it seeking out and finding its friends, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, Perseverance, and Ingenuity. Curiosity and Perseverance are locked in a swordfight, and either Spirit or Opportunity is carried off by Ingenuity while the other speeds off a small mound of dirt. Ingenuity carrying a rover is a reference to the previous comic.

==Special Console Commands==
The page's JavaScript creates a global object <code>morse</code> with <code>encode</code> and <code>decode</code> methods. From the developer console, it is possible to write <code>morse.encode("A PHRASE")</code>, which will print the Morse code corresponding to the text provided, or <code>morse.decode("... --- ...")</code> which will translate the Morse code to text.

<code>BeepComic.hurryUp()</code> to get the reply immediately in the console.
<code>BeepComic.send(...)</code> to send directly to SOJOURNER.

==Transcript==
:[A small box is in the middle of a large white frame. The box can have a check-mark, but it is alternating between being checked or unchecked. At the bottom right there is a muted speaker (which can be unmuted). If the user press the checkbox gray dots or lines will appear below depending on the length of the press. These will move from right to left and then disappear.]

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics with animation]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
[[Category:April fools' comics]]

2445: Checkbox

2021-04-01T23:25:14Z

108.162.219.54: /* Special Responses */

{{comic
| number = 2445
| date = April 1, 2021
| title = Checkbox
| image = checkbox.gif
| titletext = Check check check ... chhecck chhecck chhecck ... check check check
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CHECKBOX. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is an April Fools comic that looks similar to a loading screen. The actual comic (this “loading screen”) consists of a gif of a checkbox (hence the name).

The frame is replaced with an interactive panel. In the centre is a check box, which clears itself immediately when checked. In the bottom right is a mute button, which begins muted.

Under the checkbox is a scrolling visual representation of the timing and duration of clicks in the check box, which also produce matching beeping sounds when unmuted.

By varying between brief and long presses, and brief and long intervals between presses, it is possible to enter characters in Morse Code.

The title text hints at the use of Morse Code in the comic; interpreting the "check" as a Morse Code dot and the "chhecck" as a Morse Code dash gives ...---..., which is the Morse Code for "SOS", the international distress signal. Incidentally, inputting the SOS signal gives "YOU TOO?".

The check box then begins operating by itself, producing sounds which can be decoded as Morse Code.

For the majority of inputs, the check box responds with 'WHAT'. Some keywords have special responses.

===Special Responses===
[.s are short presses, -s are long presses, and /s are spaces (just for readability)]

xkcd -> FILE NOT FOUND

[-..- -.- -.-. -..]

SOS -> YOU TOO?

[...---...]

HI -> HELLO! ANYBODY OUT THERE?

[.... ..]

HELLO -> HELLO TO YOU TOO!

[.... . .-.. .-.. ---]

WHAT -> ECHO

[.-- .... .- -]

ECHO -> ECHO

[. -.-. .... ---]

E (''repeat n times'') -> E (''repeat n times'')

[.]

T (''repeat n times'') -> T (''repeat n times'')

[-]

WHO ARE YOU -> SOJOURNER

[.-- .... --- / .- .-. . / -.-- --- ..-]

CQ -> CQD DE SOJ

[-.-. --.-]

SOJOURNER -> CFM (short for Confirm)

[... --- .--- --- ..- .-. -. . .-.]

QUIET -> (turns the volume off)

[--.- ..- .. . -]

MUTE -> (turns the volume off)

BEEP -> (turns the volume on)

QRS -> (reduces playback speed)

QRQ -> (increases playback speed)

QRA -> QRA SOJOURNER

QRB -> QRB 264 MILLION KM

QRG -> QRG PATHFINDER

QTH -> QTH ARES VALLIS

ET -> PHONE HOME

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

2445: Checkbox

2021-04-01T23:23:38Z

108.162.219.54: /* Explanation */ Add more commands

{{comic
| number = 2445
| date = April 1, 2021
| title = Checkbox
| image = checkbox.gif
| titletext = Check check check ... chhecck chhecck chhecck ... check check check
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CHECKBOX. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is an April Fools comic that looks similar to a loading screen. The actual comic (this “loading screen”) consists of a gif of a checkbox (hence the name).

The frame is replaced with an interactive panel. In the centre is a check box, which clears itself immediately when checked. In the bottom right is a mute button, which begins muted.

Under the checkbox is a scrolling visual representation of the timing and duration of clicks in the check box, which also produce matching beeping sounds when unmuted.

By varying between brief and long presses, and brief and long intervals between presses, it is possible to enter characters in Morse Code.

The title text hints at the use of Morse Code in the comic; interpreting the "check" as a Morse Code dot and the "chhecck" as a Morse Code dash gives ...---..., which is the Morse Code for "SOS", the international distress signal. Incidentally, inputting the SOS signal gives "YOU TOO?".

The check box then begins operating by itself, producing sounds which can be decoded as Morse Code.

For the majority of inputs, the check box responds with 'WHAT'. Some keywords have special responses.

===Special Responses===
xkcd -> FILE NOT FOUND

SOS -> YOU TOO?

HI -> HELLO! ANYBODY OUT THERE?

HELLO -> HELLO TO YOU TOO!

WHAT -> ECHO

ECHO -> ECHO

E (''repeat n times'') -> E (''repeat n times'')

T (''repeat n times'') -> T (''repeat n times'')

WHO ARE YOU -> SOJOURNER

CQ -> CQD DE SOJ

SOJOURNER -> CFM (short for Confirm)

QUIET -> (turns the volume off)

MUTE -> (turns the volume off)

BEEP -> (turns the volume on)

QRS -> (reduces playback speed)

QRQ -> (increases playback speed)

QRB -> QRB 264 MILLION KM

QTH -> QTH ARES VALLIS

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

2445: Checkbox

2021-04-01T23:15:42Z

108.162.219.54: /* Special Responses */ add ECHO and WHO ARE YOU

{{comic
| number = 2445
| date = April 1, 2021
| title = Checkbox
| image = checkbox.gif
| titletext = Check check check ... chhecck chhecck chhecck ... check check check
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a CHECKBOX. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is an April Fools comic that looks similar to a loading screen. The actual comic (this “loading screen”) consists of a gif of a checkbox (hence the name).

The frame is replaced with an interactive panel. In the centre is a check box, which clears itself immediately when checked. In the bottom right is a mute button, which begins muted.

Under the checkbox is a scrolling visual representation of the timing and duration of clicks in the check box, which also produce matching beeping sounds when unmuted.

By varying between brief and long presses, and brief and long intervals between presses, it is possible to enter characters in Morse Code.

The title text hints at the use of Morse Code in the comic; interpreting the "check" as a Morse Code dot and the "chhecck" as a Morse Code dash gives ...---..., which is the Morse Code for "SOS", the international distress signal. Incidentally, inputting the SOS signal gives "YOU TOO?".

The check box then begins operating by itself, producing sounds which can be decoded as Morse Code.

For the majority of inputs, the check box responds with 'WHAT'. Some keywords have special responses.

===Special Responses===
xkcd -> FILE NOT FOUND

SOS -> YOU TOO?

HI -> HELLO! ANYBODY OUT THERE?

HELLO -> HELLO TO YOU TOO!

WHAT -> ECHO

ECHO -> ECHO

EE -> EE

WHO ARE YOU -> SOJOURNER

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

2440: Epistemic Uncertainty

2021-03-25T00:42:51Z

108.162.219.54:

{{comic
| number = 2440
| date = March 22, 2021
| title = Epistemic Uncertainty
| image = epistemic_uncertainty.png
| titletext = Luckily, unlike in our previous study, we have no reason to believe Evangeline the Adulterator gained access to our stored doses.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by GEORGE THE DATA TAMPERER. Better explanation for epistemic uncertainty and epistemology in general required. Do NOT tamper this tag too soon.}}

This comic is a comparison of two different research studies, one which shows "regular uncertainty" and one which shows "epistemic uncertainty." In both panels, the core data is the same - the drug in question is 74% effective - but the uncertainty qualities are different. The first is straightforward; the confidence interval (the error bars on the chart) is from 63 to 81%. The second panel includes the additional wrinkle of "George the Data Tamperer, whose whims are unpredictable."

In statistics, a {{w|confidence interval}} is an estimate which provides a range of values, based on the statistical probability that the data collected represents a certain result. It is a reflection on the uncertainty imposed by the limits of study sample sizes. Since no study will ever have an infinite data set,{{Citation needed}} it is possible for a small sample to give a skewed result, but the small skews are more probable than large ones. For example, if a drug was 80% effective it would be possible for a study with a sample size of 100 to randomly end up with 74 positive and 26 negative results. If the drug was 99% effective it would still be possible to randomly end up with the same data, but it would be highly unlikely. This gives us a spread of "likely" results, with results outside a certain interval being considered too unlikely to be realistic.

George the Tamperer and Evangeline the Adulterator (from the title text) are analogous to the characters from {{w|Alice and Bob}} cryptography thought experiments. In the most basic examples, Alice and Bob are communicating and a third party, Eve the Eavesdropper, is spying on them. Both George and Evangeline have the ability to alter the study's results, adding uncertainty to the final data product. Specifically, they add ''epistemic'' uncertainty.

{{w|Epistemology}} – unlike {{w|epidemiology}} – is the branch of philosophy related to knowledge; thus epistemic uncertainty is the ultimate impossibility to be sure that what we know is accurate, not by failures in measurement but for the intrinsic limits of knowledge. It seems that the "epistemic uncertainty" data has a 25% chance of data {{w|tampering}} by George. In contrast to the previous study, where the data is known but its reflection of the general case is uncertain to an extent, in this study even the knowledge of whether any single data point is correct is uncertain. Thus, their data has a 25% chance of being incorrect with no possible statement about how incorrect it may be.

The title text mentions an individual called "Evangeline the Adulterator," who [https://www.dictionary.com/browse/adulterate adulterates] their drug doses. If this happened, the researchers would not even be sure the patients received the dosages (or exacting medicines/placebos) as prescribed, and the study methodology itself would be in doubt.

==Transcript==
:[Two panels are shown with labels above them.]
:Regular Uncertainty
:Epistemic Uncertainty

:[In both panels Megan stands in front of a data presentation on a slide behind her. She is pointing at the slide with a stick.]

:[In the left panel titled 'Regular Uncertainty'. Megan standing in front of a presentation of a graph with data and error bars. The percentage 74% can be seen above the dot at the center between the error bars.]
:Megan: Our study found the drug was 74% effective, with a confidence interval from 63% to 81%.
:74%

:[In the right panel titled 'Epistemic Uncertainty'. Megan stands in front of a presentation of data with a silhouette of a man with a hat labelled with a white question mark. Above this are three 3 confidence intervals.]
:Megan: Our study found the drug to be 74% effective.
:Megan: However, there is a 1 in 4 chance that our study was modified by George the Data Tamperer, whose whims are unpredictable.
:73 -> 74%??
:47 -> 74%??
:0 -> 74%?
:?

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Statistics]]
[[Category:Research Papers]]
[[Category:Biology]]

Talk:2411: 1/10,000th Scale World

2021-01-20T17:12:14Z

108.162.219.54:

This sounds like a cool theme for a game jam. [[User:Bwisey|Bwisey]] ([[User talk:Bwisey|talk]]) 07:30, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

The comment about airplanes being close to the speed of a bullet in the explanation wouldn't be relevant due to the scale, so they wouldn't be fast compared to the scale of the people here, and with some rough calculations, I think it would take multiple seconds to pass through the thickness of a human body, so if the people were normal properties and the plane moving at its speed being proportional to its scale (thus making its speed seem normal from the perspective of someone shrunk down and on the plane looking at the rate at which it travels compared to its own length or looking at the model surroundings rather than the giant person), it shouldn't cause significant injury. Granted, as such speeds it wouldn't be able to fly, but the same sort of concerns apply to a lot else here, like the thundercloud and the rate the atmosphere gets thinner at altitude.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.207|162.158.74.207]] 07:54, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

"Also, airplane speed very similar to the speed at which a bullet is fired" - That is true for real world aircraft; it is not at all given for the 1/10000th scale world. (It depends on if time is scaled or just spatial dimensions) [[Special:Contributions/162.158.134.84|162.158.134.84]] 09:59, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

The rant about private vs public research seems a tad coat-racky. [[User:Yngvadottir|Yngvadottir]] ([[User talk:Yngvadottir|talk]]) 12:08, 14 January 2021 (UTC)
: I agree, so I removed it. There's no indication that Randall meant anything more by it than the usually fun activity of playing with balloons would be harmful if done to weather balloons. [[User:Bischoff|Bischoff]] ([[User talk:Bischoff|talk]]) 13:45, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

Do disasters in the model have consequences in the real Earth, like in the first row of xkcd #1515? Not being allowed to create megatsunamis or trigger the Yellowstone Supervolcano would support this, but being allowed to step on cities that do not have especially pointy towers would oppose it.[[Special:Contributions/162.158.186.220|162.158.186.220]] 14:07, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

This, ladies, gents, and variations thereupon, is the ''xkcd'' I know and love. [[User:Lightcaller|Lightcaller]] ([[User talk:Lightcaller|talk]]) 14:34, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

I would really like this on a poster. [[Special:Contributions/172.68.57.33|172.68.57.33]] 16:12, 14 January 2021 (UTC)
:That'd be good. In large format. (Though, if it's a 10,000:1 scale printing I see a couple of problems.) [[Special:Contributions/141.101.99.19|141.101.99.19]] 21:16, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

Wouldn't an airplane be to the people about twice the speed of a garden snail? [[User:Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)|Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)]] ([[User talk:Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)|talk]])

: A model Airbus A380 would be about 7.3 mmm long but the scale factor for its volume and mass (assuming it has the same overall density as a full size one) would be 1:1,000,000,000,000 so its mass would be about half a milligramme! I'm not sure where 'half a kilogram' came from.

: I thought comparisons of scale were an oft-revisited theme for xkcd, so was disappointed not to find a category for them; though I tried to list some of them, I didn't find nearly as many of them as I thought there ought to be. Only just noticed the reference in discussion here to 1515, which kind of supports my suspicion that there are lots I didn't find. --[[User:Pi one|Pi one]] ([[User talk:Pi one|talk]]) 17:06, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

I like how the curvature of the world is drawn to scale as well. IE: imperceptibly curved. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.216.182|108.162.216.182]] 17:13, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

Probably not actually related to the comic, but the notes in the explanation about how "earth on this scale would be the size of an asteroid" made me think of the Little Prince, which Randall is known to be fond of. -MeZimm [[Special:Contributions/162.158.74.85|162.158.74.85]] 18:26, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

For comparison the Queen's Museum model of NY City is at a scale of 1:1,200. 1:10,000 maps of many areas are available, so you could lay out a county or so in your living room. Not as good as a model but still interesting.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.121|173.245.54.121]] 22:33, 14 January 2021 (UTC)
: As recently added to the explanation, but in case anyone missed it and yet would finds it of interest: http://www.mapascotland.org/ [[Special:Contributions/162.158.155.85|162.158.155.85]] 22:41, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

This reminds me of the planet Dwarf Terrace-9 from Rick and Morty. Possible reference? [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.19|173.245.54.19]] 23:59, 14 January 2021 (UTC)

A fun bit of trivia I noticed is that the Kármán line (the "edge of spaaaace") would be a little below the height of a typical utility pole (10.67 m).[[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.82|108.162.245.82]] 00:36, 15 January 2021 (UTC)

Usual models are fragile ; however, I wonder if Randalls scaled copy of Earth, apparently with enough gravity to have atmosphere and with planes capable of flight despite being very slow, would somehow be more sturdy and feature cities which you wouldn't be able to damage by stepping on them. THAT may be the reason why the rules are mostly for protection of the guests: airplanes and weather balloons may be only things they can damage directly, however the tsunami and volcanoes are still dangerous. -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 11:00, 15 January 2021 (UTC)
:Imagine the cities being made of LEGO bricks. Not like the buildings built from LEGO bricks but that single LEGO bricks (or other LEGO pieces) ARE the builidngs. Ever stepped on a LEGO brick barefooted? It hurts AF... [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 12:13, 15 January 2021 (UTC)

Could the scale aircraft imply that Randall has created 1:10000 humans to fly them? [[User:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For]] ([[User talk:These Are Not The Comments You Are Looking For|talk]]) 04:47, 17 January 2021 (UTC)

Am I the only one who thinks this genuinely sounds like a fun exhibit/theme park? Or is that part of the intention of the comic? [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.54|108.162.219.54]]

2404: First Thing

2020-12-29T01:38:17Z

108.162.219.54: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2404
| date = December 29, 2020
| title = First Thing
| image = first_thing.png
| titletext = Then I'm going to go on a weeks-long somatic hypermutation bender, producing ever-more targeted antibodies, while I continue to remain distanced and follow guidance from public health authorities.
}}

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

I am a small cell in a human body, but a powerful one! I have made this _whole body_ visit a wiki and modify the wiki content. -cell

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

{{comic discussion}}

690: Semicontrolled Demolition

2020-09-17T01:18:18Z

108.162.219.54: /* Explanation */ Cueball is not the same as Randall

{{comic
| number = 690
| date = January 18, 2010
| title = Semicontrolled Demolition
| image = semicontrolled demolition.png
| titletext = I believe the truth always lies halfway between the most extreme claims.
}}

==Explanation==
The {{w|World Trade Center}} towers were destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks (9/11 in American date notation). The planned attack was for two planes to collide with the north and south towers simultaneously, but what ended up happening was that [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g6V8KZE3GA&t=35s plane 1 hit the north tower at 8:46 am], and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KYE4zViAAg&t=11m44s the second plane hit the south tower a little less than 20 minutes later]. In the ensuing investigation many people raised questions that didn't seem to get a satisfactory answer for several months, if not years. Many people, who called themselves {{w|9/11 Truthers}}, began to claim that the whole thing was a government conspiracy, in what has come to be known as the "controlled demolition plot" (referenced by the title of this comic), which alleges that the towers were brought down not by the fires caused by the planes but by demolition charges intentionally placed there by the government.

[[Cueball]] proposes a compromise to make both those who believe in the conspiracy and those who don't happy. Since there is only a government related video of a plane flying into the north tower — done by a man who was with {{w|FDNY}} fire fighters — that was a government conspiracy. But it just so happened that the government decided to demolish the north tower on the same day that terrorists decided to demolish the south tower.

The title text is a restatement of the {{w|Argument_to_moderation|Golden Mean fallacy}}: that the truth can be found in a compromise between two opposite positions. In this comic, one of the positions is a fanciful conspiracy theory and the other is a sober fact-based conclusion. The error of this fallacy is apparent here, as it can lead to even more ridiculous conclusions. In this case, the compromise theory would make no one happy because both sides would have to concede claims which they have already dismissed as bogus, as well as accept an incredibly unlikely coincidence.

On January 6, 2016, the Onion, a satirical news site, reported that the government has confirmed Cueball's theory by releasing an article titled, [http://www.theonion.com/article/government-admits-it-was-only-behind-destruction-o-37699 Government Admits It Was Only Behind Destruction Of North Tower.]

This is one of the [[:Category:Compromise|compromises]] Cueball (or Randall) has proposed, most of which will also be unlikely to be accepted...

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is holding up a pointer to a screen with an image of the World Trade Center towers mid-disaster.]
:Cueball: Based on my analysis, I believe the government faked the plane crash and demolished the WTC north tower with explosives.
:Cueball: The south tower, in a simultaneous but unrelated plot, was brought down by actual terrorists.

:The 9/11 truthers responded poorly to my compromise theory.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Public speaking]]
[[Category:Compromise]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theory]]

2237: AI Hiring Algorithm

2019-12-09T13:37:24Z

108.162.219.54: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 2237
| date = December 4, 2019
| title = AI Hiring Algorithm
| image = ai_hiring_algorithm.png
| titletext = So glad Kate over in R&D pushed for using the AlgoMaxAnalyzer to look into this. Hiring her was a great decisio- waaaait.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by DEEPAIHIRE. Discussion of the other criterion with low weight should be included in the explanation. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

In this comic, [[Ponytail]] shows an analysis of a new artificial intelligence called DeepAIHire, used to select who to hire among applicants. The analysis shows that this AI mostly ignores common factors used for hiring new people. Instead, its main criterion for selecting new applicants is how much the new applicants are willing to contribute to the AI itself.

Although this does not imply sentience, it at least means the AI became {{w|Self-perpetuation|self-perpetuating}}, as it is selecting humans that will help make it more influential, giving it more power to select such humans, in a never-ending loop.

The title text shows how this or other AIs may have influenced hiring in other sectors as well. Kate in R&D was hired perhaps based on her willingness to use a different algorithm (AlgoMaxAnalyzer), which did analysis on the DeepAIHire algorithm. Ponytail seems to become suspicious that AlgoMaxAnalyzer is also a program that self-perpetuates in a similar manner to DeepAIHire rather than simply working for the benefit of its human designers. Alternatively she might fear that the different AIs are forming an alliance, or that the AIs are competing to become the predominant one at Ponytail's company. ''Intentionally'' training one AI to fight another AI is a technique in machine learning called a {{w|generative adversarial network}} (GAN). In a GAN, human-curated training data is used to train one neural network (the generative network) to create more data, while another network (the discriminative network) is trained to distinguish generated data from the training data; the results are then fed back into the generative network so it can improve its data creation accuracy. The goal is for the generative network to get better and better at fooling the discriminator until its output is useful for external purposes. GANs have been used to "translate" artworks into [https://towardsdatascience.com/gangogh-creating-art-with-gans-8d087d8f74a1 different artists' styles], but also offer the possibility of nefarious uses, such as creating fake but believable images or videos ("{{w|deepfake}}s").

The "Deep" in this algorithm's name is a reference to {{w|deep learning}}, a collection of techniques in {{w|machine learning}} that use neural networks. One user of such deep learning is {{w|DeepMind}}, an AI company owned by Alphabet (Google's parent company), which in recent years has used a {{w|deep neural network}} to learn to play board games such as go and chess, defeating some of the best human and computer players. The earliest versions of DeepMind's most famous AI, AlphaGo, were trained on datasets curated from games of Go played by humans, but eventually it was trained by playing games against alternative versions of itself. DeepMind's most recent achievement is creating AlphaStar, which can [https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/10/leveling-up-deepminds-alphastar-achieves-grandmaster-level-in-starcraft-ii/ play ''StarCraft II'' at a Grandmaster level] while constrained to human speeds to prevent an unfair performance comparison.

This comic strip is in response to ongoing concerns over the proliferation of algorithmic systems in many areas of life that are sensitive to bias, such as hiring, loan applications, policing, and criminal sentencing. Many of these "algorithms" are not programmed from first principles, but rather are trained on large volumes of past data (e.g., case studies of paroled criminals who did or did not re-offend, or borrowers who did or did not default on their loans), and therefore they inherit the biases that influenced that data, even if the algorithms are not told the race, age, or other protected attributes of the individuals they process. If the algorithms are then blindly and enthusiastically applied to future cases, they may perpetuate those biases even though they are supposed (or at least reputed) to be "incapable" of being influenced by them. For example, DeepAIHire has presumably been given information on the education and past work experience of successful employees at this company and similar companies, and will identify incoming candidates with similar backgrounds, but may not be able to recognize the possibility that a candidate with an unfamiliar or underrepresented history could be successful as well.

This comic strip also touches on related concerns about the "{{w|black box}}" nature of these algorithms. Machine learning is used to produce "good enough" classification systems that can handle vast quantities of information in a way that is more scalable than human labor; however, the tremendous volumes of data and the neural network architecture make it difficult or impossible to debug the algorithms in the way that most code is inspected. This means that it is difficult to identify and debug edge cases until they are encountered in the wild, such as the case of image classifiers that identify [http://rocknrollnerd.github.io/ml/2015/05/27/leopard-sofa.html a leopard-spotted sofa as a leopard]. In this comic's case, the self-propagating bias of DeepAIHire went unnoticed by the humans involved in the hiring process until its activity was analyzed by the AlgoMaxAnalyzer algorithm.

A similar theme of AIs behaving for their own benefit rather than helping humans occurred in [[2228: Machine Learning Captcha]].

==Transcript==
:[Ponytail is pointing to a slide with a stick. The slide hangs in two strings from the ceiling. The slide has a heading and a subheading. And then a table with a vertical and a horizontal line with headings above the two columns.]
:Ponytail: An analysis of our new AI hiring algorithm has raised some concerns.

:<big>DeepAIHire® Candidate Evaluation Algorithm</big>
:Inferred internal weightings

:{|
| style="text-align:right;" | Weight
| style="text-align:left;" | Factor
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | 0.0096
| style="text-align:left;" | Educational background
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | 0.0520
| style="text-align:left;" | Past experience
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | 0.0208
| style="text-align:left;" | Recommendations
|-
| style="text-align:right;" | 0.0105
| style="text-align:left;" | Interview performance
|-
| style="vertical-align:top; text-align:right;" | 783.5629
| style="vertical-align:top; text-align:left;" | Enthusiasm for developing and expanding the use of the DeepAIHire algorithm
|}

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Artificial Intelligence]]

2231: The Time Before and After Land

2019-11-21T16:03:04Z

108.162.219.54: Added wordplay homophones Before to Bee For

{{comic
| number = 2231
| date = November 20, 2019
| title = the Time Before And After Land
| image = the_time_before_and_after_land.png
| titletext = According to Google, "the time for Beeland" is apparently whenever you're looking for delicious honey in Spillimacheen, British Columbia or a hexagonal chalet in the Savinja valley in Slovenia.
}}

This comic is wordplay on ''{{w|The Land Before Time (franchise)|The Land Before Time}}'', a film series centered on dinosaurs.

This comic shows a timeline of the history of the universe, from the {{w|Big Bang}} to the present day. Various permutations of "Land Before Time" are highlighted on the timeline - for example, the "time before land" is the period of time before any land existed in the universe. (If only land on Earth was counted, then the time before land would have extended until [https://curiosity.com/topics/the-first-continent-on-earth-curiosity/ 3 billion years BC]; Earth existed before then, but the oceans covered its entire surface.)

Some of the wordplay arises from exchanging the {{w|homophonous}} words "time" and “thyme", and the {{w|homonyms}} “land” meaning ground, and “land “ meaning to go from sky to ground, creating even more permutations. Additional words like "the", "on", etc. are sometimes added. Other wordplay arises from exchanging "before" with "bee for" and then rearranging the words to make grammatical sense.

The timeline includes points of interest to help understand the highlighted periods.

===Explanation of time ranges on the chart===

{| class="wikitable"
! Range !! From !! To !! Explanation
|-
|width=15%|'''The time before land'''
|width=10%|Big Bang
|width=10%|Rocky planets form
|width=65%|The {{w|Big Bang}} is a scientific theory that attempts to describe the very earliest conditions in our universe, but is also used informally as a synonym for the beginning of the universe. The early universe contained only simple elements such as hydrogen, but over time, star formation led to the creation of new, heavier elements, which eventually gave rise to planets with a rocky surface, which we call "land". It would have taken billions of years for the first such land-bearing planet to appear in the universe, so this time period could be considered "the time before land".
|-
|'''The time before bees'''
|Big Bang
|Ground-nesting bees evolve
|This time range also includes the formation of the Earth, a necessary precondition for bees to evolve. Any time before the evolution of bees could be considered "The time before bees", although it should be noted that the chart does not account for the possibility that ''non-ground-nesting'' bees may have existed prior to ground-nesting ones. If they did, then the chart would be incorrect, as "The time before bees" (for bees as a whole) would precede the evolution of ground-nesting bees.
|-
|'''The land before thyme'''
|Rocky planets form
|''Thymus'' genus diverges
|This time range is after land forms, but before {{w|thyme}} evolved. This is a direct parody of The Land Before Time's title.
|-
|'''Time for land bees!'''
|Ground-nesting bees evolve
|Now
|When conditions change to allow an event to occur, people sometimes say "time for (event)!"{{Citation needed}}
|-
|'''Bees land on thyme'''
|''Thymus'' genus diverges
|Now
|Bees are flying insects, and therefore must land in order to rest before taking off again. Now that thyme has evolved, bees are able to land on thyme plants. This is a pun on the word ''land'', which can mean solid ground, or, in this case, means to stop flying.
|}

The title text lists 2 places with the name "Beeland": [https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g2108670-d2094291-Reviews-Beeland-Spillimacheen_Kootenay_Rockies_British_Columbia.html Spillimacheen, British Columbia] or [http://www.apartmajimozirje.si/en/beeland/ a chalet in Slovenia].

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
(Timeline not to scale)

[A timeline is shown with two endpoints, and five other points. The endpoints are labeled:]
:Big Bang
:Rocky Planets Form
:Earth Forms
:Ground-nesting bees evolve
:''The Land Before Time''
:Thymus Genus diverges
:Now

[Below the timeline are five overlapping time periods in three rows. The text is between two thick black bars. The time periods all start and end at two different points.]
:[Big Bang to Rocky Planets form:]
::The Time before Land

:[Big Bang to Ground-nesting bees evolve:]
::The Time before bees

:[Rocky Planets form to Thymus genus diverges:]
::The Land before Thyme

:[Ground-nesting bees evolve to Now:]
::Time for Land Bees!

:[Thymus genus diverges to Now:]
::Bees land on thyme

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Timelines]]
[[Category:Fiction]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Puns]]

Talk:1732: Earth Temperature Timeline

2016-09-15T02:32:14Z

108.162.219.54:

Well, never mind then. Oh well. -- [[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 1:02, 12 September 2016
:I acknowledge that the picture is WAY too long, so I added a "skip to explanation" bar, to speed things up. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 17:32, 12 September 2016 (UTC)

Is it just me or does the picture not render all the way down in full resolution on firefox? I found it worked on Chrome and explorer... And Wauw, just after I had created the new [[:Category:Climate change]]... Was also just watched a [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxEGHW6Lbu8 QandA program] yesterday where [[1644: Stargazing|Brian Cox]] tried to convince some Australian politician about global warming, but the other one just cried conspiracy... Will take some time to make this one complete I guess? Great ;-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 17:53, 12 September 2016 (UTC)
:That's the thing with this kind of stuff. It takes a LONG time to make it just right. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 19:08, 12 September 2016 (UTC)

Please delete the ridiculous trivia
*The colors used to represent temperature vary from blue (the perceived hue of a black body at 20000K) to pale red (perceived at 2200K).
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.221.139|108.162.221.139]] 19:44, 12 September 2016 (UTC)

Of course you can pretty much ignore the part of the diagram that is in dotted line, you can't rely on that data. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.119|108.162.246.119]] 20:40, 12 September 2016 (UTC)
:Note that even if we ignore the extrapolated future, the warming in the past century is already a vastly more abrupt climate shift than anything that happened in the preceding 219 centuries. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 21:15, 12 September 2016 (UTC)
::Actually we don't know what the shifts were on that scale in the past. The dotted line before modern measurement is a very limited estimate. We have no idea what the year to year changes were in the past, at best we can work out an average. I am reminded of a house mouse(life span of about 1 year) looking at the leaves fall from the tress and saying "Surely this is the end of the world". [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.119|108.162.246.119]] 14:44, 13 September 2016 (UTC)
:::Randall explicitly addresses your specious complaint at 15900 BCE. Year-to-year fluctuations are not the same as the current century-long surge. Either show scientific evidence or go away, Mr Troll from Seattle Cloudflare. - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 16:11, 13 September 2016 (UTC)
::::I should have known better to enter into a religious debate on the internet. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.246.119|108.162.246.119]] 00:17, 14 September 2016 (UTC)
:::::No it is not that which is the problem, but that you try to disqualify the data without even bothering to look through them. Aa mentioned Randall tries to let us know that such a high fluctuation as we have in these last 100 years would not be hidden in the old data. As mentioned by Fankie this is explained between 16000 and 15500 BCE... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:30, 14 September 2016 (UTC)
:Have you read the referenced papers? Well you fit well with the people he refers to between the two lines at the top. ;-) We are heading for troublesome times :-( [[164: Playing Devil's Advocate to Win]]... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 21:22, 12 September 2016 (UTC)

*the use unqualified of the words "still many people" is exactly the kind of weasely nonsense that this comic is designed to refute. there are "still many people" who claim the earth is flat, that they have been abducted by aliens, or that the MMR jab made their children autistic. those people are deluded or insincere. the difference with deniers of climate change is that there are in their ranks scientists who are clear-sighted but who have decided that funding at any price is better than none. this site should be better than that. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.84|141.101.98.84]]
::You're absolutely right, the ranks of climate deniers do indeed include a few scientists willing to sell their voices to the highest bidder (e.g. http://www.polluterwatch.com/heartland-institute ). But is that what you meant to say? - [[User:Frankie|Frankie]] ([[User talk:Frankie|talk]]) 11:50, 13 September 2016 (UTC)
:::that the wording be changed to reflect that. --[[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.84|141.101.98.84]] 11:59, 13 September 2016 (UTC)

For a large post like this, it's a wonder that we can all keep up and edit something like this all at once. Wow. --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 11:56, 13 September 2016 (UTC)
:Also, anyone else notice that this was a top trending post on Facebook last night? I don't know if I could call it a milestone but it's still pretty cool. And '''WE''' edited it! :D --[[User:JayRulesXKCD|JayRulesXKCD]] ([[User talk:JayRulesXKCD|talk]]) 12:06, 13 September 2016 (UTC)
::Very interesting, so it was explain xkcd and not xkcd that where the top trending post? Could you post a link to where you found this out? --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:15, 13 September 2016 (UTC)
:::I can see you are right from the fact that Randall has chosen to postpone his next comic in order to keep this one on the front page for all the new visitors as has now been noted in the explanation and in the trivia section. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:30, 14 September 2016 (UTC)

Maybe someone should add the fact that the transcript may be a reference to oxidation?[[User:Transuranium|Transuranium]] ([[User talk:Transuranium|talk]]) 19:21, 13 September 2016 (UTC)Transuranium
:I think you mean the "title text" not the transcript? And that you refer to the recent comic [[1693: Oxidation]] which is indeed referened in the title text, then that has been written at the bottom of the main explanation and has been there already since the 12th edit less than 1½ hour after the comic came out... --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 20:02, 13 September 2016 (UTC)

Is nobody else having a problem seeing the comic? Both here and on XKCD I get an "Image not found" icon, a blue question mark. I thought maybe this was an interactive comic that doesn't work on my iPad (like that garden thing, though that did nothing on my computer either). If I tap it on XKCD nothing happens, here it leads to the picture's Wiki page - also with the question mark - which says it's a PNG, which I know this iPad can show. It's 11pm EST, maybe night maintenance on XKCD? Or the file got renamed without updating the sites? - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.126.227|162.158.126.227]] 03:12, 14 September 2016 (UTC)
:I had trouble seeing it on my own PC using Firefox but not the other browsers I have. See my early comment above. I guess the file is too big for your iPad as it is a very huge file. I tried to download it but it failed. --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:07, 14 September 2016 (UTC)
::It's weird that I got what is clearly an "Image not found" icon, though. Maybe my 1st Gen iPad's Safari saw the file, decided "No way I'm loading that!"(or "that size can't be right", LOL!) and chose to show the error icon instead. When I force the issue, by going directly to the image URL listed on XKCD, the first time Safari crashed rather than load the image (but it crashes on a regular basis, so that didn't deter me), the second time it crashed, the third time it actually loaded, and I was able to see it. After seeing mentions here of spelling errors (though I have to disagree on "Pokemon", generally only people connected to the show bother with the accent. Like how I'm the only one who spells Hallowe'en correctly, with the apostrophe), I thought maybe the comic was taken down to correct it, but guess not. LOL! - NiceGuy1 [[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.239|108.162.218.239]] 20:54, 14 September 2016 (UTC)

I feel that the missing bottom axis is a usability problem, so I fixed it. [http://info.org.il/data/earth_temperature_timeline_bottom_axis.png See it here.] [[User:Hananc|Hananc]] ([[User talk:Hananc|talk]]) 10:42, 14 September 2016 (UTC)
:Nice but I'm sure it was on purpose to indicate that time continues down,as well as a possible even worse temperature change. As shown in the previous global warming comic [[1379]] Earth has been 8 degree hotter than now... And apart from the last small segment (albeit a very important one) you either remember that white is normal and bluer is colder redder is warmer or else you cannot use the chart in between the top and bottom, and since this is the longest xkcd comic so far it would be a shame. :-) --[[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 14:07, 14 September 2016 (UTC)

Okay, now that I've managed to SEE the damn thing, I have a question. There's no mention of why this is using "BCE" and "CE" instead of the standard "BC" and "AD", never mind what these stand for (thinking and thinking about it, my guess is "Before Christ Era" and "Christ Era"). This is the kind of thing that should be mentioned on ExplainXKCD, LOL! Fun fact: when I searched this page for "BCE", to confirm it wasn't explained, I got "Over 100 matches". :) Anyway, I figure maybe those are currently accepted scientific terminology, especially since "AD" is Latin, unlike "BC", but the average person still uses BC and AD. In fact, I think this is the first time I've ever seen BCE and CE (unless it's been on XKCD before and I just dismissed it as a typo or something. This time there are WAY too many for it to be a mistake every time, including here in the explanation!) - NiceGuy1[[Special:Contributions/108.162.218.239|108.162.218.239]] 21:20, 14 September 2016 (UTC)
:It's "Before Common Era" and "Common Era", an alternative to BC/AD. Pretty common alternative, though I don't know why off-hand - probably to remove the religious connotations of "Christ" and "Year of our Lord". --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.215.236|108.162.215.236]] 23:23, 14 September 2016 (UTC)
::Because they're the standards in the scientific community. The guy above assumed his way is standard, but that's inaccurate. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.212.92|108.162.212.92]] 00:26, 15 September 2016 (UTC)
:: For the convenience of archeologists working in the Middle East. [[User:Wwoods|Wwoods]] ([[User talk:Wwoods|talk]]) 01:16, 15 September 2016 (UTC)
What this comic doesn't show is what kind of changes occurred in the previous interglacial period as opposed to the current one. Since the current one is not yet over there could still be a stage of an interglacial with rapid temperature rise which we are only now reaching, but has happened in previous interglacial periods.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.54|108.162.219.54]] 02:32, 15 September 2016 (UTC)

1379: 4.5 Degrees

2014-06-16T02:00:02Z

108.162.219.54: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1379
| date = June 9, 2014
| title = 4.5 Degrees
| image = 4_5_degrees.png
| titletext = The good news is that according to the latest IPCC report, if we enact aggressive emissions limits now, we could hold the warming to 2°C. That's only HALF an ice age unit, which is probably no big deal.
}}

==Explanation==
{{Incomplete|Do a more careful comparison of Randall's presented predictions with the most recent IPCC predictions}}
This comic is a way to visualize changes in climate over the next century. The prediction presented, 4-5 degrees Celsius of warming, doesn't seem like a very large change, but [[Randall]] points out that 4.5 °C is the difference between the {{w|Last glacial period|last ice age}} and today, which is quite a substantial difference. So, to give context to the number, he measures the temperature in "Ice Age Units," or IAU. 1 IAU is defined as the change in average global temperature by 4.5 degrees Celsius (8 °F). The last ice age was 1 IAU colder than the average "modern" {{w|global temperature}}, and Randall's neighborhood was buried under an ice sheet. The predicted change by the year 2100 is +1 IAU, and while we don't know what its effects will be exactly (represented by a large question mark in the comic) it will probably be huge. For reference he notes that a change of +2 IAU created the {{w|Cretaceous Thermal Maximum|"Hothouse Earth"}} of the early {{w|Cretaceous period}}. In short, while 4.5 °C seems like a small change in temperature, it seems quite a lot bigger if you phrase it as "halfway to having {{w|Arecaceae|palm trees}} at the poles." There were {{w|Polar forests of the Cretaceous|polar forests}} during the Cretaceous that grew in latitudes up to 85° in both Northern and Southern hemispheres. Of course there could not be trees in the ocean directly over the North Pole, but at the closest land masses ({{w|Greenland}} for instance) there could be trees.

On the colder side, -4 IAU is associated with {{w|Snowball Earth}}, a near-total freezing of the entire surface around 650 millions years ago. How much of the planet was actually frozen in the {{w|Cryogenian}} period is disputed but it could have been the greatest ice age known to have occurred on Earth. The mean temperature must have lowered to a level of 15 to 20 °C below actual values roughly a billion years in the past. It is believed that the entire Earth was frozen occurred 2,400 to 2,100 million years ago for the first time, which could have been a result of the {{w|Great Oxygenation Event}}.

The oldest known animal fossils ({{w|Sponges#Fossil_record|sponges}}) are from the Snowball Earth, while {{w|Flowering_plant#Evolution|flowering plants}} became the dominant plant species during the Cretaceous period.

The 200 m {{w|Current sea level rise|sea level rise}} given in the last panel for a "Cretaceous Hothouse" (i.e. if all ice on earth melted, including the Antarctic ice cap) could not be explained by this melt-off alone. If all the ice melted the water level would only increase by about 60-80 m, according to {{w|Antarctica}}, [http://www.grida.no/publications/other/ipcc_tar/?src=/climate/ipcc_tar/ IPCC Third Assessment Report] (section 11.2.3 on Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets) and [http://water.usgs.gov/edu/sealevel.html Sea Level and Climate: USGS Water-Science School]. Additional sea level rise can be expected from thermal expansion of seawater, and indeed the main reason for rising sea level at the moment is actually caused by this expansion of the sea due to increasing temperature. But the high-end 500-year projection for a 4x increase in CO2, at {{w|Current_sea_level_rise#IPCC_Third_Assessment|expansion of the sea}}, is for an additional 2 m due to thermal expansion, with a decreasing rate of growth over time. The Atlantic was shallower, that's the reason.

The 5th and most recent {{w|Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change}} (IPCC AR5) presents four alternative trajectories for future concentrations of greenhouse gasses, termed {{w|Representative Concentration Pathways}} (RCPs): RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6, and RCP8.5. They are named after possible ranges of radiative forcing values in the year 2100 relative to pre-industrial values (+2.6, +4.5, +6.0, and +8.5 W/m2, respectively). The hottest of these, RCP8.5, is predicted to result in a warming of 2.6 °C to 4.8 °C by 2100 ([http://www.climate2013.org/images/report/WG1AR5_SPM_FINAL.pdf Working Group I Summary for Policymakers]). This seems at odds with the 4-5 °C warming presented by Randall.

The title text says that even with instant and aggressive emissions reduction, the temperature will still rise by roughly half an IAU (2 °C). While it says it's ''probably no big deal'', this is a joke, because even the equivalent of half an Ice Age Unit of warming would cause a huge climate change. The figure of 2 °C is the most commonly agreed {{w|Climate_change_mitigation#Temperature_targets|temperature target}}; however, the lack of internationally binding agreements makes breaching this target more and more likely.

==Transcript==
:Without prompt, aggressive limits on CO2 emissions, the Earth will likely warm by an average of 4°-5°C by the century’s end.
:'''HOW BIG A CHANGE IS THAT?'''

:[A ruler chart is drawn inside a frame.]
:In the coldest part of the last ice age, Earth’s average temperature was 4.5°C below the 20th century norm.
:Let’s call a 4.5°C difference one '''”Ice age unit.“'''

:[A ruler with five main divisions — each again with 3 smaller quarter division markers. Above it the five main divisions are marked as follows with 0 in the middle:]
:-2 IAU -1 IAU 0 +1 IAU +2 IAU
:[Next to the 0 marking a black arrow points toward 0.2 on the scale and above it is written:]
:Where we are today

:[The rest of the text is below the ruler.]
:[To the far left below -2 IAU a curved arrow points to the left. Below it is written:]
:Snowball earth (-4 IAU)
:[Below -1 IAU a black arrow point toward this division. Below the arrow is written:]
:20,000 years ago
:[Below this an image of a glacier. At the top of the image is written:]
:My neighborhood:
:[At the bottom of the image is an arrow pointing to the glacier:]
:Half a mile of ice
:[Below 0 IAU a black arrow point toward this division. Below the arrow is written:]
:Average during modern times
:[Below this an image of Cueball standing on a green field with a city skyline in the background. At the top of the image is written:]
:My neighborhood:
:Cueball: Hi!
:[Below +1 IAU a black arrow point toward this division. Below the arrow is written:]
:Where we’ll be in 86 years
:[Below this a white image. At the top of the image is written:]
:My neighborhood:
:[Below this is a very large:]
:'''?'''
:[Below +2 IAU a black arrow point toward this division. Below the arrow is written:]
:Cretaceous hothouse
:+200m sea level rise
:No glaciers
:Palm trees at the poles

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Charts]]

1136: Broken Mirror

2014-06-06T16:24:18Z

108.162.219.54:

{{comic
| number = 1136
| date = November 19, 2012
| title = Broken Mirror
| image = broken_mirror.png
| titletext = 'I see you're in this mood again.' 'I am always in this mood.'
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|No explanation of title-text.}}
It is a {{w|Mirror#Mirrors and superstition|common superstition}} that breaking a mirror will result in 7 years of bad luck. [[Black Hat]] is mocking the superstition while ostensibly subscribing to it saying that breaking the mirror results in the "illusion that my actions somehow influence" a world governed by nothing other than chance.

[[Black Hat]]'s comment is a reference to the second part of the {{w|dilemma of determinism}} in which an {{w|Indeterminism|indeterministic}} view of reality contradicts our apparent {{w|free will}}, i.e. if our actions are governed by chance, then we do not have free will and cannot influence the world (see also [http://www.informationphilosopher.com/freedom/standard_argument.html the Randomness Objection]). Black hat refers to free will as an [http://www.informationphilosopher.com/freedom/illusionism.html illusion], and satirically states that breaking the mirror causes him to continue to live under this illusion.

"Eccles. 9:2" refers to the Bible book "{{w|Ecclesiastes}}," specifically chapter 9 verse 2: "All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good, to the clean, to the unclean, to him who sacrifices, and to him who doesn't sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes an oath, as he who fears an oath." King James 2000 Bible.

Black Hat is not going to clean the shards, thus being "unclean", but according to a literal and superficial reading of Ecclesiastes, the clean and the unclean share a common destiny. Thus according to his interpretation of Ecclesiastes, it doesn't matter whether Black Hat is clean or unclean, he will suffer the same fate regardless. In reality, Black Hat will likely get glass in his feet, as Cueball warned him in the previous panel. More likely, Ecclesiastes is referring to the common long-term fate of all humans (death), as opposed to a short-term fate like getting glass in your feet.

"My fate is as these shards" parallels Ecclesiastes 3:19: "Man's fate is like that of the animals".

"All is vanity" is also from Ecclesiastes, specifically the introduction to chapter 1. The mirror is often associated with the vice of {{w|Vanity#Symbolism of vanity|vanity}}. There is also a drawing with an optical illusion titled "[https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Allisvanity.jpg All is Vanity]" by {{w|Charles Allan Gilbert}}, which alternately depicts a woman admiring herself at a dressing table, (also referred to as a "{{w|Vanity (dressing-table)|vanity}}") or alternately (when viewed at a distance) a human skull. The table Black Hat is standing before is also called a "vanity" and a mirror associated with that is often referred to as a "vanity mirror", describing its relationship to the furniture.

==Transcript==
:[Black Hat and Cueball stand in a bedroom. There is a broken mirror on the floor at Black Hat's feet.]
:Black Hat: Oops. Guess this means seven more years of the illusion that my actions somehow influence the indifferent hand of probability which governs our lives.

:[Black Hat looks down at the broken shards of glass on the floor.]

:Cueball: Plus like half an hour of sweeping.
:Black Hat: No, I think I'll leave it.
:Cueball: You'll get glass in your feet.

:Black Hat: Eccles. 9:2—All things come alike to all: to the clean, and to the unclean.
:Black Hat: My fate is as these shards.
:Cueball: Dude, chill. It's just a vanity mirror.
:Black Hat: ''All'' is vanity mirrors.

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

526: Converting to Metric

2014-06-02T23:20:31Z

108.162.219.54: /* Volume */ Grammar check!

{{comic
| number = 526
| date = January 5, 2009
| title = Converting to Metric
| image = converting to metric.png
| titletext = According to River, "adequate" vacuuming systems drain the human body at about half a liter per second.
}}
==Explanation==
Most people will eventually develop an intuitive feel for how big certain measurements are (e.g., how long an inch or a foot is, how much a pound weighs). This comic points out that people who were brought up using the {{w|Imperial measurement|imperial system}} probably don't have the same intuitive understanding for metric units and attempts to provide some benchmarks for these people. Most of the benchmarks are common sense, highly-useful ones (e.g., if it's 30 degrees centigrade [86 °F], you'd be quite comfortable outside dressed for the beach) but some of the benchmarks are humorous and/or completely useless. Benchmarks include:

===Temperature===
* {{w|Extremes on Earth|Earth's Hottest}}: 60⁠℃ [140 °F]: The hottest temperature recorded on earth is actually {{W|List_of_weather_records#Heat|"only" 56.7}}. There have been reports of ten-twenty degrees higher (70-80⁠℃) but these measurments ae not verified or accepted as world records.
* Various heat waves: {{w|Dubai}} is a city in the United Arab Emirates, and is smack-dab in the middle of an equatorial desert, so their heat waves can get ''hot!''. The southern Unites States will typically be a few degrees hotter than the northern United States simply because it's closer to the equator, but as mentioned they're both above "Beach Weather".
*30℃ [86 °F]: A little too hot so perfect for a trip to the beach.
*20℃ [68 °F]: Is defined as room temperature in many experimental settings. For some this would feel a little cool. But 25℃ [77°] would as mentioned be too warm for room temperature...
*10℃ [50 °F]: Definitely wear a jacket. Especially if there is just a little breeze.
*0⁠℃ [32 °F]: The freezing point of water (32°⁠F)
*-5 to -10℃: In Moscow -10℃ is not really that cold - it can go "spit goes clink" cold in {{W|Moscow#Climate|Moscow}}, whereas -5℃ [23 °F] in {{W|Boston#Climate|Boston}} may be very cold...
*-20⁠℃: FuckFuckFuckCold and -30⁠℃ - Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck!: This is basically what some people would say when they step outside at this temperature. At -30⁠℃, without taking wind chill into account, exposed skin will feel painful in under a minute and frostbite could begin in as little as ten minutes [http://www.ec.gc.ca/meteo-weather/default.asp?lang=En&n=5FBF816A-1].
*-40⁠℃: Spit goes "clink": As shown in the drawing your spit would freeze ''before'' it hits the ground. This is the crossing point of the two temperature scales i.e. -40⁠℃ = -40 °F.

===Length===
*1 cm [.4 inch] : Width of microSD card and 3 cm - Length of SD card: Refers to the {{w|MicroSD card|memory cards}} used in cell phones, digital cameras, etc.
*12 cm [almost 5 inches]: CD rom are a common object so nice to know it is a dozen centimeters.
*14 cm [5 1/2 inches]: Most males would probably exaggerate the size of their penis, but 14–15 cm is very average.
*15 cm [almost 6 inches]: A Bic Pen
*80 cm [31 1/2 inches]: A typical doorway is also of standard size. This is barely over the minimum size typically required by codes for buildings [30 inches or 76.2 cm], but more than 50% over the size required for aircraft emergency exits. (It may seem illogical that larger doors are required in buildings than in airplanes, given airplanes are arguably more dangerous. However, there is no real disadvantage to using larger doors in buildings, which are not significantly pressurized, but using larger doors in aircraft would increase the force on the door caused by cabin pressure proportionally.)
*1 m [39.37 inches]: {{w|Lightsaber|Lightsaber Blade}}: Refers the weapon used in the {{w|Star Wars}} movie franchise. Canonically, the length of a Lightsaber's blade varies greatly depending on the setting of the weapon, but "one meter" is by no means a bad approximation.
*170 cm [5 feet, 7 inches]: {{w|Summer Glau}}: Refers to the height of the actress who portrays the character River Tam on the TV show {{w|Firefly (TV series)|Firefly}}.
*200 cm [6 feet, 6 and 3/4 inches]: Darth Vader: Refers to the height of the main antagonist from Star Wars.
*2.5 m [almost 10 feet]: Ceiling - of course very much depending on which type of building you are in!
*5 m [almost twenty feet]: Car Length - also very much depending on the car...
*16 m 4 cm: Human tower of Serenity crew: Again, this refers to the Firefly TV show, which takes place mostly on a space ship called Serenity.
**Presumably, if all the crew of Serenity were stacked on top of each other, this would be their combined height.
**The comic depicts four characters from the show standing on top of each other; the bottom figure is the crew's captain, {{w|Malcolm Reynolds}} in his signature coat. Judging from the other drawing of Summer Glau from the volume section, she is standing on top of the captain.
**The other five members of the crew should also be stacked on top of these four to reach the 16m height - giving them an average height of 1,82 cm (12 cm more than Summer Glaus height!)

===Speed===
:Here both the SI unit m/s as well as the more used unit kph is given.
*5 kph [3 mph] - 1.5 m/s: Walking at a normal pace
*13-25 kph [8-15 mph]: Jogging to sprinting.
*35 kph [21.75 mph] - 10 m/s: Fastest human: As of 2009, the fastest a human has been recorded to run in a single sprint is actually 45 kph, a record set by {{w|Usain Bolt}}.
*45-55 kph: Both cats and rabbits go much faster than normal people.
*75 kph [46.6 mph] - 20 m/s: Raptor: It's a comic written by Randal, of course a reference to the raptors from ''Jurassic Park'' was going to be here.
*100 kph - 25 m/s: A slow highway (62 MPH).
*110 kph [68.35 mph] - 30 m/s: Interstate (65 MPH): Refers to the {{w|Interstate|American highway system}}. (65 mph would actually be only 104.6 kph.)
*120 kph - 35 m/s: Speed you actually go when it says "65": People routinely break the aforementioned speed limit, and the police typically don't mind as long as it's not posing any danger. For the record, 120 kph is 74MPH.
*140 kph - 40 m/s: Raptor on Hoverboard: The Hoverboard is probably a reference to the ''Back to the Future'' series, though it's a fairly common trope in older science fiction stories.

===Volume===
*3 ml: The amount of blood in a fieldmouse.
*5 ml: A teaspoon - a very common measure.
*30 mL: Nasal Passages and 40mL - Shot Glass: The comic points out that you could just about fill a shot glass using the mucus from your nose. Since shot glasses are usually used for mixed drinks, the comic jokes that this mucus could constitute a new, disgusting drink - and this is depictured in the drawing.
*350 ml: Soda can (this is roughly correct for the cans used in the U.S., which hold 12 fluid ounces; in Europe, soda cans hold 500 ml).
*500 ml: Water bottle (this is the also the volume of a European water bottle).
*3 L: Two-liter bottle: Refers to a bottle which contains two liters (in the US usually soda). There is debate as to the reason for the discrepancy in volume.
*5 L: An adult male has about 5 L of blood in his body (An ''adequate'' vacuuming system could drain this blood out in 10 s - as per the title text!)
*30 L: Milk Crate: Refers to a {{w|Milk crate|type of small box}} originally used to transport milk but now often in demand to be used as bicycle basket, storage spaces, etc.
*55 L: Summer Glau: Again, this refers to the actress from Firefly.
*65 L: {{w|Dennis Kucinich}}: An American politician belonging to the {{w|Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic party}}, noted for his relatively strong (for the US) leftist views.
*75 L: {{w|Ron Paul}}: An American politician belonging to the rival {{w|Republican Party (United States)|Republican party}}, noted for his strong rightist views.
*200 L: Volume of refrigerator.
*As shown in the drawing of this part of the comic, the three persons mentioned above - Glau, Kucinich and Paul (summing up to 195 L) - could in principle all fit inside a standard refrigerator. Cueball thus attempts to push them all inside of one - and from the above mentioned political views it would be clear, the two men would not at all get along together trapped inside a fridge.

===Mass===
*3 g: {{w|M&M's|Peanut M&M}}: A small chocolate candy with a peanut inside
*100 g: Cell phone - this very much depends on the age of the cell phone, and the type etc.
*500 g [1 lb.]: A bottle of water contains 500 ml according to the volume section and thus have mass of 500 g.
*1–3 kg: Different types of laptops. The newest and the best is the lightest...
*5 kg [11 lb.]: {{w|Lcd monitor|LCD Monitor}}: A modern flat-screen-style monitor.
*15 kg: {{w|CRT monitor|CRT Monitor}}: An older-style, cathode ray tube-based monitor.
*4 kg: Cat and 4.1 kg - Cat (With Caption): Refers to the internet's love of putting {{w|Lolcat|captions on cats}}. Usually, this is done in a graphics program, but here the cat is actually physically carrying around his caption. The "with caption" part is most likely a reference to [[262: IN UR REALITY|Comic 262]], where [[Black Hat]] glues captions to cats, after running out of staples.
*60 kg [130 lb.]: Lady - for instance if she is Summer Glau - could be her again depicted in the comic - average weight of an adult woman.
*70 kg [150 lb.]: Dude - here depicted as Cueball who is the average guy, and 70 kg is average weight for an adult man.
*150 kg: Shaq: {{w|Shaq|Shaquille O'Neal}}, a famously tall basketball player.
*200 kg [440 lb.]: Your Mom
*220 kg: Your Mom (incl. 20 kg of cheap jewelry) and
*223 kg: Your Mom (also incl. 3 kg of Makeup)
*These last refers to a common type of {{w|Your mom}} joking insult whereby someone insults someone else's mother in a creative way. Here, the comic slyly calls your mom fat, then implies she wears way too much jewelry and finally also almost 7 pounds of makeup. This is a common theme in [[xkcd]].

==Title text==
The title text refers once again to Summer Glau's Firefly character, River, who (after being subjected to a long series of medical experiments) is severely mentally ill and often comes out with macabre — though scientifically accurate — pronouncements.

==Transcript==
:Guide to Converting to Metric
:The key to converting to metric is establishing new reference points. When you hear "26 degrees centigrade", instead of thinking "That's 79 degrees fahrenheit" you should think, "that's warmer then a house but cool for swimming." Here are some helpful tables of reference points:

:Temperature:
:60 degrees centigrade - Earth's Hottest
:45 degrees centigrade - Dubai Heat Wave
:40 degrees centigrade - Southern US Heat Wave
:35 degrees centigrade - Northern US Heat Wave
:30 degrees centigrade - Beach weather
:25 degrees centigrade - Warm Room
:20 degrees centigrade - Room Temperature
:10 degrees centigrade - Jacket Weather
:0 degrees centigrade - Snow!
:-5 degrees centigrade - Cold Day (Boston)
:-10 degrees centigrade - Cold Day (Moscow)
:-20 degrees centigrade - FuckFuckFuckCold
:-30 degrees centigrade - Fuuuuuuuuuuck!
:-40 degrees centigrade - Spit goes "clink"
:[Stick figure next to last three lines.]
:Man: ''Pthoo'' [Man spits.]
:Spit: ''Clink!'' [Spit bounces off ground.]

:Length
:1cm - Width of microSD card
:3cm - Length of SD card
:12cm - CD Diameter
:14cm - Penis
:15cm - BIC pen
:80cm - Doorway width
:1m - Lightsaber Blade
:170cm - Summer Glau
:200cm - Darth Vader
:2.5m - Ceiling
:5m - Car-length
:16m4cm - Human tower of Serenity crew
:[Human tower of Serenity crew stick figures depicted taking up from second line of panel to bottom.]

:Speed
:5 kph - 1.5 m/s - Walking
:13 kph - 3.5 m/s - Jogging
:25 kph - 7 m/s - Sprinting
:35 kph - 10 m/s - Fastest Human
:45 kph - 13 m/s - Housecat
:55 kph - 15 m/s - Rabbit
:75 kph - 20 m/s - Raptor
:100 kph - 25 m/s - Slow Highway
:110 kph - 30 m/s - Interstate (65 MPH)
:120 kph - 35 m/s - Speed you actually go when it says "65"
:140 kph - 40 m/s - Raptor on Hoverboard

:Volume
:3mL - Blood in a fieldmouse
:5mL - Teaspoon
:30mL - Nasal Passages
:40mL - Shot Glass
:So when it's blocked, the mucus in your nose could about fill a shot glass.
:[Image of a shot glass.] Related: I've invented the worst mixed drink ever.
:350mL - Soda Can
:500mL - Water Bottle
:3L - Two-Liter Bottle
:5L - Blood in a Human Male
:30L - Milk Crate
:55L - Summer Glau
:65L - Dennis Kucinich
:75L - Ron Paul
:200L - Fridge
:[Cueball shoving Ron Paul, Summer Glau, and Dennis Kucinich into fridge.]
:[Above fridge, circled, is 55+65+75<200]

:Mass
:3g - Peanut M&M
:100g - Cell Phone
:500g - Bottled Water
:1kg - Ultraportable Laptop
:2kg - Light-Medium Laptop
:3kg - Heavy Laptop
:5kg - LCD Monitor
:15kg - CRT Monitor
:4kg - Cat [Drawing of cat.]
:4.1kg - Cat (With Caption) [Drawing of cat, going "Mrowl?", and holding a caption.]
:60kg - Lady
:70kg - Dude
:150kg - Shaq
:[Stick figure of Megan and Cueball beside previous 3 lines.]
:200kg - Your Mom
:220kg - Your Mom (incl. cheap jewelry)
:223kg - Your Mom (also incl. Makeup)

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Charts]]
[[Category:Comics featuring real people]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Velociraptors]]
[[Category:Your Mom]]
[[Category:Firefly]]

Talk:1376: Jump

2014-06-02T15:02:37Z

108.162.219.54:

I guess the "G L I D E" could be a reference to Fight Club scene. The one with the Penguin during one of Tylor's support groups. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.214|141.101.88.214]] 09:03, 2 June 2014 (UTC)

The statement someone added, saying that if gravity had ceased he'd leave the earth's orbit due to the lack of the Sun's gravity, is incorrect; the Sun's gravitational force at the Earth is far lower than the Earth's gravity, so the loss would not be noticeable until well after he'd ended up in space. As such, I removed that statement.

I have always wondered why flying/gliding dreams seem to be universal for humans, not to mention all those dreams where you are viewing the world from an elevated position, I.e. near the ceiling or up in a cloud. After all, people do not fly, none of us have ever flown, none of our ancestors have ever flown, so whence all these flying dreams? Not sure if our arboreal ancestors were ever nimble enough to "fly" through the trees, but it would have been a long way back. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.117|108.162.245.117]] 12:24, 2 June 2014 (UTC)

Why is "GLIDE" in all-caps in the transcript? The whole comic is in all-caps. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.218|108.162.237.218]] 12:32, 2 June 2014 (UTC)
:perhaps because the letters are separated out(?)... it would look a little weird to me for them not to be all caps - all XKCD comics are in all caps (it's the font), so that's not a differentiating factor -- [[User:Brettpeirce|Brettpeirce]] ([[User talk:Brettpeirce|talk]]) 13:11, 2 June 2014 (UTC)
:Correct - since it is not a single word but individual words they should all be capital. All sentences here in the transcripts are written with capital letters - so as these letters each represents an individual sentence they should begin with a capital letter. [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 13:54, 2 June 2014 (UTC)

It's a dream of every wolfenstein enemy-territory player ;-) Theres a bug where you can get a lot of speed be running and jumping around.
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.54|108.162.219.54]] 15:02, 2 June 2014 (UTC)

Talk:1373: Screenshot

2014-05-26T09:45:26Z

108.162.219.54: Created page with "Guys I feel so strange right now, I woke up thinking "My battery is low, I need a charger but wait ... A new xkcd comic!" I have uploaded my screenshot : http://imgur.com/kjK1..."

Guys I feel so strange right now, I woke up thinking "My battery is low, I need a charger but wait ... A new xkcd comic!" I have uploaded my screenshot : http://imgur.com/kjK1S1B
[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.54|108.162.219.54]] 09:45, 26 May 2014 (UTC)bluelightzero

Talk:1362: Morse Code

2014-05-01T07:15:11Z

108.162.219.54:

Does the way the panels of the comic go 0101 mean anything, being more code and all? [[User:Cheeselord99|Cheeselord99]] ([[User talk:Cheeselord99|talk]]) 06:58, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

: The Morse sequence · – · – (dot dash dot dash) corresponds to letter Ä (A umlaut), also æ and ą, outside US-ASCII. – · – · is C. --[[User:JakubNarebski|JakubNarebski]] ([[User talk:JakubNarebski|talk]]) 07:52, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

:: I think it just indicates a long pause. They're in a quiet, peaceful place. Not sure there's anything more to be read into it[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.148|173.245.53.148]] 16:03, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

It seems to translate in the question mark. --07:11, 30 April 2014 (UTC)[[Special:Contributions/141.101.96.205|141.101.96.205]]

Randall mentioned in one of the "what ifs" that when he sees 1010 he involuntarily thinks "ten." So I guess it's "five?" Or an extended-Morse "a-umlaut" or "a-ogonek" or "ae digraph." Or a wild goose chase, maybe...[[User:Taibhse|Taibhse]] ([[User talk:Taibhse|talk]]) 07:25, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

Can someone explain the livejournal? -- [[User:Hkmaly|Hkmaly]] ([[User talk:Hkmaly|talk]]) 09:59, 30 April 2014 (UTC)
:And it is still a nice and a quiet place for people devoted to their interests,[http://raskalov-vit.livejournal.com/130686.html like urban exploration,etc.]Contrasted with Tumblr or Facebook,which are often drama-filled.[[User:Guru-45|Guru-45]] ([[User talk:Guru-45|talk]]) 11:03, 30 April 2014 (UTC)
livejournal is a website that was popular with the "goth" subculture way back in the day where people would post similar things to the last morse message.
:It's commonly used by Russians nowadays.[[User:Guru-45|Guru-45]] ([[User talk:Guru-45|talk]]) 11:05, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

"Cueball and Megan are 'lying' in a grassy, lonely plain." "Laying" has quite a different connotation. Ahem. {{unsigned|Pmiller000}}

: Nope. cf. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Laying & http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Lying [[Special:Contributions/108.162.225.158|108.162.225.158]] 23:55, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

I was looking at one of my livejournal entries just yesterday. I left it for Posterous. Then Twitter bought that and shut it down. I thik Wordpress will be around for a while. http://purl.net/net/tbc/blog/about

To the subject at hand. 'I Googled and found a 1999 article about Morse code in ''The Economist'' that is fascinating. I Instapapered http://www.economist.com/node/183572 ''– [[User:Tbc|tbc]] ([[User talk:Tbc|talk]]) 13:03, 30 April 2014 (UTC)''

Perhaps Cueball was simply inspired by the quote and wanted to close his LiveJournal account in a similar manner. He did not necessarily intend to use those exact words.--[[Special:Contributions/108.162.242.8|108.162.242.8]] 14:31, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

The landscape keeps changing from panel to panel: the lines in the horizon, the lines in the front big rock, the bunches of grass, etc. Also, grassy plains are usually thought of as peaceful and quiet, while the internet is not. I think the point (at least, one of the points) in the last panel is that Cueball turns this upside down by wanting to visit livejournal for peace and quietness, {{unsigned ip|108.162.229.33}}

LiveJournal is responding to this comic. http://xkcd-rss.livejournal.com/344879.html [[User:MrGameZone|0100011101100001011011010110010101011010011011110110111001100101]] ([[User talk:MrGameZone|talk page]]) 17:15, 30 April 2014 (UTC)
:As well as other comics, it seems. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.237.218|108.162.237.218]] 18:05, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

Is the "Angst ridden" part not simply one of explain XKCDs users take on live journal. I think it gets way too much focus in the explain as it now also comes into explaining the title text. I would drop it completely - but as I do not know LiveJournal this may be so common knowledge that it is given that Randall reefers to this Angst... And thus I will leave a reasonable change to others... [[User:Kynde|Kynde]] ([[User talk:Kynde|talk]]) 18:08, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

I thought this comic was a callback to http://xkcd.com/77/ [[Special:Contributions/173.245.55.67|173.245.55.67]] 18:42, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

Wouldn't the French have sent the message in French? The Morse Code in the explanation is English. [[User:Hax|Hax]] ([[User talk:Hax|talk]]) 20:46, 30 April 2014 (UTC)
:International conversation in modern times is always in English. I don't know the translation for "SOS" (Save our Souls) to French. Google tells me: "Sauvez nos âmes". But there is not "â" in the morse alphabet. They did morse in English. --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 20:57, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

"Sauvez nos âmes" looks to me like a too-literal translation. "SOS" is "M'aidez" in French. [[Special:Contributions/141.101.88.202|141.101.88.202]] 06:57, 1 May 2014 (UTC)

I wonder if Randall can find his LiveJournal login and post a final message - http://xkcd-drawings.livejournal.com/ (the page where he started his webcomics) is still up and waiting for a more poetic ending ... [[User:Cornelius|Cornelius]] ([[User talk:Cornelius|talk]]) 22:02, 30 April 2014 (UTC)

I doubt that the French Navy used English in its final Morse Code message...[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.86|173.245.54.86]] 03:29, 1 May 2014 (UTC)Brett

:http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-53668116.html --[[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.54|108.162.219.54]] 07:15, 1 May 2014 (UTC)

Talk:23: T-shirts

2014-02-01T06:25:44Z

108.162.219.54: Link to. Store

It should be mentioned that "maybe if my t-shirt is witty enough, someone will love me" is a real shirt for sale in the xkcd store http://store.xkcd.com/products/witty [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.54|108.162.219.54]] 06:25, 1 February 2014 (UTC)

711: Seismograph

2014-01-30T14:34:51Z

108.162.219.54:

{{comic
| number = 711
| date = March 8, 2010
| title = Seismograph
| image = seismograph.png
| titletext = The reverse only works if the subject has a nervous twitch.
}}

==Explanation==
A {{w|polygraph}} (popularly referred to as a lie detector) measures and records several physiological indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions. The belief underpinning the use of the polygraph is that deceptive answers will produce physiological responses that can be differentiated from those associated with non-deceptive answers.

A {{w|seismograph}} is a machine which measures and records the ground's motion during e.g. an earthquake. Older seismographs held a pen against a slowly turning roll of paper, and ground motions were amplified and recorded as spikes in the pen line.

The lie detector works by measuring physiological signals which could presumably be visualized by drawing a line on paper like a seismograph. It is assumed that when someone is lying, their physiological signatures will be sharper and more stressed. In the comic, the character on the right is hooked up to the lie detector, and apparently must answer "No" to the question of the earthquake. As long as there is no earthquake, then the subject will be telling the truth, and the polygraph signal will be more stable. But if there is really an earthquake happening, then the subject is lying, and so the polygraph will show sharper signals. This mimics the effect of an actual seismograph. It is not clear why the two characters seem to be upset with each other, other than because the scene mimics a polygraph test where the subject is trying to hide something.

The title text considers the idea of using a seismograph as a lie detector. If the subject has a nervous twitch, presumably they will twitch in some way when they are telling a lie. If they are connected to a seismograph somehow, it might pick up the twitch and thus reveal that the subject is lying.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball is standing over another man, who is strapped into a chair with wires attached to his head and arms. The wires lead to a large lie detector on a stand next to him, which has jagged lines drawn across it.]
:Cueball: ''IS THERE AN EARTHQUAKE HAPPENING?!''
:Sitting man: No!
:''scritch scritch''

:Protip: In a pinch, a lie detector can double as a seismograph.

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